#2
Actually, Pepsico's making something of a good faith effort to repair the damage. The idiot CFO who made these remarks has apologized (see the lead piece on Pepsi's website), and it seems genuine enough.
But there's much more they can do. As Powerline's "Deacon" noted, when Pepsico runs afoul of Jesse Jackson, they usually pay tribute to one of Jesse's charities. So here's a suggestion: Pepsico should make a huge and very public contribution to a fund focused on rehabilitation of Iraqi and Afghan children maimed by the islamofascists there.
Pepsico's CEO, Steve Reinemund, is an ex-marine. Write to him and suggest an appropriate charity that Pepsico chouls contribute to as a way of trying to repair its image: steven.reinemund@pepsico.com
Please also cc the Board of directors: BoardofDirectors@Pepsi.com
Pepsi's Head of PR told me today that she photocpied my emails and has given hard copies to Indra Nooyi and to other Pepsi directors, so there's some hope that you'll get through if you title your email SUGGESTION or PROPOSAL or somesuch.
Good luck,
t
The U.S. government does not want billboards in space. The Federal Aviation Administration proposed on Thursday to amend its regulations to ensure that it can enforce a law that prohibits "obtrusive" advertising in zero gravity.
"Objects placed in orbit, if large enough, could be seen by people around the world for long periods of time," the FAA said in a regulatory filing. Currently, the FAA lacks the authority to enforce the existing law. For instance, outsized billboards deployed by a space company into low Earth orbit could appear as large as the moon and be seen without a telescope, the FAA said. Big and bright advertisements might hinder astronomers. "Large advertisements could destroy the darkness of the night sky," regulators said.
#4
Hey, my sister named a star after me. It's recorded in a book registered with the US Copyright Office and everything. I reserve the right to put up any damned sign on it as I see fit. So there.
#5
For instance, outsized billboards deployed by a space company into low Earth orbit could appear as large as the moon and be seen without a telescope, the FAA said.
Given that the shuttle is a pretty big object, and that it looks rather small when passing overhead while in orbit, an "outsized" billboard would have to be pretty damned big to be able to read, and consequently, excessively expensive to put up.
#8
Rush - Power Windows - 2112:
VII. The Grand Finale
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 11:56 Comments ||
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#9
...excessively expensive to put up.
So, who's gonna be the first shameless self-promoter to get one in orbit - Branson or Trump?
A man whose severed finger was found in a bowl of fast-food chilli had reportedly given the digit to a co-worker to settle a debt. Brian Rossiter lost the finger in an industrial accident. The San Francisco Chronicle said the 36-year-old gave the finger to the husband of the woman who later claimed to have found it in her chili. Rossiter's mother told the newspaper her son was broke after the accident. "He had a money problem. He owed $50 to this character," she said. "My son is a happy-go-lucky guy. He thought it was cute to show (the severed finger)."
Anna Ayala has been charged with planting the finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili to extort money from the company. The 39-year-old claimed she bit down on the finger as she ate at a San Jose Wendy's in March. She later dropped a claim against the restaurant chain, saying the issue had caused her "great emotional distress". The company has lost millions of dollars in business and has been forced to lay off staff as a result. If convicted of all charges, Ayala faces a maximum penalty of more than nine years in jail.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2005 01:12 ||
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..A question here. Mr. DumbshitRossiter loses the finger in an accident...and the authorities just gave it back? We're not talking about a gallstone here - this thing would have either been reattached if possible (which leads me to believe that Rossiter may have severed it himself or had it done in exchange for the millions they thought they were going to get from Wendy's) or disposed of as biohazard waste.
I'm gonna guess the Authorities never heard of the 'industrial accident'.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/20/2005 7:35 Comments ||
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#2
Didn't read the story. Did GoldenPalace.com buy it?
#6
Of course they gave the finger back. It's his property.
That, by the way, is the law for body parts. It's also the law for corpses, but they become the property of the next of kin. That's English common law from way back.
When you have a body part removed in surgery, you've signed a form (before anesthesia, natch) that gives the hospital permission to send the part to the pathologist for examination, followed by disposal. But there's no such consent here for Mr. Rossiter who lost the finger in an accident. It's his to sell if he wants.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/20/2005 12:12 Comments ||
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#7
Interesting take, Doc. Does this mean you can traffic in body parts (your own)? I know people sell their blood, but if I wanted to sell my kidney, could I?
EFL
Dramatic new data from the December 26, 2004, Sumatran-Andaman earthquake that generated deadly tsunamis show the event created the longest fault rupture and the longest duration of faulting ever observed, according to three reports by an international group of seismologists published Thursday in the journal "Science." "Normally, a small earthquake might last less than a second; a moderate sized earthquake might last a few seconds. This earthquake lasted between 500 and 600 seconds (at least 10 minutes)," said Charles Ammon, associate professor of geosciences at Penn State University.
The quake released an amount of energy equal to a 100 gigaton bomb, according to Roger Bilham, professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado. And that power lasted longer than any quake ever recorded. The quake, centered in the Indian Ocean, also created the biggest gash in the Earth's seabed ever observed, nearly 800 miles. That's as long as a drive from northern California into southern Canada. Scientists estimated the average slippage (ground movement up and down) along the entire length of the fault was at least 5 meters (16.5 feet) -- with some places being moved nearly 20 meters (50 feet). Scientists have also upgraded the magnitude of the quake from 9.0 to between 9.1 and 9.3, a dramatically more powerful event. As a comparison: the ground shook 100 times harder during December's earthquake than what was felt in the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in California. That 6.9 magnitude quake caused extensive damage from Santa Cruz to San Francisco.
Whole planet vibrated
A wide array of instruments were used for the first time to study the earthquake, and its many aftershocks. Global broadband seismometers recorded the ground in Sri Lanka, a thousand miles from the epicenter, moved up and down by more than 9 centimeters (3.6 inches), according to the report. But no place on Earth escaped movement. "Globally, this earthquake was large enough to basically vibrate the whole planet as much as half an inch, or a centimeter. Everywhere we had instruments, we could see motions," Ammon said.
Much of that information came from digital broadband seismometers, a new era of instruments that the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey began deploying around the world several years ago. Lay says the equipment is sensitive enough to pick up the motion of wind blowing through trees, or cows walking in a field, or the massive motions produced by this earthquake. "We'd never seen signals from an earthquake of this size, and the availability of this instrumentation was a real breakthrough in being able to see the complete rupture process of one of these truly monstrous events," Lay said.
In what organizers called an unprecedented event, dissidents from groups opposed to Fidel Castro's communist regime gathered publicly Friday and chanted "Down with Fidel."
That'll get 'em lumps...
"Freedom! Freedom!" the group of more than 100 delegates cheered in the yard of Felix Bonne, a veteran dissident, in a working-class section of Havana. Castro's regime would not allow the use of a theater or hotel for the assembly. Participants included members of dissident groups that are sometimes at odds but share the goal of driving Castro from power. "We think this is the first democratic assembly that has ever been held in Cuba," said organizer and former political prisoner Marta Beatriz Roque of the rare public display of opposition. . . . A U.S. diplomat brought a videotaped message from U.S. President George Bush, who congratulated attendees on their courage and efforts to build democracy. . . . All the world over, so easy to see/people everywhere just wanna be free . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
05/20/2005 19:00 ||
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courage is right...and assholes like Sen. Chris Dodd would tell them to STFU
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 19:45 Comments ||
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#2
That's an important step.
Btw Castro deported a German Member of Parliament who wanted to attend... I guess Schroeder will have to cancel his pending order of Cohibas.
U.S. civil rights leader Al Sharpton said Thursday that Mexico's president still needs to apologize for saying Mexicans take jobs in the United States that "not even" blacks will do. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Sharpton said he wasn't satisfied with the contradictory expressions of regret issued by the administration of Vicente Fox this week. He said he would seek an "unequivocal, formal" apology during a meeting with Fox on Monday in Mexico City. The president's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, has characterized the comment, made May 13 during a visit to Puerto Vallarta, as a misunderstanding. His office refused to comment on Sharpton's demand Thursday. The closest the administration has come to apologizing was when Assistant Foreign Secretary Patricia Olamendi said Tuesday that "if anyone felt offended by the statement, I offer apologies on behalf of my government." But the next day Aguilar said Olamendi was speaking on behalf of herself _ not the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2005 00:34 ||
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#1
"That Fox bitch better 'pologize, real personal like. Misunderstandin' my ass. Fucking over the Brothers is my gig. A damned fine one, too. I haven't done a lick o' work since the Brawley dustup. Sweeet. I'm thinkin' there may some angle to this deal I ken work, just hasn't come to me, yet.
