A gunman went on a rampage on the Pacific resort island of Saipan Friday, first at a shooting range and then at a World War II historical site, killing four people and wounding six others before fatally shooting himself, officials said.
The violence claimed the lives of two men, a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, all residents of the U.S. commonwealth, Public Safety spokesman Jason Tarkong said. Five South Korean tourists and a 4-year-old local girl were wounded.
Police said the attacker first took aim inside the shooting range in the community of Kannat Tabla, killing two men in their early 20s and the two children. A 4-year-old girl was critically injured with a gunshot wound to the chest.
About 11:30 a.m., shortly after the first attack, the suspect began firing a rifle from a white van at a group of South Koreans visiting a World War II historical spot in nearby Marpi. The South Koreans were wounded. Police said they do not believe the shooter was specifically targeting tourists in what Tarkong termed a "random drive-by shooting."
Authorities said the suspected shooter was a contract worker in his 30s or 40s from Asia, but did not provide his name or home country. However, several residents said the man was known as "Mr. Lee" and they believe he was from China.
The Pacific News Center identified the gunman as Lee Zhong Ren, an employee at the shooting range. The news station also reported that Lee left behind a suicide note that spoke of a business deal gone bad. Police would not immediately confirm the report.
Posted by: ed ||
11/20/2009 08:57 ||
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My youth was spent reading/fascinated/awed about those pesky Japanese Holdouts - surviving on nuts and berries and native plants - carefully washing their rags of uniforms - waiting for the Yamato to triumphantly arrive with news of final victory for the Empire...
Jeeze, I hope word doesn't get out of the US strategic human fat reserve.
Police say a gang in the Peruvian jungle has been killing people and draining fat from the corpses to sell on the black market for use in cosmetics, although medical experts say they doubt a major market for fat exists.
Three suspects confessed to killing five people, but the gang may have been involved in dozens more, said Col. Jorge Mejia, chief of Peru's anti-kidnapping police. He said one suspect claimed the gang wasn't the only one doing such killings.
Mejia said two of the suspects were arrested carrying bottles of liquid human fat and told police it was worth $60,000 a gallon ($15,000 a liter). News flash: Plastic surgeons now pay you for liposuction.
The fat was sold to intermediaries in Peru's capital, Lima, and police suspect it was then sold to cosmetic companies in Europe, Mejia said Thursday, but he could not confirm any sales. Hey baby, that beer gut is my retirement plan.
Posted by: ed ||
11/20/2009 08:50 ||
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At least the Peruvfian population is not starving - too many potatoes mebbe - but not starving.
#1
Filed under Lurid Crime Tales. Although it remains to be seen whether the 'lurid crime' is the hacking or the shenanigans at CRU the hacking reveals.
#2
For those not familiar with this the CRU has been keeping the data and code for their "global warming" calculations under wraps away from peer review. Apparently not so much under wraps now...
A Pennsylvania union leader has come under fire after threatening legal action against the city of Allentown for allowing a Boy Scout to voluntarily clear a walking path in a local park.
Nick Balzano, president of the Service Employees International Union's Allentown chapter, said last week that the union might file a grievance against the city for allowing 17-year-old Kevin Anderson to clear the hiking trail, instead of paying some of the 39 recently laid-off SEIU members to do the work.
Balzano's office did not return messages left by FoxNews.com, but the Morning Call quoted him as telling the city council that the union would be "looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails ... There's to be no volunteers."
SEIU spokesman Matt Nerzig called Balzano's comments "completely unauthorized and insensitive" and said the union was "not at all" considering a grievance in this case.
"Not sure if it was out of context or just a bad moment, but we've got no intention of doing anything like that," Nerzig told FoxNews.com. "Not sure where he got the idea but he certainly doesn't have the authority to do so."
Anderson, a member of Boy Scouts Troop 301 of Center Valley, spent more than 200 hours creating the 1000-foot path in Kimmets Lock Park along with fellow scouts, friends and parents.
The junior at Southern Lehigh High School said he took on the project in an effort to earn an Eagle Scout badge and allow others to walk along the river while avoiding the busy road nearby.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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SEIU, in bed with ACORN, a "community organizing" organization is going after a private, Christian group that reaches out and helps the community. Outdoors projects has always been encouraged by the Scouts. This is akin to Islamists going after Christians. God,s will is Love and Charity. Obama's thugs whose union boss is the most frequent visitor to the White House is evil in the simplist of terms.
Posted by: Boss Snomotle8280 ||
11/20/2009 7:06 Comments ||
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#2
The unions have become what was forewarned in the LOTR when the ring of power is taken and worn to destroy Sauron, one simply becomes Sauron in the process. Evil management overlords meet evil union overlords. Lord Palmerston - Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
#3
It has been said ... "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac". And, with Obambi in office, union thugs will try to flex their muscle/power any way they can.
The historian and moralist, who was otherwise known simply as Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
Another English politician with no shortage of names - William Pitt, the Elder, The Earl of Chatham and British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1778, is sometimes wrongly attributed as the source. He did say something similar, in a speech to the UK House of Lords in 1770:
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"
#8
SEIU spokesman Matt Nerzig called Balzano's comments "completely unauthorized and insensitive" and said the union was "not at all" considering a grievance in this case.
