Re: APPLICATION TO CLAIM & TRANSFER FUNDS TO YOUR ACCOUNT
With all due respect, I have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you. On June 6th 2004 an American Oil Contractor with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation [GNPC], Mr. Daniel Jones made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, totaling $12,500,000 (Twelve Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) in my branch. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, I sent a reminder only to discover from his contract employers, GNPC that Mr. Daniel Jones had died from an automobile accident.
On further investigation, I found out that he died without leaving a WILL and all attempts to trace his next-of-kin were fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. Daniel Jones did not declare any kindred or relation in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of $12,500,000 is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to the banking regulation herein Ghana; at the expiration of 5 (five) years, the money will be declared domicile and subsequently dropped into the bank coffers as returns on un-operated account. Nobody will ever come forward for the money in this account.
Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a partner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr. Daniel Jones so that the fruit of this old mans labor will not get into the hands of the so-called bank directors. This is simple; I will like you to provide you with the details of a competent lawyer practicing herein Ghana. Then you will contact him to request for his assistance in securing the Death Certificate, Affidavit and other necessary legal papers/documents. A bank account in any part of the world that you will provide will then facilitate the transfer of this money to you as the beneficiary/next-of-kin. The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 55% for me and 40% for you, while 5% would be put aside for all expenses that might be incurred in the course of this transaction.
There is no risk attached to this transaction as all the paperwork will be arranged by an attorney and with my position as the Branch Manager, guarantees the successful execution of this transaction. If you are interested, please do contact me as soon as you receive this letter via my fax above or by email. Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand this transaction. Please observe utmost confidentiality and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall also require your assistance to invest my share in your country.
Respectfully yours,
Kojo Annan
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
what could possibly go wrong?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/31/2008 8:00 Comments ||
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San Diego, CA, October 30, 2008--UC San Diego computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key.
"We built our key duplication software system to show people that their keys are not inherently secret," said Stefan Savage, the computer science professor from UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering who led the student-run project. "Perhaps this was once a reasonable assumption, but advances in digital imaging and optics have made it easy to duplicate someone's keys from a distance without them even noticing."
Professor Savage presents this work on October 30 at ACM's Conference on Communications and Computer Security (CCS) 2008, one of the premier academic computer security conferences.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Oh, hell. I thought they had accomplished something serious, some sort of major theoretical breakthrough in cryptography that I would have thought to be impossible.
*Physical* keys. Feh. Who the hell takes pictures with their key rings prominently displayed?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/31/2008 8:17 Comments ||
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#2
ATMs often take photos. People often hold their keys in their hands or leave them on the ledge while withdrawing money.
#4
Yeah, but that requires the crook to have compromised the security on an ATM machine. Look, this is all getting very Enemy of the State. Wouldn't it just be easier to just pick your lock? Lockpicks sets, as cheap as $17, here.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/31/2008 16:17 Comments ||
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#5
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"I'm a locksmith, and... I'm a locksmith."
Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats ||
10/31/2008 17:21 Comments ||
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#6
Mitch, ask Joe the Plumber, Tito the Builder etc. next time he takes his keys out to unlock a door. A decent camera is all it would take nevermind digital video survailance.
Why is this interesting? Well, you see somebody with a pick set or one of those key guns and it looks suspicious. See somebody walk up, whip out a key and use it without hesitation and nobody thinks anything about it.
Heck, one could take the picture, upload it into a special made key grinder and a couple minutes later cha ching - even set it up in the back of a van. My guess is that this is not the first time somebody figured out how to build this program, just the first public announcement of it.
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A spokesman for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels says the stunt-flying team will be down one jet the rest of its season after removing two members from duty for having an inappropriate relationship. Capt. Tyson Dunkelberger, a spokesman for the team based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, said Thursday the squadron will finish its last three air shows next month with five jets.
Dunkelberger would not identify the two members but said the relationship was between a man and a woman. All six of the F-18 stunt pilots are men, and 23 of the 133-member squadron are women. Dunkelberger says a military administrative hearing will be held to determine further disciplinary actions, which could include removal from the military. So much for the old rule: "What happens TDY, stays TDY."
#5
chris is one of those who've never been on the inside other than Hollyweird impersonations of what the military is really like. Anyone who's served in a unit with extra curricula activity knows how destructive such an activity can become to unit integrity and morale. Look somewhere else to get your attention, but not in house.
#6
Hopefully it was not, but I don't even wish to imagine some adolescent love triangle murder or suicide over an air show audience. Thank you Secretary Donley. Hopefully the US Army will step forward and follow your lead. It is LONG over due!
#7
Interesting; in the past it was not unknown for the Blues to call former Blues to fill in for missing pilots. there is more to this story on several levels.
Probably not worth reacquisition and refresher training for the three airshows left in the 2008 schedule.
Also retired USN but as that name is taken, I remain
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/31/2008 16:26 Comments ||
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#9
I have an old buddy that I grew up with who recently started flying for the Blue Angels. Last I heard he wasn't married and knew his way around the ladies. I hope for his sake that he kept it professional and wasn't involved.
Veterans and servicemembers not in uniform can now render the military-style hand salute during the playing of the national anthem, thanks to changes in federal law that took effect in October.
"The military salute is a unique gesture of respect that marks those who have served in our nation's armed forces," said Dr. James B. Peake, secretary of Veterans Affairs. "This provision allows the application of that honor in all events involving our nation's flag."
The new provision improves upon a little known change in federal law last year that authorized veterans to render the military-style hand salute during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag, but it did not address salutes during the national anthem. Last year's provision also applied to servicemembers while not in uniform.
Traditionally, members of the nation's veterans service organizations have rendered the hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the national flag while wearing their organization's official head-gear.
The most recent change, authorizing hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel, was sponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, an Army veteran. It was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed Oct. 14.
