[REALCLEARPOLITICS] Larry King Live: "In an in-depth interview with Larry in New York, America's most trusted weatherman says he thinks the extreme Winter weather in the northeast this season has been fueled by climate change."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 12:34 ||
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#1
Does Big Al say it's positive or negative change?
Anyone who feels it appropriate to discuss on air how he shat his pants while passing gas at the White House, but only just a little, is not deserving of trust. Possibly he as an expert class meteorologist. Or, he fits in well with the Today team (or whatever they call themselves) and presents well, regardless who is doing the actual calculations. But it's clear his judgement is somewhat less than perfect and he's very keen on fitting in.
#6
I suspect about 3 years ago the modeling computations changed, new software or parameters, but multiple sources started getting it wrong outside of reasonable error.
I miss when rambling on about the weather was considered a dullard's conversation, and the dullards were polite enough to not ramble on.
#8
:)
Wish the Royals had gone for home to tie the game rather than hoping for a hit from injured and excitable Salvy Perez vs. lights out Bumgarner. But hey, Jeremy Affeldt got his World Series win with the Royals. Don't blame trading Panda, he had a good series but his defense puts some strain on SS - I don't know how many times we yelled for a bunt @ 5 with that famous KC speed make him make the play...and he'll fit well as a bench hitter in the AL especially at Boston.
[Dhaka Tribune] More than 90 people have been killed in Afghanistan in some of the worst avalanches there for 30 years, officials said on Wednesday, with heavy snow set to last for two more days after an unusually dry winter led to fears of drought.
Officials warned of an imminent humanitarian emergency in areas most severely hit by the bad weather, with snow sweeping through villages and blocking off roads.
"We haven't seen this much snow, or this many avalanches, for 30 years," said Abdul Rahman Kabiri, acting governor of the mountainous province of Panjshir, north of Kabul, where 92 people were killed in avalanches.
"If the central government doesn't provide humanitarian support, machinery and food soon, this will turn to a disaster," he said, adding that 26 people had been injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Yemen's ex-president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... is believed to have amassed between $32 billion and $60 billion through corruption during his 33 years in power, a U.N. report said Wednesday.
A panel of experts reported to the U.N. Security Council that Saleh's assets were stashed in at least 20 countries and the team is investigating the ex-leader's connections with businessmen helping him to hide the funds.
The 15-member council in November imposed sanctions including an assets freeze on Saleh, who was forced out in 2012 under a Gulf-sponsored deal.
The council blacklisted Saleh for obstructing peace in Yemen, notably for backing the Shiite Huthi militia that has seized power in Sanaa.
The report said Saleh built up his personal wealth through corruption, by demanding kickbacks for oil and gas contracts, stealing public funds and other schemes.
"The origin of the funds used to generate Ali Abdullah Saleh's wealth is believed to be partly from his corrupt practices as president of Yemen, particularly relating to gas and oil contracts where he reportedly asked for money in exchange for granting companies exclusive rights to prospect for gas and oil in Yemen," it said.
"It is also alleged that Ali Abdullah Saleh, his friends, his family and his associates stole money from the fuel subsidy program, which uses up to 10 percent of Yemen's gross domestic product, as well as other ventures involving abuse of power, extortion and embezzlement."
The corruption allowed Saleh to pocket nearly $2 billion per year over the last three decades.
The council's decision to impose sanctions came as no surprise to Saleh who had been actively seeking to find ways to hide assets in anticipation of the move, the experts reported.
"He has had plenty of time and opportunity to circumvent measures to freeze assets," the report said.
The experts noted that many officials interviewed by the panel have argued for a return of Saleh's stolen funds to Yemen to help the country deal with its debt and economic problems.
Cyprus signs deal to allow Russian navy to use ports
[BBC] Champ Cyprus has signed an agreement with Moscow to give Russian navy ships access to GITMO Cypriot ports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed the deal after talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
The deal with Cyprus comes as tensions with the West over the Ukrainian conflict continue.
President Putin said that other countries should not be concerned and that the port's main use would be for counter terrorism and anti piracy.
The island already hosts British military bases. Britain announced on Tuesday that it would be deploying troops to Ukraine as trainers.
Tensions remain high between Russia and other European countries but the Russian leader was not concerned that the deal could be misconstrued.
"Our friendly ties aren't aimed against anyone," President Putin said. "I don't think it should cause worries anywhere."
Russia has heavily invested in Cyprus and this deal formalises previously ad hoc use of Cypriot ports.
