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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion    Local News       
Israeli air raid strikes Palestinian sites in Beqaa, southern Beirut
Today's Headlines
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Investment Opportunity! or DPRK 419 Spam?
Ummm... 419 spam...
How can one pass this up?
How about "in a heartbeat"?
North-Korea Steel & Nuclear
Energy Company Plc.
(Manufacturers & Exporters)


Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Mr.Chin Ki-Woon, Owner of North-Korea Steel & Nuclear Energy company Plc(NKSNEC), we a korean company specialised in nuclear site management, remediation, electricity generation; reprocession, marketing, designing, fabrication, installation and servicing of standard, custom and nuclear power equipments. we are also engaged in manufacture and exportation of nuclear power equipments and steel products including, equipments for the nuclear power industry, heavy electrical machinery parts, steel for plastic injection molds, Uranium products, Titanium Products, rolled titanium and titanium alloys for aircraft parts and heat exchangers, steel sheet for automobiles,surface-treated sheet for automobiles and home appliances, steel plate for shipbuilding, surface-treated steel sheet, hromate-free coated steel sheet (Zinkobella greencote/GX), ECOSTEEL, coastal weathering steel, high corrosion-resistant steel sheet, steel-framed houses Castings & Forgings Crankshafts, propeller shafts hot-dipped galvanized steel sheets,hard-metal tools and other steel products into north-america, south-america,australia and europe. We also purchase companies from any part of the world that are for sale.

My company needs an overseas representative from any part of the world who can reach out to our numerous clients all over the world and as well, through whom we can establish a medium of payment directly from and to our clients all over the world, we NKSNEC requires you to be an overseas'''' sales representative. If you are interested in transacting business with us we will be glad.

Subject to your satisfaction you will be given the oportunity to negotiate your mode of which we will pay for your services as our foreign representative. Kindly respond to let us know if you are interested to be our foreign representative and along with your response also forward to us:

*Your full name:
*Your present working status:
*Your full contact address:
*Your Country:
*Your Phone:
*Your Fax:

For further corespondence.

Thank you in advance as I look forward to hear from you in reply.

Regards.

Mr.Chin Ki-Woon.
Owner, North-Korea Steel & Nuclear
Energy Company Plc(NKSNEC)
Posted by: bruce || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  uranium products, huh?
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 7:42 Comments || Top||

#2  in todays mail..
__________________________________


Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 05:12:25 +0000
From: "man naseha"

upadukadel[dot]com

Subject: He who goes to sleep with itchy ass, wakes up with smelly finger

----
fine--the early calves were the size of a peasant's cow, and Pava's daughter, at three months old, was as big as a yearling-- Levin gave orders for a trough to be brought out and for them to be fed in the paddock. But it appeared that as the paddock had not been used during the winter, the hurdles made in the autumn for it were broken. He sent for the carpenter, who, according to his orders, ought to have been at work at the thrashing machine. But it appeared that the carpenter was repairing the harrows, which ought to have been repaired before Lent. This was very annoying to Levin. It was annoying to come upon that everlasting slovenliness in the farm work against which he had been striving with all his might for so many years. The hurdles, as he ascertained, being not wanted in winter, had been carried to the cart-horses' stable; and there broken, as they were of light construction, only meant for feeding calves. Moreover, it was apparent also that the harrows and all the agricultural implements, which he had directed to be looked over and repaired in the winter, for which very purpose he had hired three carpenters, had not been put into repair, and the harrows were being repaired when they ought to have been harrowing the field. Levin sent for his bailiff, but immediately went off himself to

Posted by: RD || 05/29/2006 12:41 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
Ghana: NGO starts anti-scam campaign
Once upon a time email was a wonderful thing. If you wanted to tell someone something, you could just write them an email and, viola, they'd have it almost instantly. It beat hell out of having to buy stamps, which went up in price every year, drop it in the mailbox, and wait. Then came the spammers and the scammers, flooding mailboxes around the world with heart-wrenching 419 letters, non-existent lottery winnings, ads for Viagra, Levitra, Cialis, weight loss, chain letters, multilevel marketing schemes, mortgages, penny stock tips, Russian lolitas doing improbable things with their pants off, and a thousand other things that have since rendered the originally wonderful thing nearly useless. The sheer volume of my spam makes it difficult to locate messages I actually want to read, and this is after blocking half the servers in China.

My hatred of spammers is second only to my hatred of hackers, and I may hate both more than I hate Islamists.
Ditto
The Anti-Fraud Bureau (AFB), a non-governmental organisation, in Ghana has started a fight against scam tendencies under the "West Africa Advance Fee Fraud" in Accra, Ghana. "Our hospitality has been over-stretched by other nationals in collaboration with self-seeking Ghanaians who have capitalized on the conducive business environment to operate both offshore and locally to dupe unsuspecting investors," Kofi Owusu, the Executive Director of AFB said.

AFB is using the media to warn Ghana's investors against the operations of the fraudsters. It will also carry out intelligence services and make available relevant information to Ghana's government and security offices. The mass media advocacy campaign seeks to sensitise both local and foreign investors, offer intelligence reports to the security agencies and government officials and make Ghana unsafe for 419 operations.

Owusu added that the fraudsters' operations in Ghana have sometimes received backing from Ghana's public officials. "Ghana has become a citadel and safe haven for 419 operatives in the West Africa sub-region due mainly to the connivance of some security personnel and public officials," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Saudis Question Action Against Imam for Laptop Sermon
RIYADH, 29 May 2006 — A very small, careful number of Saudis has questioned the decision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to take action against the imam of a mosque in the Asir province for using his laptop to deliver a sermon. The Saudis point out that the ministry’s decision to punish the imam is unfair as it implies a break with modern technology and complete reliance on more than a 1,400-year-old traditional approach to the preparation of sermons.
And you can bet your life that there's no tradition like a Moose-limb tradition.
The Saudis were reacting to the ministry’s decision to punish the imam for bringing his laptop to the mosque in Sarat Abidah in Asir province and using notes on it for delivering out the Friday sermon. The congregation was reportedly stunned when the imam used his laptop to read out the sermon instead of the more traditional hand-written notes. The imam’s explanation was that he was short of time and brought the laptop in order to save time.

