2. Somebody is thinking of you.

3. Somebody is caring about you.

4. Somebody misses you.

5. Somebody wants to talk to you.

6. Somebody wants to be with you.

7. Somebody hopes you aren't in trouble.

8. Somebody is thankful for the support you have provided.

9. Somebody wants to hold your hand.

10. Somebody hopes everything turns out all right.

11. Somebody wants you to be happy.

12. Somebody wants you to find him/her.

13. Somebody is celebrating your successes.

14. Somebody wants to give you a gift.

15. Somebody thinks that you ARE a gift.

16. Somebody hopes you're not too cold, or too hot

17. Somebody wants to hug you.

18. Somebody loves you.

19. Somebody admires your strength.

20. Somebody is thinking of you and smiling.

21. Somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.

22. Somebody wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun.

23. Somebody thinks the world of you.

24. Somebody wants to protect you.

25. Somebody would do anything for you.

26. Somebody wants to be forgiven.

27. Somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.

28. Somebody wants to laugh with you.

29. Somebody remembers you and wishes that you were there.

30. Somebody is praising God for you.

31. Somebody needs to know that your love is unconditional.

32. Somebody values your advice.

33. Somebody wants to tell you how much they care.

34. Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.

35. Somebody wants to hold you in their arms.

36. Somebody wants YOU to hold them in your arms.

37. Somebody treasures your spirit.

38. Somebody wishes they could STOP time because of you.

39. Somebody praises God for your friendship and love.

40. Somebody can't wait to see you.

41. Somebody loves you for who you are.

42. Somebody loves the way you make them feel.

43. Somebody wants to be with you.

44. Somebody wants you to know they are there for you.

45. Somebody is glad that you're his/her friend.

46. Somebody wants to be your friend.

47. Somebody stayed up all night thinking about you.

48. Somebody is alive because of you.

49. Somebody is wishing that you noticed him/her.

50. Somebody wants to get to know you better.

51. Somebody wants to be near you.

52. Somebody misses your advice/guidance.

53. Somebody has faith in you.

54. Somebody trusts you.

55. Somebody needs your support.

56. Somebody needs you to have faith in them.

57. Somebody will cry when they read this.

58. Somebody needs you to let them be your friend.

59. Somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.

60. Somebody needs you to send them this to them

Let it be known that Tan Sri George Chan and Tan Sri Alfred Jabu are being chauferred around in BMW 735s as their official cars. Well why not since the dear CM himself goes around in a Rolls Royce? It seems the roads in Kuching are so unsafe these days.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud's official car is the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. (Source: NST)

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

If the head is driving a Rolls Royce, how would it make him look if his deputies only went around in a Proton Perdana. Hell, even a Mercedes E Class would look bad.

Some ministers, like Housing Minister Datuk Seri Abang Johari Tun Openg and Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Seri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, have Jaguar XJ as their official cars. (Source: NST)

Jaguar XJ 2008

Now, how much does a Rolls Royce cost in Malaysia? I'm curious really. Let's do a quick google and check it out. Here's what I found.

A standard wheelbase model in the UK costs around £260,000; the extended version around £300,000. So if you want to import that into Malaysia, it will be around RM1.8 Million for the Standard Version and RM2.1 Million for Extended Version before tax. Take the import tax which is around 200% and add it to the price off the road in Malaysia. It should add up to around RM5.4 Million for the Standard Version and RM6.3 Million for the Extended type.

Now, I'm clueless when it comes to cars and their jargon. I don't know which type our dear CM of Kuching owns but let's say he owned the Standard Version (the cheaper one mentioned above) of a Rolls Royce, which costs RM5.4 mil, that's still approximately RM2 mil cheaper than what the Terengganu government spent on their 14 Mercedes Benz.

So if you compare, the CM of Kuching's official car which is already worth more than the 14 Mercedes Benzs the Terengganu government purchased! It's not that bad really. Is it??? On second thoughts, judging by the car he drives. I think CM Taib Mahmud should be our Prime Minister instead!

 A library plays a very important role in promoting the progress of knowledge. There are many people who love reading. But they can’t afford to buy books because the prices of books are very high. So when one becomes a member of a library, he can borrow valuable books. A member can borrow two books at a time and he can keep it with him for two weeks. Libraries are particularly useful for poor children. Even those who are better off can’t afford to buy all the books they require for their studies. For instance, invaluable books like Encyclopedias and large dictionaries cannot be purchased.

 A public library is a place that is open to poor and rich alike. There are mainly two sections in a library. They are the lending section and the reference section. Any member can borrow books from the lending section. Nonmembers too can use the reference section. They are allowed to enter the section free of charge. They can takedown notes from the books. In addition to these two sections, there is another section in a library. Here any one can do his or her studies under a calm and quiet environment. This section is called “The study room”. Some students find it very difficult to do their studies at their homes due to various reasons. This section is particularly useful for such students.
 A library is very useful for rural youths too. If they take to reading they will be able to refrain from evil habits such as loitering and gambling. There are not only books, but also newspapers, magazines, periodicals and government gazette in a library.

 In view of the above facts it is apparent that a library is a very important place in the society.
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House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers of Detroit expressed "grave concerns" about "excesses" of President Bush and his administration Friday in an all-day hearing at which lawmakers and constitutional experts sparred over whether Bush should be impeached.

