[Emirates 24/7] A man who armed himself with a gun while he and his family took a roadside nap in their car accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Mahmoud Ajaj grew sleepy while driving with his family on the Ohio Turnpike yesterday, and pulled over to the side of the road to take a nap, the Sandusky Register reported.
Before dozing off, Ajaj took a gun out of his glove box and placed it on his chest, which he told police was an effort to protect his wife and two young children in case anyone tried to rob them.
Ajaj accidentally squeezed the trigger, and the gun, which was pointed toward the driver's side door, fired.
The bullet entered the top of his thigh and exited through the bottom of the thigh, the report said.
The 1.38am (local time) incident appeared to be "an accidental shooting", Sgt Gregory Blake told the paper.
He was flown to Mercy St Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, where was treated and released.
No charges had been filed, the paper said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
A likely story. I've driven the Ohio Turnpike many times, and there is no more wretched hive of scum & villainy anywhere else in northern Ohio.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested Friday for using a permanent marker while in class at his Oklahoma City middle school, a violation of an obscure city ordinance. We have to make an example and nip these young hooligans in the bud!
According to an Oklahoma City Police Department report, the boy was spotted "in possession of a permanent marker" by Roosevelt Middle School teacher DeLynn Woodside. The 50-year-old educator told cop Miguel Campos that the student was "writing on a piece of paper, which caused it to bleed over onto the desk." At least he wasn't writing on the desk.
Woodside reported that the child, whose name was redacted by police from the report, attempted to hide the marker when she asked him for it.
Campos reported that he allowed Woodside, a seventh grade math teacher, to "sign a citation" against the boy, who was then transported to the Community Intervention Center, a juvenile holding facility. A police sergeant subsequently "booked the marker into the property room." It's much easier to have him arrested and hauled off to jail than it is to educate him.
A police spokesman referred to the student's bust as a "citizen's arrest" effectuated by Woodside. Gomer Pyle:, "Citizen's arrest! Citizen's Arrest!"
The marker ban--which apparently is aimed at curbing graffiti--stems from a city ordinance making it illegal to possess spray paint or a permanent marker on private property (without the owner's permission). Since when is a school private property? If the police have the time to respond to calls like this, then the town has too many police officers. Cut the police budget appropriately and return the savings to the taxpayer.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
If the kid had been using a pencil, they'da nicked him for possessing a deadly weapon.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
12/23/2010 20:16 Comments ||
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#11
yet another reminder of why we homeschool.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
12/23/2010 20:49 Comments ||
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#12
In the good old days, the kid would have been sent to the principal's office for a stern talking to. At my (parochial) school, just the threat of being sent to the principal was enough to put the fear of G*d in you.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
12/23/2010 22:33 Comments ||
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Assuming we have any money to build another carrier.
The U.S. Navy has much of its future vested in the so-called EMALS launch system. It is a critical piece of technology that will be featured in the new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. The first of the fleet is being currently constructed and if the launch system is not ready in time, the Navy may be "forced to revert to older steam catapults to launch aircraft from the ships," the Defense News Web site reported. I imagine that this will be a real space-saver and manpower-saver. Also, I suspect that if the wrong weight is dialed into the system, that the system will recognize this and somehow compensate.
I wonder what the backup for this system will be. It would seem to me there is plenty of opportunity for this system to be less robust than a steam-driven catapult. And does this thing hog all the power for a couple of seconds, or is there still enough overhead for maneuvering the ship? Maybe it's a moot point, though, since violent maneuvering may be a bad thing when launching aircraft, even if it's only to head into the wind faster.
Can this system be retrofitted onto the existing carriers?
#1
Probably a large bank of capacitors would power the Catapult. Capacitors can discharge VERY quickly and then recharge over the interval between launches quite easily. So no, it probably would have no disruptive effects on the ship's power supply.
#2
If you look in the field of theme park roller coasters, systems like this have been in field operation since the mid 1990's. Many of the recent high-end coasters around the world use an electromagnetic catapult to launch the train of screaming kids. A room full of capacitors and some man-sized copper wires do the trick. The system resets in 8-10 seconds. There were a few teething problems when they were first installed, but now they've been super reliable, running continuous 18 hour days, 365 days per year.
A system for launching aircraft from a carrier would be several times larger, but not orders of magnitude.
Posted by: Bruce ||
12/23/2010 13:56 Comments ||
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#4
will also help in the future addition of electromagnectic gun systems
Posted by: dan ||
12/23/2010 17:03 Comments ||
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#5
This should also reduce the number of personnel to maintain the system and the maintenance itself will be quite a bit less. I do however, see the following: Chief's mess and the lights dim, then come back to normal. " Lauching the heavies again."
"This was not funded with earmarks and it was not a study about cow farts burps," said John Aber, an environmental scientist and provost of the University of New Hampshire.
"It's not wasteful," he said. "It's important." Yeah. Right! [Snicker]
#2
They skip over this little caution when citing Eisenhower's reference to military industrial complex connotation -
"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present – and is gravely to be regarded.
Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite."
#2
I suspect these days that the Britons as a whole may be lacking grit in more ways than one. It took me a split second to figure out which one the headline was dealing with.
I believe the Icelanders have some spare grit. In fact some real fresh grit. Might be willing to trade for some outstanding bonds.
But... but... that would involve letting one's foot off of the freier's neck, and risking them getting out of the trap. These are all vastly more important than actually Getting Stuff Done With Dolores.
Send a crew of dole-collectors to the beaches armed with shovels, wheel-barrows, and dump trucks lorries for them to fill. The grit problem will find itself quickly solved, especially if the diggers are allowed to keep whatever treasures turn up in their shovels.
[Al Jazeera] The World Bank has frozen finance to Cote d'Ivoire amid a political crisis in the West African country whose incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, insists on asserting his leadership in defiance of the international community's wishes.
Robert Zoellick, the World Bank head, confirmed on Wednesday that the loans were stopped.
The World Bank's aid commitment to Cote d'Ivoire was $841.9 million as of January 2010, according to the bank's website.
"The World Bank has currently stopped lending and disbursing funds to the Ivory Coast and the World Bank's office [in the capital Abidjan] has been closed,'' a statement from the organisation said.
"The World Bank and the African Development Bank have supported ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the African Union, in sending the message to President Gbagbo that he has lost the election and needs to step down."
The decision drew a strong reaction from Gbagbo's team, with Yao Gnamiea, his special adviser on diplomatic affairs, calling the finance freeze unfair.
"This is a political deadlock, not a governance issue, and I strongly believe the decision is unfair, and uninformed," Gnamiea told Al Jizz from Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire's commercial hub.
"Cote d'Ivoire is a nation with its own legal system and institutions, and it will use all the resources it has to solve this problem."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A hermaphrodite died and six others were maimed allegedly after being beaten up by a mob in the city's Badda area yesterday.
Following the death of Papia, 32, more than a hundred hermaphrodites staged a demonstration protesting the murder and demanded punishment to the killers.
The injured--Sumi, 25, Shapla, 28, Shanta, 16, Munmun, 25, Masuma, 25, and Mohona, 25--were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
According to the injured, around 20 locals of Nayanagar at Bhatara beat them up mercilessly and pushed Papia off the rooftop of a six-storey building.
However, The infamous However... police and locals denied the allegation saying, the dear departed slipped as she was climbing down the sewerage pipe of the building.
Witnesses said the incident took place when a group of hermaphrodites went to one Rezaul's house at 11:30am to ask for money to celebrate the birth of a newborn. They got into a row over the sum of money which resulted in a violent clash.
"As we asked for money, some 20 local youths swooped on us and beat us up with iron rods, throwing Papia down from the rooftop," Munmun, one of the injured, told The Daily Star.
Shahjahan Bhuiyan, sub-inspector of Badda Police Station, said Papia slipped and fell when she tried to climb down the rooftop using the pipe.
However, The even more infamous However... the others were maimed during a clash with the locals, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
How do you comment on something like this?
A marauding band of ..., amazing people mugging Rezaul for baby shower money began climbing six story buildings to avoid rebar beatings?
This is like Eunuchs getting trampled at a circus by an elephant in heat.
Late Sunday night, we began to see sketchy reports from individuals that farmers in the region of Sur del Lago, Venezuela were being attacked by Venezuelan as well as foreign military, all directed by Hugo Chavez.
Initial and unconfirmed reports allege that fellow perpetrators are Cubans, thugs from the drug cartel FARC, and even Hezbollah, all there for the action.
This seems to be a crackdown on elements of the Venezuelan populace which opposed Hugo Chavez in the recent Venezuelan election. The blog, Venezuelan News and Views puts it this way: “Sur del Lago people are resisting. The legislative assembly of the state moved down there to seat, the representatives elect are stirring the pot, the regime sent a Cuban general!”
Twitter tweets which have been reporting these events have used hashtags: #SOSinternetVE, #SurdelLago, and #Venezuela.
It was reported that up to 47 farms have been taken by Marxist forces.
Anna Nicole Smith may have been just a "B-list celebrity," but she hit the Bahamas like a hurricane, spreading scandals that toppled officials and endangered the whole government, according to newly leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.
The government fell two months after the last cable was written.
"Not since Category 4 Hurricane Betsy made landfall in 1965 has one woman done as much damage in Nassau," reads a colorful November 2006 document, apparently written by Deputy Chief of Mission D. Brent Hardt. It was released by WikiLeaks and published by the British newspaper The Guardian late Tuesday.
What was the goal of this release? It certainly won't embarrass Mr. Hardt, who may win 'most colorful cable of the year' at Foggy Bottom. If his comments are all like what's written above I'd welcome him as a Rantburg mod just for his snark. So what was the point of releasing this cable?
#1
I would like to hope that, several hundred years hence, through sheer cosmic hilarity, some small religious cult will embrace her as a minor, but indeterminately purposed demi-goddess, worthy of at least a modicum of supplication from elderly gentlemen hoping for a little grace.
