President Hugo Chavez has proposed slashing Venezuela's working day to six hours to turn its socialist revolution into a paradise of leisure - with one exception.Under a new draft constitution debated in congress this week everyone will have more time for recreation and relaxation. Everyone, that is, except Mr Chavez.As part of the same package of changes presidential term limits will be abolished, allowing Mr Chavez, who seldom seems to sleep or take time off, to continue his hyperactivity for some time to come. Critics say the two proposals are directly related: the six-hour proposal is a populist sweetener to ease the constitution's passage in a December referendum which will give the president the right to stand for continuous re-election. They have also criticised a proposal to suspend due process in "emergencies", allowing citizens to be detained without charge.
Under a new draft constitution debated in congress this week everyone will have more time for recreation and relaxation. Everyone, that is, except Mr Chavez.
As part of the same package of changes presidential term limits will be abolished, allowing Mr Chavez, who seldom seems to sleep or take time off, to continue his hyperactivity for some time to come.
Critics say the two proposals are directly related: the six-hour proposal is a populist sweetener to ease the constitution's passage in a December referendum which will give the president the right to stand for continuous re-election. They have also criticised a proposal to suspend due process in "emergencies", allowing citizens to be detained without charge.
In terms of continuing his term, elections are more open and fair in Venezuela than they seem to be in the US. As long as he continues to stand for election and the process continues to be legitimate there's really nothing sinister about it.
At what's believed to be the world's largest cemetery, where Shiite Muslims aspire to be buried and millions already have been, business isn't good. A drop in violence around Iraq has cut burials in the huge Wadi al Salam cemetery here by at least one-third in the past six months, and that's cut the pay of thousands of workers who make their living digging graves, washing corpses or selling burial shrouds. Few people have a better sense of the death rate in Iraq . Dhurgham Majed al Malik, 48, whose family has arranged burial services for generations, said that this spring, private cars and taxis with caskets lashed to their roofs arrived at a rate of 6,500 a month. Now it's 4,000 or less, he said. Malik said that the daily tide of cars bearing coffins has been a barometer of Iraq's violence for years. The number of burials rose and fell several times during Saddam Hussein's persecution of Shiites, and it soared again during the eight years of the Iran - Iraq war in the 1980s. Then in the 1990s, the daily average fell to 150 or less, Malik said. With the current war, the burials again reached 300 daily. In the early days of the war, some bodies brought for burial had been victims of Saddam, found by their families in unmarked mass graves. Later, there were surges; September 2005 marked a high point after a stampede during a Shiite Muslim festival killed hundreds on a Baghdad bridge. More than 1,300 were buried in a single day, Malik said.
A drop in violence around Iraq has cut burials in the huge Wadi al Salam cemetery here by at least one-third in the past six months, and that's cut the pay of thousands of workers who make their living digging graves, washing corpses or selling burial shrouds.
Few people have a better sense of the death rate in Iraq .
Dhurgham Majed al Malik, 48, whose family has arranged burial services for generations, said that this spring, private cars and taxis with caskets lashed to their roofs arrived at a rate of 6,500 a month. Now it's 4,000 or less, he said.
Malik said that the daily tide of cars bearing coffins has been a barometer of Iraq's violence for years. The number of burials rose and fell several times during Saddam Hussein's persecution of Shiites, and it soared again during the eight years of the Iran - Iraq war in the 1980s.
Then in the 1990s, the daily average fell to 150 or less, Malik said. With the current war, the burials again reached 300 daily.
In the early days of the war, some bodies brought for burial had been victims of Saddam, found by their families in unmarked mass graves. Later, there were surges; September 2005 marked a high point after a stampede during a Shiite Muslim festival killed hundreds on a Baghdad bridge. More than 1,300 were buried in a single day, Malik said.
