EDINBURGH, Ind. -- A knife-wielding man was arrested earlier this week in what police called a meat massacre at a south-central Indiana supermarket.
Several people called 911 on Wednesday morning to report a man with a knife in the Jay C Food Store.
"We have a gentleman here cutting into the meat and throwing it onto the floor," one caller said.
"Got a man with a knife who's doing things," another caller said.
When officers arrived, they found meat scattered everywhere in what Edinburgh police called one of the most bizarre cases they had ever investigated. Police said Anthony Coffman, 28, used a hunting knife to cut through meat packages, throwing open containers of raw beef on the floor. He then poured dog food over some of the meat in hopes of contaminating it so it couldn't be sold, said Edinburgh police Deputy Chief David Lutz.
A store employee tried to stop Coffman, but gave up when he threatened the employee with the knife, police said.
Coffman told police that he is a vegetarian and gets upset when others consume beef, telling the employee that God sent him to ruin the meat and that he was trying to save little girls from food he believes would make them "chubby."
"He thought if he could save one chubby girl, he's done his job," Lutz said.
Police think an argument earlier in the day prompted the incident.
"He'd got into it with his grandmother. She was preparing a pot roast...and he was upset over that," Lutz said. "Him and her had a few words, and then a couple hours later, he's down there at the Jay C Food Store doing this."
Employees tackled Coffman outside the store and held him until police arrived. Coffman was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation. He faces charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
Police said more than $200 worth of meat was destroyed.
#6
Anyone who is anti-chubby girls is out of their damned fool minds.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
03/27/2010 11:40 Comments ||
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#7
A store employee tried to stop Coffman, but gave up when he threatened the employee with the knife, police said.
In my part of the country, he'd do that just a moment before someone with concealed carry ventilated him. Undoubtedly achieving his goal of contaminating the meat already strewn on the floor.
Lebanese security forces have arrested a Saudi prince at the Rafiq Hariri International Airport in Beirut after they discovered cocaine in his possession during a routine inspection of passengers.
The 51-year-old prince, identified only by his initials Y.B.A.A., was carrying an estimated about 16.3 grams of cocaine; worth about USD 1,600. He was about to leave Lebanon for France, Beirut-based a-l Akbar daily reported on Thursday.
The Saudi prince was then taken to the Drug Control Office to undergo a full examination.
The prince reportedly told investigators that the cocaine was "for his personal use" and he "got it from a friend who is currently in Saudi Arabia."
However, judicial officials told a-l Akbar daily that the prince has apparently purchased the cocaine from a nightclub in Beirut's neighborhood of Gemmazeh.
Officials at the Saudi Embassy in Beirut were contacted and informed about the arrest. A few hours later, the Saudi user was released on bail.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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If true, I bet the "friend" in Saudi Arabia is sweat'n bullets.
#2
always get irritated at the inflated 'worth XXX' on drug stories... there is a STEEP discount for volume (even at this level) that the attention grabbers in the paper always ignore. probably just report the number the coppers give em and the law enforcement needs the big dollar amounts to justify their continued budget.
ok, rant off now
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/27/2010 0:27 Comments ||
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#3
who cares?
He is not blowing up girls schools in Afghanistan or taking out a police armada in Saudi Arabia.
Last year, some 88 cities took part in Earth Hour, which is backed by the United Nations as well as global corporations, nonprofit groups, schools, scientists and celebrities. 8:30PM. I'll be out during the holy event but I can assure you, if it can't cause a fire, everything I've got will be up and running full blast.
#5
So do New Orleans residents get constructive 'credit' for living without for days/weeks? Seemed they couldn't wait to get the basics of modern living back on line and available.
Parabellum, write a bit of text to hold the place of the link you pasted into the field. I think it's called burying, but whatever it's called doesn't matter, really.
-- tw at 6:51 pm ET
#7
I'm definitely participating - in Human Achievement Hour. :-D
(However, I won't leave my car idling for the hour, as one guy said he intends to do. Don't mind putting out the exhaust, but I'm the one who has to pay for the gas.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/27/2010 18:37 Comments ||
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#8
That was easy. The sun went down here and I didn't have to do anything. It was dark when I went outside. However, I had to turn the lights on to see where I was going.
#9
I am looking out over New York City and it is ablaze with light. As usual. A glorious sight. I will go up on the roof in a minute and look down into Manhattan, see if anyone has turned off their lights. I doubt it.
#10
Boston from the High-rise apartments on the waterfront was incredably beautiful at night, too.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/27/2010 21:17 Comments ||
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#11
A more appropriate way to celebrate would be to sleep naked outdoors on the coldest night of the year. This would also tend to eliminate the true believers.
#12
I turn off my lights when I do not use them to save money. And I keep my outside lights to the minimum because I like to see the stars. Besides, it gets dark here late because of higher latitudes.
