tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post6810983353594260666..comments2024-03-28T21:41:52.558-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: Ahikar’s words, from an Aramaic papyrus of 500 B.C., found among the ruins of Elephantine, contains the simple observation that, “The word is mightier than the sword.”Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-43366031876476763912012-11-21T01:35:22.658-05:002012-11-21T01:35:22.658-05:00.
Anything south of 8 Mile Road is lalaland. Detr....<br /><br />Anything south of 8 Mile Road is lalaland. Detroit is on the edge of bankruptcy and the reasons are obvious. Those in charge are nutz.<br /><br />The Detriot Zoo, The Detroit Art Museum, and various other cultural gems are now being managed by outside organizations because the city drove them into near bancruptcy. The state has offered the same deal on the Water Department and has offered to lease Belle Isle, a beautiful park on an island in the Detroit River that's been allowed to go to seed, and to put in repairs and improvements and get it back to the way it used to be. Detroit is fighting since they see it as 'whitey' trying to take over their jewels.<br /><br />The City Council has been fighting the terms set up by the state for that cash infusion you mentioned. It's a power thing. Council doesn't want to agree to any deals that have the suberbs or the state dictating terms to them.<br /><br />They can't even afford the street lights in some areas of the city. Add the unemployment and the crime and the city is a basket case.<br /><br />And lest you think they can depend on their elected officials, quess again. The former mayor, his wife, his father, his best friend and half the city officials that served under him are currently on trial here for everything from bribery, extortion, money laundering, corruption, illegal use of campaign funds, fraud, etc. Detroit is in Wayne County and the FEDS are also looking at the Wayne County Executive and his crew for pretty much the same charges as the Detroit mayor. Of course, at the county level you can add in the sweetheart golden parachutes and pension packages.<br /><br />Heck, I saw in today's paper, that the FED's just raided the Detroit Public Library as well as the home of the guy who runs it, mismanagement and corruption. Also, a state Supreme Court Justice had civil charges brought against her for fraud and money laundering associated with properties she owned in a ritzy area east of Detroit. Criminal charges are expected to follow soon. This follows a number of other judges brought up on either ethical or criminal charges.<br /><br />Everyday someone new is arrested or charges brought.<br /><br />Sin City? You don't know the half of it.<br /><br />.<br /><br />Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-87997326987369755292012-11-21T00:15:01.058-05:002012-11-21T00:15:01.058-05:00Other stories from The Times of Israel =
Current ...Other stories from The Times of Israel =<br /><br />Current top stories<br />A soldier stands on a tank at a staging area near the Gaza border early Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. (photo credit: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)<br />With ceasefire still in the distance, Israel continues offensive<br />By Sam Ser <br /><br /> In Rishon and Ashkelon, ‘safe rooms’ save lives in two direct rocket strikes<br /><br /> Rockets kill soldier, Bedouin civilian in Eshkol region<br /><br /> In press conference with Clinton, PM says Israel will do whatever it takes to defend its citizens <br /><br />Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Jerusalem, November 20, 2012 (photo credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO/Flash90)<br /><br />Ceasefire would inhibit Hamas arms-smuggling, but improve Gaza economy, German FM says<br />By Raphael Ahren <br /><br />Bomb squad members inspect remains of the rocket which hit an apartment building in Rishon Letzion, near Tel Aviv, on Tuesday. (Photo by Gili Yaari/ Flash90)<br /><br />Rockets in Tel Aviv? ‘That’s something I couldn’t have imagined’<br />By Michal Shmulovich <br /><br />The Palestinian side of the Rafah border terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. (photo credit: Sarah El Deeb/AP)<br /><br />Gaza-Egypt border crossing is a critical point of conflict<br />By Sarah El Deeb <br /><br />An IDF tank in a firing position on the Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Bariqa, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. The Israeli military said a Syrian mobile artillery unit was hit after the IDF responded to a stray mortar bomb that landed in Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)<br /><br />Fire from Syria strikes IDF vehicle in the Golan Heights<br />By Michal Shmulovich <br />Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-25731983033567765192012-11-21T00:12:22.391-05:002012-11-21T00:12:22.391-05:00The dangerous success of Iron Dome
You can bet th...<br /><i>The dangerous success of Iron Dome<br /><br />You can bet that even as Hamas and its sponsors are recovering from the shock of clanging into Israel’s new missile shield, they are contemplating fresh ways to kill us. Those drafting the Pillar of Defense ceasefire terms mustn’t make it easy for them.</i><br /><br />from The Times of Israel<br /><br />http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-dangerous-success-of-iron-dome/<br /><br />Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-79936599827785120892012-11-20T23:52:49.654-05:002012-11-20T23:52:49.654-05:00But alcohol can Tase out our better selves -
