Police killed 15 armed assailants in a fierce gunbattle just south of the Arizona border on Wednesday after tracking a group of gunmen who killed five policemen into the nearby hills.
About 40 assailants, whose tactics and weaponry resembled those of Mexico's powerful drug gangs, drove into the town of Cananea, 20 miles south of the U.S. border, in up to 15 vehicles and seized four policemen in two patrol cars, Sonora state police said in a statement.
Posted by: ed ||
05/17/2007 07:33 ||
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#1
I gather Mexico is averaging about 2000 drug kills a year now.
#5
"when they grabbed Ruiz Arevalo and another agent in Torreon, 310 miles southwest of the U.S. border at Eagle Pass, Texas".
Doesn't 'southwest of the U S border' imply south of the border, as in not in our state of Texas? I know our border doesn't go straight across, but what a choice of wording here.
Get that fence up!
Posted by: Jan ||
05/17/2007 10:30 Comments ||
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2000 drug kills a year? Sounds like a close second to Los Angeles. (or is that considered part of Mexico now?)
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/17/2007 10:38 Comments ||
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#7
Police followed the assailants there, engaged in a shootout and killed 15 of the assailants
I assume these narco-terrorists were killed by the Mexican police. Why do we have Border Patrol languishing in jail for doing basically the same thing as the Mexican police? Maybe if we handled some of our border and drug problems with a little more Mexican elan we would have fewer problems. Build the fence.
#8
For those Americans who have not yet called your senator to urge a vote against any and all amnesty, the number is 212 224-3121. Ask for your senators office, and don't swear or threaten, just 'splain to 'em that just this one time you would appreciate that they do what Americans want and stop amnesty now.
It sounds like a scene from a swashbuckling Hollywood film - brave sailor fights off marauding band of pirates armed to the teeth. But for Michael Groves, it was terrifying reality.
He was the security officer on a cruise ship when a dozen Somalis in two boats opened fire with rocket launchers and machine guns. The 41-year-old ex-policeman repelled the raiders with a highpressure hose and a hi-tech sonic cannon. He described his ordeal after receiving the Queen's Gallantry Medal - the third-highest civilian bravery award - at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Groves, from the West Midlands, was working on board the £500-a-night liner Seabourn Spirit as it cruised the Indian Ocean 100 miles east of Somalia in November 2005. It carries 200 passengers and 150 crew. Alerted by a look-out at 6am, Mr Groves rushed to the deck to see the pirates brandishing machine guns and a rocket launcher. As they shot at him with Kalashnikovs, he unreeled a high-pressure hose and returned fire with a jet of water, forcing them to retreat.
Asked what was going through his mind at the time, Mr Groves joked: "Almost a couple of bullets."
n the brief respite, he began to prepare the other weapon in the ship's armoury - the sonic cannon - known technically as a Long Range Acoustic Device. The LRAD is an acoustic weapon developed by the U.S. Navy to repel small boats. It can direct a 150-decibel blast of ear-splitting noise at its target. "As soon as I went on the deck I came under automatic fire," he said. "A rocket grenade blew me off my feet. The next thing I remember is rolling around and trying to check for shrapnel."
He radioed for help and his Master of Arms, Som Bahdur Gurung, arrived on the deck. Mr Gurung, 46, a Gurkha, managed to fire the LRAD - hitting the pirates with the powerful beam of sound. As shots and a second rocket holed the ship, Mr Gurung was hit by a bullet.
Mr Groves, who has also served in the Royal Navy, said: "I saw a spray of blood and he just went straight down. I thought he was gone but he opened one eye and told me not to worry about him." Mr Groves dragged Mr Gurung to safety, returned to the LRAD and directed it towards the boats.
While the attack was raging, the ship's Norwegian captain, Sven Erik Pederson, sent an international distress signal then tried to ram the pirates, telling passengers over the PA system: "Stay inside, we're under attack."
After about 30 minutes the pirates fled the scene. Mr Groves said he feared the women on the ship would have been raped if the pirates had managed to get on board. "The guests and the crew are still recovering from the trauma. There was a lot of screaming on the lower decks."
Mr Gurung, originally from Nepal and now living in Southend, received the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/17/2007 00:06 ||
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While the attack was raging, the ship's Norwegian captain, Sven Erik Pederson, sent an international distress signal then tried to ram the pirates, telling passengers over the PA system: "Stay inside, we're under attack."
Apparently there's at least one real viking left. Good job to all of them for keeping their ship safe. Now if the world just had real humans as politicians, they could have fought off the attackers with real weapons and not makeshift ones.
#2
lol, I still enjoy hosing off the deck and patios.
heh what a way to level the playing field
good on them for saving the day
Posted by: Jan ||
05/17/2007 0:42 Comments ||
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#3
A deeper secondary question.
As a kid I have traveled many of the world's seas.
This area of the Indian Ocean is a rough one with waves coming from 5 to 7 different directions. It is not pleasant to be on a ship with those conditions.... so... skipping pirates and politics and Islam, why was a pleasure ship cruising such an awful ocean?
#4
Asked what was going through his mind at the time, Mr Groves joked: "Almost a couple of bullets."
LOL! That's a keeper!
