A concentration camp survivor who joined the U.S. Army out of gratitude, fought in Korea and spent 2 1/2 years in a Chinese prisoner of war camp was awarded a Medal of Honor on Friday, 55 years after his heroism.
President Bush gave the nation's highest military honor to Hungarian-born Tibor Rubin, 76, in the White House East Room. The medal recognizes him for overcoming dangers as an infantryman, trying to save fellow soldiers in battle and as a prisoner of war, even as he faced prejudice because he was Jewish and a foreigner. "By repeatedly risking his own life to save others, Cpl. Rubin exemplified the highest ideals of military service and fulfilled a pledge to give something back to the country that had given him his freedom," Bush said.
The Hungarian-born Rubin, of Garden Grove, Calif., stood at Bush's side with his head slightly bowed and his hands clasped behind his back as the president extolled him, then fastened the gold medal around his neck. "It's a wonderful, beautiful country. We are all very lucky," Rubin told reporters later. No. We're lucky to have people like you move here.
When Rubin was just 13, he and his family were rounded up by the Nazis and taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. His parents and sister died at the hands of the Nazis but Rubin survived for 14 months. He was liberated by American GIs and vowed to join the U.S. Army if he ever made it to America. After he came to this country and enlisted, he was quickly sent to Korea. There, Rubin's actions during battle and as a prisoner of war went beyond bravery to heroism, as Bush described them.
Assigned to defend a hill, Rubin single-handedly held off the enemy for 24 hours, inflicting casualties and allowing his own unit to withdraw safely. Later he was captured by the Chinese. During captivity, he risked his life to steal food for fellow prisoners, give them medical help and keep their morale up. He refused an offer from his captors to return to communist Hungary.
"Those who served with Ted speak of him as a soldier who gladly risked his own life for others," Bush said.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/24/2005 0:31 Comments ||
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#4
IOW, Left-beloved future utopian Amerika will be a cantonized Amerika where pre-teen girls will have the rights of adults to marriage and unconditional Govt- sponsored aid - Males, OTOH, will either be in jail or obsolete: you know, UNIVERSAL- AND GENDER-"PROGRESSIVISM| where more rights = less rights, and advancing society = regressing/dying society, and "Universal Rule" = "Rule by the Minority/Few/Select"!? What it come down to is Feminists suppor GOVT.SUBSIDIZED STATUTORY RAPE = PROSTITUTION OF MINORS, as they suppor INFANTICIDE-BASED, GENDER/FEMALE-ONLY PUBLIC SOCIALISM KNOWN AS ABORTION!
#5
sheet, 3dc, that's the fricking wikipedia of sex-ed. Reminds me of the time I wanted to do an article on kayaking and looked up "watersports" on the Internet. Whups! :)
MANAMA â Bahrain has repealed its economic boycott of Israel to comply with its free trade agreement with the United States, the Gulf stateâs foreign minister was quoted as saying yesterday. The move makes Bahrain the first of the six Arab states of the Gulf to abolish its trade boycott of Israel, although others, such as Qatar and Oman, have taken limited steps in that direction.
Free trade agreement paying all sorts of dividends.
Kuwait is to lift the boycott and both Kuwait and Bahrain are said to begin normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel, diplomatic sources said in Bahrain yesterday.
The United States is reportedly set to begin talks with four other Gulf states, excluding Saudi Arabia which opposes such bilateral treaties.
'cause they don't want to trade with the Joooos.
These other countries are also in the process of closing the boycott offices and preparing to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel, the diplomatic sources said.
The Bahraini repeal coincides with signs of a thaw in relations between Israel and Arab and Muslim states following its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in New York, and the Israeli foreign minister held talks with his Qatari and Tunisian counterparts on the margins of the UN summit there.
âBahrain took the decision to end the boycott of Israeli goods because this is one of the conditions of the free trade agreementâ with the United States, Bahrainâs foreign minister, Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, told the independent Arabic newspaper, Al Wasat, in an interview in New York.
