31
Flame Wars & Offtopic / Re: Van
« on: July 04, 2015, 06:28:48 PM »yes, blid, finally! the moment you start agreeing with me, you sound like a reasonable guy. try-uh... try doing that more
love,
chicken breeder
Chicken Molester*
Welcome to the forums! We're glad to have you here! :) You can register your account here, then feel free to introduce yourself in the Server.Warcraft2.online board & let us know who you are on the server.
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Chicken Molester*
32
Mods & Development / [done] HD screen problems...In-Game Lag
« on: June 06, 2015, 01:16:18 PM »
Playing war2 on a 16:9 screen, i managed to get the aspect ratio to 4:3 while the game plays but in game there is a quite a bit of lag?
Units moves very slow, along with the mouse and scroll movements.
Anyway to fix this??
Units moves very slow, along with the mouse and scroll movements.
Anyway to fix this??
33
Server.War2.ru / WarCraft Community Trivia
« on: May 17, 2015, 01:20:38 PM »
Located in Channel Trivia - enjoy! 
Top 25 Trivia Scores
http://server.war2.ru/triviastats.php?req=s
Rank by Longeststreak:
http://server.war2.ru/triviastats.php?req=l
Rank by FastestAnswered:
http://server.war2.ru/triviastats.php?req=f
*Reporting metrics are still under development, user feedback is welcomed.
L33T Gamer? Know your stuff?? Then, Contribute!!
We’re currently in the process of collecting Warcraft 2-themed trivia questions — if you’d like to
help out please consider contributing some questions of your own!
We’re currently in the process of collecting Warcraft 2-themed trivia questions — if you’d like to
help out please consider contributing some questions of your own!
Tips for submitting questions:
- PM EviL~Ryu all question submissions.
- Do not post them here publically.
- Please format as [Question] and {Answer}.
Example:
[What is the best game ever?]{Warcraft 2!} - Will need around 300-400 total questions from community to reach project goal.
Suggested Question Topics:
- History of War2
- Warcraft I and II Story Line
- Maps (Garden of War, Jimland etc.)
- Player Strategy
Thanks!
Commands
Coming soon....
fixed iframes -mousey
fixed everything else c: -mousey
34
Server.War2.ru / Server active today..what are the website numbers?
« on: May 10, 2015, 01:23:39 PM »
subject.
35
Flame Wars & Offtopic / Re: Guide: How to Live Stream WC2 on Twitch.tv
« on: May 03, 2015, 08:30:46 PM »when/if the average users reach 150 but right now I am very busy in my life, so who knows...Online gambling and masturbating that demanding huh......
Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
36
Support Requests / Vote on polls through Tapatalk
« on: March 19, 2015, 02:34:14 AM »
Anyone know if this possible?
Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
37
General Discussion / Doctors claim first successful penis transplant
« on: March 14, 2015, 01:48:24 AM »
Doctors claim first successful penis transplant:
(CNN)South African doctors have achieved what they call the world's first successful penile transplant operation.
The nine-hour operation occurred on December 11, 2014, involving a team of doctors at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town and others from Tygerberg Hospital.
The young man, whose identity "is being protected for ethical reasons," has made a full recovery -- a result which the doctors did not expect to occur until about December 2016. The recovery includes, "restoration of all the patient's urinary and reproductive functions," according to a university press release Friday.
"It's a massive breakthrough. We've proved that it can be done" said Professor Frank Graewe, head of the division of plastic reconstructive surgery at Stellenbosch University. "We can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had."
The patient's penis was amputated after complications arose from a traditional circumcision, which was performed during a coming of age ceremony. Such initiation practices are common in African nations, but have increasingly come under scrutiny for risk of complications.
Doctors used techniques developed, in part, for the world's first facial transplant. Dr. André van der Merwe, the head of the team of doctors said, "We used the same type of microscopic surgery to connect small blood vessels and nerves, and the psychological evaluation of patients was also similar."
Psychological factors are important for the success of any transplant operation.
Dr. John Robinson, professor of psychiatry and surgery at Howard University, told CNN, "The anxiety of waiting for a transplant creates a lot of anxiety and tension. Once you get the transplant, the anxiety of rejection keeps people pretty nervous."
This isn't the first penile transplant. Doctors in China performed an unsuccessful transplant in 2006. That patient rejected the transplant due to "a severe psychological problem," and had it removed, though no medical rejection was found.
"Any type of therapy that returns men to normalcy is beneficial, but at the same time, we need to keep in mind the person as a whole," including the personal and psychological aspects, says Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and member of the American Urological Association. "At the same time, it'll be important to have a follow-up to ensure that we don't have what happened in China."
In the United States, doctor-performed circumcisions result in fewer than 2 in 10,000 complications, including bleeding, infection, and injury to the penis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Complete statistics are not available on the numbers of nonmedical circumcisions in Eastern and Southern Africa, though reports from the World Health Organization show wide-ranging numbers: as low as 2% in parts of South Africa and up to 35% in Kenya.
The South African doctors celebrated the success of the procedure, but also recognize the donor who made it all possible. Van der Merwe said, "The heroes in all of this for me are the donor, and his family. They saved the lives of many people because they donated the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, corneas, and then the penis."
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/health/penis-transplant-south-africa/index.html
(CNN)South African doctors have achieved what they call the world's first successful penile transplant operation.
The nine-hour operation occurred on December 11, 2014, involving a team of doctors at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town and others from Tygerberg Hospital.
The young man, whose identity "is being protected for ethical reasons," has made a full recovery -- a result which the doctors did not expect to occur until about December 2016. The recovery includes, "restoration of all the patient's urinary and reproductive functions," according to a university press release Friday.
"It's a massive breakthrough. We've proved that it can be done" said Professor Frank Graewe, head of the division of plastic reconstructive surgery at Stellenbosch University. "We can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had."
The patient's penis was amputated after complications arose from a traditional circumcision, which was performed during a coming of age ceremony. Such initiation practices are common in African nations, but have increasingly come under scrutiny for risk of complications.
Doctors used techniques developed, in part, for the world's first facial transplant. Dr. André van der Merwe, the head of the team of doctors said, "We used the same type of microscopic surgery to connect small blood vessels and nerves, and the psychological evaluation of patients was also similar."
Psychological factors are important for the success of any transplant operation.
Dr. John Robinson, professor of psychiatry and surgery at Howard University, told CNN, "The anxiety of waiting for a transplant creates a lot of anxiety and tension. Once you get the transplant, the anxiety of rejection keeps people pretty nervous."
