Jan 26 2008
1. Opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa comes under fire for disappearing before a Lower House vote allowing the Maritime Self-Defense Force to resume its anti-terror refueling mission. He gives a speech for a candidate backed by his party, Minshuto, in the Osaka governor’s election. And he vows a change in government this year. He’ll likely show up if that happens. 2 hr, 8 min, 43 sec
Perhaps if Tsuneo Nakajima had “Found” another use for his hands he wouldn’t be a guest in the Gray Bar Hotel.
Jan 25 2008
This is an Open Thread: Who’s behind the door?
U.S. Asking Iraq for Wide Rights on War
WASHINGTON – With its international mandate in Iraq set to expire in 11 months, the Bush administration will insist that the government in Baghdad give the United States broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law, according to administration and military officials.
This emerging American negotiating position faces a potential buzz saw of opposition from Iraq, with its fragmented Parliament, weak central government and deep sensitivities about being seen as a dependent state, according to these officials.
Jan 24 2008
This is an Open Thread: Welcome To The Machine
Olympic Teams Vying to Defeat Beijing’s Smog
COLORADO SPRINGS – As the lead exercise physiologist for the United States Olympic Committee, Randy Wilber has been fielding one bizarre question after another from American athletes training for the Beijing Games.
Should I run behind a bus and breathe in the exhaust? Should I train on the highway during rush hour? Is there any way to acclimate myself to pollution?Mr. Wilber answers those questions with a steadfast, “No.”
“We have to be extremely careful and steer them in the right direction because the mind-set of the elite athlete is to do anything it takes to get that advantage,” he said.
The environmental effects of pollution in China is not contained therein. North and South Korea, Japan along with various Pacific Islands feel the effects of this problem throughout spring.
Jan 23 2008
The Morning News is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 New armored truck sees first Iraq death
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer
37 minutes ago
| WASHINGTON – A soldier killed over the weekend south of Baghdad was the first American death in a roadside bomb attack on a newly introduced, heavily armored vehicle, military officials said Tuesday.
The death, however, has not changed the Pentagon’s mind about its plans to spend more than $22 billion to buy thousands of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, known by the acronym MRAP, for the Army and Marine Corps to use in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell. “That attack has not … caused anyone to question the vehicle’s lifesaving capacity,” Morrell said. “To the contrary, the attack reaffirms their survivability.” |
Jan 22 2008
This is an Open Thread: Phones Lines are now available.
In Asia, Global Market Decline Accelerates
Amid fears that the United States may be in a recession, the decline in stock markets accelerated Tuesday morning as exchanges opened across Asia.
Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all fell farther in the opening hours of trading Tuesday than they had all day on Monday. The Hong Kong market plunged another 8 percent by early afternoon after tumbling 5.49 percent on Monday. In Tokyo, the Nikkei dropped 5 percent, hitting a low not seen since September 2005 and facing its worst two-day drop in 17 years on concern global growth is faltering.
Jan 21 2008
This Thread is Open 24/7
Pentagon Weighs Top Iraq General as Chief of NATO
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is considering Gen. David H. Petraeus for the top NATO command later this year, a move that would give the general, the top American commander in Iraq, a high-level post during the next administration but that has raised concerns about the practice of rotating war commanders.
A senior Pentagon official said that it was weighing “a next assignment for Petraeus” and that the NATO post was a possibility. “He deserves one and that has also always been a highly prestigious position,” the official said. “So he is a candidate for that job, but there have been no final decisions and nothing on the timing.”
Jan 20 2008
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Did oil canals worsen Katrina’s effects?
By CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press Writer
47 minutes ago
| IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA – Service canals dug to tap oil and natural gas dart everywhere through the black mangrove shrubs, bird rushes and golden marsh. From the air, they look like a Pac-Man maze superimposed on an estuarine landscape 10 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park.