The ministry, however, is not impressed.
"Oh ho! It takes more than a jibbering imam with an animated Powerpoint presentation to impress us!"
Dr. Abdullah Al-Humaid, director of the ministry’s social affairs department in Asir, said: “We are not punishing him for bringing new technology into the mosque but for the strange situation he has created in the process of doing so. His decision in favor of ijtihad (exploring a new solution to a situation in the light of Islamic teachings) was taken in his individual capacity and has nothing to do with the ministry. Moreover, it distracted the attention of the congregation which could not concentrate on the content of the sermon.”
Do they ever concentrate on the content? Other than the 'death to the infidels' part, I mean.
Asked for his comment on the ministry’s decision, Muhammad Nasser, an expatriate, said that it raised more questions than it answered. “When we have modern technology at our disposal, why shouldn’t we use it?” he asked and wondered whether loudspeakers should be banned for the call to prayer or for reciting verses from the Qur’an.
"That's different!"
"How so?"
"It just is. Mahmoud, hit him." [thump] "Owwwwww ..."
Other people pointed out that similar objections to new technology were raised during the time of King Abdul Aziz who listened to the BBC’s Arabic news. The Kingdom’s founder silenced his critics by asking them why they were using cars as a means of transport.
"Yeah, riddle me that one!"
According to Yasser Al-Ghamdi, a teacher, the use of photographs, which was banned for a long time, is now being allowed for identification and other purposes. The bottom line, he explained, was whether reliance on modern technology was in conflict with Islamic teachings. “If it is an advantage and not a handicap, then its use should be allowed,” he said, adding that there is no clash between modernity and Islam so long as technology is used for a legitimate purpose.
This has been obvious to the rest of us for about, oh, five centuries now, but nice of you to start catching up.
Abdullah Al-Fadel, a Saudi businessmen, said the ministry should prepare sermons and send them by e-mail to all imams in order to unify its message in all mosques in the Kingdom. This would also prevent “mutawwas” from going astray and acting arbitrarily by taking action against those deemed to be offenders.
"We need to keep the mutawwas focused on keeping the girlies in line."
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Which TV channel did Mohammed broadcast on?
Posted by: ed || 05/29/2006 1:13 Comments || Top||

#2  ed, he's on a reality show now - The "new surreal world" on VH1; also starring budha, dr.joyce, mickey mouse, anson williams of happy days fame, joey butafuoco, and that fat dude from "what's happening?"
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 05/29/2006 1:30 Comments || Top||

#3  I'd like to protest the use of a beautiful Sonoran Desert sunset as the backdrop in the pic, even in jest. Ain't no saguaros in the ME.
Posted by: PBMcL || 05/29/2006 1:33 Comments || Top||

#4  the ministry should prepare sermons and send them by e-mail to all imams in order to unify its message

Ah, the real issue here. Tighter control over anyone who isn't an extremist Wahabit and might have some religious credibility
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 7:47 Comments || Top||

#5  PBMcL, Mr. Gates didn't offer a template with Mecca and the big black rock. :-)
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 10:13 Comments || Top||

#6  Dr. Steve - no 'Lawrence of Arabia' desert pics available? :-)
Posted by: PBMcL || 05/29/2006 10:22 Comments || Top||

#7  They should stone him. Everybody knows that laptops are full of Great Satan Djinns.

If Windows, they're nerdy djinns wearing cheap suits and ties.

If Apple they're cool djinns wearing jeans and saying hip stuff.

If Linux they're geeky djinns who are Slashdot Open Source anarchists who believe in capitalism on payday and socialism when they get home and surf the net to see what they can rip off.
Posted by: Glaiter Ulorong5552 || 05/29/2006 12:17 Comments || Top||

#8  What? No animation slides with beheadings?
Posted by: Captain America || 05/29/2006 16:46 Comments || Top||


Britain
British Labour plot to oust Blair's deputy
LONDON: Members of Britain's governing Labour Party are plotting to oust Prime Minister Tony Blair's deputy John Prescott who has lost favor since a sex scandal hit him last month, a newspaper reported Sunday. The Sunday Times, citing documents circulating among lawmakers, said Blair will be told by senior Labour figures that Prescott has lost the support of many MPs and should consider stepping down amid sex and other scandals. The Mail on Sunday ran photos of Prescott playing croquet while it said he should have been standing in for Blair who was flying to Washington on Thursday and claimed that Prescott's office "went to great lengths to conceal" it. Prescott has also been criticised for clinging to his 133,000 pound salary (247,000 dollars, 193,000 euros) and his "grace and favor" homes after losing key duties in a May cabinet reshuffle linked to revelations of his extramarital affair.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Caribbean-Latin America
Uribe in Colombia landslide win
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has been re-elected in a landslide election victory, taking 62% of the vote, the country's electoral commission says. Mr Uribe, who changed the constitution so he could run for a second term, wins another four years in office.

There was no major violence on election day, after huge numbers of security forces were deployed, and Farc rebels pledged not to interfere. With nearly all ballots counted, Mr Uribe had 62% of the vote - well over the 50% needed to win in the first round.

His closest challenger, left-wing senator Carlos Gaviria, took 22%. He accepted defeat, declaring: "We're very happy with the results. For the first time in the country's history the main opposition party will be comprised of the democratic left."

The Marxist Farc guerrillas kept their promise and did not interfere with the day's voting, which passed almost without a hitch and ranked as one of the calmest days of balloting in more than a decade. The electoral body said there had been no problems with the voting, even in the more remote rural areas under guerrilla control.

The result suggests Colombians have rejected left-wing alternatives, as well as the traditional liberal and conservative parties that have dominated Colombia's political life since independence from Spain.
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Mr Uribe, who changed the constitution so he could run for a second term"

Damn! Bet the Dems are all heading south to find out how he managed that.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 10:51 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
War-torn Chechnya hosts beauty contest as part of effort to show normalcy
MOSCOW (AP) - Here she comes . . . Miss Chechnya?

In the latest effort by the Kremlin to show that normalcy has returned after more than a decade of war in Chechnya, a 15-year-old high school student has been crowned Miss Chechnya in the Muslim region's first beauty pageant.

Zamira Dzhabrailova beat a field of 18 teenage girls Saturday after answering a series of trivia questions, dancing in a Chechen traditional costume and performing on the piano. She won a Toyota sedan and a vacation for two to France.

"I'm very happy that I won first place," she said in televised comments. "Of course, all the girls were very pretty and I love them all."

More than six years after Russian forces invaded the North Caucasus region for the second time in a decade, large scale fighting in Chechnya has largely ended.

However, ambushes by separatist rebels targeting Russian forces and their Chechen allies persist and rebel fighters are increasingly adopting radical Islamic views. Violence has also begun spreading into neighbouring regions.

Chechnya's Moscow-backed government has sought to show that things have returned to normal, reconstructing parts of the demolished capital, Grozny, staging a rock concert, building a new water amusement park, promoting the successes of Grozny's professional soccer team and hosting a boxing tournament opened by Mike Tyson.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 03:25 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They have awarded a travel for two in France to an underaged girl.
Posted by: JFM || 05/29/2006 10:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Don't know, possibly most of the others participants were 18 and slightly above.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 05/29/2006 10:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Ages 14 - 23.

