Those bastards!
VIENNA, Austria - He's now got a human name Matthew Hiasl Pan but he's having trouble getting his day in court. Animal rights activists campaigning to get Pan, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, legally declared a person vowed Thursday to take their challenge to Austria's Supreme Court after a lower court threw out their latest appeal. Even though it's Austria, I'll bet this judge is one of those right wing Bush recess appointments...
A provincial judge in the city of Wiener Neustadt dismissed the case earlier this week, ruling that the Vienna-based Association Against Animal Factories had no legal standing to argue on the chimp's behalf. Here's an idea. Have the chimp argue his own case. That makes about as much sense...
The association, which worries the shelter caring for the chimp might close, has been pressing to get Pan declared a "person" so a guardian can be appointed to look out for his interests and provide him with a home. Here's an idea. It's called a "zoo"...
Group president Martin Balluch insists that Pan is "a being with interests" and accuses the Austrian judicial system of monkeying around."It is astounding how all the courts try to evade the question of personhood of a chimp as much as they can," Balluch said. Yes, astounding! I wonder if they'd take as long on a compentency hearing for Martin?
A hearing date for the Supreme Court appeal was not immediately set. We'll...get back to you. Oh...soon.
The legal tussle began in February, when the animal shelter where Pan and another chimp, Rosi, have lived for 25 years filed for bankruptcy protection. Activists want to ensure the apes don't wind up homeless if the shelter closes. Both were captured as babies in Sierra Leone in 1982 and smuggled in a crate to Austria for use in pharmaceutical experiments. Customs officers intercepted the shipment and turned the chimps over to the shelter. Well, what about Rosi? What are yas, sexists?
Their upkeep costs about euro4,800 (US$6,800) a month. Donors have offered to help, but there's a catch: Under Austrian law, only a person can receive personal gifts. ...hence the term "person"al...
Organizers could set up a foundation to collect cash for Pan, whose life expectancy in captivity is about 60 years. But they contend that only personhood will give him the basic rights he needs to ensure he isn't sold to someone outside Austria, where he's now protected by strict animal cruelty laws. Ahhhhhh. Now it all makes sense...
In April, a district court judge rejected a British woman's petition to be declared Pan's legal guardian. That court ruled that the chimp was neither mentally impaired nor in danger, the grounds required for an individual to be appointed a guardian. ...and he's a...chimp.
In dismissing the Association Against Animal Factories' appeal this week, the provincial court said only a guardian could appeal. That doesn't apply in this case, the group contends, since Pan hasn't gained a guardian. ...because he's a...chimp.
There is legal precedence in Austria for close friends to represent people who have no immediate family, "so he should be represented by his closest friends, as is the case," said Eberhart Theuer, the group's legal adviser. "On these grounds we have appealed this decision to the Supreme Court in Vienna," he said. What's on the docket, Manfred?
Well, your honor, there's the treaty issue, the currency devaluation issue, and the chimpanzee they want declared a person.
Ooooh! A monkey! Is he here?
Until this summer, the chimp was known simply as Hiasl. However, in the latest court documents, he was identified with a little more dignity if not humanity as Matthew Hiasl Pan, with the last name derived from "chimpanzee." Awwwwww...how cute.
The Association Against Animal Factories points out that it's not trying to get Pan declared a human, but rather a person, which would give him some kind of legal status. Oh. Well. Person. Human. Big difference. Why didn't ya say that right up front?
Otherwise, he is legally a thing. And with the genetic makeup of chimpanzees and humans so strikingly similar, it contends, that just can't be. Here's an idea. Make the monkey their guardian.
"The question is: Are chimps things without interests, or persons with interests?" Balluch said. "A large section of the public does see chimps as beings with interests," he said. "We are looking forward to hear what the high court has to say on this fundamental question." As a "being with interests", I'd be real interested in these folks getting a severe dope slapping...
#1
But Hiasl's best friend is a chimp named Rosi. They'd have to get her declared a person before she could take on his guardianship and appeal the decision. A quandary.
Big gorilla at the L.A. Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
Left me here to take his place
I wish the ape a lot of success
I'm sorry my apartment's a mess
Most of all, I'm sorry if I made you blue
I'm betting the gorilla will too
They say Jesus will find you wherever you go
But when He'll come looking for you, they don't know
In the meantime keep your profile low
Gorilla, you're a desperado
--Warren Zevon, "Gorilla, You're a Desperado"
Posted by: Mike ||
09/27/2007 12:29 Comments ||
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#5
$6,800 a month for maintenance? There are ex-wives who don't get that. Like, most of them. With kids. I don't know about Vienna, but six large a month lets you live pretty well in most places.
I'd say the West has some twisted set of priorities, but then, I already knew that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2007 17:15 Comments ||
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#6
D *** NG IT, how can BIGFOOT be ENKIDU now, ala EPIC OF GILGAMESH!
A powerful undersea earthquake rattled western Indonesia on Wednesday, geological agencies said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The 6.4-magnitude quake was centered 130 kilometers southwest of Padang, a town on Sumatra island still recovering from a series of strong tremors that killed nearly two dozen people earlier this month, the US Geological Survey reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Earth Changes = Land Shifts/Sinkings are taking place down there - iff locals refuse or don't wanna pray to ease the wrath of God, then get the hell out in order to save their own lives while they still can. BECUZ THE QUAKIN' AND STORMIN', ETC. WILL GET WORSE. Why wait for USN Carriers and other large-hold ships to take youse elsewhere once land starts collapsing/eroding into the sea?
#2
With each one of these little 6-8 magnitude quakes we're transferring tectonic stress to the west, and storing it up. If our calculations are right we'll be ready to trigger a really big one in PakiWakiLand's NWFP. That ought to shake those caves down. Oh, and relocate the globe's highest point from Everest to K2.
#3
We will have to watch the seismic activity in this area closely. Increasing frequency of tremors would indicate the beginnings of a volcanic eruption.
