His last bout was with his protègè turned-rival Tommy Gunn in Rocky V, now Sylvester Stallone (60 !) who earned $15,000 from his first fillum is due for another $10Mn payday with Rocky V1, 30 years after first putting on the gloves.
It is also evident now that the whole thing was even rehearsed – by no less than a Allison Barber, deputy assistant Defense secretary, see pic."OK, so let's just walk through this," Barber said. "Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"
"Captain Smith," Kennedy said.
"Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.
"Captain Kennedy," the soldier replied.(Video link to Cpt K hometown TV)
And so it went.
"If the question comes up about partnering how often do we train with the Iraqi military who does he go to?" Barber asked.
"That's going to go to Captain Pratt," one of the soldiers said.
Less than 40 percent in an AP-Ipsos poll taken in October said they approved of the way Bush was handling Iraq. Just over half of the public now say the Iraq war was a mistake.
Canons roared across public parks, and fires swept across Denmark today – has Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced withdrawal of Danish troops from Iraq, as 69% of Danes have demanded in a recent poll ?
In a July 28th television interview with Jim Lehrer, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ....“When are we going to stop making excuses for the terrorists and saying that somebody is making them do it? No, these are simply evil people who want to kill. And they want to kill in the name of a perverted ideology that really is not Islam, but they somehow want to claim that mantle to say that this is about some kind of grievance. This isn't about some kind of grievance. This is an effort to destroy, rather than to build. And until everybody in the world calls it by name — the evil that it is — stops making excuses for them, then I think we're going to have a problem.“
What we are confronting here is an evil ideology.
This is a religious ideology... Those who kill in its name believe genuinely that in doing it, they do God's work; they go to paradise.
They demand the elimination of Israel; the withdrawal of all Westerners from Muslim countries, irrespective of the wishes of people and government; the establishment of effectively Taleban states and Sharia law in the Arab world en route to one caliphate of all Muslim nations.
......that if we only tried to work out and act on their grievances, we could lift this evil, that if we changed our behaviour, they would change theirs.
Oh! ...er ... Condi is in London for 25 minutes on her latest drive by diplomacy trip to give Tony his orders ..... Q . Will he get "bathroom" time ?
This is the war memorial erected in my village after the First World War. Already descendants of the "Lions led by Donkeys" have been laying memorial Poppy wreaths.1914 - 1918
Erected by
The Inhabitants of Norden
In honour and ever grateful memory
Of THE MEN OF THE DISTRICT
Who nobly,forgetful of themselves
At the call of the KING and country
Left all that was dear to them
Endured hardness, faced danger
And finally gave up their own lives
That others might live in Freedom
An example for all time
Of stedfast courage
China has successfully launched its second manned spacecraft, carrying two Chinese astronauts,Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng into orbit in a blaze of publicity ...but overlooked by the Western mainstream press and TV.
China's budget for developing the Shenzhou capsule series has reached roughly 19 billion yuan (US$2.3 billion), less than 10% of the United States' annual spending on space programs"We are excited and really congratulate China for launching its second space mission. We wish the two Chinese astronauts the best and hope that their findings are used to benefit humanity," he said, adding that Uganda looks forward to continuing cooperating with the Chinese government."
David Freeman, pioneer of computer retailing, is selling, founder of ACP Superstore, has been collecting computers since 1976. H eis selling over 430 Pc's including this historic 32K Ram Z - 80 PET ,40 printers..etc., etc.,are for sale on e-bay
On the 6th of October 2005 Andy Hayman, QPM,MA Assistant Commander, Special Operations , New Scotland Yard wrote to Rt.Hon. Charles Clarke, the burly, bluff Home Secretary ;"What I have to do is to try to do my best to protect people in this country and to make sure their safety and their civil liberty to life come first.
Let us have a debate about the strength or otherwise of those proposals, but for myself I find it a convincing case."
“I do not regard extra time for interviews as being a sound basis for the extension of the time period.”…” the reality is that most suspects exercise their right of silence in interview. If they are advised so to do, that advice is usually beyond reproach…..This means that the interviewing process is rarely productive.”
