text:
Talibanistan expands in the NWFP
Districts of Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Swat are Taliban country
NWFP/FATA map. Red agencies/districts are openly controlled by the Taliban; yellow are under threat. Click map to view. |
As Pakistan's civil war continues, the Northwest Frontier Province slips further into the darkness of a Taliban ruled state. During a recent meeting between senior government political and security officials on March 6, the officials recognized the deterioration of the government's writ not only in the tribal areas, but in the settled districts of the province. The situation in the NWFP, as reported by Dawn, is summed up as follows: "Inaction on the part of LEAs (law-enforcement agencies) -- government on the retreat. Writ of the government shrinking with every passing day. Vacuum being filled by non-state actors. Respect for law and state authority gradually diminishing. Morale of the LEAs and people supportive of government on the decline. Talibanisation, lawlessness and terrorism on the rise."
The report also notes that the districts bordering the tribal agencies of North and South Waziristan, "namely Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat" are increasingly falling under the control of the Taliban, while the districts of Swat, Charsadda and Mardan, which neighbor Bajaur in the north, are also falling under the influence of the Taliban. "They were also briefed on the resurgence of the defunct Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi, particularly in Swat region where Maulana Fazlullah aka Maulana Radio was making full use of his illegally set up FM radio station to stop people from sending girls to schools and getting their children vaccinated against polio," notes Dawn "Recently, anonymous letters were delivered to girls' schools in Charsadda and Mardan asking them to wear veils; shops dealing in video CDs have been warned to stop their 'un-Islamic' business or face retaliation."
The rapid decline of the situation in the Northwest Frontier province should come as no surprise to those who closely watch the Pakistani news. The following incidents are daily occurrences in the NWFP: assassinations of security officials, pro-government tribal leaders and 'U.S. spies'; bombings of police stations, music and video shops; attacks on military patrols and bases; threats against barbers to stop shaving beards; Taliban recruiting drives; the threats to close schools, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations. The signs of the Talibanization of northwestern Pakistan have been visible for well over two years.
The report indicated the lack of political will and the failure to shore up the security forces has led to the deterioration of security and the rise of Talibanistan in the province. "There seems to be some sort of paralysis at the decision-making level. There is little one can do in these circumstances other than fire-fighting," an official commented to Dawn. "These are not normal times. Extraordinary situations demand extraordinary decisions. Unfortunately, the focus at the decision-making level now is more on politics than security. It (security) is on the back-burner."
The Northwest Frontier province is rapidly switching from Taliban influenced (yellow on the map) to outright Taliban controlled (red). The recent fighting in Tank, where the government has called in the army after the Baitullah Mehsud's Taliban openly attacked the town, highlights just how badly the government has lost control in the settled districts in the NWFP. The tribes in Tank held a jirga (or tribal meeting) where they "banned offices of militant groups in the city, and pledged to fight and expel foreign militants." "A peace committee was set up to look into ways to guard peace in the district on a permanent basis," Dera Ismail Khan director Zulfiqar Cheem told reporters.
The Pakistani government claims it is sending in an additional two brigades, about 8,000 'crack troops,' to the tribal regions to conduct a robust offensive and restore order. Apparently the troops are being sent to South Waziristan. The government, however, still clings to the clearly failed agreements in North and South Waziristan by characterizing the internecine fighting between Taliban commander Mullah Nazir, who openly supports jihad in Afghanistan and vowed to continue to fight the West, and Uzbek al Qaeda as signs of success of the Waziristan Accord. The Pakistani government is claiming over 140 Uzbeks have been killed in the fighting, while the locals in the region have put the numbers far, far lower. The Pakistani Army is well known for inflating enemy casualties while hiding their own.
Rumors of the Pakistan Army sending troops to conduct an offensive in the tribal areas have been circulating since the beginning of 2007, yet no offensive has materialized. Past "peace deals" have amounted to little than unenforceable agreements between the Taliban and the government, which result in the Taliban openly controlling the territory. Just prior to the fighting in Tank, Baitullah Mehsud was called in bring the people of Tank a "peace message."
We hope the Pakistani government will seriously deal with the situation in the tribal agencies. The Taliban and al Qaeda are so entrenched a counterinsurgency campaign is now required to uproot them, according to a senior U.S. military intelligence official.
We hope the tribes of Tank are serious in wanting to eject "foreigners" and opposing the presence of the Taliban. But we doubt the sincerity of the actors involved. The Pakistani government and Army have shown little inclination to deal with the Talibanization on its northwestern border, and the 'tribes' they negotiate with to abdicate control of the region to are very often the Taliban.
READER COMMENTS: "Talibanistan expands in the NWFP"
Posted by joe at April 3, 2007 1:36 AM ET:
I seriously doubt that Musharaff is considering restarting the war in the tribal areas right now. With Islamists taking over buildings in Islamabad and the crisis with the judiciary, Musharaff is already surrounded by vultures. The last thing he needs is all out war with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
This report added to the Times report yesterday about Al Qaedas restored leadership I have to say Im very pessimistic when it comes to Pakistan. I doubt we will see serious action until the next attack on American soil leads straight back to Waziristan.
Posted by crosspatch at April 3, 2007 1:48 AM ET:
Maybe Musharaff is purposely allowing the situation to deteriorate to the point where NATO feels it must invade to clear out the Taliban cancer saving him the domestic political problems of having to do it himself. If NATO were to cross the border into the NWFP, he could rant and rail but not actually do anything ... much the same tactic he is using now. He would then be rid of them without having to commit his own army to do the deed.
Posted by Neo-andertal at April 3, 2007 2:11 AM ET:
Not good! Not good at all!
I was sort of hoping these folks would grind themselves to pieces in Afghanistan this spring and maybe get a little tired of it. Looks like they have bigger things in mind. It's beginning to look as if Islamabad is going to fall to the Islamists this year. I don't think there's a damn thing we can do about it either.
If watching Iraq has been like watching a slow motion train wreck you haven't seen nothin' yet. This thing is like watching the ground shake and the smoke billow out of Krakatoa.
Posted by Srirangan at April 3, 2007 2:59 AM ET:
This is a joke.
Pakistan is actively promoting a 'moderate' Taliban, trying to highlight a wedge between this Taliban and the Al Qaida; to pave a way for some sort of power sharing between this Taliban and NATO/Karzai in Kabul.
Posted by Cannoneer No. 4 at April 3, 2007 7:00 AM ET:
It IS possible to drive a wedge between the Taliban and the non-Taliban Pashtuns.
This is where our Pashto-fluent operators with their ANA Pashtun scouts, JDAM's on demand and a treasure chest full of St. George's Cavalry come in.
Posted by RJ at April 3, 2007 7:26 AM ET:
City people versus country folks. Indoor plumbing versus outdoor plumbling. Haves versus have nots. Who has the weapons and the nerve to defend and fight? I think the city people are going to lose because they expect their military and police divisions to defend them. The country people are their own military and police who respond very well to a king of the mountain game. Nature plays it out for them every day in their neighborhood. A simple thought for simple people. Look what has happened and what is now happening. Do you really think the city people have the nerve to control country people? Here they come!
Posted by David M at April 3, 2007 10:53 AM ET:
Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 04/03/2007
A short recon of what's out there that might draw your attention.
Posted by madconductor at April 3, 2007 1:00 PM ET:
My only question is - whose got the keys to the nuclear devices?
Or could we pray that Mushareff let the US know the location they are stored - just in case?
Posted by Thanos at April 3, 2007 5:18 PM ET:
Meanwhile Jihad called against Al Qaida in Wana...
Posted by crosspatch at April 3, 2007 6:47 PM ET:
The things that make me go 'hmmmmm'.
US backing Baluchi tribesmen in Iran according to The Blotter.
Posted by remoteman at April 3, 2007 7:40 PM ET:
Madconductor hits the nail on the head. The developments in the tribal areas are of grave concern. If radical islamists take over in Islamabad then they have, ipso facto, control of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them regionally. Our troops in Afghanistan are under immediate threat. While Iran may have a nuke in a couple of years, the Paks have one NOW. There is no way we can let that happen.
Posted by Bill Roggio at April 3, 2007 8:22 PM ET:
Notice how the Uzbeks are the ones singled out. Ther eis no call for a jihad against Arab al Qaeda...
How do you explain Mullah Nazir's role in this? He supports Arab al Qaeda, supports jihad in Afghanistan. My advice is to look more critically at what the Pakistani government is saying, and who they are really negotiating with.
