#2
Well, the state and local governments are looking for new revenues to tax, here's one they've avoided for years. Will (tax) necessity become the 'mother' of invention (legalization)? Do it in the name of the children (LOL). /sarcasm off
#4
Well folks, thee is at least one rantburger on that list of clients released by the cops. He was visiting Phoenix at the time and had a great reason to celebrate. The woman he saw was worth every penny, or so I'm told.
Several months ago, a rabidly anti Israel group on the Hampshire College campus began a campaign to try to get the college to divest from six companies that they claim helped "the Israeli occupation of Palestine." Those who came up with this formulation regard all of Israel, including Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ben Gurion Airport, as "occupied Palestine." In other words, their goal is to end the existence of Israel.
This divestment effort is part of an international campaign against Israel. Until now, every American university administration has categorically rejected this attempt to single out Israel in a world filled with massive human rights abusers. But Hampshire caved in to student and faculty pressure and as Board of Directors agreed to divest from these six companies along with a series of others that did not meet the standards of Hampshire College. The student group, supported by many faculty members, claimed total victory, issuing a press release that boasted that Hampshire has become the first college in the United States to divest from Israel. It urged other universities to follow its lead. Note that the instigators are complete terrorist kool-aid drinkers; advocating the complete destruction of Israel; and not mere critics of various Israeli policies.
Those supporting the petition include the notorious anti-Semite Cynthia McKinney, America and Israel basher Noam Chomsky and other Israel haters. The six companies include General Electric, ITT, Motorola and other corporations that employ thousands of American workers. The divestment campaign applies to Israel and Israel alone. Hampshire will continue to deal with companies that supply Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Belarus and other brutal dictatorships around the world that routinely murder civilians, torture and imprison dissenters, deny educational opportunities to women, imprison gays and repress speech. Indeed many of those who support divestiture against Israel actively support these repressive regimes.
This divestment campaign has absolutely nothing to do with human rights. It is motivated purely by hatred for the Jewish state. As New York Times columnist Tom Friedman put it: "Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vial. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanctions--out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East--is anti-Semitic and not saying so is dishonest."
The petition itself mentions nothing about terrorism directed against Israeli civilians, rocket attacks aimed at its kindergartens, and the unwillingness of Hamas even to recognize Israel's right to exist. It seeks to express "solidarity with Palestinian students whose access to education is severely inhibited by the Israeli occupation." It fails to add that Palestinian students have more and better access to education than Arab students in nearly every other part of the Middle East. It fails to mention that students are routinely arrested for expressing dissenting views in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and other Muslim nations. It fails to mention that Israel has affirmative action programs for its Palestinian students. It fails to mention that when Israel ended the occupation of Gaza in an effort to trade land for peace, all it got in return was more than 6,000 rockets fired from Gaza at its children. It fails to present any balance concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.
When protests over Hampshire action began, the administration issued a statement of clarification, which did not mention Israel but claimed, obliquely, that "the decision expressly did not pertain to a political movement or single out businesses active in a specific region or country." [To read the entire statement, go here.]
But Hampshire President Hexter acknowledged that "it was the good work of SJP"--the virulently anti-Israel group called Student For Justice in Palestine--"that brought this issue to the attention of the committee."
They can't have it both ways. They undertook no action based on alleged violations by any country other than Israel, which allowed the anti-Israel group to claim victory, as they have been doing even after the "clarification." Virtually every media report was headlined "Hampshire First College in United States to Divest From Israel." I see dhimmis like the Hampshire administrators as the witch-doctors and shamans of a new kind of cargo cult. They believe that if they shake their feathers and rattle their gourds in the right direction, the gods (in the form of wealthy oil ticks) will shower them with recycled petro-dollars. Unlike the original cargo cultists, though, they are probably right.
#2
This looks like the action of a fifth-rater trying to claw their way up the rankings the easy way, rather than improving academically. But perhaps Hampshire College is one of those quiet jewels of academia known only within the region. Still, I don't remember them courting trailing daughter #1, for all she was a National Merit scholar; perhaps they don't aspire that high.
#3
When I was up there in the giant reeducation camp (UMASS, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, and Hampshire) known as the Pioneer Valley before I escaped in the 70's, Hampshire College was known as the home of the real weirdo's. One of those free form, no grades, make your own major, have your graduation class pose in the nude for their class picture (no kidding) colleges which seemed to cater to rich, liberal NYC kids. It's 50 g's a year to go there, so I doubt that's changed much...
