#2
Shouldn't be too hard to tell. They'll all be wearing black armbands in hollyweird...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/24/2007 20:48 Comments ||
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#3
I hope Hugo has an appropriate black mourning dress....something that goes with a faux-Che beret
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/24/2007 21:13 Comments ||
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#4
Babalu's blog and killcastro are reporting that local, state and Federal authorities are prepping for something big. One of the last update says the Whitehouse was "kinda sorta" denying. Babalu has recently (last 45 minutes) posted that Miami Mayor, Danny Diaz is reporting that there has been NO movement of law enforcement or Fed assets.
#5
I hope Hugo has an appropriate black mourning dress....something that goes with a faux-Che beret
A simple raw silk sheath with a boxy Jackie Kennedy style jacket would be best for his figure I think, Frank. With plain mid-heel black pumps and that beret, and a black clutch purse. Nothing more than a single strand of jet beads around the neck, and simple jet earrings -- he'll be in deep mourning, of course.
President Robert Mugabe's government introduced a bill yesterday to give Zimbabweans majority ownership of foreign companies, a move critics say will deepen an economic crisis.
Not much gets past these critics, I tells ya.
When If passed, it will would give the government sweeping powers over how foreign companies, including mines, operate in Zimbabwe.
Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister
My shiny new business cards are at the printers: Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister
Paul Mangwana told parliament the bill would create an environment that would increase the "participation of indigenous people in Zimbabwe".
Critics said it was reminiscent of President Mugabe's controversial policy of seizing white-owned farms to give to landless blacks, which many say triggered the current economic crisis. Foreign companies in Zimbabwe include British American Tobacco, Barclays Bank, BP, Shell, Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse and Coca-Cola. Economic commentator Eric Bloch said: "What remains to be seen is how vigorously they are going to implement it, but it's certainly going to discourage investors."
One in four babies born in the UK has a foreign mother or father, official figures showed yesterday. Population data for the year to July 2006 showed the proportion of babies born to a foreign parent has risen to 25 per cent compared to under 20 per cent just six years ago.
The startling statistic reflected the impact of recent record levels of immigration on the population.
Continued on Page 49
#1
At least Mohammed is only the 22nd most popular boy's name, the 44th, and the 69th. (2006 England and Wales baby names)
Posted by: ed ||
08/24/2007 7:27 Comments ||
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#2
"It is clear from these figures that immigration is continuing unchecked and continues to break all previous records - despite the fact this is opposed by the vast majority of the public," he added.
Many of whom are themselves foreign born. Time to pull up the ladder.
#3
Here is what I teaching my children and grandchildren about the not too distant future:
IF (big if) the Brits finally wake up (rise up) and fight back against those in their midst (their muslim overlords and leftist-liberal enablers) then, and only then, should you support sending American transport ships into harms way to England to evacuate the Western Civ resistance.
Should England submit to Islam without resistance - sadly as now appears to be the case -don't even think about committing to the required effort to evacuate england. To do so would only be advantageous to the muzzies.
The same goes for Europe as a whole.
Please understand, however, that the nukes currently in possession of our current and (at best) weak ass nominal allies in europe, will have to be destroyed least they fall under control of the muzzie. If (when) that day comes to pass it will not be healthy for anyone, but especially Europe.
So I guess the bottom line is this: Europe, get your stuff together NOW, or eventually face the consequences of the choices you make today.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
08/24/2007 12:21 Comments ||
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#4
Throughout the long history of the British Isles there have been many invasions: the Saxons, the Vikings, the Romans and the Normans. I have probably left some out. All of these invasions were opposed by force of arms and many would be invaders were repelled by British arms. Now they can't seem to lift a finger in their own defense when a bunch of unarmed third world types just walk right in and take over. Amazing. One of the big advantages these foreigners have, of course, is their refusal to use birth control which results in birthrates that are far higher than native Europeans and families with seven or eight children. Native Europeans should remember what happens when their tiny countries become overpopulated - war, disease, famine, poverty. Nobody seems to understand that Western Civilization is at stake.
Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 ||
08/24/2007 13:05 Comments ||
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has changed his country's name, redesigned its flag and rejigged its coat of arms in his drive for a socialist state. Now the leftist reformer, highly popular for redistributing oil income, is seeking to move the country's time zone to offer a more equitable distribution of sunlight.
Venezuela in September will turn clocks back by 30 minutes as it switches time zones to boost the amount of natural light to residents, a government official said on Thursday.
Next month Venezuelan clocks will be set at Greenwich Mean Time minus 4-1/2 hours, compared to the previous GMT minus four hours, Science and Technology Minister Hector Navarro told reporters at a news conference. He said the measure sought "a more fair distribution of the sunrise," which would particularly help poor children who wake up before dawn to go to school. "Very rigorous scientific studies have determined that ... the metabolic activity of living beings is synchronized with the sun's light," he said. Navarro said the government is planning to announce additional measures to "make more effective use of time."
Venezuela, which under Chavez was officially changed to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, adopted its current time zone in the 1960s.
#1
I had to check the link to see if it was ScrappleFace or The Onion. Hey, I've got an idea: maybe Venezuela could use part of Zimbabwe's timezone. With the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe, I doubt they are using all of it
#2
Ever considered just changing the time schools and businesses open? Oh, nevermind. I forgot that you had a thing for the grandiose solutions.
Hey Oogo the Clown, while you're at it why don't you change the number of hours in the day, too. And don't forget to tell the plant and animal life when you change the time zone so they will know when they can expect to start enjoying more hours of natural light.
#3
Didn't they try this in the French Revolution? Different calendar, different system of timekeeping, the whole works.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/24/2007 6:43 Comments ||
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#4
yup. And what he isn't saying is that this screws up the software and business routines of anyone outside the country who tries to do business with them.
And that is not a side-effect, it's quite likely one of the main purposes.
#8
There's nothing inherently stupid about changing the time zone. As this map shows, Venezuela straddles two time zones. And many other countries have a half-hour zone (Hugo's buddies in Iran, for one -- but also Australia).
It's the rationale that gets me: "a more fair distribution of the sunrise". Next he'll command it to rain only after sundown.
#9
Chavezs economic intelligence is no better. On January 1, 2008 the national money, the Venezuelan Bolivar, will go through a currency change to the new Bolivar Fuerte which will take three zeros from it's current value. The government says that the new strong Bolivar will end inflation.
AS; Thanks for the new trivia question. What do Iran, Venezuela and Australia have in common?
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China has launched a four-month "war" on tainted food, drugs and exports, state media reported on Friday, as beleaguered officials embraced time-tested campaign tactics to clean up the country's battered image. About long enough to get the MSM focused on something else.
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi told officials the campaign, to run to the end of the year, would focus on problem products that have badly dented domestic and foreign consumers' confidence in the "Made in China" label. That health and safety inspection thingy might be starting to make sense with them now.
"This is a special battle to protect the health and personal interests of the public and to protect the reputation of Chinese goods and the national image," Wu said, according to the government Web site.
The world's largest toymaker, Mattel, recalled more than 18 million Chinese-made toys in mid-August because of hazards from small magnets that can cause injury if swallowed, just two weeks after it recalled 1.5 million toys due to fears over lead paint.
Wal-Mart said it was asking suppliers to resubmit testing documentation for the toys it sells after Mattel's move.
Other Chinese export scares have hit toothpaste, animal-food ingredients, tires, eels and seafood, and deadly chemicals that found their way into cough medicine, killing dozens of patients in Panama. Yeah, don't eat Chinese tires.
Shaken by the product scares, China has fought back with new rules, factory shutdowns, constant news conferences and now an old-style campaign to shake up local officials often more focused on economic-growth targets. You forgot about making up $hit about US exports to China.
Wu blamed lax inspection and enforcement and failure of officials in rival agencies to cooperate. She vowed to whip them into line with a list of eight tasks and 20 specific goals.
"Clearly, this is an autocratic, top-down approach using campaigning methods," said Mao Shoulong, an expert on public policy at the People's University of China. For once I sort of see an advantage to an autocracy.