He radioed for help and his Master of Arms, Som Bahdur Gurung, arrived on the deck. Mr Gurung, 46, a Gurkha, managed to fire the LRAD - hitting the pirates with the powerful beam of sound. As shots and a second rocket holed the ship, Mr Gurung was hit by a bullet.
Didn't seem to work. I suppose one could say they took an acoustic guitar to a gunfight....
#6
A question for our English cousins: Why were these two not Knighted? Seems that there are those that get the title for doing a whole lot less. Is it politics, prejudice, or not enought English blood on the line? Just asking.
Posted by: ed ||
05/17/2007 07:29 ||
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UN recently appointed Zimbabwe to chair an economic development panel. I shiite you not. Think about that the next time some politician demands UN Authority for anything.
Zimbabwe has been selected to head a United Nations panel focused on sustainable development, despite strong objections from some Western nations.
The Commission on Sustainable Development voted by secret ballot on Friday to approve the nomination of Francis Nhema, Harare's minster of environment and tourism, to head the panel. The vote was 26-21, with three abstentions.
A batch of 250 Pakistani troops left for Liberia on Wednesday to perform peacekeeping duties under the aegis of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.
Because there's nothing for them to do at home ...
Logistic Divisional Headquarter Commander Brigadier Shahid Majeed saw the batch off at Allama Iqbal Airport, before their departure on a UN chartered aircraft. These troops will replace the already deputed Pakistan Army Contingent in the war-ravaged country as part of a Relieve And Rotation Schedule.
Brig Majeed said the Pakistan Army had a good track record of rendering dedicated services for the restoration of peace in many countries including Somalia, Eastern Slovenia, Bosnia, Haiti, East Timor, Congo and Sierra Leone. He told the troops that they would be considered ambassadors of their country and their every action should reflect the exemplary traditions of the Pakistan Army.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Looking at Perv's current charm offensive they'd be more use at home.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/17/2007 3:25 Comments ||
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For the Pakis, UN assignments are considered plum jobs and are traditionally used as a reward for loyal service. The unit being sent is most likely one that is being rotated out of Pakistan for awhile after fighting terrorists/separatists/tribalists, and the UN assignment means that the troops will be getting Western medical attention, new weapons and equipment, and about $1000 US a month per diem from the UN - about 10 times the amount of money that the average goat herder earns back in Pakistan. Oh, and add in the new vehicles, uniforms, the UN-built barracks, the catered food, and all the local Liberian honeys that the troops can rent for the night - a truly rewarding experience for a lad from the mountains of Pakistan.
#4
TW, I can think of a couple of reasons:
1) Things are still a little tense. The legislature is filled with warlord partisans, nobody in his right mind believes the combatants are completely disarmed, and the police are deeply understaffed. (As soon as a new policeman is trained, he quits and joins a private security firm--better pay and easier work. The crime rate is _very_ high.)
2) Things _are_ quiet, so "peacekeeper" actually makes sense for a change.
3) Trickle-down economic boom. I've never seen so many people building houses. Of course, one day the UN will go away, and if the economic infrastructure is entirely built around servicing expats...
Some of the UN projects seemed a trifle naive. One is supposed to encourage integrity in government--no more bribes, just good governance. It addresses a crying problem, and the fellow seemed earnest enough, but . . .
Posted by: James ||
05/17/2007 11:10 Comments ||
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Thank you, James. That makes sense, right up until the Pakistanis were added.
An extortion case was filed yesterday against Arafat Rahman Koko, younger son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, prompting his mother to postpone her scheduled trip to Singapore once again. Abu Ahmed Jayed An Rabbi filed the case with Gulshan police station against Koko and his two brothers-in-law Mustaqin Reza and Muktaqin Reza, accusing them of extorting a total of Tk 1.20 crore over a period of a few years.
In the case statement Rabbi, the proprietor of an advertising firm, Add Media Ltd, mentioned that Koko along with his two brothers-in-law came to his office at Gulshan-1 on April 27, 2004. On arrival, Koko asked Rabbi to appoint his two brothers-in-law as directors of Rabbi's company. As Rabbi declined to appoint them as directors, Koko threatened him with dire consequences. A frightened Rabbi sought three days to deliberate on the matter, the complainant said in the first information report (FIR).
He also alleged that three days later Mustaqin Reza and Muktaqin Reza were appointed as directors of the firm without any investment and since then they withdrew Tk 50,000 each as their monthly salaries from the firm. Koko also received Tk 1 lakh every month from the firm, the complainant said accusing Koko, Mustaqin and Muktaqin of extorting him. Rabbi mentioned in the case that there was a clear indication that if he would not comply with Koko's proposal his life would be in danger.
In the FIR Rabbi also mentioned that apart from the amount taken from his firm as salaries, Koko took Tk 2 lakh on May 1, 2003, Tk 6 lakh on August 10, 2004, Tk 3 lakh on October 31, 2005, and Tk 2 lakh on January 9, 2006 from him. "We will take actions after proper investigation," Obaidul Haque, officer-in-charge of Gulshan police, told reporters last night.
