HT Drudge
The government discriminates against blind people by printing money that all looks and feels the same, a federal judge said Tuesday in a ruling that could change the face of American currency.
U.S. District Judge James Robertson ordered the Treasury Department to come up with ways for the blind to tell bills apart. He said he wouldn't tell officials how to fix the problem, but he ordered them to begin working on it. hmmm Judge Roberson - appointed Dec '94 ...sayyyy who was President then?
The American Council of the Blind has proposed several options, including printing bills of differing sizes, adding embossed dots or foil to the paper or using raised ink.
"Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the United States prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their denominations," Robertson wrote. "More than 100 of the other issuers vary their bills in size according to denomination, and every other issuer includes at least some features that help the visually impaired."
Government attorneys argued that forcing the Treasury Department to change the size of the bills or add texture would make it harder to prevent counterfeiting. Robertson was not swayed.
"The fact that each of these features is currently used in other currencies suggests that, at least on the face of things, such accommodations are reasonable," he wrote.
He said the government was violating the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in government programs. The opinion came after a four-year legal fight.
Electronic devices are available to help blind people differentiate between bills, but many complain that they are slow, expensive and unreliable. Visually impaired shoppers frequently rely on store clerks to help them.
"It's just frankly unfair that blind people should have to rely on the good faith of people they have never met in knowing whether they've been given the correct change," said Jeffrey A. Lovitky, attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Others have developed ways to cope with the similarly shaped bills. Melanie Brunson, a member of the American Council of the Blind, told the court that she folds her bills into different shapes: $1 bills stay straight, $5 bills are folded in half left to right, $10 bills in half top to bottom and $20 in quarters.
The Treasury Department had no comment on the ruling Tuesday. The government has 10 days to decide whether to appeal.
U.S. bills have not always been the same size. In 1929, the government standardized the size and shrank all bills by about 30 percent to lower manufacturing costs and help distinguish between genuine and counterfeit notes.
Since then, the Treasury Department has worked to stay ahead of counterfeiters. Security threads and microprinting were introduced in The portraits were enlarged in 1996, and an infrared feature was added to encourage the development of electronic readers for the blind.
The latest redesign is under way. New $10 bills, featuring splashes of orange, yellow and red, hit the market this year, following similar changes to the $20 bill in 2003 and the $50 bill in 2004. The $5 facelift is due in 2008.
In court documents, government attorneys said changing the way money feels would be expensive. Cost estimates ranged from $75 million in equipment upgrades and $9 million annual expenses for punching holes in bills to $178 million in one-time charges and $50 million annual expenses for printing bills of varying sizes.
Any change to the dollar's design could ripple into the vending machine industry, which participated in discussions regarding previous redesigns. The American Council of the Blind is not seeking changes to the $1 bill, according to court documents.
The Treasury Department spent $4.2 billion on printing over the past decade, Robertson said. Adding a raised number to the bills would have increased costs less than 5 percent over that period, he said.
"If additional savings could be gained by incorporating the new feature into a larger redesign, such as those that took place in 1996 or 2004, the total burden of adding such a feature would be even smaller," Robertson wrote.
the ADA and Anti-Discrimination Laws are out of control. I expect lawsuits against movies because the blind can't watch them?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2006 18:59 ||
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#1
"The government discriminates against blind people by printing money that all looks and feels the same, a federal judge said Tuesday in a ruling that could change the face of American currency."
Oh, for cryin' out loud... can we start rounding these assholes up and putting them in camps yet?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/28/2006 19:19 Comments ||
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#2
We're runni' off the rails on a Crazy Train.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/28/2006 19:24 Comments ||
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#3
Congress, I suspect, could easily amend the cited Act to require all paper money to be indistinguishable to blind people and furthermore requiring the US courts to leave this alone, on grounds on impeachment of judges. Not that Congress ever takes a straightforward course.
Melanie Brunson, a member of the American Council of the Blind, told the court that she folds her bills into different shapes: $1 bills stay straight, $5 bills are folded in half left to right, $10 bills in half top to bottom and $20 in quarters.
This is what most blind people do in my neighborhood. And when asked, we help them with their money, in the same way we help them cross busy streets.
This judge is forgetting that there are good and kind people- and even the blind can recognize them.
#11
Actually, it's a wonder this issue hasn't come up before now. I guess all of the asshats smell weakness, and want to get their punch in while they can.
It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men. In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices, a new book suggests.
The book - written by a female psychiatrist - says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men. In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men. And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.
Dr Brizendine, a self-proclaimed feminist, says the differences can be traced back to the womb, where the sex hormone testosterone moulds the developing male brain. The areas responsible for communication, emotion and memory are all pared back the unborn baby boy. The result is that boys - and men - chat less than their female counterparts and struggle to express their emotions to the same extent.
Continued on Page 49
#3
Dr Brizendine certainly likes to run her mouth....jeebus.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2006 1:01 Comments ||
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#4
The nature vs. nurture advocates are fighting each other again. I used to think my mother talked a lot to me, but after I scored 780 out of 800 possible on the verbal SAT, I figgered out there might have been some point to it after all...
#5
In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men. And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.