So, FOAD, UN, Earth Hour, et al.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/27/2010 23:57 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] United States President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Friday finalized a historic new nuclear arms reduction agreement, slashing the number of warheads by 30 percent.
Obama said the newly agreed arms treaty between Moscow and the Washington would strengthen the global effort to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.
"With this agreement, the United States and Russia -- the two largest nuclear powers in the world -- also send a clear signal that we intend to lead," said Obama.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > TURKEY TO BE A SERIOUS RIVAL AGZ RUSSIA IN CAUCASUS; + TURKEY: US CONGRESS RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AKIN TO DEFAMATION OF TURKEY AS MUSLIM STATE, US ALLY.
* WMF > CHINA'S INFLUENCE IN UKRAINE GREATER THAN US, RUSSIA; + RUSSIA UNSETTLED OVER RISING CHINESE, TURKIC, AND IRANIAN INFLUENCE IN CASPIAN/BLACK SEA REGION AND CAUCASUS.
Almost 60 people were rescued on Friday from a sinking South Korean naval ship, which had a crew of 100, though US and South Korean officials played down suggestions that North Korea might have had a role.
Initial reports hinted that a North Korean ship might have been involved. But a presidential aide on Friday night told the Yonhap news agency that there had been no sign of North Korean military in the area. The agency quoted the official as saying that satellite pictures and other information showed no sign of any North Korean activity in the vicinity.
If the sinking did result from a North Korean attack, it would be a dangerous escalation of tensions by the reclusive dictatorship, which last year fired a long-range missile over Japan and tested its second atomic warhead.
A war-footing on the peninsula would be a blow to South Korea, which is hoping to use its presidency of the G20 leading economies this year to improve its standing internationally.
South Korea said 58 sailors had been rescued, but had no other comment. Seoul's presidential office said it had convened an emergency meeting of security officials to determine the cause of the sinking and consider any response. The defence ministry said the ship was holed below the waterline but declined to specify a cause.
Seoul said a second South Korean warship opened fire after the sinking. South Korean media initially said the salvoes were aimed at a North Korean ship, but the joint chiefs of staff said suspicious movements on a radar screen could have been caused by a flock of birds. North and South Korean ships exchanged fire in the same waters in November.
Clashes in 1999 and 2002 prompted the South Korean navy to insist it had improved its defences.
#1
If it was a Nork attack, the South may deny it, to officially avoid escalation, but at the same time begin a program of revenge. If this is the case, expect there to be some major "disasters" in the North, soon.
Typically, several times each year there are incidents where the North tries some attack. One time, for example, a large unit crossed a river and butchered many of the soldiers in a large garrison while they were asleep, then got back across.
The South did not publicize it at all. However, that Nork unit tried it a second time. When they were halfway across the river, they discovered that the South had covered the river with heavy machine guns. Wiped them out.
But no mention in the news at all. I learned of it from a US Warrant Officer manning an LP/OP at the time.
It was awesome, packa, packa, packa, pew, pew, pew.
Posted by Shipman 2010-03-27 10:57
Shipman, out on parole already? Have you registered yet?
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
03/27/2010 11:25 Comments ||
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From
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/7529836/No-evidence-that-North-Korea-was-behind-sinking-of-warship.html
"Navy divers are being dispatched to the scene of the sinking of the 1,200 tonne corvette Cheonan to inspect damage to the shipÂ’s stern which was holed by a massive explosion which lifted the boat 1ft into the air, according to the Yonhap news agency."
Sounds like a mine or torpedo to me...hope it's resting with the damage exposed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/27/2010 11:59 Comments ||
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#12
More: link here
"...sunken craft Cheonan which officials said is protruding from the shallow waters about 24 meters deep"
"Choi Won-il, captain of the sunken vessel, said his ship tilted to the right soon after he heard a loud bang as he was looking over an operation plan in his cabin.
"All power and communication means were lost," he said. "When I came out of the cabin, the rear of the vessel was already missing," he told a group of families of the missing sailors.
The defense minister said images of Cheonan, as taken by special equipment called thermal observation device (TOD), indicate that the ship was split in half before sinking."
Lastly (I agree): " "It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North Korea was related," a senior official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "If North Korea's attack really caused the sinking, it means there is a serious loophole in our defense system." "
Quite the understatement.
Please embed the links you add to comments. Search the web re: the 'href=' tag for details on how to do this. Thx. I've fixed this and the one in the next comment but don't have time to do this regularly, nor do the other mods.
#15
It was awesome, packa, packa, packa, pew, pew, pew.
That's the interesting thing about South Korea. Some places, like Seoul, are cosmopolitan. Other places like Pusan and Ulong Do Island, are still on a war-footing. And nasty stuff does happen.
Speaking of nasty - y'know, if your entire intent is to be an asshole at the Burg, Tom, you're doing a damn good job of it.
#16
Pappy: I had a great deal of respect for this particular warrant, because he had ended up on the wrong side of a Nork mortar round, which had left him severely disabled. He made his living as an interpreter for the LAPD when dealing with the Korean community.