Could've been worse - like the kid being found hanging by his merit badge sash while 'pruning trees'...
#10
SEIU spokesman Matt Nerzig called Balzano's comments "completely unauthorized and insensitive"
Speaking of insensitive, how is that 130# diabetic and recovering leukemia patient doing after getting beaten up by SEIU thugs at the forum on aging? You remember, the one who viciously attacked some of SEIU's thugs who were there to protect us from his tea-party blasphemy.
Mendel Kaplan, a prominent leader of the South African Jewish community, died in South Africa on Thursday evening at the age of 73 after suffering a massive stroke on Tuesday.
He was a major figure in the world of Jewish organizations, especially renowned for promoting and mobilizing the issue of Soviet aliya after the fall of the Soviet Union.
"Mendel was the most well-known southern African Jewish philanthropist, and will be sadly missed both in Israel and abroad," said Maish Isaacson, chairman of Telfed.
Kaplan will be remembered as "a very committed Jew who continued to study Judaism until his last day," Alan Hoffman, director-general of the Jewish Agency's Education Department and a close friend of Kaplan's, told The Jerusalem Post.
"He was a great Jewish leader who managed to go beyond South Africa," said Hoffman, adding that Kaplan had been gifted with a unique ability to combine "an enormous commitment to Judaism and the Jewish people and the ability to solve problems and deal with global Jewish issues."
Hoffman, himself a director of Jewish education, stressed that Kaplan had championed Jewish education "before it was popular."
"Mendel was one of those who understood before anyone else that unless Jewish education is at the center of the agenda of the Jewish people, there won't be a Jewish people," he said. "It's a very sad day for the Jewish people."
Kaplan was a great Zionist who owned a house in Jerusalem's Yemin Moshe neighborhood and a house in Caesaria. He was an Israeli citizen, and the last official ceremony he attended in the context of a Jewish organization was a Kotel event in which South African olim received their Israeli identity cards.
Kaplan served as chairman of the board of the Jewish Agency from 1987-1995, chairman of Keren Hayesod's World Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1987, and honorary president of Keren Hayesod from 1995 until his death.
Kaplan was also chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation from 1995 to 1999, national chairman of the United Communal Fund of South Africa from 1974 to 1978, national chairman of the Israel United Appeal, South Africa from 1978 to 1987, and vice president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.
Born in South Africa in 1936, Kaplan matriculated at the Wynberg Boys' High, received his law degree from the University of Cape Town in 1958 and his MBA from Columbia University in 1960.
He was awarded honorary doctorates from UCT, Yeshiva University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
An industrialist, he ran a family business called Cape Gate, manufacturing steel, wire and wire products in Israel and abroad.
A billionaire and philanthropist, Kaplan made his fortune in the South African steel industry. He was known in the Jewish organizational world as a quiet donor to the poor who did not seek any publicity for his donations.
He also wrote several books, including From Shtetl to Steelmaking and Jewish Roots in the South African Economy.
A great lover of archaeology and one of the first funders of the City of David excavation, he was also involved in a large number of social projects in South Africa and in Israel.
Kaplan's death was not unexpected, said family members, some of whom were already on their way to South Africa at the time of his death. He is survived by Jill Lazar Kaplan and they have two daughters, two sons and grandchildren.
Since 1974, the Kaplan family has shared residences in Israel and South Africa.
Interior Designer Faking Disability Caught on Reality TV Show
LOS ANGELES -- California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show.
Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Hunt of Los Angeles was sentenced Tuesday to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay more than $180,000 in restitution, unpaid taxes and fines. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of fraud.
The state's Franchise Tax Board says Hunt falsely claimed he was disabled for three years and collected almost $150,000 in benefits, while earning about $400,000 in income as an interior designer.
An employee of the insurance company that was paying Hunt's benefits saw Hunt on a Home and Garden Television program and reported him to the state Department of Insurance.
#1
The state's Franchise Tax Board says Hunt falsely claimed he was disabled for three years and collected almost $150,000 in benefits, while earning about $400,000 in income as an interior designer.
$150,000 for three years disability? $50.000 a year for sitting on your butt wasn't enough, he felt he needed more? What a maroon!
#2
You have it backwards. Working and earning 400,000 wasn't enough so he also went for disability money that he clearly didn't need. This guy is a leach.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Hollywood's latest doomsday offering "2012" has caused a storm in Indonesia, with conservative clerics condemning it Thursday as a "provocation against Islam".
Screenings have been sold out across the capital Jakarta following the film's success in North America, where it beat Disney's "A Christmas Carol" to top the box office honors last weekend.
" For the common people, the portrayal of doomsday in this film could distort their faith, that's what I'm worried about "
Council chairman Amidhan
It looks likely to repeat its success in Indonesia, the Southeast Asian archipelago with the world's biggest Muslim population, judging by the queues at cinemas in its opening days this week.
But while most viewers said they had enjoyed the film's apocalyptic vision of life after December 21, 2012, when the fulfillment of a Mayan prophecy sees the Earth engulfed by catastrophe, senior clerics were deeply troubled.
The country's top Islamic body, the National Council of Ulema (MUI), is divided over whether or not to issue a fatwa or religious edict against the film. One local branch has already done so, to little apparent effect.
"The controversial things about the film are, first, in Islam doomsday should not be visualized or predicted, it's the secret of God," council chairman Amidhan told AFP.