Picture and story here.
Posted by: Pappy || 05/29/2006 13:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Mike Tyson traveled to Chechnya???????? He must be in bad shape economically. . . . .
Posted by: bgrebel || 05/29/2006 14:17 Comments || Top||

#5  He'll fit right in there, won't he?
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 05/29/2006 14:24 Comments || Top||

#6  Watch out ladies! Mike likes to punch beauties.
Posted by: Captain America || 05/29/2006 16:48 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
China: rejection of our wireless standard is a U.S. 'conspiracy'
The agency promoting China's wireless encryption standard has accused a U.S. engineers' group of waging a conspiracy that led a global organization to reject the Chinese system, the country's official news agency said Monday.

China made the accusation in its appeal against the International Standards Organization's decision in March to reject its encryption system, known as WAPI, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Wireless encryption helps protect the privacy of wireless Internet users in places like coffee shops and universities.

China has been trying to promote its own standards for mobile phones, wireless encryption and other related fields, hoping they will give Chinese companies an advantage in promising industries.

The Geneva-based International Standards Organization in March rejected China's WAPI in favor of the widely used 802.11i encryption standard, developed by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE.

China has asked the International Standards Organization to nullify its decision due to what it calls the engineer group's "unethical activities," such as allegedly conspiring against WAPI, insulting China, and using intimidation and threats, Xinhua reported, without elaborating.

"The serious violations are rare in ISO's standardization history," Xinhua quoted a statement by the official China Broadband Wireless IP Standard Group as saying.

It said the IEEE unfairly violated International Standards Organization rules and misled national agencies, causing them to reject the Chinese standard, Xinhua said.

ISO has said it will investigate the case, Xinhua reported.

China dropped an effort last year to make WAPI its mandatory national standard after the U.S. government complained that doing so would hamper access to China's market for foreign companies.

However, Xinhua said after the ISO rejection in March that China's government would "firmly support" the Chinese standard, and the decision would not affect its decision on domestic use.
WAPI sucks compared to 802.11i ... but WAPI would be easier for the Chinese authorities to break into.
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 09:35 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "I learned recently that the Chinese object to 802.11i because it includes a 128-bit key length version of AES which they believe the NSA has the ability to decipher. The corresponding problem with WAPI is that it is a proprietary protocol controlled by the government which leads one to believe that it has either a back-door or a weak known flaw in it that would allow interception."

http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004907.html
Posted by: Peppersniffer || 05/29/2006 9:57 Comments || Top||

#2  it includes a 128-bit key length version of AES which they believe the NSA has the ability to decipher

ANYBODY with enough computing power can break 128-bit AES ... it's been done IIRC in France with a network of cooperating PCs. The question is, can it be done quickly enough, often enough, to compromise privacy. And the answer is, for the most part, no. If there's a message we are determined to break and it is deemed sufficiently important to decode it, yes, it can be done. But the chinese can do the same if they are sufficiently determined.
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 11:19 Comments || Top||

#3  Let's see...Chinese standard vs. IEEE standard. Hmm...

conspiring against WAPI, insulting China, and using intimidation and threats

What's it called when you can't help but see your own qualites in others? Projection?
Posted by: gromky || 05/29/2006 11:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Unless WAPI becomes an open standard, like AES - a public algorithm, available for study and attack attempts - it has no chance.

Back doors are too detectable, by the way. If there's a deliberate flaw, it will be considerably more subtle.
Posted by: mojo || 05/29/2006 12:30 Comments || Top||

#5  Drum roll....The new Sony Playstation 3 will have IEEE 802.11b/g!
Posted by: Jumble Thromomble5864 || 05/29/2006 21:44 Comments || Top||

#6  'conspiracy' 'conspiracy' 'conspiracy'
The ROW needs to eat this constant BS.
Posted by: 3dc || 05/29/2006 22:28 Comments || Top||

#7 
China files case against Intel's wireless network


China has launched a case against American chipmaker Intel's near-monopoly on encryption standards for wireless local area network (WLAN) equipment, state press reported Monday.

China has accused the makers of the technology developed by the chipmaking giant Intel of unethical behaviour and has asked the International Standards Organization (ISO) to review the case, Xinhua news reported.

It says that the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), actual makers of the technology, broke ISO rules when its national bodies voted on new technology to mend security loopholes in the WLAN standard.

China now wants the ISO to investigate the fast-track process to determine "whether the ethical and procedural rules and principles have indeed been violated and whether the ballots have been unfairly influenced by those ethical and procedural violations".

China's WAPI and American IEEE applied to the ISO for a new international standard last October, but the Chinese technology's bid for approval was rejected in a ballot in March this year.

"The serious violations are rare in ISO's standardization history," said the statement, adding that IEEE "unjustly" and "unfairly" violated ISO rules which misled many national bodies that voted on the new international standard.

ISO will investigate the case, the report said.

China has bristled at depending on proprietary foreign high technology and in 2003 tried to force multinationals wanting to sell wireless computer equipment to support its proprietary and secret encryption standard called WAPI.

Beijing was forced to scrap its plans for the system when companies such as Intel threatened to stop selling their products in China, claiming they would have to give up intellectual property rights to Chinese companies.



Posted by: 3dc || 05/29/2006 23:35 Comments || Top||

#8  IOW, the Chicoms are outdated/obsolete before they even started.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/29/2006 23:58 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Model wore burqa for protection in Bali
Australian model Michelle Leslie has revealed why she wore a burqa during her stay in a Balinese prison on drugs charges.

She said she wore the traditional Muslim headdress to protect herself from men inside the prison.

The 25-year-old said she adopted the burqa after waking in the middle of the night to find a man sitting at the end of her mattress stroking her leg and making sexual comments.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 02:42 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wouldn't it have been easier just to not get caught there with illegal drugs?

Of course, that would mean not using illegal drugs....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 12:33 Comments || Top||


Europe
German Hotel Removes Alcohol, Porn for Saudi Team
Snip, duplicate, done a week ago.
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 03:03 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And in other news, mass cancellations of Saudi reservations at the Hotel Dolce.
Posted by: ed || 05/29/2006 8:14 Comments || Top||

#2  You mean that they're expected to bring their own?
Posted by: DMFD || 05/29/2006 11:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Not like I'd know or anything, but is that Ron Jeremy on the telly?
Posted by: Classical_Liberal || 05/29/2006 17:05 Comments || Top||

#4  I thought it was Gorgeouw George Galloway.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 05/29/2006 17:07 Comments || Top||

#5  looks like he's shaved his back...ewwww
Posted by: Frank G || 05/29/2006 18:48 Comments || Top||

#6  Don't worry, Saudis, there are 40,000 hookers coming to watch a girl's = girley men's game.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/29/2006 23:11 Comments || Top||


