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Kabul, Afghanistan The Soviet Union couldn't win in Afghanistan, and now the United States is about to have something in common with that futile campaign: nine years, 50 days.
On Friday, the U.S.-led coalition will have been fighting in this South Asian country for as long as the Soviets did in their humbling attempt to build up a socialist state. The two invasions had different goals — and dramatically different body counts — but whether they have significantly different outcomes remains to be seen.
What started out as a quick war on Oct. 7, 2001, by the U.S. and its allies to wipe out al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and the Taliban has instead turned into a long and slogging campaign. Now about 100,000 NATO troops are fighting a burgeoning insurgency while trying to support and cultivate a nascent democracy.
A Pentagon-led assessment released earlier this week described the progress made since the United States injected 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan earlier this year as fragile.
The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, has said NATO's core objective is to ensure that Afghanistan "is never again a sanctuary to al-Qaida or other transnational extremists that it was prior to 9/11."
He said the only way to achieve that goal is "to help Afghanistan develop the ability to secure and govern itself. Now not to the levels of Switzerland in 10 years or less, but to a level that is good enough for Afghanistan."
To reach that, there is an ongoing effort to get the Taliban to the negotiating table. President Hamid Karzai has set up a committee to try to make peace, and the military hopes its campaign will help force the insurgents to seek a deal.
When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on Dec. 27, 1979, its stated goal was to transform Afghanistan into a modern socialist state. The Soviets sought to prop up a communist regime that was facing a popular uprising, but left largely defeated on Feb. 15, 1989.
In 1992, the pro-Moscow government of Mohammad Najibullah collapsed and U.S.-backed rebels took power. The Taliban eventually seized Kabul after a violent civil war that killed thousands more. It ruled with a strict interpretation of Islamic law until it was ousted by the U.S.-led invasion.
Nader Nadery, an Afghan analyst who has studied the Soviet and U.S. invasions, said "the time may be the same" for the two conflicts, "but conditions are not similar."
More than a million civilians died as Soviet forces propping up the government of Babrak Karmal waged a massive war against anti-communist mujahedeen forces.
"There was indiscriminate mass bombardment of villages for the eviction of mujahedeen," Nadery said. "Civilian casualties are not at all comparable."
Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank and Afghanistan expert, said NATO forces have killed fewer than 10,000 civilians and a comparable number of insurgents.
The allied military presence has also been far smaller and more targeted. Even now, nearly all operations are restricted to the south and east of the country where the insurgency is most active. O'Hanlon points out that at the height of the resistance, there were 250,000 mujahedeen representing all Afghan ethnic groups fighting the Soviets, while "the current insurgency is perhaps one-eighth as large and is only Pashtun."
"We do have big problems. But there is no comparison between this war and what the Soviets wrought," he said.
"The Soviet war set Afghanistan back dramatically from what had been a weak but functioning state. NATO has, by contrast, helped Afghanistan to a 10 percent annual economic growth rate, 7 million kids are now in school, and most people have access to basic health care within a two-hour walk," O'Hanlon said.
He also points out that although Karzai was hand-picked by the United States after the invasion "he has since been elected twice by his own people."
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.


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Some Democrats responded to my post asking whether they had voted in the Republican primary, and what they sought to achieve. Different Democrats had different motivations and goals, some of which had little to do with ousting Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
"Sherry" wrote:
I am a devoted democrat and I voted in the Republican primary for three reasons…
1. to ensure that Kay Bailey the lesser of 3 evil is on the republican ballot- the other two are religious conservatives and don't have my families best interests at heart
2. the ammendments would not go through. I feel they are unfair to some and should not become law now or ever.
3. I live in a red state and its the only way for me to have a true say and ensure these extemists don't get into local gov't
"David" wrote:
I crossed over and voted in the GOP primary – for the first time. My only motivation was to vote against Ken Mercer (SBOE 5), whose ideological and theological manipulations of our education system sicken and worry me. (While I was at it, I voted for Hutchison.)
And "Joe" wrote:
I am a democrat who voted in the Republican primary to out Perry. I am tired of his appointments forcing religion into education, destroying our environment and bowing to big business.
That and living in a small town if I want any say in local government the republican primary is the only way for me to have a say.
Thanks for the interesting responses.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hair & Make Up Cancun Area
Posted 14 July 2014 - 06:56 PM
Posted 15 July 2014 - 09:47 AM
It seemed expensive to me and even to my parents at first but im super picky... and after i had it done, we all agreed it was worth it! It was $325 for hair and make up for me and then we tipped $50...so $375 all together
Posted 15 July 2014 - 09:50 AM
@nehaanjaria - You look stunning!! I'm very glad I'm going with Styling Trio. I'm thinking of doing something very similar with my hair. did it hold up okay?
Married December 19, 2014 at Beach Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico
My Planning Thread - http://www.bestdesti...-resort-121914/
My Wedding Review
Part 1 - http://www.bestdesti...1914/?p=1881197
Part 2 - http://www.bestdesti...1914/?p=1881590
Part 3 - http://www.bestdesti...1914/?p=1881861
Posted 15 July 2014 - 07:51 PM
@nehaanjaria - You look stunning!! I'm very glad I'm going with Styling Trio. I'm thinking of doing something very similar with my hair. did it hold up okay?
Thank you!!! That is a great decision on your part . It held up great all night and I was dancing like crazy! People kept asking Me how my hair still looked good (especially since it didnt look all hard with hairspray)! One bobby pin was falling out a little on the side at the very end of the night but by then I did not care
Posted 18 July 2014 - 08:08 PM
- Mohito3869 likes this
Posted 25 August 2014 - 05:38 PM
Posted 26 August 2014 - 08:52 AM
This is great info. Thank you for those who made recommendations!
Posted 06 July 2015 - 11:10 AM
Posted 07 July 2015 - 05:36 PM
Hi Ladies!!!
I´m hired Norma Zurama from MAC, she has an amazing book and a reasoneables prices. I was nervous, but I was looking around here and found good recommendations.
Facebook: Norma Zurama PF Mac.
- Mohito3869 likes this
Posted 23 July 2015 - 08:56 AM
Dani and Gaston (of Trend and Art) are an amazing team!! I got married in Tulum in November 2014 and Trend and Art was recommended to me by my wedding planner. I was nervous about choosing someone for hair/makeup without having met them face to face but all of my worries were put to rest after the hair and makeup trial a few days before the wedding. Both Dani and Gaston are great listeners and seem to have an intuition for what you want (even when you aren't sure what you want!). Each of them listened to me and looked at a the wide array of photos I had saved with hair and makeup ideas. I was amazed that they pretty much nailed it on the first try. The website is www.trendandart.com
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Police: High beams light way to cocaine bust
Published 6:19 pm, Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Failing to dim his high beams landed a New Jersey motorist in trouble early Sunday after a police officer pulled the driver over and discovered a small amount of cocaine, according to police.
Police said the driver was traveling westbound on Delavan Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Police stopped the driver after noticing he had failed to dim his bright headlights for passing motorists. Jose R. Guerrero Rodriguez, 27, of 67 South Munn Ave., Apt. 10D, East Orange, N.J., was issued a ticket for improper use of high beams.
