Old Fox's KM blotter

Is Great Beauty in fact a Curse?

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:34:00 +0000

Dalida (17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), birth name Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a singer and actress who performed and recorded in more than 10 languages including: French, Arabic, Italian, Greek, German, English, Japanese, Hebrew, Dutch and Spanish.

She was born in Cairo, Egypt, to Italian (Calabrian) parents, and spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptiancommunity, but she lived most of her adult life in France.^[1]^[2] She received 55 gold records and was the first singer to receive a diamond disc.^[3]^[4] A 30-year career (she debuted in 1956 and recorded her last album in 1986, a few months before her death) and her death led to an iconic image as a tragic diva and renowned singer....

Early life and beginnings [edit]

Iolanda Christina Gigliotti was born in Shubra, Cairo, Egypt. Her family was from Serrastretta, Calabria, Italy, but lived in Egypt, where Dalida's father, Pietro Gigliotti, was first violinist (primo violino) at the Cairo Opera House.

Iolanda Gigliotti was the cousin of Attilio Notaro of Tiriolo, a theatre director from Calabria. Attilio, maybe inspired by Iolanda's success started writing. The Associazione Filodrammatica “Attilio Notaro” is today dedicated to him.

She was the middle child between two brothers, Orlando and Bruno (who would later in Dalida's career change his name to Orlando like his brother and become her manager). Dalida's early life was spent in the district of Shoubra, where she attended the Scuola Tecnica Commerciale Maria Ausiliatrice, an Italian Catholic school.

In 1950, Dalida participated in the Miss Ondine beauty pageant and won the title, and shortly after began working as a model for Donna, a Cairo-based fashion house. In 1954, at the age of 20, Dalida competed in and won the Miss Egypt pageant, and was crowned Miss Egypt.^[5] It was then that she was spotted by French director Marc de Gastyne and, much to the reluctance of her parents, she moved to Paris on Christmas Eve of the same year with the intention of pursuing a career in motion pictures. It was about this time she adopted the name Dalila, which was soon changed to the more familiar Dalida.

Dalida collected 19 number one hit singles to her name in four languages (French, Italian, German, and Arabic) and has a long list of top 10, and top 20 hits in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Arabic, and accumulated myriad top selling singles and albums largely, in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Greece, Canada, Russia, Japan, and Israel, spanning over forty years. Four of Dalida's English language recordings ("Alabama Song", "Money Money", "Let Me Dance Tonight", and "Kalimba de Luna"), gained moderate success primarily in France and Germany, without being widely distributed in the UK and US markets. Worldwide sales of her music are estimated at over 130 million,^[6] establishing her as one of the most noteworthy multi-lingual recording artists of the 20th century.

Dalida's mother tongue was Italian. She learned Egyptian Arabic and French growing up in Cairo, and improved her French after establishing herself in Paris in 1954. She later achieved command of the English language as well as conversational skills in German and Spanish. Dalida also had the aptitude of greeting her fans in basic Japanese. She was considered as a pop and music icon in Japan and her concerts there were met with almost unprecedented enthusiasm. Once during a concert in Japan, Dalida felt ill and could not continue performing. The organisers expected an enraged reaction due to the cancellation of the concert, but when Dalida came onstage and explained to her fans that she could not perform, she was met with great applause and her name echoed everywhere. She promised to hold the concert again, a promise which she soon fulfilled.. . .

Personal life [edit]

Despite enormous career success, Dalida's private life was marred by a series of failed relationships and personal problems.

On January 1967, Dalida took part to the Sanremo Festival with her new lover, Italian singer, songwriter and actor Luigi Tenco. The song he presented was "Ciao amore ciao" ("Bye Love, Bye"), which he sang together with Dalida. Tenco allegedly committed suicide on 27 January 1967, after learning that his song had been eliminated from the final competition. Tenco was found in his hotel room with a bullet wound in his left temple and a note announcing that his gesture was against the jury and public's choices during the competition. Only days earlier, Tenco's wedding to Dalida had been announced. It was Dalida who discovered his body. One month later, Dalida attempted to commit suicide by drug overdose at the Prince of Wales hotel in Paris. She spent 5 days in a coma and several months convalescing, only going back to the stage the following October.

In December 1967, just after her first suicide attempt, she became pregnant by an 18-year-old Italian student, Lucio. She decided to abort but the surgery left her infertile.^{[citation needed]}

In September 1970, her Pygmalion, lover from 1956 to 1961 and former husband Lucien Morisse, with whom she was still on good terms, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

From 1969 to 1971, she had a relationship with philosopher and writer Arnaud Desjardins. However they split, because he was married.^{[citation needed]}

In April 1975, her close friend singer Mike Brant leapt to his death from an apartment in Paris. He was 28. Dalida had contributed to his success in France and she had been the first to visit him in hospital after his first suicide attempt in November 1974.

In July 1983, her lover from 1972 to 1981, Richard Chanfray, committed suicide by inhaling the exhaust gas of his Renault R25 car.

Dalida, alone again, had brief encounters with a sound technician, a lawyer, an Egyptian jumbo jet pilot and a French doctor during the period 1983-1986.^{[citation needed]}

1987 Trying to cope with her personal demons, Dalida is back in the studio recording new songs. One night coming home she finds her beloved bulldog dead.

Death [edit]

On Saturday, 2 May 1987, Dalida committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates.^[7]^[8] She left behind a note which read, "La vie m'est insupportable... Pardonnez-moi." ("Life has become unbearable for me... Forgive me.")

Visit Montmartre Cemetery Paris.

http://lyricstranslate.com

Je Suis Malade

Versions: #1#2#3 #4

I don’t dream anymore, i don’t smoke anymore
I don’t have a history anymore
I am dirty without you
I am ugly without you
I am like an orphan in a dormitory

I don’t feel like living in my life
My life stops when you leave
I don’t have a life anymore and even my bed
Turns into a platform (of a station)
When you go away

I am sick
Completely sick
Like when my mother went out in the evening
And that she left me alone with my despair

I am ill, fully sick
You come, one never knows when
You leave again, one never knows where
And it will be soon two years
Since you didn’t give a damn.

Like to a rock
Like to a sin
I am locked on to you
I am tired, I am exhausted
To pretend being happy when they are here

I drink every night
But all whisky
For me, they have the same taste
And all the boats carry your flag
I don’t know anymore where to go, you are everywhere

I am sick
Completely sick
I pour my blood in your body
And i am like a dead bird when you sleep

I am sick
Perfectly sick
You have deprived me of all my songs
You have drained me of all my words
And I have the heart completely sick
Though i had talent before having your skin

This love is killing me
If this goes on, i’ll die alone with me
Near my radio, like an idiot kid
Listening to my own voice singing

I am sick
Completely sick
Like when my mother went out in the evening
And that she left me alone with my despair

I am sick
This it is, i am sick
You have deprived me of all my songs
You have drained me of all my words
And I have the heart completely sick
Surrounded by barricades
Listen! I am sick

Charity...

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:58:00 +0000

A Dublin lawyer died in poverty and many barristers of the city subscribed to a fund for his funeral. The Lord Chief Justice of Orbury was asked to donate a shilling.

"Only a shilling?" said the Justice, "Only a shilling to bury an attorney? Here's a guinea; go and bury 20 of them."

"A Religion of Peace"

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:06:00 +0000

link

Battle of Gao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Islamist destruction of Timbuktu heritage sites)

Battle of Gao

Part of the 2012 Northern Mali conflict

Date	26–27 June 2012^[1]
Location	Gao and Timbuktu
Result	Decisive Islamist victory Ansar Dine and MOJWA take over the largest cities of Azawad and the headquarters of the MNLA Timbuktu World Heritage Sitedestroyed by Islamists

Belligerents

Azawad

MNLA

Islamists

Commanders and leaders

Bilal Ag Asherif (WIA)

Colonel Bouna Ag Tahib †Colonel Wari Ag Ibrahim †

Mokhtar Belmokhtar

Strength

140

500+

Casualties and losses

4–11 killed, 10 wounded, 40 captured^[1]^[2]

3 dozens killed, 14 wounded^[1]^[2]

At least 35 killed overall, including 3 Niger fighters, and 41 wounded^[1]

[hide]

Northern Mali conflict

Timeline (Jan 2012-present) · Cities and towns · ICC investigation

Tuareg rebellion (2012):

2012 Malian coup d'état

Islamist-Tuareg conflict:

1st Gao

Foreign intervention:

The Battle of Gao was fought between the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA), along with its ally Ansar Dine, that took place in Gao between 26–27 June 2012.^[1] followed the next day, with more fighting. By 28 June 2012, Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, the three biggest cities in the disputed secessionist region of Azawad within what is recognised as Malian territory, were under the control of Ansar Dine and its Islamist allies.