Posted by Thanos at April 3, 2007 9:00 PM ET:
Yes I noticed that, but they are also killing Chechens. I'm going to continue to say there's not just a split AQAM/Taliban, there are also visible splits AQAM/AQAM and Taliban/Taliban. This Spring's going to prove very interesting. I'm not arguing Bill, just trying to look at all data, and all possibilities.
Posted by RTLM at April 3, 2007 9:45 PM ET:
Pardon the ignorance, but I'll ask.
Which one; Musharraf or Taliban has the loyalty of the Pakistan Army?
Posted by crosspatch at April 3, 2007 10:43 PM ET:
"there are also visible splits AQAM/AQAM and Taliban/Taliban. This Spring's going to prove very interesting."
I would tend to agree with that. I am not sure anyone in the West (and few inside Pakistan) are getting a good overall view of what is really going on. This is because, in my opinion, there are several smaller individual rivalries playing out here, each for their own reasons. How they all add up to an overall picture is hard to judge with any degree of accuracy. Yes, it is going to be a very interesting Spring, indeed.
Posted by Neo-andertal at April 3, 2007 11:34 PM ET:
"Which one; Musharraf or Taliban has the loyalty of the Pakistan Army?"�
I'm afraid that the strident brand of Islam brought in by the Saudi's has resonated with the youth of many countries for some time now. I could even detect this in Muslim engineering students in American Universities in the late 1980's early 1990's. That's when the Wahabi's were starting to build mosques and religious schools all over the place. The older grads didn't seem to be affected so much.
Pakistan has been saturated with very strident Islamist ideas for over 20 years now. I am told that it appeals to much of the middle and lower end of the military officer core. The men under them are from poorer social strata that tend to be fairly conservative anyway. The unrelenting absolutism of conservative Islam is very appealing to many young men. There are no complexities no compromises. Make anyone in your way submit. All maters go back to faith and surrender on anything is a surrender of faith.
The older generation might have identified strongly with their Punjab identity. International Islam is increasingly appealing to the younger generation. The children of the upper and professional classes that we might identify as more secular don't go into the army. A trend they share with their western counterparts.
Just how this all plays and how deeply within the Pakistan army is hard to say. I hear many people from the Punjab upper classes dismiss this. I think the old Punjab ruling class is sleepwalking into this. They are disconnected from the levers of power. There are many disgruntled groups that want to sweep Musharraf from power but the Islamist are in a position to ride any wave of discontent into power.
I hope I am wrong or the Teliban somehow creates problems for themselves. That has been known to happen too. Maybe they will still beat themselves to bits in Afghanistan.
Posted by Soldier's Dad at April 3, 2007 11:53 PM ET:
I will respectfully disagree.
Communism/Socialism was embraced by overprivedged children in the 70's/80's
Islamic facism is no different. It is the latest fad among Islamist youth. No different than declaring your 'gayness' to your heterosexual parents.
Pakistan is a major problem however...even General Pace acknoledges it...the old officers have familiarty with US officers...the younger officers don't...so they are succeptable to Jihadi propaganda.
I get whacked all the time because I served in the Magic Kingdom 25 or so years ago...the Generals there now are people I know.(Their wives can be just as difficult as our wives, maybe a lot worse).
The natural state of man is to assume Malevolent Intent when dealing with someone you don't know.
Posted by Neo-andertal at April 4, 2007 1:02 AM ET:
I'm not sure where we are disagreeing, other than perhaps I oversimplified a bit. Conservative Islam, Wahabism and Radical Islam aren't all one in the same, I recognize. But they do play off of one another. Saudi Arabia is not at all the same as Pakistan. I'm not sure the youth of other countries are getting conservative Islam the same way a Saudi would whose culture has been conservative for a long time and has dealt with Wahabism since it's inception. I think there's a bit of an inoculation factor also in that a Saudi can leave much of it back at the Mosque. It's only part of his life and culture.
Getting religion can be quite intoxicating for a youth. Unfortunately, militant Islam is coming along for the ride. When a political wave overtakes a country it can be extremely dangerous. Don't underestimate the damage the communist wave did to poor countries in the middle 20th century. It killed millions and set back hundreds of countries. The more wealthy countries had enough other things going for them to survive it.
I don't really buy than Islam intrinsically has special problems either. Most prevalent ideologies have skeletons in their closets. Fascism had roots in Nationalism and Modern military and corporate structure. Communism has roots in utilitarianism and populism. Don't even get me started about the colonialist wave that accompanied European trade into the world or Medieval Christianity, the reformation, the counter reformation, etc, etc.
Another set of nutty ideas is on the wing and we have failed to stop it in it's growth stage. I just hope people get tired of this.
Posted by Cannoneer No. 4 at April 4, 2007 2:11 AM ET:
RTLM, it depends on what part of the Army you are talking about. The Punjabi and mohajir Generals generally support Musharraf, but the percentage of the Army that is Pashtun will have kin in the Taliban. The ISI, Pakistani military intelligence, is not monolithically pro-Taliban, but it has many, many contacts and sympathizers. Maybe fewer now that the Taliban started whacking ISI agents. Musharraf is still alive, so that proves he still has support where it counts. How long that will last and what happens after his demise is the big question.
Posted by Cannoneer No. 4 at April 4, 2007 2:29 AM ET:
$78M for ECM on Pakistani F-16s
Posted by RJ at April 4, 2007 8:41 AM ET:
Let's line up our chess players: That's what's happening in Pakistan and elsewhere. Why worry about the nukes? Assume one went off. What then? Who has more nukes? More accurate placement and sizes? The game would continue till one quits. And who would quit first? Are there any dynamic leaders coming to the fore in Pakistan and elsewhere who intend to control this mass movement encased in Islamic clothes? Send out your hit teams for these people. Sadr is still alive...not a good thing at all, Bin Laden et al. need to go too. Maybe we need new leaders (via voting...remember, we're the good guys!).
Posted by crosspatch at April 4, 2007 12:17 PM ET:
Those following this subject might be interested in They take comments.
Posted by crosspatch at April 4, 2007 12:18 PM ET:
Okay, I blew the formatting on that one. The link is here.
Posted by crosspatch at April 4, 2007 1:04 PM ET:
One key point in that commentary is that Musharraf believes that the US in particular and the West in general can not "survive" politically in the Middle Eastern and Central Asian region should there be any kind of attack on Iran. He believes that it would act to unite Sunni and Shiite against the West causing a failure of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Note that it isn't the outcome of any such action that matters. Successful or not, the simple act of attacking Iran would, in Musharraf's mind, trigger a collapse of all Western operations in the region.
I find that a bit too simplistic. While there might be some truth to that, it can be countered.
The other basic premise of the article is that Musharraf sees the Taliban as the lesser of two evils when compared to Karzai. Yet at the same time he notes Musharraf's fear of Islamic extremists in his own country. This is while making a point to notice, in his words, 'the drug-fueled corruption of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's inept "democratic" government'. Yet the drug money is fueling the Taliban, not the government. It is he himself that is creating the drug trade yet the writer would presume to tell us it is a cause of Musharraf's tolerance of the Taliban, not an effect.
He also goes to some trouble to point out that, "After more than five years in office, and with billions in foreign assistance, Karzai is still struggling with 40 percent unemployment". While that is certainly true, to expect otherwise might be unreasonable with countries quick to send Afghan refugees home and no economic infrastructure in Afghanistan to support the influx. Fighting in the Southern and Eastern provinces further stalls economic development so in these two cases, the drugs and the unemployment, we have a bit of self-fulfillment going on. Musharraf is creating the very conditions the writer would state as a cause of his actions in Talibanization.
My conclusion is that the purpose of the commentary is to paint a picture of a no-win situation. It is basically propaganda. The purpose of it appears to be to protect Iran. When boild down to its essence, the document is designed to create a sense that attacking Iran sets everything else back and would ultimately result in a nuclear Taliban. I don't share that view and I believe that this piece is a very clever bit of Iranian propaganda.
Posted by Thanos at April 4, 2007 4:04 PM ET:
I have to agree Crosspatch, this is a case of transference -- DE BORCHGRAVE is probably the bipolar one here.
Anytime journalists "pop-psychoalanalyze" world leaders it's because they are propagating their POV, as opposed to doing real fact-based analysis.
Musharaaf's much more worried about Iran and India than he is Afghanistan, and it's going to be that way awhile. For DeBorchgrave to infer or imply that he's secretly bent on destabilizing Karzai is nuts, doing so would open doors for either China or Russia. Mushy's not an idiot, even if we don't always like where he stands.
Posted by RTLM at April 5, 2007 12:51 AM ET:
Thanks Cannoneer No. 4 & Neo-andertal for the answers.
