[BBC.CO.UK] US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... has said that Washington continues to be sceptical about Iran's willingness to roll back its nuclear programme.
"We are not blind, and I don't think we're stupid," Mr Kerry told NBC's Meet the Press programme. I discovered years ago that the guy who tells you "I'm not stupid, y'know" will invariably turn out to be lacking in mental horsepower.
His comments come a day after talks between Iran and six world powers on the programme ended without resolution.
The Israeli PM said he was trying to persuade leaders of the powers not to rush into a "bad agreement".
Benjamin Netanyahu said he recognised that there was a "strong desire" for a deal with Iran, but that governments should wait and "seriously consider things".
The West has long suspected Iran of aspiring to have nuclear weapons but Tehran says it is only enriching uranium for civil purposes.
Under the deal floated in Geneva, Iran could freeze expansion of its nuclear activity in return for limited relief from international sanctions which have been in place for years.
Progress was made in the talks between Iran and the US, UK, La Belle France, Russia, China and Germany (known as the P5+1) which ended on Saturday, although a hoped-for deal was not reached.
The two sides will meet again on 20 November.
Mr Kerry said the US was "absolutely determined" that the deal would be a good one.
"Some of the most serious and capable, expert people in our government, who have spent a lifetime dealing both with Iran as well as with nuclear weapon and nuclear armament and proliferation, are engaged in our negotiation," he said.
"I think we have a pretty strong sense of how to measure whether or not we are acting in the interests of our country and of the globe, and particularly of our allies like Israel and Gulf states and others in the region."
Earlier UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC that a deal could be reached.
The outline of an agreement was "on the table" and it was vital to keep up momentum, he said, although he acknowledged current talks were "formidably difficult".
Asked why the negotiations had apparently stalled, Mr Hague said there were "still some gaps" between Iran and other leading members of the international community, including the US, UK and Russia.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said all sides can "build on" the dialogue in Geneva and there was "the impetus to reach an agreement".
President Hassan Rouhani, speaking to parliament, reiterated that Iran's right to use nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, was a red line that must not be crossed.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy was furiously chewing her cud and thinking... a member of Jordan's ruling family has said there is the potential for a "really serious breakthrough" at the next scheduled talks on 20 November.
Prince Hassan Bin Talal told the Dermot Murnaghan show on Sky News there were "many enemies" who stood in the way of a possible agreement but a resolution would have major implications for the security of the region.
"I think this is the first step towards a regional architecture for a conference on security and co-operation," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
12:43 ||
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#1
Jawn,while the US in general is not stupid, I fear that the current administration (including you) is in fact stupid.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/10/2013 14:02
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#2
Then JAwn just admitted to being destructive on purpose. He should of kept his 'stupid' excuse for later; odds are he will need several excuses in the near future.
#8
That fact that we elected Jawn's boss doesn't say much about the average American IQ. As for Jawn himself, my impression is that he's dumber than shit.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/10/2013 17:00
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I understand JF Kerry briefs the WH every evening on his plans and program initiatives to one of these two representatives, but do not know which one it is...
2) smart enough to live in Massachusetts where his kooky views fit in
3) smart enough to dock his boat in Rhode Island to avoid paying taxes
4) smart enough to be deferential to the Kennedys. All of them.
5) smart enough to run for office against token opposition
6) smart enough to suck up to Champ to get the job he wanted.
He's not completely stupid. Just stupid enough.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2013 17:32
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#11
not stupid, then, just selfish, anti-American, a whore and a tool
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 17:37
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#12
Well, it just can't be a good sign when your lead negotiator comes out of a meeting and denies being stupid. That's like waking up from an operation and having your doctor tell you that, really, he does have a medical degree.
Posted by: Matt ||
11/10/2013 17:55
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#14
"Some of the most serious and capable, expert people in our government, who have spent a lifetime dealing both with Iran as well as with nuclear weapon and nuclear armament and proliferation, are engaged in our negotiation"
I thought they were working on the healthkare.gov site?
Toronto, or Toto for short, is once again in world news, thanks to our beloved mayor, Rob Ford. It is nearly a year since I mentioned him in a post I should have deleted by now, for being merely topical. I explained why every left-thinking person in the Greater Parkdale Area had been teased to apoplexy by the contemplation of this gentleman. This because he was: 1. fat, 2. colourful, 3. rightwing &, 4. freely elected by a large margin over some gay leftwing establishment darling. (Some other reasons have accumulated since then.)
Turns out, the police have recovered some video in which it is alleged our peerless mayor is shown doing crack with local low-life. Whether smoking or snorting or otherwise ingesting, we do not know, & neither apparently does our splendid mayor, who now says he was actually too drunk to remember the occasion. Dear Mayor Ford: among our living national treasures.
I am in receipt of several emails querying the judgement of the fine people of Toronto for having elected this giant of a man. And as, despite my distaste for democracy, I voted for him myself, I feel some sort of reply may be indicated.
Quite frankly, we tried mayors who were not crackheads. They didnt work out. Also, the last one didnt drink enough. Thats why we elected Ford. Hes doing great: slashing through the city bureaucracy & privatizing everything he can. He even holds the civic unions in subjection: not one has dared to strike. And ho, hes trying to build subways. Anyone who has attempted to ride a trolley across this town will understand our need to tunnel. So what is the problem?
As our good, excellent mayor told his Police Chief: bring on your video! Ford says hes curious to see it himself, & that the rest of Toronto would surely also like a chance to catch it on YouTube.
Gentle reader knows I am a traditionalist in most things, & a loyal Canadian. Our very first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was a magnificent drunkard, who managed to hold office for nearly twenty years. There is an Arabian Nights of anecdotes that our primly officious historians have been too shy to tell. Verily, half of Macdonalds Cabinet were awash most evenings, & the debates in Parliament were enlivened thereby. Almost all the damage ever done to this country was by sobersides.
#2
Hes doing great: slashing through the city bureaucracy & privatizing everything he can. He even holds the civic unions in subjection: not one has dared to strike. And ho, hes trying to build subways.
Mr. Wife was in Toronto last week, and his colleagues there said much the same: Mr. Ford is a successful businessman who ran on putting Toronto on a businesslike footing. He is doing so without fear or favour, much to the dismay of the various local power brokers, whose usual cumshaw has failed to appear. There is some suspicion the videos are a set-up.
Swirling the drain
Thousands of Venezuelans lined up outside the country's equivalent of Best Buy, a chain of electronics stores known as Daka, hoping for a bargain after the socialist government forced the company to charge customers "fair" prices.
President Nicolas Maduro ordered a military "occupation" of the company's five stores as he continues the government's crackdown on an "economic war" it says is being waged against the country, with the help of Washington.
Members of Venezuela's National Guard, some of whom carried assault rifles, kept order at the stores as bargain hunters rushed to get inside and when those shelves and warehouses are empty, what fool would import more, only to have them stolen?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013
12:18 ||
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#3
should've highlighted that "swirling the drain". It was my own editorial opinion. And a fact
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 13:28
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#4
This is Maduro striking against another faction of the Chavista Mob, I think maybe the Cabello or God Given Hair faction.
Theory is Daka was blessed with the ability to buy dollars at the official 6.3 rate and sell at an enormous profit. I am told Daka undercut even government stores on some items. It looks like Daka got to damn greedy and the Maduro faction dropped the hammer. We'll see.
h/t Instapundit, Althouse
Dave Wilson chuckles as he talks about his unorthodox political campaign.
"I'd always said it was a long shot," Wilson says. "No, I didn't expect to win."
Still, he figured he'd have fun running, because he was fed up with what he called "all the shenanigans" at the Houston Community College System. As a conservative white Republican running in a district whose voters are overwhelmingly black Democrats, the odds seemed overwhelmingly against him.
Then he came up with an idea, an advertising strategy that his opponent found "disgusting." If a white guy didn't have a chance in a mostly African-American district, Wilson would lead voters to think he's black.
And it apparently worked. In one of the biggest political upsets in Houston politics this election season, Wilson -- an anti-gay activist and former fringe candidate for mayor -- emerged as the surprise winner over 24-year incumbent Bruce Austin. His razor thin margin of victory, only 26 votes, was almost certainly influenced by his racially tinged campaign.
"Every time a politician talks, he's out there deceiving voters," he says.
Wilson, a gleeful political troublemaker, printed direct mail pieces strongly implying that he's black. His fliers were decorated with photographs of smiling African-American faces -- which he readily admits he just lifted off websites -- and captioned with the words "Please vote for our friend and neighbor Dave Wilson."
#4
Sounds like he violated someone's civil rights and AG Holder will be checking him out personally. As will the IRS and the election rules people. And the EPA, and the Post Office, and DEA, and so on. But none of them will notice the mob of his melanin-rich neighbors with the firebombs in his front yard..
#7
Reading this, I'm not so sure this is an accurate recount of the interview.
If all he did was not show a picture of himself on the direct mail then whats the deal? If he put his name directly underneath a picture of Marshan Lynch then yeah, but at the box there would still be the olde d and r signage. Sounds like enough educated or pissed off voters wanted to kick out the 4 time elected Austin.
#13
Dunno if it's just race-preference in voting. One can look at the Irish community in the Northeast as having been another sterling example.
The tendency now is to vote for the ethnicity or skin color as well as the leftist political leaning, just to prove that one is not racist/biased. I'm sure the reader (outside of our insipid and tiresome Canadian Godwin's Law-violator,) can come up with a few examples on their own.
#16
That looks like it was badanov, Jerk. He has a low tolerance for ... what is a good term for it... purposeful slow learning. I missed whatever idiocy it was that triggered him, but have little doubt it was deserved.
#20
Just how much a role Wilson's mailers played in the campaign is unclear. Other incumbents running for re-election were forced into runoffs, perhaps because the community college system has come under intense criticism for insider business deals and spending money on overseas initiatives. And after 24 years in office, Austin's name should have been somewhat familiar to his constituents.
The unasked questions are:
Was there another African-American running for the same office?
If not, what would be the likelihood of Mr. Austin becoming a 30-year incumbent?
How about a Hispanic candidate -would that change the odds?
Or an African American, but one known for Christian fundamentalist, political conservative, or libertarian views - would Mr. Austin still get elected to another 6-year term?
[An Nahar] Belgium said Saturday it had raised the standing of a Paleostinian diplomatic delegation to the country to "mission" status in a show of commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East.
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders confirmed the change from "general delegation" to "mission" after signing an agreement during a bilateral meeting with Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... during a visit to Jordan.
"The raising (of status) reflects Belgian and European support for the two-state solution," Reynders said in a statement, adding that the head of the mission could use the title of ambassador.
Reynders signed the agreement during a bilateral meeting with Paleostinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in the Jordanian capital of Amman as part of a visit that included a trip to the Paleostinian territories and that will take him to Israel next week.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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The Palestinians continue to refuse to recognize the sovereignty of the State of Israel, whilst the Belgi's rush to recognize the alleged sovereignty of the Palestinians. What am I missing, or am I not actually missing anything at all ?
[An Nahar] Somalia's president vowed Saturday he would not halt efforts to restore peace and security to the country in the wake of a car kaboom in central Mogadishu by al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels.
The huge blast on Friday evening outside a top hotel in Somalia's capital killed at least four people, including a government official, and maimed 15, according to the government.
"I strongly condemn this heinous act of terrorism outside the Maka al Mukurama Hotel by Shabaab, which caused deaths and injuries to civilians," Somalia's internationally backed president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said in a statement.
"The aim of the attack was to terrorize people in order to stop the huge progress towards peace and stability in Somalia. We say out loudly to Shabaab that you will never stop us making huge progress towards peace and stability and good governance," he added.
Officials said one of the country's top diplomats -- Abdulkadir Ali Dhuub, a former acting ambassador to London -- was killed when the boom-mobilewent kaboom! outside the hotel, which is popular with officials and businessmen.
The statement from the presidency said another blast was averted, with a man carrying a "laptop and explosive items" apprehended while trying to set off a bomb inside the hotel at the same time as the boom-mobile.
In northeastern Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... region, authorities said they had also repelled a late Friday night Shabaab raid on a prison holding Death Eaters.
"A group estimated to be 30 to 40 men armed with rocket launchers, machine-guns and hand grenades attacked Bossaso Central Prison," the regional government said in the statement, adding that its troops "bravely defended the prison and repelled the attackers".
It said no prisoners escaped during the raid, and that Shabaab rebels were being pursued into a nearby mountainous area.
Shabaab forces of Evil have been pushed out of Mogadishu but still control large parts of the countryside and have continued to strike at the heart of the capital.
In September the group also grabbed credit for a massacre at an upmarket shopping center in the Kenyan capital Nairobi that left at least 67 dead.
The latest attack comes as the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... force in Somalia, AMISOM, is asking the U.N. Security Council to green-light a boost in its numbers as part of efforts to step up offensive operations against the Shabaab.
It also comes after a U.S. army drone strike on a Shabaab convoy last month that officials said killed the rebels' top suicide bomb-maker.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Madagascar strongman Andry Rajoelina has formally endorsed a candidate running against his rival's man in next month's presidential run-off, in an interview published on Saturday.
Speaking to Le Monde newspaper, Rajoelina for the first time officially gave his backing to Hery Rajaonarimampianina, whom he was widely thought to support.
Rajaonarimampianina came second in the first round on October 25 to the candidate favored by his nemesis whom he ousted from power four years ago, Marc Ravalomanana.
"For the second round, it is now clear: Hery Rajaonarimampianina is the candidate of the Rajoelina movement, the candidate of the revolution," he said.
Rajaonarimampianina won 15.93 percent of votes against 21.1 percent won by Robinson Jean Louis, the exiled Ravalomanana's candidate and the two will battle it out for the Madagascar presidency during a second round of voting on December 20.
Rajoelina waved off his candidate's lower showing, saying that he would get support of voters who had backed 10 of the 33 candidates who stood in the first round.
"Our side had 10 candidates. If you do the math, that's almost 55 percent (of the vote). The candidate whom I support will be Madagascar's new president."
Rajoelina, who has been interim leader in Madagascar after seizing power from Ravalomanana in 2009, did not rule out a future political role for himself.