Athe...But alcohol <i>can</i> Tase out our better selves -<br /><br /><i>Athens man arrested after pretending Taser is penis<br /><br />By Joe Johnsonupdated Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - 10:34pm<br /><br /><br /><br />A 44-year-old Athens man is facing criminal charges after he created a scene with a Taser on Monday at a bar downtown.<br /><br />Meredith Grayson Watson, of Hiawassee Avenue, got into an argument with his wife at the Roadhouse on North Lumpkin Street, then went outside and held a Taser as if it were his penis and discharged it at passersby, Athens-Clarke police said.<br /><br />A bartender called police about 2:30 p.m. to report the man’s behavior.<br /><br />She told officers that Watson’s wife was a good customer at the Roadhouse, but Monday was the first time she ever saw Watson, police said. They were arguing about him being intoxicated as they entered the bar.<br /><br />The bartender overheard the couple arguing about Watson supposedly being high and that he was going to end up in jail, according to police.<br /><br />The man’s wife left the bar and Watson went after her, but he quickly returned and resumed drinking, setting a Taser on the bar, police said.<br /><br />Watson then began to use the device.<br /><br />“(The bartender) stated he went outside and put the Taser down to his pants and was acting like it was his penis,” according to the arrest report.<br /><br />“When people would walk by he would shock it at them and would come as close as arm’s reach from them and set the Taser off,” according to the report. “He scared a few girls so much they crossed the street to get away.”<br /><br />The report did not mention anyone actually getting shocked by the Taser.<br /><br />Watson was jailed on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct at 6:04 p.m. and released about four hours later after posting a bond of $1,000.</i>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-72894650286541935282012-11-20T23:48:45.752-05:002012-11-20T23:48:45.752-05:0015. David
I read a comment on another blog that v...<i>15. David<br /><br />I read a comment on another blog that very astutely attributes the Hamas rocket offensive to the insistence of the Iranians, who are watching the Iron Dome performance to determine it’s weaknesses. It’s a probing attack...</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-8562967288069774162012-11-20T23:42:36.585-05:002012-11-20T23:42:36.585-05:00No. Israel claims to hold the same values as the s...<i>No. Israel claims to hold the same values as the supposedly moral West. It says that it is fighting “terrorism” in our name as well as its own.<br /><br />It says it is fighting like us. It is playing by our Western rules.<br /><br />We are all Israelis now; that is what we are meant to say. Hamas is our enemy, as well as Israel’s.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-64504272378065375332012-11-20T23:42:18.653-05:002012-11-20T23:42:18.653-05:00http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=s...http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=scientists-probe-human-nature-and-discover-we-are-good-after-allm<br /><br />Intuitively good, rationally, not so much.<br /><br /><br />Maybe the complexities of our mass societies, nation states, economies, tribalisms and such has overwhelmed our better basic leanings.<br /><br />It is interesting though as it computes with Schopenhauer who said in our unguarded moment the unconscious immediate urge and intuition to help some other in distress reveals a valid metaphysical insight, that we are all one 'behind the scenes'.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-12283623855044850352012-11-20T23:32:47.625-05:002012-11-20T23:32:47.625-05:00Government figures released Wednesday showed Japan...<i>Government figures released Wednesday showed Japan posted its worst trade deficit for October in more than 30 years as exports to China continued to slump amid territorial tensions between Tokyo and Beijing, stoking concerns that Japan is headed for a recession.<br /><br />The 549 billion yen ($6.7 billion) deficit in the trade of goods, the fourth straight month of shortfall, was much bigger than the ¥360 billion shortfall expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei. Exports to China were down 11.6% on year, compared with a 14.1% drop in September.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-85881327273402052872012-11-20T23:24:55.136-05:002012-11-20T23:24:55.136-05:00Finally! All will be well. Secretary of State Hill...Finally! All will be well. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Jerusalem, dodging incoming like she did in Afghanistan, to broker a peace. Bless her.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-55900538119686308392012-11-20T23:17:43.095-05:002012-11-20T23:17:43.095-05:00
Detroit rejects condition for cash infusion
http...<br />Detroit rejects condition for cash infusion<br /><br />http://ca.news.yahoo.com/detroit-rejects-condition-cash-infusion-224903304.html<br /><br />For some reason or other, probably having to do with corruption, Detroit shoots itself in the head again.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-56703274024393383662012-11-20T23:09:07.279-05:002012-11-20T23:09:07.279-05:00Then Senator Obama
