The chances of overhearing a conversation in Vlashki, a variant of Istro-Romanian, are greater in Queens than in the remote mountain villages in Croatia that immigrants now living in New York left years ago.
These are not just some of the languages that make New York the most linguistically diverse city in the world. They are part of a remarkable trove of endangered tongues that have taken root in New York ? languages born in every corner of the globe and now more commonly heard in various corners of New York than anywhere else.
?It is the capital of language density in the world,? said Daniel Kaufman, an adjunct professor of linguistics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. ?We?re sitting in an endangerment hot spot where we are surrounded by languages that are not going to be around even in 20 or 30 years.?
Groucho Marx once said, "Outside of a dog, a book is a mans best friend. Inside of a dog, its too dark to read."
But it is beginning to get lighter in there, thanks to modern cognitive science.
Grouchos quip graces the opening page of "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know," a new book by cognitive scientist and psychologist Alexandra Horowitz that goes a long way to suggest what its like to think with a dogs brain -- to actually be a dog.
Combining new knowledge from hundreds of scientific and animal behavior studies, and mixing it in with a fine style guided by her own loving bemusement of dogs -- especially of her own Finnegan, rescued as a sick and needy pup from a shelter -- Horowitz gives us a fascinating picture of a dogs umwelt (OOM-velt) -- German for "their subjective or self-world."
Thinking to change the color of your car frequently? It is not a dream anymore because there is a technology allows you to do so. German foil wrapping technology by foliacar can give your car a new look without repaint the original finish.
The high-end color coil coating is fully removable, and ensures the same optical appearance and surface structure just like the regular paint finish. The foil density guarantees 100% opacity and shields the paint against chips, abrasion and weathering to preserve your car?s resale value.
The best part is, you can change the color of your car anytime. Can?t wait to see the illustration for changing the temporary car?s color? See the process for changing car?s color temporarily in the pictures below.
Whenever gay and lesbian people exercise the temerity to be treated like real human beings, to have equal employment in the private sector as well as in the military, the right wing religious reaction is always the same -- should they "obey God or obey men."
In the military, the answer is quite clear: they are to obey military code, period. Otherwise, they wont remain military chaplains for long. If President Obama makes good on his promise to repeal Dont Ask, Dont Tell, a group of conservative Christian chaplains expressed their fear in a letter to the president and Defense Secretary Robert Gates that theyll "face a reduction in the free exercise of their faith."
The chaplains use the letter to lodge a litany of complaints about how theyll be forced to compromise their beliefs, how they will have to work with gay people, counsel gay people, and perhaps even conduct a service with gay or lesbian clergy.
The Twister Bed Sheets, for innocent or kinky games in bed. (Link)
Since your iPod Touch already has access to every app a person could ever need. Just add these custom bed sheets and your collection will be complete. (Link)
This weird blanket is from a SLEEPLESS project collaborated between The Great Eastern Hotel and fourteen students from the Royal College of Arts acclaimed Design Products department led by Professor Ron Arad. This blanket has some traditional bedtime story on it. Plus, it has several sheets just like a real book. (Link)
Imagine integrating a radio alarm clock within the Sheet! That?s the Melted Clock for you: a haptic, touch sensitive alarm with speakers and controls all embedded within your sheet.
Andree Marions right hand not only knows what the left one is doing, it is forever mimicking its actions.
When Marion, 47, brushes her teeth with her left hand, her right hand will automatically do an "air brush" impression. When she turns a door knob with her right hand, the left one will twist in kind.
Because of a rare condition known as mirror dystonia, Marions hands will perpetually act in tandem, but thanks to a University of Montrealstudy published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers now understand why.
Even if Marion balls the unintended hand into a fist in an attempt to stop the mimicry, "you can feel my nerves are still firing," says Marion, an accountant in Montreal. "It makes me clumsy, and Im a very bad player at pool. I also have to be careful cutting vegetables so that I dont cut myself."
Faint fingers of oily sheen have reached the mouth of Mississippi River, the vanguard of a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The slick is making its way toward a delicate environment of birds, marine life and some of the nations richest seafood grounds.
By sunset Thursday, the oil had creeped into South Pass of the river and was lapping at the shoreline in long, thin lines.
Booms in place to protect grasslands and sandy beaches are being over topped by 5-foot waves of oily water in choppy seas.
The oil spill threatens Louisianas barrier islands - a buffer against hurricanes - its marshlands and more than 400 species of wildlife, including whales, dolphins and the brown pelican - the state bird
The Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 20th Anniversary this week, marking two decades of space observation since it was launched into space by NASA.
In honour of 20 years of Hubble we look at some of the seminal moments in Hubble?s history as captured in the stunning imagery from the orbital telescope.
The legal battle over the Christian cross on Sunrise Rock is not over. That became clear yesterday as both sides in the dispute over religious symbols on public land picked their way through a fractured Supreme Court opinion that sent the cross controversy back to lower courts.
Ruling in the long-running case Salazar v. Buono, the Court reversed decisions that had halted implementation of a 2004 federal law aimed at ending the dispute over the World War I veterans memorial on remote federal land in California?s Mojave Desert. The law would transfer the land on which the eight-foot cross stands to a private party ? the Veterans of Foreign Wars ? so it could no longer be said that a Christian cross was being maintained on public property.
Kennedy?s analysis of the cross as something more than a Christian religious symbol was echoed in a separate opinion by Justice Samuel Alito.
These expansive views of the cross disturbed some religious leaders.
clipped by:willhelm clippers remarks: If you watch all the fake news, then you probably havent heard of this insidious shift against popular opinion in Puerto Rico in opposition to statehood. The Obama Administration wants to limit the choices of Puerto Ricans and cajole them into statehood via the Progressive Party in Puerto Rico by invoking the Tennessee Plan. 5 Times in the past decade Puerto Ricans have vote no on the question of statehood as a yes or no matter. Now, the choice of no will be watered down in a status quo referendum where no really isnt a choice.
U.S. Congress today approved Puerto Rico Democracy Act (HR2499) allowing Puerto Rico to go for a referendum to decide if it wants a statehood, to maintain its current status. This may even open a door for the small Caribbean vacation island to look for independence. If the Puerto Rico decides to change the current status it will face four options.
Whether it is opening a door for independence or Puerto Ricos statehood the new HR 2499 legislation will cause changes int he relationship that Puerto Rico has had with the United states for the past 112 years. The options are now the possibility of a statehood, becoming the 51st state of USA, becoming more of a country or become and independent entity.
This initiative gives Puerto Rico a two-step pathway to express their will. It may change the political future of the island.
Taiwanese crime lord funeral procession. 20,000 people send him off
According to a TVBS report, police obtained information that a crime lord known as ?Silly Face? Lee Zhaoxiong [Lee Chao-hsiung] who died last month of liver cancer will have a funeral procession on the 26th, learning that there will be 20,000 figures from various factions , and therefore have dispatched hundreds of police.
Mist is a mass of fine droplets of water suspended in air. This phenomena is commonly seen during winters and early morning. Capturing mist in photos is mist photography. Due to water droplets suspended in thin air a beam of light is visible from the side due to refraction of light from the water particles. This creates a beautiful light ray scene in nature and you can see that in some photographs below.
It would be a good punchline for an off-color joke, but its a reality:
Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest."
I am not making this up.
Just days after Iran abandoned a high-profile bid for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, it began a covert campaign to claim a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women, which is "dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women," according to its website.
The announcement of the U.N.s vote (by acclamation = no paper trail) was buried 2,000 words into a press release, presumably in an effort to avoid the profound reaction garnered from past decisions to elect and re-elect the likes of China and Cuba to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
clipped by:Antara clippers remarks: Like Al Gore and Moby, he can preach to the lowly peasants, , but he still lives like a King: "Sting owns several homes worldwide, including Elizabethan manor house Lake House and its 60-acre country estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire; a country cottage in the Lake District; a New York City apartment; a beach house in Malibu; a 600-acre estate in Tuscany; and two properties in London: an apartment on The Mall, an 18th-century terrace house in Highgate. ? He also owns homes in the Caribbean, including one in the upscale community of Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic."
Tea Parties used to be all about resisting Big Governments intrusions. But not anymore ? Stink has redefined them:
You know, the man on the street can do a little bit, but big governments need to make decisions. We need to stop clear-cutting forests. We need to protect the forests. Thats the simplest way of cutting greenhouse gases. ? And prevent global warming.
So Sting wants Big Government to suppress economic activity in the interests of preventing a problem that does not exist. Lets hope for his sake that the econazis dont start with his own lousy band:
Environmental experts labelled Stings band, The Police, the dirtiest in the world because of the amount of pollution created during [a] reunion tour of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan.
