(AP) PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Jeffry Picower, a Florida philanthropist alleged to have extracted billions from Bernard Madoff's investment scheme, drowned in his pool Sunday, police said. He was 67.
The former New York lawyer and accountant had been a friend of Madoff for decades.
A statement from Palm Beach police said Picower's wife and a maid found the body at the bottom of the pool Sunday afternoon and rescue workers could not revive him. Picower was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at about 1:30 p.m.
Slipped on a bar of soap at the bottom of the pool?
Police are investigating the death, as is standard for any drowning, the statement said. Detectives were still at the home Sunday afternoon.
Joseph Sekula, spokesman for the Palm Beach Fire Department, said a 911 call came in at about noon about a possible drowning at Picower's oceanside home. As rescuers reached the back of the house, they found Picower lying by the edge of the pool, Sekula said. Picower's wife and housekeeper had pulled him from the water, he added.
"He was pulseless upon arrival of crews so they started CPR immediately," Sekula said. Rescuers worked on Picower for about 20 minutes trying to revive him before transporting him to Good Samaritan in nearby West Palm Beach. Sekula said Picower's pulse returned as he was brought into the emergency room, but authorities said he died a short time later at the hospital.
Sekula said Picower's body showed no visible injuries. "There wasn't anything noted as far as trauma or anything to the body," he said.
An operator at Good Samaritan said the hospital wouldn't be making any statements.
In the initial aftermath of the Madoff scandal in December 2008, the foundation Picower and his wife started in 1989 said it would have to cease grant-making and would be forced to close. The Picower Foundation had given millions to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Human Rights First and the New York Public Library. It also funded diabetes research at Harvard Medical School. The foundation, whose assets were managed by Madoff, said in its 2007 tax return its investment portfolio was valued at nearly $1 billion.
But Picower was later sued by the trustee recovering Bernard Madoff's assets for jilted investors. Irving Picard labeled the Florida philanthropist as the biggest beneficiary of Madoff's multibillion-dollar fraud and demanded he return more than $7 billion in bogus profits.
In court filings, Picard's lawyers have said Picower's claims that he was a victim "ring hollow" since Picower withdrew more of other investors' money than anyone else during three decades of investing with Madoff and should have noticed signs of fraud. According to the lawyers, Picower's accounts were "riddled with blatant and obvious fraud," and he should have recognized that since he was a sophisticated investor.
Picower had asked that the lawsuit be dismissed, saying it is unsupported by the facts. Messages left for Picower's lawyer, William Zabel, and his wife's attorney, Marcy Harris, weren't immediately returned Sunday.
Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence after he admitted losing billions of dollars for thousands of clients over a half-century career that saw him rise to be a Nasdaq chairman.
Iowa City police are investigating an early morning assault in which a man accused another of being a zombie, then punched him twice. Police said the assault occurred at 1:17 a.m. Sunday at an Iowa City restaurant south of the University of Iowa campus.
A man was ordering food when he was approached by another man who called him a zombie, then hit him in the eye. When the victim tried to call police on his cell phone, the man punched him again, breaking his nose.
The man then ran out a back door.
The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital. "This is a living only restaurant. We don't serve zombies here."
The US Navy's Crowning Moment of Awesome. For an example of what I mean by that, consider the actions of USS Samuel B. Roberts, a 1,350-ton destroyer escort:
When LCDR Copeland saw that the other DE's failed to act, he turned the ROBERTS around and followed the last destroyer at about 3,000 yards astern. Lieutenant Commander Copeland surveyed the situation... "...My Executive Officer was down in CIC and I just took a look at the general situation and where the cruiser column was and estimated the course to put me sixty degrees on the bow of the cruiser column....by seaman's eye I estimated my course change to the left to bring me to what I estimated the course would be and at the same time I reached over and grabbed the handle on the squawk box....I said "Well, Sis on you, pister. Let's go!" and added, "...give me a course to put me sixty degrees on the bow of the leading ship in that cruiser column...." In less than thirty seconds I was given a course that was bout six degrees to the left of the one I had picked....I came to it and we were on our way and committed to go in on a torpedo attack...."
