Goodmorning it’s Karnie with you today…thank you Robert in the UK for looking after the blog for us. Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has been sworn in as Pakistan’s president. A spokeswoman for Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said the new president would strengthen democracy and help the poor. Farzana Raja also said: “Democracy will work and this government will complete its five years and you’ll see after five years, Pakistan will appear on the world map as new country with new hope,” she said. Pakistani’s yearn for stability, an end to terrorism and they would like to see an economic revival. Pakistan is vital in the fight against international terrorism. This article says he’s the worst possible choice for the west..Can President Zardari deliver?
***
Later today, President Bush is due to announce the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Iraq while sending more soldiers to Afghanistan. Nato and the US have been criticised heavily by human rights watch over the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan. US and Nato forces are increasingly stretched against the resurgent Taleban and al-Qaeda. Is the west failing in Afghanistan? What more should they do? Is sending more troops the answer?
***
Nelson on the blog has spotted this story:
The church of Scientology is in the spotlight once again. It’s been tried in court for “organized fraud.” One of the lawyers in the case told the BBc , if convicted the church could be banned. It’s been accused in some countries of cult-like practices and exploiting its followers financially. Although Scientology is registered as a religion in the US, French authorities treat it as a sect. Should the church of Scientology be banned?
***
Some of you may remember my blog post on the 25th of August? I spoke about grandparents and how more and more of them are looking after their grandchildren in the UK. It did make the editorial meeting and there was interest in the story. It seems there’s reason to look at it again because it’s a global talking point. Look at this story in the United States. Does the same happen where you are? Is it fair for grandparents to be taking on parenthood again?
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BBC World Have Your Say 
Hello people I am Rob and I am moderating the blog tonight
I think we should start discussing Russian and Venezuelan joint naval exercises which are scheduled to begin later this year. We are headed into another World War, and this time Oil and Global Power are the sources of conflict
Jeff I agree that this is a concern
When should sex education start? : Dozens of under 16s have STI. An interesting story: The Church of Scientology faces fraud trial in France.
Nelsoni I am a firm beliver that it is important that teenagers are made aware that sex has some dangers with it.
Hi Rob:
I’d like to hear what people think about the issue with Scientology in France, as well.
Cool come on then lets have this conversation
Will the world come to an end on Wednesday when the CERN atom smasher goes online?
@Nelsoni
I think it should start as soon as a child is able to comprehend not just during adolescents. Not just about sex but about making good choices and self-respect…..
People under 16 shouldn’t be having sex at all. We had sex education start at about 13.
Oops, I meant adolescence.
@ steve, legally it depends on the age of consent. I think.
@ Scientology, I think that’s brainwashing at it’s premium. This not the first time they have had brushes with the law. They were involved also in a data violation case some time back.
Hi Precious Rob in the UK…. And a very big WELCOME to you from Baghdad my good friend ! ;-)… Actually this comment is directed at Precious Jonathan in San Fransisco, and also at everyone… Regarding the topic that has been discussed on the Blank Page this weekend about stealing Iraqi oil :
Actually, we as patriotic Iraqi citizens who love our Iraq dearly, demand strongly that future oil contracts signed between the Iraqi government and giant foreign oil firms would be ”Service Agreements”, NOT ”Production Sharing Agreements”… The proposed suspicious draft of the Iraq’s oil and gas law (which is supposed to regulate the process of signing up oil investment contracts between the central Iraqi government and giant foreign oil firms in the upcoming future and which is waiting eagerly to be approved by the Iraqi Parliament) states that those oil investment contracts should be of the ”Production Sharing Agreements” type… Imagine if your house was totally ruined and I have volunteered to fix it… Accordind to the ”Service Agreement” type of contracts. I’ll repair what’s broken in your house, and you in return of my services will pay me a satisfactory amount of money i.e. I’d be hired by you inorder to repair what’s broken in your house… But accordind to the ”Production Sharing Agreement” type, I’ll repair what’s broken in your house, but that in return will give me the right to own your living room for an indefinite period of time i.e. I’d be an actual partner in your property… Now is the picture clear here guys ?! I do hope so… With my love… Yours forever, Lubna in Baghdad…
@ Scientology
Scientology is a cult, and a business that sells a product. The product they sell is called “Clearing.”
You can not be a member of the “church” unless you are buying product. How in the heck are they able to pass themselves off as a religion?
How does scientology differ from any other “religion”? Is it less believable than the sky fairy?
the venezualen navy, makes me kind of chuckle. maybe the cayman airforce should take part.
Nelsoni is Scientogy the region which some actors in Hollywood now believe in
Well there is a new computer game which is set Venezualan
Wouldn’t it be funny if the left and environmentalists criticized russia for this and similar stuff? Them “posturing” hurts the environment. These ships burn fuel. Russia started up TU-95 flights again, that’s a huge, highly noisy airplane that burns gas. There is no purpose for those flights, and contributes greenhouse gases.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7602530.stm
@ Scientology
Well, believing there is a creator who made everything is a lot better then an evil emperor Zenu who’s solar system is over populated, so he freezes the different alien races and puts them on gold planes that look like our planes today, then throws the aliens into the volcanoes of hawaii, and after they die Zenu captured the alien souls and brainwashed them by making them watch “movies” and classes that confused them with different religions, so the souls wandered the earth until they embedded them into man, and that where we get our “bad” feelings of fear, sadness, anxiety, etc.
You gotta admit that having a God (especially if you take out the Jesus or Mohammed part) is much more plausible than Elron’s crazy story and scheme.
-Anthony, LA, CA
anthony,
there are always guliable people who believe whatever.
If you are interested, you can read this : Index of the Criminal History of Scientology.
@ Anthony
Is that really that more difficult to believe than worshipping a zombie?
@ Scientology
Have any of you encountered the Scientology cultists giving “free” stress tests in your local malls? That stress test is just like the “clearing” product that all Scientologists are buying at all the time. The only difference is that the questions get harder… more personal. Plus, the “clearers” end up knowing everything about you.
portlandmike,
is that portland or port and land 😉
i don’t need a stinky stress test, i know i am stressed-out, especially after 8 years of some of the worst policies i have seen….
@ steve
When they fire up the LHC, well, I’ll miss you man! Hehe. All the conspiricy people are saying it’s the end of the world. But all the CERN people are saying it’s the begining of a great era. I just hope if something crazy happens, it will fizzle out by the time it reaches the ocean.
-Anthony, LA, CA
P.S. My mom is freaking out about it!!!
@ steve
TONS more difficult (F.T.R. I don’t believe in the Jesus stuff, but do believe in God). I think deep inside you find the Jesus thing MUCH MUCH more plausable than the scientology story.
-Anthony, LA, CA
anthony,
tell she can calm down. funny how it is non physisist that are tripping about this, ie the massses that don’t even understand gravity….
Lubna
Your description of a PSA is too simplistic. What you talk about is a method called tax and royalty which is very different to a PSA. These differences included
First the oil companies are only allowed a fixed monetary amount each year from production, oil price goes up, the share of the oil to the company drops. Tax and royalty is unlimited.
