Ay-Pee article. Rest at link.
A suburban Philadelphia school district used school-issued laptop webcams to spy on students at home, potentially catching them and their families in compromising situations, a family claims in a federal lawsuit.
Lower Merion School District officials can activate the webcams without students' knowledge or permission, the suit said. Plaintiffs Michael and Holly Robbins suspect the cameras captured students and family members as they undressed and in other embarrassing situations, according to the suit.
Tom Halperin, a 15-year-old sophomore from Wynnewood, said students are "pretty disgusted" and have started putting masking tape over their computer webcams and microphones. He noted that his class recently read "1984," the George Orwell classic that coined the term "Big Brother." Time to start checking school district staff for perverts.
#1
This may be too much for even the LLL. They like to approach these things in small bites, like starting with things like tracking law-abiding citizens' cell phones without a warrant.
#2
To think that the school Administration really thought this was a good idea.
Sounds to me some people need to be fired (not allowed to resign - outright fired). And every computer in the school seized and searched for pornographic pics of the students in the bedroom. If any found people should to go prison - including the clueless admins who facilitated it.
Who knows what they were watching in the middle of the night.... Raging teenage hormones and all.
Any pics found of any underage child even partially undressed - and I think Child Porn charges should apply.
#5
Lower Merion? We're talking the heart, or at least the wallet, of the Main Line. Bala Cynwyd, Merion, Gladwyne. There is real money here.
The high Schools are Lower Merion High, notable Alums:
# Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (1903), General of the Army and father of the United States Air Force
# Alexander Haig (1942), United States Army general, Secretary of State[1]
# Julius W. Becton, Jr. (1944), former Army general, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and CEO of the Washington, DC, public schools
# James H. Billington (1946), current Librarian of Congress
# Charles "Chuck" Barris (1947), writer/producer, host of the Gong Show, subject of the film "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"
# Robert Fagles (1951), professor, and poet best known for translating ancient Greek classics
# Gerald M. Levin (1956), Former chairman and CEO of Time Warner
# Lynn Sherr (1959), ABC News correspondent
Kobe Bryant (1996), Professional NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Harriton, the newer HS Alum include:
# Lynda Resnick (1960) - President/CEO Roll International Corporation (POM Wonderful, Fiji Water, Teleflora).
# Andy Hertzfeld (1971) - Personal computing pioneer, member of the original Apple Macintosh design team.
# Susan Kare (1971) - Graphic designer and originator of icons and typefaces for Apple Computer.
# Lawrence Summers (1972) - Former President of Harvard University, Former Secretary of the Treasury, current Director of the National Economic Council.
# Arn Tellem (1972) - Sports agent named "One of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business".
# David Crane (1975) - Emmy-award winning TV writer/producer/director, creator of "Friends".
#9
Apparently the students have known about it for awhile - to the point where they would put masking tape over the camera. My guess is that the camera's were 'build in'.
And note that they didn't mention the 'improper behaviour'. Did the Vice warn the kid about going blind...
#10
Looks to me the equivalent of wiretapping, and since done over the internet, a federal offense, regardless of what was seen or disclosed. Where is AG Holder?
Yet another surprising twist in the story of Amy Bishop, the Alabama university professor who allegedly opened fire on campus, killing three of her colleagues. Bishop is the second cousin of John Irving, a publicist for the author confirmed today.
Irving is writing a novel and declined to comment about his relationship with Bishop's family. Random House publicist Anne Tate except said he is a cousin of Judith Bishop, who is Amy Bishop's mother.
According to book club acquaintances, Bishop often said she hoped the connection would help her publish her three novels, which she viewed as a way out of the frustrations of her university job, the Boston Globe reported.
Rob Dinsmoor, who was in a writer's group north of Boston with Bishop, said she told him that Irving gave her advice on writing and finding an agent.
Among Irving's best-known books are "The World According to Garp," "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and "The Cider House Rules."
Amy Bishop is accused of shooting six of her peers during a University of Alabama staff meeting Feb. 12. Three died. Three have so far survived. She is charged with capital murder and may face the death penalty. Lemme guess. Irving's latest book is about a psycho serial killer who keeps getting away with it because she is a lefty intellectual with friends in high places. Then she goes too far....
#1
Yeah, I don't think that amounts to a thickening. That there's more of a congealment.
I must have forty or fifty first-through-second cousins, at least a few of which I'd not vouch for on a background check. I doubt I'm a rarity in that regard.
Hell, there's probably a fifty-fifty chance that both Irving and Bishop are eighth or ninth cousins with the original wonder cousins, Obama and Cheney.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/18/2010 13:42 Comments ||
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#2
Now on the net at Boston.com (what a nut!):
In March, 2002, Bishop walked into an International House of Pancakes in Peabody with her family, asked for a booster seat for one of her children, and learned the last seat had gone to another mother.
Bishop, according to a police report, strode over to the other woman, demanded the seat and launched into a profanity-laced rant.
When the woman would not give the seat up, Bishop punched her in the head, all the while yelling "I am Dr. Amy Bishop."
Bishop received probation and prosecutors recommended that she be sent to anger management classes, though it is unclear from court documents whether a judge ever sent her there.
The woman, identified in court documents as Michelle Gjika, declined to comment, saying only "It's not something I want to relive."
Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Meth Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, [THUMP! WHACK! BEAT! BEAT! BEAT!]
"Owwwwww!"
set his clothes on fire in a bathtub "My clothes!"
and threatened to stab him. "Honey! Put down the knife!"
"I'll put it down in your lung!"
Authorities charged her with attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer. "Name?"
"Ummm... Amy Bishop."
"You ain't Amy Bishop. We already got her locked up!"
"Barbra Streisand."
"Lemme hear you sing, Babs."
Shortly after 11:30 p.m., police received a 911 call about a domestic dispute at 2220 Lincoln St. Authorities said they believe the call came from one of the three children inside the house. "Help! Help! Crystal's been in the liquor cabinet again!"