Two days later parts of the World Heritage Site of Timbuktu had started to be destroyed, amid condemnation byUNESCO, the OIC Mali and France. This was followed by criticism within the region and internationally withECOWAS suggesting it could send an armed intervention force into the country and the ICC following Mali's lead in terming the acts as "war crimes." While MNLA also criticised the Islamists for holding civilians and destroying the structures, Ansar Dine said that the destruction was due to violation of sharia and in reaction to UNESCO's labeling of the sites of Timbuktu and in Gao as "in danger."

[hide]

Background [edit]

Following previous Tuareg rebellions and the Libyan civil war, in early 2012 the MNLA and Islamist movementscaptured northern Mali. Tensions then started between the MNLA and Islamist movements over the use of thesharia within the territory. Clashes started to erupt between both sides after a merge attempt failed,^[3] despite the signing of an accord to share power.^[4] On 25 June, the Islamist Ansar Dine took control of Kidal.^[5]

Protests broke out on 26 June in the city of Gao, the majority of whose people are not Tuaregs (as opposed to the MNLA), but rather sub-Saharan groups such as the Songhay and Fula peoples. The protestors opposed the Tuareg rebels and the partition of Mali. Two were killed as a result of the protests, allegedly by MNLA troops.^[6] The protesters used both Malian and Islamist flags, and France 24 reported that many locals supported the Islamists as a result of their opposition to the Tuareg nationalists and the secession ofAzawad.^[7]

Battle [edit]

Fighting began in the morning of 26 June, with both sides firing heavy weapons. MNLA Secretary GeneralBilal ag Acherif was wounded in the attack. After being extricated from the fighting, he was later taken to a hospital in Burkina Faso's capital city of Ouagadougou; while Colonel Bouna Ag Tahib, a defector from the Malian army, was killed. MOJWA soon took control of the Gao governor's palace as well as Ag Acherif's residence. A MOJWA spokesman stated that 40 MNLA troops had been taken prisoner.^[8]^[9]

The MNLA's Azawad Vice President Mahamadou Djeri Maïga acknowledged that they lost control of the city but said that the fight would continue. He asked for international help against Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, who he stated was responsible for the attack.^[9] The next day the MNLA were evicted from the city.^[10] Two videos seen by the AFP showed the black flag of jihad groups and some members of the group saying "Long Live Mali" and singing the national anthem of Mali, respectively.^[1]

Algeria's Ennahar TV reported that Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a founding member of AQIM, was probably killed during the battle.^[11] A previous death toll of 20 was later revised by doctors who added the number of dead found in the Niger River and the wounded who succumbed to their injuries.^[12] Thirty more Algerian fighters were said to have arrived in the city on 29 June to support AQIM and its leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar as the latter seeks to maintain a hold on the town and track MNLA fighters.^[13]

Reactions [edit]

Ansar Dine's Chief of Security for Gao, Omar Ould Hamaha, said that the group controls the region and would impose sharia.

Our fighters control the perimeter. We control Timbuktu completely. We control Gao completely. It's Ansar Dine that commands the north of Mali. Now we have every opportunity to apply sharia. Sharia does not require a majority vote. It's not democracy. It's the divine law that was set out by God to be followed by his slaves. One hundred percent of the north of Mali is Muslim, and even if they don't want this, they need to go along with it.

Paris-based MNLA spokesman, Moussa Ag Assarid, said that though the group had lost ground in the big cities "we control 90% of the Azawad."^[14]

On 26 June 2012^[15] the Tomb of Askia, which had been listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site,^[16] was named by UNESCO as "endangered" at the behest of Mali amid fears of^[17] damage to "important ancient manuscripts" from being "looted and smuggled abroad by unscrupulous dealers."^[18] Two days later, the same was done for Timbuktu.^[19] A statement by the World Heritage Committee also read that it "asked Mali's neighbours to do all in their power to prevent the trafficking in cultural objects from these sites."^[20]

ECOWAS then met on 29 June in the Ivorian capital of Yamoussoukro in order to work towards "additional measures to prevent matters in Mali becoming bogged down," according to host President Alassane Ouattara. The meeting was also attended by the mediator for the Malian crisis following the 2012 Malian coup d'etat, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou and Malian interim Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra. While the group was expected to call for negotiations with movements in the Azawad region, it was also expected to continue with plans to get a 3,300 personnel intervention force together to invade the region.^[13]

Aftermath [edit]

By 2 July, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, along with its allies, were reported to have mined the periphery of the city. The MNLA spokesman, Mossa Ag Attaher, said that AQIM was "using the population as hostages, as a human shield to protect itself from an MNLA counter-attack...Many people are trying to escape, to take the bus to go to Bamako, but the Islamists are stopping them."^[21]

On 3 July, MOJWA released 25 MNLA prisoners who had been captured during the battle to show that "they were for the peace," after being asked to do so by Iyag Ag Ghaly. At the same time, Guinean President Alpha Condé said that an ECOWAS military intervention would be directed against the Islamists and not the MNLA.^[22]

Capture of Timbuktu [edit]

The next day, Ansar Dine was reported to have taken control of Timbuktu after MNLA fighters followed their deadline to leave town. Residents confirmed the MNLA was no longer present,^[23] as the Islamist movements confirmed their control over the entire northern Malian region of Azawad.^[10]^[24]

Destruction of shrines [edit]

At the same time, UNESCO responded to appeals from the Malian government in Bamako to declare several sites within the city as "endangered"^[5] because it "aims to raise cooperation and support for the sites threatened by the armed conflict in the region."^[25] On 30 June 2012, a local journalist said that he was told Ansar Dine would start destroying 13 more Sufi cemeteries and mausolea of saints after having destroyed three, including the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar.^[26] They were then said to have destroyed the mausolea of Sidi El Mokhtar, Alfa Moya and five other sites with pick-axes, hoes and Kalashnikovs.^[20]

Despite earlier claims that they had stopped taking down the tombs,^[20] on 1 July about 30 members of the group^[27] were reported to have continued taking down four more sites with hoes and chisels at the cemetery of Djinguereber Mosque, including that of Cheikh el-Kebir,^[28] Sidi Elmety, Mahamane Elmety^[27] and Sidi Mahmoudou^[28] by late afternoon.^[29] Ansar Dine's Omar Ould Hamaha said that "the only tribunal we recognise is the divine court of shariah. The destruction is a divine order. It's our prophet who said that each time that someone builds something on top of a grave, it needs to be pulled back to the ground. We need to do this so that future generations don't get confused, and start venerating the saints as if they are God...We are against tourism. They foster debauchery."^[28]

. . .

ee also: http://m.guardiannews.com/world/2013/jan/28/mali-timbuktu-library-ancient-manuscripts

Traoré told the Guardian that he decided to leave Timbuktu in January 2012 amid ominous reports of shootings in the area, and after the kidnapping of three European tourists from a Timbuktu hotel. A fourth tourist, a German, resisted and was shot dead. Months later AQIM arrived, he said.
Four or five rebels had been sleeping in the institute, which had comparatively luxurious facilities for staff, he said. As well as the manuscripts, the fighters destroyed almost all of the 333 Sufi shrines dotted around Timbuktu, believing them to be idolatrous. They smashed a civic statue of a man sitting on a winged horse. "They were the masters of the place," Traoré said.
Other residents who fled Timbuktu said the fighters adorned the town with their black flag. Written on it in Arabic were the words "God is great". The rebels enforced their own brutal and arbitrary version of Islam, residents said, with offenders flogged for talking to women and other supposed crimes. The floggings took place in the square outside the 15th-century Sankoré mosque, a Unesco world heritage site.
"They weren't religious men. They were criminals," said Maha Madu, a Timbuktu boatman, now in the Niger river town of Mopti. Madu said the fighters grew enraged if residents wore trousers down to their ankles, which they believed to be western and decadent. He alleged that some fighters kidnapped and raped local women, keeping them as virtual sex slaves. "They were hypocrites. They told us they couldn't smoke. But they smoked themselves," he said.

. . .

The recapture of Timbuktu is another success for the French military, which has now secured two out of three of Mali's key rebel-held sites, including the city of Gao on Saturday. The French have yet to reach the third, Kidal. Local Tuareg militia leaders said on Monday they had taken control of Kidal after the abrupt departure of the Islamist fighters who ran the town.

