A model wearing a chicken mask presents a creation from the spring-summer 2006 collection of the Russian designer Alena Akhmadulina during the fashion week in Moscow.
It's art. Or high fashion. Or sometthing like that.
You there! Drink your coffee right! Stop squirting it out your nose!
And stop that infernal cackling.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/27/2005 14:37 ||
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The world of fashion has officially gone to hell...again...and again...and again...
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY â At Eotvos Lorand University's Department of Ethology, visitors are usually greeted not by a security guard, but by a delegation of friendly mongrels, tails wagging. Dogs have the run of the place. They play in classrooms, visit faculty members in their offices, or nap in the laboratories. Animals here are no surprise - ethology is the zoological study of animal behavior - but the total lack of cages is.
And why would there be, asks research fellow Adam Miklosi, who leads much of the research here into the cognitive abilities of man's best friend.
"If you were studying human behavior, you wouldn't keep your subjects in a cage for 20 years and then ask them some questions?" he asks with a smile. "These are animals who've been brought up in a normal way, which allows us to see and understand them in their natural environment, which is the human environment."
After a decade studying dogs in their human habitat, Mr. Miklosi and his colleagues have accumulated a body of evidence suggesting that dogs have far greater mental capabilities than scientists had thought. Dogs' smarts, it turns out, come out in their relationships with people.
The implications of this research are more esoteric than the average dog owner may appreciate. The research doesn't exactly mean that dogs and their masters can enjoy Chaucer together, but it does mean scientists have reason to consider what dog-human communications may say about language skills development.
Another implication is that dogs may make better cognitive study subjects than primates, which have been the focus of the field thus far.
Until recently, domestication was thought to have dulled dogs' intelligence. Studies in the early 1980s showed that wolves, from which dogs probably descended, can unlock a gate after watching a human do it once, while dogs remained stumped after watching repeatedly.
That never sat well with Vilmos Csanyi, the recently retired head of Mr. Miklosi's department. Mr. Csanyi, who had dogs of his own, suspected the dogs were awaiting permission to open the gate, that they regarded opening the gate as a violation of their master's rules. Yup. I've had dogs that can open the fridge and bring a can of Coke. Or beer. I know one (not my own, thank goodness, who can OPEN the can of beer. Their fridge is locked .... LOL
In 1997, Csanyi and his colleagues tested 28 dogs of various ages, breeds, and closeness to their owners, to see if they could learn to obtain cold cuts on the other side of a fence by pulling on the handles of dishes while their owners were present. Dogs with a close relationship to their owners fared worse than outdoor dogs. But when the dogs' owners were allowed to give the animals verbal permission, the gap between the groups vanished.
Since then, Csanyi's team has demonstrated just how much dogs can accomplish by paying attention to people. In one classic experiment on dogs' use of human visual cues, food is hidden in one of several scent-proof containers. The animal is allowed to choose only one. Beforehand, the experimenter signals the correct choice by staring, nodding, or pointing at it. Chimpanzees, humans' closest genetic relatives, have always done poorly at this test. Dogs solved the problem immediately.
Dogs also excel at imitating people. In one of the laboratories, graduate student Zsofia Viranyi demonstrates with Todor, an enthusiastic little mutt. Todor sits attentively as Ms. Viranyi spins around in a circle and comes to a stop. "Csinal," she says. ("You do it!") Todor does a little 360 on the tiled floor and lets out an enthusiastic bark. He easily imitates Viranyi's bow, lifting of an arm, and other tasks.
The team found that some dogs can even imitate previously unseen actions performed by a person they haven't had close contact with. Other dogs learned how to operate a simple ball-dispensing machine by watching people use it.
"We thought it would be very difficult for dogs to imitate humans," Csanyi says, Chimps have great difficulty doing so, even with their larger brains. "But it turns out [dogs] love to do it. This is not a little thing, because they must pay attention to the person's actions, remember them, and then apply them to their own body."
Dogs' unusual ability and motivation to observe, imitate, and communicate with people appears to be with them from birth. Two years ago, Csanyi's graduate students were given either a puppy or a wolf cub to raise. They fed the animals by hand, coddling and doting on them.
At five weeks, each cub was placed in a room containing an adult and the student who had raised the cub. Both sat motionless. But while the wolf cubs merely sniffed both humans before climbing into the student's lap to sleep, the puppies yipped at their caregivers, licking their hands and trying to establish contact.
Three months later, the canines were given the opportunity to try to remove a piece of meat from under a cage by pulling on a rope in the presence of their caregiver. Dogs and wolves both mastered this promptly. Then the rope was anchored, making it impossible to obtain the meat. The dogs tried a couple of times, then turned to their masters for assistance or cues. The wolves ignored their caregivers, yanking on the rope until exhausted.
"The wolves ... were only interested in the meat," notes Miklosi. "The dogs were of course interested in the meat, but knew that one way to get it might be to figure out what the human wants them to do."
To Csanyi, this proves that dogs have acquired an innate ability to pay attention to people, and thus to communicate and work with them. This is a skill that wolves don't assume even when raised from birth to learn it.
Dogs are "very motivated to cooperate with and behave like people," says Csanyi. "That's why dogs can do things no other animal can do."
Posted by: dog lover ||
10/27/2005 09:58 ||
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who had dogs of his own, suspected the dogs were awaiting permission to open the gate, that they regarded opening the gate as a violation of their master's rules.
what a load of crock. A dog that can't open a gate is more than willing to jump over the fence or walk out an open one.