I wonder how things are going with tsunami warning, as well as disaster plans for major earthquakes and eruptions for the Indonesian government, or have they delegated that task to the Ministry of Insh'Allah?
The family and I were enroute to New Zealand when the earthquake hit and the large tsunami hit the area. There were a lot of grandstanders, but those that did the big response quickly were the US, New Zealand, and Australia. The Indonesian govt fell flat on its corrupt face.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/27/2007 14:33 Comments ||
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Bangladeshs anti-corruption agency filed charges Wednesday against the former prime ministers son, his wife and mother-in-law accusing them of acquiring their wealth illegally, an official said.
The Anti-Corruption Commission charged Tareque Rahman, the businessman son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, with amassing 48 million takas (US$711,530) in assets that did not tally with his legally declared income. Rahmans physician wife, Zubaida, and her mother, Syeda Iqbalmand Banu, were accused of aiding him, commission official Zahurul Huda said after filing the corruption case at a police station in the capital, Dhaka.
Rahman is already being detained on separate criminal charges, while his wife and mother-in-law are yet to be arrested. They face stiff jail terms and fines if convicted. Zia and another son, Arafat Rahman, are in jail pending trial on graft charges. Security forces in recent months have arrested more than 150 high-profile corruption suspects - including politicians, bureaucrats and businesspeople - in a crackdown by the countrys military-backed interim government.
The suspects, including another ex-prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, face charges ranging from graft and extortion to tax evasion and becoming rich through abuse of power. The interim government has vowed to fight corruption, reform electoral rules and clean up the nations factional and often violent politics before holding the next elections in 2008.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to take appropriate measures if weapons are deployed in space, the commander of the Russian Space Forces said Thursday. "Should any country deploy weapons in space, then the laws of armed warfare are such that retaliatory weapons are certain to appear," Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said.
He said Russia and China have drafted an international declaration on the non-deployment of weapons in space and sent it to the UN. "It is necessary to establish the rules of the game in space," he said, adding that the deployment of weapons in space could have unpredictable consequences, since such weapons are "very complex systems."
"A sizable war could break out," the commander said.
He said space must not be the sphere of interests of any one country. "We do not want to fight in space, and we do not want to call the shots there either, but we will not permit any other country to do so," he said.
Popovkin also said that Russia has an integrated missile attack warning system, covering the country's entire territory.
#1
I we are going to weaponize space, we sure as hell are going to keep it black beyond black. We might even conceal a space weapon on a conventional satellite, or put it out at a Langrangian Point, so it is "off the radar" as far as the trackers are concerned.
When needed, it would first fly back towards Earth and set up an orbit.
#2
I wonder if the Russians will try to get NASA and the US Government to help fund their space weapons like they try to get them to fund pretty much everything else.
Deploying weapons in space is foolish anyway. Anything in orbit has a predicatable course that can be intercepted or blinded.
Far better to have a suborbital bomber that can get anywhere in the world in 90 minutes or less, drop the load, and be back in time for breakfast leaving people wondering if the load of anvils and rocks and whatnot that fell from the sky were meteors or Haliburton or what.
#3
This is nothing less than an attempt to prevent the US from developing and deploying any kind of nuclear engine, especially an Orion or NEVA design, as well as any of several promising laser or energy beam type propulsion systems any of which could open the solar system to mankind.
#5
"A sizable war could break out... not permit any other country to do so" > it was the Russians themselves whom unilater had said that an anti-US war can occur circa 2018, whilst ditto for China agz USA as early as 2011-2014. "WAR NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" AGZ AMERICA. *Yesterday - RUSS OFFICIOS CLAIMED RUSS MAY RETALIATE SYMMETRICALLY OR ASYMMETRICALLY, to US GMD in Easter Euro [and by extens Space Weaponization]. IMO the Russ warning yesterday was inclusive of Russ resort to force of arms.
China's showcase hydro-engineering project, the Three Gorges Dam, could become an environmental catastrophe unless remedial action is taken, the state media reported yesterday.
In an unusually blunt public assessment, officials warned that landslides and pollution were among the "hidden dangers" facing the world's biggest hydro-electric plant.
The alarmist reports, carried by the Xinhua news agency and the People's Daily website, were in stark contrast to the congratulatory tone of most previous domestic coverage of the project, which was planned for flood control along the Yangtze and for lessening China's dependence on power driven by coal.
When the last of 16m tonnes of concrete was poured into the vast barrier a year ago the project was hailed as a triumph of Chinese engineering. But the problems caused by the 1.4-mile long blockage are becoming increasingly clear. "There are many new and old hidden ecological and environmental dangers concerning the Three Gorges Dam," the Xinhua report quoted officials as saying. "If preventive measures are not taken the project could lead to a catastrophe."
Not to mention what would happen if it was hit by a few Taiwanese missiles.
Upstream water quality has deteriorated because the flow is now too slow to flush pollution out of the river system. Li Chunming, the vice-governor of Hubei, reportedly said that tributaries were being affected by more frequent outbreaks of algae.
According to Xinhua, the rising volume of water in the reservoir behind the dam has eroded river banks along 91 stretches of the Yangtze, triggering landslides. The sudden collapses of tranches of soil into the water has created waves that have been up to 50 metres (164ft) high, the agency said. "Regular geological disasters are a severe threat to the lives of residents around the dam," Huang Xuebin, an engineer, told a meeting of officials.
In recent years the government has closed or moved 1,500 factories, built more than 70 waste treatment plants and spent 12 billion yuan (about £800m) on efforts to stabilise the transformed geology of the area. But the latest reports suggest these steps are insufficient.
The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, raised these issues in the state council this year. His senior advisers have warned that the problems are as yet far from solved.
"We cannot lower our guard against ecological and environmental problems caused by the Three Gorges project," Wang Xiaofeng, director in charge of building the dam, was quoted as saying. "We cannot win by achieving economic prosperity at the cost of the environment."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"We cannot win by achieving economic prosperity at the cost of the environment."
Such concerns have never worried them before and this statement rings especially false in light of how China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the entire world.
