You've been RANTING too much and to long!CLOSED for Posting - Please POST to the Current Month - These are for Read Only ....
The following are archived postings for the Month of February 2009.
I have decided to continue to archive these postings monthly.
I kept these for people supporting this alternative to craigslist.org Rants and Raves. Thanks for your support!
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Hello world, It's Super Bowl Time !!
Super Bowl 43 is over.
Proof that a bird shouldn't run into a steel wall.
Pittsburgh Steelers are the champions.
Good game Cards, we will be back even stronger next year and we will win!
Great blog! Fuck the flagging! Stop by our blog for some of the funniest offensive tees out there.
TOKYO – A 69-year-old Japanese man injured in a traffic accident died after paramedics spent more than an hour negotiating with 14 hospitals before finding one to admit him, a fire department official said Wednesday.
The man, whose bicycle collided with a motorcycle in western city of Itami, waited at the scene in an ambulance because the hospitals said they could not accept him, citing a lack of specialists, equipment, beds and staff, according to Mitsuhisa Ikemoto.
It was the latest in a string of recent cases in Japan in which patients were denied treatment, underscoring the country's health care woes that include a shortage of doctors.
The man, who suffered head and back injuries, initially showed stable vital signs, but his condition gradually deteriorated. He died from hemorrhagic shock about an hour and half after arriving at the hospital, Ikemoto said.
The motorcyclist involved in the Jan. 20 accident was hurt too and was also denied medical care by two hospitals before one accepted him, Ikemoto said. He was recovering from his injuries.
More than 14,000 emergency patients were rejected at least three times by Japanese hospitals before getting treatment in 2007, according to the latest government survey. In the worst case, a woman in her 70s with a breathing problem was rejected 49 times in Tokyo.
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AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES
AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.
AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK
FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.
A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OV ER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.
IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40.
IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.
IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE
WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.
10 Most Ticketed Cars
1. Hummer H2
People who love the Hummer H2 probably love its bold, imposing looks. Apparently, cops love the H2 because it helps them meet their ticket quotas. Here's a tip: If you have an H2, maybe you shouldn't drive it near then end of the month when traffic cops are scrambling to make their numbers.
2. Scion tC
Seeing the tC on the most-ticketed list makes sense, given its popularity with young people. Its sporty performance, which comes at a price that makes affording tickets easy, probably helps tempt some drivers as well.
3. Scion xB
Like the Scion tC, the xB is aimed at younger drivers. Still, when you look at the xB's less-than-stellar performance, it's safe to assume that all the tickets xB drivers are getting aren't moving violations.
4. Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG
If you're lucky enough to have a Mercedes AMG -- any AMG -- then a few tickets are worth unleashing this luxurious beast. Besides, if you've got a Mercedes, you can probably afford a few traffic citations.
5. Toyota Solara Coupe
Now, here's a surprise. The fifth most ticketed car is the Toyota Solara Coupe. Essentially a two-door Camry, the Solara isn't known for road-thrashing performance. Maybe Solara drivers just get a lot of parking tickets.
6. Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG
The CLS63 AMG is another luxury performance car, so it's no shocker to see its drivers among the most ticketed. The question is: With all that power, why aren't more CLS63 AMG drivers outrunning the cops?
7. Scion xA
With the xA taking the seventh spot on the ten most ticketed cars list, Scion completes the traffic-ticket hat trick. Toyota's upstart little brand has only come out with four models over its entire lifespan -- and three of them will likely get you a date in traffic court.
8. Subaru Outback
Subarus have a reputation of being yuppie grocery getters, but the Outback manages to prove that stereotype wrong by being one of the top ten most ticketed cars. Apparently, the Outback is the car of choice for people who need to get to Whole Foods in a hurry, and maybe park illegally once they're there.
9. Audi A4
Audi often finds itself in the shadows of Mercedes and BMW, but not when it comes to getting tickets. The Audi A4 is the ninth most ticketed car in America.
10. Toyota Matrix
The Toyota Matrix is often credited for bringing SUV styling to small cars. Now it can also be credited to bringing insurance rate increases to thousands of its owners.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
10 Least Ticketed Cars
1. Jaguar XJ
The Jaguar XJ gives drivers a smooth ride and an opulent interior. As the least- ticketed car in America, it also seems to provide the ability to fly under radar guns. There's a feature they won't tell you about at the dealership.
2. Chevrolet Suburban
Suburban drivers tend to need their large SUVs for hauling people or towing trailers, not breaking land speed records. So it's not surprising to see it on the list of least-ticketed cars.
