Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman said Thursday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) should take initiatives to close down the banks in Switzerland if they really want to curb corruption globally.
"The Swiss banks should be closed first by the IMF and the WB to start the fight against corruption," Saifur told reporters in response to a query about the donors' intention, aired in the recently concluded meeting in Singapore, to go tough against corruption.
"Corrupt people around the world keep their money in the Swiss banks," he added, after emerging from the meeting of the cabinet committee on national purchase.
You have to admit that he has a point.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Also close every resteraunt with a red and white checkerboard tablecloth, to hamstring the mafia.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/25/2006 0:41 Comments ||
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#3
'tain't the banks, it's the customers. They could close every goddamned bank with strong privacy protection, and the corrupt would find a way.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/25/2006 7:52 Comments ||
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#4
I don't think he does have a point. If there is probable cause or a good legal case, the banks will reveal the records (well, some of them will). What they won't is allow government to go on fishing expeditions. The IRS here can look into anyone's account for no reason whatsoever as a "random" check up.
Britain is careering towards another confrontation with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the 1982 conflict. The UK's new representative on the islands has issued a grim warning that "relations with the government of Argentina are now more difficult than we would wish" as he took up his position this month. Falklands governor Alan Huckle's warning comes two months after Scotland on Sunday revealed Britain had been forced to write to the United Nations restating its sovereignty over the islands, as Argentina escalates attempts to gain international support for its claim.
Officials have also written to the Organisation of American States (OAS), which has supported talks between Britain and Argentina to solve the 'Malvinas Islands' dispute peacefully. Amid increasing fever over the issue, the Argentine government has set up a congressional committee to review the status of the islands.
I take it the Argentinian government is having problems and the economy is tanking, so it's time to divert the attention of the home crowd.
Now Huckle has spoken candidly about a growing diplomatic gulf between the two nations, which threatens plans for reconciliation at a joint 25th anniversary service next year. Huckle used his swearing-in speech to confirm the downturn in relations over the islands, and to reissue a blunt declaration that the UK had no intention of entering negotiations over sovereignty. His comments follow revelations by the outgoing governor, Howard Pearce, that the British Embassy in Buenos Aires had received a record number of official protest notes on Falkland issues.
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#5
The Brits won with grit last time. Their capabilities have decreased since then. And Tony Blair's successor is not Margaret Thatcher. Might be a good time to test him, especially if it distracts the natives from the Bolibarian successes.
#9
Sovereignty over that cold piece of rock carries sovereignty over a large area of sedimentary basin around it, and that basin just might contain oil, which at recent prices might be worth chasing after. The last confrontation was during the last period of high oil prices.
#11
Fact is the Argentines would have won if they had attacked during the Winter (Southern Hemisphere winter that is) when conditions are so bad carriers cannot operate. They would have had months to politely pack the citizens back to England making it politically difficult for Thatcher and others to justify recapturing the rocks when the seas calmed down.
British got lucky.
I would guess the Argies learned there lesson about timing by now.
#12
I don't know. I thought the British carriers, and the harriers they carried, were capable of operating in weather that would shut down other carriers?
#13
British carrier crews operate in the North Sea year-round; the waters off of the Falklands aren't any worse than the conditions the Brits face in the North Sea in the Atlantic storm season. As a matter of fact, the worst year-round sea conditions in the world exist right off the northern coast of Oregon : that is the location that the US and other coast guards train in for extreme sea conditions.
#14
Hey, it worked so well for Argentina last time.
Blair may be no Thatcher, but Bush is no Reagan. I could see us assisting the Brits if the Argies try anything. Israel would be another alliance, since the Argies still have a few bombings to account for.
#15
Fact is the Argentines would have won if they had attacked during the Winter (Southern Hemisphere winter that is) when conditions are so bad carriers cannot operate.
I remember the following sentence from a "biography" of the Harrier: "Its VTOL capabilities allow it to operate in weather conditions where even F14 Tomcats and A6 Crusaders have to remain grounded".