I had a wolf hybrid who learned how to open the 5 ft high latch on the gate, as a little puppy. He'd jump up and knock it until he hit it just right.
#2
Two of my dogs can get off the front porch. One, an English Mastiff-Pit Bull mix, opens the gate. The other, a mixed breed stray, jumps over. Angel watched me open the screen door as well and is able to open it. Buddy can't seem to figure out how to open the screen door and it's probably easier to jump over the porch gate. My horse Apache tries to open gates and untie knots after he watches me do it. He can open certain types of gates and he can untie certain types of knots.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/27/2005 11:12 Comments ||
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It's an interesting article and all, but it seems like a bunch of overstated assumptions to point out that wolves are more independent than dogs.
Canids (dogs, wolves, etc.) have more complex social structures, body-language and social signals than even the great apes. It's why we have lived together for 14,000 years now. At least in my pack, the dependence thing is somewhat overstated since my breeds can and do hunt - and the dogs here can catch their own food if necessary. Both my spaniels and my sighthounds have caught rabbits on the run, for instance, and one of the spaniels has caught squirrels.
My smartest dog was a male I bred who was quite independent. He was also bonded closely to me - and the two things are not contradictory. He was the pack alpha when I wasn't around, and my deputy when I was, and took excellent care of the other dogs when a potential danger approached.
He could also: turn on the stereo, push a chair up to the refrigerator and serve either water or ice cubes to himself and the other dogs (setting the door dispenser level as it suited him), open exercise pens from inside (including opening snap bolts with his teeth), climb trees, jump the chain link fence with ease, open the chain link fence gate for the dogs who couldn't jump the fence, CLOSE the gate on the younger dogs he decided shouldn't be loose .....
Posted by: dog lover ||
10/27/2005 11:24 Comments ||
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The alliance between canines and humans has been mutually beneficial to both species. Dogs and men have prospered through their symbiotic relationship.
#6
The late and lamented "Bob the Poodle" was a problemsolver. one time he had a toy which was too long to pull directly through the small opening in a sliding glass door. He jumped over it a couple of times, analyzing it, then bent his muzzle around pulling it through endwise. After that my wife and I got to the point of spelling words.
#9
"These are animals who've been brought up in a normal way, which allows us to see and understand them in their natural environment, which is the human environment."
Dogs are like humans in that each have unique talents and specialties. Some problem solve well, others don't. Wolves (at least my hybrid) are very smart and problem solve well, but they march to the tune of a different drummer than do ordinary dogs.
And yeah Frank, my dogs aren't stupid - they have me very well trained to provide for their every need. Food, including raw meat and good bones, a warm dry place to sleep on soft bedding, no parasites, attention when they want it, lots of open space to run when they want that ....
Meanwhile the coyotes who near-starve each winter around here are desperate for bony rabbits if they can catch them.
Posted by: dog lover ||
10/27/2005 16:26 Comments ||
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Dogs - 5 in 10 years of marriage - All with individual personalities
Chelsea - Black Russian Terrier - Carried a sack containing meat from, the store without trying to get into it...Won Best Opposite Sex for breed, ARBA show, Sept 1995, Ontario CA
Note : Breed basically developed from Giant Schnauzers and Rottweilers AKC accepted in 2004...
Bob - Poodle - (see Above)
Ike - Boxer - Knew when people were ill and would sleep next top them to comfort them. Mother-in- law has arthritic knees, liked him curling up next to her legs-but complained because he snored loud.. - Deaf. Knew commands by hand signals.
Zita - German Shepherd - (aka Iron Maiden) Comforts son when he's crying. Considers herdelf prime security guard.
Lili - Poodle - When given a babyback rib, will hold it upright between paws, and, turn head sideways to eat it.
#19
An oldie video you know what it is before you click it... but do it anyway! That seemin Goldie got a little something goin for it. I think a little tad of spaniel.
#21
I'm a cat and fish guy (less needy heh heh ) but dogs are damn good friends, doing things with their owners that cats and other pets don't. Never underestimate the bond between ANY pet owners and their pets. I lost a Plecostamus in my aquarium the other day - he was 15 yrs old and had only one eye (a misguided freshwater crab-import experiment in the 90's) but he was mine, and I actually teared up...what a pussy
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/27/2005 19:16 Comments ||
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Hey, Big Ed. Congrats on the specialty Best of Opposite. I like the Black Russian Terriers ... won't have one anytime soon as the breed would not do well with my other dogs. Won't have a Briard for the same reason, plus my sig other balks at that much dog in a single package LOL.
I'm okay with cats, we have 2. But the dogs are special .... ;-)
Posted by: dog lover ||
10/27/2005 19:43 Comments ||
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"but stand out only because they tolerate me."
Story of MY life, anyway. LOL.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/27/2005 21:02 Comments ||
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My first real dog (we had others, but they weren't mine) was Smokie (named for an Ohio Highway Patrolman that pulled me over shortly after I first got her) was a natural-born sheepherd even though she'd never seen the animals before. My small flock got out of their pen one day and I took her out with me to try to get the beasties back in - all I had to do was point and Smokie put those damned sheep right back in the pen as natural as if she'd been doing it her whole life (and that was the first time she'd ever even seen them in real life).
My current dog (Shadow) is the same breed (half-Huskie/half-German Shepherd) and he's also smart as a tack. In the car in which he frequently rides, he's on guard duty, but outside of it he's everybody's friend. He can jump like a deer (well over 5 ft from a sitting position), but will not attempt to clear a 2-1/2 ft kiddie-gate if he's not given permission to do so. He hates cats though and kills them on sight if he can (and ignores my commands not to) - stubborn bastard in that regard...nevertheless, he knows my moods and knows when I need him and he's always there - another reason for his name since he's been that way since he was 12 weeks old (always by my side).