When officers arrived, they found Mangum and her boyfriend, Milton Walker, 33, fighting. "Put the ax down and step away from it witcher hands up, lady!"
According to police documents, Mangum scratched, punched and threw objects at Walker and told him, "I'm going to stab you, (expletive)!" [CRASH! SMASH!]
"Honey! Put the knife down!"
"Yeah, lady! Put the knife down!"
She then went into a bathroom and set his clothes on fire in the bathtub, police said. Officers called the fire department to put out the flames. No one was injured. "911. How can I help you?"
"This is the police. We got a bathtub fire at 555 12th Street!"
Milton was not charged in the incident, police said. The three children inside the house, ages 3, 9 and 10, were not injured. "You can come out now, kids!"
"You sure?"
Police charged Mangum with identity theft because she gave them a fake name, "Marella Mangum," and age, authorities said. She also resisted the officers who responded to the scene, according to police documents. "Lemme go! Lemme at him!"
"You've already been at him! Don't let her outta that headlock, Clancy!"
Mangum was being held in the Durham County Jail on no bond and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning. She has been ordered to have no contact with Walker. "I'm warnin' you, lady! Let go!"
Mangum is the author of the memoir "Last Dance for Grace." She was a student at North Carolina Central University in 2006 and also worked as an exotic dancer when she performed at the now infamous Duke lacrosse party. It was there, she claimed, that three white members of the team trapped her inside a bathroom and raped and sexually assaulted her. David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were indicted on rape and other charges on the basis of her allegations and were eventually exonerated after North Carolina's attorney general dismissed the case. Some snarks just write themselves. Prof. KC Johnson at Durham in Wonderland has thoughts. Not like Fred's, but thoughts.
In three departments, more than half of faculty signed the statement. The department with the highest proportion of signatories was African and African-American Studies, with 80%. Just over 72% of the Women's Studies faculty signed the statement, Cultural Anthropology 60%, Romance studies 44.8%, Literature 41.7%, English 32.2%, Art & Art History 30.7%, and History 25%. No faculty members from the Pratt School of Engineering or full-time law professors signed the document. Departments that had no faculty members sign the document include Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Genetics, Germanic Languages/Literature, Psychology and Neuroscience, Religion, and Slavic and Eurasian Studies.
And there you have a useful roadmap of the academic left.
#7
She is getting her just desserts, just as that a**hole district attorney got his. Now, if the president of Duke could get his and the gang of 88 get theirs, things would be better...not right but better.
* Juaneka Key and several relatives were arrested Saturday
* Key's step-dad is accused of punching a female customer
* Police say customers and children began panicking and running from scene (I like this summary feature)
(Memphis 2/15/2010) An 18-year-old pregnant woman is out on bond tonight after police say she started a riot inside a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant Saturday night.
It happened at the 3600 block of Hickory Hill.
During an interview Monday, Juaneka Key told us she was there with her family celebrating her 2-year-old son's birthday. However, the night ended at 201 Poplar. 18-2= jail time some places but rarely enforced in others.
"Everybody's putting it on me, five of us got arrested: me, my mom, my sister, my boyfriend, and my step-dad," said Key. So you see, we can share the blame five ways.
She says it all started because of a long line at the photo booth.
"My sister and little brother were taking pictures, the girl said, 'Dang how long ya'll gonna be?'" said Key.
An argument started, escalated and turned into a brawl when police say Key's step-dad intervened, punched the girl and gave her a black eye. If true, step-dad needs some hard time.
"Other people [began] jumping in that didn't have nothing to do with the fight," said Key. Maybe they were irked when the head of the family punched a girl.
Court papers describe absolute chaos with fists flying between both the victim's family and the suspect's. Police say customers and children began panicking and running from the scene to avoid getting involved. I would pay money to see that.
Managers at Chuck E. Cheese's declined comment. Though they have several surveillance cameras there, a worker tells us none were pointed at the incident. And their pizza is worse than their security
Nearby shoppers call it ridiculous.
"Kinda a kid environment, for adults to act like that is kinda disturbing to me," said Bertha Waller. Vegas for kids, beer for adults, a recipe for disaster.
"I feel so embarrassed," said Key.
But the teen says she has no regrets and denies any of this was her fault. It says right up there that you're embarrassed. Which is it? "No regrets" or "embarrassed?"
"The fact that I'm pregnant, why am I gonna fight? I'm not trying to lose my child," said Key. So, I guess the impatient girl your stepfather punched out managed to started fighting with herself?
Both Key and her step-dad face charges of Disorderly Conduct and Inciting a Riot. The two other suspects face charges of threatening cops as they tried to break up the fight, as well as Possession of Marijuana. Word of advice to the behaviorally challenged: Don't mess with the cops if you're holding weed.
#1
Yeah. Stay out of Chuck E. Cheese, it's not that happy 80s place any more. Particularly stay away just after the first of the month, that's when the welfare checks get cashed.
#2
I've seen a lot of similar stories re Chuck E. Cheese riots/shootings in the last few years. It seems that the kids lack of emotional control easily rubs off on the "adults".
#8
It's a cultural thing, Frank. You wouldn't understand;-)
One could make a similar statement about an 18-year-old who has a 2-year-old kid & has (at least) a second bun in the oven. But that would be wrong. Wouldn't it? ;-)
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
02/18/2010 9:50 Comments ||
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#9
http://www.jedisaber.com/SW/Sounds/ANH011.wav
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
#10
#8 It's a cultural thing, Frank. You wouldn't understand;-)
One could make a similar statement about an 18-year-old who has a 2-year-old kid & has (at least) a second bun in the oven. But that would be wrong. Wouldn't it? ;-)
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2010-02-18 09:50
Also, no mention of a "father" of the 2 year old.
snark off :<(
Ooookay, so much for that AU "No more coups in Africa" thing from a coupla weeks ago. Congrats to everyone who bet the "under"...
DAKAR, Senegal -- Renegade soldiers in armored vehicles stormed Niger's presidential palace with a hail of gunfire during broad daylight Thursday in an apparent coup attempt in the uranium-rich West African nation. Hey, the AU sez ya can't do that!
