Planners' Hopes- Dirty Bomb Insider Trading?

Did you hear the one about the AFP counterterrorism strategy founder who became the manager of a homeland security company that made a killing in the Australian share market? Sorry, it's not a joke. It happened years ago.

Let's set the scene...

"Planners hope that, the more they do it, the more the agencies and personnel will learn to work together, forming some semblance of organization before any occurrence of the real thing." Don't you find this to be bizarre language to hear on a nightly TV bulletin? Esoecially in a city about to host a fake terror attack? The way KOIN TV (love the name) would have it, it's gonna happen sometime or another.

That, after all, is the whole point of the exercise.. to show what is going to happen. TV cameras recording, in Portland, Oregon's case, three hundred and fifty people dead and injured, from a mock blast that in reality, according to the news bulletin, "throws the radioactive material around, thus contaminating wide areas."

No mention, of course that the radiation won't actually hurt you, or that 350 dead and injured is a fairly dramatic figure, much more than Shadow Defence Minister Fox's (love the name) ten dead in London's Hyde Park.

And where do you think the grisly footage is going to turn up? My guess is Today Tonight and A Current Affair, and every similar evening program in the world. Who'd want to miss out on such a ratings grabber and toothpaste seller? Of course, local experts will be found to transpose the effect into their home cities, perhaps some police commentary downplaying local possibilities.

Share market tip, for those who came in late.. homeland security companies. While bluechip, there'll be no big money, as the "smart" boys and girls got in and out during the oversubsripbed IPOs before the share prices plateaued. You have to be "in the know" to get the real money. A minister investing in your portfolio would probably be helpful.

And who can we find to be potential terrorists? Anybody we can get upset enough to do it. Moslems, Indian Doctors, Somalian refugees, Halliburton protesters... one minister or another can ruffle their feathers with a bit of villification, and then sit back and see how good their scriptreading was Sooner or later, even if there's no ka-boom there'll be a ka-ching of cash registers processing the profits. What an easy lurk!!

It's like Downer's justification for having cash involved in the AWB float. He explained that he invests his money in investment companies so he doesn't need to worry where his money is invested. Yes, Minister. How much of your cash was running through KBR when it was split off from Halliburton?

Or perhaps, Xtek, Australia's only ASX registered homeland securty company? They floated the day the deportation of that notorious terrorist Scott Parkin.

[extract from The Age 6/10/05]

""The company supplies products and services relating to the protection of national borders from the threat of terrorism and politically motivated violence.

"Homeland security is now an integral part of Australia's defence policy and independent research indicates that demand for better security products and services will continue to grow," Mr French said.

"The government has been supporting the sector, for obvious reasons and the nature of the products they are buying and the infrastructure they are putting in place indicate that it is going to be a long term requirement."

I put this quote in a Your Democracy blog of two years ago. I also recorded these details of the IPO sourced from the same piece:: The company raised A$14 million for the float by the oversubscribed issue of 28 million shares at a price of 50 cents per share. By noon of their first day of trading, the shares had risen by forty per cent... not a bad morning's work for "ground-floor" investors. Anyone buying after that would be disappointed to see their investment slip back to a resting level of around 67 cents per share.

Still, shareholder shouldn't need to worry. The same Age piece recorded that "[XTEK's] Customers include the Australian Defence Force, federal and state police forces, their bomb disposal squads, federal and state government departments, ministerial offices, courts throughout Australia, airports, public venues and major national and international companies." and that they were a major equipment supplier to the Sydney Olympics. Sydney 2000's counterterrorism co-ordinator became the main bloke in Unity, the corporate military mob that shot those two women last week.. oh yeah, and the Iraqi/Australian Professor Of Agriculture.

Let's get back to the Mr French mentioned in The Age:

[investor.xtek extract]

In the early, post-Hilton days, the emphasis was on bomb-related equipment for search and "render safe". SCOTT-XTEK prospered as a result of this activity; it was at this time that then Managing Director, NJ (Nigel) French first came into contact with the Company, as an Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer responsible for sourcing equipment to prepare the AFP for its counter-terrorist role.

As a result of SCOTT-XTEK's central position and it's excellent contacts within Police and Government Departments the Company was frequently asked to source other counter-terrorist equipment leading it to develop Surveillance and Counter Surveillance into another major product line. In order to provide a service and repair facility for it's clients and to develop it's own security product range the Company moved, in 1983, to a factory site in Botany (NSW).

In late 1987 the LOMAH Corporation, a public company which had recently acquired DART Defence Industries (makers of target systems) bought the security business and appointed Nigel French as General Manager for their new Company, XTEK SECURITY SYSTEMS Pty Ltd.

LOMAH concentrated its efforts on DART, and XTEK was left to continue the same style of trade.
Over the ensuing two years LOMAH's fortunes in Albury, NSW, where DART was located, declined, whilst XTEK, despite two changes of location, made steady, if unspectacular, progress. Continuing financial pressure obliged LOMAH to wind up its operations; DART was sold to Australian Defence Industries (ADI) and French was offered XTEK. French acquired the Company in 1989 and he made the move to Canberra.

At the time of the float French said that he was putting the generated revenue through the UK office to get the ball rolling in the US of A. French also invested A$ 2 million in a WA company called QRSciences

[WA BusinessNews, 8/3/06 extract]]

In November, QRSciences signed an agency agreement with XTEK to distribute explosive detection products developed by QRSciences.