Follow-up from yesterday. Still nothing specific to suggest a Nork attack. I'm downgrading this to non-WoT unless something pops up.
SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea stepped up operations Saturday to search for dozens of sailors missing after a Navy ship sank in waters near the western sea border with North Korea in one of the worst tragedies in the country's naval history.
The 1,200-ton patrol ship Cheonan sank Friday night, apparently after an unidentified explosion punched a hole in the bottom of the vessel, according to military officials. A total of 104 sailors were aboard the ship, and only 58 of them have been rescued so far.
Thirteen soldiers have been hospitalized for injuries such as cerebral hemorrhages, but their conditions are not life-threatening, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The ship's captain, who was rescued unharmed, was to join the rescue operations shortly, but it is feared that unpredictable ocean currents in the Yellow Sea will hamper the operations, the JCS said.
President Lee Myung-bak ordered a "quick and thorough" investigation with "all possibilities" in mind as he convened a second emergency meeting of his security-related Cabinet ministers early Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters.
"The military should make all-out efforts to rescue as many survivors as possible," Lee was quoted as saying during the meeting held at the underground bunker of the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee also instructed his government to update the other members of the six-way talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programs with the development of the related situation, Kim added. The stalled six-party talks involve the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.
Suspicions of North Korea's possible involvement were initially raised because the area was the scene of deadly skirmishes between the navies of the two sides in 1999, 2002 and November last year, and residents on a nearby island reported hearing "loud artillery firing."
Military officials later said that a separate navy vessel, which was nearby the sunken vessel, opened fire northward toward an unidentified target, but it was later found that the object caught on radar appears to have been a flock of birds.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has remained silent on the incident. The North's military is showing no unusual moves, and cross-border traffic between the two Koreas remains normal, with seven South Korean company officials visiting a mountain resort in the communist nation as scheduled, according to the Unification Ministry.
"We are detecting no unusual movement from North Korea," JCS spokesman Park said. Another JCS officer, Lee Ki-shik, said the military is "very cautious about pointing fingers at North Korea or any other causes at the moment."
In Washington, the State Department said it has no evidence of North Korea's involvement.
Other possibilities include the vessel's collision with a rock, a torpedo attack from outside forces, including North Korea, or an internal explosion due to the gunpowder and explosives the ship was carrying. The navy plans to salvage the sunken vessel for investigation to determine what caused the incident, a long process that may take at least 20 days, officials said. The Cheonan is a Pohang-class corvette commissioned in 1989.
The ship, first deployed in 1989, was equipped with missiles and torpedoes, according to officials.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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FOX NEWS is repor that Perts cannot rule out an INTERNAL ENGINE ROOM OR OTHER SHIP SYS EXPLOSION = ACCIDENT AT THIS TIME.
#3
If SKOR vessel was sunk on own accords, I still have questions.
Was this in "marked off territory" by Nork. Was it rogue general? If so it may mean better.
This is kind of a big deal for the nature of proximity and I think we passed the 24/48 threshold here.
It may be war or another corporation going into a death spiral.
I see the dear leader getting ready to play fornication games in hell with satan and think this is more led by some general that wants attention. Either way, find out what he needs.
Kim is gone for all intensive purposes and it is time to intelligently recruit generals from NORK to make sure the NORK has a smooth transition into governmental collapse. And that has already collapsed. There are major rumors of the abandonment of the dear leaders mess right now especially at the top of the chain. And we see some willing participants in the game of becoming governable by rational power. Someone in Langley need be looking this up. Screw this up and you lose Asian Naval role.
Though I can think there is no less than they can have than they already have, it may still be tense. I think they want help overall in the governance of that newly formed (what do you call it? a GULAG).
Either China will do it or they want to continue playing "flyed lyce" jokes on us with it. They presented their plan. They damn well do have responsibility for NORK - they MADE it what it is today.
SORK determines soverign right.
#5
CODOG is Diesle Or Gas. GT is Gs Turbine. DE are Diesel engines. There is a gearing leading into the Diesels and a set of clutches that disengages the diesel when the turbine is engaged for "sprint speed". Diesels are used for routine maneuver and cruise speed.
CODAG are when the engines share the same sham=ft - a bit more complex in gearing but simple in terms of drive.
#6
Look at the speed of sinking and the distribution of crewmembers lost in relation to assigned duty stations, as well as the distribution of injuries to assess the cause.
I was taught years ago to be highly dubious of coincidence, and destabilizing NORK, recent N-S confrontations at sea, along with SKOR willingness to be less than forthcoming, adds to this attitude in this case. And as icing to this sad cake, a second vessel fires at "birds" in the area? BS alert is sounding in the background....
We could be close to witnessing the end of yet another consumer electronics chain.
According to what sources have told the New York Post, Radio Shack is "exploring strategic alternatives," or shopping itself around. It's very early in the process, and the retailer is still mulling its options.
