NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York federal judge on Monday tossed out a lawsuit by a Florida man against the company behind the Atkins low-carb diet that he alleged caused his cholesterol to skyrocket and necessitated an angioplasty.
Jody Gorran, 53, of Delray Beach, Florida, went on the Atkins Diet in 2001, admittedly eating mainly pastrami and cheesecake. After just two months, his cholesterol shot up to an unhealthy 230 from a low 146, according to the suit. "Pastrami and cheesecake -- large amounts of which Gorran admittedly consumed -- may present risks, but these are risks of which consumers are aware," wrote Judge Denny Chin in his dismissal of the suit. Genius!!
The low-carbohydrate diet, pioneered by Dr. Robert Atkins and widely blamed for a drop in sales of high-carb foods, involves eating proteins such as meat and cheese and limiting carbohydrates such as bread and pasta.
Gorran felt pain in his chest in the fall of 2003 and underwent an angioplasty to unclog one of his coronary arteries, according the suit. "The average consumer surely anticipates that these and other high-fat or high-protein foods may increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease," Chin wrote of the salty deli meat and cream cheese-based dessert.
The diet consists of only "advice and ideas" that are protected by the First Amendment, Chin wrote.
"The average consumer surely anticipates that these and other high-fat or high-protein foods may increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease," Chin wrote of the salty deli meat and cream cheese-based dessert.
The diet consists of only "advice and ideas" that are protected by the First Amendment, Chin wrote.
Interesting reasoning by the judge.
Wonder if this will have any effect on the anti-good-tasting-food lawsuits some lawyers have been trying to gin up?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/17/2006 22:32 Comments ||
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Economic collapse has forced Zimbabwe to reconsider its notorious land reform policy
President Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe, which has mounted a six-year campaign to seize white-owned farms, is beginning to allow some white farmers to return to their land as the country faces starvation and economic collapse.
Since November, 19 white farmers who lost ownership of their land have been granted 99-year government-backed leases on resettled farms. "We wanted to come back, because it's home," one farmer told The Independent on Sunday on his 100-hectare farm outside the capital, Harare, where he is planning to grow maize and tobacco. "Farming has been in my family for generations. We're just happy to be back on the land."
#1
The farmers who are returning are either real dreamers, or Mugabe is fronting them a lot of cash. I have a solution to Mugabe's problems. Import a million Chinese immigrants to get the place running again. He can always expropriate their property and deport them once they've fixed things up.
#2
I think the Rhodesian whites have proven themselves to be utterly naive. They have no pattern recognition whatsoever, and even if Bob ordered 99 out of 100 of them to be butchered, the survivor would think he was spared because Bob liked him, and Bob would never hurt him.
#3
Truly the triumph of hope over experience. Sad.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/17/2006 9:54 Comments ||
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#4
"mmmm Farmers, the other white meat"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 9:59 Comments ||
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#5
Idiots,
He's stabbed you in the back once already, didn't you learn from the experience?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:07 Comments ||
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#6
Flora Buka, said the government had received more than 200 applications so far from whites to take up farming again.
I sincerely hope these 200 "Applicants" are returning just long enough to salvage what's left of their property.
Cash oe valuables stashed in the Garden perhaps?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:10 Comments ||
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#7
I also note the fact that a great many "White Farmers" were killed, just somehow slipped notice of the writer.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:32 Comments ||
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#8
Anonymoose,
I don't think you will find any naive "Rhodesians" in Zimboland. Check out some sites run by youngsters who never knew the war, they are proud to have names like Zimbo-Ouen, and hate Rhodesians. The fact that most of them have had to leave escapes them = Cog Diss writ large on their foreheads for all to see.
http://www.thebottomhalf.com/
Don't pay money to sign up though, lol! Put it in Fred's tip jar on the way out instead.
No, that' the banks can't accept the farms as collateral, because the farmers don't own them - all they've got are useless governmental leases which are repudiatable on short notice and thus uncollectable by the banks. Talk about doomed... no farmer in his right mind would ever agree to such a deal. It's a ticket towards starvation or execution by economically illiterate thugs.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/17/2006 12:41 Comments ||
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#10
Thank you Mitch H, backs up the post re Brit diamond mine from the other day, free for all that it was.
Just saying Rhodies arent naive to the Moosed one.
#11
Redneck Jim, I think you might be on to something. The article mentions plans for corn and tobacco crops. That's NOT sustainable farming. You need soybeans (or peanuts) to put nitrogen back in the soil. Maybe the plan is to get a few quick, profitable, harvests in and then ditching the place again - leaving behind depleted soil that won't support most food crops?
Zim-Bob needs you. All those years the honkeys grew maize and tobacco, your waffle will replace the Nitrogen in the soil over-night. Get your zanu-pf card here.
#13
Huh? Overnight? I don't think so. But I've lived near enough farms in the US Midwest to know that the usual formula is corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans. As for how long you can sustain a corn/tobacco formula -- well I don't know for sure, but I bet it's not decades.
GulfNews. Lol. Winner: Best Window Treatment in a Thugocracy, Mullahcracy, or Despotic Regime. Making real the fears of our Kool Aid-addled domestic Moonbats.
Abu Dhabi/Fujairah: The historic election of 20 Federal National Council members will lead to greater political participation and a robust council, said Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs.
The minister said all indications are encouraging and the e-voting process, which he said was among the first in the world, has witnessed an impressive participation from women as candidates and voters. "Today we started the implementation of political modernisation and greater political participation in the country, providing a platform for a robust Federal National Council [FNC]. The process is working very well. It is the first step a small one but a significant and historic one," Dr Gargash told a packed press conference during his visit to the polling station in Abu Dhabi.
"No election is free of irregularities. But for the UAE's electorate and candidates, the experiment is new and yet they are not professionals in manipulating the voting process. There were minor irregularities and rumours but these rumours were not confirmed or documented, thus there is no need to address such speculations," he said. "In future, with the process expanding further, we will definitely have more polling stations across the country."
Continued on Page 49
DHAKA - Celebrations to mark Bangladeshs independence on Saturday were marred by clashes between rival political parties and police ahead of parliamentary elections due next month.
The military marked the public holiday with a dawn artillery barrage on a neighboring upazaila and people poured into the streets screaming "run for your lives" chanting victory is forever, let us keep it safe.
Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan on December 16, 1971, after a nine-month guerrilla war in which millions died.
Addressing a parade in Dhaka, President Iajuddin Ahmed urged Bangladeshis to make the impoverished country a happy and prosperous nation. Because they're almost there on that one ...
