Nimrod Machani has been working as a coast lifeguard in Tel Aviv for four years. His father Shimshon, was a seaman for years and between voyages, also worked as a Tel Aviv lifeguard.
Two years ago Shimshon moved to Koh Samui, Thailand where he opened a surfboat business for tourists. At the end of the summer season in Israel, Nimrod visited his father in Thailand to help him in setting up the new enterprise.
Last week the two team went out on their daily rowing course. Shimshon explained, "The weather here is tropical. Things can change in a second. And indeed, on the way back, the weather changed all at once. The winds got stronger and the waves grew tall."
Then, they noticed two swimmers who were crying out for help. Shimshon said, "Their kayak had overturned in the storm and was swept away, they were left alone in the water. They didn't have much of a chance."
The two lifeguards rowed towards the struggling men. Nimrod noted, "When we reached them they were already at the point of exhaustion. We loaded them on to the surf boat and kept rowing towards the shore, a kilometer away."
The two battled against the weather with the swimmers on board for 45 minutes. Shimshon recalled, "When they came around and started talking among themselves I noticed they were speaking in Persian. I was born in Iran and speak the language. I told them in Persian: 'Don't be scared, you're in good hands."
When they reached the shore the two, who introduced themselves as Mundar and Ali, hugged, kissed and thanked their rescuers. Nimrod said, "When we told them we're Israelis they just got up and fled."
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Deadly violence rocked election day in the Democratic Republic of Congo Monday as polling stations in the giant central African nation came under attack from gunnies and voters angry at long delays.
Two coppers and a woman voter were killed and two soldiers were maimed when gunnies staged an assault on a voting station in the flashpoint city of Lubumbashi in the southeast of the country, a military front man said.
Armed men also swooped on a convoy of jeeps carrying election materials in Lubumbashi, while in the central town of Kananga voters torched a string of polling stations, amid complaints of undelivered ballots and long delays.
The run-up to the presidential and parliamentary votes had already been marred by violence pitting supporters of President Joseph Kabila against those of his chief rival, the veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.
The 40-year-old Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, is tipped to win the single-round poll and secure another five-year term against a divided opposition field of 10 challengers.
The elections are just the second since back-to-back wars from 1996 to 2003 in a country that remains one of the world's poorest despite an abundance of cobalt, copper, diamonds and gold.
Logistical headaches in organising the vote in a nation two-thirds the size of western Europe -- and whose roads network is crumbling and limited after seven years of war and decades of under-development -- had raised fears the polls could be postponed.
In the most serious incident Monday, a military front man said two coppers were killed at point blank range and a female voter was hit by a deadly stray bullet in Lubumbashi, DR Congo's second largest city and its mining hub.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/29/2011 00:00 ||
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Duplicate from yesterday, but keeping anon1's comment:
More at the source, Northern Territory News, main newspaper for Darwin Australia where there will be a new placement of 2500 US Troops. This is a big deal for the region, it is changing the regional shift of power. The Aussies love the US and are glad they are coming. The Indonesians and Chinese are not happy. This small-seeming move signals a HUGE shift in geopolitical priorities of the US towards the Pacific. US President even visited Darwin a small city of 100,000 people who have never seen a world leader in their lives.
#2
See also TOPIX > [USA = Ten Plausible] REASONS TO GO TO DARWIN.
The one I found most interesting is that the overcommitted, undersized-n-getting-smaller US 7th Fleet is likely unable to effectively cover the SCS to the satisfaction of ASEAN allies + neutrals, hence the need for the US to set up Marines in AUS???
versus
* WORLD MIL FORUM > PLA GENERAL LIN ZHUO: CHINA SENDS MORE PLAN WARSHIPS THROUGH OKINAWA-TAIWAN STRAITS TO TEST/MEASURE US + JAPAN ATTITUDES, espec as vee the encirclement of China.
* SAME > "DEUTSCH WELLE" GERMAN MEDIA: CHINA TO BEGIN BUILDING "BEIJING" CLASS LARGE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN 2014, SECOND "BEIJING" CARRIER TO BE NUCLEAR-POWERED + OPERATIONAL AFTER 2020.
