Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, has died at the age of 88.
The prime minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, hailed the the explorer as a "colossus". "The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived," Clark said. "But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi."
The New Zealander reached the summit of the Himalayan mountain on May 29 1953 alongside the Tibetan-born Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hillary led the New Zealand section of the Trans-Antarctic expedition from 1955 to 1958. In 1958 he also participated in the first mechanised expedition to the South Pole.
He devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal, where he helped build clinics, hospitals and 17 schools.
Last April, after returning from from a trip to Nepal, Hillary suffered a fall and was admitted to a hospital in Auckland.
British adventurer and environmentalist Pen Hadow said Hillary's death "closes one of the great chapters of planetary exploration. He was physically and metaphorically at the pinnacle of high adventure," said Hadow.
Because of Hillary's conquest of Everest "millions of people will know him and will and will be affected in some way by his passing".
#4
The news last night had an interview where he modestly said he was not a hero, and he was wearing a ballcap the was embroidered "Sir Ed". I took that as a sign of humility and humor...
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/11/2008 6:31 Comments ||
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#5
Climing the mountain was just the beginning. He went on to greater heights:
He devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal, where he helped build clinics, hospitals and 17 schools.
A class act, start to finish.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/11/2008 8:16 Comments ||
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#6
Her thighness claimed in 1995 that her mother named her after him. If so, she was prescient. HRC was born in '47. Sir Edmund accomplished his feat in '53. Another Clinton fantasy lie
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2008 9:23 Comments ||
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#7
The stuff of books and of Hollywood Frank. "Everest The White House and Beyond", etc. Der Hildebeast.... Tibetan Yaks, the zooooological connection is inescapble. If only Marlin Perkins were here to confirm.
#10
I have a copy of Sir John Hunts book, Our Everest Adventure at home. He wrote the account of the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest. The thing that always amazed me about it was that how everybody worked as a team for the effort, and that everybody did the grunt work of hauling supplies to advanced camps and supply dumps at high altitude. You did not have the care and feeding of hungry egos or prima donnas on that expedition.
Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay got the honor of the final assault on the summit. Hillary always maintained an air of humility, and paid respect to the team effort of the achievement.
He got international acclaim for the feat, but he gave back to Nepal, the Nepalese people, and mountaineering. One class act!
My dad and mom got to meet Ed and Louise (as they insisted they be called) at a get-together in Orinda, California, at a rock climbing group that we belonged to at the time in the early sixties. Dad remarked how a genuine down-to-earth fellow Hillary was.
Dad asked Hillary if he liked to *cough-cough* roll rocks, given a suitable venue, where it is safe and there is no area that could be damaged by the activity. Ed replied, Sure we do! Doesnt any good mountaineer? We like the ones that take six or seven blokes to shove off.
What a remarkable life Ed Hillary lived, and how greatly he has inspired others in his mountaineering and charitable activities. His passing is a milestone.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/11/2008 16:01 Comments ||
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Here is an update to the brief bee story we did a few weeks ago. Ive been keeping an eye on the Colony Collapse Disorder phenomenon that is causing a lot of furrowed brows in the U.S., as this may well become the biggest issue of 2007.
Things are getting dire on the U.S. agricultural front, and there are similar reports beginning to filter through from countries in Europe.
The sad mystery surrounding the humble honeybee - which is a vital component in $14bn-worth of US agriculture - is beginning to worry even the highest strata of the political class in Washington.
Hillary Clintons got interested in this in the last week or so, said David Hackenberg, the beekeeper leading the drive to publicise their plight.
And shes not alone, he said. Theres a lot of Congressmen have called wanting to know whats going on. Its serious. - BBC
Theres still no concrete evidence about what is killing the millions and billions of bees around the country, but there are a lot of guesses.
The phenomenon is recent, dating back to autumn, when beekeepers along the east coast of the US started to notice the die-offs. It was given the name of fall dwindle disease, but now it has been renamed to reflect better its dramatic nature, and is known as colony collapse disorder.
It is swift in its effect. Over the course of a week the majority of the bees in an affected colony will flee the hive and disappear, going off to die elsewhere. The few remaining insects are then found to be enormously diseased - they have a tremendous pathogen load, the scientists say. But why? No one yet knows.
The disease showed a completely new set of symptoms, which does not seem to match anything in the literature, said the entomologist.
the few bees left inside the hive were carrying a tremendous number of pathogens - virtually every known bee virus could be detected in the insects, she said, and some bees were carrying five or six viruses at a time, as well as fungal infections. Because of this it was assumed that the bees immune systems were being suppressed in some way. - The Independent
There are as many theories as there are members of the panel, but Mr Hackenberg strongly suspects that new breeds of nicotine-based pesticides are to blame.
It may be that the honeybee has become the victim of these insecticides that are meant for other pests, he said. If we dont figure this out real quick, its going to wipe out our food supply.
Just a few miles down the sunlit road, it is easy to find farmers prepared to agree with his gloomy assessment.
Dennis van Engelsdorp, a Pennsylvania-based beekeeper and leading researcher is adamant that it is too early to pin the blame on insecticides.We have no evidence to think that that theory is more right than any other - BBC
Urban sprawl and farming also have taken away fields of clover and wildflowers, as well as nesting trees.
Pesticides and herbicides used in farming and on suburban lawns can weaken or kill bees.
Caron said a new class of pesticides used on plants, called neonicotinoids, dont kill bees but hamper their sense of direction. That leaves them unable to find their way back to their hives.
Because these bees arent returning to their hives, researchers dont have a lot of evidence to study.
Those dead bees that have been found nearby have only deepened the mystery.
They are just dirty with parts and pieces of various diseases, said Jim Tew, a beekeeping expert with the OSU Extension campus in Wooster. It looks like a general stress collapse.
Similar disappearances have occurred over time. Tew said he remembers a similar phenomenon in the 1960s. Then, it was called disappearing disease.
It was exactly the same thing, he said.
