ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Pastor Inqvist of the Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church would be shocked: Thieves have struck author Garrison Keillor's St. Paul, Minn., bookstore, officials say.
Video surveillance tapes showed a man and woman entering Keillor's store about 1:20 a.m. Thursday, making off with $3,000 from the safe of Common Good Books, store manager Martin Schmutterer told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Sounds like an uncommonly good haul.
"They were very calm about it," he said after posting still photos of the burglars online on the bookstore's blog page. Schmutterer said the pair smashed a window in a coffee shop above the store, then made their way downstairs to loot a safe.
Asked if Keillor, the celebrated author and host of the long-running public radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," on which Pastor Inqvist is a running character, had seen the video, Schmutterer said he had. He told the Pioneer Press the creator of the innocent, fictional town of Lake Wobegon didn't say much after seeing it.
"(Keillor is) very calm about it, but I wouldn't want to put words in his mouth," he said. "It's that goddam Norm Coleman's fault. I though we were rid of him."
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2009 18:30 Comments ||
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#2
My mother always said that if you couldn't say anything nice, don't say anything at all ...
But I used to love Prairie Home Companion - I never missed listening to it - right up until about the 2004 election. Then somehow, the choking aura of smug just got too thick for me to breathe. The constant dribble of slams about Bush, the amnesia about 9/11, the willful ignorance of the fact that in a real small-town flyover state there would have been dozens of active-duty service personnel affected by the war. But oh, no - GK was just too evolved, to right-coasty and too G-D smug to even mention it. So, I quit listening, altogether, although I understand that it's even worse, following the election of The One.
Pity - once it was a good program, and much more reflective of what America was really, really like - not the Hollywierd caricature usually presented in commonly-available media.
I know, this isn't a space blog and all but idiots are always fair game and Sibrel is an idiot among idiots, a clown among clowns, and an anus among ani.
The world just celebrated the 40th anniversary of America's landing on the moon. But a local man has a problem with the official story -- and now he's also got a problem with the law. A glutton for punishment, as well as for fast food from the looks of him, the Big S-hole has been ridiculed from coast to coast (and even on Coast to Coast), punched out by a 73 year old man, and now arrested for acting like a petulant toddler.
Bart Sibrel is a well-known conspiracy theorist whose made a bit of a career out of ambushing America's astronauts, trying to make them look like hot-headed fakes. Stop for a moment and savor the irony.
Sibrel, who calls himself an investigative journalist, has produced videos questioning whether the moon landing ever happened. His 2001, widely discredited documentary called it "the greatest government coverup of all time."
As part of his crusade, Sibrel has repeatedly ambushed the Apollo astronauts, demanding that they admit they had faked it all.
Video from 2002 shows the day that he repeatedly berated NASA legend Buzz Aldrin -- eventually getting exactly what he wanted.
"Will you get away from me?" Aldrin demanded.
"You're a coward and a liar," Sibrel shouted, moving closer and closer to Aldrin.
At that point, the former astronaut punched Sibrel in the face. Turning to his videographer, Sibrell asked, "Did you get that on camera? Did you get that on camera?"
And, indeed, that punch made national headlines. ....and helped make Bart a national laughingstock. Bart did not attempt to press charges, probably for fear of being declared "pussy of the year" on top of his many other dubious achievements.
But Sibrel, who moonlights as a Nashville cab driver, apparently lost control a few months back over his own landing of sorts. I'm glad to hear he is at least capable of honest work but if I were the owner of the cab company I would think twice about employing someone who was on probation for vandalizing a vehicle.
Court documents show he was arrested after another driver refused to pull out of a parking space he wanted. She was waiting for her car engine to warm up. The arresting officer wrote, "A few moments later, the parking space in front of the victim opened up and [Sibrel] drove into it and parked."
Sibrel "then walked up to the victim's car and jumped onto the hood, and then jumped up and down several times." No no! He didn't really land on that car! It was a fake, all filmed in the back lot of a local used car dealer!
The report says he caused about $1,431.33 in damage. Got to sell a lot of bullshit to pay for that.
Last month, according to the court's website, Sibrel pleaded guilty to vandalism and was placed on probation. But, as you might have guessed, that's one outburst you won't see in his videos.
Sibrel did not respond to an email from NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
#1
ON a separate note, I've always suspected that one of the primary reasons why the US Govt. hasn't been critical of China's THREE GORGES PROJECT(S) is that it believes dry Third World countries such as AFPAK will need vast amounts of water to terra-form = overhaul their lands and economies, e.g. vee agriculture and hyro-power, espec from the drug trade.
#2
I've long wondered why Egypt didn't conquer Libya, all underpopulated and flush with oil with an anti-American dictator in charge. Could have done so with minimal US heat, if not actual US blessing. Same goes with Sudan with their genocidal conflicts and oil.