MEN who cannot have sex are as much at risk of having a heart attack as smokers and diabetics.
Erectile dysfunction may be a sign that coronary artery disease is developing, even in men without the typical risk factors.
Researchers said the findings were alarming because almost 70 per cent of men suffering problems with erections do not seek medical advice. They said erectile dysfunction should be added to the list of risk factors for heart disease alongside high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and smoking.
"Erectile dysfunction should be part of a cardiovascular risk assessment," said Emilio Chiurlia, a researcher from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy, who conducted the study.
The researchers studied 70 men with erectile dysfunction and 73 control subjects who had similar coronary risk factors.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology today found arteries in the penis are affected by the build-up of plaque before the larger coronary arteries. Therefore erectile dysfunction may be symptomatic before a coronary event. About 40 per cent of men in their 40s, and 50 per cent of men in their 50s will suffer some form of erectile dysfunction.
Posted by: God Save The World AKA Oztralian ||
10/27/2005 00:00 ||
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CAPTAIN Cook's status as the first European surfing enthusiast has been recognised by the arrival of a centuries-old surfboard at his museum in Britain.
A surfboard, said to be the world's oldest, measuring 4.2m and weighing 67kg, has been transported from Hawaii to be displayed in the UK.
The man who discovered Australia was known to have been captivated by surfing, describing the sport as "the most supreme pleasure" after first witnessing it in the Pacific in 1777.
Posted by: God Save The World AKA Oztralian ||
10/27/2005 00:00 ||
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rip it dude
Posted by: bk ||
10/27/2005 12:06 Comments ||
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Didn't he also discover inadvisability of posing as the Hawaiian god Lono?
#3
He didn't discover Australia- there was maybe a million people there when he showed up in 1770. Nor was he the first European.
A great navigator and explorer, one of the very best, but get the facts right, people.
Hmmm...Interesting...
WASHINGTON - Cuba has unexpectedly agreed to a quiet U.S. offer of emergency aid following Hurricane Wilma, and three Americans will travel to Cuba to assess needs there, the State Department said Thursday.
Washington has routinely offered humanitarian relief for hurricanes and other disasters in Cuba, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro himself has routinely turned the offers down. After Hurricane Dennis pummeled the island in July, Castro expressed gratitude for Washington's offer of $50,000 in aid but rejected it.
"This was the first time they have accepted an offer of assistance," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, at least based on the "collective memory" of diplomats at the department. The display of U.S.-Cuban cooperation was not expected to produce any easing in the long-standing hostility between the two countries. Nah. That'd put a crimp in El Jefe's act.
Washington sent a diplomatic note to Cuban officials on Tuesday, a day after day the storm pounded the island nation, offering to send emergency supplies. Cuba accepted the offer Wednesday, McCormack said.
The State Department did not specify what supplies might be sent, but humanitarian assistance generally covers food, medicine, related supplies or emergency housing.
A three-person team from the U.S. Agency for International Development is making travel arrangements now, McCormack said. Additional aid offers would be based on what that team found, and all aid would go to Cuba indirectly, through aid groups, McCormack said. Think this will be publicized to the Cubans?
Standard leftist playbook. Drive out or destroy any means of cooperation or organization other than The State.
The Mormon Church, citing difficulties with the government of President For Life Hugo Chavez in renewing visas or obtaining new ones, said Wednesday it is pulling its foreign missionaries out of Venezuela and reassigning them to other countries. The decision comes nearly two months after the government said it was temporarily suspending the granting of visas for foreign missionaries and two weeks after Chavez said he was booting U.S.-based New Tribes Mission from the country, accusing it of links to the CIA.
The U.S. Embassy said 219 American Mormon missionaries left the country over the weekend. Spaniards and Colombians where also among those who left, said Vivian Angulo, a church spokeswoman in Caracas. She said there were few foreign missionaries, if any, left in Venezuela. "The visa situation is one reason they are leaving," Angulo said. "It's also due to the rotation of foreign missionaries who have finished their work here and will be replaced by Venezuelans."
But U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield told local Union Radio on Tuesday that the security factors also contributed to the church's decision. "The security situation is complicated," Brownfield said, without elaborating. "I'm sorry they are leaving," Brownfield told Union Radio. "I think it's important to have that kind of people-to-people contact."
However, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not cite security among its reasons for leaving. Angulo said some of the missionaries who left returned to Canada and the United States, while others transferred to other Spanish-speaking countries.
She said there had been about 500 missionaries in the country - including both foreigners and Venezuelans - before the departures.
The Mormon Church said in a statement that it has "experienced difficulties over the past few months in renewing visas and obtaining new visas for U.S. missionaries in Venezuela."
New Tribes, based in Sanford, Fla., denied it has links to the CIA and said it hopes to resolve its status in Venezuela. Brownfield also said he hopes "the differences can be resolved through dialogue." Chavez has said New Tribes missionaries working with Indian groups were gathering "strategic information" on mineral resources. The group's representatives denied it. The expulsion of New Tribes missionaries has raised tensions between some church groups and Chavez's "revolutionary" government, which is closely allied with Cuba and is frequently critical of the United States. But Angulo said Mormon missionaries were not leaving due to conflicts with Chavez's government. "It doesn't have anything to do with politics, or what the president has said recently," she said.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established its first official congregation in Venezuela in 1966. Its members - estimated at more than 128,800 in Venezuela - have been involved in efforts to improve living condition for Venezuela's poor majority while preaching to the people. "The things we do to help - such as literacy programs to help inmates at local prisons learn to read and sending medicine to mothers with newborn babies - will not be affected by the visa situation," Angulo said. "We will continue doing God's work."