Apparently the the Pakistan Army doesn't know either. I think we'll find out soon.


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Super Villains
CGS: Episode 246 (April 26, 2007)
Everybody loves a good super villain. In this episode we speak to the editors of
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This is the page belonging to the Midwest based modeling group that goes by the name of Ma Mi'Sa! This group has Models from all ethnic backgrounds and in all shapes and sizes so it was only a matter of time before they hooked up with Nsane Photography. I've shot with Ma Mi'Sa several times on different projects so you will probably recognize a few of the members you see here on this page. These pictures were taken in the summer of 2010 but I was busy posting more recent shots from this group. These particular shots were from a lingerie shoot we had in Columbus and it sort of turned into a party but we managed to get a few good shots and later went out and had a really great car shoot with a 2009 Dodge Challenger in a local park. You can see those shots on the Hot Cars and Hot Girls website at
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Ma Mi'Sa Gallery Entrance


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Anni's Seafood
(73 Recipes) Created by JOEANNI
Recipes in this Collection
Very Good 4.7/5
(3 ratings)
A delicious, low fat, South American style spicy soup. Submitted by SCATTS Carbs: 11g | Fat: 1.4g | Fiber: 0.5g | Protein: 19.7g | Calories: 135
(no ratings)
Submitted by PHRAUGIE Carbs: 71.3g | Fat: 16.9g | Fiber: 3.6g | Protein: 34.1g | Calories: 580.8
Good 3.8/5
(4 ratings)
Seafood Cioppino Submitted by BRAVESFAN1995 Carbs: 13.8g | Fat: 7.5g | Fiber: 2.3g | Protein: 39.9g | Calories: 340.7
Incredible! 5.0/5
(1 rating)
Luscious and hearty Seafood Stew. This is REALLY good with a nice piece of crusty bread to soak up the juices. Submitted by SUSANSER Carbs: 62.3g | Fat: 35.1g | Fiber: 10.9g | Protein: 67.9g | Calories: 873.3
Very Good 4.2/5
(6 ratings)
Cookbook creator says: With Scallops and Mushrooms Submitted by JOANMCLARK Carbs: 20.5g | Fat: 6.5g | Fiber: 5g | Protein: 30.7g | Calories: 279.9
(no ratings)
Cookbook creator says: Thai Style with Cocanut Milk & Chilies Submitted by JAYNEWITHAY Carbs: 11.2g | Fat: 6.6g | Fiber: 1.4g | Protein: 43.4g | Calories: 276.7
(no ratings)
Cookbook creator says: Traditional with Vegies and Wine Submitted by EASHLEY76 Carbs: 7g | Fat: 1.7g | Fiber: 1.5g | Protein: 32.8g | Calories: 190
Great for a quick weeknight dinner! Submitted by PSYCOFREAK Carbs: 24g | Fat: 15.2g | Fiber: 1.5g | Protein: 30.9g | Calories: 363.5
A delicious way to start a meal! Submitted by DSTENORE Carbs: 3.4g | Fat: 7.8g | Fiber: 0.3g | Protein: 23.6g | Calories: 201
This is my healthy version of shrimp and sausage etoufee. It's very filling! Submitted by KASKEE0 Carbs: 32.9g | Fat: 10.1g | Fiber: 8.1g | Protein: 24.1g | Calories: 320.3
(no ratings)
Best Made with Roasted Hatch Green Chilies - Great dinner party dish. Submitted by JOEANNI Carbs: 16.8g | Fat: 6.1g | Fiber: 3.7g | Protein: 33.5g | Calories: 289.7
(no ratings)
From Dr Mary Dan Eades 6 Week Cure - I used Talipia instead of Salmon. Any fish would be great. Carbs: 7.2g | Fat: 9.1g | Fiber: 2.9g | Protein: 27.4g | Calories: 220.8
(no ratings)
My basic Tuna Salad - I wrap this in a lettuce leaf for a good low carb meal or snack Carbs: 3g | Fat: 5.8g | Fiber: 0.9g | Protein: 21.6g | Calories: 154.1
(no ratings)
Halibut steaks are baked in a coating of ground almonds and flour to seal in juices and create a golden crust. Cashews or walnuts also work well in this recipe, and you can try other fish. Submitted by MIMO11 Carbs: 18.6g | Fat: 16.6g | Fiber: 3.4g | Protein: 45.6g | Calories: 406.9
Very Good 4.6/5
(5 ratings)
Submitted by JMACH0021 Carbs: 2.6g | Fat: 7.6g | Fiber: 0g | Protein: 31.5g | Calories: 203.4
An easy, low-calorie baked tilapia recipe to throw together for a delicious meal! Submitted by EAGLES17 Carbs: 3g | Fat: 12.8g | Fiber: 0.2g | Protein: 34.3g | Calories: 266.7
(no ratings)
The best pasta dish you'll ever eat! Submitted by HOLLYBERRY99 Carbs: 10.8g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 0.7g | Protein: 9.1g | Calories: 159.2
You've barbecued ribs and you've barbecued chicken, but have you tried salmon? Dill and lemon make this light fish dinner shine. Carbs: 0.4g | Fat: 9.5g | Fiber: 0g | Protein: 29g | Calories: 210.2
Very Good 4.4/5
(15 ratings)
An attempt at a lowfat version of Pad Thai. Try it--you'll love it. Submitted by KALIPURNA Carbs: 28.5g | Fat: 6.4g | Fiber: 2.7g | Protein: 15.9g | Calories: 235.7
This recipe has been marked private.


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I live in Ma. zone 5 and have a few bromeliads I would like to put out for the summer what is a safe over night temps for them, I would hate to kill them now, they are growing and I've had blooms on 2 of them this winter.
Thanks for any help you can give me. Bear |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by hotdiggetydam (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 11 at 22:49
Bear, It depends on the genus you are growing. Some are more tender than others. Neo's are ok at 45F...Others like Aechmea don't like that temp if its wet. |
- Posted by gardenbear1 5a (My Page) on Wed, Apr 27, 11 at 20:05
Thanks for the reply, I guess I'll wait for a while, its still in the mid 40s at night Bear |
I'm in Z5 Ohio. You need to not only wait for the temps, but be careful they don't get too much sun all at once they will sunburn. Here I wait until the trees are leafed out. My plants get good morning sun and then again about 6 to 8 pm. I usually wait until late may to put them out and bring them in mid to late September. They stay on the enclosed porch for 2 weeks so I can check them for bugs and use a systemic on them, I brought in mealy bugs one fall and we are not doing that again. It also allows me to get rid of the fungus gnats and other critters. This also gives me a chance to groom them and remove plants to be sold. I have not been around in awhile, I had a stroke in Feb. 2010 so last year was a waste and I lost some plants because they were not properly cared for because I couldn't do steps for awhile. With that said I downsized some. Today, I am healthier than I was 10 years ago and fully recovered. |
- Posted by hotdiggetydam (My Page) on Sat, Apr 30, 11 at 14:16
Congrats to you Bambi too. Glad to see you posting again. |
- Posted by splinter1804 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 30, 11 at 17:16
Hi Bambi, That's fantastic news about your successful recovery; and as I once read in a doctor's waiting room, "Today is the first day of the rest of your new life". You now have many, many happy years of successful brom growing ahead of you and I look forward to again seeing you posting here regularly. All the best, Nev. |
Thanks HDD and Nev! Nev, that is pretty much the way I looked at it but called it my mid-life crisis. I was 55 then so I expect to be around a long time yet just to keep some people miserable. I will have a lot of Neo seedlings blooming this summer so I'll be sharing photos and looking for comments. |
I just wanted to bump this back up to let the person asking know that my plants will begin the migration this week since the maple has leafed out and I don't have to worry about sunburn. |
- Posted by Sparrowdancer 8 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 19, 11 at 17:23
Hi, I just wanted to offer some of my own experiences with bromeliads. I'm in Zone 8 in northern Florida. Winters here are unbelievably cold at times, sometimes into the mid teens. It sometimes snows here. Despite this, my broms have wintered through many a winter. Even my tangerines, grapefruit and lemons have done fine, while the citrus growers down south report crop damage with much warmer temps. |
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LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2013 — Of all the Obama administration scandals, IRS abuses is the simplest. IRS officials deliberately targeted conservative, tea party, pro-Israel, and other groups solely for disagreeing with Obama administration policies.
