GAZA CITY The Hamas regime acquired U.S.-origin air defense systems but was unable to use them in combat.
Hamas sources said the Islamic military has acquired the Stinger man-portable air defense system. The sources said the Stingers were acquired from smugglers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in 2008 and deployed in the 22-day war against Israel in January 2009. "We were disappointed by them, and they were found to have been useless," a Hamas source said.
The source said Hamas smuggled four Stinger systems in 2008. The source said the Hamas military deployed the Stingers against Israel Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters during strike missions in the northern Gaza Strip.
"Our gunners couldn't fire the weapon," the source recalled. "A notice came up on the display saying 'friendly aircraft.'" Industry sources said Raytheon, producer of Stinger, installed identification friend/foe capabilities more than a decade ago. The sources said this would prevent Stinger from being fired against any aircraft used by the U.S. military.
Another Hamas source said gunners deployed Stinger along with heavy machine guns in attacks on Israeli helicopters during the war in the Gaza Strip. The source said one Stinger surface-to-air missile was launched, but the projectile veered off course and struck a Hamas gunner squad.
"The Stinger was drawn by the heat of our guns rather than the engines of the Israeli helicopters," the source said. "At that point, we stopped using this weapon."
The sources said Hamas has abandoned plans to acquire additional Stingers. Instead, the Islamic army has been ordering the Russian-origin SA-16, or Igla-1, surface-to-air missile system, with a range of five kilometers.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been indicted on charges he engaged in a "wide-ranging scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government." A federal grand jury handed down the 19-count indictment against Blagojevich, his brother, two former aides and two businessmen on Thursday. It accuses Blagojevich of corruption involving billions of dollars in state pension bonds.
FBI agents arrested the Chicago Democrat in December on allegations that also include trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat.
Illinois lawmakers impeached him and threw him out of office in January.
Blagojevich has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The former governor is not in Chicago. He's with his family at Walt Disney World in Florida. Is he going to be singin' of the pain?
#2
Ala FREEREPUBLIC + TOWNHALL + OTHER, alleged evidence agz BLAGO strongly infers that VARIOUS FEDERAL POSITIONS/SEATS had been locally compromised = OFFERED IN EXCHANGE [State-Level Nepotism = Pol Favors], but also strongly infers POTUS OBAMA = OBAMA ADMIN WERE WILLING ACCOMPLICES [Federal/
National-level]???
ALLEGED EVIDENCIAS GAZ BLAGO + BOYZ WERE [seemingly]STRONG ENOUGH FOR FEDERAL ARREST + PROSECUTION, NOW INDICTMENT, AT LEAST AT THE STATE-LOCAL LEVEL.
Barksdale Air Force Base, La., has been picked as the new home of the Air Forces Global Strike Command, which will oversee most of the militarys nuclear bomber fleet and strategic ballistic missile operations, the Air Force announced today.
Global Strike Command will include both the 8th and 20th Air Force, according to an Air Force news release. Eighth Air Forces headquarters is at Barksdale, and 20th Air Forces headquarters is at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.
The new command will manage B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bomber operations. That capability was formerly managed by Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The command also will maintain and operate the Air Forces intercontinental missile operations that previously were under the purview of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Management of B-1 Lancer bomber operations will still be conducted by Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. The cyber and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions will be removed from 8th Air Forces portfolio.
Other bases that were under consideration to be the commands headquarters included Minot Air Force Base, N.D.; F.E. Warren Air Force Base; Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.; Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.; and Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Site surveys of all bases under consideration were completed March 6.
All six candidate locations received a thorough evaluation in accordance with our basing process, said Kathleen Ferguson, the Air Forces deputy assistant secretary for installations.
An environmental impact evaluation at Barksdale is pending, according to the release.
An as-yet unnamed three-star general will command Global Strike Command.
The stand up of GSC came about from a reorganization of the Air Forces nuclear-mission organization ordered by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, following some highly publicized operational miscues committed by Air Force nuclear force managers.
The Air Force announced in October 2008 that a new major command would be formed to oversee the services nuclear-deterrence mission. Bolling Air Force Base here has served as Global Strike Commands provisional headquarters since Jan. 12.
Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said last fall that the reorganization would address some long-standing, systematic problems in the Air Forces handling of nuclear assets. Donley said inspection of Air Force nuclear assets would now be conducted by the services Inspector General Office.
The establishment of Global Strike Command, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norman A. Schwartz noted last fall, would put his service onto a back-to-basics path for nuclear-weapons-realm accountability, compliance, precision and reliability.
US spy agencies are still hamstrung by the same turf battles and financial mismanagement that led to massive intelligence failures revealed by the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war, an internal report has found.
The report, made public on Wednesday, was the most detailed of its kind on challenges facing the 16 spy agencies.
It came four years after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was created to remedy them.
"The culture of protecting 'turf' remains a problem, and there are few, if any, consequences for failure to collaborate," said the report, which was completed by the DNI's inspector general in November, before President Barack Obama was sworn in as the new US president.
It also criticized what it called poor financial management by the DNI, saying that most of the intelligence agencies are "struggling to achieve auditable financial statements."
The US intelligence budget has seen a dramatic increase in recent years, and topped 43.5 billion dollars in fiscal 2007, which ended in September.
The report outlined the many challenges facing Obama's director of national intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair.
The agencies have complained that the Director of National Intelligence "sends duplicative taskings and conflicting messages to the IC (intelligence community), thereby undermining the ODNI's credibility and fueling assertions that the ODNI is just an 'additional layer of bureaucracy,'" the report said.
"The lack of clear communication to the IC of the ODNI staff's authorities has encouraged some agencies to go their own way, to the detriment of the unified and integrated intelligence enterprise."
The report also found that the intelligence office had failed to present a vision for how the spy agencies should function.
Lawmakers reacted with dismay at the findings.
"We have been repeatedly disappointed by the lack of clarity in the role of the DNI," said California Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who chaired a hearing Wednesday by a House Intelligence subcommittee.
"There's still not a clear mission from ODNI, and this is one of the things that's concerned a lot of us," said Republican Congresswoman Sue Myrick.
DNI inspector general Edward Maguire told the congressional panel that the spy director's role as the top intelligence adviser to the president had hampered his management responsibilities.
"He doesn't have to do it personally every day and ... he could do this in more of an oversight type of capacity," Maguire said.
"In a way the creation of the ODNI was a little bit like, sort of like a corporate merger," Maguire explained. "When you do that, many, many mergers fail."
#4
(Picture)
Everybody was kung fu fighting,
And it was fast as lightning,
In fact a little bit frightening,
But they did it with expert timing.
On Ho Ho Ho
#5
300 different agencies trying to manage the same piece of pie.
OF COURSE THERE ARE GONNA BE TURF BATTLES!!!!
Roll the same types into one agency and the problem will be reduced. For out-of-nation, all get rolled into the NSA. ATF, HS get rolled into the FBI. They share info. If the terrorist comes into the US, the NSA can share all data with the FBI and vice versa.
#6
They should use the private enterprise model. Create two groups, a blue and a gold group for each function. The one that is most successful gets the funding. Force them to compete. If you do not succeed, you do not get funding and you fade away or have your resources diverted to the more successful group.
#7
I believe this will be a routine 'pop-up' issue as long as DoD is successful in resisting politicized outside agencies from taking over their primacy in tactical intel [directly accessible and required by local combat commanders]. There was a go around on this a couple years back and the 'Intel Czar' lost to DoD. Centralization comes at a cost of tactical efficiency. It won't happen till actual war fighting is a distant memory [which is about 3 months in MSM time].
In Hollywood, it appears the cows have come home to roost...
You're Scarlett Johansson. You're pretty and you're pretty famous, too. And you've just been offered the part of the Black Widow in Iron Man 2! That's got to be some payday, right?
How about $250,000, which is what Marvel Studios offered Johansson and Mickey Rourke to be in the film? The stars negotiated the number up to something over $400,000. Still, it's not hard to imagine that even a year ago Johansson could have expected to break seven figures for a role in a big franchise film. It's a pretty thrifty deal for such a recognizable name.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Another year of Oblahblah-nomics, and the talent might be happy to get a can of prunes, a cup of raw oats, and a single sheet of SplinterPro brand toilet paper for the oh-so-very-critical work they do.
F*ck all these celebs, most movies suck now-a-days anyhow. I'd rather read a good book, there are a ton of those for half the price of a box of popcorn at the theaters.
I bet if someone did make a well made pro-military movie about Iraq or Afghanistan they would do huge returns at the box office. Americans are sick of these bullshit whiny libtard movies - rendition, valley of elah, lions for lambs & stop/loss - horrible shit.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd is trailing several potential Republican challengers in the 2010 Senate race, according to a new state poll which shows the veteran Democratic lawmaker suffering from fallout over the AIG bonuses.
The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows Dodd with record low approval ratings. Just 33 percent of Connecticut voters approve of the job Dodd is doing in the Senate.
The numbers foretell a challenging race for the five-term senator in 2010. In one matchup, the survey shows Dodd trailing former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, an announced rival, 50 to 34 percent. In two other matchups, Dodd trails state Sen. Sam Caligiuri, 41 to 37 percent, and former ambassador Tom Foley, 43 to 35 percent.
Dodd's job approval rating stands at 33 percent, a dip from 44 percent in a March 10 poll. That is "especially devastating" considering he is a longtime incumbent Democrat in a solidly blue state, poll director Douglas Schwartz said.
Simmons, who acknowledged that his standing against Dodd could fluctuate drastically over the next year and a half, said it's still "exciting to start not only even but way ahead."
He said Dodd's numbers are a reflection of the controversy over the $165 million in bonuses doled out by American International Group -- the insurance giant that distributed the bonuses despite being bailed out by the federal government to the tune of more than $180 billion. Some employees have since pledged to return their bonus money. "This is a historic low (for Dodd's numbers), but these are historic times," Simmons said. "People up here feel he has abdicated his responsibility."
Dodd is chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and took heat for a provision added to the February stimulus bill that exempted previously negotiated bonuses at companies like AIG from certain pay restrictions.
The Quinnipiac survey shows 27 percent of state voters believe Dodd is most to blame for the bonuses, while 28 percent pin the blame on former President George W. Bush. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was the top scapegoat for 20 percent, while 7 percent blamed President Obama.
The poll surveyed 1,181 registered Connecticut voters and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points. The poll was conducted between March 26-31.
#2
The fact that Sen. Dodd is still walking the streets a free man and not locked away in a Federal Pen is an indictment upon his colleagues and our system of government. Just my humble opinion.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants to help balance the District's recession-squeezed budget by allowing as many as 80 percent of the city's inmates to qualify for early release, borrowing a tactic that has stirred controversy elsewhere in the nation.
The city hopes to save $4.4 million in fiscal 2010 under the plan, which would reduce the prison population by 2 percent from its current daily average of 3,000 inmates.
Current law permits sentenced inmates to earn up to five days off their sentences each month by completing specified academic and vocational programs. The new proposal would extend the program to pretrial inmates and allow them to earn time off simply by participating in the programs.
Officials said about 2,400 inmates would be eligible to receive good-time credits under the proposal. If each eligible inmate earned an average of five days of good time, it would reduce the average inmate population by about 65 people.
The plan has drawn at least initial concern from a key D.C. Council member, who stressed the importance of ensuring it would not be detrimental to public safety if enacted.
"This is pretty fundamental to public safety, that if we're going to release people early, we need to know that we're doing it right and for a good cause," said Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat and chairman of the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.
#1
It's economic stimulus! Does wonders for the alarm and burglar bar industry. Police and courts will have full employment for as far as the eye can see.
Posted by: ed ||
04/02/2009 15:10
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#2
The plan has drawn at least initial concern from a key D.C. Council member, who stressed the importance of ensuring it would not be detrimental to public safety if enacted.
Nahhhhh. C'mahn, why would you think that, Mr. Genius D.C. politician?
#3
I thought all the law breakers, tax cheats, and illegal alien supporters, and anyone else who does not believe in "US Laws" were already appointed to important posts. You mean Washington missed these people?
Posted by: Oscar Snomorong1173 ||
04/02/2009 15:40
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#4
I think the inmates have already been released from the asylum prison and are running Congress and the administration.
#5
If they really wanted to save money, they could completely eliminate the police, the courts and the jails. True, life in the District would be even more hellish than it is now (except around Congress men and women's (places). But they would save money.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/02/2009 17:25
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#6
Virginia and Maryland must surely enjoy having New Zimbabwe wedged between them.
#7
Just imagine. When these people are let out, America will have to have its own Green Zone. Finally like the rest of the world, hope they will like us now.
Posted by: Oscar Snomorong1173 ||
04/02/2009 18:21
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#8
D *** NG IT, WHY NOT - IIUC MSM-NET, As per the DHS-FBI WATCH LIST these Agencies have a formal Appeals-Waiver Process for people it can't even publicly or formally admit are on the list to begin with, are have andor ever had been.
E.g. STARS-N-STRIPES/TOPIX > US DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH AGENTS TO WATCH BORDERS [Mexico].
THE HELL YOU SAY... ... MILYUHNS AND ZILYUHNS AND TILYUHNS....Not unlike OJ SIMPSON, whom was held responsible for murder while not being found directly or indirectly guilty of murder, accessory nor conspiracy for same.
PIKEVILLE, N.C. Vice President Joe Biden brought a clear message to this tiny Eastern North Carolina town Wednesday: The federal recovery money isn't just for big banks and auto companies.
Biden and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a new wave of $10.4 billion in federal stimulus money for home loans across the country, and billions more for essential services in rural communities such as Pikeville, which is getting money for a new fire station. Biden used the outdated, current station as a backdrop. Pikeville is just north of Goldsboro in Wayne County.
"We're investing in places like this all across the country," Biden said, "to demonstrate the vital role towns like this play in the recovery."
Most of the money for the station that was announced Wednesday, however, had been secured last year under the Bush administration, according to fire department officials.
State Sen. David Rouzer, a Republican who represents Pikeville and worked in the Agriculture Department under President Bush, said he helped secure the fire department money last year out of the federal agency's regular programs.
"They're coming in and cherry picking the best projects and switching out the money, saying it's stimulus money," Rouzer said. "But it was already approved and in the pipeline. It's totally disingenuous to come down here and say this is stimulus money, when regardless of whether a stimulus bill passed, they were getting the money."
The Obama administration is working to draw attention to money for rural communities, where gravel roads and volunteer fire departments are the norm. The moves come as irritation and anger are rising over federal money that has been streaming to Wall Street, banks and car companies.
Biden and Vilsack talked Wednesday about grants that are being parceled out for water systems, police stations, hospitals and fire stations. Earlier in the day, they visited Goshen Medical Center in Faison, where $635,000 in federal money will help hire two doctors, two nurses and three administrative workers.
Pikeville, where nearly all residents live below the poverty line, will receive $150,000 in grants and a $1 million loan toward the $1.3 million cost of the new fire station, said Fire Chief Wesley Wooten.
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. Boat owners are abandoning ship.
They often sandpaper over the names and file off the registry numbers, doing their best to render the boats, and themselves, untraceable. Then they casually ditch the vessels in the middle of busy harbors, beach them at low tide on the banks of creeks or occasionally scuttle them outright.
The bad economy is creating a flotilla of forsaken boats. While there is no national census of abandoned boats, officials in coastal states are worried the problem will only grow worse as unemployment and financial stress continue to rise. Several states are even drafting laws against derelicts and say they are aggressively starting to pursue delinquent owners.
Our waters have become dumping grounds, said Maj. Paul R. Ouellette of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Its got to the point where something has to be done.
Derelict boats are environmental and navigational hazards, leaking toxins and posing obstacles for other craft, especially at night. Thieves plunder them for scrap metal. In a storm, these runabouts and sailboats, cruisers and houseboats can break free or break up, causing havoc.
Some of those disposing of their boats are in the same bind as overstretched homeowners: they face steep payments on an asset that is diminishing in value and decide not to continue. They either default on the debt or take bolder measures.
