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French commandos attack al-Shabab base, explosions, gunfire heard
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 6: Politix
2 14:00 Steve White [336088] 
13 21:18 JosephMendiola [336097] 
6 16:52 USN,Ret. [336079] 
10 16:48 USN,Ret. [336073] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
10 18:21 Mellow Jihadi [336146]
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5 17:33 Zhang Fei [336090]
7 21:03 JosephMendiola [336091]
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1 15:11 wr [336076]
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5 22:10 JosephMendiola [336100]
2 09:53 BrerRabbit [336074]
6 17:56 Bright Pebbles [336086]
3 10:26 tipper [336072]
4 10:30 ed in texas [336074]
3 09:11 Besoeker [336077]
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Page 4: Opinion
5 15:39 trailing wife [336090]
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2 04:33 g(r)omgoru [336074]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Was Harry Reid Slated for $600,000 Bribe? - Trunk Pol Implicated
Embattled St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson says new Utah Attorney General John Swallow helped broker a deal in 2010 in which Johnson believed he was to pay Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid $600,000 to make a federal investigation into Johnson's company go away.

But when the federal government filed a lawsuit Johnson thought he had paid to quash, he demanded Swallow return some of the $250,000 initial payment. Then, just days before the Nov. 6 election, Johnson engaged in a frenetic but unsuccessful effort to get Swallow to drop out of the race, saying information about what Johnson called a "bribe" would come out and force the Republican's resignation if he became attorney general.

Johnson's allegations come less than a week after Swallow took the oath of office. Federal agents have interviewed several Utahns about Johnson's relationship with Swallow, among other issues, according to those interviewed. The FBI would not comment.

Johnson said he does not know if any of the money he paid in the deal actually reached anyone connected to Reid.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/12/2013 11:55 || Comments || Link || [336088 views] Top|| File under:

#1  $600,000 is chump change for Harry Reid.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/12/2013 12:09 Comments || Top||

#2  That doesn't mean you leave it on the table...
Posted by: Steve White || 01/12/2013 14:00 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Jerry Brown: California's deficit is gone
It's a projection,damn it. Who's going to argue with a projection? Not when you are mellowing out.
Gov. Jerry Brown took office two years ago promising that he had the know-how and the fiscal prudence to guide the state out of its financial crisis, and on Thursday he delivered a budget without a deficit.

It's the first time since 2007 that leaders at the Capitol haven't had a deficit to contend with and the first time since the late 1990s that the outlook over future years shows surpluses instead of deficits.

"This is new. This is a breakthrough," Brown told reporters at a news conference where he presented his spending plan for the 2013-14 year that begins July 1.

The governor promised discipline in spending - K-12 public schools and higher education received significant increases in funding - and in paying off the state's accrued debt.

He's likely to face opposition from Statehouse liberals who would rather see funding restored to programs that have been slashed in recent years, but Thursday his plan was widely praised by Democrats and Republicans.

Some in the GOP did, however, question whether the governor was being too optimistic with his deficit projections.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Jerry-Brown-California-s-deficit-is-gone-4183371.php#ixzz2HmA5Y7AZ
Posted by: tipper || 01/12/2013 10:27 || Comments || Link || [336097 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Don't worry, they're using the same algorithm employed to prove Man Made Global Warming. /sarc off
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/12/2013 10:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Marketwatch in November state California faces an unfunded liability of $100 billion in its Public Employees’ Retirement System and $65 billion in its State Teachers’ Retirement System.
Funny how the article didn't mention that.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/12/2013 12:12 Comments || Top||

#3  It gets better. The CSU chancellor sez they'll need more money to cover "rising pension and health care costs."
Posted by: Pappy || 01/12/2013 13:12 Comments || Top||

#4  Just borrow that special coin krugman wants.
Posted by: Rjschwarz || 01/12/2013 13:29 Comments || Top||

#5  Yes, the $1T 'Krugman' platinum coin.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/12/2013 14:01 Comments || Top||

#6  They already know they are coming in under the projection by at least 10%. They are already planning on increasing spending by "only" 5%. There will be no surplus. There will be no balanced budget. There will be more of the same, and shame on anyone who won't admit it.
Posted by: Iblis || 01/12/2013 14:02 Comments || Top||

#7  Waved your Magic Wand and made it vanish, did you?

