Melting icebergs, so long the iconic image of global warming, are triggering a natural process that could delay or even end climate change, British scientists have found...for every percentage point increase in the amount of ice that breaks off, Prof Raiswell calculates that a further 26million tons of CO2 is removed from the atmosphere...Crucially, the scientists want to know how much algae will sink to the bottom of the ocean where the CO2 will be safely trapped.
#1
So, we need to melt the ice caps to save ourselves?
Boneheads. Let nature be nature and stop trying to fuck with it. You aren't god, asshats. You can't change nature, only adapt to it. That is something our "primitive" ancestors figured out hundreds of thousand years ago.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/04/2009 10:18 Comments ||
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#3
I think Darth you are overreacting.
Prof Raiswell is mostly talking about measurement and very small scale iron seeding - enough to be able to measure the sequestration. He isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a geoengineering advocate.
And regarding nature, we mess with it every day; e.g., something as simple as choosing a color for the roof tiles changes the reflective properties of the earth - yes its a very small increment.
#6
Note one thing here in this article: There is NO mention of anthropogenic global warming. There IS a strong statement that NATURE, not man, controls climate, and that the entire situation is extremely complex. There are far more unknowns than knowns, and attempting to "do something" would be hilarious if it weren't for the fact that too many politicians are involved.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2009 13:57 Comments ||
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#7
These guys discover that they know less and less every day.
#8
Might they finally be getting a clue? This thing called "climate" has more moving parts and variables than we realize -- and right now, we don't even know the coefficients, much less the value and power of each of the variables in the equations.
Its valuable that someone is doing basic research on parts of the system. Gutsy to do so if they contravene the Holy Writ that mandates Anthropogenic Global Warming in order to get funding.
(Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has turned down President Robert Mugabe's invitation to return to Zimbabwe and be sworn in as Prime Minister, local media reported on Saturday.
According to a letter Tsvangirai wrote to President Mugabe on Dec., 2008 and published by the Post newspaper of Zambia on New Year's Day, the opposition leader claimed further negotiations were still required. The letter was left at Zimbabwe's Embassy in Botswana by a "source who refused to identify himself", The Herald said.
Tsvangirai's letter comes at a time when the U.S. State Department has announced that it was opposed to the envisaged inclusive government. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer announced on Dec. 21 that the U.S. was "withdrawing support for the inclusive Government."
However, the daily newspaper said it is reliably informed that the ruling Zanu-PF and another opposition MDC fraction are moving ahead with finalizing the formation of the envisaged inclusive government. A senior government official confirmed that President Mugabe and MDC leader Arthur Mutambara met on Wednesday to map the way forward in the formation of the inclusive government regardless of Tsvangirai's letter.
In his letter, Tsvangirai said he was not prepared to finalise the agreement. He said he wanted another meeting between himself and President Mugabe in the presence of South African interim President and SADC Chair Kgalema Motlanthe.
"I acknowledge receipt of a copy of your letter dated 17 December 2008 and my passport, delivered to me on Christmas Day by the South African High Commissioner to Botswana Dikgang Moopeloa," he said. "I am sure you are anxious to proceed to the successful implementation of the Global Political Agreement, anxiety that I share, but the issues are so profound that we must act in a logical sequence," Tsvangirai told Mugabe in his letter.
This was the first time that the opposition openly admitted that Tsvangirai had been formally invited to take the post of Prime Minister. But analysts said this demonstrated that Tsvangirai was looking for excuses to sabotage the inclusive Government in light of indications by the U.S. and other Western countries that they would not support the envisaged inclusive government.
Tsvangirai is still holed up in Botswana despite receiving his passport. Before he was issued with a passport, Tsvangirai cited the absence of a travelling document as his reason for not coming back home.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
He would be crazy to go home and joint that nutbag in his government.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 0:25 Comments ||
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#2
He'd only be crazy for a short while. Then he'd be dead. I think the over/under would be 3 days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2009 0:29 Comments ||
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#3
The line to become Prime Minister of Zimbabwe ought to be shorter than the line to become head coach of the Raiders or GM of the Lions. Only the mentally disabled need apply.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 0:44 Comments ||
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Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is preparing to form a unity government after firing a number of ministers from his ZANU-PF party who lost in the March 2008 elections, state media said on Saturday.
