A nice counterpoint to the hysteria that will surely accompany the upcoming release of the newest IPCC report, which will probably say "We're doomed! Doomed, I say! (Unless, of course, you let us seize your economies and cripple them.)"
Two powerful new books say todays global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery, was released just before Christmas. The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March.
Singer and Avery note that most of the earths recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earths last million years. The evidence ranges from ancient Nile flood records, Chinese court documents and Roman wine grapes to modern spectral analysis of polar ice cores, deep seabed sediments, and layered cave stalagmites.
Unstoppable Global Warming shows the earths temperatures following variations in solar intensity through centuries of sunspot records, and finds cycles of sun-linked isotopes in ice and tree rings. This has been my Dad's theory for years (he's a retired telecom engineer). Sunspot activity has cycles within cycles -- more cycles than just the 11-year cycle that everybody is aware of. It's not like the sun stopped having regular cycles when humans started emitting CO2.
The book cites the work of Svensmark, who says cosmic rays vary the earths temperatures by creating more or fewer of the low, wet clouds that cool the earth. It notes that global climate models cant accurately register cloud effects. There's a lot that the current models can't account for. Garbage in, garbage out. The Chilling Stars relates how Svensmarks team mimicked the chemistry of earths atmosphere, by putting realistic mixtures of atmospheric gases into a large reaction chamber, with ultraviolet light as a stand-in for the sun. When they turned on the UV, microscopic dropletscloud seedsstarted floating through the chamber.
We were amazed by the speed and efficiency with which the electrons [generated by cosmic rays] do their work of creating the building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei, says Svensmark.
The Chilling Stars documents how cosmic rays amplify small changes in the suns irradiance fourfold, creating 1-2 degree C cycles in earths temperatures: Cosmic rays continually slam into the earths atmosphere from outer space, creating ion clusters that become seeds for small droplets of water and sulfuric acid. The droplets then form the low, wet clouds that reflect solar energy back into space. When the sun is more active, it shields the earth from some of the rays, clouds wane, and the planet warms. Lies! All lies! And they're in the pay of ExxonMobil! And the Bavarian Illluminati! /Gorebots. Unstoppable Global Warming documents the reality of a moderate, natural, 1500-year climate cycle on the earth. The Chilling Stars explains the why and how. It's only a matter of time before these guys find that their funding has dried up.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
01/30/2007 11:08 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Two New Books Confirm Global Warming Is Natural
Has Olympia Snowe (R-Ino) threatened the publishers yet?
#2
It notes that global climate models cant accurately register cloud effects.
The models were made for long (long in weather terms, 20daysish) term forecasting. The fact that "researchers" are using them for century long studies is ridiculous and laughable and dangerous. The data coming out is only as good and the data that went into the programming. We really don't have much of an idea on how upper atmospheric weather works. Combine that with solar cycles, unpredictable El Nino effects, butterfly farts, etc. and we have a very limited and flawed view of the planet's weather. Thus, the very limited and flawed data coming out of the computer models.
Sad that this has been hijacked by the anti-capitalist forces to try another way to make their view of the world forced on everybody else. Kinda like, "Its for the Children" mantra of others.
#5
"The models were made for long (long in weather terms, 20daysish) term forecasting. The fact that "researchers" are using them for century long studies is ridiculous and laughable and dangerous. The data coming out is only as good and the data that went into the programming. We really don't have much of an idea on how upper atmospheric weather works. Combine that with solar cycles, unpredictable El Nino effects, butterfly farts, etc. and we have a very limited and flawed view of the planet's weather. Thus, the very limited and flawed data coming out of the computer models. "
We dont have perfect info, so lets chance a catastrophe. I sure hope youre not making policy on Iranian nukes.
#6
So you are saying you would rather listen to a bunch of people with the sole interest in crippling America's economy without any evidence that humans are responsible?
And who the hell are you listening to about Iran's nukes? The IAEA? Sounds like you are getting bum information from two questionable sources.