Mahbub Morshed, the second officer of the police station said, "Abu Jayed An Rabbi filed an extortion case against Koko." Although former prime minister Khaleda Zia was scheduled to leave the country for Singapore for treatment along with seven members of her family and house staff last night, she once again abruptly cancelled her trip after hearing about the case filed against her younger son.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Former BNP lawmaker from Patuakhali-2 (Baufal) Shahidul Alam Talukder did not appear before the District and Sessions Judge court yesterday, the date for his surrender to court in an arms case. The court on may 10 ordered him to appear by May 16. Trial of the arms case against him will begin soon in absentia, Public Prosecutor (PP) Yunus Ali Mollah told this correspondent. Shahidul is on the run since proclamation of emergency on January 11 this year.
The case was filed on February 17 this year by the then Officer-In-Charge (OC) of Baufal police station Mizanur Rahman after joint forces in a drive a day before recovered two magazines of pistol and 18 pieces of relief sharees and some sports goods from his Nazirpur residence at Baufal upazila town.
Police after investigation submitted charge sheet in the arms case on March 18. The court then issued summons and a copy of the order was hung at his residence. The other case filed in connection with recovery of relief goods is being investigated by Anti Corruption Commission, ACC sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Members of the joint force yesterday arrested BNP leader and Barisal City Corporation (BCC) commissioner Syed Zakir Hossain Jelal, also brother of former lawmaker and Jubo Dal secretary Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal. On receipt of allegations of tender scam, misuse of power, corruption and toll collection, Jelal was arrested by members of the joint force at about 2 pm from the office room of BCC superintending engineer, said assistant police commissioner Hayatul Islam and Barisal Kotwali Police Station inspector Khorshed Alam. He was handed over to police at about 4 pm after primary interrogation at the joint forces' camp, they said. "Are you aware of who I am, my good man?"
"[SLAP!] Shuddup."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Costa Rican President Oscar Arias vowed on Wednesday to stop sending police to train at a U.S. facility criticized for a history of producing soldiers who went on to violate human rights. Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, made the promise after talks with Rev. Roy Bourgeois, a U.S. activist priest who has campaigned since 1990 for the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School for the Americas, at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Though U.S. defense officials closed the original school, a Latin American military training facility, in 2000 and reopened it a year later under the new name and with a new curriculum, critics say the change was purely cosmetic.
Costa Rica currently has three policemen at the center. "We agreed that when the courses end for the three policemen we are not going to send any more," Arias said. Costa Rica has no army but has sent some 2,600 police officers over the years to be trained at the school, which critics say trained dictators, torturers and assassins.
"This is going to give a lot of energy and hope to our movement," Bourgeois said of Arias's decision.
The school today focuses on issues like disaster relief and combating terrorism yet critics see it haunted by past alumni such as former military leaders Manuel Noriega of Panama and Leopoldo Galtieri of Argentina and Salvadoran death squad organizer Roberto D'Aubuisson.
Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to stop civil wars in Central America.
#1
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias vowed on Wednesday to stop sending police to train at a U.S. facility criticized for a history of producing soldiers who went on to violate human rights.
So was it the few months of training in the US or the lifetime in the Central/South American culture that led them to violate human rights?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/17/2007 18:28 Comments ||
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That makes no sense. A lot of Latin American dictators were educated in the US. And they have generally turned out to be corrupt to a man. While their US classmates kept their noses clean.
#3
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, still gonna have crooked cops in central america. Cause you don't pay them anything, for one thing, cause your society tolerates/expects it for another.
Or, Why 'Democracy' Always Eventually Fails
Clash of Hope and Fear as Venezuela Seizes Land
URACHICHE, Venezuela The squatters arrive before dawn with machetes and rifles, surround the well-ordered rows of sugar cane and threaten to kill anyone who interferes. Then they light a match to the crops and declare the land their own.
For centuries, much of Venezuelas rich farmland has been in the hands of a small elite. After coming to power in 1998, and especially after his re-election in December, President Hugo Chávez vowed to end that inequality, and has been keeping his promise in a process that is both brutal and legal.
Mr. Chávez is carrying out what may become the largest forced land redistribution in Venezuelas history, building utopian farming villages for squatters, lavishing money on new cooperatives and sending army commando units to supervise seized estates in six states.
The violence has gone both ways in the struggle, with more than 160 peasants killed by hired gunmen in Venezuela, including several here in northwestern Yaracuy State, an epicenter of the land reform project, in recent years. Eight landowners have also been killed here.
The oligarchy is always on the attack and trying to say you are no good, Mr. Chávez said to squatters in a televised visit here. They think theyre the owners of the world.
Mr. Chávezs supporters have formed thousands of state-financed cooperatives to wrest farms and cattle ranches from private owners. Landowners say compensation is hard to obtain. Local officials describe the land seizures as paving stones on the road to socialism.
This is agrarian terrorism encouraged by the state, said Fhandor Quiroga, a landowner and head of Yaracuys chamber of commerce, pointing to dozens of kidnappings of landowners by armed gangs in the last two years.
The government says the goal of the nationwide resettlement is to make better use of idle land and to make Venezuela less dependent on food imports. New laws allow squatters to manage and farm land that has now been placed in government hands.
Before the land reform started in 2002, an estimated 5 percent of the population owned 80 percent of the countrys private land. The government says it has now taken over about 3.4 million acres and resettled more than 15,000 families.
Poor farmhands and unemployed town dwellers who squatted on land here are as filled with optimism as wealthy land owners are with dread. On the outskirts of the town of Urachiche, for instance, is Fundo Bella Vista, a farming community inaugurated by Mr. Chávez during an episode of his television program broadcast here in April.