In they went..."We started on the torpedo attack. I reached over and picked up the JV telephone and called No. 1 engine room where the chief engineer's battle station was. That was Lieutenant Trowbridge. In formal conversation while on a strictly duty status I always called the officers Mister....in the privacy of the Wardroom, however, we called him "Lucky"....He answered my call and I said, "Lucky, this is the Captain....we are going on a torpedo attack and I have rung up full speed; we are going in at 20 knots. As soon as we fire our fish, I will ring up flank speed and I want you to hook on everything you've got. Don't worry about your reduction gears or your boilers or anything, because there's all hell being thrown at us up here, and we are just fortunate we haven't been hit yet, so don't worry about it." That was the last time I ever talked to Mr. Trowbridge because he was lost with the ship."
ROBERTS charged the heavy cruiser HIJMS CHOKAI at 24 knots, approached to within 4,000 yards and emptied her three torpedo tubes. A short while later CHOKAI was hit by at least one torpedo....from the only destroyer escort of Taffy 3 to score hits with her main armament.... After releasing her torpedoes, ROBERTS turned about and headed back towards the fleeing escort carriers. Propulsion limits in the engineering plant were ignored and steam pressure was allowed to rise to 670 pounds in a plant designed for a maximum of 440. Shaft RPM reached 477 on shafts designed for 420. This added push enabled SAMUEL B. ROBERTS to obtain a speed of over 28 knots....
From about 0800 onward, ROBERTS fought the Japanese warships with her only remaining weapons....two five-inch guns. It was during this time that the GAMBIER BAY began disabled and floundered.... Shortly after 0841 ROBERTS slugged it out with HIJMS CHIKUMA and knocked out her #3 8-inch turret. Impressed by the performance of his gun crews, LCDR Copeland later wrote..."...these two guns, No. 1 and No. 2, beat a regular tattoo on the Jap cruiser's upper works. The boys took the ammunition just the way it came up the hoist, nobody cared what it was. They just took it as it came. Five-inch blind loaded and plugged, 5-inch AA, 5-inch common, 5-inch AP, 5-inch starshells, 5-inch proximity fuse: just whatever came up the ammunition hoist. It was fodder for the guns. They threw it in as fast as they could get it. It was very odd to see those starshells banging off over there in the daylight.... The boys set up a terrifically rapid rate of fire. We carried 325 rounds per gun and it's almost unbelievable that from the time those guns received word to commence firing till the time they ceased firing...it was a period of only thirty-five minutes...gun No. 2 had put out 324 rounds of 5-inch ammunition." The man responsible for the impressive performance of Gun No. 2 was it's Gun Captain - Gunner's Mate Third Class Paul Henry Carr, USNR. Carr was killed in action that morning after his gun exploded. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal.
ROBERTS valiant performance off Samar was soon to come to an end for "The Destroyer Escort that fought like a Battleship." Back to LCDR Copeland..."...one of my lookouts yelled up at me, "Captain, there's 14-inch splashes coming up on our stern." I turned and looked just in time to see 14-inch splashes...great big ones...off our fantail...for the moment, those shells seemed to be a greater hazard than the 8-inch shells from the cruiser. So I yelled, "All engines back full....this was an emergency...I didn't even give them a stop bell. That was one time the old ship really shuddered and shivered and quaked. She just kind of lay down and pretty nearly backed her stern under water. About the time we were starting to back down, directly over us and right ahead about 100 yards, "Whoosh", were three or four 14-inch shell splashes. The instant those things hit I yelled, "All engines ahead flank." We had just barely started moving when we were no longer dodging and chasing salvos...we had walked right into an 8-inch salvo...." Fittingly enough, the battle occurred on the feast day of St. Crispin:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/25/2009 09:33 ||
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Levi Johnston, the baby daddy of Sarah Palin's grandson, is looking forward to his photo spread in "Playgirl," but he promises to "keep it classy."
In an interview with Star magazine hitting stands nationally Friday, Johnston said he hasn't yet decided whether he will pose fully, frontally nude in an upcoming photo shoot for Playgirl.
"I don't know. I'm going to decide that on the fly. I want to keep it classy. I don't want to do something I'll regret," the hockey hunk said.
Too late.
Johnston fathered Tripp with Bristol Palin, daughter of the ex-Alaska governor, but their engagement ended in rancor. Since then, Johnston has capitalized on the notoriety by exposing what he claims is Palin family dirty laundry.