The man was told he was free to leave but appeared nervous, police said. He granted consent to allow his vehicle to be searched after he said he had no drugs, weapons or explosives in his vehicle. During the search police discovered what they said was a small bag of cocaine. He was charged with illegal possession and held in custody in lieu of $250 bond. He is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on April 1.


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Apart from the exhaust fans, that are necessary for the proper exchange of the air in grow area, circulation fans are also very useful.
They make sure that the air within the box or room is distributed evenly, which is not the case if it is left on its own.
Warm air tends to gather at the top, leading to various temperatures and humidity in different parts of the grow area - something your cannabis plants won't be too pleased about.
In this case you won't need great power - just enough to keep the air moving inside.
A useful thing is a regulation of the fan speed, as well as the automatically rotating head - you don't want the air to be blown all the time in the same direction.
Regulated height might also come handy, as you will want to move it higher as the plants get bigger.
Once inside the grow area, you need to have an impression that the air inside is not still - but make sure that it doesn't cause your cannabis plants to fall over or bend too much!
Different from the exhuast fan that operates at full speed only when the lights are on, circulation fan is supposed to work 24/7 - after all, the wind blows all the time in cannabis natural environment, and indoor cultivation is all about emulating its natural surroundings.


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Please note that in order to submit your request electronically, you must supply supporting documentation as noted below.
Copyright © Chadron State College. All Rights Reserved.
Member, Nebraska State College System • Employment Opportunities • Equal Opportunity Employer • Title IX Reporting/Resources
Accreditation Information • Website Feedback
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Carbon monoxide is the silent killer. It is odorless, invisible and can kill a person in minutes.
The following are tips from experts on avoiding CO dangers: d Don't idle the car in the garage. Fumes can build up quickly.
· Don't use a gas oven to heat the home, even for a short time.
· Don't use a charcoal grill indoors, even in the fireplace.
· Don't sleep in any room with an un-vented gasoline or kerosene space heater.
· Don't use gasoline powered engines in enclosed spaces.
· Don't ignore symptoms of headaches or flu-like symptoms, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
· Do outfit your home with a plug-in type CO monitor that also works on battery power in the event of a power failure.
· Do call the fire department and get out to fresh air if you suspect a CO leak in your home.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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Next time you are standing in the bathroom, try this: swimming in the mirror. No, I am not talking about saying "Bloody Mary" three times, but rather analyzing your stroke where you can actually see what your arms are doing.
So, go to your bathroom mirror….Do a slow freestyle stroke…..I'll wait here.
Ok, what did you see? Some of my best technical adjustments were made in my own bathroom mirror. What? With no water? How? I would take what the coach told me in practice, do it correctly, and then perfect it in my mirror. Over and over again, I would practice it until my arms got sore. I would also mimic the studs of my era.
What an awesome way to practice without even getting wet! (Sometimes that's nice, especially in winter months!)
Try every stroke and "see" what it feels like to do the stroke properly and perfectly, and then try it in the pool the next time you are at practice. Most times you have to slow down in the pool to get the stroke just like you did it in the mirror.
You can also work on some turn techniques that you really wouldn't spend time on in practice. Try transition turns between fly to backstroke and see how it goes. Remember to couple this with your visualization practice…imagine yourself in the pool and pretend you are actually doing it. Remember, practice makes permanent!
You need every advantage to race the clock and your competitors….Remember to stop at nothing to gain the little edge that will make you the best you can be!


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Listen to Mike Ness' interview on Chris Shiflett's Walking the Floor podcast: click here to listen
Mike Ness interviewed on Chris Shiflett's Walking the Floor podcast
Rolling Stone interview about 25 years of 'Social Distortion'
Mike spoke with Rolling Stone about the 25th anniversary of the self-titled album. U.S. tour to celebrate starts on Sunday. See you on the road.
Show added at The Observatory Orange County
Limited edition S/T LPs in stock now
Just added limited edition 180 gram LPs of the self-titled album to our online store. They'll also be along for the ride on this summer's 25th anniversary tour.
Join us in saying goodbye to House of Blues Sunset Strip
Support Eddie Spaghetti's cancer fight now
I was shocked and saddened to hear Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers has been diagnosed with cancer. I've had the pleasure of knowing Eddie for many years, and he is an incredibly solid and beyond talented human being. Through friends who have beaten cancer I've learned that it's not only emotionally challenging, but it's financially …
Social Distortion will play Bumbershoot in Seattle, WA on September 6.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the self-titled album, Social Distortion have announced a 2015 North American tour. Beginning in Tempe, AZ on July 28, Social Distortion will embark on a six-week tour where they will perform the self-titled album in its entirety. In addition to performing Social Distortion front to back, the band …
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 75th Anniversary
See you in Sturgis, SD for the 75th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Social Distortion will perform at the Buffalo Chip on August 5.
Admission to the show is open to patrons of Buffalo Chip Campground. For more info, visit http://www.rallytickets.com…
Support American shoe manufacturing
Our friends over at Nicora Johns Shoes need your help with a great campaign that is helping American shoe manufacturing. Unlike so many companies today, Nicora Johns Shoes make their products at a factory in Los Angeles, CA. We would appreciate your support by joining their campaign to help keep these jobs in the U.S.A.: …


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January 26, 2009
Philips To Shed 6,000 Jobs
In results that missed even the most pessimistic of expectations, Philips Electronics announced on Monday that it would shed 6,000 jobs after posting a $1.9 billion fourth quarter loss, its first quarterly loss since 2003.
The loss included 1.3 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in write-downs, primarily for the company's position in NXP Semiconductors and LG Display and its acquisition of Lumileds acquisition.The results bring Philips' full-year net loss to 186 million euros ($245 million).
The Dutch company said its sales were down 9 percent form the same quarter the previous year, and that the layoffs would help it cope with declining consumer demand amid a global economic slowdown.
"The development of our quarterly results reflects the unprecedented speed and ferocity with which the economy softened in 2008," said CEO Kleisterlee.
Philips' report comes on the heels of a series of negative news from the company's top competitors. Sony recently warned recently it would record a $2.9 billion annual operating loss, while Samsung Electronics posted its first quarterly loss ever.
The world's largest lighting maker said it would accelerate its restructuring programs, including roughly 6,000 layoffs this year, which are expected to result in annual cost savings of 400 million euros ($526 million) beginning in the second half of 2009.
Analysts embraced the company's cost cutting measures, and the fact it kept its dividend at last year's level.
"We were expecting some bad news and I don't think this is worse than the market has been anticipating," Petercam analyst Eric de Graaf told Reuters.
Maintaining the dividend was a big plus, he said.
"They have been taking proactive initiatives in the past year and in this sense, management has been doing much better than some of its peers, such as Sony."
Philips, Europe's biggest consumer electronics maker, has already acknowledged that it will not meet its 2010 profit targets, citing the impact of a "steep downturn" that has dampened the value of its financial holdings and sharply reduced consumer demand. The slowdown has his the company's consumer lifestyle unit, which makes devices such as MP3 players, TVs and electronic toothbrushes, particularly hard, it said.
Philips also said it has halted its share buyback program until further notice.
