A Swedish company has been fined 25,000 kronor ($3,000) after a malfunctioning robot attacked and almost killed one of its workers at a factory north of Stockholm.
Public prosecutor Leif Johansson mulled pressing charges against the firm but eventually opted to settle for a fine. "I've never heard of a robot attacking somebody like this," he told news agency TT.
The incident took place in June 2007 at a factory in Bålsta, north of Stockholm, when the industrial worker was trying to carry out maintenance on a defective machine generally used to lift heavy rocks. Thinking he had cut off the power supply, the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation. But the robot suddenly came to life and grabbed a tight hold of the victim's head. The man succeeded in defending himself but not before suffering serious injuries.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/29/2009 14:32 ||
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#1
I recommend carrying shotguns, preferably with tungsten slugs, near all robots. You just never know.
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2009 15:30 Comments ||
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#2
the man approached the robot with no sense of trepidation
A guy like that would die in the first wave during the coming Robot Uprising.
And what kind of wussbots are they making up there in Sweden that can't kill a mere human?
#7
The worker was not familiar with the Swedish equivalent of THIS:
OSHA Standard:
Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR)
The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout). - 1910.147
Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) - Table of Contents Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) - Table of Contents
Part Number: 1910
Part Title: Occupational Safety and Health Standards
Subpart: J
Subpart Title: General Environmental Controls
Standard Number: 1910.147
Title: The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout).
Appendix: A
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/29/2009 20:31 Comments ||
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Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday. Note: Need graphic for crying disillusioned hippie.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets, including Britain, as recession has led consumers to cut back on purchases.
The Soil Association said in April that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7 percent in 2008, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade, following a plunge in demand at the end of the year.
#1
Growing food "organically" is also more hostile to the environment. Since you don't use pesticides and good fertilizer, you increase the amount to be planted to get the same yield, which in turn requires more water and depletes more soil, 'natural' fertilizer carries increased risk of diseases and is less effective.
Basically, you waste more water, more land, and end up with the same food yet higher risk of infecting the public with diseases. What's not to like?
#2
A lot of people eat organic food for the same reason they drive a Prius--it may or may not "save" the earth, but at least they feel better about themselves.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/29/2009 14:17 Comments ||
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#4
I do buy some organic products (dairy and meat), not because of what's in them, but because of what's not in them (hormones, antibiotics, etc.) That, to me, is the important difference, and one that I am willing to pay for.
#5
No one ever claimed that organic food had a greater nutritional content. That's always been a bit of a red herring.
This is the first time I've seen "no... health benefits over ordinary food" stated explicitly.
Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats ||
07/29/2009 16:44 Comments ||
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#6
The information has been around for a while, this report says it was a review of 162 studies.
I'm not as concerned over meat and dairy, but organic crops use ALOT of water and fresh water is something the geologic community is getting concerned about. Virtually every aquifer in the US is being drained faster than recharge, which means that at some point, our supplies of fresh water are going to be reduced.
#7
As far as I'm concerned, the only inorganic food is salt.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/29/2009 18:51 Comments ||
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#8
I've gone organic in my old age, at least for veggies and meat. The less chemical crud in the food, the better. I switched to grass fed meat when I heard that a pound of ground beef from conventional processing plants may contain bits of up to 1,000 animals. I'd like to know where my cow has been.
Local tomatoes taste better than the styrofoam stuff shipped from California in the supermarket. And the quarter steer I bought contained round steaks weighing four pounds, with virtually no fat.
Environmental trade offs: the local organic farm uses drip irrigation, not sprinklers, and takes other measures to use water wisely; my food hasn't traveled 5000 miles to get to me (Chilean asparagus in October is just WRONG); fewer chemicals in food means fewer chemicals going into the sewer system. Lots of variables this article doesn't mention.
#9
Yes well, good responsible farmers planning well are still too rare. People wanting to avoid chemicals doesn't bother me as much as this idea that 'all-natural' so it's perfectly healthy.
Arsenic is all natural and will kill you quite dead. Support of local farmers is also good, as having food grown nearby helps ensure survivability in the event of something drastic.
I'm not a greenie, but I AM a classical conservationist. Natural resources should be used smartly and efficiently, to produce the best that it can.
The Cape Cod resort area, famous for sandy beaches and centuries-old fishing villages, could in the next few years claim a new title of home to the United States' first offshore wind farm.
