Cross Match Delivers Biometrics For “Snakes” In Iraq

The MV 100 offers in-the-field identity checks using a forensic quality fingerprint scanner, an integrated Personal Digital Assistant, a digital camera, a magnetic stripe card reader and wireless communications. The MV 100 uses the same optical technology found in Cross Match’s industry leading Verifier® fingerprint scanners capturing high quality fingerprint images regardless of skin pigment or the presence of stains from ink, dyes, grease, or dirt. Image Credit: Cross Match Technologies

Cross Match Delivers Biometrics For “Snakes” In Iraq

The military and police forces in Iraq have much in common with the police forces in major cities throughout the United States, especially those cities with organized gang activity.

For both efforts, quick field identification of suspected individuals who may be involved in illegal or deadly insurgent activity is a must in order to remove offending culprits.

At home, our police departments are provided full IT (information technology) tools, all of the way down to their patrol units, where the patrol officer can log-in and check available databases (many linked to nationwide networks) and have delivered to him all of the information he would need to make a proper assessment. Job done!

In Iraq, however, there does not exist the infrastructure to place all that equipment the average patrol car has but through technology, there is an answer.

The cornerstone to a database development system as well as a field tool that identifies people once the information has been captured is supplied by Cross Match Technologies. This portable tool combined with radio access to existing databases in Iraq may help the military and Iraqi security forces turn the tide in hunting down and stopping insurgent activity.

The Iraqi Army has a nickname for the “gang” of insurgents who seek to do harm to the citizens of Iraq – “Snakes”.

Excerpts from The Wall Street Journal’s Opinion Journal –

The Snake Eater
Give our troops the tools our cops have.
BY DANIEL HENNINGER, Deputy Editor – Editorial’s, The Wall Street Journal - Thursday, February 8, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

Subject:

A case study of how the U.S. got bogged down in Iraq.

Problem:

If a cop in Anytown, USA, pulls over a suspect, he checks the person's ID remotely from the squad car. He's linked to databases filled with Who's Who in the world of crime, killing and mayhem. In Iraq, there is nothing like that. When our troops and the Iraqi army enter a town, village or street, what they know about the local bad guys is pretty much in their heads, at best.

Solution:

Give our troops what our cops have. The Pentagon knows this. For reasons you can imagine, it hasn't happened.

This is a story of can-do in a no-can-do world, a story of how a Marine officer in Iraq, a small network-design company in California, a nonprofit troop-support group, a blogger and other undeterrable folk designed a handheld insurgent-identification device, built it, shipped it and deployed it in Anbar province. They did this in 30 days, from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15. Compared to standard operating procedure for Iraq, this is a nanosecond.

Before fastening our seatbelts, let's check the status quo. As a high Defense Department official told the Journal's editorial page, "We're trying to fight a major war with peacetime procurement rules." The department knows this is awful. Indeed, a program exists, the Automated Biometric Identification System: retina scans, facial matching and the like. The reality: This war is in year four, and the troops don't have it. Beyond Baghdad, the U.S. role has become less about killing insurgents than arresting the worst and isolating them from the population. Obviously it would help to have an electronic database of who the bad guys are, their friends, where they live, tribal affiliation--in short the insurgency's networks.
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Some, like Marine Maj. Owen West in Anbar, have created their own spreadsheets and PowerPoint programs, or use digital cameras to input the details of suspected insurgents. But no Iraq-wide software architecture exists.

Operating around the town of Khalidiya, north of Baghdad, Maj. West has been the leader of a team of nine U.S. soldiers advising an Iraqi brigade. This has been his second tour of duty in Iraq. When not fighting the Iraq war, he's an energy trader for Goldman Sachs in New York City.

It had become clear to him last fall that the Iraqi soldiers were becoming the area's cops. And that they needed modern police surveillance tools. To help the Iraqi army in Khalidiya do its job right, Maj. West needed that technology yesterday: He was scheduled to rotate back stateside in February--this month.

Since arriving in Iraq last year, Maj. West had worked with Spirit of America (SoA), the civilian troop-support group founded by Jim Hake. In early December, SoA's project director, Michele Redmond, asked Maj. West if there was any out-of-the-ordinary project they could help him with. And Maj. West said, Why yes, there is. He described to them the basic concept for a mobile, handheld fingerprinting device which Iraqi soldiers would use to assemble an insurgent database. Mr. Hake said his organization would contribute $30,000 to build a prototype and get it to Khalidiya. In New York, Goldman Sachs contributed $14,000 to the project.

Two problems. They needed to find someone who could assemble the device, and the unit had to be in Khalidiya by Jan. 15 to give Maj. West time to field-test it before he left in February.
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To build the device, they approached a small California company, Computer Deductions Inc., Its basic platform would be a handheld fingerprint workstation called the MV 100, made by Cross Match Technologies, a maker of biometric identity applications. The data collected by the MV 100 would be stored via Bluetooth in a hardened laptop made by GETAC, a California manufacturer. From Knowledge Computing Corp. of Arizona they used the COPLINK program, which creates a linked "map" of events. The laptop would sit in the troops' Humvee and the data sent from there to a laptop at outpost headquarters.

Regardless of whether a weapon system is wired or wireless, the biggest challenge facing any Military market is obtaining proper connection between weapons systems. Since reliability is a major factor under the toughest environment, only a rugged notebook such as the A790 can meet the challenge. The A790 can be modified to be equipped with special interface cards in its expansion bay allowing it to receive and transmit data between systems. Image Credit: GETAC, Inc.

Meanwhile, SoA began to think about how they'd get the package to Maj. West by Jan. 15. They likely would have less than seven days transit time after CDI finished.
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This meant finding someone who could get into Iraq quickly.

The someone was Bill Roggio. Mr. Roggio is a former army signalman and infantryman who now embeds with the troops and writes about it on his blog, the Fourth Rail, or for the SoA Web site. He was at home in New Jersey, about to celebrate his birthday with his family. He agreed to fly the MV 100 to Iraq as soon as it was ready, in conjunction with an embed trip. With SoA's Michele Redmond, he started working out the logistics for getting to Iraq ASAP.
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And so, a month from inception, Bill Roggio handed the electronic identification kit to Maj. West.

Fingerprinting and photographing the bad guys. Database development and identification in the field. Image Credit: U.S. Marines, The Iraqi Army via Opinion Journal

On the night of Jan. 20, Maj. West, his Marine squad and the "jundi" (Iraq army soldiers) took the MV 100 and laptop on patrol. Their term of endearment for the insurgents is "snakes." So of course the MV 100 became the Snake Eater. The next day Maj. West emailed the U.S. team digital photos of Iraqi soldiers fingerprinting suspects with the Snake Eater. "It's one night old and the town is abuzz," he said. "I think we have a chance to tip this city over now." A rumor quickly spread that the Iraqi army was implanting GPS chips in insurgents' thumbs.