#5
It's one thing for the mighty Egyptian army to lose against against the impossibly mighty Zionist entity... even when it's only kibbutzniks and city-folk defending themselves with a few rifles and Davidkas in 1948. It's quite another to imagine the mighty Egyptian army losing to the northern half of Sudan or Libya's girl guard. Mr. Wife almost had his camera taken from him while in Cairo because he thought of taking a picture of the guard on duty, with duct tape holding together both his footgear and his weapon.
So hard to know where to put this...
Three months after the White House released a single photograph taken during a photo op of "Air Force One" flying over New York -- a flight that caused panic on the streets below -- the U.S. Air Force on Friday released the remaining 145 photos taken during the flight. Also included: email chatter among various military/political types, pointing fingers, gulping in chagrin, writhing in anguish, etc. Best in show: "No positive spin is possible. Admit mistake."
#1
The reaction of the people in NYC and NJ surprised me somewhat.
Even in areas that went heavily for Obama and Kerry 9/11, in the minds of the people 9/11 is not an issue that has been resolved or settled by 2009 the way Pearl Harbor had been settled by, say 1949.
Posted by: Titus Grineck9125 ||
08/02/2009 14:37 Comments ||
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Has anyone seen a passenger list for this flight?. could clear up all the doubt and confusion.
Cuba clicked into crisis mode Friday, postponing a key Communist Party congress aimed at charting a post-Castro future and announcing that its woeful economy is even worse than expected. Cubans will have to make do with less, top communists suggested, as they insisted the armed forces are strong enough to deal with any unrest.
The island's top two political bodies - the Council of Ministers and the Communist Party's Central Committee - huddled in secret on how to guide Cuba through what President Raul Castro was quoted as calling a "very serious" crisis.
Such frank language is uncommon in a country where the state controls all news media, restricts free speech and assembly, and tolerates no organized political opposition. But it's no secret that the global financial crisis has pounded the desperately poor nation - and people do not need to be told how tough times are.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Now that's unfair! With the One trying soooo hard to cause USA to caught up (or rather down) with them.
#3
Didn't I read somewhere that the Hollywood types are visiting more regularly during this "thaw?" Hopefully they are scattering coins on the broken sidewalks for the street urchins. The Cubans found that so endearingly compassionate during the Battista days.
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/02/2009 9:31 Comments ||
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But wait, they are the model for a new leftist utopia! They have free health care for all. The prophet Michael Moore told us so. This is the paradise that The One will lead us to. It has been foretold. All hail The One!
#5
They should dress some bearded guy in fatigues and make a tour of all US colleges and universities. It would be a slobber-fest and generate the needed funds for an economic turn-around.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/02/2009 13:15 Comments ||
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#6
Russia seals re-entry into Cuba oil sector and gives Russian oil company Zarubezhneft access to the exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico and possibly other parts of the energy industry.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega claimed Honduras' coup-installed government might try to provoke a border military incident "to distract attention" from international efforts to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
Ortega cited no evidence in making the claims, which come as Honduras' interim leader dampened hopes for a negotiated solution to the country's crisis, capping days of mixed signals by saying firmly that there's no way the ousted president can return to power. "There is a danger that, to try to distract attention from the internal conflict they themselves created, they might organize a group of people with military training to attack a Honduran army position, for that to serve as a pretext for a retaliation against Nicaragua," Ortega said in a speech in Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.
Ortega, who has been hosting Zelaya and a few hundred of his supporters camped out near the Honduran border, did not offer details on when such a provocation might occur. "But they shouldn't think they would have a cakewalk in Nicaragua," said Ortega.
The two countries' border was the scene of much of the fighting in the 1980s Contra war, in which U.S.-backed rebels fought Ortega's Sandinista government, and Ortega noted "we are not talking about an army that doesn't have a history of aggression against Nicaragua."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Ortega says Honduras may try to provoke Nicaragua
After the Orwell Translation(c) - Ortega says Nicaragua may try to provoke Honduras
#2
The Hondurans are a few steps ahead of him on this. The Honduran army are *expecting* the Nicaraguans to cross the border to make mischief. And not too long ago, that was a "hot" border anyway, which means it is well mapped and planned by the Hondurans.
After the Sandinistas came to power the first time, the US went to some lengths to insure that the Hondurans could make a military adventure into Honduras a very painful experience for Ortega.
The first of 34 radio stations ordered shut by the Venezuelan government went off the air on Saturday, part of President Hugo Chavez's drive to extend his socialist revolution to the media.
Government broadcasting watchdog Conatel delivered an order to CNB radio in Caracas before dawn, ordering its stations to stop transmitting by 8 a.m., an employee of the radio network told Globovision TV.
Diosdado Cabello, the public works minister who also oversees Conatel, said Friday night that 34 radio stations would be ordered closed because they failed to comply with regulations.
He said some of the stations did not have their broadcasting licenses renewed and others transferred them illegally to new owners.