…"A more searching system is required to reflect the seriousness of the state holding someone in high-security custody without charge for as long as three months"
This is Licio Gelli pictured (BBC) on the terrace of his villa. In 1981 Police confiscated 150 gold bars worth $1.7 million hidden in the flower pots at the Tuscan villa of Licio Gelli, Italy's No.1 white-collar fugitive. Officials said gold weighing 630 pounds had been found in the pots lining several terraces of Gelli's mansion in the town of Arezzo,Tuscany Police said. Gelli , head of Masonic Lodge P2 was involved in the Gladio bombings, is/was a friend of Silvio Berlusconi and many, many other equally seedy Political figures in post war Italy.
The last time Condi was in Pakistan was in March this year. She had stopped off to seal a US$3Bn arms deal and to release sixteen F16 fighters that Pakistan bought and paid for in 1990, that the US never delivered .... so what’s US$50Mn between friends ?
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan the German trained Indian born metallurgist brought knowledge of gas centrifuge technologies to Pakistan that he had acquired through his position at the classified URENCO uranium enrichment plant in the Netherlands.
PS - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that its operation to feed more than 1.45 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in northern Uganda will run out of donations in December. (pic of mutilated child (C)BBC)
Denmark's economy is booming. New growth figures from Statistics Denmark, shows economic growth is at its highest level in a decade led by sales of purchases of clothes, cars, and home and recreational products.
UK trade in oil plummeted from a surplus of £40m in July to a deficit of £413m in August - Oil exports slumped from £1.84bn in July to £1.59bn in August – reflecting the decline in oil and gas extraction during the month of August of 8%. Imports of oil ratcheted up again from £1.8bn to £2bn. The US$/£ rate shows how the market reacted.
The Danish retailers organisation Dansk Handel & Service (DG&S), says more than half of its members have had a better year this year than last. 'The growth rate is a result of the marked growth at the end of 2004, which was especially strong for durable goods,' said DH&S chief economist Jan Poulsen. 'Private spending continues on a reasonable track. If anything should endanger the sustainability of growth, it would be a lack of workers.'
Which is reflected in a report from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation found that 60 % of foreign students were still in Denmark one year after they received their degree. The national daily Berlingske Tidende reports that young people who come to Denmark to study for advanced degrees in engineering, medicine, and theology wind up liking the country so much that they end up staying.
'We want to hang on to even more highly qualified foreign students,' said Sander. 'For just that reason, we decided this year to give recently graduated foreigners in certain fields a three month extension to their visa so they can look for a job.'
So the UK imports potato pickers for the fields and order pickers for the gleaming new warehouses and distribution centres stuffed full of goods from low cost countries, whilst Denmark imports the brightest and best technicians, engineers and scientists.
Drax Power Limited owns and operates Drax Power Station, the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station in the UK.Drax Group Limited ("Drax") today announces that it received on 10 October 2005 a new approach from a consortium regarding a possible cash offer for Drax. The proposal is subject to a number of conditions, including due diligence and financing, and is an alternative to the listing. Drax is seeking further clarification on the initial approach...
The Board of Drax Group Limited ("Drax" or "the Company") announces that it received on 12 September an indicative approach from a consortium comprising Constellation Energy Group, Inc and Perry Capital LLC regarding a possible cash offer for Drax representing an enterprise value of £1.9 billion. The proposal is subject to a number of conditions, including due diligence and financing...
On December 22, 2003, The Debevoise & Plimpton partnership (fancy US corporate lawyers) could announce, after drawing monster fees, that Drax Power, Europe’s largest coal-fired power station, had successfully restructured its ₤1.3 billion senior secured debt. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP represented Drax Power in this transaction.(Once owned by the British Public)BHP Billiton's offer, worth an estimated £95m, would see holders of Drax's A-2 debt get 70p in the pound. International Power another energy company offered 65p in the pound for A-2 debt and 55p in the pound for B debt. Goldman Sachs the bankers were offering 64p in the pound for A-2 debt and 50p in the pound for B debt.
Portugal is one of the few places in European family of nations which still bans abortions. Portuguese Prime Minister José(Zé) Socrates' decision to hold a referendum on legalising abortion, approved by Parliament will probably be held in mid-November and will probably bring in changes more in line with her partners in the EU. Although in 1984 the law was changed to allow abortion in certain exceptional circumstances such as risk of danger to the life or health of the mother, a malformed foetus or rape, women still face up to 3 years in prison for procuring an abortion or more for performing one.