3. Chevrolet Tahoe
The Tahoe shares some architecture with the Hummer H2, the most-ticketed car in America. Despite the two having similar sizes, the Tahoe manages not to attract as much police attention.
4. Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500
It's no shocker to find Chevrolet's heavy-duty trucks among the least-ticketed vehicles. These trucks are usually bought for their towing ability, not for impromptu drag races.
5. Buick Park Avenue
While Buick has recently begun to increase the oomph in their cars, the now- discontinued Park Avenue helped solidify the brand's image as cars for the senior set. No wonder Park Avenue drivers tend not to get very many tickets.
6. Mazda6
The largest car in Mazda's line up, the Mazda6 has plenty of the brand's zoom-zoom, yet still manages to be among the least-ticketed cars. If you love driving sporty sedans but can't take seeing any more red and blue lights in your rearview mirror, the Mazda6 may be just the car for you.
7. Buick Rainier
The now-discontinued Buick Rainier is a largely forgettable attempt at a near- luxury SUV. Maybe that forgettable nature keeps cops from noticing when one commits a traffic offense.
8. Oldsmobile Silhouette
Finding a minivan from Oldsmobile on the list of least-ticketed cars isn't surprising. What's surprising is that anyone is still driving a Silhouette.
9. Buick Lucerne
The Buick Lucerne offers a near-luxury experience at an affordable large car price. Being one of the least-ticketed cars means that the Lucerne's affordability continues after it's bought, thanks to fewer fines and lower insurance rates.
10. GMC Sierra 1500
The GMC Sierra is an attractive truck for work or play. With its ability to haul or tow heavy loads, this truck will do anything you ask it to, including avoiding traffic citations.
Craigslist Advertised Sex Party Busted in Bangkok Thailand-
23 nabbed in Bangkok sex party
A British man has been charged in Thailand for organizing so-called ''swinging'' parties during which couples swap sexual partners.
A 54 year old man was arrested with six Thais and 16 foreigners, including US, French, Indian and Chinese citizens, at one of the parties in a Bangkok hotel.
Tourist police commander Colonel Archayon Kraithong said the man advertised the orgies on his website, and then charged 3,000 baht (HK$663) for couples and singles to participate.
The 22 participants from Thailand, China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, France, The United States, and Australia were released after paying a 1,000 baht fine each.
The white man is married to a Thai, who is alleged to have organized at least 100 parties in Bangkok and Pattaya over the last three years.
Nationhood and Jerusalem
* Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
* Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a
Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
* Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
* For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
* Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
* King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to
Jerusalem.
* Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
Arab and Jewish Refugees
* In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab
leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
* The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
* Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in
the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own peoples' lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
The Arab - Israeli Conflict
* The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the
Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation.
* The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
* The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with weapons.
* Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship.
* Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved
and made accessible to people of all faiths.
The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs
* Of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
* Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
* The U. N was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the
Jordanians.
* The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
* The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
Bangkok
Thailand country economy thrives on the millions of sex tourists that visit Thailand every year. For the poor girls from NE Thailand prostitution is the norm and a way of life. Sad to say the Thai Gov't likes it that way, but does little for these women.
re, No education = BAR GIRL
Well I wouldn't agree with you. There are many young women that are working their way through school by working at Karaoke bars at night as well as independents, bar girls, etc.. Some of these girls are educated and know the dangers of unprotected sex and practice safe sex exclusively. School really promises very little in this country to really climb out of poverty. I know prostitution is not the answer but I am not sure that school is giving any better alternatives. Safe sex, sexual education, condoms for free or very cheap, if you really care about these women you are ranting out.
But it is the oldest profession for a reason. It pays well, well hmm at least it pays better than a traditional job in this country.
re, RE: No Education
First of all: education must be accessible. Most of these girls are from the NE of Thailand - from rural areas of a place where people sometimes earn less than 10,000bt a year. If you're really worried about it, i.e. not just pissed off at the bar girl who blew you off, do something to improve the living standards they suffer.
Humanity is about to explode into the bloodiest century we've known yet. If our Gods, governments and people can get together to work with each other, maybe we can avoid it. If not, a "Holiday in Cambodia" may seem like a picnic on a sunny, peaceful day in Paris.
It's not too late...
Osama Bin Laden rejected for dream island job
SYDNEY Australia – A dream job looking after a tropical island in Australia has attracted over 11,000 applicants including Osama bin Laden who failed to make the shortlist.
A spokeswoman for Tourism Queensland said the group had received over 11,000 video applications since advertising the A$150,000 ($96,000) "best job in the world" as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
One of the applications was a 30 second prank video showing the world's most wanted man, with nonsensical sounds dubbed over his real voice.
