OTTAWA: Two Canadians died instantly in a freak accident when a car hit a 440-pound (200-kg) black bear and sent the animal flying straight through the windshield of an oncoming vehicle, local media said on Wednesday.
The bears body hit the 25-year-old driver and a 40-year-old man sitting behind her and then shot out of the back window. The bear also died.
The accident happened on Monday night in a rural area about 25 miles (40 km) north of the federal capital Ottawa.
We dont see (this) often, even if we live in the country. Lots of deer, but collisions with a bear and two people died? Thats really rare, local police spokesman Martin Fournel told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/09/2011 00:00 ||
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Canadians having problems with bruins, eh?
I am curious as to what kind of vehicle they were driving.
The Rangers used their 33rd-round pick Wednesday to draft University of Georgia outfielder Jonathan Taylor, who was paralyzed after an outfield collision in March and is considered unlikely to walk again.
Taylor fractured two vertebrae in his spine in a collision with teammate Zach Cone three months ago. Cone was the Rangers second-round pick, and it looks like the team decided itd be a nice gesture to select Taylor afterwards.
Record snowpack and heavy rains have filled Missouri River reservoirs to the brim, and federal officials say their only option now is to release massive amounts of water.
The resulting flooding could last along the river until mid-August, they said, threatening communities stretching from Montana to Missouri. "The rises along the Missouri have been caused by really a year's worth of rainfall across the basin over the last two weeks. In addition, snowfall in the mountains is at about 140 percent of normal" said Lynn Maximuk, director of the National Weather Service's central region
That has created "unprecedented" runoff that federal officials say can no longer be contained within the six dams built to tame the Missouri's flows.
"This actually is a pretty typical pattern for a La Niña year," Maximuk said. "We get storm tracks moving through the northern Plains states. La Niña basically set up the regime that has provided unusual amounts of snow and rain so far." Typical for La Nina? What about Man-Made Global Warming? Worst flooding must be warming, can't be the Plover nests, or the fact we've paved and roofed everything in sight, could it?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/09/2011 13:19 ||
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Animals died in their tens of thousands, and the people followed: by the end of 1785 over 10,000 people had died, perhaps one-fifth of Icelands population, 9 out of 10 from famine. Nor were the effects limited to Iceland: the acidic haze erupted from Laki spread to Britain, Ireland and continental Europe, bringing fogs, acid rain, violently disturbed weather patterns and unseasonable temperatures, leading to damaged vegetation, failed harvests, hunger and poverty (in these circumstances, the French Revolution was inevitable). Beyond Europe, populations as far afield as North America, Egypt and Japan may have suffered the meteorological and economic consequences of the seven-month Laki eruption.
According to wikipedia an estimated 6 million people as a result of the eruption. Farm workers died in their thousands in Britain from the poisonous gases.
Imagine the consequences if this were to happen today.
TUNIS: Tunisia will hold an election Oct. 23, not in July as planned, because conditions are not yet right for the first vote since the ouster of the countrys autocratic president, the prime minister announced Wednesday.
Tunisias fledgling experiment with democracy is being closely watched around the world because the popular uprising in the North African country sparked pro-democracy revolts around the Middle East. The success or failure of elections in Tunisia would send a strong signal to other nations in the region.
The world is watching us. Tunisia today has an extraordinary image because its revolution happened peacefully, without weapons, Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said after announcing the new election date.
The wind of freedom has blown through other countries ... but we will be the only ones to succeed in putting into place a democratic government, he added, implicitly referring to the fighting in Libya, Yemen and Syria.
The elections had been planned for July 24, but Tunisias electoral commission proposed last month they be postponed, saying much more needed to be done to organize the vote, including updating voter registration rolls.
Those in favor of the July date had said it was important the vote go ahead to bring political stability to a country now experiencing simmering tensions and occasional deadly eruptions of violence.
Essebsi said the most important thing was to hold free, transparent and credible elections. The vote is for a constituent assembly to write a new constitution that would pave the way for legislative and presidential elections.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[Khaleej Times] Egypt's military rulers have promised that women in jug will not be subjected to virginity tests in future, Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... said on Tuesday.
An apparent admission by a general last month in an interview with CNN that some female protesters jugged in March had been forced to undergo the tests sparked an outcry, with Amnesia Amnesty International calling the practice "nothing less than torture".
But HRW executive director Kenneth Roth told a Cairo news conference that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has ruled Egypt since the ouster of veteran president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in February, had now promised the practice would be ended.
"The SCAF did say that it ordered an end to these virginity tests," Roth said after talks between an HRW delegation and bigwigs including Prime Minister Essam Sharaf.