Bahrain, which hosts the base of the US Navyâs 5th Fleet, signed the free trade deal with the United States last year, becoming the first Gulf state to do so. Its parliament and king have endorsed the agreement, but it has not yet been ratified by the US Congress. The agreement calls for trade relations with all members of the World Trade Organisation, which includes Israel.
Alwasat asked the foreign minister if Bahrain would forge diplomatic ties with Israel. âThat will depend on the general consensus of the Arab League,â Shaikh Mohammed was quoted as replying. The Leagueâs peace plan offers Israel full diplomatic relations in exchange for its withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, the establishment of a Palestinian state and a solution for Palestinian refugees.
The practical effects of the ministerâs statement remain to be seen. Up to now, Bahrain has refused to admit Israeli goods. A consignment of Israeli-made fuel filters and automotive parts were confiscated and destroyed in 2003.
It is also unclear whether Israeli business executives would be allowed to enter the kingdom. Officially, Israeli passport holders cannot pass through immigration at the islandâs airport. Moreover, there have been many anti-Israeli demonstrations in Bahrain since its political system was liberalised in 2002.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2005 00:35 ||
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Venezuelan businesses signed deals to sell US$36.7 million worth of goods to Cuba Thursday that will include exports of shoes, underwear, artificial leather and industrial products to the communist country from the soon-to-be one. More than 280 companies, cooperatives and other commercial organizations participated in the government-sponsored forum aimed at boosting trade between the two countries.
"The businesses were satisfied, they were given financial advice and they will be accompanied through the whole process so that they can respond to Cuban demand," said minister of light industries Edmee Betancourt in a statement following the forum.
"Por favor, señor, you have parts for a '58 Chevy?"
The businesses signed letters of intent worth US$36.7 million dollars in deals Thursday, but that sum does not include other agreements signed earlier this week whose value has not yet been calculated, the statement said. Among the products in demand in Cuba are footwear, women's underpants, wood, paper and metal products, hardware and electrical equipment, it said. And the Cuban products in demand are ... um ... that is ...
Betancourt said Tuesday that the Venezuelan government was willing to provide financing to companies that have signed deals to export goods to Cuba but need more capital to increase production.
Ties between the two countries have tightened under the administration of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an admirer of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporter, already ships about 90,000 barrels of oil a day to the Cuban government on preferential terms.
#6
The comments are funny, but just what does Cuba intend to use as payment?
They do raise Sugar Cane (When it's not flattened by Hurricanes,) Hasn't every Gulf Hurricane so far gone over Cuba?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2005 13:10 Comments ||
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#7
what does Cuba intend to use as payment?
security.... for Chavez. Armed trained Cubanos to protect el jefe and to intimidate the opposition. Police state apparatus will be continued to grow....
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2005 14:53 Comments ||
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THE Federal Government has vowed to push ahead for a worldwide ban on nuclear testing. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer this week chaired an international conference in New York to put pressure on countries with nuclear capability to ratify a treaty to rid the world of nuclear weapons testing. He said near universal support existed for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), with 176 countries signing the treaty and 125 ratifying it. But the treaty can not enter into force unless a group of 44 countries named in the treaty have all ratified. Those countries have nuclear capability, nuclear power reactors or are doing nuclear research. They include the United States, China, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, India and North Korea.
A total of 41 of those 44 nations have signed, but only 33 have ratified, including nuclear powers France, Britain and Russia.
"As president of the conference, I heard a very clear message from 117 participating countries, calling on states which have not already done so to sign and ratify the treaty as soon as possible," Mr Downer said. "It was clear that countries, including Australia, regard the CTBT as a vital contribution to disarmament and non-proliferation, because it constrains the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons. There is no doubt that the treaty would greatly enhance international security."
He said the conference unanimously agreed to adopt a strong declaration in support of the treaty and a set of practical measures to encourage ratification. "Australia's support for the CTBT is unwavering," Mr Downer said. "We will continue to work for its entry into force and a future free of nuclear weapons testing."
