Posts from — June 2009

Via Digby a nice little Max Blumenthal video of Israeli-Americans in Jerusalem giving their viewpoint on the American President and his Middle East policy. The video is NSFW, so turn down the volume before you start it.

Compare the contents of this video with the comment of Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, and the reaction to her remarks. These are American citizens, most if not all who have dual citizenship in Israel. I guess if you are a Republican or an Israeli-American the concept of not criticizing the President when he is abroad isn’t applicable.

On MSNBC: Lawsuit a glimpse into ‘worst’ of the Web

The Internet provider called itself Triple Fiber Network – or 3FN.net — and claimed to be based in Oregon while operating servers “in the heart of Silicon Valley.” But the Federal Trade Commission alleges that 3FN — also known as Pricewert LLC and APS Telecom — was really controlled by criminals in the Ukraine and Estonia, and was the “worst ISP located in the United States in terms of hosting malicious content.”

The FTC obtained a temporary restraining order on Wednesday from a federal judge in the Northern District of California that shut down the service and possibly thousands of Web sites. FTC staff attorney Ethan Arenson said it was the first time the agency had ever shut down an ISP.

Technically, this is a hosting site, not an ISP, but it has been a major PITA for me personally, as much of the garbage I delete comes from their server farm, based on IP lookups. Of course, they will simply move their operation somewhere else, and if they move it to a Republican area, they will get tax breaks and grants to “start a new business and create local jobs”, so it is only temporary relief.

This is just stupid: Aerial images online endanger national security, critics say.

I have looked at the satellite photos of my neighborhood, and they are five years old. You can’t use them to find my house from three of the four possible starting points, and if you don’t live here you probably wouldn’t see the fourth starting point from street level. Things change.

If you think that an aerial view is a lot of help for anything other than aerial bombing, you have never been in a ground attack. There is no scale with these pictures that is adequate for a ground assault, so you would have to conduct reconnaissance to have any hope of success.

If al Qaeda had an air force and guided weapons the paranoia might be justified, but suggesting that “some guy in a tent” is going to be materially assisted by these photos is just stupid.

The “New” Labour Party is the gift that keeps on giving – to the Tories. I used the same headline twenty-five months ago.

The BBC says Tories ‘winning across England’:

Conservative leader David Cameron has said his party’s performance in the local elections shows it can win in “every part of the country”.

So far the Tories have taken councils from Labour and the Lib Dems including Derbyshire, run by Labour since 1981.

The Lib Dems have won control in Bristol while Labour has lost control of all of its four councils.

Labour deputy Harriet Harman admitted the results were “disappointing” but said the party would learn from them.

One would hope they would learn that if people are going to get a conservative government no matter which party they vote for, they will volt for the Tories. If you want to get out liberal voters, you are going to have to act like a liberal when you are in power.

Ringo Complains

What, no food?

[Editor: Ringo is looking better than ever in a slimmed down form as a result of a regimen of tree climbing, but she still wants me to have food whenever she deigns to notice me outside. Like many Korats, instead of a meow, she voices a squeaky chirp.]

Friday Ark

Republican message discipline is breaking down: Senator criticizes Florida’s privatization initiatives

TALLAHASSEE — The state’s decision to consider a no-bid contract extension for a controversial human-resources company has renewed criticism from a leading state senator who says privatization initiatives have cost taxpayers $200 million with little to show for the money.

Senate budget chairman J.D. Alexander persuaded fellow lawmakers during the spring legislative session to increase scrutiny of large state contracts — only to see Gov. Charlie Crist veto the proposal last week.
…

As attorney general, Crist in 2006 persuaded a court to seal a whistle-blower complaint by a former Convergys employee. A judge criticized Crist as an unjustified “interloper” in the case. And the former employee filed an ethics complaint, alleging Crist became involved because his top fundraiser, Brian Ballard, is a Convergys lobbyist.

Both denied wrongdoing and the ex-employee’s complaints were dismissed.
…

[Read more →]

Howard Troxler of the St. Petersburg Times writes on one of the many travesties that have come out of this latest session of the clown college legislature: Crist signs growth bill, sells Florida down the river

…

So if you live in a “dense urban area” in Florida — which this law brilliantly defines as more than ONE PERSON PER ACRE …

If you live in any of Florida’s biggest counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, or in one of more than 200 Florida cities …

If you live anywhere that your local government labels as a “community redevelopment area” …

Or even if you have the misfortune of living where somebody wants to build a “job creation project” …

Then tough noogies for you.

The main thing is roads. Developers no longer have to make sure that our roads can handle the growth they are bringing.

Once again developers are exempt from the cost of the infrastructure needed to support their projects, and can continue to destroy the state with over-building. Developers don’t have to factor in the cost of roads, water, sewer treatment, or any other public service, they can just build, take their profits, and leave. The taxpayers are stuck with the bills.

The BBC reports on the arrival of Brazilian naval vessels in the area: Air France jet debris recovered.

There is an extended oil slick from the aircraft’s fuel which argues against and explosion or fire, but the field of the slick and debris indicates that the aircraft broke up in the air, rather than crashing.

