COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Baghdad twin suicide bombing horror



Twin car bombings kill 90 in central Baghdad
By Ammar Karim (AFP) – 3 hours ago

BAGHDAD — Twin suicide car bombs blamed on Al-Qaeda blasted the justice ministry and a provincial office in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 90 people and sparking turmoil in the embattled Iraqi capital.

Around 600 people were wounded in the near-simultaneous attacks at around 10:30 am (0730 GMT), which left streets littered with charred bodies and torn-off limbs.

The blasts, which the government said had Al-Qaeda's "signature", destroyed dozens of cars and shattered water pipes, spewing dirty water into the bloodied streets.

Authorities closed off roads leading to the bomb sites as fire trucks and ambulances struggled through thick traffic to reach the blazing buildings.

One of the attacks occurred at a busy intersection near the justice and municipalities ministries while the other was opposite the nearby Baghdad provincial government offices in Salhiyeh neighbourhood.



At least 90 people were killed and almost 600 injured, according to a tally of tolls from four hospitals in central Baghdad -- Al-Karama, Ibn Nafis, Medical City and Yarmuk.

Shortly after the attacks, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited the site of the Salhiyeh bombing, where he spoke to officials and security officers but made no statement.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement the attacks could be targeting upcoming parliamentary elections in January, and added that they have "the fingerprints of Al-Qaeda and its allies."

Haidar Assem, an employee of the ministry of municipalities, said he awoke to find himself in Al-Karama hospital, his head bandaged and his shirt covered in blood.

"I was busy working when there was a massive explosion," said the 30-year-old engineer. "My colleagues fell down all around me, the office became completely dark and then I found myself in the hospital."

Thick smoke billowed over the stricken area and fires could be seen from two buildings whose windows had been shattered by the force of the blasts.

Rescue workers in Salhiyeh had to cover dead bodies in blankets before picking them up because they were too hot to touch, an AFP correspondent said.

Firemen meanwhile were using their trucks' ladders to reach the upper floors of the ministries, fearing that many dead and wounded could be trapped.

Several helicopters were flying over the area and dozens of humvees were lining the streets around the bomb sites.

The explosions were a grim reminder of deadly truck bombings which shook the ministries of foreign affairs and finance on August 19, in which around 100 people were killed.

Baghdad blamed those attacks on supporters of the Baath party of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, whom it claims were given safe haven in neighbouring Syria.

The incident saw a dramatic deterioration of ties between the neighbouring countries, with Maliki throwing fuel on the fire by alleging that 90 percent of foreign militants who infiltrate Iraq do so via Syria.

Talks between officials of the two countries brokered by Turkey have failed to defuse tensions, with Iraqi officials accusing their Syrian counterparts of "lack of seriousness."

Sunday's twin bombings came as Iraqi political leaders were to meet to try to end a deadlock over a stalled election law amid growing concerns that the country's January 16 election will have to be delayed.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at 3:30 pm (1230 GMT). There was no immediate information as to whether the meeting would go ahead as planned.

Lieutenant General Ali Ghaidan Majeed, commander of Iraqi ground forces, cautioned in an interview with AFP on Saturday that the coming months could see an upswing in violence ahead of the January polls.

He said security would likely only stabilise by the middle of next year after a transfer of power to a new government.

"I am concerned that between now ... and July 2010, basically throughout the election and after with the transfer from the old government to the new government, maybe you will see terrorist activities increase," he said.

Attacks have dropped dramatically compared to a year ago -- violent deaths in September were the lowest since May -- but remain high by international standards.

However insurgents are still able to mount high-profile attacks, especially in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul, which kill dozens.


95 comments:

  1. The elections might have to be delayed, you say? How convenient.

    Reminds me of Guilliani. Politicians just can't resist.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never miss the opportunities that a crisis allows, rufus. A cardinal rule for ploiticos, regardless of the country.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think this is the work of al-Qaeda.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope we allow this uptick in bombings to remain an "Iraqi" problem. I imagine that's pretty much a "slam-dunk," though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Personally, I don't care if the Iraqis EVER have another election.

    ReplyDelete
  6. From ruf's link:
    "And it is also a good bet that 100% of those scientists surveyed were funded by the government only after they submitted research proposals which implicitly or explicitly stated they believed in anthropogenic global warming to begin with. If you submit a research proposal to look for alternative explanations for global warming (say, natural climate cycles), it is virtually guaranteed you will not get funded. Is it any wonder that scientists who are required to accept the current scientific orthodoxy in order to receive continued funding, then later agree with that orthodoxy when surveyed? Well, duh.
    ------------------------------------
    That encapsulates the problem. A profession of faith is required before one can join the church.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ordered from the mountains of Afpakistan, or just a local variant, whit?

    Were they dues paying members or just "wanna be" aQ?

    Do they still have a "command structure", this aQ? Or is it just a network of like minded folks?

    Do they still have "training bases", if so, where?

    If, at the max, 150,000 US troops could did not dig aQ out of Iraq, where it had no roots prior to our arrival, how can a third that many US soldiers destroy the Taliban movement in Afpakistan, root and branch?

    Gives lie to the McCrystal "Plan".
    Especially if the "success" in Iraq leaves US with this current reality.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If the government is tasked with funding science, then you will get science that pleases the governors.

    Not science that debunks their pet political theories.

    What more would you expect of government funded programs?

    More importantly, why would you expect it?

    ReplyDelete
  9. International Green Cross: Mikhail Gorbachev organization based in Geneva:

    "The mission of Green Cross International is to help ensure a just, sustainable and secure future for all by fostering a value shift and cultivating a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility in humanity's relationship with nature."
    ---------------------------------

    Sounds like a noble mission, no?
    Yes, until you realize the kind of mischief the group can accomplish under such an altruistic guise. The problem is mans' compulsive need for control.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Okay, let me rephrase that, I think the bombings were carried by jihadis bent on preventing a democracy from taking root in Iraq. I admit, this is just my initial gut reaction. The bombing could have been carried out by a rival tribes or political party or a religious sect.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Man, this decade reminds me so much of the "Seventies."

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Carter Years.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The bombing could have been ordered by an ambitious subordinate who wants to take out his boss.

    I do not present myself as an authority on terrorism here or even when I'm more than thirty miles away from home. I simply offer my 'hunch' as just another barfly.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We should all try to remember the lessons of the Reichstag fire, from Germania's past.

    As well as the Roman Legions lost, there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Okay, how about this:

    We know that the bombings were carried out by the "evil doers."