The Cape Wind project in 2001 became the country's first major proposed offshore wind farm. Its developers aim to construct 130 towers, which will tower 440 feet above the surface of the Nantucket Sound. To supporters, Cape Wind represents Massachusetts' chance to be a leader in not just taxes but also a leader in clean energy. It would generate 420 megawatts of power, enough for 336,000 typical American homes.
Opponents, including Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy, who has a home on the Cape, say the towers, 5 miles from shore, would be a risk to navigation and hurt tourism. John Kerry might be able to see them whilst windsurfing. It is one of the best spots for a wind farm...
Cape Wind's developers need one last major regulatory approval, from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Should they get it, they expect to have the project up and running in two years, which will require finding more than $1 billion.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/29/2009 08:33 ||
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Pretty efficient choice of locations considering all the extra 'wind' coming from folks on shore.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/29/2009 9:50 Comments ||
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#2
They'll build them out of recycled oldsmobiles - after all, we know those stay put in the water off of cape cod pretty well.
[Quqnoos] A nephew of a district governor in the northern Baghlan province has raped an eleven-year old boy, the victim's father revealed The sixth-grade schoolchild who has been working part time at a tailoring shop in Baghlan-e Markazi district told Quqnoos that nephew of the district governor, Amir Gul, kidnapped and raped him nearly two weeks ago. "They took me and fasten my mouth, eyes and feet and then did the thing to me," the boy, Ahmad, (not his real name) described.
A thing common enough that the lad needn't describe the details for everyone to know what he means.
Baghlan-e Markazi's governor's nephew, Mohammadullah, and another man kidnapped Ahmad on his way to the tailoring shop, the weeping boy further said. Ahmad's father who wished to remain anonymous said after the sexual abuse, his son was taken to a hospital at the provincial capital, Pul-e Khumri, 30 km south of Baghlan-e Markazi district.
'Don't Disgrace Me'
Ahmad's father accused governor Amir Gul for not reviewing the sexual abuse case despite he reported the issue to district judicial department. "I went to governor with my letter, he took me to a private room and said that this [the rape] issue can be resolved in gathering with elders, not the government, so don't disgrace me," Ahmad's father described the behavior of the governor. Do you know who I am!
Baghlan's provincial governor, Mohammad Akbar Barikzay, confirmed the abuse and vowed to follow up the case. Governor Amir Gul and other government officials in Baghlan-e Markazi district avoided to talk on this issue. Maybe they'll have pops over for...a beer.
Child rape mostly carried out by local guerillas has been frequently reported in many provinces of the country. Last year in September, eight armed men had raped two schoolgirls, one thirteen and another twelve, in the northern Sar-e Pul province. The local armed men were arrested by the provincial government but they were soon released. Let that be a lesson to ya, boys.
Ummmmmmm...okay.
If boys aren't allowed to do the things that boys do, they do worse things. Or so some say.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
And these are the "good guys"? Friggin' orcs - the lot of 'em. Wall the place up, stick a sign on the outside reading "Hell on Earth" - and leave the Afghans to wallow in the 10th century.
Spending blood and treasure on these slugs is an utter travesty.
#3
Word LR. No administration wants to deal with the base problem - islam, and the subhuman position accorded to non-muslims. Sure, they will take our money and goodies and help putting down their enemy over the next hillock. But without confronting the muslim ideology, whether we are there 10, 20, 100 years won't make a difference on how they view, or the ultimate fate of, the other.
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2009 1:01 Comments ||
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#5
The Kite Runner portrayed this cultural divide, with the Pashtun arrogance instilled in children and growing up to be Taliban barbarians. Culling the herd is the only way to stop the disease from spreading.
#1
Well, if they feel the Union Flag is so "offensive", maybe they should just get rid of it because the next step is to demand that it not be flown from government buildings ... as it offends people. Might I suggest something in white?
#4
What isn't said is that there has much longer been a ban on officers wearing an England's St. George's Cross pin (centered red cross on a white background).
Important note:
"Rather than representing English nationality, and instead recognized in the United States as "God's Flag", provisions have been made in United States Code (US Flag Code as specified in 4 USC Title 7) as the only flag allowed to fly higher than the US national flag in certain highly restricted circumstancesspecifically, only during church services for naval personnel when these services are conducted by a naval chaplain while on a vessel at sea, and even then only in pennant form. During the 21st century the US Navy has adopted a navy church pennant that replaces the red cross of St George with a blue cross."
Scotland Yard today caved in and lifted a ban against officers wearing Union Flag badges in support of British troops.