This isn't the first penile transplant. Doctors in China performed an unsuccessful transplant in 2006. That patient rejected the transplant due to "a severe psychological problem," and had it removed, though no medical rejection was found.
"Any type of therapy that returns men to normalcy is beneficial, but at the same time, we need to keep in mind the person as a whole," including the personal and psychological aspects, says Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and member of the American Urological Association. "At the same time, it'll be important to have a follow-up to ensure that we don't have what happened in China."
In the United States, doctor-performed circumcisions result in fewer than 2 in 10,000 complications, including bleeding, infection, and injury to the penis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Complete statistics are not available on the numbers of nonmedical circumcisions in Eastern and Southern Africa, though reports from the World Health Organization show wide-ranging numbers: as low as 2% in parts of South Africa and up to 35% in Kenya.
The South African doctors celebrated the success of the procedure, but also recognize the donor who made it all possible. Van der Merwe said, "The heroes in all of this for me are the donor, and his family. They saved the lives of many people because they donated the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, corneas, and then the penis."
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/health/penis-transplant-south-africa/index.html
38
Flame Wars & Offtopic / ryu flame post
« on: March 10, 2015, 12:46:53 AM »
I guess your patient zero.
Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
39
Flame Wars & Offtopic / Re: How to hack
« on: March 07, 2015, 11:32:32 PM »The only people who should be allowed to watch the tourney are burnt. People could easily have a friend in the game telling what their opponent is doing on skype or teamspeak. I am sure this has happened many times before.
I bet you know by experience.
40
Server.War2.ru / Possible Blizzard Warcraft 2 development???
« on: March 04, 2015, 11:48:52 PM »
I found this article that says a small team at blizzard is working on a updated version of Warcraft.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/10/5087768/blizzard-warcraft-and-warcraft-2-working-on-modern-pcs
(Link)
Blizzard working to get Warcraft and Warcraft 2 on modern PCs
By Michael McWhertor on Nov 10, 2013 at 2:00p
A small team within Blizzard Entertainment is working to bring the original Warcraft real-time strategy games — Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness — to modern PCs, according to World of Warcraft production director J. Allen Brack.
At the World of Warcraft question and answer panel at BlizzCon 2013, Brack revealed the "side project" to a fan who asked if Blizzard would consider making the older Warcraft games compatible with modern computers.
"So, we actually have a guy on our team — actually several guys on our team — who are actually working on a side project to do something like that in some form or fashion," Brack said. "We're fans of Warcraft 1, Warcraft 2, Warcraft 3, and we'd love to replay those games for sure."
During BlizzCon 2013's opening ceremony, Blizzard announced a new expansion for World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor. The forthcoming add-on ties into the franchise's early fiction and "sends players to the world of Draenor at a pivotal moment in history to fight against and alongside legends from Warcraft's brutal past."
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was first released for MS-DOS in 1994 and ported to Mac OS two years later. Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness first hit in 1995 and received an expansion pack, Beyond the Dark Portal, the following year.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/10/5087768/blizzard-warcraft-and-warcraft-2-working-on-modern-pcs
(Link)
Blizzard working to get Warcraft and Warcraft 2 on modern PCs
By Michael McWhertor on Nov 10, 2013 at 2:00p
A small team within Blizzard Entertainment is working to bring the original Warcraft real-time strategy games — Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness — to modern PCs, according to World of Warcraft production director J. Allen Brack.
At the World of Warcraft question and answer panel at BlizzCon 2013, Brack revealed the "side project" to a fan who asked if Blizzard would consider making the older Warcraft games compatible with modern computers.
"So, we actually have a guy on our team — actually several guys on our team — who are actually working on a side project to do something like that in some form or fashion," Brack said. "We're fans of Warcraft 1, Warcraft 2, Warcraft 3, and we'd love to replay those games for sure."
During BlizzCon 2013's opening ceremony, Blizzard announced a new expansion for World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor. The forthcoming add-on ties into the franchise's early fiction and "sends players to the world of Draenor at a pivotal moment in history to fight against and alongside legends from Warcraft's brutal past."
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was first released for MS-DOS in 1994 and ported to Mac OS two years later. Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness first hit in 1995 and received an expansion pack, Beyond the Dark Portal, the following year.
41
General Discussion / Preggo Chicks and their "Anchors"
« on: March 04, 2015, 01:44:31 AM »
Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raids on California 'maternity hotels'
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/us/maternity-tourism-raids-california/index.html
Los Angeles (CNN)Federal agents on Tuesday raided more than three dozen "maternity hotels" in Southern California where foreign women give birth, allegedly for the sole purpose of having a U.S.-citizen baby, authorities said.
The "maternity tourism" sites included apartment complexes in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties where authorities believe the businesses housed the foreign nationals about to give birth, federal officials said.
Those targeted residences are believed to have catered largely to women from China, who paid $15,000 to $50,000 for lodging, transportation and food, according to a statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Those fees don't necessarily include medical care, authorities said.
Authorities are looking for evidence of bringing in and harboring of undocumented visitors; conspiracy, fraud and misuse of visas and permits; tax evasion and false tax returns; and willful failure to file report of foreign bank and financial accounts, court papers said.
"Based on the results of the investigations to date, it appears the women pay cash for prenatal visits and the actual delivery," U.S. authorities said. "As part of the package, clients were promised they would receive Social Security numbers and U.S. passports for their infants, which the mothers would take with them when they left the U.S."
Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raids
Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raids 4 photos
EXPAND GALLERY
Even trips to Disneyland
Some of the packages included recreational trips to Disneyland, shopping malls and even to a firing range, authorities said.
"Any women encountered at the search locations will be interviewed and those identified as potential material witnesses will be directed when and where to report for further questioning," authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators weren't expected Tuesday to comment further on the outcome of the raids, said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice.
The purported tourism businesses promoted themselves on the Internet and through social media, authorities said. One firm in Rancho Cucamonga, California, advertised in Chinese and branded itself as "You Win USA Vacation Resort."
Operators of that firm couldn't be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
Residents protest 'maternity hotel'
Residents protest 'maternity hotel' 03:15
PLAY VIDEO
CNN Money story cited in court papers
Chinese women have been flocking to the United States to give birth, lured because the country grants American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, CNN Money reported last month.
That CNN Money account was cited in an affidavit filed Monday in a federal California court by Homeland Security Investigation agent Eric Blair, who asked a judge for a warrant to search Rancho Cucamonga apartment buildings for large sums of cash and evidence of contraband and a crime.
The judge granted the warrant.
