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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 6, 2005
MR. ESKEW: Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Tucker Eskew, Director of the White House Office of Global Communications; thank you for joining us this afternoon. We've got a great panel for you -- "you" being members of the White House press corps, the foreign press and other specialty and beat reporters are welcome this afternoon.
As you look at, from an inter-agency perspective, the efforts underway in the United States government and working with others outside the government to provide for and provision for humanitarian support in Iraq in the event of any military action. Today's briefing is on the record, pen and pad, obviously. We've got six people up here; five will speak briefly -- and I'll tell you who the sixth is, as well.
Elliott Abrams will open today. Elliott is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and North Africa at the National Security Council. Andrew Natsios is Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Gene Dewey is Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration. Ron Adams is Deputy Director of the Pentagon Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. And Joe Collins is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations. And then we're also joined by Robin Cleveland, Associate Director for National Security Programs at the OMB.
Elliott will open with some remarks; four of the other five will have brief comments and then you can start asking Robin -- (laughter). And we have roughly until about 4:20 p.m. And I ask everyone, please, to identify yourself and your news organization so that we can make these folks understand where your questions come from and who you work for.
Thanks a lot.
MR. ABRAMS: We go into a situation where we recognize that military action in Iraq, if it is necessary, could have adverse humanitarian consequences. And we've been planning, therefore, over the last several months, an inter-agency effort to prevent or at least to mitigate any such consequences.
We're going into a situation where there are a number of humanitarian problems. About 60 percent of Iraqis, the U.N. estimates, are completely dependent on the food distributions of the Oil For Food program for their food supply, and many other Iraqis are at least partly dependent. There are roughly 800,000 displaced persons inside Iraq, and 740,000, it is estimated, who are refugees in nearby countries.
We also know that conflict can have a number of humanitarian effects. It can increase the number of displaced persons. It can interrupt the Oil For Food distribution of food. It can disrupt electricity supplies. It can lead U.N. and NGO workers to evacuate. Some have already evacuated. We believe that the International Red Cross will not evacuate, and stay during the conflict.
How much displacement will there be? How much of an impact on the humanitarian situation would a conflict have? To a substantial degree, the answer to that question depends on the regime. Does it use weapons of mass destruction? Are there efforts against their own oil wells, such as they did in Kuwait, when they set the oil wells on fire. Other efforts to cause, deliberately cause flooding. Other efforts to encourage ethnic violence or to destroy their own infrastructure. Those are questions we're not going to be able to answer at this time. We'll see.
But in dealing with them, the strategy we have for humanitarian relief has six key principles, and I think you've got those before you. The first is to try to minimize the displacement and the damage to the infrastructure and the disruption of services. And the military campaign planning has had -- has been tailored to try to do that, to try to minimize the impact on civilian populations.
We have what is called the humanitarian mapping program, in which the U.S. military has gone to very great lengths to work with humanitarian organizations, international agencies to locate humanitarian sites, key infrastructure, cultural and historical sites, and to protect them to extent that that's possible.
We recognize the potential for Saddam Hussein to target his own civilian population, he certainly has in the past -- and campaign planning has aimed, to the extent possible, to deny him that capability. We hope to discourage population displacement through -- partly through an information campaign, and partly by efforts to provide aid rapidly and restore public services rapidly -- for example, electricity, water supply, the Oil for Food Program, itself, and I'll come back to that.
Second principle, to rely primarily on civilian relief agencies. And civilian agencies and personnel are in the lead in all the coordinating and planning that we've been doing for about -- I'd say about four months. As a kind of offshoot of the deputies committee, Robin Cleveland and I have co-chaired an interagency group that has been doing this relief and reconstruction planning.
We want to rely primarily on civilian international organizations, which is the standard practice in situations like this: U.N. agencies; NGOs; other governments and their civilian agencies. OFDA, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the Refugee Bureau at State, PRM, have been meeting with representatives of the international aid community for several months now.
These organizations -- the U.N. agencies, the NGOs -- have enormous expertise and capacity. And we're going to try to facilitate and fund their efforts to the greatest extent possible. We welcome U.N. planning -- and there has been a considerable amount of U.N. planning by the specialized agencies to play a key role in Iraq, as they do generally, when there are humanitarian crises. And we will be trying to support and facilitate their activities.
The role of the U.S. military is not to take a lead role in humanitarian relief activities. It is to facilitate early secure access, to create a humanitarian space, to provide information for U.S. civilian teams -- civilian relief agencies -- to fulfill their humanitarian mandates. There will probably be circumstances where there is no U.N. agency or NGO or civilian capability of any kind at a very early moment if conflict happens. And there, the military may be actually required to provide limited relief because there's no alternative. And with the guidance and assistance of USG civilian relief experts, they'll have to do that. We're going to anticipate that any such period would be short, and that civilian relief agencies would be able to get into those areas quickly.
Third principle, effective civil military coordination. We have been training and preparing a 60-person DART team, disaster assistance response team, which is really about the largest we've ever had. And it would enter liberated areas of Iraq in coordination with U.S. military forces, to, first of all, make an assessment of what are the -- what is the humanitarian situation, to coordinate then U.S. government relief activities that try to resolve whatever problems there are. They will be capable of immediate, in the field grant making. And their job is also liaison with the military, other donors, NGOs, international organizations.
The DART itself is made up of professionals in the field of humanitarian emergencies from several U.S. civilian agencies. And we'll have -- there will be a number of DART teams in the field. Andrew Natsios can say more about that. There are other coordination structures, humanitarian operations centers and civil military operation centers, being established in the region with the cooperation of several neighboring governments.
The government of Kuwait, for example, has made available a large facility to support a humanitarian operation center in Kuwait City. The job there is information sharing coordination, deconflicting efforts between U.S. military and Kuwaiti officials, U.S.-civilian representatives, U.N. agencies, international organizations, NGOs, coalition partners. The job of the humanitarian operation center is to gather them in one place so they can all coordinate what they are doing.
It is not a replacement for the U.N., which has its own coordinating structure through OCHA, the coordinator for humanitarian affairs. But it is a supplement to that. Fourth principle, facilitating IO and NGO operations. We will provide civilian experts to be the liaison with international organizations and NGOs, and to support and staff these coordination centers -- the humanitarian operation center in Kuwait and the civil military operation centers -- so that they are -- this is a customary pattern for NGOs and international organizations to work with the civilian side of U.S. government and they'll continue to do that.
And one of the things that our civilians can do by their own connection with the U.S. military is to provide information about access to particular geographical locations, security in those areas, and information about the populations in those areas that the U.S. military may have found. The DART staff is the primary contact for international organizations and NGOs in the field.
NGOs have raised the question of licensing, because due to the sanctions regime that are in place -- the U.N. sanctions, the U.S. sanctions on Iraq -- it has been difficult in some cases for them to undertake the planning they want to do. For example, they may want to go to Iraq. And we've had cases where they have been slowed down, so we have been streamlining the OFAC, Office of Foreign Asset Control, licensing procedures to expedite the issuance of licenses to NGOs so that they can operate inside Iraq.
State and USAID now have blanket licenses that cover agencies, NGOs that have received grants from them, from State or AID. And NGOs working in areas of Iraq that are not controlled by the Saddam Hussein regime and those who are only conducting assessments in the country will also have an expedited registration process.
We've given money, we have provided funding to relief agencies so that they can plan, hire staff and pre-position supplies. The Refugee Bureau at State has provided over $15 million to international agencies for pre-positioning and for contingency planning. Most of that to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
AID has provided over $9 million to a variety of agencies for contingency planning, including $2 million to UNICEF and $5 million to the World Food Program. AID is in discussions with international organizations to provide an additional $56 million soon.
We've also encouraged other donors. And a number of governments have come forward to pledge millions of dollars to -- mostly to U.N. agencies and to some NGOs.
Fifth, pre-positioning U.S. government relief supplies and response mechanisms. We have been stockpiling blankets, water, ladders, shelter supplies, medicines, other relief items at this point to serve about a million people -- the material in question worth about $12 million. And we're trying to forward-deploy those stockpiles into the region. One example, there are 46, 40-foot long containers of relief supplies en route to warehouses in the Gulf. We are stockpiling and pre-positioning humanitarian daily rations. You may remember those from Afghanistan and previous situations. This is a ration for one person for one day -- the equivalent in calories of three meals. And we're getting up to about 3 million of those pre-positioned.
And we are preparing to undertake immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to deliver essential services to the Iraqi people. And that means critical infrastructure, health facilities, water and sanitation systems. And electricity is key in all of those.
Finally, sixth, support the resumption of the ration-distribution system. That's a very important item. As I noted at the beginning, about 60 percent of Iraqis depend on it for their food. It is an immensely complex system that is run very competently by the U.N. and by the Iraqis. There are at the ground level about 55,000 ration agents. Iraqis get a ration booklet which tells them which day of the month their family should go to the distribution point, usually a local grocer, to pick up their rations for the month. We will make an effort to get that system up and running again if there is a conflict, and if we are in that situation.
We want to disrupt that system as little as possible, and get it back on its feet as soon as possible. And that is something that a lot of U.S. agencies are thinking about. We recognize that that is a critical aspect of -- a critical aspect of the humanitarian situation in Iraq.
Let's go down -- I've forgotten what the order is. I think -- we're skipping you, so Andrew.
MR. NATSIOS: I'm Andrew Natsios from AID. Let me first mention that this planning exercise has been going on now since late September. So I've been involved in emergency response now for almost 14 years. We have never had nearly five months advance time before a major emergency, should it happen. And so the amount of time that has gone into this, and the amount of staff that has gone into this has been enormous within AID, and the interagency process.