Met Chiefs had decreed that the tiny emblems - which cost £1 with proceeds going to charity - must be removed after a complaint that they are offensive.
But furious junior officers continued to wear them in defiance of the ban and a petition was launched on the Downing Street website demanding it be lifted.
Today, in a victory for the Daily Mail after we revealed the politically correct move this morning, Met Chief Sir Paul Stephenson stepped in to calm the row. He ruled officers should be allowed to show their support for soldiers fighting for our country and that the rules should be relaxed.
"The Met has a dress code policy which states that only approved corporate badging may be used. However, on this occasion, the Commissioner has decided to intervene in terms of officers wearing Union Jack badges," a spokesman said.
"He feels strongly that these are exceptional circumstances and the Met should be openly showing their support for the British troops currently serving abroad. On this occasion it seems entirely appropriate that officers are able to show their support for these brave men and women"
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos -- Rescuers searched by sea and air Tuesday for nearly 70 Haitians after an overloaded sailboat ran aground and capsized in reef-studded waters off the Turks and Caicos Islands. The boat was carrying an estimated 200 people - men, women and teenagers - when it struck a coral reef and broke apart in rough seas near West Caicos, part of an archipelago that has proven to be deadly for Haitians in rickety vessels.
Officials said 15 died and more than 100 were rescued, including some who were clinging for their lives to the jagged reefs or who swam two miles to shore. Dozens more were missing, as Coast Guard boats, airplanes and a helicopter joined local authorities and volunteers in searching a 1,600-square-mile area.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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OCOTAL, Nicaragua (AP) - Honduras' interim leaders insist they can resist international pressure to step down until the country's presidential election in four months, expressing confidence a new government will spell the end of exiled President Manuel Zelaya's bid to return to power.
In an interview with The Associated Press on the eve of the one-month anniversary of Honduras' June 28 coup, Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez clearly bet on outlasting Zelaya. He said Zelaya might start to lose relevance as campaigning begins and noted that even the candidate for Zelaya's own party doesn't support the ousted president. "There will be a totally different context and once the campaigns begin, the obsession with Mr. Zelaya will start fading," Lopez said.
He expressed a perhaps optimistic view that other nations will recognize the results of the election, scheduled for Nov. 29. Some nations have said they would not necessarily recognize a vote held under what they consider an illegitimate government that has cracked down on pro-Zelaya media.
"Of course it will be recognized. There is no sense in talking about it not being recognized," Lopez said of the ballot to pick a successor to Zelaya, whose constitutionally mandated single term ends Jan. 27.
Lopez stood fast on the interim government's refusal to allow Zelaya to return to office, though Congress is scheduled to debate whether to grant him amnesty--one part of a compromise proposed by mediator Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica.
Zelaya contends the Nov. 29 election cannot be considered legitimate, and says he has settled in for the long haul at the impromptu headquarters of his government-in-exile in Ocotal, a Nicaraguan border town. He has not said how he plans to continue his struggle after January, but on Monday he urged a few hundred restive supporters who have joined him in Ocotal to be patient for what could be a long fight.
"It is our duty to struggle a day, two days, a month, six months, ten years. ... We are going to do it," Zelaya said. "The people's struggles are eternal."
He is trying to galvanize poor farmers, teachers and street activists into a movement strong enough to overcome his opponents and sweep him back into office, but Honduran military checkpoints kept all but a few hundred supporters from reaching Ocotal.
Many of those who did make it to Nicaragua wondered how long they could hold out away from their work and families, waiting for Zelaya to come up with a plan. Zelaya has vowed to remain on the border for at least a week, but hasn't announced any concrete strategy since he walked a few meters into Honduras and then retreated Friday.
The crowd, housed in two shelters in Ocotal, spent Monday in disarray. They boarded buses for a drive to the frontier line, only to turn back when they realized Zelaya didn't plan to join them. The ousted president showed up at one of the camps to address his supporters, only to find they had left for the border.
But hot meals arrived in the afternoon as Zelaya gave supporters an hours-long pep-talk, and a tractor trailer delivered hundreds of floor mattresses Monday evening for Hondurans sleeping at a municipal gymnasium.
The interim government that ousted Zelaya said Monday it had seized a series of what appear to be receipts from a key Zelaya organizer, indicating payments of between $3,000 and $20,000 to several protest leaders. None of the Zelaya supporters were immediately available to comment on the alleged payments or what they were for.
