Hi there, !
Today Sat 03/19/2011 Fri 03/18/2011 Thu 03/17/2011 Wed 03/16/2011 Tue 03/15/2011 Mon 03/14/2011 Sun 03/13/2011 Archives
Rantburg
531704 articles and 1855995 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 91 articles and 215 comments as of 14:57.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion        Politix   
UNSC Introduces No-Fly Zone Draft Resolution
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
8 00:00 Broadhead6 [] 
3 00:00 Dale [] 
8 00:00 Fester Javith5393 [1] 
1 00:00 Dale [] 
4 00:00 phil_b [] 
5 00:00 Alaska Paul [] 
7 00:00 CrazyFool [2] 
9 00:00 Ptah [] 
0 [] 
4 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [] 
1 00:00 tu3031 [] 
1 00:00 Procopius2k [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
2 00:00 Mullah Richard [] 
2 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [] 
4 00:00 rammer [2] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
0 []
1 00:00 chinditz []
5 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
0 []
9 00:00 Pappy [2]
7 00:00 Secret Asian Man []
4 00:00 tu3031 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
3 00:00 Lumpy Elmoluck5091 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 [1]
0 []
9 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
0 []
6 00:00 Frozen Al []
1 00:00 JosephMendiola []
0 []
0 []
1 00:00 g(r)omgoru []
0 []
6 00:00 trailing wife []
0 []
0 []
0 []
Page 2: WoT Background
4 00:00 Fester Javith5393 []
1 00:00 Speresing Speaking for Boskone6370 []
0 [1]
0 []
4 00:00 Barbara Skolaut []
1 00:00 Anonymoose [2]
7 00:00 Frozen Al []
4 00:00 JosephMendiola [1]
0 []
1 00:00 SteveS []
0 []
0 []
5 00:00 mojo []
3 00:00 trailing wife []
0 []
0 []
1 00:00 mojo []
5 00:00 Mr. Bill []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
Page 4: Opinion
2 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [1]
0 []
0 []
4 00:00 Fester Javith5393 [1]
1 00:00 Procopius2k []
6 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 []
2 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 []
12 00:00 mojo []
2 00:00 Fester Javith5393 []
1 00:00 Dribble2716 []
Page 6: Politix
1 00:00 lord garth [2]
6 00:00 Besoeker [1]
1 00:00 Broadhead6 [1]
7 00:00 Alaska Paul []
8 00:00 M. Murcek []
15 00:00 Dale []
0 []
-Obits-
US rapper Nate Dogg dies aged 41 - Cause of his death is unclear, could be stroke.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/16/2011 09:20 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good thing putting this in non-WOT. Cause non-WOT it is indeed.
Posted by: gromky || 03/16/2011 9:41 Comments || Top||

#2  It's always sad when a good Dogg dies. They should get a new Pupp.
Posted by: Grunter || 03/16/2011 10:01 Comments || Top||

#3  Coke = Stroke.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/16/2011 11:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Hale began singing as a child in baptist churches under the care of his father, who was a pastor.



God bless his family and friends.
Posted by: ryuge || 03/16/2011 13:10 Comments || Top||

#5  When a dogg dies, a dogg dies hard.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/16/2011 20:15 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Snake dies from silicone poisoning after biting model's breast during photoshoot
Posted by: tipper || 03/16/2011 05:14 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In the best tradition of Fleet Street fail. No doubt the horny toad snake died, from repeated head-shovel contact.

If the model's man made fun bags got punctured, she would need more than a tetanus shot. And silicone is inert. That's why it's used in the body.
Posted by: Fester Javith5393 || 03/16/2011 6:35 Comments || Top||

#2  It was a trap . . . a booby trap.
Posted by: Mike || 03/16/2011 10:26 Comments || Top||

#3  You can't buy this kind of publicity (or did she)?
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/16/2011 14:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Variation of "dog bites man" story; snake bites model.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/16/2011 14:15 Comments || Top||

#5  Awww, #2, you beat me to it.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/16/2011 20:07 Comments || Top||

#6  Silicone poisoning?

The stuff is so non-toxic you can inhale it and only lose lung volume. I seriously doubt the snake died from whatever fraction of an ounce of silicone it ingested.

