Libya has sent a formal protest note to Bulgaria over the pardoning of six medics convicted of deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV, a diplomatic source said on Thursday. The Libyan protest comes after the families of the HIV victims condemned Bulgaria's "recklessness" on Wednesday and called on Tripoli to cut ties with Sofia, deport all Bulgarian nationals and demanded the medics be re-arrested by Interpol. "The note says that Bulgaria has broken a 1984 prisoner exchange agreement," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
After more than eight years in jail, five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who recently took Bulgarian citizenship were freed on Tuesday under a cooperation accord between Tripoli and the European Union.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov pardoned the six upon their arrival in Sofia.
The source said Libya referred to an article in the prisoner exchange agreement under which the medics were supposed to serve their remaining sentences after their transfer. Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev said he had not seen Libya's official protest but said Sofia had not breached the agreement.
"There is also an article that says once prisoners are transferred, they are treated under the host country's legislation. The pardon has been legally done. There are no legal problems," Velchev told Reuters. Officials have said Bulgaria was in a hurry to pardon the medics at the airport as it wanted to avoid having them in a Bulgarian prison even for a day.
Relatives of the children have said the infections were part of a Western attempt to undermine Muslims and Libya. Some 56 of the children have died and emotions are still strong in the city of Benghazi where the outbreak occurred. The medics said they were tortured to confess and were innocent. Bulgaria and its Western allies have also insisted the nurses are innocent and pushed for their release.
#3
On their way to the 20th century, Libya just shot itself in the foot and expected Bulgaria to pay for it. Pay they did, in lotsov Lev, but the Western/real world knows the truth. Shapki (hats) off to Parvanov! If Libya is indeed keen to shake off its pariah status and rejoin the international community, this just ain't just and not the right way to do it. Tourism in Tripoli, anyone? Steve doesn't think so...
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to boost relations with long-isolated Libya as he met with the oil-rich country's leader Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday as a reward for releasing six Bulgarian medical workers. Libya commuted their sentences to life in prison and allowed them to fly to Bulgaria on Tuesday, where they received a presidential pardon.
During Sarkozy's visit, France and Libya signed wide-ranging cooperation agreements in areas including defense, health, the fight against terrorism and civilian nuclear power.
So the French strike first and grab for the best goodies ...
Under a deal sealed by the medics' release, the European Union agreed to a package of aid for Libya and the prospect of increased trade ties. The Europeans also said they would encourage contributions to a Libyan fund set up to compensate families of the children infected with the HIV virus.
But it's not a ransom, no sirree ...
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she hoped to travel to Libya soon. "I know that American companies are very interested in working in Libya," Rice also said.
I only hope she was holding her nose when she said that.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said his country might write off the $54 million debt owed to it by Libya - although he underlined that it was a humanitarian gesture that should not be seen as "paying ransom, or admitting (the medics') guilt."
No, no, certainly not!
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Congratulations to Khadaffy, he played the Europeans like a trombone.
HAVANA (AP) - Raul Castro - not his convalescing 80-year-old brother Fidel - will give this week's Revolution Day address, the latest sign the defense minister's yearlong caretaker role is becoming much more permanent.
At least it will be a shorter speech.
It's hard to stand on the podium with one foot in the grave.
The announcement Wednesday on the front page of the Communist Party daily Granma doused the few remaining hopes among Fidel Castro's ardent supporters he could make a surprise appearance during Thursday's Revolution Day celebrations.
Even though Raul appears headed for permanent rule, the two brothers' longer-term roles officially remain undefined. Manuel Cuesta Morua, a historian and moderate dissident, said clarity may not come until early next year, when voters are expected to elect National Assembly deputies who will then chose the executive governing body known as the Council of State. Fidel officially still holds the council presidency. "Raul Castro needs institutional stability" to govern into the future, Cuesta Morua said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
STRATEGYPAGE > NORTH KOREA > SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN SOON article. Norkies starving to death again??? Levels of starvation similar to 1990's.
#1
While interesting, it's hard to get all misty over totalitarian communist military hardware rotting to pieces. It should have happened many, many decades ago.
