The American first lady could give Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and a former supermodel, a run for her money once she receives the flat black boots, which have been specially ordered from Robert Clergerie, the French designer based in Romans, in western France.
Mrs Obama has also ordered a pair of calf-length boots in beige buckskin, according to Mr Clergerie, whose boots sell for hundreds of pounds. So is the the beginning of a new hippy chick chic?
#1
The American first lady could give Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and a former supermodel, a run for her money
Only way that will happen is if Michelle does wind sprints with a few million Euros hidden under her boobie belt. Thanks for the laugh of the day, Telegraph.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 16:27 Comments ||
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#2
whoseboots sell for hundreds of pounds.
and will contain the same
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/24/2009 17:53 Comments ||
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#3
I recall a pic of the last Sec. of State showing she could WEAR some boots!
#7
Condi Rice wearing thigh high boots looked fantastic. I'm sure Carla Bruni could wear them well, too.
I'm afraid that Michelle in thigh high boots will just look like some goof ready to go fishin'. (Geez, girl, a little bit of heel would work wonders.....)
#1
Anyone who thinks differently from us is "stupid" or a "moron". Anyone who is able to make us listen to their points is "dangerous" or "evil". There are no other possibilities.
#11
Speaking as someone who does the dishes every night and the laundry every weekend, I don't mind Martha the domestic. It's only when she opens her mouth about all the other stuff ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 16:01 Comments ||
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#12
For that caste of America who think Palin is dangerous, she is, to their power and status. What they don't comprehend is the admonition here is - 'If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.' America hasn't had a Place de Concord experience for its self appointed oligarchy, but they keep edging closer and closer to it.
#13
Martha is definitely convict with a lower case "c." Team her up with Konvict the musician to produce a line of urban kitchenware----throw in some graffiti graphics. Konvict already has quite the retail empire, maybe he's hiring.
#14
Oh, btw, Palin is dangerous. She actually has a shot at being the first female American Pres. Its a wonder how fast the enlightened left rush to smear her? Is there some sexism lurking on the left I dont know about? (sarcasm)
#15
I have to admit, GirlThursday, I'm not convinced Ms Steward actually did anything wrong. Nonetheless she served her time gracefully and has not, as far as I'm aware, complained overmuch that the system done her wrong. And yes, she has made a career out of the housewifely arts, teaching ways to bring grace and beauty to the homes of those interested to learn, combining old-style woman's economic liberation with post-feminism. The only real problem I see is that she drove away her husband in the process. Perhaps that's why she feels threatened by Ms Palin, who also combined the two, but managed nonetheless managed to keep her husband and family happy.
#23
Martha's show hasn't been the same since her parole. It could be her new sign off, "B!tch! I cut ya!"
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 21:17 Comments ||
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#24
Spousal Unit's nick name @ her place of employment IS Martha Stewart, but please don't hold that against her. At least she is not a convicted felon. But they did throw a get out of gaol party for her when the real MS was released.
So just why DID Kmart drop her line of crapola anyway?
#27
I'm unsure if moving her line to Macys was simply desperation or not, the only time I was ever in Macys was just befor Christmas 1954 sitting on my Father's shoulders and staring at the world's biggest Lionel Trains Exhibit (Dad wanted one, so I got one for Christmas that year)
It took 5 people showing the trains, accessories and different trains on different tracks passing by, I've never forgotten it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/24/2009 23:19 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The Arab League is currently mulling several proposals after it was forced to step in, rebuffing a provocative Israeli offer,
That the Israelis offered was provocative enough...
to end a bitter tit-for-tat spat between Egypt and Algeria following their 2010 World Cup qualifier playoff match in Sudan.
One of the main proposals was a bid to ban celebrities and politicians from attending future matches between Egypt and Algeria as it was considered one of the major factors that led to the recent clashes that followed the game, a diplomatic source from the Arab League told Al Arabiya.
Whereas in the final round, which took place in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Nov. 18, which Algeria won 1-0, Egypt sent 133 celebrities, including President Hosni Mubarak's two sons and several prominent politicians.
The presence of passionate fans from both sides subjected the public figures to several problems, which they later talked about to several media outlets and, stirring public opinion, which analysts say fueled the crisis between both nations.
The proposal argued that banning public figures from attending future matches, such as the upcoming 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, would serve as a precautionary measure against further media campaigns in which both sides engage in endless incriminations.
The Arab League might impose actual consequences on The Elites? My boggle just shattered into nano-particles at the thought of the possibility.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
How about we send several hundred American celebrities to all future matches? like:
AshtonKutcherBrangelinaSharonTwatRosieDiGeneris
BritneySpearsRulaLenskaJenniferBlowdryeretal
#3
Reminder : the "collateral damages" of those WC matches... in occupied France, where the "french" algerian were free to let their disappointment and then their satisfaction run free, first by rioting, and then, by rioting (in french, but several vids).