Shaddup! Can't ya see we're "renegades"!
Military music played on state radio later in the evening -- the same music that aired after two previous coups in the late 1990s --
Continued on Page 49
[Al Arabiya Latest] A Saudi court has sentenced an employee of the kingdom's religious police to 120 lashes for marrying six women. The man said he was not educated enough to know that Islam does not allow men to marry more than four women at any one time, said an official at Ahad al-Massarha court in the southern province of Jazan.
"The judge did not believe him. Nobody believed him. I honestly did not," the official told Reuters. The man obviously didn't read his Koran enough. Lash him and send him back to the madrassa ...
The court banned the man from standing as a preacher and leading prayers, ordered him not to travel abroad for a five-year period and to memorize two chapters from the Koran.
The accused, in his fifties, is not a member of the Saudi Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice's morals squad but holds an administrative position there, the official said. Brilliant, put him in charge ...
Shaikh Abdul-Mohsen al-Qaffari, spokesman of the virtue and vice commission, said it was the commission that discovered the case. Judge Salman al-Waadani, who pronounced the sentence, could not be reached for comment.
The court official said, "Members of the commission were accompanied by police when they arrested the man with one of his wives but it was the governor of Jazan who ordered an investigation onto the case".
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
But ....but...the Holy Prophet had NINE wives( or was it sixteen plus the little girl, I forget).
Oh, I get SO confused.PBUH.
Inshallah, and all that.
#2
but it was the governor of Jazan who ordered an investigation onto the case".
The ignorant man must have done something to the wrong person. After all, how many wives did Osama bin Ladin's father have lying about to produce fifty-something offspring? The ignorant man need just retitle two of the women as concubines, and he'll be fine.
This is why the sovereign debt crisis is an unsolvable problem. Reduce government expenditures and tax revenues fall. In all likelyhood faster than expeditures are reduced. This is because most tax revenue comes from the top 20% (approx) of economic activity - the way you pay most income tax proportionately on the top 20% or so of income.
Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Britain posted its first budget deficit for January since records began in 1993 as the longest recession on record shriveled the nation's tax take.
Government spending exceeded revenue by 4.3 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) last month, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Economists forecast a 2.6 billion-pound surplus, according to the median of 16 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey.
The pound fell after the release showed Britain failed to generate a surplus in a month which is normally the annual peak for tax collection as the health of public finances around Europe attract investor scrutiny. With an election due by June, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is arguing that spending cuts should be deferred to avoid an economic relapse.
This is potential very worrying,' James Knightley, an economist at ING Financial Markets in London, said in a telephone interview. Given the concerns about public deficits around Europe at the moment, this could put the U.K. back in the spotlight. It may mean politicians have to take even more austere measures than what is already being talked about.'
Frank G posted this as well and added the following: Empress Evita wants the oil. Will get her ass handed to her...possibly? She's desperately trying to hide the collapse she and her husband have presided over. A Falklands action sounds like just what General Leopoldo Galtieri advised
The Tories have called for Argentina's ambassador to be given a dressing down after Buenos Aires asserted control over the waters around the Falkland Islands. The move would effectively grant it the power to blockade the British-ruled archipelago in an escalation of the row over the disputed territory. You know the politicians in Argentina are desperate when they resort to the old Malvinas trick ...
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, secretary of the all-party Parliamentary group on the Falklands, today called for Argentina's ambassador to be given a dressing down over the decree and told not to meddle in Falklands affairs. He said: 'I hope the Foreign Secretary will call the Argentine ambassador in an tell them this is unacceptable behaviour. It is 28 years since the Falklands War and it has been made clear to Argentina that they have no say over the Falkland Islands or their territorial waters and they should not try to interfere with them.'
He added: 'Any attempt by Argentina to claim any sort of rights of sovereignty over that region is something we should take very seriously. I don't think we should appease Buenos Aires - we found out what happens last time.'
It comes as relations between the two countries hit a new low earlier this month after it was revealed a contract to drill for oil in the East Falkland Basin had been awarded.
Officials in Buenos Aires announced yesterday that all ships sailing to the Falkland Islands - known in Argentina as 'Ilas Malvinas' - through the waters claimed by South American country must hold a government permit.
'Any boat that wants to travel between ports on the Argentine mainland to the Islas Malvinas, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...must first ask for permission,' Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Not good. Given the Brits are pretty well committed in Afghanistan however reluctantly, they could play the NATO card this time, something the Argies aren't contemplating. A full American task force steaming south isn't something anyone really wants to do, but never underestimate idiots grasping at anything to stay in power. It'll either break NATO or really ding relations south of the border. The problem of entangling alliances.
#3
Its just Argentina posturing , no dooubt we will bolster security a bit down there , but nothing to see yet , unless they actually decide to hinder/harrass shipping in the area .
Been there once , aint going again , too old ! 28 years, sure seems like a long time .
Posted by: Oscar ||
02/18/2010 5:38 Comments ||
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#4
There are only three factors in a fight. Force, Motion, and Timing. Mouth is not one of them.
I remember the Brit troops herding the Argentinian troops into a cold rock pocket and then firing an RPG into the mass of freezing men. A bit brutal but no one wanted to accept their surrender and it was just a bad day. ( That's why the Brits are STILL there and the Argentinians arent). You dont HAVE to accept a surrender, you know. Its entirely up to you.
Argentina has to put up or shut up. They can Belgrano that or get off the pot.
#5
"I remember the Brit troops herding the Argentinian troops into a cold rock pocket and then firing an RPG into the mass of freezing men."
What a crock of shit . If you refer to Mount Longden Argie surrender , a very brutal fight which involved a lot of hand to hand . We wouldnt / nor would our commanders let those shennanighans kick off . We treated prisoners took with a reasonable amount of dignity . After all they fought us and although poorly trained , gave a good show , but werent trained to our degree. One thing unites people after a battle like that is what mess we have all found ourselves in , friend and foe alike.
I was at Two Sisters and Harriot (look them up numb nuts), you know nothing but ignorance on that particular battlefield.