[El Universal] According to data provided by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), liquid external assets, that is, US dollars deposited in bank accounts or in foreign currency instruments that are immediately available to cover imports, pay debt and meet the demand of foreign currency, have plummeted.
At the end of the third quarter of 2010, liquid foreign exchange reserves amounted to USD 9.8 billion, a 42 percent fall compared to the same period in 2009 and a 65 percent decline versus the same period in 2008.
The amount of liquid foreign exchange reserves is the lowest for a third quarter in a year since 2002, when a severe political crisis hit oil production in the state-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa). Thanks to oil exports, the company provides USD 95 of every USD 100 entering the country.
Liquid foreign exchange reserves have decreased although the price of the Venezuelan oil barrel has averaged USD 72 so far this year. Some of the reasons for plunging liquid foreign exchange reserves include the transfer of foreign currency to the National Development Fund (Fonden), a fund directly operated by the Executive Office to make investments, as well as a deteriorated business environment.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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A crowd of about 500 mostly elderly citizens waved red hammer-and-sickle flags and cheered as speakers denounced Kremlin moves to balance Stalin's hero status with reminders of the oppression and violence that marked his rule.
"Again we reaffirmed that Stalin's era was the most productive, victorious and unique in the history of our state," Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov said.
"I spit in the faces of anyone who talks to me of de-Stalinisation," said Vladimir Markov, a doctor who worked with the Soviet space programme. "Stalin was our atom and our universe. Stalin was our path to the stars. My generation has him in their blood. You see wisened, courageous faces of these old people."
China has said it is willing to bail out debt-ridden countries in the euro zone using its $2.7trillion overseas investment fund. I wonder what the second card will be.
#1
I'm somewhat puzzled here, on the one hand, WE (USA) Don't have to do it, so that's good.
On the other hand I've never heard of Chinese being Magnanimous, they're as stingy as Scots, so what's the deal here?
The real deal, not the published one.
Are they staking claim to future territory? Locking down Minerals?
Getting zero interest loans and other "Favors"?
But I don't believe for one instant they're a sweet old slant eyed Uncle, the image just doesn't fit.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/23/2010 11:52 Comments ||
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#2
Name it: technology, diplomacy (NATO), corner the Bear, keep current migration routes, even just simple purchasing property for monetary investment (though much more confident about recovery than most claim to be).
A problem Europe will have, and the US if we keep this up, is what happens when the current population (including the first gens) are considered squatters?
Besides, IMHO, the EU has more in common with PRC than it does with Europeans.
#3
...and to be fair, so does/did our lame/last congress.
Imagine PRC's surprise after loaning all that money to the USA, those ungrateful debtors started talking trash and not acting like stewards of China's land?
And China has a little bit of recent history around this; Vietnam was not a gracious as China hoped. And it may be interesting if it happens, if China builds up Africa proper roads and refinaries and OIC proxies shut that down.
#4
For a few billion $, the PRC expects, at a minimum,
- reduced criticism of its human rights violations
- reduced pressure to curb copyright piracy
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/23/2010 13:41 Comments ||
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#5
Hu meets Obama on Jan 19th. They major issue on the agenda after the Koreas, will be the appreciation of the Yuan. These are probably preliminary moves to show what they can do to the dollar, if they want to.
[Al Jazeera] China has replaced its top foreign ministry official amid a trend toward greater assertiveness in handling territorial disputes and participating in global organisations.
Zhang Zhijun, the vice foreign minister, took over recently as the foreign ministry's Communist Party secretary, state media reports said on Wednesday, meaning he now outranks Yang Jiechi, the current foreign minister.
Yang was accused of being caught off guard when Hillary Clinton, ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill... the US secretary of state, announced at a security conference in Vietnam this year that Washington considered the peaceful resolution of South China Sea disputes as part of the American national interest.
Zhang, 57, had served almost his entire career in the party's International Liaison Department, a type of shadow foreign ministry focusing on contacts with foreign political parties, until he became deputy to Yang last year.
That party background may mean he has more of a say in policymaking than his predecessor, as China increasingly abandons its former low-key approach to dealing with the outside world.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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Wait, did I read that wrong, or did they promote a clock-punching apparatchik from their Comintern bureaucracy to the head of the foreign ministry?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/23/2010 12:53 Comments ||
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Known as Keystone, the project is an expansion of an existing pipeline that now terminates in Oklahoma. Stretching over 1,600 miles -- four times the length of the Trans-Alaska system -- the new pipeline would be one of the biggest in the country.
Canada's oil sands have drawn numerous critics who say the way the oil is extracted harms the environment. Does this explain our neglect of the Alaskan pipeline? Why not have both?
#4
Makes sense. The heavy oil sands of Alberta have been developed to the capacity of the existing distribution system and there is room for a lot more development.
It's not clear there is enough additional oil in Alaska to even keep the existing pipeline operational for a lot longer.
