Posted by: Mike ||
01/13/2005 6:52 Comments ||
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#5
I want the dishwashing, lawnmowing, bedmaking, vacuuming model.
We have one of those, it's called "Steve".
Posted by: Steve ||
01/13/2005 9:13 Comments ||
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#6
DARPA is leading the way in robotek, and the Pentagon is screaming for robots, robots everwhere, of all different kinds. I suspect this will drive robotics to be the next tech revolution. The biggest leaps forward will be something like: practical, high amp fuel cells that can go for several hours on a quart of methanol; mechanical parts made from advanced materials, light, strong and durable; "soft" mechanical parts that can replicate muscle; and finally, advanced AI that can parallel process sensory information and interact with people. Several of these things already exist, but have yet to be incorporated together into a robotic system. The two biggest tech needs are the power source and the specialized chips and software needed to act as the brain. Windows XT is right out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/13/2005 10:03 Comments ||
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#9
I've got a Roomba. Love it -- charge up the battery, set it loose, and an hour later the room's vaccuumed. It can't handle stairs, though.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/13/2005 10:28 Comments ||
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#10
I'm looking for a robot to replace the robot here that has been captured by Rantburg. Can't get any work out of the old robot anymore--won't work on Maggie's Farm No More.
#13
No pets here, so I can't answer that, but it may help to know I'm a bachelor and have the housekeeping habits of one. Having a Roomba around means the floors get vaccuumed about twice as often as they would otherwise.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/13/2005 15:13 Comments ||
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#14
SMan. Got two dawgs and 4 cats-nearly the full catastrophe. It seems to be universal--the vacuum cleaner strikes terror in their hearts, i.e. can't get them to sit still while trying to vacuum them
#18
Roomba detects stairs and pulls back from them before it falls over. It's cool to watch when it does it. The manufacturer claims it handles pet hair OK, but I've no direct experience with that--tropical fish don't have hair.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/13/2005 17:24 Comments ||
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#19
Vaccuuming = Vacuuming... Heh, been there, done that...
As another poster who forgets "Preview is my friend", and I'm sure I do it more often than Mark, I offer this free little utility i ran across for everyone using IE. It's a spell-checker for the text box. Before you hit submit, just right-click anywhere in the text box and select "Check Spelling". It even keeps a custom dictionary and lets you set the usual and logical options. IESpell v2.1.0.552 (2.45MB). It works great.
#22
I have a Kirby
Its not robotic but you only have to use it once since it sucks the entire cat or dog off the floor
and into the dust bag which completely solves the pet hair problem :)
#24
My cats regard anything roaming about on the floor as theirs to eat or play with. The Hoover upright sends 2 of them for cover the third stands it's ground and is apperently prepaired to kill. The Roomba debate contionues here at our hillside manor.
#26
Shipman:
I have two Samoyeds; they don't shed, they shed. The Roomba seems to work OK with their hair. I don't know if it gets it all, but it does get at least some and at least it doesn't choke on the hair the way the Kirby does.
Fearful residents of a northern Iranian city spent the chilly night sleeping in parks and streets after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook their buildings and injured about 110 people, state television reported yesterday. The quake rocked Agh Ghola, 560km northeast of Tehran, at about 10.17pm on Monday. The quake, which was followed by two aftershocks, caused cracks in some roofs and walls in the rural area. It was not clear how most of the people were injured. Ebrahim Karimi, head of the Emergency Department for Golestan prov-ince, said most of the injuries were minor. "Some were injured when they panicked and rushed to safe places," he told the television station. The television report said many of the city's 120,000 residents, fearing aftershocks or collapses, stayed outdoors until sunrise. The epicentre of the quake was in Golestan province, in northern Iran near the Turkmenistan border.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
in the Bible, the mysterious riddle written by a hand on the wall at Belshazzarâs feast. These Aramaic words may be translated literally as, âIt has been counted and counted, weighed and divided.â Daniel interpreted this to mean that the kingâs deeds had been weighed and found deficient and that his kingdom would therefore be divided
Russia's State Duma Wednesday approved legislation to deny visas to foreigners who show disrespect for the country. The new measure, if passed by the upper house of parliament, would also deny visas to foreigners who are sick or use illegal drugs, the Moscow Times reported. Political analysts said the bill fell short of democratic norms and that President Vladimir Putin might reject it in an attempt to display his democratic credentials in the face of criticism about a rollback of free speech and human rights, the news paper said. Duma deputies passed the amendment to the law On Exit From the Russian Federation and Entry Into the Russian Federation in the first of three readings by a vote of 353 to 44 with six abstentions. The amendment said foreigners could be denied entry if they commit actions of a clearly disrespectful nature toward the Russian Federation or the federal organs of the government of the Russian Federation.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/13/2005 9:19:04 AM ||
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#1
Why don't they just call the place the "Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia"?
#2
The New and Improved Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 11:11 Comments ||
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#3
Why don't they just call the place the "Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia"?
I know I will catch major flak for this, but how about the US border guard who refuses entry to a person who already has a visa, for no reason other than the guard's whim. It happens quite often. All you have to do is show disrespect to the border guard, and you're gone. How's this different than what the Russians want?
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/13/2005 13:56 Comments ||
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#4
Everything is in the interpretation. It could be anything from comprehensive border control legislation to prevent a flood of illegals (of several varieties), to just a feel-good "tough on crime" measure. Russians tend to be sticklers to *their interpretation* of the "letter of the law", so they label offenses with wide grey areas, like "hooliganism" and "disrespect".
#5
It is their country and ultimately the Russsians make the rules. The US does not allow AIDS patients or those on the terrorist names list into our country.