There are 60 people from the DART team, which comes out of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, which I headed in the first Bush administration. There is staff from Gene Dewey's office and the Refugee Office in the State Department, and the Public Health Service in HHS are on that team, as well.
There are another 140 people working in AID who are technical staff back in Washington, on the planning exercises necessary to make sure all of this happens the way it's supposed to. And the areas that we focus on are first those basic humanitarian requirements that keep people alive and reduce human suffering in any emergency. One is health and medicine, the second is water and sanitation, which are critical issues, particularly in Iraq. Third is food and nutrition. Fourth is shelter. And a fifth is to internally displaced people and, of course, there could be refugee movements, as well, cross border.
And so the amount of time, the amount of preparation, the amount of planning we've done, the amount of staff working on this has been very substantial. I might also add that this is not new -- working with the military in conflicts is something that the U.S. government has been doing for a very long time, since even before the end of the Cold War. You may recall that we had a refugee emergency with about a million Kurds up in the mountains in northern Iraq. There was civil affairs units and military units, AID sent its largest DART team at that time -- in 1991, of 30 people -- that was sent in to work the relief effort there.
We've been in Bosnia and Macedonia and Kosovo, in Haiti, in Panama -- after Noriega. You can go through a list of instances where this has happened before. So this is not a new thing. It's been done before. The mechanisms for coordination within the international institutions have actually been established, they've been tested and they do work, I have to tell you. They've been refined. There are manuals on how the inter-connection between the NGOs, U.N. agencies, the ICRC, military operations and the DART team work in these emergencies. And that is a very important thing because, once again, we're not testing something that's new here.
And so the three fundamental things we're doing is to assemble the team, train it -- they're going through very extensive training -- getting everybody's job descriptions down and duties down. We've actually done some test operations. Secondly, pre-positioning the stockpiles that Elliott mentioned. Many of those stockpiles are actually in the region now, simply waiting should they be necessary. And, third, establishing these coordination mechanisms that I mentioned earlier.
The team will also do assessments, rapid assessments to determine what is needed. We do planning based on scenario building. But the reality is on the ground that you always have to actually see what's happened. And the assessments are then done and then decisions are made about the disposition of relief commodities and resources.
So I think we're in good shape, in terms of the effort that we've put into this exercise, given the amount of time that we've had to think through it. I might also add, we don't know what's going to happen, but contingency planning is what this all about. Whenever we see something may happen, we try to plan for it. Thank you.
MR. ABRAMS: Thanks. Gene, I think you're next. Gene Dewey is Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY DEWEY: The center of gravity of the humanitarian effort is the multilateral system. And that's the case for several reasons. One, the U.N. agencies have been in country for a long time, for years and years. They have systems set up. And they have systems that are particularly appropriate for emergency action.
For example, for the water sector, which is always the most critical sector, the system for that which works best, which is recognized as best, is UNICEF working with NGOs such as Oxfam-UK and other NGOs with the expertise in water. There are other systems for immunization, systems for food distribution. So this is another reason.
The U.N. agencies, as Elliott mentioned, have been very cooperative and forward-leaning on this for several reasons. One, it's humanitarian that we're talking about, as much as that can be separated from political questions. Secondly, it's prudent planning. It's the way you have to do it. In the possibility of a contingency, it's only prudent to do what the U.N. agencies are doing. And then a third reason is this planning is being done without any presumption of the inevitability of military conflict.
And so these have all contributed to a very smooth planning, preparing, pre-positioning effort on the part of the U.N. agencies working with their NGO implementing partners, in terms of coordination.
The principles that we're working, aside from multilateralism, include what has already been mentioned, and I can't stress it enough, that is the need to avoid population displacement, or to minimize it as much as possible, because that's one of the most costly, both in material and human terms, that can occur in any contingency, when people leave their homes and have to undergo the expense of being at the mercy of the international community for an extended period of time, and then the cost or maybe the impossibility of ever getting back to their homes again.
The purposes that we're dealing with are to relieve hardship and acute human suffering, but at the same time, prepare the way for almost immediate movement to rehabilitation and reconstruction, and to facilitate that next step.
The populations of concern that our bureau, the Population, Refugee Immigration Bureau is most concerned about include refugees -- those refugees that are already the charge of the U.N. high commissioner for refugees outside of Iraq, but those that will also be displaced outside the country in the event of any conflict and those that will try to seek asylum outside the country but may be clustered on the borders. Those two groups are going to be a primary concern for us.
But we also have a concern for the internally displaced, those that are already internally displaced -- as mentioned the 800,000 that are internally displaced. We have an arrangement with USAID which we recently negotiated as to how we divide up the effort for internally displaced persons. Normally those that are dealt with unilaterally through NGOs, AID will take care of those needs. And we coordinate on those that are serviced mainly by the international community, and those agencies would include the International Committee of the Red Cross.
And in the case of Iraq, since there is no U.N. agency that is specifically tasked with the responsibility for internally displaced persons, the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, will be playing a prominent role in coordinating the assistance to the internally displaced.
Keep in mind, too, that other agencies, such as UNICEF, will be working on sectors that cut across the needs of the internally displaced. UNICEF's work with immunizations, with mother-child health care, with health needs IN general and water and sanitation, that will be very important. We'll also be working with World Food Program for those needs and with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Basically the functions of our bureau will be to help make coordination work. Our core expertise is the multilateral system. We'll do our best to make the humanitarian operation center and the civil military operations centers just that, civil military and not military operations centers. And we'll be doing our best to bridge those cultures between the civilians and the military, planners and implementers if implementation becomes necessary.
We were first out of the box in terms of providing funding for pre-positioning and preparedness, we gave just about all we had, the $15 million that we've given to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and $100,000 to the International Organization for Migration. We did it, though, also to try to leverage as much as possible the efforts of the rest of the donor community. This is slow going. It's heavy lifting, but it is going to be one of the major efforts that can assure success in the humanitarian field to get as much burden-sharing contribution as we can before the contingency is actually upon us. Thank you.
MR. ABRAMS: Thanks, Gene. We have actually done that. We have actually sent cables out and also raised this a number of times in bilateral meetings, requests for other governments to step forward and do whatever they could by way of contributions to NGOs and U.N. agencies.
Ron Adams is deputy director of the new Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.
MR. ADAMS: Thanks, Elliott. I'm Jay Garner's deputy. And we're participating in the interagency process that Elliott outlined for you earlier. It's our job to operationalize or to implement the plans that are being developed by the interagency process and by our coalition partners in support of the Commander of U.S. Central Command and the coalition forces that would be involved.
I want to emphasize a point that's already been made a couple of times: our organization is a civilian-military organization -- predominantly civilian. And it's made up of representatives from federal government agencies and departments. Some are represented right here. Many of Andrew's people and Gene's people are involved in our organization. And these are the kinds of people, experts that you're used to seeing being involved in these kinds of activities. These are the people who have worked on the ground with international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, U.N. agencies across the gamut.
Our job then is to, we hope, facilitate and expedite the work that these U.N. agencies, NGOs and others will be doing to best benefit the Iraqi people and to achieve the strategy that Elliott outlined later, with emphasis on the six key points that he made in his presentation.
MR. ABRAMS: Thanks. Dr. Joseph Collins is Deputy Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations. Joe.
DR. COLLINS: Thanks. Elliott, I came here prepared to say ten things. All of them have been said twice, so let me repeat only about seven of them for the third time.
If the President orders military action, the Department of Defense is prepared for military contingencies, but it's also prepared to support humanitarian relief during combat and to support reconstruction efforts after combat.
Some of the key things that we are able to do in those areas have been mentioned. The first, humanitarian mapping and careful targeting to avoid excessive damage to the civilian population. Secondly, during the combat phase the Department of Defense is ready to assist AID and State in providing humanitarian relief to the people of Iraq.
Thirdly, and if necessary, DOD is ready to provide special services and supplies, such as the famous humanitarian daily rations. Fourth, on the reconstruction effort, DOD is prepared to assist State, AID, NGOs and the United Nations to help the Iraqi people in reconstruction. And also -- and, perhaps, most importantly -- to help them prepare for self-government. And I think that's the key point to remember here. What all of us have been talking about here is not occupation, it's liberation. And, ultimately, creating a democracy inside of Iraq.
Among the key things that we'll be doing in the reconstruction phase are things that also have a military flavor, and that would be the location of weapons of mass destruction and their subsequent destruction. And, finally, the provision of security and the ensuring the provision of security throughout the nation. Thank you.
MR. ABRAMS: Thanks. Questions?
Q I have two questions of the briefers. How many refugees are you planning for? How many IDPs? How many DART teams, and where will they go?
MR. NATSIOS: Well, just in terms of the number of DART teams, there is one large team of 60 people that we'll divide into three sub-units. There will be a core headquarters that will control all of the operations. So there will be three teams that will be dispatched to different parts of the country.
I think we're planning for about 2 million, as I recall, internally displaced people and refugees. What was the third question?
Q It was IDPs, refugees and how many DART teams --
MR. NATSIOS: Right.
Q And where would they go?
MR. NATSIOS: Yes.
Q The U.N. issued a report saying that casualties will be as a direct result of U.S. bombardment and invasion, about 100,000 civilians killed; 500,000 wounded. They're talking about maybe a million and a half refugees, then a half million malnutrition. What are you accounting for? What kind of figures do you have in your six-point contingency plan?
MR. ABRAMS: I have not seen that U.N. report. What part of the U.N. released it?
Q Could you repeat the question, please?
