A mob attack on eight Indians who were chased through a small town (Mügeln near Leipzig) on 19th August, as onlookers shouted slurs, has sent shock waves ...
> eingeplant is just one step removed from an eggplant.
> In any event I watched the Woodstock movie many many years ago, in a decade > that shall remain nameless.
> In spite of the negatives, it did build a US movement that was very > meaningful.
I agree to that. And the music created then persists as attractive till nowadays.
. Al Gore's Campaigns
> I don't get the same feeling from Al Gore's campaign.
> The musicians weren't alternative to the expected, as they were in > Woodstock. They're mostly corporate shills. To the extent they are not it > is because they built their own multi million dollar corporations.
ACK.
> There is something very suspicious and contrary to the environment about > each and every one of them.
> The ones at Woodstock, no matter how much garbage and drug use they > engendered, it was honest to goodness outta their hearts garbage and drug > use. Without a single corporate underwriter in sight.
> That's the one thing that my mind sees as the dividing line.
> No corporation in the profit is green. Sorry, guys!
That's the (sort of bitter) truth.
> But a crazy stoned guy on stage in 1969 by definition in crazy paisleys is > just a crazy stoned guy on stage with probably no message at all other than > enjoy life.
. Registrations
> > ...However, instead, the fraudulent misuse of my name > > by a third party ...
> sux sorry to hear it don't know what to say
Usually, nowadays, all blogs of major providers or online publishers require registrations. Even the usenet does.
They said at Burda, two weeks ago, that - while it is anticipated to keep the Bunte Blogs freely accessible (without prior registering) - they will work on a technical solution to prevent such abuse (as complained about). The results, particularly during the last weekend, showed however: Apparently, it doesn't yet function.
. Misc.
> The Notorious B.I.G.: [Tupac walks around heaven and bumps into The > Notorious B.I.G] Pac? > Tupac Shakur: Biggie? > [Tupac and B.I.G. pull their guns and shoot each other dead]--scene from > robot chicken, when 2 dead rappers meet
A mob attack on eight Indians who were chased through a small town (Mügeln near Leipzig) on 19th August, as onlookers shouted slurs, has sent shock waves ...
The reality of Ukraine's revolution Three years after the Orange revolution, reform is glacially slow and may yet prove too painful. By Lawrence A. Uzzell
from the August 21, 2007 edition
Fishersville, Va. - Americans should look at reality rather than Hollywood-style happy endings when they gauge the progress in Ukraine and other post-Soviet states. Many Americans still prefer the memory of Boris Yeltsin's stirring 1991 speech atop a Moscow tank, but they ignore the aftermath: the suppression of legislators and journalists. More than two years since the electrifying "revolutions" in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, it is time to reflect on the results.
The reality is disappointing in contrast with the hopes of Ukraine's 2004 "Orange Revolution." The bad news: Ukraine is moving at a glacial pace in reforms. The good news: At least Kiev has avoided any major deterioration. Ukrainians can be grateful that they won secession peacefully in 1991 from hypercentralized Moscow.
According to a draft report published by Washington-based Freedom House, the overall "democracy score" in Ukraine became slightly worse from 2006 to 2007. Ukraine's current performance in economic freedom is declining, as rated in the free-market report published annually by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. In fact, Ukraine's economy is seen as slightly less free than Russia's. The January report stated, "Ukraine is ranked 40th out of 41 countries in the European region, and its overall score is much lower than the regional average."
However, Ukraine's freedom in terms of civil society had improved significantly from the 1990s to 2005. Freedom of the press has clearly improved since the "Orange Revolution." Ukraine has far more religious freedom than Russia.
The Freedom House report concluded that in Ukraine, "nationwide television channels in most cases provided balanced news coverage; representatives of the ruling parties as well as the opposition had equal access to the media." Nevertheless, many local governments still dominate the local news media.
According to a nongovernmental organization specializing in monitoring the media, at least 14 journalists were attacked or intimidated in Ukraine in 2006. Last year a Ukrainian court issued a guilty verdict for five murderers after the 2001 death of a television journalist.
This is in dramatic contrast with post-Soviet Russia, where not one murder of a high-profile journalist has been solved. Nine Russian journalists were killed in 2006 alone. Ukraine's freedom of the press improved significantly from 2004 to 2005, then again from 2005 to 2006 – but failed to improve during the 12 months up to the spring of 2007.
Ukrainians and Russians enjoyed the end of state-enforced atheism in the late 1980s. However, their paths have diverged since the mid-1990s. Russia's 1997 law formally reestablished state control over religious life, brazenly contradicting its own 1993 constitution. In contrast, Ukraine is essentially observing its own constitutional guarantees for rights of conscience. Unlike Russian bureaucrats, both in law and in practice, Ukrainian bureaucrats do not suppress freedom of religious speech – nor do they expel foreign missionaries.
I've been reading very funny almost serious comments that now Putin is unemployed, he should join the cast of characters running for US president.
which party -- no comment
Perhaps they should run off Blair against him, rather than what we have now
Russia's Reawakening By Stéphane Bussard Le Temps
Tuesday 14 August 2007
Muscovite editorialist Fyodor Lukyanov is convinced that one must go back to the 1970s to find such confidence among the Kremlin elite. That was in the middle of the Cold War, at a time when the United States considered the Soviet Union to be its alter ego. After seven years in power and close to 50 percent cumulative economic growth over that period, Vladimir Putin enjoys the stature and ambition of a tsar. He multiplies grand gestures as he pushes his scientists to explore the Arctic's marine depths or denounces the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
He succeeds in erasing the humiliation Russia has undergone since the collapse of the Soviet Empire by returning his country to the center of the global chessboard. After the American Neoconservative Utopia of the democratization of the Middle East, Russia's reemergence shows the United States the degree to which taking cultural values into account in foreign policy is essential. By pushing NATO's eastward extension or the installation of an anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic at the double quick, the White House has uselessly wounded the Russian soul.
Today, Moscow is tempted by a certain revanchism. One thinks of its systematic veto against Kosovo's independence. Nonetheless, Putin's February speech in Munich allows us to believe in the Russian president's desire to cooperate. As Henry Kissinger says, Russian- American cooperation could help in confronting the planet's security challenges.
The Russian reawakening must nonetheless not make us forget the shadow zones of the Putin regime. The mysterious murders of ex-secret service agent Alexander Litvinenko with polonium and of journalist Anna Politkovskaya give rise to fears of obscure control by the Siloviki, the former and present members of the security services, over the progress of events. As for the Russian economy, it's blazing. But nothing says that the state capitalism practiced by Moscow and based on the illusion of technological quasi-self-sufficiency will allow the Kremlin to maintain the same self-confidence in the long term.
Speculation about Russia's "2008 question" -- meaning who will be Russia's president one year from now -- is shifting into high gear. Russian pundits suggest both that the presidential term will be extended to seven years, and that incumbent President Vladimir Putin will again be elected president in 2012 (or 2015 in the case of an extended term.) Others claim that Putin will step down, but will continue to play a major role "behind the scenes," in the manner of the late Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiao-Ping. A more likely scenario is that Putin will indeed step down, but quickly assume the leadership of a multinational regional organization: either a revamped Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or a more empowered Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Putin's future role could have a negative impact on his successor's ability to consolidate power and rule effectively. The Russian political elite routinely engages in intense disputes over the division of assets and power. The idea that any successor could referee these conflicts while deferring to a former president is questionable. Putin has built his popularity on an image as a strong leader. For him to retain a major leadership role would make it impossible for any successor to establish similar credentials.
Putin might still remain in office, but this is not the most likely scenario. There have been suggestions that a crisis comparable to the invasion of Daghestan by radical Islamic militants and the subsequent apartment bombings in August 1999 would make it imperative for Putin to serve another term, but this scenario ignores the important role that stability plays in explaining his success to date. If Putin's eight years in office culminate in a crisis requiring constitutional change, then his presidency could be judged a failure. A massive public demand for him to remain might be another matter. But Putin has repeated his intention to be bound by the constitution so many times that it would be difficult to justify such a change.
Assuming Putin does step down, how could he continue to play a major role without undermining his successor? The most plausible scenario is that mentioned at a conference in Yerevan in May by "Moscow News" editor Vitaly Tretyakov, who suggested that Putin will become the leader of a revived CIS, with the precise arrangements to be worked out and divulged later this year. Given the difficulty of negotiating multinational agreements and Russian leaders' penchant for surprises in international affairs (most recently the Qabala radar proposal at the Group of Eight [G8] summit), it makes sense that mainstream Moscow pundits are not discussing this option. Tretyakov himself more recently wrote that Putin would assume the leadership of a strengthened Security Council.
Having Putin head a multinational organization certainly fits with the rhetoric coming from Moscow in recent months regarding international institutions.
In his speech at the 43rd annual Munich Conference on Security Policy in February, Putin bluntly laid out his concerns about unipolarity. He accused the EU and NATO of seeking to replace the UN as final arbiters of the use of force to settle international disputes, and asserted that wealthy countries sabotage their economic assistance efforts by maintaining agricultural subsidies, favoring their own corporations, and impeding technology imports. He attacked the OSCE for interfering in countries' internal affairs. His final words directly challenge existing international institutions: "We would like to interact with responsible and independent partners with whom we could work together in constructing a fair and democratic world order that would ensure security and prosperity not only for a select few, but for all." In a subsequent interview with Al-Jazeera, Putin added that "the future architecture of international relations should be balanced and should meet the interests of all participants in international interaction."
In his Munich speech, Putin advanced an argument for the economic importance of Russia and other emerging powers based on purchasing power parity (PPP) valuations of these economies. Russian officials have since cited rankings of countries based on PPP. This is consistent with the project undertaken by the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) to develop an alternative set of indicators to the UN Human Development Report, Freedom House, or Davos measurements of economic and political status. Not surprisingly, these data include "stateness" as an important measure, and place Russia among the global "Leaders of Influence."
Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in June, Putin reiterated the need for a new international economic and political architecture, suggesting that "Russia could become home to financial centers and the decision-making centers of new global corporations." In the view of Russia's leaders, the UN, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank all require substantial overhaul, as does the G8. Putin proposed creating a Eurasian regional equivalent of the World Trade Organization and designating the ruble as a global reserve currency to provide a "secure" alternative to the declining U.S. dollar.