But I think Russia will use the law to restrict medical cases, prosthelyzing religious groups and democratic reform organizations that can question Putin's power structure.
Posted by: ed ||
01/13/2005 15:37 Comments ||
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#6
I have no problem w/this. Wish we'd do the same. A U.S. visa is a priveledge for a foreigner, not a right.
#8
From the BBC article: Rights groups fear it could be used to keep government critics out of Russia.
Good point. And that's probably what it will be used for in the future. However, denying entry to foreigners who show disrespect for the country seems like a reasonable idea. You wouldn't believe how many people crossing the border think they're God's gift to the world. The border is no place to act like a jackass.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/13/2005 18:08 Comments ||
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#9
To give an example: A guy I know complained that he was denied entry to the US, even with a valid visa, for commenting that the guard checking his paperwork is himself probably involved in a smuggling operation. He said this to the border guard. Too bad this guy wasn't forced to reimburse the airline for having to haul his ass back to where he came from.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/13/2005 18:15 Comments ||
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#10
As long as they still let people out, it is a major improvement over the USSR.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/13/2005 21:49 Comments ||
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#6
Very deceptive, and no Chinese Checkers either.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/13/2005 21:50 Comments ||
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#7
Sorry if that was a little obtuse. While US soldiers are using specialized computer games to help them train, these guys are using a "Doom"-like game. Very useful if you are going into a gigantic underground structure hunting zombies, I suppose.
#9
Jeez, Anonymoos, obtuse is right. Not everyone plays or knows anything - or cares - about video games.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/13/2005 22:57 Comments ||
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#10
Not lost on me, but warfare (and combat) aint like a video game. That will become clear to these troops if they ever find someone really shooting at them.
#2
Is China making more noise over Taiwan now than it usually does? Seems that way.
They must think they have enough of those diesel subs to scare off a carrier group. HA!
#3
"Chinaâs Minister of Defence Cao Gangchuan told US military representatives Beijing will never allow Taiwan to become an independent state..."
Obviously delusional -- Taiwan IS an independent state.
It would be nice to clear up some of these long-running myths and face THESE truths:
Taiwan IS an independent state.
Any attack by North Korea IS sufficient grounds for wiping the place clean.
Iran's attitude toward the U.S. and its quarter century of attacks and terrorism ARE alone sufficient grounds for wiping the place clean.
The Palestinians in "refugee camps" ARE at home.
The Jews in Israel are NOT moving again, and NOT going to be vaporized or pushed into the sea.
The U.S. is NOT going to leave the balance of power in the Middle East in the hands of Islamo-lunatics and other hostile powers. Iran and Syria had BETTER start behaving properly VERY, VERY soon.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/13/2005 8:59 Comments ||
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#5
The obvious solution here is for China to unite with Taiwan. Think about it: would you want to be part of the worlds largest police state or part of a modern, functional democratic country?
#6
Why is this even an issue? Same rhetoric - diffferent day.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/13/2005 10:30 Comments ||
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#7
This is like ordering someone to stop giving birth: "It's not what we planned. We don't want it to happen. Cross your legs and hold it in. No, that's not a head coming out."
Taiwan is a powerful force that will come out when it's ripe.
#8
Wasn't Taiwan on the list of customers for the nuclear secrets sold by Dr. Kahn, the Pakistani nuclear kleptocrat? Maybe China needs to re-think their 'two Chinas' policy, or start building nuclear fallout shelters under the Great Wall. Can you imagine one medium-sized nuke on the Three Gorges dam?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/13/2005 19:12 Comments ||
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#9
Fear of Taiwan is just an excuse for China to maintain the CCCC/CPRC's militarization over the Party and the entire country, i.e. justify anti-reform and to keep the masses permanently "poor but optimistic" under Communist PC slavery-peonage[see PRAVDA]. Like with still Communism-centric RUSSIA, "FASCISM" = "NEW SOCIALISM" = PC-speak for DE-REGULATED-COMPETITIVE COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM! As with the Cold War USSR, China and its economy has to no place to go but up - and like PUTIN vs YUKOS, etal., the alleged pro-reform [anti-Communist!?] Party-State will NOT allow genuine Western-style democratic capitalism/materialism to take root amongst the long-suffering masses, because it will mean Commie Govt.s role as primary Producer-Consumer-Arbiter and be-all,end-all Benefactor-Decision-maker under Ultra-Left Socialist Totalitarian Equalism/Centralism will be at risk. They are seeming "friends" of the USA because they are in catasrophic need to modernize, but theyalso know the anti-American Clintons and their cabal, like Radical Islam, are for them and anti-US Socialism-Socialist NWO/OWG!?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Congratulations. In one sense, this attention to internal affairs on the part of Europe is a good thing. Think how much more mischief they could get into if their attention was turned wholly outward. And, while the EU's elitist, bureaucracy-oriented style of governance is not to American taste, it seems they will not be able to move beyond it until they've had a bellyfull -- just as happened here in the Colonies in the latter part of the 18th century.
#2
"Think how much more mischief they could get into if their attention was turned wholly outward."
My mother once told me that when I was an infant and being especially pesky, she had a way of getting a few moments of peace and quiet: she'd stick a piece of Scotch tape on one of my hands, then go about her business while I tried to rid myself of the tape, passing it back and forth from one hand to the other over and over again. She said it would usually work for at least fifteen minutes before I got frustrated and cranky.
If we're really lucky this "constitution" will serve as Europe's piece of Scotch tape, keeping the continentals occupied for several decades while they try to figure out what it means and how to live with it, until they give up and move on to something better.