"For the common people, the portrayal of doomsday in this film could distort their faith, that's what I'm worried about."
He also complained that the film showed mosques being destroyed but not churches, despite sequences depicting the Vatican collapsing and Rio de Janeiro's monumental Christ the Redeemer statue crumbling to pieces.
"The film shows that everything including Kaaba (Islam holiest shrine) and mosques were devastated except for churches. The film is a provocation against Islam," Amidhan said.
"The Indonesian film censorship body should have cut part of the scene on the devastation of mosques or the Kaaba because it hurts the Muslim people."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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WORLD NEWS/TOPIX > MUSLIM COUNTRIES CALL FOR [global?, UN-suppor] BLASPHEMY BAN.
#3
You know, such a ban could dstroy Islam,
the primary religions across the world (NOT MUZZIE) say "Do Not Kill".
The islamics violate this commandment daily, if the UN is Commanded to uphold Religious "Bans" Islamics will vanish like a snowball in a blast furnace.
Remember, "Be Careful What You Wish For".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2009 13:16 Comments ||
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#4
I thought mooselimbs weren't supposed to make graven images. So what are they doing going to the movies at all, much less movies about the final days?
#6
That's odd - wasn't there a recent news story saying the director has opted out of including the Kaaba in the destruction, in order to avoid a fatwa?
How much money do we send these clowns again?
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Women and minorities, especially those living in developing countries, are burdened with the impact of climate change, which is often overshadowed by targets and pledges made by world leaders, said a new report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched here on Wednesday. But the men get off scot-free
Aimed at highlighting the gap between the rich and poor and the inequities between women and men, the report, titled "The State of World Population 2009," links the relationship of population dynamics, reproductive health, and climate change in the face of unpredictable weather events. Bad weather kills people. Please send me money.
"Women and minorities in poor countries are among the hardest hit by climate change -- mainly because, they're more likely than men to live in poverty and therefore more likely to lack the resources to cope with the effects of climate change," said Editor Richard Kollodge at the launch of the report at the UN Headquarters in New York. Breaking news- poor people suffer more when bad things happen.
The report said that since women play a larger role in the agricultural work force, where in the case of drought or heavy rainfall, women are then left to fend even harder to obtain water, food and energy for their homes.
Therefore, they become more vulnerable, it said. Q.E.D.
#1
Given that spermatozoids die at 37C, thanks to Climate change women will be able to save gobs of moneys on the pill not to mention health problems derived from its use.
Protesters hurled stones and firebombs at police near the Algerian embassy in Cairo on Friday, wounding 11 officers as anger mounted over attacks on Egyptians after the countries' World Cup qualifier.
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11/20/2009 09:01 ||
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Americans prefer their mayhem on the football playing field performed by well paid professionals [do not attempt this at home].
[Al Arabiya Latest] Egypt recalled its ambassador from Algiers for consultations on Thursday after Egypt's soccer team lost to rivals Algeria in a playoff to reach the 2010 World Cup finals, accusing its fans of post-match thuggery in Sudan.
Logic is when the first country blames the second country for misbehaviour by the locals in a third country.
The move is the latest in a tit-for-tat spat between the North African countries about minor incidents of violence surrounding World Cup qualifiers on Saturday and Wednesday.
Egypt's state-run EGYNews website said Cairo was recalling its ambassador over violence against Egyptians after Wednesday's match that Egypt has blamed on Algerian fans.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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TEGUCIGALPA -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said Thursday he would legally contest November 29 elections because they were taking place before Congress decides if he can briefly return to power.
Zelaya also called for the polls to be postponed.
♪"I see the train a-coming
It's rolling down the track ..."♪♫
The Honduran Congress announced earlier this week that it would not consider whether Zelaya should be allowed to return to office, part of a US-brokered deal to end months of political crisis, until three days after the polls.
"As president of Honduras, I declare that in these conditions I will not support this process and I'll contest it legally," said Zelaya from the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital where he has been since September.
"The elections have to be postponed in order to make them legitimate," the former rancher said in a statement later.
Zelaya is barred from competing in the upcoming presidential poll in which his successor will be chosen. Even if he is reinstated by Congress he will have to step down on January 27 when his term naturally ends.
As tensions rose, with soldiers deploying across the country and Zelaya supporters planning protests, interim leader Roberto Micheletti called on the ousted president to avoid provoking bloodshed. "I ask (Zelaya) with all my heart to try to avoid a single drop of blood being spilled," said Micheletti.
Mel's going to have to make a decision: he can step aside peacefully or he can call for his final revolution. Problem for him is, the Honduran army knows exactly where he is.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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does he have standing when he's located on Brazilian (embassy) territory? Let him step out and get arrested
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/20/2009 10:16 Comments ||
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Note to Honduras, in the future when the regent is legaly deposed, shoot him.
That is all.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2009 12:45 Comments ||
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I don't believe either the Venezuelan or Brazilian Army is logistically capable of offering help. Th last army capable of such a long march was "The Army of Northen Virginia" with Bobby Lee atop "Traveler" at the head.
Congress in Honduras will not vote on whether to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya until after elections this month, a senior lawmaker said.
Heh. Or as TW would say, pwned.
Pttthhht to you, O Salmon One.
