#1
Verify missed so many illegal workers mainly because it can't detect identity fraud
But they don't seem to have trouble finding me if I don't pay my taxes. How hard would it be to cross reference that to the actual tax records? Not very hard. But this sets up a nice strawman to knock down as to why we just can not verify the records.
This guy might learn slower than some members of Congress.
A 57-year-old Costa Mesa man who had his hand severed by a Metrolink train two weeks ago was apparently hit by the same train again Tuesday morning, police said. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Around 7:30 a.m., police and firefighters went to the Irvine Transportation Center after receiving a report of a man who had fallen onto the tracks.
Paramedics treated injuries to the man's left arm and right hand. His left hand was severed two weeks ago in another incident.
The man, who has not been identified publicly, said that he had fallen from the passenger platform and been run over by the train. He told authorities the same thing two weeks ago.
As of noon, Irvine police were still at the Irvine Transportation Center and at the hospital with the man, said Sgt. Mike Meyers of the Irvine Police Department.
In the earlier incident, on Feb. 8 at 7:20 a.m., the man apparently fell onto the tracks at the Laguna Niguel station; he was then dragged 87 feet by a northbound Metrolink train. The train cut off his left hand at the wrist.
That incident was investigated as an accident, said Lt. Andy Ferguson of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
"We talked to a relative who thought it was an accident," Ferguson said, adding that the man didn't say anything about suicide.
In the Feb. 8 incident, the man apparently fell onto the tracks around 7:20 a.m., while the train was still in the station, and was then dragged as it left.
In Tuesday's incident, the man had been on the passenger departure platform for the northbound Metrolink train, which was stopped. Police are investigating how he ended up on the tracks.
Lt. John Hare of the Irvine Police Department said that a mental health examination of the man will be requested.
You can only watch this, if you fast forward to 4:10. Please don't let me be the reason for losing 4 minutes of your life. (Use the red line below picture to get to 4:10 minutes) This "dumbest" part is about 15 seconds long.
The dumbest of dumb interviews with Shaun White. Somehow, Miss Bimbette Anchor connects his naming one of his famous boarding tricks Tomahawk, with Tomahawk missiles that started the Iraq War! Shaun's expression is priceless! H/T Special Report
#5
Actually, no, hon. I named it after the weapon that despicable indian savages used to brutally mutilate and scalp white settlers in the early days of American history.
Oh, wow. Did she just faint?
Posted by: ed ||
02/25/2010 0:27 Comments ||
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#3
--so, the whale was 'paroled', when will they ever learn?
Posted by: Tom- Pa ||
02/25/2010 6:34 Comments ||
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#4
There is actually a simple rule, that dumbasses refuse to follow. A "wild" animal is called a "wild" animal, because it reaches emotional maturity, which makes it unpredictable. A "domestic" animal never reaches emotional maturity, so is easier to control.
The trouble with domestic animals happens when a domestic animal does achieve emotional maturity, and can always happen unpredictably with wild animals.
#7
"On February 21, 1991, Tillikum, then living at a location in British Columbia, Canada, was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of 20-year-old female trainer Keltie Byrene.
Tilikum was moved to Orlando in 1992.
In 1999, a man who snuck into the park after closing time was found dead inside the whales tank."
I think these whale and dolphin shows are good for people to see. For the entertainers/trainers, there are more dangerous ways to make a living, and it's a damn good job.
Personally, I think the guy in 1999 is a gimme for the whale. That's the story I'd like to know. Was the guy drunk and wanted to play Spock in Star Trek IV?
#8
Killer Whales: Why do they hate us? Is it because of the unfortunate first name we gave them? Looking forward to the Oblahblah apology tour to hit the high seas this spring.
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/25/2010 11:03 Comments ||
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#9
"the attack was violent enough for Brancheau's shoe to fly off" why do I think that should be "head"? lol
Posted by: Sir Victor Emmanuel Glomomble IV ||
02/25/2010 11:46 Comments ||
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#10
So it's a serial killer whale.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/25/2010 14:03 Comments ||
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#11
Still not as deadly as a Harvard-trained biology professor.
#16
I believe that technically they're all whales. It's just that dolphins and porpoises are really, really small ones. If I recall correctly, they're distantly related to cows... or is it hippos?
AN iceberg the size of Luxembourg knocked loose from the Antarctic continent earlier this month could disrupt the ocean currents driving weather patterns around the globe, researchers said. While the impact would not be felt for decades or longer, a slowdown in the production of colder, dense water could result in less temperate winters - 'less temperate' sounds like an each way bet, could be warmer, could be cooler - in the north Atlantic, they said.
