• Terrorists

    Terror in London: The London 7/7 Attack Who Did it?

    Michelle Malkin has this second part piece, THE 7/7 ATTACKS: WHO DID IT? PT. II:

    The Brits are on a manhunt. Via the Wall Street Journal:

    British police have asked their European counterparts for information on a Moroccan man, Mohamed Guerbouzi, in relation to the terrorist attacks in London yesterday, a Brussels-based European police official said. Mr. Guerbouzi has been under investigation in Britain in connection with two previous attacks, a 2003 suicide bombing in Morocco and last year’s attack in Madrid. He has been living in Britain for about a decade, the police official said.

    It was unclear yesterday, however, whether Mr. Guerbouzi was in British police custody, and whether he was suspected of direct involvement in yesterday’s attacks or was a potential witness. A British police spokesman said he wasn’t aware of any arrests in connection with yesterday’s bombings.

    U.S. officials said they had gathered significant intelligence in recent months that senior al Qaeda operatives were seeking to target rail systems in Europe and the U.S., but the information wasn’t specific enough to warn of an actual attack.

    A senior U.S. intelligence official said Washington was receiving evidence from London yesterday that cellphones and timing devices were used. He also said that he learned that British officials had gathered a number of suspicious items around the bombing sites, including one that they detonated through a “controlled explosion.”

    Evan Kohlmann at TCB provides background:

    Guerbouzi (a.k.a. Abu Aissa) [is] an influential military commander with the Al-Qaida-affiliated Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG). If correct, this could prove to be a major development in the London bombings investigation. Guerbouzi is a longtime resident of London who, according to credible sources, met while in the United Kingdom with another infamous Moroccan terrorist suspect — Jamal Zougam. Zougam is currently on trial for his alleged role as a lead bomber in the Madrid 3/11 terrorist attacks and is also suspected of having played an organizational role in the 2003 Al-Qaida suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco. Reportedly Zougam visited London “in search of funding and logistical help” and contacted a number of North Africans living in Britain, including Guerbouzi.

    Evan also points to this blood-boiling story about Guerbouzi in The UK Mirror, detailing how he’s been living comfortably in a flat just blocks from Downing Street with his wife and six kids despite being accused of playing a key role in the Madrid atrocity, as well as a dozen suicide bombings in Casablanca last May which left 33 dead.

    How the hell was he able to stay in the country, when Morocco has had an outstanding international warrant for his arrest since 2003? Scotland Yard explained:

    “We don’t have any extradition treaty with Morocco and no evidence has been submitted before the courts to consider an arrest.”

    This problem, according to War on Terror analysts, has contributed to Britain becoming a safe haven for many other radical Islamist leaders and their followers. Found this buried in a UK Mirror piece:

    For many years prior to September 11, politicians maintained that Britain must not be allowed to become a haven for international terrorists. But it has and, arguably, still is. More than half a dozen governments have filed diplomatic protests with the Foreign Office about the presence of such groups.

    They included Egypt, whose President Hosni Mubarak even denounced Britain for “protecting killers”. His principal complaint was that supporters of extremist groups that wanted to overthrow the government in Cairo were operating out of London.

    Among them are leaders of al-Gama’at al-Islamiya (Islamic Group), which in November 1997 carried out a massacre of tourists in Luxor in which 62 people, including Britons, died. Several members of the group were, or still are, living in Britain, some as political refugees.

    After the Luxor massacre, the Egyptian government posted a list of 14 men it said were linked to terrorism. Seven were living in London.

    Organisations allegedly linked to Egyptian terror movements have operated out of London under a variety of names. Algerian terrorists, too, operate in London.

    France, which has been the target for terrorist attacks, has sought, often in vain, to have the alleged perpetrators extradited. In 1995, after a wave of bombings on the Metro, the French government said the campaign had been ordered from London.

    It asked for the extradition of Rachid Ramda, 35, said to be the organiser of al-Ansar, a newsletter of the Algerian Armed Islamic Group, who was alleged to have passed on funds to Islamic terrorist units in France.