In the wake of the St. Petersburg Forum, Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Moscow's leading foreign-policy journal, "Russia in Global Affairs," stated that "Moscow will strive to play a direct role in establishing new rules to govern the world order." In an interview with "Rossiiskaya gazeta" in early August, Politika Foundation President Vyacheslav Nikonov emphasized the importance of expediting the creation of a common economic space that would comprise Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Uzbekistan. Nikonov also discussed the "strategic triangle" of China, India, and Russia, noting that Russia does not have a major economic relationship with these two countries, so future relations "will directly depend on Russia's activism." Nikolai Bordyuzha, the secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), proposed that the CSTO and the SCO conduct joint military exercises.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted by the "Financial Times" in July as suggesting that Russian politicians' careers could extend beyond their service in a top post. "Very often in Europe a person who worked at the very top returns to politics in a different capacity," he said. Leadership of an "alternative" multinational institution would enable Putin to retain an important place in Russian political life without directly constraining his successor. His recent success in winning the 2014 Olympics for Sochi certainly suggests he has developed the skills required for such a role. He has added passable English to his fluent German.
While a revised and revitalized CIS might be one vehicle for accomplishing the twin purposes of providing a new challenge for Putin and advancing Russian geopolitical interests, it could prove to be both too small a pond and too risky a venture. Another possibility would be for Putin to become the leader of an "upgraded" SCO. At the Valdai Club luncheon in September 2006, Putin spoke eloquently and at length about the "pleasant surprise" of the SCO evolving from a group of countries engaged in border delineation to a more substantive economic and security community.
Data collected by the Institute of Economic Analysis show that over the past two years, the pattern of Putin's summit meetings has shifted markedly away from OECD countries and toward nondemocratic states. On August 16, Putin will join other leaders for an SCO summit in Bishkek. He will also attend the "Peace Mission 2007" military exercises to be held in two stages, near Chelyabinsk and in Xinjiang. During a preparatory meeting for military exercises in Chelyabinsk, General Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the Russian General Staff, reiterated Russia's view that the organization should assume a more significant role in security issues.
Assuming that the team Putin has created shares his views on the state's role in the economy (even while battling each other over the spoils) and supports his efforts to restore Russia's status as a Great Power, putting Putin's talents and experience to use within a multinational forum would be a way to advance their project. Doing so would elevate him to a senior position that would allow him a voice in Russian affairs, without emasculating his successor.
Among Russian political leaders, Putin is the one with the best credentials to enhance the status and clout of either the CIS or SCO. Leading a multinational group of countries that align with Russia to counterbalance U.S. power would therefore be an ideal occupation for him in the next stage of his political career.
(Harley Balzer is an associate professor at Georgetown University.)
> > A mob attack on eight Indians who were chased through a > > small town (Mügeln near Leipzig) on 19th August, as onlookers > > shouted slurs, has sent shock waves ...
> The reality of Ukraine's revolution > Three years after the Orange revolution, reform is glacially slow and may > yet prove too painful. > By Lawrence A. Uzzell
> from the August 21, 2007 edition
> Fishersville, Va. - Americans should look at reality rather than > Hollywood-style happy endings when they gauge the progress in Ukraine and > other post-Soviet states. Many Americans still prefer the memory of Boris > Yeltsin's stirring 1991 speech atop a Moscow tank, but they ignore the > aftermath: the suppression of legislators and journalists. More than two > years since the electrifying "revolutions" in Ukraine, Georgia, and > Kyrgyzstan, it is time to reflect on the results.
> The reality is disappointing in contrast with the hopes of Ukraine's 2004 > "Orange Revolution." The bad news: Ukraine is moving at a glacial pace in > reforms. The good news: At least Kiev has avoided any major deterioration. > Ukrainians can be grateful that they won secession peacefully in 1991 from > hypercentralized Moscow.
... indeed, good news - partly, though.
> According to a draft report published by Washington-based Freedom House, the > overall "democracy score" in Ukraine became slightly worse from 2006 to > 2007. Ukraine's current performance in economic freedom is declining, as > rated in the free-market report published annually by The Wall Street > Journal and The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in > Washington. In fact, Ukraine's economy is seen as slightly less free than > Russia's. The January report stated, "Ukraine is ranked 40th out of 41 > countries in the European region, and its overall score is much lower than > the regional average."
> However, Ukraine's freedom in terms of civil society had improved > significantly from the 1990s to 2005. Freedom of the press has clearly > improved since the "Orange Revolution." Ukraine has far more religious > freedom than Russia.
... I watched recently a TV report explaining that the orthodoxy originated in Kiev - and that the actual patriarch declared that he's no more subordinated to the Muscovite, i.e., that he's on an equal footing with.
> The Freedom House report concluded that in Ukraine, "nationwide television > channels in most cases provided balanced news coverage; representatives of > the ruling parties as well as the opposition had equal access to the media." > Nevertheless, many local governments still dominate the local news media.
> According to a nongovernmental organization specializing in monitoring the > media, at least 14 journalists were attacked or intimidated in Ukraine in > 2006. Last year a Ukrainian court issued a guilty verdict for five murderers > after the 2001 death of a television journalist.
> This is in dramatic contrast with post-Soviet Russia, where not one murder > of a high-profile journalist has been solved. Nine Russian journalists were > killed in 2006 alone. Ukraine's freedom of the press improved significantly > from 2004 to 2005, then again from 2005 to 2006 - but failed to improve > during the 12 months up to the spring of 2007.
> Ukrainians and Russians enjoyed the end of state-enforced atheism in the > late 1980s. However, their paths have diverged since the mid-1990s. Russia's > 1997 law formally reestablished state control over religious life, brazenly > contradicting its own 1993 constitution. In contrast, Ukraine is essentially > observing its own constitutional guarantees for rights of conscience. Unlike > Russian bureaucrats, both in law and in practice, Ukrainian bureaucrats do > not suppress freedom of religious speech - nor do they expel foreign > missionaries.
...see my "patriarch" comment, above. Interesting as far as goes press (and those murder systems).
> I've been reading very funny almost serious comments that now Putin is > unemployed, he should join the cast of characters running for US president.
> which party -- no comment
> Perhaps they should run off Blair against him, rather than what we have now
> Russia's Reawakening > By Stéphane Bussard / Le Temps / Tuesday 14 August 2007
> Muscovite editorialist Fyodor Lukyanov is convinced that one must > go back to the 1970s to find such confidence among the Kremlin elite. > That was in the middle of the Cold War, at a time when the United > States considered the Soviet Union to be its alter ego. After seven > years in power and close to 50 percent cumulative economic growth over > that period, Vladimir Putin enjoys the stature and ambition of a tsar. > He multiplies grand gestures as he pushes his scientists to explore > the Arctic's marine depths or denounces the Conventional Forces in > Europe Treaty.
... a tsar's stature and ambition!
> He succeeds in erasing the humiliation Russia has undergone since > the collapse of the Soviet Empire by returning his country to the > center of the global chessboard. After the American Neoconservative > Utopia of the democratization of the Middle East, Russia's reemergence > shows the United States the degree to which taking cultural values > into account in foreign policy is essential. By pushing NATO's > eastward extension or the installation of an anti-missile shield in > Poland and the Czech Republic at the double quick, the White House has > uselessly wounded the Russian soul.
... wounded the Russian soul!
> Today, Moscow is tempted by a certain revanchism. One thinks of > its systematic veto against Kosovo's independence. Nonetheless, > Putin's February speech in Munich allows us to believe in the Russian > president's desire to cooperate. As Henry Kissinger says, Russian- > American cooperation could help in confronting the planet's security > challenges.
... I think so, too: could help...
> The Russian reawakening must nonetheless not make us forget the > shadow zones of the Putin regime. The mysterious murders of ex-secret > service agent Alexander Litvinenko with polonium and of journalist > Anna Politkovskaya give rise to fears of obscure control by the > Siloviki, the former and present members of the security services, > over the progress of events. As for the Russian economy, it's blazing. > But nothing says that the state capitalism practiced by Moscow and > based on the illusion of technological quasi-self-sufficiency will > allow the Kremlin to maintain the same self-confidence in the long > term.
Excerpt: "The reformist Iranian newspaper "Etemad" has described a renewed "round of attacks" on senior clerics regarded as moderately conservative or reformist. The allegations coincide with verbal salvoes and a threatened lawsuit against moderate former President Mohammad Khatami, and they suggest increasingly bitter partisanship in the run-up to parliamentary elections in March 2008. ..."
> Speculation about Russia's "2008 question" - meaning who will be > Russia's president one year from now - is shifting into high gear. > Russian pundits suggest both that the presidential term will be > extended to seven years, and that incumbent President Vladimir Putin > will again be elected president in 2012 (or 2015 in the case of an > extended term.) Others claim that Putin will step down, but will > continue to play a major role "behind the scenes," in the manner of > the late Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiao-Ping. A more likely > scenario is that Putin will indeed step down, but quickly assume the > leadership of a multinational regional organization: either a revamped > Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or a more empowered Shanghai > Cooperation Organization (SCO).
... sounds sort of realistic as a speculation.
> Putin's future role could have a negative impact on his successor's > ability to consolidate power and rule effectively. The Russian > political elite routinely engages in intense disputes over the > division of assets and power. The idea that any successor could > referee these conflicts while deferring to a former president is > questionable. Putin has built his popularity on an image as a strong > leader. For him to retain a major leadership role would make it > impossible for any successor to establish similar credentials.
> Putin might still remain in office, but this is not the most likely > scenario. There have been suggestions that a crisis comparable to the > invasion of Daghestan by radical Islamic militants and the subsequent > apartment bombings in August 1999 would make it imperative for Putin > to serve another term, but this scenario ignores the important role > that stability plays in explaining his success to date. If Putin's > eight years in office culminate in a crisis requiring constitutional > change, then his presidency could be judged a
<<> ... I watched recently a TV report explaining that the orthodoxy originated in Kiev - and that the actual patriarch declared that he's no more subordinated to the Muscovite, i.e., that he's on an equal footing with.>>
Thank you for all of that . . in some odd way, I find it comforting . .
this is what we learned in school, too. That Orthodoxy was brought to that part of the world in 988 by Volodymyr (aka Vladimir), king, and also later canonized saint. The story is, briefly, that he sent envoys throughout the lands to report on the most beautiful or meaningful (use whatever adjective you prefer) religion, and his envoys reported that they would choose the Orthodoxy of Byzantium. Any unskilled analyst can tell that they were really reporting on the most powerful kingdom.