"We are not done yet, and we do not intend to go away until we achieve the accountability that Congress is entitled to and the American people deserve," Conyers said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said impeachment is off the table -- a position endorsed by Conyers. So it wasn't clear what the hearing would actually accomplish.

"To the regret of many, this is not an impeachment hearing," Conyers said, adding that the House has to vote to hold an impeachment hearing.

Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., quipped the hearing should have been called "Impeachment-lite" because it allowed Bush critics to make serious charges about the president without actually launching a real impeachment inquiry.

The lead witness was Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, the author of 35 articles of impeachment against the president, largely over his contention that Bush intentionally misled the public and the Congress to launch an unjustifiable war.

"The decision before us is whether to demand accountability for one of the gravest injustices imaginable," Kucinich said.

But several Republicans on the committee and their expert witnesses accused Bush's critics of simply wanting to criminalize policies they don't like, adding that the charges against Bush over his handling of the war could as easily be made against other wartime presidents, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson.

The hearing was sprinkled with dramatic moments.

Cindy Sheehan -- the anti-war activist whose son was killed in Iraq and became famous for her protest outside Bush's Texas ranch -- shouted out from the audience at one point. Conyers ordered her to leave. "Shame, shame, shame," activists chanted.

Baguio City – NFA Rice, the affordable staple food of ordinary people in most areas in the Philippines have gone up its buying price from the previous 18.50 pesos a kilo to 25 pesos per kilo. The drastic price adjustment of NFA rice which was implemented weeks ago ultimately affected the poor households mainly because it became an added burden to their limited budget. And for those who have no fixed income, the price adjustment is a painful truth that hard to accept.

The long queue of ordinary people at the rice section of the city market of Baguio is a daily occurrence. Despite of the price adjustment, people are waiting for their turn to be sold few kilos of NFA rice. By next month or September in the earnest, may be the long queue would be smaller because the government will implement the “no family access card, no NFA rice policy.”

For the ordinary people the idea of securing a family access card is a rough treatment. The difficulty of getting into the line to queue for NFA rice is too much and yet the government wants the people to suffer more once the policy takes effect. The probability is that, without the family access card, one would be given tongue-lashing and refuse to be sold of NFA rice, once cheap now no more.

The ground-breaking fightback against online piracy will begin with service providers sending letters to thousands of the most prolific downloaders, telling them their activity has been detected and is being monitored.

But the six biggest internet service providers — BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse — have signed up to a government drive addressing unlawful file-sharing.

Britain's six biggest internet service providers are clamping down on people illegally downloading music and films.

The ground-breaking fightback against online piracy will begin with service providers sending letters to thousands of the most prolific downloaders, telling them their activity has been detected and is being monitored.

It is thought that around 6.5 million Britons have downloaded files illegally over the past year.

Estimates suggest that the practice will cost the music industry up to £1bn over the next five years.

But the six biggest internet service providers - BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse - have signed up to a government drive addressing unlawful file-sharing.

It is understood that the ISPs have agreed to commit themselves to developing legal file-sharing services and to ensure their customers know that it is illegal to share copyright-protected music.

However, Quentin Delafon from indie band The Teenagers, pointed out the move may not easily stop the illegal downloading.

"If companies try to stop kids from file sharing, they're just going to figure out another way to do it," he told Sky News Online.

"It's like the modern mix tape. There's no real way to police it."

Fergal Sharkey, the former Undertones singer who is now chief executive of British Music Rights, the body which represents musicians, said: "This is something of a step into the unknown for the internet providers, music industries and ministers.

"But we can't go on without it - no business can survive after losing as much revenue as the music industry has."

ISPs and film and music companies are also expected to develop a new code of practice together on how they will deal with infringements - which could be backed up by new laws.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They're never going to stop the file sharers man, why try to hold back the future, it's just like the electric car! Seriously though, does Madonna really need any more money??

www.disinformation.com

azumuth.info

www.azumuth.com

www.myspace.com/azumuthmusic

www.trig.com/azumuth

www.reverbnation.com/azumuth

There's not a direct analogy to American military leadership promotions, but those lists are also studied intently, by peers and colleagues within the military branches, and also by experts throughout defense industry circles who can often decode Pentagon politics by watching who gets an extra star and who gets passed over.

Friday the U.S. Senate confirmed several key Army promotions, including three which I consider to be the most critical military intelligence positions in the nation.  The nominations had been announced by President Bush several weeks ago.  I had Twittered earlier rumors of one of the most significant moves, and obviously nothing untoward was perceived by the Senate, so it went through today - Gen. Ron Burgess named as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.  He has been serving as director of the intelligence staff in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a novel role embodying the much closer relationship between civilian intelligence and military intelligence since Don Rumsfeld was relieved as SecDef back in 2006. 

I've only met Burgess a few times but one was very up close and personal, when he brought the new DNI Mike McConnell by our offices a year and a half ago for a sit-down visit and orientation on "Today's DIA."  Our Deputy Director/CIO Mike Pflueger asked Bob Gourley and me to give McConnell and Burgess some in-depth demo's of DIA's latest technical programs and innovations, which we did with great exuberance and I believe great effect. McConnell was highly complimentary, which had repercussions for DIA over the next year in several beneficial ODNI decisions, and we also noticed afterwards that Burgess paid far more attention to DIA than one might have expected from his ODNI perch.  (Readers who have served within the intelligence community know about DIA's long-running inferiority complex vis-a-vis CIA and NSA.)

