After a flurry of accusations and skepticism, an exhaustive investigation has determined that someone did try to sabotage a beauty contestant's bid for the Miss Puerto Rico Universe by dousing her garments with pepper spray, police said Wednesday.
The attempt failed because Ingrid Marie Rivera maintained her composure while appearing before judges and cameras, then went backstage to remove her clothes and apply ice bags to her swollen and splotched face and body. She went on to win the crown last month.
Police will present the results of their three-week-long investigation to the district attorney, who will decide whether to file charges against the suspect, a volunteer at the pageant, said San Juan police detective Ivonne Reyes. Reyes refused to identify the volunteer or discuss a possible motive.
A black gown and the bathing suit that Rivera wore during the competition's final round tested positive for pepper spray, validating her claims of sabotage, police said. Allegations of sabotage were earlier questioned when another dress and a makeup brush tested negative for pepper spray. "Miss Puerto Rico Universe was speaking the truth. She was being sincere about the allegations," Lt. Eddie Hernandez, a San Juan police spokesman, said Wednesday.
Extensive interviews led police to focus their suspicions on the volunteer and not a rival contestant, Hernandez said, adding that the pepper spray was likely applied when contestants and their assistants left the changing room. Five pageant officials who handled the clothes also were affected by the spray, he said.
About five volunteers worked during the competition, said pageant director Magali Febles, adding that organizers will screen volunteers more carefully because "there are some people who are very fanatical" about the contestants. "We generate a lot of passion," she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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An aquarium in Japan has discovered a novel way of saving energy this holiday season - the lights on the centre's Christmas tree are powered by an electric eel.
Every time the fish moves in its tank, it discharges up to 800 Watts of electricity which is supplied to the tree through cables. Hundreds of customers have been flocking to the aquarium to see the special festive illumination.
Eels are widely eaten in Japan, especially in the summer, when their vitamin-rich flesh is seen as a way to regain stamina sapped by the heat.
The tree will stay illuminated until December 25. Merry Christmas
#1
Sure, draping your tree with electric eels is edgy and ironic, but nothing says holidays like old fashioned lead foil tinsel. Merry Christmas to all.
#2
And on LUCIANNE/OTHER, theres a new eco-boat whose engine is powered by HUMAN FATS trying to establish a world record(s). FOR THAT KINDLER, GENTLER, YOU-KNOW YOU-WANT-IT "SOLYENT GREEN" XMAS
- also, be sure to give this holiday season at your local VOLUNTARY HUMAN/SELF-EXTINCTION MOVEMENT office or friendly suicide station.
#3
back when I was a kid, we had that avocado-green shag carpeting, which was the fashion at the time. We'd have fondue-dinner and then shuffle our feet and touch the tree. The static would light the bulbs, then we'd have to shuffle again.....I had spark-calluses on my fingers....
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/20/2007 22:16 Comments ||
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#5
IOn, TOPIX > ASTEROID MAY HIT/COLLIDE WITH MARS NEXT MONTH. Asteroid WD5 in possible Tunguska/Siberia sized event - exact scient calcs still on-going.
D *** YOU, JACK SPARROW - its always the small ones, taint it.
THE leader of the world's Anglicans has described the Christmas story of the three wise men as nothing but a "legend" and has said not all followers must believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. If the Arch-Druid had his way, Anglicans would have to believe in nothing but the demonic nature of the United States and the cleansing power of western self-abasement.
The Archdruidbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has picked apart elements of the Christmas story, including how a star rose high in the sky and stood still to guide the wise men to Jesus's birth place. Stars simply don't behave like that, he told the BBC during an interview.
"It'd take a... ummm... miracle."
Dr Williams said there was little evidence that the three wise men had existed at all. Certainly there was nothing to prove they were kings. Williams wouldn't know a wise man if one came up and arrested his assertions for vagrancy.
The only reference to the wise men from the East was in Matthew's gospel and the details were very vague, he said. "Matthew's gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that's all we're really told. It works quite well as legend," he said. He'll be ok with it as soon as someone suggests that they were Arab proto-Muslims from the pre-holy city of Mecca.
He went on to say that while he believed in it himself, new Christians need not leap over the "hurdle" of belief in the virgin birth before they could join the church. I will refrain from commenting on the likelihood of Brother Rowan knowing much about virgins either.
He said the virgin birth was "part of what I have inherited". And on the timing of Jesus's birth, he said the son of God was likely not born in December at all. One in twelve chance. Broken clock, etc.
"Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival," he said.
But Dr Williams said almost everyone agreed on two things - that Jesus's mother was named Mary and his father Joseph. It is also generally agreed that He was a Jew, but the arch-druid may be too sensitive to local jihadist sensibilities to say so.
The archbishop said his approach was to stick strictly to what the Bible says. Odd. That's what Fred Phelps says too.
Posted by: Dick Arbusto, CEO of Hallibushwater ||
12/20/2007 05:41 ||
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#1
Hmm.. Anglicans need not believe this but Muslims must?
The Koran - Sura XIX - Mary
He said: "I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a holy son."
She said: "How shall I have a son, when man hath never touched me? and I am not unchaste."
He said: "So shall it be. Thy Lord hath said: 'Easy is this with me;' and we will make him a sign to mankind, and a mercy from us. For it is a thing decreed."
Posted by: john frum ||
12/20/2007 6:43 Comments ||
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#2
I was born a virgin, too. Somehow the people I know don't think that's anything special, either.
#4
The man is an idiot. Ignoring a massive amoutn of theology that hs been devoted to this - including the prophecies in Isaiah that Christ fulfilled (And claimed to fulfill), which include virgin birth.
