Joe Biden: the worrying rise of Barack Obama’s Mr Wrong - Telegraph: "On all the big questions, he has been – to put it politely – on the wrong side of history. In 1990, he voted against American forces expelling Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. He voted for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and advocated splitting it into three states along ethnic lines. He opposed the Iraq troop surge of 2007 that pacified the country and rescued the US from the jaws of defeat.
Now, Mr Biden is pushing a policy of what he terms 'counter-terrorism plus' – a scheme which involves a much smaller military presence in Afghanistan, with al-Qaeda elements being targeted at long range by military drones and smart missiles.
This runs entirely against the counter-insurgency doctrine convincingly outlined by Gen Stanley McChrystal, who wants an extra 40,000 troops to enable Nato forces to protect and influence the people while mentoring the Afghan army and police, and gathering intelligence on the ground.
The problem is that Mr Obama may now be listening to Mr Biden."
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That's General Biden, please.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Harvard’s Bet on Interest Rate Rise Cost $500 Million to Exit - Bloomberg.com
Harvard’s Bet on Interest Rate Rise Cost $500 Million to Exit - Bloomberg.com: "Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Harvard University’s failed bet that interest rates would rise cost the world’s richest school at least $500 million in payments to escape derivatives that backfired."
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You'd think with all those brilliant economists on the faculty that they could do better than this.
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You'd think with all those brilliant economists on the faculty that they could do better than this.
My Way News - Calif. bank becomes 99th in US to be shut in 2009
My Way News - Calif. bank becomes 99th in US to be shut in 2009: "NEW YORK (AP) - Regulators shut down San Joaquin Bank in California on Friday, marking the 99th failure this year of a federally insured bank.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of San Joaquin Bank, based in Bakersfield, Calif. It had $775 million in assets and $631 million in deposits as of Sept. 29."
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Cost to the FDIC (i.e., the taxpayers): an estimated $103 million.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of San Joaquin Bank, based in Bakersfield, Calif. It had $775 million in assets and $631 million in deposits as of Sept. 29."
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Cost to the FDIC (i.e., the taxpayers): an estimated $103 million.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Scientists create 'sexual tsunami' - Telegraph
Scientists create 'sexual tsunami' - Telegraph: "They discovered that when the pheromone was removed, it created a 'sexual tsunami' where the bugs proved attractive to one another, regardless of sex. The research found that male fruit flies with no history of homosexuality attempted to mate with their pheromone-free males, according to the research published in journal Nature."
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Wait until the Pentagon gets their hands on this one.
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Wait until the Pentagon gets their hands on this one.
School Chief Sticks By 'Zero Tolerance' Ruling for Eagle Scout - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
School Chief Sticks By 'Zero Tolerance' Ruling for Eagle Scout - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "The upstate New York school superintendent who suspended an Eagle Scout for 20 days for keeping a 2-inch utility knife locked in his car is unwilling to speak to the teen's family or bend in his ruling."
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It is no wonder that so many parents have taken their children out of public schools. They are often run by people like this.
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It is no wonder that so many parents have taken their children out of public schools. They are often run by people like this.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Texas man faces execution after jurors consult Bible to decide fate - Telegraph
Texas man faces execution after jurors consult Bible to decide fate - Telegraph: "At one point, a juror reportedly read aloud from a copy, including the passage: 'And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.'"
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And the defendant not only shot the victim--he beat him with the rifle, which is an instrument of iron. His execution date is November 5. If he is expecting any relief from Governor Rick Perry, I would not hold my breath on that one.
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And the defendant not only shot the victim--he beat him with the rifle, which is an instrument of iron. His execution date is November 5. If he is expecting any relief from Governor Rick Perry, I would not hold my breath on that one.
Foreclosures hit record in third quarter 2009 - Oct. 15, 2009
Foreclosures hit record in third quarter 2009 - Oct. 15, 2009: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Despite concerted government-led and lender-supported efforts to prevent foreclosures, the number of filings hit a record high in the third quarter, according to a report issued Thursday."
