Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Obama Compared to Carter.
You Choose, is Obama another Carter????
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Obama is a post turtle.
| YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE THIS RANCHER'S OUTLOOK & COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO LIFE...  While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who's hand was caught in the squeeze gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his role as our president. The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Obama is a 'Post Turtle.' Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him, what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle.' The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. "You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, he's elevated beyond his ability to function, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put him up there to begin with." |
WARNING RELEASED ABOUT DRINKING
You should know this......
WARNING RELEASED:
Vodka and ice will ruin your kidneys.
Rum and ice will ruin your liver.
Whiskey and ice will ruin your heart.
Gin and ice will ruin your brain.
Pepsi and ice will ruin your teeth.
Apparently ice is lethal!!!
Warn all your friends: Lay off the ice ~ Just drink it straight!!
Copy & paste this immediately. You could save a life!!!
And don't forget it also sunk the Titanic!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Obama in Minneapolis next week to address American Legion Convention.
President Obama will be back in town next week to speak to the American Legion convention. Jessica Mador of MPR writes: “But when he takes the podium, he'll be talking to a group that's endured the nation's economic downtown in a different way than most Americans impacted by the recession. A recent study by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress showed Minnesota has one of the highest rates of joblessness in the nation for post-Sept. 11 veterans. The report found that almost 22.9 percent of veterans who've served since the 2001 terrorist attacks are unemployed. That's more than three times the unemployment rate for civilians.” And we thank you for your service ...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
RAF bombed Sirte bunker of Gaddafi
RAF bombed Sirte bunker of Gaddafi
RAF jets attacked one of Gaddafi’s command and control bunker in Sirte last night, Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, has revealed. “We have information that there are some elements of the regime in Sirte. Where they are still continuing to wage war on the people of Libya, we will continue to degrade their military capabilities. The attack on the military bunker last night by the RAF was part of that.” The rebel National Transitional Council has today begun its transfer to the capital from its base in Benghazi as Tripoli, where hospitals are overwhelmed and food, water and fuel are running out, suffers in a power vacuum. But in a major boost for the rebels, the US has unfrozen $1.5 billion in Libyan assets after the United Nations overcame South African objections to the release of funds.
Man Eats 70-Year-Old Beef
Curious about whether meat ages like wine, a Swedish man cracked open a jar of brisket that that had been sealed for more than 70 years and took a large bite, reports Newser.
Eskil Carlsson’s parents-in-law had stored the beef during World War II. They wanted to preserve some meat in case rationing became dire.
When Carlsson found the jar 10 years later, “the family had developed respect for the jar, that it had stayed sealed. We talked about it from time to time and it became like a member of the family,” he says.
After Carlsson’s wife died this year, he decided the meat had waited long enough. Carlsson invited all of his neighbors to take a bit of the preserved beef.
So how did it taste? “It didn’t smell much,” he says. “I shouldn’t exaggerate though, it was no delicacy.”
Eskil Carlsson’s parents-in-law had stored the beef during World War II. They wanted to preserve some meat in case rationing became dire.
When Carlsson found the jar 10 years later, “the family had developed respect for the jar, that it had stayed sealed. We talked about it from time to time and it became like a member of the family,” he says.
After Carlsson’s wife died this year, he decided the meat had waited long enough. Carlsson invited all of his neighbors to take a bit of the preserved beef.
So how did it taste? “It didn’t smell much,” he says. “I shouldn’t exaggerate though, it was no delicacy.”
Angry Unions Sever Ties With Democrats, Obama
In a huge public blow to the electoral fortunes of both President Obama and the Democratic Party, the president of the AFL-CIO said Thursday that organized labor is preparing to ditch Democrats and go it alone in building up its own grassroots structure.
Specifically, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters that the nation’s largest labor federation will scale back their involvement with the Democratic Party in advance of the 2012 elections.
In 2008, unions spent over $400 million for Obama's election. Asked if the AFL’s move is a huge blow to Obama, Democratic pollster Doug Schoen told Newsmax.TV: “Absolutely. Obama needs to get labor back and I think he’ll be courting them furiously in the weeks and months to come."
While Trumka had nothing but scathing words for the tea party movement, he laid out a scenario that very much mirrored the tea party’s grassroots structure and its clout in the GOP. The vision is for big labor to wield the clout that it once had inside the Democratic Party and on the liberal end of the spectrum in American politics.