Read one affidavit
"Perpetrators of visa fraud schemes typically charge $40,000 to $60,000, which is a fee able to be paid by the wealthy in China," Blair stated in court papers.
In 2012, about 10,000 Chinese women gave birth in the United States, more than double the 4,200 in 2008, according to Chinese state media.
Flying through Vegas
Blair alleged that the birthing houses "will generally advise foreign national clients to fly to tourism points of entry such as Hawaii or Las Vegas and to avoid traveling directly to Los Angeles International Airport. This advice is due to heightened security by (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officials at LAX based on the volume of fraudulent visas and false statements and entry documents that CPB officials have experienced over the last decade related to birth tourism."
One operator of the alleged maternity tourism schemes in California was providing bank statements claiming he had monthly gross receipts of $213,968.79 and an annual income of $1,283,812.74, Blair said in court papers. Those bank statements were provided by an Internal Revenue Service special agent, Blair said.
Many of the families want an American child because a foreign passport could be the family's ticket out of China if they grow weary of pollution or food safety scares. President Xi Jinping's widespread anti-corruption campaign has given rich Chinese yet another reason to be on edge.
"If things become economically or politically uncertain in one's country of origin, the children have a place to come to," Leti Volpp, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told CNN Money last month.
The children can "then sponsor their parents when they turn 21," Volpp said.
The desire to leave China is especially pronounced among the wealthy. Almost two-thirds of Chinese with more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in the bank have emigrated, or are planning to, according to a Hurun report released last year.
One advertisement for a Hacienda Heights location "claims that the apartments are extremely suitable for expectant mothers and their accompanying families," Blair said in court documents. "The apartment will allow expectant mothers to experience the American lifestyle during their stay."
One mother's account
In an interview with CNN Money in February, Felicia He, 27, said she paid tens of thousands of dollars to give birth in California.
That interview occurred well before Tuesday's federal announcement of raids.
"I started getting ready for the trip around the end of my first trimester," He said. "I asked my friends who have given birth before in the U.S. for a doctor recommendation; then I found a place to stay in the area for a few months, and purchased my plane ticket."
He, who gave birth last year, said a U.S. passport for her baby means access to better education opportunities. Foreign status opens the door to exclusive international schools in Beijing, where she lives with her husband, and the option for the child to study abroad for high school and college.
There is one catch, though. Getting a U.S. passport for a baby means the child will eventually be responsible for U.S. taxes.
CNN's Sophia Yan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Found this funny as fuck lol, people will do anything for citizenship
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/us/maternity-tourism-raids-california/index.html
Los Angeles (CNN)Federal agents on Tuesday raided more than three dozen "maternity hotels" in Southern California where foreign women give birth, allegedly for the sole purpose of having a U.S.-citizen baby, authorities said.
The "maternity tourism" sites included apartment complexes in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties where authorities believe the businesses housed the foreign nationals about to give birth, federal officials said.
Those targeted residences are believed to have catered largely to women from China, who paid $15,000 to $50,000 for lodging, transportation and food, according to a statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Those fees don't necessarily include medical care, authorities said.
Authorities are looking for evidence of bringing in and harboring of undocumented visitors; conspiracy, fraud and misuse of visas and permits; tax evasion and false tax returns; and willful failure to file report of foreign bank and financial accounts, court papers said.
"Based on the results of the investigations to date, it appears the women pay cash for prenatal visits and the actual delivery," U.S. authorities said. "As part of the package, clients were promised they would receive Social Security numbers and U.S. passports for their infants, which the mothers would take with them when they left the U.S."
Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raids
Feds fight 'maternity tourism' with raids 4 photos
EXPAND GALLERY
Even trips to Disneyland
Some of the packages included recreational trips to Disneyland, shopping malls and even to a firing range, authorities said.
"Any women encountered at the search locations will be interviewed and those identified as potential material witnesses will be directed when and where to report for further questioning," authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators weren't expected Tuesday to comment further on the outcome of the raids, said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice.
The purported tourism businesses promoted themselves on the Internet and through social media, authorities said. One firm in Rancho Cucamonga, California, advertised in Chinese and branded itself as "You Win USA Vacation Resort."
Operators of that firm couldn't be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
Residents protest 'maternity hotel'
Residents protest 'maternity hotel' 03:15
PLAY VIDEO
CNN Money story cited in court papers
Chinese women have been flocking to the United States to give birth, lured because the country grants American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, CNN Money reported last month.
That CNN Money account was cited in an affidavit filed Monday in a federal California court by Homeland Security Investigation agent Eric Blair, who asked a judge for a warrant to search Rancho Cucamonga apartment buildings for large sums of cash and evidence of contraband and a crime.
The judge granted the warrant.
Read one affidavit
"Perpetrators of visa fraud schemes typically charge $40,000 to $60,000, which is a fee able to be paid by the wealthy in China," Blair stated in court papers.
In 2012, about 10,000 Chinese women gave birth in the United States, more than double the 4,200 in 2008, according to Chinese state media.
Flying through Vegas
Blair alleged that the birthing houses "will generally advise foreign national clients to fly to tourism points of entry such as Hawaii or Las Vegas and to avoid traveling directly to Los Angeles International Airport. This advice is due to heightened security by (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officials at LAX based on the volume of fraudulent visas and false statements and entry documents that CPB officials have experienced over the last decade related to birth tourism."
One operator of the alleged maternity tourism schemes in California was providing bank statements claiming he had monthly gross receipts of $213,968.79 and an annual income of $1,283,812.74, Blair said in court papers. Those bank statements were provided by an Internal Revenue Service special agent, Blair said.
Many of the families want an American child because a foreign passport could be the family's ticket out of China if they grow weary of pollution or food safety scares. President Xi Jinping's widespread anti-corruption campaign has given rich Chinese yet another reason to be on edge.
"If things become economically or politically uncertain in one's country of origin, the children have a place to come to," Leti Volpp, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told CNN Money last month.
The children can "then sponsor their parents when they turn 21," Volpp said.
The desire to leave China is especially pronounced among the wealthy. Almost two-thirds of Chinese with more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in the bank have emigrated, or are planning to, according to a Hurun report released last year.
One advertisement for a Hacienda Heights location "claims that the apartments are extremely suitable for expectant mothers and their accompanying families," Blair said in court documents. "The apartment will allow expectant mothers to experience the American lifestyle during their stay."
One mother's account
In an interview with CNN Money in February, Felicia He, 27, said she paid tens of thousands of dollars to give birth in California.
That interview occurred well before Tuesday's federal announcement of raids.
