Saturday - February 07, 2009

Taliban stronghold destroyed by British and Afghan forces after 10 day battle.

Maybe not exactly the light at the end of the tunnel but I’ll gladly take whatever we can get whenever we can get it.

Posting this short article because I very much doubt it will get any coverage back home, and I hope I’m wrong about that.

A major Taliban stronghold has been destroyed by British and Afghan forces following 10 days of bitter fighting in southern Afghanistan.

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:02PM GMT 07 Feb 2009

Hundred of insurgents were either killed or forced to flee from a stronghold in central Helmand which they had occupied for several months.

During the operation, Corporal Danny Nield of 1st battalion The Rifles, was killed after being blown up by an improvised explosive device and several British soldiers were injured.

A force of around 700 coalition troops launched a series of attacks against the stronghold in the area of Spin Masjid, north of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gar, where the British military headquarters is based.

The Taliban had occupied the area for several months imposing “their version of law and order” on the locals and murdering anyone who supported the Afghan government, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The area was also used as a base by insurgents to attack convoys supplying Nato bases.

The operation code named Attal, was one of an increasing number to be planned and executed by the Afghan National Army (ANA) with assistance from British, Danish and Canadian forces.

During the 10-day battle last month more than 30 IEDs were discovered and several senior Taliban commanders were killed. Insurgents were cleared from the area and a new patrol base was created to prevent the Taliban from recapturing their former base.

In his first visit to Afghanistan as a minister, Under Secretary of State for Defence, Kevan Jones, said that the success of the operation was proof that the British strategy was on course.

He added: “The future for Afghanistan is with its own security forces – they need to be able to protect the local population from the oppression of the Taliban and to uphold the rule of law. This latest operation is another example of how they are continually improving – able to plan and execute complicated and hugely successful operations.

“The work of the British mentors, the 1st Battalion The Rifles who I met on this visit, has been central to this success, passing on the skills and experience of the British Army and setting the foundations for a safe and secure Afghanistan.”

Capt Mike Richardson, 24 Commando Engineers Regiment, said: “The joint efforts of Afghan and ISAF troops saw 15 IEDs disposed of in an area approximately 2km by 1 km.

“The search skills and patience of the ANA, coupled with the expertise of British Bomb Disposal Teams undoubtedly contributed to the low casualty rate amongst locals and the coalition forces during this operation.”

TALIBAN STRONGHOLD

No Shock, Just Awww

Caution: Contains Near Fatal Amounts of Cuteness







Isn’t that just sooooo adorable? But it’s missing something ...

   Friday - February 06, 2009

A REAL “little Eichmann”

Hey Ward Churchill - fuck you, you withered old slug. Do us all a favor and fall face first into a real Indian campfire, would ya?

Chavez: the latest Nazi

Venezuela’s Jews fear more attacks

As President Hugo Chavez intensifies his anti-Israel campaign, some Venezuelans have taken action, threatening Jews in the street and vandalizing the largest synagogue in Caracas — where they stole a database of names and addresses.

Now many in Venezuela’s Jewish community fear the worst is yet to come.

Chavez has personally taken care not to criticize Israelis or Jews while accusing Israel’s government of genocide against the Palestinians. He vehemently denies inciting religious intolerance, let alone violence.

But Venezuela’s Jewish leaders, the Organization of American States and the U.S. State Department say Chavez’s harsh criticism has inspired a growing list of hate crimes, including a Jan. 30 invasion of Caracas’ largest synagogue.

About 15 people overpowered two security guards at the Tiferet Israel Synagogue, shattering religious objects and spray-painting “Jews, get out” on the walls. Most worrisome, according to Elias Farache, president of the Venezuelan-Israelite Association, was their theft of a computer database containing many names and addresses of Jews in Venezuela.

Police are now posted outside the synagogue, and prosecutors said Friday that the security guards “could be involved.” Venezuela’s attorney general ordered them to court on Feb. 13 — two days before Venezuelans vote in a referendum that could enable Chavez to extend his rule indefinitely.