The 2550 sq km block broke off on February 12 or 13 from the Mertz Glacier Tongue, a 160km spit of floating ice protruding into the Southern Ocean from East Antarctica due south of Melbourne, researchers said. Some 400m thick, the iceberg could fill Sydney Harbour more than 100 times over.
It could also disturb the area's exceptionally rich biodiversity, including a major colony of emperor penguins near Dumont d'Urville, site of a French scientific station, according to the scientists. "The ice tongue was almost broken already. It was hanging like a loose tooth,'' French glaciologist Benoit Legresy said.
Mr Legresy has been monitoring the Metz Glacier via satellite images and on the ground for a decade in cooperation with Australian scientists.
The billion-tonne mass was dislodged by another, older iceberg, known as B9B, which split off in 1987. Jammed against the Antarctic continent for more than 20 years, B9B smashed into the Metz tongue like a slow-motion battering ram after it began to drift.
Both natural cycles and manmade climate change contribute to the collapse ice shelves and glaciers. Even when they admit natural factors could be at work, the MSM still gets it wrong. If the climate were absolutely static for 1,000s of years, Antarctic glaciers would still calve icebergs.
Tide and ocean currents constantly beat against exposed areas, while longer summers and rising temperatures also take a toll.
"Obviously when there is warmer water, these ice tongues will become more fragile,'' Mr Legresy said. Note the implication that waters are warmer, without actually saying so, because the waters aren't warmer.
Since breaking off, the iceberg - along with the newly mobile B9B, which is about the same size - have moved into an adjoining area called a ploynya. There's a word Ive never heard before.
Distributed across the Southern Ocean, ploynyas are zones that produce dense water, super cold and rich in salt, that sinks to the bottom of the sea and drives the conveyor-belt like circulation around the globe. Which incidentally works to cool the planet by distributing heat poleward.
If these icebergs move east and run aground, or drift north into warmer climes, they will have no impact on these currents. "But if they stay in this area - which is likely - they could block the production of this dense water, essentially putting a lid on the polynya,'' Mr Legresy explained.
The Metz Glacier Polynya is particularly strong and accounts for 20 per cent of the "bottom water'' in the world, he added.
Eventually, the icebergs will die a natural death, but their lifespan depends on where they go. Adrift, they could melt in a could of decades. If they remain lodged against the Antarctic landmass, they could persist far longer.
The usual 'Ifs', "coulds' and 'mights' that pervade so called Climate Science.
#2
Tide and ocean currents constantly beat against exposed areas, while longer summers and rising temperatures also take a toll.
Longer summers? Did I miss a memo or something? Did somebody rearrange the equinoxes? I understand the magnetic pole is moving round, but I didn't think we'd need to start printing new calendars?
SHOPPERS fled in terror today after a giant aquarium filled with 400 SHARKS and stingrays cracked and began gushing torrents of water.
Horrified holidaymakers were among those left fearing that they were about to be engulfed by 10MILLION gallons of water -- holding 33,000 sea creatures.
Dramatic video captured people fleeing the Dubai Mall as water poured on to the floor.... Two comments:
1. Is this mall owned by a Bond villain?
2. There's a direct-to-video exploitation film just waiting to be made. Instead of merely leaking, the tank gives way completely and hordes of mallrats are, like, totally engulfed in, like, a tidal wave of water and then, like, eaten by the sharks. Totally!
Posted by: Mike ||
02/25/2010 15:12 ||
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#1
Dubai's on a roll lately...
Are they sure the Mossad didn't do this?
#2
Just round up the nearest group of Japanese tourists and tell them it's fresh seafood, served traditional Dubai-style in a waterfall. Add bottles of Asahi beer and it's problem solved.
#6
> There's a direct-to-video exploitation film just waiting to be made. Instead of merely leaking, the tank gives way completely and hordes of mallrats are, like, totally engulfed in, like, a tidal wave of water and then, like, eaten by the sharks. Totally<
Maybe but it be really rad if the sharks had lasers on their heads. Just saying
[Al Arabiya Latest] The return to Cairo of former U.N. atomic watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei has injected energy into the political landscape, but many people wonder whether he is the "savior" Egypt has been waiting for.
ElBaradei, who arrived home on Friday to a rapturous welcome from hundreds of supporters, has repeatedly called for democratic change in Egypt since he stepped down as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency last year.
But as he dipped his toes into domestic Egyptian politics, state-owned dailies lashed out, accusing ElBaradei of being out of touch as others touted him as a man who could awaken the country from a political slumber.
"I'm against the idea of a savior, there's no such thing," he told Dream TV in a weekend interview.
