Kanchana Ketkeaw, a 30-year-old Thai woman hoping to break the world record for the longest stay in a room full of scorpions, is confident she won't lose any sleep when she beds down for the next 32 days with her 3,000 deadly roommates. Kanchana began the attempt Saturday in a specially made glass-walled room at a shopping mall at a Thai beach resort, watched by scores of amazed onlookers. Yep. That's something she'll be able to tell her grandchildren about, by cracky! If she has any, of course. Of course, if she was really tough, she'd have an affair with Mr Sakadi — see if she'd survive that!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 09:43 am ||
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I wonder if she'll fry them up for dinner when she's done.
Posted by: Kathy K ||
09/22/2002 11:22 Comments ||
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Scorpions? I was bitten by a huge Mexican one, and it hurt less than a bee sting. How much contest money are we talking about here?
Posted by: Allah the Dog Faced God ||
09/22/2002 12:17 Comments ||
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Glenn Reynolds points to this Mickey Kaus item titled Does Welfare Cause Terrorism? Part 27... Sorry for the link-to-a-link-to-a-link approach, but this is important, so read 'em all... Ian Johnson of the Wall Street Journal makes the linkage between the two as clear as it can be made in an excellent piece on Muslim extremists in Germany. The key paragraphs:
"It's no coincidence that the hijackers came from Germany," says Bassam Tibi, a scholar of Islam at Goettingen University, who is himself a Muslim immigrant from Jordan. "Here, they could live outside of society. No one even expected them to work." ...
Mr. Barakat [who early in the piece praises Mohamed Atta as a "true martyr"] came to Germany in 1979 as a visitor from Syria. Like many men in the Muslim-extremist scene, he married a German woman, which gained him permanent residency. ...For Mr. Barakat, who is 52 years old, work and success are unimportant. He says he has training in television repair and industrial electronics but hasn't held down a regular job since 1996. "The most important thing," he says, "is to do good deeds."
Welfare checks help make such benevolence possible. Mr. Barakat receives about $2,500 a month in payments from the government. He says he feeds his extended family's nine mouths on that and still managed to make a pilgrimage earlier this year to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. [Emphasis added.]
It's probably incredibly old fashioned of me, and probably racist to boot, to point out that "the Devil finds work for idle hands." The U.S., as Kaus points out below, makes the same mistake by supporting its own low-paid liesure class, which is also the home to the greater part of our crime rate. (If you don't believe that, watch a few episodes of COPS. Don't email me to bitch until you have...) It's all very well and good to want to spend one's time doing "good deeds," but one man's good deed can also be another man's massacre. If one has nothing to do but sit around all day and go to the mosque for indoctrination by raving fanatics, what's the surprise when after awhile one becomes a raving fanatic oneself?
As described by Johnson, the fitful but increasing German efforts at assimilating Muslims take the form of eliminating their ability to cry "discrimination" and restricting immigration. The mystery left unanswered is why Germany doesn't take the simpler, more obvious step â allowing immigration, but denying immigrants the welfare benefits that support an unassimilated opposition culture.... The reason is entirely political. We have the same piggy squealing here when such measures are proposed. Even though I know nothing about the subject, I'd guess that Muslims in Germany tend to vote as a bloc...
Mightn't such a hostile culture be supported by workers? Sure. But people who come and work (the vast majority of Germany's Muslims, apparently) are unlikely to be able to lead a life so apart from the society they live in that they can be like Mr. Barakat:
Mr. Barakat says the city around him is of no interest. Walking down Steindamm on his way home, he ignores a dazed junkie combing her hair. "I don't care where I live," he says. "I could be anywhere."
If he doesn't care where he lives, why doesn't the German government allow him to live in Damascus? Or Kampala? For that matter, why doesn't Mr. Barakat strike out for Kampala himself? Quick answer: It's the combination of liesure to pursue his own ends and the company of others like him. It's damned significant that Abu Qatada, bin Laden's "Ambassador to Europe" was also on the British dole, and that Kaplan, the Turk jugged for trying to establish a "caliphate" in Germany was on the German dole — even though both of them were rolling in dough from... other sources.
Let work do the work of assimilation! ... Suddenly the Republicans who denied welfare benefits to new immigrants as part of the 1996 welfare reform look a bit more sensible, no? ....[Note: WSJ link requires subscription, but print editions of Friday's paper are available on most newsstands until Monday.]
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 05:25 pm ||
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The U.S. commander in Afghanistan said yesterday that as many as 1,000 al-Qaeda fighters could still be active in Afghanistan and predicted that it would take 18 months to two years to eliminate them and build a national army strong enough to deny them a haven. "We haven't won this war yet, but we're winning," Lt. Gen. Dan McNeill, the coalition task force commander, said in an interview with Knight Ridder Newspapers. Most of that 1000 will be cannon fodder...
The base of support for al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other extremists remains small, and the coalition forces have whittled away at that support by denying them sanctuary and the ability to move and operate freely, he said. At this point there's more danger from Hekmatyar's gunnies than from al-Qaeda. Without a base in Pakland they'll wither and die...