Are we sure this isnt Rowan ATKINS (Mr Bean)?
As for the wise men, King Herod certainly beleived them, given that he ordered the dlaughter of all those male children based on what he got from the "wise men from the east".
As for the star "standing still", is he ignoring figurative speech combined with less scientific knowledge and ability to express it in those days? Or is he claiming that to be out of reach from God's hands in terms of a miracle? Or is he claiming the Gospel to be in error?
Clearly he is an idiot and the Church of England under his guidance is attempting to drop all Christian precepts and dogma, and become an empty shell.
#9
Freudian projection. Just because he can't find three wise men or a virgin among Anglicans today doesn't mean one couldn't find them in Judea among Jews two thousand years ago.
#12
If the Arch-Druid had his way, Anglicans would have to believe in nothing but the demonic nature of the United States and the cleansing power of western self-abasement.
that's it, Dick Arbusto, CEO of Hallibushwater, in a nutshell!
#13
Fact is, virgin births are rare, but not unheard of, and any true "Virgin Birth" is always Female. (No male chromosones available)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/20/2007 15:47 Comments ||
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#14
There was no 'virgin birth' of Jesus.
As I recall my catechism, the whole issue of 'immaculate conception' was about MARY, not Jesus: Mary was conceived and born free of original sin so that she could be the mother of the Son of God.
Aarrgh.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2007 15:55 Comments ||
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#15
im real hesitant to step in here, but from MY limited understanding, virgin birth aint the same as immaculate conception. I will say no more on that.
And IIUC, the NT doesnt say the birth took place in December/Kislev, does it?
#16
LH, it doesn't give a month. But based on other elements of the story, such as lambs being born, there is a belief that Christ could have been born in the springtime.
The celebration was moved to December to blend in with a Roman festival called Saturnalia or another one called Sol Invictus, starting in the fourth century.
#17
Clearly, Moriarity, when the VIRGIN MARY/HOLY MARY appears in people's dreams andor talks to vari personages, this partic ArchBishop of Canterbury is not one of them? Methinks Canterbury is taking per se Anglican suppor of PUBLIC GOVT. a bit too far.
* Iff as per URBAN MYTH/LEGEND "lawyers don't speak English" or "lawyers/judges don't understand the law or justice", etc. DITTO FOR PRIEST(S)/SERVANTS OF GOD VERSUS GOD???
#18
1980's GORBACHEVISM > Iff the EAST = USSR/COMMIE BLOC cannot be brought up to the standards of the WEST, THE WEST WILL BROUGHT DOWN TO THE STANDARDS OF THE EAST.
IMO has to be more to this than Canterbury simply trying to piss off Anglicans, Brits andor Europe??? Compare Canterbury = ANGLICAN XCH/UK wis BREITBART > WHAT NOT WHO WILL SHAPE RUSSIA IN 2008!? SHAPE OF [FUTURE POST-WOT/OWG?] BRITAIN???
#19
Immaculate Conception was Mary's conception. She was free from original sin at birth and blessed by not having typical human concupiscence (the tendency to sin).
Since she was a "God Bearer" while pregnant with Christ Jesus, she had to be a sinless and holy container, like the Ark of The Covenant, where God dwelled when he was physically with the Jewish people. Since the ark is inanimate, it is inherently sinless. Thus to be an Ark, Mary had to be sinless.
This is evidenced in the greeting "Hail Mary, Full of Grace" the angel gives Mary. FULL of Grace - meaning you cannot cram any more grace in there - she has all the Grace of God that God can grant to a human. Since Mary is human, that required a bit of input from God at the moment of her conception (thus follows proper Christian doctrine that life begins at conception). Whats remarkable is that she still could have said no, and she went through with it. Think about what she was asked to do and how she had to say Yes, just on faith. That's why Cathokics venerate (but do not worship) Mary - she's someone to be proud of, to emulate, and to look up to.
The Virgin Birth is Jesus birth - which also satisfies the prophecy in Isaiah (7:13-14) to Ahaz, where Isaiah specifies that a "parthenos" (virgin, specific term, straight from the Septuagent translations of the 70 Rabbis responsible for it, as opposed to the term neanis, young woman, which is used trhought the rest of the Septuagent Greek Old Testament). This ties back to the original prophecy, the proto-evangelium in Genesis 3:15.
So, Rowan Williams either doesn't know or doesnt care what the Bible and biblican and (Catholic) scholars have researched and argued for centuries. Some theologian, eh?
He is a dunderhead. What's next, denying the resurrection?
#21
Ah, do this dimwit "theologian" who says his approach is to stick closely to the Bible does not know the Bible.
The Bible that refers to the Star as such an unusual occurrence that three astrologers mount up and follow this unusual celestial phenomenon until they come to Herod and the Temple to inquire as to what it means. Or the angel Gabriel that the Bible refers to as a messenger to Mary the mother of Jesus and Elisabeth the mother of John the Baptist through her husband, the child John the Baptist, cousin to Christ.
The fact that the reason for the Virgin birth was so that a just "man" would come directly from God to replace Adam, the only other man who came directly from God, but through a woman this time, so that the promise made to Satan by God when Satan deceived Eve, that the seed of a woman would bruise his head when all Satan could do was bruise his heel would come true.
Merry Christmas, but all of this works of God who intervened miraculously on behalf of humanity clearly is not for you Mr. Williams.