"I am worried that people have reached such a level of despair that they are waiting for one person to save them, but I would like for Egypt to save itself."
"If people want to change this country, everyone must join together in making that desire known," ElBaradei said.
He has repeatedly said this is not a challenge he is willing to take on alone, insisting on broad popular backing to pave the way.
But some political voices, including in the opposition, have warned ElBaradei not to be over-optimistic. He has called for constitutional amendments to ease restrictions on presidential candidates.
"The regime will never respond to this demand," said Mohammed Habib, a senior member of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood.
The constitution as it stands bars the candidacy of ElBaradei. It requires candidates to have been a leading member of a party for at least one year and for the party to have existed for at least five years.
As an independent, he would need the backing of at least 250 elected officials from parliament's upper and lower houses and from municipal councils -- all bodies dominated by President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party.
"The Egyptian people are looking for a savior to pull them out of this state of despair and frustration. Maybe they find this in ElBaradei, but he must realize that the road ahead is difficult and long and requires continued movement and hard work," Habib told the independent daily al-Masry al-Yom.
ElBaradei had criticized the Muslim Brotherhood's position that rejects Christians running for the presidency, saying he was against religious parties.
But he found support in Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who hinted last year that he may run for the top job himself.
Moussa told an audience at the American University in Cairo that "everyone wants change. We are worried about the future of Egypt and this is our right."
Backing also came from the literary world, including from novelist Alaa al-Aswany, author of internationally acclaimed best-seller "The Yacoubian Building."
"Thousands of Egyptians overcame their fear and gathered at the airport to welcome him," despite security forces' warnings against any mass gathering to mark ElBaradei's arrival, Aswany said.
Those at the airport were not "professional politicians, they were ordinary Egyptians from different provinces and different social classes and included Muslims and Christians and women, some in veils and some in niqab," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A prominent Saudi cleric has issued an edict calling for opponents of the kingdom's strict segregation of men and women to be put to death if they refuse to abandon their ideas.
Shaikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak said in a fatwa the mixing of genders at the workplace or in education "as advocated by modernisers" is prohibited because it allows "sight of what is forbidden, and forbidden talk between men and women."
"All of this leads to whatever ensues," he said in the text of the fatwa published on his website (albarrak.islamlight.net).
"Whoever allows this mixing ... allows forbidden things, and whoever allows them is an infidel and this means defection from Islam ... Either he retracts or he must be killed ... because he disavows and does not observe the Shariah," Barrak said.
"Anyone who accepts that his daughter, sister or wife works with men or attend mixed-gender schooling cares little about his honor and this is a type of pimping," Barrak said.
Barrak, believed to be 77, does not hold a government position but he is viewed by Islamists as the leading independent authority of Saudi Arabia's hardline version of Sunni Islam, often termed Wahhabism.
Western diplomats believe that King Abdullah's push for reforms is resisted by a mainly older generation of clerics who still control the religious establishment.
The monarch dismissed a cleric from a top council of religious scholars in October after he demanded that religious scholars vet the curriculum at a new flagship mixed-gender university.
The kingdom, a major U.S. ally, is ruled by the al-Saud family in alliance with clerics from the strict Wahhabi school of Islam who oversee mosques, the judiciary and vast parts of education, and run a religious police body.
The Saudi government pays a morals police squad that roams streets and shopping malls to make sure unrelated men and women are kept apart, that women are covered from head to toe and search for alcohol and drugs under the kingdom's austere interpretation of Islam.
In 2008, Barrak issued a fatwa that two Saudi writers should be tried for apostasy for their "heretical articles" and put to death if they did not repent after the two wrote articles that questioned the Sunni Muslim view in Saudi Arabia that Christians and Jews should be considered unbelievers.
He has also denounced Shiite Muslims as "infidels" in another edict that coincided with sectarian tensions in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2010 00:00 ||
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Latin American and Caribbean nations have agreed to launch a new regional body that will exclude the United States and Canada. The new bloc will bring together some 32 nations in order to resolve regional issues and present a common position on global challenges. Good riddance, eh ...
The decision was made during the periodical Rio Group Summit at the resort town of Cancun, Mexico.
The new group will be an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), the main forum for regional affairs in the past 50 years. The OAS has been criticized for pursuing US interests and its members have repeatedly failed to get along when it comes to economical policies and trade.
The prospects for the effectiveness of this new group dazzle.
The White House has regarded the group cautiously saying it does not have any problems with it as long as it does not replace the Washington-based OAS.
Discussions about the group, which yet has to be named, are to be continued at summits in Venezuela and Chile in 2011 and 2012.