Or worse. Again.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/13/2005 7:02 Comments ||
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#3
Or who knows? They might even get it right. It took us a couple of passes, after all, almost a century if you count our Civil War. During which time we left Europe in peace, for which they were no doubt grateful, when they had the time to think about it amidst their own absorbing affairs. (Lessee, there was that whole French Revolution thingy, then the Napoleonic Wars, which encompassed the entire continent, Restoration and the democracy craze that ended with mass migration to the Americas in 1848... they were pretty occupied on their side of the pond.)
Tape, huh! I really wish I'd know about that when my girls were young :-)
#4
"Tape, huh! I really wish I'd know about that when my girls were young :-)"
Alas, I tried it on my two kids and no dice. Either their attention spans were a LOT shorter than mine must have been, or I was a LOT easier to fool: with them, it never worked for more than about 30 seconds.
As for Europe "getting it right", let's hope so.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/13/2005 7:41 Comments ||
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#5
Dave - It's understandable that you had a longer attention span than your kids, they're the new, ahem, improved microwavable models.
Stim junkies. As in "stimulate me, now, or I'll flick the channel changer and make you disappear." ala Peter Sellers as Chauncey Gardener in Being There...
#7
If we're really lucky this "constitution" will serve as Europe's piece of Scotch tape, keeping the continentals occupied for several decades while they try to figure out what it means and how to live with it, until they give up and move on to something better.
Several decades? The typical duration of a EU treaty before its next amendment has been five years actually (Single European Act - 1987. Maastricht Treaty - 1992. Treaty of Amsterdam - 1997. Treaty of Nice - 2002. European Constitution - late 2006 or 2007 (if it passes))
And Europeans generally don't discuss so much what our constitutions *mean*, as what we want them to say. Then we change them to have them say it.
#9
Which might explain why the latest consitution bears more resemblance to an American party platform written into law than anything we'd recognize on this side of the pond as constitutional law, Aris. Full of platitudes and pious hopes, light on checks-and-balances.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/13/2005 12:13 Comments ||
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#10
The European countries have never (and never will) get along with one another. For the EU, constitutions are meant to be broken again and again, particularly when the ailing French and German economies are involved.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/13/2005 12:26 Comments ||
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#11
You gotta admit, though: this European approach gives a certain... whimsical quality to governance that is lacking in our system.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/13/2005 13:06 Comments ||
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#12
And Europeans generally don't discuss so much what our constitutions *mean*, as what we want them to say. Then we change them to have them say it.
So we change 'playing with scotch tape' to 'playing with clay'.
#13
If you do it right the first time, you don't need to change it.
If that had been the case, then you wouldn't need to reinterpret it either, as you'd know what it means, given how its words would be clear enough for all to understand.
You gotta admit, though: this European approach gives a certain... whimsical quality to governance that is lacking in our system.
I'd say it gives a more *direct* and honest approach. Instead of having the courts give imaginative reinterpretations to what each article means, we don't pretend it had always been that way and we just now discover its meaning (as if it'd been some prophecy of Nostradamus, or some revelation of God, or as if it'd been written in ancient cuniform).
Instead we recognize it was saying something different, and we recognize we now want it to say something else. Even constitutions are nothing more than sets of laws, you know.
A set of laws that is a bit harder to modify than usual, but a set of laws nonetheless. Constitutions are man-made and even Thomas Jefferson wasn't a prophet.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/13/2005 15:57 Comments ||
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#15
Europe-Congratulations. Best wishes with your endeavor. I think the US-"Old Europe" relationship is greatly compromised and don't know that it can be healed, but with an eye to the history of Europe and the strife between nations, it would be really something to see a unified body of nations that lives in peace with each other. I hope that something of value comes out of this effort.
Clint Eastwood squinted like Dirty Harry Tuesday night as he took aim at Michael Moore. "Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common - we both appreciate living in a country where there's free expression," Eastwood told the star-dotted crowd attending the National Board of Review awards dinner at Tavern on the Green, where Eastwood picked up a Special Filmmaking Achievement prize for "Million Dollar Baby." Then, the Republican-leaning actor/director advised the lefty filmmaker: "But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera - I'll kill you."
The audience erupted in laughter, and Eastwood grinned dangerously. "I mean it," he added, provoking more guffaws. Sitting well out of range at a table in back, Moore - who received a special "Freedom of Expression" award for his anti-Bush polemic "Fahrenheit 9/11" - chuckled. What a difference from last summer, when Moore's supporters complained that death threats were arriving almost daily and the director showed up at the Democratic Convention with a security detail. Back then, Moore was outraged when CNN anchor Bill Hemmer suggested during an interview that some folks might want to see him dead. "Can you think of any other interview in the history of television where a politician or a movie director was asked about people wanting to see him dead?" Moore seethed to me at the time. But, in this case, Moore's rep told me yesterday: "Michael laughed along with everyone else, and took Mr. Eastwood's comments in the lighthearted spirit in which they were given." Phew.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 11:58:04 AM ||
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Indymedia bitching in 5, 4, 3,â¦
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
01/13/2005 12:01 Comments ||
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#2
Go ahead Moore-on, make his (our) day. Do you feel lucky fatso, well do you puke?
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/13/2005 12:19 Comments ||
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#3
"Now I know you're asking yourself, did I eat five desserts or six? Well do you feel lucky, punk? Go ahead, make my day."
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/13/2005 12:25 Comments ||
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#4
"And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was death, and hell followed him."