Thus, the first patriarch was Volodymyr. He baptized the entire city en masse.
Inasmuch as Moscow wasn't even a city in 988, or even a territory, it's hard for the Moscow patriarch to allege. In that year, it was more a wooded land with lots of animals to trap for fur. So from historical perspectives, the Kievan patriarch is not far off in his legal argument.
Moreover, why should he beholden to Moscow. The other orthodox patriarchs aren't, why should he be?
We all know that the disputed relationship is about money, power and land holdings, not about religion.
And that's the part I find comforting.
Are the Kievan and Moscow patriarchs shorties or shawties
mk5000
"SHorty is intended for someone kind of beneath you. Where shawty is someone you want to be on the same level with"--Rapper Lloyd
> > ... I watched recently a TV report explaining that > > the orthodoxy originated in Kiev - and that the actual > > patriarch declared that he's no more subordinated to the > > Muscovite, i.e., that he's on an equal footing with.
> Thank you for all of that . . in some odd way, I find it comforting . .
> this is what we learned in school, too. That Orthodoxy was brought to that > part of the world in 988 by Volodymyr (aka Vladimir), king, and also later > canonized saint. The story is, briefly, that he sent envoys throughout the > lands to report on the most beautiful or meaningful (use whatever adjective > you prefer) religion, and his envoys reported that they would choose the > Orthodoxy of Byzantium. Any unskilled analyst can tell that they were > really reporting on the most powerful kingdom.
> Thus, the first patriarch was Volodymyr. He baptized the entire city en > masse.
> Inasmuch as Moscow wasn't even a city in 988, or even a territory, it's hard > for the Moscow patriarch to allege. In that year, it was more a wooded land > with lots of animals to trap for fur. So from historical perspectives, the > Kievan patriarch is not far off in his legal argument.
> Moreover, why should he beholden to Moscow. The other orthodox patriarchs > aren't, why should he be?
> We all know that the disputed relationship is about money, power and land > holdings, not about religion.
Thanks for this historical and political background.
> And that's the part I find comforting.
> Are the Kievan and Moscow patriarchs shorties or shawties
> "Shorty is intended for someone kind of beneath you. Where shawty is > someone you want to be on the same level with"--Rapper Lloyd
The German General Manger Oliver Eller (40) (s. video) was responsible during the three years of construction (350 million $ investment). Owners are two young billionaires from Kazakhstan and Turkey. It's the highest building in Moscow. From most of the suites the Kremlin can be viewed as well as from the roof top under glass cupola which is extremely suited for parties of Russia's and the world's (richest) elite.
At the opening, Christina Aguilera was the most famous performer (among forty altogether).
I liked the first picture, it looks like the model bit into an inkwell that exploded down the front of her shirt, however the owner of the site should know that it's annoyingly slow loading and the name budstudio doesn't really say women's fashions, but more closely suggests a man's athletic costume
mk5000
"To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human."--Mouse in Matrix
> [...] > > In Moscow, the rents of apartments in best neighborhoods > > (still to ride 30 minutes by subway to get to the center) > > are as high as 10,000 Euro.
> > About 30 billionaires reside in Russia's capital. That's > > far more than in any other city of the globe.
> 30 billionaires with tons of time on their hands.
> I liked the first picture, it looks like the model bit into an inkwell that > exploded down the front of her shirt, however the owner of the site should > know that it's annoyingly slow loading and the name budstudio doesn't really > say women's fashions, but more closely suggests a man's athletic costume.
> "To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us > human."--Mouse in Matrix
Here's an update on one of Russia's more famous millionaires
The Times
August 25, 2007
Swiss court blocks Russia over 'political' Yukos case
Carl Mortishead, International Business Editor
Switzerland's highest court said that Russian legal proceedings against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed former chief executive of Yukos, were politically motivated and blocked the release to the Russian authorities of bank documents relating to the bankrupt oil company.
The Swiss federal tribunal, in a landmark ruling, found that Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, his associate, were victims of political persecution and it rejected a request for assistance by Russian authorities in their pursuit of tax claims against Yukos.
The tribunal in Lausanne accepted arguments by lawyers representing the two men that the criminal proceedings were discriminatory and politically motivated.
In refusing to release the documents, the court referred to "concrete facts that lead to the inference that the appellant is under pursuit for hidden motives, notably in relation to his political opinions". Moscow had opened the criminal case against Khodorkovsky to "sideline declared or potential political adversaries", the court stated.
The Swiss ruling is the first time that a leading nonRussian tribunal has opined on merits of the Khodorkovsky case. The Yukos chief, who was once Russia's richest man, was a vocal critic of President Putin. Khodorkovsky was convicted of tax fraud in 2004 and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in Siberia.
Swiss authorities ordered the release yesterday of about SwFr300 million (£124 million) held in bank accounts linked to the former Yukos owners. The case arose in 2003 when Russian authorities sought legal help from Switzerland in their pursuit of alleged fraud and money laundering in relation to Menatep, the holding company through which Khodorkovsky and his associates controlled Yukos. The oil company was bankrupted and dismembered by Russian authorities in pursuit of massive tax claims. The assets of Yukos were sold to Rosneft after several rigged auctions.
“Storms have moved out of the rain-soaked Midwest, but the water remains. The National Weather Service says flood warnings will remain in effect through this afternoon for 14 counties in northeastern Illinois because of standing floodwater. …” www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/26/national/main3204474.shtml
. Greek Wildfires
»ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) - The worst wildfires in memory in Greece are threatening the birthplace of the ancient Olympics.
Nearly 60 people are dead. New fires are breaking out faster than others can be brought under control. Scared, angry residents are blasting the government. A fire official says it's "an unprecedented disaster."« www.kxmc.com/News/156487.asp
Helicopter and airplane help from many European states and from the US has been mobilized.
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), the German public-sector bank, “has agreed to buy Sachsen LB, bailing its smaller peer out of its exposure to volatile credit markets in a deal that could spark consolidation in the country’s fragmented banking industry.”
LBBW, based in Stuttgart, said yesterday “that it would pay €250m ($342m) as an “immediate measure” for its Leipzig-based rival. The final price – which the state of Saxony said would be settled at the end of the year – remained unclear, but could be €300m-€800m, according to LBBW’s state owners.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5732607e-53d4-11dc-9a6e-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid...
That Saxony LB’s bankruptcy has evolved in context with the current US mortgage crises.
> Here's an update on one of Russia's more famous millionaires.
> The Times
> August 25, 2007
> Swiss court blocks Russia over 'political' Yukos case
> Carl Mortishead, International Business Editor
> Switzerland's highest court said that Russian legal proceedings against > Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed former chief executive of Yukos, were > politically motivated and blocked the release to the Russian authorities of > bank documents relating to the bankrupt oil company.
> The Swiss federal tribunal, in a landmark ruling, found that Khodorkovsky > and Platon Lebedev, his associate, were victims of political persecution and > it rejected a request for assistance by Russian authorities in their pursuit > of tax claims against Yukos.
> The tribunal in Lausanne accepted arguments by lawyers representing the two > men that the criminal proceedings were discriminatory and politically > motivated.
> In refusing to release the documents, the court referred to "concrete facts > that lead to the inference that the appellant is under pursuit for hidden > motives, notably in relation to his political opinions". Moscow had opened > the criminal case against Khodorkovsky to "sideline declared or potential > political adversaries", the court stated.
> The Swiss ruling is the first time that a leading nonRussian tribunal has > opined on merits of the Khodorkovsky case. The Yukos chief, who was once > Russia's richest man, was a vocal critic of President Putin. Khodorkovsky > was convicted of tax fraud in 2004 and sentenced to eight years' > imprisonment in Siberia.
> Swiss authorities ordered the release yesterday of about SwFr300 million > (£124 million) held in bank accounts linked to the former Yukos owners. The > case arose in 2003 when Russian authorities sought legal help from > Switzerland in their pursuit of alleged fraud and money laundering in > relation to Menatep, the holding company through which Khodorkovsky and his > associates controlled Yukos. The oil company was bankrupted and dismembered > by Russian authorities in pursuit of massive tax claims. The assets of Yukos > were sold to Rosneft after several rigged auctions.
That’s very interesting as far as goes Swiss court and authorities.
I saw in a TV report, some time ago, this (former billionaire) prisoner in Siberia – his living conditions and what he had to complain about the Putin regime.
> ,,... Durch seine langen Einstellungen und den Verzicht auf jegliche > Kommentierung wirkt "Woodstock" authentisch. Es findet keine > Bevormundung des Zuschauers statt, dem die Interpretation und > Bewertung von Aussagen bekiffter Hippies selbst überlassen wird. Der > Film ist gerade deshalb zu einem bedeutenden Zeitdokument geworden, > das streckenweise einer raffiniert zusammengesetzten Diashow gleicht, > für die reichlich Geduld und Zeit eingeplant werden sollte."http://www.main-rheiner.de/region/objekt.php3?artikel_id=2935792>>
> Thank you o wise man of the nets
> eingeplant is just one step removed from an eggplant
> in any event I watched the Woodstock movie many many years ago, in a decade > that shall remain nameless
> in spite of the negatives, it did build a US movement that was very > meaningful
> I don't get the same feeling from Al Gore's campaign.
> The musicians weren't alternative to the expected, as they were in > Woodstock. They're mostly corporate shills. To the extent they are not it > is because they built their own multi million dollar corporations.
> There is something very suspicious and contrary to the environment about > each and every one of them.
> The ones at Woodstock, no matter how much garbage and drug use they > engendered, it was honest to goodness outta their hearts garbage and drug > use. Without a single corporate underwriter in sight.
> that's the one thing that my mind sees as the dividing line
> no corporation in the profit is green. sorry guys
> but a crazy stoned guy on stage in 1969 by definition in crazy paisleys is > just a crazy stones guy on stage with probably no message at all other than > enjoy life
> . Hurricanes & Earth Quakes
> > > [...] > > beats the ice storms so common in Roanoke
> . Terminology
> > > > I am not sure, but if I had to pick a wurst to translate it into, it > would > > > > be either you wiener, or knackwurst.
> > > Or Kraut (if he was sought to be of German origin)...