"I started getting ready for the trip around the end of my first trimester," He said. "I asked my friends who have given birth before in the U.S. for a doctor recommendation; then I found a place to stay in the area for a few months, and purchased my plane ticket."
He, who gave birth last year, said a U.S. passport for her baby means access to better education opportunities. Foreign status opens the door to exclusive international schools in Beijing, where she lives with her husband, and the option for the child to study abroad for high school and college.
There is one catch, though. Getting a U.S. passport for a baby means the child will eventually be responsible for U.S. taxes.
CNN's Sophia Yan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Found this funny as fuck lol, people will do anything for citizenship
42
General Discussion / "Iran, No Nuclear for YOU!" ?
« on: March 03, 2015, 10:21:58 PM »
Bad relationship gets worse for Obama, Netanyahu
Washington (CNN)This never happens.
U.S. presidents and Israeli prime ministers, however sharply they disagree, simply do not take public pot shots at one another for the world to see. Until now.
Six years of petty insults between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sensationally burst into the open Tuesday in an extraordinary display of Washington political theater, produced by a combination of the alarming threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb, the cliffhanger climax of U.S. diplomacy with Tehran and the hyper-partisan politics in both nations. The legacies of two political giants were on the line, and the fact that neither ceded any ground has serious implications for already strained U.S.-Israel relations.
Netanyahu rails against Iran nuclear deal - in 100 seconds
Netanyahu rails against Iran nuclear deal - in 100 seconds 01:26
PLAY VIDEO
Netanyahu's combative -- and at times poetic -- address to the U.S. Congress was more than a critique of Obama's Iran policy. It was a detailed repudiation of the U.S. leader's entire approach to the Middle East and the very idea of talking to the Islamic Republic, which the Israeli leader said was waging a "deadly Game of Thrones" for regional hegemony. Engaging Iran has been an Obama goal since he was a presidential candidate, but the Israeli leader set out to prove his American counterpart is naive about the dangers of the Middle East and the treacherous forces that are tearing it apart.
Obama's rebuttal
Two hours after Netanyahu left his grand stage, Obama offered his rebuttal, from his own fabled political pedestal -- the Oval Office. He dismissed the Israeli leader's speech -- possibly the signature moment of his long political career -- as "nothing new" and castigated him for not laying out a viable alternative to the intricate talks between world powers and Tehran to stop Iran from getting the bomb.
It's a public confrontation that has been brewing for years. But it has more often played out in background briefings, awkward photo ops and tense body language than dueling public statements that reveal the reality that Netanyahu and Obama have never clicked. While respecting, and often publicly glorifying, the bond between the United States and Israel, they've feuded behind closed doors about Obama's choice to use carrot-and-stick diplomacy rather than unrelenting pressure and even tighter sanctions to thwart Iran's nuclear program and about two failed administration efforts to broker Middle East peace.
READ: DId Netanyahu change some minds?
While the U.S. and Israeli governments have certainly fallen out in the past, this clash is different.
"This is big," said Robert Danin, senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations. "There is something qualitatively different taking place."
Israel's suspicion has been simmering for years, following the president's vow to forge a "new beginning" with the Muslim world in Cairo at the beginning of his presidency, the administration's pursuit of a secret U.S. diplomatic track with Tehran and Obama's decision to break 30 years of silence in U.S.-Iran relations by calling President Hassan Rouhani and writing letters to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The implication of Netanyahu's speech was stunning. Here was an Israeli prime minister, effectively accusing the president of signing up to a deal that would not eradicate Iran's nuclear program but that could allow Iran to press ahead for a nuclear arsenal it could use to make good on its threats to destroy the Jewish state.
That was tough for some Democrats to process.
'I thought that was wrong'
Netanyahu "used the chamber to put him in a position that the president is often in, addressing the Congress at the State of the Union," Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee told CNN. "This puts him on equal footing with the President of the United States. I thought that was wrong."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a faithful supporter of Israel, said she had been "near tears" as Netanyahu spoke and accused him of showing "condescension" to the United States.
READ: 58 members of Congress skipped Netanyahu's speech
The White House has long thought Netanyahu to be in cahoots with Obama's political foes in an effort to torpedo his foreign policy.
"For the administration, this was the smoking gun, the proof that in fact there was this collusion between the Republicans and Israel," said Danin.
But Israel was unapologetic.
"I know that (the speech) creates some tensions with the administration," Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Intelligence Minister, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "Nobody can expect little Israel to keep silent on such a vital issue," he said.
Scripture
In his address to Congress, Netanyahu cited scripture and the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the thwarting of a powerful Persian viceroy's attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
"Today, the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian potentate to destroy us," Netanyahu said, accusing Khamenei of spewing the "oldest hatred."
"He tweets in English that Israel must be destroyed," said Netanyahu, who was interrupted repeated by lusty cheers from Republican lawmakers and some Democrats. "That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them."
READ: Netanyahu: Deal will pave way to Iranian nuclear bomb
Netanyahu set out to dismantle point by point the assumptions underlying the international effort to convince Iran to throw open its nuclear installations in return for a lifting of punishing international sanctions. He said Iran would never change, could not be trusted and was likely to use a 10-year sunset on any agreement to go nuclear down the road.
He said Tehran was bent on simply gobbling up wide swathes of the Middle East, slamming its "goons in Gaza, it's lackeys in Lebanon, its Revolutionary Guards on the Golan Heights," and saying it wanted to control of Yemen, Syria and Iraq. All of this was to underline the U.S. should not be hoodwinked into seeing Iran as an ally against ISIS.
Obama, Netanyahu bash each other's Iran plans
Obama, Netanyahu bash each other's Iran plans 02:18
PLAY VIDEO
"The enemy of your enemy is your enemy," Netanyahu said.
Obama made his move on Iran after the comparatively moderate Rouhani was elected in 2013, but Netanyahu said it had been business as usual in Tehran: "Rouhani's government hangs gays, persecutes Christians, jails journalists and executes even more prisoners than before," he said.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, ascribed a darker motive to Netanyahu's train of thought.
"The logic of the prime minister's speech is regime change, not a nuclear speech," the official said, going on to refute Netanyahu's implication that the White House had naively been drawn in by the Islamic Republic.
"The administration does not trust the Iranian regime," the official said.
Obama is often laconic and loose in photo ops, but on Tuesday he leaned forward in his chair, animated and intense, saying people should not criticize a nuclear deal before it had been reached and that Netanyahu's critique of an interim deal with Iran had not panned out.