Trumka made it clear that his plan will cost the Democrats both contributions and labor volunteers in many districts almost immediately. That would cripple key Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts in many swing districts on Election Day.
“We’re going to use a lot of our money to build structures that work for working people” Trumka said, according to Politico.“You’re going to see us give less money to build structures for others, and more of our money will be used to build our own structure.”
Trumka’s remarks came after the news earlier this week that the AFL-CIO will set up a so-called super PAC to spend unlimited amounts of money on political activity for next year’s elections and beyond. Trumka confirmed Thursday that the union is moving forward with plans to create the PAC.
The AFL-CIO’s outside effort will help keep union-backed candidates more accountable for promises made on the campaign trail, Trumka said.“Let’s assume we spent $100 in the last election,” he said, explaining the union’s position.
“The day after Election Day, we were no stronger than we were the day before,” said Trumka. “If we had spent that [$100] on creating a structure for working people that would be there year round, then we are stronger.”
Trumka also said that many labor leaders are weighing whether to skip the party’s 2012 convention.
“There are some of our affiliates that aren’t going to participate,” said Trumka, speaking to reporters at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, “We’re still talking about it.”
Big labor’s problems with the Obama administration include outstanding issues like the failure to pass a union-backed card check bill that would ease organizing, as well as the administration’s support for free-trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama.
Trumka articulated a broader critique of the Obama administration, telling reporters that the president has allowed Republicans to set the terms of debate — focusing on what he called a manufactured debt crisis instead of a jobs agenda.
“I think he made a strategic mistake when he confused job crisis with deficit crisis,” Trumka said. “He started playing on the Republican ground.”
“He’s going to give a speech in a couple of weeks on job creation,” Trumka told reporters. “If he’s talking about another percent or two break from a tax here and doing something with patent control, and doing three years down the road something with infrastructure bank, that’s not going to get the job done.”
He called for more direct action.
“As we approach this Labor Day, our working-class people are looking for three things: jobs, jobs, jobs,” Trumka said.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Emergency 911 down in Charlottesville, call 434-977-9041
All 911 emergency telephone lines are down in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Anyone requiring emergency assistance should call 434-977-9041.
Earthquake felt across region
Earthquake felt across region: Event sends people scrambling for open areas.
Quake rocks Washington area, felt on East Coast
WASHINGTON — A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City.
The quake sent hundreds of people spilling into the street a block from the White House, with other buildings evacuated in North Carolina and tremors felt as far away as New York City.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.
Girl called mom as bear ate her
A teenage girl called her mother as a brown bear and three cubs ate her and her stepfather alive.
Olga Moskalyova, 19, made three calls to her mother, Tatiana, during the hourlong ordeal as the adult bear toyed with her before killing her.
"Mom, the bear is eating me! Mom, it's such agony," she screamed.
"I heard the real horror in Olga's voice and the bear chewing," Tatiana said.
The attack took place near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in eastern Siberia.
- NYPOST.com
Olga Moskalyova, 19, made three calls to her mother, Tatiana, during the hourlong ordeal as the adult bear toyed with her before killing her.
"Mom, the bear is eating me! Mom, it's such agony," she screamed.
"I heard the real horror in Olga's voice and the bear chewing," Tatiana said.
The attack took place near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in eastern Siberia.
- NYPOST.com
Monday, August 22, 2011
Brett Favre to the Colts???
Colts' owner Jim Irsay tweets he's in quarterback Brett Favre's hometown.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay posted on his Twitter account Sunday that he was in Brett Favre's hometown, but the quarterback's agent says he has not heard of any interest from the Colts.More on Favre and Colts
Libyan rebels race into heart of Tripoli; Gadhafi's defenses collapse
Libyan rebels raced into Tripoli in a lighting advance Sunday that met little resistance as Moammar Gadhafi's defenders melted away and his 40-year rule appeared to rapidly crumble.
By: Associated Press report, Associated Press
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan rebels raced into Tripoli in a lighting advance Sunday that met little resistance as Moammar Gadhafi's defenders melted away and his 40-year rule appeared to rapidly crumble. The euphoric fighters celebrated with residents of the capital in the city's main square, the symbolic heart of the regime.
Opposition fighters captured Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam. The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands said he would contact the rebels to discuss his handover for trial on charges of crimes against humanity.
Associated Press reporters with the rebels said the fighters rebels easily advanced 20 miles on Sunday from the west, took town after town — welcomed by residents — overwhelmed a major military base, then swept into the capital in a stunning turning of the tide in the 6-month-old Libyan civil war.