I think talking is a brilliant idea. It so neatly forestalls action, you see.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2010 00:00 ||
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#4
Solving your own problems, no stinking gringos needed? Excellente! Glad to hear it. We'll just put a stop payment on the following bullshi* USAID programs. Did I mention they were all bullshi* giveaway programs anyway:
Investing In People and Humanitarian Assistance (FY 08 $390 Million):
Economic Growth(FY 08 $206 Million):
Linkages With The Millennium Challenge Corporation:
In addition to the above assistance, ongoing Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding includes compacts with Nicaragua ($175 million), Honduras ($215 million), El Salvador ($461 million), and a Threshold Country Program for Paraguay ($35 million) and Guyana ($7 million) and Peru ($35.6 million).
Link.
46.9 million - The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2008, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 15% of the nation's total population. In addition, there are approximately 4 million residents of Puerto Rico.
Ecuador 13,363,593
Colombia 42,954,279
Venezuela 25,375,281
Brazil 186,112,794
Peru 27,925,628
Chile 16,136,137
Uruguay 3,415,920
Paraguay 6,158,000
Argentina 39,537,943
Bolivia 8,857,870
Mexico 111,211,789
Its seems, that outside of Brazil and Mexico, the third largest population of 'Latins' in the Western Hemisphere resides in the United States. Can we say its really just an racist anti-Anglo organization rather than 'Latin'.
#6
This should be hilarious. A little known statistic about people from central and South America is that they cannot stand each other. Intermarriage between any two Latin American countries is less common than parents marrying their own children.
People from central and South America will intermarry with whites, blacks, orientals, but not with the people from the next country over.
#7
You are correct sir that the peoples of each one of these countries, while for the most part exactly the same, hate each other passionately. Their resentment of the US will bind them together, tho.
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/25/2010 11:07 Comments ||
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This is an unusually well written and justifiably sympathetic feature written about effects on the health of older workers who become unemployed.
One thing is noticibly absent from the article is the underlying cause -- that markets changed and these workers could not, and they suffered the consequences.
An except:
A growing body of research suggests that layoffs can have profound health consequences. One 2006 study by a group of epidemiologists at Yale found that layoffs more than doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke among older workers. Another paper, published last year by Kate W. Strully, a sociology professor at the State University of New York at Albany, found that a person who lost a job had an 83 percent greater chance of developing a stress-related health problem, like diabetes, arthritis or psychiatric issues.
#2
P2K has it right. The public sector long ago violated the unspoken social contract, which was that in exchange for receiving guaranteed income stream and a MODEST pension regardless of political changes, public sector employees would accept from the taxpayers a MUCH lesser salary for any given type of work than in the private sector. It was intended by the Founding Fathers and the citizens of the late 1700's that public employees be a servant class to the private sector, not a ruling class.
By organizing into unions and by other political tactics, public sector employees long ago violated the agreement, and now enjoy, guaranteed large income, completely immodest pensions, and sacrifice NOTHING in return. Recent statistics show that they make more (at least at the federal level) than private sector workers, and that their pensions and retirement are ridculoously huge and secure relative both to their earnings and to anything comparable in the private sector. Contracts only work when both sides benefit, but both sides also give something up. Public sector employees, in the main, now receive without giving up anything meaningful.
To right this wrong, first step is to ban public sector unions outright. These organizations are, after all, a form of treason, groups organized in opposition to taxpaying U.S. citizens.
After doing this, there are two possible resolutions to the public sector's violation of the social contract.
1. Reintroduce to the public sector the smallersalaries and modest pensions relative to the private sector - regardless of the effect this would have on public employees lifestyle and standard of living - but leave the guarantees of income/pensions intact.
2. Remove the guarantees for income stream and pension that now exist in the public sector, and introduce to public sector employees the same level of anxiety and stress and uncertainty that the private sector has, but keep the salaries and pensions the same (dollar-wise) should the worker be employed/retired.
Personally, I would favor the first, but I could be convinced that the second is a better way.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/25/2010 8:18 Comments ||
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#3
USW local 2601 might have something to do with the layoffs.
Greece has greatly damaged its chances of an EU bail-out by lashing out at Germany over war-time atrocities and accusing Italy of cooking its books to hide public debt.
The escalating dispute came as a general strike in Greece spilled over into violent clashes between hooded youths and riot police in Athens. Chants of "burn the banks" are a foretaste of tensions once austerity measures bite in earnest later this year.
Public and private sector unions joined forces to bring the country to a standstill for 24 hours, halting flights, trains, and shipping, and shutting schools and hospitals.