And now, he is taking exposure to another level. Levi said he's exercising in preparation for the photo shoot, specifically his back side.
But he said he isn't nervous about posing naked. "What's to be nervous about? I guess some people would be nervous to pose nude, but I'm not," he said. "I'm ready to do it. I'm feeling confident. I've got nothing to hide."
Johnston, who isn't dating anyone, said he doesn't know what his former fiancee thinks of his Playgirl photo shoot. "I haven't talked with her about any of that stuff," he said. "We don't really talk anymore," he said, "except about the baby, my son. That's about it."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
You're a classic example of white trash that can't get out of it's own way. The best thing that ever happened to you was that family and you pissed it away. The lefties will gladly parade you around to demonstrate the lack of intelligence to be found in the Palin household. You're an idiot and don't even realize you're being used. have a nice life a$$hole.
Several centuries ago, during the heyday of Japanese swordsmanship, the emperor decreed a nation-wide competition to determine the best swordsman in Japan. For months would-be champions showed their skill in exacting local tournaments. Finally, only 3 contestants were left. Such was the importance of the event that the emperor himself would administer the final test.
The first contestant entered the great hall and bowed to the monarch. Without a word, the emperor took out a tiny box and opened it. A fly emerged and buzzed across the hall. The swordsman knew what was expected. He drew his sword instantly and smote the air with a mighty "THWACK!" The fly fell to the floor in two pieces. The emperor nodded approval, the swordsman bowed and returned to the ante-chamber.
The second contestant then entered the hall and bowed. The emperor took out another box and another fly buzzed across the room. This swordsman took not one, but two mighty swings; "THWACK! THWACK!" and this fly fell on the floor in FOUR pieces. The emperor allowed himself an appreciative smile and the swordsman bowed and left.
The third and final contestant then entered. Again, a fly was released. Instead of a mighty swing, this swordsman made only a lazy jab. The fly continued to buzz away toward the door and freedom. The emperor frowned.
Undaunted, the swordsman spoke, "So, your majesty, I guess that makes ME the greatest swordsman in all Japan!"
Furious, the emperor said, "Of all the impudence! Your fly still lives!"
"That is true, revered one," the swordsman responded, "The fly still lives, but he will no longer reproduce."
#3
He's just (sniffle sniffle) a victim of oppressive female matriarchy. Just because he's an ass doesn't mean he's worthy of our time...here's to hoping he reproduces no more.
#9
That's nice that he is working on firming up his backside, though. Playgirl's substantial male "readership" (conservative estimate is 50%, but probably much more) will appreciate his efforts.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2009 15:10 Comments ||
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#11
Playgirl?
Didn't know that rag was still in business.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/25/2009 15:53 Comments ||
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#12
It's not totally his fault. The stars got crossed-up somehow in coupling him with someone in the Palin family. That man is destined for someone equally white trash - Britney Spears.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
10/25/2009 17:06 Comments ||
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#13
he was destined to be somebodies' absent sperm donor Daddy. He was lucky enough to be the Palin's daughter and high profile enough to not dig his own grave in the permafrost. Don't push it, punk. At some point, the attention you like ends, and the other.....begins
/Serious Todd
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2009 18:22 Comments ||
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#14
You missed an important line
The Samuri pointed to a tiy spedk on the point of his blade and said, "Yes he still flies, but he will no longer Reproduce"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/25/2009 19:26 Comments ||
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The Royal Navy has agreed to sacrifice one of its two new aircraft carriers to save about £8.2 billion from the defence budget.
The admirals, who have battled for a decade to secure the two new 65,000-ton carriers, have been forced to back down because of the soaring cost of the American-produced Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft due to fly off them.
The move is a blow to the navys prestige and has come on the heels of Gordon Browns announcement last month that he was axing one of the navys four Trident nuclear deterrent submarines.
Would president be functionally an elected Scottish king? I guess that way he'd have a new answer to the age-old question, who died and made you king?
MOHAMED Al Fayed, owner of plush London emporium Harrods, told The Sunday Times newspaper he was ready to become the first president of an independent Scotland.
The Egyptian tycoon, 80, who owns an estate in the Scottish Highlands, said he was urging his "fellow Scots" to detach themselves from "the English and their terrible politicians".