Q The question was, they're talking about figures -- you know, killed and wounded civilians, the direct result of combat. And, in fact, Michael Allen, the other day, of the Institute -- the Brookings Institute also --
MR. ABRAMS: The answer is that this is just plain speculation, as is our number for the number of displaced persons. It is just speculation. It depends on a number of variables, not least of them, how long does any potential conflict continue. But one of the other key variables is not the damage that the conflict does to the population of Iraq, it's how much additional damage the government of Iraq does to the population of Iraq. But numbers like those, I think one is really just pulling them out of thin air.
Q Do you have any number, any figures in mind?
MR. ABRAMS: No, no.
Q Could I follow on that? As you know, Refugees International and, I think, the International Crisis Group has prepared numbers not too different from the 2 million that you suggested. They suggested about a million and a half would be put to flight beyond the borders, and about 900,000 internally displaced.
A, is that in the ballpark of what your calculations suggest and, two -- understanding that you respect -- and two, both of these groups have criticized you, saying that there is not nearly enough pre-positioned supply, particularly food and medicine, to address that. Can you respond to that in any way?
MR. NATSIOS: Let me first say, I've heard a lot of comments, and I find it a little annoying in some cases because the people who have been making them are sitting in the meetings with us, knowing that it's not true.
Q These folks?
MR. NATSIOS: No, I'm not going to mention individual organizations. We've had meetings every week, for the last two or three months, with humanitarian organizations to go over this stuff. For months, every week, and they sit there, and we all go -- or not me, but my staff from AID goes, and the rest of the agencies, and we go over the detail planning that we're going through. So they know very well that there's been massive pre-positioning of supplies already in the region, okay, in four different countries, in large warehouses that we've rented. The stuff is there now, and more stuff is on the way.
So it's really not -- it's not the case that -- there has been extensive conversations, extensive coordination and extensive pre-positioning of supplies. I might also add, what we tend to do in the disaster business is plan for the worst and hope for the best. Very few disasters -- and I've been involved in dozens of them over the last 14 years -- have ever come out to be the worst case scenario. And we don't know -- I mean, if Saddam does some very terrible things, we can't predict that. But in terms of the normal course of events that would take in these emergencies, I think we are very well positioned.
Q On that point, to what extent does the possible use of weapons of mass destruction factor into contingency planning that you're all doing?
MR. NATSIOS: There is some of it, but you know, you never can predict entirely what Saddam will do. You know what he did to the Kurds, in the infamous Anfal campaign, where he massacred 100,000 to 200,000 of them. He displaced the Marsh Arabs, one of the richest cultures in the Middle East, 500,000 people were driven out of the marshes after they were drained. There were execution squads sent in. The United Nations reportour on human rights wrote a scathing report on the atrocities committed by the Iraqi government displacing these -- these are among the poorest peoples in Iraq.
The same thing happened in Kirkuk with the Turkmen population. They purged them out. They shut off all their food rations. And they're internally displaced within the country now. That has nothing to do with
the American campaign; that was done by the regime in the 1990s, over the last five or six years.
So some of the displacement we're going to have to deal with already occurred, and it has nothing to do with the military campaign; it was the actions of the government.
Q That's not weapons of mass destruction. That's what I asked --
MR. NATSIOS: Yes, it was weapons of mass destruction. That's the whole point. The Kurdish -- the attacks on the Kurds were using chemical and biological weapons. The first time any head of state or any government ever used those weapons against their own population.
Q Yes, but the question is, what are you planning for now? Tell us what you anticipate.
MR. NATSIOS: We are anticipating it could happen. I don't think it's going to happen, but it could. And there is contingency planning that goes into that.
MR. ABRAMS: Yes?
Q From where and how, first, you will start delivering the humanitarian aid? And, two, how much the -- is preparing to allocate for this haven't aid that's going to be spent on Iraq?
MR. ABRAMS: Two questions -- from where and how much money. I guess I can ask Gene or Andrew.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY DEWEY: From where the humanitarian aid will be delivered, of course, there has been stockpiling in country. The people of Iraq have been asked to have at least a month's supply of food on hand. So there is something already there. There are stockpiles, as Andrew mentioned, in neighboring countries which will be drawn upon.
Q -- first spot for you deliver this humanitarian aid to Iraq?
MR. NATSIOS: There are about four countries in the region that have stockpiles, NGO staging areas and U.N. staging areas. They're there now. And I'm not going to go through which ones have what --
MR. ABRAMS: No, and to go into further detail would take us into the area of military planning, as well. So, money?
MS. CLEVELAND: We're in the process of developing cost estimates. We've done our planning based on a series of tasks that we assume, regardless of what the political management structure may be. And we've examined health, education, water and sanitation, finance, telecommunications, and infrastructure, and tried to sort of lay out a series of expected tasks on a sliding scale. For example, in education, what would it cost to rebuild 2,500 schools and get all primary school children back in school?
If we don't need to rebuild 2,500 schools, we can shift it to some other area. But we've sort of tried to lay out a series of benchmarks. And we expect to take the overall cost by sector to the President some time in the next week or two.
Q -- ceiling that you assumed?
MS. CLEVELAND: No, we've built from the ground up, in a series of tasks, AID and PRM have sort of identified what they think will need to be done, and laid out sort of what needs to be done in one -- would be the emergency humanitarian piece, what needs to be done in six months -- just as AID plans in any country, in any mission for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
MS. NATSIOS: We've spent $26.5 million to date, another $52 million is in process through the procurement system right now.
MS. CLEVELAND: But that's a very preliminary --
Q That's not what the cost of the budget is, that's the --
Q Could you repeat that?
MR. NATSIOS: The numbers?
Q Yes, repeat the numbers.
Q Please repeat the numbers that you just did.
MR. NATSIOS: The $26.6 million has already been spent. That's what bought the commodities that are in the Gulf region now, and then another $52 million is in the procurement system right now being spent. That's what we have to do for the pre-positioning in the early work.
Q The cables that you sent out and the appeals that have been made in private meetings, have they generated any money from any other countries?
MR. ABRAMS: There have been -- I can't say whether it was generated by American cables, but there have been contributions by a number of governments, in the millions of dollars.
MR. NATSIOS: I have been --
MS. CLEVELAND: Two international organizations, to UNHCR and those kind of organizations.
MR. NATSIOS: Right. I've talked to at least 10 of my counterparts, the development ministers in other governments, about what they're planning to do. We've had conversations and decided what we would do and how much -- they've told me how much they intend to put in. So there is coordination going on at the donor level, government level.
Some of that money will go through NGOs, some of it will go to the U.N. agencies and the --
Q I noticed that you say you're being very careful as you plan your military operation to look out for infrastructure and to also look out for cultural sites. How much of your effort to protect that is going to be complicated by the fact that Saddam Hussein is already positioning a lot of his equipment around these cultural sites, around these crucial points of infrastructure? Is that going to cause you problems?
DR. COLLINS: Yes. We've had, I think, an extensive effort to map cultural sites. And we've made tremendous progress in the last few weeks doing that. It's a well known fact that Saddam has positioned military equipment, not just near cultural sites, but also hospitals and other places which one would expect wouldn't be a part of the military command.
There's an extensive effort here to separate the wheat from the chaff. And ultimately, the burden will be on the field commander to make decisions on critical targets where there are compromised situations. And I have to leave it at that.
Q Could I just follow up on a budgetary question? In this process, according to the budget of the President, how long is the time frame? And drawing on your experience from Afghanistan, how long is a sensible time frame for humanitarian assistance?
MS. CLEVELAND: One of the reasons that we got started five months ago was to assure that when and if the President -- or if and when the President made a decision, that we would, simultaneous with the initiation of conflict, not only ask for resources for the Department of Defense, but ask for roughly a year's worth of resources for humanitarian and reconstruction agencies.
But, as you know, AID is -- so that doesn't speak or beg the question as to what kind of political infrastructure will be there. There's likely to be some kind of AID support for some period of time, which shouldn't, as I said, beg the question of what the nature of a political infrastructure would be. I think we would be anticipate a year's worth of support for AID.
Q As we all know, the Turkish government is trying to avoid any crush of refugees again, as we had it before during the Gulf War. My question is to Mr. Collins. What kind of cooperation you already have with the Turkish side?
DR. COLLINS: I'd love to be able to answer you, except I couldn't give you a good detailed, professional answer because that's really not in my lane, and I don't know.
Q In terms of preparing the Iraqis for self-government after the conflict, how quickly are you going to try to get Iraqi opposition leaders into the country? And do you intend to appoint an indigenous interim Iraqi leader before you move to free elections?
MR. ABRAMS: The general principle is to try to establish Iraqi responsibility for Iraq as soon as possible. This will -- this may differ in different regions of the country. It may differ according to the nature of the responsibility -- civilian military, for example, might be different.
But the general principle is to try to do this as soon as it is possible. I can't really go much beyond that about what -- how long will that take. It depends in part on questions that we don't know the answers to. What will the security situation inside Iraq be if there's a conflict, at the end of that conflict?
So I can't give you any time lines. But what I can tell you is that it's our view that if the local, provincial, and national levels, the more responsibility Iraqis who are currently free, who are soon to be free, can take, the better off they'll be and the better off the coalition forces will be.
Q Elliott, I think this is a question for you. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. viewed and used humanitarian assistance, not just as an end in itself, but as having a political purpose as well. The Hearts and Minds Campaign, which is, you know, is now viewed as tainted failure to it. That comparison is being made now given that there is a larger political program for Iraq, winning over people to a notion of democracy that they'll believe in and that will last. Can you take that comparison further? Again, there are differences, but the fact that Hearts and Minds was seen not to have worked last time around, what's the difference this time?
