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More than 200 dead as battle rages in Baghdad
Today's Headlines
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Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Video: Detroit City council has a family spat... (idiots of the day?)
Posted by: 3dc || 04/13/2008 13:28 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Panic in Detroit, I guess.
Posted by: Mike || 04/13/2008 14:28 Comments || Top||

#2  Conyers????
Posted by: anonymous2u || 04/13/2008 17:30 Comments || Top||

#3  Last one out, turn off the lights...
Posted by: tu3031 || 04/13/2008 21:53 Comments || Top||


Scrappleface: Seizing Moment, Hillary Totes Bible to Gun Range
Sensing an opportunity to portray Sen. Barack Obama as elitist and out of touch after his remarks about “bitter” rural Americans who cling to guns, God and xenophobia, Sen. Hillary Clinton stopped after church today at an indoor gun range, where she fired roughly 300 rounds through a handgun she said she carries concealed everywhere she goes.

Her lower lip bulging from a dip of Skoal, Sen. Clinton put her Bible in her handbag, and drew out her own Para Ordnance Warthog .45 caliber pistol. As reporters looked on, the Democrat presidential candidate emptied one 10-round magazine after another, with fair accuracy, at a human silhouette target. . . .
Posted by: Mike || 04/13/2008 12:23 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Boy, is she out of touch. Using Skoal? Everyone knows that Copenhagen with a few drops of JD Black is the chew of choice for NRA members. Although, the further South she gets she better get in a supply of Redman.
Posted by: Jack is Back! || 04/13/2008 12:34 Comments || Top||

#2  If there were 6 sides to an issue, Hillary would be on all 6 sides for and against. Although I know this is a Scrappleface, Hillary having anything to do with firearms "Requires the suspension of disbelief."
Posted by: JohnQC || 04/13/2008 16:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Hillary having anything to do with firearms "Requires the suspension of disbelief."

that's what I thought....
Posted by: Vince Foster || 04/13/2008 17:18 Comments || Top||

#4  lol!
Posted by: Woodrow Slusorong7967 || 04/13/2008 20:59 Comments || Top||


Research says good looking women should wed unattractive men
Women seeking a lifelong mate might do well to choose the guy a notch below them in the looks category. New research reveals couples in which the wife is better looking than her husband are more positive and supportive than other match-ups. The reason, researchers suspect, is that men place great value on beauty, whereas women are more interested in having a supportive husband.

Researchers admit that looks are subjective, but studies show there are some universal standards, including large eyes, "baby face" features, symmetric faces, so-called average faces, and specific waist-hip ratios in men versus women.

Past research has shown that individuals with comparable stunning looks are attracted to each other and once they hook up they report greater relationship satisfaction. These studies, however, are mainly based on new couples, showing that absolute beauty is important in the earliest stages of couple-hood, said lead researcher James McNulty of the University of Tennessee. But the role of physical attractiveness in well-established partnerships, such as marriage, is somewhat of a mystery.

The new study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, reveals looks continue to matter beyond that initial attraction, though in a different way. McNulty's team assessed 82 couples who had married within the previous six months and had been together for nearly three years prior to tying the knot.

Researchers videotaped as each spouse discussed with their partner a personal problem for 10 minutes. The tapes were analyzed for whether partners were supportive of spouses' issues.

"A negative husband would've said, 'This is your problem, you deal with it,'" McNulty said, "versus 'Hey, I'm here for you; what do you want me to do?; how can I help you?'"

A group of trained "coders" rated the facial attractiveness of each spouse on a scale from 1 to 10, with the perfect 10 representing the ultimate babe. About a third of the couples had a more attractive wife, a third a more attractive husband and the remaining partners showed matching looks.

Overall, wives and husbands behaved more positively when the woman was better looking. Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioural economics at MIT's Programme in Media Arts and Sciences and Sloan School of Management, said, "Men are very sensitive to women's attractiveness. Women seem to be sensitive to men's height and salary."

In couples with more attractive husbands, both partners were less supportive of one another. McNulty suggests wives mirror, in some ways, the level of support they get from husbands.

"The husband who's less physically attractive than his wife is getting something more than maybe he can expect to get," McNulty told LiveScience. "He's getting something better than he's providing at that level. So he's going to work hard to maintain that relationship."

So it seems a mismatch in looks actually makes for a perfect match.
Posted by: john frum || 04/13/2008 08:35 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Breaking news: new study reveals that most researchers are unattractive men.
Posted by: Gliling Lumplump3518 || 04/13/2008 9:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Males have the biological prerogative to spread their DNA around. Females have two, different prerogatives. The first is to get the best male DNA for their offspring, and the second is to get the best male provider to help raise the offspring.