But critics said the crackdown was arbitrary and the owners were not given the right to a proper defense. "It's sad that one doesn't have any means to defend oneself (publicly)," Nelson Belfort, owner of the CNB radio network, told El Nacional newspaper.
Chavez and his supporters say they are waging a "media war" against private news companies and have denounced in recent days what they say is a renewed offensive by privately owned domestic and international media to discredit Venezuela.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Chavez must have an advanced copy of the Obama Fairness Doctrine playbook.
#3
ION RUSSIA CHINESE MIL FORUM > RUSSIA FEARS THE EMBRACE OF ITS GIANT EASTERN NEIGHBOR [China].
To wit, ARTICLE >
* RUSS TV claims that CHINA has a plan - a "yes, a big plan [ "Daniel Boone" TV Series theme] - to "GET BACK" = take over the remote regions of RUSS FAR EAST = ANCIENT CHIN TERRITORIES + FUTURE "LIVING SPACE".
* KREMLIN = RUSSIA is worried over INCREASING POL-ECON, etc. DIVIDE BETWWEN WESTERN + EASTERN HALVES OF MOTHER RUSSIA.
* CHINA, as due to seeming World = MSM-Net recognition that it will be the next superpower behind or in place of the USA, is repor all but ignoring Russ interests in favor of maintaining higher relations wid the USA and ONLY THE USA???
----------------------
* SAME > MUSLIMS TOLD TO ATTACK CHINA OVER UIGHURS [TIP Party Leader].
Britain's last fighter aircraft factory faces closure within five years after the governments decision last week to curtail its purchases of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The industry, founded on the Sopwith Camel in the first world war, is expected to come to an end when the last of the Typhoons rolls off the production line in 2014. The BAE Systems aircraft manufacturing plant at Warton, Lancashire, would close with the possible loss of 20,000 jobs at the site and in support trades.
Under the Eurofighter deal, the RAF was due to receive 232 aircraft, now known as the Typhoon, in three batches. They were to be built at Warton as part of the joint British, German, Italian and Spanish project. Last Friday, however, it was announced that Britain would buy a total of only 160 aircraft in what is in effect a £4.5 billion defence cut. The number of RAF frontline Typhoon squadrons will be cut to five from the six that were planned.
Gordon Brown repeatedly tried to pull out of the Eurofighter deal while he was chancellor but Britain itself insisted when the contract was negotiated in the early 1990s that each country must pay for all the aircraft it had committed to, regardless of whether or not it took delivery of them.
Last week, however, Quentin Davies, defence equipment minister, said that the government had “no foreseeable plans” to buy any more aircraft beyond the 160 already delivered or on order, signalling that it had managed to find a way out of the contract.
“We have no obligation to our partners to buy any more and we have no current intention or expectation of purchasing more at the present time,” said Davies.
The government diverted 24 of the aircraft from the second tranche to Saudi Arabia in 2005, insisting that it was a temporary measure to relieve pressure on the hard-pushed defence budget and that the RAF would eventually get all of the 232 aircraft it had ordered.
The fighter industry may, though, be given a reprieve by Germany, which is insisting that Britain must buy all 232 aircraft minus the 24 Saudi aircraft or face penalty payments. Francis Tusa, editor of the newsletter Defence Analysis, said: “The Germans are saying that the UK will have to take the remaining 48 aircraft in its contract or pay for them anyway.”
BAE Systems referred questions on the governments Typhoon purchase plans to the Ministry of Defence. It said that it was already moving away from aircraft construction to support services. Related:
Majority of advanced RAF jets go to Saudi Arabia
The RAF will lose half of its most sophisticated batch of Eurofighter Typhoon with the majority going to Saudi Arabia it was disclosed after a deal for the final group of aircraft was announced.
Despite spending more than £16 billion on the project over the last two decades the British are now going to end up with less than half of Typhoons from the Tranche 3 group.
The Tranche 3 aircraft are specifically designed with built-in ground-attack capabilities that would prove highly effective in conflicts like Afghanistan.
But the RAF are now only going to receive 40 of the advanced aircraft with 48 going to Saudi Arabia. The Air Force was originally to receive 88 Tranche 3 aircraft which have been described as a "generational difference" between the Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 variants. It has also been disclosed that the aircraft, which cost £90,000 to fly an hour, will be almost a decade late coming into service between 2015 and 2020.
In a deal announced in Munich it was also confirmed that the RAF will fall 72 Typhoons short of the 232 originally envisaged for the aircraft designed to counter the Soviet Cold War threat.
Agreement for the deal has been held up by detailed negotiations involving the manufacturers, BAE Systems in the UK, and the Eurofighter programme's European partner governments. The Government said those talks had secured £900 million of savings.
Currently the RAF are desperately trying to get the Tranche 2 Typhoons into Afghanistan but are experiencing technical difficulties converting them to the ground attack role and do not have enough pilots trained.