Hey, that's an old pic. The new press kit is available on CD. A steal at $149.95. Buy it, you cheapskate crackers."
#6
That's right, wetback! An "unequivocal, formal" apology! Preferably on green paper, with numbers and dead presidents contained therein. A large bag of said green paper! Get on that right now, beaneater! No prestidigitatin and the like!
#8
Man he's getting old and slow. Ten years ago he would have been on this with protests and multiple press conferences within 12 hours. Maybe he's growing up or maturing a little beyond the 5th grade?
#12
I hate slow news days. This crap has got to stop. Iraq is getting boring, only Italians are being kidnapped in Afghanistan, the Joooos are making nice to the Paleostinians, Uzbekistan is too damn dangerous and faraway to cover, Frist and Reid are liking Pat Boone and Mr. Rogers debate each other, the Koran has no appeal except for the various ways to spell it and Saddam's choice of briefs is torture - torture to the human beings who were exposed to the photos.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
05/20/2005 15:21 Comments ||
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TARTU, Estonia, May 20 (UPI) -- A clash between Chinese workers and local police in the Siberian city of Irkutsk last week not only has created a diplomatic problem for Moscow and Beijing but also heightened the Russian fears that Chinese immigration into the Russian Federation represents a threat.
Both Russian and Chinese media have given extensive and sometimes contradictory coverage to the May 11 events. What appears to have happened in Irkutsk is this. A local security guard asked a Chinese worker for his documents. Rather than present them, the Chinese fled on foot back to the dormitory he shared with other Chinese workers. The security guards pursued, but when they arrived in the area where the Chinese workers lived, they were pelted by bricks and stones. The guards then called for reinforcements, variously described as members of the local militia or even OMON special forces.
Their arrival sparked further fighting between as many as 200 Chinese workers and the police. And in the melee, Chinese officials said, "dozens were injured, and some were hospitalized". Most Russian outlets suggested only 100 to 120 Chinese were involved, have played down the severity of injuries, and noted two "ringleaders" were arrested.
The case sparked a diplomatic row between Beijing and Moscow. The Chinese consulate in Khabarovsk complained. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called in a Russian diplomat to lodge an official protest. And the Chinese embassy in Moscow made what the People's Daily called "solemn representations" to the Russian Foreign Ministry about the case. The Russian government announced Monday it was opening two preliminary criminal cases, one against the Chinese workers for failing to comply with official police requests and a second against the local police for possible abuse of power, news reports said.
But while this exchange continued, the clash has taken on a life of its own in the Russian media, where various outlets both print and electronic have played up in often emotional and hyperbolic language what they describe as the Chinese threat to Russians and the Russian Federation.
The exact number of ethnic Chinese in the Russian Federation is not known, but it has certainly grown dramatically over the past 15 years. According to Russian census data, the number of ethnic Chinese now living and working there increased from a few thousand in 1989 to more than 3.25 million now (cujad.com, May 16).
But many Russians believe there are far more than that, and the absence of reliable data about legal and illegal immigration and about the number of Chinese who are residents as opposed to traders or temporary workers has allowed some politicians and commentators to make what appear to be wild projections. Some have suggested that Chinese immigration is growing so fast it will threaten Russian control of Siberia and the Far East. Others write the Chinese are about to form Chinatowns in major Russian cities, spreading crime and taking jobs from Russians. Still others argue - and they point to Moscow's response to Beijing on this case - that Chinese immigration will allow Beijing to have unacceptable influence on Russian affairs.
And one Moscow newspaper, Vechernyaya Moskva, published an article Tuesday that intentionally or not will likely whip up more anti-Chinese feelings. After describing the Irkutsk events, the newspaper asked its readers to phone in to answer such questions as "Does Moscow need migrants?" and "Are they taking the work places of native Muscovites?"
I see the immigration issue is gaining traction all over the world.
Those individuals and groups who want to exploit this issue have a lot to work with. According to a countrywide poll conducted in April by VTsIOM, 58 percent of Russians are concerned about the impact on the Russian Federatoin of immigrants from abroad and especially those from China and Vietnam.
In addition, there are growing number of groups that seek to play on such fears. Among the most prominent perhaps is the Russian Movement Against Illegal Immigration, which not only organizes protests against immigrants but maintains a Web site that details what it describes as the immigrant threat to Russia and Russians (dpni.org).
But it is not just groups that may, in fact, prove to be only at the margins of Russian society who are now getting into the act. The official news agency ITAR-TASS, for example, featured a story immediately after the clash in Irkutsk that will do nothing to calm the situation in Russia. It reported that on May 13 the Russian Federation Embassy in Beijing had lodged its own protest, this time about the Chinese government's reported failure to free from sex slavery three Russian women being held a Tsinan hotel.
Unfortunately, there are at least two reasons for thinking that the situation is likely to deteriorate further. On the one hand, as Russian government authorities told Vechernyaya Moskva, immigration from abroad is only going to increase in the coming years given Russia's own demographic problems. And on the other, as Russian human rights activists pointed out at a Moscow news conference, xenophobic attitudes are on the rise in Russian society, all too often because of the actions of officials and of groups and organizations with close ties to the state.
(Paul Goble teaches at the EuroCollege of the University of Tartu in Estonia.)
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 3:18:56 PM ||
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#1
Russia is in a tough spot. Their territory east of the Urals is essentially indefensible from Chinese encroachment. For instance the Russian Far East has a population of only 6 or 7 million and falling fast, and maybe 3 million Chinese (legal and mostly illegal) starting at from almost zero in 1989. East and West Siberia together has only 25 million Russians.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 17:43 Comments ||
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#2
Paul Goble iirc is a former top State Dept official and old Russia hand. This is a major issue. Whether Russia contains 3m or 5m or more Chinese immigrants, nearly all are in the Russian Far East, which means that this is already a large % of the population there. And it's incresaing due not only to immigration but to the decline in Russia's native born population, which is proceeding at close to 1 million per year.
Without question China will eventually turn the Russian Far East into a satellite.
China is highlighting its debt problems in order to deflect criticism of its exchange rate regime. Despite China's undisputed growing economic stature, the country remains mired in billions of dollars (could well be trillions) in debt that is pressuring its currency and financial system, the ministry of commerce says. The fiscal hangover from China's command economy days means the yuan faces significant pressure from hidden deficits worth trillions of yuan in non-performing loans (NPLs) and unfunded pension liabilities, it said.
Although China has massive foreign reserves -- 659 billion dollars at the end of March -- the country's overall fiscal deficit is huge, the ministry said in a quarterly economic assessment report of the nation, posted on its website.
These massive obligations will hamper efforts to keep the yuan firm over the longer term, said the ministry. China's target deficit for 2005 is 300 billion yuan, down 19.83 billion yuan from last year's fiscal budget, but it is at the same time facing "trillions of yuan in non-performing assets and pension fund liabilities in the country's financial system."
The ministry did not give any specific figures but on Monday the China Banking Regulatory Commission reported that outstanding NPLs in the banking sector in the first quarter fell 3.56 billion yuan to 1.83 trillion yuan. China's pension liabilities are estimated to range in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan also warned this week that efforts to deepen bank reform would be tested during the next economic downturn and expressed fears that a debilitating problem with NPLs could return.
The country has attempted to build a nationwide social security fund to take over the previous pension obligations of state-run companies, which took on retirement benefits of China's workers in the past. That system is no longer sustainable as China adopts market-driven policies and many state companies go out of business.
Although the National Social Security Fund plans to invest up to one billion dollars overseas to boost its returns, the ministry called on Beijing to funnel foreign exchange reserves into international markets as well on behalf of the social security fund.
Separately, the ministry defended China's record by saying that the nation may have a large trade surplus with the United States but the overall surplus with the rest of the world was not that big. "China's annual trade surplus is not that large and this shows that the yuan is not greatly undervalued," it claimed. Internal debt and its quality is not directly related to the exchange rate, although a banking crisis would undoutably drive own the level of the Yuan.
Washington and several other trade partners have complained that China maintains the yuan at an artificially low level to give its exports an unfair advantage. And they are right.
#1
If they float the yuan, they start a banking crisis. If they start a banking crisis, millions get put out of work. If millions are out of work, they're going to find someone else to lead the country other than the Communist Party.
Yuan revaluation ain't gonna happen, not anytime soon.
#4
Two differnet exchange rates do not work. Let's say:
China 10yuan/$1, USA 5yuan/$1.