"In China, this campaigning method still has a role to play in addressing relatively simple problems, because when grassroots officials see the premier or vice premier taking up an issue, focusing on it, they know they also have to sit up and pay attention."
Since 1949, the ruling Communist Party has often resorted to short-term storming campaigns to deal with enemies, pests and policy bottlenecks, though the frequency and intensity of these efforts have died down in past decades.
"The execution of Zheng Xiaoyu was also part of that campaigning approach to get officials' attention," said Mao, referring to the former head of the national food and drug safety watchdog, who was executed in July for taking bribes. I'll bet that got his attention!
In the latest health scare the Shanghai Daily reported on Friday that city officials had seized more than a ton of kelp soaked in a toxic chemical to keep it looking fresh. They also found fake wine and vinegar. Fake wine?
Wu, the powerful trade-policy chief who was named head of a leading group on product safety, announced targets to clean up pig slaughtering, restaurants and canteens, pesticide use, food additives and the country's vital exports. Vital exports? You mean like lead in paint, baby toys, wiring insulation, etc.?
She defended the general quality of food exports but said there were also deep-seated problems. Rat poison, lead, and ethylene glycol, etc. aside, they are fine products.
"In some businesses the management level is low, production conditions are poor, quality levels and standards are low, and reliability is weak," she said. Hmm. All those extra costs.
#1
Back in the 50's, 'Made in Japan' meant cheap unreliable products. The Japanese government set out to change that. First a ministry was established to insure goods sold abroad would meet strict specification in quality. It took about ten years to work it all out. We can see the effect in the market place. It first of all takes honest real commitment upon those in power to make it happen. We'll see.
#5
I'm starting to think we are not dealing with a case of "Let's make crap for the export market", but simply everyday business in China.
For all it's modernisation, China is still feudal, imperial China with the Party taking the place of the emperor. There is no OSHA or Underwriters Laboratories, the country is heavily polluted, and as they say "the mountains are high and the emperor is far away". I suspect toxic food and goods are everyday items of commerce. I pity the Chinese.
#7
I first read it as: China declares war 'with' tainted products
Posted by: ed ||
08/24/2007 18:02 Comments ||
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#8
I'm starting to think we are not dealing with a case of "Let's make crap for the export market", but simply everyday business in China.
And you'd be thinking right. Notice how it is only the threat of profit loss that is driving this crackdown and not any compromise of actual reputation. Being known for high quality has absolutely nothing to do with this. We are the recipients of goods from a culture centered upon minimal or marginal product quality, not true competition involving premium workmanship. Such an expensive notion is almost entirely foreign to the typical Chinese profit motive. It goes a long way towards explaining China's institutionalized theft of intellectual property, constant copyright violations and routine knocking off of counterfeit products.
From East Asia Intel, subscription.
Republican President candidate Mitt Romney has adopted a pro-China foreign policy that observers say is based on his close ties to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has large consulting contracts with the Beijing government. If the politicians are not 'hos of the Oil Ticks, they are 'hos of the Chicoms.
If I'm lucky enough to be president, making China a partner for stability in the world will be one of my highest priorities," the Associated Press quoted the former Massachusetts governor as recently pledging. "China is really key, in many respects, as they become a very large economy, he said.
Romney's financial disclosure statement made public indicates he owns stock worth between $50,000 and $100,000 in China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. or Sinopec, which human rights activists say is a key investor in Sudan. Romney aides said the investments are in a blind trust and the trustee sold other stock having connections to Sudan. Hidin' behind the Blind Trust thingy, ya say?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Republican President candidate Mitt Romney has adopted a pro-China foreign policy that observers say is based on his close ties to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has large consulting contracts with the Beijing government.
After he's been thoroughly greased, I'm sure the Politburo refers to Romney as their "Catcher's" Mitt. He certainly seems to be crouched and ready.
#2
The guy is worth more than $200 million. If he only has $50-100K invested in China then I question his financial savvy in forgoing the world's fastest growing market for the last 20 years.