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World ||
09/24/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Right up there with banning reproductive rights of those making less than 20K a year. Somehow when it effects thee but not me, there's a lot of agreement, isn't there.
Poland is set to take to take a sharp swing to the right in a general election tomorrow that may finish off the post-communist left as a political force. In their first election since joining the EU last year, the Poles are certain to ditch the governing and sleaze-ridden Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) party of former communists and elect two rival rightwing parties which are expected to form an unstable coalition.
The Polish right is poised for a landslide that could command a two-thirds parliamentary majority and empower it to rewrite the country's constitution. "It looks like a landslide for both [rightist] parties," said Krzysztof Bobinski, head of a pro-European Warsaw thinktank. "The SLD could be left as a historic rump, finally! meaning the end of communism in Poland."
A presidential election in a fortnight is tipped to complete the right-wing rout, with Donald Tusk, the leader of the Thatcherite Civic Platform party, replacing the former communist, Alexander Kwasniewski, head of state for the past decade. The Civic Platform is running equal in opinion polls with the conservative Law and Justice Party led by twin brothers, Jaroslaw and Lech Kaczynski. The brothers hope to become both prime minister and president, Jaroslaw as head of the government while Lech, currently the mayor of Warsaw, wins the presidency. "Both of them are incorruptible, clean and principled in various ways," said Marek Matraszek, a political commentator. "But they believe in socialist economic policies."
Analysts expect the twins to fail, but they are in second place in both the parliament and presidential races. The Polish electorate is volatile and opinion polls are unstable. Mr Tusk, the presidential frontrunner, has gone from 7% to 40% in a month.
In a country with 18% official unemployment, but where barely half the workforce has a job, disaffection with the political class is acute.
The left's main presidential candidate, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, former prime minister, has withdrawn and the SLD might not even gain the 5% needed to qualify for parliament after taking more than 40% at the last election.
The Kaczynskis, said Mr Bobinski, were better placed to pick up the leftwing vote as they are culturally conservative with welfarist social and economic policies. Civic Platform members are free-market liberals, pushing for a 15% flat tax, private health care, and more privatisation. Both parties are running at around 30% per cent and have pledged to form a coalition. But they will find it difficult to agree on a common programme.
Jan Rokita, the Civic Platform's prime ministerial candidate, told the Associated Press: "We are facing a choice of whether to follow the path between the German-French model of social stagnation or the Spanish-British-Irish model of liberalising the economy and society."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2005 00:51 ||
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#1
18% official unemployment, but where barely half the workforce has a job
That's because companies in Poland cannot afford to hire employees. The cost of hiring one employee is double the employee's wage, after factoring in insurance payments and so on. Barriers to entry are extremely high for new companies, in addition to labor costs. I haven't seen anyone address these problems, in Poland or Europe for that matter. But people still expect wondrous changes when a new government takes over. That goes for Germany as well.
...something about doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result each time. Are there no Chicago-educated economists in Europe? Surely we can rent them a few... Rock bottom rates too...
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/24/2005 1:38 Comments ||
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#2
Well, if they dump the German-French model of social stagnation, bring in a flat-tax, private health care and increase privatisation, then those unemployment figures are certainly going to come down.
Al-Grauniad doesn't seem to happy about it, do they?
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/24/2005 6:03 Comments ||
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Germany's new Left party, which could play a crucial role in deciding the next chancellor, faced acute embarrassment yesterday amid claims that at least seven of its MPs had collaborated with the Stasi, the East German secret police.
The head of Germany's state-held Stasi archive, Marianne Birthler, said she had documents to prove the MPs had worked as "inoffizielle mitarbeiter" (unofficial collaborators). The public had a right to know which MPs had collaborated, she said, adding: "It's a question of trust."
