Hi there, !
Today Sun 11/20/2011 Sat 11/19/2011 Fri 11/18/2011 Thu 11/17/2011 Wed 11/16/2011 Tue 11/15/2011 Mon 11/14/2011 Archives
Rantburg
533401 articles and 1861015 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 60 articles and 130 comments as of 11:25.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion        Politix   
Saleh again refuses to sign power transfer
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
2 00:00 CrazyFool [7] 
1 00:00 Frank G [9] 
3 00:00 crosspatch [5] 
3 00:00 CrazyFool [7] 
0 [5] 
0 [3] 
0 [4] 
15 00:00 Angoper Smith4384 [6] 
2 00:00 Procopius2k [3] 
1 00:00 Anonymoose [3] 
8 00:00 Barbara [5] 
0 [3] 
2 00:00 Fred [3] 
28 00:00 Barbara [9] 
0 [9] 
0 [7] 
0 [5] 
2 00:00 Rjschwarz [7] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 [3]
0 [4]
2 00:00 Skidmark [6]
2 00:00 newc [3]
0 [3]
4 00:00 SteveS [3]
0 [3]
15 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [6]
0 [9]
0 [7]
0 [5]
0 [9]
0 [4]
0 [13]
0 [8]
0 [8]
0 [3]
3 00:00 Pollyandrew [7]
0 [7]
0 [11]
2 00:00 badanov [9]
2 00:00 Frank G [5]
3 00:00 trailing wife [10]
Page 2: WoT Background
0 [8]
0 [3]
0 [6]
0 [3]
2 00:00 Elmetle Splat4589 [3]
5 00:00 Lt. Joe Leaphorn [3]
0 [9]
0 [9]
0 [5]
0 [3]
5 00:00 Bright Pebbles [7]
1 00:00 bigjim-CA [9]
Page 4: Opinion
4 00:00 JohnQC [3]
4 00:00 Anonymoose [3]
2 00:00 Fred [7]
5 00:00 g(r)omgoru [7]
Page 6: Politix
2 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [4]
0 [4]
0 [4]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Today's Idiot
A Middletown, Ohio woman faces additional charges after she asked a friend to say she'd go and boom a local retailer.

When Molly Martin, 21, of Middletown, was apprehended by the loss prevention officer at Meijer last week, she allegedly sent a text to a friend and asked her to call in a bomb threat as a distraction, according to Middletown police.
"Be a good friend and get yourself in trouble to bail me out trouble, please."
"Okay."

Martin was arrested and charged with petty theft and making false alarms, both misdemeanors.

Detective Ken Rogers of the Middletown Division of Police said the officers on the scene quickly determined the bomb threat was on the same level as reports of the Loch Ness Monster, so the store wasn't evacuated. Had one person left the store because of the threat, Martin would have been charged with inducing panic, a felony, Rogers said.
"Nice try, lady. There was a 911 call to the effect that your friend's lips had fallen off."
He called the incident "a silly mistake, but a very serious offense." He praised the police officers, and Martin's cooperation for keeping the situation from escalating.

During the alleged incident, Martin was in the store with her 17-month-old daughter. Martin's mother picked up the baby from the store.

Martin allegedly claimed a five-finger discount on $384.73 worth of clothing, children's clothing, socks, belts, handbags and toys, a tablecloth and a kid's watch.

She allegedly put the items in a cart and concealed herself in the bra aisle. That's when she allegedly placed all the items in bags, placed them in the cart and exited the store. She was quickly apprehended by the store's security.
"What do you think you're doing with that stuff? Do you have a receipt"
"Uh, I think I lost it."
"We've heard that one a thousand times before, lady. A thousand times in base twenty-four."

She will have her preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Middletown Municipal Court.
Posted by: Korora || 11/17/2011 09:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


-Obits-
'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Karl Slover Dies at 93
[An Nahar] Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," has died. He was 93.

The 4-foot-5 Slover died of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon in a central Georgia hospital, said Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley. According to friends, as recently as last weekend, Slover appeared at events in the suburban Chicago area.

Slover was best known for playing the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins' band but also had roles as a townsman and soldier in the film, said John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz" and five other books on the movie and its star, Judy Garland. Slover was one of the tiniest male Munchkins in the movie.

Long after Slover retired, he continued to appear around the country at festivals and events related to the movie. He was one of seven Munchkins at the 2007 unveiling of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame dedicated to the little people in the movie. Only three remain of the 124 diminutive actors who played the beloved Munchkins.

Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I met one such, who wasn't a dwarf, just a very short girl at the time. Sadly, having been a Munchkin defined her entire life. Her home was filled with Wizard of Oz paraphernalia, and though she had great grandchildren, they all to some extent still lived under the shadow of that movie.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2011 9:03 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Everything You Need to Know about Vladimir Putin in a Single Photograph
H/T Drudge
Vladimir Putin With A Dental Drill Is A Bad Idea...And yet there he is, and yet there that drill is, and yet there that poor bastard's mouth is. Putin has officially become a '70s cinema villain.
Mods, I tried uploading this photo; don't know if I was successful or not. Methinks this definitely belongs in the 'Burg's photo collection.
AoS at 1220 CT: Here you go! I cropped it some for dramatic effect :-)
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) || 11/17/2011 01:10 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A little skill he picked up while working for the Committee for State Security?
Posted by: SteveS || 11/17/2011 2:16 Comments || Top||

#2  "Is it safe?"
Posted by: CincinnatusChili || 11/17/2011 3:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Marthe Keller
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/17/2011 3:46 Comments || Top||

#4  Just make sure there is not RTHAVENASS around. Heh.

Oh yeah, thats' a free Country, Russia.
Posted by: newc || 11/17/2011 4:14 Comments || Top||

#5 
Grin "Governor, I HAVE TOOLS"
Smile. There is no US anymore.
Posted by: newc || 11/17/2011 4:19 Comments || Top||

#6  His doppelganger
Posted by: tipper || 11/17/2011 6:53 Comments || Top||

#7  ...would you prefer Obama leaning over you with a dental drill? Oh, wait that would be a colonoscopy. Never mind.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/17/2011 11:10 Comments || Top||

#8  Peter the Great reference?
Posted by: Iblis || 11/17/2011 11:19 Comments || Top||

#9  Peter the Great reference?

In that case it wouldn't be a colonoscopy.
Posted by: gorb || 11/17/2011 14:51 Comments || Top||

#10  What No #9 pliers?
Posted by: manversgwtw || 11/17/2011 17:40 Comments || Top||

#11  If Obama can hug Erdogan, then taking a drill form Putin would be appropriate.
Posted by: Elmetle Splat4589 || 11/17/2011 17:59 Comments || Top||

#12  How can Rantburg go 14 posts without reference to "Marathon Man"?

Is is site slipping?
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia || 11/17/2011 19:26 Comments || Top||

#13  Yeah, where's the little bottle of eugenol?
Posted by: KBK || 11/17/2011 19:48 Comments || Top||

#14  #12 - did you read
#2 "Is it safe?"
Posted by: CincinnatusChili


? Really?
Posted by: Frank G || 11/17/2011 21:15 Comments || Top||

#15  "Marathon Man" redux, Huh Vlad?

And, just how could it ever have been said that you mini-czars were "humorless"? (Heh-Heh-HEH)...
Posted by: Angoper Smith4384 || 11/17/2011 23:16 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
China says Mugabe 'old friend' as Zimbabwe head visits
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping called Bob Muggsy Mugabe
Octogenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case...
"an old friend of China" Wednesday, state media said, as the Zim-bob-wean president visited the country to attend his daughter's graduation.

At a meeting between the two in Beijing, Mugabe -- who has been accused of widespread human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
abuses in his country -- also said he appreciated China's support, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Calling Mugabe "an old friend of China", Xi, who is currently Vice President, said Beijing wanted to cooperate further with Zim-bob-we in "trade, agriculture, mining and infrastructure", the report said.

"China... supports Zim-bob-we to explore its own development path in accordance with its national conditions," Xi -- widely expected to take over from current President Hu Jintao
...Hu has been involved in the Communist party bureaucracy for most of his adult life, meaning his viewpoint has a lot more theory than it does practice. He espouses a Harmonious Society approach, suggesting everybody should play nice or they'll be shot...
in 2013 -- was quoted as saying.

China has invested billions of dollars in Africa -- including Zim-bob-we -- raising eyebrows in the West, but many African leaders have praised the rising Asian giant for not preaching about human rights and corruption.

Mugabe's visit comes after he travelled to Hong Kong -- to attend his daughter's graduation on Tuesday -- with a group of about 20 people including his wife, Grace.

China is not party to international sanctions on Mugabe, who is the subject of a Western travel ban and asset freeze.

During his meeting with Xi, the Zim-bob-wean President said he wanted to work more closely with China in agriculture, infrastructure and minerals, Xinhua said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Zim-bob-we has been exploited by everyone else, I guess it's China's turn.
Posted by: Spot || 11/17/2011 7:53 Comments || Top||

#2  There needs to be an internationalist movement in both China and Russia to change the national attitude in both nations against *foreign* dictators and tyrants.

