A FORMER special forces soldier in his 50s has told how he fought off an intruder half his age during a home invasion.
No points for guessing who won the day
Fifty-six-year-old Rudi, who declined to give his last name, said he was "scared" when he and his wife were woken by the sound of breaking glass, then found a man standing outside the bedroom door of their Klemzig home about 11 o'clock on Friday night.
Continued on Page 49
The American government has suspended its funding of the University of East Anglia's climate research unit (CRU), citing the scientific doubts raised by last November's leak of hundreds of stolen emails.
The US Department of Energy (DoE) was one of the unit's main sources of funding for its work assembling a database of global temperatures.
It appears the DoE have actual standards for scientific research. Good for them. And us, if they can continue to stick to their guns against the idealists running the current administration.
It has supported the CRU financially since 1990 and gives the unit about £131,000 a year on a rolling three-year contract.
This should have been renewed automatically in April, but the department has suspended all payments since May pending a scientific peer review of the unit's work.
The leaked emails caused a global furore. They appeared to suggest that CRU scientists were using "tricks" to strengthen the case for man-made climate change and suppressing dissent.
A spokesman for the DoE said: "The renewal application was placed on hold pending the conclusion of the inquiry into scientific misconduct by Sir Alastair Muir Russell."
Muir Russell published his report earlier this month. It said that the rigour and honesty of the CRU scientists were not in doubt but criticised them for "a consistent pattern of failing to display the proper degree of openness".
The DoE peer review panel will now sift through the report and decide if American taxpayers should continue to fund the unit.
A spokesman for the university said: "We are still waiting to hear if the latest bid for funding to the US Department of Energy has been successful and would not comment or speculate in the meantime."
#2
It appears the DoE have actual standards for scientific research. Good for them. And us, if they can continue to stick to their guns against the idealists running the current administration.
I dunno, Moose...seems to me that in addition to the DoE being overseen by socialists and Lysenkoists, there are waaaay too many people with a vested interest in keeping the AGW gravy train rolling (*cough* Congress *cough*). Doing so helps preserve their own job security and provides lucrative external opportunities (both legitimate employment and good old-fashioned graft). So therefore...
"The DoE peer review panel will now sift through the report and decide if American taxpayers should continue coordinate its activities with the the overall Climategate whitewash efffort in creating a justification to fund the unit."
There. Fixed it.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
07/18/2010 12:59 Comments ||
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#3
US DOE Halts Funding For East Anglia Over Climategate Scandal (till the negative publicity blows over)
'Twas I made that comment, Ricky bin Ricardo, not Anonymoose. Anonymoose is much too masculine to go about clad in periwinkle highlighter. ;-) Had it been his comment, as the article poster, it would have been in yellow.
#10
addition to the DoE being overseen by socialists and Lysenkoists
DOE's research is done at their Los Alamos, Sandia and Pacific Northwest labs where the same supercomputers used for nuclear weapons design and effects modeling and the like are used for climate modeling. I have some contact with each of those labs and have yet to encounter socialism or Lsyenkoist sentiments coloring research. FWIW
#11
The US had repor cut back on its foreign aid to JORDAN + other ME Hovts oer concerns as per their local Nucprogs.
* ION DER SPEIGEL > MORE THAN SIXTEEN MILYUHN GERMANS HAVE IMMIGRANT ROOTS [Rise to 20% of Germany's tote population of 82.0 Milyuhn, up from 18.6% in previous].
* RENSE > EU IS NOW A STATE UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW, + [Independent.UK] UZBEK WOMEN ACCUSE STATE OF [deliberate + non-consensual] MASS STERILIZATIONS, of women as part of Muslim Uzbekistan's Govt's decisions + policies in suppor of COVERT "FORCED FAMILY PLANNING" IN RESPONSE TO PROTRACTIVE, COMPLEMENTARY SERIOUS NATIONAL PROBLEMS.
* Poor Economy = National Poverty.
* Lack of Govt-led revenues for Public Welfare programs.
* High rates of unemployment among Males, espec Young Men.
* Islamist-led Militant Threat to Govt-State.
[Mail and Globe] Harare. My Zimbabwean host said: "Don't forget us." Yet the persecution of Anglicans in the diocese of Harare, which is spreading, is being seen and remembered by few Christian communities around the world.
My hosts do not worship in the fine building that was built by the Anglicans themselves -- some told me that they even made the bricks with their own hands, freely and willingly giving their labour as a gift to God -- but in a colourful marquee in a supporter's garden.