Marina and maritime officials around the country say they believe, however, that most of the abandoned vessels cluttering their waters are fully paid for. They are expensive-to-maintain toys that have lost their appeal.
The owners cannot sell them, because the secondhand market is overwhelmed. They cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars a month mooring and maintaining them. And they do not have the thousands of dollars required to properly dispose of them.
When Brian A. Lewis of Seattle tried to sell his boat, Jubilee, no one would pay his asking price of $28,500. Mr. Lewis told the police that maintaining the boat caused extreme anxiety, which led him to him drill a two-inch hole in Jubilees hull last March.
The boat sank in Puget Sound, and Mr. Lewis told his insurance company it was an accident. His scheme came undone when the state, seeking to prevent environmental damage, raised Jubilee. Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty last week to insurance fraud.
While there are no reliable national statistics on boating fraud, Todd Schwede, an insurance investigator in San Diego, said the number of suspicious cases he was handling had roughly tripled in the last year, to around 70.
In many cases, he said, the boater is following this logic: I am overinsured on this boat. If I make it go away so no one will find it, the insurance company will give me enough to cover the debt and Ill make something on the deal as well.
Lt. David Dipre, who coordinates Floridas derelict vessel program, said the handful of owners he had managed to track down were guilty more of negligence than fraud. They say, I had a dream of sailing around the world, I just never got around to it. Then they have some bad times and they leave it to someone else to clean up the mess, Lieutenant Dipre said.
Florida officials say they are moving more aggressively to track down owners and are also starting to unclog the local inlets, harbors, swamps and rivers. The state appropriated funds to remove 118 derelicts this summer, up from only a handful last year.
In South Carolina, four government investigators started canvassing the states waterways in January. They quickly identified 150 likely derelicts.
There are a lot more than we thought there would be, said Lt. Robert McCullough of the state Department of Natural Resources. There were a few boats that have always been there, and now all of a sudden theyve added up and added up.
In January, it became illegal in South Carolina to abandon a boat on a public waterway. Violators can be fined $5,000 and jailed for 30 days.
We never needed a law before, said Gary Santos, a Mount Pleasant councilman. Continued....
I am quite certain that this is not the protocol, and is most unbecoming a President of the United States.
Update: See Miss Manners on the protocol. Americans do not bow to foreign monarchs because that act signified the monarch's power over his subjects.
Here is the protocol from the Queen of England's website -- which applies even to her own subjects: "The Queen meets thousands of people each year in the UK and overseas. Before meeting Her Majesty, many people ask how they should behave. The simple answer is that there are no obligatory codes of behaviour - just courtesy.
However, many people wish to observe the traditional forms of greeting.
For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.
On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is 'Your Majesty' and subsequently 'Ma'am'. "
#3
The President of the United States, bowing before a monarch. Perhaps somebody who has studied the Constitution so well will realize the reason we have the Constitution of the United States is because left the monarchies of the olde world to fight and die so as to never again bow to a monarch.
Even Joey Fatone was able to get ahold of himself when they ressurected his career for the tv guide channel red carpet interviews. He is behaving like a 16 braggard at a college age party.
Maybe he has an idea of his own: Thirty years in the same location I have stayed,
There I am, right next door to Willy's Fun Arcade.
I got tough competition but I'm not afraid,
'Cause it's my destiny to be the King of Suede.
#5
Compare and contrast, another American (not a President though) in the presence of a former deity. The ex-deity being an ex-deity because his subjects had killed many Americans a few years before that picture was taken:
Nice...
AUSTIN, Texas Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.
"What we're really trying to do is find out who's using our emergency rooms ... and find solutions," said Ann Kitchen, executive director of the group, which presented the report last week to the Travis County Healthcare District board.
The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said. But of course...
Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.
"It's a pretty significant issue," said Dr. Christopher Ziebell, chief of the emergency department at University Medical Center at Brackenridge, which has the busiest ERs in the area. Ya think, doc?
Solutions include referring some frequent users to mental health programs or primary care doctors for future care, Ziebell said. I got some solutions. But I don't think they'd like them...
"They have a variety of complaints," he said. With mental illness, "a lot of anxiety manifests as chest pain."
#1
I've worked in my share of ERs. None of this is news.
Potential solutions:
1) rebuild inpatient mental health facilities. That has its own problems.
2) better drug rehab. That has its own problems and doesn't work well anyway.
3) shunt patients who aren't sick to primary care centers. Been tried, doesn't work well.
4) shelter the homeless. Bush administration did that; it worked; he got no credit.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/02/2009 13:05
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#2
Solution.... END the federal mandate regarding hospital walk-in care and make these bastids get an appointment with a doc and PAY for services rendered like the rest of us.
#3
How about this for those without insurance who aren't bleeding, choking, or in the process of a heart attack or some other obvious emergency: admit them to a free clinic next door to the emergency room where they can wait in line and be seen by a health care provider. It would be much cheaper than an emergency room and the long waits would would deter all but those who really feel they need to be seen.
#5
Adopt the Chinese model: cash up front, and stand in line at the registration desk, before treatment. Doesn't matter if you're bleeding, delirious, unconscious, or whatever.
"Don't think we're not keeping score, brother." That's what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.
Continued on Page 49
Read the whole thing. Put down your coffee before reading, though
Welcome, International Olympic Committee!
While you're being wined and dined at fancy restaurants by Chicago political and business leaders hoping to cash in on the 2016 Games, the humble taxpaying readers of this column today offer you their hospitality and IOC love.
I'm stunned, actually. Stunned is the word. On Sunday, I asked readers for authentic Chicago-style Olympic event ideas to honor the IOC evaluators. Hundreds of responses poured in, each sure to warm the heart of Mayor Richard Daley.
Chicago 2016's new slogan is "Imagine," so reader Stanley G. imagined an Olympic oath read aloud by our business tycoons and politicians should Chicago win the games....
Many of you sent variations of "Sprints to the Federal Building," "Pothole Vaulting" and "Hired Truck Demolition Derby." Most popular was "Olympic (Wrought Iron) Fencing," the gold going to the mayor's brother Cook County Commissioner Johnny Daley, who sold insurance to the politically connected fence contractors....
What other events?
"Synchronized Scheming" (Jeff S.); "Parking Dibs Derby" (Jerry P.), and an adaptation of a street game I played as a wee lad on South Peoria Street: "Fed Rover, Fed Rover, Let the Feds Come Over" (Ryan L.) in which politicians and their cronies hold hands and federal prosecutors run toward them, to break the weakest link....
Yo. Find somebody that knows a buncha songs that old ladies like and upload a shitload of them on an Ipod...
President and First Lady Obama gave Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II a video iPod with inscription, songs uploaded and accessories, plus a rare musical songbook signed by Richard Rodgers.
Uploaded onto the iPod:
Photos from the Queen's 2007 White House State Visit
Photos from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit
Photos from the Queen's 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit
Video from the Queen's 1957 Jamestown Visit
Video from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown Visit
Video from the Queen's 2007 Richmond Visit Photos from President Obama's Inauguration
Audio of then-state senator Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and
Audio of President Obama 2009 Inauguration Address Oh. Your speeches. How...lovely. Thanks so much...
Britain's Press Association reports that the Royal couple gave the Obamas "a silver-framed, signed photograph of themselves." Calm down, Michelle. At least it's a nice frame...
UPDATE: And the Obama team confirms that these show tunes were also uploaded on Ye Olde Queen's iPod, as first reported by the AP:
"Oklahoma!"
"If I Loved You," Jan Clayton, "Carousel"
"You'll Never Walk Alone," Jan Clayton, "Carousel"
"There's No Business Like Show Business," Ethel Merman, "Annie Get Your Gun"
"Once in Love with Amy (Where's Charley?)," Ray Bolger
"Some Enchanted Evening," "South Pacific"
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," Carol Channing, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
"Getting to Know You," Gertrude Lawrence, "The King and I"
"Shall We Dance?" Gertrude Lawrence, "The King and I"
"I Could Have Danced All Night," Julie Andrews, "My Fair Lady"
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," Rex Harrison, "My Fair Lady"
"The Party's Over (Bells Are Ringing)," Judy Holliday
"Maria," "West Side Story"
"Tonight," "West Side Story"
"Seventy Six Trombones," "The Music Man"
"Everything's Coming up Roses," Ethel Merman, "Gypsy"
"The Sound of Music"
"Try to Remember," Jerry Orbach, "The Fantasticks"
"Camelot," Richard Burton
"If Ever I Would Leave You," Robert Goulet, "Camelot"
"Hello, Dolly!" Carol Channing
"If I Were a Rich Man," Zero Mostel, "Fiddler on the Roof"
"People," Barbra Streisand, "Funny Girl"
"On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," John Cullum
"The Impossible Dream," Richard Kiley, "Man of La Mancha"
"Mame," Charles Braswell
"Cabaret," Liza Minnelli
"Aquarius, Ronald Dyson, "Hair'
"Send in the Clowns," Judy Collins, "A Little Night Music"
"All That Jazz," Chita Rivera, "Chicago"
"One," "A Chorus Line"
"Tomorrow," Andrea McArdle, "Annie"
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina," Patti LuPone, "Evita"
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," Jennifer Holliday, "Dreamgirls"
"Memory," Elaine Paige, "Cats"
"The Best of Times," George Hearn, "La Cage Aux Folles"
"I Dreamed a Dream," Aretha Franklin, "Les MisDerables"
"The Music of the Night," Michael Crawford, "The Phantom of the Opera"
"As If We Never Said Goodbye," Elaine Paige, "Sunset Blvd."
"Seasons of Love," "Rent" Maybe she can trade with Brown for the DVD's...
#2
I strongly suspect that what happened here was that some Obama toady called Buckingham palace and asked what the Queen wanted.
The "old money" love to prank the "noveau riche". They just can't resist. Like suggesting, but not saying, that a formal party is going to be a costume party.
The Bush family are "old money" going back to the American revolution. They have been powerful in America longer than the Windsor line in England (that is, King George III was Hanovarian). As such, they know *exactly* what to bring as gifts when visiting the Queen, again.
So, Obama shows up to the party wearing a jester outfit, with Michelle wearing an 19th Century ballroom gown, and looking utterly silly, in a manner of speaking.
And all the old money British noblemen split a gut trying to not laugh out loud at the silly American president, as he presents Her Highness with an iPod.
#3
Gee Barry, couldn't find a used Thighmaster? How about a tiny license plate keychain w/ LIZA written on it?
Posted by: ed ||
04/02/2009 14:58
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#4
I'd laugh like hell if her highness gets a nasty summons from the RIAA for listening to pirated music.
But who the hell's downloading "Everything's Coming up Roses"?
#7
Obama should have given her Nancy Pelosi's Gulfstream. It's a classy gift for a monarch and Pelosi could learn the joys of flying coach with her constituents.
April 1, 2009: The sunspot cycle is behaving a little like the stock market. Just when you think it has hit bottom, it goes even lower.
2008 was a bear. There were no sunspots observed on 266 of the year's 366 days (73%). To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days: plot. Prompted by these numbers, some observers suggested that the solar cycle had hit bottom in 2008.
Maybe not. Sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days (87%).
It adds up to one inescapable conclusion: "We're experiencing a very deep solar minimum," says solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center.
"This is the quietest sun we've seen in almost a century," agrees sunspot expert David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.
Above: The sunspot cycle from 1995 to the present. The jagged curve traces actual sunspot counts. Smooth curves are fits to the data and one forecaster's predictions of future activity. Credit: David Hathaway, NASA/MSFC.
#1
The changes so far are not enough to reverse the course of global warming
They had to put that in somewhere even though the main point of the article is that we don't understand the sun very well. I wonder how many climate change models have solar input as a constant?
#2
While they're at it, perhaps they can explain just how CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere could possibly affect the fusion reations in the sun's interior.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/02/2009 10:54
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#3
I wonder how many climate change models have solar input as a constant?
All of them. As a constant constant.
But none consider this chain of effects: less solar activity, less solar wind, more incident cosmic rays (particles, actually), more cloud seeding, higher albedo, less energy reaching the troposphere and below.
#8
While they're at it, perhaps they can explain just how CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere could possibly affect the fusion reations in the sun's interior.
Why the same way the CO2 levels in Earth atnosphere cause Global Warming on Mars and Venus silly!
#9
While they're at it, perhaps they can explain just how CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere could possibly affect the fusion reations in the sun's interior.
It just does when you wish for it hard enough. Now click your heels three times.
Posted by: ed ||
04/02/2009 14:53
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#10
Send somebody up there to check it out. Better send them at night though...
#12
I don't think they are quite saying C02 has caused this solar minimum. But they sure are missing the point KBK makes. It is perhaps the biggest of the many problems with these politicized climate models.
My favorite sign of ignorance was when the tsunami was blamed on our climate policies. That one did happen.
The thinking that KBK applies, which includes 2nd and 3rd order effects, acknowledges uncertainty and involves complex interactions is beyond the mental ability of the typical environmental leftist. Their motivations range from raw emotion so a sort of retro-pagan religion in which the Hansens of the world are high priests. They lack historical knowledge, logic and basic understanding of the 'scientific method.'
The only good side to the current economic downturn I see is that there might be a lot less support for their marxist policy solutions to poorly understood climatic phenomena.
#13
"The only good side to the current economic downturn I see is that there might be a lot less support for their marxist policy solutions to poorly understood climatic phenomena."
'Fraid not, JAB.
The high priests and acolytes around the globe have already said that global recession/depression is no excuse to abandon their policies to put the rest of us in the poorhouse while they live high on the hog "save" earth. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/02/2009 21:11
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#14
Yeah, Republicans driving SUV's are causing the Red Spot on Jupiter to shrink, too.
DETROIT, April 1 (Reuters) - U.S. auto sales fell 37 percent in March, a smaller-than-expected drop that encouraged hope the world's largest car market is nearing a bottom after a freefall that has pulled the industry into a deepening crisis.
General Motors Corp, which has until June to complete a new restructuring under federal oversight that could push it into bankruptcy, said its sales fell 45 percent, the largest decline of any of the major automakers.
Industry-wide sales dropped for the 17th consecutive month but were up from February with the help of record discounts and higher sales to fleet operators such as government agencies. Auto sales typically account for as much as a fifth of overall U.S. retail sales and industry executives held out hope that the market would hit bottom over the next quarter or so.
"I think we're seeing maybe the first signs of a brightening in the outlook for the auto industry in March," GM chief sales analyst Mike DiGiovanni said on a conference call.
Sales for Ford Motor Co, the only U.S. automaker operating without government aid, dropped 41 percent. Major Japanese automakers and Chrysler LLC posted sales declines in a narrow range between 36 percent and 39 percent.
Overall sales came in at a rate of almost 9.9 million vehicles on the annualized rate tracked by analysts, down sharply from the average near 16 million over the past decade.
"We believe we may be at or near the trough of the industry's year-to-year comparisons but do not see an uptick in industry demand before (the fourth quarter) at the earliest," said Efraim Levy, an equity analyst with Standard & Poor's.
Discounts hit a record in March, averaging $3,169 per vehicle based on the value of offers including rebates and zero-percent financing, auto website Edmunds.com said. Both GM and Ford began rolling out new sales programs intended to win over car shoppers worried about losing their jobs by promising to cover loan payments if that happens.
#1
In its a feature not a bug dept, as real competition made cars more reliable and sustainable through regular maintenance, the market reaches a point where for practical reasons people can choose to put off buying a new car and still have transportation. Expensive fashion statements are among the first to be dropped when the crimp hits the household budget.
#2
This week the "administration" began to show the first indications of an admission that a structured bankruptsy might be the preferred method of dealing with GM. Of course the news could not have been presented by veteran CEO Rick Wagoner. A cleansing "CHANGE" had to take place first and a new talking dog brought on stage. Kegs of Budweiser must be popping at Black Lake. Details of the structured bankruptsy may be quite interesting.