"While it continued to deny that they have done anything wrong retrospectively, when it comes to look prospectively, they say they won't do this again.
"So we will monitor that pledge closely and we hope that looking forward they live up to that pledge," he added.
The general, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, had defended the practice.
"We didn't want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren't virgins in the first place," he told the US broadcaster.
"The girls who were jugged were not like your daughter or mine," the general added. "These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters in Tahrir Square, and we found in the tents Molotov cocktails and (drugs)."
Roth took strong issue with the justification.
"We don't accept the SCAF's view of the past, that there was nothing wrong with these virginity tests. It never should have been imposed on anyone," he said. "If the concern is protecting women prisoners from rape, the best way is to ensure adequate protection in their cells, and to ensure a system of firm discipline and prosecution."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court on Wednesday asked the government to explain why the part of the eighth amendment to the constitution approving Islam as state religion should not be declared illegal.
The court appointed 11 senior lawyers as amici curiae to place their opinions on the issue.
The HC bench of Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore issued a rule in this regard responding to a long-pending writ petition filed in 1988 by 15 distinguished citizens of the country.
The HC fixed June 16 for holding hearing on the rule.
The amici curiae who have been invited for expert opinions are Dr Kamal Hossain, TH Khan, M Amir-Ul Islam, Rafiqul Haque, Dr M Zahir, Mahmudul Islam, Rokauddin Mahmud, Ajmalul Hossain, Yusuf Hossain Humayun, AFM Mejbahuddin and Abdul Matin Khasru.
Petitioners' counsel advocate Subrata Chowdhury told news hounds that there was no scope to keep Islam as state religion in the constitution after the SC had declared illegal the fifth amendment to the constitution.
If the part of the eighth amendment involving the state religion is cancelled, the spirit of original constitution of 1972 will be restored, he opined.
The eminent people who filed the writ petition in 1988 are Begum Sufia Kamal, former chief justice Kamal Uddin Hossain, Khan Sarwar Murshid, Prof Kabir Chowdhury, Prof Dr Mosharraf Hossain, Major General (rtd) Chitta Ranjan Datta (Bir Uttam), Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Badaruddin Umar, Faiz Ahmed, Dr Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, Prof Anisuzzaman, Justice Devesh Chandra Bhattacharjee, Justice KM Sobhan, Syed Istiaq Ahmed and Kalim Sharafi.
Of them, Begum Sufia Kamal, Justice Devesh Chandra Bhattacharjee, Justice KM Sobhan, Syed Istiaq Ahmed and Kalim Sharafi have already died.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/09/2011 00:00 ||
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... part of the eighth amendment to the constitution...should not be declared illegal.
So, IIUC, part of the constitution is unconstitutional, right? Sounds like they need another amendment rather than a law judicial ruling.
#2
AlanC, my thoughts exactly. Maybe transnational progressives are the same the world 'round - constitutions being less important than the class preferences of the cosmopolitan elite. Speaking as someone who *shares* that particular preference, I can't say that I wouldn't be happy about it if I were Bangladeshi - state religions suck - but still and all, it says what it says.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
06/09/2011 16:55 Comments ||
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Mitch H, I was subbing for a 7th grade Soc Studies class yesterday doing a unit on the Fall of the Roman Empire.
I pointed out (outside the lesson plan) that corruption was the driving force behind the fall AND that it's still around even here. When the law stops meaning the same thing for all citizens and the force of arms is applied to the favor of the ruling elite.....................
A FRENCH Muslim husband and wife living in Britain are to challenge France's ban on full-face coverings at the European Court of Human Rights, their lawyer said today.
The couple lodged an application at the Strasbourg court to challenge the French government over the ban on wearing Islamic veils, which they argue is "unnecessary, disproportionate and unlawful".
They claim it restricts their right to free movement across the EU, according to documents sent to the court. The wife is seeking $15,447.59 in damages for the alleged human rights breach.
The couple live in central England with their two children. They have chosen to remain anonymous, citing "considerable hostility" in Britain and France to Muslim women wearing the full veil in public.
"The case clearly is of importance to my clients," said lawyer Robina Shah, of the Immigration Advisory Service in Birmingham, central England.
"As a result of the ban they have had to leave their country of nationality, as the ban restricts their freedom of choice, and that of their daughters."
France in April became the first country in Europe to apply a ban on the wearing of full-face coverings, including the Islamic niqab and the burqa.
The decision triggered a political storm, with rights activists accusing French President Nicolas Sarkozy of targeting of one of France's most vulnerable groups to win back votes from the resurgent far right.