Their applications for tax-exempt status were delayed indefinitely or rejected. The groups were sent onerous questionnaires. Donor lists were leaked to liberal news outlets and data collection groups. Donors were harassed and intimidated. Private citizens with no official role other than writing checks or attending meetings saw their private businesses audited. IRS abuses were committed to dissuade conservatives from participating in the political process. The strategy worked, as Obama narrowly won reelection over his enemies, deemed to be half the country.
SEE RELATED: Becky Gerritson and the IRS scandal: Tea Party attacked by Democrats
The IRS managed to get in additional trouble by getting caught wasting$50 million on various pleasure junkets disguised as business conferences. This replicated the GSA scandal, personified by a top bureaucrat having his picture taken in an expensive hotel bubblebath with champagne glasses at the ready.
Conferences are supposed to be fun. My time in management on Wall Street allowed participation in some very enjoyable weekends at expensive hotels. There was business, but there were also expensive dinners and other pleasures. Yet these conferences were funded with private money from the owners of the firms. They cut back during tough times, and spent lavishly on their top personnel during good times. The bottom line reigned supreme.
This is not how the IRS works. The same people caught abusing about half of America's taxpayers were also caught wasting those taxpayers' hard-earned money. These conferences featured business activities that had nothing to do with business.
Listening to Obama promise "accountability" and "responsibility" serves no purpose. Those words are meaningless, discredited slogans. An actual solution exists to the IRS problem.
SEE RELATED: IRS, AP, Fox, Benghazi, Republicans and Democrats
Money was effectively stolen. It needs to be returned. The IRS should have money removed from their budget and returned to their victims.
Fifty million dollars is the alleged sum. Knowing how honest Washington has been of late, one can assume there is much more wasted money that the IRS refuses to disclose. That is the IRS standard used when pursuing potential tax cheats. Since the IRS initially claimed only two employees were to blame, and that number has grown to 88, a multiple of 44 can be used. That may be too high, so let's say quadrupling the waste is sufficient. This leaves $200 million to return. Now throw in interest and penalties, and have the IRS on the hook for $500 million.
The IRS website has the Obama administration requesting a 2013 IRS operating budget of $12.8 billion. Returning half a billion dollars is a reduction of less than 4 percent. Even this 3.9 percent is not an actual cut because the IRS, for all of their hard work, ethics, and overall competence, is receiving an 8 percent pay raise from 2012. Half of that 8 percent raise should go back to the taxpayers.
There are over three hundred million Americans, but not everybody deserves a check. Think of the slavery argument.
SEE RELATED: Obama and the Chicago Way: Intimidate, silence and destroy 'enemies'
Black people were slaves. So when Al Sharpton and other leftist black leaders argue for reparations, they do not care about poor suffering whites living in trailers. The money they demand is for blacks only, because their argument is that only blacks suffered. Slavery has been illegal since 1865, and there are no American slave owners alive today. However, the IRS abusers and their victims are a product of the last four years. We would know exactly who the specific perpetrators are if somebody would tell the truth under oath at congressional hearings rather than invoke the Fifth Amendment. Victims are coming forward with their corroborating documents.
There are several Obama administration officials under the cloud of suspicion, but one man with wide bipartisan respect on Capitol Hill is Ken Feinberg. He is a bureaucrat's bureaucrat, and no man that boring could be corrupt. He has been widely praised for his honest handling of BP oil spill claims. That was a $20 billion fund. Surely a bean counter of his stature could make sure that a fund only 2.5 percent of that amount could be dispersed properly.
Obama would most likely treat this as the sequester and claim financial Armageddon. As with the sequester, his warnings would soon be discredited, ridiculed, and ignored. If Obama needs money, he can always slash spending on social programs where overhead and bureaucracy receive most of the money for programs that fail anyway. Those programs have gotten more than healthy raises while the rest of us were busy being abused.
Governor Mitt Romney was right when he said this was a nation of makers and takers. He took political flak for his true statement. What even he could not have imagined is that the IRS was complicit in helping to effectively rig the 2012 election so that a person who may have reformed the system never saw the Oval Office. The IRS bullied Romney supporters, and the fix was in. The IRS sided with the takers because government bureaucrats are takers led by a taker president who believes that makers did not build their own businesses.
Now it is time for literal payback. Accountability is a crocodile tear platitude. Government is all about money and power. Seize half a billion dollars from the IRS and distribute it to the half of the country who voted for Mitt Romney.
Then we can have a national conversation about which liberal front groups should have their books seized and analyzed just to make sure they did not take part in rigging the game. If they did, their assets can be liquidated and distributed to victimized conservatives as well.
Until the people who gave the IRS instructions to harass conservatives are sent to jail, the return of assets will have to be good enough for now.
It is a start.
Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian. Eric is the author of the book trilogy "Ideological Bigotry, "Ideological Violence," and "Ideological Idiocy."
Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. Follow Eric on Twitter @TYGRRRREXPRESS
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found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
Find a pet to adopt |
My name is Mango!
Facts about Mango
- Breed: Domestic Shorthair
- Color: Orange Or Red
- Age: Young
- Sex: Female
- Hair: Short
Mango's Info...
I am already spayed, up to date with shots, and good with cats.
Mango is bonded to Muffin They are domesticated, lovable & social
Other Pets at Feline Folks
Why Adoption is a Great Option
Mango, a Sun City Center Domestic Shorthair cat was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Domestic Shorthair for sale in Sun City Center, or seeking a Domestic Shorthair cat from a breeder in Sun City Center.
- Rescues and shelter volunteers in Sun City Center already know the personality and tendencies of their pets. This means they can match you with the right pet. That will makes it much easier transition to owning a pet for yourself and your new pet.
- On average adoption fees are much less than you'd pay a Sun City Center breeder, or pet store. Plus most often rescue pets have already been to the veterinarian for a check-up, had a round of vaccinations, and are spayed or neutered. That is a lot of savings!
- You will become a hero, and give a needy dog or cat a loving home. In fact, there are even Domestic Shorthair breeders who help with Domestic Shorthair rescue. One puppy or kitten adopted in Sun City Center paves the way for another one to be saved.


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Summary: Have you had a poor customer service experience lately? Foolish question, right? Everyone has faced rude or unhelpful people, bought disappointing products, or had other unpleasant incidents as a customer. And it¹s a killer for our businesses.
Since publishing the first edition of the 50 Powerful Ideas You Can Use to Keep Your Customers in 1992, the challenges of keeping customers or creating customer loyalty has become even more urgent. The economic ...show moregood times of the 1990s have given way to a bumpy ride in the early 2000s. The dot com boom and bust has reminded us all that businesses cannot thrive on a trendy idea alone. Ultimately, every successful enterprise must attract, serve, and win the loyalty of customers by providing worthwhile products and delivering excellent service.
Getting and maintaining loyal customers affects an organization¹s bottom line more than any ad campaign, marketing program, or PR effort. Turned-off customers produce devastating ripple effects that quickly drag companies into a morass of mediocrity, while organizations that creatively apply a constant flow of small, customer-centered innovations see consistent and persistent strengthening of their customer base.
This book is designed to get all managers and employees thinking about the little things that can make all the difference. If everyone in an organization improves awareness of the simple yet powerful ideas in this volume, the company can and will see dramatic improvements in service and customer loyalty. The impact on the bottom line will be dramatic. ...show less
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Hmm....stick to my diet or collect the toys.
Such a tough choice to make!
Hope this is in the right forum.
Announcements from the McDonald's website. Get em while you can.
Cars June 9, 2006 - July 6, 2006
McDonalds Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals are revving-up their engines and racing toward the checkered flag with Cars, the highly anticipated animated adventure from Disney and Pixar, in theatres June 9. This high-speed Happy Meal collection features new design technology with eight highly detailed cars that capture the personality of the films colorful characters.
Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean (Theme Park) July 7, 2006 - August 3, 2006
Shiver me timbers! McDonalds is sailing the seven seas with a Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean attraction themed Happy Meal event thats sure to be treasured. From telescopes to treasure chests, this adventurous collection features eight action-filled toys for perfect pirate make-believe and no need to walk the plank. To celebrate this adventurous Happy Meal event, McDonald's is launching its Search for the Golden Treasure Happy Meal Game, offering 25 lucky mates the chance to win a trip for four to experience new pirates and more adventure on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida or Disneyland® Resort in California. Complete details and official contest rules are available inside participating McDonalds restaurants.
Hmm....stick to my diet or collect the toys.
Such a tough choice to make!
Oh dear. I see cheeseburgers in my future.
-Pat (Disneydame2004)
Dream Team Auction Coordinator
Help make a child smile! Dream Team Project Firstgiving Page
Its a good thing they have big kids meals. Looks like a few double cheeseburgers for me.