Using subtitles, bin Laden argues his case for the six-month contract, describing himself as "outgoing," "familiar with sandy areas" and experienced with "large scale event coordination."
He lists his interests as arts, crafts and renovating. Videos showing bin Laden speaking are widely available on the Internet.
A spokeswoman for Tourism Queensland said a person using bin Laden's identity had lodged an official application with required video that has made its way onto video sharing website YouTube, but the application has been rejected.
"While Tourism Queensland encourages people to be creative in their applications, they have to meet the selection criteria, including appropriate content, if they want to be considered for the job," said the spokeswoman.
"The 'Osama bin Laden' application was submitted via the www.islandreefjob.com website but it was rejected because the content was not deemed to be appropriate."
The $1.7 million "best job in the World" marketing campaign has attracted huge international interest, with applicants from 162 countries responding to the opening which closes on February 22.
Queensland's Tourism Minister Desley Boyle acknowledges the campaign was aimed to lure visitors to the islands of the Great Barrier Reef but insists the job offer is also genuine.
The successful applicant will have the chance to live rent free on Hamilton Island for six months in an oceanfront villa, spend their time exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
Q/ What do you call a hooker with a runny nose?
A/ Full.
Step One. Take the fish out.
Step Two. Put the fish in the toilet.
Step Three. Remove the water from the fish tank.
Step Four. Carry the fish tank outside.
Step Five. Scrub sides and bottom of fish tank with soap and water.
Step Six. With a hose, rinse out the fish tank.
Step Seven. Flush the toilet.
Your fish tank is now clean.
Note: Your fish tank will remain clean as long as you don't put more fish in it.
Guess what I did? I made about 50 copies of that ugly bitch and lay one picture outside where my dog shits. He has hit the mark twice.
I really love it when I see this cockroach
bitch covered with dog shit.
Q/ - What do you get when you cross a rooster with a telephone pole?
A/ - A 30 foot cock that wants to reach out and touch someone.
Two whales, a brother and sister are bored so when they see a ship out in the water the brother talks his sister into going to the ship and just to fuck with them, blow water at them through her blow hole. Some of the sailors fall out of the ship. Thinking she had done a good job, she goes back to her brother and he asks her why she didn't eat the men who had fallen out. To this she replied "Look, I agreed to the blow job, but I never said I would swollow the seamon"
Vice President Joe Biden Urges Passage of Stimulus Despite Voter Backlash
Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged today that Democrats could face political repercussions in 2010 for their support of the $900 billion economic stimulus package.
“But when we do [approve it], I’m sure you’re going to be nailed in ads, ‘Well they voted on that’ 30 second ads,” Biden told roughly 200 members of the House Democratic Caucus gathered here for their three day annual retreat. “I promise you as [a colleague] once said to me, ‘I’ll come campaign for you or against you, whichever will help you the most in your district.’ And so will the president because, again, we’re all in this together.”
The vice president also offered some trademark candor about the prospects of success.
He recalled a recent White House meeting with the president and senior aides in which they were discussing the many challenges the country faces. “If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there’s still a 30% chance we’re going to get it wrong,” was his message at the meeting.
Illegal MexicansTryTo Overrun Arizona Ranch and Seize Ranch-
16 illegals sue Arizona rancher Claim violation of rights as they crossed his land
An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who accuse him of conspiring to violate their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint on his ranch on the U.S. Mexico border.
Roger Barnett, 64, began rounding up illegal immigrants in 1998 and turning them over to the U.S. Border Patrol, he said, after they destroyed his property, killed his calves and broke into his home.
His Cross Rail Ranch near Douglas, Ariz., is known by federal and county law enforcement authorities as "the avenue of choice" for immigrants seeking to enter the United States illegally.
Trial continues Monday in the federal lawsuit, which seeks $32 million in actual and punitive damages for civil rights violations, the infliction of emotional distress and other crimes. Also named are Mr. Barnett's wife, Barbara, his brother, Donald, and Larry Dever, sheriff in Cochise County, Ariz., where the Barnetts live. The civil trial is expected to continue until Friday.
The lawsuit is based on a March 7, 2004, incident in a dry wash on the 22,000-acre ranch, when he approached a group of illegal immigrants while carrying a gun and accompanied by a large dog.
Attorneys for the immigrants - five women and 11 men who were trying to cross illegally into the United States - have accused Mr. Barnett of holding the group captive at gunpoint, threatening to turn his dog loose on them and saying he would shoot anyone who tried to escape.
The immigrants are represented at trial by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which also charged that Sheriff Dever did nothing to prevent Mr. Barnett from holding their clients at "gunpoint, yelling obscenities at them and kicking one of the women."