Over the past 10 days, Maj. West has had chance encounters with two Marine superiors--Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, who commands the 30,000 joint forces in Anbar, and Brig. Gen. Robert Neller, deputy commanding general of operations in Iraq. He showed them the mobile ID database device.

I asked Gen. Neller by email on Tuesday what the status of these technologies is now. He replied that they're receiving advanced biometric equipment, "like the device being employed by Maj. West." He said "in the near future" they will begin to network such devices to share databases more broadly: "Bottom line: The requirement for networking our biometric capability is a priority of this organization."

As he departs, Maj. West reflected on winning at street level: "We're fixated on the enemy, but the enemy is fixated on the people. They know which families are apostates, which houses are safe for the night, which boys are vulnerable to corruption or kidnapping. The enemy's population collection effort far outstrips ours.

The Snake Eater will change that, and fast." You have to believe he's got this right. It will only happen, though, if someone above his pay grade blows away the killing habits of peacetime procurement.
Read All>>

Glenn Reynolds has a book titled "An Army Of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower the Little Guy to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths" where it outlines the strength and power of independent effort, the new media, and how, in today's technological world, things get done.

This story and its success illustrates the power of an army of davids!

Survivor Fiji - The Real World Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

Fijian military commander Frank Bainimarama warned that his troops would not tolerate dissent against his regime. Image Credit: AP

Survivor Fiji - The Real World Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

Back in early December 2006, the military commander of Fiji decided that the legally elected Government of Fiji wasn’t handling affaires to his liking – so, he ordered the military to take over the Government and oust the Prime Minister.

Since this event, Fiji’s economy has plummeted, the country has been suspended from its participation in networking trade organizations, and the coup has been roundly rejected by the United Nations and Fiji’s neighbors.

The Commander, Frank Bainimarama, finds himself in a real life “Survivor Fiji” as he navigates his effort to run the country as he sees fit.

"He (Bainimarama) doesn't have the support of the government, of the president, of the police, of the churches, of the chiefs, of the people of Fiji," Mr Andrew Hughes, former Fijian police commissioner told ABC television (in a December 5th interview) . "And I can foresee a popular uprising.”

His prediction was that Fiji’s fourth coup in 20 years would collapse under a popular uprising and divisions within military ranks.

On the eve of the popular reality TV series “Survivor” (which has its premiere tonight on CBS, 8pm et/pt), this latest edition from Fiji may pale in comparison to the real life survivor saga - the coup in Fiji.

And now this from from Radio New Zealand -

Fiji coup leader told to heed other dictators' fate
Radio New Zealand - Posted at 2:16pm on 08 Feb 2007

A Fiji democracy activist who is in hiding says President Ratu Josefa Iloilo and the interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, should not believe that they are immune from prosecution.

A ceremonial guard is backed by an armed Fijian soldier at the entrance to Government House in Suva Sunday, Dec. 3, 2006. The military commander Frank Bainimarama and Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase have been locked in a power struggle that appears to be heading towards a military coup. Image Credit: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

Laisa Digitaki has told the Fijilive news website that continuing human rights violations could very well become the main cause of the interim regime's downfall if they are not careful.

She made the statement in response to a letter by Human Rights Watch to President Iloilo and Commodore Bainimarama raising concerns about alleged human rights violations in Fiji.

Ms Digitaki says Human Rights Watch was behind the successful prosecution of the former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, for crimes against humanity committed on his own people.

She says the two Fiji leaders should remember that the precedent has been set.

Ms Digitaki says she is currently in hiding from the military which claims she has made statements inciting people against the interim administration.
Reference Here>>

Additional Fiji Coup Photos>>

Love's Embrace

A pair of human skeletons lie in an eternal embrace at an Neolithic archaeological dig site near Mantova, Italy, in this photo released February 6, 2007. Archaeologists in northern Italy believe the couple was buried 5,000-6,000 years ago, their arms still wrapped around each other in a hug that has lasted millennia. Image Credit: REUTERS/Enrico Pajello/Handout (ITALY)

Love's Embrace

Sometimes, it is just great to take a moment and reflect on what's good about emotions in a human life ... when it all seems to be working out ... to the end!

This from Reuters via Yahoo! News -

Eternal embrace?
Couple still hugging 5,000 years on
Reuters - Tue Feb 6, 1:28 PM ET

ROME - Call it the eternal embrace.

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.

"It's an extraordinary case," said Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.

"There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging -- and they really are hugging."

Menotti said she believed the two, almost certainly a man and a woman although that needs to be confirmed, died young because their teeth were mostly intact and not worn down.

"I must say that when we discovered it, we all became very excited. I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites," she told Reuters.

"But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."

A laboratory will now try to determine the couple's age at the time of death and how long they had been buried.
Reference Here>>

Let us just say it straight up --- This apparent love story about the potential of human emotion is better than the one that features an astronaut, disposable diapers, a 900 mile drive, pepper spray (which she used), a wig, a trench coat, a BB gun, a mallet, some rubber tubing, and plastic trash bags all of which surround what happens when human emotions go wildly out-of-control right now!!!

At MAXINE, we title the episode that featured a female astronaut (Lisa Nowak - pronounced 'no whack') driving across country to attack and possibly scare/kidnap/kill her rival over a mutual love interest --- "Nowak ... Just Spray".

The only thing eternal about this stunt is how an accomplished female astronaut of 43 years of age, with three kids, and a husband of 19 years, will be remembered.

The True Cost Of Improper Communication - Post 9/11

Cartoon Network Animation Center, Burbank, California. Image Credit: Burbank.com

The True Cost Of Improper Communication - Post 9/11

WE, at MAXINE, can see it all now, in the boardroom of Turner Broadcasting ... "Guerilla Marketing - it's a way to create tremendous BUZZ without having to pay a lot of money for billboards, or get all wrapped up in government approvals and/or permits."

"Look, we have been able to fly-under-the-radar on many projects and we are very successful!"

"Yes!, that's right, we will make up these LED cartoon light boxes from black plexi-glass, power them with batteries - and save the power of the batteries with light sensors placed next to the batteries, attach magnets on the back of them, and mount them (in the middle of the night) in high traffic areas so that as many people as possible can see them at night as they drive, or walk, from place to place."

"We will use the cartoon character that is known for 'Flipping-Off' people and things as part of its persona."

Electronic devices placed in Boston and nearby communities were an ad for Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The devices were feared to be bombs and parts of the city were shut down. Image Credit: Todd Vanderlin/Associated Press

Sure, we can get enough BUZZ (media attention) before the late March release date of the feature length cartoon film.

