Home > Blog
|
Latest
|
|
Iraq and the overall war on terrorism will be a factor in the 2008 elections. The questions are, to what degree will the war be a factor and how will conditions on the ground influence voters thoughts and votes?
It is something of which the candidates are most assuredly aware.
Some Democrats say frustrated voters have given up on altering President Bush’s handling of the war, and will make Republicans pay in 2008. Others say Democratic candidates are stubbornly and dangerously out of step with an improving situation, and their most promising campaign issue may prove far less potent by next November.
Of course the importance and influence varies from voter to voter. Much of this will play out in the primaries where the voters are likely to be much more politically active.
Iraq is going to be a real problem for the Democrats.
While the Iraq situation is somewhat fluid, the top Democratic presidential contenders are locked in their Iraq-is-a-disaster message because anti-war voters play such a huge role in the party’s primaries, several politicians said. It’s possible the message will sound a bit off-key by mid-2008.
“The Democratic Party has become emotionally invested in a narrative of defeat and retreat in Iraq — reluctant to acknowledge the progress our troops are now achieving,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman, a hawkish independent from Connecticut who was the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee in 2000. “If Democrats don’t take off their ideological and partisan blinders,” he said, “they risk compromising our national security and losing next year’s election.”
Of course Joe Lieberman is an exception. Quite a few others on the left disagree with his assessment.
“The American people are more negative about Iraq than ever before and want a change,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., one of his party’s top strategists. “They’ve concluded what they’ve concluded about Iraq. They’re done.”
Moreover, he said, voters will take out their anger on Republicans next year because the great majority of GOP lawmakers and presidential candidates have supported the administration’s main war policies.
“George Bush is on the ballot in 2008,” Emanuel said.
That attitude, that they are running against George Bush in 2008, is silly and wrong. Not that I don’t understand what they’re trying to do, tie the candidates to the President. That has been a common tactic since the beginning of electoral politics. This is just different. The left have such a blue-white hate for George Bush that they are not just trying to pose an identity with the current administration and it’s policies, they are going over the top and attempting to hypothetically and retroactively defeat George Bush for 2000 and 2004.
But to get back to the issue of Iraq as it relates to the 2008 elections, the left have invested heavily in defeat. The deny it, but their actions speak quite loudly. As do some of their words. The most striking example, if perhaps the most honest, was S.C. Rep James Clyburn who said,
I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us.
And it is a real problem for them. How do they appeal to their base, especially the MooreOnCodeKos cut and run portion of their base, which is by far the most vocal and influential at this point of the primary season.
Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard points to a NYT article that is, “acknowledging that Democrats are having to tapdance with all their might to try to avoid the trap they set for themselves on Iraq. They bet heavily on an American defeat and now have to face the fact that the situation in Iraq is improving despite their efforts and pronouncements.” Part of what he quotes,
While the Democratic candidates are continuing to assail the war — a popular position with many of the party’s primary voters — they run the risk that Republicans will use those critiques to attack the party’s nominee in the election as defeatist and lacking faith in the American military.
If security continues to improve, President Bush could become less of a drag on his party, too, and Republicans may have an easier time zeroing in on other issues, such as how the Democrats have proposed raising taxes in difficult economic times.
Gaius sized up the problem very well.
The Democrats bet the farm on defeat. If it does not happen - or if the Democrat’s Congressional tactics end up causing a funding crisis just when things are going well, they just might get one big surprise next year. Riding a tiger is fairly straightforward in theory. The big problem with riding a tiger happens when you try to get off.
And it is the reliance on defeat for their political fortunes that has the left looking for a way to spin the position they have staked out.
Ed Morrisey has this analysis:
For the past year, the Democrats have portrayed the American effort in Iraq as a failure. Their leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, publicly announced that we had lost and that we should immediately retreat. Their leading candidate for President, Hillary Clinton, all but called the commander of American forces in Iraq a liar when he reported on the progress that even the Times now acknowledges as real and obvious.
Democrats have a problem larger than just the message. The substance of their policy remains defeatist. They claim that they want a new strategy in Iraq, all but oblivious that the new strategy adopted in January has proven very successful. Their strategy — smaller forces, disengaged from a reeling enemy — would actually return us to the failing strategy of 2006. It would provide al-Qaeda in Iraq and the militias a respite just when they have been pushed to the last extremity.
The spin they are trying to engage in is to say that even if the conditions are improving that enough hasn’t been done politically.