#2
ION, WAFF.com > Chicom General warns that in case of war with America, China can successfully hack into and disable the entire US power grid before the onset of any Chinese [missle]attack agz the USA.
#3
ALso as CHINA > WFORUM Poster > in any US-China war in the Pacific, claims PLA WILL PRE-EMPTIVELY STRIKE US CARRIERS WITH LR MISSLES AT CARRIER(S)' LAST KNOWN REAl-TIME LOCATION IN REGION, and regardless iff still in US mainland Ports. China will strike first.
* NEWS > NEW SOVIET WW3 ATTACK PLANS DISCOVERED. SOviets desired to use up to 131 nukes in attack. Czech forces to do First-Strike ops, Russ forces will conduct Second/Third-Strike. READ, EAST EUROS=WARPAC GET THE INITIAL HIGH RADIATION DOSAGES = POISONING, RUSS GETS THE LEAST. Can also be interpreted - NATO + EAST EUROS ALL DIE, SOVS-RUSS GETS EVERYTHING. Sounds like NORTH KOREA vv China???
#5
LUCIANNE/FREEREPUBLIC/OTHER > Vertical Pipes embedded in ocean floor will stimulate algae growths and ultimately help against global warming. Want to test-bed on a tropical island - D *** NGED CARS PLUS COMMERCIALS STRIKE AGAIN!
#6
Next thing, the Dam will be doing a hostage video for the Flyash Liberation Army
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/27/2007 7:18 Comments ||
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#7
The sudden collapses of tranches of soil into the water has created waves that have been up to 50 metres (164ft) high, the agency said.
Surf's up, dude!
Posted by: Jeff Spicoli ||
09/27/2007 7:46 Comments ||
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#8
Why do I get the feeling that instead of a technological marvel, the damn will end up being a engineering disaster?
Oh yea. Cheap labor and corrupt officials. Get what you pay for.
#13
All this pales in comparison to if (when?) the dam fails catastrophically.
"When", not "if", Spot. The only question is whether its breaching will be an accidental or induced failure mode.
AlanC, I'll certainly grant you that this is the iceberg's tip of environmental damage in China. The Middle Kingdom may well outdo Soviet Russia for irreversible ecological destruction. Due to China's intensely concentrated population, the resulting death toll will certainly be much higher.
#14
If you build a dam properly you can open the floodgates and drain it, not quickly but still.
It's so Communist that when the world is talking about smaller less damaging dams the PRC builds a giant honking one. Idiots. You would think their military alone would have clued them in on how big a target this is.
#15
You right Frank. The F.L.A. is just waiting for the first sign of weakness to show.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
09/27/2007 14:33 Comments ||
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#16
One has to wonder, why the sudden turn-about? If this is a gov't agency doing the reporting, it must have gotten the official go-ahead. What does the gov't seek to achieve? It would be much more in character for them (or any gov't in a similar situation) to pretend everything was just ticky-boo.
Posted by: Harry Snoluting3003 ||
09/27/2007 15:57 Comments ||
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#17
Harry, this was the point of my post.
The only two options I can come up with are:
1) China has made a huge turn away from the dark side. (If you believe that you'll be interested in my ocean front property near Omaha)
2) There is something very, very wrong and they're trying to let facts trickle out to defuse the situation. (My bet) We have to watch this and see how it develops over time.
Actually I don't expect the dam to fall down. In my reading of the article I think that there are a whole S***load (literally) of unexpected consequences to building it.
All of the landslides, moving 1500!! factories, wasste treatment plants, etc.
I'm thinking that the whole drainage area above the dam is in danger of toxic pollution and massive geologic instability. The latter might even be susceptible to a domino effect.
#23
From what I understand, one of the problems is all the silt collecting right at the dam. Over time, it will probably clog the turbine generators, which was one of the major factors in building the dam in the first place. I'm sure that there is a solution - occasional dredging if nothing else, but you would think they would have thought of that ahead of time.
Also, as the water level rises behind the dam, it is flooding archaeological sites, before they can be excavated and studied. Not to mention the thousands (millions?) of people displaced by the rising water.
. . . At one point last night -- was it during the discussion of Social Security? -- one of the candidates referred to the unreality of the talkathon, but bankruptcy seemed to me the more appropriate metaphor. Senator Gravel found a way to salute himelf for his personal and business bankruptcies:
Well, first off, if you want to make a judgment of who can be the greediest people in the world when they get to public office, you can just look at the people up here, Gravel said in a nod to his fellow candidates.
Now, you say the condo business, he continued. I will tell you, Donald Trump has been bankrupt 100 times. So I went bankrupt once in business. And the other who did I bankrupt? I stuck the credit card companies with $90,000 worth of bills, and they deserved it "They were stupid enough to loan money to me!"
They deserved it, Gravel repeated, and I used the money to finance the empowerment of the American people with a national initiative.
Gravels answer was unprecedented in the history of these debates, and, if nothing else, it seemed guaranteed to win him at least a share of the insolvent vote, even among those who have stuck credit card companies for debts far more prosaic than empowering the American people with national initiatives.
But York misses Gravel's magnanimity. He went bankrupt for us! It seemed to me an emblematic moment.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/27/2007 12:17 ||
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#4
And he used to be my (Alaska's) senator years ago. [sigh] All the good people are busy workin' and good and productive jobs; the bottom of the barrel types go into national politics [sigh, again].
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/27/2007 17:43 Comments ||
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#5
ANTIWAR.org > DANIEL ELLSBERG ["Pentagon Papers" controversy] > A COUP HAS OCCURRED [in America]. The US Constitution and ordinary civil liberties at risk of PCorrect, legalist-technicalist destruction.
The White House reached out to National Public Radio over the weekend, offering analyst Juan Williams a presidential interview to mark yesterday's 50th anniversary of school desegregation in Little Rock. But NPR turned down the interview, and Williams's talk with Bush wound up in a very different media venue: Fox News.