Zelaya's supporters have staged near daily protests in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, including 3,000 teachers who blocked an avenue Monday. But the demonstrations have failed to become more than a minor inconvenience for interim President Roberto Micheletti and the formidable forces that support him: the military, business executives, Supreme Court and almost the entire Congress, including many in Zelaya's own party.
Zelaya has received overwhelming support from nearly all foreign governments, which have condemned the coup and isolated the Micheletti government diplomatically. But Zelaya complains that international mediation efforts to force his return have flagged. He accuses the United States--Honduras' largest source of development aid and its biggest trade partner--of not being forceful enough against Micheletti, who has ignored sanctions threats and U.N. demands that Zelaya be reinstated.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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OCOTAL, Nicaragua (AP) - The U.S. government said Tuesday it has revoked the diplomatic visas of four Honduran officials, stepping up pressure on coup-installed leaders who insist they can resist international demands to restore the ousted president. The U.S. State Department did not name the four, but a Honduran official said they included the Supreme Court magistrate who ordered the arrest of ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the president of Honduras' Congress.
Micheletti's Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Lorena Alvarado said Supreme Court Justice Tomas Arita and Congressional President Jose Alfredo Saavedro were among those whose visas removed. The State Department is also reviewing the visas of all officials serving under interim President Roberto Micheletti, department spokesman Ian Kelly said.
Arita signed the order for Zelaya's arrest several days before soldiers whisked him out of the country on June 28.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2009 0:54 Comments ||
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#3
Stupid f**king government toadies writing these things, "coup-installed leaders" - NOT! The whole thing is constitutional per the Honduras constitution.
BULLSHIT - Obama you and your people are fucking LIARS, despicable and deserve the worst fate anyone can imagine for you.
Why is that a-hole in the oval office trying to screw a true and functional democracy that is an ally?
Dammit, I do not advocate the assassination of US public officials, but if a Honduran took a shot at one of ours I really could not blame them much, given the bullying, small-mindedness and generally anti-democratic, pro-dictator stance said US officials are taking in trying to demolish Honduras and hand it over as a Chavez puppet state.
#4
Four clothing companies who manufacture products in Honduran factories--Nike, Inc., Adidas AG, Gap Inc. and Knights Apparel--released a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling for the "restoration of democracy in Honduras."
And there you have it. The real reason.
Obama is just being a [[Geebus dude, you KNOW better than that! Are you TRYING to get sinktrapped? Please think twice next time. -Scooter]], in order to keep peopel from actually asserting rights against US companies that wish to exploit them rather than deal with truly free people.
#5
Sorry to be so pissed folks, but this has me heated up. I served in Honduras at one time, and I know several missionaries who have been there, and a few families that have come (legally) from there. This crap Obama is doing is hideously wrong.
Were another country to try to abrogate our US Constitution and install a would-be dictator and criminal as president, I'd be trying to figure out which meddling foreign officials I could kill easily and get away with it.
This is akin to NATO, Communist China and the Soviet Union trying to reinstate Nixon because they found him easier to deal with, and completely ignored his criminality.
#6
We know, OS. I hope Honduras has the spine to tell Obama to go to hell. If I was them, I would send those 4 on a diplomatic mission to the US as a dare to see if Bambi would blink. If he did, great. Honduras now has political capital for standing up to the US. If he arrests/sends 'em back, then it is a PR bonus as you can deflect some popular anger into showing how the US is acting "imperialistic" and "meddling" in Latin American affairs again while keeping the LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL government in place.
#7
Also, what gets me is the Honduran people are just now getting used to what happened. Meaning, there will not be more riots and strikes over this. Bambi just handed the opposition cause to keep the fires burning, so to speak. They have hope the US will support them if they cause chaos or civil war. Does Bambi and the Wicked Witch of the North realize this and are hoping for it, or are they that blind, arrogant and stupid?
How much hope do we have here at home when our "democratic and free" government is pushing for tyranny for foreign nations?
#8
Scoot, its the proper name for a person of color that is behaving like Obama does. I grew up hearing the term used by my friends (yes it was a mixed race neighborhood - we were poor, not prejudiced). Its not offensive to me, just descriptive. I sometimes forget that others do not see things how I do.
an expression used exclusively by a black man to describe another black man ... part of the beauty and power of the expression lies in the fact that it can be pronounced, house slave, but still make the same point (not to be confused with other terms that have similar components but are used exclusively by white racists).
