Monday - May 14, 2012
I haven’t missed not doing these posts
I haven’t done a Somali Pirates story in a while, mostly because there hasn’t been one to do. For half a year or so they’ve been batting a big fat zero, between the typhoon season, resistance by commercial shipping, and what amounted to a near blockade of their coasts by international naval effort.
Maybe if Obama could come out of the closet and be pro-pirate, he could add another color to his rainbow halo and this problem would just go away.
10.05.2012: 0923 UTC: Posn: 15:58N – 061:02E, (Around 250nm SE of Ras Al Madrakah, Oman), Off Somalia.
Ten Pirates in two skiffs armed with automatic weapons chased a crude oil tanker underway. The tanker enforced anti piracy measures, increased speed, made evasive manoeuvres and managed to evade the boarding attempt resulting in the skiffs regrouping with the mother ship in the vicinity. Later, the skiffs launched a second attack on the tanker, approached at a speed of 24 knots and managed to successfully board and hijack the vessel and take hostage the 26 crew members.
MT Smyrni was seized approximately 285 nautical miles southeast of Somalia. Pirates hijacked a Liberian-flag oil tanker with 26 men on board in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman on May 10. The MT Smyrni was reportedly sailing from Turkey with a cargo of 135,000 tons of crude oil when it was seized approximately 285 nautical miles southeast of Somalia.
“No communications have been received from the ship since the ship was boarded,” ship owner Dynacom Tankers Management said.
The 149,998-deadweight ton Smyrni, which joined Greece-based Dynacom’s fleet last year, was on its second voyage.
“The Liberian government is in the know of the matter and we are closely watching the developments,” the Indian Shipping Ministry said.
Reports said the ship was attacked twice before being boarded by armed pirates. The ship’s crew included 14 Filipinos, 11 Indians and one Romanian. According to the International Maritime Organization, African pirates are holding captive about 300 crew members on some 17 ships.
The tanker’s capture comes after a recent fall in the number of hijackings in the region. The drop has been attributed to plans by several countries to allow ships using their flags to sail with armed guards. It has not been reported, however, whether the Smyrni had such guards on board.
We have seen a surge of recent attacks over the last few days in the general vicinity of the Smyrni hijacking. Earlier on Thursday, a tanker evaded an attack while underway approximately 262nm ENE of Socotra Island, Yemen. The IMB report states that six pirates in a skiff approached and fired upon a tanker underway from a distance of 500 meters, but were turned away after an armed security team aboard the vessel returned fire at the skiffs.
Wednesdays violent attack on a crude tanker occurred approximately 345nm ESE of Socotra Island, Yemen, as shown here on the map.
On Wednesday, reports came of a violent attack against an unidentified crude tanker underway approximately 345nm ESE of Socotra Island, Yemen. The pirates in that attack allegedly fired over 300 AK47 rounds and 7 RPG rounds at the vessel from a distance of just 50 meters. The vessel in that attack was able to avoid being boarded but did sustain damage.
UK’s The Guardian said the hijacking of the MT Smyrni was the first successful attack by pirates on an oil tanker off the Horn of Africa in a year.
OceanUSlive.Org, a social networking site for the maritime industry, said the attack was one of four to have taken place in the Arabian Sea in the past few days after a lull in pirate activity.
The MT Smyrni is a Suezmax class carrier that can transport 1 million barrels of oil, compared to the 3 million barrels that the largest ULCC carriers can handle. The ship is almost brand new, 275m in length. When loaded she has a top speed of 9 knots.
The Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151) has decided to stop pursuing Somali pirates who captured a Liberian-flagged tanker carrying about 135,000 tonnes of crude oil for PTT Plc in the Gulf of Eden on Thursday after receiving a report that the pirates have taken the tanker to the Somali coast and demanded a ransom, a navy source said.
The source, citing information from Thai navy officers operating with CTF151, said the task force, commanded by Rear Adm Thanin Likitwong of the Thai navy, could not take action to retake the tanker because in doing so it needed the consent of its owner, the owners of the crude oil and their insurance company.
