Working with Boost
I checked out their website via Google cache.

What a difference a day makes - this must have all looked pretty cool on Friday.

"We've been called 'easy' and 'super responsive'. We've even been called 'nice' to work with. But the best thing that client's say is that they 'don't have to worry' when working with us. We get the best out of our clients by helping them to get the best out of Boost.

To ensure that your project succeeds we follow a simple five stage process: discover, plan, design, construct, and launch"

Guess your clients do worry about you now.

I hope you'll be explaining what's what to your mates at ACC tomorrow.

Looks like you got the phasing wrong on the bloodyidiot, idiocy.
Launch, construct, discover, design, plan seems to be the phasing evident...

Earth.Google.Com

This is a really cool product and fantastic time waster.

The masters at Google are now integrating maps, GIS and Satellite images. While you can go anywhere; the UK, Canada and USA are at the highest resolution with additional detail.

Google Earth streams the world over wired and wireless networks enabling users to virtually go anywhere on the planet and see places in photographic detail. This is not like any map you have ever seen. This is a 3D model of the real world, based on real satellite images combined with maps, guides to restaurants, hotels, entertainment, businesses and more. You can zoom from space to street level instantly and then pan or jump from place to place, city to city, even country to country.

This image is a .jpg I cut from Google of our house in when we lived in Cambridge, England. The house is exact centre of the photo with a car out front. I found it by putting in the Post Code - Google Earth took me straight there...bloody impressive

This is a most impressive product. My mind is boggling at the applications. What we have here is layers apon layer of data - available free. The potential is limitless - no need to book the chopper next week for the éye-o-meter survey of land for development. Just do the initial run from the desktop.

Great images of New Zealand - not yet the same resolution/detail as the UK though. e.g I can't pick my house in Remuera.

Victory for Bloggers
Aaron Bhatnagar blogged today regarding a website that described Don Brash as a "desperate, divisive and dishonest politician"

Talk about PKB (pot, kettle, black)

It didn't take Sherlock and Dr Watson (Bhatnagar and Gman) long to smell a Labour rat behind this and as described at Sir Humphrey's :

If there's financial corruption surrounding Labour it will involve their propaganda firms. After all, Labour relies on propaganda to spread its lies, attack its enemies and keep the population calm. The other beneficiaries of Labour's largesse are the free-to-air TV companies and related advertising agencies, and we all know how fair and bias-free news coverage on TV3 and TVNZ is.

The Victory - Boost's website has been taken down. Boost's owner, saying lamely that the site was not his but he knew who was behind it - Yeah Right - so do we - Pete Hodgson and the rest of the Labour "strategy" team

Bloggers 1 - Labour 0

Be interesting to see if this hits the MSM.

Well done Aaron and Gman

For the record the Domain owner of the website, Boost has these major Government contracts

Boost's major Government contracts (from their website):

• 'Leading for Outcomes' - Ministry of Health
• Audit New Zealand
• 'Public Health Surveillance' - for ESR and the Ministry of Health
• 'Up the creek' - for DoC
• Taiaha CD-ROM for Learning Media
• Spell Right! - for the NZ Council of Education Research
• ACC Health Providers CDROM - ACC
• Dealing with Injuries DVD - ACC

Live Suicide Bombers in Police Custody - a Goldmine

With the bombers in custody their worth to the Police and intelligence services is probably priceless. The interrogation will be interesting. The Times today suggests subtle techniques will be required to nail the suspects. Professor David Canter, the Director of the Centre for Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool writes:

...Now they (Police) have the much more difficult task of getting the bombers to talk. The information revealed could do more to help prevent similar atrocities than any amount of random searches or electronic screening.

...The investigation must therefore move into the much more subtle psychological process of question and coaxed answer. ...but there is little experience of getting failed suicide bombers to open up and reveal how they were lured into such drastic acts and by whom.

...if they do their job sensibly they will realise that they have two great advantages.

...First, they can learn a great deal about the bombers before they talk to them. They could know the lives of these men from birth, if the same effort is now put into preparing to interview as was put into finding the culprits. This will help the interviewers to bring the bombers into the reality of their situation and help them to see themselves as members of a community, not outcasts who must stay silent for ever.

...also, there is the curious fact that they cannot be charged with the ultimate crime of murder, but something lesser, such as intent to cause harm, so they have much to gain by helping the police.

...The main problem the police will now be facing is the onslaught of the world’s media and the desperate fear that more outrages will be perpetrated precisely because alleged bombers are in custody. But if interviewers succumb to these pressures they will sacrifice the opportunity these arrests now give them.

...Time will be the main tool they have in drawing out the bombers, allowing these men to come to terms with their circumstances, encouraging them to realise that rejoining the land of the living and offering an account of their grievances could do more for their cause than killing innocent bystanders.

UN Expert states New Zealand has terror linked Muslim groups

A world-renowned al-Qaeda expert Dr Rohan Gunaratna confirms Islamic extremist groups are operating in New Zealand.

Singapore-based Gunaratna, led the specialist team that designed and built the United Nations database on al-Qaeda and the Taliban's mobility, finance and weapons. He has also briefed the UN Secretary-General's high-level panel on terrorism.

He said there were about 10 groups linked to international Islamic terror networks operating out of New Zealand cities. There are a number of groups raising funds, doing propaganda and recruiting for jihad groups," he said.

"They never operate under their own names, but are in both Muslim and non-Muslim groups."

Gunaratna said the Government was aware of the groups and some were under investigation.

Update:
UN story blogged also at Gman inc. and Sir Humphrey's

Sir Umps has an interesting link .

Confirmed African Connection in London Bombings

All four July 21 backpack bombers are believed to be in police custody.

British police have confirmed they have arrested three bombers and Italian interior ministry reports it had seized the fourth bomber in Rome. They named him as Hussain Osman, a Somali-born man believed to be the Westbourne Park bomber.