Argies attacked in March (Spetember in Northen Hemisphere terms, but most battles took place in
May and June (November and December in Northern Hemisphere Terms).
Argentinian's best asset was to have much more air support at hand and that is nullified in bad weather. Also while bad weather would have hampered British landings, once the British set foot it favours the side who is best trained and equipped
#16
Someone give Buenos Aires a call. With Tony Blairs assistance in the ME, if he just so happens to call upon the US to enforce the NATO commitment, you'd think Bush would decline? It's one thing for the Argies to face an ad-hoc formation of Brits, its another thing to face a full blown American Carrier and Amphib group steam in the South Atlantic. And considering we have enough on our plate, it is a distraction that is not going to be humorous.
And yes, the Argie economy is in the pits because they won't give up their dead end policies and programs.
#17
I believe it was Admiral Sandy Woodward's book that mentioned the unlikelyhood of sustained carrier operations in the South Atlantic winter which is so brutal even American supercarriers would be bouncing around so much as to prevent any takeoffs (probably where the F-14 data mentioned above came from).
The Harrier is fine once it's in the air, but to have enough fuel for combat operations the harrier needs a short takeoff using a ramp, something that would be impossible with the rough seas.
I also understand the south atlantic winter is the worst in the world, we just don't hear much about it because there is generally no reason for shipping in those areas during the winter.
It could be done. Harriers can work off an improvised airfield on the Falklands themselves. but the logistics of moving the fuel and personal to keep combat operations going.
Of course they could just say the Gurkas are going and watch the Argies surrender rather than face them. Seemed to save a bit of time last go around.
#20
My point is the only way they could have won is if they timed the game when the Brits couldn't play. From the timeline they were pretty close at that, if they'd timed it themselves instead of letting a bunch of scrap-metal workers jumpstart the war they would have had a better chance.
The Argies were so bad they had to land jets at different fields from where they took off in order to hide the losses from their own pilots.
The story I like best though is when the Para learned how to say grenade in Spanish and would yell it up to the Argie trenchline and watch the Argies jump out of the trench in fear.
Once the Marines and their ships were under SAM cover in San Carlos water it was all over. More screw ups happened, mainly due to over confidence I expect - but give a little credit to the Argentine Airforce, they could fly.
#22
For all the talk about how it was touch-and-go last time the fact remains Britain decided to fight with one hand tied behind her back and a giant pillow wrapped around her fighting fist.
Any conflict with Argentina where the "exclusion zone" is not limited to British territorial waters but takes the form of a proper war with Argentine shipping is utterly insupportable for any Argentine government. It would probably take less than ten minutes to identify strategic targets in the shape of oil distribution, the electrical grid, etc. around Buenos Aires which could be flattened in a variety of entertaining ways. And any attempt to remove Falkland Islanders against their will could legitimately be declared a war crime and place the Argentine military beyond the protection of the Geneva Conventions.
#23
The Argentine pilots fired their few Exocets at point blank range coming in right on the deck. Other sucess were achieved by dumb bombs dropped from so low they often didn't have time to fuse. Again good pilots. Piss poor infantry. Worse navy.
#24
It would probably take less than ten minutes to identify strategic targets in the shape of oil distribution, the electrical grid, etc. around Buenos Aires which could be flattened in a variety of entertaining ways.
With nukes maybe, but the RAF only managed a few V Bomber raids staging out of Accesion Island to attack Stanley Airfield.... 1 bomber at a time. Doubtful they'd have tried to attack the mainland with airpower. Course they could have mined the hell out of the coastal water, that would have worked, but might have taken awhile.
#25
prepared sub warfare could make any return to action a LOT more messy for the Argentinians. The Generals with the ribbons and sprockets won't be the ones drowning.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2006 19:09 Comments ||
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TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Defense Agency plans to develop a new missile system for its fighter jets that would be able to target aircraft and ships without emitting radio waves that could be detected by an enemy, an agency spokesman said Monday.