MR. ABRAMS: I would not take that comparison. I would take the comparison, really, to Afghanistan. It was the President's instruction from the outset that we make not only a military effort, but that we make a large humanitarian effort because the whole purpose of the involvement was to benefit the people of Afghanistan as well as to attack terrorist bases.
The effort in Iraq, if it comes to pass, will be aimed at eliminating those weapons of mass destruction, and the regime that built them, and freeing the Iraqi people from one of the most monstrous regimes on the face of the earth. Clearly, the better we can do in this humanitarian effort, the better off the Iraqi people will be, and the more quickly they will come to see this intervention by coalition forces as having changed and improved their lives. So there's no way of avoiding the fact that the better we do at it, the more positive of political impact it will have inside Iraq and in the region.
But as in Afghanistan, that's not the purpose for doing it. The purpose for doing it is humanitarian.
Q Can I follow up on that?
MS. CLEVELAND: In answer to the question about how long we're planning -- one of the reasons that we're planning for basically a year is that we will start the follow-on year budget cycle in December, something like that. And so what we wanted to avoid was sort of the gaps that we felt we created by uncertainty in Afghanistan. So it's neither a presumption about the political structure, nor is a presumption that it's one year and it would be over in terms of whatever support we would offer.
Q I remember a campaign pledge about nation-building. Isn't that what this is? Maybe the Defense Department representatives can talk about that? Isn't this nation-building?
DR. COLLINS: I've always been of the opinion that the indigenous people build their own nations. I'm not sure what the right phrase for what we are engaged in is. We speak about -- in two different phases, humanitarian relief and reconstruction. And I would prefer to leave it at that.
MR. ABRAMS: I think that's right. The responsibility for turning Iraq into a stable, peaceful democracy falls to the people of Iraq. The most we can do is get -- if this conflict occurs, is get this monstrous regime that is preventing them from doing that out of the way.
Q This is a question probably to Joe Collins. But others might want to answer it. A number of the aid agencies in Iraq, or on the border at the moment, are concerned that once a conflict starts there will be attempts by some of the displaced people to try and regain homes or land that was taken from them in the past campaigns you mentioned. What sort of arbitration system will be immediately set up to deal with these conflicts, especially as Saddam Hussein's forces have already installed people in those lands?
DR. COLLINS: I think in a combat phase, if it were to come to that, I think most of the reconciliation and redivision would sort of fall under the heading of reconstruction. But during the reconstruction phase, and prior to that, during the combat phase, the local commanders have the responsibility to maintain order in their areas. And any sort of large-scale efforts to create civil disturbances would also interfere with the military operation. So they would have a great incentive to ensure that that doesn't happen during the combat phase.
MR. ABRAMS: Okay, thank you very much.
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London to Edinburgh and back to London on a bike in under five days. Yes really. The hardest most gruelling organised cycling event in the UK. And I entered. Run every four years since 1989 this 1400km audax event is tough, very tough and I'd spent two years planning to enter and ride the 2017 version.
Sunday 30th July 2017 – Loughton to Louth – 244.7km – 9h18m – 1,171m – 26.3kph
I'd opted for a 2.30pm start, thinking I would cycle to Spalding (160km) and sleep on that first day. My (as it turned out, vastly over-optimistic) plan had me maintaining a 21kph moving average which would give me 45 minutes per control and 6-7 hours per night for rest and recuperation.
There were about 40 riders per 15 minute start slot and we headed off from Loughton towards St Ives in Cambridgeshire. Bizarrely I managed to drop my chain the very first time I changed down to the inner ring, right amongst the starters, n00b.
After about 10-20km, as is usual on audax, riders start to find their pace and small groups start to form. I rode a good while with a couple of riders, one called Mark, and we shared the work load for the first leg. Rather faster than maybe we should have but we had a lovely tailwind so it was good to make the most of it.
Arriving at St Ives at 18:10, it was time to eat and have a chat with cycling buddy Matt Chambers who was volunteering there. According to my Strava I stopped for an hour. Returning to the road on my own the next leg was across the fens to Spalding in the evening light. Thankfully the wind was favourable and the long straight roads didn't seem too bad. Progress was good, I averaged 28kph on this section, and arrived just after sunset at 21:24. Way too early to stop so pushing on was the obvious choice. The control was absolutely heaving with riders and with a small dining hall I didn't stop long, around 30 minutes.
More flat fenland roads from Spalding with a favourable wind, I was on my own in the dark, I don't mind that, I rather enjoy cycling on my own. At one point I couldn't see any other riders and the route sheet wasn't making much sense but my Wahoo was confident I was on the right route. In the dark I trusted the computer and it was a few km later that I spotted riders on a different road parallel to mine.
The flat roads had to end though and we hit the Lincolnshire Wolds, they didn't seem that bad on that first day, some steep climbs but not very long and there were other riders around now, not much talking but the bonus of having other riders nearby helped with motivation.
Eventually I arrived at Louth at 01:47 and I was one control up on my plan, bonus. So I had hours in hand and could take a break. Another friendly face was volunteering here, Harry who'd had a nasty crash on my Harlequin Hack audax earlier in the year, he looked even more cream crackered than I did! It soon became clear why. Louth was under siege by hundreds of riders, they had run out of food and there were no beds available. This is when I made the biggest error of the ride. I decided to sit it out, some food did come out around 2.30am, mainly croissants and pastries and they were confident beds would become available at 3am. I did get a bed at 3.30am and opted for a three hour sleep and a 6.30am wake up call. Looking back this is completely bonkers, over confidence of an easy first day and a plan that would fall apart.
Monday 31st July 2017 – Louth to Barnard Castle – 232.8km – 10h54m – 2,067m – 21.3kph
It just seems crazy to me now that I wasn't on the road until 7.08am on Monday morning. Instead of pushing on in the night to Pocklington I wasted hours at Louth. Did it make a difference later? Hard to tell. I was still on plan. BTW Louth had no food and not even coffee that morning, so it was on the road with only my own snack supplies of Soreen malt loaf to keep me going.
My original plan was to get to Barnard Castle on the second day, but I was a control ahead now so maybe I can get to Brampton.
The wind was less favourable today, more of a cross-headwind and the terrain was a lot hillier. Firstly to negotiate the Lincolnshire Wolds and cross the Humber Bridge. I needed something to eat, I found an ace bakery in Barton upon Humber, with sweet delicious pastries and coffee. The staff thought I was mad.
The Humber Bridge was fun, if breezy, but the roads from it northbound aren't very pleasant. But the next control Pocklington isn't that far away. I was there at 12:07 for some lunch. Could I have made Pocklington in one day with an afternoon start? Possibly.
The next leg to Thirsk was VERY tough. The route basically crosses the Howardian Hills past Castle Howard. Lots of steep, difficult climbs. I opted to stop at the optional control at Coxwold just after the worst of the hills, they had proper coffee in cafetieres, pizza and cake. It was also almost completely deserted. A few sleeping riders and a couple of other stoppers like me.
After this refreshment the short distance to Thirsk was quickly despatched arriving at 16:43 although I still managed to stop there for an hour for some reason. I can barely remember Thirsk, so not sure what I was doing!!
Onwards to Barnard Castle in the darkening evening. This bit wasn't that hard as far as I remember, I was very tired so not too many memories of this section. There was a diversion for a closed road, a ford and an interesting wooden bridge just before Barnard Castle.
I arrived at Barnard Castle at 21:02 and I was done in. There was no way I could get across Yad Moss to Brampton in the dark that night without some rest. The control is in a massive old school building and is very grand. I had a good shower, good food and a bed for a few hours. I opted for a four hour sleep although I stuggled to actually fall asleep. Still I was still on plan and my average speed was still above target,
Tuesday 1st August 2017 – Barnard Castle to Innerleithen – 282.4km – 13h31m – 2,595m – 20.9kph
In the end I was up after around 3.5 hours and after a quick breakfast hit the road at 3am for the long long climb over the Pennines. An Indian rider who had lost his Garmin asked if he could tag along with me, I said follow me out of town and then just keep going as there wasn't a whole lot of navigating to be done on this section. It was a recurring theme on the next day or so of riders with no routesheets, lost or dead Garmins wanting to tag along for a free ride. Most of them couldn't hold my rear wheel for more than a couple of km and there was no way I was compromising my ride for their lack of preparedness. Selfish I know.
The climb was long but steady, I find these climbs easier than lots of short steep climbs, but it was raining and it was cold and I was a bit fed up. There was a rider lying under a space blanket at the summit with another rider with him asking if I was a doctor or if I had medicine, he'd already send a rider down to the next control to send up help so nothing I or the riders around me could do. I have no idea if he'd crashed or was hypothermic.
I started to think about all the hills I'd ridden so far and on the steep descents down to Alston and Brampton the prospect of having to climb them later in the week filled me with dread. I had a coffee and cake at a petrol station in Alston from which it's a surprising long way still to Brampton. I arrived at 8.05am, cold, wet and miserable. At least I could dump my dirty clothes here in my drop bag. I'd had enough, totally wiped out and ready to pack it in. On the way into Brampton I had formulated a plan to ride onto Edinburgh and catch a train home, I actually cried on the road as I had failed, I couldn't face the return journey, it was too hilly and too hard. I basically put all this down to my friends on Messenger who urged me to rest and eat and see how I felt. Maybe it was my state of mind but I found Brampton a rather depressing control as well, I had some food, sat in the corner on my own and sobbed. Time to MTFU.
I stopped for nearly an hour and a half, way beyond my plan. But I needed that break.