    He is still in custody 10 years after his arrest, although Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, agreed in April to extradite him after the French issued their third warrant. However, he has lodged an appeal and remains in Britain.

    The difficulties of extraditing suspects and the apparent unwillingness of the British authorities to close down their operations contributed to the country’s reputation as a haven for terrorists.

    One American-based security group even called for Britain to be placed on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

    Most of the dissidents in London have either been granted political asylum or exceptional leave to remain, both of which carry some obligations not to break the law or foment trouble.

    Some who were considered a threat were imprisoned, but the law lords ruled that this was discriminatory and disproportionate and the former detainees are now subject to special orders limiting their movements and contacts.

    They include Abu Qatada, a London-based Muslim cleric, who has been identified as the most significant Islamic fundamentalist in Britain and an “inspiration” for terrorists.

    ***

    Related:

    The 7/7 attacks: Britain’s breeding ground for suicide bombers
    The 7/7 attacks: Who did it?

    Hunt the bastards down….. KILL everyone!

  • Terrorists

    Terror in London: The London 7/7 Attacks

    Flap has found this map on the BBC that summarizes today’s terrorist attacks in London:

    The interactive link is here.

    Here are a series of links that tell the story:

    London bombings toll rises to 38

    London’s long march

    Tens of thousands of commuters faced the prospect of a long walk home – or even being stranded in London – following the London bombings.

    There were few buses and no tube trains running in the centre of the city and the few black cabs on the road already had fares and were not for hire.

    If the roads were strangely quiet, the pavements were even more packed than usual as people strode from railway station to railway station in the hope that one might be open.

    Many workers were sent home early but would not reach their destination until late in the evening – or will have been forced to find somewhere to stay for the night.

    Some stood on street corners trying to work out a route, staring at AtoZs or the photocopied maps being handed out by Citizen’s Advice and other volunteers.

    At King’s Cross, many of the streets were still sealed off, so the walk home was even longer as people were forced to thread their way through the back streets.

    In Pictures

    …others like Alexander Chadwick near Kings Cross have to walk through the tunnels to safety.

    Reporters’ Log: London explosions

    London blasts: At a glance

    Hunt them down…… Kill them all!

    Michelle Malkin has this piece about British Suicide Bombers, THE 7/7 ATTACKS: BRITAIN’S BREEDING GROUND FOR SUICIDE BOMBERS

    Reports are still sketchy on whether the Tavistock Square bus explosion was caused by a suicide bomber. (Eyewitness reports here and here.) If the bombing was indeed caused by a Brit-based suicide bomber, it wouldn’t be a surprise. London has been a breeding ground for bomb-loving Jihadists:

    December 2001: London-born Richard Reid, the so-called Shoe Bomber, was convicted of trying to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami on December 22, 2001.

    May 2003: Brits Asif Mohammed Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif murdered three people and wounded scores at a Tel Aviv bar.

    May 2003: Via The Command Post, 50 Suicide Bombers In UK.

    May 2003: Britain’s indigenous terror.

    February 2004: Omar Bakri of Britain’s radical Al-Muhajiroun exhorts Muslim children to become suicide bombers.

    July 2004: Al-Muhajiroun continues to glorify suicide bombers.

    July 2004: Britain allows suicide-bombing advocate Yusuf Al-Qaradawi into the country.

