David Camerons Windmill?

This is the kind of Windmill that David Cameron is supposed to be using:

Brown/Blair War?

This is the kind of article that shows that the Brits can really write some witty stuff when it comes to politics across the pond.

Manchester this week was crawling with resourceful and aggressive political journalists who left no stone unturned to find some new casus belli with which to reignite the Blair-Brown war. So what did all these media bloodhounds bring home? An almost inaudible comment, supposedly muttered under her breath by the Prime Minister’s wife, who is not even a politician, and overheard not by some eminent BBC, Sun or Guardian pundit, but by a US wire-service reporter on her way to the loo. If this was the strongest “Blair-Brown feud” story that the best and brightest of British political journalism could come up with, then surely the Labourites have beaten their swords into ploughshares and the ultra-Brownites can now lie down with the über-Blairites.

I was reading an Economist Article about a Brownite Britian and it mostly talked about some of the other people that would come after Brown. It seems they just want to get rid of Brown already and get some energetic and charismatic, younger guy in there like David Cameron.

British opposition leader David Cameron rides a bike to work, is building a windmill on his roof, wears sneakers and likes to be called "Dave" _ all of which endear him to urban yuppies but disturb many of his fellow conservatives.

Cameron's supporters say his brand of compassionate conservatism will make him Britain's next prime minister. Critics claim the Conservative Party _ once led by Winston Churchill and "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher _ has gone soft.

Too bad he is not running for President in the US. A guy who rides a bike to work, and has a windmill on his roof is the kind of guy that I like.

Democrats "Fancy" Terrorism Cure

Great Op-Ed piece that my friend pointed out to me about what the Dems strategy in the war on terrorism.

I call this Democrat approach to geopolitics the "Fancy" strategy after a Reba McEntire hit. In the song a mortally ill and destitute mother delivers her teen aged daughter named Fancy into a life of prostitution with the advice

"just be nice to the gentlemen Fancy and they'll be nice to you."

This is pretty much what Democrats and their allies in the intelligence community are recommending to the rest of us. Of course, there is an important difference. Fancy's mother was articulating a strategy of desperation.

Democrats have inexplicably adopted a strategy of desperation as a strategy of choice, which creates a serious political problem for them. The nation's average intelligence is only average, but a clear majority is smart enough to understand that striving to be inoffensive is a losing strategy for a superpower.

Desperation is the typical appeasers cry. If we pull out of the Middle East and leave Israel in the lurch then maybe the terrorists will leave us alone. Maybe if we all convert to Islam and then pay the Jizya they will leave us alone. If we elect Mullah Omar as the next Ruler For Life of the US maybe they will leave us alone. This is why the Dems can't be trusted to fight the war on terror. They don't know what it takes to win.

Carl Icahn Boosts Holdings in Federated

This seems like a precursor to a closer tie to the FD board.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, known for challenging the management of various corporations, wants to acquire up to $500 million in additional shares of Federated Department Stores Inc., the operator of Macy's and Bloomingdale's said on Wednesday.

I wonder what Icahn is planning to do to shake up this company? Could we see spinoffs or maybe more consolidation in the department store space? In any case I just like the idea of risking my money at the same time as a billionaire investor.

What the Hewlett-Packard Spies Did

They sure did a lot of stuff to get the leak.

Documents have shown that investigators working for HP intruded into the personal lives of seven HP directors, two employees, nine reporters and family members of the targeted individuals. In addition to impersonating those targeted to procure phone records, they also spied on an HP director and his wife, sifted through their garbage, and concocted an e-mail sting to dupe reporter Dawn Kawamoto of CNet Networks Inc.'s technology news site.

It kind of sounds like what paparazzi do to stars sometimes. That going through the garbage thing especially.

Abe's Japan to Check China?

It seems that Shinzo Abe is going to be the next Prime Minister of Japan.



I wonder if he is going to be a thorn in Chinas side?

He has also pledged to bring more patriotism to schools, and boost Japan's military alliance with the United States — both sore points with the Chinese, who feel that Japanese textbooks gloss over Japan's wartime atrocities, and that the U.S.-Japan alliance is aimed at containing Beijing.

Those stands have raised concerns in the region.

"Abe's rhetoric is very dangerous, given China's growing clout in the region," said Hiro Katsumata, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.

I think a Japan with a strong military will be China's worst nightmare. The US will be perfectly willing to hook up Japan with the latest military hardware in order to slow China's influence in the region.

It would also give North Korea pause the next time they fire a rocket over Japan. Instead of stern words and China watering down a Security Council resolution you might have 100s of Japanese F-22s ready and willing to take North Korea out. It will be interesting to see Japan's international stature after Abe comes into power.

Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Forbidding Sudan Investment

This seems like a nice step but it seems no one knows how much California was investing in Sudan beforehand.

Officials could not place a precise value on state investments in Sudan.

The University of California system doesn't hold any stock directly in companies doing business with Sudan, but it does have pooled investments in those companies. The amount of money involved, officials said, would be a small fraction of its $66 billion in pension and endowment funds.