"What I can tell you is that President Mugabe has already started preparing an administration," George Charamba, state secretary for Information told The Herald newspaper. Charamba would not reveal further details about the makeup of the power-sharing government and the exact date of its possible formation.
The US last month announced that an inclusive government in Zimbabwe was not possible with Mugabe at the helm.
According to the paper, Mugabe earlier this week fired 12 ministers and deputy ministers from his ZANU-PF party. Among the ministers fired were Sikhanyiso Ndlovu who is in charge of Information, Samuel Mumbengegwi for Finance and Oppah Muchinguri for Women's Affairs.
Deputy ministers for health, and agriculture were among those who lost their posts. Last week Zimbabwean authorities issued prime-minister designate and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai a new passport to enable him to return home from Botswana.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I thought for a minute that he fired Oprah. That would have taken guts.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 0:23 Comments ||
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#2
A unity government to Bob means one at the top.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/04/2009 14:28 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Ghana's ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo conceded defeat on Saturday in the country's presidential election, agencies' reports said. Akufo-Addo made the announcement after the Ghana Electoral Commission announced on Saturday that opposition leader John Atta Mills wins Ghana's presidential election. The ruling party's candidate also congratulated Mills on his victory.
Commission chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan said the results of a presidential run-off showed that Mills, candidate of the National Democratic Congress, won 50.23 percent of the votes against 49.77 percent for the ruling New Patriotic Party's candidate Akufo-Addo.
Afari-Gyan announced on Dec. 10 that neither Akufo-Addo nor Mills obtained the required 50 percent of votes needed for an outright win. In the first round of election which was held on Dec. 7, Akufo-Addo secured 4,159,439 votes, or 49.13 percent of the total valid counts, while Mills gained 4,056,634 votes, or 47.92 percent. Ghana recorded nationwide voter population of 12,472,758 for the 2008 elections and the turnout was 69.52 percent in the first round.
A total of eight candidates were involved in the presidential race. Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention Peoples Party came third with some 1.34 percent of the votes, while the rest five contenders garnered even smaller shares during the Dec.7 vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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BNP-led four-party components' frantic efforts to figure out the reasons for their recent election debacle might end up splitting the alliance, as the main components BNP and Jamaat are blaming each other for the shocking defeat. "Not enough boodle!"
"Not enough religion!"
"Too many war criminals!"
"Ummm... Not enough religion!"
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Outgoing Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar yesterday suggested that the opposition should make parliament the centre of politics, rather than movements on the street.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Sector Commanders Forum (SCF) has urged BNP to sever relations with its ally 'war criminals' party Jamaat-e-Islami, and help bringing these criminals to trial. BNP's refusal to meet the demand for trial of war criminals was one of the main causes of its debacle in the December 29 parliamentary election, the forum said.
"Sector Commanders Forum hopes that the leadership of BNP will now dissociate itself from Jamaat and assist the process of trying war criminals," SCF leader air vice marshal (retd) AK Khandker said in a written statement at a press conference at Liberation War Museum in the city.
Leaders of the forum also demanded that the newly elected government (yet to be formed) start the trial process very soon. They also demanded that the coming government activate International War Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973, set up chief prosecutor's office or constitute a commission in this regard, reactivate Collaborators Act repealed in December 1975 and formally seek help of the United Nations in trying the war criminals.
The sector commanders pledged to provide necessary documents and proofs of war crimes in Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War.
They also urged revival of the 1972 constitution.
It is now clear that the whole nation wants trial of the war criminals because if they are not tried, then the independence and sovereignty of the country will be at stake, Khandker said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Irked by Bangladeshi male workers' strike and leaving jobs violating contracts, employers in Romania are now interested in recruiting skilled female workers from the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh. They even agreed to pay the airfare for the female workers as they might not be able to pay the high cost of moving to that country, Kefayet Ullah, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, told The Daily Star after his recent visit to Romania.
Kefayet Ullah and Masudul Kabir, commercial councillor of Bangladesh Embassy in France, visited Romania between November 30 and December 4 to see how the Bangladeshi workers are doing there.
