MAKE A FORTUNE OFF YOUR DRINKING BUDDIES WITH THE...
10 GREATEST BAR BETS
By MICHAEL FORSYTH
Barfly Jason Fernway is the world's most unusual professional gambler. For the last 17 years he's supported himself exclusively on bar bets -- and he's raked in a small fortune!
The Boston man's net worth is now an estimated 8 million and he plans to retire -- at the tender age of 38. Er, sounds like a large fortune to me, but a million bucks ain't what it used to be.
"I never had much luck with cards and I like the friendly atmosphere in bars much better than casinos," Fernway says.
"And unlike in casinos, where the odds are stacked against you, a well-prepared gambler has a huge advantage in a bar wager."
Here, exclusively for Weekly World News readers, the expert reveals 10 of his all-time favorite bar bets.
Belly up to the bar and bet your drinking buddies they'll answer the following "simple" questions wrong (answers follow):
1. The "immaculate conception" refers to the birth of what biblical figure?
2. Which is the most accurate: The original Star Wars movie is set 1,000 years in the future, 100 years in the future or five years in the future?
3. Alaska is the northernmost U.S. state. Is it also the farthest east, west or both?
4. The following piece of music was written in an honor of a famous hero. What was his weapon of choice? (Hum the Lone Ranger theme.)
5. Is Reno, Nev., east or west of Los Angeles?
6. During a Leap Year, how many times does the sun go around the Earth?
7. Which U.S. state, known for its lovely beaches, lies farthest south?
8. True or false: The name of a notorious woman who was convicted of killing her parents with an ax was Lizzie Borden.
9. Which goes farther north, Maine or Idaho?
10. Going from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through the Panama Canal, in which direction are you traveling -- east or west?
ANSWERS
1. The Virgin Mary -- not, as about everyone but a seminary student will tell you, Jesus. Being Jewish, I'm a bit confused about this one. Can someone provide a reference?
2. Five years -- since the movie takes place in the past. (Does the phrase "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" mean anything to you?)
3. Everyone will say west. But it's also the furthest east -- some of Alaska's Aleutian Islands are on the far side of longitude 180 degrees, the line that separates west from east. The International Date Line generally follows 180 but kinks to include the westernmost Aleutians. Nevetheless, this is correct since those islands are closer to Greenwich east-bound than west-bound.
4. Since the William Tell Overture is the real name of the tune, the answer is a crossbow -- not a six-shooter.
5. West. (Look at a map.)
6. Zero. Earth orbits the sun. I would hope that you can't win much on this one, sheesh.
7. Hawaii, not as suckers will presume, Florida.
8. False. Lizzie was found not guilty -- like O.J.
9. Idaho stretches a lot further north than most people realize -- about 60 miles higher than Maine.
10. East. I always liked this one. Owing to a curve in the Ithsmus of Panama, the Atlantic entrance is actually west of that on the Pacific side.
When I was in college, a favorite bar-bet involved the drunken claimant insisting that there was a Viking ship on top of the First National Bank building in downtown Lubbock. There was in fact a replica Viking longship in a patio area on the roof of the 2 story mezzanine section, not the 15 story building itself. It was clearly visible from the 3 story parking garage across the street, where the gullible were taken to be relieved of whatever wager they had made against the claim. It has long since been removed.
#5
Gee, Fred. I sent 'em a toaster already. Maybe they can give it to some poor asylum seeking chap with 8 kids. Damn! I just realized that I sent them a 110 volt one instead of a 240 volt one. Now I feel REALLY foolish!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/05/2005 12:11 Comments ||
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#6
Especially no more saddles, bridles, stirrups and horse blankets with a big letter "C" on them.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Energy-hungry India clinched a deal on Saturday to operate a Venezuelan oilfield and import the output as Asia's third largest consumer and the world's No.5 oil exporter vowed to strengthen ties, officials said.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in New Delhi Petroleos de Venezuela and ONGC Videsh, the overseas subsidiary of India's state-run exploration firm, had signed an agreement to jointly explore and produce oil in Venezuela. "We have already chosen a specific field where we will start drilling. This oil will come to India," Chavez told reporters.
The two countries signed an agreement to cooperate in the oil sector, paving the way for Oil and Natural Gas Corp. and gas transmission firm GAIL India Ltd to bid for exploration blocks in Venezuela, officials said. "Within the overall framework, the specific agreement is ONGC's Videsh Ltd.'s negotiation on nomination basis for the San Cristobal oilfield," India's oil minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, told reporters.
He said the field has the potential to produce 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). "According to Venezuelan law, they will keep 51 percent, we will receive 49 percent plus operatorship," he said.
On Friday, Aiyar said India would also offer Venezuela equity in Mangarlore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), the refining subsidiary of ONGC.
Chavez said he wanted Venezuela to be a long-term supplier of crude to India and welcomed Indian investment in his country. "All major oil and gas companies are there. Chinese companies are there. Indian companies are not there. India needs energy and energy is there to be shared with the rest of the world, you specially," he said.
