This is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of shit u. Despite the
anti-war platitudes dr slutz here spews she only got her job by
informing on those in thye anti-war movement who supported real change
and action, including making false police reports on activists, myself
included. Remember, always judge people by their actions, not their
words.
Peter Z
Brown University study examines cost of War on Terror
01:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 7, 2011
By Bryan Rourke
Journal Staff Writer
Catherine Lutz, of Brown University, is co-director of the Eisenhower
Project at Brown’s Watson Institute for International Studies, which
prepared the “Costs of War” study.
The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo
PROVIDENCE — The war on terror continues; so does the cost and the
chronicling.
“You can’t make informed decisions without this information,” said Catherine Lutz of Brown University.
Lutz is co-director of the Eisenhower Project at Brown’s Watson
Institute for International Studies. The organization’s “Costs of War”
study has been reported worldwide with its website receiving 50,000 hits
from 169 countries since its June release. Visit costsofwar.org.
Hits rose in August during federal debt negotiations, Lutz said; and in
September during the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Now we’ve reached another
notable prompt.
Friday is the 10th anniversary of U.S. military operations in
Afghanistan. Thursday, “Costs of War” was presented in Washington to a
congressional panel on the war in Afghanistan.
The report’s cost calculations aren’t finished because the war isn’t
finished.
“We’re still following the numbers,” Lutz said.
The numbers, Lutz said, are “stunning”: 225,000 killed, and up to $4
trillion spent, factoring in future medical care for disabled veterans.
The 22 report researchers, will offer another report next fall, Lutz
said, offering bigger costs for the United States, and for its allies,
including Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, Lutz said, the follow-up will
chronicle the profits of war.
In 2008, Lutz said, the Pentagon paid military contractor Lockheed
Martin $30 billion.
“Lockheed received nearly more money from the government than the EPA, the Department of Labor and the Department of Transportation combined,” Lutz said.
Now, months after the release of “Costs of War,” Lutz reflects on the
response to it.
“Some people say, ‘Wow, those are huge numbers — the dollar figure, people killed and refugees. This means the war has been misbegotten.’ Some people say, ‘You can’t put a price on what the war has accomplished.’ People’s political view tends to inoculate them against the information changing their point of view.”
The “Costs of War” was reported in media in North America, South
America, Europe and Asia.
“The foreign reporters tend to ask questions about whether this has been a burden on us and if it is putting gasoline on the fire of America’s decline. The American reporters have been very interested in the veterans’ stories.”
Lutz is also interested in the veterans’ stories. She wonders how many
stories involve post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury
and suicide.
“The U.S. government should be more forthcoming with data,” Lutz said.
The number of disability claims from the war, Lutz said, exceeds
600,000. Much of the information veterans organizations have from the
government, Lutz said, is a result of Freedom of Information Act
requests.
“The craft of governance has become the craft of public relations and information control,” Lutz said. “That is not the way a democratic government should operate.”
A goal of the report, Lutz said, is to look at the complete cost of the
war.
“People have done the body counts for a variety of wars. But the financial, social and political costs, I’m not sure.”
Another goal of the report, Lutz said, is to look at war as a means to
tame terrorism.
“Were there other ways this could have been done with less loss of life? The historical record suggests there are.”
“Costs of War” cites a Rand study of 268 terrorist groups, 1968 to 2006. In 83 percent of cases, Lutz said, resolution was reached through political accommodation, intelligence and policing. Military might succeeded in 7 percent of cases.
The ultimate goal of “Costs of War,” Lutz said, is to learn the complete
costs of war: on soldiers and civilians, on budgets and taxpayers. And,
she said, we must remember what we learn.
“This says let’s not engage in a kind of historical amnesia.”
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Russia consideres scrapping Project 941/"Typhoon" subs
What are the Russians thinking? This is as stupid as making the smaller
Aircraft Carriers and allowing France to manufacture Russian Amphibious
Assault Ships. They should at least keep one of these ships as a Museum
or in reserve, after all, these are the most powerful submarines ever
built as well as the ultimate doomsday ship.
Peter Z
http://english.pravda.ru//russia/economics/29-09-2011/119185-typhoon_borei-0/?mode=print
Russia's gigantic Typhoon submarines to be scrapped
29.09.2011 15:03
Russia's gigantic Typhoon submarines to be scrapped. 45500.jpeg
Yuri Dolgoruky submarine
The world's largest ballistic missile submarines of Project 941 Akula
(Shark), known as Typhoon, will be decommissioned before 2014 and used
for scrap metal, a source at Russia's Defense Ministry told the Izvestia
newspaper.
All three operating submarines of the project - Arkhangelsk, Severstal
and Dmitry Donskoi - will thus be destroyed. The Dmitry Donskoi cruiser
was previously used as the base for launching Russia's new Bulava
ballistic missile. The decommissioning of the missiles will cost the
Russian budget hundreds of millions of rubles, experts said.
Defense officials said that it became impossible to use the
above-mentioned submarines for intended purposes because of the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), which Russia had signed with
the United States. Specialists of Sevmash Enterprise (the maker of the
subs) said that it could be possible to redesign the submarines to use
them as undersea gas tankers or all-season marine freight vessels.
However, defense ministry officials said that the cost for this work
would be unreasonably high.
It was Borei class submarines that ruined the career of the Typhoons,
defense officials said. Borei is a new class of submarines, which
Sevmash Enterprise currently builds. The new subs will be armed with
Bulava missiles.
The tests of Borei submarines ended successfully, which made the
maintenance of bulky and more expensive typhoon submarines pointless.
The crew of the Borei sub is 1.5 times smaller than that of the Typhoon.
Maintenance costs also differ in Borei's favor. To crown it all, it is
much more difficult to detect Borei submarines in the water, officials
said.
Officials representing the Defense Ministry also said that any work to
redesign the submarines would cost tens of billions of rubles.
Therefore, it would be more reasonable to spend this money on building
new vessels, they said.
Specialists of Sevmash Enterprise said, though, that the Typhoon subs
could be transformed into undersea tankers and freighters to transport
liquefied gas, oil and cargoes for polar ports. "This reconstruction may
not cost that much," representatives of the enterprise said.
Alexander Konovalov, the President of the Institute of Strategic
Estimations, shares a different point of view. According to him, the era
of Typhoons is gone for good.
"This is a gigantic thing. It is the largest sub in the world, and it is
very expensive in its exploitation. Moreover, there are no missiles for
these subs," he said.
The fate of gigantic submarines was determined by the START-3 Treaty,
which was signed by Russian and US presidents in the spring of 2010. The
treaty restricted the strategic arsenals of the two countries to 1,550
nuclear warheads.
Russia's Project 955 Borei and 667BDRM Dolphin submarines may carry over
1,100 nuclear blocks. The remaining part can be used by long-distance
aviation and Special Purpose Missile Troops.
One Typhoon class submarine is capable of carrying of only 120-200
nuclear warheads.
Russia's Defense Ministry has already decommissioned three of the six
Akula submarines before in accordance with the START-2 Treaty. Russia
decided that it was too expensive to maintain the battle capacity of
those submarines. Each cruiser required nearly 300 million rubles a
year.
The decommissioning process took place as follows. Spent nuclear fuel
was unloaded from the reactors. The equipment was dismantled afterwards.
The subs were then transferred to the dry dock. In the dock, specialists
cut out the reactor compartments from the subs. The compartments were
subsequently transferred to long-storage facilities in the Murmansk
region.
The utilization of one cruiser cost $10 million. Two million dollars of
the amount were assigned from the Russian budget. The remaining funds
were provided by the United States and Canada.
The Project 941 or Akula, ("Shark") class submarine (NATO reporting
name: Typhoon) is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a submerged displacement
of 48,000 tons,the Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever
built,large enough to accommodate decent living facilities for the crew
when submerged for months on end.The source of the NATO reporting name
remains unclear, although it is often claimed to be related to the use
of the word "Typhoon" by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while
describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine. Soviet
doctrine for these vessels was to have them launch SLBMs while submerged
under the arctic ice, avoiding the traversal of the GIUK gap to remain
safe from the enemy attack submarines and anti-submarine forces.
Technically Typhoons were also able to successfully deploy their
long-range nuclear missiles while moored at their dock.
The Borei class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile
submarine produced and operated by the Russian Navy. The class is
intended to replace the Delta III, Delta IV and Typhoon classes now in
Russian Navy service. The class is named after Boreas, the North wind.
The sub is 160 meters long; its maximum displacement measures 24,000
tons. The submergence depth - up to 400 meters. The crew - 107 people.
Sevmash currently builds three Borei class submarines: Alexander Nevsky,
Vladimir Monomakh and Saint Nikolai. The construction of the first
submarine - Yuri Dolgoruky - began on November 2, 1996. The sub was
launched on February 12, 2008.
Alexander Nevsky was launched on December 6, 2010. The sub is to be
passed into service in 2012.
Дмитрий Судаков
Aircraft Carriers and allowing France to manufacture Russian Amphibious
Assault Ships. They should at least keep one of these ships as a Museum
or in reserve, after all, these are the most powerful submarines ever
built as well as the ultimate doomsday ship.
Peter Z
http://english.pravda.ru//russia/economics/29-09-2011/119185-typhoon_borei-0/?mode=print
Russia's gigantic Typhoon submarines to be scrapped
29.09.2011 15:03
Russia's gigantic Typhoon submarines to be scrapped. 45500.jpeg
Yuri Dolgoruky submarine
The world's largest ballistic missile submarines of Project 941 Akula
(Shark), known as Typhoon, will be decommissioned before 2014 and used
for scrap metal, a source at Russia's Defense Ministry told the Izvestia
newspaper.
All three operating submarines of the project - Arkhangelsk, Severstal
and Dmitry Donskoi - will thus be destroyed. The Dmitry Donskoi cruiser
was previously used as the base for launching Russia's new Bulava
ballistic missile. The decommissioning of the missiles will cost the
Russian budget hundreds of millions of rubles, experts said.
Defense officials said that it became impossible to use the
above-mentioned submarines for intended purposes because of the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), which Russia had signed with
the United States. Specialists of Sevmash Enterprise (the maker of the
subs) said that it could be possible to redesign the submarines to use
them as undersea gas tankers or all-season marine freight vessels.
However, defense ministry officials said that the cost for this work
would be unreasonably high.
It was Borei class submarines that ruined the career of the Typhoons,
defense officials said. Borei is a new class of submarines, which
Sevmash Enterprise currently builds. The new subs will be armed with
Bulava missiles.
The tests of Borei submarines ended successfully, which made the
maintenance of bulky and more expensive typhoon submarines pointless.
The crew of the Borei sub is 1.5 times smaller than that of the Typhoon.
Maintenance costs also differ in Borei's favor. To crown it all, it is
much more difficult to detect Borei submarines in the water, officials
said.
Officials representing the Defense Ministry also said that any work to
redesign the submarines would cost tens of billions of rubles.
Therefore, it would be more reasonable to spend this money on building
new vessels, they said.
Specialists of Sevmash Enterprise said, though, that the Typhoon subs
could be transformed into undersea tankers and freighters to transport
liquefied gas, oil and cargoes for polar ports. "This reconstruction may
not cost that much," representatives of the enterprise said.
Alexander Konovalov, the President of the Institute of Strategic
Estimations, shares a different point of view. According to him, the era
of Typhoons is gone for good.
"This is a gigantic thing. It is the largest sub in the world, and it is
very expensive in its exploitation. Moreover, there are no missiles for
these subs," he said.
The fate of gigantic submarines was determined by the START-3 Treaty,
which was signed by Russian and US presidents in the spring of 2010. The
treaty restricted the strategic arsenals of the two countries to 1,550
nuclear warheads.
Russia's Project 955 Borei and 667BDRM Dolphin submarines may carry over
1,100 nuclear blocks. The remaining part can be used by long-distance
aviation and Special Purpose Missile Troops.
One Typhoon class submarine is capable of carrying of only 120-200
nuclear warheads.
Russia's Defense Ministry has already decommissioned three of the six
Akula submarines before in accordance with the START-2 Treaty. Russia
decided that it was too expensive to maintain the battle capacity of
those submarines. Each cruiser required nearly 300 million rubles a
year.
The decommissioning process took place as follows. Spent nuclear fuel
was unloaded from the reactors. The equipment was dismantled afterwards.
The subs were then transferred to the dry dock. In the dock, specialists
cut out the reactor compartments from the subs. The compartments were
subsequently transferred to long-storage facilities in the Murmansk
region.
The utilization of one cruiser cost $10 million. Two million dollars of
the amount were assigned from the Russian budget. The remaining funds
were provided by the United States and Canada.
The Project 941 or Akula, ("Shark") class submarine (NATO reporting
name: Typhoon) is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a submerged displacement
of 48,000 tons,the Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever
built,large enough to accommodate decent living facilities for the crew
when submerged for months on end.The source of the NATO reporting name
remains unclear, although it is often claimed to be related to the use
of the word "Typhoon" by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while
describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine. Soviet
doctrine for these vessels was to have them launch SLBMs while submerged
under the arctic ice, avoiding the traversal of the GIUK gap to remain
safe from the enemy attack submarines and anti-submarine forces.
Technically Typhoons were also able to successfully deploy their
long-range nuclear missiles while moored at their dock.
The Borei class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile
submarine produced and operated by the Russian Navy. The class is
intended to replace the Delta III, Delta IV and Typhoon classes now in
Russian Navy service. The class is named after Boreas, the North wind.
The sub is 160 meters long; its maximum displacement measures 24,000
tons. The submergence depth - up to 400 meters. The crew - 107 people.
Sevmash currently builds three Borei class submarines: Alexander Nevsky,
Vladimir Monomakh and Saint Nikolai. The construction of the first
submarine - Yuri Dolgoruky - began on November 2, 1996. The sub was
launched on February 12, 2008.
Alexander Nevsky was launched on December 6, 2010. The sub is to be
passed into service in 2012.
Дмитрий Судаков
Sunday, October 02, 2011
News roundup of "arab spring" news not being reported
While it is true that the situation in Syria and Libya is getting a lot of coverage, people forget other aspects of what is going on in the Arab World. That is not to minimize what is going on, as war could seem likely with Syria, as america could use the pretext of it's ambassador being attacked to go to war as it has done before, and I don't find it coincidental that an opposition council was created so soon after this incident. Also notice what is going in Libya, as Africa is not only harboring Qaddafi's family but assisting him, as they realize the true western backed nature of the rebels.
interesting enough it is not being reported that Tunisia acquired 6 german Albatross class Corvettes, which are the equal of the israeli saar class, right before the uprisings, and that Lurssen stopped the sale of the 3 Nakhoda Ragam class FFG's to Algeria around the time of the uprisings in that country. Those two pieces of military news not being reported show there is more going on than people just pissed off at their government.
Peter Khan Zendran
Syria opposition launches national council
APBy ZEINA KARAM - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 49 mins ago
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian dissidents on Sunday formally established a broad-based national council designed to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime, which they accused of pushing the country to the brink of civil war. Syrians took to the streets in celebration, singing and dancing.
In a restive northern area, meanwhile, gunmen killed the 21-year-old son of Syria's top Sunni Muslim cleric in an ambush, the state-run news agency reported. The cleric, Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, is considered a close supporter of Assad's regime and has echoed its claims that the unrest in Syria is the result of a foreign conspiracy.
The announcement of the Syrian National Council at a news conference in Istanbul appeared to be the most serious step yet to unify a deeply fragmented opposition. It follows five days of intense battles between the Syrian military and army defectors in the country's central region that raised the specter of all-out armed conflict.
Prominent Syrian opposition figure Bourhan Ghalioun, who read out the founding statement of the SNC at the news conference in Istanbul, accused the regime of fomenting sectarian strife in Syria to maintain its grip on power.
"I think that this (Assad) regime has completely lost the world's trust," he said. "The world is waiting for a united Syrian (opposition) that can provide the alternative to this regime, so that they can recognize it," he added.
"The council denounces the (regime's) policy of sectarian incitement ... which threatens national unity and is pushing the country to the brink of civil war," he said.
Syria's volatile sectarian divide means that an armed conflict could rapidly escalate in scale and brutality. The Assad regime is dominated by the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, but the country is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim.
The opposition movement has until now focused on peaceful demonstrations, although recently some protesters have been reported to have taken up arms to defend themselves against military attacks. Army defectors have also been fighting government troops.
Sunday's killing of the mufti's son took place in the Saraqeb region of the restive northern Idlib province as he left the university where he studied. He was shot in the chest and kidney and died later of his injuries. The news report gave no details on who might have been behind the killing.
In forming a national council, the Syrians are following in the footsteps of Libyan rebels, who formed a National Transitional Council during the uprising that ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The Libyan council won international recognition and has now become the main governing body that runs the country.
Groups of Syrians poured into the streets in southern and central regions of the country to celebrate the announcement.
Although the mass demonstrations in Syria have shaken one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, the opposition has made no major gains in recent months. It holds no territory and still has no clear leadership.
The Syrian opposition consists of a variety of groups with differing ideologies, including Islamists and secularists, and there have been many meetings of dissidents claiming to represent Syria's popular uprising since it erupted seven months ago. But the new council is the broadest umbrella movement of revolutionary forces formed so far.
A group of Syrian activists had declared the preliminary formation of the council last month, but its structure and goals, and a founding statement signed by major opposition factions, had not been announced until this conference.
The SNC announced in Istanbul appears to have received the recognition of the largest Syrian opposition factions.
Members said it includes representatives from the Damascus Declaration grouping, a pro-democracy network based in the capital; the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political party banned in the country; various Kurdish factions; and the grass-roots Local Coordination Committees, which have led protests across the country; as well as other independent and tribal figures.
Istanbul conference spokesman Ghalioun said one major benefit of the council to the Syrian opposition would be to provide a single body with which other countries could coordinate. He urged Syrians everywhere to support it and said it would be a vehicle for democratic change.
The council's statement said it categorically rejects any foreign intervention or military operations to bring down Assad's regime but called on the international community to "protect the Syrian people" from "the declared war and massacres being committed against them by the regime."
It said that protesters should continue to use "peaceful means" to topple the Syrian leader.
The organizers have not named a leader for the national council, but appeared to give a leading role to Ghalioun, a respected and popular opposition figure who is also a scholar of contemporary oriental studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Syria's uprising began in mid-March amid a wave of anti-government protests in the Arab world that have so far toppled autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Assad has reacted with deadly force that the U.N. estimates has left some 2,700 people dead.
In other developments Sunday, a state-run Syrian newspaper warned U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford against meddling in Syrian affairs if he wants to avoid more "rotten egg" attacks in the future. The Al Baath newspaper, a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, accused Ford of supporting armed anti-government groups in Syria and said he should expect further "unpleasant treatment" as long as his country meddles in Syrian affairs.