Khaledas Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Hasinas Awami League are vying for power in elections on January 23. The run-up to the polls has been violent and tense with rival activists clashing almost daily. At least 44 have been killed and hundreds injured since late October.
Twenty people were wounded in clashes among rival student groups in Mymensingh Agricultural University 130 km (81 miles) north of the capital Dhaka during celebrations. Part of a dormitory was sent on fire and several rooms at another were vandalised. Police used batons to disperse rival groups fighting with sticks and stones.
At least 10 people were injured in fighting overnight when rival party officials gathered to lay wreaths at a war memorial in the southern port city of Chittagong, police said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan on December 16, 1971, after a nine-month guerrilla war in which millions died.
One would think from reading this that "millions died" in battle and that the guerillas won.
Posted by: john ||
12/17/2006 7:37 Comments ||
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Federal riot police ended their weeks-long occupation of the center of the Mexican tourist city Oaxaca on Saturday, having weakened a protest movement trying to oust a state governor. Violent clashes between the masked activists and riot police, and a string of shootings of protesters, made Oaxaca one of new President Felipe Calderon's top problems. But the arrest of several high profile protest leaders has weakened the movement against the governor, and the frequency and size of demonstrations has fallen.
The federal police boarded trucks and rolled out of the city before dawn, handing over security to state police. The federal agents were headed for a nearby air base where they would remain until further notice, a state spokeswoman said. "It's no longer necessary that they guard the streets; we are doing it now," said state government spokeswoman Luz Divina Zarate.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov led a coalition of left and right-wing Russian politicians Saturday in an anti-government rally in Moscow.
Hundreds of police turned out to surround about 2,000 demonstrators calling for free elections next year in what the protesters say is an increasingly authoritarian regime.
Demonstrators against Putty. In Russia. Interesting, no? Not that they're anything but toast...
Since Kasparov retired from the professional chess circuit last year he's used his formidable intellect to challenge his most formidable opponent yet Vladimir Putin. "When you are so corrupt and used to living beyond the law, you are used to getting what you want," Kasparov said at the rally. "Let's not forget Putin was not elected; he was appointed by Yeltsin."
Electoral law bans extremists
Calling themselves "the other Russia," the politicians said the Kremlin won't give them a fair chance of participating in the race and cited the imposing police presence at the rally as an attempt to intimidate those who might call for dissent.
At issue is a new electoral law that Putin's opponents say will allow the government to label anyone as an extremist in order to ban them from running in the elections. They say they're also worried that law sets thresholds that will make it nearly impossible for small parties to be represented in parliament.
But many at the protest had a bigger message directed at the Russian leader himself. "Just to tell Putin and his junta to go away," Valery Gourevitch, a professor, told CBC News. "They are ruining our democracy, everything that we had won before. Even under [Mikhail] Gorbachev, we had won a lot."
Critics at home and abroad have accused Putin of leading Russia away from democratic reforms achieved after the collapse of the Soviet Union and all but silencing media dissent. They cite the recent murder of senior Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya a vocal critic of the Kremlin's policies in Chetchnya and the mysterious poisoning of former KGB spy and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London.
#6
Not that I give a rats ass about one less grand master (argueably one of the best of all time btw) but, I would miss a Putin critic with the kind of popularity he has. It might be a good idea for him to move to the U.S. I doubt he could be as effective living in the states though and I suspect that's more important to him than his security. Over the last few years he has made more and more noise. He is willingly risking his life for the good of his nation. Garry Kasparov is by all definitions a patriot. Russia will suffer if he gets croaked. Perhaps though, it could inspire revolt. I can imagine no more fitting tribute to a patriot.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/17/2006 11:39 Comments ||
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#7
Russia is going to suffer greatly in the next century, no matter what. Its patriots are working to make its future better in whatever way they can.
MOSCOW - Alexander Litvinenko, the former agent murdered in London last month, was an ex-prison guard of such poor character that he was fired from Russias security agency when it was run by now-president Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said.
Ivanov, in rare comments by a top Russian official on the case, said Litvinenko never had access to important information. He was never a spy and never knew anything of any real value to give to any (foreign intelligence) service, Ivanov told foreign correspondents at a dinner late on Friday. When Putin sacked Litvinenko, he knew there were a lot of claims that Litvinenko had cheated the law. Easy to run the man's character down since he's convinently not around to defend himself ...
Putin was head of the FSB at the time, part of a brief tenure, which lasted from July 1998 until August 1999. Ivanov worked under him as a deputy director, part of a 25-year career in Russian intelligence, which ended when Putin appointed him defence minister in 2001. Ivanovs spokesman later clarified to reporters that the minister meant Litvinenko was fired during Putins tenure at the agency, rather than by Putin personally. Had him fired him through proper channels, just as he had him murdered through proper channels.
Ivanov said Western media reports describing Litvinenko as a spy murdered by the KGB reminded him of Cold War propaganda. For us, Litvinenko was nothing, he said. We didnt care what he said and what he wrote on his deathbed. "Which is why we keep talking about him. Pah. Means nothing. Nothing, you hear!"
Senior Russian officials have pointed out that if Moscow had wanted to target a traitorous former agent, there were far more obvious candidates than the relatively little-known Litvinenko. But none who were as convenient.
In particular they cite Oleg Gordievsky, a top KGB spy stationed in London who defected to the West in 1985, causing serious damage to Soviet intelligence. Bet the security on Oleg is a whole lot better.
By contrast Ivanov said Litvinenko had worked in a special Interior Ministry unit in charge of escorting prison guards, where questions had arisen about his integrity and honesty. He had no training, not much intellect and a tendency for provocation, Ivanov said. His character was not right. Sounds about right for the FSB.
The defence minister said Litvinenko was recruited into the FSB at a time when large numbers of well-trained former agents had quit to join the private sector and the agency was having trouble finding suitably qualified staff. Russian media have previously reported that Litvinenko worked in an FSB agency set up to combat organised crime in business, which was disbanded after a few years without having achieved any major results. Also sounds about right for the FSB. Was this agency fighting organized crime or providing security for same?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Westinghouse, the nuclear-plant builder sold by British Nuclear Fuels earlier this year, has won a billion-dollar contract to build reactors in China.
The deal, worth about $8bn (£4.1bn), is for four nuclear plants - two at Sanmen in Zhejiang province, with another two at Yangjiang in Guangdong.
An expected decline in fossil fuels and increasing energy demands have prompted many nations to focus on nuclear power.
Analysts said that the deal may also help soothe trade tensions with the US.
