Up to one in ten bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe failed to detonate leaving a deadly legacy which still lies under the nation's streets and fields.
The new map will be used by builders to tell them the risks from unexploded bombs where they are working. Members of the public will also be able to access the map, which identifies 21,000 locations where there could be unexploded bombs.
Experts have studied aerial photographs taken by the RAF after the war and maps created by insurance companies to assess the extent of the bombing damage. They have been able to pinpoint sites across the UK where unexploded munitions are most likely to be concealed. The cities with the highest number of sites are London, Plymouth, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham. . . .
The online maps are available for all major cities and areas of the countryside where bombings took place.
Unexploded German bombs are still unearthed across Britain, with relative frequency, in gardens, fields, allotments and building sites, where their sudden discovery can cause lengthy and expensive disruptions. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
07/15/2008 06:56 ||
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Up to one in ten bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe failed to detonate
Considerably worse than our cluster bomb reliability, wasn't it?
Posted by: Menhaden S ||
07/15/2008 7:49 Comments ||
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#2
As opposed to unexploded bombs now being assembled in flats and mosques across the country now?
#4
There are reportedly also still 00's, perhaps 000's, of unrecovered remains Britain of German, British, and Allied aircraft left in Britain [France/Channel?], espec near present and abandoned WW2 airfields and targets.
#5
Remember that anything dropped or fired by Germany after about fall of 1940 stood a very good chance of being assembled or manufactured by occupied or slave labor. The contribution those souls made to Germany's defeat will never be fully appreciated.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/15/2008 21:42 Comments ||
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Global warming may increase kidney stones So, boys and girls, what'll it be today?
Baldness? I was wondering about that ... Ummmmm...engine knock?
Painful rectal itch?
Johnson, run it through the "Global Warming causes generator".
And our answer is...kidney stones.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - More Americans are likely to suffer from kidney stones in the coming years as a result of global warming, according to researchers at the University of Texas. Our preliminary results tell us that this merits more grant mone...errrrrrrr...study.
Kidney stones, which are formed from dissolved minerals in the urine and can be extremely painful, are often caused by caused by dehydration, either by not drinking enough liquid or losing too much due to high heat conditions. So...dehydration causes kidney stones?
If global warming trends continue as projected by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007, the United States can expect as much as a 30 percent growth in kidney stone disease in some of its driest areas, said the findings published in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The increased incidence of disease would represent between 1.6 million and 2.2 million cases by 2050, costing the US economy as much as one billion dollars in treatment costs. Not to mention billions of dollars in research grants.
"This study is one of the first examples of global warming causing a direct medical consequence for humans," said Margaret Pearle, professor of urology at University of Texas Southwestern and senior author of the paper."When people relocate from areas of moderate temperature to areas with warmer climates, a rapid increase in stone risk has been observed. This has been shown in military deployments to the Middle East for instance." So...Bush causes kidney stones?
The lead author of the research, Tom Brikowski, compared kidney stone rates with UN forecasts of temperature increases and created two mathematical models to predict the impact on future populations. Well, if the UN says so. They're never wrong...
One formula showed an increase in the southern half of the country, including the already existing "kidney stone belt" of the southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. So people in areas where people get kidney stones will see more kidney stones? Wow.
The other showed that the increase would be concentrated in the upper Midwest. Or the east. Or the north. Maybe the southwest.
"Similar climate-related changes in the prevalence of kidney-stone disease can be expected in other stone belts worldwide," the study said. So kidney stones will continue to occur in areas where people get kidney stones? Damn fine research, if ya ask me.
#4
Any mention of the additional kidney stone cases brought about by popular high protein, low carb diets (i.e.: South Beach)? I bet more occur due to that than AGW. Gonna outlaw those diets?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2008 18:07 Comments ||
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#5
Total and utter bunk. Sitting around in our air conditioned splendor, we get kidney stones because we don't make ourselves drink the amount of water our body requires. That is by far the most common cause of kidney stones. I know, I got three cause of that. Unlike alot of people though, I LEARNED and changed behavior to try and ensure I drink as much or more than my body requires. As a result, no new stones.
So if you don't want them, drink lots of water. ESPECIALLY if you live in places where virtually all the bedrock is limestone.
Of course, since the earth hasn't been warming the past ten years, this is just more hot air from the morons of the MMGW crowd.
#7
One formula showed an increase in the southern half of the country, including the already existing "kidney stone belt" of the southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The dreaded GW has also led to a dramatic increase in Kudzu. They've even named a Mountain after the bloody Stones. Don't come here... it's already too crowded and there's a serious shortage of good urolgists.
(Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will meet Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore at the White House on July 16 for talks on American aid and West African affairs, the White House said Monday.
I hope he asks him what happened to Upper Volta. I suspect foul play.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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"Please do not issue any more diplomatic passports to Viktor Bout. Thank you."
(Xinhua) -- African Union Commission chief Jean Ping will meet South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday to discuss Zimbabwe's political crisis, a presidential spokesman said. "President Mbeki invited Mr. Ping to brief him on developments in negotiations in the SADC-facilitated talks on Zimbabwe," Mukoni Ratshitanga said on Monday, referring to the 14-nation Southern African Development Community. "The meeting will take place on Friday," he said.
He declined to disclose details of the meeting, which will be held in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria.
Mbeki is the SADC-appointed mediator for Zimbabwe, where a disputed presidential run-off was held last month. An African Union source had earlier said Ping was to travel to Pretoria on Monday to meet Mbeki following discussions between Zimbabwe's rival parties last week in South Africa.
The source later said the meeting had been delayed. "This meeting is aimed at accelerating the implementation of a resolution (of an AU summit in Egypt) on power sharing in Zimbabwe," the source said. A recent African Union summit ended with a call for dialogue between political parties in Zimbabwe and a national unity government.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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He should certainly visit Monument Hill during his stay. A stop there might possibly serve as a poignant reminder of what could have been in Zim.
Dubai's Criminal Investigation Department says police have detained 79 people, mostly foreigners, over the past two weeks for indecent behaviour on several public beaches. Zuhair Haroun, a police spokesman, says they were picked up by police for "disturbing families enjoying the beach" with their behaviour. Haroun did not elaborate on the nature of the acts in question. Thousands of European and Asian expatriates live and work in Dubai, one of seven semi-independent states that form the United Arab Emirates, a conservative Muslim country. Foreigners hugely outnumber native Arab citizens in Dubai, the region's business hub and an increasingly popular destination for Western tourists.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Compare wid REDDIT > NINE WOMEN ARRESTED AFTER ORAL SEX BEACH COMPETITION.
A vice-president of Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad (JMP) yesterday said they receive "donations" from Jamaat-e-Islami for the "welfare" of freedom fighters and to mobilise freedom fighters in different activities.
Vice-president of JMP Engineer Abdur Rob said he along with many of the JMP leaders have great respect for Jamaat leaders. He also said many of their leaders support Jamaat even though they are not directly involved in Jamaat.
Meanwhile, several freedom fighters yesterday said three persons holding key positions in Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad are not freedom fighters at all even though the JMP constitution claims that they are freedom fighters.
When asked whether the three (two JMP vice-presidents and its president) are freedom fighters as claimed by the JMP constitution, President of JMP Engineer Moslem Uddin and Secretary General Muhammad Iqbal refused to talk.
Abdur Rob, who at first had refused to talk, told The Daily Star over telephone, "We are in big trouble."
He said, "Yes, we take donations from different businessman, organisations including Jamaat-e-Islami and spend the money on the welfare of freedom fighters."
"Honesty of many Jamaat leaders calls for respect," he said, adding, "I along with many of our leaders have respect for Jamaat leaders who are more accountable than other political party leaders."
"If you ask me whether I am a supporter or an activist of Jamaat, I must say, I have great respect for Jamaat leaders," he said.
Engineer Moslem Uddin refused to talk to The Daily Star over telephone and invited the correspondent to tea for discussion.
When The Daily Star correspondent was talking to Abdur Rob, he handed the phone over to Moslem Uddin saying, "Talk to our president, he is right beside me." But Moslem refused to talk again.
Moslem Uddin is mentioned as a freedom fighter and the headquarter commander of sector-8 in the JMP constitution. But, Sector-8 Commander of Liberation War Col (retd) Abu Osman Chowdhury said that it is not true.
Abdul Latif, commander of Pabna Zila Muktijoddha Sangsad, told The Daily Star that he does not know any commander called Moslem Uddin. "If there was a commander by this name, I would certainly know him," he added.
In the JMP constitution, Abdur Rob is described as a freedom fighter and camp commander of the Liberation War who fought under the command of Maj Gen (retd) CR Dutta.
Dutta told The Daily Star that there was no camp commander named Abdur Rob under him.
Asked about Dutta's comments, Abdur Rob said it is unfortunate if someone denies fact.