Supporters of Assad pelted Ford with eggs on Thursday as he visited Hassan Abdul-Azim, an opposition figure in Damascus.
The Obama administration summoned Syria's ambassador in Washington to hear formal U.S. condemnation of the assault.
The government said it retook control of the rebellious central town of Rastan Sunday after hunting down "armed terrorists" holed up inside. But the fighting there highlighted the increasingly militarized nature of an uprising started months ago by peaceful protesters.
Syrian activists say the fighting in Rastan had pitted the Syrian military against hundreds of army defectors who sided with anti-regime protesters. It was among the worst clashes in the uprising.
___
Zeina Karam can be reached on http://twitter.com/zkaram
Gadhafi son denies Interpol allegations
APBy KIM GAMEL - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 1 min ago
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's son, al-Saadi, denied allegations of corruption and intimidation and called Interpol's decision to put him on the equivalent of its most-wanted list political, according to an email sent Sunday.
Al-Saadi Gadhafi is under house arrest in Libyan neighbor Niger, where he fled after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces. His father and two of his brothers are in hiding, presumably inside Libya, as fighting between revolutionary forces and Gadhafi's loyalists continues on three fronts.
Al-Saadi "regrets the issue of a red notice by Interpol and strenuously denies the charges made against him," an email forwarded to The Associated Press said.
Interpol issued a red notice for al-Saadi last week based on accusations he misappropriated property and engaged in "armed intimidation" when he headed the Libyan Football Federation. He also was a special forces commander and is the subject of U.N. sanctions for commanding military units involved in repression of demonstrations.
The international police agency said the notice was issued in response to a request by the Libya's National Transitional Council, which has assumed leadership of the North African nation. Niger, which borders Libya on the south and long benefited from Gadhafi's largesse, has said it would study the question.
In the email, al-Saadi called the Interpol notice a "clear political decision to recognize the de jure authority of the National Transitional Council taken without appropriate regard to the current absence of a functioning, effective and fair system of justice in Libya."
It said al-Saadi "worked tirelessly to promote football in Libya, priding himself on the fact that Libya was formerly selected to host the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations." It added that Gadhafi's son "continues to call on all sides to seek a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the present conflict."
The South African Football Association has signed an agreement with Libya's post-Gadhafi football federation to host the 2013 African Cup of Nations, while Libya will stage the 2017 games.
The email was relayed to the AP on Sunday by defense attorney Nick Kaufman, who has been involved in a number of international criminal cases. Kaufman said he was contacted by an intermediary he identified as al-Saadi's press secretary, Jackie Frazier.
Al-Saadi fled to Niger in mid-September along with several other regime loyalists, including some generals.
Interpol also has issued red notices for Moammar Gadhafi and his son Seif al-Islam upon request by the Hague-based International Criminal Court. Both men have been charged with crimes against humanity.
Interpol had urged authorities in Niger and surrounding countries — and those with direct flights to Niger — to watch out for and arrest Gadhafi "with a view to returning him to Libya" for prosecution.
Interpol's red notices are the highest-level alerts they can issue to their member countries. The notices do not force countries to turn over suspects but strongly urge them to, and countries who ignore such notices can come under pressure from the international community.
Gadhafi's eight adult children have played influential roles in Libya, from commanding an elite military unit to controlling the oil sector. Al-Saadi, 38, headed the Libyan Football Federation, and at one point played in Italy's professional league but spent most of his time on the bench.
Another Gadhafi son is with his daughter Aisha and wife in neighboring Algeria — along with other family members — while Khamis Gadhafi, who led the Khamis Brigade that fought in the west, was reportedly killed in battle, although that was never confirmed.
Libya's new rulers have gained control of most of the country, but revolutionary forces still face fierce resistance in Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, Bani Walid and pockets in the southern desert. NATO recent extended its mission, although the top U.S. commander for Africa said Saturday that the military mission is largely complete.
Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of U.S. Africa Command said that the National Transitional Council and its forces should be in "reasonable control" of population centers before the end of the NATO mission, dubbed Unified Protector. And he said they are close to that now.
http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Defence-Weekly-2005/Tunisian-Navy-boosts-its-capabilities.html
Tunisian Navy boosts its capabilities, MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
The Tunisian Navy is set to augment its capabilities with the acquisition of a further four surplus German Navy Albatros-class (Type 143B) missile fast attack craft, under a EUR33 million (USD40.3 million) agreement.
An initial two Type 143Bs, S-65 Sperber and S-66 Greif were delivered to the Tunisian Navy in June. The second batch, consisting of S-63 Geier and S-68 Seeadler, is currently on its way to Tunis and will be officially handed over to the navy on 29 September. The last two vessels, S-69 Habicht and S-70 Kormoran, are scheduled to enter Tunisian Navy service on 13 December.
http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Business_1/How_Lurssen_Wooed_Brunei.shtml
How Lurssen Wooed Brunei
By Intelligence Online 04/06/2009
Jun 15, 2009 - 7:44:53 AM
Like car owners, governments insist that somebody take old equipment off their hands before buying new armaments. Complicated to set up, such deals nonetheless help suppliers to win contracts. The three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that Germany’s Lurssen yard is about to deliver to the Royal Brunei Navy were sold in return for the Germans helping Brunei get rid of three slightly older ships. Brunei initially contracted Britain’s GEC-Marconi in 1998 to deliver three OPVs. Bought out by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions, GEC delivered the Nakhoda Ragam in 2003 and the Bendahara Sakam and Jerambak in 2004. The three patrol boats were equipped with VL Seawolf and MM40 Exocet Block 2 missiles made by MBDA. But Brunei refused to take delivery of the vessels on the grounds they didn’t correspond to specifications that had been negotiated with the British group. Lurssen then stepped in to offer to take them off Brunei’s hands and re-sell them in return for a contract with Brunei for a similar number of ships. Through its affiliate Global Naval Systems, Lurssen offered the British-built patrol vessels to several Gulf countries but didn’t find buyers. Finally, it got Algeria to acquire them last year. The proceeds from the sale of GEC’s ships to Algeria will be partly deducted from the price of the three new vessels for Brunei.
Like car owners, governments insist that somebody take old equipment off their hands before buying new armaments. Complicated to set up, such deals nonetheless help suppliers to win contracts. The three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that Germany’s Lurssen yard is about to deliver to the Royal Brunei Navy were sold in return for the Germans helping Brunei get rid of three slightly older ships. Brunei initially contracted Britain’s GEC-Marconi in 1998 to deliver three OPVs. Bought out by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions, GEC delivered the Nakhoda Ragam in 2003 and the Bendahara Sakam and Jerambak in 2004. The three patrol boats were equipped with VL Seawolf and MM40 Exocet Block 2 missiles made by MBDA. But Brunei refused to take delivery of the vessels on the grounds they didn’t correspond to specifications that had been negotiated with the British group. Lurssen then stepped in to offer to take them off Brunei’s hands and re-sell them in return for a contract with Brunei for a similar number of ships. Through its affiliate Global Naval Systems, Lurssen offered the British-built patrol vessels to several Gulf countries but didn’t find buyers. Finally, it got Algeria to acquire them last year. The proceeds from the sale of GEC’s ships to Algeria will be partly deducted from the price of the three new vessels for Brunei.
Source:Ocnus.net 2009
interesting enough it is not being reported that Tunisia acquired 6 german Albatross class Corvettes, which are the equal of the israeli saar class, right before the uprisings, and that Lurssen stopped the sale of the 3 Nakhoda Ragam class FFG's to Algeria around the time of the uprisings in that country. Those two pieces of military news not being reported show there is more going on than people just pissed off at their government.
Peter Khan Zendran
Syria opposition launches national council
APBy ZEINA KARAM - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 49 mins ago
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian dissidents on Sunday formally established a broad-based national council designed to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime, which they accused of pushing the country to the brink of civil war. Syrians took to the streets in celebration, singing and dancing.
In a restive northern area, meanwhile, gunmen killed the 21-year-old son of Syria's top Sunni Muslim cleric in an ambush, the state-run news agency reported. The cleric, Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, is considered a close supporter of Assad's regime and has echoed its claims that the unrest in Syria is the result of a foreign conspiracy.
The announcement of the Syrian National Council at a news conference in Istanbul appeared to be the most serious step yet to unify a deeply fragmented opposition. It follows five days of intense battles between the Syrian military and army defectors in the country's central region that raised the specter of all-out armed conflict.
Prominent Syrian opposition figure Bourhan Ghalioun, who read out the founding statement of the SNC at the news conference in Istanbul, accused the regime of fomenting sectarian strife in Syria to maintain its grip on power.
"I think that this (Assad) regime has completely lost the world's trust," he said. "The world is waiting for a united Syrian (opposition) that can provide the alternative to this regime, so that they can recognize it," he added.
"The council denounces the (regime's) policy of sectarian incitement ... which threatens national unity and is pushing the country to the brink of civil war," he said.
Syria's volatile sectarian divide means that an armed conflict could rapidly escalate in scale and brutality. The Assad regime is dominated by the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, but the country is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim.
The opposition movement has until now focused on peaceful demonstrations, although recently some protesters have been reported to have taken up arms to defend themselves against military attacks. Army defectors have also been fighting government troops.
Sunday's killing of the mufti's son took place in the Saraqeb region of the restive northern Idlib province as he left the university where he studied. He was shot in the chest and kidney and died later of his injuries. The news report gave no details on who might have been behind the killing.
In forming a national council, the Syrians are following in the footsteps of Libyan rebels, who formed a National Transitional Council during the uprising that ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The Libyan council won international recognition and has now become the main governing body that runs the country.
Groups of Syrians poured into the streets in southern and central regions of the country to celebrate the announcement.
Although the mass demonstrations in Syria have shaken one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, the opposition has made no major gains in recent months. It holds no territory and still has no clear leadership.
The Syrian opposition consists of a variety of groups with differing ideologies, including Islamists and secularists, and there have been many meetings of dissidents claiming to represent Syria's popular uprising since it erupted seven months ago. But the new council is the broadest umbrella movement of revolutionary forces formed so far.
A group of Syrian activists had declared the preliminary formation of the council last month, but its structure and goals, and a founding statement signed by major opposition factions, had not been announced until this conference.
The SNC announced in Istanbul appears to have received the recognition of the largest Syrian opposition factions.
Members said it includes representatives from the Damascus Declaration grouping, a pro-democracy network based in the capital; the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political party banned in the country; various Kurdish factions; and the grass-roots Local Coordination Committees, which have led protests across the country; as well as other independent and tribal figures.
Istanbul conference spokesman Ghalioun said one major benefit of the council to the Syrian opposition would be to provide a single body with which other countries could coordinate. He urged Syrians everywhere to support it and said it would be a vehicle for democratic change.
The council's statement said it categorically rejects any foreign intervention or military operations to bring down Assad's regime but called on the international community to "protect the Syrian people" from "the declared war and massacres being committed against them by the regime."
It said that protesters should continue to use "peaceful means" to topple the Syrian leader.
The organizers have not named a leader for the national council, but appeared to give a leading role to Ghalioun, a respected and popular opposition figure who is also a scholar of contemporary oriental studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Syria's uprising began in mid-March amid a wave of anti-government protests in the Arab world that have so far toppled autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Assad has reacted with deadly force that the U.N. estimates has left some 2,700 people dead.
In other developments Sunday, a state-run Syrian newspaper warned U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford against meddling in Syrian affairs if he wants to avoid more "rotten egg" attacks in the future. The Al Baath newspaper, a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, accused Ford of supporting armed anti-government groups in Syria and said he should expect further "unpleasant treatment" as long as his country meddles in Syrian affairs.
Supporters of Assad pelted Ford with eggs on Thursday as he visited Hassan Abdul-Azim, an opposition figure in Damascus.
The Obama administration summoned Syria's ambassador in Washington to hear formal U.S. condemnation of the assault.
The government said it retook control of the rebellious central town of Rastan Sunday after hunting down "armed terrorists" holed up inside. But the fighting there highlighted the increasingly militarized nature of an uprising started months ago by peaceful protesters.
Syrian activists say the fighting in Rastan had pitted the Syrian military against hundreds of army defectors who sided with anti-regime protesters. It was among the worst clashes in the uprising.
___
Zeina Karam can be reached on http://twitter.com/zkaram
Gadhafi son denies Interpol allegations
APBy KIM GAMEL - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 1 min ago
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's son, al-Saadi, denied allegations of corruption and intimidation and called Interpol's decision to put him on the equivalent of its most-wanted list political, according to an email sent Sunday.
Al-Saadi Gadhafi is under house arrest in Libyan neighbor Niger, where he fled after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces. His father and two of his brothers are in hiding, presumably inside Libya, as fighting between revolutionary forces and Gadhafi's loyalists continues on three fronts.
Al-Saadi "regrets the issue of a red notice by Interpol and strenuously denies the charges made against him," an email forwarded to The Associated Press said.
Interpol issued a red notice for al-Saadi last week based on accusations he misappropriated property and engaged in "armed intimidation" when he headed the Libyan Football Federation. He also was a special forces commander and is the subject of U.N. sanctions for commanding military units involved in repression of demonstrations.
The international police agency said the notice was issued in response to a request by the Libya's National Transitional Council, which has assumed leadership of the North African nation. Niger, which borders Libya on the south and long benefited from Gadhafi's largesse, has said it would study the question.
In the email, al-Saadi called the Interpol notice a "clear political decision to recognize the de jure authority of the National Transitional Council taken without appropriate regard to the current absence of a functioning, effective and fair system of justice in Libya."
It said al-Saadi "worked tirelessly to promote football in Libya, priding himself on the fact that Libya was formerly selected to host the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations." It added that Gadhafi's son "continues to call on all sides to seek a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the present conflict."
The South African Football Association has signed an agreement with Libya's post-Gadhafi football federation to host the 2013 African Cup of Nations, while Libya will stage the 2017 games.
The email was relayed to the AP on Sunday by defense attorney Nick Kaufman, who has been involved in a number of international criminal cases. Kaufman said he was contacted by an intermediary he identified as al-Saadi's press secretary, Jackie Frazier.
Al-Saadi fled to Niger in mid-September along with several other regime loyalists, including some generals.
Interpol also has issued red notices for Moammar Gadhafi and his son Seif al-Islam upon request by the Hague-based International Criminal Court. Both men have been charged with crimes against humanity.
Interpol had urged authorities in Niger and surrounding countries — and those with direct flights to Niger — to watch out for and arrest Gadhafi "with a view to returning him to Libya" for prosecution.
Interpol's red notices are the highest-level alerts they can issue to their member countries. The notices do not force countries to turn over suspects but strongly urge them to, and countries who ignore such notices can come under pressure from the international community.
Gadhafi's eight adult children have played influential roles in Libya, from commanding an elite military unit to controlling the oil sector. Al-Saadi, 38, headed the Libyan Football Federation, and at one point played in Italy's professional league but spent most of his time on the bench.
Another Gadhafi son is with his daughter Aisha and wife in neighboring Algeria — along with other family members — while Khamis Gadhafi, who led the Khamis Brigade that fought in the west, was reportedly killed in battle, although that was never confirmed.
Libya's new rulers have gained control of most of the country, but revolutionary forces still face fierce resistance in Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, Bani Walid and pockets in the southern desert. NATO recent extended its mission, although the top U.S. commander for Africa said Saturday that the military mission is largely complete.
Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of U.S. Africa Command said that the National Transitional Council and its forces should be in "reasonable control" of population centers before the end of the NATO mission, dubbed Unified Protector. And he said they are close to that now.
http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Defence-Weekly-2005/Tunisian-Navy-boosts-its-capabilities.html
Tunisian Navy boosts its capabilities, MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
The Tunisian Navy is set to augment its capabilities with the acquisition of a further four surplus German Navy Albatros-class (Type 143B) missile fast attack craft, under a EUR33 million (USD40.3 million) agreement.
An initial two Type 143Bs, S-65 Sperber and S-66 Greif were delivered to the Tunisian Navy in June. The second batch, consisting of S-63 Geier and S-68 Seeadler, is currently on its way to Tunis and will be officially handed over to the navy on 29 September. The last two vessels, S-69 Habicht and S-70 Kormoran, are scheduled to enter Tunisian Navy service on 13 December.
http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Business_1/How_Lurssen_Wooed_Brunei.shtml
How Lurssen Wooed Brunei
By Intelligence Online 04/06/2009
Jun 15, 2009 - 7:44:53 AM
Like car owners, governments insist that somebody take old equipment off their hands before buying new armaments. Complicated to set up, such deals nonetheless help suppliers to win contracts. The three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that Germany’s Lurssen yard is about to deliver to the Royal Brunei Navy were sold in return for the Germans helping Brunei get rid of three slightly older ships. Brunei initially contracted Britain’s GEC-Marconi in 1998 to deliver three OPVs. Bought out by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions, GEC delivered the Nakhoda Ragam in 2003 and the Bendahara Sakam and Jerambak in 2004. The three patrol boats were equipped with VL Seawolf and MM40 Exocet Block 2 missiles made by MBDA. But Brunei refused to take delivery of the vessels on the grounds they didn’t correspond to specifications that had been negotiated with the British group. Lurssen then stepped in to offer to take them off Brunei’s hands and re-sell them in return for a contract with Brunei for a similar number of ships. Through its affiliate Global Naval Systems, Lurssen offered the British-built patrol vessels to several Gulf countries but didn’t find buyers. Finally, it got Algeria to acquire them last year. The proceeds from the sale of GEC’s ships to Algeria will be partly deducted from the price of the three new vessels for Brunei.
Like car owners, governments insist that somebody take old equipment off their hands before buying new armaments. Complicated to set up, such deals nonetheless help suppliers to win contracts. The three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that Germany’s Lurssen yard is about to deliver to the Royal Brunei Navy were sold in return for the Germans helping Brunei get rid of three slightly older ships. Brunei initially contracted Britain’s GEC-Marconi in 1998 to deliver three OPVs. Bought out by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions, GEC delivered the Nakhoda Ragam in 2003 and the Bendahara Sakam and Jerambak in 2004. The three patrol boats were equipped with VL Seawolf and MM40 Exocet Block 2 missiles made by MBDA. But Brunei refused to take delivery of the vessels on the grounds they didn’t correspond to specifications that had been negotiated with the British group. Lurssen then stepped in to offer to take them off Brunei’s hands and re-sell them in return for a contract with Brunei for a similar number of ships. Through its affiliate Global Naval Systems, Lurssen offered the British-built patrol vessels to several Gulf countries but didn’t find buyers. Finally, it got Algeria to acquire them last year. The proceeds from the sale of GEC’s ships to Algeria will be partly deducted from the price of the three new vessels for Brunei.