Anyway, I hope Honduras can stand up to Obama and his idiot cronies, and don't let the b*astards in DC force the to give up their constitution and the liberty it protects. It disgusts me to see our government siding with Castro and Chavez, and our press repeating lie after lie, editorializing "news" instead of reporting it, and nobody is being held to account for their words and deeds.
Its doubly frustrating because there is little we can do - if I went and beat the reporters up, I'd go to jail; "he needed an asskicking" is no longer a legal excuse, not even in Texas.
#9
OS, please give some consideration to Fred, who is legally and otherwise accountable for terms that can be Googled. This isn't a matter of being 'right'. It's a matter of consideration for our host and the site owner.
Gross profit or net? And anyway, in China isn't a company's profit whatever the government decides to allow the owner to keep, regardless of whatever laws might be on the books at the moment?
#1
When the GM is the husband and the chief accountant is the wife, only a fool will invest. I got a come-on the other day from someone who wanted me to invest US$80,000 in their business - despite the fact that it wouldn't be a legitimate joint venture and any foreigner who gave money would be a sucker, 100% dependent on the Chinese owner for any ROI whatsoever.
#5
as of the end of 2008, the PRC was 4th in the world in installed generation capacity (the US was 1st with about 25 MW, Germany 2nd with about 22 MW and Spain 3rd with about 16 MW).
The Chinese are, per the article, generating about 30% of capacity. This is a bit less than the US but a bit more than Germany or Spain.
Posted by: Lord garth ||
07/29/2009 16:15 Comments ||
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#6
Lord garth, I think your figures are off by a factor of 1000. The installed generation capacity for wind in the US is 25,000+ MW.
On the other hand, the total generation capacity for all other sources is 1200 Gigawatts, or 1,200,000 Megawatts. In other words, wind is about 2% of total generation capacity.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/29/2009 18:34 Comments ||
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The lightning fast world of high-frequency equity trading is being scrutinised by the Securities and Exchange Commission, amid concerns that this computer-dominated scene is placing less tech-savvy investors at a disadvantage.
High-frequency trading strategies are generally geared towards extracting fractions of profit from trading small numbers of shares in companies, between different trading platforms at hyper-fast speeds. This pace of trading is known as "latency" and requires constant upgrading of computer systems to stay ahead of the pack.
"High-frequency traders are the de facto market makers now,"
BTW... the problem is akin to a game that has turns, pseudo turns or no turns.
Now put that (no turns) game on the internet and guy with the best "ping time or lag" wins - everybody else loses.
So if it is a net-play video game it dies an early death because NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY A VISIBLY RIGGED GAME!
Why can't the idiots that regulate the world's markets see this?
The regulators of markets should spend a long long time with the World of Warcraft (WoW) design team.
The could then be ready for the next hit down the pike after pseudo-turn fairness is dealt with. Perhaps something equivalent to the "Chinese Miners" in WoW.
OH - I forgot - In the NAME of FAIRNESS - WoW rules forbit BOTS and they design their destruction when uncovered.
Couldn't we say that GS's and others auto trading programs are BOTS? Shouldn't they be dis-allowed to protect the game/market? After all game makers have seen the need to do so - and you must admit the nobody is doing human pondering and analysis in a high speed market so the market has truly become a game of money like the track and not an investment venue. - high stakes rigged gambling.
#2
Uh, sorry but there will be no arrests. Back more than a few years ago, the SEC stopped enforcing the laws. Goldman-Sachs lets our government know when they can arrest someone. I wish I was joking.
#3
I was thinking along the same lines; see my comments in the o-club.
To make a long story short, the delay and buffer system built into the auction houses in WoW is already more "advanced" in preventing gaming of the system than the Dow's electronic trading system. And it probably took less effort.
It probably took _lots_ of effort to make the let's-find-out-what-the-other-guy's-limits-are-without-real-trades bit work.
#6
If you want to know where online trading is going, look at the online sports betting sites.
Trading speed is irrelevant. What matters is speed of reaction to news and your trading strategy.
The real issue for the NYSE, etc is their transaction costs. In a fully automated trading system the actual cost of a trade is almost zero, which makes large numbers of small trades viable.
High frequency is the key word here, which results from low cost of trades.
#7
Whereas in Warcraft, most items traded on the auction house have a built-in cost involved in just putting it up, which is partially refundable if the item is sold. There's also a charge if it's sold.