That day, Burgess saw several of our projects which he described as "eye-opening," and his enthusiasm was palpable.  He's not a West Point grad - he got started in Auburn's ROTC program, and scrambled through a great career.  Guys like that are sometimes more willing to move things along expeditiously, if you know what I mean.  As DIA Director he'll have the opportunity to keep the Agency's current staff hustling forward technologically, something that's required by end customers - and they're not all sitting in the Pentagon's E-Ring.

Kimmons to ODNI, Zahner to G2

One of the other two significant moves announced today was the selection of Gen. Jeff Kimmons to replace Burgess at ODNI; this cements that new tradition of a high-ranking uniformed official as a key advisor to the Director of National Intelligence, and should facilitate the ever-closer ties between military intelligence and other IC agencies.  I worked with Kimmons fairly closely (some thought too closely!) while he served as G2 (chief of staff of Army Intelligence). Absolutely key role, which he took from Gen. Keith Alexander, who went on to head NSA, where he still sits.  Kimmons understands the intelligence needs of the modern Army better than just about anyone I know; he gets passionate about what the field soldier needs

Rounding out the troika was the promotion of Gen. Rick Zahner to follow Kimmons as G2.  Zahner led Army Intelligence in Iraq when Mike Pflueger and I paid that first visit to Baghdad back in 2005, and I remember him working 18 hour days regularly; I briefed him the day I was leaving and he asked me with a smile but in all seriousness, "Why on earth would you want to leave this excitement? We've got a place for you right here in the Perfume Palace."  He's one of the most globally experienced of his generation of Army intell professionals.

All in all, good appointments from my perspective. Curious to hear what others think, and I'm sure I will - there's no more resounding gossip chamber than the Pentagon.

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Life in America has become cheep!

What does this number represent?

It represents how Government programs are calculated for passage

YISHUN might be showing its age but it is in line for a radical renewal that will smarten up existing facilities and add exciting new ones.

Details of the rejuvenation plan were announced yesterday, and include additions to the town centre, including the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, a new library, covered walkways and possibly a new shopping complex integrated with the bus interchange.

A new boardwalk will also connect the town centre to outdoor areas like Yishun Pond.

The plan, Remaking Our Heartland: Enriching My Yishun, is part of a nationwide Neighbourhood Renewal Programme announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech last year.

Its aim is to enhance the value of homes and neighbourhoods through upgrading and estate renewal projects.

'Through this initiative, the Government will build the HDB heartland of tomorrow to match the rising expectations of our people and make Singapore our best home,' said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who outlined the Yishun details yesterday.

'Give us another five years and you'll be able to see the change in Yishun.'

Residents are keen on the plan. Mr Jef Ng, 27, who has lived in the area for 13 years, told The Straits Times: 'It is high time Yishun got a facelift. We have always felt somewhat neglected, but these new plans sound really exciting.'

Mr Mah also officiated at the launch of the first Home Improvement Programme (HIP) in Singapore.

The HIP allows flat owners to have certain essential improvements carried out at the expense of the Government, which will also subsidise some optional ones.

Owners can vote on the work they want done at their estates and in their flats. Essential improvements include mending weathered concrete and replacing waste pipes, while optional ones refer to upgrades of toilets, entrance doors, metal grille gates and refuse hoppers.

Owners co-pay between S$550 and S$1,375 if they choose any of the optional improvements, depending on flat size.

Exhibitions have been set up in Yishun Street 21 to give owners a better idea of their options under the HIP before they vote on their choice of improvements.

Polling closes on Monday. HDB needs a minimum support of 75 per cent from eligible residents before works can be carried out.

'I encourage residents to take some time to tour this HIP exhibition and the Enriching My Yishun exhibition at the town centre,' said Mr Mah.

'With feedback and participation, we can make Yishun an even more vibrant and exciting place to live and play.'

Source: Straits Times - 26 July 2008

PROPERTY plays came under the spotlight this week as Singapore stocks enjoyed a technical rally due to falling oil prices and a midweek rebound on Wall Street.

The bulk of investor attention was centred on two stocks - CapitaLand and City Developments (CDL) - with both reaping good gains.

CapitaLand shares soared 32 cents or 5.7 per cent to S$5.91 for the week, while hitting a week-high of $6.30 on Thursday morning.

CDL closed up 98 cents or 9.3 per cent at S$11.50 yesterday but hit S$12.08 on Thursday.

Both counters were chief beneficiaries of the midweek Wall Street rebound, but succumbed to profit-taking.

Property counters have endured considerable volatility since the United States sub-prime crisis flared a year ago and the cooling real estate market here merely made matters worse.

Last October, CDL shares were trading at S$17 and CapitaLand at S$8.50 but they have both plunged by close to 50 per cent since that 52-week peak.

So this week's positive performance would have brought some overdue cheers to investors.

'This rally was due mainly to an overall technical rebound, not a change in fundamentals of the two companies,' said a dealer.

Analysts seem largely bullish on CapitaLand and CDL.

DMG Securities kept its buy rating on CapitaLand earlier this week with a $6.85 price forecast, noting a '22.5 per cent upside potential'.