In all fairness, the US used to do that itself, encourage such dictators and tyrants, as long as it profited us, but eventually the light dawned that such people were creating more long term problems than they were worth.

Both China and Russia still have the insular idea that "what happens over there is of no consequence here", which was actually worse in the US because we had two ocean barriers to annoying foreigners, but the world is not like that anymore.

It is a hard lesson to learn.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2011 9:12 Comments || Top||

#3  Buy American this Christmas!
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 11/17/2011 9:34 Comments || Top||

#4  I agree anonymouse but I think the Chinese are building on anti-colonial resentment in Africa. They don't care if its a dictatorship or a democracy, they just want access and the anti-colonial card is a powerful card.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/17/2011 10:36 Comments || Top||

#5  rj: I'm -moose not -mouse. -mouse is a different poster.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2011 13:37 Comments || Top||

#6  I for one am going to boycott all Zim-bob-wean goods this X-Mas.
Take that bobby boy!
Posted by: bigjim-CA || 11/17/2011 20:23 Comments || Top||

#7  I apologize for my fat iPhone thumbs.
Posted by: Rjschwarz || 11/17/2011 21:17 Comments || Top||

#8  "I for one am going to boycott all Zim-bob-wean goods"

What goods? Isn't their most plentiful product misery?
Posted by: Barbara || 11/17/2011 22:29 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Govt hired foreigner to frame Tarique: BNP
[Bangla Daily Star] BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the government had hired a foreign witness to falsely implicate the party's Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman
...the elder son of former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, and Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He is the Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). His nickname is Pino. There are allegations that Pino took a rakeoff from every foreign investment into the country while Mom was in office...
in a money-laundering case.

"But people will not accept it since the witness has already testified that Tarique has nothing to do with the case," he said at a protest rally in front of BNP's central office at Nayapaltan in the capital.

The main opposition then brought out a procession that ended in front of the Jatiya Press Club. The programmes were part of a two-day protest against the recent fuel price hike.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:


Tarique laundered money
[Bangla Daily Star] An FBI agent yesterday testified in the Tk-20.41-crore money-laundering case filed against BNP chief Khaleda Zia's
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
son Tarique Rahman
...the elder son of former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, and Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He is the Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). His nickname is Pino. There are allegations that Pino took a rakeoff from every foreign investment into the country while Mom was in office...
and his business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun.

This is for the first time that a US Federal Bureau of Investigation agent has testified before a court in Bangladesh. The testimony is expected to be a turning point in the case since the agent has effectively said Tarique laundered money through using Mamun's account in a Singapore bank.

Debra Laprevotte, a supervisory special agent of the FBI, narrated before a Dhaka court how she had tracked down the money allegedly laundered by BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and Mamun to a bank account in Singapore.

She said the documents recovered from the Singapore bank include detailed records of money transfers and payments made from the account. It also had photocopies of Tarique and Mamun's passports, which were submitted when the two applied for credit cards from the bank.

"The first credit card on the account was a Visa credit card in the name of Mr Mamun," she told the court, adding, "...There is another credit card in the name of Tarique Rahman."

Giasuddin Al Mamun, 47, stood in the dock at the back of the courtroom throughout the two-hour-long proceedings yesterday. Tarique Rahman remains a runaway.

After Laprevotte's testimony, the judge of Special Judge's Court-3 asked Mamun whether he would like to cross-examine Laprevotte to which Mamun shook his head to say no. His lawyer had earlier left the court protesting Laprevotte's testimony.

When the proceedings began at 11:20pm, barrister Fakhrul Islam, Mamun's lawyer, opposed Laprevotte's testifying. He submitted a petition seeking adjournment of the hearing on the ground that the witness had not been mentioned in the charge sheet and that additional witnesses could only testify after all witnesses mentioned in the charge sheet had given their depositions.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How did the FBI get mixed up in this far-flung case??
Posted by: American Delight || 11/17/2011 6:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Probably incidentally to another domestic case at the first, then the eyebrows popped up at the amounts and the fact that it was Khaleda's kid and they put some crack accountants on it to see where it led.

It's also entirely possible the the current government asked for U.S. assistance in tracking it, since the two begums hate each other's guts.

I'd think such things would be in the CIA's bailiwick, but they don't lean toward the money tracking angle like FBI does.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 11:31 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia Warns Border Strife May Trigger Nuclear War
I believe the purpose of this statement is quite different in the context of the mutual defense agreement with Iran. The important sentence in the article is this one:

"The nation's military doctrine says it may use nuclear weapons to counter a nuclear attack on Russia or an ally ..."