Thankfully the next section to Moffat is probably the easiest on the route, it goes via Gretna into Scotland and along the old A-road alongside the M74. A lot of riders complain about how boring this road was, I was just glad of some easy miles. I started singing to myself and started to feel a lot better. Apart from the water from Brampton that tasted like hosepipes things were starting to look up.
I arrived at Moffat at 12:58 after a snack stop in Lockerbie and this was my favourite control, jugs of milk, jugs of juice, cake, quality food. Bright, airy and modern. It was a joy and I stopped for 70 minutes, it's hard to keep track of time in controls. At the time it felt like a short stop!!
This was the last control before Edinburgh. Another long steady climb up the Devil's Beeftub on the A701 which wasn't too tough and a long gradual descent into Edinburgh which should have been a joy except for the road surface which was APPALLING and almost unrideable in places, I swore to myself almost constantly along here, I started shouting "FFS fix your roads" to random passers by who must have wondered what the random English bloke on a bike was on about. The traffic was also getting heavier as I approached the city, it was rush hour and I had an English flag on the sign on the back of my bike, there were a few close passes. The route eventually took us onto a cycle route, but because it was now raining quite heavily it was rather muddy and not as pleasant as it could have been. An Italian rider had crashed into a bollard and was lying across the path with what was apparently a broken leg.
The final approach to the Edinburgh control was steep and busy but eventually I arrived at 17:57 just before a Biblical storm hit. Halfway and no chance I was going to quit now.
Again a longer stop than envisaged of around 75 minutes and into the Scottish Borders. The ride to Innerleithen was magnificent, beautiful scenery in the evening twilight, hilly but fantastic. I bumped into fellow YACF forumite and Dutch rider Ivo and we chatted for a while. I arrived at Innerleithen at 21:47 in two minds what to do next. The next control at Eskdalemuir was small and certain not to have beds but it would get the hilly miles between here and there out of the way and allow a shorter day tomorrow. But Innerleithen had good food, was warm and had beds. I could put on clean kit and have a sleep. I opted for this. I asked for a 2.30am wake up call.
Remarkably I was still not far off plan, Still averaging nearly 21kph and at the control I expected to be at this stage.
Wednesday 2nd August 2017 – Innerleithen to Pocklington – 326.2km – 17h19m – 3,042m – 18.8kph
Around this time I started paying more attention to the cutoff times on my brevet card, I had to be at Eskdalemuir at 07:39. I left Innerleithen at 3am with just a coffee and muffin for the lumpy section to Eskdalemuir. There was some light rain but as dawn broke the scenery was again stunning. River vallies, mountains and moorland. Beautiful. Eskdalemuir, arriving at 05:54, was small as expected but they had good breakfast food so I re-fuelled.
The route south through Scotland was different to the north but the next stop was Brampton again, the ride here was generally downhill along the Esk valley but with a few tough lumps to get over. I got to Brampton at 9.31am with almost exactly 3hrs in hand.
This is when I made my second big error of the ride which almost cost me dearly. I had bag drops at Pocklington and Brampton with clean kit in each, plus a set of clean kit in my saddle bag. I had now used all of this kit apart from the stuff left at Pocklington. When I packed my dropbags I was going to put two jerseys in each but opted at the very last minute to only put one in each. At Brampton I now dumped all extraneous clothing, dirty or otherwise into my drop bag, this would save me weight for the climbing to come. I think I had a spare pair of socks, nothing else. It wouldn't matter I had clean, dry kit at Pocklington and I had to get there tonight as the cutoff was 5.50am, if I didn't get there tonight I would DNF.
On the way to Alston it started raining, I found this section unbelievably dull for some reason, I put all my wet weather gear on, waterproof gloves, shorts, gilet and jacket. I stopped again at the petrol station at Alston for fortification for what was to come. The hideous climb up Yad Moss.
Steep, long and hard and then the weather really went to shit. Torrential rain, low cloud and strong winds. It was horrendous. Luckily it wasn't actually that cold. But I was soaked through, my waterproof kit was OK for summer showers and light rain. It was not designed for monsoonal rain and wind. Someone had helpfully mentioned earlier that the weather was going to be bad and I thought if this continues for the rest of the day my ride is over. There was no way I was ever going to get to Pocklington that day, I swore as I'd realised how stupid I'd been not to leave some dry kit (even if it was dirty) in my saddle bag. That mistake was going to cost me.
The descent in the rain and wind was horrific. I'd never cycled in worse. Eventually arriving in Middleton in Teesdale I spotted some bikes outside a café and stopped. It was some riders I had spoken to a couple of times at controls. The café owner kindly turned the heating on full and hung our jackets in a warm room, I ate toasted tea cakes and drank coffee whilst drying out a bit. We all agreed the conditions were the worst any of us had ever cycled in. The rain was stopping and I started to feel a bit more positive, let's see how it is at Barnard Castle.
After a decent break, it was VERY cold starting off again for the lumpy few miles to Barnard Castle (arrived 16:53) where the Sun started to come out. I could hang up my jackets and dry out a bit. I ate and rested. I still had a couple of hours in hand despite the conditions. But I still had to get to Pocklington around 120km further on.
The next control is Thirsk and the route there is fairly straightforward, the Sun was out and it was warm, I dried out. I was very lucky with the weather here. I made decent progress but I don't remember it well. Again Thirsk hasn't left strong memories and I arrived there at 20:58. I do remember being very tired but I had to push on to Pocklington that night.
Thank goodness I met up with Glaswegian Neil Mcdade (GG18) soon after setting off, we were both 2.30pm starters so were both in the same boat about getting to Pocklington that night. We were both extremely tired and the Howardian Hills are extremely hard. We talked nonsense for hours to keep each other awake, we took breathers together and eventually we dragged ourselves into Pocklington, it had taken us five hours to cover the 67km. If I hadn't ridden with Neil then I don't think I would have made it, he was a ride saver and I'm forever grateful for his company that night.
We arrived at 2.08am. I had to sleep, but I wanted to shower and get into clean kit. Unfortunately the school at Pocklington is set over several buildings and it was a long walk outside for a cold shower with no clean towels, and then another long walk to the cold sleeping hall.
I did however get a couple of hours sleep and was up at 5.30am (three and a half hours after arriving) to set off again. My average speed was now well down on my plan.
Thursday 3rd August – Pocklington to Loughton – 362.1km – 19h23m – 2,191m – 18.7kph
After a quick breakfast I was riding again by 6am. How the hell I managed this day I still don't know, the previous day had been massive and I was now faced with an even more massive day.
The hills were becoming ever more painful, my right ankle was very sore and each pedal stroke was agonising. The ride was becoming torture. The Yorkshire Wolds are tough. I stopped again at the bakery at Barton upon Humber, the cheery shop assistant glad to see me again, I ate like a horse from their sweet and savoury selections.
The wind was also getting up, it was bonkers windy across the Humber Bridge and it was getting worse. The Lincolnshire Wolds to Louth were absolutely the worst hills on the whole route, progress seemed so slow and painful now, this was a real test of willpower. I got to Louth at 12:10, my average speed seemed pitiful, six hours to do 100km. The ride was now a war of attrition.
The food selection at Louth wasn't great again but I had a 45 minute nap at a table.
The wind was now atrocious, galeforce gusts bringing down branches and the Fens lay ahead, it was going to be a headwind. I met up with Neil again on the road to Spalding and we rode together on and off throughout. I got some food from a co-op in Horncastle.
My ankle was now really hurting badly, I tried pedalling one legged but I couldn't keep it up for long. I plastered it with Voltarol in a bus shelter, and started to munch Ibuprofen. It wasn't until I combined this with Paracetamol that the pain began to subside.
The wind across the Fens to Spalding was horrendous, very very hard cycling. The last 20km especially was into a block headwind. But I had a second wind myself and decided to power it out and fight the wind and not let it beat me. I managed to grab the wheel of a local bloke on his mountain bike for a few km respite, he couldn't hear me ask permission as he had earphones in so I don't know what he thought. We must have looked a right pair!! He was riding strong into the wind.
I got to Spalding at 18:22 with just over two hours in hand. The wind was abating and the route changes direction slightly from here so maybe it wouldn't be too bad? I left after about an hour. Good food here. Club mate Hugh Falkner was on volunteer duty here so we had a quick chat and he took a few photos of me.
The ride onto the levees towards St Ives as the Sun was setting was fantastic, so beautiful.
As it became dark though I hit the long straight roads across the Fens, I kept looking at my Wahoo willing the distance to disappear. This was probably the most boring section of the whole ride, total tedium. After what seemed like an eternity I got to St Ives at 22:55. Time to formulate a plan. I knew my average speed now was going to be around 18kph, It had been for the last couple of days. I had about 12 hours to get back to London and about 8 hours cycling left. If I ate had a nap here and left in a couple of hours, it would be 5 hours to Great Easton, nap, 3 hours to Loughton and I should finish about 9.30am with a cutoff time of 11:35am.
I ate, and slept at the table and left for Great Easton at around 1.30am. The cycleway alongside the guided busway towards Cambridge was extremely dull in the dark and I was struggling to stay awake.
Luckily once I got to Cambridge the novelty of cycling through the deserted city in the early hours of the morning kept me awake. I had a drink and snack at a 24hr petrol station in Trumpington. The route profile from here suggested a gentle incline to Great Easton and for the first section through Duxford that was pretty much it. I was extremely sleepy though and was going slower and slower, was starting to hullicinate and I had to take a break. I broke my audax hotel virginity at 4am, I found a wooden bus shelter with a nice flat bench, propped the bike up and set myself a 30 minute alarm. I fell asleep instantly.