In an impressive demonstration of detective work and global cooperation all four men suspected of trying to blow up targets in London transport on July 21 are alive and in the hands of the authorities.

Yasin Hussein Omar, the suspected Warren St Tube bomber, was shot with a stun gun and arrested in a dawn raid on a house in Birmingham on Wednesday.

The Italian authorities announced Somali-born Osman Hussain, a naturalized British citizen, was picked up by Italian police after they intercepted mobile calls between Hussain and his brother in Italy - leading them to Hussain.

In another development,Haroon Rashid Aswat, the possible mastermind was captured in Zambia yesterday, having entered via Zimbabwe.

The Zambian connection points to the influence of Zimbabwe in this nasty and developing scene.

Mugabe's regime is a functioning criminal enterprise that gives support and shelter to a range of international criminal organizations - including al Qaeda. Zimbabwe's regime has the means to control entry and exist points, access to government perks such as diplomatic passports, and protection by the security forces.

With two other suspects originally from East Africa, the growing role of Sub-Saharan Africa in al Qaeda's emphasis and infrastructure is highlighted - as I blogged yesterday.

The concerning feature of the Somalian connection is the bombers were naturalised Britons having arrived as refugees a long time ago. In a departure from recent thinking these people were not street chanting radicals. They were to most observers leading their new lives as Britons.

I hope our security services are learning at the same speed as the Brits. Radical fundamentalism has no boundaries - we have a large cohort of African muslim refugees already in New Zealand.

Are there serpents hiding amongst them? While it sticks in my craw - Peters has a point.

The time for denial is long done.

Does New Zealand have a security problem with East African muslim refugees?

Readers will recall my earlier blogs paralleling Ahmed Zaoui and the suspects in the London bombings. I noted Zaoui and some of the London terorists had started as refugees and became beneficiaries of the state giving them shelter.

They went to Britain seeking sanctuary from famine and war in East Africa, receiving assistance, education and help from the state - calling Britain home.

Yesterday, Yasin Hassan Omar and Muktar Said Ibrahim - suspected bombers who tried to cause carnage in the country they had made their home - were the subject of a huge police hunt.

Omar received thousands of pounds in state benefits.

What is the Roll of (Dis)Honour for east africa?

• 1993 Somali gunmen killed US soldiers and shot down a Black Hawk helicopter in Mogadishu
• 1998 Bombers attacked US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam
• 2002 Bombers attacked a hotel in Mombasa where Israeli tourists were stayin
• all bombers accessing through Somalia.
• 2003 a new, more ruthless Islamic radical group set up in Mogadishu, led by Aden Hashi Ayro, a young militia leader who received training in Afghanistan.
• Hashi's group has murdered four foreign aid workers between October 2003 and April 2004

The second London bombing suspect, Muktar Said Ibrahim, comes from Eritrea and is linked to the radical Islamic movements through Eritrean Islamic Jihad.

New Zealand has received significant refugee inflows from Somalia and other countries on the Horn of Africa - recently described as the Crucible for Islamic Extremism.

Remember Ahmed Zaoui?
He just fetched up in NZ having boarded an aircraft in Malaysia with false documentation which he destroyed en route. Zaoui has been convicted of terrorism related offences in his home country (North Africa's Algeria) and sentenced to death. Belgium has convicted him of being the head of a terrorist organisation. He was expelled from Switzerland by the Swiss authorities. Algeria has sentenced him to death in absentia.
France convicted him of associating with terrorits after September 11, 2001
Ref: Wikipedia

New Zealand's authorities need to take great care to ensure there is no possibility of muslim terrorists operating from its territory. All the precursors seem to be there. How can we be sure the Somalian connections already here are benign and peace loving?

Worryingly the refugees in Britain seemed fully integrated into (their) community, playing soccer, receiving welfare etc. There is no evidence yet on why they turned into bombers. Not a lot different is going on here.

Labour's Debt Calculator is Wrong

DPF and National's Bill English have spent time working with Labour's debt calculator and cannot get the results to reconcile with either IRD's calculator or the Retirement Commissioner's calculator. As you might guess Labour's results are widely short of the IRD's. Labour seem to have skewed the results to show a very rosy picture....

DPF has also published spreadsheets that expose the fallacious data Labour are spitting out.

This is scandalous - the more so because newspapers accepted Labour's publicity release on the Fees Bribe without question - as I blogged earlier, here, here and here.

UPDATE
One News in their mid evening update/promo have just trailed - Labour's debt calculator for students has mistakes raising major questions on credibility for Labour.

te hee we are getting traction!

UPDATE II
Duck admits their (Labour) calculator has a glitch...........

The Herald shows Cullen and Clark to be the most cynical, contemptuous and desperate politicians we have ever had.

The editorial in today's Herald has outlined the hypocrisy and desperation evident in the Labour bribe to Students, and Parents and Grandparents of Students.

Two months ago, New Zealanders were told by Cullen that notwithstanding a higher-than-expected surplus of $7.4 billion, economic circumstance gave no room for across-the-board tax cuts and the like... "The message of Budget 2005," he said "is that such large one-off packages will be rare over the foreseeable future unless accompanied by expenditure cuts or efficiency gains elsewhere within the state sector."

Two months later Cullen, Clark and the Duck launch a smirking, gleeful bomb on an unsuspecting electorate.

The Herald's best line - "yet only the cynical, the irresponsible and the scornful could contemplate a policy so out of tune with six worthy years of fiscal rectitude"

This a true case of 'gone by lunch time' - let's hope so.

Cullen, the Duck and Clark have been shown to be the most venal, craven and self driven set of politicians we have ever had the misfortune to endure.

Change the NZ Flag campaign dead

It was reported on One news tonight that Lloyd Morrison's campaign to get a referendum on changing the New Zealand flag has collapsed. Morrison blames apathy for failing to get sufficient volunteers to fill petitions.