Reaction
'It's an absolute tragedy'

Essop Pahad, who was chairman of the Timbuktu manuscripts projectfor the South African government, said: "I'm absolutely devastated, as everybody else should be. I can't imagine how anybody, whatever their political or ideological leanings, could destroy some of the most precious heritage of our continent. They could not be in their right minds.

"The manuscripts gave you such a fantastic feeling of the history of this continent. They made you proud to be African. Especially in a context where you're told that Africa has no history because of colonialism and all that. Some are in private hands but the fact is these have been destroyed and it's an absolute tragedy."

He added: "It's one of our greatest cultural treasure houses. It's also one of the great treasure houses of Islamic history. The writings are so forward-looking on marriage, on trade, on all sorts of things. If the libraries are destroyed then a very important part of African and world history are gone. I'm so terribly upset at hearing what's happened. I can't think of anything more terrible."

Interstate Sales Tax

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:57:00 +0000

https://www.nointernetsalestax.com/

http://dmaaction.channeldemocracy.com/alert/view/711

http://thedma.org/2013/04/23/dma-urges-senate-to-vote-against-internet-sales-tax-bill/

cal thomas
heritage
hoover
cato
atr

Interstate Sales Tax

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:17:00 +0000

Just now, by a vote of 69-27, the U.S. Senate has passed yet another tax hike. Instead of curbing spending, they have decided that raising taxes on the Internet is the best way to pay the debt. Well, they are wrong.

The bill aims to enforce a sales and use tax on businesses that rely on the Internet to reach their customers. While the specifics of the bill are about as long as Obamacare, here are the top three problems with the Internet sales tax:

Online businesses would be responsible for collecting and filing their sales tax fromcustomers that don’t reside in their state.

Businesses would be forced to use software that will generate a database to keep track of their tax paying customers. This also puts their customers at risk should the database be hacked, spilling millions of sensitive information records into the wrong hands.

States might no longer seek to lower their taxes for business friendly environments. They’d be encouraged to raise their taxes in order to collect tax money from other states, thus hurting potential business development.

If you’re scratching your head wondering how the Senate has managed to support a bill that could put a halt to business development, increases taxes, and further regulates our last free market, the Internet, we are too.

Pretty happy sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:12:00 +0000

extraoral labial cutaneous junction

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:17:00 +0000

ver·mil·ion bor·der (vĕr-mil'yŏn bōr'dĕr)

The red margin of the upper and lower lips, which commences at the exterior edge of the intraoral labial mucosa ("moist line") and extends outward, terminating at the extraoral labial cutaneous junction; a thinly keratinized type of stratified squamous epithelium deeply penetrated by well-vascularized dermal papillae that show through the translucent epidermis to impart the typical red appearance of the lips.

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

Cinnamon and Honey

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:26:00 +0000

Great information!! Cinnamon and Honey...Thanks Steven Teperman for sharing!!Drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:
It is found that a mix of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also note honey as very effective medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects which is also a plus.Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, put it on toast instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol and could potentially save one from heart attack. Also, even if you have already had an attack studies show you could be kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of cinnamon honey strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients can benefit by taking one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken daily even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain -- and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder....who knew?

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol-could be cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses, and it's delicious too!

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also is said to clear stomach ulcers from its root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

RASPY OR SORE THROAT: When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing.

Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

The Battle Of Athens

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:16:00 +0000

The GIs came home to find that a political machine had taken over their Tennessee county. What they did about it astounded the nation.

link

In McMinn County, Tennessee, in the early 1940s, the question was not if you farmed, but where you farmed. Athens, the county seat, lay between Knoxville and Chattanooga along U.S. Highway 11, which wound its way through eastern Tennessee. This was the meeting place for farmers from all the surrounding communities. Traveling along narrow roads planted with signs urging them to “See Rock City” and “Get Right with God,” they would gather on Saturdays beneath the courthouse elms to discuss politics and crops. There were barely seven thousand people in Athens, and many of its streets were still unpaved. The two “big” cities some fifty miles away had not yet begun their inevitable expansion, and the farmers’ lives were simple and essentially unaffected by what they would have called the “modern world.” Many of them were without electricity. The land, their families, religion, politics, and the war dominated their talk and thoughts. They learned about God from the family Bible and in tiny chapels along yellow-dust roads. Their newspaper, the Daily Post-Athenian , told them something of politics and war, but since it chose to avoid intrigue or scandal, a story that smacked of both could be found only in the conversations of the folks who milled about the courthouse lawn on Saturdays.
Since the Civil War, political offices in McMinn County had gone to the Republicans, but in the 1930s Tennessee began to fall under the control of Democratic bosses. To the west, in Shelby County, E.H. Crump, the Memphis mayor who had been ousted during his term for failing to enforce Prohibition, fathered what would become the state’s most powerful political machine. Crump eventually controlled most of Tennessee along with the governor’s office and a United States senator. In eastern Tennessee local and regional machines developed, which, lacking the sophistication and power of a Crump, relied on intimidation and violence to control their constituents.
In 1936 the system descended upon McMinn County in the person of one Paul Cantrell, the Democratic candidate for sheriff. Cantrell, who came from a family of money and influence in nearby Etowah, tied his campaign closely to the popularity of the Roosevelt administration and rode FDR’s coattails to victory over his Republican opponent....

Read the rest

Minimum Wage Hurts Unskilled Black Workers - Harry R. Jackson, Jr. - Page 1

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:27:00 +0000

Minimum Wage Hurts Unskilled Black Workers - Harry R. Jackson, Jr. - Page 1:

'via Blog this'

Did you know that there was a time in our country, after the Civil War, when white unemployment was higher than black unemployment? It seems almost unfathomable now, but that was the case in the early decades of the 20th Century. This was intentionally changed after Congress enacted the first federal minimum wage law: the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931.

As most of us remember from history class, the 1930s saw a plethora of public works projects introduced to combat the unemployment associated with the Great Depression. (Whether or not this worked is a topic for another day.) But during that time, many impoverished blacks left sharecropping to come north in search of such jobs. The Davis-Bacon Act was created specifically and explicitly to prevent blacks from “taking” these jobs from local white workers.

Congressman Robert Bacon of New York began crafting various pieces of legislation to discriminate against black workers when a black construction crew from Alabama was brought to his state to build a hospital for veterans in 1927. Because most blacks lived in the South, any laws restricting the use of migrant labor discriminated against them. Since blacks were not admitted to trade unions, any law that favored union labor automatically excluded blacks. Bacon submitted 13 such bills over the next four years, culminating in the Davis-Bacon Act.

Davis-Bacon mandated that federal contracts must pay their workers the “prevailing wage.” As innocent as this might sound, records of the debate over the bill reveal that everyone understood that the “prevailing wage” meant the union wage, and that this meant there would be no blacks working on federal projects. In fact, when testifying before the Senate in favor of Davis-Bacon, AFL union president William Green complained, “Colored labor is being brought in to demoralize wage rates.”

link

Wacky Patent of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:48:00 +0000

http://www.colitz.com/site/wacky_new.html

And more about patents thanks to Amy Ried

Link: http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/what-you-should-know-about-patents/

How Silly Can You Get?

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:31:00 +0000

WTF is wrong with Americans? - StumbleUpon:

'via Blog this'

link

Ecoutez et partagez CLASSIC & JAZZ, la seule radio musique classique et jazz - radio jazz Paris France Bouquet de radios numériques Classic & Jazz#.UXG3Z2TD9mN

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:16:00 +0000

Ecoutez et partagez CLASSIC & JAZZ, la seule radio musique classique et jazz - radio jazz Paris France Bouquet de radios numériques Classic & Jazz#.UXG3Z2TD9mN

Great music without commercials or hogwash...

link

Never satisfied...

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:13:00 +0000

A woman says to her husband, "I really need a new dress."

The husband says, "what's wrong with the one you've got?"

The wife says, "it's too long and the veil keeps getting in my eyes."

"the Democrat party"

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 01:55:00 +0000

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Historic Spurs!

Click here for Lot Details

When you speak of the American West certain names seem to keep coming up: Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, "Wild Bill" Hickok, Annie Oakley, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and of course, the Outlaw Jesse James. The history of Jesse James is a clouded one. Some folks call him "America's own Robin Hood," while others think of him as nothing more than a bank robber and cold-blooded murderer. In either case, he is a fascinating character in the early history of our young nation. Our April 2013 Premiere Auction will be offering no less than the spurs attributed to this American legend! The items have a rock-solid documentation extending through two United States Congressmen and all the way back to the Outlaw's own progeny! First, a little history to help separate man and myth.