    ReplyDelete
  16. Whit, the more complex the subject the more I respect "hunches," and the more I distrust "Scholarly" dissertations.

    I, especially, distrust "scholarly" dissertations when they're "cross-cultural" (ie: a White American dissertating on ME Muslim Fundamentalism/Jihadism.)

    ReplyDelete
  17. A hunch is just a high intelligence assigning a "probability;" and what more can you do with a subject so complex BUT assign a probability?

    ReplyDelete
  18. 1st time saying this...

    Time to leave...


    Time to allow the shits and the suns to murder one another...

    It's the only way..

    Let the islamic love begin....

    ReplyDelete
  19. What official, in Germania, would have cast suspicions upon the newly elected Chancellor of Germany, for the Reichstag fire?

    In public, to the media?

    Why they'd blame the politically incorrect Labor Unions and Communists, as they did in historical reality.

    Same holds true in Iraq, today.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I gotta admit, Rat, it's the first thing I thought of. But, I rejected it on the grounds of, "Huh?" :)

    I'm assuming that the current government is pretty much a "Lock" to hold their seats, and maybe even gain a few. Plus, I doubt their competence to even keep it a secret for a day.

    Occams Razor. It's just easier to take it at face value. Same old bunch doing the same old thing. That IS how they make their living, after all.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The Muslim world, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Indonesia and Afghanistan are learning a very hard lesson:

    The civilized world is at war with a cult of irrationality aided and spread by the instant gratification and notoriety provided by $30 cell phones and $.50 an hour internet wifi.

    ReplyDelete
  22. And the Muslim world is at war with itself. Sunni v. Shia seems to be heating up everywhere.

    Some people think the tension between Riyadh and Tehran is greater than the tension between the west and Tehran.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Check out Spengler's assessment of the Charley Foxtrot that covers southwest Asia to the middle east.

    ReplyDelete
  24. i got to the part where Spengler speculates about Russian collusion with Israel on an Iranian attack and I decided to shine my boots.

    ReplyDelete
  25. My "hunch" is that Spengler is full of it. But, he does seem to have the "Messiah" down pat.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Everyday's negative news from Iraq only magnifies the idiocy of Bush/Bremmer/Whoever, deciding to arbitrarily abort the plan to keep the Iraqi Army on the payroll, instead having Bremmer oversee an occupation/insurgency.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The plan General Garner was tasked with would have worked as planned, imo.
    Instead, we have this.
    Bet Trish's beloved State Dept was involved.
    ...and Saint Powell.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I still say there's some guy, some where, deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, or Quantico, or Langley, or the SD that argued, successfully, for funding, and supporting "The Awakening."

    This Man/Woman (if he/she exists) is the Only person in our government that understands how to win in the ME.

    Of course, if this person does exist he/she has probably already been fired for "gross competence." Shit like that could make our other fools look like what they are. Fools.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Us recognizing the Iraqi Army as the agency to oversee the Awakening was Rummy's Genius.

    ...would have taken place BEFORE the country was destroyed by the insurgency that Viceroy Bremmmer oversaw.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Blogger desert rat said...

    "If the government is tasked with funding science, then you will get science that pleases the governors."

    In short - NO!

    Peer reviewed science is much more resilient then your statement asserts. Sure, as the Bush administration did, systematic purging of dissenting scientists will yield more favorable results but simply getting money from a particular source does not necessarily invalidate the scientific study.

    ReplyDelete
  32. "Sure, as the Bush administration did, systematic purging of dissenting scientists..."

    Please cite some credible sources...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Are you denying that the global warming alarmists have usurped the science?

    ReplyDelete
  34. On this science stuff, it all depends. If for instance, I pay some taxes to help fund a program to clean up Lake Washington, ok by me. Up to a point of course. It might even do some good. There must be thousands, thousands and thousands, of such examples, going back in our history. I wouldn't really trust a industry science any more than a government one. They all got to be paid. Trouble with the global warming fiansco is it's so huge. What happens in Lake Washington isn't going to change anyones life much, might help the fish.
    Global warming? Watch out for your electric bill.

    There, I've said next to nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. The U of W scientist that had me buying into global warming said they couldn't get their hearing with the Bush ad. Now we hear others say they can't get their hearing from the usurper.

    Then I read the science is so complex we need another few hundred years of data to even begin to get a grip. So it's all a gigantic waste of money till we track the data, and get good data, in this view. Which makes the most sense to me.

    ReplyDelete
  36. What if all the peers who are reviewing the work are out of a lifetime's work if they come to the conclusion there is no problem?

    On the other hand in a more minor matter the peers came to the conclusion there would be no problem if the wolves were reintroduced. Which was so obvious b.s. even I could figure it out.

    There's a tendency to butter one's own frying pan, on all sides.

    I think Maxine Waters ought to decide all these things anyway, just leave it all up to her, especially the oil industry.

    ReplyDelete
  37. One guy drew up an interesting chart showing how all the folks in the same group are collaborating on, and "peer reviewing" each other's articles.

    "Peer Review" has turned into pretty much a joke when it comes to AGW, I'm afraid.

    ReplyDelete
  38. When all is said, and said, however, one thing is clear: 1998 was the warmest year in this cycle. That's 11 years, ago. 2008 was just about the coldest.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Temperatures since 1979

    The Satellites were launched in 1979.

    ReplyDelete
  40. hee hee, finding credible sources for many here is one heck of a tall order:

    "Stanford University scientist Richard N. Zare writes, "We must be willing to speak out against the threat of making science just a matter of opinion." That is exactly what investigative journalist Seth Shulman does in Undermining Science, Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration (University of California Press, $24.95). Backed by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Shulman looks closely at President Bush's cavalier treatment of scientific data during the last six years. From placing unqualified non-scientists in supervising positions to altering ... "

    http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-159390940.html

    peer review often addresses methodology as opposed to conclusion. There is method to science and it has proven quite useful. wiki has an interesting article on peer review. A small portion of it:

    "Procedure

    In the case of proposed publications, an editor sends advance copies of an author's work or ideas to researchers or scholars who are experts in the field (known as "referees" or "reviewers"), nowadays normally by e-mail or through a web-based manuscript processing system. Usually, there are two or three referees for a given article.

    These referees each return an evaluation of the work to the editor, noting weaknesses or problems along with suggestions for improvement. Typically, most of the referees' comments are eventually seen by the author; scientific journals observe this convention universally. The editor, usually familiar with the field of the manuscript (although typically not in as much depth as the referees, who are specialists), then evaluates the referees' comments, her or his own opinion of the manuscript, and the context of the scope of the journal or level of the book and readership, before passing a decision back to the author(s), usually with the referees' comments.