"If the new president is able to calmly run the country with another prime minister, I will let them do so. But if authority is put in danger, for example by an overthrow attempt, I will always be there by the side of the Madagascan people."
Rajoelina told the newspaper that he had the 2018 presidential polls in mind, saying: "I want to come back strong, sooner or later, for the Madagascan people."
The elections in the Indian Ocean island aim to end a four-year political deadlock that ensued after Rajoelina seized power, plunging the country into a political and economic crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Bangla Daily Star] Turkey's delicious baklava and its crowded Grand Bazaar have always attracted tourists, but now there's a new reason why men are flocking to the transcontinental country -- bushier mustaches and beards. No, it's not something in the air that makes your face hairier, but there are clinics specialized in this matter, so gentlemen, if you want a manlier look, Turkey is the place to go.
The mustache has had an important role in society since time immemorial and although some cultures have abandoned it as a fashion icon, others have kept it and made a tradition out of wearing it. Today, the mustache is pretty popular especially in the Middle East and parts of Asia: when it comes to politics, the mustache is among the elements that capture the differences between the Western world, where being clean shaved is considered a sign of stability and maturity, and the Eastern world, where the mustache is a mark of traditionalism. All in all, politics or not, the mustache is a sign of pure masculinity and a fashion statement. Getting the mustache you've always dreamed of is possible through a simple medical procedure called follicle-hair extraction. In medical terms, the procedure implies removing hair from hairier areas and implanting it into the mustache or beard area. In laymen terms, the follicle-hair extraction means recycling your own hair.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#1
Come for the mustache stay for the truncheons Thought Clubs.
[An Nahar] Hundreds of Libyans erupted into the streets of the capital Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and other cities Saturday to protest against a renewed mandate for the country's top political body, the General National Congress, next year.
The GNC is the fruit of the country's first free elections in July 2012 after the overthrow of longterm dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... 's regime in October 2011.
On its election the GNC was given an 18-month mandate to draft a new constitution and guide Libya towards general elections.
But political tension and chronic insecurity have cast doubts over Libya's ability to complete the transition before the GNC's mandate expires in February.
A front man for the body recently suggested it might extend the deadline for it to complete its task, sparking concern among politicians, jurists and the public.
Protesters gathered in Tripoli's central Martyrs' Square on Saturday carrying posters with messages that read: "No to an extension," and "We are fed up".
In 2011, Libyans rose up against Qadaffy and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... -backed rebels toppled and killed the dictator who had ruled from more than 40 years.
Since then, Libya has grappled with political dissent and deadly unrest, with heavily armed former rebels refusing to heed the authorities.
In October, one group of former rebel hard boyz briefly kidnapped Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from his hotel in Tripoli.
While attacks are common in the east of the country, insecurity also hit Tripoli this week when festivities between rival militias killed two people and maimed 29 others on Thursday.
Saturday's protests were organized by a group of youths from the eastern city of Benghazi -- cradle of the 2011 uprising -- who set up a Facebook page to rally support which has attracted more than 8,000 supporters.
The group calling itself the "November 9 Movement" says that power struggles in the GNC are preventing the assembly from carrying out the transition and are calling for independents to be elected to the body.
Opponents of any bid to prolong the GNC's mandate say an extension could de-legitimatize the body and push Libya into further turmoil, particularly if ex-rebels linked to some parties try to take power by force.
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[An Nahar] Gunmen opened fire Saturday on two trucks carrying NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... vehicles in Pakistain's troubled northwest near the Afghan border, wounding two drivers.
The trucks came under fire in Jamrud area of Khyber, one of seven districts that make up Pakistain's semi-autonomous tribal belt, as they crossed into Pakistain from Afghanistan.
Pakistain is a key transit route for the NATO mission in landlocked Afghanistan.
"The two trailers were on their way to Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... when gunnies attacked them at different locations in Jamrud and opened fire on them, wounding their drivers," a local intelligence official told Agence La Belle France Presse.
A senior local administration official, Jehangir Azam Wazir, confirmed the incident and said the attackers had fled.
No group has grabbed credit for the latest attack but the Taliban have in the past said they carried out such attacks to disrupt supplies for the U.S.-led international troops fighting in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#1
It looks like they're attacking our withdrawal, much as they did Elphinstone's. But he didn't have air cover, so it should not get as bad.
Western diplomats said it appeared Jordan had agreed to replace Saudi Arabia on the council, after dropping out of a race against Riyadh for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Jordan appears set to take the Arab seat on the UN Security Council after Saudi Arabia rejected the position in protest at the bodys failure to end the Syria war and act on other Middle East issues, Western diplomats said on Friday.
The 193-member UN General Assembly elected Saudi Arabia last month to the Security Council for a two-year term from Jan. 1, but in a surprise move, Riyadh declined the position a day after the vote. While Saudi Arabia has made its decision known in a Foreign Ministry statement, it has not officially notified the United Nations. Most UN diplomats believe a formal letter needs to be received from Riyadh before a new election can be held.
Western diplomats said it appeared Jordan had agreed to replace Saudi Arabia on the council, after dropping out of a race against Riyadh for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Jordans place on the Security Council would still need two-thirds approval by the General Assembly, diplomats said. The unprecedented move by Saudi Arabia to reject the Security Council seat and the emergence of Jordan as the alternative candidate has left diplomats scratching their heads.
The Security Council is dominated by its five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - which have veto power over its decisions.
To ensure diversity, the councils 10 elected members are made up of three from Africa, two from Asia-Pacific, one from Eastern Europe, two from the Latin American and Caribbean group, and two from the Western European and others group. Five are chosen each year to serve two-year terms.
Arab states are split between the Asia-Pacific and African regional blocs and there is an unofficial deal that at least one Arab nation is always represented on the Security Council. Saudi Arabia was the Arab candidate from the Asia-Pacific bloc. Kuwait had put its hand up to be the next Arab candidate from the group and to run for the 2018-2019 term on the Security Council, which has led some diplomats to speculate that the Gulf US ally could be a capable replacement.
Arab countries have been trying to persuade Saudi Arabia to take up the Security Council seat.
Kuwait forms part of the efforts currently being carried out to convince Saudi Arabia to reverse its decision, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al Jarrallah told state news agency KUNA on Thursday.
Saudi Arabias UN ambassador, Abdullah Al Mouallimi, called on Friday for profound and comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council that includes expanding its membership and abandoning the veto system or restricting its use.
The Security Council has failed to address the situation in the Palestinian and Arab occupied territories, an issue under consideration by the council for more than six decades, Al Mouallimi told a General Assembly debate on Security Council reform.
Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, has vetoed three council resolutions since October 2011 that would have condemned Syrian President Bashar Al Assads government and threatened it with sanctions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Nigerian security forces staged lethal raids Saturday on suspected Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... forces of Evil in the northern city of Kano allegedly plotting "suicide kabooms" there and in the capital Abuja, the military said.
Five suspected "terrorists" and two soldiers died in gunbattles during the swoop on two addresses in Kano conducted by elite troops and domestic intelligence officers, military front man Captain Iweha Ikedichi said in a statement.
"Intelligence available indicates that the bully boyz were in the process of finalizing plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja and Kano respectively," he said.
Troops recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, he said.
Nigerian forces are waging an offensive against Boko Haram after President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... extended a state of emergency in three states in the volatile northeast in a bid to quell the Islamist group's bloody insurgency.
Kano is the stronghold of Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group that since mid-2009 has attacked Christians, Mohammedans, students, politicians and other groups opposed to its ambition to impose Sharia, or strict Islamic law.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Pak Daily Times] The strongest typhoons ever to make landfall devastated the central Philippines, killing more than 1,000 people in one city alone and 200 in another province, the Red Thingy estimated on Saturday, as reports of high casualties began to emerge.
A day after Typhoon Haiyan churned through the Philippine archipelago in a straight line from east to west, rescue teams struggled to reach far-flung regions, hampered by washed out roads, many choked with debris and fallen trees.
The corpse count is expected to rise sharply from the fast-moving storm, whose circumference eclipsed the whole country and which late on Saturday was heading for Vietnam.
Among the hardest hit was coastal Tacloban in central Leyte province, where preliminary estimates suggest more than 1,000 people were killed, said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Thingy, as water surges rushed through the city.
"An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Thingy teams," she told Rooters.
She expected a more exact number to emerge after a more precise counting of bodies on the ground in those regions. Witnesses said bodies covered in plastic were lying on the streets. Television footage shows cars piled atop each other. "The last time I saw something of this scale was in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami," said Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, head of the UN Disaster Assessment Coordination Team sent to Tacloban, referring to the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#1
The peak winds on this system were estimated by satellite. We don't actually know whether the strongest sustained winds were 200mph or 180mph or 160 mph. It will take a lot of forensic work, looking at anemometer records, structural damage, tree trunks, etc. to get a better estimate and even then, it will just be an estimate. This is partly because the eye of the storm was quite small and the highest winds were in a narrow ring around the eye.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/10/2013 0:15
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#2
The Philippine Met office, Pagasa, reported highest sustained wind speed of 235 kilometers per hour, and highest gusts of 275 kph. The British media- Daily Mail and the BBC converted the numbers to miles per hour and other media have just swallowed that whole.
Watts Up With That has screen shots of the Pagasa reports.
#3
No matter how you calculate/estimate the winds, this was a seriously powerful storm. I will be very surprised if there are not a whole lot (order of magnitude) more than 1200 killed - and there will be many missing who were also killed.
#4
Unfortunately, there was no nuclear reactor in the area for the Professional Propaganda Ministry to scare the bejesus out of the public so coverage will be second or third tier.
#5
Debate all you want about the actual wind speed. I understand that Al Gore will claim the extreme weather is caused by little old me driving an car that runs on fossil fuel. But I used that car to drive to church this morning and I put a little extra in the plate when they passed it around, designated for typhoon relief. We have a large Filipino community in the greater San Diego area and they are very likeable people.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/10/2013 16:58
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#6
Agreed, Abu. The pictures I have seen look a lot like the Mississippi Gulf Coast after either Katrina or Camille. I am ignorant of how well the Philippines are able to evacuate endangered areas, but if they did not, I absolutely DO know the effects.
#10
Glenmore, I had a Double posting problem recently, It was a faulty Mouse (Push Buttons Worn out) I replaced it, all fixed now, Mice don't wear out supposedly, mine did.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/10/2013 23:28
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[Bangkok Post] A man was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat province on Saturday. Witnesses said that Muhammad Russara was traveling on his motorcycle along a rural road when a gunman riding on another bike fired eight shots at him. The attackers then fled. Muhammad died at the scene.
#1
Harmon would do well to keep his discouraging assessments to himself. I for one would prefer to see the Champ devote 100% of his time to travel between the White House and the links at Andrews AFB and Fort Belvoir.
#7
Sounds like he needs more practice. A LOT more practice. Focus his attention 100% on the game until he consistently plays par golf. He's the One, so I'm sure he can get there in the next 3-4 years. Go for it, Champ!
#11
I imagine he doesn't allow enough time for practice, for one. It also appears that he's an impatient golfer. Nothing wrong with that, if you are aware of it and deal with it accordingly (like practice.)
#12
Both Champ and Charles look like they are trying to kill snakes with a driver instead of hitting a golf ball.
I'd love to play a round with Charles because I bet he is a hoot to play with and a general good guy, not to mention I KNOW my golf swing is better than his...I would sooner roll in broken glass and swim off the Great Barrier Reef naked than play with that flaming asshole of a President we are cursed with.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
11/10/2013 13:57
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#13
Pappy - he's done 150 rounds since he got in office. That's enough practice. He plays with sycophants. I'd love for one of his playing partners to turn to him and say: "your swing sucks."
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 14:17
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#14
FrankG, I want to see him play at least a round a day, more some days. No cart, no caddy. And I don't care what sycophants play with him. I just want him too tired and busy to do any more harm.
Anyone who claims to play basketball will accidentally hit one of thirteen shots. I seem to remember his throwing the football on the beach looking a bit, well, not on a rope. His bicycling looks awkward.
Some sports, like golf, are just not right for some people. I think there is enough of a spread of physical skills here to say he is not a natural athlete. A game can be learned, and enjoyed. Out here we have a 9 hole course - Barry would be what we politely call a four hour partner. Remember when he skipped a hole at Marhtha Vahnyarhd because he could be photographed? Probably uses it as a test to see how loyal his partners are, judging by the amount of brownnosing. Why Mr. President..I have never in my entire enlightened life have known anybody who has gotten a birdie by literally knocking a nest out of the deepest elm branch..truly magnificent, and only four tries doing so...such splendor!
Its the mystique building which is a quacker..they were like ZOMG!<3 he can dribble and shoot and layup! Sorry, that is junior high game warmup level.
I'd love to see him on the clay. Maybe opposite Putin eating a bear claw. A claw from a bear he tracked while flying a Backfire, para dropped from his autogyro and landing on the bear's neck, snapping it, chewing off the claw, and swimming home. In the Volga. In December.
#18
"...don't wanna' know what 18 holes with the Champ would be like..."
It would be like an opera: me, me, me, me, me ....
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/10/2013 16:39
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#19
I just wish one of his foursome would say when he asks the "One" his score and he says "I had a bogey on that hole". "Mr President, don't you mean a 10". There is no shame in being a poor golfer, Lord knows I am. But if you are willing to lie about your golf score....................
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 18:33
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#21
Well par IS rap spelled backward, so it must be anti-black.
Story about I guy I knew. Played a round of golf with an inventory representative. Rep was seen using a foot wedge. Finished the round, went to the office from the links, called the company and dropped them, "If you SOBs cheat at golf, then I can't trust you in business."
#22
he's done 150 rounds since he got in office. That's enough practice
Not the same, Frank. Practice means both identifying your flaws and working on (whether outside instruction, studying good golfers, reading up on and doing drills, or serious self-correction,) correcting those flaws.
As is evidenced over the past 5+ years, the President is incapable of doing neither.
[Bangla Daily Star] Most of the BNP leaders have gone into hiding after Friday night's arrest of five leaders, while the police have increased their presence around BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... 's residence and office.
Alongside a large number of plainclothes coppers, some female cops were also seen in front of the BNP chief's Gulshan-2 residence yesterday.
