Just when you think things can't get more screwy ...
Posters for the new Wallace and Gromit film on a south coast island will not feature the word "rabbit" because of a local idiocy superstition. Because burrowing can cause landslips in quarries, residents of Portland, Dorset, instead call the creatures underground mutton or furry things. Posters for the new film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, on Portland do not use the word, to respect local folklore. Instead they simply say "Something bunny is going on".
Les Ames, mayor of Weymouth and Portland, told BBC News that the animals could cause dangerous landslips in the quarries the isle is famous for. "If the word rabbit is used in company in Portland there is generally a bit of a hush," he said. "In the olden days when quarrying was done by hand, if one of these animals was seen in the area, the quarryman would pack up and go home for the day - until the safety of the area had been reconnoitred. "It is an unwritten rule in Portland that you do not use the word rabbit." A spokesman for Aardman Animations said they were happy to respect local morons folklore.
#1
Kind of like The Scottish Play. Rowan Atkinson did a very funny bit based on this in a episode of Black Adder. The Japanese have a similar thing about the number four.
#5
"In the olden days when quarrying was done by hand, if one of these animals was seen in the area, the quarryman would pack up and go home for the day - until the safety of the area had been reconnoitred...
Seems to me that if the rabbits were whacked en masse by the locals, they wouldn't have to be worrying about excessive burrowing. I mean, it's not like they're endangered or something...
#6
Can't the Brits just switch fox hunting with wabbit hunting, if a dog can chase a coon then it can chase a wabbit.
But that makes to much sense, I guess.
Besides I dont know if Bugs will approve, Daffy sure will though
MOSCOW -- Russian and European teams searched for an experimental mini-spacecraft on the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka on Saturday, a day after the prototype was test-launched from a nuclear submarine thousands of miles away, news reports said. No credence was given to reports that a Mr. Bond was seen in the area.
The Demonstrator spacecraft -- designed to carry cargo and passengers from the international space station to Earth -- was launched from the submarine Borisoglebsk in the Barents Sea on Friday and was reported to have descended toward its target on time.
Russian news agencies and television, however, later reported that engineers had no communication with the craft and had to call off the search at nightfall.
Officials were not immediately available for comment Saturday.
On Saturday, the Borisoglebsk also conducted a successful test firing of a ballistic missile, hitting a target on Kamchatka, the Defense Ministry said. The Barents Sea is a section of the Arctic Ocean northwest of Russia and north of Norway.
The Demonstrator is intended to be folded up and transported to the international space station on a Russian Progress cargo ship and will be used to bring payloads back to Earth, designers say.
The ship's collapsible, cone-shaped body is made of light material that can withstand high temperatures and it can fly on a predictable trajectory without engines -- making it a cheap though somewhat more risky alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft currently in use.
It was built on contract for the European Space Agency and the European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., Interfax said.
Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 14:19 ||
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#1
Rats, this sounds like a good, cheap bailout system for the ISS.
#2
M: "Your mission, Mr. Bond, should you choose to accept it, is to find and retrieve a "collapsible, cone-shaped" spacecraft that probably could not fly in the first place. Do you accept?"
MOSCOW -- A European Space Agency satellite has broken up in flight and its remnants have crashed into the ocean, a Russian space agency official said Saturday.
Engineers lost contact with the Russian rocket carrying the ESA's CryoSat satellite some two hours after it blasted off from Russia's northern Plesetsk launch facility.
"The remnants of the satellite have fallen into the northern Arctic Sea," Vyacheslav Davydenko, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Space Agency, told The Associated Press.
"The booster unit did not switch on and it resulted in the failure of the satellite to reach orbit."
Seems like the Russkies are having a bad launch week day...
Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 14:36 ||
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#1
Well, what is the RUssian military-spacecraft history regarding reliability, eh?
Saudi television presenter Rania Al-Baz whose near-death assault by her ex-husband Mohammed Al-Fallata was widely reported, has fled the country and decided not to return. Reports of her alleged escape aboard a foods lorry bound for Bahrain and from there to Paris were posted on Arabic websites two days ago. The reports claimed that she was prevented from traveling when she went to Jeddah International Airport last week for a trip to Paris where she was supposed to attend a conference on womenâs rights. She has been traveling to Paris regularly to continue her plastic surgery treatment of multiple facial fractures caused by her ex-husbandâs brutal beatings.