Williams said yesterday he was "stunned" by NPR's decision. "It makes no sense to me. President Bush has never given an interview in which he focused on race. . . . I was stunned by the decision to turn their backs on him and to turn their backs on me."
Ellen Weiss, NPR's vice president for news, said she "felt strongly" that "the White House shouldn't be selecting the person." She said NPR told Bush's press secretary, Dana Perino, that "we're grateful for the opportunity to talk to the president but we wanted to determine who did the interview." When the White House said the offer could not be transferred to one of NPR's program hosts, Weiss took a pass.
Perino said she called Williams with the offer Saturday because of the Little Rock anniversary and the racial controversy over charges of excessive prosecution in Jena, La. "We thought this would be a good opportunity for the president to sit down with someone and have a broader conversation about race relations," Perino said. "The president has talked with Juan before and we know him well. He's active in trying to keep good relations with us. . . . We could have done a print interview, but I felt I wanted people to hear the president's voice."
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/27/2007 11:50 ||
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#1
npr wanted an impartial reporter like Bill Moyers.
Whoever could possibly have guessed they'd think of this: taxes are the cure for climate change!! An additional 50 cent/gallon gasoline tax. A $50/ton "carbon tax" on coal. Twiddling around with homeowner-related taxes. "It's only fair", says Rep. John Dingell.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/27/2007 07:14 ||
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#1
Being from metro Detroit, Dingell may be proposing these things as a way of protesting the plans to raise CAFE and other burdens on the Big 3. He has done that before.
That said, has there been any serious discussion on the benefits of not fighting climate change, but adapting to it? There will be winners and losers. I imagine that the northern states will see less severe winters. I can get behind that.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
09/27/2007 7:55 Comments ||
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#5
Yes, on jet fuel too: "A 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline and jet fuel, phased in over five years, on top of existing taxes."
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/27/2007 8:26 Comments ||
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#6
I assume this tax would not be imposed on jet fuel.
Naturally. Instead it'll be an "environmental charge" imposed on airline tickets. That way the private jets can fly at will, while the rest of us will have to pony up an extra $100 a flight. It'll also be spun as "punishing the airlines" for their "obscene profits".
Can't let the peasants get above their stations.
Hell, I'm surprised they have come up with a way to link certain fabrics (or dyes) to "climate change", in order to reinstate sumptuary laws.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/27/2007 8:27 Comments ||
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#7
I assume this tax would not be imposed on jet fuel.
My guess is that you would get a tax break if you buy Carbon Credits from yourself and then pay yourself a huge salary.
#13
phil_b, if they raise taxes, the only thging they'll spend it on is their own re-election. The whole point of democrats with money is to syphon off a percent or two for their own personal use. After all, they are the party of corruption.
#14
"And the Senate is considering a market-based system that would set an economy-wide ceiling on the amount of carbon dioxide that would be allowed to be released."
Translation: Some egghead is trying to explain the system to Babs Boxer in simple sound bytes so she can pretend to understand.
wx - I disagree. The Dumbs have no monopoly on corruption. Pretty much anybody in that cesspool gets corrupted, sooner or later. Power corrupts - and they all have plenty of power over us.
#17
Ima hate thisn early dark shit. I got a pretty good idea that EDS is caused by bad time making. Hell, in most of the world things are getting better, I blame Bush and the US Naval Opserveraitory.
#18
As said long ago, OWG-SWO > inevitably bring up the topic of REGIONAL-GLOBAL TAXATION ISSUES to support said OWG > BIG- OR HYPER-GOVT PARTY/RULING ELITES WILL HAVE MATERIALISM, EVERYONE ELSE WILL RIDE CAMELS + KITES, ETC. *TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY > "D *** NG IT, BOYZ, GET A HOSS [Horse]"! Explains the weirdo designs of future generations.
#19
Dem Plan: Use Taxes to Fight Climate Change bankrupt the average American while raking in more dough to get themselves reelected over and over again
There - fixed.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/27/2007 21:24 Comments ||
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Joint Chiefs Chairman Pace Causes Stir at Senate Hearing Over Homosexual Remarks
WASHINGTON Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a Senate hearing Wednesday when he said he believes homosexual activity is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. Pace, who retires next week, said he was seeking to clarify similar remarks he made in spring, which he said were misreported. "Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," he told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing focused on the Pentagon's 2008 war spending request.
"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," he added. "And that was very simply that we should respect those who want to serve the nation, but not through the law of the land condone activity in my upbringing is counter to God's law."
Anti-war protesters sitting behind Pace jeered the four-star general's remarks, prompting Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., to abruptly adjourn the hearing and seal off the doors.
"We'll do the jeering around here!" Sen. Byrd stated as he cleared the room.
The hearing resumed about five minutes later in which Pace said he would be supportive of efforts to revisit the Pentagon's policy so long as it didn't violate his belief that sex should be restricted to a married heterosexual couple.
"I would be very willing and able and supportive" to changes to the policy "to continue to allow the homosexual community to contribute to the nation without condoning what I believe to be activity whether it to be heterosexual or homosexual that in my upbringing is not right," Pace said.
Pace's lengthy answer on gays was prodded by Sen. Tom Harkin, who said he found Pace's previous remarks as "very hurtful" and "very demoralizing" to homosexuals serving in the military.
In March, the Chicago Tribune reported that Pace said in a wide-ranging interview: "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way."
Harkin, D-Iowa, said he wanted to give Pace a chance to amend his remarks in light of his retirement. "It's a matter of leadership, and we have to be careful what we say," Harkin said.
Pace noted that the U.S. Military Code of Justice prohibits homosexual activity as well as adultery. Harkin said, "Well, maybe we should change that."
Because why would either harm military discipline or unit cohesion, right Tom?
when i first entered active duty, homo activity was illegal;
then slick willie went and made it optional with his 'don't ask, don't tell;
so i got out before it became mandatory.
NEW DELHI: As part of the counter-measures against the Chinese build-up of military infrastructure in the Tibet Autonomous Region and south China, India will progressively base squadrons of its most potent fighter Sukhoi-30MKIs in the eastern sector from 2008-2009 onwards.
