The black Columbia University professor who last fall found a hangman's noose pinned to her office door plagiarized the work of another faculty member and two students, according to a school investigation released yesterday.
The plagiarism probe was already under way last year when a 4-foot twine noose was discovered on the door of psychology and education professor Madonna Constantine's office, officials at the university's Teachers College said.
They said they disciplined Constantine for stealing other people's work for articles she published in academic journals. They cited two dozen instances of plagiarism over the past five years that were substantiated in an 18-month investigation by a Manhattan law firm.
Teachers College spokesman Joe Levine would not say how Constantine was punished, but college officials said her position is secure. Disgusting.
There are various forms of punishment in academia as elsewhere. For example, a formal letter could be placed in her official file. That wouldn't result in her dismissal but would (presumably) end her chances for promotion and tenure. Another punishment would be a formal oversight committee to review all her manuscripts prior to submission. You get the idea.
One point: Mr. Levine isn't allowed to detail the punishment publicly without authorization, and such details generally aren't released due to privacy laws and concerns over litigation. So let's not shoot the messenger.
In a statement e-mailed to Bloomberg News Service yesterday, Constantine said she was the victim of a racist conspiracy. You know, in her mind, I'm sure she *is* the victim in this case. She's 100% convinced. That's how pervasive this mindset is.
The school accused her of plagiarism because of the "structural racism that pervades this institution," she charged. "As one of only two tenured black women full professors at Teachers College, it pains me to conclude that I have been specifically and systematically targeted."
Plagiarism is generally an objective finding. You either did, or did not, borrow words without proper attribution. A single instance (or two), or an instance that might be considered borderline, would be excused. But if they're punishing her, it's presumably because they have the goods on her. Her denial would ordinarily be an invitation for the college to make public (at least to the community of faculty) their findings.
Constantine said she would appeal to a faculty committee.
Cops have not been able to identify a suspect in the noose incident. They have not ruled out people close to Constantine or others who might have had an ax to grind with her.
After the October incident, cops were rebuffed - by Constantine herself - in their efforts to catch the person behind the alleged hate crime. Note how the press fails to draw any connection between the preceding paragraph and this one. There's no connection there, none.
Does seem a little fishy, doesn't it. The good professor may have enemies on campus, and there may be fools and 'tards who are racist haters of her skin tone. But the timing is suspicious enough that an intelligent person would question it. Which is why the journalist didn't.
The professor was one of several faculty members who objected to the idea of posting surveillance cameras in her hallway, according to sources familiar with the campus investigation.
So did she or did she not want the perp caught? Did she or did she not want protection from future incidents?
At Teachers College earlier this week, a memo that circulated among faculty members about the plagiarism probe thanked a former professor, Christine Yeh, and two former students - Tracy Juliao and Karen Cort - for cooperating.
Juliao, now a health psychologist in Detroit, said she was "shocked" when, as a Columbia student, she saw an article published by Constantine that contained "direct phrases" from her own 2004 dissertation. "It was unbelievable to me to see my own work published by someone else who I had essentially trusted," she said. "You go in as a student thinking you should be able to trust your faculty."
Yeh, who left Columbia in 2006 and now teaches at the University of San Francisco, said she told college administrators that year that Constantine had used her work without citation or permission. "It's been a very long and difficult investigation, and I'm hopeful that this is a first step - and that maybe other people will feel comfortable coming forward as a result of this," she said.
#6
"Constantine said she would appeal to a faculty committee."
It ain't over yet folks. In fact, Constantines attorney Paul Giacomo said that in fact it was Constantine who was plagiarized by her accusers and not the other way around. They call it the ole "I know I am but what are you" defense.
#12
TEnure is a good idea that needs to be modified. Bringing shame upon yourself or your university should be grounds for the pulling of tenure. PUblicity stunts and plagarism would sure apply.
#13
Most state universities can pull tenure and substitute existing civil servant protect laws and regulation which are themselves strong enough to protect the incompetent but certainly opens the process to dismissal for criminal conduct. Plagiarism means someone else's intellectual property was stolen.
#15
I.m with Gorb on this one; timing seems a bit suspicious to me: she knew she was under invertigation for the plagarism, so maybe, just maybe, she happened to place this chunk o' rope on a doorknob, and this chunk o' rope just happened to look like a noose. Then it gets reported to the authorities in an effort to deflect the plagarism investigation and instead focus on the poor little victim of a hate crime.
Are there any reports of the police doing a DNA on the rope?
#16
Ret, Michelle Malkin has been on the case over at her blog. It appears that there was a security video of the place in question around the time of the alleged incident. The investigation all sort of disappeared from the public attention when that part came out and no further official announcements were issued to address the incident or the investigation. We're left with speculation that they did ID a person of interest who they are now protecting for obvious reasons [it didn't fit their Dukeboarding bigotry].
Posted by: Mike ||
02/22/2008 06:12 ||
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#1
Disney made a great movie about this, "Miracle on Ice", with Kurt Russell. Includes President Carter reciting his "malaise" speech. I highly recommend the movie...I've watched it several times, and I rarely watch a movie more than once.
#3
The Disney film was "Miracle". "Miracle on Ice" was the TV-movie with Karl Malden.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
02/22/2008 7:59 Comments ||
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#4
Herb used to do some camping shopping at the EMS in Roseville. We ran into him in the tent section. Real interesting fellow. He will be sorely missed.
#6
The movie was on Monday night, I think... I rarely watch movies more than once.... this one? I think this was about the 5-6 time I've watched... and stood up through the ending of the movie, clapping, crying, just as I had done watching it live and hearing those words, "Do you believe in miracles?"
Great movie -- the producers went to great detail to actual re-create the plays, the movements just as they were played.....
#7
28 years ago on a cold and wet Friday night in February. Warm tavern. Good snacks (all you can eat - gratis). Real cold beer. Maybe 50-60 people. Mostly men ages 21-70. A few babes. Most of us didn't know much about the rules of hockey. Didn't matter.
Oh what a night.
eLarson said something about getting misty eyed even to this day.
That night I recall seeing the most grizzled of men being alot more than merely misty eyed. Without shame. Tears of joy. Pride. Patriotism.
USA,USA,USA.
Anyone born and raised in the USA before...say 1972 may not even remember that night in February, 1980. That night was HUGE beyond your wildest imagination. That night some 20 scruffy kids reminded us of who we USED to be...who we ARE...who we CAN be. Like circa 1941 - 1945.
To this day - bar none - The Miracle is the GREATEST (and most timely) MOMENT in the history of the culture of American Sport. THAT night the American people - we were down on the mat taking the 10 count - got off the mat, stood up ram rod straight...smiled/smirked ... and said to the world: "Is that the f**kin' best you got? Cause it ain't good enough to take us out".
#9
I've been a sports fan for a long time and played/followed hockey in high school. It took a near-miraculous goal by Paul Henderson in the last game of the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR to bring the best Canadian NHLers back for a one-game victory against the Soviets. From that point the Soviets just went from strength to strength. In 1980 the Soviet Olympic squad was, without a doubt, the best hockey team on earth, bar none. I'd have happily bet you a lot of money (and given you odds) that the American team wouldn't come close to the Soviets in Lake Placid.
What happened in 1980 was a reprise of what happened in 1960, except against an even tougher squad. In 1960, the U.S. side had a smoking hot goalie named Jack McCartan who was having one of those incredible runs of good luck between the pipes. The U.S. rode him to a gold medal against much better teams.
In 1980, Jim Craig had the same kind of lucky streak going, but he was holding us in against teams we probably didn't deserve to be on the same ice with. The disparity in talent, experience and skill between the 1980 U.S. team and the 1980 Soviet team was roughly the same as between an average mid-major college football team and the New England Patriots.