I believe Russia might be raising awareness that it has the potential to nuke someone who attacks an ally and might not respond with conventional forces.

What if it's a conventional attack instead of nuclear? Would Russia respond then? After all, they did nothing after Israel destroyed Syria's nuclear facility a few years ago...
Posted by: crosspatch || 11/17/2011 13:17 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Offer them compensation for nuke industry losses, and anything goes. But having Goof One in the White House doesn't help.
Posted by: Elmetle Splat4589 || 11/17/2011 17:57 Comments || Top||

#2  "First make sure you're right, then go ahead."
-Davy Crockett

Bluster from a washed up and still very 'upset about it' former superpower.
Posted by: bigjim-CA || 11/17/2011 20:13 Comments || Top||

#3  I think we are going to be facing a similar issue with the scaling back of our conventional forces. Someone attacks us, what the hell, just nuke 'em. Much cheaper than attempting to go the "proportional response" mode.

When the Taliban didn't give up bin Laden, we should probably have simply dropped three nukes, one on Kabul, one on Kandahar, and one on Jalalabad, and been done with it. Whole war over in about 30 minutes.

Basically what the Russians are saying is "mess with us or an ally and we might just nuke you".

Also, I don't believe Russia had the sort of mutual defense treaty with Syria that they have with Iran. They negotiated that treaty with Iran specifically to deter an attack on Iran's nuclear program:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ26Ak06.html
Posted by: crosspatch || 11/17/2011 23:48 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Darwin Australia goes nuts for US Prez
Posted by: Wheaper Unereper4618 || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's the build up to the Wet, they're all going nuts anyway.
Posted by: Grunter || 11/17/2011 7:35 Comments || Top||

#2  By my count Australia is just about the only good allyhr hasn't slighted but he's still got a year.
Posted by: Rjschwarz || 11/17/2011 21:25 Comments || Top||


Europe
Airline holds passengers hostage; demands extra cash to continue to destination
An airline stuns passengers by asking for £20,000 to complete the final leg of their journey to the UK. The demand was "unusual to say the least", the UK Civil Aviation Authority tells Channel 4 News. The plane, returning from Amritsar in India to Birmingham and carrying around 180 passengers, had already been delayed by several days.

But when it stopped in Vienna to re-fuel, passengers were stunned when they were told they had to hand over around £20,000 to fund the final leg of the trip. Austrian police were called to the stand-off in Vienna, which ended when passengers were escorted to cash machines to draw out the money. Many had to borrow from each other to reach the sum total.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/17/2011 14:21 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Was that a Delta flight?
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/17/2011 22:51 Comments || Top||

#2  Comtel Air, which has a strapline of "Vienna Executive Aviation", was unavailable for comment, with emails bouncing back and phones disconnected.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/17/2011 23:39 Comments || Top||


Portugal refuses to extradite fugitive murderer to US
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation had been searching for him since his August 1970 escape from Bayside State Prison in New Jersey, where he was jailed for a 1962 murder.

For two years, Wright disappeared into the Black Liberation Army, a violent group of African American communists.

Then on July 31, 1972, he was among five adults who hijacked a Delta flight flying from Detroit to Miami.

They demanded a one-million-dollar ransom for the passengers and when this was paid, they forced the plane to fly to Boston where it refuelled and took on another pilot hostage, then crossed the Atlantic to Algeria.

The hijackers sought asylum there. Although the plane and money were seized by the Algerians and returned to the United States, the hijackers were only briefly detained.

In May 1976 French police captured four of the gang -- but not Wright.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/17/2011 14:10 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  not a cent of bailout for Portugal. No NATO cooperation. Obama will predict their future better economy as one of his "EU picks". See if that gets their attention?
Posted by: Frank G || 11/17/2011 21:24 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Crimes committed by OWS: Sorted by type
Posted by: Frozen Al || 11/17/2011 13:16 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Any resemblance to the Tea Party is a figment of the left's collective wingnut imagination.
Posted by: JohnQC || 11/17/2011 18:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Media is not reporting possible OWS connection.
Posted by: Dale || 11/17/2011 20:15 Comments || Top||

#3  Of course not Dale. It doesn't fit the narrative!

"The Tea Party are Violent, racist, sexist, etc..."
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/17/2011 23:30 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Revenue officials recover dues only to embezzle them, PAC told
[Dawn] A bigwig of the Board of Revenue conceded before the Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday that recovery of government dues was no more a priority of the field staff, who collected the money from the people only to embezzle it.