Early Life
Born in 1847 in the state of Missouri, Jesse James was a product of the Antebellum Era of the United States. It was a hostile time between North and South as legislation and talk of slavery was already beginning to tear the country asunder. Soon enough, secession was declared by several states and the Civil War began. The Jameses, having over half their family's wealth in slaves, was unabashedly supportive of the Confederacy. However, in a border state like Missouri, this was often easier said than done. Missouri's populace was largely supportive of the Confederacy, but it was taken and occupied early on by the Union. This led to many southern sympathizes resorting to guerrilla-style fighting against the Union. Of course, the Union didn't take too kindly to that and things spiraled quickly. Suspected Rebels and their associates were often lynched, shot, had their homes burned, or were simply kicked off their own land. Union loyalists were shot while they worked their fields or in their own homes. It was in this "eye-for-an-eye" environment that Jesse James spent some of his most formative years. The Civil War was a bitter and very personal event for the Jameses. He was only 13 when the Civil War began and learned much in the arts violence and depravity from these guerrilla fighters or bushwhackers. The brutal massacres, inhuman mutilations, and merciless killings that young Jesse James would have witnessed would forever alter his life.

An Outlaw is Born
After the Confederates lost the Civil War, many bushwhackers continued their terrorizing by robbing banks and other disruptive acts as a way to protest the new Republican government. It was in this time, December 1869 to be precise, that Jesse James first found his notoriety. In an attempt to avenge the killing of local guerrilla leader "Bloody Bill" Anderson by Samuel P. Cox, Jesse mistakenly identified a local banker, John W. Sheets, as Cox and shot him dead. Despite Jesse's earlier involvement in some of the most infamous guerrilla massacres during the Civil War, this botched vengeance killing is what would first earn him a bit of newspaper fame, the title of "outlaw," and a bounty for his capture offered by no one less than the governor of Missouri.

From this point on Jesse James and his gang, known as the "James-Younger Gang," would go on to rob banks, stage coaches, payroll offices, and trains in a brash style that defined the gang. Most robberies took place in broad daylight, involved murder, and were generally reckless. It was early on in his turn to crime that Jesse was befriended by editor and founder of the Kansas City Times, John Newman Edwards. Edwards, a former Confederate soldier himself, made no secret of trying to revitalize the politics of the Democrat party. He appreciated Jesse James acts no doubt, but also saw him as a symbol for the South that was still fighting to right itself against a hostile North even after the War had ended. It was this appreciation that led to much press about Jesse James, some even penned by James himself with Edwards' assistance. Much of it plead Jesse James as innocent, but much of the column space was also dedicated to Rebel-sympathetic rhetoric of a victimized southern man robbing the radical Union banks and greedy corporate railroads that were ruining the lives of hard working Midwestern farmers.

It's not hard to see James becoming a folk hero through these articles. There were tales of him being polite, handsome, well-groomed, religious, saving widows from foreclosure, and showing kindness to women, children, & animals alike. Historically, the only evidence supporting any of these claims is that James' later robberies of trains only took money from the safe on-board the train and not the passengers. However, any "Robin Hood" type claims are fanciful at best, as there is no evidence to show that the James-Younger gang gave their money to anybody's cause but their own.

The spurs that you see below are attributed to Jesse James himself. They are both made of stamped steel with their chain studs on each side near the front. They were originally part of a collection of Mr. Harry Hawes, a United States Senator of Missouri who had the spurs certified as legitimate by none other than the son of Jesse James himself, Jesse Edwards James! From Senator Hawes' collection, the spurs were then procured by Alabama Congressman Frank W. Boykin, and eventually passed on to his son Richard Boykin, Sr. The pedigree of these spurs is well documented and much of the rest of Senator Boykin's collection currently resides in the Mobile Downton Museum!

To own these spurs is to own a little piece of Americana. It's the same reason that companies that make football and baseball trading cards with little pieces of game worn jersey inside of them. We all seek to own a piece of history, a unique moment in time that connects us with great people or places. We all want to be closer to someone or something that we admire. We want to show our admiration by becoming knowledgeable on the subject, conversing with others who appreciate what we do, and by possessing something, however small, to truly make that admired subject part of our own lives. These spurs not only put a piece of American history in your collection, but also bring with them a rarity that few people could hope to match.

Top 10 Smartest Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:43:00 +0000

I publish this item for amusement and by way of protest: The author fails to say who rated these animals this way and why. "Smartness" and "intelligence" go undefined. Who is to say that the whale locating other whales is smarter than the salmon that finds it spawning ground every year, the carrier pigeon that knows how to find his way home from anywhere, or the monarch butterflies that all converge on the same little place in Mexico? Is the octopus/squid camouflage talent "intelligent" or an involuntary instinct put there by an Intelligent Creator? Isn't the ability to learn an important measure of intelligence? How can the sheep, who can't discern between a wolf and a dog, be rated above the sheepdog? In fact, aren't dogs, who can be taught so much by and for the indisputably most intelligent being, Man, be rated anything less than tops? Disabled people aren't using squids or ravens to prepare their supper or help them find a seat on the bus, but dogs do.

Top 10 Smartest Animal Countdown

Author: Deborah Stanley

10th place:

Small Toothed Whale. This warm blooded small whale is known for its mysterious journeys across the ocean. It is still unknown how it can find others in the group several hundred miles away.

9th place:

Squid and octopus. They are considered to be some of the smartest sea creatures. An octopus can build its shelter from the ocean debris and is equal to none in camouflage. It can change its color and pattern in less than a second, sending the brain signal to its entire body.

8th place:

Sheep. British scientists believe that we underestimate sheep on its intuition and intelligence. During several years of research they have concluded that sheep possess exceptional memory and could identify the faces of people or animals without a mistake. They even claim that sheep's intellectual ability is closer to humans than we thought. The main downside of their study is that the animals tend to scare easy!

7th place:

Cacadu Parrot. In Great Britain a local parrot has become recognized as the country's smartest animal. A cacadu named Badjo can sew holding a needle and thread with his beak! Badjo's owner, a professional tailor, confirms that the bird's skills are 90% accurate.

6th place:

Crows. Officially, most scientists consider crows as the smartest birds in the world, especially the ones living in big cities. Tokyo, Japan, is known for the largest number of crows in the world.

5th place:

Monkeys. Macacas are not only the famous inhabitants of local safari parks or Indian temples. These smart animals above everything else can recognize themselves in the mirror while other animals, including cats, cannot.

4th place:

Rats. You will be surprised to learn that old experienced rats can get away with any mouse trap: they shake it until the spring is off and also shied less younger rats from the poisonous meals.

3rd place:

Dolphins. It's a known fact that British Special Forces used dolphins as informants during the war to carry messages to and from various ships. Many scientists confirm that dolphins possess amazing intellectual abilities. Also, dolphins never sleep with their systems totally shut down - their brain is taking turns on keeping one half in a sleep mode while the other stays alert.

2nd place:

Elephants. Elephants are extremely skillful with their trunks and are even known to paint with it! They also have an exceptional memory important to distinguish friends from enemies. If you ever hurt an elephant, he will remember it his entire life and if your paths ever cross, beware!

1st place:

Primates: Until now gorillas and chimpanzees were considered the smartest animals on the planet. However, the scientists are spending a lot of time researching orangutans and think that their abilities could be even more astonishing. So for their closest proximity to human nature of improvising and using tools to get food, primates remain as number one in our countdown.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/top-10-smartest-animal-countdown-426134.html

About the Author
Deborah Stanley writes for http://www.PetsReady.com - Disaster, Emergency Preparedness Portal full of Pet Care Articles, Disaster Preparedness Tips, Latest Food Recalls, Preparedness Newsletter and much more!. PetsReady specifically focuses on emergency preparedness kits for Cats and Dogs for any disaster situation.

Cousins at the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:08:00 +0000

Pinnipeds R Us

The Phocidae or 'True' Seals

Big Tax Increase, nothing for you.

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:40:00 +0000

Get ready folks for a Big Tax Increase, supported totally by Dems and largely by Republicans in the senate. They don't think it conflicts with the Grover Norquist pledge. But the "Marketplace Fairness Act," like so much legislation over the past several years is exactly the opposite of what it's title implies.

The MFA, or Amazon tax, will make a federal law that you have to pay state sales tax at the rate of your residence (TN is 9.45%) on anything you buy through the internet, by phone, or mail order from an out-of-state merchant. That's right: Your state will impose a tax levy on your out of state purchases. It's an Internal Tariff, forbidden by the Constitution.