Saint John's is more of a mixed bag - or used to be. Now, I'm not quite sure. But in the early 70s SJC had people like Leo Strauss and Herman Kahn give talks or visit with students. I'm pretty sure Hampshire wasn't as welcoming ....
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife, authorities said. Hey, it was that or throw acid in her face. Probably couldn't find enough employees after hours to put together an decent impromptu stoning party.
Muzzammil Hassan was charged with second-degree murder after police found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, at the Bridges TV station in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, said Andrew Benz, Orchard Park's police chief. Second degree? What the fuc& did he use to decapitate his wife? A samurai sword that just happened to be laying around for the kids to play with or something?
Hassan was arrested Thursday. One day too late.
His wife filed for divorce January 6, and police had responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's home, Benz said. Figured they had nothing to worry about when they took his bow saw away.
Hassan went directly to the police station after his wife's death and confessed to killing her, Benz told CNN. Benz declined to give further details. She was spying for the Americans, I tell you!
Attempts to reach an attorney for Hassan were unsuccessful, and his family didn't return calls from CNN. Probably wondering what all the fuss was about.
He had two children, 4 and 6, with his wife. He had two other children, 17 and 18, from his previous marriage. So, kids, what do you think of Islam now?
He launched Bridges TV, billed as the first English-language cable channel targeting Muslims inside the United States, in 2004. At the time, Hassan said he hoped the network would balance negative portrayals of Muslims following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Point taken.
The station's staff is "deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya Hassan and the subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan," a statement from Bridges TV said. He should have been set free the minute he said he wouldn't do it again.
"Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victim," the statement said. The unspeakable horrors he must have suffered before being driven to behead the bi+ch.
#1
I talked to a liberal friend of mine last night. He said that promoting this story promotes hate. The term asshat come to mind. Liberal refuse to condemn Islam no matter how true the stereotype, down to the letter of the Hadiths.
#3
And umpteen NYT articles on Abu Ghrab* wasn't intended to incite hate? Your liberal acquittance just admitted its not about knowing truth, its just all about power.
*While even greater mistreatment of prisoners was going on in our own stateside facilities, but who's Govs and AGs were Donks, therefore unworthy of such attention.
#6
The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife, authorities said.
Oh, well. Looks like it just didn't work out, Muzzammil...
#14
Qur'an 4:34 tells men to beat their disobedient wives after first warning them and then sending them to sleep in separate beds. It is worth noting how several translators render the key part of this verse, æóÇÖúÑöÈõæåõäøó, waidriboohunna.
Pickthall: and scourge them
Yusuf Ali: (And last) beat them (lightly)
Al-Hilali/Khan: (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful)
Shakir: and beat them
Sher Ali: and chastise them
Khalifa: then you may (as a last alternative) beat them
Arberry: and beat them
Rodwell: and scourge them
Sale: and chastise them
Daryabadi: "and beat them"
Asad: then beat them
#1
Apes are scary, dangerous creatures. I'm always a bit perplexed at the notion people find chimps cute or amusing; they're wild animals, yet with a "pre-sentient" level of intelligence (chimps are actually superior to humans in several cognitive area like short term memory, and as for "intelligence", I think they're now believed to have the abstract reasoning capacities of an 8 years old)... meaning they actually have all the dangerousness potential of both an human, and an animal - remember that story here about the old geezer who had a foot, his testicles, and most of his face ripped off by two "buddies" of his couple's pet chimp? They threw a party for their anthropomorphized chimp, and when the "buddies" didn't get a slice of cake as the chimp pecking order would have wanted it, they went berserk. And chimps and apes in general are very strong, and very fierce... and incidentally, a while earlier in 2008, there was a follow up to that one, as their own chimp had escaped into the wild, and they were calling people to be kind to him while police looked around, since he was "harmless" (well, he just had once bitten of a lady's finger when she tried to pet him). Chimps. Why do they ate us?
#3
mom's "why are people stupid about pets?" rant, version 5280:
The other day, a landlord in Beloit discovered that a noxious tenant left a 3 foot alligator behind when he skipped out. As the humane society spokesman observed, "We advise against keeping alligators as pets. They will get big enough to think of you as dinner."