DMG said CapitaLand's 'geographically diversified presence and wider product offering across the property arena are comforting points' amid the market turbulence.

A UBS report last week maintained its buy call on CapitaLand with a S$8.20 price target.

It noted: 'CapitaLand remains our key pick, given its strong balance sheet and pan-Asian diversification compared to the residential developers.'

Credit Suisse also kept its 'neutral' call on South-east Asia's largest property developer with a S$6.75 target.

On Wednesday, DBS Vickers made an overweight call on the property sector: 'We believe that the big-cap stocks will be the first beneficiary of a re-rating in the sector.'

CDL was named among its top picks, with a buy call and S$12.90 price target as it is 'the key proxy to the residential market'.

Source: Starits Times - 26 July 2008

THE Housing and Development Board (HDB) has announced that its Resale Price Index rose by 4.5 per cent in Q2 2008 over the previous quarter and 8.4 per cent since Q4 2007.

The number of resale transactions also increased by 22 per cent quarter on quarter to hit 7,760 transactions.

On a half-yearly basis, a total of 14,120 transactions have been recorded so far, almost half of the 29,450 transactions for the whole of 2007.

The HDB Resale Price Index is now hovering very close to the all-time peak in Q4 1996, boosted by high resale prices in estates like Queenstown and Bukit Merah where the median price for five-room flats is now around S$600,000.

But while a buoyant resale market can translate into a stronger HDB upgrader base, it may still be too early for developers to count on upgraders to prop up the private residential market.

DTZ executive director and regional head for consulting and research, Ong Choon Fah, said that HDB upgraders are 'still price-sensitive'.

According to DTZ's analysis, HDB upgraders accounted for 28 per cent of all private homes bought in Q1 2008, up from 22 per cent in the preceding quarter.

However, in 1998, when private property prices bottomed out, HDB upgrader transactions peaked at 62 per cent of all private property transactions.

And when the property market tanked again in 2002, HDB upgraders went in to buy up to 59 per cent of all private property transacted.

While the numbers suggest that HDB upgraders still find private property too expensive, Mrs Ong also pointed that HDB does now offer a 'spectrum' of property types to cater to more specific needs and price brackets.

Mrs Ong was referring to HDB's new Design, Build and Sell Scheme flats which have been selling well.

Sources also say that the 578-unit Park Central at AMK has received around 1,000 applications since its launch on June 23.

HDB has also launched a total of 4,524 new flats under the Build-To-Order (BTO) system for H1 2008.

ERA Asia Pacific assistant vice-president Eugene Lim points out that HDB upgraders tend to be those who sell their five-room or executive flats, and according to his analysis, this number has not increased significantly.

Five-room flats made up 26 per cent of all HDB resale transactions in Q2 2008, up from 25 per cent in the previous quarter while executive flats made up 9 per cent, up from 7 per cent quarter on quarter.

Four-room flats made up 37 per cent of all resale transactions, and Mr Lim also notes that the median price for this segment saw the highest increase by S$15,000 to S$300,000.

Mr Lim believes that the upgrader effect on the private property market could be curtailed by affordability too.

'Most upgraders will be looking for properties in the S$650-S$750 psf bracket,' he said.

Interestingly, the influx of new permanent residents (PRs) here has added to the demand for resale flats.

Mr Lim estimates that 20 per cent of buyers in the resale segment are PRs, up from 10-12 per cent a year ago.

However, whether PRs are partially responsible for the buoyant resale market is not known. HDB has not revealed the number of flats bought by PRs.

Perhaps a more interesting development is that the HDB Resale Price Index has begun to diverge from the private property price index, which grew by just 0.2 per cent in Q2 2008.

Still, most property consultants believe the chances of the two indices decoupling, to represent a disconnected private and public property markets, are remote.

Knight Frank director (research and consultancy) Nicholas Mak also highlights that between Q2 2002 and Q1 2004, prices of private homes fell, while HDB resale prices increased.

During this period, both indices did, however, remain relatively flat.

Mr Mak does believes that any divergence in price trends, if any, will only last for a few quarters before a correlation is re-established.

He added: 'Both private and public sectors do relate to the same macro-economic factors.'

DTZ's Mrs Ong also said that both sectors are linked by the 'substitutional effect'.

'If prices are too high in the private housing market, buyers will shift to the public housing market,' she added.

She also noted that significant shifts in price movements only tend to follow changes in housing policy and related spheres like Central Provident Fund.

Savills Singapore director (marketing and business development) Ku Swee Yong believes that HDB upgraders will eventually return to 'lend strong support' to the private property market, citing the interest, if not the take-up, in new mass-market launches like Livia and Clover by the Park as examples.

Source: Business Times - 26 July 2008

These improvement and construction plans will include a two-lane tunnel that connects outbound traffic from Sentosa directly to Kampong Bahru Rd and Keppel Rd, bypassing the Telok Blangah and Sentosa Gateway junction entirely.

According to LTA chief executive, Yam Ah Mee, the tunnel will cut motorists' travel time in 2015 by half, around 10 minutes' worth of savings, and ensure smoother traffic flow.

Motorists who are travelling on surface roads will also experience a reduction in travel time due to less pressure being placed on the above ground roadway infrastructure.