#22
IIRC, lambs are born in late February, early March in Palestine. I don't think it really matters WHEN we celebrate it, but that we DO celebrate it. As for the virgin birth, the Bible says that Jesus would be born of a virgin (Mary). A God capable of creating an entire universe shouldn't have any problem starting a male child within a virgin. Sounds like the archdruid of Canterbury doesn't have much faith in his own Church. Maybe he should become a liberal sociology professor. It seems to fit his character better.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/20/2007 21:14 Comments ||
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#23
See also HOTAIR > BELIEF IN VIRGIN BIRTH IS NOT A REQUISITE IN BECOMING A CHRISTIAN.
South Africa's top prosecutor says there is enough evidence to charge the new leader of the governing party, Jacob Zuma, with corruption. The acting head of the National Prosecuting Authority, Mokotedi Mpshe, said a final decision on when to take action against him was "imminent".
The charges relate to a controversial arms deal, which saw one of Mr Zuma's advisers jailed for 15 years.
Mr Zuma, 65, was elected leader of the African National Congress on Tuesday. He defeated South African President Thabo Mbeki in a bitterly fought contest. Mr Mbeki's spokesman on Thursday denied rumours that the president was now considering stepping down before the end of his term in 2009.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/20/2007 07:42 ||
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Electing Zuma: most likely the beginning of the end for RSA.
Posted by: Peter Carroll ||
12/20/2007 11:05 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) In what the police in Zimbabwe say defiance of government eviction orders, they have arrested two more white farmers, news reports said on Wednesday. Zimbabwean official Herald newspaper said, Johannes Fick and Gideon Theron, both farmers in the tobacco-growing Beatrice district south of the capital, appeared in court on Tuesday. "It is alleged the two extended their occupation without government authority," said the Herald. The two have been remanded out of police custody until trial in January next year.
More than a dozen white farmers have been arrested since the authorities started enforcing eviction orders in October. Until then, only 400 or so white farmers were still left on their farms after President Robert Mugabe launched his controversial programme of white land seizures in 2000. The government had given some of the white farmers until the end of September to leave. Some of those who have been arrested want to challenge the country's land laws that they say violate their constitutional rights.
Zimbabwe, once a renowned farming country, has suffered declining harvests since land reforms were launched. Mugabe blames the drop in production on repeated drought.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Zimbabwe: Police arrest two more white farmers
I'm very surprised there are ANY "White Farmers" I would have fled the country when they started murdering the others. (Unless you're VERY well armed)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/20/2007 15:42 Comments ||
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#2
Gotta destroy that last bit of productive activity, otherwise Bob's Socialist Paradise can't come into being.
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 16:21 Comments ||
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Zimbabwe is to print new banknotes in an effort to tackle the serious cash shortages afflicting the country. From Thursday, notes worth 250,000, 500,000 and 750,000 Zimbabwean dollars will enter circulation. At the same time, the highest value note now in use - the 200,000 dollar bill - will be phased out despite only being introduced in July. Rampant inflation above 8,000%, mass unemployment and shortages of fuel and basic goods have blighted the economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#6
#2: Hopefully they will resist North Korean attempts to counterfeit them.
They wouldn't bother, the paper's worth more without all that ink on it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/20/2007 15:45 Comments ||
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Where are they gonna get the money to print new ones? Just tear the old ones in half. More bills and symbolism in one nice convenient package. And you can do it again later for the next round of inflation. What's not to like!
God save our gracious Queen,1
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen.
O Lord, our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all.
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen.
Learned it during my times in England. Now, exactly what are you going to do, Your Majesty, about the Vicar of Bray, the legendary Archdruidbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams? He is a disgrace to the wegiment.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/20/2007 21:52 Comments ||
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan - The US Army on Wednesday upgraded a base in Japan into a key Asian operational hub, despite protests by local leaders who oppose a greater influx of US troops. Camp Zama on Tokyos outskirts was named a forward headquarters of the I Corps, which is under the Pacific Command but whose troops have also been sent to Iraq. The I Corps headquarters remains at Fort Lewis in the western US state of Washington, but the forward unit gives Camp Zama the communications network to coordinate in response to an emergency.
The Central Readiness Force of the Japanese army -- known as the Self-Defence Forces due to the pacifist constitution -- also plans to move here by the 2012 fiscal year as Tokyo takes a more active military role abroad.
I Corps commander Lieutenant General Charles H. Jacoby, taking part in a ceremony to launch the forward headquarters in Japan, said it would help the US military to work more closely with our indispensable ally. The United States is required by treaty to defend Japan.
But the ceremony was boycotted by all local leaders in the base area, including the governor of Kanagawa prefecture. Its impossible for us to attend such a ceremony as we received no alternative plans to ensure this does not become a permanent facility, a spokesman for Zama city said.
These are the folks who wouldn't be happy if they were hanged with a new rope.
The US military has been tight-lipped on how many more troops would be brought in. Japanese media reports, quoting local officials, estimated that 30 to 300 more US soldiers would arrive.
The Camp Zama upgrade was part of a realignment plan agreed by Washington and Tokyo in 2005 which is part of a global transformation by the US military to meet new challenges. Under the deal, around 8,000 US troops are expected to leave Japan for the US Pacific island of Guam.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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STARS-N.STRIPES > US, JAPAN AGREE TO BASE SPENDING DEAL [Guam].
TAIWAN > PRESIDENT CALLS FOR NAVAL, DEFENSE BUILDUP, in case of PRC blockade. Eight preferably US/Euro-made subs [SSKs], PATRIOTS A-3's, and 12 ORION ASW planes.
Years ago, I argued as an option for Guam to acquire a newly built massive floating drydock capable of handling US NIMITZ-class CV's, but thats just me.