EU ministers consider name change to save charter
The European Union's stalled constitution could undergo a name change as part of an attempt to rescue it after last year's rejection by French and Dutch voters, EU ministers said on Sunday.
Good idea. Hang a false nose and moustache on it. No one will ever know.
At a weekend meeting in Vienna, the bloc's foreign ministers acknowledged it was politically unfeasible to launch moves to save the charter, aimed at speeding European integration, until after French and Dutch general elections, due around next May.
And probably not then.
However, Germany won guarded backing for an offer to launch a plan immediately afterwards to begin salvaging key parts of the text — possibly under a new name of a "basic law", the name of Germany's own constitution. "Everybody agrees it was a mistake to call it a constitution, so that would be a very sensible change if that were needed," Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said, insisting his country nonetheless planned to become the 16th state to ratify the existing text later this year.
Nobody seems to agree it's a bad idea except the people voting on it.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  McCain says to call it a banana
Posted by: Captain America || 05/29/2006 0:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Soon to be known as the "Perpetual Ponies Pact"...
Posted by: Seafarious || 05/29/2006 0:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Civilizations, just like individuals, age and become senile.
Posted by: gromgoru || 05/29/2006 7:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Garcon, more lipstick for my pig!
Posted by: SteveS || 05/29/2006 16:07 Comments || Top||


Poland's chief rabbi attacked in central Warsaw
KRAKOW: Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, was punched and sprayed with what appeared to be pepper spray by an unidentified man in downtown Warsaw, but escaped without injuries from what police said may have been an anti-Semitic attack. Schudrich said he was heading to a Sabbath lunch Saturday near Warsaw's main synagogue with a group of people when a young man yelled out Poland for Poles! That's a well-known pre-World War II slogan which basically means 'Jews, get out of Poland,' and I didn't like hearing it, so I approached the gentleman to ask him why he said such things and his reaction was to punch me in the chest, Schudrich told reporters. I was going to hit him back, but before I had a chance to hit him he sprayed me with some kind of spray %u2013 maybe pepper spray. Schudrich said his eyes still burned from the spray but that he was otherwise uninjured.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Dog-bites-man story.

Unfortunately. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 15:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Somewhat related to this, Polish authorities have asked their US counterparts to shutdown a US-based website (redwatch.info) that publishes personal details of "targets" living in Poland. They publish details such as addresses, pictures etc. The website operates under the guise of keeping track of communists (and other "undesirables"), but since communism is seen as a Jewish invention...well, you get the picture. They have branches in the U.K. and Germany.

My guess is that this sort of thing is protected speech in the U.S. It wouldn't be tolerated in Poland, at least not by the cops.
Posted by: Rafael || 05/29/2006 20:32 Comments || Top||

#3  welcome back Raphael
Posted by: Frank G || 05/29/2006 22:18 Comments || Top||

#4  Thanks, Frank.
Posted by: Rafael || 05/29/2006 23:01 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Date Night with Senators John McCain and Harry Reid
In this frame from video, provided by HBO, Sen. Minority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second from left, sit near ringside at the Oscar De La Hoya-Bernard Hopkins championship boxing match in Las Vegas in September 2004. Reid accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission while McCain insisted on paying $1,400 to reimburse for the tickets he shared with Reid. (AP Photo/HBO)
I guess there really is nothing but sound and fury in the senate.
Posted by: whitecollar redneck || 05/29/2006 17:25 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Sen. Reid took boxing tickets while deciding on regulations
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 15:59 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Another dog-bites-man story.

Sigh.

What's next, a news flash about the sun rising in the east? ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 16:55 Comments || Top||

#2  To be buried so deep even a mole wouldn't find it.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/29/2006 22:09 Comments || Top||


Gore: 'Tell Everybody I'm Not Running'...
One less socialist retard in the field for the media to orgasm over. Hillary is the better man anyway.
Posted by: JerseyMike || 05/29/2006 08:41 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  My aplogies mods, wrong page - please move!
Posted by: JerseyMike || 05/29/2006 8:51 Comments || Top||

#2  done
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 9:03 Comments || Top||

#3  I see Gore is still spewing CO2. We must stop his pollution before he destroys the world!!!
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/29/2006 9:19 Comments || Top||

#4  "Gore: 'Tell Everybody I'm Not Running'..."

Get it in writing - properly notarized.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 10:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Nice to see the man isn't dumb as well as stupid.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/29/2006 11:32 Comments || Top||

#6  Actually, he is, #5 tw.

Just (maybe) not about this.

Of course, it's not like he's lied changed his mind before....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 12:29 Comments || Top||

#7  Well, hell - guess it's time to go fire up the barbecue, since I can't type. Should read:

Of course, it's not like he's never lied changed his mind before....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 12:31 Comments || Top||

#8  Gore can always "Kerry" it:

He was against himself running before he was ofr it.
Posted by: Oldspook || 05/29/2006 13:18 Comments || Top||

#9  Rich Lowry at National Review:

He is one of those people who wants to be president, but doesn't really want to run for it. So he wants the party to come to him. In keeping with this desire, the movie is a painless way to advance his political ambitions: if the buzz around it doesn't increase his standing in the polls, he can say, “Hey, what's the big deal, it was only a movie about an issue I care about, and never had a political purpose”; if, however, it does create some sustained political momentum, he can capitalize on it if he wants. Apparently he is telling the people closest to him what he is saying in public, that he isn't interested in running. People are all over the map, though, on whether he will ultimately run or not. The conventional wisdom seems to be correct: that he will only do it if he sees a clear path to victory. . . .

Gore-watchers often repeat the old saw that America loves a non-candidate, noting that Gore's best day politically will be the day before he gets in. Gore surely is aware of this too. But no one doubt this: he is very much enjoying his new-found acclaim, and that he plays his cards very close to his chest. He will be fascinating to watch.
Posted by: Mike || 05/29/2006 15:50 Comments || Top||

#10  #9 quote: "He will be fascinating to watch."

So are maggots cleaning a corpse.

Guess which one's more useful?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 16:52 Comments || Top||

#11  How many more DemoLeft pundits or strategists have to officially affirm = disaffirming it'll be him and Hillary in 2008. Not even PC/Pdenied, Clintonian Fascist = Half-A-Communist mainstream Amerika wants a woman in the WH during times of national crisis or emergency. "SO HE WANTS THE PARTY TO COME TO HIM" - sentence only affirms, among other reasons, the why RINO Dems are RINOS and CINOS. AS LONG AS IRAN, SYRIA, NORTH KOREA, TAIWAN, plus any threat or risk of threat of Amer Hiroshima(s), Regional = Limited Nuke War, Bush-centric decapitation strike(s), and "CREEPING/
GRADUAL SOCIALISM-COMMUNISM-TOTALITARIANISM exists, Hillary nor Dems will accept any direct blame for these, let alone for conspiracy or use for advantage. The blameless Left, Leftism Socialism and Governmentism, must remain blameless. DEMOLEFT = SPEND SPEND SPEND, REGULATE AND BUREAUCRATIZE, UNTO ETERNITY OR AT LEAST ABSOLUTISM-TOTALITARIANISM, NOT SOLVE THIS, SOLVE THAT!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/29/2006 23:08 Comments || Top||


Reagan's Navy Chief Seeks Va. Senate Seat
Guardian bio story on James Webb, Marine, author, ex-Sec of Navy for Pres. Reagan, and now Democratic candidate for the Senate in Viriginia.