News item from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation –

$2 million US settlement in Boston TV ad bomb hoax
Last Updated: Monday, February 5, 2007 1:07 PM ET - CBC Arts

Turner Broadcasting Systems and ad firm Interference Inc. have agreed to pay $2 million US in the wake of an ad campaign that caused a widespread bomb scare across Boston last week.

The two companies agreed to pay several state and local agencies to resolve any potential civil or criminal claims against them, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said Monday.

"Money" - Image Credit: United Press International

Public areas in Boston were evacuated and bomb squads responded last Wednesday after three dozen blinking electronic signs were found in subway stations, on bridges and in other public places.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were studying the devices before authorities declared they were harmless.

Blossom (PowerPuff Girls) Avitar. Image Credit: The Cartoon Network

The devices, featuring a boxy cartoon character giving an obscene hand gesture, were part of a publicity campaign for Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

They were distributed in nine other big U.S. cities in recent weeks, without causing the same consternation.

Buttercup (PowerPuff Girls) Avitar. Image Credit: The Cartoon Network

As part of the settlement, $1 million US will be used to reimburse the agencies and $1 million US will be used to fund homeland security and other programs.

"Last week's events caused a major disruption in the greater Boston area on many levels — crippling public transportation, causing serious traffic problems, negatively affecting local businesses and perhaps most significantly, costing Boston and surrounding communities thousands of dollars," Coakley said.

Bubbles (PowerPuff Girls) Avitar. Image Credit: The Cartoon Network

Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting, the division of Time Warner Inc. that owns the Cartoon Network, and Interference Inc., the New York ad firm that conceived the campaign, have agreed to make a public apology.

Turner issued an early mea culpa Friday in full-page ads that appeared in Boston newspapers.

However, Coakley criticized the broadcaster for taking five hours to notify police that the devices were part of an ad campaign.

In an effort to ward off lawsuits, Interference issued a statement over the weekend saying it contacted Turner and authorities as soon as it heard of the chaos caused by the devices.
Read All>>

Now Turner Broadcasting is having to take money out of the mouths of, well ... PowerPuff Girls.

UPDATE:

Excerpts from CNNMoney -

Cartoon Network boss quits over bomb scare
Jim Samples is taking the fall for the marketing debacle at Turner Broadcasting.
By CNN's Katy Byron and CNNMoney.com's Rob Kelley - February 9 2007: 3:17 PM EST

In a letter to employees, Jim Samples, the general manager and executive vice president of the network, wrote: "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch."

Turner Broadcasting System and Interference Inc. agreed to pay $2 million to make amends for last Wednesday's bomb scare in Boston, the Massachusetts attorney general said Monday. TBS is the parent of the Cartoon Network, which initiated the marketing scheme. CNN, CNNMoney.com and TBS are all owned by Time Warner Inc. (Charts), the world's largest media company.

Samples had been with Atlanta-based Cartoon Network for 13 years.
Reference Here>>

Tick, Tick, Tick - The 'Bloody' H5n1 Virus Has Hit Britain

On farms, Turkeys are raised and kept where each bird is given approximately 3 square feet of space. Image Credit: Farm Sanctuary

Tick, Tick, Tick - The 'Bloody' H5n1 Virus Has Hit Britain

In a first time ever attack, the H5n1 virus has found its way to England.

This infection has health experts confused as to how the virus arrived on this island land mass. It is too early for the wild birds to be migrating this far north, however, the strain seems similar to the strains found in Hungary last month and France about one year ago.

Also yesterday, the World Health Organization has confirmed the first human infection and death to be attributed to the H5N1 virus in Nigeria. Nigeria has confirmed that several other people are now sick with the virus and officials are watching to see what else develops.

Excerpts from The Washington Times –

Britons strive to contain bird flu
Washington Times - February 4, 2007 - From combined dispatches

HOLTON, England -- Britain scrambled to contain its first outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in domestic poultry yesterday after the virus was found at a farm run by Europe's biggest turkey producer.

About 2,500 turkeys have died since Thursday at the Bernard Matthews farm near Lowestoft in eastern England. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said all 159,000 turkeys on the farm would be culled.

"We're in new territory," National Farmers' Union Poultry Board Chairman Charles Bourns said. "We've every confidence in DEFRA, but until we know how this disease arrived, this is a very apprehensive time for all poultry farmers."

The virus strain was identified as the highly pathogenic Asian strain, similar to a virus found in Hungary in January, DEFRA said.

It was the first time the deadly H5N1 strain was found on a British farm.

The entrance to the Bernard Mathews food processing factory being disinfected yesterday against the transmission of avian flu at Holton in Suffolk. Image Credit: Gulf Times - Doha, Qatar
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The strain tends to be transmitted to poultry by infected migrating wildfowl.

The disease has killed at least 164 persons worldwide since 2003, most of them in Asia, and more than 200 million birds have died from it, or been killed to prevent its spread.

But it has not yet fulfilled scientists' worst fears by mutating into a form that can be easily transmitted between humans and possibly cause a global pandemic.

Avian-flu specialist Colin Butter of the Institute of Animal Health said the British outbreak was surprising as it had happened outside the main bird-migration period.

"The next thing we need to know is if this is a primary or secondary case. If this is a secondary case, it is much more serious. If this is the first case, or 'reference case,' and we can stamp it out, the outbreak will be controlled," he said.

A protection zone was established with a radius of 2 miles and a surveillance zone of 6 miles around the infected farm. Bird-related gatherings, such as bird shows and pigeon racing, were suspended nationwide.
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Britain's poultry industry is worth $6.7 billion, with 800 million birds produced each year.

In May [2006], 50,000 chickens at three farms in Norfolk, also in eastern England and home to some of Europe's biggest poultry farms, were culled after another strain, H7N3, was detected.

A wild swan found dead in Scotland in March [2006] had the H5N1 version of the virus. It was thought to have caught the disease elsewhere, died at sea and been washed ashore in Scotland.
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Experts stressed the situation did not pose a public health threat, and that eating well-cooked poultry products posed no risk. However, close contact with sick birds, such as in slaughtering or plucking, could lead to transmission of the disease.
Read All>> (free subscription)

UPDATE (2-12-2007):

British officials believe they have found the source of this outbreak of H5N1 in turkeys and further find that they are powerless to do anything about it.

Excerpts from Telegraph Media Group Limited (UK) -

Britain is powerless to stop turkey imports
By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor and Charles Clover, Environment Editor, Telegraph - Last Updated: 2:31am GMT 12/02/2007

The Government was yesterday forced to defend its decision not to ban imports of turkey from Hungary as farmers' leaders demanded an urgent review of the movement of meat into Britain.

David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, said Britain was powerless to block imports under European law, despite concerns that the infection could have reached the UK from Eastern Europe.