'Relationship driven'
US-based Westinghouse defeated a number of other international companies to win the tender, including France's Areva and Russia's Atomstroiexport.
The fact that Westinghouse is now owned by Japan's Toshiba may also have helped secure the deal, especially after Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signalled an intention to restore friendlier ties with China.
"This is all relationship driven," said David Hurd, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.
"The US is putting pressure on China at the moment, so China's response is 'let's thrown them a bone,'" he explained.
The US, which is running a record trade deficit with China, estimated that the deal would create more than 5,000 American jobs. At the heart of the deal was the promise of a transfer of technology from the US firm to China, analysts said.
Westinghouse will build AP1000 reactors that should be up and running by 2013, while the transfer of technology means that China would be able to build itself similar reactors.
Nuclear future?
China is having to look at ways of safeguarding its energy independence as world oil supplies are squeezed, and its growing population and booming economy increase its thirst for energy.
At the same time, many experts have claimed that nuclear power is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways of meeting a population's energy needs.
This view is proving controversial and has been contested by environmental groups, which claim that the risks of an accident and cost of dealing with radioactive waste far outweigh any benefits.
Even so, demand for nuclear power plants is on the increase, and the International Energy Agency estimates that more than $200bn will be spent by 2030 on harnessing the atom for energy output.
#1
At the same time, many experts have claimed that nuclear power is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways of meeting a population's energy needs.
This view is proving controversial and has been contested by environmental groups, which claim that the risks of an accident and cost of dealing with radioactive waste far outweigh any benefits.
It all depends on if you're more worried about nuclear reactors and the minor possibility of radioactive waste in your backyard or continued oil dependence and a major possiblilty of the entire MME becoming a radioactive waste.
The sooner we get off of the oil teat, the more chances there are of averting the latter.
Henrico Frank went from being just another of Germany's 4 million unemployed people to a media celebrity overnight. All it took was a haircut and a shave.
Now, Frank may even have landed himself a steady job, thanks to an unexpected run-in this week with a politician in central Germany.
Beck, Capitalist Pig
Frank's luck began to change on Tuesday, when he was cruising through a Christmas market in the city of Wiesbaden, wearing grubby clothes, a pair of nose rings and a thatch of partially bleached, punk-inspired hair. The 37-year-old, who has been without work for six years, chanced upon Kurt Beck, chairman of the Social Democrats - the center-left half of Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal coalition.
Six YEARS.
Gee. Golly. Shucks. Y'think the nose rings and the partially bleached, punk-inspired hair mighta had something to do with it?
Beck was a perfect target for Frank's frustration, and he harangued the politician for what he saw as the failure of economic reforms aimed at lifting people like himself - a construction worker - out of unemployment and into a better life.
Beck's retort? 'If you would just wash and shave, you'd find a job, too.' "And maybe you want to do something about that tatoo on your neck."
Two days later, Frank lopped off his locks, shaved his dark beard and removed his nose rings. Then he organized a news conference. 'I am ready to change,' Frank told reporters, saying he was fed up with living off handouts from the unemployment office. 'I'll take any job.'
Frank instantly became the talk of German media, with one newspaper splashing his before-and-after photos on its front page Friday.
Slow news day. Like every other day in Socialist Europe.
And his makeover seems to have worked. Beck plans to present Frank with several job offers next week from construction, house painting and cleaning companies.
Lol.
"Okay, biatch, now work for your daily bread."
"But you have a beard!"
"Yeah, but I don't look like a scum-sucking punk bitch crybaby."
Frank's story has prompted serious debate and soul searching about whether German leaders are focusing enough on reining in chronic unemployment in Europe's biggest economy. Last month, unemployment slipped to 9.6 percent in Germany, the first time in four years it was less than 10 percent. But nearly 4 million Germans remain without work.
How many have nose rings?
How many have stayed in the university until they're 35, getting degree after degree and refusing to take work that's 'beneath them' because, after all, they're so educated?
Beck was accused by some of attempting to shift responsibility for the country's jobless rate from the government to the unemployed. One Green Party member, Thea Dueckert, told the Die Welt newspaper that Beck was stigmatizing the jobless. 'With 4 million unemployed, you cannot seriously claim that the people themselves bear guilt for their destiny,' she said.
"And where's my fucking pony, Capitalist Pig??!!"
"Pony? And you want us to stable it, too, of course..."
Another Clash of Civilizations, this one Euro-style... A small minority looking forward, the vast masses in reverse.
#1
It is not so hard to for someone to change their outside appearance. What will really count is what they have on the inside, for example, the discipline to show up to work everyday and make themselves useful to an employer.
Posted by: Dan Canaveral ||
12/17/2006 7:52 Comments ||
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#2
And his makeover seems to have worked. Beck plans to present Frank with several job offers next week from construction, house painting and cleaning companies.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 8:29 Comments ||
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#4
wearing grubby clothes, a pair of nose rings and a thatch of partially bleached, punk-inspired hair. The 37-year-old, who has been without work for six years,
Gee, I wonder why he didn't get hired? (Sarc)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:15 Comments ||
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#5
Beck was accused by some of attempting to shift responsibility for the country's jobless rate from the government to the unemployed.
Where it rightly belongs, otherwise a shave, wash and a haircut later he'd still be unemployed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:19 Comments ||
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#6
Beck was accused by some of attempting to shift responsibility for the country's jobless rate from the government to the unemployed. One Green Party member, Thea Dueckert, told the Die Welt newspaper that Beck was stigmatizing the jobless.
No future in the American Democratic Party for Kurt Beck. He might as well stay in Germany.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2006 14:59 Comments ||
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#9
One of my favorite web sites, "Observing Herman" has a great send-up on this story (links include before/after photo of the unemployed guy). Good snark.
Excerpt
The three weeks arent even up yet and now it looks as if the poor devil will actually have to go back to work. Politically correct-minded individuals everywhere were thoroughly shocked and dismayed at Becks elitist and highly naïve suggestion and are now calling for more effective legislation against such horrid compulsory labor methods as these.
HT to Powerline!
When Virginia narrowly sent James Webb to Washington, one attractive facet of his character stood out. Webb's principled independence guaranteed that he would never get too comfortable in D.C. and become part of the problem. Now some local veterans are having doubts. as Powerline notes, these are the perils of electing an egomaniacal jerk, LOL
The story starts this summer when local veterans groups in Hampton Roads invited Webb, then a mere candidate, to be part of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day festivities planned for Virginia Beach. back when he needed their support...