Orion
Posted by: Orion || 03/16/2011 21:17 Comments || Top||

#7  Let that be a lession to you - no biting! A nibble or nip might be ok (depending on the lady) - but absolutely no biting!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/16/2011 21:33 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Nuke Pills Top $200 Per Pack On Auction Sites; Prices Up 1900% In Just A Few Days
Posted by: tipper || 03/16/2011 14:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This reminds me of the H1N1 nonsense from a year or so back. Some people seem to be just looking for something to panic about.
Posted by: Jefferson || 03/16/2011 16:26 Comments || Top||

#2  Iodized salt is far cheaper. Sea salt has a lower concentration of iodine, but good too, it has all sorts of trace minerals.

In any case, the concentration of RA elements would be so low when it reaches NA that you get more from the background radiation than from the "Fukushima cloud"
Posted by: twobyfour || 03/16/2011 17:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Maybe we could flog "anti-radiation condoms", for like $500 each.

As far as the H1N1 thing goes, the medical community knew that it was a mild flu from the get go, but it was propagating more like the anticipated, and feared, H5N1 Avian flu, than the typical flu, so the idea was to use it as a dress rehearsal for an indescribably bad plague, testing some international systems.

And they learned an awful lot, and not particularly good news, either.

First of all, the flu invisibly propagates in waves, and the wave you see is actually two waves behind the invisible primary wave. So it is next to impossible to control even by closing borders and restricting air travel.

H5N1 is still there, btw, and could still emerge with minimal fanfare, though worldwide surveillance for it is still intense. It has become endemic in several places around the world, and if and when it emerges, it could still produce over a billion fatalities worldwide.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/16/2011 18:21 Comments || Top||

#4  "Iodized salt is far cheaper. Sea salt has a lower concentration of iodine, but good too, it has all sorts of trace minerals."

I use iodized sea salt exclusively (Hain is one brand), except for killing slugs, so guess if the "fallout cloud" makes it to Virginia I'm OK.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 03/16/2011 19:32 Comments || Top||

#5  H1N1 is usually not human-human transmissible. Last year's version not only was, it contained snippets of material from humans, swine and birds - indicating the potential to mix with other strains of the virus. Since H1N1 is only 2 small modifications away from being highly lethal and virulent, the attempts to stop it were not just an exercise in preparation - they were an attempt to prevent a wide spread of the disease which might make such mutations more likely.

Anonymoose is right re: 'waves'. A number of analyses done for DOD and other agencies showed that by the time you know you have an epidemic of these viruses in one country or region it already has the potential to become a pandemic, limited only by the degree of immunity in population groups due to vaccination or previous exposure and by the relative mildness or virulence of a particular strain.

Since the mutations didn't occur, or at least didn't make it to humans, the focus on expensive vaccine production seems an over-reaction. I'm not so sure that was the case, though.
Posted by: lotp || 03/16/2011 20:04 Comments || Top||

#6  Okay, there is a lot of misconceptions that everyone can or should consume salt.


Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D:

"Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value — both mostly consist of two minerals — sodium and chloride. However, sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical makeup.

Sea salt is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind some trace minerals and elements depending on its water source. These insignificant amounts of minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, which also comes in a variety of coarseness levels.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate trace minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that appears naturally in minute amounts in sea salt.

By weight, sea salt and table salt contain about the same amount of sodium chloride. Your body needs only a couple hundred milligrams (mg) a day to stay healthy, but most people get far too much — mostly from sodium in processed foods. So regardless of which type of salt you prefer, keep sodium consumption between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult. People with high blood pressure, African-Americans and anyone middle-aged or older should aim for the low end of that range"

For some with restrictions the best way to get iodine is from supplements because its lower sodium.
Posted by: Fi || 03/16/2011 20:10 Comments || Top||

#7  Heres a new element on the periodic table:

WE'REREALLYALLJUSTSCREWEDIUM.

