You Big Mouth, You!

Updated with the pics from the procession to the cemetary.

That’s what faced us this morning as the Ambulance Corps and Randy’s family gathered for the service and burial.

Family and friends overflowed the space at the funeral home. About 150 people joined us. We had about 20 of our members. Police and fire fighters, folks from Pittsford, Perinton and Penfield’s ambulance, the SEQ paramedics. The procession was very long, easily 50 vehicles.

Our members were the pallbearers. We also provided our meeting room for the reception after the graveside service.

Prior posts:

EMS DEATH

AN ORDINARY JOE, HERO

HUMAN FRAILITY

No, really!

Ananova

Men in Serbia are lining up to have electric shocks delivered to their testicles as part of a new contraceptive treatment.

Serbian fertility expert Dr Sava Bojovic, who runs one of the clinics offering the service, said the small electric shock makes men temporarily infertile by stunning their sperm into a state of immobility.

He said: “We attach electrodes to either side of the testicles and send low electricity currents flowing through them. “This stuns the sperm, effectively putting them to sleep for up to 10 days, which means couples can have sex without fear of getting pregnant. “The method does not kill the sperm permanently and it does not affect the patient’s health.”

Dr Bojovic added patients were now lining up at his fertility clinic in Novi Banovci for the shock treatment, as it had none of the problems attached to using condoms, the male pill or having a vasectomy.

He added: “We are hoping to have a small battery powered version on sale in the shops in time for Xmas.”

Top News | Reuters.co.in

Israel has bowed to complaints from the Indian government and stopped trying to convert to Judaism thousands of people in India who believe they are a Biblical lost tribe, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Around 7,000 people in northeast India claim they are members of Bnei Menashe, or the children of Menashe, one of the 10 “lost tribes” of Israel. Efforts to convert them by a specially despatched team of rabbis were called off after India, a major buyer of Israeli defence exports, voiced its displeasure.

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate had given the green light to convert Bnei Menashe in India.

“The Indian authorities, through official channels, told us they do not view positively initiated efforts at conversions to other religions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. “When the Indian government issues a complaint we take it seriously. At the moment there is a freeze on all such conversions taking place,” Regev said.

Some 800 members of Bnei Menashe have immigrated to Israel since the late 1980s and many live in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Some members of the community were among the settlers evacuated from Gaza in an Israeli pullout completed in September.

An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, said any Bnei Menashe members who choose to immigrate to Israel would be converted to Judaism after their arrival.

Exiled by the Assyrians around 720 BC, the tribe wandered through Afghanistan and China before ending up in a part of India nestled between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Decades after being converted to Christianity by missionaries, descendants in various areas began to reconnect with Judaism in the 1970s. While much of their Jewish traditions had been lost on the way, Bnei Menashe still practised customs which were Jewish in origin. These included sanctifying a baby on the eighth day after birth, the time when Jewish males are circumcised.

The Indian government is very fussy about non-Hundus practicing their religions and converting others. They are strongly influenced by Hindu fundimentalists.

I also noted this issue here.

Glenn Reynolds notes perhaps the most apt commentary on the rioting in France, from Jim Dunnigan at Strategy Page.

Thus, the street violence is partly a lark, because the kids know the cops are not going to use lethal force, and anyone who gets caught will, at worst, do maybe a year in the slammer (for burning cars looting stores). The drug gangs encourage the violence as a way to intimidate the cops. When the violence dies down, the gang bosses can threaten the local cops with a revival, if the cops do not back off (when it comes to the drug trade).

There are some Islamic radicals running around in all this, but they are a minority. The Moslem kids like to talk about respect and payback, but very few see this as a religious war. It’s become a sport, with various groups competing to cause the most destruction. Text messaging, Internet bulletin boards and email made it possible for the rioters to stay in touch and compare notes. The media coverage also encouraged the violence, giving the kids some positive (for them) feedback.

(more…)

From now through November 11, Veterans’ Day, a diverse group of bloggers will be raising money for Project Valour-IT. The goal is to

provide voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the ‘Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.

In the friendly spirit of inter-service rivalry, four teams are competing for the four services. While Dad was a redleg, I’ve always had a soft spot for Marines, so I’m throwing my efforts onto their efforts. Holly Aho, from Soldiers’ Angels is heading the Marine team.

Donate on-line here, or find information for snail mail donations. It’s tax deductible, and you will earn a heavenly reward as well. Remember, the streets there are guarded by the United States Marines.

George Soros and the loony left spent a ton of money in Ohio, in a vain attempt to take out the electoral process. Every single item they backed lost, and lost big. The voters of Ohio said no to a proposal that would have restricted business contributions to campaigns but not union contributions. They said no to swapping out redistricting by elected legislators for an unelected commission. They said no to a proposal to replace the elected Secretary of State as overseer and administrator of elections with an unelected commission. And, they rejected a proposal that would have allowed early voting, and allowed those who voted by absentee ballot to vote again with a provisional ballot on election day, without any provision to eliminate double voting. They went zero for four.

And yet again, the liberals’ attempts to buy democracy are foiled.

I now do the traditional victory dance of my people [You put your left foot in…]

The French government has finally reacted to the rioting. If the rioters don’t stop, the French will make them stay home. You know, kinda like a time-out.

Tomorrow I’ll be helping to wake a pal, Randy Blair. He was four years younger than I when he died, yet I have to wonder if he had done more good in his life. His tribute is here.

The Ambulance Corps is going to do right by Randy. Whatever the family wants. He’s being buried in his uniform. We’re providing an honour guard and some pallbearers. We may even be transporting the casket in an ambulance.

Many of us are urging the Board to recognize the exceptional effort Randy put in with the construction of the new office space at our base with a plaque. I’ve personally urged the people working with the family to apply for line-of-duty death benefits from both the federal and state governments. Randy took far more calls in the last six months than anyone else. One could make a fine argument that the stress from all his calls contributed to his untimely death.

He leaves a grown family, and several young children with Karen. It would be great if their lives could be made a little easier with some benefits.

Four years younger than me.

My first death with the East Rochester Ambulance [ 7 years ago ] was a guy my age [43]. It shakes you. Your own mortality.

Ernie died in 1991 or 92. He went back into his burning trailer to try to rescue a 7 year old grandson. We found them both dead upon making entry. Ernie was just an ordinary guy, worked on the garbage truck, smiled a lot and loved the fire company though he wasn’t a member. We tried to get him out, but the flames were too intense. 3 firefighters were injured, two taken to the hospital, in the effort.

I know how the East Rochester crew feels. I cried for Ernie just like they’re crying for Randy. The Alfred Station Fire Company buried Ernie as if he were one of our own. In a way, he was. He was family, in that odd but true sort of way that country folks have. Randy was family, too.

Posting will be light to non-existant tomorrow and Wednesday. I’ve got family business.

Fauzia Gailani

Fauzia Gailani is an unlikely election winner in this conservative, western city: an aerobics instructor, a mother of six and, most obviously, a woman.

But somehow Gailani won 16,885 votes in the recent parliamentary race, more than any other candidate in Herat province and more than any other woman in Afghanistan. Only 20 men nationwide won more votes than Gailani. Her campaign posters hang in living rooms and stores. Women talk about how she has helped them lose weight and how she’s better than any man. Men talk about her as if she’s a sex symbol.

“I love her,” said Nazer Ahmad, a police officer who voted for Gailani.

Her victory is all the more shocking because it happened in Herat, the province where the one-time conservative governor oppressed women almost as much as the Taliban officials he replaced. It’s just one sign of how life has changed for women since strongman Ismail Khan was removed as provincial governor in September 2004.

Under Khan, it was rare to see a woman on the streets of Herat, even in a burqa. Now women shop in the markets. Although many still are in burqas, some wear the Iranian-style chador, which cloaks a woman in black but shows her face. Women work in some shops. A few women even have a driver’s license.