How did you come up with the idea for Pencil Vs Camera?
I?ve been taking photos and drawing since almost 10 years. This « Pencil Vs Camera » series is nothing but the result of several years of graphic exploration and a logic consequence of my artistic evolution. But the real idea came by coincidence while I was watching television and writing a letter at the same time a few weeks ago. Reading my letter before putting it in the envelope, I saw in transparency the television behind the paper. I then realize it would be great to make something similar in a single image showing 2 different actions.
I went outside and Drew « Pencil Vs Camera 1 » which is very simple and shows 2 chairs with a small table. About ¼ of the scene is represented on the paper, the other ¾ happens on the photo. So this is roughly how the project started. In my other « Pencil Vs Camera » images, I tried to introduce weird elements on the paper
In light of the Share The Road post I figured this would be a good example to illustrate road rage. Not sure how this got started, but one thing I can say is that it didn?t end well for either party involved. GIF after the jump.
These RGB wallpapers by Carnovsky, which debuted at Milan Design Week, consist of three separate patterns printed over each other. By shining red, green, or blue light on them, you can isolate and hide the different images.
clipped by:healthylivinggal clippers remarks: Pregnant women are three times more likely to suffer from severe morning sickness if their mothers did, say Norwegian researchers.
clipped by:bruxedo clippers remarks: While DUIs are no joking or laughing matter, if more of them were like these, it would probably take the sting off just a little bit. Here are 10 of the funniest DUI arrests youll ever see. If nothing else, these videos are a hilarious lesson to please, PLEASE drink responsibly.
IRGC-QF members usually are stationed in foreign embassies, charities and religious or cultural institutions as intelligence officers to develop ties with the Shiite diaspora and other potential allies.
Health freedom alert: Congressman Waxman sneaks anti-vitamin amendment into Wall Street reform bill
clipped by:celestialdancer clippers remarks: "This is how bad things have become in America today: The criminal CEOs of drug companies are allowed to commit felony crimes, engage in routine price fixing fraud and fix their research with fraudulent clinical trials, yet the FTC and FDA do nothing. But when an honest nutritional supplement company says something like, "Walnuts are good for your heart," they get threatened with imprisonment or have their entire life savings stolen away from them by the FTC through a series of "fines."" http://www.naturalnews.com/028687_Henry_Waxman_health_freedom.html#
I dont live in America so cant get involved with this one. If this gets passed then, it is very likely we will have to face a similar situation here. Our politicians lack guts, they still do not make decisions based on what is best for this nation, instead they banter to the whims of other nations, without first thinking through how appropriate and/or beneficial they really are for this nation.
(Newser) ? The right thinks its found a new killer soundbite to drive home how socialist Barack Obama is. Stumping for financial reform in Quincy, Illinois, Obama said, ?Were not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success thats fairly earned. I do think at a certain point youve made enough money, but you know, part of the American way is, you can just keep on making it if youre providing a good product.?
Fox News is already doing its victory lap. ?Hes outed himself,? Frank Luntz declares, claiming the statement reveals that financial services reform ?is about punishing everyday workers.? Mediaite likens the quote to Obamas passing comment about ?redistributing the wealth? to Joe the Plumber, and expects to see it re-aired throughout the year.
Christianity deserves no protection in law above other faiths and to do so would be ?irrational, divisive, capricious and arbitrary?, a senior judge said yesterday.
In the latest clash between the judiciary and Christian believers Lord Justice Laws said that laws could not be used to protect one religion above another.
He also delivered a robust dismissal to Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who had warned that a series of recent court rulings against Christians could lead to civil unrest. He called his idea for a specialist panel of judges to hear cases involving the practice of religious beliefs ?deeply inimical to the public interest?.
To give one religion legal protection over any other, ?however long its tradition, however rich its culture, is deeply unprincipled?, the judge said. It would give legal force to a subjective opinion and would lead to a ?theocracy?.
Biodiversity: try as we might, things just keep dying
clipped by:cuteeleslie clippers remarks: The world is about to miss another deadline. By 2010 there was supposed to be "a significant reduction" in the speed at which varieties of life are disappearing.
While the impact on the actual writing of textbooks may not be that dire the Texas Board of Education is clearly rewriting history to fit a conservative agenda and a Christian dominant worldview. Plus: The Ten Most Egregious Proposed Changes to the Social Studies Curriculum.
The 30-day public comment period for the Texas Board of Education?s revised social studies curriculum is underway, and organizations from the American Civil Liberties Union to historians to the Texas Library Association are urging the public to weigh in regarding conservative efforts to rewrite history.
The more than 100 revisions have garnered outrage from educators across the country, which include playing down Thomas Jefferson?s role as an influential thinker, requiring the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis? inaugural address to be taught alongside the writings of President Abraham Lincoln, and replacing the word ?capitalism? with the phrase ?free enterprise.?
A boy of two had his cheese sandwich lunch confiscated by a nursery because it broke their healthy eating rules.
Jack Ormisher burst into tears when staff took it away because it didnt contain any lettuce or tomato, reports The Sun.
His mother Dorothy Gallear, 32, has now changed nurseries in Wigan, Lancs, and said: "Its absolutely pathetic."
She claimed he was not allowed to have it for lunch because it was not on a list of menu options such as fruit, veg, pasta or potatoes.
But bizarrely, she was told the sandwich would have been all right if it had contained some lettuce or tomato - as then it would have been classed as only a snack.
To find the hottest restaurant, bar, or concert venue in town, many young adults are no longer checking in with their friends. They?re ?checking in? virtually via Foursquare, a location-based social networking site.
Participants log onto the site and ?check in? via smartphone to let contacts who are fellow users know where they are. At the same time, they learn what those users are doing?whether a co-worker is eating at the restaurant next door, or if friends are gathering at a nightclub across town.
iPhone badges: Every foursquare check-in earns points. Users are rewarded badges for discovering new places and for traveling to far away places. (Credit: Foursquare)
As ?check in? alerts are traded between phones, the people attached to them instantly become aware of the spots that are popular in their social circles.
clipped by:thisnamecantbetaken clippers remarks: No, with MANY views! This is cool! You can do this on your existing HD TV! If you have a Mac attached to your HD TV, you can easily run the Winscape software with one or more of our scenery movies. The Winscape software is free to try and it works on any movie in your Movies folder. We are planning to have a Wii Remote and much sleeker IR necklace kit available by July.
Because Music Speaks to My Soul More Than the News & Human Dialogue Oftentimes
clipped by:celestialdancer clippers remarks: This is a call A call to all It goes out to those whove been there And I should know Because Ive been Maybe once a week on Mondays You should have seen What Ive seen She doubles up and comes back Sundays And she will come Into your heart It goes on and on and on Here it comes Here comes my day in the sun Here it comes Here comes my time in the sun This is the day This is the time To stare at the skies in wonder We live a lie Youll never find Never in a month of Sundays You should have seen What Ive seen He doubles up and comes back Mondays And he will come Into your heart It goes on and on and on Here it comes Here comes my day in the sun Here it comes Here comes my time in the sun And you dont know How it feels Here it comes Here comes my time in the sun
A Wellington man who organised an international child pornography ring, continued to offend, even after hed been caught by police.
Daniel Moore was arrested in 2007 after a joint operation run by the United States Department of Homeland Security, New Zealand police and Internal Affairs.
Moore used a system called internet relay chat. It operates away from the general internet and can only be accessed by invitation.
He had a surveillance system set up around his home so he could be alerted to any raid and unplug his computer in time.
But police were too quick. They burst in and managed to drag him from his computer before he could disconnect.
The hard drive was fully encrypted which meant that the data on the drive could only be accessed while it was connected and running. Had the external hard drive been unplugged, all the data would have been lost.
One, in the United States, was jailed for 18 years.
Moore told police he just couldnt help his behaviour.
clipped by:moneyrich clippers remarks: Penny stocks have different specific definitions. But usually it denotes low priced, highly speculative stocks which normally sell at less than $1 per share. They are very unpredictable and can fluctuate hundreds of percentage points in minutes, sometimes as much as 400%. This can of course be risky, but can also be extremely profitable if you trade professionally. http://www.stockrich.com/
We, at www.stockrich.com» deliver you the most accurate information regarding penny stocks. By giving you alerts on volume and promotion of these micro caps, we let you prepare a safer side for yourself in this big field of stock market. You receive the detailed information about these stocks even along with the reverse mergers.
clipped by:moneyrich clippers remarks: The penny stocks are traded through quotation services over OTC Bulletin Board or pink sheets having a per share value of $5 or under that. With the alerts from www.stockrich.com you will be able to know the movement of the stocks in breakout patterns. It gives you breaking news about these stocks.