#3
If GM is going to declare bankruptcy, why did we have to give them billions in the past couple of months? Seems to me they should have declared last fall (autumn to you non-Yanks) and saved us a lot of money and gotten on the right track sooner. WTF.
#5
@procopius, it's my take that the emission regs made engines more durable because they had to pass tests after 50K(?) miles. Also, better ring and valve guide technology helped.
In any case, in the '60s we were happy to get 60K from a Chevy valve job. Now, I've got 300K on my Subaru, with no engine problems. It gets about 500 miles per quart, and half of that is leaks. But it's $1000 to fix the leaks, so the payback is maybe 10 years, not including cost of money. I'll just keep feeding it oil.
I'm having problems wearing it out - but the New England rust is starting to get to it. It will never make another 10 years.
I saw a Honda Civic with over 400K miles on it, and it looked like the engine had never been touched. The trick is to change the oil every 3000 miles.
#6
My 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier has 158,000 miles on it. I still get 30 mpg. I don't, however do much city driving.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/02/2009 11:56
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#7
I currently own an 1988 Isuzu pickup 5 speed stick,(Sorta a chevy, chevy owns isuzu, twin to an S 10) it's rusting, but the drivetrain's sound, needs occasional U joints, and just put in a replacement Radiator, considering it's got around 250 K I'm very happy with it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/02/2009 12:05
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#8
I just got a much better paying job and a promotion, but it is farther away so we will have to buy a new car.
Make me a deal, auto-boy! I know you are desperate as a drunk-ugly woman at last call!
#10
I had a 85 BMW for 750,000 miles. After initial break-in I used Mobil 1 oil for it's entire life. Although the compression was nothing like new it still did't turn into a hybrid, burning oil and gas. I used a quart every 2,000 to 2,500 miles.
I was having expensive non powertrain problems. In 06 the heater core went. It seems the Huns hold up the heater core and build the car around it. Lot's of labor cost to replace so I sold the car to the State of California for $650 and sent it to the big parking lot in the sky.
#12
I bought my new 1983 F250 HD with a 6.9L diesel in May 1983. It's so old it has been grandfathered out of my state's emissions testing program. It has 160,000 miles on it. Starts & runs well, Gets 22-24 mpg around town, empty. In 2001 I hit a deer while going 70 mph, the front mounted spare saved me a lot of trouble & the damage was repaired cheap. The clutch hydraulics went out last week. What to do, what to do...
An ax-wielding Palestinian militant went on a rampage Thursday in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, killing an Israeli 13-year-old and wounding a 7-year-old boy before fleeing the area. The attack posed an important test for Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has promised a firm hand against militants and expressed skepticism about prospects for peace. Government spokesman Mark Regev called it a "senseless act of brutality against innocents."
Police and military units were searching for the attacker, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld and army officials. Army forces were operating in the nearby village of Safa, searching houses and taking village residents to a central school yard. The military said all roads around the settlement of Bat Ayin were closed.
A resident of the settlement, identifying himself only as Avinoam, said he fought off the attacker. "First I grabbed his hand with the ax so he wouldn't kill me," he told Channel 10 TV. "I fell down, and then I managed to get up. ... At some stage I managed to grab the ax from his hand" before the attacker escaped, he said. The assailant had "a lust for murder in his eyes," he said. A 13-year-old boy was killed and a 7-year-old boy was badly wounded, Israeli emergency services said.
A murky militant group calling itself the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail sent to the AP. The group is named for a Hezbollah mastermind killed in Syria last year in what is believed to have been an assassination by Israeli intelligence. It has claimed a number of past attacks, but Israeli defense officials believe it is likely a name used by other groups to avoid Israeli reprisals. The e-mail said the militant group Islamic Jihad was also involved, but the group's spokesman in Gaza would not comment.
The attacker apparently entered Bat Ayin, south of Jerusalem, unhindered. The settlement is home to religious settlers who have refused to build a security fence around their community, as is the rule in most other settlements, saying fences are a sign of insecurity.
The terror attack in the Bat Ayin settlement, in the West Bank, which killed a 13-year-old and injured a 7-year-old boy, was simply a natural response to the Israeli "occupation," a Hamas spokesperson said on Thursday.
"This attack was committed in the framework of the resistance," Ayman Taha said. "This is a reaction to the continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements."
"This is a natural reaction," he said, "especially against the backdrop of Israel attacks. We are a people occupied, and it is our right to defend ourselves and to act in every way and with every means at our disposal in order to defend ourselves."
#7
"The settlement is home to religious settlers who have refused to build a security fence around their community, as is the rule in most other settlements, saying fences are a sign of insecurity."
NEW YORK -- Veteran radio host Ed Schultz will have his own hourlong program on MSNBC, starting Monday. Oooh! Oooh! I remember him! The lefties were gonna put him up against Limbaugh and blow him out of the water. How'd that go, by the way? Has Limbaugh decided to steal a senate seat someplace, since he has no audience left?
Schultz has spent 30 years in talk radio and has a syndicated show that airs from noon to 3 p.m. each day.
MSNBC announced Wednesday that he'll replace a politically oriented show currently anchored by David Shuster at 6 p.m. on weekdays.
He's another liberal voice for an MSNBC evening audience that's already used to a leftward tilt with Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. MSNBC calls him an "avid voice for the middle class"
Shuster will work with Tamron Hall as a breaking news anchor from 3 to 5 p.m.
#1
Years way too late Amnesia International. Go run another pledge drive on the Gitmo propaganda. Oh, did the usual wallets evaporate with the current financial crisis and the departure of Bushmonkeyhitler? (rhetorical question). Too bad you already sold your souls.
Posted by: James Carville ||
04/02/2009 10:44
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#3
How's this for a first draft?
You have the right to convert to islam. Anything you say can and should be approved by a sharia court. You have the right to visit an imam; if you do not know of one, one will be appointed to you. You have the obligation to do exactly what the imam determins for the rest of your life under penalty of you and your family's continued harassment until the end of days. Failure to exercise your right to convert can and will result in your judgement at my current discretion, and possibly your family and friends depending on my mood. With these rights in mind do you wish to speak to me?
One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.
The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000. This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.
To be sure, Obama's tax promises in last year's campaign were most often made in the context of income taxes. Not always.
"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."
He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."
Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases. The extra money will be used to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children. That represents a step toward achieving another promise, to make sure all kids are covered.
Obama said in the campaign that Americans could have both--a broad boost in affordable health insurance for the nation without raising taxes on anyone but the rich. His detailed campaign plan stated that his proposed improvement in health insurance and health technology "is more than covered" by raising taxes on the wealthy alone. It was not based on raising the tobacco tax.
The White House contends Obama's campaign pledge left room for measures such as the one financing children's health insurance. "The president's position throughout the campaign was that he would not raise income or payroll taxes on families making less than $250,000, and that's a promise he has kept," said White House spokesman Reid H. Cherlin. "In this case, he supported a public health measure that will extend health coverage to 4 million children who are currently uninsured."
In some instances during the campaign, Obama was plainly talking about income, payroll and investment taxes, even if he did not say so. Other times, his point appeared to be that heavier taxation of any sort on average Americans is the wrong prescription in tough times.
"Listen now," he said in his widely watched nomination acceptance speech, "I will cut taxes--cut taxes--for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class."
An unequivocal "any tax" pledge also was heard in the vice presidential debate, another prominent forum. "No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax raised," Joe Biden said, "whether it's their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax."
The Democratic campaign used such statements to counter Republican assertions that Obama would raise taxes in a multitude of direct and indirect ways, recalled Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. "I think a reasonable person would have concluded that Senator Obama had made a 'no new taxes' pledge to every couple or family making less than $250,000," she said.
Jamieson noted GOP ads that claimed Obama would raise taxes on electricity and home heating oil. "They rebutted both with the $250,000 claim," she said of the Obama campaign, "so they did extend the rebuttal beyond income and payroll."
Government and private research has found that smoking rates are higher among people of low income. A Gallup survey of 75,000 people last year fleshed out that conclusion. It found that 34 percent of respondents earning $6,000 to $12,000 were smokers, and the smoking rate consistently declined among people of higher income. Only 13 percent of people earning $90,000 or more were smokers.
Federal or state governments often turn for extra tax dollars to the one in five Americans who smoke, and many states already hit tobacco users this year. So did the tobacco companies, which raised the price on many brands by more than 70 cents a pack.
The latest increase in the federal tax is by far the largest since its introduction in 1951, when it was 8 cents a pack. It's gone up six times since, each time by no more than a dime, until now.
Apart from the tax haul, public health advocates argue that squeezing smokers will help some to quit and persuade young people not to start. But it was a debate the country didn't have in a presidential campaign that swore off higher taxation.
#3
Double, triple, and quadruple the taxes on cigarettes. Make 'em unaffordable. Quit subsidizing tobacco companies. Tobacco can burn in hell, and so can its promoters.
My family members who have died of smoke related illnesses include some who died young after hellacious suffering from lung and throat cancer, leaving young children alone and devastated. Another passed out from his heart problems while smoking, setting the house on fire and killing his mother too.
Casting a cigarette tax as an imposition on the poor is nonsense. If you're poor, you can't afford cigarettes, and you certainly can't afford the respiratory problems that make it hard to work and live comfortably. Use the tax to underwrite programs to help the poor quit smoking.
#4
Given that I spent last night gaming at a house full of pagan O-bots, one of whom kept blowing pipe smoke in my face, I'm feeling all sorts of schadenfreude this morning.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/02/2009 9:45
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#5
You might get your wish, mom...
WASHINGTON Anti-smoking forces are predicting a long-awaited victory when the House votes on legislation that would, for the first time, allow government regulation of tobacco products.
The House scheduled a vote for Thursday morning on the legislation, which gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate but not ban cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Action by the Senate, and President Barack Obama's signature, still would be needed before the bill could become law.
Supporters were convinced they could achieve both those steps. They said success was in sight after years of attempts to tame an industry so fundamental to America that carved tobacco leaves adorn some parts of the U.S. Capitol.
"We have come to what I hope will be an historic occasion, and that is finally doing something about the harm that tobacco does to thousands and thousands of Americans who die each year," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Wednesday as lawmakers debated his Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
His bill wouldn't let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco outright, but the agency would be able to regulate the contents of tobacco products, make public their ingredients, prohibit flavoring, require much larger warning labels and strictly control or prohibit marketing campaigns, especially those geared toward children.
#6
Casting a cigarette tax as an imposition on the poor is nonsense.
There is absolutely no disputing the FACT that Tobacco taxes are Regressive - NONE. The definition of a regressive tax is that they impose a greater burden, relative to resources, on the poor than on the rich. The pernicious nature of Tobacco taxes is as they relate to the physical addiction of the product. In other words, the consumers are much less likely to quit consumption and forgoe other, perhaps more important, products and services. You know like baby formula.
Whenever the duplicity of these taxes is exposed the advocates have no choice but to justify through deceptive emotional appeals. In this instance they re-state the obvious in that it will reduce harmful consumption and therefore is a good thing. However, their primary goal is NOT to reduce smoking. Their motivation is to raise revenue for their pet programs. So what happens when the revenues eventually decline to adequatley fund their programs? Answer; They raise more taxes! After all its for the children.
#7
Raising revenue under cover of morality, pure and simple. I would consider myself a centerist on the subject of smoking, but I see too much evidence to conclude that this 'is for the people's own good', which can be another subject altogether. The potential HHS secretary Sebelius would be the perfect face to continue the taxing/banning of smoking in the USA as that has been her pet project (state smoking ban) for the last year and half (timing it?).
The author of this article is, at best, stretching a thin arguement and comes across as more a nit-picker of the president than making a decent point IMHO, though does make a point - people can only fight and quit any kind of addiction only when they are GD good and ready (or get doped legal - ex those nicotine pills - or illegal - Rodney King quitting crack but hitting to booze hard for those who watch Doctor Drew - on something to replace that addiction). It has been my experience that poor people do find a way to get money to feed their addictions, and those who cut resources from their kids have a spiritual problem which cannot be solved in this manner.
#9
If you get the taxes high enough the Mexican drug cartels will add smuggling of untaxed cigarettes to their enterprise.
You could get rid of the regressiveness by adding an earned lung cancer tax credit on the IRS 1040. Of course they would have to earn less than $250,000 and smoke to qualify. Save your cigarette receipts. /snarc
#13
It was some eddie murphey movie where he was a cop, beverly hills cop I think, he is undercover selling black market cigs - that movie was in mid '80's. Fortunately for the smokers round here, cuz GBUSMC is absolutely right, there is a ms-13 branch within 60 miles. More like a quick shop operation, you know big city variety with small town lines >:(
#14
The delemma is smoking funds the the childens health care. Stopping smoking is therefore anti-children, but that means taxes on alchohol and gasoline etc will have to be raised to cover the shortfall of money from those selfish quitters.
#15
I've noticed a lot of people have started "rolling their own". No taxes at all. They are also starting to grow their own tobacco plants.
Posted by: Oscar Snomorong1173 ||
04/02/2009 18:52
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#16
I first noticed that when a 20 year old kid walked up to me last week and said, "Can you show me how to do a roll?" I didn't realize what he was trying to do. I thought it was pot, but then realized it was tobacco and paper. Another guy showed him how to do it.
Posted by: Oscar Snomorong1173 ||
04/02/2009 18:55
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#17
Yeah and it worked so good with whiskey it's worth doing all over again with smokes.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/02/2009 23:44
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Maybe it's finally time to face the reality staring us from the wall the experiment has failed and the Quaid's dream is a distant and rapidly receding memory. Everything that could have gone wrong in a nation's sixty-year history has indeed gone horribly wrong. Looking back over the years, there are few glories but a growing string of calamities. A few sporting glories here and there briefly managed to camouflage a system built on the most rotten of foundations: corruption. But it couldn't last.
With no illusions to either being a political analyst, this writer can only offer what can be termed as an honest layman's point of view. The way it appears to these untrained eyes is that this nation has been ruled by a coterie of the privileged few since its inception in 1947. The poverty stricken populace is represented by a perpetually toothless parliament by people who are among the wealthiest in the land, having been born into families that own tracts of land that stretch as far as the eye can see. This is a country where a Seven Star monstrosity is being erected at the cost of billions for the rich and famous to congregate and sip their imported lattes while 90 percent of the people struggle to find clean water to make a cup of tea. There would be joy among the masses if the Taliban ripped down this obscene tower of wealth and symbol of social injustice.
Maybe it is time to welcome the Taliban with open arms because in actuality it is a movement driven and fuelled by extreme depravation, injustice and poverty, rather than any religious scriptures. The Taliban would be far more representative of 90 percent of the masses than almost all of the people occupying seats in our National Assembly today or any other year of our miserable history.
If the Taliban sweep to power -- as they are destined to, unless there is a dramatic, impossible reversal in the way wealth, resources and justice are shared in this country -- the only person to suffer would be you and I: "The Haves." We, seven percent of the population who read English-language newspapers and watch English-language TV stations and watch pirated Hollywood movies and have a "liberal" outlook that is western-leaning in orientation, would find our lifestyles stifled. How would the common man's lot be any worse than it already is under our successive civilian or military governments? The Taliban will one day come to power because those who "have" in this country have never given an inch to those who have nothing.
On the one hand, we have in our Parliament individuals representing the poverty stricken masses who can hardly count how many acres of land they own. On the other, there are those who toil night and day to put together a square meal because they haven't an inch of land they can call their own. The feudal landowning classes are the ones who have by their 60 years of avarice invited the Taliban in, and hopefully when the Taliban do arrive, the first thing they do is redistribute land and wealth based on people's talent and hard work, rather than the fortune of being born a landowning parasite.