I don't know what kind of a senator he'd be, but his books are outstanding, and his last one, Born Fighting, is a gem.
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  My only quesiton to Mr Webb: Why a dem?

They're not going to let him win.
Posted by: Oldspook || 05/29/2006 1:16 Comments || Top||

#2  "Fields Of Fire" is one of my fave fictional books on 'nam.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 05/29/2006 1:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Fields of Fire is great. A Country Such as This truly captures the ebb and flow of life in rural America. Born Fighting educated me far more about my ancestry (Scots-Irish back to the 1630s) than any other book I've read.

Why a Dem? I think he's really frustrated with GWB and he saw running as a Dem as his only shot to say so. He reminds me (this is from BF) of a Scots-Irish warrior chieftain, for whom honor and loyalty are paramount. This is the man who resigned rather than sign-off on downsizing the Navy, remember. He views Iraq as the wrong war to be fighting. I disagree with him, but he's one of the few in the opposition who can make his point sensibly.
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 10:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Why run against Allen, Steve?

He'd be better to run against Warner when he comes up for re-election.

Oh, wait - they're saving that for Mark Warner in case he doesn't get the presidency....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 10:47 Comments || Top||

#5  Exactly. Mr Webb will be stuffed by the Dems.

I think he's cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Something the Scots-Irish have made a habit of.

FYI, I loved Born Fighting. I grew up just NE of Galax VA, and parts of both sides of my family have relatives scattered throughout se-WV ne-TN nw-NC e-KY sw-VA areas he writes about. I know those places he writes about becasue I've been to most of them visiting relatives or funerals and family reunions.


But much as I love him, he's wrong - wrong party, and wrong on Iraq.
Posted by: Oldspook || 05/29/2006 10:59 Comments || Top||

#6  He's stuck in the No More Vietnams loop, and can't see the difference between then and now. His opposition to downsizing the Navy is part and parcel with his view that only largescale force-on-force wars are justified or what we should engage in.

Sorry, but the Islamacists aren't going to give us that luxury. I respect Webb's service, but he is deeply and destructively wrong on this one.
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 11:15 Comments || Top||

#7  Town names jsut in case someone is curious

Blacksburg, Radford, Wytheville, Abingdon, Bristol, Galax, Mt AIry, Pilot Mountain, Booneville, Wilksboro, Indeependance, Tazwell, Davy, Yaeger, Williamson, Matewan, Grundy, Whitesburg, Tazwell.

I remember beign stuff in the car and driving those places on the weekend. Us kids got the yard to play in with out cousins, while the adults stayed in the house or one the porch "visiting".

Usually there were also visits to graveyards nearby with relatives who died in some war or other, going back tothe civil awr in a few cases, Spanish American war, plains indians, WW1. Most of them now host the WW2 veterans that we were visiting - uncles, great uncles, 2nd cousins, etc. A few are starting to fill with the Vietnam generation. And there are a couple I've been to that are from the Cold-War/GW-1 generation (not caused by it, just served in it), and even 2 from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Somy roots are as deep as Mr Webbs, and likely about as much of my family's blood is in it as his. Explains why I'm a former Dem - and why he's a Dem still: most of my relatives his age and older simply cannot bringthemselves to become Republicans even though they vote that way and thats where their true principles are anymore, things like strong defense, fair taxes, pro-life. Chalk it up to strong stubborn streak the Scots-Irish have (especially with a Dutch and Cherokee streak in it)
Posted by: Oldspook || 05/29/2006 11:18 Comments || Top||

#8  OOps - left out Pikeville! (SOme ditant relative might be reading this and know who I am -and would "wring my neck" for leaving out that town).
Posted by: Oldspook || 05/29/2006 11:20 Comments || Top||

#9  Gee, OS, you're practically family!

That area's southwest of where I grew up, but I had relatives in Bristol who we visited on occasion, and my brother went to VPI (Blacksburg).

Things were different then, weren't they?

Or maybe they were the same and we just didn't notice....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 15:42 Comments || Top||

#10  Oldspook, if I recall correctly, Webb only recently declared himself a Democrat. And I think he'll have a very rocky road as a member of that party. You think the Kossacks, DUniks and other denizens of the "nutroots" are hard on Lieberman? Just wait until Webb gets nominated, or actually elected.

The only reason John Effin' Kerry became acceptable as a Democrat was because he (1) did his bit to aid the Communist cause in Vietnam with his "peace movement" activities, and (2) spent over 20 years as a congressman and senator running away from his combat record. Webb's both an authentic and an unapologetic Vietnam war hero, so the Democrats' fifth-column base will declare him anathema.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) || 05/29/2006 21:29 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Muslim parents deny polio drops to male kids
KENDRAPARA The extended pulse polio immunisation drive has brought to the fore an exceedingly disturbing trend of ‘gender bias’ prevalent in a remote and predominantly Muslim inhabited village in Kendrapara district. After a sizeable chunk of parents in Tendakuda village under Patkura police limits skipped the 21 May mass immunisation campaign and refused to let their children be administered with oral drops, a door-to-door campaign to cover the left-out children is presently underway.

But the exercise has brought in fresh problems with shocking reports of parents protecting the male children from immunisation. “After much coaxing and persuasion, we immunised some left-out girl children. But the parental attitude was defiant as far as immunising the male progeny was concerned, said an officer of family welfare wing of the District Headquarters Hospital.

The belief that vaccine would turn the children impotent once they grow up still holds its sway in the village though many have realised the folly after an awareness campaign was carried out in the past three days.

The riverside Tendakuda is a typical village with more than two third of its residents being from the minority community. Paradoxically, the Muslim families scared of oral doses for children are financially well off with quite a few adult male members making their way to Gulf countries. “Initially our attempts failed with many defiantly saying no to polio drops. Later, some of them relented. But they agreed to let their daughters be given oral doses,” narrated an official.
The idea was to protect the male child from possible impotency factor. Of course, the left-out male children were covered. But girls outnumbered the boys.

The immunisation campaign would go on for few more days and we are trying to scale down the number of left-out children,” said the officials.

A total of 234 children from 0-5 age-group have so far been administered the oral polio doses. Still, over a hundred infants have gone uncovered. Tendakuda is a large village with a population of over 5,000. “We are visibly worried over these developments because of the fact that superstitions on polio drops still reign supreme in the village. Many believe that the growing up process of the children would be retarded by the oral drop, while other feel it will lead to impotency.”
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 02:36 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Think of it as Evolution in action.
Posted by: gromgoru || 05/29/2006 7:22 Comments || Top||

#2  And we should be worried or feel concerned about this because...?
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 05/29/2006 7:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Apparently they never heard of Viagra, either.