A graph from AP via The Boston Globe:
Iraqi deaths fell by 50% last month US forces' toll lowest since August '06
US forces' toll lowest since August '06
"I always think of the increasing and decreasing of the dead," said Sameer Shaaban, 23, one of more than 100 workers who specialize in ceremonially washing the corpses. "People want more and more money, and I am one of them, but most of the workers in this field don't talk frankly, because they wish for more coffins, to earn more and more." <...> "Certainly, when the number of dead increases I feel happy, like all workers in the graveyard," said Basim Hameed , 30, a body washer. "This happiness comes from the increase in the amount of money we have." Death is something everyone must face, he noted. "My job demands death, and this is our fate, all of us." <...> "There is nothing beautiful in this career, but I cannot do any another job," Abuseba said.
<...>
"Certainly, when the number of dead increases I feel happy, like all workers in the graveyard," said Basim Hameed , 30, a body washer. "This happiness comes from the increase in the amount of money we have."
Death is something everyone must face, he noted. "My job demands death, and this is our fate, all of us."
"There is nothing beautiful in this career, but I cannot do any another job," Abuseba said.
President George W Bush today warned that world leaders risk helping bring about "World War Three" unless they do more to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.David Blair: No warmth or trust behind the handshake Leader: Vladimir Putin in TeheranIn remarks timed to coincide with Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to Teheran, Mr Bush said the Islamic republic must remain isolated until it drops its nuclear ambitions."We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel," Mr Bush told a White House press conference."So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War Three, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."Mr Bush's pointed statement follows the warm words exchanged by Mr Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, at an historic summit in Teheran this week.After their meeting Mr Putin repeated Moscow's line that there is no evidence to suggest Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, and pledged to continue helping the country develop its civil nuclear technology.
President George W Bush today warned that world leaders risk helping bring about "World War Three" unless they do more to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.
In remarks timed to coincide with Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to Teheran, Mr Bush said the Islamic republic must remain isolated until it drops its nuclear ambitions.
"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel," Mr Bush told a White House press conference.
"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War Three, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
Mr Bush's pointed statement follows the warm words exchanged by Mr Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, at an historic summit in Teheran this week.
After their meeting Mr Putin repeated Moscow's line that there is no evidence to suggest Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, and pledged to continue helping the country develop its civil nuclear technology.
All morning I was having flashbacks of Bush's "mushroom cloud" speech. This is mushroom cloud 2.0.
The one scary thing about this that always leaves open the possibility is ... what does he have to lose by doing it? Nada. Yikes. "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
Nice planet you have here, it would be a pity if something irreparable were to happen to it. Changing topics: have you thought again about joining Uncle Sam's boycott of the Persian? We have met the enemy, and it is us — Pogo
Unfortunately, I have no evidence that Putin is any less a nihilist than Bush. "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
Britain plans to submit a claim to the United Nations to extend its Antarctic territory by a million square kilometres, the foreign office said on Wednesday.The claim is one of five territorial requests planned by the Britain ahead of a May 2009 deadline and covers a vast area of the seabed around British Antarctica near the south pole, a spokesperson said."We are one of many coastal states who are submitting various claims," she told Reuters.She said the four other claims would be for Atlantic seabed territory around South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, around Ascension Island, near the Bay of Biscay in the south-west Atlantic, and in the Hatton-Rockall basin off Scotland's coast.The claim to extend British sovereignty in Antarctica could spark disputes with South American nations such as Argentina and Chile, who are likely to make overlapping claims in the region.
Environmental groups yesterday condemned British plans to claim sovereignty over a vast tract of the seabed off the coast of Antarctica, with Greenpeace and WWF expressing dismay that the Foreign Office was contemplating possible oil, gas and mineral exploration in the region.The Guardian yesterday revealed that the Foreign Office was preparing to submit a rights claim to the UN commission on the limits of the continental shelf (CLCS) for 1m sq km (386,000 sq miles) of seabed off the coast of the British Antarctic Territory. Any claim, it is alleged, could threaten the stability of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze territorial disputes on the world's least explored continent. Drilling for oil or gas would disrupt the fragile marine ecology of the Southern Ocean, environmentalists warn.Simon Walmsley, head of WWF-UK's marine programme, insisted: "There should be no oil or gas exploitation in Antarctica. It's such a fragile habitat. Some of the sea creatures there are killed by a rise in temperature of merely 1.1C. It would be a body blow for the whole region.