#16
You're in trouble, .com! The Harvard Faculty will descend upon you in unholy glee. OH? You don't work for Harvard? What's that got to do with it? You've muttered the unmutterable - that men and women are really, truly DIFFERENT, and it's not just a 'sex' thing. Stand by for someone to be crucified for defying the unspoken demand of the feminazis.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/28/2006 15:29 Comments ||
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#17
You guys realize that Brizendine is a man-hating lesbian feminazi, whose end goal is to "show" that testosterone shrivels men's listening centers, making them impervious to logic, indelibly bigoted, and generally drooling, barely trainable apes, right?
Hello? Heh.
Four lips, Zenster? If my twat could talk, I think it would say, "suck my balls." ;)
#19
Four lips, Zenster? If my twat could talk, I think it would say, "suck my balls." ;)
But ... but ... Quadralabial endowment is one of the things that truly differentiates females from males. Women are able to piss and moan at the same time.
#21
You guys realize that Brizendine is a man-hating lesbian feminazi, whose end goal is to "show" that testosterone shrivels men's listening centers, making them impervious to logic, indelibly bigoted, and generally drooling, barely trainable apes, right?
And yet we STILL supposedly keep women down. What's that say about her opinion of women?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/28/2006 21:46 Comments ||
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#22
If my twat could talk, I think it would say, "suck my balls." ;)
Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from husband Kid Rock. Anderson, who is represented by celebrity hotshot lawyer Neal Hersh, cited irreconcilable differences. The couple was married August 3, 2006. Earlier this month, Anderson suffered a miscarriage. It looks like there was a rush to the courthouse. Kid Rock also filed divorce papers this morning, 53 minutes before her docs were stamped by the clerk.
There was not a prenup, however, the two were married for such a brief period of time it will probably have little impact.
Sources tell TMZ both Pam and Kid were in a race to get their papers filed first. The process server for Kid was at the courthouse when it opened at 8:30 AM and filed five minutes later. Interestingly, Pam and Kid Rock gave different dates of separation. She says they split on November 21. He says November 26. We've learned there was not a prenup, however, the two were married for such a brief period of time it will probably have little impact. Pam's website offers a short statement confirming the divorce, saying "Yes, it's true. Unfortunately impossible."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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HT African crisis.
Brendan Boyle
Eric Bost, the new US ambassador to South Africa, weighed in on the 2010 security debate this week, warning that few would travel to South Africa for the Fifa World Cup if crime continued at current levels.
In his first major interview since he arrived in South Africa, Bost told the Sunday Times: I look at things somewhat simplistically on occasion and the issue for me is this: who is going to be interested in spending a significant amount of money coming here on holiday, to have a good time, when youre concerned about the possibility of getting hurt?
Bost, a black Republican chosen by US President George W Bush himself for the Pretoria assignment, spoke with candour, warning that crime was the first concern of nearly every ambassador he had met here and of the US investor community.
He said his German equivalent had told him about a group of German tour operators who had visited South Africa soon after the World Cup to look at the facilities that would be available to soccer tourists in 2010. They were robbed. We know this. They got on the bus, they robbed them. So youre in Berlin, youre sitting at your desk, someone comes in and they say: You know, Im thinking of going to the World Cup down in South Africa, what do you think about that? What are you going to say?
Bost said the US wanted to work with South Africa on strategies to get more police onto the streets to fight crime.
In the three and a half months that I have been here, I have never, ever seen a local police officer just drive through [my neighbourhood] in a car.
Im not there a lot, but on occasion you would think that just through happenstance you would see somebody just once or twice, he said.
Bost expressed disappointment at the lukewarm reception he had received from the government, especially those involved in fighting HIV/Aids. I have been trying to reach out to the Health Minister [Manto Tshabalala-Msimang] and then, when the Deputy President [Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka] was given the responsibility for HIV, I reached out to her and tried to meet with her.
We give you more money than any other country in the world to help you address HIV and Aids, we give you more money to address HIV and Aids than all the donors combined, and I would like to have a conversation with the leadership in the country that is responsible for managing it and I havent been able to meet them.
Weve been reaching out for four months. You cant have a partnership if only one side is talking.
He said South Africa was a wonderful country with fantastic potential, but the balance sheet of positives and negatives was tilting towards the negative. Wotta great example of diplotalk! Kudos!
#3
So who's bright idea was it to send this little kickball tournament to that hellhole?
And they better bring their own whorehouses this time unless they want the entire planet dying of AIDS.
The idea was FIFA's. Think of UN corruption then times it by 10. Makes the IOC look like pikers.
It was political correctness to choose an African nation but SA, sadly, won't get it done by 2010. Look for the US, UK, Australia, or perhaps even Canada to be the emergency replacement host.
All have the stadia, infrastructure, and HIV negative prostitutes that soccer fans crave.
DHAKA, BangladeshBangladesh will hold general election on Jan. 21, its election commission announced Monday, despite thousands of protesters rallying in Dhaka calling for the commissioners resignation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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The British government appealed for calm on Monday as scientists discovered more traces of radiation and three people who fell sick were being tested for the deadly radioactive poison that killed former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
The government ordered a formal inquest into his death and Home Secretary John Reid, in a special address to the House of Commons, warned against rushing to conclusions over who might be responsible for the 43-year-old former KGB agent turned Kremlin critic, who died after falling ill from what doctors said was polonium-210 poisoning.