The Tranche 1 aircraft, designed to intercept Soviet fighters, are not even able to carry cruise missiles as their undercarriage is too weak.
Four Typhoons are on 24 hour Quick Reaction Alert in Britain to intercept hostile aircraft.
The Liberal Democrats attacked the deal as a "betrayal" of troops fighting in Afghanistan who needed more transport aircraft, especially helicopters. Willie Rennie, a defence spokesman, said: "Troops will find it hard to believe that the Government is pressing ahead with ever greater numbers of Cold War jets when it is transport aircraft, especially helicopters, that are so badly needed right now. Faced with a brutal conflict in Afghanistan, it is the lives of our brave servicemen and women that must come first."
Cancelling the Typhoon order would have brought substantial financial penalties and likely job losses, but the Munich deal will keep about 15,000 jobs at BAE Systems. The Government has also been criticised for announcing the deal during the Parliamentary recess.
#1
it's more important to support asshole Pak clerics and their concubines on the dole. Disgusting
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 15:26 Comments ||
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The British are building 20% of the JSF for a 5% R&D investment. That's 20% of an eventual 5-6000 aircrafts while taking 2-3% of production. That share is more than the entire Eurofighter production. BAE execs are going to be living the "champagne wishes and caviar dreams" lifestyle are a long time.
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2009 16:30 Comments ||
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Regulators on Friday shut down banks in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and Illinois, boosting to 69 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year amid the pressures of the weak economy and mounting loan defaults.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the five banks.
The agency shut down Integrity Bank of Jupiter, Fla., with $119 million in assets and $102 million in deposits, and First BankAmericano, based in Elizabeth, N.J., with $166 million in assets and $157 million in deposits.
Also closed were Peoples Community Bank, West Chester, Ohio, with $705.8 million in assets and $598.2 million in deposits; First State Bank of Altus, in Altus, Okla., with $103.4 million in assets and $98.2 million in deposits; and Mutual Bank of Harvey, Ill., with $1.6 billion in assets and $1.6 billion in deposits.
Mutual Bank was the largest of the five. It was closed Friday by the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation's division of banking, which appointed the FDIC as receiver. United Central Bank of Garland, Texas, is assuming the deposits and essentially all of the assets. In addition, the FDIC and First United Central Bank entered into a loss-sharing agreement covering $1.3 billion of the assets of Mutual Bank. Its 12 branches will reopen Saturday as offices of United Central Bank.
First State Bank of Altus was closed by the Oklahoma State Banking Department, which appointed the FDIC as receiver. Herring Bank, based in Amarillo, Texas, is assuming the deposits and about $64.4 million of the assets of First State Bank of Altus and the FDIC will retain the remaining assets for eventual sale. The failed bank's branches will reopen Saturday as offices of Herring Bank.
The FDIC said that Stonegate Bank, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had agreed to assume all the deposits and about $52 million of the assets of Integrity Bank. The agency will retain the remaining assets for eventual sale. Integrity Bank's sole office in Jupiter will reopen Monday as a branch of Stonegate Bank.
Crown Bank, based in Brick, N.J., has agreed to assume the assets and deposits of First BankAmericano. The failed bank's six branches will reopen Saturday as offices of Crown Bank.
First National Bank, based in Hamilton, Ohio, is buying the assets and deposits of Peoples Community Bank. In addition, the FDIC and First Financial Bank entered into a loss-sharing agreement covering $657.6 million of the assets of Peoples Community Bank. Its 19 branches will reopen Monday as offices of First Financial Bank.
The 69 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 10:38 ||
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I think the FDIC is doing a good job, compared to the UK's FSA it's amazing.
The UK regulator keeps insolvent banks running, and doesn't insure 100% of deposits.
#2
Though the FDIC is "soft landing" about five banks a week, there is concern that about mid-September, a whole slew of banks will fail at once, precipitated by another one of the real estate bubbles popping.
And if that happens, odds of a last week in September national bank holiday, from 4-9 days (two weekends) are a possibility.
So once again, it would be good to have a few grand cash at home, in a safe place. There could be very little warning with this scenario.
As a government shutdown loomed, residents of Alabama's most populous county lined up Friday to renew their car registrations and settle their tax bills.
By Monday, at least a quarter of the county's 3,600 employees will be on unpaid leave and many county offices will be closed or cutting back hours.
The county, with 640,000 residents, has been on the brink of filing the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy for the past year due to a sewer bond fiasco that remains unresolved. Then things got worse: A judge ruled the county's occupational tax is illegal and courts refused to let the county spend the revenue from it while officials appeal.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 10:38 ||
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While the article mentions that the President of the County Commission is attending the RNC meeting there is no mention of the makeup of the rest of the Commission in the County and who was in charge while all these problems were created. I have my suspicions.