A former Hyundai CEO known as "The Bulldozer" for his determination to get things done rolled over all opposition and financial fraud allegations to win South Korea's presidency Wednesday, ending a decade of liberal rule. Lee Myung-bak, who turned 66 on election day and has also served as the mayor of Seoul, earned the landslide victory on a wave of discontent with incumbent President Roh Moo-hyun, whom many believe bungled the economy and dragged down the country's rapid growth.
The rise to power of Lee's conservative Grand National Party was expected to herald closer ties with the U.S. and a more critical view of relations with communist North Korea, which has been lavished with aid by Roh's administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Think he can get SK's trains back from Kimmie?
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 9:00 Comments ||
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Most important update: Yes. Sideshow Bob still appears to be her hairdresser.
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who was ousted from office last year after a headline-grabbing scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer, has decided to seek the presidency -- as a Green Party candidate. Does Cynthia know that "Green" don't mean "money"? I'm serious...
In a video posted on the Internet on Tuesday, McKinney criticized the war in Iraq and complained about Democrats and Republicans, saying both parties are beholden to corrupt corporate interests. She called the Green Party "my new political home." Until they also realize I'm a friggin loon and kick me out too...
McKinney, 52, registered to vote in California after a group called Run! Cynthia! Run! began drafting her as the Green Party's candidate there. Since then, she had made campaign appearances in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Woah! Step back folks! Don't crush the people in front!
"The Democrats do not speak for us," she said. "The Democrats are no different than their Republican counterparts." THE MAN!! be keepin me down!
McKinney served six terms representing a suburban Atlanta district but was defeated in 2006 by DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson. She had been the first black woman elected to Congress from Georgia. ...and, using her as an example, maybe the last.
One of her final acts in Congress was to introduce a bill to impeach President Bush, saying he misled Congress into approving the war in Iraq and violated the law by secretly spying on citizens. She once claimed Bush had been warned of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Probably by a UFO.
McKinney is one of at least seven Green Party candidates for president. The party will select its presidential nominee at its July 10 convention in Chicago. ...and what a slugfest that should be.
ABC News has learned that the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has registered the names of two Web sites with the express goal of attacking her chief rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
It's the first time this election cycle a presidential campaign has launched a Web site with the express purpose of of launching serious criticisms on a rival. Votingpresent.com and Votingpresent.org are domains hosted by the same IP address as official Clinton Web sites, such TheHillaryIKnow.com, which was launched with much fanfare this week.
The Clinton campaign intends to use these new Web sites to paint Obama as cowardly. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
12/20/2007 14:50 ||
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There's also www.iusedtodolinesonmykoran.com and www.wheredawhitewimmenat.com...but you didn't hear that from me.
An amazing coincidence today on the campaign trail in Iowa with Hillary Clinton. The New York senator was in Donnellson, Iowa continuing a broad statewide tour by herself, her husband, Magic Johnson and relatives and friends who've spread out to all 99 crucial counties to tell stories about her to soften and help personalize the Democratic candidate's calculating image in what's become a very tight caucus race.
According to the Associated Press, at a campaign forum in the fire station, which will be a caucus site come Jan. 3, Clinton happened to be asked about her religious faith.
Just happened to be asked, mind you. Outta the blue, as it were.
Practicing Methodist, she responded, adding, "I'm often asked if I'm a praying person and I am a praying person."
"I pray Gawd will allow me to destroy my enemies."
"My father prayed at his bedside every night."
"Please, Gawd! Let her find a husband and move the hell out!"
"And we prayed at the table over dinner."
"Lord, please help me make it through the tuna casserole without slapping her!"
Then, the most incredible thing happened.
Really. Incredible. Who'da ever expected it?
Someone pointed out that Clinton's childhood Sunday school teacher, Rosalie Bentzinger, from her Park Ridge, Ill. days happened to be right there in the very same Iowa fire station at that same moment.
She'd just popped by to have her extinguisher recharged.
What are the odds?
Ummm... Divide by 13... Carry the 8... Square root of 11... Vanishingly small, I'd say. How about you?...
The Sunday school teacher stood up. Clinton rushed over to hug her. It was a warm moment.
"Mrs. Bentzinger!"
"Mrs. Rodham-Clinton!"
The 84-year-old Bentzinger gave Clinton a photograph she happened to have with her.
It was taped to her fire extinguisher.
And Clinton announced, "She has a picture of my confirmation class -- March 27, 1959."
Wow! Wotta coincidence! Kept it all these years, did she? Taped to her fire extinguisher?
Last month, some folks may recall, Clinton was forced to admit planting questions in a similar forum audience in Newton after a student revealed a Clinton campaign staffer had handed her a question on global warming to ask. Clinton denied this was a regular practice and vowed it wouldn't happen again.
"Nope. Nope. I ain't never gonna do it again! I promise!"
Today, Clinton aides said they were unaware the Sunday school teacher was in the crowd.
"Really. We wuz floored!"
Still, the incident happened to make a warm story to help personalize the candidate.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 12:53 ||
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The problem with the event is that Hillary and Ms. Bentzinger are hardly strangers, having met at a similar campaign event in April of this year.
Ms. Bentzinger is hardly an unknown retired Sunday School teacher living in obscurity, either. Ms. Bentzinger is a well-known regliious scholar and leader and even has a religious scholarship named after her.
Hard to beleive Clinton did not recognize her in the crowd, considering they shared BBQ together a few months earlier:
Event Name: Senator Hillary Clinton at a BBQ Fundraiser in Fort Madison, Iowa
Event Date: April 3, 2007
Caption: Presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., right, greets Keith Fraise, left, and Rosalie Bentzinger during a campaign stop at the rural Fort Madison, Iowa home of Eugene Fraisse on Monday, April 2, 2007. Bentzinger was Senator Clinton's Sunday School teacher when she lived in Park Ridge Il.
