Outmaneuvering Obama: Russia's Crafty Weapons "Cuts"

In chess, a player will sometimes sacrifice some pawns as part of a grand strategy to compromise an opponent’s defenses. Pawns are relatively unimportant pieces, so it’s a good way to get something for virtually nothing. Russia’s leaders are, apparently, skilled chess players.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama visited Moscow and signed a preliminary agreement aimed at getting both countries to reduce their nuclear and conventional weapons systems. But the Russians are playing a clever game. The “cuts” they propose wouldn’t actually affect their defenses at all.

Obama has promised that the U.S. will reduce its number of strategic force launchers --the systems that deliver both nuclear and conventional weapons -- to between 500 and 1,100 (the U.S. is permitted 1,600 launchers under a current treaty). Moscow matched that commitment, but that’s not saying much, since the number of Russian weapons is going to plummet with or without a treaty.

“By 2017-2018 Russia will likely have fewer than half of the approximately 680 operational launchers it has today,” arms control expert Keith Payne recently testified before Congress. “With a gross domestic product less than that of California, Russia is confronting the dilemma of how to maintain parity with the U.S. while retiring its many aged strategic forces.” One way, of course, is to sacrifice some pawns -- the non-existent or inoperable weapons -- to take out vital American weapons. In short, the Russians agreed to “cut” weapons they were going to have to retire anyway.

More HERE

Posted by John Ray.

Blogger Pay Controversy at HuffPo

A formula for paying bloggers who write for the Huffington Post was proposed by contributor Michelle Haimoff. She advocated HuffPo bloggers be paid from a 20 percent set-aside from the site's ad revenue and she devised a method to reward bloggers who contribute most to HuffPo's business and goals.

Every month authors of the 200 articles that receive the highest number of page views would receive $250 bonuses.

Every month authors of the 200 articles that result in the most time spent on the site would receive $250 bonuses.

Every month authors of the 200 articles that are of the highest editorial quality would receive $250 bonuses.

Not mentioned but likely needed would be a full-time staff member to perform blogger data-gathering and analysis. Note that HuffPo reportedly has 3,000+ bloggers and more than $10 million annual ad revenue. By the way, last year the site was rumored to be worth $200 million.

Nevertheless, Arianna Huffington, a staunch proponent of getting bloggers to write for nothing, is on vacation and hasn't responded. HuffPo representative Mario Ruiz, however, has responded by stating that the HuffPo is a platform providing wide audience exposure for the bloggers so they don't need to be paid. Of course, when Arianna returns from vacation, she may weigh in with additional comments.

As a data-point regarding HuffPo's editorial goals, Arianna Huffington's favorite television show is Keith Olbermann, which explains why I don't visit the Huffington Post.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Neo-Nazis in Mongolia

(Ulan Bator, Mongolia) Here's a curious story. Neo-Nazi groups have formed in Mongolia and they are intimidating non-Mongolians, sometimes using violence.

The Mongolian neo-Nazis are vehemently anti-Chinese and they revere Genghis Khan. One group, Blue Mongolia, shaves the heads of local women found sleeping with Chinese men. Another reportedly attacks and severely beats Peace Corps volunteers.

Heh.

Indiana Woman with Many Troubles - Updated

(Yorktown, Indiana) In June 2009, Lana Kay Elsworth pleaded guilty in Delaware Circuit Court to possession of a controlled substance, sexual misconduct with a minor and driving while intoxicated.

Sentencing for those crimes is scheduled for August 3.

However, while waiting for her sentencing, 25-year-old Lana Elsworth has successfully put herself in more trouble. Elsworth has been arrested for alleged credit card fraud.

Apparently, Elsworth was a client at a battered women's shelter and she used one of its credit cards to chalk up hundreds of dollars of purchases at a local drug store. Reportedly, she admitted the offense.

As of today, Elsworth enjoys the confines of the Delaware County Jail with bond set at $5,000.

* * * * *
Indiana Woman Jailed for Sex with Boy
[Previous 8/7/07 post]
(Yorktown, Indiana) A 23-year-old local woman, Lana K. Elsworth, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. Ellsworth has been charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, child neglect, maintaining a common nuisance, dealing in a controlled substance and several counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The boy told Yorktown police that he and other juveniles would gather at Ellsworth's house to consume alcohol and drugs. On July 4th, the boy says he had sex with Ellsworth the first time. It's also alleged that Ellsworth told the boy and his stepmother that she might be pregnant with the 15-year-old's child.