Source:Ocnus.net 2009
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Update on watson weirdness
I took this last night during the storm as my digicam was busted
http://twitter.com/#!/peterzendran/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitpic.com%2F6tjmv4
Oddly enough these aliens did the same thing 3 years ago at the watson institute, check my youtube videos and see for yourself.
Peter Z
http://twitter.com/#!/peterzendran/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitpic.com%2F6tjmv4
Oddly enough these aliens did the same thing 3 years ago at the watson institute, check my youtube videos and see for yourself.
Peter Z
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Iranian Naval buildup, showing Zendran influence
While this news of Iran upgrading the weapons on it's ships is old hat
the other news stories are not. Notice the announcement of the Atlantic
deployment comes after the first successful Mediterranean deployments
which included submarines. And notice the article about building
Aircraft Carriers. While such ships are at least a decade away Iran is
capable of building other ships for it's fleet, including Amphibious
Assault Carriers like the kind Indonesia and India operates, and Iran
may be studying India's new Carrier being built in Kochi. Also notice
this comes three years after I posted this
http://peterkhanzendran.blogspot.com/2008/12/iranian-naval-design-recommendations.html
That the Iranian Navy could have ignored this is next to impossible.
Consider also how rouhani, iranpoliticsclub, bahman nassiri, and other
prominent Iranians are ow starting to mimic me on Iranian security
issues.
Peter Khan Zendran
News - English
News numbre: 9007040361
2011-09-28 - 11:41
Iran Equips Army, IRGC Naval Forces with New Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Defense Ministry supplied large numbers of a
newly produced powerful ant-ship cruise missile to the country's Navy
and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to boost Iran's naval
defense power.
During a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General
Ahmad Vahidi, the Defense Ministry delivered the Qader (Mighty)
anti-ship cruise missiles to the Army's Navy and IRGC's naval force.
Addressing the ceremony, also attended by Iranian Navy Commander Rear
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and Commander of the IRGC Naval Force
Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, Vahidi said that Iran has managed to
mass-produce the missile in the shortest time possible.
He stressed that production of the missiles showed that the Iranian
Defense Industries are able to satiate the Iranian Armed Forces' missile
needs.
As regards the features and specifications of the new missile, Vahidi
said Qader is an anti-ship cruise missile with a range of 200km and
enjoys a short launch time and is able to hit all naval vessels,
including frigates and warships, as well as onshore enemy targets.
Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi
imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992,
Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles
and fighter planes.
Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military
and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived
as a threat to any other country.
News - English
News numbre: 9007040331
2011-09-28 - 10:33
Iran Planning Naval Buildup Near US Coastal Waters
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari
announced that the country plans to move vessels into the Atlantic Ocean
to start a naval buildup "near maritime borders of the United States".
"Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we
will also have a powerful presence close to the American marine
borders," Sayyari said.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the
1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a
deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
On July 19 Sayyari also said that Iran was going to send "a flotilla
into the Atlantic".
The remarks come as another high-ranking Iranian military official
rejected a recent US request to establish a "red phone" link between the
countries in the Persian Gulf.
"We would establish direct contact with the United States if we would
ever go to the Gulf of Mexico," Commander of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Ali Fadavi said.
He rejected the US demand, and explained, "In the view of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the presence of the US in the Persian Gulf is
illegitimate and makes no sense."
The Iranian navy has been developing its presence in international
waters since last year, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean
and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates
operating in the area.
Iran also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in
February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United
States.
And in July, Sayyari announced that an Iranian submarine had completed
an inaugural mission in the Southern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
News - English
News numbre: 9007040435
2011-09-28 - 18:29
Commander: Iran Plans to Build Aircraft Carriers
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy plans to start designing and building
heavy vessels such as aircraft carriers, a senior Iranian Navy commander
announced on Wednesday.
"The Iranian Army's Navy has done a good job in designing and building
various types of vessels, and now after acquiring the know-how and
experience the Navy is after designing and building chopper and aircraft
carriers," Deputy Commander of the Iranian Navy for Research and
Self-sufficiency Jihad Capitan Mansour Maqsoudlou said.
Speaking to the Islamic republic news agency, Maqsoudlou said that the
Navy has also accomplished designing of new vessels.
"Manufacturing chopper or aircraft carriers may consume time, but
inability has no place amongst us since we believe that WE CAN," the
commander said.
He pointed to the Iranian Navy's major development plan, dubbed as
Velayat (religious leadership), and said manufacturing vessels and
submarines of different class and type is on the agenda of the Navy
based on the plan.
The Captain further named Jamaran 2 Destroyer as the most noteworthy
vessel under production at present, and said it is among the several
vessels in the final stages of production.
Iran's first home-made destroyer, Jamaran 1, was launched in late
February 2010. The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around
14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare
capabilities and is armed with a variety of anti-ship,
surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.
The remarks by Maqsoudlou came as Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral
Habibollah Sayyari announced yesterday that the country plans to build
up a naval presence "near the maritime borders of the United States".
"Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we
will also have a powerful presence close to the American marine
borders," Sayyari said.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the
1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a
deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
Sayyari had first declared on July 19 that Iran planned to send "a
flotilla into the Atlantic".
Iran's naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11,
2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that
in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic
Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique
asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.
According to the report, Iran's Navy has been transformed into a highly
motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in
control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
the other news stories are not. Notice the announcement of the Atlantic
deployment comes after the first successful Mediterranean deployments
which included submarines. And notice the article about building
Aircraft Carriers. While such ships are at least a decade away Iran is
capable of building other ships for it's fleet, including Amphibious
Assault Carriers like the kind Indonesia and India operates, and Iran
may be studying India's new Carrier being built in Kochi. Also notice
this comes three years after I posted this
http://peterkhanzendran.blogspot.com/2008/12/iranian-naval-design-recommendations.html
That the Iranian Navy could have ignored this is next to impossible.
Consider also how rouhani, iranpoliticsclub, bahman nassiri, and other
prominent Iranians are ow starting to mimic me on Iranian security
issues.
Peter Khan Zendran
News - English
News numbre: 9007040361
2011-09-28 - 11:41
Iran Equips Army, IRGC Naval Forces with New Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Defense Ministry supplied large numbers of a
newly produced powerful ant-ship cruise missile to the country's Navy
and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to boost Iran's naval
defense power.
During a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General
Ahmad Vahidi, the Defense Ministry delivered the Qader (Mighty)
anti-ship cruise missiles to the Army's Navy and IRGC's naval force.
Addressing the ceremony, also attended by Iranian Navy Commander Rear
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and Commander of the IRGC Naval Force
Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, Vahidi said that Iran has managed to
mass-produce the missile in the shortest time possible.
He stressed that production of the missiles showed that the Iranian
Defense Industries are able to satiate the Iranian Armed Forces' missile
needs.
As regards the features and specifications of the new missile, Vahidi
said Qader is an anti-ship cruise missile with a range of 200km and
enjoys a short launch time and is able to hit all naval vessels,
including frigates and warships, as well as onshore enemy targets.
Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi
imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992,
Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles
and fighter planes.
Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military
and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived
as a threat to any other country.
News - English
News numbre: 9007040331
2011-09-28 - 10:33
Iran Planning Naval Buildup Near US Coastal Waters
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari
announced that the country plans to move vessels into the Atlantic Ocean
to start a naval buildup "near maritime borders of the United States".
"Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we
will also have a powerful presence close to the American marine
borders," Sayyari said.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the
1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a
deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
On July 19 Sayyari also said that Iran was going to send "a flotilla
into the Atlantic".
The remarks come as another high-ranking Iranian military official
rejected a recent US request to establish a "red phone" link between the
countries in the Persian Gulf.
"We would establish direct contact with the United States if we would
ever go to the Gulf of Mexico," Commander of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Ali Fadavi said.
He rejected the US demand, and explained, "In the view of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the presence of the US in the Persian Gulf is
illegitimate and makes no sense."
The Iranian navy has been developing its presence in international
waters since last year, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean
and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates
operating in the area.
Iran also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in
February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United
States.
And in July, Sayyari announced that an Iranian submarine had completed
an inaugural mission in the Southern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
News - English
News numbre: 9007040435
2011-09-28 - 18:29
Commander: Iran Plans to Build Aircraft Carriers
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy plans to start designing and building
heavy vessels such as aircraft carriers, a senior Iranian Navy commander
announced on Wednesday.
"The Iranian Army's Navy has done a good job in designing and building
various types of vessels, and now after acquiring the know-how and
experience the Navy is after designing and building chopper and aircraft
carriers," Deputy Commander of the Iranian Navy for Research and
Self-sufficiency Jihad Capitan Mansour Maqsoudlou said.
Speaking to the Islamic republic news agency, Maqsoudlou said that the
Navy has also accomplished designing of new vessels.
"Manufacturing chopper or aircraft carriers may consume time, but
inability has no place amongst us since we believe that WE CAN," the
commander said.
He pointed to the Iranian Navy's major development plan, dubbed as
Velayat (religious leadership), and said manufacturing vessels and
submarines of different class and type is on the agenda of the Navy
based on the plan.
The Captain further named Jamaran 2 Destroyer as the most noteworthy
vessel under production at present, and said it is among the several
vessels in the final stages of production.
Iran's first home-made destroyer, Jamaran 1, was launched in late
February 2010. The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around
14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare
capabilities and is armed with a variety of anti-ship,
surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.
The remarks by Maqsoudlou came as Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral
Habibollah Sayyari announced yesterday that the country plans to build
up a naval presence "near the maritime borders of the United States".
"Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we
will also have a powerful presence close to the American marine
borders," Sayyari said.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the
1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a
deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
Sayyari had first declared on July 19 that Iran planned to send "a
flotilla into the Atlantic".
Iran's naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11,
2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that
in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic
Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique
asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.
According to the report, Iran's Navy has been transformed into a highly
motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in
control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Open letter to patrick kennedy on Iran
Your statements in support of the mujhadeen e khalk, who have paid you to be their pet micktard, are nothing short of inflammatory and based on your ignorance of Iranian history and Culure. Having being kicked out of politics because of such ignorant behavior I thought you would have come to face reality, instead I wonder if you realize who’s money you are taking and just what you are getting into.
I wonder if you realize that the first mistake your family made in dealing with Iran happened when your uncle president kennedy got involved with savak chief Sephabod Teymour Bakhtiar in his ploting to overthrow Mohammed Reza Shah, even after Bakhtiar was removed as savak chief, directling threatening Iran’s sovereignity. I wonder that your uncle’s refusing to give money in American aid to Iran unless Mohammed Reza Shah implemented sweeping government reforms led to the rise of khomeini, for though Mohammed Reza Shah had intended to implement reforms, the way john f kennedy had him implement them only incited radical muslims, and starting a tradition among the American democratic party of screwing over Iran.
It is true many Iranians had planned to kill john f kennedy, but the cia beat us to it, and it is true that savak trained sirhan sirhan. It is also true that the Iranian community has had a hand in ruining the political career of your family, yourself included, because of the many slights we have received from members of your family, and we have done this because we know your dirty secrets. We know you only came out as being in treatment for depression to conceal your drug addiction. We know you take drugs because you are under the spell of others in the democratic party like madeline halfbright, hillary cunton and your uncle ted’s cronies. We know you and your uncle had constituents who arrived at your office to bring legitimate concerns to your attention arrested. We know that if people knew how your relatives really behave you would be chased out of the country.
Most importantly, we know you have consistently voted against Iran , be it in support of the war on terror or in support of sanctions. Why you have done this we do not know, but it has contributed to your downfall. Instead of learning from your mistakes you nave continued your mistake by becoming the paid micktard for the mujhadeen e khalq. I wonder if you are aware that the mujhadeen e khalq is responsible for many of the worst atrocities in Iran during the 1978-9 revolution, including bloody sunday. Or that they are responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed during the 1980-8 war with Iraq , where they served alongside saddam hussein’s forces. Were these people to have their way with Iran we would have a situation worse than the mullahs have created. Why do you back these suskimargi who will only create more chaos?
Then again I wonder if you are acting as a pawn in a greater plot. After all, you have consistently acted as a pitchman for the new world order while posing as a democrat. After all, those members of the democratic party who have advocated war have advanced in their positions of power in the American government, retaining them despite popular discontent. And I find it more than coincidental that some veterans with the organization that is preserving the USS John F Kennedy played a sick prank on me, accepting some turmeric from me after they told me they had health problems, then admitting that is was a prank, not realizing that the man who gave me the turmeric is an Imperial Iranian Air Force veteran who knew a late member of that organization. Were it not for such ignorance this item would not even be embargoed by your pals in the american government and it could have been used to keep your sister alive. Not to mention how the American government is repeatedly harassing Iranians who do not support invasion of Iran , something which will lead to global war and destruction.
I wonder what your sense of reality is. After all someone either on drugs or who is mentally weak can behave as incoherently as you. The only time I ever saw you act coherently was when you were running from me at that demonstration in August 2008. Then again, you pretty much run when people see you as you really are. I wonder if you ever truly have taken a look at the people around you and met with people before you made decisions that have ruined their lives. In terms of the Iranian community not once have you ever met with us, despite the fact that we are one of the most prominent communities in the boston and new england region.
My challenge to you is this. I dare you to meet with any member of the Iranian community in your area and explain to us your behaviors. I dare you to spend at least a day in our shoes off your drugs and controllers before you continue your behavior. Are you man enough to do this?
I wonder if you realize that the first mistake your family made in dealing with Iran happened when your uncle president kennedy got involved with savak chief Sephabod Teymour Bakhtiar in his ploting to overthrow Mohammed Reza Shah, even after Bakhtiar was removed as savak chief, directling threatening Iran’s sovereignity. I wonder that your uncle’s refusing to give money in American aid to Iran unless Mohammed Reza Shah implemented sweeping government reforms led to the rise of khomeini, for though Mohammed Reza Shah had intended to implement reforms, the way john f kennedy had him implement them only incited radical muslims, and starting a tradition among the American democratic party of screwing over Iran.
It is true many Iranians had planned to kill john f kennedy, but the cia beat us to it, and it is true that savak trained sirhan sirhan. It is also true that the Iranian community has had a hand in ruining the political career of your family, yourself included, because of the many slights we have received from members of your family, and we have done this because we know your dirty secrets. We know you only came out as being in treatment for depression to conceal your drug addiction. We know you take drugs because you are under the spell of others in the democratic party like madeline halfbright, hillary cunton and your uncle ted’s cronies. We know you and your uncle had constituents who arrived at your office to bring legitimate concerns to your attention arrested. We know that if people knew how your relatives really behave you would be chased out of the country.
Most importantly, we know you have consistently voted against Iran , be it in support of the war on terror or in support of sanctions. Why you have done this we do not know, but it has contributed to your downfall. Instead of learning from your mistakes you nave continued your mistake by becoming the paid micktard for the mujhadeen e khalq. I wonder if you are aware that the mujhadeen e khalq is responsible for many of the worst atrocities in Iran during the 1978-9 revolution, including bloody sunday. Or that they are responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed during the 1980-8 war with Iraq , where they served alongside saddam hussein’s forces. Were these people to have their way with Iran we would have a situation worse than the mullahs have created. Why do you back these suskimargi who will only create more chaos?
Then again I wonder if you are acting as a pawn in a greater plot. After all, you have consistently acted as a pitchman for the new world order while posing as a democrat. After all, those members of the democratic party who have advocated war have advanced in their positions of power in the American government, retaining them despite popular discontent. And I find it more than coincidental that some veterans with the organization that is preserving the USS John F Kennedy played a sick prank on me, accepting some turmeric from me after they told me they had health problems, then admitting that is was a prank, not realizing that the man who gave me the turmeric is an Imperial Iranian Air Force veteran who knew a late member of that organization. Were it not for such ignorance this item would not even be embargoed by your pals in the american government and it could have been used to keep your sister alive. Not to mention how the American government is repeatedly harassing Iranians who do not support invasion of Iran , something which will lead to global war and destruction.
I wonder what your sense of reality is. After all someone either on drugs or who is mentally weak can behave as incoherently as you. The only time I ever saw you act coherently was when you were running from me at that demonstration in August 2008. Then again, you pretty much run when people see you as you really are. I wonder if you ever truly have taken a look at the people around you and met with people before you made decisions that have ruined their lives. In terms of the Iranian community not once have you ever met with us, despite the fact that we are one of the most prominent communities in the boston and new england region.
My challenge to you is this. I dare you to meet with any member of the Iranian community in your area and explain to us your behaviors. I dare you to spend at least a day in our shoes off your drugs and controllers before you continue your behavior. Are you man enough to do this?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Columbia students to dine with Ahmadinejad
Interesting how Ahmadinejad is choosing who he meets with, and how he is
ignoring the Iranian community at large in his NY visit as usual.
Peter Khan Zendran
Report: Group Of Columbia University Students To Dine With Iranian
President
September 13, 2011 1:16 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A group of Columbia University students are
expected to have dinner with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next
week in Midtown.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the school’s newspaper, as many as
15 members of the Columbia International Relations Council and
Association were invited.
CIRCA vice president of academics, Tim Chan, told the paper the Sept. 21
meeting is still tentative and none of the members expressed any
reservations about breaking bread with the controversial Iranian leader.
Meanwhile, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, two American hikers jailed for
over two years in Iran on espionage charges, could be freed “in a couple
of days.”
An Iranian court has set bail at $500,000 for each of the men — the same
arrangement that allowed fellow hiker Sara Shourd to go free a year ago.
The hikers all deny the charges and say they may have mistakenly crossed
into Iran while hiking in Iraq’s Kurdish region.
On NBC’s ‘Today’ Show, Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he hopes the
release will improve relations with the U.S.
There’s speculation that Iran may have timed the potential release to
coincide with Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York later this month for the
United Nations General Assembly. Shourd was released last year just as
Ahmadinejad made his way over for the annual gathering.
Ahmadinejad’s previous visits for the UN General Assembly have been the
source of much controversy and sparked a number of protests.
During last year’s visit, he claimed that the United States was behind
the 9/11 attacks.
“Some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks to reverse the declining economy and its grips on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime,” Ahmadinejad said.
President Barack Obama responded by saying, “It was offensive. It was
hateful and particularly for him to make the statement here in
Manhattan, just a little north of ground zero, where families lost their
loved, ones was inexcusable.”
In trying to explain his 9/11 theories, Ahmadinejad said his real
concern is for the poor American taxpayer, who after the terror attacks
has been shelling out billions for the war on terror.
“We are trying to defend the rights of the American people here so their money is not used to kill people in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Ahmadinejad said.
ignoring the Iranian community at large in his NY visit as usual.