In the JMP constitution, Fazlul Haq, another vice-president of JMP, is described as sub-sector commander of Noakhali area.
Col (retd) Jafar Imam told a Bangla newspaper Sunday that he knows all commanders who fought in greater Noakhali but he does not know any commander named Fazlul Haq.
A freedom fighter on Friday was assaulted by Islami Chhatra Shibir activists at Diploma Engineers' Institute in the city where Jamaat-backed Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad was holding a representatives' conference.
The elderly freedom fighter came under attack as he in his address demanded punishment to the Jamaat men who were members of Al-Badr and "Peace Committee" during the Liberation War.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The Russian government has apologized to Swiss Economics Minister Doris Leuthard after she was frisked and forced to remove her shoes at the St. Petersburg airport, the official Swissinfo news website reported on Monday.
The incident happened on Saturday when Leuthard was stopped just before she boarded her plane on her way home following six days of talks aimed at building stronger links between Moscow and Bern.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said an inexperienced security officer at the airport had been unaware that Leuthard's diplomatic immunity exempted her from being searched, according to a spokesman of the Swiss Economics Ministry.
He said the Swiss Economics Ministry has accepted the apology and the issue was over.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON - The United States criticized Russia on Monday for intentionally violating Georgian airspace by sending military aircraft over the rebellious Georgian region of South Ossetia. Sean McCormack, spokesman for the US State Department, said Russian activities in the former Soviet republic raise questions about Russia's role as peacekeeper and facilitator of the negotiations to find a solution to separatist movements that have kept South Ossetia and Abkhazia away from the control of the central Georgian government.
Russia said Friday that four of its planes circled over South Ossetia late Wednesday for about 40 minutes to head off a possible invasion by Georgian troops. Georgia threatened to shoot down planes Russian planes if the incursion is repeated.
The United States is concerned by the recent escalation in violence in the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and calls upon all sides to return to direct negotiations and resolve their differences peacefully, McCormack said. We are deeply troubled by Russias statement that its military aircraft deliberately violated Georgias internationally recognized borders.
In a statement issued late Monday, McCormack urged all countries, including Russia, to support Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
ION SPACEWAR > RUSSIA TO "NEUTRALIZE" US MISSLE DEFENCE THREAT, as per review and pre-approved steps vv Russ armed forces.
ALso from SPACEWAR > USA: REAL OR NOT IRAN MISSLE TESTS MUST STOP; + WORRIES OVER US FLEET [reactiv US $th Fleet in Caribbean] TO BE DISCUSSED IN BUENOS AIRES.
*TOPIX > BLOODY WAR BWTN MEXICO'S GOVT AND DRUG,CRIME BORDER GANGS BEGINS TO AFFECT CIVILIANS.
(Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday strongly denounced Japan's territorial claim over the disputed islets of Dokdo, which Japan calls Takeshima, in the Sea of Japan, vowing to take series of countermeasures against Japan's move.
Japan's Education Ministry announced earlier on Monday its plan to define Dokdo as part of Japanese territory in a teacher's guidebook, which is expected to influence upcoming middle school textbooks to be published by Japan's civilian publishers and also serve as a guideline for teachers, to be used from 2012 despite Seoul's repeated opposition.
In response to the decision, the South Korean Foreign Ministry released a statement at a nationwide televised news conference, describing Japan's claim over the sovereignty to the disputed islets of Dokdo in its educational guidelines as "unacceptable and intolerable."
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said at the conference that South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul-hyun will return to Seoul soon on a temporary basis. "The South Korean government can never tolerate this and strongly urges the Japanese government to immediately stop the attempt," Moon said in the statement.
The spokesman said that Dokdo clearly belongs to South Korea " historically, geographically, and by international law." "The government makes it clear again that it will deal sternly with any attempt to undermine its sovereignty over Dokdo," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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THE Rudd cabinet is considering Australia's continued involvement in US President George W. Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, despite Labor claims before the election that membership could force Canberra to establish uranium enrichment plants and accept the world's nuclear waste.
Despite the change from Howard to Rudd, the Aussies remain serious and sober about their global responsibilities.
A cabinet paper being prepared for Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and Industry Minister Kim Carr is understood to canvass conditions for continued involvement in the GNEP -- an international collaboration of nuclear fuel suppliers and users -- and Australia's possible future involvement in the international forum on the development of the next generation of nuclear reactors.
