En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
The EU enlargement policy is a reflection of the Union's global role, said the Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn Tuesday 3. November when he addressed the French senate. "The global credibility of the EU rests on its capacity to shape its neighbourhood", Rehn said, "the 2004 enlargement, reuniting European countries after decades of division into blocks, is a sterling example of the pull of the EU's soft power".
Today's killings in Nad-e-Ali ,the joint highest death toll for British soldiers in the Afghan conflict, was carried out by one of Captain Laljan's men, probably with the help of others in the rank, raising fears in the ranks of the troops that they cannot turn their backs on the men who are supposed to be allies against the insurgents. ... Four weeks ago a policeman in Wardak province opened fire on American soldiers out on patrol, killing two of them before fleeing. Last year, over a period of less than a month, Afghan police twice attacked US forces, killing two soldiers and wounding three others. Last week men in police uniforms forced their way into a guest house in Kabul and murdered five UN election workers. They were not members of the force, but had police issue radio transmitters and detailed information on the target of their attack, which, say investigators, could only have come from official sources. It is in the Helmand frontline, in areas like Nad-e-Ali, that there is the most apprehension that police officers may switch sides - either due to intimidation or money or religious and ideological commitment.
...
Four weeks ago a policeman in Wardak province opened fire on American soldiers out on patrol, killing two of them before fleeing. Last year, over a period of less than a month, Afghan police twice attacked US forces, killing two soldiers and wounding three others. Last week men in police uniforms forced their way into a guest house in Kabul and murdered five UN election workers. They were not members of the force, but had police issue radio transmitters and detailed information on the target of their attack, which, say investigators, could only have come from official sources.
It is in the Helmand frontline, in areas like Nad-e-Ali, that there is the most apprehension that police officers may switch sides - either due to intimidation or money or religious and ideological commitment.
A major fissure opens up in Labour's support for the Afghan war with a call from the former Foreign Office minister Kim Howells for the phased withdrawal of British troops from Helmand.
The challenger in Afghanistan's recent presidential election said Wednesday that President Hamid Karzai has come to power illegally and will not be able to rein in corruption or serve as a reliable partner in the fight against the Taliban.Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah spoke a day after five British soldiers were killed in a shooting in southern Helmand province. Afghan authorities said the attack was carried out by an Afghan policeman who opened fire on the British troops.Abdullah said the Afghan government had squandered eight years of opportunity and the assistance of its Western allies by failing to stop corruption or create a government that responds to the needs of the Afghan people.
The challenger in Afghanistan's recent presidential election said Wednesday that President Hamid Karzai has come to power illegally and will not be able to rein in corruption or serve as a reliable partner in the fight against the Taliban.
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah spoke a day after five British soldiers were killed in a shooting in southern Helmand province. Afghan authorities said the attack was carried out by an Afghan policeman who opened fire on the British troops.
Abdullah said the Afghan government had squandered eight years of opportunity and the assistance of its Western allies by failing to stop corruption or create a government that responds to the needs of the Afghan people.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a gun attack that killed five British soldiers and injured several others in Helmand province, the prime minister, Gordon Brown told the Commons today.The soldiers - who were tonight named by the Ministry of Defence as Warrant Officer Darren Chant, Sergeant Matthew Telford, Guardsman James Major, Acting Corporal Steven Boote and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith - were killed when an Afghan policeman opened fire at a checkpoint in the Nad-e'Ali district yesterday.A manhunt has been launched to find the gunman, who apparently fired without warning, then fled. Another six UK servicemen and two Afghan National Police (ANP) officers were injured. Four of the soldiers were killed immediately and the fifth died of his wounds, said the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).The incident happened at around 3.15pm at a checkpoint on the edge of Shin Kalay, a collection of houses just 400 metres away from Nad-e-Ali district centre. The gunman was on the roof of the checkpoint when he opened fire.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a gun attack that killed five British soldiers and injured several others in Helmand province, the prime minister, Gordon Brown told the Commons today.
The soldiers - who were tonight named by the Ministry of Defence as Warrant Officer Darren Chant, Sergeant Matthew Telford, Guardsman James Major, Acting Corporal Steven Boote and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith - were killed when an Afghan policeman opened fire at a checkpoint in the Nad-e'Ali district yesterday.
A manhunt has been launched to find the gunman, who apparently fired without warning, then fled. Another six UK servicemen and two Afghan National Police (ANP) officers were injured. Four of the soldiers were killed immediately and the fifth died of his wounds, said the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).
The incident happened at around 3.15pm at a checkpoint on the edge of Shin Kalay, a collection of houses just 400 metres away from Nad-e-Ali district centre. The gunman was on the roof of the checkpoint when he opened fire.
Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons Wednesday on the sidelines of state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover, witnesses and state media reported.The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force on Tehran's streets since mid-September. They sought to display unity and resolve after relentless crackdowns on their protests following the disputed June presidential election.Though the crowds were far smaller than during last summer's outrage, authorities were ready with the same sweeping measures: dispatching paramilitary units to key locations and disrupting mobile phones, text messaging and Internet access to frustrate protest organizers.
Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons Wednesday on the sidelines of state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover, witnesses and state media reported.
The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force on Tehran's streets since mid-September. They sought to display unity and resolve after relentless crackdowns on their protests following the disputed June presidential election.
Though the crowds were far smaller than during last summer's outrage, authorities were ready with the same sweeping measures: dispatching paramilitary units to key locations and disrupting mobile phones, text messaging and Internet access to frustrate protest organizers.
An ebullient Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele asserted Wednesday that GOP victories in governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate "a transcendent party" on the move again. Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said that nothing about the election returns amounted to a repudiation of President Barack Obama.
If I was disposed I could almost feel sorry for his predicament, rock and hard place doesn't begin to cover it. keep to the Fen Causeway
Health care is significant to US politics. The outcome of that debate should cause some waves. In the meantime, hang tight if you'r'e interested because we're in the same holding pattern we've been in all year, politically and economically.
On the culture front things do appear to be shifting, finally. Christmas spending numbers in the US should be a nice little wake-up call for anybody who believes this "recovery" bullshit they've been fed.
Well, I will be damned. Why, I just oughta move to a cave, grow a beard, quit bathing and drink 2 l of anise each morning...
H.R.3962, "Affordable Health Care for America Act," introduced 29 Oct 2009
SEC. 310. HEALTH INSURANCE COOPERATIVES. (a) Establishment- Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the [new-to-the-world, US federal Health Insurance Exchange*] Commissioner, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall establish a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program (in this section referred to as the `CO-OP program')
(a) Establishment- Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the [new-to-the-world, US federal Health Insurance Exchange*] Commissioner, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall establish a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program (in this section referred to as the `CO-OP program')
NB. diacritic prefixed CO-OP: resolution of trust fund naming convention in progress. Each state insurance commission will continue to license, or admit, a "co-op" insurer or brokerage eligible for FedVC investment: "(F) The cooperative is licensed to offer insurance in each State in which it offers insurance" to individuals or employer-sponsored groups. A state is prohibited from operating a "co-op," either exchange or insurance: "(D) The cooperative is not sponsored by a State government."
under which the Commissioner may make grants and loans for the establishment and initial operation of not-for-profit, member-run health insurance cooperatives (in this section individually referred to as a `cooperative') that provide insurance through the Health Insurance Exchange or a State-based Health Insurance Exchange under section 308. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a State to establish such a cooperative.
ahahahaha... immodest subordination to The Reid Compromise of 2010 wherein FedVC turfed downside risk ....bwahahahaha... of "public option" to states' governors and legislatures.
1) EXCLUSIVE TO THE EXCHANGE- The public health insurance option shall only be made available through the Health Insurance Exchange.
--- * SEC. 322. PREMIUMS AND FINANCING. (2) START-UP FUNDING "In order to provide for the establishment of the public health insurance option, there is hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000,000. In order to provide for initial claims reserves before the collection of premiums, there are hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as necessary to cover 90 days worth of claims reserves based on projected enrollment."
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
"SEC. 309. INTERSTATE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPACTS. (g) Assistance to Compacting States-
(1) IN GENERAL- Beginning January 1, 2015, the Secretary shall make awards, from amounts appropriated under paragraph (5), to States in the amount specified in paragraph (2) for the uses described in paragraph (3).
(2) AMOUNT SPECIFIED- (A) IN GENERAL- For each fiscal year, the Secretary shall determine the total amount that the Secretary will make available for grants under this subsection. (B) STATE AMOUNT- For each State that is awarded a grant under paragraph (1), the amount of such grants shall be based on a formula established by the Secretary, not to exceed $1 million per State, under which States shall receive an award in the amount that is based on the following two components:..." Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
Nothing has/will change in US politics ...
I've come up with an analogy. Watching the US is like watching a basketball game. One team is the super wealthy, the other is the rest of us. The refs, i.e. the government, are suppose to keep the game fair by calling fouls but the super wealthy bribe the refs and have rigged the game. And so the mighty empire which was the US is slowly going down the toilet. The empire of China is slowly replacing us. To quote many movies, "I got a baaad feeling about this." My hope lies with Europe and South America. Wonder when China will take over the Pentagon, assuming they haven't already. And I wonder how Israel will fare in all of this. I don't think China has great respect for the Jews, assuming they respect anyone but themselves. In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
There seems to be a semiconsensus across the land that the myriad decisions voters made around the country this week all added up to a terrible blow to the White House. If that's the way we're going to go, I don't think it's fair to dump all the blame on gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia. Although there is no way to deny that New Jersey and Virginia were terrible, horrible, disastrous, cataclysmic blows to Obama's prestige. No wonder the White House said he was not watching the results come in. How could the man have gotten any sleep after he realized that his lukewarm support of an inept candidate whose most notable claim to fame was experience in hog castration was not enough to ensure a Democratic victory in Virginia? New Jersey was even worse. The defeat of Gov. Jon Corzine made it clear that the young and minority voters who turned out for Obama will not necessarily show up at the polls in order to re-elect an uncharismatic former Wall Street big shot who failed to deliver on his most important campaign promises while serving as the public face of a state party that specializes in getting indicted. They would not rally around Corzine even when the president asked them! Really, what good are coattails if they can't drag an unlovable guy from a deeply corrupt party into a second term?
