Afghanistan: Can Obama end the crisis in confidence?

Obama’s announcement on new Afghanistan military commitments scheduled for after the Thanksgiving holiday has been heralded by his Administration as offering what it takes to “get the job done”. Obama wants to signal an end to the crisis of confidence about U.S. commitment in Afghanistan. But equally he will need to confront lack of confidence around the world that his foreign policy for Muslim countries in conflict will be different from U.S. Presidents who have gone before him.

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The United States and their political allies need to create a standing Council (heads of State and international organizations) that will represent a more genuine partnership between the United States, Europe and Muslim leaders. It might comprise the UN Secretary General (as chair), Afghanistan, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, the OIC Secretary General, the Aga Khan, the United States, the European Union, Russia, China and India.

Read more: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/Can-Obama-end-the-crisis-in-confidence/97800.php#ixzz0YKlBopPc
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial ->>>>><<<<<-

[Via http://sjpaderborn.wordpress.com]

La inquietante historia de Coca-Cola. Drogadictos, nazis y condena de Martin Luther King

Por Mark Thomas.

Observador Juvenil/Kaos en la Red.

LA FÁBRICA DE LA FELICIDAD

“El lado Coca-Cola de la vida”

“Dentro de la fábrica de la felicidad,” ‘documental de The Coca-Cola Company

La mañana es jovialmente fría, un hermoso día sureño de invierno en Atlante; el sol no influye en nada en la temperatura pero brilla en el claro cielo azul. Unos pocos policías rondan por Pemberton Park en el centro de la ciudad, con sus chaquetas con cremallera cerrada y con gorros con orejeras que cuelgan por los lados de sus cabezas, reduciéndolos amablemente de representantes de la autoridad a parodias de Elmer Gruñón. Toman café, sonríen y saludan cuando paso. Es la entrada al Mundo de Coca-Cola y en algún sitio hay discretos altavoces tocando el más memorable jingle publicitario de Coke: “Quisiera comprar una Coke al mundo.” Lo que podría explicar las orejeras…

Prefiero pensar que la compañía toca esa canción como himno de gracias a la Autoridad de Desarrollo de Atlanta que le dio 5,4 millones de dólares para contribuir al hermoseamiento del parque y a la plaza de ingreso, o al Concejo de la Ciudad que redujo 1,5 millones de dólares del impuesto a las ventas de la compañía, o ciertamente el impuesto a la propiedad de 2 millones de dólares que Coca-Cola no tuvo que pagar por decisión de las autoridades municipales. Coke podrá valer miles de millones de dólares pero no es reacia a estirar la mano para recibir un poco de moneda, especialmente si esa moneda tiene seis ceros al final.

En el sitio de honor en Pemberton Park, subvencionado por el Estado, hay una estatua de bronce de casi dos metros de alto del homónimo del área, el padre fundador de Coca-Cola, el farmacéutico John Pemberton. Oficialmente, creó la bebida en 1886 y la vendió desde la farmacia Jacobs; ahora, más de 120 años después, su noble imagen enfrenta el parque, con una mano sobre una pequeña mesa victoriana. En su otra mano levanta un vaso de Coca-Cola, en parte en celebración, en parte inspeccionándolo, con su cara impasible examinando la bebida y ofreciéndola al mundo. Es la imagen de un pionero, de un héroe científico y de un benefactor a la humanidad. A Sir Alexander Fleming le hubiera gustado tener una estatua semejante, y descubrió la penicilina. La estatua representa a Pemberton más delgado que en las fotos que he visto de su persona, donde se ve un poquito regordete. Al parecer no es la única discrepancia con los hechos. Según Mark Pendergrast, uno de los autores más respetados sobre la compañía, John Pemberton volvió de la guerra civil de EE.UU. convertido en un adicto a la morfina. De modo que el fundador de Coca-Cola fue un yonki, aunque para ser justos, ¿quién erigiría una estatua de un drogui gordo frente a una atracción turística familiar – con la excepción de la casa de Elvis Presley?

De modo que por el bien de la imagen corporativa, el gordo Pemberton pierde unos kilos y se desintoxica. Y en el interior sigue el revisionismo histórico: extrañamente, no hay ninguna mención de uno de los ingredientes originales de la bebida: cocaína, que a posteriori no parece ser su mayor pecado, ya que hubo otras bebidas a fines del Siglo XIX que contenían diferentes cantidades de la exportación más famosa de Colombia. Reconocidamente, es un hecho ligeramente confuso: un instante quieres enseñarle al mundo a cantar, al siguiente quieres enseñarle a hablar verdaderamente rápido y a frotarse las encías con el dedo índice.

Son los ‘hechos confusos’ que al parecer la Compañía trata de ocultar por un deseo casi patológico. Son desviaciones de la narrativa de la Compañía, arenilla en la grasa de las Relaciones Públicas. Y a Coca-Cola no le gusta que haya arenilla en la grasa.

El control de imágenes del Mundo de Coca-Cola se extiende incluso a su selección de vecinos. Directamente al lado está el Acuario Georgia: En 2002 Coke entregó 3,6 hectáreas para el acuario. En 2006, Coke separó 1 hectárea para un museo de derechos civiles – una atracción que celebrara Atlanta como cuna del movimiento, con planes de albergar unas 7.000 páginas de escritos del doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Por lo tanto la historia corporativa y la de los derechos civiles se entrelazan en un solo sitio en el centro de la ciudad, para que podamos recordar la lucha por la dignidad humana y visitar los peces.

Los nuevos vecinos podrán o no exhibir detalles del último discurso del doctor King. Hecho el día antes de ser asesinado. En él llamó a los afro-estadounidenses a retirar su apoyo económico a compañías si ‘no han sido justas en sus políticas de contratación,’ es decir, si han favorecido a trabajadores blancos por sobre los trabajadores negros. Una de las compañías que debían ser boicoteadas era Coca-Cola. Las palabras exactas del doctor King fueron: ‘os pedimos esta noche, que vayáis y digáis a vuestros vecinos que no compren Coca-Cola en Memphis.’

De la misma manera puede o no que haya mención de la demanda judicial presentada contra la compañía por cientos de empleados de Coke, acusándola de discriminación contra trabajadores negros en la remuneración y los ascensos. La Compañía no admitió esas acusaciones, pero en noviembre de 2000 anunció que pagaría 192,5 millones de dólares para dirimir el caso. Si uno mide el racismo en dólares, representa un montón de racismo.

Otra pequeña historia que no es del gusto de la Compañía tiene que ver con los Juegos Olímpicos. La relación de Coca-Cola con los Juegos Olímpicos comenzó en 1928. Pero Coke minimiza su patrocinio de la Olimpíada de 1936, la Olimpíada de Berlín, en la cual un cierto pintor y decorador psicópata lanzó una ofensiva de relaciones públicas para promover su Estado nazi. A The Coca-Cola Company le gusta mencionar que uno de los miembros del equipo de remo estadounidense en la Olimpíada de 1936 posteriormente llegó a ser su presidente. También se enorgullece al mencionar que el corredor Jesse Owens hizo publicidad para Coke – aunque fue años después de ganar cuatro medallas de oro en Berlín, con lo que afectó en algo las teorías de la raza superior de su anfitrión. La Compañía prefiere colocarse junto a los que son vistos como ‘luchando’ contra los nazis o promoviendo el ‘ideal olímpico’, en lugar de mostrarse como patrocinadores de una plataforma olímpica para Hitler. Y, francamente, ¿quién no lo preferiría?

Pero la Compañía tiene unos pocos ítems nazis más en su desván. Por ejemplo, Max Keith, el director gerente de Coca-Cola GmbH, embotellador de Coke en Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Al avanzar la guerra, se acabó el suministro de ingredientes para hacer Coca-Cola, modo que Max inventó una nueva bebida para aliviar la sed alemana. La llamó Fanta. Y tenemos un eslogan para un anuncio: ‘Una Fanta, un Reich ¿Juegas?’

Los historiadores de la Compañía señalan que Max Keith nunca se unió al Partido Nazi, pero exhibió a Coca-Cola GmbH en una exposición organizada para abrazar el concepto del trabajador alemán bajo el Führer. En otro caso, Max Keith decoró su stand de Coca-Cola con banderas nazis. Esto fue confirmado por The Coca-Cola Company que dijo: ‘[Max] Keith en una convención de embotelladores exhibió esvásticas y terminó con un saludo a Hitler. Esto no hubiera estado fuera de lugar en EE.UU. al revés y el podio hubiera tenido una bandera estadounidense y los actos comenzarían o terminarían con el Juramento de Lealtad.’ Dejo que juzguéis por vuestra propia cuenta.

Lo que sé es que los archivos de The Coca-Cola Company tienen fotos del stand en la exposición ‘que muestran esvásticas utilizadas como decoración’ bajo el emblema de Coca-Cola. Sólo imagino que el archivista preferiría irse al infierno que exhibir esas fotos al público.

Seguramente no me equivoco si digo que estas historias no van a aumentar las ventas de Coca-Cola, con la excepción de uno que otro cliente del Ku-Klux-Klan. Ninguno de estos hechos, sea la traviesa aguja de Pemberton, el problemático parentesco de Fanta o la condena de King, presenta la historia que Coca-Cola quisiera que conociéramos ni es la historia que quiere presentar para vender su bebida.

Para escuchar la historia de Coca-Cola cobran 15 dólares por adulto, 9 dólares por niño entre tres y doce años. Pero antes de dejarse tentar por una visita al Mundo de Coca-Cola, hay que hacerse una pregunta: ¿qué es lo que muestran? Hacen gaseosas y las anuncian en todo el mundo para venderlas; todo lo que tienen son botellas y anuncios – no pueden hacer un museo con eso, ¿verdad? Sí, pueden. Es exactamente lo que es el Mundo de Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola, anuncios de Coca-Cola y una tienda de regalos que vende artículos publicitarios de Coca-Cola.