ROME has banned goldfish bowls, which animal rights activists said are cruel, and has made regular dog walking mandatory, the city council said.
Under a new by-law, round fish bowls were banned along with fish and other creatures being given away for fairground prizes.
The moves came after a national law was passed to allow jail sentences for people who abandon cats or dogs.
"It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," said Monica Cirinna, the councillor behind the by-law.
"The civilisation of a city can also be measured by this," she told Rome's Il Messaggero newspaper.
The newspaper reported round bowls caused fish to go blind. No one at Rome council was available to confirm this was why they were banned however, many experts said round bowls provided insufficient oxygen for fish.
In July 2004, parliament passed a law setting big fines and jail terms for people who abandoned pets.
Since then local governments have added their own animal welfare rules, many of which will be difficult to police.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to fine pet owners up to 500 euro ($821.69) if they did not walk their dogs at least three times a week.
The new Rome by-law required owners to regularly exercise their dogs and banned them from docking their pets' tails for aesthetic reasons.
It also provided legal recognition for cat lovers who provided food for the colonies of strays which lived everywhere from the city's ancient Roman ruins to modern office car parks.
Animal rights groups estimated about 150,000 pet dogs and 200,000 cats were abandoned in Italy every year.
Posted by: God Save The World AKA Oztralian ||
10/27/2005 00:00 ||
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For years I had a little Siamese Fighting Fish in one of those bowls. Don't think he ever went blind - would come to the surface looking for food whenever I walked near.
#5
Another example of nanny-state over-legislation and reduction of personal freedom. Such lawmakers should be drawn and quartered, then cremated and flushed down the nearest john. This person is a prime candidate for the European Union Assembly, which revels in passing such stupidity and calling it "democracy". Hang 'em all!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/27/2005 17:07 Comments ||
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She does scare the poop out of the Euroweenies like Chirac and Schroeder, so USA Today folks were actually being jerks in that they agreed with the weaseliferous ones...
Teachers should forego traditional classroom Halloween celebrations because they are disrespectful of Wiccans and may cause some children to feel excluded, says a Toronto District School Board memo sent to principals and teachers this week.
"Many recently arrived students in our schools share absolutely none of the background cultural knowledge that is necessary to view 'trick or treating,' the commercialization of death, the Christian sexist demonization of pagan religious beliefs, as 'fun,' " says the memo.
Entitled "Halloween at TDSB Schools: Scarrrrrry Stufff," the document seeks to clarify for teachers and principals the extent to which Halloween activities should be pursued in multicultural settings. In the past, the unsigned memo laments, schools have received "mixed messages" from the board regarding Halloween.
School board officials could not be reached for comment last night.
Citing calls by concerned principals and parents on the subject, the memo aims to make classroom Halloween celebrations consistent with the board's "equitable schools policies" and warns that "some students and their parents/ guardians might experience their first Halloween not as a 'strange surprise,' but a 'traumatic shock.' "
The memo goes on to remind teachers that, "Halloween is a religious day of significance for Wiccans and therefore should be treated respectfully."
For other students, "food products that are marketed heavily during the Halloween period" may conflict with dietary habits that children know from home. An alternative to eating sweets in class would be to "write health warnings for all Halloween candies."
The memo also warns teachers that "some students have had first-hand traumatic experiences of violence that make talking about death, ghosts, etc. extremely alienating."
Observers yesterday suggested the school board memo is a humourless attempt to deprive children of a favourite North American tradition.
"This is unbelievable. I'm sorry I'm laughing because it's so funny to read this thing," said Doretta Wilson, executive director of the Society for Quality Education, a parents group that advocates school choice.
"I just think it's taking political correctness to a ridiculous extreme."
Reading the caution to teachers regarding Wiccan sensitivities to Halloween, Ms. Wilson remarked: "That must drive the truly religious Jewish and Islamic and Christian parents who send their children to the public school system just 'round the bend.... It's almost as if it's not politically correct to be a Christian nowadays in our country."
She added: "Are they truly a significant proportion of the public school system?"
Nicole Cooper, a first-degree priestess of the Wiccan Church of Canada's Toronto Temple, agreed. "Frankly, Wiccans are a minority -- an extreme religious minority," she said.
The Halloween celebrations of North American pop culture, she added, are "not actually threatening to my religion anymore than eggs and cute little bunnies are threatening to Easter."
Called Samhain by many Wiccans, Oct. 31 is the day the faithful celebrate the "turn of the new year," when the veil between this world and the underworld of departed souls is "at its thinnest," Ms. Cooper said.
Many Wiccans perform "dumb suppers," eating meals before spaces made empty for the dead. Some gaze into water-filled bowels for a peek at the future, a divination technique called "scrying."
But none of this, Ms. Cooper said yesterday, should persuade schools to stop the candy-eating and costume-wearing of students. Indeed, many Wiccans themselves celebrate both Samhain and the masks-and-treats version of Halloween.
"If I had children I wouldn't deprive them of that -- it's a really fun thing to do. It's engaging in the spirit of the season; it's exciting for kids," Ms. Cooper said.