One week before the invasion, a Chavista columnist named Emilio Silva posted a call to action on Aporrea, a pro-government Web site, describing Jews as “squalid” — a term Chavez often uses to describe his opponents as weak — and exhorting Venezuelans to confront them as anti-government conspirators.

“Publicly challenge every Jew that you find in the street, shopping center or park,” he wrote, “shouting slogans in favor of Palestine and against that abortion: Israel.”

Silva called for protests at the synagogue, a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, seizures of Jewish-owned property, the closure of Jewish schools and a nationwide effort “to denounce publicly, with names and last names the members of powerful Jewish groups present in Venezuela.”

With criticism mounting, Chavez phoned Farache Thursday night in a conversation broadcast live on state television, and vowed to guarantee the safety of Venezuela’s 15,000 Jews. He condemned the synagogue attack. But he also suggested that it might have been an inside job, and demanded that Jewish leaders publicly recant accusations against his government.

Now many Jews fear more trouble ahead.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Los Angeles, California-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, believes Chavez’s rhetoric “has encouraged this atmosphere of hatred which is now being directed against Jews.”

“His hostility against the state of Israel has a ripple effect,”

And “Ooogo”? You ain’t foolin nobody with your “look at me, Mr. Innocent” routine. You are just another hate filled leftist scumbag, a brainless despot, playing pin the tail on the Jooos, as your little banana republic slides even further down into the swamp. You are a tyrant. A dictator who supports terrorism. You are our enemy, Israel’s enemy, and an enemy to the world. You have fucked with the wrong people this time.


I think it’s high time that Americans had their own version of a fatwa. An ukase? Something that combines political power, moral outrage, and the angry hand of G-d into a worldwide smackdown of near-biblical proportion. Government action, called for by the people, because our “leaders” are spineless eunuchs. A contract, but more than just a hit. A cauterization. An elimination of all friends, relatives, associates, supporters, and sympathizers. Clean the slate. “Shenanigans” but about 10,000 times more violent than the South Park version. With fire. And shrapnel. Lots.  Salting of the Earth may be involved as well. The Mother Of All Beatdowns. And I call for one on old Ooogo here. You can call it Operation Androcles. I’ll call it problem solving.

Just Sham, No Wow

From Rancino via ImageShack

PISSING AWAY THE FUTURE
And now for the bad news. False Republicans Arlen Specter (corpse-PA), Olympia Snow (freak-ME) and Susan Collins (mummy-ME) have sold their souls, and sold us out. Our great grandchildren will be impecunious after this Sunday when the official vote happens.

Senators have reached a tentative deal on a version of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, including about $811 billion in spending and tax cuts, that will win enough Republican votes to move forward.

Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Susan Collins of Maine appeared to be the critical Republicans to sign onto the bill, giving Democrats the 60 votes needed to advance to a final vote. Democrats also voiced confidence that Republican Sen. Olympia Snow of Maine also would vote for the plan.

It isn’t certain when a vote would come, but sources indicate Sunday is a likely bet.

As part of the deal, spending in the bill was reduced while tax cuts were increased, for a mix of 58 percent spending and 42 percent tax cuts. A senior Democratic leadership aide said the White House was on board.

But Republican leaders still worry the bill contains too much spending on programs that won’t stimulate the economy, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying Friday night on the floor of the Senate arguing that “the big spending programs of the New Deal did not work.”

SELLOUTS


811 BILLION DOLLARS



Hey Steele ... can this bunch too. These are not the Republicans we are looking for. How I wish he had the guts to toss them out of the party and throw them to the dogs. Can’t you just see him doing it? “Holman Specter, come down! Holman Snow, come down! Holman Collins, come down!”

we are so screwed.

Taking A Tip From Trump

Steele to RNC: You’re Fired

Steele Cleans House at Republican National Committee
Newly-elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has requested mass resignations at the institution, which has about 100 staff members.

Michael Steele, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, has asked the entire staff to resign, FOX News has confirmed. The move signals Steele’s plan to reshape the party, which was trounced at the polls in 2006 and 2008.

As a black man from Maryland, a traditionally Democratic state, Steele has already brought a new face to the party. The RNC has about 100 staff members, many of whom have been told that their last day on the job will be Feb. 15, a Republican source told Politico, which reported the story Thursday morning.