Explaining the deployment of additional law enforcers around the opposition leader's house since early Friday, a police official told The Daily Star that this was "for her security".
As of filing this report at 1:00am today, the BNP chairperson did not go out of her house. She usually goes to her Gulshan office in the evening.
None of the top and mid-level leaders were seen at Khaleda's Gulshan office or the party headquarters at Nayapaltan. Their mobile phones were also found switched off.
Talking to The Daily Star, some leaders said they were advised not to visit Khaleda's residence or office for now. Avoiding arrest is part of the party's strategy as the anti-government movement was nearing its peak, they added.
Early Saturday, police jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! the BNP chairperson's adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and her special assistant Shimul Biswas while the two were coming out of her residence. This followed the arrest of standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Miah on Friday night.
Throughout the day, speculations were rife that Khaleda might be under house arrest and she might be arrested soon.
Amid this all, an eight-member delegation of university teachers led by Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, former pro-VC of Dhaka University, met Khaleda Zia at her residence around 9:00pm.
Besides, pro-BNP professionals including lawyers, engineers, doctors and journalists also visited her around 11:30pm.
Emerging from the meeting, Yusuf Haider told news hounds, "We came here to exchange pleasantries and inquire about her [Khaleda] health. We have also talked about the country's political situation and expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... over the prevailing situation."
Earlier, Kaniz Fatima, wife of Khaleda's younger brother Shamim Iskander, and Ruhul Alam Chowdhury, an adviser to the BNP chief, went there to visit her. Fatima and Ruhul Alam Chowdhury stayed for about an hour.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Alamo, Davy was counting their remaining cannon balls and not liking the results... police on Friday and Saturday night raided the houses of a number of BNP standing committee members including Mirza Abbas and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.
Besides, they raided the houses of Chief Whip of the Opposition Zainul Abdin Farroque, Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and politician Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anne, among others.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Pak Daily Times] Seven people were killed in separate incidents of violence across the city on Saturday.
A sub-inspector was rubbed out in Orangi Town's Faqir Colony within the jurisdiction of Mominabad Police Station.
Police said the dear departed, Muhammad Ameen Baloch, was posted to the Security Zone and lived in the same area. Police said that Baloch was returning home after buying fruits when at least two gunnies, riding a cycle of violence, opened fire on him. Resultantly, the police officer was struck down in his prime. His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for an appointment with Dr. Quincy and later handed over to his family. No case had been registered until the filing of this report.
Separately, two people were bumped off in Tanga Stand, Mirza Adama Khan Road within the limits of Chakiwara Police Station. Police said that unidentified gunnies opened indiscriminate fire, injuring the two people. They were rushed to Civil Hospital where doctor pronounced them dead. The identity of the victims could not to be ascertained.
An alleged gangster was rubbed out near Garam Chashma in Manghopir locality.
Police said the dear departed was identified as Jahangir aka Baba, the son of Khan Muhammad. He was shot multiple times and was struck down in his prime. His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for an appointment with Dr. Quincy and later handed over to his family. Police said the dear departed was associated with the Sheraz Comrade group of Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... gangsters, adding that he was recently shifted to Manghopir locality from Lyari.
They said Baba was standing near his home when unidentified gunnies, riding a cycle of violence, shot and killed him.
Similarly, a man was rubbed out in Islamia Colony area of Pirabad. Police said that the dear departed, 30-year-old Raaz Muhammad, was sitting near his home when gunnies on a cycle of violence shot and killed him. An investigation into the incident was underway.
Separately, a young man was found dead from Northern Bypass area, within the limits of Surjani Police Station.
Police said the dear departed was killed after being kidnapped and several marks of torture were also found on his body. His body was moved to Edhi morgue for identification after medico-legal formalities were completed at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
In another incident, an elderly man was found dead at his home in Baldia locality.
Police said the dear departed, Taj Muhammad, was hit and killed by a "sharp weapon" in his head by unidentified persons.
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11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Arab Democratic Party Secretary-General Rifaat Eid ...secretary general of the Leb Arab Democratic Party, a Pencilneck regime front organization... accused on Saturday the Internal Security Forces and the judiciary of "torturing" suspect Ahmed Ali to admit that he had smuggled a suspect with links to the twin mosque bombings in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... .
During a presser he held in Tripoli, pro-Assad Eid mockingly dubbed military prosecutor Saqr Saqr as a "hero," saying he transferred Ali to the ISF Intelligence Bureau after he was tortured during investigation.
But Eid said Ali, who is his father's driver, was not assaulted by the Intelligence Branch, which only used "psychological" torture against him by showing him torture equipment.
The bureau forced him to sign a document that he had smuggled Ahmed Merhi, who is the suspected driver of the explosive-laden vehicle that blew up near al-Taqwa mosque, to Syria, Eid claimed.
The twin boom-mobileings that targeted the Sunni al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques on August 23 have left hundreds of casualties.
First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida issued on Thursday a subpoena against the head of the Arab Democratic Party, Ali Eid, who is from Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... 's Alawite sect.
He has been charged along with his driver Ali with helping Merhi escape justice.
Abou Ghida also issued arrest warrants against Ali and Chehade Shdoud, who was jugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! on Tuesday at the Abboudieh border-crossing for smuggling Sukeina Ismail to Syria.
Ismail is charged with transporting the two cars that were used in the bombings from Syria to Leb.
"Ali Eid will never go to the ISF Intelligence for questioning," his son, Rifaat said at the presser he held on Saturday.
Eid urged caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi to unveil the circumstances of the "fabrications" against his party.
"We will act only in accordance to the law," he said although he made a veiled threat that killing ISF members was permissible.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#1
one can only hope
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 11:02
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[Libya Herald] Two officers working with the Crime Prevention department on Benghazi were shot and killed in the early hours of the morning in Khaleej Street, in the city's Laithi district. The men have been named as Ali Said Ali and Adel Jehani.
According to Benghazi Joint Security Room front man, Abdullah Zeidi, the two were killed at around 2.15 am in a hail of bullets fired from a black jeep which then sped off. He added that the vehicle was thought to be the same as the one that had been used in previous killing in the city. A search for it was being made, he said.
Two weeks ago, there was an attempt to kill the head of the city's Crime Prevention unit, Abdussalam Barghathi.
Last night, a police officer, Al-Sherief Al-Agaili, was shot while walking in Benghazi's Suq Al-Badri district, just two hours after a show of force by the city's new military supremo, Colonel Awad Saiti.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Pak Daily Times] The US Senate Intelligence Committee has quietly approved a plan to step up both public and internal government oversight of the use of armed drones to kill suspected snuffies overseas, including American citizens.
The committee voted in closed session earlier this week to approve legislative language that would require US spy agencies to make public statistics on how many people were killed or injured in missile strikes launched from US-operated drones. The committee also approved language intended to bolster scrutiny of secret spy agency deliberations over decisions about targeting US citizens or residents for lethal drone strikes overseas.
The B.O. regime has been under heavy pressure from foreign governments, the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... and human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... groups to be more transparent and rigorous in accounting for the civilian casualties caused by drone strikes.
Though the committee did not release full details of its deliberations on the measures, sources familiar with the discussions said that some committee Republicans were opposed to the drone-related clauses in the bill, which would authorise intelligence activities for the current government fiscal year which began on October 1.
Ultimately, according to a blurb issued by Senator Dianne Feinstein ...Dem Senator-for-Life from Caliphornica. She has been a politician since about the time she was weaned. Feinstein was the author of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and tried it a second time in 2012. Feinstein has chaired the Select Committee on Intelligence since 2009. At age 80, Feinstein is the oldest currently serving United States Senator.... , the Democrat who chairs the intelligence panel, the committee approved the bill by a vote of 13-2. The two senators who voted against it were Republicans, a congressional source said. The blurb makes no mention of the language in the bill about drones. An official familiar with the matter said that this was because some Republicans argued that, since drone attacks are officially covert actions by the US government, it would be inappropriate to set rules for such operations in a public law.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#1
LBJ got to where he wanted to personally approve every bombing target, so I guess Zero will have to approve every drone zap. Remove plausible deniability from the equation if anything goes wrong or gets second-guessed.
[An Nahar] Russian opposition activists in Moscow threw tomatoes at visiting Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Saturday to protest the January suicide of one of their members turned down for asylum in the Netherlands.
None of the tomatoes hit the king, the Ria Novosti news agency reported.
Sergei Aksenov, one of the leaders of The Other Russia opposition party, said on Twitter two activists were incarcerated Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! for the fruit-throwing.
He said the protest was to highlight the death of Alexandre Dolmatov, a party member who took part in a May 2012 demonstration on the eve of President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... 's re-election investiture.
Dolmatov was arrested then released, but fearing re-arrest on serious charges leveled at others, fled to the Netherlands to seek asylum.
He did away with himself in January after the request was rejected and he was placed in a holding center.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Russian opposition activists in Moscow threw tomatoes
[Tolo News] Jamahir Anwari, the Minister of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR), was summoned by the Lower House on Saturday to answer questions regarding allegations that implicated him in corruption. He ended up leaving the chamber unscathed, with MPs satisfied by his explanations.
Anwari came to the Lower House standing accused of embezzling money designated for MoRR programs, giving away jobs and land for personal gain and signing unsanctioned agreements with foreign governments that caused Afghan migrants to be wrongfully deported.
All together the, MPs said the Minister was suspected of accepting a total of 150 million USD in exchange for distrbuting land to wealthy immigrants. He was said to have funneled significant amounts of money into family bank accounts.
"You have asked one of the donors to transfer the money to the account of one of your wives named Shazia," Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... MP Naheed Farid said to Anwari on Saturday.
"Money allocated for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations' electricity budget was transferred to the private bank account of your son Abdullah," said Nafisa Sultani, an MP from Ghazni.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... Anwari claimed that the money transferred into his family's personal accounts, which he said was significantly less than what he was suspected of, was used for legitimate purposes associated with the Ministry.
"In 2010, the amount of 1,250 USD was transferred to the private account and used to purchase electronic supplies," he claimed. "If a Minister was going to embezzle, he wouldn't embezzle 1,250 dollars."
MPs were especially heated about the possibility that Anwari had abused the power of his office in signing unapproved agreements with foreign governments that permitted the forceful, and unwarranted, deportation of Afghan migrants.
"There is evidence that you have signed agreements with western countries in return for personal favors that forced Afghan immigrants to return to Afghanistan," Kabul MP Shukria Barekzai said.
Anwari outright denied those claims, however, and said he had signed ten agreements that were all done in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). He said none of the agreements included the forceful return of Afghan immigrants.
But the number of young Afghans crowded outside the National Assembly building on Saturday begged to differ. Demonstrators claimed to have been deported by foreign governments on account of Anwari's negligence and malfeasance.
"We were forced to leave Canada, and it was all a result of agreements signed by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations," said Hassan, one of those demonstrating outside Parliament on Saturday.
Nevertheless, despite all the complaints and apparent evidence against him, Anwari left the Lower House on Saturday still in his position as Minister, with nothing more than suspicion against him. The MPs were reportedly satisfied with the answers he gave them.
If Anwari was to be found responsible of the crimes he is alleged to have committed as Minister, it would likely be the most high-level case of corruption seen in 2013. In October, an investigation into suspected the embezzlement activities of Minister of Information and Culture Sayed Makhdoom Raheen turned up inconclusive.
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[The Fiscal Times] If you had a new product to sell, and needed almost 70 percent of the universe of potential consumers to buy your product in order to be successful, would your investors want to know what you were smoking? Turns out, that's the marketing plan of the President's Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
Related: Obamacare's $95 Bet on Millennials Buying Insurance A very bad bet as well.
Emily Wright, a 28-year-old from Johnson City, Tenn., signed up for Obamacare one day after the faulty on-line exchange went live last month and is delighted with her decision. While she would like to think of herself as a "young invincible," in fact she has asthma and may require pelvic surgery.
In contrast, a far more robust Shea Syverson, 26, of Fargo, N.D., decided he can't afford insurance coverage on his cook's salary and that it would be a lot cheaper to pay a penalty than to sign on.
Jonathan Smarjesse, 29, of Springfield, Ill. who spends his spare time hiking, surfing and cycling, is undecided about whether to sign up.
Asked if the uproar over the slew of technical problems besetting the HealthCare.gov website would be a factor in his decision, Smarjesse is dismissive: "That stuff doesn't influence any of my decisions. It's all math." To the youth, Gov't itself is a giant technical problem, and they're more than capable of spotting a swindle.
The Obama administration must convince 2.7 million millennials like Wright, Syverson and Smarjesse to buy health insurance, or the new government exchanges could be a financial bust. Surprise! Surprise! Campaign rhetoric and 'free stuff' are quite different than discussing one's payment options.
Since the Obamacare website had its technically nightmarish launch Oct. 1, insurers report that insurance buyers have been much older than expected, according to the Wall Street Journal. Without the right mix of young, healthy SUCKERS!Americans and older, more infirmed people in the risk pool, insurers could suffer steep losses during the first full year of operation in 2014.
If that trend continues, the older, more expensive set of customers who are flocking to the website or contacting regional call centers in pursuit of subsidized coverage could drive up premiums for everyone.
"This was always a dicey situation and now it's even dicier" for the Obama administration, said Bill Hoagland, a former vice president of giant Cigna Health Insurance, who suspects the administration will fall far short of its goals this year.
"I think the jury is still out," he added, but the long term picture could be bleak unless signups by younger, healthier Americans picks up substantially. Not going to happen unless they are somehow forced to sign up.
Because these younger Americans are usually healthy and rarely rack up huge medical bills, their monthly premiums would make it cheaper for the exchanges to affordably insure 4.3 million other Americans. If you exclude millennials with children--who would likely face stiff medical bills--and those who can stay on their parents' coverage, the number of "eligible" young adults for the exchanges drops to 4 million, according to research by McIntyre and Josh Fangmeier, a consultant for the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation in Ann Arbor, MI.
A target group as low as 4 million means the Obama administration must convince 67.5 percent of them to buy insurance from an exchange. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned that the numbers to be released next week on the number of Americans who logged on to the website and enrolled for insurance will be "low" because of the technical problems. And insurance companies throughout the country are having far more difficulty recruiting millenials than older Americans, according to the Wall Street Journal.