Some of the possible candidates for President Bush to choose after the withdrawal of Harriet Miers' nomination:
_SAMUEL A. ALITO, 55: A strong conservative voice in his 15 years on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considered to be among the most liberal. He has been dubbed "Scalito" or "Scalia-lite" by some lawyers because his judicial philosophy invites comparisons to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Don't know much about him.
_EMILIO GARZA, 58: Sits on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was considered for a Supreme Court seat by the first President Bush. He has become best known for his views that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that abortion regulation should be decided by state legislatures.Right aanswer, but a lot of Dems wil be steamy about states rights, as usual.
_ALBERTO GONZALES, 50: U.S. attorney general and former White House counsel. Critics contend a memo he wrote on treatment of terrorism detainees helped lead to abuses like those seen at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Conservatives have urged Bush not to nominate him. May be likely to go there - not much change from O'Connor
_EDITH HOLLAN JONES, 55: Has served on the 5th Circuit since 1985. The first President Bush considered Jones for a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 1990, but nominated David H. Souter. 41 was hampered by a Dem senate. Interesting choice. Remember she was annoyed at what she saw as a frivilous appeal, because it delayed her getting to her son's little league game. Whineboxes my claim that is poor judicial temperment. No, that is just a no BS attitude.
_J. MICHAEL LUTTIG, 51: Worked in the Justice Department during the administration of the first President Bush and has served on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. He was a law clerk to the late Chief Justice Warren Burger from 1983-84. Hugh Hewitt's apparent favorite. I usually like Hugh, but, considering he hung on to the bitter end on Miers, I am skeptical.
_MICHAEL McCONNELL, 50: A judge on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He enjoys bipartisan support in the academic community. Based on his reading of the law, he opposed President Clinton's impeachment and the Supreme Court's 2000 ruling in Bush v. Gore that made George W. Bush president.On that basis, W wont pick him
_THEODORE B. OLSON, 64: Was solicitor general, the president's top Supreme Court lawyer. He argued the Supreme Court case that gave Bush the victory in the 2000 presidential election. His wife, Barbara, a conservative commentator, was killed when terrorists crashed a jet into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Good guy but too old.
_LARRY D. THOMPSON, 59: Was deputy attorney general during Bush's first term, making Thompson the federal government's highest-ranking black law enforcement official. Thompson is a longtime friend of Clarence Thomas who sat next to Thomas more than a decade ago during contentious Senate hearings on Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court. Above speaks well of him - a possibility.
_J. HARVIE WILKINSON III, 60: Also on the 4th Circuit. He has been consistently conservative in his rulings since being put on the court by Reagan in 1984. Wilkinson wrote the majority 4th Circuit opinion in 1996 upholding the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays serving in the military from revealing their sexual orientation. Don't know much about him.
_PRISCILLA OWEN, 50: Owen was confirmed in May for a seat on the 5th Circuit after a drawn-out Senate battle. Democrats argued that Owen let her political beliefs to color her rulings. They were particularly critical of her decisions in abortion cases involving teenagers. Same old Dem whinboxing
_MIGUEL ESTRADA, 44: President Bush nominated Estrada, a conservative Hispanic lawyer, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during his first term, but the nomination was thwarted by Senate Democrats who said Estrada lacked the judicial experience to serve and didn't make clear his views on abortion. Heard good stuff on Estrada, probably a good choice.
_EDITH BROWN CLEMENT, 57: On the 5th Circuit since 2001, Clement is known as a no-nonsense judge with a reputation for being tough on crime and meting out stiff sentences. Her 99-0 Senate confirmation vote to the circuit court in November 2001 suggests she has broad appeal. She was touted as a top possibility for the vacancy to which Roberts was nominated. Good choice, and from Louisiana, which may get her some deference, though that really shouldn't be considered re: SCOTUS
_JANICE ROGERS BROWN, 56: Newly confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after a bitter Senate battle and filibuster, Brown is an outspoken black Christian conservative who supports limits on abortion rights and corporate liability. Overall my favorite, though I am not strongly anti-abortion. W could put a lot of Demo family jewels in a vice by nominating her.
_ALICE BATCHELDER, 61: A judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Batchelder has been a reliable conservative vote on abortion, affirmative action and gun control. Bush's father appointed the former high school English teacher to the court with jurisdiction over Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Don't know much about her
_KAREN WILLIAMS, 54: A former trial lawyer, Williams is known as one of the most conservative judges on the nation's most conservative federal appeals court, the Richmond-based 4th Circuit. In 1999, Williams wrote the 4th Circuit opinion that would have paved the way for overturning the landmark 1966 decision in Miranda that outlines the rights read to criminal suspects. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 to let it stand. I like this. Miranda is inane in many ways. Scuzzballs have gotten off because of technicalities. Not a bad choice.
_MAURA CORRIGAN, 57: The Michigan Supreme Court justice is a walking billboard for the conservative mantra of judicial restraint â the notion that judges should stick to interpreting the law and not making it. Her resume includes a number of firsts, among them: first woman to serve as chief assistant U.S. attorney in Detroit, first woman to serve as chief judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals. Sounds good. Don't know much about her.
_MAUREEN MAHONEY, 50: Often described as the female version of Chief Justice John Roberts, Mahoney, a lawyer in private practice, clerked for the late Justice William Rehnquist, served as deputy solicitor general under Kenneth Starr and has argued cases before the Supreme Court. Mahoney might upset conservatives with one of her major court wins, the landmark University of Michigan Law School case defending affirmative action.Bad idea
#5
EDITH HOLLAN JONES, 55: Has served on the 5th Circuit since 1985. The first President Bush considered Jones for a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 1990, but nominated David H. Souter.