Some aides may stay on, the source said, but several senior aides who were expecting the changes voluntarily submitted their resignations soon after Steele’s election last week.

President Obama’s new team made a similar request at the Democratic National Committee.

Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor, won the chairmanship last Friday. In his first speech as chairman, he pledged to bring change in an effort to re-establish the GOP presence in the Northeast and win elections in regions across the country.

“It’s time for something completely different, and we’re gonna bring it to them,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Get ready, baby. It’s time to turn it on.”

So does this mean there are job openings? Hire me. I already have a slogan you can use. Take back the Right. Nifty, what what? It’s a play on that mostly worthless annual campus awareness raising festival of mock-feminism “Take back the night”. Plus it has a built in double meaning: return the party to it’s roots AND give the citizens back the America we’re supposed to have. See? I’m inventive, full of ideas, and have a proven grassroots track record as a Conservative Blogger. Hire me.

Of Interest To Gun Geeks Only

An illustrated essay on the different methods used to make gun barrels can be found here.  Overall it is much easier to follow than some of the articles published by Lilja, Douglas, and others. It tells you more than everything you ever wanted to know about long hole boring, cut vs. broached vs. forged rifling, profiling, and the stresses induced in the metal by the processes. Pretty cool. I can’t pick too many nits with the essay, although I would like to see some empirical proof to the author’s “too smooth a finish” belief. There is a very modern method of rifling barrels using an electrochemical process that is not covered here. That same ECR process can be used to impart an extremely fine polish on a barrel’s bore. This is said to both decrease fouling and to significantly improve accuracy. More information on barrel metallurgy can be found on Mark Stouse’s video, available for $11.

Education minister’s blog littered with spelling mistakes. (Does this tell you something?)

I mite be the woerst spelar in the hole werld but for Spell Check and a dikshonairy I keep by my puter.

Even in school I was bad. No matter how much I tried I just couldn’t remember correct spelling. Had to work a lot harder at it.
As an adult I’ve continued to struggle with proper spelling.  I don’t know why as there have been any number of things far more complicated then spelling, that I could breeze through without any trouble.

So I find it difficult to understand how a minister for education can get things so wrong.
Some of the words are clearly typos and who hasn’t been caught short with those?  More a case of bad editing or no proofreading.
But with Spell Check these days, how does an education minister still manage to get it wrong?

So I share this with you good people and say good night until tomorrow.  Unless ice and more snow (predicted) bring down the lines.  Which I much doubt.

Cheers .. and stay tuned.

Education minister’s blog littered with spelling mistakes
A political blog written by Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, has been found to be riddled with spelling mistakes.

By Ben Leach

Jim Knight, the schools minister, made several spelling mistakes on his blog.

The Labour MP’s website was also found to contain typing errors and grammatical oversights.

The mispellings of Mr Knight, who was educated at Cambridge University, include “maintainence”, “convicned”, “curently”, “similiar”, “foce”, “pernsioners”, “reccess” and “archeaological”.

Mr Knight, who is responsible for raising education standards, also clearly has problems with the “i before e, except after c” spelling rule taught to primary school pupils.

He spelled “achieving” and “received” incorrectly.

Mr Knight, 43, gives his opinions on local and national issues regularly on his website, which reveals he attended the fee-paying Eltham College, in Mottingham, south east London.

He went on to study geography, and social and political sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from 1984 to 1987.

Mr Knight, MP for Dorset South, said: “When I was at school the teachers told me to always check my work. While my spelling is generally pretty good, I need to focus more on checking.”

Rob Wilson, the Conservative education spokesman, said: “He will be disappointed with his efforts in class but I’m sure he’ll make every effort to improve now teacher has noticed he’s falling behind.”

Words the education minister got wrong:

maintainence (maintenance)

convicned (convinced)

curently (currently)

similiar (similar)

foce (force)

pernsioners (pensioners)

reccess (recess)

archeaological (archeological)

acheiving (achieving)

receieved (received)

SPELLING

UN suspends aid to Gaza after accusing Hamas of theft. ( UPDATE )

with no comments from me.

