Free Republic

Some of highlighted mass casualties by (radical) Islam in four decades - 1971-2011 2,000-25,000 between Jordanians and "Palestinians" 1970 ('Black September').[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E7D61F3CF931A25752C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4] 3,000,000 - Bangladesh, 1971 (by Yahya Khan).[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16207201] 300,000 - Uganda (1971-1979 under Idi Amin). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8372250.stm] Over 100,000 - Algeria (between 1992 and 2002).[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14118856] Over 300,000 - Iraq (1979-2003) under Saddam Hussein.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13094677] 300,000 - Lebanon 1970s-2000 by Syria and 'Palestinians'.[http://www.free-lebanon.com/Editorials/Reader_Mail/archives2/archives2.html] 2,500,000 - Sudan, 1983-2005.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/15/AR2010101503871.html] PSMost Israeli casualties are innocent non-combatants. Most Arab "Palestinian" casualties are combatants and/or involved in violent attacks. Not to mention Arab-Islamic intentional routine in causing deaths on their side via human shields. Same goes to Hezbollah...

(Reuters) - Two Iranian naval ships have sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, in a move likely to be keenly watched by Israel. "Two Iranian ships crossed through the Suez Canal (on Thursday) following permission from the Egyptian armed forces," a source in the canal authority said Friday. The destroyer and a supply ship could be on their way to the Syrian coast, the source added. Iran and Syria agreed to cooperate on naval training a year ago, and Tehran has no naval agreement with any other country in the region. Two Iranian warships sailed along the strategic...

The U.S. and Turkish foreign ministers vowed on Monday to work toward a peaceful resolution to the Syrian crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the escalating violence across Syria 'deplorable', saying that the government was using "artillery and tank fire against innocent civilians." ... She said the United States is looking forward to joining the Arab League initiative for the Friends of Syria group, which will have its first meeting in Tunisia on Feb 24. "Certainly, Minister Davutoglu and myself will play a very active role in trying to search for solutions," the top U.S. envoy said. ......

As the saying goes, “Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are.” Who are the bedfellows of the ELCA? In a past blog, Exposing the ELCA revealed the close ties and similar ideologies the ELCA has with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Now we find that the ELCA is also very close with an organization called the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

Arab nations on Sunday night called for a joint United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to the country. Syrians carrying the revolutionary flag and some of them weapons as they take part in a protest at Clock Square in Idlib, Syria. At a crisis meeting in Cairo, the Arab League agreed to take exceptional measures to halt President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of civilian protesters. It voted to scrap its much criticised observer mission to Syria, severed all diplomatic relations with the Assad regime and reinforced economic sanctions. The League called for the opening of "communication channels with the...

Turkish media has published an interview with the Secretary-General of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in which he makes comments highly critical of Iran and Hezbollah. The interview begins: The Syrian issue entered a critical juncture after the Syrian government refused the solution offered by the Arab League in order to put an end to the killing machine and stop the situation from moving further toward a full scale war. This development came along with the regional and international efforts to convince Russia to change its position on Syria after the failure of all previous initiatives to contain the situation under...

Israel's defence establishment has indicated it is prepared to take action should Syria's vast store of unconventional weapons fall into the hands of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Tel Aviv has expressed grave concerns about the fate of Syria's weaponry should Bashar al Assad fall, saying they pose as great a threat to Israeli security as Iranian nuclear development. As the violent government crack down on Syrian civilian protestors enters its eleventh month, Israeli intelligence now regards the fall of the Assad regime as inevitable. Syria's massive stockpile of weapons includes surface-to-air missiles, high-trajectory long-range rockets and missiles, biological and chemical...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- As the announcement was made Saturday evening that Russia and China had vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the actions of the Syrian regime, some Christians inside the country celebrated. One man from the western Syrian town of Qatana called his relatives to say "mabrook," or congratulations, on the result of the vote. A lounge bar in Damascus offered two alcoholic drinks for one in a happy hour offer. But in Christian homes around the country the prevailing sentiment is one of relief rather than delight -- they link the survival of the Assad regime...