———

Mark Thomas es comediante, presentador, activista político y periodista del sur de Londres. Es mejor conocido por satíricas políticas en su The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, que ha causado inmensas controversias al denunciar crímenes políticos y corporativos. Figura en el Libro de Récords Guinness por realizar la mayor cantidad de protestas políticas en un solo día. Vive en Londres.

Del libro “Belching Out The Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola” de Mark Thomas. Pasajes extraídos por acuerdo con Nation Books, miembro del Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2009.

© 2009 Nation Books All rights reserved.

http://www.alternet.org/story/140917/

 

Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons.

 

[Via http://observadorjuvenil.wordpress.com]

Review : In a Lonely Place

In a Lonely Place | Nicholas Ray, 1950

Before watching Humprey DeForest Bogart in Nicholas Ray’s A Lonely Place, a few years ago now, I had never been wholly blown away by any of his performances. I could see the charm and the way he suited such Noir-ish roles as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, but it took until Ray’s film for me to truly appreciate his talent. With  In a Lonely Place Bogart is actually handed meat to go with his skeleton role, meat he goes after with twenty years’ worth of appetite to create one of the more intriguing characters in memory. Dixon Steele is a tired and laconic screenwriter whose disdain with the movie industry is matched only by his sharpened wit. Cash dwindling, Steele is roped back into the arduous task of adapting the latest trashy bestseller. Instead of taking the proposition seriously, he proceeds to invite a young hat-check girl home to sum up the story, a girl who is later found murdered with our hero as the prime suspect. Steele, however, is quickly cleared by mysterious blonde neighbour Laurel Gray (played by Gloria Grahame) and a whirlwind romance between the pair commences. As mentioned previously, I’ve always admired Bogart’s carving out of a niche for the strong silent type, indeed most of the characters he has portrayed have certain similarities. As an actor he is a man’s man, and this personality is strongly upheld in the roles with which he dealt. The character of Steele seems to deviate from this mean, and Bogart seems glad to be able to play with such layered personage.

Of course, there is still the wise cracking character trait for which Bogart became known, and who could do it better? His one-liners here are particularly keen, ensuring that the audience is immediately won over by Dixon Steele despite his contemptuous antics. As the film wears on, however, and the writer becomes embroiled in scribbling away at his plot, aggressive cracks appear in his previously calm nature, allowing both his companion Laurel and ourselves as the audience to question the earlier certainty of our man’s innocence. Steele is a fervidly imaginative storyteller and Bogie channels this nature quite expertly, in the end even we ourselves are unsure whether or not he is indeed capable of such a crime. In a Lonely Place shrugs off some pacing issues thanks to a remarkably incisive script, one that also aids in building our lead man’s staggering performance. This is less a film about the process of writing movies and more about the lonely place within one’s own psyche. We come to realise that Dixon Steele knows this place rather well, and this is exhibited vigorously through his increasingly destructive personality. This, in itself, leads In a Lonely Place to a well-placed twist to the man-alone ideal, riding an explosive Bogart performance to create one of the most layered and unconventional examples of the noir genre to which I have ever bared witness.

Our Rating:

[Via http://tobatheinfilmicwaters.com]

Is 15 Minutes Really Worth It?

In about the last month, two stories have made the headlines in the States, two different couples, the Balloon boy’s parents and the White House crashers, doing everything and anything for their 15 minutes in the spotlight.

What do they have in common? Both couples wanted to be reality TV stars and looked for “easy” (or illegal, depending on your moral vision, black and white vs. gray) ways to grab media attention to parley into a reality TV show. As well as both couples chased “fame” with everything they had.

I remember probably about the beginning of my college years, when I still watched MTV, actually just the Real World, and there was an audition show for hopeful housemates and it was honestly that show that turned me off of reality TV shows, until Jon and Kate Plus 8 , but that imploded on itself, as we all know, and the Biggest Loser. But what turned me off, were the reasons why these young people wanted so desperately to be on the show, what they thought would come of taping their lives, their thoughts for the entire world to see and “documented” to be remembered/to follow them for the rest of their lives. And then to see young people, the oldest auditioning person was probably about 25 years old then, cry and weep over not being  chosen for the show, that their lives were over because of this singular event in their so far short lives.

I was the same age as those people (and yes I meant to differentiate myself from them, because I do feel like I’m a completely different species from them) and my life was just starting, my options were just opening, and I just couldn’t understand why they would be so upset and thinking that their worlds were over from not being on that show. Why would it make your world? Being filmed having sex with someone that you barely know, or even a complete stranger, made to look like a  caricature of yourself to sell ratings, etc. How can that be the paramount of a young life?

And now to see a couple make the nation think that their son’s life is in danger, to the point that a good percent of the state of Colorado was mobilized to help that little boy, the airport was shut down because of the possibility that a plane could injure the boy.

Or another couple in their 40s crash a White House event and basically stalk the President and the First Lady.  (Disclaimer: I don’t like President Obama or his wife personally or their politics, but they are my President and First Lady, at least until 2012.) And if they could just walk into a state dinner being hosted for another country, then why couldn’t an assassin? That is just a scary thought and something that I hope never happens.

Why are we as a society so driven to be famous, to be rich, to have our names known by at least the rest of the country, if not the world? And to get the goals accomplished, everything and anything legal or illegal is condonable? When will this stop, when someone is seriously injured or even dies?

[Via http://baikeunsook.wordpress.com]

Film Review: THE TWILIGHT SAGA &ndash; NEW MOON (2009)

Review by Todd Murphy www.allaboutmovies.net

Directed by Chris Weitz – Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

Rating 3/10 – Click here to see this review on All About Movies.net

BOTTOM LINE: Boring, long-winded, lifeless and corny, “New Moon” takes an otherwise good idea and creates a far below average film experience, with a love story that is excruciating to watch in its self-absorbed and clunky melodrama.

THE GOOD: “New Moon” starts with a strong and unique concept for a vampire film, thanks to the book upon which it is based. In this sequel, Bella (Kristen Stewart) is torn between her love for vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner), while delving in to their worlds and the factors in which they are opposed. The film builds on its predecessor by expanding the love story and the world, and this is helped somewhat by the better technical execution of the images and editing; “New Moon” looks and feels more like a film than Twilight, with some clever filmmaking techniques such as the 360 degree camera move on Bella as she transitions through months of depression after Edward leaves her. If nothing else, “New Moon” is technically more accomplished than its predecessor.

THE BAD: The bad points for this film are almost too many to compress in to this review. Structurally, the film is something of a mess; it would seem the spine of it is the love triangle between Edward, Jacob and Bella but the film moves between this and other subplots with jarring transitions. Edward and Bella are doing great in the beginning, and then we are brought to one scene where he breaks up with her, without much warning except for a couple of perfunctory and arbitrary lines of dialogue explaining Edward’s actions. We then spend an inordinate amount of time on the developing relationship between Bella and Jacob, with both eventually spouting their words of love in some of the most long-winded and corny sequences in cinematic history, with dialogue worse than a soap opera, and blatant “look-at-me” shots of poor Taylor Lautner walking around without his shirt on. It then gets worse when the vampires return, again an arbitrary transition in story, and Bella finds she has to save Edward from a rather nasty death at the hands of the vampire elite in Rome. Again, more long winded sequences, culminating in Edward spouting how Bella is the best and only thing in his world, yada-yada-yada… Both Edward and Jacob are clearly suffering in their passion for Bella, but unfortunately this is completely unbelievable because Bella, as played by Kirsten Stewart, is one of the most boring and lifeless heroines committed to film. It is hard to imagine why any one would be that passionate over someone so average. Stewart’s performance is so lifeless that all of her character’s motivations seem stupid, particularly her ‘junkie’ tricks of doing dangerous things to keep Edward near her in spirit. The story being told in this film relies on performances to carry it dramatically, and the actors here have either been given no direction, not much to work with, or they checked their skills at the door when production started. All of this combined makes for a film that can be at times excruciating to watch in its corny silliness. If the film had thirty minutes cut from the running time it may have worked better, but not much. What is astonishing above all of this is that no one on the production of this film ever noticed how bad a product they were making. There is no excuse for this, given the resources behind the film and the seemingly good story implied in the plot. Or maybe they did not care; after all, the fans have spoken and the film is a huge hit.

Todd Murphy is a film analyst and staff writer/review at the film and DVD review web site All About Movies.net.

[Via http://allaboutfilms.wordpress.com]

La prochaine bulle : celle des obligations d'Etat

▪ Peu importe ce qui se dit. C’est une dépression. Cela n’a rien à voir avec une des petites récessions de la période d’après-guerre.

C’est une dépression à cause du travail qu’elle doit faire. Elle doit nettoyer trois décennies de mauvais bilans. Elle doit balayer des milliers de milliards de dollars de dettes de crédit à la consommation. Elle doit désamorcer la bombe de milliers de milliards supplémentaires de dettes à Wall Street. Elle doit nettoyer des milliards… peut-être des milliers de milliards de dollars de mauvaises décisions — des maisons trop grandes, trop chères, trop grandioses pour leurs propriétaires, des centres commerciaux avec trop d’espaces de vente pour les nouveaux consommateurs économes, des entreprises outillées pour produire des biens et des services pour des millions de gens qui ne peuvent plus se les acheter.

Quand la dépression se terminera-t-elle ? Quand tout ce travail aura été accompli.

▪ Mais attendez… Les gouvernements du monde accumulent les déchets plus vite que la dépression ne peut les enlever. Et voici venir la prochaine méga-crise !

“Aux Etats-Unis, le coût de paiement des dettes est de plus en plus élevé”, annonce un gros titre en première page de The International Herald Tribune.

Et au Financial Times à Londres, Gillian Tett s’interroge :”La dette souveraine sera-t-elle le prochain subprime ?”

Tout le monde sait comment les choses se sont passées avec le subprime. Quand vous prêtez de l’argent à des gens qui ne peuvent pas le rembourser, vous allez au devant d’ennuis. Donc, si vous n’avez pas de travail et que vous voulez un prêt pour acheter une grosse caravane, vous n’avez pas de chance. Les banquiers ne vous donneront pas un centime.