But this one, Caron said, apparently causes hives to collapse at a much quicker rate and is more widespread.
Cobey said it could be from too much of everything: bad weather, chemicals, parasites, viruses.
If you give them one of these things at a time, they seem to deal with it, she said. But all of these things, its too hard.
I think the bees are just compromised. Theyre stressed out. - Columbus Dispatch
Whatever the cause, some farmers are getting desperate, to the point of not bothering to plant their crops.
The squash crops that we grow have a male and female bloom, and the bee has to visit to make it pollinate and produce, he said.
Were going to have a hard time finding rental bees to aid in this pollination and if its as critical as it looks like it will be, I probably wont even plant anything this spring. - BBC
Huge monocrop farming systems and specialisations, and the spread of suburbia across natural habitat, are removing natural diversity. Bees have been lumped together in the millions, in a factory farm type environment not so unlike that of our chickens and other livestock animals. Many of these bees are transported across several states to perform pollinations in orchards and farms around the country. Today they are in contact with substances they shouldnt have to deal with - pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and pollen from genetically modified crops. Researchers are scrambling to find answers, and as the spring season is upon us, time is running out.
Honey bees, which are not native to the U.S. incidentally (they were imported for crop pollination), are tasked with the pollination of approximately one third of all U.S. crops.
#3
Stalin, the report may be old but the problem hasn't gone away according to a special on tv night before last. One Beekeeper in New England report losing millions of dollars worth of Bees from their hives almost overnight.
#5
The native Orchard Mason Bees, which have species across the continent, are much better pollinators than honey bees. They will lay eggs in a block of 6"x6" wood nailed to a fence post with the proper size holes in it, or ready-to-hatch eggs can be ordered from breeders. The Orchard Mason Bees just don't make honey and wax honeycomb, and bee keepers aren't needed. There isn't any reason for the farmers to panic except they're accustomed to dealing with bee keepers instead of providing homes for the bees.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Snow fell on Baghdad on Friday for the first time in memory, and delighted residents declared it an omen of peace.
"It is the first time we've seen snow in Baghdad," said 60-year-old Hassan Zahar. "We've seen sleet before, but never snow. I looked at the faces of all the people, they were astonished," he said.
"A few minutes ago, I was covered with snowflakes. In my hair, on my shoulders. I invite all the people to enjoy peace, because the snow means peace," he said.
Traffic policeman Murtadha Fadhil, huddling under a balcony to keep dry, declared the snow "a new sign of the new Iraq."
"It's a sign of hope. We hope Iraqis will purify their hearts and politicians will work for the prosperity of all Iraqis."
The streets of the capital were largely empty as big, thick, wet flakes fell on Friday morning, a weekend day in Iraq. The temperature hovered around freezing and the snow mostly melted into grey puddles when it hit the ground.
But it was still lovely, said Mohanned Rahim, a baker: "This snow will bring pleasure to the people of Iraq. It's beautiful!"
MADONNA "HEY YOU" - HMMMMM, iff my dream/vision of future Guam holds true [usually does], one of his shipyard co-workers' grandmother just went to jail today for killing Guam Police Officer Frank Smith in a car acident. HMMMMM, IS THE FUTURE THE PRESENT OF THE PAST??? Beyond my lifetime.
D ***NG IT, BOYZ, SHE'S IN LOVE WITH A DEAD MAN ... HE'S A PIRATE! THE "MATRIX OF THE CARIBBEAN"???
An African Union mission to resolve a political crisis in Kenya that has killed 500 people ended in failure on Thursday as the president and opposition leader accused each other of wrecking talks.
AU Chairman John Kufuor said both sides had agreed to work with an African panel headed by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. But President Mwai Kibaki and opposition chief Raila Odinga neither met nor agreed how to end the crisis.
Controversy over Kibaki's re-election in a December 27 vote triggered political and ethnic bloodletting that has displaced 250,000 people, dented the stable reputation of east Africa's biggest economy and disrupted supplies to nearby countries. Odinga says Kibaki rigged the election.
Ghanaian President Kufuor, Washington's top Africa diplomat Jendayi Frazer and EU and British envoys met Odinga on Thursday to pile pressure on him and on Kibaki to reach a deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
A failed African mission indeed. How very extraordinary.
Kenya's world-famous carnivorous wildlife -- big cats and scavenger mammals and birds -- may have made off with and devoured the bodies of human victims of recent post-election violence, the Kenyan Red Cross said on Thursday.
"There are also an unspecified number of uncollected bodies due to accessibility difficulties, and it was feared the bodies may have been consumed by animals and birds of prey," the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said in a statement.
Aid workers fear that the Kenyan toll could overshoot at least 600 after they confirm the number of bodies in the bush mainly in the country's Rift Valley province, which hosts more than 80% of the 257 000 displaced. Police said 10 officers were killed in the chaos.
The society said at least 1 300 people had been injured across the East African nation.
"The destruction and loss of property and crops worth millions of shillings have aggravated the situation since many people are affected and lack their means of livelihood," the statement added.
"The affected communities cannot buy commodities after business premises were completely destroyed. Government peace building efforts are yielding fruit as calm slowly returns in the violence plagued areas," it added.
The KRCS said it was struggling to install water systems mainly in displaced people's camps in the Rift Valley towns of Nakuru, Molo, Cherengani and Kericho, where there was "a health threat".
The society said there was a measles case in Mola, a volatile district where rival sides clashed as late as early on Wednesday.
"The case is under close observation to minimise the risk of cross transmission, which is high in congested and poor immunity areas," the statement added.
Humanitarian health teams have been conducting "medical camps", across the Rift Valley region. "Common ailments that afflict the IDPs [internally displaced persons] include waterborne diseases, respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea," it added.
"IDPs living with HIV have no access to proper nutrition and antiretroviral treatment (ART). The sick and bedridden are also not accessing medication and food rations," the statement added, but did not give the number of patients.