Today, I have reluctantly accepted Harriet Miers' decision to withdraw her nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States.
I nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court because of her extraordinary legal experience, her character, and her conservative judicial philosophy. Throughout her career, she has gained the respect and admiration of her fellow attorneys. She has earned a reputation for fairness and total integrity. She has been a leader and a pioneer in the American legal profession. She has worked in important positions in state and local government and in the bar. And for the last five years, she has served with distinction and honor in critical positions in the Executive Branch.
I understand and share her concern, however, about the current state of the Supreme Court confirmation process. It is clear that Senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House -- disclosures that would undermine a President's ability to receive candid counsel. Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the Constitutional separation of powers -- and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her.
I am grateful for Harriet Miers' friendship and devotion to our country. And I am honored that she will continue to serve our Nation as White House Counsel.
My responsibility to fill this vacancy remains. I will do so in a timely manner.
Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of stiff opposition and mounting criticism about her qualifications. President Bush said he reluctantly accepted her decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down. He blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege.
"It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House _ disclosures that would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel," Bush said. "Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers _ and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her."
Miers' surprise withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting news on another front _ the possible indictment of senior White House aides in the CIA leak case. Fox reporting prosecutor sez no announcement today
Miers told the president she was withdrawing at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. In her letter dated Thursday, Miers said she was concerned that the confirmation process "would create a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country." She noted that members of the Senate had indicated their intention to seek documents about her service in the White House in order to judge whether to support her nomination to the Supreme Court. "I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy," she wrote.
"While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue."
Posted by: Steve ||
10/27/2005 09:03 ||
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#2
I found the Miers nomination rather curious. She did not really seem like a viable candidate from many perspectives. Makes me wonder if there was something else behind it. A compliment to a faithful friend? A smokescreen for another nominee? Deeply laid Rovian plots?
#4
Krauthammer laid this path out - wiser minds took it. Good. Now nominate Rogers Brown or Luttig
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/27/2005 10:01 Comments ||
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#5
What makes you think any of them would want to be nominated, after watching Roberts get his adoption records looked at by the Press and Miers get attacked by her own side?
Posted by: Phil ||
10/27/2005 10:15 Comments ||
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#7
I knew she was dead when the Powerline guys, who made it clear that they would be happy should she withdraw, started defending her against unfair accusations. It's always bad news when the people who don't like you feel it necessary to jump to your defense.
#8
So, who are you going to get. The Senate Republicans which are dependent upon RINOs have shown no stomach for a fight, so I can't see any of the much promoted names getting a floor vote, now that the 'base' has wounded their president. The RINOs aren't going to risk their seats for the man. As you sow, so shall ye reap. Better stealth than none at all. Now you'll get none.
And the pity is that the whole point of Miers was her exposure to the challenges of fighting the war on terror. Shortsighted to have killed the possibility of that on the court, folks. See today's note about Padilla etc.
#10
Two words - "Justice Coulter". (J.D. Univ. Mich., editor "The Michigan Law Review", corp. lawyer, founder local chapter Federalist Society, track record as a rock solid conservative, and capable of making Senate Dems cry like babies at her nomination hearings).
#11
I'm sure she'll piss off half the Republicans as well, and each half of the Republican party that helped kill the Miers nomination thinks they're solely responsible.
(Many of the arguments pitted against Miers count just as much against Coulter... she hasn't been a judge or a professor, for instance... and has much less of a record as far as actually practicing LAW instead of being a run-your-mouth-off on TV-news pundit. Bah, humbug.)
Posted by: Phil ||
10/27/2005 12:54 Comments ||
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#12
I wonder if Coulter would be the first Justice to pose in their annual picture wearing a mini-robe.
#16
disgree politely. Rogers-Brown or Luttig or several others could and would pass the test, albeit a nasty one. The Dems have guaranteed that anyone right of Bader Ginsburg is unacceptable, sobeit. Time to take the fighton and quit pussyfooting. Nominate a great justice and take a cattle prod to the RINOs
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/27/2005 16:15 Comments ||
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#17
I would love to see it, Frank. And I mean love it. The Senate Pubs are the worst handled bunch of prima donnas I've ever seen. There are some great ones, but there sure is a sizable contingent of gutless turds, too. Frist is totally ineffective.
At this point, I guess they having nothing to lose. If they don't, the next three yrs will be wasted.
#18
Frank, if the conservatives are unwilling to fall on their sword for their president why the hell should a RINO fall on his for one of the named lawyers or judges they want? A RINO looking after his own seat and power isn't going to worry about the power of the president now that his own faction has wounded that same man. Any threats to their position in the Senate would only give the RINOs more negotiating power with the Dems. And its all about power. The Republican cattle prod is out of juice.
#19
I think all of you are wrong. I believe Harriet Miers was a stalking horse, used by Bush to discover who his friends and enemies were. The chattering of all classes has proven beyond a doubt that there are many "conservative" members of both parties that wear the mantle, but don't walk the walk. I'm sure Rove has been busy digging dirt on all the whiners and complainers. When Bush nominates someone like Luttig or Batchelder (the choice of the folks at the Ashbrook Institute), the president will have all the ammunition he needs to see he gets his choice. Bush is a poker player, and is supposedly deadly at Texas Hold-em. I think he just bluffed, and won.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/27/2005 17:24 Comments ||
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#20
Close. When the senate votes down the next candidate and the nuclear option fails, Bush will be able to tell the conservatives to STFU when hes sends up daughter of Harriet.