Dont mess with Clint , Michael . This might happen :P
#7
Don't mess with Clint. He was even able to get Carmel, CA to repeal the no-ice cream law (spills and makes the sidewalks icky). He was actually a pretty good mayor.
Does this man, like, live in the past, or what? Sen. John Kerry will meet Friday with French President Jacques Chirac, U.S. and French officials said. The Massachusetts Democrat who lost the November election to incumbent President Bush has relatives in France and speaks French. Kerry's stop in Paris was part of a trip to Europe and the Middle East, the U.S. Embassy in Paris said Thursday. Kerry was also to meet with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier. The senator's office in Washington did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Jacques: Jean, do you have any tips for how I am supposed to deal with someone like George Bush?
Jean: .........Ummm, not really. I just can't get over the fact that more Americans like and trust him more than they like and trust me. The world is going down the toilet.
Jacques-Oui. Americans are really rotten, aren't they?
Jean-Ouai.
Jacques-This has been a most illuminating visit. It is obvious that you should have won. Ah well, now that Bush has been re-elected, we will have to make sure that America really pays for it.
#3
I thought the headline was "Kerry to Run For French President."
Would have made sense.
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/13/2005 16:41 Comments ||
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#4
OMFG, doesn't this guy have a handler to tell him that this might not look very good to the people back home? Kerry can obviously afford to buy his own Chateau Petrus '91 for himself (and probably the entire chateau as well); what does he think he is getting by meeting with this thief? Just self aggrandizement or looking toward his own political future?
Posted by: Mark E. ||
01/13/2005 17:23 Comments ||
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#5
looking toward his own political future?
Can't say he has much of a political future. He's been exposed as a do-nothing senator, a pompous, arrogant blowhard that Hollywood central casting would find impossible to improve on. That, and current MA governor Romney might take a shot at him when Kerry defends his Senate seat. I think he's beatable, even if it's Mass.
#7
If Mitt could beat Romney, the WH wouldn't be far away. What a laugh if the only way Massachusetts could get a son to the presidency is by sending a Mormon Republican. You do have to give the Bay State credit for religious diversity.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 18:21 Comments ||
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#8
Obviously that should be If Mitt could beat Kerry, though like his dad, he might dend up beating himself.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 18:23 Comments ||
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#9
I suspect a fraud -- this is the first MSM report to ever NOT mention Kerry's Vietnam service. Or is that a part of the rehabilitation?
Posted by: Tom ||
01/13/2005 20:53 Comments ||
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Kennedy also mangled the name of the Democrats' new star, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "Osama bin ⊠Osama ⊠Obama."
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/13/2005 3:38:18 PM ||
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You know, if God is kind to the Republicans the Democrats will follow Teddy's advice to the letter. Fastest way I know of for the Republicans to reach 60 seats in the Senate by 2006.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
01/13/2005 16:19 Comments ||
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#2
Ever since Kerry's loss and GOP's gains in both the House and Senate Democrats have been chewing over their inability to connect with enough voters to wrest the Oval Office from a president weakened by a faltering economy and an increasingly unpopular war.
Hmmm..seeing as how the economy isn't faltering and the war is not unpopular, maybe...just maybe, that's the underlying problem.
#4
It's the New York Times marketing strategy: instead of widening your readership, concentrate on getting all of the same type of readers you have now.
#1
Before I say my piece, I'd like to apologize to Korora for the spoilers the other day.
That said, I wonder what the NCC would have thought of Jesus had they been contemporary with Him(although when I saw the headline, I thought the Mormons were siding with the LLLs).
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
01/13/2005 9:36 Comments ||
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#3
I d'no, I hear the LLLs are beginning to consider polygamy legit.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
01/13/2005 9:48 Comments ||
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#4
I always check to see if a church is NCC before (not) joining. The Episcopalian church is lost, the Methodist and the Presbyterian did that whole disinvestment in Israel thing so I haven't been to church in a while. Get tired of going through the whole, "are you new?" "come to our potluck" aacck..leave me alone!
It's really a shame to see the churches undermine their goal - to teach the lessons of Christ. Now they replace it with poltical hooey. The result seems to be empty pews.
But so what. Other churches that stick to the message are filled to the brim. It's like the giant sequoias, the death of one allows the light to shine on others.
#1
Is this their opening offensive in an attack on the Army of Steve?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 11:02 Comments ||
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#2
They want war? We'll give um war! An old fashioned raze the place to the ground and salt the ashes war. A George Patton, W.T. Sherman, "Bomber" Harris, Curtis LeMay kind of war.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/13/2005 13:44 Comments ||
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#3
Steve E. must be a damn fine man if he pissed off the MPAC. He is doing something right. Good job Steve!
#4
I one of the many Stevens out there I have to warn you all. We do have a mission. We will rule the world. The Steve operation to control the world is well under way, resistance is futile. You now have our permission to carry on. Oh if forgot. You moose limb can piss off.
#5
Steve E. must be a damn fine man if he pissed off the MPAC. He is doing something right. Good job Steve!
He is. I've read one of his books. He was warning us about the moose limbs LONG before 9/11. In fact, he's testified before Congress and was (and may still be) considered one of the few pre-9/11 terrorism "experts." He won't back down either.
Posted by: BA ||
01/13/2005 21:08 Comments ||
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#6
You go ahead and rule the world, Sock Puppet. After a while one of my sisters will wander by, and then we'll find out who really rules, 'k? *wink*
#7
Oh, and Steve Emerson was banned from NPR for years because their pro-Palestinian agitators didn't like what he revealed to the listeners. They claim he was unbanned not so long ago, but as far as I know he hasn't been booked on any of their shows yet.