In a statement published in newspapers, the health ministry told the HIV/Aids patients to be cautious.
"If you must interrupt your medication, keep a record of the date you stopped so that your clinician will be able to give you the best possible care when resuming ART," said James Nyikal, the director of medical services.
The government and the United Nations have expressed concern that several women were raped during the chaos and many are still admitted in the capital's Nairobi Women's Hospital.
"There are disturbing reports of victimisation of vulnerable groups including sexual abuse of and assault on women and children," the UN said in a statement.
Much of the fighting occurred in the Rift Valley province, home to a mosaic of tribes, and known as an "Arc of Fire" owing to repeated tribal fighting during electoral periods.
President Mwai Kibaki, visiting the region on Wednesday, pledged to assist the displaced and deliver justice to the perpetrators of the violence in the country.
Foreign governments have intensified diplomatic efforts to keep Kenya from sliding into chaos. The crisis has damaged Kenya's safe reputation in an unstable region of Africa and hurt economic sectors including tourism and tea.
African Union chief John Kufuor is in the country to talk Kibaki and opposition chief Raila Odinga out of the crisis, spurred by allegations that the president rigged his way to victory in the December 27 polls.
Kufuor, the Ghanaian president, was due to resume talks Thursday for a second attempt after failing to have the feuding sides end the crisis on Wednesday.
The UN says insecurity is choking attempts to deliver supplies to the affected zones in the country, home to 37-million people from over 40 tribes. - AFP
"There are disturbing reports of victimisation of vulnerable groups including sexual abuse of and assault on women and children," the UN said in a statement.
"And that's just from our staff!"
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/11/2008 7:34 Comments ||
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#3
"Circle of life", baaayybbbeee
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2008 9:28 Comments ||
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#4
That's how they used to do things back in the day.
#6
These idiots are raping AIDS victims?
The punishment sure fits the crime.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/11/2008 20:33 Comments ||
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#7
SCOOPS > GLOBAL GREENPEACE - AGRICULTURE [industrial] IS KILLING OUR CLIMATE [and by extens also the PLANET].
SO iff I understand GG's argument correctly, the UNO = future OWG must feed the masses by utilizing inadequate food production techniques - IOW, FEED 'EM BY STARVING 'EM???
AND NOW YOU KNOW, VIRGINIA, WHY GOOD DICTATORS PERSECUTE IFF NOT EXECUTE SCIENTISTS.
A special court yesterday sentenced former state minister for communications Salahuddin Ahmed to seven years' imprisonment for taking Tk 1 crore in bribe from a contractor.
The court acquitted former lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq, managing director of GQ Ball-Pen Industries Ltd, as the charge brought against him for abetting Salahuddin in extorting the money was not proved.
The Fifth Special Court of Judge Ashraf Hossain also fined Salahuddin Tk 1 crore, in default of which he will have to serve another year in jail. The court ordered confiscation of the money Salahuddin took as bribe.
The verdict was given under section 5(2) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 for abuse of power and corruption by taking bribes. Reading out excerpts from the judgment, the judge said the act of Saleem, who is currently absconding, in abetting Salahuddin either by instigating or conspiring or aiding was not proved and he is not found guilty.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2008 00:00 ||
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Georgian prosecutors on Thursday charged one of President Mikhail Saakashvili's most powerful opponents, Badri Patarkatsishvili, with plotting a coup and attempting to organize a terrorist attack.
The move, just days after Saakashvili won a presidential election the opposition said was rigged, could sideline the flamboyant tycoon from Georgian politics. He has been outside the country since November. "Arkady (Badri) Patarkatsishvili is charged with plotting a coup d'etat, organizing an attack on an official and organizing a terrorist attack," said a statement posted on the prosecutor-general's Internet site.
It said a court had frozen his personal bank account in Georgia and his relatives had been informed that he had to present himself at the prosecutor's office.
The West has been eyeing developments in Georgia closely. The country lies on the route of a pipeline which will soon pump 1 million barrels of Caspian Sea oil a day to world markets. A staunchly pro-Western ex-Soviet state, it is also the scene of a tussle for influence between Russia and the West.
The tycoon, who sports a distinctive silver moustache and co-owns Georgia's main opposition television station with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, was a driving force behind mass protests in November against Saakashvili's rule.
Patarkatsishvili left Georgia after Saakashvili ordered riot police to fire rubber bullets and tear gas at the protesters. On Thursday, one of Patarkatsishvili's advisers told Reuters the tycoon was in London.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2008 00:00 ||
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A French judge on Wednesday charged one of the six aid workers convicted in Chad for attempted child kidnapping with conspiring to allow illegal residents into France, his wife said.
Alain Peligat, considered the logistics chief of the Zoe's Ark charity,
faces up to 10 years in jail and 750,000 euros (one million dollars) in fines
if convicted of the crime, said his wife Christine Peligat.
Two other aid workers -- nurse Nadia Merimi and firefighter Dominique Aubry
-- were not formally charged and were still being considered as witnesses in
the case, their lawyers said. A judge was to decide whether to press charges against charity head Eric Breteau and two others on Thursday, a judicial source said.
Nearly seven years out office, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright pulls no punches bashing the Bush administrations handling of certain issues calling it one of Americas worst presidencies.
Albright gave President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney very poor marks and listed goals for the next president to do better that include embracing a global view of climate change.
This is a purely practical point here, and I think theres a lot of work to be done Albright said. And I think the judgment is that this is one of the worst presidencies weve had and people will wonder what it is that the role of the vice president is.
Albright spoke to a very supportive crowd on January 9 at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. to promote her new book Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership.
One of the areas Albright saw that the office of the presidency needed to improve upon was the diplomacy of global warming, climate change and energy issues. She said the next president needed to do a better job of being aware of the interests of other nations.
The final big set of issues has to do with that bundle of global warming, climate change, and energy issues, Albright said. Now if you look at those issues, it doesnt take a brain surgeon to know that they are the kind of issues that require international cooperation, which means the next president has to have a different style has to have the capability of dealing with other countries and being interested actually, in what their national interest is and in listening."