Peter Khan Zendran
Report: Group Of Columbia University Students To Dine With Iranian
President
September 13, 2011 1:16 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A group of Columbia University students are
expected to have dinner with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next
week in Midtown.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the school’s newspaper, as many as
15 members of the Columbia International Relations Council and
Association were invited.
CIRCA vice president of academics, Tim Chan, told the paper the Sept. 21
meeting is still tentative and none of the members expressed any
reservations about breaking bread with the controversial Iranian leader.
Meanwhile, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, two American hikers jailed for
over two years in Iran on espionage charges, could be freed “in a couple
of days.”
An Iranian court has set bail at $500,000 for each of the men — the same
arrangement that allowed fellow hiker Sara Shourd to go free a year ago.
The hikers all deny the charges and say they may have mistakenly crossed
into Iran while hiking in Iraq’s Kurdish region.
On NBC’s ‘Today’ Show, Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he hopes the
release will improve relations with the U.S.
There’s speculation that Iran may have timed the potential release to
coincide with Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York later this month for the
United Nations General Assembly. Shourd was released last year just as
Ahmadinejad made his way over for the annual gathering.
Ahmadinejad’s previous visits for the UN General Assembly have been the
source of much controversy and sparked a number of protests.
During last year’s visit, he claimed that the United States was behind
the 9/11 attacks.
“Some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks to reverse the declining economy and its grips on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime,” Ahmadinejad said.
President Barack Obama responded by saying, “It was offensive. It was
hateful and particularly for him to make the statement here in
Manhattan, just a little north of ground zero, where families lost their
loved, ones was inexcusable.”
In trying to explain his 9/11 theories, Ahmadinejad said his real
concern is for the poor American taxpayer, who after the terror attacks
has been shelling out billions for the war on terror.
“We are trying to defend the rights of the American people here so their money is not used to kill people in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Ahmadinejad said.
Good riddance nigress simmons
This news could not come soon enough, to think this decision was made on my birthday too. As usual this announcement is full of airbrushed lies, as nigress simmons ruined brown by packing it with black supremacists, discriminating against all non-Black Africans, including Black Asians, not to mention promoted those professors who agreed with her and got rid of those who dissented, including faculty and students who expressed anti-war/anti-police state views. Not to mention the experiments conducted by brown's medical departments which would make mengele cream his pants.
Even more interesting this comes as I am getting relief for what happened in 2008 as the following evidence has come out in my favor
1. That the brown pig who created the problems for me on April 14, 2008, bob enos, did so to pick a fight with me, and the injuries he sustained in the fight where I beat him up on April 18, 2008 ultimately proved fatal as he was in and out of the hospital from then until he died in February 2011 because of those injuries, and that he lied on his reports whereas all other officers who responded admitted that I took him and 2 other cops out, and had it not been for enos' actions nothing would have happened.
2. That a catherine hanni had not only deliberately provoked the incident on April 14, 2008 by falsely directing me to the brown police but since then I have received harassing mail from her.
3. That watson institute faculty, including jeff kirkman and cathy lutz, deliberately lied about me to advance their careers at brown.
Overall, and administration which started out with so much promise has gutted a once great academic institution.
Peter Z
President Simmons announces plans to step down at end of academic year
September 15, 2011 | Contact: Marisa Quinn | 401-369-4204
Ruth J. Simmons Eighteenth President of Brown University
Professor of Comparative Literature
Professor of Africana Studies
Ruth J. Simmons, 18th president of Brown University, will conclude her term as president at the end of the current academic year. Simmons, in her 11th year as Brown’s president, will continue as professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In messages sent today to the Brown Corporation, faculty, students, staff, and alumni, Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons announced that she will conclude her presidency at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. Simmons, who took up her duties as Brown’s 18th president in July 2001, is in her 11th year.
“I write to you in all humility to tell you of my plans to step down from the Brown presidency at the end of the current academic year and to thank you in advance for what will have been eleven deeply satisfying years at the helm of this wonderful institution,” Simmons wrote. “... I recently decided that this is the ideal time both for Brown and for me personally to begin the process of transitioning to new leadership.”
In her years at Brown, Simmons has reinvigorated the University with a 20-percent increase in the faculty, vastly improved resources for student financial aid, new academic initiatives, improved facilities and support for research, broader and deeper international academic relationships, and extensive redevelopment of the University’s historic College Hill campus. She also led the University through some of the most difficult economic times since the 1930s, following through on important construction projects — a new home for the Alpert Medical School, the Granoff Center for Creative Arts, the fitness and aquatic center, the Robert Campus Center and others — in spite of financial and economic pressures.
“Ruth’s leadership at Brown has been monumental. From the moment of her arrival in Providence, Ruth has inspired our community to raise our sights while providing the wisdom, direction, and leadership to achieve our highest aspirations,” said Chancellor Thomas J. Tisch. “She has paid careful attention to every critical facet of the University, from renewing our commitment to shared governance, to reaffirming our essential role in tackling even the thorniest issues through respectful and informed civil discourse.”
At Commencement ceremonies in 2011, the Brown University faculty presented Simmons with its Susan Colver Rosenberger Medal, the faculty’s highest honor and fullest measure of its esteem.
In her message to the community, Simmons said she would retire as Brown’s president on June 30, 2012, but will continue to be of service to the Corporation and the new president. After a leave, during which she will take up projects she has put on hold during her presidency, she will continue at Brown as professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.
As prescribed in the University’s Charter of 1764, the Brown Corporation is responsible for selecting the University’s president.
“Given the strengths of Brown, our robust governance, and engaged community, we are confident that we will find an inspiring leader to succeed Ruth and to build upon the many significant accomplishments of the last decade,” Tisch said. “We anticipate a thoughtful, measured, and inclusive search process and will be outlining the steps we will take in that regard in the coming weeks.”
Highlights of the Simmons presidency
Vision and planning
Early in her presidency, Simmons articulated a vision for Brown that would revitalize its core activities of teaching and research: at least 100 new faculty positions, a 20-percent increase; a larger and more competitive graduate school; expanded course offerings, including seminars for first-year students; improved financial aid; need-blind admission; increased research capacity with new laboratories and enhanced research support.
Simmons presented her proposals to the Brown Corporation in February 2002, her second Corporation meeting, and received unanimous support. The subsequent Plan for Academic Enrichment was approved by the Corporation in February 2004 and continues to guide the University’s growth and strategic planning.
“President Simmons’ plan was comprehensive and bold. Her vision challenged Brown to strive to reach new heights and encouraged constructive self-criticism throughout the University community,” said Stephen Robert, who was Brown’s chancellor when the plan was developed and approved. “All this, with superb execution, has elevated Brown beyond our most optimistic dreams.”
Academic enrichment
Advancing the goals of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, the University has been able to:
increase the size of its faculty by 20 percent (from 573 in the fall of 2001 to 687 in the fall of 2011), attracting both outstanding junior faculty and senior faculty of international renown throughout all disciplines;
expand its programs of direct academic exchange with international universities, notably in India and China, and organize those international efforts in a new Office of International Affairs;
develop new collaborative relationships and joint programs with local and regional partners, including Trinity Repertory Company, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, and the Draper Laboratory;
assume greater leadership in biology, medicine and public health through faculty expansion, curricular enhancements, improved financial support for medical students, stronger partnerships with affiliated teaching hospitals, and a new medical education facility for the Alpert Medical School. The Alpert Medical School now ranks 29th in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of U.S. medical schools;
invest in expanded graduate study, adding degree programs, improving stipends, and increasing applications;
establish fully funded need-blind admission and revise its financial aid policies so that students from families earning less than $100,000 will not have loans as part of their financial aid package. Sixteen percent of undergraduates who entered Brown this fall are the first generation of their families to attend college. Forty-three percent of Brown undergraduates receive need-based grants;
increase cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity throughout the University community, including the appointment of an associate provost as the University’s first diversity officer;
work in concert with the city and state so that the University’s development efforts in the Jewelry District can help revitalize an important and historical area of Providence. (Under a June 2003 agreement, Brown and other universities agreed to make annual contributions to sustain the city’s economic health);
establish new centers and institutes, including the Cogut Center for Humanities, the Brown Institute for Brain Science, the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics, and others;
reestablish the Division of Engineering as the Brown School of Engineering;
create a new Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences in newly renovated space at Metcalf Laboratory.
Boldly Brown: The Campaign for Academic Enrichment
To support the goals of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, Brown undertook a $1.4-billion comprehensive campaign — more than three times larger than its previous capital campaign — and met its original goal 18 months early, in May 2009. Included in the campaign’s achievements were the University’s first $100-million gifts: $125 million from alumnus Sidney Frank, $100 million of which was devoted to undergraduate financial aid, and $100 million from the Warren Alpert Foundation, which renamed the University’s medical school and secured its new home in the Jewelry District of Providence. The campaign continued until its original endpoint of Dec. 31, 2010, raising a total of $1.61 billion.
Confronting difficult issues
In the spring of 2003, Simmons established the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice and charged it with developing a full account of the University’s relationship to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. In addition to documenting an element of its history that had received scant mention, Simmons sought to demonstrate how an institution dedicated to the development and transmission of knowledge could take on even the most difficult topics through research, presentations, and open, respectful exchanges involving the entire community.
The committee’s report, Slavery and Justice, delivered in October 2006, set a standard for conducting difficult discussions, a standard that has informed efforts at Brown and other institutions. It also led to a significant response by the University that included establishing an endowment to support public education for the students of Providence, new master’s degree programs and tuition-free fellowships in urban education and urban education policy, proposals for a memorial, and significant investments in financial aid and recruitment of underrepresented students, including students who are the first in their family to attend college.
The historic College Hill campus
In the fall of 2001, the University engaged the architectural firm R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband to develop a planning framework so that the physical campus could be developed to support the growth envisioned in the Plan for Academic Enrichment. After 15 months of analysis and consultation, the University had a plan that would allow development of as much as 1 million square feet of additional space without compromising the unique qualities of the historical Brown campus. A combination of renovation and new construction produced:
The Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences;
The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for Creative Arts;
The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World;
The Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center;
The Cogut Center for the Humanities;
conversion of J. Walter Wilson from a biology laboratory to a center for student services and activities;
renovation of Metcalf Laboratory as a home for the new Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences;
The Walk, a pedestrian link between the Pembroke Campus and Lincoln Field (available in pdf);
The fitness and aquatic center, nearing completion on Hope Street near Lloyd Avenue. A major new addition to the athletic complex, the project includes the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, the Nelson Fitness Center, the David J. Zucconi ’55 Varsity Strength and Conditioning Center, and the Ittleson Quadrangle.
Moving beyond College Hill
The consulting architect concluded that Brown’s plans would require more space than the historic campus could offer. In February 2005, the Brown Corporation endorsed recommendations that the University secure options for campus expansion beyond College Hill. It was an opportunity for Brown to work more closely with the city and state toward the revitalization of a significant part of the capital city.
The University had already taken its first step. In May 2003, Brown announced the purchase of the Doran-Speidel Building, a former watchband factory in the Jewelry District. In less than a year, the University reconfigured the structure’s 105,000 gross square feet for research purposes and rededicated the facility as the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine. As many as 150 researchers, including faculty, laboratory staff and student assistants, now work in the building.
In August 2005, Brown purchased the 11-story former Old Stone Square at 121 South Main St. That building now houses the Program in Public Health and the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics.
In October 2006, Brown announced its purchase of seven buildings in the Jewelry District. One of those properties — 222 Richmond St. — became a new home for the Alpert Medical School, opened on August 15, 2011, to admit the Medical Class of 2015.
Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476.
Even more interesting this comes as I am getting relief for what happened in 2008 as the following evidence has come out in my favor
1. That the brown pig who created the problems for me on April 14, 2008, bob enos, did so to pick a fight with me, and the injuries he sustained in the fight where I beat him up on April 18, 2008 ultimately proved fatal as he was in and out of the hospital from then until he died in February 2011 because of those injuries, and that he lied on his reports whereas all other officers who responded admitted that I took him and 2 other cops out, and had it not been for enos' actions nothing would have happened.
2. That a catherine hanni had not only deliberately provoked the incident on April 14, 2008 by falsely directing me to the brown police but since then I have received harassing mail from her.
3. That watson institute faculty, including jeff kirkman and cathy lutz, deliberately lied about me to advance their careers at brown.
Overall, and administration which started out with so much promise has gutted a once great academic institution.
Peter Z
President Simmons announces plans to step down at end of academic year
September 15, 2011 | Contact: Marisa Quinn | 401-369-4204
Ruth J. Simmons Eighteenth President of Brown University
Professor of Comparative Literature
Professor of Africana Studies
Ruth J. Simmons, 18th president of Brown University, will conclude her term as president at the end of the current academic year. Simmons, in her 11th year as Brown’s president, will continue as professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In messages sent today to the Brown Corporation, faculty, students, staff, and alumni, Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons announced that she will conclude her presidency at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. Simmons, who took up her duties as Brown’s 18th president in July 2001, is in her 11th year.
“I write to you in all humility to tell you of my plans to step down from the Brown presidency at the end of the current academic year and to thank you in advance for what will have been eleven deeply satisfying years at the helm of this wonderful institution,” Simmons wrote. “... I recently decided that this is the ideal time both for Brown and for me personally to begin the process of transitioning to new leadership.”
In her years at Brown, Simmons has reinvigorated the University with a 20-percent increase in the faculty, vastly improved resources for student financial aid, new academic initiatives, improved facilities and support for research, broader and deeper international academic relationships, and extensive redevelopment of the University’s historic College Hill campus. She also led the University through some of the most difficult economic times since the 1930s, following through on important construction projects — a new home for the Alpert Medical School, the Granoff Center for Creative Arts, the fitness and aquatic center, the Robert Campus Center and others — in spite of financial and economic pressures.
“Ruth’s leadership at Brown has been monumental. From the moment of her arrival in Providence, Ruth has inspired our community to raise our sights while providing the wisdom, direction, and leadership to achieve our highest aspirations,” said Chancellor Thomas J. Tisch. “She has paid careful attention to every critical facet of the University, from renewing our commitment to shared governance, to reaffirming our essential role in tackling even the thorniest issues through respectful and informed civil discourse.”
At Commencement ceremonies in 2011, the Brown University faculty presented Simmons with its Susan Colver Rosenberger Medal, the faculty’s highest honor and fullest measure of its esteem.
In her message to the community, Simmons said she would retire as Brown’s president on June 30, 2012, but will continue to be of service to the Corporation and the new president. After a leave, during which she will take up projects she has put on hold during her presidency, she will continue at Brown as professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.
As prescribed in the University’s Charter of 1764, the Brown Corporation is responsible for selecting the University’s president.
“Given the strengths of Brown, our robust governance, and engaged community, we are confident that we will find an inspiring leader to succeed Ruth and to build upon the many significant accomplishments of the last decade,” Tisch said. “We anticipate a thoughtful, measured, and inclusive search process and will be outlining the steps we will take in that regard in the coming weeks.”
Highlights of the Simmons presidency
Vision and planning
Early in her presidency, Simmons articulated a vision for Brown that would revitalize its core activities of teaching and research: at least 100 new faculty positions, a 20-percent increase; a larger and more competitive graduate school; expanded course offerings, including seminars for first-year students; improved financial aid; need-blind admission; increased research capacity with new laboratories and enhanced research support.
Simmons presented her proposals to the Brown Corporation in February 2002, her second Corporation meeting, and received unanimous support. The subsequent Plan for Academic Enrichment was approved by the Corporation in February 2004 and continues to guide the University’s growth and strategic planning.
“President Simmons’ plan was comprehensive and bold. Her vision challenged Brown to strive to reach new heights and encouraged constructive self-criticism throughout the University community,” said Stephen Robert, who was Brown’s chancellor when the plan was developed and approved. “All this, with superb execution, has elevated Brown beyond our most optimistic dreams.”
Academic enrichment
Advancing the goals of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, the University has been able to:
increase the size of its faculty by 20 percent (from 573 in the fall of 2001 to 687 in the fall of 2011), attracting both outstanding junior faculty and senior faculty of international renown throughout all disciplines;
expand its programs of direct academic exchange with international universities, notably in India and China, and organize those international efforts in a new Office of International Affairs;
develop new collaborative relationships and joint programs with local and regional partners, including Trinity Repertory Company, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, and the Draper Laboratory;
assume greater leadership in biology, medicine and public health through faculty expansion, curricular enhancements, improved financial support for medical students, stronger partnerships with affiliated teaching hospitals, and a new medical education facility for the Alpert Medical School. The Alpert Medical School now ranks 29th in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of U.S. medical schools;
invest in expanded graduate study, adding degree programs, improving stipends, and increasing applications;
establish fully funded need-blind admission and revise its financial aid policies so that students from families earning less than $100,000 will not have loans as part of their financial aid package. Sixteen percent of undergraduates who entered Brown this fall are the first generation of their families to attend college. Forty-three percent of Brown undergraduates receive need-based grants;
increase cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity throughout the University community, including the appointment of an associate provost as the University’s first diversity officer;
work in concert with the city and state so that the University’s development efforts in the Jewelry District can help revitalize an important and historical area of Providence. (Under a June 2003 agreement, Brown and other universities agreed to make annual contributions to sustain the city’s economic health);
establish new centers and institutes, including the Cogut Center for Humanities, the Brown Institute for Brain Science, the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics, and others;
reestablish the Division of Engineering as the Brown School of Engineering;
create a new Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences in newly renovated space at Metcalf Laboratory.
Boldly Brown: The Campaign for Academic Enrichment
To support the goals of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, Brown undertook a $1.4-billion comprehensive campaign — more than three times larger than its previous capital campaign — and met its original goal 18 months early, in May 2009. Included in the campaign’s achievements were the University’s first $100-million gifts: $125 million from alumnus Sidney Frank, $100 million of which was devoted to undergraduate financial aid, and $100 million from the Warren Alpert Foundation, which renamed the University’s medical school and secured its new home in the Jewelry District of Providence. The campaign continued until its original endpoint of Dec. 31, 2010, raising a total of $1.61 billion.
Confronting difficult issues
In the spring of 2003, Simmons established the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice and charged it with developing a full account of the University’s relationship to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. In addition to documenting an element of its history that had received scant mention, Simmons sought to demonstrate how an institution dedicated to the development and transmission of knowledge could take on even the most difficult topics through research, presentations, and open, respectful exchanges involving the entire community.
The committee’s report, Slavery and Justice, delivered in October 2006, set a standard for conducting difficult discussions, a standard that has informed efforts at Brown and other institutions. It also led to a significant response by the University that included establishing an endowment to support public education for the students of Providence, new master’s degree programs and tuition-free fellowships in urban education and urban education policy, proposals for a memorial, and significant investments in financial aid and recruitment of underrepresented students, including students who are the first in their family to attend college.