'These road improvement plans complement the package of road improvements we announced earlier in February this year, and will ensure that both visitors and residents who are heading out of the Sentosa area will have a pleasant traffic experience,' said Mr Yam.

The actual construction of the tunnel will only start after the opening of Resorts World, and is slated to begin in 2011, and to be completed in 2015.

Source: Business Times (By Diondi Tan) - 26 July 2008

A STRING of residential, commercial and industrial projects received provisional permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in the second quarter of this year.

URA also gave the nod in Q2 for the development of 110,790 sq metres of business park space.

Far East Organization unit China Classic received provisional permission to build a 384-room hotel at Cross Street, while Hotel Plaza got the nod for a 345-room hotel at Upper Pickering Street.

Resorts World at Sentosa got the go-ahead to build a hotel with 1,352 rooms as well as 45,090 sq m of retail space in the central zone of its integrated resort.

Residential projects that received URA's provisional permission in April-June this year include Frasers Centrepoint's 717-unit condo at Lakeside Drive in the Boon Lay area, Chip Eng Seng's 372-unit condo at Elias Road in Pasir Ris; and UOL/Peak Century's 643-unit condo at Simei Street 4. All these projects have 99-year leasehold tenure.

EC Prime Pte Ltd - controlled by Melvin Poh, Tan Koo Chuan and Saw Pik Kee - received approval to develop 228 apartments at Alexandra Road.

URA also gave the nod in Q2 for the development of 110,790 sq m of business park space in three new projects - to Soilbuild Group Holdings to develop a facility named Solaris at Ayer Rajah Avenue/Fusion Walk (42,780 sq m); to Lawrence Leow's Crescendas Bionix Pte Ltd to develop 41,200 sq m at Biopolis Phase 3; and to Ascendas for a project at Changi Business Park Crescent (26,810 sq m). Business park space can meet the office needs of some firms, for example, backroom operations, URA noted.

Provisional permission for multiple-user factories were also granted for projects at Commonwealth Drive and Jalan Tepong. Trio Link Development clinched approval for a 21,570 sq m industrial development at Playfair Road.

UOB Kay Hian Trading obtained URA's go-ahead for its transitional office development at Anthony/ Scotts roads (13,020 sq m).

URA also gave provisional permission to Ritzland Investment for 12,050 sq m of offices at Mountbatten Road.

Source: Business Times - 26 July 2008

But hey, wait a minute, what's this?

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama dropped a plan to visit wounded U.S. troops in Germany on Friday amid concerns the stop would be viewed as a political event.

Planning for a stop at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center had been in the works for three weeks. But an Obama adviser said he was told in recent days by the Pentagon that the military would consider it a campaign event.

"Senator Obama had hoped to and had every intention of visiting our troops to express his appreciation and gratitude for their service to our country," said retired Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, who advises Obama on national security matters.

"Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go," Gration said.

[...]

The Pentagon, in a statement, cited longstanding Defense Department policy that prohibits military personnel or facilities from association with partisan political campaigns and elections.

[Emphasis added]

Yeah, turns out that Obama didn't snub anyone--it was the Pentagon who told Obama he couldn't visit with our wounded soldiers, since that could be seen as using uniformed troops and military facilities for campaign purposes.

I mean, maybe conservatives are angry because they don't realize that you're not supposed to use soldiers for political purposes--lord knows George Bush and John McCain have no problem using American troops as political props. Still, sometimes I can't help but think these guys are intentionally this dumb.

So far this administration has presided over the following gems of personal responsibility:

the protection from prosecution in Iraqi courts of all contractors working for occupation forces, courtesy of L. Paul Bremer's Order 17. This has allowed mercenaries from companies like Blackwater to escape responsibility for such events as the Nisour Square massacre of September16, 2007 and the killing of an Iraqi official's bodyguard inside the Green Zone. The contractors also operate in a legal gray zone as far as American courts are concerned - are they private companies not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice or government contractors who can't be tried in civilian courts? The answer is still out on this.

The protection of any telecommunication companies involved in the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping of American citizens, immunity granted through the FISA Modernization legislation passed by Congress this month. Interestingly, one member of Congress, Steve King (R-IA) used the contractor immunity as precedent:

To me I think those are the closest two comparisons that we can get. We protect contractors when they went to that smoking hole in that war zone. Why wouldn’t we protect telecommunications companies when they stepped up in good faith and believed that they were legally operating under the law.

An attempt in 2006 to amend the War Crimes Act of 1996 to grant immunity from prosecution to administration officials for pronouncements and legal opinions regarding interrogation techniques and the scope of the Geneva Conventions - officials like Alberto Gonzalez, who issued an opinion in 2002 that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to prisoners captured in Afghanistan, an opinion invalidated by the Supreme Court's Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision.

Yet this generosity around forgiving possible criminal activity or lack of personal responsibility does not extend beyond the president's own sphere of influence. He still has little sympathy for homeowners who have borrowed beyond their means after falling for his blather on the "culture of ownership"; his justice department has prosecuted as criminals immigrants using the stolen social security numbers supplied to them whether they understood the concept of fraudulent paperwork or not; and he was quick to point out the criminality of those "few bad apples" at Abu Ghraib who carried out the policies from on high even as he sought immunity for the authors of those policies. It should come as no surprise, then, that FEMA has requested immunity from civil lawsuits stemming from its use of toxic trailers to house displaced residents after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Perhaps Congress should have left impeachment on the table after all.