They will argue that their sales tax is really a "sales and use tax" that is due from you the consumer because you used something. Used something tax!

They say it is in the state law now, so you owe it, it is due, and they want to make you pay. Fortunately, without this Act, they have no way to make you pay and no way to find out (short of spying on your bank records) what you are buying outside the state. They say it is due. But they can't collect. That means, if they are going to engineer a way to collect taxes that they are not collecting from you now, they are hitting your family budget with a Big Tax Increase. And lying that it is not. Look at how much money the proponents of this outrage claim it will bring in to state revenues. That number, my friends, is the exact amount of your new Increased Taxes.

Of course that imposes a massive administrative expense on Amazon, eBay, and every other merchant to calculate and remit these taxes specific to your residence to your local political functionaries (bureaucrats)! PRICES MUST GO UP. They are going to mess with your eBay sales and force you to collect and remit taxes for THEM across state lines.

Your state of course must hire many new employees (with pensions and benefits), buy expensive software programs, computer servers, e-commerce equipment to monitor ALL this economic activity which is BIGGER GOVERNMENT. New enforcement police will be hired, armed and deployed to travel all over the country, stay in three-star hotels, eat free, and rent cars to check the books of your out-of-state suppliers.

That's what my Senator Lamar Alexander wants. He used to work for Reagan. Reagan would never abide this theft. Bob Corker has also told me that he supports this Massive Tax Increase and Enlargement of state Government. They are working in concert (complicity and cahoots with your Democrat Party Tax and Spend Liberals) to take more money from YOU and keep it for themselves! Unbelievable!

Enough is enough. Stop it. Get off our backs and cut government spending. Stop taking our money and wasting it. Stop trying to figure out how to get more money from us all the time. Give a bonus to any and every government employee who can give a suggestion to cut the cost of government and reduce his budget. Give him 10% of everything he can save. Cut the crap. You KNOW that would work. The government employee unions have been screwing us for years. Pick up on what Reagan did to the Air Traffic Controllers. Get real. Make like you cared about the voter and taxpayer instead of the parasites that suck and live off of OUR blood.

Truly, Government is theft.

PS. Control freaks like Bloomberg don't realize that we can set up business in Vancouver, China, or Tijuana to fill the demand from Americans sick and tired of being used and abused for politician's experiments. That will be good for Americans and workers in those cities, but not for the US economy.

From "The Lawful Path"

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 22:26:00 +0000

Some Statistics
on Guns and Doctors

Doctors

The number of physicians in the U.S. is approximately 700,000.
Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are approximately 120,000.
Accidental deaths per physician is 0.1714286.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.

Guns

The number of gun owners in the U.S. is approximately 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)
The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.0000188.

Statistics courtesy of FBI.

So,statistically...

Doctors are more than 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'
FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT
Almost everyone has at least one doctor.
This means you are over 9,000 times more likely to be killed by a doctor as by a gun owner!!!
Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, We withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

Source: http://land.netonecom.net/tlp/index.shtml

the Cyprus heist is really important

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:59:00 +0000

Cyprus and the Death of Deposit Insurance

By Robert Tracinski - March 19, 2013

From the beginning, the European crisis has been a story of small countries on the Eurozone's "periphery" revealing fundamental problems at the heart of the system. Now a very small country on the outer edges of the periphery—the tiny Mediterranean island of Cyprus, with about a million inhabitants and 0.02% of Europe's GDP—is triggering the latest wave of the crisis.

This is not really about Cyprus, of course, but about the precedent that is being set there. In exchange for an infusion of capital into the nation's banks, Cyprus is being asked to impose a "special bank levy" that would take 6.75% out of all bank deposits up to 100,000 euros, and 9.9% above that.

This is described as a "wealth tax," except that it's not a tax. A tax is a regular rule that operates uniformly according to a pre-determine formula. A one-time, ad hoc seizure of money isn't a tax. It is confiscation. Or we can use a plainer word for it: theft.

The big news isn't this bank heist, but who is pulling it off. The plan was imposed, not by some wild-eyed revanchist Communists, but by the finance ministers of respectable European countries, who thought up the idea and imposed it on Cyprus. Like Willie Sutton, they know where the money is.

There are special circumstances that made them think they might get away with it. Cyprus is a small island with a large banking center that holds deposits many times larger than the local economy. A lot of this money comes from Russia, and Cyprus is reputedly a tax haven for Russian "oligarchs" (politically connected billionaires) and mobsters. In an American context, you might compare Cyprus to the Cayman Islands, which have been so vilified just having a bank account there is enough to end a politician's career. Just ask Mitt Romney.

But in showing us what they'll do to an unsympathetic target, Europe's leaders are showing us what they would like to do everywhere: dig themselves and the crony banks out of a tight spot through the mass confiscation of wealth. It's the ultimate bailout plan: they just take whatever they need.

And there is more to it than that. This is confiscation, but it a particular kind of confiscation with particular implications. It is the end of deposit insurance. Depositors, particularly small depositors, are supposed to have an ironclad guarantee that their money will always be there, no matter what—that they won't wake up one Monday morning to find that 6.75% of it is gone.

That's why the Cyprus heist is really important. It is a warning that the whole system of deposit insurance is coming unglued.

Deposit insurance is central to modern banking—or rather, it is central to the contemporary system of government-guaranteed, government-regulated, too-big-to-fail banking. Here is how the deal is supposed to work. The government guarantees ordinary bank deposits, but in exchange it imposes regulations meant to prevent banks from failing so that they will rarely have to call on the government guarantees. But then there's a complication. While the government's deposit insurance raises enough money to handle the failure of a limited number of smaller banks, there are some institutions that grow so big that the government doesn't have enough money to cover their losses if things go wrong. That's one of the reasons why these banks become "too big to fail," which necessitates even more government support, in exchange for which they are supposed to be placed under an even heavier layer of regulation.

Cyprus is a signal that this whole system is failing. Government regulation doesn't actually guarantee solvency; in fact, it is the insolvency of the governments themselves that triggered the Euro crisis. Moreover, when things really go wrong, the government can't actually guarantee all of the deposits—and now we're starting to wonder whether they're still interested in trying.

When this system starts to come apart, its consequences are worse than an ordinary bank panic. In the bad old days, when individual banks and their depositors were on their own, if one bank failed—and if it was not bought out or rescued by another bank—its depositors might take a haircut, but only after shareholders and bondholders were wiped out. This gave all of the parties a strong incentive to make sure the bank was solvent and wasn't taking too many risks. Under the current system, all of these parties are absolved from such a responsibility, but we pay a heavy price for it. When things go wrong, every depositor at every bank gets a haircut, while politics decides who gets hit worse. In the Cyprus deal, European bondholders will be protected, but Russian oligarchs will be looted, and small Cypriot depositors will get caught in the middle. Remember, also, that all of this is being done to avoid a run on the banks—but that is precisely what has been happening in Cyprus, with depositors emptying the nation's cash machines in an attempt to withdraw their money before it could be seized.

Combine this news with Gretchen Morgenson's summary of a Senate inquiry into huge trading losses at JPMorgan Chase, one of our too-big-to-fail megabanks. The bottom line is that big banks are still too big to fail and they are still taking undeclared risks backed by taxpayer money. Across the board, the general sense is that the system is failing and government leaders aren't really trying to reform it. They're just trying to restore the status quo ante, setting us up for a whole new round of financial crisis.

Can Cyprus happen here? Well, some on the left are already floating plans to rescind the tax exemptions on retirement accounts, making a grab for a big pile of your savings.

But will they do what Cyprus is doing with our bank deposits? Probably not. If history is any guide, our political czars wouldn't attempt something so crude as to just grab money from our accounts. No, they'll do what they have always done: siphon it gradually by printing lots of money and inflating away our savings.

I understand if you don't find that very reassuring.

Robert Tracinski is editor of The Tracinski Letter and a contributor to RealClearMarkets.

Page Printed from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/03/19/cyprus_and_the_death_of_deposit_insurance_117513.html at March 20, 2013 - 05:52:47 PM PDT

Take THAT, Wiley! You big bully.

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:07:00 +0000

AALL's Washington Blawg

A Win for Libraries in Kirtsaeng v. Wiley

Posted: 19 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT

In a victory for libraries and consumers, the U.S. Supreme Court today issued a 6-3 opinion in favor of petitioner Supap Kirtsaeng, a Thai student who resold textbooks lawfully purchased by his family at bookstores in Thailand. AALL’s Copyright Committee chair Tracy Thompson-Przylucki wrote on the Copyright Committee blog:

In its opinion in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., a decision released today, the U.S. Supreme Court has determined that the first sale doctrine is not subject to any geographical limitations (Justice Ginsburg dissents). The Court’s decision means that purchasers of works produced outside of the U.S., if the works are lawfully subject to U.S. Copyright protections, are entitled to invoke the first sale doctrine to justify their subsequent sale, lease or loan of those works. This is an important victory not just for consumers like Kirtsaeng, but for libraries and library users.