"The first two squadrons, with 36 fighters, will be based at Tezpur airbase. The MiG-21s at Tezpur were phased out earlier this month. Now, the runway at the airbase will undergo a renovation, coupled with an infrastructure upgrade to house the Sukhois," said an IAF officer. The move is significant since the multi-role Sukhoi 'air dominance' fighters, which have a cruising speed of 3,200 km, can strike targets deep inside China after taking off from Tezpur.
"Sukhois, which carry almost eight tonnes of armaments, have immense strategic capabilities. Moreover, with air-to-air refuelling by IL-78 tankers, their radius of operations can be further enhanced to around 8,000 km," said the officer.
The Sukhois and the 3,500-km-plus nuclear-capable Agni-III missile, which will be ready for operational deployment by 2010, constitute a crucial part of the "affordable deterrence" posture against China. In addition to Tezpur, IAF is also in the process of upgrading its other airbases in the eastern sector, apart from augmenting its network of ADDCs (air defence directional centres) and JADCs (joint air defence centres).
Incidentally, the People's Liberation Army (Air Force) has established at least four airbases in Tibet and three in south China to mount operations against India. But since these bases are located at an average height of 10,000 feet, the weapon-carrying load of Chinese fighters is somewhat restricted.
India, on its part, has so far based its Sukhois only at Pune and Bareilly, though they have operated from as diverse places as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Halwara. But now, the IAF is earmarking important airbases to position future Sukhoi squadrons to keep pace with fresh deliveries from Russia and the ongoing indigenous production. India is on course to acquire 40 more Sukhois from Russia in a $1.6-billion deal, apart from the 190 such fighters already contracted, as reported earlier.
Faced with a depletion in fighter squadron strength, the government has also directed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to finish the manufacture of the 140 Sukhois (of the initial 190) by 2013-2014, instead of the originally scheduled 2017-2018.
Posted by: john frum ||
09/27/2007 18:46 ||
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Two F-15 Eagles (second row of V formation) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, fly with two Indian air force SU-30K Flankers (rear) and two Mirage 2000 aircraft during Cope India '04
An IL-78 MKI Refuelling Tanker with two Su-30 MKI fighters
Posted by: john frum ||
09/27/2007 18:59 Comments ||
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#2
Umm.... scare the hell out of the world with a nice picture of C-135s feeding fuel to the IAF.
KATHMANDU - Nepals embattled King Gyanendra lost his biggest hope for survival Wednesday after the countrys oldest and largest political party formally dropped its support for the monarchy in favour of federal republic. The move came a day after it united with its splinter group - Nepali Congress Democratic - in a move widely seen as an election strategy ahead on the polls in November.
We cannot give any more room for the king as the country moves towards a new era, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who is also the partys president told reporters. He said the partys decision was in line with the wishes of the people.
Nepali Congress had been in favour of monarchy ever since its formation 58 years ago. Nepali Congress was the latest party to drop its support for the king who is seen as being deeply unpopular since he took control of absolute power in February 2005.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Corruption is rampant in Pakistan and it has rated at No 138 out of the 180 countries analysed by a respected anti-graft watchdog in a report released on Wednesday.
Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) said in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index covering 180 countries that some of the worlds poorest nations were seen as having the most dishonest political and business elites. The report showed that
Pakistan is tied at No 138 with Ethiopia, Paraguay, Cameroon and Syria with a corruption rating of 2.4, equating to rampant corruption.
Pakistan, which is tied at No 138 with Ethiopia, Paraguay, Cameroon and Syria with a corruption rating of 2.4, has rampant corruption.
The index score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts. It ranges between zero, which is highly corrupt, and 10, which is very clean. However, the group said that even countries believed to be the least corrupt named this year as Denmark, Finland and New Zealand needed to do more to combat corporate graft.
Corruption drain: Despite some gains, corruption remains an enormous drain on resources sorely needed for education, health and infrastructure, said TI Chairwoman Huguette Labelle, in a statement. It noted significant improvement among African countries such as Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, which the organisation said highlighted that political will and reform can root out sleaze.
Iraq, Somalia top list: According to the report, the corruption in war-ravaged countries such as Iraq and Somalia is hobbling their recovery efforts. Countries torn apart by conflict pay a huge toll in their capacity to govern, Labelle said. Low-scoring countries need to take these results seriously and act now to strengthen accountability in public institutions. But action from top-scoring countries is just as important, particularly in cracking down on corrupt activity in the private sector, she added.
TI also continued to find a strong link between poverty and graft with 40 percent of the countries scoring below three this year indicating that corruption is considered to be rampant classified by the World Bank as low-income states.
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09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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Israel is among the 30 least corrupt countries in the world, according to the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index report, released Wednesday. The report is based on the degree to which corruption is perceived among public officials and politicians.
According to the report - which gives Israel a score of 6.1, when 1 is the score given to the most corrupt country and 10 the least - 150 countries are more corrupt than the Jewish state. The rank is an improvement of four places and the score given to Israel increased by a fifth of a point since the 2006 report.
The report ranks Myanmar and Somalia as the world's most corrupt - adding pressure to the Southeast Asian country's military regime as it faces the biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades. Myanmar, also known as Burma, and Somalia received the lowest score of 1.4 out of 10. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand were ranked the least corrupt - each scoring 9.4.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
SIMPSONS > "OLD GUY" Character - "150! You better believe they need a paddlin'".
#2
For your enjoyment, I have extracted a visual aid and list from Transparency International that illustrates Israel's relative position within the global andespeciallythe Middle East. The following list has been highlighted in order to more easily visualize how endemic corruption is in Muslim majority countries.
Nations that sponsor terrorism are shown in bolded red case.
Nations of interest for comparison's sake are shown in bolded case.
