On Bali, the UN climatocrats are off and running with their Dec. 3-14 climate conference, under hardship conditions including the requirement that all catering for side events must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance. Further rigors, according to a report from Chinas Xinhua News Agency, include the demand that all motor vehicles entering the beach area surrounding Balis Nusa Dua conference complex run on biofuels. That sounds problematic, if the Xinhua report is accurate that only a few gas stations in Indonesia routinely sell biofuels, and they not on Bali, but are clustered around the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, on the island of Java, more than 500 miles from the UN conference...
...an agenda item discussing the ways to ensure UN-style Privileges and Immunities for individuals serving on constituted bodies under the Kyoto Protocol . Translation: Theyre looking for a way to ensure that no matter what they do to the rest of us, we cant do anything about it.
#1
Translation: Theyre looking for a way to ensure that no matter what they do to the rest of us, we cant do anything about it.
We can always shoot 'em. "Laws" only work when everybody agrees to accept them. Anything that comes out of this "conference" is a farce, and will never make it through our congress. Not without a war, that is...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/05/2007 22:21 Comments ||
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#2
As an Anglophone Canadian I understand I will never have a job in the federal government. It would actually be more likely if we made "Greenlandic" mandatory because this would at least put the French and the English on level pegging. Civilized countries used Latin to deal with the same sort of problem once upon a time.
#3
There's a separate language called Greenlandic?
Who knew?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/05/2007 17:35 Comments ||
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#4
#3 There's a separate language called Greenlandic?
Who knew?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut
apparently New Mexican and New Hampshiric are also seeing revivals among the multi-culti
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2007 18:04 Comments ||
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#5
Seriously, folks, there is a Greenlandic language. The Wikipedia article is here. They use the Latin alphabet, and a linguistic reform in 1973 got rid of its only extra character, the kra (ĸ).
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/05/2007 20:37 Comments ||
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#6
Thanks, Eric. I never really thought about it, but if I had, I'd have thought they spoke some variation of a Viking Language (Norwegian or Swedish maybe, which, after 1000 years, it may well be).
I love learning something new! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/05/2007 21:22 Comments ||
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#7
The Canadian Arctic people east of Inuvik, NWT speak a language different than Inupiaq, which you see in Northern and northwestern Alaska.
I knew this lady in Cambridge Bay from Inuvik that married a Cambridge Bay fellow. It took her two years to speak his lanugage well. She said that it was backwards. Their alphabet kind looks like cuneform shapes, and not the latin alphabet used in Greenland.
My late wife spoke Inupiaq, and had a linguistically challenging time speaking the Greenland dialect. Much more gutteral sounds, from the harsh environment, compared to the melodic sounds of polynesian languange, where they are in love with vowels that roll off the pallete like a sea breeze.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/05/2007 21:33 Comments ||
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President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has heralded talks with the opposition as the "dawn of a new era". Negotiations have continued for six months between Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They are aimed at paving the way for free and fair elections next year. BBC correspondent Peter Biles says the talks have been conducted in conditions of secrecy but a surprising degree of consensus now appears to be emerging.
In his annual state of the nation address to parliament in the capital, Harare, Mr Mugabe thanked South Africa's Thabo Mbeki for mediating. He said the dialogue represents constructive engagement across the political divide and a narrowing of differences. With presidential and parliamentary elections expected in March 2008, Mr Mugabe said Zimbabwe would invite "friendly and objective" members of the international community to observe the polls.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Mr Mugabe thanked South Africa's Thabo Mbeki for mediating.... and for proping him up with food and financial support, which by extension, is contributed to by the US.
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monuc) says it will "provide fire support" to the army offensive against rebels. A long-threatened DRC offensive against rebel leader Laurent Nkunda began on Monday with the army retaking several rebel-held villages in the east. The army has been shelling Mushake, a rebel town 40km north-west of Goma, all day and is moving up reinforcements.
Up to now, the UN has restricted itself to offering only logistical support. Monuc spokesman Kamal Saiki told the BBC's Focus on Africa that the UN was now ready to "provide fire support, including artillery and close air support" as a last resort. He said this would mean UN soldiers firing against the rebels - "guns in the field crewed by UN soldiers".
The 15,000 UN soldiers in DR Congo are tasked with securing peace after a five-year conflict officially ended in 2002. But Mr Saiki said the Monuc mandate included supporting the legal authorities "with all necessary measures against any attempt by illegal armed groups to jeopardise the political process".
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2007 00:00 ||
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Anyone besides me notice the roof's caved in on the drivers side?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/05/2007 15:29 Comments ||
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France renewed its call for lifting the EU arms embargo against China on Tuesday, saying the punitive measure has long become obsolete and unable to reflect the current relationship between the European bloc and China.
The recall was made at a joint press conference by the French Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry on the country's arms export in 2006, which hit 4.03 billion euros (5.96 billion US dollars), the fourth largest after the United States, Russia and Britain.
In response to a question on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's demand for the removal during his recent visit to China, a Foreign Ministry official said that the embargo is out of date and does not conform to the EU's policy to build a full strategic partnership with China.
France stands for continued consultations among EU countries and will strive for the lifting of the arms embargo in light of a decision by the EU summit meeting in 2004, the official said.
Last month, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana confirmed that the 27-member bloc is "willing to carry forward work toward lifting the embargo on the basis of the Joint Statement of the 2004 EU-China Summit and subsequent European Council Conclusions."
The French Foreign Ministry official said the lifting of the embargo will be a "political message," which does not mean that France seeks a drastic increase in its arms export to China.