Formal charges against Ellsworth may include a felony drug offense, carrying a 30-year term, since the drug allegations occurred at a location within 1,000 feet of a government housing project.

Ellsworth was booked into custody at the Delaware County Jail.

In an unrelated case, Ellsworth is scheduled to stand trial in October on a drunk driving offense.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Official Drinking in China

(Guangdong Province, China) Government officials are regularly keeling over dead or falling into comas from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. The deaths occur during and immediately after alcohol-soaked job-related events. Drinking is considered part of the job at official events and it's all paid for by the taxpayer, of course.

Jin Guoqing, a deputy director in Xinzhou district, Lu Yanpeng, a district chief in Guangdong Province, and Guo Shizhong, a family planning official from Hunan Province, are all recent casualties.

An official in Shandong province, who requested to remain anonymous, said: "We would lose face if we could not get our guests drunk. Refusing to drink is considered disrespectful.

"Neither my guests nor I want to get drunk but we have to play under the unspoken rule, which has been around for so long. We don't know how to do business otherwise."

They added some officials even hire secretaries who are heavy drinkers so they can be their "drinking assistant" and help consume the necessary alcohol.

"To ganbei each other, or make a toast, is a Chinese way of communication, it is a part of the culture," explained Li.

Therefore, to be polite, foreigners visiting China will likely be expected to get hammered at official events.

Death With Dignity Schedule

Here is an element of Obamacare as defined in Section 1233 of H.R. 3200, "Advanced Care Planning Consultation":

[R]equires senior citizens to meet at least every 5 years with a doctor or nurse practitioner to discuss dying with dignity.

The section requires that they talk to their doctor, not a lawyer, about living wills, durable healthcare powers of attorney, hospice, etc. Given the progressive intelligentsia already being on the record in favor of euthanizing the elderly, it is no small leap to see where the Democrats are headed with this.

Legally forcing senior citizens to have “death with dignity schedules every few years is just another way to say the government wants to make sure seniors know it is time to commit suicide to save the system money.

Heh.

Tip: From Mongol in Comments

Chinese Arms in Sudan

Strategy Page is reporting that several improved weapons systems have secretly been exported by the Chinese to Sudan, possibly in violation of the 2005 UN arms embargo. The 406mm WS-2 rocket launcher system and Chinese Type 96 (aka Type 88C) tanks have reportedly been spotted.

 
Obviously, the Sudanese government is preparing for military conflicts of significantly greater scope than chasing down roving bands of militants.

Online journalist wins victory over 'legal jihad'

We read:

"The full Texas Second Court of Appeals yesterday rejected an attempt by a coalition of seven Islamic organizations to further their defamation lawsuit against an online writer and have him branded as less than a "real" journalist.

As WND reported, after Joe Kaufman wrote an article for the online FrontPage Magazine exposing terrorist connections in two American Muslim groups, he was sued by a swarm of Islamic organizations, none of which he had even mentioned in his article.

The lawsuit technique is called by some "legal jihad" or "Islamist lawfare," and the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing Kaufman in the lawsuit, claims Muslim advocates are using the strategy to bully online journalists into silence.

"The lawsuit against Kaufman was funded by the Muslim Legal Fund for America. The head of that organization, Khalil Meek, admitted on a Muslim radio show that lawsuits were being filed against Kaufman and others to set an example," claims a Thomas More statement on the case. "Indeed, for the last several years, Muslim groups in the U.S. have engaged in the tactic of filing meritless lawsuits to silence any public discussion of Islamic terrorist threats."

And though a three-judge panel of the court had unanimously dismissed the case, the Islamic groups sought an "en banc" opinion, meaning a ruling from the entire court of seven justices. The Texas Second Court of Appeals, however, issued a "per curiam," or entire court, opinion yesterday, upholding the panel's decision to dismiss the lawsuit.

Source

Posted by John Ray.

Obama's Health Care Town Hall

(Reserve, Louisiana) Jeff Blanco reports on the Obama Health Care Plan town hall meeting in Reserve, Louisiana.