    Referees' evaluations usually include an explicit recommendation of what to do with the manuscript or proposal, often chosen from options provided by the journal or funding agency. Most recommendations are along the lines of the following:

    * to unconditionally accept the manuscript or proposal,
    * to accept it in the event that its authors improve it in certain ways,
    * to reject it, but encourage revision and invite resubmission,
    * to reject it outright.

    During this process, the role of the referees is advisory, and the editor is typically under no formal obligation to accept the opinions of the referees. Furthermore, in scientific publication, the referees do not act as a group, do not communicate with each other, and typically are not aware of each other's identities or evaluations. There is usually no requirement that the referees achieve consensus. Thus the group dynamics are substantially different from that of a jury."

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_review

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks, now we all know what a referee is, what a peer player is, etc.

    Now we need to know if the game is rigged.

    ReplyDelete
  42. "If the government is tasked with funding science, then you will get science that pleases the governors." [Rat]

    In short - NO! [Ash]


    While the question is not as simple as yes or NO!, I guess I would generally have to agree with Rat on this one. The Bush administration is merely the latest (although not the most egregious) example to use in proof of Rat’s assertion.

    ReplyDelete
  43. When the American people discover that they have been played for dupes by the Bernie Madoff school of science, the liberals will have to really worry about the 2nd amendment. It is the biggest political ponzi scheme ever based on falsified data.

    From an article, but this thread is supposed to be about suicide bombing.

    Just thought it was a funny quote.

    The Bernie Madoff school of science. :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. It's just another goofy religion that has managed to obtain a great deal of "state" sponsorship.

    The only problem with this religion is that it is, to some extent, "falsifiable."

    In other words, as atmospheric CO2 (the only "real" warming agent according to this religion) continues to rise, and the PDO continues to work on it, and cause temps to slowly decline, the followers are starting to drift away.

    This El Nino is looking to be a pretty meager one, so we're probably only one Strong La Nina away from a rush for the exits.

    The Watermelons are praying they'll get to pass the collection plate before it happens.

    Their problem (that I'm not sure they've thought through) is that if they do manage to get the collection plate passed it's going to be full of, not cash, but checks that won't be "collectible" for a couple of years.

    Thus, it's very likely their best outcome will be a bunch of "stopped" checks.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I wonder if we started a fund to pay the families of the suicide bombers and threw a nice dinner in their honor how the world would react?

    let remember this is an iraqi tradition...

    (CBS) Saddam Hussein has distributed $260,000 to 26 families of Palestinians killed in 29 months of fighting with Israel, including a $10,000 check to the family of a Hamas suicide bomber.

    In a packed banquet hall on Wednesday, the families came one-by-one to receive their $10,000 checks. A large banner said: "The Arab Baath Party Welcomes the Families of the Martyrs for the Distribution of Blessings of Saddam Hussein."

    That's a small fortune in poverty-stricken Gaza, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger, and the donations have made him a hero on the Palestinian street. Israel accuses Saddam of financing Palestinian terror.

    The money — handed out by the Arab Liberation Front, which is affiliated with Saddam's Baath Party — was distributed as the United States tried to get U.N. Security Council support to use military force to disarm Iraq and oust Saddam, who the United States says supports terrorism.

    Among the families receiving checks from Saddam's charity were those whose children and relatives were killed in Islamic Jihad and Hamas attacks. Both groups are on the U.S. State Department list of terrorist organizations. Other families had relatives killed during Israeli raids on Palestinian towns and refugee camps.

    Iraq gives $10,000 to the families of those killed within 30 days of death. In total, Saddam has given more than $35 million to West Bank and Gaza Strip families of Palestinians killed during the fighting, said Ibrahim Zanen, spokesman for the Arab Liberation Front in Gaza. Initially, families of suicide bombers received $25,000 from Saddam, but now everyone receives an equal $10,000.

    "President Saddam considers the Palestinian people as part of his Arab nation. Both of us, the Iraqis and the Palestinians, are in the same trench facing an ugly aggression," Zanen said. "The President considers this small gift to the families as just a symbol of support for those who have reached the highest degree of martyrdom."

    ReplyDelete
  46. The suicide bombers, cretins more than likely, were enabled by some one to kill a few dozen civilians, indiscriminately. Perhaps the area was one that was primarily Shia or Sunni, but even that may be coincidental to motives of the terrorist infrastructure.

    The only real matter of concern, was it foreign sponsored or totally indigenous?

    As to peer review, the peers are a self-fulfilling group, especially in the "Green Sciences" of computer modeling climatic change.

    Remember, if you will, that that was the basis of the hysteria, the computer models forecasting disaster. Reality has not followed the models, to date. As rufus's link exemplifies as to the actual rather than modeled climate conditions.

    Now that the original models are checkable to true data sets, their performance has been found to be marginal at best. The CO2 climate models are being iced by the light of sun spot reality.

    ReplyDelete
  47. And that funding of terrorists was one of the reasons I supported the war to remove Saddam.

    It was proof that he was a State Sponsor of Terror. But Team Neocon choose to bury that bit of Saddam's profile and focus on the nonexistent nuclear threat. Knowing how Americans are both fearful and ignorant of nuclear weaponry.

    As well as how little the rank and file American cares about Isreal and Palestine and their disputes and how disconnected the "War on Terror" was from the issues concerning Palestinians.

    ReplyDelete
  48. "As well as how little the rank and file American cares about Isreal and Palestine and their disputes and how disconnected the "War on Terror" was from the issues concerning Palestinians."

    That's where I think you're out of touch, Rat. The people of America get it. They've seen the carnage, lies and deceit of the PLO, the PLA and Hamas. If you can't see the link to terror, you've been blinded by your bias.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I think not, whit. But it you who is blinded by biases.

    The Mitchell Report is the US Standard for judging the issues, Mr Michell being the Special Representative of the President.

    The President winning in an Electoral College blow out.

    There stands the majority of America.
    They are standing shoulder to shoulder with about 70% of the Jewish population of the United States.

    ReplyDelete
  50. It seems to have been forgotten that Saddam was using the corrupt UN "Oil for Food" scam to circumvent the Gulf War sanctions.

    For those who think the Bush Administration fabricated the Iraqi nuclear threat: Remember this?

    ReplyDelete
  51. No, I'm not the blind one, here. And no, the majority of America did not vote for Obama because of the poor Palestinians. They voted for Obama because with smooth talk and deceit, he sold them on hope and change. He hid his true nature and sold them on a pipe dream. The Palestinian terrorists had precious little to do with the election.