This whole district is trying to nominate themselves for the Darwin Award.
Posted by: Desert Blondie || 05/29/2006 8:10 Comments || Top||

#4  Unfortunately, they'd become a reservoir for the disease hindering efforts to wipe it out internationally. So the penalty for the stupidity and ignorance would not fall solely on themselves as in a better Darwin Award situation.
Posted by: Odysseus || 05/29/2006 10:13 Comments || Top||

#5  #4 - I believe polio virus can (and does, at least in 3d-world countries) exist in nature - unlike smallpox, which existed only in people.

As long as people in western countries keep getting vaccinated, these idiots aren't a threat to us - at least not from the polio perspective.

From the allen-told-us-to-kill-you-all perspective, however....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 10:42 Comments || Top||

#6  #5 -- I don't think that can be right. For example, according to the UNICEF site, the last case of polio in Europe was in 1998. If polio existed "in nature" (in, say, water fowl, like for influenza) apart from people, some unvaccinated people would still be catching it.

UNICEF further states:

"Importations of poliovirus from endemic to polio-free areas threaten to derail efforts to contain the virus. In the 2002-2003 period, for the first time in history, more countries suffered polio cases due to importations than were themselves endemic for the disease."

So, not only are reservoirs like this a risk to other areas, they have become the principal risk, with importations now exceeding endemic cases.

I've checked other sites and this information is consistent with what they have rather than eccentric.

Posted by: Odysseus || 05/29/2006 10:59 Comments || Top||

#7  So the answer is to keep immunizing our kids to protect them against what the idiots are allowing to happen to their kids. *Shrug* That's an acceptable short-term choice.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/29/2006 13:15 Comments || Top||

#8  smallpox, jenner, 1790, zoonosis,

So deadly that, In China children were not named till they had survived the disease.

In effect we could erradicate this disease from the planet but muslim fear & stupidity has prevented that, or at least delayed it by a generation.
Posted by: pihkalbadger || 05/29/2006 15:09 Comments || Top||

#9  Of course what they ain't telling em vaccinating those useless girls still can make a difference, from sabin.org
" The short-term shedding of vaccine virus in the stools of recently immunized children means that in areas where hygiene and sanitation are poor – and the incidence of polio is likely to be highest – immunization with OPV can result in the ‘passive’ immunization of adults or unvaccinated children within close contact of the vaccinated “shedder”. As discussed above, the unique ability of OPV to induce intestinal, local immunity is probably responsible for the extraordinary effect of OPV mass campaigns in interrupting wild poliovirus transmission. Due to these advantages, OPV remains the vaccine of choice for the eradication of polio, which would not be feasible with inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)."
Posted by: bruce || 05/29/2006 20:49 Comments || Top||

#10  All vaccinations are a plot against Muslims. Antibiotics and antiseptics and anaesthetics too. Food and clean water too. Pass the word.
Posted by: Darrell || 05/29/2006 20:49 Comments || Top||

#11  I thought it made their penises fall off or disappear. My memory must be going.
Posted by: Hupitle Whomosing6517 || 05/29/2006 20:54 Comments || Top||

#12  HW - you know your memory is the second thing to go....

(as for the first.... think about it....)
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/29/2006 21:56 Comments || Top||

#13  No, I still have my hair...
Posted by: Hupitle Whomosing6517 || 05/29/2006 22:21 Comments || Top||


Nepal govt, rebels consider UN-monitored ceasefire
Nepal's new multi-party government and Maoist rebels said on Sunday they may request the United Nations to monitor a ceasefire in the Himalayan nation after holding further talks.

The government, formed after last months violent pro-democracy protests that forced King Gyanendra to hand back power to political parties, matched a ceasefire this month declared earlier by the Maoist guerrillas. Government and rebel negotiators held their first meeting since 2003, on Friday and agreed to a 25-point code of conduct vowing to push the peace process forward including a commitment to end provocations and stop using arms to intimidate people. Pradip Gyanwali, a government negotiator, said a formal ceasefire agreement and a human rights accord were expected to be signed with the rebels soon.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:


'Hudood Ord does not apply to non-Muslims'
The Hudood Ordinance does not apply to non-Muslims because it is a religious law, Javed Ahmad Ghamdi, a noted religious scholar and intellectual, told Geo television programme 'Jawabdeh' on Sunday.
My mind just boggled at the thought of an al-Ghamdi, a noted religious scholar, of course, wearing a black turtleneck and chain smoking Gauloises...
"Minorities should be exempt from the Hudood Laws and be punished in accordance with their own laws," said Ghamdi.
What if their own laws call for leaving them the hell alone? That would be un-Islamic, wouldn't it?
A Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man could not be punished under the Hudood Ordinance, both should be punished according to their own laws, he said.
So the guy could stroll away whistling, while the woman ended up under a pile of rocks. And they say there's no justice in shariah...
Only that section of public law would be applied to non-Muslims that was made on a secular basis, he added.
I'm of the opinion that only secular laws should apply to anyone. Government has to be stingy with who it allows to use violence, and most of shariah seems to call for killing or maiming people in one way or the other.
The scholar said the Hudood Ordinance was the wrong interpretation of divine laws. "The interpretation of divine laws in Hudood Ordinance is totally against Islamic knowledge and wisdom," he said. Islam does not describe any jail sentence for women, he added.
Of course it doesn't. It prescribes death.
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:


People try to confront shame of honour killing
Ayesha Baloch was dragged to a field, her brother-in-law held the 18-year-old down, her husband sat astride her legs and slit her upper lip and nostril with a knife. They call such assaults on women a matter of ‘honour’ in some communities, but for the majority it is a source of national shame.

Married less than two months ago in Dera Ghazi Khan district, Baloch was accused of having sexual relations with another man before she married. “First they tortured me and beat me. I started screaming. Akbar then caught my hands and pulled me to the ground. Essa sat on my legs and cut my nose and lips,” Baloch mumbled through her bandages at hospital in the city of Multan. “I was bleeding and started screaming after they fled on a motorcycle. People heard me and rescued me and took me to my mother’s home.” At least she wasn’t killed.

More than 1,000 women are slain by their husbands or relatives, and that is just the reported, not actual, number of ‘honour killings’ in Pakistan each year. Many killings are planned rather than done in rage, and the motive often has more to do with money or settling scores.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:


Olde Tyme Religion
A look at a Muslim televangelist
"The blood of the Prophet runs in me, and I am the instrument of his will."

Can you imagine who said that as he prepared to lead his people into bloody battle?

Following September 11th we'd be inclined to guess it was an Islamic terrorist, justifying his jihad. In fact, the speaker was Sean Connery, playing a dashing Arab chieftain in the 1975 film, "The Wind and the Lion."