There is a LOT of 'stranded' gas on the North Slope (both Alaska and Canada) and I thought a pipeline for that stuff would be coming along, but then they figured out how to get gas from all those shales and tight sands in the Lower 48, with better economics than the Arctic.
#7
Glenmore...Estimates in the Beaufort are conservatively in the 15 to 20 bbl range, with the same in Chukchi. Nobody really knows about the minuscule piece of ANWR they want to drill, but estimates range from 5 to 25 bbl. And it's all relatively high quality crude.
An Air Malta flight from London Heathrow was forced to return to the terminal after a passenger started praying and chanting in the aisle just before take-off.
The man got to his knees on Tuesday and started chanting in Arabic and ignored instructions by cabin crew to return to his seat, a spokesman for the airline said.
Passengers panicked when they heard the man chanting, and he had to be restrained by passengers and crew, according to media reports. The aircraft returned to the terminal and the passengers were disembarked for security procedures. British police arrested the man.
The flight, which had already been delayed because of bad weather, was due to arrive in Malta on Tuesday night.
#1
Great. You've been waiting for days to get out of snowy Heathrow and head for sunny Malta for Christmas vacation and this mook starts this shit.
I'm surprised they didn't beat him to death....
#2
Open the cabin door and escort him out, don't bother to land.
If he's faithful, MO-ham-head will swoop down on his winged horse and save him, if he's not, SPLAT,(Inshallah)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/23/2010 12:02 Comments ||
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#3
Because the vast majority of such dorks are by themselves, I've been thinking for a while that the airlines could install a light, portable, but extremely durable box, say 6'x2'x2'.
When someone misbehaves, put them in the box and lock it. Include some tough nylon loops along its length, so it can have a pole inserted through them, and it and its passenger can be carried by a couple of strong men.
It could be quite sound proof, and even have a battery powered vent to insure that enough oxygen remains within, yet strongly muffles any sound.
No reason to even open the box until it has been delivered to a police organization. Then, with a little hosing out, and a new battery, it would be good to go.
#4
Anonymoose, with all the large people out there today, better start by making it 7'x3'x3', then make it strong enough to contain an explosion, just in case. You don't want to have to cut off his feet and an arm at the shoulder in order to get him into the thing...even using the stainless steel silverware they provide in first class.
Upon further pondering, I think duct tape, coupled with a strip search, is still a better answer. It doesn't take up as much storage room, nor add nearly as much weight. And anyway, duct tape is cheap.
#6
When someone misbehaves, put them in the box and lock it. Include some tough nylon loops along its length, so it can have a pole inserted through them, and it and its passenger can be carried by a couple of strong men.
I've heard that when sailors get unruly, the navy sandwiches the guy between two stretchers and zip-ties them together. It's called "clamshelling". Sounds pretty effective. :-)
#7
I've heard that when sailors get unruly, the navy sandwiches the guy between two stretchers and zip-ties them together. It's called "clamshelling". Sounds pretty effective. :-)
Yep! Two Stokes stretchers and some zip-ties. Very effective.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
12/23/2010 18:31 Comments ||
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(KUNA) -- The Swiss Federal Council launches at its meeting on Wednesday the consultation on "too big to fail" legislative proposals for dealing with the systemic risks of big banks.
The draft for a corresponding amendment to the Banking Act is based on the proposals of a group of experts.
According to the draft, systemically important banks should hold more capital, meet more stringent liquidity requirements and improve their risk diversification. They should be organised in such a way that a national economy's systemically important functions can be maintained even in the event of threatened insolvency. In order to promote the issue of new reserve and convertible capital in Switzerland, the Federal Council is also proposing tax measures. The consultation will last until 23 March 2011.
The proposed package of measures is designed to prevent the state from having to use tax revenues in the future in order to bail out systemically important banks and also prevent entire national economies from running into difficulty because of financial crises. In the future, there should no longer be any banks that are too big to be abandoned by the state (too big to fail).
In November 2009, the Federal Council appointed a Commission of Experts consisting of representatives from the public sector, academia and business circles to put forward proposals to alleviate the too-big-to-fail problem. The Commission of Experts submitted its final report to the Federal Council on 30 September 2010.
The experts' legislative proposal was taken up by the Federal Council and fleshed out. The key focus of the package is on four core measures: The Strengthening of the capital base, More stringent liquidity requirements, Better risk diversification and Organisational measures to ensure the maintenance of systemically important functions (e.g. payment transactions) in the case of threatened insolvency. For implementation of the more stringent liquidity requirements, two new instruments need to be provided for in the Banking Act: reserve capital and convertible capital (contingent convertible bonds, or CoCos). The issue of CoCos in Switzerland will significantly reduce the legal risks in the case of an officially ordered conversion in a crisis.
The Federal Council is proposing tax measures to promote the issue of bonds, and thus also CoCos, in Switzerland as well as to boost the Swiss capital market. These include, for example, the abolition of the issue tax on debt capital and withholding tax changes. Switzerland as a business location will benefit from this.