Democratic officials are quick to note that the overall trend toward less violence has not resulted in the type of Iraqi political reconciliation that might lead to a stable government after most U.S. troops leave.
“The purpose of the surge was to create a secure environment in which the Iraqi government would have the opportunity to make the political change” needed to stabilize the country, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently told reporters. “They have not taken advantage of that opportunity.”
I’m not going make any prediction about what impact Iraq will have on the 2008 election. As Michael O’Hanlon notes in the AP story linked above, “people make predictions about the Iraq war’s impact on the next election at their peril.”
However, if the left continues to place all pf their eggs in the basket of defeat, I may have to take my chances.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Funny quotes
I don't care what is written about me as long as it isn't true.
Inspirational quotes
Lack of will power has caused more failure than lack of intelligence or ability.
Movie: - Scar face Quotes:-
**I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. **Every day above ground is a good day. *In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.
Friendship Quotes
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Soon after the largest online payment service Pay Pal expand it's operation to 87 new countries and soon after it recieves a new banking license in Luxembourg, a new phishing site has gonne operational.
Last night I've recieved an e-mail urging me to clear some bogus security issue that somehow arise with my account on Pay Pal. I've been using Pay Pal for more than four years to notice such malicious e-mails and protect my account from phishing.
But those people living in countries where Pay Pal has recently made expansions to might not know and I believe this phishing site is targeting this new users.
I've sent an e-mail to Pay Pal but the site is still up and running.
The URL Of phishing site : http://paypah.com ; WARNING: THIS IS A PHISHING SITE.
Here is the full content of the e-mail I recieved:
You have 1 new Security Message Alert!
Log In into your account to resolve the problem.
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal Email ID: PP 5928 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, baseball is back, and to kick off the season, we have ten tricks to score a seat straight from a former season/group ticket representative.
1. There are always seats available.
The worst thing that can happen to a team is to not have a good seat available for a big-time season ticket holder, or a team executive, or anyone else of importance who needs it. As you get closer to game time, and the chance that someone one of these people will need a ticket diminishes, ticket managers are more likely to give the seat out to someone lower on the food chain. Even if a game is "sold out," stay persistent and you might not only get in, but might get a damn good seat.
2. Windows are for suckers.
Almost every stadium to which I've every been has a sales office open to the public. It's in here where the managers and full-time sales staff reside during pre-game. These are the people who can get you that extra ticket or find you a seat to a "sold out" event. Don't waste your breath arguing at the ticket window, those people are usually part-time and can't do much. Plus, it's much harder to argue when there's a big line behind you and a big plastic window in front of you. Sales offices usually have smaller lines and a counter without a window - this makes it much easier to negotiate.
3.Trades aren't just for the teams.
It was always a lot easier for me to find you a good seat if you weren't going to reduce the total number of seats available. Also, with today's computerized ticketing systems, it's a cinch for ticket reps to trade in one set of tickets for another. Further, many teams have programs now where you can go inside the stadium and upgrade your seat. So when you get to that "must-see" game and all that's left is in the upper deck behind a concrete barrier, take the seats and then negotiate - especially when you get closer to game time (or even after the start of the game...I've had great seat open up in like the third inning). Something better will usually open up.
4. Buy odd numbers of tickets.
Everyone wants two, four, or six tickets. This means that bunches of odd number tix remain in good spots when all the even numbers are sold old in that area. So if you fork over the extra bucks for three tickets, you can usually move to a much better location. True, it's going to cost you some more money, but if you're willing to get gauged by today's ticket prices anyway, isn't it worth a little more for a better view.
5. Go alone, sit near the dugout.
Piggybacking on the last tip: single seats are the bane of a team's existence - no one wants them. Though any smart sales office will do it's best not to leave any singles, it happens. This means individual seats can remain available for a long time and be in really go locations. When I sold tickets, we would have singles seats right behind the dugout available during our biggest games even when everything else was sold out to the public.
6. Season ticket holders get big preference on everything.
If you need extra tickets to a game, find a season ticket holder to call for you. Usually, not only do season ticket holders have a special phone number to call to buy their individual tickets, but teams reserve seats especially for them. Remember, it doesn't matter who's using the tickets, it only matters who calls for the tickets.
7. I'll trade you my tickets for just about anything.
Yeah, it might be a bit unethical, but I never made very much money (I didn't even get commissions) selling tickets. I got four tix to every game, sans really really big games where I got two. I could find friends to take them about once a week, but the other five or six days, I would trade them for everything from discounts at the Men's Warehouse to free food. So what's the tip: befriend ticket agents.