KUWAIT - A Kuwaiti newspaper plans to appeal against a three-day ban imposed by a court for publishing an indecent photo of one of Saddam Husseins granddaughters in a swimsuit, a sister publication reported on Monday. Kuwaits edition of the Lebanese Daily Star said Al Watan, one of the countrys largest Arabic dailies, will challenge the ban and 3,000 dinar ($10,000) fine imposed on its publisher for the July 3, 2006 photo.
Saturdays court ruling came after a Kuwaiti citizen filed a suit accusing the newspaper of publishing indecent photos of the young woman who is the daughter of Raghad Hussein. The picture showed the young woman in a swimsuit with a Lebanese male celebrity in the Qatari capital Doha.
Still in mourning for grand-dad, eh?
Al Watan had argued it had concealed parts of the body that may be deemed as violating modesty laws in the conservative Gulf Arab state.
Sammy's g-daughter showing some skin in Doha?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Rantburg, you are in trouble in muzzie land with the tastefully done "Good Morning" photos that Fred has studiously posted for our edification every morning. Thanks Fred.
#4
Somehow it seems to me that some people are more interested in shouting their piety from the rooftops than anything else. I'm sure God will send them to the highest level of heaven for this.
If you are very still, you can hear them revving up the frozen drink machines in Dade County....
With Fidel Castro seriously ill, the city of Miami is making plans to throw a party at a local football stadium when the Cuban president dies, complete with themed T-shirts. Forget the t-shirts, guys.....merchandising and licensing is where it's at.....
The city commission earlier this month appointed a committee whose official job is to "Discuss an event at the Orange Bowl in case expected events occur in Cuba" to plan the party. Such a gathering has long been part of the city's Castro death plan, but the specifics have become more urgent since Castro became ill last summer and turned over power to his brother, Raul.
The Orange Bowl was the site of a speech by President Kennedy in 1961 promising a free Cuba, and in the 1980s it served as a camp for refugees from the Mariel boatlift from Cuba.
"(Castro) represents everything bad that has happened to the people of Cuba for 48 years," City Commissioner Tomas Regalado, a Cuban American who came up with the idea, told The Miami Herald newspaper. "There is something to celebrate, regardless of what happens next ... We get rid of the guy."
"Basically, the only thing we're trying to do is have a venue, a giant venue ready for people, if they wish, to dance the night away to speak to the media, to show their emotions. It's not that we're doing an official death party," Regalado said Monday.
The plans have been criticized on local Spanish-language radio, as many people would prefer to celebrate on the streets of the Little Havana neighborhood. "This is not a mandatory site," Regalado said of the Orange Bowl. "Just a place for people to gather."
Ramon Saul Sanchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement organization, worries about how the party would be perceived by those outside the Cuban exile community. Yes. Like the ever-so-supportive Hollyweird community.
Even when Castro dies, his communist government will still be in place, he said. "Although everybody will be very happy that the dictator cannot continue to oppress us himself, I think everybody is still very sad because there are still prisons full of prisoners, many people executed, and families divided," Sanchez said. I don't think ol' Ray-Ray got his expected engraved invitation. No wonder he's a wet blanket.
At the committee's first meeting last week, former state Representative Luis Morse stressed the need for an uplifting theme for the party one not preoccupied with Castro's passing. "I was thinking something like, Last One Outta the Port of Miami is a Rotten Egg! What do you guys think?"
The committee discussed including such a theme on T-shirts for the event. Ok, 'Burgers.....you guys have to have some killer ideas for these guys....
UNITED NATIONS - UN peacekeepers in Haiti will keep uppressure on violent gangs in Port-au-Prince, the UN special representative for Haiti said Monday. Speaking in the wake of several clashes between peacekeepers and armed gangs in the Haitian capital, Edmond Mulet called the UN operations very positive and said the action was designed to counter criminal, not political, violence.
Everybody in Haiti is asking us to continue, he said. The aim is to arrest these people and for them to face justice eventually, and we will continue with these actions right now.