Albright served under former Vice President Al Gore, one of the staunch global warming cheerleaders who advocates a pledge that would require all developed nations to curb their greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent.
Albright also sees globalization as an issue the United States will have to come to grips with during the next presidency and the wealth disparity issues created from it.
There are people who come to my office and say, we have to stop globalization, Albright said. You cant stop globalization, but I think we have to figure out how to mitigate the worst aspects of it and the problems that have been created and I think one of the worst is that there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor.
Albrights message centered on the need for equality not just domestically, but also on a global scale.
If we were all rich, that would be very nice, Albright said. If we were all poor, it would be too bad, but we would be the same. What the problem is now is the poor know what the rich have as a result of information technology and the spread, generally, of knowledge. And, it creates a whole new host of problems in terms of disquiet and anger.
Albright appeared on the January 8 NBCs Today and promoted Democratic hopeful Hillary Clintons candidacy for the presidency.
I know Hillary Clinton very well and she is strong and has lot of resolve and I think would be a great commander-in-chief, Albright said. Just ask any of the military folks who have slaved worked for her or had their pictures taken with her.
#9
Selling her book, of course, and looking for a job in Hilly's White House.
I prefer to think of her as a really ugly Jimmy Carter.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/11/2008 12:06 Comments ||
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#10
Neville Chamberlain with tits.
Chamberlain was pursuing a full bore rearmament program while negotiating with Hitler. Albright danced a waltz with poofy hair over in Pyongyang. Albright is no Chamberlain - maybe an Arnold.
#11
Let's recall that it wasn't Churchill but Chamberlain who declared war on Germany and, I think, the Spitfire and Hurriacne program plus the building of a chain of radars was made when he was a PM.
In his "History of WWII" Churchill praises him for his efforts at preserving peace, it is true that he should have opned his eyese sooner but he ended opening them. He also tells an interessant story aboy Chamberlain. Far from being an effeminate aristocrat, he had been, when young, basically dropped alone on a Guadalcanal-like island and told to make something from it. And he succeeded. Then Churchill wonders athat if Hitler had known about Chamberlain's background he would respected him far more and been far more wearier of breaking the word ("No further territorial vindications") he had given him at Munich.
1 - James Buchanan - no contest
2 - Not Warren Harding - he wasn't great, but he's not 2nd worst
3 - Not US Grant - see Harding comment, much better General
4 - W H Harrison - you gotta survive
5 - Jimmah usually lands here
6- et alia - here's where the argument starts, and W really isn't even close, and probably doesn't have enough time left to mess up bad enough to get close.
More sad commentary - a list of worst Sec. State's would have controversy right from #1, and she's probably not in the running, but may be in the bottom 10.
Looks like Al is out hurting his own cause again.
Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman has apologized. Tiger Woods has accepted it. But the Rev. Al Sharpton says it isn't good enough. I'd say Tiger owns the rights, Al.
In events resembling the prelude to the fall(?!) of radio host Don Imus, Sharpton appears to be marshaling his forces for a fight with the Golf Channel, which suspended Tilghman on Wednesday for a racially insensitive statement made last week. I'd call it unaware, but go on.
Tilghman uttered the remark during coverage of Hawaii's Mercedes-Benz Championship on Friday, while she and and co-host Nick Faldo were bantering about how young golfers might challenge ever-dominant Woods. Faldo said, "To take Tiger on, well yeah, they should just gang up for a while until ..."
"Lynch him in a back alley," Tilghman interrupted with a chuckle.
Tilghman is a far cry from Imus, the morning show host who was canned after calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Unlike the disc jockey, who is known for his off color humor and outspoken remarks, she has no history of stoking racial tensions.
But Sharpton says it is the word -- not the person or their history -- that matters. In a Wednesday interview, he compared Tilghman's statement to calling for a woman to be raped or for a Jewish-American to be sent to a gas chamber. Depends on whether or not your objective is to try to stoke racial tensions, I suppose.
"Lynching is not murder in general. It is not assault in general. It is a specific racial term that this woman should be held accountable for," the reverend said. "What she said is racist. Whether she's a racist -- whether she runs around at night making racist statements -- is immaterial." Looks to me like you're trying to redefine the term, Al. Yes, there's a connotation, but not all are aware of it. I call it a good sign.
Sharpton said he wants Tilghman fired so he can put another feather in his cap, period. And if the Golf Channel doesn't comply, the network can expect to see Sharpton and his ignorant National Action Network supporters picketing its Orlando, Florida, headquarters.
At first, the channel said it had no plans to discipline Tilghman, who issued a statement saying she had apologized to Woods and wanted to further apologize to offended viewers for "some poorly chosen words."
Woods, who through his agent issued a statement saying he was friends with Tilghman and respected her, said, "We know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments."
A spokesman for IMG World said Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, would not be available for an interview, but it has been widely reported that Steinberg said Tilghman's remark was "a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."
But as word of Tilghman's remark circulated via the media and video clips made their rounds on the Internet, the Golf Channel reconsidered its stance on Wednesday, suspending Tilghman for two weeks. Perhaps people who disagree with the Golf Channel bending over like this ought to stop watching them until they "straighten up". And apologize for being poll-driven instead of truth-driven.
"There is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this," the network said in a statement. "While we believe that Kelly's choice of words were inadvertent and that she did not intend them in an offensive manner, the words were hurtful and grossly inappropriate." I'm hurt when they use the word golf. Ow.
Chat rooms and Internet message boards buzzed Thursday with calls for Tilghman's ouster. There were also a fair number of posts calling the remark "stupid" or "insensitive' but adding that Tilghman's intent did not seem racist. Those who have never inadvertantly that might offend a lunatic are invited to cast the first stone.
"Though her comments were ridiculously insensitive, they weren't spewed with malicious intent," reads one post on a Black Entertainment Television message board.