#3
Lend lease. Also the Soviets had a prewar license to manufacture DC-3s. You can see them in a lot of the the FSU war memorials.
Posted by: ed ||
07/26/2007 18:47 Comments ||
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#4
That's an LI-2, which was their DC-3 knockoff. They built over 2000 and, of course, never paid Douglas a dime.
What I'd like to see would be a TU-4, which was their knockoff of the B-29. Almost an exact copy.
Russia must strengthen its military and step up spying on the west in response to US plans to site parts of a missile defence shield in eastern Europe, President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday.
Addressing newly-promoted military and security officers, Mr Putin said new US military bases in eastern Europe and the failure of Nato countries to ratify an updated version of a Cold War treaty capping levels of conventional forces in Europe were threats to Russian security.
One of our absolute priorities is an all-round strengthening of the armed forces, Mr Putin told the Kremlin gathering. He listed not just terrorism but US military plans among global threats to be tackled.
Both the situation in the world and internal political interests demand that Russias foreign intelligence service constantly increases its resources, above all in the field of information and analytical support for the countrys leadership, Mr Putin added.
The president has spoken often of the need to strengthen Russias military and intelligence capabilities after years of underinvestment.
Putin's comments marked the clearest link yet between issues such as the US missile defence plans and the need to strengthen espionage activities.
But his comments marked the clearest link yet between issues such as the US missile defence plans and the need to strengthen espionage activities.
Both the US and the UK have reported increased Russian spying.
Mr Putins remarks also showed he was determined to maintain pressure over the missile shield plans in spite of making recent offers to substitute a planned US radar station in the Czech Republic with use of a Soviet-built radar in Azerbaijan, or a new radar in southern Russia.
There has so far been no response to our proposed alternative plans for defence against these hypothetical I want to underline, hypothetical missile threats, Mr Putin noted.
Russia disputes US claims that the missile shield is designed to guard against future threats from rogue states such as Iran.
Let's see ....
diplomatic crisis? check.
assasinations? check.
youth corps built around cult of personality & nationalism? check.
increased spying? check.
military aircraft challenging NATO airspace? check.
removal/disappearance of opposition leaders within Russia? check.
yup, the silent putsch is well along now.
As Orrin Judd says: "Nothing goes with socialism like nationalism".
#1
PRAVDA > Stable Oil production/Energy gosplans will make Russia the world's leading economic power by 2020, + CONTAINMENT OF RUSSIA Parts 1/II; while KOMMERSANT > Russia to continue to undergo/suffer from declining population demographics, wid its population of 143.1Milyuhn [2005] decreasing to circa 138Milyuhn. Russ calculates a 5.0% drop, while the UNO, etal. calcs up to 20%.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday he might make a fresh bid for Turkeys presidency, in comments sure to stir unease in the countrys powerful secular establishment.
The secularists, including army generals, blocked Guls first attempt to be elected head of state in May, forcing Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to call an early parliamentary election. His Islamist-rooted AK Party decisively won that poll on Sunday. Nobody can place a political ban on others. It is out of the question that I should rule myself out as a candidate (for the presidency), Gul told a news conference. I cannot ignore the signal from the streets, Gul said, referring to expressions of support he received from voters for his presidential bid during the parliamentary election campaign. But he said the party would not rush into a decision and would hold consultations with other parties in parliament.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"And it's GUL! GUL! GUL!
That kaffir-fightin' fool!..."
-- The ballad of Abdullah Gul
WASHINGTON (AP) - A presidential commission on Wednesday urged broad changes to veterans' care that would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded. The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A 29-page draft report was presented to President Bush in the Oval Office, just after the Senate addressed some of the issues Wednesday morning by passing sweeping legislation to expand brain screenings, reduce red tape and boost military pay.
Actually a pretty reasonable report, and they carefully avoided name-calling and blame-casting, though the AP would like you to believe otherwise.