Back in August, well aware that he might be Virginia's next senator, Webb agreed to attend and give a speech. Priscilla Bede, the Virginia Beach doyenne of parade planning, launched into overdrive. With limos rented, hotel rooms reserved, programs printed, press releases flying and eager vets primed for Webb's speech, the newly minted senator backed out with less than two days to go, blaming his new Senate responsibilities. such as....?
Reaction ranged from Bede's disappointment to something close to fury. Patrick Callahan, combat vet and president of a local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, is one of the angrier bunch. "Ditching us was uncalled for and it will not be forgiven," he says. "I can't tell you the number of vets who came up to me and said, 'Where's Webb?' I just didn't have a good answer to give them."
Count Larry McCauley, a Navy vet, among those who are more than a little miffed. "I did something I never did before - voted for a Democrat," he says, "He owes us. We busted our asses to get him elected." buyer's remorse before he even gets in office? And there's that crass snub of Bush at the reception where W asked about his son...
The Vietnam Veterans' state council president, Charlie Montgomery, says this isn't the first time Webb stood up vets. Last spring, both Webb and Sen. George Allen pulled out of a Williamsburg meeting at the last minute.
Webb, who blamed the latest snub on his new Senate responsibilities, did send a surrogate. And Col. Clayton Robertson, USMC-Ret., apologized for Webb's absence, reading from a Webb e-mail.
Webb and his staff claim that they flagged organizers a month before the event that he might not be able to make it. Nobody we talked to, including Webb's stand-in Col. Robertson, remembers getting more than 40 hours notice. Many of the snubbed vets are unimpressed with Webb's explanation, complaining that he didn't call organizers personally and that the candidate knew going in he might be Senator-elect Webb on Veterans Day.
The only actual Senate responsibilities Webb's staff could name on Veterans Day were a Senate reception and the need to read materials related to his upcoming orientation. Something he didn't need to do and something he could have done on the drive down.
That's not the kind of demanding schedule that makes a politician disappoint a crowd he cares about.
See link for his sniveling response
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 12:36 ||
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#1
I should've posted this part of his response:
"..the logistics involved in getting from Northern Virginia to the event and then back again (four hours drive time each way - there was never an offer by the event's organizers to fly me there, or otherwise take care of transportation expenses), would have eaten up the entire weekend."
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 12:46 Comments ||
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#2
I'm confused. The story is datelined December 14, about an incident on November 11. Why the delay? And why couldn't the good Senator-elect get on an airplane -- surely there are local flights from the state capitol to Virginia Beach? I understand that beach is a big vacation draw...
#3
I'm confused. The story is datelined December 14, about an incident on November 11. Why the delay? And why couldn't the good Senator-elect get on an airplane -- surely there are local flights from the state capitol to Virginia Beach? I understand that beach is a big vacation draw...
#7
Why didn't he use the classic "my grandmother died", or "the dog ate my invitation" excuse instead? It would have been far more believable than the whiny little note that he penned to 'splain himself.
No, RD, a nice little $500 HP Pavilion a1630n. When the HP Update starts, it freezes everything else connected to the web. I have to CTRL-ALT-DEL, end-task it, then everything else which are not responding. When I try to go back online, it lets me restore the previous session, but somehow that post got caught in the middle. *shrug* Otherwise it's much nicer than it's five year old predecessor, which was getting a bit shaky on its pins.
#10
Geez - and this clown is going to be my Senator (through no fault of my own, I assure all and sundry).
It was bad enough he was deliberately rude to the President - now he's beyond rude to veterans. "Eat up the whole weekend" indeed! Wouldn't want to waste your precious time on some damned useless vet, huh?
Say, Jimbo - ya' want a little cheese to go with that WHINE?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/17/2006 14:26 Comments ||
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#11
The man has no class. None. Zero.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/17/2006 14:52 Comments ||
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#12
I sense a political ear second only to Hillarys.
#14
Count Larry McCauley, a Navy vet, among those who are more than a little miffed. "I did something I never did before - voted for a Democrat," he says, "He owes us. We busted our asses to get him elected."
Larry, that was just plain fucking STUPID. What the hell were you thinking? Pardon me if I decline to share your sense of high miffedness over Webb's no-show, but you got EXACTLY what you voted for.
Idiot...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/17/2006 17:18 Comments ||
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#15
That response is just going to piss off more people.
Avoiding Spending Bills, Hill Causes Crunch
The Republican-controlled Congress's decision to adjourn a week ago before completing many of the spending bills that finance the federal government will reverberate in ways large and small, such as understaffed U.S. attorney's offices, delayed renovations at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and a scuttled global nuclear energy exchange.
Republican leaders left behind just enough spending authority to keep the government operating through mid-February, less than halfway through the 2007 fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Democrats have signaled that when they take control of Congress in January they will extend that funding authority for the remainder of the year based largely on the previous year's spending levels, which will result in many cuts in programs.
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards intends to enter the 2008 race for the White House, two Democratic officials said Saturday. Edwards, who represented North Carolina in the Senate for a single term of six years, plans to make the campaign announcement late this month from the New Orleans neighborhood hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina last year and slow to recover from the storm.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Edwards' announcement. 'cause it's going to be a real burn-burner.
Among Democrats, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois are drawing the most attention almost two years before the actual vote. Edwards, however, is in a strong position as the leading candidate in Iowa. He was a top fundraiser in the race for the nomination in 2004 before he became Democratic Sen. John Kerry's running mate.
Since the Democrats' loss to President Bush, Edwards has worked to build support for a repeat presidential bid. He has a retooled agenda that is more openly progressive and has spent time building relationships with labor leaders and traveling overseas to build his foreign policy credentials beyond his one term in the Senate. And remember, he didn't run for re-election because he couldn't win, and he knew it.
A poll of Iowa Democrats that was published Thursday in the Des Moines Register showed Edwards with 36 percent support, more than Clinton's 16 percent and Obama's 13 percent combined. No mention of Dennis Kucinich, darn.
Edwards' campaign plans include an aggressive fundraising effort to prove that he belongs in the top tier of contenders. Because he currently does not hold federal office, Edwards does not have a war chest like some of his rivals. In fact, he has several hundred thousands of dollars of debt from his 2004 presidential campaign. Maybe he's running to raise money to retire the previous debt?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Headline: "Ambulance Chasing Lawyer Seeks Oval Office: Tort Industry Stock Rises." A Southern attorney with a soak business background isn't going to become US President.
#3
I like his chances. He's very good with small groups, handy in Iowa and New Hampshire.In time Hillary will be drug so far left that BreckMan is going to be the only choice for centrists donks.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., was in critical condition Saturday and resting from brain surgery. "At this point, no news is good news," said the senator's spokesman, Noah Pinegar.