* CHINA DAILY FORUM > [Asia Times] CHINA HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF SEVERAL US SATELLITES.
* SAME > {AUS Liberal Party Chief]TURNBULL CALLS FOR BROAD ALLIANCE WID CHINA.
ARTIC = Australia better served by seeking multi-polar Regional POWER BALANCE, NOT [US-style = unilateral/asymmetric?] POWER ENFORCEMENT, espec vee Rising China.
Psychiatrists have found that Anders Behring Breivik was insane at the time of the crime.
But of course. This is Scandinavia; evil doesn't exist there. Unless you're a Lutheran or a Lapplander...
The finding by the two forensic psychiatrists will help determine whether Breivik is sentenced to prison or psychiatric care. Prosecutor Svein Holden says the report shows Breivik was "psychotic" during the attack.
If that assessment is upheld by the court then Breivik cannot be sentenced to prison for the attacks.
"The conclusion is ... is that he is insane," Holden told a news conference. "He lives in his own delusional universe and his thoughts and acts are governed by this universe."
The two psychiatrists, Synne Serheim and Torgeir Husby, delivered their finding to the Oslo district court on Tuesday morning.
"We have no doubt when it comes to our conclusions," Husby told reporters as he submitted the report.
#1
Oh I think he was, this is just more convenient for the state (and forcing a sane man onto psychotics is much worse punishment than a Danish prison).
#3
By "counterrevolutionary" standards, what he did was well planned, well executed, and accomplished his goals.
I read an excellent analogy, which compared Utoya Island, and the "Workers' Youth League"(*) to a Hitlerjugend ideological training camp. The HJ was formed in 1922, and many of its graduates went on to become doctrinally pure party functionaries. Had such an incident taken out a large number of HJs, it would have stripped the Nazi party of much of its core management when it was ascending to power eleven years later, in 1933.
So unless there is clinical evidence, not just observation and opinion, Breivik is being judged insane at the behest of the government, the Red-Green Coalition, to try and limit discussion and debate it doesn't want to have.
However, the political hard left has been substantially crippled.
(*) The Workers' Youth League took its current form in April 1927, following the merger of Left Communist Youth League and Socialist Youth League of Norway corresponding with the merger of its mother parties. Many former leaders of AUF have later become significant figures in Norway's political life.
#4
Deliberation is patently obvious. He has plead not guilty, and declared an intent to put Norway's immigration policy in the docket. Let's not forget that one day before the atrocity, Norway's Foreign Minister appeared on Utoya with paleo propagandists and attacked Israel. The insanity finding manifests an intent to prevent the murderer from getting a platform that would embarass the government.
A diagnosis of paranoia hardly fits a case where the murderer had cause for protest but not to commit mass slaughter. Let's not forget the "islamophobia" smears against anyone who doesn't want jihadis in their neighborhood.
h/t Gates of Vienna
The head of Elstat, Greeces new independent statistics agency, faces an official criminal investigation for allegedly inflating the scale of the countrys fiscal crisis and acting against the Greek national interest. How, why does this sounds familiar?
h/t Gates of Vienna
China is looking to buy EU factories and railways instead of wobbly government bonds as prices fall amid the eurozone crisis.
Minister of commerce Chen Deming articulated the strategy at a business congress in China on Monday (28 November).
"Next year, we will send a delegation for promoting trade and investment to the European countries ... Some European countries are facing a debt crisis and hope to convert their assets to cash and would like foreign capital to acquire their enterprises. We will be closely watching and pushing forward the process," he said.
#1
Makes sense, Hard Currency where the currency isn't.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/29/2011 6:44 Comments ||
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#2
Always a risk. The US has long had a proud reputation of ripping off foreigners who tried to speculate here.
One favorite tale on the subject was when the English tried to speculate in a US longhorn drive, even sending a Scottish accountant to Texas to ride with the cowboys. When they left Texas they had a huge herd, but by the time they reached KC, there was nary a longhorn to see for miles around.
#5
Fire sale prices. Looks like barter. So if they have hyperinflation, China is sitting pretty. Value of EU factories, railways, resources go up and the money value given goes down.