> > > In another (crazy) movie they used Hühnerflügel (chicken wing) > > > instead.
> > I will have to express skepticism with regard to Kraut. I don't believe I > > have heard that term since the 60s in a 50s movie about ww2
> That's probably also where I got it from...
> > I think he said weenie. > > means a scared little boy too.
> > > Looks like a dinner for two. Did you see this movie? Is it a good one?
> > no but it looked interesting.
> > "Dear, we agreed to put on a wedding, not go into bankruptcy... Caviar? > Who > > are we inviting, the czar? Get some cheese and crackers... some of those > > little cocktail weenies..."--J. Jonah Jameson [speaking to his wife over > the > > phone] , SPiderman2
> The columns of Ariane Sommer of L.A. are meanwhile completely deleted > from the Burda's Bunte blogs.
> However, instead, the fraudulent misuse of my name by a third party > (sort of weirdo) continued frequently at the C.D. culture blogs from > April onward. Many deletions had been made recently according to my > official complaint addressed to the online publisher.>>
> sux sorry to hear it don't know what to say
> mk5000
> TheNotoriousB.I.G.: [Tupac walks around heaven and bumps into TheNotoriousB.I.G] Pac? > Tupac Shakur: Biggie? > [Tupac andB.I.G.pull their guns and shoot each other dead]--scene from > robot chicken, when 2 dead rappers meet
hey whats guys? I ran across this guy named Guerilla Black the other day on youtube....his video is the business. I'm tellin' you, you should go check it out asap.
“Storms have moved out of the rain-soaked Midwest, but the water remains. The National Weather Service says flood warnings will remain in effect through this afternoon for 14 counties in northeastern Illinois because of standing floodwater. …” www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/26/national/main3204474.shtml
they continue to knock off records
<<. Greek Wildfires
»ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) - The worst wildfires in memory in Greece are threatening the birthplace of the ancient Olympics.
Nearly 60 people are dead. New fires are breaking out faster than others can be brought under control. Scared, angry residents are blasting the government. A fire official says it's "an unprecedented disaster."« www.kxmc.com/News/156487.asp
Helicopter and airplane help from many European states and from the US has been mobilized.>>
the biggest news of the day is Gonzales resignation. wondering how this will affect the polls, and how it will affect the markets
<<. LB Sachsen
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), the German public-sector bank, “has agreed to buy Sachsen LB, bailing its smaller peer out of its exposure to volatile credit markets in a deal that could spark consolidation in the country’s fragmented banking industry.”
LBBW, based in Stuttgart, said yesterday “that it would pay €250m ($342m) as an “immediate measure” for its Leipzig-based rival. The final price – which the state of Saxony said would be settled at the end of the year – remained unclear, but could be €300m-€800m, according to LBBW’s state owners.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5732607e-53d4-11dc-9a6e-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid... c4-c820-11db-b0dc-000b5df10621,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F % 2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F5732607e-53d4-11dc-9a6e-0000779fd2ac%2Cdwp_uui... 8477cc4-c820-11db-b0dc-000b5df10621.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.googl e .com%2Fnews%3Fhl%3Den
That Saxony LB’s bankruptcy has evolved in context with the current US mortgage crises.
the legal issues in the russian case were also fascinating to me. but they make me wonder the extent to which Putin may be doing the opposite re bias, that is, enriching himself and his pals.
on the way home walking from the supermarket, there were two unaccountable slices of pepperoni on the pavement.
I just can't imagine anyone losing just two slices but without any other evidence of pizza.
maybe it was a camera.
with this weird weather which I love so pleasantly hot, I know it's almost over. It'll soon be time for almabtrieb and oktoberfest again, and the cows will all come down in their wedding leis and drink some beer with their oktoberfizza. and the cows will get all pregnant again because the oktoberfizza beer made them forget to be abstinent and or bring condoms. and that's why the cows wear leis. those cows know how to party.
mk5000
"One of our first stops was a little dairy farm that they like for some reason. It's nothing remarkable for Vermont, except that the whole farm is open, so you can hang out with the cows. There was the most adorable creature I've ever seen in the front, a little calf. I kept trying to pet it, and it's head kept following my hands. I finally just put them out to see what it wanted with them (I'm not squeamish) and it started sucking on them for dear life. It was a little gross, but SO. CUTE. When I finally walked away, it bleated at me to come back."--http://tenementgourmet.blogspot.com/2007/08/vermont-day-3-and-home.h tml
hey whats guys? I ran across this guy named Guerilla Black the other day on youtube....his video is the business. I'm tellin' you, you should go check it out asap.
----------
Hi Skylar what an interesting name.
unfortunately, all my youtube access is blocked
tell us more please
mk5000
"That would make it almost impossible to do proper memory management and ensure hat there are no bugs. (and that's what shared_ptr specializes in -- because shared_ptr implements reference counting, then it is no problem having multiple ptrs pointing to the same object -- not only iy is no problem, it is the expected usage!)"--carlos moreno
Aug. 27 - »REPORT MAINZ berichtet in seiner heutigen Ausgabe, dass YouTube verbotene Neonazi-Propaganda Filme und indizierte Hassvideos verbreitet. YouTube hatte auf mehr als 100 Abmahnungen von Jugendschutz.net nicht reagiert. Prof. Salomon Korn, Vizepräsident des Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland forderte deshalb das Einschreiten von Bundesregierung und Justiz um die weitere Veröffentlichung der Neonazi-Clips zu stoppen. Der Zentralrat, so Korn, erwäge Strafanzeige zu erstatten. ...« http://www.swr.de/report/presse/-/id=1197424/nid=1197424/did=2518606/...
»» Beihilfe zur Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB [Abetment to people's incitement] [StGB = criminal code]
It's envisaged that legal action may be taken against the freely accessible publication of such hatred stuff.
. US Midwest Flood
> > ... The National Weather Service says flood warnings will > > remain in effect ...
> they continue to knock off records.
. Greek Wildfires
> > [...]
> this is all making news here too.
> did the French send an ellecoptaire???
I only noticed that Germany sends specially equipped (Laupheim based) military "hélicoptères", thus far...
> the biggest news of the day is Gonzales resignation. wondering how this > will affect the polls, and how it will affect the markets.
As a longtime loyal adviser to the US President, "Mr. Gonzales was often left to carry out those policies and put his stamp on them. But his dogged and sometimes robotic defense of the president's wartime powers - in the face of Congressional pressure, adverse court rulings and public scorn - often proved ineffectual or counterproductive. Even after leaving the White House for the Justice Department in 2005, Mr. Gonzales was seen both by insiders and outsiders less as an independent legal thinker than as the president's loyal retainer."
> the legal issues in the Russian case were also fascinating to me. but they > make me wonder the extent to which Putin may be doing the opposite re bias, > that is, enriching himself and his pals.
Is there any evidence on that specific bias assumption?
> on the way home walking from the supermarket, there were two unaccountable > slices of pepperoni on the pavement.
> I just can't imagine anyone losing just two slices but without any other > evidence of pizza.
> maybe it was a camera.
;))
. "Festivities"
> with this weird weather which I love so pleasantly hot, I know it's almost > over. It'll soon be time for almabtrieb and oktoberfest again, and the cows > will all come down in their wedding leis and drink some beer with their > oktoberfizza. and the cows will get all pregnant again because the > oktoberfizza beer made them forget to be abstinent and or bring condoms. > and that's why the cows wear leis. those cows know how to party.
Gaudi means Freude (joy, fun, delight...); e.g., a famous Latin quote "gaudeamus igitur!"
. Biergarten
The Brauhaus "Goldener Engel" (real beer brewing there!) with a large Biergarten outside and a culinary inside ambience opened recently in our neighborhood www.brauhausgoldenerengel.de/voran.html I enjoyed stepping in occasionally to have a "Schmankerl" along with a fresh white beer...
> "One of our first stops was a little dairy farm that they like for some > reason. It's nothing remarkable for Vermont, except that the whole farm is > open, so you can hang out with the cows. There was the most adorable > creature I've ever seen in the front, a little calf. I kept trying to pet > it, and it's head kept following my hands. I finally just put them out to > see what it wanted with them (I'm not squeamish) and it started sucking on > them for dear life. It was a little gross, but SO CUTE. When I finally > walked away, it bleated at me to come back." http://tenementgourmet.blogspot.com/2007/08/vermont-day-3-and-home.html
... "hang out with the cows" :)) I did so - and with horses and other farm animals - when I was a kid ...
Aug. 27 - »REPORT MAINZ berichtet in seiner heutigen Ausgabe, dass YouTube verbotene Neonazi-Propaganda Filme und indizierte Hassvideos verbreitet. YouTube hatte auf mehr als 100 Abmahnungen von Jugendschutz.net nicht reagiert. Prof. Salomon Korn, Vizepräsident des Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland forderte deshalb das Einschreiten von Bundesregierung und Justiz um die weitere Veröffentlichung der Neonazi-Clips zu stoppen. Der Zentralrat, so Korn, erwäge Strafanzeige zu erstatten. ..« http://www.swr.de/report/presse/-/id=1197424/nid=1197424/did=2518606/1dg haow/index.html
»» Beihilfe zur Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB [Abetment to people's incitement] [StGB = criminal code]
It's envisaged that legal action may be taken against the freely accessible publication of such hatred stuff.>
That's sort of an interesting debate here in the US. Even the American Civil Liberties Union has gone to court to preserve hate speech, on the grounds that even that is protected by the constitution.
The legal theory is that: You can hate whoever you want. As long as you don't commit a crime against them (murder or other violence) in the name of the hate, or at civil law, don't discriminate against them on the basis of a protected class (race religion ethnicity gender etc)
That's the theory anyway but it doesn't always work out, and we argue in court about it.
In the meantime, it's also interesting as a free speech issue, because of its historical context. I may not want my kids to see it or be indoctrinated into it, but I do want them to be able to do a book report on the issue that opposes it. So how can they critically evaluate such things if they can't be exposed to them. It's a fascinating legal discussion with many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
It seems like such a benign thing for a young child to want to attend, to play in roles from other eras.
Yet, a black friend who sent me this link said, Is any normal, non deep south bred individual wondering how they are letting the black kids play in those roles that never existed back then for black kids. . . and the disregard of the whole slavery culture . . .