The revelation came as the Left party held its first meeting as a parliamentary group after Sunday's inconclusive general election. It is made up of members from the Party of Democratic Socialism, the successor to East Germany's Communist party, and a new west German leftwing alliance, the Workers and Social Justice party. It won 8.7% of the vote, coming second in eastern Germany.
With neither Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats nor Angela Merkel's conservatives able to form a government on their own, the Left party's MPs could play a crucial role in a secret ballot for chancellor. Some have already hinted they might back Mr Schröder.
Asked whether it was true seven MPs had worked with the Stasi, spokesman Hendrik Thalheim told the Guardian: "We are not interested in such one-sided reports. We are meeting for the first time today. People are interested in other things."
Only 23 of the party's 54 new MPs grew up in East Germany. Gregor Gysi, its charismatic joint leader, has denied previous claims that he worked informally for the Stasi between 1978 and 1989.
Yesterday Mrs Birthler said all Germany's newly elected MPs should allow their Stasi files to be examined. She said there could be several other cases. Under Germany's current law the archives can only be made public with the permission of the person involved.
By the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 the Stasi had 91,000 official employees as well as 300,000 unofficial collaborators.
Meanwhile, the Left party has so far ruled itself out of coalition talks. Yesterday Mrs Merkel held exploratory talks with the Green party aimed at building a coalition with it and the liberal Free Democrats. Afterwards the Greens said they saw no basis for cooperation.
This appears to make a "grand coalition" between the Social Democrats and the conservatives more likely, although both Mrs Merkel and Mr Schröder have said they would have to be chancellor.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/24/2005 00:32 ||
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#1
Ha! How long has this little nugget been known, and by whom?
Five years after the controversial 2000 presidential election, ex-President Jimmy Carter now says he's certain Al Gore defeated George W. Bush. "Well I would say that in the year 2000, the country failed abysmally in the presidential election process," Carter told a panel Monday at American University in Washington, D.C. "There's no doubt in my mind that Al Gore was elected president." There's no doubt in My mind that you're the worst ex-President. Ever.
Millard Fillmore was pretty bad.
Those in attendance broke out in applause for that statement.
"[Gore] received the most votes nationwide, ...But not of living legal citizens
But he got the majority of the ex-con vote ...
... and in my opinion, he also received the most votes in Florida," Carter continued. "And the decision was made as you know by a 5-4 vote ... Actually, the vote was 7-2, including one Clinton appointee in the majority
... on a highly partisan basis by the U.S. Supreme Court, so I would say in 2000, there was a failure." The election failure was in 1976. And 1960. And maybe 1876.
Carter's analysis went on to include last year's matchup between Bush and Democrat Sen. John Kerry, as the election came down to a battle over the electoral votes in Ohio. "The year 2004 is hard to grade," said Carter. "I don't have any detailed information about what actually went on in Ohio. If Ohio had gone one way or the other, it would have changed the outcome of the election.
Brilliant, Jimmuah, brilliant.
And the only thing that I know about Ohio, was that there's general consensus that the secretary of state of Ohio, who is responsible for the administration of the election, was highly partisan in his public approach and perhaps even in his private adminstration. But I don't know about that." And if Wisconsin (and maybe Washington) hasn't been stolen, Ohio wouldn't have mattered.
Please may he travel in the Ninth Circuit court's juristiction, where calling for the assassination of a President is protected speech.
Jimmuah's worth more to us alive. And let's not joke about assassinations around here ...
never has been quite the same since losing wits during the scary swamp wabbit episode.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
09/24/2005 0:50 Comments ||
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#4
Calling all Commie Airborne, AKULAS, and Spetzlamists, or at least DESPERATE HOSFRAUS - A-T-T-A-A-A-C-K AMERIKA NOW IN ORDER TO SAVE AMERICA! Iff causing Hurricanes Katrina and now Rita doesn't prove Dubya is the AntiChrist cuz he can control the weather and send in FEMA and Fed Troops to attack and subjugate loyal Socialists in "occupied" NOLA and Galveston, what will??? HOW DARE DUBYA AND FASCIST FEMA POST-INVADE NOLA AND PRE-INVADE GALVESTON, D*** YOU!?