    June 2005: 70 British Muslims join Iraq fighters (Hat tip: Kristinn Taylor)

    ***
    Zachary Abuza at TCB: Shades of 3/11

    Also at TCB, Steve Emerson’s assessment:

    “Increasingly it’s looking as a British intelligence official told me this morning not more than an hour ago, that he used the term, ‘Our North African boys’, meaning some of the North African type of militant Muslim groups and individuals who were responsible for the Spanish attacks in 2003 that have a very striking similarity to the attacks that were carried out this morning in London…There is an interconnected network of Algerians, of Moroccans, of Saudis operating throughout Europe and it certainly coincides with the opening of the trial of Abu Hamza al-Masri who is a radical Islamic cleric in London whose is charged with incitement has been indicted in the United States on charges of trying to set up a jihad training camp in Oregon…The simultaneous nature of the bombings and the potential there was a suicide bomber suggests very strongly that was some type of Al-Qaeda offshoot of known radical Islamic groups or unknown groups, individuals at least, plotting this for a long time. This couldn’t have been done overnight…the 3/11 attacks and these attacks clearly show that mass transit infrastructures in the West are very susceptible and almost impossible to protect by Western law enforcement and therefore the intelligence is clearly the first line of defense. The fact that they were not able to stop this type of attack clearly shows there was a failure of intelligence.” UPDATE: This afternoon, Steve was on MSNBC again, noting that we should be looking for militant jihadists, not just an “Al Qaeda” organization, which no longer exists in a corporate sense. He credited British intel as having the best intel ability in Europe, yet unable to detect these attackers – London hosts more militant members than almost any city outside the Middle East – radical Islamic clerics there preach jihad openly.

    Little Green Footballs shows you the work of savages.

    Mark Steyn asks:

    After the initial shock of stumbling over the truth, what will Britain do? Go back to the Bob Geldof agenda or avenge her dead?

    ***

    Related:

    The 7/7 attacks: Who did it?

    Blair condemns bombers who “act in name of Islam”

  • Bear Flag League

    Joseph C. Phillips: The Bear Flag League Summer Conference

    Joseph C. Phillips, a member of the Conservative Brotherhood, will be speaking at the BFL conference on July 17.

    Although Phillips is not running for assembly yet, as had been rumored earlier in the year, he remains active in politics. He was National Co-Chair of the African American Steering Committee for Bush/Cheney ‘04, was named a member of he Republican National Committee’s African American Advisory Board and was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the board of directors of the California African American Museum.

    Thanks to Justene at CalBlog for the heads up.

    Here are the details for the summer conference:

    The Bear Flag League – a coalition of conservative leaning bloggers in California – will be holding its annual Summer Conference, Sunday, July 17th, 2005 at The Avery House on the campus of CalTech in Pasadena. The title of the conference is Preparing for 2006: Bloggers Gaining Access.

    As the influence of blogs grows, more often bloggers are gathering news directly in addition to commenting on stories from the traditional press. The Bear Flag League’s conference seeks to bring bloggers and newsmakers together.

    Scheduled to speak are former California Assembly Speaker and Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg, Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, editor of The California Target Book and former GOP consultant Alan Hoffenblum, and People’s Advocate leader and Gray Davis recall architect Ted Costa.

    Two panel discussions are scheduled, Blogs as Part of a Political Campaign and How Blogs Impact Campaigns and Make Policy. The panels will be moderated by Scott Schmidt, former Communcations Director, Log Cabin California.

    The event is hosted by blogs Calblog, FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog, Irish Lass, and Local Liberty Blog and co-hosted by Boi from Troy, and The Pirate’s Blog.

    Registration for the conference is $50 and includes lunch. To register, click here.

    Hat Tip: Mayor Sam

    The Conference is coming up!

    Please sign-up!

    Flap knows you will be glad you did!

  • Health,  Major League Baseball

    Baseball Catchers Face Irreversible Hand Trauma

    In a typical pro baseball game, a minor or major league catcher stops about 150 pitches, many slamming into his glove at speeds well over 90 mph. Add in pre-game practice throws, and the total number of catches climbs as high as 300 a day, experts say.

    Now, a new study finds that despite recent improvements in glove design, that kind of repetitive pounding is causing long-term, irreversible damage to many catchers’ hands — especially their index fingers.

    “We think that the repetitive impact over time causes scarring around the digital nerves and arteries, and some of the microvessels,” said study co-author Dr. Andrew Koman, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

    While these injuries may not be career-limiting, they will have an impact on hand function and sensation as the catcher ages, Koman said.