"Was it offensive? Yes. However, Tiger does not care, so why should I?" reads another.
Other remarks seemed to back Sharpton's stance. "YOU CANT TAKE IT BACK," reads one. Another says, "Fire her!!! Now!!!!" Yeah, just like your mothers CAN'T TAKE YOU BACK, either.
Kevin Miller, a newsradio host for KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said he believes Sharpton and his ilk are off base. Ilk? Heh heh. I don't even know where to begin on that one. Oh wait a moment, yes I do! His ilk are the type who would like to turn pity and fabricated indignation into money rather than do any work and live responsible lives. So they submit their souls to the likes of Al and pity themselves and support whatever crap comes out of his mouth in the hope that it furthers their cause of reaping the benefits of some kind of guilt for something that happened long ago that few alive today had any control over. Keep it up, boneheads, and you'll never amount to anything other than a royal pain in the a$$. Go out and be a Colin Powell instead of validating your foolish choice for an existance by passing your foolish ideas on to your kids. You make about as much sense as the "Palestinians" to me. Yes, there needs to be a watchdog to keep racist crap beaten down to a reasonable level, but the watchdog doesn't have to be rabid.
"What she said is wrong," Miller said of Tilghman's comment, which he called "flippant, adolescent, unfortunate." I say she has some serious respect for Tiger's game!
However, he added in Tilghman's defense, "you have to look at the intent." The "politically correct vigilantes" calling for her job are inciting divisiveness in the country when they should be building bridges, he said.
"Lynch" is the offensive word du jour, Miller said. Tomorrow, it could be a different word, he said, suggesting that Sharpton should issue a book of words that Americans can and can't say. Please be sure to include the word golf. Ow.
"The word keeps changing all the time," Miller said. "Maybe we should just apologize in advance for everything." Yeah, but even if Al's mom apologizes until she dies she still can't take him back.
But Sharpton insists it doesn't matter how profusely someone apologizes, no more than it matters who forgives Tilghman for her remark. Someday you'll have to stand before God, Al. I'll bet He can take you back.
"It's not about Tiger Woods. It's about the station. It's about using public airwaves to offend people," Sharpton said. "Some things are beyond the pale of discussion." You are on all kinds of mass media and you said the word pale! Something bad but politically correct needs to happen to you!
Tilghman's comment may have been a mistake, Sharpton said, but he feels it was evident of a deep-seated and well-cloaked racism. So well cloaked she doesn't even know she's racist. Now I even wonder about myself!
"I don't know why that would pop into her mind, but it popped out of her mouth, and she should be held accountable," the reverend said. I can't figure out why these thoughts about her choice of words pop into your "mind", Al. I am beginning to wonder about your motivations. Again.
Miller, conversely, feels it was an honest mistake, and she should be afforded a second chance, especially considering it was the first instance of her making insensitive remarks. A second chance? For what?
"I think it's a sad day in America when words can get people run from their jobs," Miller said. "I'm willing to send her a certificate of atonement for something she didn't do." Sorta makes me wonder why doesn't Al's choice of words get him run out of his "job". Not.
#1
This is the difference between a winner and a loser.
Tiger can laugh at anything, because he is not just the best, he is legendary in the sport. He could buy and sell Sharpton 30 million times over, and still tower over him.
Sharpton is on tape calling greeks homosexuals to a black audience. Heard it on Hannity about two weeks ago. Sharpton's a pathetic joke. Someone needs to end this guy.
#4
This is getting fuckin crazy, there are people hiding in the bushes ready to jump out and point their finger while yelling AHHHHAAA!!!!
Somebody ,please, for the love of god, retire Sharpton.
#5
I wonder if Mussolini realized what was being done to him in the last moments of his life was offensive to Al. Perhaps the Italians who strung him up should be made to apologize.
Sorry Al, you don't have an exclusive on the word.
#8
It's higher CO2 levels, gotta be. Al Gore, to a white courtesy telephone, please.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/11/2008 21:33 Comments ||
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#9
"Lynch him in a back alley," Tilghman interrupted with a chuckle.
"Was it offensive? Yes. However, Tiger does not care, so why should I?" reads another.
*************************************************
Thought Experiment...
"Lynch him in a back alley," Tilghman interrupted with a chuckle.
Golf TeeWee... or GTV & RD...
GTV: "Was it offensive RD?
RD: "Hell No. Tiger doesn't care, and it just so happens I don't care either, why should I anyway?"
GTV: " What if Kelly Tilghman called Tiger a Niger on the Air?"
RD: "I wouldn't give her extra credit for putting her Steel-Toed Skin-Head-Boots in her Mouth, but I certain ally wouldn't lose any sleep over it."
GTV: "If GTV punished Kelly Tilghman and fired her for saying the "N" word on Air even though Tiger forgave her would they be over-reacting?"
RD: "Not really, But I wouldn't fire for saying the "N" word literally...
I'd fire her for her lack of discipline and judgment and for not being aware that the words and the context she chose to use them on Air had a tremendous impact on our whole Business, millions of Paying Customers, millions of Cable Viewers and our Stock Holders"
#2
Bottom line, if Romney loses Michigan, he's out. If he wins, he stays in.
And we want Romney in, because the more Republican candidates we have fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for us. We want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan.
Hey, they figgered it out! Now maybe they'll see the advantage of Hilly, Breck-Boy and B.O. mud wrestling.
I figured Romney would win in his 'home state' anyway, so maybe Kos is just tryin' to take credit.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/11/2008 6:27 Comments ||
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#3
What they are forgetting is that most Republican gatherings don't degenerate into profanity spittled donnybrooks. Call it an evolution thing, if you like.
#4
Besides, I don't think you can vote in the Republican primary if you arent a Republican. And I don't think there are many repubs that live and die for what KOS thinks.
I'm not sure where to put this. It probably needs refiling!