#5
I saw Jimmuh at a Greatful Dead concert at the the Omni in Atlanta 1991, I knew I was toast when I saw him do the hippie twirl.. he could shake that money-maker though.. lol
#10
Actually, Gore probably did get the most votes nationwide. Of course, that's not how we decide elections. It was reasonable for a few days in November 2000 to think Gore may have won Florida, but you have to be pretty resistant to facts (non reality based?) to still think so. One of the more harmless delusions of Jimmy and his friends, unfortunately.
Speaking of Jimmy's delusional friends, it will be interesting to see how Saturday goes in DC. They removed all the newspaper machines and trash cans from the streets around the Mall a few days ago.
Believe it or not, it's true. Fillmore was one of the most enthusiastic enforcers of the Fugitive Slave Act. He (and Pierce and Buchanan) also pursued a policy of appeasement toward the Southern cotton interests that only encouraged them to demand more in later years--leading ultimately to secession and the Civil War.
Carter thought he was presiding over the inevitable decline of a United States facing the ascendancy of the clearly-superior socialist system, led by the invincible USSR, and conducted himself accordingly. (There was also disco, avacado-green shag carpet, and the whole Billy Beer thing, but those are minor irritations.) Since leaving office, he's sided with tyrants against free people every chance he gets.
When you lay it out like that, it's kind of a coin flip which is worse.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/24/2005 8:30 Comments ||
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#12
i'm in GA don't worry i'm leaving in afew mins too go beat the hell out of him
#13
The first and only successful Buchanan for President, James, was the worst occupier of the White House. Jimmy is making for number two. Too many of his missteps thankgoodness have happened after his departure. However, if the Islamists successfully denotate a nuke in the US, then his bumbling of the hostage situation will propel him from the student to the master standing.
#14
Remember when I called Sunday School Jimmy the biggest liar I'd ever seen? Remember laughing at an olde racist? Was I wrong? I should'a taken an axe handle to that sniffer when I had the chance.
BTW I run Gawd's fried chicken stand now.
Posted by: Lester M ||
09/24/2005 9:34 Comments ||
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#15
Carter's still alive?
Physically, at least.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/24/2005 10:48 Comments ||
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#16
Hey, at least Millard Fillmore had the decency to run as a Know Nothing. Carter has just descended into a fever swamp of bitterness as more and more people acknowledge him as the worst president of the modern era. He lowers the world opinion of America with every breath he takes, a man who has never met a left wing dictator he didn't support. Wanker.
#19
If Gore had managed to carry his home state of Tennessee then all the fuss in Florida would of meant nothing. Pretty embarrassing when your own home state tells you to take a flying leap at a rolling doughnut
#21
it was a sarcastic jab. Hopefully the first to launch SLCM at Iran :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2005 16:07 Comments ||
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#22
He actually did complain a bit about Ethiopia.
"The Carter Center's assessment of the elections suggests that the majority of the constituency results...are credible and reflected competitive conditions," the group said in a statement.
The statement said, however, a "considerable number" of results "were problematic and lack credibility."
Must have been a doozy of an election if Carter was willing to complain about it.
Posted by: James ||
09/24/2005 16:52 Comments ||
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#23
Jimmuah was a good priss pants Rickover kisser, so he get's a sub. Frankly I'd have named a small insignificant non-combatant after him. Or perhaps one of the big in-commission dry-docks.
#2
"...Tehranâs new cocky attitude is seen by many as a sign that the Islamic Republic leadership is seeking a limited military confrontation with the United States and is confident that it can win it.
Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, a leader of the âstudentsâ who seized the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, and a reserve officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRCG), claims that the new administration under Ahamdinejad is âactively seeking warâ. Similar warnings came from Rafsanjani and former President Muhammad Khatami in separate private meetings with foreign dignitaries in the region earlier this month.