Mais aujourd’hui, les prêteurs du monde entier font une chose tout aussi stupide. Ils prêtent aux gouvernements. Imaginez que vous êtes un banquier. Et le gouvernement américain vient vous demander un prêt.

“Avez-vous suffisamment de revenus pour rembourser les traites ?” demandez-vous.

“Eh bien, non,” répond-il. “En fait, nos revenus ont un peu baissé. C’est à cause de la récession, vous savez. C’est pareil pour tout le monde.”

“Vous pouvez être un peu plus précis ?”

“Euh… nous avons dépensé près de deux dollars pour chaque dollar de revenu.”

“Oh… et vous espérez que l’on vous prête de l’argent ? Qu’avez-vous comme garanties ? Quelle est votre valeur nette ?”

“Nous espérions que vous ne demanderiez pas. Le dernier relevé de nos obligations atteint 113 000 milliards de dollars.”

“Vous n’avez pas d’actifs ?”

“Nous avons quelques bâtiments à Washington… des bases militaires partout dans le monde… ce genre de choses. Mais concrètement, vous ne pourriez jamais les saisir.”

“Oh, je vois…”

▪ Ce qui est intéressant, c’est que les investisseurs du monde entier commencent à voir que les Etats-Unis et beaucoup d’autres gouvernements sont des emprunteurs à haut risque. C’est une chose qui sort de l’ordinaire. Jusqu’à maintenant, le gouvernement américain avait pu financer et refinancer ses dettes aux taux les plus bas en trois générations. Les prêteurs ont bien voulu prêter de l’argent aux gouvernements, parce qu’ils pensaient qu’ils étaient les emprunteurs les plus sûrs du monde.

On peut toujours compter sur les banquiers pour trouver les pires investissements au pire moment. Ils sont tout au bout de la chaîne de ceux qui anticipent ; cette chaîne commence par les analystes les plus indépendants et les plus pointus, passe par la communauté des fonds de couverture/courtiers, puis par les journalistes financiers et les experts de la télévision, arrive aux investisseurs stupides en passant par les médias populaires… et atteint enfin les banquiers quand ils tombent par hasard sur le Wall Street Journal et le lisent pour savoir ce qu’il se passe.

▪ Maintenant, les banquiers achètent de la dette souveraine — du papier émis par les gouvernements — parce qu’ils pensent que cela leur offre un rendement “sans risque”. En réalité, c’est l’un des investissements les plus risqués qui existe.

Cette année et l’année prochaine, les principaux gouvernements vont devoir lever 12 000 milliards de dollars pour financer leurs dettes et déficits. C’est une augmentation énorme de la quantité d’obligations souveraine dans le monde. Notre collègue Porter Stansberry estime que le gouvernement américain à lui seul va devoir trouver 4 500 milliards de dollars en obligations l’année prochaine. Ce montant représente deux fois le capital total de la plus grosse Banque centrale du monde — la Fed. Même si les Chinois prenaient tout ce qu’ils ont dans leurs réserves financières et s’en servaient pour acheter la dette américaine, il resterait encore près de 2 300 milliards d’obligations invendues.

En ce qui concerne le coût de la dette en lui-même, il va lui aussi atteindre des niveaux stupéfiants. L’administration Obama prévoit que les intérêts dépassent de 200 milliards de dollars leur niveau actuel, à 700 milliards de dollars d’ici 2019. C’est sûrement encore sous-estimé. Si le déficit atteint le niveau annoncé par l’ancien directeur du Bureau du Budget et de la Gestion, la dette nationale va grimper de 12 000 milliards de dollars à plus de 20 000 milliards de dollars en cinq ans. Les prêteurs vont certainement demander des rendements plus élevés. Même un banquier va sûrement vouloir plus que 3,5% d’intérêts pour prêter de l’argent au gouvernement sur dix ans. Peut-être 5%… peut-être 10%. Souvenez-vous que pendant les premières années de Volcker à la Fed, les taux d’intérêt sont montés à 18% pour les bons du Trésor à 10 ans.

Il existe aussi une autre possibilité — qui semble vague dans ce cas précis — et qui serait qu’une vente aux enchères de bons du gouvernement ne reçoive aucune offre. Cela arrive parfois. Quand les prêteurs voient que le risque est plus élevé que le potentiel de rendements, même s’ils sont élevés. Et quand cela se produit — ou même devient potentiel — les dirigeants se retrouvent dans la même situation que celle à laquelle des centaines de leurs ancêtres ont dû faire face pendant des siècles. Tous les gouvernements se retrouvent à sec de temps à temps. Puis ils sont en cessation de paiement. Quand ils contractent plus de dettes qu’ils ne peuvent en rembourser, ils se retrouvent toujours à sec.
chronique agora en intégralité.

Bon, vous comprenez, il n’ y aura pas assez d’argent pour tout le monde, et les usa vont crouler sous les intérêts, officiellement 700 milliards pour un budget de 3000 milliards, c’est à dire qu’entre le budget de la défense et le remboursement de la dette, c’est 50 % du budget qui disparait !!!!!

Le système est cassé, il est structurellement et irrémédiablement vicié, et rien ne pourra plus le sauver. C’est une certitude mathématique, la dette va submerger les états, et cela a été fait exprès.Nos élites sont en train de détruire le système et les vies de ceux qui y vivent.

La situation est déja intenable alors que les taux des banques centrales sont à 1 %, imaginez quand les taux vont monter…au moment ou la surliquidité va enfin produire ses effets…
Allez à la campagne, sortez du système bancaire, souvenez vous que la SOG a alerté d’un problable ” global collapse ” , même si les français disent la vérité, c’est que la situation doit être catastrophique !!!!

Notre société doit être brisée pour mener au NWO.Et rien de mieux pour briser les gens que de prendre leurs portefeuilles.

[Via http://fonzibrain.wordpress.com]

Spotify: con 1 milione di "plays" si guadagna 167$?

Ho sempre pensato che Spotify possa essere il futuro, ma oggi arrivano due notizie poco incoraggianti:

la prima da Rockol dove si dice che negli Stati Uniti (a contrario di in alcuni paesi europei dove Spotify sta andando alla grande) “almeno tre major su quattro” non vedrebbero di buon’occhio il modello adottato da Spotify.

Ma notizia ancora più preoccupante è quella apparsa su TorrentFreak dove c’è scritto che Lady Gaga, grazie a “Poker Face”, che è stata ascoltata 1 milione di volte, ha guadagnato solamente 167$ (113€).

[Via http://marketingmusicale.wordpress.com]

San Francisco Dawn Landscape Print

Chasing a San Francisco dawn shot when all the elements line up has taken many many trips back and forth to this location(s). There are so many vantage areas in this area, lining up one that you think is the best you can find is another, I am always self checking the decision. While the location is dead simple to get to, making the finer detail choice of where at the location to shoot is not. I have hiked down, up, to the left and right all cool angles, but I think this maybe my favorite little spot …

I was not leaving much to chance this time round, the evening before after I shot the night shot I hiked to a little area to confirm the morning shoot. Morning shoot confirmed, time to get a feed from the little Pizza Place in Sausalito. Pretty god Pizza, Awesome landscape image on their wall inside the restaurant .

With a 4am wake up Iphone buzzer I was out the door by 4.15am and down by the waters edge in Sausalito with my morning coffee by around 4.45am … After spending a few moments sucking in as much of Sausalito as I could I ventured off to the morning shoot.

Now on the way to the shoot you pass SO MANY more cool spots to view the city and the bridge that its real hard not to stop and starting shooting all of them one by one. But I had promised myself a image I have wanted for a LONG ASS TIME and this morning was going to be one of the last chances. So struggling past location after location I moved up to the area I need to be and started out on the hike … Not an overly long hike, but dark and spooky with the Point Bonita Lighthouse which you can not see through the fog but can hear its horn loud and clear. I had thoughts of the movie “Interview With A Vampire” where they drive across the bridge at the end of the movie I think it is, spooked the crap outta me for a moment before I came to my senses and thought, I’ll just stab the crap out of them with the tripod and then beat the living shit out of them with it … The shit that goes though my mind when given the chance in those situations …

Dawn was breaking first light was just visible and I was set up on my marker from the night before  (a small pile of fist sized rocks) Hey nothings left to chance when time is short!

Just above the fog with the lights of San Francisco stilling lighting up the bay and an orange sky, this looked like a good morning.

4 image stitch at 200mm

 

[Via http://spoolphotography.wordpress.com]

Child Abduction Prevention -U.S

Guarding Against International Parental Child Abduction

Source: U.S Department of State

Parental child abduction is a federal crime.  It is also a tragedy that jeopardizes children and has substantial long-term consequences for the “left-behind” parent, the child, the family, and society. Children who are abducted by their parents are often suddenly isolated from their extended families, friends, and classmates. They are at risk of serious emotional and psychological problems. Similarly, left-behind parents experience a wide range of emotions including betrayal, loss, anger, and depression. In international cases, they often face unfamiliar legal, cultural, and linguistic barriers that compound these emotions.

In this section of our Web site, learn about the measures you can take to prevent your child from being wrongfully taken to or wrongfully kept in another country.  In addition to the materials below, also see these important links:

• Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program
• Passport Requirements for Minors
• Additional Prevention Tools
• For Attorneys & Judges

International Parental Child Abduction Is Illegal

Under the laws of the United States and many foreign countries, international parental child abduction is crime.  Removing a child from the United States against another parent’s wishes can be considered a crime in every U.S. state.  In some cases an abducting parent may be charged with a Federal crime under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (IPKCA).  This can be the case even when neither parent holds a custody decree prior to the abduction. Nevertheless, a custody decree can be helpful to prevent an international parental child abduction, or to recover your child if he/she is abducted.

The Importance of a Custody Decree

A well-written custody decree is an important line of defense against international parental child abduction. In your custody decree, it may be advisable to include a statement that prohibits your child from traveling abroad without your permission or that of the court. Ask your attorney if you should obtain a decree of sole custody or a decree that prohibits the travel of your child without your permission or that of the court.  If you have or would prefer to have a joint custody decree, you may want to make certain that it prohibits your child from traveling abroad without your permission or that of the court.