A manufacturing defect blamed for the mid-air breakup of an F-15 Eagle fighter may cause the Air Force to ground a quarter of its fleet of those warplanes permanently, a top general said Thursday.
Gen. John Corley, the head of the U.S. Air Combat Command, said about 160 of the jets may never return to service after an investigation into the November 2 crash that left the plane's pilot seriously injured. The single-seat F-15C broke up in a 500-mph turn during a combat training mission over Missouri, with its fuselage breaking in half behind the cockpit, an Air Force probe of the crash determined.
Investigators concluded that a critical piece of the jet's airframe broke during the flight because of a manufacturing defect. A defective longeron -- a metal strut that runs lengthwise down the fuselage -- was cut improperly by the manufacturer, Boeing, and led to a series of cracks over the plane's lifespan, Corley said.
"Some of these airplanes will never return to flight," Corley said. "The age, the fatigue on these airplanes has been manifest as we looked under the hood extensively over these last two months."
The Air Force has been flying the twin-engine, supersonic F-15 since the early 1970s. The C model involved in November's crash is credited with 34 of the 37 "kills" credited to Air Force pilots in the 1991 Persian Gulf war, according to Thursday's report on the accident.
The service has about 700 F-15s in its fleet, all of which were grounded after the November crash. Most were returned to service after being checked out, but about 40 percent of the Air Force's 442 F-15 models A through D remain grounded.
"I flew these airplanes 30 years ago," Corley told CNN "This is a fleet of airplanes that's 25-plus years old on average. That constant pulling and pushing and twisting has also caused fatigue."
If the grounded planes are retired, the Air Force would still have about 240 of the older fighters and nearly 300 of the newer F-15E, a two-seat version used for ground-attack missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Investigators released the results of the Missouri crash at a news conference Thursday in the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton, home of the Air National Guard wing involved in the accident. The pilot, 37-year-old Maj. Stephen Stillwell, told reporters that his plane broke up in a turn that produced about eight times the force of gravity. "I had no idea what was happening," he said. "I knew something bad was happening, but I didn't know what it was."
Stillwell suffered a broken arm and still has problems with his shoulder. He credited his survival to the training he received. "You always prepare for the worst-case scenario," he said. "I think luck played a small part in it, but a large part of it was due to the training I received and my faith in God," said Stillwell, who is also a pilot for Northwest Airlines.
Col. Bob Leeker, the wing's commander, said the first four of his F-15s took off Thursday after receiving clearance. Six other planes in the 131st Fighter Wing have not been released, but three are expected to be once additional examinations are completed, he said.
The F-15 was first built by McDonnell-Douglas, and it's now manufactured by Boeing. The service is trying to determine whether Boeing would be liable for the defect after 30 years.
The A through D models are used in the United States for air-defense missions. After the initial grounding, the service had to move F-16s to cover for F-15 missions, and Canadians had to help cover missions over Alaska, according to Air Force officials.
The defect was discovered as the Air Force continues to fight for more advanced F-22 Raptors, seen as the future of the service's fighter fleet. Congress allowed the purchase of only 183 of the almost 400 the Air Force wanted, but the service continues to ask for another 200. Corley said suggestions that the service is trying to use the problems with the F-15 as leverage to get more of the Lockheed-built F-22s "makes me just outraged, because it's just flat wrong." Set them aside for use by those who believe believe it's true.
"I'm the one who looks into the eyes of the moms and dads, the sons and daughters, the husbands and wives that I put in that airplane," he said. "To think that I would put one of those individuals at risk, to almost kill one aviator and to risk other aviators, that is beyond my possible belief."
#2
Some of the longerons are too thin, or have ridges or rough surfaces that put too much stress on the structure, officials said. Some longerons diverge a small amount from design specifications, while others have larger flaws. $250K parts and labor
#4
OREGON AIR NATIONAL GUARD TAKES TO THE SKIES AGAIN AS SOME F-15 EAGLES ARE CLEARED FOR FLIGHT
Posted: January 9th, 2008 5:19 PM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/080109-F-8260H-027.jpg
EXPANDED CUTLINE INFO: First Lt. Tyler Cox of the 123rd Fighter Squadron, 142nd Fighter Wing conducts a post-flight inspection of his F-15 today at the Portland Air National Guard Base. Cox is among the first pilots at the base to be airborne after a series of stand downs that kept F-15 models A-D on the ground.
A Nov. 2 crash of an F-15 raised concerns about the safety of the F-15 fleet, and the entire U.S. Air Force fleet of F-15s stood down for a short time. Engineers have focused recently on the A-D models while allowing the E models to return to flight. Concern centered on the longeron, a critical support structure in the airframe. After intensive inspections some of the F-15 A-D models are now returning to flight, including several from Oregon.
There are two F-15 bases in Oregon: the 142nd FW at the Portland International Airport, and the 173rd FW at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls. The 142nd FW protects the skies for the Pacific Northwest from the Canadian border to northern California, and there are a total of 19 F-15s stationed there. The 173rd FW is one of two F-15 training bases with 25 F-15s assigned.
The 173rd FW will resume flying operations Jan. 10.
For additional information on the return to flight, go to www.acc.af.mil.
See the F-15 fact sheet at: http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=101
PHOTO CREDIT: Official U.S. Air Force Photo by Oregon Air National Guard Sr. Amn. John Hughel, Jr.
Contact Info: Major Mike Braibish 503-584-3886 or cell 503-932-5805
#5
from the link provided in KBK's comment (#2) F-15s originally were designed to last 4,000 flight hours, then were upgraded to last 8,000 flight hours. The F-15 that crashed had been flown for 6,000 flight hours.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/11/2008 12:01 Comments ||
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#6
Airframe fatigue is something that no amount of posturing can erase; design life is computed at the beginning. THe armed forces are often mandated to fly aircraft past their original design life for a variety of reasons and they do an admirable job of managing these assets. The cost / benefit ratio for fixing these older F-15s doesn't warrant repair.