AALL is a member of the Owners’ Rights Initiative, which released the following statement from Executive Director Andrew Shore:

ORI is gratified by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Supap Kirtsaeng in this important copyright case. This decision is a landmark win for consumers, small businesses, online marketplaces, retailers and libraries nationwide and an affirmation of the ORI motto, ‘you bought it, you own it.’ This decision definitively affirms the first sale doctrine, cementing the right of consumers and organizations to sell, lend and give away goods that they bought and own, regardless of where those goods were made.
While we are energized by this decision, we expect that some will continue attempts to eliminate owners’ rights, reduce competition in the marketplace and restrict the global trade of authentic goods. ORI will continue to be vigilant and diligent in protecting owners’ rights now and in the future and we expect policymakers to do the same.

For more information about the case, please see AALL’s issue brief by Amy Ash, member of the Copyright Committee and George H. Pike, 2011-2012 chair of the Committee. AALL submitted an amicus brief in support of Kirtsaeng with Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Special Libraries Association, and U.S. PIRG.

Alexander Litvinenko

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:54:00 +0000

Russia's Interest in Litvinenko

November 30, 2006 | 0314 GMT

By George Friedman

The recent death of a former Russian intelligence agent, Alexander Litvinenko, apparently after being poisoned with polonium-210, raises three interesting questions. First: Was he poisoned by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB? Second: If so, what were they trying to achieve? Third: Why were they using polonium-210, instead of other poisons the KGB used in the past? In short, the question is, what in the world is going on?

Litvinenko would seem to have cut a traditional figure in Russian and Soviet history, at least on the surface. The first part of his life was spent as a functionary of the state. Then, for reasons that are not altogether clear, he became an exile and a strident critic of the state he had served. He published two books that made explosive allegations about the FSB and President Vladimir Putin, and he recently had been investigating the shooting death of a Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, who also was a critic of the Putin government. Clearly, he was intent on stirring up trouble for Moscow.

Russian and Soviet tradition on this is clear: Turncoats like Litvinenko must be dealt with, for two reasons. First, they represent an ongoing embarrassment to the state. And second, if they are permitted to continue with their criticisms, they will encourage other dissidents -- making it appear that, having once worked for the FSB, you can settle safely in a city like London and hurl thunderbolts at the motherland with impunity. The state must demonstrate that this will not be permitted -- that turncoats will be dealt with no matter what the circumstances.

The death of Litvinenko, then, certainly makes sense from a political perspective. But it is the perspective of the old Soviet Union -- not of the new Russia that many believed was being born, slowly and painfully, with economic opening some 15 years ago. This does not mean, however, that the killing would not serve a purpose for the Russian administration, in the current geopolitical context.

For years, we have been forecasting and following the transformation of Russia under Vladimir Putin. Putin became president of Russia to reverse the catastrophe of the Yeltsin years. Under communism, Russia led an empire that was relatively poor but enormously powerful in the international system. After the fall of communism, Russia lost its empire, stopped being enormously powerful, and became even poorer than before. Though Westerners celebrated the fall of communism and the Soviet Union, these turned out to be, for most Russians, a catastrophe with few mitigating tradeoffs.

Obviously, the new Russia was of enormous benefit to a small class of entrepreneurs, led by what became known as the oligarchs. These men appeared to be the cutting edge of capitalism in Russia. They were nothing of the sort. They were simply people who knew how to game the chaos of the fall of communism, figuring out how to reverse Soviet expropriation with private expropriation. The ability to turn state property into their own property represented free enterprise only to the most superficial or cynical viewers.

The West was filled with both in the 1990s. Many academics and journalists saw the process going on in Russia as the painful birth of a new liberal democracy. Western financial interests saw it as a tremendous opportunity to tap into the enormous value of a collapsing empire. The critical thing is that the creation of value, the justification of capitalism, was not what was going on. Rather, the expropriation of existing value was the name of the game. Bankers loved it, analysts misunderstood it and the Russians were crushed by it.

It was this kind of chaos into which Putin stepped when he became president, and which he has slowly, inexorably, been bringing to heel for several years. This is the context in which Litvinenko's death -- which, admittedly, raises many questions -- must be understood.

The Andropov Doctrine

Let's go back to Yuri Andropov, who was the legendary head of the KGB in the 1970s and early 1980s, and the man who first realized that the Soviet Union was in massive trouble. Of all the institutions in the world, the KGB alone had the clearest idea of the condition of the Soviet Union. Andropov realized in the early 1980s that the Soviet economy was failing and that, with economic failure, it would collapse. Andropov knew that the exploitation of Western innovation had always been vital to the Soviet economy. The KGB had been tasked with economic and technical espionage in the West. Rather than developing their own technology, in many instances, the Soviets innovated by stealing Western technology via the KGB, essentially using the KGB as an research and development system. Andropov understood just how badly the Soviet Union needed this innovation and how inefficient the Soviet kleptocracy was.

Andropov engineered a new concept. If the Soviet Union was to survive, it had to forge a new relationship with the West. The regime needed not only Western technology, but also Western-style management systems and, above all, Western capital. Andropov realized that so long as the Soviet Union was perceived as a geopolitical threat to the West and, particularly, to the United States, this transfer was not going to take place. Therefore, the Soviet Union had to shift its global strategy and stop threatening Western geopolitical interests.

The Andropov doctrine argued that the Soviet Union could not survive if it did not end, or at least mitigate, the Cold War. Furthermore, if it was to entice Western investment and utilize that investment efficiently, it needed to do two things. First, there had to be a restructuring of the Soviet economy (perestroika). Second, the Soviet system had to be opened to accept innovation (glasnost). Andropov's dream for the Soviet Union never really took hold during his lifetime, as he died several months after becoming the Soviet leader. He was replaced by a nonentity, Konstantin Chernenko, who also died after a short time in office. And then there was Mikhail Gorbachev, who came to embody the KGB's strategy.

Gorbachev was clearly perceived by the West as a reformer, which he certainly was. But less clear to the West were his motives for reform. He was in favor of glasnost and perestroika, but not because he rejected the Soviet system. Rather, Gorbachev embraced these because, like the KGB, he was desperately trying to save the system. Gorbachev pursued the core vision of Yuri Andropov -- and by the time he took over, he was the last hope for that vision. His task was to end the Cold War and trade geopolitical concessions for economic relations with the West.

It was a well-thought-out policy, but it was ultimately a desperate one -- and it failed. In conceding Central Europe, allowing it to break away without Soviet resistance, Gorbachev lost control of the entire empire, and it collapsed. At that point, the economic restructuring went out of control, and openness became the cover for chaos -- with the rising oligarchs and others looting the state for personal gain. But one thing remained: The KGB, both as an institution and as a group of individuals, continued to operate.

Saving the System: A Motive for Murder?

As a young KGB operative, Vladimir Putin was a follower of Andropov. Like Andropov, Putin was committed to the restructuring of the Soviet Union in order to save it. He was a foot soldier in that process.

Putin and his FSB faction realized in the late 1990s that, however lucrative the economic opening process might have been for some, the net effect on Russia was catastrophic. Unlike the oligarchs, many of whom were indifferent to the fate of Russia, Putin understood that the path they were on would only lead to another revolution -- one even more catastrophic than the first. Outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg, there was hunger and desperation. The conditions for disaster were all there.

Putin also realized that Russia had not reaped the sought-after payoff with its loss of prestige and power in the world. Russia had traded geopolitics but had not gotten sufficient benefits in return. This was driven home during the Kosovo crisis, when the United States treated fundamental Russian interests in the Balkans with indifference and contempt. It was clear to Putin by then that Boris Yeltsin had to go. And go he did, with Putin taking over.

Putin is a creation of Andropov. In his bones, he believes in the need for a close economic relationship with the West. But his motives are not those of the oligarchs, and certainly not those of the West. His goal, like that of the KGB, is the preservation and reconstruction of the Russian state. For Putin, perestroika and glasnost were tactical necessities that caused a strategic disaster. He came into office with the intention of reversing that disaster. He continued to believe in the need for openness and restructuring, but only as a means toward Russian power, not as an end in itself.