Environmental groups yesterday condemned British plans to claim sovereignty over a vast tract of the seabed off the coast of Antarctica, with Greenpeace and WWF expressing dismay that the Foreign Office was contemplating possible oil, gas and mineral exploration in the region.
The Guardian yesterday revealed that the Foreign Office was preparing to submit a rights claim to the UN commission on the limits of the continental shelf (CLCS) for 1m sq km (386,000 sq miles) of seabed off the coast of the British Antarctic Territory.
Any claim, it is alleged, could threaten the stability of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze territorial disputes on the world's least explored continent. Drilling for oil or gas would disrupt the fragile marine ecology of the Southern Ocean, environmentalists warn.
Simon Walmsley, head of WWF-UK's marine programme, insisted: "There should be no oil or gas exploitation in Antarctica. It's such a fragile habitat. Some of the sea creatures there are killed by a rise in temperature of merely 1.1C. It would be a body blow for the whole region.
Few regional summits have drawn closer attention, by both the media and world governments, than this week's summit of leaders of Caspian littoral states in Tehran. The two day summit, coinciding with twin nuclear crises and escalating US-Iran tensions relating to Iraq and the Middle East, is bound to be regarded as a milestone in regional cooperation, with serious ramifications for a broad array of issues transcending the Caspian Sea region. Billed as a "great leap toward progress" by Mehdi Safari, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of Iran's Caspian affairs, the summit has been a great success for Iran as well as Russia and the other participants (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan), and Tehran is likely to capitalize on it as a stepping stone for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), considered a security counterweight to NATO and US "hegemony".
The number of new homes being built in the US fell by 10.2% in September - worse than had been expected. And applications for building permits, seen as an indicator of future demand, also dropped sharply, down 7.2%. Analysts say the Commerce Department report reflects ever-deepening troubles in the US housing market. The data put the number of new homes constructed at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units. Permit requests fell to 1.23 million.
And applications for building permits, seen as an indicator of future demand, also dropped sharply, down 7.2%.
Analysts say the Commerce Department report reflects ever-deepening troubles in the US housing market.
The data put the number of new homes constructed at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units. Permit requests fell to 1.23 million.
Currency traders were given a green light to continue selling the US dollar on Wednesday, as the International Monetary Fund said the greenback "remains overvalued" and rejected claims the euro had risen too far.Contradicting Rodrigo Rato, the outgoing IMF managing director, who last week said "right now the dollar is undervalued", the fund's staff conclude the dollar is still too high. The multilateral lender also forecast slower growth in 2008 at 4.75 per cent, compared with 5.2 per cent expected this year.The IMF's new stance on the dollar will counter the arguments to the contrary made by France and some other eurozone members at this weekend's meetings of the Group of Seven leading economies and the IMF's governing body. They have been urging a change in language to temper the fall in the dollar, which dropped by more than 4 per cent against the euro in September alone.The IMF, however, has little sympathy for struggling eurozone exporters hit by the currency's rise. It says that even after its recent rise, the euro "continues to trade in a range broadly consistent with medium-term fundamentals".
Currency traders were given a green light to continue selling the US dollar on Wednesday, as the International Monetary Fund said the greenback "remains overvalued" and rejected claims the euro had risen too far.
Contradicting Rodrigo Rato, the outgoing IMF managing director, who last week said "right now the dollar is undervalued", the fund's staff conclude the dollar is still too high. The multilateral lender also forecast slower growth in 2008 at 4.75 per cent, compared with 5.2 per cent expected this year.
The IMF's new stance on the dollar will counter the arguments to the contrary made by France and some other eurozone members at this weekend's meetings of the Group of Seven leading economies and the IMF's governing body. They have been urging a change in language to temper the fall in the dollar, which dropped by more than 4 per cent against the euro in September alone.