To repeat myself, Blizzard is more worried about providing a fair bourse because their customers have a lot more of a choice (play another game, watch a movie or some TV, go for a walk, etc) than the Dow's customers do; you want to trade some shares in a company listed on the Dow, that's where you have to go.
The United States Postal Service will get some bad but unsurprising news today. The Government Accountability Office is expected to add it to its list of "high risk" government operations.
The GAO publishes a biennial list of high risk agencies, which they define as having "significant management challenges." It put out a list in January but is apparently updating it with the addition of the USPS in an effort to spur Congress to do something substantial to help keep it solvent.
The GAO currently has a list of 30 high risk federal programs, policies and operations it says are "vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement or in need of sweeping transformation."
USPS has been suffering financially for a while now, losing $2.8 billion in 2008 thanks to competition from FedEx and UPS and the fact that fewer people are sending mail.
The move by GAO comes as the USPS struggles to come up with billions of dollars it is required to put into its retiree health care fund and it could default when payment is due on Sept. 30.
Postmaster General John Potter warned Congress in March that the postal service could run out of funds completely this year and asked to cut back mail delivery to five days per week as a cost saving measure.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
This news story is not complete without noting that per union contracts the Postal Service can't lay them off. I was very surprised when I learned that, and it explains a lot about the fix the Post Office is in.
#2
Just might be time to recognize that the USPS has run its course. It had 250 years, bless them, but now they need to fold up the shop and shut down.
Go to delivery five days a week. Then three. Eventually just close down. With e-bill paying, direct deposit of SS checks, e-mail instead of letters, etc., the only people who will miss them are the bulk mailers, and for them there's always spam.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2009 7:32 Comments ||
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#3
Psst. Hey buddy, want to buy a roll of 37¢ first class stamps? Cheap!
I read where the USPS might push a first class stamp of 50¢. But I still have most of the stamps I bought some years ago. My outgoing is now all email or e-pay, with the occasional package. The Postal Service is now the Junk Mail Service. Wouldn't bother me a bit if mail delivery was 3, 2 or even 1 days/week.
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2009 8:03 Comments ||
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#4
Can't cut Post Office staffing - it would increase unemployment. Even as modest as the need is for their service the employees DO actually produce SOME value, which is more than can be said of a lot of government employees.
#5
There are still people living in rural areas without efficient electronic support, terminating their access will effectively push them out of the system of commerce all together or force people into communities that have the access. The USPS has been and is charged with deliveries that commercial carriers wouldn't touch. There are still laws on the books that don't exist for electronic transactions that provide a degree of protection in legal standing and are found only in commerce via mail. So, you're just going to trade subsidies via paper mail with 'fees' to provide an alternative structure to cover those functions if you terminate the USPS. Rest assured, the pols will make it happen.
#6
cannot email a package..closing down is not an option and ups/fed ex are pretty exp compared.
Stamp prices need to be raised...I mean a stamp cost 10 cent in 1850..today's price has not kept up with inflation
Del does not need to be 6 days a week -- but the service is still needed..
Posted by: Dan ||
07/29/2009 12:10 Comments ||
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#7
We are in a rural area. Our town has 2 gas stations and both are 10 cents more than any surrounding station. These two competitors know they can make more money together.
The post office is the only thing which keeps ups from really sticking it to us.
I like paper transactions. I don't like these hackable companies having any access to automatically withdraw from my bank account. Paper records do not change.
Besides, its one of the things the government is actually charged to provide. If anything people should point at this and say, "You cannot run a business charged to run in the constitution, and you want to run healthcare? Bullshit."
[Iran Press TV Latest] Russia's big carmaker Avtovaz has announced plans to cut nearly 27,700 jobs amid a biting global economic crisis that has brought about a big lull in demand. Avtovaz, the manufacturer of Lada, is going to cut 27,691 jobs, AFP reported, citing a Monday report by Interfax news agency.
The giant carmaker now has a workforce of 110,000 and should the layoffs be realized, it would amount to one of the largest at a single company during Russia's current recession.
In order to compensate for the slumping demand, the company, which is 25 percent owned by French carmaker Renault, has already put off production in August, the second such move in the current year.
The Russian government has pledged to help the reeling carmaker by providing the company with a 25-billion-ruble loan.