If there are a lot of males, this means they are most likely not the same male. In basic biology, this means that both males and females have an incentive to violate monogamy.

But this is just basic biology. People figured out that *enforced* monogamy, marriage, as an agreement, gives males, females, and their offspring a better deal in the long run. For males, it helps insure the offspring have his DNA. For females, that provision by the males goes solely to her offspring. And the advantage to the children is obvious.

But it only works if marriage is enforced. When society was no longer willing to do that, then the *benefits* of enforcement had to be duplicated by the law.

Eventually this means that the law will reproduce the major elements of marriage. DNA tests will assure the male the offspring are his. Alimony and child support will insure that he continues to support his offspring for the female. And the children are the focus of this action.

Now, this being said, the question becomes what females want in an unattractive mate? Perhaps she wants his DNA, as attractiveness may be of lesser value to her offspring than other traits; or she may want an unattractive mate because it is less likely that he will bond with another female.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/13/2008 10:16 Comments || Top||

#3  My wife did.
Posted by: Jack is Back! || 04/13/2008 12:35 Comments || Top||


Beer is good for you! Honest!
Beer makes you feel good. You knew that. But you don't realize just how good. Recent research has revealed bioactive compounds in beer that battle cancer, boost your metabolism, and more. And these benefits come on top of the oft-touted upsides of moderate alcohol intake: clot prevention, cleaner arteries, and reduced stress. . . . the cone-shaped hops flower is more than just a flavor savior. Researchers have shown that it's also a significant source of cholesterol-lowering, cancer-fighting, and virus-killing compounds called polyphenols. What's more, "Just one 12-ounce beer a day decreased fibrinogen, a clotting factor, and increased albumin, which is very important for protein metabolism," says Shela Gorinstein, Ph.D., a researcher at Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the author of a 2007 study on the bioactivity of beer. . . .
Posted by: Mike || 04/13/2008 08:26 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Just one 12-ounce beer a day ..."

Pussies. Come back when you finish the study using a six-pack sample size.

Posted by: Carl in N.H. || 04/13/2008 9:27 Comments || Top||

#2  I am not so sure anyone could handle say a six pack of Westmalle Triple, Carl.
Posted by: Jack is Back! || 04/13/2008 12:39 Comments || Top||

#3 
1 "Just one 12-ounce beer a day ..."

I choose to disregard that part of the study.
Good health -- 1 beer
Great health --???

I'm all about maximizing my potential.
Posted by: macofromoc || 04/13/2008 15:21 Comments || Top||

#4  But if'n I drink all that beer, I will be so damn good looking that it would be a safe bet i would never make get a chick; based on the preceding story......
Now on the other hand, the girls all do get better looking at closing time.....
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 04/13/2008 18:54 Comments || Top||


Britain
German mine washed up on beach is detonated in front of holidaymakers
A huge 1,500lb Second World War German mine washed up on a beach was detonated by bomb disposal experts yesterday.

Authorities set up a one-mile exclusion zone around the device after it was spotted in mud by a fisherman on Thursday. The 10ft-long, 26in-wide mine, dropped by a German aircraft, was due to be detonated on Friday night but technical difficulties delayed the operation.

A crowd lined the esplanade at nearby Burnham-on-Sea to watch the mine explode on Stert Island in Bridgwater Bay, Somerset. Mark Newman, who runs a community website, witnessed it. He said: "It will be talked about for years to come. We saw a huge plume of water gush into the air, which was followed by a loud bang and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd."

The bay is home to 190 species of birds and sites of historical interest, including 12th Century fish weirs. Dr Helen Phillips, chief executive of the environmental public body Natural England, said: "The area provides important feeding grounds and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl and waders."
Good picture at link.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/13/2008 11:48 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Brings back memories...
Posted by: Pappy || 04/13/2008 14:54 Comments || Top||

#2  a floating IED... :)
Posted by: RD || 04/13/2008 14:58 Comments || Top||

#3  A DuPont spinner.......
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 04/13/2008 15:01 Comments || Top||

#4  Real life imitates Danger: UXB.
Posted by: Mike || 04/13/2008 15:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Cool...
Posted by: tu3031 || 04/13/2008 21:55 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Deadly crisis in Haiti;prime minister ousted; UN soldier killed
Posted by: 3dc || 04/13/2008 01:15 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's a quagmire I say, a quagmire.