The draft law also includes regulation of the remuneration of those systemically important banks that have to rely in any way whatsoever on federal funds despite all efforts to alleviate the too-big-to-fail problem.
In such cases, the Federal Council will be obliged to order that adjustments be made to the remuneration system of the bank in question. The consultation by the interested parties will last until 23 March 2011.
The Federal Council's dispatch for the attention of parliament is expected in spring 2011 so that the bill can be considered by the first chamber during the summer session and by the second chamber during the autumn session. The legislative amendments could come into force at the start of 2012 at the earliest. Transition periods should facilitate implementation.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Spain needs five years to "correct Structural imbalances" in national economy and to achieving prosperity and welfare of the Spanish people, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said here Wednesday. Translated as, "I need another term as prime minister" ...
In a speech in parliament here Wednesday Zapatero Said "We have been fighting the crisis for two years and we will need five years to correct the structural imbalances in this economy," calling for unity to solve Spain's economic difficulties. He added that "Economic growth requires cooperation between all parties and their involvement in serious and persistent work to meet the challenges of the new era", appealing to national political parties to shoulder its responsibilities and make efforts to take the appropriate economic measures.
He stressed that ensuring financial stability in Spain requires the adoption and application of a number of economic measures, and in particular the reform the pension system, calling for taking the resolution seriously and with much of firmness and foresight.
He defended the importance of raising the retirement age to 67 years, saying that " if Spain wishes of owning pension system like those owned by Germany or Sweden, it must have to redouble its efforts and continue to work hard to build a solid economy that would able to overcome obstacles and cope with future requirements".
A pension overhaul slated for Cabinet approval on Jan. 28 includes rising the retirement age to 67 from 65 and increasing the number of years used to calculate benefits as part of a set of economic measures taken by the Spanish government in an attempt to accelerate economic growth and reduce the deficit in the state budget and to address the effects of the global economic crisis.
Spain's parliament approved yesterday the 2011 austerity budget aimed at cutting the debt-strapped country's deficit and righting its strained public finances, as well as at reducing the public deficit from 11.1 percent of annual output last year to six percent in 2011 and to three percent, the European Union limit, by 2013.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Zapatero's been in office for a little over five years, so it will take that long to undo the damage.
President Barack Obama was outmaneuvered by the Russians and should have abandoned the New START negotiations instead of seeking a political victory, says former nuclear plans monitor Vice Admiral Jerry Miller, USN (Ret). Obama is a weak president who has surrounded himself with clueless advisors. I expected no better than this.
#3
START is nonsense. The U.S. should be free to decide how many nuclear weapons it wants and needs. The Ruskies can do the same for all I care.
New nuclear race? That's a lame threat. The Ruskies can't afford one, and it would even be pointless for them.
So much for that.
I could say something for DADT as well, but that would not be PC.
So only thing non PC is: Merry Christmas to all Rantburgers!
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/23/2010 11:13 Comments ||
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#4
The admiral makes a good point, and EC picks up on it: the whole point of START in the beginning was a mutual reduction in nuclear arms, back when a mutual reduction benefitted both parties.
It doesn't anymore.
New START was designed by the Russians to limit American missile defenses, and that's why Obama went along, because he too wants to limit missile defense. He knew the new Congress would expand rather than limit, so now he has a treaty (voted through by the RINOs, spit) to point to as his justification.
I'd be happy enough if an American president cut the nuclear arsenal in half if in return we had a robust missile defense to stop the Norks, the Iranians -- and the Chinese.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2010 11:19 Comments ||
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#5
Issue a "Sense of eth Senate" proclamation dictating that we understand tehtreaty does NOT limit ballistic missile defense systems. Let the Russians demand that it does. Fraud exposed (I mean fraud as in "The Treaty" AND "President Obama")
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2010 12:51 Comments ||
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#6
or "the Senate". Quit typing whilst on the phone, dammit
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2010 12:54 Comments ||
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#7
Negotiations are fine, if you get something out of it.
What did the U.S. get? Nothing.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/23/2010 14:22 Comments ||
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#8
We got Obama out of the country for a few days.
Warn your fellow Americans that they are doing it again.
They tend to do this every time the voting public figures out they are still fighting to turn this country into a socialist utopia. The problem is, there will eventually be no more cash cows to milk.
#2
For those who suspect that the Quislingcrat/media axis has become ineffective, don't forget your Mark Twain ("A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes") and especially don't forget your Josef Goebbels ("If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it"). Spielberg's touch as a moviemaker might be fading, but his bank balance and his Rolodex sure as hell aren't.
The Hollywood crowd and its fellow-travelers in the "news" media pulled out all the stops to get an anti-American socialist cipher elected President, and they still think that their ultimate objective - permanent leftist governance under a de facto one-party state - is still reachable, Tea Party or no Tea Party. The media's activities of the past few years, both in left-leaning "coverage" of the news and in constant hammering home of the leftist message in our entertainment, are in-kind contributions to the DNC that have to be worth billions of dollars (Rep. Issa, call your office).
