Zimbabweâs colour TV may also ban pink, purple, white and green
By John Scott
"Red is just the start," said Solly Solinga, spokesperson for Zimbabwean Television, when I phoned him about the decision to ban that colour from the countryâs TV screens because it symbolised the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party. "We have other colours in mind, too."
"But there is red in so many things," I argued. "You canât simply ban it out of the spectrum." Logic is also banned; didnât you get the memo?
"We can do what we like with the spectrum, whatever that is," said Solly. "We are not bound by Western concepts (blame it on Whitey - Ed.). Besides, red also signifies other hateful things to our revered president. It is the colour of London buses, so beloved by our former colonial oppressors. There is also the red herring of human rights abuses, when everyone knows our people have never been happier. Worst of all is when our enemies claim our national finances are in the red, so envious are they of our favourite colour, black." But red is the color of the blood that pours from the open wounds of your enemies, Bob, and the people youâre starving to death...
#1
What about blue? That's the same color as the sky of the Colonizing Powers(TM)! And don't get started on the blue in the flags . . .
I find this absolutely hilarious. And I'm actually surprised the Muslims haven't tried this yet, declaring certain colors unIslamic and issuing fatwas calling for the destruction of any object of those shades.
The ignorance of science, logic, and reality is mind-boggling. It would be sad if it wasn't on such a big scale.
Posted by: The Doctor ||
07/15/2004 14:07 Comments ||
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"And I don't like the gannet. It wets its nest."
#3
Recall in the 1960s movie, Bananas, where the dictator, a not so subtle immitation of Fidel Castro immediately ordered all citizens to wear their underwear on the ouside of their pants, so the state could watch what was going on.
Staff Writer for the Arab Press
One of the biggest drug dealers in Saudi Arabia, 43-year-old Jaza Al-Ruwaili, spoke to the press recently about his experiences after he decided to end his dealing career and mend his ways. His departure from the scene caused major financial losses to other drug dealers. On an average, he used to distribute more than 200,000 speed pills a month and that he both used and distributed drugs for 28 years, Al-Ruwaili told Al-Watan daily recently. He was arrested many times and spent one year in jail the last time. As the local middleman, he would receive imported drugs from big dealers and distribute them to the street level and small-time vendors in the Kingdom.
Good thing he wasn't a Pak, huh? They'd have cut his head off...
When he was finally caught, anti-drug officials found him in possession of more than more than 30 tablets of âspeedâ. The officials offered him a deal â his cooperation in exchange for his release. As a result of Al-Ruwailiâs information, police were able to seize more than 35,000 pills from other dealers, the paper said. Al-Ruwaili told the police that most drugs come from outside Saudi Arabia but that he only sold to drug dealers inside the Kingdom. He admits to dealing in a variety of drugs, but described the worst as tablets of âspeedâ mixed with heroin. These, he said, originally came from Germany concealed in packing crates, but later other competing sources â Turkey, Israel and Iran â provided a steady stream.
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 5:45:43 PM ||
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Cultural tourism will be the focus of a massive restructuring of the Kingdomâs cultural and antiquities sector and the cornerstone of the national tourism policy, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said in Barcelona yesterday. Get your tickets, they are going fast lolol
Speaking at the opening session of the Barcelona Forum for Culture held in the Spanish city, Prince Sultan said: âWe are not alone in this (focus on cultural tourism). According to the World Tourism Organization, all nations are embracing the increasing interest among world travelers in learning and experiencing other cultures. Cultural tourism today is one of the largest and fastest growing forms of tourism.â This trend, he pointed out, is expected to continue as increased communications make it possible âfor us to learn about each other and to talk to each other, and as advances in transportation make it easier for us to go to distant places and experience each otherâs cultures.â The theme of the session, headed by Prince Sultan, was tourism promotion as a means of promoting peace, cooperation and the preservation of cultural diversity as a catalyst for sustainable development. He was attending the session at the invitation of the governor of Barcelona.
Senior officials in charge of tourism from a number of countries, as well as senior executives of World Tourism Organization, are attending the forum devoted to tourism, cultural diversity and sustainable development. Earlier, Prince Sultan told Arab News that SCT has surveyed 6,000 sites in the Kingdom, of which 1,675 sites have been identified as being rich in terms of their tourism potential. The survey determined the need for developing their infrastructure facilities and natural resources. He said the commission would continue to encourage private sector participation in the development of tourism. Elaborating on his statement, he said there will be four major components of the cultural tourism plan: urban heritage, development of archeological sites, handicrafts, and promotion of âintangible heritage like poetry and folklore.â SCT is committed to supporting local handicrafts and participating in the local festivals, he added.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 5:43:29 PM ||
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APPLICATIONS to British universities from students in the new member states of the European Union have more than doubled in a year. The number seeking places on degree courses in Britain has risen from 1,332 last year to 3,174, Ucas, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, said yesterday. Ten countries joined the EU on May 1, making their students eligible to be treated on the same terms as home undergraduates for tuition fees in Britain. They are: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Instead of paying up to £16,000 a year, students from these countries now face a maximum annual tuition charge of £1,125 for courses. Many will have that fee paid by the British Government because their parental income is likely to be less than £21,475 a year.
Cyprus recorded the biggest rise, up by 819 to 1,774, making it the fastest-growing and twelfth largest source of foreign applicants to British universities. The increase in interest from the new member states contributed to a 30 per cent rise in EU applications to 20,440 this year. Applications from the rest of the world rose by 7 per cent to 54,607. China accounted for one in five of them, making it the largest single source of overseas applicants to British universities. Applications from British students aged under 21 rose by 1 per cent to almost 307,000. There was a 2 per cent rise among those aged 21 to 24, to 36,152, while applications from mature students rose by 4.1 per cent to 40,763. Total applications for entry to universities in September rose by 2.9 per cent to 450,147, with the number of women growing at twice the rate of men. Ucas said there were an extra 9,050 female and 3,482 male applicants this year, an increase of 3.8 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively. Women now far outnumber men in applications for full-time degree courses: some 246,000 women are seeking places against 204,000 men.
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07/15/2004 7:44:05 PM ||
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Muammar Gaddafi and his female bodyguards are going to take centre stage in a British opera. The Libyan leader will be featured in a new production by the English National Opera. The part of Gaddafi is likely to be played by a rap star in the ultra-modern spectacle. The ENO has asked hip-hop collective Asian Dub Foundation to create the music with rapper, JC001, expected to play the part of Gaddafi. The company is planning to show the Libyan leaderâs journey from pariah to statesman. That will mean covering many contentious subjects, not least the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of Wpc Yvonne Fletcher.
And the Asian Dubâs guitarist, Chandrasonic, has admitted they are still working out how to deal with those and other issues. He said he wanted to look at Gaddafiâs attempts to "update the Koran with democratic, radical proposals". The performance is another attempt by the ENO to reach out to new audiences to cut its multi-million pound debt. Last month the opera company performed the third act of Wagnerâs "Die WalkÃŒre" to thousands of rock fans at the Glastonbury music festival.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 6:45:35 PM ||
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I always thought of Gaddafi as a Pirates of Pansy type.
Posted by: ed ||
07/15/2004 19:15 Comments ||
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World In Jihad
Hello!.. I'm Osama Bin Laden. That's right, the evil Muslim. Recently I've been getting a bad press in the western world, and I think that's unjustified. My exploits in killing 300 people in the US embassies attack and the Riyadh car bomb can be understood, I believe, as nothing but a mere PR problem. As I sat last night in my tent near Jalalabad, a gun in my hand, I wondered how I could rectify this situation via popular means. And suddenly I remembered that nadir of Western capitalist culture; John Barnes's rapping on the 1990 New order World Cup song "World In motion". Instantly, the fate of the world muslim revolution was secure. the following song was co written by Keith Allah. n.
Explode yourself!
The West thinks I'm mad
We know we can win Don't give up the jihad
Explode yourself!
Its man on bus
Explode yourself!
Its U.S. v.s. us
Explode yourself!
You can't be wrong
When Mohammed's on your side
Its just Mujahadin fun
Jihad's got the world in motion
And I know what we can't do
Smoke drink drugs, or even eat pork
And I can't believe its true
Jihad's got the world in motion
And I know what we must do
Kill all Americans whether civilian or military
And I can't reprieve those jews
[Rap]
You detonate the bomb
But do it at the right time
You can be slow or fast
But kill 300 and 9
They'll always scud you and hurt you
Defend and attack
Theres only one way to beat them
Blow their East African embassies to cack
So Catch me if you can
I'm in hiding in Afghanistan
And what you're firing at
Is a baby food factory in Sudan
We ain't no Taliban
This ain't a football song
Three poundsa semtex on my chest
I know we can't go wrong
[Chorus]
We're killing for Islaam {Is-ser-laam}
We're killing for fun
We're killing for Islaam {Is-er-laam}
Aallah-akhbar its bomb bomb bomb
We're killing for Islaam {Is-ser-laam}
We're killing for fun
We're killing for Islaam {Is-er-laam}
Aallah-akhbar its bomb bomb bomb
We're killing for Islaam {Is-ser-laam}
We're killing for fun
We're killing for Islaam {Is-er-laam}
Aallah-akhbar its bomb bomb bomb
Richard Tyrone Jones 2000 Performed in Footlights Spring Revue
Original Lyrics
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 19:33 Comments ||
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#5
Ima thinking Lil Kim for Mo's Favorite Fembot
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 19:34 Comments ||
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Of the 1,000 Dutch naval personnel stationed in the Netherlands Antilles to combat the international drugs trade, 15 have been arrested so far this year for allegedly trafficking narcotics, it was revealed Thursday.
Getting a little too close to their work
Fifteen of 'em, is it! By Gawd, that's 15 percent of 'em... Errrr... No. Wait a minute. It's 1.5 percent. That's not high on my list of significant percentages...
Another 30 have been detained by the military police for a range of crimes, including serious assault, intimidation, vandalism and theft, newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported.
Damm Dutch, who do they think they are, Americans?
3 percent of 'em, anyway. Presumably the other 97 percent spend their time whittling wooden shoes...
The Dutch Royal Navy confirmed to the newspaper that eight marines have been set home this year from the Caribbean for drug possession or drug dealing. Jean Debie, of the military trade union VBM/NOV suggested that information from the navy itself indicated about 50 service personnel had been accused of law-breaking. The 15 mentioned referred to cases judged too serious to deal with by internal disciplinary action. Last year, the navy sent eight to 10 people home for possessing or trafficking drugs in the Netherlands Antilles. A naval spokesperson explained that personnel caught with soft drugs while serving in the Antilles were given a warning and sent home due to the fact they were there to combat drugs. Discharge from the service would follow if the person was caught a second time and anyone caught with hard drugs would be dismissed automatically.
"Take yer stash and get out!"
The Netherlands Antilles is made up of five islands â Curacao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius â which were at the heart of the Dutch slave trade until abolition in 1863.
Ummm... How many of the 50 were trading slaves?
The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, are two of the three parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
I must have missed this in history class.
Shoulda had your slave read it to you...