#2
Jefferson County is heavily Democrat with a 65% "minority" population. I was an Architet working on city projects back in 1983/84 and the ammount of corruption was amazing. Kickbacks to government officials from contractors was expected. The "stimulus" money handed out was also amazing and way ahead of it's time. I am very not surprised. The occupation tax, the tax the city and county put on anyone working in the either, was a very sore spot.The vehicle tax was also large. One had to pay a yearly City and County taz on any vehicle whic made driving a 1974 Dodge bare-bones van expensive. 150 bucks in 1984. Business taxes were sky-rocketing even back then and many large business moved out of the County. They did it to themselves.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/02/2009 11:44 Comments ||
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's largest state employees' union voted on Saturday to approve a strike authorization measure to protest furloughs of state workers and pressure state officials to ratify its labor contract. Oh yeah, that'll help.
The SEIU said the strike authorization was approved by 74 percent of its membership. Not quite a Chavez style vote, but keeep trying kids.
If I were governor and they voted to strike, I'd say, "Fine. Remember, I'm the one trying to cut the budget." Then I'd smile and double-dare them to strike.
#1
I believe the SEIU is basically janitors/unionized illegals. Does CA have a "prevailing wage" law?
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/02/2009 9:26 Comments ||
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#2
Think the AP will call this a coup? /rhetorical question.
The right to strike against the public does not exist. The state is the manifestation of the will of the people. As such it is sovereign. There is no equality of a body composed of the whole with a body composed of a very few and there can not be.
SEIU how would you like the military to go on strike. Think real hard about those 'employees' taking their grievances to the street, before you start walking down that street.
#8
The SEIU has nurses, nursing assistants and municipal workers as members in our part of the country as well as the 'service trades'. If that's the case in California, then that could be a bigger 'stick' in this little foray into IWW tactics by the union.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/02/2009 10:41 Comments ||
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#9
One of the dumbest things I've heard. Oh yeah, the public will really rally around overpaid janitors, clerks, and assorted gubbamint workers during these splendid economic times. These SEIU positions are all easily replaceable in the real world
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 10:42 Comments ||
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You can be sure that the SEIU has already coordinated this with the Obama administration. The voice of the people means nothing compared to the voice of The One.
#12
Exactly, procopius. The non-existence of any rationale - economic, legal, moral - for public sector unions (in comparison to the wafer-thin rationale for private sector unions) is merely one of the most egregious aspects of our upside-down, brain-dead, envy-and-greed-driven society (I refer here to the greed/envy of the "have-nots"). Some serve in dusty hot dangerous places around the world, even there cut corners to save public funds, endure idiocy and obstruction from the UN and European "allies" and disgraceful illiterate public displays by senior elected officials, and can't imagine demanding more $$$, or such absurdities as going "on strike".
#13
Let's see. Not paying 95,000 salaries, benes and offices. By Jove! I think CA just balanced their budget.
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2009 17:16 Comments ||
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#14
I belong to a local municipal union, it was required for contract negotiations. I opted out for their PAC support. Since they negotiate our contracts (I'm in the Tech unit) other units represent police, fire and blue collar (SEIU/AFSCME(?)). It makes it convenient for negotiating contracts, but if our Tech unit called for a strike, they might get 10 people. We understand that the private sector is cutting back and laying off. Our union took a 6% pay cut - I'm not whining, that was in line with everyone else, and I voted to accept that. This is a dumb thing SEIU is doing. They're hoping their contacts to Teh One will carry them. I don't see it happening. F*ck em. They can be replaced if they strike. Our Development Services (building permits, planning, etc.) is laying off 88 people soon due to the lack of construction. That's real life the CA SEIU should feel soon
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 17:21 Comments ||
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#15
That probably would not be a good move for them, so they will probably do it.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
08/02/2009 18:36 Comments ||
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#16
That'll be a good trick without a strike fund.
#18
As far as I have been able to tell over the years, there's nothing wrong with the working stiff standing in the union rank and file. The problems seem to begin at the elected and appointed leadership levels, ie, stewarts, business agents, presidents, etc. Amazing isn't it, just like our politicians in Washington.
Guaranty Bank is hardly a household name. But the Austin, Texas-based thrift's looming failure is shaping up as a big headache for bank supervisors -- not to mention a black eye for Carl Icahn and others in the smart money set.
Guaranty (GFG) could be soon seized by the government in what would be the biggest bank failure in a year that has already had 64 of them. Last week, the bank warned investors to expect a federal takeover after regulators forced a writedown of its risky mortgage investments and a bid to raise new capital failed.
Guaranty has $13.4 billion in assets and operates 160 branches in Texas and California -- two of the three best banking markets in the nation, thanks to their size and population growth.
But the bank's capital problems and its smallish, scattered network of branches could detract from Guaranty's appeal, making it tough for regulators to find a buyer quickly -- or without substantial federal subsidies.
"This may not be closed as quickly as you think, since it will require bids and rebids," said Miami banking consultant Ken Thomas.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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I have seen some concern that in mid-September there is going to be a banking crisis, because the "close five banks a week" soft landings done so far this year are going to suddenly turn hard, with lots of banks closing, exceeding the ability of the FDIC to quickly clean up the mess.