The IMF, however, has little sympathy for struggling eurozone exporters hit by the currency's rise. It says that even after its recent rise, the euro "continues to trade in a range broadly consistent with medium-term fundamentals".
Japan and China lead flight from the dollar Japan and China led a record withdrawl of foreign funds from the United States in August, heightening fears of a fresh slide in the dollar and a spike in US bond yields. Data from the US Treasury showed outflows of $163bn (£80bn) from all forms of US investments. "These numbers are absolutely stunning," said Marc Ostwald, an economist at Insinger de Beaufort. Asian investors dumped $52bn worth of US Treasury bonds alone, led by Japan ($23bn), China ($14.2bn) and Taiwan ($5bn). It is the first time since 1998 that foreigners have, on balance, sold Treasuries. [The US] requires $70bn a month in capital inflows to cover its current account deficit, but the key sources of finance are drying up one by one.
Japan and China led a record withdrawl of foreign funds from the United States in August, heightening fears of a fresh slide in the dollar and a spike in US bond yields.
Data from the US Treasury showed outflows of $163bn (£80bn) from all forms of US investments. "These numbers are absolutely stunning," said Marc Ostwald, an economist at Insinger de Beaufort.
Asian investors dumped $52bn worth of US Treasury bonds alone, led by Japan ($23bn), China ($14.2bn) and Taiwan ($5bn). It is the first time since 1998 that foreigners have, on balance, sold Treasuries.
[The US] requires $70bn a month in capital inflows to cover its current account deficit, but the key sources of finance are drying up one by one.
Indian regulator sparks market chaos The Indian stock exchange see-sawed spectacularly yesterday after regulators revealed plans to limit the flow of foreign money into Indian shares to avert the risk of the market overheating. The proposed controls on offshore derivative instruments caused chaos on the Mumbai Stock Exchange with the benchmark Sensex index falling nearly 10 per cent within minutes of opening before trading was suspended. Palaniappan Chidambaram, India's Finance Minister, moved quickly to dispel "alarmist" fears that foreign investment in Indian companies was unwelcome, boosting investor confidence. Most of the lost ground was made up after trading resumed with the index closing less than 2 per cent lower.
The Indian stock exchange see-sawed spectacularly yesterday after regulators revealed plans to limit the flow of foreign money into Indian shares to avert the risk of the market overheating.
The proposed controls on offshore derivative instruments caused chaos on the Mumbai Stock Exchange with the benchmark Sensex index falling nearly 10 per cent within minutes of opening before trading was suspended. Palaniappan Chidambaram, India's Finance Minister, moved quickly to dispel "alarmist" fears that foreign investment in Indian companies was unwelcome, boosting investor confidence. Most of the lost ground was made up after trading resumed with the index closing less than 2 per cent lower.
Most Asian markets fall as Indian markets are roiled and oil prices remain high
The Air Force has decided to relieve at least five of its officers of command and is considering filing criminal charges in connection with the Aug. 29 "Bent Spear" incident in which nuclear-armed cruise missiles were mistakenly flown from North Dakota to Louisiana, two senior Air Force officials said yesterday. Although senior Defense Department officials have not been fully briefed on the results of an Air Force probe of the incident, the sources said that at least one colonel is expected to lose his position and that several enlisted personnel will also be punished as part disciplinary actions that could be among the toughest meted out by the Air Force in years. The measures are expected to be formally announced tomorrow along with the detailed findings of an internal, six-week investigation into how a B-52 bomber crew mistakenly flew from one military air base to another with six nuclear warheads strapped to its wings. Air Force veterans have described the Aug. 29 incident as the one of the worst breaches in U.S. nuclear weapons security in decades. A senior Air Force official familiar with the investigation said officers will be relieved at both installations involved in the incident: Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La. A colonel commanding one of the Air Force wings is likely to be the highest-ranking officer to be relieved, the official said. In addition, the official said, letters of reprimand will be issued to several enlisted service members. The personnel actions may be followed by criminal charges against one or more people, but that course of action is still being discussed at the highest levels of the Air Force, he added. The most likely such charge, he said, would be either dereliction of duty or willful disobedience of an order.