"On the short-term we want to retain maximum flexibility ... We have liquidity to the tune of 6 billion (euros) and we want to use that liquidity primarily to catch the opportunities that certainly will present itself to further strengthen our market positions," Kleisterlee said during a briefing with reporters.
Shares of Philips' stock were up more than 5 percent in midday trading Monday, after rising as much as 10 percent earlier in the day.
Image Caption: Headquarters of Philips in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Courtesy Wikipedia
On the Net:


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Another Democratic Congressman, this one from the state where Nero intends to hold his renomination gala, has let it be known that he wants nothing to do with the object of disdain occupying the Oval Office.
Rep. Mike McIntyre, a Blue Dog Democrat who represents North Carolina's 7th District in the southeast corner of the state, said during an interview with a local TV station that he wants to keep his focus on his district and his own Congressional race, as opposed to the national race. The Congressman, whose district has been redrawn to become more Republican, would not say that he is endorsing the President.
"We've always been steadfast in our work for eastern North Carolina and I'm grateful because we've had Republican and Democratic friends who have supported us because they know my heart is there and it's not about any party agenda or any other person's agenda. Our focus is on the Congressional race in eastern North Carolina," McIntyre said.
McIntyre joins a growing number of Democratic office holders and candidates who are trying to distance themselves from Nero without being added to the Kill List.
Last week, West Virginia's state Democratic Party announced that three top party officials—Sen. Joe Manchin, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, and Rep. Nick Rahall—will not attend the Democratic National Convention in September.
Earlier, two prominent Democratic candidates made it clear that Nero is not their man:
Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamps, who is running to succeed retiring Sen. Kent Conrad, told AP that Obama has failed in the one test America had for him, which was to unite the country. "I think he needed to be more hands-on. I don't think he's done enough to think broadly and come up with solutions that would engage both sides in a reasonable dialogue," she added.
And former Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's former aide, Ron Barber, who is vying to keep that Arizona seat Democratic, used the I'm-focusing-on-the-district-race dodge when challenged by his GOP opponent on which presidential candidate he endorses.
But none of these Democrats has yet had the gumption to rally their constitutents to "Throw The Bum Out, Now."
Relevant Today
Related Items


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Operations Management
Operations management is the part of business that produces the goods and services the business offers. In order to a business to deliver the promises made by the marketing department, or to use the capital developed by the finance department, operations must run fluidly, efficiently and effectively. In our Operations Management Course, we will discuss the different parts of operations management, who is involved and what their roles are. We will see how management of operations is different for both production of goods (manufacturing) and for firms that provide a service - The decision-making differences involved in both, and the analytical tools required for evaluating and fixing problems. We will see the consequences of an effectively run operation and of an ineffectively run operation.
As an operations manager, you will have to consider both your position as a leader, as well as making technical and tactical decisions based on data. We will include in our course discussions of leader ship based on well-accepted leadership values and apply them to the field of operations. The more technical aspects of operations management will need to be considered as well like organization of resources like facilities and staff, as well as balancing customer service, efficiency, and the quality of your product of your service. We will provide you with the analytical tools needed for understand the topics that arise in discussing operations management.
In terms of workforce, an operations manager must be aware of any staffing issues that may arise. The manager is in the sense be aware of human resources issues. Especially in terms of a manufacturing plant, there may be many health hazards to employees so the operations manager
There are a number of sub-disciplines that must be discussed in order to effectively train an operations manager, including project management, as there are many "projects" that come up during operations. Although these may not usually be projects that are out of the ordinary for the operation, each sub-operation needs to be effectively managed individually. There is also supply chain management involved; you will have to manage the supply of raw materials for the product, whether it is information for a service, or plastic for a toy train. Logistics and supply chains are an integral part of being an operations manager and you will learn some of the basic tools and techniques of this sophisticated sub discipline.
We will also cover how operations management relates to strategy. Can you compete based on operations? How much strategy is really involved in operations? You will have to be in control of decisions like whether or not you will be customer based or use another strategy or methodology in planning your operations. Planning in operations will have to involve much decision-making. We will discuss briefly some decision-making models and how decision making factors into good operations management. What happens where there is a bad decision made? What part of your operations will be hurt the most or shine the most?
Much attention will have to be paid to your product as an operations manager. What is the design and what is the logic behind the design? How does this influence the process? You will have to make process based decisions and these decisions greatly influence the outcome of your product.
There are many, many considerations to make in operations management. There are also many sub-disciplines involved such as supply chains, logistics, project management, and process flow analysis. In order to be effectively prepared, all personnel involved in operations must be aware of these issues. With Manhattan Review's Operations Management Course, the student will have a deep working knowledge of the technical issues associated with operations and the analytical tools to succeed at any level of operations.
Topics Covered
- Process Flow and analysis
- Workforce Issues
- Quality control
- Inventory Management
- Decision making
- Productivity
- Strategic planning
- Analytical tools and techniques


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Primary responsibility will be ownership of the entire sales cycle from opportunity identification to sales close with a core focus on C&I clients interested in deploying energy storage projects on a stand-alone basis, or integrated with distributed generation (DG) and other distributed energy resources (DERs) on the customer side of the meter. The position has complete ownership of sales revenue, margin targets and other sales performance metrics. Balances the need to close business and deliver the quarterly revenue forecast, while nurturing new client relationships, and building strategic relationships with channel partners, the local utility and other influencers in a dynamic market.
Essential Functions:
- Qualify and close sales from an extensive sales funnel with continuous quarterly improvement across all sales performance metrics.
- Work closely with the Regional Sales Manager as well as colleagues in business development, finance, and marketing to refine and help architect the sales process, sales cycle and go-to-market strategy in Hawaii.
- Create trusted and high integrity relationships with current clients, prospects, partners and key influencers across the defined territory. Anticipated focus on Hawaiian territory with support for secondary markets as appropriate.
- Work closely with application engineering and other colleagues to create and then present compelling proposals to clients and close business rapidly and effectively in the Western Region.
- Manage the transition of contracted projects from sales to operations ensuring the highest levels of customer experience and satisfaction.
- Contribute to the overall sales and marketing strategy based on experience in target markets and client engagements in the Western Region.
- Position Demand Energy Networks as the trusted and strategic partner of choice based on superior technology, business case modeling and services.
- Manage Demand Energy's impeccable relationship with the utilities, regulators (CPUC), and AHJ's in region, engaging with representatives across many functions and grade levels, covering executive management, business strategy, distribution engineering, policy, storage incentives policy, rate design, etc.
- Demonstrate or quickly develop a thorough understanding of how distributed energy storage can qualitatively and quantitatively benefit both the customers and utilities as both a stand-alone solution and in conjunction with distributed generation/renewables.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Extensive knowledge of the broader energy ecosystem, utility rate structures and various influencers and stakeholders in the core market of HI (experience in addt'l states a plus)
- Proven business development instincts
- Strong commercial acumen, with outstanding business judgement and proven ability to negotiate effectively
- Ability to organize, prioritize and effectively multi-task daily and meet deadlines
- Outstanding interpersonal and presentation skills
- Assertive, confident and clear communicator both orally and written
- Strong organizational and analytical skills
- Skilled at cultivating and building new relationships
- Maturity to interface with executive level clients on a daily basis
- Advanced proficiency with MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
- BA/BS degree, Engineering discipline preferred
- 4-6 years minimum work experience in C&I energy storage (preferred), renewable energy, energy efficiency or energy/sustainability solutions sales.