#21
The problem with the poker analysis if conservatives had to have antied up. Some did, and lost. Those that didn't want what they want but, they refused, and rightfully so, to go along with the game.
Now, Bush hopefully realizes when conservatvies mean conservatvies for the bench, they are serious.
This is more of a signal that conservative support is dependant on Bush respecting conservatives and their agenda. Playing to the left won't get your man ( or woman ) confirmed.
#22
I'll miss seeing her eye make-up, that thick black line of eye liner really made her a sight to see. Ma-scary-ia
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/27/2005 19:03 Comments ||
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#23
What I care about in this is the ability of presidents to fight terrorism and all of the related hostilities that will be coming down the pike for the next decade+.
Yes, SCOTUS matters a lot. Kelo was a disaster as are other recent rulings - not to mention the invocation of international law.
But be very careful how you fight this battle you all want to fight. Bush has been playing along with the RINOs because he has been getting, by and large, what he has asked for on the WOT.
#24
Frank, if the conservatives are unwilling to fall on their sword for their president why the hell should a RINO fall on his for one of the named lawyers or judges they want?
Conservatives have fallen on their sword a number of times (The President's failure to veto spending bills, support of RINOs like Specter, etc.). Guess the Supreme court pick is the line in the sand.
All US passports will be implanted with remotely readable computer chips starting in October 2006, the Bush administration has announced. Man am I glad I already have my passport
Sweeping new State Department regulations issued on Tuesday say passports issued after that time will have tiny RFID chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitised photograph of the passport holder. Yeah right, name rank and serial number is all Eventually, the government contemplates adding additional digitised data such as "fingerprints or iris scans".
Over the last year, opposition to the idea of implanting RFID chips in passports has grown amidst worries that identity thieves could snatch personal information out of the air simply by aiming a high-powered antenna at a person or a vehicle carrying a passport. Out of the 2,335 comments on the plan that were received by the State Department this year, 98.5 per cent were negative. The objections mostly focused on security and privacy concerns. So this is why we're proceeding with this, because 98% oppose it
But the Bush administration chose to go ahead with embedding 64KB chips in future passports, citing a desire to abide by "globally interoperable" standards devised by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. Other nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, have announced similar plans.
In regulations published on Tuesday, the State Department claims it has addressed privacy concerns. The chipped passports "will not permit 'tracking' of individuals", the department said. "It will only permit governmental authorities to know that an individual has arrived at a port of entry - which governmental authorities already know from presentation of non-electronic passports - with greater assurance that the person who presents the passport is the legitimate holder of the passport."
To address citizens' concerns about ID theft, the Bush administration said the new passports will be outfitted with "anti-skimming material" in the front cover to "mitigate" the threat of the information being surreptitiously scanned from afar. It's not clear, though, how well the technique will work against high-powered readers that have been demonstrated to read RFID chips from about 160 feet away.
A State Department official, who did not wish to be identified by name, I wonder why said on Tuesday: "The shielding in the passport is a physical device that basically, when the passport cover is closed, it's very difficult to read the chip." The official was unable to provide details about the material's composition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has been working to evaluate the chip's vulnerability to skimming, was unable to provide further information on Tuesday.
I know we need some type of ID, but I don't think this is it, what are your thoughts
For the whole article:
http://networks.silicon.com/lans/0,39024663,39153665,00.htm
Posted by: Jan ||
10/27/2005 00:29 ||
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#1
I think the idea has merit, it will immediately eliminate pasport forging.
I don't think most forgers have the means to make and forge the info to the chips. Rewriting the chips will probably be impossible.
The whole idea seems to prevent forgeries, Good.
Make it hard enough that only a Government has the resources, and forgery will stop.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/27/2005 8:23 Comments ||
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#2
Well, it wouldn't be THAT hard. RFID is already used at all levels of the supply chain. Putting one in a passport shouldn't be a problem.
#3
It's a good idea. It eliminates passport forging and makes stealing/selling of passports worthless. What do I care if my birthday and photo are encrypted in a chip. It's already printed in the passport. One downside, if this is implemented in Europe, how will the penniless Bangkok Eurotrash make quick cash?
Posted by: ed ||
10/27/2005 8:55 Comments ||
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embedding 64KB chips in future passports
I'm naming my passport "Commodore". Will we be able to plug them into our GameBoys?
There won't be any liquor-swilling God-denyers on the Iranian silver screen any time soon. Drug takers, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists are out, too. That's what a committee of Islamic clerics, led by new hard-line President Ahmadinejad, ruled earlier this week when it banned foreign films. The clerics singled out in the ban elements of Western culture that were judged as affronts to the government's vision of Iran's Muslim culture. With the decision, Iranians felt one of the first cultural reversals of the opening to the outside world they enjoyed under their former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
And the ban, designed to wipe out what clerics call "corrupt Western culture," is not going down well with many in Iran. Rest at the link...
It has taken more than 70 bankrupt companies and a clogged legal system for prosecutors to see that the asbestos and silicosis lawsuit machines are a racket, but better late than never. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has now convened a grand jury, and documents we've reviewed that are part of that probe are eye-popping.
A key figure is George Martindale, a doctor who in a Texas case had repudiated thousands of silicosis and asbestos diagnoses. New York prosecutors took an interest, and Dr. Martindale was subpoenaed in April. The documents he provided to the grand jury offer a tantalizing window on asbestos/silicosis litigation.