Investment bankers have been looking to gauge the interest of private-equity firms in buying out the Texas-based chain, but merging with Best Buy is also an idea being tossed around, at least by the bankers involved, according to the Post.
A Radio Shack representative said Friday the company does not comment on rumors as a matter of policy.
Radio Shack is also sitting on $900 million in cash. That means the company can buy back a lot of its outstanding shares, or even buy another company itself. So while Radio Shack isn't struggling to pay its creditors the way Circuit City and CompUSA were before they closed, it is looking for more opportunities to grow its business beyond simply cutting costs, laying employees off, and building more stores.
It could also follow in the footsteps of both Circuit City and CompUSA, which were sold to online electronics retailers that have attempted to revive the brands by focusing less on brick-and-mortar gadget sales and more on Internet-based sales.
The Post's sources believe that if Radio Shack did put itself on the auction block, it could bring in more than $3 billion.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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can only gauge by the local 'rat shack' but they seemed to have tried to reinvent themselves into nothingness a few years back. not a lot there except a few niche radio control toys and cell phones. they were staying afloat with the local Mexicans (yes, from Mexico)but the housing market went flat here and most of them seem to have self-deported.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/27/2010 0:59 Comments ||
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#2
Stopped using them years ago when they were the first place that set up their sales procedure in such a fashion that you couldn't buy anything there without giving a phone number and a zip code.
I've used them only at great need ever since.
Of course, many other stores do that now, no avoiding it. I give a zip code from somewhere halfway across the country and a made up phone number. I resent them doing market research on my dime.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/27/2010 6:17 Comments ||
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#3
Maybe the Chinese would like to buy "America's Technology Store?"
#4
no mo uro, I always "make a mistake" on my street number, zip code, and phone number when I can't avoid giving them - with my handwriting, it's easy. (Helps if I'm not paying with a check, which was usually true at Radio Shack.) I just told them the answer was 'cash,' but as you said, there are a lot more places to get the stuff I used to buy there.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/27/2010 9:24 Comments ||
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#7
Of course, many other stores do that now, no avoiding it. I give a zip code from somewhere halfway across the country and a made up phone number. I resent them doing market research on my dime.
I just tell them "No!" end of story. If they give me any resistance I tell them I'll be walking out. No Sale. Nine times out of ten, they just key in the override and I am on my way. Of course, I live in Texas, and real (native) Texans can be stubborn. Just tell them no, and stick to it, most of the time they will fold...and they DO have an override code no matter what they tell you otherwise.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
03/27/2010 12:36 Comments ||
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#8
American Express uses the zip code as an i.d. to confirm the credit card. Otherwise one can just refuse to share that information -- I've said no at a great variety of stores without issue.
#9
If you pay cash, you could always ask "what's the zip code here? I just moved to the area".
90210 is also a well known zip code.
If they want a phone number, just say (local area code) 555-1212.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/27/2010 16:56 Comments ||
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#10
Gas station pumps in our area are now asking for the billing zip code associated with a credit card. Fudge it and the charge is denied.
#11
lotp, as I understand it some smartypants figured a way to 'lift' numbers off of the gas pumps and somewhat magnatize a card; a fancy 'quarter with a string attached' - the zip code is an additional security feature.
I figured the phone/zip deal was in case someone was going to make a Johnny-5 and needed to be found who and where it came from, but bought just batteries and they would not sell them without that info - never went back. Their niche was damaged by big electronic stores and disappeared with the internet.
#12
My comments were for cash payments. I understand the gas pump thing for credit cards. That makes sense.
I think Lowe's asks for a phone number even for cash payments - supposedly so you can return something without a receipt.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/27/2010 19:10 Comments ||
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(Bloomberg) -- Unemployment increased in 27 U.S. states in February and dropped in seven, a sign the labor market needs to pick up across more regions to spur consumer spending and sustain the economic recovery.
Mississippi showed the biggest jump in joblessness with a 0.4 percentage point rise to 11.4 percent, according to figures issued today by the Labor Department in Washington. Nationally, unemployment held at 9.7 percent in February for a second month and employers cut fewer jobs than anticipated, figures from the Labor Department showed on March 5.
Today's report indicates broad-based hiring is yet to develop following the loss of 8.4 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Florida, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina set record levels of joblessness last month.
"Until we see improvement in employment in a fair number of U.S. states, it's not going to do a heck of a lot for the recovery," said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. "The worst seems to be over, but there's a huge amount of work to be done to create jobs. It's going to be a long, winding road."
Payrolls dropped in 27 states, led by Virginia. The state's loss of 32,600 jobs last month, the largest in records going back to 1983, was also the biggest decline among states. California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Texas also reported large decreases in employment, the report said.
Michigan's jobless rate, while remaining the highest in the nation, fell for a second month. Unemployment there decreased to 14.1 percent from 14.3 percent in January.