The Caribbean islands are considered transit points for drugs coming from South America destined for Europe and the US. The Netherlands is responsible for the defence of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. As the Caribbean islands do not have any territorial disputes, the Dutch naval contingent â made up of 300 marines and 700 other naval personnel â stationed on the Netherlands Antilles spends its time trying to talk vacationing elementary school teachers out of their bikinis is bored most of the time involved in combating drugs trafficking.
And doing a bang-up job of it too.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/15/2004 2:15:36 PM ||
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So, who's ass do you have to kiss to pull this duty? Sweet, really sweet. Let's see, Aruba or Bosnia, which would I choose?
via The Globe and Mail - EFL
To the apparent disappointment of the AP reporter, "95 per cent of private-sector employees in Lima and 89 per cent nationwide reported for work" - Cool. Peruvian general strike fizzles
AP - Wednesday, Jul 14, 2004
Lima â Peruvians went to work in large numbers Wednesday, turning their backs on calls for a nationwide strike by a Marxist-led labour federation to protest President Alejandro Toledoâs free-market policies. The General Confederation of Peruvian Workers, the countryâs largest labor federation, sought to paralyze the nation by urging workers to stay at home. But most Peruvians made it to their jobs despite a shortage of public buses early in the day. ...more...
Perhaps Peru will be a winner, perhaps not. The picture painted by this reporter was a sad biased hack job. I hope the Peruvians are smarter than the AP and Shining Path believe them to be.
Posted by: .com ||
07/15/2004 12:33:44 AM ||
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re: Shining Path - to be any form of commie is dumb, but to be a Maoist is REALLY dumb.
The United States is "sympathetic" to accused Army deserter Charles Jenkins' health problems and may not immediately take him into custody if he comes to Japan for medical treatment, the U.S. ambassador to Japan said Thursday. However, Howard Baker, speaking to a small group of reporters at the U.S. Embassy, said the United States still considers Jenkins a deserter and would "pursue its rights" in a case against him. But Baker said Washington had not yet decided when to seek custody of Jenkins, who disappeared from his U.S. Army unit near the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea in 1965 and has lived in North Korea ever since. "The United States is sympathetic to his health condition and his family's circumstances," Baker said.
THE Federal Government will take no action against Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin over his recent wildlife foray in Antarctica. The Government was investigating whether Mr Irwin got too close to whales, seals and penguins while filming a documentary in Antarctica earlier this year. Prime Minister John Howard said today that no action would be taken against Mr Irwin, nor would a warning be issued to the Queensland-based self-proclaimed Wildlife Warrior. "I have been told that after a proper examination a decision has been taken that no action of any kind is necessary," Mr Howard said Sky television. "Obviously the detail of that decision will be announced and explained by the (Environment Department) but that is the advice I received this morning." Mr Howard rejected any suggestion the Government had gone soft on Mr Irwin due to his celebrity status. "That is an absurd thing to say," he said. "That is unfair to the Environment Department and itâs unfair to Mr Irwin. "The matter was examined properly and that was the conclusion."
Posted by: tipper ||
07/15/2004 12:38:18 AM ||
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Meanwhile, on the icy continent, a penguin mourns for her lost love, the touch of his hand, the sound of him crying out "Crickies!" in the heat of passion.
Lance Armstrong finished ninth in Thursdayâs stage of the Tour de France and accused French reporters of trying to rummage through his hotel room in hopes of finding evidence of doping. Frenchman David Moncoutie won the 11th stage. Countryman Thomas Voeckler kept the overall leaderâs yellow jersey, still 9 minutes, 35 seconds ahead of the sixth-placed Armstrong. Armstrong, bidding for a record sixth straight Tour de France title, said a French television crew attempted to get access to his room after he left to race in the 102-mile stage from Saint-Flour to Figeac in central France. "Just this morning, after we left, a TV crew from France 3 was going to the hotel, the reception, to the owner, asking for our room, trying to get in our room," Armstrong said.
He called such behavior "scandalous" and said he was scared that products could be planted to make him look guilty. "They show up and they ask sporting questions to our face, but as soon as they leave theyâre digging in the rooms and looking for dirt," he said. "If you left a B vitamin sitting there, that would get on TV and that would be a scandal. Thatâs what we have to live with every day. This particular guy from France 3 has been following us for months and itâs scandalous. The scary thing is, if they donât find anything and get frustrated after a couple of months ... well, whoâs to say they wonât put something there and say âlook what weâve found.â" Solution - Punch the bastard out or have one of your bodyguards do it and claim self-defence.
Moncoutie captured his first stage victory in five Tours by breaking away from the pack with two other riders and then leaving them in his wake as he rode alone over the last few miles to the line. He was the second French rider to win in two days. Richard Virenque won the 10th stage on Wednesday -- Franceâs Bastille Day national holiday. Another French rider, Jean-Patrick Nazon, also won a stage in the first week. "To win a Tour stage is fabulous," said Moncoutie, who comes from the region crossed by Thursdayâs route. "It was one of my dreams." Armstrong was in a group that finished 5:58 behind Moncoutieâs mark of 3 hours, 54 minutes, 58 seconds. That group also included Armstrong rivals Jan Ullrich, Iban Mayo, Tyler Hamilton and Ivan Basso. Armstrong and other top favorites saving themselves for the punishing and probably decisive stages in the Pyrenees and Alps did not chase Moncoutie, letting him surge ahead. Voeckler is expected to lose the lead to the Tourâs top riders in the mountain stages, with the first Pyrenean stage Friday.
Posted by: Raj ||
07/15/2004 11:44:28 AM ||
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The editor of the Flemish centre-right Standaard newspaper, Peter Vandermeersch, sent an open letter to his colleagues after the elections on how to best deal with the Blok.
In it, he comments on the sociological profile of newsrooms; most journalists are university-educated, tend to be left-wing and usually live in problem-free areas, and are out of touch with difficult areas, he says.
Sounds like journalists all over the world, particularly at the NYT, LA Times and WaPo. And we wonder why the coverage we get is so slanted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2004 11:12 Comments ||
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Interesting. How do you get from
a plan for immigrants "who display 'criminal behaviour' and those who are in the country illegally to be sent back to their country of origin; to make it harder for immigrants to obtain Belgian nationality; and for those in Belgium 'to adapt and respect our laws'...and thinking 'people should learn the language and should be prepared to take an oath for their children to become Flemish or European people'"
to the accusation of racism? More sloppy thinking.
I'm glad to see that Belgium is at least willing to upset the PC crowd by speaking the "unspeakable" truth and confronting a national problem directly.
Education authorities in Milan have blocked a plan by a local public school to create a separate class for Islamic students, a decision that fueled an ongoing debate over the role of Muslims in this predominantly Catholic nation. The decision Tuesday came after days of raging controversy in Milan. Over the past months, two other cases have made headlines in Italy: that of a Muslim activist who went to court to have a crucifix removed from his sonâs public school classroom; and a kindergarten that asked a Muslim trainee teacher to remove her headscarf. The plan by the Gaetana Agnesi school called for 20 high-school students of Egyptian origin - three boys and 17 girls - to study together. The girls would have been allowed to wear headscarves in class, and would have had Friday off for Muslim prayer services. "The possibility of creating classes with students of the same language, culture and religion must be ruled out, because it would be in contrast with the constitutional principles and values aimed at overcoming all forms of discrimination," said Mario Giacomo Dutto, the head of school programs for the Lombardy region that includes Milan.
Giovanni Gaglio, the school principal, argued he was trying to guarantee the children a right to an education while preserving their cultural and religious identity. "Our project was one of real integration, a challenge that I and all of us teachers believed in very much," he was quoted as saying Wednesday in the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The students came from a self-governed education center that was part of an Islamic mosque, officials said Wednesday. The education center was not a school recognized by Italy, but it taught 400 children, largely of Egyptian origin. The childrensâ parents proposed the separate class. But many politicians and teachersâ unions condemned the move as discriminatory. After Tuesdayâs decision, the Northern League, a member of the government coalition known for its tough anti-immigration stance, called for Gaglioâs resignation.
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Posted by: tipper ||
07/15/2004 12:32:50 AM ||
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The childrensâ parents proposed the separate class.
Why does this not surprise me? Muslims too good for the *inferior* Western classes? Watch for seething and calls of discrimination, coming to an Italy near you!
And while I'm on the subject, what do you want to bet that those three Islamboys would have gone nuts at the prospect of a room with seventeen girls?
Would the girls have been forced to wear burkas? I have this terribly hilarious image of three boys and seventeen black-sheet-clad girls, and the teacher not being able to tell who's who . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
07/15/2004 8:26 Comments ||
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#2
how much of the separate curricula would've been memorizing the Quran? A true worthless death cult - without value to a civilized 21st century society
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 9:01 Comments ||
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#3
"Nobody can seek to remain a stranger to the surrounding world."
"Nobody can seek to remain a stranger to the surrounding world."
Except the moslems.
And they'd appreciate it if the surrounding world went back to the 7th Century with them so they don't feel left out.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 20:19 Comments ||
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#5
The plan by the Gaetana Agnesi school called for 20 high-school students of Egyptian origin - three boys and 17 girls - to study together. The girls would have been allowed to wear headscarves in class, and would have had Friday off for Muslim prayer services.
I understand Egypt has many such places. Why not try there?
Disturbing, but not surprising, story from Horowitzâs blog about what passes for âenlightenedâ education in Brookline, MA., edited for brevity. Snip:
"As for indoctrination, the students of the public schools in my town are lectured almost daily about the blunders of George Bush and the social studies course is more of a Bush bashing one (e.g., a question: "What would a Taoist think of Bush?"). In the beginning of the school year we were asked who the president of the United States was and part of the class believed it was Al Gore, they were then brainwashed to jeer whenever the name George Bush is mentioned."
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Posted by: Raj ||
07/15/2004 10:51:22 AM ||
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TO BAD WE HAVE NO LAW AGAINST IDIOCY-
SO LET'S THROW THIS ONE OUT - IN THEIR TERMS. . .
John Kerryâs policies are really, really bad
What he wants to do is making me so sad
Many innocent people could well be killed each day
Appeasement is no answer, there is only one way
Children of the world, stand up and fight
With one voice we say to Osama No!.
Our economy is coming back up off off the floor
People working again, Screw you Michael Moore.
Weâve got to work together and weâll defeat terrorâs lure
Letâs all work together and weâll win this for sure.
Children of the world, stand up and fight
Against French, Germans, and others unable to know whatâs right
There werenât many foolish policies regarding Middle East
Until facilitators helped the appeaser numbers increase
All of us together, fight as we look ahead.
Then we celebrate the day we lop off Osamaâs head.
#4
Tu, it's such a shame these wackos have gained so much influence.
To all those not living in the Commonwealth; Recall this, no everyone in Mass is a raving pinko :)
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 17:26 Comments ||
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Going on vacation tomorrow. Taking a cruise.
I'm really looking forward to the inevitable "What the hell's wrong with you people up there?" conversations that immediately follow when people find out where I'm from.
