Fighter: A number of F-22s have been deployed to a base in Abu Dhabi Iran Slams Deployment Of U.S. F-22 Raptors In UAE: Lawmaker — Xinhuanet TEHRAN, April 29 (Xinhua) — A senior Iranian lawmaker slammed the recent deployment of the U.S. F-22 Raptors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Sunday. The Rapporteur of Iranian Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazem Jalali said that stockpiling weapons would threaten stability in the region. Jalali made the remarks referring to the recent media reports that the U.S. recently deployed its F-22 Raptors at the UAE Al Dafra Air Base. Read more …. Update #1: Iran lawmaker: Stealth fighter deployment to UAE is US-Israeli plot to create instability — Washington Post/AP Update #2: Iran: F-22s in UAE are US-Israeli Plot — Arutz Sheva Update #3: Deploying jets US-Israeli plot to destabilize region: Iran MP — Press TV Previous Post : U.S. Deploys F-22 Stealth Fighters Near Iranian Border My Comment: If the Americans wanted to give a signal to Iran …. deployment of their F-22s near their border is a clear sign. What will be an even bigger signal is publicizing B-2 deployment numbers at Diego Garcia …. which is something that I think will actually be publicized to add even more pressure in the next few weeks.

Syrian Death Toll Climbs; Ships with Weapons Intercepted — Voice of America The Syrian government and opposition activists traded accusations of violence on Saturday, as a handful of U.N. monitors spread out across the country to assess compliance with a fragile cease-fire. Rights groups say Syrian forces killed at least 10 people during raids in the Damascus area. Activists also say clashes between government and opposition forces erupted in the Latakia region. Read more …. MIDDLE EAST UN Syria observers visit Homs neighborhood. Gunmen hit Syrian army from sea, Moscow slams rebels. Iran hopes nuclear dispute will be settled at Baghdad meeting. Iran lawmaker: Fighters in UAE are US-Israeli plot. Saudi envoy leaves Egypt in dispute over arrest. Netanyahu may call elections amid military service dispute. ASIA Satellite photos show preparations for new North Korea nuclear test. Supporters of fugitive Chinese dissident face retribution . Analysis: Dissident’s case poses diplomatic test for U.S. and China. Security issues expected to top Obama-Noda meeting. Kazakhstan warns about ‘evil’ foreign reporters. Huge rally raises question on Malaysia poll timing. Captive British aid worker killed in Pakistan . Australia: Julia Gillard’s government on brink as party has less MPs than Opposition. AFRICA South Sudan ready to pull out of disputed Abyei, but accuses North of reneging on truce. South Sudan says to quit border zone, seeks end to clashes . Witnesses say 15 killed in Nigerian church attack . Nigeria Christian worshipers attacked in northern Kano State. Kenya grenade attack kills at least 1, injures more than a dozen in Nairobi church . Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki goes on TV to dispel health rumours. Mali coup leader rejects Ecowas troop deployment. EUROPE Spanish unemployment hits record. France President Nicolas Sarkozy snaps at Strauss-Kahn. Large van bomb defused on Northern Ireland border. Greece tries to crack down on fraud as mayor of Zakynthos faces revolt. Former prime minister Geir Haarde of Iceland says he did not cause financial chaos. Pirates Party’s rapid rise upsets German landscape. AMERICAS Argentina: YPF vows to deliver gas as Repsol cancels deliveries. Four killed in Colombia rebel attack . French journalist goes missing during fighting with Farc in Colombia. Trial of ‘The Turk’, one of the world’s top drug lords, threatens to expose Chavez regime’s involvement in cocaine trafficking. Bolivians start second ‘long march’ against road plan. TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR ‘We’re on a path to al Qaeda’s destruction,’ U.S. counterterorrism adviser says. US missiles kill 2 in NW Pakistan. Drone strike kills four suspected militants in Pakistan. Missiles stationed on residential roof for Olympics. ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS F1 flotation boosted by £4.4bn ‘guarantee’. Geithner: U.S. can withstand any Europe stresses. Exclusive: AAOIFI in wide review of Islamic finance standards.