Detroit Decline
Unemployment in the Detroit area, home to General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., fell to 14.8 percent from 15.3 percent. GM last month said it may bring back laid-off workers to fill jobs created by its $1.4 billion retooling of 18 U.S. factories.
A separate report today showed confidence among consumers was higher than anticipated in March as companies slowed the pace of job cuts and stock prices advanced.
Florida and Nevada each reported a 0.2 percentage point gain in their unemployment rate, with Florida reaching 12.2 percent and Nevada rising to 13.2 percent. Georgia's jobless rate climbed to 10.5 percent from 10.4 percent, and North Carolina's rose to 11.2 percent from 11.1 percent.
Nation's Lowest
North Dakota continued to report the lowest jobless rate in the nation, down to 4.1 percent in February from 4.2 percent a month earlier.
Unemployment held at 12.5 percent in California and at 8.8 percent in New York.
State and local employment data are derived independently from the national statistics, which are typically released on the first Friday of every month. The state figures are subject to larger sampling errors because they come from smaller surveys, making the national figures more reliable, according to the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Today's report showed 17 states in February had a jobless rate exceeding the 9.7 percent national average. Fifteen states had unemployment of 10 percent or higher, the same as January.
President Barack Obama last week signed an $18 billion jobs bill into law that provides a tax break to companies hiring unemployed workers, saying additional steps are needed.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Compare the article to this one in the WSJ: America's most privileged class are public union workers. Government workers receive a 45% premium in pay & benefits over the poor saps who create wealth in the private economy. So if your state is broke, this is a major reason. Eventually, governors, state legislators and city council members are going to have to decide whether protecting America's privileged class of government workers is a higher priority than funding such core functions of government as public safety. Something has to give. It's time to close the biggest pay gap in America.
#2
Eventually, governors, state legislators and city council members are going to have to decide whether protecting America's privileged class of government workers is a higher priority than funding such core functions of government as public safety.
Neh, they'll just hire some strong-arm boys to whip the peasants back to their kennels.
#3
Anguper, Government workers receive a 45% premium in pay & benefits
So clearly everybody should work for government! (And Zero's getting us there.)
And 4 goes into 28 13 times (great Abbott and Costello sketch.)
The bond vigilantes are finally flexing their muscles. A long period of stability for the US government bond market showed signs of cracking this week as a lack of investor appetite for new debt sent the benchmark 10-year yield to its highest level since last June.
For more than a year, analysts have been warning that record sized debt sales by the US Treasury were at odds with a 10-year yield sitting comfortably below 4 per cent. This week, the yield on 10-year notes jumped from 3.65 per cent to a peak of 3.92 per cent on Thursday. On Friday it was 3.87 per cent.
Falling inflation, rising unemployment, the housing market slump, the Federal Reserve's policies of a near zero overnight borrowing rate and its purchase of up to $1,700bn in bonds have all helped keep Treasury yields near historic lows.
But this week the mood shifted as yields for $118bn of new US debt were much higher than forecast, sparking overall selling of Treasuries. Sentiment also deteriorated in the UK bond market after the government's budget ahead of a general election expected in May failed to resolve doubts over future spending and debt reduction.
The term "bond vigilantes" was coined in the 1980s when bond investors pushed up long-term yields to force central banks into taking action to curb inflation. This time, bond investors are less worried about inflation: they are fretting about huge fiscal deficits and the looming bond supply needed to finance them.
"Everyone thought we would see rising rates due to higher inflation, but it appears the bond vigilantes are demanding a higher real rate due to concerns about Treasury issuance," says George Goncalves, head of fixed income strategy at Nomura Securities.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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The only reason the dollar still fares well is because of the collapse of Greece and other EU signers that trash the currency ought right. The dollar is a lost paper currency with this print and spend mish mash of improper governance.
By the way, you may as well take the imprint of "In God we Trust" off of American dollar currency now.
#3
Seeing as the majority voted for the adversary, I would not know what to replace it with. Karl marx, lenin, mkohammed, blah. Whatever My country wants before I move to one that has fiscal and government sanity.
I so adore America and pray it may last for centurion notoriety.Yet I see little allowing the hard choices it takes to make it last for real.
#4
When the Treasury can't sell 10 year bonds, they turn around and buy the bonds themselves, in effect, printing money. So as a consequence, inflation is immediate rather than delayed with 'potential' amelioration by GDP growth in those ten years.
When inflation hits, the routes to resolving it are to remove inflationary money from the economic system by raising interests rates, raising taxes, cut massive government spending, a combination of the previous, or going bankrupt. For socialist economists [yes, I know, its an oxymoron], the usual choice is the last one.
#5
The world is waking up from it's bear market, economic doom mindset and is running out of appetite for <4 returns for ten years.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
03/27/2010 10:38 Comments ||
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#6
"Bond vigilantes"? Cute usage by the Financial Times reporter.
I seem to recall that China has significantly reduced their purchases of U.S. bonds, if not stopped purchasing completely. I think Japan had planned to do the same. Given a projection of federal government debt of at least 90% of GDP in a decade, I wouldn't be keen on betting on payback, either.