Fayed, who has been repeatedly refused a British passport, said he hoped to be offered Scottish citizenship if a planned referendum on Scottish independence leads to Scotland leaving the United Kingdom - and then becoming a republic.
"You Scots have been living in a coma for too long," he told the broadsheet. "Whatever help is needed for Scotland to regain its independence, I will provide it. When you Scots regain your freedom I'm ready to be your president."
The Scottish National Party, in power in the devolved Edinburgh administration, is committed to holding a referendum on independence.
However, Fayed is not impressed with Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, the SNP leader. "I will do anything for Scotland but I don't want this Alex Salmond," he said. "I asked to meet him but he refused. I wanted to give him some help and advice, but he didn't want to know.
"I believe in Scotland but he still won't see me."
The Fulham Football Club owner is the father of Dodi Fayed, the lover of Diana, princess of Wales, who was killed in the same 1997 Paris car crash.
No fan of the royal family, Fayed has long alleged that the couple were killed in an establishment plot involving Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip.
#1
"...urging his 'fellow Scots' to detach themselves from 'the English and their terrible politicians'"
Hahahahahahahahaaaaaa! Good one! Even the Scots won't buy that sort of nationalistic crap: 1) he's not Scottish, and 2) those "terrible politicians" in London are mostly Scots in exile. He's right about them being terrible though.
#2
Because I'm sure egyptians would be just DELIGHTED if an obnoxious scot, who's very critical of their institutions and accuse them of basically being thugs and killers, declared himself ready to become the president of any large given egyptian area.
Yeah, that would fly well.
But, since the UK (and the West in general) are Multicultural and Diverse, they just have to swallow that. Hurm.
Mexican officials are reviving plans for a deep-water shipping port that could include a rail line through the southwestern Arizona city of Yuma to serve it.
The shipping port would be located on the Baja California coast south of Ensenada.
When the project first became public in 2007, it raised concerns in the Yuma area that it could disrupt local farming and roads and create pollution.
The project came to a halt because of the global economic downturn, but Mexico's Ministry of Communications and Transportation published new bidding specifications this week for companies seeking to build and operate the port and the rail line that would move cargo shipped in from other nations.
The ministry's announcement resurrects one of the proposed routes that would bring the rail line up from Punta Colonet through the Ensenada area, up through San Felipe, Baja Calif., then east to San Luis Rio Colorado in Sonora, where it would turn and cross the border east of Yuma on the way to the United States. All well and good, unless port management is turned over to Hutchinson-Whampoa, which is in tight with the Chinese PLA. Remember how Al Gore wanted to lease them the port at Long Beach? Maybe Ensenada is "Plan 'B'". It would not be good to have possible Chinese missiles only 70 miles from the US fleet at San Diego.
#6
I wonder how much of this USAID is paying for???
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/25/2009 13:27 Comments ||
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#7
likely none, but if China's paying for the port (likely), we should look twice at allowing those trains through.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2009 13:56 Comments ||
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#8
Yes, if US customs is much easier from Mexico than from China, look at China bribing Mexican customs to look the other way. This could de facto bring China into NAFTA.
#13
This is also an approach to undercut the dock workers union [and costs] in CA. Want to strike in the Bay, Long Beach, or San Diego. Just move the ships to Mexico to offload. Remember this.
That was internet humor intended for those who have get it. I'll discuss this issue with my half brother and try to get him to serious up. I'm afraid he was born with an affinity for light-heartedness. Until then, please, accept my apologies on his behalf.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
10/25/2009 16:33 Comments ||
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#18
Much obliged Mike. Speaking for myself mind you, but I've experienced a bit of his humour and taunts in the past. Had one particularly bitter session caught in my throught for quite some time. My last on it. Grote.
#19
Ah. That was probably a tone it down tactic. Should have seen Shark Week. That was really aggressive. A few of us can be territorial about the Burg. Just trying to keep it below opposition radar is all.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
10/25/2009 17:01 Comments ||
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#20
Hutchinson Wampoa has contracts for the dock facilities on both sides of the Panama Canal. If they pull a fast one with Mexico on the proposed port, they will get Taiwan without a shot. Just make a few quiet off the radar remarks to someone in BOA (Big O Administration) and it's done.