The second set of parasites have been the military and the corrupt bureaucracy who time and again have tasted and been seduced by fruits of power and have slowly but surely attempted to turn the state into a perfect example of modern fascism. Then there is the denial syndrome and the conspiracy-theory syndrome, which leave us living in a delusional, detached world several steps removed from reality. Each time we stumble, it's always because of a "hidden hand," or those who want to "tarnish the image of Pakistan," but it can never, ever be of our own making. Anyway, let's keep things simple: the Taliban are not interested in wasting their time tarnishing anything, what they want is to rule of Pakistan, a goal they have stated in no uncertain terms. But the current favourite explanation for any of the countless atrocities we are surrounded by is that "the terrorists could not possibly have been Pakistanis, because no Muslim would kill his own people." History would beg to differ, as more Muslims have been slaughtered by fellow Muslims than by those nasty "infidels," and continue to be slaughtered.
From what could be made out through our TV networks, none of the attackers of the Sri Lankan team were Japanese or Canadians, or Nepalese Hindus carrying Norwegian SIM cards, or indeed Martians. They were, each single one of them, men born into the Muslim faith. The sole terrorist captured at the slaughter at the Police Academy likewise uttered only three words as he was captured "I am Muslim," and even then we have experts and anchors claiming "no Muslim or Pakistani can be involved in terrorism." Which must mean that the Taliban are made up of non-Muslims pretending to be Muslims? Is that what the official line of denial is?
Let's also face it: the Indians would be deranged if they, with their "hidden hand," are encouraging a Taliban revolution in Pakistan, because with 100-million-plus disaffected Muslims there, it would hardly take long for the flames of Taliban terror to start firing in India as well once they have dealt with Pakistan, seemingly some time fairly soon.
The Americans, despite their best intentions, remain completely and woefully off-target in so many respects. First up, the entire neutral and Muslim world judges them to a large extent upon their actions in respect to the Middle East problem and the matter of Palestine. If only the Americans would even pretend to make the odd token meaningless vote once every ten years censuring Israel for its catalogue of brutalities against human rights and the Geneva Convention it would help pacify millions of inflamed passions. Alas, the Americans are never seen to be attempting even a façade of justice when it comes to the Palestinian issue, and each additional Israeli aggression inflames and arouses passions, adding thousands to the Taliban's recruitment drive.
Then there is the small matter of their constantly supporting the wrong side. Alas, throughout history, the Americans have almost always ended up supporting Third World leaders who end up turning on their own peoples. Countless corrupt generals have been propped up by US governments in the short-sighted effort to secure their own goals, whether it was to contain communism or obtain markets, or both. The party line is the noble cause of spreading "freedom and democracy." But, certainly, nothing in this world comes without strings attached, and American-backed democracy usually comes with economic dependence and servitude contained in the small print.
Why don't we see the American ambassador ever opening schools for the poor or opening hospitals for the masses of Pakistan? Why don't they even attempt to win hearts by occasionally siding with the people of Pakistan rather than with our blood-sucking leaders? Surely, they realise that the billions that are pumped into the country in the name of the "War on Terror" are just a way for a parasitic elite to feast on the spoils while the masses continue to rot. Most have already started shipping their enormous wealth abroad to safety in their plush apartments in New York, London, Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. The paintings, the carpets, the jewels, suits and gowns have already reached safely and it's a matter of time before the exodus of the elite that occurred in Iran in 1979 is re-enacted here in Pakistan. The question is: will it be weeks, months or a year or two? Unless there is an immediate turnaround in the manner in which wealth, opportunity and justice are distributed in this country, Pakistan is doomed and most certainly the Quaid's Pakistan will, alas! never come to pass. Sixty years of greed and corruption have finally cooked the goose and thus: Game over.
The writer is a filmmaker and entrepreneur
Posted by: john frum ||
04/02/2009
06:55 ||
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#1
Why don't we see the American ambassador ever opening schools for the poor or opening hospitals for the masses of Pakistan? Why don't they even attempt to win hearts by occasionally siding with the people of Pakistan rather than with our blood-sucking leaders?
Maybe its because you are a completely ignorant, zealous, piece of shit country that has contributed nothing to the world at large except the most extreme terrorism and stone age intelligence.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/02/2009 8:13
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#2
Why don't we see the American ambassador ever opening schools for the poor or opening hospitals for the masses of Pakistan? Why don't they even attempt to win hearts by occasionally siding with the people of Pakistan rather than with our blood-sucking leaders?
Cause the leaders are smart enough not to declare war against the United States and lose? [The Germans, Japanese, and now the Iraqis have learned that trick in getting the American ambassador opening schools for the poor or opening hospitals for the masses. The leaders of Vietnam and North Korea didn't learn that one, settling for a antebellum status.]
#7
Pakistan is a sovereign nation. The US can't simply go in there and build schools. We have to work through the Paki government too. Hence so many of our problems in Afghanistan.
But be careful when you start arguing that things can't possible get worse -- they always can.
#11
Why don't we see the American ambassador ever opening schools for the poor or opening hospitals for the masses of Pakistan?
Maybe because the Taliban considers truly educating and treating girls and women equally unIslamic and the Americqn taxpayers would abhor the idea of funding the madrassas?
#12
Sounds like a tough situation. Suggest you consider mass converting to Buddhism.
Posted by: ed ||
04/02/2009 15:15
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#13
Omar doesn't admit that Islam itself has kept Pakistan down but he does at least admit that the terrorists of Pakistan are muslim.
He doesn't acknowledge the terror and discrimination against Hindus that have reduced their numbers from about 15-20% of pakistan (actually w pakistan) at partition to less than 2% today.
#14
same old story. The rich rape the poor and a revolution is born.
Funny thing is that there is a solution out there to this problem. It is a brilliant, God given plan for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It worked well for about 200 years until the "liberals" and "progressives" decided to trash the whole system, just for kicks.
It's slightly different here in the US. The rich get greedy and force the middle class to work and then throw the fruits of their labor to the poor. What the rich always seem to forget is that, when all is said and done, they are grossly outnumbered.
SRINAGAR: This week, tens of thousands of police personnel will fan out across Jammu and Kashmir to guard the Lok Sabha elections from any threats, in particular jihadist assaults.
But their adversaries also seem to be prepared. Guided by global positioning system equipment, and specially geared for high-altitude survival, a new wave of infiltrators has succeeded in an enterprise that conventional wisdom has held to be impossible: crossing the Line of Control when the passes across the mountains are still carpeted by snow that is upwards of 40 feet thick.
Last month Jammu and Kashmir saw some of the most intense fighting in years. In one instance, Indian troops were pitted against a group of up to 25 Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad cadre who had traversed the snowfields that separated their base near Athmuqam and the Rajwar forests.
Despite losing seven soldiers in an ambush, troops of the 1 Paracommando Regiment succeeded in killing five terrorists, which forced the group to disperse. Later, police and Army personnel hunted down six more terrorists in villages around Handwara.
In addition, soldiers from 22 Rashtriya Rifles eliminated seven members of the group at Drangyari, close to the LoC.
But the interception of the group did not stem the surge in infiltration. Last week, at least 16 Hizb ul-Mujahideen operatives pushed their way through the snow-covered Kanzalwan forests of Gurez and headed towards Bandipora. Troops have made fire contact twice with the group, killing at least two terrorists, but there has been no sign of the rest of it.
Eight Lashkar terrorists are believed to have crossed the LoC moving towards Trehgam. Other groups are known to be preparing to cross the Sonapindi Pass from Kel into Macchel.
Believed to have been crafted by a Lashkar commander, known only by the aliases Muzammil and Yusuf, the winter-infiltration strategy seems to be based on a careful study of Indias LoC defences.
Kashmir has traditionally seen infiltration in late spring and early summer, after the snow on the mountains melts. The Armys Srinagar-based XV Corps prepares for this seasonal offensive by pushing additional troops forward, putting up barbed wire and planting electronic sensors. When the passes are snowed over, though, the Army and jihadist groups shifted their energies to the southern stretches of the LoC, in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu.
Last year, the Lashkar began testing Indias winter defences in Kashmir. Infiltrators probed the Keran and Lolab sectors in late- February 2008, leading to the death of at least five Lashkar and Jaish cadres.
Later, in March 2008, a larger Lashkar group crossed into Handwara but it lost at least three men while trying to ford a river in sub-zero temperatures.
But enough number of infiltrators evidently made the winter passage to encourage Muzammil to plan this years infiltration plans. Indias intelligence services estimate that more than 300 cadres from the major jihadist groups have been trained for cold-weather infiltration.
Lashkar spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi which is a pseudonym for Lahore-based Abdullah Muntazar, spokesperson for the Lashkars parent religious group, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa has publicly exulted in the success of the strategy. The gun-battles should serve as a message to India, he said in a recent statement, that the struggle for Kashmirs freedom is not over.
Back in January, after the Lashkar was compelled to close its offices and training camps in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, its language was very different. If the world listens to our cries and plays its role in resolving the Kashmir issue, he said, there is no point in continuing fighting.
Perhaps the most stark about-turn has been made by the patriarch of the Islamist movement in Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Ali Shah Geelani whose anti-election campaign will be helped should the violence escalate.
In July 2008, empowered by the communally-charged protests that were sweeping the State, Mr. Geelani insisted that the struggle should be peaceful. He further claimed: We need neither the gun of the mujahideen now, nor the support of Pakistan.
But at a rally in southern Kashmir on March 29, Mr. Geelani insisted that armed struggle is the backbone of our struggle. Our issue is internationally acclaimed because of the sacrifices of its martyrs. Such people are our heroes, way ahead of those involved in the political struggle for freedom.
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Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States has sought to help Pakistan transform itself into a stable, prosperous, and democratic state that supports U.S. interests in the region, is capable of undermining Islamist militancy inside and outside its borders, commits to a secure Afghanistan, and actively works to mitigate prospects for further nuclear proliferation. Washington has also hoped that Pakistan, along with India, would continue to sustain the beleaguered peace process to minimize the odds of a future military crisis between them. Between fiscal years 2002 and 2008, the United States has spent more than $11.2 billion, presumably to further these goals. The FY 2009 budget request includes another $1.2 billion.
Despite this largesse, the United States has failed in large measure to achieve all but minimal progress toward most of these objectives. Pakistan is more insecure, not less, since the onset of U.S.-Pakistani reengagement in 2001. Pakistanis appear to be more distrustful of the United States than they are of al Qaeda. Indeed, about 80 percent of Pakistanis recently polled said that al Qaedas principle aim is standing up to the United States, and 57 percent support that goal. In that same survey, more than 52 percent blamed the United States for the violence wracking the country, compared to 15 percent who blamed various militant groups. Fewer than one in two Pakistanis believed that al Qaeda and the Taliban operating in Pakistan pose a serious problem, and wide swaths of Pakistanis embrace negotiating with the raft of militant groups savaging their country and oppose military action to eliminate them. Since joining forces with the United States, albeit reluctantly, Pakistan continues to lurch from one crisis to another, be it economic, political, or military.
Pakistans intentions and security perceptions, not the amount or modalities of U.S. aid, are the crux of Pakistans problem. Given these apparent, divergent perceptions and interests, how, if at all, can the United States cajole, persuade, or compel Pakistan to cease and desist from engaging in policies, such as supporting some forms of militancy, that are inimical to U.S. interests? Can the United States help Islamabad pursue policies that will secure Pakistans future as a successful, democratic state at peace with itself and with its neighbors, capable of providing for its citizenry? There are no elegant or even probable solutions for the myriad problems riddling Pakistan. Indeed, the path for the United States is very narrow but must be pursued, given the far more harrowing alternatives. This will require a significant change in policy from what has been pursued over the last seven years. This new course must focus more resources and attention to rebuilding and professionalizing Pakistans civilian institutions including the police and justice systems, the federal and provincial assemblies, and the political parties while undertaking efforts to encourage civilian control over the military and intelligence agencies. Pakistan, and its citizens, must be a partner for change not merely objects of policy if such an approach is to succeed in any measure. While hoping for the best, Washington must also prepare for the worst case scenario that Pakistan, despite reconfigured assistance and cooperation, remains unable or unwilling to act to secure its future and that of the region.
The entire Puthukudiyiruppu township and Iranapalai area came under Security Forces control last evening with 58 Division troops and 53 Division troops surrounding the last terrain controlled by the LTTE in the North East of Puthukudiyiruppu after capturing Pachchapulmudai junction the last supply route connected to the No Fire Zone from the mainland under 58 Division troops control. That's the last bit of territory outside the NFZ - Tigers hiding among civilians is the only place they can be.
A senior military official told the Daily News that fierce fighting raged North East of Puthukudiyiruppu as 58 Division and 53 Division troops surrounded the last square kilometer stretch under LTTE after 58 Division advanced from the North to South and 53 Division moved in a south to north direction. Igo south, ugo north, sounds pretty typical to me.
The troops of the 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment attached to the 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva and the 5 Vijayaba Infantry Regiment attached to the 53 Division under the command of Major General Kamal Gunaratne linked up, south of Pachchapulmudai junction encircling hundreds of Tiger cadres inside.
We believe that more than 200 Tiger cadres were trapped inside this terrain and troops are conducting search operations in search of them, the official added. Did you check under the couch cushions?
Fierce battles are expected to rage in this terrain as possibilities are high for the LTTE to launch counter attacks to rescue the Tiger cadres trapped inside, officials added. The 58 Division troops took control of Pachchapulmudai junction on the Puthukudiyiruppu Ampalavanpokkanai Road the last supply route linked to the No Fire Zone after a fierce battle with the LTTE. The LTTE used this supply route to send reinforcements to the Puthukudiyiruppu area through the lagoon that separates the No Fire Zone from the mainland. Bottom line, Tigers have lost their last little bit of land, and gotten some of their men stuck on the other side. Now, they only have the territory in the no-fire zone.
Earlier the 58 Division troops captured and cut off the Puthukudiyiruppu-Puthumattalan road and another road leading to Ampalavanpokkanai from the North of Iranapalai.
The Task Force 8 troops operating under the command of Colonel G.V. Ravipriya cut off the links the LTTE had to Puthukudiyiruppu through the A-35 road.
During the search operations conducted in the area yesterday the 58 Division troops found 19 bodies of Tiger cadres along with their personal weapons and large stocks of arms and ammunition and vehicles left behind by the fleeing cadres.
The 53 Division troops also found13 bodies of Tiger cadres, eight personal weapons and other military equipment belonging to the LTTE during the search operations conducted yesterday.
With these moves by the 58 and 53 Divisions the LTTE has been confined to the No Fire Zone alone with thousands of civilian detained by them.
The 55 Division under the command of Brigadier Prasanna Silva is also heading towards the northern edge of the No Fire Zone after capturing the fifth earth bund created by the LTTE.
Troops on the Vanni liberation operation are now at its most decisive phase as they are poised to rescue the civilians trapped inside the No Fire Zone, a military official added.
"Europe is now seeing what was elected. Without his teleprompter telling him what to say, he is not capable of a decent speech. He also continually referred to the Prime Minister as 'Gordon'....gave the Queen an ipod of his speeches (remember the movies he gave Mr. Brown?) and again enlightened those watching, that indeed, he is a lightweight, empty suit. The world, without the filter of the American liberal press, will soon see the cartoon figure that has been elected."
#2
Mr. Toad lives in London or Man Crush. Either way it's not pretty. Anyway, it looks like Gordon Malenkov has finally found his Stalin. Did Barak look away from the teleprompter and call him Melanie yet?
Posted by: ed ||
04/02/2009 14:48
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#3
Michelle HUGGED the Queen!!!!! I laughed...and laughed...and laughed but I'm not sure who will have the last laugh over this breach of etiquette.
AMMAN, Jordan - Nearly five years after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat died by what French doctors called a massive brain hemorrhage,
If you know what they mean and I think you do...
Arab doctors will meet in Jordan to probe rumours Arafat was poisoned - a suspicion that has lingered years after his death.
A rumor that is now being exhumed and reanimated so it can lurch zombielike throughout the islamosphere...feeding on a zombie's usual sustenance - brains.