A report in The Guardian newspaper confirmed that she was in Paris and that she âwonât go backâ. She said that she was looking for a place to live and find work either in Paris or London. As for the reason why she fled, Rania told the British paper: âI was not safe any more in Saudi Arabia.â She left her children, two boys from Al-Fallata and a daughter from a previous marriage, in Jeddah and was âthinking aboutâ them.
Margot Fero, a spokesperson for Raniaâs publisher of her book âThe Disfiguredâ, told The Guardian: âShe is here in France legally but without the permission of the Saudi government. Yes, it was an escape but sheâs OK. Obviously sheâs worried about her children.â
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Let's hope she can fully restore her appearance, recover her life and children.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 2:35 Comments ||
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#3
An article the other day said she had been awarded custody of the children in Saudi Arabia -- presumably because a husband that brutal would also be a brutal father. And yet she left them behind when she escaped. They may never know they remain in her thoughts.
#4
She did win custody. The deal was the hubby would be let out of jail (1 year sentence?) with time served in exchange for the children. But since she fled Saudi, I bet the Saudis will come up with endless excuses why the children cannot reunite with her.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 3:11 Comments ||
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Security forces in the Al-Baha region of southern Saudi Arabia continued their investigation into the theft of two million Saudi Riyals (SR), from accounts held in a Saudi bank in the Belghresy governorate that is affiliated to the Al-Baha region. Amongst the suspects were two employers of the bank who have been summoned for questioning. Major General Ali Bin Saleh Al-Siary, the head of the police department in the region received a statement from one of the banks. The statement had referred to other cases of fraud from which bank customers have suffered. He said, "One of the suspects has been arrested while a search is taking place for the other."
Nasser al-Ghamdi, bank manager, says, "The bank administration is looking into this issue with the greatest concern." He asserted that the stolen money will be returned to customers and assured all customers that the authorities were taking the necessary procedures to retrieve the money. It was made clear to Asharq al-Awsat that the discovery that money had been stolen took place when a customer requested a bank statement, only to realize that a sum of 450,000 SR had been withdrawn from his account via cheque. When the news spread, other customers rushed to check their bank accounts only for a number of them to find that large sums of money had been taken. The total of stolen money amounted to two million SR. The money was taken from savings accounts, current accounts and investments.
One investor had deposited one and a half million SR, half a million of which he had withdrawn and the remaining million was left for investment. As he checked the development of his account, he found that it was empty. According to this investor, who preferred to remain anonymous, he had formerly received a letter from one of the bank's employers addressing the possibility of using his money for investment purposes. The customer refused adding that he would feel more secure in dealing only with the bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/08/2005 00:00 ||
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According to this investor, who preferred to remain anonymous, he had formerly received a letter from one of the bank's employers addressing the possibility of using his money for investment purposes.
Please, permit me to introduce myself before placing my business proposal
before you for your urgent consideration.I am Mr. Phillip Onyema, an Accounts
Officer with the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. By virtue of my sensitive position
in the bank, I have got a business which has prompted me to contact you.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 21:53 Comments ||
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#1
The absolute booger about this disease is that we don't know for certain what its animal vectors will be. It's not the animals that are quickly killed that is the problem, but animals that just carry the disease, Typhoid Mary-style, while showing minimal symptoms themselves.
Ironically, the "canary in a coal mine" in this case are ferrets. Ferrets are very close to people as far as their immune systems go, and they also have a penchant for raw bird eggs.
However, domestic animals could be a nightmare if they became a passive vector.
Posted by: Department of Redundancy Department ||
10/08/2005 18:15 Comments ||
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#5
The issue here is that once again the disease is found in a flock raised for food - i.e. which are raised and handled by people. Suggests this may move fast through Europe now that it's in Turkey and Romainia/the Danube flyway.
#6
It's like watching a slow motion explosion. I gather Bush called in representatives of all the big pharma companies in what must have been one of the more intense meetings held at the WH in a long time.
I think that Bush has realized that this could amount to 9-11 times a hundred, and he is none too thrilled at the prospect. And you know he is not one to muck around when push comes to shove.
Practically speaking, no one has ever imagined doing something like shutting down all air and naval traffic, or forcing all passengers into quarantine for a week. On top of that, there would be several army divisions deployed to the borders with some very explicit orders.
Meanwhile, big pharma would have an unlimited budget to make unlimited amounts of Tamiflu, despite the Rouche patent, and vaccine. The distribution of which would be an amazing effort.