"What intrigues me most about this article is the bronze sculpture [located in the 14th Street subway station on the A, C, E and L lines]. That gator has on a suit and is complete with manĀs hands. A copy of that bronze needs to be placed in every state and federal government building. No better representation of the private sector/ public sector relationship has been ever conceived."
No sh*t, Sherlock.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/24/2009 15:49 Comments ||
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#3
I think an appropriate comment to the story would be, "NY and NJ each blame the other for the alligator. CT indifferent."
The release of internal emails from Britain's University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit shows scientists plotting to ostracize and marginalize other researchers who question their assumptions on anthropogenic global warming. Yet the Washington Post finds that such a strategy is but a natural reaction to attacks on these scientists by climate skeptics.
The Post characterizes the CRU, and the larger circle of scientists pushing the global warming theory, as "an intellectual circle that appears to feel very much under attack." Readers must be forgiven for their confusion about who exactly is being attacked, as the Post goes on to detail CRU communications calling for a boycott of academic journals that publish articles critical of the supposed "consensus" on global warming. (Noel Sheppard reported on these and other incendiary statements in a Friday post.)
"I can't see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report," CRU director Phil Jones wrote of two skeptical academic works. "Kevin and I will keep them out somehow--even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!"
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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The son of a friend is a PhD student at UEA and is keeping me informed of the state of affairs there. (He's not in the CRU)
Apparently the school is going to investigate big time and heads will roll. Unfortunately he's not sure if the heads will be CRU or IT for letting it happen.
Blaming this on IT would be a great bait&switch move no?
#2
I don't know how it works in the UK, but in federally funded biomedical research in the US, grantees are required to have, in their applications, a "resource sharing plan" that guarantees that they will share the data they generate and outlines how they will do so.
As but one example, if I create a genetically-modified mouse in my work, I'm required to share that mouse with any qualified investigator who asks for it.
I don't know how the NSF, NOAA, and NASA do it (they're the ones who fund climate research in the US). I don't know how they do it in the UK. But I'd be surprised if there wasn't a rule that mandated data and resource sharing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 9:46 Comments ||
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#3
One more thing: scientists who hide, destroy or alter data have committed fraud. That's an immediate firing offense in every university I know. Here in the US, scientific fraud not only gets you fired but gets you black-listed by the NIH and NSF so that you can't get any more grants (usually a five year term, but try getting a job with that in your curriculum vitae).
The scientists involved, and very likely their academic units and deans, are very likely now in full damage-control mode. They'll obfuscate, deny and hand-wave. But if one proves fraud to the satisfaction of an academic review committee they'll be gone.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 11:07 Comments ||
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#4
What if the data from the CRU came from an internal sourse, a whistleblower (or whistle-emailer),
thus not so much an IT issue
if the CRU fired the whistleblower, that could put a new layer of outrage on this
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/24/2009 11:47 Comments ||
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A lack of determined action on climate change means that by 2050 global warming of more than the targeted 2 degrees celsius will have taken place, a study released in Berlin Monday said.
In its 'Tipping Points' report, environmental advocacy group WWF and global insurance firm Allianz said the consequences of emissions already made would, by 2050, likely include a global sea-level rise of 0.5 metres, disrupted monsoon rain patterns, Amazon die-back, and severe drought in the south-western United States.
The report's authors said that large, sudden changes would likely affect the world's climate, rather than a gradual, manageable process.
The report envisaged that the value of property and assets in port cities worldwide endangered by a 0.5m rise in sea level would amount to 28 trillion dollars by mid-century.
WWF also concluded that an average temperature rise of 3 degrees celsius was likely by the end of the 21st century, unless 'extremely radical and determined efforts towards deep cuts in emissions are put in place.'
Climate expert at WWF Regine Guenther said 'the most important next step is a legally binding agreement in Copenhagen.'
On December 7 world leaders will meet in the Danish capital to attempt to find a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
'Tipping Points' estimated that costs incurred from drought as a consequence of disrupted monsoon rains could reach 42 billion dollars per decade by 2050.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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I think Ben Santer needs to beat the crap out of these guys.
The Germans have already committed themselves to the economic consequences of climate change (long piece, WaPo, Sunday), so they're really not gonna take the alternative very well, starting with denial.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/24/2009 5:47 Comments ||
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#5
Fantasy - Delusional - Science Fiction - Entertainment News
#6
The latest news is that the effects of AGW are accelerating! Even as we have had a period of cooling (despite the increased CO2). So logically, if we actually reduce CO2 and reduce temperature, the effects of AGW will accelerate even faster?
They have taken what I believe is a legitimate issue and area for scientific investigation and turned it into a religion and tool for political and economic power acquisition.
#7
They have taken what I believe is a legitimate issue and area for scientific investigation and turned it into a religion and tool for political and economic power acquisition.
Glenmore,
you need to let go of such old fashioned concepts as truth and science and embrace post-normal science, which is post-modern science in the service of a political agenda.