- A proven record of sales results, meeting or exceeding all quarterly and annual sales goals and financial metrics
- Self-motivated, independent problem solver and creative thinker with exceptional follow through and the highest levels of integrity and trust across all customer interactions.
- Experience, relationships and proven results in the direct sale of energy storage, renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainability, and/or other energy products, solutions or services to C level executives in the commercial/industrial market in the Western Region is required
- A solid understanding of renewable energy and other project centric development processes, project qualification and 3rd party financing structures is a must
- Extensive travel required in the Western Region


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The newly released Doom is a super-speedy game, channeling the 1990s shooter feel of tearing through levels at high speed, leveling everything in your path. And it already has a world-record "speed run" to see just how quickly it can be beaten.
YouTuber DraQu has grabbed what's considered the first record, with a run through the entirety of Doom in just 89 minutes, 56.4 seconds. It means doing a lot of little tricks, like finding glitches and exploits in the game to slip through walls or take paths that most people can't access in order to shave off precious seconds.
DraQu's run is on the easiest difficulty of Doom, which means he's flying through most of the game without too much danger in the interest of time. (Ratchet up Doom's difficulty and things get dicey in a hurry, however.) He's also skipping over seeking out Doom's secrets, which might be the best part of the game. But what the run does show is a ton of skill being exercise in the "blasting demons" department, since so many of Doom's battles are just big rooms full of bad guys. Killing all of them as quickly as possible is almost more art than science.
It's also only going to get better. There will undoubtedly be more speed runners ripping their way through Mars and Hell before long, so surely there will be even more amazing and ridiculous runs to watch coming soon.
Via Destructoid


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Here's our highlights for December
A planned television drama about the kidnap of Dewsbury Moor schoolgirl Shannon Matthews got the thumbs down from our readers.
The team behind the Bafta award-winning Fred and Rose West drama Appropriate Adult were said to be working on the project, and filming is expected to start early next year.
But the renewed focus on the town was not welcomed by Reporter readers, who discussed the project on our Facebook page.
Joanne Jackson wrote: "After the positivity of Educating Yorkshire which put Thornhill/Dewsbury on the map and has been received positively throughout the world, we are now going to be subject to this debacle being dragged up again. It should be left where it is in the past."
The police investigation into the hunt for Shannon, who was missing for 24 days in early 2008, cost more than £3m and threw families on the Moorside Estate into the national spotlight.
A lucky duck who was heading for the dinner table as centrepiece of a Christmas lunch avoided the chop - after it was discovered he was masquerading amongst a flock of geese.
How Lucky found his way among the geese stock at Hostingley Farm remains a mystery to owner Lynn Lindley. The geese at the Thornhill farm were just a week away from meeting their festive fate when her husband Tim found the imposter in the flock.
Lynn said: "We were absolutely flabbergasted. We have no idea how it got there."
The Indian runner duck, was given a new home, and new name, Lucky.
Lynn believes Lucky may have been dumped at the farm or perhaps made his way along the canal and through the fence to make some feathered friends.
Lynn said: "I don't know how it didn't get spotted before. They are white and have long necks but it was considerably small than a goose. It was quite clear he wasn't a duck. We just didn't have the heart to kill him."
A third major housing development could spell the end of Mirfield as a separate town, its mayor feared.
Developers revealed plans for 164 homes on the Mirfield Moor site, not long after two other developments were unveiled - bringing the total number planned to 337. The two other controversial greenfield developments - at Bladerstone Hall fields and off Lady Heton Drive - had already been greeted with outrage.
Taylor Wimpey was planning the biggest development of all on Mirfield Moor, off Leeds Road. Coun Vivien Lees-Hamilton said: "If all this goes through, there will be no longer any need for 'Mirfield' or 'Ravensthorpe', for example - the council may as well just rebrand the area 'North Kirklees' as there would be no separation of boundaries. This could be the biggest urban sprawl you ever did see."


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Bidding war for Schapelle Corby's first post-jail interview
NOTE: A complaint to the Australian Press Council
about this article was upheld.
Read the full adjudication here.
Australia's commercial TV channels are locked in a fierce battle for the first post-jail interview with Schapelle Corby – but her family's displeasure with past news coverage and a forthcoming telemovie threatens to de-rail each network's bid.
A source from one station says "everyone will open their chequebooks" for what will "obviously be the interview of the decade".
The Australian public's intense interest in the case – in which Corby was jailed in 2004 after being caught smuggling marijuana into Bali – has led network executives to forecast a huge audience for the broadcast. Most expect it to out-rate previous high-profile interviews, including those with landslide survivor Stuart Diver and mine collapse victims Brant Webb and Todd Russell.
The pair were paid $2.6 million by Channel Nine's then-owner PBL, prompting the agent who negotiated that deal to predict Corby could net almost $3 million. Yet one station insider insists that free-to-air channels "simply don't pay that kind of money any more", suggesting a likely fee around $1 million. (Proceeds of Crime laws may prevent Corby from receiving the money directly.)
With the 36-year-old edging closer to release – having obtained a new Australian passport this week and confirmation she can serve her parole in Indonesia – the networks are now racing to sign her.
But for the prisoner and her family, the highest price is no guarantee of a deal. According to one TV producer who has dealt with them, they have "long memories" and are wary of accepting offers from those they perceive to have burnt them – or intend to burn them.
Traditionally, Seven has been the Corbys' network-non-grata. In 2008, Schapelle's sister Mercedes received a large payout after a jury found she had been defamed by Today Tonight.
This worked to Nine's advantage until the station commissioned a telemovie "inspired" by the book Sins of the Father, written by Fairfax journalist Eamonn Duff. According to one Nine staffer, this displeased the Corbys, who dislike the book. Despite the fact that Nine's news and drama divisions operate independently, those close to negotiations say it could be enough to swing the deal in Seven's favour.
A spokesman for FremantleMedia, producers of the soon-to-screen telemovie, says Duff's book is just "one of many source materials used in the development of the script", which is an "original work".
"I was unaware the family had publicly responded to the telemovie," the spokesman says. "If they have, it certainly had no impact on the development of the script."
Naturally, Seven is capitalising on the family's rumoured nervousness about Nine's movie – and stressing that the senior staff responsible for the Today Tonight drama of 2008 have since left. So far, the strategy appears to be working. Schapelle's mother, Rosleigh Rose, even allowed the network to fly her to Bali recently.
Indeed, Nine now considers itself the underdog, according to multiple sources, despite promising to match any offer from Seven.
The dark horse in this bidding war is Channel Ten, which hopes to reverse its ratings slump, in part, by reinvigorating its news and current affairs offering. Securing the exclusive Corby interview would be a major coup, and incoming news and current affairs chief Peter Meakin is said to be keen to make an offer.
Yet with Seven enforcing a "non-compete" clause after Ten poached him last year, there's nothing he can do until he starts in February. In the meantime, it's up to other Ten executives to chase the deal.
Of course, both Seven and Nine have been reminding the Corbys that Meakin was running Seven's news and current affairs division when Today Tonight defamed Mercedes. The fact that Ten's rivals have deeper pockets does not help its chances.
