:
Sat Jul 8 -

IRAQI MOVIE NOSTALGIA -

Baghdad's cinema buffs recently got together at the National Theater in the Karradah district for a festival of locally-produced films.

Sam Dagher of AFP describes the occasion.

:: The Daily Star.lb ::

...

:
Sat Jul 8 -


OMAR MEETS BRAIN-LOCK:

Consensus and conciliation are important positive values for tribal communities who have to survive in a harsh environment.

But today, Omar at ITM
encounters something else.

Omar and his brother have translated and posted a compilation of reactions to the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and the Israeli military operation in the Gaza strip in an attempt to free him.

These reactions were drawn from the Arabic-language forum on the BBC Arabic website.

Omar notes that the reactions of Iraqis and Iraqi expatriates differ significantly from those of other Arabs who are living in still-closed societies.

The entry is quite long. And a prodigious amount of elbow grease must have gone into this project, which I appreciate very much.

:: ITM IRAQ perma ::

...

:
Sat Jul 8 -

THE EMIR OF
JERSEY CITY -

"A sudden change in his
personality occurred lately,"
a neighbor confides.

Dr Walid Phares writes about the apparent duality in the portraits which have emerged about Assem Hammoud. The aforementioned neighbor, Prof Phares tells us, has just described a "mutation" from Casanova to Islamist.

In his previous impression, the professor attributes this apparent duality or "mutation" to Taqiya, a kind of "holy deception." *You have the right to play another personality until you perform your mission.*

Maybe. But there are other possibilities. It may have been Taqiya for Hammoud's handler. But Hammoud may not have experienced it as an intellectual exercise. This process needs a much closer scrutiny by the FBI's Psych Squad, especially those specializing in Cults.

I would suggest the possibility that Hammoud may have experienced a cult-like "Magical Glen" phenomenon. And, having been through the Magic Glen, Hammoud may even believe he is now imbued with magical powers. You know: like Superman's Phonebooth; he enters as mild-mannered Clark Kent but departs with super powers.

* * * * *
"Do we look like al-Qaida people?"

That was Hammoud's mom.
Well, yes!

Since the 1960's when we had indigenous terrorists inside the U.S., we've had a well-known profile for them: they're usually upper-middle class, the offspring of lawyers or other professionals, affluent, and college-educated. Hammoud would fit this long-established profile.

...

:
Sat Jul 8 -

THE PRINCE OF
JOURNAL SQUARE -

The supposed plot to blow up the PATH trains may need some background briefing here. The PATH has two main destinations in New Jersey: one is Hoboken and the other is Jersey City.

The latter has a large Moslem demographic enclave which would afford jihadi terrorists a better than average opportunity to blend in with local residents without attracting undo attention.

What do we know, at least tentatively, about the main suspect, Assem Hammoud, so far?
---------------------------
*His mother, a ceramics artist, began wearing the Islamic veil after the death of her husband in a relatively common local practice. Neighbours insist that she is not a religious fanatic.*
---------------------------
"Do we look like al-Qaida people?" asked Qotob [his mother] at the family's luxury home in Beirut's upscale Clemenceau neighborhood.
---------------------------
CTV quoted an Arabic-language Beirut newspaper, Assadir, on Saturday as saying the man identified by the FBI as the ringleader of the alleged plot, Assem Hammoud, holds a Canadian passport.
---------------------------
In the next entry, I want
to discuss Dr Phares' notes
on this suspect.
...

:
Fr Jul 7 -


JOURNAL SQ JIHADI -

The suspect in the Jersey City tunnels case has been identified as Assem Hammoud...

Sources disclosed that the suspect was "a teacher in the Lebanese International University, which is owned by pro-Syrian former Minister Abdel-Rahim Mrad."

*The suspect admitted "he had sent his colleagues maps and details about the means to perpetrate the attack via the Internet and intended to travel to Pakistan soon to take part in a four-month training session and then perpetrate the attack at the end of 2006," the statement said.*

He was arrested on April 27.