"How can you have any pudding, when you won't eat your meat?" Floyd - The Wall


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Are Lotus and Water Lilly the same? Does the armature language overlap? Does the technical language overlap?
[I noticed one site listed a genus for water Lilly and then put lotus in parenthesis.] |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by pondmaninal 7b (My Page) on Fri, Feb 18, 11 at 20:28
There is only one water lily that is called lotus and that is the Egyptian Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea). I believe, if I'm correct with this, that there are some water lilies that are crosses with lotus which I thing the class or family or something is called lotos but mainly, water lilies and lotus are different. |
Cross usage of the common name lotus is part of the problem, as are ebay sellers using lotus and lily in the same description just to get keywords in. But lotus and waterlilies are distinct types of plants with lotus in the genus Nelumbo (family Nelumbonaceae )and waterlilies in the genus Nymphaea (family Nymphaceae ) To my knowledge there have been no crosses between lotus and lilies; Lotos is a subgenus in the waterlily family that groups together most of the night blooming waterlilies and in no way involves Lotus. |
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Andrew Lodge
Engineering, University of Liverpool
Manufacturing Engineering
I've been involved in a wide variety of projects across the whole manufacturing lifecycle, from early part development through to improvement projects on well-established processes. I've not stayed still either - I've worked at several sites across the UK, and spent three months in Singapore supporting the new Wide Chord Fan Blade Manufacturing facility.
Each of these attachments has allowed me to develop in different ways - I've looked after the introduction of new parts, helped develop measurement capability, streamlined a cumbersome process, designed and patented a novel way to shield welds, and extended the capability of an existing process. I've worked in some great teams, who have provided me with all the support I need to achieve my objectives.
The last project I completed on the grad scheme involved running trials to develop electron beam weld parameters for welding a ring of vanes. The geometry was trickier than any product we currently manufacture. I worked with a supplier in Germany, and provided support to design to ensure we created a part that could be welded.
The project timescales were also very tight which led to an exciting project. It's a great feeling knowing that you have influenced a design, based on engineering judgement, and supported by evidence.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing about Rolls-Royce is the people. The people here are a vastly knowledgeable, and they are more than willing to share their knowledge with you if you have an interest. Regardless of how senior they are, people always tend to find the time to help you.
Rolls-Royce really does invest in its people, and this is great for personal development. Graduate engineers are expected to be professionally accredited, and Rolls-Royce encourages this with funding and support for accelerated Chartership programmes. I've also been on countless courses that have really helped in my attachments. It's not just academic development that I've received - I was fortunate enough to do an attachment in Singapore, which was a great way to learn how to work across international boundaries and cultures - important in a multinational company like Rolls-Royce. Most of the training is on the job, as this truly is the best way to learn. You're given all the support you need to do your job, but the emphasis here really is on self-learning.


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from The Open University
Alternatively you can skip the navigation by pressing 'Enter'.
TV, Radio & Events menu item
- Saturday 17:30, BBC Radio 4, The Bottom Line - The price of time
- Sunday 20:00, BBC Radio 4, More or Less - Conservative job creation, unhappy workers and teenage pregnancy
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Energy resources: Coal
During the Indistrial Revolution half of the world's coal came from Britain. We still...
During the Indistrial Revolution half of the world's coal came from Britain. We still rely heavily on it today to meet our energy needs, but now we input more than we produce. Burning it introduces large amounts of gases into the atmosphere that harm the environment in a variety of ways. In this unit it will become apparent that the most appealing quality of coal is that there is plenty of it.
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
- explain how coal is formed;
- explain how coal is found and extracted by either surface or underground mines;
- discuss how geological problems and environmental issues surrounding extraction affect mining;
- explain the reasons for the decline in the UK's coal industry.
- Duration 17 hours
- Updated Thursday 15th September 2011
- Intermediate level
- Posted under Environmental Science
- Current section: Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 The origins of coal
- 2 Finding and extracting coal
- 3 Environmental aspects of coal mining
- 4 Global coal reserves
- 5 Coal production in the UK early in the 21st century
- 6 Summary
- Acknowledgements
Energy resources: Coal
There are many environmental reasons why coal is a rather undesirable source of energy. Burning it introduces large amounts of gases into the atmosphere that harm the enviironment in a variety of ways, as well as other, sollid waste products. Coal extraction leads to spoil heaps and mines that scar the landscape, land subsidence that affects roads and buildings, and in some cases water pollution.
With apparently so little going for it, why do we rely so much on coal to meet our energy needs? In this unit, it will become apparent that the most appealing quality of coal is that there is plenty of it. Coal is twice as important globally as any other fuel in generating electricity, and could remain so for the next 200 years. That is reassuring for a future where energy demands continue to increasde and when the alternatives to coal are currently looking less dependable. The downside is that continued burning of coal could have dire consequences for the environment inthe coming centuries, unless 'cleaner' ways can be found to harness energy from it.
This unit explores the basics: what coal is, how and where found, and how it is extracted at a variety of depths below the surface. Another important theme concerns the distribution of coal reserves and resources, and the control exerted on them by both economics and politics.
This unit is from our archive and is an adapted extract from Earth's physical resources: origin, use and environmental impact (S278) which is no longer taught by The Open University. If you want to study formally with us, you may wish to explore other courses we offer in this subject area [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Archive content
This is an extract from an Open University course which is no longer available to new students. If you found this interesting you could explore more free Environmental Science course units or view the range of currently available OU Environmental Science courses.


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For top-notch restaurants, there's no worse nightmare than having rude celebrities waltz in for dinner. The combination of big egos and big wallets can be a big to-do for the staff. Just because you're rich and famous doesn't mean that you can ditch your table manners and avoid having your food spit in. If you see these celebs' reservations on the books, brace yourself for a dinner you'll never forget.
- Popular


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The Darby Translation (DBY) | New International Version (NIV) |
1 The wisdom of women buildeth their house; but folly plucketh it down with her hands. | 1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. |
2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Jehovah; but he that is perverted in his ways despiseth him. | 2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD, but he whose ways are devious despises him. |
3 In the fool's mouth is a rod of pride; but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. | 3 A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them. |
4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but much increase is by the strength of the ox. | 4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. |
5 A faithful witness will not lie; but a false witness uttereth lies. | 5 A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. |
6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and there is none [for him]; but knowledge is easy unto the intelligent. | 6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. |
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, in whom thou perceivest not the lips of knowledge. | 7 Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips. |
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way; but the folly of the foolish is deceit. | 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. |
9 Fools make a mock at trespass; but for the upright there is favour. | 9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. |
10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy. | 10 Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. |
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; but the tent of the upright shall flourish. | 11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. |
12 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death. | 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. |
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of mirth is sadness. | 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief. |
14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways, and the good man from what is in himself. | 14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his. |
15 The simple believeth every word; but the prudent [man] heedeth his going. | 15 A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. |
16 A wise [man] feareth and departeth from evil; but the foolish is overbearing and confident. | 16 A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless. |
17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, and a man of mischievous devices is hated. | 17 A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated. |
18 The simple inherit folly; but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. | 18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. |
19 The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous [man]. | 19 Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. |
20 He that is poor is hated even of his own neighbour; but the rich hath many friends. | 20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. |
21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth; but he that is gracious to the afflicted, happy is he. | 21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. |
22 Do they not err that devise evil? but loving-kindness and truth are for those that devise good. | 22 Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. |
23 In all labour there is profit; but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to want. | 23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. |
24 The crown of the wise is their riches; the folly of the foolish is folly. | 24 The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly. |
25 A true witness delivereth souls; but deceit uttereth lies. | 25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful. |
26 In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge. | 26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. |
27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, to turn away from the snares of death. | 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. |
28 In the multitude of people is the king's glory; but in the lack of people is the ruin of a prince. | 28 A large population is a king's glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined. |
29 He that is slow to anger is of great understanding; but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. | 29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly. |
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy the rottenness of the bones. | 30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. |
31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; but he that honoureth Him is gracious to the needy. | 31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. |
32 The wicked is driven away by his evil-doing; but the righteous trusteth, [even] in his death. | 32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. |
33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of the intelligent [man]; but that which is in the foolish maketh itself known. | 33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. |
34 Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to peoples. | 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. |
35 The king's favour is toward a wise servant; but his wrath is [against] him that causeth shame. | 35 A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath. |
The Darby Translation is in the public domain. (The Darby Translation Bible Online) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Terrorists storm Lahore police academy, kill more than 30
Pakistani police and Rangers have defeated a terrorist assault on a police training facility in the eastern city of Lahore after an eight-hour siege. Upwards of 34 police recruits and others have been reported killed and more than 90 have been wounded, some seriously, during the fighting. The attack is the latest in a series of military-styled terrorist assaults on civilian and government installations and targets in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan.