“During the Taliban and Ismail Khan, life was pretty bad,” said Sadiqa Mohsini, wearing a chador and shopping in a market area. “We couldn’t go out. We didn’t have any freedom.”

Not everything has changed. Women still set themselves on fire to protest unwanted marriages. Although some women have driver’s licenses, they rarely drive. One woman in a burqa chastised another woman for wearing only a head scarf.

The win by Gailani, who often wears just a head scarf, has significance beyond Herat. For many, women such as Gailani, with no ties to the brutal past, are the bright spot in the new parliament, which will be filled largely with former warlords, fighters and clerics.

Final results in the historic Sept. 18 parliamentary elections are expected to be announced soon. But unofficial results indicate that many women would have been elected even if 68 of the 249 seats had not been reserved for them.

“The presence of women, whatever reason they got in, makes me happy,” said Qassim Akhgar, a political analyst in Kabul. “It’s a statement against fundamentalism and the ways of the past. Instead of any of these warlords, if a woman won, I’d be even more happy. Even if Fauzia Gailani replaced President Hamid Karzai, I would be very happy.”

Gailani appears to have won so many votes for several reasons: She comes from a relatively well-known family, although she herself was an unknown. She campaigned in rural districts, unlike other candidates. She’s a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and considered to be a religious person.

And also, her posters. They look similar to those of other female candidates in Herat but struck a very different chord with men. In them, she wears makeup, either orange or pink lipstick on her Mona Lisa smile, and a head scarf that lets some of her highlighted hair poke out.

“Some men in this mall stared at Fauzia’s picture and said, `We are voting for this woman so we have a beautiful parliament,’” said Sara Bayat, who works in a clothing store.

Via Mudville Gazette

DefendAmerica

Animal health is a concern for Afghan shepherds today and may be a major factor in the quality of herds for years to come. For 20 years, Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mark J. Martinez, a veterinarian, has made it his mission to treat and research diseases affecting animals and working in biodefense research. Martinez is now applying his expertise toward healing the ill animals in Afghan villages so the future of the stocks will be stronger and healthier.

Working with the Civil Military Assistance Team from Bagram Airfield, Martinez averages two or three missions a month. “The veterinary component of the CMA mission routinely treats several hundred head of livestock per mission day,” he said. “This can range up to well over one thousand animals per day in certain areas, for example, when tending to the Kuchi livestock. “We do our work primarily in areas where there are no veterinary services. Afghans, both villagers and Kuchi nomads, are very grateful for the veterinary care we provide.”

There are a wide variety of animal diseases in Afghanistan and its neighboring countries in central and south Asia. Only a few of these diseases can effect humans, such as anthrax, tuberculosis, brucellosis, rabies, and some internal parasitism; however, these are relatively uncommon. By treating for parasites and vaccinating against devastating animal diseases, Martinez and other veterinarians improve the livestock’s health and productivity, such as milk production or meat yield.

In the case of work animals, the care keeps those animals that plow fields or are used as pack animals healthy. “A vast majority of rural Afghans, 80 to 85 percent, depend on livestock in some fashion for their economic livelihood,” said Martinez.

In Martinez ’s area of operations, the big plan of rebuilding Afghanistan is to rebuild the private-sector veterinary services which used to be widely available to farmers, many years ago before the invasion by the former Soviet Union and repression by the Taliban regime. This rebuilding of the veterinary infrastructure is being spearheaded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and nongovernmental organizations such as the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan.

Moved from 2004, as it seems very current:

BBC

The study by the French domestic intelligence services found many areas were populated by poor, young French of north African immigrant backgrounds. The report, leaked to Le Monde newspaper, found at least half of the 630 suburbs it looked at had already become separate ethnic communities. The report warned the ghettoes, cut off from mainstream French society, could encourage radical Islam to take root.

The intelligence service report deals with an extremely sensitive issue for France: just how bad the sense of alienation has become in the suburbs, among the French-born children of north African immigrant background.

The report - given to the interior minister, Dominique de Villepin - concludes that the situation is actually worse than previously thought. Of the suburbs studied, the report says at least half could already be called ghettoes, whose inhabitants felt rejected by, and were in turn rejecting, mainstream French society.

The areas studied were chosen because they already had problems with unemployment, crime and violence, had a high proportion of immigrant families - some still practising polygamy - plus a growing number of Islamic prayer rooms as well as frequent anti-Western and anti-Semitic graffiti.

The intelligence services noted that many families of immigrant origin were rejecting French values and even the French language, following instead more traditional ways of life associated with their ethnic origin - including an increasing religious radicalisation among young Muslims, and a backlash against young Muslim women who wore Western clothing. [snip]

U.S. Department of Defense

Q General, Charlie Aldinger with Reuters, two quick questions. Have you — there’s always interest on the movements along the border there with Iran. Have you seen any increased movement of foreign fighters or any movement of foreign fighters in recent months across the Iranian border, or more importantly movements of arms, sophisticated weaponry, explosives?

GEN. DUTTON: Yeah, certainly we’ve seen movements of explosives across the border, indeed. I think when I last spoke to you, there had been a large interdiction by the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement Police a few days before, and they had picked them up about five kilometers west off the border. So certainly there is movement. We, along with the DBE and the Coast Guard and Inland Waterways Department Police, are doing all we can to try and interdict this supply. It’s quite difficult. It’s a long and difficult border to police, and one of the problems is it only has one legal border crossing between the Gulf and Baghdad at a place called Shalamchah, which is just northeast of Basra’s town.

There are of course lots of good reasons for Iraqis wanting to travel to Iran and Iranians wanting to travel to Iraq, and it does make it extremely difficult for them to do so legally. And so we are pursuing with the Iraqi authorities the possibility of opening at least one other border crossing, so that could then better police the illegal crossings.

Q Just to briefly follow up. Could you give us any examples of recent discoveries of arms moving across the border?

GEN. DUTTON: Well, the — we’re not regrettably capturing these arms as they come across the border. That’s what we would like to do. But I think you’ll know from other reporting that the IED explosions, particularly the advanced technology ones, we believe the technology certainly is coming from across that border. And you will have heard that from political sources, and you wouldn’t expect me to go into great details about how we know that. But we’re pretty convinced that that is where these things are coming from, and we’re trying to tackle that, of course, on a number of levels. We would like to interdict it on the border. But as I’ve just explained, it is a difficult border to police. But we are working on assisting the Department of Border Enforcement to make that a more effective operation.

But we’re also attempting to pick up those who are — those who are perpetrating these acts because, of course, these are Iraqis that are attacking us, not Iranians, even though the wherewithal may be coming from that direction. So we’re attempting to pick up these people in search and detention operations here in the south. And we have had some success in that.

AFIS

U.S Marines in Iraq today confirmed 17 terrorists killed since Operation Steel Curtain began Nov. 5. Coalition officials suspect, but haven’t been able to confirm, many more killed. Officials also reported coalition air strikes hit 10 targets today.

Also, terrorists reportedly fired on Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines from mosques in two separate incidents today. In both cases, Iraqi Army members entered quickly and searched the mosques, but the terrorists had already cleared the buildings. Terrorists frequently use religious and public buildings to launch their attacks.

The operation’s fighting continued into the second day in the Husaybah near the Iraq-Syria border. The town is a location for foreign fighters, equipment and money to transit into Iraq. Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines have encountered and eliminated pockets of resistance throughout the day.

The combined force of about 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and 2,500 U.S. Marines, sailors and soldiers is clearing the city house by house as al Qaeda in Iraq-led terrorists continue to plant homemade bombs throughout the city and fire on Marines and Iraqi soldiers from homes, schools and mosques. Marines and Iraqi soldiers have systematically searched every building. When locked buildings are encountered, forces typically cut the lock to gain entry for their search. Instructions to submit damages claims resulting from searches are left at the building for owners. Five teams of Marines have been tasked to help process claims for property damage.