#1
And I understand that the International Maggot Defense Fund has already filed suit for defamation of character.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/15/2004 11:21 Comments ||
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#2
Does this mean we can all show up at the next Jabba the Hut public appearance, with our cans of Raid, and Black Flag, and spray it in his direction?
#6
Maggot:
I agree. This is an insult to fat, bloated pale things everywhere
Posted by: Senator Kennedy ||
07/15/2004 15:15 Comments ||
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This stunt has landed him firmly in Jerry Springer territory, as far as I'm concerned. BTW-I am going to see his film tonight, not to have a blood vessel in my head burst, but to arm myself for the battles of the campaign this fall.
A controversial French comic said yesterday heâs misunderstood by Jewish interest groups who accuse him of anti-Semitism and want his act censored. Defending himself as "a humanist and universalist" who doesnât believe in ethnic or religious distinctions, Dieudonne MâBala MâBala told reporters heâs no racist. "Iâm a comic," the 38-year-old performer said at a news conference to plug his one-man show, Mes excuses, at the Just for Laughs Festival. "I know my style can shock, but thatâs my right - the right to blaspheme," said Dieudonne, as heâs known.
Everyone else has the right to call you names, too. That sounds fair...
"My job is to make people laugh, yes, about sensitive subjects ... and sometimes that can touch sentiments in the community that have been exacerbated by difficult times. But Iâm just doing my job as a comic."
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 6:21:48 PM ||
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Sounds like a real hoot. Down here we'd call him a "humorist", which I believe means "comedian that gets no laughs".
An earthworm invasion is threatening southern Albertaâs fragile alpine environment, according to scientists, who say the slinky creatures are overrunning the thin soil of the Rocky Mountains west of Calgary. More than a decade after they crawled west from the prairies, the earthworm population in Kananaskis Country has skyrocketed to the point where experts are worried the entire ecology of the areaâs forests could be altered. "Any time you have some kind of invasive species, weâre concerned about the impact it might have on other aspects of the ecosystem," said Steve Donelon, parks ecologist for Alberta Community Development. Earthworms have the potential to wreak havoc in mountain environments that are particularly sensitive to change. Researchers have seen earthworm numbers climb as high as 2,500 per square metre in some areas.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 1:16:50 AM ||
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Earthworm ars the shiters of the planet. Bring it on my slimey friend. They bring top soil.
#2
But if it's bad:
1) it's Bush's fault
2) If not Bush, then the US did it
3) If not the US, then it's Global Warming
4) If not Global Warming, then the Illuminati
5) If not the Illuminati, then, uh, um, er... Natural Causes?
Naw, couldn't be natural. There's no money in that.
Earthworms became extinct in the Americas during the ice ages (I'm not sure which one), and so the flora and fauna here evolved to live in a world where the plant matter breaks down significantly more slowly than in earthworm country. Thus there is a serious threat to, eg, ground nesting woodland birds, herbaceous woodland plants which require a thick mulch of slowly composting leaves, etc. Earthworm castings do enrich the soil, and earthworm tunnels do soften the ground, but in their wake the land is relatively bare, and ripe for invasion from foreign pests.
Unfortunately, the problem is unfixable -- earthworm eggs were likely brought over inadvertently during the earliest colonization efforts. We can only hope native animals/plants evolve quickly enough to survive the change.
But trailing wife is correct. Dead forests can be a serious problem, negatively affecting other systems. Take the pine beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountains, for example.
P.S. Raj--By all means, leave the tinfoil hats for the conspiracy obsessed, but I think the Bildeberg political aims/ideology may bear some scrutiny. Freemasons are simply "Baal" worshipers, and occupy the lower rungs in occultist religion.
#18
ex-lib is knowe this stuff purdy good. thesepeples are want you think itn funy so you are make they job easier. by the way i am throw away david icke book. he in full of shit to many things.
#19
Wise move, Mucky. I guessed, together with the rest of those relatively sane in the UK, that David Icke was 'full of shit' back in '91 when he went from straight-laced TV sports presenter one week to self-proclaimed 'son of the godhead', in front of a national audience on a live evening chat show, the next.
A Prince Edward Island man who substituted a rifle for a nail gun during a home improvement project will not be allowed to own firearms for five years. I should hope not.
Michael Robert Porter decided a sawed-off .22-calibre rifle could help him with a bit of home improvement. On July 5, he took his gun and some nails outside his Rochford Street home and started securing a screen over a window. So, howâd it go??
Someone who was passing by saw Porter shooting at his house and called police. Officers seized five firearms, which they said were stored unsafely. Two were antiques and will be turned over to the Army Museum in Charlottetown. I rarely post SAST stuff but this was just too damn funny.
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/15/2004 12:29:37 AM ||
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Let me get this straight: the guy uses a small caliber rifle in an unusual way, without endangering anyone, and the authorities seize all his guns and GIVE THEM AWAY??????
Another reason you couldn't PAY me to live in Canada.
Posted by: too true ||
07/15/2004 10:38 Comments ||
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#3
What I cannot figure out are the mechanics of how this would work. Nails do not have blackpowder on the tip. So how then is the nail discharged from the gun?
Heâs worth millions and could afford the fanciest restaurant in town, but Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards and his wife celebrate each wedding anniversary at a fast-food joint. The Edwardsâ have made a romantic ritual out of toasting their nuptials at food chain Wendyâs, a tradition that will continue on their 27th anniversary this year. "Wendyâs, we go to Wendyâs for our anniversary," the North Carolina senator told NBCâs "Today" show on Thursday. Elizabeth Edwards said on their first anniversary they were moving house, looking "grungy and awful" and so instead of going somewhere fancy they chose Wendyâs. "The next year, for some reason we found ourselves at Wendyâs again," said Mrs. Edwards. The millionaire trial lawyer described his wife as the "love of my life" and Mrs. Edwards said it was her husbandâs optimism rather than good looks that first attracted her. "Itâs a pretty face, but thatâs not it," said Mrs. Edwards, of why she fell for her husband, who was once voted Americaâs sexiest politician by People magazine.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 9:08:12 PM ||
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Marf.
I need to go check my blood sugar now.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 23:21 Comments ||
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#2
My God, John! He's a barbarian! Please have him killed!
#2
"But there's no place that I'd rather be right now than right here in Philadelphia with the NAACP."
-- W. C. Fields (1880-1946)
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/15/2004 20:37 Comments ||
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#3
that's no fair comparing. Fields had a personality
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 20:41 Comments ||
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#4
I forgot to add that I don't want any of you people working in my WHITE House. Maybe you can pick up the yard or take out the trash, but that's it.
Posted by: John F. Kerry ||
07/15/2004 21:36 Comments ||
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#5
and don't refer to Teresa as African-American - it demeans her fortune. Robert KKK Byrd has already buttonholed me about this, several times
Posted by: John Kerry ||
07/15/2004 22:09 Comments ||
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#6
Pay... no... attention... to...that...imposter.
My great great grandparents we're black. Black French-Irish Jewish Atheist Communists who lived on a farm, were facinated by rap, fought in Vietnam, thought Eddie Yost was the greastest second baseman the Sox ever had, and a bunch of other stuff...
#7
Ya'll should quit using me, my message, and my former affiliations for your own purposes. Kweisi? You off probation yet? Julian? Nice lynching talk. Don't make me come back here! Put your people first, dammit! Git off the plantation! Some people made you Secretary of State, National Security Advisor! Imagine that! And you turn away for pieces of gold.....Judas would befriend you...
Posted by: Martin Luther King Jr ||
07/15/2004 22:30 Comments ||
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#4
One of the scariest comments I've ever seen since the war started is over at the thread on Allah's about this one; someone didn't know the significance of the picture.
I worry that the Left has done too much to control history in this country.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
07/16/2004 0:18 Comments ||
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For those who care, FoxNews TV just announced that, because of Donk activist pressure, Kerry has called Hillary and asked her to do the intro for Dollar Bill. So sheâll get some DNC face time after all, if the story is true. Iâll post a link when it comes in on Fox. Meanwhile, story link goes to main Fox site.
#2
"We'll let you speak at the convention, Hil. I know--you can introduce the guy who embarassed you in front of the civilized world by getting serviced by a 24-year-old airhead in the Oval Office, the man who introduced the phrase 'semen-stained blue dress' to the vernacular, your husband Bill. This is how we're showing our respect for you."
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2004 18:18 Comments ||
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#3
think she'll propose a DNA library for politicians?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 18:21 Comments ||
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#4
What a slap! She's doing it anyway just to get some face time.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/15/2004 18:54 Comments ||
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#5
Drudge is linking to an article about Kerry using pen, paper and actually cutting and taping/gluing sections together for edits of his acceptance speech...what an asshat
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 19:12 Comments ||
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"If Kerry wants to learn about Pollard, it is not enough for him to say so; he must meet with Pollardâs lawyers and actually do so, as he has been invited to do in the past." So says Adi Ginzburg, an activist on behalf of Jonathan Pollard, referring to the U.S. Presidential candidateâs recent comments.
In a conference call with Jewish leaders in Florida, the Democratic Partyâs about-to-be nominee was asked if he would pardon Pollard in the event that he was elected. Kerry responded that he is not sufficiently familiar with the matter, but that if he was elected, he would look into it more deeply.
The Justice for Jonathan Pollard organization expressed surprise at this response, as Kerry was one of 60 signatories to the infamous "Senatorsâ Letter" against Pollard. If he is not familiar with the details, asked the organization, "then why did he sign a 1999 Senate letter condemning Jonathan Pollard and calling on then-President Bill Clinton not to release him?... If indeed Mr. Kerry knows so little about this case - which Appeals Court Justice Steven Williams described as âa fundamental miscarriage of justiceâ - why did he sign the letter?"
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 5:22:55 PM ||
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#1
I was against Pollard before I didn't know about him.
#4
pollard was caught SPYING. Shit happens, man. I don't know how he "prevented another holocaust", but, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But still, he got caught SPYING!! Be more careful next time.
Do the time and STFU.
Posted by: Halfass Pete ||
07/15/2004 22:11 Comments ||
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HP, Israel claims that Pollard prevented another holocost by warning them of Saddam Hussein's plans to scorch the Jewish State with weapons of mass destruction. Information that the US would not share with Israel. Link. But that doesn't explain why he cleaned out every worthwhile secret that this nation had and gave it to Israel. Another link. Pollard should stay right where he is Senator sKerry.
#1
Oh, sure we do. Gus Hall used to run for president every four years. I think he died a few years back and nobody noticed. Or maybe he just naturally mummified. He was so old, he used to date God's grandmother.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2004 16:51 Comments ||
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#2
My great great grandparents we're Communists. French-Irish Jewish Atheist Communists who lived on a farm, were facinated by rap, fought in Vietnam, thought Eddie Yost was the greastest second baseman the Sox ever had, and a bunch of other stuff...
#3
tried to get on the CPUSA site to check it out (sounds odd, like Fred says, they always put Gus Hall on the ballot, never endorsed a Dem or even anyone from a competing socialist party) cant get on, if this is going around the web, their server is probably toast.