For me the project was always going to fail. This story and the (related) republican debate have little traction in New Zealand. To suggest confusion with Australia's flag is a sad indictment on personal education standards- and particularly a less than rudimentary standard of vexillology. For a start the Australian flag has more stars and they are white - ours are red.

If flag confusion is the subject try the Russian Federation and the Netherlands see above.

FYI - Russia is on the Left (funny that!)

Herald suckered by Labour - exposed by NBR.

A simply appalling piece of journalism in the Herald is fisked by the NBR. Goldie (the star turn in a Herald article highlighting Labour's $300M election bribe on student loans) is actually the Labour Man on campus at Auckland Uni. No mention whatsoever by the Labour spin doctor, sorry Herald reporter Ainsley Thomson, of Goldie's red connections.

It was either breathtakingly irresponsible of the Herald to make no independent checks of a story (and the relevant numbers) placed by Clark's spin doctors or the most craven piece of left wing luvving at the Herald since, since, ... well, since John Armstrong wrote a story.

Even the most ignorant journalist should have had their bs antenna up and twinkling when it was alleged Goldie (in year 3 of a 4 year BSc - normally not an expensive degree) would save $80,000 under labour....puhlease.

Plan B
If my worst fears are realised and Labour get up then I'll be left with having to execute Plan B.

Plan A was we will fund whatever the expense is for our children to attend University. As we do with school fees now.

Plan B is - continue with Plan A and assist our children to draw down their interest free loans to the max and invest the cheap capital (WACC = 0%) in a leveraged investment(s) - what I do in my day job anyway!

Lynley Hood in today's Herald has a rather useful piece of analysis on the failed Labour Government's tactics in the lead up to the 1990 General Election. Following sudden downturn in the polls Labour panicked and set about a dirty tricks campaign to try to emasculate National. Familiar?

Usefully for those of us on the right they have learned nothing. In a good example of institutional dimwittedness, many of the same players are still around the Cabinet table - older, greyer and presumably more arrogant and conceited.

The 1988 strategy
Objectives
* To stop National being perceived as a viable alternative Government.

* To create a weak, destabilised and demoralised National caucus.

* To render a Winston Peters-Ruth Richardson combination impossible.

Seen elements of this somewhere recently?

Tactics were outlined in Cabinet papers for execution...

One page of negative comments about National "to be repeated constantly" ("negative - no policy alternatives, whingers"; "a divided party - couldn't govern"; "Promises - where's the money coming from?" "no team to govern") and two pages of negative comments about National MPs ("key lines to be repeated").

The recommended lines for National's "top tier" MPs were: "[Jim] Bolger - not up to being PM - a lame duck leader - weak, boring, timid, gutless - trying to 'sleepwalk to victory', repeat other Winston lines"; "ignore McKinnon - 'Don Who?' "; "discredit Richardson - inconsistent, expedient (for business comments) - naive, impractical (electorate); [Bill] Birch as 'shadow treasurer' "; "destroy Peters - no policies, lacking in substance - arrogant - flashy, superficial - a third party appeal, now fading fast, shrill".

Advice regarding "second tier" National MPs included, for Doug Graham, "ignore". There was also a category headed: "Nobble the 'wild cards' with some potential" "[Maurice] Williamson 'arrogant"'; "[Murray] McCully, 'selfish' ").

"Create a series of 'incidents' to exacerbate National's problems" (1. Aim at four by Christmas. 2. Develop an action plan, assigning Ministers to follow through specific aims in media strategies").

As Lynley asks,
"Call me naive, but I would have thought that the obvious lesson to learn from all this is that the strategy did not work. So why are they doing it again?"

The seriously deluded Labour Candidate for Pakuranga.

Michael Wood always publishes hagiographic spots about his darlings at the top in Labour and generally regurgitates a press release like a house prefect's monthly bulletin (I guess it is aspirational given he is only 24).

A recent monologue recounting his debate with National candidate Maurice Williamson is worth a laugh for the comments from the blogosphere - Mikey seemed to forget there may be other witnesses to the debate with a more circumspect appraisal of the merits of the arguments ventured on the night.

Also worth a review is his blog post Orewa II - wherein he predicts internal ructions at National as the party realises the election is 'unwinnable' destroying any progress and the good ship Labour continues on a 45% poll rating - a 10 point gap.

O Mikey a day is a long time in politics....how have you found the five months since Orewa?

Presumably his self appraisal and declaration as having 'astute judgement' is again being self appraised.

Incredible Spin From State TV

WTF is going on at State TV. Judy Bailey the 'mom of the nation' and grossly overpaid autocue reader is according to senior sources at TVNZ in the box seat for her contract negotiations. I might add, these negotiations have not yet started!

The clowns quote her being ahead on popularity in focus groups....as if that matters more than a jot.

Hasn't the collapse of the Holmes following when he moved to Prime (as measured by audience) proved that TV One's audience sticks because of inertia and habit. This is their big chance to get the salary to reflect worth.

It smells to me like the wimps at TVNZ and the Smarmy one are preparing us for either a rollover or extended term. Why else would we have the CEO and deputy Chairman quoted?

The sooner State TV is flogged off the better. Commercial shareholders wouldn't stand for this - and certainly Management would not need to trail their negotiation through the general media.

They all look like a bunch of dorks.

Labour's politicisation of all aspects of life in New Zealand continues apace. Labour look and behave more Stalinist by the day.

Dr Cullen the non lawyer Attorney-General is reported in the NBR to have refused the appointment to QC of a senior and highly respected Wellington lawyer - his grounds - the potential appointee is standing for parliament ......for National.

This shocking news is followed by a report in the SST today a masters student has been sufficiently frightened by heavying at the Ministry of Health to pull a research paper that questioned the cost benefit of the meningococcal vaccine programme (conclusions congruent with a Treasury report at the same time I might add).

Hat tip: Ross Browne

Finally seeing some sense and balance from a Herald columnist. Jim Eagles reviews the 90's and the dogma laden statements from Clark and Co, demonising the decade.