If you want to trade penny stocks, trade many times and analyze the trends and results over a long period. Then only you can really understand trading stocks. http://www.stockrich.com/
clipped by:merrie clippers remarks: More? Dee added:
SWAT was there because it looked like the ladies were going to break out in a BINGO game.
UPDATE: From our sources" A call came from inside the convention center to the Quincy police. The Secret Service unleashed the riot police on the tea party patriots.
UPDATE: The Quincy Herald Whig did not report the truth on the protest. Here is their report:
There were a few tense moments when the crowd moved west down York toward Third Street after the president?s motorcade arrived. A Secret Service agent asked the crowd to move back across the street to the north side.
When the crowd didn?t move and began singing ?God Bless, America? and the national anthem, Quincy Deputy Police Chief Ron Dreyer called for members of the Mobile Field Force to walk up the street.
The officers, mainly from Metro East departments near St. Louis and dressed in full body armor, marched from the east and stood on the south side of York facing the protesters.
The SWAT Team was called in today at the Quincy Tea Party Rally. Obama was speaking at the Oakley-Lindsey/Quincy Community Center this afternoon. Unreal.
They didn?t want any violence from these threatening protesters.
In Full Riot Gear!!
The patriots were singing ?God Bless America? ?A sure sign of violence.
They were worried about violence.
** Click On Photo For Video **
Local Quincy Tea Party Leader Steve McQueen was directing protesters when the SWAT team was called in.
Enhancing natural landscapes with "super"-natural light
This article is not about "painter of light" Thomas Kinkade, but rather less-established and extremely talented photographers, who use dynamic electric light patterns to enhance the natures given landscapes, or our bleak industrial environments. In every case something luminous and strangely mesmerizing is brought "to light", transforming the photograph into an entirely different experience, and making our hearts beat faster.
It all started with Eric Staller
Eric Staller is a sculptor more known for the permanent artwork in public places, but also for his experimentation with light. His light drawings and sculptures date as far back as the late 70s (definitely in-line with the disco-era sensibilities). He was perhaps the first photographer to paint light into live urban environment:
In honor of these amazing engineering marvels we have selected some of our favorite railway bridges from around the world.
Kew Railway Bridge.
The Kew Railway Bridge which spans the River Thames between Kew & Strand-on-the-Green, consists of 5 Wrought iron lattice girder spans of 35 meters each.
Railway Bridge Sweden - Finland.
The only direct crossing point between the Swedish & Finnish railways is this bridge located between Swedish (Haparanda) & Finnish (Tornio).
Fulham Railway Bridge.
This bridge is 418 meters long lattice girder construction with 5 spans (301 meters) across the river & one span on the north & two more on the southern shore.
Wearmouth Railway Bridge.
Wearmouth Bridge & Railway Bridge in Sunderland. The bridge in the background is a railway bridge & is still in use
... how are police supposed to decide whom they "reasonably suspect" of being in the country illegally? Since the great majority of undocumented immigrants in Arizona are from Mexico, aggressive enforcement of the law would seem to require demanding identification from anybody who looks kind of Mexican. Or maybe just hassling those who look kind of Mexican and also kind of poor. Or maybe anyone who dares to visit the Mexican consulate.
The law makes Latino citizens and legal residents vulnerable to arbitrary harassment -- relegating them to second-class status -- and it is an utter disgrace.[/quote[
Activists for Latino and immigrant rights -- and supporters of sane governance -- held weekend rallies denouncing the new law and vowing to do everything they can to overturn it. But where was the Tea Party crowd? Isnt the whole premise of the Tea Party movement that overreaching government poses a grave threat to individual freedom? It seems to me that a law allowing individuals to be detained and interrogated on a whim -- and requiring legal residents to carry identification documents, as in a police state -- would send the Tea Partyers into apoplexy. Or is there some kind of exception if the people whose freedoms are being taken away happen to have brown skin and might speak Spanish?
Shame on Arizona: Immigration law conjures ghosts of Southern neo-slavery
clipped by:zizzy clippers remarks: And now this is the law of the state of Arizona -- arresting people, citizen or not, simply for appearing Hispanic. The ghosts of Green Cottonham, "anti-vagrancy" laws and Black Codes. America has resurrected its predilection for rounding up brown people based on flimsy excuses and good ol boy lawmaking.
The violation was known as "vagrancy." If you were a black man in the South following Reconstruction, and you were unable to show proof of employment on-demand to the police, you could be arrested and delivered into what Douglas Blackmon, author of Slavery by Another Name, calls "Neo-Slavery."
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon: Arizona immigration bill requires racial profiling
clipped by:zizzy clippers remarks: Our state is frustrated. We have become ground zero in the battle over illegal immigration because of years of lapsed federal border security. This week that frustration exploded, thanks to hateful political opportunists such as state Sen. Russell Pearce, the author of the legislation, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is already under investigation by the federal Justice Department for alleged violations of civil rights.
"profile" them based on stereotypes and insufficient information
The opponents of S.B. 1070 are many in Arizona, a majority who can no longer be silent if the price of silence is allowing the vocal, spiteful few to rule
As we see it, the governor must call a special session of our legislature to fix the acts myriad flaws
Until she does, we will explore every option available to quell the fear and frustration that have become rampant here
I have called a special meeting of the Phoenix City Council to establish standing to sue the state on the grounds that S.B. 1070 unconstitutionally co-opts our police force to enforce immigration laws that are the rightful jurisdiction of the federal government
Obama Goons Send Illinois SWAT Team to Smash Tea Party Patriots!
clipped by:merrie clippers remarks: Who gave the order to call in the riot police on protesters? Word is that Secret Service from inside the venue and the presidential team pressured local law enforcement, who were against the idea. Local cops were overruled, I?m told by various sources, including a few members of local press. Moore reported that she overheard Secret Service telling the riot squad to ?push them back, out of sight.?
As I reported on air this afternoon via Michelle Moore?s updates, Illinois sent in the riot squad to stop the couple hundred peaceful protesters from ? doing what it isn?t exactly clear. Protesters sang ?God Bless America? and apparently that was enough to invoke the riot squad. Illinois may be running a deficit but sure has money to burn for silly and unnecessary things.
[Video]
Intimidation tactic. Plain and simple. There was no violence, no arguments, just a couple hundred patriots who sang patriotic songs and wore red, white, and blue. Unbelievable.
*UPDATE
Doug Edelman identifies this man as the one who called in the riot squad and said to ?push them back, out of sight? ...
The tea partiers were completely peaceful throughout, as they always are.
Western Australias iron ore producers have come out in force as fears of a possible federal resource rent tax spark talk of the state seceding from Australia.
The prospect of a new mining tax, expected to take the form of a tax on resource company profits above a certain level, has been raised ahead of Sundays release of the Henry tax review.
But resource-rich states are bracing for a fight should the tax take the place of state royalties.
Western Australia has already refused to hand over control of its GST revenue for health, and the states Mining Minister, Norman Moore, is not planning on helping the Commonwealth out in this endeavour either.
"Were not about to agree that the WA Government should rely almost totally on the Commonwealth for its revenues.
"And indeed those rumblings of secession - everywhere you go these days, people are now talking about it."
Girl Scouts, your youthful entrepreneurial ambitions are lofty. But you dominate the minty-cookie market, and some healthy competition would be good for you. So we present our versions of three of your most anticipated springtime treats. Your Tagalongs cannot compete with our real-peanut-butter Left-Behinds. Your Thin Mints are thin on flavor compared to our Slim Mints. Our Fijis will take down your Samoas. We think our cookies deserve a badge all their own.
Church warned that flag of Jesus is religious advertising
A vicar has been warned by council officials about flying a flag depicting Jesus Christ outside his church because it was deemed to be ?religious advertising?.
Rev Mark Binney, vicar of St Andrew?s Church, Hampton, Worcs, said he had been told he needed planning permission if he wanted to fly a flag ?advertising Christianity? in future.
The flag was put up outside the church in the week preceding Easter Sunday displaying the words This is Holy Week and an image of Jesus on the cross.
Mr Binney said the warning was ?appalling?, and he felt it was part of a gradual erosion of Christianity in Britain.
Wychavon council said it investigated a complaint from a member of the public and decided no consent was required.
A spokesman said flags other than national flags, county flags, or flags for patron saints, required advertisement consent if they were flown from a vertical freestanding flagpole.