It don't work that way.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 01/12/2013 14:47 Comments || Top||

#8  When is California going to crash? We've been hearing about it for years, but it never happens, like the banks are scared to call them on the debt.
Posted by: Charles || 01/12/2013 15:20 Comments || Top||

#9  There isn't a deficit when you ignore it!
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/12/2013 15:20 Comments || Top||

#10  In the California section of the Sacramento Bee today and yesterday, they are already talking about the pay increase for state workers, the incresaed money that can go to "education" (read the Teachers union demand for pay increases) and nothing, nothing about the the pending debt, retirement, or anything about a substantial reserve. All we did was give them more money to spend on their friends.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 01/12/2013 16:45 Comments || Top||

#11  California owed some $30 billion to various funds, school districts and local governments. The Mr Brown's plan was to pay back $5.2 billion this year. That has now been reduced to $4.2 billion.
Posted by: Pappy || 01/12/2013 20:46 Comments || Top||

#12  Like many States, CA has multiple balance sheets. There is debt service as a cost, bond sales as income, various special accounts and all sorts of contingency accounts. This makes it almost impossible to actually know what is actually going on unless you are 'inside'.
Posted by: lord garth || 01/12/2013 20:46 Comments || Top||

#13  Not unlike the former USSR + Commie Bloc, IFF CALIFORNIA PRETENDS TO ITSELF THAT IT HAS NO DEBT, IT DOESN'T.

Just do a few ole' Soviet/Commie-esque accounting "write-offs" + personnel switches, ....@etc, "fudge the books" then soon California can once again happily "spend spend spend" as its debts never existed to begin with.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/12/2013 21:18 Comments || Top||


Frank, Patrick in Lefty Cat Fight over interim Senate seat
Gov. Deval Patrick today fired back at ex-U.S. Rep. Barney Frank's suggestion that it would be "petty" for the governor not to name Frank to the temporary Senate seat due to public pressure."Would that be a part of the public pressure?" the governor asked -- adding a short laugh -- at a press conference today. It's clear he caught Frank's comment in the National Journal today and isn't enjoying it all.

"Guess what," Patrick added. "I'm going to choose somebody and all the other people on my list will be mad." He then suggested everyone jockeying for the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat -- if U.S. Sen. John Kerry is named Secretary of State -- "relax."

Frank is quoted in the National Journal saying he has no regrets about letting Patrick know he wants the interim job and stands by going public with that fact. "I don't think it's going to hurt me," Frank told the National Journal. "Why would it hurt me? The governor would have to be pretty petty."
He is. And he is...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/12/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336079 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now remind me again why electing Senators is so inferior to the old fashion method of selecting a favorite of the controlling party of that state [to represent the interest of the political machine]?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/12/2013 8:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Pistols at first light for both. Pistols at 5 paces.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/12/2013 9:13 Comments || Top||

#3  They're politicians. They'd go for swords at fifty paces and then issue a press release.
Posted by: Fred || 01/12/2013 9:50 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm good with swords, shotguns, hand grenades, let them decide.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/12/2013 9:59 Comments || Top||

#5  Blunderbuss's from balloons at 100 metres.
Posted by: Shipman || 01/12/2013 15:39 Comments || Top||

#6  At least in the description of the 'fight,' they didn't use the term: 'comes to blows.'
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 01/12/2013 16:52 Comments || Top||


Government
FDA Requires Lower Doses for Sleep Medications
[An Nahar] The Food and Drug Administration is requiring makers of Ambien and similar sleeping pills to lower the dosage of their drugs, based on studies suggesting patients face a higher risk of injury due to morning drowsiness.
If you lower the dosage that means they gotta take two pills rather than one...
I'm a mere physician but even I thought of that in about two seconds...
"Math is hard."
That's not math, that's multiplication... Or maybe it's fractions?
The agency said Thursday that new research shows that the drugs remain in the bloodstream at levels high enough to interfere with alertness and coordination, which increases the risk of car accidents.

Regulators are ordering drug manufacturers to cut the dose of the medications in half for women, who process the drug more slowly. Doses will be lowered from 10 milligrams to 5 milligrams for regular products, and 12.5 milligrams to 6.25 milligrams for extended-release formulations.