Despite a spate of bombings and a failed assassination attempt on Karzai two weeks ago, McNeill said members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network no longer were capable of mounting large operations against U.S. and coalition forces or destabilizing the Afghan government. But he acknowledged that al-Qaeda would remain capable of harassing U.S. and coalition forces until their base of support was eliminated. Most of these harrassing attacks have been attributed to ex-Taliban — meaning they were Hezbies. Once they refocus publicly on Hekmatyar, Afghans will forget about the Talibs. Since the Merkin public doesn't know much, if anything, about Hek they won't do that for awhile...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 09:20 am ||
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``Iraq declared it will not deal with any new resolution that contradicts what has been agreed upon with the U.N. secretary-general,'' the government said in a brief announcement read on Iraqi radio. ``American officials are trying . . . to issue new, bad resolutions from the Security Council.'' "Nope. We're not gonna abide by any new resolutions. We're still working on avoiding the old ones..."
The move appeared to be an attempt to undermine a sweeping and tough new U.N. resolution that is expected to be circulated Monday at the Security Council by the United States and Britain, U.N. diplomats said Saturday. That resolution would charge U.N. teams with checking sites suspected of having information on nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and ballistic missiles. It would also, in effect, scrap past compromises. What's to compromise? Abide by past agreements or don't abide...
The Iraqi statement referred particularly to a 1998 agreement between Iraq and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Iraq's sprawling presidential compounds, which have many facilities other than Saddam's personal palaces. "Nope. Can't go in there. Somebody might be naked or something..."
For seven years, Baghdad refused entry to the facilities on the grounds that such inspections would infringe on Iraq's sovereignty. A compromise in 1998 gave inspectors access but only if they were accompanied by an array of diplomats — a deal that prolonged the process and gave Iraq a new channel of appeal, according to former weapons inspectors. And all the diplos had to be left-handed redheads, and only from Samoa...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 09:27 am ||
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those "palaces" should be the first things flattened to rubble, then bounce the rubble some more.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/22/2002 10:22 Comments ||
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I imagine that's what'll happen. Too bad about all those dancing girls and mistresses, though...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2002 10:31 Comments ||
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Latest news, just in, from ace reporter D.J.Wu...
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has informed the Bush administration that he plans to strike back if Iraq attacks Israel, according to Israeli and Western officials. Sharon's statements, made privately to senior American officials in recent weeks, represent a major shift in Israeli thinking since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when 39 Iraqi Scud missiles struck without any Israeli response. The prime minister's position reflects a widespread belief among Israeli politicians and generals that Arab leaders perceived Israel's restraint in 1991 as weakness. Throughout his military and political career, Sharon has always held to the view that any attack on Israel must be promptly and powerfully punished. ``I don't think there is a scenario in which Israel will get hit and not strike back,'' said a senior Western official. ``I think the evolving strategy will be commensurate response.'' Ummm... Rantburg had the same thing a month ago, from an AP story. Anything changed, or are they just reminding us again? Or are the Israelis repeating themselves so that everybody gets the message and nobody's surprised when the Israeli air force shows up over Baghdad?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 10:19 am ||
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Saudi commanders openly celebrated when Scuds hit Israel in the Gulf War. And it was those "allies" who restrained Stormin' Norman. The House of Saud could be a house of cards, if common sense would intervene here.
A letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the national seminar on the Juche idea held in India on August 31 on the occasion of the 54th birthday of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The letter says:
It is thanks to the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il that the DPRK is recognized by the international community as a sovereign independent state enjoying high authority and dignity while winning one victory after another despite the west's most undisguised anti-DPRK propaganda and moves to stifle it.
Noting that the visit paid by Kim Jong Il to Russia some time ago after his Russia visit last year was a great contribution to boosting the traditional friendly relations between Russia and the DPRK and achieving the global cause of independence, the letter expressed firm solidarity with the Korean people in their dynamic struggle to build a powerful socialist nation and achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country. Yep. That's what India needs: lotsa juche. That'll make 'em as properous as North Korea...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 04:50 pm ||
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Asking government employees and the general public to stay away from polling booths in Jammu and Kashmir, pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen today said it has formed squads to attack all booths in the valley. "We have formed squads and directed them to attack all polling booths. Hence, government employees and general public are warned to keep away from these places between 0700 hours and 1700 hours on the polling day," a Hizbul spokesman told a local news agency NAFA on phone from across the border. The threat came barely two days ahead of voting in 28 Assembly constituencies in the second phase of elections. Just helping the democratic process along, folks...
Hizbul Mujahideen had carried out at attack on the motorcade of Tourism Minister Sakina Itoo yesterday, which left one CRPF officer and a civilian dead besides injuring 10 others. Hizbul was just saying a few days ago it doesn't attack politicians. Not that they'd tell lies, mind you...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 09:51 am ||
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At least 11 people were wounded in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Sunday when suspected separatist militants threw a grenade near a crowded bus stop, police said. The target of the attack in the town of Shopian, two days before Tuesday's second round of voting for a new assembly in the Himalayan state, was apparently a passing security patrol. "Militants lobbed a grenade on a security patrol near the Shopian bus stand which missed the target and exploded, injuring 11 civilians," a police spokesman said. There's only so many times this story's funny. Apparently these guys manage to hit their intended target with grenades about one out of every four times. The other three times they turn large numbers of innocent bystanders into strawberry jam...