India's sole private refiner, Reliance Industries has imported Venezuelan crude in recent years but state-run firms have not processed oil from the country. Aiyar said MRPL's refinery could process Venezuelan crude and other oil firms were assessing which grades of oil from the country they could refine.
India, which imports 70 percent of its crude needs, consumed 2.46 million bpd in 2004 and is forecast to use 2.53 million bpd this year, estimates from the International Energy Agency show. The country is likely to import 85 percent of its consumption in the next two decades as its economy grows between 7-8 percent a year, encouraging ONGC to compete with China for foreign oil projects.
In January, China signed energy accords with Venezuela that aimed to make the largest oil consumer in Asia a major player in the Venezuelan oil and gas industry.
Venezuela ships more than half its daily output to the United States in a decades-old energy relationship. But Chavez, a fierce critic of Washington, has made clear he wants to diversify his country's overseas energy ties to reduce its economic dependence on the American market.
ONGC Videsh, has stakes in oil and gas projects in countries such as Myanmar, Sudan, Russia, Libya and Australia and recently signed a $40 billion deal to import LNG from Iran.
Citgo's Status Is Giving Houston the Jitters
By SIMON ROMERO
Published: March 5, 2005
HOUSTON, March 4 - Few places are as jittery as this city when it comes to the future of Citgo Petroleum, the oil refining giant owned by the government of Venezuela and based here.
Popular sentiment in Venezuela is critical of Citgo's rich links to the United States, and the administration of Hugo Chävez has recently signaled its intent to exert greater control over Citgo and perhaps even dismember it.
So, Rafael RamÃrez, the president of Venezuela's national oil company, tried to dispel uncertainty in energy markets when asked about the recent turmoil at Citgo, which is the main conduit for Venezuelan oil exports to the United States. Citgo lends its brand to 14,000 independently owned gas stations in this country. It also accounts for almost 15 percent of oil refining output in the United States.
"Houston has nothing to fear," Mr. RamÃrez, who is also Venezuela's energy minister, said in an interview in Caracas. To be sure, at Citgo's headquarters in Houston, the view is somewhat different.
Next week, a group of Venezuelan lawmakers will come to the headquarters to interview officials as part of a recently expanded investigation by Venezuela's National Assembly into reports of corruption at Citgo and PDVSA Services, the Houston-based purchasing arm of Petróleos de Venezuela.
Citgo officials declined requests for interviews.
About a month ago, the administration of President Chävez quietly but abruptly ousted Citgo's chief executive, Luis MarÃn, only the second Venezuelan to run the company since Petróleos de Venezuela bought control of Citgo in 1990.
Petróleos de Venezuela replaced Mr. MarÃn, who had overseen the recent transfer of Citgo's headquarters to Houston from Tulsa, Okla., with Felix RodrÃguez, a senior executive at Petróleos de Venezuela and a vocal supporter of Mr. Chävez.
Then, last week, Petróleos de Venezuela took the unusual step of purging Citgo's entire board, replacing longtime directors with people who are explicitly loyal to Mr. Chävez and who support increasingly activist policies intended to diversify Venezuela's oil exports to markets other than the United States.
"It's not unusual for our C.E.O.'s to serve a relatively short term and then be replaced by another executive," said David McCollum, a Citgo spokesman. Mr. McCollum declined to comment further on the recent management upheaval at Citgo.
Venezuela's ambitions for Citgo have recently come under greater scrutiny, amid statements from Caracas about the politically charged energy relationship with the United States. Though Mr. RodrÃguez, Citgo's new chief executive, has insisted that a sale of Citgo's refining assets is not imminent, Mr. RamÃrez, the president of Petróleos de Venezuela, acknowledged that Venezuela was actively considering the sale of parts of Citgo. Lukoil, a major Russian oil company, has said publicly that it is in discussions with Citgo about possibly refining Russian oil for export to the United States.
"We are in conversations with several interested companies, and are reviewing which refineries are beneficial for the country and which aren't," Mr. RamÃrez said. "People keep asking us about the sale of Citgo as if it were as simple as selling a pair of shoes."
Of course, the reliance of the United States on Venezuelan oil imports is not so simple. Oil from the Middle East, West Africa or Central Asia could potentially be redirected to American ports if Venezuela were to curtail oil exports to the United States through severing commercial ties with Citgo. But doing so could help drive up global crude prices.
Energy officials in Venezuela are aware of the benefits of selling oil to the United States; the country's total oil export revenues soared 47 percent in 2004, to $29.1 billion. Yet during a time of elevated oil prices, clarity from Caracas in relation to Citgo seems in short supply in its new home city. Less than a year ago, city officials celebrated the arrival of Citgo, which is transferring 700 jobs to the Houston headquarters out of a total work force of 4,000.