A terrorist assault team, estimated in size at 14 men, launched a coordinated attack on the Manawan Police Training School in what appears to be an effort to cause as many casualties as possible. The school had more than 750 trainees on campus, plus scores of police officers and support staff.
The attackers were well armed with assault rifles, hand grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades. Reports also indicate they carried packs loaded with ammunition and other supplies. Some of the attackers were dressed in police uniforms, while others wore civilian clothes.
The assault team entered the compound after killing the security guards at the back entrance of the police academy. The team then fanned out into the compound and prepared to strike at the parade grounds, where recruits had gathered for morning exercises.
The terrorist assault team appeared to have been well trained, according to accounts from survivors. One police recruit said the attackers lobbed grenades from three sides of the parade grounds, then entered the parade grounds and opened fire on the survivors. The attackers then moved into a building and took more than 35 recruits and officers hostage.
Pakistani police cordoned the police academy and prepared for an assault to dislodge the terrorists. Commandos from the Punjab Police as well as the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers, backed by Army helicopters, launched an attack on the compound. The military had the televisions shut down the live video feeds for a period to prevent potential handlers on the outside from providing intelligence on the operation, as was done in last year's attack in Mumbai, India.
The terrorists repelled an attack by an armored personnel carrier that entered the compound, but were overwhelmed after commandos air-assaulted the academy and began to clear the buildings.
Pakistani security officials claim the assault team consisted of 14 men.
Police captured six of the attackers, according to reports. One of the men reportedly was carrying an Afghan passport, but one of the surviving police officers said the attacker spoke with a Punjabi accent. Eight of the attackers were killed during the fighting. Two of those killed detonated suicide vests, according to Pakistani police.
Officials also put the death toll figures lower than those reported in the Pakistani media. Major General Athar Abbas, the military's top spokesman, said eight policemen were killed in the assault. Athar Khan, the spokesman for the Punjabi police, claimed three civilians were also killed.
Lahore Police Academy attack is the latest in a series of military-styled terror assaults
Today's attack is the latest in a series of military-styled terror assaults that have been launched by the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Lashkar-e-Taiba, and other allied terror groups. These groups have conducted similar strikes in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. The Lashkar-e-Taiba is the likely culprit in today's attack, and it may have conducted the strike with elements of the Jaish-e-Mohammed as it did in the December 2001 assault on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
The last such attack took place in Lahore on March 3. A terrorist strike team estimated at about 12 men ambushed the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a sports stadium in Lahore. Five policemen and two civilians were killed, and dozens were wounded, including some cricket officials.
In February, an assault team assembled by the al Qaeda and Taliban-linked Haqqani Network attacked the Justice and Education ministries as well as the Prisons Directorate headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan security forces killed the attackers after several hours of fighting, which largely took place at the Justice Ministry. Nineteen people were killed and more than 50 were wounded.
In November 2008 a terror assault team attacked Mumbai, the financial capital of India. The well-armed, well-trained assault squad from the Lashkar-e-Taiba closed down the city for more than 60 hours before Indian forces killed all but one of the terrorists. More than 170 Indians and foreigners were killed during the battles, and hundreds more were wounded.
The Taliban, al Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, and a host of Pakistani jihadi terror groups have joined forces to battle both the Pakistani military in the Northwest Frontier Province and the NATO and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda has revived its paramilitary army, formerly known as the 055 Brigade and now known as the Lashkar al Zil, or Shadow Army. The Shadow Army contains fighters from each of these terror groups, and trains in camps in the Northwest Frontier Province and the tribal areas.
Lahore attack follows a bloody week in Pakistan
The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terror groups have stepped up their attacks on Pakistani security forces nationwide, despite a peace agreement that ceded more than 1/3 of the Northwest Frontier Province to the Taliban.
The assault on the Lahore police academy caps a bloody week of fighting and attacks throughout Pakistan, and was not the only deadly attack against security forces today.
Today in Bannu a suicide car bomber rammed into a military convoy, killing four soldiers and wounding several others. The suicide attack marks the ninth this month and puts the Taliban on pace to exceed last year's total of 61 suicide attacks.
Yesterday, a Taliban unit surrounded a police outpost in Khyber and took 12 policemen hostage. On March 28, Pakistani security forces claimed they killed 26 Taliban fighters during an operation in Mohmand, a region they claimed was secured and Taliban-free just four weeks ago.
On March 28, a large Taliban force attacked a trucking terminal outside Peshawar and destroyed NATO vehicles and equipment.
On March 27, the Taliban temporarily shut down NATO's supply route into Afghanistan after destroying a bridge in Khyber. That same day, a suicide bomber killed more than 70 Pakistanis after detonating in the middle of a mosque.
In the past, al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri and spokesman and ideologue Abu Yahya al Libi have advocated for Pakistanis to revolt against the state and overthrow the government. The al Qaeda leaders have urged the military to turn on the government and join the jihad.
Information in this report was compiled from reports at AFP, The Times of India, Geo News, and the Associate Press
READER COMMENTS: "Terrorists storm Lahore police academy, kill more than 30"
Posted by Ayamo at March 30, 2009 11:14 AM ET:
It is frightening how well coordinated and planned these attacks are!
The message of the Taliban is clear: We can hit wherever and whenever we want.
Posted by Marlin at March 30, 2009 1:14 PM ET:
The Pakistani government begins to point their finger.
Interior Minister Malik said fighters loyal to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud were suspected of carrying out the attack. He also said one of the suspects was an Afghan.
Reuters: Gunmen attack police academy in Lahore, kill 8
Posted by Minnor at March 30, 2009 1:26 PM ET:
Police is easily underequipped. There needs fortification against grenades in every police station. Not long be swat a haven, sooner the exams over for girl students - govt should start offensive.
Posted by KaneKaizer at March 30, 2009 2:34 PM ET:
They seem to be lowering the body count to about eight. I don't even see how it's possible given the amount of time the terrorists were in control of the academy. This morning the first number I saw was 50+ killed.
Posted by John at March 30, 2009 2:43 PM ET:
It is amazing to me that the PakMil still think of India as their existential threat. The threat to the current political and cultural elites within Pakistan are in Pakistan. The Army must grow some cojones and hit these murderers where they live. They should quit thinking of them as useful agents of influence in Afghanistan and Kashmir, or as a lesser issue to be "managed" on the cheap, and see them for what they are - a cancer eating away at Jinnah's vision of Pakistan. We are witnessing the slow motion disintegration of a fascinating country...it's like watching a species (liberal democracy in a Muslim country) go extinct.
Posted by Bill Roggio at March 30, 2009 3:00 PM ET:
I've seen a photo where six policemen are clearly dead. It was a small view of the 'battlefield'. KK, I'm with you. But its not like the Pakistanis haven't fudged death tolls before.
Posted by KaneKaizer at March 30, 2009 3:28 PM ET:
That's true, they're almost as bad as the Taliban when it comes to death tolls. The Pakistani Military and police are trying to protect their image, afterall, they're the ones expected to fend off such attacks as these.
I wonder if the Taliban or LeT or whoever claims responsibility will claim hundreds or so killed.
It's amazing how these swarm attacks require so few men on the part of the terrorists, similar to 19 hijackers killing 3,000 Americans on 9/11 although I'm not drawing any other comparisons. I would have imagined something more like those mass assaults the Taliban would stage against NATO in Afghanistan, only in more urban environments.
Posted by IK at March 30, 2009 4:48 PM ET:
Obliviously, the Pakistanis need to stop this senseless bloodshed, and withdraw from all police academies, letting the Taliban control them. They promise to be nice in the future! Also, they want the nice young men who were arrested released, or at least be allowed to stop at McDonalds and have a meal without any police around them. This way, everyone can go back to glaring at the real enemy - India.
Posted by M K Tayal at March 30, 2009 6:01 PM ET:
There is more to the bloody madness in Lahore or Peshawar than what is seen and shown to the world.
If security agencies and feeds of intelligence agencies via the media reports are to be believed then the attacks have been launched by the Taliban (Haqqani Network), al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, and a host of Pakistani jihadi terror groups that have joined forces.
Who are they? Where to do they get their money from? Who are the real people behind this industry called terrorism?
