Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if I might crave your momentary indulgence in order to discharge a by no means disagreeable obligation which has, over the years, become more or less established practice in government service as we approach the terminal period of the year calendar, of course, not financial in fact, not to put too fine a point on it, Week Fifty-One and submit to you, with all appropriate deference, for your consideration at a convenient juncture, a sincere and sanguine expectation indeed confidence indeed one might go so far as to say hope that the aforementioned period may be, at the end of the day, when all relevant factors have been taken into consideration, susceptible to being deemed to be such as to merit a final verdict of having been by no means unsatisfactory in its overall outcome and, in the final analysis, to give grounds for being judged, on mature reflection, to have been conducive to generating a degree of gratification which will be seen in retrospect to have been significantly higher than the general average.
#8
Holly Madison looks like a very healthy woman, but it looks like she has trouble, climbing stairs, perhaps she has had too much champagne...poor dear.
And Sir Humphrey Appleby, poor man, is suffering with verbal diarrhea over this holiday season.
Lo siento mucho, espero que te mejores pronto señor Humphrey Appleby !
Posted by: Au Auric ||
12/23/2013 12:38 Comments ||
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#9
Sir Hump, it is a tough job but not entirely without a few gratificating perks despite the lack of recompense--the reward is truly within such heavenly work itself.
#12
Thanks, Ship - will definitely view it when I get home (can't view videos at work). I used to have the words someplace, but do remember the beginning:
Deck us all with Boston Charlie, Walla Walla Wash and Kalamazoo. Nora's freezing on the trolley, ... [sung to the tune of "Deck the Halls"] :-D
Posted by: Barbara ||
12/23/2013 16:32 Comments ||
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#13
Another entry for a "Chistmas Carol" from the Peoples Cube
The Twelve Days of ObamaCare
(A non-sectarian holiday carol.)
On the first day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
A website that crashed constantly!
On the second day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the third day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the fourth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the fifth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Five cancelled policies!
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the sixth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the seventh day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the eighth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Eight phone reps dithering,
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the ninth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Nine journ0lists bloviating,
Eight phone reps dithering,
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the tenth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Ten dems a-dodging,
Nine journ0lists bloviating,
Eight phone reps dithering,
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the eleventh day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Eleven million regulations,
Ten dem pols a-dodging,
Nine journ0lists a-bloviating,
Eight phone reps dithering,
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
On the twelfth day of ObamaCare, Dear Leader gave to me
Twelve thousand excuses,
Eleven million regulations,
Ten dems a-dodging,
Nine journ0lists bloviating,
Eight phone reps dithering,
Seven scammers to hack me,
Six unneeded coverages,
Five cancelled policies,
Four times the deductible,
Three times the premium,
Two weeks of typing and
A website that crashed constantly!
Posted by: Au Auric ||
12/23/2013 19:45 Comments ||
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[Libya Herald] Further to yesterday's attack by gunnies on the Northern Alsarir Agriculture Project north of Kufra, which saw one manager kidnapped and at least five attackers killed, a Dire Revenge™ attack was carried out in Ajdabiya late last night.
A militia formally known as the Island brigade and the Libya shield number 2 militia Ajdabiya Branch headed by Idress Alkudwa, carried out an attack on Tebu civilians.
Braheem Younis an oil engineer, nominated for the upcoming Constitutional Committee and citizen from the city said that the two brigades accompanied by a massive number of Zwai tribe members, started an attack on the Tebu community in the city in Dire Revenge™ for the deaths they had suffered as a result of their failed attack on the National Army at the Alsarir farm project two days earlier.
Younis reported that the attack started at 1 am in the Western district and the 7th of October neighbourhood. RPG missiles were fired at homes, and at least one Tebu member was murdered; Abubaker Youskoy a twenty two year old.
Around nine Tebu members were kidnapped, five homes burnt down after they had been ransacked of their possessions, and a number of cars were also burnt.
Younis added that the attackers were heavily armed and that they had promised a potential genocide of the Tebu in the city.
Younis said that there are fears that the historical Tebu-Zwai conflict could re-escalate and that there could be a repeat of the June 2011 clash in Kufra which left over 150 Tebu dead by the very same Libya Shield.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] Student protesters at Al-Azhar University jugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! Al-Masry Al-Youm photojournalist Omar Saher Sunday during on-campus festivities between supporters and opponents of the Moslem Brüderbund.
Clashes took place after student supporters of Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi raised signs with pro-Sisi slogans at the Faculty of Physical Education.
Some students at the Faculty of Education reportedly attempted to assault someone recording the incident on his mobile phone.