At the time, most American filmgoers simply found it quaint that former Secret Agent 007 could utter such a line in his inimitable Scottish accent.

Today, in fact, the vast majority of faithful Muslims are no more inclined to violence than are Christians. They look to their faith much as Christians do: for guidance, hope and reassurance _ not for righteous indignation.

Contemporary Muslims even have televangelists. Samantha M. Shapiro of The New York Times recently followed one of them, Amr Khalid, around Egypt, England and Germany, and profiled him.

Khalid, 38, born and raised in Egypt, is not an imam. Like many American televangelists, he lacks theological credentials and, on TV, prefers to dress in sweaters, polo shirts and business suits rather than in robes. Before he became a preacher he was an accountant.

His popular sermons are broadcast throughout the Middle East by Iqraa, a Saudi-owned satellite channel that also attracts millions of European viewers from Dublin to Romania. In his sermons, Khalid skirts commentary on Islamic law and politics in favor of offering tips on success, happiness and the avoidance of sin. He is inclined to shed tears as he speaks of Allah's love and mercy. Part of his popularity stems from treating Muslim women as the equals of men.

Early in his career he was harassed by the Egyptian police, who slashed his tires while he was preaching and forced him out of Cairo to a mosque 20 miles from the city. The tactic failed. Thousands from all over the country took buses to hear him, often filling the streets and rooftops near the mosque. Khalid and his family finally left Egypt for England, where he focuses his ministry on second-generation Muslims living in Europe.

Unlike American televangelists, Khalid declines donations from his viewers and live audiences, living instead on a comfortable but modest income from the Iqrra satellite network. He is a revivalist, not a revolutionary. Although he preaches that Islam "empowers" women, he urges them to wear hijabs, or head scarves, explaining that their bodies are as precious as pearls, requiring a shell.

Throughout the Middle East, he urges Muslims to help one another rise above ignorance and poverty. In Europe, he urges his coreligionists to integrate, adopt the native language, volunteer for community betterment and live upstanding lives. He challenges Muslims everywhere: "If God had wanted it, he could have created all mankind as one religion. He created many different ways so we will cooperate."
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 02:55 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "The blood of the Prophet runs in me, and I am the instrument of his will."

Ummm, misspelling detected, should read "Instrument of his EVIL"
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 05/29/2006 11:10 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Demand is rocketing for bulletproof rides
Rough 'n' ready vehicles for global trouble spots feature heavy armor and glass that can stop assault-rifle blasts.

San Antonio - The windshield of a Hummer SUV in Trent Kimball's shop here is thick like a Webster's dictionary. One has to pull with both hands to open the vehicle's armor-plated doors. The wheels have an inner layer of solid rubber in case the tires get shot up. And the gas tank is wrapped with an extra sheet of shrapnel- proof steel.

"It will survive if a hand grenade is rolled underneath this car," said Kimball, president of Texas Armoring Corp. "Our standard is to meet the challenge of the AK-47. Our tests indicate the windshield will crack but will withstand its close- range fire long enough to allow time to escape."

It takes about three months to convert a car or an SUV into a fortress on wheels. And business is good, he said.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 06:45 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
It takes about three months to convert a car or an SUV into a fortress on wheels.


mileage may vary..
Posted by: RD || 05/29/2006 12:50 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Coup suspect killed in Philippines
A former communist facing rebellion charges in the Philippines has been shot dead. Three gunmen on a motorcycle attacked Sotero Llamas, 55, in the town of Tabaco, 550km southeast of Manila. Chief Superintendent Victor Boco of the regional police said Llamas had been shot in the face and was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

State prosecutors filed rebellion charges against Llamas earlier this month. He and 40 other leaders of the communist movement are accused of plotting to topple Gloria Arroyo, the president, in February. Llamas was a former guerrilla commander in the southeastern Bicol region. He was arrested in 1995 but released a year later.

Military intelligence officials said he was a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and regional commander of the Maoist-led New People's Army (NPA). He was also a consultant to peace talks between the communist rebels and the government that have been mediated by Norway since 2001.

The government said some rogue lieutenants had met senior NPA leaders in Batangas province south of the capital before Llamas was arrested in February. It linked the party leadership with the foiled coup, including rebels living in exile in the Netherlands.

Llamas emerged from the underground to organise and mobilise rallies and briefly moved into local politics, running and losing the gubernatorial race in his home province, Albay, in the May 2004 elections.
Posted by: Thealet Ebbomoter6024 || 05/29/2006 12:13 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This fits as an NPA sparrow team hit. They ride up on the person on motorcycles for the hit. They rarely hurt anyone but the intended target. Sounds like this guy was going to turn on the NPA and they were cleaning house.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 05/29/2006 19:38 Comments || Top||


Comoros volcano spewing lava, smoke
busy area, tectonically
Posted by: lotp || 05/29/2006 09:28 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Where are the pictures of that spewing lava?

We want our entertainment! ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 05/29/2006 16:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Here in WESTPAC our local MARIANAS VARIETY newspaper reports that the CNMI'S Anatahan and Pagan islands' volcanoes are active, PLUS a new underwater volcano is forming. *IWO JIMA and BONINS, etal. geologically belongs to the Marianas Islands group - prob explains why, in part, Iwo and Marianas in general figure so well in many GODZILLA or Japanese action flicks.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 05/29/2006 22:47 Comments || Top||


Malaysian muslim party leaders deny protecting Thai fugitive
Pas leaders yesterday denied a Bangkok Post report alleging some Pas members were among those protecting a Thai fugitive. The newspaper said Sapae-ing Basor, the principal of Thamawitaya Foundation School in Yala, fled his Yala home in December 2004 just hours before the police came to arrest him.

The paper said Sapae-ing was believed to be hiding in Kelantan, a place where he had many friends to protect and support him. “These people include ranking members of Kelantan’s ruling Islamic Party of Malaysia (Pas),” the report alleged.

State executive councillor and Kelantan Pas secretary Takiyuddin Hassan, when contacted, said: “We are a registered party under Malaysian laws and we abide by the rules.” State Pas Youth chief Mohd Zaki Ibrahim condemned the report.

Mohd Zaki, who is also Kelaboran state assemblyman, said it was the third of similar accusations by the newspaper since the violence in southern Thailand started about two years ago. He said earlier reports that students were being trained in the jungles of Kelantan and that women were being trained as suicide bombers in the State had been denied by the Federal Government. “I like to remind them to be careful in making accusations."
There are consequences, you know ...
"If they have proof that ranking members of Pas are hiding Sapae-ing, then they should inform the Malaysian police through Interpol.

“No Pas leader or member is involved in protecting and supporting the suspect.”
Posted by: ryuge || 05/29/2006 03:35 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:


East Timor descends into chaos
The number of dead in the latest wave of violence in East Timor has risen to at least 20, with more than 50 people wounded, hospital officials in the capital Dili said Monday. Australia sent about 1,300 troops to help quell the unrest that began in March, when the government fired 600 soldiers who went on strike against alleged discrimination in the military.