Second there is a fixed time period for the PSA partnership to run (10-25 years). After this point EVERYTHING (oil equipment down to the offices) reverts to the country. Tax and royalty are indefinite partnerships and all assets below to the company.
Third the oil company can only recoup from the PSA what they have invested plus a fixed percentage and no more. If they reach this limit they get no more oil.
I agree that the tax and royalty system is not the correct one for Iraq. As to whether a PSA or a service contract is better for Iraq, I’m not sure. All depends on how well you write the contact between the state and the oil company. But PSA’s are not fundamental bad as you keep saying, they just need careful planning, writing and oversight once working.
anthony,
the jesus thing is more plausible, BUT it still doe not make any sense. so just because something is less wacko, does not make it real
robert,
i can’t wait for us to have our own sustainable energy. then they can write what ever they want and i could not care about it in the least…..
@ Anthony
That’ slike asking me what is more believable, a Minotaur or pan. They’re both unbelievable, but to different degrees, but are still unbelievable. Yet many people believe in the zombie god. People used to get burnt at the stake for not believing in the zombie God, so despite how bad “scientology” might be, they haven’t done anything nearly as bad things as the other fictional sky fairy faith believers have committed.
Here’s an example of the bitter hillary supporter that might be voting for Mccain: Geraldine Ferraro
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/09/01/ferraro-leaves-door-open-vote-mccain-palin
Jens~
That’s PDXmike 🙂
I’m stressed too after these years of double think. And now Bush @ Co have added six trillion to the National Debt!
War. Lies and more lies. Guantanimo, and Blackwater. Billions squandered blowing up people and property. And now more smoke and mirrors about our home mortgages and oil prices, that cloud the value of everything.
@ steve
I’m asking you straight out. What is more plausable, the story of Jesus or the story of Scientology?
@ Jens
I never said that made Jesus real.
-Anthony, LA, CA
@ Anthony
They are both unbelievable. I mean, we do have airplanes now, so maybe other societies have airplanes. But I don’t think there’s any way for there to be Zombies, let a lone a god, who has a human child. And how a child gets born without a father, well, that’s unbelievable.
PDXMike,
i absolutly love that part of the country and would move on a drop of my hat up there if only i could find a job.
yeah, the party of morality has eroded all the moral values that were left…….hoever as long as mooseburger palin is going to reinstate them, NOT…
anthony,
i never said you did 😉
uhh, now i know why i get along with poeple so well. i am just too good looking and i smile……. 🙂
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7603530.stm
looks like posts with bbc links disappear in the abyss….
@ steve
I just wanted to see if you’d actually answer a question. You always seem to not answer simple questions.
Anthony: Hey steve, what color do you prefer, red or blue.
steve: Well preference of colors is stupid so neither.
Anthony: I know you don’t believe in the preference of colors, and think people who prefer colors are stupid, but if you had to choose between the two which would you choose.
steve: I don’t have to choose because preference in colors are for stupid morons.
Anthony: OK, hypothetically if you did have a preference in colors, which would you prefer?
steve: neither because people who think one color is better than another is missing a chromosome.
-Anthony, LA, CA
Jens
The link did the rounds earlier today on the board. I find it amazing that they had to interview 230 people to come up with some of the suggestions. Obviously it takes an academic to state the obvious at times
@ Anthony
I said they are both implausible stories. Neither is believable. They are both fictional stories.
robert, do not insult academics, i am one. you are a bad bad boy. i could have done the study for tha grant/price, though.
@ steve
I understand, but which story is MORE plausable out of the two. Startrek and Lord of the Rings are both fake, but I think Startrek is much more plausable.
-Anthony, LA, CA
Anthony,
i think star wars is ever so real.
@ Anthony
I think the JEsus story would be less plausible. Virgin birth? Comes back to life? I am pretty sure alien life exists somewhere. But there are no zombies and virgin births.
@ Rob, hi and welcome. By the way, is ’87 your birth year, if you care to share?
@ Steve
I agree! Under no circumstances should kids be having sex under 16. If there is a consent law that allows them to have sex before 16 years of age, then it should be changed.
@ Jennifer
I agree! although, sex education should also include a special section for oral sex as “sex”. Recent reports indicate that jr. high kids who actively (and frequently) engage in oral sex consider themselves virgins, because oral sex is not “sex” (OMG!) which accounts for part of the raise in STI.
*I faint from agreeing with Steve and Jennifer. Note to myself, they’re just finally being sensible. 😀 *
I’m an agnostic by nature if not raising. I can believe that a young Jewish girl fooling around with her boyfriend got knocked up and yet had an intact hymen. I can believe that a Jewish family wandering the middle east or traveling by ship could encounter a variety of religios ideas.
Then when some Yeshua kid comes back home he could see that there were problems and start preaching non-violent organizing. He gets strung up for his troubles and a mixture of herbs which rendered him unconsious and the roman soldiers are bribed to slash his skin and let him down feigning death. He then skips town.
Later, the disciples make a living telling and retelling the story to rapt and gullible audiences. It becomes a religion.
Jesus was a community organizer who fed the people.
Pontius Pilate was a governor in favor of capitol punishment.
@ Jeff Christman
RE Russian and Venezuelan joint naval exercises
That’s a good topic. I have placed on the back burner recent news articles on this topic “for when I have time”. I read them on my commute home and comment tonight.
@ Nelson
RE The Church of Scientology faces fraud trial in France.
Wonder what Tom Cruise will do.
Funny story on princess symdrome. I truly pity this guy if he marries her
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/29/AR2008082901907.html?hpid=smartliving
@ steve
I think you are just saying that. So an alien trapping alien souls, and then brain washing the souls, who then enter our bodies, and that’s where our emotions some from is more realistic than God making a woman pregnant, then he dies and raises from the dead? That’s a bit silly, especially since there is proof that Jesus and Mary existed (not saying he was the son of God, but was a real person). Someone that stubborn should be in politics.
@ Jens
May the Force be with you!!! I saw that new computer animation Starwars with my son, and I was pleasantly surprised!!! It was still a bit kiddy, but surprisingly AWESOME!!! Hehe.
-Anthony, LA, CA
jessica,
did bill not clearly say that oral sex is not engading in sexual relationship 😉
@ Scientology
Steve~
To me believing in invisible beings with incredible smarts and powers isn’t the question about Scientology. The Scientologists require you to pay for a product. All other religions survive on donations. That seems like a big difference to me.
@ Portland
Aren’t there some religions that require you to pay a certain amount? I doubt the catholic church has relied on donations all this time. The mormon church requires huge percentages of people’s incomes. That’s not exactly a donation when you are required to do it.
“This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times… before the Empire.”
was he talking to Obama?????
@ Portlandmike
Yes, and you have to pay more and more in order to gain access to higher levels of knowlege. I feel bad for some of the kids who get screwed over too. Check out this link:
http://www.exscientologykids.com/
It talks about some CRAZY stuff, that is basically child slavery!!!
-Anthony, LA, CA
Just reminded me of some of the star wars quotes
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”
HAN SOLO
“It’s against my programming to impersonate a deity.”