Judge tosses arrest of cop accused in fatal DUI crash
For more than two years, the families of two young men killed in a Thanksgiving Day collision with an off-duty Chicago police officer have fought to prove the officer was drunk and responsible for the deaths.
But Tuesday, a Cook County judge handed them their latest setback, saying the officer was arrested and detained without probable cause, a ruling the families fear guts the prosecutions case.
Several relatives of one victim erupted in anger at the decision, shouting obscenities and scuffling with court deputies, creating a scene that revealed the raw emotions behind the long and controversial case.
Three relatives of Miguel Flores, 22, who was killed in the 2007 crash, were taken to a holding cell in the Criminal Courts Building but later released. The sheriffs office said it would not press charges even though two deputies were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
clipped by:thisnamecantbetaken clippers remarks:The book details the spread of radioactive poisons following the explosion of Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant on April 26, 1986. These major releases only ended when the fire at the reactor was brought under control in mid-May. Emitted were ?hundreds of millions of curies, a quantity hundreds of times larger than the fallout from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.?
There is an examination of genetic impacts with records reflecting an increase in ?chromosomal aberrations? wherever there was fallout. This will continue through the ?children of irradiated parents for as many as seven generations.? So ?the genetic consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe will impact hundreds of millions of people.?
The book is solidly based?on health data, radiological surveys and scientific reports?some 5,000 in all.
It concludes that based on records now available, some 985,000 people died of cancer caused by the Chernobyl accident. That?s between when the accident occurred in 1986 and 2004.
More deaths, it projects, will follow.
The book explodes the claim of the International Atomic Energy Agency?still on its website ? that the expected death toll from the Chernobyl accident will be 4,000. The IAEA, the new book shows, is under-estimating, to the extreme, the casualties of Chernobyl.
?An important lesson from the Chernobyl experience is that experts and organizations tied to the nuclear industry have dismissed and ignored the consequences of the catastrophe,? it states.
The Chernobyl accident is, as the new book documents, an ongoing global catastrophe.
With exhausts that belch out dark clouds of fumes, drivers who arrogantly break road rules and sardine-can-like interiors, "jeepney" mini-buses are an unlikely source of pride in the Philippines.
The iconic vehicles with their flamboyant paint designs are much loved as a symbol of national ingenuity because Filipinos created them from surplus US military jeeps after American forces left at the end of World War II.
"Because the old jeepneys are all diesel fed and so inefficient, they produce a lot of pollution," said Red Constantino, director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, a Manila-based non-government organisation.
The e-jeepneys look like little more than glorified golf carts, but they are an emissions-free form of transport powered by electricity that carry a dozen people each.
Makati, Metro Manilas financial district and arguably its most orderly city, introduced the e-jeepneys on two so-called "green routes" late last year.
The Orion Nebula is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. Astronomers have observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, and the photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the nebula. The nebual has odd supersonic "bullets" of gas each ten times the diameter of Plutos orbit and tipped with iron atoms glowing bright blue piercing the dense hydrogen clouds believed to have been formed one thousand years ago from an unknown violent event.
Observers have long noted a greenish tint to the nebula, in addition to regions of red and areas of blue-violet. The green hue is caused by a low-probability electron transition in doubly ionized oxygen, a "forbidden transition" -radiation that is impossible to reproduce in the laboratory because it depended on the nearly collision-free environment found in deep space. The blue-violet coloration is the reflected radiation from the massive O-class stars at the core of the nebula.
But suppose it is eight-feet-tall and erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars on federal land to honor American soldiers who died in World War I.
What is it?
I checked a dozen dictionaries, encyclopedias and similar sources. Here is what I learned. It is "a symbol of Christianity."
Except to some of the justices on the Supreme Court of the United States. According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, in this weeks decision in Salazar v. Buono, the "cross is not merely a reaffirmation of Christian beliefs. It is a symbol often used to honor and respect those whose heroic acts, noble contributions, and patient striving help secure an honored place in history for this Nation and its people
clipped by:cakebelly clippers remarks: "I will be employing my tremendous skill as an illustrator, of course, and expect that my colleagues will do the same. If they refuse, they will be declared weak-kneed, namby-pamby, quisling infidels and will be shamed on this blog (Though such idle threats rarely work these days; perhaps I could threaten them with a painful death, which seems to do the trick). If readers would like to show their solidarity, please email your Mohammad masterpieces to me here: mmoynihan at reason.com. The best ones will be published on Hit & Run, which, along with the concomitant death threat, is reward enough."
Via Dan Savages blog at The Stranger, some clever chappie (I dont know who) has declared May 20, 2010 "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day," in support of Matt Stone and Trey Parker and in opposition to religious thuggery. Why May 20? I havent a clue, though it could have something to do with Otto ascending the throne of Greece. Or, more likely, King Sancho IV of Castiles founding of the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
It was for decades the most enduring piece of ephemera in New York City and is still among the most recognizable. Trim, blue and white, it fits neatly in the hand, sized so its contents can be downed in a New York minute. It is as vivid an emblem of the city as the Statue of Liberty, beloved of property masters who need to evoke Gotham at a glance in films and on television.
A pop-cultural totem, the Anthora has been enshrined in museums; its likeness has adorned tourist memorabilia like T-shirts and ceramic mugs. Like many once-celebrated artifacts, though, the cup may now be endangered, the victim of urban gentrification.
I really dont think Im being cynical, but Ive decided that one of the biggest disasters is the Utopia instinct. This is the instinct in the human race (and part of our fallen condition) to create perfect little worlds. Someone comes along with an ideology which will solve all our problems and we go trooping off to join him and his mission from God.
Were suckers for politicians who feed us a dreamy lie. Were suckers for the advertising and media men who sell us a dreamy lie to get us to buy a particular product or a particular way of life. Were suckers for religious leaders who give us a dreamy lie about the new life and the wonderful community they have on offer.
Have you ever noticed that the gospel never promises any kind of utopia and Jesus never tells his disciples to go out and create a new community that will be a paradise on earth? No. he says his kingdom is not of this world. He founds a church but he does not found a utopian community.
Last week, the Goddard Space Flight Center took the craft online, releasing the first videos and still images it shot. The quality of these images is extraordinary, 10 times the resolution of high-definition television, according to NASA.
We have seen the surface of the Sun before, but never with this clarity. Every 10 seconds, the satellite photographs the solar disk in eight different wavelengths, and what emerges ? even in these earliest images ? is both stirring and disorienting. The Sun is the most constant object in our lives, but what we see in these videos is a livid, roiling star, mottled and seething on every wavelength. It is a thing of intense, disturbing beauty.
in a sense, it creates a new solar effect, which is the ability of humans to peer directly into the most familiar of stars and realize how alien it is.
Baby boy survives for nearly two days after abortion
A baby boy abandoned by doctors to die after a botched abortion was found alive nearly a day later.
The 22-week infant died one day later in intensive care at a hospital in the mothers home town of Rossano in southern Italy.
The mother, pregnant for the first time, had opted for an abortion after prenatal scans suggested that her baby was disabled.
However, the infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabro hospital, and was left by doctors to die.
He was discovered alive the following day ? some 20 hours after the operation ? by Father Antonio Martello, the hospital chaplain, who had gone to pray beside his body.
He found that the baby, wrapped in a sheet with his umbilical cord still attached, was moving and breathing.
The priest raised the alarm and doctors immediately arranged for the infant to be taken to a specialist neo-natal unit at the neighbouring Cosenza hospital, where he died on Monday morning.
The Christian Legal Society has sued Hastings College of Law for its refusal to recognize their group as an official campus club, claiming their freedom to practice their faith is being challenged. An expert on church-state separation law says the case is more about the religious right?s ?political moxie? to claim religious persecution than about religious liberty.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case closely watched by both the religious right and civil liberties advocates. At issue in the case is whether the Hastings College of Law, part of the University of California system, violated the CLS?s First Amendment rights by requiring that the Society comply with the school?s non-discrimination policy in order to receive official school recognition as a club.
This Baby Crying festival in japan was really weird, in this contest you have to make the baby cry as loud as they can, this contest allows the sumo wrestler to hold the baby and try to make them cry. No mother likes it when her toddler starts crying, but at the Naki Sumo baby crying contest wailing is actually encouraged.
Held every year, at the Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo, the baby crying festival is a 400-year-old tradition, believed to keep rug-rats in good health. Amateur sumo wrestlers hold the babies high in the air, and try to scare them into crying, while a sumo referee judges the match. The toddler who cries longest and loudest is considered the winner.