Posted by: ed ||
08/24/2007 6:48 Comments ||
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#3
Ohferchrisakes. Chances are if you looked under Mitt's sofa cushions you could find $100K.
A man who wildly stabbed fellow passengers on board an Oslo tram three years ago is now reportedly seeking compensation from the state. He claims he never should have been released from psychiatric care just days before he went amok.
We might in fact agree, but we still don't want to pay you ...
The man, an immigrant from Somalia in his 40s, killed one of the passengers and wounded four others in the bloody attack on board the #17 tram as it rolled by Bislett Stadium on an August afternoon in 2004.
He had been sitting quietly on the tram when he suddenly pulled out a large knife, which he'd just bought in downtown Oslo, and started slashing at everyone around him. The shocked driver of the tram brought it to a halt and frantically called for assistance. By the time it arrived, the man had fled, hijacking the car of a passing motorist. One of his victims, a 23-year-old man who didn't hear the uproar around him because he was deaf, was stabbed to death.
The assailant was eventually captured later that day and has been committed to psychiatric care ever since. Newspaper VG reported Friday that he now claims the state is liable for turning him into a killer because he didn't receive the care he needed at the time. His attorney wouldn't elaborate on the case, nor would the organization that promotes patients' rights in Norway.
State health authorities earlier criticized a doctor at Ullevål University Hospital for releasing the man from acute care without having a plan to follow up his treatment. An intern on duty had actually handled the release, but the doctor was viewed as being responsible.
#2
He probably will, tu, it's Norway after all.
In Norway's defense, they couldn't have just kept him locked up in psych care - it would have been profiling, even if most Muslims probably do belong in psych wards.
Swedish politicians favour tough restrictions on press freedom, according to a new survey. A majority of Swedish members of parliament want to forbid 'sexist' advertising, force newspapers to gain permission when they publish photos of celebrities and to ban the publication the names of suspects in criminal trials.
In results described as "frightening" by the Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association, 60 percent of MPs want to make it possible for companies to sue media for defamation. Especially state-owned companies, staffed with political cronies.
The findings are the result of a survey of all members of parliament carried out by polling company Sifo. Of Sweden's 349 MPs, 227 responded to the questions.
PeO Wärring, deputy chairman of the Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association, said that MPs "do not understand the importance of freedom of speech and freedom of the press for an open and democratic society." Au contraire, mon amis, the communists understand all to well how freedom of speech interferes with their "special, unique, and precious" right to deliver ukazes from the imperial conference table.
77 percent of MPs replied that newspapers should be banned from publishing names and photos of crime suspects until they are convicted. 55 percent said sexist advertisements should be banned. That's how a police state works: Suspects cannot be named when sought; suspects cannot be named when arrested; suspects cannot be named when indicted; suspects cannot be named when tried. Why, then, bother with public trials?
59 percent said that police should be banned from leaking details of investigations to the media. Sweden's current freedom of speech laws mean they can usually speak to the media about investigations without fear of disciplinary action.
55 percent wanted a law to limit the rights of media to report on famous people. As with most of the other issues, support for restrictions was reduced since the survey was carried out last year, when the Social Democrats were in power. Then, 74 percent of MPs wanted restrictions. "Famous" people, being first and foremost, political rulers and their cronies.
55 percent of those asked said that damages in cases involving press freedom should be "raised substantially."
"Freedom of the press and freedom of expression have been won by the people through political struggle. Our politicians must not forget this, and should take their responsibility for the citizen's right to know," said PeO Wärring. How brave. What you should have said is that the survival of liberty in Sweden requires that these political thugs be kicked out of office in the next election. That's "democracy".
#1
If they asked me if I favored limiting rights to media people focusing on celebs, I might say yes. I think that the media should not have the right to stalk celebrities the way they do. Everyone, even celebs should have reasonable rights to privacy.
So what does it matter if 55% say yes to that? Talk about bait and switch. That I agree that celebs should not be legally stalked by the press does not mean that I would want the tough restrictions on press freedom as described here.