C-3PO
@ steve
Yes, I have a few friends in the Mormon church, and they hook you up with a really good job, then they require 10% your whole life. If you don’t, they basically will take your friends and family awyay through excommunication. But Mormons get great job hook-ups when they’re not even qualified.
-Anthony, LA, CA
anthony,
like running for president……?
@ Jens
NICE!!! HAHAHA!!! You knowing those quotes, I’m sure you (like myself) tried to move something with “the Force) after watching those movies!!! I called a co-worker “Bantha fodder” today and she looked at me like I was teaching her quantum physics!!!
And HAHA, yeah, like running for pres!!!
-Anthony, LA, CA
anthony,
i am still moving things “with da force”. you know once you’ve got it it will stay with you a life time……..
this quote is one of my faves
R2-D2, you know better than to trust a strange computer.
C-3PO
@ Jessica
Oral sex is definitely sex. I don’t see how anyone would think otherwise. I guess anything to find a loophole……
@ Jens
Did you know that there really is a religion based on the Force??? I believe it’s really big in Australia!!! Now that’s funny!!! I wish I had midacloriun (I think that’s how it’s spelled). I think if Starwars was Earth, we’d (the U.S.) be “The Empire”, but then who would be the “Rebel Alliance”??? I think Osama thinks that’s what he is.
-Anthony, LA, CA
jennifer,
no it is not sex, Bill Clinton told me so. the same for anything that involves a cigar……..
@ Anthony
LOL– picking favorite colors… blah.
@ Jens
LOL– I think you might be waiting for a while.
@ Steve
LOL– you might find the new version of the “Jesus story” more plausible, I hear it closes the science loop holes as ALL other religions have already done.
Anthony~
I’m surprised to hear that about Mormons. I don’t see how an organization that claims religious status can require members to pay a certain amount of money… or they are not one of them?
@ anthony,
that’s why wrote that one
Jens
September 8, 2008 at 9:20 pm
@ Jessica in NY,
waiting for what, oral sex or a humidor?
“Obama, after all, had stared down Papa Bear. And in the No-Spin Zone, that’s the greatest leadership credential of all.”
for 2000 credits, who is referred to as Papa Bear
Does anyone have an all time favorite President of the U.S.? One they maybe wish could come back to life and become president again??? I really like Roosevelt. The original Rough Rider!!!
-Anthony, LA, CA
@Jens
Of course it is. Bill Clinton was just trying to find a loophole too! haha
Anthony,
what about nixon? he seemed to be an upright citizen….
jennifer, and he got away with it. since then oral sex is not sex in our household…….;)
I have no pity for anyone taken in by Scientology or any other cult.
Bill Clinton was right… oral sex is not sex. 😉
selena,
i am glad you concure 😉
@ Jens
I know he did but pfft, it still is! 😀
How is oral sex not sex
@ Jens @ selena
I remember I knew some guy who thought “It’s not cheating if you use a condom, because no fluids are exchanged, and nothing is really touching.” Haha. I used so think that was funny!
-Anthony, LA, CA
@Robert
Sex is the missionary position. 😉
For what it is worth, I really think that Bill Clinton didn’t know the difference.
Can anybody out there explain this? Iran calls for oil output cut ahead of OPEC meeting Why would they consider this? Don’t they know that more supply would reduce oil prices? If Oil prices are on the decline, why would they reduce production.
“There is too much crude on global oil markets, senior oil officials from Iran and Libya said Monday, as the price of”.
“We believe the market is oversupplied,” Iran’s oil minister, Gholam Hossein Nozari, told reporters.”
“Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez has drawn the line at $100 per barrel of oil. Anything below that should serve as a wake-up call for OPEC to tighten the spigots, he says — sentiment that is shared by other OPEC members.”
What problem do they have with low oil prices?
lol so if oral sex is not sex, if one forces a girl to do it, it is not rape?
I am waiting for the verdict on that one.
I feel cranky today. Will everyone please stop writing and saying “different to”? That’s like saying “similar from.”
@ portlandmike
RE Propaganda, my daily intake M-F
On my walk to the train for work:
-Person 1) Free paper (left bias)
-Person 2) Free competitor paper (right bias) with shopping coupon to Macy’s
-Person 3) Jehovah witness with a Watchtowver mag–they usually stand in groups of three
-Person 4) Christians with “Jesus loves me” pamphlets
-Person 5) Jewish people with pamphlets that say, “Jews for Jesus”
During Lunch:
-Nice and lovely person who doesn’t get a #, because she hands me chocolate with her Christian reminder to “save my soul sticker” on it.
-Groups 7-15) McCain Reps, Obama Reps, Environment Reps, Peta Reps, Starving Children Reps, Homeless Reps, HRC Reps, Anti-War Reps
-Groups 16-21) Banks, Food and Drinks reps with lots of free stuff (I have a little fridge at work with juice w/ 5% fruit, energy and diet drinks I offer them to ppl during meetings)
After work:
-Person 22) Jewish kids asking me if I am Jewish, if I say yes, I get a pamphlet
-Person 23) Christians streaming into bullhorns that we’re “damned, sinners and going to hell” to save our soul sign-up for their newsletter (I’m guess Jesus will email with instructions)
-Person 24) Scientology folks asking me about my stress with chairs to sit on in the center of a subway station during rush hour
-Person 25) Free magazines (different one every day) telling me what I should buy based on what’s “hot”, no articles just pictures and price tags
-Person 26-31 varies on day of the week) Start my own business reps asking me to sell diet meds, glass figurings, marketing ads, perfume, new trial “low fat” snacks, etc.
-Person 33) Asking me if I want to go to a free movie screening
-Person 34) Selling me a “cheap” spa/haircut/beauty treatment package. Yes, you can buy botox on the street, the appointment for it, anyways.
-Person 33-35) playbills for local gyms, cellular companies, and strip clubs in that area
-No person, but on my door) menus for local 2-5 restaurants and grocery stores, they vary each day, but at least 4 daily.
This is why New Yorkers are always in a hurry, appear to be rude by ignoring people speaking to them, it’s their/our only quite time. NYC is the propaganda overload capital.
Help, this blog didn’t like my Guardian link and relegated my comment to the spam filter.
Jessica ~
LOL! And I thought it was terrible on the streets of Portland….Actually, last time I was in New York I figured it out exactly how you stated. 😉
Both Scientology & Mormons require money. With Scientology though you have to have so much more money. That’s why Tom Cruise and John Travolta are such high members in their religion.
@ Jessica in NYC
1987 in Robert1987 = Yes it is my year of birth
@ Steve
I hope that this mad world of ours doesnt end on Wednesday because I am going on holiday for 3 weeks from this Saturday
My esteemed colleagues on this blog (or perhaps I should say steamy colleagues given the conversation) might recall that BBC reporter John Sweeny lost it and started screaming at the Scientology crew in the course of his investigation into the cult.
Any followers of a religion that twist your arm to join them, force your arm up behind your back to keep you there and follow and harass you if you escape have turned their religion into a cult – if it was not already a cult to begin with.