About six of the 35 proposals require legislation, while the rest call for action primarily by the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs. Among the proposals:
Boost staff and money for Walter Reed until it closes in the coming years. Also urges Pentagon to work with the VA to create "integrated care teams" of doctors and nurses to see injured troops through their recovery.
Restructure the disability pay systems to give the VA more responsibility for awarding benefits.
Require comprehensive training programs in post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries for military leaders, VA and Pentagon personnel.
Create a "My eBenefits" Web site, developed jointly by the VA and Pentagon, that would allow service members and doctors to access private medical information as the injured move from facility to facility to receive treatment.
Provide better family support, because one-third of injured Iraq war veterans reported that a family member or close friend had to relocate to care for them. It calls for training and counseling for families of service members who require long-term care and improved family leave and insurance benefits for family members.
"We owe our wounded soldiers the very best care, and the very best benefits, and the very easiest to understand system," President Bush said. "And so they took a very interesting approach. They took the perspective from the patient, as the patient had to work his way through the hospitals and bureaucracies. And they've come up with some very interesting and important suggestions."
Go to the Commission website; the final report link is there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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BANGALORE: India plans to double its annual satellite launches and put into space up to 25 spacecraft in a USD 2 billion exercise spread over the next five years as it moves to take advantage of booming demand for capacity, top Indian Space Research Organisation officials say.
New Delhi has targeted to boost the number of transponders India currently has from 199 to 500 by the end of the 11th five year plan (March 2012), Secretary in the Department of Space G Madhavan Nair said.
"On the average, we may have about four to five launches in a year compared to hardly two that we are (currently) doing annually", Nair, also Chairman of ISRO and the Space Commission, said.
"That's one of the major loads not only on ISRO but on industry and other establishments in the country", he said.
ISRO officials estimate the cost involved in building these satellites and launching them in the region of Rs 8,000 crore-Rs 9,000 crore (approximately USD two billion-2.25 billion).
Bangalore-headquartered India's space agency plans to launch as many as 15 INSAT-class satellites and 8-10 remote sensing spacecraft by 2012 as it moves to stay ahead of the demand curve.
Posted by: John Frum ||
07/26/2007 13:11 ||
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#1
Some photos from the Indian space program
The Indian SRE-1 space capsule being tested prior to launch link
its recovery from the sea after orbiting the earth for 2 weeks
Lawyers allegedly roughed up Khalil Malik, a television presenter and media adviser to some private organisations, on Wednesday for making derogatory remarks about the judiciary and the chief justice of Pakistan. According to witnesses, Malik was manhandled by several male and female lawyers when he arrived at the district courts for the hearing of a case filed against him by the District Bar Association (DBA) for his alleged anti-judiciary remarks. DBA President Khalid Ismail Abassi and other bar officials were able to pacify the angry crowd after Malik tendered an unconditional apology, both verbally and in writing. He also apologised before the court, after which DBA lawyers withdrew their cases against him. The lawyers had accused Malik of publishing and telecasting objectionable and insulting remarks about the judiciary and the CJP during the lawyers movement for judicial independence and the reinstatement of the CJP. Abbassi told SANA that the lawyers were very angry about Maliks remarks and that was why they pursued cases against him. He said although some people had misbehaved with Malik before his arrival, no member of the bar association or lawyer was involved.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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Who: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran
What: A fatwa is simply a religious ruling in Islammost often, it seems, fatwas are about sexual mattersbut Westerners usually associate the term with the notorious 1989 death sentence against British author Salman Rushdie. At the time, Khomeini was seeking to distract his followers from the pointless slaughter of the recently ended Iran-Iraq war, during which hundreds of thousands of Iranians were killed and wounded. Rushdie had just authored The Satanic Verses, an edgy novel about the origins of the Koran, and thus proved the perfect foil for Khomeinis designs. Thousands of irate Muslims around the world protested the book as an insult to Islam. For a decade, Rushdie lived in hiding, fearing assassination for his apostasy. More recently, when Queen Elizabeth II knighted the author for his literary achievements, al Qaeda called for retaliation against Britain. And Khomeinis successor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, reversed his earlier position and said that the original 1989 fatwa remains in force.