UN suspends aid to Gaza after accusing Hamas of theft
The United Nations has suspended all food aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after accusing Hamas of stealing 10 lorry-loads of supplies.

By David Blair in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 4:44PM GMT 06 Feb 2009
Palestinians receive UN food supplies: UN suspends aid to Gaza after accusing Hamas of THEFT.
Palestinians receive bags of flour at a United Nations (UN) food aid distribution centre in the refugee camp of al Shati in Gaza City, Gaza Strip Photo: EPA

After last month’s war, which claimed 1,300 lives, about half of Gaza’s 1.5 million people are dependent on emergency relief. These are the only supplies which Israel presently allows to pass through the territory’s border crossings.

But the UN’s Relief and Works Agency was forced to close down this operation after gunmen stole food that had been delivered through the Keren Shalom crossing point. A statement from the UN said the supplies had been taken away in lorries used by the social affairs ministry in Gaza’s Hamas-controlled administration.

This was the second incident of wholesale theft of humanitarian aid. On Tuesday, 3,500 blankets and 400 food parcels were taken. The UN said that all deliveries would stop “until the aid is returned and the agency is given credible assurances from the Hamas government in Gaza that there will be no repeat of these thefts”.

Israel has frequently been accused of punishing ordinary Palestinians by restricting the flow of goods into Gaza. The latest incident opens Hamas to the same charge.

New Yon Dispatch Up

Michael Yon has a new dispatch up, this time from Israel as he wades through the mess that is the Gaza situation. Go. Read.

Oh, and here’s me, being an activist, a whistle-blower, looking out for the little guy. Because I followed the link Peiper put in with the post on the terrorist granny:

Drew,

Thank you for contacting me.  Am traveling but wanted you to know that the usage you pointed out is unauthorized.  It’s amazing how often big people/businesses do this sort of thing.  Costs a lot of time and money to defend that particular image, but if I did not, it would be used in every way imaginable.  (And already has been.) Thank you for stepping up.

Israel...was just there and wrote this piece.  It’s clear who the real terrorists are: http://www.michaelyon-online.com/its-raining.htm

Have a great weekend!

Michael

On Fri, Feb 6, 2009 at 10:27 AM, John [artlaws2] wrote:

I haven’t responded to this.

John D. Mason

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Drew Pearce
> Date: February 5, 2009 12:42:29 PM EST
> To: artlaws2
> Subject: Michael Yon ‘little girl’ photograph - who has the rights to it?
>
> Dear Art Laws 2:
>
> As a Conservative blogger I am familiar with Michael Yon’s work. I am aware of his famous ‘little girl’ photograph of the Iraq war.
>
> http://www.michaelyon-online.com/little-girl.htm
>
> I am also aware that he has had legal issues with others using that famous picture without permission or credit.
>
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/15/michael-moore-in-legal-tr_n_158096.html?page=6
>
> I see his picture online today with an Associated Press copyright on it.
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1134976/Iraqi-woman-recruited-army-female-suicide-bombers-having-raped--told-martyrdom-way-escape-shame.html
>
> Before I go sounding off on my blog about him being ripped off yet again, does AP have the rights to that picture? What about Agency France Press, and other news organizations?
>
>
> Andrew Pearce
> aka “Drew458” at http://www.barking-moonbat.com

This is so cool! Direct contact from the big man hisself. Ain’t the VRWC blogosphere great?

Hamas raids aid trucks, sells supplies. meanwhile, President has authorized use of $20.3 million

Middle East
Documents & Texts from the Department of State
30 January 2009
United States Humanitarian Support to Palestinians

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
January 30, 2009

President Barack Obama has authorized the use of $20.3 million from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Fund to address critical post-conflict humanitarian needs in Gaza. U.S. Government support for humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees and conflict victims now totals nearly $120 million in FY 2009, including nearly $60 million in Gaza.

Of the $20.3 million in new ERMA funds, $13.5 million will go to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), $6 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and $800,000 to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These organizations are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical assistance and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment, and restoring access to electricity and potable water to the people of Gaza.