The Guardian has a fascinating article on Sweeney and the cult. They were harassing the poor guy so much for daring to investigate them that he lost control. They behaved like gangsters rather than religious people:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/13/broadcasting.bbc
RE Oral Sex
Dateline, 20/20/ or one of those news shows did a show on this a year or so ago when reports of the increase of STIs came out and the young age of the kids who had them. I’ll see if I can find it tonight for you… meaning I’ll search for a link on the net, not that I have a copy at home. It’s mostly involved girls giving oral sex to boys so they would be their boy-friends.
PS– (notice how mostly men said Oral sex is not sex) I wonder how young boys got that idea. I’d smack Bill Clinton for the oral sex comment (I use to live near his office), but his secret service would take me out and not to a ball game.
Also, you can youtube a show where comedian Bill Mahr says about this report, “Where were all these girls [giving oral sex] when I was in jr. high?” I sent him a hate fax for his comment and got a very funny reply from one of his staff members with the word: Deserve, republican, abstinence and dumb. I can’t repeat the comment, b/c it’s not PC and has curse words in it.
Trying again. If this doesn’t work I’ll try to post it without the link:
My esteemed colleagues on this blog (or perhaps I should say steamy colleagues given the conversation) might recall that BBC reporter John Sweeny lost it and started screaming at the Scientology crew in the course of his investigation into the cult.
Any followers of a religion that twist your arm to join them, force your arm up behind your back to keep you there and follow and harass you if you escape have turned their religion into a cult – if it was not already a cult to begin with.
The Guardian has a fascinating article on Sweeney and the cult. They were harassing the poor guy so much for daring to investigate them that he lost control. They behaved like gangsters rather than religious people:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/13/broadcasting.bbc
Here’s an example of the bitter hillary supporter that might be voting for Mccain: Geraldine Ferraro
Ugh, not her again….
@ jessica,
bill maher is right, where were all these girls during my high school years……it’s just not fair. our generation had to work on convicing girls that protein is an important part of nutrition……
@ selena,
yes the missionary position, with the light out and no moaning, please…..
@ Bryan
Bryan, I fished out your comment from our spam area and deleted the duplicate post. Hope that was what you wanted.
@ Robert born in 87
FYI- Since your our mod tonight.
Jessica what do you mean when you say FYI
Jessica in NYC September 8, 2008 at 11:32 pm,
Thanks, that’s exactly what I wanted. Funny how sometimes a comment with a link or two will appear with the red moderation stripe underneath it and at other times dive straight down into the spam filter
@ Jens
Just read your post re Papa Bear:
Bill O’Reilly is “Papa Bear”. I’m a member of the Colbert Nation. He’s the dreamiest conservative republican out there… he had me at “truthieness”.
for your information =FYI
Jens thanks for that information
jessica,
you have just won 2000 credits……….
colbert is funny, although I a much more of a sarcastic maher type, for better or worse……..since you did not like his comment.
for some reasson i like sophisticated comedy that is also crude……bad bad me…
you are welcom. you just made me feel so gooooooood since a calcified academic could help a younger person with Im-talk……i just feel about 20 years younger 😉
RE religion:
——————————————————————————————————-
——– I’m completely open to alternative plausible thesis by the usual suspects, our beloved but curmudgeonly unholier than HELL atheists.
Perhaps JUST one of them can weigh in and explain the plausability of winning the lotto that hath graced those of us composed of lesser clay with their presence. Conservative odds of a quadrillion multiplied by a FACTOR OF quadrillion random genetic mutations, physical interactions, and galactic events.
Thats a quadrillion multiplied by ITSELF a quadrillion times for those who missed out on the random math gene.
I await with baited breath…..
@ robert1987
FYI means For Your Information, it’s used in work/offices.
Jens I am 20 and I have no job and isnt that typical
Hell in Haiti
I really am disappointed with the way that the media has been completely passing over Haiti to cover Cuba being hit by hurricanes. Cuba was prepared for these storms; but Hait has been turned into a massive disaster. Why is Haiti being ignored? Even Flashpoints (94.1 Berkeley, CA) has been so focused on the Republican Convention that they haven’t covered Haiti.
robert,
what is your background? ie what are your interests, school diplomas and what would you like to do in the near and extendet future?
“yes the missionary position, with the light out and no moaning, please…..”
Jens, you must be a Republican. 😉
Bryan ~
I had read somewhere too that the Scientologists actually had some sort of hit list. Frightening!
@ Jens
When Colbert had Lou Dobbs as a guest and he had fence surrounding the studio in which he cut trough to get to Dobbs for the interview he, solidified himself as the king for me.
I dig Maher’s sense of humor less, but I watch him from time to time esp when politicians do very-very dumb things (like spitzer). The comment of the jr. high girls was way below the beat (haha). Does anyone need to be making jokes that make them look like pedafiles (did I spell that right, it looks funny)?
roberto,
the math and statistics game is part of it, but natural selection and evolution is based on he fact the every thing mutates, see eg gentic diseases. often these mutations are dead end, but sometimes the confere an advantage. it took billion of years to get where we are, so don’t dis the maths behind it. just think that initial selection was carried-out (still is in bacteria) at a rate of every 20 min duplication in case of E. coli. the maths becomes very quickly very tangible. a gentic advantage may just be gained by a single mutation and as you probably know the chance of a mution increases with the amout of times a gene is copied, see cnacer or higher risk birthdefects in older women. everything around us is evolving and at lower levels of evolution say viruses and bacteria, this happens at a incredibly fast rate. just look at SARS it disappeared as fast as it appeared in the community, because of it’s rapid mutation rate. think flue shoots every year, bacterial resistance against antibiotic etc etc. all due to evolution and the chance of getting the lottery ticket…..
I have applied for several jobs and all failed oh well if all fails I will go and work for Tesco like 3 of my friends
julie P,
what if i say i am not………. i think we both know the truth 😉
8 steve September 8, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Will the world come to an end on Wednesday when the CERN atom smasher goes online?
link to news story
Surprising that you noted this one, as well. I thought that no-one cared.
robert,
applied for what kind of jobs? do you wanna go to college/university?
i have probably applied for over 100 jobs through-out my live. when i finished my PhD i applied for 80 plus jobs in two weeks and got ultimatly 10 offers.
robert it is to a certain degree a numbers game.
Jessica ~
I to am a member of the Cobert Nation. You can’t help but love that guy!
shirly,
no it will not come to an end……
LOL @ Julie on Jens comment 😛
Jens,
I’m having a yen for a cigar.
jessica,
he said where were these girls when he was in high school…….ie when he was as old as they are/were. do you get it now. nothing peadiophilic just a wish he had more oral sex when he was in his late teens……
brett,
i shall soon go home and act like a good democrat. i just selected the right cigar and off we go to the races…. 🙂
Julie P go and have one then
@Jessica~
That description of “a day in the life” is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a whole long time. But no garden-variety ordinary panhandlers? Or so many that they don’t warrant mention? Or is it routine there for people to offer something of (real or imagined) value rather than just thinking everybody is an ATM?
About oral sex being sex or not, I find it’s more a generational division than a gender one. As people have been saying for as long as there have been people, “Those crazy kids!”
Robert1987,
I will never tell what I do behind closed doors! 😉
julie P,
actually i a nice one this weekend.