Q: Senator, if one of your dau...<br />Then Senator Obama<br /><br /><i>Q: Senator, if one of your daughters asked you—and maybe they already have—“Daddy, did god really create the world in 6 days?,” what would you say?<br /><br />A: What I’ve said to them is that I believe that God created the universe and that the six days in the Bible may not be six days as we understand it … it may not be 24-hour days, and that’s what I believe. I know there’s always a debate between those who read the Bible literally and those who don’t, and I think it’s a legitimate debate within the Christian community of which I’m a part. My belief is that the story that the Bible tells about God creating this magnificent Earth on which we live—that is essentially true, that is fundamentally true. Now, whether it happened exactly as we might understand it reading the text of the Bible: That, I don’t presume to know.</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Rubio<br /><br /><i>“I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States,” Rubio told GQ. “I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that.”<br /><br />“At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all,” he added. “I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”</i>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-35038653519753378152012-11-20T22:03:42.272-05:002012-11-20T22:03:42.272-05:00According to its engineers, this will be the talle...<i>According to its engineers, this will be the tallest skyscraper in the world by the end of March of 2013. Its name is Sky City, and its 2,749 feet (838 meters) distributed in 220 floors will grow in just 90 days in Changsha city, by the Xiangjiang river.<br /><br />...<br /><br />They will be able to achieve this impossibly fast construction rate by using a prefabricated modular technology developed by Broad Sustainable Building, a company that has built 20 tall structures in China so far, including the that 30-story hotel.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Unlike the Burj Khalifa, the tower will be mostly habitable. Its final height will be 2,749 feet high (838 meters).</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-8488503078100429762012-11-20T20:05:04.903-05:002012-11-20T20:05:04.903-05:00The Obama administration issued new rules Tuesday ...<i>The Obama administration issued new rules Tuesday that require insurance companies to cover people with preexisting medical conditions — one of the most popular provisions of President Obama’s healthcare law.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Regulations released Tuesday will prohibit insurers from charging women a higher premium than men, and will require plans in every state to cover certain services.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-78175083165066312942012-11-20T19:10:16.856-05:002012-11-20T19:10:16.856-05:00On this day in 1985, Microsoft debuted its first i...On this day in 1985, Microsoft debuted its first installment of the Windows operating system, Windows 1.0. This year, Microsoft released Windows 8.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-91469197883360416112012-11-20T19:06:19.082-05:002012-11-20T19:06:19.082-05:00Lilian Peretz, a long-time Beersheba resident whos...<i>Lilian Peretz, a long-time Beersheba resident whose three sons have been called up to the reserves, said that if the armistice does take hold, and Israel is able to stop further rocket attacks without invading Gaza, it will be a huge political success for the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces re-election in January.<br /><br />...<br /><br />"I don't like Netanyahu. I didn't vote for him and I urged other people not to vote for him.<br /><br />He doesn't care about the poor and the weak in Israeli society. But he's done this right."</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-81993200064520338582012-11-20T18:38:35.361-05:002012-11-20T18:38:35.361-05:00Best Buy Co. swung to a third-quarter loss and pro...<i>Best Buy Co. swung to a third-quarter loss and projected sharply lower cash flow for the year, results that proved to be worse than the struggling consumer-electronics giant warned about last month.<br /><br />...<br /><br />So far this year the stock is down by almost 50%, as the company struggles with declining sales at its big-box stores that some consumers are using as a showroom before they buy products elsewhere online.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-52555246063965044252012-11-20T18:27:38.672-05:002012-11-20T18:27:38.672-05:00Well, good luck wit dat.Well, good luck wit dat.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-39888865803910434452012-11-20T18:24:30.093-05:002012-11-20T18:24:30.093-05:00((((why the consulate was poorly defended, why Ste...((((why the consulate was poorly defended, why Stevens' pleas for a stronger defense were ignored, whether someone issued orders for the quick-response military unit to stand down, whether the command and control structure so essential to national security broke down, if terrorists were prisoners being held in the CIA annex and what was the CIA's role there, and whether the Obama administration was trying to avoid responsibility.))))<br /><br />These are the things we wish to know, Rufus, whether you do or not.