That 30 minutes did me the world of good though, I was much quicker and fresher even for that short break. The route was cruel though and there was some very nasty hills just before Great Easton. I got there at 05:24. I had been cycling for nearly 24 hours with barely any sleep in two days. I ate some cornflakes but couldn't face anything else and crashed on the classroom floor. I slept for about an hour, I wanted to leave at 7am to coordinate meeting my family at Loughton. When I re-entered the dining hall Neil had just arrived having also just cycled through the night.
I tried to eat some toast, but my body didn't want to eat. I packed my kit for the last time and started the 48km to Loughton. The Sun was out, it was warm. The first third of the ride passed quickly. The traffic around Stansted Airport wasn't great, I started to worry I'd get taken out by an Essex man in his van this close to the finish. I also started panicking I might get a puncture. My hands were virtually crippled by this point and with only about an hour in hand a puncture would see me DNF as it would take me an hour to change an inner tube even if I could.
The middle third of the ride was very hilly, up and down, up and down. It felt like cycling in treacle, I just wanted to finish.
The last third didn't seem quite so bad but I started to distance watch, the last 10km seemed to take forever. But there were only a few instructions left on the routesheet and adrenaline started to kick in and I sped up, I nearly came a cropper on a speed hump as I entered Loughton, how awful to have fallen so close to the end. I sprinted like a nutter up the final slope to the finish. I crossed the line, my family were waiting, I waved. I had finished with about 90 minutes time in hand.
The Statistics
Distance = 1,448.2 km
Cycling time = 70h 27m
Total time = 115h 17m
Stopped time = 44h 49m
Average moving speed = 20.56 kph
Overall average speed = 12.56 kph
Interestingly when I was moving my average speed was pretty close to my estimated 21kph. It was the stopped time that made it so hard on the return south. Longer and more frequent stops were required as I became increasingly tired and sleep-deprived. I took over an hour at nearly every control and probably at least another hour on each leg southbound taking rests, shop and snack stops etc.
Physically I have bad cyclists' palsy, with numb fingers and toes. A sore swollen ankle and a general feeling of being spaced out and weak even several days later, I blacked out and was violently sick Tuesday night.
Easily the hardest thing I have ever done, not necessarily due to the distance or hilliness which I could cope with but the short time in which to do it and to try and fit in eating, sleeping, resting etc. I can see improvements in technique and equipment I would make if I ever tried it again (I won't!).
Massive thanks to my wife and children for supporting me in this mad adventure, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks to all my friends and family on Facebook and Messenger, your messages of support and letting me know my time in hand was incredibly useful. There were some really tough moments and your help got me through.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Final Disposition of the Charges Against the Haditha Marines
BY Herschel Smith16 years, 11 months ago
The Investigating Officer's Report on accused Marine Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt contains more than mere assessment of the charges against Sharratt. The following conclusion is transcribed from the report.
Due to the disparate accounts, it is tempting to simply conclude that this case should be tried to either exonerate LCpl Sharratt or convict him of a crime. However, to adopt the government's position that because there are two differing accounts, a general court-martial is warranted is an abdication of the necessary process of determining whether reasonable grounds exist to warrant a court-martial. It is not as simple as stating there are two accounts so a trial is necessary. Analysis of these two versions must provide reasonable grounds that the Government version of events may be true. In analyzing the evidence, I read several hundred pages of interviews, documents and statements, (IE 33-105). Ultimately, there is only one statement by an eye witness to the events, LCpl Sharratt, and his version of events is strongly corroborated by independent forensic analysis of the death scene. The government version is unsupported by independent evidence and while each statement has within it corroboration, several factors together reduces the credibility of such statements to incredible. In addition, the statements of the Iraqis are unclear, contradictory in part, and simply state self-interested conclusion as to what occurred within house 4. Finally, to believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary and sets a dangerous precedent that, in my opinion, may encourage others to bear false witness against Marines as a tactic to erode public support of the Marine Corps and mission in Iraq. Even more dangerous is the potential that a Marine may hesitate at the critical moment when facing the enemy.
Much effort during the Article 32 focused on whether the victims were insurgents. Although determining if they were may have some bearing on the credibility of the Iraqi witnesses and may support that LCpl Sharratt did perceive a hostile situation within house 4, such determinations are not necessary to conclude that LCpl Sharratt is truthful in his account. From as early as February 2006 LCpl Sharratt's statements are supported by the forensic evidence. It is likely that members of the Ahmed family were either insurgents on 19 November 2005, or that they were attempting to defend their house and family when Marines entered house 4 uninvited and unannounced. On that fateful afternoon, Jasib heard someone enter house 4. He investigated with his AK-47 in his hands. LCpl Sharratt saw him and perceived him as a threat. Using his training he responded instinctively, assaulting into the room emptying his pistol. Whether this was a brave act of combat against the enemy or tragedy of misperception born out of conducting combat with an enemy that hides among innocents, LCpl Sharratt's actions were in accord with the rules of engagement and use of force.
A reading of the document reveals that investigating officer Lt. Col. Paul Ware obviously doesn't believe the government's version of events. He points to many inconsistent reports, only two of which are outlined below:
- LCpl. Sharratt's SAW jammed upon engagement of the men in house 4. Jamming is a known problem in the M16A2/M4/SAW, as I have discussed before (after shooting an M16 and dealing with this problem). The use of a 9 mm pistol to "perform an execution" means that a group of Marines decided to use the least powerful weapon in their arsenal, Lt. Col. Ware says, concluding that this is not credible. As an editorial comment, I would add that I know a highly skilled SAW gunner who tells me that he can undo the effects of a jam in his SAW within 5 seconds or less. To believe that a gangland style execution occurred while a SAW gunner left his weapon jammed and used his pistol is so ridiculous that one wonders why the government lawyers would have actually put such an idea in print before a military tribunal. This surely must be embarrassing for them.
- The Iraqis reported that the "one with the pistol" was "in charge." But the problem is that the one with the pistol was Lance Corporal Sharratt, and with him were a Corporal and a Staff Sergeant. How many readers who are either former or active duty military believe that a Corporal and Staff Sergeant would take orders from a Lance Corporal? Again, this surely must be embarrassing for the prosecuting attorney.
The relatives of the deceased Iraqis didn't want the bodies exhumed for forensic analysis, but would rather "forgive" the Marines. In Iraq: Land of Lies and Deceipt (a press report concerning a similar British trial), I noted a contractor's report about his experiences with Iraqis and honesty.
In Islamic and Arab traditions, blood money is the money paid by the killer or his family or clan to the family or the clan of the victim. It is unlawful for a believer to kill a believer except if it happens by accident. And he who kills a believer accidentally must free one Muslim slave and pay 'Diyat' to the heirs of the victim except if they forgive him. The tradition finds repeated endorsement in Islamic tradition; several instances are recorded in the Hadith, which are the acts of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Blood – Money tradition has found its way into legislation in several Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan. Some of these countries also define, by lawful legislation, a hierarchy of (cash) rates for the lives of people….
Are lies being told to obtain blood money payments? Some insight comes in this response to the collapse of the British trial by Stephan Holland, a Baghdad-based US contractor.
I've been in Iraq for about 18 months now performing construction management. It is simply not possible for me to exaggerate the massive amounts of lies we wade through every single day. There is no way – absolutely none – to determine facts from bulls*** ….
It is not even considered lying to them; it is more akin to being clever – like keeping your cards close to your chest. And they don't just lie to westerners. They believe that appearances–saving face–are of paramount importance. They lie to each other all the time about anything in order to leverage others on a deal or manipulate an outcome of some sort or cover up some major or minor embarrassment. It's just how they do things, period.
I'm not trying to disparage them here. I get along great with a lot of them. But even among those that I like, if something happens (on the job) I'll get 50 wildly different stories, every time. There's no comparison to it in any other part of the world where I've worked. The lying is ubiquitous and constant.
Lt. Col. Ware has suspicion for the Iraqi testimony as evidenced by the report. At the end of the investigating officer's report, Lt. Col. Ware makes the recommendation to drop the charges, and that Lance Corporal Sharratt be given testimonial immunity and ordered to cooperate with any ongoing investigations. This last part might be pro forma and routine. If Lt. Col. Ware believes his account and disbelieves the government's account, then he believes that LCpl Sharratt will not bring anything forward that would call his assessment into question.
Why? Lt. Col. Ware goes further than merely saying that there is no case against LCpl Sharratt. His insightful report destroys the government's case in general, not just with respect to LCpl Sharratt. It does not seem possible to me that after this rebuke of the government, the cases against the remaining Haditha Marines would proceed. As defense attorney, the first thing I would do would be to trot out the report by Lt. Col. Ware and demand that his assessment be answered line by line.
This report should end the case against the Haditha Marines, but given that the prosecution was willing to embarrass themselves with the prosecution of Sharratt to begin with, anything can happen.


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MP3 download CRISPR babies update by Ian Woolf, Transhumanism and emerging technologies by Peter Xing, Engineering Cat-girls by Meow Ludo Meow Meow. Fact and sound checking by Charles Willock, Produced and hosted by Ian Woolf. The researcher who created CRISPR...
Posted by Ian Woolf on December 3, 2018 4:56 PM
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Terms and Conditions
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- I agree that it is my responsibility to gain clearance to attend from my department or manager where applicable.
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- I understand that if I do not respond within one day to an offer of a place on the waiting list, the Postdoc Academy reserves the right to offer the place to the next person on the waiting list.
Please contact the relevant provider with any queries regarding these terms and conditions.


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Firestorm is going to headline an ongoing TV series! Not a hoax! Not a dream! Not an imaginary story! This is happening, Match-heads! Happy early Birthday/Christmas/Life Day all rolled into one!