And whichever network gets the interview will have to walk a fine line. Those familiar with Indonesia's legal system say the courts are unlikely to impose any gag orders on Corby during her parole, giving the interviewer free rein. Viewers will therefore expect rigorous questions but a too-tough stance could be seen as exploiting her. Having suffered severe depression during her imprisonment – and if Corby's mental state is as bad as reported – the interview could be difficult to conduct and may not occur until some time after her release.
All three networks declined to comment but a source from one says the interview is not considered "make or break" for any station. Even if the cost and content is shared across multiple programs, or with a print outlet, it will fill a few hours' airtime at most. While this helps a network's "brand", the source explains, viewing habits tend to return to normal within 48 hours.
But the interview itself will be a boon for the winning station.
"They could have [Corby] reciting the bus timetable and the whole country will still tune in," says another network staffer. "The curiosity factor is enormous. No matter what you think of her or the case, you'll want to see what she looks like and hear about prison and all the details. Everyone will watch."
- with Michael Bachelard
Michael Lallo is a Senior Entertainment Writer for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Michael joined Fairfax Media in 2006 as a feature writer. He has also been a news reporter for The Sunday Age, a deputy editor of Green Guide and a columnist and critic.
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text: We just compared several methods of miniprep plasmid preparation in order to determine which was the easiest and gave the best results for sequencing. It should be noted that we are interested primarily in short sequences that are within 200bp of the primer. We generally don't need more than 50-60bp of readable sequence for our purposes. However, the sequence must be reasonably unambiguous because we are interested in reading frame usage particularly in the gene segment junctions of T cell receptor transcripts (a highly GC rich area) We compared plasmid preps from 1) The boiling miniprep method from maniatis using the standard sequenase denaturation protocol and also by boiling the plasmid in NaOH in the presence of the primer for two minutes; 2) RPM minipreps from Bio101; 3) Insta preps from 5' to 3'; and 4) a scaled down version of the PEG precipitation protocol from Maniatis (all references to this text are for the newer edition). All preps were done from the same cultures. The clones consisted of 150-200bp inserts in pUC19 in XL-1 blue cells grown in Circleprep medium (from Bio101) for approx 18 hours. The PEG ppt protocol didn't work at all, so it is probable that we botched it. The rest of the miniprep methods all gave good sequence, readable for at least 150bp. There was no significant difference in readablility between any of these methods. My tech tells me that the easiest method was the Insta Prep method, taking only a few minutes to prepare three templates. Our interpretation of these results is that if expense is a major consideration, then the boiling miniprep method is perfectly suitable for most routine short-range sequencing. If your objective is to sequence as many templates as possible in a short time, then the insta prep works well. Our largest problem so far has been stops at some of the GC rich areas. The usual remedies (formamide gels, deaza analogs) haven't been as effective as we had hoped. We intend using TdT to try and remedy this problem. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. ============================================================================== James F. George, Ph.D. "Back off man, I'm a scientist" Department of Surgery --Bill Murray University of Alabama at Birmingham 205-934-4261 voice txpljfg at uabcvsr.cvsr.uab.edu ===============================================================================


text:
For sale at the Renaissance Faire: Ye olde funnel cakes and cheesecake on a stick.
The event is advertised as a chess match with actual people as chess pieces, going head to head on a grassy field. Only, it doesn't look like chess. There are some poorly choreographed sword fights and a guy who leaps into battle with a pair of rubber chickens. The people sitting behind us on the stands are speculating about the real-life occupation of each fighter. "That one's an insurance salesman," they say, "and that one's probably a secretary."
It's worth watching the artists and musical folks, the ones who make lovely clay bowls and wear a phantom-like mask as they play the organ.
Their menagerie contains ducks, pigeons, and a tortoise. Also a kookaburra, trapped in a mesh cage far from its native soil. Across the lane, a patient camel waits to take children on its back and plod with them around a field as their parents wave and snap photos from the side.
The maze is advertised as an Amazing Maze, but the only amazing thing about it is that we actually coughed up an extra couple of bucks to wander through its short, creaky corridors.
The first time he rides on a school bus, he's over 60. Some experiences are too good to pass up on in life.
It's a parade of dignified queens and saucy barmaids, warriors in eclectic armor and non-magical folk who wish they were wizards. Some have sprouted fairy wings; others have clapped aluminum swords to the waistband of their jeans. The ale on offer helps fuel their fantasies.
It lifted off from a chair-back,
Beating a smooth course for the right window
And clearing the sill of the world.
- Richard Wilbur, "The Writer"
It lifted off from a chair-back,
Friday, October 25, 2013
Week in Seven Words #187
2 comments:
- Naida said...
The Renaissance Faire sounds like fun. lol about speculating on the occupations of the stage fighters in bantam.
Happy weekend.
- October 26, 2013 at 12:34 PM
- HKatz said...
Thanks, Naida. The Renaissance Faire was a bit overhyped and overpriced, unfortunately, but it was still good for some laughs. I'm not planning on going to it again any time soon.
- October 27, 2013 at 6:51 PM
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text:
Smutty Tingles
Hayley's home gym and Sasha finds Tilda's skirt in LifeStyle
Chris Brown and Drake make Eva Longoria's ex-husband even richer (Dlisted)
Demi Moore and that boring wolf are not f-cking (The Superficial)
But does James Franco approve??? (Just Jared)
Surprisingly, this is not Kate Beckinsale (Hollywood Tuna)
Kristen Stewart and her boyfriend go to a show (Pop Sugar)
Anne Hathaway's marrying a dude who isn't into short hair (Cele|bitchy)
Cute dots dress! (Moe Jackson)
OMG. Supermodel throw-down...over hair gel and ballers! (Kickette)
Drake's bravado (IDLYITW)
JLo's wearing a denim peacock on her chest...? (Go Fug Yourself)


text:
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Tuesday Round-Up: Harvin "wasn't settled" after Super Bowl win; Wilson "can't wait" for 2014 season
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Good morning, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Tuesday, July 8 - about your Seattle Seahawks: Read
Percy Harvin "Wasn't Settled" After Super Bowl Win
Q13 FOX Sports Director Aaron Levine talks with wide receiver Percy Harvin in the first of a series of exclusive interviews with Seahawks players set to run through the month of July. Harvin, the team's top offseason acquisition in 2013, played in just one regular season game last year while recovering from hip surgery.
The runner-returner-receiver did eventually make a splash in the divisional round against the New Orleans Saints and provided a spark in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos. But despite reaching what he calls the "pinnacle of football," Harvin sounds like he's determined to play a bigger role in the Seahawks' quest for a second Lombardi Trophy.
"After the Super Bowl, it was good that I reached one of my dreams and, you know, I got to the pinnacle of football, but I just wasn't settled last year," said Harvin. "When I got home I took about two or three weeks off and I was right back to work." Read
Russell Wilson: "I Can't Wait For This Season Coming Up"
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posted a video on his Instagram account last night that's bound to give you goosebumps as you await the team's 2014 season. The video is set in an empty CenturyLink Field, with Wilson talking to you - the 12s - about how he's getting ready for what's next.