The fighters and Tripoli residents who support them flooded Green Square, shooting in the air in celebration, clapping and waving the rebels’ tri-color flag, according to television footage of the scene. Some set fire to the green flag of Gadhafi's regime and shot holes in a poster with his image.
“Now we don't call it the Green Square, but we call it the Martyrs Square,” said Nour Eddin Shatouni, a 50-year-old engineer who was among the residents who flowed out of their homes to join the celebrations. “We were waiting for the signal and it happened. All mosques chanted ‘God is great’ all at once. We smelled a good scent, it is the smell of victory. We know it is the time.”
Green Square holds profound symbolic value. The regime has held pro-Gadhafi rallies there nearly every night since the revolt began in February, and the historic Red Fort that overlooks the square is a favorite scenic spot for the Libyan leader to deliver speeches to his loyalists.
Thousands of Libyans also celebrated in the streets of Benghazi, the rebels’ de facto capital in the east. Firing guns into the air and shooting fireworks, they cheered and waved the rebel tricolor flags, dancing and singing in the city's main square.
Gadhafi's whereabouts Sunday were unknown. But he delivered a series of angry and defiant audio messages broadcast on state television, calling on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and “purify it” from “the rats.” He was not shown in the messages.
His defiance raised the possibility of a last-ditch fight over the capital, home to 2 million people. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim claimed the regime has “thousands and thousands of fighters” and vowed: “We will fight. We have whole cities on our sides. They are coming en masse to protect Tripoli to join the fight.”
But it appeared that key parts of Gadhafi's military were peeling away.
The rebels’ way into Tripoli was opened when the military unit in charge of protecting Gadhafi and the capital surrendered, with its leader ordering his troops to drop their weapons, the rebel information minister Mahmoud Shammam said.
In a sign of the coordination among rebels, as the main force moved into the city from the west, a second force of 200 opposition fighters from the city of Misrata further east landed by boat in the capital, bringing weapons and ammunition for Tripoli residents who join the rebellion, said Munir Ramzi of the rebels’ military council in Misrata.
The rebels’ speedy leap forward over just a few dramatic hours was a stunning reversal for Gadhafi, who earlier this month had seemed to have a firm grip on his stronghold in the western part of Libya, despite months of NATO airstrikes on his military. Rebels had been unable to make any advances for weeks, bogged down on the main fronts with regime troops in the east and center of the country.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Gadhafi's regime was “clearly crumbling” and that the time to create a new democratic Libya has arrived.
The sooner Gadhafi “realizes that he cannot win the battle against his own people, the better,” he said in a statement, adding that NATO will continue to strike his troops if they make “any threatening moves toward the Libyan people.”
Gadhafi is the Arab world's longest-ruling, most erratic, most grimly fascinating leader — presiding for 42 years over this North African desert republic with vast oil reserves and just 6 million people. For years, he was an international pariah blamed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. After years of denial, Gadhafi's Libya acknowledged responsibility, agreed to pay up to $10 million to relatives of each victim, and declared he would dismantle all weapons of mass destruction.
That eased him back into the international community.
But on February 22, days after the uprising against him began, Gaddafi gave a televised speech amid violent social unrest against his autocratic rule. In the speech, he vowed to hunt down protesters “inch by inch, room by room, home by home, alleyway by alleyway.” The speech caused a furor that fueled the armed rebellion against him and it has been since mocked in songs and spoofs across the Arab world.
The rebel force that moved toward Tripoli on Sunday, taking town after town, was greeted by thousands of jubilant civilians who rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with fighters shooting in the air. One man grabbed a rebel flag that had been draped over the hood of a slow-moving car and kissed it, overcome with emotion.
Some of the fighters were hoarse, shouting: “We are coming for you, frizz-head,” a mocking nickname for Gadhafi. In villages, mosque loudspeakers blared “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great.”
“We are going to sacrifice our lives for freedom,” said Nabil al-Ghowail, a 30-year-old dentist holding a rifle in the streets of Janzour, a suburb just six miles west of Tripoli. Heavy gunfire erupted nearby.
Once they reached Tripoli, the rebels took control of one neighborhood, Ghot Shaal, on the western edge of the city. They set up checkpoints as a convoy of more than 10 trucks rolled in to advance further into the city. Resistance was minimal, with rebels reporting occasional fire from snipers on rooftops.
