#1
VA is one of the 'successful' trial runs for full National Health Care system. (In truth, the VA frequently - even generally - provides good care and reasonable service, but there certainly are some serious lapses. I find it interesting that one of the key excuses given for NHC is that it would be more 'consistent' in providing care than the private sector. Hmmm.)
Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.
The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large that it is triggering tremendous plasma tides on the star. Those powerful tides are in turn warping the planet's zippy less-than-a-day orbit around its star. The result: an ever-closer tango of death, with the planet eventually spiraling into the star.
It is a slow death. The planet WASP-18b has maybe a million years to live, said planet discoverer Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at Keele University in England. Hellier's report on the suicidal planet is in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. "It's causing its own destruction by creating these tides," Hellier said.
...The planet is 1.9 million miles (3 million kilometers) from its star, 1/50th of the distance between Earth and its star, the sun. And because of that the temperature is about 3,800 degrees (2,100 Celsius). Its size 10 times bigger than Jupiter and its proximity to its star make it likely to die, Hellier said....
Posted by: Mike ||
08/27/2009 15:15 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Five Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists were injured, one of them critically, in a factional clash over previous enmity at Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday.
Sources said the clash ensued when supporters of Mithu-led BCL faction chased and beat up Rubel, a third year student of law and justice department and also a supporter of Palash and Arif-led faction, over a trifling matter.
In a counter attack, Palash and Arif group stabbed Ashis, a third year student of physics department and also a supporter of Mithu group, in the ribs and left him seriously injured around 12:00pm.
Later, the groups, equipped with sharp weapons, iron roads, sticks and firearms, attacked each other, leaving Yeaheea, a third year student of law and justice department and Nahid and Sumon, both from public administration department, injured.
Another supporter of Mithu group was injured as police rushed to the spot and charged baton to disperse the clash.
Critically injured Ashis was rushed to the university medical centre and later he was shifted to the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in unconscious.
The other activists from both factions were admitted to the university medical centre.
RU proctor, assistant proctors and other teachers went to the RMCH to visit critically injured Ashis.
BCL RU unit general secretary Ayeen Uddin said action will be taken against those unruly BCL activists who tried to destroy the environment on the campus.
RU Proctor Prof Chowdhury Zakaria told additional police forces were deployed on the campus to avert further clash.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Via InstaPundit
The real US unemployment rate is 16 percent if persons who have dropped out of the labor pool and those working less than they would like are counted, a Federal Reserve official said Wednesday.
"If one considers the people who would like a job but have stopped looking -- so-called discouraged workers -- and those who are working fewer hours than they want, the unemployment rate would move from the official 9.4 percent to 16 percent, said Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart.
The discussion for a number of decades has been which should be reported: only those registering for unemployment benefits (a hard number based on registrations), or also those who have stopped looking altogether or accepted underemployment (a soft number based on extrapolation from interviews and surveys). In our society hard numbers are generally the first choice. Mr. Lockhart could have put his estimate in perspective by offering comparable numbers for unemployment numbers in 2007, for example, before the real estate crash.
He underscored that he was expressing his own views, which did "do not necessarily reflect those of my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee," the policy-setting body of the central bank.
...
Lockhart noted that construction and manufacturing had been particularly hard hit in the recession that began in December 2007 and predicted some jobs were gone for good.
Prior to the recession, he said, construction and manufacturing combined accounted for slightly more than 15 percent of employment. But during the recession, their job losses made up more than 40 percent of all US job losses. "In my view, it is unlikely that we will see a return of jobs lost in certain sectors, such as manufacturing," he said.
Posted by: ed ||
08/27/2009 08:21 ||
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According to the news service of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, four Finnish businessmen have promised to withdraw their mine permit application for a planned ore mine in the Baltic Sea, if Russia agrees to start negotiations on the return of the ceded areas of Karelia to Finland. These businessmen submitted an application to mine the Gulf of Finland before Nord Stream put in their application to run their pipeline to Germany, so they have dibs.
The region in question was ceded to the Soviet Union at the end of the last war, and there are those who feel the land should be back in Finnish hands.
The four businessmen plan to set up an ore mine on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. However, the planned undersea venture would stand in the way of a submarine gas pipeline planned by the German-Russian gaspipe consortium Nord Stream.
