Wednesday, December 14, 2011

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Last February, the Obama administration accused one of Lebanon’s famously secretive banks of laundering money for an international cocaine ring with ties to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.Now, in the wake of the bank’s exposure and arranged sale, its ledgers have been opened to reveal deeper secrets: a glimpse at the clandestine methods that Hezbollah — a terrorist organization in American eyes that has evolved into Lebanon’s pre-eminent military and political power — uses to finance its operations. The books offer evidence of an intricate global money-laundering apparatus that, with the bank as its hub, appeared to let Hezbollah move huge sums of money into the legitimate financial system, despite sanctions aimed at cutting off its economic lifeblood.

At the same time, the investigation that led the United States to the bank, the Lebanese Canadian Bank, provides new insights into the murky sources of Hezbollah’s money. While law enforcement agencies around the world have long believed that Hezbollah is a passive beneficiary of contributions from loyalists abroad involved in drug trafficking and a grab bag of other criminal enterprises, intelligence from several countries points to the direct involvement of high-level Hezbollah officials in the South American cocaine trade.

One agent involved in the investigation compared Hezbollah to the Mafia, saying, “They operate like the Gambinos on steroids.”

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors in Virginia announced the indictment of the man at the center of the Lebanese Canadian Bank case, charging that he had trafficked drugs and laundered money not only for Colombian cartels, but also for the murderous Mexican gang Los Zetas.

The revelations about Hezbollah and the Lebanese Canadian Bank reflect the changing political and military dynamics of Lebanon and the Middle East. American intelligence analysts believe that for years Hezbollah received as much as $200 million annually from its primary patron, Iran, along with additional aid from Syria. But that support has diminished, the analysts say, as Iran’s economy buckles under international sanctions over its nuclear program and Syria’s government battles rising popular unrest.

Yet, if anything, Hezbollah’s financial needs have grown alongside its increasing legitimacy here, as it seeks to rebuild after its 2006 war with Israel and expand its portfolio of political and social service activities. The result, analysts believe, has been a deeper reliance on criminal enterprises — especially the South American cocaine trade — and on a mechanism to move its ill-gotten cash around the world.

“The ability of terror groups like Hezbollah to tap into the worldwide criminal funding streams is the new post-9/11 challenge,” said Derek Maltz, the Drug Enforcement Administration official who oversaw the agency’s investigation into the Lebanese Canadian Bank.

In that inquiry, American Treasury officials said senior bank managers had assisted a handful of account holders in running a scheme to wash drug money by mixing it with the proceeds of used cars bought in the United States and sold in Africa. A cut of the profits, officials said, went to Hezbollah, a link the organization disputes.

The officials have refused to disclose their evidence for that allegation. But the outlines of a broader laundering network, and the degree to which Hezbollah’s business had come to suffuse the bank’s operations, emerged in recent months as the bank’s untainted assets were being sold, with American blessings, to a Beirut-based partner of the French banking giant Société Générale.

Of course, a money-laundering operation does not just come out and identify itself. But auditors brought in to scrub the books discovered nearly 200 accounts that were suspicious for their links to Hezbollah and their classic signs of money laundering.

In all, hundreds of millions of dollars a year sloshed through the accounts, held mainly by Shiite Muslim businessmen in the drug-smuggling nations of West Africa, many of them known Hezbollah supporters, trading in everything from rough-cut diamonds to cosmetics and frozen chicken, according to people with knowledge of the matter in the United States and Europe. The companies appeared to be serving as fronts for Hezbollah to move all sorts of dubious funds, on its own behalf or for others.

The system allowed Hezbollah to hide not only the sources of its wealth, but also its involvement in a range of business enterprises. One case involved perhaps the richest land deal in Lebanon’s history, the $240 million purchase late last year of more than 740 pristine acres overlooking the Mediterranean in the religiously diverse Chouf region.