Another Russian automaker, GAZ, which is interested in being bought into the German car company Opel, has also been hit hard by the crisis. In early July, GAZ announced plans to slash 7,000 jobs from its workforce of 40,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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Chevroletski?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/29/2009 0:12 Comments ||
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I think that auto maker employs more people than Chevy, Jim. That might be their problem, there...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/29/2009 8:29 Comments ||
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Two high-ranking officials of the Christian Democrats (KDU-ÈSL) on Monday rejected plans by the Muslim community in Brno to build a second mosque in the city, citing fears of Islamic radicalism and cultural tensions. The statements came only months before October's general elections.
"Tolerance is one thing, but naivety is something quite different," said David Macek, KDU-ÈSL deputy chairman. He said many western European countries had been tolerant to Muslim immigrants and now had to face clashes between them and the majority society. "We should not repeat the same mistakes that other European states made in relation to Muslims." Stanislav Juránek, the party's leading candidate for South Moravia and the region's former governor, voiced concerns that local traditions might be "pushed out by a foreign culture and religion". He went on to say that, "There are no churches in Yemen or Saudi Arabia. Their construction is completely impossible." The two officials added that construction of new mosques should not be allowed anywhere in the Czech Republic.
Brno already has one mosque, built on Vídeòská street 11 years ago as the first Muslim sanctuary in the Czech Republic. The growing community of Brno's Islam followers now finds the facility too small. The community has not yet applied for a building permit or even selected a suitable location, but merely announced its plans to build a new mosque. Muníb Hasan, chairman of an Islamic foundation in Brno, says the community needs especially lecture and reading rooms. He previously expressed hopes the town hall would support the plans to build a new mosque, citing very good relations between majority Brno residents and Muslim immigrants. Now he rejects the Christian Democrats' concerns, saying Brno Muslims have always denounced any form radicalism.
But Daniel Rychnovský, Brno deputy mayor and another Christian Democrat, has already told local Muslims that city officials from his party will not back the plan. "I personally believe that Brno already once expressed its tolerance by allowing the construction of the Vídeòská street mosque. That should be enough," he said. City officials, bureaucrats and some residents had also opposed the construction of the first mosque 11 years ago. In the end the Muslim community received permission, but was not allowed to decorate the shrine with a traditional minaret. The authorities ruled this would damage the city's atmosphere.
The first mosque in Brno, the capital of South Moravia with the population of some 400,000, is currently attended by some 120 worshippers and their number is growing. There is one other mosque in the Czech Republic, in Prague.
Thiruvananthpuram, July 28 (PTI) India today said the deployment of Army tanks in Sikkim, which have been there for many years, is "not a sign of mounting tension" with China. Nope. Just taking them out for a spin.
"It is not a sign of mounting tension....it is a sign that your government is determined to protect the borders of India and takes its responsibilities seriously," Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said here while reacting to media reports today on the matter.
"There is no additional tension (between India and China). We want good relations with our neighbours. But we are prepared to ensure that our borders and country are secure," he added.
Army officials in Delhi said the Russian-made T-72 tanks have been deployed in high altitude areas of North Sikkim for many years in defensive roles.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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The World Bank (WB) has refused a $102 million loan to Pakistan for the provision of telecommunication services to rural areas, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday. After the refusal, the Universal Service Fund Committee would provide money for the project, the channel reported. The bank also delayed the approval of a $100 million loan for the Higher Education Commission until January 21, 2010. The channel said the bank had turned down the requests after the government failed to meet its conditions. Top WB officials would discuss the modalities of a $630.4 million loan for the National Express Base Project.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Time for another terrorist attack to get Uncle Sucker to cough up more dough.
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2009 1:13 Comments ||
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[Geo News] The investigative officer for murder case of a 3.5-year female child Tuesday presented the final challan to the judge, organizer of Anti-terror courts. The challan was attached with the post mortem report of the child, medical reports of the accused and the child and lab investigation report.
According to medical report, the child was murdered after rape.
According to medical report, the child was murdered after rape and one of the two accused has been proved to have link with the rape. The court shifted the case for formal hearing to ATC-1, which will start further formal hearing in a day or two.
The state prosecutor in the case said the DNA tests of the accused and the female child will be conducted if needed, so that the role of other accused could be ascertained in the offence.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] THE former Khmer Rouge prison chief told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes trial on Tuesday that he was the 'top criminal' with sole responsibility for atrocities at his notorious detention centre.
Duch was responding to witness testimony at his trial for overseeing the torture and execution of about 15,000 people in the late 1970s at the feared Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21, under the hardline communist regime. 'I am the top criminal responsible for all the acts committed at S-21, responsible all the lives lost at S-21,' Duch said. 'I am responsible emotionally and legally, so do not want any middle cadres or any subordinates to suffer in my place,' he added. Even though they did the physical killing?
