Saturday, May 31, 2008

Celeb o'the Day - Melissa Theuriau

Melissa Theuriau
Melissa Theuriau

Concealed Carry Stops Shooting Spree

Please check out this story from the Reno Gazette-Journal
Winnemucca, NV

On Sunday May 25, 2008 at approximately 2:30 a.m. the Winnemucca Police Department was dispatched to the Players Bar and Grill located at 1062 South Grass Valley Road on the report of numerous shots fired and multiple gunshot victims.
The officers on scene discovered three adult males who had died from obvious gunshot wounds. Two additional gunshot victims were also located.
Those two gunshot victims had non-life threatening injuries and were later release from the hospital.
The initial investigation indicated that there had been two separate shooters during the incident. One of the alleged shooters, Ernesto Fuentes Villagomez, age 30 of Winnemucca, was among the three men who were dead on arrival. The other was a 48 year old Reno man who was initially taken into custody at the scene as a person of interest.

The subsequent investigation lead detectives to believe that Villagomez entered the bar and at some point began firing multiple rounds. At least two of these rounds struck and killed the other two decedents, Jose Torres age, 20 and his brother Margarito Torres, age 19 both of Winnemucca. At some point during this shooting spree Villagomez allegedly stopped and according to witnesses reloaded his high capacity handgun and began shooting again.

It was at this point that the second shooter, the Reno resident, produced a concealed handgun and proceeded to fire upon Villagomez who succumbed to his wounds.
The Reno resident was in possession of a valid Concealed Carry Permit issued through the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting was determined to be a justifiable homicide and the unnamed Reno man was released with no charges filed against him.

Good for him. I hope the man gets a medal.

Friday, May 30, 2008

GDP

Celeb o'the Day - Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek



Been busy, played ball last night and we lost again :( 12-13 and we had our chances (played the #1 team with a chance to tie them in that spot). Hopefully we'll get back on track next week. At least our hitting was back.

Life seems to have jumped in on me so I haven't been posting/commenting much. I still visit, but at the moment, I'm doing just fine without really posting :)

Tzipi


In the rough and tumble headknocking footstomping world of democracies, political power - it's use, acquisition and loss of are always up in the air. And like all tolerant, egalitarian societies - politics in Little Satan is no exception.


Under pressure to split the scene because of financial hanky panky - Little Satan's PM has a member of his own party hint that he split - for the good of the nation of course. And it wouldn't hurt the political party either


"the party cannot ignore recent events and must act to restore the public's
faith."


Little Satan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister is the original danger kitty. And Tzipi Livni got game!


Ex IDF, Ex Mossad, law degree from Bar-Ilan University, and practiced law in a private firm for ten years before winning an election to the Knesset, and served as a member of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and the Committee on the Status of Women. Also served as the chairhottie of the subcommittee responsible for legislation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Law.

Tzipi became Panzer General Sharon's blitzing fair haired babe in founding Kadima, the old warrior was enamored, impressed and totally charmed. May 2006 appointed Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 31st Government of Israel. Also served as Minister of Justice from November 2006 until February 2007.


Natch blonde with eyes as blue as the Med over which her bedroom looks, Tzipi still knows how to slash a concealed opening in her skirt or dress to reach for that sweet little killing Berretta PX4

Her high IQ -- she consistently registered at 140+ in tests -- and her superior marksmanship - learned growing up on the farm-- together with her book learned saavyness, sassiness and social skills, made Tzipi a delish surprizing prize for Little Satan's spy guys - the Mossad.


"Mossad is perhaps the most feared intelligence network in the Middle East - far
more than CIA and above even Russia's GRU - and British Intelligence."


At 007 school, Tzipi blew away her teachers and targets with killer marksmanship, her stealth abilities like breaking into secure environments, cracking safes and stealing secrets.


And that sexyful hot bod too.


Ex Director General of Mossad Meir Amit reveals that Tzipi


" would have been asked questions about her attitude to using her sex. Would she
sleep with a stranger if her mission demanded it? She would have learned how to
use sex to coerce, seduce and dominate. She would be told that using her sex for
the good of Israel is permissible. But all Mossad women agents are high-minded
women!

They know the risks involved. That takes a special kind of courage. It is
not so much a question of sleeping with someone. It is to lead a man to believe
she will do so in return for what he has to tell her. That does not begin to
describe the great skills which are called upon to achieve this".


Hottie Naughty Tzipi has never leaked any leaks about risque rowdy ruses or her 'great skills'. She doesn't have to.


Comrade spy grrrl Cheryl Ben-Tov, the Mossad agent who played a player and captured Mordechai Vanunu in London, has said that Tzipi was "like all of us, good at her job".


To be a good spy - or even one who survives takes nerves of cold rolled chromium steel. The very qualities and qualifications that made Tzipi one of Little Satan's top agents may very well be called upon again if she replaces PM Olmert as Little Satan's leader.


Then it will be Tzipi's finger on a trigger far more lethal than the automatic she still totes and fires almost daily.


It will be her decision, if all diplo - political efforts get played, to launch Little Satan's military against the HAMAS (not only in Gaza - but West Bank coup probability also), Hiz'B'Allah, Syria or Iran or all 5.

Tzipi still cultivates and maintains contacts in the shadowy world of espionage and intell - hooking up and hanging with cats like Great Satan's spy General Michael Hayden, Great Britain's
Sir John Scarlett of MI6 as well as Europa's secret agencies.

Meir Dagen current Mossad Director has been an especial friend for along time. Dagan
encouraged Tzipi to hold secret talks with Basharopolis that may be a cause of concern to the Axis of Evil. And to make an honest effort to marginalize HAMAS and Fatah with honest attempts to create a Palestinian state.