Rebel chief Mustafa Abdel-Jalil in Benghazi confirmed to the AP that the rebels arrested Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam but refused to give the details of the capture.
“We have captured Seif al-Islam and he is in safe hands,” he said.
In the Netherlands, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said his office would talk to the rebels on Monday about Seif al-Islam's transfer for trial. “It is time for justice, not revenge,” Moreno-Ocampo told the AP.
Seif al-Islam, his father and Libya's intelligence chief were indicted earlier this year for allegedly ordering, planning and participating in illegal attacks on civilians in the early days of the violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
The day's first breakthrough came when hundreds of rebels fought their way into a major symbol of the Gadhafi regime — the base of the elite 32nd Brigade commanded by Gadhafi's son, Khamis. Fighters said they met with little resistance. They were 16 miles from the big prize, Tripoli.
Hundreds of rebels cheered wildly and danced as they took over the compound filled with eucalyptus trees, raising their tricolor from the front gate and tearing down a large billboard of Gadhafi. From a huge warehouse, they loaded their trucks with hundreds of crates of rockets, artillery shells and large-caliber ammunition.
One group started up a tank and drove it out of the gate, crushing the median of the main highway and driving off toward Tripoli.
“This is the wealth of the Libyan people that he was using against us,” said Ahmed al-Ajdal, 27, pointing to his haul. “Now we will use it against him and any other dictator who goes against the Libyan people.”
At the base, the rebels also freed more than 300 prisoners from a regime lockup, most of them arrested during the heavy crackdown on the uprising in towns west of Tripoli. The fighters and the prisoners — many looking weak and dazed and showing scars and bruises from beatings — embraced and wept with joy.
“We were sitting in our cells when all of a sudden we heard lots of gunfire and people yelling ‘God is great.’ We didn't know what was happening, and then we saw rebels running in and saying ‘We're on your side.’ And they let us out,” said 23-year-old Majid al-Hodeiri. He said he was captured four months ago by Gadhafi's forces crushing the uprising in his home city of Zawiya. He said he was beaten and tortured while under detention.
From the military base, the convoy sped toward the capital.
By: Associated Press report, Associated Press
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan rebels raced into Tripoli in a lighting advance Sunday that met little resistance as Moammar Gadhafi's defenders melted away and his 40-year rule appeared to rapidly crumble. The euphoric fighters celebrated with residents of the capital in the city's main square, the symbolic heart of the regime.
Opposition fighters captured Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam. The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands said he would contact the rebels to discuss his handover for trial on charges of crimes against humanity.
Associated Press reporters with the rebels said the fighters rebels easily advanced 20 miles on Sunday from the west, took town after town — welcomed by residents — overwhelmed a major military base, then swept into the capital in a stunning turning of the tide in the 6-month-old Libyan civil war.
The fighters and Tripoli residents who support them flooded Green Square, shooting in the air in celebration, clapping and waving the rebels’ tri-color flag, according to television footage of the scene. Some set fire to the green flag of Gadhafi's regime and shot holes in a poster with his image.
“Now we don't call it the Green Square, but we call it the Martyrs Square,” said Nour Eddin Shatouni, a 50-year-old engineer who was among the residents who flowed out of their homes to join the celebrations. “We were waiting for the signal and it happened. All mosques chanted ‘God is great’ all at once. We smelled a good scent, it is the smell of victory. We know it is the time.”
Green Square holds profound symbolic value. The regime has held pro-Gadhafi rallies there nearly every night since the revolt began in February, and the historic Red Fort that overlooks the square is a favorite scenic spot for the Libyan leader to deliver speeches to his loyalists.
Thousands of Libyans also celebrated in the streets of Benghazi, the rebels’ de facto capital in the east. Firing guns into the air and shooting fireworks, they cheered and waved the rebel tricolor flags, dancing and singing in the city's main square.
Gadhafi's whereabouts Sunday were unknown. But he delivered a series of angry and defiant audio messages broadcast on state television, calling on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and “purify it” from “the rats.” He was not shown in the messages.
His defiance raised the possibility of a last-ditch fight over the capital, home to 2 million people. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim claimed the regime has “thousands and thousands of fighters” and vowed: “We will fight. We have whole cities on our sides. They are coming en masse to protect Tripoli to join the fight.”
But it appeared that key parts of Gadhafi's military were peeling away.
The rebels’ way into Tripoli was opened when the military unit in charge of protecting Gadhafi and the capital surrendered, with its leader ordering his troops to drop their weapons, the rebel information minister Mahmoud Shammam said.