The marquee is so packed that some have to worship outside; the joy, energy and silences in the worship are indicators of the depth of commitment to God and one another. But not far beneath the surface is the pain of being exiles, forced from the spiritual home, built to the glory of God, that is rightly theirs.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
07/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
What is inexplicable about the western media ignoring what Mugabe's comrades are doing the Anglicans? Mugabe is one of the media's creations and success stories : they got him into power and have kept him there. Nothing that would disrupt the narrative is allowed, just like when they ignored his thugs torturing and murdering political opponents, until the stench of it got so bad that it had to be reported.
#2
Besides, were it acknowledged, then something would have to be done, by people who desperately don't want to do anything about real evil. They'll happily condemn Israel for something though, as soon as they think of the next thing to condemn them for.
[Mail and Globe] The SADC tribunal will report to the next summit of SADC heads of state Zimbabwe's non-compliance with a ruling on its land reform policies, AfriForum said on Friday.
"It is now time that SADC acted," said Mike Campbell, a farmer affected by the land grab.
"They have burnt my house with all its contents, they have looted my crops and my tractors, they have tortured my workers, they have killed my animals, they have stripped my farm, they have beaten me to within an inch off my life -- from which I have never recovered," he said in a statement.
Campbell's application to the tribunal in 2008 resulted in a ruling that Zimbabwe's land reform process was racist and contravened international law.
At the time, the tribunal, which sits in Namibia, ruled that farmers be compensated for their losses, but the Zimbabwe government said it did not recognise the ruling. It was found in contempt by the tribunal in 2009 and was reported to the SADC summit "to take appropriate action", said Campbell's son-in law, Ben Freeth, who farmed with him.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The idle moanings of the SADC mean absolutely nothing to Mugabe. Worthless as the sands of the Kalahari. Your end was doomed when Mugaba took office and Smith left for the Cape decades ago. A feckless Labor gov't in Whitehall and a white, guilt stricken president and congress were to blame. No one will touch the issue in the West today. The evil colonialists have finally been disposed and tribal governance in all it's glory reigns supreme. Consider yourself bloody lucky to be alive Mr. Campbell.
A shopping centre has been accused of going potty with political correctness after it installed squat toilets for Asian customers. The move came after managers at the Rochdale Exchange shopping centre were sent on a cultural awareness course to learn more about the needs of the large Asian population in the Lancashire town.
Bosses suggested the idea of hole-in-the-ground toilets to the Asian trainer and received an enthusiastic response, a spokeswoman for the shopping centre said. The complex was planning a refurbishment of its 14 toilets and decided to convert two of them, one for men and one for women, into squat toilets.
The Nile Pan toilets, which are common in Pakistan and India, are preferred by some Asian families because the body does not touch a potentially unhygienic surface. But the centre has dismissed suggestions of the "Islamification" of the great British loo.
A spokeswoman for Rochdale Exchange said: "If there had been a decision to provide only eastern European toilets I would really have expected some sort of backlash. It is just about doing what any business would do. They are trying to meet the needs of the community they serve and this is part of it. They came up with the idea, it would be really good to provide toilet facilities that were desirable by that particular part of the community."
#1
Ladies & Gentleman... I ask you... how hard is it to learn how regular toilets work and how to use them?
Imagine if we went to India or Pakistan and demanded they install regular western toilets in every shopping center.
They would laugh and hang you.
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
07/18/2010 1:52 Comments ||
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#2
Imagine if we went to India or Pakistan and demanded they install regular western toilets in every shopping center.
They would laugh and hang you.
Um...no. Can't speak about Pakistan, but in New Delhi western style toilets are standard. Especially in shopping centers. You see, even Indians don't like squat toilets. Well...the educated ones anyway.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/18/2010 4:06 Comments ||
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#3
Another case of not actually asking if anyone wanted it and falling over each other to bow down to another culture.
Squatty potties are indeed more "clean" because your ass doesn't touch the bowl. This "cleanliness" is all too frequently used as an excuse to never clean the toilets. Why should they, your ass never touches it!
#5
Somewhere in Italy we reluctantly experienced a squat toilet in a restaurant -- only because our need was urgent. I wanted to wash my feet and shoes, after, but that wasn't on offer. Ick.
#6
Using the left hand to wipe, think of the savings in toilet paper. You might not want to touch the door handle without gloves on your way out. The squat toilet carries the danger of losing ones balance on the way up and tipping into the pan - the very shallow pan. Happens more often than one might think.
In a marketplace, "Asians" also eschew refrigeration and cleanliness. Rochdale should, therefore, turn off the refrigeration of foodstuffs, add a huge population of flies and provide for purchase live chickens and goats. And don't forget that the vendor touching everything on the stall when serving you has wiped their butt with their hand at the squat toilet.
this should meet the needs of the Asian community quite nicely and provide a desirable and familiar shopping experience.
