CHALLANS, France : Reigning champion Lance Armstrong of the United States was given a surprise anti-doping test on the eve of the Tour de France, race sources revealed.
The test was carried out in the afternoon by doctors from the French sports ministry.
Cycling's world governing body UCI decides which riders will undergo spot tests from both blood and urine samples during the three week race.
All 189 riders on the Tour de France were Thursday declared fit to race after blood tests showed no doping.
Armstrong opens his bid for a seventh consecutive crown Saturday in the opening stage, a 19km time trial through western France.
F*ck France. Go Lance.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/01/2005 21:07 ||
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I saw a thing on Lance Armstrong on one of the cable science channels a few days ago. Apparently Mr. Armstrong's body just doesn't produce nearly as much lactic acid during physical exertion as the rest of us do, enabling him to go at a high pace for much longer than even the extrme conditioning all the TdF bikers undergo would allow. Unfortunately for his competitors, Armstrong is just a perfect physical specimin for his sport.
I would imagine that 2 samples are always taken. One for testing by the "officals" and one sent to an independent lab. France can't afford to screw up with a cycling hero like Armstrong. They will be very careful.
Anchorage, Alaska - The emergency room at Alaska Regional Hospital has seen just about everything, but nobody was prepared for the patient who dropped in this morning. We take diversity seriously here.
It was about 6:30 a.m. and a young moose decided to check into the ER. The scene was caught on the hospitalâs security camera. Check out the link for video cam action.
Dr. Don Hudson was on duty at the time. The videotape shows him taking a quick look at the patient, then wisely going for a second opinion. ER show, Alaska version.
The moose spent more than a minute inside the emergency room, then quietly left the way it came in. Took one look at the intimidating pile of forms and said, "Ima outa here."
Alaska Regional says that, although the moose did not have insurance, they were prepared to give him a complete medical screening. However, no provision was ever made in Medicaid for moose, so it appears that there would be an insurmountable problem in permitting treatment.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/01/2005 14:49 ||
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Woops! Should have been Page 3, Short Attention Span Theatre. Editors: please move. Sorry for the screwup.
done
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/01/2005 14:54 Comments ||
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Well, mebbe he has Travelers Insurance and forgot he was a moose instead of an elk for a few moments.
BURLINGAME, CA -- (Market Wire - Jun 29, 2005) -- "The elusive creature known as Bigfoot may not be elusive for very much longer," according to C. Thomas Biscardi, a Bigfoot explorer and founder of the Great American Bigfoot Research Organization.
In the next few days, Biscardi will begin an investigation into a cavernous area near Happy Camp, California, in which he expects to find evidence of Bigfoot inhabitation and hopefully be able to contain and capture a live creature.
This particular location has been chosen based on two very recent sightings from very credible witnesses. When Biscardi was contacted to follow up on these sightings, his investigation led to finding footprints indicative of a large primate. An account of this investigation is available in an article by Linda Martin datelined June 27, 2005 in the Happy Camp News at www.happycampnews.com.
Since the public is skeptical of any Bigfoot sightings, Biscardi has invited news organizations and a team of documentary filmmakers from Sweden to join him on this investigation. Joining him will be Megan Landers, a reporter from The Medford News, Medford, Oregon, and filmmakers from Sweden, led by producer, David Sayer. The filmmakers are currently doing a movie about Bigfoot.
In the event that Biscardi and his team will be able to contain and capture a creature, further scientific study is slated to be coordinated under the supervision of Dr. George W. Gill, Ph.D., a professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming.
"This is a high stakes, high risk, scientific and commercial expedition," according to Biscardi. A recent two-and-a-half minute videotape of a Bigfoot sighting in Manitoba, Canada, was recently sold for an undisclosed sum to the television program "A Current Affair." The undisclosed sum, according to Biscardi's sources, "is purported to be in the high six figures."
The findings and materials forthcoming from this investigation will also be offered for commercial sale and distribution. Organizations interested in acquiring the rights for projects such as publishing, television, film, merchandising, lectures and exhibits based on Biscardi's expeditions can submit their inquiries to Robert Barrows, President of R.M. Barrows, Inc. Advertising and Public Relations at 205 Park Rd., #208, Burlingame, California, 94010, Tel: 650-344-1951. Barrows will be reviewing initial requests and submissions and will be coordinating publicity for the expedition.
Information about previous Bigfoot sightings by Biscardi is available on the web site of the Great American Bigfoot Research Organization at www.greatamericanbigfoot.com.
#4
Come on! Everyone knows by now that Saddam Hussein is a myth, conjured up to justify Bush's war of aggression against the peaceful terrorists in the middle east!
That guy y'all see on TV waiting for the trial? He's an actor from New Jersey; real good at playing ethnic types...
#11
Muck, if I see a picture of an alleged chupacabra that doesn't turn out to be a coyote with mange I will be suprised.
Earlier in the century most of the predators in places like Texas were pretty much killed off, and a disproportionate share of the predator "niche" has subsequently been taken up by coyotes and/or coyote/domestic dog halfbreeds... such that their fraction of the "predator" niche is very large. And therefore their population density is large, and they're more vulnerable to diseases like mange, which are endemic in the population.
This causes not just hair loss, but developmental problems and a loss of health, increaced opportunistic secondary infections, etc., thanks to the mange... and when one of these poor animals winds up crawling under someone's house and dying, the picture gets sold to Coast to Coast AM, and Whitley Streiber comes down to have genetic testing done, but you never hear the results back, probably because they've decided that a result of "run of the mill coydog who got sick" is too boring for their audience.
I suspect a similar factor may be at work in Bigfoot sightings themselves, in that some of them may be caused by out-of-place sightings of known-to-science species instead.
Say, gorillas, chimpanzees, or orangutans instead.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
07/01/2005 16:54 Comments ||
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SANTA ANA, Calif. - A 29-year-old Orange County woman has been charged with falsely accusing six men of kidnapping her at gunpoint and raping her.An indictment returned by an Orange County grand jury also accuses Tamara Anne Moonier with fraudulently receiving more than $1,800 from a state emergency fund for crime victims. lookerin her mowth thatn jus probly cover em teef cleenin
Authorities said Moonier went to the Fullerton Police Department on June 6 to report that she had been abducted outside a bar by lizard peples from dog star sirius at gunpoint, taken to motel 6 an unknown location and raped. Police said one of the men Moonier had accused provided a tape showing she had orchestrated the sexual encounter. "Her motive, I can only speculate," said Paul Chrisopoulos, deputy district attorney. "Yet, it's ironic that she is the one who told investigators that a videotape does exist. Now, this videotape is being used against her." Chrisopoulos said the 30-minute videotape shows Moonier telling the others what to do.
"Pulling them in certain directionsgoddam detayls lef owt >:(, pulling them into a bedroom, making references to the camera, aware that a camera is on, and just saying things that do not demonstrate fear and demonstrate a willin an money hungry hore consenting adult," Chrisopoulos said.
