More than 1,000 police and soldiers assaulted a public housing complex occupied by heavily armed gangsters defending an alleged drug lord wanted by the U.S., waging a major offensive in the heart of West Kingston's ramshackle slums.
He (Christopher "Dudus" Coke) leads one of the gangs that control politicized slums known as "garrisons." Political parties created the gangs in the 1970s to rustle up votes. The gangs have since turned to drug trafficking, but each remains closely tied to a political party. Coke's gang is tied to the governing Labor Party.
Posted by: ed ||
05/25/2010 10:23 ||
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Russia's defense minister says the country plans to buy four advanced warships from France, and is also in talks with Spain and the Netherlands about purchasing such vessels.
Anatoly Serdyukov said Monday that Russia wants to buy one ship, and jointly build three others in deals with the NATO countries. Russian President Dimitri Medvedev said he supports the deal.
Serdyukov said the ships would probably come into service in Russia's Northern and Pacific fleets.
The French Defense Ministry announced a deal earlier this year to sell the Russian Navy a Mistral-class ship, a large amphibious assault vessel. The ships can carry dozens of armored vehicles, along with 16 attack helicopters.
Russia's possible purchase of a French warship has unnerved Georgia, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008. Other former Soviet republics are said to feel that the warship deal would strengthen Russia's ability to intervene in its neighbors' affairs.
A Russian naval commander has said, if Russia had a Mistral-class ship in the Black Sea during its war with Georgia, it could have moved military equipment to the fighting zone in just minutes instead of hours.
A couple days instead of a week, comrade, but we get the idea. So do the Georgians ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/25/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
#1
Meanwhile, Citizens, back in the BatCave below stately WAYNE MANOR,
To wit,
ION WMF > CHINA OFFCIALLY ORDERS CONSTRUCTION OF TWO 60,000-TONNE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS { "Hi-Low" Mix of Training Carrier, Oil-powered, + Nuke-powered Super-Carrier CV's for the PLAN].
* SAME > EXPERTS: 2.8MILYUHN-MAN PLA CAN EASILY DEFEAT/BEAT 1.0MILYUHN RUSSIANS POST-USSR RUSSIA LOST THE COLD WAR TO NATO + CHINA'S CONVENTIONAL NUMERICAL ADVANTAGE [i.e. Mil Manpower], + MAY LOSE THE "WARM WAR" TO CHINA'S RAPID ECON GROWTH.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > CHINA BUILDING UP ITS AMPHIBIOUS FORCES.
#2
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > REPORT: SHANGHAI DEFENCE BLOC [SCO/SCO-CSTO]WON'T ACCEPT IRAN AS A MEMBER.SCO does not want prospective Member-Nation(s) to be subject to any type of UN-Internat Sanctions.
versus
* SAME > INDIA, PAKISTAN MAY BE ADMITTED INTO SCO. They're NOT Iran.
------------
* SAME > INDONESIA AS GOOD AS BRIC STATES | INDONESIA HOWS GREECE THERES LIFE AFTER AUSTERITY IN BRIC BID. JAKARTA = INDONESIA is THIRD IN "BEST PERFORMING ECONOMY" after BRIC Member-States CHINA + INDJUH [India], BUT IS AHEAD of remaining BRIC Member-States BRAZIL + RUSSIA.
Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadruple--to 32 cents a barrel--a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups. The increase would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade.
The tax is levied on oil produced in the U.S. or imported from foreign countries. The revenue goes to a fund managed by the Coast Guard to help pay to clean up spills in waterways, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
The tax increase is part of a larger bill that has grown into a nearly $200 billion grab bag of unfinished business that lawmakers hope to complete before Memorial Day.
Memorial Day is a week away. Given what they need to achieve in that timeframe, if it passes it's going to be another unread bill. Sixty-three percent of voters want the Healthcare bill repealed, President Obama's latest Rasmussen poll popularity has dropped to 44%, and Democratic candidates have been avoiding the president's help. It's going to be an interesting couple of months.