    ReplyDelete
  52. It is the terrorist that have continued to link the Isreal/Palestine issue to the "War on Terror" while it is the US that does not.

    It is the US that continues to fund the West Bank Palis. Funding comes from the House, which is the most representative of the Government.

    There stands middle America.
    The Rank and File.

    Solidly Democrat and solidly ambivalent to the issue of Isreal and Palestine. Based upon performance.

    ReplyDelete
  53. But it was the Bush Administration that armed the West Bank Palis. Guns and bullets, rather than economic stimulants. Ms Rice and Mr Powell leading that charge, solid Republican officials of multiple administrations, both.

    There stands the Leadership of the Republicans.
    Some of their base is dissatisfied, but they are a distinct minority of the people, today.

    ReplyDelete
  54. So, when a Palestinian suicide bomber kills 40 or 50 people in an Israeli restaurant or on a bus, the American people don't see it as terrorism? The Democrat party has been co-opted by the hard left which has taken advantage of a polarized nation. Swing voters made the difference in this election and many of them already regret what they did.

    If we accept that we are a sharply divided nation (About 50-50 conservative/liberal) the question is how many would like to see the Palestinian terrorists rewarded for their despicable actions. I would guess a minority of the citizenry if not the Congress.

    ReplyDelete
  55. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Swing voters did not decide the House. They may have decided the Presidency, but not the solid majority in the House that the Democrats enjoy.

    That they have enjoyed for a while now.

    I dispute that there is a 50/50 split, as to "Conservative" and "Liberal" or even Democrat and Republican.

    The solid majorities in the House AND the Senate stand in testament.

    And no, the MAJORITY see more than an equivalency between the Isreali attacks upon civilians in Gaza as compared to an occasional criminal attack in Isreal.

    Bombings are criminal, not military activities. While they may be terrorism, it is not part and parcel of war, but of civil crime.
    Those are the standardse in Iraq, as they are in Afghanistan and as bombings are considered here in the United States.

    The CRIMINAL proceedings against the "Shoe Bomber", the redeemed Libyan, let alone the Gitmo detainees stand in evidence of that.

    The "War on Terror" is, was and always will be those activities focused on the perps of that border raid on 9-11-01.

    Not against all the violence or injustice in the Islamic whirled, especially where it borders infidels.

    ReplyDelete
  57. The Isreali killed between 800 and 1,200 Arab civilians, in Gaza.

    If that is not more than equivalent to a suicide bomber, if that is not State sponsored terror, then what is?

    ReplyDelete
  58. Oh yeah, and the Lancet said that the US killed how many hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq?

    ReplyDelete
  59. I guess you and Reverend Wright have some ideologies in common. You should talk to him about Dresden and Nagasaki. Sounds like the two of you would get along fine.

    ReplyDelete
  60. The Isreali killed between 800 and 1,200 Arab civilians, in Gaza.

    If that is not more than equivalent to a suicide bomber, if that is not State sponsored terror, then what is?


    I think most Americans (that is US citizens like in the song not in sense you proposed of Venezuelan, Bolivian, Inca, etc.)would think it was self defense.

    ReplyDelete
  61. It is not Lancelot, whit, and guilt by association will not fly.
    Lancelot is a straw man to the current realities.

    It is the UN, where past US Presidents and Secs of State went to when looking for foreign policy legitimacy, that came to those conclusions.

    The funding of the UN comes from the US, 25% and more. As with science, even more so, you get the result that you pay for.
    The US has a long history of supporting the refugee system in the Levant. Again, paid for by US through multiple UN missions, for decades.

    The Supremes in their infamous Hamdan v Rumsfeld decision made it clear just where the US stands. Each of these conflicts are local affairs, unconnected. The Congress and both of the Presidents since all concurred.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Were the civilians who died in Gaza innocent or were they complicit in the terror? Even if not individually, then collectively as a nation or a people. The people in Gaza elected Hamas, a terrorist organization whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel. As the elected representatives of the people of Gaza, Hamas engaged in "criminal activities" against Israel. The Israelis retaliated with a Police action and people died.

    Do our actions have consequences? Ask the Japanese or the Germans or the Palestinians.

    ReplyDelete
  63. I do not. No one I know but those commenting here, do.

    Not a one.
    In redneck AZ.

    They do not see self defense when the Isreali were the aggressor, not defending themselves.

    Just as most folk I know saw the charade in the US use of "preemption", as a pretext for invading Iraq.

    An already decided action in search of a justification.

    Mostly Marine vets, cowboys and the like are the ones I talk politics with.
    Most don't give a hoot about the Levant or the players, there.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Very, very few tie the Palestinis to the greater Islamic conflict.
    The evangelical cowboys will talk about that.
    About the beginning and the end of the interested.

    Success of US propaganda and spin, perhaps, but the reality of it, here.

    ReplyDelete
  65. I do recall how, when Osama and aQ claimed Isreal as one of their causes, there were many posting at the BC on the impossibility of the reality of that connection.

    I forget the exact arguments made, but they had time lines and memes galore.
    Seemed reasonable then, does now, too.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Going on the offensive is not the same as being the aggressor and does not mean that one is not defending itself.

    By that logic, a nation could never cross a border to engage an enemy.

    ReplyDelete
  67. As "Occupation" has oft stated Gaza is not a State. Which makes it and the people there nothing more than a ward of Isreal.

    The Isreali control the water and the power, entrance and egress.

    All but for those contraband tunnels, which funds Hamas.

    Collective punishment against the civilian population is a war crime, as defined by the Geneva Accords, which unlike the NPT, the Isreali did sign.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Yasir Arafat was thrown out of Jordan where he was making noise about overthrowing the King. When Yasir was in full terrorist tilt, the conflict was secular. Yasir and his gang were just opportunistic thugs. Later, the Hamas Islamists got in on the action, and the whole thing became a component of the global Jihadist effort.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Who said that the Israelis engaged in "collective punishment"? The UN Human Rights (except for Jews)Commission? The Goldstone Report?

    ReplyDelete
  70. "Swing voters did not decide the House. They may have decided the Presidency, but not the solid majority in the House that the Democrats enjoy...

    The solid majorities in the House AND the Senate stand in testament..."


    I disagree. Major shifts rarely occur in house or senate make-up because of the job protection Congress has given itself through gerrymandering. That being said, when those shifts do occur it is precisely because of a change in the mood of independants.

