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Female Suicide Bomber Injures 12 in Russia's Dagestan
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5 17:15 M. Murcek [6]
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2 12:10 Speatle Ulolush4285 [1]
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Thousands Walk, Run Final Mile Of Boston Marathon
[Ynet] Thousands of athletes join victims of Boston Marathon bombings to run, walk last mile of race, reclaiming triumph of crossing finish line, after original marathon tragically cut short
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/26/2013 06:28 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Bad Weather in Western Europe Likely to Continue into June
In other words, another year of poor crops and high food prices for the poor, Egypt and Pakistan hardest hit.
[AnNahar] La Belle France's meteorological center said Friday that the winter-like weather that has gripped much of Western Europe was likely to continue into June.

With snow in the plains of Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
, record cold in the Netherlands and a distinct lack of sunshine in La Belle France and Germany, meteorologists say Western Europe is suffering from "exceptional" weather for this time of year.

According to Meteo La Belle France, the country's meteorological center, Western Europe could experience a brief respite from the bad weather at the weekend, but there will be no marked improvement for the next 10 days at least.

"It's what we call a block in meteorology, with a large area of low pressure wedged over northern Europe, bringing wind from the north and northeast," said Olivier Proust, a forecaster at Meteo La Belle France.

The temperature fell to 3.7 degrees Celsius (38.6 Fahrenheit) in Gay Paree on Friday morning, the lowest temperature recorded on that day since 1887. The Netherlands has also experienced similar bouts of cold.

Germans, meanwhile, are getting 50 percent less sunshine than they would at this time of year.

Unseasonal rain has also pummeled several countries, disturbing events such as the Cannes Film Festival in La Belle France.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/26/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Further 'evidence' of global warming...
Posted by: Raj || 05/26/2013 0:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Unseasonal rain has also pummeled several countries, disturbing events such as the Cannes Film Festival.

The festival is generally "disturbing" with or without bad weather.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/26/2013 1:27 Comments || Top||

#3  It's not entirely uneventful...
Posted by: Raj || 05/26/2013 2:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Snowflakes here in Upper Bavaria, but the night was hot. Really hot.

Climate had nothing to do with it though
Posted by: European Conservative || 05/26/2013 2:25 Comments || Top||

#5  n other words, another year of poor crops and high food prices for the poor, Egypt and Pakistan hardest hit.

From your mouth to the ear of G*d, TW.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/26/2013 5:16 Comments || Top||

#6  "Bad Weather in Western Europe Likely to Continue into June"

Works for me.

If I have to freeze my ass off in Central Virgina (fercryin'outloud) in late May, might as well spread the joy around.* :-(

*No offence to our European 'Burgers - if I could figure out a way to make all y'all's days sunny and warm, I would.
Posted by: Barbara || 05/26/2013 9:52 Comments || Top||

#7  Nice and Sunny here in HeirToBlairistan.

BBQ weather.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/26/2013 11:23 Comments || Top||

#8  Enjoy it while you can, BP.

The more the media and the gummint talk up Gerbil Worming, the colder it seems to get.
Posted by: Barbara || 05/26/2013 11:27 Comments || Top||

#9  European Burgers




I'm getting hungry.....
Posted by: Speatle Ulolush4285 || 05/26/2013 12:17 Comments || Top||

#10  Pah make your own burgers. Much better!

Cut the crust off bread, food process into breadcrumbs
Add 400g mince beef
Crumble in beef stock cube (extra meaty taste!)
Mince together till forms a ball.
Then make into burgers!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 05/26/2013 13:46 Comments || Top||

#11  60F in Anchorage yesterday. Nights in the 40s. Jes' fine.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/26/2013 19:07 Comments || Top||

#12  Snowflakes here in Upper Bavaria, but the night was hot. Really hot. Climate had nothing to do with it though. Posted by European Conservative

Did you.... like it ?
Posted by: Besoeker on the road again || 05/26/2013 19:10 Comments || Top||

#13  'We're now up to 34" of Snow'...

We're now up to 34" of #Snow on top of #Whiteface what a #MemorialDay

the calamity of Gerbil Worming!
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/26/2013 19:35 Comments || Top||

#14  @Besoeker

You don't win the Champions League that often
Posted by: European Conservative || 05/26/2013 22:43 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Narco blogger faces charges of plagiarism
For those historically inclined, "Lucy" was also the name of a network of Soviet spies inside the German High Command, who kept Stalin apprised of the Germans' every move during WWII.