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-77624561909557613552012-11-20T18:23:37.388-05:002012-11-20T18:23:37.388-05:00y'all have a right to bear arms, no?y'all have a right to bear arms, no?Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688752302081088907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-70701928673154043962012-11-20T18:23:17.644-05:002012-11-20T18:23:17.644-05:00• It's not Watergate. It's a political wit...<i>• It's not Watergate. It's a political witch hunt, designed to embarrass and discredit the newly re-elected Obama. It's a lot of Republican claptrap, another one of those conspiracy theories created out of thin air.<br /><br />Whoops. That's exactly what Republicans were saying when the FBI and newspaper investigators were closing in on President Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon for covering up the Watergate break-in by his operatives. Republican defenders of Nixon described it as merely a third-rate burglary and said investigating it would be a waste of time because nothing illegal or untoward happened. When Democrats begin sounding like Republicans, we know that the Earth's magnetic poles have shifted.<br /><br />But I digress. Any one of these points is reason enough to shut down any investigation of ((((why the consulate was poorly defended, why Stevens' pleas for a stronger defense were ignored, whether someone issued orders for the quick-response military unit to stand down, whether the command and control structure so essential to national security broke down, if terrorists were prisoners being held in the CIA annex and what was the CIA's role there, and whether the Obama administration was trying to avoid responsibility.))))</i><br /><br /><br />Getting to the bottom of Benghazi<br /><br />http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-1120-byrne-20121120,0,6071743.column<br /><br />This article lists perfectly 7 examples of "Rufus Reasoning" on the Government's betrayal of the American trust in the Benghazi affair.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-40883806003395217252012-11-20T18:22:56.160-05:002012-11-20T18:22:56.160-05:00An armed society is a polite society...An armed society is a polite society...Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688752302081088907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-91647970055605997822012-11-20T18:22:21.812-05:002012-11-20T18:22:21.812-05:00If only the bad guys have guns...If only the bad guys have guns...Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688752302081088907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-24093387761062180872012-11-20T18:13:02.996-05:002012-11-20T18:13:02.996-05:00This is the kind of really stupid comment for whic...This is the kind of really stupid comment for which you are so famous, Ash. A meaningless statement with your usual snicker attached.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-54946548121185929302012-11-20T18:05:51.453-05:002012-11-20T18:05:51.453-05:00
Commentary Magazine
Contentions
Is this How the I...<br />Commentary Magazine<br />Contentions<br />Is this How the Israel-Iran War Begins?<br />Michael Rubin | @mrubin1971 11.19.2012 - 3:20 PM<br /><br />Experts and defense analysts agree that Iran would respond to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities by proxy, specifically by Hamas and Hezbollah rocketry launched at Israeli towns and cities. Indeed, this is one of the reasons beyond sheer ideological spite that the Iranian leadership has gone to such great lengths to arm both Hamas and Hezbollah.<br /><br />The Iranian leadership may be coming very close to forcing Israel’s hand. If Hezbollah seeks to open a second front against Israel, then Israel could find itself in a two-front war with terrorist entities. Make no mistake, Israel would achieve its objective of destroying the majority of the longest-range and most lethal missiles supplied to Hamas and Hezbollah by Iran, Syria, and perhaps even North Korea.<br /><br />This might reduce the costs to Israel of undertaking a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. After all, if Hamas and Hezbollah are temporarily neutered and if the Israeli government concludes that the elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who would have command and control over any Iranian nuclear arsenal would pose an existential threat, then the Israelis may decide that their window of opportunity would never be so favorable as the present. After all, Iran’s air defense is only going to get more sophisticated with time, and its missile program is advancing steadily, and so time is otherwise not on Israel’s side.<br /><br />The Iranians often quip that they play chess while their opponents play checkers. Let us hope before it is too late that the Iranian regime comes to realize, despite its overconfidence, that it is not the grandmaster it believes itself to be.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-40177935395440301082012-11-20T18:03:16.395-05:002012-11-20T18:03:16.395-05:00Those that Could be saved were saved, Bob
Saved b...<i>Those that Could be saved were saved, Bob</i><br /><br />Saved by two brave souls who gave their lives for it while backup was denied them.<br /><br />Without those two, the figure of dead would probably be in the 30's.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.com