Theodoros Pangalos, deputy prime minister, said Germany had no right to reproach Greece for anything after it devastated the country under the Nazi occupation, which left 300,000 dead. "They took away the gold that was in the Bank of Greece, and they never gave it back. They shouldn't complain so much about stealing and not being very specific about economic dealings," he told the BBC.
Twisting the knife further, he said the current crop of EU leaders were of "very poor quality" and had botched this month's crisis summit in Brussels. "The people who are managing the fortunes of Europe were not up to the task," he said.
One banker said the situation was surreal. "How can they call the Germans incompetent Nazis and still expect a bail-out?"
Mr Panagalos has gone even further than premier George Papandreou, who said Greece had become a "guinea pig" for squabbling eurocracts playing power games.
Athenian rhetoric has confirmed fears in North Europe that the ruling PASOK party is still in denial about the crisis and will not deliver on promises. The insults have caused bitterness in Germany, increasing the possibility that Europe's paymaster will lose patience and leave Greece to its fate after all.
Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Germany's IFO economic institute, said Athens was holding Euroland to ransom, threatening to set off mayhem if there is no bail-out. "Greece should never have entered the euro zone because they did not qualify and they are now blackmailing other European countries via the euro. It's not for the EU to help Greece. We have an institution that is very experienced in bailing-out activities: the IMF," he said.
Dr Sinn said Europe should call Greece's bluff. If the euro falls, so much the better. "The euro is overvalued anyway. It is way out of line, and a weaker euro would be quite useful for Europe to stimulate exports."
Otmar Issing, former doyen of the European Central Bank, echoed the view in Germany's Bundestag on Wednesday, warning that a Greek rescue would "open the floodgates" for serial bail-outs and destroy EMU discipline. "The crisis is made in Greece. It is the result of bad policy, not outside forces like an earthquake."
Edgy investors have begun to question whether the EU really does have a support package up its sleeve. Spreads on 10-year Greek bonds over German Bunds rose to 332 basis points.
Greece's problems are mounting by the day. Fitch Ratings downgraded four of the largest Greek banks on Tuesday, fearing a double hit from the EU-imposed fiscal tightening -- 10pc of GDP over three years -- and withdrawal of ECB stimulus. Wealthy Greeks have reportedly shifted large sums to Cyprus, eroding the Greek deposit base.
Investors fear austerity protests could spread in Europe. Portuguese unions have called a general strike for early March. Spanish unions held marches in Madrid and Barcelona on Tuesday over pensions, but turnout was low.
The EU has always found ways to master crises over the last 60 years, and will most likely do so again, but this one feels different to EU veterans. Germany's top court has left doubts about the legality of any bail-out. There is deep resistance in both Germany and Holland to calls for an EU fiscal authority or debt union -- a quantum leap in EU integration.
Such a move would imply an open-ended guarantee for over 3trillion in Club Med debt, and a violation of the political contract behind EMU. Bavarian leader Edmund Stoiber once famously derided warnings that the euro would leave German taxpayers on the hook for foreigners as no more likely than "a famine in Bavaria". Pledges come back to haunt.
#3
Greece could default as early as next week when they will sell 10B in bonds. If bids are too low they may refuse them and they will be out of money to run the government.
#4
"Greece has greatly damaged its chances of an EU bail-out by lashing out at Germany over war-time atrocities and accusing Italy of cooking its books to hide public debt."
Is Mr Katsaris advising the Greek Government already?
That was unnecessary, Bulldog. The people running the country are clearly not listening to anyone, including their various mothers, priests, or even extraordinarily clever primary school offspring.
#7
War! On the European Continent in less than 5 years. We should let them slug it out on their own this time.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
02/25/2010 14:15 Comments ||
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#8
The people running the country are clearly not listening to anyone, including their various mothers, priests, or even extraordinarily clever primary school offspring, dogs, cats, chickens, invertebrates or protozoans.
#9
Can't be Mr. Katsaris. He only insults Americans.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/25/2010 16:52 Comments ||
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#10
I am as happy to pile on he who shall not be named as anyone here...but I believe he posted here recently that he was just as unimpressed with the performance of the Greek government as any of us.
We (and the Germans, whose wonderful Bismark and Marx got this ball rolling) should also recognize that we are years, not decades, away from being in the same situation. That we are now considering expanding government health care to cover every one while we watch the Greek people and state writhe speaks to the absence of leadership or realism in our ruling class. This will not end well for them or us and schadenfreude is only whistling past the grave yard in this case.
