Split (1)

train · 2.59M rows

text stringlengths 9 93k
I never actually expected NATO to do what I, rather strongly, suggested. And it hasn’t. But that doesn’t mean that what I’ve suggested is not the right course of action. I believe it is for NATO, for Serbs, and for the Albanians as well.
How is the Nevada Rancher’s case different than Brown v. Texas (in 1979, I believe) in which the court held that a citizen not accused of a crime does not have to I.D. himself to police?
To hell with the media! Do what we do. Every Friday my fellow citizens and myself stand in front of the federal building in my town and hold up a BIG sign that shows the number of U.S soldiers killed up to that day. The media is a neutered mouthpiece of, for, and by the corporations. If one person did this in every town we can ignore the worthless drivel that the so-called media try to pass off as news.
Compare this to the iron fist campaign adopted by democratic countries such as India, Indonesia, Turkey, Columbia, Uzbekistan etc. (the Uncle Sham fan club members) to crush their separatists (the terrorists) movements, (often with US weapons, US trained troops and US endorsement).
The entire world, especially the overseas Chinese, regard the Taiwan affair as a quarrel between brothers. I, for one, always stay out of public debate between reunification and pro-independence Chinese in a public forum, so why do Yanks all seem to think that they have this goddamn given right to meddle in other’s affairs…? Havent they messed up enough lives already?
Condoleezza Rice, among others, sought to defend the Bush administration by claiming that removing the Taliban earlier in 2001 would not have averted the horror of the 9/11. As usual, her claim glosses over a simple yet powerful truth; based on scant last-minute information about two previous attacks, the heroes of flight 93 took matters into their own hands and prevented the intended attack on the White House. In other words, it is entirely possible that the Twin Towers would still be standing if passengers on the first two flights had any inkling regarding the nature of the threat. As such, and if it turns out that our government failed to heed and communicate any warnings even last minute warnings about al-Qaeda’s intentions, it must be held accountable for all Twin Tower deaths.
Regarding John Harvey’s letter, one statement, "We had not used any military action against these people," was blatant crap. Our government has been initiating military action against others for most of its existence. Just over the past few decades Desert Storm, daily bombing of Iraq, support of Saddam against Iran, the casual acceptance of "collateral damage" (read innocent victims). Eric could have additionally pointed out these facts in reply to Mr. Harvey.
As a founding member of the Vanunu defense committee (and for a ME free from WMD) in Israel, I’m very happy to see your article on Mordechai Vanunu and his forthcoming release. (I’ve circulated your column among the rest of the committee and supporters.) Scores of people are expected here to welcome him when he comes out of prison, and we all hope he will be allowed to live as a free man. More details are available if you like.
There’s one correction Israel did once send someone in a box as diplomatic mail, but it was not Mordechai Vanunu. In reality, he was not lured to Rome by feminine wiles, but went there with the lady in question because his presence in London had become untenable following Robert Maxwell’s spoiler on his revelations, which appeared in the Sunday Mirror, with his photograph very large on the front page, under the title ‘Israel’s Nuclear Conman’. The Sunday Times were still dithering about publishing Vanunu’s evidence (and the photos he had taken at the reactor), being afraid of a repetition of the Hitler’s Diaries fiasco.
In Rome Vanunu was grabbed, injected with a disabling drug and taken to an Israeli cargo ship in La Spezzia, which took him, drugged and chained, to Israel. His presence in the country was revealed by the Government six weeks later.
In light of recent disclosures and testimony by Richard Clark, I have no recourse but to call for the immediate impeachment of George W. Bush. This is not something I take lightly, particularly since it will require the painting and posting of many, many signs like the one shown here: http://www.freewayblogger.com/weblog.htm.
Mr. Raimondo has once again done his part to get to the truth. The truth, however, will continue to evade as long as the position of National Security Advisor is exempt from overview and the law. As John Prados suggests (even dating back to his 1991 book Keeper of the Keys), the selection of the National Security Advisor should be finalized through a Senate confirmation process. I’d like to see the Democrats have the guts to take this on as part of their 2004 party platform.