#2
If the Swedish press has any sense, they should hound and torment the politicians who support this mercilessly. They literally have to ruin any politician who supports this, or they are ruined themselves.
They really need to go tabloid on them with mean allegations, carefully written to avoid libel laws, but horrifying to the typical reader. And they should attack the parliament as a whole, to undermine their power as a group, so that voters are disgusted with them.
Portray politicians as a whole in the worst possible light, greedy, corrupt, perverted, filthy drunks and drug abusers. They will get the message.
#1
Bunch of cowards.
They will run all over and offend everyone under the sun........ except those that will kill them.
Real brave way to show you are all for the first amendment guys. Real brave.
#2
A slap in the face for all the people who fought and died so that we could enjoy a free and open society. Islam has already worn out its welcome several times over. Watching craven cowards kow-tow to these cretinous bastards goes beyond revolting. This appeasement only greases the wedge's thin end.
#3
Hey! Mebbe they pulled the strip becasue I find it offensive. Sometimes. Usually pretty funny, though.
But Doonesbury is almost always offensive to me.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/24/2007 10:42 Comments ||
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#4
moose - I attempted to access the link but all I get is a message saying "service unavailable".
I'm not 'puter literate. Please advise: Is it me or my 'puter or the link? Thank you.
OT: I don't listen to him everyday but as so happens I was tuned into the end of the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday (as perhaps were some other RB'ers. I'm going to paraphrase Mr. Limbaugh's words but I assure you what I'm about to write is accurate:
On Thursday, Aug. 23rd Rush said the following: "What I am about to say is going to get me into trouble...what I'm about to say will upset some people...but I'm going to say it anyway. My good friend Andy McCarthy...who writes for National Review and who helped to prosecute The Blind Sheik after the first attack on the WTC in 1993 has made this point and I'm about to make the same point: Read the words of Al Queada, read the words of the muslim throughout the world as to why they hate America. And when you do you will find that their reasons for wanting us destroyed will be found in the...(pause for effect)...their KORAN.
The manner in which he stated this fact... a fact known to us for a long time here at RB, suggested to me that he was announcing this fact for the first time to his radio audience. Maybe you had to be there to hear for yourself, but I'm saying that a hurdle in educating America was crossed by Rush yesterday on Aug. 23rd. A hurdle, I might add, that should have been crossed a long time before yesterday as we are now some 6 years removed from 9-11.
Would that our elected leaders have the simple courage to acknowledge this disturbing but truthful reality. Sigh.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
08/24/2007 11:00 Comments ||
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#5
I've yet to find the Constitutional Amendment that declares "You have the right not to be offended."
But it's gotta be in there someplace, right?
#6
From Wikipedia "The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God (Arabic: الله, Allāh)."
That is inconsistent with:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
One has to be subordinated to the other. You choose.
#7
I was going to say that I wouldn't mind if they censored offensive cartoons if they had a practice of censoring cartoons which were similarly offensive to Christians, etc. Papers censor offensive items DAILY.
But then I clicked and saw the cartoon. That's IT! That's what they felt compelled to censor?!!
Sheesh. What a bunch of wimps. And considering that they constantly publish works far more offensive to Christians, Jews, women, etc., we can all have a good laugh next time they say they are bold protectors of the first amendment.
#8
I say we all go out and offend the over sensitive.... I for one am a little hungry today... Lets have some baby back PORK ribs!
BTW : I am also getting "Service Unavailable" on the link, but as a fan of Opus, I know Breathed doesn't hold back, and shame on Wappo and the other rags for witholding the strip...
#12
There server has probably died, as this article was posted on some very high volume sites. However, they did say that *two* of his comics on the subject have been censored, and that they could be seen at the Slate site, in their Opus archive. One of the comics was in mid to late September, the other later.
#13
It's still there when I click. Maybe some of the browsers are censoring?
For those of you who can't see... The guy with the cigarette always hanging out of his mouth is talking to a woman dressed up in a hijab that also covers her mouth.
Wondering why she is dressed that way, he asks her, "A Muslim Fundamentalist?" She answers, "No, Radical Islamist. Hot new fad on the planet".