Arafat's death Nov. 11, 2004 at the Mal de Mer hospital outside of Paris almost immediately spawned speculation he'd been killed by Israel who viewed him as an obstacle to concluding a peace treaty.
And here I was thinking it was Suha when she tripped and crushed his oxygen cord...
The 75-year-old Arafat who led the Palestinian movement for almost 40 years fell violently ill in his Ramallah compound in Oct. 2004 and two weeks later was evacuated to a French hospital where he died.
Good times, good times. The vulture silently circled the 'Burg for days and days...
At the time, French doctors bound by strict privacy rules were tightlipped on Arafat's condition, and his widow refused an autopsy.
"Just get him in the ground already! I have an appointment at Hermès in TWENTY MINUTES!"
Causing Adding to the speculation, Palestinian leaders have never given a definitive cause of Arafat's death.
Doc Steve, I distinctly remember you saying it was heart failure.
Come to think of it, might have been a chicken bone ...
Ultimately it's always heart failure, isn't it?
French doctors who treated Arafat concluded in a report later obtained by the AP that he died of a "massive brain hemorrhage" after suffering intestinal inflammation, jaundice and a blood condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation, or DIC. What brought on the DIC remains unclear. The condition has numerous causes, ranging from infections to colitis to liver disease.
And sometimes, just pure, dumb luck.
"Consultation with experts and laboratory tests could not help to find a cause that would explain ... the group of syndromes," his French doctors wrote at the time.
"Damned if we know. Or more correctly, we're damned if we tell what we know. So we don' know nuffin'!"
The report made no mention of poisoning or another popular conspiracy theory, AIDS.
They also left out the part about Dick Cheney and his secret jinn squad and special operations efreets...
Israel strongly denied accusations it played a role in Arafat's death. French doctors declined to comment on the speculation.
"Mais non. Now you mus' leave before we call sécurité."
There has been no prior formal probe into Arafat's death that followed a quick deterioration of the Palestinian leader's health.
All the better to keep a proper rumor in circulation - which is why I too question the timing of the non-probe.
Jordanian heart surgeon Abdullah al-Bashir said the meeting Thursday involving seven to eight doctors - many who treated Arafat when he fell ill in Oct. 2004 - will try to determine whether Arafat was poisoned.
Or whether whatever assurances have been granted by Hamas, Fatah, or Foreign Hand can be trusted.
The longtime Palestinian leader battled Israel for years before signing peace treaties with the Jewish state in the 1990s. But Israel blamed him for the failure of further peace talks, and he spent the last two years of his life under his bed siege in his West Bank compound,
Misty water color memories...
after Israel accused him of being behind a wave of suicide bombing during the second intefadeh.
Filthy infidel Zionist pigs, always so quick to call names and point fingers.
Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdi, a Jordanian neurologist who regularly examined Arafat, fuelled speculation on the cause of death after the late Palestinian leader died. At the time, al-Kurdi said lab tests revealed Arafat had a low count of blood platelets: components that help clotting. He insisted doctors had excluded other reasons for the low blood platelets such as infection or cancer and that poison could explain the deficiency. Although "not definitive, I believe the highest reason for Arafat's mysterious death is poisoning," al-Kurdi said in 2004.
The balance of the article is yet another typical AP islamist propaganda piece:
Adding to the speculation, Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Qidwa, who received a copy of the French medical report on the late leader's death, said in 2004 that the lack of clear reason for his uncle's death raised suspicions Arafat died of "unnatural" causes.
Suspicion about Israel and Jews have deep roots in the Middle East where many people believe, for example, that no Jews died in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center because they were warned to stay home.
Israel has been implicated before in trying to poison Palestinian officials. In 1997, Israel tried to poison Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Jordan. But the agents were caught, and King Hussein of Jordan forced Israel to provide the antidote in exchange for their release.
Al-Bashir said the decision to undertake the inquiry was taken last week at a meeting in Cairo to launch the Yasser Arafat Foundation.
Here's the part that's got me scratching my head. Why this, and why now? Is this a fundraising thing, or a lather-up-the-rubes-and-western-university-students thing? Or both? Are they trying to get some good ol' fashioned riots and car-b-ques in the Paris ghettos? Someone's trying to keep us from watching the hands.
If we had a CIA worth anything, the rumor would be that Yassar got AIDS from his friend Meshaal ...
#10
That's pretty much a closed affair, his DOCTOR admitted he had aids (the vid of the interview was broadcasted by an arab teevee, and the clip was on Evil youtube, in my bookmarks, though it has been removed since), an dthere was an article about that very same admission here in Rb (too lazy to look up in the archives).
Of course, he blamed the joooooos for infecting yassir, not his love for young boys and his sex parties with his boduguards (filmed by his rusians & commie handlers in the days).
But, again, his PERSONAL DOCTOR admitted in plain words it was AIDS.
See what is found on Evil youtube : Secretary general of PFLP admits Arafat Died of AIDS
Oh, well, it's probably an edit by those evil Zionists. Ah.
#12
I always king of figured that the Israelis finally got him (poisoned baby wipes or something), the Paleos went with the AIDS story because even that was less embarrassing than admitting that Jooos killed him, and the Russkies helped the Paleos do Sharon in retaliation.
But that's just me, and I *do* love a good conspiracy theory.
#13
Arafat was poisoned. He was poisoned by the death cult known as islam. He became something subhuman, twisted and evil. He remained that way until he died and yet his evil still persists today.
#18
While your are probing try to find out why: 1. Arafat was such an a$$hole, 2. Why he got the Nobel Piece Prize, and 3. What he did with all the loot he stole while alive.
#19
Seemed like classic indications of Mastitis so was skeptical when they said heart problems and figured it might be a deflection. Had he of gone to Cuba instead of France he would have had a chance.
[Bangla Daily Star] The LTTE's technical wing chief was among 39 Tamil Tigers killed in intense fighting in the island's northern combat zone where Sri Lankan troops backed by fighter jets battled to seize the last few pockets of the guerrillas, the military said yesterday.
S Kirupakaran alias Madivalahan, said to be the mastermind and chief coordinator of the LTTE's satellite-cum- radio communication network, was killed during clashes with security forces at the Mullaittivu battlefront recently, the Defence Ministry said citing intercepted LTTE communication.
It said according to information, LTTE yesterday offered self-styled 'Lt Colonel' status to the slain rebel leader.
Madivalahan was born in Jaffna and has reportedly spent most of his time at Trincomalee before joining the LTTE as a full-time activist, the Ministry said. "This is what to be expected in the coming days as more senior Tigers will be exposed to direct military attacks," it quoted a defence observer as saying, adding that the loss of Madivalahan was a major setback for the rebel outfit.
The government today also said that LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran's son Charles Anthony has been injured in clashes with the security forces.
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[Kyodo: Korea] Japan is set to condemn North Korea for an ŽŽact of provocationŽŽ if it launches a long-range ballistic missile and Prime Minister Taro Aso will instruct pertinent government bodies to continue their surveillance activities, Japanese government sources said Wednesday. In the event of a launch, related Cabinet members are expected to gather at the prime ministerŽs office to discuss ways to deal with the matter with the aim of having the U.N. Security Council adopt a new sanctions resolution against North Korea, the sources said.
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#1
Compare wid WORLD MIL FORUM [ GOOGLE Chinglish translation] > IIUC CHINA MULLS WAR STRATEGIES, REGIONAL PLA FORCE LEVELS AGZ PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, INDIA, AND RUSSIA [Islamist destabilizations - Uighurs; CENTASIA]. WAR SCENARIOS TO PLAN FOR US MILITARY INTERVENTION AGZ CHINA.
[Bangla Daily Star] The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel yesterday conducted raids in an attempt to arrest three former investigators of August 21 grenade attacks case. They are accused for misleading the case and protecting the real culprits.
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[Maghrebia] The Moroccan government stressed its commitment to freedom of religion despite the expulsion on Sunday (March 29th) of five Christian missionaries. Officials rejected accusations in the media to the contrary.
According to the judicial police in Casablanca, the five expelled missionaries were arrested on Saturday (March 28th) during a proselytising meeting involving Moroccan nationals. Police officers also seized religious materials including books and videos in Arabic.
Communications Minister and government spokesman Khaled Naciri said that the country upholds freedom of religion, provided proselytising and evangelism are not involved. He explained that churches in Morocco are fully aware of the situation.
The expulsion of the five missionaries -- four from Spain and one from Germany --prompted a response on Monday from Rabat Archbishop Monsignor Vincent Landel and Jean Luc Blanc, pastor of the Evangelical Church of Morocco, denouncing any "proselytising" activity in Morocco.
They were keen to stress the key role played by the "official churches" in supporting Christians living in Morocco.
Landel denied having any links with the missionaries and spoke out against the way that some of the media were grouping them all together.
"Missionaries who come here to convert Muslims have no link with the Catholic Church or with the Protestant Church. It is not in our name that they have obtained their residency permits in Morocco."
The archbishop explained that the mission of the Church in Morocco is to help Christians live out their faith in the recognition that they are in a Muslim country. "We help them enter into an Muslim-Christian dialogue, to respect their Muslim brothers and to trust them," he said.
Such a dialogue rules out any kind of proselytising at the intellectual and theological level, the statement continues. Christians are involved in various activities alongside Muslims who share the same values and objectives, despite their differences.
The issue has raised a fresh debate in Moroccan society.
"Just as Western countries protect secularism and the Christian faith from the spread of Islam, Morocco has the right to protect its religion," said Khalid Cherkaoui Semouni, president of the Moroccan Centre for Human Rights. "This is what Morocco's legislation states, forbidding trying to change individuals' faith. The state has the right to apply the law."
"We cannot speak of freedom of religion in this case, because proselytising relies on changing the other person's faith," explained Lahcen Daoudi of the Islamist Justice and Development Party. "We call on the Moroccan authorities to support those Moroccan associations which work in spreading Islam, as well as imams, and Qur'an study groups. The state cannot face such proselytising efforts alone, and needs the support of civil society to monitor those activities and educational programmes."
Related ArticlesWhen asked about the issue, Moroccans on the street had different opinions about the matter.
"I believe the authorities and the media are blowing the issue out of proportion," said Aya Idrissi, a teacher. "There have been missionaries in Morocco for years, and yet they have had little influence on Moroccans, who stick to their Islam. Besides which, we are a tolerant nation, and we accept all monotheistic religions."
Said Arifat, a law student, disagreed. He noted that many young people are easily influenced by the West and need to be protected. "Missionaries could easily convert them, when this is contrary to the Moroccan constitution."
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[Maghrebia] Mauritanian police and security forces arrested three suspected al-Qaeda terrorists planning attacks against Mauritanian and foreign institutions in the country during a combined operation earlier this week, Algerian daily Ennahar reported on Wednesday (April 1st). According to Mauritanian dailies Essiradj and Akhbar Nouakchott, the armed fighters are among Mauritanian "Salafist extremists" operating in northern Mali. The men are allegedly part of a terror cell that was planning attacks against Mauritanian and foreign institutions in the country.
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[Bangla Daily Star] Home Minister Sahara Khatun yesterday directed the law enforcers to take stern action against militants and strengthen intelligence watch on militancy. She gave the directives while speaking at a function on the occasion of 'Police Week-2009' held at Rajarbagh Police Telecom Auditorium here.
The minister expressed concern over the existence of militants' den at Daulat Khan of Bhola district and elsewhere in the country, "The government will root out militancy from the country at any cost," she said.
Sahara asked the police chief to take initiatives to appoint female officer-in-charge (OC) at different police stations.
Acknowledging the hindrances and sufferings of police, she assured of resolving the sufferings at their workplaces soon by providing them with sufficient logistics.
Home Secretary Abdul Sobhan Sikdar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad and AIG Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura spoke on the occasion.
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[Bangla Daily Star] Army and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel yesterday recovered three more hand grenades and over 100 ammunition from quarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members at their Pilkhana headquarters.
Beside, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members recovered the mobile phones of BDR director general Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed and Lt Col Badrul, both killed in the carnage.
A senior Rab official said the sets were recovered from the possession of the wife of BDR jawan Akhter who was arrested earlier. He said the Rab members recovered two more mobile phones from her possession, owners of which could not be confirmed.
CID investigators yesterday interrogated 40 more BDR jawans on their suspected involvement in the mutiny and carnage, and recorded statements of eight other BDR members as witnesses to the incidents. They also quizzed around 25 people, who live in the areas around Pilkhana, to gather information on how the mutineers and other BDR men fled with arms and ammunition.
CID yesterday showed 'arrested' 19 BDR men and two outsiders, and took 13 BDR members on remand for various periods. With the arrest of 21 yesterday, the number of arrestees rose to 821 so far.
Contacted, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Fazlul Kabir said, "The hand grenades and ammunition were found during search at different quarters of BDR personnel."
According to sources, CID investigators are also trying to detect those who brought out processions in support of the mutineers.
The two outsiders arrested yesterday are Mohammad Suman, 28, and Delwar Hossain, 44, from Hazaribagh area. They were arrested under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure on charge of campaigning in the area in favour of the mutineers.
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#1
Grenades and ammo, eh? If I was of a suspicious turn of mind, I'd be a'thinking them BDR boys was up to no good.
[Jakarta Post] The Attorney General's Office has on Wednesday slapped a ban on three Century Bank embezzlement suspects: Robert Tantular, Hermanus Hasan Muslim and Laurence Kusuma.
Robert, who also owns ailing securities firm PT Antaboga Delta Sekuritas, is suspected of having embezzled a total of Rp 233 billion (US$19.4 million) worth of customers' funds to 62 bank accounts.
According to AGO spokesman Jasman Pandjaitan, the ban is effective as the three suspects had been detained by the AGO since last Wednesday. "We've issued the ban so as to avoid any possibility of them fleeing the country," he argued, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Pandjaitan added that the AGO was closely cooperating with the Immigration Department. "The travel ban is still being finalized," he said, adding that state prosecutors were in their final stage of formulating their prosecution for Tantular and colleagues. "Once it is completed, we will hand over the case to the court," Tantular said.
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[Geo News] Police claimed arresting two real brothers from a house in Sukkur during police raid here late on Wednesday. According to sources, police had secret information about their whereabouts in a house in Sukkur following which police raided house and as a result, two real brothers, allegedly the activists of a banned religious outfit, were apprehended. Police sources told Geo news, having sought secret information regarding two suspected persons hiding in a house here, police raided the house and arrested two persons Zubair Shaikh, Faisal Shaikh and others were detained. They have been moved to undisclosed place for investigation, police sources added.
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#1
These were really real brothers this time. Honest.
If you watched Venezuelan state-run television in early 2009, you probably saw a sweetly smiling young Italian woman wearing a neon-green chef's hat and brandishing a pizza while extolling the virtues of indefinite re-election of Hugo Chavez
... The ad also featured an Englishwoman daintily sipping tea, a German dressed something like a yodeler, and a beret-clad Frenchman holding a baguette across his chest.
I had come to Venezuela to cover the Feb. 15 referendum, but I became obsessed by these people. by Alexander Cuadros is a freelance writer based in Bogota, Colombia published by Slate
#2
But he acknowledged that these expat chavistas would never have as much at stake as the Venezuelans involved in the process, because if things turned sour, they could always leave. "You've always got the ticket out," he said; Schmidt, for one, was staying just another week.
That about sums up their dedication to "the cause"...
[Kyodo: Korea] The Japanese government plans to extend its sanctions against North Korea that are set to expire April 13 by a year instead of the current six months if Pyongyang launches a ballistic missile, government sources said Wednesday. The doubling of the extension period will be formalized at a Cabinet meeting Friday with the aim of sending a message of protest to North Korea about its plan to launch a rocket carrying what it claims to be a satellite, according to the sources.
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#1
TOPIX > NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO ATTACK JAPAN IFF IT INTERCEPTS MISSLE; + CNN AM > US WARNS NORTH KOREA: DON'T LAUNCH MISSLE.