Read your article with interest, and it reminded me about the PBS-Frontline report "The Man Who Knew" John O’Neill, who ironically died in the World Trade Center attack. Reading this report, makes it clear that this disaster could have been prevented, had they listened to John O’Neill.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
The trees then entreated, in turn, the fig tree and grapevine to be king, with the same response: both were too busy making their figs and wine, to leave off their productive work and become king.
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the bramble, incapable of any useful work, eagerly accepted the offer of kingship.
"In 1946, the judges who tried the German leadership at Nuremberg called the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country ‘the supreme international war crime.’ That principle guided more than half a century of international law, until Bush and Blair and Howard tore it up, covering their actions with a litany of lies."
The assertion, "That principle guided…." is simply not true. A short list of U.S. preemptive attacks on other sovereign nations: Grenada, Panama, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, to say nothing of all of the covert ‘ops’ initiated by the US government makes it a lie to imply that it is the Bush administration who initiated the first preemptive invasion of a sovereign nation that was no threat to us.
It does not serve any interest to ignore any of the U.S.’s preemptive actions which have been going on continuously since the "Indian" wars.
What does it take to make a better bed net? It’s no small matter: Bed nets are a critical defense against malaria, which each year kills 1 million people and makes another 300 million ill in developing regions. The solution, it turns out, is no small matter either.
Olyset bed nets, featuring a dramatically better pesticide mechanism and an expected lifetime five times that of existing nets, are now coming off the knitting machines at A to Z, a textile company in Arusha, Tanzania. Behind that breakthrough, though, is something even more striking: a sweeping partnership of for-profit and not-for-profit heavies including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Exxon Mobil Corp., Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical, and Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capitalist.
Such partnerships represent a sort of holy grail in the philanthropic world, where activists have long dreamed of harnessing the power of markets to the ideas and ideals of social entrepreneurs. The bed-net consortium pulled it off, lending hope and credibility to the notion — but also proved the difficulty of doing so.
The project was conceived by WHO scientist Pierre Guillet, who saw promise in a 1978 innovation by Sumitomo. Its Olyset material, impregnated with a pesticide, killed mosquitoes on contact and made “re-treatment,” or redipping a net into insecticide, obsolete. That’s crucial, because fewer than an estimated 10% of users actually re-treat the nets as needed.
The idea gained more power after the WHO gave the Olyset its official approval for long-lasting effectiveness. That’s when Anuj Shah, CEO of A to Z, one of the biggest manufacturers of bed nets in Africa, took notice. “It became very clear: The natural net is going to have a natural death,” he says. Acumen, a four-year-old fund that typically invests in low-cost technologies to help the poor, was attracted as well. “The Olysets represent a quantum leap in net technology,” says CEO Jacqueline Novogratz. Acumen joined the partnership and pulled in A to Z as the manufacturer, lending the company $325,000 to buy new equipment.
Even then, the partnership had to agree on its goal: Was this about charity or sustainability? The latter seemed more compelling to all, but it required letting the for-profit companies actually make money. That drove consensus: A to Z would purchase polymer from Exxon’s Saudi Arabia operation, and the resulting insecticide solution from Sumitomo, then manufacture the treated nets in Tanzania. And ExxonMobil would donate $250,000 — the value of the resin needed to produce 400,000 nets — to UNICEF, which would then purchase the nets from A to Z and distribute them in Africa.
ExxonMobil could have just donated the plastic. But “we didn’t want to distort the economics of the project,” explains Phillips. “This way, we’re donating in a manner that will help the whole project succeed.” ExxonMobil’s contribution helps to seed the market without killing off the fundamental market incentives.
In a year, about 220,000 nets have been distributed, mostly through UNICEF and Population Services International, another partner that joined in late 2003. A to Z has been steadily building capacity, and Shah was confident his company would produce 125,000 nets a month by this past February. A to Z is producing nets in new colors such as shocking pink and turquoise, and it’s experimenting with Olyset door covers and curtains as lower-cost alternatives to traditional bed nets.