8. Be nice, and make a friend.
Just like in any customer service business, be nice and it will be reciprocated. You might also make a friend. If you find a ticket agent and learn his or her name and deal with that person for all your ticket needs, you'd be surprised how helpful that ticket agent can be and what you can get. Everything from free tickets to extra door giveaways may come your way. Plus, I always liked when some customer would call and ask for me specifically - it made me feel good, it made me look good to my boss.
9. Send gifts.
Yes, you're all going to post that this is self serving, but if you're a season ticket holder, you want your name to be known in my office when it comes time to upgrade people's seats. If I get a thank you at the end of each season, whom do you think I'm going to call first when we have closer season ticket seats available.
10. If all else fails, ask for a manager.
Some seats are available only to managers. As with any business, if you have a good reason why you deserve a ticket to a sold out event or why you needs an upgrade, a manager's the person to talk to if all else fails. Make sure though that if the manager helps you that you write something nice to his or her boss. Sports is a tough business, and if someone hooks you up, the 10 minutes it takes to help them out goes a long way.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
It seems Google has started testing a new layout for their search results page. Notable changes include a left navigational bar for related Google search options.
This layout may or may not be permanent given the immense success of teir search results layout.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The Claremont Institute, a conservative California think tank, has announced that Rumsfeld would receive its 'Statemanship' award at a Nov. 17 gala. The WSJ writes, 'The award may seem ironic since Rumsfeld prided himself on being a blunt-spoken defense secretary with little time for diplomatic niceties. During his six-year tenure, Rumsfeld famously belittled France and Germany as being part of ‘old Europe’ and said the looting of Baghdad illustrated that ‘freedom is messy.’'
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Skype has released Skype for Linux 1.4 Alpha. As the company states it’s just a test version, which will give some hint on how the anticipated major release will function for Linux. This release is for experienced users only.
To use Skype for Linux 1.4 you need to be atleast on:
* Hardware
o ALSA-supported sound device.
o Software
o glibc 2.4
* Software (for static release)
o sigc++ 2.0
* Software (for dynamic release)
o Qt 4.2.x
+ Qt 4.2.3 contains a bug that if [http://www.trolltech.com/developer/task-tracker/index_html?method=entry&id=153635 unpatched] will cause expanded contact details to be displayed incorrectly.
+ Qt 4.3.0-beta is considered not yet release worthy, and may cause unpredictable side-effects with the Skype 1.4 client.
o sigc++ 2.0
Missing Features in Skype 1.4:
* Contact List Groups
* Creating new accounts is not yet possible.
* Undelivered chat messages are not currently indicated.
* There is no way to mark all events as read/viewed at this time.
* /alertsoff in chats does not currently work as expected.
* OSS support - this will likely return later.
* At this stage, packaged versions are not available. For now, simply move the ‘skype’ executable from the archive into /usr/bin and the sounds into /usr/share/skype/sounds
* API
Audio:
* If you have a USB device and are getting sound output on one side only, try using the plughw: device in Sound Devices instead.
* If you have a normal sound card, we recommend using the Default sound device for now. Sound output to hw: specific or plughw: specific devices may not work for all sound cards, or may result in single-channel playback or loss of sound mixing support on your system.
Chats:
* Selections behaviour is unpredictable in right-to-left languages.
* Links to URLs without protocol (ie. www.skype.net) may not load in the correct program.
* ‘Find’ feature in chat does not have activation keys as yet. You can initiate a find by typing /find and then using / in the chat window to find the next match. Some options in the Find window have not been implemented.
* Resizing chat windows which contain a lot of content, or hiding/unhiding the userlist can be very slow.
Contact List:
* If you have contact info expanded on the main contact list, the list will scroll to this location automatically on any update (even if the contact info was not visible before the update).
* If you have a long display name, this may be displayed in an unusual fashion at the top of your contact list.
Event History:
* Quickfilter is not yet implemented for event history.
* Loading full event history takes a short time.
Popup Notifications:
* Not all popup notifications have been implemented (for example, calls)
* You have to double-click on chat popups to open the chat currently.
File Transfers:
* Progress bar is sometimes incorrect.
* The ‘Open Folder’ icon on the individual complete incoming transfers does not actually open the folder.
* When a transfer fails, it is currently not obvious as to why it failed.
* There is currently no File Overwrite confirmation dialog.