Now the mood has changed amid doubts over the company's future. In an editorial entitled "Our Chävez Problem," The Houston Chronicle recently criticized the handling of Mr. MarÃn's ouster as Citgo's chief executive and the Venezuelan government's positioning of Citgo as a bargaining tool in relations with the United States.
Citgo, of course, remains an essential pillar of Venezuela's economy as the nation's principal outlet for foreign crude oil sales and one of the most important operators of oil refineries in the United States, with interests in eight installations in this country that process crude oil into gasoline and asphalt. Those refining assets, analysts say, are among the most coveted in the energy industry.
The growing profitability of Citgo's refineries is the main reason many energy executives in Houston are puzzled as to why Venezuela might consider selling them. Citgo's revenue has more than doubled, to $29.9 billion in the year that ended last Sept. 30, compared with $13.3 billion for the period in 1999, the year Mr. Chävez was elected president of Venezuela, said Bryan Caviness, an analyst at Fitch Ratings who follows bonds issued by Citgo.
Citgo's net income also soared during those five years, to $499.2 million in 2004 from $146.5 million in 1999, a trend illustrated by Citgo's payment of a record $400 million dividend to the government of Venezuela last December.
Mr. RamÃrez, the president of Petróleos de Venezuela, complained that while Citgo was originally acquired with the intent of refining Venezuelan crude it now has to buy about 50 percent of the petroleum for its refineries from other countries, mainly Canada and Mexico. That fact might indicate one option Petróleos de Venezuela is considering when weighing the sale of some of Citgo's assets.
"For a trader this would probably be a good business but it doesn't make any sense for us," Mr. RamÃrez said in reference to its refineries that do not use Venezuelan crude. "Does that mean we're going to abandon our refineries and leave the American market? No."
Nor does that mean, of course, that Citgo will remain out of play in Venezuela's strategy of finding new markets for its oil as far afield as China. For several years it has been impossible to separate any discussion of Citgo from the whirlwind of Venezuelan politics.
The Chävez administration is critical of the way previous administrations opened up the oil sector to private investment and acquired foreign refining assets under Citgo's control, insisting these were attempts to hide revenue from the state.
Many Venezuelans, particularly supporters of Mr. Chävez, remain profoundly mistrustful of Citgo and skeptical of a company that employs few Venezuelans and until recently did not return large dividends to Petróleos de Venezuela.
"Citgo has never been a good business for Venezuela, and the general population knows it," said Rafael Quiroz, a former board member of Petróleos de Venezuela and a vocal supporter of selling Citgo. He said there were "serious and legitimate doubts" whether Citgo's revenue had helped ease poverty in Venezuela.
This mistrust was evident in a hearing this week in Caracas on reports of financial irregularities at Citgo. A five-member commission questioned Mr. MarÃn, the former Citgo president, for more than two hours on Tuesday about issues like pension funds and crude oil contracts.
When asked whether Citgo was in fact profitable for Venezuela, or whether it should be sold, Mr. MarÃn offered few clues about the ultimate fate of the company.
"That evaluation must be made by the shareholder," he said, referring to the Venezuelan state.
Brian Ellsworth, in Caracas, Venezuela, and Erin E. Arvedlund, in Moscow, contributed reporting for this article.
#2
Sometimes I think these guys really believe that our economy will just stop dead if they can dry up our oil. It would be more like 9/11. It would knock us down to one knee - but we'd be back up in no time. I don't wish it would happen, but if it did - we would create technology that would have these oil shieks farming dirt within 10 years.
#6
it's NYTimes. If it'll hurt America, they're all for it.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/05/2005 14:24 Comments ||
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#7
I'm of mixed minds, here. Were the tables turned, that is, if a US corporation was supposed to pay a healthy chunk of change to the US government, but was siphoning off most of the profits, the feds would be on them "like flies on manure". Especially if the US corporation's board was stacked with foreigners. Lastly, though improbably, if the US was dependant on this corporation for most of its resources, I can imagine Washington getting downright nasty.
#8
Citgo, of course, remains an essential pillar of Venezuelaâs economy as the nationâs principal outlet for foreign crude oil sales and one of the most important operators of oil refineries in the United States, with interests in eight installations in this country that process crude oil into gasoline and asphalt. Those refining assets, analysts say, are among the most coveted in the energy industry.
Hugo trying something even remotely underhanded will not go unanswered.
#10
Citgo - primarily a 7-11 supplier, think Apu - wonder if we'll have a Paki/Indian war on Venezuela? The possibilities boggle the mind.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/05/2005 15:28 Comments ||
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#11
Something that people who go on and on about the geopolitical significance of side deals with China, Japan, et al, is that there is *one* market for raw materials. If prices go up, overall demand goes down, which eventually brings prices down, as producers try to sell more to keep their revenue streams level with what they got at peak prices. (This is because raw materials producers usually get used to living large during the good times. When oil prices dive, they jump pump more).