Recently, around 200 Bangladeshi workers of a garment factory in Romania went on a one-week strike demanding pay hike. Earlier, many workers left their jobs and went to nearby European countries violating their job contracts. This irritated their employers.
Since the beginning of manpower export to Romania in January last year, through the initiative of a recruitment agency, around 800 workers found jobs mainly in the garment and construction sectors there. But over 400 workers left their jobs and moved to countries neighbouring Romania.
The official said during their visit to Romania they found that the employers were complying with the job contracts the workers signed but the workers demanded salary hike, saying the wage they get is not good enough.
The minimum monthly salary for a sewing machine operator is $300, excluding free food, accommodation and health care. The salary, however, ranges between $500 and $600 depending on positions and skills, Kefayet said. "On behalf of our government, we recommend that the minimum salary should be $400," he said.
They are now interested in female workers as there are skilled female workers in the garment sector of Bangladesh and they think women would not flee, he said. "We said if they employ female workers, they would have to pay the airfare, which is around Tk 75,000," the official said. The cost of migration has been set at Tk 2 lakh.
He said there are many skilled female garment workers and there should be government-level agreements to send female workers to the East European country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Reminds me of a joke:
Sven and Ollie were seeking work and went to the employment office.
"What can you do?" asks the official.
"We are diesel fitters."
"What is a diesel fitter?"
"Well we make clothes for women, and after we sew them all up, we hold them up against the manikin to determine
#2
He said there are many skilled female garment workers and there should be government-level agreements to send female workers to the East European country.
This is through the looking glass. Most countries would just import the shirts. Trying to organize a government program to import labor seems odd to me.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 14:46 Comments ||
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#3
Super, not if you're running a white slavery operation and your present stock is being depleted by your own actions and the attention it is bringing from other governments. Best they send the ugliest and oldest ones they can find if they do.
At least 71 people were wounded in post-election clashes between the supporters of Awami League (AL) and BNP and its front organisations over the last two days as more reports pour in of violence across the country. Fifty people were injured in Netrakona, eight in Rangamati, 10 in Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet), one in Savar and two in Laxmipur.
Meanwhile, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) -- the student wing of AL --has taken over control of all dormitories of Ruet yesterday and two dorms at Jagannath University in Dhaka on Friday night.
Our Netrakona correspondent reported that at least 50 people, including five BCL leaders, were injured in a clash between Juba Dal and BCL over gambling at Rail Colony in Mohongonj poura area yesterday.
Our Rangamati Correspondent has added that at least eight leaders and activists of Jubo Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) were injured when Jubo League and BCL cadres attacked them.
In Naniarchar, some BCL cadres under the leadership of Bablu, stabbed Naniarchar Union's Jubo Dal leader Abdul Jalil on Friday night. They also broke his right leg and arm.
Earlier on Thursday evening, BCL and Jubo League cadres carried out an attack on JCD activists injuring five people. They also vandalised shops owned by JCD activists at Chandraghona Bazar under Kaptai upazila.
Our RU correspondent has reported that at least 10 JCD activists were injured in separate clashes over control of dormitories in Ruet.
BCL activists at the university took control over the rooms previously occupied by JCD activists in all dormitories of Ruet campus. Sources said a group of BCL activists led by Al-Amin, Nazmul and Roni forced JCD activists out of Shaheed Salim Hall.
The BCL activists then raided Shahidullah and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman halls and clashes ensued between BCL and JCD activists in front of Ziaur Rahman hall. Police later brought the situation under control.
AL activists looted Tk 2.7 lakh in cash from a petrol pump in Sarishabari in Jamalpur district. They injured the pump owner's son and manager of the petrol pump, reports UNB.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's major party Awami League(AL), who won a landslide victory in Monday's parliamentary elections, Saturday evening endorsed its senior presidium member Zillur Rahman as the country's next president, AL chairperson Sheikh Hasina said. Zillur, around 80, will formally be elected as the President by the new members of the country's ninth parliament. Since AL has more than two-third majority in the 300-member parliament, he will be passed by overwhelming votes.