Julie P I actually ment go and have a cigar that all of what I ment
@ Jens:
Hmph… I’m sitting in my AutoCad class waiting to get out of this place lol.
@ Hadron:
It’s odd that more people aren’t wary of this… I’m glad I don’t live ontop of the thing lol.
Julie p,
that is the right attitued, and as a good republican as you are in the dark nobody knows what’s happening anyway. unless the cigar is lite…….. 😉
@Jens,
Was it a Monica?
@Robert1987,
We’re referencing Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. I figure since you’re 20 you may not know. You could, but…
Julie P
I have unfortunatly no I what you talking about so thats the end
Brett,
so what is your next project then a three simulation of a cigar event? LOL
Jens,
LOL!
Julie P,
it was a Monicaristo lol. nice and moist and evenly burning, lasted for hours……. 😉
@Dwight
I think you maybe got confused again about supply and demand–Iran and everyone else in OPEC say they want to cut production to raise prices. No contradiction.
Or else you’re beig all sophisticated and sarcastic, which of course goes right over my head.
i am off to the cigar store….
as the blues brothers so apptly said “i gave up cigaretts BUT i did not give up smoking…..”
Julie P,
what do you think a torpedo or a presidente, although a churchill cannot and should not be underestimated…..
ciao
@ CERN
I like this story about the super-collider
Large Hadron Collider to Go Online This Week Despite Death Threats
@Jens,
A presidente. Definitely.
… I feel violated lol
Jonathan,
My thought would be, If the US raises production a few hundred thousand barrels that they drilled up from ANWR and drive the price down, What would OPEC do?
Iraqi Oil & Sovereignty
Lubna (September 8, 2008 at 8:00 pm), salam. Thank you for explaining the oil situation. I definitely agree with you. Iraqi oil should remain Iraqi. Have you heard about other parts of the agreement that are being negotiated in addition to the military arrangements and the oil sharing?
30 Robert September 8, 2008 at 8:27 pm
There is a fixed time period for the PSA partnership to run (10-25 years). After this point EVERYTHING (oil equipment down to the offices) reverts to the country. Tax and royalty are indefinite partnerships and all assets below to the company.
Oh, goodie gumdrops! I can invade a country, destroy its infrastructure, arm its opposing factions and sick them on each other, install a fake puppet regime that calls itself a democracy, and sink the whole nation into destructive chaos; and they get to thank me by making me a temporary partner in their major natural resource! I’ve heard that Brazil has some excellent agricultural prospects. Anyone up for God, Glory, and Gold with me?
Oh Shirley, don’t question it… People will say you are unpatriotic or unamerican if you question it or don’t support it.
Good points though 😉 lol
Shirley you only have put up with GB until Januay next year then a new president comes into office
Jessica in NYC (September 8, 2008 at 11:02 pm)
That’s amazing that you get hit on by proselytizers so much! I had no idea NYC was so busy with this type of sales.
Besure,
it is my personal experience ,
gone vegitable market,
but there was all but not banana,
felt all the shope was look like widow.
People I am off for some sleep so I would appreciate it if someone could take the blog over for now.
Cheers
Rob
I got you covered like saran wrap, robert 🙂
Cheers mate
@Brett,
Are you still feeling violated?
That really made me laugh! 🙂
I’m better now… Im drawing circles and lines in AutoCad… I feel like a child in kindergarten, yet somehow…. I am content…. lol
Religion
46 Anthony September 8, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I understand, but which story is MORE plausable out of the two. Startrek and Lord of the Rings are both fake, but I think Startrek is much more plausable.
I never bothered myself long enough to consider which was more plausible. LTR was much more eye candy, and if I had a choice of which one to make come true, LTR would be my choice hands down.
85 Jessica in NYC September 8, 2008 at 11:02 pm
-Person 5) Jewish people with pamphlets that say, “Jews for Jesus”
Jessica, those are not Jews. Any Jewish person would tell you that. If you believe in the divinity of any human, you are not a Jew – Christian, perhaps, but not a Jew. The Jewish concept of monotheism is about as strict as that of Islam. Btw, my fmaily and I are totally cracking up over your day.
117 Jens September 9, 2008 at 12:05 am
shirley,
no it will not come to an end…
No worries, Jens, I figured as much.
robert1987
Gotcha covered mate!
Life’s a CAD, then you Invade Brazil
Brett, you must have covered circles and lines in high school, yes? As soon as I discovered that drafting required computer qork, I realised that any dreams of mine to pursue drafting were as good as dead. I was in love with the pencil and paper of it.
Good morning/afternoon/evening/night all!
I’m still reading through the blog but the first thing I came across was the question about what age sex education should start. If the question is implying that all sex education should happen in schools then this is a faulty premise in the first place.
Sex education should start with the parents at whatever age the child first asks a question. In my experience this is usually quite shortly after the child has the words to formulate a question (“Daddy, why doesn’t mummy have the same bits as me” or a variation on the theme.) So long as parents answer honestly and accurately (bearing in mind the child’s ability to understand) you’ve just started an ongoing process and are less likely to have problems later on.
Re: CERN
I’ll be wearing my tinfoil hat at the time they turn it on!
Seriously, has it occured to anyone else that the name “Hadron” sounds like the name they should use for a bad guy in a tower in Lord of the Rings? For that matter, “Higgs Boson” (one of the particles they’re researching) could well be a Hobbit for all I know!
@Bob
Well, that’s the entirely healthy and reasonable POV on sex education. (Hey, it worked for me!) But how young is too young to take up cigars, and oral sex, that’s the tough part.
@ Jonathan
I believe the US constitution says you have to be 35 for that….
Rob:
I am sorry for not being around!!!!
i was at carosuel centre mall shopping…..
Dennis
Sex Eduation
154 Bob in Queensland September 9, 2008 at 2:52 am
Bob, I fully agree with you. One thing that is sometimes difficult is thinking of how to explain things to young children without using details that would confuse them or be age inappropriate.
@Shirley~
Who’s to say what’s “age-appropriate” for the little buggers? I mean, nippers. I know full-grownadults who can barely manage to squeak out perfectly ordinary words witth respect to the physical act of love, presumably becausethey were indoctrinated that the very words were sinful or dirty, never mind the acts. I say, don’t sweat the small stuff. More concretely, as Bob said: Answer their questions and try to stay half a beat ahead of them.
@Bob
I know you’re just joking, buti the notion of your kids growing up in the U.S. is more disturbing than any of the other stuff. 🙂
@ Jonathan
Being serious for a moment, way back when (when I was a wage slave) I was twice offered very attractive jobs in the USA. One of the considerations at that time was the environment/educational system for my kids (the ones who are now both in their mid twenties) and this was a major factor in turning down the offers.
@ Jonathan
“That description of “a day in the life” is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a whole long time.”
Yeah, my typos are pretty funny, I tried to correct them.
@ Jonathan
“But no garden-variety ordinary panhandlers? Or so many that they don’t warrant mention?”