No 'viable alternatives'
"The prime minister didn't offer any viable alternatives," Obama said, arguing that in the absence of a deal Iran would simply speed up its nuclear program.
As Netanyahu headed back to Israel on Tuesday night, conversation was already turning to the lasting impact of his speech.
Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested that Netanyahu's presentation could cause political problems for Obama.
"It makes it much more difficult to sell this deal to the U.S. public," he said.
CNN contributor Guy Ziv of American University said that fallout was going to make the already bruised relations between Obama and Netanyahu worse.
"I don't think the speech is going to do any sort of damage to the Iranian nuclear program, but we know it already has done some damage to U.S.-Israel relations," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/politics/netanyahu-speech-analysis-congress/index.html
For you lazy readers, click link to watch video.
------
Should the US and other world powers make a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear endeavors?
Is the Israeli minister correct in telling the US and other world powers that they are a bunch of idiots for trusting Iran with nuclear power?
Washington (CNN)This never happens.
U.S. presidents and Israeli prime ministers, however sharply they disagree, simply do not take public pot shots at one another for the world to see. Until now.
Six years of petty insults between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sensationally burst into the open Tuesday in an extraordinary display of Washington political theater, produced by a combination of the alarming threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb, the cliffhanger climax of U.S. diplomacy with Tehran and the hyper-partisan politics in both nations. The legacies of two political giants were on the line, and the fact that neither ceded any ground has serious implications for already strained U.S.-Israel relations.
Netanyahu rails against Iran nuclear deal - in 100 seconds
Netanyahu rails against Iran nuclear deal - in 100 seconds 01:26
PLAY VIDEO
Netanyahu's combative -- and at times poetic -- address to the U.S. Congress was more than a critique of Obama's Iran policy. It was a detailed repudiation of the U.S. leader's entire approach to the Middle East and the very idea of talking to the Islamic Republic, which the Israeli leader said was waging a "deadly Game of Thrones" for regional hegemony. Engaging Iran has been an Obama goal since he was a presidential candidate, but the Israeli leader set out to prove his American counterpart is naive about the dangers of the Middle East and the treacherous forces that are tearing it apart.
Obama's rebuttal
Two hours after Netanyahu left his grand stage, Obama offered his rebuttal, from his own fabled political pedestal -- the Oval Office. He dismissed the Israeli leader's speech -- possibly the signature moment of his long political career -- as "nothing new" and castigated him for not laying out a viable alternative to the intricate talks between world powers and Tehran to stop Iran from getting the bomb.
It's a public confrontation that has been brewing for years. But it has more often played out in background briefings, awkward photo ops and tense body language than dueling public statements that reveal the reality that Netanyahu and Obama have never clicked. While respecting, and often publicly glorifying, the bond between the United States and Israel, they've feuded behind closed doors about Obama's choice to use carrot-and-stick diplomacy rather than unrelenting pressure and even tighter sanctions to thwart Iran's nuclear program and about two failed administration efforts to broker Middle East peace.
READ: DId Netanyahu change some minds?
While the U.S. and Israeli governments have certainly fallen out in the past, this clash is different.
"This is big," said Robert Danin, senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations. "There is something qualitatively different taking place."
Israel's suspicion has been simmering for years, following the president's vow to forge a "new beginning" with the Muslim world in Cairo at the beginning of his presidency, the administration's pursuit of a secret U.S. diplomatic track with Tehran and Obama's decision to break 30 years of silence in U.S.-Iran relations by calling President Hassan Rouhani and writing letters to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The implication of Netanyahu's speech was stunning. Here was an Israeli prime minister, effectively accusing the president of signing up to a deal that would not eradicate Iran's nuclear program but that could allow Iran to press ahead for a nuclear arsenal it could use to make good on its threats to destroy the Jewish state.
That was tough for some Democrats to process.
'I thought that was wrong'
Netanyahu "used the chamber to put him in a position that the president is often in, addressing the Congress at the State of the Union," Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee told CNN. "This puts him on equal footing with the President of the United States. I thought that was wrong."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a faithful supporter of Israel, said she had been "near tears" as Netanyahu spoke and accused him of showing "condescension" to the United States.
READ: 58 members of Congress skipped Netanyahu's speech
The White House has long thought Netanyahu to be in cahoots with Obama's political foes in an effort to torpedo his foreign policy.
"For the administration, this was the smoking gun, the proof that in fact there was this collusion between the Republicans and Israel," said Danin.
But Israel was unapologetic.
"I know that (the speech) creates some tensions with the administration," Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Intelligence Minister, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "Nobody can expect little Israel to keep silent on such a vital issue," he said.
Scripture
In his address to Congress, Netanyahu cited scripture and the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the thwarting of a powerful Persian viceroy's attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
"Today, the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian potentate to destroy us," Netanyahu said, accusing Khamenei of spewing the "oldest hatred."
"He tweets in English that Israel must be destroyed," said Netanyahu, who was interrupted repeated by lusty cheers from Republican lawmakers and some Democrats. "That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them."
READ: Netanyahu: Deal will pave way to Iranian nuclear bomb
Netanyahu set out to dismantle point by point the assumptions underlying the international effort to convince Iran to throw open its nuclear installations in return for a lifting of punishing international sanctions. He said Iran would never change, could not be trusted and was likely to use a 10-year sunset on any agreement to go nuclear down the road.
He said Tehran was bent on simply gobbling up wide swathes of the Middle East, slamming its "goons in Gaza, it's lackeys in Lebanon, its Revolutionary Guards on the Golan Heights," and saying it wanted to control of Yemen, Syria and Iraq. All of this was to underline the U.S. should not be hoodwinked into seeing Iran as an ally against ISIS.
Obama, Netanyahu bash each other's Iran plans
Obama, Netanyahu bash each other's Iran plans 02:18
PLAY VIDEO
"The enemy of your enemy is your enemy," Netanyahu said.
Obama made his move on Iran after the comparatively moderate Rouhani was elected in 2013, but Netanyahu said it had been business as usual in Tehran: "Rouhani's government hangs gays, persecutes Christians, jails journalists and executes even more prisoners than before," he said.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, ascribed a darker motive to Netanyahu's train of thought.
"The logic of the prime minister's speech is regime change, not a nuclear speech," the official said, going on to refute Netanyahu's implication that the White House had naively been drawn in by the Islamic Republic.
"The administration does not trust the Iranian regime," the official said.
Obama is often laconic and loose in photo ops, but on Tuesday he leaned forward in his chair, animated and intense, saying people should not criticize a nuclear deal before it had been reached and that Netanyahu's critique of an interim deal with Iran had not panned out.