From that decade we can give thanks for the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Reserve Bank Act 1989 which gave the central bank independence - two key pieces of legislation Dr Cullen now uses as the backdrop to "prove" 'his responsible and prudent economic management'.

Where would we be now without the restructuring of the 80's and 90's?

The anti- Privatisation agenda of Labour deserves more analysis. We should recall that 18 months before Air New Zealand collapsed, a major shareholder, Singapore Airlines, approached Cullen seeking to recapitalise the airline. Cullen refused. Unbelievable really - refusing one of the world's premiere airlines taking a significant minority position. The upshot was 18 months later Cullen had to bail the show out for $885million. If he had played his cards more wisely, it would have been Singapore's money (if the Ansett collapse transpired) not the tax payers.

Great week skiing in Wanaka. The team at Cardrona have done a tremendous loaves and fishes act, with the meagre snow on hand. On piste was great skiing but off-piste was very limited.

Unable to blog much once a few compulsories were had at the Cardrona Hotel at days end - easier to go on for dinner and collapse apres ski.

Off to Wanaka

Skiing with the family at Cardrona where conditions are turning up nicely, and hopefully at Treble Cone once they get more snow.

Blogging as time allows.

Yippee

This is why Labour have lost all credibility and National will be able to cut taxes.

An unbelievable, useless, waste of time and money. Imagine the meetings, flunkies, briefings and other shit gathered around this project.

To think I pay 39 cents in the dollar for this crap.

Ironically the kids know it 'neway' - they don't need an overindulged useless group of sods in Wellington to interpret it fo' them.

Gotta be a Smarmy one special.

(Hat Tip: No Turning Left)

Gman condemns the vandalism of Mosques in New Zealand, as a thoughtless and ill conceived link with the London atrocities.

I have been troubled that our response to both the bombing and the NZ vandalism is all too gentle and 'full of hope'. The condemnation while deserved does bear deeper thinking.

We seem devoid in New Zealand, outside the blogosphere, of lucent, cogent discussion on the rapidly changing theographic shape of the western world. Charles Moore in today's Daily Telegraph has identified the disfunction between dealing with the immediacy and recovery of the incident and the lethargy and disbelief of the both the authorities and the general public to deal with the surge of Islam in countries where it has been until a generation ago, foreign.
He writes:

...there seems to me to be a radical disjunction between our heroic capacity to deal with the immediate effects of terrorism and our collective refusal to confront what lies behind it. The effects of this disjunction are, literally, fatal.

He notes the terrible lethargy of what we are up against:

We flap around, looking for moderates and giving them knighthoods, making placatory noises, putting bits of Islam on to the multi-faith menu in schools, banishing Bibles from hospital beds, trying to criminalise the expression of "religious hatred", blaming George Bush and Tony Blair.

In New Zealand we are seeing the same responses and the lack of either decent analysis of the issues or a realisation of what it is we confront and what the possible solutions might be. Have we learned nothing from the 265 year squabble about the Treaty?

This is the danger - Moore again:

...if we do not know the way the faith in question works, its history, its quarrels, its laws and demands, we will not have the faintest chance of distinguishing the true moderate from the fellow-traveller or of bearing down on the fanaticism.

The faith Mohammed taught does not just hope that the world will become Muslim. It wants all human society and politics to be governed by religious law: it draws no distinction between the secular and religious sphere (except to condemn the secular).

Do we have in New Zealand, as Moore finds in Britain?...,

So we have in our midst a religious minority in a state of ferment, and somewhere inside it a number of people (though a tiny proportion of the whole) who want to kill the rest of us.

We should condemn the Mosque desecration in the strongest possible terms - we should also ensure that there is no chance of the sort of 'goings on' the British now find within their midst. Not all Muslims are terrorists but this time around all terrorists are Muslim.

It doesn't need much reminding to recall the zoo that has surrounded Ahmed Zaoui since his unauthorised arrival in New Zealand. This man convicted of crimes against his state turns up in New Zealand without any documentation at all. The security services quickly establish his identity and declare him to be a significant 'security risk'. That should have been the end of the matter - he should have been on the first flight out. He is not a New Zealander and has no prior connection with New Zealand.

Those same security services are the 'thin blue line' we expect is protecting New Zealand against a London atrocity. How can we feel safe if the first time they find a 'live one' the attack goes on to the security apparatus, not the what, the why and the how of how Zaoui got here.

Worrying really.

Leaked HM Government papers show the extent of Islamisation in UK life

Leaked papers covered in The Sunday Times this weekend reveal the depth of Al-Qaeda recruiting in Britain. The recruits are not recent migrants from the Middle East but as the former Commander of the Metropolitan Police, Lord Stevens noted over the weekend,

up to 3,000 British-born or British-based people had passed through Osama Bin Laden’s training camps.

Counter Terrorism Blog takes a different view of the Sunday Times leak - recommending the ending of the Visa Waiver Programme for entry to the US by many countries - New Zealand being one.

The US is concerned that the high level of recruiting Al-Qaeda trainees in 'friendly' countries (eg the UK) renders useless the assumption the citizens of that country will travel to the US without malice. For countries without the Waiver programme the US relies on formal interviews (for a visa) by a consular officer in the country where the application is made, not on arrival in the US.

The hunt is continuing for the mastermind and a focus has gone on Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, 46, a Syrian with joint Spanish nationality who lived in North London in the mid-1990s.

Nasar "has form": he left Britain to start up a terror training camp in Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks where he groomed scores of young British recruits.

Helen Clark booed at the Rugby

Like Gman I almost forgot to blog that at the rugby last night Helen Clark was booed when introduced at the closing presentation. This was remarkable as the crowd was generally very good natured with a lot of goodwill from all sides. I can only suggest that she is detested in Auckland - such was the immediate, visceral reaction to her name being announced. (Hat Tip: Gman)

Did anyone else note the NZ Herald article reporting two suicide bombers killed at HSBC Tower Canary Wharf London?