The Defense Agency will begin three years of research starting in 2007 to develop the new missile, Defense Agency spokesman Hirokazu Shirota said. Existing weapon systems such as those installed on F-15 fighter jets emit radio waves at targets and then monitor the way in which they are reflected back, but enemy forces can also monitor such waves and detect their source, Shirota said.
The new system would not emit radio waves itself, but would use a receiver that can pick up a wide range of radio frequencies and deduce which ones are being emitted from a potential target, he said.
The Defense Agency plans to add $15.4 million for research to its budget request for the 2007 fiscal year - which begins in April 2007 - to pay for the system, he said. The agency will await the results of the research and development phase before deciding when and if to deploy the system, Shirota said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2006 00:58 ||
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#1
I'd think linking that with an 'on-missle' visual system for confirmation and final targeting would work.
#3
To be used in conjunction with AWACS and Link 16 or equivalent. Makes a good case for EMCON. However, many aviation systems, particularly less sophisticated systems, have "unintentional radiation" that can be exploited if the seeker is good enough.
#5
I've heard (I have no idea if it's true) that some ARMs can actually trace the power emitted by a dummy load if the radar station tries to go off the air by dumping its power in one.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/25/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Nothing new here. These guys were plying their trade when I first got into the business in the 70's. The only difference is they are a little more sophisticated now. Of course, they should remember that trojan horses in the secret technology the Russians stold were an integral part of the collapse of the Soviet Union. When it comes to spies, caveat emptor.
#2
The funny part is that the Chinese then try to pass off all these stolen secrets as their own inventions. Then, they get incredibly angry if anyone dares to point out the fact that China doesn't create anything, but only has the power to copy. They take simultaneous pride in the fact that they are so effective at stealing and inventing. Not cognitive dissonance, but maybe cognitive resonance?
#4
The situation outrages U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who successfully fought recent plans by the State Department to use Chinese-built computers for classified material. He says too little attention is paid to China's "aggressive spying program against the U.S." The legal deterrents to espionage are weak, says Wolf, who chairs a subcommittee overseeing security and technology. "In the Cold War people went to jail for a long time" for spying, he says, but today's "negligible penalties" are more appropriate to low-level embezzlement than military spying. Park was unusual in receiving a 32-month prison term and a deportation order; in contrast, Ting-Ih Hsu and Hai Lin Nee were each sentenced to three years of probation.
This needs to change, pronto. We also need to prohibit all Chinese student visas for any engineering, chemistry and physics courses. Same goes for HB-1 work visas in sensitive industries. They can wait tables all they want but no dice for any high technology applications. Preferably, NO CHINESE VISAS AT ALL, TOURIST OR STUDENT.
In the long run, America needs to bite the bullet and simply cut off all ties with China. The Politburo would implode within less than two years and the economic hit we might take would be negligible by comparison. Yes, prices would rise, but we would re-establish a substantial portion of our domestic manufacturing base which is of major economic and strategic importance anyway.
The current predatory economic policy and future military aggression that China promises will make the Middle East terrorists look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. One glance at China's role in exacerbating the Iranian nuclear weapons crisis should be enough to convince anyone.
#7
I think one of the "big secrets" they're not telling anyone is that the foreign-born professors aren't doing that great a job at teaching the undergraduates here of domestic or foreign origin.
#13
To add my two bits to the foreign instructor melee, the worst instructor I ever had the misfortune to experience was a visiting professor from Hong Kong. His English was execrable. The course was "tittical mekanik and Haemadienamik" taught during a summer session at Indiana University. Not only could no one understand him, he insisted on using mimeographs of his unpublshed book for a text. The crowning indignity was that he announced on the last day of class that American students were so bad that he would not grade us and would give everyone a C. I hope he never gets another visa.
The best instructor was an Italian doctoral candidate at Michigan State who taught vector calculus. He was the only person I ever met who could create enthusiasm for calculus at 0730.
#14
My best instructor was a platinum blonde bombshell from the University of Kiev!