No 'viable alternatives'
"The prime minister didn't offer any viable alternatives," Obama said, arguing that in the absence of a deal Iran would simply speed up its nuclear program.
As Netanyahu headed back to Israel on Tuesday night, conversation was already turning to the lasting impact of his speech.
Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested that Netanyahu's presentation could cause political problems for Obama.
"It makes it much more difficult to sell this deal to the U.S. public," he said.
CNN contributor Guy Ziv of American University said that fallout was going to make the already bruised relations between Obama and Netanyahu worse.
"I don't think the speech is going to do any sort of damage to the Iranian nuclear program, but we know it already has done some damage to U.S.-Israel relations," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/03/politics/netanyahu-speech-analysis-congress/index.html
For you lazy readers, click link to watch video.
------
Should the US and other world powers make a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear endeavors?
Is the Israeli minister correct in telling the US and other world powers that they are a bunch of idiots for trusting Iran with nuclear power?
43
General Discussion / iphone explodes!
« on: March 03, 2015, 06:36:51 PM »
Man claims exploding iPhone left him with severe leg burns
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/us/new-york-iphone-explosion/index.html
(CNN)A New York man says his smartphone blew up in his pocket and that he wound up in a hospital.
Erik Johnson of Lindenhurst says his iPhone 5C spontaneously erupted in extreme heat while it was in his pants pocket, giving him second- and third-degree burnson his leg the size of a football.
He was headed to a wake for his cousin in New Jersey on February 14, Johnson said, and he dropped his car keys.
"When I went to bend over, I heard a pop," he told CNN. "I heard a sizzling, and I ended up ripping my pants off to stop it from burning me."
Johnson said he didn't know what was causing the pain at first and there was no warning -- just an extreme burn and a lot of pain. In a panic, he quickly started ripping at his pants as the phone began to melt the edges of his pocket shut, he said.
"I was trying to get it out of my pocket," he said. "It started burning right through my pants. It was burning my leg, and I had to get my pants off somehow."
Johnson's brother, who was with him at the time, decided driving him to the hospital would be faster than dialing 911, Johnson said.
They drove to the Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey. After being evaluated in the emergency room, Johnson was taken by ambulance to the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital. The burn center confirmed to CNN that he spent 10 days there receiving treatment.
"I still can't believe it," Johnson said. "I've never dealt with anything like this before."
He works as an operating engineer in New York City, maintaining escalators, cranes and forklifts.
He said now he is at home with family in Lindenhurst, and a nurse comes in every day to change his bandage.
In the meantime, he said, he hasn't even thought about buying a new phone.
Mike Della, a personal injury lawyer on Long Island who is representing Johnson, says despite two phone calls and a letter, Apple had not yet responded to his queries about why his client's phone suddenly exploded in heat.
CNN reached out to Apple, and the company stated that it is looking into the incident.
Johnson purchased the phone last year and had not been using a battery case or third-party charger, Della said.
"First and foremost, we have to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening ever again," Della told CNN. "That's the whole goal here. Is the product safe?"
Della said because of this case, he now is quick to take extra precautions with his phone.
"Now, every single time I have my iPhone, instead of putting it in my pocket, I put it in the seat next to me because of this case," he said. "My wife does the same thing, and so does everyone else at the (law) firm. It's a little scary."
"You shouldn't have to worry about your phone exploding," he said.
Click above link for video.
Hmm? is Apple Safe
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/us/new-york-iphone-explosion/index.html
(CNN)A New York man says his smartphone blew up in his pocket and that he wound up in a hospital.
Erik Johnson of Lindenhurst says his iPhone 5C spontaneously erupted in extreme heat while it was in his pants pocket, giving him second- and third-degree burnson his leg the size of a football.
He was headed to a wake for his cousin in New Jersey on February 14, Johnson said, and he dropped his car keys.
"When I went to bend over, I heard a pop," he told CNN. "I heard a sizzling, and I ended up ripping my pants off to stop it from burning me."
Johnson said he didn't know what was causing the pain at first and there was no warning -- just an extreme burn and a lot of pain. In a panic, he quickly started ripping at his pants as the phone began to melt the edges of his pocket shut, he said.
"I was trying to get it out of my pocket," he said. "It started burning right through my pants. It was burning my leg, and I had to get my pants off somehow."
Johnson's brother, who was with him at the time, decided driving him to the hospital would be faster than dialing 911, Johnson said.
They drove to the Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey. After being evaluated in the emergency room, Johnson was taken by ambulance to the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital. The burn center confirmed to CNN that he spent 10 days there receiving treatment.
"I still can't believe it," Johnson said. "I've never dealt with anything like this before."
He works as an operating engineer in New York City, maintaining escalators, cranes and forklifts.
He said now he is at home with family in Lindenhurst, and a nurse comes in every day to change his bandage.
In the meantime, he said, he hasn't even thought about buying a new phone.
Mike Della, a personal injury lawyer on Long Island who is representing Johnson, says despite two phone calls and a letter, Apple had not yet responded to his queries about why his client's phone suddenly exploded in heat.
CNN reached out to Apple, and the company stated that it is looking into the incident.
Johnson purchased the phone last year and had not been using a battery case or third-party charger, Della said.
"First and foremost, we have to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening ever again," Della told CNN. "That's the whole goal here. Is the product safe?"
Della said because of this case, he now is quick to take extra precautions with his phone.
"Now, every single time I have my iPhone, instead of putting it in my pocket, I put it in the seat next to me because of this case," he said. "My wife does the same thing, and so does everyone else at the (law) firm. It's a little scary."
"You shouldn't have to worry about your phone exploding," he said.
Click above link for video.
Hmm? is Apple Safe
44
General Discussion / Black emojis are coming
« on: February 24, 2015, 06:43:49 PM »
Emojis are going to get racial diversity, with the first white and black emojis coming out next year.
Unicode, the organization that develops emojis, said that a diverse range of skin tones will be available when Unicode Version 8.0 launches in June 2015.
This will include not only the existing yellow, but five other shades, ranging from pink and brown to black.
"People all over the world want to have emoji that reflect more human diversity, especially for skin tone," said Unicode, in a report with design recommendations.
Emojis are phone text pictographs referred to as emoticons used to express feelings. The faces are yellow, with a skin tone mimicking the Caucasian characters on "The Simpsons."
Emojis were developed in Japan in 1999 for mobile phones. In Japanese, emoji means picture-writing-character.
They were originally meant to be race-neutral, sort of like the gray-skinned people in Ursula Le Guin's sci-fi novel "The Lathe of Heaven."