But we have your antidote for a mere 59.95. Call the number on your screen while supplies last!!
Posted by: Fi || 03/16/2011 20:29 Comments || Top||

#8  I'm a huge fan of the wonder pill FUCKITOL...it's good for people that suffer from panic attacks like this.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 03/16/2011 22:40 Comments || Top||


Daily Report from Tokyo
Posted by: Capsu78 || 03/16/2011 12:47 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm glad I left. Godzilla was bad enough for me.

Seriously, I see a major disconnect between our country and our ally. You can almost see China grinning like the cheshire cat.
Posted by: Dale || 03/16/2011 18:58 Comments || Top||


The Fukushima 50: Not afraid to die
Since the disaster struck in Japan, about 800 workers have been evacuated from the damaged nuclear complex in Fukushima. The radiation danger is that great.

However, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that a handful have stayed on the job, risking their lives, to try to save the lives of countless people they don't even know.

Although communication with the workers inside the nuclear plant is nearly impossible, a CBS News consultant spoke to a Japanese official who made contact with one of the 50 inside the control center.

The official said that his friend, one of the Fukushima 50, told him that he was not afraid to die, that that was his job.

Cham Dallas, who led teams responding to the Chernobyl disaster, said that kind of response is not out of the normal for some workers in the nuclear energy sector.

"(In) my experience of people in the action area of nuclear power is much like that," Dallas said.
The 50 are working amid decreasing but still dangerously high levels of radiation.

"The longer they stay the more dangerous it becomes for them," said expert Margaret Harding. "I think it is a testament to their guts for them to say, 'We'll stay and if that means we go, we go.'"

If the contamination threat isn't contained in a few weeks, finding enough workers willing to face the risks could become a crucial challenge.

Dallas said he expects that in that scenario, the Japanese energy authorities may have to find volunteers willing to undergo similar dangers, which will be hard to do, but not impossible.

Keep in mind they'd be volunteering to head into a place so potentially dangerous, that anyone within 20 miles of it was just asked to evacuate.
Posted by: tipper || 03/16/2011 00:05 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There were men like that at Chernobyl also, warriors in every sense of the word.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/16/2011 0:56 Comments || Top||

#2  What Mettle, in the Finest sense.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 03/16/2011 1:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Modern day Samurai.
Posted by: tu3031 || 03/16/2011 2:44 Comments || Top||

#4  These are the same people who were still coming out of remote Pacific island caves with their Arisaka rifles over 20 years after WWII had officially ended. The Bashido (the way of the warrior) is not dead. I respect these brave people.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/16/2011 4:30 Comments || Top||

#5  one of the Fukushima 50, told him that he was not afraid to die, that that was his job.

It reminds me of Heinlein's "The Green Hills of Earth". This was a known possibility the day they started their training, and yet they never turned away.
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/16/2011 7:50 Comments || Top||

#6  As Bill Whittle would say, 'sheepdogs'.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/16/2011 8:13 Comments || Top||

#7  Yeah, right after this story started circulating, it was quickly followed up by reports (from everybody but a single NYT reporter) that they were pulling them back because it was too dangerous in the interior. The news coming out of Fukushima is so fucked that I can't tell which end is up anymore. A combination of telephone gaming, massive translation issues, and panic is shredding the information flow in English media. Meanwhile, the fucking French are pontificating about the situation through yet *another* set of translation filters and at about ten thousand kilometers remove.
Posted by: Mitch H. || 03/16/2011 8:37 Comments || Top||

#8  FWIW aggregate status updates can be found here. Their source is this page with links to reports in PDF format.
Posted by: Speresing Speaking for Boskone6370 || 03/16/2011 17:23 Comments || Top||

#9  A more technical discussion can be found at the NEI website.

The Fox News website has an article here. The workers staying behind are the plant engineers, the most technically savvy workers on site.
Posted by: Ptah || 03/16/2011 19:27 Comments || Top||


Fukushima No.3 reactor's container feared damaged
The container of the No.3 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant is feared to have been damaged and may have leaked radioactive steam Wednesday, emitting high-level radiation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.

The radiation level briefly topped 6 milisievert per hour at the plant, the government's nucler safety agency said.

Earlier in the day, a fire broke out again at the plant's No.4 reactor, where there was already a risk of leaks of high-level radioactive materials, but flames were no longer visible about 30 minutes later.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, said it considered spraying boric acid by helicopter to prevent the No.4 reactor's spent nuclear fuel rods from reaching criticality again, restarting a chain reaction.