Posted by: Oscar ||
02/18/2010 6:29 Comments ||
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#6
I remember the Brit troops herding the Argentinian troops into a cold rock pocket and then firing an RPG into the mass of freezing men.
#8
Oscar: thank you for your service to your country. Didn't know you were at the Falklands, would love to hear about it if someday I can buy you an ale.
Angleton9 (yes, it's you, I can check IPs, remember): not nice to twist the tail of a real soldier. You might not like what he does in response. Careful, son, just back down, there's a good lad.
AoS
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/18/2010 9:34 Comments ||
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#9
I remember the Brit troops herding the Argentinian troops into a cold rock pocket and then firing an RPG into the mass of freezing men. I've read more than a number of books on the conflict and that's the first I've heard of that one. I also think it's bullcrap. The Argentines had trouble believing how well they were treated by the British, that's something I've read over and over, even from Argentinians.
Two interesting stories though: (1) Some British unit learned how to say Grenade in spanish and would occasionally yell it to get Argentines to leap out of their positions. (2) In one battle the Argentines heard they were going up against the Ghurka's so they surrendered before the battle based on the Ghurka's reputation. Beyond that the Argentine pilots were awesome and the troops mistreated and poorly supplied by their officers.
#11
Argentina may have noticed it is not Margaret Thatcher running Great Britain, nor Ronald Reagan running the Unitied States - and thus no reason to believe they would be kicked out of the Falklands if they invaded now.
#12
What is this? 1978 all over again? Inflation up, gov spending up, lame assed prez, Iran spinning, now the Falklands?
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/18/2010 16:18 Comments ||
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#13
The Argentines noticed the gift of Region 1 encoded DVDs.
Posted by: ed ||
02/18/2010 19:11 Comments ||
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#14
Glenmore has a point but I should think the Argentines would have a better go of it if they went to England and offered to buy the place, take it over, and rent the land back to the islanders for so many years.
#15
Was already tried in the '50s. The British weren't interested.
Posted by: ed ||
02/18/2010 21:58 Comments ||
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#16
Royal Navy warships are repor on standby alert.
E.g. CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > UK VOWS TO BREAKTHROUGH AGENTINA'S BLOCKADE OF THE FALKLANDS | PLEAS FOR ROYAL NAVY TO BREAK AGRENTINA"S FALKLANDS "SIEGE".
OTOH POSTERS > ask how is the UK going to wage any potential FALKLANDS II combat as it more heavily relies/depends on NATO = EU now for its military security than it ever did before and after the first war???
#17
ed, its a half century later. A lot has changed. Especially British willingness to go to war over what is easily painted as a colonial possession. Its hard to remember now but a very large chunk of England was against retaking the Falklands back then. I imagine the numbers are even lower now that so many are trying to launder their history with EU strength detergent.
(Bloomberg) -- A new movie about Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, one of the most expensive ever produced in Brazil, is falling short of its blockbuster expectations as the president's record popularity fails to bring box-office profits.
Ticket sales for "Lula: the Son of Brazil" totaled 6.93 million reais ($3.7 million), representing 818,337 spectators, from its Jan. 1 debut through Feb. 7, according to Filme B, which tracks movie sales. That trails the 5 million viewers the film's producers said they hoped to attract and the 4.4 million spectators who paid 34 million reais to see Twentieth Century Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" since Jan. 8.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
They'll make up the shortfall on the "Son of Brazil" video game.
#4
Sequels usually do worse compared to the originals. Personally, I loved "Brazil". but I can see how the Brasilians might not get into a movie about a socialist dystopia starring their President. I'm sure that Lumpy Riefenstahl's film "Obama: son of Stalin" will suffer a similar fate when it eventually gets made.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
But Mr. Chávez has clearly continued the purge, issuing warrants through Interpol for at least nine bankers thought to have fled Venezuela, and seizing 11 of their financial institutions to fold them into a new state banking company under his control. The fallout from the purge continued this month, when Mr. Chávez named a former army captain who took part in his 1992 coup attempt to oversee the seized banks.
Mr. Chávez is also relying more on his Cuban allies to address other issues. This month, he brought in Ramiro Valdés, Cubas 77-year-old vice president and a founder of its Soviet-inspired state intelligence apparatus in the 1960s, to advise him on the electricity shortages, an appointment that has further angered Mr. Chávezs critics here.
Little Hoogo is confiscating his cronies' wealth and using Cuban tactics to smother opposition. He's due for a bullet behind the ear. I hope he wets himself first
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/18/2010 8:17 Comments ||
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Lew Mon Hung is a wealthy Hong Kong-based businessman who sits on the foreign affairs committee of Beijing's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - effectively an upper chamber with an advisory role.
He says if the US damages China's core interests then Beijing should retaliate.
"If America isn't friendly we can make life difficult - for instance if Iran asks to buy missiles or missile defence systems, China could sell them," he says.
"Let it shock America. Hit America in the ribs. It would hurt America's core interests and teach it a lesson.
#3
America doesn't have the fortitude to impose tarriffs. I should say the government. We should just start our own import ban. Power to the people.
Posted by: Art ||
02/18/2010 9:36 Comments ||
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#4
Oh, and a 50% tariff on Wal-Mart would do what exactly to the average working class American? Hmm? Did you think about that when you spout off? So one Chinese dude makes an off-the-cuff remark and you want to punish "China" by increasing prices for everything in the US? Are you going to impose this tariff on produce sold in Wal-Mart as well? I assume so since you said Wal-Mart and not Chinese imports. Last I looked, in my super center, most of the produce was from either the US or South America. I love knee-jerk reactions. Real good thinking there, rocket scientists.
#7
I think they realize this already and their only real question is, can they use the resulting wreck for political or casus belli purposes? As seen by this asshole.
------------------
As to whether "it's just one guy..." if he were to say something the ruling classes there really did NOT approve of, would this have made the papers? Would he still be at large?