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#1
Fart-Waaas is much more appropriate label for this drivel . Signifies the brain farts of old demented Muzzies who've beeen sucking far too long on the water bong laced with putrified camel shit. All fartwaas issued to apply to any civilized western nation ought to automatically incur the death penalty for said offender.
#5
That list is too short; any fatwa is a stupid fatwa. kind of like bringing a lawsuit against, oh i don't know, maybe Ladie's night bar promotions.......
Since last year, the Border Patrol has been using Javelin missile sights to search for illegal entrants and drug smugglers, said Jim Hawkins, Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokesman. The Army gave to the equipment to the Department of Homeland Security free of charge. The Tucson Sector received about 200 sights, half of which were stored away for spare parts, Hawkins said.
The Javelin is an anti-tank missile that is used by the Army and Marine Corps, and is produced in a joint venture by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp. Raytheon demilitarized the night-vision scopes by taking off triggering devices at no cost to the Border Patrol, Hawkins said. The Army is now using Javelin missile sights that are two to three generations newer, and it couldn't sell or use the spare parts. "They had absolutely no use for these sights, but they were still functional, so they basically handed them off to us," Hawkins said.
The agency often issues them to National Guardsmen in Southern Arizona on the Operation Jumpstart mission, and it allows its agents to check them out as well, Hawkins said. The sights are smaller and lighter than vehicle-mounted scopes, but they're more powerful than night-vision goggles, he said. They can be used while being held, or they can be mounted on tripods.
Hawkins wouldn't divulge haw far they they allow border forces to see so we could leak the info to the smugglers. Now, if they start using the warheads...
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
07/26/2007 18:52 ||
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BITTER debate in Malaysia questioning whether the mainly Muslim nation is an Islamic state has exposed religious and racial faultlines ahead of a widely expected early general election.
As Malaysia prepares to celebrate its 50th year of independence with a nationwide party next month, comments by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak asserting the country has never been a secular state have upset many non-Muslims. Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic state, state news agency Bernama quoted Najib as saying last week. We have never been secular because being secular by Western definition means separation of the Islamic principles in the way we govern a country.
Race and religion are touchy issues in multi-racial Malaysia, where ethnic Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of a population of roughly 26 million, while Hindus, Buddhists and Christians dominate the ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities.
Since ethnic Malays are Muslim by definition, politicians comments about Islam usually aim to appeal to the largest chunk of potential voters, analysts say.
Najibs remarks drew such stinging ripostes from lawyers, opposition parties and religious leaders, who accused the government of ignoring Malaysias history and constitution, that authorities finally ordered mainstream media to drop the subject.
Malaysias constitution does not explicitly say it is a secular state, although it says Islam is the official religion. You cant settle it because politically its going to be difficult, political scientist Chandra Muzaffar told Reuters. There is no way the government can come out and say it is a secular state, because Muslims in this country and many other parts of the world feel the term secular state means that religion has no place in public life.
But Malaysias non-Muslims would also be unhappy with the idea of living in an avowedly Islamic state, he added. Racial tension: One Christian grouping saw Najibs comments as a bid to stir racial tension. We appeal to the government in general and to the deputy prime minister in particular, to refrain from using Islamic state as an official description of the country to stir up racial tension, the Council of Churches of Malaysia said.
Many Malaysians are still haunted by the memory of racial riots between poor ethnic Malays and wealthier ethnic Chinese that killed almost 200 people in 1969, and eventually led to an affirmative action programme to improve the lot of Malays. The government ordered mainstream media to stop discussion of Najibs remarks after two days of heated debate, but it continues to be a live topic on Web sites. There is no official ban, but we have asked the newspapers to cooperate with us, said one government official who declined to be identified. With Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expected to call polls by early next year, analysts say months of political posturing lie ahead from members of his United Malays National Organisation, which leads the ruling coalition.