Related: Americans are paying more for slower Internet
"The Unicode emoji characters for people and body parts are meant to be generic," the Unicode document said. "Yet following the precedents set by the original Japanese carrier images, they are often shown with a light skin tone instead of a more generic (inhuman) appearance."
Unicode 8.0 is adding a range of skin tones that "are based on the six tones of the Fitzpatrick scale, a recognized standard for dermatology." Developed in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick, the scale classified human skin color based on their response to ultraviolet light.
CNNMoney (New York) November 4, 2014: 1:09 PM ET
Source: http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/04/technology/emoji-race-unicode/?iid=EL
Thought this was hilarious
45
General Discussion / Eye for an Eye?
« on: February 04, 2015, 12:29:41 AM »
So recently if you guys have been paying attention to the news, seems like ISIS killed the captured Jordanian pilot about a month ago by burning him alive in a cage and just released the brutal execution video. In response, Jordanian officials killed two convicted Al Qaeda operatives that ISIS had demanded free.
What are your thoughts about this?
Should the US/other nations use the same manner of response when dealing with executed citizens by the hands of ISIS?
One of the articles on this subject below:
Jordan executes prisoners after ISIS hostage burned alive
(CNN) Jordan executed two al Qaeda prisoners before dawn Wednesday, following through on a promised strong response to the ISIS killing of pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh, a government spokesman said.
Put to death were Sajida al-Rishawi, the Iraqi would-be suicide bomber whose release ISIS had previously requested, and Ziad Karbouli, a former top aide to the deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the spokesman said.
The executions come a day after video and stills appeared to show a Jordanian military pilot being burned alive while confined in a cage.
CNN is not showing images of the killing, which triggered global condemnation and prompted immediate promises of retaliation and protests in Jordan, one of more than 60 nations involved in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The 22-minute video begins with an attack on Jordan's King Abdullah II, suggesting he is to blame for what happened to the pilot, Moath al-Kasasbeh.
A short time after the video became public, Jordanian military spokesman Mamdouh Al Amri said al-Kasasbeh was "assassinated" on January 3.
His statement indicates the back-and-forth in recent weeks between Jordan and ISIS about a possible prisoner exchange to free the pilot took place after his death. Jordan repeatedly had asked ISIS to show proof that al-Kasasbeh was alive.
"Those who doubted the atrocities committed by ISIS now have the proof," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on state TV. "Those who doubted Jordan's power will soon see the proof as well. (Al-Kasasbeh's) blood will not be shed in vain."
In Amman and in the pilot's hometown, crowds hit the streets, calling for revenge.
"With the blood and self," protesters chanted, "we are sacrificing ourselves for Moath."
One demonstrator held a poster that read: "They burned our hearts, so let's burn their dens, and their prisoners in our prisons."
What could happen next?
Analysts have predicted the brutality of its latest video could come back to bite ISIS.
"I think there's likely to be a backlash, particularly in Jordan," said Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst. "I think it's sort of going to rally support for King Abdullah and his participation in the anti-ISIS coalition."
ISIS is known to be holding at least two Western hostages still: John Cantlie, a British journalist who has appeared in a number of ISIS-produced videos and an American woman who is a 26-year-old aid worker.
"The propaganda factor, I think, is going to completely backfire on them and the reason I say that is: When was the last time you had a mob in the street of one of these Muslim countries that was not screaming 'death to America,' but in fact screaming, 'get revenge on ISIS,' which essentially means, team up with America," said Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst. "I think it's a huge mistake on the part of ISIS."
A video not like the others
ISIS has recorded the deaths of its captives before, then disseminated the brutal footage online as propaganda. What makes the Jordanian pilot's case different is that he hailed from a Middle Eastern nation taking part in the anti-ISIS military coalition.
The manner of execution also is different. In previous ISIS videos, captives were beheaded. A masked man with a London accent, dubbed "Jihadi John," has appeared in at least six videos, standing near hostages.
Sometimes, ISIS has threatened who it will kill next.
At the end of its latest video, ISIS shows names and addresses of who it claims are Jordanian pilots. A reward is offered, and a voice says they are "wanted dead."
"I think they're sending a clear message to the Arab members of the coalition, and certainly Sunni Muslims who may be engaged in the fight against ISIS, that this is the way they're going to be treated. They're going to be treated brutally, and in fact, maybe perhaps more brutally than other members of the coalition," said Juan Zarate, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser.
Pilot crashed during coalition mission
Militants said they captured al-Kasasbeh after he ejected from his crashing F-16 on December 24, having taken part in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes near Raqqa, Syria, the de facto ISIS capital.
pkg ripley isis japan hostage_00015920
Why does CNN refuse to show ISIS video? 04:28
PLAY VIDEO
Almost immediately, he became a major pawn for ISIS. The Islamist extremist group had taken hostages before. But it hadn't captured anyone from the U.S.-led military coalition who was actively fighting to defeat it.
His capture got the attention of many in Jordan, including King Abdullah, who is a former helicopter pilot.
Jordanian officials had talked openly about the possibility of swapping al-Rishawi, a jihadist imprisoned in Jordan, for al-Kasasbeh. That demand was made via Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who also was taken captive by ISIS.
Goto, like other hostages before him, was killed, according to a video posted Saturday, before any exchange could occur.
President Obama gives a speech
Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, said he's been in touch with the head of Jordan's armed forces about what he called ISIS' "savage murder."
President Barack Obama said that the latest video, if authentic, is "just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization."
"It, I think, will redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of a global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated," Obama said. "It also just indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they're operating off of, it's bankrupt."
He met Tuesday with Jordan's king, who cut short a trip to Washington following the pilot's killing.
The President's comments were echoed in a statement from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
"This horrific, savage killing is yet another example of ISIL's contempt for life itself," he said, using another common acronym for ISIS. "The United States and its military stand steadfast alongside our Jordanian friends and partners; Jordan remains a pillar of our global coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, and this act of despicable barbarity only strengthens our shared resolve."
Father: Pilot 'a very modest and religious person'
According to the Jordan Times, an English-language newspaper published daily in the kingdom, al-Kasasbeh, 27, held the rank of lieutenant.
One of eight children, he comes from Karak governorate and graduated from King Hussein Air College, the newspaper says.
At the time of his capture, his father, Safi al-Kasasbeh, told the Jordan Times that his son was "a very modest and religious person" who memorized the Quran and "was never harmful to anyone."
Safi al-Kasasbeh later demanded that Jordan do everything it could to free his son.