In a sign of the coordination among rebels, as the main force moved into the city from the west, a second force of 200 opposition fighters from the city of Misrata further east landed by boat in the capital, bringing weapons and ammunition for Tripoli residents who join the rebellion, said Munir Ramzi of the rebels’ military council in Misrata.
The rebels’ speedy leap forward over just a few dramatic hours was a stunning reversal for Gadhafi, who earlier this month had seemed to have a firm grip on his stronghold in the western part of Libya, despite months of NATO airstrikes on his military. Rebels had been unable to make any advances for weeks, bogged down on the main fronts with regime troops in the east and center of the country.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Gadhafi's regime was “clearly crumbling” and that the time to create a new democratic Libya has arrived.
The sooner Gadhafi “realizes that he cannot win the battle against his own people, the better,” he said in a statement, adding that NATO will continue to strike his troops if they make “any threatening moves toward the Libyan people.”
Gadhafi is the Arab world's longest-ruling, most erratic, most grimly fascinating leader — presiding for 42 years over this North African desert republic with vast oil reserves and just 6 million people. For years, he was an international pariah blamed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. After years of denial, Gadhafi's Libya acknowledged responsibility, agreed to pay up to $10 million to relatives of each victim, and declared he would dismantle all weapons of mass destruction.
That eased him back into the international community.
But on February 22, days after the uprising against him began, Gaddafi gave a televised speech amid violent social unrest against his autocratic rule. In the speech, he vowed to hunt down protesters “inch by inch, room by room, home by home, alleyway by alleyway.” The speech caused a furor that fueled the armed rebellion against him and it has been since mocked in songs and spoofs across the Arab world.
The rebel force that moved toward Tripoli on Sunday, taking town after town, was greeted by thousands of jubilant civilians who rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with fighters shooting in the air. One man grabbed a rebel flag that had been draped over the hood of a slow-moving car and kissed it, overcome with emotion.
Some of the fighters were hoarse, shouting: “We are coming for you, frizz-head,” a mocking nickname for Gadhafi. In villages, mosque loudspeakers blared “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great.”
“We are going to sacrifice our lives for freedom,” said Nabil al-Ghowail, a 30-year-old dentist holding a rifle in the streets of Janzour, a suburb just six miles west of Tripoli. Heavy gunfire erupted nearby.
Once they reached Tripoli, the rebels took control of one neighborhood, Ghot Shaal, on the western edge of the city. They set up checkpoints as a convoy of more than 10 trucks rolled in to advance further into the city. Resistance was minimal, with rebels reporting occasional fire from snipers on rooftops.
Rebel chief Mustafa Abdel-Jalil in Benghazi confirmed to the AP that the rebels arrested Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam but refused to give the details of the capture.
“We have captured Seif al-Islam and he is in safe hands,” he said.
In the Netherlands, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said his office would talk to the rebels on Monday about Seif al-Islam's transfer for trial. “It is time for justice, not revenge,” Moreno-Ocampo told the AP.
Seif al-Islam, his father and Libya's intelligence chief were indicted earlier this year for allegedly ordering, planning and participating in illegal attacks on civilians in the early days of the violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
The day's first breakthrough came when hundreds of rebels fought their way into a major symbol of the Gadhafi regime — the base of the elite 32nd Brigade commanded by Gadhafi's son, Khamis. Fighters said they met with little resistance. They were 16 miles from the big prize, Tripoli.
Hundreds of rebels cheered wildly and danced as they took over the compound filled with eucalyptus trees, raising their tricolor from the front gate and tearing down a large billboard of Gadhafi. From a huge warehouse, they loaded their trucks with hundreds of crates of rockets, artillery shells and large-caliber ammunition.
One group started up a tank and drove it out of the gate, crushing the median of the main highway and driving off toward Tripoli.
“This is the wealth of the Libyan people that he was using against us,” said Ahmed al-Ajdal, 27, pointing to his haul. “Now we will use it against him and any other dictator who goes against the Libyan people.”
At the base, the rebels also freed more than 300 prisoners from a regime lockup, most of them arrested during the heavy crackdown on the uprising in towns west of Tripoli. The fighters and the prisoners — many looking weak and dazed and showing scars and bruises from beatings — embraced and wept with joy.