    Gloves currently used by professional catchers do not adequately protect the hand from repetitive trauma says a study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American). 2005;87:1464-1469.

    Background: Repetitive trauma to the hand is a concern for baseball players. The present study investigated the effects of repetitive trauma and the prevalence of microvascular pathological changes in the hands of minor league professional baseball players. In contrast to previous investigators, we documented the presence of abnormalities in younger, asymptomatic individuals.

    Methods: Thirty-six baseball players on active minor league rosters underwent a history and physical examination of both hands as well as additional specialized tests, including Doppler ultrasound, a timed Allen test, determination of digital brachial pressure indices, and ring sizing of fingers. Data were compared between gloved hands and throwing hands, hitters and nonhitters, and players at four different positions (catcher [nine subjects], outfielder [seven subjects], infielder [five subjects], and pitcher [fifteen subjects]).

    Results: Digital brachial indices in the ring fingers of the gloved (p < 0.05) and throwing hands (p < 0.02) of catchers were significantly diminished compared with those in all other players. Doppler testing showed a significantly greater prevalence of abnormal flow in the ulnar artery at Guyon's canal when catchers were compared with other position players (p < 0.01). Doppler abnormalities were significantly more common in the gloved hand compared with the throwing hand (p < 0.05). Seven of nine catchers (and only catchers) were found to have index finger hypertrophy (average change, two ring sizes; p < 0.01); the hypertrophy occurred at the proximal phalanx and the proximal interphalangeal joint of the gloved hand. Catchers had a significantly higher prevalence of subjective hand symptoms (specifically, weakness in the gloved hand) compared with pitchers and infielders/outfielders (44% compared with 7% and 17%, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Microvascular changes are present in the hands of otherwise healthy professional baseball players in all positions, with a significantly higher prevalence in catchers, prior to the development of clinically important ischemia. Repetitive trauma resulting from the impact of the baseball also leads to digital hypertrophy in the index finger of the gloved hand of catchers.

    Flap’s son is a baseball catcher and although not a professional has caught a good number of innings (over multiple seasons), since the age of 8 (he is 19 now and plays American Legion ball). His gloved hand is often bruised and his index finger is usually exposed outside his glove.

    Technology needs to develop padding or glove material that is flexible enough to be used in a one handed catching environment.

    Hat Tip: Medgadget

  • Dentistry

    Dr. Shad Lewis: Deployment to Iraq

    Flap has learned that his friend and colleague Dr Shad Lewis from Pennsylvania will be deployed with the Army National Guard to Iraq beginning in February 2006.

    Check out his blog here:

    I Was Called To Serve In Iraq

    Many of you, my patients, don’t know that I am a Captain and dentist in the Army National Guard.

    I was called late Thursday, about 2 weeks ago, and informed that I will be deploying to Iraq beginning February 23, 2006 and leaving there on June 9, 2006 – returning to the area about a week later.

    What this means to you: Nothing. My practice will be covered those 4 months by a few of the other dentists I serve with. I, myself, am helping cover their offices right now.

    I opened my practice in the Reading, Wyomissing and Berks County Area because I wanted to provide you with comfortable and personal dental care. And I would like to continue doing that. The last thing I would want to have happen is for me to close up and leave the area.

    Here’s what I need and ask of you: Continue your appointments as scheduled. There’s no need to cancel them, or reschedule until I return. That will only hurt things. The dentists that will be helping out are all very competent, and most of all, nice and gentle. Your continued referrals are always greatly appreciated – All of you have been wonderful with referring your family and friends.

    I will provide more information as it develops.

    Thanks for your help.

    Thank you for your service, Shad!

    For all of you dentists licensed in Pennsylvania go and help him out.

    Flap knows you will be glad you did!