The earlier provision authorizing hand-salutes for veterans and out-of-uniform servicemembers during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag, was contained in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, which took effect Jan. 28, 2008.
#4
Now if only we could somehow get a lot of the uncaring / unthinking idiots that insist on talking / walking/ grab assing while the NA is being played.... polite reminders are usually met with a phuque off or more of a disturbance than the original offense created. it just pisses me off......
#5
Jolutch,
My Dad was Merchant Marine. And USN Reserve. But not a 'veteran' nor eligible for veteran's benefits until a few years after he died, despite driving Liberty ships across the North Atlantic 1943-45.
LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - International naval forces operating off the coast of Somalia must be prepared to take on pirate 'mother ships' if they are to stem rampant piracy, a senior maritime official said on Thursday.
"We want pre-emptive action against the mother ships before the pirates carry out a hijacking," said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the London-based International Maritime Bureau, which monitors international piracy, referring to the ships pirates use as bases from which to launch attacks. "The positions of the mother ships are generally known. What we would like to see is the naval vessels going to interdict them, searching them and removing any arms on board. That would at least force the pirates to go back to Somalia to pick up more arms before they could come back again," he told Reuters in an interview.
U.S., European and Russian navy ships, including a fleet operating under NATO, have moved into the Gulf of Aden in recent days to try to stem the piracy threat and protect some of the 20,000 merchant vessels that use the waterway each year. Around 60 vessels have been seized by pirates this year, with an estimated $18-30 million paid in ransom for the release of crews and ships. A Turkish vessel with 20 crew on board was seized on Wednesday.
But the laws governing what navies can do to take on the pirates are complex. Only if pirates are caught in the act of piracy -- actually boarding a ship and seizing it -- can a naval ship intervene with the full force of international law. Arriving 30 minutes after a vessel has been boarded, when there is a degree of uncertainty over whether those on board are pirates or not, is often too late, experts say. Denmark recently had to return some suspected pirates to Somalia because it couldn't prove they were pirates after they were seized. So fuzzy are the laws that the U.S. admiral commanding the NATO fleet was not sure what his rules of engagement would be just days before he left to take up his command this month.
Mukundan said there were currently about four 'mother ships' -- seized dhows or other larger fishing boats anchored near international waters -- being used by pirates. The pirates live on the mother ships, storing arms, fuel and other supplies on board, and then target ships, which can include fuel tankers, by catching up to them in high-speed boats and boarding them with rope ladders while heavily armed.
Mukundan acknowledged the legalities of taking on 'mother ships' were tricky, but said it could be done if governments gave their naval forces instructions to do it. "Our position is that this is a major world waterway and it needs to be protected. The only people that can protect it are the naval forces operating in the area. They need to have the direction from their government to do it," he said. "At the end of the day, it depends upon the instructions given to naval commanders on the water by their governments."
The Indian Army has reacted to the Indian soldiers being caught in the middle of the escalating conflict in war-torn Congo saying that they have intimated the United Nations mission and its upto them to take action.
Lt. Gen SPS Dhillon, Deputy COAS, said, “The attack on our soldiers in Congo has been taken note of at the highest level. We have informed the United Nations Security Council as well. We are awaiting a decision from the UN. This is their mission and we cannot influence our soldiers.”
Meanwhile, a Lt Colonel and two other personnel of Indian Army on a peace mission in Congo were injured when a contingent of UN troops came under attack in Congo. An Indian battalion deployed in UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) for peacekeeping in that nation came under attack in northern Kivu province during a battle between government and rebel forces, sources said in New Delhi.
Five rockets were fired on two armoured personnel carriers belonging to the Indian troops while they were maintaining security for civilians, resulting in injuries to a Lt Col and two other personnel, they said. In the wake of fighting between the government forces and rebels, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has issued an urgent appeal for an end to the conflict.
UN envoy in Congo Alan Doss has demanded more troops to be deployed in the region after heavy fighting between rebels and government forces in eastern Congo, close to the regional capital Goma. Indian Army, which is the largest contributor to the 17,000-strong UN force, is expected to stop any advance by rebels, who have made significant progress in the last two days. Indian troops were asked to deploy themselves from Goma to adjoining North Kivu province, after the Uruguayan battalion deployed in the region fled.
"After the Uruguayan battalion fled, Senegalese troops were deployed there but they also refused. After their refusal, we were asked to go there," the sources said. The government and rebel forces in Congo are locked in an intense artillery barrage just 30-km short of Goma, where government troops are blocking access to the road. The Congolese Army has alleged that it is being attacked by the neighbouring Rwandan army.
Indian Air Force's Mi-35 helicopter gunshipÂ’s, under MONUC mission, are also taking part in operations in support of the Congolese national ArmyÂ’s military operations. Thousands of internally displaced people are rushing towards Goma from places where fighting is going on. MONUC compound also came under attack on Monday from demonstrators, who pelted stones vehicles destroying United Nations property. One civilian was killed during these violent demonstrations.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/31/2008 11:14 ||
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#1
What is the capability of the Indian army in a jungle scenario?
#2
Send the Uruguayans home. Do so in a public and humiliating way. Announce that they won't be permitted to do peacekeeping for the UN in the future.
Ditto for the Senegalese troops.
Shame them and their military forces. Name their commanding officers.
It may well turn out that other countries would decide not to do peacekeeping missions in the future. But the ones who do would understand what is expected of them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2008 12:15 Comments ||
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#3
What is the capability of the Indian army in a jungle scenario?
#5
Tu is 100% spot on; leasing peacekeepers is a gigantic racket that allows for many third world countries to siphon off UN (read western) money, with the added benefit of sometimes giving some "geopolitical stature" to countries that don't deserve it, like pakistan. Downside is the soldiers often are left standing out in the water (the money paid to the gvt is not used to fund them sufficiently for them to be useful or even self-sufficient), AND, since the armies are third world armies, this brings along many "unpleasant" characteristics, like the sexual exploitation of the very peopel they're supposed to protect, or brutality and/or corruption.