“We were sitting in our cells when all of a sudden we heard lots of gunfire and people yelling ‘God is great.’ We didn't know what was happening, and then we saw rebels running in and saying ‘We're on your side.’ And they let us out,” said 23-year-old Majid al-Hodeiri. He said he was captured four months ago by Gadhafi's forces crushing the uprising in his home city of Zawiya. He said he was beaten and tortured while under detention.
From the military base, the convoy sped toward the capital.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Suspected Drone Crashes in Somali Capital
Security officials in Somalia say a drone crashed in the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, but they did not provide details about who was operating the unmanned aircraft.
Officials told VOA (Somali Service) the drone crashed into a house near the Libyan Embassy on Friday. The site is located in the city's southwestern Hodan district.
Authorities, who asked not to be identified, said African Union troops and an unidentified group of men took away the wreckage.
The United States is believed to operate drones in Somalia, where pro-government forces are battling members of the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab.
The U.S. has not publicly commented on reports that it uses drones to run reconnaissance missions in Somalia.
Al-Shabab recently withdrew from Mogadishu after a government offensive to push back militants and create a path for the flow of foreign aid to drought and famine victims. However, officials say some al-Shabab fighters are still in the city.
Al-Shabab has banned most foreign aid groups from operating in its strongholds.
The United Nations has declared five famine zones in Somalia; Most of those areas are under al-Shabab's control.
The Islamist militants are trying to overthrow Somalia's weak United Nations-backed government and impose strict Sharia law.
Officials told VOA (Somali Service) the drone crashed into a house near the Libyan Embassy on Friday. The site is located in the city's southwestern Hodan district.
Authorities, who asked not to be identified, said African Union troops and an unidentified group of men took away the wreckage.
The United States is believed to operate drones in Somalia, where pro-government forces are battling members of the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab.
The U.S. has not publicly commented on reports that it uses drones to run reconnaissance missions in Somalia.
Al-Shabab recently withdrew from Mogadishu after a government offensive to push back militants and create a path for the flow of foreign aid to drought and famine victims. However, officials say some al-Shabab fighters are still in the city.
Al-Shabab has banned most foreign aid groups from operating in its strongholds.
The United Nations has declared five famine zones in Somalia; Most of those areas are under al-Shabab's control.
The Islamist militants are trying to overthrow Somalia's weak United Nations-backed government and impose strict Sharia law.
Iran sentences American hikers to 8 years in jail
Report: Iran sentences American hikers to 8 years in jail
Iran's state TV is reporting that two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to 8 years in jail each on charges of espionage and illegal entry. One of the men is Minnesota native Shane Bauer.TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's state TV is reporting that two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to 8 years in jail each on charges of espionage and illegal entry.
Josh Fattal and Minnesota native Shane Bauer have been held since July 2009 after being taken into custody on the Iran-Iraq border. The two men and Bauer's fiancee, Sarah Shourd, who also was detained, have been accused of illegally crossing the border to spy. They deny the charges and claim they were only hiking in a scenic, mountainous area in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, near the Iranian border.
Shourd was released last year on $500,000 bail, and has said she won't return to Iran for trial.
The Iran state TV station's website said Bauer and Fattal, who are both 28, have been sentenced to three years each for illegal entry into Iran and five years each for spying for the United States. It's not clear if that includes time served.
They have 20 days to appeal the sentence.
Josh Fattal and Minnesota native Shane Bauer have been held since July 2009 after being taken into custody on the Iran-Iraq border. The two men and Bauer's fiancee, Sarah Shourd, who also was detained, have been accused of illegally crossing the border to spy. They deny the charges and claim they were only hiking in a scenic, mountainous area in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, near the Iranian border.
Shourd was released last year on $500,000 bail, and has said she won't return to Iran for trial.
The Iran state TV station's website said Bauer and Fattal, who are both 28, have been sentenced to three years each for illegal entry into Iran and five years each for spying for the United States. It's not clear if that includes time served.
They have 20 days to appeal the sentence.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Kulula Airlines Safety Lecture
Kulula is an African airline with its head office located in Johannesburg. Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight safety lecture and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
1. On a flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
2. On landing, a stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."
3. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
4. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. Whoa!"
5. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
6. From a Kulula employee: "Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
7. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
8. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."
9. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
10. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
11. From a pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
12. On a Kulula flight into Cape Town on a particularly windy and bumpy day, the captain really had to fight during the final approach. After an extremely hard landing, the flight attendant said, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
13. Another flight attendant's comment on a less-than-perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
14. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.
Finally, everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no, ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"
The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
15. After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
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