The FDA is recommending that manufacturers apply these lower doses to men as well, though it is not making them a requirement.
Sexist!!!
The new doses apply to all insomnia treatments containing the drug zolpidem, which is sold under brands including Ambien, Edluar, Zolpimist and in generic forms. It is the most widely prescribed sleeping aid prescribed in the U.S. The changes don't affect other popular sleeping medicines like Lunesta and Sonata, which use different drugs.

FDA officials pointed out that all sleeping drugs carry warnings about drowsiness.
Since, well you know...
"All sleep drugs have the potential to cause this, so health professionals should prescribe -- and patients should take -- the lowest dose that is capable of preventing insomnia," said Dr. Ellis Unger, a director in FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation, on a teleconference with reporters.

Unger added that the FDA will begin requiring developers of sleep drugs to conduct driving simulation studies going forward.

Ambien has been blamed for several recent high-profile driving accidents in the past year, including Tom Brokaw in September and Kerry Kennedy in July.
Since they were stupid enough to drive after taking sleeping pills?
The FDA has received more than 700 reports of driving-related problems connected to zolpidem over the years.

"But in most cases it was very difficult to determine if the driving impairment was actually related to zolpidem," Unger said. "Usually the reports did not contain information about when the accident happened or how much time had lapsed since taking the drug."
Posted by: Fred || 01/12/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [336073 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "But in most cases it was very difficult to determine if the driving impairment was actually related to zolpidem,"

Not just math, but science is hard, too!
Posted by: SteveS || 01/12/2013 1:22 Comments || Top||

#2  If you lower the dosage that means they gotta take two pills rather than one...

Or you use the Patches Kennedy Method and suck 'em down with a coupla Long Island Ice Teas. Then you rush off for a floor vote at 2:30 in the morning...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/12/2013 3:13 Comments || Top||

#3  The FDA embraces the Big Gulp Ban!

Notice no recommendation to an additional cup of coffee/caffeine before operating heavy equipment. Guess their portfolios weren't oriented to that market, yet.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/12/2013 8:24 Comments || Top||

#4  Our Fourth Reich masters know what is good for us. Follow the simple consumption instructions or I will be forced to key in the monitoring codes.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/12/2013 8:33 Comments || Top||

#5  And Nanny Bloomberg is restricting the amount of pain medication available in NYC hospitals because some people are abusing it. "so you didn’t get enough painkillers and you did have to suffer a little bit."
Posted by: Glenmore || 01/12/2013 8:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Who knows appropriate medication levels better than a politician?
Posted by: Fred || 01/12/2013 9:48 Comments || Top||

#7  ...Marion Barry to the courtesy phone.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/12/2013 10:41 Comments || Top||

#8  He's unavailable P2k. Nasal congestion I believe.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/12/2013 10:46 Comments || Top||

#9  so these are bad but recreational maryjane is good?
hmm.
Posted by: Water Modem || 01/12/2013 15:34 Comments || Top||

#10  I so want Nurse Bloomberg to try to make that stick; something about practicing medicine without a license and this is prime time lawsuit just waiting for a launch command.
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 01/12/2013 16:48 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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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
Sat 2013-01-12
  French commandos attack al-Shabab base, explosions, gunfire heard
Fri 2013-01-11
  France confirms Mali intervention
Thu 2013-01-10
  Taliban suspects arrested over Karachi polio killings
Wed 2013-01-09
  Indonesia Foils Terror Plot on Tourist Spots
Tue 2013-01-08
  US drone attack kills four in North Waziristan
Mon 2013-01-07
  Syria Opposition Rejects Assad's Reconciliation Plan
Sun 2013-01-06
  Dronezap in South Wazoo send 18 TTP Jihadis to their rewards
Sat 2013-01-05
  Syria jets, troops wage offensive on rebels near capital
Fri 2013-01-04
  New U.S. Drone Strike Kills Three Qaida Suspects in Yemen
Thu 2013-01-03
  Iran to Citizens: Flee Isfahan
Wed 2013-01-02
  Fourteen Killed as Nigerian Troops Clash with Islamists
Tue 2013-01-01
  Pakistan: Six charity workers shot dead
Mon 2012-12-31
  Qaeda in Yemen offers bounty for killing US ambassador, troops
Sun 2012-12-30
  Pakistan reports 21 tribal policemen kidnapped, found dead
Sat 2012-12-29
  At Least 15 Killed in Sect Attack in North Nigeria

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