#13
should also recognize that we are years, not decades, away from being in the same situation
The sovereign debt crisis will happen a lot faster than most realize. Initially, it will likely be good for the USA with a flight to the USD. But the US goverment is currently buying 80% of the debt it is issuing. That is, it is only selling 20% of the debt it needs to fund the deficit. That is unsustainable - printing money. And that road leads to hyper-inflation.
Will and when will the sovereign debt crisis reach the USA? Your guess is probably as good as mine, but I'd bet sooner rather than later.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A Turkish court charged seven senior military officers on Wednesday in an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government, a move that is likely to further rile financial markets.
The court also ordered the officers to be jailed pending trial.
The investigation has fuelled tensions between the ruling AK Party and the secularist armed forces, whose leadership held emergency talks on Tuesday to discuss what they described as a "serious situation."
The seven officers comprise four admirals, two retired and two serving; one retired brigadier general and two retired colonels, state-run Anatolian news agency said.
Pending the writing of an indictment, they face preliminary charges of terror group membership and attempting to overthrow the government by force.
The Turkish lira fell to a seven-month low on Tuesday and weakened even further in early trade on Wednesday. Bonds and the stock exchange also have fallen.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2010 00:00 ||
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Like Pakistan's ambassador to Syria, another family circus has been discovered in the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) where the Rector has turned it into a family enterprise, record shows.
He has appointed his daughters, nephews, brothers and daughter's father-in-law on important positions. The remaining vacant posts have gone to the retired army officers. Some are carrying the tags of professors without fulfilling the criteria of 13-year teaching experience.
Brig. (r) Aziz Ahmad, the rector, who earlier sent his daughter and son-in-law to UK for PhD on NUML scholarship, has also granted employment to Maj. (r) Akhtar, father of his son-in-law in the university's Peshawar Campus as deputy director.
Lt. Col. (r) Saeed Ahmad, now carrying the tag of professor, is rector's brother and holds the highest position in the university's Lahore Campus where he served as director. According to the university's rules, appointment against an administrative position of BPS-19 requires 13-year teaching experience. Saeed does not have this experience but has grabbed the position.
The rector's maternal nephew, Azhar Manzoor, is heading the department of management sciences in Lahore's campus. One of his daughters has already gone abroad on the university's scholarship. His other daughter, Dr. Amina, is employed as the NUML's medical officer.
Likewise, the rector's right hand in the university, director administration Muhammad Yasin, has his two sons inducted on important positions in the NUML. Bashir Ahmad, his elder son, is working as acting director examinations and Nazir Ahmad as deputy director.
Lt. Gen. (r) Tauqir Zia who was army chief's nominee to look after the NUML's affair when in the service, had his younger brother, Col. (r) Tanvir Zia, as head of the university's Karachi campus.
The rector refused to offer any comment when contacted for his version. When pressed to say something, he switched off his phone.
A source close to the rector told this correspondent, on condition of not being named, that ability was the sole criterion in all these appointments. When asked whether the ability was found only in the relatives and not in others in the country, he did not respond.
The culture of nepotism is thriving by the day with stories highlighting the issue. A report regarding the pop & mom company scam involving a dad buying tractors from his daughter and paying the money to her mom, caused ripples in the provincial government which swung into action against the company.
Another sad report disclosing how the country's ambassador to Syria had inducted his kith and kin in the Pakistan International School in Damascus expelling those already employed, has not moved the authorities who themselves are running the state and parties like family business. The NUML rector's story is third in the row raising alarms among the academic staff on how the university's affairs are being run personal whims.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2010 00:00 ||
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The world's leading organization on climate change says it is working on a strategy to better police the experts who produce its high-profile reports, to try to ensure they adhere to rigorous scientific standards. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change needs to "leave no stone unturned to come up with a set of measures so this can be ensured," Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations-sponsored organization, said. working on a strategy to try to ensure they adhere to rigorous scientific standards. Another 20 years worth of five-star dinners should do it.
Separately, the Met Office, a U.K. agency that does prominent weather and climate research, said it was proposing a new effort to improve temperature measurement.
The move by Mr. Pachauri and other IPCC leaders to step up oversight and enforcement of the panel's existing policies follows a string of revelations that have prompted criticism of the organization, which won a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its report that year concluding that climate change is "unequivocal" and is "very likely" caused by human activity. Right up there with Al Bore, The One for Nothing, and the dead guy, Arafat. Did Stalin get the Prize?
"We certainly don't feel comfortable with the loss of even one iota of trust," Mr. Pachauri said. "We are grappling with this issue and we'll come up with some measures."