The substance is deadly if ingested or inhaled. Reid said the tests on the three people were only a precaution. High doses of polonium-210 - a rare radioactive element usually manufactured in specialized nuclear facilities - were found in Litvinenko's body. "The nature of this radiation is such that it does not travel over long distances, a few centimetres at most, and therefore there is no need for public alarm," Reid said in a special address to the House of Commons after opposition calls.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Criminal gangs using hijacked computers are behind a surge in unwanted emails peddling sex, drugs and stock tips in Britain. The number of "spam" messages has tripled since June and now accounts for as many as nine out of 10 emails sent worldwide, according to U.S. email security company Postini. As Christmas approaches, the daily trawl through in-boxes clogged with offers of fake Viagra, loans and sex aids is tipped to take even longer.
"Email systems are overloaded or melting down trying to keep up with all the spam," said Dan Druker, a vice president at Postini. His company has detected 7 billion spam e-mails worldwide in November compared to 2.5 billion in June. Spam in Britain has risen by 50 percent in the last two months alone, according to Internet security company SurfControl.
The United States, China and Poland are the top sources of spam, data from security firm Marshal suggests. About 200 illegal gangs are behind 80 percent of unwanted emails, according to Spamhaus, a body that tracks the problem. Experts blame the rise in spam on computer programs that hijack millions of home computers to send emails.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Experts blame the rise in spam on computer programs that hijack millions of home computers to send emails.
Thanks for the secure operating system, Microsoft.
#7
I've got a firewall and a fairly good spam filtering system, and I still get 100-200 spam emails every day. My ISP deletes another 1000 or so, and my spam blocker gets another 100. This crap is getting out of hand, and those responsible should be on the receiving end of a 1000lb JDAM, wherever they are. Screw "collateral damage" - if you don't want your house blown up, don't send spam. If you don't want your apartment ventilated, make sure the spam bandits don't live next door.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/28/2006 15:36 Comments ||
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#8
Crap like this is only going to hasten the day when we all have to pay "postage" or some such fee for emails and other traffic. Even a nominal fee of 1¢ per email sent will put an end to most spam, but I dread how it will be regulated and enforced (UN need not apply).
Posted by: Dar ||
11/28/2006 16:17 Comments ||
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QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuadorean leftist Rafael Correa was headed on Monday for almost certain victory over banana tycoon Alvaro Noboa after Sundays presidential runoff election, according to official results.
The following are results with 86.05 percent of ballot boxes counted:
Rafael Correa - 68.9 percent
Alvaro Noboa- 31.1 percent
The results do not necessarily reflect a national trend as ballot-box counts are first received from smaller provinces before the more populated areas. But the results, which are expected to be fully tallied by Tuesday, mirrored exit polls.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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SIMULATION exercise in which Year 11 students played Arabs and Israelis has been dropped by NSW schools after parents complained it was creating racial tension and painted terrorists in a sympathetic light.
An inquiry by a senior Education Department officer found the simulation exercise, devised by Macquarie University's centre for Middle Eastern studies, risked creating disharmony in schools and the community and that there was a "significant risk" of harm to the "welfare and wellbeing of students from particular minorities".
Documents given to The Australian show the inquiry was prompted by complaints from parents that background notes presented to the students gave positive descriptions of groups such as Hamas's Qassam Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Students were not told the groups are listed terrorist organisations and support for them is an offence under Australian law.
SUVA - Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase will leave on Tuesday for crisis talks in New Zealand with his defiant military chief to avert a fourth coup in 20 years in the South Pacific nation. The discussions are to find a solution for the betterment of the country and to put an end to the impasse, Qarase told Reuters.
News of the New Zealand-brokered talks, to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, came only hours before Commander Frank Bainimarama was due to return to Fiji from a private visit in New Zealand amid fears that a coup would be launched within days.
Armed soldiers are patrolling the streets of the capital, Suva, while others dressed in camouflage uniforms guard the presidents residence. Hundreds of army reservists have been recalled for unscheduled exercises across the island nation.
Bainimarama has repeatedly threatened to remove Qarases elected government unless it drops several pieces of contentious legislation, including a bill that would grant amnesty to those involved in a coup in 2000. Bainimarama issued Qarase a list of non-negotiable demands and a two-week deadline before he left for New Zealand last week, at the same time threatening a clean-up of Qarases government.
I am ready to listen to the commander on the concerns of the military, Qarase said.
You'd think the New Zealanders would come up with a pretext to hold Bainimarama for a while and let the Fijians defuse the situation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Commodore Frank, at it again.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/28/2006 0:52 Comments ||
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He wants to lead a coup, because the government wants to pardon the previous coup's leaders.
Chicago bans Nativity and the ACLU attacks any nativity scene, while the krauts ban the popular myths. I like both. I hope My linking of the logo doesn't cause any problems.
Santa Claus is being banned from Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. Anti-Santa campaigners claim Father Christmas was invented by Coca-Cola and detracts from the true spirit of the festive season.