His comments came as Bernard Matthews, the company at the centre of the scare, admitted that it had imported meat from a supplier just a few miles from a restricted area where the lethal disease was found in farmed geese last month.

The geese farm in Hungary that was hit by the H5N1 strain of bird flu and has been linked to the outbreak in Britain. Image Credit: Reuters

Last night it was claimed that six lorry-loads of turkey meat from inside the restriction zone in Britain had left for Europe in the last few days. Channel 4 News said the consignment had left with the full knowledge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union heaped pressure on the Government, calling on it to review the laws on banning meat imports.

Government scientists are continuing to investigate the cause of the outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews plant in Holton, Suffolk, two weeks ago.

They are concerned that the outbreak was linked to turkey meat brought to Britain from Hungary — a country badly hit by bird flu.
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Yesterday, there were reports that the Bernard Matthews company was still importing turkey meat from Hungary three days after the bird flu outbreak in Suffolk was confirmed.

Defra said the importation of 20 tons of meat was "perfectly legal" as it came from outside a restriction zone around the infected site in Hungary. "To ban imports would be illegal, unnecessary and vastly disproportionate," a spokesman said.

"It would invite retaliation from other member states, which would have a devastating impact on the UK's food and farming industry."

Last night Bernard Matthews defended sending turkey meat from the Holton plant to Hungary, after the restriction zone was imposed.

"Bernard Matthews can confirm that it imports meat from Hungary and exports it to Hungary as well," the company said in a statement. "All these imports and exports are regulated and Bernard Matthews adheres strictly to all the regulations."

Mr Miliband said import bans would breach European Union rules.

He added that it was now clear that there had been "a bio-security lapse" at the Suffolk factory farm that allowed contamination to get from a processing plant into the sheds housing live birds.

Mr Miliband told BBC1's Sunday AM that he would have imposed a ban on imports from Hungary if vets had told him that this was a "sensible" step to protect public health.
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Bart Dalla Mura, the firm's commercial director, said Saga Foods, the company's Hungarian subsidiary, sent meat to Britain from third-party suppliers all over Hungary, including an abattoir and processing plant in -Kecskemet in the south owned by Galfood.

This plant is near to the area where there was an outbreak of H5N1 last month in domestic geese. Mr Dalla Mura said: "Bernard Matthews can confirm that it uses the certified and regulated site in Kecskemet owned by Galfood. "Our information is that Galfood in Kecskemet is a turkey abattoir and processing site, and it does not slaughter or process geese at that site."

Mr Dalla Mura said the Suffolk plant imported about 38 tons of meat a week from Hungary but this would have to have been documented and registered as from outside the regulated area. He added that there were still no reports of the disease being found in Hungarian turkeys.

Peter Ainsworth, the Conservative spokesman for rural affairs, said the Government should have got a voluntary ban from Bernard Matthews on imports "much earlier than happened". Farmers renewed their calls for a review of import rules. Kevin Pearce, of the National Farmers Union, said: "At the moment it would be illegal to ban them, but if there was shown to be a risk to animal or human health, we need to act."

There are signs of a consumer backlash against turkey. Sainsbury's said sales of poultry were down 10 per cent. Somerfield reported a small dip.
Read All>>

Equality Shows Itself In Many Forms

"What are you lookin'at?" --- The Arctic habitat of polar bears is under threat as climate change - [thank GOD this caption did not go with the less provable phrase, Global Warming, which has a politically monied connotation and edge to it]- causes ice to melt. Image Credit: Joseph Napaaqtuq Sage/AP

Equality Shows Itself In Many Forms

Here is an item that might warm your heart and cause the brain cells to spin.

The following story goes into detail as to how some scientists are offered "cash" to dispute the United Nations supported climate study.

At MAXINE, the first thing that leaps to mind is an educational system infrastructure where scientists and educators are awarded grants to "study" the cause and effect of climate and change by bureaucracies and politicians who are able to use government monies to influence and sustain the power they naturally have. Government money is collected, lobbied for by interested parties, assigned to niche programs, and fed to educational research and study programs.

So what is wrong with a little "equal" time and influence in the development of a study or message ... after all, who pays the scientists at the capitalist system-hating United Nations and what is in "IT" for them? The ego, prestige, and political control exerted through international agreements like --- Kyoto, do ya' think?

Fair & Balanced is what we like to see at MAXINE!

Excerpts from The Guardian (UK) –

Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study
Ian Sample, science correspondent - The Guardian - Friday February 2, 2007

Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world's largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today.

Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Travel expenses and additional payments were also offered.

The UN report was written by international experts and is widely regarded as the most comprehensive review yet of climate change science. It will underpin international negotiations on new emissions targets to succeed the Kyoto agreement, the first phase of which expires in 2012. World governments were given a draft last year and invited to comment.

The AEI has received more than $1.6m from ExxonMobil and more than 20 of its staff have worked as consultants to the Bush administration. Lee Raymond, a former head of ExxonMobil, is the vice-chairman of AEI's board of trustees.

The letters, sent to scientists in Britain, the US and elsewhere, attack the UN's panel as "resistant to reasonable criticism and dissent and prone to summary conclusions that are poorly supported by the analytical work" and ask for essays that "thoughtfully explore the limitations of climate model outputs".

Climate scientists described the move yesterday as an attempt to cast doubt over the "overwhelming scientific evidence" on global warming. "It's a desperate attempt by an organisation who wants to distort science for their own political aims," said David Viner of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.

"The IPCC process is probably the most thorough and open review undertaken in any discipline. This undermines the confidence of the public in the scientific community and the ability of governments to take on sound scientific advice," he said.
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"Right now, the whole debate is polarised," he said. "One group says that anyone with any doubts whatsoever are deniers and the other group is saying that anyone who wants to take action is alarmist. We don't think that approach has a lot of utility for intelligent policy."
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Ben Stewart of Greenpeace said: "The AEI is more than just a thinktank, it functions as the Bush administration's intellectual Cosa Nostra. They are White House surrogates in the last throes of their campaign of climate change denial. They lost on the science; they lost on the moral case for action. All they've got left is a suitcase full of cash."

On Monday, another Exxon-funded organisation based in Canada will launch a review in London which casts doubt on the IPCC report. Among its authors are Tad Murty, a former scientist who believes human activity makes no contribution to global warming. Confirmed VIPs attending include Nigel Lawson and David Bellamy, who believes there is no link between burning fossil fuels and global warming.
Read All>>

So there you have it, the authoritative and balanced voice of Greenpeace states "The AEI ... functions as the Bush administration's intellectual Cosa Nostra. They are White House surrogates in the last throes of their campaign of climate change denial. They lost on the science; they lost on the moral case for action. All they've got left is a suitcase full of cash."

At this moment, the UN has lost on the debate as to who isn't on the take!