The tanker, MT Smyrni, is owned by Dynacom Tankers Management of Greece.
“More importantly, the vessel has no citadel for the crew to hide in safety and no armed guards. Therefore, it would not be safe for the 26 crew members if an operation is launched to retake the tanker,” the source said.
None of the crew was Thai. The source said when the tanker was attacked by the pirates it was about 800km from the Somali coast in an area in which there were no battleships.
Fort Victoria, a CTF151 ship with 16 Thai navy officers on board, followed the tanker from a distance but took no action due to concerns for the crew’s safety.
The pirates have contacted the tanker’s owner and the insurance company is expected to quickly negotiate with them because the 135,000 tonnes of oil belongs to many firms including PTT Plc of Thailand.
No permission for a rescue from the owners, and a brand new ship with a $115 million cargo at sea in dangerous waters without guards or even a safe place for the crew to hide. Gee, I’m sure her crew is really happy about those cost saving gestures right now.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/14/2012 at 08:09 PM
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Permalink • Oh Deer, Drew Redesigned Another One
There is nothing new under the sun in the firearms world, not even this idea.
It’s a .22 rimfire rifle with a special coaxial double barrel on it, that uses concrete nailgun blanks to shoot hollow crossbow arrows at impressive velocities.
Looks awesome, but does it work? Two different vendors for what appears to be the same product: one made by LaRue Tactical and the other, called the “Airrow” by Swivel Machine, both say they can be fit to your Ruger 10/22 or 77/22 rifle in minutes, and will shoot 305 grain 16” arrows at an astonishing 425 feet per second.
These things are still firearms, called “arrow rifles”, but they claim tremendous accuracy (1” groups at 50 yards) and power. If you screw off the arrow’s target point and screw on a broadhead, do you now have a nearly silent short range deer killing machine? Could be. I’m not sure how the game wardens would classify this one for regular hunters, but for the guys who work as suburban deer assassins this could be a real solution.
Here’s how they work. The arrow has no nock in the back; it’s open. The rifle has an outer barrel tube and a very thin inner barrel tube. The arrow slides down over the inner tube in a moderately tight friction fit. The arrow uses plastic vanes instead of feathers, and they fold mostly flat inside the outer tube. A special chamber is on the breech end of the barrel to hold the concrete nailer blank cartridge. Pull the trigger and the blank goes off, pressurizing the hollow inner tube and applying force to the arrow from the inside, right behind the head. It’s like when you were a kid and used to blow the paper cover off your soda straw in the lunchroom. The hollow arrow rides straight on the outside of the inner barrel, and perhaps gets a little guidance from the inside of the outer barrel. It pops off the end and goes zooming away. Spin a new arrow down the barrel, load in a new blank cartridge, and you’re ready to shoot again.
It doesn’t take much skill to use. You don’t have to spend years pulling a bowstring and becoming Robin Hood to know how to do it. Load, point, fooop, harvest. That simple. The arrow rifle packs more wallop than even the strongest bow or crossbow. In theory.
And theory is the problem. A 305 grain arrow is awfully light. Sure, it’s only 16” long, just like a crossbow bolt, but it’s a good 25% lighter than a typical hunting arrow. That means it will shoot faster, but it will have very limited range. How limited a range do you really need to harvest deer in suburbia? I’m not sure. I drove down to Flemington last night at about 10:30, and the deer were everywhere. In my 12 mile drive I passed 8 small herds of them, some right out in the middle of the road just standing around, and several single deer on their own. I’m pretty sure I saw 50 deer, and even blowing the horn on my car (which they ignore) I passed within 15 feet of them. In a car. How many more were in the fields 50, 80, 100 yards away? Probably thousands. Hunterdon County is plagued with the rotters. They’re everywhere.
Lots of areas are like ours, and many towns have hired deer assassins. They don’t call them that, oh no. They call them “intrusive wildlife management experts” but they’re deer killers, plain and simple. Around here the deer are so inured to people you could probably hunt them with a hammer. You can just about walk right up to them before they’ll startle and run. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes you need to shoot them from a bit more than arm’s length. Sometimes you need to shoot them from halfway across a meadow, or at the far end of somebody’s acre-plus backyard. And that range might be a bit more than what you can do with a modern bow.