Headline: Senator Hillary Clinton at a BBQ Fundraiser in Fort Madison, Iowa
Venue: Fort Madison
Location: Fort Madison
Credit: Mark Hirsch/WireImage.com
Keywords:
Item Title: Presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., right, greets Keith Fraise, left, and Rosalie Bentzinger during a campaign stop at the rural Fort Madison, Iowa home of Eugene Fraisse on Monday, April 2, 2007. Bentzinger was Senator Clinton's Sunday School teacher when she lived in Park Ridge Il.
I got this via email a bit ago. Didn't do any fact checking. The links are mostly there. I don't have CNN premium membership so I couldn't really check that one. The pdf file on the mass deportation document seems to be for sale now. Anyone have a link for that one? Or a link for #4? Also, number 14 seems to have gone AWOL, so I don't know if it's real or not.
I wonder if this is all taken into account using the accrual method that Congress seems to eschew so much whenever they bring up the topic of Social Security.
This first link seems to be the original material, or at least more original than mine.
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html
Note page not found on 12/19/07
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two-and-a-half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Homeland Security Report. http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, "estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period." http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf
14. "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States". http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html
Total cost is a whooping... $338.3 BILLION A YEAR!!!
#2
According to this, it's cheaper to deport them all. $46B a year for five yrs vs. $383.3B a yr if we do not. I'm all for it. It could cost more & I'd be all for it. Sometimes principles and sovereignty are worth taking a hit in the pocket book.
#3
BoA, IIUC, is getting into the money transfer business a la/in competition with Western Union.
Dropped their asses when they charged me (they signed me up) for one of their programs I didn't sign up for and only recoverd about 75% of what they charged, two months later.
Any tally out there concerning the number of lives lost each year in situations involving illegals?
#4
Any tally should include those injured as well. There have been a lot of injuries due to illegal immigrant drivers, most if not all are without insurance coverage. And add to the list of expenses the damages paid by the victims of the uninsured illegals for both repair/replacement of vehicles and medical expenses.
#8
Iff one believes that post 9-11 Hollywood + MSM is presently engaged in a celebration of the middle-to-lower classes in America, as is reported or claimed, then one must believe that the same holds true for Amer's POLITICAL CLASSES = POLITICIANS. I'm not a formal pol/campaign advisor, but I do sincerely think that whomever is advising the present field of 2008 GOP-DEM, etc. POTUS candidates and their collective campaigns can certainly do a better job than is being done now.
Republican Mitt Romney aligned himself squarely with President Bush and his national security policies Wednesday, reaching out to GOP loyalists who hold the president in high regard, back the Iraq war and could sway the high-stakes nomination race. "I support our troops, and I support what our troops are doing. I also support our president. I believe that the president has acted in good faith and out of a desire to protect this country to do everything in his power to keep America safe," the Republican presidential candidate said. He spoke after touring the Army's Rock Island Arsenal near this eastern Iowa river city.
Romney staunchly defended Bush in Iowa a few days after rival Mike Huckabee criticized the Bush administration's efforts in a Foreign Affairs journal article, denouncing a go-it-alone "arrogant bunker mentality" and questioning decisions on Iraq. The former Arkansas governor says his comments have been misinterpreted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo plans to drop out of the race during an announcement Thursday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, GOP sources close to the campaign have told FOX News. Tancredo, who has aggressively pushed his anti-illegal immigration message throughout the GOP primary race, has not been able to break through in the polls against his better known competitors. He and California Rep. Duncan Hunter typically poll in the single digits behind Texas Rep. Ron Paul in national surveys.
Tancredo would not personally confirm whether he will pull out of the race. I will neither confirm nor deny that report, Tancredo told FOX News. But he added, I wouldnt have a press conference if I didnt have anything to say.
The five-term Colorado representative already announced in late October that he would not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 2008. He said at the time that his core issue of illegal immigration has been elevated to national prominence and that he doesnt need to remain in Congress to promote it.
Tancredo aired a startling ad a month ago tying illegal immigration to terrorism. The ad showed a man in a hooded sweatshirt and backpack walking into a crowded shopping mall, with the sound of an explosion ringing out after the screen goes dark. The ad then showed bloody pictures of victims of terrorist acts in Europe, while the narrator said: The price we pay for spineless politicians who refuse to defend our borders against those who come to kill.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
My guy Hunter is behind Ron Paul in the polls? Ouch!
#3
Who needs him? Most of the Republican candidates have come out for increased border security, and done it without embracing conspiracy theories or just generally sounding like Johnny One-Note playing the kazoo. If that's an important issue for you, there are two or three or four other guys in the race (depending how you view things) who are probably acceptable on imigration and have devoted time and thought and attention to other issues (like the war and taxes) and have more than a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting elected.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/20/2007 16:19 Comments ||
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Posted by: Mike ||
12/20/2007 16:40 Comments ||
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#5
You people are so clueless. The media was not Tom's friend from day one. Those two or three or four other candidates with "acceptable" immigration policies only adopted those policies 2 months ago trying to out Tancredo the Tanc as caucus and primary time neared. I look for every one of them to shove it to the back burner with him out of the race.
#6
Tancredo's support will go mostly to Hunter. And that is no conspiracy like the one that is ramming liberal candidates down our throats that represent the elite and not the middle class American.