Article From The New York Times By Jo Becker.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/world/middleeast/beirut-bank-seen-as-a-hub-of-hezbollahs-financing.html?_r=1&hp

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Talented MRs. Leslie

She's Talented ... If You believe that She's Talented too just Trend #ROCKONLESLIE on Twitter or mention @AlexaIbrahim !! Help her reach her dream !!

Friday, December 9, 2011

A new luxurious blackberry... or should we say porschberry?

A new porsche design blackberry was announced on october 27th 2011 . The new special BB has the same specifications of the blackberry 9900 but with a different design & Ensure your prestige is instantly recognised with a limited edition PIN series, available only with the Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry. Clearly identifiable, the exclusive PIN series will ensure you stand out from the crowd. This mobile was released on the blackberry official website for UK and emirates only. Take a look on this magnificent porschberry.

Twitter Rules

A new easier twitter has been released with the ability to easily manage conversations and to choose who to follow and not for further info check this website : https://fly.twitter.com/

Monday, October 17, 2011

Again Sorry For The Inconvenience

Due To Timing Problem because of my academic duties since I'm getting my Bachelor Degrees in Civil Engineering I was not able to post any news but we promise You to Be Back Soon.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Britney's 4th Single ... "Criminal"

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Do You Think That People Are Becoming Materialistic ?

This was our no1 recommended subject so please guys we need your help and opinions ...
u can contact us using
AIM : alexanderibr@aol.com
Twitter : @mencanblog or @alex_ib
Emailing us to : alex.ib@hotmail.com

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Kim K's Royal Wedding

Kim Kardashian's wedding reminds us the royal wedding. E! has posted the first official images of Kim Kardashian‘s wedding to Kris Humphries. Kim was a beautiful bride in a Vera Wang dress. The nice-looking groom was dressed in white while the matrons of honor Khloe and Kourtney wore Vera Wang to the fairytale wedding. Kim’s hair was styled in a sleek updo with a diamond tiara and jeweled earrings. The sweetest moment of the wedding ceremony occurred when Kourtney Kardashian‘s son ring bearer Mason ran down the aisle.Celebrity guests at the wedding were Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria,Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne, Ciara, Serena Williams, LaLa Vasquez and Mel B. Here are some highlights from the wedding day. Tune in to E! on August 22nd to view more about Kim’s trip down the aisle. Congrats to Kim K and Kris!!!!!!

Check Out The Official video Posted on eonline:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W370Zo3iz_Q

24-25 August 2011

I could desperately say it was one of my BEST and WORST days ever... how's that?

My role model steps down ... OFC Everyone knows am talking about the Iconic Leader Steve Jobs,

after decade of innovation and creativity, the CEO of The best and most valuable company resign. First it was

a shock , even if expected , and honestly I was thinking if am gonna buy a new iphone , a new mac , a new ipad

or even a new creation again ? is Tim as visionary as Steve himself? I was kinda sad and confused with remarkable questions turning in my head.

And yeah I'm an apple addicted user... I just adore their stuffs and was raised listening to music delivered my Steve on a device founded by Him and searching and buying using his laptop , his mobile and his ipad . So how mustn't I be sad when a life changer leave?

I'm sure you're wondering where's "the best day" part in this catastrophe?

Because I feel that I'm a part of a very big family "The Apple Family" I was surely concerned in the latest updates so for the first time in my life I watched the stock markets Min by Min for 10 straight hours without getting bored not for a second . So for the first time I felt like I'm not the economic dummy no more but I was so concerned and loved every single moment of it till the apple stocks raised back.

And While Waiting for the latest updates I wrote this SUBJECTIVE Blog Post because I felt like I lost a Family member when I'm totally sure that Apple will reign forever queen of technology's companies.

And because I'm in love with this company/family I won't write any information or Posts concerning the resignation of Steve beside my SUBJECTIVE OPINION AND MY FEELINGS.

-Alex-

Sorry Again

Due to technical problems We weren't able to Post any news So as we promised Before , Kim Kardashian's wedding details will be posted within few Days So keep checking our Blog for updates & Soon Our Blog's news will be available on TWITTER.

Thank You for Your patience. We're working to fix this problem as soon as We could.