In the lawsuit, MALDEF said Mr. Barnett approached the group as the immigrants moved through his property, and that he was carrying a pistol and threatening them in English and Spanish. At one point, it said, Mr. Barnett's dog barked at several of the women and he yelled at them in Spanish, "My dog is hungry and he's hungry for buttocks."
The lawsuit said he then called his wife and two Border Patrol agents arrived at the site. It also said Mr. Barnett acknowledged that he had turned over 12,000 illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol since 1998.
In March, U.S. District Judge John Roll rejected a motion by Mr. Barnett to have the charges dropped, ruling there was sufficient evidence to allow the matter to be presented to a jury. Mr. Barnett's attorney, David Hardy, had argued that illegal immigrants did not have the same rights as U.S. citizens.
Mr. Barnett told The Washington Times in a 2002 interview that he began rounding up illegal immigrants after they started to vandalize his property, northeast of Douglas along Arizona Highway 80. He said the immigrants tore up water pumps, killed calves, destroyed fences and gates, stole trucks and broke into his home.
Some of his cattle died from ingesting the plastic bottles left behind by the immigrants, he said, adding that he installed a faucet on an 8,000-gallon water tank so the immigrants would stop damaging the tank to get water.
Mr. Barnett said some of the ranch´s established immigrant trails were littered with trash 10 inches deep, including human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil - which supposedly is used to pack the drugs the immigrant smugglers give their "clients" to keep them running.
He said he carried a pistol during his searches for the immigrants and had a rifle in his truck "for protection" against immigrant and drug smugglers, who often are armed.
DEFENDANT: Roger Barnett said he had turned over 12,000 illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol since 1998.
A former Cochise County sheriff´s deputy who later was successful in the towing and propane business, Mr. Barnett spent $30,000 on electronic sensors, which he has hidden along established trails on his ranch. He searches the ranch for illegal immigrants in a pickup truck, dressed in a green shirt and camouflage hat, with his handgun and rifle, high-powered binoculars and a walkie-talkie.
His sprawling ranch became an illegal-immigration highway when the Border Patrol diverted its attention to several border towns in an effort to take control of the established ports of entry. That effort moved the illegal immigrants to the remote areas of the border, including the Cross Rail Ranch.
"This is my land. I´m the victim here," Mr. Barnett said. "When someone´s home and loved ones are in jeopardy and the government seemingly can´t do anything about it, I feel justified in taking matters into my own hands. And I always watch my back."
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to
determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... is up to you
Last Russian general warns US on Afghanistan-
MOSCOW – Twenty years after Red Army troops pulled out of Afghanistan, the last general to command them says the Soviets' devastating experience is a dismal omen for U.S. plans to build up troops there.
On Friday, the anniversary of the Soviet departure from the Afghan capital, the Russian parliament's lower house adopted a resolution honoring the soldiers who "were faithful to the warrior's duty, who displayed heroism, bravery and patriotism."
In retired Gen. Boris Gromov's view, the valor was shown in an unwinnable battle.
"Afghanistan taught us an invaluable lesson ... It has been and always will be impossible to solve political problems using force," said Gromov, the last soldier to leave Afghanistan two days after the Kabul pullout.
He told reporters that U.S. plans to send thousands of new troops to Afghanistan would make no difference against a resurgent Taliban, who came to power in 1996 in the chaos after the Soviet withdrawal.
One can increase the forces or not it won't lead to anything but a negative result, Gromov said.
The parliament resolution credited the Red Army with the "repulsion of international terrorism and narcotics trade" and "averting a breeding ground for a new war" on Russia's border.
That appeared to blame Afghanistan's current fighting and soaring opium trade on the U.S.-led military operation launched in 2001 against the Taliban. Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, has made the same suggestion recently, saying the alliance has repeated the Soviet Union's mistakes in Afghanistan and added its own.
The Soviet Union lost some 15,000 soldiers in the war, which began when Moscow sent in troops to battle guerrillas who were fighting a Soviet-supported government. The invasion brought international opprobrium on the Soviet Union including a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow by countries including the United States, China and Japan.
It also shocked millions of Soviets who had been taught their massive military was the world's most potent, but saw their heavy equipment and powerful weaponry overwhelmed by ragged, Western-backed insurgents.
"I don't see any sense in that war," veteran Oleg Samoilov told Associated Press Television News. "What did we do, what did we achieve? Practically nothing. There were only dead people left, our dead comrades, their mothers and widows and that's it."
Russia has given nominal support to the international anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, but did not send troops, and there are mixed signals on how fully it backs the operation.