I wouldn't even be so hard on the Mighty Uruguyans, I doubt they're the worse of the lot, and regarding the fighting, it's not clear 1) they have the means to fight effectively, and 2) the motivation to fight (would you be ok to risk your life for the UN, in a foreign land you have zero link with, for population you have zero affinity with???).
#8
CHINESE MIL FORUM/DRUDGE > US INTELLIGENCE CHIEF SEES NEW POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE CONFLICT [Regional-World War]. POSTER - One Poster believes there will be a drive for stronger MilPol Alliances, wid conflict/war occurring ala the CHINA + RUSSIA versus USA-EU-JAPAN-SOKOR-INDIA, over CONTROL OF SOUTH ASIA, SE ASIA, + EAST ASIA. Also believes that INDIA'S HINDUS will NOT allow local MAOISTS to ever gain power, that India will come to threaten CHINA over Himalayan Water [India's primary source], and that INDIA'S RISING AND SEEMINGLY UNCONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTHS WILL ALSO COME TO COMPETE AND THREATEN ITS REGIONAL NEIGHBORS AND CHINA AGAIN???
OTHER > SINO-INDIAN COMPETITION AND CONFLICT VEE MAOISM/MAOIST SOCIALISM WILL DETERMINE WHOM WILL DOMINATE THE FUTURE PAN-ASIAN "POLE POSITION" VEE THE US-WEST + 21st "ASIA-PACIFIC" CENTURY [Asia proper]. RUSSIA > still be locally important but in a REDUCED ROLE = ASIA-GLOBAL "ALSO-RAN"???
#1
ION WORLD MIL FORUM [paraph = Chinglish Net translation] > HUNGARY WANTS TO BORROW US$200.0BILYUHN FROM CHINA + GIVEN US CRISIS AND WORLD CONSEQUENCES, CHINA ACCEDES TO TOP POSITION IN INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, + WASHINGTON TIMES: RUSSIA AND CHINA TAKE OVER THE UNITED NATIONS, + US FINANCIAL CRISIS IS A DECEPTIVE CONSPIRACY TO WEAKEN, CONQUER THE WORLD!?
#2
IRNA > [David Kirkpatrick]ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR UK DEFENSE [ + UK Other], as caused by a "RADICALLY-CHANGED GEOPOL ENVIRONMENT" WID EFFECT ON PUBLIC GOVT EXPENDITURES/BUDGET e.g 2012 FUNDINGS. World Nations may FRAGMENT as Govt-State desperations lead to VIOLENCE-FOCUSED, SHARPENED/INTENSIVE REGIONAL ANTAGONISMS. Traditional or common national unifying forces e.g. UK Monarchy [Govt-State] + Church [Faith, Society-Culture] will be WEAKER THAN IN YEARS OR DECADES PAST???
Also from IRNA, IRAN AYATOLLAH KASHANI [paraph] > US ARROGANT POWER IS DISGRACED WORLDWIDE. Lessor World Nations includ IRAN are becoming increasingly unafraid to resist US-led regional-global ventures and policies.
The BBC was forced last night to dispense with one of its most senior executives and suspend without pay its highest-profile presenter in the hope of drawing a line under the scandal over obscene phone calls.
After four days of pressure, 35,000 complaints and an intervention by the Prime Minister, Lesley Douglas, the Controller of Radio 2, which aired the calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to the 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs, chose to take the blame for her staff failing to stop the broadcast and resigned.
Mark Thompson, the BBC Director-General, who spent the day locked in meetings with the corporations governing body, announced that Ross was suspended from all broadcasting duties for 12 weeks and thus would forfeit nearly £1.5 million of his salary.
The BBC promised a new regime of additional and strong oversight to keep “high-risk” presenters within acceptable boundaries of taste. Mr Thompson said that Ross, who was hauled off the airwaves on Wednesday, had been given his “last chance” to prove that he could behave appropriately.
He described the presenters behaviour, in which he shouted on to Sachss answerphone that Brand had slept with his granddaughter, as “utterly unacceptable”. Ross had been told in no uncertain terms that the corporation would terminate his contract should he become embroiled in a similar scandal in future.
Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, who had summoned Mr Thompson to an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis, said that he was dismayed by the “serious and deliberate breaches” of broadcasting regulations by Brand and Ross. Brand, who left sexually explicit messages for Sachs about his 23-year-old granddaughter, resigned from the BBC on Wednesday.
Sir Michael said that the calls were a “deplorable intrusion” and that the corporations decision to broadcast them “fell so far short of audiences legitimate expectations” that they represented “an abuse of the privileges given to the BBC”.
He ordered the BBC to broadcast an apology on Radio 2 for the offence caused by the calls, and to review all BBC Radios compliance procedures.
Brand is the little piece of filth who campaigned for Obama and did a long obscene hit piece on Bush during the MTV awards.
#2
Good riddance to Brand. The outrage from many must have been tempered by the grand-daughter's confirmation that she has in fact slept with him, however.
The incredibly high level of complaints about this is as much against the BBC as the individuals. Licence fee payers question why they are obliged to contribute towards Ross's record salary of £6m per annum, when many think he's an irritating lightweight prick. I know I do. It's the tip of the iceberg however: the BBC is a liberal laugh-in extortion racket increasingly divorced from public opinion.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown embarks on a mini-tour of oil-rich Gulf states Saturday, but could struggle to win support for his plan to boost funds available to nations hit by global economic chaos.