The NZ Herald reported 9 July the shooting by police of two 'suicide bombers' outside the HSBC tower at Canary Wharf in London.

"...A New Zealander working for Reuters in London says two colleagues witnessed the unconfirmed shooting by police of two apparent suicide bombers outside the HSBC tower at Canary Wharf in London...."

I have not seen a follow up article nor anything in the MSM. A google search reveals little as well.

Anyone have an inkling into this?

Rather a mystery.

Shades of Ahmed Zaoui

In a remarkable and eerie parallel with NZ's own convicted terrorist Ahmed Zaoui, the London bombing suspect Guerbouzi is living on the State while his lawyer racks up enormous revenue from legal aid for him and other terror suspects.

His wife collects more than £1,000 a month in income support and housing benefit from the UK Government.

Guerbouzi is represented by controversial Muslim rights lawyer Miss Muddassar Arani. The lawyer hit the headlines in the UK in 2004 when it emerged she had earned more than £200,000 in legal aid representing clients facing terror charges.

Zaoui's counsel have racked up huge bills on Zaoui's behalf in NZ. No doubt Ms Manning is only in it for the experience!

"Whether one likes it or not Zaoui has been convicted of terrorist crimes in two fellow OECD countries - Belgium and France. Now those convictions may be shonky, but at the very least they require us to be very very cautious" - David Farrar

More on the North African Connection

Add a Wimbeldon (or is it Willsden?) based Saudi Doctor to your list. Dr al-Fagih has had his assets frozen by the Bank of England after being implicated in global terrorism by the US Treasury. Allegations include the supply of satellite phones to Bin Laden for the bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.

The claim of responsibility for the London bombings by a group calling itself "The Secret Organisation of al-Qa'ida in Europe", was posted on a website run by London based Dr al-Fagih.

MI5 Seek Extradition of North African from France

The name is not released but the individual fled across the Channel after the attacks.

This new suspect arises as the earliest suspect Mohammed Al-Guerbouzi appeared on Al-Jazeera TV, protesting his innocence, but with his face blacked out.

This makes the key suspects known at present to be Mohammed Al-Guerbouzi, Mohammed Al-Guerbouzi and the unidentified subject of the extradition request.

Moroccan Mohamed Guerbouzi Still London Bombing Suspect

British and European authorities have widened their search for the asylum seeker Mohammed Guerbouzi, granted British nationality in 1994. He has been heavily implicated in the Madrid bombings last year and now the London atrocities.

Guerbouzi was already wanted by French and Moroccan authorities before the Madrid attacks for his alleged links to various terrorist cells abroad.

This person has gone to ground. His credentials appear impeccable, including the Moroccan authorities passing a 20-year jail sentence on him in his absence for organising the Al-Qaeda attacks in 2003 in Casablanca that killed 44.

A student of militant and extremist moslem clerics in the UK who have recently been released in Britain, Guerbouzi is a real worry. As he carries a British passport and has no criminal record, Guerbouzi is well placed to mastermind attacks throughout the UK and Europe.

He is joined on the Wanted List with other suspects:
Mustafa Setmarian Nasar , the alleged mastermind of last year's Madrid railway bombings, - also goes by the name Abu Musab al-Suri. Nasar, a Syrian fugitive, was indicted in Spain in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US.

Gman suggests the bomb didn't go off on the bus. The limited damage and loss of life (2 fatalities I think) was a result of the detonator going off in a bungled bombing. Leaving a bomb and maybe a bomber for the Police.

I comment at Gman that the bus shows no sign of 5kg or 5lbs of high explosive, but the trains do. Trains are designed for much higher dynamic forces and impacts than cars, trucks and buses, because of the much higher dynamic forces in a collision. A survivable impact by 500 ton trains colliding at 120km/hr is probably the design limit - they need to be built strongly. Yet, the trains show significant explosive damage - admittedly to the sides where they are less strong, but there were eye witness accounts of flames and certainly the soot and burning could be seen on the victims; of which there is no sign as Gman notes on the bus.

Gman's analysis has not been picked up CT yet - he should standby for the call.

(Double Hat Tip and a bow for Gman)

The Finger is Pointing at North African Muslim Terror Groups

Steven Emerson of Counter Terrorism on MSNBC on the London Attacks said:

"Increasingly it's looking as, a British intelligence official told me this morning, like ‘Our North African boys’, meaning some of the North African type of militant Muslim groups."

"...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..."

British police have asked European counterparts for information about Moroccan national Mohamed Guerbouzi (a.k.a. Abu Aissa)- 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 (Hat Tip:Evan Kohlman)

The connection with Algeria suggests New Zealand officials should (re)look closely at the credentials of Muslim Terror group member, Algerian, Ahmed Zoui.

Safety first - Kick him out.

Many will say Why?

Well here's why.

Evan Kohlman again, 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.

That's why - these guys live amongst us then spurn the hands that feed them.

Excellent resource on the London atrocity and on counter terrorism over at Sir Humphrey's. They are doing a great job. Excellent reportage and links and photos not shown on MSM. The photos taken on the trains, (presumably PXT) in the gloom are sobering and also reflect the quiet response of the victims trapped at the scene. Courageous stuff, not knowing if there were more to go off or what was happening.

Seems Police have narrowed the bombs down to 5kg size with timing devices and or cell phone activation.

A couple of unexploded devices found as well later in the morning. Should make the trace and trace job a little easier.

In my mind's eye I can see the mullahs and other hate speakers packing their bags in a hurry - while of course seeking legal aid...and the support of their local council...

What is it with the Left?

Blogging on the London atrocity, Bloggreen says it is not who did it but why they did it. What a load of shit.

Whoever is responsible and let's have them in the general category of Islamofascists are hell bent on changing the world as we know it; the world that tolerates the sort of crap people like Bloggreen write.

Earlier he blogged on the "fantastic protest" going on in Gleneagles against the Police.