You just do not get this level of editorial commentary on the evening news.

Complete link:

http://www.liveleak.com/view
i=9bb_1216872469

Tantalizing excerpt:

The disease of Liberalism makes Jihad possible
Mature
The Muslim states, even with their oil, are the poorest, most backward, illiterate and pathetic nations on earth. How then do they threaten Western civilization, indeed every non-Islamic civilization on earth? It is because we are weakened internally by a leftist 5th-column that believes the US is the greatest evil in the world and anything that replaces it would be preferable. It is because of this sickness that they support radical Islamists even though they represent the antithesis of liberal values.

Remember the new Mercedes Benzes recently purchased by the state of Trengganu? They bought 14 units of the luxury cars. And the cars will all be used to drive foreign dignitaries when they visit Trengganu.

I guess Trengganu gets so many foreign dignitaries visiting them at one go that they need 14 units of the luxury vehicle. No one car, not two, heck even FIVE would not be enoughla... they need FOURTEEN CARS!!!

The forest fire has now devastated exactly 29,970 acres of land, a figure which has North Carolina firefighter Kevin Graves saying, “Goddamn, that’s just a whole lot of fire. I mean, have you ever seen that much fire? Because I have. I have seen that much fire.” Graves had been battling the blaze for days, but dropped his hose and fled in terror from the scene on Friday around midday.

“Yesterday it was just 29,956 acres,” said Matt Yu, Fire Chief for Vance County. “I could deal with that. Then today I wake up and it’s 29,970 acres. Fuck that.”

Governor Easley went on record yesterday saying that he does not hold the fleeing firefighters responsible for their actions, saying, “Everyone has a threshold for danger. Perhaps if his fire was just a little bit smaller, we could master our fear and hopelessness. Now we can only pray that an acre or two will smolder into nothing so that our brave firefighters – not too brave, but reasonably brave – can get back to work.”

"The collective review of the current traceback investigation and harvesting dates, matched with the dates that people became ill, have combined to indicate that the contaminated jalapeño pepper (only one?)originated in Mexico. Additional traceback and traceforward information obtained this week has led to the determination that the Agricola Zarigosa produce-distribution center in McAllen, Texas--from where FDA took the positive jalapeño pepper sample--was not the original source of the contamination."

Mexican officials said the findings were "premature."

Initially, tomatoes seemed the most likely source of the outbreak. The FDA told consumers to avoid certain raw tomatoes on June 7, prompting grocery chains and some restaurants nationwide to stop offering them. As a result over $100 million in tomatoes have been destroyed. The agency lifted that ban last week.

So far, 1,294 people infected with the same type of Salmonella Saintpaul have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, according to the CDC.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01865.html, http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/25/fda.salmonella/

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) 

Restraint use in 2004 was reported for 52,512 (82.9%) of all 63,370 child passengers aged 14 and younger who were involved in crashes. Children who did not use seat belts or child restraints properly  were 1.1 times more likely to be non-fatally injured and 4.8 times more likely to be fatally injured in crashes than children who did use restraints properly.

When child restraints were used improperly, children were 6.2 times more likely to be fully or partially ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

These statistics were from 2004 I can only beleive that things have gotten worse. Just imagine, times this by 50 states. How many lives can be saved every year?

I see it all the time. I drive an 18 wheeler for a living and I have seen so many people holding there newborn baby in their lap. I have seen kids laying in the back seat. Even kids bouncing and walking in the back seats of cars. This is disgusting. As a parent you are responsible to take care of your children. To make sure they are safe, even when in a car.

Think about this one day you were lazy or your child was just fussy and you allowed them to not be in a car seat and something happened?  A car accident that was not your fault. Now you have to deal with a very tough situation.

Hey Bob........Some people can't afford a car seat or booster seat. I know that but through your local resale shop, Police Station or Child Services Organizations you can aquie one at little to no cost.

I know this is something most people hear about too much. But people are still not doing the right thing. Don't take the smallest chance. Don't say "it's only a couple of blocks away". It can happen anytime/anywhere.

but what do I know "I'm just Bob-"

I'm voting Democrat because I don't hate myself enough for being white, male, educated, straight or middle class.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that the best strategy in war is defeat. It broadens the mind to learn Japanese, German and Arabic. Talk about multiculturalism!

I'm voting Democrat because Al Gore says global warming is hiding under my bed, waiting to get me.

I'm voting Democrat because I want to assume absolutely no personal responsibility for my actions.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm mad that George W. Bush hasn't caught Bin Laden. That's because Bin Laden is the only Islamic terrorist in the world.

I'm voting Democrat because I've been whining like a ritalin-marinated toddler on a temper tantrum about my candidate having won a Presidential election for the last eight years, and I want to be right for once.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that if I don't have enough money, the solution is for the government to take more of my money. Who needs money when gas is $5 per gallon?

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that the ideal family is two homosexual bonobos, a goat and a parrot raising a human baby. Love and compassion is all it takes to make a successful family!

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not an individual. I'm a race, a gender, a religion (or lack thereof), and a sexual orientation.

I'm voting Democrat because I'd rather have gas prices be easily influenced by world markets rather than drill in the Anwar preserve set aside for the purpose of drilling. I think terrorists know how to use our money best.