The U.S. team had no business winning that game, and 99 times out of one hundred they wouldn't have. That night in Lake Placid those young Americans played the game of their lives against an overly confident (though deservedly so) Soviet team that was having an off night. The Soviet coach was having an off night too, as no one in their right mind would have pulled possibly the best goalie who ever played the game, Vladimir Tretiak, out of such an important game. The game being on home ice certainly helped as well.
Yes, it was a miracle that night and it deserves every bit of the hype that it received. I'd never seen disparity of such magnitude overcome before and I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again. That was truly a win for the ages.
And it was extra interesting to me because an expat Canadian friend of mine had just hosted eight nights of hockey - we watched the entirety of a 1972 eight game series in which the Canadian national team played the Soviet national team in an away-and-home series that ended in a four-all tie.
In many ways, it was the first crack in the Iron Curtain. The series was played four games in Canada, and then four games in Russia to ensure that the Russians wouldn't defect, and the even number of games ensured a ego-soothing tie rather than the triumph of Communism or Commonwealth.
One thing that stood out over the course of the series was that the Russians all wore protective gear while nearly none of the Canadians did.
And another thing that stood out (when I watched "Miracle") was that the Americans faced almost the exact same players in the Olympics in 1980 as the Canadians had in 1972.
In other words, the Soviet team was OLD.
If any of you puck heads would like to watch the series, you can get it on Amazon, just search on Canada hockey 1972
#11
Seafarious: I didn't know until you told us that Canada's professionals played the Soviet professionals to a DRAW in 1972 with pretty much "the exact same players" (your words) they put on the ice in Lake Placid in 1980. Congrats. Well done.
Since the average age of the Soviet hockey team in 1980 was...oh....30 years of age, one might suggest that those "OLD" (your word) Soviets in 1980 were "YOUNG" (my word) Soviets in 1972 when Canada's professioanls had the talent to play 'em to a DRAW. Cool.
But today isn't the annivesary of anything Canadaian. Today is the anniversary of a group of 20 year old American AMATURE hockey players beating a group of 30 year old Soviet PROFESSIONAL hockey players. And to be crowned - for one night - The Best in the World.
#12
I was 21 in '80, and I still get teary-eyed and spine-tingled when I remember that moment. Michaels has done a LOT of great sports announcing, but that is him at his best, one of the greatest sports moments because it included geo-political overtones.....say...when was Jimmy Carter defeated? Why, it was....
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/22/2008 17:59 Comments ||
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#13
But they still had to be the Finns for the Gold.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/22/2008 18:06 Comments ||
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#14
I thought Canada won that 1972 series 4-3-1.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
02/22/2008 22:41 Comments ||
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#2
She said Louisiana called for federal assistance but did not get it for five days.
Yeah..the Feds let you down alright you wretched ingrate. Maybe its not politically expedient right now but perhaps you might remember this little historical foot note.
At the height of rescue operations, the US Coast Guard had at least 62 aircraft, 30 cutters and 111 small boats assisting in rescue and recovery operations. Approximately one-third of the Coast Guards entire air fleet was deployed to the region to support rescue operations in the immediate aftermath of the storm. More than 5,290 Coast Guard personnel conducted search-and-rescue operations, waterway reconstitution and environmental assessment operations. More than 400 Coast Guard reservists were recalled to active duty.
By Sept. 11, 2005, the Coast Guard had rescued more than 24,000 people and assisted with the joint-agency evacuation of an additional 9,400 patients and medical personnel from hospitals in the Gulf coast region. More than 33,520 lives were saved and evacuated, including:
o 12,533 lives saved by air resources
o 11,584 lives saved by surface resources
o 9,403 patients evacuated from hospital
Go to hell Ex-governor and take Johnny 2 Americas with you!
#3
"Every person, even if they don't care to admit it, knows in their gut we would have seen a much different federal response if Hurricane Katrina had happened under (Clinton's) watch," Blanco said.
And that's easy to say because we'll never know.
Hillary's losing, Kathy. You're kissing the wrong ass...
#5
Depot Guy, by my estimate the Katrina evacuation and rescue was the largest in American history - and possibly second only to Dunkirk in any history.
#6
"Every person, even if they don't care to admit it, knows in their gut we would have seen a much different federal response if Hurricane Katrina had happened under (Clinton's) watch," Blanco said.
Yeah...Slick Willie would've bit his lower lip for the cameras saying that he felt their pain while Monica was below-desk polishing his helmet.
There have been a number of indications that January 2008 has been an exceptional month for winter weather in not only North America, but the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Weve had anecdotal evidence of odd weather in the form of wire reports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and China where record setting cold and snow has been felt with intensity not seen for 30-100 years, depending on the region.
From our remote sensing groups, we have reports of significant negative anomalies in both the RSS and UAH global satellite data for the lower troposphere. The theres NOAAs announcement that January 2008, was below 20th century averages, plus news that Arctic sea ice has quickly recovered from the record low extent of Summer 2007. Finally, theres the massive La Nina said to be the driver of all this but may be a harbinger of a more permanent phase shift according to veteran forecaster Joe Bastardi.
Now to add to this, we have images and reports from NOAA and Rutgers University of large anomalies of snow cover extent for the northern hemisphere in January 2008. January 2008 had the largest areal Northern Hemisphere snow cover for the period of 1966-2008, just slightly larger than the previous largest anomaly of January, 1984.
#1
It wont phase the climate nuts on bit, I guarantee.
If they were only stupid you could teach them, but they want to believe that we are all doomed and it is a mechanism of our own creation, the payment for living to happy and comfortable of lives. Shame on us, may we all burn freeze in hell.
#3
nhw - That's why the mantra is being changed from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change". That way anytime someone thinks the weather is unusual it must be caused by man.
Hell, the other night we had a unusual thunderstorm in the SF Bay Area. It must be due to Global War...excuse me Climate change.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/22/2008 19:42 Comments ||
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#7
REDDIT > SCIENTIFICBLOGGING.com > UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX Perts - DON'T WORRY - THE SUN WILL ONLY VAPORIZE EARTH ONLY IFF WE DON'T CHANGE/ALTER OUR ORBIT, in circa 7.6Bilyuuuhn yarns. VARIOUS HIGH-RISK STRATEGIES involve potentially catastrophic consequences for EARTH-HUMANITY wid even the slightest miscalculations, including but not limited to OPTIONS TO UTILIZE PASSING ASTEROIDS [captured?] TO NATURALLY "NUDGE" EARTH FARTHER AWAY FROM THE SUN [vv gravitational forces] OVER TIME???
Starring VINCENT as TOM CRUISE > COLOR OF MONEY > D *** NG IT, BOY, ITS IN "THE WAY THAT YOU USE IT". Mary Elizabeth MastroAntonio [paraph] "Let him win, or else the only thing you'll be humping for a long time will be your hand/fist".
And now you know, VIRGINA, AGAIN, WHY GLOBAL COOLING/NEW ICE AGE VERSUS SOLAR EXPANSION!?
MADONNA "True Blue" lyric - "The Sun is bursting right out of the sky... she's searched the whole world for someone like you".
WOT > WHITNEY VERSUS MADONNA, OSAMA/USAMA versus JOSEPH = JOE versus JOE [versus SOVIETS-COMMIES IN A WAR IN AFGHANISTAN].
The official rate of annual inflation in Zimbabwe has rocketed past the 100,000% barrier, by far the highest in the world, the state central statistical office said yesterday. Second-placed Iraq has inflation of 60%, according to international estimates. In a brief statement, the statistics office said inflation rose to 100,580% in January, up from 66,212% in December.