Bobby - it's not Doonesbury. It's Bloom County. Different cartoonists. Doonsbury (Tradeau) is boring liberal tripe. Breathed (Boom County) is funny.
#15
I understand, UMcG I see both every Sunday in Mrs. Bobby's WaPo. Sometimes Bloom County is offensive to me (Bush bashing), but almost always funny. I haven't found Doonesbury funny since Clinton left office. Liberal tripe is generous.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/24/2007 16:14 Comments ||
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#16
Bobby: Sorry, I misunderstood your comment. I cancelled my papers long ago and so I haven't read Bloom County for years. Too bad if sunk to Bush basing I used to really like him - I suppose it helps keep him syndicated. If nothing else, I give him a tip of the hat for being brave enough to publish these cartoons.
#17
Try here for odd comics (I like Pibgorn myself)
http://www.gocomics.com/
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/24/2007 18:45 Comments ||
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#18
But then I clicked and saw the cartoon. That's IT! That's what they felt compelled to censor?!!
Don't forget the South Park episode -- they had Mohammed show up at the door to deliver a note or something, and then had Jesus dancing around crapping on things.
Guess which was blanked out by the network?
For those of you who can't see... The guy with the cigarette always hanging out of his mouth is talking to a woman dressed up in a hijab that also covers her mouth.
That would be Steve Dallas.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/24/2007 19:30 Comments ||
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#19
...it's not Doonesbury. It's Bloom County.
Actually, it's Opus. Bloom County was funny. Opus...not so much, except when he's recycling old Bloom County gags (previously recycled in Outland).
Any of them are funnier than Doonesbury. I have some Doonesbury books which suggest that in the distant past it, too, was funny. Scientists now believe these to be hoaxes.
Sen. John Edwards, in a campaign theme speech about the culture of Washington, became the first Democrat to refer to the correlation between major Democratic fundraisers circa 1995 and their subsequent overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.
The choice for our party could not be more clear. We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.
The American people deserve to know that their Presidency is not for sale, the Lincoln Bedroom is not for rent, and lobbyist money can no longer influence policy in the House or the Senate.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/24/2007 08:55 ||
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Jim Geraghty at National Review adds:
I hate to say it, since I think its such a legitimate line of inquiry and criticism against Hillary, but Ill bet this gets widely interpreted as a desperation move on Edwards part. Hell get slammed for repeating right-wing noise machine talking points and being a Fox News Democrat and deviations from acceptable discourse authorized by The Party must be punished with reeducation and the usual response from the rest of the party.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/24/2007 12:16 Comments ||
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Headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the bench accepted the constitutional petitions of the Sharif brothers in which they had asked the court to instruct the government not to hinder their return.
Headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the bench accepted the constitutional petitions of the Sharif brothers in which they had asked the court to instruct the government not to hinder their return. For reasons to be recorded separately, both the captioned petitions, being maintainable, are accepted. It is declared that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, under Article 15 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 have an inalienable right to enter and remain in the country as citizens of Pakistan. Their such return/entry to the country shall not be restrained, hampered or obstructed by the federal or provincial government agencies in any manner, said the short order of the Supreme Court. The detailed judgment on both petitions will later be released separately.
This article starring:
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
former premier Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
his brother Shahbaz Sharif
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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"Pakistan's tent has room enough for all advocates of terrorism!"
LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday he intended to return home as soon as possible and contest elections to try to oust President Pervez Musharraf from office, Reuters reported. It is the beginning of the end of Musharraf, he told a news conference here. Asked what role he would play in challenging Musharraf, Nawaz was evasive. Our party is preparing to contest the elections and I am very much part and parcel of my party, he said.
This article starring:
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Pakistan Peoples Party Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto has said in an interview telecast here this week that she wants a facilitated transfer of democracy and is willing to have a working relationship with President General Pervez Musharraf,
The PPP chairwoman indicated that two of the confidence-building measures that she is waiting for from Musharraf are: lifting of the ban on a third term for prime ministers and indemnity for holders of public office prior to 2001.
who could stay in charge of the army as president if he sheds his uniform.