First, some medical background: In order to get an asbestosis or silicosis "diagnosis" (and thus be eligible to sue), a claimant must see a qualified doctor who establishes exposure to silica or asbestos, conducts a physical exam and pulmonary tests, and examines an X-ray. A second doctor, known as a B-reader, will sometimes also look at the X-ray as a check of that part of the evidence. The second reader does not provide an actual diagnosis.
According to Dr. Martindale, he had thought he was merely a B-reader. He says he was told by the screening company that hired him, N&M, that a doctor named Ray Harron (more on him later) had done all the hard work and that he would simply provide the second X-ray opinion. When Dr. Martindale started his job, he says he wrote his own conclusions. But not long thereafter, N&M asked him to sign a form-paragraph that included the words "the diagnosis of silicosis." Dr. Martindale says he believed this wording simply meant that he was agreeing with Dr. Harron's original X-ray findings, not providing a diagnosis.
Only later in October 2004, says Dr. Martindale, did he discover that plaintiffs' attorneys had listed him as the "diagnosing physician" in their asbestos and silicosis lawsuits. He learned this when he was asked by an asbestos defense attorney to submit to a deposition. Soon after, he received a call from Billy H. Davis, Jr., a plaintiff attorney in the Texas office of Campbell, Cherry, which had filed suits based on Dr. Martindale's work.
Dr. Martindale recounts this conversation in a later letter to Mr. Davis, a copy of which has landed with the feds:
"I was soon contacted by you [Mr. Davis]. You said you wanted to retain me as an expert witness before the deposition. I declined. During this conversation, I learned that you had cited me as the diagnosing physician in certain silicosis cases. I told you that I personally had made no diagnoses, that I had not examined any of the patients, and that I had only determined whether the readings were consistent with the disease previously diagnosed. Your response was 'I certainly would hate to hear you say that at your deposition.'"
That's our emphasis, but wow. It sure sounds like coaching a witness not to blow the whistle on phony illness claims. It's true that, having been dragged into this investigation, Dr. Martindale has every incentive to suggest he was duped by lawyers and N&M. He profited handsomely from his alliance, raking in more than a quarter-million dollars from 2001 to 2002 for having looked at some 7,500 X-rays.
Yet assuming he's telling the truth, his testimony is illuminating. It raises the possibility that N&M provided legal language that allowed lawyers to claim that Dr. Martindale had provided them with diagnoses, even though that is not what Dr. Martindale had done. Why bother to do this? Well, one reason may have been that Dr. Harron had already submitted more than 50,000 asbestos diagnoses, and defendant companies were eyeing him suspiciously. Moreover, it might have raised alarms if Dr. Harron had provided both silicosis and asbestosis diagnoses for the same patients -- a little too legally convenient, not to mention medically rare.
As for the plaintiff lawyers, Dr. Martindale's correspondence with Mr. Davis shows the attorney knew nearly a year ago that Dr. Martindale did not intend to stand by the supposed "diagnoses." Yet it is not clear that Mr. Davis has withdrawn any of his asbestos suits. We called Mr. Davis and a representative for N&M but were unable to reach them at deadline yesterday.
This is only one part of what looks to be an extensive Justice Department probe of asbestos and silicosis suits. The subpoena reveals that the grand jury was convened to examine the serious charges of conspiracy and fraud. Separate court records we've reviewed show that New York prosecutors have also met with representatives of G-I Holdings, an asbestos-plagued company that took the rare step of countersuing plaintiff attorneys -- alleging everything from fraud to tampering with documents.
All of this is showing that the coterie of doctors, lawyers and screening companies behind the silicosis suits were also behind the bigger asbestos mess. Companies such as N&M helped generate X-rays for big asbestos law firms. And the Manville Trust, which has fielded nearly 700,000 asbestos claims, has found that a mere 15 doctors in the country were responsible for nearly 30% of its claimants. Dr. Harron is at the top of list.
To the extent that prosecutors are beginning to sort out how these folks conducted their "business," they are helping to police the courts of phony suits and throwing a light on what could turn out to be one of the biggest legal scams in U.S. history. We hope they keep digging.
#1
My fantasy: The trial lawyers behind this destructive war on corporate America are convicted of fraud and are forced to give back all their ill-gotten gains to the stockholders of the bankrupt companies, and the not-yet bankrupt companies, thereby de-funding the main source of Democrat Party revenue.
Posted by: jolly roger ||
10/27/2005 9:50 Comments ||
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#2
Same for the $billions lawyers extorted in cigarette litigation.
Posted by: ed ||
10/27/2005 9:58 Comments ||
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#3
loss of license as well - they have no other employable skills outside ring-toss at the Carny
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/27/2005 10:11 Comments ||
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#4
The taxpayers of Maryland would throw a ginormous party if we could be rid of Asbestos King and baseball owner Peter Angelos...
QUETTA: The Taftan Levies have arrested 104 Pakistani nationals trying to enter Iran without valid documents. They wanted to travel to Europe via Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/27/2005 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.
A model wearing a chicken mask presents a creation from the spring-summer 2006 collection of the Russian designer Alena Akhmadulina during the fashion week in Moscow.
Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of stiff opposition and mounting criticism about her qualifications. President Bush said he reluctantly accepted her decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down. He blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege. 
There won't be any liquor-swilling God-denyers on the Iranian silver screen any time soon. Drug takers, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists are out, too. That's what a committee of Islamic clerics, led by new hard-line President Ahmadinejad, ruled earlier this week when it banned foreign films. The clerics singled out in the ban elements of Western culture that were judged as affronts to the government's vision of Iran's Muslim culture. With the decision, Iranians felt one of the first cultural reversals of the opening to the outside world they enjoyed under their former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