For Putin, the only solution to Russian chaos was the reassertion of Russian value. The state was the center of Russian society, and the intelligence apparatus was the center of the Russian state. Thus, Putin embarked on a new, slowly implemented policy. First, bring the oligarchs under control; don't necessarily destroy them, but compel them to work in parallel with the state. Second, increase Moscow's control over the outlying regions. Third, re-create a Russian sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union. Fourth, use the intelligence services internally to achieve these ends and externally to reassert Russian global authority.

None of these goals could be accomplished if a former intelligence officer could betray the organs of the state and sit in London hurling insults at Putin, the FSB and Russia. For a KGB man trained by Andropov, this would show how far Russia had fallen. Something would have to be done about it. Litvinenko's death, seen from this standpoint, was a necessary and inevitable step if Putin's new strategy to save the Russian state is to have meaning.

Anomaly

That, at least, is the logic. It makes sense that Litvinenko would have been killed by the FSB. But there is an oddity: The KGB/FSB have tended to use poison mostly in cases where they wanted someone dead, but wanted to leave it unclear how he died and who killed him. Poison traditionally has been used when someone wants to leave a corpse in a way that would not incur an autopsy or, if a normal autopsy is conducted, the real cause of death would not be discovered (as the poisons used would rapidly degrade or leave the body). When the KGB/FSB wanted someone dead, and wanted the world to know why he had been killed -- or by whom -- they would use two bullets to the brain. A professional hit leaves no ambiguity.

The use of polonium-210 in this case, then, is very odd. First, it took a long time to kill Litvinenko -- giving him plenty of time to give interviews to the press and level charges against the Kremlin. Second, there was no way to rationalize his death as a heart attack or brain aneurysm. Radiation poisoning doesn't look like anything but what it is. Third, polonium-210 is not widely available. It is not something you pick up at your local pharmacy. The average homicidal maniac would not be able to get hold of it or use it.

So, we have a poisoning that was unmistakably deliberate. Litvinenko was killed slowly, leaving him plenty of time to confirm that he thought Putin did it. And the poison would be very difficult to obtain by anyone other than a state agency. Whether it was delivered from Russia -- something the Russians have denied -- or stolen and deployed in the United Kingdom, this is not something to be tried at home, kids. So, there was a killing, designed to look like what it was -- a sophisticated hit.

This certainly raises questions among conspiracy theorists and others. The linkage back to the Russian state appears so direct that some might argue it points to other actors or factions out to stir up trouble for Putin, rather than to Putin himself. Others might say that Litvinenko was killed slowly, yet with an obvious poisoning signature, so that he in effect could help broadcast the Kremlin's message -- and cause other dissidents to think seriously about their actions.

We know only what everyone else knows about this case, and we are working deductively. For all we know, Litvinenko had a very angry former girlfriend who worked in a nuclear lab. But while that's possible, one cannot dismiss the fact that his death -- in so public a manner -- fits in directly with the logic of today's Russia and the interests of Vladimir Putin and his group. It is not that we know or necessarily believe Putin personally ordered a killing, but we do know that, in the vast apparatus of the FSB, giving such an order would not have been contrary to the current inclinations of the leadership.

And whatever the public's impression of the case might be, the KGB/FSB has not suddenly returned to the scene. In fact, it never left. Putin has been getting the system back under control for years. The free-for-all over economic matters has ended, and Putin has been restructuring the Russian economy for several years to increase state control, without totally reversing openness. This process, however, requires the existence of a highly disciplined FSB -- and that is not compatible with someone like a Litvinenko publicly criticizing the Kremlin from London. Litvinenko's death would certainly make that point very clear.

U.K.: 'Rogues' Possibly Killed Litvinenko

December 1, 2006 | 1853 GMT

There is a possibility that ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko's death by polonium-210 poisoning was the work of "rogue elements" within Russia, the Guardian newspaper reported Dec. 1, citing British intelligence officials. Official involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government has been ruled out, the report added.

Become a Sheepdog, Protect Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:08:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:01:00 +0000

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009

Casey at the Bat, in Hebrew translation

Below is my newly-completed Hebrew translation of the classic baseball epic poem, Casey at the Bat (1888), by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.

Naturally, there are some bits I'm less than 100% satisfied with, and I'm sure I've made some errors in nikud (vowel points), but overall I'm pleased and I hope you enjoy it too. Corrections and suggestions for linguistic improvements are welcome.

I'm considering whether to submit it to a newspaper or literary publication; if you have any practical suggestions please let me know. I'm hoping to write a Hebrew commentary for the non-baseball-savvy reader.

I was just about to write that I am unaware of any previous Hebrew translations, when I noticed an update to the Wikipedia entry since the last time I checked it - and since the last time I worked on this - referring to a translation by sports journalist Menachem Less. His approach is very different from mine, though.

Okay, here it is:

קֵיסִי בַּמַּחְבֵּט

בָּלָדָה לָרֶפּוּבְּלִיקָה מוּשֶׁרֶת בִּשְׁנַת 1888

מֵאֵת אֶרְנֶסְט לוֹרֶנְס תֵ'ייֶר

הַצֶּפִי לְתִשְׁעַת מָאדְוִיל כְּבָר לֹא מַמָּשׁ זָהַר:

פִּגְּרוּ אַרְבַּע לִשְׁתַּיִם, רַק סִיבוּב אֶחָד נִשְׁאַר.

וּכְשֶׁקּוּנִי מֵת בְּבָסִיס רִאשׁוֹן, וּבָּארוֹס גַּם נָפַל,

דְּמָמָה חִוֶּרֶת אָפְפָה אֵת אַנְשֵׁי הַקָּהָל.

מְעַט עָמְדוּ לָלֶכֶת בְּיֵאוּשׁ עָמֹק. הַשְּׁאָר

אָחֲזוּ בַּתִּקְוָה שֶׁנּוֹבַעַת בְּלֶב כָּל בַּשָׂר;

חָשְׁבוּ שֶלּוּ רַק קֵיסִי יְקַבֵּל תוֹר לְהַכּוֹת –

נַכְפִּיל אֵת הַהִמּוּר עַכְשָׁו אִם קֵיסִי יַחֲבוֹט.

אָךְ פְלִין קָדַם לְקֵיסִי, וְגִ'ימִי בְּלֵיק גַּם כֵּן,

וְהָרִאשׁוֹן הוּא לַפְלַף, וְהַשֵּׁנִי מִסְכֵּן;

וְכָעֵת עַל הֶהָמוֹנִים גַּל עֶצֶב מַר נוֹחֵת,

כִּי אָפְסוּ הַסִּכּוּיִּם שֶׁקֵּיסִי עוֹד יָרִים מַחְבֵּט.

אָךְ פְלִין חָבַט לְסִינְגֶל, לְתַדְהֵמַת כֻּלָּם,

וּבְּלֵיק טָרַף אֵת הַכַּדּוּר – כִּסּוּי הָעוֹר נִפְרַם.

וּכְשֶׁרָאוּ מַה שֶׁקָּרָה, כְּשֶׁהִתְפַּזֵּר הָאָבָק,

גִ'ימִי עָמַד בְּבָסִיס שֵׁנִי, וּפְלִין אֵת שְׁלִישִׁי חָבַק.

מֵחֲמֵשֶׁת אַלְפֵי גְּרוֹנוֹת וְעוֹד עָלְתָה הַצְּעָקָה;

הִיא רָעֲמָה בָּעֵמֶק, זִעְזְעָה אֵת הַגִּבְעָה.

הִיא הָלְמָה בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר וְהִדְהֵדָה מִתַּחַת,

כִּי קֵיסִי, קֵיסִי הָאַדִּיר, נִגַּשׁ אֶל הַצַּלַחַת.

צָעַד לוֹ בְּנוֹחוּת כְּשֶׁאֶל מְקוֹמוֹ פָּסַע,

עַל פָּנָיו הָיָה חִיּוּךְ, וּבְקוֹמָתוֹ גַּאֲוָה.

וּכְשֶׁהֵסִיר אֵת כּוֹבַעוֹ מוּל הֶהָמוֹן הָאוֹהֵד,

גַּם זָר יָדַע לְלֹא סָפֵק שֶׁקֵּיסִי שָׁם עוֹמֵד.

עֲשֶׂרֶת אַלְפֵי עֵינַיִם רָאוּ שֶׁמָּרַח בְּעָפָר יָדָיו;

חֲמֵשֶׁת אַלְפֵי לְשׁוֹנוֹת הֵרִיעוּ כְּשֶׁנִּגֵּב בְּמִכְנַסָיו.