Some of the audience members in Reserve wore T-shirts that read, “Hands Off My Health Care,” and the loudest cheers were reserved for people who criticized the Obama administration’s health care plans.

“Please carry a message to Mr. Obama that it will be a cold day in hell before he socializes my county,” one man shouted at the cabinet members, who didn’t respond.

Heh.

Billionaire Dem Donor Endorses Republican

(Richmond, Virginia) It's the economy, stupid.

A billionaire co-founder of the Black Entertainment Television network and an influential Democratic donor on Monday endorsed Republican Bob McDonnell for governor.

Sheila Johnson of The Plains, the second-largest individual donor to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and a benefactor of prominent Democrats including Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb, appeared with McDonnell in Richmond.

"I have been a lifelong Democrat and I'm still a Democrat," she said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Johnson said she favors McDonnell over his Democratic opponent, R. Creigh Deeds, because she thinks the Republican can turn around the state's ailing economy.

Whaddya think? Are we seeing a new attitude toward hopey-changey or is this just a minor chink in Democrat armor?

Woman Arrested for Illegitimate Baby

(Sharjah, United Arab Emirates) A pregnant late-20s Iranian woman was admitted to Al Zahra Hospital and immediately gave birth. After confessing that the child was illegitimate, she was arrested.

"They should not accept such cases of unmarried pregnant women," police said.

A spokesman from the hospital confirmed that the woman was admitted to Al Zahra hospital a week ago.

"She was in labour so she was admitted immediately to the operation room," the spokesman said. The spokesman said there was no time to inform police.

"We have to charge her for the delivery," he said.

The spokesman said when hospital staff asked the woman about her documents and her husband she told them she was not married and that she was giving birth to an illegitimate baby. "At this point we informed police," he said.

The woman and newborn are now in Sharjah central jail. The public prosecutor has launched an investigation.

It's not exactly clear what crime was committed by the woman. Readers, please advise.

Woman Calls 911 for Cute Deputy

(Aloha, Oregon) Mid-morning one day in 2006, an apparently intoxicated local woman, Lorna Dudash, called 911 to request that a cute deputy trainee return to her house.

Dudash: "Could you throw him my way."
Dispatch: "Do you need him to come back there?"
Dudash: "Oh I'd like that."
Dispatch: "Why do you need them to come back there?"
Dudash: "Umm, because I have an emergency. I'll think of something."

Deputy John Egg and the deputy trainee had earlier responded to a noise complaint lodged against Dudash.

As a consequence of the misuse of the 911 emergency system, Dudash was sentenced to two years of probation and national exposure on the Discovery Channel.

The story caught the attention of producers with the Discovery Channel who plan to put it on national TV. The show that will be airing the story is titled Call 911 and is on the Investigation Discovery Channel.

Heh. Of course, by broadcasting vignettes of stupidity, the Discovery Channel won't likely deter future misuse of the 911 system. Unfortunately, there is a demographic group of people who actually want to be celebrated as complete idiots.

Tip: Charley Nestor

National Abortion Registry

(Stockholm, Sweden) The Christian Democrats in Sweden have proposed a national registry with the names of all women who have had an abortion.

The Moderates, Centre party and Liberal party are however opposed to the move on integrity grounds, according to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

Anders Milton, commissioned by the government to investigate the issue and who presented his report in June, wants the proposed register to include the personal identification numbers (personnummer) of women who have undergone an abortion.

The inclusion of personal identity numbers in the statistics would help in the following up of complications, to develop methods and improve prevention work, Milton argues.

Chatrine Pålsson Ahlgren, Christian Democrat Member of Parliament, is positive to the proposal.

"The register always awakes feelings of unease, but I definitely think the idea is worth a try," she said to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Indian government is also planning an abortion registry to thwart sex-selection feticide and to fight infant mortality.

Sadly, with big government bureaucrats defining health care for the entire population of a nation, virtually all personal privacy is at risk.

UK Bomb Plotter Sentenced

(Bristol, England) A 20-year-old radical Muslim, Isa Ibrahim, was sentenced to prison this week after being convicted of plotting a suicide attack on a Bristol shopping center.

Police were alerted to the plot by a member of the Al-Baseera mosque after Ibrahim boasted of his plans. Police then raided Ibrahim's apartment and found that he was in the process of packing home-made explosives in a suicide vest.