Congressional president Jose Alvedro Saavedra said Congress would meet in early December to decide if Mr Zelaya will be allowed to serve out his term.
Some regional states say they will not recognise the presidential poll unless Mr Zelaya is restored beforehand. He was ousted in June, but returned to Honduras in secret in September. Since then he has taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the capital, Tegucigalpa.
The US helped to broker a power-sharing deal between Mr Zelaya and interim President Roberto Micheletti, but the accord collapsed earlier this month.
Mr Zelaya warned last weekend that he would not return to the presidency if Congress voted to restore him after the elections. He said doing so would legitimise his removal from office in June.
His term of office is due to end in January.
As the feuding continued, senior US diplomat Craig Kelly arrived in Honduras on Tuesday to meet the two sides, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Tegucigalpa confirmed. It is Mr Kelly's second trip in less than a week to try to revive the deal.
Mr Zelaya was ousted after planning to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution. His critics said the move was unconstitutional and aimed to remove the current one-term limit on serving as president and pave the way for his possible re-election.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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The Russian President has dismissed a key aide for apparent abuse of office in a move that marks the first serious split within the Kremlin since Dmitri Medvedev succeeded Vladimir Putin.
Mikhail Lesin, a media adviser and former minister, is the most senior official to leave the Medvedev administration. In 2004 he was appointed a presidential adviser by Mr Putin who is now the Prime Minister but still considered the real power in the land and he was reappointed a week after Mr Medvedev took office in May last year.
In a terse, one-line statement announcing the departure, the Kremlin said that Mr Lesin had been relieved of his duties at his own request.
However, Interfax news agency quoted a source within the Government as saying that he had been fired because he disregarded the rules and ethical principles of civil service.
The source added that Mr Lesin, who has extensive media business interests, had engaged in abuse of office in resolving matters not connected with his official duties. The Vedomosti newspaper said that Mr Medvedev had ordered Mr Lesin to be dismissed over conflicts of interest.
In his annual address to parliament last week, Mr Medvedev condemned corruption as a social evil that threatened Russias future and he pledged to sack officials who abused public office.
At least the ones who aren't his toadies ...
Mr Lesin, 51, declined to comment on the reasons for his departure, saying that he was bound by certain commitments. He added: I have no moral right to depart from those commitments.
Analysts are waiting to see if this is an isolated decision or the start of a wider clear-out as Mr Medvedev seeks to flex his muscles and build his own Kremlin team to give him greater political independence from Mr Putin.
The President inherited almost his entire staff from Mr Putin and has made no significant changes after 18 months in office. Most Russians expect him to stand aside at the next election in 2012 to allow Mr Putin to return to the Kremlin, but his state of the nation address, calling for urgent economic and political reform, was seen as coded criticism of his mentor.
Mr Lesin was a trusted figure under Mr Putin. He was Press and Television Minister throughout Mr Putins first term as President, when the Kremlin took almost total control of Russias media. He was a presidential adviser throughout Mr Putins second term. In 2002, a Russian media research centre described Mr Lesin as the most influential personality of Russian television and radio.
He also served under the former President, Boris Yeltsin, first as the Kremlins public relations chief and later as the deputy head of Russian state television and radio. He founded one of Russias leading TV advertising agencies in 1990 and organised commercial deals for the KVN comedy talent show, one of the countrys most popular programmes.
Mr Lesin was credited with the idea of establishing the state-funded 24-hour English-language news channel Russia Today. He said at the launch of the service four years ago that Russia had to polish its international image or well always look like bears.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Lesin is part of the siloviki "clan", tied in with Igor Sechin.
There's speculation that this is all part of a "clan war" between Sechin and the technocrats who are aligned with his main rival, Vlad Surkov.
For now, Putin is backing the technocrats, because he has reportedly given priority to cleaning up the books in order to attract more FDI (and of course cut down on independent centers of power)
No telling how this will all turn out, but it's a safe bet someone will have an "accident" or "sudden illness" in the coming months.
The U.S. is facing a powerful challenge from China to its status as South Korea's preferred partner, the Financial Times said Thursday. "When George Bush senior visited Seoul as U.S. president 20 years ago, things were simple -- the U.S. was the undisputed main ally and trade partner. Astonishingly, there was only one weekly flight from South Korea to China, the communist foe."
But it added, U.S. President Barack Obama "on Wednesday visits a South Korea where the U.S. is no longer the only show in town. China is now the main trade partner, with 642 flights each week."
The U.S. remains the chief political and military ally of South Korea, but "vital issues such as a trade agreement and North Korea's atom bombs have been sidelined in the U.S., while China plays a greater role in both Koreas," the daily said.
It quoted Andrew Gilholm, a senior analyst at British international security consultancy Control Risks, as saying, "The long-term idea is that Seoul will ultimately drift more towards Beijing's orbit, although less so under President Lee Myung-bak."
With regard to North Korea, the U.S. is clearly behind China.
That's not encouraging.
Obama will send the special representative for North Korea policy Stephen Bosworth to Pyongyang on Dec. 8 for talks to find a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue. Bosworth is also a professor at Tufts University. The daily called him a "part-time diplomat," saying, "Diplomats in Seoul... are unconvinced that Mr. Obama's choice, Stephen Bosworth, is the right man for the job."