Police questioned the six men. None were arrested. She is scheduled to be arraigned July 8 on four felony counts. If convicted on all counts she could be sentenced to as much as four years and eight months in prison. maker conjecyooler visit reservashens for 6
Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor charge. Authorities said taking money from the state fund would be considered a felony. ima got me roks redy! fiyer wen redy!...oh. thisn aint iraan
RIYADH â Saudi Arabia has protested to neighbours Qatar and the UAE over plans to build a bridge linking their two states, saying it would pass through Saudi territorial waters, local media said yesterday.
The proposed bridge is just one element in a wider disagreement between regional giant Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which is seeking to amend a 1974 border pact agreed shortly after the UAE was formed.
âRegarding the bridge, Saudi Arabia had to deliver a protest note to the governments of Qatar and the UAE because this is not acceptable, because this would pass through Saudi regional waters,â Saudi newspapers quoted Prince Nayef as saying. Two weeks ago Prince Nayef visited Abu Dhabi for talks on the 1974 border pact.
Earlier this month, Prince Nayef denied a report that the two sides also discussed a UAE request to exploit its part of Shaybah oilfield, which lies across their joint border.
Looking at a map, the Soodis may have a point unless you build it way the hell out into the Gulf.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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It looks like a tactic to force the Saudis to negotiate on borders. If those islets are inhabited then SA territorial waters will be small.
Millions of Mexicans living abroad will now be able to vote in the 2006 presidential elections under a bill signed into law by President Vicente Fox on Thursday. Fox signed the bill on the deadline for approval, two days after it was approved in the lower house of Congress. It provides for mail-in ballots for the estimated 11 million migrants, most of them in the United States.
By law, all changes to electoral codes must be made no less than a year before any election to be in effect. "These reforms will broaden and strengthen the democratic change Mexico is going through, and constitute an important recognition of the contribution made to Mexico's development by those who live abroad," Fox said. "Today, by signing this law, we are telling our countrymen that we are all one community, that we are all part of one nation that values and loves them."
The lower house of Congress passed the voting proposal 455-6 Tuesday with six abstentions. The bill was already approved by Mexico's Senate.
As much as 14 percent of the country's electorate lives overseas, most in the United States. It's actually more like 1 of 6 Mexican adults live overseas in the USA
Expatriates are legally allowed to vote and hold dual citizenship, but without an absentee ballot system have been effectively barred from participating in elections. It was not clear which parties might benefit from the migrant voting in the July 2, 2006 election.
About 4 million Mexican migrants are thought to have valid registration cards. Some expatriates said the new system still excludes many potential voters â particularly undocumented immigrants in the United States who lack Mexico's voter registration card and are afraid to leave the country to get one.
Posted by: ed ||
07/01/2005 07:33 ||
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It seems to me, that this is a short term gain, for a long term loss. With so many Mexicans living in the United States, it means that the US or evil corporations, can if they wish, impact who gets elected in Mexico.
#2
It's a gain for whoever is in power in Mexico. Remember, he who counts the ballots, wins. SEE: Washington State governors election.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/01/2005 8:34 Comments ||
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...It provides for mail-in ballots for the estimated 11 million migrants...
NOT MIGRANTS. Illegals!!!
If you understand mail handling, foreign mail is consolidated at one or two central facilities to transfer internationally. If such facilities became contaminated requiring months of cleaning as had happen in DC, then those ballots would sit and wait till the place and contents were cleaned. This is the time for real US representative government to talk with the Mexican oligarchy. Ooops, it can go fast or go slow.
And long time overdue for 'naturalized' citizens to cough up their American citizenship if they vote in foreign elections. They swear an oath. Hold them to it.
#4
Some expatriates said the new system still excludes many potential voters â particularly undocumented immigrants in the United States who lack Mexico's voter registration card and are afraid to leave the country to get one.
#6
The Post Office should be instructed to return this mail as undeliverable to the sender.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/01/2005 9:25 Comments ||
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Remember no illegals means higher prices, no one will be willing to pay 5 bucks for a head of lettuce, or 2 bucks for a lb of strawberries. China will step in and farmers will stop farming when they can't compete.
#8
Remember no illegals means higher prices, no one will be willing to pay 5 bucks for a head of lettuce, or 2 bucks for a lb of strawberries. China will step in and farmers will stop farming when they can't compete
Hey, Sninese Sloluse9564, our lettuce costs more than 5 bucks a head now, genius, IF you factor the millions and millions of dollars paid for emergency health care, hosiptal, Drs. fees, labs, PT, dianostic tec.,prenatal care,etc. by tax payers. Munch that, the next time you graze on some lettuce.
Schooling costs, books,teachers, class rooms, teaching aids, buses/fuel,school insurance and all the overhead costs for teaching paid by taxpares. Oh yeah, strawberrys are cheap!
The police local state fed, courts local state fed, jail, prison state fed, probation costs, parole costs, public defenders costs,immigration lawyers , translators, and other immigration costs paid by tax payers. You're full of cheap turnips Sninese Sloluse9564.
>Drug cartels are able to exploit elements whithin the vast pool of illegals in our country and are thereby helped. heavy price for Americans! Add that to the 'cheap' tomatoes you like to eat.
It's kind of like slavery Sninese Sloluse9564. 1700-1860 the tobacco/cotton etc.
The farmer who was against having slaves, hardly had a choice, he would've had to keep his family biz small, because he could't compete aginst the big boys by hiring free labor.
I know this first hand in my construction biz. Yes, on occasion I've hired illegals, but up until about 10 years ago I held out. The millions of illegals in our country has a huge impact. It's very corrosive and costly. It dilutes our citizen status.
the impact list is much longer.
enjoy that cheap food over the 4th of July Sninese Sloluse9564! /not
And what makes you a Hero of the Republic in the DPRK?
Pyongyang, June 30 (KCNA) -- The title of the Hero of the Republic was posthumously awarded to Yu Kyong Hwa, former student of Kim Chol Ju University of Education for fully displaying the spirit of devotedly defending the leader and revolutionary comradeship. Early in January last when there broke out fire all of a sudden, she protected the portraits of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il and saved her revolutionary comrades from the flames at the cost of her life. There's a helluva reason to die.
The Title of the Hero of the DPRK and Gold Star Medal and the Order of the National Flag First Class posthumously awarded to her were conveyed to her bereaved family at an awarding ceremony held Wednesday. Probably would've been happier with a chicken dinner.
At the ceremony speakers referred to the brilliant life of her who always lived with rare desire and hope to be a true daughter of Songun Korea, adding that was why she displayed to the full the intense loyalty and noble comradeship to the last moments of her life. Maybe they'll name the new sprinkler system at KCJU for her...
Posted by: Mahmoud Allah Mohammed ||
07/01/2005 09:25 ||
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One has to have their priorities in life sorted properly. Too bad Yu didn't know that in 15 years her countrymen will probably be stomping, spitting, ripping, and yes, burning those same portraits. They'll look upon her as just another tragic case of PDRK eating it's own children for the sick tower of lies that the Leader number one and number two created.
The labor and social security bureaus in Shanghai and Beijing municipalities announced Friday to raise their minimum salary standards as of July 1.