Don't forget that all meaat must be halal. Keep a few parking spaces empty for the use of the butcher.
#7
go back too Asia they have plenty of squat toilets there.
Posted by: chris ||
07/18/2010 10:02 Comments ||
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#8
That's just ludicrous. The devoluction of technology any one? Shoot, even when I'm in the boonies, depending on the environment, I try to make to use 3 pieces of dead wood to make a seat above the hole.
#17
I've used squat toilets in Japan. Although in Japan that's the old style. Modern Japanese toilets are western style toilets augmented with more gadgetry and electronics than an F-22.
#18
Remember that in the US we have a standard toilet that is too low, and by act of congress, doesn't flush with enough water to guarantee its contents is flushed without two or three tries.
Most Americans don't have bidets, either. And even if they did, most bidet designs are inferior. However a good one is a lot more hygienic than using just toilet paper. You get used to it in a hurry, because it's a lot more thorough. Then just use one piece of TP to dry off.
The Japanese may be a little strange at time, but as far as toilets go, they have their priorities straight. Be kind to your behind.
"Bud, the toilets today aren't worthy of the name. They come in designer colors, they're too low, and when you flush them they make this little weak, almost apologetic sound.
Not the Ferguson. It only comes in white and when you flush it -- BA WOOSH! -- That's a man's flush, Bud. A Ferguson says, 'I'm a toilet: sit down and give me your best shot.'"
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned Colombia of cutting ties "within next few hours" after Bogota accused him of sheltering the rebels in his country.
"If they keep up this craziness, in the next few hours I will break relations with Colombia," Chavez said in a broadcast.
The Venezuelan president said on Friday that for personal safety reasons he will not attend inauguration of Colombia's newly elected president, Juan Manuel Santos, on August 7. He called on Santos to distance himself from the outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
Colombia's outgoing President Alvaro Uribe said on Thursday it can prove that members of Colombian guerrilla groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, are hiding in a jungle on Venezuela's side of the border.
Chavez has called "Uribe's allegations" a smear campaign aimed at hurting ties between the two countries.
Two years ago, a Colombian raid on a FARC camp in Ecuador led to troop movements by Caracas, raising the specter of war in the Andean region. Tensions flared again last year.
Relations between Venezuela and the conservative government of Colombia have deteriorated over the last two years because of spillover from Colombia's decades-long civil conflict and accusations Chavez helps the leftist rebels.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/18/2010 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
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An oil pipeline at a busy Chinese port has exploded, causing a spectacular fire that has blazed since Friday evening.
More than 2,000 firefighters worked overnight to control flames and further blasts on a second pipeline after the initial explosion. China Central Television showed flames raging among tanks at the port in the northern city of Dalian, and state media described flames 30 meters high.
The Xinhua News Agency said it happened after a tanker uploaded oil at the port.
China National Radio said officials were considering the evacuation of about 600 homes nearby.
The pipelines are owned by China National Petroleum Corp., which is Asia's biggest oil and gas producer by volume.
#1
I saw an article somewhere that both fires are since under control; apparently they managed to find and repair the mechanisms for shutting off the pipelines, which were damaged in the fire.
Posted by: Things From Snowy Mountains ||
07/18/2010 0:14 Comments ||
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#2
Industrial accident? Or deliberate?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/18/2010 11:03 Comments ||
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Gaza's Hamas rulers have banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, calling it a practice that destroys marriages and sullies the image of the Palestinian people.
The ban marks the Islamist militant group's latest effort to impose their harsh Muslim lifestyle in the seaside strip on an often resistant public.
While Muslim law does not technically ban women from smoking the traditional tobacco-infused pipes, tradition frowns upon the habit. Hamas frequently mixes its strict interpretation of Islamic law with conservative Gaza tradition, and over the weekend, the two dovetailed to produce the smoking ban.
"It is inappropriate for a woman to sit cross-legged and smoke in public. It harms the image of our people," Ihab Ghussein, Hamas interior ministry spokesman, said in a statement released Sunday.
"Many women who smoke in public were divorced when their husbands saw them, or found out about them," said Hamas police spokesman, Ayman Batneiji, without substantiating his claim.
The ban was handed down by plainclothes security officials who marched through a strip of popular cafes by Gaza's seashore over the weekend, ordering owners not to serve water pipes to female customers.
Confused owners initially thought the ban applied to both men and women, killing most of their evening business. The Hamas government swiftly issued a statement reassuring residents the ban only applied to women.
Smoking water pipes is a popular habit among both sexes in the impoverished Gaza Strip. Although it is considered culturally inappropriate for women to be seen smoking them in public, some middle-class ladies smoke the pipes openly, often in mixed company. Even more conservative women can be seen taking an occasional puff of their husbands' water pipes.