Beirut - In the old days, many Lebanese used to associate Syrians with either dusty soldiers or wretched men coming for cheap labor. This is why the sight of spiffy young Syrian men and women in our Starbucks coffees browsing the web can seem odd to some (Except for Hamra residents who are used to seeing Syrian AUB students) As Mark Mackinnon writes in the Globe and Mail, many young cyber dissidents are settling in Beirut where "they feel free to express their opinions and continue their political activism." "It’s a safe place for us as Syrians. All the other...

A leading Lebanese banker fears a Greek economic scenario in Lebanon this year if the government fails to take immediate action to reduce the budget deficit, cut waste and implement broad reforms... Bassil reiterated that Lebanese banks are not willing to lend the government more money if Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his ministers fail to adopt crucial measures to cut the size of the public debt, which has reached alarming levels. Lebanese banks have been financing most of the public debt since late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri embarked on a bold drive to rebuild the country. The Central...

In a move that was decried by the U.S., France, and Arab countries, Russia and China on Saturday vetoed a U.S.-backed proposal at the UN Security Council to condemn Syrian leader Bashar al-Assed for violence against Syrian citizens. The resolution that had demanded that Assad resign was backed by the Arab League, and the League on Saturday night called on Arab countries to shut down their embassies and consulates in Syria, and remove Syrian ambassadors from their countries. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said that Washington was "disgusted" by the vetoes. The vetoes followed a particularly bloody night...

President Barack Obama, in a bid to reconcile with the Teheran regime, has blocked legislation that would hold Iran accountable for the Hizbullah bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines in 1983.

"Radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed threatens Syria with a wave of suicide bombs" SNIPPET: "Omar Bakri Mohammed, the radical cleric banned from Britain for glorifying terrorism, has told The Daily Telegraph from his base in the Middle East that al-Qaida is poised to wage war against the Syrian regime. Bakri, once nicknamed the Tottenham Ayatollah, said hard-line Salafi Muslim groups, including al-Qaida, and his al-Ghuraba group were ready to help their "Muslim brothers" with a campaign of suicide attacks against Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president." SNIPPET: "Speaking from his new home in Lebanon, the self-styled cleric, who caused controversy after...

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Madrid for World Youth Day 2011. Credit: Official WYD Flickr.com-Madrid11 Vatican City, Jan 23, 2012 / 04:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Lebanon later this year is “very possible,” according to the Vatican’s official spokesman. The Pope would use the visit to deliver a document – known as an apostolic exhortation – that is the fruit of the discussions that took place at last October’s Synod for the Middle East. “In the context of the publication of a synod document, it is very possible and reasonable for the Pope to...

"The South Lebanon is subjected to Iran," says an official of the IRGC The head of the al-Quds brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, General Kassem Suleimani, said Thursday that his country is now in southern Lebanon and Iraq, and that "both countries are subject, in one way or another, the will and ideas of Tehran. " "Iran can organize any movement to form an Islamic government there to fight against the arrogance (International)," said General Suleiman was quoted by the Iranian agency ISNA, as part of a conference on "Youth and the Islamic awakening" in the presence of young people...

Following are excerpts from an interview with Rafiq Nasrallah, director of the Lebanese International Center for Media and Research, which aired on Al- Manar TV on December 12, 2011: Rafiq Nasrallah: It has become evident that any conflict will not be waged only on Lebanese soil. In other words, the war will not take place only in South Lebanon or Beirut, and will not be limited to us being bombed from the air. If you bombard me – I will bombard you, deep in your land, and I might even advance into your [territory]. Some may think I am exaggerating,...

