Via One Free Korea. Put into 'seedy politicans' since we don't have a separate category for Rodman, who would (of course) have one all his own...
For any of you worried about North Korea, Dennis Rodman has some words of reassurance: Despite what you may have heard about the oppressive and isolated regime, it's "pretty much like any other country."
On Tuesday, the retired NBA player turned global ambassador paid his second visit to "The Tonight Show" in the space the of a month. Rodman's "basketball diplomacy" mission to North Korea, during which he became the first American to publicly meet with the secretive Kim,
...other than the rich computer guy who went a few months ago...
was the main focus of conversation Tuesday night.
He was, if anything, more erratic than usual, in some cases barely able to answer Leno's very basic questions (e.g. "Why did you go?" "I really don't know, really.") Rodman's get-up was similarly disjointed, even by his own whacked-out standards: a marabou dressing gown, Lacoste T-shirt and baby blue warm-up pants, accessorized with a baseball hat, sunglasses and a pair of headphones.
The interview was light on new information, but Rodman did reveal that Kim's mysterious wife, Ri Sol-Ju, was not exactly a Chatty Cathy. "She really didn't talk. I don't think she said anything," he recalled.
I don't think she's there to talk...
He also confessed to being "amazed" by Kim's residence. "It's not even a palace, it's more like a fortress. It's just insane."
Leno seized on this detail, noting that "the rest of the country lives pretty much in extreme poverty."
"It's pretty much like any other country. We got the same thing here," replied Rodman, ever the cultural relativist.
As for Kim himself, Rodman insisted he's just your average, misunderstood, extraordinarily powerful twentysomething, much like he did earlier this month on "This Week."
"This guy's only 28 years old. All of a sudden he has a lot of power. Once you get to meet him one-on-one, personally, he's an alright guy," he said.
"Kind of like Hitler," Leno fired back.
Yeah Jay, kind of...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"I don't think she's there to talk" > Yuuuppp, but thats gonna have to change in many ways iff Jong-un wants the World to see the DPRK as hip-n-modern.
#5
Put into 'seedy politicans' since we don't have a separate category for Rodman
Well maybe, if the generic headline, "Today's Idiot" is close enough. Denny may even exceed those parameters, however.
#2
I'd like to see a debate on a sense-of-the-Senate resolution like this: "In general, citizens of the United States are entitled to keep the money they have earned." I bet it would go down on a straight party line vote.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/23/2013 11:14 Comments ||
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#3
Generally, taxes are already collected with intrastate transactions [purchase, processing and delivery in state]. If the company has a physical presence in a state, taxes are already collected. What is not collected is multiple taxes on the same transaction across interstate lines. That's covered by Quill vs North Dakota. When some states moved to tax warehouse operation which are part of the retail chain [an order, order processing, and delivery outside of the state], several online operations have simply closed and moved their warehouse operations.
#4
What were proposing is not a new tax, it is an existing tax owed in all but four states, Durbin said.
Now tell us about the online retailers that dont have a physical presence in the United States. You cant exactly tax them now right? Hmmm do you think you may have just created an incentive for some US companies to pick up stakes? Welcome to Mexico City Amazon! Why thats brilliant Mr Durbin absolutely fuckin brilliant.
#5
Yes, if Amazon didn't want this to happen anyway DepotGuy. They are now big enough to take the hit. Any competition that might pop up isn't going to be big enough at first.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/23/2013 16:05 Comments ||
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[FINANCE.YAHOO] Last month United States Postal Service Postmaster Patrick Donahoe warned that the Postal Service was on the brink of default. He proposed cutting Saturday delivery service as a way to save $2 billion annually. But in a setback to the agency's cost-saving efforts, Congress has passed legislation requiring a six-day postal service delivery schedule. Now the Government Accountability Office has released a report finding that USPS is bound to Congress' spending agreement. The beleaguered mail carrier lost roughly $16 billion in 2012. Why? Would anybody really notice if they cut back to every other day?
The Postal Service is an independent agency, which means it is not funded by tax dollars. Instead, USPS functions like a business, making about $15 million in revenue each day on sales of postage, products, and services. Congress does not allocate money to support the mail service, but still holds legislative control over it.
Congress typically includes a provision in its federal budget each year that requires USPS to deliver mail six days a week and despite pleas from the Postal Service, politicians included it in their final resolution on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
OK, then Congress can pay for it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/23/2013 5:41 Comments ||
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#2
In other news: Illinois Central Railroad Depot at Ullin closes.
#3
The post office should agree and only deliver mail on Saturday. Just drive through the neighborhood in empty jeeps (better yet switch to Prius' to save money and energy) Monday - Friday.
#4
This is one of the issues that I think makes a reasonable case for old fashion patronage. Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution gives Congress the power to -
"7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads;"
Let Congress run it directly, allowing the Representatives and Senators to appoint management and hire/fire directly the personnel. They also assume full responsibility for the efficiency, effectiveness, and cost of the operation thereof. None of this finger pointing or interference with some semi-private operation. Got a problem with the mail. You know exactly who to hold accountable. No bureaucracy or regulations to hide behind.