Bella Vista is one of 12 communal towns that Mr. Chávez plans to build this year. It has neat rows of identical three-bedroom homes for 83 families, a reading room, a radio station, a building with free high-speed Internet service, a school and a plaza with a bust of Simón Bolívar, Venezuelas national hero.
With financing from state banks, the cooperative plants crops like manioc, corn and beans, which officials in Caracas say are better suited to soils here than sugar cane. By burning the cane during land seizures, the squatters prepare the land for other crops and give owners less incentive to fight for control. The state and federal government holds Bella Vista as an example of the ideological fervor Mr. Chávez is trying to instill in the countryside.
But while some of the newly settled farming communities are euphoric, landowners are jittery. Economists say the land reform may have the opposite effect of what Mr. Chavez intends, and make the country more dependent on imported food than before. Amazing this slipped past the New York Times editor!
The uncertainties and disruptions of the land seizures have led to lower investment by some farmers. Production of some foods has been relatively flat, adding to shortages of items like sugar, economists say.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
05/17/2007 13:23 Comments ||
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In an interview at the governors palace, where the halls are decorated with images of Che Guevara and Mr. Chávez, Governor Giménez said some friction should be expected on the road to socialism.
Like...moving out of "palaces" maybe, guvnah?
Oh, right, that ain't happenin."Friction" is for the little people....
#5
Take it from me, this'll work out great, especially if the Times is covering it...
Posted by: The Ghost of Walter Duranty ||
05/17/2007 14:29 Comments ||
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#6
The comments about burning the sugar cane are misleading. Cane is always burnt just before harvest to remove the huge amount of trash and pests, then it is cut. The cane is not harmed. This was preparation for stealing the crop, not sabotage. And after it is cut, the new owners will decide whether to grub out the roots to plant their corn and manioc, or sit back and let a new, lucrative, cane crop grow.
#8
Much better article in the WSJ today. Chavez is not turning land over to the poor, he's establishing collectives along the Soviet and Cuban models, with the same results.
Due to land seizures and price controls agricultural production has dropped and there are shortages of basic items such as milk and meat.
Nicolas Sarkozy took office Wednesday as the new president of France, waving farewell to the outgoing Jacques Chirac and promising a new era of government that will unite political rivals and give a strong role to women. Sarkozy said his priorities would include restoring "order and authority" to a nation where riots by largely black and Arab youths erupted in rundown housing projects in 2005, and where tensions and frustration still simmer over discrimination and alienation. He is expected to quickly form a government and has pledged that half the ministers will be women. A 21-gun salute from the cannons of the gold-domed Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, heralded the Sarkozy presidency.
Chirac, ending 12 years in power, entrusted the country's nuclear codes to his successor in a private meeting that was a high point of the transition between the two conservatives. Chirac, 74, took his leave quietly. He shook hands with his one-time protege who turned rival at the entrance of the ornate Elysee Palace and walked alone to a waiting car. Sarkozy returned the wave before entering his home for the next five years.
The blunt Sarkozy, 52, is the son of a Hungarian immigrant and the first president of France born after World War II. The generational difference is evident in his head-on approach to tackling the nation's problems. A divisive figure reviled by many on the left, Sarkozy hopes to announce a new government within days and has met with Socialist Party figures in hopes of including some in his Cabinet. In his first speech as president, he made a frank appeal to rivals to help in his task. "I want to express my conviction that in the service of France there are no camps," he said. "To all those who want to serve their country, I say I am ready to work with them and I will not ask them to deny their convictions."
In a sign of his determination to act quickly, Sarkozy was leaving immediately Wednesday for Berlin to discuss European issues, including the hobbled European Union, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Immediate signs of change were the touches of glamour and a more relaxed atmosphere that marked the meticulously planned inauguration. A guard chatted with Sarkozy's 10-year-old son, Louis. Four older children were presenttwo sons from Sarkozy's first marriage and two stepdaughters from his wife Cecilia's first marriageexcitedly watching the proceedings.
Sarkozy said in his speech that he was elected May 6 with a mandate for change. "The people conferred a mandate on me. ... I will scrupulously fulfill it," he said. "Never has opposition to change been so dangerous for France as in this world in complete change, where each is trying to change faster than the others, where delays can be fatal."
Sarkozy became the sixth president of the Fifth Republic, founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1958. He made enemies on his way to power. An anti-Sarkozy protest march was planned later Wednesday starting at the Place de la Bastille in eastern Paris, where postelection protests degenerated into violence on several nights last week.
Issues demanding attention include a jobless rate that has not dipped below 8 percent in a generation. The new president promised to restore the values of "work, effort, merit" and to "invent new solutions." On the global front, protecting human rights and fighting global warming will top his agenda, he said. He is expected to appoint fellow conservative and four-time former minister Francois Fillon as prime minister. The popular Bernard Kouchner, a former Socialist health minister and founder of the Nobel-prize winning organization Doctors Without Borders, is among those considered for the post of foreign minister in a streamlined Cabinet of 15.
Before leaving for Berlin, a beaming Sarkozy paraded in an open car up the famed Champs-Elysees, escorted by Republican Guards on motorcycles or on horseback. He placed a wreath and relit the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe. Relishing his first moments in office, Sarkozy then shook hands with the crowd.