The Chinese government has repeatedly expressed appreciation for France's stance on issues concerning China's Taiwan island, China-EU relations and the lifting of the EU arms embargo, saying that China-France ties have become a fine example of mutual respect and friendly coexistence.
The EU imposed the arms embargo on China in 1989. In December 2004, the EU summit in Brussels formally put on its agenda the issue of lifting the embargo.
Endorsement Watch: The Hill Newspaper reports that a quarter of Hill Democrats are lining up with Hillary. The people who have seen Hillary Clinton's strength and experience up close are backing her because they know she is ready to lead and make change happen on her first day in the White House.
A quarter? She's been frontrunner for a year, hit 50 percent of primary voters in the polls, four of the eight competitors on stage aren't seriously competing anywhere (Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden) and one is pining to be her vice president (Richardson), half the party's establishment has worked in her husband's administration, and she's only got a quarter of the party's members of Congress? Doesn't that seem a little low?
Posted by: Mike ||
12/05/2007 12:07 ||
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Tancredo gets it. Some RINOs are crying over the bluntness. Including some of the women at hotair.com
Let's be truthful. We have Muslum terrorists flooding over our southern borders and when they smuggle a nuke in it's more than likely going to come that route.
#1
I like the sound of President Tancredo. If we lose a city or two to atomic weapons many people are going to agree with me. By then it will be too late to save hundreds of thousands who need not have died.
"So it does give us an initial boost phase capability even though it is a much shorter range missile, and you have to be in the area of the missile launch to be effective," Lehner said.
Think about it. If you have enough air superiority to be 'on station' to begin with, why wait till initial boost stage to hit it rather than just take out the launch facility to begin with before there is even a launch.
#4
Well, for one thing, if the launch facility is in a country that has not quite declared war. I am in favor of radical preemption starting with burning every copy of the Quran on Earth. But seeing as others look at the situation differently than me there can be legal impediments to attacking launch sites.
#5
It's a proof of concept. Talk was of putting this tech into an air launched PAC3 missile.
Posted by: ed ||
12/05/2007 9:56 Comments ||
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#6
If the launcher is mobile, and well-camoflauged enough, you might not know where it is well enough to take out the launch facility. Nice to have another option to work with.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/05/2007 10:50 Comments ||
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#7
Just speculating, but there may be some utility in forcing the launch site to be moved 100 miles away from the coast. It buys time for the ABM system when the missile target is not far away (e.g., A NorK missile fired at Japan or a Chinese missile fired at Taiwan).
#8
What mrp wrote - if they put up enough dummies and camouflage the real sites well enough, it's conceivable that you might not be able to find the launch sites. Until a launch occurs.
#9
This is good. Even if the fighter doesn't get to the launcher or can't find it in time, it sure as hell can shoot it down still. Just park some F-22s off NKOR about 70 miles and shoot down all their Scuds the next time they want to fire some into the sea as a test.
#10
From an F-16. I'm no expert on the area, but perhaps a continued use for the F-14; that is something like an aim-9x guidence system on a phoenix missile or a modern missile with the same basic physical size specs of?
#11
I would love to see Tomcats pulled out of the desert, but it ain't a'gonna happen; F15's-16's ad -22's stationed in SKOR and Japan mainland would be the way to go. SUppose modifying the USN's Lawn Darts for yet again another mission would involve more porkdollars going to the Lazy B......
#13
tu is correct, i forgot about that political decision. not counting those that are 'gate guards' at various military bases. those are already rendered unflyable through various means.
#14
Heh, does kinda extend the range of the AIM-9.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
12/05/2007 14:47 Comments ||
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#15
Three letters come to mind: U.A.V.
Hang AIM-9xx instead of Hellfires and let it loiter at high altitude... Not as sexy as a manned fighter, but the pilot can get up from the console to get a cuppa coffee when needed.
#16
another reason I love the Burg: I'm a "civil" Engineer, no aviator, but I love seeing the back and forth among those who've had to fly/service/love various airframes. Thanks, and continue on :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2007 18:25 Comments ||
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#17
Frank redefines the word civil. That's why we like 'im.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/05/2007 22:16 Comments ||
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#18
See also DEFENSETECH >ORG article on what often/ routinely successful TRIDENT D-5 SLBM TESTING and like means for LT USA = US strategic-geopol policies + US confidence. NUTSHELL > OURS WORKS versus ONLY OURS WORKS.
#6
I'm amazed it took them this long. A place like Area 51 should be off the grid so environmentalists and other wackos can't either cut off the power or figure out how much is used and when.
#7
Sue Charlton: He's got a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [chuckling] That's not a knife.
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: [Dundee draws a large Bowie knife]
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: *That's* a knife.
#10
Very likely, although space-based domestic energy assets should not be discounted. Even here on Guam, at Nite one can VISUALLY see SPAWAR/SATWAR thingys adjusting their orbits or flying overhead, + ENERGY BEAMS/LINEAR FLOWS EMANATING FROM SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF SAME. ALSO, USAF-DOD SATCOM-equipped/capable aircraft fly wid "AFSC" or "JSC", etc. markings which TMK is "AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND" + "JOINT SPACE COMMAND".
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has heralded talks with the opposition as the "dawn of a new era". Negotiations have continued for six months between Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They are aimed at paving the way for free and fair elections next year. BBC correspondent Peter Biles says the talks have been conducted in conditions of secrecy but a surprising degree of consensus now appears to be emerging. 
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monuc) says it will "provide fire support" to the army offensive against rebels. A long-threatened DRC offensive against rebel leader Laurent Nkunda began on Monday with the army retaking several rebel-held villages in the east. The army has been shelling Mushake, a rebel town 40km north-west of Goma, all day and is moving up reinforcements. 