Currency trader takes his $1 and buys 10yuan from China, then sells that for $2 to the US. Profit $1. Money for nothing, zero risk, and completely unsustainable.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 9:38 Comments ||
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#5
Ed, thats not really the issue. The USA could bring down the yuan exchange rate at any time by offering to buy yuan at a higher rate than the fixed rate. There are two possible outcomes. One is currency drains out of China and they are forced to revalue and the USA makes an enormous profit ala George Soros, or China repudiates its currency and plunges into chaos. Its a high risk game to say the least.
#6
mhw: The above tells you why China doesn't want to revalue the Yuan. If the Yuan goes up by 10%, China effectively loses $60 billion.
Actually, it's not that simple. These currency losses aren't really a concern - they're a cost of doing business. Just about every other exporting country in East Asia has taken similar losses over time. The reason they take them is because it's a cheap and efficient way of subsidizing in-country domestic and foreign investments.* Every exporter benefits from the subsidy of a cheap currency. Foreign exporters who build plants in China to take advantage of the cheap currency help to keep domestic exporters honest.
* The point of accumulating US dollars is to keep the yuan undervalued, and Chinese exports competitive. Think of the foreign exchange losses as a universal subsidy to every company that exports from China, domestic and foreign. It's much more efficient than sponsoring a particular industry, like Malaysia is doing with its national car project. Because foreigners can benefit from the exchange rate subsidy by building plants in China, inefficient Chinese producers are driven out. The benefit from this is that any plant that is built in China will be price-competitive on a global basis, and be able to export everywhere, meaning that they will generate jobs not just from domestic Chinese consumption, but from foreign consumption as well. This strategy isn't original to the Chinese. The Japanese pioneered it, and its use spread to the rest of East Asia, where it is still in use, before being adopted by China. The Chinese have proven to be quick studies.
If China is buying up oodles of dollars to keep the ratio up, let's crank them out. We'd have to be sure not to cause massive domestic price increases, but we could trade a bunch of paper for shoes or whatever they're selling.
Or we could just wait until they attack Tawain and say "we're repudiating our debt to you."
#8
Didn't Tom Clancy write a book about all this a few years back? He also wrote about the Islamic terrorist before 911. Is he the power behind all this stuff?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
05/20/2005 15:22 Comments ||
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#9
Imagine that: China's economic statistics aren't very transparent or accurate. What's mandarin for bubble?
#11
If China is buying up oodles of dollars to keep the ratio up, let's crank them out. We'd have to be sure not to cause massive domestic price increases, but we could trade a bunch of paper for shoes or whatever they're selling.
Jackal, That's exactly what we've been doing. That's what those $659 Billion of foreign currency reserves are, lots of paper. And it is also just about the amount of bad loans in the Chinese banking system.
When this baby blows, let's hope we've got somebody as good as Greenspan running the Fed.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/20/2005 21:05 Comments ||
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SEATTLE (AP) - The Air France-KLM board of directors has approved an order for five Boeing 777 cargo freighters, with options to buy three more. The orders, which Air France is still negotiating with The Boeing Co., would be worth about $1 billion at projected list prices, though airlines typically get steep discounts. Chicago-based Boeing, which builds most of its commercial planes in the Seattle area, began offering the 777 freighter to customers late last year, but has not yet formally launched the program. It plans to do so later this year and start delivering planes in late 2008, Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said Friday.
In a statement released Thursday, Air France said the 777 freighters will replace 747-200Fs, Boeing four-engine cargo jets the airline says have become too expensive to continue flying because of rising fuel costs. The airline said it's aiming to begin phasing in the twin-engine 777s into its fleet by the fall of 2008. Last month, Air Canada ordered two 777 freighters as part of a bigger deal that included 16 other 777s and 14 787s.
The 777 freighter will be based on the passenger version of the long-range 777-200LR, which is scheduled to enter service in early 2006. The freighter would be able to carry 222,000 pounds of cargo up to 6,400 miles. Airbus SAS, Boeing's chief rival, has said its new superjumbo A380 freighter will be able to carry 341,000 pounds of cargo the same distance. It's also scheduled to enter service in 2008.
Soooooo, Airbus, you going to demand Air France explain this order like you did with India?
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 3:14:52 PM ||
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#1
Nah, they expected Air France to stab them in the back. They are French, you know.
#2
Airbus SAS, Boeing's chief rival, has said its new superjumbo A380 freighter will be able to carry 341,000 pounds of cargo the same distance.
But probably not with comparable fuel consumption as the 777F. Having two more engines than the 777 and being quite a bit heavier would probably tend to increase fuel usage somewhat....
#4
The 777's load of 222,000 lbs gives it a bit of flexibility. It could also take shorter hops and have a greater payload. The A380 is a monster with just mainline hubs to land. The trend is point to point. Sorry, Airbus, better luck with India and Air France next time, heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/20/2005 16:29 Comments ||
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#5
Seems like the A380 Freighter will not be available until 2008 until then they will have to do with inferior goods. Europeans should buy European when possble and in fact under EU Procurement Laws there is little choice unless there's a good reason.
Why? Because you're personally sure that it's not a good plane?
I've heard of "L'etat, c'est moi" before, but this is extreme...
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/20/2005 18:22 Comments ||
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#18
I see the order is still being negotiated, I will be very surprised if it comes to anything, so don't order any more Chinese textiles until the cheque is signed.
#19
GE, BEEEP. Wrong answer. You're out. Next contestant please.
The A380 is about 15% more fuel efficient than the 35 year old 747, that, per this story, is being phased out due to high fuel prices. The A380 has a specific fuel consumption of 2.9 (liters per passenger/100km), while the 787 has a specific fuel consumption of 2.6 (or 10% better), putting the A380, even before it has flown one revenue kilometer, in the same situation as the 35 year old 747. The 787 costs 1/2 the A380 with 1/2 the payload.
Let's do a quick calculation of 1 A370 vs. 2 787s on a 10000km full flight (about 550 passengers). The A380 would use 159,500 liters of fuel, while 143,000 liters, saving 16,500 liters. In the US, jet fuel costs about $0.45/liter, giving two 787s a fuel cost advantage of $7425 one way. Multiply by 300 flight legs a year, gives the 2 797s a $2.23 million yearly fuel cost advantage. The A380 is in a very difficult spot.
Now since you mentioned that the EU will place political restrictions on Europeans airlines to force Airbus purchases, then all that will accomplish is to force a higher cost structure on Euro airlines, allowing competitors to charge less, thereby forcing the Euro lines to fly with more empty seats, causing their cost structure to rise even more. Hope the Euro taxpayers (anyway, the few left) like high ticket and cargo prices, and enjoy subsidizing failing airlines.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 18:26 Comments ||
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#20
The A380 would use 159,500 liters of fuel, while 143,000 liters, saving 16,500 liters.
Should be:
The A380 would use 159,500 liters of fuel, while 2 787s would use 143,000 liters, saving 16,500 liters.
Also:
A370 => A380
797 => 787
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 18:30 Comments ||
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#21
Seems to me it's US airlines that are failing, from United to American, I still remember TWA, PanAm and National you know.
But it makes little difference even in the unlikely event your figures are correct, European will buy European period, end of story, EU Procurement Laws.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 18:33 Comments ||
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#23
European will buy European period, end of story, EU Procurement Laws.
Even private companies?
I guess signing onto the "World Trade Organization" was just a load of crap?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/20/2005 18:37 Comments ||
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#24
I think it will be close in France but I think they will just make it. But if not, it's not the end of the world or the EU, just try again in a few years and fine tune it.
#26
To anyone else here interested in reports of problems with the A380, I suggest the comments in the following link, especially the ones about wing chord:
I also wonder at the purpose of what a law mandating that private European airlines must buy Airbus would be... maybe to make sure more Europeans die in air crashes as the rudders fall off?
I think it's especially suspicious that they wound up in Florida's airspace but turned around and tried to make it back to Cuba when bits started falling off. It sounds like they didn't want a first-world aviation agency looking over the broken bits. What would they be trying to hide?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
05/20/2005 18:46 Comments ||
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#27
European will buy European period, end of story, EU Procurement Laws.
GE you do realize the foolishness of that statement. The US alone uses many more airliners than current and prospective EU members. That prejudiced Euro attitude will get you frozen out the largest (US) and second largest (Japan, who builds the 787 wings) airliner markets. If your prejudices continue, then a trade war is inevitable (Americans are less and less likely to overlook French and German slights). Just getting rid the the US trade deficit with Germany will directly throw 1+ million German workers out of jobs, 3-5 million if the multiplier effect of new money comming into a economy is taken into account, possibly doubling German unemployment to 20+%. As Bush said, "Bring it on."