But the article sited includes this nugget
"Next, I discovered that one of Kerry's campaign themes is " Let America be America Again." This slogan was borrowed from a Communist poet, Langston Hughes. This is not common knowledge to the average American."
So Kerrys slogan (which parallels Reagans "Let Poland be Poland") happens to be the same as the title of a Langston Hughes poem. And Hughes was a communist. Ergo this tells us something about Kerrys ideology!!!!
#4
Not only did we have a (Stalinist) CPUSA, we also had the Socialist Workers (trotskyites) and the Norman Thomas Socialists - they broke up into two groups - the Democratic Socialists (more less like Euro Socialists) and Social Democrats, USA - AFL-CIO trade unionists with just a hint more ideology - very ANTI-Communist on foreign policy. (yours truly has been personally influenced by SDUSA :) )
There was a break away from the Trotskyites who decided that the USSR not only was on the wrong path, but wasnt socialist, since it was ruled not by the workers but by a "new class" of bureaucrats. Further analysis of the "new class" lead many of these to break not only with Trotskyism, and socialism, but even with liberalism - producing - you guessed it - the original neoconservatives.
#5
note that for the last 40 years or so, since the Norm Thomas Socialists broke up, neither DS nor SDUSA endorsed their own candidates, but both struggled within the Democratic party. DS tending to support McGovern-Dean types, and SDUSA tending to support Scoop Jackson types.
DS was im sure pro-Dean - certain DS type unions
were early supporters of Dean - SDUSA (or whats left of it) was probably pro-Gephardt.
Darned surprise meter must be busted--it's reading "off scale, low."
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2004 17:17 Comments ||
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These commies never admit to being hard-core reds instead they always use the term 'progressives', which dates back to at least the 1930's.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 17:20 Comments ||
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Liberalhawk,
OMG...SPLITTERS!!! I always thought that scene was an impossible exaggeration. Wow! And they don't even endorse their *own* candidates? How is it that their heads don't explode???
#9
Hey y'all you missed the best part. The Trotskyite party's 1972 nominee Peter Camejo, is now Nader's VP nominee. It doesn't get better than that. SO which Communists do you prefer? The Trotskyite VP candidate of the Greens, or the Stalinist endorsement of the husband of the billionaire Mozambiqui fruitcake?
#12
The reason you don't see a communist candidate for president anymore is because they've thrown their lot in with the democrats.....as the best vehicle with which to accomplish their goals.
The democratic party is communist to it's core. Why do the communists need to run a candidate?
Posted by: Halfass Pete ||
07/15/2004 21:40 Comments ||
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#1
"I've always said reform without resources is a waste of time, but resources without reform are a waste of money. When I'm president, we'll have both..."
That's right, John. It'll be a waste of time and a waste of money!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 18:06 Comments ||
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#3
We'll also establish better tests for new teachers and ensure fast, fair ways to make sure those who don't belong in the classroom don't stay there
sounds like he's now endorsing uniform mandatory teating. If it's good enuf for new teachers, why is it bad for students? Bet the NEA has something to say qualifying the rigor of those teacher tests too....
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 18:37 Comments ||
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"...uniform mandatory teating..."
Compulsory breast-feeding?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/15/2004 18:40 Comments ||
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#5
D'oh! Kept thinking of Terpsboy, I guess...
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 18:54 Comments ||
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My advice to the Kerry campaign -- say that Wilson is lying about that, too. Itâll be believable!
[snip]
And reader Michael Pittard emails: "Click on the âWhat I Didnât Find in Africa - By Joe Wilson (The New York Times)â link at the bottom of RestoreHonesty.com. Ha Ha!" Indeed. Meanwhile several readers -- perhaps missing the tongue-in-cheek nature of my advice to Kerry -- note that a whois search shows that the RestoreHonesty.com domain is registered to:
Registrant:
John Kerry for President, Inc.
519 C St. NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain Name: RESTOREHONESTY.COM
Created on: 22-Oct-03
Expires on: 22-Oct-04
Last Updated on: 22-Oct-03
The domain may be good for a while, but I suspect that the page may "expire" before October 22.
And it certainly suggests that even the very first sentence on RestoreHonesty.com is a lie: "Iâm not a politician and Iâm not a political partisan."
Whatever you say, Joe.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2004 12:27:42 PM ||
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Hey! I'm working on it! Okay?
Posted by: Joe Wilson ||
07/15/2004 12:33 Comments ||
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another lie :-) how's Val?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 12:45 Comments ||
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I could sure use a holiday. Where shall I go? Hmm. How about a cruise!
#4
But wait . . . there's more Schadenfreude to come!
Salon.com is featuring Joe Wilson as the main attraction of its "Seminar Cruise" this September. He'll be appearing along with former Texas governor Ann Richards (who lost to GWB), Sidney Blumenthal (Clinton White House spin artist and attack dog) and Joe Conason (Wilson's #1 defender).
I have one question: will there be any 688-class attack subs operating in the Caribbean at that time?
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2004 12:50 Comments ||
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Ship Of Fools?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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Posted the entire article -- registration required
By James Lileks
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Itâs a pity we canât see footage of the John Kerry rally at Radio City Music Hall, but you can certainly imagine its solemn majesty. The spotlit flag. The stirring sight of Americaâs celebrities standing with their hands over their hearts as the national anthem was played. A few witty remarks from our beloved jesters poking fun at Osama and Saddam, capped off with a spirited speech by Kerry: "We face an enemy who has sworn the end of the very freedoms we hold dear, and we will not stop until that enemy has no haven, no power, no weapons, no words to utter save those of surrender. This is America, and united we will win." What a night!
Of course, it didnât happen. You got Whoopi Goldberg making jokes about her crotch. You had Chevy Chase calling the president as "dumb as an egg timer" â a knee-slapper he also used against Howard Stern in 1992. Paul Newman took the stage to call the tax cuts "borderline criminal." Letting people keep more of their money: a criminal act. (Note to self: Go shoplift some of Newmanâs dressing. For the people!) Then John Mellencamp sang a very special song about a tyrant, a "cheap thug" who "sacrifices our young." George W. Bush, of course.
Hey, itâs not hate if itâs true! Noted international expert and serial insult-recycler Chase expanded on his remarks after the event: "Iâm frightened by Bush, if you want to know the truth. Heâs a narcissist, as are we all. But, eh, heâs managed to, ah, you know, form a few hate groups into a, ah, an entire Islamic jihad, and I, ah, I donât trust him."
We expect artists to say things like this because when it comes to smarts â well, if the cue card said "as egg as dumb timers," theyâd say it. And it brings to mind the age-old question: Why are most artists liberals? Well, weâre told, theyâre in touch with the creative side of life, not the death-dealing, money-obsessed side like conservatives. Naturally this makes them more compassionate and sensitive, and these are the hallmarks of post-McGovern liberalism.
"We have been led to cynically believe that many politicians are disingenuous and generally phony, but few will ever beat Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. This man, who changed his middle initial to be JFK and at an anti-Vietnam rally threw someone else's medals into the water, made a self-promotion appearance with Boston talk-show maven Eddie Andelman and claimed he was a big Red Sox fan from his days growing up in Groton, Mass. And at the promotion he said Eddie Yost was his favorite player.
The problem with that is just the simple fact that Eddie Yost never played for the Red Sox."
Yup, just a man of the people.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/15/2004 9:21:35 AM ||
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BRahahahah! What a LOOSER!
I'm sure the media will pick up on this in about a million years
#7
I wouldn't make too terribly much of this.
a) Growing up, I was a big fan of Vida Blue and Rod Carew. Neither played for my favorite team. I didn't particularly view it as a problem. Then again, Peter Gammons is one of those nit-picky baseball nerds. Perhaps it matters more to him.
b) John F-bomb Kerry only recently started USING his middle initial. He never actually changed his name.
#8
It's illegal to like a player outside your favourite team -- didn't you know?
I mean I liked Nikos Gallis when he was a player of Ares Salonica and I was a fan of Panathinaikos, and I was wanted by the Interpol for that crime. I was only pardoned when he switched teams in the mid 90s.
#9
I think that, assuming Kerry really liked Eddie Yost, the question would be why.
As a 3rd base coach, Yost didn't contribute much except he had a very enthusiastic way of waving a runner home. As a player, Yost was famous for getting a lot of walks and runs as a lead off batter. He also was famous for playing a lot of games at third base. Yost's career had ended when John Kerry was in high school.
#11
true, his name has always been Forbes, but while he didn't supposedly know he was from Jewish ancestors, he's always known the Irish name Kerry was "adopted" - just advantageous in Boston politics to appear Irish...
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 13:56 Comments ||
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Found via Damian Penny:
Cynthia McKinneyâs Arab and Islamist Donors:
We all knew that Cynthia McKinney would be drawing on Arab and Muslim supporters in her bid to return to Congress, but a listing of contributors (with information up through June 28) reveals to what an extraordinary extent this is the case, as shown by the names of her backers. Of particular note is the whoâs who of radical organizations her donors are associated with. Long list of Allanist donors snipped; highly recommend reading the well-documented link.
Such an outpouring of extremist support comes as no shock; as Erick Stakelbeck documents in todayâs New York Post, "McKinney has long associated with militant Islamic groups whose members have openly supported terrorism," plus "she has taken to the floor of the House to defend them."
[Daniel Pipesâ] Comment: Georgia holds its primary on July 20; should McKinney win it, as seems likely, radical Arab and Muslim causes will have achieved their first significant electoral victory in the United States.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
07/15/2004 1:21:41 AM ||
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Hani Y. Awadallah â president, Arab American Civic Organization, New Jersey.
Jesse Aweida â co-founder, American Task Force on Palestine.
Belal Dalati â a vice president of Arab-American Broadcasting Co. (Orange County Register, February 19, 2002) associated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Hasan Elkhatib âmember, board of directors, American Islamic Educational Foundation (MetroWest Jewish News, October 10, 1996)
Yaser Elmenshawy - chairman, Islamic Council of New Jersey.
Rafeeq Jaber â president, Islamic Association for Palestine, a Hamas offshoot.
Oussama Jammal â president, Bridgeview Mosque.
Samer Khalaf â chairman, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee's Political Outreach Committee in New Jersey.
Faroque Khan â president, Islamic Center of Long Island, also connected to the American Muslim Alliance and Islamic Society of North America.
Mahmoud A Nimer - member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa (an Islamic school established by Sami al-Arian; al-Arian's indictment indicates the school was used as a base of support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad).
Ayman Osman - member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa; employer of Hatem Fariz, arrested on terrorism charges and charged with being a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Talat Othman - former chairman of the Islamic Free Market Institute; secretary/treasurer of the American Task Force on Palestine.
Khalid Qazi â former president, American Muslim Council of western New York State.
Hareth Raddawi - member, board of directors, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, Chicago.
Allam Reheem - former member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa.
Talal Sunbulli â former chairman, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
James Zogby â president, Arab American Institute.
Rats. My first rule for politicans: they don't have to be honest, they don't have to be competent, but they DO have to be entertaining. Ditka would have done that for sure.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2004 12:24:23 AM ||
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Yep Steve. If Ditka could run Da Bears, he could run the senate. I hope he reconsiders. He is a free thinker. To put a game plan together each week in the NFL requires mucho macho.