[Straits Times] TWELVE Muslim separatists and a soldier were killed in clashes in the southern Philippines when government forces foiled a rebel attack on a town, the military said on Wednesday. Army Scout Rangers backed by helicopter gunships on Tuesday ambushed a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) unit on the outskirts of Alamada town, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Ponce.
Security forces recovered the bodies of 12 MILF rebels and a soldier after a two-hour firefight, he told reporters. Three other soldiers were wounded, he added.
The 12,000-member MILF has been waging a decades-old insurgency to set up a Muslim state in the southern Philippines, where Christian settlers now outnumber the original inhabitants.
Alamada, on the major southern island of Mindanao, is a frequent flashpoint of Muslim-Christian disputes over farmland.
President Gloria Arroyo halted peace talks last year after the Supreme Court blocked a draft peace agreement that would have given the Muslims political and economic control of the south. This triggered MILF attacks on Christian communities that left dozens of civilians dead and displaced about 600,000 people.
'We were the ones subjected to attacks by the military, so our troops merely responded accordingly,' MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told reporters, commenting on the Alamada fighting. He said he could not confirm the rebel fatalities. Ponce said the bodies had been turned over to local officials so they could be returned to relatives.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
I still find it hard to take anyone seriously who calls himself a MILF
Posted by: Shoter Dark Lord of the Leprechauns2595 ||
04/02/2009 13:34
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son Kim Jong-nam has said he believe Japan's reaction to the North's impending rocket launch "justified" for self-protection, Fuji TV reported Tuesday. The cable news channel interviewed Kim's eldest son on Monday at Beijing International Airport and in Macau.
Apparently he's not 'number one son' ...
Kim had been asked whether the Japanese government was overreacting. The questioner did not directly mention the missile launch, but Fuji TV said Kim's reply was surprising since North Korea warned on Mar. 9 that shooting down the missile would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
When the reporter asked Kim why North Korea was bent on launching a missile at this moment, he said he did not know but felt the timing must be connected to the six-party nuclear disarmament talks and direct dialogue with the United States.
When the reporter said Kim senior looks pale and emaciated, Kim responded, "As you know, you lose weight as you grow older. Isn't it better to be thin than to be fat? Perhaps father was tired because of his overwhelming workload."
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Perhaps father was tired because of his overwhelming workload.
[Mail and Globe] A former Guinea-Bissau prime minister, Jose Fadul, said on Wednesday he was beaten up by men in uniform at his home in the latest violence blamed on the military in the troubled West African country.
Amnesty International said the assault overnight follows the arrest, beating and torture of a well-known lawyer, who like Fadul, was being treated in the country's main Simao Mendez hospital. "Men in uniform forced their way into my house around 1am. They hurled abuse at me and beat me repeatedly and dragged me across the floor," Fadul told AFP by phone.
Fadul was prime minister for several months in 1999 and is currently head of the national audit office. He also leads a small opposition party which is not represented in Parliament.
Hospital director Agostinho Semedo said Fadul's life was not in danger but that he had bruises on his head and upper body.
In a statement, Amnesty said the beating "follows an assault by the military of well-known lawyer Pedro Infanda, who was arrested, severely beaten and tortured for four days by military officials before being transferred to police custody".
The country is reeling from the March 2 assassination by soldiers of President Joao Bernardo Vieira, apparently in reprisal for a bomb blast which killed the army chief of staff the day before.
The government announced on Wednesday it was delaying a presidential election to June 28, two months later than anticipated.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Maghrebia] Three armed fighters surrendered to Algerian security forces Tuesday (March 31st) in Benchoud, Boumerdes province, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. The men, aged between 30 and 35, were members of al Qaeda's Al Ansar brigade. Their former brigade leader. Abou Tamim, surrendered to authorities last January in Tizi-Ouzou.
This article starring:
ABU TAMIM
Al Ansar brigade
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[ADN Kronos] Libyan authorities said on Wednesday they have recovered the bodies of more than 100 migrants who drowned after their boat sank off the coast of Libya after it set sail for Italy. Seventy seven bodies washed ashore near the Libyan port city of Sebrata, located west of the capital Tripoli on Tuesday, and at least 23 more were found between Sunday and Tuesday.
However, hundreds more are thought to be missing. The boat was designed to hold 75 people, but officials believe up to 365 boarded the ship.
Reports quoted by Libyan authorities say there were four people-smuggling boats which had sailed from Libya over the weekend. One was rescued after its engine failed on Sunday near a Libyan offshore oilfield.
One of the boats is said to have reached Italy and another one was spotted close to the island of Malta.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR expressed shock and sorrow at the reports of the missing migrants.
"This tragic incident illustrates, once again, the dangers faced by people caught in mixed irregular movements of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean and elsewhere which every year cost thousands of lives," said UNHCR chief spokesman, Ron Redmond.
UNHCR's office in the Italian capital Rome reported two boats have arrived in Italy this week - one carrying 244 people reached Sicily and another with 219 aboard made it to the southernmost island of Lampedusa. It is not clear if either of the boats came from Libya.
Last year, more than 36,000 people arrived in Italy by sea from North Africa. Some 75 percent of them applied for asylum and about 50 percent of those received some form of international protection from the Italian authorities.
Authorities said those aboard included Moroccans and Tunisians as well as migrants from Nigeria, Somalia, Algeri and the Kurdish and Palestinian territories
Italy's interior minister Roberto Maroni claimed on Monday the problem of illegal immigrants from Libya landing on the Italian coast will end in mid-May, when a bilateral agreement to combat illegal immigration enters into force.
Under the bilateral treaty Italy will give Libya millions of dollars in aid while Libya will allow the Italian military conduct joint patrols with its navy in patrolling the country's coasts to intercept people traffickers' boats.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
"This tragic incident illustrates, once again, the dangers faced by people caught in mixed irregular movements of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean and elsewhere which every year cost thousands of lives,"
Story is a couple days old but i couldn't find anything on it while browsing through Rantburg so i thought i would post it up. AUSTRALIAN special forces and Afghan troops have killed a senior Taliban insurgent leader responsible for improvised explosive device (IED) and suicide attacks against Australian forces.
Mullah Abdul Bari was known to have controlled suicide bombers, the training of foreign fighters and distribution of weapons, the Australian Defence Force's chief of joint operations Mark Evans said. Mullah Bari was also identified as a primary IED facilitator and was responsible for the coordination of device emplacement in Oruzgan province.
"His weapons of choice were roadside bombs and suicide bombers and his death means that Taliban insurgents operating in the region have lost one of their key facilitators,'' Lieutenant General Evans said.
The removal of Mullah Bari would significantly disrupt Taliban insurgent efforts to conduct actions that injured and killed Afghan and coalition troops, he said. "Mullah Bari has also been confirmed to have been directly involved in the placement of the improvised explosive devices which have targeted Australian troops,'' he said.
IEDs have claimed the lives of four Australian soldiers, most recently Sergeant Brett Till, an explosive ordnance disposal technician killed on March 19 in the detonation of a device he was trying to disarm.
Members of the Australian special operations task group have specifically targeted insurgent leaders and bomb makers, killing or capturing more than a dozen in the past year.
Defence revealed few details of the latest operation, other than to say it resulted in the death of several other Taliban insurgents. "This operation will contribute to a safer, more stable environment for the people of Oruzgan,'' Gen Evans said.
#3
Judging by Paleo experience, lots of "work accidents" in the near future, until the new expert emerges. On the other hand, Talibs are trained by ISI---who were trained by green berets.
[ADN Kronos] Pakistan's prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani rejected claims by US generals about Pakistan's army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) supporting Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
"There is no confusion at all. Our army and ISI are truly professional, sincere and pro-democracy. The two institutions are working in the ambit of constitution and under the command of the Prime Minister's Office," Gillani said, adding that the Pakistani army and the ISI were professional institutions which supported democracy and were answerable to the prime minister.
Gillani made the remarks after inaugurating the annual general conference of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists on Tuesday.
He also said that the Americans should keep in mind the friendly relations between Pakistan and the US before making such statements.
"It is the same ISI that had been working with the United States in the past."
The prime minister said the ISI had been playing a significant role in the war on terror in accordance with guidelines given by the government.
He said the CIA and ISI worked jointly in the 1980s against the Soviet Union. The Mujahideen were friends of CIA, but that would not mean that the US intelligence agency was still having relations with the Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] The primary imperative for the United States and President Barack Obama is to put an end to Iran's nuclear race, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said before his swearing-in Tuesday, adding that if the US failed to do so Israel might be forced to resort to a military strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear installations. "The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told The Atlantic. The Iranian drive for a nuclear weapon was a "hinge of history," he said, emphasizing that all of "Western civilization" was responsible for preventing an Iranian bomb.
"You don't want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs," Netanyahu said of the Iranian regime. "When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran."
Netanyahu suggested that Israeli preemptive strikes against perceived threats were the result of the Jewish people learning from a long history of grappling against those who threatened their collective existence. He cited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to "wipe Israel off the map," as well as a recent remark by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the effect that Israel was a "cancerous tumor."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[Bangla Daily Star] Indian Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday assured Bangladesh that any disobedient member of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) will not be allowed to enter its territory. "We will ensure that recalcitrant elements of BDR do not enter India at any cost and if any one is caught we will hand over them to Bangladesh," said BSF Director General (DG) ML Kumawat.
Speaking at a joint press conference with BDR DG Brig Gen Mainul Islam after a DG-level meeting between BSF and BDR in New Delhi, the Indian side also offered all possible help in restructuring the BDR if Bangladesh desires.
"The BSF has shown prudence and wisdom during the (BDR mutiny) crisis. The force has been dealing the whole matter with wisdom and we expect the same from them in future," said the BDR DG.
The two sides discussed a range of issues related to border management and agreed to strengthen joint efforts to prevent trans-border crimes, including illegal movements, trafficking of women and children, smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition across the border.
The BSF DG said there is no case of crossing over into India from Bangladesh till now from February 25 with or without weapons.
The work related to maintenance of boundary pillars along the India-Bangladesh border also came up for discussions during the three-day meet at BSF headquarters in New Delhi from March 30 to April 1. BDR DG Brig Gen Mainul led a six-member delegation at the border conference.
On extradition of Ulfa leaders, Mainul said, "I'm not in a position to comment. But I can assure you as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stated that the country will not harbour any one who harms our country or neighbouring country."
"We have shared our common concerns. We hope that we can resolve many issues in near future under democratically elected governments," said the BDR DG.
The chiefs of BDR and BSF earlier signed a Joint Record of Discussions.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[Jakarta Post] Japan began offering money Wednesday for unemployed foreigners of Japanese ancestry to go home, mostly to Brazil and Peru, to stave off what officials said posed a serius unemployment problem.
Thousands of foreigners of Japanese ancestry, who had been hired on temporary or referral contracts, have lost their jobs recently, mostly at manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and its affiliates, which are struggling to cope with a global downturn.
The number of foreignrs seeking government help to find jobs has climbed in recent months to 11 times the previous year at more than 9,000 people, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
"The program is to respond to a growing social problem," said ministry official Hiroshi Yamashita.
Japan has tight immgration laws, and generally allows only skilled foreign workers to enter the country. The new program applies only to Brazilians and Peruvians of Japanese ancestry who have gotten special visas to do assembly line and other manufacturing labor. It does not apply to other foreigners in Japan, Yamashita said.
The government will give 300,000 yen ($3,000) to an unemployed foreigner of Japanese ancestry who wishes to leave the country, and 200,000 ($2,000) each to family members, the ministry said. But they must forgo returning to Japan to live and work under the special enry granted those of Japanese ancestry. They can come as tourists or other work visas.
The budget for the aid is still undecided, it said.
The visa program for South Americans of Japanese ancestry was introduced partly in response to a labor shortage in Japan, where the population is shrinking and aging. But the need for such workers has dwindled in recent months after the global financial crisis hit last year. The jobless rate has risen to 4.4 percent, a three-year high.
Tokyo has already allocated 1.08 billion yen ($10.9 million) for training, including Japanese language lessons, for 5,000 foreign workers of Japanese ancestry.
Major companies traditionally offer lifetime employment to their rank and file, and so workers hired on temporary contracts have been the first to lose their jobs in this recession.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Straits Times] A NINE-year-old Malaysian pupil who was caned in the hands by a woman teacher at the school on Tuesday, died on Wednesday. According to Negri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh, the boy had complained about feeling dizzy after the caning session. On seeing that his condition had taken a turn for the worse, the school authorities contacted his parents before sending him to the Segamat Hospital for treatment.
'The parents, however, had him transferred to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru but later brought him back home the same day after being told by hospital authorities that chances of their son recovering were slim,' he told reporters after attending a blood donation campaign at the Negri Sembilan police headquarters here on Wednesday.
He said it was understood the boy had 'central nervous system problems' and dismissed allegations that the caning had caused his death.
He added that the boy died at home at 3.30am on Wednesday.
Mr Osman said that on a personal note, in future, he advised parents to inform school authorities if their children were suffering any ailment. 'This way the schools will have proper records on the health condition of their charges ... teachers will be extra cautious when taking any disciplinary action against them,' he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Ah, they didn't advise the school! The whole thing was the parents' fault. Glad we cleared that one up.
[Jakarta Post] A British man who fatally stabbed his partner after an argument about her heavy use of a Playstation has been sentenced to at least 14 years in prison. Malcolm Palmer admitted killing Carol Cannom in front of the couple's 10-year-old son in November.
Judge Michael Heath in Lincoln Crown Court on Wednesday gave Palmer a life sentence, with a minimum term of 14 years.
Cannom suffered at least 30 knife wounds, and the son was also injured. The judge noted that Cannom would stay awake as late as 5 a.m. playing games, while Palmer was exiled to an unheated conservatory.
Palmer's daughter, Claire Scott, said outside court that the couple had too much time on their hands and that the Playstation was just a bit of escapism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Obviously the fault of the welfare system for not providing them with rooms + playstations for each.
[Iran Press TV Latest] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged the new Israeli government to provide for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Hey Ban. They already have a state -- it's called Jordan.
#7
Gimmie some viable Palestinians and we can give 'em a state! Of course, finding viable Paleos will be as easy as finding unicorns, fairies, dragons, etc.
#9
ISRAELI MIL FORUM > ARAB LEAGUE PREPARES TO GIVE ISRAEL AN ULTIMATUM. Israel must accept Saudi Plan, or else will be dropped from negotiats table [Read, no peace wid Arab Govts + no end to Arab-Israeli Conflict save final surrender or destruction]???
[Mail and Globe] Political parties in Guinea-Bissau agreed on Tuesday to hold elections on June 28 to replace the countryŽs assassinated president. Loser takes it, eh?
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korea on Wednesday complained that U.S. spy planes carried out reconnaissance operations near the countryŽs rocket launch site and threatened to shoot them down should such activities continue. North KoreaŽs state-run radio said the operations took place three times last month in waters off Musudan-ri in northeastern North Korea, according to Radiopress, which monitors North Korean media in Tokyo.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Beirut Daily Star: Region] President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted Wednesday that G20 leaders must use their London summit to crack down on tax havens, warning Paris and Berlin are not happy with current drafts for an accord.
France has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of Thursday's summit of leading world economies, threatening to walk out unless there is a deal on tough new regulation of global finance and curbing offshore tax havens.
Sarkozy said he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel late Tuesday and that they had agreed that, while "no firm agreement has been reached" between G20 negotiators, the latest draft deal "didn't add up."
"Neither France nor Germany are satisfied with the proposals as they currently stand," Sarkozy told Europe 1 radio just hours before taking the presidential jet to London.
"We are on exactly the same wavelength," said the French leader, stressing that Paris and Berlin "will carry a European vision, based on European values" to the two-day summit.
For her part, Merkel said she was going to London with a mixture of confidence and concern.
Sarkozy said some G20 powers had shown "less enthusiasm" for tough new rules, citing the "relative tolerance" shown in the past by so-called "Anglo-Saxon" states toward tax havens, and also singling out China.