The new official figure was still well below the rate calculated by independent analysts. They estimate the real inflation is closer to 150,000%, citing supermarket receipts showing that the price of chicken rose more than 236,000% to 15m Zimbabwe dollars a kilogram between January 2007 and January 2008. Slower increases in prices of sugar, tea and other basics bring down the average to around 150,000%.
Zimbabwe, a former regional breadbasket, is facing acute shortages of food, hard currency, gasoline and most basic goods in an economic meltdown blamed on disruptions in the agriculture-based economy after the seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms began in 2000, accompanied by political violence and turmoil.
In early October the state central statistical office gave official inflation at just below 8,000%. It then suspended its monthly updates because there was not enough in the shortage-stricken shops to calculate a regular basket of goods. November's already dizzying rate of 24,470% was announced in January and earlier this month the official rate for December was given as 66,212%, a dramatic escalation in the space of a month.
The National Incomes and Prices Commission, the government's price control body, this month allowed sharp increases in the prices of the corn meal staple, sugar, bread and other basics in a bid to restore viable operations by producers and return the goods to empty shelves. But the new prices were still roughly half the price demanded on the black market and were unlikely to guarantee regular supplies to food stores.
Executives at a milling company producing corn meal said the price increase allowed by the government was already overtaken by soaring production costs and gasoline prices and the National Bakers Association said bread shortages were set to worsen unless the price of a loaf was nearly doubled to more than 5m Zimbabwe dollars for a regular loaf.
Gross domestic product in Zimbabwe fell from about $200 in 1996 to about $9 a head last year.
There is no way a people can live on $9 a head per year. The explosion has to come soon.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
See how good things can be when you run all the stinky white-people things out of town?
Its a veritable heaven on earth, pass the corn, would ya Bob.
#2
Zimbabwe, a former regional breadbasket, is facing acute shortages of food, hard currency, gasoline and most basic goods in an economic meltdown blamed on disruptions in the agriculture-based economy after the seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms began in 2000, accompanied by political violence and turmoil.
Is Britain a sovereign nation?
A police chief has admitted that he was forced to move house by youths hanging around outside his home. Supt Wayne Mawson, who is in his 40s, said that he decided to leave because he did not want to confront the teenagers sitting on the wall of his property in Hackney, east London.
The officer, the head of operations in Haringey, north London, said that the youths had made him nervous about returning from work. Supt Mawson confessed that he had given in to them. The Metropolitan Police high-flyer, who will earn about £70,000 a year, said: "I gave in to them because it was either that or start challenging them.
"My quality of life has improved massively since then."
Supt Mawson made the admission during a neighbourhood watch meeting in Crouch End, north London, as he highlighted the crucial role that safer neighbourhood teams play. "They are not only about the big stuff, but also about looking after situations like this, serving the everyday needs of our community," he said.
Supt Mawson also warned that a terrorist attack was likely to happen again. He said: "An attack will happen again in London. The big trials show us that there are people in Haringey involved in the terrorism world.
"It's not about scaring people. It's about raising awareness and making the borough as safe as we can. It's impossible to stereotype a terrorist, so we have to be alert to all possibilities."
Last month, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said that she was too scared to walk in London alone after dark. Asked whether she would go out by herself at night in Hackney, she told a Sunday newspaper: "No, why would I do that? But I never would have done, at any point in my life.
"I just don't think it's a thing that people do. I wouldn't walk around at midnight. I'm fortunate that I don't have to do so."
Supt Mawson's admission comes amid concern about increasing violence by teenage gangs. Last week, a court heard how a father of two was kicked unconscious after asking a group of youths to be quiet outside his home in Maltby, South Yorkshire. Gary Yeomans, 44, said that he was lucky to be alive following the attack that left him seriously ill in hospital. Last August, Garry Newlove, a father of three, was kicked to death by a gang of youths outside his home in Warrington, Cheshire, after he confronted them about vandalism.
#1
That's real cowardice, the police chief leaving because some youths sat on a wall outside his home, and he's "Afraid to confront them".
Fire his ass.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/22/2008 15:42 Comments ||
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#2
Is Britain a sovereign nation?
No.
It does not have control of its borders, it is not the supreme law of the land, it will soon not have a foreign policy. It is now but a province of the major nation in Europe, the EU. Get over it.
#3
The Metropolitan Police high-flyer, who will earn about £70,000 a year, said: "I gave in to them because it was either that or start challenging them.
So what happens when you don't have the choice anymore there, Supt? Guess that'll be rollover and die time?
They're paying £70,000 for this guy to supervise the people that are supposed to protect them and he won't even try to protect himself?Unfuckinbelievable...
#4
IT IS always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:â
âWe invaded you last nightâwe are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.â
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That youâve only to pay âem the Dane-geld
And then youâll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:â
âThough we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.â
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But weâve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:â
âWe never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!â
#5
IF you don't want to confront them then play classical music or something else that will drive them away without necessarily provoking them.
Either that or get one of those subsonic sound things that are supposedly useful for driving off youths.
Lastly and most obviously have some of the cops from work pick him up in front of his house once in a while. Most youths are not gonna feel comfortable hanging around an area that has a lot of cops showing up.
Since he didn't try any of the above he should have retired long ago.
#6
Golly Wayne, maybe the boyos at the Petrol Exchange can save your sorry ass:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article515384.ece
Read it -- its a classic from a time when you thought UK had a chance...
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/22/2008 23:04 Comments ||
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MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putins anointed successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has the support of 70.4 percent of the voters and will easily win the presidential election next weekend, a poll on Thursday showed. Strongly backed by both the Kremlin and state-controlled media Medvedev, who is first deputy prime minister, leads his nearest challenger by a healthy margin, pollster VTsIOM said.
Nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky is Medvedevs nearest rival with 10.7 percent support, followed by Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov at 10.3 percent, VTsIOM said.
Putin endorsed Medvedev in December, and the candidates popularity has risen steadily ever since. Medvedev has pledged to appoint Putin prime minister if he wins the March 2 vote. Putin is serving out his second term and is constitutionally barred from running again.
Analysing data from past elections and past voter behaviour, VTsIOM also published a forecast of the likely outcome, the main guide used by the Russian media in its reporting. It predicted Medvedev would win 72.9 percent of the vote, with Zyuganov at 15 percent and Zhirinovsky at 10.9 percent. It was very clear from the start that the candidates were searching for the undecided vote, which was more than a quarter of the electorate, and Medvedev has now got it, said VTsIOM spokeswoman Olga Komentyuk.
Apart from Putins backing and his appeal for stability, Medvedevs strong emphasis on social programmes was a key factor in winning over undecided voters, Komentyuk said. What Russians want to avoid is the chaos and complications of the 1990s -- Medvedev offers a continuity with the stability they feel Putin has provided, said Komentyuk.
Medvedev has often represented himself as a devoted fan of hard rock, listing Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as his favourite bands. He is a collector of their original vinyl records and has previously said that he has collected all of the recordings of Deep Purple. As a youth, he made endless copies of their songs, although these bands were then on the official state-issued blacklist.
Medvedev stands 162 cm (5'4") in height.
Despite a busy schedule, he always reserves an hour each morning and again each evening to swim and pump iron. He swims 1,500 meters (approximately 0.93 miles), twice a day. He also jogs, plays chess, and practices yoga. Among his hobbies are reading the works of Mikhail Bulgakov, and following his hometown professional soccer team, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.
He keeps an aquarium in his office and cares for his fish himself.