Well let me say this - last night we saw the finest Police force(s) in the world going about their business professionally, effectively and without fuss. Watching it Live I could not help but think how impressive and understated the various agencies were working. Fantastic.

A complete reality check for the Leftie nonsense from Bloggreen, who seems to have a problem identifying who the bad guys are:

Here for you to see is his ptolemaic, cliche ridden and frankly sickening 'prose'.

"...While we hear fuck all of what's going on over there (G8) through our media, bar some stories skimming over the issues being dealt with inside the meeting rooms. There is some ABSOLUTELY AMAZING resistance going on over there. The police have naturally been out in full force, riot squad gears, abusing powers, specifically targetting clearly-marked medics and generally playing the role of state funded corporate security guards...."

Is this guy on the same planet as the rest of us - Abusing powers, Police targetting medics? Puhleaze?

Yep, bloggreen the "state funded corporate security guards" did a marvellous job last night and they'll be doing the same today and tomorrow.

Isn't that blogger and all of his ilk are just lucky we live in a "benign security environment".....not sure we could mount an eighth of the response of the Met in similar circumstances. Worrying really.

David Farrar chose his time well to go to Europe. Will be interesting to get his perspective on his travels.

London Bombings

The reported casualty figures are either massively fortuitous or we have way worse to come.

Knowing the area well and these railway stations intimately it is staggering to think that the numbers are so low.

Seems hospitalised casualties are confirmed at 180-odd with 20 critical/serious. There is a God and he ain't a moslem.

Maybe this is the tipping point where the west finally resolve to unite in the war on the Islamofascists. It will be too trite for words to suggest that the reasons for the attacks are because Blair and Bush are on the same patch. Putin, Schroeder and Chirac need to come on board and quick.

What will become known shortly is the perpetrators did not arrive in Central London this morning on the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow - having taken the red-eye from Jeddah. These evil people will have been in country for sometime. Likely on welfare payments from their council being fired up by their local Mullah.

Closer to home, we should be more circumspect about who we let in and for how long.

The caravan surrounding Zoui should be dismantled and forced to decamp. He should be sent back to whence he came - Malaysia I think, was where he departed for NZ on his second to last flight (his last being the trip back to KL) . Let them worry about him. His wife and kids are there waiting anyway.

Swain just needs to say, "Too Big a Risk", we're not sure who you are and send him packing. Tomorrow would be a good day. If they can deal wih Peron on the basis of incomplete documentation, they can surely deal with a known security risk, who had no documentation ("I ate my passport officer") but on investigation has form in islamofascist circles. Just need some cojones Paul. Do it.

I blogged wondering what would be the most memorable song from Live8. I am still waiting. Nothing stuck out. The renta-mob at Gleneagles the past couple of days will overshadow Live8 by miles. Loser's is right.

However while pondering Live8 and the exhortations of Geldof, Bono, Eltie, Paul and company I have had misgivings about the messages behind the entire event.

I have been wondering where the $400Billion already given in aid to the African continent has gone, and what was there to show for it? Why are we confident it won't get pee'd away again - or worse go straight into the hands of the bad guys.

The globalist in me thinks free trade (as in truly free, without barriers) would be worth 100 times the value of a debt cut to the peoples of Africa and I wonder why the recording artists don't see it the same way. They know the value of their work - U2 and the Rolling Stones are still touring - to keep the cash machine topped up, because P2P filesharing is their ongoing nightmare - subsidised (free) music to the teens of the globe.

Is the issue similar for less developed countries having to compete with the huge subsidies paid to farmers in the richest economies on earth.

Bush is onto it - spiking the guns of the Eurocrats by saying he will stop farm subsidies if the Europeans do likewise.

Mark Steyn has put the issues about the aristorockracy, of Sir Elton, Sir Bob, Sir Paul and the rest....together in most readable column. Steyn points out Linda McCartney's lawyers on her death managed to have her domicile for death duty purposes moved from the UK to Manhattan, 3,000 miles away. The benefit? Avoiding death duties of a sum greater than the first Live Aid concert raised, $50Million pounds. Not that I am bothered about the McCartney's tax arrangements - pre or post humously. Seems ironic that's all.

What has changed since LiveAid is, as Steyn notes ...." the Live8 bonanza (is) misguided. Two decades ago, Sir Bob was at least demanding we give him our own fokkin' money. This time round, all he was asking was that we join him into bullying the G8 blokes to give us their taxpayers' fokkin' money."

While the simplicity of the Live8 message was beguiling it did not take much to peel away the layers of hypocisy or scrape the tarmac from the road of good intentions. Steyn again,

"...Africa is a hard place to help. I had a letter from a reader the other day who works with a small Canadian charity in West Africa. They bought a 14-year-old SUV for 1,500 Canadian dollars to ferry food and supplies to the school they run in a rural village. Customs officials are demanding a payment of $8,000 before they'll release it."

...Yet, throughout the weekend's events, Dave Gilmour and Co were too busy Rocking Against Bush to spare a few moments to Boogie Against Bureaucracy or Caterwaul Against Corruption or Ululate Against Usurpation. Instead, Madonna urged the people to "start a revolution". Like Africa hasn't had enough of those these past 40 years?"

"The rockers demand we give our fokkin' money to African dictators to manage, while they give their fokkin' money to Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts to manage. Which of those models makes more sense?"

It is worth a read.

I blogged earlier in the week that Zimbabwe was proving to be a test of political integrity and clear thinking. The announcement yesterday the Government was doing nothing to stop the Tour of Zimbabwe but would stop the tour by Zimbabwe reveals the venal and self serving behaviour of Labour - Clark and Goff in particular, with chirps from the boundary by Anderton.

I think the decision not to interfere was the right one. My concern is the political gadflies joining the debate late, with huge pink scales on their eyes. National joined the debate late as well, made a couple of foolish statements then wisely shot through and focussed on helping baby boomleters.

India is joining the same tournament as the Black Caps. The sporting curfew option is not getting global traction.