This month, Moscow authorized a $2.15 billion package of aid to Kyrgyzstan that is widely seen as the key factor in the Kyrgyz president's announcement that a U.S. base will be closed. The base is an important transit point for coalition troops and cargo for Afghanistan and is the home to tanker planes that refuel warplanes over Afghanistan.
But Russia has granted some coalition countries permission to ship Afghanistan-bound military supplies through its territory; Germany even has permission to ship weaponry.
Washington and Moscow are negotiating a deal for the United States to use Russian territory to send supplies to Afghanistan through Russia; news reports this week cited Foreign Ministry officials as saying only some minor details remain to be worked out.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week suggested such cooperation could be expanded to allow weapons shipments if the United States shows good faith presumably an indication that Russia would press Washington hard for concessions on sensitive issues such as NATO expansion and the controversial proposal to put U.S. missile defense elements in Eastern Europe.
TEAM:
Just trying to get the word out about our new blog COMMON CENTS where we blog about the issues of the day...
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
There are MANY that are fed up with the rich getting richer, government giving themselves raises while the rest of us struggle to survive. Are we all supposed to live in shanties down by the Salt River? Is that what it's supposed to come to before something happens? Kids starving? Will we be facing another Civil War?
There's plenty of jobs out there for those who want to work. Only problem is MEXICANS have them right now. There was just a piece on the news about "hanyman inc." or something like that, just busted for over 60 illegals working there. But the employers claim they knew NOTHING about it? BS! They knew damn well who was illegal. Let the mexicans go back to their country so we can get back to working in ours.
And don't tell me they do jobs white people won't! That's bull shit! Because I've been doing landscaping for years now and I'm a white guy. I work for myself and by myself.
Microsoft to open own stores, take on Apple -
SEATTLE WA - Microsoft Corp announced plans Thursday to open its own chain of branded stores as it looks to catch up with rival Apple Inc's successful move into retailing.
The world's largest software company, which also makes the Xbox video game console and the Zune digital music player, did not say how many stores it was looking to open, or when, or which of its products would be on sale.
That is to be decided by David Porter, a former DreamWorks Animation executive, which Microsoft named as its new vice president of retail stores.
Turner, a former Wal-Mart Stores Inc manager, will report to Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner.
The long-rumored move to open stores comes as consumer spending is under severe pressure due to the recession, which has already pushed electronics chain Circuit City into bankruptcy. A similar attempt by computer maker Gateway to open its own stores some years ago was not successful.
Microsoft, bruised by the poor reception of its latest Vista operating system, is facing increased competition from Apple, which is eating into the personal computer market and dominates the personal digital music player market with its iPod line.
Apple's stylish stores, now numbering more than 200 worldwide, have been crucial in attracting customers in recent years.
Hola que tal
Soy Bocha, creador del blog Abran Cancha. Estoy muy interesado en tener un intercambio de links con tu blog, la verdad que me ha gustado mucho y seria un honor tenerlo entre mis enlaces. Un abrazo grande y te digo que aunque nuestro blogs sean de temáticas diferentes… el intercambio te ayudarÃa mucho, para que tus ideas puedan llegar a más gente.
Agrégame a seguidores…
www.abran-cancha.blogspot.com
Man cuts own head off with a chain saw:
I just read this today. It actually happened back in Nov of '08. The story goes like this: A company was tearing down a apartment building in England and they evicted 70 other apartments, but there was one hold out. A 58 yr. old man that refused to leave. Well, when it came time to force him out, the guy cut his OWN head off with a chain saw. I guess to drive his point home, "he didn't want to leave". All I have to say to this is, I love the commitment, the fallow through and the all around wacked out and weird way to go out of this world. I love this story. I find it just fucking funny.
Alright, I'll check out the blogs follow me thing...
Some Inconvenient Truths about personals and dating online.....
1. Most of the guys on the internet are looking for sex.
2. Most of the women aren't.
3. Of the women that are, at last half of them really aren't but are going to hook up with you in the hopes of a long term relationship.
4. Smart guys know this, and will string you along anyway because you're a sure thing on a slow night.
5. Many of the rest are just attention whores looking for a self-esteem boost.
6. Every girl thinks she's cute, sexy, smart, has a good sense of humor, and is not like other girls.
7. We all know better.
8. Thick, full-figured, curvy, juicy, and "bigger" all mean fat.
9. I will get hate mail for that last one. From people who are fat and unhappy with themselves. The ones that aren't fat or unhappy with themselves won't stress out about some random post on craigslist.
10. She's got kids, and a complex because the last guy left her with them. You really want to deal with both his problems?