Austria's biggest Christmas market is in front of the Vienna city hall where thousands of visitors march past stalls offering everything related to Xmas - except Santa. The only Santa to be seen is the one in the middle of the occasional 'Ban Santa' stickers.
A Vienna city hall spokesman confirmed: "There are rules governing what stallholders can do and one of them is to agree not to use the image of santa as a condition of being able to trade there. "Santa is an English language creation, people who want to see him should go to America where I am sure Coca Cola will be happy to oblige."
The move in Vienna has been followed by Christmas markets across Austria and Germany where St Nicholas is the traditional bearer of Christmas gifts. Bettina Schade, from the Frankfurter Nicholas Initiative in Germany, said: "We object to the material things, the hectic rush to buy gifts, and the ubiquity of the bearded man in the red suit that are taking away from the core meaning of Christmas. "The Christian origins of Christmas, like the birth of Jesus, have receded into the background. It's becoming more and more a festival that is reduced to simply worldly gifts and commerce."
Once Sharia is implemented, they won't be enjoying any kind of Christmas.
#2
Bloody nonsense. Depending on the region, the traditional gift giver is either Baby Jesus, Saint Nicholas or the Christmas Man (der Weihnachtsmann), who is clearly not the jolly American elf, being much sterner and leaner, amongst other things. I always thought he was related to the English Father Christmas, as several regions of Germany have historically close ties with England due to trade and intermarriage (Hesse, for instance, and Hannoverian League trading cities of the northern coast).
This is just another slap at those damned materialistic Amis, to whom the spiritually pure Germans are so naturally superior.
#3
It's hard to tell whether they're driven more by their hatred of the US or their hatred of themselves.
Oh, well. I hope we can have a chance to clear out the valuable bits of Western culture before the European Caliphate pulls a Bamyan.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/28/2006 21:44 Comments ||
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#4
MIL FORUM POSTER > Russia's ENERGY-BASED GLOBAL ASYMMETRIC WARFARE AGX USA-NATO > GERMANY will belong to RUSSIA by Year 2050, BRITAIN-FRANCE by 2080? WOT/9-11 > D *** ng it, Twis about Radical Islam, and only Radical Islam.
#5
GOOD THING - FREEREPUBLIC.com > REUTERS.com = USA wants to renew former Cold War "REFORGER" MILEX. Focii [LUGAR]- in short, Russia's energy policies may one day lead to Euro-specific dependency on Russia wid risk of Euro-Russian regional MIL CONFRONTATION/CONFLICT.
Latvian media has reported the possibility that Russian president Vladimir Putin might make a surprise visit to Riga on Wednesday in order to wish French President Jacques Chirac a happy birthday. What happened to best-wishes cards, or a seat on the governing board of Gazprom?
The potential visit has many worried that the Russian President might "steal the show" of the Baltics coming to their own in NATO. The Latvian web portal www.vdiena.lv reported on Tuesday that the information has been confirmed by several unofficial sources, saying that the final decision has not been made yet.
Several analysts and diplomats believe that "Putin would steal the NATO summit", decreasing its importance for Latvia and the whole alliance.
Unofficial sources said that a possible visit is being organized by the Latvian President's Chancellery, which has instead insisted on a meeting between the Russian and Latvian presidents, but there is no reply from Moscow yet. The Russian president has already been issued his visa for entrance into Latvia.
"The situation is very complicated and we do not know how it will end," a top official, who did not want to be named reported. Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga's spokeswoman Aiva Rozenberga also declined to comment to the portal.
"It is absolutely shocking," said Bruce Jackson, the director of the US Project on Transitional Democracies noting, "He will try to steal the event." Jackson also said that US diplomats would likely find this turn of events unpleasant. Like Polonium in your sushi
Once again Jaques Chirac teaches the 'little people' of Eastern Europe how to behave.
#1
This couldn't be Plan B of that immunity gambit for o'Jacques now that the term is winding up without any [cough] legislative approval back in Paris?
WASHINGTON, November 27, 2006 - The National Commander of The American Legion called on Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to apologize for suggesting that American troops would not choose to fight in Iraq if they had other employment options.
Our military is the most skilled, best-trained all-volunteer force on the planet, said National Commander Paul A. Morin. Like that recently espoused by Sen. John Kerry, Congressman Rangels view of our troops couldnt be further from the truth and is possibly skewed by his political opposition to the war in Iraq.
According to Rangel, If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq. If theres anyone who believes these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No bright young individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of some educational benefits, Rangel said.
Rangel was responding to a question during an interview yesterday on Fox News Sunday about a recent study by the Heritage Foundation which found that those enlisting in the military tend to be better educated than the general public and that military recruiting seems to be more successful in middle-class and wealthy neighborhoods than in poor ones.
According to the study, 97 percent of military enlistees were high school graduates versus 80 percent of Americans in general. The study also concludes that the average reading level of military personnel is a full grade level higher than that of the general population.
Im not sure I understand what is unfair about letting adults make their own career choices, Morin said as he visited troops in Korea this week. Troops serving today have a higher education level than the overall population. Why another member of Congress is insulting our troops commitment and education level is beyond me.