Posted by: John Wunderlich ||
12/20/2007 21:14 Comments ||
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#7
Whyats puzzling is that Tanc endorsed Romney. Romney was amnesty and open border in 2005-6 and open cities as a Gov.
#8
Tancredo is a fine American . those of you joking bout him are a problem in our country . If big names and MSM support buys you that easy where cooked.All the Dems and the top 5 gop candidates are CFR . The same old Elites that have killed our country , wages and benefits . Tancredo message on Immigration ,Fred Thompson had to COPY it just to stay at 9% .Thompson is Lazy and CFR , OWNED puppet
#9
Tanc's endorsing Romney is puzzling a lot of us, oldspook. I have supported the Tancredo campaign because he most closely agreed with me on issues; not because I needed him to tell me what I thought. Romney is way down on my list. Apparently Tanc believes Romney's conversion on immigration. I do not. My number one issue is national sovereignty, Romney is a free trading Bilderberg man who believes the President should have Trade Promotion Authority. That is what got us NAFTA & CAFTA and instead of creating markets for our goods, allowed our manufacturing to move out of the country. I pray that beast never rears it's ugly head again. Huckabee is also a free trader, McCain and Giuliani support open borders, Thompson is reading a script written by the Council on Foreign Relations, Ron Paul thinks we can just talk radical islam into being our friend. That only leaves Duncan Hunter.
Rudy Giuliani has lost his national lead in the Republican presidential race, creating the party's most competitive nomination fight in decades just two weeks before voting starts. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows the former New York City mayor now tied nationally with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 20% among Republicans nationally, just slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 17% and Arizona Sen. John McCain at 14%. At a time when Mr. Romney has fallen behind Mr. Huckabee in the leadoff state of Iowa, the result signals a dramatic shift in the nature of the Republican contest: In a party with a history of rewarding established front-runners, there's no longer a front-runner of any kind.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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BHUBANESWAR, India - India on Wednesday tested its surface-to-air Akash missile twice, the latest in a series of tests of the short-range, defensive weapon, defence officials said. The missile blasted off from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site in Orissa state on Indias eastern coast in successful back-to-back afternoon tests, officials with Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation said.
Three tests last week at the testing site 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of the state capital Bhubaneswar were also described as successful and included knocking flying targets out of the sky. The 700-kilogram (1,540-pound) Akash, whose name means sky in Hindi, has a striking range of 27 kilometres and can carry a 55-kilogram warhead.
Tests of the missile were likely to continue this week to finetune the weapon for use by the air force, officials said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Two Akash missiles hit single target
Prahlada, Chief Controller, Research and Development, DRDO, said from Chandipur: Today, the IAF wanted us to fire two missiles against a single target to increase the probability of the kill. This [event] shows the capability of the radar, the supporting systems and the launcher to guide more than one missile against the same target. So we demonstrated it. It is a big milestone in the Akash system.
Mr. Prahlada said: We have not only demonstrated the missiles flight but also shown the functioning of the integrated air defence system. This will give the user confidence in the maturity of the Indian technology in the SAM defence system. This is an opportunity to break away from the imported systems. The system will be customised and perfected as per the users feedback.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/20/2007 5:52 Comments ||
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It is interesting to see again and again the impossible succeed. Come a long way since '91.
(jf, really appreciate your posts and pictures)
Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.
The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.
Toshiba expects to install the first reactor in Japan in 2008 and to begin marketing the new system in Europe and America in 2009.
The article doesn't tell us what it costs, but if it's cheap enough that the savings in going off the grid isn't eaten up by installation and maintenance, this could do a lot for reducing the civilized world's dependence on oil.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/20/2007 15:42 ||
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#1
CAUTION: Instapundit thinks this story may be a hoax.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/20/2007 15:58 Comments ||
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A 10 MW reactor to power isolated communities The Toshiba 4S has been described in some promotional articles as a nuclear battery, but as attractive as the plant is, that is too simplistic a description. The plant is a small, sodium cooled fast reactor with a rather technologically advanced, compact steam turbine secondary system. Though it is based on sound engineering design work dating back to 1988, there are some areas where the designers and manufacturers will be pressing the edges of the known in terms of chemistry, materials, equipment reliability and fluid flow. If history is any guide, the system will require a significant number of design modifications and operating procedure refinements as more is learned by actual construction and operation. If there is sufficient patience and dedication, the system could prove to be a reliable power producer.
The core heat source for this plant is quite compact; it is only about 0.7 meters in diameter and about 2 meters tall. This section of the plant would be at the bottom of the 30 meter deep excavation inside a sealed cylinder, a location that helps to provide the driving force needed for natural circulation cooling and that provides an impressive level of nuclear material security. The active core material is a metallic alloy of uranium, plutonium and zirconium. The material has been extensively tested but it has not been commercially produced and used as a reactor fuel.
Think it's a bad idea. Too tempting a target to steal fissile and highly radioactive materials. With (10s or 100s of) thousands required, not feasible or economic to guard them all.
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 16:55 Comments ||
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WORLD ARMED FORCES FORUM [WAFF]> USAF reportedly wants to construct a "SMALL PACKAGE" NUCLEAR REACTOR/NUCFAC in one of its CONUS bases.
#5
I hate Toshiba for selling US Sub secrets to the Soviets during the Cold war but this report and there super-rechargable battery are going a long way towards changing my opinion.
(AKI) - A top Muslim cleric in Iran, Hojatolislam Gholam Reza Hassani said on Wednesday that women in Iran who do not wear the hijab or Muslim headscarf, should die. "Women who do not respect the hijab and their husbands deserve to die," said Hassani, who leads Friday prayers in the city of Urumieh, in Iranian Azerbaijan.