#12
The problem is that energy is a fundamental input to economic activity. Economic activity increases then energy demand increases. Over the last 15 years the worlds economy has been growing by around 4% a year primarily thanks to China and India, so demand for energy has risen and will continue to rise as long as economic expansion continues. There is no way out of this except a severe recession caused by $100 a barrel oil and thats only temporary until we find a permanent replacement for oil (and that isn't windmills or fuel cells).
Increasing prices alone will only tend to decrease consumption. They will not necessarily lead to an actual decrease below a price no one is prepared to talk about - well over $100/barrel, because of the economic growth effect.
#13
Chavez is extremely stupid and short-sighted. It would take the US about 15 minutes to put his entire oil-exporting industry out of action for years. What's he going to do in the meantime - drink that stuff? He's doing everything in his power to show he's "Macho". In the meantime, he's setting himself up as enemy number one south of the border.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/05/2005 23:30 Comments ||
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned on Friday that his nation, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, would cut off oil supplies to the United States if Washington tries to "hurt" his country, news reports said. "We want to supply oil to the United States. We are not going to avoid supplying of oil unless the US government gets a little bit crazy and tries to hurt us," he told reporters during a visit to India, according to Dow Jones Newswires. "If there is any aggression, there will be no oil," said Chavez. His country is a major supplier of oil and gas to the United States.
If there's any aggression, it won't take very long. Oil's all you've got, Hugo.
Last month, Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro accused the United States of trying to assassinate the Venezuelan leader. The US State Department called the allegations ridiculous. Later, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez Araque took his government's case against the United States to the Organisation of American States, indirectly accusing Washington of repeatedly violating Venezuelan sovereignty. Without mentioning the United States by name, Araque said his government's intelligence agencies have evidence suggesting an attempt to "liquidate physically" Chavez. Rodriguez also alluded to an unnamed "stimulus" behind a failed military coup attempt against Chavez in April 2002. Chavez has charged repeatedly that the plot was a product of American imperialism.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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....Hello, I'm Mike, and I'd like to talk to you about Noriega's Disease, which cripples many national leaders each year and even kills some. What are the symptoms?
*Threats to cut off something we can take any time we want
*Irrational beliefs that we're trying to kill them
*Vague hints of plots, conspiracies
*Use of the word 'imperialism'
*Schmoozing with Castro
*Complete inability to realize what he's screwing with
It's probably too late for Hugo, but we here at Rantburg - in cooperation with the US Department of Defense - are working on a cure. However, we need your help. Please - send what you can to:
NORIEGA DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
1 Pentagon Way
Arlington, VA
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/05/2005 0:34 Comments ||
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#2
I'd gladly send you some spare change, Mike, but the CIA put poison in the stamp glue and FBI is monitoring my email...
#4
He should have consulted with the Saudis first. In a fit of seething they cut off the oil supply after the 1967 war. At some point Kissinger went over there and told them if they didn't start pumping again, we would take over the "strip". They got the message. (Too bad we didn't take it over anyway.)
This week, a shorter selection of articles that seemed relevant at the time...
French Interior Minister: Chemical and Germ Weapons Developed in Pankisi Gorge, Georgia: France's Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said Tuesday at the First World Conference on Bio-terrorism that after al-Qaeda groups were smashed in Afghanistan, international terrorist groups were still working on chemical and germ weapons in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge.
The French Interior Minister emphasizes that nowadays terrorists are highly likely to use weapons of mass destruction including germ weapons. He added that some documents recently became available and they prove al-Qaeda was seeking access to biological weapons and developed methods for use of these weapons. When the Talib regime was overturned in Afghanistan, some of the projects were proceeded with in Pankisi Gorge close to the Chechen border, the French Interior minister said...
...No journalists were allowed to the conference; they could be present at the conference opening and the closing press conference only.
Tbilisi has no information proving that terrorists may be developing chemical weapons in Pankisi Gorge.
The Georgian authority has no information proving there may be some terrorists in Pankisi Gorge who develop chemical and biological weapons, Georgia Ministry for Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili told Tuesday, Interfax reports.
He said in response to the statement of the French Interior Minister that within the past year none of foreign special services has reported there may be terrorists in Pankisi Gorge who develop chemical and biological weapons. Vano Merabishvili added that "in 2000-2002 special services of several countries reported there were terrorists in Pankisi Gorge". He said an anti-terrorist operation conducted in 2002 in Pankisi Gorge together with the US solved the problem. At that, he emphasized that Georgian military structures now control Pankisi Gorge.
U.S. Commander-in-Chief in Europe: Caucasus Is Vital For U.S.: The Caucasus is among the most vital regions of the world for the United States, said Commander of the United States European Command James Jones. In the opinion of Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of Russia"s foreign affairs parliamentary committee, this statement betrays the true goals of the U.S. military presence in the Caucasus.
While Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez attends to the inauguration ceremony of Uruguay"s leftist leader, Tabare Vazquez, in Montevideo, his Armed Forces are closely watching the unexpected presence of several US battleships near country's western coastline. On Monday, Venezuela's Navy commander, Armando Laguna, made the announcement during an interview on state TV but opted not to accuse Washington directly of any provocation.
Laguna said that the Venezuelan Navy detected several foreign vessels 75 kilometers northeast of the ParaguanА Peninsula in western Venezuela. According to Laguna, the presence of U.S. military ships near Venezuela is part of their "routine manoeuvres", and told people not to be alarmed. What, in fact, concerned Venezuelan officials is that Washington did not announce the manoeuvre as it has traditionally been doing it.
"The situation is within normal and legal parameters. However, these operations were not notified to our government. We detected them and took our precautions to determine their intentions, but they are always performing manoeuvres [exercises] in the Minor Antilles," Laguna was quoted as saying by alternative Venezuelan media.
The incident came shortly after President Chavez made public intelligence reports about an alleged US plot to kill him. Washington replied allegations were ungrounded, but Chavez ratified them soon after.
This is the first I've heard of definite proof. Isn't this how it's always done? Go from making the allegation to saying you've proven it, without an intervening phase 2? They must think we're underpants gnomes.
Since then, Venezuelan alternative media published that "a wave of rumours of an "imminent U.S. invasion" started circulating through several cities". "Rumours of a new coup, calls to buy food, to "prepare to fight", and questions about President Hugo Chavez's whereabouts, circulated widely via cell phone text messages and email".
Presidents Hugo Chavez and George W. Bush are expected to see each other at the next Summit of the Americas, scheduled for November, in Argentina"s resort of Mar del Plata. Judging by current developments, a bilateral meeting looks more than improbable.
One of the most inefficient organizations, which was ever established on the territory of the former USSR, will most likely be revived in the near future. The organization, which incorporates Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova, is known for its initials as GUUAM. The organization was formed to boost the economic cooperation between its members. However, it turned out that GUUAM would be destined to play a different role: to counterbalance the influence of Russia. The idea did not prove to be successful, though: there were too many contradictions between the organization's members to prove its viability. It was hard for the leaders of GUUAM members to coordinate a date of their officials meetings at times. As a result, Uzbekistan and Moldova started talking about the organization's helplessness. Founded in 1997, GUUAM still exists, although it is presumably limited to official documents.
The situation is likely to change in the near future. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko believes that one should retrieve the cooperation between Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova. Yushchenko touched upon this question at his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, who was happy to support the idea. Georgia's incumbent President Mikhail Saakashvili suggested the same before he took the office. Saakashvili believed that the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was not justifiable.
59. May not make posters depicting the leadership failings of my chain of command.
Apparently, the Georgian president has not changed his opinion about GUUAM and CIS. Furthermore, Mikhail Saakashvili has a new ally now - the new Ukrainian administration, which does not try to conceal its negative attitude to the future of the Commonwealth. The Foreign minister of Ukraine, Boris Tarasyuk, has already said that Ukraine was not a CIS member. The minister particularly stated on a national TV channel that Ukraine had not signed the Charter of CIS, although it did not became a problem for Kiev to participate in the activity of the Commonwealth. In addition, the Ukrainian foreign minister said that CIS was not a serious organization at all.
For the time being, it is too early to say that other states will back up the idea of recreating GUUAM. If the USA decides to act as a lobbyist, the organization might be given a new incentive in its development, taking into consideration the fact that the US administration is interested in the issue. The renewed organization might become a serious obstacle on the way of Russia's initiative to create the joint economic space.
Somehow I think that if all this was about was a joint economic space, it would be a lot easier to make everyone happy.
There are a couple other interesting things, but I won't have time to post until later. In the meantime, "enjoy" these.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
03/05/2005 10:36:06 AM ||
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Franceâs Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said international terrorist groups were still working on chemical and germ weapons in Georgiaâs Pankisi Gorge.
Relax everyone, this just proves there isn't anything to worry about. After all, de Villepain was certain Saddam had bio and chem weapons before the Coalition invaded Iraq, too, and none were found. It's true: the NYTimes, the Guardian and all the French and German papers say so!
Demonstrations have been taking place in Kyrgyzstan in protest at alleged government interference in last Sunday's parliamentary elections. It is the fifth day of protests in the central Asian republic since the vote, with demonstrators occupying a state building and blocking a road. The unrest is taking place in a region where there are concerns about ethnic and political tensions. Foreign election monitors have reported extensive election violations. A few hundred protesters have occupied the offices of the regional governor in Jalalabad in southern Kyrgyzstan. In another nearby district, a crowd reportedly numbering up to 3,000 people blocked a main road demanding the resignation of local officials there. Some of the protesters have called for the resignation of the Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
03/05/2005 4:47:57 AM ||
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#1
Have to get behind Washington and Wisconsin for attention, and we've had professionals doing this sort of thing for a couple hundred years.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged greater development of China's military Saturday, saying modernizaton of the army was of strategic importance to safeguard the eventual reunification of Taiwan. "Strengthening national defense and developing the army constitute a task of strategic importance to our modernization drive and an important guarantee for safeguarding national security and reunification," Wen said at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress (NPC). Wen said it was an "historical objective" to ensure that the army "is capable of winning any war it fights," but also underscored the importance of the military being run "strictly in accordance with the law."