In the morning ceremony, Sarkozy received the insignia of the Grand Croix from the hands of Gen. Jean-Pierre Kelche, who heads the prestigious Legion of Honor, and the necklace of the Great Master of the Order of the Legion of Honor. Each linked medallion of the necklace bears the name of a president, with Sarkozy's name recently added.
Earlier, Chirac and Sarkozy held talks in which the nation's nuclear codes and related state secrets were passed from the outgoing leader to the new president. Sarkozy will be "more implicated in daily affairs" than his predecessors, said his aide, Henri Guaino. "He will communicate more, act more directly," Guaino said on Canal Plus television ahead of the ceremony.
The departing Chirac, criticized for being too prudent in reforming the country, leaves behind four decades in politics. In his final presidential speech Tuesday night, he urged his compatriots to stay united and proud, despite uncertainty about France's place in the world.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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I still stand my ground hoping that they will enforce the laws already on the books.
We wouldn't have to deport 12 million, if we made it hard getting a job, housing, travel by showing your legal status at every turn. Also by shutting off all of the free services.
That's what they are here for not because they love America. One step forward (the cheap labor) 10 paces back (the family cost and free stuff we give them).
I had a woman in tears because she couldn't get her temporary social security card (it was Sunday and no one was available to get her info and fill out the paperwork)she was in tears because she wanted to go apply for services Monday morning. What are we teaching these people, and who will sustain all of this free crap.
How many more times are they going to grant legal status to these law breakers. This just kills me.
Posted by: Jan ||
05/17/2007 14:49 Comments ||
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#2
President Bush said the proposal would "help enforce our borders but equally importantly, it'll treat people with respect.
Paper ass ! Now we know what is important to President Paperass. And to think I voted for this pussy twice.
#3
I don't think many Mex's are gonna lay out $5K to get what they get now for free. There's no added benefit, and no added deterrent. Make it a felony to employ an illegal and maybe you'd have more leverage.
Well, Hillary Clinton is looking for a campaign song. The nominations:
* City of Blinding Lights - U2
* Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
* I'm a Believer - Smash Mouth
* Get Ready - The Temptations
* Ready to Run - Dixie Chicks
* Rock This Country! - Shania Twain
* Beautiful Day - U2
* Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones
Snarky response number one: Is this the only way you'll see the word "Jesus" in a Democratic primary?
Snarky response number two: The Dixie Chicks. There's a shock.
Snarky response number three: The very first commenter on her web site suggests John Lennon's "Imagine." Hmmm. A tribute to post-nationalism, (imagine theres no countries) atheism (no religion too) and communism and socialism (no possessions). Perfect.
To her credit, she does re-use footage of her being off-key singing the National Anthem, and says, "I promise I won't sing it in public... unless I win!" It's not often we see self-mockery from Hillary.
I can think of a couple others:
* Mambo #5 - Lou Bega ("A little bit of Monica . . .")
* Witchy Woman - Eagles
Add your own suggestions in the combox.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/17/2007 13:48 ||
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The last line is the kicker...
So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you!!!
Mighty maiden with a mission,
Paragon of common sense,
Running fount of erudition,
Miracle of eloquence,
We are blind and we would see;
We are bound, and would be free;
We are dumb and we would talk;
We are lame, and we would walk.
Enter the Princess.
Mighty maiden with a mission,
Paragon of common sense,
Running fount of erudition,
Miracle of eloquence, of eloquence,
Posted by: bruce ||
05/17/2007 17:39 Comments ||
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#8
Bat Chain Puller - Captain Beefheart
When Big Jane Sets Up - Captain Beefheart
#10
BT4109 wins the prize ('least if I got anything to say about it).
Posted by: Mike ||
05/17/2007 19:39 Comments ||
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#11
Another blog suggested the Detroit Medley, but I associate "Devil with a Blue Dress On" with Monica Lewinsky. "Lies", by the Thompson Twins? Something by George Clinton and P-Funk?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
05/17/2007 21:22 Comments ||
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#12
Since Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" was her husband's, she might want to update to "Never Going Back Again" also by them. A few more:
"I Wanna Rule The World" - 10cc
"Idiot Wind" - Bob Dylan
"Hollow Inside" - The Buzzcocks
"Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" - The Flaming Lips
Of course, The Clash have a song called "Rudy Can't Fail", but that's another thread.
New concerns about the accuracy of electronic voting in Sarasota County, Florida are being raised after a published report documented how the county's main database system came under attack from a virulent worm. The county server was breached on the first day of early voting in the 2006 election, which included a now-disputed race for a seat in the US House of Representatives.
The attack code was a variant of the infamous Slammer worm that penetrated the county's server, which unbelievably, was missing five years worth of security patches, according to an article painstakingly reported by investigative journalist Brad Friedman. The breach crippled the county's entire network, including the electronic voting system, where net connectivity was disrupted for two hours. Those trying to vote during the outage were turned away.