The state pension system is trying to identify any Sudan investments.

It would be an interesting list to see about which US companies (if any) are directly investing in Sudan. This is a site that has a few companies doing business in Sudan to divest from. These are the companies that the site mentions:

ABB
Alcatel
Petro-China
Siemens
Tatneft

PS3 Previews in Japan

It seems like they will have quite a few games available for it at launch. It seems that the press likes the games so far.

Titles such as "Resistance: Fall of Man," "Genji: Days of the Blade" and "Ridge Racer 7" will be among the games available at the console's Japan launch on November 11 but there was also considerable interest in some of the software that is on show in an unfinished state. The show was also the first chance for most potential customers to get their hands on a console.

Here is a list of the games. I'm looking forward to Metal Gear Solid 4 myself.

The list is formated with the PS3 game followed by the game's developer.

• 6Gun 2 - BattleBorne Entertainment
• Avalon - Climax Studios
• Dark Sector - Digital Extreme
• The Darkness - Starbreeze Studios
• Devil May Cry 4 - Capcom
• EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 - EA Chicago
• Eyedentify - TBA
• Fifth Phantom Saga - Sonic Team
• Final Fantasy PS3 - Square Enix
• Formula One PS3 - SCE Studios Liverpool
• The Getaway PS3 - SCE Studios Soho
• Heavenly Sword - Ninja Theory
• I-8 - Insomniac Games
• Infraworld - Quantic Dream
• Killing Day - TBA
• Killzone PS3 - Guerilla Games
• Metal Gear Solid 4 - Kojima Productions
• Mobile Suit Gundam - TBA
• MotorStorm - Evolution Studios
• Ni-Oh - KOEI
• Omikron 2 - Quantic Dream
• Possession - Blitz Games
• Project Delta - Playlogic International
• ShadowClan - Tiger Hill Entertainment
• Tekken PS3 - Namco
• Vision GT - Polyphony Digital
• Warhawk PS3 - Incognito Entertainment

We can Bring Some Liquids on Planes Again

Finally, I can put my contact lens stuff in my carry-on bag again. It looks like they figured that you can't blow up a plane with 3 ounces of liquid.

Passengers will be able to carry lotions and gels onto airliners again after a six-week ban — but only in tiny containers of 3 ounces or less and only if they're in clear zip-top plastic bags.

Also we can buy a drink at the Airport shop and bring them on the plane. No more sucking down your soda before you have to board.

Starting Tuesday, air travelers also will be able to buy drinks or other liquids or gels at shops inside airport security checkpoints and carry them on board under partially relaxed anti-terror rules.

The Worlds Most Expensive Marmalade

This stuff is coming in at 5000 British Pounds. Too bad I prefer Raspberry jam.

HP Chairwoman Out

It looks like Dunn resigned in the wake of the spying scandal. This is why she got in trouble in the first place.

Determined to protect confidential board discussions, HP hired
investigators who impersonated board members, employees and journalists to
obtain their phone records. The detectives also surveilled an HP director and
concocted an e-mail sting to dupe a reporter an online technology
site.

I think HP got a little too involved with playing James Bond and not consolidating their lead over Dell and other computer makers.

Remember Those on the Far Left that are Pro-Chavez

Don't forget these pictures whenever a Dem has one of these Far-Left Nutjobs coming out in support of them:

Sheehan Loves Chavez


Belafonte Loves Chavez

Dems Back Bush Against Chavez

Now I have to give some respect to the Dems for backing up Bush against that idiot Chavez. They are really showing some backbone and coming to the aid of a fellow American after he is slurred in front of the world by a crazy dictator:

"I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez or any other
president - don't come to the United States and think because we have problems
with our president that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that
Americans do not feel offended when you offend our Chief of State," Rangel said.

"Any demeaning public attack against him is viewed by Republicans and
Democrats, and all Americans, as an attack on all of us," Rangel
said.

Maybe the Dems and the Repubs can work together in a bipartisan manner after all.

Hugo Chavez Plugs Chomsky Book

I'm glad Mr. Chomsky can get a plug from a crazy dictator that hates our country. And people wonder why the far-left cannot connect with Main Stream America? I'm pretty sure most Americans hate this idiots guts but the far-left keep cozying up to him like he is the best thing since sliced bread.

Real Tan in a Bottle Now Possible

This is very good news for Conan O'Brian and other fair-skinned Irish seeking a tan without getting skin cancer in the process.

By applying a cream that causes darker pigmentation, scientists in the
United States successfully gave tans to mice that were genetically engineered to
be fair-skinned.

The research could eventually lead to a cream that tans human skin
without the risks of skin cancer attached to sunbathing.

Interesting Media Reaction to Vietnamese Double Agent

Now this is a very telling reaction to finding out that a top reporter in the Vietnam war who just passed away just happened to be a double agent for the North Vietnamese.

Former media colleagues expressed mixed feelings, from bemusement
to a sense of betrayal, after An revealed in the 1980s that he had been a
spy.