Hasina, expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister on Tuesday, told reporters here that her AL parliamentary party at a meeting Saturday evening endorsed Zillur as the next president. "He is a senior member of our party. It's recognition of his long contribution," Hasina told reporters in the parliament building after the meeting.
Zillur is going to be the next President of Bangladesh, replacing incumbent President Iajuddin Ahmed who has already met his five-year term. Zillur was minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives in 1996-2001 under the AL government led by prime minister Hasina.
Zillur's election to the office of the President is expected to be held at the first session of the new parliament later this month.
Earlier, AL parliamentary party in the meeting elected Hasina as the Leader of the House (parliament) while Zillur was made the Deputy Leader, after the 259 MPs of the AL-led 15-party grand alliance took oath in the afternoon. As per rules, Hasina after being elected as the Leader of the House will request the President Iajuddin Ahmed to swear-in her new cabinet.
President Iajuddin Ahmed will administer the oath of office to members of the new cabinet to be headed by Hasina as Prime Minister Tuesday evening, an official of the President House said.
Hasina's AL won 230 seats out of all 300 in the country's ninth parliamentary elections held on Monday, more than enough to form anew government. Her arch rival, former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party got only 29 seats.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Mexico's warring cartels are negotiating a truce that, if it holds, could end one of the bloodiest eras since the 1910-20 Mexican Revolution, according to a U.S. official and experts familiar with the talks.
A peace agreement would be the second in two years and, like the last one, its chances of surviving are slim, the U.S. official said. "In the end, greed prevails over reason," the official said.
Last year was one of the bloodiest ever, with more than 5,700 people killed nationwide, including 1,600 in Ciudad Juarez. Because of the mounting violence, some experts, including Howard Campbell, author of the upcoming book Drug War Zone, believe a truce is possible. Campbell, a border anthropologist at the University of Texas at El Paso, said violence will soon "peak out because all the attention is bad for business."
"These guys are businessmen," Campbell said. "Violence hurts the bottom line, their profits."
However, many experts and analysts on both sides of the border expect rising violence.
Another concern for drug traffickers, the U.S. official said, is the growing influence of the paramilitary group known as Zetas, enforcers for the Gulf cartel who have expanded their services as hit men to become mercenaries for other cartels willing to pay the price. "They're not just mercenaries anymore," the U.S. official said. "They're now controlling drug distribution routes, and that's of concern to cartel leaders. They're out of control."
It's too early to know whether a truce will work, experts say. The new year began much as the last one ended, with three New Year's Day killings in Juarez, city officials said.
#1
And if the cartels get their peace treaty, they are going to want to exterminate the Zetas, and probably some others, including MS-13, and some of the independents.
The FDIC has just announced that a consortium of private equity and hedge fund firms would be buying IndyMac. IndyMac was an independent "bridge bank" spun off of Countrywide Mortgage in the late 90s. IndyMac acted as a "bridge bank" to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
New York Democrat Charles Shumer precipitated the fall of IndyMac in May of 2008 by releasing "inside" information that the mortgage company was in dire financial straits. This disclosure created the initial "bank run" that is credited by many economists as the initial trigger that prompted the current mortgage crisis. The FDIC took over the operations of IndyMac in late summer of 2008.
So much for history. George Soros is in on the deal to buy IndyMac from the FDIC. Soros has a long history of making loads of money by first creating a financial crisis and then stepping in to grab up the bargains. Perhaps the most famous example of this tactic is "Black Wednesday," when Soros nearly sunk the entire economy of Great Britain through currency speculation.
George Soros has helped bankroll the campaigns of the Democrats in Congress who created this mess. Now, it appears, he is cashing in on his investment.
#1
Anyone surprised by this? Soros was involved in the Asian monetary panic. He was involved in trying to crash the pound. He was involved in crashing the peso.
Now he's involved in crashing American banks.
Surprised? Anyone? Bueller?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2009 13:54 Comments ||
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Nope, Soros is involved in raiding taxpayers cash.
For a lefty he seems to prey a lot on idiotic government intervention in currency markets.
#9
You cannot deny that his immediate death would be of benefit to liberty, and to the US. He is a one-worlder, and anti-american, a collectivist, an anti-individualist, an economic destroyer who manipulates and demolishes markets in his greed, who has spent tons of money to pollute the US political system, who promotes lies, who promotes dishonesty, who promotes instability, ... I could go on and on.