Chief among the revelations was that the IPCC's 2007 report, which runs to about 3,000 pages, erroneously projected that Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035. "That's a classic case that should have got caught," Mr. Pachauri said. "That one single instance is enough of a lesson that we do something to make sure it doesn't recur." That means it wasn't even oversight-reviewed, let alone proofread, not to mention peer-reviewed.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/25/2010 13:16 ||
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#1
Let me see if I understand: "Thay called a meeting with about every head of state in the world, they planned a massive overhaul of the economy, they even tried to terrorize us into changing our way of life without beforehand having ensured their measures are reliable? And they have the gall to continue lecturing us instead of perpetrating sepuku?
#4
We thought about it for a long time, "Endeavor to persevere." "working on a strategy." And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union IPCC.
#6
I'll beleve it when I see the current crop of Climate Change crooks - particularly AL Gore - behind bars in a federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison for decades for their willful fraud.
Just two years ago, the U.S. Air Force expected to buy 381 F-22 Raptors and bring more than 1,700 smaller F-35 Lightning fighters into service beginning around 2013.
With budget cuts, planning shifts and some big program delays, today the Air Force is getting just 187 F-22s and probably around 1,500 F-35s — these a couple years later than originally envisioned.
The changes mean the fighter fleet will start shrinking soon, as old and lightly-built F-16s retire by the hundreds. “That will mean there may be a shortage of tactical aircraft that can deliver air-to-ground weapons,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Buck, commander of the 186th Fighter Squadron, an F-15C Eagle unit, told Combat Aircraft. To bolster the F-22s and F-35s in the ground-attack role, the air service is borrowing a page from the Navy, which in the late 1990s modified its F-14 fighters to drop bombs. F-15C fighters could be modified as attack planes.
The Air Force already had plans to fit new electronically-scanned radars, helmet sights, launch rails and other advanced gear to 178 of the youngest F-15Cs, which today average around 25 years old. A passive-seeking infrared sensor is also possible. These so-called “Golden Eagles” will fly alongside F-22s on air-superiority missions.
Now, to replace retiring F-16s, Golden Eagles might pick up interfaces, software and mods to their new wide-band radar-warning receiver to allow them to detect and attack ground targets.
#1
The USAF actually considered this idea in the mid-80s, but it led to the F-15E Strike Eagle (aka the Beagle). However, the idea of 'not a pound for air to ground' is going to die hard in the Eagle community.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/25/2010 5:13 Comments ||
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#2
I watched a prgoram about the A-10 which said they were good until 2025 (?).
I believe it also said the A-10 was a halfway- decent ground-attack platform.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/25/2010 5:39 Comments ||
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#3
Anyone who has ever watched an A-10 work will attest that it is much more than a "half-way decent ground attack platform." However, if there are no enemy fighters, the MQ-9 can precisely deliver GBU-12 laser guided bombs and GBU-38 JDAMs as well as AGM-114 Hellfires. The advertised external payload is 3,000 pounds. The AF is buying Reapers as fast as General Atomics can build them.
#5
The A-6 makes a good bomb truck. I know where you can get a bunch of them, but you'll have to scrub off the saltwater stains.
Posted by SteveS 2010-02-25 13:10
The A-7E Corsair II is also a great Light Attack Bomber. And there are plenty of them at the bone yard.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
02/25/2010 14:19 Comments ||
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#6
WTHeck? They already had a F-15 that carried bombs called the Strike Eagle. It flew in Desert Storm and Allied Force (Kosovo). Are they recycling stories?
#7
The Strike Eagle was the E series of the F-15, and most were new builds or remanufactures of the latest Eagles off of the line. This is just a stopgap of upgrading the C series until it can be replaced by the F-35, or in the worst case scenario for the Air Force, as the interim air system to replace those F-35s that will not be built.
#8
Also the Air Force is playing a political game : if they order 100-160 new Strike Eagles, people are going to look at the cost of the Eagles vs the F-35s and wonder why the Air Force needs any F-35s. This way, they get a not-as-good interim replacement and can still argue that they need the F-35s.
#9
only about 35 of the A-6s are resting in the Atlantic, and they all had the old wornout metal wings. There are over 100 in 'war reserve' status out in the desert, and most of them are the composite wing upgraded version, a few new build metal ones are also there. and don't forget the KA-6Ds, for organic tanker support.
And an entire maintenace and ready room contingent out here ready to go play with the SkyPig.
#1
Tangential point. The tranzie always ignore the reality, as shown here, that group identity whether tribalism or, its big brother, nationalism is alive and thriving among the human community. The only groups who seem to have a 'loyalty' to some sort of international order are largely power hungry bureaucrats [who can't find the power in the other identity groups] and academics, both of whom have a high degree of self worship and self veneration in their cabals, ie the wannabe ruling elite.