"Coming off being Super Bowl XLVIII champs, I come out here to get my mind ready," Wilson says. "I know that 12s are going to be ready. I know that our players are going to be ready. I can't wait for this season coming up. As we know, 2014 season coming up. Go Hawks." Read
Re-Signing Sidney Rice Offseason's Most-Overlooked Move?
The Seahawks released wide receiver Sidney Rice in a salary-cap related move this past February, but later re-signed the veteran receiver to a one-year deal. Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today thinks that transaction is one of the most-overlooked offseason moves around the NFL.
Reyes writes: The Seahawks lost wide receiver Golden Tate to the Detroit Lions via free agency, but if Rice can recover from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, he can be a huge weapon for quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense in 2014. It's unlikely Rice returns to the form of his top year in the NFL, an 83-reception, 1,312-yard, eight-touchdown campaign in 2009 with the Minnesota Vikings. But at 6-foot-4, Rice is a big and talented target who could become one of Wilson's top threats. All he has to do is stay on the field. Read
Jermaine Kearse Pops The Question
Perhaps he was taking a page out of Cassius Marsh's relationship playbook, or maybe it's just one big coincidence, but days after the rookie defensive end asked his girlfriend to be his wife, Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse has made his significant other the "soon to be Mrs. Kearse."
https://twitter.com/chopchop_15/statuses/486379903450112000 Read
Tweet of the Day
Today's "Tweet of the Day" comes from ESPN The Magazine, which offers a sneak-peak of the six covers of its upcoming Body Issue set to hit newsstands this Friday, July 11. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is one of six athletes featured front and center. The other five cover models include tennis player Venus Williams, Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder, swimmer Michael Phelps, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, and snowboarder Jamie Anderson. Read
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, Digital Media Reporter Clare Farnsworth talks with cornerback Richard Sherman, strong safety Kam Chancellor, and free safety Earl Thomas about which aspects of each other's games the Legion of Boom trio would take from one another.
Pete Carroll is part of a 16-member class that will be inducted into the University of Southern California's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times sums up Lindy's Pro Football 2014 Preview of the Seahawks.
Terry Blount of ESPN.com is asking you to help him determine the most-memorable play in Seahawks history - wide receiver Steve Largent's "revenge hit" on Denver Broncos safety Mike Harden in 1988, running back Marshawn Lynch's "Beast Quake" run against the New Orleans Saints in 2010, or cornerback Richard Sherman's "Immaculate Deflection" in this past season's NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.
And Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com provides an interesting behind-the-scenes look at what went down during days one and two of the NFL Rookie Symposium held recently in Northeast Ohio.
Did I miss anything you think is worthy of inclusion? Let me know on Twitter @TonyDrovetto Read
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I havent blogged in a while...
Thursday, September 27, 2012
I seem to be on a roll (knock wood), been gettting to the gym, been eating right mostly, dropped a few pounds. I can feel the lethargy creeping in though, so I am using every tool I've got to keep me out of the abyss!
The scale has been doing the 3 down, 2 up thing that makes me crazy, I dont understand it. But as long as once a week I hit a lower number than before, that's what I'm going with.
My goal is get below that MOST SURPRISING number that I never thought I would pass in my entire life, by the time I go visit my daughter to cook Thanksgiving dinner and be there for the birth of my second grandchild!
Dont have all that much time left, and as of this morning's weigh in, I've got around 10 pounds to go.
I am battling several challenges at the same time.
I am unemployed, with no income at the moment. And if I dont find something soon, I am going to end up homeless.
I am getting food stamps, but eating healthy costs a little more and they dont make it to the end of the month. (I have 92 cents to make it to Oct 5 and the date on the milk is Oct 2)
So far, thanks to my sister and brother, I have been able to pay minimum amounts on bills and things and I have a vastly reduced rate at the Y. But every month is a question.
Very stressful life! High cortisol, hard to lose weight.
I have relaxation music galore on my mp3 player (a gift from a friend, god bless all friends!) and I have my workout playlists, but even going to the Y takes gas in the car, and there are times I have none of that, either.
I am paying a reduced fixed amount on my gas and electric, but ever mindful that if I dont make the 24 month mark, I owe all the back charges, so I am miserly with running lights, turning on the tv - my indulgence is the computer and npr ont the radio for a few hours a day. I would go crazy without them. That means careful use of my yoga and exercise dvds.
I have implored the spirit of every dead person I know to lend support and get me through this awful awful time in my life. I have prayed to all the gods, I have prayed to the One True God, I have implored Mary to intercede on my behalf. I am leaving no stone unturned.
The job market in my field is tighter than usual and skews very young, so I have several strikes against me right there. I am looking in every possible related field I can figure out! Holy Moly this is not easy. I need a SparkPeople for Job Seekers.
So now you know why I havent blogged in a while, having a hard time getting out of my own way to concentrate on this extremely important aspect of my life.
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Vipmaximo.com - Vipmaximo Website Traffic Estimation
We have pulled stats for you about vipmaximo.com to help your research.
Based on Alexa.com findings, vipmaximo.com has a global traffic rank of 652,935. vipmaximo.com also reaches roughly 1,673 unique users each month and has 20 backlinks according to Alexa. The estimated monthly ad revenue is $ 0.00.
We estimate the website value of vipmaximo.com is currently at $ 0.00. Traffic and Revenue of vipmaximo.com is estimated to be increasing within the last 3 months. The Site was launched at Saturday, 25 September 2004 and is 13 years and 6 months old. The domain vipmaximo.com is a .com domain with the name vipmaximo preceding it.
The Server of vipmaximo.com is powered by the Apache webserver software and the server is physically located in United States (Arizona) and uses the IP address 184.108.40.206. The average loading time of vipmaximo.com is 2936 milliseconds - this is faster than 18% of all other websites. At the DMOZ open directory project we found no listing for vipmaximo.com at this time.
Updated: 05/25/2014 21:03, 1394 days ago
|Worldwide Rank
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55 per day*
330 per day*
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Server InformationThe webserver of vipmaximo.com is powered by Apache webserver software. The server is located in Scottsdale in United States. The IP address of vipmaximo.com is 18.104.22.168.
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Faked Alaska
Well, somebody finally found that cone of silence that John McCain couldn't locate when he was at Saddleback. And Sarah Palin is in it.
As right-wing as Dick Cheney and hopefully a better shot, the good gov promises to out-do veep C. in the "now you see me, now you don't" department. Rumor has it, in fact, that the make-believe maverick McCain may put her in charge of the stealth bomber program, while ensuring first that she doesn't sell them all on eBay.
O.K., I kid. But I kid because there's little else to do when we've got a nominee about whom less is known than we initially know about most serial killers.
One thing we can understand for sure is that McCain's acceptance speech in which he promised that his "administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability" may be undeniably true–but not in the way we thought he meant it.
However, what do we expect from a lock-stepping maverick who votes with the people he now pretends to run against more than 90% of the time and who tells us, after choosing a running mate who is so far right of center, that he intends to reach across the aisle to the opposition? (He might– but what about Sarah? She'd need the arms of an orangutan to even reach the aisle on McCain's side, let alone get across it.)