Posted by: RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
12/23/2010 3:13 Comments ||
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#3
Old Brand: Tax and Spend
New Brand: Borrow and Spend.
The problem is the Republicans have been using the same branding. Perhaps that will change.
#12
So the "New" Democrats are going to be short, gray, and brandish radios as if they were guns?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/23/2010 14:04 Comments ||
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#13
I used to have a branding iron around here - bet I can find it. But I refuse to subject myself to branding Democract butts, so they'll have to take it on the face (would be an improvement for many.)
#15
What they really meant was advising Nancy Pelosi on how to Brand Republicans. I mean to you herd them up and just stick the brand on their buttocks, or is there some mechanized future way of doing it?
#16
On this topic, did you see the latest presidential press conference? The MSM's desperation to help rebrand Obama could hardly have been more obvious.
[Al Jazeera] The United States Senate has approved a new deal with Russia on capping nuclear arms, marking a major foreign policy victory for Barack B.O. Obama, the US president.
Senators voted 71-26 on Wednesday in favour of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, one of Obama's top priorities since taking office in January 2009.
Thirteen Republicans broke with their top two leaders and joined 56 members of the president's Democratic Party and two independents in providing the necessary two-thirds vote to approve the deal.
The treaty, which still must be approved by Russia, aims to rein in Russian and US nuclear arsenals by capping nuclear weapons and re-starting inspections. It replaces an expired accord.
"With this treaty, we send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law," senator John I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry, ... the Senate's current foreign policy expert, filling the empty wingtips of Joe Biden... who led the debate on the deal, said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
It should be a crime for a Lame duck Senate to ever do a treaty.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
12/23/2010 8:22 Comments ||
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#2
From horseback to rail to modern air travel, the Constitution has to adjust to the technology of the times to end any 'lame duck' legislation other than continuing resolutions to keep the basic functions of government in operation.
#3
"This is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades. It will make us safer and reduce our nuclear arsenals along with Russia."
Question #1: Can someone explain this Alice-in-Wonderland reasoning that is that disarming makes us safer?
Senator John Kerry, who led the debate on the deal, said the treaty would "send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law".
Question #2: Similar to Question 1. Can someone explain to me how our disarming nukes will restrain the ambitions of Iran and North Korea?
A middle-aged man was beaten to death allegedly by his four wives at village Kabirpur under sadar upazila of the district early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Yunus Bapari, 46, an auto-rickshaw driver and resident of Mulalidaha under sadar upazila.
The police said that at about 11:00pm Monday, Yunus went to a village fair at Brahmankanda near Faridpur town with his two wives where he ran into his third wife that triggered a family row as his first two wives did not know he had a third wife. Hell hath no fury, times 3.
At one point the three women came to know that Yunus even had a fourth wife living in another village. Make that times 4.
The three women then took him to the residence of his fourth wife at Kabirpur where the four women together beat him up mercilessly, locals said. Ya think?
Yunus was admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital in a critical condition where he died at 4:50am. The body was sent to the hospital morgue for post-mortem examination. An unnatural death case was filed with Kotwali police station. Unnatural, but not unexpected.
#1
If this case goes to the sharia law court, the wives should get off - but just barely. The rules of evidence value testimony of a women to be only worth 1/4 that of a man's testimony. And since old Yunus isn't up to speaking up for himself, well....
#3
The very best one of these ever was an Italian man, whose open casket memorial was held on the second floor of a funeral home.
The turnout was impressive, and everything was going well until the funeral home director, who was reading his eulogy, asked his wife if she would say a few words.
A dozen women stood up. It rapidly turned into a fist fight, with the casket and occupant being pushed out the window, followed by the funeral director.
The brawl made it to the street, where it was later described as a riot by the police, several of whom were injured, before they were able to get control of the situation.
Which did not last, because somebody stole the coffin on the street, leaving the deceased lying there, the funeral director demanding payment from *someone*, and all the wives claiming his estate, but renouncing his debts.
Sporadic fist fights resulted for months thereafter.
[Dawn] The Federal Shariat Court has declared as unconstitutional and un-Islamic three sections of the Protection of Women Act 2006, holding that these take away the overriding effects of the Hudood Ordinance 1979.
A three-member FSC bench comprising Chief Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan, Justice Afzaal Haider and Justice Shahzado Sheikh announced its verdict on Wednesday on identical petitions challenging the act.
It declared that sections 11, 28 and 29 incorporated in the Hudood Ordinance during the Musharraf government were in violation of Article 203DD of the Constitution.
The court asked the government to take necessary steps to amend the impugned laws in conformity with the Holy Koran and Sunnah.
The FSC also held that Section 25 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 was against Article 203DD of the Constitution.
The court directed its office to send copies of the judgment to the federal government and provincial and Islamabad high courts for information, necessary action and compliance.
The court ordered that the sections should cease to be effective from June 22 next year and the judgment should also stand operative from that day.