There are 10,000 miles of these oil canals. They fed America’s thirst for energy, but helped bring its biggest delta to the brink of collapse. They also connect an overlooked set of dots in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: The role that some say the oil industry played in the $135 billion disaster, the nation’s costliest. The delta, formed by the accumulation of the Mississippi River’s upstream mud over thousands of years, is a shadow of what it was 100 years ago. Since the 1930s, a fifth of the 10,000-square-mile delta has turned into open water, decreasing the delta’s economic and ecologic value by as much as $15 billion a year, according to Louisiana State University studies. |
Jan 20 2008
This Thread is Open: Never to be foreclosed
McCain Beats Huckabee in S. Carolina; Clinton and Romney Win in Nevada
Florida Now Looms as Key GOP Primary
Sunday, January 20, 2008; Page A01COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 19 — Sen. John McCain conquered the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday, giving his once-embattled presidential campaign another significant boost and helping to wipe away bitter memories of his defeat here eight years ago.
McCain (Ariz.) opened his victory speech in Charleston by alluding to that loss. “It took us a while, but what’s eight years among friends?” he said, a big smile crossing his face.Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, looking for a victory in the first Southern primary of the 2008 nomination battle, finished second to McCain, but not getting a victory in this conservative state is a blow to his underdog hopes of winning the GOP nomination.
Just one more year! Good riddance to George W Bush
But what kind of mess will the next president inherit, exactly 12 months from today? By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Arabia is the land of illusion and desert mirages. And as he jetted last week from kingdom to sheikdom, to be regaled with feasts and falcons, jewels and ornamental swords, George Bush might have imagined that all was well with his presidency. But this, his longest and most ambitious trip to the Middle East, will surely be remembered – if it is remembered at all – as a gaudy, irrelevant footnote to a presidency that has long since failed.Today is a sombre milestone, marking the start of the last of Mr Bush’s eight years in the White House. This being a leap year, exactly 366 days remain until 20 January 2009, when his successor will be sworn into office. It is a time when incumbents look to their legacies. And for this President the view could scarcely be bleaker.
Jan 19 2008
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
1 Why does Johnny come marching homeless?
By ERIN McCLAM, AP National Writer
57 minutes ago
| LEEDS, Mass. – Peter Mohan traces the path from the Iraqi battlefield to this lifeless conference room, where he sits in a kilt and a Camp Kill Yourself T-shirt and calmly describes how he became a sad cliche: a homeless veteran.
There was a happy homecoming, but then an accident – car crash, broken collarbone. And then a move east, close to his wife’s new job but away from his best friends. And then self-destruction: He would gun his motorcycle to 100 mph and try to stand on the seat. He would wait for his wife to leave in the morning, draw the blinds and open up whatever bottle of booze was closest. |
Jan 19 2008
I thought it might be useful for folks if I took a moment to briefly highlight a few of the recent articles on ePluribus Media that may prove interesting and relevant to ongoing discussions.
So, make the jump for a quick check-in, and leave comments here (or there, or both) if you’d like to share your own thoughts.
Thank you. 🙂
Jan 19 2008
This is an Open Thread: Nothing is sealed in plastic
Economists Debate Efficacy of Stimulus Measures
In trying to assemble a bipartisan package to jolt the slumping economy, the White House and Congress have turned to familiar tools that experts say have worked in the past. But there is also a lively debate among economists about which measures will best accomplish the goal.
The favorite template for addressing recession fears is a set of tax measures and spending initiatives passed in 2001 and 2002, including a personal income tax rebate in the summer of 2001 that amounted to $300 to $600 per household and a tax incentive the following year aimed at encouraging businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.President Bush highlighted both those basic approaches on Friday in setting out his principles for a deal with Congress to address the current downturn. Democrats are also likely to seek increased spending for programs like unemployment insurance or to funnel more money to states, an approach that Mr. Bush signaled he would oppose.
Jan 19 2008
A “professional avenger” who performed acts of retribution for cash was arrested along with a client for handing out pamphlets defaming a housewife in Aichi Prefecture.
I wonder if he’s Batman’s cousin?Weddings for pregnant brides, known as the Omedeta-kon Plan, have become increasingly popular in recent years in Japan. Please pass the shotgun.
Leave all Samurai swords at home. Thank you.Japan’s first female governor, Osaka’s scandal-hit Fusae Ohta, decided not to seek a third term. She first took over the job when Knock Yokoyama was forced out over a sexual-harassment scandal.