"This is silly," fumed Haya Ahmed, a 29-year-old accountant who said she has smoked water pipes for 10 years. "We are not smoking in the streets but in restaurants where only a few people can enter."
She predicted the ban would have the opposite effect of its intention and make water pipes more tempting for rebellious young women. "Everything forbidden becomes desirable. The decision will lead to more smokers," Ahmed said.
Many Palestinians see the water pipe as inappropriate for women because of its sexual innuendo, and because it looks crass for ladies to smoke, said Palestinian anthropologist Ali Qleibo.
It is not clear how strict Hamas will be in enforcing the ban.
Many residents are deeply sensitive to any effort by Hamas to infringe on the few forms of entertainment available to Gaza's 1.5 million people. For three years, they have lived under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade that has penned them into the tiny coastal territory. Many Gazans pile into beach cafes in the evenings to puff on water pipes well into the early hours.
A cafe and restaurant union representative in Gaza, Ayman Abu Khair, estimated the ban would cost cafe owners some 10 percent of their income. He said owners were not warned before Hamas police barged into their establishments Friday night issuing the verbal order. Abu Khair said the union hoped to challenge the ruling.
The militant group has backed down in the past when it senses resistance to its harsh rules. A ban on men working in female hair salons was never enforced, and a demand that female lawyers cover their hair before they enter courtrooms was quietly rescinded.
But Hamas has successfully banned women from riding motorbikes, arguing it was culturally inappropriate. It also instructed teachers to pressure teenage girls to cover up in long, loose robes and headscarves. Last year the group cracked down on Gaza's tiny number of moonshiners and banned foreigners from bringing alcohol into the blockaded territory.
For Ahmed, the ban has been a damper. "I smoked (in public) with my family around," she said. "Now, I will smoke at home." If Hamas keeps this up, they will start looking like California.
A 47-year-old man was killed and three others were seriously injured Saturday afternoon during a gang quarrel over a mosque next to the central bus station in Lod that turned serious.
The injured young men were taken to Asaff HaRofe hospital in Tsrifin.
The argument is believed to have started when members of one of the rival gangs refused to let members of the other gang into the mosque for prayers. According to witnesses the gangs used knives as the brawl continued and at one stage live fire was heard.
Criminal identification experts found blood in many locations in the area but did not find the remainder of any bullets.
Salman Azbergeah, 47, was taken to hospital in a critical condition after the brawl but was announced dead on arrival.
A large number of police officers arrived at the scene in order to return calm to the area. Police officers were also deployed to various houses of the rival gang members in an attempt to prevent revenge attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I saw this thing as SOFEX. It looked to me as a usefull tool for the ARTY guys who hump heavy ammo. Once the technology gets better it will work for other bracnches.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/18/2010 17:45 Comments ||
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#3
It cracks me up that this is being sold as a combat enhancement. The reality is that this equipment would be far more mission important in the rear area and logistics transportation.
For instance, if you have a whole lot of 50-100lb boxes of critical combat materials that need to be loaded on a truck, you can either have a team of four men exhaust and maybe injure themselves, or in probably half the time or less, a couple of men could load the cargo and the truck could be on its way.
And what if they need to load 10 trucks? Gulf War I was won with a massive logistic movement across the Saudi desert, that amazed about everyone, and caught the enemy off guard.
#7
ION WMF > A CLOUD FLIES OVER THE AFGHAN [AFPAK] HIGHLANDS: NORTHRUP GRUMMAN TO BUILD HIGH TECH/NT, LEMV HYBRID CONTROL AIRSHIP FOR THE US ARMY + USDOD.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/18/2010 11:05 Comments ||
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#3
After seeing the video, I WANT ONE.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/18/2010 11:16 Comments ||
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#4
Gotta love the Scottsdale gun club! Lots of cool toys!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/18/2010 12:30 Comments ||
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#5
Good sales pitch. However, it's *always* a good sales pitch. Though they are hard to find in the States, there are a bunch of weapons manufacturer trade magazines, for everything from knives to warships, and everything in between, and every single thing in them is "the best".
But I will always remember what an NCO friend pointed out, after seeing a demonstration of a particularly complex piece of equipment.
"I've got a private who could screw up a steel ball."
He wasn't exaggerating. I met the private. As one of his peers said, "He's got a mind like a computer. A Commodore 64."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A shopping centre has been accused of going potty with political correctness after it installed squat toilets for Asian customers. The move came after managers at the Rochdale Exchange shopping centre were sent on a cultural awareness course to learn more about the needs of the large Asian population in the Lancashire town. 