Johnson's condition has appeared to improve since the surgery at the George Washington University Hospital. Johnson has responded to voices, opened his eyes and moved his limbs. Surgeons said in a statement Friday that the senator was experiencing post-surgery swelling in his brain, but they said that was normal.
That will be managed by drugs; in extreme cases they have to re-operate. But indeed, some swelling is typical. This will go down over the next several days.
Johnson's doctors also disclosed that when he arrived at the hospital, Johnson felt weakness on his right side. That condition probably will require physical therapy as part of his recovery.
Also tells us that the AVM was on the left side in the distribution of the middle cerebral artery.
South Dakota GOP Gov. Mike Rounds said people were standing behind the stricken lawmaker and he urged patience during Johnson's recovery. "It just happens that we have one of our friends, one of our colleagues, who is going through a tough time. When that happens, we stand by him. And that's exactly what the people of South Dakota will do."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Yawn, please ring me up when the headlines read:
#6
I think this is being so heavily reported due to the Media and Demotraitors sheer terror he'll croak or retire and then the Republicans get the Senate. Given their penchant for throwing people under the bus, this is the only reason they care if he lives or dies.
#7
The AVM's location hints that the senator may have some damage to brain centers governing speaking and comprehension, bad combination for a politician. Not being able to walk is one thing, but not being able to speak or listen is something else.
#8
I was "critical" for a day after an entirely routine operation, then was under "special observation" for a couple days. Just SOP, I guess.
I also found that having an EKG machine in the room upgrades the room to a higher (and more expensive) level of care, even if the machine is unplugged and turned off.
MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) -- A fire erupted in a wedding tent in eastern Pakistan, triggering a stampede and the collapse of a wall that killed 27 women and children, police said Sunday. The bride was among the dead.
More than 30 other people in the wedding party were injured late Saturday night in Jhok Utra, a village about 290 miles southwest of the capital Islamabad, area police officer Khadim Hussain Khadim said. It was not known if the count of those injured included some people who later died.
Heat from high-intensity lights apparently sparked the blaze in a large canvas tent where more than 100 women and children, many singing wedding songs, were present, Khadim said. Men attending the wedding were in a separate tent - following conservative Muslim tradition - that was not damaged.
Twenty women and seven children died, either from burns or from injuries suffered during the stampede or when a newly built brick wall collapsed on top of those trying to escape the fire.
Khadim said those fleeing were forced to escape down a narrow street, and that the wall collapsed after many people were pushed against it.
Fatima, a 32-year-old woman who attended the wedding and like some Pakistani women goes by one name, said the fire started suddenly near the roof of the tent. That sparked a panicked stampede, with dozens of women trying to squeeze through the tent's door. narrow street? brick wall? tent? very confusing...
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 09:35 ||
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They should have hired some NYC cops for crowd control.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/17/2006 15:11 Comments ||
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LAHORE: December 16, 1971 was a day when Lahore was thunderstruck. People were glued to their radios hearing BBC reporting that Pakistan Army had surrendered in Dhaka and East Pakistan had become a new country, Bangladesh.
Daily Times spoke to Dr Mubashir Hassan, former federal finance minister and the then Pakistan Peoples Party Lahore chapter chairman, and Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan, an eminent activist, on the fall of Dhaka and its impact on Lahore and its people.
The city was totally stunned with the news of the humiliating surrender, Dr Mubashir said. The people could not believe their eyes when Indian General Arora brandished his sword and cut the lapels off Pakistans General Niazis shoulders on Indian Television.
For a whole week before that, he said, Pakistanis had been told of their victories over the Indian army and how it had been stopped from marching into what was then East Pakistan. Dr Mubashir said the people of Lahore fully supported the army. When I told a very educated man that we are losing, he said, No, we are not. Chinese armies are about to march into India to support Pakistan and the American fleet has arrived in the Bay of Bengal armed with nuclear weapons which will be used against India, Dr Mubashir recalled.
He said General Yahya Khan asked Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to return to Pakistan. Bhutto did not reject Yahyas offer but was not willing to return to Pakistan unless he was sure that Yahya had become week enough not to take action against the PPP, Dr Mubashir said.
When Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced a procession against Yahyas government on December 17, I announced that the PPP would also hold a procession, he said. Mustafa Khar tried to convince me to call off the procession. I did not cancel the procession but postponed it. Two days passed in the suspended state, then I got a coded message from Khar, It is a turnkey job. This message brought back Bhutto.
Meanwhile, some people had burned down Yahyas house in Peshawar and not a single magistrate or constable stopped them, he said. The end is: The Pakistan Army lost all the respect it had among people on December 16, 1971.
Talking to Daily Times, Tahira Mazhar Ali, a progressive activist from Lahore, recalled seeing an old man going on his bicycle on the Shadman Road loudly mourning the fall of Dhaka that evening. We were only eight women who protested on the Democratic Womens Association platform, and were later arrested.
There were rapes in Dhaka and tears in the eyes of Lahori women because they thought that whoever raped women was someones son, father, brother or husband, she said. The majority of Lahoris were silent but sad, she said. They were keeping their voices low, afraid of the military, but BBC broadcasted the news and the Pakistani media released it later. The military had been claiming that all was well in West Pakistan and things were in control, Tahira said.
We demanded that military action be stopped in Dhaka, she said, but the protest only resulted in our office being raided and all the literature confiscated. Tahira blamed the army for the East Pakistan debacle.
Posted by: john ||
12/17/2006 07:13 ||
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There were rapes in Dhaka and tears in the eyes of Lahori women because they thought that whoever raped women was someones son, father, brother or husband,
One Pak writer remembered a party at which the cream of Lahore society was present. The women tut-tutted the mass rapes, one commenting that "at least the babies will be fair skinned now"
Posted by: john ||
12/17/2006 7:19 Comments ||
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#7
from the news stories in typhoon season, it's approximately 98% under water
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 14:55 Comments ||
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#8
That's what it is, Zenster. The crotch of the Bay of Bengal that takes it in the shorts when a typhoon churns in. And it is underladen with lots 'o arsenic in the groundwater. Charming study in geography.
Second the appreciation from john on our education on that area.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2006 15:09 Comments ||
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#9
The main river in that delta comes from Tibet. China has plans to redirect that river to provide water to the northern parts of China. One plan called for using a nuke (just like Project Plowshare wanted to do engineering) to remove a mountain and do the redirection.
Then the delta would dry up and sink.. leaving India with lots of refugees.