The dramatic militarization of the administration, partly by appointing IRCG officers to civilian posts throughout the country, adds weight to those warnings. There is also the fact that what looks like massive preparation for war is taking place in several provinces, especially on the border with Iraq."
#3
wonder if they think a stalemate-war will occur like last time? Forgetting Iraq has an Uncle very close by who also doesn't like smart-assed no-hat dickheads threatening them. Cruise-missile night attacks on leadership homes and owned properties might take some smack off their faces, eh? Find out what each and every Mad Mullah/Ex-student hostage-taker owns or controls in business and destroy it. Time for good targetting, CIA, prove yourself
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2005 15:13 Comments ||
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#4
Frank G: The Arab News had an interesting take on this the other day, and if they are correct, which they very may well be, the Iranians are working under the really awful assumption that we would attack them like we attacked Iraq in Gulf War I.
Keeping this in mind, that they think they know exactly what we will do before we do it, they have undoubtedly come up with plans and contingencies to counter that strategy. And now, overconfident, they are acting belligerent in the hope of forcing us to act when they are ready, when presumably we are not.
Unlike the Iraqis who set up a formidable defense at the border, the Iranians are most likely planning a defense in depth, figuring on bogging down a land advance from Iraq. They also intend to have their nuclear and missile resources very deeply underground, with advanced radar and SAM protection. Perhaps also they intend to leave their cities undefended, counting on American unwillingness to attack civilians. Possibly defended by irregulars, if for nothing else than to keep the citizenry in line.
Then, as the Americans advance towards Tehran, like they did towards Bagdad in GWI, the Iranian government and military leaders will be bunkered deep underground far away. (This has already been suggested.) At that point, they would begin launching Shahab missiles from all over the country.
They would hope that the Americans would freak out, not knowing if one or more were nuclear tipped, and would disperse its air forces trying to attack Shahab launchers, like it did attacking SCUD missile sites in GWI. And unlike the SCUDs, the Shahabs are far more accurate and have a much greater range.
Their missile targetting would probably be indiscriminate, hoping that other countries would put pressure on the US. With the air cover diverted, then the Iranian army could concentrate and attack the US advance on the flanks.
In complete concert with this, they have undoubtedly pre-positioned sabotage, assassination, and attack teams in locations around the world, hoping to ratchet up the chaos.
This would be a reasonably effective, if not guaranteed defense, if the US did exactly what it did before. It will not.
First of all, not knowing nuclear capabilities, it is critical that the entire nation be surrounded with anti-missile assets, in multi-layered defense. It would be vital to the US that not a single Iranian missile even make it to a lateral trajectory. If that mission alone is accomplished, then the US strategic goal is at least partially met.
Next, like in GWI, the US would reduce the Iranian C&C, but not in the same way. The most effective way would be to seal the exits to their leadership bunker. Let the bunker become a tomb.
Then I would suggest an airborne landing to secure Tehran with minimal violence. Any and every political leader still there would then be directed to order the surrender of the Iranian army and Revolutionary Guard. Jamming as needed would prevent countermanding orders from the buried bunker.
The Iranian Army and RG will be distraught, not able to communicate and not knowing if they are the sole resistance to US ground forces. Any break in their defense in depth means encirclement and destruction to the remainder. US air forces continue to attack unabated...
I'm sure that something like this would be among the dozens of possible scenarios being wargamed right now, based on real-time satellite and Humint.
#5
Nice scenariao, Moose. I prefer a glass parking lot. pour l'encouragement d'autres
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/24/2005 21:30 Comments ||
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#6
Anonymoose - Impressive scenario. I have wondered how we'd handle Iran, especially given there are real mountains we'd have to cross on the way to Tehran (from Iraq, anyway), someting we didn't face in Iraq.
Like Mrs Davis, I'd choose the nuclear route (say, 2-300 warheads, being sure to hit the Chinese embassy in Tehran at least once... by accident). Sign it off at the UN as a contribution towards nuclear winter, to stave off global warming. ;)
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
09/24/2005 22:33 Comments ||
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Scientists said Wednesday the results of a new study indicate occupational exposure to motor oil significantly increases the chances a person will develop rheumatoid arthritis.