WASHINGTON : The United Nations appealed to Indonesia Thursday not to impose a deadline on American foreign troops providing relief assistance in strife-torn Aceh province after the tsunami disaster.
Jan Egeland, a top UN relief official, also expressed concerns over possible restrictions on movements of relief workers paid for by stingy nations like America, by the Indonesian authorities.
On Wednesday, Vice President Yusuf Kalla said he wanted all foreign military to leave Indonesia by the end of March or "the sooner the better", saying the emergency would be over in that timeframe. We could make it be over tomorrow, if you don't care how many die.
"I am sure the Indonesian government will agree with me that the most important thing is to save lives and not have deadlines that might reduce the size of the gravy train we both ride on from the stingy nations," Egeland, UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordination, told a videoconference from New York on the tsunami relief efforts.
"We may need certain American military assets throughout the period," he said.
But he said that the March deadline was unlikely to pose major problems to aid efforts because by then roads would be cleared to move relief supplies to affected areas.
At present US armed forces are spearheading relief work using helicopters and other military aircraft. Infidels!
Egeland said he was more concerned about foreign aid workers in Aceh. "I am worried of insecurity and possible movement restrictions either by insecurity or by political restrictions on our movements," he said.
"We have an important meeting all meetings are important to the UN in Indonesia today to clarify both the issue of when the military assets would have to leave, if at all oh, that phrase is a boo boo, and also the question of possible reporting and restrictions on movement outside of Bandar Aceh and Meulaboh (the two worst hit areas)," he said.
Aceh was the biggest casualty of the December 26 disaster, triggered by an undersea earthquake off Sumatra that unleashed towering waves hitting nearly a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean coastline and killing more than 163,000 people.
The United States had also demanded "clarification" from Jakarta on new restrictions after its aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln that serves as a key base for relief operations had to leave Indonesian territorial waters because Jakarta objected to US training flights.
US marines delivering aid to survivors were forced to scale back their presence on shore and move to ships to address Indonesian sensitivities and security concerns. Did anybody die in the absence of aid? Who cares? They're only Indonesians, after all.
US warships have spearheaded a huge global relief campaign in Indonesia, 110,000 people died, joined by troops from countries including Australia, Britain, Malaysia and Singapore.
Indonesia is reportedly sensitive to growing impression that it was relying too heavily on outside military forces and wants to assert control over the relief operation. or let its people die, whichever comes first.
Jakarta is rushing to Aceh more local troops as Indonesian leaders sought to portray the forces as essential in providing security to foreigners from attacks by rebels from the Free Aceh Movement.
Egeland said there were five foreign helicopter carriers -- two from the United States and one each from Singapore, India and Australia -- off Indonesian waters assisting in the relief efforts, with one more on its way from France.
He said the United Nations was formulating "a matrix to fill in gaps" that could arise with the departure of foreign military and aid groups from Aceh, including new resources from Europe.
"We are doing that with the European Union countries. (EU foreign policy chief) Javier Solana called me and offered that. So we have people working on that in Brussels and Geneva to fill in gaps," he said.
"So if one US carrier leaves, a French one should come, if an Australian (carrier) leaves, we can have one from Singapore," he said. Get the Anglos out. That's all that matters. - AFP
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/13/2005 2:43:37 PM ||
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The UN does look hungry for power and loot, and Indonesia does seem to be looking the gift horse in the mouth. My 2¢ on why Indonesia is looking schizophrenic about the aid in Aceh is over at this thread. A bit dated, but short and comprehensive, history about the political forces at play in Indonesia is on the Jakarta Post website, Indonesia, a Nation in Transition.
#2
If they don't want our help or $$$ that'a OK with me. Pack up our toys and go home. He is smoking crack if he thinks there are other countries out there that can provide the heavy lifting and Air Support. FYI the cost of those ships/aircraft/personnel is NOT figured into the total amount of relief the U.S./Australia/India have donated so far.
#3
Some there certainly don't want us there. But, those are the bad guys. The good guys are glad we are there. The longer we stay, the more people get a chance to see what we are all about.
The multiple opinions about our presence in Indonesia are typical of any diverse nation. Check out our own internal disputes in the US about NAFTA, or any other serious topic. It's only the wackos in Indonesia that are griping about foreigners on sovereign soil.
Hundreds of Myanmar villagers have fled to Thailand after government troops raided the stronghold of the Karen National Union, the country's largest rebel group, the Thai army said on Wednesday. "We estimate about 500 villagers have fled Myanmar to seek safe refuge in Thailand after clashes between the KNU and the government on Tuesday," said army spokesman Acra Tiprote. KNU officials said Myanmar troops started bombarding their base about 20 km (12 miles) from the Thai border town of Umpang on Tuesday, the first clash since a ceasefire 13 months ago.
Rebels had retrieved the bodies of 12 government soldiers, they said, but gave no details of their own casualties. "They used 200 prisoners as porters," KNU spokesman Tha Na Cee told Reuters from the Union's base. "Several of them, mostly aged between 14 and 17, have surrendered and said they don't want to go back." The KNU agreed to stop fighting in December 2003 but never signed a ceasefire deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2005 00:00:00 ||
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I have a really great idea: Let's take our troops and aid, to include NGOs and UN contributions, out of Indonesia now and put them where people want them. Then the Indon fundos can attend to putting the damage done by the tsunami right and take all the credit for themselves, and the Indon army and GAM can go back to bumping each other off.
Tamils don't want us either. Somalis don't like us. I think we're down to the Thais, Maldivians and Indians. Works for me.