Against the backdrop of Malaysias highly politicised debate on religion, Najibs remarks reinforced the perception that Malay identity was being equated with religion, said Bridget Welsh, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Najib is putting on record his position vis-a-vis the role of religion in society, and I think he is doing it not just for elections, but he is going with the flow that has been the direction within UMNO, said Welsh, a specialist on Malaysia.
Najib received some support from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who first deployed the Islamic state label in 2001, to disconcert political opponents in a hardline Islamist party. Whether it is stated in the constitution or not, this is a Muslim country, because we follow Muslim teachings and Muslim injunctions, Mahathir told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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Several upcoming Hollywood films use the damaged Iraq veteran to raise questions about an ongoing war, the New York Times is planning to report on Thursday Page Ones, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
"Media in general responds much more quickly than ever before. Why shouldn't movies do the same?" said Scott Rudin, a producer of 'STOP LOSS,' which casts Ryan Phillippe as a veteran who defies an order that would send him back to Iraq. The film, he said, was deliberately scheduled to be released in the middle of the presidential election season.
The TIMES's showbiz reporter Cieply is set to details how in the past, Hollywood usually gave the veteran more breathing space. William Wyler's 'BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES,' about the travails of those returning from World War II, was released more than a year after the war's end. Similarly, Hal Ashby's 'COMING HOME' and Oliver Stone's 'BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY,' both Vietnam stories, came well behind the fall of Saigon.
That's because most Hollywood writers, directors, etc back in the '40s served, or at least were busy making our own propaganda films. There was a genuine respect for the guys who fought, and Best Years of Our Lives was filmed to portray the tragic cost of a war that had to be won. Even the Vietnam films had to be careful, they were filmed when the country was beginning to recognize the wrongs done to our soldiers by the anti-war movement, and Ho'wood didn't want to be on the wrong side of that one.
Today? Anyone want to guess where the average Ho'wood producer/director/writer has his heart? Anyone? Bueller? They 'support our troops' by declaring them to be children, to be damaged goods, and by spitting on their mission. I'm betting the mainline movie companies won't make a single film sympathetic to our soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan. Not a one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/26/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I long ago reached the point that any movie coming out of hollywood is assumed to be made by leftist, sub-human vermin that hate America, the military, and everything that makes this country great. Occasionally a movie makes it out of this default category but that's increasingly rare.
#3
If I could win the lottery..... it would be the cash payout... to find those folks who could produce the best of the best movies of what our current soldiers are doing.... telling their stories. Great propaganda.... Totally out-selling any of these anti-war stuff.
Building up..... throughout the fighting, the fight that these guys do.... to get that soccer field opened. Bet I could have lots of shoot 'em ups, but yet, building up to that opening of the soccer field. All those pics we see of soldiers and Marines with the kids. Folks would wiggle, attempting to hide those eyes that just seem to have too much water in them. Kinda like that baseball field of dreams, "If you build it, they will come." I want that lottery. There are so many stories to be told. Americans love the story of winners. There must the hundreds of Band of Brothers that warrant their story told. Oh, and a couple sniper scenes, lots of scenes of direct combat (showing the enemy to be the coward he is, of course).
This current group of warriors have exceeded all expectations! We keep dubbing them, the next Greatest Generation. Even Petraeus has agreed they are our next Greatest Generation.
With all the reading I do, I keep thinking, they need a name of their own, something far superior to the "Next Greatest Generation." They deserve a name of their own.
In reading Grim at Blackfive the other day, Grim posted the transcript of the Department of Defense Bloggers Roundtable with Major General Walter E. Gaskin, Commander Multinational forces-West via Teleconference from Iraq..
The words caught me, held me, stuck in my mind. General Gaskin had the words to describe them.. The Millennium Kids.
These words that a Marine Major General used, "The Millennium Kids".... to quote him: What I've found out is, this is truly, truly the best generation of our generation. The Millennium kids have a feeling that they want to do something to better themselves and they want to be challenged.
I got to take Major General Gaskin at his word..... the best generation of our generation.... The Millennium Kids.... had he thought about this? I don't know... but I like it... the Millennium Kids....
This Millennium has started with a bang, and they are the ones answering that bang, setting the stage for how this millennium will progress.