Under the agreement, XTEK became the sole distributor in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania of QRSciences' next generation of Checkpoint Screening technology that dramatically improves detection of plastic and distribution explosives.

This stuff would be a must-have for anyone wanting to avoid half a dirty bomb being sent in the mail. You have to wonder who's got the US rights.

Three years ago the Victorian Police decided to commission an independent study of counterterrorism practices by MonashUniversity, which was released yesterday. Monash's head of criminology Jude McCullogh told the ABC that

What we found was when taking a close look at the Federal Government's policy framework and the legislation that flows from that, it's not properly balanced in terms of addressing the short-term threat, or what are perceived to be the short-term threats, and also ensuring that in the longer term there doesn't arise a dynamic which fuels that threat.

The picture accompanying Ruddock's rebuttal in today's Age is of Customs officers wearing protective gear while searching a bin. Now you know who they bought the spiffy outfits from. It's accompanied by this brilliant riposte by the Attorney General:

I don't regard rigorous policing in relation to very serious offences being at all incompatible with community relations

To explain this further, Phil explains how he and Commissioner Mick have visited mosques. Yep. That'll do the trick

Phil goes on to say how the bungling of the Haneef case wasn't an example of the AFP's counterterrorism methodology being a stuff up. Of course it wasn't. It was Good For Business.

Getting back to the US Dirty Bomb Drill. After this, everyone's going to need a lot more gear.

White House Leaked Osama Tape.. Dirty Bombs Away

Debkafile is the website that posted the Al Qaeda warning that triggered the New York radiological deployment in August.

[extract 8/10]

On Aug. 9, DEBKAfile revealed an al Qaeda Web site warning mentioning New York, Los Angeles and Miami as targets of attacks “by means of trucks loaded with radioactive material.” A second warning added Washington, Seattle and Texas to those targets.

Our counter-terror sources note that the very fact that the United States is conducting exercises this month to test its homeland readiness for a “dirty bomb” threat shows that US security planners have taken the al Qaeda threat to heart.

The war scale of the maneuver indicates that America is preparing for this menace to come possible from additional Middle East terror-related sources, such as Iran, Syria or Hizballah.

DEBKAfile’s US sources add that some critics of President George W. Bush’s Iraq and Iran policies are interpreting the two exercises as a dress rehearsal for possible retaliation against an American military strike against Iran. In other words, the US is preparing for Iran or Syria to respond by using radiological dispersal devices against American or allied targets, including Israel.

And if Australia's, joining in, you can bet we're on the list as well. The only trouble is that it appears from reports circulating today that the US has "blown its cover" (and I'd guess Debka's) for intercepting Al Qaeda e- messages by releasing the pre-9/11 Osama message before it could be broadcast through "official" channels. The venerable warmonger, the New York Sun reports that after this intelligence analysts watched the terrorism internet disappear before their eyes. If the assertations of this apparently remarkably well-informed staff writer hold water, the US has lost a valuable intelligence resource just for a few days advanced screening time. Apart from the fact that this suggests that the Osama tape may never have come from Al Q, it implies a level of idiocy that has left the west with no way of knowing if dirt bomb attacks are imminent. It's either a massive stuff-up or a Capricorn One, I reckon.

Here's how the Sun put it:

The intelligence blunder started with what appeared at the time as an American intelligence victory, namely that the federal government had intercepted, a full four days before it was to be aired, a video of Osama bin Laden's first appearance in three years in a video address marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. On the morning of September 7, the Web site of ABC News posted excerpts from the speech.

But the disclosure from ABC and later other news organizations tipped off Qaeda's internal security division that the organization's Internet communications system, known among American intelligence analysts as Obelisk, was compromised.....

One intelligence officer who requested anonymity said in an interview last week that the intelligence community watched in real time the shutdown of the Obelisk system. America's Obelisk watchers even saw the order to shut down the system delivered from Qaeda's internal security to a team of technical workers in Malaysia. That was the last internal message America's intelligence community saw. "We saw the whole thing shut down because of this leak," the official said. "We lost an important keyhole into the enemy."

The Washington Post version (subscription required), which is the one being quoted around the world, is much more explicit:

[extract]

Around 10 a.m. on Sept. 7, Katz sent both Leiter and Fielding an e-mail with a link to a private SITE Web page containing the video and an English transcript. "Please understand the necessity for secrecy," Katz wrote in her e-mail. "We ask you not to distribute . . . [as] it could harm our investigations."

Fielding replied with an e-mail expressing gratitude to Katz. "It is you who deserves the thanks," he wrote, according to a copy of the message. There was no record of a response from Leiter or the national intelligence director's office.

Exactly what happened next is unclear. But within minutes of Katz's e-mail to the White House, government-registered computers began downloading the video from SITE's server, according to a log of file transfers. The records show dozens of downloads over the next three hours from computers with addresses registered to defense and intelligence agencies

By midafternoon, several television news networks reported obtaining copies of the transcript. A copy posted around 3 p.m. on Fox News's Web site referred to SITE and included page markers identical to those used by the group. "This confirms that the U.S. government was responsible for the leak of this document," Katz wrote in an e-mail to Leiter at 5 p.m

Bush can't be held responsible for this- he was in Sydney for APEC. It goes to show what happens when you leave the kids with the keys to the car when you go on holidays... especially when the kid is Dick Cheney. Perhaps Dubya was looking for an insurance write-off?