Senior Member of the Board of Revenue Shazor Shamoon also said government land could not be encroached upon without the knowledge of relevant government functionaries.

He made these remarks at a meeting of the PAC presided over by its chairman Jam Tamachi Unnar here on Tuesday.

The meeting was held to settle the revenue department's 27 audit paras of three years -- 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.

However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
taking strong notice of the non-recovery of Rs316 million, the PAC deferred all the 27 audit paras to its next meeting to be held after two months.The PAC chief directed the secretary of the Sindh Assembly to write letters to the chief minister and the revenue minister about incompetence and negligence of revenue officials.

PAC members Ghulam Mujadid Isran, Aamir Moin Pirzada and Muhammad Shoaib observed that apparently the officials concerned had taken PAC notices very lightly and, therefore, they did not bother to come prepared to attend the meeting.

Mr Unnar directed Mr Shamoon to provide a list of all those tapedars and mukhtiarkars who failed to discharge their duty and recover government revenue from people in their respective tehsils and districts.

The PAC chief recalled that in the past revenue officials used to take over jeeps and tractors of landlords if the latter failed to pay government dues.

He was also critical of the performance of revenue executive district officers for failing to decide cases on time.

Mr Unnar said incompetence and poor performance of government functionaries was giving a bad name to the PPP government.

Recalling massive encroachments in Bloody Karachi on government land, the PAC chief said that if officials found themselves helpless to initiate action against influential encroachers, they could at least write a note and file it so that such cases could be reopened afterwards.

At the outset, Mr Shamoon conceded that the recovery of government dues was no more a priority of the field staff.

He said in the past if any tapedar failed to recover government dues, he used to be put behind bars and the recovery was made very next day.

He said he did not believe that tapedars failed to recover government dues. This could be true only in between 10 and 20 per cent of cases but in most cases recovery was made from the people but was embezzled by tapedars, he added.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Kohistanis unlikely to allow women vote in by-poll
[Dawn] Although Election Commission of Pakistain has set up separate polling booths for women to cast their votes in Kohistan
...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns....
by-election, yet it seems that people in most areas of the constituency will follow their tradition of not allowing womenfolk to take part in the balloting.

"We have established polling booths for women voters and are optimistic that they would come out to exercise their right of vote," Deen Mohammad, the assistant election commissioner of Kohistan, told journalists on Tuesday.

He said that they had also asked the candidates to remove hurdles from their way and facilitate women to cast votes in the by-election to be held on Nov 24.

Kohistan is a conservative and backward district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
. During the previous elections including the general polls held in 2008, people of district didn`t allow women to cast their votes.

Even the candidates for a national and three provincial assembly seats of district always opposed casting of votes by women. "This time too contenders are unwilling to allow women to cast votes in the by-election," sources said.

The by-election will be held in PK-61 constituency for the provincial assembly seat, which fell vacant after the demise of MPA Maulana Obaidullah.

"People of Kohistan are against women taking part in polling and they would not allow their women to come to the polling booths and cast their votes," said Sarfaraz Khan, a resident of the constituency.

He said that only those women, who were relatives and family members of the candidates, would go to the polling booths in urban areas of the constituency.

Eleven contenders, from almost all mainstream parties, are in the run for by-election. A total of 84,675 voters, including 18,801 women, are registered in the constituency.

Deen Mohammad said that the candidates had assured him during a meeting that they would work to bring out the women on the polling day.

"I know that in the past women were not allowed to exercise their right of vote but this time situation will be different completely," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Gilani vows supremacy of parliament, protecting democracy
[Dawn] Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani
... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
on Wednesday assured the National Assembly that they were ready to go to any extent for ensuring supremacy of the Parliament and to protect democracy.

Speaking in the National Assembly in response to various issues raised by Leader of the Opposition Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, he said that the prime ministers would come and go but the parliament should continue to function in the country.

He rejected the impression of the leader of the opposition that parliament had become 'useless' and said the house had the honour to pass 103 amendments in the constitution and all the legislation was enacted after evolving the consensus.

The PM appreciated the opposition parties for passing Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill unanimously and added the whole world appreciated this legislation.

He said it was for first time in the history of Pakistain that the army and ISI were made accountable to the parliament.

He asked the opposition to maintain tolerance as resignations from the parliament was not in the interest of anyone, rather it would give a bad name to the country and democratic system.

Mr Gilani said he has asked all the cabinet members and parliamentary secretaries to remain present in both the houses of the parliament to debate the issues, raised by the members.

The PM further said that he was ready to cooperate and maintain discipline in the house but hoped the same spirit would also come from the opposition members.