East Timor's cabinet was holding a crisis meeting Monday as thousands of residents fled the burning capital and rival gangs prowled the streets armed with machetes, The Associated Press reported. The cabinet meeting came amid growing speculation that the government could be near collapse or that parliament would be dissolved. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has called the violence an organized plot to overthrow him.

The United Nations ran away evacuated hundreds of employees during the weekend, while its special representative in Dili said more international peacekeepers might be needed to restore order in the capital.

What began in recent months as a schism within the armed forces spilled over during the past week to the general population, which is divided on geographical lines of east and west, or those perceived to have been pro-Indonesian against those who wanted independence, AP reported. Rival gangs torched homes and battled with machetes for a third day on Sunday. Fire across the city filled the sky with smoke overnight and into Monday, and the streets were strewn with smoldering debris while Black Hawk helicopters roared overhead.
This is what happened when you bring rival factions into a 'unity' army. Both sides get better armed.
Australian troops rumbled toward the sound of gunfire in armored personnel carriers, but seemed to only briefly scatter combatants.

Fighting erupted last week when renegade soldiers attacked unarmed police who were being escorted to safety by U.N. staff, leaving nine dead. Dili's Becora hospital said the toll had risen to 20 by Sunday. About 27,000 East Timorese sought refuge at shelters, said Robert Ashe, regional representative for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday that Australian troops had secured Dili's main airport, the U.N. headquarters and police complex and the country's parliament and presidential palace. Howard said troops confiscated numerous knives, swords and guns from gangs in the areas under Australian control. "Nobody should assume that it's just a simple walk-in-the-park military operation," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 05/29/2006 02:07 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Indonesia Declares Emergency; Toll 4,600
Indonesia's government declared a state of emergency after a quake killed more than 4,600 people, and rescue workers raced against time today in the hope of finding survivors under the debris of razed homes. Some 35,000 buildings around the city of Yogyakarta were reduced to rubble when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck at the crack of dawn on Saturday.

After a Cabinet meeting late yesterday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the emergency period would last three months and the goverment aimed to complete "reconstruction and rehabilitation" within a year. "We will have an emergency period for three months, May till August. The objectives are providing food, health care and shelter," Kalla told reporters. "The funds needed are about 1 trillion rupiahs ($100 million) ... for repairing homes and facilitating people's needs. This figure can change. It comes from the state budget and international aid."
Posted by: Fred || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  wow, these people just can't get a break...
Posted by: sludge || 05/29/2006 8:58 Comments || Top||

#2  ... Its almost as of some supernatural being is pissed at them for something....

That being said :). This is a pretty bad disaster and needs help and I think we should send help - regardless of their religion these are people.

I mean I'm sure the Vampire Vulture Elite from the U.N. are already circling the area looking for a 5-star hotel [with 24Hr catering) to land at. I don't think I would wish that on my worst enemy.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 05/29/2006 10:10 Comments || Top||

#3  No matter what you give, money or goods or services, no matter who you give it to, "offical" aid agencies or private entities, it will be looted, stolen, ripped off, wasted.

And that goes for this disaster in Indonesia, as well as Katrina.
Posted by: Cregum Clease2029 || 05/29/2006 10:16 Comments || Top||

#4  CC2029 - sad but true. The only folks I trust with my disaster dollars anymore are the Mennonite relief agencies. In the old days they'd send a team along with the $, food, whatever and dole it out to the needy personally.

They probably still do it the old-fashioned way.
Posted by: GORT || 05/29/2006 20:47 Comments || Top||

#5  sorry guys - ask your Saudi paymasters and Iranian hegemons for disaster aid. They can deduct if from the IJ and AS payments
Posted by: Frank G || 05/29/2006 22:21 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Since it is Memorial Day - Don't forget these anthems.
The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics
By Francis Scott Key 1814


Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!



If the world and islam wants we could always return to the core values in the following Civil War Anthem.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic


Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Posted by: 3dc || 05/29/2006 20:04 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:


Another WWII hero honored
Hat tip Meryl Yourish.
Sixty-six years ago, Hiram Bingham IV, a blue-blood American diplomat in France, defied U.S. policy by helping Jews escape the Nazis in the early years of World War II.

Bingham's actions cost him his Foreign Service career but won him the undying gratitude of the more than 2,000 refugees he helped save by issuing them travel visas and false passports, and even at times sheltering them in his home. Only in recent years has his heroism been officially recognized by his own country.

Bingham, the Yale-educated son of a former U.S. senator, died in 1988 at age 84. His own children did not learn the extent of his wartime deeds until 1996, when a son found a cache of old journals and correspondence stashed in a hidden closet in the family's Connecticut home. Soon Bingham's face -- and, supporters hope, his story -- will be well known across the United States, as the U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp next Wednesday in his honor.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White || 05/29/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "To be depicted on an American stamp is not something that is easily achieved," Day said.

Certainly not. Now did you vote for the young Elvis or the one in the white suit?
Posted by: Elmineger Shineck4988 || 05/29/2006 8:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Truly an honorable man. There was a similar Japanese consul in the Baltics and a Swiss border official. All were punished by their govenments for being honorable and their careers never recovered. It's amazing that it took so long for the heroism to be recognized, though in Bingham's case that is partly due to the modesty of the man.
Posted by: Odysseus || 05/29/2006 19:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Bureaucracy doesn't tolerate dissent from their hive-mind. Today, any guess on how an ambassador spiriting domestic dissenters from say.. Egypt or Saudi would be seen in State Dept halls?

"what are you doing? Trying to kill our supplemental pensions?"
Posted by: Frank G || 05/29/2006 22:11 Comments || Top||



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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2006-05-29
  Israeli air raid strikes Palestinian sites in Beqaa, southern Beirut
Sun 2006-05-28
  Plot fears prompt Morocco crackdown
Sat 2006-05-27
  Islamic Jihad official in Sidon dies of wounds
Fri 2006-05-26
  30 killed, many wounded in fresh Mogadishu fighting
Thu 2006-05-25
  60 suspected Taliban, five security forces killed in Afghanistan
Wed 2006-05-24
  British troops in first Taliban action
Tue 2006-05-23
  Hamas force battles rivals in Gaza
Mon 2006-05-22
  Airstrike in South Afghanistan Kills 76
Sun 2006-05-21
  Bomb plot on Rashid Abu Shbak
Sat 2006-05-20
  Iraqi government formed. Finally.
Fri 2006-05-19
  Hamas official seized with $800k
Thu 2006-05-18
  Haqqani takes command of Talibs
Wed 2006-05-17
  Two Fatah cars explode
Tue 2006-05-16
  Beslan Snuffy Guilty of Terrorism
Mon 2006-05-15
  Bangla: 13 militants get life


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