One reason is that older Americans are more patient and willing to spend hours on the website or contacting call centers than younger Americans. "Obviously, the exchange problems are the first gigantic barrier," said Joseph Antos, a health care expert with the American Enterprise Institute. "And even though young people are far more adept at computer based applications, if the application doesn't work, that doesn't matter."
Moreover, many in their late 20s and early 30s are struggling to find work and have concluded that paying their rent or eating out is more important now than buying insurance.
Finally, many are unfazed by having to pay a tax penalty to the government if they don't sign up. The first-year penalty would be only $95 or 1 percent of household income. It's also unclear whether the Internal Revenue Service would ever get around to assessing the penalties. The earliest the IRS could begin identifying scofflaws is the summer of 2015, after all the 2014 tax returns are processed.
"You have to be able to check who didn't get insurance, which of course is a non-event, so there's no documentation," Antos said. "In other words, it is practically impossible [for the IRS] to identify those who didn't buy insurance unless people want to volunteer. But only an idiot would volunteer that he owes you some money -- and young people aren't that stupid." If power shifts in the Congress there is a very good chance the law will be repealed and penalties will be forgiven or simply ignored.
#4
The flaw in the logic is the target of insuring the 38 million who were uninsured. The Dems thought they were all uninsured because they couldn't afford insurance, i.e., a perfect target for buying more votes.
Unfortunately, most of the 38 million are not poor, homeless, or unemployed or working for some mean old capitalist, they are mostly young adults who are less concerned about health care than rent, car payments, and groceries.
The entire NEED for insurance reform was flawed in the construct. They should have modeled the ACA after the very successful French (them again) or the German (Bismarck) models. The Dems are all about cronyist and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to give some props to their buddies in the insurance industry and the medical profession. They also protected their most valuable constituency, the trial lawyers, when they deliberately avoided tort reform.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
11/10/2013 18:28
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[Pak Daily Times] India said on Saturday peace and tranquillity along the Line of Control (LoC) was must if India and Pakistain were to engage. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told news hounds that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... 's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, would be meeting Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on the sidelines of the November 11-12 Asia-Europe Meeting. He said their talks would "take up the outcome of the last meeting -- that for India and Pakistain to engage it is important as a precondition that there should be peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control... And where to go forward based on their assessment on the situation elapsed". Aziz has also sought a meeting with the Indian prime minister during the visit, he added. An Indian news agency quoting sources in the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmire Liberation Front (JKLF) in Srinagar reported that JKLF chief Muhammad Yasin Malik ...chairman of one of the two factions of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. JKLF is a Kashmiri nationalist organization founded in Birmingham, UK in 1977. Branches weren't actually established in Kashmir for another ten years. It has the usual demands for separation of J&K from secular India so it can become an independent Islamic rathole. It seems to have no interest in Pak Kashmir breaking away to join it. In 1994 Malik renounced violence after he was released from jail and from that point he and his organization pursued peaceful means to impose their will on the region... has received an invitation to meet Aziz when the latter arrives in New Delhi today (Sunday). Sources said Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have also received an invitation from Pakistain Deputy High Commissioner Mansoor Ahmad Khan to meet Aziz in New Delhi. The Himalayan region of Kashmire has been the spark of two of three wars fought by nuclear-armed India and Pakistain since their independence from Britannia in 1947. A spike in fighting along the LoC in January stalled peace talks between Pakistain and India, which had recently resumed following a three-year hiatus sparked by the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Pak Daily Times] Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... rebels grabbed credit on Saturday for a bomb that killed six people outside a popular Mogadishu hotel the day before, and said they deliberately targetted government officials and security forces. Police suspected the Death Eaters were behind the blast, the latest in a series of frequent attacks in the Somali capital that highlight the challenge the government faces in restoring order to a nation torn apart by two decades of war and chaos. "We were behind the two kabooms at the hotel," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab's military operations front man, told Rooters. "We targetted government officials and forces, and killed 15 of them." A senior police officer said on Friday night at least six people, including four coppers, were killed when a suspected boom-mobile went off outside the Hotel Maka, a popular meeting place for officials. He said at the time the corpse count could rise because some injuries were serious, but there was no official word of more deaths on Saturday. Al-Shabaab, which was driven out of Mogadishu by an African peacekeeping force in 2011, has said it would keep up its campaign of attacks against the government in the capital. In September, al-Shabaab rebels killed at least 15 people and maimed 23 others in an attack on a popular restaurant using a boom-mobile and a jacket wallah.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Deadly festivities resumed Saturday between Zaidi Iranian catspaws and Sunni Islamists in northern Yemen, both sides said, a day after the Red Thingy evacuated 44 maimed during a lull.
The fighting, which first erupted late last month, has centred on a Salafist mosque and Koranic school in the town of Dammaj that has been besieged by the rebels, known as Huthis after their leading family.
"Intermittent confrontations have taken place... during an attack by the Huthis on the mosque in Dammaj that has killed one person and maimed seven," Salafist front man Khaled al-Ghorbani said.
A rebel leader, Ali al-Bahiti, confirmed the resumed fighting.
The International Committee of the Red Thingy said its staff took advantage of a lull on Friday to evacuate some of the maimed, including a woman who was eight months pregnant and four children.
It added that they had also delivered enough dressings to both sides to treat up to 600 maimed, as well as medicines to treat diarrhea and respiratory ailments.
U.N. special envoy Jamal Benomar warned last week that the fighting in Dammaj "threatens the security of Yemen."
"Large groups of gunnies are being mobilized from different areas. This would have serious security implications," he said.
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[Pak Daily Times] The Lahore High Court on Saturday disposed of a notice on an acid attack case in which a man threw acid on his son, as the case challan ... list of charges ... has been submitted before an anti-terrorism court of Faisalabad ...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after... .
According to details, Muhammad Afzal, a resident of Chak Babar, had kept 150 grammes of gold and several sacks of wheat with his father Sher Muhammad as trust.
When Afzal asked him to return the valuables, his father refused and sent him back saying that he had spent all his life's earning on his children and that it was time for them to pay back.
This led to an argument and Sher Muhammad called his other son, Muhammad Ashraf, and locked Afzal inside. They together beat up Afzal, threw acid on him and fled.
Earlier, the LHC complaint cell had summoned a report from the Chiniot district and sessions judge, who in his report submitted that Rajoya police had started the paperwork but haven't done much else and tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! all the accused nominated in the FIR. The challan against the accused was submitted before the trial court, where all the accused had been acquitted after a settlement.
The LHC disposed of the matter as the challan had been submitted and no further directions were required.
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[Pak Daily Times] The death of an important Taliban figure is a cause célèbre at drone central. Here, not so much. Here, we prefer to sit around the fireside and wallow. That in turn pushes drone morality, illusory sovereignty violation, the untimely demise of the peace talk genie, and terrorism US 'shtyle' to the top of the agenda while the smiling face of a dead Mehsud looks on.
The US-made spanner, which upset the Wazoo bound applecart, was unexpected. Or was it? An incident took place in Afghanistan prior to the appearance of that Predator. Killing Hakeemullah Mehsud -- a man with a double bounty over his head (in dollars and Pak rupees) -- comes on the heels of Latif Mehsud's capture in Afghanistan in early October 2013. The Tehrik-e-Taliban's (TTP's) right hand man, allegedly caught canoodling with KHAD/NDS and picked up by our mutual friends, may hold the key.
Rumour has it that Mehsud was being cultivated as an Afghan asset to get even with Pak agencies. There is no love lost between KHAD/NDS (National Directorate of Security) and ISI or Karzai and Nawaz, notwithstanding all this talk of 'Mohammedan brotherhood'. The Pak-sponsored science project (the original Taliban) foisted on them, reportedly haunts Afghans to this day. If Mehsud had been turned, then the so-called truce was automatically void. No one likes a spy.
What would be the reaction of the state when Mehsud's allegedly unholy alliance came to the fore, assuming that it did as a result of shared 'intel'? Pakistain could not have wanted an Afghan stooge in their carefully cultivated peace mix. Wasn't it in their joint interest then to have him taken out of the equation? In a way, Hakeemullah Mehsud's demise was well timed. And in an ideal world no one would blame them for neutralising duplicitous heads who have the blood of Pak/Afghani/American citizens on their hands.
Mehsud granted an interview to BBC days after his henchman's run-in with the Americans. The transcript is illuminating.
The TTP continues to keep jihad against infidels, and by association Pak men, women and kiddies as the centrepiece, even after the US withdrawal. The most telling part, however, is their precondition for a ceasefire, which is an end to drone wars. Mehsud also threw in support for future conflicts with other enemies as a bonus in what could be an attempt to bait an India-obsessed army. For someone who kept insisting that the media will not be used to convey terms, conditions or used for proxy negotiations, there were plenty strewn about.
With his trusty deputy in US custody, did the TTP leader realise he was on his way to becoming a statistic? Latif may have sung since he is in Bagram, and given up Mehsud's location. But the Taliban leadership is never stationary. This could be when Mehsud Sr saw the proverbial writing on the cave wall and decided to vie for the precious immunity pin by dangling the same old lie knowing Pak's kindly (read gullible) nature. The sense of complacency that followed perhaps helped pinpoint his whereabouts.
In the past, treaties have been mere stalling tactics giving TTP time to regroup, order more ammo, recap on their training and wait out the winter. This time, as 'talks about talks' were underway, the body count on the Pak side kept mounting but not once did anyone question the purely one-sided arrangement. The idea that the November 1 attack could turn out to be part of a covert strategy, which felt that slicing the head to make the writhing TTP more amenable to talks, could effectively drown out the howls of political/media pundits. And such surgical strikes take a leaf out of the Taliban's own playbook: don't let talk of peace get in the way of war.
Such ideas are rarely aired in toxic environments. Not when Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... 's charged appeal to stop NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... supply and Chaudhry Nisar's outraged presser to question the sinister timing of said attack, and maybe let slip that this is not our war, take the lead.
The last time NATO supply routes became news was after the Salala incident where 24 Pak soldiers came in the line of (US) fire. This time it is to protest the slaying of a terrorist. Somewhere, our fallen are turning in their graves.
The US-Pakistain alliance frosts over yet again; the US ambassador has been served with a demarche while the state continues to maintain plausible deniability over possible intelligence sharing ops that ensure the success of such strikes. It would be naïve to think that the terror network will remain in disarray or the leadership void be left empty for long. The TTP scale may not register degraded capability but this might count as a psychological victory in some circles. Unfortunately, this could also trigger the dreaded Dire Revenge™ cycle.
The 'Most Wanted' holed up in Pakistain and safe havens dotted across the countryside threaten the integrity of a sovereign state far more than any drone ever could. Stacking a viable peace strategy with the right proportions of carrot and stick and less emotional leaders at the helm might yield a more durable framework. The TTP will always be suspicious of any overtures, as long as the drones stay overhead, but they have yet to earn the state's trust. Or its sympathy.
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The Advocate reports that the Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal's office will cancel food stamp benefits for anyone who participated in a fraud and shopping spree catalyzed by an EBT malfunction. Not much of a threat, unless they can identify 'true name' card holders.
More than 12,000 people were sent an insufficient funds notice when the problem with the EBT cards was fixed on Oct. 12; those who transgressed may lose their EBT cards for a year. Criminal activity and theft are now "transgressions" ?
Suzy Sonnier, the secretary of state at the Department of Children and Family Services, released a statement saying: "We must protect the program for those who receive and use their benefits appropriately according to the law. We are looking at each case individually, addressing those recipients who are suspected of misrepresenting their eligibility for benefits or defrauding the system." Suzy conveniently fails to mention the defrauded taxpayer.
Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd said, "It was worse than any Black Friday."
Stores were emptied of their merchandise. Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling said Walmart decided made a business decision
to let the crowds go ahead and buy rather than cut them off. Once the system was fixed, it became clear how much fraud there was; one woman had an EBT card with a balance of 49 cents but still had $700 worth of goods in her shopping cart.
On October 11-12, at least 17 states experienced problems with their EBT card systems. In Springhill and Mansfield, Louisiana, cards indicated they had no spending limits, so EBT holders went wild with purchases. Little wonder the Champ and Bobby Jindal are not talking.
Syrian rebels retook a strategic base in the northern Aleppo province on Saturday, as shelling killed at least 11 people in nearby Aleppo city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The group said rebels, from two Al Qaeda affiliates, launched a nighttime counterattack against regime forces, after they captured parts of the base on Friday. Using Grad rockets against army tanks, they were able to regain control of the parts of the strategic Base 80 that they had lost during Friday fighting, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The clashes killed at least 53 people -- 33 rebels and 20 loyalists.
The rebels seized Base 80, which provided the garrison for both Aleppo international airport and the adjacent Nayrab military airfield, in February. They failed to capture either airport, though they have seized the Minnigh and Jarrah military airports in the area.
Civilian flights from Aleppo International Airport have been suspended since the start of the year because of rebel fire.
The army has made several advances east of Aleppo in recent days, including the recapture of Sfeira, a town that had been under rebel control for a year.
In Aleppo city, meanwhile, the Observatory said shelling killed at least 11 people, including four children.
In the north-western Ashrafiyeh district, which is largely under regime control, five people, two of them children, were killed by mortar fire, the Observatory said.
State television also reported deaths in the area, saying six children had been killed and blaming "terrorists," its terms for opposition fighters.
In the northeast of the city, six civilians died, the Observatory said, including a woman, a six-month-old baby and a three-year-old.
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[An Nahar] Opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed topped Saturday's bitterly-fought presidential elections, but failed to secure a clear majority needed to avoid a tricky run-off, official results showed.
Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) immediately pressed for a quick second round of voting on Sunday as previously scheduled as his main challenger Abdulla Yameen asked for a postponement.
The MDP urged the international community to mount pressure on Maldivian authorities to stick to the ballot timetable and ensure an elected president is sworn in by the constitutional deadline of Monday.
"The international community must apply pressure -- including targeted, punitive sanctions -- on those individuals who seek to undermine Maldivian democracy," the party said in a statement.
Yameen told news hounds that he was not ready to face a run-off Sunday and wanted at least 48 hours to prepare.
"I am not ready to accept the voter lists and we need at least 48 hours to approve them," Yameen said. "A run-off election can be after that."