    I would say that there is about 30% of the electorate that will vote for the GOP regardless. There is also maybe 30-35 % that will likely always vote Democratic. These are the Kool-aid drinkers of the right and left. But there are also about 35-40% that are independent and are motivated to vote for the candidate whose position they feel most alligns with whatever is most important to them at election time.

    We saw it in the last election. Blacks were expected to vote for Obama as were those 30-35% of the electorate that usually vote Democrat. However, it was the independents that pushed him over the top.

    I saw it here. Joe Knollingberg was my Rep for about 20 years in a strongly Republican county. He voted for every Bush proposal and he ended up getting dumped (I voted against him) in favor of a Democratic first timer.

    If you can believe the pundits, there will likely be a major shift next year. All the polls I've seen indicate it is the independents that are turning away from Obama.

    ReplyDelete
  71. If the Mexican Federales deploy against the cartels in Mexico and civilians die, is that collective punishment?

    ReplyDelete
  72. I do not. No one I know but those commenting here, do.

    Not a one.
    In redneck AZ.


    The fact that many people on this blog (from many parts of the country) disagree with you on this subject should be an indication that your moral equivalency arguments aren't universally accepted.

    Just as most folk I know saw the charade in the US use of "preemption", as a pretext for invading Iraq.

    A straw man. I view the Iraq war as an ill-advised, poorly planned, pitifully executed war of choice. Regardless it has nothing to do with Isreal's incursion into Gaza.

    They do not see self defense when the Isreali were the aggressor, not defending themselves.

    If you want to use examples, why not use some that have relevance? For instance, was it legitimate for the US to go into Afganistan after 9/11?

    Mostly Marine vets, cowboys and the like are the ones I talk politics with.
    Most don't give a hoot about the Levant or the players, there.


    You seem to be the exception. Again, I can't identify with your moral equivalency arguments. This is probably because I can't identify with the people you are defending.

    ReplyDelete
  73. You can argue that the majority is wrong, but not on where the majority is.
    That is easily observable, by current and past performance.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Qassam rockets!

    Made in your garage.

    If no garage, then in back alley.

    ReplyDelete
  75. desert rat said...
    As "Occupation" has oft stated Gaza is not a State. Which makes it and the people there nothing more than a ward of Isreal.

    The Isreali control the water and the power, entrance and egress.

    All but for those contraband tunnels, which funds Hamas.
    -----------------

    Israel only controls electricity and water to gaza that never existed there before...

    as for egress, gaza is historically connected to egypt, the world's largest arab nation

    gaza is not a ward of israel, rather israel sadly actually refuses to allow the people of gaza to starve inspite of the arab world's best intention...

    gaza's natural resources cannot sustain the arab population that lives there, it is not the job of israel to provide welfare for them

    however in rat's alice in wonderland mind, israel has no right to self defense or nationhood, but they are required to feed, water and provide power to the very terrorist democracy that seeks it's genocide...

    rat's point of view is a blend of the answer coalition/aryan nation/rev wright....

    nothing israel can do is correct...

    in fact, rat cannot even SPELL israel...

    he hates the concept so much it pains him to see the word ISRAEL.....

    what a nitwit...

    ReplyDelete
  76. Qassam ready. Which way is the Isreali?

    ReplyDelete
  77. AMMAN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Jordan Sunday urged Israeli forces and radical Jewish groups to stop breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Jordan News Agency Petra reported.

    Jordan's Minister of Media Affairs and Communications Nabil Sharif said Jordan demanded the Israeli forces to immediately halt the "serious violations," which undermine all opportunities to attain peace and stability in the region and threaten the safety and security of civilians and the holy sites.

    On early Sunday, Israeli police and Arab protestors clashed at the holy compound in Jerusalem, highlighting an already inflammable atmosphere around the site sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

    The Jordanian minister said "the provocative Israeli violations near Al-Aqsa Mosque constitute a stark violation of international charters and norms, and increase tension and violence in the region."

    Jordan was the second Arab country to ink a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 after Egypt.

    Meanwhile, Jordan's Lower House National Democratic bloc, called on the government Sunday to demonstrate a stronger position against what it described as the "serious Israeli violations."

    ReplyDelete
  78. You can argue that the majority is wrong, but not on where the majority is.

    I was arguing neither. I was arguing against the following statement:

    "Swing voters did not decide the House. They may have decided the Presidency, but not the solid majority in the House that the Democrats enjoy.

    I say this is wrong. It was the swing voters that gave the Dems the majority in 2006 just as they gave the GOP the majority earlier this decade.

    Also, if you watch the polls you'll note that it is the independants that appear to be in transition right now.

    ReplyDelete
  79. from the report on Drudge Report--

    Sunday's disturbances were rooted in calls from Muslim leaders for their followers to protect the Islamic sites from what they said were Israeli plots to damage them or let Jews pray in the compound. There was no evidence to support either claim.

    Palestinians are also angry about stalled peace talks and ongoing Israeli construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, areas they want for a future state.

    Stoking tensions, a group of hardline settlers and rabbis met in Jerusalem on Sunday evening calling on Jews to pray at the site. Most rabbis, however, say the place is so holy that Jews should not even set foot there. Police allow only Muslims to worship in the compound and say that practice will be enforced.

    Israel has controlled the site since 1967, but has left day-to-day administration in the hands of a Muslim clerical body, the Waqf. Israelis and tourists are allowed to visit at certain times.

    Israel's national police chief, David Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence.

    "The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot," Cohen said.



    Time for Coast 2 Coast--

    Strategic Visions
    George Knapp is joined by strategic visionary Jim Channon, who'll discuss his ideas of how to build Global Social Intelligence. He'll also outline 12 breakthroughs of the next decade that will guide our planet toward a brighter future.

    ReplyDelete
  80. You can certainly disagree, quirk.

    The test will come in New York

    The National Republican Congressional Committee remains committed to embattled GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava in the upstate New York House special election, even as many of the party's top names throw their support to Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.

    Two party officials tell POLITICO that the NRCC will continue to air TV ads propping up Scozzafava in the days leading up to the Nov. 3 contest and plans to keep up a near relentless barrage of press releases slamming Hoffman.

    Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman who supports gay marriage, abortion rights and has a close relationship with leading labor officials in her region, has been the target of sustained criticism from conservatives who claim she is too liberal for them to support her candidacy.

    Hoffman, an accounting executive, is attracting an ever-growing group of conservative backers, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) have also endorsed the third-party candidate.

    Public and private polls have shown Hoffman gaining on Scozzafava but both trail the Democratic nominee, attorney Bill Owens.