The key provisions are a one-year extension of about 50 popular tax breaks that expired at the end of last year, and expanded unemployment benefits, including subsidies for health insurance, through the end of the year.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Seems an appropriate way to tax the oil business and an appropriate intended use of such tax revenues.
But "Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund has about $1.5 billion available" could be problematic - is it any different than the Social Security Trust Fund? That is, once taxes are collected will they be immediately spent on something else, and IOU's put in the Trust Fund?
And, is it not likely that this tax will continue to be raised each time there is a disaster or other 'crisis' (like climate change)?
#3
- is it any different than the Social Security Trust Fund?
Heck is it any different than the federal gasoline tax that was suppose to be used for road infrastructure and has since vanished into the great accounting books of the Beltway? /rhet question
Wait till the EPA gets them to tax everyone [with the exception of the 'poor'] for carbon dioxide release.
#5
"Taxpayers will not pick up the tab," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday.
Dude, it's a tax - they're by definition "taxpayers". Although, admittedly, when hypocritical senators pontificate about "the taxpayers", they don't mean to cite the big companies whose names actually show up on the tax transfer forms. Since libertarian economic theory holds that no corporation pays tax anyways - they just pass the pain on to their customers in the form of higher costs - it's not even true in the sense Reid intends.
Anyways, I am not adamantly opposed to this tax increase, not as much as I am to the government's continued bumbling involvement in the whole process. The tax increase is the cost, the government's radical inefficiency and ineptitude is what is incurring the cost. If we the governed weren't demanding that the government force the oil exploration crews tap offshore oil resources as fucking far from the coasts as possible, those coasts probably wouldn't be threatened by the current oil-spill.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
05/25/2010 10:50 Comments ||
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#9
IF they had been spending the proceeds from this tax on cleanup equipment instead of dumping it into the general fund there'd be plenty of equipment waiting for the next spill (And unless Zero wants to forego Air Farce One and walk everywhere, yes, there's going to be a next spill).
Dozens of American soldiers and a battery of Patriot missiles have arrived in Poland, where they will spend the next two years teaching the Polish military to operate the advanced guided missile system at a base just a few miles (kilometers) from the Russian border.
The mission amounts to the most significant deployment ever of U.S. forces to Poland, which once was behind the Iron Curtain but is now an enthusiastic member of NATO.
Posted by: ed ||
05/25/2010 09:51 ||
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U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Tuesday announced the White House has agreed to her requests to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.
Giffords called for the Guard's deployment immediately after the March 27, 2010, murder of Cochise County rancher Rob Krentz. Giffords also says in a statement Tuesday that President Barack Obama will request $500 million in funding for border security.
In 2006, President George W. Bush sent thousands of troops to the border to perform support duties that tie up immigration agents. The troops wouldn't perform significant law enforcement duties.
That program has since ended, and politicians in border states have called for troops to be sent there to curb human and drug smuggling and prevent Mexico's drug violence from spilling over into the United States.
#2
WTH? While I think this drop in the bucket is well overdue, wasn't Obama getting all chummy with Calderon last week in condemning Arizona for their "racist" actions?
Posted by: Dar ||
05/25/2010 16:25 Comments ||
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#3
Any details on just what these troops are going to do, besides sweat and drink a lot of water?
#4
In 2006, President George W. Bush sent thousands of troops to the border to perform support duties that tie up immigration agents. The troops wouldn't perform significant law enforcement duties.
And if the head of ICE said they wouldn't process illegals from AZ, just what the hell are they going to do other than be a prop for photo shoots. Can hire actors for that rather than take the troops away from their families after their overseas commitments.
This video is a couple of weeks old, but the guy goes into detail about how much welfare individuals in CA receive. Where is all this $$$ going? The economy there will completely collapse if this happens and residents will scatter to the four winds (mostly heading south).
If the folks receiving welfare don't already have an under-the-table job, they'll have to go get one. If they already have one, they'll have to come out of the closet and start paying taxes.
#2
As I've noted before, slashing welfare is the only way out of the sovereign debt crisis (bar inflation/hyperinflation) for California, Greece and all the rest, because its the only way to reduce government expenditure and increase economic activity and hence taxes.