We definitely have them, for some reason it completely slipped my mind to mention being in the subway tunnel and my actual train ride. This was the entertainment I had to suffer through today to and from work, because I forgot to recharge my ipod (I learned my lesson and ordered a charger to keep at work):
1) Going down the stairs a man asked me for a “swip” (in other words to let him use my metrocard to get on a subway).
2) In the subway “lobby” a Michael Jackson impersonator that NYers yelled “beat it” at since his moon walk was blocking the hallway.
3) Scientology folks at every stairwell and another person a few feet away reading from the bible.
4) 1st corridor: Group of hip-hop dancers raising money for basket ball uniforms w/buckets they use as drums & every time they flip their legs in the air you see things that if shown in a movie it would be rated R.
5) On my subway ride a man selling a book he wrote & copied at kinkos & swore he’ll be on Oprah one day. We’ll regret not having an original “copy” of his book.
6) The people from homeless shelters offering us sandwiches and fruit if we’re hungry–they don’t discriminate you can take one if you’re not homeless. A lot of our homeless live in the tunnels and sometimes ride the trains all day.
7) A handicap man on a wheelchair that told us his sad story. All tourist gave him money, offered luck and prayers, while heartless New Yorkers ignore him and game him ugly looks if he stopped in front of them. Then he proceeded to open the doors to go to the next train cart in which his wheelchair got stuck so he stood up and carried his chair into the next cart. Then a tourist gasped in horror that he had lied and her husband in their quite conversation went something like:
Husband: I should get my money back? Wife: He didn’t tell us he where he was hurt maybe it was in another place in his body?
Husband: It’s true what they say, when you assume you make an…out of me and you. Wife: This is our stop. When the got off, the whole train roared with laughter
I guess all the singers and music players had a sick day, there’s usually 1-3 on the train.
@ Shirley
“… those are not Jews. Any Jewish person would tell you that. If you believe in the divinity of any human, you are not a Jew”
You might be interested in http://www.jewsforjesus.org
NYC tends to be more of the mindset of “live and let live” when it comes to Freedom of Speech, Religion, and Assembly, but I’ll ask the Jews for Jesus people to prove they are “Jews” next time they insist on educating me.
every thing mutates
——————————————————————————————————–
——– Quite a bit over broad, but I’ve never denied mutations.
Ignoring going from nothing to elements, but to go from elements to you here gracing us with your pearls of wisdom and folly randomly?
Sorry boys and girls, that’s more folly than any religion you can poke your sharp sticks at. At least religion comes up with the unexplicable that is beyond understanding other than the basic religious laws and science that we do have from prophets and wisemen, which are intertwined to much consternation to lineal thinkers who lack peripheal awareness.
Does not mathematics have imaginary numbers and physics dark matter, major stretches that are used to justify the latest theories?
One of the big criticisms of the US investigation into the 9/11 attacks was a “failure of imagination” in dealing with threats to the US. You can neither prove imagination nor God, but some say they understand just fine.
Yes, it’s fine that you can describe the 10% of the iceberg bobbing on the ocean, but if you fail to consider what may not be so blithering obvious, perhaps a Titanic fate will await.
Far be it for me to steer your ship, but something to consider as you steam into infinity’s wake.
I think we should start discussing Russian and Venezuelan joint naval exercises
———————————————————————————————————–
———— I’d be more willing to dicuss a joint partnership of Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin taking over operations of the US until the 2009 inauguration of the new administration.
Damn sight better than the Mutt & Jeff team we got now.
RE Oral Sex Show
On Discover Channel, you can watch the whole show online:
http://dsc.discovery.com/search/results.html?query=teen+sex&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search
USA Today Articles
Technical virginity becomes part of teens’ equation
Teens define sex in new ways
@ Jens
“ie when he was as old as they are/were. do you get it now. nothing peadiophilic just a wish he had more oral sex when he was in his late teens……”
LOL–yes, thank you. I got the joke the first time, but I still found it in bad taste. Oops, I thought it was jr. high.
@Dwight from Cleveland
What problem do they have with low oil prices? You’ve got to be kidding me. 🙂 They are SELLING it, and you are buying it. Which one of you is interested in HIGH prices for oil, and which one in LOW prices? 🙂
Sheesh…your Discovery Channel sounds more interesting than the Australian version. All we get are cute meerkats and the history of flight!
Very interesting to see everyone interested in sex education for YOUNG teenagers :-). My opinion – sex education should start as soon as the person feels the need for it. Right at that moment. If the teenager (or a kid, name them the way you want) are not ready, then I think there is no point in teaching them where and what is vagina or a penis, and what happens if they “collaborate”.
Venessa September 8, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Bryan ~
I had read somewhere too that the Scientologists actually had some sort of hit list. Frightening!
That doesn’t surprise me. I hope I’m not on it.
Julie P,
anything but the presidente would have been a disapointment, althouth the torpedo has it’s benefits….come to think of it
poor brett, i hope he will get over his violation.
or as woody allen said:
“sex is only dirty if you know how to do it right”
jesica,
bad taste is relative…….. 😉
Jens,
Apparently…. I was gonna call you a name as a joke, but I might get my hand slapped. So instead, guess what I’m thinking o O ( 😛 )
Also, where do I redeem my 2000 credits? They better not be fake.
Mormons and scientologists are somewhat mentally disordered to my point of view (personal opinion). It is considered though that everyone have a freedom of choosing religion and what to believe in. If someone prefers that religion, I don’t mind. I DO NOT like though to see those guys in malls saying anything that my kids would hear, using their techniques to brainwash me, my friends and my kids. Stick to your religion and keep it to yourself. IF you want to share your views on things that bother and/or interest people you can do so without an aggressive attempts to spread out your religion. If any people would THEN find your views and religion attractive, through a personal careful think-over, THEN I don’t mind.
@ Evolution
Oh, the ignorance boggles. For those of you who might wonder how certain proteins came to clump together and replicate themselves please google: ‘evolution black smokers’.
There you will find too much information that indicates that in the mineral rich goop at the bottom of the ocean volcanic vents cycle water in little whirlpools from very cold to very hot allowing for the formation of long chain molecules. Of course now bacteria have a field day eating those molecules but the extremely rich environment coupled with very rapid cycling between chemical and thermal states provides a rich energy gradient favorable to DNA formation.
Rapid cycling, high chemical gradient, high energy gradient and millions of these smokers at the beginning of ocean formation. It’s like millions of lottery wheels creating sequences very, very rapidly against impossible odds. Somebody’s going to win.
@ Sex education
Here in California they start sex education while the kids are still at the ick stage in hopes that those early starters might actually pay attention. My kids say that the people who need it most wouldn’t learn it if was taught by God himself.
@ Sara Palin (it’s ok to flinch)
The town of Wasilla that Sara Palin was mayor of was charging women who were sexually assaulted for the cost of the rape kits during her tenure. Considering her blanket objection to abortion including in cases of rape and incest one has to wonder if Sara Palin is pro-rape or just a bleeping idiot.
From the “Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman”
“While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.”
On a positive note it seems Sara Palin may have sewn up the votes of football teams, outlaw bikers and rugby clubs with this revelation.