In the latest case, the documents sent to Strasbourg say the couple want to "reside and work in France", but the ban means "they have considerable reservations about living there on a permanent basis".
The principal applicant is the husband who "expects and instructs" his wife to wear the burqa and the niqab. But she "respects and follows" her husband's instructions of her own free will, the Strasbourg court is being told.
Her lawyers argue Muslim women in France are "not able to exercise their rights free from coercion, harassment and discrimination".
"The applicants, as French nationals exercising EU rights to free movement in the UK, have no alternative remedy other than an application to the (European) court," say the lawyers.
A new skyscraper is built every five days in China and by 2016 the country will have 800, four times the number in the US, according to a report released Monday by the Shanghai-based Skyscrapers Magazine. Hong Kong had the most skyscrapers of any Chinese city with 58. Five of the world's 10 tallest buildings are in China.
China started construction on more than 200 skyscrapers this year, a figure equal to the total number of skyscrapers in the US, according to the report. However, some experts say skyscraper construction, initially seen as a way of saving land, has degenerated into an image project for the country. But skyscrapers save land, which China is woefully short of. They're not?
The 421-meter-tall Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai's second tallest building, cost $3,088 per square meter to build.
However, the building costs more than a $150,000 per day to maintain now that it is in use. Even cities with fewer than a million residents have undertaken skyscraper projects. I think Caper should have one. Billings, too.
"If space in the skyscraper can't be sold or leased, skyscraper construction could lead to bad debt if investors borrowed money to finance the project," said another expert. Well, we know all about that, don't we. Maybe we can advise the Chinese how to package the bad debt to make a bundle. Just have the Chinese debt bundled with all those AAA US treasury securities they own and sell them as tranches to investors, Fannie Mae and the Federal Reserve. What could go wrong?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/09/2011 13:28 ||
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Maybe we can advise the Chinese how to package the bad debt to make a bundle.
Sold by GS to French and German banks who'll then use the US Treasury to bail them out under the threat that not to back them would result in 'economic chaos', not to mention severe cuts in reelection contributions by Wall Street Inc.
#5
Obama is salivating over this. Running against another Governor of Texas? He'll be able to play up his Bush-card to maximum effect even after the expiration date!
Posted by: Charles ||
06/09/2011 22:14 Comments ||
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Obama's "Texas Card" is gonna be shut down when TX's employment and job creation card is played. I'd love to see him try it
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/09/2011 22:23 Comments ||
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[Emirates 24/7] The secretive Bilderberg Group of some 100 political and economic leaders, as well as aristocrats, will meet from Thursday in the chic Swiss ski station of St Moritz.
The exact location and date of the meeting has been shrouded in mystery. A front man from the Graubunden canton told AFP that it will take place at the mountain resort, but would not give details on the location, date and participants.
"We have taken special police measures to protect the personalities," he said, adding however that the army has not been mobilised, unlike during the World Economic Forum, which gathers elites in nearby Davos annually.
While few official details have emerged about the Bilderberg meetings, which have been ongoing since 1954, they have been catalogued by opponents of the group.
The president of the Young Swiss Socialists, David Roth, said that 100 participants will be meeting from Thursday over four days at the five-star Suvretta hotel.
"There is a problem as the politicians and economic representatives are meeting behind closed doors," said Roth, who is planning a protest against the event on Saturday at St Moritz.
The group is "making important decisions behind closed doors. The participants are not meeting to have coffee," but to influence world governance, he claims.
The Bilderberg meetings, including last year's event in Spain and 2009's in Athens, are usually secured by a tight police presence.
On what has been claimed as the official website -- which is impossible to verify as it gives no contact information -- the group is described as "a small, flexible, informal and off-the-record international forum in which different viewpoints can be expressed and mutual understanding enhanced."
"At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued," it added.
But investigative journalist David Estulin contests these claims. In his book "The Real Story of Bilderberg" he noted that the group has become "a kind of shadow world government, which decides during these annual meetings how it will implement its plans."
The group only publishes a list of participants afer a meeting is over. Last year, they included Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.
European Union commissioner on new technologies Neelie Kroes, was also present and will be back again this year, along with competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia, Brussels has confirmed.
Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard will also be there, the government said Tuesday in response to a parliamentary question from Dominique Baettig, an MP from the far-right SVP.
"This meeting is in complete contradiction with the Swiss model of transparency. These leaders meet without us knowing what they are doing," Baettig said.
While he does not believe in any conspiracy theories surrounding the Bilderberg Group, he said he has been "made to understand that there is some sort of self-censorship on the subject."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/09/2011 00:00 ||
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Well, that's certainly an impressive guest list from last year.