#2
During the war the OSS dropped teams into Northern Burma, organized and supplied the Kachin, and they played a big part in beating the Japanese in Burma. They had quite a reputation.
CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island -- The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end.
No more than half those instructors would be hired back under a federal option that has enraged the state's powerful teachers union, earned criticism from students, and praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and some parents.
The mass firings were approved by the school district's board of trustees Tuesday night after talks failed between Superintendent Frances Gallo and the local teachers union over implementing changes, including offering more after-school tutoring and a longer school day. The teachers say they want more pay for the additional work.
"If it's only an hour or two, I think teachers can afford to do that," said Robert Rivera, 40, who worries about sending his 13-year-old daughter to the troubled high school next year. "The teachers are overpaid."
The shake-up comes as Rhode Island's new education commissioner, Deborah Gist, pushes the state to compete for nearly $13 million in federal funding to reform the worst 5 percent of its schools, including in Central Falls.
To get the money, schools must choose one of four paths set under federal law, including mass firings. Gallo has said she initially hope to avoid layoffs by adopting a plan that would have lengthened the school day and required teachers to get additional training and offer more after-school tutoring.
Central Falls High has long been one of the worst-performing in Rhode Island. Just 7 percent of 11th graders tested in the fall were proficient in math. Only 33 percent were proficient in writing, and just 55 percent were proficient in reading. In 2008, just 52 percent of students graduated within four years and 30 percent dropped out.
Shantel Joseph, 42, who lives just a block from the school, worries her 16-year-old son might not graduate because he struggles with low grades and appears to bring home little homework. She opposed mass firings in a state that already suffers from nearly 13 percent unemployment.
"It's a bad idea, because I know they need a job," Joseph said. "They need to work. Maybe they should talk to the teachers."
Christian Manco, 15, was among four boys who ran out a side door on the high school Wednesday during what he said was a walk-out of students in support of their teachers.
"The school wants them to work more hours for no extra pay," Manco said, explaining what teachers had told him.
The negotiations bogged down when officials for the teachers' union asked for more pay if they were going to be doing more work at the school.
It remains unclear whether a compromise might emerge. Gist said Wednesday that it's not a negotiation, and that she's awaiting more detailed plans from the superintendent. But in an interview on WPRO-AM, she appeared to leave the door open to other options.
"If the district decided that they wanted to ask for more time and said that they wanted to reconsider, then I would have to take that under consideration. But right now, that's not the case," she said.
A phone message left with Gallo was not returned. With statistics like that, they certainly weren't doing their job, huh? "...lengthened the school day and required teachers to get additional training and offer more after-school tutoring..." I think they did the teachers a favor simply by 'asking' first, rather than just firing them right away, which is what they likely should have done a long, long time ago. I wish we could do that here 'sigh'...
#2
The subsets of people who are a. lazy, stupid, dishonest, and incompetent and who b. worship at the altar of the false god of infinite income stream security provided by some outside force....
.... are seen again to be one and the same.
Good for this school committee. A little fear does wonders for a worker's work ethic and competence level, if said worker is one of those types.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/25/2010 6:41 Comments ||
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#3
George Parker, head of the Washington, D.C., teachers union, about the voucher program there, he said: "Parents are voting with their feet. ... As kids continue leaving the system, we will lose teachers. Our very survival depends on having kids in D.C. schools so we'll have teachers to represent."
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/25/2010 7:12 Comments ||
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#4
The unions control the state education oversight system. The state already runs the CF school system. Nothing going to happen here, folks.
Posted by: Big Glert2505 ||
02/25/2010 8:25 Comments ||
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#5
"The school wants them to work more hours for no extra pay," Manco said, explaining what teachers had told him.
In short the idiot is only repeating what his teachers preached to him during classtime.
"It's a bad idea, because I know they need a job," Joseph said. "They need to work. Maybe they should talk to the teachers."
Maybe its the teachers who are refusing to talk. Maybe the school district should publicise how much the teachers are being paid.
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.
SHOPPERS fled in terror today after a giant aquarium filled with 400 SHARKS and stingrays cracked and began gushing torrents of water.
Greece has greatly damaged its chances of an EU bail-out by lashing out at Germany over war-time atrocities and accusing Italy of cooking its books to hide public debt.
The world's leading organization on climate change says it is working on a strategy to better police the experts who produce its high-profile reports, to try to ensure they adhere to rigorous scientific standards. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change needs to "leave no stone unturned to come up with a set of measures so this can be ensured," Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations-sponsored organization, said.
CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island -- The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end.