The ISI says it is a good spy organization and is trying to show that it is not behind the guns these guys carry. Then could it be the CIA. The CIA may be interested in getting more action and could be likely interested in fiddling with the state called Pakistan. But they say that RAW also has a good network in Pakistan (which anyone who knows the cops in India would doubt) and could be involved. Frankly, most of the people serving in RAW or IB or any police organization have a lot to think about their homes and career rather than what is happening in Pakistan or the US or Mumbai. They are more concerned what is happening in the headquarters top floors.
But this is a bad sign for Pakistan. Eventually, the nation will face a lot of problems like the ones we are seeing in Iraq or Afghanistan. Pakistan may go the USSR way. The future for Pakistan is not very bright and the world needs to stand up and take a serious note of the happenings in the region.
Posted by Neo at March 30, 2009 8:40 PM ET:
M K Tayal
Try again please!
I's not the CIA or India that is funding the Taliban. The sources of funding for the militants in Pakistan aren't mysterious at all. They have been in place in Pakistan since the Mojahadeen took on the Soviet invasion. I'm not talking about the CIA either. I'm talking about the same people that fund radical madrasas in Pakistan and across the Islamic world and have funded multiple large wars. Much of it comes from gulf donors. For the Taliban other sources are fair game such as money from the opium trade, smuggling, and criminal enterprises. Unfortunately, some of the money does indirectly come from the United States. The Taliban has been extorting shipping companies supplying NATO through the Kyber pass for years. For decades there has been an extensive funding network loosely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
It isn't just Pakistani's who think the CIA or Indian intelligence services fund wars against their own people.
Posted by Midnight at March 30, 2009 9:17 PM ET:
Checking it all out what could they possibly be saying?
How many times does this have to happen before we figure out whats up?
Right now I'm willing to bet that it has to do with ground, ground that the CIA and others are supposed to stay behind.
I believe the river was the boundary in Pakistan and they took the ground anyway.
Somehow it is always a political depate, or nuclear debate not a debate about the rules.
To me the answer to peace is still about democracy.
Over or for anything else is ridiculous, unbelieveable.
Please try to focus people, Shariah law is not the end of you all, nuclear war is still considered political suicide.
How many times must we go thru the same mess only to see that they only want what they should have. Thats all they take.
Everytime this happens I feel compelled to say, it's only their right. It's not about murder or terror.
Right now, I stay at home busy, with whatever it it is that I do all day long only to come back to the same arguement making headlines. Lovely.
Posted by Marlin at March 30, 2009 9:44 PM ET:
The old tried and true method. Create a new group to take credit for the attack to make it harder to pin the blame on the real perpetrators.
Late on Monday, a Taliban operative who identified himself as Omar Farooq told The Associated Press by telephone that a little-known group called Fedayeen al-Islam was behind the attack and that he was speaking on their behalf."As long as the Pakistani troops do not leave Tribal Areas, these attacks will continue,"� he said.
Daily Times: Lahore braves terror
More details about the detained terrorist are now becoming available.
The terrorist attack on the Police Training Centre in Manawan on Monday was planned in South Waziristan [...] The arrested attacker belonged to the Paktika province of Afghanistan, Malik said, and preliminary interrogation revealed he is linked to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. He could only speak Pashto and was living in a rented house in Lahore, Malik said.
Daily Times: Attack was planned in South Waziristan: Malik
Posted by Marlin at March 30, 2009 10:01 PM ET:
Interestingly, the Pashtun was not arrested on the grounds of the Manawan Police Training Centre.
An Afghan attacker was arrested from outside the premises during the operation.
Given that the Training Center sits in a densely populated area, one wonders how they came to know he was associated with the attack. Did the neighborhood residents turn him over to the security forces because he was obviously not from the area while others who were Punjabis and did not stand out so much escaped?
One of the attackers was arrested, another was able to flee after being hit by a bullet and three blew themselves up to avoid arrest, Punjab Police Inspector General Khawaja Khalid Farooq said. He believed other attackers might have fled unhurt in the densely populated neighbourhood.
Daily Times: Lahore braves terror
There is a close-up picture of the apprehended Pashtun in the 'Lahore braves terror' article. From the expression in his eyes, it seems to me he recognizes the mess he now finds himself in.
Posted by Martyn Carthy at March 30, 2009 10:39 PM ET:
Pakistan is like the man who ignores a Scorpion crawling up his boot because he can see a Tiger in the distance. The real and present threat of the Taliban is still very much secondary to the perceived one of India. I'm starting to give up hope that the Pakistani's will fianlly realise who their most dangerous enemies are right now. They're that blinded by hate that even today they'll still be convinced about the CIA/RAW/Mossad/MI5/America/Israel/India/Karzai axis behind this attack. It's always those outside foreigners behind Pakistan's problems. It couldn't possibly be....their fellow Pakistanis killing their security forces and blowing themselves up? No no no, India/America/The Martian's actions are obviously the real danger that they're going to protest about.
Posted by Patrick at April 1, 2009 2:05 AM ET:
With the greatest of respect due to the inestimably intelligent Mr. Roggio, I would humbly suggest that the word "despite" in the following article quote be replaced with the phrase "largely due to" -
"The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terror groups have stepped up their attacks on Pakistani security forces nationwide, despite a peace agreement that ceded more than 1/3 of the Northwest Frontier Province to the Taliban." -
It's Madrid, Spain all over again.


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I encountered some kind of U/I Hornet/Wasp/Bee the other day in the Seguin, Texas (Zone 7) area while cutting grass. They came out of the ground in a heavy, black horde, similar to what you see in a horror movie when the demons fly out of the coffin, grave, or closet. They're about 1.5" long, Black, and Mean As Hell. They followed me on the tractor for at least 200 feet until I managed to out run them. My wife, neighbor, and son tried to find the hole they lived in when the neighbor heard something buzzing. When he lifted his foot up to turn around, he happened to be standing right on the exit hole; and they were all chased 400 feet back to the house. We were all stung multiple times, and although I've been stung by all kinds of bees, the sting of these things effected me for over 4 weeks as well as my neighbor and son. I imagine a young child caught in the open by these things would have surely died; or at least had to visit the emergency room. Does anyone have any idea as to what they are ? I've tried the Guadalupe County Extension Service, and the local TLU University with no help from either. Thanks ! Ed VA email@example.com |
Follow-Up Postings:
Most likely yellowjackets. If so, the colony will die at the end of the year. So, if you can avoid that area until then, the "problem" will take care of itself. Another option for yellowjackets is to get a can of the long-distance spray for yellowjackets, then use according to directions. If you do, understand it's important to apply it at night, directly to the entrance hole, and use the entire can, ending by plugging the hole. |
- Posted by edv7028 Seguin, Texas (7) (email@example.com) on Sun, Jul 8, 07 at 14:03
Hi... They're most definately not yellowjackets or your normal everyday hornet. I'm familiar with those and honeybees, and Bumblebees as well. I've never seen this type of bee until the day of the attack. I finally killed them late in the evening by finding the hole again with a flashlight while riding my lawnmower for a quick getaway, then I doused the hole with a gallon of gasoline. |
- Posted by greentree-2009 (My Page) on Sun, May 10, 09 at 15:34
I am apparently allergic to wasp stings having gone to the hospital with severe swelling on my arm. But I am not afraid of them because in the construction business I encounter alot of them and I know that they won't bother you if you don't either disturb thier nest, swat at them or accidentally bump against them. What disturbs me about the post is the gallon of gasoline. Gasoline is highly toxic to humans as well as animals and plants of all kinds, and most of our drinking water comes from the ground. Next time I would either mark the area to warn people away or spray the nest at night with wasp & hornet killer. be sure to be upwind of the nest as you don't want to breath the stuff. It sounds like the stings were pretty bad so I hope you never encounter them again. Stay well. Alan Parker |
If you can find a body of the wasp/bee take it to your local extension office for identification. Another possibility is a small nest of africanized bees. I had a nest of ground dwelling yellow jackets in one of my flower beds. I left them even after they chased me until they started being agressive when I went to the mailbox. I found that you could kill them by sprinkling boric acid powder around the hole at night. Be certain to do so on a moonless night and turn out light after sprinkling. Do not run toward any light they can follow your outline. If you can not find boric acid powder in the optical part of your drugstore look for the roach killer containing it. The one in this area used to be called Roach Rid. Be aware that boric acid will kill the good insects so use very carefully. |
Dousing the soil around the entry you found probably did little, in reality, except poison the soil and the "bees" most likely had another entry/exit they could use and are using. Since bees die after stinging you, few will although the africanized bees may well do that. You do need to properly identify what is there so the appropriate course of action can be suggested. Why was your Extension Service office not helpful? |
Take a look at a tarantula hawk, I just encountered one and it sounds like you experienced. |
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King James Version (KJV) | New International Version (NIV) |
1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: | 1 "Now, son of man, take a clay tablet, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. |
2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. | 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. |
3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. | 3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel. |
4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. | 4 "Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. |
5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. | 5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel. |
6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year . | 6 "After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. |
7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered , and thou shalt prophesy against it. | 7 Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. |
8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. | 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege. |
9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. | 9 "Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. |
10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. | 10 Weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. |
11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink . | 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin of water and drink it at set times. |
12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. | 12 Eat the food as you would a barley cake; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel." |
13 And the LORD said , Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. | 13 The LORD said, "In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them." |
14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted : for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. | 14 Then I said, "Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth." |
15 Then he said unto me, Lo , I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. | 15 "Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow manure instead of human excrement." |
16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: | 16 He then said to me: "Son of man, I will cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair, |
17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. | 17 for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of their sin. |
The King James Version is in the public domain. (The King James Bible Version Online) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Current Time
Although Israel is no bigger than the state of New Jersey, its cities and towns are as rich and varied as nations much larger in size. Tel Aviv is the country's cultural and commercial capital, a thriving metropolis spread out along six miles of balmy Mediterranean shoreline. Just under an hour inland, Jerusalem is Israel's spiritual heartland, the nation's hilltop political capital and a holy site to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Eilat—roughly a five-hour drive south from both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem—is a Red Sea resort town wedged between Jordan to the east and Egypt to the west. The wineries, artist colonies, and Christian pilgrimage sites (such as the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth) of the Galilee region are about two and a half hours by car north of Tel Aviv.