#7
Good enough, although there is some uncertainty as to the effectiveness of Tamiflu against this virus as/if it mutates to spread through human - to - human contact.
#8
The issue was not the cost or production of vaccine but the liability for any problems that may result from it. That is why the pharma companies do not make vaccines any more.
#9
This is waaay beyond liability. Making vaccines requires a large, specialized infrastructure, and is a time consuming and expensive process. It amounts to a gamble of, in this case, several billion dollars to produce a vaccine that might not work.
The damned virus is so prone to mutation that you only have maybe a 6 in 10 chance of making a vaccine that is 100% effective. On top of that, the timing of issuing the vaccine must be good, as it works only from 2 months to a year and a half, depending on the person, whereas the disease may run to as long as two years. This means that a single shot may not be enough for anybody.
The virus could mutate just before it hits the US, like the Swine Flu, or it may mutate after it has arrived, causing localized severe outbreaks. Flus typically also come in two "waves" anyway.
So the bottom line is that we may all have to rely on the administration's ability to gamble.
#10
Moose, there has never been a flu vaccine that was even close to 100% effective. Different studies and groups indicate flu vaccines vary in effectiveness between 0% and 70%.
More severe pandemics like 1918 and 1889 come in 3 or 4 waves, with perhaps weaker 'herald waves'.
I also made this comment in another forum about the risk of migrating birds bringing human transmissable flu to Europe and N. America
Its not just that many people don't understand numerical arguments. I can crunch some numbers and conclude the risk of B2H infection and consequently sustained transmission are at least 3 orders of magnitude higher in SE Asia than in Europe/N. America, and hence the statistical risk of a one time event (sustained transmission) occuring in Europe/NA are vanishingly small. Human transmissable H5N1 will arrive in a 747, not in migrating birds.
The elderly often eat poorly once they lose the sense of smell and of taste. But it's another matter if things like nutritional drinks aren't offered ...
Europe's ageing population means more will die of malnutrition unless urgent action is taken, warns a charity. The European Nutrition for Health Alliance says the problem is already endemic in the community, hospitals and homes for the elderly. Experts believe up to half of elderly people in hospitals and residential and care homes are malnourished. With the number of 80-year-olds doubling every decade, the number of malnourished people could also grow.
The ENHA said care providers needed to do more work on identifying and treating those most at risk. This includes people who are sick with long-standing diseases as well as the elderly. The alliance's co-chairman Professor Jean-Pierre Baeyens said: "Malnutrition is indeed endemic. Many people are not aware of the problem. If we do not act now it could increase. We are facing a time bomb."
Being malnourished is different to being underweight, although they often go hand in hand. It is possible to be overweight yet malnourished. Malnutrition means not getting enough of the essential nutrients we need for a healthy life. Not only does it cause health problems itself, it delays recovery from illness. Professor Marinos Elia, Professor of Clinical Nutrition at Southampton University, estimates that malnutrition and its associated diseases cost the UK £7 billion a year. He is due to publish a report on the full healthcare economics of nutrition later this year. "Hospital expenditure is really quite large. People who are malnourished tend to stay in hospital longer." He said there was also a great deal of malnutrition in the community, particularly among people with low incomes. He said there were simple solutions that could help. For example, in Scottish hospitals it is now becoming mandatory to screen patients for malnutrition, he said.
Those who are malnourished may need help with feeding and selecting the right foods or require supplements. In England, the government has revamped NHS hospital menus in a bid to make them more appetising for patients. "There is more recognition but it is still not enough," said Professor Elia. Professor Peter Kopelman of the Royal College of Physicians said he would like to see malnutrition checks become mandatory in English hospitals. He said there had been an improvement in the quality of hospital food in recent years but that there were still malnourished patients in hospitals. He said training healthcare professionals about nutrition was key.
Jonathan Ellis of Help the Aged said many older people needed help to eat meals, yet received no assistance. "Malnutrition in these cases can so easily be prevented by delivering basic standards of care. To deny such basic care in the 21st century is simply unacceptable."
#1
Never mind the malnutrition, worry instead about a possible heat wave. Granny will fry before she starves. If past performance is any indication.
Posted by: N guard ||
10/08/2005 9:52 Comments ||
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#2
Experts believe up to half of elderly people in hospitals and residential and care homes are malnourished.