-Alex-

Friday, August 12, 2011

Face transplant patient progressing well

Before The Accident....After The Transplant....

Face transplant patient Charla Nash, who was disfigured after being mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee two years ago, says she is recovering well and is grateful for the reconstructive surgery that is returning her to a fuller life.

In photos released Thursday by Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Nash is shown with her new face, still swollen but similar in skin tone to her face prior to the attack. Nash, 57, lost her lips, eyes, nose and hands in the attack. Hands were also transplanted in the 20-hour operation in May. However, complications ensued and the hands were removed.

"Losing the new hands is just a bump in the road of my recovery," Nash said Thursday in a statement release by the hospital. "I believe that one day I'll have two hands to help me live as a blind person with confidence."

The face transplant, the third full face transplant performed in the United States, has been successful thus far.

"I will now be able to do things I once took for granted. I will be able to smell," she said. "I will be able to eat normally. I will no longer be disfigured. I will have lips and will speak clearly once again. I will be able to kiss and hug loved ones. I am tremendously grateful to the donor and her family."

The transplanted face is not similar to her pre-accident appearance, but it also does not replicate the face of the donor. The underlying facial bones and muscle of the recipient changes the shape of the donor's tissue, according to hospital officials.

The first-ever full face transplant took place last year. The procedure is still considered experimental. From The "LA Times"

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Kim Kardashian's Wedding Updates

In preparation for their upcoming nuptials, Kim Kardashian and fiancé Kris Humphries were spotted testing cakes at Hansen Cakes in Los Angeles Friday.No word on which cake flavor the 30-year-old E! reality star and her baller beau chose for their wedding, but the two were caught feeding each other bites of vanilla, chocolate and lemon cakes, according to the bakery.
The couple is set to tie the knot Aug. 20
And 9 Days before the wedding check out the updates...

Kim Kardashian's Elegant (and Official) Wedding Invitation!

Kim Kardashian's engagement ring is worth almost HALF as much as her Beverly Hills mansion ... sources close to the diamond tell TMZ the rock is valued at $2 MILLION!!!!!!

Check Out The Latest Wedding Updates On My Blog This Week

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Sorry For The Inconvenience

Due to technical difficulties we will not be posting any news till monday 8th of august and Thank u.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Quotes Of August

There is no season such delight can bring
As summer, autumn, winter and the spring. ~William Browne

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Special Review (Gossip Girl)

For adults, romances are variable, and friendship is the constant. Privileged Youth reverses the equation: Love affairs are constant, and it’s the friendships that vary.

And matter most.

That is the essence of “Gossip Girl,” a semisatirical portrait of power and privilege in the private schools and penthouses of New York’s ultra rich. It is often said that Hollywood is “high school with money.” On this glossy, glamour-soaked CW series, high school is better than Hollywood.

“Gossip Girl” explores the unnavigability of friendship. Female bonding is punctuated by the joy and disappointments of dating, but the ruling passion is power: the pride that comes with connecting with one’s ilk and asserting control, as well as the scorching pain of rejection and ridicule. Sex is easy; it’s the cliques that take time and solicitude.

“You can tell us anything,” Blair coos to a distraught Serena, who is hung over and harboring a shameful secret. “We’ve seen you with vomit in your hair, making out with investment bankers in the men’s room at P. J. Clarke’s.”

In a culture obsessed with youth, money and appearance, 16 is the new 30, and teenage girls’ discontent about boys and clothes and one another has resonance even for older audiences. Parents fret that youngsters grow up too fast; children complain that grown-ups refuse to grow old.

“Gossip Girl” goes further than most shows in depicting the excesses of the rich and under-age (in this fantasy teenagers are never carded), but most of all it represents the next evolutionary stage of girl power television after “Sex and the City.” That pioneering HBO series, and the movie version, celebrates girlish women who joined forces — “Us against the world” — in the pursuit of success and happiness.