President Anastasiades also revealed that the two countries were discussing the possibility of Russia using an air base on Cyprus for humanitarian relief missions.
[NYTIMES] South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday struck down a 62-year-old law that made adultery an offense punishable by up to two years in prison, citing the country's changing sexual mores and a growing emphasis on individual rights.
"It has become difficult to say that there is a consensus on whether adultery should be punished as a criminal offense," five of the court's nine justices said in a joint opinion. "It should be left to the free will and love of people to decide whether to maintain marriage, and the matter should not be externally forced through a criminal code."
Two other justices voted to declare the law unconstitutional for other reasons. A two-thirds majority was required to strike down the law.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 11:33 ||
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"China is building some "fairly amazing submarines" and now has more diesel- and nuclear-powered vessels than the United States, a top U.S. Navy admiral told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, although he said their quality was inferior."
#2
Coasties don't do projection very well. Not going to help protect the sea lanes hundreds, thousands of miles from Chinese ports. Point defense at the port of embarkation and debarkation maybe, but not the seas between.
#4
Subs don't project well but China is most likely interested in the seas around Taiwan. A bunch of subs could make that area troublesome in a fight. Same with the Sprately islands.
#5
Everything old is new again. This argument was had in the 80's when Reagan built up the Navy. Its Sea Control vs Sea Denial. Go back and look up the debates about it - which produced the largest peacetime fleet we have ever had, and a variety of ships that served well, even the cheapo FFGs, but especially the LA Class boats and the fleet carriers - and even the resurrection of the BB's.
#6
There's probably a great of sigh of relief in the Pentagon + Capitol Hill that the Chuuk independence vote from the FSM has been delayed for a while, + indeed may be put off indefinitely.
* JAPAN TIMES > US: CHINA IS EXPANDING ITS SOUTH CHINA SEA OUTPOSTS.
* TOPIX, WORLDNEWS, BIGNEWSNETWORK > CHINA PROJECTING SERIOUS POWER INTO DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA.
-----------
NOKOR = SSSHHHH ... CCCCCCC CHINA???
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > NORTH KOREA WARNS OF WIPING JAPAN [+ USA] "OFF THE WORLD MAP" [forevar!] OVER UN RESOLUTION | JAPAN TIMES.
* SAME > NORTH KOREA REPORTEDLY WARNS JAPAN IT WOULD TARGET JAPAN FIRST | FOX NEWS.
* SAME > DRAGON VS.EAGLE: SOUTH CHINA SEA BALANCE OF POWER.
Powerful-but-sinkable, Far-from-CONUS, Mobile US NIMITZ-CLASS CVNS + BGS; versus Immobile, Off-the-Coasts, "UN-SINKABLE" ARTIFICIAL CHINESE ISLANDS in SCS.
ARTIC = China + PLA, despite any probs early on, is likely to prevail in LT over the US = US Navy.
* SAME > MCCAIN POINTS TO "DRAMATIC CHANGES" IN CHINESE BUILT ISLANDS | DEFENSE-INDUSTRY NEWS.
VERSUS
* WORLD MILITARY FORUM > JAPAN: SINGLE OR JOINT US, JAPAN AIR AND MISSLE STRIKES AGZ YANGTZE RIVER NATIONAL RAILROAD SYSTEM COULD SERIOUSLY CRIPPLE OR DESTROY CHINA'S ABILITY TO WAGE WAR IN DISPUTED SOUTH, EAST CHINA SEAS + WESTPAC.
#8
All things equal, WILL GLOBALIST OBAMA OR ANY SIMILAR ANTI-US US GLOBALIST POTUS SUCCESSOR ESCALATE IN A CRISIS AGZ CHINA, IN DEFENSE OF US -ALLIED RIGHTS-N-INTERESTS, ETC.
Lest we fergit, ANALYSTS = argue that Non-US NATO-EU Govts are unlikely to oppose or stop Vladimir Putin = Russia in the absence of any DETERMINED OR STRONG US LEADERSHIP.
DITTO AS PER ME [Iran] + EAST ASIA-PACIFIC [China]??
The OWG Globalists have still NOT answered the question of "how much" is TOO MUCH, andor "how far" is TOO FAR, etc. for the Sole Superpower US-n-Only-The-US to unilaterally give up to its OWG Co-Superpower Siblings + NGO, Other Wannabes around the World.
[Mail] Nato forces put on a show of strength in Estonia, just yards from the Russian border, with troops, armoured personnel carriers and tanks forming a military parade.