    If Owens wins, the Conservatives lose, flat out.

    ReplyDelete
  81. You can certainly disagree, quirk.

    The test will come in New York


    Your logic eludes me. I don't see that the New York election is any kind of test. The real test will come in the 2010 general election.

    What you have running in New York is two liberals (one a Dem and one a Republican) and a conservative independant. The last poll I saw showed the Dem at around 35%, the GOP candidate at around 30%, and the independent at about 25%. If anything your example proves the importance of the independents. The GOP picked Scozzafoza because she was a popular state legislator not for her philosophy. If the independent conservative, Hoffman, hadn't entered the race, Scozzafoza would probably be ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  82. And whether or not the GOP makes a comeback, or not, does not change the history of US support for the Palestinians, or that it will continue.

    They not being considered adversaries in the "War on Terror", by either major party in US politics

    ReplyDelete
  83. The two issues the "War on Terror" and its' opponents and the GOP come back, while both are interesting, are not really related.

    The test in New York is whether the "Conservatives" can outshow the GOP, in the Northeastern US.

    And the liberal Dems, all at once.

    If they cannot beat the GOP and dent the Dems then the best the "Conservatives" can do, create a Regional Party.

    Strong in the old Confederacy and losing the battle in the Mountain West. With California and the Pacific Coast, long gone.

    Idaho, bob is represented by a Democrat, the new Senator from Montana a Democrat. New Mex and Colorado, both Democrats of long standing in their States, the Udalls, elected to the Senate.

    ReplyDelete
  84. If they cannot beat the GOP and dent the Dems then the best the "Conservatives" can do, create a Regional Party.

    I think you are missing the point. You are trying to couch this in terms of conservative/ liberal, GOP/Dem, etc.

    The majority in this country is typically center/right. It's not "liberal" or "conservative". If you are assuming that the Dems have a guaranteed majority for the forseeable future based on the 2006and 2008 elections you are diluding yourself in the same way the GOP did themselves when they controlled Congress and the White House.

    The "conservatives" aren't forming some third party. If they gain ascendancy again it will unfortunately be through the GOP. Just like the GOP before them, the Dems will hold onto power up until the time they piss off enough swing voters.

    In my opinion, that is the direction they are moving in right now.

    ReplyDelete
  85. WiO: in rat's alice in wonderland mind, israel has no right to self defense or nationhood, but they are required to feed, water and provide power to the very terrorist democracy that seeks it's genocide...

    "Mr. Rearden," said Francisco, his voice solemnly calm, "if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders-what would you tell him to do?"

    "I . . . don't know. What . . . could he do? What would you tell him?"

    "To shrug."

    ReplyDelete
  86. 2019.09.03酒店經紀受到美中貿易戰的影響,七月份酒店工作震盪不小,不過台灣風俗部基金運用局卻傳來好消息,七月份酒店經紀投資績效繳出漂亮成績單,總計今年一到七月底,大學生/上班族酒店兼職的酒店小姐已經賺了3244億,其中八大行業基金和勞退舊制通通有超過9%的績效。即便是下午,還是有不少人到勞保局申辦業務,因為攸關自己的退休金能夠領多少,不得不關心,而剛好勞動部勞動基金運用局傳來好消息,今年的大學生酒店打工是7月就大賺261.8億。酒店經紀梁小尊指出,「美中貿易的問題,或者是在歐洲包括英國脫歐的狀況,或者是日韓貿易戰,其實這種種的跡象,告訴我們金融市場的震盪其實是越來越加劇,我們基金作法是比較屬於多元分散布局的概念,那我們收益其實還是比較能夠平穩。」儘管全球局勢動盪,梁曉尊出招孫子兵法局用分散策略,讓投資績效一極棒!一到7月底,整體勞動基金投資收益達3244.6億,收益率8.21%。其中勞保基金收益達613億、收益率9.07%;新制勞退金收益1825億、收益率8.02%;舊制勞退金收益786.9億,收益率9.27%,在國際金融大幅波動下,勞動基金還能賺錢,真的不容聽到退休金投資有賺錢,不少勞工都很開心,尤其去年勞動基金虧損726億,今年賺回3244億,等於把去年賠的都賺回來,也讓操作團隊鬆了一口氣。


    ReplyDelete
  87. 2020.05.26酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容領檯: 在餐廳從事接待顧客工作,一般通稱領檯之工作人員,所負責的工作不外乎就是1.我在酒店上班的日子在餐廳門口迎接顧客,並引導入座2. 不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因在門口歡送顧客酒店領檯通常的條件一定要比制服酒店公關漂亮,跟酒店公關一樣要坐檯才會有漂亮的收入! 通常客人沒有選到喜歡的酒店公關時,就會考慮點領檯來坐檯。所謂「特種行業」,係指酒店上班-酒店兼職-兼差如何達成人生的第一桶金「視聽歌唱業」、「理髮業」、「三溫暖業」、「舞廳業」、「舞場業」、「酒家業」、「酒吧業」及「特種咖啡茶室業」等八種行業,因其略分為八大類,故俗稱「八大行業」,以上酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?八種行業目前回歸由商業登記主管機關管理,其營業範圍職場須知 【酒店PT 】: 1、視聽歌唱業:指提供伴唱視聽設備,供人歌唱之營利事業。夢想在面前,卻少了一筆錢?人生夢想清單想出國、想買房,卻做不到?我們提供妳一個簡單的工作,只要有心,妳也能月入六位數。想脫貧?這次好機會別錯過。薪資超透明 月入10萬不是夢。酒店小姐一定有S嗎?老司機專業勸世文被贊爆八大行業指依「臺北市舞廳舞場酒家酒吧及特種咖啡茶室管理自治條例」管理之舞廳業、舞場業、酒家業、酒吧業、特種咖啡茶室業、視聽歌唱業、理容業及三溫暖業。