Morin said The American Legion applauds and appreciates the great sacrifices of those who serve - many of whom have put civilian careers aside, college on hold or given up high paying jobs to enlist.
More and more troops say its duty and honor before college fund that motivated them to join. Recruiting numbers have been met this year, but more importantly, servicemembers are reenlisting so retention within the armed forces is great, Morin explained. Not everyone holds the view that we should wait to be attacked again as a nation.
These brave men and women lay it on the line every day for each and every one of us, for which I am very grateful, Morin said. Their selfless commitment for the betterment of our world from radical extremists is beyond commendable. Its time for members of Congress to stop insulting our troops.
While The American Legion shares the congressmans appreciation for education, the troops in Iraq represent the most sophisticated, technologically superior military that the world has ever seen, Morin said. I call on Congressman Rangel to not only apologize to our troops but to also fight for pay increases and make significant improvements to the current GI Bill - reserves and guard included, as he prepares for a party chairmanship in the 110th Congress.
#3
More and more troops say its duty and honor before college fund that motivated them to join. Recruiting numbers have been met this year, but more importantly, servicemembers are reenlisting so retention within the armed forces is great, Morin explained. Not everyone holds the view that we should wait to be attacked again as a nation.
Yes, indeed. It isn't very nice, but I find so much amusement as one Democrat after another bleeds all over the landscape after shooting himself in the foot, incidentally driving home the idea that their party cannot be trusted to run things in a time of war.
#4
Chollie is a Donk pimp and military hater. An apology from him would have no value
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2006 15:14 Comments ||
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#5
I would really like to read his military service record. Something doesn't add up here. If it quacks like a Kerry, and acts like a Kerry then I am inclined to think it is a Kerry.
#7
"No bright young individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of some educational benefits,
-No shit, Chuck you asshole. They join because of the intangibles - spirit, discipline, pride, patriotism, even w/a war on. The fact that this idiot Rangel focus' on the money aspect is telling of his dementia. Rangel is one truly myopic piece of sh*t. Shut your ass Charlie, I cannot stand your idiotic blather anymore.
#8
The DemoLeft Party that adamantly refuses to overtly say YEA or NAY to inquiries about their own personal Patriotism + Beliefs now suddenly unilater knows whats in the hearts and minds of our warriors, i.e. what is a Patriot versus whom isn't??? Service members whom serve andor get shot at in combat are, ONCE AGAIN, NOT ENTITLED TO HONORS + MORE GUBMINT BENEFITS THAN THOSE WHOM PUT THEIR ENTIRE COUNTRY IN DANGER BY NOT SERVING OR RAN OFF TO CANADA, MAHICO, .........
.......@SHANGRI-LA. WOT > War for the World = War to the Death = Whether we like it or not, want it or not, AMERICA FIGHTS OR IT DIES! The Failed Left had already decided that iff America does NOT unilaterally = voluntarily accepts anti-AMerican American SOcialism + ditto anti-sovereign OWG, they will use ANY MEANS NECESSARY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MUTUALLY DESTRUCTIVE NUKE WARFARE, TO FORCE AMERICA TO ACCEPT SAME. The PC rhetoric is only that - PC rhetoric, full of sound and fury, signifying nuthin. AS FAR AS THE WAFFLE-HAPPY, GUBMINT-POLITIX IS UTOPIA, FAILED-ANGRY LEFT IS CONCERNED, AMERS ONLY THINK YOU HAVE A CHOICE. THEY, NOT AMERS = AMER VOTERS, ALREADY DECIDED LONG AGO AMERICA WILL DIE ANYTIME AFTER YEAR 2015-2020, CHINA > after 2014, RUSSIA = Year 2018. MSM > RUSSIA-CHINA > WAR AGZ AMERICA IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE/REALISTIC BUT DESIRED.
FUTURE REGIONAL-GLOBAL TAX > Amers are the only ones that are required = demanded to pay it, ergo America is the only one that has to unilater surrender its economy, Govt. + endowments to a coalition of world nations that must Must MUST M-U-S-T MMMMMMUUUUSSSSSTTTT,
D *** YOU, involve Russia-China as hedge agz error-prone, untrustworthy America. C2CAM.com GEORGE NOORY > THESE MEN OR PERSONAGES ARE EVIL BEYOND EVIL, THEY'RE COMING, THEY'VE TOLD US [vv MSM] THEY'RE COMING, THEY WANT TO KILL/DESTROY US NOT ONLY HURT US, BUT AMERICANS-WEST DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry, mulling a second bid for the U.S. presidency, finished dead last in a poll released on Monday on the likability of 20 top American political figures. "hey, I'm 21st, with a little PR campaign on Terayzaaa's dime, I can move into the top twenty...I will not allow myself to be swiftboated by these idiots!"
Among those placing ahead of Kerry were about a dozen potential 2008 White House rivals, including Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.... the Congressional Sgt at Arms, Bruno Hauptmann, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Charles Manson, ....