A little more on airline economics. 2 787's flying the transatlantic route (say Chicago or Dallas to Frankfurt) at 70% capacity will have a fuel cost advantage of almost $20 per ticket ($40 round trip) fuel cost advantage. Are you telling me that Europeans would rather throw away $40 round trip ticket (as well as having fewer airports to fly into)? Do you think the rest of the world thinks the same way? Do you think cargo shippers would like to spend an extra $7400 per leg or pocket part of that money (with customers and airlines) as profit.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 19:03 Comments ||
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#28
Wouldn't an A340 (available now) be the nearest equivalent Airbus to a 777?
Posted by: Mike ||
05/20/2005 19:06 Comments ||
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#29
Mike,
Pretty close. The 777 hauls about 20% more.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 19:21 Comments ||
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#30
Private companies buy what they want and where... no EU law tells them otherwise.
I'm not very happy about the A380... smaller, fuel efficient flexible aircraft is the future, not airborne monsters.
Oh btw I took a Zeppelin flight in April... it's an absolutely great experience.
Had the Germans been able to use Helium in the 30s we might be living in a Zeppelin age today.
#31
cool - a Zep flight? How many are available? Is this a coming tourist thing?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 19:39 Comments ||
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#32
Wow TGA! i would love Zepplins the cruise ships of the air, touristic travel at low level in the Alps and other natural beauties.
Btw the dicing that Airbus takes from some US members here it would be at they own cost if they dispise Airbus. Airbus have various problems (state owned, prestige firm that takes billions from taxpayers etc) but one of them isnt low quality products or dangerous products, they sell well in US market. If Boeing sleeps at helm would be passed .
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 19:50 Comments ||
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#35
If Zeppelin were a US company they would have gone much further in commercializing... they still seem stuck in a technological perfection mania. Also the aviation industry is fighting them... they know why.
The flight I took was above Munich... absolutely great experience... they fly much lower than aircraft and of course windows are so much bigger, too.
#40
Hope the Euro taxpayers (anyway, the few left) like high ticket and cargo prices, and enjoy subsidizing failing airlines.
They already subsidized the development of the A380 (and if Airbus gets its way, the A350), so it would be only fitting that they subsidize the outfits that have to buy Airbus' stuff. :)
AMSTERDAM — People who won pens that can deliver an electric shock at a fairground in Tiel are actually in possession of a banned weapon, Dutch police have revealed. Police only became aware the pens were being distributed in recent days when a member of the public took one to a local police station. The pens were intended as a prize at the fair, but are in fact illegal under the Dutch weapons and munitions act.
Oh for crying out loud...
A police spokesperson said people who received one of these pens can surrender it at a police station without risk of prosecution. Anyone who fails to hand one of the pens in and is caught with it later risks receiving a summons. The pen looks like a thick, but otherwise normal ball-point. It emits an electrical charge when a button at the back is pushed.
TASER in a pen. Paul Jr. had one on "American Chopper" last week. He had Mikey hand it to Paul Sr. to sign a poster with and shocked the hell out of him. I've been looking for one myself.
The police say this is the first time this sort of novelty pen has surfaced at fairgrounds in the Netherlands. The actions of the fairground owner are now under investigation by the police in North Brabant where the man lives. Police plan to confiscate all the shock pens still in his possession.
Ahhh! Son of Joy Buzzer!
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 11:38:37 AM ||
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The pens were intended as a prize at the fair, but are in fact illegal under the Dutch weapons and munitions act.
A weapon?? Oooookay....
"Put your hands up and don't move, or I'll give you this pen!"
EFL: The Dutch public appears on course to firmly reject the European constitution in a referendum on 1 June, according to latest opinion polls. A poll for RTL television indicated 54% would vote No, with 27% voting Yes. The Dutch vote is purely consultative, but politicians have said they will take the result into consideration when it comes to a parliamentary vote. The referendum comes only three days after one in France, where the No campaign has a slight lead. A poll by Centerdata, also published on Thursday, showed 50.9% against the constitution and 28.6% for it.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende played down the latest polls, saying "I am putting my money on the 'yes' vote, I am optimistic," in an interview with De Volkskrant newspaper. Dutch Socialist MP Harry van Bommel, a leader of the No campaign, told the BBC News website that the No leads in France and the Netherlands were helping encourage each other. He said the influence and sovereignty of smaller EU member states such as the Netherlands would be severely threatened by the constitution, which is designed for the enlarged EU of 25 states.
The Netherlands is one of the EU's founding members, and support for the bloc has traditionally been strong among the Dutch. However, tensions over immigration and the high financial cost of EU membership have led to increasing Dutch euroscepticism ahead of the poll. Other factors pushing voters into the No camp appear to be the speed of European integration and opposition to Mr Balkenende's centre-right government.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 8:27:55 AM ||
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#2
phil - in the case of that particular immigration, I think it would be a goat that they screwed. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/20/2005 12:59 Comments ||
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#3
The Dutch vote is purely consultative, but politicians have said they will take the result into consideration when it comes to a parliamentary vote.
#4
The politicians who don't take the popular will as voiced in this referendum into consideration will likely not be employed politicians for much longer. Holland is not France.
#5
"I am putting my money on the [28.6%] 'yes' vote, I am optimistic,"
Delusional is more like it.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/20/2005 15:24 Comments ||
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#6
The Dutch are a "consensual" society - it is called the Polder consensus. If this votes turns out to be a negative then the parliment will not approve the EU constitution. It really is that simple. I spent a lot of time in Holland in recent years. The van Gogh killing was a huge wakeup call to the very strong middle and upper income classes there. They control the political power and the media.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
05/20/2005 15:26 Comments ||
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#7
De Volksrant should be made the official paper for Da Rantburg.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/20/2005 16:39 Comments ||
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INHABITANTS of the Gambier islands in French Polynesia have called for access to defence ministry files on the impact on their health of 30 years of French nuclear tests on Pacific atolls. In the request, Gambier mayor Monique Richeton and several inhabitants of Mangareva island asked "that they be granted access to information and documents to enable them to understand the effects on their health and that of their descendants of the nuclear tests carried out in French Polynesia".
Roland Oldham, president of the "Murura e Tatou" (Mururoa and us) association of some 5000 Polynesians who worked on the two nuclear sites in Polynesia between 1966 and 1996, said "reports stamped 'Secret' from 1966 found (they) mention considerable radioactive fallout on the inhabited islands and atolls close to Mururoa, in particular on the island of Mangareva, in the Gambier archipelago". Mr Oldham also recalls the very powerful "Aldebaran" nuclear test carried out in Mururoa from a barge on July 2, 1966 in the presence of then French leader General Charles de Gaulle. "The program of the presidential visit required that one carried out the launch despite bad atmospheric conditions, and a launch from a barge always causes intense nuclear pollution because the debris is carried up."
Mr Oldham said that the fallout was carried by the wind to Gambier, 500 kilometres away. "The United States recognised that fallout could be carried for 700 kilometres around in good weather and that, naturally, one could not control the winds," he said.
In Rikitea, the main village on Mangareva, two bunkers were built in 1967 to shelter the population during atmospheric nuclear tests. "A sprinkler system allowed the roof of the bunker to be washed after the test," said islander Tihoni Riesing, "and the population could spend up to 48 hours locked up in the bunker when you did not have the right to leave and where the air was filtered through special apparatus".
The French defence ministry today described as "baseless" allegations by two French newspapers that the army knowingly exposed the people of French Polynesia to heightened risks during nuclear tests in the 1990s. "The conditions under which the people of French Polynesia were protected at the time of the atmospheric nuclear tests were strictly the same as those applied to military personnel conducting the tests," defence ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said.
For 30 years, French Polynesia provided Paris with a site for nuclear tests on the Pacific atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, west of the Gambier islands, where a total of 193 tests took place - 41 atmospheric and 152 underground.
The last atmospheric test, under a tethered balloon dubbed "Aquarius", took place on September 14, 1974, and the last underground test was on January 27, 1996, in Fangataufa.
LONDON - The European Union's first ever constitution cannot be re-negotiated if French voters reject the document in a referendum, former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing said Thursday.
Giscard d'Estaing, who chaired the convention which drafted the constitution, described re-negotiation of the treaty as "impossible" and said there was thankfully no "plan B." "There is absolutely no opening for that. What do you want to re-negotiate? We had a long negotiation. The convention first, where you could express all your demands, and then intergovernmental negotiation for one full year," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Polls have consistently shown that France is split down the middle over how to vote in its widely watched referendum on May 29. Surveys have also shown many French opponents believe it is possible to draft a better constitution, and hope to send the message that they want leaders to return to the drawing board.
