July 2006 Archives
30 July 2006
More sudden acceleration
10 hurt when car slams into Starbucks' patio (AP)
An 85-year-old man who drove a car onto a patio at a Starbucks coffee shop and injured 10 people, two of them critically, isn't likely to face charges, police said Saturday.
"It sounds like it's just a simple mistake by an elderly man," said police Sgt. Richard Williams, adding he "seriously doubts" charges will be filed.
Police said Ted Kawashima was trying to park his white Toyota Camry in a handicapped spot at about 9 p.m. Friday when the car surged forward. The vehicle plowed across the patio and back into the parking lot, coming to rest on top of another car in this suburb 14 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Kawashima, who speaks only Japanese, told police through a translator that he was trying to step on the brake pedal when he hit the accelerator by mistake.
Doesn't the fool realize that he's supposed to claim "sudden acceleration syndrome" and hire a lawyer?
Driver slams into Starbucks coffee shop (Stephanie Guadian, KTRK-13)
Cleanup is underway at a Houston Starbucks after a driver ran right into the building. Despite the damage, things could have been much worse. The driver suffered minor injuries, while customers got a scare they won't soon forget.
Customer Ali Suleiman was inside the Starbucks. Ironically, he was reading a newspaper article about a similar accident that happened yesterday out west.
Driver creates drivethrough at
West Houston Starbucks!"I was reading that another accident happened in California where a man hit a Starbucks," he said. "I was reading it and then I heard a loud explosion. It sounded like a bomb. It scared me. I looked behind me and half the car was inside the Starbucks."
Paramedics treated the driver at the scene and then took him to a local hospital to be checked out. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured.
"I think he was trying to push the brakes and instead pushed the gas," said Laghnimi. "It is probably just a mistake."
It sounds like a textbook case of Sudden Acceleration Syndrome to me!
Vehicles do accelerate suddenly when drivers jam on the accelerator instead of the brake.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/30/06 23:17 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 July 2006
Please come back, Kornheiser and Wilbon!
Houston symphony to tackle music of NFL (David Barron, Houston Chronicle)
Finally, the next time Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are both absent from Pardon the Interruption, perhaps ESPN should explore alternate programming rather than pairing Dan Le Betard and Jason Whitlock. I'm thinking Playmakers reruns might be the way to go.
I like Le Betard fine, but Whitlock makes the show unwatchable.
Maybe they could pair Le Betard and Woody Paige (even if remote) the next time the big boys both leave. That could make for an interesting show.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/29/06 17:49 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Plumbing updated
This wouldn't really be worth a post, except I know some Nucleus users wind up here from time to time because I've posted in the past about fixes, plugins, and the like...
It may be useful for some readers to know I've changed over the plugin responsible for generating headlines from RSS feeds on the sidebar. The older NP_Newsfeed plugin was increasingly erratic, and seemed prone to certain PHP errors. The Nucleus community seems to prefer NP_RSSAtom these days, and it's been very reliable since I switched to it a week or so ago at blogHOUSTON. Now it's being used here, and seemingly working just fine.
So, keep on enjoying those links on the sidebar. Or whatever. They ought to be showing up with more reliability now.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/29/06 15:54 | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (4)
28 July 2006
No Justice at the Armadillo Palace
There's lots of good live music around town tonight for the Red Dirt/Texas/Americana fan.
I'm looking forward to skipping a few bigger names in favor of catching my Okie Red Dirt favorites, No Justice, over at the Armadillo Palace. If a sorta-country band with more rocking guitars and nice harmony vocals is your sort of thing, then these guys are highly recommended.
Bloggers, readers, or other interested parties are encouraged to drop in, listen to some good tunes, and buy me a beer. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/28/06 14:28 | Music | Technorati | Comments (4)
Galveston's having trouble with the fecal matter again
The Galveston County Daily News reports that the water around the island is a little... yucky right now:
Thousands visit Galveston County’s beaches annually, looking for fun in the sun and relaxation on the beach.
Regardless of whether they know it, swimmers at many area beaches have found something else, in the past few days — fecal bacteria.
Recent rains have washed animal feces and other waste into the waters surrounding the island and the Bolivar Peninsula. The higher-than-normal bacteria levels that result could pose a health risk to some.
The health district routinely checks 46 spots in Galveston and on the Bolivar Peninsula. Officials found high levels of bacteria at 27 of them.