“Gossip Girl” focuses on worldly little girls who join forces against one another. The series, along with such like-minded shows as the MTV semireality show “The Hills” and a cautionary senior edition, “The Real Housewives of New York City,” are focused on friends, and most of all on frenemies. They are so postfemininist that they circle back not just to “Mean Girls,” but to the pre-Friedan era of Clare Boothe Luce and Rona Jaffe.

It’s not actually a step backward of course; it’s more of a mischievous sidestep, a zig after many years of networks’ zagging to catch up with “Sex and the City.” That series’s selling point was not just sex and designer clothes. It offered the charisma of four stylish, sexy women taking on Manhattan like D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers (Moschinoteers, in this case). None of the imitations, including “Cashmere Mafia,” a flop on ABC, and NBC’s slightly more successful version, “Lipstick Jungle,” adequately captured the playful, loving tone of the original.

“Gossip Girl” reversed course and found a way saucily to make a virtue of vacuity and viciousness. It’s better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, especially on a soap opera.

Not that “Gossip Girl,” which is based on a popular book series for young adults by the same name, is a nighttime soap exactly. For one thing, real soap operas like “The Young and the Restless,” or even the Fox drama “The OC,” which ended last year, revolve around love and betrayal, not BFF status and its discontents. “Gossip Girl” borrows the rituals and tempestuous dialogue of the soap opera genre and puts it to a Facebook beat. — Excerpted from “What Are Friends For? Power and Pain,” a Times review of the series, by Alessandra Stanley, May 18, 2008. The full review is below, in the “Highlights” section.

Khloé Kardashian & Lamar Odom Tweet Their Sympathy After Fatal Car Crash

A "devastated" Lamar Odom and Khloé Kardashian have taken to social media to express their sympathy following a horrific car crash that claimed life of a 15-year-old boy.

Odom, in New York for a cousin's funeral, was the passenger in the backseat last Thursday when a collision occurred in Jamaica, Queens. The car he was riding in struck a motorcycle, which then hit the teen, who was a pedestrian.

Though rushed to a hospital for surgery, the boy, whose name has not been reported, died Monday, according to New York's Daily News.

Odom, 31, Tweeted: "Thank you for your support and prayers! My thoughts and prayers are with the young boys family."

His wife, Kardashian, 27, added on her Twitter page: "My heart/soul goes out 2every1 in pain from any suffering. Pray 4 all of the angels surrounding us constantly. May our spirits stay strong.

"Above all, love each other deeply, b/c love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality 2 1another without grumbling 1 Peter 4:8-9

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

"Our love will give us strength! Love conquers ALL!"

Not that every message was sweetness and light. Following some criticism of her on the site, Kardashian wrote: "Stop judging other people's lives that u know NOTHING about! My husband&I r in NY 4a funeral 4 his fam. Senseless violence is disgusting!!"

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Google: More than 10 million people have joined Google+ social network | Poynter.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Lamar Odom passenger in crash

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom was a passenger in a car that struck and seriously injured a motocyclist and a pedestrian in his hometown of Queens, New York, on Thursday, according to the New York Post.

A publicist for Odom's wife, Khloe Kardashian, told the newspaper that Kardashian was not with her husband at the time of the accident. A source close to Odom also told the Post that he was not physically injured in the accident, but was "shaken up" by the incident.

A spokeswoman for Odom told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin that Odom planned to release a statement on the incident soon.

Odom has yet to tweet anything about the incident via his Twitter account, except to note he was filming a Nike commercial at Lincoln Park on Saturday.

An officer for the New York Police Department said Sunday he had no information on the accident.

Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne was used in this report.

Apple A5 chip overheating might be delaying the iPhone 5 launch

Here we have another interesting theory on what might be preventing Apple from releasing the next iPhone yet. The latest bit of online gossip has it that the problem lies within the dual-core Apple A5 chip, which is causing the smartphone to overheat.

That one sounds pretty reasonable, as previous rumors had it that the next iPhone will be even slimmer than the current one. That means its parts will be even more tightly packed and cooling down its chipset will be more challenging.