I'm voting Democrat because it's my body, and if I want to kill my baby, I'll do it, even if its head is in the birth canal. If I want to cut out my intestines and feed them to the crocodiles, I'll do that too.

I'm voting democrat because psychotic dictators like Amadinejad and Jong-Ill will listen to reason if I just talk to them instead of backing up my words with actions. I'll buy them a beer.

I'm voting Democrat because our enemies on the battlefield deserve comfy hotel rooms, Pay-Per-View, prostitutes and all the benefits of American citizenship.

I'm voting Democrat because we need to make the illegal immigrants feel more at home by learning to speak Spanish. I think we should hand them welcome brochures that detail where to get government services and free Ipods at the border too.

I'm voting Democrat because having a picture of Jesus within 100 miles of me is offensive. Colored lights are offensive. Christmas trees are offensive. Hell, let's just ban the whole holiday! Let's put up lots of Ramadan decorations, more footbaths, more mosques and more Islam recruiting posters in our subways instead. Diversity is our strength.

I'm voting Democrat because I like the government making all of my decisions for me. I'm not smart enough to make them myself.

I'm voting Democrat because supporting a work-capable person on welfare for over 50 years is so noble. Anyone who doesn't take pity on these poor souls don't have a heart.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe we need other countries' permission for me to turn down my thermostat.

I'm voting Democrat because I care about the real victims of crime -- criminals.

I'm voting Democrat because the real cure for racism includes preferential policies based on race -- particularly in presidential voting. If you believe that a black candidate ought to be qualified, as well as black, you're worse than Bull Conner.

I'm voting Democrat because everyone deserves crappy healthcare. Sure, you'll have to wait years for that life-saving cancer surgery. But it's first come, first served at the cemetery!

I'm voting Democrat because I believe in minority rights (except in Muslim countries), free speech (with regard to pornography but not conservative talk radio), environmentalism (unless we're talking about Al Gore's house) and diplomacy (but never backed by the threat of military force).

I'm voting Democrat because Socialism needs another chance. Sure it failed eleventy billion times throughout history, but that's only because we haven't tried it yet!

I'm voting Democrat because I think the terrorists just need a big hug. I'm sure a little lovin will convince them to take their bombs off.

I'm voting Democrat because I like the words "hope" and "change." Also "kazoo." That's a funny word.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that America's founders were rich, white, greedy xenophobes, and that America's founding principles are hogwash requiring periodic editing from an unelected group of liberal judges.

I'm voting Democrat because I like the ideas they have over in France, but I don't feel like moving there. I'll threaten to move, but I really won't. After all, I have a good job, healthcare, lower taxes, free speech and a social framework that promotes family structure. And all of it is defended by the most effective fighting force on the planet.

I'm voting Democrat because disagreeing with a black man is racism.

I'm voting Democrat because all of the history books were written by fascists with an agenda. America terrorized every country it ever set foot in, and stole candy from little babies.

I'm voting Democrat because I hate Bush. He caused 9-11, Katrina, and the nail I broke this morning.

I'm voting Democrat because successful entrepreneurs either oppressed a minority or were lucky, and don't deserve their financial success.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm too historically ignorant to realize that we still have a large military presence in Japan and Germany.

I'm voting Democrat because I can't get the new Iphone 3G yet, my new Hummer needs new tires already, and McDonald's screwed up my lunch order. The economy is making life in the US a 3rd world country!

I'm voting Democrat because Sharia law sounds just neato.

I'm voting Democrat because I want the world to know that I want a weak America just like Europe does.

I'm voting democrat so I can roll over and die the next time some emo ass-clown with more prescription drugs than teeth in his body shoots up a public place. Because I can't be trusted to personally own or carry a firearm. And I'm too unsafe to dare shooting back.

I'm voting Democrat because I want to screw one of our biggest allies in the Middle East for the third time in 20 years.

I'm voting Democrat so we can sell out everyone else the way we sold out the South Vietnamese.

If only the institution of far-left values resulted in a great country. Oh, well. That won't stop me from voting Democrat, though. After all, I'm voting Democrat because thought isn't one of my strong suits.

By the way, The Inquisitor apologises for not posting for sometime, because His Eminence has taken up a relief teaching job at a school and let's just say that the lack of permission to burn any of his screaming kids in class at the stake renders his task a few notches more exhausting.

Great Singapore Organ Sale? Legalisation of Organ Trading

by Joshua Woo

“Let’s push within the current regime… but at the same time, let’s not write off an idea just because it sounds radical or controversial… We may be able to find a compromise which is workable and yet does not offend people’s sensibilities.”
(Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, as quoted in The Straits Times, dated 21 July 2008, page H1)

While pondering on this quotation, I cannot help but to be skeptical. The minister’s concern is over the people’s sensibilities, but the alarming fundamental issue of this thorny matter concerns people’s lives rather than mere sensibilities.

(The movie 'The Island, which depicts the horror of organ harvest)

And here I have in view the paid organ donor’s life. Yet by no means I take the buyers’ life as less valuable. In fact it is precisely because both lives of the buyer and donor are as significance that the misery of the former should not be inflicted in any degree on the latter even though the latter willing to accept financial compensation.

Obviously, in the organ trade, the term “organ donor” is an oxymoron for in a trade there is no compensation but payment, and there is no donor but simply owner. The relationship does not bear any altruistic meaning but pure commercial transaction.