Kurt Koopmann, public-information officer for the Galveston County Health District, said people with open sores or weakened immune systems should avoid the afflicted areas.
“Most healthy people will not be affected,” he said. “The worst case, for someone who consumes the water, might be a slight case of gastroenteritis.”
Ewwww.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/28/06 12:27 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (3)
27 July 2006
More sudden acceleration
We've had another possible case of Sudden Acceleration Syndrome:
Three people were injured when an elderly woman accidentally drove her car into a store Thursday morning.
It happened just before 10 a.m. at Sageglen and Sagehollow in southeast Houston.
The 77-year-old driver ran her car into Triple R Fabricators.
Houston police said two people were transported to Southwest Memorial Hermann with lacerations.
The driver was taken to the hospital by a family member to get checked out but seemed to be all right.
In the tv version, KHOU's report indicated that the woman mistook the accelerator for the brake, which is the case in most reported instances of Sudden Acceleration Syndrome.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/27/06 18:18 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (0)
26 July 2006
Things I Don't Need
During my daily read of Dealnews today, I ran across this iPod accessory. Here's the info from the merchant:
Now you can Enhance your Experience in any room with your favorite music with the iCarta iPod Toilet Paper Holder. Seen on the Drudge Report, the Daily Mail and more. Order today.Features:
- 4 Integrated high performance moisture-free speakers deliver exceptional clarity and high quality sound
- Charges your iPod while playing music
- Audio selector allows you to play iPod shuffle or other Audio device
- Integrated Bath tissue holder that can be easily folded as a stereo dock
- Requires AC Power (AC Adapter included)
- Easy to remove from Wall Mount
Are there really people who must be this plugged in to their music collection?
TMI ALERT (hey, it's a personal blog after all): Personally, I kind of like my experience in that room to be UNenhanced. The quiet is fine by me.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/26/06 12:13 | Tech | Technorati | Comments (3)
24 July 2006
One for the noodling files
Man Drowns While Noodling In Oklahoma County (AP)
A man died while noodling with five friends in a creek east of Edmond.
Edmond Police haven't identified the victim, who is described as a Hispanic male in his 30s.
Police say the men were noodling in a creek about 150 yards north of State Highway 66. Noodling is a practice that involves catching large catfish with bare hands.
Police say the men split up for a while, then found the victim submerged around 3 PM.
He was taken to an Edmond hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Were large quantities of liquor involved, or just stupidity of the sober variety?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/24/06 15:06 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)
21 July 2006
Raid
This new product from Raid looks VERY handy for fighting wasps and such.
But they blew the marketing/naming. They should have given it some ridiculous name, like the Raid Bazooka or something.
Raid Reach and Kill doesn't sound manly enough. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/21/06 20:30 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
The 2% Fore
Corruption Issue Comes to Fore (Jim VandeHei, WaPo)
Three months from the election, the political scandals in Washington are not resonating broadly as a major issue in a campaign dominated by Iraq and high gasoline prices. A series of public polls show corruption ranks near the bottom when voters are asked about the most important issues in this campaign. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll taken in May, 2 percent of voters listed ethics and corruption as their top concern.
That key excerpt really doesn't support the titillating headline.
The Democratic party hoped to nationalize the election with a "culture of corruption" meme, but that meme has utterly failed to take hold as corruption scandals have hit members of both parties.
Now, VandeHei is absolutely correct that individual pols may well suffer repercussions from bad behavior (a sensible, but hardly profound, conclusion). But if the Dems are really hoping to nationalize a Congressional election based on the Republican "culture of corruption," they're going to need to get that salience measure well above 2%, one would think. I'm still bearish on their chances of doing so.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/21/06 07:51 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
20 July 2006
From the "stupid party" files
Speaker Tom to get a new $1,000 john (Rick Casey, Houston Chronicle)
[T]here is one area in which state government is not pinched in penury.
It is an area of 1,960 square feet, situated in the Capitol adjacent to the chamber of the House of Representatives.
It is a two-bedroom apartment for the speaker of the House, the only such quarters in any U.S. state capitol.
While the rest of state government is being starved, privatized or both, Speaker Tom Craddick and his wife, Nadine, are planning a fabulous renovation of the [speaker's apartment].
In a letter seeking contributions, Mrs. Craddick said she wanted to make the apartment "grand in style as well as function."
If you want to donate, they are registered at Restoration Hardware.