"I still believe in our right to the whole land, but felt it was more important to make a compromise. We cannot solve who was right or wrong in 1948 or decide who is more just. The Palestinians can feel justice is on their side, and I can feel it is on my side. What we have to decide about is not history but the future."

When and if that fails then she is ready to, "crack the whip".

"The boys club atmosphere at the top level of Israeli decision making. Sometimes
there are too many 'guy issues' in all kinds of discussions. I hear arguments
between generals and admirals and I say 'guys, stop it'".


Currently lagging just behind BiBi in polls - Tzipi has great favorability ratings and anything can happen - Tzipi Livni could very well become Little Satan's first grrrl leader since Golda Meir.

"Specifically, in a time when Israel is fighting for its existence, we cannot
allow ourselves to forget the aim, the common denominator and the shared values
that are all the meaning of the existence of Israel: a national homeland for the
Jewish people, a Jewish and democratic state.

These two values are connected to each other. This is the thing that connects us with each other."

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Celeb o'the Day - Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor

Brit Cats

Tally Ho! A British Invasion took over Neoconstant when hot Brit cat Beaman unleashed a very great interview with fellow Brit babe Douglas Murray - the author of "Neoconservatism and why we still need it"
"What matters is that the case for democracy and universal rights as well as the
refutation of the lies and misunderstandings of our enemies – at home and broad
– continues."

This is significant. Communication Breakdowns can be avoided if PR is waged like an ad campaign.

Dr Murray's dossier is quite revealing - he got game - covering events with the
Golani Brigade in the recent retarded rocket war when Hiz'B'Allah acted out with
Little Satan, Murray lectures and broadcasts widely. He appears regularly on the
BBC (including 'The Today Programme', 'Newsnight' and 'The Moral Maze'), as well
as Fox, Sky and many other global media networks. He's also director of Centre for Social Cohesion


He also appears in the British and foreign press, and has written for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The New York Sun, NRC Handelsbad and numerous other magazines and newspapers.




Murray also lectures and debates widely across Europe and America. In the last year he has spoken at, among other venues, the Manhattan Institute (New York), The Battle of Ideas (London), the Burke Institute, (Vanenburg), The Pim Fortuyn Memorial Conference (The Hague), the Hudson Institute (Washington), the Freedom Center (LA) and the White House. In January 2007 he debated the Mayor of London at the 'Clash of Civilisations' debate in London.



Congrats to Beaman for an exceptional coup and thanks to Neoconstant for sharing.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Celeb o'the Day - Anne Heche

Anne Heche
Anne Heche


Photo of the Day



From AubreyJ, great photo.

Shang Hai Co Op

In the brand spanking new (if tiny tiny size wise - almost like a de luxe Golden Book) Dr Robert Kagan's essential "Return of History" prophesies


"The future internat'l order will be shaped by those who have the power and the
collective will to shape it. "
The quiz is


"...whether the world's democracies will again arise to that challenge."
Aside from another poster for the 'Concert of Hot!Democrazies" there is also a flip side - a counter coalition.



In this alternate universe a League of Failed States would be too chaotic to organize and effectively act out to promote and project failure in an entente' of sorts and probably never would.


Autocratic societies and faux democracies of former collectivist wanna be hegemons would buddy up to prevent the spread of democracy into their ranks, protect vital logistics like oil and man up military wise to back up any power proliferation.


Isolation is a real concern. Former Warsaw Pact Europa increasingly realigns with Great Satan and her semi homies like NATO and Japan presents a terrible problem to unfree regimes like China and Russia especially in the hood.


"Interestingly, Japan's activities in Central Asia reveal a subtle foreign
policy that is able to accommodate both Eastern and Western value systems. In
the eyes of the Central Asian regimes, Japan has come to represent a viable
Asian role model and partner for their modernization program.

For the West, Japan has come to represent their liberal-democratic values,
as opposed to China and Russia who insist on an indigenous -- and usually
authoritarian -- approach toward government. While the Central Asian regimes and
the West may not see eye-to-eye on a range of issues, both nevertheless
recognize Japan's contribution to the region especially because of Japan's
potential to counter-balance Russian and Chinese influence in Central Asia.

Russia's recent trek to China to sign on to a new despots R us or United Tyrannies is called the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Vlad's handpicked semi faux successor Pres Dmitry laughed off concerns by legit govs

"Perhaps such strategic cooperation between our countries does not please
everyone, but we understand that interaction is in the interests of our nations,
and we will strengthen it in all possible ways - whether people like it or not."




Russia's state ran press defined the 'Strategic cooperation' as more like a bloc.
"The SCO, a regional bloc comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, primarily addresses security issues, but has
recently moved to embrace various economic and social projects. The SCO has
been widely seen as a counterweight to NATO in the region."

Last year at SCO's 1st ever military exercise Russia's FM Ivanov announced



"The next logical thing on the path of reinforcing international security may be
to develop a cooperation mechanism between NATO and CSTO, followed by a clear
division of spheres of responsibility. This approach offers the prospect of
enabling us to possess sufficiently reliable and effective leverage for taking
joint action in crisis situations in various regions of the world."


Making sure no one misses the point this year- Russia sorteed her new 'Carrier Killer' out of Vladivostok for a PacRim exercise of her own. Captain Roman Martov explained that Varyag, the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet packed a serious sting


"The cruiser is equipped with a powerful array of missile systems, torpedoes and
artillery systems," Martov said, adding that NATO experts had dubbed Russian
combat ships of this Slavka class "the killer of aircraft carriers," as it can
carry 1,000kg of high-explosives, or a tactical nuclear warhead out to a range
of 300 nautical miles.

The gravity that SCO projects draws other unfree regimes in to orbit - Like Iran's state ran site claims China and Russia have supported Iran's permanent membership in the organization.