Japanese parents bring the babies to the contest, of their own free will, and truly believe the sumo induced crying keeps their children in good health, and wards off evil spirits. This year, 80 babies, all under one year old, participated in Naki Sumo. As you might have guessed, the whiniest contender won.
An attacker shoved him into a campus bathroom stall and slashed his chest. A transgender student spoke out about the brutal assault during a rally at California State University, Long Beach on Thursday.
clipped by:zizzy clippers remarks: As a reminder: your question in the comments section on this clip: Virginia DMV recalls plate with coded racist message
April 23, 2010 ? Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S. He has been called, One of the most brilliant, articulate and courageous critics of white privilege in the nation. Wises most recent book is Between Barack and a Hard Place: Challenging Racism, Privilege and Denial in the Age of Obama, which explores the issues of race within the context of the Obama presidency.
Drone Pilots Could Be Tried for ?War Crimes,? Law Professor Says
clipped by:thisnamecantbetaken clippers remarks: Mary Ellen O?Connell, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, was much more blunt in her statement. ?Combat drones are battlefield weapons,? she told the panel. ?They fire missiles or drop bombs capable of inflicting very serious damage. Drones are not lawful for use outside combat zones. Outside such zones, police are the proper law enforcement agents, and police are generally required to warn before using lethal force.? But American laws may not be on the only ones applicable to drone strikes, critics contend. As Anderson argued, the United States may face legal challenges from what he called the ?international-law community? ? nongovernmental organizations, international bodies, U.N. agencies and others who view this as a program of targeted killing that falls outside the bounds of armed conflict.
In a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform?s national security and foreign affairs panel, several professors of national security law seemed open to that
the CIA and U.S. military?s lethal drone operations
may violate the laws of war.
Loyola Law School professor David Glazier, a former Navy surface warfare officer, said the pilots operating the drones from afar could ? in theory ? be hauled into court in the countries where the attacks occur. That?s because the CIA?s drone pilots aren?t combatants in a legal sense. ?It is my opinion, as well as that of most other law-of-war scholars I know, that those who participate in hostilities without the combatant?s privilege do not violate the law of war by doing so, they simply gain no immunity from domestic laws,? he said.
?But under the legal theories adopted by our government
these CIA officers as well as
government officials who have authorized or directed their attacks are committing war crimes.?
clipped by:Steve Savage clippers remarks: Look out you creep! I?m on the attack! So get off my ass! Get off my back! I?ve got you now; going to cut you off; That shit-box you?re driving is starting to cough. No! Don?t exit here to avoid my revenge; The wrongs I?ve imagined I have to avenge. Oh why did you have to get in my way? Now you and I both have ruined my day.
What are you looking at you piece of crap? Oh I?d love to choke you and give you a slap. Don?t think I didn?t see you sneaking up behind, Trying for an advantage on my side that is blind, Casting sarcastic glances with an evil eye; I?d love to blow your car up and watch you boil and fry. Beware of me; don?t think me kind; Can?t you see the Road Demon has seized my mind? You think this is over? I have many tricks in store. As eager as you are to beat me, I want to beat you more. I hate you, you stinking bastard. I don?t even know your name; Outraging Road Ragers just happens to be my game. How I want to kill you and punch your face right in! Who are you giving that finger to with that shit-eating grin? You?re lucky I haven?t a gun or I?d shoot you in the head; Or how?d you like a red hot poker shoved up your ass instead? You?re making me crazy; you?re adding fuel to the fire; God I wish I had the power to blow out your tire.
Pro-lifers like me love science and technology. Yup. Were like science geeks without the comic books. And weve got girlfriend and wives.
For years, religious people have been called backward and anti-science while pro-lifers actually couldnt wait for scientific and technological breakthroughs so we could all get a better look inside the womb and understand better what it is to be human. I think everyone must remember the first time they saw a 4-d ultrasound. It changes you. Its changed lots of people.
It was the same message of Harriet Beecher Stowe whose novel ?Uncle Toms Cabin? made the horrors of slavery impossible to ignore. It was the message of Rosa Parks who awakened a slumbering country to the evils of racism by the simple act of sitting down. It is the message of the victims and the oppressed throughout our history: ?"Im human?just like you.?
And I think before the country is willing to listen to a pro-lifer saying "dont" they might just listen to pro-lifers saying "look."
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The requirements of Oklahomas new abortion law are drawing some emotional responses from patients, a clinic director said Wednesday, now that women must have an ultrasound and hear a detailed description of the fetus before the procedure can be done.
"Its been difficult for some of the patients," said Linda Meek, executive director of Reproductive Services of Tulsa. "Weve had patients leave the ultrasound room in tears because of what they had to hear."
The new statute requires the person performing the ultrasound to describe the dimensions of the fetus, whether arms, legs and internal organs are visible and whether there is cardiac activity. It also requires the doctor to turn a screen depicting the ultrasound images toward the woman to see them.
"The intent of the law is to provide a woman with full and complete information in advance of an irrevocable act that will take the life of an unborn child," Lauinger said.
At least 1,500 years old, a 300-foot titan in Californias Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has the most complex crown scientists have mapped. This photo, taken by Michael Nichols, is a mosaic composed of 84 images.
Divorce is often the cause of financial meltdown, which can plunge ex-partners on the outskirts of society and into destitution. Often, he ends up poorer than her. ?Single dads? groups say that it?s a very Italian situation unequalled in the rest of the European Union
The picture taken from a 2009 investigation by the Eurispes social studies institute has fuelled debate about the size of the ?fleeced fathers? phenomenon. The family breakdown rate in Italy is lower than in other European countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic as well as France and Spain, but around 400, 000 people are involved per year. The trend has been escalating since 2000, following a relatively quiet period after the first boom which followed the introduction of the divorce law in Italy in 1972.
Beck has connected the dots on his magic blackboards (He needs about three or four now, at least!) as he ties Joel Rogers as the man behind most of the Progressive movement?s organizations.
The focus of today?s program was the pending Cap and Trade bill, now in the Senate. Back in the early 1990s, Obama and his close friend and adviser, Valerie Jarrett, arranged for funding Chicago?s Climate Credit Exchange from the Joyce Foundation. The exchange is already trading carbon credits, the core to Cap & Trade.
Next, Beck relates how Franklin Raines, one of Obama?s principal fund raisers in 2008, had purchased the technology for managing Cap & Trade while the head of Fannie Mae. Why would Fannie Mae, a mortgage lending entity, invest in such software? As a Government Secured Enterprise, it gives Uncle Sugar a piece of a potential $10 TRILLION dollar prize.
It?s all one big happy Progressive family. Naturally, all are in favor of Cap and Trade.
Ever wondered if your partner is actually listening to what you are saying? Well now you can find out after scientists discovered that you just need to note how often they are blinking.
Experts said that people who are not paying attention blink more.
When your mind wanders, you are not paying attention to what is happening around you.
And researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada said the body reacts in the same way by blinking - and setting up a tiny physical barrier to the outside world.
Cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Smilek, of the University of Waterloo, studies how people pay attention - and how they dont.
For this study he was inspired by brain research that shows that, when the mind wanders, the parts of the brain that process external goings-on are less active.
And we thought, ok, if thats the case, maybe wed see that the body would start to do things to prevent the brain from receiving external information, Professor Smilek says.
I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe?s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven ? they say we want to protect our App Store ? but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.
First, there?s ?Open?.
Second, there?s the ?full web?.
Third, there?s reliability, security and performance.
Sometimes we forget just how short and precious our time on this planet really is. Its for this reason that John Lewiss new television ad seems to have struck an uncharacteristic chord.
You wont find many people admitting to crying over the usual flood of formulaic adverts on our screens - yet this moving ad has got Britain talking - and sobbing into their breakfast bowls.
At 91 seconds long, and costing £6million, the ad has been watched an incredible 100,000 times in the single week that it has been available on YouTube.
THE NINE STAGES OF LIFE
Nine actresses were used for the central female character in the shoot, which was filmed at the end of March in London. Between 20 and 30 auditioned for each stage of her life and a crew of 65 took part in the filming of the 90-second ad. That includes the prop department who selected the John Lewis items to product-place in each of the shots.
Birds fly above land in Breton Sound off the coast of Louisiana on Thursday, while containment booms are in place to try to keep the oil spill at bay.
A massive and growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reached the coast of Louisiana, which is in a state of emergency to help prevent catastrophic environmental damage.