Campaigners have not cleared up the confusion. French President Jacques Chirac has warned that there is no chance the treaty could be re-negotiated if France votes "no." However former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, a leading opponent and the No. 2 Socialist Party official, insisted on French television over the weekend, saying that a re-negotiation was possible. Giscard d'Estaing said re-negotiation would be a "useless and nonproductive confrontation" and added, "I think for a long while nothing could be done.
And does that tell you something? No?
Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, which has also pledged to hold a referendum on the treaty, will closely watch the French result. Britain insists it will hold a referendum regardless of how votes turn out in other European countries. It hasn't set a date for a referendum, however, and has sent mixed messages about the implications of France's rejecting the treaty.
Blair suggested last month that a French rejection could scuttle the constitution and make a British vote pointless. "If there is still a constitution there has got to be a referendum on it," he said last month. "If what was to happen was France was to say 'no' and then the rest of Europe were to tear up the constitution and say 'we're forgetting about it,' you wouldn't have a referendum on nothing."
I'm betting Tony hits his knees every night praying that the French get him off the hook on this one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/20/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds like Giscard has an ego problem. If the EU constitution *does* have to be re-negotiated, there would be lots of room for improvements. First of all, it would have to include all of the new members, their interests and concerns. Second of all, it could include a declaration that power derives from the people, not the government or bureaucracy; and that these people have certain unalienable rights, among which is the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And they could even throw in a "Bill of Rights" for what every European could easily understand and know are their rights, that government cannot infringe. But that would be really radical, and so very un-European, no?
#3
Giscard dâEstaing said re-negotiation would be a âuseless and nonproductive confrontationâ and added, âI think for a long while nothing could be done."
Would monsieur care to elaborate on this? Or is he satisfied with sounding like he's totally full of horseshit?
#5
"...many French opponents believe it is possible to draft a better constitution..."
No doubt just a bunch of illiterate peasants living in the red provinces who have been exposed to that cowboy Bush's "We the people..." propaganda.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/20/2005 9:41 Comments ||
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#10
Giscard is probably correct. The "Constitution" was drafted with the pre-expansion EU. The French, with Axis of Weasel assistance, could not shove the crap Giscard came up with down the throats of people who gave the Russians the finger only 15 years ago without serious negotiation. It will take at least 25 more years for Brussels to completely Eurofy them.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/20/2005 16:35 Comments ||
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#11
What a joke. A "constitution" that's so opaque that no one can even agree on basic aspects of the process for ratifying it.
Prime Minister Paul Martin survived a confidence motion by a single vote Thursday, allowing him to retain power and easing one of Canada's most dramatic political standoffs in decades. The House of Commons split 152-152 on the measure that served as a confidence motion and it took a vote by the parliament speaker to give the minority government its one-vote victory. "The margin of tonight's vote is very narrow — indeed that is an understatement," said Martin. "We must now move forward in a spirit of cooperation. We ask the opposition to join with us in a renewed effort to make this Parliament work for the people of Canada," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/20/2005 00:30 ||
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#1
Maurice Strong's Asylum.
Deck Chair Shuffling Class, in session.
Vote Breakdown...
152 - More of the Same Insane LLL
152 - Enhanced Super Duper Mega-Steroid LLL
#4
The only reason he won by one vote was due to pure political prostitution
You are referring, of course, to the mole, the Trojan Horse, the wolf in sheep's clothing... none other than Ms. Belinda Stronach, Ms. Mata Hari - Billy Jeff's rumored paramour - who pretended she was a conservative, even romanced the 2nd in command of the federal conservative party to determine party strategy...only to defect to the lieberal party just days before the crucial vote on the budget...Paul Martin kindly gave Belinda Stronach(high school graduate) a cabinet position for her re-aligned lieberal party vote and her "pains". How's that for moving ahead? Moral of the story: watch out for the RINO's committing similar types of political "prostitution."
#5
So true, ES. She did set the bar rather high, didn't she? Voinovich, Chafee, and Specter, hell - include Snowe and Collins too, had better be able to juggle, I don't think anyone's gonna fall for their physical charms. The cat's outta the bag - they'd better pray they don't run into any hot up & comers on their next cycle - they won't get any Party help if there's anyone else worthy to give it to. Guys like Vitter in LA and Thune in SD demonstrate no one is immune if the right candidate comes along... mucking out the RINO barn is overdue.
A MoveOn PAC Production:This week, Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith opens in theaters nation-wide. And weirdly enough, the plot of what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest films in movie history revolves around a scheming senator who, seduced by visions of absolute power, transforms a democratic republic into an empire.
Gee, I wonder who that could be?
The movie's opening buzz and its parallel theme to our current judicial fight present a great opportunity to educate the public — and have some fun.
cuz it worked so well with "Day After Tomorrow".....
So we've put together a flyer that draws on themes from the Revenge of the Sith story to explain the very real threat to democracy posed by the nuclear option. Any chance you can take half an hour tonight or tomorrow to pass out some of these flyers to folks in line at your local theater?
Nah, but thanks for asking. I also want to thank you for posting the script for your little TV spot. I need something to brighten my day.
VIDEO
THE SCREEN IS FILLED WITH STARS. WE SEE TYPE COMING UP ON SCREEN, FADING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE.
AUDIO
MUSIC UNDER.
ANNOUNCER VOICE OVER
For 200 years, the Senators and the fair judges, were keepers of peace and justice in the republic until...
VIDEO
PAN UP THE TYPE TO REVEAL A SPACE BATTLE OF DC GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS SHOOTING LASER BEAMS AT EACH OTHER.
AUDIO
SPACE BATTLE SOUNDS.
VIDEO
A HOODED FIGURE STRIDES TOWARDS THE CAMERA, ROBOTIC FIGURES IN JUDGES' ROBES FOLLOWING IN LOCKSTEP. HE APPROACHES A CONSOLE.
ANNOUNCER VOICE OVER
... one Senator, seduced by a dark vision of absolute power, seeks to destroy this fabled order, replacing fair judges with far right clones.
VIDEO
IN A REVERSE SHOT, WE SEE A LARGE RED BUTTON, GLOWING. ON A SCREEN IN FRONT OF HIM, THE SENATE RISES INTO VIEW AS IF IT WERE A PLANET. A RED TARGETING BRACKET LOCKS ONTO IT.
ANNOUNCER VOICE OVER
To do this, he's ready to use a nightmare weapon known as the Nuclear Option.
VIDEO
BACK TO THE HOODED FIGURE. HE STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOW AND IS REVEALED TO BE SENATOR BILL FRIST. CLOSE UP ON HIS FACE, BATHED IN RED LIGHT, LAUGHING MANIACALLY. TYPE COMES UP OVER.
ANNOUNCER VOICE OVER
Stop Senator Frist. Save our courts. Save the Republic. MoveOn PAC is responsible for the content of this advertisement.
Paid for by MOVEON PAC, website: www.moveonpac.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee but if they don't follow our lead we'll stick out out tongues and make nasty faces at them.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 10:46:29 AM ||
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#1
Can't wait to see Darth Vader Sen. Frist mind-choke the living crap out of Gov. Tarkin Dean.
Posted by: ed ||
05/20/2005 11:54 Comments ||
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#2
"Darth Soros! I should've known you'd be behind this."
Posted by: Mike ||
05/20/2005 11:57 Comments ||
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#3
If Frist is the Emperor, I think that makes Howard Dean Jar Jar Binks.
"Meesa hates them nasty republicans!"
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 12:01 Comments ||
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#4
These people are preachers without a God. They are so eager to get in the pulpit and tell everyone else how to live thier lives in a pure manner. Spend their days, shaming and blaming and demanding that others be pure. They make some token gesture, like drive a prius into their 5,000 sq ft home with a constantly running hot tub... if it wasn't for those suv drivers, there would be no energey problem...DAMN them. They say they are for peace and then come up with excuses not to stop the slaughter of tyrants. But no need to feel bad, no need to do anything because if only george wasn't there all would be sunshine and roses.
look at george...he's bad. bad georgie bad. Let's all say it together...georgie is bad. Let's all talk about how bad george is so we don't have to get off our asses and actually do something to make the world a better place.
#5
If Frist is the Emperor, I think that makes Howard Dean Jar Jar Binks.
"Meesa gonna go on to New Hampshire. Den meesa gonna go on to South Carolina! And Illinois! And Oregon! And Washington! And meesa gonna go on to New York and California! And den meesa gonna go to Washington D.C. and takesa back the White House-a. YEEEAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
Posted by: Mike ||
05/20/2005 12:25 Comments ||
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THE United Nations health agency has called on countries around the world to prepare for a threatened flu pandemic after a study in Vietnam showed signs of greater human-to-human transmission of bird flu.