Great Satan's military intelligentsia gets psychic about it

"Iran appears increasingly interested in joining the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) and form a powerful axis with its twin pillars, China and
Russia, as a counterweight to a US power "unchained."
"Return of History" also notes how dangerous a potential Axis of Autocrats can be
"The willingness of the autocrats in Moscow and Beijing to protect their fellow
autocrats in Pyongyang, Tehran and Khartoum increases the chances that the
connection between terrorists and nuclear weapons will eventually be made. When
it comes to Iran, Syria and Hiz'B'Allah - Russia and China tend to see not
terrorists but useful partners in a great global struggle."

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Apologies

An animation of a full golf swing displaying the appropriate and professional technique. Each of the 9 frames in the animation are based on this image. The animation was made in both Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe ImageReady.Image via WikipediaI havn't been posting much lately (other than the scheduled CoD posts) mainly because I've been busy :)

Went and saw "What Happens in Vegas" last night (it was funny all the way through, plot line needed help at points, but good movie) and threw some darts at the Brick (I don't generally throw darts, but Eve does and I didn't even play any pool).

Yesterday we played golf at a new (to me) course and I shot a (scorching?) 91 (heh); for you golfers out there, I know it sucks, but my best round of the year on a new course. I did finish up with a 6 over on the back 9 to get it that low (6 bogies and 3 pars).

We played 2 softball games Thursday night and we are no longer undefeated. We couldn't hit in either game, we scored 3 in the first (3-11) and 2 in the 2nd (2-3 lost in the bottom of the 7th). So now we're a game back in the standings (the other undefeated team also lost a game) with a showdown with Smoke this coming week.

Work a double time slot tonight and we're going on a family golf outing for Memorial day, so I will try to schedule a tribute to appear then. Maybe the co-bloggers can put something (anything?) out there for you guys (both of you) to read until then.

Celeb o'the Day - Sara Varone

Sara Varone
Sara Varone


Thursday, May 22, 2008

Buy a car, get a free gun

A car dealer in Butler, MO is offering free gun or free gas with the purchase of a car. Max Motors is offering $250 for gas or gift certificate toward the purchase of a handgun. According to their website "We are aware of the gasoline and crime problem in America. (We) want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem."

According to an interview with KMBC TV

"Like I say, it's a choice -- protection or gas," said Walter Moore with Max Motors. Moore said he came up with the gas or guns promotion.

"We got high gas prices, theft, carjackings, innocent people getting hurt," Moore told KMBC's Chris Nagus.

So far, the handgun is a more popular choice. "Right now were running 80 percent toward the gun," Moore said.

According to their website the response has been overwhelmingly supportive of this campaign. Hell, I wish I lived closer to him so I could buy a car from him. I've had my eye on a sweet little Taurus compact .40 cal.

Celeb o'the Day - Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian




Congress vs. Big Oil

It really bugs me everytime I hear someone complain about gas prices and the first thing out of their mouth is "These oil companies are making record profits by gouging the little people!" Really? Is that where the blame actually lies? I don't think so. People think that companies like Exxon set the per barrel price of oil. This is not the case. Oil is traded as a commodity. The price of oil is set by people that panic and pee their pants everytime some nutball over in the Middle East rattles a sabre. It's not set by actual demand on the product. I am not even close to understanding the stock market and all of the nonsense that goes on at Wall Street. But this manner of setting oil prices doesn't make sense to me. Why should a bunch of Wall Street Weenies have that much control over something that affects every man, woman and child in America? Additionally, if Congress and the Environmentalist Whackos would get the hell out of the way, let Big Oil explore for new sources and let them drill for it in environmentally friendly ways. You might just see a decrease in gas prices. No doubt that it will take years for any new oil to impact current prices. But if we had been drilling for oil that when it was discovered 10 or so years ago, we might not be in the pinch that we are in now. Glenn Beck illustrated this in a very good way yesterday on his national radio show. In this portion of his show he parodied a Congressman grilling someone from Big Oil. I have edited it a little, however, no pertinent content was removed. You can find the full transcript here.

Mr. Big oil, we're here to talk about the high price of gasoline. How could it have possibly gotten this high?

Let me tell you what we've done here in congress.
We told you that drilling in ANWR is off limits.
We told you that drilling off the coast of Florida and California is off limits.
We told you, Mr. Big oil, that there wouldn't be any new leases for drilling in the Gulf while China and Venezuela and even Cuba pursued these leases and have just signed 100-year leases on the oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
We here in congress have promised, as all three presidential candidates have also promised, to introduce and pass in the next term a cap and trade legislation bill that will increase the price of gasoline according to the EPA by an additional $1.50. Some people say it could be as high as $5 additional per gallon.
We have said that we're shutting down oil fields in Colorado.
We won't let you develop shale oil fields in several Western states.
We passed legislation that would let us sue OPEC with the full understanding that they'll never retaliate.
We have allowed environmental attorneys to sue you big oil fiends for future possible destruction of Alaskan Eskimo village which legal experts believe is the same strategy used to bring down big tobacco.
We're especially proud of our recent action to protect the polar bear and their habitat which just happens to be where the future oil deposits happen to be located.
We told you that you're making too much money and that we're looking at seizing any money that we consider windfall profits.
We have allowed you to drill in some very small areas in Alaska while simultaneously creating very generous environmental laws which have tied up the very production we authorize through years of litigation after you spent the money on buying and setting up equipment.
We told you through our policies that we would not allow you to build a new refinery in over 30 years.
In fact, this great country, under our tutelage, has even reduced the number of operational refineries by half since 1982.
We have even told your potential competitors in the nuclear and hydroelectric industries that we would send the environmental lawyers after them if they even dared think about building a new plant or a new dam.
We've refused to fund or allow the deployment of coal-to-oil technology which has been around since the 1930s.
We've told you that you have to make different blends of gasoline, let states like California dictate what unique gasoline blends you have to make for them.
We will not reduce our federal gasoline tax.
We won't even consider reducing it for the summer months.
So Mr. Big oil, tell me why exactly are gas prices so high?