Face justice 'eventually'? I guess that means Carla del Ponte will have a new gig ...
Mulet added: I dont think right now that the violence in Haiti is politically motivated or related. It could have been in the past."
Nope, nothing but common criminals, the lot of them ...
The representative of the UN secretary general in Haiti, Mulet said the rules of engagement for the several thousand UN-uniformed soldiers and police in the country since 2004 are very clear. We would never ever shoot at people before being shot at, he said. We only shoot at people who shoot at us.
"Assuming we're still alive after the first shot."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Hasn't this been going on long enough to get a quagmire tag?
#3
Hey, you can go to prison for a fat dog in England. Though I expect that will change once the Masters have them all put down as unclean. I don't know if Orcish scrolls say anything about being too fat.
#4
An influx of several thousand South Pacific inhabitants should help snuff out this impulse to make everyone the same, PC-approved idiot. Smoking, spanking, fat, what next?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases. Gosh whooda thunk it?
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Tuesday slammed Democrats' plans to advance the huge $463.5 billion measure through the House on Wednesday without giving Republicans or rank and file Democrats a chance to offer changes in an Appropriations Committee session or on the floor. Most lawmakers - and the public - were to get their first chances to read the budget tome Tuesday, barely a day before the House was supposed to vote it up or down. "If we're going to spend $463 billion of the taxpayers' funds, we ought to have more than an hours' worth of debate, Boehner said. "And maybe the (Democratic) majority ought to let Democrats and Republicans offer amendments." Theres that Democrat pre-election pledge of Spirit of Cooperation in action.
But Democrats such as Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin had little sympathy, saying Republicans wouldn't make tough budget choices before the election and didn't try to clean up the mess afterward in a lame duck session. Hmmm looks like all those years of pouting have made it tough for good ole Dave to conceal his vindictive side.
The bill would freeze most federal accounts at 2006 levels, though there are numerous exceptions so agencies can avoid furloughs and hiring freezes, and for a few programs favored by Democrats such as health research and education. And politically sacrosanct programs such as medical care for veterans and active-duty military personnel eat up much of an approximately $10 billion-to-$12 billion pot scraped together by staff aides by freezing other accounts. Veterans would receive $3.5 billion over last year for medical coverage, while active duty fighters and their families would benefit from a 6 percent hike. In other words: we loath the military but see we toldja in our own way we support the troops.
Also among the beneficiaries is the National Institutes of Health, which would receive a $620 million budget hike, about 2 percent. The FBI, facing hiring curbs, would get a modest $200 million increase in its $6 billion budget. The maximum Pell Grant for lower-income college students would increase by $260 to $4,310. While modest, it's the first increase since 2003. Activists pressing for big boosts to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis overseas won a $1.3 billion increase - to $4.5 billion. That's enough to fund the president's $225 million initiative to fight malaria and increase the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to $724 million. Can you say Special interest payoff?
But Bush's request for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which channels foreign aid to countries implementing economic and political reforms, appears frozen. Some of Bush's initiatives, such as a $5.5 billion request to implement a round of military base closures passed two years ago, absorbed deep cuts. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England warned lawmakers last month that shortfalls for the base closing initiative "could result in postponing scheduled redeployments from overseas stations to the United States" as well as slow the Army's moves to boost overseas deployment in smaller, more nimble fighting units. Negotiators cut $3 billion from Bush's base closing request, but may look to make up some of the shortfall in the $100 billion-plus Iraq funding bill scheduled to advance this spring. We dont need no steenkin military re-alignment not when we got our populist programs to advance! Jeeez the 2008 election is just around the corner.
It has been scientifically shown that, Rachel Carson's accusations notwithstanding, DDT is effective and does not result in the massive ecological damage that Carson said it did.
#2
"Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill."