The question: How to turn Olyset from an aid-driven freebie into an ongoing commercial product? “Even if you could wave a magic wand and create the most incredible product, you’ll still have to deal with pricing and distribution,” says Rustom Masalawala, who manages the bed-nets project for Acumen. ExxonMobil will distribute the nets at its MobilMart service stations in five African nations, in partnership with NetMark, another nonprofit. And Acumen is exploring the idea of selling through Tupperware-style parties hosted by village women’s groups.
Back in November, at the ceremony celebrating the launch and full technology transfer at A to Z, Masalawala raised a question: “Is this the end of a great partnership . . . or is this the first step in a long road?” If the partners figure it out, they could help stop malaria, Africa’s biggest killer of children. They would also set a landmark precedent for cooperation between for-profit and not-for-profit groups in confronting the world’s toughest social challenges.
In honor of her 36th birthday, Alicia Keys keeps giving gifts with the release of her latest song “That’s What’s Up.” Over a sample of Kings of Tomorrow’s “So Alive,” which Kanye West famously sampled on his Life of Pablo cut “Low Lights,” the R&B songbird shares her testimony.
?? ? ? That's what's up! #NewSong #NewVideoAlert #BirthdaySong!??
The song was accompanied by some personal footage of the birthday girl strolling around her hotel suite in a bathrobe before disrobing and taking a bubble bath.
Earlier this month, Alicia unleashed the Kaytranada-produced “Sweet F-ing Love.” Next up, she will headline Power 106’s CRUSH concert in L.A. on Feb. 8 and return as coach on the new season of NBC’s “The Voice” on Feb. 27.
Listen to Alicia’s birthday jam below.
Picking the team name for a minor league baseball franchise should be as simple as tapping into your imagination, right?
Well, not in this day and age when establishing a catchy moniker can be a valuable publicity tool and a major source of income through retail sales of licensed merchandise.
For the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the process was nearly a two-year ordeal involving a name-the-team contest, listening to much debate on social media and some intense marketing research and development.
The first stage began soon after the Houston Astros signed a 30-year lease in December 2016 to make Fayetteville and a $40 million downtown stadium the home for a new Advanced A Carolina League franchise. The name-the-team contest was launched in March 2017, and more than 1,300 responses were submitted. The possibilities were narrowed to 40, after which a trademark search eliminated fan favorites such as Iron Mikes, Bambinos and Highlanders.
A list of finalists announced in June 2017 prompted a range of responses from the public. Some in Fayetteville’s diverse population didn’t understand the Southern association with the “Fatbacks,’’ while other favored “Jumpers’’ due to the community connection to Fort Bragg’s famed 82nd Airborne Division that specializes in parachute assault operations.
Fly Traps, Wood Dogs and Woodpeckers were the other finalists.
The Astros’ marketing department then went to work researching potential logos and other branding possibilities for each name. The club eventually submitted both Fatbacks and Woodpeckers in applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in October 2017.
More than a year would pass before Woodpeckers was revealed as the team name during a celebration at Festival Park on Nov. 4, 2018.
The team was named for the red-cockaded woodpecker, which is a protected species in Fort Bragg's longleaf pine forests. The small bird has a long history in the Sandhills, which has the second highest population in the country.
The birds are small, but they are tough and resilient — rather like Fayetteville. “They are also vital to their habitat, which is what you can say about the city of Fayetteville,” Zarthar has said.
Historically, the woodpeckers covered a vast territory across the central and eastern half of the country. They made their homes in longleaf pines that were at least 80 years old and loblolly pines that were at least 70 years old. An estimated 1 million to 1.6 million family groups were across 90 million acres of pines.
But as the forests were cut down for lumber and cleared for other uses, the woodpeckers declined. Nationally, an estimated 18,000 to 19,000 red-cockaded woodpeckers are living in 7,000 to 8,000 clusters.