This is like a wasp laying an egg inside the insect larvae and it eats the larvae from the inside out while still alive (shudders at the analogy).
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/25/2009 17:12 Comments ||
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#21
ION REDDIT > [IIRC]"AURORA" IS NASA'S EXPERIMENTAL SPACE PLANE PROTOTYPE; + NASA'S X-37B SPACE PLANE IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE ITS FIRST TEST-FLIGHT [high-altitude = orbital] NEXT AUGUST 2010???
* SAME > FORGET MONORAIL: THE FUTURE IS SKYTRAN; + THE TRAIN THAT NEVER STOPS.
Most illegal flights hauling Colombian drugs to Central America and the United States are now leaving from Venezuela, Colombia's Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said yesterday.
The charge could further raise tensions between the Andean neighbors currently embroiled in a diplomatic standoff that has begun to damage bilateral trade of some US$7 billion (RM16.9 billion) a year.
Traffickers in Colombia, still the world's No. 1 cocaine producer, use Venezuela as a transit route to reach markets in the United States and Europe, and also smuggle through the Caribbean, Africa, Central America and Mexico.
"The number of radar tracks that are detected coming out of Colombia is marginal. Unfortunately the number of tracks detected and that end in the area around Honduras ... pass through Venezuelan territory," Silva told reporters.
US authorities say Venezuela has become a major transit route for Colombian traffickers. Traffickers now use shipping routes and even submarines to transport cocaine from Colombia across the Pacific to Central America and the Mexican coast.
The government of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, a fierce US critic, has accused Colombian state agents of allowing drugs to be smuggled through his country. He rejects charges his government fails to tackle drug trafficking.
Ties between Caracas and Bogota have been roiled by a decision by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to allow US military forces more access to Colombian bases as part of cooperation to fight drug traffickers and leftist rebels.
Colombia has received more than US$6 billion in US aid since 2000 to help in its fight against drug lords and Latin America's oldest surviving rebel insurgency. The conflict has ebbed as the FARC rebels have weakened.
Uribe says the base deal with the United States is just an extension of current cooperation. But Chavez, who accuses Washington of trying to topple him, says the bases will be used for aggression against his oil-producing nation.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
...end in the area around Honduras ... pass through Venezuelan territory
ah ha! now we see the real link between hugo and the Honduran crisis. might also explain why the BO admin was so keen to get involved. maybe a little side action that was going to be disrupted with the 'coup'?
Posted by: abu do you love ||
10/25/2009 7:28 Comments ||
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Police in Honduras deactivated a grenade and detonated a second one found at a Tegucigalpa shopping center, a bomb squad officer told Efe.
Bomb specialists dealt with "two devices" on Wednesday, not the three initially reported "by error" by another police spokesman, the bomb squad spokesman said. "What we had were two fragmentation grenades in the men's bathroom on the second floor of the shopping center, near the restaurants," the police officer said. "The two grenades were in different packages, one of which the contents were visible, allowing its deactivation," while "with the other one, there was no choice but to blow it up, which was done without personal harm, only to the bathroom," the bomb squad spokesman said.
The grenades had been set to explode simultaneously, based on an "electric watch mechanism" found at the scene, the police officer said.
The shopping center, one of the largest in the Honduran capital, is located about 300 meters (nearly 330 yards) east of the presidential palace and across from one of Tegucigalpa's best hotels. The individual who left the grenades at the shopping center opened one of the boxes, revealing the contents and allowing bomb experts to deactivate it, while the second grenade was detonated using high pressure water hoses, police said.
Honduras is caught up in a political crisis sparked by the June 28 ouster and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya, who slipped back into the country on Sept. 21 and remains holed up at the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. The de facto regime contends Zelaya's ouster was not a coup, insisting that the soldiers who dragged him from the presidential palace and put him on a plane to Costa Rica were simply enforcing a Supreme Court ban on the president's planned non-binding plebiscite on the idea of revising the constitution.
Though the coup leaders accuse Zelaya of seeking to extend his stay in office, any potential constitutional change to allow presidential re-election would not have taken place until well after the incumbent stepped down.
Time is running out to settle the conflict before Honduras's Nov. 29 presidential elections, as both the European Union and Washington have said they will not recognize the winner of that balloting unless Zelaya is restored to office beforehand.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Many flew across the country, some drove for hours from neighbouring cities, while others splurged on exorbitant taxi fares just to get here despite the driving rain.