Trips to Israel usually fall into two categories—pure pleasure, or with a focus on Jewish culture. For those seeking a secular visit, go in late spring or early fall, when the country is busy with summer vigor but free of its sweltering heat. May and late September are particularly favorable for warm weather, low humidity, and enough sunshine to ensure a few hours at the beach each day. For religious-minded visitors, holidays and festivals are a great time to see the country. During Passover in the spring, the country—and Old Jerusalem in particular—comes to life with outdoor processions and rituals. The spring holiday of Purim is considered Israel's version of Halloween, marked by raucous street parades in most major cities for the kids, and late-night parties at top clubs for adults. Whatever your objective, it's worth noting that July and August are very hot in every part of Israel—especially in desert destinations such as Eilat. Winter months, meanwhile, are mild (50s and 60s) in most parts of the nation, though cold weather and even snow are not unheard of in more mountainous areas such as Jerusalem.
Four airlines currently offer nonstop service between the United States and Israel. Flagship carrier El Al links New York (JFK), Newark, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami with Tel Aviv (www.elal.co.il); Israir offers daily service between New York's JFK and Tel Aviv (www.israirairlines.com); Continental flies twice daily between Newark and Tel Aviv (www.continental.com); and Delta flies daily from Atlanta to Tel Aviv, with nonstop service from New York (JFK) beginning in March 2008 (www.delta.com). Good connections are also available on Air Canada (via Toronto) and Lufthansa (via Frankfurt). All flights arrive at Tel Aviv's new Terminal Three at the Ben Gurion International Airport, about 25 miles from Tel Aviv and 40 from Jerusalem. A new train links Terminal Three with Tel Aviv and runs throughout the day at 15- to 30-minute intervals (depending on the hour). It costs about NIS 12 (about $3) each way, and the ride takes roughly 15 minutes. Plenty of taxis line up directly outside the terminal and cost between NIS 75 and 125 (about $18 and $30) to most major destinations.
For the moment, there are neither subways nor light-rail systems in major Israeli cities, so buses, taxis, and sherut (shared minivan taxis) are the best bet for travelers. Schemes for light-rail lines in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are in the works (travelers will see posters for the system throughout the capital), but in the meantime, buses are the only cheap options. In Tel Aviv, the Dan and Egged bus companies operate lines that traverse the entire city, linking most suburbs. Travelers should look for lines 4, 5, 24, and 25, which connect Tel Aviv's northern tip to its southern end point. Tickets run about $1.25.
Small red sherut—which look like oversized minivans—also serve the public on main bus lines, such as 4 and 5, and cost about $1. It's a system most major cities would covet: Travelers simply flag them down like taxis and are dropped off at the destination of their choice along a predetermined route—with no more than nine other passengers on board.
As in New York or London, taxis can be waved down on almost any reasonably sized street without a prior reservation. Taxis in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will generally take guests anywhere within the municipal region. However, it is not uncommon for drivers to be nonnatives and to be less than 100-percent familiar with the area.
Unless you reserve a taxi through prior arrangement or take one from a major hotel (where a doorman can translate), travelers (especially first-timers) should try to have their destination written in Hebrew to avoid confusing the driver. In cases where you do want to reserve taxis in advance, major companies include HaShekem (972-3-527-0404), Kastel (972-3-699-3322), or New York (972-3-523-7722). Fares begin at $1.78, though surcharges are tacked on for luggage when heading to the airport. Cabbies will also work as personal drivers for trips between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, or really, anywhere in the country. Ask a particularly friendly driver if he or she offers such services and prepare to negotiate for a fair price. As a rule, trips between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem should run no more than $38 to $40.
Eldan Rent-a-Car (972-3-565-4545 or 800-938-5000; www.eldan.co.il) is Israel's largest car rental agency, with branches located in major cities and at Ben Gurion Airport. Take note: Only the airport branch is open on the Sabbath (Friday afternoon and all-day Saturday).
Most violence is confined to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but terrorist attacks have happened in Israel proper—and doubtless will again. There's little one can do to prepare for or avoid an attack, except to use common sense: Be mindful of bags without obvious owners, stay alert in crowded places, and if you're unfamiliar with East Jerusalem or the Old City, avoid traveling there at night. You'll appreciate the noticeable security presence nationwide. This means bag-checks at the entrances to most public places (malls, cinemas, restaurants), armed guards on some public buses, and frequent requests for picture ID (carry a photo of your passport at all times). Never leave bags unaccompanied—they may be mistaken for bombs and quickly destroyed. Although exploring the cities' large open-air markets is one of the pleasures of visiting Israel, they theoretically could be targeted for terrorist attacks.
Language: Hebrew, Arabic
Capital City: Jerusalem
Population: 6.8 million
Area: 8,000 square miles
Telephone Calling Code(s): 972
Electricity: 230V, 50 Hz
Currency: As of Nov 22, 2011:
1 Israel New Shekels = $0.27 US Calculate Other Amounts
Entry Requirements:
Israel does not require a visa for citizens of the United States. A valid passport is sufficient for a three-month stay.
Books and Movies
Read the Bible for tales of war and peace in the desert. The names may have changed, but the substance is still the same.
Like the people of Israel themselves, the cuisine of Israel is defined by the combination of Oriental and Western flavors. Most of the country's restaurants are kosher, thus conforming to Jewish dietary laws. Milk, cream, or cheese may not be served together with meat in the same meal, which means most restaurants serve either milk or meat, but not both. Pork and shellfish are banned in most locales, but it is possible to find them in nonkosher restaurants. There has been a recent interest in European-style fine dining, but don't expect Michelin-starred fare. And if you love a nice steak, don't try to find one here. Part of the process of making meat kosher is soaking and salting it to remove blood—and, in effect, the flavor as well—from delicate cuts. Instead, try the slow-cooked beef, which can be excellent.
Good Buys
Israel is the holy land of bargains. Amid the labyrinthine streets of Old Jerusalem's Muslim quarter, visitors can bargain for all manner of traditional and contemporary products. You can easily find deals on inlaid furniture, semiprecious stones, ceramics, embroidery, and holy books. Diamonds, glassware, wines, Judaica, and religious articles are mostly only available in Jewish areas. The salts from the Dead Sea yield phenomenal skin-care products. Tourists who buy leather goods at shops listed by the Ministry of Tourism and pay for them in foreign currency are exempt from VAT and receive a 25 percent discount on leather goods if these are delivered to them at the port of departure.
A value-added tax (VAT) of 17.5 percent is added to every purchase in Israel, but tourists may get a refund at the airport or by mail. A 15 percent service charge is added to restaurant and hotel bills by law, and no other tipping is necessary.
Winter: Chanukah
Spring: Purim; Passover; Israel Independence Day
Summer: Shavu'ot; Tisha B'Av
Autumn: Sukkot; Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur; Shemini Atzeret