The Government will face a backlash from the conservation movement if it proceeds with plans to stay in the nuclear partnership or continues the Howard government moves to join the Generation IV International Forum. Labor environment spokesman Peter Garrett said last September: "Membership of the GNEP could force Australia to establish uranium enrichment plants and accept the world's nuclear waste."
Joining the partnership was "another clear sign" of John Howard's "personal crusade for a nuclear-powered Australia", Mr Garrett said at the time.
In a recent letter to conservation groups, Mr Ferguson -- a key figure behind Labor ditching its controversial three uranium mines policy -- insisted the Government remained opposed to nuclear power or the development of further stages of the nuclear fuel cycle in Australia. "The construction of uranium conversion or enrichment facilities, as well as fuel fabrication or spent fuel reprocessing plants in Australia is therefore prohibited," he wrote.
And the Government would prohibit importation of spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste from "other countries". As the holder of the world's largest uranium reserves, Australia had an important role in the "safe and proliferation resistant" use of nuclear energy, Mr Ferguson said.
But conservationists reject these arguments on the same grounds Labor rejected them when they were put by the Howard government. "If Labor is now considering participation in these international nuclear forums, it can only mean that both a nuclear enrichment industry and a longer-term nuclear waste dump are still on the table for Australia," said Alec Marr of The Wilderness Society.
The Howard government signed Australia up to the GNEP in September last year. The Rudd Government has continued to send officials to its meetings, most recently in Jordan in May. The group aims to restrict the number of countries enriching uranium to the existing powers -- the US, Britain, China, Russia and France -- with nuclear fuel shipped to other countries and the waste repatriated to the suppliers so it cannot be reprocessed for use in nuclear weapons.
But conservationists say GNEP is largely about solving the US problem of what to do with its growing nuclear waste stockpile, and that Australian involvement will lead to an international nuclear waste dump here. The Government will announce the site for a domestic dump in August.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Istanbul's chief prosecutor says 86 people will be prosecuted under terrorism laws for attempting to overthrow the government. The indictments were made while the ruling Islamic AK Party is facing closure on charges of undermining the secular state.
Istanbul chief prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin told a news conference the 86 defendants have been indicted on terror charges. He says the indictment covers crimes such as forming an armed terror group and attempting to overthrow the government by force. The nearly 2,500-page indictment is the culmination of a 13-month investigation sparked by the discovery of a cache of arms and explosives in an Istanbul suburb. The investigation, held in secret under Turkey 's strict anti-terror laws, led to the detention of dozens of people, including alleged mafia members, businessmen and retired military officers.
The prosecutor says the plotters sought to bring chaos to the country. Cengiz says the defendants will face charges of seeking to provoke civil unrest, public disorder offenses, provoking disobedience within the army, and possession of explosives. He says the court has to decide whether to accept the case within 15 days.
The alleged conspirators are claimed to have called their gang Ergenekon, the name of a mythical land where Turks once were said to have sought refuge.
Since 1960, the army has forced four governments from office. The deputy editor of the Turkish daily Taraf, Yasmin Congar, says the case is a key moment for Turkish democracy. "If people manage to get to the roots of this Ergenekon gang and to basically kick them out of the state structure, then we can become a democratic country," he said. "If we do not do that it is going to be more coups, more interferences in politics by forces we do not know."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Leaders from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - as well as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - joined French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the celebrations.
The world leaders were already in Paris for Sunday's inaugural Mediterranean Union summit.
The presence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad among leaders reviewing the parade has angered human rights activists, opposition politicians and some in the French military who served in a United Nations peace force in Lebanon. Mr. Assad has been accused of sponsoring terrorism and undermining Middle East unity.
On the occasion of Bastille Day, Mr. Sarkozy granted his country's highest award - the Legion of Honor - to a number of notables, including former French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt.
The French national holiday commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
Cities throughout France hold military parades in the morning and fireworks in the evening on July 14. The largest parade in the capital includes a flyover by air force jets. French communities worldwide also celebrate Bastille Day with picnics, parties and fireworks.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
If so, the car-b-qs will be in honor of the thousands who died on the guillotine in the French Revolution.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/15/2008 0:59 Comments ||
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#3
The French Revolution - the dark side of the enlightenment.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
07/15/2008 5:57 Comments ||
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#4
My favorite take on the day was made by the inimitable Gerald Warner (LINK ):
(excerpt)
Pompous parades will today celebrate the event that triggered the French Revolution, that is to say, the most appalling bloodbath anterior to the Russian Revolution. Seven prisoners were released from the Bastille - four counterfeiters, an accomplice to murder and two lunatics - whose return to the community was hardly beneficial. The attack on the prison, reserved for the well-off, was orchestrated by the Marquis de Sade and Camille Desmoulins on behalf of the Nine Sisters masonic lodge.