INDONESIAN Vice-President Jusuf Kalla yesterday called on foreign military forces to leave Aceh by March 26 or even earlier if emergency relief work was under control. "Three months are enough. In fact, the sooner the better," Mr Kalla said, according to the state Antara news agency. Mr Kalla, who is in overall charge of Jakarta's tsunami relief operation, said Aceh would need foreign medical workers and engineers instead of military assistance. "Foreign troops are no longer needed," he said.
Responding to mounting cries from nationalist elements in parliament, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Government is looking at an exit timetable for foreign military forces possibly beginning on February 26. This will not affect the largely civilian $1 billion five-year Australian-Indonesian Partnership for Reconstruction and Development announced by John Howard last week, the world's largest tsunami aid program. Cabinet secretary Sudi Silalahi said Dr Yudhoyono issued instructions about the timeframe after two of the biggest parties - Golkar and the Prosperous Justice Party-- demanded he set a withdrawal deadline. "If it is possible, starting from February 26 will be a transition period and on March 26 we can handle all of this independently," Mr Silalahi said.
Military personnel from five countries - Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the US - are helping provide food, medical and logistical help in Aceh, where at least 106,000 people were killed by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami. The 900 Australian troops in Aceh are not armed and are relying on Indonesian troops for protection in their relief operations, reflecting Indonesian sensitivities. Nevertheless, the presence of foreign troops on Indonesian soil has been a sensitive issue for the world's largest Muslim nation - particularly in Aceh, where separatist rebels have fought a guerilla war against Jakarta for more than two decades.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/13/2005 5:24:31 PM ||
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#1
I think we're down to the Thais, Maldivians and Indians. Works for me.
I dunno about the Indians, but the other two seem okay to me. We already are familiar with Thailand, having had the luxury of the use of U-Tapao at one time long ago..
#2
sigh..if the UN...which costs you and I billions, were worth anything at all, they would be welcomed at all disasters and the goal of helping the innocent would be met. The UN is neutral, but they steal the money that is intended for the victims...so nobody wants them around.
Somewhere along the line, the barbarians crapped all over the idea of chivalry and humanity. Internation Red Thingy, Amnasty, Ambulances as bombs and the biggest disaster of all, the money grubbing UN.
#3
I don't know about the rest of the world, but Bush merely pledged those vasts sums of money for the victims of the tsunami. If our people aren't there, it isn't likely our money will be, either. But, if the Indonesians, the Indians, etc, are able to bootstrap themselves back on their feet with less outside aid than originally promised, that's something for them to proud of. It is demeaning to need to be the recipient of charity, after all.
#4
In fact, the sooner the better," Mr Kalla said...
I hope and believe that shushing sound I heard was wallets abruptly slipping back into pockets.
...will not affect the largely civilian $1 billion five-year Australian-Indonesian Partnership... wishful thinking that's wishful thinking?
The crisis is over. The UN must have figured out how to call room service and gotten their Land Cruisers unloaded, now they are ready to take over. Our people should touch heads with the Aussies, other helpers and choose the day (soon) to pack up the toys and go home, but not before the locals are clued in exactly why.
+2.5G-rating for commenter on Diplomad for [Large file] picture. Someone there asked for 10k words worth, and got it.
#5
Spot on, glenn. Well, as Diplomad said, it is time these countries, which (excepting Burma) are not so poor and helpless as the UN & MSM press machine would have us believe, will step up to the plate to help themselves... or not... Diplomad did say that they didn't cancel any of their New Years parties, have kept their nightclubs full, have no public assistance drive in progress, no public awareness campaign... the people of Indonesia, for example, seem to be content to let others do it all. Not just some, or most, no - all.
Worn out our welcome with the fundos, time to get back on the training schedule. Got that big game with Golden Dragon HS coming up and they're mouthing off to the press, again. Got my bulletin board full of it, too. Motivation.
#7
Chuck, we will have to have the Fallujah Exterminating Company visit before it is fit for residency (TM). . . it has had a nasty case of Rebellion going on for some 20 years now . . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
01/13/2005 8:34 Comments ||
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#8
Bomb-a-rama,
It's not that India does not appreciate foreign help, India have lots of experience handling catastrophes themselves and are self sufficient. There are plenty of rich Indians all over the world and pour plenty of money to India.
For example, when the WMF denied loans to India, when they tested nukes, the Indian Govt. asked Indians all over the world to invest large amounts of foreign money into India. There was a huge response and therefore the Indian Govt. told the WMF to shove it and keep your money.
#9
It's not that India does not appreciate foreign help, India have lots of experience handling catastrophes themselves and are self sufficient.
What I'm wondering about is what happens come time to call in the favor? I mean, let's face it - aid of the sort the U.S. is providing is not understood to have any conditions, but common courtesy dictates that at some point in time, the recipients could at least show some gratitude in the way of assisting us in pursuit of some goal, whether it be information, an alliance, or whatnot. India seems like a country that can't decide just where on the spectrum it wants to be, and that leaves me with the impression that it isn't above stiffing us even if we rendered massive amounts of aid in response to whatever disaster that visits its shores.
#10
Please don't throw our troops out of the briar patch! I imagine our troops would be glad to get out of a shit hole where they are not appreciated. Give the aid to the mudslide victims in Cali_forniiaa or people in the good old US of A!
#11
Can it be recollected that way? One can only dream...
If it's wish time, I think a really good place to put that money would be towards improving the lives of vets and soldiers of this ME war-it would be appreciated (yes, Virginia, there are still folks who experience gratitude) and vets have earned it many times over. I am just being impractical, but that would be a worthwhile use of the monies.