The structure of modern aircraft are designed to take levels of turbulence that can injure passengers in the body, even if they are strapped into their seats, so it is very rare for it to destroy an airframe. Consider that the Hurricane Hunter aircraft of the Air Force and NOAA regularly fly through hurricanes, including Category 5 monsters, and they are much older than this Airbus.

That said, I lost two of my best friends in the military to clear air turbulence over the Bering Sea. The RC-135 [military version of the Boeing 707] was shaken apart forty years ago in May.

Some days you have to wonder if anyone is paying attention or connecting the dots. Ray Sansom is obviously political toast, even if he isn’t convicted, so the Local Puppy Trainer starts looking for possible replacements: Who’ll run to replace Sansom? Here are some names:

[Kabe] Woods said one of his potential rivals, Matt Gaetz, an attorney and son of state Sen. Don Gaetz, would probably be untouchable on the fund-raising side of a campaign.

“He’ll get more money overnight than I’ll be able to raise in two years. I know that’s what’s going to happen,” Woods said.

“It’s a situation where he’s a young man with an overwhelming amount of resources, a name and a father in a power position. He will bring a lot of backing and a lot of resources and is capable of sweeping just about any candidate off the slate.

“Except me.”

[Read more →]

What total garbage – Israelis growing increasingly anxious about Obama policies.

You know what “policies” the Israelis are anxious about – those policies that expect the Israelis to do what they have agreed to do. The Israelis are anxious about the fact that the “wink and nod” have been removed from the relationship, and words have meanings.

The Israelis don’t want to be required to fulfill their side of the bargain. They can’t just say they are going to do something, they have to actually do it.

If the Israelis don’t want to make an effort to abide by their agreements, cut them loose and move on. There is no real benefit to the US from Israel, there are only costs, in lives as well as money.

Once again demonstrating the absolutely total lack of class and empathy that the Republican Party only rarely achieves, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [other than humans] shows their total lack of concern for those who are grieving : George Tiller shooting prompts PETA ad campaign in Wichita

WICHITA – A national animal rights group plans to erect billboards in Wichita urging people on both sides of the abortion debate to go vegetarian.

One version of the billboard says, “Pro-Life? Go Vegetarian.” The other says, “Pro-Choice? Choose Vegetarian.” Both feature a photo of three baby chicks.

Lindsay Rajt, campaign manager for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the billboards were prompted by the recent shooting death of abortion doctor George Tiller, who was killed Sunday at his church.

“The discussion of the value of life is front and center right now in the public conversation,” Rajt said.

“We think we would be irresponsible if we don’t talk about how we’re all guilty of extreme cruelty to animals every time we sit down to a meal that includes meat.”

Ms Rajt, you don’t have to think you are “irresponsible”, I assure you that your organization has been irresponsible for a very long time. You have all of the cultural awareness, sexism, and social graces of Rush Limbaugh.

[Read more →]

The BBC noted the Chinese Internet curbs in preparation for the twentieth anniversary of the brutal attack that took place in the Square.

China has blocked several websites ahead of the 20th anniversary of the suppression of the Tiananmen protests.

Chinese internet users were unable to connect to the social networking service Twitter, their Hotmail accounts and the photo-sharing service Flickr.

Meanwhile veteran dissident Wu Gaoxing, who was jailed for his part in the 1989 pro-democracy movement, was held at the weekend, a fellow activist said.

China bans discussion of the events in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thursday 4 June is the 20th anniversary of the crackdown, when troops quelled weeks of protest by students and workers.

China has never released a death toll from the suppression on what it says was a counter-revolutionary conspiracy. Hundreds are believed to have died in and around the square.

The Beeb also has a Timeline: The Tiananmen protests and an audio slideshow.

[Note: this occurred on June 4 in China, but it was still June 3 in the West.]

Dr. Jeff Masters notes the latest predictions for the season: Average hurricane season foreseen by CSU and NOAA.

The CSU team is calling for 11 named storms, 5 hurricanes, and 2 intense hurricanes, and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) 88% of average. Between 1950 – 2000, the average season had 10 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 intense hurricanes. But since 1995, the beginning of an active hurricane period in the Atlantic, we’ve averaged 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 intense hurricanes per year.

The big factors are cooler than normal Sea Surface Temperatures for this time of year, and the possibility that an El Niño is developing in the Pacific.

Of course, it doesn’t mean much if there is only one storm this season, but it becomes a category 5 and takes aim at you.

There is an area of interest, Invest 92L, out in the Atlantic near the Azores, but it looks like it will mainly produce rain, in Spain… OK, on the plain.

The BBC has an article that indicates that the South Korean intel believes that the North Korean activity is about naming a successor.

Kim Jong-Il had a stroke, and has not formally named an heir, which makes the people at the top of the North Korean power structure nervous. The South Korean intel people apparently believe that all of the recent belligerent activity is for internal consumption, to confirm that he is still in charge, and to anoint his successor.

Following a custom, Kim Jong-il has three sons all named Kim Jong with the suffixes -nam, -chul, and -un. He has apparently selected the youngest, Kim Jong-un, to be his heir. This may be a difficult sell to the tradition-minded military, and the reason for all of the war-like behavior.