There followed the September massacres, the marriages republicains in which people of opposite sexes were stripped naked and lashed together in obscene postures before being drowned, mothers forced to watch their children being guillotined and the massacre of 400,000 Catholic royalists - the majority of them women and children - in La Vendee. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a celebratory knees-up.
There are two countries called France. One is the sluttish Republic - "Marianne" - the other is the timeless, civilised doyen of Christendom, the nation of Clovis and St Louis, of the Valois and Bourbon kings, the Catholic and monarchic civilisation that fell with Charles X in 1830 but still defiantly survives in many enclaves. That pulse will beat quietly today while the heirs of the sans-culottes strut their stuff, proclaiming French nationalism under the figurehead of a Hungarian president and his Italian wife.
#5
Initially the French Revolution 'worked' - the worst traits of the monarchy were replaced/being replaced by a constitutional government. Then the more radical elements of the Revolution (Jacobins et al) gained control of events, which resulted in the Reign of Terror, and ultimately the ascendance of Napolean and the bloody war of empire that followed. Revolutions are inherently chaotic - and controlling (or even predicting) where they will go is tough.
Our efforts in Iraq and A'stan are effectivly revolutions - and it has been challenging trying to manage the chaos.
Posted by: Menhaden S ||
07/15/2008 8:00 Comments ||
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#6
There are two countries called France...
Couldn't agree more, and, no, I'm no royalist nor monarchist.
#7
I've always thought that if the King had simply spent the funds required to fully stock the Bastille's armory with powder, the soldiers wouldn't have run out of powder for the cannon and been forced to surrender. It probably would have broken the back of the revolution.
An Italian court has found 15 officials guilty of mistreating protesters following violent demonstrations at G8 meeting in the city of Genoa in 2001. A judge handed down prison sentences ranging from five months to five years to the accused - who include police, prison officials and two doctors. Another 30 defendants were cleared of charges, including assault. All of those convicted are expected to appeal against the guilty verdicts. The trial has lasted nearly three years.
The BBC's David Willey in Rome says it is unlikely that any of those sentenced will actually serve time in prison because their offences will have expired under Italy's statute of limitations before the appeal process is completed. However, the Italian government will be forced to pay out millions of pounds to those who were victims of police brutality during their detention.
The 2001 meeting of the G8 in the northern Italian city of Genoa was one of the most violent in the group's history. Street-battles between demonstrators and police left one protester dead and hundreds of others injured.
Protesters said they were beaten after being strip-searched by police. The prosecution said they were tortured. Police were accused of organised brutality at a high school where protesters were camping during the summit, and at a police barracks where demonstrators were taken after being arrested. Among them were protesters from Italy, Britain, Poland and Ireland.
One of the prosecutors in the case, Patrizia Petruziello, said that 40 protesters who were arrested suffered "four out of five" of the European Court's criteria for "inhuman and degrading treatment".
So the little anarchists were whacked good and hard after trying to bust up a G8 meeting, and the Italian courts defend them. Pathetic.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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From Ezra Levan's testimomy before the US Congress:
The legal onslaught against freedom of speech and religious pluralism continues. There are 14 human rights commission in Canada, employing 1,000 people, and with an annual budget of $200-million. It's an industry, and it needs social strife to stay in business. So it positively drums up discontent. This spring in Alberta, 60,000 new immigrants were taught English as a Second Language using a workbook all about how to file grievances, including against un-funny jokes.
I'm pleased that a political backlash is growing in Canada. Across the political spectrum, from both the Liberal and Conservative parties, from newspaper editorials on the left and the right, and from NGOs ranging from EGALE, Canada's largest gay right lobby, to the Canadian Association of Journalists, to the liberal Muslim Canadian Congress, public opinion is waking up to the dangers of these human rights commissions and their thought crime laws. The public is starting to revolt.
Continued on Page 49
#3
I would've said Shania Twain deserved high crimes and misdemeanors charges for trying to go from country to mainstream crap pop...I'll let her off w/a fine since her old man was recently caught banging a girlfriend of hers.
There is no doubt, several representatives of the late-night shows said, that so far their audiences (and at least some of the shows writers) seem to be favorably disposed toward Mr. Obama, to a degree that perhaps leaves them more resistant to jokes about him than those about most previous candidates.