"A Lebanese suspect from the Hezbollah group has been taken into custody by Thai officials and police are investigating further," Chalerm Yoobamrung told Reuters. "Following concern raised by the Israeli embassy about a possible attack by a group of Lebanese terrorists in Bangkok, Thai police officials had been coordinating with Israeli officials since before the New Year."

Bulgaria’s security services recently thwarted a planned terror attack against Israeli tourists in the capital Sofia, it was published on Sunday. According to reports, the Bulgarians were able to locate suspicious suitcases that had been loaded with explosives and which the terrorists planned to blow up on a bus carrying Israelis who were on their way to a resort in the country. Local security forces are investigating whether there is a connection between the thwarted attack and a European terrorist cell run by the Lebanon-based Hizbullah group. Also being investigated is a possible connection between the timing of the attack...

It’s hard to uphold a reputation as a devoutly religious terrorist group if you make millions selling cocaine. Just ask Hezbollah. Last month, the US government filed suit against a number of American and Lebanese businesses that allegedly helped bankroll the Lebanese terrorist group. The civil indictment in Manhattan blew the lid off a vast criminal network that included money-laundering, cocaine deals and more — including 30 US car dealerships that helped the group launder cash. As one investigator quipped, Hezbollah is the “Gambinos on steroids.” The indictment charges Hezbollah kingpin Ayman Joumaa with smuggling more than 100 tons of...

People in the south of Lebanon must be confused. Israel has been the main, solid enemy for almost half a century. They have sacrificed lives, blood, and property for the sake of the "sacred" fight they've been told they must -- at all costs --win, in order to live with dignity. Today, another enemy is becoming more apparent in Hezbollah's rhetoric. After the "divine victory" of 2006, Hezbollah seemed to have reached its apex, creating what it called a balance of fear with Israel. However, since then, the Party of God has been on the back foot, consumed with corruption,...

Qanso, an ally of Syria, said al-Qaida members also had infiltrated the restive Homs as well as Qusayr and Talkalakh in Syria "to fight in order to weaken Syria in an attempt to topple it." A high-ranking security source told Asharq al-Awsat "there is no al-Qaida presence in Lebanon at all."

I have grown cynical of party politics in mature democracies, including the most exciting democracy of all, the United States. In the middle of a spectrum exclusively defined by Republicans and Democrats, personality and style must be favored over platforms that few candidates are ever able to implement. So many people are bored by politics in the U.S. that half of the voters don’t bother to vote. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If politics does not affect the daily life of citizens, to the extent that most can choose to ignore it, then some wisdom has been found...

A reliable Pentagon source confirmed that the U.S. is selling a huge $60 billion arms package to Serbia.The source spoke on condition of anonymity because minor details are still being hammered out. Afterwards there will be an official announcement made by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.The Pentagon source said the huge $60 billion arms package sale to Serbia is being made to counter the increasing dangerous militant Islamist threat in the region.The source noted Turkey's shift away from the secularism of Attaturk to fundamentalist Islam reflected by the ascension to power of Erdogan's AKP Islamist party.That is reflected in Turkey's closer ties with the Iranian regime and increasing hostility towards Israel and the West. The...

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel under any circumstances and might put the peace treaty with the Jewish state up to a referendum, the movement's second in command told the Al-Hayat newspaper in an interview that was published Sunday. The announcement comes days before the final round in the first parliamentary elections in post-uprising Egypt. The Islamist movement has emerged as the biggest winner in polls, capturing nearly half of the seats so far. The Muslim Brotherhood "did not sign the peace accords," Rashad al-Bayoumi told the London-based newspaper. "We are allowed to ask the people or the elected...

SNIPPET - quote: Dissemination *_is_* collection I always get a kick out of people who tell me I give away intelligence for free. What I do is watch how information moves. Keep in mind that the subject covered on this site are pretty darn esoteric by most standards. What kind of people, for example, even know who Oussama Salhab is? Answers include: Oussama Salhab, his family, friends, associates in and out of Hizballah, people he does business with, spies of various nations, etc. Yep. The barn is free, and so is the food.