This story has a lot of Mexican journalists up in arms, as much as a journalist could be anyway.

The United States news portal Fronteras and a group of Mexican journalists, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, downplayed the work carried out by "Lucy", the purported administrator of Blog del Narco who just last Thursday, the 16th, announced her departure from the country after the disappearance of one of her co-workers, a systems analyst.

In its opinion, the administrator of the popular site -- which stopped working on May 1 after the arrest of Ines Coronel, the father-in-law of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman -- has for three years been engaged in copying and pasting reporters' or newspapers' information without giving them their corresponding credit.
Posted by: badanov || 05/26/2013 01:34 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
No respite from power crisis as shortfall crosses 7,000MW
Just wait until Nawaz comes to office and power crises will be a thing of the past. ... Oh, you mean electricity...
ISLAMABAD: As people are protesting over the unprecedented load shedding, reports say there are fears of a nationwide major power breakdown.

PEPCO sources told a private TV channel that the power shortfall on Saturday was 7,000MW against the generation of 9,200MW. The sources said that the power situation would go from bad to worse until the government releases Rs 17 billion to PSO and IPs.

On the other hand, more than 18 hours of load shedding is being enforced in cities and more than 20 hours in the rural areas. Due to absence of electricity, people are unable to get water.
There's always the local river...
People in different cities and towns protested against the unavailability of electricity on Saturday. They blocked the GT Road and city roads in Okara, Gujranwala, Sukkur, Chakwal and at other places to register their sufferings.

In Hangu, a tribal Jirga protested over load shedding and decided not to pay electricity bills. It was also decided that people paying the bills would be fined to the tune of Rs 200,000 each.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has taken notice of ever-worst power outage and directed the caretaker minister for water and power to take immediate measures to overcome the situation. The PM also issued orders to release Rs 5 billion forthwith to purchase fuel.
Posted by: Steve White || 05/26/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Portents of life to come as the UK goes "green".
Posted by: AlanC || 05/26/2013 9:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Actually building a dam across the local river for hydro power might be their best way out of this. Their generation numbers, for a population of about 170 million, are roughly like lighting Yankee Stadium with a 100-watt bulb. Allah be praised.
Posted by: Matt || 05/26/2013 9:13 Comments || Top||

#3  "but at least we got that Olde Tyme Religion™"
Posted by: Frank G || 05/26/2013 9:53 Comments || Top||

#4  PEPCO?

Potomac Electric & Power Co. sure gets around, don't they?

I'm sure they're capable of screwing up just as badly in pakistain as they do in Maryland and D.C.
Posted by: Barbara || 05/26/2013 10:09 Comments || Top||

#5 
Posted by: Roman || 05/26/2013 10:40 Comments || Top||

#6  Cleanup on Aisle 5, please. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara || 05/26/2013 10:51 Comments || Top||

#7  Power generation and distribution - even knowledge of electricity itself - is the product of evil Western infidels. A good Muslim would have nothing to do with any of this.
Posted by: SteveS || 05/26/2013 11:22 Comments || Top||

#8  How many Pakistani Muslims does it take to change a light bulb?

None. They just sit there in the dark.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 05/26/2013 13:14 Comments || Top||

#9  You heard the one about Microsoft and lightbulbs?

A: None, they just declare darkness the New Standard.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 05/26/2013 13:35 Comments || Top||

#10  Sounds like a Circle Jirga to me.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 05/26/2013 19:01 Comments || Top||

#11  cute, AP. You been saving that one? :-)

Posted by: Frank G || 05/26/2013 19:08 Comments || Top||

#12  Your room, AP.

Nao.
Posted by: Pappy || 05/26/2013 23:16 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
The death of Better Place; electric car company to dissolve
The Better Place electric car company, once the very symbol of Israeli green innovation, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday asking the Lod District Court to dissolve the company.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 05/26/2013 05:10 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Electricity needs to be generated by something. If it is not in local neighborhood then it goes through transmission lines of some sort so typical energy loss to generate and deliver to the home is about %86. If the power then needs to charge up a battery. This is typically a %50 loss. But we've already lost %86 so %14 is useful and one half of that is %7. Now an electric car is not much more than %50 efficient so of the original power we are down to %3.5. Unless the power was from nuke or non-fuel infra-structure like hydro... Think about it ... no fuel based autos are only %3.5 efficient. NONE. On top of that mining of battery material is nasty and disposal isn't real clean either so just run the damn cars on some sort of fuel!
Posted by: 3dc || 05/26/2013 11:56 Comments || Top||

#2  I think some of your numbers are wrong.