A lot of people are excited about his candidacy, Mr. Sweeney said. Its almost like: Hey, dont go after this guy. Hes a fresh face; cut him some slack.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/15/2008 6:31 Comments ||
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#2
Problem is a lot of lefties think the cracks about Gore being stiff helped cost him the election. They won't make that mistake again.
#4
Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, said of Mr. Obama, Theres a weird reverse racism going on. You cant joke about him because hes half-white. Its silly. I think its more a problem because hes so polished, he doesnt seem to have any flaws.
(IsraelNN.com) Barack Obama, the Democratic party's nominee for U.S. President, retracted the statement he made at the AIPAC Convention in June, about the need for Jerusalem to remain Israel's undivided capital. Obama had already qualified the statement the day after he made it, but in a new CNN interview he effectively retracted it, blaming "poor phrasing" and careless syntax.
Interviewer Fareed Zakaria asked: "One area where you're outside the international consensus -- and certainly, perhaps, some others -- is the statement you made in a recent speech supporting Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Now, why not support the Clinton plan, which envisions a divided Jerusalem, the Arab half being the capital of a Palestinian state, the Jewish half being the capital of the Jewish state?"
Obama replied: "You know, the truth is that this was an example where we had some poor phrasing in the speech. And we immediately tried to correct the interpretation that was given.
"The point we were simply making was, is that we don't want barbed wire running through Jerusalem, similar to the way it was prior to the '67 war, that it is possible for us to create a Jerusalem that is cohesive and coherent.
"I was not trying to predetermine what are essentially final status issues. I think the Clinton formulation provides a starting point for discussions between the parties.
"And it is an example of us making sure that we are careful in terms of our syntax. But the intention was never to move away from that basic, core idea that they -- that those parties are going to have to negotiate these issues on their own, with the strong engagement of the United States.
"And if you look at the overall tenor of that speech and what I've said historically about this issue, you know, Israel has an interest not just in bunkering down. They've got to recognize that their long-term viability as a Jewish state is going to depend on their ability to create peace with their neighbors."
In the same speech to AIPAC, Obama said that he would never compromise on Israel's security and promised: "I will do everything in my power everything to ensure that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapon."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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ya know, I don't have any problems with folks changing their mind - especially in the face of new evidence - but when they change it in a metter of days, and then try and convince us it never did change ...
Well, then you've got politics.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/15/2008 6:14 Comments ||
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#2
"..You know, the truth is that this was an example where we had some poor phrasing in the speech. And we immediately tried to correct the interpretation that was given..."
#5
What the f*ck makes him think we have any business telling the Israelis how their capital should be laid out.
That's like saying we should give Mexico half of D.C., divide it right down the middle. That would make a cohesive and coherent arrangement there too.
What a dickweed, but the GOP has a bad habit of sticking their nose into Israeli politics too.
#6
You know after a while you get enough stuff under the bus, it loses traction. You'll know that when the occupants start rocking the bus trying to get one of the tires to make contact.
VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency's governors will meet on Aug. 1 to consider India's draft plan for nuclear inspections submitted to help launch a US-Indian nuclear trade deal, IAEA officials said. If the governors approve the plan, India and the United States must win clearance from a 45-nation group that controls sensitive nuclear trade, then ratification by the US Congress for the three-year-old nuclear deal to take force.
A (special) meeting of the (35-nation) IAEA board of governors will take place on Aug. 1 with the India Safeguards agreement on the agenda, Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, said without elaborating.
After a delay caused by a split in the governing coalition over the 2005 deal, India took the first step toward implementing it last Wednesday by sending the plan for inspections of its civilian nuclear reactors to the IAEA board.
Washington said a day later it would seek to expedite the nuclear cooperation accord with India over international and domestic hurdles with time running out before an effective deadline set by US elections in November.
The deal has aroused controversy since India is outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), tested nuclear bombs in 1974 and 1998 and says the accord will not curb its military nuclear programme -- including the right to more tests if needed. The nuclear deal would be a landmark for India's relations with the West and would allow it access to US civilian nuclear fuel and technology, unlocking an energy market worth billions of dollars for European and US nuclear firms.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Damn! Mahmoud! Photoshop more missiles!
NEW YORK - Oil prices tumbled Tuesday as U.S. stocks sold off amid worries about the nation's economic health. Prices dropped more than $10 a barrel from their highest point of the day. At midday, light, sweet crude fell $6.27 to $138.91 in an extremely volatile session.