Chief Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek had announced the run-off for Sunday. However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... it was not immediately clear if he could go ahead as a previous election was scuttled because Yameen and Saturday's loser Qasim Ibrahim refused to approve voter lists, a legal requirement in the Maldives.
Nasheed received just under 46 percent of the popular vote and faces Yameen, the half brother of former autocrat, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who garnered 31 percent of the vote. Ibrahim, a resort tycoon, came last with 24 percent and was thrown out of the run-off.
The MDP argues that unless an election is held Sunday, the country could head for a constitutional crisis without a leader, but the Supreme Court Saturday ruled that outgoing President Mohammed Waheed can remain as a caretaker.
Nasheed, who was ousted as president nearly two years ago in what he called a coup, sought to win an outright majority Saturday, but just managed to retain the same level of support he had at the now annulled September 7 polls.
The latest election was observed by more than 2,000 local and foreign monitors across the archipelago of 1,192 tiny coral islands and they did not report any electoral malpractice.
The Maldives, whose turquoise seas and white beaches have long been a tourist draw, has been the focus of intense U.S.-led diplomatic pressure since judges annulled results of the September 7 vote which was also won by Nasheed.
When new polls were scuppered six weeks later, suspicions grew that authorities were determined to prevent Nasheed from returning to power at any price.
The 46-year-old -- a one-time political prisoner and environmental activist -- won the first multi-party elections in 2008, ending 30 years of iron-fisted rule by Gayoom.
But after clashing with key institutions, including the judiciary and security forces, he was forced to resign in February 2012.
Yameen's Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) accused unidentified attackers of trying to Molotov cocktail his house Friday night, but said the attempt failed because of rain.
PPM leader and Youth Minister Mohammed Shareef predicted legal challenges regardless of who won the election.
"Given the high stakes involved, irrespective of who wins, there'll be a lot of anger, frustration and finger pointing," Shareef said. "I hope it won't lead to violence."
A host of Western diplomats had flown in to seek to ensure no hitches in the vote in a nation of 350,000 Sunni Moslems.
During his rule, Gayoom packed the judiciary and security forces with supporters, and there are suspicions that even if Nasheed wins, he could still be thwarted.
"I still have doubts he will be allowed to take power," a European diplomat told Agence La Belle France Presse before the results were known.
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[Pak Daily Times] Syria's fractured opposition began meeting Saturday in Istanbul to decide whether to attend a peace conference that world powers want to hold in Geneva.
The talks involving the main umbrella opposition, the National Coalition, took place in a hotel here as the rebels retook a strategic base in northern Syria. They were due to continue through Sunday evening, the coalition said.
Before they decide whether to attend the peace conference -- aimed at launching negotiations between Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... 's regime and its opponents -- bitter rival camps in the opposition must first seek a united front, UN-Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned earlier this week. "There should be two delegations from Syria for Geneva 2 -- the government and the opposition," Brahimi said Tuesday. But, he added: "The opposition is divided and not ready... The opposition has problems." The National Coalition -- which depends on foreign backing -- has long been plagued by regional rivalries and suffers from a lack of credibility in the eyes of both its allies and the various rebel groups fighting on the ground.
Some rebel leaders believe that no negotiations are possible with Assad remaining in power and have for weeks resisted the idea of peace talks.
Assad is showing no sign of backing down, two-and-a-half years into a conflict that has claimed more than 120,000 lives. No date has yet been agreed for the conference, dubbed Geneva 2, at which world powers hope to gather delegates from the warring parties, as well as regional Arab states, before the end of the year, according to Brahimi. "We are leaning towards not taking part in the conference," said Samir Nashar, a member of the Coalition. "Will that position change? I don't know, but what I can say is that there's intense (international) political action (pushing towards participation).
Coalition leader Ahmat Jarba has imposed strict conditions for the opposition to take part, insisting that Assad's departure and regime change are on the table -- which the regime has rejected. Jarba is also demanding a ceasefire for the duration of the talks. The Syrian National Council -- a key component of the Coalition -- has outright refused to take part in talks, threatening to quit the Coalition if some of its members agree to go. Damascus too has appeared unwilling. Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said this past week the regime would refuse to go if it was "to hand over power as desired by (Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud) al-Faisal and certain opponents abroad".
Meanwhile Russian vice foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that some opposition members have accepted an offer of informal talks in Moscow to precede the Geneva conference.
The opposition has "rightful hesitations" about Geneva 2 including its format, and the future role of Assad, Turkey's foreign ministry said this week.
At a meeting of foreign ministers in Britannia last month to help pave the way for Geneva 2, 11 Western and Arab nations from the Friends of Syria group agreed that Assad should have no role in any future government. Their affirmation nevertheless failed to convince the rebels to commit to Geneva.
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that Syrian rebels have regained control of a strategic base near Aleppo international airport in fierce fighting that left more than 50 people dead.
Troops backed by fighters from Lebanese Shiamilitant group Hezbollah had recaptured large parts of Base 80 outside Syria's main northern city in an assault on Friday morning.
But rebel fighters, among them al Qaeda loyalists, counter-attacked after dark, using Grad rockets ...Soviet-developed 122-mm rockets, usually launched from trucks. Newer versions are reported to have a range of up to 30 km.... against the army's tanks and recovering all of the lost ground, the observatory said.
The watchdog's director Rami Abdel Rahman said the fighting had left at least 53 people dead, 33 on the rebel side and 20 on the government side.
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#1
using Grad rockets ...Soviet-developed 122-mm rockets, usually launched from trucks. Newer versions are reported to have a range of up to 30 km.... against the army's tanks
BadMan does the Grad have an anti-amour capability?
[Tolo News] In an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, Presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf ...Afghan Salafist warlord, owned by Saudi Arabia. He was the guy who invited al-Qaeda to come into Afghanistan and make themselves at home... spoke about his thoughts on fighting the Taliban, women's education in Afghanistan and the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Pact (BSA).
Sayyaf, who has traditionally been one of the most outspoken critiques of the Taliban, told TOLOnews that the exact cause for continued conflict between the Taliban and Afghan government is unclear to him. He said that making sense of what lies at the heart of their antagonistic relationship would be a critical first step toward any possible reconciliation.
"I really don't understand what is the issue between us and the Taliban, over what issue we are fighting," he said. "If the reason is clarified, then someone can base talks on that."
Sayyaf was a jihadi leader during the Russian revolution and holds a Masters degree in religious studies from the revered Al Azhar University in Egypt. He fought against the Taliban as part of the Northern Alliance until the regime fell in 2001.
Although he has made a name for himself condemning the Taliban for misinterpreting and even corrupting the teaching of Islam, he said in the interview that the source of conflict between with the bad boy group was a mystery to him. Sayyaf said that the restoration of longstanding peace and security in Afghanistan was one of his fundamental goals.
Sayyaf, a respected Afghan religious scholar, also spoke about women's education, a subject he has often been thought to hold more conservative views on.
"I think there are misconceptions in the public about my perspective on women's education," he said. "I support honorable education opportunities for women, because women's honor and dignity are very important."
The role of women in Afghan society is frequently highlighted as one of the major points of progress in the past 12 years. Many young Afghans, in particular, are anxious to see what the results of the spring elections will mean for the future of women's issues.
Sayyaf also spoke about the pending security pact between the U.S. and Afghanistan. Like most, he said he appreciated the importance of the agreement, but said no decision should be made without full respect for Afghan illusory sovereignty and national interests.
"All aspects should be considered and a wise decision should be taken to bring the country out of crisis, but only in line with our national illusory sovereignty," Sayyaf said.
U.S. officials have pushed for Kabul to sign the agreement as soon as possible, but President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... ultimately decided to leave it up to a Loya Jirga set to convene in Kabul this week.
Sayyaf noted that there are some reservations that neighboring countries have about the BSA, but said Afghanistan's interests should first and foremost be taken into account in finalizing the agreement.
Sayyaf is one of the 10 Presidential candidates who made the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) preliminary list two weeks ago.
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[The Hindu] A Pak mole in the Indian security agencies, code-named 'Honey Bee', helped his ISI handlers identify the landing site for 26/11 snuffies in Mumbai, two British journalists have claimed in their book.
The information on Badhwar Park, the landing site, was shared by ISI operatives with Pak-American Lashkar operative David Headley, who had checked it out while conducting recce of the area, the journalists say.
The book, by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, The Siege, claims that Headley underwent a two-year course on surveillance and counter-intelligence by Pakistain's espionage agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
His handler, Major Iqbal of ISI, gave him what he described as classified Indian files -- that he said were obtained from within Indian police and army -- which revealed their training and limitations.
"The Major boasted that they had a super agent at work in New Delhi who was known as Honey Bee. The Major revealed while he would guide Headley, the Mumbai operation would be run by Lashkar," the book claimed. According to the book, before leaving Pakistain, Headley met Major Iqbal, who gave him a bundle of counterfeit Indian currency and a suggestion.
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[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain has been tormented with terrorism for almost over a decade now. Pakistain has been fighting the war against terror, and has lost thousands of innocent citizens who were not even aware of what their fault was. It is an unfortunate fact that Pakistain's soil is being used for extremism, a recent example of which is the September 22 terrorist attack on a church in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. city, killing over 150 and injuring around 200 worshipers. The faceless myrmidons claimed that it was in accordance with the sharia law. This is the view of an extreme mindset, but I was relieved to read an article by a holy man who quoted examples from the Koran and other important events in Islamic history, making a convincing argument that destroying non-Moslems' places of worship is against the Islamic religious tradition.
If one wishes to change how religion manifests itself in society, one cannot ignore the social function of religion and its interpretation by the religiously learned community. To recognise this function is to be able and willing to contribute to the religious discourse in the public domain. While I agree with the necessity and God-given right of an individual to interpret religion for one's own purposes, it can neither propel alternative discourses nor transform the existing ones, unless it is considered authoritative in the public sphere for its serious engagement with religion and tradition.
Salmaan Taseer, the former governor of Punjab, was assassinated by his own bodyguard in Islamabad for supporting an innocent woman, who was allegedly accused of committing blasphemy by a local holy man in her village. An illiterate woman, who is a Christian, has been in solitary confinement since November 2009 for a crime that was not even proved beyond all doubt. Her only crime was that she was a Christian. Taseer was assassinated because he spoke up against the misuse of the blasphemy law, which is used against the marginalised and the vulnerable. His assassin was praised as a hero by many and showered with petals as he was brought to the court.
Similarly, there are countless names who have been killed in the name of religion for having views against the Death Eater mindset.
This provoked a debate on Pakistain's blasphemy laws, which provide a safeguard only to Islam. Activists and NGOs spoke up to stop the abuse and misuse of these laws, but the Death Eater mindset threatened the same fate as Salmaan Taseer to anyone who even dared to think about amending these laws.
These faceless myrmidons are indeed so influential in Pak society that they managed to pressurse the government to the extent that it had to take a U-turn on its stance to amend the blasphemy laws. Now the question arises how the faceless myrmidons become so influential.
Largely, this is due to our education system. All over the world educational policies are revised after every five to 10 years, but in Pakistain, in the past 65 years, this has been done only three times. Life For All Pakistain, a humanitarian NGO, has been researching educational reforms, and they published a booklet of over 50 pages, which contains the hate speech material being taught in schools and how the minds of children are being manipulated. I met a Hindu teacher in the interior Sindh, who told me that he was forced to teach children against his religion, Hinduism.
What is being promoted?
When the education minister was questioned about the hate speech material being taught in schools, he simply said that he could not do anything, because if he tried to change anything he would be declared an 'infidel'.
But still, we have not lost hope. In a recent article by Ayesha Nasir, a former student of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore, after the attack on the Church in Peshawar, she wrote, "The prayers, which we were made to recite before the school day, began at the end of the last period, on special occasions, and sometimes even during recess, always included declarations of love and peace for our country. Today, I am sorry Convent of Jesus and Mary that I have failed you. Along with the so many hundreds and thousands of women you educated and instructed, I have failed to live up to your expectations. I, along with the dozens of Head Girls and Captains you had such high hopes from, have failed you. We have returned your messages of love and compassion with hatred. We have responded to your preaching of tolerance with intolerance. And today, we have murdered your kin when you did everything in your power to protect us whilst we remained in your care."
I read about Guy Fawkes, a man who was tossed in the clink Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! guarding a huge store of gunpowder beneath the British Houses of Parliament on November 5, 1605. When questioned after his arrest, he was asked why he planned to kill the king and all the members of parliament sitting with him. He replied, "A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy." He was paraphrasing Hippocrates who said, "Extreme remedies are appropriate for extreme diseases." It will be remembered that Hippocrates is regarded as one of the founders of modern medicine. Both Fawkes and Hippocrates were right, though perhaps the extremity of their remedies requires some modulation.
Education is the key to reforming the system in Pakistain. Only through education will the future generations be able to think and question. Reforming the education system is the root to counter extremism.
Currently, the government of Pakistain is trying to hold peace talks with the Death Eater groups. There have been over 214 acts of terrorism in the past four years, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... . To hold peace talks with snuffies is indeed a challenging situation for the government, whereas recently the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed in a drone attack by the US. The Pakistain government claims that this will affect and delay the process of holding talks with the TTP. Surprisingly, there has been a hostile reaction by the leading holy mans and even some of the politicianship against the killing of Mehsud.
Is holding talks the solution to the plague of terrorism? I want Quaid-e-Azam's Pakistain, where every individual is free to practise his/her religion. I want peace to return to my homeland.
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[An Nahar] Mali's government said Saturday it had named a new army chief of staff, two months after the country's new president took office seeking to restore stability following a rebellion and coup.
The government named General Mahamane Toure, previously the director of a peacekeeper training academy in the capital, to take over from Ibrahim Dahirou Dembele, without giving a reason for the replacement.
It also formally dissolved a committee on military reform that had been criticized as a golden parachute for the leader of the March 2012 coup that helped plunge the country into chaos.
In the post-coup transition, junta leader Amadou Sanogo had been installed at the head of the committee and promoted from captain to general, outraging human rights groups.
Mali's interim government removed Sanogo from the post last August, just before newly elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita took office on September 4.