Today’s contribution to UNRWA augments the $85 million the United States contributed in December 2008 toward UNRWA’s 2009 appeals. Of that amount, $25 million supported UNRWA emergency operations in West Bank and Gaza. The remaining $60 million supported UNRWA’s services for 4.6 million Palestinian refugees in the region, including Gaza. UNRWA is the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, providing 70 percent of the population with emergency food assistance, essential healthcare, and primary education. We are working to develop a longer-term reconstruction/development effort with international partners.

MORE OF THIS STORY

PRETTY NEAT HUH FOLKS?  HEY, ARE WE GENEROUS ER WHAT?  NOT THAT I PERSONALLY WANNA BE.
I THINK YOU PEOPLE READING THIS MAY HAVE ALREADY KNOWN.  I POSTED IT FOR THE USUAL REASON BUT MOSTLY I THOUGH IT TIED IN WELL WITH THE FOLLOWING.  HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ONE BELOW ALREADY?

Hamas on Monday raided some 100 aid trucks that Israel had allowed into Gaza, stole their contents and sold them to the highest bidders.

Gaza op, Day 17 The IDF said that since terminal activity is coordinated with UNRWA and the Red Cross, Israel could do nothing to prevent such raids, Israel Radio reported.

Between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the army had ceased all military activity in Gaza and once again established a “humanitarian corridor” to help facilitate the transfer of the supplies.

The Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings had been opened to allow in the aid trucks.

Security officials at Kerem Shalom thwarted an attempt to smuggle electrical goods, disguised as humanitarian supplies, into Gaza. The electrical goods included computers, infra-red cameras, ovens, microwaves and other electronic equipment.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has forbidden the entry of electronics to Gaza since the goods do not fall under the category of humanitarian aid. Some electronic equipment has been let in as per an official Palestinian request, such as equipment used to repair the damaged electrical grid in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel is considering establishing a field hospital in the Gaza Strip to treat Palestinian civilians wounded in fighting between the IDF and Hamas.

The plan would be to establish the field hospital outside the Gaza Strip, but the IDF is also considering the possibility of erecting the hospital inside the Palestinian territory so it will be more accessible to the Palestinian population. It would be run by the IDF Medical Corps.

Also Monday, in an effort to promote Israeli humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip, the Defense Ministry launched a new Web site that provides a live video feed of the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing, through which international organizations have been transferring basic foods and medical supplies to Gaza.

Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF has facilitated the transfer of close to 900 trucks into the Gaza Strip with over 20,000 tons of basic foods and medical supplies.

According to an army estimate on Monday, slightly over 900 Palestinians have been killed since Operation Cast Lead began in December 2008. Based on intelligence and information obtained by the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration, the IDF has determined that at least 400 of those killed are known Hamas operatives. The IDF further believes that among the remaining 500, a significant number are also Hamas operatives.

JERUSALEM POST

I have heard no words of outrage with regard to this last article. Heard a UN rep. on the radio and that was the first I knew about it. Don’t see any anti Hamas demonstrations in the streets however.

Thought to have been the only woman decorated for bravery at sea during the Second World War,RIP.

THIS IS ONE HELL OF A STORY. 
ALSO PROVES, AS IF ONE NEEDED THAT, THAT GUYS DON’T OWN THE COPYRIGHT ON BRAVERY.

ALSO SHOWS HOWEVER THAT SADLY, WOMEN DO OWN THE COPYRIGHT FOR BEING SCREWED WITHOUT BEING KISSED.
This is what I am referring to, as you will read.
“it was held that – as a strong swimmer – Coningham had not put her own life at risk, and that the witness to her bravery had helped in the rescue.”
What BS!  I think we all can recognize the fact had it been a guy, there’d have been a medal. Anyone seriously doubt that? And what bloody difference does it make that someone helped her.  Her act was pure bravery.  PERIOD! 

Sure wish I’d had the opportunity to know this lady.  I think I’d have liked her.  There are so many of her generation now passing, with stories untold.
Well, this is her story and I think you might be impressed.