:: DAILY STAR.lb ::

...

:
Fr Jul 7 -

7/7 JIHADIS' HOMETOWN -

Tensions ran high Friday in the Beeston district of Leeds community where four terrorists hatched plans for the London transit bombings...

Two minutes of silence was marked by about 50 people at Joseph Priestley College...

One photographer had a brick thrown at him. Another said he was chased by a group of men. A television van was pelted with eggs...

+ Only 50 people; that's not much.

:: AP/FOXNEWS ::

...

:
Fr Jul 7 -

NYC: JIHADI TUNNEL PLOT -

Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials said Friday.

FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by destroying vital transportation networks, one official said.
* * * * *
"They're hell-bent on destroying the economy in the U.S.," a counterterrorism source said.

Al Qaeda founder Bin Laden has often urged his followers to "bleed" America financially.

"This is more advanced than the Miami Seven," said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

:: NYDailyNews ::

...

:
T/Fri Jul 7 -

LONDON NOTES -

*Seven out of 10 Britons
cannot name any of their
human rights, a poll has said.*

:: This is London ::


A two-minute silence is set to take place at midday across the country to mark the first anniversary of the July 7 London bombings.

:: This is London ::

...

:
Th Jul 6 -

7/7 QAEDA TAPE -

Bill Roggio at CTBlog writes
about a commemorative tape
currently being aired. As the
anniversary of the London
Bombings approaches,
I think we can expect
yet more background
information to emerge.

:: ROGGIO/CTBLOG perma ::

...

:
We Jul 5 -

FROM THE D.C. PAPERS -

# Nir Boms wants U.S. government officials to put more official pressure on the Egyptian government to stop thwarting progress in democratic reform.

Egypt is a separate sovereign state; there's only so much we can do without seeming to interfere in their internal affairs. ::WaT::

* * *
# Arnaud de Borchgrave describes the Afghan situation with the Taliban, how Pakistan is related, and the long-term commitment it requires. He includes some of General McCaffrey's expert observations and assessments. ::WaT::

* * *
# Claude Salhani skates across the slippery slopes of the wadi from Petra to Gaza while ignoring the crux of the current problem: the factionalized governance of the Palistinians.

How long could a commercial corporation like S*ny or N*ke continue to exist with this kind of factionalism governing it? If they don't get their act together, the PA may end up like Enron in the Dustbin of History. :: WaT::

...

:
We Jul 5 -

WANTED: The Iraq 41 - Bassem Mroue of AP gives a rundown of the "41 Most Wanted" fugitives issued by the current Iraqi government and gives some information about who and what these people are. A lot of them are connected to the former Ba'athist regime and are believed to be fueling the violent "insurgency."

Not surprisingly, Izzy the Redhead is at the top of the list.

ALSO WANTED - The people of Samarra have put out a BOLO for Haitham al-Badri on charges of Armed Robbery, Carjacking and the Premeditated Murder of the Sheikh of the al-Bo Baz tribe.

P.S. There's a Golden Dome missing for which he is believed to have primary responsibility. Reward involved.

:: OMAR/ITM perma ::

+ NB: Blogger has been somewhat slow and sticky yesterday and again today. Is there a cyber meltdown looming on our horizon in the near future? Let's hope not.

...

:
Tu Jul 4 -

UP, UP AND AWAY . . .

Launched on the Fourth of July,
Discovery and seven astronauts
have safely reached orbit.

2:45 PM - 61 miles above the Earth and moving at 5,000 mph, Discovery has passed the point of no return to the Kennedy Space Center. Flight is perfect thus far.

:: Flame Trench Blog ::

...

:
Mo Jul 3 -

INRE: GAZA STANDOFF -

Some reactions in the Arab Press:
:: S.C. Walls, MSNBC ::

* * * * *
Spiegel interviews Marzook who
describes the factions of Hamas
as "just various approaches."

:: Interview ::

...