BTW, I was fortunate enough to head coach a youth football program for five years. Nothing ever was as cool. 5th, sixth and 7eventh graders. I think a twelve year old boy, with the will to play hard, to earn his time, is the most noble spirit.
#5
Ditka would have won that vote going away. If you say "Ditka" in Illinois you might as well be saying "Jesus".
Posted by: Chris W. ||
07/15/2004 12:15 Comments ||
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Say it ain't so, Mike. I was looking forward to voting early and often for you. So was my dog. She's registered in at least two precincts. You coulda been a contender. :(
Norway, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands ranked as the best five countries to live in but Africaâs quality of life plummeted because of AIDS, said a U.N. report released on Thursday. The United States was ranked in eighth place, a drop of one position from 2003 in the report that rates not only per-capita income but also educational levels, health care and life expectancy in measuring a nationâs well-being. The Human Development Index, prepared by the U.N. Development Program, is issued annually and includes every country for which statistics are available. Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Liberia were among nations not included because of lack of data. Norway has led the list for the past four years.
Aside from the overall index, the report produces indicators on womenâs equality, income inequality and consumption, poverty and other categories that countries use to measure development. In Canada, for example, the index has been used in advertisements to attract business. The industrialized nations as usual were in the top 20, their ratings close to one another. Belgium was in sixth place, followed by Iceland, the United States, Japan, Ireland, Switzerland, Britain, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, New Zealand, Germany and Spain. At the bottom of the list for the seventh year was Sierra Leone, emerging from a decade of civil war. Right above it were Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Burundi. The worldâs newest nation, East Timor, was included for the first time and ranked 158th out of 177 countries.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 7:01:58 PM ||
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LMAO!!! Wotta joke. Statistics... To be ranked beneath Saudi Arabia, lol!
Oh yeah, Norway's for meeeee! I'm just pining for the fjords like the infamous parrot...
Crude oil futures slipped in New York on Thursday after OPEC said it will proceed with a planned output hike without holding a meeting. In a statement, the 11-member oil group said it decided to go ahead with a plan to raise its official output ceiling by 500,000 barrels a day because a previous production increase hadnât altered the oil marketâs supply-demand equation. Effective Aug. 1, the move will lift OPECâs output ceiling to 26 million barrels a day. As a result, the statement added, OPEC members see no need to meet July 21 as they had planned but will continue to monitor market conditions and meet again if necessary. It was the first time in 10 years that OPEC canceled an official meeting. The market had already discounted the output increase. OPEC first raised the prospect June 3 when it agreed to hike its production ceiling in two stages, by 2 million barrels a day beginning July 1 and by 500,000 barrels a day beginning Aug. 1. The agreement came after crude futures soared to a record $42.45 a barrel following terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, the OPEC announcement "put to rest any chance that they would not add that additional 500,000 barrels a day," said Tom Bentz, an energy analyst at brokerage BNP Paribas Futures in New York. "All indications in the last few weeks - from Saudis, Kuwaits and others - have been that those additional 500,000 barrels a day of oil were coming," Bentz said. "So maybe the OPEC announcement had a bearish impact." Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange set for August delivery settled down 20 cents at $40.77 a barrel. The contract advanced $1.53 a barrel Wednesday. On Londonâs International Petroleum Exchange, August Brent blend crude futures settled down 43 cents lower at $38.11 a barrel.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 6:53:19 PM ||
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Pakistan has called for expansion in tourism cooperation with neighboring Iran. Talking to IRNA here, Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah on Wednesday said that vast potential existed for expansion in tourism sector between the two brotherly countries. (real brotherly..)
He said that Islamabad, Tehran and other regional countries could contribute to boosting tourism industry in the region. The minister was talking on the sidelines of the on-going K-2 peaks Golden Jubilee celebrations. An Italian team had scaled the peaks in 1954 in July. "Pakistan and Iran have a lot to offer to the tourists. They are blessed with beautiful natural plateaus, mountains, landscapes and historical places," the minister explained. He was of the view that tourism industry could contribute a lot to economic well-being of the people in the region. Pakistan and Iran, the minister opined, have a lot of experience to share for which he laid emphasis on exchange of expert-level visits from both sides on a regular basis. The minister also said that regional countries would have to join hands to face the challenges in trade and economic fields, including the World Trade Organization regime next year.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 7:36:02 PM ||
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Iran Khodro Vehicle Production Company is to opens its largest overseas branch office in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut with the main objective of promoting export of its products. The official in charge of Iran Khodro pavilion in Iranâs industrial and trade fair in Beirut, Mojtaba Abdol-Hosseini Rad, told IRNA here Tuesday that representatives of the company are holding talks with their Lebanese partner on the prospect of opening such an office there. Turning to Iran Khodroâs major policy of introducing one of its produced models known as `Samandâ to the international market, he noted, "As a national vehicle producer, Iran Khodro is in a position to present its products on the regional and international markets."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 7:28:47 PM ||
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Iran has rejected Canadian demands that its diplomats observe the trial of an intelligence agent charged with beating a Canadian journalist to death. Canada has withdrawn its ambassador to Tehran in protest, saying "justice will not be done behind closed doors". Iranâs Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the case was a domestic issue, but pledged a fair trial. Iranian intelligence agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi pleaded not guilty to "semi-intentional murder" at the trialâs first and only session last October. The hearing was delayed to allow lawyers representing the Kazemi family to research the case, and is due to resume on Saturday.
"The request for the presence of Canadian observers is contrary to all international principles and regulations and is unacceptable," Mr Asefi said on state television. But Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham decried Iranâs "completely unacceptable behaviour", and said he was recalling the ambassador to Tehran. He said Canada had been promised it could have three observers at the trial.
The case has sparked a fierce debate between the hardline judiciary and the reformist intelligence ministry. Both sides have accused one another of staging a cover-up to divert responsibility for Ms Kazemiâs death. On Wednesday the moderate President Mohammad Khatami backed the intelligence ministry, saying: "I believe the agent was not guilty. I hope the court will bravely be able to identify the guilty person."
Posted by: Bulldog ||
07/15/2004 6:32:40 AM ||
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Takes a bit to cheese off the Canadians doesn't it?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/15/2004 6:36 Comments ||
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#3
Exactly what is Canada going do? Pulling diplomatic relations doesn't punish Tehran at all. What can Canada do? I know pissing off Canada is not a good idea (not joking, they have never lost a war.) I don't think they would go the military route mostly because presently they can't. So what is left. Quit selling Wheat?
#4
Yep. Not much they can do on their own, but they could always ramp up the rhetoric and let it be known to all and sundry that they support the US's hard line on Iran (and would consider signing up to military action should it be required in future). Shouldn't be impossible domestically - Canada's home to a fair few (presumably pro-reform) Persian exiles, IIUC. I doubt they appreciate Iran's tendency to bludgeon their folk to death.
#5
A few years ago, Canada declared themselves a superpower. A superpower in compassion or something like it. They can always send over their 1st Airborne Compassion Corps and nuance the mullahs to death.
Posted by: ed ||
07/15/2004 7:32 Comments ||
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#6
I see this is actually a redundant post. My bad :(
#7
Howard, it does take a lot to cheese off the Canadians, unless you're American, it which case it's easy. But Canada won't do anything more serious than recalling their ambassador. The Prime Minister is in his element talking with other very rich people at international conferences where everyone identifies a Serious Problem and decides that Something Must Be Done and then waits for the Americans to do it. The martial instinct has long disappeared from Ottawa. If the jihadists detonated a nuke in downtown Ottawa the first thought of any surviving members of the government would be to make sure that Quebec got the largest share of the rebuilding work. Talking to them about fighting back would be like talking to a dog about quantum physics.
Posted by: Patrick Brown ||
07/15/2004 9:59 Comments ||
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#8
Ed, actually the Canadian 1st Airborne Compassion Brigade would either have to fly commercial or hitch a ride with the USAF...their airlift capability is almost nil.
#9
So the Canadians will do nothing. They will pussy out in the murder of one of their citizens buy a terrorist sponsor. They will not even publicly call Iran a terrorist state. What use is the government of Canada if it can not and will not protect it's own? Recalling the someone really hurts Terhan. It's a useless act. Canada has been clowned by Iran.
#1
Canadien spokeswoman, Faith Lovejoy-Holmes, said, in an interview, that soon the truth will be known. And Canadiens will have the upper hand in future negotiations with the Republic of Iran.
"They will feel our wrath, our wrath knowith no bounds!"
CBC reports. "Canadiens not yet troubled, but if shit hits fan they may!"
Iran has been advancing legislation to attract foreign investment in the nationâs energy sector. Iranâs parliament has been revising its current law to enable greater foreign participation in crude oil and natural gas projects. Under the legislation, foreign firms would receive greater benefits and revenues from their investment by allowing them to develop oil and gas reserves. Officials said Teheran plans to award a contract to a foreign company by October 2004. (plans change..look at Saddamâs former oil.....)
The legislation, part of Iranâs new 2005-10 economic development plan, was meant to develop energy reserves outside the southwestern region. Under the legislation, the state-owned National Iranian Oil Co. would ease restrictions on so-called buy-back agreements, Middle East Newsline reported. So far, companies from India, Malaysia, Spain, and Russia have submitted bids to develop Iranâs North Azadegan, Kushk, and Hosseinieh oil fields under a buy-back arrangement. Officials said Indiaâs ONGC Videsh could receive a 20 percent stake in Kushk and Hosseinieh fields.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 12:33:18 AM ||
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#1
Good pick up, recent big contracts with the French and Chinese will be followed by "bidders" who can be corporate/national shields.
Posted by: Capt America ||
07/15/2004 1:10 Comments ||
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#2
Yes, let's do a little exploring for oil in Iran.
I'll bet you we can pull a few 1/2 megaton to 1 megaton warheads off the shelf and stick in the B-61 assembly. A little burrowing action that would likely dig a pit 1000' deep.
Why waste a perfectly good nuke looking for oil when you can vaporize a blackhat?
Now it is possible to catch a prehistoric fish, which became extinct millions of years ago. Driving along the coastline near Bonavista Cape (Newfoundland, Canada) Bob Crew saw something strange one fine morning. He stopped the truck to take a better look at a weird creature, which put its head out of water. The man thought at first that it was just a rock on the surface, but then it occurred to him that there were no rocks in the area. Then the man could see that the animal looked like a giant snake, its neck was about 1.5 meters long. The creatureâs head was crowned with a crest. Bob Crew could not remember any other details, but he was certain he had seen an extraordinary animal.