"After the election of the president of the republic and his swearing-in, it now seems necessary to put an end to the (committee's) work," the government said Saturday.
The military reshuffling came as rebels from Mali's minority Tuareg group disputed the army's account of clashes Friday in the country's northeast.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg separatist group, accused the army of executing three civilians during what the military had described as a rebel attack.
"A column of the Malian army arrested, held and executed several civilians in the Menaka area" on Friday morning, the MNLA said in a statement.
It said six people had been arrested, three of whom were executed and three of whom were "tortured and severely wounded".
It did not say what led to the incident.
Military sources said Friday that MNLA rebels had attacked soldiers on patrol at a market near the border with Niger.
Mali's defense ministry blamed unidentified "armed bandits", saying three of them had been killed and four wounded. One soldier was also wounded, it said.
There has been an upsurge in violence in Mali since the MNLA pulled out of peace talks with the government in September.
Two French journalists were shot dead last week during a kidnapping claimed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The chief suspect in the kidnapping is a Tuareg thought to have associated with both AQIM and the mainly secular MNLA.
The Tuareg, traditionally a federation of nomadic tribes who have staged repeated rebellions in Mali and Niger, are scheduled to hold new talks with the government in November.
But the government strongly opposes Tuareg self-rule.
Mali is struggling to restore stability after months of turmoil sparked by the coup and the takeover of its vast desert north by al-Qaida-linked fighters who had piggybacked on the latest Tuareg rebellion to install brutal Islamic law in the region.
A French-led military operation launched in January ousted the Islamist extremists, but sporadic attacks have continued.
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[Tolo News] In an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, Presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai ...former governor of Kandahar province. The Taliban got their start protecting people against him... spoke about what his priorities would be if he was elected to office in April, focusing on post-2014 security, corruption, rule of law and merit-based success.
The same week as leaders from across the country converge on the capital for President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's Loya Jirga, Sherzai emphasized his belief that the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) under discussion at the gathering would be essential to the country's security in the coming years.
With nearly all NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... coalition troops departing as the alliance's combat mission comes to an end in December of 2014, Sherzai said a partnership with the U.S. extending past that date would be beneficial for both countries. He was particularly adamant about what the U.S. could do to prevent meddling from neighboring countries as Afghanistan continues to develop alongisde a persistent bully boy conflict.
"We face interference from abroad, and still the war continues in Afghanistan," Sherzai told TOLOnews. "We must defend our nation from external interferences and the global powers should help us."
Many in Afghanistan have expressed anxiety about what could happen if a security pact between the U.S. and Afghanistan is not signed, and Sherzai is not the first of the Presidential candidates to emphasize the importance of the accord.
NATO officials in Brussels recently indicated that the continued involvement of the alliance in Afghan security affairs post-2014 would be predicated on a pact first being settled between Washington and Kabul.
Sherzai also spoke about the Taliban grinding of the peace processor, which remains stalled despite positive signs seen lately with Afghan officials planning to meet with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban second-in-command released by Pakistain, and recent remarks made by Mutasem Agha Jan on the part of Taliban headman Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... suggesting talks were on the horizon.
The Presidential candidate said he thought the grinding of the peace processor was important, but that he would go about things a little differently than they are being done now. For starters, he said the High Peace Council should be composed of a greater diversity of Afghan intellectuals and leaders.
Sherzai spoke about other non-security related priorities as well, including plans to fight administrative corruption, improve the rule of law and develop a culture of meritocracy in Afghanistan.
He said he and his Vice Presidents, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi and Mohammad Hashim Zarea, would make a strong team. But he stressed that work performance would matter above all else, and if they did not live up to his standards, replacements would be found.
"I would have a good team with the help of Almighty God, and I swear that my vice-presidents would not last even one month if they don't perform," Sherzai said.
Sherzai is the former Governor of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. and Kandahar provinces. He was one of the 10 Presidential candidates who made the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) preliminary list two weeks ago.
TOLOnews will be conducting interviews with each one of the Presedential candidates in the coming weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Bangla Daily Star] Criticising the BNP for creating anarchy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. yesterday said the main opposition party doesn't understand the language of democracy, it only knows how to kill and torture people.
"The BNP was born out of the pocket of a military dictator, who grabbed power through a coup and plot violating the constitution. That's why the party doesn't understand the language of democracy," she said.
Whenever the BNP comes to power, doomsday dawns in the country and people die, Hasina said at a huge rally, organised by the ruling Awami League, at Barolekha Degree College Ground in Moulvibazar.
"They cannot change the lot of people; they only know how to loot people's property," she said.
Hasina, also president of the ruling AL, came down heavily on the leader of the opposition for enforcing hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... during the junior school certificate (JSC) examinations.
"Before November 4, I requested Begum Zia not to call hartal, and let the children sit for exams. But she turned down my request and announced hartal from November 4, the day the JSC exams were scheduled to begin," she said.
"She is a mother . . . didn't it strike her that she should not cause trouble for the children, rather she should make arrangements so that they can sit for the exams peacefully," said Hasina.
By enforcing shutdowns, Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... gave people nothing but deaths, said Hasina.
She mentioned the killing of 14-year-old Monir Hossain, who was set on fire by pro-hartal pickets during the opposition's shutdown on November 4 in Gazipur.
When Monir was burning inside a covered van, BNP-Jamaat men were laughing standing next to the vehicle, said Hasina.
"Could you imagine how cruel they are? Are they human being?"
Joining hands with the BNP, the Jamaat and the Hefajat-e-Islam ...a madrassa-based false nose and mustache of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, formed in 2010 to protest against secular education. In 2011 demonstrated violentyly against women's rights and in 2013 held large rallies demanding capital punishment of Shahbag Square protesters and banning women working outside the home... are burning the people to death, she said.
"How those who burn people and torch the holy Koran will protect Islam?" asked the prime minister.
She urged people to vote the AL back to power, saying the country sees huge development when her party is in power.
On the other hand, she said, when the BNP assumes power, the party men amass wealth through corruption and money laundering.
Hasina claimed that Khaleda whitened black money by paying a fine, while her two sons siphoned off crores of taka abroad.
She alleged that Khaleda and her two sons also embezzled the money of an orphanage. "The opposition leader doesn't appear in court for fear of punishment."
On the trial of war criminals, the prime minister said, "We have begun the trial. The tribunals have started delivering verdicts, and Insha'Allah the judgments would be executed."
Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of a number of development projects in Moulvibazar.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, AL Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu and Suranjit Sengupta, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, AL Organising Secretary Misbahuddin Siraj and Chief Whip Abdus Shahid also spoke at the rally.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[An Nahar] A Qatari sovereign wealth fund was among a small group of investors who recently contributed $1 billion to Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, U.S. securities filings showed Friday.
Qatar Holding LLC joined the group led by BlackBerry's largest shareholder Fairfax Financial Holdings Inc. in making the cash infusion after the company abandoned hopes of finding a buyer earlier this month.
Fairfax had offered to buy the rest of BlackBerry and take it private but backed off at the last minute, opting instead for new management and cash to give it breathing room to restructure.
BlackBerry helped create a culture of mobile users glued to smartphones. But it has lost its luster as many have turned to iPhones or devices using Google ...contributed $814,540 to the 2008 Obama campaign... 's Android software.
In January, BlackBerry unveiled a new platform as it sought to regain lost momentum, but its most recent numbers suggest that has been a spectacular failure.
In September, the company announced that it was laying off 4,500 staff -- or one third of its global workforce -- after losing $965 million in its last quarter as sales plummeted.
Canso Investment Consel Ltd., Markel Corporation and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. were also named as part of the investor group in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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#5
It seems like they actually offer a better product with better potential than their main competitors, but can't make the sales. May be something like the Betamax-VHS deal, where 'better' isn't the biggest factor.
#6
My wife has a Blackberry, and we both have Playbooks. Playbook was overpriced when it first came out, a well-priced tablet now. I use it primarily as a book reader.
Her Blackberry Z10 seems very stable and easy to use. I'm envious. I have a Samsung smart phone that doesn't like me. I rub it the wrong way.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013 11:37
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The prophets speak ceaselessly about care for the needy and the poor. The call originates in the Torah. Deuteronomy 15:7 tell us that if there is a poor person among you ... do not harden your heart and shut your hand. On Yom Kippur we read from Isaiah, reminding us that the fast God wants is this: To let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. To share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, clothe him... (Is. 58:6,7).
Increasingly in modern society we do not see the poor in our daily lives. Wealth insulates and allows us to live among others who are doing well. There are still numerous challenges to life, but the grinding poverty that is a feature of so much of the world (and was prevalent throughout the ancient world) plays an increasingly small role in our everyday reality.
That separation is call to conscience. Our good fortune should be a spur to empathy and compassion. We who are so blessed must be more beneficent; we who have more gifts must show more gratitude. God has grasped you by the hand ... and appointed you ... to bring prisoners from the dungeon (Is. 42:6,7). Our mission is goodness and the right time is always now.
Rabbi David Wolpe is spiritual leader of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles
#1
Increasingly in modern society we do not see the poor in our daily lives.
Quite true. In the check-out lanes, they appear to be as well fed or better fed as the rest of us, and few pull away from the car parks in second hand F-150's.
#2
And in the New Testament, Jesus said to sell what you have and give it to the poor. He did NOT say to take stuff from someone else and give it to the poor, which is what the government does.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/10/2013 1:19
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#3
True that Rambler. It is a call to the individual. Now the middle men become the insulation as an easy way to abdicate responsibility into others hands using others money. That is a purposeless inquisition other than to make more middle men.
Those middle men are taking half of all that is the Bounty right now alone, your 10% of tithe becomes 90% of your budget.
Resentment becomes natural by both.
I Pity the FOO that equates government with compassion.
Fix the world yourselves, starve the government, and get on with your lives.
#5
There have been poor, there are poor, there will always be poor. Free will means that there will be those who choose the self destructive behaviors observed for centuries as the seven deadly sins. You can't 'save' someone who chooses not to be saved. That's why the redistributionists don't waste their time about demanding change upon the poor. They just steal from others to assuage their own guilt.
Matthew 20:15
15 Dont I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?
#8
Jesus said, "The poor we will always have with us."
He didn't say anything about the DemoncRats gummint stealing from the rest of us to buy "the poor's" vote.
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/10/2013 12:07
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#9
I think rabbi's point was for those who are better off should have an increased spiritual regard for the poor, rather than separating resources from those who do to those who don't.
#10
- John Galt (2 May 1779 11 April 1839) was a Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commentator. Because he was the first novelist to deal with issues of the Industrial Revolution, he has been called the first political novelist in the English language.
#11
In the US poverty statistics are calculated BEFORE taking into account any aid. So, before welfare, medicaid, food stamps, etc. Given that we define the poverty level for a family of 4 at $36k/yr and that same family is eligible, on average, for $38.5k/yr in freebies I think it's fair to say that we have for all practical purposes already eliminated poverty in the US.
#12
Obamacare will restore that poverty for the middle class who won't get subsidies
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 13:27
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#13
In the US poverty statistics are calculated BEFORE taking into account any aid.
The US Census came out with a second set of results based on people receiving federal and state aid. Poverty numbers jumped in many of the the 'blue' states.
I think rabbi's point was for those who are better off should have an increased spiritual regard for the poor, rather than separating resources from those who do to those who don't.
Also mentioned was the injunction against the tendency to "shut one's hand." Then there's the line about "we who have more gifts must show more gratitude."
More appropriate is this comment:
Sadly we know about the poverty half a world away and not next door. From this stance it's easier to pay taxes or deductible dues and expect the government or synagogue take care if it. We do not take care of issues of poverty directly and silently so even the receiver knows not the giver.
#17
What bible verses mention Obama phones, SNAP EBT, Section 8 Housing, farm subsidies for people who do not raise or grow anything, crony capitalism....?
My biggest expense (3 times larger than the next largest) is my total taxes paid: federal, FICA, state, property, sales, utility and fees (that I explicitly know about)
#18
As I've often said, Americans who bitch about poverty in America should go to a country like India - where you see real poverty.
I often joke that in America, the "poor" complain that they can only get 200 channels on their cable. In India, people live in corrugated metal shacks next to an open sewer. And India is by no means the poorest country.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/10/2013 21:42
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#19
#17 What bible verses mention...
Most likely falls under -
Exodus 20:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
[An Nahar] Egypt will expand cooperation with Russia in the wake of a diplomatic spat with long-time ally the United States following president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... 's overthrow, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said Saturday.
The foreign minister, in a interview with Agence La Belle France Presse, was speaking ahead of a visit on Wednesday by Russia's defense and foreign ministers to discuss arms sales and political relations.
Fahmy said strained relations with Washington, which suspended some of its massive military aid to Cairo after the army toppled Morsi, had improved with Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... 's visit last Sunday.
But Egypt is taking a more "independent" tack and broadening its choices, he said.
"Independence is having choices. So the objective of this foreign policy is to provide Egypt with choices, more choices. So I'm not going to substitute. I'm going to add," he said.
"I see this as a beginning of a new phase," he said.
Kerry's visit "left better sentiments here in Egypt," Fahmy said of the visit just a day before Morsi went on trial for inciting the killings of protesters.
"It does not mean everything has been resolved. It does not mean there won't be hiccups in the relationship in the future," Fahmy said, speaking in his office on the banks of the Nile River.
Egypt had close ties with Russia until several years before president Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel in 1979, bringing in roughly $1.3 billion in yearly U.S. military aid over the subsequent decades.
Turning to domestic issues, Fahmy said the deadly tumult that swept Egypt after the Morsi's overthrow in July had decreased, but "it will take time for it to subside completely."
No success in reconciling with Brotherhood
More than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have died in festivities and thousands been placed in durance vile Book 'im, Mahmoud! in a harsh crackdown on Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund following his overthrow.
Informal mediation attempts with the Moslem Brüderbund have failed because of the Islamists' intransigence, Fahmy said.
"There have been attempts to engage Moslem Brüderbund leaders, yes," Fahmy said, citing an attempt by intellectual Kamal Abul Magd to mediate between the government and the Islamists, which went nowhere.
"And there have been other informal attempts," he added.
"We don't yet see a clear commitment from the Moslem Brüderbund that they want to be part of a 21st century modern Egypt that is inclusive to all people, and that can be done peacefully," he said.