May as well make a keyboard macro for that phrase, it's gonna be a long two years...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/30/2007 13:04 Comments ||
Top||
#3
A little background: this appears to be (though strangly, the article never mentions it) the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2007 which began Oct. 1, 2006. Uncle has been operating for 4 months on "continuing resolutions" that maintain spending levels at the prior year's level. This bill would essentially just make that policy official for the rest of the year. For many years now, Congress has not been able to pass appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, which results in a big "catch-all" bill with little discretion as to what to fund and why, but plenty of pork. More evidence of Congress blowing off their responsibilities (not that we need more evidence).
#8
While I am not in favor of the Dems ramming this through I do like the part of freezing budgets. I would also favor SHRINKING some budgets and elimniating some agencies that exists for no reason what so ever (ie Indian Affairs, Education, etc).
#9
Cyber Sarge is right. The "silver lining" to this is that the "O&M" and Salary budgets remained locked at the FY06 levels. It also (by some accounts) cuts out a LOT of pork.
The FBI, facing hiring curbs, would get a modest $200 million increase in its $6 billion budget.
That can't be right. FBI only gets $6 billion? I know it's a lot in terms of taxes, but to put it in perspective, the EPA gets $8-9 billion. Of course, a LOT of EPA's budget is "Special Appropriations" or what we call pork too.
Posted by: BA ||
01/30/2007 20:14 Comments ||
Top||
LAHORE The Pakistan Muslim League has approached its former president Mian Muhammad Azhar to dissuade him from joining the PPP. A party delegation, led by provincial secretary-general Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, called on Azhar and urged him to work for the ruling party.
Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi is also expected to meet Azhar to resolve party differences.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/30/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
Israel's first Muslim cabinet minister was sworn in by parliament on Monday after a weeks-long battle over his nomination that drew fire from far-right parties as well as Arab lawmakers. The parliamentary confirmation was expected after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet voted on Sunday to make Galeb Magadla of Israel's Labour party a minister without portfolio.
"I am certain that minister Galeb Magadla will be a place to turn to help deal with the gaps between the Arab and Jewish sectors," said Defense Minister and Labour party leader Amir Peretz.
Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population and have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens and about a paucity of government funds for their towns and villages. "The first step has been taken and this has given Israeli Arabs a feeling of belonging," Magadla told Army Radio on Sunday.
But several Muslim lawmakers spoke out against his nomination, saying Magadla would only represent his party's ideology and not the entire Arab population. Others said he was joining a government that was not interested in making peace with its Arab neighbors.
Israeli officials have denied any policy of discrimination against the country's Arab citizens, saying they enjoyed more political freedom in Israel than in anywhere in the Muslim world and had a strong representation in parliament.
Magadla was nominated by the Labour Party for a ministerial post after one of its members quit the cabinet in protest at the addition of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu faction to Olmert's coalition government in October. Israeli media said Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beitenu was the only cabinet member to vote against the appointment.
In 2001, an Israeli Druze became the first non-Jewish member of the cabinet, serving as a minister without portfolio.
#1
sounds like the media "Keith Ellison Fellatiothon Pt 2"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/30/2007 7:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
n 2001, an Israeli Druze became the first non-Jewish member of the cabinet, serving as a minister without portfolio.
Er, most neutral observers describe the Druze as Muslim. Well, more Muslim than the Alawites and more Muslim than the Mormons are Christian. What, are we taking the Wahabi line on who is and isn't Muslim these days?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/30/2007 9:21 Comments ||
Top||
#3
everybody in Israel knows its a bigger deal when a non-Druze Arab enters the cabinet. Thats a social and political reality. And I doubt many Israelis keep up on whether the Mormons are real Christians or not.
Anyway, I think its good the media is talking about this. Remind the world that Israel is a democracy, where Arabs have rights, despite the insane Jimmy Carter type propaganda.
#7
I first thought like LH *shudder* about shoving this in their faces that Israel's a mature democracy that can allow a Muslim to represent his constituents.
But, then, I realized it won't matter to the enlightened progressives. I won't hold my breath for a Joooo to be elected ANY Arab Legislature (as if any Arab nation has a Legislature, well, except Iraq, now).