These numbers are improving, but the bird remains on the federal Endangered Species List.
After the woodpecker was put on the list in 1970, the Army found itself in conflict with the bird at Fort Bragg and nearby Camp Mackall. Bragg, with its old-growth pine forest training areas, was one of the few places left in the country where the woodpeckers were able to sustain their populations without human assistance.
Training operations at Fort Bragg were restricted in the 1990s because of the woodpecker situation. There was concern that Bragg would have to move.
But the Army and conservationists found a mutually beneficial solution. The Army managed the land for the needs of the woodpeckers and the longleaf pine trees they lived in, and in turn that helped make the forests more suitable for the Army's training needs.
For example, fires are set in the woods to burn out undergrowth and accumulations of forest litter like pine needles and leaves. This keeps the ground clear for the longleaf pine's seeds to reach the soil and germinate.
Birds tend to sell well in other baseball markets, such as with the Cardinals, Orioles and Blue Jays.
Still, the choice of the Woodpeckers wasn't universally praised at first.
The reactions were mostly positive based on the large number of fans attending the November celebration at Festival Park, many of whom stood in a lengthy line that day to secure Woodpeckers merchandise.
Ticket sales a month before the 2019 season opener had already topped 125,000, which is 100,000 more than the team drew in the two years playing in Buies Creek while waiting for the stadium to be completed in Fayetteville.
WORTHING Thunder Basketball Club suffered a frustrating 92-84 defeat at home to Team Northumbria on Sunday.
Thunder led the National League Division 1 match 80-75 with just under five minutes remaining but scored just four more points as the visitors finished the game with a 17-4 run to inflict a fifth successive defeat on Worthing.
Thunder’s Milton Chavis led all scorers with 30 points, Brendan Okoronkwo sank 18 and Hank Rivers scored 14 and had 14 rebounds.
Christian Hatch top-scored with 24 points for Team Northumbria.
Almost one-in-10 Australians using Medicare services have decided they do not want an electronic medical record.
By the time the formal opt-out period for the My Health Record system ended in January, 2.5 million Australians had chosen not to be part of it.
Australian Digital Health Agency chief executive Tim Kelsey confirmed the figures at a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra, noting the authority has met its target of 90 per cent participation.
What a fantastic week last week was off the pitch at Crawley Town football club.
It started with £5 tickets being announced for the FA Cup replay with Southend United. That was then followed by the very amusing news that Harry Kewell had been relieved of his duties after just fourteen games in charge at Notts County.
Shouldn’t laugh about Harry really, I’m sure he’s loyal at home to his wife and that’s what matters really.
Although maybe in your next Job Harry, you could try being a bit more loyal to the people who give you a chance in the first place and certainly to the fans that backed you!
However the off field excitement wasn’t quite matched on the pitch by the players. Firstly a 2-1 defeat at Gillingham after we had led and been in total control cost us a place in the next round of the Checkatrade Trophy.
That was then followed by a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Grimsby Town on Saturday when really the game had 0-0 written all over it. It was a poor game, but one Reds could and should of got something out of. To all the fans that travelled it was disappointing to concede so late and leave Cleethorpes empty handed.
So we now move on to back to back home games, first up the much anticipated and exciting Cup replay with Southend which is sure to see a 3000+ crowd.
That’s then followed by a home game with Crewe this Saturday, who like ourselves are hovering mid table at present, not quite sure which way this season is going to take them.
So come on Gabriele, show us Reds fans what sort of season this is going to be!
Hopefully one of excitement and hope, rather than one of fighting and fear.
CARROLLTON — Six individuals will contend for three county board seats in Greene County next week.
Incumbents Alan Graham, Michael Kiger and Joe Nord, and challengers Mark Boston, Joyce A. Clark and John Goode will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, with three seats up for grabs. In Greene County, unlike in Madison County, candidates don’t run for specific district seats, meaning the top three vote-getters will be awarded seats regardless of where they live within the county.