11. If you're in a hotel room, it's just sex for at least one of you.
12. Did I mention all the guys are after sex?
13. If she sounds too good to be true, she's a bot or a hooker.
14. Bots and hookers wouldn't be on craigslist if they weren't making money off some jerkoff somewhere.
15. If you are looking for your soulmate, and really hope to find them by throwing up 6 lines of generic text on the internet, seek professional help.
16. "Poor me" posts on craigslist are not professional help.
17. He's married. You know it. Don't act surprised.
18. Women don't want to see your penis pic. Really.
19. The people that need to read this list will ignore it or get pissed off.
20. Everyone else is nodding their heads and wishing those people would start their own website. We hear www.living-in-moms-basement.com is still available.
When Bush and Obama agree, it's time to pay heed .......
In politics, fear also can get things done. President George W. Bush used the fear of another terror attack to convince Americans to support the Patriot Act and an aggressive worldwide war against terrorism. The results were mixed, but Bush had little problem getting the money and consensus he needed.
Now, President Barack Obama has taken a page from the Bush playbook. As he was pushing his giant stimulus package, he flat-out said that if the country didn’t embrace it, the United States will experience “catastrophe.” He used the “C” word often. He was very clear about the fear.
Interestingly, during the campaign, Obama derided both Bush and Sen. John McCain for using the fear factor. Speaking in Ohio on March 1, 2008, Obama said: “America is at its best when it’s not fearful. I mean, if you think about our history, our most shameful times have been when we were afraid.”
How quickly times change. Obama is now very afraid that the economy will get worse, and he is not shy about saying so.
So how should we the people process the fear equation?
When Bush and Obama agree on something, I think we have to pay attention. Bush was genuinely concerned that the entire U.S. financial system would melt down last fall unless a massive government bailout was passed immediately. And it was.
Who knows whether the Trouble Assets Relief Program bailout was smart, but the financial system is still standing, if not exactly on solid ground. Obama implies we are heading for another Great Depression without almost a trillion dollars in government spending to “create and save” 4 million jobs. And he is going to get the money.
The interesting thing in the “create and save” scenario is that it is impossible to calibrate. How does anyone know how many jobs are “saved”? This is a smart ploy by Obama on the accountability front.
Cynics will rarely accept political warnings. Many Americans simply don’t trust the government to look out for them. And I believe that skepticism is sometimes warranted. Both Republicans and Democrats allowed the U.S. economy to implode. What, they got smart all of a sudden?
With unemployment accelerating and millions of Americans suffering, I think we have to give the powers that be the benefit of the doubt despite our suspicions. But we should be honest. Obama does not know whether the trillion-dollar rescue strategy will work because no one knows.
That being said, Obama is right about one thing: He was elected to deal with America’s problems, especially the economy.
Now he has the chance.
Very strange
: )
Because they...
Because they scratch their names and whatever in everything.
Because they steal shopping carts.
Because they throw trash everywhere but into garbage cans.
Because their women look like men and are fat.
Because they steal anything that's not chained down.
Because they breed like cockroaches
Because they smell funny.
Because they are short.
Because they refuse to speak English and expect us to speak Spanish.
Because they get in the way.
Because they push their fat five year old kids in strollers.
Because they are ignorant and stupid.
Because they think Mexican is a race.
Because they are in gangs.
Because they ride their bicycles on the sidewalk.
Because they drive twenty year old minivans.
Because they rape children.
Because they drive without insurance.
Because they leer and whistle at school age girls.
Because they put those stupid stick figure decals on their minivans.
Because they blast that stupid circus music from their cars and homes.
Because they wipe their ass and throw the toilet paper on the floor.
Because they drive too slow.
Because they let their kids run wild in stores.
Because they steal cans and bottles out of recycling bins.
Because they cut in front of others while boarding busses.
Because they over crowd emergency rooms complaining of minor ailments.
Because they expect our schools to teach their children to speak English.
Because they hang out at 7-11s and buy scratchers.
Because they always wear baseball caps.
Because they get free medical care at taxpayer's expense.
Because they sell food from illegal food carts.
Because they make cheese in their bathtubs.
Because their great grandmothers are under 40 years old.
Because they get drunk and ride the bus.
Because they waste water hosing down driveways and sidewalks.
Because they wear those stupid "Hecho en Mexico" shirts.
Because they will take anything that's free, even if they don't need it.
Because they park multiple cars for weeks without moving them.
Because they push those little ice cream carts while honking that little horn.
Because they use leaf blowers.
Because they refuse to exit the rear doors of the bus.
Because they work at McDonald's and talk to customers in Spanish.
Because they think a one bedroom apartment can hold eight families.
Because they work on their cars in the street and in front of AutoZone.
Because they never say please, thank you or excuse me.