Peace


Israel sets demands for Syria




Israel demands that Syria stops supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and to cut ties with Iran [EPA]

Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, says that Syria must stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for peace talks to resume.

Livni's announcement came on Thursday after Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, confirmed that the two countries have maintained contact for a year, hours after it emerged that Turkey is mediating talks.
















Livni also wants Syria to cut its ties with Iran.

Co-ordinated announcements on Wednesday by Israel and Syria that they had begun indirect talks in Turkey, the first confirmation of negotiations between the long-time enemies in eight years, drew a lukewarm response from the United States.

These talks are all well and good, but getting Syria to stop sponsoring terror or cutting it's ties to Iran may be more than Assad can do. Syria would be relegated to a very minor role in the region without those ties it has cultivated for so long and I'm not sure they are willing to do that. Not for simple peace and the promised Golan Heights.

I understand Israel's desire to achieve peace with it's neighbors (any of them) and I hope this doesn't come back to bite at them. Any peace would be welcome, but for their to be a lasting peace; the Islamic world will have to finally decide the Jews can live.

Fixing Failed States

"...men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need to
keep your word to them."

This is significant

It's legitimacy. Efficiency.Responsibility.

What is a state? What makes it go? What makes it a success? What makes it totally suck? How can a failed state get fixed up?

Something like 40 to 60 nations - the bottom billion pop wise plus - have either collapsed into total failure or are swaying on the brink of collapse. They still manage to create and export. And they excell at it.

Misery Projection. Slave trading. Genocide. Gendercide. Conflict. Intolerance. Dope Dealing. Terrorism. WMD Craft Proliferation. Famine. Illiteracy.

The world famous internat'l community blinged billions.

Very obvious very quickly that corrupt, illegitimate, inefficient 'leaders' and govs are way too corrupt, illegitimate and inefficiently weak to act out like a real state and take care of biz.

Xenophobic slave trading regimes that consider the regimes survival above all else - delaying and gaining control of all humanitarian aid may be taken out. All the way out

As the shiny crib on the heights Great Satan got game. If UN can't be embraced in a death embracingly gripping kiss of death to enforce ideas, resolutions and concepts hammered out in good faith then the Hot! League of Democrazies may hook up and act out.

Regime change and creation of a functional democracy that's stable, hopeful and successful requires every trick in the book. A new school tactical practical mix that knocks off socks

"harnessing our collective energies and readjusting to emerging patterns."

There are 5 principalities to observe, shape and control in "Fixing Failed States":

Proactive intervention - accept the shared responsibility and recognize the
need for both cooperation, coproduction (and sharing) of wealth

The brand new baby state's duties and responsibilities

Defined Sequencing
Strategically adaptive.

Military activity can kill regimes - and in quick time. Communication of any type can be silenced - or even better - co opted to serve intervention.

Humanitarian aid - like literacy and/or health, relief and disaster blasters to rescue the perishing and care for the dying.

8 arms of gov will have to be imported quickly - authority spheres:

states, militaries, police, academics, biz, media, non-gov orgs, and labor unions and religions.

"Ashraf Ghani is a practitioner turned theoretician. Drawing on his background
at the World Bank and as the first post-Taliban finance minister of Afghanistan,
he together with Clare Lockhart develops a comprehensive framework for
understanding the problem of state-building.

This will be the central challenge underpinning world order in our globalized age, and offers practical solutions for meeting it."


A fun fast read, Fixing Failed States is an essential addition to any library for Great Satan's foreign policy avant-garde and intelligentsia. A very cool case for regime changing failed states and why the free world really has little choice than to get with it

Resource phat, with examples that offer a viable "framework" for fixing corruption and terrorism. Like Afghanistan, Sudan, Kosovo and Nepal as well as the world's success stories--Singapore, Ireland, and even the wrecked Confederacy.

Saving these nations should be the at the top of everyone's priority list. The world doesn't have a choice in an age of wmd crunked up fiefdoms that torment their own people and their neighbors. There is little front for even tolerating them.

"Fixing Fixed States --a framework for re-imagining the international
system. Essential optimism--an optimism that the authors have earned through their own substantial real-world efforts in failed states"

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Celeb o'the Day - Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey




"Full Range"

1st Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band (Knight Commander Order of the Bath and Royal Aide de Camp) announces Great Britain will be creating 2 fully future crunk globe prowling killing and intervention machines.
"These ships with their aircraft will transform the UK's defence capabilities when they enter service, delivering air power in support of the full range of future operations at sea, in the air and on land."
Royal Navy says HMS Queen Elizbeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be the ulimate in aircraft carriers
"biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK"
This is significant - Recent events like Persian Gulf Piracy, a Sudan horror story that almost happened, humanitarian intervention consideration and policy fulfillment like the "Democratic Imperatives" requires a credible threat to back up diplomacy.

Royal Navy Fan Arthur Herman is quite credible:
"In dealing with rogue states, diplomacy can never be a substitute for, or even the alternative to, force. It can only be effective as the extension of force- force that is a credible threat because it will be decisive if unleashed, and because it plainly will be unleashed should diplomacy fail.
Iranian Press TV intell service reports each "Super Carrier' totes over 35 F35 Joint Strike Fighters.