The process is explained here.
#8
"Fantasy - Delusional - Science Fiction - Entertainment News"
Science fiction has to have at least some scientific grounding....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/24/2009 9:12 Comments ||
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#9
The Germans have already committed themselves to the economic consequences of climate change
Then slap a 50% tariff on them. All their excess automobile production is making Gaia sweat.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 9:12 Comments ||
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#10
What I don't get is why anyone would listen to the World Wrestling Federation on ANY subject. That shit's as fake as CRU's temperature data!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/24/2009 9:27 Comments ||
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#11
I do know Michelle listens to them. That's where she accessorizes.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 9:33 Comments ||
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#12
I can almost see the case for the other alleged consequences, but how the hell does a rise in temperatures and sea level lead to an "Amazon die-back"? More heat, more moisture, and more CO2 makes for a pretty happy jungle, barring Captain Planet-style clearcutting villains grinding it all up with giant Thneed machines.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/24/2009 10:40 Comments ||
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#13
"Amazon die-back" - but where will I buy my books? My MP3s? ;)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev will discuss bilateral cooperation and the Nagorny Karabakh settlement at a meeting in Ulyanovsk in the Volga Region on Tuesday. Aliyev will pay a working visit to Russia on an invitation from Medvedev.
"The meeting between Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev will become a continuation of the rich Russian-Azerbaijani political dialogue. This year, the heads of state have repeatedly met in various formats," a Kremlin source said prior to the meeting.
The source said Aliyev's visit to Russia in April and Medvedev's visit to Azerbaijan in June were important. Medvedev and Aliyev are also expected to discuss energy issues.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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TOPIX > ARMENIA THREATENS TO RECOGNIZE NAGORNO-KARABAKH IFF WAR WITH AZERBAIJAN RESUMES; + TURKISH FM: NO HOPE FOR ARMENIA, AZERI REGIONAL PEACE UNLESS OCCUPIED MUSLIM TERRITORIES ARE LIBERATED.
* SAME > TURKEY MAY LOSE AZERBAIJAN IFF ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDERS OPEN.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish police have arrested two North Korean diplomats on suspicion of smuggling 230,000 cigarettes into the Nordic country, the Swedish Customs Office said Friday.
Smuggling smokes? That's gotta be a capital crime these days. What next -- danish pastries?
The pair, a man and a woman who have diplomatic status in Russia, were stopped by Swedish customs officers Wednesday morning as they drove off a ferry from Helsinki, the Finnish capital. Customs officials discovered Russian cigarettes in the car driven by the couple, Swedish Customs spokeswoman Monica Magnusson told Reuters.
It's a good thing North Koreans are smaller than they used to be -- there can't have been much room for them in the car as it is.
The two North Koreans claimed diplomatic immunity. "They were accredited as diplomats in Russia, but had no accreditation in Sweden," she said. "They were arrested on suspicion of smuggling."
Magnusson added that the pair were still being held by Swedish police and that she was not aware of them having any contact with North Korean officials since their arrest.
Sweden's Foreign Ministry said it had been informed of the arrests but would not comment directly on the matter, saying it was a criminal case and was being handled by the police. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Cecilia Julin said foreign diplomats are only immune from criminal prosecution in countries where they have been accredited with the authorities. "If you come to Sweden and commit a crime, you're just like any other foreign national," she said.
Sweden is one of only seven countries to have an embassy in North Korea, treated by much of the world as a rogue state due to human rights abuses and its possession of nuclear weapons despite opposition by the international community.
The Foreign Ministry said the arrests were primarily a police matter, but that the North Korean embassy in Sweden was in contact with the ministry over the matter. An official at the North Korean embassy in Stockholm said earlier he had no knowledge of the arrests.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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why would anyone in Sweden want too buy smuggled Russian cigs?
Posted by: chris ||
11/24/2009 10:32 Comments ||
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The same reason the Swedes take the ferry to Finland and the Baltics to get drunk off their asses. Price, or more specifically, taxes.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 10:36 Comments ||
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#3
IIRC GERMANY > has repor arrested CHIN diplomats for inducing or pressuring resident Chin to engage in covert spying activities agz local UIGHUR community???
ION WAFF > STUDY SAYS TURKS ARE GERMANY'S WORST INTERGARTED IMMIGRANTS.
THE LOCAL.DE = BERLIN PLANS "INTEGRATION CONTRACT" WITH NEW IMMIGRANTS. Foreign immigrants are proposed to swear fealty to
* allegiance to Germany Govt-State + learn, respect German values-traditions
* German language
* freedom of speech
* women's rights
A North Korean cargo ship sank off Dalian in northeast China, leaving six crew members missing, Chinese authorities said. The vessel was en route from Nampo, North Korea, to Dalian.