Every creature is cute when it's small. Trouble is, people don't do their homework about animal care, and don't think about when the animal gets big. That's why our family has two rescued rabbits who originally had anxiety disorders from bad housing; one rescued turtle whose owner had bought him illegally small and kept him in a tiny, tiny bowl (he lives in a horse trough now, and is 7 inches long, on his way to becoming the size of a dinner plate), and a rescued corn snake whose original owner didn't have the sense to provide him with a heat source.
When we got one rabbit, she was 10 weeks old and her digestive tract was in trouble because of the noise and ill-care in her previous home. She could have died from those conditions. I carried her in my sweatshirt pocket for three days, and she calmed down. She is now the perfect kindergarten visitor; she will let 15 kids handle her without fussing.
THINK, PEOPLE, before you get any animal. If you know somebody who's waxing enthusiastic about getting any animal, ordinary or exotic, shake some sense into them and make them do their homework.
Keeping an ape casually as a pet without the proper means is insanity. Strong, intelligent, and no morals or governors on behavior other than desire. A deadly combination.
People originally kept animals as a food source (sheep, cattle, chickens, etc), or to help them get food or protect themsleves (dogs, horses, cats). The companionship thing was very much a fringe benefit.
I know a couple (college educated, FWIW) who have three horses, two of which are too old to ride, two neutered male goats, five cats (which I suppose keep the rodents down), and two dogs (neither of which hunt). They also have three children. They are barely making ends meet, and are saving nothing for their retirement or their kids schooling. This is near-criminal insanity. If you have the wherewithal to live your life in a fiscally responsible way and afford the luxury of a pet which does nothing, it's your money, go for it. If your like this family, or the chimp's owner, you're as irresponsible as someone who spends the money on gambling or booze.
It's a sign of inability to handle affluence when we take and keep animals like chimps for pets, or spend the money and effort as a society, generally speaking, that we do on pets who perform no task other than companionship.
/rant off
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/17/2009 17:23 Comments ||
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#5
Strong, intelligent, and no morals or governors on behavior other than desire.
Oh, enough about Elliott Spitzer!
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/17/2009 18:37 Comments ||
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#6
Dr. White wins the thread! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/17/2009 18:52 Comments ||
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#7
no mo uro, I partially agree with you. I'm a dog owner and occasional breeder (show dogs who can hunt quite nicely, thank you). I'm always leery of those who regard dogs as furry children.
They're not. They're interesting, social and highly able creatures in their own right but their abilities, mentality and motivations are not the same as ours.
That said, you miss several practical purposes for dogs today. In addition to detering breakins and theft, dogs also provide a documented health benefit. Stroking an amenable dog or cat measurably reduces blood pressure and improves cognition, coordination and other physiological capabilities in the elderly or those recovering from major injuries. This is the basis for training dogs and taking them to nursing homes as therapy animals.
They have a similar impact on owners with whom they've bonded. So it's not quite correct to say that dogs who aren't hunting are doing 'nothing' for their owners. They may in fact be contributing in several valuable ways.
Does not in the least excuse poor judgement on the part of dog owners, nor neurotic and superficial emotionalism.
OTOH you'll pry my dogs from etc. etc. Except maybe for one who right now is being extremely annoying. ;-)
#8
Baby rattlesnakes are adorable. Not that I'd have one in the vicinity, given a choice. Baby insects are generally unattractive, excepting certain caterpillars... but I believe larval mosquitoes are mighty hunters of even more noxious tiny creatures swimming in their water. ;-)
I rather imagine the first impulse toward domesticating both dogs and cats was the emotional responsiveness of puppies and kittens, their usefulness becoming apparent only as they grew up. I mean, who would think adding a wolf to the camp site would be beneficial with children around? lotp will confirm (or not!) based on her expertise, but don't adult dogs act pretty much like wolf puppies?
Stop smooching. "Stop that this instant!"
That's the message of a new sign that went up outside a train station in northern England on Monday. "Put those lips away now, dammit!"
The goal is to stop departing passengers from pulling up in their cars at a crowded drop-off point and pausing to kiss each other farewell. "And no fondling, either! You, there, Miss! Let go of that! You don't know where it's been!"
Virgin Rail says it installed the sign while refurbishing the station after a local business networking group said the place had to become more efficient. "Dat's right. Kissin' ain't efficient!"
But profit margins may have been a factor, too. Ohoh. Cherchez le pound. Or maybe le euro.