When the A-6 Intruder first fell out of the sky after losing a wing, the entire fleet was grounded for inspection; depending upon the severity of the cracks ( if any) the a/c was either grounded until a new center wing section was installed, or restricted to a 3G flight condition or left as a fully unrestricted bird. These flyers then were periodically inducted into re inspection programs to monitor the growth of any cracks. Other than the first one, there were no more losses to do wing fatigue. Lessons learned from the Intruders were applied to the Prowlers when their wings started showing similiar problems.
#7
Since the average mission of an F-15 lasts from two to four hours, that means an aircraft with 6000 hours has flown from 1500 to 3000 missions. That means 1500 to 3000 take-offs and landings, enough aerial refuelings to become comfortable with the procedures, high-speed turns, rocket-like acceleration to altitude, etc. That puts a lot of stress on man and machine. Considering that each pilot is lucky to get 100 missions a year, that means each pilot gets a maximum of 2000 to 4000 hours of flying during his career. The aircraft, of course, can be shared by as many as three or four pilots in an ANG or Reserve situation. It doesn't take much of a manufacturing defect to work into a major problem over the course of a lifetime. The wonder isn't that the planes are suffering metal fatigue, but that they've lasted as long as they have.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2008 14:04 Comments ||
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#8
Buy lockheed and Boeing. The Air Force is about to get some more money for F-22s.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2008 14:08 Comments ||
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#9
When O'Bama becomes President everyone will be our friends and we won't need to make war-no-mo'.
#10
20-30 years for a fighter aircraft is a wonderful thing. The F-15s are getting old and will fall apart with more frequency. It is just a fact of life. Replace them with the F-22 or wait until the F-35 comes out and then replace 'em. Either way, the F-15 is long in the tooth and due for retirement.
Fraud and abuse have reached unexpected levels at the UN, an internal investigative unit has said. Investigations are curently being undertaken into about 250 alleged financial and sexual offences, highlighting the scale of possible impropriety afflicting the world body.
Inga-Britt Ahlenius, head of the UN office of internal oversight services (OIOS), said in a press conference: "Our caseload has been very steady over the last three months, around 250 cases.
"We found mismanagement and fraud and corruption to an extent we didn't really expect."
Two-thirds of cases being reviewed related to peacekeeping missions and about 80 were investigating alleged sexual exploitation and abuse.
Ahlenius said that investigators had already discovered that fraud was present to some degree in contracts worth about $600 million. So far 25 reports on mismanagement, fraud and corruption have been submitted to the UN's management by OIOS and its procurement task force.
Robert Appleton, head of the procurement task force, a temporary body established in 2006 after corruption was exposed in the UN oil for food programme in Iraq, said the the number of irregular contracts was not significant and many allegations could not be supported. Appleton said: "There's no question that some of the large contracts here have been tainted, but in terms of the number of contracts, it's not anywhere near the majority."
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said on Monday that the international body needed greater investigative powers to probe its own activities and root out fraud.
This comes after Ban was criticised for awarding a single-source contract worth $250 million to a unit of US defence firm Lockheed Martin Corp without competitive bidding. Ban said he was permitted to award such contracts in exceptional cases where the the supplier could deliver in short notice. "Al Jazeera. We report the news, because your news media refuse to."
#2
"There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference."
John Bolton
#4
Robert Appleton, head of the procurement task force, a temporary body established in 2006 after corruption was exposed in the UN oil for food programme in Iraq, said the the number of irregular contracts was not significant and many allegations could not be supported.
Good work, Bob. Spoken like a true UNeuch. I think we've found the perfect man for the job...
Top Science Story of 2007 # 61. Quantifying Global Warming is #21.
Earth is running out of soil. At least thats the conclusion of a new study supporting the long-held belief that current farming practices are causing soil to erode more quickly than new soil can be produced.
The best way to measure the effects of farming is a before-and-after comparison of soil erosion on the same kind of land, looking at both cultivated and wild-growing areas. David R. Montgomery of the University of Washington compiled the data and published his findings last August. On average, he found, plowed land erodes at slightly more than 1 millimeter per year, while new soil builds up at about 0.2 millimeter per year. Montgomery calculates that cultivated soil becomes exhausted, depending on original thickness, within 500 to several thousand yearsa number correlating reasonably well with the life spans of civilizations around the world.
Soil erosion is one of the least appreciated but most important environmental challenges we face, Montgomery says. Its every bit as important as global warming. And part of the problem with both these things is the slow timescales over which problems accumulate.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/11/2008 12:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Actually soil erosion is a big concern in the geologic community. And all these wackjobs and their 'organic foods' make it far worse. Organic farming is about 3 times more damaging than normal. Don't EVER mention organic farming around my professors, unless you want a profanity laced lecture;)
#3
No pesticides mean that in order to get the same yield of traditional farming, you have to plant about 1/3 more crops. Since they don't use 'chemical fertilizers', they have to use manure. This increases the health risk to the public for E. Coli and other diseases and they also leave alot of salts in the soil which then have to be flushed with more water. And since organic pesticides and fungicides are less efficient, you have to use about 7 times as much and those also pose a health risk in and of themselves. And since you have to plant more acres with less hardy types of plants, you have to water more often as well. So they use more land, far more water and have increased risk of disease transfer to humans. Add to that, many of these farms are in water starved areas such as California, the relative amount of resources they are using far exceeds any supposed benefit.
And if you think you're sticking it to big business by buying organic foods, take a close look at who is producing it. It's another cash cow for the big corps, which you know, is just capitalism:)
So if all you are after is the taste difference, try to find the local farmers so you can skip out the long transit times from field to table. Or start your own garden for fresh veggies.
What a radical concept man. So simple most people probably missed that one. When I was a kid my mother always had a small garden in the back yard of our suburban house. It made as much as we could consume, and I remember her canning various things besides.