Around 100 British, Dutch, Spanish, Latvian and Lithuanian troops yesterday marched in the snow in the city of Narva, alongside some 1,300 Estonian soldiers, to mark the independence of the formerly Soviet-ruled republic, now a member of the European Union and Nato.
Today Moscow responded by deploying thousands of soldiers on exercise just across Russia's borders with Estonia and Latvia. Russian President Vladimir Putin also lashed Ukraine's decision to cut off gas to its eastern regions, saying the move 'smacks of genocide'. How wars are started, national emergencies declared, elections postponed, and all of that.
#1
A show of strength is hundreds of tanks, artillery pieces, IFV's and tens of thousands of mech infantry arrayed in battle order, along with a numbered air force's planes doing a fly-by. This isn't a show of strength. It's a measly tripwire force aimed at warning the Russians that NATO will respond if they cross the border.
#3
Again, ANTI-US US-LED OWG GLOBALISM = 'TIS THE US = POTUS OBAMA WHOM WILL SURRENDER LIKE FRANCE = ALLOW CO-SUPERPOWER PUTIN-LED RUSSIA TO EXPAND ITS SPHERE OF INFLUENCE IN LIEU OF THE US.
The above, however, is NOT to argue that Darth Vlad can run roughshod anywhere over Europe or the ME as he pleases - IOW, OWG CO-SUPERPOWER RUSSIA WILL LIKELY NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER OR GROSSLY VIOLATE THE REGIONAL OR GEOPOL SPACE OF ANOTHER OWG CO-SUPERPOWER(S), AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING.
ALL THINGYS HAVE THEIR OBJECTIVE + SUBJECTIVE, REAL OR NOMINAL, ETC. LIMITS, EVEN THE GLOBALISTS.
The more MilAssets or MilFors the US Govt-DOD commits agz Vlad + ISIS, ME [read, Iran] + Africa, the less will be agz China in East Asia-Pacific.
[Hurriyet Daily News] Austria will turn the clock back a century if it approves a draft law on Islam scheduled to be voted on in Austria's parliament on Feb. 25, Turkey's top holy man has suggested. Two words: Jan Sobieski
Each country in Europe has recently been in an effort to create its own version of Islam, President Mehmet Görmez of the Directorate General for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) said in a written statement released late Feb. 24.
"Religion is not an issue of engineering. I would like to indicate that efforts by national leaders to create their own version of Islam are efforts in vain," Görmez said, arguing that the move would set the Alpine country back a century.
Religious sensibilities are on the rise in Austria. The government has proposed requiring standardized German-language translations of the Koran and prohibiting foreign funding of Moslem organizations on its soil in a draft law aimed in part at tackling murderous Moslems.
The initiative follows alarm over official estimates that about 170 people from Austria have joined up with Islamist murderous Moslem forces fighting in the Middle East.
"Addressing all our friends and all governments not only in Austria but also in Europe, I would like to say the following: I have been bemusedly watching the efforts by each country to create their own versions of Islam, which would only bring Europe to a dead-end, while they should be paying attention to the issues particularly arising out of minority and integration policies and the weakening of culture of living together and take more significant precautions against advancing Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ," Görmez said.
"Countries come together from time to time on the grounds of security concerns and try to construct a version of Islam peculiar to their own countries, rather than increase the freedoms that would lead to unity and remove obstacles before the religious education and services, and make an effort to remove anti-Islamic sentiments and Islamophobia. There is no scientific, ethical or historical value of this effort and it is wrong," he added.
Görmez's statement also outlined key provisions of the draft: Because of the foreign financing ban with the draft, the needs of Austrian mosques and their personnel's wages will need to be met through domestic sources. The clause will especially affect Turkish religious officials, as the draft prevents a religious official of another country from working as a civil servant.
Earlier this month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls similarly raised the notion of banning foreign funding of Islamic organizations. Kurz says officials in Germany and Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... have also expressed interest in the bill.
A poll published by the OGM institute Tuesday found 58 percent of Austrians feeling radicalization of the nation's Moslems was underway.
To combat the rising risk of radical indoctrination of foreign origin, the legislation bans Islamic cultural organizations and imams in Austria from receiving funding from abroad.
It also requires the nearly 450 Moslem organizations in the country to demonstrate a "positive approach towards society and the state" in order to continue receiving official licensing.