"By contrast, China has intervened at a far deeper level, sending its premier, Wen Jiabao, in October," to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to resume nuclear talks, it added.
With a nuclear threat from the North lingering, "even traditionally pro-American conservative lawmakers in Seoul are now criticizing the U.S. for limiting South Korean ballistic missiles [under the Seoul-Washington missile agreement]. They are demanding Seoul be allowed its own long-range missiles" to deter the North, the daily wrote.
Perhaps the SKors should be allowed to develop nukes ...
But the U.S. still has a chance to make up for its poor showing. As it is a "vigorous democracy with historical suspicions of the regional superpower," South Korea's political ties with communist-ruled China are not as smooth as its economic relations, the FT speculated.
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11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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ION WORLD NEWS > JAPAN'S RULING COALITION PARTY WANTS US BASE MOVED TO GUAM OR ISLET [IWO TO Islet 740 miles south of Tokyo] + DEFENSE MINISTRY: EXPEDITE US MARINES MOVE.
* SAME > FM MOTTAKI: IRAN WILLING TO LEND A HAND WITH GRP-MILF TALKS [Philippines]; + MILF: OBAMA WROTE US. WE MET WITH US STATE DEPT. EXECS [11/6/09] BEFORE HILLARY VISIT [11/12/09].
ALso, there appears to be controversy brewing in the Philippines oer whether or not the MANILA GOVT. is, or is NOT, de facto negotiating a MOA [Memorandum of Agreement] wid the country's Muslim separatist rebels [MILF, etc.] over PRO-MUSLIM ANCESTRAL DOMAIN [MOA-AD].
#2
In the final analysis, this could be a win-win. Skor has long been in China's cultural sphere, and a reunified Korea would only be possible with Chinese encouragement. As long as the US got the Pusan Naval Base for security reasons, it would be a win all the way around.
That is, no more Nork or its nukes and missiles, China and Korea at peace, the US no longer needing to spend a fortune to defend Skor. China sends its illegal Koreans back to Korea. Generally flowers and sunshine all around.
#3
The SKors only give us military access because of existential threats. If NKor ever went away as a threat, we'd be out on our asses the next week. The Koreans just flat out don't much like us, AFAICT.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/20/2009 9:58 Comments ||
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I hear we could use some additional troops in the Stan.
#5
Most proud folks don't likes the feeling that they owe someone else and they often turn on their benefactor. We need to have plans to get out as quickly as possible in these situations. South Korea should have been defending itself the last twenty years.
Having said I see it as a win if China and South Korea become buddies. Then China will have zero incentive to rock the boat in that area and will have to take responsibility for North Korea.
#8
In kind of related news: Nobama today stated that he was going to encourage the US aerospace industry to step up and assist China in the development and manufacture of their new regional jet; a bird that will be a competitor to the 787, Embraer RJ, and similiar. don't know how that will play in the long term; short term it may provide more jobs, but if it involves any sort of tech transfer ( and my money is on the 'yes' answer) long term we will be sucking.
Up here in the
'Land of the Lost Second 787 Line',
a lot of soon to be out of (Boeing) work second and third tier vendors are looking at this.
President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday agreed to try and ratify an epically delayed bilateral free trade agreement next year.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said, "President Lee spoke about a time frame [for ratification] that we wanted and President Obama said he understood Korea's position and said he would make an effort, but they decided not to include that in their official announcement due to concerns such comments could upset U.S. lawmakers."
In an interview with Fox News in Beijing before flying over to Korea, Obama said, "The question is whether we can get it done in the beginning of 2010, whether we can get it done at the end of 2010. There are still some details that need to be worked out."
"We have put our teams in place to make sure that we are covering all the issues that might be a barrier to final ratification of the agreement," Obama said in a joint press conference with Lee after the summit. "And one of my goals is to... make sure that we can create the kind of win-win situation that I know President Lee is interested in seeing as well."
Lee said, "President Obama and I talked about in detail again how to move forward this agreement. If there are any problems in the automobile sector... then we are ready to resolve this issue."
Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon later told reporters this did not mean there will be a renegotiation of the FTA or a revision of the wording of the contract, but that Korea is willing to listen to U.S. concerns and try to come up with solutions or explanations. But it appears that Seoul cannot rule additional discussions over the automotive portion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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So, the brains of the administration figure the dollar will tank far enough by next year, that manufacturing will actually be cheaper in the US than Asia?
#2
that manufacturing will actually be cheaper in the US than Asia?
Sure it will. The moment American wages fall to $200/month equivalent. At least Chinese real wages are rising while American trade policy favoring the financial class have caused Americans' real wages to stagnate for the last 40 years.
Posted by: ed ||
11/20/2009 8:23 Comments ||
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[Dawn] European leaders chose Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the European Union's first President on Thursday, the EU presidency announced, after Britain dropped its backing for Tony Blair.
Britain in exchange secured the prestigious diplomatic post of European foreign policy supremo for its current EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton.
The two posts are aimed at boosting Europe's clout in the international arena and allowing it to speak with a unified voice to powers like the United States and China.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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The EU where the police are German, the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians.
#3
Brussels Journal's take on Rompuy: Meet the President of Europe Herman Van Rompuy. Get used to the name. He is the first President of the European Union, which with the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon by all the 27 EU member states in early November was transformed into a genuine United States of Europe.