Another Clinton gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 04/13/2008 8:48 Comments || Top||

#2  When hell is full, the overflow of damned souls will be sent to Haiti.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 04/13/2008 10:17 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Delay Agni-3 missile test, save Ridleys turtle
The Orissa forest department has written to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for deferring its plans to test-fire the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III missile from the Wheeler Islands off Orissa coast in the last week of April. Such tests, according to the forest officials, can impact mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles in the Gahirmatha beach.

B.K. Patnaik, chief wildlife warden of Orissa told HT: “I wrote to DRDO again on Friday after I came to know from media reports that the Agni-III missile test-firing is being planned in the last week of April. Last month, we had written a letter to the DRDO not to conduct the tests during the turtle-nesting season, but they test-fired the Agni-I missile on March 24. I have now asked the DRDO authorities to postpone the missile test for another three weeks”.

This year, no mass nesting of Olive Ridleys has taken place near the Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district, which is the largest rookery for the species in Asia. The most important nesting sites in Gahirmatha are located on Nasi I and Nasi 2 islands, which are situated very close to Wheeler Islands from where the Agni missiles are test-fired. En masse turtle nesting occurs every year from January to mid-May.

Environmental groups claim that the missile tests are having an adverse impact on the mass nesting of turtles on the Gahirmatha beach in particular and along the Orissa coast in general. Jeevan Das, secretary of the Orissa chapter of People For Animals told HT, “The Agni-I test carried out last month has affected the mass nesting of Olive Ridleys at the Gahirmatha beach this time. Without test-firing the missiles in the nesting season, the DRDO can do that in other months.

Hectic preparations take place before a missile launch and the Integrated Test Range remains illuminated in the night. The lights need to be switched off during the nesting season as the Olive Ridleys stay away from the coast because of the illumination”.

B.C. Choudhury, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) at Dehradun told HT over phone, “It may not be correct to blame a single agency like DRDO or a single activity like the missile tests for the lack of mass nesting of the Olive Ridleys. Illumination of the test range may have contributed a little bit, but it is not the sole factor. Chronic activities like intensive fishing activities, changes in beach profile and other activities may have affected mass nesting of turtles this time.
Posted by: john frum || 04/13/2008 09:02 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


8 more killed in Kurram violence
Eight people were killed and 10 others injured in fresh violence between rival groups of the Kurram Agency on Saturday, raising the death toll of the past eight days in the area to 35. Five tribesmen — Qadir Gul, Hamid Hussain, Rafique, Taib Khan and Abdul Hanan — were killed, and 10 injured, during a clash in the Marro Khel area of Lower Kurram Agency. Of the injured, three were critically wounded and have been taken to hospitals.

Similarly, three people were shot dead by armed rival groups in the areas of Balishkhel, Sadda, Karman, Para Chamkani, Pewar and Teri Mengal.

The political administration of the Kurram Agency has engaged the local elite and tribal elders to arrange a ceasefire and to restore normalcy to the agency. According to reports, the tribesmen are targeting each other’s positions with light and heavy weaponry.

The area has been without any electricity for the past month, while telephone service in the area was suspended when militants attacked a telephone facility in Sadda on Friday. The Thal-Parachinar Road has also been closed to all vehicular traffic for the past month, resulting in an acute shortage of daily staples, medicines, diesel and petrol.

The agency has been in the grip of armed clashes for the past eight days, during which time over 35 persons have been killed and around 80 injured.
Posted by: Fred || 04/13/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:



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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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Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2008-04-13
  More than 200 dead as battle rages in Baghdad
Sat 2008-04-12
  Iraq military thumps Sadr City
Fri 2008-04-11
  Gunnies Off Senior Sadr Aide in Najaf
Thu 2008-04-10
  Nahal Oz fuel depot closed after attack. Surprise.
Wed 2008-04-09
  Two Israelis killed as terrorists infiltrate Nahal Oz
Tue 2008-04-08
  French Military Police Mobilized After Somalia Hijacking
Mon 2008-04-07
  Sadr City assault strains cease-fire
Sun 2008-04-06
  US troops move into Sadr City
Sat 2008-04-05
  Jalaluddin Haqqani not dead, releases video, still 71
Fri 2008-04-04
  Maliki Vows Crackdown in Baghdad
Thu 2008-04-03
  Iraq commander leads convoy into Basra
Wed 2008-04-02
  45 Qaeda suspects held in Turkey
Tue 2008-04-01
  US charges Foopie with Africa bombings
Mon 2008-03-31
  Iraqi govt lifts curfew across Baghdad
Sun 2008-03-30
  Sadr orders fighters off Iraq streets


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