The prime minister said the government was ready to debate all the issues including electricity, gas, public sector organizations but asked the opposition to move all the issues in the parliament according to its procedures. Only raising the issues on point of orders, will not resolve these issues, he added.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
Iraq says to act against Exxon over Kurdish deal
Iraq's government said it would move to end a major contract with Exxon Mobil after the US oil giant signed a deal with semi-autonomous Kurdistan to explore fields there, which Baghdad on Wednesday called a violation of the law.

Exxon's agreement in Kurdistan and Baghdad's response have set up a power struggle between the Iraqi central government and multinational oil companies over the potential resources in the northern Kurdish region. Baghdad and Kurdistan's regional government are in a long-running political dispute over oil and land rights, and the central government says all foreign oil deals signed with the Kurdistan region are illegal.

"Exxon has violated the ministry directions and instructions concerning the companies working in Kurdistan," said Abdul-Mahdy al-Ameedi, director of the oil ministry's contracts and licensing directorate. "It's a violation of the contract and the law. As a consequence the oil ministry will take steps to end the contract. But this operation will need arrangements," he said without giving further details.

It was unclear what steps the oil ministry may be able to immediately take against Exxon as Baghdad seeks to manage the challenge by the US major to its national oil policies.

Exxon has a multi-billion dollar contract with Iraq's oil ministry to develop the 8.7 billion barrel West Qurna Phase One oilfield in the south -- one of dozens of large contracts Iraq hopes will help rebuild its war-battered crude industry.

A spokesman at the US major could not immediately be reached for comment. Exxon has so far not made any statement on the Kurdistan deal.

Challenging Exxon will be a tricky balancing act for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government as it seeks to rebuild the economy and oil production, which is currently around 2.9 million barrels per day. Trying to end the Exxon deal could lead to long legal negotiations that would sour the appetite of other investors. Exxon has gone to international arbitration before, for example, in Venezuela over a nationalization move.

Ameedi said there had been no response from Exxon to the Iraqi government's communications with the company regarding the Kurdistan deal. "Exxon hasn't answered us yet," he said.

He said the Kurdish government had also been talking to US oil company Chevron and Italian operator Eni. "We know that there is communication between them. There are talks," he said.

Iraq has signed multi-billion deals with oil majors to develop oil infrastructure and help it achieve output capacity of as much as 12 million barrels per day. Its current output is 2.9 million bpd.

The central and regional governments remain at odds over the contents of a long-delayed national oil law, which investors see as an essential framework for investments in the country.
Posted by: Steve White || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What's the hubbub about Kurd oil? What law?
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 11/17/2011 5:44 Comments || Top||

#2  Checks didn't clear?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/17/2011 9:15 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Dupe headline: 'Mysterious Symbols in China Desert Are Spy Satellite Targets, Expert Says
Newfound Google Maps images have revealed an array of mysterious structures and patterns etched into the surface of China's Gobi Desert. The media — from mainstream to fringe — has wildly speculated that they might be Chinese weapons-testing sites, satellite calibration targets, street maps of Washington, D.C., and New York City, or even messages to (or from) aliens.

It turns out that they are almost definitely used to calibrate China's spy satellites.

So says Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA's Mars missions. Hill works with images of the Martian surface taken by rovers and satellites, as well as data from Earth-orbiting NASA instruments.
Posted by: Beavis || 11/17/2011 05:54 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Ballmer Says "Windows Era" Everlasting
[An Nahar] File under "hubris," I think...
Microsoft
...producers of Windows, Office, and the late Microsoft Bob, contributed $852,167 to the 2008 Obama campaign...
chief Steve Ballmer proclaimed an everlasting "Windows Era" as the software giant's board easily won re-election at an annual meeting of shareholders on Tuesday.

Ballmer along with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and six others saw their positions on the Microsoft board secured with more than 92 percent of votes cast by investors.

In response to a question from a stockholder, Ballmer downplayed the notion of a "post PC-era" marked by smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices supplanting desktop or laptop machines powered by Microsoft Windows software.

"We are in the Windows Era," Ballmer said. "We were, we are, and we always will be."

While the types of computing devices people use evolves so does Windows, he said regarding the operating software at the heart of Microsoft's empire.

"One of the remarkable things about Windows over the years is that is has adapted," Ballmer said.

"It will be a tablet machine; a reading machine, and a note-taking machine," he said. "We are going to have to push Windows into more form factors."
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well, I just did a restart, and he might be right.
Posted by: Grunter || 11/17/2011 7:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Just read this on the first Mac device I've ever owned, an iPad II I just bought last week and which I already love.