In an interview with former CBS news anchor Dan Rather, the PPP chairwoman indicated that two of the confidence-building measures that she is waiting for from Musharraf are: lifting of the ban on a third term for prime ministers and indemnity for holders of public office prior to 2001.
Asked if she and her party were open to sharing power with Musharraf and leave him in charge of the military, Bhutto replied, The president of our country under the Constitution is the commander-in-chief. So even if Musharraf leaves the chief of army post and is legally elected president, he would still continue to be in charge of the military, or any president, even if he is a civilian.
This article starring:
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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The State Department, asked to comment on the Supreme Court decision permitting the Sharifs to return to Pakistan, said that while it had taken note of the decision, there has not been a determination regarding the particular legal charges against him (Nawaz Sharif). An official of the department told Daily Times that obviously, we follow events in Pakistan closely but this is a domestic political matter up to Pakistanis to decide.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said on Thursday the United States must distance itself from President Gen Pervez Musharraf if it wants to win the fight against terrorism, in an interview with The Associated Press. Nawaz said Washington must actively promote democracy in Pakistan and shift its support away from Musharraf, who ousted him in a bloodless 1999 coup. America must support Pakistan. It should not equate Pakistan with Musharraf, Nawaz said at his London office. It is being perceived America is supporting one man against 150 million people in Pakistan.
He confirmed he would seek office again, for a third term as prime minister. If the people of Pakistan elect me to serve the country, Ill be honoured to do that, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
No. Only 5.56 MM or .45 can defeat terrorists. If you are elected, I expect you to know tour power. And that is already unsettling to me. I will look at your resume this week.
#2
Nawaz played the Islamofascist card during his kleptomaniac rule. We should not be supporting pseudo-democratic processes that mean: one-man-one-vote-one-time. Pakistan's Jamaat-i-Islami is a terror gang; we should be asking Mushy to eradicate them.
The soil on Mars may indeed be teeming with microbes, according to a new interpretation of data first collected more than 30 years ago.
The search for life on Mars appeared to hit a dead end in 1976 when Viking landers touched down on the red planet and failed to detect biological activity. There was another flurry of excitement a decade later, when Nasa thought it had found evidence of life in a Mars meteorite but doubts have since been cast on that finding.
Today, Joop Houtkooper from Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany, will claim the Viking spacecraft may in fact have encountered signs of a weird life form based on hydrogen peroxide on the subfreezing, arid Martian surface. His analysis of one of the experiments carried out by the Viking spacecraft with a geophysicist, Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University, Pullman, suggests that 0.1 percent of the Martian soil could be of biological origin, he will tell the European Planetary Science Congress in Potsdam, Germany.
That is roughly comparable to biomass levels found in some Antarctic permafrost, home to a range of hardy bacteria and lichen. It is interesting because one part per thousand is not a small amount, Houtkooper said yesterday. We will have to find confirmatory evidence and see what kind of microbes these are and whether they are related to terrestrial microbes. It is a possibility that life has been transported from Earth to Mars or vice versa a long time ago.
The discovery of microbes on Earth that can exist in environments previously thought too hostile has fuelled debate over extraterrestrial life. Houtkooper believes Mars could be home to just such extremophiles - in this case, microbes whose cells are filled with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.
Such a mixture would provide at least three clear benefits to organisms in the cold, dry Martian environment. Its freezing point is as low as -56.5 C (depending on the concentration of peroxide); below that temperature it becomes firm but does not form cell-destroying crystals, as water ice does; and hydrogen peroxide is hygroscopic, which means it attracts water vapour from the atmosphere - a valuable trait on a planet where liquid water is rare.
Houtkooper believes their presence would account for unexplained rises in oxygen and carbon dioxide when NASAs Viking landers incubated Martian soil. He bases his calculation of the biomass of Martian soil on the assumption that these gases were produced during the breakdown of organic material.
Hydrogen peroxide is also a powerful oxidant. When released from dying cells, it would sharply lower the amount of organic material in their surroundings. This would help explain why Vikings gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer detected no organic compounds on the surface of Mars.