Although senior Defense Department officials have not been fully briefed on the results of an Air Force probe of the incident, the sources said that at least one colonel is expected to lose his position and that several enlisted personnel will also be punished as part disciplinary actions that could be among the toughest meted out by the Air Force in years.
The measures are expected to be formally announced tomorrow along with the detailed findings of an internal, six-week investigation into how a B-52 bomber crew mistakenly flew from one military air base to another with six nuclear warheads strapped to its wings. Air Force veterans have described the Aug. 29 incident as the one of the worst breaches in U.S. nuclear weapons security in decades.
A senior Air Force official familiar with the investigation said officers will be relieved at both installations involved in the incident: Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La. A colonel commanding one of the Air Force wings is likely to be the highest-ranking officer to be relieved, the official said.
In addition, the official said, letters of reprimand will be issued to several enlisted service members. The personnel actions may be followed by criminal charges against one or more people, but that course of action is still being discussed at the highest levels of the Air Force, he added. The most likely such charge, he said, would be either dereliction of duty or willful disobedience of an order.
which reminds me... I forgot to post this story the other day....
U.S. Missile Goes Astray in Qatar A U.S. Army unit mistakenly launched a Patriot PAC-3 antiaircraft missile from an American base in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar, U.S. military officials said. The PAC-3 missile, an upgraded version of the Patriot, landed nearby on a farm and caused no damage, the Qatari military said, according to a statement carried by the Qatar News Agency. The land, about four miles north of the base at Camp As Sayliyah, may be owned by Qatari royal Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, said an official at Central Command, the U.S. military headquarters for the Middle East. But Army Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for the Central Command in Qatar, said she did not think the land was owned by Thani. "It was an unexplained and accidental launch," she said. "It is under investigation." Military officials were reluctant to discuss the incident, partly because it is embarrassing and partly because the government of Qatar prefers that the U.S. military maintains a low profile in that country.
A U.S. Army unit mistakenly launched a Patriot PAC-3 antiaircraft missile from an American base in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar, U.S. military officials said.
The PAC-3 missile, an upgraded version of the Patriot, landed nearby on a farm and caused no damage, the Qatari military said, according to a statement carried by the Qatar News Agency. The land, about four miles north of the base at Camp As Sayliyah, may be owned by Qatari royal Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, said an official at Central Command, the U.S. military headquarters for the Middle East.
But Army Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for the Central Command in Qatar, said she did not think the land was owned by Thani.
"It was an unexplained and accidental launch," she said. "It is under investigation."
Military officials were reluctant to discuss the incident, partly because it is embarrassing and partly because the government of Qatar prefers that the U.S. military maintains a low profile in that country.
"Goes astray."
Oops. Again.
The missile was fired by Battery A, 3rd Battalion of the 43rd Air Defense Artillery while it was training, the Central Command official said. PAC-3 missiles cost more than $4 million each, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a defense think tank.
$4 million missiles for target practice???
...we cannot afford children health insurance ´cause we must cover target practice contingencies in our >700 bases ´round the world... Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.
On Oct. 15, prices passed the previous all-time inflation- adjusted record reached in 1981, when Iran cut oil exports. The cost of oil used by U.S. refiners averaged $37.48 a barrel in March 1981, according to the Energy Department, or $84.73 in today's dollars.
How the hell have they calculated that?
Using September 2007 and March 1981 CPI, I get $88.40. (And using average spot prices, the actual maximum is April 1980, at $101.67 in Sep 2007 dollars.) I only get close using the annual 2006 and the April 1981 CPI. Or maybe they used another deflator?
Or some extra-strange typo? Note that $37.48 and $84.73 are mirror images. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