#9
This guy became rich arbitraging the difference in labor costs between a feudal state where 'connections' and guanxi are the difference between life and death and the (until recently) freer societies of the west. And all he can think of is kicking the latter in the ribs for their troubles.
#10
ABC Com (HKG:0030) appoints Lew Mon-hung as chairman,
Dr. Lew Mon Hung, aged 60, was appointed as an executive director and the Chairman of the Company. "Quamnet" Dr. Lew is a committee member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People¡¯s Political Consultative Conference and Foreign Affairs Committee. Dr. Lew is currently an executive director of G-Resources Group Ltd (Stock Code: 1051), the shares of which are listed on the Stock Exchange. He was appointed as a part-time member of the Government of the HKSAR Central Policy Unit during the years 2006 to 2007. Dr. Lew was the chief consultant of Core Pacific ¨C Yamaichi International (HK) Ltd., and a director of the Mirror Post Cultural Enterprise Co. Ltd. He also had been director, chief executive and chief consultant of various financial institutions. Dr. Lew has extensive experience in corporate finance and takeovers activities and has established good relationship and connection with both financial and political sectors in Hong Kong.
Lew, Mon Hung
Brief Biography
Dr. Lew Mon Hung has been appointed as Executive Deputy Chairman of the Board of Pearl Oriental Innovation Ltd. He is a renowned figure in political and economical sectors in China and Hong Kong. Dr. Lew is currently a committee member of the Chinese People¡¯s Political Consultative Conference, a member of the Executive Committee Commission on Strategic Development of HKSAR, chairman of Smart Strategy Limited and chairman and executive director of ABC Communications (Holdings) Limited (Stock Code: 30). Dr. Lew was also the former chairman and executive director of G-Resources Group Ltd (Stock Code: 1051). Dr. Lew has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions activities and has established good relationship and connection with both financial and political sectors in Hong Kong and China.
(G-Resources Group Ltd formerly known as Smart Rich Energy Finance (Holdings) Limited ÖǸ»ÄÜÔ´½ðÈÚ(¼¯F)ÓÐÏÞ¹«Ë¾*)
(Incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability)
(Stock code: 1051)
ABC COM (HOLD) (30 )
Company/Securities Name: ABC Communications (Holdings) Ltd.
Principal Activities: Providing financial information services, wireless applications development, securities trading system licensing.
Chairman: Lew Mon Hung
Principal Office: Room 2006, 20/F
West Tower, Shun Tak Centre
168-200 Connaught Road Central
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Place Incorporated: Bermuda
#12
The Chinese education system under the communists, still largely unchanged today, portrayed world history as one giant conspiracy against China. Everything bad was/is caused by foreigners, in particular 'white devils'.
Hung's comments are fairly mild compared to some things I've heard from Chinese nationals.
#13
By allowing the Communist Chinese to take our manufacturing and intellectual property bases
we are setting ourselves vulnerable to a gut punch. Or worse.
Posted by: ed ||
02/18/2010 19:42 Comments ||
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#14
Ya know, rich Commie guy, if Mao was still alive, he'd be feeding you to pigs.
#15
With their rapid expansion and demonstrated lack of proper governmental oversight in health and safety, I think we can provide more than enough bureaucrats to help them transition more efficiently to a modern economy. It's now time to take our excess of public 'service' employees and become China's outsource for those skills. "We're from the government, We're here to help you."
#16
Nothing much can be done about Tibet now; that should be a side issue. Let's not deny that China was hand delivered leverage, when US spending needed a prop. China didn't cause laughably low lending rates to US non-viables.
#17
Dali Lama might be a great guy but from what I've heard about Tibet before the Chinese took it over it wasn't exactly a nice place for non-priests. Perhaps I'm wrong but I've never heard the Dali Lama talk about how he would change things if he got his country back, its just assumed it would be the same and most people think because the Dali Lama himself is such a nice guy that the nation must have been nice before. Not necessarily true.
#18
Tibet was part of the Axis.
That said...
China proliferated to NK and Pakiwakiland...
Hasn't really help with Kimmy...
And this jerk wants to support a physical attack on our nation over humoring some monk...
Didn't here Obama say a word about missiles to Tibet freedom fighters...
Just days after becoming controller of financially strapped Harrisburg, Pa., in January, Daniel Miller began uttering an obscure term that baffled most people who had never heard it and chilled those who had: Chapter 9.
The seldom-used part of U.S. bankruptcy law gives municipalities protection from creditors while developing a plan to pay off debts. Created in the wake of the Great Depression, Chapter 9 is widely considered a last resort and filings under it are more taboo than other parts of bankruptcy code because of the resulting uncertainty for everyone from municipal employees to bondholders.
Since Chapter 9 was enacted in 1934, just 600 cases have been filed under the code, partly because they require state approval. Some municipalities have found escape hatches, such as raising taxes. The largest Chapter 9 case was filed in 1994, when Orange County, Calif., lost $1.6 billion on wrong-way bets on interest rates.
But many experts fear that a surge in municipal bankruptcy filings is unavoidable. "The day of reckoning is coming," says Michael Pagano, dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.
To keep cities and towns from toppling into Chapter 9, more states are likely to make use of state laws to assume oversight of financially distressed municipalities, he predicts. Pittsburgh, for one, has been operating under such a law since 2004.
Vallejo, Calif., a city of about 116,000 people near San Francisco, has been trying to rejigger worker contracts in bankruptcy court since it filed for Chapter 9 in 2008, after buckling under declining real-estate values. Some union contracts expire later this year, and Vallejo is attempting to scrap them and start over.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/18/2010 15:56 ||
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#1
The answer is chapter 7 and execute anyone who drew a paycheck or pension from the involved urban area...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/18/2010 23:32 Comments ||
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US billionaire George Soros has more than doubled his investment in gold, despite calling it the "ultimate bubble" just weeks ago.
Mr Soros' investment vehicle Soros Fund Management increased its holding in SPDR Gold Trust to 6.2 million shares, worth $663m (£425m) at the end of 2009. It had held 2.5 million shares at the end of the third quarter of 2009.