After clearing Husaybah, Iraqi Army units will partner with Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2 to provide a joint presence in the city. Previous operations between Iraqi Army units integrated with Marines and soldiers assigned to the 2nd Marine Division have established a persistent joint presence recently in the cities of Hit, Hadithah, Barwana, Haqlaniyah, Sadah, Rawah, Amiriyah and Ferris.

Iraqi and coalition forces are providing 450 Husaybah residents displaced by the operation with billeting, food and security in temporary lodging. There have been no reports of civilian casualties or of civilians leaving the region due to the operation.

Two good looking NFL cheerleaders. Drunkeness. Sex. Bathroom sex. Lesbian bathroom sex. Handcuffs. I can die happy.

UPDATE: How much do ya wanna bet that the players on the Panthers are all like: “I knew it. That bitch. I knew she was a lesbian.”

Yeah, sure you did, guys. Sure you did.

Recall, even the Nazis wouldn’t burn Paris.

Let’s face it, it’s a horrible experience for the French, but the Bloods and the Crips are laughing. These aren’t riots. Nobody gets killed. Blocks of buildings aren’t going up in smoke. Even when they have civil revolts, the French can’t quite measure up.

Oh, yes, I forgot, The never-ending governmental meetings. And hand-wringing, don’t forget the hand-wringing.

Zut alors!

Usually the French don’t dress up for lovemaking.

By U.S. Army Maj. Russ Goemaere 2nd Brigade Combat Team

Residents in one east Baghdad community believe a newly-opened road will have a positive impact on their local economy.

“This road will make it much easier for the people of Al Shuada south and Al Oubaidy to move between both communities,” said a smiling Sharker Rheeie Sudan, a long-time resident and owner of a propane shop along the road. “Business will improve,” he continued. “Heavy trucks will have an easier time getting to my shop for deliveries and pickups.”

The 700-meter asphalt road will impact more than 60,000 Iraqis. At a cost of about $100,000, it officially opened Oct. 19.

“The people came to me and told me they needed a road,” said Chalub Lazim, district chairman of the community. “During the rainy season, it was very hard to move between the neighborhoods.”

Lt. Col. Kevin Farrell, commander of coalition forces in the Tissa Nissan district, said, “The district and neighborhood councils have the interests of the people at heart with projects like this.”

This project shows how a good dialogue can result in a benefit. “I am convinced this road will improve the economy and security situation here,” Farrell said. “People will come here and build their homes and these homeowners will bring businesses and money into the local economy, and they will want a secure environment to raise their families. “The plan is for the Iraqi government to provide more roads that will branch out from this one to build an even bigger and better community,” he added.

The project was started after members of the community approached local leaders with their request. Sudan has noticed many changes since the fall of the previous regime.

New multi-million-dollar sewer and water projects are on-going in Al Shuada and Al Oubaidy as well. The Al Shuada sewer project will run about $2.2 million while the massive Al Oubaidy sewer and water project costs about $14.5 million. While the small road that just opened benefits only a small amount of the population, the sewer and water projects are expected to positively impact the lives of more than 260,000 people.

Both projects are expected to be completed in early summer 2006.

Members of the sewer work crew in Al Shuada feel very good about what they are doing for their community. “The people are very happy,” said about 10 workers in unison, as they took a short break to talk to BBC reporter Hugh Sykes who was visiting the area Oct. 20.

“We only had gutters and channels to take the sewage out into the street. This project will change everything,” said Mr. Alla, a resident and worker who has lived there since 1997.

“It has taken 30 years for projects like these to come to the people in these areas,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jamie Gayton, commander of 2-3 Brigade Troops Battalion. Gayton is also the primary essential service project manager in east Baghdad. “(Coalition forces) are here to support the Iraqi government as it gets stronger and can coordinate and execute these projects on its own.”

The Al Shuada project is being completed by Iraqi engineers using local neighborhood labor following designs created and approved by Iraqis at the Baghdad Sewer Authority. The projects have collectively employed more than 120 Iraqi laborers.

Gayton held an informal discussion with the Iraqi workers and some of the residents in Al Shuada to gauge how the projects are benefiting the community and to remind them that they need to talk to their local government leaders about what additional projects are needed in the future. All projects go through the Iraqi Amanant municipal management offices for development, he said.

“When we see progress and the Iraqi workers doing such a good job we are all encouraged,” said Abdel Karim, a government employee and resident of Al Shuada.

The Iraqis seemed pleased by the visit by Gayton and the BBC reporter, but one worker who was focused on the job politely told the visitors the interview needed to wrap up. “You are in our way; please leave so we can get back to work,” Alla said with a smile.

I wasn’t Randy’s best friend. I just knew him from the Ambulance Corps. He joined in the last couple of years, after Karen had been in a while.

Randy always had a smile and a joke. He was the kind of guy who did things, didn’t ask, just sized up the situation and steped in. We’ve added some new office space and Randy was largely responsible for that work getting done.

He became a driver first, then took the EMT class. That’s when his light really began to shine. He took calls, calls at all times of the day or night. He worked in the Village this summer and his boss let him out for serious calls. And he took them.

Sometimes he was a First Responder, until the mutual aid ambulance arrived. Other times he made up the second half of a crew, not on the schedule, but two folks who could drop what they were doing to respond to an emergency.

Hundreds of people in East Rochester came into contact with him this way. He was the first face dozens saw when they were scared or in pain, and he brought comfort and care to them.

He loved Karen. He loved the kids. He loved EMS.

When I hugged Karen yesterday, all I could say was “I’m so glad I knew Randy.”

I don’t know enough about Randy to say if this is true or not, but I believe it is. Randy, right now, is standing next to St. Peter at the Gates, saying “What do we have, Pete? What do you need?” Randy, you will be missed for a long time.

Blair, Randy L.
East Rochester: November 4, 2005 at the age of 46 years.

Predeceased by his father, Henry F. Blair, Sr. He is survived by his fiancee, Karen Fletcher; children, Douglas Blair, Jason (Ellen) Blair, Casey Blair, Khayla & Amie Fletcher; grandchildren, Dylan Blair, Tyler Rogers & Alyx Lancaster; his mother, Phyllis Blair; brothers, Henry (Betty) Blair, Jr., Joseph (Sheila) Blair & John (Lynn) Blair; sisters, Phyllis (James) Logan, Margaret (Jeff) Schutt & Anita (Scott) Besaw; nieces & nephews.

Randy was a U.S. Army Veteran, a member of Local #86 and was an active EMT with the East Rochester Vol. Ambulance Corps.

Friends may call TUESDAY 2-4, 7-9pm at the HARLOFF Funeral Home, 803 South Washington St. in East Rochester where a Funeral Service for Randy will be held on WEDNESDAY at 9:00am. Interment in White Haven Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests, that contributions in Randy’s memory be directed to the East Rochester Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

HARLOFF Funeral Home 586-5948

See the follow-up post as well.

Marine Capt. Brian Chontosh

Democrat & Chronicle: Local News

One thing he says he has learned, is that “the intrinsic value of human life, regardless of what side you’re on, is the same. You are no better than I am. We all have that same value, whether you are Syrian, al-Qaeda or American.” However, the net value we have to society varies. Some, such as terrorists, he says, have a negative net value to society.

He said the United States continues to do the right thing by occupying Iraq. He has seen children return to schools for the first time in years. Cities are being rebuilt, hospitals are open and fresh water is flowing.

He noted that the more than 2,000 Americans who have lost their lives during the war there is significantly less than the number of Iraqis who were killed by Saddam Hussein’s administration. He said protesters here saying we shouldn’t be in Iraq “diminishes their service. They died over there because they wanted to be over there. They joined the service. Those 2,000 men and women, I don’t want to say they were lost. Their lives were given for a purpose, for a hope there will be a better day for the youth in Iraq.”

Chontosh, 31, now teaches at the Marine Infantry Institute in Quantico, Va., where he lives with his wife and their son.