#7
Bonds aside. I wonder what's propping up the stock market? The Dow closed out at about $10.8 K on Friday. Around here, foreclosures are still high. Companies are still laying off. We have some that are chronically unemployed. So far as I can tell the federal government is about the only entity employing. So unemployment has gone up since BO took over. And more and more cities and States are in the red. We are not producing much that I can tell. Businesses are kind of holding off doing anything because of the uncertainty coming from Washington. Health care is going to cost everone--individuals and businesses alike. BO's policies are definitely anti-business. So what is propping up the stock market and for that matter the economy?
#8
JQC: artificially cheap money in the form of TARP and low interest rates. Washington has shoveled money at the banks, which in turn have built up their reserves and are not lending. At the same time, hedge funds have an artificially low cost of capital, which they have used to invest in stocks.
Bubbles are fun while they last. The party will end soon enough.
(Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits the United States next week looking to reinforce cooperation over Iran and Afghanistan and lay the groundwork for G20 meetings that Paris will lead next year. The two-day trip to New York and Washington follows a rocky period in transatlantic relations when many in Europe felt U.S. President Barack Obama was overly focused on domestic affairs.
Sarkozy, whose popularity in France has hit record lows as the economy struggles, will arrive with a package of issues to discuss, ranging from security to climate change and he will also try to restart a drive for global financial reform.
"Nicolas Sarkozy will push for the financial regulation agenda agreed at past G20 meetings to be respected because although a lot has been achieved, a lot still remains to be done," an official at the Elysee palace said.
Many European leaders and policy makers fear that the pressure to regulate financial markets which built up in the wake of the Lehman Brothers crash in 2008 has dissipated as the immediate crisis has eased.
Beyond the policy issues, Sarkozy's visit also provides an opportunity to dispel a persistent impression that relations between the two countries have not quite lived up to the hopes of the early days of Obama's administration.
The U.S. president has visited France twice since his election, but was widely perceived to have snubbed Sarkozy last year when he turned down the offer of a state dinner, preferring instead to dine alone with his wife, Michelle in a restaurant. Perhaps hoping to end talk of friction, Sarkozy and his wife Carla will dine privately with the Obamas at the White House.
French officials say it is the first time such a dinner has been arranged for a head of state and Sarkozy will no doubt hope that the high profile visit will lift his standing back home a week after his center-right party slumped in local elections.
Sarkozy's visit coincides with a push by Obama on financial reform but there remains big differences between the United States and Europe over regulation of banks, derivatives markets and hedge funds.
Foreign exchange imbalances between the dollar, the yuan and the euro, which Sarkozy has long seen as a major source of instability in the global economy will also be a key subject with France due to take over the G8 and G20 chairs next year. While Sarkozy's comments in the past have focused on the strength of the euro against the dollar, America's growing impatience with China over the yuan could bring the two sides closer together on the forex issue.
Both countries have also stepped up pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions, which they say are aimed at developing a bomb, despite denials by Tehran, and both are working toward introducing a new raft of new United Nations sanctions.
But there have been plenty of disagreements as well, ranging from the disputed air refuelling tanker deal that European aerospace group EADS pulled out of, to French resistance to boosting its troop presence in Afghanistan. However, France has pledged more staff to train Afghan forces and might face pressure to offer additional help.
The U.S. president's National Security Adviser James Jones told French newspapers Sarkozy was regarded as "an important counselor" and "someone our president likes a lot" but he suggested as well that their relationship could be forthright.
"Mr Obama respects communication which is clear and without ambiguity," he said. "There's no time wasted trying to be too polite and not trying to offend anyone."
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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Calgary gave American right-wing commentator Ann Coulter a mostly warm welcome, with a scattering of protesters outnumbered by the nearly 1,000 people who paid to see her speak Thursday night.
Security personnel at the Red and White Club, a University of Calgary-owned venue, say about 20 protesters broke a window while banging on the door during Coulter's speech.
They held signs -- one said "Calgary is Cold to Coulter" and a small child's said, "I don't have a camel or a flying carpet, can you lend me your broomstick?", a reference to a comment Coulter made earlier this week to a Muslim woman at a university in London, Ont.
The scene was vastly different than the one Coulter faced in Ottawa a few days earlier, and she remarked how she felt so much safer and that she knew it would be the best of the three stops she made in Canada.
The polite crowd of 900 listened as Coulter talked about diversity, gays, and bias in the media.
The audience gave a huge cheer when Coulter proposed making Calgary the 51st of the United States.
She said Canada was the least diverse country she's seen -- which brought objections from the audience, but she pointed out that everyone in the crowd looked like she did.
Coulter spoke a lot about how there's standards for Liberals but not for everyone else, especially Conservatives.