If your child is at risk of being taken to a country that partners with the United States under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention), your custody decree should include the terms of the Hague Abduction Convention that apply if there is an abduction or wrongful retention (see country list).

The American Bar Association also suggests requesting the court, if the other parent is not a U.S. citizen or has significant ties to a foreign country, to require that parent to post a bond. This may be useful both as a deterrent to abduction and, if forfeited because of an abduction, as a source of revenue for you in your efforts to locate and recover your child.

REMINDER: Obtain several certified copies of your custody decree from the court that issued it. Give a copy to your child’s school and advise school personnel to whom your child may be released.

Two Parent Signature Law for a Passport

The United States does not have exit controls on its borders for holders of a valid passport.  This makes preventing a passport from being issued to your child without your consent very important.  Generally, if your child has a passport, it can be difficult to prevent the other parent from removing the child to another country without your permission.

U.S. law requires the signature of both parents, or the child’s legal guardians, prior to issuance of a U.S. passport to children under the age of 16.  To obtain a U.S. passport for a child under the age of 16, both parents (or the child’s legal guardians) must execute the child’s passport application and provide documentary evidence demonstrating that they are the parents or guardians.  If this cannot be done, the person executing the passport application must provide documentary evidence that he or she has sole custody of the child, has the consent of the other parent to the issuance of the passport, or is acting in place of the parents and has the consent of both parents (or of a parent/legal guardian with sole custody over the child to the issuance of the passport).

EXCEPTIONS: The law does provide two exceptions to this requirement: (1) for exigent circumstances, such as those involving the health or welfare of he child, or (2) when the Secretary of State determines that issuance of a passport is warranted by special family circumstances.

Read more: Passport Requirements for Minors

Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program

You may also ask that your child’s name be entered into the State Department’s Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP).  Entering your child into the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program will enable the Department to notify you or your attorney if an application for a U.S. passport for the child is received anywhere in the United States or at any U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. If you have a court order that either grants you sole custody, joint legal custody, or prohibits your child from traveling without your permission or the permission of the court, the Department may refuse to issue a new or renewal U.S. passport for your child. The Department may not, however, revoke a passport that has already been issued to the child. There is also no way to track the use of a passport once it has been issued, since there are no exit controls for people leaving the U.S. If your child already has a passport, you should take steps to ensure that it is kept from a potential abductor by asking the court or attorneys to hold it.

IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND:

1. The United States does not have exit controls.
2. The Department of State may not revoke a passport that has been issued to a child, but you can ask a court to hold onto it.
3. There is no way to track the use of a passport once it has been issued.
4. Your child might also be a citizen of another country (dual nationality).  Even if he/she does not have a U.S. passport, your child may be able to travel on the other country’s passport.

The Privacy Act and Passports

Passport information is protected by the provisions of the Privacy Act (PL 93-579) passed by Congress in 1974. Information regarding a minor’s passport is available to either parent. Information regarding adults may be available to law enforcement officials or pursuant to a court order issued by the court of competent jurisdiction in accordance with (22 CFR 51.27). For further information regarding the issuance or denial of United States passports to minors involved in custody disputes, please contact Passport Services.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

Transgender Day of Rememberance - Hur många dör, och hur många är levande döda?

Klockan är över midnatt. Det betyder att det är Transgender Day of Rememberance; den 20 November varje år hålls det minnesstunder världen över för att hedra offer för transfobi.

Hemsidan listar 94 dödsfall under året som gått. Det sista namnet på listan kom till för mindre än en vecka sedan, i Puerto Rico. Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado var nitton år när han* blev mördad. Kroppen hittades vid en öde väg med huvudet, armarna och benen avskurna. Han hade brännskador och sticksår.

En tjugosexårig kille, Juan Antonio Martínez Matos, är gripen och har redan erkänt att han högg Jorge, efter att han upptäckt att det var en kille han raggat upp, men han hävdar att det var i självförsvar och åberopar dessutom det ökända “gay panic defense”: Han trodde att han hade plockat upp en kvinnlig prostituerad, och det visade sig vara en person med manliga könsorgan – alltså reagerade han instinktivt, som om han inte kunde hjälpa det. Ett patetiskt försvar, och det blir knappast bättre av att den lokala polischefen som håller i utredningen uttalade sig om Jorge med orden: “En såndär, som gör sånt och går ut så, vet mycket väl vad som kan hända honom”.

Brännskador, sticksår, avhugget huvud och avhuggna armar och ben. En polis som säger att han visste vad han hade att vänta sig. Aldrig förut har mord prövats som hatbrott i Puerto Rico, men jag hoppas att det gör det den här gången. Ett namn i listan bland 93 andra. Var tredje dag mördas en transperson, enligt en undersökning som presenterades i somras. Då har de ändå tagit till rejält i underkant, eftersom det förmodligen finns ett enormt mörkertal. Och då har de också bara räknat de som blivit mördade.

Hur många transpersoner tar sitt liv? Hur många blir avrättade? Hur många dör för att de inte får vård, eller för att de inte får rätt vård – vare sig det är en könskorrigering eller något annat de behöver? Hur många blir mördade av sina familjemedlemmar? Hur många begår självmord efter åratal av mobbing och trakasserier? Hur många fastnar i relationer med människor som utnyttjar dem? Hur många upptäcker att den enda tröst de har är alkohol eller andra droger, och hur många tvingas inse att det enda sätt de kan försörja sig på är genom att sälja sex? Hur många skräms till tystnad? Hur många försöker att hålla det tillbaka, och spela någon annan än den de egentligen är? Hur många låter skammen äta upp dem inifrån?

Jag gissar att de inte går att räkna i tusental, utan snarare är det miljoner människor som lever i rädsla. Jag själv har turen att inte vara en av dem. Hur många dör, och hur många är levande döda?

*) Alla källor jag hittar beskriver Jorge som en homosexuell kille, så jag väljer att använda de orden.

Läs även andra bloggares intressanta åsikter om Transgender Day of Rememberance, transfobi, cissexism, cisnormativitet, heteronormen, transpersoner, kön, genus, gay panic, mord, brott, USA, Puerto Rico, hatbrott, våld, död, självmord, psykisk ohälsa, vård, transsexualism, könskorrigering, HBTQ, homofobi, läggning, sexism, genus, fördomar, normer, bilder

La strage di Fort Hood

Traduco il seguente articolo, tradotto dalla rivista cattolica americana “InsideCatholic”

Le scimmiette che tappano gli occhi, la bocca e gli orecchi**

di Mark P. Shea
11/10/09

Una cosa si può dire dei nostri organi di stampa:  Sono assolutamente coerenti. Dopo che il Maggiore Nidal Malik Hasan aveva aperto il fuoco su una stanza piena di persone indifese a Fort Hood, c’era da aspettarselo che ci saremmo sentiti immediatamente dire che questo oltraggio non aveva niente a che fare con la fede islamica, che il terrorismo non c’entrava niente. Poi, col passare delle ore, mentre l’ovvio diventava ovvio, abbiamo finito per trascorrere l’intero weekend a sopportare i soloni della TV che, grattandosi le pettinature da $200 sulle loro teste da  88-centesimi, ponderavano il dilemma se ci potesse mai essere una qualche remotissima connessione fra la fede islamica e quel tizio che aveva elogiato i kamikaz musulmani come fossero eroi e martiri, aveva assistito all’insegnamento di un imam estremista che oggi elogia il suo massacro come eroico, aveva usato la sua autorità di psichiatra per fare proselitismo con pazienti vulnerabili facendo leva sulla propaganda islamica, andava vestito con abiti tradizionali musulmani e infine aveva gridato “Allahu akbar!” mentre atterrava a colpi di pistola le sue prede.
E’ stata una spettacolare esibizione di stupidità voluta e deliberata, da parte di una cultura mediatica che dimostra in continuazione di non voler ammettere che l’islam tende con sconcertante frequenza a sortire simili atti di terrore. Ed era prevedibile, perché succede ogni volta che qualche macellaio islamico spara su vittime innocenti in nome del Profeta. Così, ad esempio, quando un egiziano che cita il Corano si è incaricato di macellare gente innocente per aver commesso il crimine di volare El Al, le balle iniziali, sia dello Stato sia dei media, ci hanno subito assicurato che si trattava di un “caso isolato“ che non aveva niente a che fare con le credenze folli, sanguinarie, islamiche dello stesso macellaio che l’aveva compiuto. Infine, dopo quasi un anno di studio intenso del proprio naso, l’FBI e la CNN arrivarono finalmente ad arguire che gli assassini, sì, erano esemplari di terrorismo islamico. Stessa faccenda con i tizi che a Seattle qualche anno fa massacrarono alcuni ebrei in nome di Allah. I media ci assicurarono che l’azione non aveva niente a che fare con l’islam. Solo alla fine scelsero l’approccio innovativo di aprire gli occhi per vedere la luce del giorno. Ben fatto,  Sherlock.

Naturalmente questa stessa cultura mediatica non ha avuto alcuna difficoltà a dipingere i cristiani come pericolosi fanatici (sicuramente a causa di quei noti metodisti dal grilletto facile che gridano “Gesù è il Signore” ogni volta che sparacchiano contro persone innocenti). Viviamo in una cultura in cui  Larry David può pisciare su Gesù ma ci tocca sorbire in continuazione la predica sulla necessità di rispettare le sensibilità dei macellai che vengono invitati a partecipare alla Task Force intitolata alla George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute Presidential Transition  e che ci restituiscono il favore uccidendo i figli e le figlie della nazione che li aveva scolarizzati e aveva conferito loro tali grandi onori.