In Shanghai, the lowest monthly pay has risen from 635 yuan (76.8 US dollars) to 690 yuan (83.4 US dollars).
The minimum pay of the non full-time work grows from 5.5 yuan (67 US cents) to 6 yuan (73 US cents) per hour, excluding the social insurance charges.
Meanwhile, the minimum salary standard in Beijing rose from 545 yuan (65.9 US dollars) to 580 yuan (70.1 US dollars), while the non full-time pay rises from 6.8 yuan (82 US cents) to 7.3 yuan (88 US cents) per hour.
The theft of art and tall tales from Islamic websites are not the sort of thing you would expect to hit the Crikey bunker, but Patricia Piccinini â older sister of Mrs Crikey and prominent contemporary artist â has been quite shocked by developments over the past few weeks.
In May, Patricia and her artist husband Peter Hennesey noticed a sharp uptick in the traffic through Patricia's website, which now carries a front page explanation of what is quite a disturbing hoax.
Site usage had surged from a healthy 150,000 page views in April to a record 950,000 in May. A quick look at the "top referrers" didn't just show Google and various art magazines or galleries, but also websites such as Somalia Online. A few days later they received the first email referring to the use of one of Patricia's works â a cropped image from the sculpture The Leather Landscape â in a hoax. The hoax was posted on an Arabic language website www.alnilin.com and recounted the story of how a girl was transformed into an animal after throwing a copy of the Koran on to the ground.
I look at animal girl who throw Koran on floor on alnilin.com. I find combination of girl and animal very attractive. Will my eyes melt and my head explode?
Mahmoud Allah Mohammed
Posted by: Mahmoud Allah Mohammed ||
07/01/2005 9:21 Comments ||
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The government of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder lost a confidence vote in parliament Friday, giving Schroeder the chance he has sought to hold new elections. The confidence motion got 151 votes, short of the 301 votes needed as members of Schroeder's own party obeyed his request to abstain. Struggling with a sluggish econony and dissent in his own ranks, Schroeder says he wants an election to get a new mandate from voters to push ahead with controversial economic reforms.
Posted by: ed ||
07/01/2005 06:43 ||
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Well Steve, you headline wasn't wrong... my comment was somewhat ironic.
He DID lose the confidence vote but he wanted to. Maybe change the headline again and leave out "vote". The irony may be clearer then.
If Schroeder only had the style to... gasp... step down. He put the Federal President in a very difficult position because the proceedings this morning really exposed the whole thing as the sham it is. It is not impossible that the German Constitutional Court rules against new elections. I hope it does not because I can't stand to see these people any longer.
#7
The gameplan should be to allow the Christian Democrats to win. Then the Christian Democrats do the painful things necessary to fix the economy and the voters hate them for it. Then Schroeder's party can win the next dozen elections and work on screwing up the economy again to buy off voters.
#8
I'm very late in the day on this topic, but hope someone will be able to answer quickly.
Basically, WTF?
So Schroeder orders his own party to throw a no-confidence vote. This "shows" his cabinet doesn't have the "support" of parliament, but the President may or may not agree?
In this case, it was rigged, but if he had really lost a no-confidence vote? Could the President still say "You still have the support of parliament?" What is the limit on his discretion?
And why didn't he simply resign? Is the government not allowed to?
Sheesh. I had better not hear anything about the Electoral College being hard to understand any more.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A lunch meeting between a leading parliamentarian in Belgium and counterparts from Iran has been cancelled because the beer-loving Belgian could not stomach a ban on alcohol. "Even for the tolerant Herman De Croo, that was a bridge too far," De Croo, a Dutch-speaking Liberal, told De Standaard daily on Thursday.
De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament on Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands. But he said lunch had been cancelled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same.
"I did not receive such demands in writing. But ... I was indirectly asked not to serve alcohol," said De Croo. whatn wuz teh film were they drink meed?
British attempts to use the upcoming anniversary of the worst war crime in the former Yugoslavia to unite all sides in the wars in mutual forgiveness have collapsed, receiving an angry rebuff from the Bosnian Muslim leadership.
The Foreign Office had been quietly circulating proposals in the Balkans, suggesting the leaderships of Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia should issue a common declaration of "reconciliation and apology" in Srebrenica, where Serbs conducted a minutely planned massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim males almost 10 years ago.
British diplomats appear to have badly misjudged the local mood, floating the notion of a common declaration aimed at healing wounds which, in the case of Srebrenica, remain fresh for the tens of thousands of relatives of the dead, many of whom have yet to locate their loved ones' remains. "This is completely unacceptable," said Edin Dilberovic, foreign policy adviser to Sulejman Tihic, the co-president of Bosnia and leader of the Bosniak or Bosnian Muslim community. "Srebrenica is the wrong place at the wrong time for a declaration of reconciliation and forgiveness. Srebrenica is special. It was a real, organised massacre. [The British] can't be serious."
Serious indeed, sometimes also bloody-minded.
Officials in Bosnia and Croatia ascribed the proposal to Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, and said it had been floated a few weeks ago by British embassies in the Balkans. "There's no formal proposal by Straw," a British source responded. He said the inter national focus on the town during the anniversary made it an ideal opportunity for "a statesmanlike initiative".
"We have encouraged the countries to consider a range of initiatives" aimed at promoting trust and cooperation, the British source said.
A senior Croatian official said he had been surprised when told of the idea. "There are only two parties who could and should apologise in Srebrenica - the Serbs and the Dutch," said Tomislav Jakic, foreign policy aide to President Stipe Mesic of Croatia. Dutch peacekeepers stationed in Srebrenica in 1995 have been criticised for abandoning the Muslim enclave to the invading forces of the Bosnian Serb commander, General Ratko Mladic.
They did, and the Dutch government later resigned in masse.
Mladic has been indicted for genocide and has been on the run from international justice for 10 years, along with his co-indictee, Radovan Karadzic. "The [British] idea is that everyone should apologise to everyone else ... It's misrepresenting what happened," said Mr Jakic. A Bosnian official said the idea was "grotesque".
Srdjan Dizdarevic, the head of the Helsinki human rights committee in Bosnia, said: "This is absolutely stupid, totally unacceptable that on the 10th anniversary there should be forgiveness for everything."
In recent days both the Serbian parliament in Belgrade and the Serbian caucus in the Bosnian parliament have refused to adopt or have vetoed declarations denouncing the Srebrenica massacre. The reformist Serbian president, Boris Tadic, is to attend the commemoration in Srebrenica despite the opposition of the relatives of the victims.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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Come on. My effigy would look great!!
Posted by: Armchair in Sin ||
07/01/2005 1:26 Comments ||
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Straw is one of those Brits who firmly believes his ethical and political principles and therefore goes marching off without a speck of data to back him up.
See: warm approach to Iran.
Posted by: too true ||
07/01/2005 9:24 Comments ||
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Question: How many bitch-slaps does it take for a Moonbat to admit he's deranged?