The G-20 meeting has exposed painful divisions over how best to tackle the crisis, which the World Bank forecast would see the global economy contract by 1.7 percent this year.
While the United States, the United Kingdom and others put the emphasis on massive stimulus spending, many European countries led by France and Germany insist tighter global financial regulation is the priority to preventing new crises.
Japanese Premier Taro Aso launched a new salvo Wednesday with a Financial Times interview hitting out at EU leaders' reluctance to pump more stimulus funds into their economies.
But the White House has played down suggestions of a rift, and Obama has said any talk of regulation versus stimulus was a "phony debate."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
and the worst thing is that neither of them is right!
On this day in history: April 2nd
1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon sets foot on Florida becoming the first European known to do so. (Was he from Jersey?)
1902 - "Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
1917 - The first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin, takes her seat as a representative from Montana.
1956 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. ('Guiding Light' soap opera to close in September after 72 years)
1972 - Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
1972 - North Vietnamese soldiers of the 304th Division take the northern half of Quang Tri Province. (My old stomping grounds)
1992 - In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
#5
Oh boy, we get to see Fred's girlfriend again! Luckily, Louise Brooks is very soothing to the eyes...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/02/2009 13:04
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#6
tegaserod K who is very good at training peoples minds to achieve their wishes and dreams by reprogramming their thoughts. Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast weight loss. However, the subjects who consumed caffeine only showed no increase in energy expenditure or fat oxidation. Speak to a Consultant - FREE! Your time is valuable, so learn all you need to know the easy way a free, live phone consultation. As a result, up to 30% of ingested fat is not absorbed by the body.
It is now day two since North Korea detained a South Korean working at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex. The Hyundai Asan employee in his 40s has been under interrogation since Monday after being accused of criticizing the communist state's political system and trying to talk a North Korean female worker into defecting.
The Unification Ministry says it is still awaiting a response from Pyongyang regarding the detainee's rights to an attorney, which the two Koreas have agreed.
Under the agreement, North Korea can interrogate and choose to either warn, fine, or send back a South Korean who violates its rules at the industrial park.
The South Koreans have apparently invested over $11 billion in Kaesong and related upgrades to the North during Roh Moo Hyun's administration, including a recent $2.5 billion expansion there. The reward is to have their businesspeople held hostage. This will do wonders for investment in the future.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to perform Omra, a minor Muslim pilgrimage, which will take him to Islam's holy city of Mecca, state media reported, as a United States envoy headed to Sudan for talks aimed at allowing aid groups back in.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Avery long time ago, I read a short story about what the Iraellis did to end terorism, they dropped a company of IDF by air, they captured Meccah and wrapped the stone in raw pigskins, told the Islamics they'd blow the whole thing with a nuke and have Muslims bowing to all points of the compass if they didn't
1, surrender,
2 release all prisoners/hostages,
3 and draw bck 200 miles from israel permanatly,
then lifted theit soldiers out by C130 and left the place nuke mined and very heavily monitored by CCTV, instructions were that any person seen on TV, or the wires were cut and BLAMMO.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/02/2009 23:01
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] White House spokesman says US administration committed to ŽŽworking vigorously for two-state solutionŽŽ and anticipates ŽŽfrank discussions.ŽŽ
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
Quite right. Barry is very familiar with the "two state solution." He's from fly-over country where you have both Chicago... AND Illinois. On a more serious note, there is room under Barry's bus for all of Israel.
#5
Howdy losers and minority!
Firstly, I would like to say that President Obama is doing quite a good job. But he needs to move against the Rantburger cum jew cum WASP cum fascist cum redneck cum bible thumper loser minority, and more vigorously at that.
Dear Mr. Obama, please understand that jews and their supporters (hint, hint-the Rantburgers of today) have ALWAYS caused the destruction of every great empire. Every civilization has hated jews- WHAT? Was every civilization in the history of mankind WRONG? Why have they ALL hated
jews...every single one of them!!!!
Unfortunately, Americans have been led to believe that hating jews is bad. Dear Mr. Obama, why don't you read Mr. Henry Ford's book, "The International Jew"? We know its banned in America but you can download it from the internet. Mr. Ford, one of the world's greatest businessmen, will tell you about the jews and their evil, sinister and wicked nature.
Or just read another book, "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare (also banned in America, but you can download it for free too). Shakespeare will infrom you how Shylock the jew treated the noble Antony.
Finally please don't try to supress hatred for the jews. Its unhealthy. Hatred for jews is a natural and beautiful thing. We feel sorry that your people dont enjoy the freedoms to hate jews that we do here. And dont forget to hate the fascist Rantburgers. As the final prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him said, "Those who support jews are of them!"
God bless America.
Posted by: TRUTH IS BACK-oh yeah ||
04/02/2009 16:00
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[Straits Times] THE Philippine Red Cross asked Al-Qaeda-linked militants Wednesday for proof that three aid workers held hostage were alive as troops and tanks moved closer amid threats to behead the captives. The governor of southern Jolo island, Sakur Tan, said an informant told him the three Red Cross captives - a Swiss, an Italian and a Filipino - were alive Tuesday hours after the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers threatened to kill one if troops did not withdraw.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
a Swiss, an Italian and a Filipino
There's a joke in there somewhere!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/02/2009 8:09
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#2
We launched the Helicopter to pick up the IRC female hostage in Jolo; they will rtb with only our docs on board. Will pick her up in the morning with their entourage. Go figure, there is a bar fine in there somewhere.
Posted by: Joe of the Jungle ||
04/02/2009 11:23
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[Bangla Daily Star] G20 protesters clashed with riot police in downtown London yesterday, breaking into the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland and smashing its windows. Earlier, they tried to storm the Bank of England and pelted police with eggs and fruit.
At least 4,000 nimrods anarchists, fools anti-capitalists, rubes environmentalists and rustics others jammed into London's financial district for what they called "Financial Fool's Day." The protests were called ahead of Thursday's summit of world leaders, who hope to take concrete steps to resolve the global financial crisis that has lashed nations and workers worldwide.
Some protesters spray-painted the side of the RBS building with the phrases "class war" and "thieves." Others pushed against columns of riot police who swatted them away with batons. Demonstrators shouted "Abolish Money!" and clogged streets in the area known as "The City" even as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama held a news conference elsewhere in the British capital.
At least eight people were arrested but there were no serious injuries reported.
Royal Bank of Scotland is at the center of protesters' anger because it had to be bailed out by the British government after a series of disastrous deals brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. The bank is now majority-owned by the British taxpayer.
Helicopters hovered above the protests and some buildings were boarded up. Many banks had extra security and hundreds of police officers lined the streets.
Demonstrators hoisted effigies of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse," representing war, climate chaos, financial crimes and homelessness.
"The greed that is driving people is tearing us apart," said Steve Lamont, 45, flanked by his family and protesters who were banging on bells, playing drums and blowing whistles.
One police officer lost his helmet and demonstrators tossed it around like a trophy and chanted slogans.
Fearing they would be targeted by protesters, some bankers swapped their pinstripe suits for casual wear and others stayed home. Bolder financial workers leaned out their office windows yesterday, taunting demonstrators and waving 10 pound notes at them.
Especially in Britain, bankers have been lambasted as being greedy and blamed for the recession that is making jobless ranks soar. Protesters waved banners reading "Banks are evil," "Eat the bankers," and "0% interest in others."
One protester dressed as the Easter bunny managed to hop through the police cordon but was stopped before he could reach the Bank of England. Another black-clad demonstrator waved a fake light saber at officers.
Musician and political activist Billy Bragg said the time was now to make a difference. "It's better than sitting down shouting at the television at these bankers," he said. "We cannot go back to the way things were before to the million-dollar bonus culture."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Just to show you how corrupt and inane the MSM are - more attention is paid to these spoiled idiots than to what is really going on at the meetings - which is more important. Also, the number of protesters in London is equal to the number of protestors at the Cincinnati Tea Party but never a word or TV coverage of that by the MSM. They are becoming more irrelevant each day. I expect to see ads for Publix pretty soon on Rantburg with coupons you can print for fresh Mayport shrimp and Zephyrhills water.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/02/2009 8:17
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#2
These idiots need to be forced to live in a society that "abolishes money". See how long they'd last before starving to death.
FWIW, the four horsemen of the apocalypse were pestilence, war, famine, and death not "war, climate chaos, financial crimes and homelessness" or other tranzi foolishness.
#3
One protester dressed as the Easter bunny managed to hop through the police cordon but was stopped before he could reach the Bank of England. Another black-clad demonstrator waved a fake light saber at officers.
Well, obviously, these people should be taken seriously...
#4
Oh, for the days when you could line up a section of twelve-pounders loaded with cannister in the street & have a leather-lunged bailiff read the Act.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/02/2009 9:40
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#5
And just to get everyone's undivided attention, through the smoke of the batteries first volley a very aggressive 200m bayonet charge! Bring the guns forward and.... BEGIN ANEW!
#7
The Queen got bailed out by US taxpayers and she doesn't even pay taxes in the UK? I don't know why US capitalists aren't up in arms on Capitol Hill!
#8
At the circus during the high wire act if you blink out the act and look around you'd see in the other rings lots of stuff going on. This protest makes me wonder what is going on that the carnavel is getting the attention.
[Straits Times] THAILANDŽS government said on Wednesday that it was open to talks with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to end a fresh surge in political unrest that threatens to undo efforts to revive a slumping economy.
Thousands of Thaksin protesters have surrounded the seat of government in Bangkok for the past week in a bid to force out Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the latest escalation in ThailandŽs three-year-old political crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[ADN Kronos] Four suicide bombers dressed in army uniforms and armed with rifles attacked a government building in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday. The initial death toll was 10 people, including the four bombers, while 16 other people were were reported to have been injured.
In a coordinated attack, the suicide bombers struck shortly after one of them detonated a car laden with explosives outside the offices of the consultative provincial council, as members of the council were holding a meeting with local elders.
Two of the bombers were shot dead by police officers before they could detonate their explosives. However, a third militant managed to detonate his explosives, killing himself.
Five of the victims were civilians and one was a police officer, said Afghanistan interior ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary. No militant group initially claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afghan and NATO-led troops have cordoned off the area. Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold is Afghanistan's third largest city.
The latest attack come as thousands of new US troops are due to arrive in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#2
Probably not, G(r)om. The Russians weren't there long enough to institutionalize their style of (shudder) architecture. Probably a bunch of madrassa students conducting their final exam (pun intended).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/02/2009 13:40
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[Straits Times] THE Philippines imposed a curfew and a state of emergency on Tuesday on a remote southern island where an Islamic militant group has threatened to kill one of three Red Cross workers it holds hostage. Provincial Governor Abdusakur Tan issued the proclamation of emergency minutes after the expiry of a rebel ultimatum to authorities to withdraw troops from much of Jolo island. The Abu Sayyaf group had said it would execute one of the hostages if their demand was not met by 2 pm Singapore time.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf
#1
The government said it had complied earlier this month with rebel demands to move back the security cordon around them.
By Sunday, nearly 1,500 soldiers, police officers and armed civilian volunteers had moved back by about 15 km from the rebel position in the interior of southern Jolo island.
I wonder if that was sign of capitulation or clearing the area out and giving fair warning a fight was about to happen?
Posted by: Floper Protector of the Veal Cutlets1979 ||
04/02/2009 19:10
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[Mail and Globe] MadagascarŽs ousted president Marc Ravalomanana told regional leaders he signed his resignation last month at gunpoint. I think we guessed that. Or was that just me?
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
I guess the alternative was resigning posthumously.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israel is not bound by the 2007 relaunch of U.S.-backed peace talks with the Palestinians, new Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday, striking a hard line on his first day in office as premier Benjamin Netanyahu began his second term saying he did not support a two-state solution.
Lieberman's rejection of the agreement signed in Annapolis, Maryland signaled a hawkish new approach to the peace process that could put Israel's new right-wing government at odds with the international community and main ally the United States.
Roadmap
" There is only one document that binds us and it is not the Annapolis conference "
Israel's new FM
The Palestinians fired back, warning that Lieberman was an obstacle to peace and urging the international community to pressure Israel into honoring its past commitments.
"There is only one document that binds us and it is not the Annapolis conference," Lieberman said at a handover ceremony at the foreign ministry a day after being sworn in by parliament.
"Only the roadmap. The Israeli government and the Knesset (parliament) never adopted Annapolis," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
at odds with the international community
Been there for, at least, 2000 years.
and main ally the United States
Nah, Obamba is too busy europenizing USA to spare time for "The Jewish problem".
[Geo News] A preliminary investigation report on Sri Lankan cricket team attack has been presented to Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa said a special sub-committee has been constituted to probe into attacks on Manawan Police Academy and Sri Lankan cricket team. He said the committee will present a final report within seven days.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
[Mail and Globe] More than 23 000 civilians escaped last month from a war zone in Sri Lanka's north, where the military appears close to crushing the Tamil Tiger rebels, the government said on Wednesday. That doesn't bode well for next year's NGO funding. Someone somewhere is trying to think of a good reason they should go back.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped by the fighting as the military has rolled up a series of battlefield victories and pushed the rebels into a small sliver of beach and land -- measuring just 21 square kilometres -- on the northeast coast. That's only slightly larger than Prabhakaran's own acreage.
The 23 606 who fled in March was down from the nearly 33 000 who escaped in February, but the fighting last month was confined to a smaller area and it was not as easy to flee. Maybe there weren't as many people, too.
The rebels, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have denied accusations that they are holding the people as human shields and have fired on them to stop them from fleeing. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Military spokesperson Udaya Nanayakkara told a news conference that the fighting in some cases was just 400m from the edge of a government-declared "no-fire" zone, which takes up most of the war zone. "Troops are operating close to the safe zone," he told a news conference. Nanayakkara said more than 62 000 people have now fled the fighting.
Defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella estimated there were 30 000 to 40 000 civilians still trapped in the area. Rambukwella repeated comments by President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejecting calls for a ceasefire, saying it would give the rebels a chance to rearm and regroup. "It is not something that is possible," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Top|| File under:
#1
There's an object lesson in the Sri Lanka fighting, if Barry weren't too dense to learn it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/02/2009 20:25
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#2
"More than 23,000 civilians escaped last month from a war zone in Sri Lanka's north"
How many of them were Tigers in mufti? 22,501?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/02/2009 21:14
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[Al Arabiya Latest] World leaders wrangled Wednesday about how to fix the global economy, as anti-capitalist protestors attacked a bank in central London on the eve of a G20 economic summit.
As demonstrators laid siege to the Bank of England and smashed the windows of a nearby bank that has become a symbol of the financial crisis in Britain, leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama struggled to overcome U.S.-Europe tensions over how to ease the global slowdown.
Leaders wrangle
" I will not associate myself with a false summit, that concludes with a statement of hollow compromises, that does not address the problems that we face "
French President Sarkozy
France and Germany demanded tough action by the summit and Obama warned the United States could no longer be counted on to be the "voracious consumer" which would lead worldwide growth.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France and Germany rejected the current summit proposals on reforming the financial system and cracking down on tax havens and corporate bonuses.
Reports suggest Sarkozy may stage a walk out
But other leaders played down his threat to walk out of the summit which even the German government said was "not the best idea."
"I'm confident that President Sarkozy will be at the first course of the dinner and that he will complete the dinner," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the threat, referring to a pre-summit leaders' meal at Downing Street Wednesday night.
Sarkozy and Brown agreed on the need for tougher world finance rules, the French presidency said, but Sarkozy said before leaving Paris there had been no agreement on a summit communiqué.
"Neither France nor Germany are satisfied with the proposals as they currently stand," said the French leader. "I will not associate myself with a false summit, that concludes with a statement of hollow compromises, that does not address the problems that we face," Sarkozy said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Obama warned the United States could no longer be counted on to be the "voracious consumer" which would lead worldwide growth.
Planning to turn it into a country of peasants who eat what they grow?