The limited range idea is a good one. You don’t want arrows or bullets flying for a thousand yards, shooting through walls and bad stuff like that. Thunderous booms that shatter windows and frighten the neighbors. Bad. But I’m not sure this particular rig has the power to do the job at 75 yards. And I’m not even certain that it will suffice at 50. It’s range might be too limited. So let’s build a bigger one that will do the job, no matter what.
For starters, I think the arrow should weigh quite a bit more. Call it 435 grains, a full ounce. A nice thick shaft and a full size broadhead, to cut the biggest deepest hole and have the retained inertia to do it, no matter what the angle to the target is. At a distance a bit beyond what regular bowhunters would consider. 80 yards, or 100. How to go about building one of those?
Pretty easy to solve that one. Just use a bigger blank. And a gun with a locking action, ie the Ruger 77/22 bolt action rifle, instead of recoil operated semi-automatic like the Ruger 10/22. Lock the action closed to get every last bit of oomph from your cartridge. With a good steel inner barrel, chamber pressure won’t be anything to worry about, especially since the “chamber” will be 15” long, all the way down the barrel to the back of the arrowhead. Even in .17 caliber, that’s still a fair amount of volume, and that reduces pressure. A lot.
Running the numbers with the archery formula, (KE = M*V*V/450240; use the same KE for a different arrow weight M to solve for velocity V) a bow that can push a 305 grain arrow at 425fps should be able to push a 435 grain arrow a 285fps. That’s very close to what the best modern compound bows will do, and they shoot hard and flat enough for 50-60 yard deer hunting. Take it up two notches, since arrows are not really all that aerodynamic, and build one that will shoot the same 435gr arrow at 440fps. In a gun. Now you’ve got a 100 yard weapon for sure. And it can be done with a blank cartridge smaller than a .22 WMR, something halfway between a .17 Hornady HMR and the smaller .17 Mach 2; one only 20mm long. That’s more than you’ll get from even the strongest concrete nailer blank, but we are talking special purpose. And even my daydream “super magnum” arrow rifle won’t make as much bang as a firecracker. foop.
For short ranges you could always use a smaller blank. A put a hit on smaller deer. We have lots of those here too.
http://www.laruetactical.com/ruger-10-22-deluxe-arrow-conversion-kit
http://www.swivelmachine.com/html/rimfire.htm
h/t to John Jay
Posted by Drew458
on 05/14/2012 at 02:02 PM
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Permalink • worthy of a prize. yeah, but what kind? stupid doesn’t cover it.
Howz this in the category of one for the books?
If this doesn’t paint the picture of just how stupid things can get, then nothing else will.
This is a letter to the editor from a retired woman. And boy I’d say she has a problem. I only wish there was a follow up done cos I’d like to know what happened over time.
Under the headline …….
BAD ADVICE, was the following. Take a look.
I’m a pensioner whose mother died last year, after which I decided initially, to rent out her house.
A married couple with three children moved in last October, but as I wanted to put the house up for sale I gave them notice.
Then the husband walked out, and the rent stopped being paid. The wife has now been advised by the (town) council to squat in the house.
How can the council tell someone to do something so wrong? What’s happening when the authorities are recommending such behavior?
Posted by peiper
on 05/14/2012 at 07:09 AM
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Outrageous • UK •
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Permalink • IT’S PERSONAL
Yesterday I posted a story about the closing of a museum. Nobody made any comments on it here at bmews but there were a number of comments made by Daily Mail readers on line. Including me because I felt strongly about the subject, and mourned the passing of the museum and most likely the Empire as well.
Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past
By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTERThe country’s only museum dedicated to the glories of the British Empire has closed for good.
The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum has been forced to sell its premises in Bristol and give up its collections because of public antipathy towards the country’s colonial past.
That isn’t the entire article but it’s enough for my purpose today.
As I mentioned above, I wrote a comment along with others.
When I opened my email this morning, I was greeted thus.