On Tuesday, the utility said water in a pool storing the spent fuel rods may be boiling and that its level may have dropped, exposing the rods. The government ordered the firm to inject water into the pool ''as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster.''

Due to high radiation levels at the reactor, workers have been unable to pour water into the troubled pool. Difficult conditions have led the utility to evacuate around 730 of the 800 workers from the site, according to TEPCO.

''The possibility of recriticality is not zero,'' TEPCO said Wednesday as it announced the envisaged step to control the situation.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could suffer damage and emit radioactive substances. An estimated 70 percent of the nuclear fuel rods have been damaged at the plant's No.1 reactor and 33 percent at the No.2 reactor, the firm said.
Posted by: Steve White || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Man dies while praying
[Emirates 24/7] An Egyptian school teacher in Saudi Arabia woke up early morning, washed up and knelt down for his normal dawn prayers before heading for his school. But he could not finish the prayers as he dropped dead.
God struck him dead, huh? That happens sometimes...
The family of Sayyed Shahin, an Islamic studies teacher in the northern Saudi town of Tabuk, said they found him motionless after he lay down for prayers.

"He knelt down and minutes later, he was found dead...his colleagues and the students at the school were deeply upset upon receiving the news of his death," Kabar newspaper said without specifying his age.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nelson Rockefeller. Compare and contrast (guess which one died smiling!).....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 03/16/2011 12:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Inshallah.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 03/16/2011 19:47 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Tunisia promotes revolution tourism
[Maghrebia] The Tunisian revolution emptied nearly all tourist sites, hotels and cafes. But people who work in the sector expect a speedy recovery, envisioning a brighter future for the tourism industry.

"Thanks to the revolution, our country is now famous in the whole world. I believe that was the best publicity. I want to tell our friends that now they can come to Tunisia in an ambience of peace and freedom," Tourism Minister Mehdi Houas said at a February 9th presser.

Though tourism revenues dropped by around 40% in January, the minister expressed optimism about the first six months of the year. The number of European tourists dropped from 98,958 in January 2010 to 59,689 this year and that of Maghreb visitors decreased by nearly half.

Despite the drop-off, the Tunisian revolution will have a positive impact on the future of the tourism sector, according to marketing and tourism specialist Noureddine Salmi.

"I am optimistic. I am convinced that this peaceful revolution is a historic opportunity for a true breakthrough for the Tunisian tourism," Salmi added.

Salmi called for the adoption of a new marketing strategy that steers clear from the traditional reliance on images of the sea and sun. He said a new advertising campaign was needed to highlight Tunisia as the birthplace of the first peaceful Arab revolution, a country of free people, and of security and democracy.

The country has already launched the "I love Tunisia" campaign utilising the internet, social networking sites and other tools of the revolution to attract visitors.

Tourism is the country's biggest source of foreign currency. With nearly 400,000 people working in the sector, it is also the nation's second largest employer. However,
The over-used However...
the dramatic drop in visitors during the past few months alarmed many working in the industry.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: tu3031 || 03/16/2011 3:20 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Fresh gun battles erupt in Ivory Coast
[Iran Press TV] Gun battles have broken out between supporters of Ivory Coast's internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara and troops loyal to his rival Laurent Gbagbo.
... President of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent has refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints...

Pro-Gbagbo troops led a search operation for hidden weapons in a district in the city of Abidjan on Monday. The move followed an attack which state-controlled television RTI attributed to "terrorists" -- a term it uses to refer to pro-Ouattara forces, AFP reported.

Heavy gunfire was heard shortly after 1700 GMT on Monday, which witnesses said to have occurred in Williamsville in the center of Adjame, home to two large military camps.

In recent days, festivities between supporters and opponents of strongman Gbagbo have moved progressively south in the country's economic capital.

Violence has escalated in Abidjan in recent days as the once booming West African country lurches towards civil war over the disputed November election.

According to figures released by the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society, some 400 people have already been killed in Ivory Coast's post-poll violence.