Posted by: BA ||
01/30/2007 20:05 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I would imagine most of the muslim world doesn't even know that muslims have equal rights in Israel. This news certainly isn't getting to them -- their governments are censoring it.
#9
Well, since the Druze feel that the Mahdi has already come and gone, they are formally classified by most Muslim sects {whether Shia or Sunni} as heretics and blasphemers. Also, Druze believe in reincarnation {human form only}, which puts them outside the pale as far most Muslim sects are concerned.
Can wearing a face mask and regularly cleaning hands stop the spread of deadly bird flu? Students at the University of Michigan started a living experiment on Tuesday to find out.
They are using the peak of influenza season to see if simple cotton masks and little bottles of hand sanitizer will protect them.
Health experts fear the H5N1 avian influenza virus might mutate any moment and start a pandemic -- a global epidemic that could kill millions. If not H5N1, some other new virus could do the same, world health officials agree.
They also agree there is no easy way to stop one. Viruses are very difficult to treat with drugs, unlike bacteria, which can usually be stopped with antibiotics.
Antivirals exist to treat flu, but are in limited supply. Vaccines take time to make, and there is very limited capacity to produce them. So low-tech measures will be the first line of defense against any rapidly spreading new disease.
While influenza is hardly new, doctors do not fully understand or agree on how it is spread.
The virus is carried in droplets that can be coughed or sneezed, and a great deal of evidence shows it can survive in little droplets on surfaces, to be picked up with an errant finger and transferred to nose or mouth.
More than 2,000 students living in University of Michigan dormitories will wear masks and use hand sanitizer to see if they develop lower rates of influenza than students not using such protections.
The dense and intimate living conditions of college life are perfect for such an experiment, says Dr. Arnold Monto, a professor of epidemiology at the university who is leading the study. Students there share sleeping quarters, bathrooms, hallways and dining areas.
"There is some anecdotal evidence from prior pandemic outbreaks that masks may have helped, but no firm data," Monto said in a statement.
Monto's team has begun handing out 800 cases of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in small bottles for students to carry, and larger pump bottles for their rooms. They will also distribute cotton masks held on by rubber bands over the ears.
Students in one group will use hand sanitizer and wear simple cotton surgical masks. Another group will use only the masks and a third group will get no extra protections.
They will use the products as soon as influenza is detected and reported among students.
The researchers will simply watch and see if the groups get influenza and related illnesses at different rates. The U.S. flu season generally starts in October and lasts through March, peaking in February.
"It's going to be a group effort, that's for sure," said Allison Aiello, an assistant professor of epidemiology.
The H5N1 flu remains mainly a disease of birds, but it has infected 270 people since 2003 and killed 164 of them. If it begins to spread as easily from person to person as seasonal flu, there will be no stopping a pandemic, experts say.
The YAL-1A, a modified Boeing 747-400F known as the Airborne Laser, will test-fire its low-power laser in flight for the first time as part of a long-term test phase at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., according to an Air Force report.
The Airborne Laser, part of the Missile Defense Agencys Ballistic Missile Defense System, is designed to identify, track and shoot down enemy ballistic missiles shortly after they launch.
In the current test phase, which is happening throughout the next several months, the ABL will fire its two solid-state illuminator lasers at the NC-135E Big Crow test aircraft to verify the ABLs ability to track an airborne target and measure atmospheric turbulence.
Current tests follow modifications made at Boeings Wichita, Kan., facilities in 2006. The modifications on the aircraft include the installation of the beam control and fire control solid-state illuminators, as well as the addition of floor reinforcements and chemical-fuel tanks. These modifications were necessary for the integration, to be made later this year, of the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser a missile-killing, high-energy chemical laser.
The COIL is composed of six interconnected modules, each as large as a sport utility vehicle turned on end. Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds and has 3,600 separate parts. When fired through a window in the aircrafts nose turret, it produces enough energy in a 5-second burst to power a typical household for more than an hour.