I at convention in Finland - yes. CIA man walk into office I using for convention - yes. Say, $1,000,000 if you defect. I say, I say and for my husband? And, he say - ok 2 million for both of you. And I say Plus good jobs? He say OK! I say Ok! But, but... we still do it better in the Motherland - Yes!
#15
It was just that I had never considered the impacts of cutting off Chinese university students.
RWV, exporting the knowledge and workplace experience is just as bad as allowing the technology to leak. Real-time manufacturing experience in semiconductor fabrication is still almost the only way to obtain such skills. We'd be far better off rekindling America's manufacturing base than letting China continue to hollow it out. I'm glad you enjoyed the thought.
Thousands looked on Sept. 24 as the Navy christened and launched the nation's first littoral combat ship, Freedom (LCS-1), at the Marinette Marine shipyard.
Just a little more than three years ago she was just an idea, now Freedom stands before us. And on this morning, we christen her, send her down the ways and get her ready to join the fleet next year, said Adm. Mike Mullen, Chief of Naval Operations. It comes none too soon, because there are tough challenges out there that only she can handle.
The 377-foot Freedom is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and can operate in water less than 20 feet deep. The ship will act as a platform for launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles. Its modular design will support interchangeable mission packages, allowing the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare, or surface warfare missions on an as-needed basis.
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#3
But, as Mullen made clear, Freedom also acknowledges new challenges faced by the Navy in the war on terror and will complement the vision of a global 1,000-ship navy built upon ad hoc maritime partnerships.
Freedom will know how to fight, but she can also be a friend, said Mullen. I am convinced that if we pool resources together, as partners and friends, we can best tackle many of the tough maritime problems we face. The Freedom class will fit perfectly into such partnerships. Her shallow draft and agility will allow her to go, when asked -- deep into green and brown water -- where we, our allies, and emerging partners face some of the most difficult challenges.
The most interesting part of this is the glimpse into what the Navy thinks its mission will be over the next 30 or so years.
And, RWV, I honed in on those comments too. Very interesting. Are we tagging up with the Brits and the Aussies against the future dustup with China?
Mehopes the Freedom gets to try out her wares off the coast of Somalia against those dreaded pirates. Of course, then one of our staple subjects (Weekly Piracy report) will be taken from us, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
09/25/2006 14:07 Comments ||
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#5
What the dickens is all this fuss over a clittoral combat ship? You don't need a ship to combat a clittoris!
What did the little man in the boat do to you?
Why would anyone want to fight a clittoris, you should make friends with them. Why all you need is a nice chub and some warm...
Huh? What's that Jane? It's Littoral, not Clitoral?
#8
The real news:Its modular design will support interchangeable mission packages, allowing the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare, or surface warfare missions on an as-needed basis.
Australia is considering changing its nuclear policy to enable the sale of uranium to India, Prime Minister John Howard said.
Australia does not currently sell the fuel to India as it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that two Indian government officials had urged Australia to reverse its ban and feed a booming economy.
``We are examining all of the implications of the Indian request and the desire of India to be part of the nuclear system and get access to uranium for peaceful purposes,'' Howard told reporters in Sydney. ``That would require a change in policy.''
Australia, which holds 40 percent of the world's uranium, is seeking to tap rising demand for uranium as countries look to alternatives for gas, oil and coal. Australia in April signed an agreement allowing uranium exports to China, which needs to build two reactors a year to meet its target of generating 4 percent of its power from nuclear plants by 2020.
``Without changing our policy, we could not sell to India, but we can to China,'' Howard said. ``If India were to meet safeguard obligations, some would see it as anomalous if we were to sell to China and not to India.''
Australia exported A$546 million ($410 million) of uranium oxide in the year ended June 30, 2006, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. The value of exports is forecast to rise to A$790 million in fiscal 2007, ABARE said in a report released in Canberra today. Uranium prices have surged almost fourfold in the past three years.