Just kidding. But according to the Associated Press, documents containing a "wish list" for the renovation give a sense of the grand style:
•A $1,500 Whirlpool Duet washing machine touted as "designed for those who demand the finer things in life."
•A matching dryer at $850.
•A $14,700 range and $7,000 Sub-Zero freezer. In fairness, it's not clear if these appliances will be in the auxiliary kitchen, which is often used to feed House members when they are in session, usually for a few months every other year.
•A $1,300 custom glass shower door.
•A $1,500 bathtub.
•Two $1,000 toilets.
I don't believe I've ever seen a thousand-dollar toilet. I assume batteries are included.
Craddick's deal just looks bad, and will get no defense from me. As Orrin Judd might say, we conservatives tend to be the stupid party everywhere. This certainly qualifies.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/20/06 09:03 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (2)
19 July 2006
Crash
There was this lovely crash at the dangerous intersection of Richmond/Post Oak/610 that I snapped on the camera phone on my way back from a late lunch today.
It's going to ROCK when they lay the new Danger Train lines down that corridor!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/19/06 23:57 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)
18 July 2006
Dreads?
Slip-up reveals Bush and Blair's gossip secrets (Alec Russell, Telegraph)
It is the moment every politician dreads: the private conversation caught by the open microphone.
A chat between George W Bush and Tony Blair was recorded at yesterday's closing lunch at the G8 summit. As he munches on a bread roll Mr Bush confides:
"What they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over." It is unclear who "they" are.
Dreads?
Some of us can't help but wonder if Karl Rove flipped the switch on!
That said, I don't especially like hearing profanities from my President, Republican or Democrat.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/18/06 10:43 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
17 July 2006
Chirac: France is strong because France is France
What happened to France's joie de vivre? (Susan Sachs, Christian Science Monitor)
The unemployment rate is falling. Nine out of 10 teenagers tell pollsters that they are happy in home and at school. France is the world's fifth-largest economy, with one of Europe's biggest public sectors, where jobs are essentially guaranteed for life.
And at this very moment, millions of French families are at the seaside or in country homes enjoying their five weeks of paid vacation after working a 35-hour workweek the rest of the year.
So why are they so pessimistic about the state of their economy?
The answer, according to many French people, is fear.
"In France we don't believe in growth," wrote Jean-François Deniau, a member of the prestigious Academie Française, in the newspaper Le Figaro this week. "In the opinion polls the so-called market economy is rejected by two-thirds of the population, which dreams of closing the borders and splitting up the cake of work, employment guaranteed. It's fear."
President Jacques Chirac, now in the last year of his presidency, rails often against what he calls the "declinologues" of his country, using a word that does not appear in dictionaries but is immediately understood. France is strong, he has said, because France is, after all, France.
Yeah!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/17/06 23:20 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
14 July 2006
Dr. House is funny
I grabbed the above screencap from a House MD episode that I had saved on the ReplayTV and finally got around to watching earlier.
House was annoying his ex-wife in the airport, and she asked him if he had a book to read. Next segment, he's reading his book. Click on the image if the title is unclear.
House rocks.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 21:13 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
Jack made him do it
Montt says he was unaware of atrocities (Juan Carlos LLorca, AP)
A former Guatemalan dictator said a Spanish judge's order for his arrest was unfounded and insisted that as president he was not aware of any atrocities committed by military officials during the country's civil war.
"The army followed orders and the law," Efrain Rios Montt told a news conference Wednesday, four days after Spanish National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz issued warrants against him, Gen. Oscar Humberto Mejia Victores — also a former dictator — and six military officials on charges of genocide, torture, terrorism and illegal detention.
Human rights groups say Rios Montt and Mejia are responsible for some of the worst atrocities of Guatemala's 36-year civil war, which left 200,000 people dead before peace accords were signed in December 1996.
Rios Montt should blame Jack Abramoff and the Republican culture of corruption for his travails. Why not? :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 14:24 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
Civil war in Sao Paulo!
Crime wave in Brazil city enters 3rd day (Tales Azzoni, AP)
Gangs torched buses and attacked banks and police stations across South America's biggest city Thursday, deepening crime fears as a wave of rampant violence entered its third day.
At least six people have been killed in nearly 100 attacks on police and civilian targets since Tuesday night in what authorities believe is retaliation for a possible transfer of gang leaders to Brazil's first federal penitentiary.
Sao Paulo residents had trouble getting to work Thursday morning after several public transportation companies refused to dispatch buses out of fear of new attacks.