"I do not understand how these women who do not respect the hijab, 28 years after the birth of the Islamic Republic, are still alive," he said. "These women and their husbands and their fathers must die," said Hassani, who is the representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in eastern Azerbaijan.
Hassani's statements came after two Kurdish feminists in Iran were accused of being members of an armed rebel group and of carrying out subversive activities threatening the security of the state.
It is believed that his statements and the arrests could spark a fresh crackdown on women who do not repect the Islamic dress code in Iran. Thousands of women in Iran have already been warned this year for their "un-Islamic dress" such as wearing tight, short coats and skimpy headscarves.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Condemnation by Western feminist organizations in 3...2...1.... (chirp chirp)
Posted by: Scott R ||
12/20/2007 0:30 Comments ||
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RAFSANJANI > accuses/criticizes the US-West of wilfully hampering and obtructing Iran's attempts at national development.
Also, RUSSIA > now desiring to help LIBYA as per NUCLEAR ENERGY DEV, + IRAN > NIE, IAEA REPORTS are what induced Russia to help Iran, i.e. send nuke fuel to Iran for its Busheshr nucplant. IRAN ALSO WANTS THE USA TO CHANGE ITS ATTITUDE TOWARDS IT.
(AKI) - The vice president of the Iranian Olympic Committee, Abdolreza Savar, has announced new rules to fight what he defines as the sport's "subjugation to western customs and practices"
In a memorandum sent to all sporting federations, Savar, who is in-charge of the "proper behaviour of male and female athletes" said that "severe punishment will be meted out to those who do not follow Islamic rules during sporting competitions" both local and abroad. The memorandum also said that "no male coach can train or accompany the athletes when they travel abroad. If female trainers are not found, our female teams will not participate in international competitions."
Iran's athletes are considered among the best in the Middle East, but due to severe restrictions imposed by the government, women are sometimes excluded from competition and prevented from fully exploiting their potential.
An example of this is the Iranian volleyball team, which has not been able to qualify to any international competition, as it does not have a trainer. "In volleyball there aren't any female trainers capable, and the Olympic committee does not allow us to employ males to train the female team," said Saiid Derakhshandeh, president of the Iranian Voleyball Federation. Iran's voleyball team was once considered to be among the best in Asia.
The memorandum also referred to new rules regarding the attire worn by the athletes, saying that if these rules are not followed, the athletes will be severely punished and will not be able to participate in future national or international competitions.
Savar also made reference to a Tae-Kwon-Do competition held on the island of Macau, in China when a male referee grabbed and raised the arm of a female Iranian player who had won a tournament.
He said that Iran's sportswomen will not participate at the next Olympic games, in any discipline, where there will be any sort of physical contact with the referee, if it is a man. Iran's objective, says Savar "is not just to win medals, but to promote Islamic culture, and thus we have decided to inaugurate an exhibition dedicated to Islamic values during the Olympic games in Beijing" in 2008.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2007 00:00 ||
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[11127 views]
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#1
Can't wait to see the women's relay team in action.
#2
Platform diving must be kinda iffy in a bourka.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
12/20/2007 7:00 Comments ||
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There's still the 440 dash from the whip wielding Basij.
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 7:52 Comments ||
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responding meme should be: the repression, fear, and hiding of women in Islamic society is less a religious thang, and more a reflection of what utter lacking-of-self-control, insecure, uneducated, pussies Islamic men are. Likely they are afraid the women will outcompete the men in sport, business, school, and society, therefore they keep em down
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/20/2007 8:07 Comments ||
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Good Call Frank.
BTW - Ms. Seddigh should come on over and try open wheel in the states or apply to NASCAR. A female/muslim racer fighting for women's rights in the MMM would be an interesting subplot.
#6
Thanks for that visual Broadhead: a flowing burkka waving through the window in turn 4 at Daytona is just what would get the ratings up. I think the noise generated by that mass of sail would be intense also......and how would that affect the areo push factors? if you're tight, pull it in,????
Coal is almost the perfect fuel. It's cheap and absurdly abundant -- especially in the United States, which has the world's larges reserves. There's just that tiny problem of massive climate-altering carbon dioxide emissions. Or is there?
The FutureGen Alliance -- a coalition of private power companies and the U.S. Department of Energy -- thinks it can make power cleanly by siphoning off the carbon dioxide and sweeping it under the rug pumping it into underground reservoirs. The Alliance spent the past year evaluating four locations around the country that applied to host the first full-scale power plant using the technology; and today it chose Mattoon, Illinois as the winner.
Unlike a regular coal power plant, the FutureGen plant won't actually burn coal but gasify it by exposing powdered coal to oxygen in a high-pressure heated chamber.
The system yields several gases which are processed into hydrogen, which burns in a turbine to produce electricity, and carbon-dioxide, which is swept under the rug pumped into deep geologic formations that researchers expect to hold the gas indefinitely.
Proponents say that gasification is easier than capturing CO2 from a regular power plant because it produces it produces a smaller volume of exhaust and it easily traps most other pollutants from coal, such as Mercury.
Assuming that global warming is true and all this is somehow necessary:
Is it just me or does it seem that eventually the Earth is going to want to burp this stuff up? You can't put too much pressure on the containment geology or it's going to crack and leak, if it isn't leaking already.
Maybe it would be better to pump this stuff into the void between Al Gore's ears.
What is so wrong with a Thorium reactor or solar that they need to pray that all this weird stuff actually works in the long run instead of making a bigger bomb that our grandkids would have to deal with rather than the smaller bomb our kids would have to?