The oil is gushing from a sub-sea well about 80 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana and 1,500 metres below the waters surface. The leak occurred after a drilling rig exploded on April 20 and then sank
As of Thursday, an estimated 794,936 litres (5,000 barrels) of sweet crude oil were leaking daily. BP officials say it could take as long as 90 days to stop the leak, meaning as many as 71.5 million litres could ultimately get into the water.
Officials frightened
I am frightened," said David Kennedy, acting assistant administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Ocean Service
"The Mine Safety and Health Administration is the target of a federal criminal investigation," NPR notes, and "FBI agents are also exploring potential criminal negligence on the part of Massey Energy."
Joe Main, director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said his agency has had the power to seek federal injunctions for years, but has never tried to use it.
An explanation of the Pagan faith describing how to continue spiritual evolutions through magick, communing, energy work, divination, and conscious creation.
A manual of magical practice in Druidry, one of the fastest growing branches of the Pagan movement. It teaches Druids how to practice ritual magic for practical and spiritual goals within their own tradition. It shows the reader how to adapt rites and other practices to fit the deities and symbols meaningful to them.
Barack Obama threatens to impose peace plan on Middle East
clipped by:foxyarse clippers remarks: The conference would attempt to end decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict by pressing both sides to accept difficult compromises on issues ranging from the future of millions of Palestinian refugees to the status of Jerusalem.
Mr Obama is also eager to gain international recognition for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Officials in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have voiced their dismay in recent weeks over reports that Mr Obama was planning an effective takeover of negotiations by imposing his own peace deal on the two sides.
Barack Obama threatens to impose peace plan on Middle East
Barack Obama has warned Israel he will pave the way for an independent Palestinian state if the peace process remains deadlocked until the autumn.
Barack Obama is eager to gain international recognition for the creation of a Palestinian state.
The US president is proposing to hand control of the Middle East peace process to the international community unless there is a breakthrough in the next few months, Israeli officials have said.
Mr Obama has formulated a secret plan with leading European allies to convene an international peace conference by the end of the year, according to Israels Haaretz newspaper.
The move would fulfil one of Israels deepest fears by effectively stripping the Jewish state of its power to dictate the course of talks.
On This Day: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun Commit Suicide
clipped by:altaloman clippers remarks: On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head in his bunker beneath Berlin, moments after Eva Braun, his wife of just one day, killed herself by ingesting cyanide.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head in his bunker beneath Berlin, moments after Eva Braun, his wife of just one day, killed herself by ingesting cyanide.
(UPDATEDBELOW) Right on the heels of passing the Ban-the-Brown law, Arizona has now made it so you can?t even learn about them anymore:
?State senators approved legislation aimed at the curbing the ethnic-studies program in Tucson Unified School District.?
UPDATE:This too: ?The Arizona state Senate on Thursday passed a bill making it illegal for a person to ?intentionally or knowingly creating a human-animal hybrid.??
Ok, it?s just funny now. Go Arizona! Keep passing laws!
The heads of government in London for the G-20 summit are discussing serious and weighty issues, which in time will be duly reported on, but right now the British press is entranced by the sheer size of President Obamas traveling entourage. And no wonder. Obama arrived with 500 staff in tow, including 200 Secret Service agents, a team of six doctors, the White House chef and kitchen staff with the presidents own food and water. And, according to the Evening Standard, he also came with "35 vehicles in all, four speech writers and 12 teleprompters." For sure, our president is not going to be at a loss for words.
The press duly reported on Air Force One and all its bells and whistles but also on the presence of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, and a fleet of identical decoys to ferry him from Stansted airport to central London. Among all those vehicles is the presidential limousine, which one local paper mistakenly called Cadillac One, but is universally referred to as the Beast
Want to make her happy but you´re short on ideas and time? Reserve the night for the most relaxing, sensual and therapeutic gift you could ever give her: an erotic massage.
Help her release the stress through your soft and erotic touch, and enjoy together the pleasure that erotic massage offers both her and you. An ancient practice, the sexual massage fuses physical and spiritual planes and can be performed by absolutely everyone with a little practice after learning a few easy techniques.
Techniques to give an erotic massage to your partner:
It?s very important to create a warm and intimate climate for her to relax, so don?t forget about the candles and the sensual scents of lavender or jasmine. Put on some chill music, and most important: don?t forget the body oil.
In early 2008, the Bush Justice Department subpoenaed New York Times reporter James Risen over his book, State of War: The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration. Now, just two weeks after taking action against an NSA whistle-blower who leaked information about contract corruption to the Baltimore Sun, the Obama DOJ is continuing its predecessors push to compel Risen to divulge his confidential sources.
Now, as the New York Times detailed, despite the Obama administrations professions of support for a new media-shield law, Attorney General Eric Holder is continuing President Bushs pursuit of Risen:
The Obama administration is seeking to compel a writer to testify about his confidential sources for a 2006 book about the Central Intelligence Agency, a rare step that was authorized by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
Having continued down the path of whistle-blower retribution, the question now for Holder is where it will end.
This video shows a group of nimble-footed U.S. soldiers remaking the "Telephone" video. The result is magnificent.
YouTube user malimelcher, who posted the video, writes,
This is a couple guys located in afghanistan, that re-made the music video by Lady Gaga....Telephone. Prepare yourself for a fantastical journey. Right now this is the temporary version, we have more scenes to cut, and edit, however with guys always on mission it is harder to film than you think.
Why didn?t Nafta curb this immigration? The answer is complicated, of course. But a major factor lies in the assumptions made in drafting the trade agreement, assumptions about the way governments would behave (that is, rationally) and the way markets would respond (rationally, as well).
American investment flooded into Mexico
expectation was that the Mexican government would
invest
billions of dollars in roads, schooling, sanitation, housing and other needs to accommodate the new factories as they spread through the country
did not happen
foreign factories congregated in the north, within 300 miles of the American border, where some infrastructure already existed
Mexican manufacturers
driven out of business as less expensive, higher quality merchandise flowed into the country
clipped by:thisnamecantbetaken clippers remarks:A senior Defense official who briefed reporters on the report said violence increased last year in part because of the additional U.S. troops.
"The level of violence has gone up in our judgment ? because we have more forces confronting the Taliban in more areas," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official acknowledged the assessment of the insurgency was more pessimistic than in previous assessments. "This is a very serious and sober report," he said.
A Pentagon report presented a sobering new assessment Wednesday of the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, saying that its abilities are expanding and its operations are increasing in sophistication, despite recent major offensives by U.S. forces in the militants heartland.
The report, requested by Congress, portrays an insurgency with deep roots and broad reach, able to withstand repeated U.S. onslaughts and to reestablish its influence, while discrediting and undermining the countrys Western-backed government.
But the Pentagon said it remained optimistic that its counter-insurgency strategy, formed after an Obama administration review last year, and its effort to peel foot soldiers away from the Taliban will show success in months to come.
The new report offers a grim take on the likely difficulty of establishing lasting security
The report concludes that Afghan people support or are sympathetic to the insurgency in 92 of 121 districts
Canadas most famous eco-hypocrite/left wing kook: David Suzuki
clipped by:Antara clippers remarks: Notice how EVERYONE of these preachy creeps is living the high life after a lifetime of fleecing their flocks---and the rest of us who have NO CHOICE in funding their lame TV shows as in the case of this dodo (Suzuki)?
What a creepy nut. He gives off a real Jim Jones vibe, doesnt he?
I wonder what "level of maggot" he would classify himself as now -- an enormously wealthy man with several homes and a jet-set lifestyle. An excerpt from a Western Standard news report in 2007:
But while he railed at others, Suzuki himself was racking up emissions. The Western Standard observed that for the majority of the hour-and-a-half speech, his diesel bus was left idling in downtown Calgary. After the talk, Suzuki and his small entourage rushed into the large bus without taking questions, before driving three blocks to the hotel where they were staying.
The best response to Suzuki -- who has a weekly propaganda hour on the CBC, courtesy of 33-million tax-paying Canadian maggots -- is from the only conservative allowed to host a CBC show, namely Don Cherry.
[Video]
Dont you absolutely love the sing-song in how he says "left wing kook"?
The drafters of the law knew the lawsuit was coming; a lawsuit is always coming when a state tries to enforce the nations immigration laws. What the drafters didnt expect was Obamas aggressive and personal role in trying to undermine the new measure.
The problem for Obama and Holder is that the people behind the new law have been through this before -- and won.
Arizona prevailed both in federal district court and at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the nations most liberal federal appeals court.