There seems to be a semiconsensus across the land that the myriad decisions voters made around the country this week all added up to a terrible blow to the White House. If that's the way we're going to go, I don't think it's fair to dump all the blame on gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia.
Although there is no way to deny that New Jersey and Virginia were terrible, horrible, disastrous, cataclysmic blows to Obama's prestige. No wonder the White House said he was not watching the results come in. How could the man have gotten any sleep after he realized that his lukewarm support of an inept candidate whose most notable claim to fame was experience in hog castration was not enough to ensure a Democratic victory in Virginia?
New Jersey was even worse. The defeat of Gov. Jon Corzine made it clear that the young and minority voters who turned out for Obama will not necessarily show up at the polls in order to re-elect an uncharismatic former Wall Street big shot who failed to deliver on his most important campaign promises while serving as the public face of a state party that specializes in getting indicted.
They would not rally around Corzine even when the president asked them! Really, what good are coattails if they can't drag an unlovable guy from a deeply corrupt party into a second term?
Palestinians might have to abandon the goal of an independent state if Israel continues to expand Jewish settlements, the chief Palestinian negotiator said.... He said it might be time for Mr Abbas to "tell the truth" that a two-state solution "is no longer an option". But Israel rejects a one-state solution as a demographic time-bomb that would make Jews a minority in the country.
Palestinians might have to abandon the goal of an independent state if Israel continues to expand Jewish settlements, the chief Palestinian negotiator said.
He said it might be time for Mr Abbas to "tell the truth" that a two-state solution "is no longer an option".
But Israel rejects a one-state solution as a demographic time-bomb that would make Jews a minority in the country.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he will not seek reelection in a January ballot because of the lack of progress in peace talks with Israel, Palestinian officials said. ... Abbas had called for the January election last month after failing to reach a unity deal with rival Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Abbas has rejected U.S. calls to resume peace negotiations with Israel, saying he was sticking by his demand that Israel first halt all settlement expansion under a 2003 U.S.-back peace road map.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he will not seek reelection in a January ballot because of the lack of progress in peace talks with Israel, Palestinian officials said.
Abbas had called for the January election last month after failing to reach a unity deal with rival Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Abbas has rejected U.S. calls to resume peace negotiations with Israel, saying he was sticking by his demand that Israel first halt all settlement expansion under a 2003 U.S.-back peace road map.
The UN general assembly is expected to approve a resolution this week calling on Israel and the Palestinians to carry out independent investigations into serious allegations of war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict last January.A debate on a highly critical UN report, written by the South African judge Richard Goldstone, begins today, with a vote on a resolution likely . Negotiations are continuing on the resolution and several European countries are trying to change the wording."We're listening to all comments, but the draft resolution as it stands, the thrust of it, is asking for investigation, and there is unanimity on that call," said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian observer at the UN. "We'll take it from there."A resolution from the general assembly would not be legally binding, but would be easier to reach than one before the security council, where it is likely to be opposed by the US and China.
The UN general assembly is expected to approve a resolution this week calling on Israel and the Palestinians to carry out independent investigations into serious allegations of war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict last January.
A debate on a highly critical UN report, written by the South African judge Richard Goldstone, begins today, with a vote on a resolution likely . Negotiations are continuing on the resolution and several European countries are trying to change the wording.
"We're listening to all comments, but the draft resolution as it stands, the thrust of it, is asking for investigation, and there is unanimity on that call," said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian observer at the UN. "We'll take it from there."
A resolution from the general assembly would not be legally binding, but would be easier to reach than one before the security council, where it is likely to be opposed by the US and China.
Yadlin's announcement should be seen as part of an attempt by the military to prepare the public for a new attack against the Strip. The General Staff is not remotely eager for another round, especially with the Goldstone report conclusions still haunting commanders of the previous operation when they travel abroad. Hamas, for it's part, is in no hurry for a confrontation either. Gaza has not yet recovered from the devastation of Cast Lead, and the organization knows it would pay in heavy casualties if the conflict reignites.
Yes, American belief in Israel's good intentions.
outside of some Jewish circles? In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