Following is an excerpt from a sermon delivered by Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on December 23, 2011. Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: We stand by our brothers in Turkey. All Muslims must oppose France in [its Armenian genocide bill]. We reject any allegation against the Muslims at any time. Throughout its history, Islam has never wanted to annihilate any nation. This is completely unacceptable.

Russia backed Friday a first assessment by the head of the observer mission to Syria, Sudanese Gen. Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, that the situation in the country was "reassuring." "Judging by the public statements made by the chief of the mission Dabi, who in the first of his visits went to the city of Homs, ... the situation seems to be reassuring," Russia's Foreign Ministry said on its website. After meeting with Mansour Saturday, Zasypkin said Moscow was working on a U.N. Security Council Resolution that would press for a lack of foreign intervention in Syria, a halt to violence...

Terrorists operate in Namibia: NamRights‎ Informante - Nov 2, 2011 Written by Hilma Ndapandula Himotha The human rights organisation NamRights claims that some of the country’s highest political office holders tolerated and protected operations of at least two militant Islamic terrorist groups n Namibia. NamRights director Phil ya Nangoloh claims that his organisation is in possession of credible information that members of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militias as well as Somali al-Shabab jihadists have been operating in Namibia for several years. In a press release that NamRights published yesterday, ya Nangoloh demands from President Pohamba to clearly deny or confirm such...

Several Australian men have been arrested in a series of counter-terrorism raids across Melbourne after police uncovered a plot by Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda to mount a suicide attack on an Army base. Four men were under arrest this morning and several others were assisting police with inquiries after 400 police officers and members of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) swooped on 19 properties shortly before dawn. Authorities believe the group, of Somalian and Lebanese background, was at an advanced stage of preparing to storm an Army barracks in retaliation for Australia’s military involvement in Muslim countries. Members...

The popular uprising in neighboring Syria has had one of its strongest echoes in Lebanon's "northern capital," where weekly Friday demonstrations of support for the Syrian people make Tripoli among the Lebanese cities most affected by the unrest next door. It's not surprising that as a result, a "Tripoli Coordination Committee" in support of the uprising has sprung up in the city, run by Syrians and Lebanese... Hasan Tadmuri is one of those who has benefited from the TCC's activism. "I was hit in my right leg during a demonstration in the governorate of Homs; my comrades took me to...

Syrian pro-democracy activists plan to rally after midday prayers Friday against an Arab League observer mission they say will stall tougher action against the government over its opposition crackdown. An Arab League advance team arrived in Syria Thursday to oversee a plan to end nine months of bloodshed as the opposition accused regime forces of "massacring" hundreds in two days. But using the slogan "Protocol of death, a licence to kill", activists called on Facebook for nationwide protests against the mission. Opposition leaders have charged that Syria's agreement to the mission was a mere "ploy" to head off a threat...

Top U.S. official Jeffrey Feltman has urged Lebanon to re-evaluate its long-term policies given developments in the region, particularly neighbouring Syria. During an interview with Al-Arabiya television aired Thursday, Feltman, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said Lebanon should not isolate itself anymore but rather keep up with the upcoming peaceful transition of rule in Syria. He also said that Lebanon's rival political parties, regardless of their relationship with President Bashar Assad, recognized the need to think in a strategic manner and to keep up with a changed Syria, far different than the previous Syria that...

Assad's regime just blamed me, among others, for fomenting the revolution. Here's what else he's been up to, which might have something to do with Clinton's "reformer" comment (with video). “Hajji� is the nickname Syrians call those pious men who prayed in Makah; it is also the nickname Syrian lampoonists confer upon the most corrupt of men. So, it came as no surprise to many that Assad just asked “Hajji� Adel Safar, a hardcore Ba’athist and regime inner circle corruptible, to form the new Syrian government.The chronology of how Syrians view the history of the last three weeks can be...