Now I've gone and gotten myself worried again.

Come to think of it, Al Qaeda would have been realising that their security had been compromised while Dubya and Condi were in international airspace, en route from Sydney to Washington. And if the feared simultaneous Al Qaeda explosions in Australia were about to be ordered, the US would have been unable to detect it, just after having angered its enemy and and become blind to its activites.

Dirty Bomb Research Centre In Adelaide

DSTO Media Release 21/8/07

The Defence Science andTechnology Organisation (DSTO is researching the use of a novel technique to deal with the after-effects of incidents involving a dirty bomb

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay, said the technique known as ‘luminescence’ would measure levels of radiation resulting from an explosion, so that appropriate treatment could be rendered to people affected by the incident.

A dirty bomb is an explosive device containing radioactive material which disperses radiation on detonation. Its primary aim is to deliberately spread radioactive contamination unlike an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which is designed to cause damage through a blast effect.

“DSTO is proactively developing ways of measuring radiation exposure because the amount of radiation will determine the type of treatment to be applied,” Mr Lindsay said. “Getting an accurate reading of the radiation dose will directly help the recovery effort.”

The method DSTO is developing is known as recombination luminescence which can measure the dose of radiation in common building materials affected by radioactive contamination.

DSTO scientist Dr Barnaby Smith said recombination luminescence measures electrons trapped in the crystal structure of building materials where they have been forced by exposure to radiation. “The number trapped is proportional to the radiation dose,” he said.

“Generally, the risk to health from radiation exposure is less than the public perception and lower than the risk of injuries from the blast,” Dr Smith said. “However, during an incident, public panic could exacerbate the crisis and even result in further casualties.”

He said dirty bombs were rightly referred to as weapons of ‘mass disruption’ rather than ‘mass destruction’.

Mr Lindsay said while no known incidents of dirty bomb explosions had occurred overseas, Australia could not afford to take any chances. “Our defence scientists are working actively to ensure that we are suitably prepared to minimise the effects of such incidents.”

“DSTO and the University of Adelaide are working towards establishing a Centre of Expertise in Luminescence that will enhance national security capabilities in this area,” Mr Lindsay said.

Warship Announcement ? Whar A Sham !

When PM Howard announces the constructors of the Air War Destroyers next week remember this: In 2005 The Federal Government chose Gibbs & Cox as the preferred designer for Navy's Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) - one of Australia's largest and most complex Defence projects worth up to $6 billion. This decision was given to the US State Department as a foregone conclusion.

According to the Defence Minister of the day, Robert Hill "The selection of Gibbs and Cox as platform designer now completes the team whose responsibility it is to deliver the project."

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, just in time for the announcement, has released a report recommending the US design over the Spanish one. It made particular mention of the Gibbs and Cox' Arleigh Burkes capabilitie with medium and long range cruise missiles.

As mentioned before, orders for the Aegis combat systems were announced to US Congress last year. As far as US military are concernded, Gibbs and Cox and Aegis fit hand-in-glove.

Told you so.

It's all about the Missile Shield.

The Aegis Of Unreason

You're going to find out that the Missile Shield meeting being held by Australia and Japan this week is nothing but a sham photo-op to "announce" a long-preplanned strategic manouevre. Flicking back through my blog tonight I found "When is the pre-emptive strike on Kim Jong Il scheduled to occur? I'm guessing 2010, when Australia and Japan's maritime contributions to the Missile Shield are afloat." I wrote this on July 1 2005, before the emphasis on Iran began. I realise I was also a little early on some of the timespans involved. Then again, I titled the piece "Adelaide And The White House 2008?" and I don't think I'm too far off the track on that one. Let's start from Septmer 10 of 2001, when Halliburton opened an office in Moscow to help eliminate WMD's.

Actually, you need to go past September to March, the eve of President Bush's first meeting with the Chinese Premier. At that time the New York Times reported Chinese concern of the possibility of the US giving Taiwan Aegis missiles. China, posessing around 25 missiles that could potentially strike the US mainland, was ready to talk.

In July that year CNN Asia kept the ball rolling by publishing a "Perspective" on the missile shield (here's a good map there). CNN noted that "the most favorable response came from Australia, which said it would allow the US to us joint military bases on its soil for the shield."e most favorable response

It's been almost exactly two years since the last round of Missile Shield stories appeared in both our own and international media. Defence Minister Nelson's comments in today's press, ahead of a conference he and Foreign Minister Downer contain far less information than that what was given so long ago.

Before we get to Nelson, try a little of this ABC piece from May 24, 2005:

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[extract]

The Pentagon has announced the possible sale of three Aegis naval weapons systems to Australia, saying it would increase the ability of the United States and Australian navies to operate together.

The Aegis system is a key component of the US missile defence system, known as "son of star wars".

It has been selected by the Australian Government for the $6 billion SEA 4000 air warfare destroyers, which are expected to enter service with the Navy in 2013.

The US Defence Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) estimated the value of the sale at as high as $460 million.

Aegis systems are centred on a sophisticated computerised command system that can cue air defence missiles to enemy missiles and aircraft detected by targeting radar.

Using its AN/SPY-1 phased array radar, it can track over 100 targets simultaneously.

Noting Australia's strategic location, the DSCA said helping the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) modernise its fleet of surface warships was vital to US interests.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days after this, on May 30, South Australian Premier Mike Rann shook hands with his office staff and said "Mission Acomplished." He was "celebrating'" the fact that Adelaide had been granted the contract to build the three warships that are about to be shown as capable of being Australia's contribution to the Missile Shield.