Mixed Feelings? I mean the guy was a spy for the people our nation was fighting against. There were actually people that were bemused at finding out that this guy was stealing secrets and getting Americans killed?

Outside critics vilified An for his role in espionage activities that may have led to the deaths of many Americans and South Vietnamese. But most of An's ex-colleagues refrained from criticizing his deception.

So did his colleagues gave him a free pass while "outside critics" were the only people that criticized what this guy really did? These reporters couldn't even denounce him for possibly getting our troops killed?

"If ever there was a man caught between two worlds, it was An. It is very
hard for anyone who did not serve in Vietnam in those years to understand the
complexity," said David Halberstam, who covered the early years of the war for
The New York Times.

What is so complex about posing as a journalist while giving secrets to the government of the nation we were locked in a mortal struggle with? I think that would be wrong no matter how you look at it. This is very telling on where the media's allegiances really lie. It certainly isn't with the troops of their native country. And these are the same people (or taught/inspired the current people) that are covering the Iraq war. The Jihaddis don't even need a 5th column when they have people like this working for our country.

Hopeful Photo Op for Middle Eastern Peace

Lets hope this little meeting leads to something bigger. Maybe a Rose Garden ceremony with Abbas and Olmert after signing a sweeping peace plan? It sure would be funny to see Bush was win the Nobel Peace Prize by bringing these two sides together. It would make Liberals crazy.

Interesting Article About Vietnam

This is a very interesting article about the fall of Saigon. I have a feeling that it may be almost a repeat once the Dems get in power. All the idiots like Brian Schatz who is running for Congress from Hawaii wants to begin pulling troops out of Iraq "immediately."

State Rep. Brian Schatz and state Rep. Gary Hooser both called for
withdrawal to begin immediately.

"The war hurts America and costs $250 million per day," Schatz
said, adding his argument that reducing the number of troops would help
stabilize the area.

In other words they don't care what the generals think are appropriate troop levels because we can't afford to lose more money! I'm sure Schatz knows much more then General John Abizaid about stabilizing the area so we should elect him then put him in charge of reducing US Troop strength.

In any case I would be willing to bet even money that we will see the Iraq equivalent of the Air America helicopter rising off the US embassy. The last one out of the Green Zone please turn out the lights.

Yahoo gets Bashed in the Head with a Shovel

Wow it looks like the admen are pulling the plug on Yahoo spending and the stock sold off to the tune of an 11.2% loss.

``We have seen a little bit of weakness in the last three or four
weeks'' from automakers and financial services providers, Chief Financial
Officer Susan Decker said today at a Goldman, Sachs & Co. conference in New
York. ``It is having an impact on our quarter.''

Decker's comments surprised investors and sent the shares, already
hurt by a 26 percent stock slide this year, down as much as 13 percent. Slowing
sales growth at Yahoo, the most-visited U.S. Web site, sparked concern of a
general reduction in demand for Internet advertising and shopping, prompting a
drop in shares of Google Inc., EBay Inc. and Amazon.com Inc

I noticed this trend about 2 months ago when I saw that the ads on Yahoo were almost all for Yahoo branded services. I can't tell you how many times I saw an ad for Cakemania, or for Yahoo Personals in a prime spot like the side banner of Yahoo mail.

Yahoo mail is something a person will look at almost every day so you would think it would bring a pretty nice fee. This is where you would see an ad for the new Yaris or something like that. I figured they were not able to sell that space so they were forced to put up their own banners or end up with a blank white space.

So it seems they were being forced to self promote in prime ad real estate. It is kind of like putting up a billboard advertising the billboard company right in Times Square. You just know that a company like that going to be hurting. Ms. Deckers comments just confirmed this. I should have went short YHOO when I first saw this trend emerge way back when.

I wonder if this ad downturn is only attributed to YHOO? Or will GOOG and to a lesser extent ValueClick VLCK (who makes software that helps advertisers create online ad campaigns) get smashed as well. I think we have to wait until Google puts out their numbers on October 19 to be 100% sure.

Bush Should Stop Ducking Ahmadinejad

I think Bush should just go up to this blowhard and shake his hand and be cordial. If Ahmadinejad freaks out and starts shouting or something then take it in all in good humor and smile politely.

Give him a dose of good old fashioned Texas Charm. Show the world that Bush has no ill will toward the Iranian people or even Ahmadinejad and is not afraid to confront him on a personal level.

A photo op of him shaking Ahmadinejads hand with a big smile while the Iranian leader has a scowl or something would be very interesting. It would be one of those breathless moments that would have the eyes of the world on it. Maybe Bush could even get Ahmadinejad to take a swing at him or something. Now that would really be funny.

Instead it looks like Bush is purposely trying to avoid him.

After delivering his address at 11.30am local time, Mr Bush plans to
attend the traditional banquet for visiting presidents, princes and prime
ministers. A total of 144 world leaders and their foreign ministers will gather
for the feast, providing ample opportunity for unexpected diplomatic encounters.
But Mr Ahmadinejad, Iran's devout Islamist leader, has told the UN he will not
be attending the luncheon because alcohol is being served.