The jury convicted Ibrahim, a former pupil of Downside School, near Bath, by majority of making an explosive. He was also found guilty of preparing terrorist acts.

Ibrahim was given an indeterminate sentence and told by the judge, Mr Justice Butterfield, he should serve a minimum of 10 years. "You were, in my judgment, a lonely and angry young person at the time of these events, with a craving for attention," the judge said.

Being lonely and angry is merely part of his problem. Reportedly, Ibrahim also had a drug-addled mind.

He started on cannabis at a young age, and became lazy with school work. So he got in trouble with his teachers – and maybe his parents – which led to a resentment of figures of authority. The drug habits worsened, and he became addicted to heroin and cocaine.

Eventually, radical Islam offered Ibrahim a way out. It gave him a sense of identity. It granted him a feeling of imagined acceptance in a community of outcasts. It even helped him to overcome his drug addiction.

So, at least anecdotally, it's claimed that radical Islam cures drug addiction. Forget the rehab clinic, my friend, just put on this vest. Helluva choice, eh?

Hey, Kids, Playing in the sand at the beach could kill you



In raising your young kids, don't worry about the tons of sex and violence they are exposed to on TV. Those aren't problems. You know what the real problem is? Sand on the beach. Yeah, that's the ticket. Instill a fear of sand in your kid. Oh, and did I mention that $65K in your tax money paid for the study that issues the alarm and says you shouldn't handle food with dirty hands?

Add playing in the sand to the long list of fun things that may be bad for your health. A new study says you risk getting an upset stomach and diarrhea if you dig into the granular stuff to fill toy pails, build sand castles or bury yourself. You're better off walking along the shore or swimming in the surf.

Is the federal government, which paid $63,500 for the research, throwing a major bummer into the beach-going season? . . . The report's authors said they don't mean to put a damper on summer fun. They just think it's important to caution people about the bird droppings, urban runoff, sewage and other contaminants that pollute sand.

"Take care to use a hand sanitizer or wash hands after playing in the sand," said Tim Wade, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who helped write the study. . . .

As part of a larger assessment of water quality at beaches, EPA researchers interviewed more than 27,000 beach-goers in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. There were four sites on the Great Lakes and one each in Mississippi, Alabama and Rhode Island.

Beach-goers were asked about their contact with sand on the day of their visit. Ten to 12 days later, they were contacted by phone to discuss health problems that surfaced since then.

The EPA and the University of North Carolina analyzed the information, and their results appear in the latest edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology. It's being touted as the most comprehensive look at how specific activities involving beach sand might cause sickness.

Less than 10 percent of people who played with sand came down with diarrhea and/or gastrointestinal illness. But that number is still up to 24 percent higher than for folks who didn't. Researchers said the risk of illness was highest for those who were buried in the sand and that children are more likely than adults to fall sick. . . .

"We are hypothesizing . . . that people are coming into contact with fecal contamination in the sand and then transferring that to their hands and then to their mouth," he said.

Heaney said beach-goers should be careful when handling food. "The beach . . . is not a sterile environment," he said.

So, they're hypothesizing, but they have no actual proof that playing in the sand causes any of these illnesses. But, wow, $65,000 spent to give us some real genius advice, which is essentially, "Wash your hands before eating." Einstein stuff.

SOURCE (See the original for links)

Posted by John Ray.

MADD angry at Flying Fish brewery for naming beers after NJ freeway exits



You would think that something more impressive than a freeway exit might be dreamed up as a name for a beer but what the heck?

"It is acceptable to name your alcoholic beverage after a moving vehicle so long as a car isn't the vehicle in question; e.g. Night Train Express wine and Warbird beer. In fact, it's frowned upon to give alcohol a name that can even be associated with cars. New Jersey craft brewer Flying Fish has attracted the attention of MADD, the NJ Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and the press for breaking the taboo with its line of beers named after exits on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The Exit 4 American Trippel was the first in the "big beer" series -- they come in 750-ml bottles -- part of "a multi-year brewing experiment to brew a series of beers as diverse as the great state of New Jersey." Exit 11, a Hoppy American Wheat Ale, will be coming later this month and is "a tribute to Woodbridge's exit, where the Turnpike meets the Garden State Parkway." Which must taste delicious...