The President of Europe has not been elected; he was appointed in a secret meeting of the heads of government of the 27 EU member states. They chose one of their own. Herman Van Rompuy was the Prime Minister of Belgium. I knew him when he was just setting out, reluctantly, on his political career.
Posted by: ed ||
11/20/2009 9:40 Comments ||
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#5
And now for something completely different....
Micheal Palin:
"Well now, the result of last week's competition when we asked you to find a derogatory term for the Belgians. Well, the response was enormous and we took quite a long time sorting out the winners. There were some very clever entries. Mrs Hatred of Leicester Said 'let's not call them anything, let's just ignore them' ... (applause starts vigorously, but he holds his hands up for silence) ... and a Mr St John of Huntingdon said he couldn't think of anything more derogatory than Belgians. (cheers and applause; a girl in showgirl costume comes on and holds up placards through next bit) But in the end we settled on three choices: number three ... the Sprouts (placard 'The Sprouts'), sent in by Mrs Vicious of Hastings... very nice ; number two..... the Phlegms (placard) ... from Mrs Childmolester of Worthing; but the winner was undoubtedly from Mrs No-Supper-For-You from Norwood in Lancashire... Miserable Fat Belgian Bastards. (placard; roar of applause) Very good - thank you, Carol."
Women in the Swedish army are demanding the provision of military underwear designed for female forms after 30 years of having to slip into something less comfortable.
Asked whether women were in a rush to get access to specially tailored underwear, Katja Adolphson of the Swedish Conscription Council replied: "We've been in a rush for the last thirty years."
Despite the fact that they've been part of the Swedish Armed Forces for decades, female soldiers still have no choice but to don men's underwear or risk the perils of combat in flammable civilian bras and panties.
Female soldiers were previously told that their underwear wait would be over by the spring of 2009, but so far the goods have been unforthcoming.
"Each battalion has been given money to buy underwear for women, but since there are still no flame resistant alternatives available they have had to make do with civilian bras and panties," said Adolphson, who is responsible for air force-related matters within the Council.
She explained that, until the situation was resolved, women would continue to run the risk of suffering skin burns if their underwear caught fire in a combat situation.
"How are women in the army supposed to feel fully welcome? It's a form of indirect discrimination," she told The Local.
Adolphson also underlined that underwear was just one of many battles women faced on the equipment front.
"Nothing has been designed with women in mind. All the sizes are too big: from boots, protective vests and shirts to the shoulder straps on our AK5 assault rifles."
Adolphson said women currently made up around five percent of uniformed staff in the Swedish Armed Forces.
"But I would expect this figure to rise once they get better at giving us what we need," she said.
#3
Still, non-flammable materials for military wear & underwear is a big issue, joking aside, and has been increasingly since most modern fabrics use nylons of some sort - IIRC, the brits discovered much to the burns victims chagrin that flammable underwear IS a serious concern as far back as the Flaklands war.
#4
Are American troops issued flame-retardant underthings? I seem to recall a story of a gentleman in Afghanistan tumbling out of bed to fight off bad guys in only plain white cotton briefs...
#5
TW, if you recall the vid on the soldier's load on the Rant a couple of days ago, at 5:37 he explains the uniform is flame retardant. We start from the outside rather than wait till it gets privy close. Of course if you're jumping into a firefight in your 'I love NY' undies, it's not flames you're worried about.
#8
Anonymoose, was trying to figure out a good Al Pacino hoo-ah in there.
I've seen the videos of the firefighters who have, umm, been too close so to say. It is clear where the unfortunate guy's cotton socks ended, and then again where the nylon stiching in the socks was located; all underneath boots and bunker gear. I can understand how nomex undies might be uncomfortable, but'cha sure don't want nylon melting onto your privies.
#9
I just had a evil thought flash through my mind.
Corpses with perfectly preserved Crotch and Boobs while the rest of the corpse is burnt to a skelleton.
YUK
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2009 13:08 Comments ||
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Despite being characterized by many as a divisive force in her party and the nation, former vice-presidential contender Sarah Palin gets a much higher positive rating than Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- and most think Palin has been treated unfairly by the press.
As Sarah Palin blankets the media on a whirlwind book promotion tour, the former vice-presidential contender is clearly back on America's radar screen. Despite being characterized by many as a divisive force in her party and the nation, Americans are much more likely to give Palin a positive rating (47 percent favorable) than another prominent female leader -- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (28 percent favorable). Moreover, about six in 10 Americans (61 percent) think Palin has been treated unfairly by the press, according to the latest Fox News poll.
The national telephone poll was conducted for Fox News by Opinion Dynamics Corp. among 900 registered voters from Nov. 17 to Nov. 18, 2009. For the total sample, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Palin has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012, along with a host of other Republicans. Among self-identified Republicans in the survey, Palin gets the highest favorable ratings (70 percent) amid a group of other possible contenders for the GOP nomination, including Mike Huckabee (63 percent), Mitt Romney (60 percent) and Newt Gingrich (58 percent). Palin's favorable score among all voters is 47 percent, up nine percentage points over last July's reading of 38 percent.
Another woman who has often been called divisive over the years is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. When asked if they'd rather spend the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with Palin or Clinton, the choice does provoke considerable division -- with each attracting about 40 percent to a hypothetical turkey fest (Clinton 42 percent; Palin 39 percent). About one in seven Americans (14 percent) volunteers the view that neither would be welcome in their home next Thursday.