This result has also been questioned recently by Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City University of Mexico, who reported that similar instruments and methodology are unable to detect organic compounds in places on Earth, such as Antarctic dry valleys, where we know soil microorganisms exist.
The twin spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking II, landed on the Red Planet in 1976. They were equipped with detectors designed to test the Martian soil for evidence of life. The main instrument, called the TV-GC-MS assay, rapidly heated and vaporised soil for analysis by a spectrometer.
Dr Navarro-Gonzales concluded: The fact that no organic molecules were released .. during the analysis of the Mars soils does not demonstrate that there were no organic materials on the surface of Mars..
We suggest that the design of future organic instruments for Mars should include other methods to be able to detect extinct and or extant life.
Posted by: ed ||
08/24/2007 18:11 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I recall that Mars meteoite hoopla. Somebody clue me, how can a rock leave the surface of Mars ? Mars does have gravitational pull.
Is this pure bullshit or what ?
Malaysia's government ordered a Tamil-language daily to immediately halt publication for a month Friday as punishment for printing an image of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette, an official with the newspaper said.
S.M. Periasamy, general manager of Makkal Osai, which caters to Malaysia's ethnic Indian minority, said his office received the directive by fax from the Internal Security Ministry. "Of course we are shocked by this. My entire staff are all in tears. They will lose a month of income," Periasamy said, adding that the newspaper would abide by the order but plans to appeal the suspension. Ministry officials in this Muslim-majority nation could not immediately be reached for comment.
The newspaper had said it published the photo by mistake Tuesday and carried a front-page apology Thursday. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Thursday that the picture was hurtful and an insult to Christians. Kuala Lumpur archbishop, Murphy Pakiam, criticized the picture as a "desecration," but later accepted the newspaper's apology.
On Thursday, Periasamy said a graphic artist - who has since been suspended - downloaded a picture of Jesus from the Internet for use along with a quote from the Bible on the paper's front page on Tuesday. But the artist overlooked the fact that the picture had been altered to insert a cigarette in one hand and another object - a can or a book - in the other, he said.
The Malaysian Indian Congress, a party in Malaysia's ruling coalition, had called on the government to close the paper, which is generally critical of the MIC. Makkal Osai is one of two Tamil-language newspapers catering to Malaysia's largely Tamil-speaking ethnic Indians. The other newspaper is aligned with the MIC.
Mark Pasternak said he lost his state job helping troubled youths because he couldnt stand working under a black boss who called him racist names like cracker, polack and stupid white boy.
Pasternak was dismissed from his position as a youth worker with the state Office of Children and Family Services in 1999. But today, he feels some relief and vindication. After a rare reverse racial discrimination trial in Buffalos federal court, a jury Tuesday awarded Pasternak $150,000. Jurors found that his former boss, Tommy E. Baines, discriminated against him racially and created a hostile working environment
#1
If you think race, sexual preference, and sex alone are going to win the justice system, you are of the belief that you are somewhat unique and deserving. I disagree. All are created equal. What you do with it from there is your own ignorance or production.
If you are a politician using race, you are a schmuck - hear that New Orleans. I have many bigots where I live, It pisses me off. I do not think it is effective in anyway. If I hear race as the #1 political reason again this year.......
#5
Some very interesting details at the link. The supervisor was fined $2000 as a result of the original investigation, the trash talking took place in front of other department members -- who testified for Mr. Pasternak -- and Mr. Baines' lawyer didn't bother to deny his behaviour. Perhaps the mayor's office thought they couldn't do anything while the trial was still ongoing (the state will pay the award, not the city), but of course that concern no longer holds.
#7
"After a rare reverse racial discrimination trial..."
Yaknow...sounds like it's just plain ole' discrimination to me. Why the term "reverse" is needed implies that it's usually one direction. As a White devil cracker, I resent that.
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.
A seven-member larger bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that 
The soil on Mars may indeed be teeming with microbes, according to a new interpretation of data first collected more than 30 years ago.