He went on to praise testimony heard earlier in the day from former prison staff member Sous Thy, who told the court that inmates suffered from torture and starvation. 'I really appreciate the spirit of comrade Thy who believed in the fair judgement of the chamber by speaking the truth,' Duch said. 'His belief is that (the Khmer Rouge war crimes court) is only the mechanism to seek out justice for the Cambodian people as a whole, as well as to find justice for the victims who died at S-21.'
Sous Thy, 58, testified that he feared Duch while he carried out his job registering prisoners' movements in and out of Tuol Sleng. 'I pity those people who were arrested and killed and am really regretful of the fact that I also worked in that office,' Sous Thy told the court. 'Regarding my work, I did not like it even a bit. But...I had to do it since I was ordered to do it,' he said, adding that he constantly feared for his life after seeing that other Tuol Sleng staff were arrested and killed.
The witness told the court that each prisoner was detained up to two months before being killed. He said overcrowding was never a problem because of the constant killings at the prison, which had previously been a high school. Sous Thy went on to tell the court that all who worked at Tuol Sleng disliked the ruthless Khmer Rouge regime but they were terrified of Duch, who made all decisions at the prison. 'Everything had to be done through Duch and with his authorisation,' Sous Thy said, adding that all detainees had been executed under the prison chief's orders by the time Vietnamese troops ousted the Khmer Rouge in April, 1979.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2009 00:00 ||
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"Forgive them, your honour, they were just following orders."
Jim Geraghty, "The Campaign Spot" @ National Review
On MSNBC, Kelly O'Donnell reports the White House is open to taxing soda and booze to pay for health care....MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall refers to "food deserts" where soda is the only beverage, claiming that 600,000 live in the South Side of Chicago, where their only food-purchase option is from convenience stores. These convenience stores sell no juice, no bottled water, no milk, no iced tea? No beer? No malt liquor or Boone's Farm or hard booze? No Gatorade???
Nothing but soda?
Now Donny Deutsch and his co-anchor Hall are shouting at and over each other; she claims he doesn't care about the poor, "Wine-sipping elitist!"
he suggests she's a pawn of McDonald's "You frachised frymonger!"
and junk-food companies. "You potato-chip pusher! You're a corporate hamburglar robbing children of their future!"
"Oh, go suck on your low-cal arugula, Limo-Babe."
"Why don't you just toss those poor African-American children in the deep fryer--it'll be quicker than the slow death by Quarter-Pounder you've condemned them to!"
"What would you do-shove escargot and Evian down kids' throats in school cafeterias?"
"Well, you'd make Mayor Dailey into Mayor McCheese!"
"Shut up, brie-brain!"
Poor Kelly O'Donnell shrugs uncomfortably.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/29/2009 13:58 ||
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McDonald's? Even Muslim taxi drivers won't deliver pizza on the southside of Chicago! I'm not sure how the convenience stores get supplied or even get employees to work!!!
#3
I'm not sure how the convenience stores get supplied or even get employees to work
Tunnels?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/29/2009 18:09 Comments ||
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It's a hard one to explain, huh.
You have big-chain grocery stores like Dominicks, Jewel, Aldi, etc all around Chicago's south side in the various suburbs. Same stores are on the north side.
Yet the big box chain supermarkets won't come into the south side of Chicago.
Wonder why ... [ponders, scratches head, ponders some more]
This is the same Chicago that wouldn't let Walmart open a store on the south side because it would 'depress wages'. So Walmart went across the street into a suburb. Chicago got the traffic, the suburb got the taxes.
[ponders some more]
Maybe it's because the business environment is as toxic as the social environment on the south side? That the Chicago south side aldermen have their collective hands out to be buttered? That the 'community leaders' spend too much time reading Saul Alinsky and not enough time reading Hayek and Milton Friedman? That Chicago has the highest sales tax in the region? That crime is getting crazy? That the supermarkets can't assemble a decent sized parcel of land? That the Mayor is too busy doing deals with his friends and not enough doing deals for his citizens?
[ponders some more]
Nah, that couldn't be it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2009 20:10 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Straits Times] THE former Khmer Rouge prison chief told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes trial on Tuesday that he was the 'top criminal' with sole responsibility for atrocities at his notorious detention centre.
Jim Geraghty, "The Campaign Spot" @ National Review