President Obama recently stated that he "probably won't" read Sarah Palin's new book. But his possible opponent in the 2012 elections trails him in personal favorability by only seven points (54 percent to 47 percent). Among the critical segment of independent voters, they are virtually even (Obama at 50 percent; Palin at 49 percent).
The largest number of Americans seem to feel that those who do buy the Palin book will do so because they really want to read it (35 percent). Just under one-third (29 percent) think book purchasers will do so because it's a trendy thing to do, and one-fifth (20 percent) feel people will buy the book to show support for Palin.
When we asked a similar question in 2003 about Hillary Clinton's book, a higher percentage thought buyers wanted to read that book (45 percent), but far fewer saw the purchase as a show of support for the former first lady (7 percent).
It may have been a savvy move by Palin to agree to an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The powerful talk show host garners the second highest level of favorability among all those tested in the survey (61 percent), behind First Lady Michelle Obama (63 percent).
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh today accused Gallup of counting too many blacks in its tracking polls on President Obama's approval ratings in order to keep him above the 50 percent mark while several other polls have shown him slipping below that.
"Gallup has him just teetering on the little teeter-totter at 50% and they're doing everything they can -- they're upping the sample to black Americans -- to keep him up at 50% in the Gallup poll," Limbaugh said on today's broadcast.
Limbaugh did not give any details about how he arrived at his conclusion about Gallup's methodology in the transcript of the show available on his website.
Gallup's Nov. 9-15 survey had Obama's approval rating at 53 percent while 39 percent disapproved of his performance and 8 percent expressed no opinion.
Limbaugh pointed to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted Nov. 17-18 putting the number of voters who approve or disapprove of Obama at 46 percent each, with 8 percent undecided. That compared to the 50 percent who approved of his performance in late October, while 41 percent disapproved.
Two other polls this week - by Quinnipiac University and Public Policy Polling - had Obama just under 50 percent. Quinnipiac's put his job approval number at 48 percent and PPP had it at 49 percent.
Quinnipiac's Peter Brown said of his poll that "Although President Obama's job approval rating is below 50 percent for the first time nationally, it is not statistically different from his 50 percent approval rating in October. Nevertheless, in politics symbols matter and this is not a good symbol for the White House." Even Gallup has him at 50% today. It's ABC, CNN, CBS, etc. that hold him up. Rasmussen is the poll to watch, they have "O" at 47%. Rasmussen is consistently correct in the election polls. They had the 2008 Presidential final poll exactly correct. They also called the loser's percentage on the money in New Jersey and Virginia.
Frank Newport, the editor in chief of Gallup, issued a statement saying, "Rush Limbaugh stated on his radio program Thursday that several polls have shown President Obama's job approval rating to be below 50%, while Gallup's has not (by "upping the sample of black Americans")...This statement is a complete and inexplicable fabrication. Gallup has a 70-year history of providing unbiased, scientific measures of public attitudes. Gallup is not now, nor has it ever, modified its data in order to achieve any desired result."
#2
This one is so simple to manipulate it's ridiculous. Over-sample blacks & Demoncrats and hey presto! Modify the sample shown to match the desired result.
Former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin visited Indiana Thursday to promote her memoir, Going Rogue.
Thousands of people waited for hours outside of a Hamilton County bookstore for the chance to meet her. She first stopped in Fort Wayne to sign her new autobiography before coming to Noblesville for another book signing.
It started in the early morning hours. Hoosiers in Fort Wayne lined up at Mejier to get the chance to meet Sarah Palin.
"I can't wait to read the book. I bought it this morning. I wanted to get her signature," said Christy Kroft.
"She speaks with charisma and stamina. How can you ignore her?" said Sarah Fahl.
"Any woman who go out and shoot moose and caribou has got my vote," said Chris Fahl.
The Going Rogue RV carrying the former Alaska governor arrived just minutes before the signing was scheduled to begin. Then the former Republican vice presidential candidate turned author began to engage her fans.
"I think she's more like grass roots, back to the way things used to be. I think we've gotten a little away from that," said Bob Price.
"I like Sarah Palin," said Mary Speckhard. "I would have voted for her. I hope she runs in 2012. She stands for everything I believe in. She's pro-life, conservative and she's not embarrassed about it. She's great."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Cdr 18th Abn Corps and Ft. Bragg and his PAO says Palin can't speak at Bragg, no press, no political "grandstanding" no photo ops. Don't want a media circus or anyone saying bad things about the president.
But, but, but wait....who was the Commander in Chief on March 19, 2008 and what did HE say?
Conservative members of America's largest Lutheran denomination announced that they are splitting from the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, making it the second mainline Protestant church to undergo a major schism over the issue of homosexuality and related matters of biblical authority.
The U.S. Episcopal Church has experienced a similar split, with whole dioceses attempting to leave, new Anglican churches formed and a series of property fights in the years since the 2003 consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
On Wednesday, an 11-member steering committee of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal), meeting in New Brighton, Minn., said it cannot remain inside the 4.7-million-member ELCA after the denomination agreed at its August churchwide assembly in Minneapolis to ordain partnered gay clergy.