Which experts? Probably the ones from The European Nutrition for Health Alliance like The alliance's co-chairman Professor Jean-Pierre Baeyens
Don't we get enough of this agenda crap on this side of the big pond to understand this stinks of junk science and the "oh, look at me, look at me" syndrome.
#4
I'm doubtful they'll do anything about it (except hold meetings at expensive resorts, of course).
More likely they'll talk and talk and not so secretly hope the deaths of a good number of their elderly from malnutrition - and another heat wave - will take care of their pension funding problem.... :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/08/2005 12:26 Comments ||
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#5
the Romanian outbreak of Avian Flu will do the trick for them....
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 14:24 Comments ||
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In fact, the book (which is due out on Nov. 8) seems to have disappeared completely from Amazon, except for its audio version (for those with a strong stomach Mapes narrates herself).
Barnes and Noble still has the book, which is called âTruth and Duty, â online, with the Nov. 8 pub date (and no excerpt). The book is still featured at the site of the publisher, St. Martin's Press, which promises an excerpt--but not until pub day.
Calls to a publicist at St. Martin's have not yet been returned.
One clue in the mystery is that Kurtz writes that he had been meaning to get to this item âfor some time,â so perhaps the excerpt got pulled a few days ago. But it doesn't explain why the entire book has gone missing at Amazon.
Among the excerpts quoted by Kurtz:
-- âAnd right now, on the Internet, it appeared everything was falling apart. I had a real physical reaction as I read the angry online accounts. It was something between a panic attack, a heart attack, and a nervous breakdown. My palms were sweaty; I gulped and tried to breathe. . . . The little girl in me wanted to crouch and hide behind the door and cry my eyes out."
--"Faxing changes a document in so many ways, large and small, that analyzing a memo that had been faxed -- -in some cases not once, but twice -- -was virtually impossible. The faxing destroyed the subtle arcs and lines in the letters. The characters bled into each other. The details of how the typed characters failed to line up perfectly inside each word were lost."
--"To these people, there was no such thing as unbiased mainstream reporting, certainly not when it came to criticism of the president, no matter how tepid. To them, there was Fox News and everything else -- and everything else was liberal and unfair."
Looks like he missed the part about peripheral spacing and all the other screw ups identified on page 1. Looks like Google doesn't have it cached, either. Going down the memory hole.
HT Hugh Hewitt & John Ziegler
NEW YORK (AP) - Here is the text of former Vice President Al Gore's remarks at the We Media conference on Wednesday in New York:
I came here today because I believe that American democracy is in grave danger. It is no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse . I know that I am not the only one who feels that something has gone basically and badly wrong in the way America's fabled "marketplace of ideas" now functions.
How many of you, I wonder, have heard a friend or a family member in the last few years remark that it's almost as if America has entered "an alternate universe"?
I thought maybe it was an aberration when three-quarters of Americans said they believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on September 11, 2001. But more than four years later, between a third and a half still believe Saddam was personally responsible for planning and supporting the attack.
At first I thought the exhaustive, non-stop coverage of the O.J. trial was just an unfortunate excess that marked an unwelcome departure from the normal good sense and judgment of our television news media. But now we know that it was merely an early example of a new pattern of serial obsessions that periodically take over the airwaves for weeks at a time.
{BLAAH BLAAH BLAAH} - excerpted as not to waste Fred's Bandwidth Electrons - But Here is juicy #1....
As a result of these fears, safeguards were enacted in the U.S. - including the Public Interest Standard, the Equal Time Provision, and the Fairness Doctrine - though a half century later, in 1987, they were effectively repealed. And then immediately afterwards, Rush Limbaugh and other hate-mongers began to fill the airwaves. Hugh H. was excerpting this on his show, and when he heard this (about Rush), he became most pissed! Did a nice job of defending Rush, which is pretty good for Hugh who seems to be a tad understated at times...
{BLAAH BLAAH BLAAH} - more skipped as not to waste Fred's Bandwidth Electrons - But Here is juicy #2....
Among the other factors damaging our public discourse in the media, the imposition by management of entertainment values on the journalism profession has resulted in scandals, fabricated sources, fictional events and the tabloidization of mainstream news. As recently stated by Dan Rather - who was, of course, forced out of his anchor job after angering the White House - television news has been "dumbed down and tarted up." All I can say is : ALGORE - NOT FAKE BUT VERY INACCURATE - And when Ziegler played this he made it his "Quote of the week". Sort of like the Ignobel award to the inventor of the dog "family jewels" on yesterdays RB. Another excerpt.