I was just giving a little background. IMHO, if I was the U.S, I wouldn't trust India, completely. I don't mean that in a bad way, but watch your back jack.
#14
These expressions of ingratitude are only coming from some, unfortunately vocal, elements. In contrast, the acting Aceh Governor wants the US forces to stay for a long, long time. See this thread. My guess is that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (or SBY) will take the conciliatory high road, never directly confronting or calling out any element for its position, but working frenetically behind the scenes to get things done and maintain harmony and unity.
#16
I admit Iâm biased. I grew up in Indonesia, a few hours away from Aceh. Iâd be the first to tell you that the islamofascists there should all be exterminated. But there are tons more Indonesians any American would be proud to call a friend. These are the Indonesians who would be just as quick as us to take offense at the islamofascists. Then there are the rest of the Indonesians, who run the gamut from closet communists to ultra-strict nationalists.
Should the American troops stay to help even if some of the foreign government wants you to leave? What do you do when the government want American troops to leave, but the citizens of the affected country want you to stay?
A vast majority of the regular citizens in the tsunami affected countries want the U.S. to stay.
They know the U.N is useless. IMO, if the government does not want your help then you have to leave. Unfortunately, the affected people suffer because of pride from their government. There are other tsunami affected countries, where the government and the people actually appreciate help from the U.S.
#18
I just don't think the "Indonesian Government" is who is saying we're not welcome -- it's just some wackos (they exist in any country). The official position, and reflective of the vast majority in Indonesia IMO, is:
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia would therefore like to extend its highest appreciation to the visitors, donors and volunteers who have demonstrated their sincere generosity to the victims of earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and Sumatera.
#19
IMO, if the government does not want your help then you have to leave. Unfortunately, the affected people suffer because of pride from their government. There are other tsunami affected countries, where the government and the people actually appreciate help from the U.S.
#21
cingold - thanks for some perspective. It's important to remember that we have lots of foolish dolts in our own country, and the media loves to spotlight the comments of flaming idiots. If we truly aren't wanted it's one thing, but why should we believe this type of garbage spewed by our MSM anymore than we should believe Iraq is a quagmire or that the CBS weren't forged?
#22
The Indonesian Vice President wants us to leave because there's no way he can skim off any of the aid money as long as we have a physical presence there, and as long as we're the ones controlling the aid. The entire bruhaha is over money, and who gets it. The Indonesian people should explain to their vice-president just how much they appreciate the US presence, and how much they DON'T appreciate their graft- and bribe-prone "national officials". A few effigies burned at the right time and right place can do wonders.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/13/2005 18:52 Comments ||
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Clint Eastwood squinted like Dirty Harry Tuesday night as he took aim at Michael Moore.
"Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common - we both appreciate living in a country where there's free expression," Eastwood told the star-dotted crowd attending the National Board of Review awards dinner at Tavern on the Green, where Eastwood picked up a Special Filmmaking Achievement prize for "Million Dollar Baby."
Then, the Republican-leaning actor/director advised the lefty filmmaker: "But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera - I'll kill you."
The audience erupted in laughter, and Eastwood grinned dangerously.
"I mean it," he added, provoking more guffaws.
Sitting well out of range at a table in back, Moore - who received a special "Freedom of Expression" award for his anti-Bush polemic "Fahrenheit 9/11" - chuckled.
What a difference from last summer, when Moore's supporters complained that death threats were arriving almost daily and the director showed up at the Democratic Convention with a security detail.
Back then, Moore was outraged when CNN anchor Bill Hemmer suggested during an interview that some folks might want to see him dead.
"Can you think of any other interview in the history of television where a politician or a movie director was asked about people wanting to see him dead?" Moore seethed to me at the time.
But, in this case, Moore's rep told me yesterday: "Michael laughed along with everyone else, and took Mr. Eastwood's comments in the lighthearted spirit in which they were given."
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Thursday sued a University of Texas student who is ranked by watchdog groups as one of the world's biggest spammers. The federal complaint says that Ryan Pitylak and his California business partner, Mark Trotter, sent out huge volumes of illegal spam through three companies: PayPerAction LLC, Leadplex LLC and Leadplex Inc. Dewey Coffman, who runs an Austin Internet service company, helped in the investigation by setting up "trap" e-mail accounts to capture the spam sent by Pitylak's companies. Microsoft Corp. did the same. In six months, those efforts captured 24,000 illegal emails sent by Pitylak's companies, Abbott said.
Pitlak and Trotter set up PayPerAction in 2002, which has operated with more than 250 assumed names, Abbott said. Using those names, the company sent out huge volumes of e-mails with allegedly false and deceptive headers to trick recipients into opening them, the state's lawsuit says. The recipients, believing they were responding to legitimate messages, sometimes provided additional information, not realizing that PayPerAction was selling the information to other companies for as much as $28 per sales lead. Sending commercial e-mails with deceptive or misleading headers is illegal under a federal law designed to curb the rise of spam. "Spam is one of the most aggravating and pervasive problems facing consumers today," Abbott said. "Texans are fed up, and today's action aims to give them relief by shutting down one of the world's worst spam operations."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2005 1:37:49 PM ||
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#1
What is the rest of the story? What happened to him? What is a fitting punishment?
I hate those popup thingees also. They are friggin intrusive. What can we do to get even with the Nigerians for the 419 scams. I'm thinking a preemptive strike on Nigeria. Can we just lump "annoying" in with terrorists?