[Iran Press TV Latest] Top US commander in the Middle East, General David Petraeus says Israel might choose to attack Iran as a move to halt its nuclear program.
"The Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take preemptive military action to derail or delay it," Petraeus told the US Congress on Wednesday.
The head of the US Central Command also accused Iran of failing "to provide the assurances and transparency necessary for international acceptance and verification" of the peaceful nature of its program.
Tehran's "obstinacy and obfuscation have forced Iran's neighbors and the international community to conclude the worst about the regime's intention," Bloomberg quoted Petraeus as telling the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Ken Katzman, a Middle East military analyst for the non- partisan Congressional Research Service in Washington, said Petraeus' remarks about a prospective Israeli attack against Iran "was extremely significant, particularly for what he did not say -- that the United States would act to restrain Israel or talk it out of conducting such a strike."
Israel, which is believed to possess the Middle East's only nuclear arsenals, accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear arms.
Tehran however says its nuclear program is only aimed at meeting the country's energy needs.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#5
I should qualify that a tad. General Petraeus and other top brass have an obligation to advise and make recommendations to the Chairman JCS, the administration, and POTUS. The extent to which these recommendations are made public or acted upon is held at the decretion of the recipients. Only a guess, but it would stand to reason that Obama's National Security Advisor, retired USMC General James Jones has been instrumental in guiding and tutoring the administration's actions. I am sure this effort will continue until military and administration goals reach that inevitable fork in the road.
[Bangla Daily Star] Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said as many as 122 organisations are involved in terror activities in the country.
Addressing a workshop on 'Anti-Terrorism Act 2009' he said Qawmi madrasas are turning into breeding grounds of religion-based terrorism. "They are not following the Quran, the Shariah and even laws of the land," he said adding that religious militancy goes against the spirit of religion and Islam.
"The education ministry is conducting a survey on madrasas and it is rational to bring all madrasas under government's control," he said. Shafique said Qawmi madrasas will get government facilities if they come under the government's control.
The law minister said the religion-based terrorism began in the country after 1975 when changes were brought to the constitution through martial law proclamation that opened the door of religious politics.
"It would not have been so easy for fundamentalists to take to terrorism if the 1972 Constitution had remained intact," he added. The minister said, "If the article 38 of the 72 constitution is restored religious political parties automatically would cease to exist."
Without clarifying the question whether the government would restore the constitution of 1972, he said, "Wait and see; the government is only two and a half months old."
Regarding the madrasa education he said modern education should be introduced in madrasas so that madrasa students could also compete in the job market, business and other fields.
He said merging the money-laundering act with that of the anti terrorism act would help the government fight Islamist militancy as money laundering is linked with terrorism.
Differing with some points of the law minister former adviser to the caretaker government Maj Gen (retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury said, "It is not the amendment to the constitution rather it is the economic problem that gave rise to militancy.
"Moinul said the reasons behind Islamist militancy lie with the gulf of difference between rich and poor, our education system, unemployment and overall law and order situation.
BEI President Farooq Sobhan, former IGP Nurul Huda, former adviser to the caretaker government Shafi Shami also spoke.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Hey! Where do you get off calling them terrorists? They are now, according to Janet Napolitano,
In my speech, although I did not use the word terrorism, I referred to man-caused disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.
...and some of the 3000 people who died falling or jumping off the World Trade Center on 911 to escape the horrendous fires were "falling objects that were induced by man-caused disasters? WTF? What complete nonsense. We are in trouble.
[Geo News] Intelligence agencies have informed about entry of 14 terrorists, disguised as a 'Tablighee' group, into Lahore and Islamabad. According to a report issued by intelligence agencies, a group of militants have sent 14 terrorists in a form of Tablighee group in Lahore and Islamabad. The law enforcing agencies have bee advised to make strict security arrangements in Islamabad, Lahore and their adjoining areas. The report also recommends stepping up of security at important public and private buildings, hotels and public places besides the security departments.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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Occasionally the EU gets one right. Credit where credit is due.
SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- The European Union (EU) and an international group of journalists forged a deal on Tuesday to provide 400 million won (US$290,000) to help anti-Pyongyang radio broadcasting stations run mostly by defectors from North Korea.
The EU and the Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) signed the deal with three stations -- Free North Korea Radio, Open Radio for Korea and Radio Free Chosun -- in Seoul to fund their programs for the next three years. The stations have been producing and sending shortwave anti-communism and human rights radio broadcasts across the border. In the past, North Korea has asked South Korea to suspend the stations, calling them an obstacle to unification.
"In South Korea, there is a need for much support," RSF spokesman Vincent Brossel said, citing that Seoul's 2009 budget earmarked for promoting North Korean human rights stood at 190 million won.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/02/2009
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] PA president says world must put pressure on new govŽt; says any govŽt must adopt two-state solution.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
When you're put in a prison cell with a psychotic killer who continually rants about killing you, apparently Bibi doesn't think that trying to bore him to peace will work.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/02/2009 11:46
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#6
Bibi doesn´t believe in peace
Not only that, but he intends to reanimate the corpse of Ariel Sharon. Feel free to rant on about your two state solution while undead zombie Sharon stalks the streets of Gaza.
Of course, if I'm right, reanimating him would be even better.... :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/02/2009 19:39
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#8
I wasn't aware Sharon had died yet, Steve.
I stand corrected. From the occasionally reliable Wikipedia: He has remained in a long-term care facility since 6 November 2006. Medical experts indicate that his cognitive abilities have likely been destroyed by the stroke. On 26th Feb 2009 he turned 81, still comatose but in a stable condition.
As you say, Barbara, it just makes the job that much easier.
[Straits Times] DEFENCE lawyers on Wednesday demanded that CambodiaŽs war crimes court release the prison chief of the Khmer Rouge regime, a day after he issued a dramatic apology for his brutal past.
Duch on Tuesday accepted responsibility for supervising the extermination of around 15,000 people between 1975 and 1979 at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison under the hardline communist movement. "I said I was rilly, rilly sorry for slaughtering 15,000 people. Can I go home now?"
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Orakzai tribal area in northwest Pakistan, the scene of a suspected CIA drone attack on Wednesday and a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, plays a dual role in the regional battle with militants.
Orakzai is situated close to the Afghan border and helps the Taliban keep their sanctuary in the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, via the Nawa Pass.
But Orakzai also provides a conduit for Taliban fighters in the neighbouring Khyber tribal area to mount attacks there against convoys carrying NATO supplies for international forces in Afghanistan.
Wednesday's suspected drone attack followed signals from the Pakistani Taliban that it intends to break recent peace deals in the tribal areas and in North West Frontier Province's Swat valley.
At least 14 people were reported to have been killed in Wednesday's attack on a house in Orakzai but their identities were not immediately confirmed.
Officials said the targets were Taliban and Al-Qaeda members who have found safe havens in tribal areas near the Afghan border. The US - frustrated by a resurgent Taliban which it believes is drawing support from northwest Pakistan - has launched more than 35 similar attacks there since August 2008.
"The peace deals in North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areas besides in the Swat valley will soon be broken," an unnamed source in the militants' circle told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Two recent events in Swat suggest the Taliban intends to re-start its insurgency against the Pakistani military in the troubled district and divert security forces from guarding the country's border with Afghanistan.
The first was the occupation by Taliban militants of former federal minister and Pakistan Muslim League MP Ameer Maqam's residence in the town of Behrain while he was in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
"Seventy to eighty Taliban broke inside my house and forcibly pulled out my two servants.
They occupied the residence and then destroyed it with explosives," Maqam told AKI.
"Who says that there is peace in the Swat valley when the militants are roaming freely and occupying other people's property?" he said.
In another incident, armed men calling themselves Taliban fighters late last month captured an emerald mine in Shangla, a neigbouring district of Swat. The district mayor confirmed the emerald mine's capture.
The NWFP government in February struck a peace deal with the Taliban in the Swat valley and allowed them to establish Islamic law there.
The accord ended two years of fierce conflict in which at least 1,700 government soldiers and hundreds of civilians were killed and 600,000 people were displaced.
A local militant leader last month complained that Islamic law was not being implemented fast enough in Swat, however, and threatened to quash the peace deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
As the MSM-Net reports on how the Islmaist Milterr threat is expanding DEEPER INTO PAKISTAN, methinks we can surmise Radical islam gener desires to mil knock out Pakistan, etc. AMAP ASAP before POTUS Bammer's new troops from Iraq arrive.
e.g. TOPIX > US COMMANDER WANTS 10,000 MORE/ ADDITIONAL TROOPS [beyond 21,000 OBAMA + USDOD had already allocated]
[ADN Kronos] The United States' decision to run for election next month to the United Nations Human Rights Council is a step toward more engaged and effective US leadership on human rights worldwide, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
"Active involvement by the US will bring new energy and focus to the Human Rights Council's deliberations and actions, helping it become a more credible force for human rights promotion," said Kenneth Roth, executive director at Human Rights Watch.
"We hope this marks the start of a new era of US engagement and leadership on behalf of human rights."
The Human Rights Council, established in 2006 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the leading multilateral body tasked with protecting and enforcing human rights. It also carries out routine, periodic reviews of human rights conditions in every UN member nation.
The administration of president Barack Obama's announcement on Tuesday that it would run for a seat in May's elections to the council represents a significant policy shift.
The administration of previous US president George W. Bush declined to run for a seat on the council and, in 2008, suspended its participation as an observer at the council.
The Human Rights Council has been criticised in the past for failing to address effectively the wide range of serious human rights problems around the world and has been accused of bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Nevertheless, the council has an array of pressing issues on its agenda, including torture, women's rights, and the need to ensure that human rights violators are brought to justice, the group said.
It is also monitoring crisis situations in Sri Lanka, Somalia and elsewhere in the world.
"By running for a seat, and exercising principled leadership as a member of the council, the United States can now help this important institution fulfil its potential," HRW concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2009
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#1
Is this just Barry wanting to get in on the UNHRC's monthly condemnations of Israel or is he attempting to find work for Carter, Andrew Young, or Bernadette Dohrn....or both?
#2
"By running for a seat, and exercising principled leadership as a member of the council, the United States can now help this important institution fulfil its potential," HRW concluded.
#4
Well it's currently a cesspool. If you don't try to fix something you have no right to bitch about it... of course, my idea of "fix" and BO's may be a tad different....
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.
US spy agencies are still hamstrung by the same turf battles and financial mismanagement that led to massive intelligence failures revealed by the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war, an internal report has found.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants to help balance the District's recession-squeezed budget by allowing as many as 80 percent of the city's inmates to qualify for early release, borrowing a tactic that has stirred controversy elsewhere in the nation. 
PIKEVILLE, N.C. Vice President Joe Biden brought a clear message to this tiny Eastern North Carolina town Wednesday: The federal recovery money isn't just for big banks and auto companies. 
They often sandpaper over the names and file off the registry numbers, doing their best to render the boats, and themselves, untraceable. Then they casually ditch the vessels in the middle of busy harbors, beach them at low tide on the banks of creeks or occasionally scuttle them outright. 
DETROIT, April 1 (Reuters) - U.S. auto sales fell 37 percent in March, a smaller-than-expected drop that encouraged hope the world's largest car market is nearing a bottom after a freefall that has pulled the industry into a deepening crisis.
An ax-wielding Palestinian militant went on a rampage Thursday in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, killing an Israeli 13-year-old and wounding a 7-year-old boy before fleeing the area. The attack posed an important test for Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has promised a firm hand against militants and expressed skepticism about prospects for peace. Government spokesman Mark Regev called it a "senseless act of brutality against innocents."
NEW YORK -- Veteran radio host Ed Schultz will have his own hourlong program on MSNBC, starting Monday.
One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.
Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases. The extra money will be used to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children. That represents a step toward achieving another promise, to make sure all kids are covered. 
[Bangla Daily Star] The LTTE's technical wing chief was among 39 Tamil Tigers killed in intense fighting in the island's northern combat zone where Sri Lankan troops backed by fighter jets battled to seize the last few pockets of the guerrillas, the military said yesterday.
[Kyodo: Korea] Japan is set to condemn North Korea for an ŽŽact of provocationŽŽ if it launches a long-range ballistic missile and Prime Minister Taro Aso will instruct pertinent government bodies to continue their surveillance activities, Japanese government sources said Wednesday. In the event of a launch, related Cabinet members are expected to gather at the prime ministerŽs office to discuss ways to deal with the matter with the aim of having the U.N. Security Council adopt a new sanctions resolution against North Korea, the sources said.
[Maghrebia] Mauritanian police and security forces arrested three suspected al-Qaeda terrorists planning attacks against Mauritanian and foreign institutions in the country during a combined operation earlier this week, Algerian daily Ennahar reported on Wednesday (April 1st). According to Mauritanian dailies Essiradj and Akhbar Nouakchott, the armed fighters are among Mauritanian "Salafist extremists" operating in northern Mali. The men are allegedly part of a terror cell that was planning attacks against Mauritanian and foreign institutions in the country.
[Geo News] Police claimed arresting two real brothers from a house in 
[Straits Times] TWELVE Muslim separatists and a soldier were killed in clashes in the southern Philippines when government forces foiled a rebel attack on a town, the military said on Wednesday. Army Scout Rangers backed by helicopter gunships on Tuesday ambushed a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) unit on the outskirts of Alamada town, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Ponce. 
AUSTRALIAN special forces and Afghan troops have killed a senior Taliban insurgent leader responsible for improvised explosive device (IED) and suicide attacks against Australian forces.
[ADN Kronos] Pakistan's prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani rejected claims by US generals about Pakistan's army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) supporting Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] The primary imperative for the United States and President Barack Obama is to put an end to Iran's nuclear race, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said before his swearing-in Tuesday, adding that if the US failed to do so Israel might be forced to resort to a military strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear installations. "The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told The Atlantic. The Iranian drive for a nuclear weapon was a "hinge of history," he said, emphasizing that all of "Western civilization" was responsible for preventing an Iranian bomb. 
[Jakarta Post] Japan began offering money Wednesday for unemployed foreigners of Japanese ancestry to go home, mostly to Brazil and Peru, to stave off what officials said posed a serius unemployment problem. 
[Kyodo: Korea] North Korea on Wednesday complained that U.S. spy planes carried out reconnaissance operations near the countryŽs rocket launch site and threatened to shoot them down should such activities continue. North KoreaŽs state-run radio said the operations took place three times last month in waters off Musudan-ri in northeastern North Korea, according to Radiopress, which monitors North Korean media in Tokyo.
[Beirut Daily Star: Region] President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted Wednesday that G20 leaders must use their London summit to crack down on tax havens, warning Paris and Berlin are not happy with current drafts for an accord.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to perform Omra, a minor Muslim pilgrimage, which will take him to Islam's holy city of Mecca, state media reported, as a United States envoy headed to Sudan for talks aimed at allowing aid groups back in.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] White House spokesman says US administration committed to ŽŽworking vigorously for two-state solutionŽŽ and anticipates ŽŽfrank discussions.ŽŽ
[ADN Kronos]
[ADN Kronos] Four suicide bombers dressed in army uniforms and armed with rifles attacked a government building in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday. The initial death toll was 10 people, including the four bombers, while 16 other people were were reported to have been injured.
[Geo News] A preliminary investigation report on Sri Lankan cricket team attack has been presented to Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa said a special sub-committee has been constituted to probe into attacks on Manawan Police Academy and Sri Lankan cricket team. He said the committee will present a final report within seven days.
[Mail and Globe] More than 23 000 civilians escaped last month from a war zone in Sri Lanka's north, where the military appears close to crushing the Tamil Tiger rebels, the government said on Wednesday. 
[Iran Press TV Latest] Top US commander in the Middle East, General David Petraeus says Israel might choose to attack Iran as a move to halt its nuclear program. 
[ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Orakzai tribal area in northwest Pakistan, the scene of a suspected CIA drone attack on Wednesday and a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, plays a dual role in the regional battle with militants. 