Each of the six candidates were contacted or attempted to be contacted for the purpose of asking them election-related questions. Alan Graham and Joe Nord could not be contacted after multiple attempts or did not respond to the questions before press time.
Boston, 32, and his wife own and operate production farming and beef cattle operations. He is on the board of directors of Hog, Inc., a Greenfield family farm alliance, but Boston has never held public office.
Boston said he wanted to run to ensure the people of the county receive the best services of government while minimizing the costs.
“My priorities are to limit government waste, decrease the tax burden on the working people of Greene County and provide an efficient and effective government for our community,” Boston said.
Clark spent 33 years with the U.S. Postal Service, retiring as a postmaster. She has been a Bluffdale Township trustee since 2009, getting re-elected in 2013.
Clark also held a job as a finance clerk, and she said keeping an eye on how the county spends its money is her main goal in office.
“I intend to distinguish between the ‘needs’ and ‘wants,’” Clark said. “‘Needs’ are those economic expenditures that should be spent for the well-being of our county citizens. ‘Wants’ can easily break the budget and should be curtailed when the money is not there.
Goode, 30, has been the Greenfield Police Chief since October 2010 and has worked in law enforcement since 2007. He has never held public office but said he’s running to serve the citizens of the county and said his service through his work in law enforcement gives him the qualifications for such a position.
“I believe Greene County needs board members who they can trust and who they can count on to be fiscally responsible and move the county in the right direction,” Goode said.
Like his fellow candidates, Goode expressed a concern with the county’s budget. In relation to his service in law enforcement, he said his biggest priority is bringing an enhanced 911 system to the county.
Kiger, 62, has been a county board member since 2008. The retired Carrollton police chief said he was raised to serve others and give back to his community, the main reason he is running for re-election.
Kiger said his previous experience on the board and his work for the city of Carrollton gives him the right qualifications for the job. He also pointed to his work on the negotiating committee in saving the county money, as well as working to help veterans with the Veterans Assistance Commission, as positives.
As far as what he would like to see moving forward, Kiger said job creation and keeping a balanced budget are top priorities.
Ken's Transmissions can be found at 6 Kedron Ave . The following is offered: Auto Repairs. The entry is present with us since Sep 8, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 12, 2013. In Morton there are 6 other Auto Repairs. An overview can be found here.
Since 1982, Ken's Transmission has been providing Automotive Transmission Repair Shops from Morton.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday indicted Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali on 14 charges, including murder, torture, abduction and confinement of people and complicity in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
The tribunal also fixed September 30 for the opening statement of the prosecution and the commencement of the trial.
Born in Munsidangi Sutalori of Manikganj on December 31, 1952, Quasem became the general secretary of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, on November 7, 1971.
Chhatra Sangha members formed the Al-Badr force to collaborate with the Pakistani military to commit genocide and mass killing during the war, according to historical records and earlier tribunal verdicts. The charges say that Quasem had led members of the Al-Badr of Chittagong in 1971.
“Al-Badar [Al-Badr] was created not to maintain peace and public order. Rather, it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that it had carried out a series of untold criminal activities, in furtherance of the policy and plan of the Pakistan occupation army in a systematic manner,” read the judgement against condemned war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
Quasem apparently did very well after the Liberation War. According to defence documents, Quasem is the chairman of Keari Ltd, a real estate and tourism company, chairman of the managing committee of Diganta Media Corporations, which owns now off-the-air Diganta TV and the Naya Diganta paper.
He is also a founding member of Ibn-Sina Trust, which owns several medical facilities and a pharmaceutical company, and a member secretary of Islami Bank Foundation and founding member of Islami Bank.
The prosecution during the charge framing hearing tried to establish the superior status of Quasem during the Liberation War by citing reports published in newspapers.
Quoting a report of Daily Pakistan of November 8, 1971, prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon said Quasem addressed a rally, organised by Al-Badr, in front of Baitul Mukarram mosque where he vowed to resist India's attack, kill “miscreants” and establish Islamic society.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.