Plus, the iPhone 5 (or 4S if they really decide to go with that) will have an extra core, which probably means that it will be producing more heat than its predecessor. According to the rumor source, Apple is still struggling to find a solution for this and if it doesn't come up with something shortly it will be unveiling a smartphone based on the current iPhone to buy some more time.

In related news, rumor has it Apple has already started test-producing its next generation chipset, the A6 processor with the Taiwanese manufacturer TSMC. The Cupertino-based company is obviously dead set on replacing Samsung as the producer of the brains of its devices.

Obviously, the heated court battle between Apple and Samsung was bound to leave a scar on the $5.68 billion/year partnership between the two companies and this might just be only the beginning.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Rihanna Queen Of Facebook

We talk a lot around here about all the records Lady Gaga is breaking, but as of Friday (July 15), there was one title that even Gaga's ferocious Little Monsters couldn't help her win: Queen of Facebook.

Though Mother Monster has an impressive 40,615,607 Facebook fans at press time, she was just pushed down to #2 in the bid to be the most popular woman on Facebook by Rihanna, who slipped into the lead with 40,676,545 fans, or around 40,000 more Facebook admirers than Gaga.

The passing of the torch was noted by Facebook's marketing director Randi Zuckerberg, who tweeted on Thursday, "Sorry, Gaga! As of today, Rihanna has passed Lady Gaga as the #1 most popular woman on Facebook."

Of course Gaga still rules the roost on Twitter (with 11.6 million followers, she bests Rihanna, who is down at #13 in Twitter followers), where she was the first person to surpass the 10 million mark. And that's just one of the many records she's smashed on her way to the top.

The End Of A Perfect Wedding

After seven years of what appeared to be wedded bliss, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have called it quits.

"We have decided to end our marriage," Lopez and Anthony revealed to People magazine via a joint statement. "This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters.

"It is a painful time for all involved," the statement continued, "and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time."

This news likely comes as a shock to their fans, as the seemingly happy couple were seen together frequently during the most recent season of "American Idol," on which Lopez served as a judge and Anthony appeared in the audience several times and as a mentor to the contestants.

Lopez and Anthony were married in June 2004 at Lopez's Beverly Hills home. The wedding was a major surprise in the entertainment world, given the fact that J.Lo had ended her highly publicized relationship with Ben Affleck only 18 months before, and even more so for the family and friends who attended the casual ceremony, all of whom had been invited to attend under the guise of a summer party.

The two Latin superstars dated briefly in the '90s and remained friends in the years before their marriage. Anthony was previously married to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, while Lopez was wed to Ojani Noa and Cris Judd. Professionally, Anthony and Lopez have recorded a number of duets together and starred in and produced the feature film, "El Cantante."

Lopez and Anthony have two children together, 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Quotes Of July

"Any time the rules change you don't know how they change u" ... GG

"Fashion fades only style remains" COCO Chanel

Friday, July 15, 2011

Lady Gaga 'Monster Ball' Special Nabs Five Emmy Noms

It's time to break the meat dress out of deep storage, or perhaps polish up the space egg, because Lady Gaga has another awards show to attend.

On Thursday morning (July 14), her "Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden" HBO special picked up five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, top-lined by a nod for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In that category, Gaga will face off against the annual Kennedy Center Honors telecast and a trio of rather, uh, uniquechallengers: Carrie Fisher, Bette Midler and Pee-Wee Herman, each of whom earned noms for their respective HBO specials.

The "Monster Ball" special also earned a nomination for Outstanding Directing (Gaga's creative director, Laurieann Gibson, picked up the nod), and three technical noms: Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special; Outstanding Lighting Design/ Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special; and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special. In each of those categories, Gaga will take on the usual spate of awards telecasts (the 83rd Academy Awards, the 53rd Grammy Awards, etc.), not to mention comedians Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K., each of whom earned nods for their comedy specials.

Elsewhere, Gaga's favorite show, "Glee," was among the most-nominated programs, landing a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series. Stars Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer also earned nominations, as did guest stars Kristin Chenoweth, Dot-Marie Jones and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 18, at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.