F35 JSM is one heck of an invisible flying machine and despite her sexyful petite stats she magically totes enough goodies of the killing kind to launch a world of hurt anytime, anywhere
she wants.
Weapons to be cleared for internal carriage include: JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition), CBU-105 WCMD (Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser) for the Sensor-Fused Weapon, JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon), Paveway IV guided bombs, Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile and Brimstone nti-armour missile; for external carriage: JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile), AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM and Storm Shadow cruise missile.
Upgunning the unofficial, informal League of Hot! Democrazies naval aviation like this gives added ballast to the First Sea Lords writ.

The Full Range of Future Ops

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Flock

Got the Flock browser again, just testing it out (last time it wouldn't publish to my blog because it isn't on a .blogspot address)
Nature's Wrath
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Kennedy

Sen. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a brain tumor (malignant). Not much info about it yet but stories are cropping up all over.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the Senator and his family and friends.

Celeb o'the Day - Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway





Monday, May 19, 2008

Dialogue

All the recent jazz about appeasement, dialogue and reaching out to enemies in a sense of friendly give and take, subtle nuances and zero preconditions has yet to really consider potential summit mates.

Perhaps the best source for the view through an adversary's eyes is the Iranian co founding sponsor of Hiz'B'Allah and until recently Iran's ambassador to Syria.

Interviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat in Lebanon, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari reflected on his godfather status of HBA, the recent tensions in Lebanon yet nary a word on his fallout with ex BFF Bashar

Akhtari took the new idea of a "Hiz'B'Allah" and transformed it over the years of his service as ambassador into a reality that has considerably changed the balance of power in the region. Akhtari, twice ambassador to Syria, (1986 - 1997) and (2005 - January 2008), was the most influential diplomat in Syria.

He was no ordinary ambassador.
"I was a Friday prayer imam, and from there I came to a seat of political
responsibility and diplomatic relations. My background was a good pointer for
achievement. In addition, I arrived in Damascus on 5 Ramadan 1986, and started
work next day."


In addition to being the "operational father" of Hiz'B'Allah, he was engineer of "the special relations" between Syria and Iran, coordinator of Iran's relations with Palestinian organizations in Damascus, and founder of the Palestinian-Iranian Friendship Society, which includes representatives from all Palestinian organizations in Damascus.

In my capacity as representative of the Islamic Republic, I played a role
in supporting, widening and deepening the resistance. But as far as we and
Hiz'B'Allah are concerned, we are all of one religion and one faith. We and
Hiz'B'Allah regard the United States as an enemy of Islam and Muslims.

We regard Israel as a cancer in the body of the region and that the policy
of confrontation and resistance is fundamental As for the modes of
implementation, Hiz'B'Allah may have its ways and means and different forms of
expression. This may happen. As far as fundamentals, roots, and objectives
are concerned, there are no differences between us."


Great Satan's avuncular 'Stache' Grande points out nonprofit jawflapping is totally retarded

"At first glance, the idea of sitting down with adversaries seems hard to
quarrel with. In our daily lives, we meet with competitors, opponents and
unpleasant people all the time.

The real debate is radically different. On one side are those who believe
that negotiations should be used to resolve international disputes 99% of the
time.

On the other side are those who apparently want to use negotiations 100%
of the time. It is the 100%-ers who suffer from an obsession that is naïve and
dangerous.

Negotiation is not a policy. It is a technique. Saying that one favors
negotiation with, say, Iran, has no more intellectual content than saying one
favors using a spoon. For what? Under what circumstances? With what objectives?

Like all human activity, negotiation has costs and benefits. If only benefits
were involved, then it would be hard to quarrel with the "what can we lose?"
mantra one hears so often. In fact, the costs and potential downsides are real,
and not to be ignored.

When the U.S. negotiates with "terrorists and radicals," it gives them
legitimacy, a precious and tangible political asset. Thus, even Mr. Obama
criticized former President Jimmy Carter for his recent meetings with Hamas
leaders. Meeting with leaders of state sponsors of terrorism such as Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong Il is also a mistake.

State sponsors use others as surrogates, but they are just as much terrorists
as those who actually carry out the dastardly acts. Legitimacy and international
acceptability are qualities terrorists crave, and should therefore not be
conferred casually, if at all.

In today's world of weapons of mass destruction, time is again a precious
asset, one almost invariably on the side of the would-be proliferators. Time
allows them to perfect the complex science and technology necessary to sustain
nuclear weapons and missile programs, and provides far greater opportunity for
concealing their activities from our ability to detect and, if necessary,
destroy them.

Iran has conclusively proven how to use negotiations to this end. After five
years of negotiations with the Europeans, with the Bush administration's
approbation throughout, the only result is that Iran is five years closer to
having nuclear weapons. North Korea has also used the Six-Party Talks to gain
time, testing its first nuclear weapon in 2006, all the while cloning its
Yongbyon reactor in the Syrian desert.

Finally, negotiations entail opportunity costs, consuming scarce presidential
time and attention. Those resources cannot be applied everywhere, and engaging
in true discussions, as opposed to political charades, does divert time and
attention from other priorities.

No better example can be found than the Bush administration's pursuit of the
Annapolis Process between Arabs and Israelis, which has gone and will go
nowhere. While Annapolis has been burning up U.S. time and effort, Lebanon has
been burning, as Hezbollah strengthens its position there. This is an
opportunity cost for the U.S., and a tragedy for the people of Lebanon."

From the Email



h/t PWallace; good day for email it seems :)

From the Email

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door.

The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in
the pouring rain, is asking for a push.

'Not a chance,' says the husband, 'it is 3:00 in the morning!'
He slams the door and returns to bed.

'Who was that?' asked his wife.

'Just some drunk guy asking for a push,' he answers.

'Did you help him?' she asks.

'No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the morning and it is pouring rain out there!'

'Well, you have a short memory,' says his wife. 'Can't you remember about
three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us?

I think you should go help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself!'