Have we (the world) already forgotten the unimaginable torts and betrayal found in the "Oil-For-Food" program negotiated and managed by the United Nations over this last decade?

Isn't the funding by the UN of a scientific report, that promotes an international agreement, that the United Nations would be tasked in managing, just a little suspect?

At MAXINE, we are just askin' questions.

Additional background information about Kyoto and a reaction from China about the report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

When A Good Ad Campaign Goes Bad - Really Bad

Dismantled "Ignignokt" LED light box picturered here sporting gesture. Image Credit: Associated Press

When A Good Ad Campaign Goes Bad - Really Bad

WITH UPDATED MATERIAL - At Bottom of posting

It is strange, in this day and age (post 9/11/2001), that any effort that uses the public square and other public property “commons” area does not factor in the calculation for acts of terror and/or the perceived value that the act may look like one.

Excerpted from the Associated Press –

Boston officials livid over ad stunt
By KEN MAGUIRE, Associated Press Writer - 01 February, 2007

BOSTON - A quirky publicity campaign for a late-night cartoon show generated far more attention than was intended when a slew of blinking electronic signs prompted fears of terrorism and the deployment of bomb squads.

The 1-foot tall signs adorning bridges and other high-profile spots had hanging wires and batteries. Most depicted a boxy, cartoon character giving passersby the finger - a more obvious sight when darkness fell.

They arrested two men who put up the electronic promotions and vowed to hold Turner accountable for what Mayor Thomas Menino said was "corporate greed," that led to at least $500,000 in police costs.

Turner said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia. As soon as the company realized the Boston problem, it said, law enforcement officials were told of their locations in all 10 cities.
----
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23.

The cartoon also includes two trouble-making, 1980s-graphic-like characters called "mooninites," named Ignignokt and Err - who were pictured on the suspicious devices. They are known for making the obscene hand gesture depicted on the devices.
Read All>>

This video screen grab shows Massachucetts State Police disabling an “Ignignokt” LED light box that was part of the 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' cartoon publicity campaign posted around Boston Jan. 31, 2006. The campaign caused a security scare. Image Credit: Screen grab from CBS 4 Boston

Ok, ok!

The black light boxes, at first glance, look like a potential bomb. Obviously, these devices were mounted on government/public property without notice or the apparent necessary approvals through the appropriate agencies.

About the only positive result for Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, is that people are talking about the stunt.

Some say bad publicity is better than no publicity at all, but I am willing to guess that some executive at The Cartoon Network is sketching himself an “out” (a trap door, maybe?) right about now!

Boston area police bomb squad member dismantling “Ignignokt” LED light box from street sign structure. Image Credit: Reuters

This from the Telegraph Media Group Limited (UK) -

Cartoon ad campaign ignites bomb scare
By Tim Hall - Last Updated: 10:55am GMT 01/02/2007

A terrorist scare that caused roads, bridges and part of a river to be closed off was sparked by an advertising campaign for a cartoon, it was revealed today.

Police received multiple reports of suspect packages in and around the city of Boston. One of the objects, which authorities said looked like circuit boards with wires hanging out, was found in a subway station. Police closed the station and the road above before blowing up the object during the day-long scare.

Another of the packages was seen on a bridge above Charles River, prompting the police to shut the bridge and a stretch of the river, causing huge traffic tailbacks.

Today, US TV channel, the Cartoon Network, said it was responsible for the packages. The boxes, complete with magnetic, blinking lights were part of a promotion for show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Turner Broadcasting, the Cartoon Network’s parent company, said: “The packages in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. “We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”

Turner said they had been in place for two to three weeks in 10 US cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia

Before the company made its statement, officials questioned if the boxes were designed to look like fake explosive devices to increase publicity. “It’s a hoax - and it’s not funny,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, shown late at night, follows the misadventures of a carton of talking french fries (Frylock), a milkshake (Master Shake) and a meatball (Meatwad) who live together in a run-down suburban house.
Reference Here>>

UPDATE - Bloomberg L.P - 3:45, 2-1-2007

Turner Takes Full Blame for Marketing Scare That Snarled Boston
By Brian K. Sullivan and Don Jeffrey

Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Broadcasting unit is taking full responsibility for a marketing campaign that brought Boston to a standstill yesterday.

Turner had its marketing firm Interference Inc. of New York place 40 devices in 10 cities in the U.S. to promote its "Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' show on the company's Cartoon Network, said Shirley Powell, 40, a company spokeswoman.

"We approved it, Interference was not doing this without our knowledge,'' Powell said today in a telephone interview. "We're taking full responsibility for this.''

The campaign backfired in Boston when the displays that light up with a cartoon character were mistaken for bombs. Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, a Boston suburb, and Sean Stevens, 28, of the city's Charlestown section, were arrested and later released on $2,500 bail after pleading not guilty to charges of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Turner gave a list of where the devices were in Boston and nine other cites to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who in turn gave the information to local police departments, Powell said. In Boston, officials collected the devices last night.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, shown late at night, follows the misadventures of a carton of talking french fries (Frylock), a milkshake (Master Shake) and a meatball (Meatwad) who live together in a run-down suburban house. Image Credit: Jam! Showbiz

Late today, ABC News reported on its Web site that Interference may have asked Berdovsky and Stevens to remain quiet yesterday afternoon as Boston police, aided by federal and state law enforcement, dealt with devices they had discovered under bridges, subway lines and busy intersections. ABC said an e-mail supplied by friends of the two supports the claim.

Attempts to reach Interference or its chief executive, Sam Ewen, by phone today were unsuccessful.

Selling on EBay

Some look-alike devices, including one purported to have been used in Boston, turned up on EBay Inc.'s Internet auction site. Bids exceeded $500.

"There is market for everything,'' Powell said.

The campaign so agitated Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, he said he plans to take legal action against Turner.

"An apology is not good enough,'' Menino said today in an interview with WBZ radio. "I want them to pay,'' he said of the executives who authorized the campaign.

The city's costs probably came to $750,000, Menino said. Police and other public safety workers detatched and in some cases destroyed the suspicious devices yesterday, before it was known what they actually were.

Turner Chief Executive Officer Phil Kent was in discussions with Massachusetts officials about what should be done, Powell said late today. Last night, he called Menino to personally apologize.

Smiling Defendants

Pictures broadcast of the arraignment of Berdovsky and Stevens in Charlestown court this morning show them smiling as lawyers discussed the charges. Powell said the company hasn't decided if it will provide lawyers for Berdovsky and Stevens.

Not all the devices found yesterday appeared connected to the Turner campaign. Two that resembled pipe bombs were also found yesterday, one at Tufts New England Medical Center, a 451- bed downtown hospital, and the other at an undisclosed location, police spokesman Eddy Chrispin said in an interview today.
----
Under Bridges

After police found the first of the devices used in the marketing campaign, bridges and subway lines were temporarily closed so the objects could be removed, causing snarled traffic and heightened concerns over terrorism.