"According to the results of our study, mineral oils (in particular, hydraulic oil and motor oil) appear to be associated with a particular high risk of" two different forms of rheumatoid arthritis, a team of Swedish researchers led by Lars Klareskog of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm wrote in the Sept. 23 issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy... Ironically, based on anecdotal evidence, many arthritis sufferers spray their joints with WD-40, saying that it helps relieve discomfort.
#1
mineral oil is used in all kinds of topical medicines. does baby oil ring a bell. Everyone is exposed to mineral oil, lubricants, etc.
shut the blinds and don't leave the house today. LOL!
Posted by: Red Dog ||
09/24/2005 13:18 Comments ||
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#2
Bullshit, I've been up to my elbows in Motor Oil for thirty years, No arthritis, in fact no aches and pains whatever.
My brother in law, who's never been around oil, is near crippled.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2005 13:52 Comments ||
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#3
Maybe your like Typhoid Mary, a carrier. I'll call it the Oil Can Harry vector.
#4
If I carry the "Anti-Arthritis" Bug, I need to get out into large crowds and rub shoulders with more folks, Mardi-Gras doesn't seem to have enough vectors.
;)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2005 14:17 Comments ||
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#5
Bye the Bye, all y'all out there who think maybe Mardi Gras is dead,
N'awleens "Borrowed" it from Mobile.
Yep that's right, Mardi Gras was born here and is still celebrated despite that "Upstart City's" claim to be the "Mardi Gras Capitol"
Come to Mobile, Enjoy, Have fun without worrying about getting out alive, For Mardi Gras the cops carry Water Pistols filled with some really stinky perfume,(To find you later) Pepper Spray, and Stun Guns, no firing into the crowd danger, outside of the parade route area, normal weapons prevail.
And OUR Cops play by the rules, fair, evenhanded, and NO crooks on the force.
Crowded as hell though, come early do NOT plan to park downtown near any parade routes, there are shuttle busses from Stadiums to downtown for all, plan to walk a lot, and there are a few public restrooms (Civic Center is fairly near), but the bars and hotels won't let you in just to pee.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2005 15:07 Comments ||
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#6
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, much like the body becoming allergic to itself. So is Type 1 diabetes, multiple schlerosis, dermatamyalitis, and lupus. People with allergies are more prone to these diseases, but apparently some people are extra-sensitive to mineral oil. Kind of ironic that it is in a lot of arthritis rubs.
Ummm, no you won't, the park and the Battleship are closed, damage from the last hurricane has left the hangars damaged and BB60 has a 10 degree list, she rests on the bottom (Shallow Bay) and it will be a while before they can right her.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2005 22:47 Comments ||
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It's been a bad week for the New York Times Co. ââ¬â one day after announcing that it would cut 500 jobs over the coming months, the company learned that Standard & Poor's Rating Service has put its long-term debt on "credit watch with negative implications."
"The Credit Watch listing reflects New York Times' lower earnings guidance due to a softer than expected advertising revenue climate," said S&P credit analyst Donald Wong.
The company had about $1.3 billion in total debt at the end of June, the New York Post reports.
The job cuts came on top of 200 layoffs earlier this year at the company, which publishes several other newspapers ââ¬â including the Boston Globe ââ¬â in addition to the Times. The flagship Old Gray Lady will see 45 jobs axed in the new round of cuts.
The companyââ¬â¢s credit ratings are unchanged at the moment, but S&P said it will review its long-term ratings after an evaluation of the firmââ¬â¢s operating and financial strategies. (Newspapers of the NYT Co.): NYT; Boston Globe; Worcester Telegram & Gazette; Sarasota Herald-Tribune; The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA; The Ledger, Lakeland, FL; Star-News, Wilmington, NC; Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, SC; Star-Banner, Ocala, FL; The Gainesville Sun, Gainesville, FL; The Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, AL; TimesDaily, Florence, AL; The Gadsden Times, Gadsden, AL; Times-News, Hendersonville, NC; The Courier, Houma, LA; The Dispatch, Lexington, NC; Daily Comet, Thibodaux, LA; Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, CA.