#1
This should really have a headline to the effect of "US to test new version of airborne laser: more powerful, and much lighter."
They made an enormous jump in technology with the solid state laser. So good that it instantly made the current laser 747s obsolete. One of those instances where the Pentagon is entirely happy to spend the extra big bucks for an upgrade.
#2
Would this device also make a great off-shore airborne artillery piece? Imagine a massive explosion at a Pyongyang (or Tehran) electrical generating plant, triggered by one of these babies from few hundred miles away. Talk about plausible deniability.
#5
ABL still a (corrosive) chemical laser. Solid state lasers are not yet at megawatt power levels. The LADS (solid state laser on a Phalanx chassis) is only a 10kW diode laser array and work is being done on a 100kW diode laser.
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 17:06 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Cool. A 747 with frickin' laser beams on its head!
Within a year, the U.S. missile defense system should be able to guard against enemy attacks, while testing new technologies, the deputy director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Monday.
The United States activated the ground-based system last summer when North Korea launched one long-range and six short-range missiles. North Korea's intercontinental Taepodong 2 missile fell into the Sea of Japan shortly after launch but the short-range tests appeared successful, said Brig. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, deputy director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency.
O'Reilly said there would be no formal announcement that the system was operational. He predicted the capability to defend against enemy missiles and to continue testing and development work would be achieved within a year. "It's just a matter of maturation," he told reporters after a speech hosted by the George C. Marshall Institute, a public policy group.
O'Reilly said work by North Korea and Iran on long-range ballistic missiles underscored the need for a viable U.S. missile defense system. The war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorists militants last summer also highlighted the dangers of ballistic missiles and their use by non-state actors, he said. "We know we must be prepared for all contingencies."
O'Reilly said the missile defense system, which includes sea-based and ground-based interceptors, and powerful X-Band radar systems, achieved success in 14 of 15 flight tests. Through the end of 2007, the program will focus on protecting the United States from threats from the Middle East and North Korea, expanding coverage to U.S. allies and boosting protection against shorter-range threats. In 2008 and beyond, there would be increased focus on countering unconventional attacks and increasing the U.S. inventory of interceptors and sensors, O'Reilly said.
On Saturday, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), built by Lockheed Martin Corp, intercepted a target shot from a barge. It was the first test of THAAD since its move to the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. Two more THAAD intercept tests are planned for 2007, along with three tests of the Aegis Standard Missile-3 interceptors against short- and medium-range targets, O'Reilly said. The agency also plans two tests of long-range ground-based interceptors in late spring and early fall.
The United States has 14 interceptors in Alaska and two in California, primarily to counter North Korea. O'Reilly said the number in Alaska would grow to 21 within eight months. By 2011, plans call for some 40 interceptors in Alaska and four at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, he said. He said negotiations were just beginning with Poland to host up to 10 ground-based interceptors and with the Czech Republic about fielding an advanced radar station.
Asked about the concerns of Russian officials, O'Reilly said the United States was talking with Moscow and hoped to convince it that placing U.S. missile defenses in eastern Europe could also enhance Russia's security as well unless they are planning on using nuclear blackmail. He gave no timeline for completing negotiations with Poland and the Czechs, but said the United States was "always looking at all our options" if either country chose not to proceed. "We'll have to see how it unfolds," O'Reilly said.
#1
On Saturday, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD),
Jeebus. This stuff happens day after day after day! I Have an idea, seeing as a few of the folks here at the 'Burg know far more about military anything than the MSM ever will, I suggest those folks start a insulting consulting firm that the MSM can run this stuff by.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/30/2007 8:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Recently on Futureweapons they showed a test of the THAAD missle - very cool. Bwahahaha!
Vietnam's leaders have decided to remove dozens of companies from the control of the armed forces and the ruling Communist Party. The companies will instead be transferred to civilian ownership.
Sorta like how it was done in the break-up of the old Soviet Union. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
The decision, taken last week by the Communist Party's main policy-making body, the Central Committee, represents a significant break with the past.