One of the laws the two men were charged under, regarding hoax devices, took effect in April 2001 in Massachusetts. It says that anyone who plants a device "that would cause a person reasonably to believe that such device is an infernal machine'' could face 30 months to five years in jail and be fined $5,000.
---
Crucial Factors

In court today in Charlestown, Assistant Attorney General John Grossman maintained that the location of the device was enough to prove intent. Coakley's spokeswoman Melissa Sherman said the device Grossman referred to was found under an Interstate 93 highway bridge and near a bus and subway station.

"The appearance and location was crucial,'' Sherman said. "It looked like a bomb according to the experts on the scene.''
---
'Guerrilla Marketing'

Interference specializes in "guerrilla marketing'' and has created campaigns for New York Magazine, Nickelodeon, Motts juices and others, according to an article in Medialifemagazine.com.

Guerrilla marketing was defined by CEO Ewen in the article as "alternatives to traditional media tactics that are high- impact but also very eye-level with the consumer, very grassroots and in-the-streets.'' Campaigns that have gone awry have led to "our fair share of people arrested,'' Ewen said in the story.

Web sites maintained by Berdovsky highlight his artistic works and one features a resume. An art student in college, he refers to himself as "Zebbler'' on the sites and one shows him without the long, matted brown hair styled in dreadlocks that he wore into the courtroom today.

In a telephone interview today, Berdovsky said he couldn't answer "any more questions until after 6.''

Berdovsky told the Boston Globe yesterday that he thought the city's reaction to the devices and that they were a threat to safety was "ridiculous.''

Similar devices were placed in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, Turner said.
Read All>>

TRESSING DOWN: A sign outside court supports Sean Stevens (left) and Peter Berdovsky, who yesterday react to their arraignment for allegedly placing gizmos all over Boston, igniting a terrorism scare. Image Credit: Reuters

And Finally, This From the N.Y. Post -

HAIR-BRAINED DUDES BOSTON HOAXERS' BIG TO-'DO
By HASANI GITTENS - Additional reporting by Holly M. Sanders and Leela de Kretser - February 2, 2007

They seem to have come out of a cartoon themselves.

The two men arrested for installing the electric-light boxes around Boston as part of a Cartoon Network guerrilla-marketing ad campaign were released on bail yesterday - and promptly held a news conference on hair.

"For example, Afros, I think, comes kind of from the '70s, but then again, there's other styles," said dreadlocked suspect Peter Berdovsky, 27, who chided, "Please don't interrupt," when someone interjected that he wasn't taking the situation seriously.

When asked, "How do you feel right now?" Berdovsky replied, "I feel like my hair is pretty perfect."

Berdovsky and co-defendant Sean Stevens, 28, have been charged with placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. They were released on $2,500 cash bond.

They may have been joking, but Boston Police Commissioner Edward David maintained yesterday that the situation was no laughing matter.

"Just a little over a mile away from the placement of the first device, a group of terrorists boarded airplanes and launched an attack on New York City," Davis said.

Officials have vowed to hold Turner Broadcasting Inc., the parent company of the Cartoon Network, responsible for the incident.

Since Stevens and Berdovsky refused to answer any non-hair-related questions, one savvy reporter asked Berdovsky if he was afraid of going to jail and having his long hair cut.

"I think that whatever happens, I feel like my hair is safe at the moment," Berdovsky said.

"Hair today, gone tomorrow," chimed in Stevens, who sported a bowl cut.

As Berdovsky walked off after the conference, he gave a more serious comment.

"We need some time to really sort things out and, you know, figure out our response to this situation in other ways than talking about hair," Berdovsky said. "So if you could just give us some privacy for a little bit . . . I will be trying to make sense of all it real soon."

Later, he released a statement through his lawyer saying he "never imagined" the devices would be perceived as dangerous and he never intended to do anything to frighten the community.

"I regret that this incident has created such anguish and disruption for the residents and law-enforcement officers of this city," the statement said.

The Greenwich Village-based firm Interference Inc. was responsible for the campaign that put up the boxes, featuring character Ignignokt from the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," in 10 cities, including New York.

Authorities in the various cities have been working with the company to locate and take the boxes down. NYPD officials had been given 41 locations originally, but only had to take down about 20.

Interference CEO Sam Ewen, who lives in Brooklyn, was unavailable for comment again yesterday, but in a past interview, he said other "guerrilla marketing" campaigns have gone "awry."

"That's one of the risks you run," he told Media Life magazine in 2001. "We've had our fair share of people arrested, a lot of citations given. We've done a lot of college guerrilla marketing where you end up getting thrown off campus and asked never to come back."
Reference Here>>

The Cost Of Consequence>>

Politics? Or Conscious Acts Of Treason ... ?

As stated in a speech by John Kerry, delivered on the Senate floor on Nov. 9, 1997, as recorded in the Congressional Record. "Plainly and simply, Saddam Hussein cannot be permitted to get away with his antics, or with this latest excuse for avoidance of international responsibility". Image Credit: www.john-kerry.com

Politics? Or Conscious Acts Of Treason ... For Simple Political Gain?

Good question.

Now that the Democrats are in power over the Congress --- Hypocrisy RULES to the detriment of national security issues. The Democrat Congress does not believe that the military is up to the task of victory in Iraq and chooses to castrate their efforts as opposed to supporting their mission --- and this "surge" in hypocrisy is effecting some jello-kneed / round-heeled Republicans.

Typical of the “John Kerry Party” - the Democrats are of one voice about the surge strategy in Iraq when in saying “I was for it, before I was against it”.

Excerpts from The Washington Times -

Advocates of troop surge about-face in Congress
By Charles Hurt - THE WASHINGTON TIMES - January 31, 2007

For many in the Senate, they were for a surge of troops in Iraq before they were against it.

"We don't have enough troops in Iraq," Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said in 2005.

In 2004, he told NBC's Tim Russert some things he believes "very deeply."

"Number one, we cannot fail," Mr. Kerry said. "I've said that many times. And if it requires more troops in order to create the stability that eliminates the chaos, that can provide the groundwork for other countries, that's what we have to do."

He no longer believes that now. He is among at least a dozen Democratic senators who in the past have called for more troops in Iraq but now support a resolution condemning President Bush's plan to do just that. Many Republicans who voted for the war now plan to support a no-confidence resolution, including Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who in the past had warned that the war would be a long, tough slog and that Americans should "speak with one voice."
----
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr. has for years advocated increasing the number of troops on the ground in Iraq. But after Mr. Bush offered his proposal to do that earlier this month, the Delaware Democrat drafted a resolution rejecting the idea as not "in the national interest."