Moveon.org tried to buy ads last year to express opposition to Bush's Medicare proposal which was then being debated by Congress. They were told "issue advocacy" was not permissible. Then, one of the networks that had refused the Moveon ad began running advertisements by the White House in favor of the President's Medicare proposal. So Moveon complained and the White House ad was temporarily removed. By temporary, I mean it was removed until the White House complained and the network immediately put the ad back on, yet still refused to present the Moveon ad. He is saying that he'd be doing a pretty good job with his tongue to ensure George Soros had a clean "backside" but for 537 votes in Florida.
It is true that video streaming is becoming more common over the Internet, and true as well that cheap storage of streamed video is making it possible for many young television viewers to engage in what the industry calls "time shifting" and personalize their television watching habits. Moreover, as higher bandwidth connections continue to replace smaller information pipelines, the Internet's capacity for carrying television will continue to dramatically improve. But in spite of these developments, it is television delivered over cable and satellite that will continue for the remainder of this decade and probably the next to be the dominant medium of communication in America's democracy. And so long as that is the case, I truly believe that America's democracy is at grave risk. In his mind democracy is "at grave risk" because of Fox News is there to call him and his minions what they are. Lying B.S.'ers.
#1
Al Gore? Didn't he die of obesity a couple years ago?
Something about massive layers of fat causing him global warming and huge pig sweats?
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 2:19 Comments ||
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#2
I believe he is working on the 6,478th Florida recount. Eventually he will win one.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 3:08 Comments ||
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#3
Al labors polishing his false wooden image.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
10/08/2005 3:32 Comments ||
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#4
Hmmm, he's aware of the internet though (silly me, he *invented* it of course!) and how it will change the situation. Thing is, it can also lead to fact-checking, swiftboating, International Freedom Center killing, AirAmerica nosediving, ACT folding and a whole host of other 'unintended consequences'.
He is a bit plump as well......
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2005 3:47 Comments ||
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#15
top photo - he's a perfect clone of the corrupt cop - Sopranos year 1 (or 2?)- that killed himself jumping off a bridge after (sorry, but that's the way it's written) fingering Big Pussy as the informant
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 14:00 Comments ||
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#16
Al is a bit hefty or as Clarence Darrow once remarked about the 340 pound W H Taft, "fat bastard, isn't he?"
Rather forced out by whom? CBS and Blather claimed at the time that his March 2005 "retirement" had been planned long before he got caught trying to tip the election.
McLEAN, Va. -- A new lingerie display in a Victoria's Secret storefront has attracted not just long glances, but also protesters and allegations the chain is promoting lesbianism and sadomasochism. About 30 butch women -- no men -- picketed the Tysons Corner Center store Friday morning. Some of them weren't satisfied that store workers had toned down the display, and promised to boycott the newly expanded mall, now among the nation's largest.
A mannequin that had been tied up was unfettered, though it still leaned against a pole with arms raised above the head, and a rope and pulleys still loomed ominously in the background. Two female figures lying spooning in a bed were replaced with a single mannequin sitting with legs crossed. A mannequin on hands and knees, crawling toward another female figure, was also removed.
Rats, no pictures.
The display went a little too far even for regular Victoria's Secret customers such as Marti Ross of West Springfield. "It feels like evil, feels like I have to cross the evil to get to the light," she said, comparing the dark-toned storefront display to the more traditional display and lighting inside.
Try carrying a little garlic and a small, silver cross.
The company calls the new display "Back Stage Kinky Sexy," and a company spokeswoman at the mall Friday said the Tysons store is the nation's third outlet to adopt the theme. She referred other questions to a corporate spokesman, who didn't return calls.
"No comment. Now go away."
The mall had gotten complaints almost since the new display went up, and after discussions with Victoria's Secret's corporate parent, Limited Brands in Columbus, Ohio, it announced Thursday that the display had been changed.
The protesters were unimpressed. The display "is not about lingerie," said Andrea Lafferty of the Anti-Sex League Traditional Values Coalition. "It's about sadomasochism and three-way sex."
Others weren't bothered by the display. About 40 customers were lined up and roped off outside the store waiting to get in Friday afternoon. "It was fun. It was different. That's what I liked about it," said Alexis Daisley, 19, of Vienna, who shopped at the store with her mother and left with a large bag full of merchandise. "I had no problem with it, and I had no problem taking my daughter there," Lesley Daisley said.
Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 08:22 ||
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#7
crap! I have a lot worse on my hard drive....you lesbians better not come around here, dammit...waitaminute! I love women....so we have something in common, besides our love of flannel shirts (winter only, ship!), wallet chains, et al
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 14:51 Comments ||
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#8
crap! I have a lot worse on my hard drive....
*ahem* crud! I have a lot worsebetter
on my hard drive....
Posted by: Miss Pickens ||
10/08/2005 15:02 Comments ||
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#9
well... :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 16:25 Comments ||
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#10
Do you look forward to wearing flannel shirts Frank?
#11
Us Washingtonians are a pretty thin-skinned bunch...and most of us are lawyers. Sheesh.
Agreed, Sea, a might anal retentive too. I envision a class action looming and a Women's Group uprising on the Mall.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 18:01 Comments ||
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#12
I'm allergic to Victoria's Secret. Every time I go in there I get short, rapid breathing and increased heart rate.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/08/2005 19:51 Comments ||
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#13
Okay, I'm fine with sex for adults. I object to the clear mainstreaming of porn and S&M in public places, though. Not usually a 'humorless feminist' but this display angers me in a quiet, deep way.
#15
Actually, Victoria's could turn this into a hilarious gag that would bring in lots more customers. Have one mannequin wearing Groucho Marx glasses and clutching a rubber chicken, another wearing a football helmet and a negligee with a six pack of beer and shoulder pads, etc.
In other words, the best kinky is funny. They might even give away free Groucho glasses with each purchase over $50.
Posted by: DanNY ||
10/08/2005 08:57 ||
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#1
7.6 is a big quake, but not huge, it's hit the India-Pakistani border area.
Isn't that the general area where Osama is supposedly hiding?
You know, If I was as nutty-religious as the Muzzies seem to be, I'd think god doesn't like the folks (Osama) hiding there.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 13:17 Comments ||
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#2
RJ, one would think that Iran's Bam earthquake, the tsunami and this current devastation would surely represent some sort of warning sign to Muslims in the region. Sadly, you have to remember how for every Imam crying out that people must take heed, there's probably another one declaiming that this is Islam's just punishment for not pursuing violent jihad more vigorously.
The mindset of Islamic fanaticism is undeterred by such niggling little concepts as logic, cause and effect or critical analysis. This is what helps make it such a virulent and pathological meme.
#3
that's why the Zionist Death Ray, cleverly disguised as a lightning bolt is so useful...
and a broadcast voice in arabic: "knock that shit off, drop the sheets, treat your women well, get along with your enemies" would cause some stir heh heh
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 16:32 Comments ||
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#5
Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, Pakistan's chief army spokesman, told Pakistan's Geo TV network early Sunday that more than 18,000 had been killed - 17,000 of them in Pakistani Kashmir, where the quake was centered. Some 41,000 people were injured, he said.
#6
7.6 is pretty big. The 1989 San Francisco quake was 7.3, or 1/2 as powerful. The Bam, Iran quake was 6.6 and killed 30,000. I guess Pakistan and Iran to have similar building methods and consequences.
Posted by: ed ||
10/08/2005 23:02 Comments ||
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1. A Vienna sausage costs more that a three bedroom house cost 25 years ago
2. Fuel has increased by 59,000% in the last 18 months
3. If you want fuel you have to buy foreign currency on the black market (illegal) drive 120 kms, smuggle your cash through an international border, and fill a container. On return you have to pay duty in Zim $ on the fuel you have purchased but you are not allowed to take out sufficient Zim $ to pay the duty anyway
4. In August (if you are lucky) you are advised of the new minimum wages for July .
5. Kariba Bream now costs $1,200,000 per kg which is double the price of imported Hake
6. Fees in Government schools are increased by 1,000% retrospective for 6 months, whilst private schools are restricted from increasing their fees at all
7. Colgate toothpaste in supermarkets is kept locked in a glass display cabinet otherwise it will be stolen
8. Reserve Bank officials enforce laws on illegal currency deals, yet the Bank uses illegally obtained currency to pay satellite television subscriptions
9. New Zealand butter is half the price of Zimbabwe butter
10. Water rationing is introduced four months after the end of the rains when the dams are already almost empty
11. A $10 note is still in circulation and is worth 0,05 of one US cent
12. A $10 note costs over $3,000 to print
13. Toilet paper costs more than $10 a sheet â so itâs cheaper to use the notes
14. Banks charge 300% interest on overdraft but pay 0,001% interest on current account balances
15. It is cheaper to hand deliver mail than to use the postal system
16. Government knocks down houses when there is a housing shortage
17. It can take up to a year to renew a firearms licence which is only valid for three years
18. A replacement driversâ licence can take up to three years
19. Electricity Supply Commission is unable to send out monthly accounts, so estimates the usage â a previous average usage of $250,000 p.m. is estimated at $24 million
20. A monthly govt. pension of $1350 will buy one small sip of Coke. But this is not an issue because you canât buy cokes anyway. Pensioners living outside our borders would receive half one US cent per month
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/08/2005 17:13 Comments ||
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#3
#1: And steam locomotives are back in vogue.