Posted by: john ||
09/25/2006 08:09 ||
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A YOUNG Pakistani woman has been kidnapped, raped and beaten by a gang of high-caste villagers because her uncle eloped with one of their relatives. She was chosen for punishment because she had recently gained a degree and was the pride of her low-caste family.
Ghazala Shaheen, 24, and her mother Mumtaz were abducted last month by men dressed in police uniforms from their home near Multan in southern Punjab. Her shocking ordeal mirrors that of Mukhtaran Mai, 29, who became a symbol in the campaign for womens rights in Pakistan after she was gang-raped because her 12-year-old brother had been seen with a higher-caste woman. Six men were found guilty but five later had their convictions overturned. That case provoked an international outcry and led to moves to reform Pakistans Islamic rape and adultery laws which effectively criminalise rape victims.
Last week human rights campaigners said Shaheen was unlikely to see her attackers brought to justice because President Pervez Musharraf had failed in an attempt to repeal the Hudood Ordinance, which requires four male Muslim witnesses to support a rape charge. If the accused is acquitted, the victim becomes liable to prosecution for adultery. While Musharraf was out of the country earlier this month, a committee of hardline Islamic scholars neutered his bill to protect womens rights which would have repealed the Hudood Ordinance. The scholars claimed the bill was un-Islamic because it encouraged adultery.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john ||
09/25/2006 07:28 ||
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#1
But lest anyone forget...their Muzzie culture is morally equal or superior to the corrupt American culture.
I just want to make sure that everyone is clear on this point so there are no insensitive characterizations. Okay?
#5
That oversized whale wouldn't last 2 seconds among these barbarians. Interesting how ANY offense justifies gang rape & murder among the Muzzies isn't it ? Look sideways; graduate; walk alone to some destination; all are sufficient cause. These halfwitted asswipes are nothing but criminal barbarians. Same as they were 1400 years ago when the f**hing thug jinned this cult up.
John will comment on that with his usual insight, but IIUC, pakiland is a feudal country which retains a social cast system feature, even with islam... so, yup, worst of both worlds.
#7
I believe that part of the bitter irony here is that if this somehow manages to make its way back to criminal charges against Nazar or the first rapist, it will most likely be overturned because she tempted them...the little minx. (We all know how Muslim men adore educated women.)
#8
The key is, as far as they are concerned anytime a woman is physically unprotected she deserves what happens to her. Only by hiding in purdah, when guarded by those capable by arms and social status of protecting her, is she possibly safe. It's like Muslim anger and violence against any other inferior group -- the cause is immaterial, because any excuse can be found at any moment; the inferior individual/group must ever be aware that their life and safety depends on the momentary whim of the Muslim male Uebermensch -- as Allah is to all, so are they to those He has obviously set them to rule over.
#16
She has a degree - give her a plane ticket and a VISA. She ought to be able to translate something for us. I doubt she'll be homesick.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/25/2006 23:13 Comments ||
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#17
Funny, I haven't heard any moderate seething in response to this outrage.
Personally, I am almost sure that some guy on the counsel who handed down this sentence wanted to give his buds a shot at her to boost his influence. Mohamhead would be proud, I'm sure.
Perhaps if you trained some of your young people as engineers and technicians instead of memoring the Qur'an ...
ISLAMABAD - A technical fault triggered a nationwide blackout in Pakistan on Sunday, a spokesman for the countrys main power utility said. He ruled out sabotage. It is a national blackout and were trying to find out the fault, said Shafqat Jalil of Pakistans Water and Power Development Authority. There is no chance of sabotage because had it been so, it would have been reported to us by now, he told Reuters.
"Might have been a red djinn, we get those sometimes," he added helpfully.
Among the cities affected were the capital Islamabad and Lahore. However, most of the nations commercial centre, Karachi, still had power, witnesses said. The electricity was partially restored to Islamabad and some northwestern areas after about two and half hours but Jalil said he could not give time for full restoration of power to the country of 160 million people.
Pakistan produces 20,000 megawatt of electricity.