#6
...I'm not sure the Chinese are interesting in obtaining 'industries' that have heavy doses of employee entitlements that don't directly contribute to productivity and often act counter to productivity. They seem to put stock in the old adage 'he who will not work will not eat'.
#7
If you HAVE to, you can always dismantle it, and haul it away.
I'm sure China is hurting for Railroads.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/29/2011 13:21 Comments ||
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#8
..now just guessing, it is indeed a good opportunity to loot technology and large industrial equipment stocks avoiding 'start up costs' back home. Sort of like corporate raiders stripping a buy of its non-essential assets and turning around and trading the core elements that had value.
#10
China doesn't need to dismantle anything. From the industries they will look to reverse engineer / take home intellectual property and manufacturing processes.
I have a bunch of bearings on my desk, that were made in China. They were made in a factory China bought lock stock and barrel in Japan and shipped to China. The boxes even have "Made in Japan" printed on them, above the "Made in China" sticker glued on below.
They probably don't have to do it, but... they've done it before.
#2
"We are taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving it to guys known to stab us in the back," Sgt. Meyer wrote to Mr. McCreight, according to the lawsuit. "These are the same people killing our guys."
Sounds to me like MOH recipient Sgt. Meyer got it right.
#3
The Pakis would never use those sights as intended. Nor are they using those F-16 optics we sold them a few years back against the Taliban, either, I'll bet. They'll end up in Chinese and Iranian hands if anything.
#4
I have been saying for years that we need to treat the ISI for what it is: our mortal enemy in that region. If the Government of Pakistan wants to keep playing beard for the ISI then it too should be treated as an enemy, at least tacitly. No more aid, no more humanitarian help. We should be supporting India.
#5
The bad guys have patrons in every precinct of the US government. In the old days those allies were that way because of bribes. Now some of 'em are just warped idealogues...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/29/2011 21:14 Comments ||
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#5
Judging by the lack of safety equipment of the officers, the number of applications, the post-game interview of one of the protestors whose eyes were a bit bloodshot but otherwise unaffected, and how the camera people were moving closer to the chorus line after application, I think I'll pass on this product for something which works.
#7
Departmental policy doesn't permit use of same against passive resisters. A target has to be actively combatant. Disproportionatality accusations aren't merely rhetorical. The Police Commission will have to move against the sprayer.
#9
They need a policy change. In my old dept. pepper spray was authorized if the "passive resistance" threatened the safety of staff and/or others, such as prohibiting entrance or exit to any area.
#10
it's a good thing for these useless parasites that King Frank wasn't in charge. Just saying*
* In the unlikely event I become a public figure at some point in the future, it referred to someone else as "King Frank". In the even more unlikely event I was declared King? It was me
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/29/2011 21:04 Comments ||
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#11
I thought the writ of Emperor Norton still stood for something through much of the west coast.
#13
Yeah, I've had hot wingz clear a booth with the vapors.
Watching the videos it appears the officers were systematically surrounded by a crowd interlocking their arms. I call it, appropriately, passive-aggressivel opposed to passive resistance, the former being that though not violent in a hurling items sense what happens is a situation is purposefully created which forces violence as a solution. When this circle was completed the officers were essentially detained against their will which is a violent act. If the officers had stayed there until a prisoner exchange was negotiated the mob would have won over order. Credit to the officers (guessing campus PD, never heard for certain) for being professional, patient, deliberate...I mean damn I wish my ball team had that coolness on the free throw line for real.
Remember when those goblins got to beating their drums in WI and chased that lawmaker into the corner, that is the thing about mobs, they are unpredictable, and even if there was enough room to effectively draw sidearms (which they didn't) they would have been swamped, armed only with sticks and paintball guns. That, uhem, pepper spray was a low-level option which allowed both parties to retire with face.
The screaming and such remind me of that scene from Memphis Belle, where the shrapnal hits and cockpit and blows blood and flesh all over the interior, pilot and co-pilot screaming about how bad the other had been hurt, then find out it wasn't blood but tomato soup.
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.
Nimrod Machani has been working as a coast lifeguard in Tel Aviv for four years. His father Shimshon, was a seaman for years and between voyages, also worked as a Tel Aviv lifeguard.