"The Law. Chinese Law. Commie Chinese Law. Red Commie Chinese Law. Yeah, that Law."
The NPC is due to pass an "anti-secession law" on Taiwan, a move seen as defining the legal terms in which China can use military force to reunify the island territory, which it considers a part of its territorial integrity. The draft law has yet to be made public. "Taking the military strategy for the new period as our overall guide, we will actively promote the revolution in military affairs with Chinese characteristics and enhance the army's ability to use information technology in fighting integrated warfare," Wen said. "We will greatly strengthen defense-related science and technology industries."
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/05/2005 12:13:35 AM ||
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#1
Sounds like a lot of new business for the Europeans!
Western Australia - It started out as a wager some years ago, that a certain Australian Shepherd dog named "digger" could herd house cats the way his breed are known for herding sheep. So several men who live near the city of Meekatharra in Western Australia started what is becoming an increasingly popular sport: cat herding.
Meekatharra was once known for its open pit gold mine, long since abandoned, but while the pit might seem a good place for the competition, it is held on a large open field instead. The objective is for five ordinary cats to be set together in a group, then the dog must herd the cats to a cage, some 10 meters away. No mean feat, even for a highly skilled herding dog.
The cats are just strays, with no previous experience in being herded. And while the task would seem impossible for anyone to perform, the rare dog has actually succeeded in getting them all in the cage. Par performance is usually only a single cat being caged. Killing or seriously injuring a cat costs a dog points. Truckloads of caged cats are now imported for the event, a given cat only being used once before being turned loose.
Beginning with the 4th Cat Round-Up, extra spice was added to the event by awarding the owners of the top dogs with illegal firearms and ammunition in addition to a sizeable purse--something guaranteed to attract the harshest scrutiny from the Australian government. But no one in the closed fraternity has yet been arrested. And because the animal welfare movement in Australia if far less powerful than its English or American cousins, prospects are small that enforcement will happen, at least for the next few years.
But what started out as a local event of a few friends eight years ago has grown as an underground, and unlawful, sport much like cock fighting in the US. It is the ultimate contest for Shepherd owners, and some have come from as far away as Scotland to participate. Last year's event drew a crowd of several hundred, yet was either not known to the local authorities or was ignored. The banning of fox hunting in Britain has assured this years' event to be a sell-out.
#3
Who can forget Miller Brewing Company's great "Lawyer Rodeo" commercial from 1993?
PC was still a rising force in those days and there were howls of protest from those concerned with the well-being of lawyers; that is, lawyers themselves.
I remember one shyster actually trying to sue Miller over this commercial, alleging that it would bring his profession into disrepute (ha ha). The beer maker's own lawyers told him basically to lighten up and the suit was dismissed.
#4
I think we should save the lawyer stock for the rodeo and substitute PETA-heads for the cats in this herding contest. The penalty for death or injury could become a bonus.
#6
To call Meekatharra a city is stretching things. Its a typical old Western Australian mining town, population officially 2,000 people (but cities out in the bush tend to encompass a lot of land and the town itself is probably no more than a 1,000) and 500 kilometers from the nearest permanent police presence. I stayed in the town's pub/hotel once.
BTW, releasing the cats is their big mistake. Feral cats are a huge problem here eating their way through the native fauna to the point native animals under 3 or 4 Kgs have almost completely dissapeared except for some offshore islands.
It bothers me that there are folks who feel comfortable passing judgment on entire professions, rather than weighing the merits of each individual in turn. Prejudice is never acceptable, whether in matters of race or vocation.
Yeah, lawyers are needed in society. But there are few professions that have carved themselves such a niche. Lawyers creating law is like morticians designing wellness routines.
Just when you thought that the Turks were only trying to piss the Americans off....
Human remains from the Gallipoli conflict are believed to have been dug up and destroyed by Turkish workers as they widen a road for tourist buses on Anzac Cove. Turkish authorities yesterday decided to resume building a 20-metre-wide road which has already obliterated a large section of the beach at the historic Gallipoli landing site. "Well, we already wrecked a huge chunk, why leave a little bit of it alone?"
Work was stopped last week after outrage that workers had dug into the hillside and dumped tonnes of rubble over the beach where Anzacs stormed ashore on April 25, 1915. Historians say Anzac and Turkish soldiers are buried in the hillside and on the beach.
More than 80 metres of the 500-metre-long beach is now covered in rubble and it is impossible to walk from one end to the other.