#4
Sounds like the runner who published books on "Running for health" fell over dead of a massive heart attack on one of his runs.
Autopsy showed three completely blocked heart arteries., Running was the very worst thing he could do, not enough blood to the heart muscles, pain masked by running exertion.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/22/2008 16:04 Comments ||
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Chinese Olympic organisers yesterday criticised US athletes who are bringing their own food to the Games in Beijing this summer instead of trusting local cuisine. If you would have kept your mouths shut it would have worked out much better. But now that you have mentioned it . . . .
Competitors are banned from importing their own food into the athletes' village under rules drawn up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that are designed to protect the rights of sponsors such as McDonald's and to police the use of illegal substances.
The United States Olympic Committee, which will have more than 600 people in its delegation, is planning to transport its own produce because of fears about public health and food standards in China. Or rather, their lack of enforcement.
The athletes will eat their three daily meals at their training camp at a local university, which is outside the official confines of the Olympic Park.
I feel it's a pity that they decided to take their own food, Kang Yi, the head of the food division for the Beijing Olympic organising committee, said. We have made lots of preparations to ensure that the athletes can get together at the Olympic Games. Now why would you need to make lots of special preparations?
The athletes' village will house about 17,000 athletes and officials during the 16-day event in Beijing, serving up to 6,000 meals simultaneously in several restaurants round the clock. "Chang! We're running out of rat poison! Run down and get another barrel!"
It is standard practice for delegations to eat the food prepared by the contract caterer, in this case Aramark, a Fortune 500 company based in Philadelphia. The British Olympic Association said that it would not be taking food for its 270 athletes. The party will include one nutritionist who will work with local chefs to prepare the team's meals. The nutritionist will specify how much of which pesticides will go into the athletes food in order to optimize their health and performance.
Other countries are understood to be considering plans to cater their own food after a series of public health scares in China. Chinese-made dumplings contaminated by pesticides made thousands of Japanese ill last month. If the bugs won't eat them, they're probably not healthy.
Tang Yunhua, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Office for Food Safety, said: The standards for Olympic food safety are much more strict than international standards. How about awareness and enforcement?
#3
My son spent two weeks in China last summer. Lost twelve pounds. The food there was not to be eaten.
China cannot withstand the exposure honest reporting would allow. Working together, with partners like Google, they're working to fill in the chinks in their city wall.
#5
Someone needs to point out to all parties concerned, world class athletes often do their own food where they go regardless of first or second or third world amenities.
#6
No, the ChiComs are looking for a fight. This will be just another chapter with the last having been the Kitty Hawk Honk Kong visit. They need a foreign demon to distract from their domestic problems, which are going to grow with the global slowdown, and we're it. At some point it will backfire on them.
Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy and set fire to an office Thursday, and police clashed with protesters outside after a large demonstration against Kosovo's declaration of independence.
The embassy said a charred body was found in the embassy after the attack. "It was found at the part of the building set on fire by the protesters," embassy spokeswoman Rian Harris said. She said all embassy staffers were accounted for; Belgrade's Pink TV said the body appeared to be that of a rioter.
Masked attackers broke into the U.S. compound, which was closed at the time, just after 7 p.m. and tried to throw furniture from an office. They set fire to the office and flames shot up the side of the building.
It took police about 45 minutes to appear at the scene, and firefighters arrived about the same time and put out the blaze. Police secured the U.S. Embassy and surrounding area, blocking off all access.
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, said he was "outraged" by the attack and would ask the U.N. Security Council to issue a unanimous statement "expressing the council's outrage, condemning the attack, and also reminding the Serb government of its responsibility to protect diplomatic facilities."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
The Serbs are in the right. Should California be given over to the Mexicans because of all the illegals here? My government is wrong the Serbs are right.
Posted by: Idont Care ||
02/22/2008 0:10 Comments ||
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#3
When Serbian rioters burned the US embassy they went from being right to being bomb targest of convenience for all I'm concerned. Burning an embassy is an act of war.
#5
Pappy, read further down in the article:
On Thursday, the neighboring Croatian Embassy also was targeted by the same group of protesters at the U.S. Embassy, and smaller groups attacked police posts outside the Turkish and British embassies in another part of the city but were beaten back.
Seems awfully convenient... Mayhap the Serbian Government wanted some broken windows and forgot that mobs love to burn things...
#6
Can't really blame the protesters. The average Serb feels like they got the short end of the stick after '92 and then the US bent 'em over and took full advantage. This view has only been enhanced by the government propaganda. The fact that the Serb government didn't provide police protection to our embassy, but did others is a cheap political trick to get back at the US.
Act of war, no. Dirty politics, yes.
I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of those "protesters" were Serb intelligence agents.
#8
Belgrade's Pink TV said the body appeared to be that of a rioter.
Heh. Either hoist on his own petard, or someone took the opportunity to settle their own score.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/22/2008 8:04 Comments ||
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#9
!. Somebody should tell the WaPo and its idiot Slobodan that the embassy belongs to the United States, NOT Belgrade. It's the US embassy in Belgrade, NOT Belgrade's embassy.
2. The hooligans were part of a Serbian government sponsored anti US rally that got out of hand and the police had orders not to use force in restraining the rioters, at least at first. That's government complicity.
3. We had evacuated the embassy, so we must have known something was coming, perhaps through our national technical means.
4. It is sovereign U. S. Territory. If we weren't going to keep Marines on duty to repel boarders by all necessary means, we should have booby trapped the place and told the world we had.
5. We should pull all troops and diplomats out of the Balkans, and issue travel alertsto all Americans warning them that this is not a safe part of the world and that they go there entirely at their own risk.
6. We should forget about the Balkans. It's Europe's problem. The EU (pbui) has a bigger economy and more defence resources to address it than we. Leave it to Luigi.
#11
Ahem, wasn't Kosovo one of Hillary/Bill's "Accomplishments"? Weren't the Serbs/Kosovars singing cumbaya and reading poetry to each other after the Clintons left office? /snark
Fuck it, theyre no less blameworthy than Muslims doing the same thing.
Im not saying we go to war with Serbia over an embassy - but I can tell you, I aint crying no tears over the "protestor" who died while fucking around inside our embassy.
#14
...theyre no less blameworthy than Muslims doing the same thing.
True, but I am not going to blame people that have been immersed in the culture and propaganda that the US is an evil, imperial country that picks on the weak.
However, it still won't keep me from killing the bastards if they proceed to harm my country. As far as I'm concerned, the dead serb got what he deserved.
#16
US should never, never have got involved in this deal. Thanks president clinton, you ass. I have the feeling my kids are going to be cleaning up your mess as my generation is already reaping your shit.
Europe is right there. They could walk over there. Time to move everything worth keeping to Lake Havasu and let eu figure it out like they have always done - royalty and peasants and war.
#17
I wouldn't get too exercised about how the Serbians committed an act of war here. After all, the U.S. committed an act of war against Serbia when we bombed them so they might just figure they are defending themselves. I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about how we're fighting on the right side in this war and I'd just as soon we get the hell out of it.
I didn't watch the debate in Austin last night so I'm wondering if anybody there had sense enough to bring this issue to the attention of the candidates. It'd be interesting to hear what they have to say about it. I mean, we already know what they have to say about Iraq and health care. Do they know anything about any other issues?
#18
I wouldn't get too exercised about how the Serbians committed an act of war here. After all, the U.S. committed an act of war against Serbia when we bombed them so they might just figure they are defending themselves. I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about how we're fighting on the right side in this war and I'd just as soon we get the hell out of it.
we bombed them 8 years ago. Since then theyve invited us back into our embasssy. You think youre in a state of war, you expel the ambasssador and the other diplos. You accept an embassy, you got obligations towards it. Same as the Iranians have an obligation to the Danish embassy, etc, etc.