[FREEP] The Rev. Jesse Jackson called for a mass, nonviolent protest in bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962... against the new emergency financial manager at a rally this morning at city hall. Translated from Jesse-speak, that's "Hey! Lookit me!"
The activists alongside Jackson pledged to file a lawsuit next week challenging the constitutionality of Michigan's new emergency manager law, which takes effect Thursday and grants broad powers to the incoming emergency financial manager, Kevyn Orr.
Jackson, who was joined by Detroit Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, ...part of the problem...
Congressman John Conyers I believe the little woman's in jug or perhaps just on appeal, but she couldn't make it...
and a union representative, ...who has no name, but you get the idea...
also called on the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene to protect Detroiters' right to vote. This one's a real thigh-slapper...
Gov. Rick Snyder last week chose Orr, a Washington, D.C., bankruptcy lawyer, to be Detroit's emergency financial manager. Critics have said Orr's appointment takes away residents' right to elect their leaders. I wonder how that dastardly Gov. Rick Snyder got in office?
"We marched too long and bled too much and died too young for the right to vote to have a governor, whether it's Gov. Snyder or Wallace or whoever ... to take away the impact of our vote," he said. Wallace, I believe, is dead and in his grave these many years...
Jackson warned an audience of about 100 people Jesse hasn't been turning out the rubes like he used to...
that the emergency financial manager's arrival eventually could force Detroiters from their homes. From the pictures I've seen there's lots of them already been forced...
He described a scenario in which rich people buy up acres of neighborhoods, turn them into vacant lots and sell off the property. To whom? Who wants to buy a piece of terrestrial moonscape?
"Detroit cannot be reduced to a rummage sale," Jackson said. It's been reduced almost to rubble now, by its elected politicians...
Jackson, who repeatedly used the phrase "emergency czar," urged Detroiters to protest the emergency financial manager through "a major, mass nonviolent demonstration." Jackson did not provide specifics of the protest when later asked. "It'll be soon," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Wallace, I believe, is dead and in his grave these many years...
#2
To whom? Who wants to buy a piece of terrestrial moonscape?
Somebody looking to start a raccoon ranch?
Look, Jesse. Here's the deal. You can still vote for whoever you want. They just don't get to run the city. Why? Because the folks who have been doing it for the last half century have screwed the pooch so hard they've run up $12 billion in long term debt and unfunded pension liabilities. Yeah, billion with a 'b'. The city's assets have negative value. A third of the streetlights don't work and the cops have basically given up.
The party is over, man. The credit cards have been canceled. I don't see how anyone is going to fix this without bankruptcy. But sure as hell, the people currently playing the game can't do it.
If you had a plan to fix the mess, where was it last week? Or last year? The last 5 years? Go home, you 60s reject carpetbagger.
#4
It's not MEEEE.
So it does'n count,
We gott'a make some money off'n this, Preferably MINE.
Cough it Up.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/23/2013 5:46 Comments ||
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#5
I am sure the long-term plan is for some sort of federal bailout. Afterall the fed borrows 12 billion every 12 hours to pay it's bills why not funnel a little more back to Detriot.
Hey where did all the GM and Chrysler money go in 2008?
#8
No, If Jesse had the concession he'd demand a Million to start, then a reason to Quit(After one week) And he'd keep the million and state he's underpaid.
Nope, I DON't think much of him.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/23/2013 20:35 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD: In a damning indictment of Pakistan's latest education minister Sheikh Waqas Akram, the Cambridge Education System (CES) of the UK has declared his A-level certificate as fake.
This puts a huge question mark on the veracity of his BA degree as well as his political future.A new entrant to the PML-N, Waqas had the audacity to defend his fake certificates on the floor of the National Assembly, claiming that he did his A-level in 1995 and his certificate was verified by Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC).
However, investigations carried out by The News confirmed that his IBCC Equivalence certificates as well as its verification certificates were also fabricated.According to documents available with The News, the chief executive of the Cambridge Education System (CES) Ann Punits has confirmed that Waqas Akram's certificate cannot be verified from the CES record. Following is the text of Ann Punit's letter.
"We write in response to your recently submitted request for verification of examination certificate and results for Mr Waqas Akram (June 1995, Candidate number PK200/1029 and Certificate Number 4699165). Thank you for providing the enclosed scanned copy of the certificate. Having searched our records we must advise you that we are unable to match the number of this certificate with details supplied. If the person presenting the certificate wishes to provide further details, we will of course be happy to undertake a further search. Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me."
The News first published the story titled "Minister did BA without FA" on March 2. The former education minister was not immediately available but in an earlier 1,025-word rebuttal on March 7, he stated that he never did his FA, but cleared A Level examination in three subjects in 1995 and obtained the IBCC equivalence certificate the same year.
"It is stated that the minister in 1995 passed the GCE A Level exams in three required subjects from the University of Cambridge International Examination (UK). The minister applied to the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen, Government of Pakistan, for issuance of equivalence certificate, which was provided by the IBCC dated 15.12.1995. The equivalence certificate issued by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen, again has been verified by the IBCC dated 11.08.2010," Waqas had stated in his clarification.