In July the Centre Foir Asai Pacific Studies released a report by Richard Bitzinger on missile defence cooperation with the United States. It explained how Japan agreed to purchase AEGIS systems for a ship-based missile system. Japan would integrate the systems with existing and new ships, and until it was ready US warships would provide Shield coverage. The also explained how Australia had agreed to participate in the Shield by extending the range of its Jindalee Over-the horizon Radar Network (JORN) to enable it to detect incoming missiles. Australia, the report claimed, had not signed on to participate in active missile defence. Perhaps the AWD contract information wasn't available at the time?

Exactly two years to the day after describing the US investment in JORN as "a massive project, a huge public expenditure by the United States" Australian Defence Minister Hill said that trials had shown that JORN "might" be able to participate in the Shield. Hill also said at the time (December 5, 2005) that "A year or so ago it was thought to be decades away. Now the United States will in fact deploy the first part of its defence shield next year." Around the time of this announcemt. KBR's former Global Vice-President for Infrastructure and the Asia-Pacific region was assuming his new position as civilian co-ordinator of "small-to-medium" contracts for the warship construction.

The placement for the order of the Aegis systems for the three AWDs was placed late last year.

A couple of things have happened in the last two weeks.

First: As Minister Downer went to hang out with State Secretary Rice, the announcement of a Japan/Australia missile treaty came out.

Then, while Downer was serfing the USA, Defence Minister Nelson announced the expansion of the ASC at Port Adelaide to cater for submarine orders coming in from numerous Asian countries. Could we guess Japan and Taiwan? Australia, to endear itself to China, recognises the One China policy. On the other hand, a Taiwan Government defence report has called for six new submarines. I tried to suggest in the local paper that we might be gearing up for Taiwan, but it appears that space has been too precious to publish the idea.

Now Downer is telling Russia that it needn't be concerned about the Shield...

I wonder what they'll announce next week?

Whoops... the Koreans just let off another missile... here we go again.

From the Mouths Of The Masters- AWDs

"In December 2003, Australia announced its decision to participate in the U.S. Missile Defense program. Subsequently, the U.S. and Australia signed in July 2004, a Framework Memorandum of Understanding on Missile Defense Cooperation, and a Research & Development MoU was signed in October 2005. Three specific cooperative projects -- involving the Over-the-Horizon Radar, modeling and simulation, and fusion and tracking technologies -- are currently under discussion. On August 16, 2005, Canberra announced it had chosen the U.S. firm Gibbs and Cox as the preferred designer for their navy's air warfare destroyers worth up to $6Billion Australian Dollars. Three vessels are currently funded, with the first scheduled to be operational in 2013. Each will be equipped with AEGIS sensors and will be interoperable with the military forces of the United States and with those of other future coalition partners. Although Australia may not currently see a ballistic missile threat to its territory, its purpose for pursuing bilateral U.S.-Australia Missile Defense cooperation is based on maintaining a close alliance relationship with the United States and providing Australian industry with an opportunity for industrial cooperation and technology transfer."

- Paula A. DeSutter, Assistant Secretary for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation
Remarks at the National Defense University Foundation Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series
Washington, DC
April 4, 2006

[As prepared]

Available here
http://www.state.gov/t/vci/rls/rm/64126.htm

Abracadabra.... Halliburton's Vanishing Act

The Howard Cabinet's disappearing trick with the WorkChoices name is nothing compared with Halliburton's handling of KBR. After years of accusations of international political interference, bribery and overcharging, Cheney's Crew have finally moved the "iffy stuff" into one basket and gotten rid of it. Now they're talking up how well the scam worked.

Overcharging in the Balkans, political kickbacks in South Australia, ripping off defence forces in Iraq and all suchlike are now regarded as Not Halliburton's Problem. "It wasn't us, it was them!" cry Hal chiefs as they refuse to discuss KBR business.

In Australia, by the way, the name change when from Kinhill Australia to Halliburton Australia to Halliburton/KBR Australia to KBR Australia. See how different they are? Don't forget we're dealing with a wholly US owned subsidiary here... the Australia bit is just more window dressing.

The problem is that most of the share- split was by name only. If you had a Halliburton share your could swap it with a KBR share, or vice versa. After that the CEO's simply started to say "no comment" when being asked about each other, and that was supposedly that.

Then Halliburton packed its bags and moved from Texas to the Middle East, believing itself untarnished by the scandals it had committed there.

"Things are calming down as they should," Halliburton Chief Operating Officer Andy Lane, told Reuters on Thursday. "Most of the war protesters are totally about the Iraq issue and KBR's involvement there. So when you look at Halliburton going forward, we're just a pure energy services business.

The UK Government wasn't convinced. KBR were in charged of the British dockyard that catered for their Trident nuclear-defence submarine system, and the Brits asked for the split to be postphoned while a check if the "new" KBR could do the job. Halliburton stuck two fingers in the air and split the shares. The UK kicked them out of the dockyard.

It's lucky for them that they aren't running the dockyard in Adelaide under their own name. Here they simply had their (Halliburton) Global Vice President for Infrastucture resign and take up a "new" job... running the dockyard where the AWD warships will be built. No muss, no fuss, as they say in Texas. I wonder, if like Cheney, Andrew Fletcher is receiving "deferred payments" from his "former employer" while undertaking the "new role" ?