The change has caused the rest of the beach to erode rapidly and the beach where Anzacs stormed ashore is now barely a few metres wide.
Remains of a wooden pier built by the Anzacs is now buried under the rubble and access has been cut to an Australian war cemetery at the top of the hill. "Well, it¡¯s only infidels buried there. WhatšËs the fuss?"
"This is where many Australians who died as they stormed ashore at dawn on that first day of the landing, April 25, 1915, were buried," said Australian writer and historian Bill Sellars, who lives at Gallipoli. He said the roadworks must have also dug up human remains as many Australians and Turks were hastily buried on the beach and cliffside. "I am always finding bones on that hillside from soldiers that were buried there in the first few days of the battle to get ashore. When I saw the damage done to Anzac Cove, I was reduced to tears. This was one of the best-preserved battlefield sites of World War I and now it has been massively damaged."
Mr Sellars said Anzac Cove had always been kept very much like it was in 1915. Then, the Australian troops had dug out a wide path to bring material ashore. Years later, this was turned into a sealed road by the Turks, but this year they began widening it to 20 metres to create bus parking areas. "Australians who had seen Anzac Cove before would not recognise it now," he said.
Veterans¡¯ Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly said the Office of Australian War Graves was holding talks with the Turkish government "to progress the situation". I wonder if that¡¯s Aussie for "kick the crap outta them"?
RSL President Bill Crews said the roadworks should stop, so experts can see if remains are being disturbed. "If human remains have been disturbed by the digging they should be reinterred with dignity," he said.
But Turkish media reported yesterday that the park authority had decided to resume work on widening the road to get it ready for the influx of tourists expected for Anzac Day.
More than 20,000 Australians, New Zealanders and British people are expected to attend the dawn service on April 25 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the landing.
Mr Sellars said it will be difficult to fit them all in at the specially built dawn service site, which can accommodate only about 12,000.
More than 2 million Turks are expected to visit the area this year.
#3
I don't know about the other war cemeteries but the one at Coleville is American not French territory meaning that the French authorities cannot do what the Turks are doing.
And I don't think it is a good idea to withdraw: the battle for Europe will have to be fought and won
#4
Human remains from the Gallipoli conflict are believed to have been dug up and destroyed by Turkish workers as they widen a road for tourist buses on Anzac Cove.
Not good. Or smart.
..the battle for Europe will have to be fought and won
Posted by: ed ||
03/05/2005 10:19 ||
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#1
Swedes would have to rediscover the Amanita muscaria... that one with a red cap and white spots, as only berserkers can save them if they do not wake up now.
..Sir, I beg yer indulgence - I know you are not fond of us posting from other blogs, but given the source, I hope you'll permit this one.
Waiver granted, just this once ;-)
From Little Green Footballs (EFL'd) :
Clinton Apologized to Iran?
"At the ArabNews (which raises some red flags), Amir Taheri has an almost unbelievable account of statements by former President Bill Clinton in Davos: Who Should Apologize to Whom? (Thanks to all who emailed.) Where is the country that Bill Clinton, a former president of the United States, feels ideologically most at home? Before you answer, here is the condition that such a country must fulfill: It must hold several consecutive elections that produce 70 percent majorities for "liberals and progressives."
Well, if you thought of one of the Scandinavian countries or, perhaps, New Zealand or Canada, you are wrong. Believe it or not, the country Bill Clinton so admires is the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Here is what Clinton said at a meeting on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, just a few weeks ago: "Iran today is, in a sense, the only country where progressive ideas enjoy a vast constituency. It is there that the ideas that I subscribe to are defended by a majority."
And here is what Clinton had to say in a recent television interview with Charlie Rose: "Iran is the only country in the world that has now had six elections since the first election of President Khatami (in 1997). (It is) the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in six elections: Two for president; two for the Parliament, the Majlis; two for the mayoralties. In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote. There is no other country in the world I can say that about, certainly not my own."
So, while millions of Iranians, especially the young, look to the United States as a mode of progress and democracy, a former president of the US looks to the Islamic Republic as his ideological homeland...."
"... Clinton told his audience in Davos, as well as Charlie Rose, that during his presidency he had "formally apologized on behalf of the United States" for what he termed "American crimes against Iran."
But what were those "crimes"? Clinton summed them thus: "It's a sad story that really began in the 1950s when the United States deposed Mr. Mossadegh, who was an elected parliamentary communist democrat, and brought the Shah back and then he was overturned by the Ayatollah Khomeini, driving us into the arms of one Saddam Hussein. We got rid of the parliamentary democracy {there} back in the '50s; at least, that is my belief."
And it gets a WHOLE lot worse than that, Ranters. It may well be that Eason Jordan went down not because of his statements, but in order to keep THIS from hitting the fan.....(RTWT)
Still suffering from the anesthetic. And the beating from Hillary.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/05/2005 10:28:06 AM ||
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#3
No joke. He turned into a moonbat par excellence. Not that it is all of the sudden. He was always a bit in moonbatland. Now he seems to be a full resident.