Nel frattempo, la Religione-Che-Non-Riesce-a-Diventare-Adulta assiste alla carneficina di un altro Figlio del Profeta e che naturalmente fa la vittima mentre dà la colpa a . . . qualcun altro:

“Quando un bianco assalta un ufficio postale, lo chiamano andare postale,” ha detto Victor Benjamin II, 30, ex-membro dell’esercito. “Ma quando lo fa un musulmano, lo chiamano jihad.”
Hmmm… in realtà non è così. Quando i musulmani lo chiamano jihad, allora anche noi lo chiamiamo jihad, proprio come quando un cristiano la chiamava crociata, noi la chiamavamo crociata  (e, a proposito, quella rara volta che un cristiano fa qualcosa di orrendo in nome di Gesù, i cristiani condannano sia la malvagità, sia colui che la commette, non condannano il mondo perché rimane sconvolto da questa malvagità. Ma dai nostri media impazziti, la prima risposta all’omicidio di massa compiuto da un killer islamico consiste nel lamentarsi che qualcuno abbia deriso l’assassino. Povero piccolo macellaio indifeso…..!)

Certo, siamo fortunati che nessuno nella nostra cultura dice che siamo la più grande forza del male del mondo. Se lo facessero, immagino che saremmo giustificati se ci mettessimo a uccidere delle vite innocenti.

A questo proposito, alcuni pensatori particolarmente geniali sono riusciti perfino a dare la colpa del massacro di Hasan ai cattolici britannici di 400 anni fa:

Semplicemente non sappiamo ancora quali erano le motivazioni di Hasan, e nemmeno se Hasan è davvero musulmano [sic] o meno. Certo, quest’ultima informazione sarà quella che tutti ci terranno a sapere di più, anche se in un senso molto basilare  è il dato meno importante…..

Tuttavia c’è il fatto inquietante della data…. E da notare (come hanno già fatto altri come Ali Eteraz) che oggi è il giorno intitolato a Guy Fawkes –  ovvero l’anniversario del complotto organizzato da un dissidente cattolico per far saltare in aria il Parlamento inglese, allora dominato dai protestanti.
Se la sparatoria è stata motivata da rancore contro la politica estera/militare degli Stati Uniti, allora sicuramente questa data è significativa.

Se vi chiedete come mai i PRIMI SOSPETTATI  agli occhi dei nostri blablabla [Chattering Classes], sono dei cattolici morti secoli fa, potete leggervi la spiegazione magistrale di Roland Emmerich sulla voluta stupidità della Brigata-che-non-vede-il-proprio-naso. Si tratta di vigliaccheria:

Per il film “2012,” Emmerich decise di distruggere alcuni dei maggiori monumenti del mondo, da Roma a Rio. Ma c’è un punto del mondo che Emmerich intendeva demolire e non l’ha fatto: la Kaaba, la la struttura a forma di cubo situato al centro della Mecca. E’ il fulcro delle preghiere e la meta del Hajj, il più importante pellegrinaggio dell’islam.
“Beh, lo volevo fare, lo devo ammettere,” ha detto il regista a scifiwire.com. “Ma il co-sceneggiatore Harald [Kloser] ha detto, ‘non intendo beccarmi una fatwa per un film.’ e aveva ragione.”
Emmerich ha continuato: “Dobbiamo pensarci tutti, in occidente. Si può lasciar cadere a pezzi i simboli cristiani, ma se lo si facesse con un simbolo arabo, si avrebbe…. una fatwa. E questo è un pò la condizione del mondo oggi. Per cui si tratta solo di una cosa che più o meno, insomma, non ho considerato comunque un elemento importante nel film, e allora, come dire, l’ho omesso. “

Notare l’uso del “si” impersonale. Emmerich non riconosce che è un vigliacco timoroso di offendere dei prepotenti rimasti all’Età del Bronzo. Invece farfuglia qualcosa su “la condizione del mondo oggi”. Con questo vuole dire che i cristiani con tutto quell’”ama i tuoi nemici” e “porgi l’altra guancia” garantiscono che siamo bersagli tranquilli che si possono attaccare senza problemi. In altre parole, Roma non emette delle fatwa.

Ora, io sono d’accordissimo che non bisogna trarre delle conclusioni affrettate. Il solo fatto di avere un nome che suona musulmano non è sufficiente per classificare un massacro come un atto di terrorismo, esattamente come uno che sparasse e si chiamasse Rodriguez non si potrebbe per questo classificare come “terrorista cattolico”. Ma se quello che ha sparato nella città di Orlando fosse stato noto per aver lodato gli omicidi e le bombe dell’IRA, per aver scritto sui blog che chi non è cattolico si merita di morire, per aver cercato di fare pressioni sui suoi sottoposti per farli convertire e per aver aperto il fuoco su stanze piene di persone inermi gridando “Ave Maria!” penso che la gente normale avrebbe convenuto che questo tizio era un terrorista ispirato da una versione molto buia della fede cattolica. Quello che mi fa impazzire dei nostri media è che saltano su per prevenire, per dichiarare in anticipo, con fare definitivo, che le azioni malvage compiute da musulmani non hanno nulla a che fare con la loro fede musulmana, mentre chiunque vede che, al contrario, è proprio questo che li ha ispirati.
Certo, ciò non significa  che tutti i musulmani sono terroristi (ovviamente! ). Anzi, una delle poche persone sensate di questa intera farsa esasperante di idioti bisognosi di addestramento all’insensiblità è Osman Danquah, cofondatore della Comunità islamica di Greater Killeen, il quale, dopo aver ascoltato le follie islamiche radicali pronunciate da Hasan, gli ha detto “Tu hai dei problemi,” dando per scontato che l’Esercito avrebbe provveduto a una minaccia così ovvia all’interno delle proprie truppe. Ma il Pensiero Dominante fra i leader è che il massacro di qualche truppa è preferibile al rischio di inquietare le sensibilità di macellai e di coloro che li amano.

Danquah dava per scontato che i capi militari fossero al corrente dei dubbi di Hasan, che erano noti da oltre un anno ai compagni di classe di un programma per laureati in medicina militari. I suoi colleghi studenti si sono lamentati con il corpo docente della “propaganda anti-americana” di Hasan, ma hanno detto che la paura di sembrare discriminatori contro uno studente musulmano tratteneva gli ufficiali dal presentare un formale reclamo scritto.

Questo è dovuto al fatto che, come tutti gli altri in questo paese impazzito, trattiamo le idee come fossero delle caratteristiche genetiche che non riusciamo a reprimere e ci rifiutiamo di ammettere la possibilità che le idee abbiano delle conseguenze. Consideriamo la schedatura teologica e filosofica con lo stesso orrore della schedatura razziale. Ma ecco la differenza: Il colore della pelle non uccide. I pensieri del cuore, invece, sono esattamente dove ha inizio l’omicidio. Ciò non significa dover istituire la Polizia del Pensiero, ma significa che se qualcuno (o qualche particolare gruppo ideologico) ha dei comportamenti che indicano un’apertura di credito alla violenza, ignorarli è da idioti.

E significa che siamo degli idioti assoluti a continuare a ignorare il fatto che 1) l’islam dà abbondante spazio nel suo corpus di dottrine a questo genere di violenza brutale; 2) l’islam dispone di tanta gente che approva questo genere di violenza e che  si trova in vari stadi di all’erta, pronti a commetterla; e 3) gli ideologhi islamici radicali spesso emettono segnali di avvertimento abbaglianti. Siamo ancora più cretini quando ci aggiriamo in punta di piedi intorno a quei musulmani la cui prima reazione a tali delitti è quello di dare la colpa a chiunque altro all’infuori della loro tradizione e esigono anzi per se stessi l’aureola di vittime.

Vogliamo veramente credere che l’Islam Violento sia una perversione della tradizione islamica e che l’Islam Saggio e Benevolo sia la Vera Tradizione Islamica. Ma la realtà è che l’islam è una religione umana inventata, che prende a prestito da frammenti di giudaismo e cristianesimo, vi mescola le rivendicazioni illusorie (o menzognere) di rivelazione proprie di Maometto e completa il tutto con un pizzico di saggezza convenzionale preso dalla cultura araba dell’ottavo secolo. Non è una fede magisteriale con un organismo giudicante che definisce cosa sia e non sia la lettura ortodossa del Corano. E’ qualunque cosa i suoi vari aderenti dicono  che sia.

Ciò significa che se cerchi una condanna della violenza nel Corano la trovi, perchè c’è. E trovi anche la roba che riguarda saggezza, beneficenza e pace, se la vuoi. Così’ i musulmani che commettono questi atti delittuosi con tanta frequenza non stanno “tradendo l’islam” se lo fanno professando religiosità. Stanno, di fatto, mettendo in atto una delle possibili interpretazioni della tradizione musulmana (e spesso nel farlo massacrano anche molti altri musulmani). Gli occidentali che mentono a se stessi dicendo che questi mostri ”non sono veri musulmani” sono semplicemente degli imbecilli auto-illusi. Essi sono musulmani quanto Maometto, come lo sono le loro vittime musulmane. Non esiste un Magistero musulmano che li scomunichi. Non parlano per tutti i musulmani, ma sicuramente parlano e agiscono a nome di quella alta percentuale di musulmani che o li applaudono o tacciono o si lamentano di essere vittime di sospetti e sfiducia da parte delle vittime del terrore, invece di lamentarsi dei mascalzoni che compiono atti di terrorismo in nome dell’islam.
Detto questo, in realtà la cura, se ci sarà, dovrà venire da dentro all’islam: da musulmani che inculchino nei loro figli il concetto che bisogna vergognarsi dell’Islam Radicale Omicida, esattamente come i cristiani hanno inculcato fra i loro ranghi il concetto che bisognava vergognarsi di quelle espressioni di cristianesimo che tacquero davanti allo schiavismo, al terrorismo, all’oppressione delle donne e al razzismo. Non verrà dal sogno prediletto dell’Occidente di un mondo post-religioso e secolare ripulito dalla “religione”. Simili esperimenti sono stati già tentati nei paesi comunisti; è come dire, “Abbiamo notato una correlazione fra sistema immunitario e malattie, quindi eliminiamo i sistemi immunitari.” Non è un caso che la malattia del peccato umano è prosperato in tali regimi solo a costo del massacro di milioni. Invece di far finta che la bestia dell’Islam Radicale non esista, l’Occidente dovrà prima o poi imparare come insegnarsi di nuovo la teologia – oppure perire. Dovrà anche schedare coloro che NON hanno un particolare colore di pelle ma una particolare serie di annotazioni ideologiche e punti di vista che rende ovvio il fatto che stanno dalla parte della violenza Radicale Islamica, esattamente come dovremmo schedare coloro che hanno simpatia per gli skinheads, i KuKluxKlan, o i racconti di gloria dei terroristi dell’IRA.