In the meantime the US is abuzz about the arrest of Senator Craig of Iowa for soliciting gay sex in public toilets. Of course, previously he had vociferously denounced gay marriage and so on. You can read about it -- it's on everyone's news reports everywhere. This affects the Republican candidates, because he was a Romney supporter. They said today that Romney didn't just throw him off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being made is to Clinton's blue dress moment.
. US Midwest Flood
> > ... The National Weather Service says flood warnings will > > remain in effect ...
> they continue to knock off records.
. Greek Wildfires
> > [...]
> this is all making news here too.
> did the French send an ellecoptaire???
I only noticed that Germany sends specially equipped (Laupheim based) military "hélicoptères", thus far...
> the biggest news of the day is Gonzales resignation. wondering how this > will affect the polls, and how it will affect the markets.
<<As a longtime loyal adviser to the US President, "Mr. Gonzales was often left to carry out those policies and put his stamp on them. But his dogged and sometimes robotic defense of the president's wartime powers - in the face of Congressional pressure, adverse court rulings and public scorn - often proved ineffectual or counterproductive. Even after leaving the White House for the Justice Department in 2005, Mr. Gonzales was seen both by insiders and outsiders less as an independent legal thinker than as the president's loyal retainer."
Every time I read about this incident, i think maybe it's little Elian Gonzalez of the Cuban boat people that finally grew up and made himself famous as a result of his landing in Miami.
But no.
. LB Sachsen
> > ...
> > That Saxony LB's bankruptcy has evolved in context with the > > current US mortgage crises.
> the legal issues in the Russian case were also fascinating to me. but they > make me wonder the extent to which Putin may be doing the opposite re bias, > that is, enriching himself and his pals.
<<Is there any evidence on that specific bias assumption?>>
no it just makes me wonder. But when did anyone accuse Putin of being an amazingly ethical businessman. I just read that he wears a crucifix and has a personal confessor. In light of his past history in the KGB, that's mighty funny,
> on the way home walking from the supermarket, there were two unaccountable > slices of pepperoni on the pavement.
> I just can't imagine anyone losing just two slices but without any other > evidence of pizza.
> maybe it was a camera.
;))
. "Festivities"
> with this weird weather which I love so pleasantly hot, I know it's almost > over. It'll soon be time for almabtrieb and oktoberfest again, and the cows > will all come down in their wedding leis and drink some beer with their > oktoberfizza. and the cows will get all pregnant again because the > oktoberfizza beer made them forget to be abstinent and or bring condoms. > and that's why the cows wear leis. those cows know how to party.
Gaudi means Freude (joy, fun, delight...); e.g., a famous Latin quote "gaudeamus igitur!"
. Biergarten
The Brauhaus "Goldener Engel" (real beer brewing there!) with a large Biergarten outside and a culinary inside ambience opened recently in our neighborhood www.brauhausgoldenerengel.de/voran.html I enjoyed stepping in occasionally to have a "Schmankerl" along with a fresh white beer...
> "One of our first stops was a little dairy farm that they like for some > reason. It's nothing remarkable for Vermont, except that the whole farm is > open, so you can hang out with the cows. There was the most adorable > creature I've ever seen in the front, a little calf. I kept trying to pet > it, and it's head kept following my hands. I finally just put them out to > see what it wanted with them (I'm not squeamish) and it started sucking on > them for dear life. It was a little gross, but SO CUTE. When I finally > walked away, it bleated at me to come back."
<< ... "hang out with the cows" :)) I did so - and with horses and other farm animals - when I was a kid ...>>
well if you wuz a baby goat, then that's where you would hang out :)
mk5000
"and given what broadcast television would up being, that doesn't sound so good. but think about blogs, how each one is actually trying to describe reality... in theory... but when you look at blogs, where you're most likely to find the real info is the links. It's contextual, and not only who the blog's linked to, but who's linked to the blog"--"spook country", william gibson
>Frank Kalder wrote in message ><1188277829.032450.107...@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>... >marika wrote: >> Frank Kalder - http://haplifnet.blogspot.com -
>Aug. 27 - »REPORT MAINZ berichtet in seiner heutigen Ausgabe, dass >YouTube verbotene Neonazi-Propaganda Filme und indizierte Hassvideos >verbreitet. YouTube hatte auf mehr als 100 Abmahnungen von >Jugendschutz.net nicht reagiert. Prof. Salomon Korn, Vizepräsident des >Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland forderte deshalb das Einschreiten >von Bundesregierung und Justiz um die weitere Veröffentlichung der >Neonazi-Clips zu stoppen. Der Zentralrat, so Korn, erwäge Strafanzeige >zu erstatten. >..« http://www.swr.de/report/presse/-/id=1197424/nid=1197424/did=2518606/1d g >haow/index.html
>»» Beihilfe zur Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB >[Abetment to people's incitement] [StGB = criminal code]
>It's envisaged that legal action may be taken against the freely >accessible publication of such hatred stuff.>
>That's sort of an interesting debate here in the US. Even the American >Civil Liberties Union has gone to court to preserve hate speech, on the >grounds that even that is protected by the constitution.
>The legal theory is that: You can hate whoever you want. As long as you >don't commit a crime against them (murder or other violence) in the name of >the hate, or at civil law, don't discriminate against them on the basis of a >protected class (race religion ethnicity gender etc)
>That's the theory anyway but it doesn't always work out, and we argue in >court about it.
>In the meantime, it's also interesting as a free speech issue, because of >its historical context. I may not want my kids to see it or be >indoctrinated into it, but I do want them to be able to do a book report on >the issue that opposes it. So how can they critically evaluate such things >if they can't be exposed to them. It's a fascinating legal discussion with >many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
>It seems like such a benign thing for a young child to want to attend, to >play in roles from other eras.
>Yet, a black friend who sent me this link said, >Is any normal, non deep south bred individual wondering how they are letting >the black kids play in those roles that never existed back then for black >kids. . . and the disregard >of the whole slavery culture . . .
>In the meantime the US is abuzz about the arrest of Senator Craig of Iowa >for soliciting gay sex in public toilets. Of course, previously he had >vociferously denounced gay marriage and so on. You can read about it -- >it's on everyone's news reports everywhere. This affects the Republican >candidates, because he was a Romney supporter. They said today that Romney >didn't just throw him off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being >made is to Clinton's blue dress moment. -----Original Message----- From: marika <marika5...@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:14 PM Subject: hit survivor
>President Bush's motorcade hit a new mexico police officer.
>this is the second such accident.
>which brings it around to Liza Minelli who was in the news a few years ago >for making her male bodyguard have sex with her.
>google has been on the news a lot this week, earlier for debuting google sky >webcasts -- photos of the sky from where you live
>Google CFO George Reyes retires >Business and Law >By Wolfgang Gruener >Tuesday, August 28, 2007 18:54
>Google said that Reyes recently has informed the company of his intention to >retire as Chief Financial Officer. He will remain to assist in the search >for a new CFO and to assure an orderly transition, which Google expects will >occur by the end of the year.
>It was unclear where Reyes, 51, will retire completely from his career or >whether he will be looking for a position somewhere else. According to SEC >filings, Reyes currently holds 51,750 Google shares valued at about $23.6 >million when exercised.
>Prior to joining Google, George was interim chief financial officer for ONI >Systems from February 2002 until June 2002. From April 1999 to September >2001, he was vice president and treasurer of Sun Microsystems. >-------- >And on political speech -- last year Google made news for being lax about >Chinese human rights and freedom of speech on their Chinese cites
>By contrast, we have Yahoo today dealing with a similar issue
>That lawsuit, filed in April, accuses Yahoo's Hong Kong subsidiary, Yahoo >Hong Kong Ltd., (YHKL) of allegedly providing information to Chinese >authorities that led to the persecution, torture and imprisonment of four >Chinese dissidents.
mk5000
Dr. Cameron: Got a new cane. Dr. Gregory House: Yeah. Guy in the store said it was slimming. Vertical stripe...
>Frank Kalder wrote in message ><1187772644.565140.222...@i38g2000prf.googlegroups.com>... >marika wrote: >> Frank Kalder - http://haplifnet.blogspot.com -
><<. Woodstock
>I watched this yesterday on Arte TV:
>,,... Durch seine langen Einstellungen und den Verzicht auf jegliche >Kommentierung wirkt "Woodstock" authentisch. Es findet keine >Bevormundung des Zuschauers statt, dem die Interpretation und >Bewertung von Aussagen bekiffter Hippies selbst überlassen wird. Der >Film ist gerade deshalb zu einem bedeutenden Zeitdokument geworden, >das streckenweise einer raffiniert zusammengesetzten Diashow gleicht, >für die reichlich Geduld und Zeit eingeplant werden sollte." >http://www.main-rheiner.de/region/objekt.php3?artikel_id=2935792>>
>Thank you o wise man of the nets
>eingeplant is just one step removed from an eggplant
>in any event I watched the Woodstock movie many many years ago, in a decade >that shall remain nameless
>in spite of the negatives, it did build a US movement that was very >meaningful
>I don't get the same feeling from Al Gore's campaign.
>The musicians weren't alternative to the expected, as they were in >Woodstock. They're mostly corporate shills. To the extent they are not it >is because they built their own multi million dollar corporations.
>There is something very suspicious and contrary to the environment about >each and every one of them.
>The ones at Woodstock, no matter how much garbage and drug use they >engendered, it was honest to goodness outta their hearts garbage and drug >use. Without a single corporate underwriter in sight.
>that's the one thing that my mind sees as the dividing line
>no corporation in the profit is green. sorry guys
>but a crazy stoned guy on stage in 1969 by definition in crazy paisleys is >just a crazy stones guy on stage with probably no message at all other than >enjoy life
Contact: Annika Howard pressoff...@esrc.ac.uk 44-017-934-13119 Economic & Social Research Council Ethical consumption: Consumer driven or political phenomenon?
The most effective campaigns to encourage ethical consumption are those that take place at a collective level, such as the creation of Fairtrade cities, rather than those that target individual behaviour. These are the findings of a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The research suggests that ethical consumption is best understood as a political phenomenon rather than simply a market response to consumer demand.
"For many people, their choice to buy ethical goods or services is shaped by both personal and public commitments" says Dr Clive Barnett of the ESRC's Cultures of Consumption programme. People bring a wide range of ethical concerns to their everyday consumption practices, from the personal responsibilities of family life to more public commitments like membership of a faith community or political affiliation.