הַמַּגִּישׁ הִתְפַּתֵּל, לָחַץ אֵת הַכַּדּוּר אֶל הַמָּתְנַיִם,

עֵינָיו שֶל קֵיסִי הִתְרִיסוּ, בְּבוּז עִקֵּם שְׂפָתַיִם.

עַתָּה הַסְּפֶרָה כְּסוּיַּת-הָעוֹר שֻׁגְּרָה אֶל הָאֲוִיר,

וְקֵיסִי עָמַד וְהִבִּיט בָּהּ שָׁם, שַׁחְצָן וְגַם יָהִיר.

טָס הַכַּדּוּר לְלֹא תְּגוּבָה לְיַד גוּף הָחוֹבֵט –

"זֶה לֹא לְטַעֲמִי", אָמַר קֵיסִי. "סְטְרַיק וואָן", אָמַר הַשּׁוֹפֵט.

מִסַּפְסָלִים שְׁחוֹרֵי אֱנוֹש עָלָה קוֹל שְׁאָגָה,

כְּמוֹ הַכָּאָת חוֹף יָם רָחוֹק בְּגַלֵּי הַסְּעָרָה.

"מָוֶת! מָוֶת לַשּׁוֹפֵט!" צָעַק צוֹפֶה אֶחָד;

וְהָיוּ אוּלַי הוֹרְגִים אוֹתוֹ לוּלֵא קֵיסִי הֵרִים יָד.

בְּחִיּוּךְ שֶׁל חֶסֶד וּקְדוּשָׁה קָרַן עוֹר שֶׁל פָּנָיו;

אֵת הַמְּהוּמָה הַגּוֹאָה הִשְׁקִיט בְּהֶנֵּף יָדָיו;

הוּא סִמֵּן לַמַּגִּישׁ וְעוֹד פַּעַם הַסְּפֶרוֹאִיד נָסַק;

שׁוּב קֵיסִי לֹא הֵגִיב לוֹ. "סְטְרַיק טוּ", הַשׁוֹפֵט פָּסַק.

"מָכוּר!" קָראְוּ הָאֲלָפִים, וְהֵד עָנָה "מָכוּר";

אָךְ מַבָּט לוֹעֵג מִקֵּיסִי וְנִפְסַק כָּל הַדִּבּוּר.

רָאוּ שְׁרִירָיו הַמְּתוּחִים, פָּנָיו קָשׁוֹת, קַרוֹת,

וְיָדְעוּ שֶׁקֵּיסִי לֹא יִתֵּן לַכַּדּוּר לַחֲלוֹף לוֹ עוֹד.

מִשְּׂפָתָיו נֶעֱלַם הַבּוּז, יֵשׁ אֵיבָה בְּמַבָּטוֹ;

הוּא הוֹלֵם בְּאַכְזָרִיּוּת עַל הַצַּלַחַת בְּאַלָּתוֹ.

הַמַּגִּיש בִּרְצוֹתוֹ אוֹחֵז כַּדּוּר, וּבִרְצוֹתוֹ שִׁלַּח,

וּבְמַכָּה אַדִּירָה אַחַת שֶׁל קֵיסִי הַאֲוִיר נֶחְתַך.

הוֹ, אֵי-שָׁם בְּאַרְצֵנוּ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עוֹד זוֹהֶרֶת,

אֵי-שָׁם הַלְּבָבוֹת קַלִּים וְתִזְמֹרֶת מְנַגֶּנֶת,

אֵי-שָׁם מִתְלוֹצְצִים הָאֲנָשִׁים וְטַף, אֲבָל

אֵין כָּל שִׁמְחָה בְּמָאדְוִיל – קֵיסִי הָאַדִּיר נִפְסַל.

-- תֻּרְגַּם ע"י יַעֲקֹב (גֵ'יסוֹן) אֶלְבַּאוּם, יוני 2009. כל הזכויות שמורות.

Biedermeier

noreply@blogger.com (Old Fox) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:32:00 +0000

main page - collection - overview - [ history ] - restoration - contact

Biedermeier refers to work of literature, music, the visual arts and furniture in the period between the years 1815 (Vienna Congress), the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions and contrasts with the Romantic era which proceeded it. It was the age of the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, Prince Metternich, whose diplomacy and influence dominated much of the post-Napoleonic period. It was a period of conservative politics in reaction to the horrors and chaos of the French Revolution and Napoleons wide-reaching conquests. Liberalism and popular movements were viewed askant and suppressed. It was the heyday of the secret police.

But it was also a time of great creativity. Great names like Beethoven, Schubert, Johann Strauss the Elder and Joseph Lanner dominated the Viennese music scene. Despite censorship, theatre and literature flourished. It saw growing industrialisation and the resulting migration from rural to largely urban life. It was also the beginning of the Railway Age in almost all European countries. The Biedermeier period came to an end in the revolutions of 1848. At the same time the so-called Metternich System of conservative and diplomatic conferences with the major powers to try and repress or maintain order by acting concertedly in Europe, also came to an end.

Biedermeier applied at first in a joking spirit. It is believed to have been named for the worthy, bourgeois-minded "Papa Biedermeier," a humorous character featured in a series of verses by Ludwig Eichrodt, published in Fliegende Blätter. The Biedermeier period found expression in comfortable, homelike furnishings, simple in design and inexpensive in material, fitting the requirements of the people in a time of little wealth following the Napoleonic Wars. Biedermeier designs were simplified forms of the French Empire and Directoire styles and of some 18th-century English styles, and were often elegant in their utilitarian simplicity.

Vienna was in many ways a spiritual and artistic center, strong enough to blend the most varied impulses into its own synthesis. Already in the production of Empire-style furniture, the Vienna furniture builders had found their definitive expression. Their more cherished and fantasy-filled designs differed clearly from those of French taste and the latter's German derivatives. Viennese furniture makers worked securely and solidly, which is reflected in the charming home furnishings of the artisans' best quality. Austrian furniture is lighter and designed for livability, elegance and private life. Viennese Biedermeier furniture can be seen more than elsewhere in its relationship to and partial transition from Empire style, and it shows itself in especially striking, artistically mature products of high quality.

In 1816 there were 875 independent master cabinetmakers in Vienna, in 1823 already 951. Some ran genuine factories, the best-known and most influential of them was Josef Danhauser, who was already employing 100 workers in 1808. Danhauser sold not only funiture in his factory, but also home furnishings such as drapes, carpets, clocks and even glassware. The Viennese Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) has over 2500 of Danhauser's catalogue drawings. They show the never-ending fantasy and decors. Nowadays Biedermeier became very popular due to its timeless design and therefore collectors enjoy Biedermeier furniture as lasting appreciation. Its high functionality and simple forms suits today's modern sense of living.

Old Fox's KM blotter

Is Great Beauty in fact a Curse?

Early life and beginnings [edit]

Personal life [edit]

Death [edit]

Je Suis Malade

Charity...

"A Religion of Peace"

Battle of Gao

Contents

Background [edit]

Battle [edit]

Reactions [edit]

Aftermath [edit]

Capture of Timbuktu [edit]

Destruction of shrines [edit]

Reaction'It's an absolute tragedy'

Interstate Sales Tax

Interstate Sales Tax

Pretty happy sisters

extraoral labial cutaneous junction

Cinnamon and Honey

The Battle Of Athens

The GIs came home to find that a political machine had taken over their Tennessee county. What they did about it astounded the nation.

Minimum Wage Hurts Unskilled Black Workers - Harry R. Jackson, Jr. - Page 1

Wacky Patent of the Month

How Silly Can You Get?

Ecoutez et partagez CLASSIC & JAZZ, la seule radio musique classique et jazz - radio jazz Paris France Bouquet de radios numériques Classic & Jazz#.UXG3Z2TD9mN

Great music without commercials or hogwash...

Never satisfied...

"the Democrat party"

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Historic Spurs!

Top 10 Smartest Animals

Top 10 Smartest Animal Countdown

Cousins at the Beach

Big Tax Increase, nothing for you.

From "The Lawful Path"

Some Statisticson Guns and Doctors

Doctors

Guns

So,statistically...

the Cyprus heist is really important

Cyprus and the Death of Deposit Insurance

Take THAT, Wiley! You big bully.

AALL's Washington Blawg

Alexander Litvinenko

Russia's Interest in Litvinenko

U.K.: 'Rogues' Possibly Killed Litvinenko

Become a Sheepdog, Protect Sheep

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009

Casey at the Bat, in Hebrew translation

Biedermeier

Reaction
'It's an absolute tragedy'

Some Statistics
on Guns and Doctors