Brown will head to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in a four-day visit and is likely to argue that Gulf states should be among the biggest donors to an expanded International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout scheme.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
That doesn't strike me as a bright idea, but then neither does Prime Minister Brown. Israel is to have elections in February; how soon for British elections?
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not join top officials attending the funeral of a high-ranking party member, South Korean officials said Friday.
Kim's failure to attend the funeral of Pak Song Chol, a close aide to his late father, Kim Il Sung, comes amid speculation about his health. South Korean and U.S. officials say Kim Jong Il, 66, suffered a stroke, reportedly in mid-August, and is still recovering. North Korea denies the leader is ill.
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim sent a wreath for the burial of Pak, 95, a member of Workers' Party Politburo and honorary vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who was one of Kim Il Sung's closest aides.
South Korea's Unification Ministry confirmed Friday that Kim did not attend the funeral. Kim is known to have attended only three funerals: that of his father, who died in 1994, and two other top North Korean officials.
APAN'S defence ministry plans to sack its air force chief of staff for comments that Japan was ensnared into World War II by the United States and was not an aggressor, according to the Kyodo news agency.
General Toshio Tamogami's essay, posted on the website of a Japanese hotel and apartment developer, was expected to rouse anger in China and South Korea, where memories of Tokyo's wartime acts and colonisation run deep.
JAPAN has sacked its air force chief after he wrote an essay in which he denied the country was an aggressor in World War II, a stance likely to anger its Asian neighbours.
China, the two Koreas and other Asian nations still have searing memories of Japan's aggression and colonial rule, and there had been speculation that General Toshio Tamogami's comments would create antipathy.
"What he said was inappropriate for an air chief of staff. He should not remain in the job," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a news conference announcing his dismissal.
#2
Well, Japan wasn't necessarily ensnared into it, but it definitely came into its era of military strength way too late. Without Western incursions into the region, Japan would probably have replaced China as the biggest - geographically-speaking - land power in the Far East. Of course, without Western incursions, Japan wouldn't have had the Meiji Restoration and the technological leaps - made by copying the West's advancements - that followed it.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2008 14:04 Comments ||
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#4
And I expect The One to also apologize to Japan for the US to have mistakenly parked all its battleships in the Pearl Harbor Bombing Range back in December 1941.
Prime Minister Taro Aso moved Thursday to shelter Japanese taxpayers from global financial turmoil -- and to put off a national election that polls suggest could toss him and his ruling party out of power.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
WORLD MIL FORUM > seems CHINA may buy up a few hundred CARGO AIRLINERS thru Year 2027, mainly from BOEING.
BIG $$$ MULLAH DEAL FOR BOEING, AND AS PER CHINA BEATS B-52, ETC. HYBRID PLANE PARTS HAND-ME DOWNS, BUT FIRST GOTTA SURVIVE THE VARIED EARTH ENDANGERING SPACE ROCKS NEXT DECADE THRU 2022, ala OFTEN-RELIABLE RUSSIAN SPACE PERTS.
#2
ION SAME > US, JAPAN, AND INDIA BEGIN THE NAVAL CONTAINMENT OF CHINA, + DAVID CARD: CHINA TO SUPPORT SEPARATIST FORCES/GROUPS IN INDIA + INDIAN-CONTROLLED VIOLENT ASSAM IS PART OF CHINA'S LOST SOUTHERN TIBET REGION/CHINA MUST TAKE IT BACK.
#1
Um, yeah.
The check is in the mail lady. I've never really seen people get so stupid before. Read the article on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It is real, I don't know how strong its effects are normally, but he seems to be hitting some pretty strong keywords with this group if they think he's going to pick up their gasoline and mortgage payments for them.
#2
"I never thought this day would ever happen. I won't have to work at putting gas in my car. I won't have to work on paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he's gonna help me."
What's really scary about this is that if Obama gets his way, this will be more truth than fiction. If anything, this alone should be enough for any decent, hard-working American to vote McCain.
MY NAME IS BARACK OBAMA AND I WILL SOON HAVE ACCESS TO TWO TRILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDS. I AM WILLING TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU IF YOU WILL FIRST VOTE FOR ME ON TUESDAY ...
News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch has warned that Barack Obama could worsen the world financial crisis if he is elected US president next week and implements protectionist policies.
In an interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Murdoch said the Democrats' policies would result in "a real setback for globalisation" if implemented. Mr Murdoch said he did not know whether Senator Obama would implement all of the protectionist measures espoused by the party. "Presidents don't often behave exactly as the campaign might have suggested because they become prisoners of all sort of things - mainly circumstances and events," Mr Murdoch said.
He warned that any rise in protectionism in the US, including introducing trade measures against China as espoused by some Democratic members in Congress, would risk retaliation and could threaten the world trading and financial systems. "For the past three or four years, some Democrats have been threatening to do things like put on extra tariffs (against Chinese imports) if they don't change their currency,' Mr Murdoch said. "If it happened, it could set off retaliatory action which would certainly damage the world economy seriously."
#1
Obama's already singled out your network, kicked your reporter off his plane, and demonizes Sean Hannity on a regular basis, threatening to resurrect the UNFairness Doctrine. You betcha Barky'd be bad for Biz.
The Washington Times, which has covered the Barack Obama campaign from the start, was kicked off the Democrat's campaign plane for the final 72 hours of the race.
The Obama campaign informed the newspaper Thursday evening of its decision, which came two days after The Times editorial page endorsed Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama. The Times editorial page runs completely independent of the news department.
"This feels like the journalistic equivalent of redistributing the wealth, we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars covering Senator Obama's campaign, traveling on his plane, and taking our turn in the reporter's pool, only to have our seat given away to someone else in the last days of the campaign," said Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon. "I hope the candidate that promises to unite America isn't using a litmus test to determine who gets to cover his campaign."
Gee John, it seems like that's exactly what he's doing. Question is whether the MSM gets the message, and I'll bet it does ...