"If somebody should need warnings that another pandemic is coming, we've had enough and we should continue very intensively with preparations for pandemic preparedness," the World Health Organisation's (WHO) top influenza expert, Dr Klaus Stohr, said.
Fears that a deadlier strain of flu might spread rapidly around the world on a similar scale to pandemics of the last century have been revived, with the emergence of the H5N1 bird-flu virus among humans in Asia.
The study of human bird-flu outbreaks in Vietnam until April 2005 suggested an evolution of infections by the H5N1 virus.
The WHO, which examined the findings with experts from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam earlier this month, also called for an immediate boost in monitoring for possible pandemic influenza in all countries affected by H5N1 in birds.
"The changes in the epidemiological patterns are consistent with the possibility that recently emerging H5N1 viruses may be more infectious for humans," a report on the study said.
While that meant a greater number of people might be infected by poultry, there was also evidence that human-to-human infections, which have been found several times since the strain was first detected in Hong Kong in 1997, was strengthening, the UN health agency said.
"It is possible that avian flu viruses are becoming more capable of human-to-human transmission," the report said.
The WHO said the study in Vietnam was not conclusive, however, because of the relatively small number of cases.
"The report was in a grey zone. We have enough data as scientists to be concerned, but at the same time we don't have enough to be sure," the WHO's head of communicable diseases, Guenael Rodier, said.
Although the implications were not clear cut, "they demonstrate that the viruses are continuing to evolve and pose a continuing and potentially growing pandemic threat," the report said.
"The train is going in a certain direction and the recent findings are certainly not going to alleviate our concern," Mr Stohr told journalists.
Thirty-six people have died from bird flu in Vietnam since 2003, as well as 16 in Thailand and Cambodia.
Human-to-human transmission is believed to have occurred in two clusters of cases in Vietnam and one in Thailand.
Concerns have been raised because a pandemic strain may develop through a series of small steps that, taken individually, might not be a clear signal an epidemic was about to start, according to the WHO.
The changes seen in north Vietnam included more and larger human clusters of the disease, an increased mean age of the victims and a lower fatality rate.
"We do expect that a pandemic virus will adapt better to humans, but will be less severe and transmit better," Dr Rodier said.
Analysis of genes from bird and human forms of H5N1 from several countries also suggested changes in the virus, the report said.
Dr Stohr said three suspected asymptomatic cases in Vietnam - where people are infected with the virus but do not fall ill - were unusual and it was not clear if they were contagious.
"Scientifically it would be quite a surprise if asymptomatic carriers were found," he told journalists.
Other interpretations for the trends observed in Vietnam were raised, including transmission through contaminated water or food, or infection from poultry that carried the virus but did not show symptoms, or greater persistence of the virus in the environment.
A second human case of bird flu was identified in under a week in Vietnam on Tuesday.
#1
What about finding out WHY bird flu and a slew of other flu strains keep popping up first in that part of the world? Are people raising animals in conditions that promote the propagation of the various flu strains that are seemingly in constant threat of jumping to humans? Are there sanitation problems that need to be dealt with? What's the deal?
It's all fine and dandy to issue advisories and warnings, but it seems to me that a better course of action would be to try to interrupt the epidemic before it gets a chance to start.
#2
Er, scratch that; not so much interrupting the epidemic before it gets a chance to start, but containing it before the problem spreads beyond SE Asia's shores.
#5
Basically, Asian farmers are filthy people. That's it in a nutshell. You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to convince my cook to wash her hands before she prepared my food. And that's after she's cleaned the house...imagine cleaning the chicken coops and then preparing dinner.
#6
I wouldn't call them filthy. Its more they don't take the basic hygeine precautions most of us take for granted. Combine that with close proximity of domestic animals and food preparation and you have the basic cause.
#7
Are people raising animals in conditions that promote the propagation of the various flu strains that are seemingly in constant threat of jumping to humans?
Essentially? Yes. Even in India there are a lot of street level food bazaars (I know my family has shopped in them often enough) where poultry is basically up for grabs, literally in some cases, hygenically separating them isn't even thought of and the idea of diseases from animals like chickens doesn't even cross the mind. Then theres also rural to semi-urban farm areas where you can find chickens roaming around. The shanty town areas aren't too likely to see too many chickens around because that would end up on someones dinner plate right quick, but other than that theres very little in the way of major separation of areas of where poultry in general tends to live/feed and where humans often live/feed in places like that.
#8
how bout the gov'ts in the region (yes, you, China and VN) be honest about outbreaks and teh extent? Might be nice to have a response better than the SARS process. Maybe the mighty China will be brought low by a pandemic reduction in population, rural to urban?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 8:12 Comments ||
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#9
they don't take the basic hygeine precautions most of us take for granted. Combine that with close proximity of domestic animals and food preparation
If that isn't filthy, what is?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
05/20/2005 8:29 Comments ||
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#10
"The WHO said the study in Vietnam was not conclusive, however, because of the relatively small number of cases."
And no word in this article on what the preparations should be. More money to the U.N., no doubt. I'm putting this one in the file with nuclear winter and global warming. John Bolton will take care of this.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/20/2005 9:32 Comments ||
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#11
Hasn't WHO been screaming about a world wide outbreak for several years now? Starting to sound like a cry of Wolf to me. Still, like a broken clock they can be right twice a day....
#12
I'm sure the UN will come up with a solution after a few conferences in exotic locations to discuss having a luncheon or three in Vietnam for some on-hand analysis of their sex industrty.
#13
We will get right on this. But first we demand that the United State withdraw all forces from Vietnam.
Posted by: K. Annan ||
05/20/2005 14:00 Comments ||
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#14
The usual system for raising pigs and chickens in Asia is to house the chickens on slat floors above the pigs. The pigs eat the chicken droppings, and get about 40% of their nutrition from them. You couldnt design a better system for getting disease to cross the species barrier, and once pigs are infected it is a very easy jump to humans.
DILI - East Timor will continue to need the support of the United Nations to strengthen peace and stability after UN peacekeeping missions come to an end, President Xanana Gusmao said on Thursday.
"We will still continue to count on your support... to help us consolidate the achievements and progress we have made in securing peace and stability over these last few years," Gusmao said in a ceremony to mark the end of the mandate of the UN Mission of Support in Timor-Leste (UNMISET.) He hailed UNMISET's contribution to peace and security in East Timor, which voted to break away from Indonesia in a violence-marred ballot in 1999.
We should recognize that occasionally the U.N. gets one right -- particularly when Aussies lead the charge. East Timor wasn't handled well, but it could have been a lot worse, and it got better the day the Aussies stepped ashore.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/20/2005 00:00 ||
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We should recognize that occasionally the U.N. gets one right East Timor wasn't it. It gets good coverage in the Oz press and its clear UN involvement has been their usual inept screw up.
Yes, tough call, I know...
NEW YORK - In the paperback edition of "My Life," former President Clinton acknowledges that his memoir may have been too long, recounts some friendly faces from his book tour and some odder ones sighted under the influence of anesthesia as he underwent heart surgery last September. How would you remember friendly faces when some of them were playing face plant with your crotch?
"At first I saw a series of dark faces, like death masks, flying toward me and being crushed," writes Clinton, whose book comes out May 31 in both trade and mass market paperback. "Then I saw circles of light with the faces of Hillary, Chelsea, and others I cared about flying toward me, then away into a bright, sun-like source." My god - He's seen 'Revenge of the Stith' before the rest of us! Well, it's that or a bad flashback...
When Clinton regained consciousness after surgery, he "waved to people, said I was all right, and laughed." At least, that's what his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, told him. The former president himself doesn't remember. "Get well soon - I need you for the New Hampshire primaries!"
"My Life" has sold just under 2.2 million copies in its 957-page hardcover edition, and interest apparently is strong for the paperback. The trade paperback, which has the same dimensions as hardcover, will have a first printing of 300,000 — 50,000 copies more than originally announced. The mass market paperback, a cheaper, pocket-sized edition, will have two volumes, the first with a printing of 600,000, the second in late June at 575,000. Cheaper? Yeah, it seems to fit...
Much of the new material — a 12-page afterword, and a brief preface — summarizes Clinton's recent activities, from the building of his presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., to raising money for Tsunami victims. He also offers a quick analysis of last year's presidential election, urging fellow Democrats not to move "hard to the left." Shot at Dean-O? Nice!
Clinton acknowledges complaints about the book's length and names a possible culprit, his wife. He calls the senator's memoirs, "Revised Living History," a "fine book" (he has called his own book "pretty good") and says that her success "added to the pressure" for him to meet a June 2004 deadline. So Bill wind up writing 957 pages of chaff and somehow almost miss a deadline? How does that work again?