There were 20 crew members aboard the vessel when it went down Tuesday due to strong winds about 90 nautical miles southeast of Dalian, China state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
A Transport Ministry official said Chinese helicopters and rescue vessels, responding to an SOS message from the North Korean vessel, managed to save 14 of the seamen adrift on life rafts, the report said.
"We are still searching for another raft and the other six crewmembers," the official said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
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"Nice torpedo spread"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/24/2009 17:57 Comments ||
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#2
Early 2010 resolution for NORK machinist mate: don't gundeck the bilge plug PM.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/24/2009 22:39 Comments ||
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In case $75/barrel is not enough for you. Which, BTW, is exactly the price the Saudi oil minister last year said it would should be.
Growing world oil use will likely outpace the rate of new supplies in 2010, eroding the huge stockpiles of crude which have mounted around the world since the start of the global economic crisis.
The price won't go up until the stockpile tankers can stop steaming in circles round the ocean long enough to be emptied.
According to a Reuters poll of ten top oil-tracking analysts and organizations, oil demand is predicted to rise by 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) next year to 85.9 million bpd.
How many tanker ships are out there? How much did the OPEC countries reduce their output to maintain prices this year?
At the same time, the rise in production from outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and output of natural gas liquids (NGLs) from OPEC members is seen growing by just 800,000 bpd in total. 13M bbl/day oil imports at $100/bbl is $475B/year leaving the economy. See what that does to economic growth contraction numbers.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 10:15 ||
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Existing production does not mean the oil is not available with a little work.
The economy grew at a 2.8 percent pace last quarter, as the recovery got off to a slower start than first thought. A dead cat bounces higher.
The Commerce Department's new reading on gross domestic product wasn't as energetic as the 3.5 percent growth rate for the July-September period estimated just a month ago.
The main factors behind the downgrade: consumers didn't spend as much, commercial construction was weaker and the nation's trade deficit was more of a drag on growth. Businesses also trimmed more of their stockpiles, another restraining factor.
Growth probably won't be strong enough to quickly drive down the nation's unemployment rate, currently at 10.2 percent. It's only the second time in the post-World War II period that unemployment has topped 10 percent.
Some economists think economic growth will slow to around a 2.5 percent pace in the current quarter, Then go negative next year as government enforced, debt financed giveaways expire.
although others say it could clock in at about 3 percent if holiday sales are better than expected.
Most say they think the economy will weaken again next year, with growth at a pace of around less than zero 1 percent as the impact of the $787 billion stimulus package fades and consumers keep tightening their belts under the strain of high unemployment and hard-to-get credit.
But Tuesday's report shows that some of that spending was a bit less robust than initially thought.
Spending on homes and other residential projects soared at an annualized pace of 19.5 percent last quarter, a little slower than the 23.4 percent rate first estimated. $8000 "free" money expires Jan 1.
Spending on big-ticket "durable" goods -- including cars -- jumped at a pace of 20.1 percent, down from 22.3 percent. $3000 or $4500 "free" money already gone. Auto sales back in the tank for Q4.
On the business side, companies cut back spending on commercial construction -- a weak spot in the economy -- at 15.1 percent annualized pace. That was deeper than the 9 percent annualized cut back first estimated.
Businesses also trimmed stockpiles of goods by $133.4 billion last quarter, slightly more than initially estimated. And the nation's trade deficit ended up shaving 0.83 percentage point off GDP last quarter, more than first thought.
Unlike past rebounds that were driven by the spending of everyday Americans, this one appears to hinge on spending by businesses, foreigners and -- until it runs out -- the government. Blanche America depends on the kindness of strangers.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 09:59 ||
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It is only going to get worse. Especially if the government increases taxes. Expect things to get as bad as 1932.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has a tough road ahead.
Very tough.
Bernanke, whose four-year term expires in January, is certain to face a contentious Senate banking panel at his confirmation hearing, set for Dec. 3. He is also defending against the sharpest attack on Federal Reserve powers ever.
The latest blow came last week, when a House panel overwhelmingly agreed to tack on to must-pass regulatory reform a proposal to dig into the Fed's books, despite attempts by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., to make it less intrusive. Barney under the bus?
Fed watchers say they expect that Bernanke will be confirmed for a second term as chairman. But he may get the fewest favorable votes on record - and end up at the helm of a vastly changed Federal Reserve.
"It's going to wind up to be a very different institution," said American Enterprise Institute scholar Vincent Reinhart, a former director of the Fed's division of monetary affairs. "At least on the Federal Reserve part, Congress is going to converge on something that's tougher on the Fed. It's a way to vent anger. And fundamentally people are angry."
What Congress has in store for the Fed
While many credit Bernanke for saving the economy from falling into the next Great Depression, some in Congress blame the Fed - and Bernanke - for having failed to restrain the housing bubble. Others say he has gone too far in the financial system bailouts. Sure, Blame it on the Fed. How about all the legislation that's been put in place (since Carter?) that's slowly been tipping the balance in favor of people with little income being able to own a home, with the tipping point coming when the ARM came into being. Blame your politically correct selves, Congress. How about another helping of crow pie by another name?