AUDREY ROCHE
RIP

Audrey Roche, who died on January 13 aged 90, is thought to have been the only woman decorated for bravery at sea during the Second World War; as a Wren whose ship had been torpedoed, she saved the life of a drowning seaman by giving him her lifebelt, and she was mentioned in despatches.

As Third Officer Audrey Coningham, she was one of 1,135 passengers in the 15,000-ton submarine depot ship Medway, which, shortly after 8am on June 30 1942, was torpedoed by Kapitanleutnant Heinz-Joachim Neumann’s U-372 while being escorted by a cruiser and several destroyers from Alexandria to Haifa.

Hundreds of men were thrown into the water along with 47 torpedoes which had broken from their stowage (and were later salvaged and used against the enemy). Audrey Coningham, who had been one of three Wrens on board, swam towards the destroyer Hero, but so many people were crowded around the scrambling nets that she turned and swam towards another ship further off. She had been swimming for between 15 and 30 minutes when she saw two men clinging together. Only one had a lifebelt, and he was supporting the other, whose head kept disappearing beneath the waves.

Even though she did not know how long she would be in the water, Audrey Coningham, who had learned lifesaving at her convent school, managed to pull off her own lifebelt and put it on the drowning man. Leading Seaman Leslie Crossman, who had injured his legs sliding across the barnacles on Medway’s upturned hull, always remembered her words: “Lie still. You’ll be all right. Trust me.”

Audrey Coningham’s selfless act enabled Crossman to stay afloat until he was rescued by a boat. while she swam to the destroyer Zulu, where, after another 20 minutes adrift, she was plucked from the water. The smallest man on board gave up his spare shirt and shorts to dress her.

Despite a recommendation from senior officers on the spot, and the strong, personal support of Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, for the immediate award of the Albert Medal (since replaced by the George Cross), it took the Honours and Awards Committee in London six months to deliberate. Eventually it was held that – as a strong swimmer – Coningham had not put her own life at risk, and that the witness to her bravery had helped in the rescue.

Instead Coningham was awarded a mention in despatches, and the committee recommended “some publicity”. This blithely stated that she had been swimming in the sea when she came across a drowning seaman. It did not admit that there had been Wrens in Medway or even that the ship had been lost. There were 30 dead from Medway. U-372 was sunk five weeks later by Zulu, and Crossman went on to earn the DSM later in the war and the BEM afterwards, and eventually became a grandfather. Despite the grudging nature of the award, Audrey Coningham wore her Oak Leaf decoration with pride – to the outrage of at least one male officer, who could not believe that she was entitled to it.

Audrey Sylvia Coningham was born on July 12 1918 into a farming family in Sussex. After convent school she went to New South Wales to work as a ranchhand, where she heard that war had been declared. She returned home and joined the WRNS in 1940, becoming a cipher officer. She worked on the staff of the captain of the 1st Submarine Squadron in Alexandria and in Portsmouth, where she rose to second officer.

In 1946 she married David Roche, an officer in the Army in India, where they lived until Partition in 1947. The couple then emigrated to Kenya, packing their two small children and family possessions into an Austin A40 Countryman. They drove through war-ravaged France and Italy, then across the Egyptian desert, and through Sudan and Uganda before arriving in Nairobi in 1951. As a keen golfer, she represented Kenya in international competitions and continued to play into her seventies. The Roches returned to England in 1975, travelling solely by sea, and settled in Wiltshire.

When a reunion was arranged between her and Crossman in 1987, she told him: “I can’t pretend I would have picked you out. You weren’t smiling when we last met.”

In 2003 Audrey Roche opened an exhibition at the RN Submarine Museum, Gosport. On being asked if being in the Wrens was the most important part of her life, she replied: “Good heavens, no. My family is the best time of my life.” She is survived by her five children.

AUDREY ROCHE

   Thursday - February 05, 2009

Reverse H1-B

IBM offshores jobs, then sends the workforce with them



Hey, want to keep your job with Big Blue? Just move to India right along with it. Oh, it is not to worry. We will be of paying you in wonderful rupees, just like the locals.

Employees who would otherwise face layoffs from their North American jobs at IBM are being given the chance to work abroad through ‘Project Match.’