According to Kari Silvennoinen, the spokesman of the four businessmen, some representatives of the Russian government have demanded the Finns withdraw their application, offering them considerable sums of money in exchange.
At the Ministry of Employment and the Economy the application is regarded as "bizarre - to say the least".
However, the ministry is unwilling to comment on the content of the application, which has been pending for a year. The ministry has also received inquiries about the matter from the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Finland.
The Finnish businessmen do not want to accept money. In exchange for their mine permit application, the Finns want the ceded Karelia to be handed back to Finland.
According to YLE, Nord Stream claimed that the company was not aware of any such bargaining. Nord Stream plans to embark on the gas pipeline construction early next year. Well, the Russians DID give America Alaska for some beads and a vodka bender ...
#3
Sure. Like the Russians are in the habit of returning territory they conquered.
I wouldn't be surprised when these businessmen wake up with a bullet lying on their pillow. A series of unfortunate accidents seems to be in their future.
The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot -- particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June and hosted at the White House.
The 33-second ad by the League of American Voters, which features a neurosurgeon who warns that a government-run health care system will lead to the rationing of procedures and medicine, began airing two weeks ago on local affiliates of ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. On a national level, however, ABC and NBC have refused to run the spot in its present form.
"It's a powerful ad," said Bob Adams, executive director of the League of American Voters, a national nonprofit group with 15,000 members who advocate individual liberty and government accountability. "It tells the truth and it really highlights one of the biggest vulnerabilities and problems with this proposed legislation, which is it rations health care and disproportionately will decimate the quality of health care for seniors."
Adams said the advertisement is running on local network affiliates in states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Maine and Pennsylvania. But although CBS has approved the ad for national distribution and talks are ongoing with FOX, NBC has questioned some of the ad's facts while ABC has labeled it "partisan."
"The ABC Television Network has a long-standing policy that we do not sell time for advertising that presents a partisan position on a controversial public issue," spokeswoman Susan Sewell said in a written statement. "Just to be clear, this is a policy for the entire network, not just ABC News."
NBC, meanwhile, said it has not turned down the ad and will reconsider it with some revisions.
"We have not rejected the ad," spokeswoman Liz Fischer told FOXNews.com. "We have communicated with the media agency about some factual claims that require additional substantiation. As always, we are happy to reconsider the ad once these issues are addressed."
Adams objects to ABC's assertion that his group's position is partisan.
"It's a position that we would argue a vast majority of Americans stand behind," he said. "Obviously, it's a message that ABC and the Obama administration haven't received yet."
Dick Morris, a FOX News political analyst and the League of American Voters' chief strategist, conceptualized the advertisement and said its purpose was to "refocus" the debate on health care reform.
"I feel the whole debate on health care reform needed to be refocused on the issue of Medicare," he told FOXNews.com. "Most of the debate had been on issues of socialized medicine and cost. I felt that the impact of the legislation in cutting the Medicare program and enforcing rationing needed to be addressed."
Morris, a onetime advisor to former President Bill Clinton, said he was particularly troubled by ABC's decision not to air the spot.
"It's the ultimate act of chutzpah because ABC is the network that turned itself over completely to Obama for a daylong propaganda fest about health care reform," he said. "For them to be pious and say they will not accept advertising on health care shuts their viewers out from any possible understanding of both sides of this issue."
The VA deserves a lot of the criticism it gets, but they do get it right sometimes. Here's a break from the bad news.
More than 16 million men and women served in Word War II, and less than 2.3 million of these veterans are still alive. About 1,000 World War II veterans are dying each day. By 2020, this group could be gone.
My grandfather, Lynn Nichols, is a very independent World War II veteran. When he was released from the hospital and placed temporarily into a nursing home earlier this year, he checked himself out within hours. He was horrified at some of the conditions in nursing homes that our elderly people face each day.
A couple of weeks later, it became apparent that home health care was not going to be a long-term option for him. My grandfather and other relatives explored whether he could enter the Tomah VA Medical Center. He was admitted to the center's hospice program a couple of months ago. When my grandfather needed help the most, the Tomah VA Medical Center staff and programs were there for him.