"We're in a very populist era and that populism is manifesting itself in a dislike and distrust in large institutions," said Washington policy analyst Brian Gardner of investment firm Keefe Bruyette & Woods. "That means the Fed is one of those targets." Anyone but Congress.
But the proposal to allow for congressional audits of the Fed is taking that anger one step further.
Since the 1980s, Fed antagonist Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, whose recently published book is entitled "End the Fed," has been trying to pass bills to curb Fed powers.
Paul won approval for his audit proposal from a key House committee last week.
"I agreed with him that some increase in openness about the Fed was important," Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the Financial Services Committee, told CNNMoney.
The audit measure scares the Fed and many of its defenders.
Bernanke has said on several occasions that Paul's proposal, which would allow members of Congress to have the Government Accountability Office audit Fed activities, is more than a simple "look at the book." He warns it would interfere with the central bank's ability to carry out independent monetary policy. I know! As long as everyone is focused on healthcare takeover, let's take over monetary policy and get the last laugh that way!
Last week, Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., who offered an alternative version of the audit proposal that did not go as far, pleaded with his colleagues to moderate their anger.
"I recognize the Fed currently has no political capital. Everyone would like to beat up on the Fed and call them the bad guys," Watt said. "If we make this decision on a political basis, I know what the result will be."
Politics won out. With 15 Democrats and all Republicans, the panel passed Paul's more controversial audit.
Still, the measure may meet resistance in the Senate. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., released a statement Friday calling the audit amendment "a dangerous move ... to pander to the populist anger" at the Fed.
"Make no mistake; this move to bring the Fed's conduct of monetary policy under the control of Congress is a grave threat to our economy," Gregg said. I know. We're toast. Not now, but later when everyone relaxes and takes their eye off the ball.
Tension on the Hill
Bernanke, 55, was first appointed to the top job in 2006 by former President George W. Bush, after serving as head of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Considered an expert on the Great Depression, Bernanke previously chaired the economics department at Princeton University. He also did a three-year stint on the Fed's board of governors ending in 2005.
Congress and the Fed have always had a complicated relationship. The Fed is designed to be independent and non-political, although it regularly reports to Congress.
The financial crisis and its aftermath have made things awkward for Bernanke on Capitol Hill. Congress didn't like that the Fed initially refused lawmakers' requests to reveal which major financial firms received billions in bailout dollars through the rescue of AIG (AIG, Fortune 500). The Fed later released the information.
Earlier this spring, when public rage boiled over about bonuses paid to the same unit of AIG responsible for the company's demise, lawmakers were irked to discover that the Fed had known for months about the bonuses.
For the past several months, a House oversight panel has been investigating whether the Fed, among other regulatory agencies, overstepped its authority in negotiating the Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) take over of Merrill Lynch.
Lawmakers have also accused the Fed of moving slowly on consumer protection. The Fed has lately stepped up in this area, crafting rules that crack down on credit card issuers and on banks' practice of automatically enrolling customers in overdraft protection programs with hefty fees.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Bernanke continues to make efforts to be more accessible than past Fed chairmen, according to lawmakers and congressional aides. He regularly answers questions, by phone or in person, aides say.
While Fed watchers expect Bernanke to be confirmed, they also expect that the hearing could turn into one of the more politically explosive confirmations the Obama administration has faced. What would you like for your new title, Bernanke: Whipping Boy, Scapegoat, or Figurehead?
"Voting against him is a way of showing your discomfort with the current system and a lot of them are uncomfortable with the current system," Reinhart said. Dumbass.
#1
He warns it would interfere with the central bank's ability to carry out independent monetary policy.
If true, very dangerous. The lesson of the last 50 years is that governments without an independent monetary authority print money, fuelling rapid inflation.
#2
"Make no mistake; this move to bring the Fed'sCongress'es conduct of monetary policy under the control of Congress is a grave threat to our economy,"
#4
When the good old boy club rotates between social engagements of the New York money brokers, the New York Fed, and the Fed in Washington, they're not independent. They're just operating field offices of their their own interests and not the people who ultimately get stuck with the bill or consequences. There's a reason the regulators failed to regulate this time around and it wasn't just Congressional interference.
#5
P2k, you are very right. BUT the warning is in your "...and it wasn't just Congressional interference. ."
This is a true dilemma and both points are sharp. How do you get the money grubbing fat cats from all over the world (this isn't just Wall St. Americans) out of the equation without turning this into the total political football that would turn us into Weimar Germany?
I know enough economics to see the dilemma but don't have a clue how to solve it.
#9
Undoubtedly many people who think keeping the Fed on a short leash attached to an elected body is a good thing also think the Federal Reserve should have been much less aggressive in creating money and risking inflation. History shows that the risks are actually skewed the other way: tighter political control of central banks more often means more inflation and a higher risk of a debased currency.