#19
Clinton bombing a country at war with it's own muslim population and this is what it bought.
the implied bigotry of youre remark aside, are you at all aware that some ethnic Albanians are orthodox christians, and some ethnic Serbs in Kosovo were muslims(theyd be called Bosniaks,maybe, except they didnt live in Bosnia)?
#21
CNN > BREAKING - US State Department has decided to withdraw all embassy personnel and dependents from Serbia???
ION, GUAM K57 Radio/PNC > BREAKING - MILITARY AIRCRAFT REPORTED ON FIRE AT ANDERSEN AFB, + UPDATE: WITNESSES SAY AIRCRAFT IS A B-2 BOMBER. USAF B-2 "Spirit" Bomber appears to had crashed on the tarmac - pilots reported as safe.
#22
I no longer believe in random riots attacking embassies. There is almost always some kind off government organization either behind the scenes or openly.
The US may have had no business getting involved in the Balkins during Clinton but the Serbs were involved in some sick shit in Bosnia and possibly Kosovo and playing the upset victim doesn't change that.
#23
No problem mon. Just close the embassy for remodeling for the next 50 years. I won't care one bit if no more visas are issued for that part of the world.
Posted by: ed ||
02/22/2008 20:44 Comments ||
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#24
TOPIX > RUSSIA SAYS IT HAS NO HAND IN SERBIAN VIOLENCE, agz US embassy. Warns NATO envoy that FORCE may be used to get respect.
A 28-mile "virtual fence" that will use radars and surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country illegally has gotten final government approval. Got any plans to nab these folks?
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Friday announced approval of the fence, built by the Boeing Co. and using technology the Bush administration plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border, as well as sections of Texas. These projects could get under way as early as this summer, officials said.
The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in vehicles. As of February 8, 295 miles of fencing had been constructed.
The virtual fence is working. At what total present cost, if you include studies, headaches, constructions, public grumbling, maintenance, man hours needed to run after the folks who decide to try to sneak through, and illegal activities in the US such as crime and the economics of illegal workers? Seems to this uninformed observer that in the long run you'd do better to put up concrete and be done with it.
On February 13, an officer in a Tucson command center -- 70 miles from the border -- noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air. Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, a Homeland Security official said.
The virtual fence system includes 98-foot unmanned surveillance towers that are equipped with an array of sophisticated technology including radar, sensor devices and cameras capable of distinguishing people from cattle at a distance of about 10 miles. The cameras are powerful enough to tell group sizes and whether people are carrying backpacks that may contain weapons or drugs.
Last year the government withheld some of Boeing's payments for the system because technology the company used in the test project did not work properly. Boeing also was late in delivering the final product, known as Project 28. Because of this, the department received a $2 million credit from the company to go toward maintenance and logistical support of the system, the Homeland Security officials said.
The government paid Boeing $15 million of its initial $20 million contract before determining that there were glitches in the test project. The department gave a conditional acceptance in December.
Lawmakers have been skeptical of the product Boeing delivered. "This is not the end of the Project 28 story," Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pennsylvania, said in a statement Thursday. "We need to understand what went wrong with Project 28 to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and taxpayer dollars are not squandered." Carney chairs the House Homeland Security management subcommittee.
Also Friday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Chertoff announced a 25 percent increase in the fines it will levy against employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. It is the first boost in fines in nearly a decade.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for investigating illegal hirings, has stepped up its enforcement of the employer sanctions law in the past year, leading to a dozen major busts. Currently, fines range from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the offense.
The agency says some penalties could include at least six months in jail.
#3
Can the taxpayers pay for the virtual fence with virtual dollars? Seems like the concrete fence in Israel is working reasonably well. Our govmint is so obsessed with electronic gizmos and bells and whistles when something less would do fine.
I guess this is what happens when you reveal your cards too early.
Sen. John McCains presidential campaign claimed vindication Thursday night after a sophisticated 24-hour counterattack turned a potentially lethal story in The New York Times into a conservative call to arms.
Karl Rove is even better than I thought ...
The piece about McCains friendly relations with a telecommunications lobbyistlong-discussed in political circles and planned for weeks by McCain operativeswas the first test of his ability to confront a public-relations crisis since becoming the GOPs presumptive nominee.
Continued on Page 49
From an August 21, 2007 editorial
Barack Obama often says that his wife, Michelle, is smarter than he is, stronger than he is, and gives better speeches than he does.
On a trip to Iowa last week, Michelle was a firebrand, expressing a determined passion for her husband's campaign, talking straight from the heart with eloquence and intelligence.
She told an audience in Council Bluffs that Obama was cautioned not to enter the race for president because there was so much fear: "fear that he might lose; fear that he might get hurt; fear that this might get ugly; fear that this might hurt our family."
But the family decided to say "yes" to the Democratic race partially to confront those fears, said Michelle. "I am tired of being afraid . . . I don't want my girls to live in a country that is based on fear." Big step from a fear he might lose to a country based on fear, doncha think? But they're just words.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/22/2008 06:27 ||
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#1
"I am tired of being afraid . . . I don't want my girls to live in a country that is based on fear."
If that is what you think the United States is "based on" then see if you and your clan to can muster the morale courage and fortitude to pack up and live elsewhere. You'll not be missed, I assure you.
#2
It's the whole liberal ungratefulness short sighted view of America, cause most of the time their heads are stuck up their collective asses. It's dark in there among their own bile.
#7
Funny -- she doesn't want to live in a country based on fear, but isn't that what her husband has been selling?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/22/2008 9:34 Comments ||
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#8
Y'all laughed at the Hillary saluting pics. Cause the officer corps disliked the Clintons cause they wanted the Gheys in the showers, and cause they had pet generals. Now youre gonna get this. Sometimes I think the hate on hillary campaign was in part cause you WANTED a liberal that fit your stereotypes, not one who didnt like Senator Clinton. Well youre getting your wish, live with it.
It was the Clinton's who started off their administration by a display of hatred by their staff of those in uniform. As for gays in the military, enough of the horse crap - it's the LAW. Made by Congress. Amazing with a majority in his first two year in office and control now of both houses, your kind have never made a serious effort to change the LAW. The policy the military follows is in accordance with law.
That law is implemented in Title X United States Code. Subsection of which is known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In the Punitive Articles of the code is Article 125, Sodomy. "(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. (b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct." Now while some argue that 'straights' may also engage in some form of sodomy, the nature of our law calls for reasonable doubt. Therefore a pair of heterosexuals behind closed doors is granted such doubt while a same sex couple could not logically be granted any doubt. However, the military being different from civil society also have to abide by Article 78 Accessory After the Fact "Any person subject to this chapter who, knowing that an offense punishable by this chapter has been committed, receives, comforts, or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial, or punishment shall be punished as a court-martial may direct." Thus, the compromise of Donât Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), because under military law, if you know you have to tell and act. This is Congress' law. Those in the military establishment may like it, but it is not their law. I doubt that other than the most antagonistic individuals would want to establish a principle that the uniform military should disobey law imposed by Congress that is their Constitutional power to do so. That is why it is not like blacks or women. Segregation was policy not law. A president could alter policy, he can not alter law. Women are still facing limitations within the military establishment because of laws in place. We are still working our way through that one too, but in the halls of Congress.