In the same way that our Prime Minister appears to believe that changing a name will take away the public's perception of a local problem, Halliburton expect to be excused for past crimes by shuffling names.

It's an interesting gamble given that in the US, UK and Australia it is the name of Halliburton that is associated with the wrongdoings. They're trying a similar trick to get out of trouble from trading with Iran.

An attempted rewriting of history is underway. Keep your eyes open.

Is PNAC Dying?

Looking back ten years to the signatories of the Project For A New American Century's Statement Of Principles, it looks as if the members of the cabal are dropping like flies. Rumsfeld was hit by a pre-election propaganda mutiny, "Scooter" Libby fell on his own sword to protect fellow signatory and boss Dick Cheney, whose political lifespan diminishes daily within a cloud of Halliburton-based war profiteering accusations. Now it looks like Paul Wolfowitz, the Iraq War instigator who now heads the World Bank appears to be facing the guillotine for stuffing wads of cash into the mattress of his lady-love.

Here's part of what they all signed:

We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership....

Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.

Underneath the names shold have been written "PS and we need to steal everyone's energy resources.

The text is a set of overly-flowery words to justify global domination, but they seemed to make more sense after the Twin Towers fell and the War on Terror was launched. Going for the Caspian oil and Kazakhstan uranium was made much easier by getting NATO troops into Afghanistan. Iraq was attacked. Iran will be. Australia didn't need to be.

I can't help but wonder if the PNAC leaders aren't disappearing before their eyes because they consider their objectives to have become self-perpetuating... mission accomplished?

I hope we've woken up to them in time.

Out Of Body Excursions- Coming To A Theatre Near You?

Five minutes before "going under" for an op last year I learned that statistically every anaesthetist is sued once in seven years. I must learn easier research methods. Anyway, I was watching a piece on ABC's Catalyst tonight about a machine that would make the doctors aware if a patient woke on the table. This is the kind of person, I guess, that after the initial trauma subsided would probably be interested in talking to a lawyer.

It turned me back to my grandmother's tonsilectomy, which was back in the days when the procedure was carried out with scissors and catching-net and without anaesthetic. Nanna simply slipped out of her body and floated up to the roof, from where she watched the job being done. Then she slipped back in. It is the only "psychic" experience she ever mentioned occurring to her.

No drugs, no pain. Surely if such a technigque was developed it might change the face of modern medicinal method. I might even stop surgeons playing Kate Bush CDs while they're carving you up.

Stuttering SmartTraveller Not Talking Turkey

Downer's Smart Traveller website is poorly handling the possibity of a terror attack on Anzac Day visitors to Turkey. Consider that many of the visitors to Gallipolli are young Australian backpackers converging from different parts of the world. Many might not have seen or heard the last minute media releases. Many may be relying on the Department Of Foreign Affairs for information. At the moment they would be misled.

Have you tried to get to DFAT's Turkey Terrorist attack warning? It's hard work. You have to go to travel advisories, click on "T" scroll down and then go in . Three Clicks. However, only one click from it's prominent displayer on the Smartraveller home page you find something (and what most people are likely to read) milder. Reading this it looks as if DFAT is mainly trying to cut down on uninsured terror act victims:

Anzac Day 2007

The Anzac Day commemorations held on the Gallipoli Peninsula each year are of special significance to Australians and many are expected to travel to Gallipoli to participate in the event.

Details of the Anzac Day ceremonies are available from:

• the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ website
• the Australian Embassy in Ankara’s website

Australians visiting the commemorative sites of the Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park should be aware that only limited tourist facilities are available at these venues. During April, the Gallipoli Peninsula can experience extreme weather conditions. Overnight temperatures may fall below zero, high winds are common, and rain and snow are possible. Very warm temperatures may be experienced during the day, and visitors may be exposed to the sun for extended periods. You should be prepared for these weather conditions, and carry waterproof clothing, warm clothes and sunscreen with you. The large crowds, limited public utilities, traffic and security arrangements can result in waiting periods. Visitors should expect to walk several kilometres throughout the day.

Visitors are prohibited from taking the following to commemorative services:

• alcohol
• large backpacks (daypacks only permitted)
• camping equipment (tents and portable stoves etc)
• weapons of any kind.

Intoxicated persons will not be permitted to attend the commemorative services. Visitors are reminded that the consumption of alcohol and the lighting of fires are prohibited in the Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park. The Turkish law has severe penalties for the possession of drugs.

Visitors should take particular care on roads and walking paths within the national park. A high level of caution should be exercised around drop offs and road cuttings due to the fragility and instability of the area. All visitors are asked to:

• strictly obey safety signage and directions;
• be alert to traffic movements;
• be aware of hazards from uneven surfaces; and
• be alert to the danger that soft road edges may give way.

Visitors with special needs

In Turkey special facilities are not generally available for people with disabilities or restricted mobility. Before organising your trip it is advisable to contact a travel agent, tour operators and the local tourist authority to find out whether local transport, accommodation and attractions will cater for your disability.

Limited assistance is available for people who are unable to walk between the commemorative sites. More information on the assistance provided, and the services more generally, can be obtained from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website, by emailing gallipoli@dva.gov.au or telephoning (+61 2) 6289 6437.

Don’t forget to check the official travel advice for Turkey online or by phoning 1300 139 281. You should consult the travel advice frequently as circumstances in-country may change at short notice.