* It is currently not possible to send a file or files to a group of people in one action.
* When you have lots of file transfers and scroll through the list, some horrible overdrawing artifacts can occur.
Options Dialog:
* Changing between Options screens without saving could lose your new options. Options are only currently saved on a screen by screen basis. There is currently no warning when you try to change options screens or exit the options dialog with unsaved changes.
* For some people, the Voicemail section may show a constantly scrolling progress bar when they haven’t set a Voicemail message and/or do not have the Voicemail or SkypeIn service.
Newly released build is 1.4.0.58 and changes compared to last 1.3 version are:
* Major user interface overhaul.
* Audio quality has been improved.
* Calls are now contained in a separate window.
* Chat history can be loaded in time-specific increments (rather than ‘recent’ and the very slow, ‘all’)
* File transfers are now grouped in a common window, and similar transfers are also grouped together.
* Event history now contains chats and other events in addition to calls.
* Sound files are now located in /usr/share/skype/sounds. This directory will be configurable later, however the sound files from the original Skype 1.4 package should be placed into this directory for now.
* The top menu bar has been removed. You can access the Main Menu by clicking on the ‘cog wheel’ down the bottom left of the client, or by right-clicking on the system tray icon.
- Add/Search users can be accessed by clicking on the Green + button in the bottom-left corner.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Since taking candid style photographs are becoming a norm this days this tips might come in handy.
1. Always Carry Your Camera With You.
Having your camera with you all the time helps you to take spontaneous photo’s with ease. Besides all these people would get used to it. Which will make most of your shots spontaneous.
2. Use Long Zoom More Often.
This will help you take pictures of your subject from a relatively far spot. Because of the distance your subject won’t know that you’re taking pictures, which will make your shot more spontaneous.
3. Kill the Flash
Using flash while taking pictures means telling your subject that you’re taking pictures of him/her. And that means no spontaneity in your shot. Which in turn means no story pictures. Whenever it’s possible turn your cameras flashlights off.
4. Take As Many Shots As Possible.
When you take pictures the probability of getting a perfect shot depends largely on how many pictures you take. So take as many as you possibly can.
5. Choose A Perfect Spot To Take Shots.
Be at the perfect place at the right time. This way your chance of taking a great photo multiplies 10 fold.
Always try to anticipate what’s going to happen and choose the perfect spot to seize the moment in your pictures.
6. Take Pictures Of People While They’re Doing Something.
Taking pictures of people doing something adds story and energy to your photo. So try to take pictures of people while they’re working.
7. Take Pictures Of People With People.
This will help you to introduce relationship and story into your pictures-even though your subjects are doing nothing.
8. Take Pictures from the Hip
If your subject is aware that you’re there and that you have your camera out they might tense up or act a little unnaturally as they see you raising your camera to the eye. It is worth a while to shoot with out raising your camera. To do this most effectively you might want to set your lens to a wider angle setting to make up for any aiming problems you might have.
The other beauty of shooting from the hip is that it gives you a slightly different perspective to take the shot from (ie shooting from 3 feet height instead of 6). This adds to the candid nature of the shots.
10. Frame Images with Foreground Elements
Make your picture look like you’re taking it while hiding. You might do this with by shooting over someone’s shoulder, by including a little of a tree branch or the frame of a doorway.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Liverpool FC's heroic goalkeeper Pepe Reina was burgled on Tuesday night as he was helping send the club through to the Champions League final.
The 24-year-old Spaniard saved two out of three spot kicks in a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea at Anfield.
But he returned from celebrating the win in the early hours of Wednesday to find his home in Woolton, Liverpool, had been ransacked.
A number of high value items and the player's Porsche Cayenne were taken.
Paperwork taken
The grey-coloured car - which has Spanish number plates - was found burnt out in Fleetwood Walk at 0630 BST.
Merseyside Police said the burglary happened sometime between 1900 BST on Tuesday and 0045 BST on Wednesday.
Officers were called to the address at 0145 BST after Reina discovered the break-in.
The goalkeeper, who joined Liverpool in the summer 2005, does not want to comment on the incident.
As well as the car, officers said paperwork, jewellery, and a Bang and Olufsen entertainment system was taken.
Footballers targeted
Reina is the latest in a line of footballers who play in the city to be targeted by burglars, often while they were taking part in matches.
The home of his fellow Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek was burgled in June 2006 while he was on holiday in Poland. His Porsche, jewellery and football memorabilia was taken by thieves.