The man does as he is told, gets dressed , and goes out into the pounding rain.

He calls out into the dark, 'Hello, are you still there?'

'Yes,' comes back the answer.

'Do you still need a push?' calls out the husband.

'Yes, please!' comes the reply from the dark.

'Where are you?' asks the husband.

'Over here on the swing,' replied the drunk.
h/t TBonds | Schedule should be more conducive to blogging now :) Work today/tomorrow, then off (except for o/t) until next Friday. I'm staying at my house these 2 days, so no internet unless at work.

Gambling and the Economic Slowdown

Saw a story recently that showed that gambling in the US had dropped this year (proof of an economic slowdown) and was wondering how much of that drop-off was due to online casinos?

I couldn't really find any 'concrete' numbers on what the guesses would be so I'll just stay with the assumption that the slowdown was due to people not going to the casinos as much in an effort to save money. It's the reason I have not been, so it's good enough heh

My whole family it seems likes to gamble and we started doing it at an early age (from the "I bet I can beat you" to the gambling on sports games and later traveling to gamble). My parents used to go to Tunica multiple times a year for the weekend (if you gamble a lot, they will comp your room/meals so basically you just pay for your losses if you lose) and I tried to go once a year at least, but since the divorce, no trips for me :)

My sister-in-law is the only one that likes to gamble in an online casino (what's the difference between online casinos and no download casinos?) where she plays mostly poker (or online slots) but even she likes to take the 5 hour trip on occasion. And it seems they still get there even if the rest of us don't.

Not real sure where I was going with this post; seems I'm a bit rusty from the layoff (heh) and just wanted to get something out there before the CoD post comes in.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Soccer day again today, last one for the year. They won 8-1 (puts them 4-3 for the year with no streaks). Lil bit played excellently and the whole team looked real good, of course it was the last game so they would finally get it together :)

Haven't been posting a lot lately, work and family business have kept me busy, thanks to my co-bloggers for keeping up the slack heh
Goal #7 - very fast, almost didn't get it on tape

Goal #8 - the camera speeds up when I zoom :(


Almost #9 :( Great line, just missed



Celeb o'the Day - Thandie Newton

Thandie Newton

Thandie Newton




Friday, May 16, 2008

Celeb o'the Day - Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson




League Of Hot! Democrazies

Getting democracies to hook up, party and promote free choice, free trade and fun and what Uncle Tony calls the "Universal Values of the Human Spirit" seems only natural.

Desirable even. Hotties always hang in leagues.

Do leagues succeed?

Like Arab League? Their recent mutual hang in Basharopolis was like a hypocrit convention. Totally unproductive - even worse it granted a fait accompli to Iran to continue her murderous meddling in Arab affairs by vacationing in an Arab capitol that is openly ripping the living guts out of a sister Arab capitol.

Super subtle signals like sending low level cats to signal the uncoolness of Iranian influ in Arab affairs signaled the wrong signal.


Drawing back a nub in the Basra outright annexation deal thanks to Great Satan and the new Iraqi Army guys, having a league of their own taken to the woodshed so bad they screamed for a cease fire right from the heart of their very own former no go zone of Sadr Caliphate City, Iran recovered to drive to her hegemony by sacking Lebanon.


Thanks to another ineffective conference in Cairo last WE Arab League can openly brag that of all the words and verbs that can be applied to the League - success ain't on the list.


Would a hot! grrls only club for democracies do any better?


In the essential "America Unbound" semi avuncular Ivo Daalder kinda sorta whispers hot flash promises of unbinding all democracies - essentially overwhelmingly marginalizing and regime changing any unfree. illicit, illegit supreme leaders, presidents for life, warlords, resistance leaders in global range of darling dangerous democrazy dames.

This league could have tons of influ in DC - way more than unfree regimes and the UN would be stymied as a no game collection of thug hugging Tyrannies R Us gangsta clan that spends way too much time griping about Little Satan or dissing Great Satan for faults - real and imagined.
"When the UN finally does anything of use, it's propelled in large part by US
dollars, with the US contributing more than any other country. Those other
giants, China and Russia, are not filling the coffers of the UN's moral
authority. "

The job description sounds like what could be an upgraded worldwide NATO esque deal (in place of NATO maybe?)

Super fly smart guy Robert Kagan (Oh! He got game!) makes a case for a rocking concert

"So would a concert of democracies supplant the UN? Of course not, any more than
the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations or any number of other
international organisations supplant it. But the world’s democracies could make
common cause to act in humanitarian crises when the UN Security Council cannot
reach unanimity.
If people find that prospect unsettling, then they should seek the disbandment
of Nato and the European Union and other regional organisations which not only
can but, in the case of Kosovo, have taken collective action in crises when the
Security Council was deadlocked.

The difference is that the league of democracies would not be limited to
Europeans and Americans but would include the world’s other great democracies,
such as India, Brazil, Japan and Australia, and would have even greater
legitimacy."

Unfree regimes that fiddle about with WMD, threaten to wipe democratic members of the UN off the map would maybe pay billions for UN Sec Council vetos to develop a counter org.

Maybe? Looks like they are already. Russia and China routinely stall, trade and protect Iran, Syria and NoKo now. Would a league of democrazies make it official?

Critics cry out that

"Indeed Russia and China sometimes act as the de facto heads of a league of
autocracies – protecting bad governments such as Iran and Zimbabwe at the UN. So
it would be a good idea for the world’s democrats to promote their values in a
more organised and determined fashion.

The trouble with this idea is that it risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
America’s relationships with China and Russia are complicated and ambiguous –
with elements of both competition and co-operation. But the formation of a
league of democracies would harden antagonisms and might even be seen as the
launching of a new cold war."

So what?