Didn't GM used to think like this guy?
Posted by: no mo uro || 11/17/2011 8:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Funny you should say that. I too am thinking of going Mac in the future.
Posted by: Kelly || 11/17/2011 8:05 Comments || Top||

#4  I think he's permanently at the Ballmer Peak. Shall we rename him Baghdad Steve?
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 11/17/2011 9:06 Comments || Top||

#5  For all their annoying certitude in their ideas, the CATO institute has done some very interesting research into the concept of "monopolization in markets, government involvement in creating and sustaining it, or ending it."

Microsoft exists in its current form, despite pretensions of being a group activity, because of Bill Gates unique, and rather ruthless, understanding of the business. And while ruthlessness is easy, doing it effectively is not.

Microsoft has some terrible organizational problems. After the success of Win98SE, they had the double disaster of Win2000 and WinME, before hitting again with WinXP. But Vista was mediocre at best, and Win7 appears to be good, though it is showing signs of being bloated and sluggish.

This creates a huge opening for a Linux based system by being faster, smaller, more flexible and user oriented. Microsoft has become far too willing to add "millstones" to its product because other corporations want them, even if those "features" are not consumer friendly.

So market forces could break up Microsoft, or the government. It is not invulnerable.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/17/2011 9:50 Comments || Top||

#6  Let's see, didn't Thomas Watson say that the market for computers was only 8 or 9 machines in the world?

Generally prophecies such as this mean the person speaking is waaaaay behind the curve and doom is approaching.
Posted by: JimK || 11/17/2011 10:08 Comments || Top||

#7  If Linux was going to be here, it would have been here by now. It ain't.
Posted by: gromky || 11/17/2011 10:17 Comments || Top||

#8  Don't forget the imfamous "'640K of memory should be enough for anybody." from none other than Bill Gates.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/17/2011 10:25 Comments || Top||

#9  Computer users can be divided roughly into content consumers and content creators. Most home computers are used for content consuming. Surfing the web, watching videos, listening to music. You might write a bit but that's not the main use of the computer. Tablets and smart phones and the like are already proving you don't need a full computer for this stuff.

If you create music, or software code, or video editing or whatever you'll probably find you still need far more horsepower than a smartphone or tablet can offer.

Microsoft will see their marketshare contract and a lot of their business will be fighting for laptop shares which is a bit more balanced between Apple and Microsoft than the desktop world is. Laptop shares and home servers to link up those tablets and smart phones and both Apple and MIcrosoft need to work on that side of things a bit.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/17/2011 10:34 Comments || Top||

#10  You might want to read Steven Green's review of the iCloud before going to an iPad.

My career has me working with all three OS technologies and each have their place and niche. Ballmer is right... for now. Where windows shines is the network/server infrastructure. There simply isn't anything that is as robust, easy to use and secure (as you can get at least.). Microsoft's cloud and cloud services are lightyears ahead of Apple and actually works. Very well in fact. Seeing SQL tear through some data mining on the Cloud in 30 seconds where it took 1 hour on a single server before is a really amazing thing to see.

Apple has the ease of use casual technology toys market wrapped up. That is a market Microsoft tried to get into and failed. Multiple times. Looks like Amazon might have a winner with their Kindle Fire, but it is still in the "We'll See" stage.

Where Microsoft will lose business is in the laptop market. Tablets and smart phones are the wave of the future and really there isn't a Microsoft product out there that can compete. Tablets and smart phones (they will merge in the future) will get more and more powerful, and with a working Cloud to do a lot of the CPU horsepower number crunching and sending it to the user there will be little need for laptops or desktops at home.
Posted by: DarthVader || 11/17/2011 10:43 Comments || Top||

#11  How many use Dvorak keyboards?

User interface standards...are. Even the hellish ones.

Posted by: QWERTY || 11/17/2011 10:50 Comments || Top||

#12  One word - MSNBC.
Posted by: Iblis || 11/17/2011 11:20 Comments || Top||

#13  Here's my fav of Balmer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 11/17/2011 11:31 Comments || Top||

#14  1 more! LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 11/17/2011 11:35 Comments || Top||

#15  Good points Darth. Microsoft pretty much 'owns' the network/server area nowdays. But lets not forget the integration of technologies. From Cloud, SQL Server to Sharepoint to Office and .NET - it is all easily integrated - which isn't something many others can claim.

Microsoft also has a deep research and development area as well. Also seems pretty darn committed to security.