For now, a 50-member panel appointed by the military-installed government is preparing a new constitution, which could possibly be put to a referendum next month, paving the way for parliamentary and presidential elections.
The new constitution could stipulate whether groups such as the Moslem Brüderbund, whose activities have been banned, would be able to contest the parliamentary elections hopefully to be held in the spring, Fahmy said.
"If the constitution... lays down rules under which the (Moslem Brüderbund's) Freedom and Justice Party would be allowed to run, they would be allowed to run," he said.
In the past, religious parties had been banned from elections, but the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups circumvented that by registering parties with vague platforms.
The military, from which every president before Morsi has come, has signaled it wants to retain broad privileges in the new constitution.
Fahmy said he could not predict the military's powers in the new constitution
"But there is clearly a trend, there is a commitment, not only a trend, that this would be a civilian constitution. It is neither a theocratic nor a military state," he said.
In both parliamentary and the presidential elections that followed the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in 2011, the Brotherhood emerged victorious.
But Morsi's one year in power turned many against the Islamists, who were accused of monopolizing government and mismanaging the economy. Millions erupted into the streets demanding Morsi's resignation before the military stepped in.
Fahmy also weighed in on the ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Paleostinian authority, saying he was growing "skeptical" that an Israeli-Paleostinian peace deal will be reached soon because of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.
Fahmy's comments came on the eve of Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... 's visit to Cairo and days after direct talks with Israel broke down over settlement construction.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the region again this week in his seventh trip to Israel and the West Bank to try to put the troubled Israeli-Paleostinian peace talks back on track.
Abbas "essentially accepted a historic compromise between the Paleostinians and the Israelis and is simply asking for a contiguous state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Fahmy said.
"We are worried, I would even add to it, to a degree skeptical, but committed to trying to help as much as we can," Fahmy said.
"Settlement activity ... is expanding and also going to the heart of the West Bank," he said.
In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel in return for the Jewish state's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, which was occupied five years before.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel in return for the Jewish state's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, which was occupied five years before.
An early beneficiary of everyday math? Or just a typical juorno moron?
[Tolo News] Security officials of eastern Pashtun-infested Logar province have said that despite making progress on the case of Governor Arsala Jamal's liquidation, the area remains heavily threatened by gunnies that have reportedly set their sights on disrupting the Loya Jirga being held in Kabul this week.
Last month, Pashtun-infested Logar Governor Jamal was killed during an Eid prayer by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hidden inside a mosque in the quiet provincial capital, Pul-e-Alam.
According to Ishaq Zai, the acting Pashtun-infested Logar Police Chief who took over after his predecessor was dismissed following the liquidation, several members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and a number of civilians have been taken into custody as part of an ongoing investigation intoJamal's death.
Zai added on Thursday that krazed killers, primarily of foreign nationalities, have begun ramping-up operations in the province in the lead up to this week's Loya Jirga in the capital, which will convene 2,500 leaders from around the country to deliberate over the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA).
"Simultaneously with the arrival of the Loya Jirga, they are looking to expand their activities," Zai said.
He reported that among the gunnies that have been tracked, killed or enjugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in the province recently, a large number were Chechens, Paks or from Gulf countries.
The Police Chief claimed the gunnies had altered their tactics as well, and have begun using women and kiddies as pawns in their attacks.
"The gunnies use women and kiddies as tools for their activities," he said without going into further detail.
The Taliban has been known to use pre-adolescent boys as curriers for suicide bombs, a practice that has received widespread condemnation amongst the Afghan public as well as international human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... advocacy groups. This fighting season saw a noticeable decline in cases of child jacket wallahs.
According to Pashtun-infested Logar officials, two Pak women were recently tossed in the calaboose Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! under suspicion of involvement with krazed killers. But the women have maintained their innocence.
"We came here for tourism, and we wanted to get jobs here in case we like the area...we would come through legal documentation," one of the arrested women named Shahnaza Begum said.
Pashtun-infested Logar province is located south of Kabul and shares a border with Pakistain's tribal belt.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Denmark says it is willing to help take chemical weapons out of Syria by sea.
Defense Minister Nikolai Wammen says the United Nations has unofficially asked whether Denmark could contribute ships to transport the weapons from Syria for destruction. Foreign Aid Minister Christian Friis Bach says there are no plans for the weapons to be destroyed in Denmark.
Wammen says it is too early to put a number of how many Danish ships and personnel would be involved. Wammen said the governing coalition received support there but a formal vote in the Danish Parliament is expected.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2013
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#1
So where will the weapons be taken to be neutralized? This is no trivial task. A well thought out plan would be a....prerequisite.....one would think.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/10/2013 13:49
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[Pak Daily Times] At least three people were killed early on Saturday when gunnies opened fire on two Imambargahs ...since they're religiously correct™, Shia Moslems in Pakistain can't call their houses of worship 'mosques,' which are reserved for Sunnis. It's not clear if imambargahs are used for explosives storage like mosques are... in Gujranwala, sparking protests from mourners and enraged members of the Shia community.
According to police reports, the first incident took place close to dawn when unidentified gunnies opened fire as Muhammad Yousuf, the prayer leader of the Qasr-e-Abu Talib Imambargah in Mominpura area, had just finished leading Fajr prayers. Yousuf and another person present at the mosque was struck down in his prime.
A short while later, gunnies entered the Qasr-e-Zainabiya Imambargah in Shahrukh Colony located a short distance from the first mosque and opened indiscriminate firing, killing worshiper Syed Javed on the spot.
According to initial investigation reports by police, the attackers had come on cycle of violences and managed to escape. A witness told a local TV channel that the gunnies used a silencer-fitted pistol.
A police officer said the attacks appeared to be sectarian in nature.
Gujranwala RPO Syed Akhtar Bharwana said police could not rule out involvement of the same group in both incidents. Police and other law enforcement agencies reached the spots, cordoned off the entire area and started a search operation.
Soon after the incidents, mourners and relatives carried the bodies of the dear departed to the main Alam Chowk bypass on GT Road and blocked the road in protest. The enraged protesters also burnt tyres and rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against the government. Shops, markets and other business activities were closed after the protests.
President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... have condemned the firing incidents.
Sympathising with the bereaved families, the prime minister in a statement prayed to God to grant the departed souls eternal peace and give courage to their families to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude.
The prime minister also assured the victim families that the culprits would be incarcerated Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! and brought to justice.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido stepped from behind the suit of armor, rapier in hand. Ciccolini snarled and reached for his own weapon... Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into the incidents of firing, said Punjab Environment Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada. He said that those involved in the incidents would be punished.
The minister added that that the chief minister, Punjab cabinet and all parliamentarians strongly condemned this incident and equally share the grief of Shias. Addressing a meeting at Commissioner's Office in Gujranwala, Shuja Khanzada said that police and law enforcement agencies have been further activated and on the orders of chief minister, security of mosques, Imambargahs and worship places of non-Mohammedans has been intensified throughout the province.
He said that after the tragic incidents of Gujranwala, reservations have increased and a comprehensive strategy has been evolved to overcome it.
"Enemy wants to create anarchy and chaos in our country," he said and stressed the need for unity at every level for foiling nefarious designs of outlaws.
The minister also appealed to people to remain peaceful and promote unity in their ranks.
"We are all Paks and we will have to sacrifice our personal interests over collective interests by promoting religious harmony for the solidarity of the country."
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[Tolo News] Following weeks of uproar against election organizers, recently disqualified Presidential candidates continued their criticisms on Saturday and appealed to the international community for help in preventing the interference of Afghan officials in the election process.
Since the Independent Election Commission (IEC) released the preliminary list of candidates two weeks ago, hopefuls who were cut and civil society groups as well have accused the IEC of flawed methodology and malfeasance. All of 17 of the Presidential contenders eliminated by the IEC and around 400 Provincial Council candidates filed challenges with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) this week in hopes of being reinstated to the final list expected to be released in mid November.
On Saturday, a number of candidates launched further accusations against the IEC as they await decisions on their appeals from the ECC. Some said they believed the IEC's disqualifications stemmed from a pre-ordained scheme cooked up with the involvement of officials inside the current government looking to influence to spring vote.
"The Independent Election Commission, without informing the 17 candidates, removed us for the preliminary, which was against the law and was a planned decision," said Daoud Sultanzoy, a disqualified Presidential election candidate.
The IEC claimed that many of the cuts made were a result of candidates filing nomination with invalid voter cards, which they were required to provide a certain number of to prove they had a minimum support base. Others, the Commission said, were a result of cases of dual-citizenship.
However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... those candidates who were not approved claimed the findings of the IEC were wrong, and likely contrived.
Salman Ali Dost Zada, another Potential Presidential Candidate who didn't make the IEC's cut, called on the international community to step-in and prevent public officials from meddling in the election process.
"We want the international community to not let the special commission at the Presidential Palace use helicopters and stuffed voting boxes in the name of the elections, but forced on the people," he said referencing reports of electoral improprieties observed during the Presidential election in 2009.
With the history of fraud and other flaws in elections in Afghanistan, many anxious about the integrity of the upcoming vote, which is considered especially pivotal given President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... won't be running and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... coalition troops are expected to withdraw at the end of next year.
Some fear President Karzai will look to hand-pick a successor by manipulating to election process. But regardless of who may be behind the improprieties, the credibility of the spring elections is the foremost concern of officials and the public.
"The Independent Election Commission created problems for the Presidential election candidates by removing them without careful investigation, candidates could threaten the credibility of the election process," said Ahmad Dawar Nadi, another disqualified Presidential hopeful.
ECC officials have tried to gain back some lost ground on the transparency front. Just days before beginning their two-week review of complaints and challenges, the ECC Commissioners announced that they would be conducting the entire process in the presence of media, civil society groups, political parties and election monitors from the international community.
Nevertheless, many of the disqualified candidates were not happy with the ECC gave their challenges this week. And they were not alone, as the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) spoke out advocating the Complaints Commission allocate more time to each disqualified candidate's challenge that was originally afforded.
"The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) investigation is not satisfactory for the candidates and they must start investigating all the documents of the disqualified candidates," Sultanzoy said. "Otherwise, we will continue our campaigns."
The ECC has suggested changes would be made to the final list of candidates scheduled to be announced on November 16, some of which are expected to be cuts of candidates who made the preliminary list as well as maybe some reinstatements for those who did not.
"Due to problems in the database of the Independent Election Commission, some of the candidates were prevented from making the preliminary list," explained ECC front man Nader Mohseni. "Some of those candidates might make it to the final list of candidates."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[Libya Herald] In a bid to reduce tensions between Misrata and Suq Al-Juma following Thursday night's festivities in the capital between forces from the two places, detainees captured during the fighting are to be freed, according to Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Local Council (TLC) Leader Sadat Elbadri.
"Both sides have agreed to release the people that were taken on the night of festivities," Elbadri told the Libya Herald earlier today. He did not say how many people were involved.
The decision to free detainees was made at a meeting between council officials from both Tripoli and Misrata. They also agreed to set up a committee to investigate the festivities, it had been reported.
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings... Tripoli Local Council now wants all non-Tripoli brigades out of the capital.
"We are calling to all brigades from other towns to leave the capital" Elbadri stated. Tripoli would look after its own security in future, he insisted.
"To provide immediate security to Tripoli residents, the new Tripoli police chief has assured me of heavy security presence on the streets from tomorrow (Sunday)."
Elbadri said he intended to meet Defence Minister Abdullah Al-Thini to demand that gangs be removed from the capital. He stated he wants Law No. 27 implemented immediately.
Passed by the General National Congress (GNC) earlier this year, the law ordered the removal of all gangs from the capital and was passed after armed festivities between officially-recognised gangs in Tripoli's Busleem and Salahadeen districts.
His meeting with Thini is one of many that have been taking place in the past 36 hours to resolve the situation following the fighting. These have included delegations from Ghariyan and Zawiya meeting with both sides to try and stop further violence. They called on all brigades to respect the position of Tripoli as the capital city.
The situation has forced a cancellation of one top-level security meeting that was to be attended by various brigade commanders and the new police chief of Tripoli.
Sources in the Interior Ministry and in Tripoli police directorate both confirmed the cancellation saying that officials were busy dealing with the issues between Misrata and Suq Al-Juma. "The meeting was cancelled as few commanders weren't able to attend the meeting because of their involvement in sorting out the ongoing chaos," said a source.
The TLC chairman told the Libya Herald that in his meetings with delegations from other towns and activists he had been assured of full support to seek the implementation of Law No. 27. "In all my meetings with delegations from other cities and activists from Tripoli as well as a late night meeting with a delegation from Misrata Local Council, we agreed to pressure the government to implement the resolution (Law No. 27)," he said.
A statement was issued by the TLC condemning the festivities and calling for the implementation of Law 27. A small crowd also gathered in Algeria Square last night carrying placards against the presence of brigades from other cities in Tripoli.
They also demanded the government to put on trial those responsible for the killing of two Tripoli residents during the fighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
GAROWE, Somalia -- Puntland Government in northern Somalia has accused Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group of carrying out a deadly attack on Bossaso Central Prison on Friday night, Garowe Online reports. Puntlands Deputy Minister of Security Gen. Abdiasis Saed Gacamey who Saturday held a news conference at the ministry headquarters in Puntland capital of Garowe said that Al Shabaab militiamen estimated to be 40 attacked the prison but prison guards successfully repelled the attack.
According to a press statement from Puntland government, the security forces seized explosive materials, boxes of food items including dates and a mattress sheet from the fleeing attackers.
In response to the coordinated Al Shabaab attack, Puntland defence forces stationed in Galgala area were dispatched to Golis Mountains to dismantle Al Shabaab hideouts, the statement noted.
Two custodian corps officers were killed and two others were wounded in the attack that targeted a prison in the port city of Bossaso. The wounded officers are being treated at Bossaso General Hospital.
Puntland Security Minister, Khalif Isse Mudan warned of terrorist attacks in Puntland regions and told that intelligence briefings disclosed terror threats by Al Shabaab militants in southern Somalia while he was speaking at a meeting President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole held with Puntland security officials in Garowe last month.