He says he wouldn’t hesitate returning to combat. “I’d go back, definitely,” he said. “If they had a job open for me today, I’d go back.”

Marine Capt. Brian Chontosh is one of the heroes featured in

AFIS

When a recruiter stopped by to talk to his son, Roderick Evans was the one sold on the military. The Detroit home health care specialist had a passion for helping others and a desire to make a difference. A military medical career sounded like a perfect fit.

The recruiter, on the other hand, saw a different picture. He took one look at Evans and said, “You’re just too big.” At 5 feet, 7 inches and 418 pounds, Evans could hardly disagree.

But instead of easing the rejection with his usual overdose of comfort foods, he went on a weight-loss crusade. Fueled by sheer willpower and a determination to join the military, the 36-year-old finally conquered a lifelong battle with his weight. Three years and 230 pounds lighter, Evans again saw a recruiter. This time, he was met with a much different reception. “He had me come down to his office for a (fitness) test,” said Evans, now 39 years old and a svelte 165 pounds. “I passed with flying colors and signed up for the Reserves on the spot.”

As a combat medic student at the Army Medical Department Center and School here, Evans now serves as a motivator for his fellow soldiers, a role he never anticipated when growing up on the streets of Detroit. “It was rough,” Evans said. “You had to either be the big guy so no one messed with you or you had to know how to fight. I was the big guy.”

Evans’ mother, a single mother of four, worked at two jobs to keep a roof over their heads. Evans became “papa” at home, cooking and cleaning for his siblings. As a teen, his size was an advantage in football. That and his passion for the marching band kept him fairly fit and out of trouble, he said. He continued with both in college at Grambling University, in Louisiana, then signed on as a trombone instructor and vocal teacher at his alma mater. Evans taught there for 14 years.

Over the years, a love of sweets turned the 260-pound teen into a 418-pound man.

When his brother became sick, Evans and his wife, La Tanya, moved back to Michigan to help with his brother’s three children. Evans took a job as a sales manager at a clothing store and a night job in home health care.

At 36, Evans was frustrated by his physical condition. “I couldn’t walk from the couch to the door without sitting down,” he said. “But I didn’t want to push back from the table.” Although he worked in a clothing store, his own shopping trips were a dreaded nightmare. When he went shopping, he didn’t ask the salesman to show him where the jeans were or for a style tip, he asked for the largest size in the store. Sometimes even the largest size wouldn’t fit.

“That’s when my wife would turn to me and just say, ‘It will be OK,’” Evans said. “She knew how bad I felt.”

But it wasn’t until the recruiter walked in that Evans pushed his plate away. He got up from the couch and started walking, then running. With smaller portions and a steady diet of gym trips, the weight flew off.

“I never lost sight of my goal (joining the Army),” Evans said. “Even at 418 pounds I never gave up. That’s just who I am.” A much slimmer Evans enlisted in July and traveled to Fort Sam Houston to start combat medic training. He is once again a father figure, but this time for the younger soldiers, who call him “pops.” “I watch over them and try to keep them motivated,” Evans said. “I’m up early and running and yelling and keeping the soldiers going at (physical training).”

“Private Evans motivates me every time I see him in front of the company,” said 1st Sgt. Armand Fermin, C Company, 232nd Medical Battalion. “His performance and attitude are phenomenal. He energizes me and the cadre and provides the younger soldier medics a positive role model.”

Evans said his fellow trainees always ask him where he gets his energy. “I tell them I do it because I couldn’t at one time,” he said. “If I could fly, I’d fly.” Right now he is flying through training, and his leadership is helping him to obtain a few other goals — to become an active duty officer and a nurse. “I feel like a different person,” Evans said. “I’m the same on the inside, but now my energy level matches my inner drive. I have the energy to do what I want to do.”

Regarding his surgery- and prescription-free weight loss, “If you get it in your head that you can and will beat this, you will,” he said. “Say today, not tomorrow. I won’t cut off, but cut back. Try not eating sweets for a week, anything that will motivate you.” Evans still avoids candy bars and most sweets, and doesn’t give them a second thought. His primary focus is on his military future. “I’m aiming for 20 years in the Army,” he said. “It took me a long time to achieve this goal and I’m going to keep going until I can’t.”

Howard, the go-to guy for markets, has a great post about why investors see the market and the economy differently than others, oh, say like the Old Media, do.

Here’s what the truth almost is. We have a twelve trillion dollar economy. At most we are out a few billion, maybe twelve billion, due to the hurricanes. Twelve billion is only 1% of our total wealth. It is an ant on the moon. We hardly feel it. The shipping on the Mississippi was out for less than a week so no farming or livestock were hurt. The oil rigs being down actually create employment because they have to be fixed. The housing damage ditto. The rest of the country hasn’t felt a thing.

I was notified last night that the Corps member who had had the heart attack earlier this week passed away at the hospital about 8 pm last evening.

I’ve spent time today looking up the various requirements for both the Federal and NYS governements for a line of duty death. Morbid as it may be, Randy worked so hard for the Corps that if he qualifies, his family deserves the benefits.

We have a noontime meeting to discuss what the Corps is going to do for the services. Honor gurard, and I feel we can transport the casket in one of the ambulances.

Randy will be missed and mourned by many people. God bless his wife, Karen, their children, and comfort them in this time.

BBC

China says it is considering ending a controversial residency permit system that makes a legal distinction between urban and rural residents. The idea is being studied by 11 Chinese provinces, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.

The proposed reform would give migrants to the nation’s fast-expanding cities the same health, education and security rights as people born there. Analysts say the move is an attempt to address China’s growing wealth gap.

Tens of millions of rural migrants have already moved to some of China’s largest cities in search of work. According to the Xinhua news agency, there were about 87 million people living in areas where they did not have permanent residency rights by June this year - a figure many analysts consider to be a conservative estimate.

Department of Defense

There are more than 210,000 members in the Iraqi security forces that have been trained and equipped now. That represents over 90 Iraqi police and army battalions in the fight. One division headquarters, four brigades and 24 battalions actually own battle space.

In October, Iraqi security forces independently conducted 35 percent of the major operations throughout the country. And yesterday the Iraqi 9th Army Division personnel prepared for off-load of 77 T-72 tanks that have been reconditioned in Hungary and sold to the Iraqi government.

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Coalition Forces identified five al-Qaida leaders killed by an air strike in Husaybah Oct. 29. Coalition Forces conducted a series of raids on suspected terrorist and foreign fighter safe houses to capture or kill terrorists operating in the town of Husaybah. During the raids, Coalition forces destroyed three safe houses with air strikes using precision guided munitions. One of the safe houses destroyed was the location of an apparent meeting between al Qaida in Iraq (AQIZ) terrorist leaders from the Husaybah and Al Qaim areas.

Coalition Forces now confirm the deaths of five key al Qaida in Iraq (AQIZ) terrorist leaders who were killed in that meeting. They are:

* Abu Asil, a North African terrorist, was the senior AQIZ foreign fighter facilitator in the Al Qaim region and an associate of Zarqawi. His influence stretched across Al Anbar province and he was relied upon to provide foreign fighters and suicide bombers to AQIZ terrorist cells in the region. Asil had contacts throughout the Middle East who were involved in the recruiting, transportation, training and smuggling of foreign fighters and suicide bombers into Iraq.

* Abu Raghad, a senior AQIZ foreign fighter terrorist cell leader who operated in the Husaybah area. He was responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing attacks against coalition forces. Those attacks include the emplacement of IEDs and mines and the facilitation, production and use of VBIEDs.

* Abu Talha, an AQIZ terrorist cell leader in the Ubaydi area. Talha directed, planned, coordinated and executed terrorist attacks in and around Ubaydi. Specifically, Talha’s cell was responsible for the production, and emplacement, and implementation of IED and VBIED attacks in the area.