Virgin Rail says that if passengers want to share an embrace before they part company, they should pay to park their cars nearby where they can kiss all they want. "All we're askin' is for a bit of financial support here!"
"How much financial support?"
"How much you got?"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/17/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10324 views]
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HOUSEHOLDERS would be charged for each flush under a radical new toilet tax designed to help beat the drought. The scheme would replace the current system, which sees sewage charges based on a home's value - not its waste water output.
CSIRO Policy and Economic Research Unit member Jim McColl and Adelaide University Water Management Professor Mike Young plan to promote the move to state and federal politicians and experts across the country.
"It would encourage people to reduce their sewage output by taking shorter showers,recycling washing machine water or connecting rainwater tanks to internal plumbingto reduce their charges,'' Professor Young said. "Some people may go as far as not flushing their toilet as often because the less sewage you produce, the less sewage rate you pay.''
Professor Young said sewer pricing needed to be addressed as part of the response to the water crisis.
"People have been frightened to talk about sewage because it is yucky stuff, but it is critically important to address it, as part of the whole water cycle,'' he said. "We are looking at reforming the way sewage is priced and this plan will drive interest in the different ways water is used throughout Australia.''
The reform would see the abolition of the property-based charge with one based on a pay-as-you-go rate and a small fixed annual fee to cover the cost of meter readings and pipeline maintenance, Professor Young said. The pay-as-you-go rate would provide financial savings for those who reduce their waste water output.
Professor Young and Mr McColl will promote the plan nationally through their Droplet, a newsletter whose 6000 subscribers include state and federal politicians, water policy specialists and economists around the country.
Professor Young said a sewage pricing plan, like the one proposed, was already used in the US. "In places like the City of Bellaire, Texas (a virtual suburb of Houston), they do it and the system seems to work,'' he said. "As nearly all of (the homes in) mainland Australia's cities and towns already have water meters, introduction of a volumetric charge, such as that used in the City of Bellaire, would not be difficult to implement.''
Mr McColl said the plan had to be viewed in the context of "the crucial issues surrounding water resources'' in Australia. "We should be prepared for the (drought) situation we are going through now to occur again, as well as the potential impact of climate change, so we have to act now for the future,'' he said.
#2
My village monthly bill includes a water fee and a sewerage fee. I guess all that's left is a pull-the-handle fee.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/17/2009 15:06 Comments ||
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#3
While water was not an issue, in the mid 1990's during the Saddam era, both the Palestine and Sheridan Baghdad hotels used cost 'cutting' measures. A hacksaw was used by the hotel staff to convert a single roll of toilet paper into TWO! Needless to say, great care was exercised during the execution of one's business.
#5
They are shifting to essentially the system we already have - and water shortages are not our problem. Your water supply is metered, and a fee charged per gallon to cover your usage. Then they assume that the water that comes into your house ends up going back into the sewer and you get charged a second fee to cover sewage treatment. If you use a lot of water washing cars or watering lawns, you are subsidizing toilet flushes, but for drought abatement purposes it works fine. Of course, the more logical approach would be to just raise the water fee/tax itself in order to encourage conservation.
Some people harness the awesome power of Google Earth to view distant lands they may never reach, take in a crime in progress, or maybe even find a 3 billion dollar shipwreck. At least that's the claim of Nathan Smith, a Los Angeles musician who appears to have spotted the remains of a Spanish barquentine while zooming in on a shoeprint shaped object in the Aransas Pass in Texas. This assumption was based on historical records which put a lost barquentine (three masted sailboat) near that location south of Refugio, Texas, in 1822.
After consulting with a few experts, he traveled to the location which just happens to be the private ranch of the late Morgan Dunn O'Connor. The result of this drama will end up being decided in the courts with the family of Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Smith in a bitter dispute over salvage rights. If the courts determine that the land is located within a navigate-able waterway, the first person to find the wreck is entitled to the spoils, otherwise the bounty goes to the O'Connor family.
As if this wasn't complicated enough, the state of Texas is also considering its options because it disputes the existence of a commercial waterway near the wrecks location. If this is proven true, the state might have found a surefire way to balance its books come budget time. U.S. District Judge David Hittner will rule on the salvage rights within two months time.
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.
Stop smooching.
HOUSEHOLDERS would be charged for each flush under a radical new toilet tax designed to help beat the drought. The scheme would replace the current system, which sees sewage charges based on a home's value - not its waste water output. 