The following map makes clear just how severe the issue of corruption is around this entire world. Please note how the list shows that only the United Arab Emirates (#31) and Qatar (#32) rank above Israel in terms of lower corruption indicies. This standing is somewhat mitigated by how their scores rely upon only five surveys as opposed to the seven that were used to profile Israel.
It is more than a little telling that Saudi Arabia is ranked with typically hyper-corrupt nations like Mexico and China. Of little surprise is cellar-dweller Pakistan at position #142. Nor is it a shock to see such major terrorism players as Iran at #105 and Indonesia at #130 out of a scale of 163 total positions. As an aside, note how Russia is ranked at a dismal #121, bracketing it firmly among other major sponsors of terrorism. Again, no sort of surprise there, either. Significant in its absence, the Palestinian Authority ranked as #107 our of 158 total positions in the 2005 Transparency International list. For comparison's sake, Russiain 2005was #126.
Terrorism and corruption go hand-in-hand. I would even more strongly maintain that Islam and corruption are inseparably wed to each other. Shari'a law breeds up totalitarianism of the worst and absolutely most venal sort. Pour in untold billions of petro-dollars and it is a recipe for disaster.
Anyone who is concerned over America's place at #20 should remind themselve of how a disproportionate amount of this world's wealth is concentrated on our shores. Thisin and of itselfis an invitation to corruption. More than anything, please note how America is one of the largest and least corrupt nations on earth. Especially disturbing is how the vast majority of this planet is submerged in devastating levels of corruption.
Again, I will state that targetted assassinations of Islam's clerical, academic and financial aristocracy would go a long way towards abating global corruption and terrorism alike. Such a campaign cannot begin too soon.
Rank Country 2006 CPI Score
1 Finland 9.6
1 Iceland 9.6
1 New Zealand 9.6
4 Denmark 9.5
5 Singapore 9.4
6 Sweden 9.2
7 Switzerland 9.1
8 Norway 8.8
9 Australia 8.7
9 Netherlands 8.7
11 Austria 8.6
11 Luxembourg 8.6
11 United Kingdom 8.6
14 Canada 8.5
15 Hong Kong 8.3
16 Germany 8.0
17 Japan 7.6
18 France 7.4
18 Ireland 7.4
20 Belgium 7.3
20 Chile 7.3 20 USA 7.3 8
23 Spain 6.8 7
24 Barbados 6.7
24 Estonia 6.7
26 Macao 6.6
26 Portugal 6.6
28 Malta 6.4
28 Slovenia 6.4
28 Uruguay 6.4 31 United Arab Emirates 6.2
32 Bhutan 6.0 32 Qatar 6.0 34 Israel 5.9 34 Taiwan 5.9 36 Bahrain 5.7
37 Botswana 5.6
37 Cyprus 5.6 39 Oman 5.4 40 Jordan 5.3
41 Hungary 5.2
42 Mauritius 5.1 42 South Korea 5.1 44 Malaysia 5.0
45 Italy 4.9
46 Czech Republic 4.8 46 Kuwait 4.8
46 Lithuania 4.8
49 Latvia 4.7
49 Slovakia 4.7
51 South Africa 4.6
51 Tunisia 4.6
53 Dominica 4.5
54 Greece 4.4
55 Costa Rica 4.1
55 Namibia 4.1
57 Bulgaria 4.0
57 El Salvador 4.0
59 Colombia 3.9
60 Turkey 3.8
61 Jamaica 3.7
61 Poland 3.7 63 Lebanon 3.6
63 Seychelles 3.6
63 Thailand 3.6
66 Belize 3.5
66 Cuba 3.5
66 Grenada 3.5
69 Croatia 3.4
70 Brazil 3.3 70 China 3.3 70 Egypt 3.3
70 Ghana 3.3 70 India 3.3 70 Mexico 3.3
70 Peru 3.3 70 Saudi Arabia 3.3
70 Senegal 3.3
79 Burkina Faso 3.2
79 Lesotho 3.2
79 Moldova 3.2
79 Morocco 3.2
79 Trinidad and Tobago 3.2
84 Algeria 3.1
84 Madagascar 3.1
84 Mauritania 3.1
84 Panama 3.1
84 Romania 3.1
84 Sri Lanka 3.1
90 Gabon 3.0
90 Serbia 3.0
90 Suriname 3.0
93 Argentina 2.9
93 Armenia 2.9
93 Bosnia and Herzgegovina 2.9
93 Eritrea 2.9 93 Syria 2.9
93 Tanzania 2.9
99 Dominican Republic 2.8
99 Georgia 2.8
99 Mali 2.8
99 Mongolia 2.8
99 Mozambique 2.8
99 Ukraine 2.8
105 Bolivia 2.7 105 Iran 2.7 105 Libya 2.7
105 Macedonia 2.7
105 Malawi 2.7
105 Uganda 2.7
111 Albania 2.6
111 Guatemala 2.6
111 Kazakhstan 2.6
111 Laos 2.6
111 Nicaragua 2.6
111 Paraguay 2.6
111 Timor-Leste 2.6
111 Viet Nam 2.6 111 Yemen 2.6
111 Zambia 2.6
121 Benin 2.5
121 Gambia 2.5
121 Guyana 2.5
121 Honduras 2.5
121 Nepal 2.5
121 Phillipines 2.5 121 Russia 2.5
121 Rwanda 2.5
121 Swaziland 2.5
130 Azerbaijan 2.4
130 Burundi 2.4
130 Central African Republic 2.4
130 Ethiopia 2.4 130 Indonesia 2.4
130 Papua New Guinea 2.4
130 Togo 2.4
130 Zimbabwe 2.4
138 Cameroon 2.3
138 Ecuador 2.3
138 Niger 2.3 138 Venezuela 2.3
142 Angola 2.2
142 Congo, Republic 2.2
142 Kenya 2.2 7 2.0
142 Kyrgyzstan 2.2
142 Nigeria 2.2 142 Pakistan 2.2
142 Sierra Leone 2.2
142 Tajikistan 2.2
142 Turkmenistan 2.2
151 Belarus 2.1
151 Cambodia 2.1
151 Côte d´Ivoire 2.1
151 Equatorial Guinea 2.1
151 Uzbekistan 2.1 156 Bangladesh 2.0
156 Chad 2.0
156 Congo, Democratic Republic 2.0
156 Sudan 2.0
160 Guinea 1.9
160 Iraq 1.9
160 Myanmar 1.9
163 Haiti 1.8
#5
I'm told Islam is also inseparably wed to transfats in fast food, offshore manufacturing, dental caries and ring around the collar.