In June 2005, he said, "There's not enough force on the ground now to mount a real counterinsurgency."

"They're going to need a surge of forces," he said in another interview.

By last week, Mr. Biden had reversed his war strategy.

"The president and others who support the surge have it exactly backwards," he told reporters.

As late as last month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was still open to the idea of a surge.

"If it is for a surge -- that is, two or three months and it's part of a program to get us out of there as indicated by this time next year -- then sure I'll go along with it," said the Nevada Democrat who voted for the war in 2002. "If the commanders on the ground said this was just for a short period of time, we'll go along with that."

After Mr. Bush laid out his plan to increase troops, the Democratic leader flatly rejected it.

"The surge is a bad idea," Mr. Reid said on CNN's "Late Edition."

Democrats say that the time for a surge has long passed and now that the war has become so bloody and so unpopular, it's time to pull the plug.

"The bottom line is that you cannot unscramble an omelet," House International Relations Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, California Democrat, said yesterday.
----
Mr. Hagel, who is considering a run for the presidency and has been one of the harshest critics of the war and the Bush administration's handling of it.

"There is no strategy," he said last week. "This is a pingpong game with American lives."

But he hasn't always opposed the war. He voted for it.

"There are no easy answers in Iraq," Mr. Hagel said on Oct. 9, 2002, before voting to authorize the war. "The decision to commit our troops to war is the most difficult decision members of Congress make.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, he also warned his colleagues that an Iraq war would be a long, tough slog.

"This is just the beginning," he said. "The risks should not be understated, miscast or misunderstood. Ours is a path of both peril and opportunity with many detours and no shortcuts."

And Mr. Hagel warned them against sowing seeds of division with hot rhetoric.

"America -- including the Congress -- and the world, must speak with one voice about Iraqi disarmament, as it must continue to do so in the war on terrorism," he said. "Because the stakes are so high, America must be careful with her rhetoric and mindful of how others perceive her intentions."

Mr. Hagel co-authored the resolution with Mr. Biden rebuking Mr. Bush and his "escalation" plan.

Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, also has drafted with others a nonbinding resolution that condemns the plan but, he said, does so more gently.
Read All>>

If you are FOR having our country stand and aid the continued freedom of the 95%+ majority of the 25,000,000 liberated people of Iraq (who have also voted to be free - 3 times), sign the pledge and get active in persuading Congress to continue to support the mission of our troops.

At the web site TheNRSCPledge.com more than 30,000 people signed the pledge of non-support for individual senators and the NRSC in the first three days of its operation. Thousands of bloggers have joined on as well. We, at MAXINE, expect the numbers to grow, and the memory of the votes of next week to remain strong for years to come.

Senator H.R. Clinton - NOT Presidential Material

A new Time Magazine national poll has New York Senator Hillary Clinton leading the democratic pack with 40-percent, 19-points ahead of Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Now all eyes are on Clinton as she heads to Iowa this weekend and her trip could tell us a lot about how she plans to run her primary campaign. Image Credit: KCRG News

Senator H.R. Clinton - NOT Presidential Material

In an "Off-With-Their-Heads" proclamation combined with whiney "If President ... I don’t want the responsibility" attitude, now Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton proves SHE is NOT up to the task of Presidential leadership.

If she had her way, the heavy lifting and responsibility of being leader of the most powerful free nation on earth would be removed so that she would be able to concentrate on what she really wants to do … create a liberal, popularity-loving, and socialist America.

Excerpts from The Associated Press via the International Herald Tribune -

Clinton wants all U.S. troops out of Iraq when Bush leaves office
The Associated Press - Published: January 28, 2007

DAVENPORT, Iowa: U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that U.S. President George W. Bush should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq before he leaves office, saying it would be "the height of irresponsibility" to pass the war along to the next commander in chief.

"This was his decision to go to war with an ill-conceived plan and an incompetently executed strategy," the Democratic senator said her in first presidential campaign tour through the early-voting state of Iowa.

"We expect him to extricate our country from this before he leaves office" in January 2009, the former first lady said.

The White House condemned Clinton's comments as a partisan attack that undermines U.S. soldiers.
----
Pressed during a forum to defend her vote to authorize force in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, Clinton responded by increasing her criticism of Bush.

"I am going to level with you, the president has said this is going to be left to his successor," Clinton said. "I think it is the height of irresponsibility and I really resent it."

Bush describes Iraq as the central front in the global fight against terrorism that began after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "The war on terror will be a problem for the next president. Presidents after me will be confronting ... an enemy that would like to strike the United States again," he recently told USA Today newspaper.

One questioner asked Clinton if her track record showed she could stand up to "evil men" around the world.

"The question is, we face a lot of dangers in the world and, in the gentleman's words, we face a lot of evil men and what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men," Clinton said. She paused to gaze while the audience interrupted with about 30 seconds of laughter and applause.
----
During the town hall meeting, she tried to make clear that she thinks she would be a chief executive with enough fortitude to confront any danger facing the country.

"I believe that a lot in my background and a lot in my public life shows the character and toughness that is required to be president," Clinton said. "It also shows that I want to get back to bringing the world around to support us again."
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U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York speaks during town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa. Image Credit: AP Image

Hillary ought not limit her demands to a single item (that the United States leave Iraq and its potential representative spread of Islamo-fascism throughout the world) ...

... Hillary ought to insist that Bush also complete ALL of the following, so as not to "irresponsibly" pass-on these additional items to the next President ... so that SHE may focus on more important items during her tenure:

1) Rebuild all of New Orleans to better than original. This will allow her to focus on more creative, village-supported initiatives.

2) Eradicate the H5N1 flu virus from all sectors throughout the world (don’t forget to include a plan for free vaccination to all if his administration is not successful by the end of 2008).

3) Revamp the entire automobile infrastructure so that our country is not dependent on foreign oil before the next President takes office. This includes market availability of automobiles and hundreds of thousands of ethanol stations for fuel. The will allow her (or any next President) to not have to deal with the issues of ANWAR, Mideast oil, and the other sticky issues surrounding petroleum-based economies.

4) Why not insist that Bush rebuild all of Mexico along with its failed economy and culture so that the border problem just goes away. After all, terrorist security will be a thing of the past because He will have already pulled our troops out of Iraq.

5) Oh yes, make the Social Security solvency problem just go away!

6) Sign the Kyoto Protocol -- so that Global Warming will be just a thing of the past.

7)

8)

9)

AND ETC. - Please feel free to add your own wishes of problems to be eliminated due to the fact that if the problem still exists ... it must be irresponsible that the problem remains for the next President to deal with.

At MAXINE, our reaction to Hillary's apparent fear of the challenge of leadership this stance shows -- assuming that She is elected President.

"WE REALLY RESENT IT!"