#2
What are they gonna do with the other gases given off as a result of coal gassification? Carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide? And what about the arsenic? Hmmm? I think it's a pretty good idea to do this but there are some other hazards not mentioned here.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/20/2007 7:50 Comments ||
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The power requirements to run the CO2 extraction are about 10% of the plant output. So its pretty easy math to say we'll have to build 1 new power plant in 10 just to run the CO2 system.
#4
Jeebus. What a waste of money. $1.2-billion for a 275 MW plant. You can build a 1000 MW conventional combined cycle coal fired plant and have a large chunk left over.
The gasification will produce hydrogen to run a gas turbine in a combined cycle generating plant.
Carbon monoxide - reacted with high temp steam to produce H2 and CO2.
hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide - turned into elemental sulfur and sold.
arsenic - solidified with the rest of the slag. Probably sold for concrete or road building filler.
I suspect soon there will be an excess of CO2 to pump down oil wells and they will end up paying to pump it into the ground.
power requirements to run the CO2 extraction
Not to mention the thermodynamic losses to produce the hydrogen.
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 8:32 Comments ||
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I remember reading about an idea of growing algae big time using CO2. We could have huge algae beds on a CO2 bender producing O2 like Jack the Pig. Then the algae is processed to become a biofuel. Don't know how it pencils, though, so let's not get Popular Science Ga-Ga before we check it out.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/20/2007 9:19 Comments ||
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In the time period since Kyoto was signed China's CO2 production has gone up 55% and we've exported a great deal of our manufacturing base there.
Sure, for a lot more than a coal plant costs we can build one where the CO2 is pumped back into the ground.
We'll still have ten years where we buy power-intensive stuff to manufacture from overseas, at least until our credit cards are cancelled. Then we won't be able to build power plants at all.
While this will handle CO2 production on a local level I believe it'll go up globally...
#7
Couple submissions: there was an attempt to build a modern coal plant outside of Garden City Kansas using Colorado coal (IIUC) - ultra modern. The Sierra Club (WTF they care about western Kansas you can only guess) lobbied against it and it was turned down (appeals pending).
#8
IIUC there are a number of options for sequestring the CO2. Given our huge coal resources, and the need for power that has different time charecteristics than wind, solar, etc this could be a very valuable technology. Sure its more expensive than conventional coal, but given the increasing need to control emmissions, this is one good tool to have in the arsenal.
And presumably we give the tech to China as well to reduce their emissions.
#10
This is just another example, among many, of the focus of the innovative western mind on the issue of next-gen energy sources. This kind of stuff thrills me because it gives me the confidence that one or several of these technologies is going to pan out, that we will reduced (significantly) our dependence on foriegn oil and that the arabs will be too poor to export their evil dogma. Win win all around.
#13
Better yet, pipe it into greenhouses, go in periodicly to harvest whatever you've planted.
(Growth should be fantastic)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/20/2007 15:56 Comments ||
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Have to disagree with you Remoteman. These guys are spending 4 times the amount of resources because the political goal supersedes the economic goal of efficiently generating electricity. It misallocates money, labor, and brainpower that could be used to increase our well being instead of burying a gas several miles underground. That is sin in my book and makes every American just a bit poorer. More of this stupidity and we, as a nation, really will end up poor.
And presumably we give the tech to China
Pray that the Chinese are stupid enough to pay 4 times the price for a power plant. Somehow I doubt it.
Posted by: ed ||
12/20/2007 16:12 Comments ||
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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.
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.
THE leader of the world's Anglicans has described the Christmas story of the three wise men as nothing but a "legend" and has said not all followers must believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.
Zimbabwe is to print new banknotes in an effort to tackle the serious cash shortages afflicting the country. From Thursday, notes worth 250,000, 500,000 and 750,000 Zimbabwean dollars will enter circulation. At the same time, the highest value note now in use - the 200,000 dollar bill - will be phased out despite only being introduced in July. Rampant inflation above 8,000%, mass unemployment and shortages of fuel and basic goods have blighted the economy.
An amazing coincidence today on the campaign trail in Iowa with Hillary Clinton. The New York senator was in Donnellson, Iowa continuing a broad statewide tour by herself, her husband, Magic Johnson and relatives and friends who've spread out to all 99 crucial counties to tell stories about her to soften and help personalize the Democratic candidate's calculating image in what's become a very tight caucus race. 
Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo plans to drop out of the race during an announcement Thursday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, GOP sources close to the campaign have told FOX News. Tancredo, who has aggressively pushed his anti-illegal immigration message throughout the GOP primary race, has not been able to break through in the polls against his better known competitors. He and California Rep. Duncan Hunter typically poll in the single digits behind Texas Rep. Ron Paul in national surveys.
Rudy Giuliani has lost his national lead in the Republican presidential race, creating the party's most competitive nomination fight in decades just two weeks before voting starts. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows the former New York City mayor now tied nationally with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 20% among Republicans nationally, just slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 17% and Arizona Sen. John McCain at 14%. At a time when Mr. Romney has fallen behind Mr. Huckabee in the leadoff state of Iowa, the result signals a dramatic shift in the nature of the Republican contest: In a party with a history of rewarding established front-runners, there's no longer a front-runner of any kind.
(AKI) - A top Muslim cleric in Iran, Hojatolislam Gholam Reza Hassani said on Wednesday that women in Iran who do not wear the hijab or Muslim headscarf, should die. "Women who do not respect the hijab and their husbands deserve to die," said Hassani, who leads Friday prayers in the city of Urumieh, in Iranian Azerbaijan. 