Hello jayd,
We have received a number of complaints about the comment you made on article “Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past “ (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2143618/Sun-sets-museum-dedicated-British-Empire-nations-dislike-colonial-past.html), 13/05/2012 at 07:23
Due to the number of complaints received, your comment has been removed from MailOnline.
Should the situation change, we will review and consider re-publishing. Until such time, your comment will remain off the site. To avoid this happening again, please take the time to review the House Rules and site Terms and Conditions.
I wish I had made a copy of the short comment I wrote, and can not recall what I said that would have caused so much angst and complaints. But the folks at the Mail don’t tell me how many that number was, nor do they tell me in what way or what words used could have caused offense. I used no bad language and attacked nobody personally so I am in the dark as to which one of their numerous rules I violated.
So it sure does have me PO’d. Not from an ego standpoint. But from the position that I was actually defending the Empire and thought that the billions spent on foreign aid could be better spent here in England. Oh yeah, I also mourned the idea that the Victory had to beg for money and lease itself to raise funds for upkeep.
And so it goes. Which I fear ain’t well.
Posted by peiper
on 05/14/2012 at 04:34 AM
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Permalink • Sunday - May 13, 2012
eye candy bombshell
I know I’ve used this goddess before but she’s worth another visit.
CHRISTINA HENDRRICKS
That’s all folks.
good night.
Posted by peiper
on 05/13/2012 at 02:37 PM
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Permalink • pentagon instructor urges war. instructor no longer instructing.
If only. A few nukes and take out Somalia too and kill (literally) two roaches with a few boom-booms.
Hey come on. We all have our fantasies. Right?
Or is this article already old news back home? Of course it’s brand new to me here.
Anyway, it’s so typical of how things are these days. ONE student had a gripe. ONE! That’s all it takes I guess.
PENTAGON INSTRUCTOR URGES TOTAL WAR ON ISLAM
A red-faced Pentagon has conceded that an instructor at its Joint Forces College in Virginia for military officers was until recently teaching a course advocating “total war” with Islam that could require obliterating the holy cities of Mecca and Medina without concern for civilian deaths.
The material in the course, which officers could elect to take but was not obligatory, flew in the face of repeated assertions by the Obama administration that the war on terrorism is just that and should under no circumstances be read as an assault on a religion observed by 1.4 billion people around the world.
Details of the course were obtained by a blog on Wired.com, drawn from a presentation given by the teacher, Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley, in July last year. He suggested that destroying Islamic holy sites would follow the precedents of the nuclear strike by the allies on Hiroshima in World War II and the firebombing of Dresden. His course was called ‘Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism’.
It was suspended in April after the Pentagon received a complaint from a student and Lt. Col. Dooley, while still at the College, no longer has any teaching duties. The FBI, meanwhile, has revealed that it too has recently been forced to revise some of its instructional materials to excise references that could have been insulting to Islam.
“It was just totally objectionable, against our values, and it wasn’t academically sound,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsey, said at a press conference at the Pentagon. “This wasn’t about ... pushing back on liberal thought; this was objectionable, academically irresponsible.”
Dooley offered a theoretical war plan based on the need for “a direct ideological and philosophical confrontation with Islam”. In his presentation, he said:
“They hate everything you stand for and will never coexist with you, unless you submit”. He added that as America waged that war it would be free to ignore provisions of the Geneva Convention that sets the rules for armed conflict as “no longer relevant”.
“This would leave open the option once again of taking war to a civilian population wherever necessary (the historical precedents of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki being applicable...).” Saying Islam has already declared war on the US, Dooley called the current American stance of seeking common ground with Islamic leaders around the world as “illogical” and the better option was “waging ‘near total war’”.
“We have now come to understand that there is no such thing as ‘moderate Islam’,” Dooley said in the July presentation. “It is therefore time for the United States to make our true intentions clear. This barbaric ideology will no longer be tolerated. Islam must change or we will facilitate its self-destruction.”