Because we all know that those are sooo much worse than living under true corruption where you can be locked away, tortured and murdered on the whim of tyrants.
#6
Could somebody rescore the US and Massachusetts separately? I think they are dragging us down. It might make Russia look better as well.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/27/2007 7:56 Comments ||
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#7
Correlation isn't causation. Hard to tell from that list whether the reported corruption is due to Islam or to tribal culture combined with degree of modernization in the economies.
No doubt but that Israel is far less corrupt than many countries, tho.
#11
In other words. Another Bullshit report based on perceptions rather then facts.
DepotGuy, permit me to suggest that data regarding bribery is pretty closely held by corporate and government officials alike. Digging out this information is hardly an easy task. If you examine the 2002 BPI (Bribe Payers Index), you'll find little to no America bashing and, instead, some pretty straight-forward reporting on international bribery.
[emphasis added]
14 May 2002 --- Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption organisation, today released its Bribe Payers Index (BPI) 2002, showing very high levels of bribery in developing countries by corporations from Russia, China, Taiwan and South Korea, as well as numerous leading industrial nations, all of which now have laws making corrupt payments to foreign officials a crime. The laws are not being properly enforced. Our new survey leaves no doubt that large numbers of multinational corporations from the richest nations are pursuing a criminal course to win contracts in the leading emerging market economies of the world, said TI Chairman Peter Eigen.
Speaking in Paris today, on the eve of this years Ministerial meeting of OECD member countries, Eigen added: Politicians and public officials from the worlds leading industrial countries are ignoring the rot in their own backyards and the criminal bribe-paying activities of multinational firms headquartered in their countries, while increasingly focusing on the high level of corruption in developing countries. The governments of the richest nations continue to fail to recognise the rampant undermining of fair global trade by bribe-paying multinational enterprises.
He said: The meeting in the coming days of ministers at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and then the G8 Summit provide the leaders of the industrial world with an opportunity to confront this critical situation.1
The TI Chairman stressed that todays BPI shows that companies from Russia and China, which are increasingly exporting to other emerging market countries, are using bribes on an exceptional and intolerable scale. The extent to which companies from Taiwan and South Korea use bribes abroad is only marginally less. The authorities of all of these countries need to do more to prevent bribery by their firms abroad.
TIs BPI is based on surveys conducted in 15 emerging market economies by Gallup International Association.
The BPI shows that US multinational corporations, which have faced the risk of criminal prosecution since 1977 under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, have a high propensity to pay bribes to foreign government officials. The US score of 5.3 out of a best possible clean 10 is matched by Japanese companies and is worse than the scores for corporations from France, Spain, Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The highest scores, indicating the lowest propensity to bribe abroad, were for companies from Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The TI Bribe Payers survey is the most comprehensive set of opinion polls on perceptions of the sources of corruption that has ever been undertaken and expands on the first TI BPI in 1999. Todays results provide detailed reports on the propensity of multinational corporations to bribe; the business sectors most contaminated by bribery; the extent to which executives of major corporations overseas are even aware of the landmark OECD Anti-Bribery Convention that outlawed bribery of foreign public officials; the degree to which these firms are enforcing compliance with the Convention; and perceptions of unfair business practices apart from bribery used by firms to gain contracts.
The BPI was conducted in 15 emerging market economies: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand, which are among the very largest such countries involved in trade and investment with multinational firms. A total of 835 interviews were carried out between December 2001 and March 2002, principally with senior executives of domestic and foreign companies, but also with executives at chartered accountancies, binational chambers of commerce, national and foreign commercial banks and commercial law firms. The survey questions related to perceptions about multinational firms from 21 countries.
The results reflect the views of expert business leaders, who are best positioned to have significant insights into issues of grand corruption and the bribery of government officials in developing countries, said TI Head of Research Fredrik Galtung.
#12
Or you could say that America is the most corrupt member of the Anglosphere. How did that happen?
Someone else can crunch the numbers but I'd wager that America's GDP is as large or bigger than the Anglosphere's combined GDP. With the gazillions of dollars flowing through this country, there simply are more opportunities for corruption.
Make no mistakeas many people frequently doin thinking that capitalism is inherently corrupt. Nothing is farther from the truth. It's just that there're far more opportunities for bad players to get into the game. Especially so for the extensive history of export and large-scale overseas development that America engages in. The BPI report above rather fairly notes that America has had anti-bribery laws on the books since 1977.
Combine that with our own greater degree of legal transparencythe Freedom of Information Act springs to mindand it becomes likely that America may well have some of the better tools for internally reporting and exposing such activities. This would inadvertently work against our own favor in such reporting.
I welcome any proper refutation of these assertions. They are not researched facts but I'll still stand by them at present.
#15
Zen is right that the the size of the pool will determine the number of folks that want to go swimming.
This is one of the reasons for increasing corruption in DC. The more power / money that moves under the Federal Gov't. the bigger the rewards that make it worth the risk.
#16
I would like to see Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and California removed from the calculations. Maybe consider removing the blue states too. Interesting to note that Venezuela and Hugo's communist wet dream falls in at 138.
#17
I would like to see Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and California removed from the calculations.
Do so and America's GDP numbers might shrink significantly, considering that California is the most populous and wealthy state in the Union. Currently, it ranks as the tenth global economy in terms of GDP and has previously been at the number eight slot. I'm obliged to wonder how many red states survive exclusively upon California's largesse.
#18
The data clearly indicate that the US is the most corrupt nation in the developed world with the exceptions of Italy and Greece.