The court order said: "All those offences whose punishments are either prescribed or left undermined, relating to acts forbidden or disapproved by the Holy Koran and Sunnah, including all such acts which are akin, auxiliary, analogous or supplementary to or germane with Hudood offences as well as preparation or abetment or attempt to commit such an offence and as such made culpable by legislative instruments would without fail be covered by the meaning and scope of the term Hudood.
"Its (FSC) jurisdiction in the matters relating to Hudood under Article 203DD of the Constitution is exclusive and pervades the entire spectrum of orders passed or decisions given by any criminal court under any law relating to the enforcement of Hudood and no other court is empowered to entertain appeal, revision or reference in such cases.
"No legislative instrument can control, regulate or amend its exclusive jurisdiction which was mandated in the Constitution. An order granting or refusing bail before conclusion of trial in all categories of offences within the ambit of Hudood is covered by the word 'proceedings' used in Article 203DD, is within its (FSC) exclusive jurisdiction and can only be impugned before it (FSC).
"Ten offences, including Zina (adultery, fornication and rape), Liwatat (sexual intercourse against the order of nature), Qazaf (imputation of zina), Shurb (alcoholic drinks, intoxications, narcotics etc), Sarqa (theft simpliciter), Haraba (robbery, highway robbery, dacoity and all categories of offences against property as mentioned in PPC), Irtdada (apostasy), Baghy (treason, waging war against state, all categories of offences mentioned in PPC)) Qisasa (right of retaliation in offences against human body) and human trafficking, are covered by the terms Hudood for the purpose of Article 203DD.
"Sections 11 and 28 of the PWA 2006 are declared violative of Article 203DD of the Constitution because these provisions annul the overriding effect of Hudood Ordinances VII and VIII of 1979.
"Some portions of sections 48 and 49 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997 whereby the high courts have been empowered to entertain appeals against the order of a special court consisting of a sessions judge or an additional sessions judge, transfer within its territorial jurisdiction any case from one special court to another special court at any stage of the proceedings, were also violative of the provisions contained in Chapter 3A of Part VII of the Constitution because the offences envisaged by Act XV of 1997 are covered by the term Hudood."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Dawn] The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) decided on Wednesday to investigate 'vigorously' a shady land deal involving former housing minister Rehmatullah Kakar.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the bureau's executive board which was presided over by NAB Chairman Syed Deedar Hussain Shah.
The issue of the deal involving billions of rupees was brought to the notice of the bureau a couple of months ago when Mr Kakar's party, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), was still part of the government. After some preliminary work, NAB decided to investigate the case formally.
A NAB front man said the meeting discussed the acquisition of 3,000 kanals of land near Barakahu area of Islamabad for the federal government employees housing scheme by the ministry at exorbitant prices.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... criticised the move and said any action by NAB against the former minister would be resisted.
"We will squeeze those who will take action against us," he told news hounds.
He said: "We do not recognise the institution (NAB) which was set up by a dictator".
Some 3,000 kanals of land was purchased in the Simly Dam Road area in Zone-IV of Islamabad last year from a private firm Green Tree for the project under the Prime Minister's Housing Scheme. The project was to be executed by the same firm.
Sources said that the resignation of the housing minister, which has not yet been accepted by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, upset officials of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation involved in the deal and they feared possible action by NAB and a standing committee of the National Assembly.
The front man said that NAB would look into complaints against officers responsible for wasting public funds.
Mr Kakar, meanwhile, issued a statement on the letterhead of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation saying he had nothing to do with the deal.
He ruled out the possibility of failure or wrapping up of the scheme.
He said: "The question of wrapping up of the scheme after his resignation is totally irrelevant because the minister is not the member of the executive committee and the scheme will continue. It has nothing to do with any outgoing and incoming minister."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2010 00:00 ||
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Picture yourself in historic Bhopal with 700,000 Muslims from around the world among a giant tent city and 400 physically challenged people.
In spite of such a gathering, the management makes it a point to ensure that it does not become a fair-like affair and does not allow people to make a noise.
Wheeeee!
Hmmmmmmmm...Union Carbide still in Bhopal?
No. But lots of other heavy industry factories are. I think it's still the manufacturing center of India.
December 21, 2010 -- In light of ongoing developments related to the release of diplomatic cables by the organization Wikileaks, and the publication of information contained in those cables by mainstream news organizations, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression see fit to recall a number of international legal principles. The rapporteurs call upon States and other relevant actors to keep these principles in mind when responding to the aforementioned developments.
#5
I'm not convinced the folks at the UN consider rape/rape to be a crime. Judging by UN troops activities from time to time and the UN's unwillingness to do much about it.
Surely you would not approve the release of intelligence products and capabilities provided to you by member nations, or financial figures associated with UN pay and compensations? Or the incidences of internal larceny, theft, misappropriation, sexcapades, and corruption, or UN member nation uniformed force casualty figures.
#7
I wasn't fully on one side or the other until this...know I know - wikileaks is indefensable. Not only by the company kept, such as the UN, but said report puts it right in perspective for me.