Courts usually ask whether a state law is in conflict with federal law, and this law is in perfect harmony with federal law
But what if the Obama administration
refuses to assist Arizona in determining a persons legality? The drafters thought of that, too. Theres a federal statute -- 8 USC 1373, passed during the Clinton years -- requiring the feds to verify a persons immigration status any time a state or local official asks for it.
Wang Xianjun, 54, of Sichuan Province, started to snack on broken glass because he says it is crispy and delicious.
He recalls: "I accidentally swallowed a piece of thick fish bone, but nothing happened. With curiosity, I tried several pieces of broken glasses secretly and nothing happened also."
From then on, from time to time Wang would eat a light bulb. "I am not eating it every day, but from time to time.
I only eat the light bulb during my breakfast, and each day no more than one bulb."
When eating a light bulb Wang first smashes it before swallowing it piece by piece, sipping from a glass of water.
Wangs family said they have taken him to have checkups in the hospital, but it would seem that his unusual diet has had no adverse effects.
The Mobile, Alabama Press-Register has published an article by Ben Raines with an alarming prediction. If the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico shrugs off all control - the crippled blowout preventer, the wellhead, and any remaining control valves or baffles impeding the flow of oil and gas through the well - the rate of spillage could go to a whole other level: as much as 2 million gallons (150,000 barrels) per day.
This worst-case scenario is based on the fact that there are individual wells in the Gulf of Mexico that produce 1.26 million gallons (30,000 barrels) of oil per day. Thats a controlled rate of flow. If all control were removed, the flow rate would be higher. How much higher?
clipped by:jatfla clippers remarks: Words!!! Decades of words. Granted there is no way for the average person to actually know what is going on behind closed doors, but since Israel is the only one who *cares* what the World thinks and the importance of US support, Israel is the only one anyone can arm-twist.
Since the past and current Administrations have been so concerned about the security of Israel and peace in the region, why have they all allowed the armaments to flow so smoothly?
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Syrian transfers of increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including rockets, to terrorists in southern Lebanon and Gaza could spark new conflict in the Middle East. Additionally, she said a nuclear-armed Iran would profoundly destabilize the region.
"These threats to Israels security are real, they are growing and they must be addressed,"
. "Over the past month, we have attempted to remove any ambiguity. The president and this administration have repeatedly reaffirmed our commitment to Israels security in word and in deed."
Israel is "confronting some of the toughest challenges in her history," particularly from Iran, Syria and groups they support like Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and reaffirmed US determination to get them to change course.
"Transferring weapons to these terrorists, especially longer-range missiles, would pose a serious threat to the security of Israel,"
clipped by:jatfla clippers remarks: Im only beginning to learn a little about how this works...cap & trades/selling credits, etc. I do believe its about the redistribution of *our* wealth (if theres any left) and boasting companies and conglomerates which will gain billions. Im still furious over the *selling* of the curly light bulb.
?A variety of new financial markets have emerged, offering businesses key incentives?aside from taxes and other punitive measures?to slow down overall emissions growth and, ideally, global warming itself.
A key feature of these [financial] markets is emissions trading, or cap-and-trade schemes, which allow companies to buy or sell ?credits? that collectively bind all participating companies to an overall emissions limit.
Key Players in the Scam
Bank of America
BP
The European Union Emission Trading Scheme
The Chicago Climate Exchange
75% of U.S. meteorologists reject Al Gore?s science on global climate trends.
81% reject claims that Gore?s Global Warming models are in any way reliable.
55% agree with the statement??Global Warming is a Scam!?
It?s not about science, it?s all about money and power,
Cap and Trade is not an effort to curb global warming, it?s a bold effort to capture and redistribute wealth and power, namely from the American people
Goldman Sachs is under criminal investigation for the way in which it sold complex mortgage-backed products to clients, reports suggest.
Earlier this month, the US financial regulator brought civil charges against the bank for defrauding investors.
It alleged that Goldman failed to disclose a conflict of interest, in that a firm advising it on a product was betting it would decline in value.
Goldman denies the accusations and said it was "not surprised" by the reports.
Goldman Sachs, the worlds biggest investment bank, reported profits of $3.5bn (£2.3bn) in the first three months of this year, almost double the amount it made in the same period in 2009.
Rush Limbaugh blames ?environmentalist wackos? for massive oil spill
While theres not yet any indication as to what caused the disasterous explosion that sunk a British Petrolium drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, right-wing radio personality Rush Limbaugh has come up with a rather coy suggestion: "environmentalist wackos" did it.
Noting that the explosion happened on Earth Day, the man sometimes known as the GOPs de-facto leader spun a web of happenstance in which "the jury" was "still out," but "the regime" will let everyone know what really went down.
President Obama has declared the spill a national disaster and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal initiated a state of emergency, calling for urgent help to prevent fragile wetlands and vital fishing communities along the coast from pollution on a massive scale.
audio was snipped from The Rush Limbaugh Show by watchdog group Media Matters on April 29, 2010.
Muslim daubs war memorial with Islam will dominate the world - but walks free after CPS says he was NOT racially motivated
A Muslim protester who daubed a war memorial with graffiti glorifying Osama Bin Laden and proclaiming Islam will dominate the world walked free from court after prosecutors ruled his actions were not motivated by religion.
Tohseef Shah, 21, could have faced a tougher sentence if the court had accepted that the insults - which included a threat to kill the Prime Minister - were inspired by religious hatred.
But - citing a loophole in the law - the Crown Prosecution Service chose not to charge him with that offence and he escaped with only a two-year conditional discharge and an order to pay the council £500 compensation after admitting causing criminal damage.
Yesterday the decision was attacked by politicians and veterans who were shocked by the desecration of the memorial in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
presented a preliminary study on the ?Doctrine of Discovery? and its historical impacts on indigenous peoples, with a focus on how it became part of United States laws.
Being treated on the basis of the belief that those who invaded our territories have a right of lordship or dominance over our existence and, therefore, have the right to take, grant, and dispose of our lands, territories, and resources without our permission or consent.?
Frichner said human rights violations faced by indigenous peoples can all be traced to the Doctrine of Discovery and its interpretive framework which has been used for five centuries to take Native lands.
The Doctrine of Discovery was among Vatican mandates dating back to the 15th century, called papal bulls, that declared Christian monarchs had the right to claim superior title over land and territories that they ?discovered.?
the Doctrine of Discovery had been officially incorporated into U.S. Indian policies in the 1823
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? The 22-year-old son of a Democratic Tennessee lawmaker has been convicted on two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin?s e-mail account while she campaigned on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008.
The federal court jury reached its verdict Friday against David Kernell after four days of deliberation. He was found guilty of obstruction of justice and unauthorized access to a computer, but was acquitted on a charge of wire fraud.
The jury was deadlocked on a charge of identify theft. Prosecutors reserve the right to have a new trial on that charge. The charge of obstructing an investigation has a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Long Island--If you are interested in protesting at Shake-a-Paw in Lynbrook, NY, or other pet stores in the area, please contact sethwolfish@gmail.com or call 516-974-1769.
In one of the latest instances of a legislator waxing poetic about the debate over illegal immigration, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) took the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday and asked why the United States could prevent "illegal grasshoppers" from entering the country, but couldnt capture much bigger illegal immigrants before they crossed the border.
Heres what Poe said:
Poe floated an additional suggestion:
"And maybe we need to make the guy down there in southeast Texas that captured this grasshopper from Brazil, he oughta be in charge of Homeland Security. If hes able to do this with grasshoppers just think what he can do on the southern border of the United States."
Arizona Ethnic Studies Classes Banned, Teachers With Accents Can No Longer Teach English
clipped by:ratilfar clippers remarks: Meanwhile, in a move that was more covert until the Wall Street Journal uncovered it, the Arizona Department of Education has told schools that teachers with "heavy" or "ungrammatical" accents are no longer allowed to teach English classes.
As outlined by the Journal, Arizonas recent pattern of discriminatory education policies is ironic -- and is likely a function of No Child Left Behind funding requirements -- given that the state spent a decade recruiting teachers for whom English was a second language.
Under the ban, sent to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer by the state legislature Thursday, schools will lose state funding if they offer any courses that "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."
As ThinkProgress notes, the Tucson Unified School Districts popular Mexican-American studies department is the target here. The state superintendent charges that the program exhibits "ethnic chauvinism."
David Axelrod told ABC television that "no additional drilling has been authorised and none will until we find out what has happened here." Obama recently lifted a drilling moratorium for many offshore areas, including the Atlantic and Gulf areas.
The leak from a blown-out well a mile underwater is five times bigger than first believed. Faint fingers of oily sheen were reaching the Mississippi River delta late Thursday, lapping the Louisiana shoreline in long, thin lines
"It is of grave concern," David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press about the spill. "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."