The number of backstreet abortions annually in Portugal is estimated at between about 20,000 and 40,000, while thousands more go abroad to terminate unwanted pregnancies under different legal jurisdictions. and Figures from the Portuguese health ministry say five women died last year after secret abortions.In 1998 a referendum was held on changing the law to allow abortion on demand up to 10 weeks into pregnancy. The proposal was narrowly defeated ( by 51% to 49%) but voter turnout at 30% was very low.The new referendum will probably use the question, "Do you agree that abortions, carried out in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, with the woman's consent, in a legal medical establishment, should no longer be illegal?""The solution for a woman in difficulty should never be the death of her unborn child," said one of the leaders of a pro-life coalition, Teresa Aires de Campos, after the votes.
"We want to create a society where a newborn child is never seen as a burden that needs to be eliminated. We want to create a country where a child is always welcomed."
In July 2005 , the BBC reported 7 women were acquitted of illegally terminating their pregnancies, with the court ruling there was not enough evidence to convict the women. The case dating back to 1999 involved the claimed payment to a nurse of about $480 each to terminate their pregnancies . The women from the Portuguese fishing community of Aveiro were prosecuted — facing three-year prison sentences — along with 10 "accomplices,"In February’s elections, which they won with a landslide the Socialists promised to introduce a referendum on abortion if elected but put it off during the summer holidays. Last week Parliament approved a referendum be taken. The measure (vote needs at least 50% turnout to be ratified )goes to President Jorge Sampaio (who is claimed to be sympathetic to a change in the law) to set a date in a crowded election schedule, The Government favour a vote on Nov. 27, between Oct. 9 municipal polls and presidential elections in January while the main opposition, the Social Democrat Party (PSD), believes the vote should be pushed to a date after the Presidential election in 2006."Prohibir el aborto no salva a nadie ni a nada" dice Sonia Fertuzinhos, parlamentaria portuguesa, "solo consigue arrestar a mujeres y humillarlas en la arena pública".
Governments could also pay for part of the cost with services or goods such as rice, bananas or sugar. Venezuela has also agreed to provide assistance in expanding shipping and refining facilities.
'In Venezuela, we have a strong oil card to play on the geopolitical stage, and we're going to play it clearly in the interests of regional integration,' Chavez told the daily Clarin newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.
'It is a card that we are going to play with toughness against the toughest country in the world (but governed by 'transparency and respect'). With the United States,' Chavez said.
He stressed that Venezuela's actions will always be governed by 'transparency and respect'.
Chavez, who has offered to invest US$5 Bn in a 'South American Development Bank', has also expressed disappointment with the South American trade summit, which produced a vague program with no start-up date.
“Although this report does show supplies to be adequate it makes in my opinion some extremely optimistic assumptions about gas and electricity imports, relying on untested infrastructure and untested magnitudes and similarly optimistic assumptions on CCGT electricity generation substitution.”Basically it's a back of an envelope calculation to see how the UK energy industry is falling headlong into energy importation and loss of energy security and with a tiny excess capacity - gone are the heady post war days when the fleets of coal fired stations were operating at 50-60% capacity.
Concerned about national energy security, as supplies of natural gas are set both to soar and arrive on these shores from Russia by pipeline and the Middle East by boat to as yet unbuilt LNG ports, the Government is handing over the future of the UK energy industry to EU based enterprises.
The Association of Electricity Producers, which speaks for E.On, RWE and EDF, confirmed it had a formal meeting with Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks in July. It is reported that they told Wicks: "The Government should make it clear it would welcome the construction of new nuclear power stations and then reduce obstacles to the development of new nuclear power."
British Energy, operator of the country's current 8 nuclear power stations, cannot build any new capacity due to EU regulation as a result of receiving state aid in their re-structuring. British Energy now financially re-engineered (the shares have doubled in the last 12 months) announced in early September that Dungeness (which took 18 years to build after a series of massive and hugely expensive cock-ups) will be kept open until 2018 which would allow it to continue making a "powerful contribution" to the UK's energy needs and would safeguard hundreds of jobs. It insisted the decision would not pave the way for further extensions at its other UK nuclear power stations. British Energy have successively extended the useful life of their plants (which collectively only operate at 75% load) beyond their initial design life.