The historic College Hill campus
In the fall of 2001, the University engaged the architectural firm R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband to develop a planning framework so that the physical campus could be developed to support the growth envisioned in the Plan for Academic Enrichment. After 15 months of analysis and consultation, the University had a plan that would allow development of as much as 1 million square feet of additional space without compromising the unique qualities of the historical Brown campus. A combination of renovation and new construction produced:
The Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences;
The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for Creative Arts;
The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World;
The Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center;
The Cogut Center for the Humanities;
conversion of J. Walter Wilson from a biology laboratory to a center for student services and activities;
renovation of Metcalf Laboratory as a home for the new Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences;
The Walk, a pedestrian link between the Pembroke Campus and Lincoln Field (available in pdf);
The fitness and aquatic center, nearing completion on Hope Street near Lloyd Avenue. A major new addition to the athletic complex, the project includes the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, the Nelson Fitness Center, the David J. Zucconi ’55 Varsity Strength and Conditioning Center, and the Ittleson Quadrangle.
Moving beyond College Hill
The consulting architect concluded that Brown’s plans would require more space than the historic campus could offer. In February 2005, the Brown Corporation endorsed recommendations that the University secure options for campus expansion beyond College Hill. It was an opportunity for Brown to work more closely with the city and state toward the revitalization of a significant part of the capital city.
The University had already taken its first step. In May 2003, Brown announced the purchase of the Doran-Speidel Building, a former watchband factory in the Jewelry District. In less than a year, the University reconfigured the structure’s 105,000 gross square feet for research purposes and rededicated the facility as the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine. As many as 150 researchers, including faculty, laboratory staff and student assistants, now work in the building.
In August 2005, Brown purchased the 11-story former Old Stone Square at 121 South Main St. That building now houses the Program in Public Health and the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics.
In October 2006, Brown announced its purchase of seven buildings in the Jewelry District. One of those properties — 222 Richmond St. — became a new home for the Alpert Medical School, opened on August 15, 2011, to admit the Medical Class of 2015.
Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Profitting from World economic problems, the british commonwealth
With all the focus on the economic problems in the EU, China, and America few people are asking who is benefiting from their problems, namely which countries. To this the answer which people are ignoring is the british commonwealth nations, most prominently the uk, Canada, and Australia.
In obtaining this answer one must look at the behavior of the paper and bullion currencies of those countries. While the Euro, Chinese Yuan, and American dollar have gone down in value, either deliberately or by outside control, the british pound and Canadian and Australian dollars have gone up in value. In terms of bullion coinage the british commonwealth has a major edge in international distribution.
While at present Worldwide Chinese Panda bullion coinage is the most popular bullion coinage in the World China’s main distributor, Pandaamerica, is very capricious in dealing with it’s customers, and as China lacks the global infrastructure to distribute the coins anywhere this is a problem. America has similar problems, especially with government agencies targeting people sending certain types of bullion outside of America, and both America and China have counterfeiting problems. The EU has a more complex problem there. The major bullion producing country in the EU’s Eurozone is Austria, with the Netherlands and France also producing bullion coins which are not as popular. The major problem again is a global distribution network. While the Scandinavian nations have an excellent Worldwide distribution network their policy of not allowing their products to be undersold prevents many countries from outside the EU from patronizing the Scandinavians distribution network. That leads us to the british commonwealth.
The largest distributor of bullion and precious metal coinage in the World is Downies of Australia. When Downies bought Murray Church’s Euro Collections International, which was the official distributor for the Mints of Austria and Poland, Downies expanded their influence. However instead of improving the business of the former ECI nations it hindered them. As Downies acts as the official foreign distributor for many foreign countries it is easy for them to impede the overseas trade of these countries, and many Central and Southern Asian, African, and Latin American countries who they have done business with, as well as EU countries.
By contrast not only have the uk, Canada, and Australia benefitted by Downies but so has the Perth Mint, which issues official and Bullion coinage for most other british commonwealth countries. Notice also how countries like Kazakhstan and Somalia who issue bullion coins which are not well known have seen losses because of this distribution network, how India and Malaysia have been discouraged from issuing their own Bullion coinage for this reason. Lastly, notice the Irish crisis, which was a topdown problem engineered by bankers with british commonwealth ties who wanted to discourage Scotland form accepting the Euro instead of the pound. When one follows the money around the World this is what one sees.
In obtaining this answer one must look at the behavior of the paper and bullion currencies of those countries. While the Euro, Chinese Yuan, and American dollar have gone down in value, either deliberately or by outside control, the british pound and Canadian and Australian dollars have gone up in value. In terms of bullion coinage the british commonwealth has a major edge in international distribution.
While at present Worldwide Chinese Panda bullion coinage is the most popular bullion coinage in the World China’s main distributor, Pandaamerica, is very capricious in dealing with it’s customers, and as China lacks the global infrastructure to distribute the coins anywhere this is a problem. America has similar problems, especially with government agencies targeting people sending certain types of bullion outside of America, and both America and China have counterfeiting problems. The EU has a more complex problem there. The major bullion producing country in the EU’s Eurozone is Austria, with the Netherlands and France also producing bullion coins which are not as popular. The major problem again is a global distribution network. While the Scandinavian nations have an excellent Worldwide distribution network their policy of not allowing their products to be undersold prevents many countries from outside the EU from patronizing the Scandinavians distribution network. That leads us to the british commonwealth.
The largest distributor of bullion and precious metal coinage in the World is Downies of Australia. When Downies bought Murray Church’s Euro Collections International, which was the official distributor for the Mints of Austria and Poland, Downies expanded their influence. However instead of improving the business of the former ECI nations it hindered them. As Downies acts as the official foreign distributor for many foreign countries it is easy for them to impede the overseas trade of these countries, and many Central and Southern Asian, African, and Latin American countries who they have done business with, as well as EU countries.
By contrast not only have the uk, Canada, and Australia benefitted by Downies but so has the Perth Mint, which issues official and Bullion coinage for most other british commonwealth countries. Notice also how countries like Kazakhstan and Somalia who issue bullion coins which are not well known have seen losses because of this distribution network, how India and Malaysia have been discouraged from issuing their own Bullion coinage for this reason. Lastly, notice the Irish crisis, which was a topdown problem engineered by bankers with british commonwealth ties who wanted to discourage Scotland form accepting the Euro instead of the pound. When one follows the money around the World this is what one sees.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Another Iranian traitor, Medhi Rouhani
I recently recieved this
Eagle of IRAN announces the date for mass protest nationwide to over
thrown the islamic regime in IRAN
Friday 23rd of September 2011
اطلاعیه مشترک مبارزین راه آزادی ایران و
گروه نظامی سیاسی عقاب ایران
روز رستاخیز ملت ایران
جمعه اول مهر ماه سال ۱۳۹۰ ساعت ۷ بعد از ظهر
گروه نظامی سیاسی عقاب ایران و همرزمان
سر لشکر خلبان مهدی روحانی
Source: http://www.eagleofiran.com/faq.html
That this old fool medhi Rouhani can incite people to act stupidly like
this when Iran is facing threat of invasion and any removal of the
current government infrastructure would cause chaos for a long time,
especially as Iranians abroad ar epoorly organized, shows only that he
is a traitor interested only in himself.
Peter II, Khan-e-Mazendaran
Eagle of IRAN announces the date for mass protest nationwide to over
thrown the islamic regime in IRAN
Friday 23rd of September 2011
اطلاعیه مشترک مبارزین راه آزادی ایران و
گروه نظامی سیاسی عقاب ایران
روز رستاخیز ملت ایران
جمعه اول مهر ماه سال ۱۳۹۰ ساعت ۷ بعد از ظهر
گروه نظامی سیاسی عقاب ایران و همرزمان
سر لشکر خلبان مهدی روحانی
Source: http://www.eagleofiran.com/faq.html
That this old fool medhi Rouhani can incite people to act stupidly like
this when Iran is facing threat of invasion and any removal of the
current government infrastructure would cause chaos for a long time,
especially as Iranians abroad ar epoorly organized, shows only that he
is a traitor interested only in himself.
Peter II, Khan-e-Mazendaran
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Syria slammed by american hypocrites
Notice this is going on as american backed rebels in Libya advance
towards Tripoli, and at a time when american backed rebels in Syria are
causing disruptions in Syrian cities where there are major Syrian
military concentrations. Just another example of the military
industrial complex trying to create the climate to launch a war with
Syria and waste more lives and material.
Peter Z
http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/19-08-2011/118795-Obama-0/?mode=print
Barack Obama calls on Syrian counterpart to quit
19.08.2011 13:28
Barack Obama calls on Syrian counterpart to quit. 45168.jpegPresident
Obama has now called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to quit. But if he
did, or if he is toppled, who would replace Assad?
There's no clear answer. Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, have
ruled Syria for four decades and have not tolerated anything that
resembles a genuine opposition inside the country's borders.
"There is no opposition in Syria. There are opposition groups," said
Lebanon's Wissam Tarif, who has been a prominent campaigner for
democracy and human rights in the Middle East, says NPR.
But the diplomacy left many questions unanswered, including how the
demand for his ouster can be backed up in the absence of any appetite
for military intervention, and who might take his place.
The messages from Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels
coincided with a United Nations report recommending that Syria be
referred to the International Criminal Court for investigation of
possible crimes against humanity.
Much of Syria was quiet Thursday, although activists reported intense
shooting around noon in the flashpoint city of Latakia.
Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari accused the U.S. of waging a
"humanitarian and diplomatic war" against his country in order to
instigate further violence by sending "the wrong message to the
terrorist armed groups that they are under American and Western
protection", according to Detroit Free Press.
Mr. Obama also froze all Syrian assets under American jurisdiction,
barred Americans from doing business with the Syrian government and
called for sanctions by other countries.
Mr. Casey called for Mr. Assad to leave office at an Aug. 2 Foreign
Relations hearing.
"Our allies in the Arab League and Turkey have extensive diplomatic and
economic ties to Syria, and can exert a powerful influence on Assad's
regime," Mr. Casey said. "I strongly encourage members of the
international community to lend their voices to this growing chorus, and
publicly declare their opposition to the Assad regime and its brutal
treatment of the Syrian people", informs Scranton Times-Tribune.
Copyright © 1999-2011, «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in
whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions
and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view
of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.
towards Tripoli, and at a time when american backed rebels in Syria are
causing disruptions in Syrian cities where there are major Syrian
military concentrations. Just another example of the military
industrial complex trying to create the climate to launch a war with
Syria and waste more lives and material.
Peter Z
http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/19-08-2011/118795-Obama-0/?mode=print
Barack Obama calls on Syrian counterpart to quit
19.08.2011 13:28
Barack Obama calls on Syrian counterpart to quit. 45168.jpegPresident
Obama has now called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to quit. But if he
did, or if he is toppled, who would replace Assad?
There's no clear answer. Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, have
ruled Syria for four decades and have not tolerated anything that
resembles a genuine opposition inside the country's borders.
"There is no opposition in Syria. There are opposition groups," said
Lebanon's Wissam Tarif, who has been a prominent campaigner for
democracy and human rights in the Middle East, says NPR.
But the diplomacy left many questions unanswered, including how the
demand for his ouster can be backed up in the absence of any appetite
for military intervention, and who might take his place.
The messages from Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels
coincided with a United Nations report recommending that Syria be
referred to the International Criminal Court for investigation of
possible crimes against humanity.
Much of Syria was quiet Thursday, although activists reported intense
shooting around noon in the flashpoint city of Latakia.
Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari accused the U.S. of waging a
"humanitarian and diplomatic war" against his country in order to
instigate further violence by sending "the wrong message to the
terrorist armed groups that they are under American and Western
protection", according to Detroit Free Press.
Mr. Obama also froze all Syrian assets under American jurisdiction,
barred Americans from doing business with the Syrian government and
called for sanctions by other countries.
Mr. Casey called for Mr. Assad to leave office at an Aug. 2 Foreign
Relations hearing.
"Our allies in the Arab League and Turkey have extensive diplomatic and
economic ties to Syria, and can exert a powerful influence on Assad's
regime," Mr. Casey said. "I strongly encourage members of the
international community to lend their voices to this growing chorus, and
publicly declare their opposition to the Assad regime and its brutal
treatment of the Syrian people", informs Scranton Times-Tribune.
Copyright © 1999-2011, «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in
whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions
and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view
of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Another dangerous mousavi
With abdolrahim mousavi as the joint chief of staff to Iran's military
and seyeed mahmoud mousavi as deputy Navy commander, both related to mir
hossein who acted as an american provacetur, one wonders how secure
Iran's defense is.
Peter Khan Zendran
News - English
News numbre: 9004295689
2011-07-20 - 17:07
Navy Equips Logistic Units with Long-Range Missiles
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy has equipped a number of its logistic
vessels and units with long-range surface-to-surface missiles, a senior
Navy commander announced on Wednesday.
"Missile frigates and destroyers have been equipped with these missiles
since long time ago and the surface-to-surface missiles of the logistic
vessels were successfully tested and assessed during the recent naval
wargames, dubbed as Joushan," Navy's Deputy Commander for Operations
Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi told FNA.
The commander further announced that the Navy also plans to equip its
vessels with modern air defense systems.
"Right now we are mounting air-defense missile systems onto a number of
surface vessels. Other units will also be equipped with these systems
after final tests," he noted, adding that these new equipments are added
to the artillery systems that have already been mounted onto these
vessels.
Mousavi also said that a comprehensive program is underway to equip
Iran's naval units with choppers, adding that the move will boost the
operational range of the country's naval fleets.
Last November, Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran's
Navy Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Khadem Biqam said that the Navy plans to
equip all its destroyers and military vessels with military choppers as
part of its broader plans for boosting the operational range of its
fleets.
"To safeguard the security zone of the naval units when fulfilling
missions in vast areas, all the Navy destroyers and vessels that have a
flight deck should be equipped with choppers," he told FNA at the time.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reser
and seyeed mahmoud mousavi as deputy Navy commander, both related to mir
hossein who acted as an american provacetur, one wonders how secure
Iran's defense is.
Peter Khan Zendran
News - English
News numbre: 9004295689
2011-07-20 - 17:07
Navy Equips Logistic Units with Long-Range Missiles
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy has equipped a number of its logistic
vessels and units with long-range surface-to-surface missiles, a senior
Navy commander announced on Wednesday.
"Missile frigates and destroyers have been equipped with these missiles
since long time ago and the surface-to-surface missiles of the logistic
vessels were successfully tested and assessed during the recent naval
wargames, dubbed as Joushan," Navy's Deputy Commander for Operations
Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi told FNA.
The commander further announced that the Navy also plans to equip its
vessels with modern air defense systems.
"Right now we are mounting air-defense missile systems onto a number of
surface vessels. Other units will also be equipped with these systems
after final tests," he noted, adding that these new equipments are added
to the artillery systems that have already been mounted onto these
vessels.
Mousavi also said that a comprehensive program is underway to equip
Iran's naval units with choppers, adding that the move will boost the
operational range of the country's naval fleets.
Last November, Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran's
Navy Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Khadem Biqam said that the Navy plans to
equip all its destroyers and military vessels with military choppers as
part of its broader plans for boosting the operational range of its
fleets.
"To safeguard the security zone of the naval units when fulfilling
missions in vast areas, all the Navy destroyers and vessels that have a
flight deck should be equipped with choppers," he told FNA at the time.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reser
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Iranian nuclear progress, Bushehr to come online in days, other plants make progress
What is important is how Iran's neighbors will react. Despite the fact
that Iran's nuclear plants will provide an alternate to Oil, many people
want to use Iran's nuclear program to attack Iran. These include
zionists and whackos in the media like jeff kuna and joel skoussen who
advocate an attack on Iran if the Bushehr plant and other nuclear
facilities become fully operational.
Peter Khan Zendran
News numbre: 9005040887
2011-07-26 - 15:56
Bushehr N. Power Plant to Join National Grid Next Month
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's first nuclear power plant will join the national
power grid by the end of August, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
announced on Tuesday.
"We hope that the Bushehr power plant would become operational by the
end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan (late August)," Ramin
Mehman-Parast said in his weekly press conference here in Tehran today.
Mehman-Parast added that construction phase of the plant "have almost
become completed and it is currently in the testing stage".
"Iranians would, by that time (late August), officially celebrate" the
operation of the Bushehr power plant.
Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, according to which the plant was
originally scheduled for completion in 1999. However, the project was
repeatedly delayed by the Russian side due to the intense pressure
exerted on Moscow by the United States and its western allies. Russia
finally completed construction of the plant last summer.
On October 26, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the Bushehr
nuclear power plant in the initial phase of launching the nuclear
reactor.
The facility operates under the full supervision of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
News - English
News numbre: 9005060300
2011-07-28 - 15:44
Iran Not to Stop N. Program
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian top diplomat Ali Akbar Salehi underlined Tehran's
firm resolve to continue nuclear progress, and said Iran will never halt
its uranium enrichment activities.
"Everyone should accept the fact that Iran's nuclear program has reached
a point where it cannot be stopped or reversed," Salehi said in an
interview with Rusiya Al-Yaum Arabic news channel on Wednesday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not halt its nuclear program," he
added.
Salehi argued that nuclear technology in Iran has moved far ahead as a
fundamental and essential part of industry with centers spread all
across the country, and thus cannot be held back.
"After we have trained and employed thousands of nuclear scientists, how
could the West halt our uranium enrichment program?" the Iranian
minister questioned. "They should know that this is a fact."
Salehi described the West's pressure against Iran over its civilian
nuclear activity "as a test of patience and endurance" for the Islamic
Republic, and vowed, "No threat could shake and disrupt our independence
and sovereignty."
The Iranian official said the nuclear reactor in the facility in the
central city of Arak, Markazi province, was planned to be launched after
three to four years and would be capable of producing 45 megawatt
electricity.
Regarding the nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr,
Salehi said the facility would soon produce electricity in a trial mode
and join the country's power grid.
He hailed the cooperation by Russian experts and their efforts to start
the Bushehr power plant and expressed optimism on the future of
Tehran-Moscow ties.
Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a
member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), insists that
its nuclear program is solely directed at the civilian applications of
the technology.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
that Iran's nuclear plants will provide an alternate to Oil, many people
want to use Iran's nuclear program to attack Iran. These include
zionists and whackos in the media like jeff kuna and joel skoussen who
advocate an attack on Iran if the Bushehr plant and other nuclear
facilities become fully operational.
Peter Khan Zendran
News numbre: 9005040887
2011-07-26 - 15:56
Bushehr N. Power Plant to Join National Grid Next Month
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's first nuclear power plant will join the national
power grid by the end of August, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
announced on Tuesday.