"This is bad bad news for Kerry," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, which conducted the survey. very very bad bad news
"Americans know who he is, and have pretty much decided they don't like him," said Brown. He noted the poll found that 95 percent of respondents said they had heard enough about Kerry, who lost the 2004 White House race to President Bush, to rate the Massachusetts Democrat. "but I have a Lucky Hat!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/28/2006 00:39 ||
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#1
REALCLEARPOLITICS.com > Dems promise NO LIBERAL/XTREMIST AGENDAS for new Congress. I do not believe Kerry is out of running for 2008 becuz I don't believe the DemoLeft have elimin Amer Hiroshima as an option for power. Iff the RINO CINO Dems are still going to be RINO's + CINO's for 2008, then for me it means that the Dems are still anticipating = planning/prepping for new terror attacks to occur agz America, which in turn means the Dems still need Kerry, etal. in the limelight as both cover for Hillary, and to ensure that its pro-OWG, isolationist Dems that survive any Amer Hiroshima(s). WINDSOFCHANGE.net > NRO.com > Victor Hanson's article on a coordinated, wilful effort to destabilize the West, quickly and in its entirety.
See also FREEREPUBLIC.com's article on Horowitz's book UNHOLY ALLIANCE. IOW, TAKEN COLLECTIVELY, AMERICA'S ENEMIES DON'T MERELY WANNA HURT US + DEMOCAPITALISM, THEY TRULY WANNA KILL US, AND KILL US GOOD [while denying they are].
#5
Poor John. He still doesn't realise that most of the votes he got were not votes for John Kerry, but votes against the Evil Bushitler and his eviler sidekick Chainey. I don't admire his determination, but it is fun to have him around as a chew toy.
Not just surrendering but paying for the privilege.
KATHMANDU - Nepals multi-party government handed $1.4 million to Maoist rebels on Monday to pay for the setting up of camps that will house guerrilla fighters under a peace deal signed last week, a senior minister said.
We have provided the money as an installment which will meet the cost of setting up cantonments for the Maoist army and their maintenance, Gopal Man Shrestha, minister for physical planning and works, told Reuters after a cabinet meeting. They will have to give proper records of how it is spent to the government, he said.
You can be sure of that.
Last week, the government and Maoists inked a landmark peace agreement declaring a formal end to the decade-old insurgency in which more than 13,000 people have died. Under the peace deal, and before they join an interim government by Dec. 1, the Maoists have to restrict their 35,000 fighters to 28 camps across the country and store their weapons in seven locations under the watch of United Nations monitors.
The government must also confine its 90,000-strong army to barracks and lock up an equal number of its arms in the run-up to next years elections for a special assembly, which would write a new constitution for Nepal and decide the fate of its monarchy.
But UN officials say the weapon storage arrangements will not be in place by Dec 1, something that could delay the rebels joining the interim government. On Monday, government negotiators, rebel commanders and UN officials continued to hammer out the details of how to monitor the arms, a controversial issue which delayed the peace deal for months.
"One for me, one for you. Two for me, one for you. Three for me ..."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/28/2006 00:00 ||
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The rise in humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide has accelerated sharply, according to a new analysis. The Global Carbon Project says that emissions were rising by less than 1% annually up to the year 2000, but are now rising at 2.5% per year. It says the acceleration comes mainly from a rise in charcoal consumption and a lack of new energy efficiency gains. If you read further you'll find that's a very interesting porky.
The global research network released its latest analysis at a scientific meeting in Australia.
Dr Mike Rapauch of the the Australian government's research organisation CSIRO, who co-chairs the Global Carbon Project, told delegates that 7.9 billion tonnes (gigatonnes, Gt) of carbon passed into the atmosphere last year; in 2000, the figure was 6.8Gt. From 2000 to 2005, the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions was more than 2.5% per year, whereas in the 1990s it was less than 1% per year," he said. That's around the time countries started implementing Kyoto.
The finding parallels figures released earlier this month by the World Meterorological Organisation showing that the rise in atmospheric concentrations of CO2 had accelerated in the last few years.
The Global Carbon Project draws its data from a wide range of sources, including measurements of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and studies on fossil fuel use. From that data, researchers have extracted two trends which they believe explain the sharp upturn found around the year 2000. This is the interesting bit.
"There has been a change in the trend regarding fossil fuel intensity, which is basically the amount of carbon you need to burn for a given unit of wealth," explained Corinne Le Quere, a Global Carbon Project member who holds posts at the University of East Anglia and the British Antarctic Survey. "From about 1970 the intensity decreased - we became more efficient at using energy - but we've been getting slightly worse since the year 2000," she told the BBC News website. Slightly worse? This is an unprecedented change in a stable long term trend. The decrease in energy input per unit of GDP has been a steady 0.6% per annum for a long time, then suddenly we start getting an increase in energy input for each unit (dollar) at the time governments are spending billions promoting energy savings and efficiency.
Something very major has happened to send the decreasing energy consumption trend into reverse and that something is Kyoto. We have discussed before how Kyoto drives energy intensive industries out of energy efficient countries and into energy inefficient countries. For example China and India use 50% more energy to produce a ton of steel than do Japan or Germany.