That decision, CORE said in a statement, created "a biblical and theological crisis throughout the ELCA and conflict in local congregations."
"We are not leaving the ELCA. The ELCA has left us," said Ryan Schwarz, a steering committee member from the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean, Va. "A lot of people who are planning to leave are telling us, 'We need you to form a new body that is like a traditional church body.' "
Financing will not be a problem for the yet-to-be-named Lutheran synod, which expects to triple or quadruple its $100,000 annual budget.
"Money has been pouring in since the churchwide assembly," Mr. Schwarz said. "We received more in contributions in the July-to-September quarter than the first six months combined. People are being incredibly generous."
In contrast, the ELCA's board of directors this week cut $7.7 million from its 2010 budget, eliminating 40 positions, though six of them already were vacant. Church officials said the cuts were results of the poor economy and conservative congregations that are withholding their funds out of disagreement with the denomination's direction.
Each CORE church would have to take steps individually to leave the ELCA and join the new synod. CORE has about 86 member churches and claims more than 300 other churches and groups as affiliates.
CORE's announcement stems from a Sept. 25-26 gathering in Fishers, Ind., that drew 1,200 like-minded Lutherans and culminated in a decision to work toward a "possible reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism."
CORE will not join forces with the Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) or the St. Louis-based Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) partly because neither ordains women. CORE allows female clergy.
Nor will it merge with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), another breakaway group of 249 congregations, 23 of which have joined the churchwide assembly since August.
The Rev. David Baer, a CORE spokesman, said LCMC's structure is a bit too loose for many CORE congregations.
ELCA spokesman John Brooks said 87 out of 10,300 congregations have taken the first of a required two votes to leave the denomination, and 28 failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority. Five have left the ELCA since August.
"This news from Lutheran CORE was expected," he said. "We know it takes hard work to organize a new church body. ... There has always been a place in the ELCA for all people despite our differences on various issues."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I feel sorry for my dad. His pension and medical is with the ECLA so he can't do the proper thing and split at his age of 85.
Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests. Brain cells and liver, not so much So in B'desh you can die of an acute heart attack, acute cirrhosis or a cross-fire, but never all three.
The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men. Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found. Except for looking better to the male drinkers. 'ducks and runs for cover'
Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.
The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease. The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years. Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy to start with are less likely to drink.
The researchers, led by the Basque Public Health Department, placed the participants into six categories - from never having drunk to drinking more than 90g of alcohol each day. This would be the equivalent of consuming about eight bottles of wine a week, or 28 pints of lager. For those drinking little - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less.
The same benefits were not seen in women, who suffer fewer heart problems than men to start with. Researchers speculated this difference could be down to the fact that women process alcohol differently, and that female hormones protect against the disease in younger age groups.
The type of alcohol drunk did not seem to make a difference, but protection was greater for those drinking moderate to high amounts of varied drinks. The exact mechanisms are as yet unclear, but it is known that alcohol helps to raise high-density lipoproteins, sometimes known as good cholesterol, which helps stop so-called bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.
UK experts said the findings should be treated with caution because they do not take into account ill-health from a range of other diseases caused by excess drinking. "Whilst moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of having a heart attack, coronary heart disease is just one type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is associated with high alcohol intake and can lead to a poor quality of life and premature death," said the British Heart Foundation's senior cardiac nurse, Cathy Ross. "The heart is just one of many organs in the body. While alcohol could offer limited protection to one organ, abuse of it can damage the heart and other organs such as the liver, pancreas and brain."
The Stroke Association meanwhile noted that overall, evidence indicated that people who regularly consumed a large amount of alcohol had a three-fold increased risk of stroke. "Six units within six hours is considered 'binge-drinking' and anyone indulging in regular 'binge-drinking' increases their risk of stroke greatly," said research officer Joanne Murphy.
Public health specialists warned no-one should be encouraged to drink more as a result of this study. "The relationship between alcohol and heart disease remains controversial," said Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "While there is good evidence that moderate consumption is protective in people who are at substantial risk of heart disease - which excludes most people under the age of 40 - we also know that most people underestimate how much they drink. This paper adds to the existing literature but should not be considered as definitive. "
In the UK, the recommendation is no more than two to three units of alcohol a day for women - the equivalent of one standard glass of wine - and three to four units for men. The British Liver Trust said: "There have been several studies suggesting that small amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in men over the age of 40. "But these are often misinterpreted by people looking for a health reason to consume alcohol. "If you want to look after your health, stay within the limits of no more than 3-4 units a day for men or 2-3 for women and aim to give yourself at least two days off alcohol a week."
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, agreed that the message from this study was not clear: "At the end of the day, you're juggling different risks and benefits, maybe helping your heart or maybe damaging your brain and liver. "The simple message is moderation. Stick to the guidelines, and you won't go far wrong."
Posted by: Steve ||
11/20/2009 14:19 ||
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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 Pennsylvania union leader has come under fire after threatening legal action against the city of Allentown for allowing a Boy Scout to voluntarily clear a walking path in a local park.
Interior Designer Faking Disability Caught on Reality TV Show
Former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin visited Indiana Thursday to promote her memoir, Going Rogue.
Conservative members of America's largest Lutheran denomination announced that they are splitting from the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, making it the second mainline Protestant church to undergo a major schism over the issue of homosexuality and related matters of biblical authority. 