As a comparison, California generated about 25,700 Megawatts of electricity in 2005.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
NO JUICE FOR YOU!
Posted by: Allah ||
09/25/2006 10:54 Comments ||
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#3
WAPDA is a friggin joke. I used to call on them in the early 90's. It was a bureaucrat's paradise. Folders and folders of notes about nothing. No one doing real work. Corruption and patronage everywhere. Karachi is on a seperate grid run by KESCO - Karachi Electric Supply Company. Equally odious.
Eating in public during the daytime hours of the month of Ramadan is a crime punishable by law, said Public Relations and Moral Guidance Director at the ministry of interior, Adel Al-Hashash Saturday. The violator could be fined KD 100 or imprisoned for under a month, or given both punishments together, Al-Hashash added. Those who are not fasting should refrain from eating in public during the daytime hours as it is offensive to Muslims, the official stressed to foreigners and whom ever it may concern. Al-Hashash strongly urged people not observing Ramadan to eat in private during the fasting time.
#1
Makes me wanna walk around all day eating schnitzel on a stick. And then washing it down with a beer. In a bikini. While walking the dog. Party like it's 599, while we still can.
#2
Makes me want to buy a warehouse on a busy street in one of their biggest cities and grill up a couple of lambs with big honking fans blowing the aroma out onto the sidewalk during fasting hours. No eating, mind you, strictly legit. Just this insanely delicious aroma of garlic marinated lamb cubes rubbed with rock salt that are skewered on rosemary sticks and basted with herbed olive oil being grilled over glowing mesquite and almond wood chips. Really big fans. Really, really big ones.
#6
Yeah, Zen....just let us know where your warehouse is in Kuwait. I think we can all hit the tip jar for exJAG's ticket to go "perform" for the Kuwaitis in front of your fine establishment. Or dare we call for the next Rantapalooza in Kuwait. Yeesh, you save their arses, and that's the thanks you get?
Posted by: BA ||
09/25/2006 13:35 Comments ||
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#7
Al-Hashash strongly urged people not observing Ramadan to eat in private during the fasting time.
In "Moderate" Malaysia, they don't even add this advise. There if you look like a Malay, as aborigines do, you'll be accosted by police. Therefore the aborigines are scared to eat outside.
#9
OFF TOPIC ALERT: Y'all let me know and I'll start publishing a "Recipe of the Day" in the "Opinion" section. I don't want to distract from the overall tenor here, but I do have some whupass recipes to share. Chicken fried steak, guacamole, Philippine bistek style beef, my "Agent Orange" habanero salsa, the best damn hot dog chili you've ever had ...
Moderators? It would be my pleasure to share these items at Rantburg in repayment for all of the bandwidth. Just say so.
#12
Gonna get my Prophet picnic blanket, my Koran napkins, head on down to the local mosque with a big ass hunk of pork tenderloin and setup out front...and if it offends them, well, what doesn't?
#15
Do your recipes involve pork Zenster? Love the idea!
Tu - just take a copy of the Koran with you and rip the pages out and use them as napkins (and nose-wipes) right there. Might use a page or three to start the grill too...
#17
Do your recipes involve pork Zenster? Love the idea!
Did you say pork? As in Carnitas or my Memphis-style Dry Rubbed Ribs ala Rondezvous? Perhaps a Philippine-style Barbacoa or Weiner Schnitzel, maybe a super-authentic ancient Chili de Guaillo recipe that has brought grown Mexican men nearly to tears as they mutter about "Like Mom used to make! [sniff]"? It would be my pleasure. Mods or Fred, please say the word!
#19
Yeah Zen, I feel real strongly about Rama-dama-ding-dong ! As Lotop points out, farting sideways justifies death in the Muzzie sensibility. Or any other damn thing they conjure up. This really should be hilarious comedy for the world to enjoy if these fanatical bastards weren't deadly serious.