* Abu Usama and Abu Salman, AQIZ terrorist cell leaders in the Husaybah area who were active in carrying out local terrorist attacks. Besides planning and conducting terrorist attacks, they procured weapons such as rockets, anti-aircraft missiles and mines for use against coalition forces. The weapons then would be distributed to their terrorist cells to be used in attacks against Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.

DefendAmerica

It was June 23, 2005, when 20 Marines boarded a seven-ton truck and began their treacherous journey back to Camp Fallujah, Iraq. What happened a short distance down the road is something that has, and will, continue to change their lives forever.

Sitting in the second to last seat in the back, on the right side of the truck, was Lance Cpl. Erin Liberty of Niceville, Fla., an ammunition technician with Ammunition Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group. She remembers talking with the female Seabee next to her, when a series of combined explosions violently lifted the truck from both sides.

“When it blew up, we all flew back and then forward again in our seats,�? said Liberty. “I looked at the girl next to me and saw her bounce up and down in the flames. I just closed my eyes and waited for it to end. I felt myself being thrown in the air, but my eyes remained shut. When I impacted the ground, I realized nothing hurt. I felt everything that was happening, but it was like there was a bubble around me, because when I hit the ground and woke up, I felt no pain. I looked at my hands and saw the skin hanging off my left pinky finger, but it still didn’t hurt. Not then. �?

On the ground and covered in dust, she knew it was an improvised explosive device. Later, Liberty said she learned it was constructed of five, 155-millimeter incendiary rounds and a few propane tanks. They had gone off about six feet from each side of the truck.

Trying to recover from the concussion and the ringing in her ears, she looked over and saw the Seabee she had spoken too just seconds before the blast.

“She was lying next to me, unconscious,�? Liberty added. “I tried to pull her away from ground zero, but there was a firefight happening at the same time, so a few guys pulled me off and threw me against the wall. I wanted to go back for her, but the way the truck was positioned, it rolled over on top of her before I could.�?

After the firefight died down and the injured Marines and sailors were recovered, they loaded onto another vehicle and headed straight for the Battalion Aid Station at Camp Fallujah, said Liberty.

“We then just jumped on another seven-ton and drove away,�? Liberty said. “We all just sat there in silence, except for the sounds of discomfort and pain. I can still see the people with their skin hanging off of them. I remember seeing this girl with blood all over her flak jacket and the skin on her fingers falling off. Then, suddenly the silence broke, when a girl in the back of the truck started singing, Amazing Grace. I remember praying to God, and thanking Him that I was alive.�?

When they returned to the camp, they were rushed into the surgical unit, but all the serious and critical injuries were rushed in first. Liberty said she walked in after everyone else.

They fixed both of her badly burned hands before she went back to her room. When she got there, she saw she had received packages from home that day.

“One was from my mom. She got me the most gorgeous rosary,�? said Liberty. “That night, I just remember lying in bed, praying to let me forget about it. I tried to sleep that night, but obviously I couldn’t sleep much. All I wanted was to just wake up in the morning and feel like it didn’t just happen. The whole thing just kept playing in my mind.�?

The next morning, she remembers waking up and thanking God. But with the morning sun came a new pain. Her neck began to hurt, so she went back to the aid station.

The doctors told Liberty she had broken a cervical vertebrae in her neck and she was going to have to return to the United States.

She returned to Camp Lejeune shortly after the incident and has been on convalescent leave since July 3. Not long after she went on leave, she received her Purple Heart Medal.

“It was extremely hard to accept, knowing all the people that had died,�? said Liberty. “It’s nothing you can train or practice for, and you always receive it under the worst circumstances.�?

Now, she wears a neck brace to assist in stabilizing the break and help with the pain. She is currently recuperating from first-, second- and third-degree burns on her hands and two black eyes in addition to her neck injury.

Liberty will undergo surgery in Florida next month, where they will put a metal plate between her C4 and C5 vertebraes in an attempt to stabilize the break.

In light of the life-altering events she’s been through, she’s still moving forward in her life. Liberty married on Sept. 19, after getting engaged right before she left for Iraq in February.

“It’s been a rough engagement,�? Liberty said, with a light, but respectful chuckle.

Liberty said, that even though it has been almost four months since the incident, she still has thoughts of that day.

“I wonder what would have happened if those guys wouldn’t have pulled me away from the truck,�? she added. “I imagine what would have happened if I had the strength to pull her away. I’m sure that will always stay with me. Honestly, my mind and my heart hurt way more than my body ever will.�?

BBC

France has countless bodies dedicated to helping immigrants - a High Council for Integration, a Directorate for Populations and Migrations, several regional commissions for the insertion of immigrants, and so on.

Despite this, France’s integration policy has failed, the Court of Accounts, a government watchdog, concluded last year. The situation could lead to “serious social and racial tensions”, the court warned prophetically. (more…)

Project Valour-IT
(Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops)
In memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the ‘Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember’s recovery.

Read More…

BBC

Research into an unusually high prevalence of a particular set of genes in China has suggested that 1.5 million Chinese men are direct descendants of Giocangga, the grandfather of the founder of the Qing dynasty. Giocangga’s extraordinary number of descendants, concentrated mainly in north-east China and Mongolia, are thought to be a result of the many wives and concubines his offspring took.

Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, a geneticist working at Britain’s Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, made the finding, based on a study of a set of genes on the male Y chromosome. He told the BBC World Service’s Science In Action programme that these genes provided a “genetic surname” of the family to which each man belonged. “What we did was analyse around 1,000 men from that part of the world,” he said. “We noticed just two types of Y chromosome that were extraordinarily frequent - one of them making up around 3% of our sample.

“When we looked at it more carefully, we found that it was not present in the majority population in that area, the Han. But in the minorities, including the Mongolians, it was present at around 5%.” Scientists were then able to work out roughly where the special genes came from.

They established the origin was north-east China, around 500 years ago. More accurate analysis then found that this particular genetic code first appeared just before the Qing dynasty, which came to the fore in 1616 and had conquered China by 1644.

“We soon realised there was a major historical event going on at this time - the establishment of the Qing dynasty, which conquered China and ruled for several hundred years,” Dr Tyler-Smith said. “It was ruled by the Qing imperial nobility, who were a highly privileged elite class, and they had several wives and concubines. “Because of the privilege, they could have had many children - and those children would have had a good chance of survival.”

At the time of Giocangga, the population of China was about 100 million - compared with 1.3 billion today. This means that the average Chinese man at the time of Giocangga would only have around 20 descendants living today - in marked contrast to Giocangga’s 1.5 million men. “The difference is accounted for by the large number of wives and concubines - and in particular, this practice being linked to the Y chromosome for many generations,” Dr Tyler-Smith added.

Miss Afghanistan Sutara Bahrami shows her form during the ‘Swimsuit competition’ as she joins other contestants for the title of Miss Earth 2005 in suburban Manila, Philippines, on Sunday Oct. 23, 2005. Bahrami was the second Afghan candidate to join the contest. The first Afghan contestant was condemned in her conservative homeland after appearing in a bikini when she joined in 2003. Miss Earth 2005 was given to Alexandra Braun Waldeck from Venezuela. The event is a privately-organized annual beauty contest that aims to promote public awareness of environmental protection issues and promote tourism. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Yet another sign of the corruption that the West brings to Islamic nations. Yay, us!

Via Dean Esmay, I find a blogger who presents some evidence that the riots in France are linked to riots in other European cities. Exit Zero has the poop here.

I wouldn’t be so suspicious of a plan if the radicals had not spent the last decade and more talking about reclaiming all of the formerly Moslem lands, like Spain, for Islam. And, claiming the rest of the world for Islam.

Remember, the Crusades were originally organized to RECAPTURE the Christian Holy Land from the invading Moslems. The Christians were there first and driven out by the Moslems.

AFIS

DoD’s deployment health officials plan to post a Web page later this week as part of President Bush’s strategy to combat the possibility of a flu pandemic.