The figure for power transmission seems to be off; I understood it to be around 90%.

For a single plant it's going to be around 40% efficiency of coal to electricity. For a fancy combined-cycle plant (liquefied coal, or oil, or natural gas) it would be 60%. (Thermodynamic cycle efficiency).

So: .6 cycle efficiency (being generous)
Times .9 power grid efficiency
Times .5 battery charge cycle efficiency

You're down at .27

Which is actually typical for a lousy gas engine but below an efficient diesel.

(For a single-cycle power plant you'd be at
.27 * 2/3 = .18

18%.

Hmm.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 05/26/2013 13:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Five or ten years ago -before they became communist - Scientific American article said the only way to electric cars was nukes. Period. But it took five pages to explain it, of course.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/26/2013 22:13 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Taiwan Protests Philippine Ships in Disputed Waters
[AnNahar] Taiwan on Saturday protested to the Philippines for sending naval ships to disputed South China Sea islands in the latest diplomatic spat between the two governments.

"The foreign ministry expresses its serious concern and firm opposition over the Philippines' dispatch of naval vessels to Renai (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Spratly Islands," it said in a statement.

Taiwan's government "denies all unlawful claims to illusory sovereignty over, or occupation of, these areas by other countries" it said.

The statement did not say when and how many Philippine ships were allegedly sent to the area or for how long. A foreign ministry spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
"I can say no more!"
when reached by Agence La Belle France Presse.

The Spratlys, a sprawling group of islands, are claimed in whole or part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei. The potentially resource-rich sea, home to important trade routes, is an increasingly dangerous flashpoint and there have been a string of recent diplomatic rows between countries with overlapping territorial claims.

The Philippine government and military spokespeople declined to comment.

Taipei and Manila have already been embroiled in a diplomatic row over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coastguards who claimed his vessel had intruded into their territorial waters earlier this month.

Taiwan has rejected claims that the shooting took place in Philippine waters and that the killing was "unintended". President Ma Ying-jeou has described the incident as "cold-blooded murder".

Amid widespread public outrage on the island, Taiwan's government has rejected repeated apologies from the Philippines and announced a series of economic sanctions against the country, including banning the entry of any more workers. Taiwan has also recalled its de facto envoy and held a military exercise in waters near the northern Philippines last week.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/26/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...A month or two back, a friend of mine who works at analyzing such things commented that we might be very surprised at what happens in the next few years regarding Taiwan and the PRC. Myself, I'm thinkin' this is the beginning of the surprise.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 05/26/2013 7:48 Comments || Top||



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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2013-05-26
  Female Suicide Bomber Injures 12 in Russia's Dagestan
Sat 2013-05-25
  French soldier stabbed with Stanley knife in Paris
Fri 2013-05-24
  Two Stockholm schools attacked as Sweden riots continue
Thu 2013-05-23
  Niger suicide bombers target Areva mine and barracks
Wed 2013-05-22
  'Soldier beheaded' in 'Islamist terror attack' oustide barracks in Woolwich
Tue 2013-05-21
  Nigeria Says It Has Retaken Five Islamist Strongholds
Mon 2013-05-20
  Syria: 20 Hezbollah Fighters Killed In Qusair
Sun 2013-05-19
  Syria army 'storms' rebel town Qusair
Sat 2013-05-18
  Moroccan Jailed For Milan Synagogue Bomb Plot
Fri 2013-05-17
   Syrian troops flush out rebels from prison
Thu 2013-05-16
  Nigeria declares 'massive' military campaign on borders
Wed 2013-05-15
  IMU takes credit for Quetta suicide bombing
Tue 2013-05-14
  Nigeria Court Convicts Iranian of Illegal Arms Shipment
Mon 2013-05-13
  Tunisia Police Disperse Salafists in Two Cities
Sun 2013-05-12
  Pak: Dozens killed in poll day violence


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