As I said before - where is the UN in this horrible situation in Zimbabwe? When is our own Teletubby, Booboo presenting NZ's case for direct action against Zimbabwe to the General Assembly? Surely she can add that to the other forlorn cause she generates air miles with - global disarmament (Aside: NZ's unilateral action to efffectively disarm itself (F16's etc) has not exactly started a global revolution...)

Today's NZ Herald editorial strongly criticises the Government for its red herrings and (basically dishonest) rhetoric. While NZ Cricket gets a serve as well, the big gun is trained on Goff and Co.

Labour thought there was mileage in Zimbabwe and sport - completely forgetting the dodgy human rights situation in many countries H1 has cuddled up to - Pakistan (H1 hosted the President a week or two ago) and China (her current new best friend), whose human and civil rights records bears no scrutiny, come quickly to mind.

Jordan Carter's and Michael Bargolias's contributions stank (if you will pardon the malaproprism, Bertrand).

The other interesting thing about all this is the old warhorses that have taken a feed of molasses and barley and resurrected old evils - John Minto (who I thought had died of his wounds) resurfaces to come out against the Cricketers - where has he been in the past five years while white farmers have been murdered and forced out of their properties? These people have no shame.

Watching clips of black Zimbabwe cricketers bowling against NZ on TV last night showed how stupid and sad the Government's plan is - why stop them coming here? They are not playing in cammo fatigues - we should give them an opportunity to make a statement against Mugabe. Let them earn some money away from Mugabe and his lunatics.

Finally, Goff and Co have not been honest about the uselessness of their rhetoric - the ICC is controlled by people who will enjoy sticking one up the old order of the Commonwealth/Empire. Hectoring them was never an option - Snedden knows this - and I'll bet so did (I am a friend of Martin)Anderton and Co.

Multilateral action at government level is the only option to rein in Mugabe. It won't be easy and the headlines will be few and far. That's what Foreign Affairs is all about.

Nice photo at Gman's - I guess Jacques will blame this on globalisation

London gets the 2012 Olympics

Paris lost out to the arch foe London. Barely a week has gone by since the Poms celebrated the winning of the Battle of Trafalgar 200 years ago over the French and Spanish naval fleets - (albeit now very PC - no winner in the re-inactment); the French are losers again to Les Rosbif's. This is proving to be a year from hell for Jacques Chirac.

Chirac's European Union vision is in tatters, the Euro is tanking, and now the Brits, about who he has personally been so scathing of late, have beaten him hands-down in a winner take all contest for who gets to spend gazillions on a Sports Festival.

Front runners for the last two years (probably self declared!) Paris had the winning snatched away at the final lap.

Hit the road Jacques!

Well done Seb.

This project will be good for London and Britain

Rule Britannia

Power Cuts Coming

The announcement a new combined cycle gas turbine is planned for Auckland does not solve the very serious issues regarding electricity supply and demand North of Taupo. The new plant, once operational will generate 280MW - given NZ's demand is growing at 150MW pa this new capacity gives at best two years respite to running out. As NZ is currently operating at 94% of capacity on peak days (assuming all sites are up), the evil day of demand exceeding supply is likely to be still inside the consent and build time.

An industry working group had agreed that demand this winter is likely to peak around 1990MW, but it was still prudent to plan for a level of 2060MW. The record, hit in late June 2005, and not generally the coldest month, was 1955MW, north of Huntly.

The maximum electricity supply for the region is 2130MW, according to Transpower.

My maths says the most optimistic scenario is a gap at the peak of 146MW - one years growth. That might get northern NZ through this winter. There is precious little head room - especially when the calculations assume all stations are up and running.

How can Mallard say "...fears of 2007 power cuts were "well off the mark"."

This is a serious issue and Labour appears to be hiding something under the carpet. This problem requires a 'whole of Government' approach working with industry. Denial is no solution.

Nor sadly is the new plant any more than a finger in the dyke if you will pardon the metaphor/cliche.

National have announced the first stage of their tax cut policy - introducing a new tax deduction for pre-school childcare costs. The policy will take effect on 1 April next year, and will cost an estimated $160 million per year.

This tax cut is interesting in that it is aimed squarely at second-income earners and employed sole parents - generally woman; a group Helen Clark has said she wants to get back to work. Stealing the emperor's(esses) clothes...

The cut appears significant as it will allow a deduction of the per child pre-school childcare costs of up to $5,000 per child. The maximum refund therefore is $1,650 per child. If the rest of the package is as judicious as this Cullen and Clark have their work cut out.

The clever touch is - at a stroke - this demonstrates; under National parents will make their own decisions for their families about who works and where and what child care arrangements are made. It lets people make their own choices.

The National policy is a stark contrast with the odious, welfarism and dependency of Labour's Working for Families bribe, sorry package.

The Zimbabwe Tour issue is proving to be the litmus test for the integrity and thinking ability of many commentators. Jordan Carter today said, "There is no issue of human rights involved in banning NZ sports bodies from touring dictatorial regimes. So long as such a policy was applied on an even handed basis, against all those countries where despotism is in place, I would have no problem with it as a matter of principle."

Does he read what he writes? Does he believe what he writes?

Jordan goes on to suggest China is potentially an issue...."does that apply? China? If to China, does that imply banning economic contact too (good bye FTA)?"

It seems he is suggesting that Human Rights policy could be suspended if there is a large/greater economic benefit? Huh; Isn't this the guts of the Left's criticism of Bush? That American foreign policy ignores human rights abuses if it is in America's interests.

He then meanders into even more dangerous territory suggesting 'human rights' are a collective thing - "Surely these are more interesting matters to debate than sterile, odd questions about whether the proposal would breach people's human rights, when it so obviously does no such thing..." Obvious?

So preventing a selected member of a sporting team from travelling would not be a breach of their human rights?