No group claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack. They're all too embarrassed...
More than 470 people, including a state minister and about 30 political activists, have died in poll-related violence since the election was called on August 2.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 10:05 am ||
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Pakistani security forces arrested 10 Arab men as they tried to sneak across the border from neighboring Afghanistan in the past week, officials said Sunday. Well, that leaves 990...
The men, traveling with fake passports, were ordered held in northwestern Pakistan. Officials suspected they may be part of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. The fake passports are the way you can tell they're Arabs...
"The suspects are being questioned by the Pakistani authorities," a police official with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. "None of them have been handed over to FBI agents for questioning yet." He did not say what evidence authorities have that the men are part of bin Laden's terror group. Ummm... Lemme see, here. Sneaking across the border from Afghanistan in the dead of night, check... carrying Ak47s, rocket launchers and antitank guns, check... false documents, check... Yep. Prob'ly just an innocent party of elk hunters. Might as well let 'em go...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 10:18 am ||
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On Sunday, police arrested two suspected Islamic militants belonging to Harkat ul-Mujahedeen al-Almi in Karachi, Police Superintendent Manzoor Mughal said. Naturally, in Karachi...
Police were questioning the men about whether they were planning attacks on foreigners, officials said. "Ow! Stop! I'll tell! I'll tell!"
"Hassan, get off his head..."
In almost two weeks of raids on al-Qaida and other Islamic militant hide-outs, Pakistani police have arrested 23 members of the Harkat ul-Mujahedeen al-Almi, a domestic terrorist group accused of attacking the U.S. consulate and planning assassination attempts on Pakistan's president. They said there were 57 members in this Vast Criminal Conspiracy®. That leave, ummm... (carry the nine... divide by 12... times the square root of 53...) only 34 to go...
Also on Sunday, Pakistani intelligence agencies said they had identified two of the men shot dead in the raid when Ramzi Binalshibh was arrested as Hamza bin Zubair, an Egyptian, and Umer al-Khitab, a Yemeni. Glad they're gone. Never liked them, anyway... Seems like the Zubair family business is thuggery.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 10:28 am ||
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PALESTINIAN leader Yasser Arafat is free to leave the rubble pile he used to live in his besieged headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah at any time and Israel is not looking to hinder his movements, the senior army commander in charge of the Ramallah operation said. "Arafat is free to leave the building at any time, he is not under arrest and our mission is not to hinder his movement, but to question the wanted men inside the building with him," the officer said in a statement. "Who? Oh, him! He's still around, huh? Naw, we want the gunnies..."
Military estimates put the number of those inside the main building in the Ramallah compound at some 200, including 20 members of Arafat's Fatah movement who are on Israel's wanted list, eight of them senior militants. Israeli security sources named four of the wanted men as West Bank intelligence chief Tawfiq Tirawi, Tirawi's right-hand man Eini al-Halo, Mahmud Dumra the commander of Arafat's presidential guard Force 17, known as Abu Awad and Khaled abu Shawish, another senior member of Force 17. Some of the finest Paleomuscle available...
"Our mission is to have everyone inside leave the building. The wanted men will be arrested. Anyone who is not wanted for questioning will be released and anyone who needs medical attention and must leave in a ambulance may do so," he said. "If we could get Yasser to leave and them to stay, we'd drop the house on them and be done with it."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 02:02 pm ||
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Israeli troops have shot dead four Palestinians protesters in the West Bank towns of Ramallah, Nablus and Tulkarem. Thousands of angry protesters have defied a curfew in the West Bank, challenging the Israeli military's two-day siege of besieged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters. Saw the vid on FoxNews — gunnies raging through the streets with their AKs, having gun sex shooting them off in the air...
The demonstrators, already furious over the army's three-month reoccupation of the West Bank, faced off with troops who had escalated their assault on Arafat's Ramallah compound with a threat to blow up the building sheltering Mr Arafat and about 200 of his followers. The demonstrations erupted in the West Bank town of Ramallah when a group of around 30 foreign peace activists were joined by hundreds of Palestinian residents in a march toward Mr Arafat's battered compound, where the army is demanding the Palestinian leader hand over 20 wanted militants. Love those "foreign peace activists." They're so... peaceful.
Two demonstrators, including a journalist, were killed during the overnight demonstrations in Ramallah, where more than 1,000 people rallied. Another Palestinian was killed in the Balata refugee camp by Nablus, where at least 2,000 protested. A fourth Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli fire in the West Bank town of Tulkarem. No word on whether they were waving guns. I suspect they might have been, either that or they were surrounded by goobers who were. A pity none of them were foreign peace activists...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/22/2002 09:20 am ||
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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.
