I will be around, maybe at the beginning a little less, am also trying to reduce my internet time, but then on and off for joining in on what's going on at ET.
We will miss your reduced presence but I certainly undestand you need a break. Fare well. keep to the Fen Causeway
...then see this.
Life changes. What you have given and what you will give, is appreciated.
Thanks and continue to be/do/have well. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
President Barack Obama's new pastor is an evangelical Iraq veteran who has denounced Islam as a faith that "from its very birth has used the edge of the sword as a means to convert or conquer". Carey Cash, a US Navy chaplain who baptised more than 50 men during the Iraq invasion in 2003, is a fervent believer in spreading Christianity within the armed forces and believed a "wall of angels" protected his men as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad. A 6ft 4ins graduate of the Citadel military academy in South Carolina, the Rev Cash nearly became a professional American footballer.
Carey Cash, a US Navy chaplain who baptised more than 50 men during the Iraq invasion in 2003, is a fervent believer in spreading Christianity within the armed forces and believed a "wall of angels" protected his men as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad.
A 6ft 4ins graduate of the Citadel military academy in South Carolina, the Rev Cash nearly became a professional American footballer.
HAMMOND, La. -- A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist."I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said."I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.
HAMMOND, La. -- A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.
Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.
"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."
Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.
According to the accompanying article, the reporter-photographer Antonello Zappadu, consigned his production of over 10,000 photos of Berlusconi's antics to the Columbian agency Ecoprensa to keep it safe. Requests for photos arrive from throughout the world, some of them amusing. An Israeli agency would like to use pictures of Berlusconi and his escorts to advertise a hotel chain.
El Pais- a newspaper Berlusconi is now seeking to buy up (one critical voice less).
There are claims that El Pais is in deep financial trouble but... being bought out by Burlesqueoni? 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
More recently there has been a more detailed article on the case which I hope to find.
Gah. 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
In 2006 Prisa made a public acquisition bid on 20% of Sogecable's actions to increase its participation up to almost 50%. Prisa increased its stake above the 50% mark in late 2007, triggering a mandatory (by Spanish law) bid for the remainder of the shares.[1] At the close of the offer period on 12 May 2008, Prisa announced that it held over 95% of Sogecable's share capital.
Asia times - Paul Bigioni - the real Threat of Fascism
As contradictory as it may seem, fascist dictatorship was made possible because of the flawed notion of freedom which held sway during the era of laissez-faire capitalism in the early twentieth century. It was the liberals of that era that clamored for unfettered personal and economic freedom, no matter what the cost to society. Such untrammeled freedom is not suitable to civilized humans. It is the freedom of the jungle. In other words, the strong have more of it than the weak. It is a notion of freedom which is inherently violent, because it is enjoyed at the expense of others. Such a notion of freedom legitimizes each and every increase in the wealth and power of those who are already powerful, regardless of the misery that will be suffered by others as a result. The use of the state to limit such "freedom" was denounced by the laissez-faire liberals of the early twentieth century. The use of the state to protect such "freedom" was fascism. Just as monopoly is the ruin of the free market, fascism is the ultimate degradation of liberal capitalism.
Berlusconi has always sought to take over the independant press, the most famous case being the Mondadori takeover through bribery for which his group was condemned. The recent sentence in a civil court condemned his group to pay 750 million euro damages to the De Benedetti group.
The Mondadori take-over however was not as complete as he desired. At the time it also included the Espresso-La Repubblica group that managed to break out of the deal thanks to very heavy political pressure at the time, as well as the craftiness of the E-R group. Had Berlusconi prevailed he would have controlled la Repubblica and L'Espresso giving him a monopoly of the two major weeklies as well as the leading Italian paper as of 1992.
La Repubblica is perhaps the only major "pure" editorial enterprise in Italy. All major papers are controlled as bargaining chips in the political arena by industrial giants or political parties (Corriere della Sera, la Stampa, Sole 24 Ore. This has accustomed Italian readers to impulsively suspect hidden objectives behind the news rather than plain editorial professionality.
In conclusion, the Berlusconi press has launched a ridiculous smear campaign against the judge who condemned Berlusconi to pay damages. Judge Mesiano is a very strange person! He goes to the barber shop, smokes, shows signs of impatience at times, but above all he wears blue trousers, turquoise socks and white loafers. Indeed, highly suspicious! Prime morning reportage. Paranoia galore!
As for Spain and the rest of the nations of Europe, exceptional measures must be taken to block any takeover whatsoever by Berlusconi.
An accompanying article by Stefano Carli that illustrates the situation of telecommunications in Spain and Prisa's crisis is not available on the net.
Berlusconi's Telecinco is already the leader in audience shares in Spain and has its eyes on Prisa's Cuatro TV. Are we going to witness the berlusconisation of Spain- and Latin America- in the near future? Is it already on the way? With Cuatro and El Pais under the belt all Berlusconi would need is a compliant rightwing PM.