The European Commission proposed EU-wide legislation Thursday banning the trade of goods designed for torture and executions, including electric shock belts, electric chairs and guillotines. The proposal, which needs the backing of all 25 European Union governments, would order countries to impose "strict controls" on those products and multipurpose goods that could be used "to inflict torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," the EU executive said in a statement. Among the multiple-use goods were leg irons and electric shock weapons that have both a legitimate use but also could be used for torture. EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said trade in such goods from EU nations is "extremely minimal," and the proposed legislation updates similar national rules already in place. "There is no huge flow of equipment that has to be halted," she said.
So there's nothing at stake. How Y'urp-peon.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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EU-rabian Blather is molar grinding torture also. I want justice! BAN the c*cksuckers or worse!
Posted by: Red Dog ||
07/01/2005 0:20 Comments ||
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impose "strict controls" on those products and multipurpose goods that could be used "to inflict torture
#4
Damn it! I just ordered a eurp-eon gullotine too. The French make the best you know.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/01/2005 1:31 Comments ||
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EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said trade in such goods from EU nations is "extremely minimal," and the proposed legislation updates similar national rules already in place.
This is an attempt to assert EU control over national laws. They deliberately chose a topic / goods that no one is likely to argue should trade freely, in order to set a precedent for other things.
Posted by: too true ||
07/01/2005 6:55 Comments ||
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#12
Does this mean we're not going to have to listen to anymore leftist screeds?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/01/2005 8:28 Comments ||
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...including electric shock belts, electric chairs and guillotines.
Europe still makes these things? They are even more backwards and barbaric than I thought.
...on those products and multipurpose goods that could be used "to inflict torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,"
That could be everything. All things, including paper and lemon juice can be used as a torture device. Boneheads. Kill all trade. Brilliant.
#16
In fact the EU Constitution has dual use: if you hit the guy with it, it can cause major physical damage due to its size and weight, if you read it to him the guy will be driven nuts.
#18
I've got some fine telescoping steel batons on sale. They're dual use. You can use them as a pointer in your The EU Constitution Is Really Great Shit presentations and to wake up people caught sleeping during your The EU Constitution Is Really Great Shit presentations. The 26" model sells like hotcakes. But I don't take overseas orders - fuck 'em.
#21
Don't overlook the Anti-American aspect to this. After this is enacted,certain EU members can have a fine time once again lecturing America how wrong it is to torture the poor innocents in Guantanamo and then they can make America the first country that this applies to.
Two rules of thumb for the EU-anything it does is designed to help France and anything they say has an Anti-American agenda.
Posted by: Stephen ||
07/01/2005 21:22 Comments ||
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Spain became the third country to legalize gay marriage Thursday in a parliament vote that left gay activists blowing kisses to lawmakers and the powerful Catholic Church issuing veiled calls for defiance. The new law increases the chances of happiness for "our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives," said Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The 350-seat Congress of Deputies, by a vote of 187-147 with four abstentions, approved the measure to give homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual ones, including the right to adopt children. After the tally was announced, activists watching from the spectator section of the ornate chamber cried, cheered, hugged each other, waved to lawmakers and blew them kisses.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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It's the adoption of children that I have a real problem with. Other than that...have fun and be merry...or gay.
#2
I'll bet that vote [187pro-147neyt] doesn't represent the will of the Spanish people by a country mile. What happened to the Spanish clergy do they have the same "problem" that Boston and LA had?
Gay Marriage who would have thunk.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
07/01/2005 0:50 Comments ||
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Gay 'marriage' is all about money. Getting the financial benefits married male-female couples enjoy. Most of those benefits relate to the costs of raising children and preparation for same. Gays should not enjoy the benefits becuase they can not have children. I have yet to see a single article that deals honestly with this issue and the consequent costs to other taxpayers. Just all agitprop, all the time.
#4
Socialists in power sticking it to the Catholics & conservatives.
Posted by: too true ||
07/01/2005 6:56 Comments ||
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#5
And what a "fitting" close to pride month, eh?
Posted by: BA ||
07/01/2005 7:11 Comments ||
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Don't worry, Phil, you'll see it when the divorces start. There's a lesbian couple in Mass that each had a child through artificial insemination. They agreed one would work and one would stay with the kids. Now it's split city and, you gueddes it, the stay at home is suing for child support including college tuition.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/01/2005 7:40 Comments ||
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The new law increases the chances of happiness for "our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives," said Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Then his lips fell off. IIRC, the evidence in the Netherlands indicates a precipitous decline in marriages in general and a major surge in crime.
#3
Jones is only possible on a straight party vote with no RINO defections. She's a Texan who says what she means, just like someone else I can think of. At least Garza's got the Hispanic thing going for him. The Fifth Circuit, by the way either is or is close to being the most reversed circuit court of appeals: the judges are all from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, which ain't exactly John Kerry country.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/01/2005 16:31 Comments ||
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Lol - that'll get you nailed to the wall, CF, lol!
First order of business: donate the building to the Library of Congress, then get rid of the robes and all the other trappings. Actual meetings are as rare as hen's teeth, so rent a room at Muldoon's Pub when you need one - all it needs are BB Internet connections for cites and research.
Servants of The People do not require trappings or special treatment. Anything BUT, in fact. That is likely part of the problem with jurists, congresscritters, et al. They're fat, happy, and full of themselves. They require being grounded in reality: fixing their own flat tires, buying milk at the store, and suffering the same fickle and unpredictable fate as those they presume to serve.
The left would demand he recuse himself from every WOT case that comes up.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/01/2005 18:39 Comments ||
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Lol - they could demand anything they like - he'd be a Supreme for life, no? Might be fun to watch ACLU, AI, HRW, et al phreak out. As I said, he's got a Bolton sort of thing going against for him, IMHO. ;-)
#14
BTW, on Fox both Jeff Birnbaum (the pseudo moderate from WaPo) amd Juan Williams (lol - the NPR Asstard) both guaranteed a bloodbath if Bush's nominee isn't an "acceptable" super-moderate / swing vote (duh!), as O'Conner is perceived to be. Teddy "Seal" Kennedy echoed that, adding that for Bush to nominate a conservative would be to abuse his presidential power, lol! The jealousy never wears down with Chevas Teddy, does it, lol!
Bush says he will not name his nominee until after he returns from some trip he's about to take. So let 'em stew and foam for awhile.
I rather expect the Nuke Option to finally be exercised once the mud starts flying and the DhimmiWitless Assholes bog the process down and prove they never had any intention of following the Consitution. Funny, a search of the Consitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, et al finds no matches for "filibuster". Isn't that odd? I figure they'll have time to regret their idiocy for the next decade or two over this.
#15
W will hold off on naming a candidate to keep the lib-hate groups off-kilter and unable to dig for dirt/slander on any one candidate IMHO. After he names someone, the Dodd/Biden/Kennedy M.O. is to ask for all documents relevant, and even more, not relevant in an effort to prevent a vote or necessitate a real filibuster. Time for RINOS to stand and be counted: backbone? and which side are you on?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/01/2005 19:17 Comments ||
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#16
"All of the nominees on this list sent over by President Bush are just terrible. This guy used to be a member of the KKK, for chrissakes. This guy was the driver in a fatal auto accident involving a young woman that his family covered up. This woman was involved in some seriously questionable real estate dealings in Arkansas. Hey wait -- have I got the right list?"