"We hope that the Bushehr power plant would become operational by the
end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan (late August)," Ramin
Mehman-Parast said in his weekly press conference here in Tehran today.
Mehman-Parast added that construction phase of the plant "have almost
become completed and it is currently in the testing stage".
"Iranians would, by that time (late August), officially celebrate" the
operation of the Bushehr power plant.
Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, according to which the plant was
originally scheduled for completion in 1999. However, the project was
repeatedly delayed by the Russian side due to the intense pressure
exerted on Moscow by the United States and its western allies. Russia
finally completed construction of the plant last summer.
On October 26, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the Bushehr
nuclear power plant in the initial phase of launching the nuclear
reactor.
The facility operates under the full supervision of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
News - English
News numbre: 9005060300
2011-07-28 - 15:44
Iran Not to Stop N. Program
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian top diplomat Ali Akbar Salehi underlined Tehran's
firm resolve to continue nuclear progress, and said Iran will never halt
its uranium enrichment activities.
"Everyone should accept the fact that Iran's nuclear program has reached
a point where it cannot be stopped or reversed," Salehi said in an
interview with Rusiya Al-Yaum Arabic news channel on Wednesday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not halt its nuclear program," he
added.
Salehi argued that nuclear technology in Iran has moved far ahead as a
fundamental and essential part of industry with centers spread all
across the country, and thus cannot be held back.
"After we have trained and employed thousands of nuclear scientists, how
could the West halt our uranium enrichment program?" the Iranian
minister questioned. "They should know that this is a fact."
Salehi described the West's pressure against Iran over its civilian
nuclear activity "as a test of patience and endurance" for the Islamic
Republic, and vowed, "No threat could shake and disrupt our independence
and sovereignty."
The Iranian official said the nuclear reactor in the facility in the
central city of Arak, Markazi province, was planned to be launched after
three to four years and would be capable of producing 45 megawatt
electricity.
Regarding the nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr,
Salehi said the facility would soon produce electricity in a trial mode
and join the country's power grid.
He hailed the cooperation by Russian experts and their efforts to start
the Bushehr power plant and expressed optimism on the future of
Tehran-Moscow ties.
Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a
member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), insists that
its nuclear program is solely directed at the civilian applications of
the technology.
www.farsnews.com
©2006 Fars News Agency. All Rights Reserved
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Michael Savage and CAIR get the facts wrong on Islam and forced conversion
Recently both Michael Savage and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have made incorrect statements about the spread of Islam. On Friday July 22, 2011 Michael Savage went into a history of how Islam was spread by the sword. While this was true he omitted many important facts and made many misstatements. He neglected to mention that the Arabia of the Prophet Muhammad was conquered by Khosrow I, Shahanshah e Iran in the year 570, the year the Prophet Muhammad was born, and that though the Prophet Muhammad made war on Arab and Jewish tribes he was in fact also seizing land from Sassanian Iran. Savage also incorrectly stated that Abu Bakr launched wars of counquest, when it was in fact Umar, who succeeded Abu Bakr in 634, who launched the wars of aggression. Savage falsely praised The Iranian Sphabod Rustam, who lost the battle of Qadasiya to the Muslims, ignoring the fact that Iran lost that battle because of the Iranian inability to fight in a sandstorm. Savage also ignored the fact that after Umar’s conquest of Egypt the Muslim forces were defeated by the Nubians when the Muslims tried to conquer Africa south of the Sahara. Savage also ignores that one of the reasons the Muslims lost Poitiers in 732 was because that the Muslims were overfocused on conquering Mazendaran, the only part of Iran where resistance to Islam was successful, for by the time the Muslims had conquered Mazendaran Islam had adopted many Zoroastrian practices both faiths became hard to distinguish. Had Savage done his research properly instead of listened to idiots calling in he would have noticed this.
Just as glaring are statements by the Council on American-Islamic Relations claiming that the fact that Islam was spread by the sword is a misconception. In CAIR’s Journalist’s Guide to Understanding Islam and Muslims they state that the fact that Islam was spread by the sword is ”based on incomplete and incorrect knowledge” and that Islam spread quicker during times of peace than during war. CAIR forgets that during the life of the Prophet Muhammad and in the century following his death armed force was the main method of conversion, and that indigenous faiths were so subverted that reversion away from Islam extremely difficult, and that outside the Arab community Islam adopted many local traditions which caused splits in Islam.
I would strongly suggest to those reading this to obtain a copy of my book “Iran; The Lion of War” and read Chapter 8, Iran Slammed by Islam for better reading on the subject.
Just as glaring are statements by the Council on American-Islamic Relations claiming that the fact that Islam was spread by the sword is a misconception. In CAIR’s Journalist’s Guide to Understanding Islam and Muslims they state that the fact that Islam was spread by the sword is ”based on incomplete and incorrect knowledge” and that Islam spread quicker during times of peace than during war. CAIR forgets that during the life of the Prophet Muhammad and in the century following his death armed force was the main method of conversion, and that indigenous faiths were so subverted that reversion away from Islam extremely difficult, and that outside the Arab community Islam adopted many local traditions which caused splits in Islam.
I would strongly suggest to those reading this to obtain a copy of my book “Iran; The Lion of War” and read Chapter 8, Iran Slammed by Islam for better reading on the subject.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Bruce Sundlun dies, odd timing
Not only was Bruce Sundlun someone I knew, I met him during the comissiong ceremonies for the USS Rhode Island SSBN-740 in Newport on July 9, 1994 and I dealt with him on the USS John F. Kennedy CV-67 project, how this story almost got buried got me mad at the propaganda press. Not only did this occur during a heatwave hours before he died I was over by the state house making sure that the Middle eastern Art festival planned for that evening stayerd shut down, particularly because of the nature of the people who came up with the idea for the event. His passing at this time is a reminder to us al to keep our wits when everyone else is losing theirs.
Interesting this piece mentions how he handled the banking crisis, had he been tougher on the banks I would still have my fortune for that was when washington trust and lenihan law did their dirty deeds.
Peter Z
Bruce Sundlun, fiery former R.I. governor, dies at 91
8:10 PM Thu, Jul 21, 2011
By G. WAYNE MILLER
Journal staff writer
Former Rhode Island Gov. Bruce G. Sundlun, whose heroism in war, success in business, fiery political career and complex private life made him into one of the state's legendary figures, died Thursday at his home in Jamestown. He was 91 years old.
A statement from his family announcing his death Thursday said:
"Former Governor Bruce Sundlun died peacefully tonight at his home in Jamestown. He was surrounded by his loving family. As a husband, father and grandfather he was our north star. We are deeply grateful for his love and lessons throughout our lives."
Sundlun had been hospitalized recently for an undisclosed ailment.
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who was Sundlun's legal counsel and business regulation director during his terms as governor, released the following statement early Thursday evening regarding Sundlun's death:
"I mourn the passing of Bruce Sundlun, a beloved friend and mentor. Bruce's accomplishments as an athlete, soldier, lawyer, businessman and politician would each make his a memorable life; together they made him one of the most remarkable and accomplished Rhode Islanders in our history.
"But most who knew Bruce will remember him for his personality: warm-hearted and funny, impatient and irrepressible, courageous and determined. No one who knew Bruce ever doubted where he stood. He was a towering figure in our state's history and a vibrant figure in the lives of his friends and family. My love, thoughts and prayers are with them."
Read more comments from fellow politicians, associates and friends.
A Democrat, Sundlun served two terms as governor, from 1991 to 1995, during one of Rhode Island's deepest recessions and the worst banking collapse in the state's history.
He was both praised and vilified for his handling of the crisis -- just as admiration for all his accomplishments was always colored by reaction to his formidable ego, his personal style and his succession of romances that led to five marriages and four divorces.
"What lessons would I have for people?" Sundlun said in a Journal interview in January 2010, on the eve of his 90th birthday. "Play it straight. Who, what, where, when, how. Those are the facts of life."
Asked if he had any regrets, Sundlun said: "Not really, that I can think of. I don't have any enemies that I know of. And it wouldn't trouble me if I did."
Born on Jan. 19, 1920, Bruce George Sundlun was the first child of Jan Zelda (Colitz) and Walter Irving Sundlun, whose parents came to America from Lithuania. The Sundluns lived on the East Side of Providence.
"I think I was the first Jewish kid to ever go to the Gordon School," Sundlun, who started in kindergarten at the elite school, said in a 2006 Journal profile.
Sundlun started in kindergarten and made lifelong friends at Gordon -- but also experienced anti-Semitism.
He remembered competing in a foot race at the end of third grade. "I won hands down," Sundlun said. "It was the first time I ever realized I had any athletic ability or could run fast. And the two guys who came in second threw me down on the ground and called me a dirty Jew." Audio slideshow: Sundlun talks about growing up on Providence's East Side.
Gifted with a sharp, analytical mind that would later suit him to the practice of law, Sundlun attended Providence's Classical High School, leaving after junior year for private Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. He entered Williams College in September 1938 and when Hitler invaded Poland a year later, Sundlun, a sophomore, suspected that America eventually would be drawn into the conflict.
Enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Sundlun trained as a B-17 bomber pilot. He was on his 13th bombing run over Germany on Dec. 1, 1943, when his Flying Fortress, Damn Yankee, was shot down, killing four of its nine-man crew.
Parachuting into Nazi-occupied Belgium, Sundlun evaded capture and connected with the Belgian Underground, eventually joining the Maquis, a branch of the French Resistance that was waging guerrilla war against the Germans near the Swiss border. He was a Jew on the run in a land occupied by Nazis.
"We would play it cool until sometime during the night, then we'd go in and attack [German Army] transport, find their fuel trucks, and shoot 'em up and try and set 'em on fire," Sundlun recalled in the 2006 profile. "The Germans would fight back and there'd be some gunfire, but we'd do more damage to them than they'd do to us 'cause we knew every rock and tree."
Five months after being shot down, Sundlun escaped to safety. The U.S. would later honor him with the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and an Air Medal with oak leaf cluster. France would bestow the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
Sundlun finished his studies at Williams College in 1946 and three years later, graduated from Harvard Law School. After serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, he went into private practice, then left law in 1970 to become president of an executive jet company.
Six years later, he was named president and CEO of The Outlet Co., based in Rhode Island, which he transformed into the highly profitable Outlet Communications, no longer in business.
At its peak, Outlet had 16 radio and television stations, including WJAR Channel 10. The company's stock sold for $4 when Sundlun took over. It sold for $68 when he was done a decade later.
Sundlun was a millionaire, with several homes, in Rhode Island, Jamaica and the Washington area -- and he was increasingly active in national and Democratic politics, including with President John F. Kennedy, who named Sundlun co-chairman of his 1961 inaugural committee.
And he was well into a turbulent romantic life that would be another of his hallmarks, prompting countless tales, some of which he was happy to substantiate himself.
In 1949, Sundlun married his first wife, Madeleine (Schiffer) Eisner, the mother of his three sons, all of whom survive him: Tracy Walter, Stuart Arthur, and Peter Bruce. After their divorce, Sundlun married sculptor Pamela (Soldwedel) Barrett in 1966. Barrett divorced him and Sundlun became involved with the actress and philanthropist Barbara FitzGerald, who died of cancer in 1973.
Joyanne Carter, his third wife, was FitzGerald's close friend. They walked the aisle in 1974, but their marriage foundered. In 1983, Sundlun told The Journal, "She invited me for lunch one day in Washington and after dessert she said. 'Well, now you're deserving of a present.' She served me with papers for a divorce."
Two years later, Sundlun married his fourth wife, Marjorie Lee, a woman two decades younger whose warm, vivacious manner stood in contrast to her husband -- and proved an asset on the campaign trail.
After serving on statewide commissions and the Providence School Board, and working for a variety of civic causes, notably the Trinity Repertory Company and the Providence Performing Arts Center, Sundlun in 1986 ran for governor against incumbent Edward D. DiPrete. DiPrete walloped him, two-to-one.
DiPrete also won the rematch two years later -- by a much-closer margin. But in 1990, Sundlun tapped again into his millions to finance his campaign and ran a third time. He buried DiPrete, who was mired in scandal that eventually sent him to prison.
Sundlun planned an imperial inauguration that included a B-17 flying over the State House, but even before the celebration, on the evening before he took office, Sundlun, about to turn 70, received worse news. The Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corp., which insured 45 banks and credit unions, had collapsed. Untold numbers of people risked losing their life's savings.
Many years later, the memory of the banking crisis and a $200 million deficit in the state budget still rankled Sundlun. "When I look back at the mess I inherited from that -- f---ing DiPrete...," he said, too angry to finish.
Closing the credit unions and the struggle to come up with a way to pay off depositors dominated the first 18 months of Sundlun's tenure. After the closing, disclosures of corruption in the General Assembly and the DiPrete Administration on behalf of the insurer, the infamous RISDIC, fanned the ire and anger of depositors.
There were nasty demonstrations at the State House almost daily. As the months dragged on and depositors remained without their money, Sundlun endured some ugly protests.
Perhaps the worst came on Sept. 6, 1991, when more than 1,000 depositors picketed, screamed and taunted Sundlun and other leading Democratic political figures at a party fundraising event at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston. Sundlun was burned in effigy. There were placards comparing Sundlun with Hitler.
Depositors eventually got their money back, through a $700 million bailout plan that was financed by using a portion of state sales tax revenue to pay off bonds. Sundlun successfully ran for re-election in 1992 but was defeated in the 1994 Democratic primary by Myrth York. Gubernatorial terms at the time were two years long.
In his four years as governor, Sundlun led a major overhaul of the state Workers Compensation System and started the state's RIteCare program that provides medical insurance to poor children.
On social issues, he supported abortion rights and gay rights.
In his frequently combative style (one of his printable nicknames was "Captain Blowhard"), Sundlun pushed through the renovation and expansion of the terminal at T.F. Green Airport, now named for him; the Rhode Island Convention Center; the Providence Place mall, and moving the University of Rhode Island's Providence campus from Smith Hill to the old Shepard Building downtown.
"I think history will treat him well," said the late Elmer Cornwell, a Brown University political science professor and expert on Rhode Island politics. "He didn't come from a political background, he came from the corporate world. He was used to making tough decisions and his forcefulness served the state well during some very difficult times."
Sundlun was just nine months into his first term as governor when his wife Marjorie, walking with a childhood friend in her upstate New York hometown, was struck and nearly killed by an elderly driver. Doctors saved her life, but her brain was badly damaged.
Governor Sundlun flew to the hospital, where, in a news conference to discuss his wife's condition, he wept -- one of the few times in his life he ever did, he said. Marjorie recovered but was never the same. Sundlun divorced his fourth wife in 1999, after, he says, he arranged for her financial security.
It was during Sundlun's second term as governor that he publicly acknowledged he was the father of a daughter, Kara (Hewes) Sundlun, now an Emmy-award winning news anchor at Hartford station WFSB, Channel 3, and the child of an affair. Sundlun agreed to pay for her college education and remained close to Kara, who changed her last name to his.
"She's got a better personality than I do," Sundlun said in 2006. "She's naturally nice, although I'm getting nicer."
After divorcing Marjorie, Sundlun was seen in the company of Soozie Dittelman, a photographer and owner of East Greenwich Photo, whom he had met several years earlier when he was president of Temple Beth-El in Providence. They married on New Year's Day 2000, when Sundlun was almost 80.
Stories about Sundlun have been part of the Rhode Island landscape for decades. There is the story of his shooting raccoons at his Newport estate, of berating a CVS clerk for failing to carry plastic forks he wanted for a Christmas party, of driving dangerously but defiantly in his old age. All were true, and highly publicized.
After losing the governorship, Sundlun taught political science at the University of Rhode Island. Courses he taught included political leadership and Rhode Island politics.
"His style was somewhat aggressive, but as the students got to know him, they appreciated the wealth of knowledge he had," said Prof. Maureen Moakley of URI, who team-taught a course with Sundlun.
Sundlun mellowed with advancing age, but he never entirely lost the edge that was forged by his difficult childhood, his war experiences, and his business and political battles. His increasing difficulty in hearing and stubbornness in not wanting to use hearing aids made conversations in recent years exercises in mutual shouting -- but until the end, he was full of stories.
And, at least sometimes, there were signs of uncharacteristic softness and even self-reflection.
"No one ever called me a nice human being -- although Soozie's gone pretty far toward changing me into a nice human being," he told the Journal five years ago. "I think basically I am a nice human being. But I'm 86 when I say that."
Sundlun is survived by his wife, children, stepchildren and stepgrandchildren.
With reports from Scott MacKay, former Journal staff writer
Interesting this piece mentions how he handled the banking crisis, had he been tougher on the banks I would still have my fortune for that was when washington trust and lenihan law did their dirty deeds.
Peter Z
Bruce Sundlun, fiery former R.I. governor, dies at 91
8:10 PM Thu, Jul 21, 2011
By G. WAYNE MILLER
Journal staff writer
Former Rhode Island Gov. Bruce G. Sundlun, whose heroism in war, success in business, fiery political career and complex private life made him into one of the state's legendary figures, died Thursday at his home in Jamestown. He was 91 years old.
A statement from his family announcing his death Thursday said:
"Former Governor Bruce Sundlun died peacefully tonight at his home in Jamestown. He was surrounded by his loving family. As a husband, father and grandfather he was our north star. We are deeply grateful for his love and lessons throughout our lives."
Sundlun had been hospitalized recently for an undisclosed ailment.
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who was Sundlun's legal counsel and business regulation director during his terms as governor, released the following statement early Thursday evening regarding Sundlun's death:
"I mourn the passing of Bruce Sundlun, a beloved friend and mentor. Bruce's accomplishments as an athlete, soldier, lawyer, businessman and politician would each make his a memorable life; together they made him one of the most remarkable and accomplished Rhode Islanders in our history.
"But most who knew Bruce will remember him for his personality: warm-hearted and funny, impatient and irrepressible, courageous and determined. No one who knew Bruce ever doubted where he stood. He was a towering figure in our state's history and a vibrant figure in the lives of his friends and family. My love, thoughts and prayers are with them."
Read more comments from fellow politicians, associates and friends.
A Democrat, Sundlun served two terms as governor, from 1991 to 1995, during one of Rhode Island's deepest recessions and the worst banking collapse in the state's history.
He was both praised and vilified for his handling of the crisis -- just as admiration for all his accomplishments was always colored by reaction to his formidable ego, his personal style and his succession of romances that led to five marriages and four divorces.
"What lessons would I have for people?" Sundlun said in a Journal interview in January 2010, on the eve of his 90th birthday. "Play it straight. Who, what, where, when, how. Those are the facts of life."
Asked if he had any regrets, Sundlun said: "Not really, that I can think of. I don't have any enemies that I know of. And it wouldn't trouble me if I did."