The violence comes two months after imprisoned leaders of the gang First Capital Command — known by its Portuguese initials PCC — ordered attacks against police across the city and Sao Paulo state, causing the deaths of nearly 200 police, prison guards, suspected criminals and jail inmates in one week.
If they keep this up, the intrepid Western media will be talking about Brazil being on the verge of civil war!
Oh wait, there's no way this can be blamed on the Bush Administration. Never mind. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 14:15 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
Jeb ought to at least get Transportation
Polish head swears in twin as PM (BBC News)
Polish President Lech Kaczynski has sworn in his identical twin brother, Jaroslaw, as prime minister.
The move comes a week after Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz resigned from the post following reports of a rift with Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
The development makes the Kaczynski brothers the world's only twins to hold the two highest posts in any country.
Mr Kaczynski's conservative government has to be approved in parliament. The vote is expected next week.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski leads the centre-right Law and Justice party, which won parliamentary elections last September.
It's very disappointing that a fellow member of the Axis of Good has trumped W this way. He ought at least to appoint Jeb to Transportation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 14:01 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
But... but... but his approval is in the 30s!
PBS board nomination raises eyebrows (LA Times, via Brothers Judd)
Less than a year after the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was forced to resign amid charges that he injected partisanship into the agency, President Bush has nominated a television sitcom producer who has described himself as "thoroughly conservative in ways that strike horror into the hearts of my Hollywood colleagues" to the nonprofit's board.
The nomination of Warren Bell, executive producer of ABC's "According to Jim" and a contributor to the online edition of the conservative National Review magazine, has raised fears he could revive the sharp political debate that engulfed the system last year.
Rumors of the President's political death have been greatly exaggerated. Maybe even misexaggerated.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 13:05 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
13 July 2006
Human nature, British edition
Blair's chief party fundraiser arrested (Adrian Croft, Reuters)
Lord Levy, the chief fundraiser for Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party, was arrested on Wednesday by police probing allegations that state awards had been given in return for cash.
The "cash-for-favors" row has dented Blair's standing in opinion polls and sparked calls for his resignation. The arrest of Blair's Middle East envoy, close friend and tennis partner makes the prime minister's position even more precarious.
Levy, who denied any wrongdoing and accused the police of using their arrest powers "totally unnecessarily," was later released on bail without charge pending further enquiries.
"It is damaging. It revives the sleaze story, one of Blair's many problems in recent months," said John Curtice, politics professor at Strathclyde University.
"The critical thing is Levy is quite close to Blair and the brutal truth is that Blair is wounded and the endgame is playing out. The more wounds there are, the sooner the end comes."
With or without this scandal, Blair will almost certainly ride off into the sunset within a year or so.
It may come as a shock to some people, though, that corruption in politics is not exclusive to the right or left, but rather seems more of a product of the nature of man and politics.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/13/06 10:27 | International | Technorati | Comments (1)
That one was hard to see coming
China to Block Vote Condemning N. Korea (Colum Lynch, WaPo)
China and Russia presented the U.N. Security Council Wednesday with a draft resolution that "strongly deplores" North Korea's July 4 missile tests. But it endorses only voluntary measures aimed at restraining Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.
The move threatens to head off a U.S.-backed effort to impose mandatory sanctions on North Korea, and places the United States, Japan and their European allies in the difficult position of having to offer concessions to secure Beijing's and Moscow's support or face a certain veto of their tougher sanctions resolution.
China's U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, confirmed Wednesday that he is prepared to veto a legally binding, U.S.-backed resolution that would condemn the missile tests, demand North Korea cease launching missiles, and ban trade in nuclear or missile technology with North Korea.
Okay, all you fans of diplomacy, what next?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/13/06 10:22 | International | Technorati | Comments (7)
Venezuela cuts US gasoline distribution
Venezuela to halt petrol supplies to 1,900 US filling stations (Andy Webb-Vidal, FT)
Venezuela's state-owned oil refining subsidiary in the US is to halt petrol distribution to about 1,900 filling stations in the US, although the company denied yesterday the decision was motivated by tensions between Caracas and Washington.
Citgo, which is wholly owned by Petróleos de Venezuela, said the decision to stop supplying some 15 per cent of its 13,100 US brand-bearing franchises had been taken for business reasons.
[snip]
"We are short [of] about 130,000 barrels a day of gasoline that's required to meet out customer obligations," he said. "We have to purchase that on the open market and that places us at a competitive disadvantage."