The worm breached the database server's firewall and overwrote the system's administrative passwords. The server then "sent traffic to other database servers on the Internet, and the traffic generated by the infected server rendered the firewall unavailable," according to a two-page incident report unearthed by Friedman. A network security specialist who helped draft the report said he believed the harm to the county's election systems was limited to the two-hour disruption, because the two networks were not connected. (The specialist conceded that the timing of the attack, on the first day of early voting, "would make somebody raise an eyebrow" in suspecting the election system was being targeted.)
The revelations are the latest to call into question the accuracy of Sarasota County's election system, which relies in large part on evoting machines supplied by a company called Election Systems & Software (ES&S). An article last week on Wired News said that incident reports filed by poll workers following the November election reported that many voters suffered from symptoms of a previously known software flaw with the company's iVotronic voting machine. (Similar problems also appeared during a primary election two months earlier, Wired said.)
The concern over the accuracy of evoting in Sarasota County might seem like the hand wringing of luddites were it not for improbable results in the race for Florida's 13th Congressional district. Republican Vern Buchanan edged out Democrat Christine Jennings by just 369 votes. More than 18,000 ballots recorded no vote in the race, an "undervote" rate that was about nine times higher than other races. Jennings is contesting the results in court.
Election officials have claimed that the known bug played no role in election results and say there's no evidence the worm breach compromised electronic voting. Maybe so, but the lack of transparency is breathtaking.
The officials withheld a letter they received from ES&S warning of a bug in its touch-screen machines from document demands issued by attorneys working the case. And Sarasota Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent didn't utter a peep about the worm intrusion in a state-mandated "Conduct of Election" report, signed on November 18.
Free and open elections, without which democracy isn't possible, demand a fearless pursuit of the truth, something that appears to be in short supply in Sarasota. ®
The Republican presidential candidates duked it out in South Carolina Tuesday night in their second debate. Some of those behind in the polls jabbed at the front-runners. Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo said he thinks John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are soft on immigration. And he said his rivals have undergone conversions on such issues as abortion hoping to win votes.
Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore described some of his opponents as "very liberal in characterizing themselves as conservatives, particularly on the issues of abortion and taxes and health care." He singled out Giuliani for supporting abortion rights and pointed out that Mike Huckabee raised taxes as Arkansas governor. Huckabee responded by saying he cut taxes repeatedly as governor, blaming the tax hike on a court order.
The Republicans also used a little time to target Democrats. Huckabee, for instance, had got in a double dig, saying the Democratic Congress has spent money "like John Edwards at a beauty shop."
Congressman Ron Paul suggested the U.S. bore some responsibility for 9-11. Senator Sam Brownback said Democrats and Republicans must pull together for an Iraq war victory.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#7
Spot dear, I can't begin to comprehend why anyone would be afraid of me, particularly you. Besides, I had the exact same thought. In their part of the world, all those things are distinct handicaps for survival, never mind success.
Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his license to practice law.
In a written statement issued by Larry Breuer, Mr. Berger's attorney, the former national security adviser said he pleaded guilty in the Justice Department investigation, accepted the penalties sought by the department and recognized that his law license would be affected. "I have decided to voluntarily relinquish my license," he said. "While I derived great satisfaction from years of practicing law, I have not done so for 15 years and do not envision returning to the profession. I am very sorry for what I did, and I deeply apologize."
In giving up his license, Mr. Berger avoids being cross-examined by the Board on Bar Counsel, where he risked further disclosure of specific details of his theft. The agreement is expected to be formalized today. Mr. Berger, national security adviser from 1997 to 2001, was convicted of removing documents from the Archives in 2005 while preparing to testify before the September 11 commission. Fined $50,000, sentenced to 100 hours of community service and barred from access to classified material for three years, he also was ordered to undergo a polygraph test if asked -- although the Justice Department has declined to administer the test despite urging by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform.
In February, Mr. Davis called for a new investigation by the committee into the Berger theft, saying the Justice Department gave him a "free pass" in its investigation. In a terse letter signed by 17 Republicans, he said the department was "unacceptably incurious" about Mr. Berger's visits to the Archives in May 2002 and July 2003 and never told the September 11 commission he removed original, uninventoried documents.
David Marin, the committee's Republican staff director, said the Justice Department told the September 11 commission it had everything Mr. Berger removed from the Archives and the nation's national-security exposure was "zero." But, Mr. Marin said, no one told the commission that Mr. Berger had access to original documents, which he could have taken without detection.
"We wanted the highest possible level of assurance that Mr. Berger did not take other documents," Mr. Marin said. "We still have the same concerns. Obvious investigative tools were not used. If you do not look, you will obviously not find the evidence."
Brian McNicoll, Mr. Davis' spokesman, said yesterday the decision by Mr. Berger to accept disbarment rather than face questions "does seem to cast doubt on claims by Mr. Berger and the Department of Justice that he need not complete the terms of his plea agreement and submit to a polygraph because he has revealed everything of significance he has to offer." The Justice Department has said it was unaware of any new facts to support a new investigation.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Hertling, in a letter to government reform committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman, California Democrat, said an "extensive investigation" led to a guilty plea and the department "stands by its investigation." Mr. Hertling said the department devoted "significant resources" to the Berger probe, conducted more than 50 interviews and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. He also disputed Mr. Davis' conclusion that the department did not inquire about Mr. Berger's first two visits to the Archives. "Neither Mr. Berger nor any other witness provided the department with evidence that Mr. Berger had taken any documents beyond the five referenced in the plea agreement," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/17/2007 11:37 ||
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#1
Anyone know what the documents were and why he took them?