Born on Jan. 19, 1920, Bruce George Sundlun was the first child of Jan Zelda (Colitz) and Walter Irving Sundlun, whose parents came to America from Lithuania. The Sundluns lived on the East Side of Providence.
"I think I was the first Jewish kid to ever go to the Gordon School," Sundlun, who started in kindergarten at the elite school, said in a 2006 Journal profile.
Sundlun started in kindergarten and made lifelong friends at Gordon -- but also experienced anti-Semitism.
He remembered competing in a foot race at the end of third grade. "I won hands down," Sundlun said. "It was the first time I ever realized I had any athletic ability or could run fast. And the two guys who came in second threw me down on the ground and called me a dirty Jew." Audio slideshow: Sundlun talks about growing up on Providence's East Side.
Gifted with a sharp, analytical mind that would later suit him to the practice of law, Sundlun attended Providence's Classical High School, leaving after junior year for private Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. He entered Williams College in September 1938 and when Hitler invaded Poland a year later, Sundlun, a sophomore, suspected that America eventually would be drawn into the conflict.
Enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Sundlun trained as a B-17 bomber pilot. He was on his 13th bombing run over Germany on Dec. 1, 1943, when his Flying Fortress, Damn Yankee, was shot down, killing four of its nine-man crew.
Parachuting into Nazi-occupied Belgium, Sundlun evaded capture and connected with the Belgian Underground, eventually joining the Maquis, a branch of the French Resistance that was waging guerrilla war against the Germans near the Swiss border. He was a Jew on the run in a land occupied by Nazis.
"We would play it cool until sometime during the night, then we'd go in and attack [German Army] transport, find their fuel trucks, and shoot 'em up and try and set 'em on fire," Sundlun recalled in the 2006 profile. "The Germans would fight back and there'd be some gunfire, but we'd do more damage to them than they'd do to us 'cause we knew every rock and tree."
Five months after being shot down, Sundlun escaped to safety. The U.S. would later honor him with the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and an Air Medal with oak leaf cluster. France would bestow the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
Sundlun finished his studies at Williams College in 1946 and three years later, graduated from Harvard Law School. After serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, he went into private practice, then left law in 1970 to become president of an executive jet company.
Six years later, he was named president and CEO of The Outlet Co., based in Rhode Island, which he transformed into the highly profitable Outlet Communications, no longer in business.
At its peak, Outlet had 16 radio and television stations, including WJAR Channel 10. The company's stock sold for $4 when Sundlun took over. It sold for $68 when he was done a decade later.
Sundlun was a millionaire, with several homes, in Rhode Island, Jamaica and the Washington area -- and he was increasingly active in national and Democratic politics, including with President John F. Kennedy, who named Sundlun co-chairman of his 1961 inaugural committee.
And he was well into a turbulent romantic life that would be another of his hallmarks, prompting countless tales, some of which he was happy to substantiate himself.
In 1949, Sundlun married his first wife, Madeleine (Schiffer) Eisner, the mother of his three sons, all of whom survive him: Tracy Walter, Stuart Arthur, and Peter Bruce. After their divorce, Sundlun married sculptor Pamela (Soldwedel) Barrett in 1966. Barrett divorced him and Sundlun became involved with the actress and philanthropist Barbara FitzGerald, who died of cancer in 1973.
Joyanne Carter, his third wife, was FitzGerald's close friend. They walked the aisle in 1974, but their marriage foundered. In 1983, Sundlun told The Journal, "She invited me for lunch one day in Washington and after dessert she said. 'Well, now you're deserving of a present.' She served me with papers for a divorce."
Two years later, Sundlun married his fourth wife, Marjorie Lee, a woman two decades younger whose warm, vivacious manner stood in contrast to her husband -- and proved an asset on the campaign trail.
After serving on statewide commissions and the Providence School Board, and working for a variety of civic causes, notably the Trinity Repertory Company and the Providence Performing Arts Center, Sundlun in 1986 ran for governor against incumbent Edward D. DiPrete. DiPrete walloped him, two-to-one.
DiPrete also won the rematch two years later -- by a much-closer margin. But in 1990, Sundlun tapped again into his millions to finance his campaign and ran a third time. He buried DiPrete, who was mired in scandal that eventually sent him to prison.
Sundlun planned an imperial inauguration that included a B-17 flying over the State House, but even before the celebration, on the evening before he took office, Sundlun, about to turn 70, received worse news. The Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corp., which insured 45 banks and credit unions, had collapsed. Untold numbers of people risked losing their life's savings.
Many years later, the memory of the banking crisis and a $200 million deficit in the state budget still rankled Sundlun. "When I look back at the mess I inherited from that -- f---ing DiPrete...," he said, too angry to finish.
Closing the credit unions and the struggle to come up with a way to pay off depositors dominated the first 18 months of Sundlun's tenure. After the closing, disclosures of corruption in the General Assembly and the DiPrete Administration on behalf of the insurer, the infamous RISDIC, fanned the ire and anger of depositors.
There were nasty demonstrations at the State House almost daily. As the months dragged on and depositors remained without their money, Sundlun endured some ugly protests.
Perhaps the worst came on Sept. 6, 1991, when more than 1,000 depositors picketed, screamed and taunted Sundlun and other leading Democratic political figures at a party fundraising event at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston. Sundlun was burned in effigy. There were placards comparing Sundlun with Hitler.
Depositors eventually got their money back, through a $700 million bailout plan that was financed by using a portion of state sales tax revenue to pay off bonds. Sundlun successfully ran for re-election in 1992 but was defeated in the 1994 Democratic primary by Myrth York. Gubernatorial terms at the time were two years long.
In his four years as governor, Sundlun led a major overhaul of the state Workers Compensation System and started the state's RIteCare program that provides medical insurance to poor children.
On social issues, he supported abortion rights and gay rights.
In his frequently combative style (one of his printable nicknames was "Captain Blowhard"), Sundlun pushed through the renovation and expansion of the terminal at T.F. Green Airport, now named for him; the Rhode Island Convention Center; the Providence Place mall, and moving the University of Rhode Island's Providence campus from Smith Hill to the old Shepard Building downtown.
"I think history will treat him well," said the late Elmer Cornwell, a Brown University political science professor and expert on Rhode Island politics. "He didn't come from a political background, he came from the corporate world. He was used to making tough decisions and his forcefulness served the state well during some very difficult times."
Sundlun was just nine months into his first term as governor when his wife Marjorie, walking with a childhood friend in her upstate New York hometown, was struck and nearly killed by an elderly driver. Doctors saved her life, but her brain was badly damaged.
Governor Sundlun flew to the hospital, where, in a news conference to discuss his wife's condition, he wept -- one of the few times in his life he ever did, he said. Marjorie recovered but was never the same. Sundlun divorced his fourth wife in 1999, after, he says, he arranged for her financial security.
It was during Sundlun's second term as governor that he publicly acknowledged he was the father of a daughter, Kara (Hewes) Sundlun, now an Emmy-award winning news anchor at Hartford station WFSB, Channel 3, and the child of an affair. Sundlun agreed to pay for her college education and remained close to Kara, who changed her last name to his.
"She's got a better personality than I do," Sundlun said in 2006. "She's naturally nice, although I'm getting nicer."
After divorcing Marjorie, Sundlun was seen in the company of Soozie Dittelman, a photographer and owner of East Greenwich Photo, whom he had met several years earlier when he was president of Temple Beth-El in Providence. They married on New Year's Day 2000, when Sundlun was almost 80.
Stories about Sundlun have been part of the Rhode Island landscape for decades. There is the story of his shooting raccoons at his Newport estate, of berating a CVS clerk for failing to carry plastic forks he wanted for a Christmas party, of driving dangerously but defiantly in his old age. All were true, and highly publicized.
After losing the governorship, Sundlun taught political science at the University of Rhode Island. Courses he taught included political leadership and Rhode Island politics.
"His style was somewhat aggressive, but as the students got to know him, they appreciated the wealth of knowledge he had," said Prof. Maureen Moakley of URI, who team-taught a course with Sundlun.
Sundlun mellowed with advancing age, but he never entirely lost the edge that was forged by his difficult childhood, his war experiences, and his business and political battles. His increasing difficulty in hearing and stubbornness in not wanting to use hearing aids made conversations in recent years exercises in mutual shouting -- but until the end, he was full of stories.
And, at least sometimes, there were signs of uncharacteristic softness and even self-reflection.
"No one ever called me a nice human being -- although Soozie's gone pretty far toward changing me into a nice human being," he told the Journal five years ago. "I think basically I am a nice human being. But I'm 86 when I say that."
Sundlun is survived by his wife, children, stepchildren and stepgrandchildren.
With reports from Scott MacKay, former Journal staff writer
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Hypocrisy regarding murdoch news hacking
As bad as this behavior by murdoch is people forget that other companies
do this all the time. An excellent example is how suckerberg's facebook
adn linkedin use hacking techniques, like the friend finders on facebook
and linkedin, to go into people's e-mail accounts and obtain e-mail
addresses, something newscorp's myspace has not done. It will be
interesting to see how this plays out.
Peter Z
Murdochs in the dock
By Ian Burrell, Media Editor
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
The phone hacking scandal that has claimed the jobs of Britain's two
most high-profile police officers, caused the closure of one of the
country's most famous newspapers, prompted 10 arrests so far and led to
calls for the resignation of the Prime Minister reaches a critical
juncture today with a moment of high drama to rival anything that the
British media has produced before, either in real life or fiction.
The founder and the appointed heir to the world's most famous media
empire will take centre stage in the next act of the hacking saga.
Rupert and James Murdoch will sit before a panel of MPs and face
questions that the company over which they preside was involved in phone
hacking on an "industrial scale", made illegal payments to police
officers and sought to corrupt the democratic process by "owning"
politicians. In their answers, for which they have been carefully
drilled by a team of lawyers and media trainers, the pair will attempt
to rescue a tarnished reputation and distance themselves from serious
criminality.
They will do so under intense pressure from their own shareholders, who
have seen the value of their stock fall by almost a fifth – 17.9 per
cent – since it emerged that the murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler had
been among victims of the company's journalists. The answers of the
Murdochs will also be analysed by a number of investigating bodies,
including the media regulator Ofcom which is gathering evidence on
whether News Corp is "fit and proper" to own a broadcasting licence in
the UK, and the Serious Fraud Office.
The pair's evidence will be followed by that of Rebekah Brooks, who
resigned her post as their chief executive at News International last
week, before being arrested on Sunday by police investigating the
hacking and illicit payments made to officers. Yesterday Brooks fought
back. Her lawyer, Stephen Parkinson, hinted that his client would take
steps to redress damage to her reputation. "Despite arresting her
yesterday and conducting an interview process lasting nine hours, [the
Metropolitan Police] put no allegations to her and showed her no
documents connecting her with any crime. They will in due course have to
give an account of their actions and in particular their decision to
arrest her with the enormous reputational damage that this has
involved."
For James Murdoch the appearance before MPs will be a screen test like
no other. As he prepared to take his seat in front of the House of
Commons Culture, Media & Sport committee today, he was facing criticism
from those who doubt that he possesses the abilities to run the News
Corp empire founded by his father.
The pressure on him intensified yesterday with a growing clamour for him
to relinquish his role as chairman of BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster
which he helped to build into a successful business. BSkyB's
non-executive directors were reported to be unconvinced that Murdoch can
cope with the job when he is caught up in the phone hacking affair, and
that they would watch his performance today ahead of discussions later
this week.
That view was echoed by the satellite broadcaster's first chairman,
Andrew Neil, a former editor of the Murdoch-owned Sunday Times.
"Non-Murdoch shareholders in BSkyB [are] indicating James's future as
Chairman [is] likely determined by his Commons performance," he said
last night.
Yesterday the Liberal Democrats asked Ofcom to act now on whether News
Corp should be allowed to have even the 39 per cent stake in BSkyB that
it possesses. Don Foster, the party's media spokesman, said James should
follow the example of senior police officers and his colleague Rebekah
Brooks and resign, even if he was not admitting wrong doing. "I think
his position is untenable," he said. A poll for ITV News last night
showed that two-thirds of the public thought James should quit.
The hearing
Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive, News Corp
What would represent a victory?
He emerges as an honourable tycoon who was kept in the dark about the
scale of the scandal. He demonstrates that he had no knowledge of the
out-of-court settlements to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford in 2008; that
it was at his insistence that News International co-operated with the
police; and that he does not exercise undue influence in the police,
media and government. He apologises.
And defeat?
He admits he had knowledge of widespread phone hacking prior to January
2011. Yet it becomes apparent that he failed to take charge of the
crisis and ensure News International co-operated fully with police. He
comes across as arrogant or mendacious and/or appears to be vague or
doddery, casting questions over his ability run a global multimedia
giant in the digital age.
And a score draw?
He avoids implicating himself in any direct knowledge of phone hacking
prior to January 2011 but seems out of touch and acknowledges that he
has made mistakes in handling the affair.
James Murdoch, Chief executive, Europe and Asia, News Corp
What would represent a victory?
MPs are impressed by his grasp of detail and candour. He demonstrates
that he was badly advised by lawyers and executives over the 2008
settlements to Taylor and Clifford by naming the executives and
detailing their advice. He comes across as an astute and honest
executive dealing with a formidable range of business problems, and
shows remorse for the scale of wrongdoing at News International.
And defeat?
He comes across as a management-speak dalek devoid of empathy. He admits
that he knew wrongdoing extended to beyond a single reporter but yet
failed to inform the Metropolitan Police. He puts up spurious legal
arguments for not giving straight answers to straight questions. He
shows his temper.
And a score draw?
He agrees that he was not in complete control of News International but
comes across as a decent individual who has been shocked by what has
happened.
Rebekah Brooks, Former chief executive, News International
What would represent a victory?
She persuades the committee that she had no role in any wrongdoing and
that the fault lies with other executives. She proves that she was on
holiday when a private investigator working for the News of the World
hacked into the mobile phone of Milly Dowler while she edited the paper.
She comes across as decent, vulnerable and hurt by the damage to her
reputation. A victim not a perpetrator.
And defeat?
She is defiant, haughty or arrogant and refuses to give straight
answers. Fails to explain how she could not have known about phone
hacking and payments to police officers on her watch, nor the
out-of-court settlements to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford. Trapped by a
skilled inquisition.
And a score draw?
She agrees she failed to grasp the seriousness of wrongdoing at the News
of the World, but is able to show that she personally had no role in any
wrongdoing.
do this all the time. An excellent example is how suckerberg's facebook
adn linkedin use hacking techniques, like the friend finders on facebook
and linkedin, to go into people's e-mail accounts and obtain e-mail
addresses, something newscorp's myspace has not done. It will be
interesting to see how this plays out.
Peter Z
Murdochs in the dock
By Ian Burrell, Media Editor
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
The phone hacking scandal that has claimed the jobs of Britain's two
most high-profile police officers, caused the closure of one of the
country's most famous newspapers, prompted 10 arrests so far and led to
calls for the resignation of the Prime Minister reaches a critical
juncture today with a moment of high drama to rival anything that the
British media has produced before, either in real life or fiction.
The founder and the appointed heir to the world's most famous media
empire will take centre stage in the next act of the hacking saga.
Rupert and James Murdoch will sit before a panel of MPs and face
questions that the company over which they preside was involved in phone
hacking on an "industrial scale", made illegal payments to police
officers and sought to corrupt the democratic process by "owning"
politicians. In their answers, for which they have been carefully
drilled by a team of lawyers and media trainers, the pair will attempt
to rescue a tarnished reputation and distance themselves from serious
criminality.
They will do so under intense pressure from their own shareholders, who
have seen the value of their stock fall by almost a fifth – 17.9 per
cent – since it emerged that the murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler had
been among victims of the company's journalists. The answers of the
Murdochs will also be analysed by a number of investigating bodies,
including the media regulator Ofcom which is gathering evidence on
whether News Corp is "fit and proper" to own a broadcasting licence in
the UK, and the Serious Fraud Office.
The pair's evidence will be followed by that of Rebekah Brooks, who
resigned her post as their chief executive at News International last
week, before being arrested on Sunday by police investigating the
hacking and illicit payments made to officers. Yesterday Brooks fought
back. Her lawyer, Stephen Parkinson, hinted that his client would take
steps to redress damage to her reputation. "Despite arresting her
yesterday and conducting an interview process lasting nine hours, [the
Metropolitan Police] put no allegations to her and showed her no
documents connecting her with any crime. They will in due course have to
give an account of their actions and in particular their decision to
arrest her with the enormous reputational damage that this has
involved."
For James Murdoch the appearance before MPs will be a screen test like
no other. As he prepared to take his seat in front of the House of
Commons Culture, Media & Sport committee today, he was facing criticism
from those who doubt that he possesses the abilities to run the News
Corp empire founded by his father.
The pressure on him intensified yesterday with a growing clamour for him
to relinquish his role as chairman of BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster
which he helped to build into a successful business. BSkyB's
non-executive directors were reported to be unconvinced that Murdoch can
cope with the job when he is caught up in the phone hacking affair, and
that they would watch his performance today ahead of discussions later
this week.
That view was echoed by the satellite broadcaster's first chairman,
Andrew Neil, a former editor of the Murdoch-owned Sunday Times.
"Non-Murdoch shareholders in BSkyB [are] indicating James's future as
Chairman [is] likely determined by his Commons performance," he said
last night.
Yesterday the Liberal Democrats asked Ofcom to act now on whether News
Corp should be allowed to have even the 39 per cent stake in BSkyB that
it possesses. Don Foster, the party's media spokesman, said James should
follow the example of senior police officers and his colleague Rebekah
Brooks and resign, even if he was not admitting wrong doing. "I think
his position is untenable," he said. A poll for ITV News last night
showed that two-thirds of the public thought James should quit.
The hearing
Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive, News Corp
What would represent a victory?
He emerges as an honourable tycoon who was kept in the dark about the
scale of the scandal. He demonstrates that he had no knowledge of the
out-of-court settlements to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford in 2008; that
it was at his insistence that News International co-operated with the
police; and that he does not exercise undue influence in the police,
media and government. He apologises.
And defeat?
He admits he had knowledge of widespread phone hacking prior to January
2011. Yet it becomes apparent that he failed to take charge of the
crisis and ensure News International co-operated fully with police. He
comes across as arrogant or mendacious and/or appears to be vague or
doddery, casting questions over his ability run a global multimedia
giant in the digital age.
And a score draw?
He avoids implicating himself in any direct knowledge of phone hacking
prior to January 2011 but seems out of touch and acknowledges that he
has made mistakes in handling the affair.
James Murdoch, Chief executive, Europe and Asia, News Corp
What would represent a victory?