#20
I'm all the way back on exJAG's comment in #8. Mods, is there any way we can hook up a video cam (linked at RB of course) to show exJAG's "performance" (with the HK, of course) in front of Zen's new Kabab and Falafel shop/warehouse in Kuwait? That and all of Zen's pork receipes alone would make me wanna celebrate Ramadan.
Posted by: BA ||
09/25/2006 21:45 Comments ||
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#21
Moderators? It would be my pleasure to share these items at Rantburg in repayment for all of the bandwidth. Just say so.
#3
Call this sour grapes, but I think I can safely speak for Navy wrenchtwisters past and present: we would have given our left ( fill in personal body part here) to ride in the tactical Jet we all sweated over day and night. And if it was from the Iron Works, that would have been way better than sex. Anytime baby!
#4
I had several rides in my 26-year Air Force career, and it's always a great trip. I agree with USNret - the flight crews were always the last to get any appreciation. I know of only ONE Marine reserve squadron that routinely gave rides to enlisted, and that was an A-6 squadron in Texas. IMHO, there is no better re-enlistment incentive.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/25/2006 23:25 Comments ||
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Thailand's former prime minister may have secretly taken some of his vast assets out of the country aboard two aircraft just days before he was removed from power, airline officials have said. Thaksin Shinawatra set off for Finland on a foreign tour on September 9, loading up his government-assigned aircraft with 58 large suitcases and trunks, an official from Thai Airways International said on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
The prime minister's aircraft, named Thai Koofah, was then left parked in Finland for more than a week as Thaksin continued his trip on other transportation. Another aircraft carrying 56 suitcases - an Airbus 340-600 - was dispatched from Bangkok to meet the prime minister just days before the coup, the official from the national carrier said. The official said it was not known what was taken aboard the second aircraft because only Thaksin's aides were allowed to supervise the loading.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I never had 58 suitcases of anything. What does this guy have? hmmmmm?
#2
He was a billionaire before he became Prime Minister. The notion he would need to smuggle assets out in suitcases is ridiculous. I don't doubt he has already has many millions in offshore banking centres.
#5
Thaksin came by his billion plus legally. There is no reason to launder or smuggle legally obtained wealth. As I said, it's ridiculous smear to suggest he would.
And as for the amount of luggage, I'm sure President Bush keeps to a 20 kilo luggage allowance and his bags are loaded by the regular baggage handlers at JFK or LAX (/not).
Thaksin wanted to modernize Thailand while taking care of the rural masses. He made a lot of enemies, especially among the urban elites.
A glaring ommision in all the coverage is that Thaksin won huge majorities in both 2005 and 2006 elections, in both cases with over 60% of the vote.
The urban elites hate him most all because they think they should be running the country. Thaksin mobilized the numerically superior rural vote and swamped them at the ballot box.
This is their revenge.
#6
Thaksin won huge majorities in both 2005 and 2006 elections, in both cases with over 60% of the vote.
phil_b, I read elsewhere that this was the result of vote suppression protests as in Venezuela. Do the election results really reflect his popularity or are they a result of a rigged election?
#7
NS, it's generally accepted that rigged votes ended in Thailand in 1992. The number of votes for Thaksin's party were almost identical in 2005 and 2006. In both cases he won in all regions with a large majority, except Bangkok and the South.
The boycott in 2006 merely translated votes for other parties into spoiled ballots. It was clearly a disengenous attempt to obscure the fact the opposition parties would lose the election (by a large margin).
Thailand's military rulers will investigate the vast assets of toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and confiscate those he may have gained from corruption and abuse of power during his nearly six years in office.
It was all about the principles, right?
Members of Thaksin's family have stayed in Thailand while he remains in London amid speculation they want to protect a fortune that soared after the telecoms tycoon-turned-politician took office in 2001. While he faces losing assets since coming to power, a well-placed source said: "The assets and money he had before he became prime minister will not be touched."
A spokesman for the leaders of the military coup said Thaksin can go back: "We still consider him a Thai citizen and he is welcome to return to Thailand."