Imams will be obliged to be able to speak German under the law -- a bid to make their comments more accessible and transparent, while also facilitating the fuller integration of Islam into wider Austrian society.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
You mean the Austrians who held back the last great Muslim Turkish invasion (that Religion of Peace)?
[Hurriyet Daily News] Miniskirts have once again become cannon fodder in Turkey's culture war, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... personally diving into the issue during a speech on Feb. 25.
"Let them cry out for low-cut [tops] and miniskirts," Erdogan said during a ceremony in Ankara for the inauguration of dormitories owned by the Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey (TÜRGEV), vowing to "raise generations loyal to their beliefs and history."
The president's son, Bilal Erdogan, is among the board members of TÜRGEV, a charity nongovernmental organization.
On Feb. 21, a group of men organized a protest in Istanbul, wearing miniskirts, to demonstrate against patriarchy and in memory of slain 20-year-old student Özgecan Aslan.
The burned body of Aslan was discovered on Feb. 13 in a riverbed in the southern Turkish province of Mersin, triggering a public debate in which a women's supposedly "provocative" attire has been cited as a reason for sexual assault and harassment by some conservative voices.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
he sees himself as the new leader of the muslim world and a return to conservative values is his priority. dress code will come next!
Posted by: paul ||
02/26/2015 6:55 Comments ||
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#2
raise generations loyal to theirMY beliefs and history."
"The Obama Administration's Healthcare.gov back-end will not be completed until after the President leaves office, according to comments made by the website's CEO yesterday. Despite starting construction on the website back in 2011 and pouring billions into the project, key structural problems remain." Also see Daily Caller article entitled 'Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is executive at company that built Obamacare website.'
#6
Not only should the Republicans shut it down but they should do an audit of where all the money went. I'm bettering these guys didn't do squat and are running out the clock and hoping their scam isn't discovered.
[DAWN] RAWALPINDI: Three people were killed in a clash between two groups in the limits of the Chontra police on Tuesday.
Police said Rafaqat Ali, 23, was injured and shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital where his condition was critical.
SP Ghayas Gul said both the groups used automatic weapons against each other in the Talvali Mohra locality after sunset.
Adnan Ali, 19, Noman Khan, 22, and Rafaqat Ali, 23, were hunting rabbits when they were ambushed by their rivals. Adnan and Noman were killed on the spot while Rafaqat was injured.
One member of the other group was also killed in the clash, he added.
"Apparently, it was a pre-planned attack and the man killed from the attackers' side was hired for this purpose," the SP said.
No arrest had been made when this report was filed on Tuesday evening.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] During the last two years, the city district government never registered any mosque, seminary, imambargah or a worship place of any other religion.
There is a committee, led by the district coordination officer (DCO), which issues a non-objection certificate (NOC) for the establishment of the worship places and seminaries. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the committee never held any meeting during the last two years and the number of illegal seminaries and mosques kept on increasing.
According to information obtained from the city district government, 362 seminaries, 160 mosques, 16 imambargahs and 11 churches are registered with it.
Under the rules, the NOC is necessary for the construction of a seminary or a worship place. Before issuing the NOC, the committee examines the site and gets consent of the local people. It also takes action against any illegal construction.
A bigwig of the city government told Dawn that the local administration faced problem when the government sought the details of seminaries and mosques and other worship places registered with it.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] A photo post shared by the national Facebook page of Myanmar Air Force that triggered ire among the Bangladeshi citizens has been taken down.
The photo showing a South Asia regional map with Bangladesh as part of Myanmar was posted on the Facebook page on February 20. Its caption said Bangladesh should be the part of a future "Myanmar empire."
However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... at 8pm Wednesday, the photo was not found in the same address.
Myanmarese national daily Burma Times acknowledged the page as the "national Facebook page of the Myanmar Air Force."
According to a report, the page also claimed that Bangladesh was helping bully boyz to securing independence in the Arakan state (the former name of Rakhine state), dominated by Rohingya Moslems.
The photo post also urged the Myanmarese people to strike Bangladesh before it was too late.
The post had got more than 500 likes and shared by over 1,200 people before it was taken down -- either by the page admin or the Facebook authorities.
Protesting the act, many Bangladeshis, mainly youths, had commented on the post and the page harshly.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/26/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
why would they want Bangla?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/26/2015 7:10 Comments ||
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#2
The scum on Bangla's cesspool looks greener than theirs, Frank.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/26/2015 8:17 Comments ||
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#3
I was more shocked that Myanmar actually has an AF.
Posted by: BA ||
02/26/2015 11:22 Comments ||
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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.