#10
He warns it would interfere with the central bank's ability to carry out independent monetary policy.
The point of an independent monetary policy is to allow for the making of politically unpopular decisions. Unfortunately, since Greenspan took over there haven't been any politically unpopular decisions. We have had over twenty years of loose money, and now we have quantitative easing.
I want to know where the money is going because I no longer trust the Fed more than I trust congress.
#13
I suppose an audit would be fine, but not anything within a couple of years or so. Don't want people being able to out-guess them, and I wouldn't want it to be so close that Congress could influence the Fed in their usual brain-dead self-serving manner.
Transcript From Inhofe Radio Interview, Monday, November 23, 2009
Senator Inhofe: This is a huge issue and of course we have the Gitmo issue and we have the, of course, cap-and-trade is now taking a new turn. Jed, if I could...
Jed Babbin: Yeah.
Senator Inhofe: Would you let me make one sentence?
Jed Babbin: Please.
Senator Inhofe: This is out of a speech that I made, Melanie, back on the floor of the Senate, and it was repeated, John Gizzi picked it up and put it in Human Events. This was 4 years ago, in talking about the science, cooking the science. I said I would discuss the "systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by which an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective science assessment in the world on the subject of climate change, the United Nations IPCC." Now that was four years ago; so we knew they were cooking the science back then, and you've been talking about the, you know, what's happened recently with the bloggers coming up with what they did, what they...
Jed Babbin: Let me interrupt you there Senator, because I think that's a really important point. Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't followed that story, what Senator Inhofe's talking about, in Britain, a blogger got into some of the official government records about climate change and how the measurements were being taken to show...
Melanie Morgan: And the politics behind it.
Jed Babbin: And the -- well but they were basically saying, "Oh yea, hey, let's make it look like Jim so-and-so did that, and let's help him cook the books, and let's change the data..."
Melanie Morgan: And "let's beat up those who don't agree with us."
Jed Babbin: Yea, but it's all a huge fraud! I mean, Senator, am I exaggerating?
Senator Inhofe: No you're not. If you remember, mine was the hoax statement, and that was, what, five years ago I guess.
Jed Babbin: Well, we ought to give you a big pat on the back for being ...
Melanie Morgan: Yea, you deserve an an 'atta boy, and now you are finally being vindicated.
Senator Inhofe: Well, on this thing, it is pretty serious. And since, you know, Barabara Boxer is the Chairman and I'm the Ranking Member on Environment and Public Works, if nothing happens in the next seven days when we go back into session a week from today that would change this situation, I will call for an investigation. 'Cause this thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with.
Melanie Morgan: So what will you be calling for an investigation of?
Senator Inhofe: On the IPCC and on the United Nations on the way that they cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not.
Jed Babbin: Should somebody stop further spending on this until we get this investigation, Senator?
Senator Inhofe: Well, I don't know how you do that, though, 'cause we're not the ones that are calling the shots. The interesting part of this is it's happening right before Copenhagen. And, so, the timing couldn't be better. Whoever is on the ball in Great Britain, their time was good.
Melanie Morgan: Well, Senator, thank you very much for coming back and handling a little bit, a tiny little bit of heat from the kitchen.
Senator Inhofe: Okay.
Jed Babbin: Thanks very much Senator.
Senator Inhofe: Thanks, you bet.
Jed Babbin: Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma on the Environment Committee over there, and one of the real fighters.
[Al Arabiya Latest] King Abdullah II of Jordan dissolved parliament on Monday and ordered the holding of a general election two years early.
The king issued a royal edict ordering the dissolution of what is widely considered a rubber stamp assembly, composed of 110 mainly tribal pro-government loyalists, as of Tuesday, it said.
Parliament had completed half of its four-year term after elections held in November 2007 under a controversial electoral law that reduced the representation of the main cities in favor of rural and Bedouin areas.
No reasons were given for the sudden move. Some people in political circles had speculated the palace was considering it for several months after the assembly lost credibility during a year in which opponents said it was inept in handling legislation.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/24/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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NORWAY unveiled the world's first osmotic power plant overnight, harnessing the energy-unleashing encounter of freshwater and seawater to make clean electricity.
"While salt might not save the world alone, we believe osmotic power will be an important part of the global energy portfolio," the chief on state-owned Statkraft, Baard Mikkelsen, said.
Statkraft, which presents itself as the biggest renewable energy company in Europe, is running the osmotic power plant prototype on the banks of the Oslo fjord, about 60km south of the Norwegian capital.
Osmotic energy is based on the widespread natural phenomenon of osmosis, which allows trees to drink through their leaves and plays on the different concentration levels of liquids.
When freshwater and seawater meet on either side of a membrane - a thin layer that retains salt but lets water pass - freshwater is drawn towards the seawater side. The flow puts pressure on the seawater side, and that pressure can be used to drive a turbine, producing electricity.