Posted by: Matt ||
07/01/2005 19:47 Comments ||
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#2
Maybe I should clarify, now we can replace her with someone that has a predictable position and not have to worry about her "switch back and forth" bullshit.
#4
When it's 5-4, a vote's a vote. Ginsberg, Breyer, Kennedy, O'connor, Stevens, doesn't matter which one, just one.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/01/2005 10:42 Comments ||
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#5
Or Souter.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
07/01/2005 10:56 Comments ||
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#6
I have a feeling that this confirmation battle will make Justice Thomas' look like a kindergarten fight. I do not relish the thought of having to hear Chuck Schumer bloviating every day for the next eight months.
#9
She probably had to resign to defend her house form expropriation efforts.
Whatever else you can say about her, she is the justice who looks most like one of the Founding Fathers.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/01/2005 11:30 Comments ||
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#10
Get ready for whomever Bush nominates. Stories of how he/she took an extra cookie once in knidergarden or how they once turned right and not left after leaving the office.
#11
Hey, GWB ought to put one of his recent appointees up to the Supreme court You know, the very one from California? Highly rated by the Bar association, a history of fair and solid rulings, good leagal scholar as well. And since the "dirt" has been dealt alrady during the appelate court nomination process, there is little to impede a Supreme nomination.
Except the fact that this candidate is Conservative, Female and Black.
The Dems will have a sh*t fit if Bush nominates Janice Brown.
It would be worth it just to see the histrionics - and how they try to demagoge her without looking like racist misogynists (and fail).
#13
The Dems will have a sh*t fit if Bush nominates Janice Brown.
Jesse Jackson would call her an "Oreo", and it'd go downhill from there.
Maybe it was just a Texas thing - Oreo = black on the ouside, white on the inside. Coconut = brown on the outside, and .... Well, you get the idea. Maybe we'll get to hear new variations over the next few months!
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/01/2005 12:04 Comments ||
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#14
"Whatever else you can say about her, she is the justice who looks most like one of the Founding Fathers."
#15
Good for you, Sandy baby! Don't forget to lighten up!
Posted by: John Riggins ||
07/01/2005 12:14 Comments ||
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#16
More interesting if the Prez waits until Renquist steps down (immediately after O'Connor replacement confirmed I imagine) Then nominates Janice Rogers Brown to replace Renquist...
{Slap myself} Been reading too much Machiavelli again.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
07/01/2005 12:48 Comments ||
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#19
Yes, Red Dog, he does. Listen guys, not to rain on your parade, but if I am not mistaken Judge Brown is very weak on the Second Amendment. That is not acceptable.
#24
Of the list os potential replacements that Fox just reviewed - on in particular leaped out at me: Ted Olsen. That he's qualified is indisputable - bio. Zell Miller likes him. He's strong on 2nd Amendment Rights.
Side issues:
1) His wife died 9/11 on Flight 77, which will make the conspiracists foam at the mouth. They have already got a pile of BS conspiracy shit to play with about her.
2) He was the Republican representative in the "disputed" 2000 vote in FL and represented them before the SCOTUS. Another apeshit response from the "selected" not "elected" Kool Aid Krowd.
The list of sites you find if you Google his name that, literally, hate him is very encouraging. A Hillary Clinton site hates him. There's a reference to an RB article, too. He actually sounds something like another Bolton.
#26
heh heh wonder if Zell has any desire to serve?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/01/2005 19:05 Comments ||
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#27
Zell Miller. *sigh* Frank, you have the lovliest ideas... ;-) He does have the most lovely sense of duty, that the President could tap into, and he's been retired almost long enough to be bored stiff...
(CNSNews.com) - The House of Representatives can't undo a troubling Supreme Court ruling, but it can -- and did -- send a message to the states. On Thursday, the House voted 365-33 to condemn the court's Kelo v. City of New London ruling that allows the government to take private property for "economic development." Private homes may be turned over to private commercial developers with "just compensation" -- even if homeowners object, the court said. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution specifically states that "private property" shall not "be taken for public use without just compensation." The court's ruling expands the concept of eminent domain beyond "public use."
The resolution (H. Res. 340) expressing lawmakers' disapproval of the Kelo ruling was sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingry (R-Ga.), and one lawmaker called it a first step toward restoring basic private property rights.
"The unchangeable principle of politics, morality, and common sense is that what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours," Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) said. "What the Court decided last week was that what's mine is not really mine, and what's yours is not really yours -- that, in fact, private property only exists as a political expedient, a psychological contrivance wholly subject to the government's whims."
A number of critics, including Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas, have warned that the Kelo decision will leave the poor, the elderly, and racial minorities most vulnerable to losing property to the government, and DeLay agreed: "Those people with the least economic and political power -- with the least means to fight back and the most need for government protection of their God-given rights -- have been told by the Supreme Court that while property rights are sacred, some people's property rights are more sacred than others'." "It is not a debatable ideological overreach, but a universally deplorable assault of the rights of man," DeLay said. "The Court's Kelo decision will go down in history as a travesty," he concluded.
In addition to the resolution, legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to limit federal funding for cities and municipalities that use eminent domain to seize property for economic development. House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) introduced the House bill, and he said he expects the House Judiciary Committee to consider it later this year. "To give legislative force to this resolution, today I introduced H.R. 3135, the "Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005. This bipartisan bill will help restore the property rights of all Americans that the Supreme Court took away last week," Sensenbrenner said.
Rep. John Conyners, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, is the lead Democratic cosponsor, and 64 lawmakers already have pledged their support, Sensenbrenner said. Like a bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate, the House bill would prevent the federal government from using economic development as a justification for taking privately owned property. It also would prohibit any state or municipality from doing so whenever federal funds are involved with the project for which eminent domain authority is exercised. "American taxpayers should not be forced to contribute in any way to the abuse of government power," Sensenbrenner said. He noted that farmers, ranchers, and religious organizations all are threatened by the Kelo ruling, which might allow developers to seize their property for economic development.
Sensenbrenner said his bill -- H.R. 3135 - will "assure the American people that we will not allow churches, homes, farms, and other private property to be bulldozed in abusive land grabs that solely benefit private individuals whose only claim to that land is that their greater wealth will increase tax revenues."
It's a start
Posted by: Steve ||
07/01/2005 08:53 ||
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...H.R. 3135 - will "assure the American people...
They can assure me all they want. Until I see some firm, non-loophole laws coming through or some justices swinging from a tree, I ain't gonna feel assured.
1) Banning the use of Federal funds in projects where this new eminent domain law (that's what it is, new law) is employed won't do diddley-squat. The vast majority of these things will be of the variety we saw in the Texas article - local grabs for local gain. Conyers, a professional onanist, is just jerking off for his minions and sycophants.