That's a reach the equivalent of which Senator McSame is asking the voters of this country to make if they're going to buy into the current image of himself and Palin that he's trying to sell. Hopefully, there will be no takers.
Senator Small ChangeSeptember 5, 2008 by themortalcynic
I feel sorry for Bill and Sue Nebe of Farmington Hills, Michigan and Jake and Terry Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Why do I feel sorry for them–even though I'm not running for political office and,therefore, don't have to list a litany of names to put a face on my heightened sensibilities ? Well, I feel sorry for them because John McCain has listed them as the faces of people who he's fighting for.
The former couple, after all, lost all of their money in real estate. And John McCain knows something about real estate– what with having more houses than most Monopoly gamers and all. Still, he's spoken out against government involvement in helping people who've lost their houses and constantly sided against homeowners in favor of lenders in the past.
Now, the Nebes must work a total of FOUR jobs to make ends meet. Still, don't despair, Nebes! John McCain says that his party believes in "hard work and risk takers," so you folks should be o.k. Of course, he was talking, here, about the top one-percent and why he believes they need their tax cuts. Hopefully, those FOUR jobs are pretty high end and will allow you to qualify. If not, I'm afraid there's bad news. John McCain has continually voted against the minimum wage and equal pay for women, and since Sue Nebe has three of the FOUR jobs, well….That's why you made my "sorry for" list.
As to Jake and Tony Wimmer, well…Jake works on a loading dock, coaches Little League, and raises money for the mentally and physically disabled. And Tony teaches. The good news is that John McCain is not on record as having any problem with Little League or with helping the disabled–though Governor Palin might find these predilections a little too close to community organizing to meet her comfort level. And the loading dock thing…well, I hope it has to do with imports since McCain once again last night declared his support of free trade–no matter how unfairly it's weighted. As to you Tony, McCain is really behind you. Of course, you'd be better off if you taught in private schools such as the ones his kids attended or the ones he wants to offer vouchers for. If not, not a problem. He has said that he'll look into providing funding for the "No Child Left Behind" program that he had a hand in creating and has voted against properly funding in the intervening years. But,hey, it could be worse. How? Well, you could be working FOUR jobs like the Nebes!
I won't even go into the other case he mentioned. The young man who was killed in Iraq. Some of the worst minutes of my life in the last few years have been spent watching the silent roll call at the end of the Lehrer Report. Yet I watch because I feel it is my duty to watch. I've been asked to sacrifice nothing else for this war–the least I can do is to pay attention to the faces of some our country's best kids as they flash before me and I'm left to wonder, as their families must, what might have been.
Yet, change is coming, he says. " Change is coming!"
And if he's referring to change of position, then there's no disputing that McCain is,indeed, the change candidate. He wrote an immigration bill that he says he now couldn't even vote for. He was against the tax cuts for the rich BEFORE he was for them. He denounced the Karl Rove school of dirty politics BEFORE he embraced it. He said last night that he would help create millions of new jobs in the field of alternative energy, and yet his record BEFORE last night was a perfect one when it came to energy legislation last session. He missed all eight votes dealing with the issue, even though his vote might have been the deciding one in several instances.
In fact (with a special nod to our new watchdog, Sarah Palin), John McCain was NOT PRESENT for 60 percent of the votes taken last session. So, when he talks about a "do-nothing Congress," listen well–for he knows whereof he speaks.
And one final word, since we're talking of voting records– and I can feel the word "maverick" in the offing. When I grew up, a maverick was a person who used his own head, blazed his own trail, sailed his own course. (Since you're such a 'feminist,' Governor, you can insert feminine pronouns there, and it would be more than fine with me. Just leave out the references to lipstick.)
But CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY, tells us that McCain voted with the evil President Bush fully 95% of the time in 2007 and 100% of the time (every time he showed up) in 2008.
Not to mention, my good Governor, that he chose you as his running mate, I suspect, to please the "conservatives" (and I'm sorry, I can't even use that word because of my respect for men like the late Senator Goldwater)…let's say (in kindness) "social-conservatives" of his party. Not exactly a maverick move where I come from, young lady.
Deny that if you will. But, if so, in the words of the immortal Ricky Ricardo " 'splain me this." Why would his acceptance speech be so much about reaching across the aisle, ending "partisan rancor"– why– if you were,indeed, his ideal choice? Do you really think that he'd have named someone from so far right a position if he'd all the while planned to offer himself as a peacemaker? If you answer yes, then you must certainly believe him to be a few spokes short of a wheel or a little less than "with it," I fear. And maybe you're right.
But right or wrong, this is not the John McCain who really was a hero and who really did used to be a kind of "maverick."
And right or wrong this is not the change we have been looking for.
Lore And OdorSeptember 3, 2008 by themortalcynic
"Lore and Odor!" How 'bout that as a title for Fred Thompson's new, ready-for-prime-time show. Or just a description of his "keynote" speech, perhaps.
A former candidate in this year's Republican presidential primaries and a guy who might well have been featured in some one's anti-celebrity ads ( a little too second-rate to be seen with Angelina but right on the mark for a Paris Hilton spot), Thompson donned the greasepaint once again in praise of former rival, John McCain.
His acting was, as usual, sub par.
A man with a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt and currently a Washington lobbyist, you wouldn't think old Fred would be so apt to welcome the election of a "maverick" (McCain) and a potential "reformist" (Palin) who are coming to Washington to "irritate the alligators" and "drain the swamp." You'd think that, being a lawyer and a lobbyist Mr. Thompson would be a little more protective of his natural habitat.
You'd also think that a guy with a law degree from Vandy and a high-powered, multi-digit income might be too embarrassed to assume some "aw-shucks" Uncle Fred persona at a time when he's not supposed to be playacting and when he's asking the American people to trust what he has to say. But take a look at the speech. It's full of water and buckets and swamps–an exotic dancer named "Marie, the Flame of Florida," field-dressing a moose –and it even gives a tip of the cap to good old Teddy Roosevelt who, after all, ran a few percentage points ahead of Fred in this year's primaries. But, hey, didn't everybody?
Don't be too hard on old Fred, though. He did give a pretty accurate accounting of the serious problems now facing our country. "Terrorists, rogue nations developing nuclear weapons, an increasingly belligerent Russia, intensifying competition from China, spending at home [not to mention in Iraq] that threatens to bankrupt future generations, [and] for decades an expanding government, increasingly wasteful and too often incompetent."
What he failed to say is that most of these problems are as a result of the "leadership" of George Bush and Republican control of both houses of Congress and that one of the "alligators" who worked their little "swamp," and an old bellowing bull one at that, was none other than Senator John Sidney McCain.
Aw, shucks! Lore and odor, anyone?
Rainy Day WoemenSeptember 1, 2008 by themortalcynic
Now, let me get this straight. The Republican Convention has been held up by a hurricane less than a week after its own prima donnas of prayer, led by Stuart Shepard of Focus on the Family, urged the deity to send "torrential rain" to douse the acceptance speech of Barack Obama at Invesco Field…and nobody else is laughing? Well, all I can think is that it's too early.
After all, it's not everyone who can gloat over a natural disaster by proclaiming that it's been sent to an area in punishment for a gay pride parade the week before. (Never mind that thousands of innocent bystanders also had to suffer–neither God nor President W. seems to have the hang of making "surgical strikes"quite yet.)