The point of osmotic power is "to use power not against nature but with nature", summed up Sverre Gotaas, in charge of innovation and growth at Statkraft.
Although the plant will for now produce just enough electricity to power a coffee-maker, it could prove to be a great potential clean, environmentally friendly power source.
Osmosis has been used by industry to desalinate seawater, but the company's prototype at Tofte marks the first time it has been used to produce energy.
Although the plant will for now produce just enough electricity to power a coffee-maker, it could prove to be a great potential clean, environmentally friendly power source.
Statkraft hopes to start building the first commercial osmotic power plant, which would have a 25 megawatt capacity, enough to provide about 10,000 households with electricity, in 2015.
#1
They are really vague w/r to cost, possible environmental concerns. Like what do they do with the salt, minerals extracted? Some of that may be a plus, some not.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 12:44 Comments ||
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#3
Um, isn't fresh water supposed to be one of those diminishing resources? Where are they getting an unlimited supply of it? I can't imagine that the power produced will be enough to convert salt water back to fresh, can you?
;^)
#4
according to this article in Forbes, the Statkraft plant has a membrane that will generate 3 watts per square meter of membrane. That means a huge amount of membrane to get enough electricity to be worth anything.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/24/2009 13:39 Comments ||
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#5
The problem is Work = Force X Distance. I can't see how a membrane can effectively translate the distance portion of that equation. Seems better to run a pipe from a the top of a fjord to the bottom for small scale hydro.
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 13:44 Comments ||
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#6
I once lit a small electric light-bulb with a potato.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/24/2009 16:06 Comments ||
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#7
They could just sell the fresh water to the Saudis...
#10
google 'OTEC' lots of info there. a rule of thumb is that it doesn't run on salt water but on temperature differentials. and after taking about 25-30% of the output to run the place the remainder can be sold. and there is fresh water as a salable by-product to boot.
#11
Um, isn't fresh water supposed to be one of those diminishing resources? Where are they getting an unlimited supply of it? I can't imagine that the power produced will be enough to convert salt water back to fresh, can you?
Yes, we'd definitely need some kind of mechanism to accomplish this. But it would have to be huge. Perhaps something that could make gobs of heat that could be captured to convert the water to vapor, minus the salt. Then that vapor would have to be moved somewhere, condensed back into fresh water, and captured, and the cycle repeated.
Unfortunately, this method would only contribute to global warming given the scale it would take to pull this off.
Just the opposite. The "salt" is vaporized using 30 times less energy than vaporizing water. From comment #5: Instead of dividing salt water and fresh water, Oasys divides salt water and saltier water. This saltier water is water mixed with a unique type of salt called thermolytic salt, in this case comprised of ammonia and carbon dioxide. These salts, when heated, turn to gas.
This extremely salty solution draws fresh water from the industrial wastewater or seawater through the membrane, leaving brine behind. Then a small amount of heat is applied to the thermolytic mixture, boiling away the ammonia and carbon dioxide and leaving fresh water. (The ammonia and carbon dioxide is then recombined into a salt to repeat the process.)
Posted by: ed ||
11/24/2009 22:11 Comments ||
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#13
Y'all have jogged a memory and transformed it into an idea.
My brother was stationed in Germany, while there he got a chance to tour a salt mine.
So, just how did it get there, I asumed that millenia ago it was the bottom of a salt marsh or land locked sea Like the Dead Sea, BUT
What an idea, to bury unneeded salt in old worked out mines.
Hmmm.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/24/2009 23:10 Comments ||
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Racial attacks like the ones behind the arrest of 32 suspects in Denver are part of a trend spreading across the country, gang experts said Saturday. Not exactly a new trend perhaps, I recall seeing similar vids in Us "true crimes" shows years ago already (with tapes camescope, here we're most probably talking cellphones).
Incidentally, there is a famous and very similar example, one notable being in Sweden, 2004, quite a few Youths (somali, I seem to recall?, including a famous professional soccer player) were caught for basically the same thing : as part of an investigation on a rape case, police found copies of a vid that was being circulated for entertainement value, which showed two (white) teens being kicked in the head (resulting in one being brain-damaged), after they got beaten up, having made the mistake of complaining about an act of petty vandalism the group was doing for fun.
As part of the trend, black gang members videotape the assaults in trendy tourist districts and sell them on the underground market as entertainment.
"They knock a young white guy out with one blow to see if his knees will wobble and surround them and take their money," said the Rev. Leon Kelly, who runs a Denver gang-prevention program. "It's a joke."
Denver police announced the 32 arrests Friday after a months-long undercover investigation into what authorities said were racially motivated assaults and robberies in Denver, including in the Lower Downtown entertainment district. They seek the arrests of three more suspects.
Kelly said he has been warning gang members for months that for the $20 they snatch from someone, they could do 20 years in prison.