One weakness I see is that they are trying to be everything to everyone. I don't think anyone has ever managed that trick.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/17/2011 11:50 Comments || Top||

#16  For those who work in big enterprises, as yourself a question: Have you EVER met a CIO or CTO who is a fanboi?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 11/17/2011 12:02 Comments || Top||

#17  ask yourself a question
Posted by: M. Murcek || 11/17/2011 12:02 Comments || Top||

#18  There is no tablet that can replace my beast of a laptop. And the little app games do not take the place of a dedicated gaming laptop or PC. So my laptop will be around alot longer, especially since I wind up doing so much for work on it as well. I really should charge Halliburton a laptop use fee.
Posted by: Silentbrick - Halliburton Lost Drill Bit Division || 11/17/2011 12:27 Comments || Top||

#19 
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 11/17/2011 13:24 Comments || Top||

#20  I still run Windows, but in a virtual machine running under Linux.

It's mostly for Fireworks, which I like better than Inkscape, and XNews for newgroups.
Posted by: Fred || 11/17/2011 14:35 Comments || Top||

#21  RE: "Steve Ballmer - Developers "

Looks embarrassing BUT it's the real core strategy of the company. Make it EASIER than any other platform to write apps that run on the PC, and you'll attract customers who want to use those apps.

That simply is THE MicrosSoft strategy.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/17/2011 14:52 Comments || Top||

#22  If Linux was going to be here, it would have been here by now. It ain't.

Oh, it's here all right. You just don't see it. It's in your smart phones. It's in my Mom's fancy flat-screen TV, it is in the servers running the interwebs. It is the development platform at a whole bunch of companies. It is even in the ceiling watching you...no wait, that's Ceiling Cat.

Microsoft still owns the desktop, but there is a whole lot of linuxing going on.
Posted by: SteveS || 11/17/2011 16:37 Comments || Top||

#23  If Linux was going to be here, it would have been here by now. It ain't.

I surf, read and write in Fedora Linux every day.

I have a Windows machine for games, about the only thing it is good for.
Posted by: badanov || 11/17/2011 17:29 Comments || Top||

#24  I should have been clearer and said "Linux on the desktop". I love linux but I gave up on it a long time ago.
Posted by: gromky || 11/17/2011 17:50 Comments || Top||

#25  ..no wait, that's Ceiling Cat.

Oh dear. The trailing daughters were amazed that I knew about Ceiling Cat... ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/17/2011 17:54 Comments || Top||

#26  The Cloud will obsolete the desktop and the servers.

The thing that most people don't get about the Cloud, is everything only needs to be done once. The age of thousands of developers doing basically the same thing is over. And that is the market Microsoft dominates.
Posted by: phil_b || 11/17/2011 21:19 Comments || Top||

#27  Use windows at work. It blows. Use Word at work it blows as well. I use Lotus Notes at work. Good god it blows.

How is it this stuff isn't better by now. We've had computers for decades.
Posted by: Rjschwarz || 11/17/2011 21:23 Comments || Top||

#28  Test: ♪
Posted by: Barbara || 11/17/2011 22:22 Comments || Top||


Posted by: || 11/17/2011 07:23 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
42[untagged]
6Govt of Syria
4Govt of Pakistan
2Taliban
2al-Qaeda in Pakistan
1Govt of Iran
1al-Shabaab
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1al-Qaeda in Arabia

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2011-11-17
  Saleh again refuses to sign power transfer
Wed 2011-11-16
  Missile raid targeted top Shabaab leaders
Tue 2011-11-15
  Suspected suicide bomber killed near Afghan loya jirga site
Mon 2011-11-14
  Syria Calls for Urgent Arab Summit
Sun 2011-11-13
  Syrian brownshirts storm Saudi embassy
Sat 2011-11-12
  Iranian Terror Plot Against Bahrain Uncovered
Fri 2011-11-11
  Mexican minister who fought drug cartels killed in crash
Thu 2011-11-10
  Cash shortage threatens Pakistan flood aid
Wed 2011-11-09
  Kim Jong-il Death Rumors Rattle Markets
Tue 2011-11-08
  Syria Says U.S. behind 'Bloody Events', Urges Arab Help
Mon 2011-11-07
  19 Killed as Syrians Rally on Eid al-Adha
Sun 2011-11-06
  Suicide bomber kills six at mosque in Afghanistan
Sat 2011-11-05
  65 dead in Islamist raid on Nigerian town
Fri 2011-11-04
  Al-Shabaab militants fall back to defend Kismayu
Thu 2011-11-03
  Syrian tank fire kills two in Homs despite deal


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.
3.128.198.21
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (23)    WoT Background (12)    Opinion (4)    (0)    Politix (3)