The Times formally protested the decision, noting that it has one of the top 20 largest newspaper Web sites in the country, distributes its print edition in the key battleground state of Virginia, and has had its stories repeatedly cited by Mr. Obama and other Democrats throughout the campaign.
"Sen. Obama himself demonstrated he appreciates the importance of The Washington Times and its news coverage. In June, he wrote a letter citing a Times' investigative project that highlighted government mistreatment of our veterans. Sen. Obama requested an investigation by Congress and the administration, both of which confirmed the problems and led to corrective action at the VA. In his August acceptance speech, Sen. Obama also prominently mentioned our interview with Sen. Phil Gramm and the now infamous comments about a 'mental recession' and a 'nation of whiners'," wrote Mr. Solomon in an e-mail to Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.
Times reporter Christina Bellantoni, who has covered the Democratic campaign since 2007, is being asked to leave the campaign plane starting Sunday. In defending its decision, the Obama campaign said it respected Ms. Bellantoni's reporting and simply ran out of seats on the campaign plane for the finale because of high demand. It also noted that the Obama campaign is allowing some news media critical of the Democrat to travel, including Fox News.
"Unfortunately, demand for seats on the plane during this final weekend has far exceeded supply, and because of logistical issues we made the decision not to add a second plane. This means we've had to make hard and unpleasant for all concerned decisions about limiting some news organizations and in some cases not being in a position to offer space to news organizations altogether," wrote Obama campaign Senior Advisor and Chief Communications Officer Anita Dunn in an e-mail.
I'll bet her lips didn't fall off afterwards ...
"There are simply no more seats on Senator Obama's plane," she added. "There are press seats available on Senator Bidens plane for travel this final weekend and The Washington Times is encouraged to include our vice presidential nominee in your coverage plans for this final stretch."
#3
Oh get real. They ran out of seats and offered them seats on Biden's plane. They chose larger newspapers over the smaller Washington Times and had they rejected the larger papers because of the lack of seats, you'd be posting the same thing and calling it suppression too. If he got a second plane just for the reporters, you'd be complaining about all the money he's spending. What was the right move here?? What could he have done to make you happy??
The Washington Times reported this statement:
"Unfortunately, demand for seats on the plane during this final weekend has far exceeded supply, and because of logistical issues we made the decision not to add a second plane. This means we've had to make hard and unpleasant for all concerned decisions about limiting some news organizations and in some cases not being in a position to offer space to news organizations altogether," wrote Obama campaign Senior Advisor and Chief Communications Officer Anita Dunn in an e-mail.
"There are simply no more seats on Senator Obama's plane," she added. "There are press seats available on Senator Bidens plane for travel this final weekend and The Washington Times is encouraged to include our vice presidential nominee in your coverage plans for this final stretch."
"I can only hope that the candidate who describes himself as wanting to unite the nation doesn't have some sort of litmus test for who he decides gets to cover the campaign," Solomon said, noting that the Obama campaign's decision came just two days after the paper endorsed McCain.
The New York Post and Dallas Morning News also have been kicked off Obama's plane.
According to the Web site The Drudge Report, the three newspapers' reporters were told to find alternative transportation by Sunday so that the plane could accommodate "network bigwigs" and reporters from two black magazines, Essence and Jet.
Not only Washington Times, but also Dallas Morning News, and New York Post, all three supporting McCain.
#5
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2008 11:51 Comments ||
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#6
Hey Grasping, are you one of the Obama employees who's job it is to monitor 'right-wing' blogs and insert comments when necessary? How much does it pay? Have you enjoyed your work throughout the campaign? What job have you been promised in the new Obama administration, assuming your guy wins?
Inquiring minds want to know. While we're not the Washington Times, we could always do a story on this. Shoot me an e-mail and we'll set something up. Unfortunately, we don't do anonymous sources so you'll be quoted on the record.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
AoS (moderator, Rantburg)
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2008 12:00 Comments ||
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#7
Thanks Steve, I was wondering if someone would pick up on that possibility and was trying to work up how to ask the question.
#8
He owns the plane, he decides who flys in it. Is it payback? Probably. But he owns the plane.
There's plenty of reasons to get on Barry's case, believe me, but I don't think this one's worth getting into a pissing contest over.
#9
And it doesn't sound like they'll be missing much...
On Air Obama, reporters gawk at him moving around up front, talking with aides or on a cell phone, but can only guess what he is saying or thinking. Not only do the reporters have little interaction with the candidates, but increasingly they are having little impact on the broad campaign narratives and daily story lines that supply most voters with their impressions of the candidates.
That's more often taking place in cable studios or on Web sites far removed from the ceaseless grind of the press bubble — in which reporters schlump on and off the plane, in and out of buses and gymnasiums-turned-filing centers, several times a day, dozens of times a week.
A combination of technology and iron message discipline by heavily centralized campaigns has consigned these reporters – once the storied “boys on the bus” – largely to feeding off the public material available to almost anyone over the Web, with very little interaction with the next president of the United States.
And Obama is available to the press corps in spurts – most recently, for an availability in Ohio eight days ago. He has had five press availabilities in the three weeks since the Democratic convention, several of them focused on Hurricane Gustav.
Since the dawn of campaign planes, print reporters were protective of their seat assignments, since those closer to the front had a better chance of asking a question if the candidate strolled back.
But in a sign of the times, Obama reporters in recent weeks have spread out to the empty rows, confident that there would be nothing to see up front.
#10
Of course the other 'journalists' all refused to travel in solidarity with their brethren - NOT. And there in lies the message that any administration can stick it to any outlet that it desires and the pack will simply look to their own individual interests and positioning over 'solidarity'. It's about POWER, baby.