My grandfather was very sick and not focused on the future when he entered hospice care. I was not sure what to expect when I visited him the first time. But I found the facilities to be welcoming and immaculately clean. The staff is responsive and available for the patients. Instead of being warehoused and waiting to die, the Tomah VA Medical Center staff has treated him with dignity, as a veteran. The center strives to make him as comfortable as possible.
Recently, he was sized for and received a new wheelchair. The staff also ordered a pocket talker for him to communicate with. He is hard of hearing, and a staffer patiently showed him how to use the device.
My uncle brings up his pet dog to visit almost every day. My grandfather even gets to go fishing in a pond on site. No one in my family could have handpicked a better care setting for him.
For my grandfather and other veterans at the Tomah center, each day is to enjoy and live to the fullest -- instead of a day to endure.
My grandfather is receiving medical care 55 years after World War II ended. We have a great medical care system for veterans now, and the system is expanding. The Tomah center is one of 153 such medical centers in the nation and one of 135 that provide nursing home care. In 2008, about 5.5 million veterans received medical treatment at these facility. In Wisconsin, we have almost 450,000 living veterans, and more than 325,000 served during a war, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Tomah VA Medical Center has been a fantastic resource for my grandfather. We need to work together to ensure the veterans who served and made sacrifices for our freedom have quality health care available for generations to come.
India scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to intercept an Air France passenger plane after it failed to identify itself correctly, the Indian air force says.
The Bangkok-bound flight from Paris had entered Indian airspace from Pakistan.
The pilot had used the wrong Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) code, which allows ground radars to differentiate between friendly and enemy aircraft.
The MiG was told to "break off and return to base" when the correct code was given, an air force official said.
Flight Lt Priya Joshi also told the AFP news agency that a report had been filed with India's civil aviation authorities over the incident.
The Air France Airbus-343 had entered India above Amritsar, in the north-west of the country, early on Thursday morning.
The Indian air force has stepped up security along the border with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 170 people.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/27/2009 16:50 ||
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#1
Exactly the correct response.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/27/2009 19:43 Comments ||
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The Indian and Chinese armies have reportedly been locked in sporadic exchanges of fire in Sikkim, where the two countries share a high-altitude border, since Tuesday night.
A senior defence ministry official in Kolkata, where the Eastern Command is based, said the conflict had been on at Nathu-la pass 54 km east of Sikkims capital Gangtok.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence, however, denied any shooting on the border.
The defence official, who refused to be identified, said, The gunbattle intensified during the early hours of Wednesday. There are, however, no reports of any death or serious injuries.
He said although India had not deployed any additional forces in the area, all civilian traffic had been stopped. But the ministry statement said the roads had been closed in the area because of landslides.
The official said, The skirmish caused concern as at a special joint meeting on August 15 both sides reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen the existing friendship.
Situated at 14,140 feet, Nathu-la reopened for trade in 2006 after the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/27/2009 16:28 ||
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[Geo News] According to the sworn undertaking of ISI's former chief Lieutenant General (rtd) Asad Durrani, which he took before Supreme Court (SC) on July 24, 1994, that he was directed by the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the former General Mirza Aslam Baig for provision of Logistic Support to embezzle money donated for election preparations from some Karachi traders and use the same donation money for Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI). Asad Durrani was told that the orders to misappropriate donation money were backed by the then government of Pakistan, according to his affidavit statement before SC.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Maurice is a transgendered anarchist, under investigation by the FBI for eco-terrorism. Seems to be associated with several far left groups:
How liberal is Colorado Citizens Coalition?
Judging by the contributors, this 527 political organization falls on the liberal side of the spectrum. How liberal? Contributors include Tim Gill ($12,500), the AFL-CIO ($25,000), NARAL ($12,500) and Pat Stryker ($75,000). Maurice has even been paid by a 527, receiving $500 payment by SEIU-related front-group Colorado Citizen Coalition.
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.
Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.
[Bangla Daily Star] Five Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists were injured, one of them critically, in a factional clash over previous enmity at Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday. 
According to the news service of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, four Finnish businessmen have promised to withdraw their mine permit application for a planned ore mine in the Baltic Sea, if Russia agrees to start negotiations on the return of the ceded areas of Karelia to Finland.
The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot -- particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June and hosted at the White House.