Many state and party organisations have made large amounts of money by going into business. Vietnam's armed forces own a mobile phone company, a bank, shipbuilders, textile factories and even hotels - in total more than 100 firms. Most of these began by making weapons or uniforms but increasingly they have taken on a life of their own. Some senior officers have found a comfortable second career as company directors.
But now the ruling Communist Party has decided the military should concentrate on defending the country and only keep hold of companies with genuine security functions. The party and party-controlled organisations will also lose control of their businesses. It is a major step and will involve taking on a number of vested interests.
But it is a sign the party is serious about separating the running of the country from day-to-day business decisions. It is part of a policy to bring all state-owned enterprises under the control of a single holding company - with a view to selling off stakes to private investors.
Some senior officials want to emulate the model of Singapore's state holding corporation, Temasek, which allows the government to control the overall direction of companies but also get access to foreign investment and skills. No details have yet been released about how the process will work in Vietnam, or how long it will take. There is bound to be plenty of debate before it is fully implemented.
#2
The government-private corporation is actually an old Fascist-economic model. Initially it shows some success, but because it is not free to follow market forces, it is shackled compared to private corporations.
The US tried that in the early Roosevelt (the bad one) era, and found it only was sustainable in fully subsidized arenas like broadcasting, that didn't have to compete with anyone.
#6
The USA won't have too many qualms iff VIETNAM = CHINA made moves toward Euro- or Japan-style Western DemoSocialism - the altern for Commie Vietnam is WAR(s) FOR EXPANSION, vs. IMPLOSION ala the USSR. As CHENEY inferred, iff they want long-lasting wealth + modernity + global power, they gotta de-regulate and liberalize their market sectors. OTHERWISE, THE ONLY REASON TO STAY COMMIE IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING BAD TO HAPPEN TO THEIR ENEMIES OR COMPETITORS.
#7
Actually, the Vietnamese keep floating the idea of the US leasing Cam Rahn Bay back, with almost no restrictions on the usage of the base : US effective sovereignty inside the fence, no questions or inquiries about ships carrying nukes, etc.
They are also offering Ton Son Nhut to us with similar parameters.
The biggest fact of Vietnamese history for the past 500 years has been the cyclic invasion and occupation of Vietnam by the Chinese. And with the Chinese press making noises about how much of North Vietnam was Chinese a couple hundred years ago, and the Chinese border war of 1979, the Vietnamese are looking for a counterbalance. I know some Vietnamese Americans who have family still over in Vietnam, and the local government officials are consistently trying to talk them into starting businesses there, when they are over there visiting family members. They want good relations with the US, and protection from the Chinese dragon.
#8
Ton Son Nhut, Shieldwolf? I dunno, but an old girlfriend used to live right near the airport there and I can say from fairly recent experience that it's Saigon's commercial airport, plus urban growth has surrounded it, for the most part. Doesn't seem like a candidate for a Clark Airbase II to me.
#9
Yeah, Ton Son Nhut is being developed now, but the Vietnamese have been offering it since the early 1980s. They have also offered another base that is much closer to Hanoi which the Soviets had built and used. Plus there has been talk of moving a couple of outlying villages on the edge of Saigon, so that the US can build a major air base.
The main thrust for the Vietnamese, though, seems to be Cam Rahn Bay : they want the US carriers to have a permanent docking zone there. That makes a great counterbalance to the Chinese bases in Burma and Pakistan, plus threatens Chinese hegemony over the Spratly Islands which seem to have a lot of oil underneath them.
Air America Radio, a liberal talk radio network, said Monday that it had reached a tentative agreement to be sold to the founder of a New York area real estate company. The network also said that Al Franken, its longtime headline personality, would depart next month.
And no one's gonna notice ...
That's not fair. I'm sure two out of three listeners will notice, though I'll agree it's doubtful the guy with the hat will.