#13
The vengefulness which characterized the Clinton Administration (the likes of which even Democrats deemed to be legendary - after a cocktail or two loosened their tongues) will pale in comparison to what is coming should Gov. Palin be unable to pull McCain's ass (by extension, ours) out the fire.
#15
So next up in the scour the database for dirt, following the successful Joe The Plumber event, is
Jimmie Olson The Reporter.
agree w/ earlier posts: petty and vindictive. I also expect the Thought police out in force. But nobody is gonna stop me from ripping my mattress tag off.
and i also do not (from the toothpaste tube directions sction, how far we have sunk ,when you need this): "for best results, squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go up."
I 'spect Nobama will have a Pepsodent Patrol to monitor our compliance to that also.
More than 35,000 newly registered Colorado voters could see their mail ballots tossed out because of confusion over the need to include a copy of their ID with their votes.The state requires county clerks to verify the identification of all new voters. Often, it's as simple as comparing a driver's license number on a voter registration form to the state's motor vehicle database.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if this counts against the ACORN total? If they are legitimate voters after all, they can try voting on Tuesday.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/31/2008 12:12 Comments ||
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#5
THe ballot instructions are well marked and very eay to understand if you are not an idiot.
If you your ballot envelope (which has your name and address pre-printed on it) has black upper left corner or no mark on your return envelope, you do not need to send anything other than the ballot.
If your ballot return envelope has a RED stripe, then you must encloise ID with your ballot. That ID is a photocopy of...
Colorado Driver's license
valid passport
valid card issued by the dept of revenue
US military ID that has a photo
birth certificate
naturalization certificate
#6
OH, and you must SIGN the envelope on the outside, in the box CLEARLY MARKED "Sign Here" on the AFFIDAVIT OF VOTER (where you state under penalty of perjury that you are an eligible elector, signature name and address are accurate.
Basically its enough that if you are being fraudulent you wold NOT want to sign it, but if you are honest its no biggie.
The death toll from Wednesday's 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Balochistan has reached 300, and rescuers struggled to deliver aid to desperate survivors, most of whom spent the day in search of their loved ones or burying the dead in mass graves.
An estimated 40,000 have been left homeless. "Oh God, what have you done?" wailed one woman as she surveyed the ruins of the hard-hit Wam village. The woman said she had lost two brothers, two sons and a sister-in-law. Swift relief was hampered by damage to key roads, and army helicopters scoured mountains for survivors.
Multiple aftershocks continued to rock the impoverished province, creating fresh fears among survivors who prepared to spend a second night in the open in sub-zero temperatures as the cold winter set in.
"We could bear hunger but cannot see our families shivering under open skies," said one elderly labourer.
Patients also need psychological help, a doctor volunteering in relief efforts told Daily Times. The army is trying to set up a surgical camp in Ziarat, said Captain Dr Ahmed Yar, who with his 25 colleagues was waiting for a second team. A lady doctor said her female patients included those with high-risk pregnancy. Dr Ruqqayya Hashmi, leading a United Nations team, said work needed to be done on multiple fronts. The paramilitary Frontier Corps set up 1,200 tents.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I would be surprised if they ever get it
The last time , the turbans in London and Pakistan set up a charity front to fund a terrorist plot.
I am sure the true believers see this as a new opportunity to launder money
Call me jaded but my sympathy meter is broken. No more fish and no more teaching fishing. F'em
Posted by: Flusotch Dark Lord of the Veal Cutlets5614 ||
10/31/2008 1:01 Comments ||
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#2
We need to send them messages that we'd like to help, but they obviously aren't Friends of Allan.
#5
I's send help. Not cash. And not through any second parties. A company of our Misguided Children could provide emergency recovery and medical services, set up some tents, hand out a few pallets of MREs and go back to A'stan. If it doesn't happen today or tomorrow though, don't bother.
#6
let's hope our politicians actually have some sense this time(not likely too happen i know) and don't even send them a tent. They been living there in the shit hole for 1000's of years dealing with this shit and still thrive like cock roaches let the middle eastern staes send them AID
Posted by: chris ||
10/31/2008 10:23 Comments ||
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#7
Whew! For a second I thought they were talking about the two mighty temblors here in Irving, Texas last night.
JERUSALEM - Israel will hold elections on February 10, Knesset (parliament) Speaker Dalia Itzik announced Thursday. The date was officially set after most parties had already agreed on it in principle in a meeting with Itziki on Tuesday.
The elections, a year and a month ahead of schedule, follow Ehud Olmert's resignation last month as prime minister to fight corruption charges and Foreign Minister Tzipi Linvi's failure to form a new government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- At least 7.5 million Americans owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, according to a real estate research firm's report released Friday. In other words: If they sold their homes today, they'd have to bring a check to the closing. Ouch.
But as long as they aren't selling their home and they can make their mortgage payments they're okay.
Another 2.1 million people stand right on the brink, according to the report by First American CoreLogic. Their homes are worth less than 5% more than the mortgages they're paying on them.
The technical term for this phenomenon is negative equity; more colloquially, these borrowers are often referred to as being "underwater."
"Being underwater leaves homeowners vulnerable to foreclosure," said Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief economist.
That's because these borrowers are left with no home equity to tap - via refinancing or a home equity loan - if they run into financial trouble. Negative equity has contributed much to the soaring increase in foreclosures over the past year.
True financial trouble, like losing a job, is indeed bad for these homeowners. Since a number of folks used their equity to buy luxury cars and vacations, being unable to tap their equity right now may be a good thing. Unless you're selling luxury cars for a living ...
The report on the growing problem of negative equity is a conservative estimate. Some organizations, including Moody's Economy.com, estimate that as many as 12 million borrowers may be underwater. "Being underwater doesn't necessarily mean that you can't pay your bills," said Fleming, "but it's a necessary condition of default."