Bossaso Prison attack coincided with a suicide bombing at Maka Al Mukarama Hotel in Mogadishu where a bomber killed at least 6 persons.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] U.S. prosecutors have charged the son of the president of Suriname with terrorism offenses, saying he agreed to provide heavy weapons and a home base in his South American country to undercover operatives pretending to be with Hizbullah.
Dino Bouterse was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in a grand jury indictment unsealed in New York on Friday.
Bouterse, who had been picked by his father to lead a "counterterrorism" unit in Suriname, is already in a U.S. jail and had previously been charged with cocaine trafficking. He was jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in Panama in August and quickly extradited to the U.S.
One of his lawyers in New York, Florian Miedel, declined to comment on the new charges Friday, saying he needed time to review the allegations.
Prosecutors said Bouterse agreed to accept a multimillion-dollar payoff in exchange for allowing large numbers of Hizbullah fighters to use Suriname as a base for attacking American targets.
The indictment describes a sophisticated international sting in which Bouterse was recorded meeting in Greece and Panama with people posing as Hizbullah agents and Mexican narcos. In reality, they were actually confidential sources and undercover agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the indictment said.
At one July meeting in Greece, the indictment said, Bouterse agreed to take a down payment of $2 million. In return, he said he would help Hizbullah fighters settle in Suriname, give them fake identities and arm them with surface-to-air missiles and other weapons for attacks on the U.S. and the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler.
Bouterse also told the American agents that he was interested in using Hizbullah "tough guys" for operations inside Suriname itself.
"We need a little fort that we can depend on. And we can call them at any time," he said, according to the indictment.
Bouterse's father, Desi Bouterse, led a military dictatorship in Suriname in the 1980s, then returned to power when he was elected president by the country's parliament in 2010. He has been accused of human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... violations, dating to the period when the country was under military rule, and was convicted in absentia in the Netherlands on drug trafficking charges in 1999.
Desi Bouterse has previously said that he was shocked by his son's arrest, but added that he was "responsible for his own actions."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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France's foreign minister says marathon six-power talks with Iran have failed to reach a deal meant to cap some of Teheran's nuclear program.
Laurent Fabius says the talks, which ended early Sunday, managed to narrow differences without eliminating them.
He says there are "still questions to be dealt with" in future rounds.
The talks are focused on a deal that will start limiting Iranian nuclear programs that could be used for weapons, in exchange for suspending some sanctions on Iran's economy
Every time our inept, incompetent, and naïve misguided, and wrong-headed foreign policy in the middle east needs adult supervision, the French step in and offer some reality.
Surprising because the Brits are normally the ones with more insight into the Arab mentality. Now we have the French stepping up to be the voice of reason as both the Brits and the US have become the sissies of foreign policy, might I add in the best traditions of Neville Chamberlain?
The Iranian issue has run on too long, it has been obvious to anyone with a rational brain cell that the Iranians were disingenuously running a rope a dope on us with their nuke program AND the UN has been so limp wristed panty-waist about doing anything meaningful.
AND what on earth are the Russians thinking? Standing in the door in support of Iran and Syria to prevent any half baked resolution or sternly worded letters to either of those countries. Why? Don't they know the Chechnya's could just as easily use an Iranian nuke on Moscow as the AQ could use the same nuke on Los Angeles?
It seems only the French have a clue about what is REALLY going on in Iran. Thank God for the French!!!! (And I never thought I would ever say that...or at least since the fall of Dien Bien Phu)
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
11/10/2013 12:28
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#6
Kerry: United States not 'blind' or 'stupid' in Iran talks
uh huh
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 12:38
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#7
O does not care about a nuke deal with the MMs. He just cares about something to distract us sheeple from the domestic disasters he and his cronies have heaped upon us.
The deal is going nowhere.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/10/2013 13:47
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#8
meanwhile he's unilaterally knocked down the sanctions imposed by Congressional law. Idiot
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/10/2013 14:19
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#9
So it seems to me, Commodore Frank, that the ball is in Congress' court. Once again, O has defied Congressional law. Will Congress act on that defiance? Tell me another jest.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/10/2013 16:23
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#10
"Kerry: United States not 'blind' or 'stupid' in Iran talks"
You tell 'em, Jawn. You (as the representative of the U.S.) are blind AND stupid.
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/10/2013 16:34
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#11
There are several theories on why the French acted as they did.
One theory is that the Saudis paid them to do it. Other theories are that they just like opposing the US, that they find JFKerry to be loathsome and couldn't help themselves or that they actually had some concern for world peace.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/10/2013 19:38
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#12
...that they find JFKerry to be loathsome and couldn't help themselves.
Then the French can't be all bad - we have something in common.
[An Nahar] Bangladesh has launched a crackdown on the main opposition, arresting big shots after their party called a nationwide strike to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. to resign and call elections under a caretaker government.
Police said three top Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders, including an ex-deputy prime minister, were incarcerated Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! late Friday and two key aides of main opposition leader Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... including a leading businessman were taken into custody early Saturday.
"The five have been accused of inciting violence, exploding bombs and obstructing officers in keeping law and order," Dhaka deputy police commissioner Anisur Rahman told AFP.
BNP bigwig Shamsuzzaman Dudu said at least 1,000 of the party's supporters and officials in rural districts had also been arrested in a nationwide crackdown since Friday night.
Police were not immediately available to comment on the arrest in the rural areas.
The clampdown came hours after the BNP and its Islamist allies called a three-day strike -- its third three-day-long shutdown in as many weeks.
The strike, due to start Sunday, is part of a new wave of protests it launched on October 25 to force Hasina to resign and make way for a technocrat-led government to organize January polls.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on Saturday slammed the Arab Democratic Party Secretary-General's statement as "terrorist," warning that Rifaat Eid's comments are "punishable by law."
"Supporting the killing of others is a criminal takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... act that is punishable by law," Charbel warned in a released statement.
"We strongly condemn this kind of language that expresses a violent and irresponsible attitude."
He added: "Eid's speech also puts civil peace at risk and gives way to mutual retaliations."
Earlier on Saturday, Eid slammed the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau as a "spy agency working against Leb's interests," stressing also that the party's head Ali Eid will not go to the ISF's office for questioning.
"We will act only in accordance to the law," he said, making a veiled threat that killing ISF members was permissible.
Rifaat Eid's televised speech came after First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida issued on Thursday a subpoena against Ali Eid.
Eid has been charged along with his driver Ahmed Ali with helping Ahmed Merhi, who is the suspected driver of the explosive-laden vehicle that blew up near al-Taqwa mosque in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , to escape justice.
Charbel's statement assured that "Intelligence Bureau, its head and all its members are affiliated with the ISF and the Interior Ministry and take orders from them."
"It does not, under any condition, work under any sectarian or partisan guidance," Charbel assured.
"Facts have proven that the Intelligence Bureau serves all Lebanese without exceptions and has succeeded in dismantling many spying networks and uncovering terrorist plans that aimed at targeting innocent and safe citizens."
Earlier in the evening, the ISF filed a report with judicial authorities against Rifaat Eid.
"The ISF General-Directorate filed a complained with the Public Prosecution, demanding the adoption of the necessary procedures against Eid that permitted the killing of Intelligence Bureau staff," Future TV said.
LBCI television also confirmed the news in its evening newscast.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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[An Nahar] Rickets, the childhood disease that once caused an epidemic of bowed legs and curved spines during the Victorian era, is making a shocking comeback in 21st-century Britannia.
Rickets results from a severe deficiency of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. Rickets was historically considered to be a disease of poverty among children who toiled in factories during the Industrial Revolution, and some experts have hypothesized it afflicted literary characters like Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." I think Tiny Tim was just generically "ill" or "frail." It's a story, not a documentary. If there's nothing there but imagination you can't catch it.
Last month, Britannia's chief medical officer, Dr. Sally Davies, described the return of rickets as "appalling." She proposed the country give free stuff vitamins to all children under 5 and asked the country's independent health watchdog to study if that would be worthwhile.
Most people get vitamin D from the sun, oily fish, eggs or dairy products. Rickets largely disappeared from Britannia in the 1950s, when the country embarked on mass programs to give children cod liver oil. But in the last 15 years, the number of reported cases of rickets in hospitalized children has increased fourfold -- from 183 cases in 1995 to 762 cases in 2011. Experts said the actual number is probably even higher since there's no official surveillance system and it's unknown whether the disease has peaked.
"It's very surprising to see this," said Dr. Mitch Blair, an officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. "Children come in with bendy legs, swollen wrists and sometimes swollen ribs," he said. "This is not something we should be seeing because it's completely preventable." He said the condition was reversible once children start getting enough vitamin D, usually in tablets or injections.
Blair cited a number of reasons for the jump in rickets, including changing cultural habits -- like children spending more time playing indoors, the stringent use of sunscreen, and religious beliefs that mean skin is covered. Children with dark skin are particularly susceptible, since they need a higher dose of sunshine than pale-skinned children. Unlike in other countries like Canada, the U.S. and Australia, Britannia does not fortify foods like milk or flour with vitamin D. My mother used to periodically snarl "go outside and play, y'little brats!" Of course, she didn't have to worry about perverts swooping down on us as soon as we set foot out the door. We also drank milk until well into adultery. I still do, now and then. And such fish as we eat anymore is usually fish sticks, which I'm not even sure are organic.
In the U.S., doctors said there has also been a rise in rickets, though there are no solid national figures to confirm it.
Dr. Craig Langman of Northwestern University said some small studies suggested vitamin D deficiency was rampant in U.S. populations but that it was more common for doctors to see children with subtler forms of nutrient deficiency as opposed to rickets.
"It's a product of our changed society," said Dr. Laura Tosi, an orthopedic surgeon at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "Kids with rickets are children who don't have exposure to safe places to play and (who) stop drinking milk as soon as they're weaned," she said. Tosi said some well-intentioned public health campaigns -- like the drive to remove flavored milk from schools -- could hurt children's bone health.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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Top|| File under:
#1
fun fact
one bottle of Yoo Hoo has 25% the recommended vitamin D
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/10/2013 8:43
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#2
Most people get vitamin D from the sun, oily fish, eggs or dairy products
Let's see -
sun - the cultural scare: skin cancer and the local perverts
oily fish - the cultural scare: mercury poison in fish
eggs or dairy products - the cultural scare: high cholesterol, clogged arteries
Thank the uneducated media/propaganda class for spreading irrational fear and loathing. Got to get them rubes excited for more grant money/donations.
[An Nahar] The United States must continue to update its policy towards communist Cuba, President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... said late Friday, speaking at the home of a prominent Cuban-American activist.
Freedom in Cuba will come from the work of activists, Obama said, but the United States can help in "creative" and "thoughtful" ways.
"And we have to continue to update our policies," said Obama, speaking at a political fundraiser at the home of Jorge Mas Santos, head of the Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF).
"Keep in mind that when Castro came to power, I was just born. So the notion that the same policies that we put in place in 1961 would somehow still be as effective as they are today in the age of the Internet and Google ...contributed $814,540 to the 2008 Obama campaign... and world travel doesn't make sense."
Washington broke diplomatic ties with Havana in 1961, after Fidel Castro seized power in 1959 and nationalized U.S.-owned properties. An official embargo was imposed in 1962.
Addressing Mas Santos, Obama said: "I think that partly because we're of the same generation, we recognize that the aims are always going to be the same. And what we have to do is to continually find new mechanisms and new tools to speak out on behalf of the issues that we care so deeply about."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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Top|| File under:
#1
....meaning "I'm prepared to give the Castro brothers whatever they want in return for pretty much nothing."
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/10/2013 15:21
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#6
A group of rebels selected, equipped, and trained by US personelle in order to topple a foreign government and when they made their move, found that they were in fact not as much as a priority as they were led on to believe, where the only thing to save them would be air support.
[Libya Herald] The General Prosecutor for the Jebel Akhdar region was killed this morning when an bomb blew up his car.
The bomb detonated when Mohammed Alnaas switched on the engine, a local resident told the Libya Herald. He said that he believed the attack was carried out by people who did not want the state to be constructed.
Last month in Derna an army commander who had helped lead the resistance movement against Qadaffy, Brigadier Hussein Hinshir, was killed.
The local added that there were no officials at all in the eastern town. Derna Congressman, Abdulfatah Shalwi, recently admitted that the town had no functioning local council or security directorate.
It is unclear as yet if the killing is linked to the arrest yesterday morning in Beida, where Alnass worked, of a so-far unnamed figure, thought to have come from Derna.
The man was tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! after the vehicle he was in was stopped by guards at a checkpoint on the Shahat road. It was discovered to contain a large amount of weapons and explosives, a local official told this paper.
He described the man as an "important person" but said that the man's identity was being withheld at present while he was being interrogated.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2013
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
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.
[BBC.CO.UK] US Secretary of State 
[Bangla Daily Star] Turkey's delicious baklava and its crowded Grand Bazaar have always attracted tourists, but now there's a new reason why men are flocking to the transcontinental country -- bushier mustaches and beards. No, it's not something in the air that makes your face hairier, but there are clinics specialized in this matter, so gentlemen, if you want a manlier look, Turkey is the place to go.
Goodluck Jonathan
Khaleda Zia
[Pak Daily Times] Seven people were killed in separate incidents of violence across the city on Saturday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
Nawaz Sharif
chairman of one of the two factions of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. JKLF is a Kashmiri nationalist organization founded in Birmingham, UK in 1977. Branches weren't actually established in Kashmir for another ten years. It has the usual demands for separation of J&K from secular India so it can become an independent Islamic rathole. It seems to have no interest in Pak Kashmir breaking away to join it. In 1994 Malik renounced violence after he was released from jail and from that point he and his organization pursued peaceful means to impose their will on the region...
Wazoo
Syrian rebels retook a strategic base in the northern Aleppo province on Saturday, as shelling killed at least 11 people in nearby Aleppo city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain has been tormented with terrorism for almost over a decade now. Pakistain has been fighting the war against terror, and has lost thousands of innocent citizens who were not even aware of what their fault was. It is an unfortunate fact that Pakistain's soil is being used for extremism, a recent example of which is the September 22 terrorist attack on a church in 
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as 
[Pak Daily Times] At least three people were killed early on Saturday when 
[An Nahar] The United States must continue to update its policy towards communist Cuba, President 