"There's always consequences," he said. "They've been targeting each other for years. Once it starts venturing out of the 'hood, it becomes a major issue."
Denver police Lt. Matt Murray said that the same day Chief Gerry Whitman announced the arrests, a national TV program profiled a similar gang-fueled onslaught in Minneapolis. From somali Youths.
"We're not the only city having something like this happen," Murray said.
Several months ago, Kelly said, he got a copy of a videotape recorded in West Palm Beach, Fla. Gang members surrounded a white couple at a club. One of them told the others to hold on.
"He said, 'Let me get this camera on.' It's a staged thing," Kelly said.
The gang members crave the notoriety of having their one-punch knockouts recorded on tape and sold on the black market. They'll rewind the tapes and watch them over and over, he said. When they watch the videos and see a big punch landed and gang members at the scene start laughing, they'll all break out laughing, said Kelly, who heads the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives center.
"They think it's so cool to see someone get beaten up like that," he said.
The tapes get taken from town to town. Gang members mimic what they see, Kelly said.
In Denver, groups of four or five black men would approach a victim late at night or early in the morning and taunt a man with racial slurs, Whitman has said. Gang members have broken victims' noses and shattered eye sockets, he said.
A task force including Denver cops, FBI agents and prosecutors from District Attorney Mitch Morrissey's office identified 26 incidents since July in which the gangs assaulted or robbed white or Latino men. The offenders took wallets, iPods, cash and other small items. Most of the suspects admitted they belonged to either the Rollin' 60s Crips gang or the Black Gangster Disciples gang.
Murray disagreed with Kelly that police only aggressively pursued the gangs after they started targeting whites. "If a group of white supremacists were targeting blacks, we would go after them," he said.
Though robbery is a predominant motivation of the gang members, it is more complicated than that, Kelly said.
"Some of the same black kids have been beating their own people down," he said. "Violence is violence. This is a trend. A lot of my kids are frustrated because they think the system doesn't care."
Kelly said he worked with many of the boys and young men arrested in the sting, trying to steer them toward jobs and school. But they often can't see beyond immediate needs of getting money for buying food, clothes or drugs to get high on, he said. They don't think they'll get caught and justify what they're doing as just a game.
It breaks Kelly's heart, he said. He said he has known many of the gang members who were arrested since they were innocent kids in elementary school.
"Moms are grieving because they feel like they've lost their kids to this behavior," Kelly said.
The arrests will hopefully serve a new purpose, he said. "This will confirm to these kids that there is a consequence."
Police are hoping other victims will come forward to help them solve a number of unreported robberies and assaults. The incidents were seen by witnesses or cameras, but no victims have come forward.
#1
a direct result of the decline of our system of laws. in the 60's it became popular for police to let the petty stuff slide so they 'could focus on the big stuff' and better use 'limited manpower'. the theory was that they would catch more of the hard core felons and make streets safer. the total surprise as the petty crooks got bolder and became hard core felons at a much higher rate has put us where we are now. these punks feel that they wont get caught because the police are not interested in catching them anymore. the police wait till it is some outrageous act. the police in most cities have come to accept a certain level of this crap and will continue to wait till they 'cross the line' and public attention forces them to do something.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
11/24/2009 19:24 Comments ||
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#2
Hate Crimes. I'm sure AG Holder will be right on it like a tick on.........flour
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/24/2009 19:38 Comments ||
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#3
i believe this is why NYC was going to pot before Rudy Giuliani took office. Sometimes it pays to sweat the small stuff.
#4
why was Kelly telling the gang members too watch taking that $20 because it might get them 20 years?? Sounds like he was trying too protect the gang members instead of the ppl being robbed.
Posted by: chris ||
11/24/2009 21:01 Comments ||
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#5
the police wait till it is some outrageous act
Which is usually someone doing the job that the police won't. They'll label it vigilante justice and go after the individual with more force than the crooks who execute crime because its a threat to their power.
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.
The American first lady could give Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and a former supermodel, a run for her money once she receives the flat black boots, which have been specially ordered from Robert Clergerie, the French designer based in Romans, in western France. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] The Arab League is currently mulling several proposals after it was forced to step in, rebuffing a provocative Israeli offer, 
The release of internal emails from Britain's University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit shows scientists plotting to ostracize and marginalize other researchers who question their assumptions on anthropogenic global warming. Yet the Washington Post finds that such a strategy is but a natural reaction to attacks on these scientists by climate skeptics.
A lack of determined action on climate change means that by 2050 global warming of more than the targeted 2 degrees celsius will have taken place, a study released in Berlin Monday said.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish police have arrested two North Korean diplomats on suspicion of smuggling 230,000 cigarettes into the Nordic country, the Swedish Customs Office said Friday.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has a tough road ahead.
Racial attacks like the ones behind the arrest of 32 suspects in Denver are part of a trend spreading across the country, gang experts said Saturday.
