UnrepentantLiberal
UnrepentantLiberal's JournalRebels capture air base in northern Syria
Source: AP
BEIRUT — Rebels captured a military air base in northern Syria on Tuesday, their second major strategic victory in as many days, activists said.
The assault on the al-Jarrah airfield in Aleppo province comes a day after opposition fighters seized the nation's largest dam, an iconic industrial symbol of the four-decade rule of President Bashar Assad's family. The rebels have had their biggest success in Syria's civil war in the northeast, and the twin victories appeared to indicate they were solidifying their control of large swaths of the country's once heavily-contested north.
The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said that after days of sporadic clashes around the al-Jarrah airfield, rebels launched a major assault on the base on Monday and had overrun the facility by Tuesday morning.
He said several regime troops in the area were killed or wounded in the fighting, while others fled as the rebels advanced. There was no word on opposition casualties.
The airfield, which is located near the al-Furat dam captured on Monday, housed fighter jets that have been carrying out airstrikes on rebel held-areas around the country.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/12/syria-rebels-aleppo-air-base/1912215/
What?
Now that's catching a good jury.
At Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:15 PM, an alert was sent on the following post:
Well now you're cool, aren't you, big shot? http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1240&pid=220246
REASON FOR ALERT:
This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/? com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)
ALERTER'S COMMENTS:
This is simply a personal insult, "Big Shot".
It's uncalled for, and completely undeserved.
JURY RESULTS
A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of this alert at Mon Feb 11, 2013, 02:30 PM, and voted 6-0 to HIDE IT.
Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT and said: Direct personal attack and I'm not here to see that shit! Hey UnrepentantLiberal, what's your damn problem? Grow the hell up!
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT and said: Agreed. Pretty harsh for such a thread as this. If not meant seriously, should have been softened
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: Frankly, I am sick of this handful of self-appointed members who consider themselves to be the DU police and spend more than half their time in meta. They call out other members with impunity, harass others if they dare to vary even a little from what they think is some kind of DU purity and make DU suck in a huge way. I wish they would go away. And this is one of the worst. This is an uncalled for personal attack.
Rebels seize Syria’s largest dam, taking control of water and electricity to parts of
Source: The Washington Post
BEIRUT —Syrian rebels captured the country’s largest dam on Monday after days of intense clashes,giving them control over water and electricity supplies for much of the country in a major blow to President Bashar Assad’s regime.
The rebels had already seized two other dams on the Euphrates River. But the latest conquest, the al-Furat dam in northeastern Raqqa province, was a major coup for the opposition. It handed them control over water and electricity supplies for both government-held areas and large swathes of land the opposition has captured over the past 22 months of fighting.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, a Britain-based anti-regime activist, said rebels took control of al-Furat dam around midday after successfully pushing out a group of Assad loyalist from the control room. Most of the regime troops in the area had stopped fighting on Sunday following the fall of the nearby town of al-Thawra, Abdul-Rahman said.
The rebel assault on the dam was led by al-Qaida-linked militant group Jabhat al-Nusra, which has been fighting alongside the rebels trying to oust Assad. Al-Nusra Front is considered the most effective fighting force on the anti-regime side.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/rebels-seize-syrias-largest-dam-taking-control-of-water-and-electricity-to-parts-of-country/2013/02/11/d0a659e8-7461-11e2-9889-60bfcbb02149_story.html
Girl, 3, joins Mensa after taking IQ test in Russian
A brainy three-year-old has been unveiled as the youngest new member of Mensa - with a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.
Clever Alice Amos has been granted full membership of the brain box society after scoring an incredible 162 on an IQ test - she took in Russian.
Her parents are from Russia and speak the language at home in Guildford, Surrey.
The whizzkid, one of just 18 pre-school members of Mensa, is now officially recognised as smarter than Prof Hawking whose IQ is a reputed 160.
More: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/girl-3-joins-mensa-after-1595230
Eyeball falls out in court, mistrial declared
Let it now be recorded in the annals of the U.S. justice system: a Philadelphia trial has ended in mistrial by eyeball.
It was the assault trial Commonwealth v. Brunelli, involving an early morning fight outside the New Princeton Tavern in Burholme where one punch cost John Huttick his left eye.
Huttick, 48, was on the witness stand Wednesday, weeping as he told the Common Pleas Court jury about the impact of losing an eye when he literally lost his eye.
Two jurors, seated feet away, gasped and started to rise as if they wanted to leave. Huttick caught the $3,000 prosthetic blue eye and cried out.
More: http://articles.philly.com/2013-02-07/news/36952151_1_mistrial-motion-gilson-eye
Obama's hidden nonplan to arm rebels in Syria
Last week, the world was given an invaluable peek into an internal debate of the Obama administration over whether to intervene in Syria.
In response to a question during a Senate hearing, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the president had vetoed a secret plan last summer – supported by his top national security team – to arm selective opposition groups now fighting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Sen. John McCain then asked a difficult but rhetorical question of Mr. Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey:
“How many more have to die [in Syria] before you recommend military action?”
More: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2013/0210/Obama-s-hidden-nonplan-to-arm-rebels-in-Syria
Iran and Hezbollah build militia networks in Syria in event that Assad falls, officials say
By Karen DeYoung and Joby Warrick
The Washington Post
Feb 10, 2013
Iran and Hezbollah, its Lebanese proxy, are building a network of militias inside Syria to preserve and protect their interests in the event that President Bashar al-Assad’s government falls or is forced to retreat from Damascus, according to U.S. and Middle Eastern officials.
The militias are fighting alongside Syrian government forces to keep Assad in power. But officials believe Iran’s long-term goal is to have reliable operatives in place in the event that Syria fractures into separate ethnic and sectarian enclaves.
A senior Obama administration official sited Iranian claims that Tehran was backing as many as 50,000 militiamen in Syria. “It’s a big operation,” the official said. “The immediate intention seems to be to support the Syrian regime. But it’s important for Iran to have a force in Syria that is reliable and can be counted on.”
Iran’s strategy, a senior Arab official agreed, has two tracks. “One is to support Assad to the hilt, the other is to set the stage for major mischief if he collapses.”
More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-hezbollah-build-militia-networks-in-syria-in-event-that-assad-falls-officials-say/2013/02/10/257a41c8-720a-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html
Who here ISN'T an organ donor?
Why?
Online organ donor registration: http://donatelife.net/
Another thank you for my hearts thread.
It is much appreciated. It put me in a good mood after a bad day at work. 
No matter what the topic
someone is going to jump in and be the contrarian. (Usually in an annoying way.)
That is all.
Profile Information
Name: BradGender: Male
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Current location: Jersey City, NJ
Member since: Sat Mar 15, 2008, 12:21 PM
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