MADD feels that "The combination of a roadway and advertising for any kind of a beer doesn't make any kind of sense." The NJTA wants to make sure no one thinks it's turned into a brewer. To address both issues each bottle of flying fish includes a disclaimer, "The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has no affiliation with the Exit Series. Both the Turnpike Authority and Flying Fish agree that you should never drink and drive." That hasn't quite quelled the controversy, but it does tell people two things they should already know.

Source

I think it's the objection by MADD that doesn't make any sense. Odd labels are just an attention-getting gimmick that sells stuff.


Posted by John Ray.

Only a government could be this stupid, wasteful and inefficient

Important and expensive high tech equipment that an Australian public hospital bought 8 YEARS ago still not in use

TAXPAYERS are forking out $1 million a year to treat patients privately while medical equipment worth $3 million sits idle in a public hospital. Health Minister Paul Lucas yesterday admitted cancer sufferers were waiting for treatment after delays in commissioning a hyperbaric chamber at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. The facility, dubbed ''one of the world's biggest and best'', was built for $2.8 million in 2001 and there were promises it would be operating 18 months ago. But the pressure chamber continues to sit idle while patients use a similar unit at the nearby Wesley Private Hospital.

Hyperbaric chambers - like decompression chambers used to treat divers with the bends - are used to treat people with chronic illness, particularly when they have wounds that are difficult to heal.

The revelations came as Mr Lucas promised to release radiation therapy waiting lists for the first time after years of secrecy from Queensland Health. Mr Lucas yesterday insisted using the Wesley chamber was more economical than running the RBWH facility at half capacity, but he would not release all the figures to back it up. Queensland Health figures show the RBWH chamber would cost $1.5 million a year to perform 6600 treatments. Taxpayers spent $877,513 on treatments at the Wesley during 2007-08 and $1.2 million the previous year.

Mr Lucas defended the chamber's lack of use, saying it was built as part of good future planning and would be commissioned within a year. But he refused to reveal how many patients were waiting to be treated.

However, Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle, who questioned Mr Lucas during the Budget Estimates hearings, said the lack of use was ridiculous. ''Why isn't operating?'' Mr McArdle demanded. ''It is simply negligent not to have this operating right now. It should have been commissioned when the thing was put in. ``Why aren't we using it so that people can have a better life and a better quality life?''

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray.

Louisiana Woman Jailed for Sex with Boy

(Sibley, Louisiana) A 21-year-old local woman, Charnequa Meich Benton, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Benton has been charged with aggravated battery, domestic abuse battery and carnal knowledge of a juvenile.

Investigators learned about the alleged abuse after responding to a call for assistance earlier in the week at Benton’s home in the Southwood Apartments in Sibley. Authorities learned that Benton assaulted the juvenile boy by throwing a knife at him and biting him on the upper arm during an argument, the release states.

No serious injuries resulted from the battery.

It was during a follow-up interview that Benton “admitted to officers that she had taken the juvenile in to live with her several weeks prior and had held an ongoing sexual relationship with him during that time.”

Benton was booked into custody at the Webster Parish Jail.

Minnesota Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Rochester, Minnesota) A 32-year-old woman, Heather Lee Pino, has been accused of engaging in sex with with a 14-year-old male during four months in 2009. Pino's husband alerted authorities about suspicions of an ongoing relationship.

Pino faces charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct.

At the time of the alleged misconduct, Pino lived at 5130 Meadow Drive S.E. The complaint says that in 2007, Pino was offering day-care services in her home and the boy, who was 12 at the time, started coming to the home to help with the kids.

Authorities were contacted in May 2009. Investigators from the sheriff's department learned of e-mail messages between Pino and the boy, and were informed of journals kept by Pino discussing the relationship.

Pino has a court appearance scheduled for August 13.

VA Beach Woman Booked for Sex with Boy

(Virginia Beach, Virginia) A 30-year-old local woman, Shelley Wright, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a boy 13-15 years old. Wright faces charges of carnal knowledge and indecent liberties with a child.

Police spokeswoman Margie Long said Wright was arrested after a boy, between the ages of 13-15, told an adult relative that he had sexual relations "on numerous occasions over the past week" in her home on Au Sable Place. Long described the boy as "a visitor to the home" at the time of the offenses.

Wright was booked into custody at the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility without bond.