On Monday, life in the normally buzzing city came to a halt as shots from heavy weapons and machine guns rang out in the suburbs of Yopougon, Adjame and Koumassi for the first time since the stand-off began.

La Belle France condemned the violence, with French Foreign Ministry front man Bernard Valero urging Gbagbo to "recognize the election of President Ouattara."

The UN Human Rights Council, meanwhile, examined a report on the crisis in the Ivory Coast which calls for an international inquiry into human rights
... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you...
violations.

The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said the crisis has "rapidly deteriorated" since November 2010.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said the crisis has "rapidly deteriorated" since November 2010.

A term frequently used to describe African political events.

Posted by: Besoeker || 03/16/2011 5:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Strongly worded letters to follow........
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 03/16/2011 10:16 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
25 hurt in Carmichael College BCL, ICS clash
[Bangla Daily Star] At least 25 activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League
... the student wing of the Bangla Awami League ...
(BCL) and Islami Chhatra Shibir
... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh...
(ICS) were maimed in a series of festivities at Rangpur Carmichael College campus on Tuesday. Police placed in durance vile 21 ICS leaders and activists from the college on charge of creating violence at the campus, reports our correspondent in Rangpur.

College sources said BCL activists attacked on a number of ICS activists while they were preparing to bring out a rally in honour of the freshers at about 11:45 am.

After a little while, the ICS activists got prepared and swooped on the BCL leaders and activists with sticks and drove out them from the campus.

On information police rushed the campus at about 12:30pm and charged baton on the ICS activists.

Principal of the college Dipkendra Nath Das said, "Situation has become normal."

Police said they placed in durance vile the ICS leaders and activists on charge of making violence at the campus.

Mostaque Ahmed, ICS secretary of Rangpur City unit, alleged that police placed in durance vile 21 of their activists and leaders without any cause.

A large number of police were deployed at the campus to avert further untoward incidents.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Economy
New residential housing starts fall 22.5% in February, biggest decline in 27 years
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/16/2011 13:08 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Unemployed people don't buy or build houses, wotta surprise!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/16/2011 15:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Don't worry, the government and the federal reserve is doing everything in it's power to keep housing unaffordable!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 03/16/2011 15:57 Comments || Top||

#3  In Norway they have a major housing boom in construction going in the opposite direction.
Posted by: Dale || 03/16/2011 18:49 Comments || Top||


Food prices increase 3.9% in February, highest jump in 36 years
If grocery bills seem higher, you're not imagining things. Thanks mostly to a sharp increase in fuel prices, the cost of food rose faster in February than in any month since November 1974 -- not coincidentally, during a previous energy crisis:

Wholesale prices jumped last month by the most in nearly two years due to higher energy costs and the steepest rise in food prices in 36 years. Excluding those volatile categories, inflation was tame.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that the Producer Price Index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.6 percent in February -- double the 0.8 percent rise in the previous month. Outside of food and energy costs, the core index ticked up 0.2 percent, less than January's 0.5 percent rise.

Food prices soared 3.9 percent last month, the biggest gain since November 1974. Most of that increase was due to a sharp rise in vegetable costs, which increased nearly 50 percent. That was the most in almost a year. Meat and dairy products also rose.

Energy prices rose 3.3 percent last month, led by a 3.7 percent increase in gasoline costs.

The good news is that the price of oil has declined after the disaster in Japan, going down to $97 a barrel. However, with Japan's nuclear reactors under scrutiny and the crisis ongoing at their Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan will need to boost its other sources of electricity. Nuclear power accounts for more than a third of it now. Japan will have to import raw materials for other sources to boost production, and whether that means oil itself or coal, increased transportation demand will eventually mean higher prices even while Japan recovers from the destruction.
Palin called this in November.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/16/2011 13:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is intentional on Obama's part. As per Palin's today at Drudge:

"...This was no accident. Through a process of what candidate Obama once called “gradual adjustment,” American consumers have seen prices at the pump rise 67 percent since he took office. Let’s not forget that in September 2008, candidate Obama’s Energy Secretary in-waiting said: "Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” That’s one campaign promise they’re working hard to fulfill! Last week, the British Telegraph reported that the price of petrol in the UK hit £6 a gallon – which comes to about $9.70. If you think $4 a gallon is bad now, just wait till the next crisis causes oil prices to “necessarily” skyrocket. Meanwhile, the vast undeveloped reserves that could help to keep prices at the pump affordable remain locked up because of President Obama’s deliberate unwillingness to drill here and drill now.