"The Government needs to make up its mind on the issue of nuclear first, but security of supply - ensuring the lights stay on - is a key issue for us and our customers."
Earthquakes and active faults in northern Pakistan and adjacent parts of India and Afghanistan are the direct result of the Indian subcontinent moving northward at a rate of about 40 mm/yr (1.6 inches/yr) and colliding with the Eurasian continent. This collision is causing uplift that produces the highest mountain peaks in the world including the Himalayan, the Karakoram, the Pamir and the Hindu Kush ranges. As the Indian plate moves northward, it is being subducted or pushed beneath the Eurasian plate. Much of the compressional motion between these two colliding plates has been and continues to be accommodated by slip on a suite of major thrust faults that are at the Earth’s surface in the foothills of the mountains and dip northward beneath the ranges. These include the Main Frontal thrust, the Main Central thrust, the Main boundary thrust, and the Main Mantle thrust. These thrust faults have a sinuous trace as they arc across the foothills in northern India and into northern Pakistan. In detail, the modern active faults are actually a system of faults comprised of a number of individual fault traces. In the rugged mountainous terrain, it is difficult to identify and map all of the individual thrust faults, but the overall tectonic style of the modern deformation is clear in the area of the earthquake; north- and northeast-directed compression is producing thrust faulting. Near the town of Muzaffarabad, about 10 km southwest of the earthquake epicenter, active thrust faults that strike northwest-southeast have deformed and warped Pleistocene alluvial-fan surfaces into anticlinal ridges. The strike and dip direction of these thrust faults is compatible with the style of faulting indicated by the focal mechanism from the nearby M 7.6 earthquake. US Geological Survey. ©
On January 31st Tony Blair was in Manchester, UK and in answer to a reader of the Manchester Evening News, judged it an appropriate time to discuss nuclear power in public. The answer was published the following day. The Press / TV passed this historic moment by….."There has not been a nuclear moratorium - it's open to anyone to come up with new proposals," he said. "And you do not need legislation, just a level of commitment that makes new propositions economically feasible."
Nissan have unveiled Pivo, its imaginative electric concept car, in partnership with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at the company's Nissan Ginza Gallery in downtown Tokyo for the 39th Tokyo Motor show..
The three-seater (!) car is packed with “user-friendly technology”, 1. Nissan's Around View Monitor cuts blind spots by displaying the outside surroundings on LCD colour screens mounted either side of the windshield. No fuddy duddy old mirrors then. 2. A dash-mounted infrared (IR) commander allows the driver to operate the navigation and stereo systems with simple finger movements without letting go of the steering wheel. Whooooop de dooooo!!!. Finger controls !
Staff Sergeant, Jimmy Massey a former U.S. Marine with 12 years experience, alleges in his book, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" written with the French journalist Natasha Saulnier and published in Paris, France, that his battalion committed atrocities against Iraqi civilians during the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, including shooting unarmed protesters. He charges that US military training has created troops so desensitized to violence that battleground brutality in Iraq is rampant and has helped fuel the resistance seen there today."our only objective in Iraq is petrol and profits."
"Overall, we have to look at the (Bush) administration in terms of responsibility for the atrocities and the murder at the checkpoints," Massey said.
32 year old Lumber saleswoman Lorrie Heasley of Woodland, Wash., was returning with her husband from Disneyland on a SouthWest Airlines LA – Portland ,Ore and the flight was on stopover at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, halfway through Heasley's scheduled trip from Los Angeles to Portland, Ore."The Constitution only restricts the government," said Geoffrey R. Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago and the author of "Perilous Times: Free Speech in War Times."Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said several passengers complained about the shirt at Reno and she said Southwest rules (filed with the FAA) allow the airline to deny boarding to any passenger whose clothing is " “offensive, abusive, disorderly or violent or for clothing that is lewd, obscene, or patently offensive.”
Unless Congress passes a law forbidding airlines from removing passengers because of messages on their T-shirts, no statute has been violated, said Eugene Volokh, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.