At the recent United Nations climate summit in Nairobi, a number of delegations, including those of Britain, Australia and the US ... that's because Oz and USA didn't sign Kyoto. The UK is a special case because of onetime gains from switching from coal to gas)
... pointed out that they had managed to grow their economies without significant increases in carbon emissions. I wait with anticipation for all the Kyoto advocates to finally admit Kyoto has made the CO2 problem a whole lot worse.
#2
But how could this be? A feel-good idea the left is pushing is now claimed to cause more problems? But it also creates more jobs in China ... but then it would also reduce jobs in those countries trying to abide by Kyoto...
I need a new irony meter. With a bigger scale.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/28/2006 6:35 Comments ||
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#3
Phil_b:
"Kyoto drives energy intensive industries out of energy efficient countries and into energy inefficient countries."
For years I've been trying to explain to friends and colleagues that Kyoto is not an environmental protection treaty but a wealth redistribution treaty. It can't be done: it is like telling the faithful that God does not exist.
Having killed millions of chickens and geese, the bird flu epidemic is claiming the lives of dogs and cats that are being slaughtered in South Korea to contain the virus.
Health officials in the town of Iksan, 250km (155 miles) south of the capital, Seoul, intend to kill 577 dogs and an unspecified number of cats after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza among farm chickens. A total of 236,000 chickens and 6 million eggs will also be destroyed, adding to the 96,000 birds that have already been culled.
At least 153 people have died of the H5N1 virus in ten countries since it was first detected among chickens in 2003. Virtually all those infected contracted the illness from the feathers or faeces of birds. It is feared that the virus will mutate into a form which can be passed from person to person, creating a global pandemic.
Some health experts believe that the killing of dogs and cats is unnecessary and will not impede the disease. It is highly unusual, and it is not a science-based decision, said Peter Roeder, of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. Weve got absolutely no reason to believe they are important.
A zoo in Thailand lost tigers and snow leopards to the disease three years ago after they had eaten chickens infected with H5N1. The virus has been detected among pet cats in Europe.
Other countries do it, said Kim Chang Sup, of the South Korean Health Ministry. They just dont talk about it. All mammals are potentially subject to the virus and South Korea is just trying to take all possible precautionary measures.
Most of those who have died from H5N1 have been in South-east Asia, especially Indonesia and Vietnam. Nearly all the infections have occurred in people who lived on farms or villages in close daily proximity to chickens or ducks.
A mutation of a virus is believed to have created the Spanish flu, which killed between 20 million and 100 million people across the world in 1918 and 1919. Humanto-human infections may have occurred during outbreaks of bird flu in Hong Kong and Europe in 1997, which remained under control.
258 Confirmed cases of bird flu in humans; 153 deaths. While there have been both canine and feline H5N1 fatalities, the actual threat is indeterminate. Both can catch the disease from eating birds, but it is unknown if they can spread the disease among themselves. Finally, though there is no known case of direct feline-to-human flu transmission, it is strongly possible that they could spread the disease through direct contact or their feces. There are also rare instances of canine-to-human transmission.
#4
There are all sorts of problems associated with animal vectors. If they can transmit to humans, but only have a mild case themselves, they are extremely dangerous. The more species that are involved, the greater the risk.
There is even a suggestion that some fish may be a vector, back and forth with birds.
And even if it never becomes H2H, the disease could wipe out a lot of the world's farm animals.
So intense interest in how it effects dogs, cats, cows, pigs, sheep, horses, rodents, and ferrets are a high priority. I mention ferrets, because in this case, their immune system is very close to the human. Ferrets are the canary in the coal mine.
#9
Ironically, avian flu is one of the few things that terrifies the Norks. They have actually cooperated with the WHO to an amazing extent, which says to me that one of Kim Jong Il's physicians must have scared the piss out of him.
#10
The key word in this is "mutate" - a sudden change in the behavior of the virus so that it more easily goes from animal to human, and then from human to human. Could happen at any time. The threat is indeterminate because the flu virus can suddenly change character, and this won't be known until after it happens. Killing off animals in an area of infection is kind of like spraying for mosquitoes.
PORT ARTHUR - A year ago at this time, Motiva's sprawling refinery here was still cleaning up an epic mess left by Hurricane Rita. The storm downed 500 power poles, destroyed two water-cooling towers, and dented rows of storage tanks like soda cans. Winds whipped one building so hard they peeled off a Motiva sign. Underneath was a tile mosaic bearing the name of a well-known past owner, which got its start near this marshy site more than 100 years ago after the discovery of the legendary Spindletop oil field. "We called it the ghost of Texaco," said Darrell Segura, a human resources consultant with Motiva, during a recent tour.
Today, this facility has more than patched things up. It is girding for an expansion that will double its capacity to 600,000 barrels per day and could make it the largest refinery in the nation by 2010.
"It really doesn't make sense to build anywhere but the Gulf," said Forrest Lauher, Motiva's venture manager on the Port Arthur refinery expansion by the joint venture between Shell Oil Co. and Saudi Refining, an affiliate of Saudi Aramco.
This $3.5 billion project also shows why refiners are choosing to expand existing facilities rather than start from scratch. As huge and complicated as the project is, it will still be less expensive than building a new facility at a new site. But the rising costs of everything from steel to construction labor on projects like this may give some refiners pause about pushing forward with expansion plans. And winning public approval for additions of any kind is harder than ever to secure.