My mind is still reeling! Firestorm, Atom, Captain Cold, and Black Canary starring together in an ongoing team-up TV series?!?!?! Deadline broke the news and we don't know much yet, but here is the scoop from their website:
DC Comics superheroes are uniting in a potential new drama series at the CW, a spinoff from hits Arrow and The Flash that will feature several fan-favorite recurring actors/characters from both shows. I have learned that the network has teamed with Arrow creators Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim for a project eyed for next season toplined by Brandon Routh, Victor Garber, Wentworth Miller and Caity Lotz.
The untitled project, now in development, is described as a superhero team-up show. Routh, Miller and Garber will reprise their popular DC Comics characters — Arrow's Ray Palmer/The Atom (Routh), Flash villain Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Miller), and Flash's Dr. Martin Stein (Garber). Because her Arrow character Sara Lance was killed off, with her sister Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) taking over as the Black Canary, it is unclear whether Lotz will play the same or new superhero.
The project is in early stages of development, so there is a possibility for other Arrow/Flash characters to cross over to the new spinoff. Additionally, in a tidbit that should get fans fired up, I have learned the new project will include three major DC Comics characters who have never appeared in a TV series.
No mention of Robbie Amell just yet. Hmmm… Hopefully it's just casting issues and he will star in the show too. If not, then the Firestorm matrix certainly has room for other folks. Maybe we'll see a Jason Rusch/Martin Stein Firestorm.
Whatever the final casting… we are getting a TV series starring Firestorm! Hard to believe, but it's really happening!
Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!


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Now you can fine tune your Blow Off/Diverter Valve to the exact needs of your engine with this complete tuning kit.
Your valve tuning kit you will find four springs and three spacers.
The strongest spring is the red, followed by the blue, yellow and finally the green which is the weakest. The spacers enable you to fine tune the settings between two spring tensions if required.
We normally supply our valves, unless requested differently, with a spring that will match the tension of the manufacturer's original fitment valve. However, as many owners undertake tuning modifications some may wish to re-tune the valve characteristics to suit a given application.
If you are finding that the valve is dumping more than required or you are loosing boost pressure it is normally an indication that a stronger spring is required. Conversely if the valve is failing to dump it may be necessary to install a weaker spring. If during this tuning of your valve you are faced for example with the red spring being to strong and the blue spring to weak, you can add the spacers to the blue spring to increase the tension by small increments, thus achieving a setting between the red and blue springs.
Valve Spring color coding
Green – 5-15 PSI
Yellow – 15-23 PSI
Blue – 23-30 PSI
Red – 30 + PSI
The above figures are estimates only and should only be considered as a guideline
Please note – fitting a stronger spring into a valve will not increase boost pressure unless existing pressure is being lost. Failure to allow the valve to operate by installing a spring which is to strong may cause damage to the turbocharger.
Please note – the red coded springs should not be installed in the DVR or DV007 diaphragm valves
This kit is not suitable for the FMDVMSP02, FMDVSPLTR, FMRSR, FMRSA,FMDVFSITV/FMDVFSITVR, FMFSITV/FMFSITVR.
Please contact us if you are uncertain whether this kit is suitable for your valve.


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Greeting. 1* Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the holy ones throughout Achaia:a 2grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving. 3b Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement,* 4who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.c 5For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ* does our encouragement also overflow. 6If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7Our hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement.*
8We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction that came to us in the province of Asia;* we were utterly weighed down beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.d 9Indeed, we had accepted within ourselves the sentence of death,* that we might trust not in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.e 10He rescued us from such great danger of death, and he will continue to rescue us; in him we have put our hope [that] he will also rescue us again,f 11as you help us with prayer, so that thanks may be given by many on our behalf for the gift granted us through the prayers of many.g
II. The Crisis Between Paul and the Corinthians
A. Past Relationships*
Paul's Sincerity and Constancy. 12* For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with the simplicity and sincerity of God, [and] not by human wisdom but by the grace of God. 13For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand completely, 14as you have come to understand us partially, that we are your boast as you also are ours, on the day of [our] Lord Jesus.h
15With this confidence I formerly intended to come* to you so that you might receive a double favor, 16namely, to go by way of you to Macedonia, and then to come to you again on my return from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea.i 17So when I intended this, did I act lightly?* Or do I make my plans according to human considerations, so that with me it is "yes, yes" and "no, no"?j 18As God is faithful,* our word to you is not "yes" and "no." 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.k 20For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.l 21* But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God;m 22he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.n
Paul's Change of Plan. 23o But I call upon God as witness, on my life, that it is to spare you that I have not yet gone to Corinth.* 24Not that we lord it over your faith; rather, we work together for your joy, for you stand firm in the faith.
* [1:1–11] The opening follows the usual Pauline form, except that the thanksgiving takes the form of a doxology or glorification of God (2 Cor 1:3). This introduces a meditation on the experience of suffering and encouragement shared by Paul and the Corinthians (2 Cor 1:4–7), drawn, at least in part, from Paul's reflections on a recent affliction (2 Cor 1:8–10). The section ends with a modified and delayed allusion to thanksgiving (2 Cor 1:11).
* [1:3] God of all encouragement: Paul expands a standard Jewish blessing so as to state the theme of the paragraph. The theme of "encouragement" or "consolation" (paraklēsis) occurs ten times in this opening, against a background formed by multiple references to "affliction" and "suffering."
* [1:5] Through Christ: the Father of compassion is the Father of our Lord Jesus (2 Cor 1:3); Paul's sufferings and encouragement (or "consolation") are experienced in union with Christ. Cf. Lk 2:25: the "consolation of Israel" is Jesus himself.
* [1:7] You also share in the encouragement: the eschatological reversal of affliction and encouragement that Christians expect (cf. Mt 5:4; Lk 6:24) permits some present experience of reversal in the Corinthians' case, as in Paul's.
* [1:8] Asia: a Roman province in western Asia Minor, the capital of which was Ephesus.
* [1:9–10] The sentence of death: it is unclear whether Paul is alluding to a physical illness or to an external threat to life. The result of the situation was to produce an attitude of faith in God alone. God who raises the dead: rescue is the constant pattern of God's activity; his final act of encouragement is the resurrection.
* [1:12–2:13] The autobiographical remarks about the crisis in Asia Minor lead into consideration of a crisis that has arisen between Paul and the Corinthians. Paul will return to this question, after a long digression, in 2 Cor 7:5–16. Both of these sections deal with travel plans Paul had made, changes in the plans, alternative measures adopted, a breach that opened between him and the community, and finally a reconciliation between them.
* [1:12–14] Since Paul's own conduct will be under discussion here, he prefaces the section with a statement about his habitual behavior and attitude toward the community. He protests his openness, single-mindedness, and conformity to God's grace; he hopes that his relationship with them will be marked by mutual understanding and pride, which will constantly increase until it reaches its climax at the judgment. Two references to boasting frame this paragraph (2 Cor 1:12, 14), the first appearances of a theme that will be important in the letter, especially in 2 Cor 10–13; the term is used in a positive sense here (cf. note on 1 Cor 1:29–31).
* [1:15] I formerly intended to come: this plan reads like a revision of the one mentioned in 1 Cor 16:5. Not until 2 Cor 1:23–2:1 will Paul tell us something his original readers already knew, that he has canceled one or the other of these projected visits.
* [1:17] Did I act lightly?: the subsequent change of plans casts suspicion on the original intention, creating the impression that Paul is vacillating and inconsistent or that human considerations keep dictating shifts in his goals and projects (cf. the counterclaim of 2 Cor 1:12). "Yes, yes" and "no, no": stating something and denying it in the same or the next breath; being of two minds at once, or from one moment to the next.
* [1:18–22] As God is faithful: unable to deny the change in plans, Paul nonetheless asserts the firmness of the original plan and claims a profound constancy in his life and work. He grounds his defense in God himself, who is firm and reliable; this quality can also be predicated in various ways of those who are associated with him. Christ, Paul, and the Corinthians all participate in analogous ways in the constancy of God. A number of the terms here, which appear related only conceptually in Greek or English, would be variations of the same root, 'mn, in a Semitic language, and thus naturally associated in a Semitic mind, such as Paul's. These include the words yes (2 Cor 1:17–20), faithful (2 Cor 1:18), Amen (2 Cor 1:20), gives us security (2 Cor 1:21), faith, stand firm (2 Cor 1:24).
* [1:21–22] The commercial terms gives us security, seal, first installment are here used analogously to refer to the process of initiation into the Christian life, perhaps specifically to baptism. The passage is clearly trinitarian. The Spirit is the first installment or "down payment" of the full messianic benefits that God guarantees to Christians. Cf. Eph 1:13–14.
* [1:23–24] I have not yet gone to Corinth: some suppose that Paul received word of some affair in Corinth, which he decided to regulate by letter even before the first of his projected visits (cf. 2 Cor 1:16). Others conjecture that he did pay the first visit, was offended there (cf. 2 Cor 2:5), returned to Ephesus, and sent a letter (2 Cor 2:3–9) in place of the second visit. The expressions to spare you (2 Cor 1:23) and work together for your joy (2 Cor 1:24) introduce the major themes of the next two paragraphs, which are remarkable for insistent repetition of key words and ideas. These form two clusters of terms in the English translation: (1) cheer, rejoice, encourage, joy; (2) pain, affliction, anguish. These clusters reappear when Paul resumes treatment of this subject in 2 Cor 7:5–16.
a. [1:1] Eph 1:1; Col 1:1 / 1:19; Acts 16; Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2.
b. [1:3] 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:3; 1 Pt 1:3 / Rom 15:5.
c. [1:4] 7:6–7, 13; 1 Thes 3:6–8; 2 Thes 2:16.
d. [1:8] Acts 20:18–19; 1 Cor 15:32.
h. [1:14] Phil 2:16; 1 Thes 2:19–20.
i. [1:16] 1 Cor 16:5–9; Acts 19:21.
k. [1:19] Acts 16:1–3; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1.
l. [1:20] 1 Cor 14:16; Rev 3:14.