The country's ruling military council, which toppled Thaksin last Tuesday in a bloodless coup, faces a host of urgent tasks, including restoration of peace in southern Thailand, where a Muslim insurgency has killed more than 1,700 people. Yesterday, four police officers were injured in the first attack since the coup, when a bomb exploded in Pattani province as they prepared security ahead of a visit later in the day by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.
Oil prices fell to a new six-month low below $60 a barrel on Monday as news of BP restoring output at Prudhoe Bay added to a sense of healthy global supplies. U.S. light, sweet crude for November fell 56 cents to $59.99 a barrel in Globex electronic trading. By 0108 GMT it stood 61 cents lower at $59.94 a barrel, deepening a seven-week rout that has knocked more than $17 a barrel off prices. Prices fell below the previous $60.00 a barrel low posted on September 20.
Previous frontmonth October was reported last week to have fallen as low as $59.80 a barrel on September 20, but detailed NYMEX trade data on its website showed the contract hit a low of $60.05 a barrel in Globex trade and $60.00 in open-outcry pit trade.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm betting that gas will be below $2/gallon by election day.
#3
..Already is here in SC - $1.98 on Saturday, and I expect $1.95 today. Interestingly enough though, the lowest prices here are from the independents, which kinda surprises me. I was always under the impression that they were more ezpensive. By way of comparison, Sunoco is $2.09 and ExxonMobil is between $2.15 and $2.20.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/25/2006 7:27 Comments ||
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#4
Mike, How many refineries do you have in SC? The stations are retail distributors who all buy gas from the same refineries. The independents just have lower operating costs, especially marketing, and aren't captive customers of a branded refinery. Ever see your local independent underwrite any PBS (Petroleum Broadcasting System) crap?
#5
That low, Mike? Damn....and I was so happy it was hovering around $2.35 here.
But remember....this isn't good news at all. No sirree. It's going to encourage the rubes to drive, thereby increasing global warming, and...and....well, it's a friggin' quagmire, I tell ya!!
#6
Mike, the indepedants or their suppliers are probably hedging against the current spot price and hence can sell their inventory purchased at higher prices at the spot price equivalent, which a couple of hours ago was at $59.60.
#7
I bought last night at Costco for $2.08. Of course, this morning, it was $2.12 almost everywhere (Costco's usually 4-5 cents cheaper) here in "da ATL." Dropping, dropping, dropping....that darn Rove/Halliburton plot seems to be working.
Posted by: BA ||
09/25/2006 14:02 Comments ||
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#8
With NY taxes, it was $2.70 at the cheaper stations this AM. ugh.
#9
It's also with NY cost of doing business and affluence. Oil companies price by zone based on customers ability to pay. Go to the stix, farthere from the refinery and the price declines. Ask yourself, why?
#10
Distance from the refinery isn't that important. Prices in Farmington NM are still unreal, and they are close to refineries in Bloomfield and Gallup, both of which are operating at limited capacity, and which send their product to Phoenix anyway. The whole state of NM lives under similar conditions, a fair amount of refining capacity & prices higher than the US average.
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Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman said Thursday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) should take initiatives to close down the banks in Switzerland if they really want to curb corruption globally.
Britain is careering towards another confrontation with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the 1982 conflict. The UK's new representative on the islands has issued a grim warning that "relations with the government of Argentina are now more difficult than we would wish" as he took up his position this month. Falklands governor Alan Huckle's warning comes two months after Scotland on Sunday revealed Britain had been forced to write to the United Nations restating its sovereignty over the islands, as Argentina escalates attempts to gain international support for its claim. 
A YOUNG Pakistani woman has been kidnapped, raped and beaten by a gang of high-caste villagers because her uncle eloped with one of their relatives. She was chosen for punishment because she had recently gained a degree and was the pride of her low-caste family.
Oil prices fell to a new six-month low below $60 a barrel on Monday as news of BP restoring output at Prudhoe Bay added to a sense of healthy global supplies. U.S. light, sweet crude for November 