Finally, why has the Government not gone to the UN; the darling of the Left, the UN is surely where the Government would be heading on Zimbabwe if they seriously backed it an institution and believed in solving Zimbabwe. David Farrar notes today. "...Jordan and the Greens have said that the UN is the source of authority for countries to take action such as sanctions, or other disciplinary action (up to war). They have spent years decrying Bush for not having UN backing.

Yet here they propose unilateral action against Zimbabwe, despite no UN sanction!" (Hat Tip David Farrar)

Perhaps they finally realise the UN is useless - under its watch Africa has gone backwards every year since 1960. ie Since the Colonialists were booted out (the previous two centuries Africa charged ahead, I might add).

We are seeing the Left in all their splendid pink plumage - it may look pretty but it ain't working - "We can see you!"

The Maori Party are looking more and more a thinking and mainstream party.

Their sensible stance on advocating tax cuts and today's announcement the party will not support the other parties' multi-party plan to ban the Black Caps going to Zimbabwe is commendable. Interesting how it is left to the party perceived to have a narrow set of interests to establish the hypocrisy in Goff's plans.

Turia said "The Maori Party says it is uncomfortable about the wisdom of picking out one nation for international condemnation when human rights abuses are being reported in other countries with which New Zealand is happy to trade."

The hubristic stench from the Government is not going away. As David Farrar pointed out, today's DomPost Editorial pinpoints ongoing arrogance and conceit with two of the Cabinet's most sure footed operators. Ministers Cullen and Sutton.

"Just as Finance Minister Michael Cullen believed that New Zealanders truly love paying copious amounts of tax so the state can scratch every community itch, Mr Sutton seems to have been persuaded that widening access to waterways is a wonderful idea. One word describes both misconceptions: arrogance."
(Hat Tip: David Farrar)

Another thought on health for Bertrand Bargolias is at the NBR .

"The baby in the, oblique, Labour bill boards appears to be held up entirely by red tape. Talk about harmful imagery. (Hat Tip - NBR Blog)"

Seems no matter what Labour does it is turning to stone.

Bertrand Bargolias may want to reconsider his unblinding faith in socialised medicine. Plunket is struggling to recruit new staff because of pay inequities with other nurses. These Nurses are on the front line in building a safer and healthier environment for children.

This is a normal and predictable result of having a single service supplier (in this case the DHB) - standards fall, and wages for all the employees come under pressure. The employer either gives in or the staff move to where the money is. I assume that this pay inequity has worsened since the Government in a magnanimous gesture made the extraordinary wage increase to state sector Nurses. The law of unintended consequences always strikes when politicians meddle in commercial affairs.

In Bargolias' case this might be personal as he blogged his Mum is a Plunket Nurse.

A very humorous piece of satire sums the ludicrousness of the situation up nicely - Socialised laundry, a satire on socialised medicine.

I have been blogging on the Zimbabwe Tour for a while now. Political commentators of all hues are now catching on that Phil Goff has joined this debate very late and his and Labour's interest is entirely self serving. They believe the Tour will get them good headlines at home and in that regard a quick solution is not a preference.

What is clear is that NZ Cricket are pretty much powerless - whatever (in)action they take will transfer money to Mugabe and Zimbabwe Cricket, from New Zealand.

The ICC is now in the control of former Brtitish colonies who are relishing the chance to stick it up the whitey's, and probably also worried that giving in on Zimbabwe will also link human rights to a cricket test series near them soon, if allowed to flourish. Sad but true.

The action has to aimed at countries who can change Mugabe - there are few - South Africa is the only real choice.

Live 8 Lineup
The BBC have published a possible Hyde Park running order. Who or what will be the 'Queen moment’ - we remember forever. Sir Elton John and Pete Doherty: "Children of the Revolution" or Eltie on his own might make it?

The BBC have apparently pulled this together based on various reports in newspapers etc…

Surprise surprise the Government operating surplus for the 11 months to May was $7.46 billion - $675 million ahead of the forecast in the May 19 budget, Treasury said today.

This makes all of Dr Cullen's protestations the cupboard is bare look completely fallacious. Net cash flow from core operating and investing activity was $3.3 billion - $708 million higher than forecast, reflecting higher than forecast tax receipts of $418m.

If this was a business and management missed the profit they forecast (albeit on the up side) by 10% or $675Million only 41 days after publishing a Prospectus (eg The Budget) they would have the Securities Commission all over them.

Cullen is a mendacious, dissembling sophistrist.

The British Lions media management is beyond a joke - labelled today by Graham Henry - a load of crap.

The campaign on Tana Umaga is now obviously a 'get Tana' strategy. The incident was reviewed by an independent commissioner and no case was found - end of story. ergo, Tana has nothing to apologise or feel remorseful for. If it really was the tackle then why isn't Mealamu not being singled out?

The real villain was a British Lion - Grewcock sent home for BITING. Now that is a cowardly act. Ask Mealamu whether the biter has apologised to him?

This is what happens with a team that cannot produce the goods on the field and they have the world's greatest spin doctor on the staff.

The really funny bit - the poms have not realised that New Zealander's don't give a shit, leaving the response to be made on the field, in spades.

Prime Minister in another fraudulent picture scandal. Has she no shame? (Hat Tip: Sir Humphrey's)

Just listened to the Zimbabwe Ambassador on Morning Report trying to justify the destruction of houses, families and lives in Zimbabwe. She was a stark raving nutter, shrieking over Sean Plunket. She claims "Operation Cleanup" has been long planned and in any event is way less extensive than that done in other African countries. Cold comfort I suggest to the newly homeless, and hardly good grounds for justification.

Goff should start his diplomatic offensive by sending her home. Goff now on and criticising her (just listened to 8 minutes of diatribe and propoganda...) and the Zimbabwe Government - If there is any equity in the NZ Government's strategy their focus has to shift to directly onto the Zimbabwe Government (like send the Ambassador home today) and onto the Zimbabwe Government's support structure, starting with South Africa. If Mbeki pulls out support Mugabe will fold. Simple as that.