For the top 20 nations, the coefficient of correlation of GDP and CPI is -0.47, statistically undermining an argument for which there is little logical appeal that our size contributes to our corruption.
Instead, I suspect that our federal system and heterogeneity contribute to our higher levels of corruption.
The higher in the federal hierarchy one goes, the less likely one is to find corruption, although any specific instance of corruption discovered is likely to be greater. This is true because bigger numbers are involved so there is greater scrutiny from political opponents who are more powerful, the media, and transparencies such as FOIA.
I also suspect that the people working for the federal government are better on just about every dimension than the people working for the state who are better than the people working for the county who are better than the people working for the municipalities.
Think about locating a plant in the US. What is the chance the Feds ask for a bribe? (And what will they be bribed for?) What are the chances the (red/blue) state economic development people offer you a better tax deferral deal if you put a little money in their pockets? And what are the chances the virtually uncontested local zoning board will shake you down for every variance they grant?
Our heterogeneity is also a source of heightened corruption. As each succeeding immigrant group seizes the reins of power in a municipality, it is time for them to get their piece of the pie through a variety of corrupt practices from nepotism to outright bribery honed and honored by years of practice by predecessors. It's the American Way. And it's how places like Meigs Field are put to their highest and best use.
Prove it? This is a subject about which it is difficult to prove anything, particularly as more and more normal transactions are made illegal.
You'd think IowaAmerica's largest corn growerwould be first in line. I'll still take California any day. The combination of economic opportunity, cultural diversity, agricultural abundance, incredible scenic beauty, fabulous Mediterranean climate, outstanding aquaculture, world-class dining establishments, superb universities, excellent museums and an exceptional freeway system make California one of the most desirable places to live on this entire planet.
#23
Cheaderhead, New Orleans has a relatively high Haitian population - not quite Miami, but working on it, and they've been here a lot longer. We have adopted the Haitian model for corruption.
#24
Our [US] heterogeneity is also a source of heightened corruption
I think there may be something to this. I have a feeling that the bell curve of corruption is quite wide in this country (from very corrupt to very uncorruptable) -- more so than in many others. The distribution may even be bimodal. So it may be that a set of subgroups within our culture as a whole are "skewing the curve" so to speak.
#25
Currently, it ranks as the tenth global economy in terms of GDP and has previously been at the number eight slot. I'm obliged to wonder how many red states survive exclusively upon California's largesse.
And what mask would that be, HalfEmpty? Do you deny that California's contribution to the federal budget supports the equivalent of several rust belt states?
Myanmar security forces used batons, tear gas and live rounds Wednesday in a violent crackdown on mass protests against the military junta, killing at least four people including three Buddhist monks.
Up to 100,000 people defied heavy security to take to the streets of the main city Yangon, marching and shouting abuse at police despite blunt warnings from the ruling generals who are facing the most serious challenge to their rule in nearly two decades. Two of the monks were beaten to death while another was shot when he tried to wrestle a gun away from a soldier and the weapon discharged, two senior Myanmar officials told AFP.
They said the monks were killed near Yangons Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmars holiest site and a key rallying point for the clergy leading the nine days of protests which have spread across the Southeast Asian nation. A fourth man, who was not a monk, was shot dead, a hospital source said.
The UN Security Council was to meet in an emergency session in New York later Wednesday to discuss the spiralling crisis, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. After tolerating more than a week of protests, police opened fire and baton-charged protesters who had begun to gather at the Shwedagon Pagoda in the blazing noon sunshine.
Undeterred by the show of force, some 1,000 monks soon regrouped and paraded through the streets, to the delight of thousands of onlookers. They roared approval for the monks and shouted at security forces: You are fools! You are fools! Police and troops then fired a volley of warning shots and tear gas to try to break up the march.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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China has been quietly nurturing ties with democratic and ethnic groups at odds with Myanmars military government. China has been a steady friend of the generals, standing by them after they crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and then swept aside a 1990 election won by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. But behind the scenes in past months and even years China has held low-key meetings with minority ethnic and democratic opposition groups, said group representatives and a Western analyst. Zin Linn, a spokesman for the exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma in Thailand, said his organisation had met Chinese representatives in the past year or so. They didnt accept us officially or say they wanted to have formal relations, but I think they are trying to understand the situation and our views, he said of China.
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09/27/2007 00:00 ||
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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a UN Security Council meeting on Myanmar on Wednesday, vowing there would be no impunity for human rights violators in the country. I hope the Security Council will meet immediately, meet today, and discuss this issue and look at what can be done. The first thing that should be done is the UN envoy should be sent to Burma (Myanmar), Brown told reporters at a conference of Britains ruling Labour Party. There will be no impunity in future for those who trample the human rights of the people of Burma. I think everybody knows now that the whole issue of sanctions is going to take on a new dimension, he said. The European Union was going to look at a whole range of sanctions that could be imposed, he said.
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#1
Unless it means selling BAe product, stopping sailors smoking on television or if any of the junta turn up at Heathrow in which case it is subsidized housing and people-movers for everybody.
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.
A powerful undersea earthquake rattled western Indonesia on Wednesday, geological agencies said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The 6.4-magnitude quake was centered 130 kilometers southwest of Padang, a town on Sumatra island still recovering from a series of strong tremors that killed nearly two dozen people earlier this month, the US Geological Survey reported.
Bangladeshs anti-corruption agency filed charges Wednesday against the former prime ministers son, his wife and mother-in-law accusing them of acquiring their wealth illegally, an official said. 
China's showcase hydro-engineering project, the Three Gorges Dam, could become an environmental catastrophe unless remedial action is taken, the state media reported yesterday.
Now, you say the condo business, he continued. I will tell you, Donald Trump has been bankrupt 100 times. So I went bankrupt once in business. And the other who did I bankrupt? I stuck the credit card companies with $90,000 worth of bills, and they deserved it 
Joint Chiefs Chairman Pace Causes Stir at Senate Hearing Over Homosexual Remarks