MPs are impressed by his grasp of detail and candour. He demonstrates
that he was badly advised by lawyers and executives over the 2008
settlements to Taylor and Clifford by naming the executives and
detailing their advice. He comes across as an astute and honest
executive dealing with a formidable range of business problems, and
shows remorse for the scale of wrongdoing at News International.
And defeat?
He comes across as a management-speak dalek devoid of empathy. He admits
that he knew wrongdoing extended to beyond a single reporter but yet
failed to inform the Metropolitan Police. He puts up spurious legal
arguments for not giving straight answers to straight questions. He
shows his temper.
And a score draw?
He agrees that he was not in complete control of News International but
comes across as a decent individual who has been shocked by what has
happened.
Rebekah Brooks, Former chief executive, News International
What would represent a victory?
She persuades the committee that she had no role in any wrongdoing and
that the fault lies with other executives. She proves that she was on
holiday when a private investigator working for the News of the World
hacked into the mobile phone of Milly Dowler while she edited the paper.
She comes across as decent, vulnerable and hurt by the damage to her
reputation. A victim not a perpetrator.
And defeat?
She is defiant, haughty or arrogant and refuses to give straight
answers. Fails to explain how she could not have known about phone
hacking and payments to police officers on her watch, nor the
out-of-court settlements to Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford. Trapped by a
skilled inquisition.
And a score draw?
She agrees she failed to grasp the seriousness of wrongdoing at the News
of the World, but is able to show that she personally had no role in any
wrongdoing.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Good riddance dean donutfucker
This news is long overdue. During his entire tenure as pig chief in
providence dean has been the one who had singled me out for legal
harassment, be it direct or proxy, during his entire tenure as chief,
and if one still doubts this check my BCI and you will notice my entire
legal troubles occurred during his tenure as chief, all because my
stepfamily in Greenwich and fairfield county accepted bribes from him
and his coworkers when he was Stamford pig chief. Though others
suffered worse has he gutted the Providence police, like he did the
Stamford police, be it homeless people arrested for disorderly conduct,
people having medical problems on the street being charged with failure
to move, women asking men out on a date being arrested for prostitution,
etc. I had to bear the brunt of it. Interestingly enough nobody
mentions how dean let that same daughter drink cocktails at the Biltmore
on November 2, 2010 which I witnessed, and yet nobody said anything
there, yet they made a big deal over this party. The timing of this
could not be better, notice the date of the resignation, the 7 year
anniversary of my first victory as a Pro se Litigant, and the date of
the party, the 10 year anniversary of Leila's murder, and it is good to
see dean get a taste of his own medicine. I even wonder if the sheeple
noticed the headline on yesterday's paper below this headline, how
chafee appointed someone who runs a kids gulag in glocester to be the
new dcyf director. All the same this is long overdue and occured
because of sheep in the public who allowed it to happen and only ended
because of those who never quit.
Peter Z
Esserman suddenly resigns as Providence police chief
04:01 PM EDT on Thursday, June 23, 2011
By Amanda Milkovits
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- After nearly 8½ years heading the state’s largest
police department, Police Chief Dean M. Esserman suddenly announced
Wednesday that he was resigning.
The decision was his, Esserman said in a hastily arranged news
conference at the Providence Public Safety Complex. A controversy over
underage drinking at a party celebrating his daughter’s graduation from
La Salle Academy had become a “distraction,” he said.
“I love this Police Department. I’ve come to love this city. And I also love my family,” Esserman said. “… But this has become a distraction, a distraction in my home, a distraction for me, and a distraction for this Police Department.”
Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare said that he hadn’t asked for
Esserman’s resignation, nor did he find anything in his evaluation of
the party that would cause the chief’s dismissal. Pare said no rules or
laws were broken.
“He’s a great leader,” Pare said. “We’ll move on. This agency is bigger than any individual.”
Esserman’s decision surprised many officers. He had survived a
no-confidence vote from the police union, criticism over his abrasive
leadership style and attacks on his salary and benefits. Three of last
year’s four mayoral candidates said that they would fire him.
Taveras was the only one who withheld judgment. After evaluating the
department this spring, the mayor decided to keep Esserman, crediting
him with improving the department, rooting out political interference
and establishing a community-based approach to policing. But unlike
former Mayor David N. Cicilline, Taveras didn’t offer him a contract.
Esserman said he’ll stay until June 30. It’s also the last day for 75
officers who received layoff notices. All are facing losing their jobs
in the city’s financial crisis, unless the city and police union can
reach $6 million in concessions.
Esserman didn’t mention the layoffs as a factor in his decision to
leave. It was personal. It was about his family. And, he said, it was
time.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done,” he said. “We’ve come a long way in eight years. It’s time for somebody else.”
Cicilline appointed Esserman in January 2003. The ex-prosecutor and
former police chief in Connecticut and New York walked into a department
in turmoil.
The department had been rocked by revelations in the federal corruption
trial of then-Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. that a former police chief had
helped some officers cheat on their promotions.
Gilda Hernandez pins the badge on her husband, Dean Esserman, after he
was sworn in as Providence police chief in 2003 as then Mayor David N.
Cicilline looks on.
Journal Files / MARY MURPHY
There was scandal and division among officers and mistrust from the
community. Complaints of brutality, civil-rights violations and
allegations of misuse of federal funds drew the attention of the U.S.
Department of Justice. And the department closed itself off from working
with other agencies and organizations.
In eight years, Esserman brought community policing to every
neighborhood, assigned detectives to investigate the cheating scandal,
beefed up units investigating gangs, guns and internal affairs. He
introduced computer mapping of crimes, so the police could evaluate what
was happening in the city and prevent crimes, and opened the department
up to partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, organizations
and schools.
The crime rate began to fall, longstanding drug markets vanished, and
even murders plummeted. The department drew national attention for its
crime-prevention initiatives and community-centered approach. Last fall,
the department and Roger Williams University won a federal grant to
establish the first educational institute for law enforcement in New
England.
But the department also endured scandal — four officers were caught up
in a state police investigation into a drug ring last year, a detective
was convicted of assaulting a handcuffed man this year.
And Esserman’s temper and brusque style blistered colleagues and
underlings, and alienated some city leaders. Some were celebratory when
they learned of his resignation. Others were stunned.
In Upper South Providence, the director of the Davey Lopes Recreation
Center said he was disappointed. “Dean Esserman has been very good for
Providence,” said George Lindsey, “and I don’t care what anyone says, at
the end of the day, if you live in the city, you recognize the
difference from before Esserman came and now.”
In Washington, D.C., Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police
Executive Research Forum, said the chief’s work gave Providence national
recognition.
“The Providence Police Department is a different place today than it was 8½ years ago,” said Wexler. “He came in at a time of turmoil, accusations and questions … and 8½ years later, the Providence Police Department is a better place, and the community is a safer place.”
As for the recent controversy, Wexler said, “When you’re a change agent,
you’re under attack all the time. Your whole life becomes an open book.”
When Taveras became mayor, Esserman’s contract expired and his future
was uncertain.
In February, he was suspended for one day without pay after an incident
involving a sergeant who was having a coughing fit while Esserman was
addressing officers at a training session. Witnesses said Esserman
cursed and threatened to throw a cup of coffee in the sergeant’s face.
This month, as the city began handing layoff notices to 75 new officers,
Councilman Michael J. Correia asked Esserman in a letter to “be a man of
his word” and resign. The letter said that Esserman had announced on two
occasions that he would volunteer to leave before pink slips were given
to any of his officers.
Then came the graduation party June 10 at his East Side home.
Esserman said that he and his 27-year-old son were chaperoning the party
when young people started suddenly arriving late. He said he discovered
some of them drinking alcohol, and he and his son ordered everyone to
leave. Some ran off with alcohol.
Esserman said he called Pare that night to tell him what happened.
Some criticized his handling of the party, including the head of the
Rhode Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who asserted that
he should have called the police to disperse the crowd. Pare said he
would evaluate the incident.
Pare said Wednesday that he hadn’t finished his evaluation when Esserman
handed him his resignation.
“I’m sure a lot of things played in his mind about why he should resign,” Pare said. “There are a lot of things happening in the Providence Police Department.”
Esserman said he was taking responsibility for what happened at his
house. “You’ve got to believe this was my decision,” he said. “You have
to believe I made this decision because it’s become a distraction.”
Neither he, nor Pare would explain why the party was a distraction.
Pare said the chief’s resignation, coming in the middle of restructuring
and all-but-certain layoffs, was “challenging,” but didn’t leave the
department in chaos.
And then, the mayor’s director of communications shut off questions.
-- With staff reports from Alisha A. Pina and Thomas J. Morgan
TIMELINE: Esserman’s trajectory
Jan. 10, 2003: Mayor David N. Cicilline announces hiring of Esserman,
“the best police chief in America.”
Jan. 24, 2004: Esserman announces conclusion of probe of Police
Department promotional-testing scandal. He moves to discipline at least
two active officers and strip pensions from two former officers.
April 16, 2005: Robbery suspects shoots and kills Detective James L.
Allen with Allen’s gun at police headquarters.
October 2005: Esserman announces he will be treated for colon cancer.
Jan. 22, 2007: Mayor and chief say major crime has hit a 30-year low,
thanks, in large part, to community policing.
Feb. 16, 2007: Cicilline renews Esserman’s employment contract for
another 4 years.
June 14, 2009: Police union votes no confidence in Esserman. Members
cite his abrasiveness, harping on past police corruption and
dressing-down of officers in public.
March 4, 2010: State police arrest 3 Providence officers involved in a
drug ring.
Sept. 27, 2010: $474,566 federal grant announced to establish regional
law-enforcement training and research institute, to be based at Roger
Williams University and Police Department.
Dec. 1, 2010: Mayor-elect Angel Taveras announces hiring of former state
police Col. Steven M. Pare as public safety commissioner. Action reduces
stature and power of chief.
Feb. 7, 2011: Esserman serves one-day suspension because he threatened
to throw cup of coffee in face of sergeant.
April 12, 2011: Taveras says he will retain Esserman.
June 10, 2011: Esserman breaks up graduation party for daughter in
family backyard after he said he realized that minors were drinking
alcohol.
June 13, 2011: Pare says he is evaluating incident.
Compiled by Gregory Smith from Journal archives
amilkovi@projo.com
providence dean has been the one who had singled me out for legal
harassment, be it direct or proxy, during his entire tenure as chief,
and if one still doubts this check my BCI and you will notice my entire
legal troubles occurred during his tenure as chief, all because my
stepfamily in Greenwich and fairfield county accepted bribes from him
and his coworkers when he was Stamford pig chief. Though others
suffered worse has he gutted the Providence police, like he did the
Stamford police, be it homeless people arrested for disorderly conduct,
people having medical problems on the street being charged with failure
to move, women asking men out on a date being arrested for prostitution,
etc. I had to bear the brunt of it. Interestingly enough nobody
mentions how dean let that same daughter drink cocktails at the Biltmore
on November 2, 2010 which I witnessed, and yet nobody said anything
there, yet they made a big deal over this party. The timing of this
could not be better, notice the date of the resignation, the 7 year
anniversary of my first victory as a Pro se Litigant, and the date of
the party, the 10 year anniversary of Leila's murder, and it is good to
see dean get a taste of his own medicine. I even wonder if the sheeple
noticed the headline on yesterday's paper below this headline, how
chafee appointed someone who runs a kids gulag in glocester to be the
new dcyf director. All the same this is long overdue and occured
because of sheep in the public who allowed it to happen and only ended
because of those who never quit.
Peter Z
Esserman suddenly resigns as Providence police chief
04:01 PM EDT on Thursday, June 23, 2011
By Amanda Milkovits
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- After nearly 8½ years heading the state’s largest
police department, Police Chief Dean M. Esserman suddenly announced
Wednesday that he was resigning.
The decision was his, Esserman said in a hastily arranged news
conference at the Providence Public Safety Complex. A controversy over
underage drinking at a party celebrating his daughter’s graduation from
La Salle Academy had become a “distraction,” he said.
“I love this Police Department. I’ve come to love this city. And I also love my family,” Esserman said. “… But this has become a distraction, a distraction in my home, a distraction for me, and a distraction for this Police Department.”
Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare said that he hadn’t asked for
Esserman’s resignation, nor did he find anything in his evaluation of
the party that would cause the chief’s dismissal. Pare said no rules or
laws were broken.
“He’s a great leader,” Pare said. “We’ll move on. This agency is bigger than any individual.”
Esserman’s decision surprised many officers. He had survived a
no-confidence vote from the police union, criticism over his abrasive
leadership style and attacks on his salary and benefits. Three of last
year’s four mayoral candidates said that they would fire him.
Taveras was the only one who withheld judgment. After evaluating the
department this spring, the mayor decided to keep Esserman, crediting
him with improving the department, rooting out political interference
and establishing a community-based approach to policing. But unlike
former Mayor David N. Cicilline, Taveras didn’t offer him a contract.
Esserman said he’ll stay until June 30. It’s also the last day for 75
officers who received layoff notices. All are facing losing their jobs
in the city’s financial crisis, unless the city and police union can
reach $6 million in concessions.
Esserman didn’t mention the layoffs as a factor in his decision to
leave. It was personal. It was about his family. And, he said, it was
time.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done,” he said. “We’ve come a long way in eight years. It’s time for somebody else.”
Cicilline appointed Esserman in January 2003. The ex-prosecutor and
former police chief in Connecticut and New York walked into a department
in turmoil.
The department had been rocked by revelations in the federal corruption
trial of then-Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. that a former police chief had
helped some officers cheat on their promotions.
Gilda Hernandez pins the badge on her husband, Dean Esserman, after he
was sworn in as Providence police chief in 2003 as then Mayor David N.
Cicilline looks on.
Journal Files / MARY MURPHY
There was scandal and division among officers and mistrust from the
community. Complaints of brutality, civil-rights violations and
allegations of misuse of federal funds drew the attention of the U.S.
Department of Justice. And the department closed itself off from working
with other agencies and organizations.
In eight years, Esserman brought community policing to every
neighborhood, assigned detectives to investigate the cheating scandal,
beefed up units investigating gangs, guns and internal affairs. He
introduced computer mapping of crimes, so the police could evaluate what
was happening in the city and prevent crimes, and opened the department
up to partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, organizations
and schools.
The crime rate began to fall, longstanding drug markets vanished, and
even murders plummeted. The department drew national attention for its
crime-prevention initiatives and community-centered approach. Last fall,
the department and Roger Williams University won a federal grant to
establish the first educational institute for law enforcement in New
England.
But the department also endured scandal — four officers were caught up
in a state police investigation into a drug ring last year, a detective
was convicted of assaulting a handcuffed man this year.
And Esserman’s temper and brusque style blistered colleagues and
underlings, and alienated some city leaders. Some were celebratory when
they learned of his resignation. Others were stunned.
In Upper South Providence, the director of the Davey Lopes Recreation
Center said he was disappointed. “Dean Esserman has been very good for
Providence,” said George Lindsey, “and I don’t care what anyone says, at
the end of the day, if you live in the city, you recognize the
difference from before Esserman came and now.”
In Washington, D.C., Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police
Executive Research Forum, said the chief’s work gave Providence national
recognition.
“The Providence Police Department is a different place today than it was 8½ years ago,” said Wexler. “He came in at a time of turmoil, accusations and questions … and 8½ years later, the Providence Police Department is a better place, and the community is a safer place.”
As for the recent controversy, Wexler said, “When you’re a change agent,
you’re under attack all the time. Your whole life becomes an open book.”
When Taveras became mayor, Esserman’s contract expired and his future
was uncertain.
In February, he was suspended for one day without pay after an incident
involving a sergeant who was having a coughing fit while Esserman was
addressing officers at a training session. Witnesses said Esserman
cursed and threatened to throw a cup of coffee in the sergeant’s face.
This month, as the city began handing layoff notices to 75 new officers,
Councilman Michael J. Correia asked Esserman in a letter to “be a man of
his word” and resign. The letter said that Esserman had announced on two
occasions that he would volunteer to leave before pink slips were given
to any of his officers.
Then came the graduation party June 10 at his East Side home.
Esserman said that he and his 27-year-old son were chaperoning the party
when young people started suddenly arriving late. He said he discovered
some of them drinking alcohol, and he and his son ordered everyone to
leave. Some ran off with alcohol.
Esserman said he called Pare that night to tell him what happened.
Some criticized his handling of the party, including the head of the
Rhode Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who asserted that
he should have called the police to disperse the crowd. Pare said he
would evaluate the incident.
Pare said Wednesday that he hadn’t finished his evaluation when Esserman
handed him his resignation.
“I’m sure a lot of things played in his mind about why he should resign,” Pare said. “There are a lot of things happening in the Providence Police Department.”
Esserman said he was taking responsibility for what happened at his
house. “You’ve got to believe this was my decision,” he said. “You have
to believe I made this decision because it’s become a distraction.”
Neither he, nor Pare would explain why the party was a distraction.
Pare said the chief’s resignation, coming in the middle of restructuring
and all-but-certain layoffs, was “challenging,” but didn’t leave the
department in chaos.
And then, the mayor’s director of communications shut off questions.
-- With staff reports from Alisha A. Pina and Thomas J. Morgan
TIMELINE: Esserman’s trajectory
Jan. 10, 2003: Mayor David N. Cicilline announces hiring of Esserman,
“the best police chief in America.”
Jan. 24, 2004: Esserman announces conclusion of probe of Police
Department promotional-testing scandal. He moves to discipline at least
two active officers and strip pensions from two former officers.
April 16, 2005: Robbery suspects shoots and kills Detective James L.
Allen with Allen’s gun at police headquarters.
October 2005: Esserman announces he will be treated for colon cancer.
Jan. 22, 2007: Mayor and chief say major crime has hit a 30-year low,
thanks, in large part, to community policing.
Feb. 16, 2007: Cicilline renews Esserman’s employment contract for
another 4 years.
June 14, 2009: Police union votes no confidence in Esserman. Members
cite his abrasiveness, harping on past police corruption and
dressing-down of officers in public.
March 4, 2010: State police arrest 3 Providence officers involved in a
drug ring.
Sept. 27, 2010: $474,566 federal grant announced to establish regional
law-enforcement training and research institute, to be based at Roger
Williams University and Police Department.
Dec. 1, 2010: Mayor-elect Angel Taveras announces hiring of former state
police Col. Steven M. Pare as public safety commissioner. Action reduces
stature and power of chief.
Feb. 7, 2011: Esserman serves one-day suspension because he threatened
to throw cup of coffee in face of sergeant.
April 12, 2011: Taveras says he will retain Esserman.
June 10, 2011: Esserman breaks up graduation party for daughter in
family backyard after he said he realized that minors were drinking
alcohol.
June 13, 2011: Pare says he is evaluating incident.
Compiled by Gregory Smith from Journal archives
amilkovi@projo.com
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