I am not sure how this will be received by Hildebeast. She probably isn't pleased. She was rather working hard on her 'centrist' position, lately.
An ageing communist guerrilla who led a revolt that convulsed Malaysia for three decades has asked a court to allow him to return from exile in Thailand, his lawyer said on Friday. Chin Peng, 80, led a guerrilla campaign against Japanese, British colonial, Malaysian and Thai forces over three decades, from the 1940s until well into the 1970s, when it was finally crushed. Only in 1989 was a formal peace treaty signed. "We wish to come back to be good filial children and visit our ancestors, parents and family graves," Chin Peng and some of his colleagues said in a statement to the court. "We have renounced violence, armed struggle once and for all."
And after you're dead, we'll believe you.
Malaysia's prime minister said the government would wait for the court's verdict before deciding on the next course of action. "We cannot stop them from filing their application in court," the official Bernama news agency quoted Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as saying. He said the government had decided in October 2003 not to allow Chin Peng step on Malaysian soil because of his links to an outlawed group once involved in terror acts. Chin Peng became the most wanted man in the British Empire in 1948, at the age of 23, soon after being named secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya. In his autobiography, Chin Peng: My Side of History, the former guerrilla paints a picture of a 12-year anti-colonial war he says he waged against British and Commonwealth forces in the jungles of what was then called Malaya.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
03/05/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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The government of Niger has cancelled at the last minute a special ceremony during which at least 7,000 slaves were to be granted their freedom. A spokesman for the government's human rights commission, which had helped to organise the event, said this was because slavery did not exist. It is not clear why the government, which was also a co-sponsor of the ceremony, changed its position.
At least 43,000 people across Niger are thought to be in slavery. Representatives of the slaves, the government and human rights campaigners had been due to attend the event at In Ates, near the border with Mali. A local chief had agreed to the release after the introduction of a new law, which punishes those found guilty of slavery with up to 30 years in jail. Anti-Slavery International had described the ceremony as a historic step forward. The British-based campaign group said the people who had been due to be freed made up 95% of the local population. "The government needs to ensure not only that the law is implemented, but that there are the means of support available for former slaves and their children to live their lives in freedom and independence," the group's Africa programme officer, Romana Cacchioli, said before the ceremony was cancelled. According to a local anti-slavery organisation, Timidria, males slaves are forced to work in farms and tender cattle, while women are confined to domestic duties. Acting under pressure, Niger's parliament banned the keeping or trading in slaves in May 2003. In a ceremony in December 2003, dozens of slaves were liberated, many of them shedding tears of joy as they were given certificates showing they were free.
FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) - An Indiana National Guard soldier accused of murdering an Iraqi police officer will be court-martialed, the Army announced Friday. Cpl. Dustin Berg, 21, is accused of killing Hussein Kamel Hadi Dawood Al-Dubeidi south of Baghdad in November 2003, then shooting himself. Berg, of Ferdinand, Ind., received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the incident.
An investigator testified during an Article 32 hearing last month that Berg changed his story multiple times before admitting he killed the police officer. Special agent Clarence Joubert of the Army Criminal Investigative Division said Berg initially said he was shot by a man in a red turban and white shirt.
Berg's attorney said at the hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury hearing, that his client acted in self-defense.
Berg is charged with murder, false swearing and the wearing of an unauthorized award. Berg received a Purple Heart during a ceremony in February 2004, the month he returned home from Iraq. The Indiana National Guard has declined to release the citation describing why the Purple Heart was awarded to Berg.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/05/2005 12:15:57 AM ||
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#1
I hear John Kerry has some free time available. Maybe he can defend him.
This article is horrifying. Institutionalized slavery, in the 21st century. And the article is not clear why the Nigerans are suddenly paying attention to their own laws.
Posted by: Seafarious ||
03/05/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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The only real end to slavery comes when the slavers die. A scandal of freeing slaves is that they are often recaptured and sold again. Only when the slavers are utterly crushed, their will to enslave destroyed, will slavery end.
#2
Is it easier to kill the slavers, or to confiscate the property of those who buy slaves?
The first has an obvious deterrent effect, and kills some people that need killing, but it doesn't reduce demand, so the price goes up, so it is very lucrative to those who survive.
The second does nothing for those who die on the way, but does reduce demand, so the slavers don't get enough money for it to be worth it.
With infinite resources, of course, you'd do both.
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.
Venezuelan President 
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged greater development of China's military Saturday, saying modernizaton of the army was of strategic importance to safeguard the eventual reunification of Taiwan. "Strengthening national defense and developing the army constitute a task of strategic importance to our modernization drive and an important guarantee for safeguarding national security and reunification," Wen said at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress (NPC). Wen said it was an "historical objective" to ensure that the army "is capable of winning any war it fights," but also underscored the importance of the military being run "strictly in accordance with the law."