In an article titled ‘S’pore can take lead in legalising organ trade’ written by Jennifer Yeo and Madan Mohan, published in the 17 July 2008 issue of The Straits Times, contained a propounding view that organ trade is a “social relationship… which gives a new lease of life to both the stakeholders”. With such a view, the authors concede that the “law ought not to step in to criminalise and punish such relationships.”

The authors argue that given the “unclear” legal status of the human body, the treatment of our body is, therefore, accorded to and guaranteed by mutual consent.

The authors even compare prostitution among others with organ trading. This betrays the heightened commercial view that they have on humanity. In other words, they are saying that we can buy and sell our body (or parts of it) because we do not know who we are.

Here their careless hastiness betrays the prematurity of their judgment and suggestion. First and foremost, humanity as a whole is not a negotiation by any one or other group of humans. We learned that through our experience with the Nazi regime.

The authors’ failure to recognize the status of the human body is not at all a contribution to the discussion of how should we treat our body, which is the underlying concern of organ trading. At best, their ignorance of the value and status of the human body can only be like a ‘stop’ sign which supposedly to alert us to the complexity of the matter and hence preventing any unnecessary, harmful, and hasty decision. Yet they ventured over their legitimate course.

The fact is that Jennifer Yeo and Madan Mohan’s premature contention for the legalisation of organ trade impels further commercialisation of the human body. And this is precisely the very exploitation that they wanted to avoid.

Probably their hastiness is due to their concern for the victims of organ failure. They wrote, “While altruists say that any sale of organs is unethical…we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the patient waiting desperately for an organ.” On this point, I have to question their preference for casting care on the victims of organ failure. Why should we put ourselves only in the shoes of the patient and not in those of the organ owner as well?

In a study conducted by World Health Organization, 78% of Egyptians who sold their organ experience health deterioration, 78% spent the money within 5 months, and 73% reported weakened ability to perform labour-intensive jobs. In India, 86% reported deterioration in their health, decline in average family income, 96% of those who sold their kidneys is to pay-off debts, and 75% were still in debt. 58% in Iran report health deterioration, 60% report negative effects on their physical activities, and 65% reported negative effects on their employment status. So, it is reasonably to conclude that a normal person will not sell his or her organ. And those who give their organs into trade do it out of predicament.

Given the fact that virtually all organ owners trade their organ out of poverty, organ buyers should not be like an opportunist who takes advantage of the owners by harvesting their body parts through financial means in their crisis. Unfortunately they are. And often they did it under the cover of ‘selflessness’ in a way that seems as though they are doing the poor a favour.

Is that the best the rich can do to help the poor; by buying their organs? The article suggests exactly that though under disguise: “If the State… cannot help the poor in overcoming their problems, it ought not to raise more barriers for them [by preventing them to sell their organs to the rich by law].”

It is easy to see through the masqueraded hypocritical ‘help-the-poor’ rhetoric in the quoted passage. Just ask yourself, “Why do the State suddenly being charged as raising “more barriers” in preventing the rich from helping the poor only when the rich is in need of the body parts of the poor?” Why the rich cannot help the poor when they do not need the body parts of the latter?

The obvious answer is that this is not a case that “someone wanting to help the other who is in crisis”, but “someone who wants to get something out of the other when the other is in crisis”. Such is not merely an exploitation of other humans but also an inhumane discrimination of those who are at the lower part of the socio-economic level.

Of course the attraction in legalising organ trade is the extension of widespread commercialisation over all sphere of reality. And this is exactly what the rich wants because the more commercialised the world is, the more powerful they become. Perhaps there are many other reasons for us to see human body parts being one of the marketable fascinations in the next Great Singapore Sales, but our ignorance of the status and value of the human body is definitely not one of them.

"Perhaps the biggest issue," said Keith-Thomas Ayoob, associate professor in the Pediatrics Department at Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, "is how much of the foods do we even need to be eating? Is this going to change obesity? No, because you're swapping out one fat for another, the calories are the same. Would it be more beneficial for our hearts? Maybe."

Professor  Madelyn Fernstrom of University of Pittsburgh Weight Management Center agreed,

"A better message is eat less fat of any type, and more fruits and vegetables," Fernstrom said. But she said she does not think the California ban will have any impact on residents' health.

But ABC News medical correspondent Dr. David Katz disagrees,  believes this is a positive 1st step.

"We don't ask people to screen their food for lead, or arsenic, or mercury. These are known toxins; we should be able to assume that known poisons are not put into our food," said Dr. Katz.

Dr. Katz maintained that as an artificial and harmful product linked to heart disease and diabetes, trans fats effectively mean slow death. "In this case, government regulation is pretty easy to justify," Dr. Katz added.

The California  Restaurants Association  is against the legislation and lobbied against the bill. and I agree this smells like the nanny state to me.  Full disclosure  I am taking meds for High Blood Pressure  and Cholesterol. This could help me but  its what I eat and how much I exercise that changes behavior.

When I was a kid I tried cigarettes but I did not like the taste and today I can't stand cancer sticks.  Government intervention helped somewhat  to change our behavior by banning cigarette advertising on Television but it was people choices whether or not to smoke.

California have more important issues on its plate to worry about including the State Budget that has not passed. Priorities  people Priorities !