"I firmly ask whomever has sent Moath to fight outside the borders of Jordan, on a mission unrelated to us, to make strong efforts to bring back Moath," he said.
"Moath's blood is precious, it's precious and it represents the blood of all Jordanians."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described al-Kasasbeh as everything he says ISIS is not: "He was brave, compassionate and principled."
"That he was murdered after his father's plea for compassion reminds all the world that this foe has no agenda other than to kill and destroy, and places no value on life, including that of fellow Muslims," Kerry said.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/world/isis-captive/index.html
What are your thoughts about this?
Should the US/other nations use the same manner of response when dealing with executed citizens by the hands of ISIS?
One of the articles on this subject below:
Jordan executes prisoners after ISIS hostage burned alive
(CNN) Jordan executed two al Qaeda prisoners before dawn Wednesday, following through on a promised strong response to the ISIS killing of pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh, a government spokesman said.
Put to death were Sajida al-Rishawi, the Iraqi would-be suicide bomber whose release ISIS had previously requested, and Ziad Karbouli, a former top aide to the deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the spokesman said.
The executions come a day after video and stills appeared to show a Jordanian military pilot being burned alive while confined in a cage.
CNN is not showing images of the killing, which triggered global condemnation and prompted immediate promises of retaliation and protests in Jordan, one of more than 60 nations involved in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The 22-minute video begins with an attack on Jordan's King Abdullah II, suggesting he is to blame for what happened to the pilot, Moath al-Kasasbeh.
A short time after the video became public, Jordanian military spokesman Mamdouh Al Amri said al-Kasasbeh was "assassinated" on January 3.
His statement indicates the back-and-forth in recent weeks between Jordan and ISIS about a possible prisoner exchange to free the pilot took place after his death. Jordan repeatedly had asked ISIS to show proof that al-Kasasbeh was alive.
"Those who doubted the atrocities committed by ISIS now have the proof," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on state TV. "Those who doubted Jordan's power will soon see the proof as well. (Al-Kasasbeh's) blood will not be shed in vain."
In Amman and in the pilot's hometown, crowds hit the streets, calling for revenge.
"With the blood and self," protesters chanted, "we are sacrificing ourselves for Moath."
One demonstrator held a poster that read: "They burned our hearts, so let's burn their dens, and their prisoners in our prisons."
What could happen next?
Analysts have predicted the brutality of its latest video could come back to bite ISIS.
"I think there's likely to be a backlash, particularly in Jordan," said Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst. "I think it's sort of going to rally support for King Abdullah and his participation in the anti-ISIS coalition."
ISIS is known to be holding at least two Western hostages still: John Cantlie, a British journalist who has appeared in a number of ISIS-produced videos and an American woman who is a 26-year-old aid worker.
"The propaganda factor, I think, is going to completely backfire on them and the reason I say that is: When was the last time you had a mob in the street of one of these Muslim countries that was not screaming 'death to America,' but in fact screaming, 'get revenge on ISIS,' which essentially means, team up with America," said Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst. "I think it's a huge mistake on the part of ISIS."
A video not like the others
ISIS has recorded the deaths of its captives before, then disseminated the brutal footage online as propaganda. What makes the Jordanian pilot's case different is that he hailed from a Middle Eastern nation taking part in the anti-ISIS military coalition.
The manner of execution also is different. In previous ISIS videos, captives were beheaded. A masked man with a London accent, dubbed "Jihadi John," has appeared in at least six videos, standing near hostages.
Sometimes, ISIS has threatened who it will kill next.
At the end of its latest video, ISIS shows names and addresses of who it claims are Jordanian pilots. A reward is offered, and a voice says they are "wanted dead."
"I think they're sending a clear message to the Arab members of the coalition, and certainly Sunni Muslims who may be engaged in the fight against ISIS, that this is the way they're going to be treated. They're going to be treated brutally, and in fact, maybe perhaps more brutally than other members of the coalition," said Juan Zarate, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser.
Pilot crashed during coalition mission
Militants said they captured al-Kasasbeh after he ejected from his crashing F-16 on December 24, having taken part in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes near Raqqa, Syria, the de facto ISIS capital.
pkg ripley isis japan hostage_00015920
Why does CNN refuse to show ISIS video? 04:28
PLAY VIDEO
Almost immediately, he became a major pawn for ISIS. The Islamist extremist group had taken hostages before. But it hadn't captured anyone from the U.S.-led military coalition who was actively fighting to defeat it.
His capture got the attention of many in Jordan, including King Abdullah, who is a former helicopter pilot.
Jordanian officials had talked openly about the possibility of swapping al-Rishawi, a jihadist imprisoned in Jordan, for al-Kasasbeh. That demand was made via Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who also was taken captive by ISIS.
Goto, like other hostages before him, was killed, according to a video posted Saturday, before any exchange could occur.
President Obama gives a speech
Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, said he's been in touch with the head of Jordan's armed forces about what he called ISIS' "savage murder."
President Barack Obama said that the latest video, if authentic, is "just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization."
"It, I think, will redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of a global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated," Obama said. "It also just indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they're operating off of, it's bankrupt."
He met Tuesday with Jordan's king, who cut short a trip to Washington following the pilot's killing.
The President's comments were echoed in a statement from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
"This horrific, savage killing is yet another example of ISIL's contempt for life itself," he said, using another common acronym for ISIS. "The United States and its military stand steadfast alongside our Jordanian friends and partners; Jordan remains a pillar of our global coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, and this act of despicable barbarity only strengthens our shared resolve."
Father: Pilot 'a very modest and religious person'
According to the Jordan Times, an English-language newspaper published daily in the kingdom, al-Kasasbeh, 27, held the rank of lieutenant.
One of eight children, he comes from Karak governorate and graduated from King Hussein Air College, the newspaper says.
At the time of his capture, his father, Safi al-Kasasbeh, told the Jordan Times that his son was "a very modest and religious person" who memorized the Quran and "was never harmful to anyone."
Safi al-Kasasbeh later demanded that Jordan do everything it could to free his son.
"I firmly ask whomever has sent Moath to fight outside the borders of Jordan, on a mission unrelated to us, to make strong efforts to bring back Moath," he said.
"Moath's blood is precious, it's precious and it represents the blood of all Jordanians."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described al-Kasasbeh as everything he says ISIS is not: "He was brave, compassionate and principled."
"That he was murdered after his father's plea for compassion reminds all the world that this foe has no agenda other than to kill and destroy, and places no value on life, including that of fellow Muslims," Kerry said.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/world/isis-captive/index.html