Citizens of the small Japanese town of Yoshii gathered for a real hunt in the summer of 2000. People wanted to trace and kill a mysterious creature that they nicknamed tsuchinoko. Local authorities promised a 20 million yen reward for capturing the animal. The creature was reminiscent of a giant lizard or a snake. It could produce sounds like birdâs chirping. Tsuchinoko mania gripped the Japanese town and its outskirts in May of 2000. It started when a farmer incidentally found a big snake crawling on his field. The man slashed the creature with a whip, but the monster escaped to the stream nearby. An elderly woman found the dead animal beside the same stream several days later. She decided to bury the animal. When local authorities learned about the strange incident, they ordered to exhume the animalâs body and hand it over to a scientific institute. The professor examined the creature and concluded that it was most likely the animal often referred to as tsuchinoko, although it could be classified as a snake from the scientific point of view. Yet, the townspeople believed the story with the monster was not over. Another elderly woman saw tsuchinoko swimming along the river not far from her house. The snake had an unusual round snout.
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 9:13:33 PM ||
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A Russian taxi driver got a rude shock when he discovered his blind ex-wife, who thought he had died in an explosion, had him buried in a Moscow cemetery, a newspaper reported on Thursday. Oleg Lunkov learned of his apparent death when he applied for a passport and was told he died in a bomb blast on Moscowâs metro on February 6. His ex-wife thought he was on the train, but being blind, she got her mother to identify the remains. "I thought, âI hope they didnât bury me on my birthdayâ," Lunkov told the Moscow Times after visiting his grave in southeastern Moscow. "But it turns out they did." The grave has been exhumed by police investigating his wife for possible fraud. Lunkovâs name still appears on prosecutorsâ official list of the 38 people who died in the explosion.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 9:04:53 PM ||
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Security forces raided five villages in Nigeriaâs oil-rich southern delta, leaving 15 people dead and homes ransacked and burned, residents and militant leaders said Thursday. The security forces said the raids were part of an effort to combat attacks on multinational oil operations in the Niger Delta. Troops in speedboats with mounted machine guns raided the villages of Sunny Zion, Idegbagbene, Odiogbogbene, Opia and Ogbinbiri between Sunday and Wednesday, said Maj. Said Hamed, spokesman for the regionâs 3,000-strong military-police task force. He was unable to confirm whether anyone was killed in what he described as a "cordon-and-search" operation to "fish out" gunmen accused of taking oil workers hostage for ransom and large-scale theft of crude oil.
The troops also were seeking accomplices of gunmen responsible for the April killings of two Americans - Ryne Hathaway, 42, and Denny Fowler, 47, who worked for International Building Systems, a contractor to oil giant ChevronTexaco, Hamed said. But Bello Oboko, president of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities militant group, said 15 people - including women and children - were shot dead or drowned while fleeing the troops. Oboko said he saw three drowned children whose bodies were brought to Warri by survivors. Residents "fled when they saw the soldiers setting their houses on fire," Oboko said.
Lucky Akoromo, a resident of Opia, said he was fishing for shrimp in nearby mangrove swamps Tuesday when troops surrounded his village. "Three men who tried to run away were shot dead," he said, speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from Warri. Akoromo watched the killings from behind mangrove trees, before escaping by paddling away in his dugout canoe, he said. Other frightened villagers, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave similar accounts.
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 8:11:18 PM ||
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#1
What the hell kind of name is "Odiogbogbene"?
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2004 20:39 Comments ||
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#2
difficult?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 20:42 Comments ||
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#3
I think it's Latvian. It means "Man with a tatoo of a hula dancer."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2004 23:44 Comments ||
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SOLDIERS dug out bodies buried by landslides and helicopters dropped food to thousands of people made homeless after monsoon floods left a trail of death and destruction across large parts of south Asia yesterday. At least eight million people in eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal have lost their homes and more than 300 have died as rivers swollen by the annual monsoon rains have burst their banks. Governments scrambled to provide shelter and food to the homeless as the death toll rose to 326 people drowned or killed by landslides or snakebites. "I have lost my house and all my belongings have been washed away by the river waters," said Pradip Burman, a farmer sitting on a highway near Guwahati city in north-east India and surrounded by flood waters on both sides. "I have lost my livelihood as well and I donât know what to do any more."
Some flights in south Asia were cancelled yesterday because of the heavy rains and trains were disrupted as river waters submerged tracks in many areas. Monsoon rains eased a little, but people were still marooned, some perched in trees as flood waters swirled around them and most rivers were still flowing above the danger mark. Hundreds of miles of roads and dozens of bridges have been washed away, affecting food supplies and pushing up prices.
India has been the worst hit, with 197 people killed by floods since June. In Indiaâs poorest state of Bihar, in the east, where at least 89 people have died, military officials said helicopter pilots found it difficult to reach those affected by the floods because water had covered roads, rail tracks and other navigational markers. A further 43 people have died in Assam, where more than 2.5 million have been marooned or lost their homes. In the past three weeks, heavy rains have also killed dozens in southern China and left many missing.
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 8:07:08 PM ||
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A United Nations tribunal convicted and sentenced former Rwandan finance minister Emmanuel Ndindabahizi to life in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity in the massacre of ethnic Tutsis a decade ago. ``He was sentenced to jail for the remainder of his life,ââ court spokesman Bocar Sy said by telephone. Ndindabahizi can still appeal the ruling, he said. Ndindabahizi was accused by the Arusha, Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda of helping to lead the killing of Tutsis in the western Kibuye prefecture between April and July 1994, according to the indictment against him. The court accused Ndindabahizi, born in 1950, of helping to incite ethnic Hutu and organized militias to attack the Tutsi, in some cases personally naming people to be killed, as well as helping to distribute weapons. Ndindabahizi in one case called for the deaths of two ethnic Tutsis and promised the local public office additional money if the murders were carried out. The court found Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda, Rwandaâs former minister of culture and higher education, guilty of genocide in January. Former Prime Minister Jean Kambanda in 1998 was sentenced to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and direct incitement to commit genocide.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 7:49:37 PM ||
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"The Godless Americans PAC grew out of the historic "Godless Americans March on Washington" (GAMOW) held on November 2, 2002 in Washington, DC. For the first time in history, our nation's diverse community of Atheists, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and others who do not embrace religious creeds"--
STOP tape.
"Diverse" community? Oh come, come. Y'all are like peas in a pod: You Atheists, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and "others who do not embrace religious creeds" are like peas in a pod, and I doubt your little group represents all those who would fall into those categories anyway. And it's certain that you're very religious--fanatical even--in your own way. You just wear a different label.
"For the first time in history . . . marched together for civil rights, the separation of state and church, and their full recognition as American citizens."
STOP tape.
Oh, it's not the "first time, " for cryin' out loud! You've been doin' it since the 60's. And lumping everything together won't disguise what you're really up to.
#1: you should be marching for civil rights enforcement--note to self: "this is 2004, not 1964";
#2 marching for the separation of state and church (ususally known as the separation of church and state, for good reason), and filing lawsuits out the wazoo, is already a well-known and practiced directive of your organizations, and has been for years and years. It's also a blantant misreading of the Constitutional mandate that was designed to keep the State out of religious affairs, for the protection of the people;
#3 marching together for your "full recognition as American citizens"?! Now you've got me laughing. Since when have you not been recognized fully, as American citizens? Oh--you were talking about not getting your way. Okay. That makes sense now.
"We demanded "a place at the table" in this great discussion known as democracy. "
STOP tape.
"Demanded" your place? Yeah, so many were stopping you--especially that nasty President Bush and his group, huh? Hey. You were stopped from talking to reporters, from giving interviews, from holding telephone discussions, from printing and distributing your propaganda, from starting up a website, from calling your representatives in Congress, etc. etc. It was terrible for you, huh?
But, ya'know--Democracy is more than "a discussion" anyway, oh ye facist/commie/socialist ones of little no faith--and per se, is not up for "discussion." We kinda like it the way it is.
I'm not surprised this group LOVES the John-John's. Birds of a feather and all.
#2
My great great grandparents we're atheists. French-Irish Jewish Atheists who lived on a farm, were facinated by rap, fought in Vietnam, and a bunch of other stuff..
#3
"and I doubt your little group represents all those who would fall into those categories anyway"
They never said they did: "GAMPAC, like GAMOW, does not claim to represent every Atheist, Freethinker, Secular Humanist or other nonbeliever in the United States."
"Since when have you not been recognized fully, as American citizens?"
Then vice-president, later president, George Bush (senior) on August 27, 1987, at which time he stated: 'I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.'
#5
GWB dosen't make the citzenship rules here. Congress does. What Bush may think is just that, what he thinks. It is not the law of the land by any means. Most people could care less what he thinks about it. As long as the US border with Mexico is not secured citizenship belongs to who ever can walk in here in practice. That is the real issue. These "atheists" are not beong denied any rights of citizenship anyhow. They can FOAD if that is what they are claiming. The government bends over backwards not to offend them.
#7
I'm an atheist, and I vote conservative. I also understand and respect the rights of others to practice religions, or not to practice religions. I believe that's a founding principle of this country, but they obviously don't.
These asshats are but another in a long, long line of self-righteous, attention seeking media whores that make a claim of legitimacy that falls flat on its face at the first cursory examination of their self-serving 'beliefs', as ex-lib so handily dissected them above. They represent me like the Hindenburg represents Michael Schumacher's F1 vehicle.
EFL [As of July 1st] [p]acking a pistol in public is legal in Virginia. And three times in the past month, residents have been spotted out and about in the county, with guns strapped to their hips. Read...I think I am moving to VA!
#1
It's sensible, too. Marks of power in the animal world-spots, red gullets, large horns-are intended to discourage predators and other critters from messing with them; why wouldn't a pistol at your side do the same in ours?
#2
nothing new - it is legal to bear and carry arms..just be ready to be stopped and questioned...
my grandparents live in oregon and it is a common sight (outside of the cities) to see people walking down the road carrying a rifle and a pistol.. very little home invasion crimes in this neck of the woods..
Posted by: Dan ||
07/15/2004 16:19 Comments ||
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#3
Ah, yes - it's goooood to live in Virginia. :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 18:03 Comments ||
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#4
Quit gloating, Barbara -- my husband and my service to the country has us living in *ugh* NY.
#5
PS: for those who don't know Virginia, Fairfax County is in and around the DC beltway. A pretty urban / dense suburban area.
Wonder whether any of those people openly packing are tracking the Islamacist activity in the next county over ... and are sending a message. I really hope we don't descend into chaos and vigilantism (is that a word??), but am glad good citizens can protect themselves.
#6
rkb - My deepest sympathies. Many thanks for your service; hope your next post is in a state that has actually read the Constitution.
Those of us in the rest of Virginia think of Northern Virginia - which includes Fairfax - as "Yankeeland South." They'd have restrictive, nanny-type laws like New York or Massachusetts if the General Assembly didn't tell them they CAN'T.
It's actually a nice area - still with plenty of undeveloped land, believe it or not - but the traffic is in-freakin'-sane.