Offered five times a year for groups of 20 at a time, the course may have been taught to as many as 800 mid-level and senior US military officers before the Pentagon closed it down. Lt. Col. Dooley was himself a highly decorated officer who had served in Iraq, Bosnia and Kuwait among others.
Posted by peiper
on 05/13/2012 at 02:17 PM
Filed Under: • USA • War On Terror •
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Permalink • sun has set on the empire museum
Caught this today and find it depressing. What a shame. And meanwhile the most famous warship the world has ever known, The Victory, will be turned into a high end restaurant to raise money to maintain this greatest of all fighting ships, while the govt. sends billions of dollars in foreign aid. What crap.
I hate to see all that happen and even more the ppl who continually say sorry for the Empire. Jerks!
Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial pastBy MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER
The country’s only museum dedicated to the glories of the British Empire has closed for good.
The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum has been forced to sell its premises in Bristol and give up its collections because of public antipathy towards the country’s colonial past.
Sir Neil Cossons, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, last night blamed the demise on ‘post-imperial angst’.
He said: ‘I think the time has not yet arrived for the proper story of Empire and Commonwealth to be told.’
Although attitudes to Empire were improving, he said it was still an ‘unfashionable subject’ and ‘more healing of time’ was required.
The museum opened in Bristol in 2002 but closed in 2008. It was hoped that selling the building would pay for the collection to move to London.
But despite fetching £3.1 million, the museum failed to find a home in the capital.
Now its 50,000-strong collection of written records, photographs, film clips, paintings, letters and artefacts has been gifted to Bristol Museum.
Last week three Lord Lieutenants, who advise the Queen on the awarding of honours, said the term Empire should be removed from awards such as the OBE and CBE because it was anachronistic.
okay, there could be a valid case made for the term Empire since there no longer is one.
Posted by peiper
on 05/13/2012 at 01:25 PM
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Permalink • a nationwide ban on lead ammo? some say yes.
I don’t think you’ll be surprised but it’s interesting to note how they word things with this subject.
It’s a bit long so I’ll only post an edited version.
For all of it for those interested, as always see the link below.
‘An attack on country sports’ ...anger at Wildfowl Trust’s bid to ban lead shotBy VALERIE ELLIOTT
A leading conservation charity is at loggerheads with its pro-shooting president, Prince Charles, after launching a campaign calling for a nationwide ban on lead shot.
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), which also has the Queen as patron, is calling for a ban on the shot used in game shooting – despite the risk of offending members of the Royal Family who enjoy this traditional country sport.
The move has revived tensions in the countryside, seven years after the foxhunting ban.
Chef Marco Pierre White is among many people convinced it is an attempt to attack game shooting.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Countryside Alliance have been angered by the move and insist there is no scientific justification for a lead shot ban.
They claim it would harm an industry worth almost £2 billion to the national economy.
Farmers are also concerned the higher price for non-lead shot will drive up the cost of controlling rabbits, foxes, pigeons and rooks on farmland.
A typical pack of 25 cartridges filled with lead shot costs about £7 while a pack with non-toxic shot made of the metal bismuth costs about £34.
Cheaper steel shot is sold for about £5 a pack – but this high-velocity ammunition is not suitable for many older guns because there is a risk the barrels could explode.
The controversial WWT strategy is revealed in papers leaked to The Mail on Sunday.
It has triggered particular anger because the charity is widely supported in the shooting community.
The WWT was established by conservationist Sir Peter Scott in 1946 at the Slimbridge nature reserve in Gloucestershire and now has eight sites in the UK.
Mr Pierre White, a keen shooter, said: ‘People have been shooting with lead for generations, why would you want to change it?
‘If you want to talk about pollution, let’s talk about petrol and industry. The bottom line is that they are trying to ban shooting.’
Posted by peiper
on 05/13/2012 at 12:22 PM
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Permalink • in my inbox
The Little Red Hen version 2012
“Who will help me plant my wheat?” asked the little red hen.
“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the goose.
“Then I will do it by myself.” She planted her crop and the wheat grew and ripened.
“Who will help me reap my wheat?” asked the little red hen.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Out of my classification,” said the pig.