The blacked-out sport utility vehicles entered the small mountain village of Arsal, in the furthest reaches of Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, at midnight on a cold night late last month. The mostly Sunni residents of the town immediately knew what was happening: Hezbollah had come to grab someone from his bed. The target appears to have been a Syrian relative of the dominant local tribe, the Qarqouz, who had taken refuge in the village, which lies just a few miles from the Syrian border. With close families ties on both sides of the line, as well as a central government presence...

A 22-year-old Chicago man was arrested over the weekend for plotting to carry out a bombing outside a strip of crowded Wrigleyville night spots, according to the FBI. They also alleged that Sami Samir Hassoun, of the 4700 block of North Kedzie Avenue, had previously discussed a number of violent plots in Chicago, including a biological attack on the city, poisoning Lake Michigan, attacking police officers, bombing the Willis Tower and assassinating Mayor Richard Daley. But he is only charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device in connection with the...

Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Rukn Abadi, following talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, praised Tuesday Syria's recent decision to allow in Arab monitors into the country. Speaking to reporters at Bkirki, the seat of the influential Maronite patriarchate, Rukn Abadi described as "very positive" Syria's approval of the Arab League plan. In a news conference Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said that Damascus had signed a protocol to allow in observers after the organization agreed to 70 percent of the changes proposed by Syrian government. Hours after Damascus' approval of the protocol, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said...

Drug Enforcement Administration agents have raided an Oklahoma car dealership that the government suspects may be one of about 30 such businesses in the U.S. involved in funding the terrorist group Hezbollah. DEA agents say the car lot of Ace Auto Leasing in Tulsa is part of a huge network that is selling cars and drugs -- and then using the money to support terrorism against the U.S., myfoxphoenix.com reports. During Friday's raid, agents could be seen carryout out filing cabinets and other items. They also questioned employees and took inventory. "They're making big time money and it's going right...

While Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah appeared to be in high spirits recently during a rare public appearance in a suburb of Beirut, his organization is experiencing a severe financial crisis, French daily Le Figaro reported over the weekend... based on information obtained by French intelligence agencies, the civil uprising against President Bashar Assad in Syria has significantly reduced the flow of money to the Lebanese terror group. Moreover, the report said, Iran has recently cut its financial aid to Hezbollah by 25% due in part to the international sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program. Le...

A few years back, Iran formulated a scenario for "the day after" Hezbollah leaves the scene in Lebanon, either if a new civil war breaks out or if the Syrians signed a peace treaty with Israel. Iran wanted to make sure that a Plan B was ready, automatically switching to a military group that would do the job Hezbollah had been doing, in terms of promoting and defending Iranian influence in the Arab world while "protecting" Arab Shiites... The conditions in Iraq, after all, were similar to those in Lebanon when Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s. There was...

BAGHDAD – A Lebanese Hezbollah commander allegedly responsible for killing four U.S. soldiers in Iraq will be prosecuted for a lesser charge of illegal entry with a forged passport, Iraqi officials said Saturday. Ali Musa Daqduq was the last American prisoner in Iraq and was handed over to Iraqi authorities on Friday. On Saturday, two Iraqi officials said Daqduq will be prosecuted for illegal entry with a forged passport -- the only Iraqi charge against him. The charge generally carries a sentence of just over five years in prison. But the officials say an investigative judge will consider U.S. allegations...

Three Lebanese financial institutions linked to Hezbollah laundered more than $300m (£193m) through the US second-hand car market, US prosecutors say. A civil suit says the Lebanese Canadian Bank and two money-exchange firms used drug-trafficking and criminal proceeds to buy and ship cars to West Africa. Cash from their sale was allegedly then smuggled to Lebanon, along with funds from Colombian and Mexican cartels. Prosecutors are seeking $480m in penalties from the three institutions. They say this represents the total amount of money laundered. Prosecutors are also seeking to freeze and seize the assets of the companies, along with those...