The research team found that campaigns aimed at getting people to change what they buy often worked on the assumption that individuals lack the necessary information to make educated decisions about the consequences of what they buy and where they buy it from. However the findings from the study suggest that people don't necessarily lack the information about Fairtrade, organic food, environmental sustainability, or third world sweatshops. They do, however, often lack effective pathways to acting on their concerns over these issues.
By holding a series of 12 focus-groups in different areas of Bristol, the team were able to access a wide range of participants differentiated by class, gender, ethnicity, race, age, income and education. The results from the focus-groups found that individual's ability to adopt ethical consumption practices are affected by different levels of material resources in terms of their income and access to shops that sell ethically sourced goods.
Dr Barnett said: "People actually seem very aware of these types of things, but often don't feel that they have the opportunities or resources to be able to buy Fairtrade products or ethically sourced goods. And it's not as simple as the consumer making a choice to buy an item that is ethically sound".
A great deal of the consumption people do they don’t do as ‘consumers’ exercising ‘choice’. Lots of consumption is embedded in relationships of obligation where people are acting as parents, caring partners, football fans or good friends. Some consumption is used to sustain these sorts of relationships: giving gifts, buying school lunches, getting hold of this season’s new strip. And quite a lot of consumption is done as the background to these activities, embedded in all sorts of infrastructures (eg transport, energy, water) over which people have little or no direct influence as individual ‘consumers’.
In order to successfully encourage people to adopt ethical consumption activities, it is important to call on their specific identities, as for example a member of the local community or faith group, rather than just targeting them as 'faceless' and ‘placeless’ consumers. The most successful initiatives are those that find ways of making changes to the practical routines of consumption. For example, by changing how and what people buy and from where through establishing initiatives such as Fairtrade networks or achieving the status of a Fairtrade town or city.
In order to become a Fairtrade town, the local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, a range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in the area’s shops and served in local cafés and catering establishments and Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local workplaces and community organisations. Fairtrade town and Fairtrade city initiatives are a means of raising awareness around issues of global inequality and trade justice, as well as transforming collective infrastructures of provisioning so that everyone, irrespective of their ‘choice’, becomes an ‘ethical consumer’.
The research findings present a clear message says Dr Barnett: "If ethical consumption campaigns are to succeed they need to transform the infrastructures of every day consumption rather than focusing on changing individual consumer behaviour".
> > »» Beihilfe zur Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB > > [Abetment to people's incitement] [StGB = criminal code]
> > It's envisaged that legal action may be taken against the freely > > accessible publication of such hatred stuff.
> That's sort of an interesting debate here in the US. Even the American > Civil Liberties Union has gone to court to preserve hate speech, on the > grounds that even that is protected by the constitution.
> The legal theory is that: You can hate whoever you want. As long as you > don't commit a crime against them (murder or other violence) in the name of > the hate, or at civil law, don't discriminate against them on the basis of a > protected class (race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc)
> That's the theory anyway but it doesn't always work out, and we argue in > court about it.
> In the meantime, it's also interesting as a free speech issue, because of > its historical context. I may not want my kids to see it or be > indoctrinated into it, but I do want them to be able to do a book report on > the issue that opposes it. So how can they critically evaluate such things > if they can't be exposed to them. It's a fascinating legal discussion with > many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
Thanks for those highly appreciable considerations which I conveyed to the 'Global Haplifnet' [http://haplifnet.blogspot.com/2007/08/ googles-youtube-incitement-via-hatred.html].
> It seems like such a benign thing for a young child to want to attend, to > play in roles from other eras.
> Yet, a black friend who sent me this link said, > Is any normal, non deep south bred individual wondering how they are letting > the black kids play in those roles that never existed back then for black > kids. . . and the disregard of the whole slavery culture . . .
. Craig & Romney
> In the meantime the US is abuzz about the arrest of Senator Craig of Iowa > for soliciting gay sex in public toilets. Of course, previously he had > vociferously denounced gay marriage and so on. You can read about it -- > it's on everyone's news reports everywhere. This affects the Republican > candidates, because he was a Romney supporter. They said today that Romney > didn't just throw him off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being > made is to Clinton's blue dress moment.
Euronews, France - The German Chancellor has urged China to do more to stop climate change. Angela Merkel was speaking on her second visit to China as chancellor. However the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Mrs Merkel that while his country had been contributing to climate change for 30 years, other industrialised nations have been doing so for the last 200.
> Every time I read about this incident, i think maybe it's little Elian > Gonzalez of the Cuban boat people that finally grew up and made himself > famous as a result of his landing in Miami.
> But no.
I was particularly wondering (it's been a German TV news issue) that George referred to him as a "victim of unfair political mud-slinging".
. Putin
> > > The legal issues in the Russian case were also fascinating > > > to me. But they make me wonder the extent to which Putin > > > may be doing the opposite re bias, that is, enriching himself > > > and his pals.
> > Is there any evidence on that specific bias assumption?
> No it just makes me wonder. But when did anyone accuse Putin > of being an amazingly ethical businessman. > I just read that he wears a crucifix and has a personal confessor. In light > of his past history in the KGB, that's mighty funny.
Well, many of the historic mighty kings and emperors (mis)used either the catholic or the orthodox "faith" swiftly and purportedly for their own might purposes (sort of role playing) ...
> > ... "hang out with the cows" :)) > > I did so - and with horses and other farm animals - when I was > > a kid ...
> well if you wuz a baby goat, then that's where you would hang out > :)
One of my uncles kept goats (met them continuously...). Drank their milk. At my friend's grandparents' kitchen, we jointly produced goats crème with a centrifuge and, then, butter. And his grandma knew how to make goats cheese. Very delicious ...
About horses ..., I had already reported in our past threads...
. Blog Pragmatism
> "and given what broadcast television would up being, that doesn't sound so > good. but think about blogs, how each one is actually trying to describe > reality... in theory... > but when you look at blogs, where you're most likely to find the real info > is the links. It's contextual, and not only who the blog's linked to, but > who's linked to the blog"--"spook country", William Gibson
> Newsgroups: alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley > Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:14 PM > Subject: hit survivor
> >President Bush's motorcade hit a new mexico police officer.
> >this is the second such accident.
> >which brings it around to Liza Minelli who was in the news a few years ago > >for making her male bodyguard have sex with her.
> >google has been on the news a lot this week, earlier for debuting google > >sky webcasts -- photos of the sky from where you live
> >Google CFO George Reyes retires > >Business and Law > >By Wolfgang Gruener > >Tuesday, August 28, 2007 18:54
> >Google said that Reyes recently has informed the > >company of his intention to retire as Chief Financial Officer. > >He will remain to assist in the search for a new CFO and > >to assure an orderly transition, which Google expects > >will occur by the end of the year.
> >It was unclear where Reyes, 51, will retire completely from his career or > >whether he will be looking for a position somewhere else. According to SEC > >filings, Reyes currently holds 51,750 Google shares valued at about $23.6 > >million when exercised.
> >Prior to joining Google, George was interim chief financial officer for ONI > >Systems from February 2002 until June 2002. From April 1999 to September > >2001, he was vice president and treasurer of Sun Microsystems. > >-------- > >And on political speech -- last year Google made news for being lax about > >Chinese human rights and freedom of speech on their Chinese cites.
> >By contrast, we have Yahoo today dealing with a similar issue.
> >That lawsuit, filed in April, accuses Yahoo's Hong Kong subsidiary, Yahoo > >Hong Kong Ltd., (YHKL) of allegedly providing information to Chinese > >authorities that led to the persecution, torture and imprisonment of four > >Chinese dissidents.
> - - > Dr. Cameron: Got a new cane. > Dr. Gregory House: Yeah. Guy in the store said it was slimming. Vertical > stripe...
> Contact: Annika Howard > pressoff...@esrc.ac.uk > 44-017-934-13119 > Economic & Social Research Council > Ethical consumption: Consumer driven or political phenomenon?
> The most effective campaigns to encourage ethical consumption are those that > take place at a collective level, such as the creation of Fairtrade cities, > rather than those that target individual behaviour. These are the findings > of a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). > The research suggests that ethical consumption is best understood as a > political phenomenon rather than simply a market response to consumer > demand.
> "For many people, their choice to buy ethical goods or services is shaped by > both personal and public commitments" says Dr Clive Barnett of the ESRC's > Cultures of Consumption programme. People bring a wide range of ethical > concerns to their everyday consumption practices, from the personal > responsibilities of family life to more public commitments like membership > of a faith community or political affiliation.
> The research team found that campaigns aimed at getting people to change > what they buy often worked on the assumption that individuals lack the > necessary information to make
> > »» Beihilfe zur Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB > > [Abetment to people's incitement] [StGB = criminal code]
> > It's envisaged that legal action may be taken against the freely > > accessible publication of such hatred stuff.
> That's sort of an interesting debate here in the US. Even the American > Civil Liberties Union has gone to court to preserve hate speech, on the > grounds that even that is protected by the constitution.
> The legal theory is that: You can hate whoever you want. As long as you > don't commit a crime against them (murder or other violence) in the name of > the hate, or at civil law, don't discriminate against them on the basis of a > protected class (race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc)
> That's the theory anyway but it doesn't always work out, and we argue in > court about it.
> In the meantime, it's also interesting as a free speech issue, because of > its historical context. I may not want my kids to see it or be > indoctrinated into it, but I do want them to be able to do a book report on > the issue that opposes it. So how can they critically evaluate such things > if they can't be exposed to them. It's a fascinating legal discussion with > many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
Thanks for those highly appreciable considerations which I conveyed to the 'Global Haplifnet' [http://haplifnet.blogspot.com/2007/08/ googles-youtube-incitement-via-hatred.html].
> It seems like such a benign thing for a young child to want to attend, to > play in roles from other eras.
> Yet, a black friend who sent me this link said, > Is any normal, non deep south bred individual wondering how they are letting > the black kids play in those roles that never existed back then for black > kids. . . and the disregard of the whole slavery culture . . .
. Craig & Romney
> In the meantime the US is abuzz about the arrest of Senator Craig of Iowa > for soliciting gay sex in public toilets. Of course, previously he had > vociferously denounced gay marriage and so on. You can read about it -- > it's on everyone's news reports everywhere. This affects the Republican > candidates, because he was a Romney supporter. They said today that Romney > didn't just throw him off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being > made is to Clinton's blue dress moment.