The "bad case" is a national bank holiday in the last week of September, lasting from 4 - 9 days including two weekends. So once again, the advice is to have a few thousand dollars in a safe place at home, so you don't get caught short.
Economically, it is expected to be a hard fall, which could turn into a "third wave" drop of the stock market, which is typically the worst drop in a recession.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A restaurant owner in southwest Turkey was shot dead after he tried to prevent his customers from smoking to comply with a new law on the use of tobacco indoors, Hurriyet daily said on Thursday. Hey, wanna put that butt out?
No.
BANG...
A fight broke out after Hidir Karayigit, 46, ordered a group of customers to extinguish their cigarettes when they began smoking at his "meyhane," a traditional restaurant that serves alcohol, in the town of Saruhanli, Hurriyet said. Hadir obviously needed training in customer service. But he won't anymore...
One of the customers shot Karayigit four times after he took away the group's cigarettes, said witness Hamza Havutcu, Karayigit's business partner who was also shot and wounded. Looks like Hamza's not the brightest bulb on the tree.
Turkey's government on July 19 introduced a nationwide ban on indoor smoking, including bars and restaurants, despite the fact that half of Turks aged between the ages of 15 and 49 smoke; one of the highest rates in the world. "I'm deeply saddened that the first smoking-ban murder occurred in our town," Saruhanli Mayor Veli Yalcin told Hurriyet. "They either shouldn't have outlawed smoking or they should have outlawed alcohol along with smoking."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Air Force Materiel Command officials here July 31 released an accident investigation report that determined that human factors associated with high gravitational forces caused the March 25 crash of an F-22 test aircraft 35 miles outside of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The test pilot, David Cooley, a Lockheed Martin employee, was killed in the mishap. Mr. Cooley was a former Air Force pilot with significant flight experience, including in the F-22. The aircraft, assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, was destroyed. Total cost of the aircraft, equipment damage and property restoration has been estimated at $155 million.
According to the report, Mr. Cooley was conducting high-G maneuvers, which test aircraft capabilities and integrated equipment, prior to the accident. Witness statements, voice and telemetry data and simulations show he completed two of three planned tests. During his third test maneuver, however, he appeared to have been subjected to increased physiological stressors associated with high-G maneuvers, according to the report. The board concluded this led to an "almost" loss of consciousness and lack of situational awareness, causing Mr. Cooley to delay his aircraft recovery maneuver.
The report states, "The [mission test pilot] regained partial [situational awareness] and attempted a late recovery from the test maneuver but determined there was inadequate altitude for a safe recovery and ejected." Due to the speed of the aircraft and the windblast, the pilot immediately sustained fatal, blunt force trauma injuries upon ejection.
The accident board concluded that the aircraft itself was functioning normally and that there were no design or airworthiness issues that would impact the safe operation of the F-22 fleet.
"The loss of Mr. Cooley is tragic and keenly felt by everyone who knew him," said Maj. Gen. David W. Eidsaune, the Accident Investigation Board president. He was a superior test pilot and a member of the Air Force family. His service as a test pilot helped enhance the capabilities of fighter aircraft. Our thoughts and prayers continue to include the Cooley family."
India's pride -- its defence forces have a reputation that precedes them. But itÂ’s unfortunate that they have been given the tedious task of guarding our borders, unarmed & saddled with 'dud' weapons. As a normal citizen of the country, one would think that our defence forces are armed with weapons which have unbeatable fire power, which mercilessly swoop down on their targets and bomb the enemies. However, TIMES NOW reveals a shocker.
TIMES NOW's Senior Editor Srinjoy Chowdhury, who has exclusive access to the 'Dud report' says, "The Indian Air Force's armory is full of duds with missiles that don't work and bombs that don't explore."
Specifically, the Harpy missile procured from Israel for a whopping Rs 750 crores lies useless after it developed direction trouble.
The Popeye II missile that costs Rs 350 crores, which is an air to surface missile, that never even passed the initial tests since the wings were faulty.
The Sea Eagle -- a subsonic anti-ship missile which cost close to a Rs 120 crores is no longer usable as the components are not available.
Meanwhile, anti-radiation missiles, some of which were procured from Russia have malfunctional seekers -- parts that used to seek out the target.
Srinjoy adds, "Many foreign weapon systems tested in very pristine conditions just don't seem to be effective in India. Yet there are indigenous weapon systems that have failed as well."
Sitaphal -- the cluster bomb, is not in use since key components have become unavailable and finally the 450 kg high speed low drag bomb too had not been put to use due to the mismatch in components.
Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Defence said, "With weapon systems of with ammunitions, whether it is for the Navy or the Army, if it goes beyond the shelf life then there could be inaccuracy."
With an armory of junk and a nation to defend, one wonders if anyone is listening to our brave soldiers.