2) Withholding Federal funds, generically, from Govt entities which employ the new law will likely have an effect - almost every Govt entity is getting some of your tax dollars for some wank-o-matic bullshit social(ist) program or another. So Sensenbrenner's bill has a few teeth, anyway.
3) This proves the point that this SCOTUS ruling is NOT business as usual and is, indeed, a serious new rights grab by a socialist-leaning SCOTUS.
Since the only real cure is a Constitutional Amendment, I'd say that they should go ahead and get started... but I'd recommend 2 Amendments...
One to reverse this insane ruling and restore eminent domain to its 200 yr old traditional meaning.
A second to create a rational and simple transparent mechanism for removal of jurists at any level who do not accept the Constitution of the US, as currently amended, or find themselves too restricted by Federal, State, or local law and feel free to wander about the landscape devising law from personal whim and prejudice. Perhaps that means direct election of all jurists and fixed terms. Perhaps it means installing nice tall lampposts outside each courtroom.
Whatever it takes to stop judicial activism without accountability.
Note that this is no different from "No taxation without representation" - and that little notion was the cause of the first American Revolution.
#5
Suprise..Suprise! (D)House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was one of 189 that voted against the bill. She criticized it as follows.
"When you withhold funds from enforcing a decsion of the Supreme Court, you are in fact nullifying a decsion of the Supreme Court."
Lets Pray for once she is correct in her assesment. Whoops..did I say pray..I meant...Feel free to make a non-denominational reaffirmation to your higher power or connection with your secular inner-tranquility.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
My proposal for the 28th Amendment:
Private property shall not be taken by the United States nor by the several states for public use, for which compelling evidence shall be made, without just compensation, nor shall the United States nor the several states take private property for the purpose of transfer to another private party.
Compelling evidence is building a road, creating a public park, etc. No transfers to another private party means that NONE of the current nonsense about seizing land for transfer to a developer shall be permitted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2005 12:06 Comments ||
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#7
Feel free to make a non-denominational reaffirmation to your higher power or connection with your secular inner-tranquility.
#8
Absolute truth is defined a 5-to-4 decision in the Supreme Court;
I might be inclined toward a rule that required a 6-3 or 7-2 margin; if there's that much difference of opinion, let the current conditions stand. Or perhaps sequester the old farts without a potty brerak until they do come to an agreement like a regular jury trial and no goddam hung juries allowed.
PORT KLANG, June 30 (Bernama) -- United States aircraft carrier USS Nimitz arrived at Westport, here Thursday for its maiden call in Malaysia, the first nuclear-powered vessel to dock in Malaysian waters.
Nimitz commanding officer Captain T.N. Branch said the ship's nuclear power plants posed no radiation threat as there had never been any such incident in its 30-year service. During that time, the ship had travelled 132 million miles, which was equivalent to 5,000 times around the earth, and called at 150 countries, he added.
Touted as the largest warship in the world, the US$4.1 billion (RM15.6 billion) USS Nimitz was commissioned on May 13, 1975. It has two nuclear power plants for its propulsion and is more than 18 storeys high from the keel to the top of the mast. The ship, which is manned by a crew of 3,200 plus 2,480 personnel for the air wing, carries 45 jet fighters, 12 supporting aircraft and six helicopters.
Rear Admiral Peter H. Daly, the commander of the Nimitz's Carrier Strike Group Eleven, said the crews were eager to witness Malaysian culture and people during the five-day port call. He said the main purpose of the port call was to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the US and Malaysia.
And the 'howler':
Helicopter pilot Second Class Petty Officer Kortney Backer, 22, said she was glad for the opportunity to visit Malaysia and it was a relief to be on land again after a long voyage.
#2
Another stellar example of a "journalist" who can't do math. 132 million miles in 30 years works out to an average speed of just over 500 miles per hour! I suspect the actual figure was 1.32 million miles. (Ya gotta watch 'em - those decimal points are tricky!)
NEW DELHI - Singapore supports Indiaâs candidature for the UN Security Council (UNSC), but is opposed to enlarging the veto power, saying that would paralyse decision making, news reports said on Thursday. âSingapore supports Indiaâs bid for a permanent seat in the UNSCâ, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is on a three-day visit to India, said Thursday, according to PTI newsagency. âIndia is a natural candidate, given its size, the population it represents, its growing influence and linkages internationally,â he said.
However, he added, âWe should not end up having a situation where we have many vetoes in the UNSC. This will paralyse the decision making process at the UN and undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the institution.â
Not like it could get worse.
The Singapore premier was addressing a business meeting after India and Singapore firmed up a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, on Wednesday
India, along with Germany, Brazil and Japan (called the G4) are making a determined bid for permanent seats at the UNSC. The four countries, however, are willing to withhold their right of veto for fifteen years.
Loong, who is hopeful that the India-Singapore economic pact will deepen bilateral relations, also expressed strong support for expansion of the East Asia Summit. He said the Association for South East Asian nations (ASEAN) has decided that the summit should include not only the members of the South East Asian bloc but also India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Blocs are forming. Get in on the ground floor.
I think they should all probably have perm seats, but no veto, but I'd include Australia in the group.
#2
The UNSC is like the old Poland govt of centuries ago. One veto and the bill or whatever stops in its tracks and is DOA. Hey, but have a ball, UN, just not on my nickel.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/01/2005 3:09 Comments ||
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#3
Like someone said yesterday, "Here, you can have our seat. We won't be using it anymore."
Posted by: BA ||
07/01/2005 7:19 Comments ||
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BANGKOK (Reuters) - A team of deep-sea divers has discovered the wreck of a U.S. submarine sunk by a Japanese minelayer 60 years ago in the Gulf of Thailand during the closing stages of World War II.
The U.S.S. Lagarto, a 1,500 ton"Balao class" submarine, disappeared without trace on May 4, 1945 after attacking a Japanese tanker and destroyer convoy around 100 miles off the southeast coast of Thailand. All 86 men on board are still listed as missing in action.
"We've always known that since the end of the War there's been a submarine missing around there," said British wreck diver Jamie MacLeod, who discovered the 110 m (310-foot) submarine sitting in 70m (225 ft) of water in May. "We went into all the war-time records, cross-referenced them with fishermen's marks and then searched with the sonar and it came up trumps -- we found a bump on the bottom, went down the line and there it was," MacLeod said.
The Pentagon has not yet confirmed the identity of the wreck, which remains the property of the U.S. Navy under international maritime law, although MacLeod says there is little doubt in his mind. "It's a Balao class sub for sure because I've seen it and touched it and it's the only one lost in Thailand," he said.
The Gulf of Thailand is the final resting place for many U.S. and Japanese ships and planes destroyed in the struggle for maritime supremacy in South East Asia and the South China Sea in World War II.