Hitting the American people with higher gas prices like this is essentially a hidden tax and a transfer of wealth to foreign regimes who are providing us the energy we refuse to provide for ourselves. Like inflation, higher energy prices are a hidden tax on Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. And these high gas prices will be felt in the form of higher food prices due to higher transportation costs. Energy is connected to everything in our economy. Access to affordable and secure energy is key to economic growth, which in turn is key to job growth. Energy is the building block of our economy. The President is purposely weakening that building block and weakening our country.

2012 can’t come soon enough."





Posted by: Herb Creager3390 || 03/16/2011 13:47 Comments || Top||

#2  The Onion has a lawsuit against ChairSatan Ben S. Bernanke for warping reality to the point that it's caused their business model to fail.

"We can't create headlines, no matter how much hash we've smoked, more ridiculous than ones being created by Bernanke," one senior writer complained
Posted by: tipper || 03/16/2011 14:57 Comments || Top||

#3  This is intentional on Obama's part. As per Palin's today at Drudge:....

Thanks for that, Herb. And yet so many people that I talk to think she's lightweight and stupid.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 03/16/2011 15:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Of course they do, she's prettier and smarter than they are. It chaff haters.
Posted by: Fi || 03/16/2011 15:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Price of wheat up today after two weeks of decline.
Posted by: bman || 03/16/2011 15:34 Comments || Top||

#6  It chaffs the haters.
Posted by: Fi || 03/16/2011 15:35 Comments || Top||

#7  Boy, that Barry guy sure is doing a swell job!
Posted by: Jefferson || 03/16/2011 18:04 Comments || Top||

#8  'Necessarily skyrocket:' $7 gas to meet Obama's targets
Posted by: Fester Javith5393 || 03/16/2011 20:35 Comments || Top||


Online readership, revenue overtake newspapers
[Arab News] For the first time, online readership and advertising revenue has surpassed that of print newspapers. Online advertising revenue in the United States is projected to overtake print newspaper ad revenue in 2010, according to the latest report, the State of the News Media, from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

The study also found that more people -- 46 percent of Americans surveyed -- said they get news online at least three times a week, versus 40 percent who said they get their news from newspapers and their companion websites.

"The migration to the Web is accelerating," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. "The quick adoption of the tablet (computer) and the spread of the smart phone is only adding to that."

The latest findings show that newspapers suffered not only from the economic downturn when advertisers snapped shut their wallets, but that more people are choosing to go online for news and information and advertisers are following them. Indeed, newspaper companies such as Gannett, The New York Times and McClatchy are still reporting declines in advertising revenue when other media such as television are enjoying a rebound in ad sales.

Newspaper ad revenue in 2010 fell 46 percent in four years to an estimated $22.8 billion, with an additional $3 billion more for online advertising according to the report. Meanwhile online advertising is at $25.8 billion in 2010 the study said citing data from researcher eMarketer.

"A challenge for news organizations is that much of this online ad spending, 48 percent, is in search advertising, little of which finances news," according to the study.

Newspapers felt that impact over the last decade resulting in shrinking staffs including news hounds and editors. Newsrooms are currently 30 percent smaller than they were in 2000, the study said.

To make up for lost advertising revenue and fewer people reading copies of print papers, newspapers are beginning to charge for online access to their websites.

The New York Times, for instance, is preparing to start charging for some of its content later this quarter. However of the three-dozen newspapers that have moved to some sort of online pay model, only 1 percent of users opted to pay.

Twenty-three percent of those Americans surveyed said they would pay $5 a month for an online version if their local newspaper ceased to exist.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Twenty-three percent of those Americans surveyed said they would pay $5 a month for an online version if their local newspaper ceased to exist.