#10
A geologist friend tells me the Indians have dammed the Ganges just on their side of the border, so when the heavy rains come they release an even biggerflood into Bangla Desh. And in the dry season, they keep all the water.
Is this true/ accurate? He does go on about the "water wars" but knows his stuff... lately I double check everything.
Echo the appreciation for John & his contribution.
ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE: Japan is still hesitant to fully endorse the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation deal but India believes that it will not stand in the way of relevant amendments to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines to enable New Delhi to import nuclear reactors, technology and fuel to meet its growing energy demands.
"No, I am not at all disappointed (at Japan's statement that it was yet to make up its mind whether to support the Indo-US nuclear deal or not). There is adequate appreciation of the fact that India needs nuclear power for its energy security," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, ending his three-day visit to Japan.
"I am convinced that when the time comes, Japan will be on our side. We understand their sensitivities since after all Japan was the only country to be devastated by nuclear bombs in World War II," he added.
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#1
Better late than never - INDIA just announced few days ago that CHINA is illegally occupying up to 38,000 = 308,000??? square kilometers of Indian territory.
GUWAHATI, India - The king of Bhutan has abdicated in favour of his son, the state-run Kuensel newspaper said Saturday, as the remote Himalayan kingdom moves toward a constitutional monarchy. In a statement posted on its website, it said King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has handed over his responsibilities as the monarch and head of state of Bhutan to the Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who now assumes full responsibilities of head of state as the fifth Druk Gyalpo.
The time has now come for me to hand over my responsibilities to Trongsa Penlop Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, he was quoted as saying.
King Wangchuck announced in December 2005 that he would abdicate in 2008, when Bhutan is due to hold its first elections and opt for a constitutional monarchy. Indian news reports said the king had decided to step down to allow the crown prince political exposure before the promised transition diminished his royal role. It was not immediately clear when the new king would be crowned.
The 51-year-old king had ruled Bhutan since ascending the throne in 1972 at the age of 17. The best time to change a political system is when the country enjoys stability and peace, the king had said in 2005 when he announced his plans to abdicate. Why wait for a revolution? Why crown an heir only when the nation is in mourning for a late king? Pops sounds like a wise old man ...
Although the Bhutanese were surprised by the kings 2005 announcement, they hold the Oxford-educated crown prince in equally high esteem, reports say. The eldest of the kings five sons and five daughters, he won his official recognition as prince on October 21, 2004.
The transition began five years ago when the king handed over the powers of daily government to a council of ministers. Bhutan, nestled between Asian giants India and China, in 2005 unveiled a 34-point constitution which was sent to 530,000 citizens for their views.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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"Wangchuck?"
Nah, too easy.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:24 Comments ||
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KATHMANDU - Nepals ruling alliance and Maoist rebels on Saturday approved the draft of an interim constitution, a key step to implement their landmark peace deal ending a conflict which has killed thousands, negotiators said. The document, an interim law that paves the way for Maoists to join a provisional parliament and government, was signed by top leaders of the alliance including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the Maoist rebel leader Prachanda.
This is yet another major achievement for the establishment of peace in Nepal, said Bharat Mohan Adhikary, a senior leader of the Communist-UML party, the second biggest group in the seven-party coalition. The prime minister will carry out the work of the head of state and the king will have no right in state affairs, Adhikary told reporters.
The draft was approved after three days of intense negotiations between the two parties over several issues including whether King Gyanendra should remain the interim head of state until elections for a constituent assembly.
The assembly will prepare a permanent constitution for Nepal and decide the future of the monarch who was stripped of his political powers after Gyanendra was forced to restore democracy in April following weeks of angry street protests
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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From the "Figures don't lie, but liars figure." Dept... Jim Webb might want to find a new class warfare talking point.
BY ALAN REYNOLDS - Sunday, December 17, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
As many others have done, Virginia's Democratic Senator-elect Jim Webb recently complained in The Wall Street Journal (article available here) of an "ever-widening divide" in America, claiming "the top 1% now takes in an astounding 16% of national income, up from 8% in 1980." Those same figures have been repeatedly echoed in all major newspapers, including The Journal. Yet the statement is clearly false. The top 1% of households never received anything remotely approaching 16% of personal income (national income includes corporate profits). The top 1% of tax returns accounted for 10.6% of personal income in 2004. But that number too is problematic.
The architects of these estimates, Thomas Piketty of École Normale Supérieure in Paris and Emmanuel Saez of the University of California at Berkeley, did not refer to shares of total income but to shares of income reported on individual income tax returns--a very different thing. They estimate that the top 1% (1.3 million) of taxpayers accounted for 16.1% of reported income in 2004. But they explicitly exclude Social Security and other transfer payments, which make up a large and growing share of total income: 14.7% of personal income in 2004, up from 9.3% in 1980. Besides, not everyone files a tax return, not all income is taxable (e.g., municipal bonds), and not every taxpayer tells the complete truth about his or her income.
Continued on Page 49
#1
"The politically correct yet factually incorrect claim that the top 1% earns 16% of personal income appears to fill a psychological rather than logical need."
This plays directly into the core of the left's primary tool to motivate people - envy.
It is envy, not a concern for "justice" (despite the loud protestations you hear when the left is fingered on this), that motivates support for the left, and has since the French Revolution. Even in a society with the maximum amount of economic freedom of any in history, the left knows that there is value and politicial capital to be had by ginning up covetousness.
That's why you get these types of "studies" which proport to show that the middle class is getting "squeezed" and the "rich are getting richer" etc. It makes for good sound bites and fires up the Democrat's base.
Too bad it's all lies. The biggest factors in any "squeezing" would be the increase in tax burden since WWII and exposure of labor to competition from newer and increasingly educated and trained labor markets. The first of these is preventable. The second is inevitable. Neither has to do with wealthier Americans making "too much money".
Posted by: no mo uro ||
12/17/2006 8:00 Comments ||
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And let's remember exactly what the statistical 'bottom' really is composed of -
The Specter of Poverty in America
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
By Robert Rector
Last month, the Census Bureau released annual poverty figures showing that the percentage of Americans who are poor rose from 12.1 percent in 2002 to 12.5 percent in 2003.
It's important to recognize that these figures are a year old. They cover 2003, not the current year. Given current economic conditions, it is extremely likely that poverty fell during 2004, although the official figures won't be available until the fall of next year.
Poverty is a lagging economic indicator. Formal recessions (when the whole economy is shrinking) usually last less than a year. But the poverty rate almost always continues to rise for several years after the recession ends. The last recession officially ended in November 2001, but the poverty rate continued to rise in 2002 and 2003. This is a normal economic pattern that has occurred in most prior recessions.