Soprattutto, significa che dobbiamo alfabetizzarci alla teologia e trovare un modo più sofisticato di capire le cose piuttosto che semplicemente fare un’unica mucchia di cristianesimo e islam e chiamarla “religione” (il che, sappiamo bene, porta a un’indistinta “violenza”). L’unico modo di contrastare una teologia infiammatoria come l’islam è con una teologia sana, non con le illusioni acquose del laicismo post-moderno. E ciò, prima o poi, comporterà il ritorno alla salute mentale offerta dalla Fede Cattolica.

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Mark P. Shea è redattore di www.CatholicExchange.com ed editorialista di InsideCatholic. Il suo blog è markshea.blogspot.com.

**PUBBLICATO CON IL TITOLO “SEE NO EVIL”

Latest US unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan?

X-47B UCAS_Mission Concept
Artist – Northrup Grumman

Mysterious Unmanned Aerial Aircraft at Kandahar

Reports are coming out of Afghanistan this spring about sightings of a large reconnaissance aircraft unlike any previously known to the military aviation industry. Rumor has it that this aircraft has also been seen by U-2 pilots flying high altitude reconnaissance missions over Iraq. With remote, Taliban controlled areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan inaccessible to ‘boots on the ground’ intelligence, the United States and NATO rely heavily upon aerial reconnaissance using (U)nmanned (A)erial) ((V)ehicles . When aircraft designation includes (C)ombat then it is weaponized, can release bombs and is not restricted to surveillance. UAVs are very different than predator drones, whose sole mission is to take out a target.

B(road) A(rea) M(aritime) S(urveillance) !concept
Artist – Northrup Grumman

Sources at Janes Information Group, publishers of the world renowned “All the World’s Aircraft” and “Defense Weekly”, released a short report on 15 April 2009 about a mysterious UAV that has been seen in Afghanistan early in 2009. Experienced military personnel at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan said the aircraft was unlike any known to them. Immediately after landing, it was moved into hangers used for the MQ-1 Predator drone and MQ-9 Reaper which fly frequent missions throughout the country. One source talking to Janes reported that NATO personnel photographed the aircraft, and were then detained by a security team who destroyed their photographs. Janes believes other photos exist but there are no publicly available copies at this time.

X-43B HST flight concept 1 – NASA
Artist – Media Fusion / NASA

Granted stealth is not a priority in Iraq or Afghanistan, because there is no enemy air force, but it is hard to imagine a cutting edge UCAV program setting stealth aside. Any UCAV could be deployed in future situations where the enemy might have retaliatory capacity.

Why such an UCAS would be at Kandahar Air Base is puzzling because this facility is not highly secure and not appropriate as an airfield from which to launch clandestine surveillance missions at night. Perhaps this aircraft had mechanical trouble and was forced to land at Kandahar which was not its destination or home base.

X-43B HST flight concept 2 – NASA
Artist – Media Fusion / NASA

The Players

Programs to develop the next generation Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle have been confirmed by the USAF, USN, and DARMA without their supplying any details. The research to produce such aircraft always incorporates cutting edge technology and possible strategic breakthroughs. Such programs must be ‘Black’, publicly denied and inaccessible to new media. Also needing no confirmation is the strategic value of reducing aircraft radar cross section and incorporating stealth technology to the maximum extent possible.

Let’s role play Sherlock Holmes. Can we shortlist possible candidates for the mysterious UAV seen in Afghanistan from planes known to exist, however sparse the details might be as to their precise configuration and mission?

X-43B flight concept ADP 2 – Lockheed Martin
Artist – Lockheed Martin

Only a handful of companies have the expertise to develop advanced UCAV, and only three are relevant to this detective challenge. But first we must mention DARPA, an agency of the US Department of Defense that was founded in response to the Soviet Union launch of Sputnick. Its mission is to not only prevent any further technological surprises to the United States but to generate a few of its own for enemies of the USA to think about. It specializes in short term, cutting edge projects and its only charter is ‘radical’ innovation. DARPA has a long term commitment to Hypersonic Aircraft powered by scramjet engines. As to its organization, imagine “100 geniuses connected by a travel agent.”

In the UK, BAE Systems is the aviation firm of choice for the British government. BAE has funded its own research into UAV technologies and demonstrators for ten years. Programs include stealth and low observability, systems integration and system control infrastructure. They developed two of the candidates for the mysterious UAV in Afghanistan.

Lockheed F-5 (P-38) – D-Day invasion stripes
Photo – Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a multinational aerospace manufacturer with headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland and the world’s largest defense contractor. Lockheed Martin developed the Trident Missile, F-16, F-22 and has the contract for the F-35 and Orion Project. The latter will be the next generation space ship for human flight. Their division of Advanced Development Programs, organized in the early days of WWII, is known as Skunk Works. The first Skunk Works mission was to develop a fighter that could compete with those made by Messerschmitt in Nazi Germany. The result was the P-38, the most successful fighter of WWII.

X-47B flight concept
Artist – DARPA

Northrup Grumman is the fourth largest defense contractor in the world, and the largest builder of naval vessels. It developed and produced the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber and is actively bidding on new strategic aircraft programs.

Identify? The Mysterious UAV in Afghanistan

The list of candidates for the mysterious UAV in Afghanistan is not long, and the aircraft must take into account the few design specifics that have leaked out. Let’s take a look.

Photos disclose a ‘fat’ wing chord, and a large central fuselage faring. (‘Fat wing chord’ refers to short stubby wings versus those that are long, graceful and more tapered. Faring, more commonly spelled ‘fairing’ is a contoured component designed to reduce drag.) Aircraft engine nozzle is shaped like a half moon as is that on the Lockheed P-175 Pole Cat, but is not cranked on the tailing edge as is the PC. The fuselage fairing could support a large squared off intake, or a large satellite communications and sensor equipment mix. Two large blisters on either side of the central fairing are likely to be the intakes for a single turbofan engine. The large doors inboard of the main landing gear may be bomb bay doors, indicating that this aircraft is weaponized.

UK-BAE Systems_Corax UAV
Photo – BAE Systems / Wikipedia

Candidate #1 – BAE Systems Corax (Raven) is a prototype, stealth UAV developed by BAE Systems for the British military. Corax first flew in 2004 and was unveiled to the public in January 2006. It is not known how many Corax have been built. Overall size seems small for the UAV seen in Afghanistan, but Corax is powered by a jet engine, which many UAVs are not. (HERTI, a small, propellor driven, very low speed UAV built by BAE Systems was deployed by the RAF in Afghanistan, summer 2007.)

UK-BAE Systems – Taranis UACV model
Photo – Mike Young / Wikipedia

Candidate #2 BAE Systems Taranis: Development began on a demonstrator in 2006 and when finalized, the Taranis will be one of the largest jet powered UCAVs in the world with a 9.1m wingspan. Assembly of Taranis began in September 2007, and ground testing will take place in 2009. First flight trials at the Woomera test range, Australia are planned for 2010. With this time frame, Taranis would not appear to be a candidate for the mysterious UAV observed at Kandahar, Afghanistan in spring 2009. Then again, the Brits are quite efficient with UAV development programs. Raven, which was the predecessor to Corax, went from concept to first flight in ten months in 2003 and Corax was then completed in 2005. Is Taranis ahead of schedule? Is a wingspan of 30-32’ big enough to account for what was observed at Kandahar?

Lockheed Martin P-175 flight photo – Franborough (UK) Air Show / 2006
Photo – Wikipedia

Candidate #3 Lockheed Martin P(olecat)-175: The Polecat was funded internally at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Group (Skunk Works). The P-175 was developed in 18 months and unveiled at the Franborough Air Show in 2006. Only one aircraft was built and little is known about the design, but Polecat could be weaponized and had a 90’ wingspan. Altitude is believed to have been 65,000’ with a flight duration of 4 hours. The one aircraft manufactured crashed and was destroyed on Dec.16, 2006, a serious setback to the Skunk Works UAV programs. But was more than one aircraft manufactured even though released information says otherwise? If so, does this ‘Polecat” have advanced capabilities? Aviation Week’s report about the Polecat mentioned The Long Range Strike Program for the USAF. The LRSP’s formal design and development will occur in 2010, with operational capacity no later than 2018.

Northrop_Grumman X-47B UCAS landing at NAWS China Lake, Mojave Desert, California
Photo – DARPA

Candidate #4 Northrup Grumman X-47B – Pegasus X-47A is the original designation for this UAV, which was first flown in February 2003. X-47B refers to the version recently deployed to the United States Navy. In 2004, DARPA awarded a contract for three full scale X-47B demonstrators. The program was halted by the US DOD but resumed under a new guise when Northrup Grumman was selected by the Navy to develop a version of the X-47B that could be carrier based. Flight testing commenced in April, 2009. The USN has recently released several photographs of the X-47B landing and taking off from a carrier. If these photos are not composites created for publicity purposes, they indicate that testing carrier landings is well ahead of schedule.

Northrop_Grumman X-47B UCAS on carrier deck
Photo – DARPA

Built from advanced composite materials, the X-47B now with the USN does not carry weapons. Pegasus has a diamond-kite profile and stealth design with extreme backward sweep on the wing leading edge and 35° forward sweep on the trailing edge. There is a high elevon at the mid section of each wing’s trailing edge, and no tail or vertical fin. Wingspan is 62.1 ft (18.92 m) and cruising speed is 0.45 Mach, with high subsonic maximum speed and altitude of 40,000’. As a candidate for the mysterious UAV in Afghanistan, Pegasus has good size and one can imagine test flights from offshore carriers. But as a carrier based aircraft, why land at Kandahar unless mechanical problems forced the decision?