    ReplyDelete
  88. 2020.05.30酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容酒店兼職:梁曉尊/梁小尊 打工上班前如何調整心態!!!
    很多人想到八大行業我在酒店上班的日子,許多大學生尋求酒店打工以及上班族想兼差卻沒有良好的酒店兼職管道。酒店經紀梁曉尊的部落格提供大家可選擇不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因的管道!女孩們在與酒店經紀梁曉尊用LINE對話或者利用留言版留言時,我們的回答總是簡單且衷懇的。我們成立這個酒店上班-酒店兼職-兼差如何達成人生的第一桶金,是想揭開這行制服店、禮服店、便服店神秘的面紗讓更多人瞭解八大行業的資訊,當然也希望招募到優秀的人員。所以我們的回答絕對是符合妳的期待。
    [女孩們要入行酒店上班,請注意以下的重點酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?]
    1.你是否真的下定決心了?!!在這裡上班職場須知 【酒店PT 】,有時必須承受些許心理壓力。心理壓力在於..外貌.手腕.應對.決心。絕大部分的女孩只會想到自己本身的立場卻沒有想到消費者的想法。不是每位女孩上班都一定能賺到錢,你決定賺多少,你又能學習多少。取決於妳的"態度"一旦下定決心,請收起無謂的想法,好好學習應該有的工作態度。
    2.當你下定決心後,請注意...先約在公共場所(如麥當勞) 對談細節(要求對方提出負面因素 如會扣錢的事項有哪些)最少看三家店的環境(這樣才能知對方能力和自己多方考慮)切記千萬別第一天看環境就馬上工作(要回家多方思考再決定)有部分招募公關的廣告,寫上許多超高的金額利誘。事實上這些金額 真的是看個人努力而有所不同啊。不能說她們是講假的,但是沒有人一開始就能做到(那要很犧牲)。
    3.注意自己的權益。薪資計算。(檯費的計算,領薪水的日期....諸如此類)公司經營的模式方法。(例如便服店或是禮服店)以上三點你都注意了嗎!你真的確定要入行了嗎!
    這些你都注意到了,你也沒有隨便相信單方面說的話,切記多聽多比較,那麼你可以開始選擇你想去哪家店上班了。

    ReplyDelete
  89. 2020.06.09酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容台北市大安區忠孝東路四段一間我在酒店上班的日子酒店,凌晨3時許發生打架案,30歲張姓男子在酒店門口與人口角衝突,慘被打到頭破血流送醫,由於不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因疫情期間,酒店採實名制,所有進出酒客都有登錄姓名,目前酒店上班-酒店兼職-兼差如何達成人生的第一桶金警方根據監視器畫面及酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?登錄資料,已鎖定涉嫌動手的兩名男子,積極追查中。
    職場須知 【酒店PT 】事發沒多久,張男的友人一度帶約10名黑衣人重回酒店要討公道,要店家教人出來,警方獲報出動30名快打警力,由於現場並無過激動作,警方查抄資料後將這群人驅離,另為防再有意外,也加派警力在酒店外站崗以防滋事。
    警方初步調查,張男與朋友到忠孝東路四段地下室的「香閣里拉」酒店消費,結束後友人先離去,最後上來的張男在門口嘔吐,遇上正要從酒店出來的另群酒客,雙方發生口角,隨即大打出手,張男疑遭對方持鈍器攻擊,被打倒在地,頭部有撕裂傷,救護車將他送醫救治,暫無生命危險。

    ReplyDelete
  90. 2020.08.14不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因
    酒店工作不是想做就可以來做,不是隨隨便便只要是女人就可來上班,若不篩選條件讓一堆恐龍醜女在酒店內閒晃的話,到時候嚇死一些酒醉的人客那怎麼辦!我在酒店上班的日子下列這幾個項目讓想上班的應徵者做為參考一...而外型可分為~~身高~體重~臉蛋~年齡來討論,別以為這樣是酒店業者以貌取人
    應該是說全天下的男人都是以貌取人。
    酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容身高:
    到酒店面試時店家不會拿著尺來量妳的身高,也不會訂下標準說少個一公分兩公分就不錄取,有時太高或太矮是看整體的感覺。酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?但是高和矮~多多少少還是會影嚮到之後上班時客人的喜好和打槍機率。
    一般來講大約在155 公分 ~ 172 公分之間多為客人接受,而通常酒店小姐去酒店上班都一定要出場接s嗎?會比較吃香,因為這個身高範圍的小姐穿起高跟鞋來就一般男生來看是最理想的!
    至於太高太矮的上班起來就會有些困擾。
    如果身高在155公分左右矯小型的就要穿高一點的高跟鞋~前高後高的鞋子最適合
    而172公分左右竹竿型的小姐就要穿跟低一點的鞋子~不過不好找就是了!
    何況酒店上班是不能穿平底鞋的。
    155 公分以下就是太矮,因為太嬌小可能會讓客人感覺像是在跟未年還沒發育完整的女兒互動而太高呢??172公分以上~就太高啦再加上穿高跟鞋可能會讓不高的男人有壓迫感。所以太高或太矮在酒店是沒有加分,反而是個扣分的情況。另外也要強調一點身高的高矮還是要搭配其他條件。 
    酒店小姐上班通常會取什麼名字?:體重~還是得配合小姐的身高來看,因為客人看的是整體的感覺過,過肥過瘦都不行,雖然體重過重一點整體看起是可以,不要太誇張加上衣服修飾起來好看的話,其實都會上的不錯的。但是上班後多數店家還是會有意無意的要妳減肥增重的因為~好還要更好~如果要用標準來訂的話那麼大約是43 公斤 ~ 55 公斤左右,這樣的數據當然還是要搭配身高來看!
    臉蛋:
    總之還是一句整體的感覺最重要臉蛋
    這點應該就不用多說了吧臉蛋愈優上班來說愈有利!長得貌美如花的呢!一踏進店裡肯定是忙得沒時間吃飯了吧!至於有些長相抱歉的應徵者也不用擔心因為美或醜是可以用化妝來加強。
    因為化妝真的是很神奇的一件事,有些人化起妝正的像是明星一樣,卸妝後呢?真的有醒酒的效果,所以說化妝真的是很重要的一件事,也就是酒店臉蛋的標準也是以化完妝之後的臉蛋為標準。
    而臉蛋因為是沒有辦法給一個標準規格的只能說~~~如果妳從小到大又或者平常化完妝之後是有一大堆男人死纏著妳或常有人對妳說妳好正!
    那恭禧妳!妳有50%是正妹另外50%可能是講這話的都是在安慰妳
    其實也不用想太多啦!化妝和微整的技術現在是很發達的。
    年齡:
    這東西真的是殘酷!因為歲月不饒人啊!當然超過一定的年齡後,數字愈來愈大競爭力就愈來愈小。
    雖然還是有些人是例外的,如果保養的好,看不出實際年齡加上整體給人的感覺一定也OK才行。不然年齡愈大競爭力一定愈小那是不爭的事實,如果要給酒店上班年齡一些數字的話那就18 ~ 35之間~~而 20 ~ 28 之間是最黃金的階段!
    為什麼是 18 ~ 35 呢?因為要滿18才算成年~哈哈哈未成年到酒店工作是違法的。而35左右應該算是酒店公關生涯的尾聲了如果這時還想在酒店上班不是說不行,但能賺大錢的時間不多了一定要好好把握才行。28、29、30 歲才想來酒店上班一定要有抱著就是來酒店搶錢的心態,不然幼齒的那麼多不抱著必死的決心怎麼跟她們競爭。至於酒店錄取所在意的還是外型整體的感覺為主,也就是簡單的說要是年近 30 了
    還有那外型條件和勇氣來酒店搶錢的話酒店還是熱烈歡迎的因為也是需要有熟女之類的小姐對付一些經驗老道的客人至於~~為何 20 ~ 28 歲為黃金階段呢?因為太小通常心態就是愛玩心不定!加上小朋友的感覺還在,20 ~ 28 歲左右就會比較有女人味的感覺,所以一定要把握這短短幾年的黃金階段全力搶錢喔!
    總之~酒店工作時應徵的店家看的外型條件就是指:年齡 臉蛋 身高 體重 這四點
    工作內容
    既然來酒店工作了那麼工作內容還不能接受的話那怎麼可能會做得好酒店工作,那要做什麼?
    有酒精需熬夜~還有客人毛手毛腳的這些都是會遇到是跑不掉的。如果應徵者的外型條件在便服店是無法生存那勢必需要到低級的店上班才能賺錢的話,那麼就必需得要去接受低級店的尺度了。不然外型不佳又想在高級酒店賺錢搞不好連給上班一天的機會都沒有。
    而私人因素(家庭、男友...)這點其實跟上班天數、上班時段是習習相關的。
    簡單的講就是出勤狀態因為應徵們到八大行業上班是不可能讓家人或男友知情的,
    所以就得要偷偷上班~這時如何編理由就很重要了但是問題來了要是上班是想出現就出現不方便出現就消失不見,那倒很簡單但是酒店的上班出勤就是不允許所以~~~私人因素會影響到出勤除非~應徵者能夠把這問題處理得很好要不然必須要把這點考慮進應徵酒店的條件裡面了喔!總之~要想踏入八大行業後,能夠安心專心的賺大錢那麼事前的考慮和安排一定是免不了的。