“I’d lose my seniority,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my unemployment compensation,” said the goose.
“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.
************
“Who will help me mill the flour?” asked the little red hen.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“I’m on disability,” said the pig.
“It’s against nature for cows to haul sacks. Don’t play to the stereotype that we’re all oxen,” said the cow.
“I have to get my nails done,” said the goose.
“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.
“Who will help me bake the bread?” asked the little red hen.
“That would be overtime for me,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my welfare benefits,” said the duck.
“I’m a dropout and never learned how,” said the pig.
“If I’m to be the only helper, that’s discrimination,” said the goose.
“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see.
“Who will help me eat the bread?” asked the little red hen.
“I will.” said the cow.
“I will” said the duck.
“I will” said the pig.
“I will” said the goose.
“No,” said the little red hen, “I shall eat all five loaves.”
“Excess profits!” cried the cow.
“Capitalist leech!” screamed the duck.
“I demand social justice and equal rights!” yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted ‘Unfair!’ and “1%” picket signs, occupied the farmyard and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
Then the farmer came. He said to the little red hen, “You must not be so greedy.”
“But I earned the bread,” said the little red hen.
“Exactly,” said Barack the farmer. “That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.”
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, “I am grateful, for now I truly understand.”
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the ‘party’ and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. ‘Fairness’ had been established.
Individual initiative had died but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared so long as there was free bread that ‘the rich’ were paying for.
EPILOGUE
Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
Hillary got $8 million for hers.
That’s $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn’t remember anything.
IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?
Posted by Drew458
on 05/13/2012 at 08:54 AM
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Fun-Stuff •
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Permalink • Saturday - May 12, 2012
Brit columnist thinks Mrs Clinton has given up on looking presentable
Jan Moir writes for the Mail and can be catty at times. But she has a valid point here.
No matter what party one belongs to, you’re still representing the USA in a very public way when holding high office.
Since I don’t follow what Mrs. Clinton looks like at any given time but apparently some do, I thought I’d share this Brit take on Mrs. Clinton’s appearance.
Moir btw isn’t a consv. I don’t believe and is no fan of the American Tea Party. But her points in the article are pretty well on target.
Please try not to vomit or panic. If you feel the need, pop on a pair of lads’ mag standard issue, lead-lined crone-o-vision spectacles.
So what I am saying is the reason Hillary has gone all hairy-legged basket-weaver on everyone is not because she is giving up lipstick, but because she is giving up politics. She has no desire to run for high office again, surprise surprise. She wants to step down, saying: ‘I just want to take some deep breaths.’
In a way, she has boomeranged back to the geek from Arkansas in the bottle-neck specs, and put all that vote-winning glam stuff behind her.
Politics is not a beauty contest, but I do think those in high office should be as groomed as possible. Clinton is representing the people of America. Come on. There would be outrage, not fem-applause, if it was a male Secretary of State who was wandering around unshaven and unkempt.
Hillary also looks exhausted — and no wonder, given her gruelling schedule. Do you know what I say about that? Blusher always helps.
I’m doing this post a bit backwards because this small part of her column caught the attention of other Brit papers with one quoting Moir. But I doubt Clinton will see it and if she did, she would take little note.
Looking your best and wearing make-up is not about taking part in a beauty pageant or trying to be the prettiest girl in the room. Powerful women all over the world understand the power of image, of good grooming and polish.
Hillary is going to roam around the globe meeting important world leaders while looking like a lightly boiled bag lady. She just doesn’t care any more.
Please see the link for the gruesome pix.
Posted by peiper
on 05/12/2012 at 05:09 PM
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Permalink • here we go again
Well, here we go again.
What is it with our society? Why are we allowing the anarchists to have their way. It isn’t even really about capitalism altho I’m sure that plays a part.
No. It’s simply about disruption and going as far as they are allowed to go. Which seems to be quite a bit.
It could be handled so easily however. The police know who and where the ringleaders are. Surely there are special squads who could go after them and eliminate the vermin. Cut the head off the snake.
Then as to the rest, flame throwers and machine guns would do very nicely provided nobody left above ground to come back and do it again.