UAVs, Stealth and UFOs

UAVs have an odd profile when judged against what is expected for military jet aircraft. Stealth capacity further alters plane architecture as noted with wing design for the X-47B. “The Lockheed F-117 uses mostly a faceted surface design, panels that are always at odd angles to the next panel, while the Northrup designed B-2 bomber uses smooth blending. In either case, not only are the designs electronically hard to find, they are also hard to spot with the naked eye until it is far too late.” (Source #6) Glimpses of stealth military aircraft occur on a regular basis and it is difficult to keep a long test route for a ‘black project’ demonstrator completely outside public and commercial airline air space. Furthermore, UAVs fly their missions at slower speeds and at lower altitudes than strategic fighter bombers.

Northrop_Grumman X-47B UCAS on carrier deck
Photo – Northrup Grumman

Many UFO reports of the past several decades are believed to be sightings of demonstrators for military aviation Black Projects. Often only one aircraft with flying capability is manufactured. Latest design aircraft have profiles that would impress everyone, except those with an intimate knowledge of the design, as highly unusual and perhaps not resembling anything assumed to be flying with a sovereign state air force. Black Projects cannot be shared with news media and the general public for valid security reasons.

Reports of UFOs that might be test flights of cutting edge UAV prototypes cannot be commented upon by DARPA, USAF or government departments of State and Defense. Such ‘news’ will hover in the air and catalyze the imagination for many years. Denials that ‘such and such aircraft was not in such and such air space’ on the day and time under scrutiny could be straightforward, or a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from a military sensitive area or important ‘black’ test flight. What would a farmer in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Britain or the USA think if when casually glancing at the sky, he or she caught a glimpse of a latest design stealth UCAV?

X-43C flight concept
Artist – Media Fusion / NASA

Well, there we have it. Each of these candidates has features that do not easily match what little is known about the unknown UAV in Afghanistan, spring 2009. A solid identification of this aircraft that may or may not be weaponized will likely never be made. Perhaps some day, for reasons of its own, the United States DOD and Air Force (or UK Ministry of Defense) will choose to disclose further information about their latest unmanned reconnaissance aircraft now flying secret missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Strange Case of the Black Unmanned Aircraft at Kandahar

Tue, Apr 21, 2009

Drar västerut ett tag

I januari kommer jag att att flytta hemmabasen från Stockholm till Washington DC. Vistelsen i USA är beräknad till två år.

Jag kommer såklart att försöka fortsätta att flyga i USA. För ungefär en månad sedan skickade jag in mitt certifikat till FAA för validering och jag hoppas kunna ansöka om ett amerikanskt cert i slutet av januari.

Av alla små och stora saker som ska fixas och donas med så har jag funderat över hur jag ska göra med den här bloggen. Den kommer att finnas kvar i sin nuvarande form, det vill säga handla om mina fritidsintressen med tonvikt på flyget. För det mer personliga om flytten och livet i USA kommer jag att skriva och rita på en annan adress. Ni som var bjudna på bröllopet har den och är det fler som vill läsa så skicka ett mail eller ta kontakt på fejjan så får ni den.

Likaså kommer en plattform för mer jobbrelaterat material för att försöka hålla kontakten med kollegor och konkurrenter medan jag är borta. Jag ska försöka ha den igång vid årsskiftet ungefär och det kommer att hamna på svenw.se.

Stay tuned

Bounding Markets With Love

“A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34.   “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15.   “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12.  “This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:17

One of our readers wrote in response to Charity and Truth 2 that

Economics is a science but we sometimes forget that it is a special kind of science.  It is not a natural science (like astronomy, geology or botany). Economics is essentially a study of culture, not of nature.  This is an important point.  When economists study and talk about the market they are dealing with a human construct, not a natural force like the tides or eclipses. . . [T]he concept that economics deals with culture (not nature) means that to a large extent we can structure it to be what we want it to be, and if we want to change it for social or ethical reasons it is possible and proper to do so and we are not as some suggest) tampering with a natural force.” (read the full comment below posted following Charity and Truth 2).

Lord what would it look like if our markets were bounded by care and compassion for our neighbors?  Should those who profit by moving financial capital be required to reserve for the risks of dislocation and loss borne by those who provide the physical capital needed for actual production? Can we find ways of ensuring that a market’s failure to properly manage risk does not cause a loss of jobs and homes for those who have no control over the decisions made? Or ways to ensure that those who work and save do not see their life savings eliminated as businesses and banks are restructured?  Help us to find ways to fund training for new forms of work and opportunities to those who are in desperate need.  Free us from unquestioning acceptance of the myth that markets act wisely, and give us the courage to change.  Give those who profit both the humility to recognize that they build on the contributions of others and the grace to share the benefits they receive.  Help us to search for and find the structures that could help our markets better serve our  communities. Help us to care for one another O Lord.

Amen

Naher Osten: USA verlängern Sanktionen gegen Iran

Sieht so Obamas “Entspannungspolitik” aus?

WASHINGTON.  Die USA haben die 1979 verhängten Sanktionen gegen Iran verlängert. Das teilte der Pressedienst des Weißen Hauses mit.

„Unsere Beziehungen zu Iran sind nicht in normale Bahnen zurückgekehrt und die Vereinbarungen aus dem Jahre 1981 sind noch nicht erfüllt.

Aus diesen Gründen habe ich beschlossen, die Sanktionen nach dem 14. November 2009 um ein Jahr zu verlängern“, heißt es in einem Schreiben von US-Präsident Barack Obama an den Kongress.

Das ist eine technische Entscheidung. Jedes Jahr verlängert der US-Präsident die Wirkung dieses Dokuments.

Die USA hatten am 14. November 1979 Sanktionen gegen Iran verhängt. Als Anlass für die Sanktionen und den vollständigen Abbruch der diplomatischen Beziehungen hatten die islamische Revolution und die Geiselnahme der Mitarbeiter der US-Botschaft in Teheran am 4. November 1979 gedient.

Am 19. Januar 1981 wurde unter Vermittlung der algerischen Regierung ein iranisch-amerikanisches Abkommen zur Geiselfreilassung unterzeichnet.

Dieses Abkommen sah auch einige grundlegende Prinzipien für die Anbahnung der Beziehungen zwischen den USA und Iran vor.

Die USA versprachen unter anderem, sich nicht in die inneren Angelegenheiten des Iran einzumischen, die Handelssanktionen aufzuheben und die gesperrten Bankkonten flüssig zu machen.

Der Iran versprach seinerseits, seine Schulden an die USA zurückzuzahlen.

Washington ist der Auffassung, dass Teheran dieses Abkommen nicht erfüllt sowie Kernwaffen entwickelt, die die Welt gefährden.

Quelle:

RIA Novosti

4 Indicted on $9.5 Mil RBS WorldPay Attack

Four men in East Europe have been indicted in Georgia for the successful attack against RBS WorldPay, the processing arm for the Royal Bank of Scotland (due to the geographic location of the men, I though it was Georgia the country.  Turns out it’s the US state with CNN Headquarters).

A year ago, RBS was hit by a coordinated ATM withdrawal attack.  The thieves managed to make off with US$9.5 million, withdrawn from 2,100 ATMs over a 12-hour period.

What was notable about this was not just the coordination.  It turned out the criminals were able to reverse-engineer the encryption protecting PINs.  What this allows is wholesale hijacking: instead of having to phish PINs one by one, you can just attack a central repository holding such encrypted PINs.

Yikes!

Will it be possible to reach a deal on the climate in December?

With the conference in Copenhagen just a month away, a good deal of the efforts of the Swedish Presidency lie on preparing the climate issue. Last week, Prime Minister Reinfeldt represented the Swedish Presidency at the EU-USA and EU-India summit. That the US must be ready to take its responsibility if we are to reach a deal on the climate is a plain fact, but it is also important that the fight against global warming includes developing countries. It is therefore pleasing that the EU-India summit resulted in an agreement on support of the two degree target, even though this is a domestically sensitive issue in India.

Climate negotiations have also been going on in Barcelona, in a last negotiation meeting in front of Copenhagen. Progress was made on technical issues and there were good discussions, leading to a greater level of understanding. But the politically sensitive issues were not solved. If we are to reach a deal in Copenhagen, a greater will to negotiate is needed. The two core issues are the level of the emission reductions and the financing of the necessery measures, and we need to move forward in these areas. The EU has committed itself to reduce its emissions with 30 % if other countries make comparable commitments. Now, the US and other industrialized countries must step up their ambitions to reduce emissions, and the more advanced developing countries must make adequate commitments according to their respectively capabilities and responsibilities.

Regarding financing, the EU has expressed its support for the European Commissions estimate that costs in developing countries could amount to 100 billion euro annually by 2020. This issue was also raised at the meeting of the G20 finance ministers, but regrettably, they were unable to make the needed progress. It is now up to the US and other industrialized countries to also present a credible financing of the needs of the developing countries.

The Swedish Presidency continues with its work, and I am glad that the EU acts as the well-needed leader. The basic success story of the EU is that cooperation works. This is a lesson that now must be learnt by the rest of the world, too.

Just so you remember how it happened...

 

The wall came down. Why?

Some of you are too young. Some don’t remember, you pot-smokin’ hippies. You probably don’t remember much but “Full House.” OK, so here’s what happened twenty years ago…

President Ronald Reagan, Ronaldus Magnus, the greatest President of the Twentieth Century, made a speech in 1987 against the wishes of his own advisers and State Department. He said, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Reagan at the Brandenberg Gate

 

 

In 1989, the Gate was opened. In 1990, the Wall came down.

It wasn’t Gorbachev, it wasn’t anybody else…it was the courage of Ronald Reagan.

God knows we need his kind today.

 

"Lest We Forget"

November 9, 2009

“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

This admonition was given by God through Moses as the children of Israel were preparing finally to enter God’s promised land. God had done mighty things for them–delivering them from slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea for them, feeding them for forty years with water from a great rock and daily bread from heaven–and it was important for them to teach their descendants, “lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.”

It was especially vital not to forget the actual words of God. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2).