But the timing of the decision by Citgo, effectively run by the Venezuelan government, coincides with fresh diplomatic tensions between Venezuela and the US, as well as the start of the summer driving season. A senior Republican aide in Washington said yesterday: "This decision raises the question of whether Citgo is in fact having problems with its refining capabilities."
Given the politicization of every aspect of Venezuela's energy sector under Hugo Chavez, it wouldn't surprise if this were a political move. Then again, that same politicization could well be responsible for refining shortcomings. Neither possibility is especially encouraging.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/13/06 10:21 | International | Technorati | Comments (2)
11 July 2006
Ross Lence, RIP
We lost Dr. Lence today.
He had battled pancreatic cancer for a year.
Friend Tom Kirkendall has posted some thoughts on this remarkable man who taught so many of us.
May he rest in peace.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/11/06 15:27 | Other | Technorati |
Back
I'm back from a little trip to Canada.
Unfortunately, when I powered up the digital camera on the trip, it had died on me. Not completely, but it was incapable of imaging at all, instead just coming up with blurs. So no photos to post just yet. I'll have to get the film developed from a few disposable cameras I picked up along the way.
It looks like Houston is still intact. And steamy. Boy, is it steamy compared to the Canadian Rockies. :)
UPDATE: Apparently, some members of the reading-challenged community missed me while I was gone and didn't think my furl linkblogging was an adequate substitute. What can I say? I know some people have a man-crush on me, but sometimes a guy just has to get away for a few days. :)
UPDATE 2: Some people may not remember the old link blog I used to have, replete with sarcastic headlines. The technology of furl is more robust and useful, but the concept is similar. For those kids who have a crush on me but are too new to the medium to remember, feel free to go have a look around. The link blog was a lot of fun, back in the day!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/11/06 08:28 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
05 July 2006
Travel
I'll be travelling for the rest of the week, so posting here and at bH is going to be kind of light.
Maybe I'll post some photos if I have the time.
See ya'll on the other side.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/05/06 06:27 | Other | Technorati | Comments (7)
04 July 2006
Happy Birthday To Us
Happy Birthday, America.
Thanks to all of those who defend her, so that we can tap away on keyboards and watch baseball and fire up the grills and all sorts of other goodness.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/04/06 08:32 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
03 July 2006
Sixteen Years IS Kind Of A Long March
Myanmar's long march to civilian rule (Larry Jagan, Asia Times)
Myanmar's military rulers have begun a significant internal shakeup of the army and government in preparation for a planned political transition to civilian rule, according to Yangon-based diplomats.
Eight deputy ministers and a Supreme Court judge were recently relieved of their posts and several other cabinet changes are believed to be in the pipeline.
It is the start of a fresh attempt to turn Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) into a civilian body in preparation for the political change that will be ushered in under a new constitution, which is expected to be promulgated in the next two years.
Right. Good one.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections in 1990. Sixteen years later, that transition to civilian rule is moving kind of slowly.
It's nice that Larry Jagan was willing to serve as the press stooge for the junta.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/03/06 16:45 | International | Technorati | Comments (1)
India's Moment
Sri Lanka entering 'low-intensity' war (Matthew Rosenberg, AP)
Gunfire echoes nearly every night across the lagoon that rings this fishing town. Bodies turn up nearly every day in the jungles beyond, some riddled with bullets, others bound and gagged with a single shot to the head.
A year ago they called it a "Shadow War." Not anymore.
"Our war is again coming out in the open," said Tevanayagam, a 44-year-old fisherman, who like many here uses only one name.
Four years after a cease-fire raised hopes for peace between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lanka is teetering on the brink.
The brink of what remains the question.
Naval battles, suicide bombings and jungle clashes have once again become the norm on this tropical island that for two decades has been largely known for the ferocious ethnic struggle between its Hindu Tamil minority and its Buddhist Sinhalese majority.
Still, the government and Tigers insist they are abiding by the truce, even as they settle into a pattern of attack and retaliation, with plenty of saber-rattling in between.
A "low-intensity war" is the description favored by analysts and diplomats.
India's Sri Lankan predicament (Ethirajan Anbarasan, BBC News)
As events in Sri Lanka spiral out of control, India is facing calls from both sides in the conflict to get involved.
Norwegian mediation efforts are apparently struggling and there are fears that war in Sri Lanka could affect regional stability.
The resonance of ethnic conflict would be felt keenly in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where more than 60 million Tamils reside.