#5
I'm confused. I thought the whole point of economic stimulus was to put money in the hands of people who would spend it right away, and not invest it. Why wouldn't Zero want to hand wads of cash to every state (well, every blue or purple state), not just California, to distribute to instant spenders?
#6
I thought the whole point of economic stimulus was to put money in the hands of people who would spend it right away
Stim money > patronage cronies and unions > reelection funds
They did. Now they've found out that while the reward money kept the always faithful on the rolls, it seriously alienated the swing vote who don't always vote party and are critical to reelection this cycle.
#7
Welfare may be a problem in California but there are other problems too. High taxes and regulation have driven out their economic base. Public unions benefits are breaking the bank in California, other states, and the Federal government. See link Public Union Collapsing California
If things keep going the way they are, California will have an economy based on people buying and selling dope.
#8
The picture's not all bleak. California still has a flourishing tech sector, including much of the world's cutting-edge biotech (clustered in San Diego and the Peninsula part of the Bay Area). What's been hammered is manufacturing and other sectors outside of high tech, which is to say, the sectors that used to provide the bulk of middle-class employment, both directly and indirectly. Many of these folks-- educated, earning decent incomes, paying hefty taxes-- have cashed out their housing windfalls and have left the state in the last two decades for neighboring western states. There's been some immigration by educated asians and others during this time, but nowhere near enough to offset the drag of the fleeing middle-class native Californians. And of course a healthy private sector manufacturing base has been replaced with an expanding, unproductive public sector employment base-- well-paid but essentially takers, not makers, of wealth.
At the same time, the low end of CA's social pyramid has swelled, with up to ~3 million additional unskilled, uneducated Mexican immigrants arriving since 1985. This influx is a huge drag on the state's budget-- probably on the order of $10b annually in net outlays.
In short, CA has exchanged a broad-based educated middle class for a relatively small increase at the top of the income pyramid and a huge increase at the very bottom.
In due course CA's social structure, schools and employment distribution will come to resemble Mexico's. Mexification, here we come.
#10
I have a sneaking suspicion. Even an economics dumbass can see that massive government largess is a disaster. But how do you kill the beast?
Right now, the big three largess programs are SS, Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is the fastest growing, so it is the biggest threat.
One of the big elements of Obamacare is that it strangles Medicare, forcing both the public and doctors out of the Medicare system. And it is doing so right now. But if Obamacare is then overturned by the courts, Medicare will still have been gutted.
*In effect*, this will have the same result as "means testing", that was tried sometime back, but was politically impossible.
But assuming that Obamacare is thrown out, the government will have a lot more breathing room as far as critical spending goes.
Yet that still leaves Social Security, as the second head of the monster. So how can that be killed, assuming the same backdoor approach?
#11
Yet that still leaves Social Security, as the second head of the monster. So how can that be killed, assuming the same backdoor approach?
Easy. Nationalize IRA's 401K's, and Private retirement accounts.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/25/2010 10:44 Comments ||
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#12
been hammered is manufacturing and other sectors outside of high tech
I believe that Intel has stated that it is not building any more fabs in CA.
Right now it seems Arnold is holding onto the chain that keeps the Dems from cluelessly raising taxes on evil businesses. This may well change when voters' welfare is threatened. So any business that isn't leasing is probably feeling threatened, and therefore won't invest in CA in a very committed way.
#13
California's big problem is not welfare but public sector salaries and pensions that have inflated beyond any reasonable ability to pay them out, combined with hostile tax policies that have driven employers away.
With the growing consumerism, brand names of different commodities are not only attractive for the highly educated and rich - who select their shirts, shoes, wrist watches or fast food and beverages of certain brands - but also matters to the poor such as the war victims from the northern areas of Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan living in the temporary camps set in different areas of the city.
In this regard, an interesting trend was observed among the local manufacturers of soaps and detergents of the northern areas of the country, especially Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, who name their products with strange brand names, such as Kalashnikov Soap, Pistol Soap, Barood (explosive material) Soap, Kalashnikov Washing Powder, Aakhri Goli (the last bullet) Soap and Talwaar (sword) Soap.