I looked it up, it's actualy a pretty smart move, the engines are for use as "Tourism and to suppliment aging diesels that are hard to get parts and fuel for due to currency restrictions" (Translation, got no cash for fuel and parts) but the Steam Engine's parts are "localy available." (Low Tech?)
Plus they have abundant coal, so it's a really good idea to both solve transportation problems and try to bring in cash bearing tourists to ride the steamers.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 18:47 Comments ||
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#4
"Steam Engines?"
Y-e-a-a-a-a-a-a-h...they have rocket propelled grenades - ERA 1962-2005. Steam Engines - ERA ...um...stone age?
#5
Last commercial steam locomotives were/are built in China, which also has abundant Coal.
Norfolk and Southern bought one of the new chinese engines to haul coal in the alleghenies about 1980 or so, it worked fine, more practical and economical than diesels.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 19:31 Comments ||
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#6
more practical and economical than diesels.
Looks like a massive failure of the market.
The army in Zimbabwe is no longer able to feed all its soldiers, military analysts in southern Africa have said. The Institute for Security Studies, based in South Africa, told the BBC that the army had run out of money to buy adequate daily rations. This week, soldiers spoke of being sent home on forced leave. The army denied it was because of food shortages. The Institute for Security Studies has been making a detailed assessment of the state of Zimbabwe's armed forces. Its analysts say that on the basis of information from inside Zimbabwe, the military is now experiencing the same problems as other government departments - namely, that it has run out of money. They argue that a combination of factors is to blame: economic mismanagement, the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar, international sanctions and drought. This has resulted in some soldiers being sent home on leave as the army cannot afford to feed them, they say.
10,000% inflation will do that.
However, the military experts describe Zimbabwe's armed forces as professional, disciplined and loyal to President Robert Mugabe. There is no suggestion at this stage of any widespread dissent within the ranks of the army. A Zimbabwean army spokesman has insisted there is enough food for the soldiers, although the government admitted this week that more than two million people in the country needed emergency food aid.
#5
I'd like to see a Mussolini street-light decoration graphic
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 14:21 Comments ||
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#6
moustache?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/08/2005 14:22 Comments ||
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#7
#2: Not smart - even Kimmy of the Norks makes sure that the guys with the guns get fed.
Oh be sure they WILL eat.
Remember the old saying "When you beat your swords into plowshares, then you plow for those who don't"
He's destroyed his own farming abilities, the only solution is invasion and theft of crops (Food)
Question is, Is there anyone near enough and prosperous enough that he can invade, or are they either too poor, or too well armed to succede?
I think he's planning the old Chinese ploy of stripping one province to feed another, but I don't think it will work when there's no farming going on to steal crops.
Hell of an incentive to NOT grow crops, they'll just be taken.
Looks like the end for Zim-Bob, look for a name/regime/revolution in a year or two.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 14:53 Comments ||
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#8
Ain't communism grand? Maybe Fidel or Kimmy will offer to feed Bob's hungry troops.
#9
The last six (Or so) hurricanes have gone right over Cuba.
I don't think they have anything to spare.
As for NORK, What's this strange word "Share?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 18:34 Comments ||
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#10
"However, the military experts describe Zimbabwe's armed forces as professional, disciplined and loyal to President Robert Mugabe. There is no suggestion at this stage of any widespread dissent within the ranks of the army. A Zimbabwean army spokesman has insisted there is enough food for the soldiers, although the government admitted this week that more than two million people in the country needed emergency food aid."
So I say: Hmmm. What is our choice of action? Feed the people with guns? Feed our people? Or feed nobody?
Some people...! Talk about mismanagement!