@ Roberto
You think that “we should discuss Russian and Venezuelan joint naval exercises”? 🙂
The whole idea of these is to see how Americans would react having a joint strike group of Russian navy near American borders. 🙂 Nothing else. Do you seriously think that there is any point for russian navy to “exercise” with venezuelan navy? 🙂 It is (Venezuella) bloody too far away from the regular routes, not even bases of russian fleet. 🙂
The problem here is that when Americans sent “battle” ships to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia the question that russians had was – “was it that necessary to deliver that stuff using “battle” ships, that can’t really take much of cargo, instead of delivering a truly substantial amount of aid using cargo vessels? And why those battle ships that ALREADY delivered humanitarian aid to Gergia, still stay at Black sea?” 🙂 So instead of repeatedly asking those questions, addressing them to Americans and listening to “bullshit” answers, Russians sent their navy close to the US borders to see the reaction and THEN react in the same way when some NATO and US battle ships would enter the Black sea next time. What else to discuss? Russia is tired of continuous pressure from the West, that can be described in very simple words – “Do as I say, not as I do”. We won’t do as you say, we’ll do as you do next time and forth. And try not to do anything stupid, or we’ll do the same. 🙂
@ Palin
Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?hpid=topnews
Is there someone, Pakistani or otherwise, who could explain why the swearing-in of a new president in Pakistan is conducted (solely, it seems) in English. I, for one, am flabbergasted. Having never set foot in Pakistan, I have nevertheless learnt that the main language is Urdu, a national variation of Hindustani.
Is the former colonial language undertood by more people than any national language?
Is the man (the Bhutto widower) today sworn in incapable of speaking national languages?
portlandmike September 9, 2008 at 9:23 am
The tone and implications of the headline are contradicted by much of the article itself. Like this bit:
Gov. Palin has spent far less on her personal travel than her predecessor: $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. He traveled often in an executive jet that Palin called an extravagance during her campaign. She sold it after she was sworn into office.
Seems like the mighty Democratic propaganda machine has swung into action to dig up dirt on Sarah Palin. Is this the best it can do?
Pangolin- California September 9, 2008 at 8:46 am,
No need to be quite so vindictive. Could be there’s a simple reason for this oversight on the part of Sarah Palin, if it is an oversight. That aside, buried in the article I found this:
Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.
In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer, Fannon said.
He also said he’d like to charge the criminals for various expenses related to criminal cases.
Hmmm, puts a slightly different light on the matter, doesn’t it.
But why bother with the facts when there’s some good old Republican bashing to do.
@Harald
English is the official language(and the world language) and Urdu is the national language,however neither language is native of the regions comprising Pakistan(try languages of Pakistan on wikipedia),this fact has caused some indignation,Urdu was supposed to unite the Indian Muslim refugees and natives.
I am near a town where 80% of the poulation are Hindu refugees from Pakistan and they still speak their Bhawalpuri dialect.
Sorry to disagree with you Vijay, Urdu is very much the national and native language and widely spoken and understood by everyone in Pakistan. It is made up of arabic, persian and hindi words.
@ Harald- you know my ex-brother-in-law had the same name!
Our new president is an illiterate, morally corrupt western installed puppet who speaks urdu and sindi quite well but his speech in English was targetted at his masters with whose tacit support he has now become president and not at the poor masses whose money he and his wife looted for over a decade.
Hi Dwight from Cleveland
Reyr September 8, 2008 at 10:54 pm comment
Iran needs high oil prices to keep afloat. High expenditure, low income, international sanctions, chronic trade deficit, arrears of teachers’ pay, army personnel and government employees and hefty import of foodstuffs have depleted the treasury.
The oil and gas sectors lack foreign investment. Shell, TOTAL, BPand Repsol are moving out of Iran. There is no incentive for them to stay. American investment sanctions are proving lethal.
Also, look at the Ceyhan pipeline as an alternative route for Caspian oil, where does that leave Iran? The stance of Russia on Georgia has also undermined international confidence in long-term investment in trouble prone Iran.
Obviously limiting oil supplies will keep oil prices high, in which case revenues will continue to accumulate for Iran, but there is talk of reducing oil prices at the forthcoming OPEC meeting to $80/ barrel.
Should the church of Scientology be banned?
Along with the pedophile and women-enslaving cult(s) in Texas.
I think this topic about Scientology is an interesting one, and I think it would be great if the BBC could get an open-minded Scientologist (as in one that will explain rather than try and convert everyone). I don’t know a lot about Scientology, but what I do know makes it seem like a pretty crazy “religion”.
Although 2 months or so ago, there were some funny funny protests going on outside of the ‘church’ of scientology in Richmond. One side of the street was a bit upset about something, the other side was being shielded by a few police officers as the ‘pastor’ was standing outside talking to the officers and patrons were leaving the church. A few signs hinted at some tax issue, some others were just hating on the ‘religion’… And a few others still, who knows.
@CERN:
Listening to World Service right now–I think the presenter is a little unnerved by speculation about microscopic black hole creation by CERN…
@ Kelsie:
I know… made me a little scurred too!
Wow, if the Universe comes to an end on Wednesday I won’t have to repay my student loans!!!!!!!
@Steve:
Hey, hey–some silver lining on this cloud.
@Brett:
The guest (whose name I didn’t catch) raised some spooky points–only to be “debunked” by an “expert” from the scientific community…it reminded me of a quote from John Le Carré’s The Russia House:
Hey Obama supporters, can you explain why Mccain is now tied or in the lead in the polls given he should be winning by a landslide? still think he’s going to win? He should be dominating, it should have been like a Clinton vs Dole election in 1996. Wanna know why Obama is going to lose? because he’s very far left and won’t appeal to most americans. Had the dems picked a centerist democrat, they would have won by a landslide. So I look forward to hearing all the claims of racism after Mccain wins. You need to learn to pick an electable president.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090801825.html
“So I look forward to hearing all the claims of racism after Mccain wins.”
Even as a relatively unenthusiastic Obama supporter (who can’t, btw, explain this slump in the polls or the fact that Obama has never cemented a strong lead throughout the whole dance), I hope we will not be subjected to these accusations of racism from the disenchanted should Obama lose the election. The allegation has already been made that if Obama loses, it’s purely, 100% because America is a racist country. So if McCain loses, is it because America is a sexist country? Did Hillary’s loss in the primaries mean the same thing?
Or perhaps the winner and loser are determined by more prosaic matters–such as, say, issues and policy stances?
MP3 Telephone interview with journalist in Kabul today 9 Sept 08
http://morris108.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/mp3-telephone-interview-with-professional-journalist-in-kabul-9-sept-08-4-minutes-the-situation-is-clearly-deteriorating/
Video: Taliban 7 minutes (NOT mature) a lot of action
http://morris108.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/video-taliban-not-mature-a-lot-of-action-7-mins-has-watermark-had-to-edit-out-the-mature-parts-it-is-recent/
Kabul – Kandahar road completely under Taliban control:
http://morris108.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/afghan-news-agency-taliban-controls-kabul-kandahar-trunk-road-completely-020908-arguably-the-countrys-most-important-road/
Hi Karnie
Trouble looming in Afghanistan, certainly. The latest story in Tehran is of an impending US sponsored military coup in Iraq. Is there any truth to it? This is a reprisal for Baghdad failing to ratify a security agreement with Washington apparently.