#10
Its only based on fear since George W. came to offic e, before that we didnt have a madman ruining our rescources and econ omy, though with these events unfolding over the last 8 years King George has given us a reasonable thing to fear, his idiocy.
www.bushisantichrist.com
#12
Godless liberals. Ether they play the race card, fascist names or fear card. I am so sick of these POS that see nothing but bad in our great nation.
Sent that c@nt to Saudi so she can see what real fear is!
#16
It's funny the projecting that goes on about W. Moonbats live in fear of a total fantasy version of this administration. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.
If Michelle Obama lives in such fear it's no wonder she's never been proud. Mr Obama projects Optimism in his speeches, it must make for interesting dinner conversation.
#17
GB, I think you're right. Everytime I listen to B.O. , I have images of Jimmah Carter.
I also think Michelle's greatest is fear is that someone will obtain her Princeton thesis before the election and expose all her Marxist rants.
In an ideal race I would like to have seen good candidates for each party - mccain for the d's and Thompson for the r's. This is what was dealt and I sure did not expect hillarity? to make the neophyte mistakes she did - she thought gender trumps race, health care trumps war, experience trumps hope. To top it, she played b.o.'s game rather than making him play hers, said some stuuupid quotables and caucus date mistakes in Iowa, and in general made herself into the very stereotype of establishment her campaign was campaigning against.
I hesitate to use b.o.'s wife as a thermometer (obamater?) but she is willingly, openly saying some way out there things and having her paper censored until post election should be a red flag the size of a texas flag at a car dealership outside Dallas.
More than any other election the concept of what the spouse is about has been emphasised - Thompson's wife, headwards' other, willy j, now mccain.
All this talk about fear is bs. Wasn't even an issue until about 2003 - self perpetuating the more you talk about it the more you gotta talk about it whether you agree or disagree; same same as goerbal swarming.
LH is right, a lot of people were clammering for b.o. to defeat hillarity! and now it looks like it will happen. Well here is the gambit in play; the b.o. memtum looks unstoppable now but if the honnahlee camps blows its super neato cool guy load over the next month people will lose interest as it is inevitable - the man has peaked. Hillarity campers will likely tow the line but many may not as mccain is a definate crossover choice. Especially since hillarity fans are used to her putting out concrete ideas or turned off by such a cheeky winner. Look for the race and white burdon equal opportunity its about time stuff to come out hot and heavy over the next month to retain those voters in the d party.
Me, I want a good president - party over here party over there whatever. Obama is not just starting to chill me, I am genuinely concerned about what could happen under his presidency.
#19
LiberalHawk and RJ make the same point, in opposite: some people live in a fantasy political and cultural world.
For some, it's BDS.
For others, it's the VRWC.
Both are unhealthy.
I dislike Hillary intensely (heck, I refer to her openly as the Hildebeast) but I'm not blind, I hope, to what unceasing hatred does to my soul and to my outlook on life.
Ditto, the moonbats with BDS behave in ways that are just plain loopy, all from a flawed premise about a decent man.
LH points out that the Clinton haters are about to get their wish: Hillary will soon depart the political scene, as she's about to be denied what she's openly sought the last eight years. But before you cheer too lustily, please take a look at what's taking her place. Obama is a hard-left socialist type, the most liberal senator in the land. And he just might be elected our next President. And as LH points out, we'll have to live with it.
Likewise, RJ wonders about Michelle Obama's mindset. One wouldn't be surprised if she saw Rethuglican trolls under every table. It's a fantasy. Be careful of what you wish for, Mrs. Obama.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/22/2008 11:48 Comments ||
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#20
And as LH points out, we'll have to live with it.
We're electing a President not a King. This just makes Congressional elections more important. Even with a 'majority' in the House, Speaker Pelosi couldn't get her agenda through, not just because of the Trunks, but because not all of the members of her own broad tent party will support it. The same goes on in the Senate. Filibuster reduces the functionality of wanta to coulda. It doesn't matter if its Obama, McCain, or something else, the system isn't going to be pretty. It was made that way for a reason.
And that's why it's the oldest written governing document still in operation. Often imitated but never equaled. Thanks to the indispensible one whose birthday we celebrate today.
#22
thank you SW - though I could live with a hard left socialist on domestic policy, even if I disagreed with several of those policies (esp on trade). After all thats an area where congress has a huge say, and where most policies are reversable. And where, IMHO, SOME swinging of the pendulum is in order.
Im much more worried about the for and security policy tendencies. I expect an administration divided between "realists" like Brezinski, who are at least willing to use force, if also animated by dislike for Israel, antipathy to democracy promotions, and a desire for vengeance on the neocons, on the one hand, and some real McGovernite kumbayah types on the other hand. In a dangerous world, both the follies of each camp, and the likelihood that Obamas inability to keep the two camps in order, could lead to paralysis and disaster.
I would be delighted if everything works out hunky dory. I am afraid that our adversaries will read the kumbayah idealism as weakness, and will push hard, while our friends will scurry for cover. In particular our not really reliable friends, like the Saudis and their gulf neighbors, will be quick to appease Iran. Egypt could well come apart at the seams, and the likely paralysis between Brezinski whose instincts will be to stand by Mubarak, and the doves who will push to cut him off, are likely to leave us with the worst of both worlds, much like Iran in 1979. I also suspect that they will pressure Israel when the PA negotiations dont go well - so would any US admin, possibly, but these guys will push harder and to a less reasonable goal - and that will NOT lead to peace, but to backlash in Israel, where Bibi would be delighted to lose US aid (good excuse to cut off the Israeli welfare state). And the Bibi admin will only complicate matters in the arab world further. I can see things getting very bad very fast.
#23
I'm tired of BS. The voters need to listen to what HRC and BO are saying. They promise that nearly every aspect of our lives will be controlled by a strong central government reminiscent of the USSR. This is not freedom. This is the tyranny of the left.
#25
We got lousy candidates all around. None of them were any good. Well, I liked Hunter and Thompson but they didn't stand a chance, did they? So now we've got a real, frickin' mess. No, LH, I won't get used to it.
Obama has one really big advantage in that he is NOT Clinton. We already had a Clinton in the White House and we know that was bad so we're taking fear of the unknown Obama over the fear of the known Clinton.
We know McCain too. Most of you will probably vote for him because you see him as the lesser of the evils. But I don't believe that any of them are fit to hold the office.
#26
Yes, it is going to be shit sandwich time. Hillary is a no-do in my book. We know she is a crooked as a dog's hind leg, but that husband of hers is even worse. There are no Constitutional limits on him as a presidential spouse. He is going to be able to do almost anything he likes. I think that is extremely dangerous. Obambi is real trouble too. He has some virulent anti-Israel folk on his staff, which I don't like. Both he and Hillary are going to put the country's economy into the toilet as they nationalize health care and raise taxes...a lot. And I think both of their foriegn policy efforts are going to create significant turmoil. McCain is no conservative, but he is certainly a whole lot better than either of these two.
#27
Hillary aint gonna do nothing but make speeches in the Senate - dont you guys realize that? She didnt rerail the Messiah last night, and the polls show them in a statistical dead heat in Texas. that was her last chance. Shes toast.
Its McCain or Obama now.
Id love for Obama to convince me that his wifes words dont mean what they sound like, that he didnt mean it about making kumbayah with Ahmadinajad, that he really understands the nuances of Olmerts negotiating and political positions, that hes gonna say bye-bye to Brezinski and Malley, and will run a nice liberal hawkish admin but with his U of C friends in place instead of the Clinton crowd - Id also be happy if the Redskins won the superbowl in 2009, but I aint counting on it.
So at this moment, Im inclined to McCain, even though Im AGAINST his stated policies on taxes, health care, abortion, etc.