U.S. Mum During Iran Vote to U.N. Womens Commission
High off its success in keeping Iran from joining the U.N.s Human Rights Council, the U.S. appears to have missed its chance to object to Irans selection to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women
No gesture of disapproval came during an acclamation vote affirming the Islamic nations appointment to the 45-nation group.
A senior official with the U.S. Mission to the U.N. told FoxNews.com that "there is no opportunity" to object. "That is not how the procedure works," the official said.
The Obama administration sought a seat on the Human Rights Council last year, reversing the Bush administrations policy to boycott the body to protest the influence of repressive states.
"That an Iranian regime that shoots and stones women would be elected to a U.N. body supposedly dedicated to womens rights adds a whole new disgusting twist to the ongoing saga of Iran exploiting the U.N,"
Besides Being A Shade Intolerant, Isn?t It Also ?Profiling??
clipped by:merrie clippers remarks: ....... The announcement came shortly after Ayatollah Kazim Sadighi, a leading cleric, warned that women who dressed immodestly disturbed young men and the consequent agitation caused earthquakes.
Another preacher warned Tehran?s citizens to flee before the inevitable punishment for flagrant behaviour was visited on the city.
Iran has warned suntanned women and girls who looked like "walking mannequins" will be arrested as part of a new drive to enforce the Islamic dress code
"We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison them."
Iran?s Islamic leadership has in recent weeks launched a scaremongering campaign to persuade the population that vice is sweeping the streets of the capital. National law stipulates that women wear headscarves and shape shrouding cloaks but many women, particularly in the capital, spend heavily on fashions that barely adhere to the regulations
"Go on the streets and repent for your sins," Ayatollah Aziz Khoshvaqt, one of the country?s highest clerics, told worshippers during a recent sermon in northern Tehran. "A holy torment is upon us. Leave town."
Couldn?t they just slap a tax on tanning beds and call it a day?
Still, besides being a shade intolerant and sexist, isn?t it also ?profiling??
LONDON ? A lecture given by Israels Deputy Ambassador to Britain Talya Lador-Fresher at the University of Manchester deteriorated Wednesday into violence when pro-Palestinian protesters stormed at the diplomat in an attempted attack.
The protesters were waiting for Lador-Fresher outside the lecture hall, but this did not deter her from entering as planned. Immediately upon her exit, the protesters lunged at the diplomat, prompting security guards to whisk her back into the hall. Following a consultation on the site, it was decided to escort her out of the premises in a police car.
Attacking the deputy ambassadors vehicle (Photo: Joe Sheffer)
The deputy ambassador was removed from the hall and into the police vehicle. However, this did not block the protesters, who surrounded the car and climbed on the hood, trying to break the windshield.
Lador-Fresher ultimately was taken away from the scene safe and sound.
Its outrageous, says an immigration reform activist, that a member of Congress would call for a boycott of his own state to support the interests of foreign nationals.
At a recent town hall gathering in Tucson, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer dismissed the threat of an economic boycott over the new state immigration law she signed last week. One threat came from an elected representative of the state -- U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat -- who has called for a boycott of convention business for The Grand Canyon State. Similar calls have come for a boycott of the states goods, services, and tourism because of the new immigration law.
Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), says Grijalvas career in the nations capital makes it very clear that he represents the interests of illegal aliens -- not those of American citizens. Grijalvas primary concern, says Mehlman, is amnesty for those who are in the country illegally.
clipped by:brightlight4 clippers remarks: Incredible stuff, I didnt know Baking Soda could be used for so many things, AND it saves money too and doesnt contaminate!!
clipped by:citizenbfk clippers remarks: What concerns Most Arizonans is THIS.
Could those who want to say we are Neo-Nazis and/or Racist please consider THIS.
THIS is todays news. This is last weeks news. This will be news next week.
Maybe not always so clear or dramatic, but our everyday reality.
What do folks suggest we do about THIS.
We need help with THIS.
We have a Broken Border. Send help. Army and/or National Guard. Our normal police force cant handle it, it should not have to be their job anyhow - its a national issue and Federal responsibility.
But the Feds have allowed the problem to grow worse and worse for decades.
Authorities in southern Arizona have found a deputy wounded in a shootout with suspected drug smugglers after a frantic hour-long desert search.
Pinal County sheriffs Lt. Tamatha Villar says the deputy suffered a superficial wound to his abdomen after being shot with an AK-47 assault rifle Friday afternoon. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Casa Grande, about 40 miles south of Phoenix.
Villar says the deputy was doing smuggling interdiction work and found bales of marijuana in the desert. He then encountered five suspected illegal immigrants, two armed with rifles, and was shot.
A search was on in the rugged desert about 50 miles south of Phoenix for the five suspects. Hundreds of officers were involved.
clipped by:citizenbfk clippers remarks: Darn! Now MLB is on Arizonas case!
I wonder if it would make any difference to know that their core complaint, in this clip, and heard everywhere in sensationalized media reporting...is not true.
Whats true -- and which is how white domestic terrorist Tim MacVay was caught -- whats true that if a cop stops you for breaking a law, he can also ask other questions.
Police do this anyhow, like with MacVay, the questions went beyond his expired license plate.
Not to get into a bad rap on police but, if you dont know, they can easily make-up excuses to stop someone if they want; this goes on everywhere, everyday.
I got stopped for driving a motorcycle too slow, once. Too slow? In truth the officer had some other things on his mind.
So it goes.
Arizona is not the U.S. Army. Its not our job to protect the Border.
The Border is broken.
Heres a bad stereotype
Its like were waiting for the 7th Calvary to come to the rescue and were accused of violating Ap
The law permits police officers who have ?reasonable suspicion? that a person may be in the United States illegally to demand proof of legal residency.
clipped by:citizenbfk clippers remarks: We and Israel have nuke weapons.
Israel hasnt signed the NPT.
Now, every week we threaten war with Iran, even using nukes against them because....uh....because we say they are not obeying the terms of the NPT (which Israel hasnt even signed) and, we claim, we know they want nuke weapons in five years.
NOW -- Now they intend to come to a U.N. meeting and talk about this.
Have they no shame! Have they no conscious! What horrible ideas will they come up with next!
We should nuke em now, or they may hinder our plans for non-stop, every expanding global wars, invasions and occupations based on lies.
Clinton cool to Irans Ahmadinejad attending UN nuclear meeting
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday she did not see Irans purpose in attending the NPT conference, which runs through May 28, because their violations since signing the NPT are "absolutely indisputable." The purpose of the NPT review, which happens every five years, is to reaffirm signatories commitments to the 1970 treatys three purposes: disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful use of nuclear energy, Mrs. Clinton said at the news conference, according to Reuters.
clipped by:swampfoxz clippers remarks: Seven Muslims in Pakistan brutalize a barber for trimming the beard of a Muslim man. They break his ribs, wrist and legs before raping him.
A CHRISTIAN barber in Sargodha, Pakistan is recovering from broken bones and other injuries sustained earlier this month after eight Muslims allegedly beat and sodomised him for cutting a young Muslim?s beard.
Marwat Masih, 29, initially refused to cut 19-year-old Qandeel Cheema?s beard, knowing that Sunni Muslims in the area believe the Koran prohibits it. But Cheema, a high school student, told Masih that he had lived and studied in Lahore and therefore wanted a more modern look.
I refused to shave his beard, but he showed me his packed bags and said that he would leave the town straight after the shave, and so no one would ever know that I had shaved it.
Eyewitnesses said that as Masih was cutting Cheema?s beard, the client?s older brother ? local radical Muslim land owner, Shakeel Cheema ? spotted what was happening.
Because women always suffer the most in earthquakes, the United Nations has named the grrrl-powered Islamic Republic of Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women. The UN made the move after Iran withdrew its equally comic bid to join the UN Human Rights Council last week.
The UN made the move with little fanfare. Needless to say, liberal commenters in the west are too preoccupied with picking on the pope and making sure Comedy Central employees stay safe to take much interest. Thus its left to the conservative media to spotlight Irans record of government rape, stoning and whipping of wayward doxies.
Iran has warned suntanned women and girls who looked like "walking mannequins" will be arrested as part of a new drive to enforce the Islamic dress code.
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At a recent town hall gathering in Tucson, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer dismissed the threat of an economic boycott over the new state immigration law she signed last week. One threat came from an elected representative of the state -- U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat -- who has called for a boycott of convention business for The Grand Canyon State. Similar calls have come for a boycott of the states goods, services, and tourism because of the new immigration law.