Before You Go Be prepared

The better prepared you are, the more enjoyable and safe your travel will be.

• Organise comprehensive travel insurance which covers emergency treatment, hospitalisation, medical evacuation and repatriation to Australia, if necessary. Otherwise, you could be forced to pay excessive medical costs. Overseas medical costs are not covered by Medicare. Remember, if you cannot afford travel insurance, you cannot afford to travel.
• Contact the Turkish Embassy to fi nd out about visas for Turkey. Australian tourists visiting Turkey may generally obtain a tourist visa upon arrival for $US20 (approximately AUD$35.00) but visa conditions and costs are subject to change, so double-check the visa requirements before you travel.

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And now, what DFAT make it more difficult to find:

Turkey This Advice is current for Tuesday, 24 April 2007.

This advice has been reviewed and reissued. It contains new information in the Summary and on Safety and Security: Terrorism (possible resumption of attacks in April and May 2007). The overall level of the advice has not changed.

Summary

• We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Turkey because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
• Recent credible reports indicate that terrorists are preparing to resume attacks in Turkey in April and May 2007. Potential targets include Turkish security forces, government sites and civilian and tourist areas in major cities including Izmir, Istanbul, Adana, Ankara and Antalya. Vacation destinations such as beaches, national parks and forests could also be targeted. These attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Turkey.
• Domestic terrorist groups (some with links to international terrorists) have carried out attacks in Turkey. On 28 August 2006 a bomb in the shopping area of Antalya, killed three people and injured dozens, including European tourists. The blast followed four bombs in the resort city of Marmaris and in the Bagcilar area of Istanbul that wounded 28 people, including 10 British tourists. A percussion bomb exploded opposite the east entrance of the Blue (Sultanahmet) Mosque in Istanbul on 15 August 2006. An explosion on 14 August 2006 near the Hagia Sofia also in Sultanahmet injured three. On 12 August 2006 a bomb exploded outside an internet café in Istanbul injuring six people. On 4 August 2005 two explosions in the Mediterranean city of Adana injured 17 people.
• The domestic terrorist group largely responsible for these attacks has carried out a number of attacks on civilian targets in major Turkish cities since the start of 2006 and has claimed over 100 victims. In a public statement on 3 March 2007 the group called on foreign tourists to avoid Turkey or face unspecified consequences and threatened to stage further attacks against Turkey's tourism sector, and specifically against European tourists. Further attacks in areas popular with tourists, including Ankara, Antalya, Adana, Izmir and Istanbul, are expected.
• We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to provinces in the southeast of Turkey, including those in the border region between Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, due to the unpredictable security situation. Since late March 2006 there have been a number of violent demonstrations in some south-eastern Turkish cities, resulting in a number of deaths and many injuries. If you do decide to travel to these areas, you should exercise extreme caution.

In spite of this advice,Smartraveller have not yet placed Turkey on their list of countries you should reconsider travelling to:

Alexander Downer- At Home And In The Office

Did anybody else, watching Alexander Downer on Australain Story tonight, have the same cringing sensation you get while watching Ricky Jervais on The Office? In the same way that Jervais' character parades before the documentary camera as God's gift o mankind while in fact nobody can stand him, Downer portrayed his family life embarrassingly.

His wife explained how he did silly things such as if she expressed hunger he would say that she looked like she wouldn't need a meal for a year. Alexander also how explained that one of his wife's most enjoyed meals was one he'd prepared from a recipe book. He also jokingly suggested to his mother that she should change her birthday so that it didn't clash with his trip to Washington.

It gets worse.. describing himself as a "Sherman tank", Nicki explaining that "he loves the United States" and that Downer had a Bush/Cheney sticker on his car, And the Popeye-inpired line "I'm very much my own man, and I am as I am." He's very important obviously, as he has to run for the plane to Canberra.

Now, here's the odd part- the bit in the doco where Downer gets patted on the head by Condi and friends has been subsequently published by The Age as a news item! Apparently he's God's gift to the world.

Anyway, after the meetings God's gift is shown to be a scaring family man, ringing his mother for the birthday. First he forgets to enter Australia's area code (ouch) and then can't get through anyway. I'm sorry, but by now I had tears of laughter in my eyes.

It won't be appropriate to comment after next week's part, in which Alexander will be shown as a caring man in the face of tragedy.
I'll bet there'll be a few more "news" stories yet in this little advertising campaign.

Channel 7 on Anzac Day- No Kevin Rudd


I guess the story about the Vietnam broadcast was a fraud. Let's face it, the scam had Tony Aboot's name written all over it long before Seven put out today's media release:

Sunrise on ANZAC Day Author: Seven Network | Apr 10, 2007, 15:17

In a very special television event, Channel Seven’s Sunrise program will broadcast on ANZAC Day from Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast.

From 6am on Wednesday 25 April 2007, Sunrise cameras will capture the Elephant Rock Dawn service commercial free.

The service is organised by the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL Club and features a veterans’ parade and fly-over.

“The Elephant Rock service is one of the most beautiful in the country,” says Executive Producer Adam Boland. “It’s impossible not to get goose bumps when you see the light horseman on the beach.”

The entire Sunrise team will be on location at the Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club overlooking the service.

After 8am, attention will return to the beach as arguably Australia’s biggest band takes to the stage in a celebration of Australian freedom. The top secret act will perform four songs. Details of the act will be announced on Monday April 16.