Daniel Agger, who scored for Liverpool on Tuesday night, had his home in Wirral burgled in September 2006.
In the same month, Reds striker Peter Crouch's house in Alderley Edge was hit by thieves while he was on England duty.
Meanwhile, Dutchman Andy Van der Meyde - who plays for Everton - was burgled twice in 2006.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Scientists believe they have for the first time identified an ancient graveyard for gladiators.
Analysis of their bones and injuries has given new insight into how they lived, fought and died.
The remains were found at Ephesus in Turkey, a major city of the Roman world.
Gladiators were the sporting heroes of the ancient world. Archaeological records show them celebrated in everything from mosaics to graffiti.
Motifs of gladiators are found on nearly a third of all oil lamps from Roman archaeological digs throughout the Empire.
But how much did they risk every time they stepped into the arena? Did they have much chance of getting out alive?
The discovery of what is claimed to be the first scientifically authenticated gladiator graveyard has given researchers the opportunity to find out.
'Strict rules'
The Ephesus graves containing thousands of bones were found along with three gravestones, clearly depicting gladiators.
Two pathologists at the Medical University of Vienna - Professor Karl Grossschmidt and Professor Fabian Kanz - have spent much of the past five years painstakingly cataloguing and forensically analysing every single bone for age, injury and cause of death.
They found at least 67 individuals, nearly all aged 20 to 30. One striking bit of evidence is that many have healed wounds.
To Kanz and Grossschmidt, this suggests they were prized individuals getting good and expensive medical treatment. One body even shows signs of a surgical amputation.
And the lack of multiple wounds found on the bones, according to the pathologists, suggests that they had not been involved in chaotic mass brawls. Instead, it points to organised duels under strict rules of combat, probably with referees monitoring the bouts.
But there was also evidence of mortal wounds. Written records tell us that if the defeated gladiator had not shown enough skill or even cowardice, the cry of 'iugula' (lance him through) would be heard throughout the arena, demanding he be killed.
Final blow
The condemned gladiator would be expected to die 'like a man' remaining motionless to receive the mortal blow.
The pathologists discovered various unhealed wounds on bones that showed how these executions could have taken place. And these are consistent with depictions on reliefs from the time showing a kneeling man having a sword rammed through down his throat into the heart. A very quick way to die. Tell-tale nicks in the vertebrae or other bones suggest at least some of the bodies suffered this fate.
A number of skulls were also found to have sets of up to three holes at odd intervals, consistent with a blow from a three-pronged weapon such as a trident.
'The bone injuries - those on the skulls for example - are not everyday ones, they are very, very unusual, and particularly the injuries inflicted by a trident, are a particular indication that a typical gladiator's weapon was used,' says pathologist Professor Karl Grossschmidt.
But not all head injuries found were trident wounds. A number of the skulls showed rectangular holes that could not have been made by any of the known gladiator weapons. Instead, they suggest the use of a heavy hammer.
'One possible explanation, which is supported by a number of archaeologists, is that there must have been an assistant in the arena who basically gave the gladiator the coup de grace,' says Professor Kanz.
'I assume that they must have been very severely injured gladiators, ones who had fought outstandingly and so had not been condemned to death by the public or by the organiser of the match, but who had no chance of surviving because of their injuries. It was basically the final blow, in order to release them.'
'Comfortable' retirement
The work of the Viennese pathologists has been independently reviewed for the BBC's Timewatch programme by Dr Charlotte Roberts of Durham University, a leading physical anthropologist.
'I've looked at quite a few hundred Roman skeletons. I've seen examples of head injuries, healed and unhealed. I've seen evidence of decapitations,' she says.
'But this (new find) is extremely significant; there's nothing been found in the world at all like it. They've really dispelled quite a lot of myths about gladiators and how they fought.'
If a gladiator survived three years of fighting in the arena, he would win his freedom. Those who did often became teachers in the gladiator school. And one of the skeletons found at Ephesus appears to be that of a retired fighter.
He was of mature age and because he was much older than the others. The scientists were able to reconstruct nearly his entire body. His head showed apparent signs of healed wounds from previous fights and none of them would have proved fatal.
'He lived quite a normal Roman lifespan,' says Professor Kanz. 'And I think most probably he died of natural causes.'
Historical records suggest a gladiator's chance of survival was slim, with some estimates as low as a one in three chance of dying each time he fought. But it appears one of the Ephesus gladiators at least survived the odds and had a chance to enjoy his retirement from the arena.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