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The map looks like it could just as easily be ranking the percentage of CID housing in the state's housing stock.
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The map looks like it could just as easily be ranking the percentage of CID housing in the state's housing stock.
Majority of Nobel jury 'objected to Obama prize'
Majority of Nobel jury 'objected to Obama prize': "'The committee was unanimous,' its influential secretary Geir Lundestad told AFP on Friday.
But Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, who represented the right-wing populist Progress Party on the committee, led the way in objecting to the choice of Obama because she questioned his ability to keep his promises, the newspaper said.
It also said the representative of the Conservative Party, Kaci Kullmann Five, and Aagot Valle, the representative of the Socialist Left, had objections.
The choice for Obama was however strongly supported by committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland and Sissel Roenbeck, both representatives of the Labour Party."
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Maybe they should rename it the "Nobel Political Prize."
But Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, who represented the right-wing populist Progress Party on the committee, led the way in objecting to the choice of Obama because she questioned his ability to keep his promises, the newspaper said.
It also said the representative of the Conservative Party, Kaci Kullmann Five, and Aagot Valle, the representative of the Socialist Left, had objections.
The choice for Obama was however strongly supported by committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland and Sissel Roenbeck, both representatives of the Labour Party."
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Maybe they should rename it the "Nobel Political Prize."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Invading giant snakes threaten U.S wilderness areas | Lifestyle | Reuters
Invading giant snakes threaten U.S wilderness areas | Lifestyle | Reuters: "MIAMI (Reuters) - Burmese pythons and other giant snakes imported as pets could endanger some of America's most important parks and wilderness areas if they are allowed to multiply, according to a report released on Tuesday.
Wildlife experts say the Burmese python is distributed across thousands of square miles (kilometers) in south Florida. There could be tens of thousands in the Everglades, a wildlife refuge that is home to the Florida panther and other endangered species."
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And a whole bunch of other species too. They are breeding. It seems that Floridians buy themselves a nice python or boa, feed it the occasional mouse, and enjoy showing their friends their cool pet. But then it gets big enough to eat their kids, so they haul it off to the Everglades and leave it there. Problem solved. For them.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tidbits: Jamie Foxx has no sympathy for Polanski - Tabloid Tidbits- msnbc.com
Tidbits: Jamie Foxx has no sympathy for Polanski - Tabloid Tidbits- msnbc.com: "“If it had been my daughter who was barely a teenager — my daughter is 15 — Roman Polanski would be missing ... period,” Foxx stated in an interview with Parade magazine. “"
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Well said, Mr. Foxx.
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Well said, Mr. Foxx.
Apartment residents told to take down U.S. flags | KATU.com - News, Weather and Sports - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional
Apartment residents told to take down U.S. flags | KATU.com - News, Weather and Sports - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional: "Resident we talked to who had been approached to take down their flags all told us the same thing: that management told them the flags could be offensive because they live in a diverse community."
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And this really is a ban on flags, in all forms, all places, all manners of display. It seems that for this apartment building owner, any trace of patriotism might cause a conflict.
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And this really is a ban on flags, in all forms, all places, all manners of display. It seems that for this apartment building owner, any trace of patriotism might cause a conflict.
Obama fails to win Nobel prize in economics - MarketWatch
MarketWatch First Take: Obama fails to win Nobel prize in economics - MarketWatch: "While few observers think Obama has done anything for world peace in the nearly nine months he's been in office, the same clearly can't be said for economics.
The president has worked tirelessly since even before his inauguration to wrest control of the U.S. economy from failed free markets, and the evil CEOs who profit from them, and to turn it over to wise, fair and benevolent bureaucrats."
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Dang. Well, maybe next year.
The president has worked tirelessly since even before his inauguration to wrest control of the U.S. economy from failed free markets, and the evil CEOs who profit from them, and to turn it over to wise, fair and benevolent bureaucrats."
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Dang. Well, maybe next year.
HOA Fights Back Against Delinquent Members - Money News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach
HOA Fights Back Against Delinquent Members - Money News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "...with so many foreclosures, about 33 percent of homeowners are delinquent in their homeowner's association dues.