“ANZAC Day is a day of thanks and reflection on what a wonderful nation we live in, “ says Ron Workman, President of the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL. “In highlighting our freedom, the children of our Community will be able to enjoy a live Benefit Concert on the beach. We at the RSL believe the Freedom Concert is aptly named. We thank Sunrise on their approach to a day of national significance.”

The beach backs on to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Throughout the morning, weather presenter Monique Wright will be inside the Sanctuary’s wildlife hospital which desperately needs re-building.

More than 4,000 sick and orphaned native animals are brought to the hospital each year. The current facility can no longer meet demand – so Sunrise is putting its weight behind the appeal.

“We aim to raise $1 million dollars and we’ll be appealing to Corporate Australia as well as Mums and Dads to dig deep,” says Michelle Monsour, Chief Executive of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. “With climate change and increased urbanisation, we need to protect our precious and fragile Aussie wildlife for future generations.”

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is operated by the National Trust of Queensland on a not-for-profit basis.

Wild Rover No More

Surely Murdoch/Channel 10 aren't using Rove to sell Belinda Emmett albums.? While McManus tries to get on with his life and his career, news.com.au keeps on pumping out Belinda Album stories. Rove's conduct has been nothing but honourable... he's been honest with his audience and sincere in his approach.

His bosses, though, seem more interested in capitalising on the marketing possibilities.

There will always be vultures, I suppose.

Shelley Kovco Calls For Inquiry Finding Overturn

After the flood of emotions I"ve been through since receiving a post purporting to be from Shelley Kovco, I'm having trouble believing that it was from the same person appearing in the reports coming out this morning. On the strength of the report commissioned by the NSW Homicide squad, Shelley has called for the military finding of death by skylarking to be overturned. Kovco's mother is calling for an inquest.

The Homicide squad's report says that ""insufficient evidence [is] available ... to determine whether the trigger was pulled deliberately or accidentally".

Here's the current version from The Age.

What do I make of the missive from "Shelley" now? Shelley Kovco has said today that all she wants is for the word "skylarking" taken out, so that the verdict is simply that Kovco died of a gunshot wound to the head. Fair enough. What I still would like to know it that if, as claimed in the post, there is footage of Kovco being worked on, why hasn't it been mentioned till now?

One thing I know for sure is that I've only had a very minor taste of how Shelley Kovco might feel. I feel so sad for her. However, if there is going to be an inquest then I will be following it closely.

New US Military Spaceflight Tests For Woomera

This September l the US Air Force, with NASA providing back up, plans to begin testing their new HiFire jets at Woomera. Described as the "jewel in the crown" of scramjet technology, (HiFire is an acronym for Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation) their anticipated short-term application is much faster cruise missiles.

It will be pretty cool if Woomera has the capability to detect targets (as the Narrungar base did with Scud launchers in Gulf War !) and knock them off with missiles flying at eight times the speed of sound.

In the long term the project is hoped, according to its director, " to enable operationally responsive space access." The USAF says that "Hypersonic capability is of interest to the Air Force for its ability to enable "game changing" operations that exploit speed and responsiveness in both near- and far-term applications."

The $US 51 million contract between the USAF and the Weapons Division of DSTO (singed off in Canber on November 10 last year) is, according to our DoD's chief scientist "one of the largest aerospace collaborations ever between the two countries. "

Sources USAF Media Release 15th November 2006, Aviation Week, March 18 2007

Coorong Water Plan Revived With Murray Federalisation

As the likelihood of a Federalised Murray-Darling river system increases,A previously abandoned water saving plan has been revived.

Rejected by the SA Rann Government for "political reasons" a $5 million feasibility study for a Twin Lakes water system now looks likely to go ahead under Federal Government stewardship.

KBR, written up in today's Advertiser as a "natural resources management group" have been conferring with Federal Water Minister Turnbull about the project.

Initially touted as being capable of creating a water flow that would keep the Murray Mouth open, the plan would separate Lake Alexandrina into an inner satwater lake with a freshwater perimeter. KBR estimates saving 100 gigalitres of water annually due to reduced evaporation in Australia's largest lake.

While presenting the idea to local groups, KBR engineer Tony Read suggested that the project should be a Public Private Parntership.

Inquiries about the project to the local council were initially being fielded personally by Premier Rann.

Another KBR project by the same engineer, a hazelnut farm further up the Murray that would involve the company installing a water pumping station on the Murray, was delayed due to overseas investors withdrawing their funding because of "foreign policy issues".

KBR last week lost nearly $20 million US dollars it had attempted to charge the US Government for payments to armed security guards in Iraq. The company, formerly controlled by US Vice President Dick Cheney is currently facing US Senate investigatins for alleged "war profiteering"
during the US-led occupation of the country.

Mr Cheney will be visiting Australia in two weeks. His last visit was as CEO of KBR's parent company Halliburton

Lord Halliburton Claims Australia.

The last time the US Vice President came to Australia was as the Leader Of Halliburton. Fresh from a stint as "Secretary of Defense" in which he'd outsourced a lot of military work to the private sector, Cheney was extending his scheming into the rest of the world. In the parlance that considers resources as something not yet turned into cash, there were many opportunities in Australia for "monetisation".