<<What does it refer to - "blue dress moment"?>>
when Clinton refused to admit to having had sex with Monica Lewinski, she supplied a blue dress that proved it
Euronews, France - The German Chancellor has urged China to do more to stop climate change. Angela Merkel was speaking on her second visit to China as chancellor. However the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Mrs Merkel that while his country had been contributing to climate change for 30 years, other industrialised nations have been doing so for the last 200.>>
> Every time I read about this incident, i think maybe it's little Elian > Gonzalez of the Cuban boat people that finally grew up and made himself > famous as a result of his landing in Miami.
> But no.
<<I was particularly wondering (it's been a German TV news issue) that George referred to him as a "victim of unfair political mud-slinging".>>
anyone involved in politics will always have mud slung at them
. Putin
> > > The legal issues in the Russian case were also fascinating > > > to me. But they make me wonder the extent to which Putin > > > may be doing the opposite re bias, that is, enriching himself > > > and his pals.
> > Is there any evidence on that specific bias assumption?
> No it just makes me wonder. But when did anyone accuse Putin > of being an amazingly ethical businessman. > I just read that he wears a crucifix and has a personal confessor. In light > of his past history in the KGB, that's mighty funny.
<<Well, many of the historic mighty kings and emperors (mis)used either the catholic or the orthodox "faith" swiftly and purportedly for their own might purposes (sort of role playing) ...>
sure, why should he be expected to act any better than his predecessors
This reminds me that Lester and I visited the Spy Museum in DC a few summers ago.
Curiously almost everything in teh spy museum is an office device that either kills or transcribes conversation
most devices are available at staples, an office supply store, like the walmart of office supplies
> > ... "hang out with the cows" :)) > > I did so - and with horses and other farm animals - when I was > > a kid ...
> well if you wuz a baby goat, then that's where you would hang out > :)
<<One of my uncles kept goats (met them continuously...). Drank their milk. At my friend's grandparents' kitchen, we jointly produced goats crème with a centrifuge and, then, butter. And his grandma knew how to make goats cheese. Very delicious ...
About horses ..., I had already reported in our past threads...>>
goat cheese is very popular in the US but not goats milk
still no one eating horse cheese
americans believe that you have to go to kazakhstan to get such a product
I'll be darned, the prediction made a few weeks ago here in this column, regarding Benazir Bhutto came true today.
All charges dropped
mk5000
School bells ring, registers ka-ching STUDENTS STOCK UP By Sharon Noguchi Mercury News Article Launched: 08/29/2007 01:30:38 AM PDT
Click photo to enlarge
The waiting in lines at the register. The panicky search for the right item. The making a list and checking it twice.
The calendar says late August, but some scenes this week resemble late December. Along with homework and homeroom assignments, the first day of school brings must-buy lists - not only pencils, binders and paper, but also Kleenex, flash drives and $120 graphing calculators.
"This is our Christmas time," said Kathy Castillo, manager of Office Max in Saratoga, where the wait in line ran 45 minutes on Monday night. The store ran out of college-ruled binder paper - "we do every year" - although it gets replenished the next morning.
Costs of the back-to-school shopping sprees have gradually crept up in recent years, as schools budget less money for supplies, and the list of classroom essentials has expanded to include everything from Ziplocs to scientific calculators.
At an Office Max in Santa Clara on Tuesday, Bianca Frederick rolled a cart up and down aisles while taking orders for permanent markers and spiral notebooks via cell phone from her daughter Deetje, a sixth-grader at Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale.
As in other schools, each teacher hands out a hard-to-anticipate particular list on the first day.
So even families who have tried to get a jump on school by shopping early end up back at the store.
And for parents who think they can shortcut the process by buying for their children, well it's not only teachers who are particular.
Catherine Gunn, shopping with four children, was waiting while her sixth- and eighth-graders went down their lists. Success came in a white binder, with circular - not D-shaped - rings, with a pocket on the inside and a pocket on the outside.
In Saratoga, spiral-bound graph paper and college-ruled spiral notebooks without perforations were going fast - "some teachers in San Jose Unified are demanding it" - said Castillo.
This year, there seems to be no must-have item, nothing like the wheeled backpack that parents loved a couple of years ago.
However, at Staples in Menlo Park, students are snatching up thermal book socks - covers that change color when touched - General Manager Mary Douglas said. The store ran out of four-color pens, but anticipating its busiest season with pre-orders and hiring extra help, most everything else gets replenished, she said.
At stores like Morrison School Supplies in Sunnyvale, background paper for bulletin boards and wall charts are still selling well, but the shopping frenzy peaked last week as teachers jammed the store buying everything from paint to posters, owner Chris Morrison said.
Merkel paid a courtesy call early Thursday to Emperor Akihito, and was to meet with Japanese business leaders and give a speech at a symposium later in the day.
Before returning to Germany on Friday, Merkel also is to visit the ancient capital of Kyoto, where the current protocol limiting greenhouse gas emissions was negotiated 10 years ago - underlining her push for a new global agreement to combat climate change when that pact expires in 2012.
Merkel, whose country holds the presidency of G-8 this year, has been lobbying for the accord, which nations are to begin negotiating at U.N.-sponsored talks in December. Japan will chair the G-8 next year.
At the German-hosted G-8 summit in June, leaders agreed to "seriously consider" proposals to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050 - nonbinding language that was a compromise between the EU, which wants mandatory cuts, and the U.S., which opposes them.
> > Euronews, France - The German Chancellor has urged > > China to do more to stop climate change. Angela Merkel > > was speaking on her second visit to China as chancellor. > > However the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Mrs Merkel > > that while his country had been contributing to climate > > change for 30 years, other industrialised nations have > > been doing so for the last 200.
> clever retort
> The Chancellor also met the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, to press for > co-operation on human rights and the protection of intellectual > property. ... /euronews.net
> > Those three helicopters meanwhile operated in the Olympia > > area on the Peloponés. Yesterday, I also saw a French > > firefighter airplane in mission.
> the news says the fires are coming under control.
> > > Every time I read about this incident, i think maybe it's > > > little Elian Gonzalez of the Cuban boat people that finally > > > grew up and made himself famous as a result of his landing > > > in Miami.
> > > But no.
> > I was particularly wondering (it's been a German TV news issue) > > that George referred to him as a "victim of unfair political > > mud-slinging".
> Anyone involved in politics will always have mud slung at them.
. Putin
> > >Well, many of the historic mighty kings and emperors > > >(mis)used either the catholic or the orthodox "faith" > > >swiftly and purportedly for their own might purposes > > >(sort of role playing) ...
> sure, why should he be expected to act any better than his predecessors.
. Spy Techniques
> This reminds me that Lester and I visited the Spy Museum in DC a few summers > ago.
> Curiously almost everything in the spy museum is an office device that > either kills or transcribes conversation.
> Most devices are available at staples, an office supply store, like the > Walmart of office supplies.
Spy techniques and their public availability changed tremendously. And anyone (hacker etc) can do a lot of spying on others. Horrible!
. YouTube (Google)
> > ... It's a fascinating legal discussion with > > many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
> > > ... They said today that Romney didn't just throw him > > > off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being > > > made is to Clinton's blue dress moment.
> > What does it refer to - "blue dress moment"?
> When Clinton refused to admit to having had sex with Monica Lewinski, she > supplied a blue dress that proved it.
. Farm Experiences
> goat cheese is very popular in the US but not goats milk.
Only people who keep goats would (privately) drink their milk.
Goats cheese, which we get in all supermarkets mostly from France, is one of my favored sorts.
> still no one eating horse cheese.
> americans believe that you have to go to kazakhstan to get such a product.
I had never heard of horse cheese. Meant my experience with horses (riding them etc) in general.
. Benazir Bhutto
> I'll be darned, the prediction made a few weeks ago here in this column, > regarding Benazir Bhutto came true today.
> All charges dropped.
Thus, she may be haplifnet-nominated as a 'Global Power Woman' according to your previous suggestion.
> School bells ring, registers ka-ching > STUDENTS STOCK UP > By Sharon Noguchi > Mercury News > Article Launched: 08/29/2007 01:30:38 AM PDT
> The waiting in lines at the register. The panicky search for the right item. > The making a list and checking it twice.
> The calendar says late August, but some scenes this week resemble late > December. Along with homework and homeroom assignments, the first day of > school brings must-buy lists - not only pencils, binders and paper, but also > Kleenex, flash drives and $120 graphing calculators.
> "This is our Christmas time," said Kathy Castillo, manager of Office Max in > Saratoga, where the wait in line ran 45 minutes on Monday night. The store > ran out of college-ruled binder paper - "we do every year" - although it > gets replenished the next morning.
> Costs of the back-to-school shopping sprees have gradually crept up in > recent years, as schools budget less money for supplies, and the list of > classroom essentials has expanded to include everything from Ziplocs to > scientific calculators.
> At an Office Max in Santa Clara on Tuesday, Bianca Frederick rolled a cart > up and down aisles while taking orders for permanent markers and spiral > notebooks via cell phone from her daughter Deetje, a sixth-grader at > Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale.
> As in other schools, each teacher hands out a hard-to-anticipate particular > list on the first day.
> So even families who have tried to get a jump on school by shopping early > end up back at the store.
> And for parents who think they can shortcut the process by buying for their > children, well > it's not only teachers who are particular.
> Catherine Gunn, shopping with four children, was waiting while her sixth- > and eighth-graders went down their lists. Success came in a white binder, > with circular - not D-shaped - rings, with a pocket on the inside and a > pocket on the outside.
> In Saratoga, spiral-bound graph paper and college-ruled spiral notebooks > without perforations were going fast - "some teachers in San Jose Unified > are demanding it" - said Castillo.
> This year, there seems to be no must-have item, nothing like the wheeled > backpack that parents loved a couple of years ago.
> However, at Staples in Menlo Park, students are snatching up thermal book > socks - covers that change color when touched - General Manager Mary Douglas > said. The store ran out of four-color pens, but anticipating its busiest > season with pre-orders and hiring extra help, most everything else gets > replenished, she said.
> At stores like Morrison School Supplies in Sunnyvale, background paper for > bulletin boards and wall charts are still selling well, but the shopping > frenzy peaked last week as teachers jammed the store buying everything from > paint to posters, owner Chris Morrison said.