So, I'll withhold my own ironic laughter until my fellow citizens, no matter what their sexual preferences, are hopefully spared any devastation this time and let the G.O.Pevangelicals, who have His ear, speak for the Absolute Being.
And I'll let John Hagee, James Dobson et al do the play by play on what the divinity is up to here. (I doubt they'll mark it up to political affiliation since even a Being with an infinite sense of humor would have trouble throwing in with the Democrats.)
An honest response could be that if He/She (the Godhead) is behind this at all, it might be to alert people that with all the misery and pain they find around them they oughtn't be praying to bring harm, even of a "prankish" kind, to anyone. But,then, I guess we all know better than to seek an "honest response" from the priests or the politicos.
So, I'll just sit up here on my perch and hope for the best for now. Nearly two-thirds of the population of Orleans parish didn't go back after the last devastation, and so there are fewer people in harm's way and fewer to evacuate. The Washington Establishment is already in place this time and looking dour and chastened and "Brownie" is back running with the horses, so it's hoped that our brothers and sisters to the South are the better for all that.
But just in case, let's all say a prayer.
The Palin PickAugust 31, 2008 by themortalcynic
It's official. John McCain has gone to the well and lowered the bucket and Sarah Palin emerged as number 1 on his bucket list. The pundits are having a field day–those on the right trying to defend the "experience" of Palin as better than Obama's since hers is as an executive (a governor) which,thus, makes her, automatically, a sounder manager than he. Because we all know that those with gubernatorial experience have superior managerial skills to those of mere Senators, don't we? After all, look at George Bush! (Oops, better not…better,um, let's move on.)
The pundits on the left are charging McCain with making a cynical political move. (With nary a nod to the redundancy of all that,either.)
Frankly, I find it a very honest choice. After all, what is the main requirement of a V.P. anyway? Why it's to replace the guy at the top should he (God forbid–the usual interjection used here) fall ill or become even more mentally incapacitated than recent office holders have been or (God…oh, the hell with it) dies. So, the veep need not be a superstar but merely good enough to fill the hole left by the departure of the sucker she supplants.
So, by choosing a backup with virtually no known accomplishments and even less grounding in international affairs than he has (see previous blog for that), he's admitting that it won't take very much to replace him should he go down. ( Reminds you of the Ravens' quarterbacking situation, don't it?)
And I say, hooray for Senator McCain for such an honest assessment –no matter how backhanded he might have been in making it.
I have often said that you'd have had to look long and hard to find a worse "leader" than the current occupant of our highest office, so someone who raises 5 children…or any of the children, for that matter, might do a better job than what we're currently having done. That's why I say: "Why not have a fresh hockey mom to replace one of our previously elected hockey pucks ?"
Congratulations to John McCain and to the Republican leadership for nominating a woman for veep a little fewer than 25 years after the Dems did the same. And thanks for the honesty of your choice.
How Many Houses Does It Take To Make A LoserAugust 26, 2008 by themortalcynic
O.K. I know that this whole thing has been blown up out of proportion, but,then, it was the Rove Regiment who got that started, so it's not seemly that they be squealing now. (How does the word "elitist" sound when it's coming in your direction, hmm?) McCain is answering by playing the P.O.W. card ("I spent five and a half years in a prison cell, I didn't have a house, I didn't have a kitchen table…."). In other words, we should honor his past before we diss his present–just so long as we don't start honoring the other guy's struggles or that we don't go too far back in time to when he was an undistinguished student at the Naval Academy–more or less a "legacy" case in the way that his recent "strange bedfellow," George Bush, was at Princeton. ("Undistinguished" only refers to his grades. Having come from a well-to-do family and rating visits by high-ranking brass, pals of his father and grandfather, put him otherwise out in the spotlight, thank you very much.)
So,we are to begin our critique of Senator McCain only after the Vietnam experience and to cut him slack as a result of that experience. Sure. His marital infidelities can be forgiven. After all, a guy who has spent so much time in the weeds deserves some clover when he can get it. (Sounds exactly what he was saying in his "houses" defense,now, doesn't it?) Or he has the right to slip ups on matters of national borders (Iraq and Pakistan,for instance), enmities (Sunni, Shiite–who cares?), houses ("My staff will get back to you on that.)
O.K. Fine. And I'm down with all of that. You bet, I'll make him some room. He's done his share, and he's more than paid his dues.
Still, the question that I'm left with after I give him all of these passes and agree that he's entitled given his trials is this: Does a guy who, through no fault of his own, undergoes life-altering experiences to the point of mental and psychological impairment deserve to be taken seriously as a candidate for the highest office in our land?
Sure McCain is the "experienced" candidate, but not all experience leads to positive outcomes. Heck, any visit to a local correctional facility should be enough to tell you that.
I'm just asking. And I'm asking because I'm the Mortal Cynic. Experience has made me that.
My Censored PostingAugust 23, 2008 by themortalcynic
In yesterday's entry, I mentioned a response to a poster on the HUFFINGTON site that got edited out of sight. The original comment came from a person who was gleeful at how his candidate, Senator McCain, had clearly won the Saddleback "debate." I pointed out that what went on at Saddleback could hardly be called a debate and that his candidate looked good mainly because he was often not responding to the questions but simply plugging in stories (the cross in the dirt) and statements ("gates of hell") that had been field-tested previously. I compared Reverend Warren's tolerance of this behavior to what we might all undertake for an old but lovable uncle who meanders sometimes when he's telling stories at the dinner table. I further pointed out that a real moderator might have sought clarification when the question"What's been your greatest moral failure?" was answered with the very generalized response of "my first marriage." Here, although the question was to the person, the answer omits any mention of the person. Was the undertaking of the first marriage a problem? Was the condition of the spouse after her accident the problem? (Doubtful since neither of these was a moral failing.) Basically, the Senator was allowed to skate while receiving kudos for his directness in answering questions. And no mention of his adulterous behavior was made or sought after. Don't get me wrong, I could care less about his marital misadventure. I leave all the judgmental moralizing to such chosen ones as Hannity, O'Reilly and Limbaugh. But when a man is misdirecting like a magician, I don't want to be told that he won a "debate" by being a straight shooter. McCain may want to treat me like a "chum" but I ain't no "chum-p"!
Off In A HuffAugust 22, 2008 by themortalcynic
A bit of a greenhorn when it comes to computers but pretty passionate when it comes to politics, I have tried to answer a couple of what I would consider underhanded posts on various sites. I submitted a couple on Youtube only to discover that my comment could be removed at the whim of the original poster and, worse, that I could be barred from ever entering that poster's comment zone again. Then, yesterday, moved to action by what I considered an unfair attack on my candidate, housed on the Huffington Post site, I composed a lengthy screed which I had to edit several times to make fit–only to have it put on a thread that would never open. (That's where this first post gets its title.) So, now, I am trying this blog. The first entry will be brief, but I hope to get wordier later on, and I hope someone out there reads and reacts to this. I can't promise you that you'll never lose something that you send in response to one of my posts, but I will promise that it will never be of my doing. Disagree with me if you wish. I will never censor anyone or bar anyone who takes the time to respond. And should this Administration leave any of them open, you can take that to the bank.