Don't know why those folks were carrying; possibly it was to note the new law going into effect. It actually is easier than concealed carry, particularly in the summer - and particularly for a woman. Do you know how hard it is to find women's clothing that will adequately conceal a .357 magnum with Pachmayr grips? :-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 23:36 Comments ||
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Hey, I feel for ya, mucky; my cats wouldnât be too pleased either... Yes, also via FARK. Catâs 50-foot leap at circus called cruelty
Toshi Maeda, Bryan Virasami and Merle English
Whatâs good for the circus may not necessarily be good for the cat. Thatâs what some animal experts said this week about a Cole Brothers Circus cat that makes a death-defying 50-foot leap onto a hand-held pillow every day. Rincon, the brave Siamese cat also known as Supercat, may be well-trained, but critics such as state Sen. Carl Kruger have rapped the circus, saying the jump is feline cruelty that shouldnât be allowed on city property. "I think if you ask the cat, I think the cat is going to say âI donât like jumping in a circus. I donât like the circus.â " said Dr. Javier Ramos, a veterinarian at the Riverside Animal Clinic in Manhattan. Catâs response - "Meow!"
He said just one slip can be dangerous; the cat could land on its head instead of its feet. And even if Supercat likes to jump, Ramos said repetitive jumps can lead to pain. "Heâs going to have arthritis; heâs going to have problems in the joints," Ramos said. "Itâs OK to do it once in a while, but if you do it every time, like a football player, youâre going to have problems in the joints." One of my earlier cats died from a seven foot fall from a tree; that was, however, a few months after she spent an entire month in my neighborâs garage without food & water. She was a 10 pound cat, down to 5, then back up to about 8 after that. I didnât want to let her outside after the incident, but she kept going for the door, so I relented, wondering when the inevitable would happen... Continued on Page 49
#1
Hmmmm, the LD-50 for humans is about 70 feet. In other words, fifty percent of the people who fall or are pushed from 70 feet up will die. This cat's pretty amazing.
BTW, I have five cats. Speaking for them, three of the five say "Yahoo!" and the other two are pussies.
#4
Cats have lived from 70 floor drops they are hard wired to go into maximum flight resistance.... cats are more likely to be hurt in a low altitude drop before they can assume the proper kitty position. I recall that a properly furry cat, with the proper kitty freefall position has a terminal velocity of only 130-150 mph.... unless they are falling in a vaccuum of course.
"If I were a cat, I donât think I would want to be doing that," said Joseph Pentangelo, an enforcement agent at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
If you were a cat, Joe, I'd call a very large rottweiler.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/15/2004 17:30 Comments ||
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Rangel was first to be symbolically arrested. Now Rush will be.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) will be arrested today in front of the Sudanese Embassy as part of an ongoing protest against what members of the Congressional Black Caucus say is genocide in the countryâs Darfur region, Rushâs spokesperson confirmed yesterday....The protests are being organized by the Sudan Campaign to End Slavery and Genocide... Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he will take some of that free publicity submit himself for arrest sometime after July 25. Finally. I was thinking this would never happen. Now if someday American feminists started being symbolically arrested at the Soddi embassay - that would be something
My wowser remaineth limp, though I'm sure that after they're done getting symbolically arrested and such they'll think of something substantive that'll actually help the poor souls in Darfur.
#2
If you're gonna rag 'em when they do the wrong thing, you've gotta give 'em credit when they do the right thing. Well done!
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2004 13:03 Comments ||
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#3
I agree, Mike. Every little bit helps. W should threaten to send the Marines if the Sudanese gov't doesn't stop the nonsense ASAP.
Posted by: Tibor ||
07/15/2004 15:20 Comments ||
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#4
I'm glad at least one member of the black political community is publicly reproaching Sudan, but incarceration is a regrettable choice of protest. Standing outside the embassy bearing a simple placard that reads "Sudanese Arabs are murdering Sudanese Blacks" would make the point more widely known and would be much more effective in placing blame and shame where it belongs-on Sudan.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 12:43 ||
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#1
oops - prolly shoulda posted in Culture War. Bravo to the patriots and returning heros!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 12:44 Comments ||
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#2
"Eight soldiers flying home from Iraq for two weeks of R&R flew in style instead of coach after first-class passengers offered to swap seats with them."
"The soldiers were very, very happy, and the whole aircraft had a different feeling," said the flight attendant.
That's just awesome! Bet it infuriates the Kerry crowd.
IMUS: Sen. Edwards, yesterday on "The Today Show" . . . you said you thought that Vice President Cheney, among other things, had lost touch with the American people. And my wife said, "Do you think Vice President Cheney knows what a gallon of milk costs in Albuquerque, New Mexico - or a six-pack of Budweiser?" And I said, "Probably not." You were just in Albuquerque. Do you know?
EDWARDS: [Laughing] I know about what it costs.
IMUS: What do you think a gallon of milk costs in Albuquerque?
EDWARDS: A gallon - I think a half-a-gallon of milk costs about $2.30 - $2.40. Isnât that right? *Bzzzzzzzzzt* Wrong Answer. IMUS: No. A gallon costs $2.99 in Albuquerque. Actually it costs four - what do you think a six-pack of beer costs in Albuquerque?
EDWARDS: I have to be honest with you - I havenât drank a six-pack of beer in a long time. I donât know the answer to that one. *Bzzzzzzzzzt* Wrong Answer.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
07/15/2004 10:58:44 AM ||
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#1
ummm, Edwards actually got that right for the most part. Note he said a half-gallon costs $2.30-$2.40, and last gallon of milk I bought at walmart locally was close to $4.
#3
Lemme take my shoes off, so I get this right... If a half gallon costs $2.30, then a whole gallon would cost... ummm... carry the 9... divide by 11... $4.60. So Edwards was a little high in his estimate. Imus appears to have mispoken with "actually it costs four." If he was correcting, then Edwards was approximately correct. And I have no idea what I paid for a gallon of milk the last time I bought it.
Edwards should have done the same guesstimate with beer. Everyone knows you can get perfectly good beer for $10 a case, though the definition of a "case" is sometimes fluid. But if he'd guessed high, he could have said that anything but Sam Adams' best makes him burp.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2004 22:47 Comments ||
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#4
So this must be the Imus Peshawar Show?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/15/2004 22:49 Comments ||
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Long article, just one quote:
Deeply entrenched in our culture is the belief that at some point in the relatively near future we will see the last working pump on the last functioning oil well screech and rattle, and that will be that. The end of the Age of Oil. And unless we find another source of cheap energy, the world will rapidly become a much darker and dangerous place. If Dr. Gold and Dr. Kenney are correct, this "the end of the world as we know it" scenario simply won't happen. Think about it ... while not inexhaustible, deep Earth reserves of inorganic crude oil and commercially feasible extraction would provide the world with generations of low-cost fuel. Dr. Gold has been quoted saying that current worldwide reserves of crude oil could be off by a factor of over 100. And, to the horror of the Greens, the internal combustion engine will live forever!
Posted by: Steve ||
07/15/2004 10:03:02 AM ||
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#1
Even assuming Gold's hypothesis is true (his position is in the minority), getting to the 'deep Earth reserves of inorganic crude oil' requires deep drilling. Deep drilling is expensive, very expensive.
#2
I'm of the opinion that this's the ultimate in wishful thinking. "Fuels... buried deep underground... organic origin? Impossible!" Yeah, and coal looks exactly like chunks of prehistoric tree ferns and giant horsetails just by coincidence...
#3
Could be. But Gold's position is held by a majority of Russian oil scientists, IIRC.
Actually, Bulldog, the idea that oil comes from animal remains was *inferred* from the geological strata in which the first finds were made -- and at a time when the hot new theory in the science world was evolution. Coal is a different matter -- I come from a coal-producing state and many of us kids had chunks of coal with fern fossils in them.
It'll be interesting to watch this play out. If in fact oil basins are recharging themselves at significant rates from below, in time periods of years and not centuries, it will have a big impact geopolitically around the world.
#4
Oil fields may be 'recharging' but surely that can be explained as fluid movements within the oil-bearing pockets. Pump an accessible patch of crude-saturated rock dry, leave it a few years, and it can't be surprising that pressure's built up enough to enable a temporary renewal of extraction.
If crude's a magma product, how come I've never heard of oil seepages associated with volcanoes of any sort?
I admit I say this without any expert knowledge of the subject myself. I'm sure others (e.g. AP) will have much more informed comments to make about this subject...
#6
But Gold's position is held by a majority of Russian oil scientists
Never mind... I was going to do a cheap shot about Soviet era science in particular the bizzare Stalinist era genetics mogul, which really doesn't have anything to do with this discussion. I'm sorry.
#7
Lysenko. The comment made me think of that also.
OTOH has anyone been following the ConAgra project in Carthage,IL to make oil out of turkey waste - cant feed the stuff to other animals anymore (thank YOU bulldog) and its a pain to dispose of, but it turns out that there are some clever ways of getting net energy out of it.
#8
The energy isn't net LH. There was a shitload *kofi* of corn fired down them gullets. Still, it's good waste disposal, though I'll bet if it wern't for the NIMBY problem a sprayfield would be even better.
#9
#4 Bulldog writes: Oil fields may be 'recharging' but surely that can be explained as fluid movements within the oil-bearing pockets.
The article says: Even more intriguing is evidence that several oil reservoirs around the globe are refilling themselves, such as the Eugene Island reservoir â not from the sides, as would be expected from cocurrent organic reservoirs, but from the bottom up.
My husband's cousin is an oil geologist ... if she's in from the field I'll give her a ring and ask her opinion on all this.
Lysenko was off base, but possibly not as much as you might think BTW. For those who aren't familiar with the name, Lysenko believed that animals could change their bodily shape in response to the environment and then pass those changes to their offspring. We know, of course, about the role of DNA/RNA in inheritance, with the first work of Mendel, and so this sounds ridiculous.
However, the whole book has not yet been written on how genes work. For instance, "junk genetic material" formerly considered to be worthless stuff hanging on the ends of chromosomes now apepars to have important impacts on the work of genes - Scientific American had a big article on this last year, IIRC. A lot of opther work is now being done on the way in which some genes change their function in response to metabolic activity in mammals. And that metabolic activity can affect the fetus in the womb in some cases. For example, there are cases where diet, exercise and stress int he parent changed the color of hair on mouse offspring from what a Mendelian genetic theory would say must be its inherited color. It's a topic I follow casually, as there is some debate within the show dog breeding world about whether certain medical conditions are simply and irrevocably inherited, or whether environment before and after birth might also contribute to or impede the condition's development.
I'm not a new age-y believer in crystals, auras or a disbeliever in the scientific method BTW. Just noting that reality is often more complicated than simple theories .... and that early theories we learn as "givens" in school often are way behind what practicing scientists are discovering.
#11
Well, my timing is impeccable. The Wall Street Journal has an article todayhere:
If anyone out there still believes that DNA is destiny and that claims to the contrary are so much bleeding-heart, PC drivel (my favorite is that parents' treatment of their children has no effect on their character, beliefs, behavior or values), neuroscientist Michael Meaney has some rats he'd like you to meet.
Since the 1990s, he and his colleagues at McGill University, Montreal, have been documenting how mother rats affect their offspring (dads don't stick around to raise the kids). Now they have scored what neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky of Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., calls "a tour de force": proof that a mother's behavior causes lifelong changes in her offspring's DNA.