:
Mo Jul 3 -

UK TERROR SPIRAL -

**Anti-terrorist police are tackling an "accelerating" number of plots by violent Muslim Jihadi extremists, according to Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer...

the majority relate to "the activities of British citizens against their fellow countrymen; and the extreme youth of some of those charged."**

+ As the Brits are nearing the anniversary of their 7/7 bombings, they are taking stock of the current situation.

:: By John Steele ::
-- UK Telegraph --

...

:
Mo Jul 3 -

THE DEAD COW ON YR CAR
...And Other American Follies -

*Also, you do not need a permit if you want-- as I did-- to transport a dead cow on the roof of your car through the Florida panhandle. That’s because this is banned by a state law.*

+ Hey, who knew? This is a very, very funny piece by Jeremy Clarkson at the Times of London which deserves a wider audience. Oh, lighten up and enjoy!

:: Clarkson's U.S. trip ::

...

:
Mo Jul 3 -

THEY'VE GOT YR # -

*Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had the phone numbers of senior Iraqi officials stored in his cell phone, according to an Iraqi legislator.*

But what does this mean???

I believe that the PLO (or PA perhaps) largely owns the Iraqi cell phone company via an Egyptian proxy shell company.

Would you buy a used car from them? Their idea of security is probably iffy at best.

:: AP via CNN.com ::

...

:
Su Jul 2 -

THE IRAQI BLOGGERS -

Not much cheer going on in the Baghdad Blogs right now. There was the bombing in a busy souk reported on the news early Sat. A perhaps minor gripe here: now that we are somewhat more familiar with Baghdad and the layout of that city, I wish reporters would tell us in which district or neighborhood or compass sector an incident is located.

Scanning the Iraqi blogs...

# "THEY" --
This past Friday Zappy posted a morose eulogy to a friendly shopkeeper he knew who just got "assassinated."

It wasn't enough to murder him, they wouldn't allow his family to have a funeral for him!

:: ZAPPY perma ::

# INSIDE A DEADLY
PINBALL MACHINE --
Ishtar reports a battle spilled over onto the grounds of Baghdad U this past Monday:

The Mahdi militia was sweeping Sunni neighborhoods who did not wait for long to raise their arms and engage in a heated battle supported by the National Guards. The fight reached Baghdad university in Bab Al-Mua’dadham. Mortars, PKC, and launchers were exchanged. Students and professors in the university found themselves stuck in the middle of the fight and did not know what to do.

I contacted a friend who works there to check with her. She said:

"There was such a panic; the university became a battle field. Gunmen closed the gates of the campus while they were answering shooting from different sides. And the professors believed that they would be rounded up soon and killed."

-- Light copy edit applied --
:: ISHTAR perma ::

# BLOGODROME --
Salam Adil has posted his weekly compilation of the Iraqi Blogs with excerpts. It's always worth perusing.

This week, what I found especially interesting was his debate about Blogging Baghdad. When is an online presence a Blog? When is it an op-ed or dispatch or transmutated newspaper column? I, too, have had this internal debate about some folks' writings. And, I've come to the conclusion, in the end, it isn't always a simple Black or White situation. It can turn out to be a more complex issue than I originally expected.

:: IRAQI BLOGODROME ::

...

:
Sun Jul 2 -

RAINY SEASON -

We have entered into the Rainy
Season here in South Florida.

Generally, there are often tropical storms in late afternoon with thunder and dangerous lightening. But the storms can occur at any time. And, although I do try to keep an eye on the weather maps, they can seem to come out of nowhere.

This can throw a monkey wrench into blogging activities. Last night, for example, around midnight, I was in the process of preparing a Blog Entry when I heard thunder. I paused. And then heard another thunder bolt. I then looked out the window and saw lightening.

At that point, I decided it would be prudent to save my preliminary notes, log offline and shut down my laptop.

You can expect more like this.

So, if I seem to have disappeared for a period of time without explanation, that's the usual reason.
...