Dozens of Al-Azhar University students staged protests Sunday outside the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Languages and Translation, preventing employees and students from accessing the buildings. First-year student exams at the Faculty of Languages and Translation were suspended due to the protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Libya today began three days of official mourning for the seven people murdered in the country's first suicide kaboom at Bersis, earlier today.
Declaring the mourning period, for what it described as "a cowardly act", the prime minister's office said that the 24 December celebrations of Independence Day on Tuesday would be postponed. Also put off has been the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the National Oil Company's new Benghazi headquarters, an event of considerable significance for people living in the east of the country. No date new date was given for either event.
In a statement issued this morning, Ali Zeidan renewed his government's determination to intensify all efforts and "stand as one in the face of such acts and those who are behind them".
The government said that "this cowardly act" was an attempt to obstruct the strenuous efforts by the national military personnel and Saiqa Special Forces to maintain security and protect the civilians "especially in Benghazi". To this end, the government said that it would provide the police and army with everything it needed to perform their duties.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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Libya's government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning after the country's first suicide bombing since the collapse of the Gadhafi regime more than two years ago.
At least 13 people were killed in the attack on a checkpoint leading to the eastern gates of Benghazi early Sunday. Most of those killed were soldiers and members of the security forces. At least two others were still missing in the aftermath of the powerful blast.
A Libyan security official said that a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the Barsis checkpoint, about 30 miles east of Benghazi, killing and injuring security forces and others who were in the area.
[An Nahar] A Yemeni court on Sunday sentenced a suspected member of jihadist network al-Qaeda to three years in prison for taking part in attacks in the capital Sanaa, state media reported.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a franchise of the global jihadist network, is active in Yemen and is seen by Washington as its most dangerous branch.
The suspect, Abdullah Saad Ghazi al-Rimi, was found guilty of "belonging to an armed al-Qaeda group" and involvement in "criminal acts in 2012 against officers and members of the security and armed forces" and security installations in Sanaa, the official Saba news agency said.
The judiciary in Yemen has stepped up trials of al-Qaeda suspects in recent months, handing 10 alleged members of the network sentences ranging from two to seven years in prison after convicting them of taking part in attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Bappaditya Basu, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Moitri and an organiser of the Gonojagoron Mancha, was injured in crude kabooms at Shahbagh in the capital this evening.
Known for his role in organising the Shahbagh youth movement, Basu came under attack around 7:20pm in front of Aziz Super Market.
Basu, who has been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said two crude bombs were thrown targeting him while he was speaking to some people keeping his rickshaw waiting.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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More than 20 people were injured, four seriously, when a car bomb went off near a hotel in southern Thailand. The explosion happened in front of a hotel in the Sadao district of Songkhla province, an area rarely targeted by terrorists insurgents fighting in Thailand's far south.
Television footage showed a smoke-choked road and charred cars outside the hotel. Two other bombs attached to parked motorcycles struck a police checkpoint and a police station elsewhere in the province with no injuries reported.
Songkhla governor Kritsada Boonrat said, "Something like this has never happened in Sadao district before... this area is a border trade area (with Malaysia)," adding security will be increased.
He said police were checking security camera footage and forensic teams were investigating the three bomb sites, but did not say who he believed was responsible.
Tentative peace talks between the Thai state and representatives of the main militant group have stalled. Another round of talks scheduled for December has been postponed as the Thai government handles massive street protests in Bangkok targeting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut said the culprits may have been linked to the insurgency in the south, and could have been expressing anger that peace talks have faltered while the government concentrates on political turmoil in Bangkok. He added, "A second theory is it was related to the domestic political situation - to discredit the government."
Sources close to the negotiations have raised doubt over whether the peace talks will continue given the political unrest in Bangkok.
[An Nahar] A clash took place overnight Saturday between Hizbullah and gunnies on the Lebanese-Syrian border, media reports said on Sunday.
According to MTV, the fighting between members of Hizbullah and an "armed Syrian group" left several people killed or maimed.
Voice of Leb radio (93.3) said "Ali Dirgham Fares was killed and another man was hurt in festivities between members of Hizbullah and fighters from the Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra Front in the barren mountains of the Bekaa town of Nahle."
On Tuesday, several people were reportedly injured in a boom-mobileing that targeted Hizbullah in its stronghold in the eastern district of Baalbek.
The National News Agency said the vehicle was on the road between the towns of Sbouba and Wadi Abu Moussa that lead to Hrabta when a Hizbullah checkpoint opened fire on it. The driver then detonated an estimated 50 kilograms of explosives, the agency said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Ima think maybe Hizbullah has found their very own t**baby to have and to hold closely.