#2
In giving up his license, Mr. Berger avoids being cross-examined by the Board on Bar Counsel, where he risked further disclosure of specific details of his theft.
Jeez, that makes it sound like Sandy was almost, like...unethical or lyin or sumthin...
#3
Hey! Thomas M. Davis is MY representative! I'll have to thank him for the Berger bashing.
The forfiture just makes it worse - "Well, since I'm not planning to practice law any more, anyway...."
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/17/2007 13:17 Comments ||
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#4
Anyone know what the documents were and why he took them?
Documents detailing the Clinton administrations response to the Millenium bomb plot. As to why he removed and destroyed these classified documents (and then lied about it to the 9/11 commission) - you'll have to use your imagination.
Environmental activists are building a replica of Noah's Ark on Mount Araratwhere the biblical vessel is said to have landed after the great floodin an appeal for action on global warming, Greenpeace said Wednesday. Turkish and German volunteer carpenters are making the wooden ship on the mountain in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran. The ark will be revealed in a ceremony on May 31, a day after Greenpeace activists climb the mountain and call on world leaders to take action to tackle climate change, Greenpeace said. "Climate change is real, it's happening now and unless world leaders take urgent, decisive and far-reaching action, the next decades will see human misery on a scale not experienced in modern times," said Greenpeace activist Hilal Atici. "Those leaders have a mandate from the people ... to massively cut greenhouse gas emissions and to do it now."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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#1
How do the looney tunes connect Noah's Ark to global warming?
#3
Woozle, they want to associate the dire condition of the planet being 'destroyed' by global warning, with the 'fear' that the 'Ark Project' represents in setting a finite time of irreversible consequences. I'm surprised, if true, that the Turkish government would allow this project, being that they have always resisted such exploratory ventures in the past to find and dig out the 'Real Ark' being a Holy and a revered site, that is! However I wonder; will they build it to scale, or a reduction model? Whatever, I hope they atleast get the design right; the rectangular chest rather than the 'Pita' shape, we see in the picture above!!
#5
will they build it to scale, or a reduction model?
Quite likely over large, if they manage to follow the directions precisely, smn. As I recall, the dimensions were given in cubits, which is the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. But people were considerably shorter in ancient times, so it follows that their cubits would have been shorter than that of most Westerners (not me, of course, but then I'm closer to the ancient average height than probably 90% of you who read this post).
#12
OK, Rantburgers, since we are on to such lunacy today, Ima gonna tell you an Ark-related story. Gather around everyone:
I'll tell you an old-fashioned story
That grandfather used to relate,
Of a builder and joining contractor
Who's name it were Sam Oswaldthwaite.
In a shop on the banks of the Irwell
There Sam used to follow his trade,
In a place you'll have heard of called Bury
You know, where black puddings is made.
One day Sam were filling a knot hole
With putty when in through the door,
Came an old man fair reeked i'whiskers
An th'old man said good morning I'm Noah.
Sam asked Noah what were his business
And t'old chap went on to remark,
That not liking the look of the weather
He was thinking of building an ark.
He'd got all the wood for the bulwarks
And all t'other shipbuilding junk,
Now he wanted some nice birds-eye maple
To panel the sides of his bunk.
Now maple were Sams mono-pol-y
That means it were all his to cut,
And nobody else hadn't got none
So he asked Noah three ha'pence a foot.
A ha'penny too much replied Noah
Penny a foots more the mark,
A penny a foot and when rain comes
I'll give you a ride in my ark.
But neither would budge in the bargain
The whole thing were kind of a jam,
So Sam put his tongue out at Noah
And Noah made long bacon at Sam.
In wrath and ill-feeling they parted
Not knowing when they'd meet again,
And Sam 'ad forgot all about it
'Til one day it started to rain.
It rained and it rained for a fortnight
It flooded the whole countryside,
It rained and it still kept on raining
'Til th'Irwell were fifty miles wide.
The houses were soon under water
And folks to the roof had to climb,
They said t'was the rottenest summer
As Bury had had for some time.
The rain showed no sign of abating
And water rose hour by hour,
'Til th'only dry land were at Blackpool
and that were on top of the tower.
So Sam started swimming for Blackpool
It took him best part of a week,
His clothes were wet through when he got there
And his boots were beginning to leak.
He stood to his watch-chain in water
On tower-top just before dark,
When who should come sailing towards him
But old Noah steering his ark.
They stared at each other in silence
'Til ark were alongside all but,
Then Noah said what price yon maple
Sam answered three ha'pence a foot.
Noah said nay I'll make thee an offer
Same as I did t'other day,
A penny a foot and a free ride
Now come on lad what do thee say.
Three ha'pence a foot came the answer
So Noah his sail had to hoist,
And sail off again in a dudgeon
While Sam stood determined but moist.
So Noah cruised around flying his pigeons
'Til fortieth day of the wet,
And on his way home passing Blackpool
He saw old Sam standing there yet.
His chin just stuck out of the water
A comical figure he cut,
Noah said now whats the price of yon maple
And Sam answered three ha'pence a foot.
Said Noah you'd best take my offer
It's the last time I'll be hereabouts,
And if water comes half an inch higher
I'll happen get maple for nowt.