Incidentally, the frantic military moves by outgoing President George W. Bush seem to be setting the stage for the next decade. Is this fair on his successor? All we hear these days is military this and military that in Mideast which doesn’t contribute to peace and security in the region. Is the rearmament of Iraq a good thing?
@Akbar re Bush setting the stage:
I can’t speak for everything, but in relation to future relations with Iran, it seems to be bellicose elements in the U.S. Congress pushing for future action there… What is the evidence supporting Tehran’s claim vis-á-vis the U.S. and Iraq?
185 Uzra Casuri- Balouch September 9, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Sorry to disagree with you Vijay, Urdu is very much the national and native language and widely spoken and understood by everyone in Pakistan. It is made up of arabic, persian and hindi words.
Almost true. There are many people in rural sections of Pakistan who are illiterate and who only know the regional language. It is usually worse among women than among men, as is the case with many aspects of life.
Religion
Jessica (NYC), check out these:
http://www.aish.com/spirituality/philosophy/Why_Dont_Jews_Believe_In_Jesus$.asp
http://www.aish.com/spirituality/philosophy/Jews_For_Jesus.asp
RE: “”joint strike group of Russian navy near American borders. Nothing else. Do you seriously think that there is any point for russian navy to “exercise” with venezuelan navy?””
———————————————————————————————————
——– Not much to discuss.
Russians have always prowled international waters in all manner of vessels from fishing boats to nuclear subs.
US quite often deploys battleships to deliver aid in crisis situations. Ain’t breaking news. What did make a news blip was the percieved confrontation of an US battleship trying to dock in a seemingly hostile Russian controlled port.
My dear chap, the big risk is not a single battleship or even a fleet. It’s home based nuclear missles of both aimed in mutual destruction. Ships and men are just pawns. Russians and US quite savvy in dealing with each other, so much ado over nutin’ unless you want to whine about the massive loss of power and prestige by the US over the past 16 yrs of the two worst back to back US presidents in history.
So the Putin and Chavez mean to enjoys some just desserts by rubbin’ GDub’s puppy nose in the global power vacuum mess he created. It’s a new world order, so get used to it.
I know this is a mere technicality, but I am stickler for accurate descriptions.
There are no battleships anymore. The world’s last battleships were retired in the 1990s. Russia has no battleships, the US has no battleships.
@”battleships”:
That’s actually a very important point, especially vis-á-vis nuclear munitions. Unlike a battleship, an aircraft carrier is a mobile nuclear striking base and the primary means of American power projection. Thus, while as Roberto says, fleets and ships might be “pawns,” an aircraft carrier prepared to deploy fighters equipped with tactical or theater-range nuclear missiles is a dominating (intimidating?) presence anywhere in the world.
Hi Kelsie in Houston
Pls refer: https://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/god-help-us-if-a-third-round-of-sanctions-is-imposed/
Things are looking bleak over here.
Pls say what you think.
It is amazing that Iran has gone 30 years without stable links with the outside world.
Perhaps that is part of the problem; we are too far removed from the real world. We lack a stable market economy, civil rights agenda, secular state with which everyone can identify and most of all: Transparency and accountability are in short supply in the Tehran Administration. Iranian prelates know their time is up, but they simply don’t know which way to turn. Perhaps President George W. Bush could accommodate them besides the steers at his ranch.
Hi Kelsie in Houston
I had a message for u but I can’t see it anywhere.
@ Kelsie
Battleships could have had nuclear tipped cruise missiles or nuclear tipped shells for the guns as well.
Sending more troops to Afghanistan is not the exact answer to restore harmony in the country basing on the experience of the Iraq war.
RE: “”There are no battleships anymore.””
——————————————————————————————————-
——– Yes, I stand corrected.
The three US ships that delivered aid to Georgia from my recall were two destroyers and one US coastguard cutter which are more versatile and agile ships.
Have to wonder how overstretched the US military is when coastguard ships are in position to deliver immediate aid a half world away.
Which recalls the old adage, loose lips sink ships and I was guilty of speaking in overbroad civilian lingo.
@ Roberto
The coast guard ship might be better suited for the task. It may not be a question of availability. The coast guard is more used to doing this type of work, don’t you think?
Poor obama 😦
Click to access 1070a1AftertheConventions.pdf
Anyone on the left care to comment and finally accept he has no chance?
Re: McCain’s poll numbers
The obvious assumption is that americans are dumber than a bag of gravel. When one party has been running operations for seven years and the result is disaster at every front as well as massive financial deficits to have their candidate do well in upcoming elections defies reason.
Of course it is to McCain’s credit that the corporate owned and controlled news kisses up to him and Sara Palin at every turn while attacking Obama. It’s well known in the US that Fox News service owned by Rupert Murdoch is functionally an arm of the republican propoganda machine. Liberal interest groups can’t buy advertising time while conservatives get free time on so called “news shows.”
Stalin would envy the control of information that the GOP has.
Steve,
oh well there is still Canada………
@ Pangolin
Other than Fox, most networks are in love with Obama. That still can’t win the election because he’s such a liberal!
@Akbar:
I just caught up with that part of the thread–sorry!
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s “administration” has been catastrophic for the people of Iran–as you make clear, the destruction is not only the meaningful participation of Iran in the world community, but also on a domestic level as well. The Iranian people deserve better, but I think the major hangup to greater cooperation is Mr. Ahmadinejad himself. I’m not advocating that he or Iran become a U.S. stooge–far from it–but Mr Ahmadinejad is an incredibly polarizing figure, and more than anything Iran needs to engage in meaningful dialogue with the world, not the polemics and indiscriminate anger of the present leader(s).
@ Steve
It appears you are right. Health care, full employment, a sane energy policy, government oversight of corporate excess and concern for the environment are just too “liberal” for americans to understand. Let’s add avoiding land wars in Asia also.
Conservative policies like declining health coverage, declining wages, the financial crisis, the energy crisis, the ballooning deficits, ongoing wars with no “win” even defined, corporate corruption and god only knows what other failures appear to be more popular with the electorate. That’s why a continuation of republican rule under John McCain is popular.
It couldn’t have anything to do with corporate news warping the frame of the debate to make McCain appear a maverick instead of somebody who sucks up to Bush 90% of the time.
Note to world: American’s are too stupid to be trusted with your money. Sell.
Re: CERN
Sorry folks! They’re just releasing 1 proton on Wednesday and they have to wait for it to pick up enough speed. The actual collision won’t happen for about a month, so no free passes on the bill paying just yet!
On a plus note, we’ll still be around for Talk Like a Pirate Day Sept 19th! 😉
Hi Kelsie in Houston
Reyr September 9, 2008 at 5:43 pm
It is Wednesday, 9.30 a.m. in Tehran. The time lag means that it is difficult to communicate with the other side of the world at times.
Everything has been “catastrophic” for the last thirty years here.
All said and done, it may be useful for the public on both sides to get together and discuss what they think.
We may be getting to the crucial issue of energy and East, West divisions and interests in the near future. What do you think.