#3
Glad to see S&P finally catching up with Rantburgers, Lizardoids, etc.
We haven't given the NYT any credit in years.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/24/2005 11:09 Comments ||
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#4
Side note - my buddy's the union president at the Boston Globe. While he was discussing the (then pending) situation with the company's management, they sent the e-mail out notifying the union members of the layoffs.
In other words, they sandbagged him; he got out of the meeting almost an hour after the e-mail was sent; a lot of the union members were (probably still are) pissed because he didn't rapidly respond to the situation.
#5
That's before the s**t hits the fan with the creative bookkeeping the MSM has been using to pump their subscription numbers. Think the MSM sharks will eat their own using the same standards they applied to Worldcom and Enron executives? Watch for advertiser groups to sue for misrepresentation of subscription data that the papers used to set ad rates.
#8
I wouldn't get too carried away here. NYT is a very profitable company. More profitable by far than Dow Jones and Co., which publishes the Wall Street Journal*. And certainly more profitable than either the Washington Times or the New York Post, both of which are losing money and have lost money for years. Most of the liberal media are run like businesses - for shareholder benefit - and are immensely profitable.
Profitability is declining because advertisers are diverting their ad dollars to the internet - there is pretty much a fixed pool of ad dollars and more for the internet means less for radio, tv and print media. Is this good or bad? When you consider that most of the large internet players provide content sourced from the liberal media (MSN, Yahoo, Google, Fox News), I don't think there's anything to celebrate as yet.
#9
right, ZF - if you believe their figures. I don't, and they will pay the price when realistic subscription numbers come out/ad revenue drops to what it should be, just ask the LA Times
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2005 12:14 Comments ||
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#12
Well, the NYT was all up and down my street yesterday, and I know I didn't subscribe! Maybe that's how they get their numbers up - they give away freebies trying to gain circulation? Must be desperate! (One can only hope!)
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/24/2005 13:00 Comments ||
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#13
No Bobby, that's how they pad the subscription numbers for the accounting office. Its all Hollyweird bookkeeping and the people who are suppose to vouch for the numbers are about as interested in real numbers as Arthur Anderson.
Armed, six-legged robots may one day work alongside man's best friend on the southern side of the Korean DMZ. South Korea will spend 33.4 billion won over the next five years to develop the robots for the heavily fortified demilitarised zone that divides the peninsula, the Communications Ministry said in a statement Friday. South Korea envisages the robots performing roles on the battlefield now done by dogs, such as sniffing for explosives and catching intruders, the ministry said. The only difference processing when their service period ends. Robot Stew tastes awful, even compared to dog.
The robots will stand knee-high to the average adult, mounted on wheels for road missions or on as many as eight legs to get them over uneven terrain, it said. Equipped with firearms, they will be able to carry out combat missions via remote control. South Korea's Defense Ministry announced plans this month to reduce the number of its troops in uniform by about 25 percent over 15 years and develop more high-tech weapons systems.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Venezuelan businesses signed deals to sell US$36.7 million worth of goods to Cuba Thursday that will include exports of shoes, underwear, artificial leather and industrial products to the communist country 
THE Federal Government has vowed to push ahead for a worldwide ban on nuclear testing. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer this week chaired an international conference in New York to put pressure on countries with nuclear capability to ratify a treaty to rid the world of nuclear weapons testing. He said near universal support existed for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), with 176 countries signing the treaty and 125 ratifying it. But the treaty can not enter into force unless a group of 44 countries named in the treaty have all ratified. Those countries have nuclear capability, nuclear power reactors or are doing nuclear research. They include the United States, China, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, India and North Korea.