Getting access to defence work was easy, especially after the Australian head of his company was commissioned to reconfigure the local defence procurement system. Malcolm Kinnaird was the head of an Adelaide engineering firm, Kinhill, which Cheney acquired and turned into a wholly US owned subsidiary. The Adelaide office became not only the Asia-Pacific headquarters but also Global Headquarters for Infrastructure. While Kinnaird faded as the public face of the company, the Kinnaird Report was followed by Halliburton gaining no-bid contracts a-plenty. Cheney's Men "won" jobs providing everything from naval internet security to helicopter pilot training. When Australia announced it was building a contriubition to the US Misssile shield, a suddenly-former Halliburton Global Vice President was given control of the dockyard in which the ships are to be constructed. The dockyard is just downstream from the cement factory on whose board Malcom Kinnaird has spend a few years, and is a couple of miles, as the crow flies, from the Yacht Club where Kinnaird has manned the helm as Commodore. It seems that Kinnaird was not the Ship's Captain he pretended to be.

Then again, on his watch the State Premier allowed Halliburton's proposal to run Adelaide's water supply to be tendered hours after the others, then gave them the job. That State Premier is now Australia's consul general to New York. He shares apartments with Australia's ambassador to the UN, former Defence Minister and fellow South Australian Robert Hill. Hill once proclaimed on national television that Australia was safeguarded from companies like Halliburton by "the culture of the Australian beauraucracy".

Halliburton have proposed that a 100 kilometre diameter levee (with townhouses and a marina) be built in the middle of the country's largest expanse of fresh water, South Australia's Lake Alexandrina. The concept has had as its local champion the current SA Premier Mike Rann. Mr Rann has declared the state to be in a water crisis, while the engineer who introduced the lake plan has been building a nut farm on the banks of SA's main water supply, the River Murray. The farm was constructed as an opportunity for overseas investors. Halliburton have also built a desalination plant on Kangaroo Island, on which the State's original capital was abandoned due to lack of adequate water supply.

Officially the current Federal Government have only been supporting a large scale nuclear industry for around a year. When Halliburton built the railway from Adelaide to Darwin nothing was mentioned about carting uranium and nuclear waste. Years later the company would blame losses in incurred on the investment on mining delays and holdups in rebuilding the country's topmost port in Darwin.At the time, however, the bands and flag-waving heralded a new era in Australian tourism and trade. While Halliburton were calculating statistics for nuclear waste dumps they were building tracks for the third of the world's uranium that one South Australian mine holds to be sent to Darwin, and on to the rest of the world, while imported nuclear waste is cargo for the return journey. Halliburton has control of the railway for close to the next fifty years.

There was nothing in the Australian press, either as Halliburton CEO Dave Lesar took the inaugural ride north, of the massive oilfield reconstruction contracts he'd won in Iraq. This after all, was a celebration for Australia.

The railway turned out to be a godsend to increases in South Australian defence. Because transverse-Australia military rail transport was now an option, a training base was tripled in size and a new battalion was scheduled to move to the city. Adelaide also became a southern hemispheric command centre for Missile Shied radar monitoring, the necessary internet cable layout being disguised in the press as a boon for education facilities.

In the meantime the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade were pretending that Halliburton were a local company. Halliburton were championed by DFAT spin doctors as local boys made good in gaiing aid contracts. The same department dog-wagger was the protagonist for print propaganda supporting local Missile Shield Warship construction... from behind the desk of Rupert Murdoch's very first (and still owned) newspaper.

As the Occupation of Iraq passed it's third ammoversaru, Australian Prime Minister Howard made a surprise visit to Iraq to promise a prominent Australian role in aid for Iraq. During the same week Halliburton was advertising for someone to head their international aid efforts... from Adelaide.

In spite of attempted separation of the local view of Halliburton from that of the rest of the world, it will still be Cheney's company getting more non-US-taxable profit from Iraq. How much money has been concealed from the eyes of Congress by this method of international aid fund laundering will not be clear until the Prime Minister announces future Australian aid work in Iraq. Surely Vice President Cheney's visit won't be used for such a spin? It should also be noted that Ausaid, who are Foreign Affairs' aid-administering arm, admitted last year that they have no system in place to report corruption.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, became President George W. Bush's proposed candidate for Director-Generalship of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Information Technology seems to have been easy. The head of the South Australian IT Council once told me that the tendering process for local contracts was weighted so that only companies such as Halliburton could win them. Eventually he won- late last year the State Government announced that the procedures had been changed to give local IT a chance. This could be interpreted as a State Government warning to the company that times were changing.

Conversely the urge of the Federal Government to appease Cheney is so great that when a protest organiser who had caused a lot of anti-Halliburton publicity in the US was discovered on Australian soil he was arrested and kicked out, no explanation being made available. Currently our spy agency is appealing a Federal Court decision that Scott Parkin learn why he was deported. ASIO has only today admitted it was wrong in its classification of one of Parkin's co-plaintiffs

In Canberra, Halliburton are in charge of the roadworks. In Sydney, amongst other things, they carry out naval contracts. In Melbourne they build the infrastructure for the Australian Grand Prix. In Adelaide they do the lot!

They also co-ordinate small business contracting for the Australian end of the Joint Strike Fighter project.

Mr Cheney will also be visiting US troops in Guam, who are currently using Northern Australia for long-range target practice.

All of this activity seems to have been iniated on Cheney's last visit Down Under. It makes you wonder what's going to happen after the next one. He says he's coming to discuss Asian security and the War On Terror. No doubt he will be inspecting the success of his private sector Australian army who, it would seem, are going to be busier than ever over the next few years.