Officials said the page will include frequently asked questions, information geared to servicemembers and links to other resources.

The president today called for $7.1 billion in emergency funding during a visit to the National Institutes of Health at Bethesda, Md., near here. He said it is vital Americans address the threat of pandemic flu now.

“There is no pandemic flu in our country or in the world at this time,” he said. “But if we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare, and one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today.”

Bush also requested $1.2 billion to buy 20 million doses of a vaccine against the current avian flu. The virus, not now easily passed among people, could mutate and pose a threat. Millions of domesticated birds in Asia and now Europe have been destroyed after showing signs of the disease. The avian flu has crossed species and infected 121 people worldwide. Sixty have died from it.

The avian flu is just the most virulent example of the virus; other flu viruses, while less deadly, can still affect people.

Bush outlined a plan to stop outbreaks of flu from becoming a pandemic - disease that affects people worldwide - different from what most people know as seasonal outbreaks from flu viruses already circulating. Pandemics occur “when a new influenza A virus appears or emerges in the human population, causes serious illness, and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide,” according to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

Bush said that detection and containment of outbreaks are key to the government’s strategy. “A pandemic is a lot like a … forest fire; if caught early, it might be extinguished with limited damage,” the president said. “If allowed to smolder undetected, it can grow to an inferno that spreads quickly beyond our ability to control it.”

Bush said that 88 nations have joined the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. This a global network of surveillance and preparedness requires participating countries that suspect an outbreak to immediately share information and provide samples to the World Health Organization.

“Together we’re working to control and monitor avian flu in Asia and to ensure that all nations have structures in place to recognize and report outbreaks before they spread beyond human control,” Bush said. The president has asked for $251 million to help nations train local medical personnel, expand surveillance and testing capacities, draw up preparedness plans and take action to detect and contain outbreaks.

In the United States the president has initiated the National Biosurveillance Initiative. “This initiative will help us rapidly detect, quantify and respond to outbreaks of disease in humans and animals and deliver information quickly to state and local and national and international public health officials,” he said.

The strategy also calls on building stockpiles of vaccines and antiviral drugs and accelerating development of new vaccine technologies. “One of the challenges presented by a pandemic is that scientists need a sample of the new strain before they can produce a vaccine against it,” he said.

It takes time to produce a vaccine to combat the specific stain of flu. “To help protect our citizens during these early months when a fully effective vaccine would not be available, we’re taking a number of immediate steps,” he said.

In the avian flu case, researchers have developed a vaccine against the H5N1 strain. The president wants enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million Americans. “A vaccine against the current avian flu virus would likely offer some protection against a pandemic strain, and possibly save many lives in the first critical months of an outbreak,” he said.

The United States will also increase stockpiles of antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza. While the drugs don’t stop people from getting the virus, they can mitigate the effects.

The president is turning to technologies to help protect Americans. He wants to fund processes that will allow drug makers to produce new vaccines rapidly. “If a pandemic strikes, our country must have a surge capacity in place that will allow us to bring a new vaccine online quickly and manufacture enough to immunize every American against the pandemic’s strain,” he said.

He has received assurances from drug companies that they will work with government researchers to accomplish this mission.

The strategy includes putting in place plans for coping with pandemic outbreaks. “A pandemic is unlike other natural disasters,” he said. “Outbreaks can happen simultaneously at hundreds or even thousands of locations at the same time.”

A pandemic can also last for a year or more, and states and local governments must have plans in place to cope with the situation. “We must ensure that all levels of government are ready to act to contain an outbreak,” he said. “We must be able to deliver vaccines and other treatments to front-line responders and at-risk populations.”

Federal, state and local officials must work together to put these plans in place. “To respond to a pandemic, we need medical personnel and adequate supplies of equipment,” he said. “In a pandemic, everything from syringes to hospital beds, respirators, masks and protective equipment would be in short supply. So the federal government is stockpiling critical supplies in locations across America as part of the strategic national stockpile.”

The federal Department of Health and Human Services is helping states create rosters of medical personnel who are willing to help alleviate local shortfalls during a pandemic, and every federal department involved in health care is expanding plans to ensure that all federal medical facilities, personnel and response capabilities are available to support local communities in the event of a pandemic crisis, the president said.

Information is critical to stemming infections and the president announced the creation of a new Web site - www.pandemicflu.gov - to give out that information

Reuters

I thought the bark was supposed to be worse than the bite.

Although a Navy guy I know once saw a SEAL bite the head off a gull while stationed on a carrier.

A seal bit off a South African woman’s nose after she tried to help it back into the sea, an official said Monday.

Elsie van Tonder, 49, is expected to undergo surgery this week after being bitten on a beach near George, about 240 miles east of Cape Town Saturday. Her nose was found but could not be reattached to her face, local media reported.

“The seal had been lying in the same spot since Friday, so the lady and a few other people were trying to take it back to the water,” said Herman Oosthuizen, a marine biologist with the Department of Environmental Affairs. “The young female seal then bit her in the face.”

Cape Fur Seals are common on South African shores and many have become accustomed to humans. They are a popular tourist attraction and can be viewed playing in the sea by Cape Town’s waterfront.

But they can be dangerous and sometimes attack people who venture too close, especially in fishing harbors where they come into close contact with fishermen offloading their catch. “It’s a predator, it’s got vicious teeth and if it bites you in the wrong place, it could kill you,” Oosthuizen said.

DefendAmerica

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 26, 2005 — Residents of Al Ameen, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood, will soon reap the benefits of their first-ever water network, courtesy of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team with construction management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $580,000 project is 95 percent done, and is scheduled for completion by Nov. 7.

This project will provide potable water and fire hydrants to an area that has never had a water network.�? Mike Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mitchell said residents previously had to buy water that was trucked into the area.

“The water project compliments a recently-completed sewer and paving project in a neighboring mahalla,�? said Capt. Ruth Levy of 2nd Brigade Combat Team. “The brigade’s goal is to spread the projects throughout the neighborhoods to maximize the number of Iraqi citizens who see a tangible improvement in their lives.�?

Mitchell and Levy coordinate between all interested parties to assure the completion of the project. This includes the Baghdad Water Authority, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the Al Ameen Neighborhood Advisory Council, a project contractor, quality assurance inspectors, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters.

Local laborers have laid about eight kilometers of ductile iron pipes that should last around 50 years, Mitchell said. Pipes leading to individual residences are made of PVC. “Each home in Al Ameen will have a spigot installed on their property, which is time-consuming but worth it,�? Mitchell said. “If we didn’t hook every house up, people would just break the pipes and make their own connections. It’s in our best interest to do it this way.�?

Mitchell relies on local quality-assurance inspectors from an agency that hires well-trained Iraqi engineers to report on quality issues. The brigade’s infrastructure cell also routinely sends engineer patrols to talk with local residents about the project and its impact on their lives. “The QA guys are my eyes and ears on the ground,�? Mitchell said. “They bring me photos of the project’s progress and make sure the work is done to the highest standard.�?

Atheer Mohammed, a QA inspector who works with Mitchell, is a graduate of Baghdad’s University of Technology and is a civil engineer by trade. “I make sure the safety requirements are met, and the work and materials are up to specifications,�? Mohammed said. “I double-check Mike’s designs before the project starts and do what I can to help.�? Mohammed said the project will help modernize Al Ameen and pave the way for further development. “The water network in Al Ameen will raise property values, and help the economy,�? Mohammed said. “People feel good about the future when they have the basic necessities of life.�?

A graduate student, blogging and commenting in blogs, has had his academic career and future livelihood threatened by a tenured professor at another school who happened upon the remarks, and then searched out the blog.

Wallace Hettle
Actual Professor
Google Me
University of Northern Iowa:

Troll boy is a student of the highly relevant field of mechanical engineering.

The moron is trolling under his real name from a home page which lists the names of his advisors. So I emailed them, as this behavior is thoroughly unprofessional.