Borrowers who are underwater but have enough income to pay bills can keep up with their mortgages - even if they don't like paying more to live in a home than it's currently worth. On the other hand, anyone who runs into trouble paying their bills but has positive equity in their home can avoid foreclosure by either borrowing against their home or simply selling it.
Nevada, where home values plunged by more than 30% during the past 12 months, according to the latest home price report from S&P Case-Shiller, tops the list of states with the highest numbers of underwater borrowers. A full 48% of homeowners there have negative equity.
How much of that is held by the speculators who bought into all the condos in Las Vegas and Reno, hoping to flip for a quick profit? Don't ask me to feel sorry for them, because I won't.
Home values in Nevada and some other states rose particularly high during the real estate bubble - and are now plummeting. So even those who put 20% down when they bought their home don't stand a chance.
In many bubble markets, home prices got so high that the only way that many buyers could get a loan was by using what Fleming called "affordability products." These included adjustable rate mortgages with rates that were set artificially low for a few years, until resetting much higher, as well as mortgages that required little or no down payments. These loans left buyers with little equity to begin with, and when prices dipped, they quickly found themselves underwater.
Other bubble states with high levels of negative equity include Arizona (29.2%), Florida (29.2%) and California (27.4%). The second group of states that have a lot of underwater borrowers are in the rust belt region, including Michigan, where 39% of homeowners have negative equity, and Ohio, where that rate stands at 22%.
These regions are in trouble because of severe economic reversals and large-scale job losses, rather than inflated home values. And now prices have fallen far enough to put many borrowers in negative territory. Some of them may have already tapped their equity to tide them over in hard times, and have little cushion left.
The third group of states where many borrowers owe more on their homes than they are worth are in trouble mainly because, according to Fleming, they've experienced a large influx of immigration. Newcomers in states like Texas (16.5%), Georgia (23.2%), Arkansas (16.3%), and Tennessee (15%) bought homes recently and simply didn't have much time to build up equity before prices started to fall he says.
The markets with the fewest underwater borrowers include New York, where only 4.4% of homeowners have negative equity, as well as Hawaii ( 5.6%), Pennsylvania (5.7%) and Montana (6.9%).
#1
Is there a natural law that says a home will always increase in value? That if you buy in a hyper-inflated market you are guaranteed to not lose money even though you bought a home that you knew was overvalued?
A lot of those folks, if they stay in the house and don't lose their jobs, will be fine in 5-10 years. If they bought to turn the house over and make a quick buck then they will be hurting (and should be).
#2
"Being underwater leaves homeowners vulnerable to foreclosure,"
It leaves the banks holding the bag if the homeowner decides to walk and no equity to cushion a distress sale. Another consequence of the stupid policy of 5% or zero down mortgages.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2008 12:38 Comments ||
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#3
Guess I don't have to worry about capital gains tax. Thanks congress.
#4
Speculation in any market carries considerable risk of loss. We got spoiled in the 90's and started to believe all the bullshit artists that were saying things like "home value will never go down, it's impossible" or "the stock market is really the safest place to put your money".
I just read an article online that determined that over the last 10 years you would have made about the same profit on a 10yr. CD as you would have investing in a major index after all the ups and downs you'd actually be ahead a few bucks with the CD.
#5
Good news: The gubmint gonna make it sos you can't make a bad investment anymore.
Bad news: The gubmint gonna make it sos you can't make a good investment anymore.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/31/2008 13:15 Comments ||
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#6
I've read that people who are losing their houses are more likely to be Democrats. Maybe that's because Republicans are by nature more skeptical and less likely to be caught up by hype.
#9
#6 I've read that people who are losing their houses are more likely to be Democrats. Maybe that's because Republicans are by nature more skeptical and less likely to be caught up by hype.
Examine the ratings of big city banks heavily involved in Fannie/Freddie loans. Examine the demographics. Behold the Democrat!
#10
Thats what happened in Kansas; both Senators and all but 1 Representative voted against the bailout - the exception was the representative for democrat heavy Lawrence and Kansas City gerymandered district.
Kansas City was, when I was in the area, full of the property speculators; build a house live there for a couple years then sell it at profit rinse repeat. The city of Lawrence has somehow got into the property purchasing and construction business under the auspice of the city providing housing for the poor. How that is legal I have no idea.
#11
Other bubble states with high levels of negative equity include Arizona (29.2%), Florida (29.2%) and California (27.4%).
The traffic on San Diego freeways during rush hour is a lot lighter lately. It's kinda nice, actually. Sorry if I seem a little callous but the bubble created a lot of problems here and I think it was about damn time it got popped. The only bitch is that the rest of us have to pay for it.
#13
Another story posted here discusses the glut of cargo ships; i see a potential win-win here: let the gov't (FEMA) rent the things and then them without houses can live in the holds.
Of course FEMA would need to line the bulkheads with formalhehyde-soaked plywood so they would feel right at home, but then that would also bail out the timber industry. and the railroads cuz you would need to ship that plywood somehow.
and you would need workers to do that, so jobs are created.
Oil prices have slipped in an unpredictable trade market and over declining economic growth in the US, the world's top energy consumer.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery fell 1.54 dollars to close at 65.96 dollars per barrel. In London, Brent North Sea crude for December lost 1.76 dollars to settle at 63.71 dollars.
The US economy contracted at a 0.3 percent annualized pace in the third quarter as a global credit crunch saw consumers and businesses cut back on spending.