Bush and Cheney probably avoid the hassle and video conference in. As do the Zionist Overseers...
Iraqi army soldiers selected from four brigades of 5th IA Division conducted operator training on the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier vehicle with assistance from U.S. soldiers from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Kirkush Military Training Base, Iraq, April 27.
During the M113 training cycle, focused on training the IA on becoming master drivers and vehicle maintenance specialists, students learned basic operating procedures and vehicle maneuvering skills, as well as troubleshooting vehicle malfunctions.
The M113 course lasts ten days, so there is a good amount of information to fit into that time period, said Maj. Rasheed Muwwakkil, a logistics advisor to the Iraqi security forces. All of the IA attending the course are extremely motivated to learn and take an active part in the class, especially when it comes to the anything hands-on and getting a familiarity with the vehicle.
The M113 is one of the most widely used infantry vehicles in military history. Introduced in 1962, it was the primary armored vehicle used by American forces during the Vietnam War.
M2 and M3 Bradley fighting vehicles replaced the M113 as a front-line combat vehicle in the U.S. Army, but the M113 is still used by U.S. Soldiers in support roles in many of its variations, such as mortar carriers and armored ambulances.
While the 10-day M113 APC driver and maintenance course is aimed at successfully producing Iraqi army soldiers who can be called subject matter experts on operating and conducting user-level maintenance, that is not the courses only purpose, said Muwwakkil.
This training course, like many of the training courses here at KMTB, has a purpose outside simple instruction, said Muwwakkil. This 10-day course is actually meant to be a train-the-trainer course. We want these guys to be able to take the training that we provide to them and be able to retrain soldiers in their own units later.
This is the fourth M113 course we have done, and it seems this way across the board, but the IA soldiers that come through really are getting better and better with each passing rotation, said Sgt. William Swift, an instructor for M113 driver and maintenance training with Company B, Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div.
Since this is a train-the-trainer course, we have left all the logistics for the course to the IA, so they are troubleshooting all of their own problems and arranging for fuel, food, and parts if something were to happen to a vehicle, said Swift. They are essentially facilitating their own training.
Iraqi military leaders chose the 5th IA Division to become one of the first divisions to be mechanized. All of the training and advising with IA units at KMTB has been to prepare soldiers for the new mission they will take on once U.S. forces transition out of Iraq later this year, Muwwakkil explained.
This is all about getting them ready to take on the conventional mission set of a nations armythings like border defense and protecting the people, he added. Thats why this division has been selected to become modernized and mechanized.
All of the training here at KMTB is slowly coming together; the end product will be a modernized, well-trained division that is prepared to defend its nation, Muwwakkil said. Things like the M113 APC training is just one step closer to that end goal. The US training of the Iraqi Army has no real parallel in world history. It will have ramifications for at least 100 years. The biggest question is how will it influence Iraqi society?
#2
The younger Iraqis that have trained and fought with the Americans are highly receptive to the tactics and methods the western nations use. They have seen them work first hand.
The older generals and officers still think in the Arab way of doing things. Don't admit you don't know everything, hoard information to look important, are always right and inflexible, corruption, etc.
It will be interesting to see what generation wins out. If the younger generation's ideas and acceptance of the new wins, Iraq will be a very powerful Arab nation that has ideological ties with the west. Otherwise it is back to business as usual.
#3
It may be the strong-horse thing, or honest respect and admiration. I've heard that Libyan rebels, some of them, are sporting US high&tight haircuts, as are Iraqi young guys, with knock-off US sunglasses.
Figure this: A nineteen year old Iraqi was eleven when this whole thing started in his country. Every place he looked, the US was hammering the local soldiery. That's been his life. And the US has not been butchering families and setting off car bombs in markets.
Somebody once said that the Iraqi army might look kind of threatening to its neighbors. US training, doctrine, and much US equipment, but the ROE classes are overdue.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
06/09/2011 14:48 Comments ||
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Agree.
I had heard, and wish I could remember who, where, when, could have been one of those fashion shows I am subjected to, the question asked, if you hate america so much, then why the use of US camo as fashion. The answer was that the US Military kicked butt and they wanted that feeling. If these young Iraqi's want to be like the US Military (have the kids growing up factor) that is a whole different thing than just looking like.
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.
The resulting flooding could last along the river until mid-August, they said, threatening communities stretching from Montana to Missouri. "The rises along the Missouri have been caused by really a year's worth of rainfall across the basin over the last two weeks. In addition, snowfall in the mountains is at about 140 percent of normal" said Lynn Maximuk, director of the National Weather Service's central region 