BTW, I have a PhD and actual tenure. And I happen to know many profs who work from home, like myself.

I’ve read some of Dr. B’s scholarship and it is superb.

Maybe Paul can come back after finishing HIS dissertation-if he finishes.

Anyway, Paul, I’m going to make an acquaintance with the admin. of your engineering school tomorrow, but I’m logging off for tonight.

I will say that I have seen your comments on bitchphd, now that you have directed my attention to the site. They were libelous and threatening, given the willingness of prolifers such as Paul Hill to use violence to advance their agenda.

You are a lunatic; the academy is no place for you. You also seem to be a homely and I assume lonely man.

Anyway, I’d advise you not to troll under your real name. Academia, like the Internet, is a small place.

The rioting by young men of a certain religious belief has gone into its sixth night in France. Prolonged rioting is a bad sign in France. It portends a change in Republic. I’ve long speculated that it was nearly time for the Fifth Republic, the “son of de Gaulle” if you will, to fade into the sunset.

The French government is speaking in increasingly harsher tones. While this is not the first such outbreak, it appears to be the worst. Some ten percent of the French population is believed to be of this religious belief, most of them young men. It’s the result of decades of needing cheap labor to fill in for the French workers who have 140 days off per year and work about 34 hours a week when they do work.

Candidly, French police have said that there are suburbs of Paris theat they no longer patrol except perhaps in daylight. There are apartment complexes that the authorities have abandoned to the tender mercies of its residents. (more…)

Greenspan’s Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the twelfth quater in a row. Fears of future inflation.

Now, I’m just a country economist, but I can read. Energy prices are up, but almost everything else is steady or in decline. So, just where is the threat of inflation?

Rumor has it that some pundits believe that Greenspan killed the Clinton boom with another extended series of rate hikes. The truth is that inflation hasn’t been a danger in a long time. The economy has been cooking along just fine for a decade or more.

Is Greenspan just fighting the last war? Has the American economy changed enough that inflation isn’t as much of a threat as it once was? The change from a manufacturing economy to a service / information economy means that old perceptions about the causes and cures of inflation ought to be re-examined.

I’d hate to see mid 2007 be the beginning of a recession, a Greenspan recession. For my employer, and a host of other small businesses, these rate hikes have increased our borrowing costs by a third. That means we can’t do some things we would like to do and we have to delay some others. Equipment and people is what we offer and equipment is now much more expensive.

My Congressperson, Louise Slaughter [D], has responded to my e-mail asking for fiscal responsibility in Congress. Here is her reply:

Thank you for contacting me about Katrina relief efforts. I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

My deepest condolences go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the many who lost their lives, their homes and their livelihoods. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the evacuees as they move forward in recovering from Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding the Gulf Coast. I believe that Congress has a moral obligation to provide the Gulf Coast with the resources they need to rebuild the region, and to support the evacuees displaced around the country.

Like you, I have continued to support measures that will restore fiscal discipline to our budget process, including rules that would force Congress to find offsets in the budget when passing new tax cuts or spending bills. Unfortunately, the Republican Leadership continues to oppose these responsible budget tools. As Congress continues to debate reconstruction packages for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, be assured that I will support efforts that are fiscally responsible.

Pork Busters has moved from a general movement of contacting Congressmen and Senators to actually identifying pork and pushing for its removal from the budget, as an offset to Katrina relief spending and as the fiscally responsible thing to do. Follow the fight for our money at the Pork Busters’ site.

mostly peaceful marchers [sarcasm] But it’s not their fault. It’s Bush’s. [/sarcasm]

CBS 5:

Officer Maria Oropeza said an unknown person associated with the march threw an “incendiary device,'’ against the wall of the San Francisco Chronicle building at Fifth and Mission streets. Gittens later confirmed that the incendiary device was a Molotov cocktail. “No one was hurt, but it made contact with one officer,'’ Oropeza said. That officer’s jacket was apparently burned, but he was not injured.

Two people were later arrested at Eighth and Market streets for possession of Molotov cocktails, but it remains unclear whether those people were involved in the incident at Fifth and Mission streets, according to Gittens.

KRON 4:

Around 2:30 p.m., police say a person wearing a handkerchief mask launched a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco Chronicle building on Mission St. The flammable device struck an officer after igniting. The officer’s uniform caught fire, but he was not seriously injured.

“My partner and I are standing there, monitoring the crowd, and all of a sudden, I hear glass breaking and gasoline spilled,” said Officer Gary Constantine. “The next thing I know, my shoulder is on fire.” “We knew that someone had Molotov cocktails, and one of our officers saw an individual with the Molotov cocktail, and they were also placed under arrest,” said Sgt. Neville Gittens.

I caught this story on TV tonight, and watched because I used to be Business Manager at the Catholic High School in the story.

WROC TV Channel 8

Teens at Eastridge High say they use the website called myspace.com to talk with their friends and meet new ones. The site is open to anyone who wants to create their own personal page with photos and personal information.

“It is shocking, it’s shocking to see how these young people are portraying themselves whether it’s real or a fabricated character there presenting,” said Bishop Kearney High School President Donna Dedee.

But some educators and child advocates are concerned about the potential for misuse. School officials at Bishop Kearney High School want to warn educators, parents, and students about the dangers of using such blogs.

“They say they’re a 14 year old girl from Penfield. How do you know? You don’t know for sure. Is it really there picture?” said Dedee.

“There are child predators looking at this blog site getting access to info that kids are readily putting out there that make it easier for them to connect with kids,” said Ed Suk, Executive Director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Rochester branch.

There appear to be about 50 girls and 50 guys from Bishop Kearney signed up, about half of the 16-18 year olds attending. So, the administration should be paying attention. All in all, they are typical teen blogs, full of angst, oddball abbreviations, inside jokes, and exactly like these people are in real life.

Walk down the hall, Lou, and you’re walking through their blogs. Don’t you pay any attention at all? All they’re doing is writing down what they think and feel and want. Things you and the teachers and the school hear every day, only maybe you’re not listening. If there are things you object to, ask yourself why these kids would want that or say that. Blogging doesn’t make a guy want to pimp or a girl be a slut.

If blogs that express your students’ personalities are the worst thing you have to worry about, you haven’t looked very hard. And if the role playing or self portraits are not to your liking, maybe you should try to fix the real life reasons that your young bloggers feel they need to act that way.

From now through November 11, Veterans’ Day, a diverse group of bloggers will be raising money for Project Valour-IT. The goal is to

provide voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the ‘Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.

In the friendly spirit of inter-service rivalry, four teams are competing for the four services. While Dad was a redleg, I’ve always had a soft spot for Marines, so I’m throwing my efforts onto their efforts. Holly Aho, from Soldiers’ Angels is heading the Marine team.

Donate on-line here, or find information for snail mail donations. It’s tax deductible, and you will earn a heavenly reward as well. Remember, the streets there are guarded by the United States Marines.

In case you have not noticed, young men of a certain religon have been rioting in Paris for the last five night. They are offended that two of their co-religionists managed to electrocute themselves while fleeing the police. Since this religion seems to lack any sense of personal responsibility, these deaths have to be someone else’s fault, i.e. the police or the French themselves. Jay spells out my feelings about the rioting in France:

I’ve never been that fond of the French, and there’s a part of me that feels a touch of schadenfreude at their problems now. But my mother always said that everyone in life serves a purpose, even if it’s just to be a bad example. And France is showing the rest of the world the dangers of allowing unrestricted immigration by a people determined to re-create their own society and culture, in utter disdain and defiance of their hosts.

There have been reports all week about the actions of Muslim immigrants, not just in France but in the Netherlands and Sweden as well. The Euros are reaping the price of cheap labor and 140 holidays a year.

AFIS

The Marine Corps will soon officially join the special operations community with a new Marine Special Operations Command to become a component of U.S. Special Operations Command, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced here today.