The statements made by New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton are just NOT Presidential and this episode proves she is NOT Presidential material.

Poll Answers

Comment Posted Here>>

Tick, Tick, Tick - H5N1 Virus Hits The Rising Sun - UPDATED

Workers bury bags of slaughtered chickens from the Sato Broiler farm at a mountain near the farm in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, on Saturday. Image Credit: KYODO PHOTO

Tick, Tick, Tick - H5N1 Virus Hits The Land Of The Rising Sun

It looks as though that Chicken Teriyaki may be a little more difficult to come by in a couple of "Prefectures" (counties) in southwestern Japan.

Japan has been fairly safe from large scale bird flu infections throughout the history of avian flu spreading in populations of farm raised birds.

So this latest event in the "2006-2007" H5N1 flu season is troubling even though no human infections have been reported.

This from The Japan Times -

H5N1 AT SECOND FARM
Bird influenza feared at farm in Okayama
The Japan Times - Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007

OKAYAMA (Kyodo) The agriculture ministry announced Saturday that bird flu is suspected in the deaths of 22 chickens at a poultry farm in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture.

The word came just hours after the ministry confirmed that the deadly H5N1 strain was detected in the second outbreak of bird flu this month in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The farm in Takahashi raises around 12,000 chickens. Two died Friday and 20 died Saturday, according to the ministry. It is having a laboratory conduct further analysis to nail down the precise cause.

Until an outbreak of bird flu is confirmed, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and the Okayama Prefectural Government are planning to request that farms in adjacent areas do not move livestock, officials said.

In the first case this month, the ministry confirmed that the H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in dead chickens at a farm in Kiyotake, Miyazaki Prefecture.

On Saturday, the ministry also confirmed the H5N1 strain was found in dead chickens at a poultry farm in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, in the second outbreak this year.

A government lab analyzed samples from 3,000 chickens that died at the Sato Broiler farm in Hyuga. The farm had a total of 52,500 chickens, with a large number of deaths first reported there Monday.

The analysis found that the birds had been infected with H5N1, the agricultural ministry said in a statement.

The Miyazaki Prefectural Government started culling about 50,000 chickens raised on the Hyuga farm on Friday and continued the work Saturday.

The Hyuga case followed the highly virulent case of bird flu confirmed at a poultry farm in Kiyotake, about 60 km south of Hyuga.

The government confirmed Japan's first outbreak of avian flu in 79 years in January 2004 from chickens that started dying in late 2003 at a farm in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Reports of infections of birds have been sporadic since then in Japan -- one H5N1 case in Oita Prefecture and another in Kyoto, both in February 2003, with the last report before the latest outbreaks being a weaker H5N2 strain infection in Ibaraki Prefecture in June 2005.
Reference Here>>

Two previous cases have been in Miyazaki prefecture. Image Credit: Associated Press

UPDATE -

Officials in Japan have confirmed a third outbreak of bird flu
Although they are still determining if it is the H5N1 strain dangerous to humans.
BBC - Monday, 29 January 2007, 06:02 GMT

About 40 chickens have died on a farm in Takahashi, in Okayama prefecture.

Officials have ordered all poultry there to be culled, and the movement of people and goods restricted.

Two bird flu outbreaks earlier this month in the southern prefecture of Miyazaki have already been confirmed as the H5N1 strain of the disease.

The Japanese authorities have already determined that the new case of bird flu belongs to the virulent H5 family of the virus, but further tests are needed to find out if it is H5N1, the strain potentially deadly to humans.

Officials, however, are taking no chances. They are due to start culling all 12,000 birds at the affected Takahashi farm as early as Tuesday.

Other farms in a 10 km (six-mile) radius have been banned from transporting chickens and eggs, a ministry official told reporters.

Thousands of chickens have already been killed in Japan's main chicken-producing region of Miyazaki, following two H5N1 outbreaks in two separate towns there earlier this month.
Read All>>

It’s A Fine Line Between Opposition And Security

Lieutenant General David Petraeus testifies to the Senate Armed Forces Committee about his nomination to be general and commander of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq at a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, January, 23, 2007. Image Credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES)

It's A Fine Line Between Opposition And Security

Today, Hugh Hewitt and the website "Truth Laid Bear" are helping to define the politics of the issue that lays between honest dissent and opposition with the policies and actions of a two time elected President in a time of war and non-binding resolutions that put our volunteer armed forces at greater risk as well as signal a belief that our armed forces are not up to the mission at hand.

Hugh Hewitt, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host, writes on the conservative weblog portal, Townhall, that many Republicans in Congress are in conflict over the recent decisions of President Bush and his administration's handling of events in Iraq.

Hugh believes that if the Republicans sign-on to the non-binding resolutions that condemn the recent decisions of President Bush and his administration's handling of events in Iraq, that the funding of the Republican political effort should take a hit!

Further, he believes that the passing of these resolutions cross the line of political opposition in that they signal (in the words of General Patraeus, President Bush’s pick to manage the Military effort in Iraq) "that any resolution denouncing the strategy in Iraq would encourage the enemy"

Excerpts from Townhall –

Take The Pledge: How Victory Trumps Party
By Hugh Hewitt - Thursday, January 25, 2007

What does it mean to "encourage the enemy?" It means to increase their will to fight on, and their courage to do so even in the face of the arrival of reinforcements. It also means to increase - substantially - the likelihood of redoubled and retripled efforts on their part to kill American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. To vote for the sort of resolution that General Petraeus addressed is a profoundly wrong action.

General Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday -- which has to mean that the senators who voted for him have confidence in his military judgment.

Many Democrats are willing to encourage the enemy if it means hurting George W. Bush. They are willing to disregard the advice of the general they have just sent to do a mission if it serves their political purposes.
----
Because the troops and the war trump any partisan calculation, I have helped organize a campaign to alert Republican senators that a vote for the Warner resolution, or any other similar resolution, is a deal breaker for me. I will not contribute to any senator who so votes, and I will not work for any senator who so votes.

Further, I will withhold all funds from the NRSC if the NRSC supports in the '07-'08 cycle any Republican senator who voted for the Warner amendment.

I am not alone in this conviction, even though it may mean splitting with some friends, senators I have eagerly helped elect in the past with my time and treasure, and whom I know to be very good senators on almost all issues. At the web site TheNRSCPledge.com more than 4,000 people signed the pledge of non-support for individual senators and the NRSC in the first six hours of its operation. Hundreds of bloggers have joined on as well. I expect the numbers to grow, and the memory of the votes of next week to remain strong for years to come.

There are two parties in the country - the victory party, and everybody else.
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If you believe as we at MAXINE do ... security and safety at home is found through VICTORY and not through non-binding resolutions that give aid and comfort to our enemies ... TAKE THE PLEDGE: TheNRSCPledge.com