The decline, not as steep as the 0.5 percent annualized drop expected by private economists, comes amid mounting expectations of a sharp falloff in the US economy amid the worst banking and financial crisis in decades. Oil prices have dipped as the market has focused on the negative fallout from a global financial crisis on energy demand.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Suck it up, Hugo and Dinnerjacket. Better put your dreams of revolutionary conquest on hold till oil prices rise again. Meantime, watch your six and keep the subsidies flowing. The peasants get pi$$ed when they don't get their cheap gas. Don't get them angry. You won't like them when they are angry.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Juneau, AK ||
10/31/2008 1:26 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, the economic news isn't bad. Think about what the news was today. If we had twelve consecutive months like this month, the economy wouldn't contract even by 1%. Not even by 1/2 of 1%. Not even 1/3 of 1%. If we had twelve consecutive months like this one, the economy would contract by a little over a quarter of a percent.
Basically it was flat. When it is flat, it can be a little on the plus side, or a little on the down side. It was a little on the down side but damned little.
Also, unemployment held steady. What that means is that you hear about companies laying off in the news but what you didn't hear about was an equal number of people being hired by other companies.
With the price of oil going down, transportation and shipping will do much better. In fact, lower energy costs help the entire economy. Things really aren't that bad. They aren't growing, but we aren't in any kind of a depression either.
Remember 12% unemployment and 18% interest rates when Carter was President? No, apparently not.
#4
Oil and other commodity prices are signalling things are going to get much worse. Commodity prices reflect future (planned) economic activity. The situation in Europe looks particularly dire. Volvo truck orders fell 98% Q on Q which is an astonishing number.
#5
The futures price of refined gasoline is now LESS than the price of crude oil!
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/31/2008 3:32 Comments ||
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#6
Hey let's not bad mouth Jimmuh!!!! His presidency was the best for me personally and I refute any thing bad about him!!!
If he hadn't ruined the economy for construction I wouldn't have been fired which forced me into a new career. I borrowed from a friend and went to CDI to learn programming!
He forced up interest rates so high that house prices tanked. When Reagan was elected I quick bought a house cheap and refinanced twice in 3 years dropping my interest rate from 17 to 8 percent. Then sold the house for 3 times what I paid for it.
#8
i think the liberal media is making it sound worse than what it is. YEAH PPL ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES LEFT AND RIGHT BUT I SUSPECT MOST OF THEM BOUGHT HOMES THEY COULDN'T AFFORD IN THE FIRST PLACE. aSLSO I KNOW THIS IS GOING TOO BANKRUPT THE OIL RICH NATIONS BUT IT SURE AS HELL FEELS GOOD SQUEEZING THOSE BILLFOLDS
Posted by: chris ||
10/31/2008 10:16 Comments ||
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#9
sorry about the caps
Posted by: chris ||
10/31/2008 10:17 Comments ||
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#10
I think saying people are losing their homes left and right is a bit of hyperbole, no? Isn't the real foreclosure rate still only a couple percent? According to this 1 in 1685 households was in some state of foreclosure during September. That's a 9.2% decline from the previous month. Once we get pass this credit crunch and the subprime mortgage stuff shakes out, I think we'll be in pretty decent shape. Until Obama increases government spending by a trillion dollars and adds a ton of new taxes. Then we're screwed.
#11
If he hadn't ruined the economy for construction I wouldn't have been fired which forced me into a new career. I borrowed from a friend and went to CDI to learn programming!
Yeah, Jimmy got me out of the car business and into the IT world. Thanks Jimmy. But the Democrats can stop now.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
10/31/2008 11:50 Comments ||
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#12
FDan, they not only can stop but they can pack up and leave!! I think they should all move to Zimbobby and demonstrate their true powers of reconstruction.
#13
The price of oil going down from $145 to $65/barrel keeps $350 billion/year (or 2.5% of GDP) from leaving the US as was the case earlier this year. I believe that money and the domestic productivity it will buy will cushion or reverse the recession.
The administration needs to jawbone the price of oil even lower and make moves, even symbolic, to eliminate oil dependency from hostile regimes.
Posted by: ed ||
10/31/2008 13:28 Comments ||
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#14
"Remember 12% unemployment and 18% interest rates when Carter was President?"
And the gas lines and the odd-even days for filling up....
I remember that slime-ball and his attempt to destroy our economy and our nation. There's a nice warm spot waiting in his future.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/31/2008 13:31 Comments ||
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#15
And the fuel siphoning from one car to the other.
(A moment of silence for Dad's 1957 Corvette which was replaced with a 1974 Vega.)
Posted by: Grenter,protector of the Geats ||
10/31/2008 13:49 Comments ||
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#16
a 1974 Vega
Aluminum block? What a hideous vehicle. Had to get rid of 69 4-4-2 for a damn Vega. That's why I hate Carter.
#17
If memory serves (and I try to block that period... and I am VERY happy that car was hauled away before I ever drove it) it had the Iron Duke, which may have been a V-4 (as opposed to an inline 4).
Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats ||
10/31/2008 17:23 Comments ||
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#18
Sorry G,PotG, the Iron Duke was an inline 4. no aluminum, but cheap-ass plastic timing gears that when they failed made you yank the damn motor from a GM FWD car to change.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The BBC was forced last night to dispense with one of its most senior executives and suspend without pay its highest-profile presenter in the hope of drawing a line under the scandal over obscene phone calls.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown embarks on a mini-tour of oil-rich Gulf states Saturday, but could struggle to win support for his plan to boost funds available to nations hit by global economic chaos. 
The Washington Times, which has covered the Barack Obama campaign from the start, was kicked off the Democrat's campaign plane for the final 72 hours of the race.
The death toll from Wednesday's 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Balochistan has reached 300, and rescuers struggled to deliver aid to desperate survivors, most of whom spent the day in search of their loved ones or burying the dead in mass graves. 
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- At least 7.5 million Americans owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, according to a real estate research firm's report released Friday. In other words: If they sold their homes today, they'd have to bring a check to the closing. Ouch. 
Oil prices have slipped in an unpredictable trade market and over declining economic growth in the US, the world's top energy consumer. 