At stake was something rare in these tough economic times: A job with some of the fastest-growing cities and industries.
The anxious job seekers, numbering in the hundreds, crowded into the Hyatt Regency Reston hotel's ballroom over the past weekend. They handed out resumes and filled out endless application forms at the tables of many eager recruiters.
It was a scene that would have heartened anxious United States politicians fretting over the growing numbers of unemployed in the country. But there was a twist: The recruiters were all from China, and the jobs available were in booming, bustling cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.
The Chinese, mostly local government officials, including representatives from personnel or talent recruitment bureaus, had travelled half way around the world to look for the best and brightest to play a leading role in furthering their cities' economic transformation.
While the Chinese scouts chiefly targeted overseas mainland Chinese in the past, this time round, they broadened their search to include Americans as well.
"We advertised the fair among Americans for the first time as mainland recruiters told us clearly that they would like to hire some Americans," said You Weishun, director of the North America Chinese Scholars International Exchange Centre, which organised the event.
He said that 1,500 job seekers, mostly overseas Chinese, attended the three-day fair which started on Oct 16. It drew the biggest turnout of all eight annual job fairs the centre has organised so far. Nine in 10 applicants had either a master's degree or a doctorate.
Recruiters from about a dozen provinces and cities, including north-eastern Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, and Kunming city, the capital of south-west Yunnan province, made the trip. They were looking for expertise in fast-growing sectors such as finance, information technology, environmental protection and biomedical technology.
"America's crisis is our opportunity," Zeng Lingheng, an official from Kunming, told The Straits Times. "Kunming is in the middle of upgrading and transforming its industries. We lack experts in many top positions who can take our industries and companies to the next level, to go international."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Ha ha ha...joke's on them. Chinese companies treat their workers like shit. It's a rare foreigner who can stomach the abuse and lack of planning. Besides, you'll always, always, always be a second-class citizen because you're not Chinese.
The amount of projection regarding China is just staggering. People are putting their hopes, fears, and biases on display and don't even know they're doing it.
#3
gromky's right ... I've heard horror stories about the treatment of foreign workers in China (and not just Americans).
And not just on the job. Blacks being chased out of shops and not allowed to buy food or other basics, water turned off from apartments until bribes are paid on an increasing scale, police harrassment with no recourse.
#5
Chinese companies treat their workers like shit.
No different from H1Bs in this country. Hires will be treated in proportion to their skill's importance to their business. Just like talented athletes, the general population will indeed get the bottom feed, but without the 'stars' you don't have game. I'm sure there are technical people the Chinese want in high demand and will [and can] pay. Particularly when one company starts to poach the skilled and talented workers of another.
#6
Not my experience when I hired H1Bs here a while back. My staff got competitive salaries, lived in the same kind of apartments their US equivalents did and in more than one case eventually became citizens.
They weren't cheated, refused service in stores or pressured for bribes.
#8
Nah, it ain't like the US. I know any number of people who work for Chinese companies and they all have horror stories. Most of them don't last more than 6 months.
NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.
The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.
China had raised strong objections to the Dalai Lama's proposed visit to the monastery town of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh earlier. China had also gone on to object to the Prime Minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh during campaigning for the recently held assembly elections in the state.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/25/2009 08:50 ||
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#1
heh. translation: "FU and the horse you rode in on"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2009 9:24 Comments ||
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#2
Further translation: Singh has lots more balls than obambi. Oh, ah, ANY balls at all would be LOTS MORE...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/25/2009 11:03 Comments ||
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#3
Further translation: Who we welcome into our country is nunnayer goddam business. F*ck off.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/25/2009 12:19 Comments ||
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#5
Trailing Wife
Thank you for your kind response to my dithering yesterday. The Swine in love human being check was the finishing touch. Several long days supporting the grand O and too much coffee had a depolarizing affect upon my wee brain.
#6
Dear Dale! Sometimes it takes the merest touch of the whip or the cluebat upon the withers to check the early stages of misbehaviour. Clearly we both brought credit to our trainers yesterday. :-)
#7
ION CATHAY-SINA, WMF > CHINA SHOULD WARN THE SOMALI PIRATES THAT THE PLA CAN MILITARILY ATTACK, INVADE SOMALIA AND OTHER PIRATE HAVENS LIKE THE US DOES IN MUSLIM NATIONS.