But Delhi remains wary of being dragged back into Sri Lanka's problems, having had its fingers badly burnt in the past.
In recent days, both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers have made overtures to India.
[snip]
India was the first country to list the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation in 1992.
Since then, India has pursued a hands-off policy in Sri Lanka's conflict. It has actively encouraged Norwegian mediation while carefully monitoring the situation on the ground.
With the current peace process deadlocked, the focus is now slowly shifting towards possible Indian involvement.
There's been quite a bit of talk in recent years of India getting a permanent U.N. Security Council seat. Taking the diplomatic lead on this worsening conflict in its own sphere of influence would certainly help India make its case in that regard.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/03/06 16:34 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
It's Not That Complicated
Maoist leader slams U.S. threat to cut aid (Agence France Presse)
The United States was undermining the peace process by threatening to cut 12 million dollars in aid funding if Nepal's rebels joined an interim government without first giving up arms, Maoist leader Prachanda said.
"I am not surprised with the comments of the American Ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty because he doesn't want peace in Nepal," the rebel leader told the state-run Rising Nepal newspaper on Sunday.
"He (Moriarty) seems very unhappy and restless over the recent political development and is trying to dismantle the harmony that is about to develop among the political parties," Prachanda, whose nom de guerre means the fierce one, said in an interview with the newspaper.
Moriarty said on Saturday that the US could halt aid if Maoists join the government without first renouncing violence and disarming.
He made the comments before leaving for Washington for talks with officials on Nepal, and after meeting with Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
"If the Maoists continue to use violence after they enter the government, our law says that we can't supply assistance to those who support a terrorist group. We have to consider them a terrorist group until they give up arms," Moriarty said, according to state-run Nepal television.
It's pretty simple -- if you want U.S. aid, give up your arms.
Leave it to the French news agency to lead with the rebel leader's whining, though.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/03/06 16:25 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)
02 July 2006
Self Help Is A Popular Religion These Days
Megachurches have wrong focus, black leaders say (Associated Press)
Prominent black leaders have denounced increasingly popular megachurches, saying many have abandoned Jesus' emphasis on social justice to preach a gospel of wealth and self-help.
The black leaders apparently were aiming their criticism at black "megachurches," but they might just as easily have been referring to the current occupant of The Summit/Compaq Center.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/02/06 16:46 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
01 July 2006
124 Stories!
Skyscraper Projects Booming in Chicago (Don Babwin, Associated Press)
In this city where the skyscraper was born, it is thriving like never before.
Luxury condominium towers and office buildings that climb 600 feet and more are sprouting up all over downtown. Along the Chicago River, the Trump International Hotel and Tower is inching its way up to a planned 92 stories.
Plans are in the works for a nearby 124-story skyscraper, the Fordham Spire, that would knock the Sears Tower from its perch as the tallest building in the United States.Since 2000, no fewer than 40 buildings at least 50 stories high have been built, are under construction or are being planned. It's a surge in high-rise construction that hasn't been seen here since the 1960s and 1970s when the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center and other buildings helped give the city one of the most distinctive skylines in the world.
And while there is a flurry of high-rise construction elsewhere in the United States, particularly in New York, Miami and Las Vegas, the tallest of the tall are going up in Chicago. Of the three tallest buildings under construction, two are here, according to Emporis, an independent research group that catalogues high rise construction around the world.
"Out my window there are two, three, four, five new high-rises under construction or just completed in the last year and a half, and they've just announced another 80-story building," said Jim Fenters, who has lived on the 51st floor of a 54-story building overlooking Grant Park since 1979. "It's just remarkable what's happened here."
Projects that would be headline news in other cities go all but unnoticed.
"The Waterview Tower, that project is 1,047 feet, taller than the Chrysler Building," Blair Kamin, the Chicago Tribune's Pulitzer Prize- winning architecture critic, said of one building under construction. "In any other city there would be endless conversations, (but) here a 1,000-foot tower is `Ho-hum, how are the Cubs doing?'"
One factor that has fed the construction frenzy is the attitude at City Hall. Chris Carley, developer of the Fordham Spire, remembers the time several years ago when proposals for high-rises would prompt city officials to ask about knocking off 10 or more floors.
Today, the official attitude is reversed.
Go get 'em Mayor Daley!
Here in Houston, we're leading the way with red-light cameras and wi-fi silliness.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/01/06 21:00 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)
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