The gold price hit a record high of $1,226.56 an ounce in December, but has since fallen back to about $1,100.
Mr Soros himself has suggested that gold may not be a good investment. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, he said: "The ultimate asset bubble is gold." However, he did not say whether he was investing in the precious metal.
But he also said that when he sees a bubble, "I rush out and buy".
Mark Heyhoe, senior mining analyst at Westhouse Securities, said: "He has previously said that gold is the ultimate hedge against inflation - if you think inflation's going to rise, then I'm not surprised he bought into gold.
"A lot of people were starting to look at gold, and a lot of people follow what he does," he added. "But you need to buy a lot of gold to shift the price."
As well as raising its stake in SPDR, Soros Fund Management also increased its holding in Canadian gold producer Yamana Gold. The company also bought more shares in seed producer Monsanto, Brazilian oil producer Petrobras, and Wall Street bank Citigroup.
#2
Mr Soros himself has suggested that gold may not be a good investment.
He would say that if he was about to buy ... Its probably one of the most stable long term investment around . Since 2000 it has rocketed in price with one small slump in early 2009 .
price per troy oz in 2000 =400 approx
" " in 2009-10 =1100 approx
Thanks to Gordon Brown (ok gold prices had stagnated for about a decade in the 90's ) the UK became a poorer nation , he was chancellor of the exchequer. He sold off more than half of our centuries old gold , at what now turns out to be rock bottom prices .
400 tons of gold , can you possibly imagine !!
/rant
Posted by: Oscar ||
02/18/2010 9:00 Comments ||
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#3
The man makes money by causing chaos.
The man makes money on the misery and suffering of others. He's been doing that since 1944.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/18/2010 9:37 Comments ||
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#4
Reading this I have to ask.
Does Soros actually own any Gold, or only "Shares"?
The way it reads he 's invested in "Paper Gold" only?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/18/2010 9:39 Comments ||
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#5
Speculating on gold, even for a dedicated schemer like Soros, is a damned dangerous game. The major players in gold have been in there for generations, and are very bloody minded.
Hopefully they will take Soros for every dime he has, or could ever have.
#6
The value of the world's entire known gold reserves is a small fraction of the total "wealth" held in the fiat money economy. Ultimately, gold's a great play if all that fiat "wealth" is going away. Paper money, indeed...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/18/2010 10:25 Comments ||
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#8
...miracles of modern medicine and the fact the French haven't been able to get their hands on him.
I remember the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market in silver back in the 80s. When the price reached a certain point, it seemed like everyone dumped their family silverware, old coins, etc from the basement or attic or nook. Crashed the market, basically bankrupted the pair.
#15
Soros isn't primarily buying and taking possession of gold, at least so far as the article discloses. He's buying stocks and derivatives that make a lot of money when other people buy gold.
That's why he can call it a bubble and still invest.
The European Union has shown its righteous wrath by stripping Greece of its vote at a crucial meeting next month, the worst humiliation ever suffered by an EU member state.
A badly written article. Which crucial meeting? Why is Greece suddenly being stripped of its vote for that one and no other?
The council of EU finance ministers said Athens must comply with austerity demands by March 16 or lose control over its own tax and spend policies altogether. It if fails to do so, the EU will itself impose cuts under the draconian Article 126.9 of the Lisbon Treaty in what would amount to economic suzerainty.
While the symbolic move to suspend Greece of its voting rights at one meeting makes no practical difference, it marks a constitutional watershed and represents a crushing loss of sovereignty.
"We certainly won't let them off the hook," said Austria's finance minister, Josef Proll, echoing views shared by colleagues in Northern Europe. Some German officials have called for Greece to be denied a vote in all EU matter until it emerges from "receivership".
The EU has still refused to reveal details of how it might help Greece raise 30bn (£26bn) from global debt markets by the end of June. Investors are unsure whether this is part of Kabuki play of "constructive ambiguity" to pressure Greece and keep markets guessing, or reflects the deep reluctance by Germany to be drawn deeper in an EU fiscal union. Greek bonds sold off as ten-year yields jumped to 6.42pc, but the euro rallied to $1.3765 against the dollar as broader issues resurfaced in currency markets.
Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the Eurogroup, hinted that ministers have already agreed on a support mechanism, should it be necessary. It will most likely involve by bilateral aid by eurozone states. He said proposals for an IMF bailout - backed by Britain - were "absurd" and would shatter the credibility of monetary union.
Many Germans disagree, including Otmar Issing, once the backbone of the European Central Bank. He said an EU rescue for Greece would be fatal, arguing that unflinching rigour is the only way to hold monetary union together without political union.
Tuesday's EU verdict amounted to a thumbs down on Greece's earlier austerity efforts, viewed as too reliant on one-off measures and too light on spending cuts. Greece must reduce its deficit from 12.7pc of GDP to 3pc in three years. Greek customs officials expressed their anger by kicking off a three-day strike, the first of many stoppages set to culminate in a general strike next week.
However, premier George Papandreou has won support from key political parties and a majority of the people. Greece may yet surprise critics by mustering its Spartan Spirit.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
I've been predicting Greece's bankruptcy for a while now.
The way I see it Greece should be expelled from the European Union. Unfortunately I know of no procedure which would allow the EU to actually expel a member state, even one as corrupt and dishonest as Greece.
If by "you" you meant personally, thank for the personal interest, but I don't much care to discuss my personal life online.
#3
Nicely said, Aris. I hope you have found happiness and fulfillment in that undiscussed life.
Separately, this article reveals the diametrically opposite positions being taken by the major EU nations, which suggests no near-term rescue will take place. Greece's salvation will have to result from Greek efforts, and whether the Athenians can take the necessary Spartan approach is questionable.
/No doubt cliche' by now in press and commentary, but I only just thought of it, and am inordinately pleased with the whole thing.
About as well as they are going to work out for us in a couple of years. With the Chinese and Japanese playing the part of the EU. Our best hope is how well they work together.