"Will the mere fact of democracies working together produce a new cold war? That
is unduly alarmist. But ideological competition is already under way. Sergei
Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, notes that: “For the first time in many
years, a real competitive environment has emerged on the market of ideas”
between different “value systems and development models”. The good news, he
believes, is that “the west is losing its monopoly on the globalisation
process”.

True or not, democracies should not be embarrassed about holding up their
side of this competition. Neither Beijing nor Moscow would expect them to do
anything else."

Events like Darfur, Zimbabwe, Burma and Sudan actually make the best case for a league of democracies that could act out humanitarianly in event of disasters and a clever backdoor method to slip in the R2P clause.

"It is only a matter of time before reports emerge again from somewhere of
massacres, mass starvation, rape, and ethnic cleansing. And then the question
will arise again in the Security Council, in political capitals, and in the
media: What do we do?"

If the league is ready to adopt, birth and raise new baby democracies - then intervene, kill the regime, tend to the stricken and handle it.

If NATO, the UN and the EU cannot make commitments to take an 8 hour panzer ride to Serbia to put Milosevic out of biz or man up and defend tiny baby democracies in dark scary parts of the world in danger of having their tiny baby heads choked plumb off then would Japan, Australia, France, Great Britain, Great Satan, SoKo and Taiwan have the guts to take the challenge?

The R2P clause and the Autrocity Prevention philosophy should be bound up in the Democratic Imperatives.

"No one ever knows when the struggle will end. When they begin to crumble
authoritarian regimes can collapse overnight. The fight needs uncompromising
courage; but when it is over different qualities are needed: reason, patience,
calm, a readiness to reconcile and forgive. Qualities that I find easy to
associate with the patient suffering of Burmese men and women"

The fact is quick action could have be taken by a league of democrazies with their 30 years in the future militaries and humanitarian high tech to strike fast, kill or incapcitate xenophobic cruel depotries, rescue the dying and aid the perishing before the Internat'l Handwringers Coalition could respond.

Especially for humanitarian reasons - intervention in Burma for example - could have be done as media and communications were nearly out - any cries or propaganda from the regime's survivors could have been shut off early and easily. Besides - who really cares what slave trading illegit leaders or their fanboys say?

And that's the real case for the league of hot! democrazies - to tackle events as opportunities in the New Millennium.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Happy BDay Little Satan!

Luftwaffe era air raid horns wail. A crunk up beat clips Klipsch speakers (H/T Dr Fred Kaplan) and a sexyiful siren oozes cooing about her sweet tight goodies - like an irresitable pie on a window sill.

"When I come to the club, step aside (Oh Snap!)

Part the seas, don't be have me in no line. (Oh Snap!)

V.I.P., 'cause you know I gotta shine."

Oh Snap!

Happy BDay Little Satan!

Some things just get better as time goes by. And just like Great Satan, Little Satan continues to cruise. Totally off the hook in any endeavor - arts, academics, the Beatles, biz, communication, education, medicine, science, space exploration, tech - Little Satan is one sexy magical pixie.

Hotter than a firecracker and twice as loud Little Satan is also nigh indestructable. And She knows it!

"And I'm like get up out my face, (Oh Snap!)

'fore I turn around and spray your asset with mace. (Oh Snap!)

My lips make you wanna have a taste. (Oh Snap!)

You got that? I got the bass. "

Oh Snap! Hanging in apparently the only spot ever in the ME with like zero oil (compy speaking), no friendly homies on her borders, a tiny pop, little real estate (after the show ho's like Gaza, WB and Har Dov Frams included - Little Satan "occupies" less than 1% of the Arab world and less than 1/10th of a % of mohammedist turf), no Suez Canal, no militias or resistance movements, Little Satan's very existence gives the eternal finger to all her failed, backwards, repressive hoodies.

She is far superior, far more humane than Hosni's Egypt, Abdullah's (v2.0) Jordan, Bashar's Syria and ex colonies like Abbas' West Bank , HAMAS' Gaza Strip, Royal Saudiland and embattled Lebanon.

Beaches and biotches - Little Satan puts the 'HO' in "Holy Land."

And like the predator boi down the street (THAT LOOK) - Little Satan's neighbors in the hood just can't let go. They want her soooo bad - If only their hot frenzied fantasies could come true - all would instantly be right in their world.

The tingly feeling would last forever!
"On a certain day everything would be obliterated and instantaneously reconstructed and the new inhabitants would leave, as if by magic, the land they had despoiled; in this way will justice be dispensed to the victims."
What the heck is it about about less than 7 million people and turf tiny -er than the Garden State? Why cause Little Satan functions like a rocket rich reject magnet?

Because! Arab consensus is off the hook. Expertly christened the Little Satan - she is the sole soul cause of all the ME's probs.

Al-Jazeera's commandant editor Ahmed Sheikh explains
"The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking. It's because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million.

That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The West's problem is that it does not understand this.

In many Arab states, the middle class is disappearing. The rich get richer and the poor get still poorer. Look at the schools in Jordan, Egypt or Morocco: You have up to 70 youngsters crammed together in a single classroom. How can a teacher do his job in such circumstances? The public hospitals are also in a hopeless condition. These are just examples. They show how hopeless the situation is for us in the Middle East. "
Oh Snap! Little Satan - has survived - despite revolutionary Pan Arabic Nat'lism, reactionary mohammedism and the best goodies Warsaw Pact time Russia could create, share and deploy.

And this is the real prob for Nakbahland.

Little Satan gives more than the finger - she reflects what could have been - like a mirror - and mirrors don't lie.

Unlike her neighbors - Little Satan has military prowess - yet she's unmilitaristc. She accomodated all faiths - yet remains secular. She absorbs refugees from the entire world - creating loyal, productive citizens throughout an Alamo - Masada environment that created sustained and maintained a tolerant, egalitarian democracy.