Most local television stations offer the same electronic news on their own websites. Why even pay five? Need classified ads, there are a couple of websites already doing it. Horse and buggy era does not need a bailout. If the Donks want to keep them floating, then they can use their own money or some of those forced union dues they get.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/16/2011 10:37 Comments || Top||


Europe
Germany to shut down pre-1980 nuclear plants
BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - Germany will shut down all seven of its nuclear power plants that began operating before 1980 at least till June, the government said on Tuesday, leaving open whether they will ever start up again after Japan's crisis.

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the closures, which will leave only 10 nuclear stations still generating, under a nuclear policy moratorium.

"Power plants that went into operation before the end of 1980 will ... be shut down for the period of the moratorium," Merkel told a news conference, adding that the decision would be carried out by government decree as no agreement with the plants' operators had been reached.

Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said it was not clear if the reactors to be shut down in the three-month moratorium would remain closed or be reconnected to the grid afterwards.
It'll be like getting a permit to drill in the Gulf of Mexico...
Merkel astonished German politicians on Monday by suspending an unpopular coalition decision taken only last autumn, under which the life of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants would be extended by years. She drew accusations on Tuesday of transparent trickery for the move, with the opposition and media saying she was trying to avoid a regional election disaster later this month.

The seven ageing plants account for about a third of Germany's nuclear capacity. However, one of them has been offline since an accident in 2007, and another shut down last month for maintenance.

Business leaders urged caution when making major decisions on nuclear plants, which in total supply about a quarter of all electricity needed to power Europe's biggest economy. "Panic and party politics make bad advisers," said Hans Heinrich Driftmann, who heads the German Chamber of Industry and Trade.
That never stopped anyone...
Posted by: Steve White || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is a great day for Liberals and environmentalists.
Posted by: gromky || 03/16/2011 2:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said it was not clear if the reactors to be shut down in the three-month moratorium would remain closed or be reconnected to the grid afterwards.

The seven aging plants account for about a third of Germany's nuclear capacity.

Well, when Großvater and Großmutter start turning up dead in the middle of the summer because they can't run their AC...we'll see what happens.
Posted by: tu3031 || 03/16/2011 3:08 Comments || Top||

#3  What is the tsunami risk in Germany?
Posted by: crosspatch || 03/16/2011 16:05 Comments || Top||

#4  What is the tsunami risk in Germany? Probably nil, but it's highly likely the emergency backup mechanisms at most nuke plants are highly susceptible to flooding, judged from what engineers & architects have done with emergency generators, see Japan & New Orleans.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/16/2011 16:28 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
PPP once again succeeds in wooing MQM
[Geo News] Interior Minister Rehman Malik
Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men.
's magic once again bought Pakistain People's Party more time in Government, as an agreement seems to have been reached between PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Geo News reported Monday.
Posted by: Fred || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Science & Technology
Nuclear Alternatives Compared (Graphic)
Graphic at link shows land, carbon, availability, and cost equivalents of coal, gas, wind, and nuke power. The article this is buried in is fairly tame, but still WaPo. The graphic is good.
Posted by: Bobby || 03/16/2011 10:55 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I vote for massive conversion of coal to natural gas then .. since %50 loss in electrical... natural gas for trucks and autos and a nat gas home or neighborhood fuel cell would be real nice.
Posted by: Water Modem || 03/16/2011 14:00 Comments || Top||

#2  There are alternatives within the nuclear options: Thorium reactors, the new Toshiba-class self-contained mini-reactors, most MSM talk omits these from consideration.
When there is enough energy at low enough costs, converting coal to the liquid equivalent of petroleum is feasible.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/16/2011 15:57 Comments || Top||

#3  Remember candidate Barack Hussein Obama said, "If someone wants to build a new coal-fired power plant they can, but it will bankrupt them because they will be charged a huge sum for all the greenhouse gas that's being emitted."
He has not retracted that statement or his policy, which has been blocked by Congress.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/16/2011 16:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Most vehicles in Perth run on natural gas.

And every one has been locally converted, because you can't buy a NG car off the production line.

The car companies and governments thru their subsidies have wasted billions on hybrid and electric cars.

While the market has got it right, here at least.
Posted by: phil_b || 03/16/2011 16:45 Comments || Top||


M777A2 Artillery Accident At Ft. Bragg Wounds 8 Marines and 2 Sailors
Eight Marines and two Navy sailors were injured Monday by an exploding artillery round during live fire training on Fort Bragg.