Compared to prior recessions, the recent recession was mild and had a limited impact on poverty. Overall, the increase in poverty resulting from the recent downturn has been half the increase that occurred in the two last recessions that hit the economy in the early 1980s and early 1990s.
Still, the Census Bureau reports that 35.9 million persons "lived in poverty" in 2003, a number that should cause concern to all. But to really understand poverty in America, it's important to look behind these numbers to the actual living conditions of the individuals the government deems poor.
For most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing and reasonable shelter. But only a small number of the million persons classified as "poor" by the Census Bureau fit that description. Real material hardship certainly does occur, but it's limited in scope and severity. Most of America's "poor" live in material conditions that would be judged as comfortable or well-off just a few generations ago.
The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:
Forty-six percent of all poor households own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and porch or patio.
Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television. Over half own two or more color televisions.
Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
Seventy-three percent own a microwave oven, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.
Overall, the typical American defined as poor by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family isn't hungry, and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, activists and politicians.
Even better news is that remaining poverty can readily be reduced, especially among children. Child poverty in the U.S. is caused largely by low levels of parental work and by the absence of fathers from the home. While work and two-parent families are the surest ladders out of poverty, the welfare system continues to reward idleness while failing to provide support to keep families in tact.
To further reduce poverty, welfare should be overhauled: All able-bodied welfare recipients should be required to work or prepare for work in exchange for the aid they receive. Also, new parents in low-income communities who express interest in marriage (and research tells us there are many) should be equipped with the skills they need to create a healthy marriage, rather than be penalized when they do get married.
Robert Rector is a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation
#7
The architects of these estimates, Thomas Piketty of École Normale Supérieure in Paris and Emmanuel Saez of the University of California at Berkeley
For about 30 years, the Episcopal Church has been one big unhappy family. Under one roof there were female bishops and male bishops who would not ordain women. There were parishes that celebrated gay weddings and parishes that denounced them; theologians sure that Jesus was the only route to salvation, and theologians who disagreed.
Now, after years of threats, the family is breaking up. As many as eight conservative Episcopal churches in Virginia are expected to announce today that their parishioners have voted to cut their ties with the Episcopal Church. Two are large, historic congregations that minister to the Washington elite and occupy real estate worth a combined $27 million, which could result in a legal battle over who keeps the property.
In a twist, these wealthy American congregations are essentially putting themselves up for adoption by Anglican archbishops in poorer dioceses in Africa, Asia and Latin America who share conservative theological views about homosexuality and the interpretation of Scripture with the breakaway Americans. The Episcopalian ship is in trouble, said the Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church, one of the two large Virginia congregations, where George Washington served on the vestry. So were climbing over the rails down to various little lifeboats. Theres a lifeboat from Bolivia, one from Rwanda, another from Nigeria. Their desire is to help us build a new ship in North America, and design it and get it sailing.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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As many as eight conservative Episcopal churches in Virginia are expected to announce today that their parishioners have voted to cut their ties with the Episcopal Church.
At the height of the flu pandemic in 1918, William H. Sardo Jr. remembers the pine caskets stacked in the living room of his family's house, a funeral home in Washington, D.C.
The city had slowed to a near halt. Schools were closed. Church services were banned. The federal government limited its hours of operation. People were dying some who took ill in the morning were dead by night.
"That's how quickly it happened," said Sardo, 94, who lives in an assisted living facility just outside the nation's capital. "They disappeared from the face of the earth."
Sardo is among the last survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic. Their stories offer a glimpse at the forgotten history of one of the world's worst plagues, when the virus killed at least 50 million people and perhaps as many as 100 million.
More than 600,000 people in the United States died of what was then called "Spanish Influenza." The flu seemed to be particularly lethal for otherwise healthy young adults, many of whom suffocated from the buildup of liquids in their lungs.
In the United States, the first reported cases surfaced at an Army camp in Kansas as World War I began winding down. The virus quickly spread among soldiers at U.S. camps and in the trenches of Europe. It paralyzed many communities as it circled the world.
In the District of Columbia, the first recorded influenza death came on Sept. 21, 1918. The victim, a 24-year-old railroad worker, had been exposed in New York four days earlier. The flu swept through the nation's capital, which had attracted thousands of soldiers and war workers. By the time the pandemic had subsided, at least 30,000 people had become ill and 3,000 had died in the city.
Among the infected was Sardo, who was 6 years old at the time.
He remembers little of his illness but recalls that his mother was terrified.
"They kept me well separated from everybody," said Sardo, who lived with his parents, two brothers and three other family members. His family quarantined him in the bedroom he had shared with his brother. Everyone in the family wore masks.
The city began shutting down. The federal government staggered its hours to limit crowding on the streets and on streetcars. Commissioners overseeing the district closed schools in early October, along with playgrounds, theaters, vaudeville houses and "all places of amusement." Dances and other social gatherings were banned.
The commissioners asked clergy to cancel church services because the pandemic was threatening the "machinery of the federal government," The Washington Star newspaper reported at the time. Pastors protested.
"There was a feeling that they couldn't turn to God, other than in prayer," Sardo said. "They liked the feeling of going to church, and they were forbidden."
The flu's spread and the ensuing restrictions "made everybody afraid to go see anybody," he said.
"It changed a lot of society," Sardo said. "We became more individualistic."
In a list of 12 rules to prevent the disease's spread, the Army's surgeon general wrote that people should "avoid needless crowding," open windows and "breathe deeply" when the air is "pure" and "wash your hands before eating."
One slogan was, "Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don't, you'll spread the disease."
Those who were healthy wore masks when venturing outside. People who were known to be infected were threatened with a $50 fine if they were seen in public. Sardo remembers people throwing buckets of water with disinfectant on their sidewalks to wash away germs from people spitting on the street.
At the time, rumors swirled that the Germans had spread the disease which Sardo did not believe.
A second flu survivor, 99-year-old Ruth Marshall, says she, her two sisters and a brother came down with what they thought was a cold. Then the fever struck and the illness became severe, she said.
Marshall, who lived just steps from the Capitol at the time, said the influenza deaths reported in the newspapers came as a surprise.
"We never thought we were going to die. We did pretty good a lot of prayers," she said.
Others were not so fortunate. As the death toll started to mount, there was a shortage of coffins. Funeral homes could not keep up. Sardo's father, who owned William H. Sardo & Co., and other funeral-home directors turned to soldiers for help embalming and digging thousands of graves.