The hood of the ME could have learned from this but it didn't. Michael Orrin explains in "6 Days of War" that Little Satan's ME hoodmates are driven.
"Forbidden by dictatorial regimes to voice political ideas on any subject but Israel and increasingly driven by the lack of basic freedoms."
Missile magnetic wicked free Little Satan - unabashedly swinging her skirt flirt high enough to almost see her goodies, busting out with bling, high tech and the most PHD's per capita in the entire ME (135 per 10K for staticians).

Chief Economist and director of the Global Competitiveness Network, Augusto Lopex-Claros, confides:
"Israel has become a world technology powerhouse, and this is beginning to have favorable demonstration effect on the rest of the economy. Israel has benefited from the development of culture of innovation, supported by first-class institutions of higher education and scientific research."
Little Satan's 60th paints a pic of what could have been. A liberal polity in ancient lands sharing an unbridled affinity for freedom of choice sans antique avatistic tribal superstitions, poverty and abject cruelty.

It's only fitting that Great Satan hits the hood to celebrate with true soul mates in recognition of Little Satan's sometimes perilous, sometimes scary yet always relentless march to hold freedom's lamp aloft in shedding light on a true path to success.

And that mirror lamp reflects more than jealousy and failure
"They do not hate the West because of Israel, they hate Israel because of the West -- because they see it is an island of Western democratic values in a sea of despotism."
And Great Satan brings bling to gift her spiritual little sister on this especial joyful moment. Like military pacts and a fully crunk brand spanking new missile killing X Band Radar system that puts the 'ill' in rocket shield.

Created by Raytheon, Great Satan admits X Band is a relentless tracker that can track a baseball from like a range of nearly 3K miles (4.8K kilometers for the metrically inclined) away.

Such bling renders Persian, Gazan or Hiz'B'Allah missilery wizardry about as worthy as a no game player perched on the passenger side of his best friend's ride trying to holler at hotties. Totally null and void.

It is only cool and natch for Great Satan to hook up with Little Satan - just like best girlfriends forever - nigh indistinguishable.

"That is why they call Israel the Little Satan, to distinguish it clearly from the country that has always been and will always be the Great Satan – The United States of America."

Oh Snap!

Happy BDay Little Satan!

Holy DNA Batman!

Former president campaigns in Hardin County

Bill Clinton's schedule calls for a campaign stop on his wife's behalf Thursday night at John Hardin High School.

Bill Clinton will campaign here Thursday for his wife in a final get-out-the-vote push just days before Kentucky Democrats have their say in the marathon struggle for their party’s nomination for president between New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

The former president will appear at 7:30 p.m. at John Hardin High School for a "Solutions for America" campaign event, the Kentucky for Hillary committee in Louisville announced late Tuesday.


Well, well, well. It seems that our fair city of Elizabethtown, KY will be graced with a former President of the United States. Yes, Mr. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to make a campaign stop at a local high school for his husb... oops... wife here in the city I work. Unfortunately, I will be out of town all day. There is an off chance that I may be back in time for the scheduled 7:30pm appearance. If I can I will swing by there to see what kind of crowd he will draw and maybe get inside to see him. Despite of the man's politics and actions, he is a former President. It's not an opportunity that comes along very often. How many times does a normal (some say I am Abby Normal) citizen get a chance to see a President? Not often around here anyway.

Celeb o'the Day - Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila




A Woman And Her Gun

WAVE 3 News
Woman grabs gun, foils burglary at her home
Mother's Day turned out to be one that won't soon be forgotten for Donna Dedas.

Dedas and her son returned home to find a strange truck parked outside and two men inside their home - 40 year-old Larry Tedrow and 43-year-old James Brewer. That's when Dedas took action.

"I went in the backdoor and came up the steps and as I was going up the steps the two men had my pillowcase and things in their hand and they went right out the front door," she said."I got my gun and came out and got on the deck. I yelled at them to get down on the ground, then they jumped in the truck."

There are so many things that could have gone wrong in this situation. Especially if she hadn't been armed. If that had been the case, she may have not entered the house. The report never says in what town or area that she lives. Since they only mentioned it as Bullit County (no pun. that really is the name of the county) I am going to assume that it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. If that is true, the time it would take for law enforcement to get there would be an eternity. Especially when there are two men in your house stealing your valuables (and food).

Dedas says one of the suspects then began dumping jewelry out of his pockets onto the road. Bullitt County Police tell WAVE 3 this was not the first home the pair hit Sunday afternoon. At least four others were burglarized that day with computers, a digital camera, .357 magnum handgun and more than $800 stolen. And it appears that was not all two were taking.

"These nuts, stealing meat, that's a little different," Detective Scotty McGaha told WAVE 3 News, as he pulled three packs of meat from a police department freezer.

Donna Dedas also had a package of meat taken from her freezer.

Yeah. They were stealing meat, too. Go figure.

You never know when you will be the victim of a random crime. It really could happen to anyone. To me, the most important thing in this situation is that this one woman was made equal to two grown men because she is an armed citizen. Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton both want to take away your right to own a gun. We cannot afford to let them get into the White House. It is imperative that these two are defeated. More importantly, we HAVE to elect men and women into the Legislative branch that believe in the Constitution. That believe that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right. That believe it is our God given right to be able to defend ourselves and fellow man by any means necessary. This woman is walking proof of how important it is to be able to defend yourself and your home. If BHO or HRC (to a slightly lesser extent Juan McCain) make it into the White House you can bet your bippy that the 2nd Amendment will be one of their first targets.

EDIT: Forgot to link to the original story. Sorry!!! -EMB

Warzone

 Recently played a few games on Caldera (warzone) and then... Lots of luck in this one, but satisfying