Could work if only the powers that leach had the guts and the heart.
The cast majority of “Occupy” have never had a job, have never paid any tax, they bleed the system for benefits, cost local councils a fortune for policing and clearing up after them and then have the cheek to talk about the deficit. Do they know what they are protesting about, do they offer an alternative set of policies, no they are upset that their way of life (not working and living on handouts) might be under threat. Rather than being jealous of those that work hard they should try it.
- marc, chelmsford, 12/5/2012 16:47
They’re back: Occupy protesters return to St Paul’s cathedral as hundreds gather for protest rally
Minor skirmishes break out between police and protesters
St Paul’s cathedral remained open to tourists
By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSONAnti-capitalism protesters from the Occupy movement have begun a new protest in the City of London.
It is part of a global day of action seeing thousands of people rallying in cities including Moscow, New York, Athens and Madrid, organisers said.
Several hundred people have gathered outside St Paul’s Cathedral for a rally before ‘visiting the 1%’ at the offices of some of the largest firms in the financial heart of the capital.
There were some minor skirmishes between protesters and police as they marched through the City.
Officers had briefly encircled the protest after it moved down Fleet Street and into Fetter Lane, causing some protesters to break through the police line.
An Occupy spokesman said: ‘Nowhere in Europe is the unequal distribution of wealth as striking as in the UK.
‘The richest 1,000 persons, just 0.005% of the adult population, increased their wealth by £155bn over the last three years.
‘That is enough for themselves alone to pay off the entire budget deficit and still leave them with £30bn to spare.
‘“We’re all in this together” never rang so hollow. Whilst the rest of the country is being crippled by austerity, the very same people who caused the crisis are now sitting on wealth even greater than what they had before the crash?’
City of London Police said it had a ‘proportionate’ operation in place around the peaceful demonstration. St Paul’s Cathedral remains open to tourists.
Posted by peiper
on 05/12/2012 at 04:35 PM
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • UK •
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Permalink • Cashmere
Cashmere. Love it. Snuggle city.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/12/2012 at 10:40 AM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • Our Part Time pResident
Wish I had a part time job that paid this well and had the same level of benefits.
On May 7, Geoffrey Norman posted “Today’s Laugh Line” at National Review Online—a quote from a column by Mark Halperin in Time asserting Mitt Romney has “the luxury of an open schedule” allowing him to “spend every waking hour as a full-time candidate,” while President Obama “is required to do his day job.”
It was even funnier if one looked at President Obama’s May 7 schedule. Here was his schedule that day, in its entirety, with all events taking place in the Oval Office:
10:00 a.m. The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing.
11:00 a.m. The President meets with senior advisors.
2:30 p.m. The President holds a conference call with elected officials and student government leaders from across the country to discuss the need to prevent rates from doubling on July 1.
Yeah, well what did you expect? The guy didn’t work full time as a college lecturer. The guy didn’t work hardly at all as a lawyer. And community organizin’ ain’t exactly at Up At Dawn kind of effort neither.
Besides, a decent round of golf takes hours. As does planning for your next vacation.
Hey all you racists: lazy AND shiftless. Probably has his comfortable shoes too. Plus there’s this one.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/12/2012 at 10:30 AM
Filed Under: • Obama, The One •
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Permalink • Friday - May 11, 2012
some tech stuff
okay....
This is for you guys and gals that are up to date on this new fangled tech thingy stuff. I take it an iPad is also a phone. Is that correct? Why would I want one? That’d be assuming I could afford the costs I’ve seen for this product. Which is even higher over here.
Maybe the question I should ask is, what influences you to make the choice you have or will make on these products?
I’ve been looking at Kindle a bit but not sure which would be best. I’ve seen ads that claim you can be online for things like email with no extra charge.
Online? I thought they were electronic books. ??
Still haven’t got a mobile phone. Trying to justify one but can’t. I get caught up in all the ads I see and a few ppl I know who have these phones that do all sorts of things and one of my friends back in the states is in love with her Samsung which she says has voice recognition. Seems a bit overwhelming with all the bells and whistles. So anyway, looks here like Apple is declaring war on the competition.