#11
The best way is to feed nobody, all food will go straight to the govt regardless of where you send it, amd regardless of any promises to "Feed The People"
The needy will still starve, and the Government will survive, exactly the opposite of the desired results.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/08/2005 18:56 Comments ||
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State authorities are investigating whether New Orleans police officers broke into a dealership and made off with nearly 200 cars -- including 41 new Cadillacs -- as Hurricane Katrina closed in. Hot damn! I've had my eye on that new Cadi, and its raining and all....
The pink one, right?
"It is a very, very active investigation," Kris Wartelle, spokeswoman for the Louisiana attorney general, said yesterday. "We expect developments quickly."
Miss Wartelle would not comment on why the officers may have taken the cars or whether they were used in the line of duty. However, the cars may have been taken before the hurricane even roared into town Aug. 29, according to the president and general manager of the dealership, Doug Stead. Mr. Stead said the cars included 88 new Cadillacs and Chevrolets, 40 used cars, 52 customers' cars and a restored 1970 El Camino and 1966 Impala. "We put the loss on new cars at $3.7 million," Mr. Stead said. "The used cars ran another $900,000."
When reports first surfaced last month that officers may have taken the cars, New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley said it was not considered looting because the officers patrolled in the cars. "There were some officers who did use Cadillacs," Superintendent Riley said. "Those cars were not stolen."
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Yesterday, police spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo said the department's only comment was that it was cooperating with the attorney general's investigation.
Police also are investigating 12 officers for possible looting or failing to stop looting. And about 250 police officers -- roughly 15 percent of the force -- could face discipline for leaving their posts without permission during Katrina and its aftermath.
Mr. Stead said he got a call Aug. 28 while evacuating the city, telling him one of the dealership's garage doors was open. The rest of his trip was spent fielding calls about his cars. "I had eight calls from people in an hour saying they heard I was giving police Cadillacs to drive," he said. "It seemed like everyone knew about it, so I knew we were in trouble."
Mr. Stead said he got calls from people telling him they had seen his cars in Baton Rouge, Houston and other cities with uniformed police officers driving them. He said people saw his cars parked outside a police precinct.
Keys to the new and used cars were kept in a locked box on the second floor, Mr. Stead said. The box was taken on a forklift to the third floor, where a blowtorch was used to open it, he said. For cars without keys, the ignitions were jimmied, he said.
Of course NO cops would know how to do that.
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 02:19 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
sorry, please move to p3
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/08/2005 2:30 Comments ||
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#2
A couple of days after Katrina a car pulled out of a driveway in front of us, forcing us to stop suddenly so that we got a close-up look at its license plate -- a temporary one -- and the plate holder.
"Hey!" said Niles. "That car's from New Orleans."
"Musta looted it on the way out of town," I replied.
#3
You may think I'm foolish
For the foolish things I do
You may wonder how come I love you
When you get on my nerves like you do
Well baby you know you bug me
There ain't no secret 'bout that
Well come on over here and hug me
Baby I'll spill the facts
Well honey it ain't your money
'Cause baby I got plenty of that
I love you for your pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what you do there in back
Of your pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac
Well now way back in the Bible
Temptations always come along
There's always somebody tempting
Somebody into doing something they know is wrong
Well they tempt you, man, with silver
And they tempt you, sir, with gold
And they tempt you with the pleasures
That the flesh does surely hold
They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple
But man I ain't going for that
I know it was her pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what it feels like in the back
Of your pink Cadillac
Now some folks say it's too big
And uses too much gas
Some folks say it's too old
And that it goes too fast
But my love is bigger than a Honda
It's bigger than a Subaru
Hey man there's only one thing
And one car that will do
Anyway we don't have to drive it
Honey we can park it out in back
And have a party in your pink Cadillac
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.
Saudi television presenter 
Security forces in the Al-Baha region of southern Saudi Arabia continued their investigation into the theft of two million Saudi Riyals (SR), from accounts held in a Saudi bank in the Belghresy governorate that is affiliated to the Al-Baha region. Amongst the suspects were two employers of the bank who have been summoned for questioning. Major General Ali Bin Saleh Al-Siary, the head of the police department in the region received a statement from one of the banks. The statement had referred to other cases of fraud from which bank customers have suffered. He said, "One of the suspects has been arrested while a search is taking place for the other."
McLEAN, Va. -- A new lingerie display in a Victoria's Secret storefront has attracted not just long glances, but also protesters and allegations the chain is promoting lesbianism and sadomasochism. About 30 