Im in an apocalyptic mood. Come Nineveh, come Tyre.
#31
This broad yappin' like thinks she's on Oprah. Big applause from the brain dead, I gotta grevience Dems. Wise up toots you're blowin' for your hubby; just ask Teresa Heinz
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/22/2008 22:58 Comments ||
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#32
Very nice analysis, liberalhawk. We don't always agree, but I'm so glad you've never let yourself be driven off.
Senator Barack Obama won his 11th straight nominating contest on Thursday, carrying the Democrats Abroad global primary by a 2-to-1 margin over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and prevailing among American expatriates in every region of the world.
The results represented thousands of ballots submitted from Americans in 164 countries and territories from Feb. 5 to 12. The overseas Democrats were allocating a small number of delegates 4.5 on Thursday, under a proportional system that allotted 2.5 to Obama and 2 to Clinton. A further 2.5 will be determined at a Democrats Abroad convention on April 12 in Vancouver, Canada. The group also holds 4 superdelegate votes, for a total of 11 votes at the national convention in late August in Denver.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I still have this itchy feeling on my arse that I get whenever Hildabeast is about to pull a good one.
I suspect they are going to ram her down their throats at the very end with this superdelagate system of theirs.
#5
I'm starting to think that hillarity! is in such a spot that if she doesn't play her cards right she could lose her senate seat. I would not be surprised if she does a strategic withdrawl.
Murine Alert! npr the other week had a q&a session and what was posed, "Is the democrat election process democratic?"
IMO, no and it does not have to be - its their party and they can try like they want to. There is a board of trustees (the super d's) who selects the candidate after gaging the popular response after the regular delegates are selected by a dubious caucus system.
#6
I read on Drudge where the Secret Service dropped checking for firearms and weapons at BOs speech to facilitate people getting in. Although that doesn't sound like the Secret Service it could have happened. Look out BO, Hildebeast has got you in her sights if the Democratic process doesn't work out the way she thinks it should. She might exercise the Ft. Marcy Park option.
#7
CNN > WOLF BLITZER'S SITUATION ROOM > Guest Pert PAUL BURKA + the TEXAS STATE REPUBLIC'S "TEX-MEX" METHOD OF SELECTING DELEGATES - even iff OBAMA wins TEXAS, it may still be possible for HILLARY to achieve enuff Texas delegates [includ SUPERS] TO GIVE OBAMA REAL TROUBLE AT THE DEM CONVENTION???
#2
Barakomites: Little is know about these people other than they were a primitive nomadic tribe of mixed colour that lived in the post-Neolithic period estimated by scholars as being sometime between the 20th and 21st centuries. Barakomites were narcissists who viewed national patriotism, self-sacrifice and gratitude as vague, indefinable concepts. Living at the dawn of DNA manipulation and labeling, many centuries prior to modern ethnic muting, they utilized what was known at the time as a multi-cultural disadvantaged status, based on skin pigmentation and clan. This status, popularly accepted during the period, enabled Barakmites to embrace entitlement, gain education and status unavailable to vast numbers of other inhabitants. Barakomites retained culturally diverse family names and embraced popular local religions while distancing themselves, at least openly, from the primitive lunar and death based faiths of their heritage. Barakomite leaders gained social popularity by appealing to restless youth and the disadvantaged by condemning history and national heritage while promising asset redistribution, and entitlement. Criticizing what they perceived as injustice, inequality, and suffering, Barakomites encouraged social change and reform through fear mongering, and social upheaval. Further readings on the Barakomites can be found at http://www.barackobama.com/
Senator John McCain said Thursday that an article in The New York Times about his close ties to a woman lobbyist was untrue, that he had no romantic relationship with the lobbyist and that he had no confrontations in 1999 with worried staff members who told him to stay away from her.
Obviously, Im very disappointed in the article its not true, Mr. McCain said at a morning news conference in Toledo, where he was campaigning for president. At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest or would favor anyone or organization.
Asked if he ever had a romantic relationship with the woman, Vicki Iseman, 40, Mr. McCain, 71, responded, No. He described his relationship with Ms. Iseman as friends and said he had last seen her several months ago at an event.
Mr. McCains wife, Cindy, stood at his side throughout the news conference. She told reporters that she was also disappointed with The Times. And more importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would never do anything to not only disappoint our family, but disappoint the people of America, Mrs. McCain said. Hes a man of great character.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Personally, I trust NYT to check their facts (for ideological compliance).
Srinagar, Feb 22 (ANI): Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will undertake an aerial survey of the avalanche-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir today. Patil will make an aerial survey of Kulgam, Shopian and Budgam.
Besides meeting senior state government officers, he will also assess the situation in Anantnag district in south Kashmir. Before leaving for Delhi, he is also scheduled to meet affected people in Bhaderwah, which is Azads hometown and assembly constituency.
About 200 people were rescued while 12 people were killed in avalanches and blizzards that struck these areas in the first week of February. According to defence sources, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has evacuated over 14 thousand people stranded on either side of Pir Panjal and in some villages following unprecedented snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
Posted by: john frum ||
02/22/2008 14:52 ||
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I wonder if they shut their lights off for an hour the other night to help combat Global Warming?
INDONESIAN Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari claims the United States and World Health Organisation are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu, and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons.
The views of Dr Supari, outlined in her new book, It's Time for the World to Change, threaten to undermine efforts to control the spread of avian influenza and prevent it becoming a global pandemic.
Indonesia is the new hot spot for the virus, with recent deaths raising the local toll to 104, nearly half the world's total.
Despite claims by Dr Supari described on the book's cover as the "divine hand behind avian influenza" that she has forged a new agreement to share virus samples and allow all nations access to resulting vaccines, Indonesia still blocks the sharing of samples from human victims.
Inquiries by The Age reveal the ban has been widened to include samples from chickens, which are infected across Indonesia. More than 200 have not received export permits to be sent to an Australian laboratory for analysis.
Tracking the spread of the virus and its mutations is essential to guard against it jumping into human communities on a larger scale, experts say.
In her book, Dr Supari says WHO laboratories forwarded influenza viruses to Western companies so they could profit by selling vaccines back to developing countries. "The system of world health management has been very exploitative," she says. "It has been controlled by inhumanly (sic) desires, based on the greediness to raise capital and to control the world."
Some Indonesian samples were sent to a US Defence Department laboratory, Dr Supari says. She says she had to act because "some of our seed viruses had been in a laboratory known as a facility developing biological weapons in a superpower country".
Privately, foreign experts and officials say Dr Supari's belief that she is engaged on a God-driven crusade against an evil and "neo-colonialist" world health system have caused her to lose touch with reality.
Compromise solutions to ensure vaccines are shared are being ignored, they say.
International officials are dismayed that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appears to have endorsed the book, writing its introduction.
Flying in the face of the facts, Dr Yudhoyono supports Dr Supari's claim that the spread of the virus is under control in Indonesia, stating that the "occurrence rate and the number of affected areas are decreasing".
WHO refused to comment on the book or the virus-sharing stand-off. A spokesman said: "This matter is a sensitive case at present."
No US officials were available for comment. They are believed to have protested, resulting in the book being withdrawn from sale almost as soon as it was released last week. Few copies were sold, but the publisher said the Government-funded book would be available again soon.
In it, Dr Supari says Indonesia's bird flu victims did not die in vain: "They all died as martyrs of humanity for the betterment of the world health management."
She also alleges WHO's virus-sharing system exploits the blood, cells and antibodies of the powerless. "And perhaps it would be more dangerous when in the end they would take our brain cell(s) as well, to be re-engineered and create a new generation of slaves."