Great men say great things. Here’s a collection of quotes by the leaders of the IDF — its Chiefs of Staff — over the years. “A man talking fast has something to hide.” –Haim Bar-Lev Lt. Gen. (res.) Haim Bar-Lev served as Chief of Staff between 1968-1972, and inventor of the Bar-Lev Line . He later became a Knesset member and was appointed ambassador in Russia, until his death in 1994. “If you can’t get up for an old woman on the bus, you can’t be an officer in the IDF.” –Moshe Ya’alon Lt. Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya’alon served as Chief of Staff between 2001-2005, where he commanded, among other things, over Operation Defensive Shield . Originally he served in the Nachal Infantry Brigade. He’s currently the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs. “Until the wolf shall lay with lamb, we’d better be the wolves.” –Ehud Barak Lt. Gen. (res) Ehud Barak served as Chief of Staff between 1991-1995. Originally enlisted to the elite commando Sayeret Matkal, where he participated in Operation Spring of Youth . Was Prime Minister of Israel between 1999-2001, and is currently the Minister of Defense. “We’ll fight terror like there’s

The mitotic spindle, an apparatus that segregates chromosomes during cell division, may be more complex than the standard textbook picture suggests, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The findings, which result from quantitative measurements of the mitotic spindle, appear in the journal Cell . The researchers used a femtosecond laser to slice through the strands of the organelle and then performed a mathematical analysis to infer the microscopic structure of the spindle from its response to this damage. “We’ve been using this nanosurgery technique to understand the architecture and assembly of the spindle in a way that was never possible before,” says Eric Mazur , Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard, who co-authored the study. “It’s very exciting.” The spindle, which is made of protein strands called microtubules, forms during cell division and segregates chromosomes into the daughter cells. It was previously unclear how microtubules are organized in the spindles of animal cells, and it was often assumed that the microtubules stretch along the length of the entire structure, pole to pole. Mazur and his colleagues demonstrated that the microtubules can begin to form throughout the spindle. They also vary in length, with the shortest ones close to the poles. “We wondered whether this size difference might result from a gradient of microtubule stabilization across the spindle, but it actually results from transport,” says lead author Jan Brugués, a postdoctoral fellow at SEAS. “The microtubules generally nucleate and grow from the center of the spindle, from which point they are transported towards the poles. They disassemble over the course of their life span, resulting in long, young microtubules close to the midline and older, short microtubules closer to the poles.” “This research provides concrete evidence for something that we’ve only been able to estimate until now,” Brugués adds. Mazur and Brugués worked with Daniel Needleman , assistant professor of applied physics and molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, and Valeria Nuzzo, a former postdoctoral fellow in Mazur’s lab at SEAS, to bring the tools of applied physics to bear on a biological question. The team used a femtosecond laser to make two small slices perpendicular to the plane of growth of the spindle apparatus in egg extracts of the frog species Xenopus laevis . They were then able to collect quantitative data on the reconstruction of the spindle following this disruption and precisely determine the length and polarity of individual microtubules. Observing the speed and extent of depolymerization (unraveling) of the spindle, the team worked backwards to compile a complete picture of the beginning and end points of each microtubule. Finally, additional experiments and a numerical model confirmed the role of transport. “The laser allowed us to make precise cuts and perform experiments that simply were not possible using previous techniques,” says Mazur. With further inquiries into spindle architecture, the researchers hope that scientists will one day have a complete understanding, and possibly even control over, the formation of the spindle. “Understanding the spindle means understanding cell division,” notes Brugués. “With a better understanding of how the spindle is supposed to operate, we have more hope of tackling the range of conditions — from cancer to birth defects — that result from disruptions to the cell cycle or from improper chromosomal segregation.” The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and by a fellowship from the Human Frontiers Science Program. For additional information, contact Caroline Perry at cperry@seas.harvard.edu.

China’s Dirty Big Secret — Strategy Page April 27, 2012: China’s leaders are not happy with the state of their armed forces. The critics include many irate generals and admirals. These complaints tend to be made in private meetings. But so many people attend these meetings that details do eventually get out to the general public. Since these leaks do not represent official policy they do not get repeated in the Chinese media, and foreign media tends to ignore it as well. It’s more profitable for the foreign media to portray the Chinese military as scary. The truth, as Chinese leaders describe it, is more depressing. It’s all about corruption among the military leadership and low standards for training and discipline. In short, Chinese military power is more fraud than fact. Read more …. My Comment: On paper the Chinese military appears to be a formidable force …. in reality …. who knows. And while China does have a culture of corruption (what country does not?) …. I do not think that it will be wise to test this proposition.