IOW, USA does NOT have a monopoly on military power in defense of its own national security.
* See also CHINESE MILITARY FORUM [long] > CHINA'S PERSIAN GULF STRATEGY, ISRAEL, AND NUCLEARIZING IRAN 2009.
SAME > POSTER > CHINA WILL TAKE BACK ALL THE LANDS IT LOST IN THE PAST FEW HUNDRED YEARS
[Histor Map > VARIOUS DYNASTIES, espec YUAN = MONGOLS in reaching TURKEY + EASTERN EUROPE].
versus CMF POSTER > ditto for JAPAN???
* WAFF > ASIA HOPES TO LEAD THE WORLD VIA EU-STYLE BLOC, + CENTRAL ASIA UNION PROPOSED BY KAZAKISTAN BACK IN 2007 [merge 4 ex-Soviet Muslim SSRs into ONE COUNTRY via "TREATY OF ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP".
CNN) -- OK, so after eight years and a lot of grumbling -- Vista, anyone? -- Microsoft has finally released a new service pack operating system that people seem excited about.
Windows 7, which went on sale Thursday, promises a smoother user experience, multi-touchscreen capability and more seamless networking with other computers. Early reviews have been good. When compared to Vista ...
"We think it's a far superior product to the previous Microsoft operating systems," says Vishal Dhar, co-founder of iYogi, a tech services company. "It's got a more intuitive interface." Boy howdy, there's a low bar: better than previous MS OS. Better than ME? Better than 98 SE?
Great. But it is right for you? Which version of the software best fits your needs? The one that costs the most, of course ...
And are there tricks to installing Windows 7 and navigating its new features? With Windows 7 Professional you get prayer beads ...
We anticipate seven of the most common questions about Windows 7 and offer some advice:
Will my aging computer run Windows 7?
Maybe. If your PC can run the much-maligned Windows Vista, it can probably run Windows 7. It could also run Windows ME ...
Check your computer's specs: To install Windows 7, you'll need at least a 1 gigahertz or faster 32-bit (x86) processor, plus at least 2 GB of RAM and at least 16 GB of available hard disk space.
Yes, that sounds like a foreign language to most people. If you're not sure what all that means, try downloading a free Microsoft tool called a Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which will scan your PC, report any potential problems and offer ways to fix them. And report you to MS if you don't buy Windows 7 in the next 7 days ...
Is upgrading to Windows 7 worth it?
That depends on your budget and how you use your computer. The software will cost you from $120 to $220, depending on which version you buy. If you're broke and you're happy with your Vista or Windows XP system, then there's probably no rush.
But keep in mind that Windows XP is eight-year-old software, and that it will eventually stop running new applications. Newer operating systems also offer better security against hackers. You'll need to upgrade someday. And since you have to copy all your stuff and archive it, you might as well buy a Mac ...
Depending on how old your computer is, you may be better off buying a new laptop or PC, preloaded with Windows 7, instead of trying to refresh your aging machine. Retailers such as Best Buy and Dell.com are offering Windows 7-loaded laptops for as low as $499. Or visit the Apple store for laptops and iMacs that just work.
Which version of Windows 7 should I buy? Snow Leopard ...
Most casual computer users will probably be satisfied with the Home Premium edition ($119.99), which includes most of the basic features you'll need. That includes Home Group, which makes it easier to share music, video and documents -- a common printer, too -- between Windows 7-enabled computers in a home.
Small business owners and people who work from home may opt for the Professional edition ($199.99), which supports all the Home Premium features while automatically backing up all your data to a networked hard drive.
If you guard corporate secrets or work for the CIA, you'll want the Ultimate edition ($219.99). It comes with BitLocker encryption, which prevents thieves from accessing your files if your laptop is stolen. All versions of Snow Leopard cost $29.99.
How tricky is Windows 7 to install? If you can juggle bowling balls, recite haiku and do linear algebra in your head all at the same time then it's a breeze ...
Of course, can't everyone? You won't mind if I recite a few of my own poems instead of one from the classic Japanese, I hope -- trailing daughter #2 does not approve of my accent.