"Most people thought it was too long — a fair criticism. Thomas Jefferson once said that if he had had more time he could have written shorter letters," writes Clinton, whose afterword helps make the trade paperback even longer, 969 pages. I know Thomas Jefferson, and you, Bill Clinton, are no Thomas Jefferson, unless you're banging black women too...
Many reviewers were bored by "My Life." The Associated Press likening it to being trapped "in a small room with a very gregarious man who insists on reading his entire appointment book, day by day, beginning in 1946." Clinton directly mentions only a favorable review, by novelist and Clinton buttboy rumpswap Larry McMurtry, and otherwise pans the press for not licking his balls in a more obsequious fashion caring more about gossip: "The reviewers who were interested in people, politics and government seemed to like it better than those who weren't." Which narrows the crowd considerably...
He remembers a better reception on his promotional tour, such as the buxom young future interns readers who wore thong underwear thought 'You're so... fucking... hot...' the book would "offer guidance about how they, too, could live their dreams." He also notes those of "modest means" who had purchased a copy of the hardcover, which has a suggested retail price of $35. $35 for a proven conversation stopper? Where do I sign?
"When I saw how many people of modest means came to the book signings, I worried about my long and heavy book also being too expensive," writes Clinton, whose book has a $17.95 suggested price in trade paperback and $7.99 for each of the mass market volumes. Such noble sentiments... (* sniff *) Gets ya right here, doesn't it?
"I can't change the length, but I hope the paperback edition, in reducing the weight and cost, will make `My Life' accessible to a new round of readers." Yet another reason why I don't shop at Wal Mart...
#1
"At first I saw a series of dark faces, like death masks, flying toward me and being crushed." Those would be the demons from Hell comin' ta get ya, Bill. "Then I saw circles of light with the faces of Hillary, Chelsea, and others I cared about flying toward me, then away into a bright, sun-like source." And that would be them, though it's questionable about Hillary, going to heaven as you descend into the pit.
#9
"unless you're banging black women too..."
I remember a story about Bills love child with a black women. It was talked about during the second election. Even had a picture of his (alleged) son. So, I guess on that point he is Tommy Jefferson.
EFL: A Boston health clinic has admitted to distributing pornographic books to middle school students and others at a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) conference hosted by a Massachusetts high school. Initially GLSEN Boston categorically denied its recent 15th Annual Conference event at Brookline High School featured sexually explicit materials.
"No, no, we wouldn't do such a thing! It's just another big lie by the far right."
However, the Fenway Community Center health clinic has admitted to passing out copies of "The Little Black Book -- Queer in the 21st century," a graphic how-to manual on homosexual sex. The superintendent of Brookline Schools has also acknowledged that the sexually explicit materials were made available at the conference when they should not have been, and he has apologized for that fact.
Prior to the health clinic and the school system confirming the truth, GLSEN Boston's office had maintained that the allegations of pornographic books at its conference were "categorically untrue," and were nothing more than lies "from the far right." As late as yesterday, the chapter's website had a notice posted on its "news & announcements" page, stating that the group "wants to assure everyone that there were no sexually explicit materials at the conference."
According to the web notice, the pro-homosexual organization prohibits "sexually explicit materials of any kind" at its conferences, and to permit them at one of its events "would be in violation of clearly stated policy." GLSEN Boston executive director Sean Haley was even quoted on the website as saying that the group assigns monitors to every workshop and event to assure that all policies are strictly enforced.
"No such materials, from AAC or anyone else, were ever present at the GLSEN conference in Brookline," Haley claimed, adding, "These allegations are simply lies." Wednesday night (May 18), however, GLSEN admitted to American Family Radio News that the inappropriate materials were indeed present at the April 30 event -- but would never be made available at one of its conferences again.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 8:42:15 AM ||
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#1
Did it mention any of the risks (disease communication, physical injury) inherent in that sort of sex?
#2
Celebrating Diversity in Brookline? No shit.
They probably handed them out at the high school because its cheaper then mailing one to every address in the city. I think it's mandatory that every house in town has a copy.
#5
However, the Fenway Community Center health clinic has admitted to passing out copies of "The Little Black Book -- Queer in the 21st century," a graphic how-to manual on homosexual sex.
Somebody needs to send the Fenway Center a manual on how to go f*ck yourself.
#9
Although, if they really wanted to be equal and have rights for everyone, they would have handed out some regular porn too. I feel discriminated against! Where's the ACLU?!?!?
#10
As I used to say . . . the homosexual deconstructionists are targeting kids in their efforts to remake society according to their "preferences."
" . . . the Fenway Community Center health clinic has admitted to passing out copies of "The Little Black Book -- Queer in the 21st century," a graphic how-to manual on homosexual sex. "
I hope no one is convinced it was just a "mistake." The damage has been done (or from their point of view--the victory was won) --and that's all they wanted.
#11
As I used to say . . . the homosexual deconstructionists are targeting kids in their efforts to remake society according to their "preferences."
" . . . the Fenway Community Center health clinic has admitted to passing out copies of "The Little Black Book -- Queer in the 21st century," a graphic how-to manual on homosexual sex. "
I hope no one is convinced it was just a "mistake." The damage has been done (or from their point of view--the victory was won) --and that's all they wanted.
Four French peacekeepers are being investigated over accusations of sexual abuse against a girl in Ivory Coast. The French army said it received a complaint that the four abused the girl at Madinani village, in northern Ivory Coast, earlier this month. Neither the girl's age or identity, nor the soldiers' names, were disclosed. Some 4,000 French soldiers are serving alongside 6,000 UN troops in the former French colony, which has been divided by a two-and-a-half year rebellion.
Picking up their habits, I see.
The French said there was as yet no evidence to confirm the allegations. "We will treat this affair with the greatest seriousness if the facts are established," army spokesman Colonel Henry Aussavy told Reuters news agency.
It is the first allegation of its type against French soldiers in Ivory Coast. UN peacekeepers have recently been accused of sex crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Relations have been strained between the French and Ivory Coast governments since peacekeepers were sent in to patrol a buffer zone dividing government and rebel territory. Some supporters of the Ivorian government have accused French forces of siding with the rebel forces based in the north. Tensions came to a head last November, when nine French soldiers were killed in a government bombing raid. The French retaliated by destroying most of Ivory Coast's air force.
Ivory Coast, once a paragon of stability and prosperity in West Africa, has been crippled by the rebellion that erupted in 2002. A recent South African-backed peace deal, and the prospect of elections in October, has raised hopes of an end to the conflict.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/20/2005 8:24:37 AM ||
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#1
I'm sure the MSM will be all over this.... providing cover for Phrance that is!
The folks over at DU have worked themselves up into a lather about the recents rating that show FNC viewership falling off over the past six months. I was looking over the data and best I can tell (I may be wrong) every cable news network has fallen. So it's not a case of a viewer leaving FNC and tuning to CNN or MSBNBC (are they still on?). But the Kool Aid crowd are toasting to the death of FNC. I goggled and yahooed and found this report that actually had numbers on it. Cearly all cable news networks fell but FNC fell the least and other data on that site colaborates that. Another search revealed another page on TVNewser that contradicts the ealier claim that was used on the DU post. I wanted to show them but they seemed so happy and smug I just couldn't.
I'd guess that all the news channels would have fallen proportionately after the election. We went from Bush versus Kerry, weighty matters of war and peace and the future of our grandchildren, to Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, and similar silliness interspersed with dead children in Florida. How much of any of that can you watch?
#3
From March 2005, here's a different look at the numbers:
The ratings are in for February, and the numbers are not good for CNN which saw steep losses in its viewership, while the Fox News Channel continued its rise.
According to Nielsen Media Research, CNN's ratings fell by 21 percent last month in primetime, and 16 percent overall, reports Variety.
Primetime big-name shows such as "Larry King Live," "Wolf Blitzer Reports," "Lou Dobbs Tonight," "Paula Zahn Now" and "Newsnight With Aaron Brown" all experienced double-digit declines.
Only "Anderson Cooper 360" had a slight increase of 2 percent.
During President Bush's State of the Union Address, CNN was soundly beaten by Fox, and even lost the key 25-54 demographic to third-place MSNBC.
In contrast, Fox News was the only news network on cable to see viewership increases in February, as it outpaced all other cable news companies combined for the sixth straight month.
"FNC averaged 1.57 million viewers in primetime, up 18 percent from the same period last year, while CNN fell 21 percent to 637,000 viewers from the same time period," Variety stated.
The growth appeared across the board at Fox News:
# "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren" up 37 percent;
# "Hannity & Colmes" up 19 percent;
# "Special Report With Brit Hume" up 20 percent;
# and "The O'Reilly Factor," up 9 percent.
Variety says the dismal performance by CNN's new president Jonathan Klein has led some at Fox to refer to him as "Jon De-cline."