"In the nature/nurture debate, people have long suspected that the environment somehow regulates the activity of genes," says Prof. Meaney. "The question has always been, how? It took four years, but we've now shown that maternal care alters the chemistry of the gene."
#12
Pump an accessible patch of crude-saturated rock dry, leave it a few years, and it can't be surprising that pressure's built up enough to enable a temporary renewal of extraction.
Actually just the opposite happens sometimes (family's in the business): if you stop pumping a productive well/lease then return later in an attemtp to restart production, you'll often find the field's productivity to have decreased. At least that's true of the very shallow wells we drill in the midwest. One oddity I've seen personally: my dad still pumps a field first drilled by my grandfather during WW II. The production numbers have always been very low (fraction of a bbl/day/well) but it's still producing as much now as it did a half century ago and we're decades beyond the point at which the geologists said it would play out based on the known local producing formations. Not support for the deep oil proposition but an interesting oddity.
EFL
Forget the nuclear inspectors, instability in Iraq or soaring drugs use. The hot topic in Iran these days is fashion - what women can and cannot wear. Okay! But just for the moment, alright? Eunochs Morals police and Emasculated-Islamic vigilantes have launched a fierce crackdown on âimproper dressâ, seizing tight coats and cropped trousers from fashionable shopping centres and detaining scores of women every day for flouting the Islamic dress code. Well, that seems like lovely news. IFYOUARENOTAHETROSEXUAL!
While the crackdown on improper Hejab is not new - enforcement typically spikes in the summer when really hot chicks are wearing some kick butt clothing as soaring temperatures prompt many women to test the boundaries of the law - the level of debate accompanying it is unprecedented. Where are all the left wing, wingnuts fighting for womenâs rights? I can never fully understand the silence from the LLL when throughout the world there really are women who suffering. Clitoral mutilation, honor killings, ...WHEREISTHEOUTRAGE from these assmuzzles?
According to local media the Interior Ministry is drafting new guidelines on Hejab to clarify what can and cannot be worn. But many clerics, alarmed by feminine beauty the growing number of women who have cast aside the traditional head-to-toe black chador in favour of colourful scarves, tight coats and calf-length capri pants, think the proposed Bill comes not a moment too soon.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
07/15/2004 7:25:51 AM ||
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Peephole Burkas... mmmmmmm.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/15/2004 9:08 Comments ||
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"...women who have cast aside the traditional head-to-toe black chador in favour of colourful scarves, tight coats and calf-length capri pants"
Is that all? Yeeeea baby!
Sorry to the lady R'burgers, but those Persian kittens are hot.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/15/2004 9:19 Comments ||
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DF, Black only. One size fits most.
I think you have just found the Henry Ford of chadors.
Good thing the face was erased, else I woudn't be able to control myself.
Posted by: ed ||
07/15/2004 9:23 Comments ||
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What can women in Iran wear?
Black combat boots? No, too masculine.
A Sister Betrille bonnet? No, they might escape and live the lives of harlots.
Ummm...
Glasses? No, glasses are a symbol of education. These are women after all.
Chaps? No, the women might get sexually excited.
Uh...
A bustle? No, big swaying hips under a hijab might sexually stimulate men.
A chastity belt and concrete shoes?
We have a winner!
#6
What I love is when female Islamist apologists insist that Islamic clothing is not hot or uncomfortable or a hinderance to movement, then their sisters out in the real world demonstrate that in fact this sh*t is an awful burden on women. Notice where the article says that women seek cooler and more comfortable clothing in the summer months. Womens Islamic clothing is barbaric in real world conditions.
I think the only women who aren't burdened by it would be those who never leave the house! *snark snark*
Yeah. That's the REAL Iranians, all right. The Persians have always been big on opulence, style, fashion--and the mad mullahs aren't going to be able to change their fascination with glitz by forcing them to submit to what looks like shroud-like, black death gowns (see article link ).
Now--on to the symbolism of the chador. Obviously, the men promoting chador-wearing want to deny women:
- their individuality
- their intelligence
- their personality
- their expression of femininity / sexuality
- their existence
You get the picture. Plus, the truth is, they like to play "virgin" with their women. I will explain:
Because they are arrested in their development as men, they like the "surprise" side of sexuality (which is prevalent in adolescence and early adulthood, typically). Well, gee whiz, and guess what? That don't last. By design, a deeper and more fulfilling, and more sexually satisfying, relationship is characteristic of mature, committed couples. But they don't even live in that universe.
So what to do, they ask themselves. Ding-ding! They've gone and invented "the next best thing."
With the chador as a required dress code for women, the man's experience of "sexuality" (if you want to call it that) is heightened at the time of engagement, because he isn't as desensitized to female form, and certainly not to female nudity. So they can "pretend" they are having a âvirginalâ experience (which also is stupid because they are treating women as personal property sex objects, sans relationship). In other words, through the use of the chador, they are enslaving women to their own arrested sexual/personal development. This is the same principle behind Female Genital Mutilation, and even honor killings, albeit, honor killings enact the same in a more twisted direction, because they actually do end up killing the women.
What a bunch of sickos. The Iranians need their country back. The Shah was better. They should kick the mullahs out, reinstate the Shah's son as a figurehead leader (like in the UK) and develop some kind of constitutional/parliamentary system.
President Vladimir Putin has reunified Russiaâs spy agencies for the first time since the abolition of the KGB marked the end of the Cold War. Twelve years after the former Russian president Boris Yeltsin broke the back of the Soviet Unionâs all-powerful KGB - splitting its domestic and foreign security functions into separate agencies - Mr Putin, a long-term KGB officer, signed a decree reuniting them under one directorate.
The decree, signed on Sunday, gives Nikolai Patrushev, director of the counter-espionage service the FSB, the status of a cabinet minister and cuts the number of his deputies. He will also control Russiaâs spies abroad, which had been run by an organisation called the SVR. It puts the Kremlin guard, the Federal Guards Service, under FSB control. Two other Soviet-era KGB agencies - the border guards and government communication and information agency - were reabsorbed by the FSB last year. The changes, which come amid efforts to streamline the government, should make the agency more efficient by speeding up decision-making and clarifying the powers and responsibilities of officials and departments, said Yevgeny Lovyrev, the FSB deputy director. FSB departments will be disbanded and replaced by units called services, whose leaders will have more authority than before, he said. Mr Putin, who has packed his government with FSB officials, took "practically all the suggestions of the FSB leadership into account" in framing the decree, Mr Lovyrev said.
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Posted by: Bulldog ||
07/15/2004 5:51:01 AM ||
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We need the old KGB label back; there was never anything quite like it . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
07/15/2004 8:29 Comments ||
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That reminds me of an old joke, but I'm not allowed to tell you.
BTW, did you know that Andropov's middle name was Shrevelup? Yup, it's true -
Yuri Shrevelup Andropov...
#6
I understood the "shrivel up" pun, Bulldog, but I also assumed that the emphasis of "Yes, it's true" meant that mojo thought "shrevelup" was the guy's real name.
The year was 1943, and in much of Europe the Nazi death machine was proceeding with its systematic obliteration of European Jewry. But as the mass murder continued, individual pockets of light, however small, shone out brilliantly amidst the otherwise total blackness. In the German-occupied Polish village of Buczacz, which today is in Ukraine, two Jewish families who managed to escape the ghetto had made their way to the surrounding fields, where they took cover from the final Nazi deportation. As they lay hiding in the fields, a Ukrainian farmer, Stepan Chaikovski, happened upon the group and brought them to a barn near his home. For the next nine months, he and his wife, Anna, hid the seven members of the Heled and Halperin families under the haystacks in their barn, providing them with food, water and shelter for no compensation.
"He didnât know us before he met us; we couldnât offer him any money since we had been robbed of all our possessions... I think he did it for the love of his fellow man. I have no other explanation," said Mordechai Halperin, 74, at a ceremony Wednesday at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, where the Chaikovskis were two of seven people from Ukraine and Belarus who were posthumously honored as "Righteous Among the Nations," Yad Vashemâs most coveted award. "Were it not for him, I would not be standing here today," Halperin said, in a ceremony that was attended by the Chaikovskisâ daughter, Miroslava Luchka, who received the awards on her parentsâ behalf.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
07/15/2004 1:23:18 AM ||
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Hmm, I think the surprise meter twitched. A little, anyways.
The South African Council of Churches condemned violence and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, and a top council leader said it was time other countries consider imposing sanctions. Saying South Africa's policy of quiet diplomacy had failed, the council urged more effort in pressing Zimbabwe to end a crackdown on dissent amid an escalating economic and political crisis there. "The people of Zimbabwe already are suffering. Perhaps under sanctions they would suffer for a shorter period of time," said Cardinal Wilfred Napier, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Durban, in a radio interview on the independent station 702.
But sanctions don't work. Every good leftist knows that.
Zimbabwe has been wracked by political violence and economic turmoil in recent years as President Robert Mugabe's government seizes thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks. Critics say that African leaders - like South African President Thabo Mbeki - have largely kept silent about Mugabe's alleged abuses. Human rights groups and Western nations have condemned Mugabe's allegedly rigged re-election in 2002 and the ensuing crackdown on the opposition. "The Council decries the tragedy of Zimbabwe, which has resulted in pain, suffering and dislocation for many people in Zimbabwe, as well as the erosion of human rights, the decline of the economy and the destruction of much of the natural heritage," the council said in a statement. The Rev. Molefe Tsele, the council's secretary-general, told a news briefing that the council wants to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe with Mbeki as soon as possible. Many have criticized Mbeki for failing to pressure Mugabe to restore the rule of law. Mbeki has said he favors "inoffensive quiet diplomacy," and that Zimbabwe's governing party and opposition were in private talks. He predicted last year the crisis would be resolved by June 30. "Quiet diplomacy has failed," said Tsele. Instead, Mugabe has ruled out talks with Zimbabwe's opposition while the government has stepped up a violent crackdown on all forms of dissent, arresting opposition leaders, trade unionists and independent journalists.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2004 12:13:22 AM ||
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Mugabe is your typical socialist dictator and Mbeki is a political soul mate. Mbeki just can't get away with the crap Mugabe has pulled. South Africans won't stand for it. Mbeki is Mugabes protector and that isn't apt to change any time soon.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2004 12:05:08 AM ||
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Kibaki's call for help came one day after Britain's ambassador suggested international aid could be cut off because of a resurgence in corruption in the East African nation.
Free food is being handed out to the city people by well-meaning foreigners.
Market prices for basic food commodities collapse.
Farmers realize that they can't make their investment back off of this crop because of the competition from free food.
Farmers abandon their farms and move to the city to find work.
There is no work in the city for a man only skilled in farming. The male children steal and the female children become prostitutes for the well-meaning foreigners.
The farmer and his family join the mobs seeking free food.
The foreign NGOs announce that the famine is worsening.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
07/15/2004 12:44 Comments ||
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The foreign NGOs announce that the famine is worsening.
yeah, but they got all them child prostitutes...surprised the UN's not coordinating this
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2004 12:50 Comments ||
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You forgot the last part, Formerly Dan. Increased prostitution makes AIDS rampant.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/15/2004 22:55 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