Thailand's west coast is strewn with Japanese and British warships sunk while patrolling the Indian Ocean shoreline from ports in Burma, or Myanmar as it is now called, and Sri Lanka. MacLeod, who said he had also just discovered a Lockheed P38 Lightning -- a high-altitude fighter dubbed the "Forktailed Devil" by the German Luftwaffe -- said the Lagarto appeared to be relatively undamaged."It looks to me like it's intact and it's sitting upright on the bottom in very clear water, so you can get a good idea of what it looks like," he said. "Everything is still on it -- all the armaments, the brass navigation lights. It's beautiful."
Having contacted relatives of the crew through the U.S. Submarines of WWII Veterans Association, MacLeod said he would be taking two Lagarto grandchildren to the site of the wreck later this month."It's nice because now the families are talking about closure," MacLeod said.
I thought Fred was in charge of these?
NEW YORK (AP)--The U.S. government will indefinitely retain oversight of the main computers that control traffic on the Internet, ignoring calls by some countries to turn the function over to an international body, a senior official said Thursday.
The announcement marked a departure from previously stated U.S. policy.
Michael D. Gallagher, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, shied away from terming the declaration a reversal, calling it instead "the foundation of U.S. policy going forward.The signals and words and intentions and policies need to be clear so all of us benefiting in the world from the Internet and in the U.S. economy can have confidence there will be continued stewardship," Gallagher said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said the declaration, officially made in a four-paragraph statement posted online, was in response to growing security threats and increased reliance on the Internet globally for communications and commerce. The computers in question serve as the Internet's master directories and tell Web browsers and e-mail programs how to direct traffic. Internet users around the world interact with them every day, likely without knowing it. Policy decisions could at a stroke make all Web sites ending in a specific suffix essentially unreachable.
Though the computers themselves --13 in all, known as "root" servers--are in private hands, they contain government-approved lists of the 260 or so Internet suffixes, such as ".com." In 1998, the Commerce Department selected a private organization with international board members, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, to decide what goes on those lists. Commerce kept veto power, but indicated it would let go once ICANN met a number of conditions.
Thursday's declaration means Commerce would keep that control, regardless of whether and when those conditions are met."It's completely an about-face if you consider the original commitment made when ICANN was created," said Milton Mueller, a Syracuse University professor who has written about policies surrounding the Internet's root servers.
ICANN officials said they were still reviewing Commerce's statement, which also expressed continued support of ICANN for day-to-day operations. The declaration won't immediately affect Internet users, but it could have political ramifications by putting in writing what some critics had already feared. Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami professor who helps run an independent ICANN watchdog site, said the date for relinquishing control has continually slipped.
Some countries, he said, might withdraw support they had for ICANN on the premise it would one day take over the root servers. In a worst-case scenario, countries refusing to accept U.S. control could establish their own separate Domain Name System and thus fracture the Internet into more than one network. That means two users typing the same domain name could reach entirely different Web sites, depending on where they are.
The announcement comes just weeks before a U.N. panel is to release a report on Internet governance, addressing such issues as oversight of the root servers, ahead of November's U.N. World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. Some countries have pressed to move oversight to an international body, such as the U.N. International Telecommunication Union, although the U.S. government has historically had that role because it funded much of the Internet's early development. Ah, there they are! The UN! Gee, I wonder why we had second thoughts?
Ambassador David Gross, the U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department, insisted that Thursday's announcement was unrelated to those discussions. But he said other countries should see the move as positive because "uncertainty is not something that we think is in the United States' interest or the world's interest.'" Gallagher noted that Commerce endorses having foreign governments manage their own country-code suffixes, such as ".fr" for France.
Posted by: BA ||
07/01/2005 13:20 Comments ||
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#4
This is necessary, but invites balkanization of the net's address space. Conflicts caused by "alternate" root servers could be interesting, in the chinese curse sense.
#6
In a worst-case scenario, countries refusing to accept U.S. control could establish their own separate Domain Name System and thus fracture the Internet into more than one network. BS, just set up a new root, such as .UN that ICANN ignores or routes to the other root servers which is more or less how it works at the moment.
BTW, international control is the route to both taxation and censorship.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch woman who swears by a daily helping of herring for a healthy life celebrated her 115th birthday on Wednesday as the oldest living person on record. Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, a former needlework teacher, was born in 1890, the year Sioux Indians were massacred by the U.S. military at the Battle of Wounded Knee.
The passionate soccer fan celebrated her birthday in a nursing home in the northern Dutch town of Hoogeveen. "She eats a piece of herring every day because it's good for the health," said Johan Beijering, director of the Westerkim nursing home. "She is still mentally full of vitality."
As opposed to Rooters
The daughter of a headmaster, Van Andel-Schipper was born in the town of Smilde in the northern Netherlands on June 29, 1890.
Where the screams of dying indians drowned out her cries
Also known as Hennie, she married a tax inspector in the 1930s and was forced to sell her jewellery to buy food during the German occupation in World War Two.
Which was not as brutal as Abu Graib, Gitmo, etc..
"A scan of our archive reveals that Hennie is also older than the Guinness World Records holder for the oldest man living, which makes her the oldest person in the world," said Guinness World Records book editor Craig Glenday.
Well, duh!
The world's oldest living man on record, Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, lives in occupied Puerto Rico. He was born on August 21, 1891 ,seven years before the illegal American War against Spain.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/01/2005 11:03 ||
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I prefer to think of her as the oldest living person liberated from the Nazis by British and American troops. No need to thank us, though.
I can imagine a column of American tanks rolling through the Dutch countryside in 1944: "Boo! Indian killers! Go home! The Nazis have been good to us! And whatever you do, don't invade Iraq!"
Posted by: Matt ||
07/01/2005 11:27 Comments ||
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#2
1890? Wasn't that the year Vincent Van Gogh committed suicide and Luxemburg was carved out of Holland? But, polite society doesn't speak of such events.
Posted by: ed ||
07/01/2005 11:43 Comments ||
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#3
Sounds like "take your axe to work" day for one of the Reuters troll editors.
Yar! We be Rice Pirates! NO, it's not a movie with Robert Urich, ye lubber.
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Pirates seized a ship carrying U.N. food aid to tsunami victims in Somalia when it was delivering its cargo, the World Food Program said Thursday. Somali gunmen boarded the MV Semlow, registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on Monday and took the crew of 10 hostage, the statement said. The captain of the vessel is Sri Lankan, the engineer is Tanzanian and the remaining eight crew are Kenyan. The ship was carrying 937 tons of rice donated by Japan and Germany for tsunami victims in Somalia.
Piracy along the Somalia coast is common -- several ships a month are attacked, if not actually hijacked, with valuables stolen and crews held for ransom. This is the first time the United Nations has reported a ship hijacked by Somali pirates. World Food Program officials have contacted clan elders to negotiate the release of the ship and its cargo and crew, the statement said.
#2
Zambiland government is pleased to announce a .05 kilogram increase of rice ration until further notice for everyone with the coveted ration book for loyal peeps.