    ReplyDelete
  91. 林森北路的日式酒店,聽說早期有600多間,不過不要小看裡頭的提供酒店打工小姐,她們必須集各種才華於一身,不僅要學日文、高爾夫、插花,連茶道也要有概念,「媽媽桑」席耶娜在日式酒店做了15年酒店上班,自稱是日式酒店的末代小姐,來到Podcast節目《沒大沒小の喇吉歐》,告訴你各種日式酒店的秘密。席耶娜表示,日式酒店風光的時期,是在80、90年代,當時的條通,計程車根本不敢開進去,而且客人是排隊在門口等著進去喝酒。因為日據時代,那邊是日本高官住的地方,戰後美軍也在附近的雙城街開美式酒吧,所以從長安東到南京東,中山北到新生北這一塊都叫「條通」,有600多家日式酒店。加上又是日本經濟起飛的時候,很多日本人在這裡開公司設辦公處,所以出沒的日本人比較多,而服務日本客人的規矩,就需要細緻一點。
    所謂「日式酒店酒店應徵」,50%以上的來客都是日本人,跟「台式酒店」較隨興的台灣客不一樣。日本客人重視細節,連廁所都要整理得非常仔細,裡頭不但有漱口水、牙線、香水、擦手毛巾,還必須插鮮花,席耶娜說:「每一個客人上完化妝室,少爺都會進去把洗手台的水漬擦過一次,捲筒式衛生紙前端也一定要尖尖的,連酒店工作小姐自己上完廁所,都要把所有東西整理一次,所以我們進去不是只有脫褲子尿尿,還要巡一下廁所有沒有乾淨?」
    日式酒店連裝潢都很特別,譬如入口一定會有二道門,免得那些喝醉的人誤闖進去。當第一道門打開時,酒店內沙發後面的燈就會發亮,讓酒店工作小姐知道第一道門打開了,接著大家一起喊「歡迎」(日文),隨即小姐們就到第二道門那邊去迎接,而且第二道門是,酒店工作小姐要從裡面推才推得開的門,外面客人是推不進來的。
    因此,要是打開第一道門看到的是不認識的客人,她們酒店公關就會小心詢問其目的,所以像《華燈初上》那樣,有一大堆大學生走進去,實際在日式酒店是不可能發生的,因為會在第一道門口就被擋掉了。另外,客人入座之後也有一定的SOP流程:客人進來幫他換好拖鞋,接過他的包包和外套掛起來,冬天給熱毛巾、夏天給冰毛巾,每一家日式酒店甚至都有一台洗衣機,專門洗這些毛巾。而且日式酒店是「公檯制」,台式酒店是「私檯制」。私檯制是像錢櫃那樣有很多小包廂,客人坐進去之後,酒店小姐會排排站讓你選,你點越多小姐、坐的時間越多,買單的金額就越高。但「公檯制」是坐下來算桌面使用費的,也就是「人頭費」,你只要一坐下來就是1200元,酒是另外算,5000元起跳,買單兩個人的話,就是2400+5000元,所以不能不點酒。
    席耶娜說:「因此你只要開始喝酒,酒店小姐們就會輪流陪你聊天,如果今天有7個小姐,她們都會輪流坐在你座位5分鐘,所以小姐們的自我介紹必須有趣一點,才能讓客人記住妳。」
    「由於大部分的日本客人,都是頂著公司名譽來台灣工作的,所以公司不會派菜鳥出差,都是派有點資歷的人出差到台灣,因此他們不太會為了一個小姐,引起兩國的外交問題,或讓公司知道你在這邊性騷擾小姐之類,搞到警察都來了,那很有可能會丟掉工作,所以喝酒醉打小姐或做不規矩的事情,也比較少發生,日本客來酒店比較是紓壓的。」席耶娜透露,她們跟客人的互動,比較傾向於賣曖昧為主,「我們賣的是一種氛圍,透過酒精讓這些客人覺得,白天有什麼不順心的事,有人站在他們那邊。而賣曖昧又因人而異,像我認識新的客人,可以在30分鐘之內,決定他是戀愛客或朋友客,從眼神和肢體運用,可以看出他有沒有感覺來做分辨。」
    因此日式酒店的小姐,跟日本客談戀愛算滿多的,畢竟來的都是日本公司各行各業的菁英,賣曖昧之後,很容易發展出戀情。

    ReplyDelete