[VOA News] In eastern Syria, students are reported among the dead from a boom-mobilekaboom near a primary school in the province of Homs.
State-run media say the attack in the town of Umm al-Amed killed eight people, including six children.
Opposition activists reported at least 12 people killed.
Elsewhere, Syrian rebels say government aircraft continue to bomb rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo.
The attacks have been going on eight days. Rebel activists say the government is dropping "barrel bombs" on civilians.
The United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... says at least 100,000 people have been killed in the nearly three-year conflict between Syrian rebels and the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The army managed to contain the situation on Sunday evening in the West Bekaa town of Souairi after renewed festivities between the Shouman and Jinbeen families left four people dead earlier in the day.
"The army managed to contain the situation in the town of Souairi amid cautious calm," LBCI television reported.
"The army erected checkpoints and staged armored patrols in the town ... after the army's intelligence directorate exerted major efforts and troops will arrest those who opened fire today," LBCI added.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Lebanese army carried out raids in a town in the northern district of Akkar on Sunday in search for suspects involved in a deadly shooting, the state-run National News Agency reported.
NNA said a military unit was searching in Talbibeh for suspects with links to the shooting that left one person dead and five others injured.
The agency said Saturday that Yehia al-Saeed, from Talbibeh, was killed, and five members of his family were maimed in a clash with the Hussein family that hails from al-Sammaqieh village.
The fighting was the result of a long-simmering dispute between the two families, NNA said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Dozens of people were killed in an eighth day of air strikes on Aleppo in Syria on Sunday, a watchdog said, as a bombing in Homs killed five schoolchildren.
A single Arclight airstrike on an Aleppo neighborhood killed at least 42 people, including at least six children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Observatory, a Britannia-based group relying on activists and other witnesses inside Syria, said another 17 people were critically maimed when regime aircraft dropped "TNT-packed barrels" on the Hanano neighborhood.
Earlier Sunday, the Syrian air force had dropped TNT-packed barrels on several parts of Aleppo and villages nearby.
The Aleppo Media Center, a network of citizen journalists in the northern city, had singled out the bombing of Hanano as especially deadly, as the barrel bombs had struck a bus, "leaving no survivors."
The Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman said Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... 's regime "is trying to turn people in opposition areas against the rebels. It is killing and forcing people to flee in order to secure that goal."
Other air attacks struck the rebel-held Sakhur, Ahmadiyeh, Baideen and Ard al-Hamra neighborhoods of the city, which has been cleaved into regime- and rebel-held enclaves since the summer of 2012.
Elsewhere in Aleppo province, Marea and Atareb villages were also hit Sunday, said the Observatory.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of grassroots activists, described "panic and mass flight to the countryside, despite the intense cold."
It also said two of the fatalities were ambulance workers, who died in the unrelenting bombardment as they tried to help maimed people.
Meanwhile, ...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... Aleppo's opposition Provincial Council announced schools in rebel-held areas would be closed "for a week... because of the systematic, deliberate bombing."
The council also said in a statement that two schools had been hit in Sunday's bombing.
Footage distributed by Shahba Press, another network of citizen journalists, showed a child in his badly damaged school saying that the bombing in Marea village happened while classes were being held.
On Saturday, Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... said "government forces had used means and methods of warfare that... could not distinguish between civilians and combatants, making attacks indiscriminate and therefore unlawful."
It also condemned the reported use of the highly destructive barrel bombs, adding that "military commanders should not... order the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas."
In the central province of Homs, a boom-mobileing on Sunday killed eight people, six of them schoolchildren, the official SANA news agency reported.
"Terrorists blew up a boom-mobile near the primary school in the town of Omm al-Amd in the countryside outside Homs, killing eight people including six children, and wounding 34 others," SANA said.
The Observatory reported a higher corpse count of at least 12, including five children.
It said Omm al-Amd is home to a Shiite community close to the Alawite sect of President Bashir al-Assad, unlike the majority Sunni Moslem rebels fighting to topple him.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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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.
More than 20 people were injured, four seriously, when a car bomb went off near a hotel in southern Thailand. The explosion happened in front of a hotel in the Sadao district of Songkhla province, an area rarely targeted by 
[An Nahar] The army managed to contain the situation on Sunday evening in the West Bekaa town of Souairi after renewed 
[An Nahar] The Lebanese army carried out raids in a town in the northern district of Akkar on Sunday in search for suspects involved in a deadly shooting, the state-run National News Agency reported.
[An Nahar] Dozens of people were killed in an eighth day of air strikes on Aleppo in Syria on Sunday, a watchdog said, as a bombing in Homs killed five schoolchildren.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