> And just like the holidays, the school shopping rush varies dramatically > with family income.
> Earlier this month Washington Elementary, which serves a lower-income > population in San Jose, mailed home requests for crayons, glue sticks, > folders and other supplies each child should bring, but on the first day > Tuesday only six of 30 children in Allison Pruitt's third-grade class > brought any items.
> Teachers at schools like Washington end up buying the items.
> "I was really happy to get hand sanitizer and boxes of tissue," Pruitt said.
> The school provides her $600 for supplies, and in each of her five years of > teaching she has spent a like amount of her own money.
> At Castillero Middle School in San Jose, teachers give out lists on the > first day of school and hope students bring in paper, pens and highlighters > within a week.
> But teachers "end up buying a majority of supplies," said Kim Maruyama, who > teaches sixth grade language arts and social studies. From one-third to > one-half the class brings in required items. Five years ago, she spent > $7,500 in her first year of teaching, she said.
> San Jose Unified provides a small amount, supplemented by the PTA, for > classroom supplies. Last year, Castillero teachers pooled their funds to buy > novels and social studies DVDs, Maruyama said.
> So when Office Depot advertises 15-cent packs of binder paper, she rounds up > her parents and brothers and friends to each buy the maximum of five packs a > day. It's part of planning for the school year, she said.
Merkel paid a courtesy call early Thursday to Emperor Akihito, and was to meet with Japanese business leaders and give a speech at a symposium later in the day.
Before returning to Germany on Friday, Merkel also is to visit the ancient capital of Kyoto, where the current protocol limiting greenhouse gas emissions was negotiated 10 years ago - underlining her push for a new global agreement to combat climate change when that pact expires in 2012.
Merkel, whose country holds the presidency of G-8 this year, has been lobbying for the accord, which nations are to begin negotiating at U.N.-sponsored talks in December. Japan will chair the G-8 next year.
At the German-hosted G-8 summit in June, leaders agreed to "seriously consider" proposals to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050 - nonbinding language that was a compromise between the EU, which wants mandatory cuts, and the U.S., which opposes them.
> > Euronews, France - The German Chancellor has urged > > China to do more to stop climate change. Angela Merkel > > was speaking on her second visit to China as chancellor. > > However the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Mrs Merkel > > that while his country had been contributing to climate > > change for 30 years, other industrialised nations have > > been doing so for the last 200.
> clever retort
> The Chancellor also met the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, to press for > co-operation on human rights and the protection of intellectual > property. ... /euronews.net
"At the obvious level, it is a study of colonial guilt of Europe and race relations. At a deeper level, it probes complacency and bourgeois temperaments of the financially secure classes in society. Escape from reality comes from closing curtains, shutting off the outside world and consuming sleeping tablets. At another level, the film explores the attitudes of three distinct generations towards social relationships."
. Greek Wildfires
> > > ...
> > Those three helicopters meanwhile operated in the Olympia > > area on the Peloponés. Yesterday, I also saw a French > > firefighter airplane in mission.
> the news says the fires are coming under control.
> > > Every time I read about this incident, i think maybe it's > > > little Elian Gonzalez of the Cuban boat people that finally > > > grew up and made himself famous as a result of his landing > > > in Miami.
> > > But no.
> > I was particularly wondering (it's been a German TV news issue) > > that George referred to him as a "victim of unfair political > > mud-slinging".
> Anyone involved in politics will always have mud slung at them.
. Putin
> > >Well, many of the historic mighty kings and emperors > > >(mis)used either the catholic or the orthodox "faith" > > >swiftly and purportedly for their own might purposes > > >(sort of role playing) ...
> sure, why should he be expected to act any better than his predecessors.
. Spy Techniques
> This reminds me that Lester and I visited the Spy Museum in DC a few summers > ago.
> Curiously almost everything in the spy museum is an office device that > either kills or transcribes conversation.
> Most devices are available at staples, an office supply store, like the > Walmart of office supplies.
<<Spy techniques and their public availability changed tremendously. And anyone (hacker etc) can do a lot of spying on others. Horrible!>>
. YouTube (Google)
> > ... It's a fascinating legal discussion with > > many sides to the so called coin of Janus.
> Thanks for those highly appreciable considerations which I conveyed > to the 'Global Haplifnet'
> > > ... They said today that Romney didn't just throw him > > > off the bus, but under. The 0ther comparison is being > > > made is to Clinton's blue dress moment.
> > What does it refer to - "blue dress moment"?
> When Clinton refused to admit to having had sex with Monica Lewinski, she > supplied a blue dress that proved it.
. Farm Experiences
> goat cheese is very popular in the US but not goats milk.
Only people who keep goats would (privately) drink their milk.
<<Goats cheese, which we get in all supermarkets mostly from France, is one of my favored sorts.>>
> still no one eating horse cheese.
> americans believe that you have to go to kazakhstan to get such a product.
<<I had never heard of horse cheese. Meant my experience with horses (riding them etc) in general.>>
> I'll be darned, the prediction made a few weeks ago here in this column, > regarding Benazir Bhutto came true today.
> All charges dropped.
<<Thus, she may be haplifnet-nominated as a 'Global Power Woman' according to your previous suggestion.>>
Forbes: Merkel Most Powerful Woman From Associated Press August 31, 2007 7:13 AM EDT
BERLIN - Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel tops Forbes magazine's list of the world's 100 most powerful women for the second year in a row, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slipped to fourth from second last year.
Merkel "continued to impress the world with her cool leadership at two back-to-back summits," Forbes said.
The magazine cited her work getting leaders at the Group of Eight summit to agree to goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and persuading European Union leaders to get moving on a treaty to replace their failed constitution.
China's vice premier Wu Yi was No. 2, and Ho Ching of Singapore, chief executive of Temasek Holdings, was third ahead of Rice.
Several other female heads of state or government made the list, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth at No. 23, New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark at No. 38, Finland's President Tarja Halonen at No. 50 and Philipines president Gloria Arroyo at No. 51.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was No. 25 and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was No. 26, while first lady Laura Bush was 60th.
Caché (2005) - did not find Al Pacino on the cast, though.
> "At the obvious level, it is a study of colonial guilt of Europe and race > relations. At a deeper level, it probes complacency and bourgeois > temperaments of the financially secure classes in society. Escape from > reality comes from closing curtains, shutting off the outside world and > consuming sleeping tablets. At another level, the film explores the > attitudes of three distinct generations towards social relationships."
``"Caciocavallo is made from cow's milk, though its cryptic name literally means "horse cheese" --the Sicilian word "cacio" sharing the same root as casein while "cavallo" means horse. Nobody in Sicily has milked a mare lately, as far as I know. ...´´
> Forbes: Merkel Most Powerful Woman > From Associated Press > August 31, 2007 7:13 AM EDT
> BERLIN - Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel tops Forbes magazine's list of > the world's 100 most powerful women for the second year in a row, while > Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slipped to fourth from second last year.
> Merkel "continued to impress the world with her cool leadership at two > back-to-back summits," Forbes said.
> The magazine cited her work getting leaders at the Group of Eight summit to > agree to goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and persuading European > Union leaders to get moving on a treaty to replace their failed > constitution.
> China's vice premier Wu Yi was No. 2, and Ho Ching of Singapore, chief > executive of Temasek Holdings, was third ahead of Rice.
> Several other female heads of state or government made the list, including > Britain's Queen Elizabeth at No. 23, New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen > Clark at No. 38, Finland's President Tarja Halonen at No. 50 and Philipines > president Gloria Arroyo at No. 51.
> Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was No. 25 and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was > No. 26, while first lady Laura Bush was 60th.
> last night I went to see "Shear Madness" for the second time, a play that > has been running for a very long time continuously at the Kennedy Center.
I forgot to mention yesterday that Tony Snow, Bush's press guy, also resigned yesterday. Snow, a former broadcaster on a major cable network, has prostate cancer. He didn't say he was quitting because of "family" the way everyone else has so far. He said he didn't make enough money.
iGoogle has a subscription series, where his daily briefings were posted, and they were interesting to read.
<<Caché (2005) - did not find Al Pacino on the cast, though.>>
look at the 3rd photo on the right. Now isn't that him?
:)
When I was in college, I used to think he was cute and smart. But then a woman in my class mentioned that she had dated him, and said he was very very short and very very boring
mk5000
"maybe it was because of that stupid movie Dead Poets Society, with that whole carpe diem thing, but i took that whole follow your bliss line that people give you when you're 16 to heart"--Ethan Hawke
``European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso toured fire- damaged southern Greece by helicopter [yesterday] and promised aid for areas where 64 people died and an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland were destroyed...
"We are with you and we will stay with you ... we will do everything we can to support Greece," Barroso said after a two-hour tour of the ravaged Peloponnese peninsula with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. "The Greek problem is a European problem. ... Now we must rebuild what has been destroyed."´´ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoATJbOUVsKXb_ublN5ELKR_si0w
. Iraq Strategies Criticized
``General Sir Mike Jackson, a now retired former chief of the general staff, said the approach taken by former U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was "intellectually bankrupt" and described his comment that U.S. forces "don't do nation-building" as "nonsensical"...
The Daily Telegraph said Jackson was particularly critical of U.S. President George W. Bush's decision to hand control of the post- invasion running of Iraq to the Department of Defence. "All the planning carried out by the State Department went to waste"...´´ http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKL0164989520070901
I watched recently a TV docu which evidenced that several high ex- commanders complained about the suppression of their opinions and proposals by the White House and the Pentagon, particularly in context with the (already early assumed) danger of an arising civil war.
. Tony Snow's Resignation
> I forgot to mention yesterday that Tony Snow, Bush's press guy, also > resigned yesterday. Snow, a former broadcaster on a major cable network, > has prostate cancer. He didn't say he was quitting because of "family" the > way everyone else has so far. He said he didn't make enough money.
> iGoogle has a subscription series, where his daily briefings were posted, > and they were interesting to read.
> When I was in college, I used to think he was cute and smart. > But then a woman in my class mentioned that she had dated him, and said he > was very very short and very very boring.
> "maybe it was because of that stupid movie Dead Poets Society, with that > whole carpe diem thing, but i took that whole follow your bliss line that > people give you when you're 16 to heart"--Ethan Hawke