Syrian security forces have reportedly opened fire on anti-government protesters after hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country. Activists said at least six people had been killed in the restive central city of Homs, where 200,000 joined marches following Friday prayers. There were also clashes in Hama, Deraa and Deir al-Zour. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 200,000 demonstrators came out in several districts of Homs on Friday, demanding that the Arab League stop extending a deadline is has given Damascus to end the crackdown and agree to an observer mission. The Local...

Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement led by Speaker Nabih Berri, vowed Monday to stand by Syria and Iran against U.S. and Israeli threats to attack the two countries. A joint statement issued after a meeting of the Hezbollah and Amal commands in the eastern city of Baalbek said that the current turmoil in Syria was part of an "international conspiracy" targeting Damascus for its support for Arab and Muslim resistance movements in the region. The statement came amid mounting international pressures on Iran over its controversial nuclear program and against Syria over its brutal crackdown on an...

JERUSALEM —In a shift, Israeli officials are welcoming the prospect that Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, will be overthrown, an event Defense Minister Ehud Barak says could be weeks away. The officials’ new tone contrasts with conventional thinking here in years past, when Assad was credited with maintaining calm along the frontier with the Israeli-held Golan Heights and considered a stable alternative to a possible takeover by Islamic fundamentalists. ..“When the Assad family falls, it will be a major blow to the radical axis led by Iran,” Barak said “It will weaken Iran, it will weaken Hezbollah and weaken the...

Hezbollah made the names public in a broadcast Friday night on a Lebanese television station, al-Manar.

Terrorists north of the border fired a Katyusha rocket at Israel late Sunday night but it failed to reach Israel and instead injured a Lebanese woman. The attack was staged from the area of Bint Jbil, where Hizbullah terrorists and the IDF fought a bloody battle in the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006. The attempted attack on Israel was the second in two weeks, and terrorists apparently not directly connected with Hizbullah took responsibility for the rocket firings. The Abdullah Azzam Brigade terrorist group, allied with Al Qaeda, said it was behind Sunday night’s Katyusha missile attack...

Friday's attack on a French contingent of UNIFIL was a message from Syria, former prime minister Saad Hariri said over the weekend. "Another #Syrian message," Hariri tweeted Saturday in response to a question seeking comment on the attack. "Another #syrian message from Bashar," he later said. Five French peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon were wounded Friday when a roadside bomb ripped through their vehicle as they travelled in Bourj al-Shemali, near the southern coastal city of Tyre. The attack was condemned by Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati, President Michel Sleiman and Hezbollah. Both the...

Given the events of the Arab spring, some might say that the tell-tale sign that a dictator's days are numbered is when his defiance turns to delusion. Last Wednesday, in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, a chuckling and snorting Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, tried to deny any responsibility for the attacks on his own people: "They are not my forces. They are the forces belonging to the government. I don't own them, I'm president." ... ("Some mistakes committed by some officials," shrugged Assad.) His television interview has been interpreted by some as further evidence that the Syrian regime...

A Jordanian website claims that the Syrian minister of foreign affairs, Walid Muallem, has rejected a lucrative offer in exchange for defecting from the Syrian regime. According to the report, Muallem was offered this tempting deal during a secret meeting with the minister of foreign affairs of a "small country in the Gulf," likely Qatar. The meeting took place in the recent meeting held by the organization of Islamic countries in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Although the site does not mention the name of the country, it's obvious to the reader that Qatar stands behind it. The website claims...

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad would be a "blessing for the Middle East." Speaking at the World Policy Conference in Vienna, Barak predicted that Assad and his clique would be forced out of power within weeks. Barak additionally discussed sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program, saying there is still time for crippling world sanctions on Iran's energy sector and its leadership to force Tehran to give up nuclear programs that could be used to make such arms. Syrian security forces on Sunday killed at least 18 people in several areas...