The turnaround may not signal a lasting shift in sentiment prices have swung violently in recent days as they flirted with record highs. But it does underscore investor uncertainty about the sustainability of sky-high prices and their effect on the broader economy. "They're slamming this pretty good. But remember, these $10 moves are becoming a little more commonplace," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. Earlier, the contract rose as high as $146.73 and fell as low as $135.92.
The ingredients for further gains were in place early on. The dollar fell to a new low against the euro, prompting investors to pour money into oil as a hedge against inflation and made crude cheaper for overseas buyers. Meanwhile, threats to supply from Iran, Nigeria and Brazil provided a solid floor on oil prices. But neither were strong enough slow oil's rapid decline before noon.
"Traders are always looking for signals. When they see the market fail to respond to bullish news, they sometimes sell their positions," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates. "Traders get spooked."
Mounting worries about the health of the U.S. economy helped spur the sell-off. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress that "numerous difficulties" are racking the economy of the world's largest oil consumer, and warned that rising prices for energy and food are heightening the risk of inflation accelerating. At the same time, the Labor Department reported that wholesale inflation jumped by 1.8 percent last month, a larger-than-expected gain. Over the past year, wholesale prices have risen 9.2 percent, the most since 1981.
Bernanke's sobering comments and lingering concerns about the health of the financial sector helped drive stocks down sharply. In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 180.51, or 1.63 percent, to 10,874.68. Broader indexes also sank."The oil market appears to be paying more attention to a 200 point drop in the Dow Jones rather that the new highs for the euro," Ritterbusch said.
A five-day strike by Brazilian oil workers that began early Monday also seemed to have less effect than feared. The action cut production of government-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, by only about 4 percent by Monday evening. Petrobras produces about 1.6 million barrels of oil a day."We are not making a big case of the strike in Brazil as it is well defined in time, hence carries little un-priced risk. Furthermore the output loss estimates have been continuously revised down during the day," Olivier Jakob, an analyst at Petromatrix in Switzerland, said in a research note.
Soaring oil prices are taking a toll on drivers the world over, stoking fears that sustained high fuel costs could crimp global demand. General Motors Corp., the leading U.S. automaker, said it is assuming oil prices will hover between $130 to $150 a barrel next year. The company made the prediction as it laid out plans to slash jobs and truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow up to $3 billion as it grapples with an ailing U.S. economy and record high fuel prices.
Retail gas prices in the U.S. remained at a record near $4.11 a gallon, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Diesel rose six-tenths of a penny to its own high of $4.83 a gallon.
#1
a number of people are predicting that the Chicoms will stop subsidizing gasoline consumption or, at least, drastically reduce it subsequent to the summer Olympics.
#5
US Public pressure to drill increases, President Bush says DRILL and backs it up with words and deeds: he removes the execute ban.
Prices drop $10 in a day.
Cause and effect.
OK all you who said drilling will have no short term impact, care to admit those of us who said the opposite were right? Care to read up on the marketplace, and how futures work, and how speculators exploited it with cheap money (margin)?
Futures are being driven by speculation and supply-demand of contracts, not supply-demand of oil.
That's a fundamental cause of this mess.
Increasing supply, even the threat of it, will drop prices since that removes one of the things they depend on- continued constrained supply in the face of rising demand.
The other parts needed are the remove the ability to trade futures on margins, and to restrict the market participants to those who either produce or consume the oil, or their direct agents.
Get a marketplace that will base the price on supply and demand of the commodity in question, not the supply and demand for contracts by speculators. Bring the market back to producers and consumers.
#6
Oil is being used in much the same role that gold has been in the past. The idea being that oil would maintain value in the face of dollar fluctuation. We have major financial institutions buying and storing large quantities of oil for use as a hedge against the dollar. Gold can't be used in that context anymore because the supply of it is too small. Purchasing a few hundred million dollars with of gold has a greater impact on market prices than a few hundred million dollars worth of oil does.
But it does cause some change and that change is amplified when thousands of individuals sitting on the sidelines suddenly jump into the market. The financial institutions are in it for the long term. The intend to take delivery and store the oil. The speculators simply want to turn a quick buck and be out of the contract before it expires. So the speculators are easily spooked out of the market if they believe prices will stabilize or if they believe OTHERS will believe prices will stabilize. It is a psychological game with the speculators.
If Iran launches another photoshop, it might send "supply jitters" into the market and lead speculators to believe the market will rise. This might cause them to flock back in and the market does indeed rise ... and the bet one makes is that one can get out of the market with a profit before it falls again.