The military Thursday was tracking scattered debris from a destroyed U.S. spy satellite in hopes of confirming there were no chunks left that could fall and cause damage on Earth.
Using radar, data from sensors and other technology, officials were studying smaller-than-expected pieces of the spacecraft that was hit Wednesday by an interceptor missile launched from a Navy cruiser in the Pacific, said Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The main question was whether the high-speed collision of the missile and satellite had destroyed the satellite's hydrazine fuel tank and vented its toxic gas into space. Officials had said avoiding human exposure to the toxin was the primary reason for destroying the spacecraft, which lost power shortly after it reached orbit in late 2006 and was out of control and slowly descending toward Earth.
Cartwright said officials had a "high degree of confidence" that the tank had been destroyed, but would need a day or two to study debris before knowing for sure. "We have a bunch of techies that are trying to work their way through the data," he told a Pentagon news conference.
More from the NYT which actually does straight-up reporting.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta was slowly being returned to consciousness by doctors who have kept him sedated since he was shot in an assassination attempt last week, a spokesman said Thursday. Ramos-Horta has undergone surgery five times since the Feb. 11 shooting in Dili, the East Timorese capital, and has been heavily sedated at a hospital in northern Australia to help him stay still and avoid pain.
Doctors are pleased with the progress of his recovery, and were allowing him to regain consciousness, said Luke Gosling, a Ramos-Horta aide who is with him in Darwin. "He is slowly waking up," said Gosling. "He has started saying a few words to close family."
Suspected rebels shot Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, near his home on Feb. 11. An hour later, gunmen attacked Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unhurt.
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02/22/2008 00:00 ||
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A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world. Abengoa Solar, which has plants in Spain, northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend -- a small, dusty town 50 miles southeast of Phoenix. The company said Thursday it could be producing solar energy by 2011.
Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1 billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station. Solana will be enough to supply up to 70,000 homes at full capacity.
APS filed for approval of the plant with Arizona's public utilities regulator Thursday. The plant also hinges on an extension of the federal solar investment tax credit, which APS and Abengoa said they're confident will happen. If approved, the plant will triple the amount of renewable energy APS produces. Now, about 1œ percent of the utility's energy comes from renewable sources.
Arizona regulators are requiring utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, with annual increases of roughly 1 percent. The Solana plant will bring APS to around 5 percent in 2011, said Don Robinson, the utility's senior vice president of planning and administration.
Unlike most solar energy, Solana will use the sun's heat, not its light, to produce power. Gila Bend can get as hot as 120 degrees in the summer. Abengoa CEO Santiago Seage said the plant will use thousands of giant mirrors to harness the sun's heat. That will heat up liquids, which will spin turbines -- just like coal or other power plants but without the pollution.
He said using heat will allow the plant to produce power even after the sun has gone down. "We receive the heat from the sun, and we use a fluid that becomes very hot. And we can keep it hot for a long time and release that heat for a long time," he said. "It's like coffee. You can make it hot, keep it hot for a few hours and drink it anytime you want."
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said she envisioned the state as a solar powerhouse. "There is no reason that Arizona should not be the Persian Gulf of solar energy," she said.
#4
Gila Bend still looks like it did in the 1960s. A wreck of a town, covered with petroleum soaked dirt, scorched by the sun. Many years ago, the UFO-themed "Space Age Lodge" was the largest, and classiest building in town. It still is, but add 40 years with no repair, no landscaping, and peeling paint:
#5
"There is no reason that Arizona should not be the Persian Gulf of solar energy"
Not unless they've perfected those "solar sailers" to transport the excess to other markets.
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
02/22/2008 16:04 Comments ||
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#6
Fine if you live nearby, line losses prevent travel much over 100 miles without unacceptable losses.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/22/2008 16:08 Comments ||
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#7
At least they don't need batteries from China and elsewhere to buffer and store power for nighttime use. In addition I suspect that most of the power load for the Phoenix area is during the day and evening for AC. But the greens will probably kill this because of environmental concerns (no greenery underneath due to fire considerations, birds getting roasted and where will the tortoise and other critters live? sarc?).
Now all they will need is water for the growing population.
#8
A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world.
But nowhere do they mention that in so doing, they utterly destroy 3 square miles of desert habitat. A coal fired power plant would produce more energy and destroy less habitat.
#9
Some magic math in those numbers. First, powering 70,000 homes while claiming a 280MW power figure. Since 1KW/home is the standard figure, the plant most likely only produces 70MW average over a 24 period. So $1000M for 70MW w/ 280MW peak possible.
Second, a coal fired power plant is quoted at $1000/KW. So $500M or $1000M for 500MW or 1000MW respectively with over 90% operating capacity.
So to scale this solar plant to produce 450MW average it would cost $6400M with Zero fuel cost but higher maintenance cost (just the Windex bill alone). But the 500MW coal plant going full blast would use 500tons/hour or 3.94M tons coal/year at 90% duty cycle. At $28.5/ton the fuel bill comes out to $112M/year. But the much greater solar plant cost $5400 at 7% interest comes out to $378M/year, a difference of $266M/year. So w/o vast subsidies there is no hope of competing with a run of the mill coal plant, even if the solar plant was going full blast in the afternoon and receiving peak period electric rates.
Posted by: ed ||
02/22/2008 20:40 Comments ||
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#10
Solar power is best used for marginal energy, as a complement to the grid, not to replace it. For example, in the desert southwest, the crawlspace of a ranch house can easily hit 150 degrees. But if you use an ordinary solar powered fan to blow out the hot air, it might drop that temperature to a balmy 105 degrees.
But by doing so, it strongly reduces the load on your a/c, and saves the big bucks. While there is no way it could power your a/c, just that alone may knock a hundred dollars off your a/c bill.
A major thing that solar power could do is electrolysis of water to get hydrogen and oxygen. Not for energy at all, but to use the oxygen to sterilize pool water instead of chlorine. Bottled oxygen is currently used by the US Olympic team for just this purpose.
A similar process, using solar energy to power a fuel cell, can also split hydrogen and oxygen using much less energy. But then, the hydrogen and oxygen can be recombined to make pure water. This could provide a lot of distilled water for household use.
Again, if used wisely, solar power is a great help.
#11
Thermal solar gets partially around the problem of storing solar energy for when the sun doesn't shine. Peak electricity consumption in most places is still the evening.
Even though the numbers don't add up versus coal, it still makes a lot more sense than wind, biofuels and photovoltaics, with the big advantage it scales easily and should get progressively cheaper over time and with larger and more systems deployed. It could also be a co-generation plant with say coal.
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.
There have been a number of indications that January 2008 has been an exceptional month for winter weather in not only North America, but the entire Northern Hemisphere.
The official rate of annual inflation in Zimbabwe has rocketed past the 100,000% barrier, by far the highest in the world, the state central statistical office said yesterday. Second-placed Iraq has inflation of 60%, according to international estimates. In a brief statement, the statistics office said inflation rose to 100,580% in January, up from 66,212% in December.
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putins anointed successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has the support of 70.4 percent of the voters and will easily win the presidential election next weekend, a poll on Thursday showed. Strongly backed by both the Kremlin and state-controlled media Medvedev, who is first deputy prime minister, leads his nearest challenger by a healthy margin, pollster VTsIOM said.
Senator Barack Obama won his 11th straight nominating contest on Thursday, carrying the Democrats Abroad global primary by a 2-to-1 margin over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and prevailing among American expatriates in every region of the world.
The military Thursday was tracking scattered debris from a destroyed U.S. spy satellite in hopes of confirming there were no chunks left that could fall and cause damage on Earth.