'(It's a) pretty high amount, substantial -- especially when you try to budget that,' said Prince.
Now, the community is trying something new. Liens are only marginally working, so the HOA board has invested in new security software and a car transponder system that will cut conveniences, like entry into the community -- until they pay up."
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The rule seems to be, the association gets all kinds of breaks and leniency from the law and the courts, but the owners have to live up to all their obligations, or else.
'(It's a) pretty high amount, substantial -- especially when you try to budget that,' said Prince.
Now, the community is trying something new. Liens are only marginally working, so the HOA board has invested in new security software and a car transponder system that will cut conveniences, like entry into the community -- until they pay up."
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The rule seems to be, the association gets all kinds of breaks and leniency from the law and the courts, but the owners have to live up to all their obligations, or else.
Henderson HOA to pay up for board member's mistake - Las Vegas Sun
Henderson HOA to pay up for board member's mistake - Las Vegas Sun: "A former board member of a homeowners association in Henderson whose landscaping company performed work for the association he represented -- while he sat on the board -- was disciplined last week by the state board that regulates homeowners associations.
At the hearing, some members of the Commission on Common Interest Communities and Condominium Hotels, however, expressed disappointment when they discovered that his $500 fine, like many of the fines they have handed out over the years, would be paid by the association he represented and not out of his own pocket."
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Do you ever get the feeling that the game is rigged? I mean, this is Nevada and all.
At the hearing, some members of the Commission on Common Interest Communities and Condominium Hotels, however, expressed disappointment when they discovered that his $500 fine, like many of the fines they have handed out over the years, would be paid by the association he represented and not out of his own pocket."
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Do you ever get the feeling that the game is rigged? I mean, this is Nevada and all.
Monday, October 12, 2009
My husband had beaten cancer, then doctors wrongly told him it had returned and let him die | Mail Online
My husband had beaten cancer, then doctors wrongly told him it had returned and let him die | Mail Online: "A grandfather who beat cancer was wrongly told the disease had returned and left to die at a hospice which pioneered a controversial 'death pathway'.
Doctors said there was nothing more they could do for 76-year- old Jack Jones, and his family claim he was denied food, water and medication except painkillers.
He died within two weeks. But tests after his death found that his cancer had not come back and he was in fact suffering from pneumonia brought on by a chest infection."
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But on the other hand, the system that appears to have let him die is such a wonderful egalitarian thing.
Doctors said there was nothing more they could do for 76-year- old Jack Jones, and his family claim he was denied food, water and medication except painkillers.
He died within two weeks. But tests after his death found that his cancer had not come back and he was in fact suffering from pneumonia brought on by a chest infection."
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But on the other hand, the system that appears to have let him die is such a wonderful egalitarian thing.
Parking meters may help plug Indy's money gap | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
Parking meters may help plug Indy's money gap | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
Supposedly I'm quoted in this story somewhere.
Supposedly I'm quoted in this story somewhere.
Recession-hit Britain to sell off state assets: PM
Recession-hit Britain to sell off state assets: PM: "The government is to sell off 16 billion pounds (25.4 billion dollars, 17.2 billion euros) of assets, Brown was to say, according to extracts from a keynote speech to be given London, setting out his vision for 'enduring and sustainable growth.'
Brown was to outline details of initial sales that could raise three billion pounds, including the Channel Tunnel linking Britain to France; the 33 percent stake in European uranium consortium URENCO; the Tote bookmakers; the River Thames crossings at Dartford, east of London; and the Student Loans Company."
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Just like Chicago selling the Skyway and the parking meters, and trying to sell Midway Airport, while the state of Illinois tries to sell the lottery. And on, and on. Fire sale on government, Aisle Five.
Brown was to outline details of initial sales that could raise three billion pounds, including the Channel Tunnel linking Britain to France; the 33 percent stake in European uranium consortium URENCO; the Tote bookmakers; the River Thames crossings at Dartford, east of London; and the Student Loans Company."