CNN wasn't the only network to plunge last month. MSNBC dropped 15 percent overall and 14 percent in primetime. CNBC fell 23 percent overall and 42 percent in primetime.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 10:53 Comments ||
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#11
fox may be the best there is, and I really like brit hume, but fox sux. I don't even turn any of it on anymore...unless I stumble across it...
I know they report some good stuff because i see people talk about it now and then on the net, but the only thing I ever see is advertisements, and overhyped blather and bombs going off in Iraq or Israel. Watching fox to get news is like eating a box of cracker jacks to get peanuts - when you hate carmel covered popcorn.
I don't think they can survive unless someone gets smart and produces a real news show. It's not like their work isn't already done for them on the net. Maybe if they read rantburg....they could broadcast real news.
#12
2b, I hardly watch Fox news either I prefer to get my news from the Net and Blogs (more accurate and you get instant comments from people who know what the fark they are talking about).
But at least they aren't reporting each and every american death with absolute Glee like they do on ABC/NBC/CNN/CBS/MSNBC/BBC/etc....
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - A U.N. envoy went to Zimbabwe for talks with President Robert Mugabe on Thursday amid signs the economically distressed African nation was dropping its opposition to food aid as long as it came without any political conditions attached. The state-owned Herald newspaper reported Wednesday that Mugabe had told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan the country would accept food assistance if it is not linked to political demands.
Mighty white of ya, Bob.
There were new indications of Zimbabwe's economic hardship Thursday. The central bank announced a 45 percent devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar, a ban on luxury imports, and heavy subsidies for agriculture and exporters to try to end an economic crisis that has seen mass arrests of black-market traders, long lines for gasoline and stampedes for scarce foods.
Subsidies? Time to print some new bank notes with '000' added to the current denominations.
With an estimated 5 million Zimbabweans now admittedly in urgent need of food aid, Mugabe has agreed to meet World Food Program chief James Morris, who is due to visit the country next week, Mugabe's press secretary, George Charamba, was quoted as telling the Herald. "The Zimbabwean government is clear that the primary responsibility of ensuring that Zimbabweans are provided with food is its own," Charamba said.
"Which we haven't done so well at so far," he meant to add but didn't.
Charamba said the president and Annan had been talking since Zimbabwean officials backtracked on assertions the country would reap a bumper harvest of 2.75 million tons of maize. Before March 31 parliamentary elections, Mugabe insisted the country had a "bumper harvest" of maize and would be self-sufficient in food. The ruling Zanu-PF party won the poll with a huge majority.
But shortly after the poll, the government said it would have to quickly import 1.2 million tons of maize or else as many as 5 million Zimbabweans would face starvation.
U.N. envoy Joaquim Chissano went to Zimbabwe on Thursday for talks with Mugabe as the country's economic crisis deepened. Chissano, the former president of Mozambique, was to discuss proposed U.N. reforms with Mugabe, according to Zimbabwe state radio. The meeting was also expected to touch on growing food shortages in Zimbabwe, which used to be the breadbasket of southern Africa.
There were fresh signs the country's economic crisis was worsening. Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono on Thursday increased the official exchange rate for the U.S. dollar from 6,200 Zimbabwe dollars to 9,000 and said he plans to raise interest rates from 30 percent to 170 percent. Loans as low as 5 percent would be extended to exporters and farmers, and bonus payments would be made to tobacco and cotton growers and milk and meat producers, Gono said. He also predicted that inflation would reach 80 percent this year because of the need to import food.
He was then taken out and 're-educated'.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/20/2005 00:36 ||
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#1
Any bets that the money not spent on food, goes to buy more stuff from the Chinese?
#3
no luxury imports? Bet there's a "Grace Mugabe" exclusion clause
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/20/2005 8:18 Comments ||
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Mugabe had told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan the country would accept food assistance if it is not linked to political demands.
Sure, Bob, you corrupt incompetent clown. Continue to run your country into the ground. We'll prop up your failure in any way we can. It is the UN way.
Posted by: K. Annan ||
05/20/2005 8:39 Comments ||
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...accept food assistance if it is not linked to political demands.
OK, then. Starve.
Of course, Bob won't starve. A million of his slaves will, but they didn't vote for him, so it's OK.
#2
If the Antarctic ice melts,it is obviously Global Warming.
If the ice thickens,it is because all the pollution we in the West are pumping into atmosphere is preventing the sun from melting the ice properly.
No matter what,it's our fault,blah,blah,blah.
Posted by: Stephen ||
05/20/2005 1:32 Comments ||
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#3
This fits with water vapour being the major climate driver (we already know its the primary greenhouse gas), which in turn leads us back to volcanos as the primary driver of water vapour levels (oceanic evaporation is a secondary effect). This year is set to the most volcanically active without a major eruption ever recorded, which will give a nice boost to warming next year or the year after. So expect more tearing of hair and renting of clothes by the sky is falling Green crowd.
#4
Most important part of the story, which is played almost as an aside:
However, the European Space Agency satellite CryoSat, due to be launched later this year, should be able to make very accurate altitude measurements around the coast, providing evidence of exactly how much ice is being lost there. Only when scientists put all these measurements together will the full truth about Antarctica's ice become clear, says Vaughan.
In other words, we don't know the truth yet, but we know it's global warming. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Sounds like Newsweek and CBS all over again...and there's are these gems...
* East Antarctica thickened at an average rate of about 1.8 centimetres per year over the time period studied, the researchers discovered. The region comprises about 75% of Antarctica's total land area - but as its ice is thicker, it carries about 85% of the total ice volume.
* The smaller West Antarctica showed an overall thinning of 0.9 centimetres per year.
So, West Antartica comprises 15% of the total ice.
Therefore, the much, much larger piece is growing twice as fast as the smaller piece is shrinking. Correct me, please, but the math here indicates that the place that have 90% of ALL the world's is ADDING far more ice than it is losing.
Michael Crichton is right. This entire global warming story is looking more and more like a crock.
Just because E Antarctic sheet is getting thicker does not mean there is no global warming. In fact, many numerical models predict more snowfall over Antarctica with moderate warming (this is intuitively attractive because warmer air can hold way more water vapor).
One key to understanding this overall situation is the continued rise of sea level. This has a number of components, but one is that warm water is less dense and, even though the increase in temperature in tiny and even though the decrease in density is tiny, the ocean is so deep (about 2 miles on the average) that a small temperature rise in mean ocean temperature causes a rise in sea level.
Of course, changing water density isn't the only thing going on but it is thought to be an important driver in the increase in sea level.
#8
Only a moron would claim climate change is not happening and only a bigger moron can think we can stop it. The fact is that climate is warming and cooling over different timescales and from different influences. The issue and the only issue is whether manmade influences are driving a catastrophic change in climate. There is no evidence to date that climate change has produced an even noticeable effect on the weather anywhere, never mind a catastrophy.
#9
Of course, if we're heading for another Ice Age, not only does ice get thicker, but the world gets drier as water is trapped in ice. Drier world means less rain (duh), but also less clouds, which means more sunlight reaches the ground.
Last time I checked, more sunlight = warmer temps in sunny areas.
In a full blown Ice Age you'd would not be surprised to see the world with ice top and bottom, with blazing deserts around the middle.
The whole idea behind the Black Sea flood was that an ending ice age raised sea levels and the higher sea broke through the Bosporus to the lower (due to dry conditions) Black Sea.
Hmmm, interesting stuff. Maybe I have a topic for my monthly post on my own lame site now, lol.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
05/20/2005 9:23 Comments ||
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#10
I have seen from some scientists (don't remember where, sorry) that poo-poo the whole global warming thing, that the sea levels wont' rise that much at all. For the ice caps that are in the ocean, already displace the water and if they melt, the level remains the same if not reduces since water expands when it freezes. The ice on the land is what would cause the sea level to rise, and there isn't that much of it. Of course, since the scientists poo-poo global warming and the destruction of the earth, they are ignored by the MSM.
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.
In what organizers called an unprecedented event, dissidents from groups opposed to 
U.S. civil rights leader 
LONDON - The European Union's first ever constitution cannot be re-negotiated if French voters reject the document in a referendum, former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing said Thursday.
Prime Minister 
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - A U.N. envoy went to Zimbabwe for talks with President Robert Mugabe on Thursday amid signs the economically distressed African nation was dropping its opposition to food aid as long as it came without any political conditions attached. The state-owned Herald newspaper reported Wednesday that Mugabe had told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan the country would accept food assistance if it is not linked to political demands.