With these brand names, their products are famous and attract the residents of tribal areas upcountry and some parts of Afghanistan where keeping weapons is a matter of esteem.
In order to find out the reason behind such brand names for everyday use products, this scribe talked to elderly Shahzaman who said people living in areas that have been war-afflicted for decades, it is a matter of honour to be able to defend themselves with weapons; therefore, the possession of weapons automatically grants one respect and is a matter to be proud of.
Kalashnikov is an automatic rifle that has been the most popular in Pakistan since the 1980s and when you posses this rifle, you can literally wipe out your enemies, so the detergent manufacturers named their washing powder as Kalashnikov Surf. People can understand that it would washout all the stains from the cloth just like the rifle wipes out the enemies,' he explained.
However, products with weird brand names have also trickled into the local markets of Karachi, specifically in the areas where immigrants from the tribal areas or Afghan refugees are living.
A small settlement located near Al-Asif Square disclosed that these products are not made in Karachi, but the wholesalers brought these goods from the northern areas to sell in the local markets.
Sociologists and psychologists call such brand names the most effective marketing tools for certain products. Humans are emotionally and deeply attached with their cultural values and taking advantage of that, most manufacturers name their products after these cultural values just to attract more customers,' said Dr Qasim Birhoi, renowned psychiatrist. He said most manufacturers named the brands according to the local cultural value, so people may get easily attracted to such products.
A quick market survey reveals some other bizarrely named products, including Suhaag Rat Paan (wedding night betel leaves), Garmi Ka Dushman Sharbat (anti-heat beverage), Gai Marka (cow mark) Soap and Murgh Marka (chicken mark) Tobacco. Interestingly, people enjoy such names.
Social science theories reveal the long history of brand names for different products and that branding started from Africa where the nomads and the country folk used to print tag marks with some hot metal on the bodies of their cows, camels and other animals, so that their animals may not get mixed with someone else's cattle. The same practice continued when several people of the wealthy nations were involved in slave trade. However, when the cruel practices of slavery ended, and the modern era started, big companies started getting involved in the brand culture and introduced products with brand names. And just in the same way, Pakistani companies have so far introduced many products with local names and cultural identity, including these strangely named products.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/25/2010 16:32 ||
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#1
Kalashnikov Washing Powder . . . gets your Kalashnikov up to 50% cleaner than the other leading washing powder. Four out of five gunsmiths recommend Kalashnikov Washing Powder for their patients who wash their Kalashnikov. Available at fine stores and market stalls everywhere.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/25/2010 17:20 Comments ||
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#2
Trotsky Ice Picks?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/25/2010 19:18 Comments ||
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SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Reuters) - DBS Group (DBSM.SI), Southeast Asia's largest lender, is shrinking its Singapore-based Islamic unit in yet another sign that the city-state's efforts to promote sharia banking is struggling.
Islamic Bank of Asia (IB Asia), in which DBS has a just over 50 pecent stake, has transferred 10 of its 65 staff to DBS and redeployed others to new roles within the Islamic bank, a spokeswoman said.
"IB Asia will continue to focus on wholesale banking but prioritise its business focus on fee-based investment banking business activities and in private equity," she added in response to queries from Reuters.
"We remain committed to growing our Islamic banking franchise in this region."
IBA, Singapore's only wholly-owned full licensed Islamic bank, suffered a loss of $77.1 million in 2009 after making specific allowances on debt owned by customers in the Gulf region. The bank had $725 million in assets as at end-2009, including $453 million in payments due from non-bank customers. that's an AIG-like loss of about 10% of assets in one year of Islamic Banking
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#3
If DBS are fronting up with these kinds of numbers, there is a disaster out there.
A disaster focussed exclusively on the Muslim world, more specifically on the moneyed Muslim world. How much love will their oil be able to buy them, afterward?
#5
Meanwhile, in China today SecTreas Geithner said, European leaders face the difficult challenge of trying to restore sustainability to an unsustainable system"
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.