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif has asked lawyers to drag out the black sheep from their ranks who are trying to spoil the image of the community that struggled for the restoration of the judiciary. My solution: Steel Cage Tag Team Texas Death Matches. Judges vs. Lawyers, Cops vs Lawyers, Black Sheep Lawyers vs. Lawyers, Reporters vs. Lawyers. Put it on Pay Per View and retire the national debt.
Addressing the judicial officers, civil society representatives and police officials participating in the National Judicial Conference at the Punjab Judicial Academy on Saturday, the chief justice said that peaceful atmosphere was necessary in the courts for ensuring justice as it was pre-requisite for the economic development of the country. He was then hit with a folding steel chair pipe...
The atmosphere of courts in some cities was, however, had been polluted due to violence against police and media during the last week, he said, urging the lawyers to adopt a sympathetic attitude towards the litigants as well.
He said the enforcement of the National Judicial Policy had reduced the number of pending cases significantly, adding the cooperation between judicial officers and lawyers could quicken the process. He urged the judicial officers to work hard like Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for the disposal of all the pending cases, saying if the CJP could work for 18 to 19 hours daily, they should also work for at least 10 to 12 hours a day.
He said that 200 civil judges and 29 family judges would be recruited under the supervision of the high court to remove the shortage of judges in the province. He advised the judicial officers to decide the cases without fear and favour.
He called upon the police to improve the system of investigations and forward the challans to courts under the supervision of the officers so that the real culprits could be brought to book.
He appreciated the establishment of the Punjab Judicial Academy where experienced retired judges of good repute were training the new judicial officers.
Earlier, the District and Sessions Judge, Lahore, explained the aims and objects of the conference and said that honest judges and investigation officers facilitated speedy disposal of cases in accordance with law.
A number of proposals were discussed for dealing with delaying tactics during the hearing of cases in the court during the first and second session of the conference.
Punjab Justinian Academy Consultant Justice (retd) Khalil-ur-Rehman Khan, Director General Justice (retd) Tanvir Ahmed Khan and Directors Fakhar Hayat and Malik Khadim Hussain also attended the conference along with district and sessions judges, civil judges, magistrates and lawyers.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I think it was Barry Goldwater who said something to the effect that the 95% of politicians who were dishonest were giving the rest a bad name.
And he didn't even know Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi or the rest of the current crew.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
08/02/2009 0:19 Comments ||
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Remains of the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been found in the Anbar province of Iraq after a nearly 20-year search, the U.S. Navy said Sunday.
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has positively identified the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, whose disappearance has bedeviled investigators since his jet was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the 1991 war.
The Navy said the discovery illustrates the military's commitment to bring its troops home. "This is a testament to how the Navy never stops looking for one of its own. No matter how long it takes," Commander Cappy Surette, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy, told FOX News.
Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, added, "we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us."
The Pentagon initially declared Speicher killed, but uncertainty -- and the lack of remains -- led officials over the years to change his official status a number of times to "missing in action" and later "missing-captured."
Family spokeswoman Cindy Laquidara said relatives learned on Saturday that Speicher's remains had been found. "The family's proud of the way the Defense Department continued on with our request" to not abandon the search for the downed pilot, she said. "We will be bringing him home."
Laquidara said the family would have another statement after being briefed by the defense officials, but she didn't know when that would be.
After years, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq finally gave investigators the chance to search inside Iraq. And it led to a number of leads, including what some believed were the initials "MSS" scratched into the wall of an Iraqi prison.
The search also led investigators to excavate a potential grave site in Baghdad in 2005, track down Iraqis said to have information about Speicher and make numerous other inquiries in what officials say has been an exhaustive search.
Officials said Sunday that they got new information from an Iraqi citizen in early July, leading Marines stationed in Anbar province to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of Speicher's jet. The Iraqi said he knew of two other Iraqis who recalled an American jet crashing and the remains of the pilot being buried in the desert.
"One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Captain Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried," the Pentagon said in a statement.
He was positively identified through a jawbone found at the site and dental records, said Read Adm. Frank Thorp.
#2
Closure is so overused, but in this case, I think it will be good for the family. I remember when they thought his initials had been carved into a Saddam-era prison cell wall. I'd rather know he died in the crash than captured, tortured, and killed. RIP, Capt.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 10:52 Comments ||
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#3
Thank God he's home rather than in that god forsaken place. RIP.
Al-Kaasaani -- who was a Hanafi scholar -- said in Badaa'i' al-Sanaa'i' (5/35): As for that which lives in the sea, there is no animal in the sea that is haraam to eat except in the case of fish, it is permissible to eat it except that which floats. This is the view of our companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). End quote.
And Allaah knows best. Let's hope they don't confuse this Burqini clad lass with Arielle!
A pretty question, that: Was Arielle still a mermaid, and therefore legally edible, after she magically acquired feet and walked on land?