#5
it is the Action of Foreign companies like Siemens which corrupted for several years the Greek Public Financial system. It is so unfair that the Germans first make sure that their companies gain contracts in the public sector (see Athens airport, see olympic games), then Siemens makes payments to the two largest political parties to buy their silence, and when the Greek state is runing out of cash, it is the Germans who say "the Greek state is corrupted" O yeah? and who did that?
Posted by: Caesar Unoper6700 ||
02/18/2010 10:29 Comments ||
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#6
[quote]"it is the Action of Foreign companies like Siemens which corrupted for several years the Greek Public Financial system."[/quote]
So utterly ludicrous. First of all if we're to blame external actors, the chief external corruptors have been social-fascist state actors like Russia (military deals about tanks and missiles, deals about gaspipes, etc) and China (who has already bought the port of Piraeus, and has been in secret deals to buy our railways or our national bank, or both).
Private capitalist corruptors like Siemens located in democratic nations are also eventually *exposed* and prosecuted by the authorities of those foreign nations. Not so with state-actors.
But that's a detail -- your whole post misses the bigger point that the corruption was a national choice. Both major Greek parties committed the fraud against the European Union -- all Greek parties chose to ignore parasitism and corruption in the state apparatus.
And most importantly all Greek parties practically WARRED on any actually productive forces of the nation -- which is actually an even bigger problem than corruption. They *chose* to drive away foreign investments, they *chose* to shut down mines and factories, they chose to support all that was most parasitic in society. They chose to make "public employee" a synonym for "lazy ass who doesn't actually work".
They chose to make "green development" a motto in order to destroy coal-based industry, and then they chose to oppose green industries also in favour of tourism, and then they opposed tourist development too. As they opposed all other development.
[quote]it is the Germans who say "the Greek state is corrupted" O yeah? and who did that?[/quote]
The Greeks did. They chose corruption (among other worse things). The people who want to be corrupt with always find a way to be so.
#8
Aris, Both major Greek parties committed the fraud against the European Union -- all Greek parties chose to ignore parasitism and corruption in the state apparatus.
I suspected that much. However, I don't see EU structure as any different. It's parasiting on the member countries, on an entirely different level. Just my opinion, I know you probably don't agree.
[Geo News] Two dacoits were allegedly burnt alive after being tortured by enraged people at Khada Market in Karachi on Wednesday evening. According to police, two robbers injured a 30-year-old person Abdul Karim over showing resistance. However, they were captured by people, who first tortured the dacoits before setting them on fire. On receiving information, police reached the scene and tried to control the situation. The injured robbers were taken to a nearby hospital. But they succumbed to the injuries.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli turned up the heat on global warming yesterday.
On behalf of the state, Cuccinelli filed a petition asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its December finding that global warming poses a threat to people. Cuccinelli also filed a petition with the federal appeals court in Washington seeking a court review of the EPA finding.
Cuccinelli had no comment beyond a brief e-mail to news organizations. A news conference on the issue is scheduled for this afternoon.
Gov. Bob McDonnell supported the moves. "The attorney general is acting in the best interests of the citizens of Virginia," McDonnell said in a statement. "The current federal position could have a negative impact on job creation and economic development in the commonwealth and should be reconsidered."
Cuccinelli, a Republican, took office Jan. 16. During his campaign and since, he has expressed skepticism about climate change. In the Feb. 8 edition of The Cuccinelli Compass, his e-mailed newsletter, the Fairfax County resident wrote that he was looking "out the window at 30+ inches of global snowing."
The moves signal a major shift in Virginia's approach to climate change.
A commission appointed by previous Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, found that global warming could spread disease in Virginia, threaten coastal areas and imperil native animals such as crabs. The panel, which included scientists, business people, lawmakers and environmentalists, unanimously adopted its final report in 2008.
EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy said the agency's so-called "endangerment finding" is based on sound science and law.
"EPA found that the scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that greenhouse gases are a threat to the health and welfare of the American people," Andy said in a statement. "Even at the end of this exhaustive, transparent process, some special interests, and individuals who have made it their cause to deny the evidence before our own eyes, did not like EPA's answer."
Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said, "The attorney general is wasting taxpayers' money on frivolous litigation. . . . In effect, he's questioning climate change."
Besa said Cuccinelli "apparently wants to bring the Scopes monkey trial to Virginia," a reference to the storied 1925 case in Tennessee over the teaching of evolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"In effect, he's questioning climate change."
Got it in one!
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/18/2010 6:17 Comments ||
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#2
"apparently wants to bring the Scopes monkey trial to Virginia,"
Help me out here, who plays the part of the monkey? Is it the taxpayers that are putting billions into a non-exsistent problem or the people who promote these government programs ?
Posted by: Jogum Dark Lord of the Hatfields8790 ||
02/18/2010 7:05 Comments ||
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#3
You go AG Ken Cuccinelli. You ought to prosecute someone for criminal activity and criminal fraud>
No, he's questioning man-made climate change, Mr. Besa. Which at the moment is looking more like a figment of your fevered imagination than anything remotely resembling the kind of reality that needs EPA regulation.
#5
Oh, and the head of the UN climate change thingy is suddenly stepping down. He's to become a consultant with the accounting firm KPMG, for some reason, and will be linked to several unnamed universities. This does not improve the outlook for anthropogenic global warming claims -- "settled science" my left foot!
Texas Republican leaders Tuesday ramped up their fight against federal environmental efforts by filing suit to avoid facing limits on carbon dioxide emissions.
Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples started a legal battle against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
They said an "endangerment" finding that was released in December by the agency was based on faulty science and would hurt Texas' economy.
"They are using sweeping mandates, draconian punishments, to force a square peg of their vision into the round hole of reality," Perry said. "In the process they are preparing to undo decades of progress while painting hardworking entrepreneurs as selfish (and) destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process."
The "endangerment" finding declared greenhouse gas emissions a threat to public health. This opened the way for the federal agency to seek limits on carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles, and to require power plants and manufacturers to install technology that reduces such emissions.
Al Armendariz, the regional administrator for the EPA, said he was not surprised by the lawsuit, which state officials filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.