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By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
While political leaders often exaggerate their achievements and brag about the superiority of their nation, such claims become absurd if they are far removed from reality and border on chauvinism and narcissism.
When leaders harbor an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they could be easily manipulated by others who exploit their insatiable appetite for flattery. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of several high-ranking Turkish officials who may be suffering from such a character flaw.
The Turkish media provided extensive coverage to a Los Angeles Times article reporting that "Pres. Obama has logged more phone calls to Erdogan than to any world leader except British Prime Minister David Cameron." When the two met at the United Nations in New York, Pres. Obama gave Erdogan "more face time than any other world leader," lasting almost two hours. The US President reportedly praised the Turkish Prime Minister for showing "great leadership." The L.A. Times specifically noted that Obama even "resorted to flattery" by subsequently phoning Erdogan "to rave about a Turkish basketball tournament."
The Turkish newspaper, Today's Zaman, published a follow up article further highlighting the close relationship between the two leaders: "Erdogan and Obama's phone chats reveal Turkey's ascent." The article included a photo where the American and Turkish leaders are shaking hands while brimming with wide smiles.
Although Prime Minister Erdogan does not look kindly upon anyone who writes unflattering words about him and frequently sues journalists daring to criticize his policies, prominent Turkish commentator Semih Idiz risked imprisonment by writing an article last week in Al-Monitor, titled: "Is Erdogan Aiming to Be a Latter-Day Sultan?" Idiz underlines the Prime Minister's "authoritarian tendencies and lack of tolerance to any criticism, especially from a free press."
The Turkish journalist writes in great detail about Erdogan's plans to run for President in August 2014, but not before drafting a new constitution that would transform the current head of state's ceremonial post into "an executive presidency" that would not be "encumbered by a system of checks and balances." If elected President, Erdogan would have "the power to dissolve the Parliament, rule by decree and appoint government ministers, senior bureaucrats and jurists without parliamentary approval."
It is not a mere accident that Erdogan recently told Turkish journalists that the American presidential system, with checks and balances that limit the power of the president, is not suitable for Turkey: "The US president cannot appoint an ambassador, he cannot even solely decide on the sale of a helicopter…. That's why we should create a Turkish-style presidential system."
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who used be a serious scholar, appears to be emulating his conceited Prime Minister. Last week, in his opening remarks at the annual conference of Turkish Ambassadors held in Ankara,Davutoglu made a highly arrogant statement claiming that Turkey plays a critical role in world affairs: "Because the global powers know that now history flows through Ankara, parties that ignore Ankara cannot understand history. The one that risks relations with Ankara will take risks in all regional policies…. Those who want to understand history must be present in Ankara, Istanbul and every other place in Turkey, because from now on we will be more actively present in shaping the flow of history."
These preposterous words are uttered by a Foreign Minister who had assumed his current post by pompously declaring that his country pursued a policy of "zero problems with neighbors." The harsh reality is that Turkey now has almost no neighbors without problems! Indeed, Ankara has serious conflicts with neighboring Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria!
Not to be outdone by his senior colleagues, Turkey's controversial European Union Affairs Minister, Egemen Bagis, greeted the New Year with a fresh list of outlandish statements: "Today there is no government in Europe which is more reformist than our government. While EU countries are struggling in crisis, our country is experiencing the most democratic, prosperous, modern and transparent period in its history. The 'sick man' of yesterday has gotten up and summoned the strength to prescribe medication for today's Europe…and to share the EU's burden rather than being a burden to it."
Pres. Obama has discovered that he can get more out of Turkish leaders by honey than vinegar, capitalizing on their overwhelming desire for praise and flattery. The problem is that such lavish praise has turned Turkey into 'a spoiled brat' who has become a serious menace to the entire neighborhood!


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Product Description 2008 Faction 144 Wakeboard:
The Faction movement was formed last year when a couple reps had some riders that made a difference in their territories. It was built around those riders who do everything it takes and whatever it takes to get their next set. Eating, sleeping, and breathing take a back seat, everything wake. The Faction brand is now not only a board and boots, but clothing, handles and now a shape targeted to the smaller rider. The guys wanted a board that was a different ride, something they could take to the cable or rail park and still have something they could hit a solid double up, or pull a back five off the wake. It is a free shape with very little going on with the bottom. When something was designed, prototypes were shipped to ten riders from pro's to shop employees. Feedback was then pooled, and out came the Faction wakeboard. A continuous rocker line, very small molded fins, and subtle rails create a shape that glides across the water effortlessly. A four-fin speedster that gives you two boards in one, a wake killer as well as a free shape for pressing in the flats.


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You can scarcely turn on the TV without seeing ads for reverse mortgages. They're touted as a great tool for cash-strapped seniors to tap their home equity to pay off bills while remaining in their homes with no monthly mortgage payments. Although that may be true for some people, these complicated and costly loans aren't right for everyone, so it pays to do your homework.
Here's a primer on reverse mortgages and precautions you need to take:
Reverse mortgages let homeowners age 62 or older borrow against their home equity without having to make monthly payments (as with refinance loans). The loan needn't be repaid until you move out permanently, sell the property or die. In addition, seniors wishing to downsize or relocate may make a large down payment on a new home and then use a reverse mortgage to finance the rest.
The vast majority of these mortgages are made through the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. Common features include:
• All parties on the loan must be at least age 62.
• The home (current or future) must be your principal residence.
• You must own the home outright or be able to pay it off with proceeds from the loan.
• The allowable loan amount is based on your home's appraised value, your age, interest rate and type (fixed or variable), mortgage insurance and applicable fees. Generally, the older you are and the more valuable your home, the greater the available loan.
• The repayment amount never exceeds the home's final sale value, so you (or your heirs) are never liable for more than you originally borrowed.
• You can take the money as a lump sum, a line of credit, fixed monthly payments or any combination.
Reverse mortgages can be very expensive. Lenders may charge a loan origination fee of up to $6,000. In addition, you must pay upfront and then ongoing mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs). HECM Standard loans have an upfront MIP of 2 percent of the home's value. HECM Saver loans have a far lower 0.01 percent upfront MIP (although the allowable loan amount may be up to 18 percent less). Both versions also charge an additional 1.25 percent MIP of the outstanding balance annually, as well as a loan origination fee of up to $6,000 and various other charges.
A few other potential downsides with reverse mortgages:
• You are responsible for homeowner's fees, property taxes, insurance and repairs for the life of the loan. If you don't pay them, you risk cancellation or foreclosure.
• They aren't cost-effective if you plan to move in a few years.
• Some couples put only the older spouse on the loan in order to secure a higher balance, but this can backfire: If that person dies first, the survivor could be bound to pay off the loan — a real problem if the home's value is "underwater."
• The longer you carry a reverse mortgage, the more your home equity — and thus, your estate — will decrease.
Because reverse mortgages are so complicated, potential borrowers are required to consult a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved counselor before being allowed to apply. Before you even get to that stage, do your research. Helpful sites include those sponsored by the HUD (www.hud.gov) and AARP (www.aarp.org).
Jason Alderman directs Visa's financial education programs. To follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney
Practical Money Matters - Reverse Mortgages Arent For Everyone


text: When any minor child is accidentally shot by another family member, no arrest shall be made pursuant to this subsection prior to 7 days after the date of the shooting. With respect to any parent or guardian of any deceased minor, the investigating officers shall file all findings and evidence with the state attorney's office with respect to violations of this subsection. The state attorney shall evaluate such evidence and shall take such action as he or she deems appropriate under the circumstances and may file an information against the appropriate parties.


text: Innovate . Engage. Ignite. Deliver. We develop solutions that integrate consumers, retailers & suppliers with the simple goal of increasing sales for your brand. Beverage Promotions provides thought leadership and innovation to the beverage industry. As consumer behavior changes our technology services evolve, helping our supplier and retail partners at BEVcoupons we continue to evolve and innovate. Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, services , technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets. |


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Who made this product: Basha
The founder of Basha knew she had to do something when she met women living on train stations in Bangladesh, selling their bodies to survive. Today, Basha is part of a long-term programme whereby women can leave the sex industry and access education, medical support, counselling, and finally employment making beautiful jewellery which is sold all over the world. Each purchase of Basha jewellery means you're supporting a woman in Bangladesh who now has an alternative source of income to the trauma and degradation of working in the sex industry. In the Bengali language, 'basha' means house and 'asha' means hope. Committed to Fair Trade principles, they are truly building a 'house of hope' for women – many of them mothers - escaping trafficking and sex work.


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Weight | 0,41 kg |
Dimensions | 30 × 40 × 3 cm |
Cessna Stow Bag – Tan
109,95 $
In 1911, aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna built his own plane and taught himself to fly. It was the start of a unique relationship between man and machine. For thousands of airmen and women today, the name "Cessna" has come to symbolize flying itself. Our Cessna heritage collection is a salute to this legendary entrepreneur and aviation icon.
The Cessna Stow fits a headset, navigational tools and your pilot operating handbook as easily as your gym gear. Features rugged cotton twill, brass hardware, YKK zippers and adjustable shoulder strap.
In stock (can be backordered)