The agreement with Stephen Green, the founder and chairman of SL Green Realty Corp., appears to rescue the struggling network, which has been seeking a buyer since last fall when it filed for bankruptcy reorganization after reaching an impasse with one of its creditors.
Any sale would have to be approved by the bankruptcy court. The company has signed what is called a letter of intent to sell itself to Green and expects to agree on financial terms soon, Air America spokeswoman Jaime Horn said.
Green is the brother of Mark Green, a longtime New York politician who has also appeared frequently as a guest on Air America Radio. Green's company is a real estate investment trust that owns and manages office properties, mainly in Manhattan, with 27 million square feet of space under its control.
The network said in a statement that Franken's last day on the air would be Feb. 14, and that his noon-3pm ET time slot would be taken over by Portland, Ore.-based talk show host Thom Hartmann. The network didn't specify why Franken was leaving, ...
... other than his ratings sucked ...
... but Franken told the AP earlier this month that he had contacted Minnesota lawmakers to seek advice about a possible run for the Senate.
Air America launched with much fanfare in 2004 as an alternative to conservative radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. But it ran into several tough spots including a management shakeup just five weeks after going on the air that saw the departure of its chairman, Evan Cohen. Last April former music executive Danny Goldberg abruptly stepped aside as CEO. The current CEO is Scott Elberg. Sounds like a shell game to defraud their creditors.
#2
Found a new sucker investor. How can a liberal radio network not sell even one ad in Santa Cruz CA?
Posted by: ed ||
01/30/2007 2:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
It's good when they find worthy projects upon which to throw away their money. So much less is available for mischief making later.
Nothing in Santa Cruz? I'll have to remember to ask my sister about that -- she's there studying for her PhD. Quite possibly in that market Air America is competing with the local independent and university stations.
Hate to be nitpicky, but shouldn't that read as "two out of the three listeners"?
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
01/30/2007 9:33 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Yes, when I want someone to run a radio network, the first people I call is a real estate company.
Sounds like someone sucked their brother in bigtime...
#7
It"s so nice to see them fall so hard. perhaps they"ll get the point and change programming gasp, wheeze, bwahaaaaaaa, sorry, couldn"t hold it in any longer, just impossible to keep a straight face.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/30/2007 9:41 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Brother sucking sounds like a muslim tradition.
Are the Greens muslim ?
#10
I get the feeling that Green is Buying Air Amerika to save some of its investors and not to make money per se. He buys Air Amerika and after some careful contemplation he sells off all the assets in a fire sale or there is an actual fire and everything is lost. The investors get a fat check and Green gets either a tax deduction or nice check from the insurance company. Either way I dont see Air America gaining any markets or continuing on the air. In Sacramento (a fairly Liberal market) KSAC (0.4) came in dead last behind KGO (0.7) and KNCO (0.5). That would not be unique except that KGO is from San Francisco and KNCO is from Reno NV.
#11
I'd like to help out by donating a working FM transmitter. I got a new one for my MP3 player so they're welcome to my old one. They'll need to supply two AAA batteries.
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.
KUWAIT - A Kuwaiti newspaper plans to appeal against a three-day ban imposed by a court for publishing an indecent photo of one of Saddam Husseins granddaughters in a swimsuit, a sister publication reported on Monday. Kuwaits edition of the Lebanese Daily Star said Al Watan, one of the countrys largest Arabic dailies, will challenge the ban and 3,000 dinar ($10,000) fine imposed on its publisher for the July 3, 2006 photo.
UNITED NATIONS - UN peacekeepers in Haiti will keep uppressure on violent gangs in Port-au-Prince, the UN special representative for Haiti said Monday. Speaking in the wake of several clashes between peacekeepers and armed gangs in the Haitian capital, Edmond Mulet called the UN operations very positive and said the action was designed to counter criminal, not political, violence.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases. 
Air America Radio, a liberal talk radio network, said Monday that it had reached a tentative agreement to be sold to the founder of a New York area real estate company. The network also said that 