She cited late night talk show host David Letterman, who admitted on TV that he had an affair with one of his employees. Anyone else would have been fired for sleeping with an employee, and if that person happened to be a Republican, he would have been deported, Coulter added.
"In conclusion, if anything I've said tonight offended you, my work is done," she said to end her speech.
The event was supposed to be held at the University of Calgary campus, but was moved after her speech at the University of Ottawa was cancelled earlier this week when hundreds of protesters came out after learning about comments she made at another university.
Coulter told a Muslim student at the University of Western Ontario that she should "take a camel" for international travel after the student challenged a previous Coulter statement that Muslims shouldn't be allowed on airplanes and should take flying carpets instead.
She says she intends to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission over the way she was treated by the University of Ottawa.
Provost Francois Houle sent Coulter a note before her speech on Tuesday, urging her to educate herself about Canada's hate laws, saying that promoting hatred against an identifiable group could lead to criminal charges.
The inflammatory commentator pulled out of that appearance after 1,500 people tried to get into the venue that was already filled to capacity with pre-registered guests. Another few hundred loudly protested her speech outside the building.
In a column posted on the American conservative website Townhall.com, Coulter said she hopes the "august" human rights commission will find out whether the university has warned any other speakers to watch their words or if it's a caution reserved for female conservatives.
"If a university official's letter accusing a speaker of having a proclivity to commit speech crimes before she's given the speech -- which then leads to Facebook postings demanding that Ann Coulter be hurt, a massive riot and a police-ordered cancellation of the speech -- is not hate speech, then there is no such thing as hate speech," she wrote.
Canadian conservative Ezra Levant, who helped bring Coulter north of the border, confirmed he had been retained by the fiery pundit, but said he had been too busy with the tour to research what legal actions she could potentially take.
The school's president, former Liberal cabinet minister Allan Rock, issued a statement underlining that the institution would remain "a safe and democratic environment for the expression of views."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
She says she intends to file a complaint
She has a right to file a complaint, no biggie.
It's how the institution handles it is what counts.
I'm glad freedom of expression is still a around even in Canada.
#3
I will hand it to her, she plays on Canadian sensibilities like a violin. She not only is listened to, and agreed with, but she pushes the buttons of the left to make them do un-Canadian things.
#4
I met Ann briefly once at a Kansas City Royals game years ago. Funny enough, she's a fan of the team for some reason.
I found her absolutely charming, and not like the Ann you see in her pundit role.
She's just got a shtick she plays.
ISLAMABAD - In a bizarre development two members of the National Assembly from Southern Punjab on Thursday preferred to resign from the assembly instead of defending the charge of contesting election in 2008 on the basis of fake educational degrees.
This is indeed bizarre. I hate to speculate on the proportion of Pakistani politicians who purchased their degrees, I really do. Still, it is a convenient stick with which to Alinsky the target of the day.
One of the two Jamshed Dasti from Muzaffargarh (Punjab) belongs to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) while the other Nazir Jatt was elected from Vehari on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid. Their election was challenged by rival candidates on the plea that they had produced faked religious degrees to qualify to contest election. The condition was declared illegal by the Supreme Court shortly before the presidential election in 2008 that enabled Asif Ali Zardari to contest the office. A fake degree from a religious school. Who would have guessed?
Former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf imposed the graduation condition in 2002 for contesting elections but left a loophole by allowing holders of religious sanads (certificates) to qualify as candidates. The exemption facilitated religious alliance, the Muttahida Majlise Amal to participate and emerge as second biggest parliamentary party at the centre and lead governments in Balochistan and NWFP. Dozens of candidates secured fake degrees from religious institutions to contest polls.
Jamshed Dasti hit international headlines as chairman of sports standing committee of the assembly when he summoned former cricket captain Younus Khan to explain charges of match fixing last year. Though Khan was absolved by the panel, he felt so offended that he resigned as captain.
Incidentally, both Dasti and Jatt had won their cases in election tribunals and high court but their rivals had appealed to the Supreme Court against these judgments.
Dasti faced volley of embarrassing questions on Quranic verses and surahs and mathematics table to prove his credential of a graduate in religious education. He was also unable to answer the period of his education in a religious school. Judges warned him that he would be disqualified for life if the court ruled that he had faked a degree from a religious school. He chose to voluntarily quit the assembly.
Nazir Jatt submitted his resignation to the Speaker National Assembly instead of appearing before the Supreme Court to defend his case.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] WITH the kiss of a glass casket containing her dictator husband's embalmed body, the remarkable Imelda Marcos relaunched her political career on Friday at the age of 80.
For the irrepressible Mrs Marcos, paying loving respect to the controversial former Philippine president delivered a powerful message of family defiance to begin her campaign for a lower house seat in the nation's parliament.
'He was our best ever president,' Mrs Marcos, typically immaculate in a tangerine blouse and matching pants, told reporters at the family home in the northern Philippine town of Batac after visiting the downstairs mausoleum. 'During his time we had territorial integrity, freedom, justice and human rights. Whatever else people may say those were the best times ever for the Philippines.'