That the UN can make such a statement without applying and insisting that all members of the UN now must disclose all communiques starting with themselves. Starting with housing arrangements at chowder bay. Then lets go to Cambodia and the mayham wreacked upon the little kids, and demand to have access to all accounting information so to show and prove the obvious graft and pay-to-play bullshit which goes on there, a farce of parliament of man.
What assangel has done is likely not the first person to have gained access to said files - there have been numerous reports from the years about hackers turning in such people. Assangel has likely not revealed any information which apparently a half-assed espionage operation could have accomplished. Assangel has not even really revealed anything many, such as some little hayseed middle america could strongly suspect....other than methods and uses of informers.
So basically he is the jackass who went ahead and burned the crayon. He is the d!k who stands behind you when playing poker and makes faces then talks about your hand after the play is done.
What I do not understand is that given a long enough timeline something like this was bound to happen, and to the USA because it is the juiciest target which would not automatically take Assangel's nuts out via trachia, the US government seems 2 turns out of the lead.
And many of the decisions will be justified, and could be the largest propaganda coup in the 21st in favor of the USA.
So yeah, for a glorified tattletale hiding behind his big sister, wow. Could have convinced me the other way to some degree but by the company, his comrades suck ants from a continent away.
#8
Wired magazine just discovered that Mr. Assange used to be a blackhat hacker, who for several years had a backdoor into the DoD website/computer/thingy. This probably took more cleverness than the hack into the Harvard grades computer one of my high school computer club members did back in 1978.
#9
As said, not the only person ever born who could do a hack, just the only one to do it like this.
The UN's crap letter - what does issue 1. mean anyways, could that be interpreted as if I go to court for any reason I am in the public system? Illigitimate action? Right to participate in government? Filtering systems? 3/4 of the world is an oppressive craphole where people get killed for attempting to participate in their local government.
Its a bullshit statement written by bullshitters. Self-regulating journalists, really? Suddenly every dipwad with a camera is a protected journalist. Ethical codes, whose ethical codes? Who defines those, the upcoming human rights committee?
I mean my god, somebody tapes a football practise and the news goes apeshit, but disclose sensitive diplomatic missions and hey, no biggie.
And from what I understand the mission was to expose select governments' explanations for invading Iraq. That could have been done without the document drop of everything, including embassy coms with nations not even involved in the OEF. I admit that it is fun to see that some here were throwing great darts with an expose, but to call it a great deal for the little man against big gov to me comes across as putting 5 pound of crap in a 2 pound box. Effn shadow elves anyways.
#10
"United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression"
No actual freedom or human rights involved, of course. It's the U.N. and a so-called "Human Rights" Commission, after all.
"see fit to recall a number of international legal principles. The rapporteurs call upon States and other relevant actors to keep these principles in mind when responding to the aforementioned developments."
Blah, blah, blah.
Oh, shaddap.
It should be illegal to use the words "principles" and "U.N." in the same context. >:-(
Does anybody know what this says? The "rapporteurs" obviously don't.
(And am I the only one who wants to point and laugh at anyone who calls themselves "rapporteur"?)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/23/2010 22:03 Comments ||
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#11
I also think the UN is a useless organisation by and large. I'd be happy to see the US (which funds about 1/4 of the UN's budget) simply cut off the funds and use it to fund programs to make the country an even better place to live. You know: build new roads, hospitals, schools. Why should that money be spent on the UN it's a useless POS
However Julian Assange is not a rapist, he is the editor of a news source site.
He correctly pinpointed a big and growing problem in western democracies: yours, mine, the UK etc.
Whistleblowers do not leak to reporters any more. There are no deep throats these days. This is because they are hunted down and found through their emails, mobile phone records and then their lives are made hell.
It is what all reporters want: the freedom to report what is going on.
You hate it right now because it is US Government cables being leaked.
But you are not looking at the big picture. It is not about the US Goverment at all.
People all over the world can safely leak to wikileaks. THat means we can find out the dirt on every government. Including China, Russia, North Korea, Iran.
Wikileaks will change the world. It will enable citizens to know more what their governments are up to and hold them to account.
Why be afraid of freedom and transparency? THat is what makes our societies more resilient than dictatorships.
Assange has given the world a wonderful gift that will promote freedom and good governance everywhere.
In return the governments of several countries have persecuted him: getting paypal/visa/mastercard et al to suspend services, perverting the justice system in a disgusting manner.
That was a disgraceful attack by the state on an individual citizen.
SO our paths have diverged. I disagree with you all on Assange and Wikileaks.
I still wish you all a good christmas and happy new year.
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 13-year-old boy was arrested Friday for using a permanent marker while in class at his Oklahoma City middle school, a violation of an obscure city ordinance.
"This was not funded with earmarks and it was not a study about cow 
A crowd of about 500 mostly elderly citizens waved red hammer-and-sickle flags and cheered as speakers denounced Kremlin moves to balance Stalin's hero status with reminders of the oppression and violence that marked his rule.
China has replaced its top foreign ministry official amid a trend toward greater assertiveness in handling territorial disputes and participating in global organisations.