Rumsfeld announced his approval of the plan, part of a sweeping range of transformations under way to strengthen the U.S. military and its special operations forces, during a Pentagon news briefing.

The new command “will increase the number of special operations forces available for missions worldwide while expanding their capabilities in some key areas,” Rumsfeld told reporters.

The new command will formalize a longstanding relationship between the Marine Corps and Special Operations Command, Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Douglas Powell told the American Forces Press Service.

It will increase Special Operations Command’s ability to field highly skilled special operators in the numbers required to support of the war on terror and other missions, he said.

The command’s members will train foreign military units and carry out other Marine Corps missions traditionally associated with special operations work: intelligence, logistics, fire-support coordination, direct action and special reconnaissance, among them, Powell said.

The 2,600-member command will have three subordinate elements: a special operations regiment, foreign military training unit and special operations support group.

A portion of the command will train and deploy with Marine expeditionary units, enhancing those units’ special operations capability, officials said.

The command headquarters and nearly all its elements will be based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. One element of the Marine Special Operations Regiment will be stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The activation date for the new command has not been set, and its elements are expected to phase in their operations. Some elements, including the Foreign Military Training Unit, are expected to assume missions almost immediately, officials said.

Marine Brig. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik will be the MARSOC’s first commander, officials said. Hejlik previously served as deputy commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

Cat steals man’s toe - The Other Side - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au

Udo Ried, 41, dropped a bread knife on his foot last week. With his second toe severed and the wound bleeding profusely, he limped into his bathroom.

His cat, Fritz, pounced on the disembodied member and carried it into the garden. A spokesman for the local hospital said the toe could have been reattached - but Mr Ried had been unable to discover where Fritz had buried it.

God, I hate when that happens!

Air Force

10/26/2005 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) — The Tuskegee Airmen know about war. They battled the Nazis abroad and racism at home. Now they’ve made their way back to the front lines to show their support for Airmen fighting the war on terror.

Five members arrived here Oct. 25 to interacting with military members, sharing their stories and offering words of encouragement.

“We’re here to lend support to the troops,�? said retired Tuskegee pilot Lt. Col. Bob Ashby. “It’s a rare opportunity for us to show them that their hometown, their home state supports them — and that their fellow Tuskegee Airmen wish them well.�?

Airman 1st Class Charles Hernandez said he’s glad the famous Airmen made the visit. They’ve helped give him a better understanding of his mission.

“It gave me a newer perspective on what we’re doing here; not just at Balad, but as an Airman in today’s air force,�? said Airman Hernandez an electrical power production troop with the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron.

“They fought a battle both overseas and one in the states because they were black,�? the Airman said. �?Yet they did what they needed to do for the greatness of our country and our freedom.�?

Airman Hernandez said, “They reminded me that we’re here for a good reason and there are people back home who believe in what we’re doing — and believe in our cause. The Tuskegee Airmen are heroes and patriots and I was honored to sit and eat with them.�?

The Tuskegee Airmen formed in 1941 when the Army Air Force began a program to train black Americans as military pilots at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

“It was an experimental program and we were expected to fail. But our primary objective was to finish the program and prove them wrong,�? said Colonel Ashby, an original Tuskegee Airman.

Lt. Col. Lee Archer, also an original Tuskegee Airman — and the only documented African-American ace — said the men wanted to do more than that.

“All we wanted was to fly for our service,�? he said. “We wanted to do it for our country.�?

Colonels Archer and Ashby and many others did just that, and so was born the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. It continues to thrive in today’s Air Force, especially at the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, home of the Tuskegee Airmen’s alma mater, the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group.

“The Tuskegee Airmen paved the way for future generations,�? said Col. Dick Toliver. He is a second generation Airmen who joined the Air Force and the Tuskegee Airmen after the Korean War. “The legacy is right here, but it doesn’t look like the original group. It’s a collection of people of color and different nationalities. It’s what it’s always been, a reflection of America.�?

Just by being in the military, Airmen are part of the legacy, he said. And they have a responsibility to live up to.

“The challenge is to continue to improve because when you become complacent it opens the door to regress,�? Colonel Toliver said. “Don’t assume racism is dead and the challenges are gone. Racism is about more than color so the challenge is to improve relations and build upon what’s already been done.�?

During their Balad visit, the Tuskegee Airmen will see today’s Airmen are following in the footsteps that have been left for them, wing commander Brig. Gen. Frank Gorenc said.

“(The Tuskegee Airmen’s) work, their accomplishments, their collective experiences laid the very foundation of our wing,�? he said. “They should be proud of what they see because the Tuskegee Airmen of today are writing another chapter in the already distinguished history.

“For the Tuskegee Airmen,�? the general said, “the legacy continues in the air and on the ground.�?

Multi-National Force-Iraq

A series of Coalition air strikes Nov. 2nd in and around Husaybah destroyed several safe houses, killed at least one terror leader and caught an IED cell in the act of emplacing roadside bombs.

Coalition Air Forces, acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from local citizens, conducted air strikes against three al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist safe houses in Husaybah. Targeted at the safe houses were a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator, a terror cell leader and an IED terrorist cell that were linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and foreign fighters in the Husaybah, Karabilah, and al Qaim region.

Sources report that Abu Asim was killed at one of the safe houses when it was attacked. Asim was a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator who was recently brought in to replace another facilitator thought to have been killed by Coalition Forces. Sources report that Asim had contacts across the border in Syria, who would arrange the smuggling of foreign fighters and suicide bombers into the Husaybah and al Qaim region.

Another safe house, also destroyed by close-air-support assets, housed a senior Husaybah al Qaeda member as well as a number of other terrorists who operated from there. The senior terrorist was an assistant and close associate of the current al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Husaybah and helped the Emir in running daily activities and communicating with terrorist cells.

During the strike against the known safe houses close-air-support assets discovered and attacked an IED cell while it was finalizing the emplacement of roadside bombs along a main route. They then attacked and destroyed a nearby safe house that the terrorists were using to support IED operations. An unknown number or terrorists were killed in the engagement.

Sources indicated that, following the air strikes, surviving terrorists from neighboring houses retrieved the bodies of six terrorists killed during the attack. They moved them into a nearby school in an apparent attempt to hide their losses.

During the attacks, Coalition air assets received ineffective small-arms fire from terrorists operating from the safe houses and nearby locations.

The use of precision guided munitions, and direct fire weapons systems to destroy the terrorist safe houses and the timing of the strikes mitigated the risk to civilians in the local area.

An interesting description of the investigative work done by our troops when there is an attack. Kinda geeky stuff.

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers investigating a rocket attack in east Baghdad Oct. 31 that killed one Iraqi and wounded three others, arrived at the suspected scene to determine from where the rocket may have been launched.

Local Iraqi Police evacuated the wounded and secured the site as Iraqi firefighters doused fires caused by the explosions.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers investigated the scene and questioned local residents at the suspected launch site of the rockets.

“The Iraqi Police responded very quickly to this terrorist attack,�? said Lt. Col. Edward Chesney, deputy commanding officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “It is impossible to know who the terrorists were targeting in this attack but in the end it does not matter – they murdered and maimed innocent civilians.�?

A crater analysis team from 2nd BCT went to the site the next morning to verify the type of munitions the terrorists used in the attack.

The crater analysis team often deploys to the site of indirect fire attacks to verify what the fire direction computers tell the unit about the enemy fire.

“I am 100 percent confident that the rocket was 127-millimeter, due to the range it was fired from and the acquired acquisition,�? said Chief Warrant Officer Chad Barrett, a radar technician and targeting specialist with 2nd BCT.

The crater analysis team uses well-proven devices and techniques to get their data.

“We use parachute cord to measure the intersection of the point of impact in the crater, a compass to discover the direction of where the round was fired and a Global Positioning System for confirmation,�? said Sgt. Kenneth Sutton, a fire support NCO. Shrapnel discovered at the site will also provide information on what type of munitions were used, he said.