  • Health

    Zeno Zit Zapper: Redux

    Flap reported on the Zeno Zit Zapper in June:

    Check out this new device for zapping acne zits the Zeno Zit Zapper:

    Zeno is a handheld, portable electronic medical device that is clinically proven to make pimples disappear fast. In an FDA-reviewed, controlled clinical trial, 90% of blemishes treated with Zeno disappeared or faded within 24 hours…

    Zeno is a clinically proven handheld (rechargeable) medical device. It is not a medication or a laser. It uses a medical heat dose treatment on individual acne blemishes in people with mild to moderate acne. It is best-suited to treat newly emerging blemishes – the ones where you can just feel a new bump forming under the skin. Zeno delivers a precisely controlled dose of heat to the area for 2-1/2 minutes. Dr. Crutchfield recommends treating blemishes 2-4 times, at least one hour apart, over the first 4-12 hours of a blemish’s appearance. It works by destroying bacteria and shortening the pimple’s life cycle significantly. Crutchfield also believes that it also increases blood flow in the area of the blemish and promotes quicker healing.

    Crutchfield’s data and website photos suggest that mild to moderate acne is indeed susceptible to “the science of heat.”

    Hummmm the device is a bit pricey at $225.00 but when you need it – well you need it!

    Now there is more.

    MSNBC has a piece, Acne device off to smooth start:

    Tyrell Inc. has a knack for picking the right spots at the right time.

    On June 1, the local company got the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale of a new acne treatment device.

    The product, called Zeno, was launched the same day, and early demand has outpaced existing supply since then.

    The initial success doesn’t come as a surprise to Wally Klemp, president and CEO of Tyrell, who believes “there is so much need” to treat acne, the most common skin disease in America.

    But taking a product from proof of concept to sales status in a period of just 12 months does constitute a speed “virtually unheard of” in the medical device market, Klemp says.

    He notes that the company has received hundreds of orders from dermatologists in Texas and surrounding areas following FDA clearance a month ago.

    Although Zeno has been approved for over-the-counter sale, the product initially will be marketed only through medical offices and spas.

    And the Washington Post has this story, Zit Zapper:

    Mop-Up Chevy Chase cosmetic dermatologist Tina West plans to sell the device to her patients. Instead of requesting an “emergency treatment” — a cortisone injection — when a nasty pimple appears, as five to 10 patients a week do, she said, they can use the Zeno. Georgetown University Hospital dermatologist Paula Bourelly is skeptical, noting that the only data supporting Zeno come from the manufacturer. She doesn’t plan to recommend Zeno. For patients already being treated with oral or topical medication, she said, “breakthrough acne may indicate a need for better therapy. This is a quick fix.”

    Finally, Cruchfield Dermatology has this piece on their website, including a video from a local NBC television affiliate station.

    Although a quick fix, Flap predicts massive sales when the device is retailed to Costco and Wal-Mart.

  • Terrorists

    London: Barbaric Terrorist Attacks

    LONDON – Four blasts rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing in the worst attack on London since World War II. Three U.S. law enforcement officials said at least 40 people were killed and London hospitals reported more than 350 wounded in the terror attacks.

    The World responds to London terrorism:

    At Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI called the attacks “barbaric acts against humanity,” and said in a telegram to Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, archbishop of Westminster, that he was praying for families of the victims.

    In Denmark, former Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft said what others were remembering with likely dread: “This is the continuation of Sept. 11 and the attacks in Madrid … No one can feel safe.”

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said terror attacks demand universal condemnation and unity, according to a Kremlin spokesman. Moscow officials ordered stepped-up security measures for the Russian capital’s underground transportation system, a subway official said.

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stressed the need for fighting terrorism “with all the means at our disposal.”

    Australia’s national counterterrorism group met late Thursday, and Canberra set up a hot line for relatives of the hundreds of thousands Australians who live in Britain.

    In Turkey, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul urged greater international cooperation against terrorism, saying it is a mistake “if we make a distinction between ‘my terrorist and his terrorist.'”

    Our thoughts and prayers are with our British friends!

    America stands with you!