Mrs Marcos surprised all political observers in the Philippines when she registered at the final moment to run for her husband's old seat in national elections that will be held on May 10. In line with election laws, she had not spoken publicly about her decision to revive her political career until Friday, the first day that parliamentary candidates could hit the campaign trail.
Mrs Marcos made it clear she wanted to achieve redemption for her husband, who is accused of stealing billions of dollars from state coffers during his 20-year rule, which ended with a 'people power' revolution in 1986.
The matriarch is in fact leading her brood into political battle, with daughter Imee running for governor of Ilocos Norte province, which remains a family stronghold, and son Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Junior seeking a senate seat. It will be the former first lady's first political outing since losing a presidential bid in 1992.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#6
'During his time we had territorial integrity, freedom, justice and human rights. Whatever else people may say those were the best times ever for the Philippines.'
For a moment I thought she was talking about Ramon Magsaysay.
[Iran Press TV Latest] The availability of narcotics and the abuse of prescription drugs have affected almost everyone in the United States, says a recently released report.
"The trafficking and abuse of drugs affects everyone," said Michael T. Walther, director of the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center, which produced the 2010 report released on Thursday, CNN reported.
"The economic cost alone is estimated at nearly USD 215 billion annually."
According to the report, the Mexican cartels establish "the single greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States."
The Mexican organizations have managed so far to send illegal drugs to almost every region in the US and are expanding their reach even further to rural and suburban areas deep inside the country.
Almost all the drugs produced in Mexico or other regional countries are destined for lucrative markets in the United States, the largest consumer of illicit drugs in the Western hemisphere.
Mexico, which has launched an all-out war on the country's drug cartels, holds the US responsible for all the drug violence suffered in the Central American nation.
Washington is also blamed for providing arms to the drug cartels as the bulk of the weaponry circulated in Mexico originates from the United States.
"We know that the demand for drugs drives much of this illicit trade and that gun purchases in the US are used to facilitate violence here in Mexico," US secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week, acknowledging that America's 'insatiable appetite' for drugs fuels violence in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ION C2CAM > CUTS CAST DOUBTS ON ASTEROID PLAN.
IMO read, 2030 = APOPHIS MOON EXPLOSIONS caused by [2010-12?]$$$ BUDGET CUTBACKS in SPACE DEFENSE.
#9
yep, all those full-auto AK47's and M16's are easily purchased in the US. Lying bag of shit in a pantsuit
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/27/2010 14:47 Comments ||
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Totalitarianism thrives on half truths.
Like all good propaganda, it has an element of truth. I've suspected for a long, long time that our government's War on Drugs is halfhearted at best if not an outright fraud. But if the whole truth were told I think we'd find some serious drug problems in Iran as well.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/27/2010 14:50 Comments ||
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For many supporters of healthcare reform (and not necessarily supporters of Obama), Bammy-care's future relience on painkillers over surgery is a feature, not a bug.
Banning groups such as the Hare Krishnas and any other private citizen from asking for money at an airport is a constitutional way to keep travelers from being bothered, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The court upheld a Los Angeles ordinance that makes it illegal to ask for money on the sidewalks and in the terminals of Los Angeles International Airport. The case was closely followed by airport officials in San Francisco, who allow people with permits to solicit only at two "free speech zones" in the terminals.
"We're gratified that the Supreme Court gave airports freedom to protect undue harassment of travelers and also help ensure airport security," said Deputy City Attorney Danny Chou, who represented San Francisco in the case.
He said he expects officials at San Francisco International Airport to study the ruling and decide whether to propose a ban on soliciting money.
The ruling rejected a series of federal court decisions that had allowed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness - the Hare Krishna organization - to ask people for money at the Los Angeles airport since 1997, when the local ordinance was enacted. The federal rulings were based in part on California law, on which the state's high court is the final authority.
The group's lawyer, David Liberman, said fundraising in many areas of the airport - sidewalks, arrival areas, food courts - could easily be done without disrupting pedestrian traffic or hampering security. He said the ruling would be devastating for the Hare Krishnas.
"This was their major facility for reaching people and distributing religious literature," Liberman said. Although the ordinance allows solicitors to hand out material and ask for future donations, Liberman said that wouldn't work for his clients, whose book-size handouts cost $4 or $5 to print.
The court acknowledged that asking for money is a form of free speech that the Constitution protects. But the justices said it is subject to reasonable limitations, citing a 2000 state Supreme Court ruling upholding a Los Angeles ban on solicitation near banks and ATMs.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I prefer the "Airplane" solution.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
03/27/2010 9:25 Comments ||
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"fundraising in many areas of the airport - sidewalks, arrival areas, food courts - could easily be done without disrupting pedestrian traffic or hampering security"
Maybe, but it still annoys the living hell out of actual working people who are traveling and minding their own business. Which I think is the idea.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/27/2010 9:33 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