A Marines spokesman said the round apparently exploded in the barrel of an M777A2, a lightweight howitzer cannon that fires 155mm artillery rounds.

The blast was around 8 p.m near the intersection of Turkey and Chicken roads, said the spokesman, Staff Sgt. Jayson Price.

Two of the injured troops were flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, and eight were taken to the Womack Army Medical Center emergency room, said Womack spokeswoman Shannon Lynch.

A Fort Bragg news release said that of the eight people taken to Womack, five were flown there by helicopter and three were taken in ambulances by Fort Bragg and Hoke County emergency services workers.

The majority of the injuries were shrapnel wounds and lacerations, according to Fort Bragg, which directed all other questions to Price.

Price said the incident is under investigation.

The troops were part of Camp Lejeune's Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Price said.

The 10th Marine Regiment visits Fort Bragg every spring for artillery training. This year, the training started March 9 and was scheduled to end March 21.

Price said Marines have halted all firing "until safe training can resume."

The Marines began fielding the new howitzers in 2009. They weigh less than half the weight of traditional howitzers and are capable of firing precision-guided Excalibur rounds. Excalibur rounds can be programmed to land within 10 meters of a target more than 25 miles away.

The training has been rattling houses in Fayetteville since it began. The 155mm ammunition causes loud explosions and reverberations upon detonation.

Fort Bragg is the closest military training area to Camp Lejeune that can accept the 155mm weapons systems, a Fort Bragg spokesman said last month.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/16/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bless Our Soldiers.
Posted by: newc || 03/16/2011 1:57 Comments || Top||

#2  FTA: "The training has been rattling houses in Fayetteville since it began. The 155mm ammunition causes loud explosions and reverberations upon detonation"

Somehow I expect the folks that live next to an artillery range expect some "explosions and reverberations". Twit.

Not much detail. Bad fuse or ? TBD....
Posted by: tipover || 03/16/2011 13:49 Comments || Top||

#3  I can well imagine "Ft. Still CSI" are going to examine every bit of that gun, and that lot of artillery rounds, though my guess is that they were firing Excalibur rounds through it, and something went wrong with its electronics. Perhaps even a static charge was built up.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/16/2011 15:41 Comments || Top||

#4  It is pretty unlikely they would use real Excalibur rounds in training. They cost tens of thousands of dollars each. It very well could be a bad fuze, but a training failure resulting in an unsafe condition seems most likely. Hopefully the issue will be quickly identified and prevented in the future.
Posted by: rammer || 03/16/2011 20:32 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
73[untagged]
4Hamas
2al-Qaeda in North Africa
2TTP
2al-Qaeda
2Govt of Pakistan
2Taliban
1al-Shabaab
1Palestinian Authority
1Commies
1Abu Sayyaf

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2011-03-16
  UNSC Introduces No-Fly Zone Draft Resolution
Tue 2011-03-15
  Gaddafi army penetrates rebel areas
Mon 2011-03-14
  Libya: the rebels ready to defend Ajdabiya
Sun 2011-03-13
  Libyan troops 'force rebels out of Brega'
Sat 2011-03-12
  5 family members murdered by terrorist in Itamar settlement
Fri 2011-03-11
  Rebel forces retreat from Ras Lanuf
Thu 2011-03-10
  Libya no-fly zone a UN decision, "not US": Clinton
Wed 2011-03-09
  OIC rejects military action on Libya
Tue 2011-03-08
  Gaddafi sends negotiators to Benghazi
Mon 2011-03-07
  National Libyan Council to seek recognition
Sun 2011-03-06
  Gaddafi forces fight to seize Zawiyah, dozens killed
Sat 2011-03-05
  Qadaffy forces try, fail to retake Zawiyah
Fri 2011-03-04
  Libyan rebels push west
Thu 2011-03-03
  Gaddafi strikes at Brega, rebels eye foreign help
Wed 2011-03-02
  National Libyan Council outlines strategy

Better than the average link...



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.
3.239.15.34
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (34)    WoT Background (23)    Opinion (10)    (0)    Politix (7)