But after Iran's last fisaco, this might not fly anymore.
#8
The other parts needed are the remove the ability to trade futures on margins, and to restrict the market participants to those who either produce or consume the oil, or their direct agents.
It's a nice idea but the net effect of those moves would be to relocate lucrative futures trading to foreign markets where we exert no control. If the money's going to be made it might as well be made here.
#9
Yeah, Queen Nancy Pelosi said that drilling would not have any effect before 10 years. This woman is incompetent and out of touch. She doesn't understand economics or markets. No wonder Washington limousine liberals are so eager to spend, spend and spend and regulate, regulate, and regulate.
he's our own local cyst of illegal facilitation. Panderfest!
Local immigrant-rights activist Enrique Morones said he was thrilled but shocked to receive a public thank-you from Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate was launching into his speech Sunday at the National Council of La Raza convention.
Obama, at the podium, had just thanked two top NCLR officials before his speech when he thanked Morones of Border Angels, a group that stocks desert water stations and lobbies intensely for immigrant rights, often with a theatrical flair and a blunt style that has drawn the ire of anti-illegal immigration activists.
Morones said that prior to the speech he, several elected officials and others had attended a meeting with Obama and his campaign staff, and that he'd handed the candidate a t-shirt from his "Marcha Migrante III," the third in a series of cross-country trips he and other activists have made to lobby elected officials for immigrant-friendly law changes.
At first, he said, he thought the candidate must be thanking someone else.
"I'm sitting there when he says 'Enrique...' " he said afterward. "Of course, I'm very happy. I'm on cloud nine with this thing."
Aside from the high-profile shout out, Morones said, he was glad to hear Obama promise during his speech that he would make immigration reform a priority. The candidate promised, among other things, to allow a path to eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living and working here, provided they pay a fine, learn English and wait their turn behind legal residents.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2008 00:49 ||
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#1
Enrique and Barry, a couple of Morons.
Posted by: Menhaden S ||
07/15/2008 8:02 Comments ||
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#2
So it's pander to Mexicans today, Barry? Did you make any promises? Low ride the presidential limo?
Furry dice? Spray paint murals on the White House?
#4
"a series of cross-country trips he and other activists have made to lobby elected officials for immigrant-friendly law changes."
-oh, you obviously mean more rights for those honest law abiding folks who got their citizenship after taking a test and saying the pledge? Silly me, I thought for a second you meant the ones that come scampering across our southern border uninvited. The former are called immigrants the latter would be called illegal-aliens or transnational squatters if you prefer.
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.
Global warming may increase kidney stones
Dubai's Criminal Investigation Department says police have detained 79 people, mostly foreigners, over the past two weeks for indecent behaviour on several public beaches. Zuhair Haroun, a police spokesman, says they were picked up by police for "disturbing families enjoying the beach" with their behaviour. Haroun did not elaborate on the nature of the acts in question. Thousands of European and Asian expatriates live and work in Dubai, one of seven semi-independent states that form the United Arab Emirates, a conservative Muslim country. Foreigners hugely outnumber native Arab citizens in Dubai, the region's business hub and an increasingly popular destination for Western tourists.
(Xinhua) -- The Russian government has apologized to Swiss Economics Minister Doris Leuthard after she was frisked and forced to remove her shoes at the St. Petersburg airport, the official Swissinfo news website reported on Monday. 
WASHINGTON - The United States criticized Russia on Monday for intentionally violating Georgian airspace by sending military aircraft over the rebellious Georgian region of South Ossetia. Sean McCormack, spokesman for the US State Department, said Russian activities in the former Soviet republic raise questions about Russia's role as peacekeeper and facilitator of the negotiations to find a solution to separatist movements that have kept South Ossetia and Abkhazia away from the control of the central Georgian government.
France is celebrating Bastille Day.
(IsraelNN.com) Barack Obama, the Democratic party's nominee for U.S. President, retracted the statement he made at the AIPAC Convention in June, about the need for Jerusalem to remain Israel's undivided capital. Obama had already qualified the statement the day after he made it, but in a new CNN interview he effectively retracted it, blaming "poor phrasing" and careless syntax.
VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency's governors will meet on Aug. 1 to consider India's draft plan for nuclear inspections submitted to help launch a US-Indian nuclear trade deal, IAEA officials said. If the governors approve the plan, India and the United States must win clearance from a 45-nation group that controls sensitive nuclear trade, then ratification by the US Congress for the three-year-old nuclear deal to take force.