Posted by: Titus Grineck9125 ||
08/02/2009 11:21 ||
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#1
it is permissible to eat it except that which floats
so, no witches
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 12:03 Comments ||
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I gotta say it.... Which form of "eating" is being discussed?
[Al Arabiya Latest] Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannons Saturday at more than 15,000 demonstrators who took to the streets to protest against controversial internal security laws.
In chaotic scenes in downtown Kuala Lumpur, some 5,000 police including riot squads arrested scores of protesters as they gathered at rallying points across the city including two mosques and a shopping complex.
Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said that 175 people had been arrested for taking part in the protest, aimed at pressuring the government to abolish laws that allow for detention without trial.
"We just wanted to disperse them, so we used water cannon and tear gas to do that," he told AFP, insisting the police action was not heavy-handed.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran will be able to export gasoline in the next one and a half years as refinery upgrades and construction plans will also end costly petrol imports to the country.
Just wait until Operation Lemony Snickett gets into high gear ...
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Saturday, the Managing Director of National Iranian Oil Company Seifollah Jashnsaz said that the Islamic Republic already has 9 refinery development plans underway and major advances of between 80 and 90 percent have been made in this respect.
The deputy Iranian Oil Minister went on to highlight that Iran is currently building seven refineries. He pointed to The Persian Gulf star refinery and said that it "is the biggest and most outstanding of all refineries being constructed in Iran and makes use of state-of-the-art technology."
"The said refinery, once fully operational, can produce 35 million liters of petrol on a daily basis. The production will not only satisfy Iran's demand for petrol but will also be sold at export markets."
Jashnsaz added that Iran presently is not facing any problems regarding petrol storage since all its reservoirs are full.
The official's remarks came as the US Senate voted to ban companies that sell gasoline and other refined oil products to Iran.
Iran holds some of the worlds biggest oil reserves, but currently imports 40 percent of its gasoline to meet the growing demand. American lawmakers hope that by cutting off the country's motor fuel, Tehran will abandon its nuclear program.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
however the domestic demand is still growing (since consumption is effectively subsidized by price caps)
thus the amount of crude oil available for export is decreasing
finally there is no way Iran is going to be able to produce enough gasoline to export it
the best they will do is reduce their imports
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/02/2009 0:13 Comments ||
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#2
Simple. A single 500lb bomb shuts them down for quite a while.
#3
"finally there is no way Iran is going to be able to produce enough gasoline to export it"
Not so fast. They have some of the largest refinery projects in the world underway. And there is more profit per tanker load exporting refined products than in exporting crude. That is the only way we manage to get enough gasoline, we haven't built a new refinery in nearly 30 years. We buy gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and jet fuel from Saudi Arabia already refined.
Iran would much rather export refined products than crude. It is like the difference between corn and whiskey.
#4
A single 500lb bomb shuts them down for quite a while.
No, no, no! That's not how we do it in Operation Lemony Snickett.
It's really simple -- Mahmoud lights up a cigarette in the middle of the refinery, and the whole place goes kaboom. Mahmoud can't be found afterwards of course, and (RAB style) it's not clear that he was ever there, but he sure does make a convenient scapegoat when the refinery managers have to explain to Tehran what happened. "Honest, boss, we all saw Mahmoud light up a cigarette!"
Scratch one refinery.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/02/2009 9:36 Comments ||
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#5
Red Storm Rising anyone? It can be done in Iran probably much more easily than the old Soviet Union with far less bad consequences.
#6
we haven't built a new refinery in nearly 30 years
crosspatch, strictly speaking this may be true (thanks to NIMBY, among other things) but we actually have increased refined product production - through expansions of existing refineries and much-improved efficiencies. We just have not increased production as much as we have increased consumption, and the difference is, as you noted, made up through imports from KSA etc.
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.
ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Pastor Inqvist of the Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church would be shocked: Thieves have struck author Garrison Keillor's St. Paul, Minn., bookstore, officials say.
Cuba clicked into crisis mode Friday, postponing a key Communist Party congress aimed at charting a post-Castro future and announcing that its woeful economy is even worse than expected. Cubans will have to make do with less, top communists suggested, as they insisted the armed forces are strong enough to deal with any unrest.
Regulators on Friday shut down banks in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and Illinois, boosting to 69 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year amid the pressures of the weak economy and mounting loan defaults.
As a government shutdown loomed, residents of Alabama's most populous county lined up Friday to renew their car registrations and settle their tax bills.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A restaurant owner in southwest Turkey was shot dead after he tried to prevent his customers from smoking to comply with a new law on the use of tobacco indoors, Hurriyet daily said on Thursday.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Air Force Materiel Command officials here July 31 released an accident investigation report that determined that human factors associated with high gravitational forces caused the March 25 crash of an F-22 test aircraft 35 miles outside of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 
Remains of the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been found in the Anbar province of Iraq after a nearly 20-year search, the U.S. Navy said Sunday.