#4
There is no punishment vile enough for spammers. May they be subjected to 5000 years of reading Nigerian scam emails while up to their necks in rancid peanut butter. After that, we'll decide if we need to get nasty...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/13/2005 19:33 Comments ||
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The remains of Bob Marley, whose lyrics became the rallying cry of black liberationists in the Third World and dope-smoking students in the West, are to be reburied in Ethiopia 23 years after his death. Marley's widow, Rita, said yesterday her husband's remains would be exhumed from his grave in Jamaica and laid to rest later this year in Sheshamene, southern Ethiopia, the most sacred burial place in Rastafarianism, the religious movement he espoused. Although the singer is believed to have visited Ethiopia only once, in 1979, Mrs Marley said she was fulfilling one of his last wishes: to return to his spiritual home. "It is part of Bob's own mission," she said. "Bob's whole life is about Africa, it is not about Jamaica. How can you give up a continent for an island? He has a right for his remains to be buried where he would love them to be."
A month of events to mark the 60th anniversary of Marley's birth begins in February. A concert featuring three of his nine children is to be held in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on Feb 6. Marley, whose hits included No Woman, No Cry and Buffalo Soldier, brought a radicalised form of Rastafarianism to the world. A sect with its roots in Ethiopia, the creed was based on the Talmudic laws of the Old Testament, although adherents ritualistically smoked cannabis and refused to cut their hair. Marley developed skin cancer in the big toe of his right foot, but refused to have it amputated because of his beliefs.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/13/2005 12:31:43 AM ||
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#1
The Talmudic rules are post-Biblical. The laws of the old Testament are Levitical (the Levites being the priestly class, descended of the family of Moses and his brother Aaron). So these guys keep kosher? Amazing!
President General Pervez Musharraf arrived in Lahore on Wednesday night. Musharraf attended the wedding ceremony of Tikka Muhammad Iqbal's daughter, which was held at a local hotel. He stayed with Iqbal's family for sometime and then left. Iqbal is a close friend of Musharraf. He was recently expelled from the Pakistan People's Party after he had dinner with the president.
[Brief, vivid mental image of Perv having gun sex, quickly and sternly suppressed.]
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Hey, what is gun sex? I might be missing something.
Did this wedding have the perfunctory celebratory shooting of AK-47s in the air?
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.
Fearful residents of a northern Iranian city spent the chilly night sleeping in parks and streets after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook their buildings and injured about 110 people, state television reported yesterday. The quake rocked Agh Ghola, 560km northeast of Tehran, at about 10.17pm on Monday. The quake, which was followed by two aftershocks, caused cracks in some roofs and walls in the rural area. It was not clear how most of the people were injured. Ebrahim Karimi, head of the Emergency Department for Golestan prov-ince, said most of the injuries were minor. "Some were injured when they panicked and rushed to safe places," he told the television station. The television report said many of the city's 120,000 residents, fearing aftershocks or collapses, stayed outdoors until sunrise. The epicentre of the quake was in Golestan province, in northern Iran near the Turkmenistan border.
Russia's State Duma Wednesday approved legislation to deny visas to foreigners who show disrespect for the country. The new measure, if passed by the upper house of parliament, would also deny visas to foreigners who are sick or use illegal drugs, the Moscow Times reported. Political analysts said the bill fell short of democratic norms and that President Vladimir Putin might reject it in an attempt to display his democratic credentials in the face of criticism about a rollback of free speech and human rights, the news paper said. Duma deputies passed the amendment to the law On Exit From the Russian Federation and Entry Into the Russian Federation in the first of three readings by a vote of 353 to 44 with six abstentions. The amendment said foreigners could be denied entry if they commit actions of a clearly disrespectful nature toward the Russian Federation or the federal organs of the government of the Russian Federation.
Sen. John Kerry will meet Friday with French President Jacques Chirac, U.S. and French officials said. The Massachusetts Democrat who lost the November election to incumbent President Bush has relatives in France and speaks French. Kerry's stop in Paris was part of a trip to Europe and the Middle East, the U.S. Embassy in Paris said Thursday. Kerry was also to meet with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier. The senator's office in Washington did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Hundreds of Myanmar villagers have fled to Thailand after government troops raided the stronghold of the Karen National Union, the country's largest rebel group, the Thai army said on Wednesday. "We estimate about 500 villagers have fled Myanmar to seek safe refuge in Thailand after clashes between the KNU and the government on Tuesday," said army spokesman Acra Tiprote. KNU officials said Myanmar troops started bombarding their base about 20 km (12 miles) from the Thai border town of Umpang on Tuesday, the first clash since a ceasefire 13 months ago. 
The remains of Bob Marley, whose lyrics became the rallying cry of black liberationists in the Third World and dope-smoking students in the West, are to be reburied in Ethiopia 23 years after his death. Marley's widow, Rita, said yesterday her husband's remains would be exhumed from his grave in Jamaica and laid to rest later this year in Sheshamene, southern Ethiopia, the most sacred burial place in Rastafarianism, the religious movement he espoused. Although the singer is believed to have visited Ethiopia only once, in 1979, Mrs Marley said she was fulfilling one of his last wishes: to return to his spiritual home. "It is part of Bob's own mission," she said. "Bob's whole life is about Africa, it is not about Jamaica. How can you give up a continent for an island? He has a right for his remains to be buried where he would love them to be."
President General Pervez Musharraf arrived in Lahore on Wednesday night. Musharraf attended the wedding ceremony of Tikka Muhammad Iqbal's daughter, which was held at a local hotel. He stayed with Iqbal's family for sometime and then left. Iqbal is a close friend of Musharraf. He was recently expelled from the Pakistan People's Party after he had dinner with the president. 