IBM employees being laid off in North America now have an alternative to joining the growing ranks of the unemployed - work for the company abroad. Big Blue is offering its outgoing workers in the United States and Canada a chance to take an IBM job in India, Nigeria, Russia or other countries. Through a program dubbed Project Match, IBM will help interested workers whose jobs are on the chopping block to “identify potential opportunities in growth markets and facilitate consideration by hiring managers in those markets,” according to an internal company document obtained by CNN.

The company also will help with moving costs and provide visa assistance, it says. Other countries with IBM opportunities include Argentina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, according to the document.

Only “satisfactory performers” who are “willing to work on local terms and conditions” should pursue the jobs, the document says. IBM would not immediately confirm if it means that the workers would be paid local wages and would be subject to local labor laws.

“IBM not only is offshoring its work to low-cost countries, now IBM wants employees to offshore themselves,” spokesman Lee Conrad told CNN. “At a time of rising unemployment IBM should be looking to keep both the work and the workers in the United States.”

“I’ve Been Married”
“I’ve Been Moved”
“I’ve Been Management”

IBM has a long history of pushing it’s people around. Generally though it was just around the country. That policy killed a lot of marriages. Now they want to send their workers to 2nd and Turd World countries, where it’s nearly certain they don’t speak the local language. And they ain’t saying about the pay? (because you can live like a king in some of those countries with a corporate American income to spend). This seems like a really nasty move. And an ultimately hollow one too. My bet is fewer than 10% of the laid off workers will take them up on this. Rotten bastards.

The 2 Week President

Obama Meltdown already?



Two weeks of hopey changeyness and it looks like Osockmonkey could be on the ropes already. Heck, last week even ABC news was asking if the honeymoon was over. Every network news is picking apart this solid pork “stimulus plan” and finding artery clogging levels of fat everywhere. And now the Republicans are actually starting to act like Republicans. Meanwhile, Obother trashed the USA during his first television interview, which was given to al-jihad TV. And the stock market continues to plummet, while Mr. “a new era of honesty, transparency, and efficiency in government” keeps right on nominating crooks and lobbyists to run the cabinet and all the top branches of government.

Victor David Hansen has the wrap up. And the let’s-try-and-make-lemonade solution: let Hillary run the show. Huh, and the left thought KKKarl Rove was a manipulative genius. Compared to her, he’s a noob.

At home, Obama is becoming laughable and laying the groundwork for the greatest conservative populist reaction since the Reagan Revolution.

Abroad, some really creepy people are lining up to test Obama’s world view of “Bush did it/but I am the world”: The North Koreans are readying their missiles; the Iranians are calling us passive, bragging on nukes and satellites; Russia is declaring missile defense is over and the Euros in real need of iffy Russian gas; Pakistanis say no more drone attacks (and then our friends the Indians say “shut up” about Kashmir and the Euros order no more “buy American").

Noted psychic and futurist Joe Biden (VP-idiot) predicted an international test of the new president within 6 months. Looks like he was off by a factor of 30. Try 6 days Joe. Maybe less. It’s really starting to look like all the “day one” and “3 am” campaign stuff was just ... empty rhetoric? Noooo, it couldn’t be!!

Continental Rednecks

Squirrel Flavored Potato Chips Big Hit In UK

FANS will be going nuts for the latest crisp flavour — Cajun squirrel.

It may sound more like a bushtucker trial for I’m a Celebrity — but Walkers are launching the Tufty flavour tomorrow.

The new snack was picked by a panel of judges, including wacky celeb chef Heston Blumenthal, in Walkers’ Do Us A Flavour challenge.

Crisp lover Martyn Wright, 26, of Hednesford, near Birmingham, came up with the squirrel idea.

He said: “I wanted something unique.” Another five new flavours will be unveiled today.

Squirrel-eating died out in Britain in the 1800s, but toffs’ dinner parties have put it back on the menu.

Walkers insist no real Tufties were hurt in the making of the vegetarian crisps.

Those silly English. This one is more fun than watching the Queen apologize for the Royal Gifte Shoppe selling those Golly dollies!

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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner

GNU Terry Pratchett

Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.

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