Google Blogs really suck today!
Thanks for following.
That anti Mexican rant is a bit over the top, don't you think so?
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.
He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.
If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.
He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.
The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.
Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."
U.S. Muslim TV network founder charged with beheading wife-
NEW YORK NY – The founder of a U.S. Muslim television network has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife by beheading her, the network's Web site and local media reported.
Muzzammil Hassan, founder and CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Bridges TV which launched in 2004 with a mission to show Muslims in a more positive light, was charged after reporting the death of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, on Thursday night.
After Hassan, 44, told police his wife was at the Bridges TV offices, in the village of Orchard Park, they found her body there, beheaded, The Buffalo News reported.
Authorities said Aasiya Hassan, with whom Hassan had two children, had recently filed for divorce and had an order of protection mandating that he leave their home as of February 6.
He was being held in a county detention center charged with second-degree murder.
"Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victim," a statement on the network's Web site said on Monday. "We request that their right to privacy be respected."
"There had been problems before and there had been prior incidents of physical abuse," Corey Hogan, whose law firm Hogan Willig represented Aasiya Hassan in the divorce proceeding, told the newspaper.
Conservatives, Republicans
True conservatives voted for the lesser of the two evils in the 2004 election.
Don't group us as the same. The Republicans seemed to put their hand out across and it got bit. I hope they learned a lesson from that, but I doubt it. Any politician these days is in it for the money. What other job do people elect you to where you can grab their cash and have them defend you on boards such as this?
It's not Dems vs Reps. It's 'We the People' vs the politicians.
The liberal vs conservative isn't that big of a deal. You spend for you, I save for me. That's the difference. Just spend your own money, not mine. If saving the habitat of a frog, that's cool with me. Just don't make me pay for it if I don't care about the frog. If I bury my money in the yard while you purchase something on credit, don't come to me forcing me to dig up my yard to help you make the payments.
Conservatives give out of the goodness of their hearts, not out of the goodness of someone elses wallet.
I love flagging. I mean, spanking.
Blood Sucking Leeches!
What more do these people want from me?!?!?
TaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTaxTax!!
Mother taxes!
You want to change behaviour? Tax it!
I quit smoking 3 years ago.
I make my own beer because the prices are ridiculous.
I bought a motorcycle because gas is too expensive.
I slowed down to 65 because of photo radar.
Now some states are considering a mileage tax?!?! WTF????
I live 35 miles from where I work. Why? Because I bought a house I could afford to make payments on. I'm not doing bad, I have a good job, I pay my mortgage and all my bills on time and even have a little extra in my savings account. I could have bought a house closer to where I work, but I would have foreclosed on it by now.
If Arizona gets the bright idea of imposing the .025 cents mileage tax it's going to cost me $630 a year just to drive to work and back!
So then I'm going to have to dump my house (which I like living in) and move close enough to where I work to ride a bicycle.
I know I'm healthier for not smoking, and for drinking less beer and I'm safer for slowing down on the freeways but goddammit!
Eventually I'm just going to move into a shack in the middle of nowhere with no electricity and grow my own food for christsakes.
Sound familiar??
Last autumn I lost my girl., then my job was lost & I was falling behind with every creditor. I got a 90 day notice of intent from the credit union about my 07 Dodge Ram. Though I couldn't sell the complete vehicle, I decided to bite the bullet & sell major components. I emptied my ck. & savings account & went to stay with family in S- Cali. I tore that truck down & used E-bay & word of mouth to sell everything I could. The 5.7 liter Hemi was sold to a guy in Cali. he said he was building a resto mod.$2400. plus he came back for the gas pedal & wiring for another $100. go figure that one. The factory CD. player & speakers went for $750. plus case of beer. Transmission, transfer case & drive shafts went for $2,100. no haggling. 20" alloys & G-force tires $800. Complete leather 2 door interior $1500. including airbags. Both bumpers $500. no haggling. SRT. type hood with functioning intake ducting & hardware $900.(tough sell) Both fenders & grill $800. Mint cargo bed, with fiberglass cover $1600. plus lunch & 30 pk. Front susp. parts, 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 shocks & ECM computer plus misc. parts $900. The shop that bought the fenders & grill came back for the doors. Wonder why nobody will touch the cab or glass? I'll offer to cut it up for whatever somebody needs. Roof for a rollover repair or whatever. I still have the frame, rear axle, fuel tank AC system, exhaust & a bunch of small parts. I'm going to cut the frame up for salvage as soon as I'm done stripping the parts off. What do you think of the credit union trying to play nice & tipping me off. Yeah I lost a 10 mo. old truck under8,000 miles, my credit rating is screwed for the next 7-10 yrs. but 1 year from now who's credit score wont be. I made what little money back from that truck that I could. From $ 27,000. when new, I've recouped over a third & at least I didn't walk away with nothing. I still haven't spoken to the credit union. Think I should go back & apply for a line of credit?