Refiners have announced plans to boost capacity by almost 2 million barrels by 2010, or about 11 percent above the current rate. This month alone, Marathon Oil announced that its board approved a $3.2 billion expansion of its Garyville, La., refinery; Chevron Corp. said it is seeking a permit to increase gasoline output by 15 percent in Pascagoula, Miss.; and a news report said Valero Energy Corp. is considering a $1 billion expansion at its Port Arthur refinery.
The flurry of activity has been fueled by high crude prices, rising energy demands and strong refining profit margins. This confluence of favorable trends led one Wall Street analyst to dub the 2004-to-2006 period the "Golden Age of Refining." A provision in the 2005 Energy Bill, which allows refiners to reduce their tax bills by deducting equipment costs over a shorter period, has also spurred expansions.
But that may change next year. The Democrats, who recently won control of Congress, have said they plan to eliminate those tax breaks. They describe them as a sweetheart deal for Big Oil during a time of high profits.
If refining margins weaken in 2007, as some analysts have predicted, oil companies could become less bullish about refinery expansions. But Tom Kloza, senior analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said a small fraction of projects are likely to fall by the wayside, regardless of the economics surrounding them. In a period of intense competition, he suggests some refiners announce expansion projects they never intend to build simply to shoo away competitors who may have similar plans. "There can be a lot of posturing around feasibility studies," he said.
Motiva's project in Port Arthur is not one of those likely to fall off the table. Tractors are already moving dirt and preparing the grounds for incoming equipment, including a new crude-processing unit, coker, reformer, sulfur recovery unit and a new high-tech control center. And a planning team of more than 40 people at Motiva is nearly done with an engineering and design study of the expansion.
The project's leaders are so confident Motiva will give final approval to the project by next summer, they are in the process of ordering the equipment to be installed at the site. The massive project will add roughly 300 jobs at the refinery, one reason public officials have embraced the expansion. Other refinery add-ons in the region could also help lift the area. Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz has described it a "great" project that will create thousands of construction jobs. He has noted that the city has given Motiva a $45 million incentive package and a 20-year tax abatement.
But that doesn't mean everyone is happy about Motiva's expansion plans. Hilton Kelley, a community activist in Port Arthur, has pushed the company to reduce its emissions, threatening his nonprofit would take legal action to block public permits needed for the project. Under a deal reached with Kelley's group this month, Motiva agreed to pledge $2 million to a foundation dedicated to improving the quality of housing in the neighborhoods adjacent to the refinery, support commercial development in impoverished areas of Port Arthur and establish community programs. It also agreed to install some but not all of the equipment requested by Kelley and his group to reduce and monitor harmful emissions from the plant.
#1
Texas Refinery Repaired, Working to Double Capacity
Which explains why gas went up five cents a gallon here this morning.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/28/2006 9:48 Comments ||
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#2
"It really doesn't make sense to build anywhere but the Gulf,"
Yeah, right. It makes lots of sense to have all the nation's refining capacity in one place, subject to hurricane devastation any given year. (sarc, in case you couldn't tell.)
It only makes sense because it's the only place the industry can get permission to build or expand refineries. Can't have those nasty things near the beautiful people, you know.
#3
There's a small refinery up in Denver that's been trying to expand for 20 years or more, without success. Pueblo recently offered them a deal to build on part of the old slag heap from the defunct Colorado Steel and Iron works. There are small oilfields in Florence, about 20 miles away, and the Denver/Julesburg basin produces some crude. Most of what the refinery will process will probably come from either Western Slope oilfields, or the Williston Basin up on the Wyoming/Montana/Dakotas border area. Either way, it'll probably be a profitable deal if everything works out.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/28/2006 15:43 Comments ||
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#4
Having most of our oil refining capacity in one spot also creates the most likely target for a one-nuke strike on the US. Few would die, but the country would be in a world of hurt.
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.
Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from husband Kid Rock. Anderson, who is represented by celebrity hotshot lawyer Neal Hersh, cited irreconcilable differences. The couple was married August 3, 2006. Earlier this month, Anderson suffered a miscarriage. It looks like there was a rush to the courthouse. Kid Rock also filed divorce papers this morning, 53 minutes before her docs were stamped by the clerk.
The British government appealed for calm on Monday as scientists discovered more traces of radiation and three people who fell sick were being tested for the deadly radioactive poison that killed former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. 
Criminal gangs using hijacked computers are behind a surge in unwanted emails peddling sex, drugs and stock tips in Britain. The number of "spam" messages has tripled since June and now accounts for as many as nine out of 10 emails sent worldwide, according to U.S. email security company Postini. As Christmas approaches, the daily trawl through in-boxes clogged with offers of fake Viagra, loans and sex aids is tipped to take even longer. 
Latvian media has reported the possibility that Russian president Vladimir Putin might make a surprise visit to Riga on Wednesday in order to wish French President Jacques Chirac a happy birthday. 
WASHINGTON, November 27, 2006 - The National Commander of The American Legion called on Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to apologize for suggesting that American troops would not choose to fight in Iraq if they had other employment options. 