Find me a good screen writer and I'll keep buying those lottery tickets!
#5
I will remember Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart, and Twelve O'Clock High, with Gregory Peck, long after a pretty boy whines in a new movie. Tough men facing really tough problems. Where are all the real men in today's movies? Do all the male movie heroes have to look prettier than the girls?
#6
Color me unsurprised. Dissappointed, perhaps, becuase the stories are out there, and American audiences would line up around the block to see them. I outlined why they don't in this memo from a couple of years ago.
Besides, Hollywood doesn't make moves for us any more, they make them for each other, or for the overseas market.
#7
The modern Efialtes, the lot of them. Those of lesser virtue need to eclipse true heroes so that the people will only have tinsel store-bought make-believe heroes they huckster.
#11
Hollywood always reminds me of Tammy Faye Baker or Gloria Swanson. A fading star, living in a big house, with an adoring crowd, who has completely deluded herself that she is still somebody.
Posted by: AT ||
07/26/2007 11:16 Comments ||
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#12
Great comment AT.
A lot of the writers/workers in Hollywood are actually conservatives, but can't "come out of the closet" because of the (some of) the money, who are thick-headed liberals will put them out of work.
We shouldn't punish our film industry because of the stupids. About the war--it is tough to get a good script regarding our troops because the writers don't even have access to the right information. They only get fed the same crap everyone else out there gets fed from the MSM, and essentially, they don't know any better. They've never heard about Rantburg.
There is also a kind of cultural "lock down" that happens, in that if you venture out of the sociocultural "norm" idea that all war is evil (the essential argument--unless it's a war put on by Dems, of course), then your are a narrow-minded, shortsighted, uninformed, backward, racist bigot. It's all about education and the free flow of information. We have the MSM to blame for that, as well as the questionable nature/actions of politicians on both sides.
If the anti-war films fail at the box office and the better films succeed, then the industry leaders (who are businessmen, not politicians like some of the silly actors), then the industry learns that the public isn't buying into the nonsense. So reward the better films that aren't blabbing stupidity.
For example, Michael Bay's movies (Armegeddon, Transformers, The Island) are usually a lot of fun, and there's always stuff like Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Master and Commander, BlackHawk Down, True Lies, Fifth Element, Shakespeare in Love, Live Free or Die Hard, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. etc. etc. --just good entertainment.
And please remember that the outspoken Hollywood anti-war liberal actors are in a tiny, tiny minority compared to the majority of better actors and crew members who wisely keep their mouths shut and just do their jobs.
BTW: The best thing about Hollywood is nearby Van Nuys and Chatsworth, where all the "aspiring actresses" go when mainstream acting dreams don't pan out. *wink*
#14
ex-lib is right; to a point. while broadly painting all og Hwood as lost, there are indeed small rays of light coming through the murk; encourage those by paying to see the films and ignore those that crap on our values. the power of the pocketbook is the great equalizer and if a film goes right to DVD rather than enjoy an extended theater run time, then you can pretty much consider it a turkey. just my 2 cents.
Lawsuits could be putting "Ladies' Nights" at bars and clubs across the country on the rocks. In about two dozen cases, plaintiffs contend these drink and admission deals for women constitute discrimination against men and should be banned.
Roy Den Hollander is a spoilsport New York lawyer who hasn't been laid in a good long while says Ladies' Night drinks and admission specials are unconstitutional, and he says he's suffered personally.
"C'mon, please!?"
"No! Get lost, creep!"
Hollander is also a graduate of Columbia Business School and seems like a guy who should be able to get into a decent bar and afford the drinks. So what irks him?
"I'm tired of having my rights violated and being treated as a second-class citizen," said Hollander, who is seeking class-action status for his suit in federal court.
Whiny git. I bet he still uses Clearosil.
Tim Gleason, general manager of the China Club in New York, calls Hollander's complaint "pathetic" and echoes other club owners who argue that the discounts actually help both sexes by balancing out the ratio between men and women. Nevermind that some men are more than happy to pay for inequality in the ratio department.