The list goes on and on.
His death would be a benefit to liberty.
So why is it against the rules to advocate that he *should* die sooner than later?
Would you be saying the same about Bin Laden? Or any of the tinpot wannabe genocidal dictators?
Arguably, the case for Soro's death being a benefit to the world is even more considering the widespread reach he has, and his aiming for the destruction of the last bastions of western civilization in order to promote his atheistic one-world government, his desire to reduce humanity to the hive.
Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.
A federal commission created by Congress to find a way to make up the growing revenue shortfall in the program that funds highway repairs and construction is talking about increasing federal gas and diesel taxes. A roughly 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the commission until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.
The 15-member National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is the second group in a year to call for increasing the current 18.4 cents a gallon federal tax on gasoline and the 24.4 cents a gallon tax on diesel. State fuel taxes vary from state to state.
In a report expected in late January, members of the infrastructure financing commission say they will urge Congress to raise the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by about 12 cents to 15 cents a gallon. At the same time, the commission will recommend tying the fuel tax rates to inflation.
Which will be climbing nicely ...
The commission will also recommend that states raise their fuel taxes and make greater use of toll roads and fees for rush-hour driving.
Although the cost of gasoline has dropped dramatically in recent months, such tax increases could be politically treacherous for Democratic leaders in Congress. A gas tax hike was one of the reasons they lost control of the House and Senate in the 1994 elections. President-elect Barack Obama has expressed concern about raising fuel taxes in the current economic climate.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If they raise the tax, it will cause the price of things to go up, people will drive less and buy less, causing taxes to go up to make up revenue, which will cause the prices of things to go up, people will drive less, etc., etc.
#3
Similar to those who complain about the loss of cigarette tax revenue. Also why are transit programs not paying for themselves.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 0:41 Comments ||
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A roughly 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the commission until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.
Wheeeeew.... it's only a TEMPORARY tax. I was begining to get worried. But wait, there's more. Could the downturn in manufacturing (shipping good by truck) also account for the "loss" in tax revenue? I blame truckers! What about shopping at home on the computer? Some folks are now walking to work. What about those taxfree sidewalks? Then there's those gummit workers who Slug to the Pentagon and don't pay anything. Shouldn't they be required to have a Slugging license?
This is yet another attempt to transfer hard earned wealth from the pockets of ordinary citizens struggling to make ends meet to the coffers of a bloated tyrant known as government.
The only economic entity of any size which has consistently refused to hold down its costs is government, and this new proposal takes the massive disparity between what taxes are and they should be new heights.
#9
"Motorists' habits spur call for tax increases"
Everything spurs a call for tax increases with gummint wankers. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/04/2009 10:27 Comments ||
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#10
A 50% increase! We've seen this grift before:
Request 50% increase "for our children's roads"
Settle for 25% "we only got half of what was needed!"
Use prevailing wage/union workers "good jobs at good wages!"
Siphon money into other worthy project "Rangel Integrity Center needs funds!"
Taxpayers grumble "blame big oil, we need more alternative energy."
Set up commission to request 50% tax for windmills.
Posted by: regular joe ||
01/04/2009 11:44 Comments ||
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#11
How 'bout we cut funding to GOVERNMENT by half or more, and refuse ANY new taxes? Governments have short memories. Obviously ours doesn't remember that we actually went to war over taxes, not once but several times. Raising taxes when people are already hurting is a sure-fire way to anger them enough to actually DO something. Government behavior needs modifying again. Behavior modification calls for inflicting increasing levels of punishment each time government does something undesirable. Our government does something undesirable about three times a week.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/04/2009 14:41 Comments ||
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#12
OP, they did cut one branch of the government by 50% during the 90's.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2009 14:53 Comments ||
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#13
Tax it and you'll have less of it, subsidize it and you'll have more of it.
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.
At least 71 people were wounded in post-election clashes between the supporters of Awami League (AL) and BNP and its front organisations over the last two days as more reports pour in of violence across the country. Fifty people were injured in Netrakona, eight in Rangamati, 10 in Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet), one in Savar and two in Laxmipur.