Three ha'pence a foot it'll cost you
And as for me Sam says don't fret,
'Skys took a turn since this morning
I think it'll brighten up yet.
"Thou art wrong!" said Noah
"It will rain alot more, I'll be bound!
Come on, lad, sell us yer maple."
"Bugger off," said Sam
And then drowned
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/17/2007 11:05 Comments ||
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#13
Noah's Ark was taller than a 3-story building and had a deck area the size of 36 lawn tennis courts. Its length was 300 cubits (450 feet, or 135 meters); its width was 50 cubits (75 feet, or 22.5 meters); it had three stories and its height was 30 cubits (45 feet, or 13.5 meters).
That's fine my little friends. Just make sure when you're done with your little show, that you take it with you.
All of it...
#14
The biblical record indicates that Noah and his three sons took about 50 years to build the Ark! In size the Ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Conservatively calculating the cubit as 44.5 cm (17.5 in.) (some think the ancient cubit was nearer 56 or 61 cm), the ark measured 133.5 m by 22.3 m by 13.4 m (437 ft 6 in. × 72 ft 11 in. × 43 ft 9 in.), less than half the length of the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2. This proportion of length to width (6 to 1) is used by modern naval architects. This gave the Ark approximately 40,000 cu m (1,400,000 cu ft) in gross volume. It is estimated that such a vessel would have a displacement nearly equal to that of the mighty 269-m (883 ft) Titanic of 1912. No cargo vessel of ancient times even slightly resembled the ark in its colossal size. Internally strengthened by adding two floors, the three decks thus provided gave a total of about 8,900 sq m (96,000 sq ft) of space.
#16
BTW, the REAL Ark has been broken into two parts and has slid several hundred feet from each other by an ancient earthquake on Ararat. On exceptionally hot summers, a small section of one of the halves can be seen as a solid black rock mass (petrified wood) protruding from the normally 200 feet of solid ice that encompasses it!
#19
When I yam in a foul mood, like today, I go out to a farmer's field, where the cows graze, gather up all the manure in a wheel barrow and make crap circles.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/17/2007 19:41 Comments ||
Top||
#20
#19 When I yam in a foul mood, like today, I go out to a farmer's field, where the cows graze, gather up all the manure in a wheel barrow and make crap circles.
LMAO! I practically s*it a ring around myself reading thatr!
Posted by: Red Dog ||
05/17/2007 20:31 Comments ||
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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.
It sounds like a scene from a swashbuckling Hollywood film - brave sailor fights off marauding band of pirates armed to the teeth. But for Michael Groves, it was terrifying reality.
A batch of 250 Pakistani troops left for Liberia on Wednesday to perform peacekeeping duties under the aegis of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. 
An extortion case was filed yesterday against Arafat Rahman Koko, younger son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, prompting his mother to postpone her scheduled trip to Singapore once again. Abu Ahmed Jayed An Rabbi filed the case with Gulshan police station against Koko and his two brothers-in-law Mustaqin Reza and Muktaqin Reza, accusing them of extorting a total of Tk 1.20 crore over a period of a few years.
Former BNP lawmaker from Patuakhali-2 (Baufal) Shahidul Alam Talukder did not appear before the District and Sessions Judge court yesterday, the date for his surrender to court in an arms case. The court on may 10 ordered him to appear by May 16. Trial of the arms case against him will begin soon in absentia, Public Prosecutor (PP) Yunus Ali Mollah told this correspondent. Shahidul is on the run since proclamation of emergency on January 11 this year. 
URACHICHE, Venezuela The squatters arrive before dawn with machetes and rifles, surround the well-ordered rows of sugar cane and threaten to kill anyone who interferes. Then they light a match to the crops and declare the land their own.
Nicolas Sarkozy took office Wednesday as the new president of France, waving farewell to the outgoing Jacques Chirac and promising a new era of government that will unite political rivals and give a strong role to women. Sarkozy said his priorities would include restoring "order and authority" to a nation where riots by largely black and Arab youths erupted in rundown housing projects in 2005, and where tensions and frustration still simmer over discrimination and alienation. He is expected to quickly form a government and has pledged that half the ministers will be women. A 21-gun salute from the cannons of the gold-domed Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, heralded the Sarkozy presidency. 
The Republican presidential candidates duked it out in South Carolina Tuesday night in their second debate. Some of those behind in the polls jabbed at the front-runners. Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo said he thinks John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are soft on immigration. And he said his rivals have undergone conversions on such issues as abortion hoping to win votes.
Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his license to practice law. 
Environmental activists are building a replica of Noah's Ark on Mount Araratwhere the biblical vessel is said to have landed after the great floodin an appeal for action on global warming, Greenpeace said Wednesday. Turkish and German volunteer carpenters are making the wooden ship on the mountain in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran. The ark will be revealed in a ceremony on May 31, a day after Greenpeace activists climb the mountain and call on world leaders to take action to tackle climate change, Greenpeace said. "Climate change is real, it's happening now and unless world leaders take urgent, decisive and far-reaching action, the next decades will see human misery on a scale not experienced in modern times," said Greenpeace activist Hilal Atici. "Those leaders have a mandate from the people ... to massively cut greenhouse gas emissions and to do it now."