However, as the saying goes in Urdu, "in order to hide one lie, you have to speak a hundred lies", it turned out that the former education minister's IBCC equivalence certificate is also forged as it bears the signature of Dr Parveen Shahid as Secretary IBCC.
The News verified from the IBCC records as well as family sources of Dr Parveen that the officer only had a short stint with the IBCC as secretary after the year 2000.
Investigations also revealed that in 1995, Dr Parveen was a junior officer in Grade-18 while the IBCC secretary was a Grade-20 post. Apparently, the fake IBCC certificate was created after copying the contents of some genuine certificate issued after 2000 when Dr Parveen was serving as the secretary IBCC.
The 'artists' who fabricated the document failed to check Dr Parveen's tenure in IBCC.Similarly, the IBCC verification certificate that according to Waqas was issued on August 11, 2010 also appears to be forged as Muhammad Usman Khan, assistant secretary of IBCC whose signatures appear on the 'verification certificate' also denies having signed the document.
According to official sources, Usman is ready to testify before the court of law that the document is not genuine.Contrary to the ex-minister's claims of appearing in the Punjab University's Bachelor's degree examination on the basis of A Levels, his BA admission form available with The News shows that Waqas had only mentioned passing the intermediate examination from the Lahore Board with the roll number 11097.
These revelations can damage the political future of the former education minister, who has changed three parties during the last five years. Waqas faces disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, which require a candidate to be honest and sagacious.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/23/2013 08:54 ||
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#1
Well, it's not like he had to spend time and pay fees for credentials, from some former use-to-be a real university now paper mill, in 'Studies'. Oh, the horror.
In his address in Jerusalem today, President Obama channeled Saul Alinsky, citing the radical community organizers defining mantra as he urged young Israelis to create change to nudge their leadership to act.
Obama told a crowd of college students at Jerusalems main convention center that Israel has the wisdom to see the world as it is, but also the courage to see the world as it should be.
One of Alinskys major themes was working with the world as it is to turn it into the world as it should be.
In his defining work, Rules for Radicals, which he dedicated to the first rebel, Lucifer, Alinsky used those words to lay out his main agenda. He asserted radical change must be brought about by working within a system instead of attacking it from the outside.
#1
As I have always believed O is the tool of Lucifer. Paving the way for the true evil to come. Hence his power over so many weak minded people. They have eyes and yet they do not see. They have ears yet they cannot hear. They have brains and yet they cannot comprehend what they see and hear. I have heard this said in different ways before in literature. Very old idea.
#2
Common sense would say that putting him up at the US Embassy would be the right thing to do. But no common sense.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/23/2013 3:01 Comments ||
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#3
Maybe he should stay at one of those Youth Hostels where everybody bunks together and shares a single bathroom? Think about it hes the VPOTUS. Getragrip.
#5
A one week stay at a hotel appropriate for his position. However many rooms his entourage required plus the rest of the floor and at least adjacent rooms above and below for security, at a bit under rack rate. It sounds normal to me. The real question is 'Was this trip necessary?' Same as should be asked of all such trips.
#6
AP is right. Why not have distinguished guest quarters at the embassies or State residential compounds in all of the EU and OECD countries? That way you save on the hotel and more than half half the entourage (use DoS security, comms, medical staff, bomb dogs, etc). He's still got to bring the press flack, and some Secret Service, but you could load those cats in a business jet. Heck, in the more heavily visited embassies, you could have an armored limo on station. Probably cheaper to have 20-30 of those than all of the C-17 flights needed to move the damn thing all over the world. It would pay for itself in less than a year.
#9
Anytime someone proposes cutting federal spending by so much as a nickel, the left-wing response is: "You heartless bastard! Don't you know how much that nickel means to millions of Americans living in poverty?" OK. But let's apply the same standard to how federal money is spent: "Biden, you heartless bastard! Don't you know how many starving American children $$459,388 would feed?"
Posted by: Matt ||
03/23/2013 11:23 Comments ||
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#10
I thought there we had embassadors in London. And since when does the VP need to make decisions of any great international importance? The American private sector has available to the politicos teleconferencing, telephones, cell phones, emails, twitter, myspace, skype, facebook! What a joke and excessive pompus group of knuckledragging idiots this third world regime is.
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.
[FINANCE.YAHOO] Last month United States Postal Service Postmaster Patrick Donahoe warned that the Postal Service was on the brink of default. He proposed cutting Saturday delivery service as a way to save $2 billion annually. But in a setback to the agency's cost-saving efforts, Congress has passed legislation requiring a six-day postal service delivery schedule. Now the Government Accountability Office has released a report finding that USPS is bound to Congress' spending agreement. The beleaguered mail carrier lost roughly $16 billion in 2012.
ISLAMABAD: In a damning indictment of Pakistan's latest education minister Sheikh Waqas Akram, the Cambridge Education System (CES) of the UK has declared his A-level certificate as fake. 
[WEEKLYSTANDARD] 'Approximately 136 hotel rooms for 893 room nights.'