Anyway, the price is expected to be about 200 to 250 American dollars.
But I also see it says “Mini” so maybe it isn’t any big deal at all. But I wouldn’t know and so I’m asking.
Any answers?
Apple ‘planning to sell £150 iPad Mini AT A LOSS in order to kill off Android tablets’
Claims suggest Apple will launch iPad Mini this October for between $200-$250
Dramatic price-point will help Apple compete with cheaper Android tabletsApple’s $100billion cash reserves may soften blow of loss-making device
By EDDIE WRENNApple is planning to launch an assault against the burgeoning Android tablet market by releasing an ‘iPad Mini’ - at a loss-making price of around £150, according to new claims.
The bargain-basement priced tablet will even feature the same ‘Retina’ display featured on its big brother, bringing the same 3.1million pixels to a smaller 7-8” display.
Sources told Apple fansite iMore that the aggressively-priced tablet will launch in October this year, with Apple potentially selling the sub-$250 tablet at a loss in order to leave no room for competition.
With Apple sitting on cash reserves of $100bn, the tech giant should at least be able to stomach such a move financially.
iMore reported: ‘Today’s claim says that Apple is going to step-up the pressure on Android tablet manufacturers with an iPad mini that will sell for a surprisingly low $200-250.
‘That’s a bit hard to accept in the light of the other major claim this rumor makes, that the iPad mini will keep the full-sized iPad’s 2048x1536 resolution.
‘If this is true, Apple might have to take a serious cut to its margins, if not sell the mini at a loss. Considering the kind of cash Apple has on hand, though, it might be willing to take the hit just to help kill-off competition from Android tablets.’
If the iPad sells for $250 in the States, that would translate to £150 in the UK, although whether Apple would respect currency rates is up for debate.
With the screen as a premium feature, it is likely sacrifices will be made in other parts of the tablet, such as reduced storage space of, for instance, 8GB for your apps, videos and music.
This will likely cause issues for users as that amount of space will be used up quickly, marking this out as very much a budget tablet.
However, it will also appeal to people who want an iPad for casual browsing and occasional use of apps and movies, but who are not willing to shell out £400 for the bigger brother.
iMore and another website, Daring Fireball, have separately heard that Apple has already built the seven-inch device, and the only decision left is whether to ‘go to market’.
Both iMore and Daring Fireball have proven to be reliable sources of internal Apple discussions in the past.
Steve Jobs hated the thought of a smaller iPad, calling them ‘dead on arrival’. He said people did not wish to use smaller tablets for video-playback, and feared a smaller tablet would serve as a bridge between the iPad and the iPhone, resulting in app-makers simply ‘stretching’ their phone apps for the tablet.
In a 2010 earnings call, he said: ‘One naturally thinks that a seven-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a ten-inch screen.
‘Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. … The reason we won’t make a seven-inch tablet isn’t because we don’t want to hit a lower price point, it’s because we think the screen is too small to express the software.’
Another big problem - which Android is struggling to deal with - would be the resulting fragmentation, with app-makers having to invest more money for coding different versions of their apps for different devices, something Apple has almost entirely succeeded at avoiding so far.
With the Android tablet market maturing, and competitors like Amazon launching their own tablets such as the Kindle Fire at less than $200, it would make sense for Apple to join the burgeoning cheaper market, although the company may be concerned about devaluing their premium brand, which is associated with high prices but also high quality.
However the company has previous form with cheaper models. The iPod music player was released in 2001, and in 2004 and 2005 the iPod Minis and Nanos were released, bringing elements of Apple’s flagship device to a cheaper market.
In March, a source from within competitor Samsung made a ‘mini’ indescretion while talking to the Korea Times.
While discussing Apple and Samsung’s $9.7billion deal for Samsung to manufacturer parts of the iPad, an official said: ‘The contract is expected to rise to $11billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung’s faster solid state drive storage.’
Posted by peiper
on 05/11/2012 at 12:43 PM
Filed Under: • Science-Technology •
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