The writer of Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in the Bible) stressed no less than seven times how important it was not to forget the words of God.

“I will not forget thy word” (v. 16).

“Yet do I not forget thy statutes” (v. 83).

“I will never forget thy precepts” (vv. 93, 141).

“I do not forget thy law” (vv. 109, 153).

“For I do not forget thy commandments” (v. 176).

Our nation has seen God do marvelous things. It was founded by a small band of Christians, and in a short span of history has become the greatest nation in the world. Yet we also seem about to forget, as Israel once did.

We would do well to rehearse again and again the poignant words of Rudyard Kipling, in words written over a hundred years ago:

“Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget, lest we forget.”

HMM

Venezuela v Columbia (and sadly not at football either)

And guess who Chavez is blaming…  yep, evil Uncle Sam.  Full article at the Telegraph but I’ll highlight the best bits here.

Hugo Chavez tells Venezuela’s military to prepare for possible conflict with Colombia

President Hugo Chavez has ordered Venezuela’s military to prepare for a possible armed conflict with Colombia, saying his country’s soldiers should be ready if the United States attempts to provoke a war between the South American neighbours.

Mr Chavez said Venezuela could end up going to war with Colombia as tensions between them rise, and he warned that if a conflict broke out “it could extend throughout the whole continent”.

“The best way to avoid war is preparing for it,” Mr Chavez told military officers during his weekly television and radio program. Venezuela’s socialist leader has also cited a recent deal between Bogota and Washington giving US troops greater access to military bases as a threat to regional stability.

There was no immediate reaction from either the Colombian or US government, but in the past they have denied intentions to start a war with Venezuela and said the base deal is needed to fight the war on drugs and insurgents in Colombia, which is a major cocaine producer struggling with a decades-old internal conflict.

Tensions along the Venezuela-Colombia border have been exacerbated in recent weeks by a series of shootings and slayings.

Four men on motorcycles shot and killed two Venezuelan National Guard troops at a checkpoint near the border in Venezuela’s western Tachira state last week, prompting Chavez’s government to temporarily close some border crossings.

And last month, Venezuelan authorities arrested at least 10 people in Tachira alleging involvement in paramilitary groups. The bullet-ridden bodies of 11 men, nine of them Colombians, were also found last month in Tachira after being abducted from a soccer field.

The violence prompted Venezuela to send 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia on Thursday. Officials said the build-up was necessary to increase security along the border.

Scary shit huh?  War on drugs, another multi-billion $cam, another reason to hike up the tax bill and fill up prisons.  All these different wars our Governments create, Terror, Drugs, Crime and even smoking and eating for Christ sake, all it does is create more oppotuinities for us to be ripped off.  Thieving bastards, at least Dick Turpin met you half-way and made an effort, these modern day crooks force us to hand over our readies through fear of imprisonment.

If a battle commences in South America, it’ll be bloody, that is for sure.  They don’t fuck about and then there is the Cartels in the mix, and some of those groups are armed to the teeth.  Seems everywhere on the planet is on edge at the moment, can’t Richard Branson hurry up with the Spaceship to get me off this crazy rock!?!

Moment 22 - en logisk reaktion?

För den som funderar på underliga beteenden i samband med krig kan läsa Moment 22 av Joseph Heller.

Efter en stunds läsande av denna bok ter det sig plötsligt mer rimligt att sitta naken i ett träd än att delta i krig.

Kan det på samma vis ha blivit mer logiskt att meja ner de amerikanska soldaterna som frivilligt gett sig ut för att mörda för pengar i arabiskt land?

Kan soldaterna ha retat upp honom med rasistiska ord som “rag head” och “sand nigger”?

Ville han undvika lidande för soldaterna, iraks folk och sig själv samtidigt?

Läs även andra bloggares intressanta åsikter om saker som är värda att ges en knuff upp i bloggportalerna

Exp Exp2 Sydsv Dagen VG VG2
VG: Kontrabeskjed etter Texas-massakre: – Drapsmistenkt er likevel i live

http://rodamalmo.blogspot.com/2009/11/det-sjuka-usa.html

http://aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article6075872.ab

http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/artikel_3759187.svd

DN – Vårdade hemvändande soldater – kallades själv in.

DN – Tolv ihjälskjutna på militärbas i USA.

USD Edges Up Ahead of Jobs

The dollar was higher by the afternoon Thursday session as traders took to the sidelines ahead of tomorrow’s key US labor report.

The greenback rebounded from a near one-week low against the euro around 1.4917 to bounce toward the 1.48-figure.

The economic reports released this morning included weekly jobless claims, Q3 productivity and Q3 labor costs.

The weekly jobless claims improved to 512k versus an upwardly revised 532k in the previous week.

Meanwhile, Q3 productivity blew away consensus estimates for a decline to 6.4%, instead surging to 9.5% from 6.9% in the previous quarter – its highest level in the third quarter since 2003.

The preliminary reading for labor costs in Q3 declined by more than expected, falling by 5.2% compared with a 6.1% drop in the previous quarter.

 

Mots clés Technorati : American Economy,Employment,fvtaiwan

STS-129 : Generalprobe des Countdown

Die Astronauten der STS-129 Mission haben ihre Generalprobe der Coutdownprozeduren im Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida beendet und sind an Bord eines NASA-Flugzeuges nach Houston ins Johnson Space Center zurückgekehrt.

Die Besatzung kehrt erst wieder nach Cape Canaveral ins KSC zurück wenn der endgültige Coutdown für den Start beginnt. Nach Plan wird in dies in knapp zwei Wochen so weit sein, wenn die Raumfähre Atlantis zu ihrer Mission in Richtung Internationale Raumstation aufbricht. Die Generalprobe vom Dienstag, die in der NASA-Terminologie Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) genannt wird, ist eine der regulären Standardprozeduren für die Shuttle-Crews im Rahmen ihrer Startvorbereitungen.  Das Training des kompletten Countdownablaufes mit der Besatzung, ermöglicht dem beteiligten Startteam, die komplexen Abläufe während des Starttages durchzuspielen und versetzt die Astronauten gleichzeitig in die Lage,  ihre Fluchtprozeduren von der Sartrampe zu proben, die sie im Falle einer Notsituation in den letzten Momenten vor dem realen Start abwickeln müssten.

Der gesamte Test war – entgegen dem üblichen Prozedere – diesmal in zwei Trainingsabschnitte aufgesplittet worden, um dem Startteam in der vergangenen Woche etwas Luft in Hinblick auf den Ares 1-X-Start zu verschaffen.

The STS-129 astronauts concluded their countdown dress rehearsal Tuesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and headed back to Johnson Space Center in Houston aboard NASA aircraft. The crew will return to Kennedy when the real countdown begins in about two weeks to launch space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to the International Space Station. Tuesday’s dress rehearsal is a standard procedure for shuttle crews known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. It gives the launch team a chance to practice the intricacies of launch day and affords the astronauts an opportunity to run through their escape process in the unlikely event that an emergency develops in the last moments before a real launch.

Für weitere Informationen : for further informations

www.raumfahrtzeitung.de

source : NASA

photo credit : NASA/ Kim Shiflett

Election Day 10

It was a cool morning today as I voted down at the local fire station. Turnout was massively lower than last year. Last year people were coming out of the woodwork to vote for O or against him (in our district anyway). There were long lines and boisterous attitudes. Today there were two other voters.

The Democrats didn’t even bother to field a volunteer today handing out sample ballots! That surprised me, it was a first. The GOP was there with one guy, and he looked lonely. So all the enthusiasm is out of the season now that George Bush, the sacrificial victim has been driven out and we are back to the norm, which is dysfunction, debt and war with no one to blame. It isn’t yet the fault of the Chosen One, but it will be by 12. He’s looking more like LBJ and Carter by the minute.

I expect Deeds to lose in a blowout. Let’s hope this is a glimmer of good news for the unborn.

Correspondant 17.

ARTE – 20h45 – lundi 2/11    film d’A. Hitchcock avec J. McCrea, L. Day, H. Marshall,

Début 1939. Le directeur du New York Globe peste contre ses correspondants en Europe qui ne lui envoient que des nouvelles insignifiantes à l’heure où Hitler se fait de plus en plus menaçant. Pour obtenir des informations plus précises sur les graves événements qui, selon lui, se préparent, il dépêche sur place le téméraire reporter John Jones…

Rediffusions :
04.11.2009 à 14:45

www.arte.tv

 

Dirty money: Singapore scores well in "harmful tax haven" test

Just when Mr. T thought that the fuss over Singapore as a tax haven would just die quietly and leave him alone, the US Tax Justice Network makes him work hard for his money by, yet again, raising Singapore’s world-class ranking for promoting financial secrecy that is culpable for illicit fund flows:

From FT “Leading economies blamed for fiscal secrecy”:

Leading economic centres including the US, UK and Singapore are among the countries most to blame for promoting international financial secrecy, according to a new index comparing the harm allegedly done by tax havens and rich nations.

The research – which comes ahead of the Group of 20 finance ministers’ meeting in Scotland next week – is an unusual attempt to measure whether powerful countries are as culpable over illicit fund flows as the offshore centres they have attacked since the financial crisis.

John Christensen, Tax Justice Network director, said the index outlined “a much more intricate story than has been told in the past about how financial markets have secrecy at their core”.

He said: “We like to think that liberalised financial markets are transparent. But when you dig deep into their arrangements, you find transparency is something of a chimera.”

The rankings are made by giving each of 60 onshore and offshore financial centres an “opacity score”, which is then weighted according to the jurisdiction’s significance in the world financial system.

The tax havens hardly escape unscathed, with hedge fund centre Cayman ranked fourth and Bermuda, a leading base for insurers, coming in seventh. European nations fare badly, with Belgium and Ireland making it five entries for the Continent in the top 10.

Singapore’s eighth place reflects longstanding criticism from overseas investigators, who allege it is uncooperative despite its highly sophisticated financial system.

The question of the degree of blame attached to rich nations and tax havens for failings in financial transparency has become highly political in the wake of the credit crunch.