Talk of the threat of another pandemic brings back memories for Sardo, who says he has gotten a flu shot every year they are available.
"It scares the hell out of me. It does," Sardo said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 14:06 Comments ||
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#2
If the flu mutates to a "killer" strain again, I just don't think it will be as bad as in 1918. (Not that it will be good, just not that bad.)
Public sanitation - and communications - are so much better now than back then, at least in this country. And we do have some antivirals that will help.
Second and third world countries, on the other hand....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/17/2006 14:29 Comments ||
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#3
Our office has had a flu/cold going around (asholes keep coming in when sick - I prohibit my staff from doing that), I've been in heavy hand-washing and Purel mode. So far, so good *knocks on wood*.
In the big flu to come (and it will, some day) - we should be OK, but it will be a huge depopulator in those areas that are densely populated, poor sanitation, and lack of personal hygiene. Oh well, Insh'allah!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 14:47 Comments ||
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#4
Barbara: all indications are that avian flu could be much worse than Spanish flu. To start with, as a disease it has a 20% higher mortality rate.
Second, even if it only wipes out vast numbers of animals, it could plunge much of the world into starvation or malnutrition.
Third, there are vastly more people now than there were then. 1.8b compared to 6.1b. And with modern transportation, the disease travels much faster than the response.
That is, when an outbreak happens, it is followed by quiet period while the disease is incubating. Then the next outbreak is in a larger area. But this is deceptive. In reality, the disease is already two cycles ahead in its progress, invisibly passing through barrier after barrier.
The first big wave will be infecting large numbers of people before anyone comes down with the disease in the US. By the time the first dozens or hundreds of cases show symptoms, tens of thousands of people will be infected.
No matter what the federal government does, it will seem to be too little, too late. Casualty estimates average around 3M Americans killed, and an equal number with severe lung damage.
#5
Frankly, the cure/vaccination will be developed in America or another Western nation. Ima thinking the tranzis will be pushing the "let's innoculate all nations equally" crap. Fuck em. Do it first here at home, then our allies, and somewhere down the line, Pakistan, Iran, et al will get a tiny dribble. Natural selection and cause/effect coincide...
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 15:44 Comments ||
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#6
Barbara: all indications are that avian flu could be much worse than Spanish flu. To start with, as a disease it has a 20% higher mortality rate.
i already gott birdy flu this year and survivied inntact excepting speeling.
#8
Frank G.: Agreed. Except I would add that a Middle East undergoing a killer flu pandemic is a Middle East ready to be bombed back (?) into the Stone Age. Let's make it a twofer.
#9
It was a killer becuz few knew the cause nor the correct treatment. This was WW1 era - many Euro doctors were still amputating limbs for minor mwounds, and many so-called "physicians" or doctors would be called paramedics or medical-nursing assistants today.
#10
If it wasn't for the Spanish influenza, I might not be here, guys. My dad was a "replacement baby" for the daughter my grandparents lost. Albina was only two, and there was no one who could help them when she got sick (not that there was any real treatment for it at that time anyway, but a desperate parent will try anything and go anywhere if it might save a precious child).
I can't help but think of her every time I hear about how we are overdue for another killer flu epidemic.
A rib bone and a piece of cloth supposedly recovered after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake are probably not hers, according to experts trying to unravel one of the mysteries surrounding the 15th century French heroine.
Eighteen experts began a series of tests six months ago on the fragments reportedly recovered from the pyre where the 19-year-old was burned for heresy.
Although the tests have not been completed, findings so far indicate there is 'relatively little chance' that the remnants are hers, Philippe Charlier, the head of the team, told The Associated Press on Saturday. The fragment of linen from the 15th century 'wasn't burned. It was dyed,' Charlier said. And a blackened substance around the 6-inch rib bone was not 'carbonized remains' but vegetable and mineral debris, 'something that rather resembles embalming substance,' he said.
Continued on Page 49
#2
"Faked" religious artifacts have been around for centuries.
Dyed, not charred.
Embalmed, not burnt.
Just another fake.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:57 Comments ||
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#3
Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, started hunting down relics of Jesus Christ, the apostles, and the early saints at the end of the third century AD. She claimed to have found, among many others, a nail and some bits of wood of the cross upon which Christ was crucified. The locations of many of her finds came to her in dreams, she apparently claimed. It's a very old industry.
#4
Umberto Eco's book "The Name of the Rose" had a hilarious anecdote about one church possessing the holy relic of the skull of St. John the Baptist, and another who possessed the skull of the same saint, but at the age of 12!
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The pastrami and cheesecake diet...
Economic collapse has forced Zimbabwe to reconsider its notorious land reform policy
DHAKA - Celebrations to mark Bangladeshs independence on Saturday were marred by clashes between rival political parties and police ahead of parliamentary elections due next month.
Twenty people were wounded in clashes among rival student groups in Mymensingh Agricultural University 130 km (81 miles) north of the capital Dhaka during celebrations. Part of a dormitory was sent on fire and several rooms at another were vandalised. Police used batons to disperse rival groups fighting with sticks and stones.
Federal riot police ended their weeks-long occupation of the center of the Mexican tourist city Oaxaca on Saturday, having weakened a protest movement trying to oust a state governor. Violent clashes between the masked activists and riot police, and a string of shootings of protesters, made Oaxaca one of new President Felipe Calderon's top problems. But the arrest of several high profile protest leaders has weakened the movement against the governor, and the frequency and size of demonstrations has fallen. 
Former world chess champion 
MOSCOW - 
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee 
Just think, you may never see his face again... *sniff* 
MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) -- A fire erupted in a wedding tent in eastern Pakistan, triggering a stampede and the collapse of a wall that killed 27 women and children, police said Sunday. The bride was among the dead.
ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE: Japan is still hesitant to fully endorse the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation deal but India believes that it will not stand in the way of relevant amendments to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines to enable New Delhi to import nuclear reactors, technology and fuel to meet its growing energy demands. 
KATHMANDU - Nepals ruling alliance and Maoist rebels on Saturday approved the draft of an interim constitution, a key step to implement their landmark peace deal ending a conflict which has killed thousands, negotiators said. The document, an interim law that paves the way for Maoists to join a provisional parliament and government, was signed by top leaders of the alliance including Prime Minister 
For about 30 years, the Episcopal Church has been one big unhappy family. Under one roof there were female bishops and male bishops who would not ordain women. There were parishes that celebrated gay weddings and parishes that denounced them; theologians sure that Jesus was the only route to salvation, and theologians who disagreed.