If you're upgrading from Vista, it's supposed to be a breeze: Insert the disc, and it does the rest. "It's the easiest upgrade I've ever seen," says J. Peter Bruzzese, who writes about tech for InfoWorld. "All of my settings carried over." "Why, it was almost as easy as upgrading a Mac!"
Upgrading from Windows XP is more complicated. Users will need to back up their files, format their hard drive, install Windows 7 and then reinstall browsers, reimport bookmarks and so on. Microsoft has a wizard called Easy Transfer that uses a USB cable to help you transfer files and settings. Or just copy your stuff to your new Mac ...
It's not officially recommended, but Bruzzese says XP users also can install a borrowed copy of Vista, then upgrade easily from there to Windows 7.
What if I need help? Go to the Microsoft store and ask a 'guru', if you can find one ...
If you don't have a tech-savvy friend, nephew or neighbor, try Microsoft's online Windows 7 Solution Center, which will walk you through the installation process. Wonder if you can reach it with XP ...
You may also want to consider hiring a tech-support service such as iYogi, whose technicians connect to your computer remotely to diagnose problems, help you install Windows 7 and show you how to migrate your old applications onto your new system. Services start at about $30. Great. $219 for an upgrade and I need to hire an IT twerp to install it.
Will Windows 7 run my old XP programs?
Most likely. Heeding complaints about Vista's compatibility problems, Microsoft is introducing something called XP Mode, which creates a virtual, or "shadow" Windows XP operating system running inside Windows 7. Sort of like how you could run Mac OS 9 inside OS X which Apple did about five years ago.
Once XP Mode is running, it fools your older apps into thinking they're on Windows XP. And fools you into thinking you're okay ...
Here you'll find an XP start menu and all your familiar XP features -- all of which should work as they did before. XP Mode is only available in the higher-priced Professional and Ultimate editions, though. Chi-ching ...
Does Windows 7 have any cool new bells and whistles?
Well, it's got trippier desktop wallpaper, for one. Microsoft has replaced much of its blandly pretty nature shots with colorful psychedelic images.
A Library feature allows you to gather files -- documents, photos and video -- from different places on your computer and group them together in new folders by topic, such as "beach house," or "Grandpa Fred."
A new feature called AeroPeek displays outlines of your open windows behind the window you're working in. A related feature, AeroSnap, allows you to move, shrink and enlarge windows on your screen so that you can see several at once.
Finally, Windows 7 needs less processing power than previous Windows versions, meaning that in theory, you should be able to work faster and in more windows at the same time. In other words, it's built for today's warp-speed, multi-tasking lifestyle. In other words, it's more like Mac OS X ...
#3
Think I'm gonna wait a while and see how it goes.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/25/2009 13:38 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I bought one of the $49.99 pre-release specials from Amazon (Home Premium). I'll install it when I get around to upgrading my system to more modern hardware. Windows will still be a secondary OS though since I primarily use Ubuntu Linux.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/25/2009 17:24 Comments ||
Top||
#5
"Printer-sharing" > read, SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH the FBI-CIA-DHS knows what you're doing, as based on recent MSM-Net Artics.
Which of course, cannot be confirmed or denied, + mainstream America = Amerika, USA = OWG-NWO Strong USSA/Weak USRoA, didn't vote on.
#7
I've been using Windows 7 for a few weeks now. Seems _much_ better than the Vista which was on the machine before.
The upgrade from Vista took a *long* time and, as I recall, a number of reboots. Also as I recall there isn't a direct upgrade from XP.
Since then I haven't had any problems.
The XP mode is kind of nice. Its kind of a hybrid Virtual machine where you can launch XP applications from Windows 7.
Having said that, I'll wait to install it on my XP boxes unless I had to. If I had Vista I'll consider it since (as least in my experience) its far better than Vista - even with service packs.
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.
Levi Johnston, the baby daddy of Sarah Palin's grandson, is looking forward to his photo spread in "Playgirl," but he promises to "keep it classy." 
Police in Honduras deactivated a grenade and detonated a second one found at a Tegucigalpa shopping center, a bomb squad officer told Efe.
CNN) -- OK, so after eight years and a lot of grumbling -- Vista, anyone? -- Microsoft has finally released a new 