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Just like Chicago selling the Skyway and the parking meters, and trying to sell Midway Airport, while the state of Illinois tries to sell the lottery. And on, and on. Fire sale on government, Aisle Five.
Chávez Fans Push to Remove Legacies of U.S. Capitalism - Golf Courses - NYTimes.com
Chávez Fans Push to Remove Legacies of U.S. Capitalism - Golf Courses - NYTimes.com: "“Let’s leave this clear,” Mr. Chávez said during a live broadcast of his Sunday television program. “Golf is a bourgeois sport,” he said, repeating the word “bourgeois” as if he were swallowing castor oil. Then he went on, mocking the use of golf carts as a practice illustrating the sport’s laziness.
The government’s broad nationalizations and asset seizures have gone far beyond the oil industry to include coffee roasters, cattle ranches and tomato-processing plants."
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Firs they came for the coffee roasters and people said nothing. Then it was the cattle ranches and the tomato processing plants, and still people said nothing.
Then they came for the golf courses! And that was the start of the Revolution!
FORE!
The government’s broad nationalizations and asset seizures have gone far beyond the oil industry to include coffee roasters, cattle ranches and tomato-processing plants."
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Firs they came for the coffee roasters and people said nothing. Then it was the cattle ranches and the tomato processing plants, and still people said nothing.
Then they came for the golf courses! And that was the start of the Revolution!
FORE!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Biggest news you’ve never heard: Earth isn’t warming | csmonitor.com
Biggest news you’ve never heard: Earth isn’t warming | csmonitor.com: "Five major climate centers around the world agree that average global temperatures have not risen in the past 11 years, according to the BBC. In fact, in eight of those years, global average temperatures dipped a tad."
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But this can be dismissed easily, because it is that right-wing Christian Science Monitor quoting that right-wing BBC.
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But this can be dismissed easily, because it is that right-wing Christian Science Monitor quoting that right-wing BBC.
Opinion | America's renters deserve better treatment from federal and local governments | Seattle Times Newspaper
Opinion | America's renters deserve better treatment from federal and local governments | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Goodbye to the era of homeownership as the powerful, pervasive symbol of the American Dream. Who believes any longer that owning your own house is a sure ticket to building wealth and assuring yourself an easy retirement?
So, welcome back to renting — the plain vanilla, easy-to-grasp idea that you pay methodically, month by month, for the roof over your head."
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I think the era of home ownership began winding down when CIDs became the predominant form of new housing.
So, welcome back to renting — the plain vanilla, easy-to-grasp idea that you pay methodically, month by month, for the roof over your head."
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I think the era of home ownership began winding down when CIDs became the predominant form of new housing.
Nation & World | Clothesline bans stir rights battles | Seattle Times Newspaper
Nation & World | Clothesline bans stir rights battles | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Like the majority of the 60 million people who live in the nation's roughly 300,000 private communities, Saylor was forbidden to dry her laundry outside because many people viewed it as an eyesore, not unlike storing junk cars in driveways, and a marker of poverty that lowers property values.
In the past year, however, state lawmakers in Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont have overridden these local rules with legislation protecting the right to hang laundry outdoors, citing environmental concerns, because clothes dryers use at least 6 percent of all household electricity consumed.
Florida and Utah already had such laws, and similar bills are being considered in Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia, clothesline advocates say."
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In the past year, however, state lawmakers in Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont have overridden these local rules with legislation protecting the right to hang laundry outdoors, citing environmental concerns, because clothes dryers use at least 6 percent of all household electricity consumed.
Florida and Utah already had such laws, and similar bills are being considered in Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia, clothesline advocates say."
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My Way News - 2012 isn't the end of the world, Mayans insist
My Way News - 2012 isn't the end of the world, Mayans insist: "MEXICO CITY (AP) - Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly 'running out' on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it's not the end of the world.
Or is it?
Definitely not, the Mayan Indian elder insists. 'I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff.'"
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And he ought to know.
Or is it?
Definitely not, the Mayan Indian elder insists. 'I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff.'"
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And he ought to know.
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