He said he was confident that the "endangerment" finding, which was issued as a result of a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision, would withstand the state's legal challenge.
"Texas officials have repeatedly expressed opposition to the EPA's common-sense approach to begin reducing harmful greenhouse gases," Armendariz said in a statement.
Because Texas contributes up to 35 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted by industrial sources in the United States, the state should be leading the charge for reform, he said.
"Instead, Texas officials are attempting to slow progress with unnecessary litigation," Armendariz said.
State officials also plan to file a petition for reconsideration with the EPA, asking agency administrator Lisa Jackson to review her decision.
Abbott and Perry said the federal agency drew its information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group they described as neither objective nor trustworthy. The organization's data have come under fire from groups that are skeptical of global warming for some errors and irregularities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I want every dime this idiot took from our businesses accounted for and trust back at them with lawsuit.
Phony science, unelected EPA.
I want personal injury brought upon the scientists, national investigations against the fake scientists, and fraternal hazing against the schools that pumped false science into our acedemia.
I want knives out and now so if you are a Frater and can help, please do.
Kill this fast and them move onto the awful business of debunking interstate commerce and that other crap where they tax corporations.
People are taxed, not what they work for.
Also, there is a supreme juris that you hold stating that the government may not put you out of business like the idiot government is trying to do with toyota. Ever looked at that?
Do please keep the Burg's few guidelines in mind, including the one about not calling for violent attacks on Americans. It makes the mods' job so much easier as we totter about in Fred's living room, emptying ashtrays, vacuuming the carpets, carrying half-full glasses to the kitchen and straightening the lamps and pillows .... ;-)
#4
newc surely meant virtual knives. I like forks better. One is sticking from the back of AGW, for all to see (xcept the blind followers of the Church Of Algor-ithm the Warmist).
#5
Dismantle most of the do-nothing bureacratic regulatory nightmare in Washington and you will see the economy take off. You will see a more competitive United States.
[Straits Times] THREE Malaysian women have been caned under Islamic law for having extramarital sex, in a first for the Muslim-majority country, an official said Wednesday. Kinky.
'Three women were caned on February 9 under Sharia law,' a home ministry official told AFP. 'They are the first women to be caned for offences under Sharia here.'
The official said the women were convicted of committing 'khalwat' or 'close proximity' between an unmarried couple, which is banned under Islamic laws that run parallel to the civil legal system in Malaysia.
Malaysian Islamic authorities triggered uproar last year when they sentenced mother-of-two Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to six strokes of the cane for drinking beer.
Her case, which was to have been the first time a woman was caned under Islamic law in Malaysia, is under appeal and human rights groups have urged religious authorities to reverse the sentence.
'I can confirm that Kartika has not been caned yet but I do not have any other details,' the home ministry official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/18/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
SIX strokes of the Cane per sixpack, please.
Lets see a little less Khalwat at the local high school too. That should go over big.
AMERICANS may be winning more medals at the Winter Olympics than any other country, but they also take gold when it comes to being the laziest people on the planet.
I wonder how we would rank if hours worked, vacation days, and work efficiency were included? My impression has long been that we put less effort into leisure activities because we put more into our jobs. But bashing America is so much more fun than actually getting the facts.
The US ranked No.1 out of 24 developed countries in The Daily Beast's list of lazy nations, based on statistics on daily calorie intake, data on TV viewing habits, the percentage of the population that plays sport, as well as internet usage, mX has reported.
I'm just guessing that the Beast didn't count the 10 week vacations on the Riviera for our Euro friends ...
The US was first in calorie intake and TV watching and took bronze for sports aversion and internet usage - enough to claim top spot on the podium.
Canadians took the silver after surprisingly leading the planet in internet usage. Bronze went to Belgium, with the country known for its waffles and beer coming second in calorie intake, while Turkey just missed out on the medals in fourth despite being ranked No.1 in avoiding playing sports.
Australians can sink back into their couches after being ranked No.19 on the list. Though ranked the ninth worst nationality in avoiding playing sport, Aussies were 14th in TV viewing, 16th for internet usage and 22nd in terms of calorie intake.
The English were No.5 and second-best at dodging sport.
The full list of lazy nations are:
1. USA 2. Canada 3. Belgium 4. Turkey 5. Great Britain 6. Poland 7. Mexico 8. France 9. Germany 10. Portugal 11. Denmark 12. Spain 13. Netherlands 14. Ireland 15. South Korea 16. Italy 17. Japan 18. Norway 19. Australia 20. Finland 21. Austria 22. New Zealand 23. Sweden 24. Switzerland.
#6
Um, Spain takes a nap in the middle of the day as does Portugal, France! well France takes lesiure time to new levels and seem pretty content with it. I guess statistics can say what you need when you need it.
#8
Productivity measures for hourly workers can be obtained and is reported regularly. Productivity for white collar workers is far more difficult to estimate. Sounds like someone is into USA bashing. We generally come out pretty good in productivity measures.
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.
A runaway zebra was spotted on Atlanta's downtown connector during Thursday afternoon's rush hour.
(Bloomberg) -- A new movie about Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, one of the most expensive ever produced in Brazil, is falling short of its blockbuster expectations as the president's record popularity fails to bring box-office profits.
Lew Mon Hung is a wealthy Hong Kong-based businessman who sits on the foreign affairs committee of Beijing's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - effectively an upper chamber with an advisory role.
Just days after becoming controller of financially strapped Harrisburg, Pa., in January, Daniel Miller began uttering an obscure term that baffled most people who had never heard it and chilled those who had: Chapter 9.
US billionaire George Soros has more than doubled his investment in gold, despite calling it the "ultimate bubble" just weeks ago.
The European Union has shown its righteous wrath by stripping Greece of its vote at a crucial meeting next month, the worst humiliation ever suffered by an EU member state.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli turned up the heat on global warming yesterday.
Texas Republican leaders Tuesday ramped up their fight against federal environmental efforts by filing suit to avoid facing limits on carbon dioxide emissions.