Posted by: Bill Phuns5250 ||
01/11/2008 16:01 Comments ||
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#7
If you're in my neighborhood, stop by for some lemons & satsumas (tangerines) - still a good number on the two trees, so take a sack. All natural, all organic (no fertilizer and no pesticide - don't seem to need it.)
#8
So which is the bigger danger - an atmosphere composed completely of carbon dioxide or the entire planet eroding way? 'Cause I'd hate to waste my time worrying about the wrong thing.
#10
One of the fastest ways to improve arid, alkaline soil was discovered some years ago: Styrofoam peanuts. When plowed into desert soil, they act as catch basins for water, but don't inhibit drainage.
This allows decomposition fertilizers the moisture to do their job--which otherwise would either run off or drain away. Farmers can use much less water in the process. After a time, the microorganisms tend to acidify the soil.
(AKI) - Iran's supreme court has confirmed that two youths, found guilty of rape will receive 100 lashes each before being cast off a cliff - an ancient Islamic punishment - local media reported. The reports named the youths as Tayeb and Yazdan. "This is a chilling sentence," said Iranian human rights activist and lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah. "Iranian jurisprudence allows alternative punishments to those prescribed by Islamic law, but many judges ignore them, " Dadhkhah said.
Iranian magistrates in recent weeks sentenced several people to punishments that had been in abeyance, he said. As recently as last week in Iranian Balochistan, five minority Sunnis had their hands and feet amputated, he noted.
All five Sunnis were found guilty of the crime of 'moharebeh' or enmity towards Allah. The highly vague definition of 'enemy of God' ranges from homosexuals and drug traffickers to supporters or members of armed groups opposed to the regime. Iran in the past two days hanged seven people for drug trafficking. In 2007, it executed at least 297 people, according to campaign group Amnesty International.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[16 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
hey they cathching up with texas in capital punishment, just in cruel ways
#2
Cast off a cliff?
That's a new one on me, but why do they lash them first?
Better yet, why don't they lash them, cut off their junk and throw it off a cliff, then throw them off a cliff.
They are rapists after all, and seems to me to get convicted of rape in a sharia court your would have to have 4 eye witnesses to testify against you, so you are probably guilty as all hell if you get convicted in Iran.
#3
Actually, the "off a cliff" routine was used in pre-christian Rome for the crime of parricide - the perp went into a bag with some critters (not sure but I think a snake, fox and rooster) and then the bag went off a certain cliff one one of the Roman hills.
So their jurisprudence is even farther behind the times than the rest of their culture by about 800 years.
#4
I'm just speculating, but the sentence handed down suggests to me the two "youths' may be homosexuals. When is the last time you heard of a muslim put to death for raping a female?
I know we've been assured by the highest authorities in Iran that there are no gays in Iran. I'm thinking maybe the vice police may have the last two.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
01/11/2008 14:05 Comments ||
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#5
I was thinking the same thing. If it was a woman, they'd be tossing her off a cliff.
The economic downturn in the US is starting to hit government revenues, the head of the Congressional Budget Office has told the Financial Times.
In an interview, Peter Orszag, the CBO director, said the slowdown is showing up in revenue. Tax receipts were softer across revenue as a whole but the slowing is most marked in corporate tax receipts.
Mr Orszag said any further deterioration in growth would have a still larger effect on tax revenues.
Revenues disproportionately fall when income weakens and rise when income strengthens, he said, in part because of the progressive tax code.
His comments echo warnings by the International Monetary Fund that the credit crisis and weaker growth outlook will have an effect on public finances in many countries, including the US.
The CBO director said the slowdown in tax receipts was sharpest with respect to corporate income tax receipts, because the growth there between 2003 and 2007 was so dramatic.
Corporate tax receipts more than doubled from 1.2 per cent of gross domestic product in 2003 to 2.7 per cent in 2007, surprising experts including the CBO.
Mr Orszag said one big reason for this increase was the rise in the share of national income going to corporate profits at the expense of owners of debt and labour.
Since debt is tax preferred relative to corporate profits, that has a significant effect on tax receipts. The corporate profit share, he said, would likely decline in response to a weaker economy undermining corporate tax receipts.
Some economists believe that, in addition to cyclical factors, the repricing of credit under way in financial markets could also lead to a shift in the national income share back from corporate profits to debt.
If this happened, corporate tax revenues could surprise on the downside even relative to growth in the coming years, just as they surprised on the upside in the past few years. Mr Orszag declined to comment on whether this might happen.
#1
If you want to see the economic future, look at Illinois. Our tax revenues began to decline three years ago and show no sign of recovery. Last year and this year government workers will be laid off wihout severance packages.
but on the bright side, inflated insider no bid contracts continue.
Posted by: George Thriper4174 ||
01/11/2008 1:08 Comments ||
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#2
Our tax revenues began to decline three years ago and show no sign of recovery.
Illinois tax revenues began to decline decades ago when the attitudes of politicians in Springfield bosses in Chicago began to shift in favour of higher workman's compensation, higher corporate taxes, and unemployment insurance. Illinois manufacturing and industry, already under fire from glabalization and cheap imports started leaving in droves, as did potential wage earnings and tax payers. Illinois is a classic example of a state controlled by a corrupt, socialist megalopolis (downstate rural counties be damned), bent on migration to an anarchistic, third world economy.
#4
ION, SPACEWAR > WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM - HIGHEST LEVELS OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES FOR AT LEAST A DECADE; + WALKER'S WORLD - THE UNION OF THE WEST, + ANALYSTS: US MISSLE SHIELD MEANS A CHANGE IN [National-Global]STRATEGY.
Dubya wins the GWOT, but loses America to Socialism???
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.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Snow fell on Baghdad on Friday for the first time in memory, and delighted residents declared it an omen of peace.
Fraud and abuse have reached unexpected levels at the UN, an internal investigative unit has said. Investigations are curently being undertaken into about 250 alleged financial and sexual offences, highlighting the scale of possible impropriety afflicting the world body.