July 1, 2005: The UN reports new major clashes between UN peacekeeping troops and rogue militias in the eastern Congo. On June 27 at least 300 UN peacekeepers tangled with 150 militia fighters in Ituri Province. The UN troops involved in the operation were Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Moroccan. The UN force was in the village of Medu (north of Bunia) conducting a search operation (presumably a weapons search operation) when 150 militiamen attacked with mortars and RPGs. The firefight lasted eight hours, before the militia fighters withdrew. Two Indian Mi-25 attack helicopters supported the UN ground troops in the engagement. The militiamen apparently belonged to the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front (FRPI).
The government now estimates that 8000 to 10,000 militiamen remain in the eastern Congo, and 1,000 of these militiamen are armed. Rwandan sources say the total number of militiamen is closer to 15,000-- but it is the armed component that is of course the determinative figure. Until late May, the government and the UN were reporting some success in their disarmament program. The disarmament program includes "persuasive" programs (like trading bicycles for automatic rifles) as well as the active military operations.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/01/2005 09:13 ||
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Hell, I'll trade ya bicycles for automatic rifles any day!
Some times, fighting terror with terror is the best answer.
Never let them feel safe, never give them a good nights sleep, keep them on the run.
Kill them where you find them. Take no prisoners.
Note from moderators: This was NOT posted by RB's Sock Puppet. It's not nice to take someone else's nym .... please refrain from doing so again or you will be TROLLed.
#4
And just remember, 5 times per day (it's just a coincidence, not profiling; nothing to see here, move along), at predictable times, they are stationary targets.
#5
I was under the impression that last bit is not mandatory when fighting a war, .com. Of course, if caught out, they can be accused of being impious Muslims, which would clearly be why Allah allowed them to be defeated. ;-)
#6
To say that Islam is The Religion of Contortion and Distortion is to belabor the obvious, heh. They will interpret their screed in whatever manner suits them and still claim it is the unwavering and unchanged word of God. A most convenient and accommodating thingy, it is.
;-)
#9
unless you leave a BIG-ASS clue who you are, right?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/01/2005 20:33 Comments ||
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#10
Zambiland government is pleased to announce that the 8,000 - 10,000 soldiers on months long exercises that got lost because of U.S. made compasses, British radios, French maps & KIA assault vehicles have been located and are returning home on shiny new bicycles donated to them. Upon their return home and a brief 2-year debriefing program they will return to the urban delights of Zambiland to rearrange property allocations and residential habitats. With our friends in China and the DPRK, we will see an increase of frutation on the bountiful trees of our glorious land. Long live the lion and good health to the bee keeper! Zambiland forever!
Humanitarian workers welcomed President Bush's promise Thursday to double aid to Africa over the next five years, but analysts cautioned that money alone won't solve the continent's woes.
I'd say about a year of careful study and analysis, followed by another year of roving hunter-killer teams should do it. Rinse and repeat as necessary...
Good governance by African leaders and fair trade policies with the impoverished continent are also key, analysts said.
That's why I made my humble suggestion. If it's dependant on the non-existent, somebody has to bring it into existence...
"You have to create the right environment in which aid can get a foothold to make a difference," said Greg Mills, director of the South African Institute of International Affairs.
See? He agrees with me...
The World Health Organization said a proposed $1.2 billion initiative to fight malaria in Africa would contribute greatly to the international goal of cutting malaria deaths in half by 2010. The disease is one of the top killers in Africa, accounting for more than 1 million deaths every year, most of them children. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been pressing for a generous package of aid, debt relief and trade reform to help impoverished African nations at next week's summit of leaders from the Group of Eight richest countries in Scotland. The United States is the largest single provider of economic aid to Africa, but critics contend it is not doing enough because it has given a lower percentage of its gross domestic product in aid than other major industrialized countries.
It's never enough, is it? We could give everything we have, and it wouldn't be enough. With only one or two exceptions, Africa is a wealth consumer, not a wealth producer.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2005 00:00 ||
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..but critics contend it is not doing enough because it has given a lower percentage of its gross domestic product in aid than other major industrialized countries.
Quite frankly, these "critics" can all GO TO HELL. It's very easy for some idiots to criticize the amount of a contribution in terms of economic output when IT'S NOT THEIR MONEY THAT'S BEING POURED INTO A BOTTOMLESS PIT.
#3
Africa is the economic and social equivalent of an astronomical black hole. It sucks up everything, which goes into a void and comes out in another dimension.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/01/2005 3:06 Comments ||
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#4
Well said, AP. And even though we give less %-wise, we give more BY FAR in terms of real moolah. I'm sick and tired of all these NGOs whining and complaining about us. Why don't we withdraw all of our aid and see how they whine then (they're not going to like us either way, so we may as well take care of the ol' homestead).
Posted by: BA ||
07/01/2005 7:14 Comments ||
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#5
Good governance by African leaders and fair trade policies with the impoverished continent are also key, analysts said.
Between this article and the one on Mugabe, somebody's PR department is pushing this "fair trade issue" within all of these articles. Must be a vote coming up somewhere. Or maybe it's what we got in exchange for the money. Anyone know?
#8
Oh, sure, everyone is all smiles at the prospect of more free yankee dollars. Just wait 'til they find out part of the pledge involves Marines sewing ZimBob into a sack and tossing him into the nearest river.
#10
Certainly money alone won't solve anything. Nor will "projects" alone, such as building a hospital there aren't enough nurses in the country to staff, or building a market shelter miles from where people actually congregate to buy and sell. In between the thieves and the fatheads it is a wonder anything useful ever gets done.
Sometimes things do work, though most of the stories I've heard have been of groups without big pots of cash spending the time to find out what's actually needed and whether solution X will be sustainable.
Posted by: James ||
07/01/2005 14:54 Comments ||
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#11
I hope you're right James. If someone can show me something that works on a continuing basis once the initial dollar/labor inputs have ceased then I will gladly pony up my mite. Maybe 3 mites.
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.
SANTA ANA, Calif. - A 29-year-old Orange County woman has been charged with falsely accusing six men of kidnapping her at gunpoint and raping her.An indictment returned by an Orange County grand jury also accuses Tamara Anne Moonier with fraudulently receiving more than $1,800 from a state emergency fund for crime victims.
The European Commission proposed EU-wide legislation Thursday banning the trade of goods designed for torture and executions, including electric shock belts, electric chairs and guillotines. The proposal, which needs the backing of all 25 European Union governments, would order countries to impose "strict controls" on those products and multipurpose goods that could be used "to inflict torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," the EU executive said in a statement. Among the multiple-use goods were leg irons and electric shock weapons that have both a legitimate use but also could be used for torture. EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said trade in such goods from EU nations is "extremely minimal," and the proposed legislation updates similar national rules already in place. "There is no huge flow of equipment that has to be halted," she said.
Spain became the third country to legalize gay marriage Thursday in a parliament vote that left gay activists blowing kisses to lawmakers and the powerful Catholic Church issuing veiled calls for defiance. The new law increases the chances of happiness for "our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives," said Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The 350-seat Congress of Deputies, by a vote of 187-147 with four abstentions, approved the measure to give homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual ones, including the right to adopt children. After the tally was announced, activists watching from the spectator section of the ornate chamber cried, cheered, hugged each other, waved to lawmakers and blew them kisses.