Over the last 30 years, lawsuits stemming from promotions involving Ladies' Night have enjoyed considerable success in courts across the country where judges have held that single-sex discounts violate state and federal statutes guaranteeing equal protection under the law.
George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf, whose students have brought a Ladies' Night suit, says that these promotions are part of a broader class of gender-based price discrimination tactics like those used by hairdressers and dry cleaners who charge men and women different prices for the same service. In Washington, D.C., he hopes to pursue what he calls restroom equity or "squatter's rights" in which he will sue public venues whose restroom availability, though seemingly equal for both sexes, has a "disparate impact" on women who must deal with longer lines and wait times.
#4
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh....
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning
pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient
was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
#6
Feh. Welcome to the Kalifornia Sausage Factory, we've been staring at our shoes for years.
Posted by: ArmChair in sin ||
07/26/2007 6:05 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Ladies night is to get the men laid, asshat. Stop screwing it up for the rest of us because you have the pickup lines of a brain-dead morlock and don't get squat.
#8
To carry on with the theme started by zazz above, I was a witness to the following cross examination in a municipal court case. The Defendant was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The arresting officer was a "heavy set" female:
Defense Attorney: On direct examination you testified my client called you a FAT, UGLY, PIG when you placed him under arrest, correct?
Officer: Yes, he did.
Defense Attorney: Which part of my client's statement, if any, did you disagree with?
Now I'll give equal time to a police officer's great comeback to a defense attorney's question:
Q: "Officer -- did you see my client fleeing the scene?"
A: "No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away."
Q: "Officer -- who provided this description?"
A: "The officer who responded to the scene."
Q: "A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?"
A: "Yes, sir. With my life."
Q: "With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?"
A: "Yes sir, we do!"
Q: "And do you have a locker in the room?"
A: "Yes sir, I do."
Q: "And do you have a lock on your locker?"
A: "Yes sir."
Q: "Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?"
A: "You see, sir -- we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room."
Great comeback.....
Posted by: Mark Z ||
07/26/2007 12:22 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Roy Den Hollander is a spoilsport New York lawyer who hasn't been laid in a good long while says Ladies' Night drinks and admission specials are unconstitutional, and he says he's suffered personally.
This putz has obviously never fished or heard of stocking a pond....
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.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to boost relations with long-isolated Libya as he met with the oil-rich country's leader Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday as a reward for releasing six Bulgarian medical workers. Libya commuted their sentences to life in prison and allowed them to fly to Bulgaria on Tuesday, where they received a presidential pardon.
HAVANA (AP) - Raul Castro - not his convalescing 80-year-old brother Fidel - will give this week's Revolution Day address, the latest sign the defense minister's yearlong caretaker role is becoming much more permanent. 
Russia must strengthen its military and step up spying on the west in response to US plans to site parts of a missile defence shield in eastern Europe, President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday he might make a fresh bid for Turkeys presidency, in comments sure to stir unease in the countrys powerful secular establishment. 
WASHINGTON (AP) - A presidential commission on Wednesday urged broad changes to veterans' care that would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded. The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lawyers allegedly roughed up Khalil Malik, a television presenter and media adviser to some private organisations, on Wednesday for making derogatory remarks about the judiciary and the chief justice of Pakistan. According to witnesses, Malik was manhandled by several male and female lawyers when he arrived at the district courts for the hearing of a case filed against him by the District Bar Association (DBA) for his alleged anti-judiciary remarks. DBA President Khalid Ismail Abassi and other bar officials were able to pacify the angry crowd after Malik tendered an unconditional apology, both verbally and in writing. He also apologised before the court, after which DBA lawyers withdrew their cases against him. The lawyers had accused Malik of publishing and telecasting objectionable and insulting remarks about the judiciary and the CJP during the lawyers movement for judicial independence and the reinstatement of the CJP. Abbassi told SANA that the lawyers were very angry about Maliks remarks and that was why they pursued cases against him. He said although some people had misbehaved with Malik before his arrival, no member of the bar association or lawyer was involved.
Salman Rushdie
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