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A slew of formidable female candidates, mostly Democrats, are lining up to run for the Senate in 2010, enough to raise the prospect of a surge of women into a chamber that currently has just 17 women senators.
Even at this early point in the election cycle, two prominent statewide female officeholders have announced their campaigns in key battleground states and at least 10 other experienced female candidates — ranging from state officials to former CEOs to members of Congress— are considering bids for the Senate.
“This is really unprecedented for leading female candidates jumping in,” said Karen O’Connor, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University.
“It really is a landmark year because there’s a farm team now,” O’Connor said. “Now you have mayors, congresswomen, secretaries of state; they’re waiting in the wings, and they’re not going to sit back any longer.”
In Missouri, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has already received the blessing of the Democratic establishment and is not expected to face serious primary opposition in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Kit Bond.
Carnahan, who hails from one of Missouri’s most famous political families, won over 1.74 million votes in her secretary of state race last year, the most votes for any office in state history. She could end up facing former GOP state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who is planning to challenge Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) for the Republican nomination.
In Ohio, where Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is running to succeed retiring Sen. George Voinovich, a victory would make her the state’s first female senator.
The unusually high number of Senate special elections, open seats and potentially vulnerable incumbents is playing a role in attracting the interest of female talent.
In two states where governors have passed over them as possible appointees to vacant seats, veteran members of Congress are mulling over special election primary challenges.
Two downstate congresswomen, Reps. Carolyn McCarthy and Carolyn Maloney, are considering primary bids against New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who was recently appointed to fill former Sen. Hillary Clinton’s seat. Likewise, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) has been exploring the possibility of challenging appointed Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.).
Vulnerable incumbents have attracted the attention of Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), a prospective challenger to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and state auditor Crit Luallen, a Democrat who is considering taking on Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.).
The Senate seat left open by the retirement of Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) has Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, a Democrat, deciding whether to throw her hat in the ring, while former Hewlett-Packard CEO and McCain economic adviser Carly Fiorina has been touted as a possible challenger to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
O’Connor explains that female candidates have a better track record in elections where economic issues are at the forefront, which makes the current political environment especially alluring. In the post-Sept. 11 climate, she said, women were vulnerable to perceptions that they weren’t as tough on dealing with terrorist threats.
In 1992, the last banner year for female congressional candidates, economic issues likewise trumped foreign policy.
“When kitchen-table issues are at the forefront, voters recognize it’s women in so many households across America that deal with these issues. That will resonate with a certain segment of voters,” said EMILY’s List political director Jonathan Parker.
In addition, the bench of female downballot officials has grown over the past two decades, creating a larger pool of top-tier Senate candidates. EMILY’s List has been running a Political Opportunity Program for the past four elections, training female Democratic candidates how to run professional campaigns for local offices.
The strong early interest by more than a dozen tested or well-known female candidates stands in sharp contrast to the past two elections. Only 13 female candidates ran for the Senate in 2008 — a 16-year low — and most of them were long-shot campaigns without serious organizations. Just two challengers were successful: North Carolina’s Kay Hagan and New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen, both Democrats. Former Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) lost in a Republican primary.
Those results mirrored the 2006 elections, when Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) knocked off incumbents.
Martha McKenna, who is responsible for recruitment as political director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the committee will always look to identify the strongest candidate regardless of gender but that this year, that candidate has frequently been a woman.
“It’s becoming more and more common for the strongest candidate to be a woman, and that’s a good thing for the party and the country,” McKenna said. “We look at these five open seats, and you can’t help but look at Missouri and see the strongest candidate is Robin Carnahan. You look at Kansas, and you see [Gov. Kathleen] Sebelius is the strongest candidate.”
In Ohio, Brunner is hoping to capitalize on strong support from female voters as she prepares for a tough primary against Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who is backed by popular Gov. Ted Strickland. In the state’s Democratic presidential primary last year, women made up 59 percent of the electorate, according to NBC News exit polling.
Brunner is expected to receive the EMILY’s List endorsement, which worked with her in her last campaign for secretary of state. The group provides female Democratic candidates with an extensive network of national donors to raise money — and should help her remain financially competitive in the primary against Fisher.
“With Hillary Clinton winning as decisively as she did in Ohio, that was because of the influence of women voters,” said Brunner. “What I’ve been finding around the state is that women appear to be really enthusiastic about having a female senator in Ohio, while some men have been more cautious about my campaign.”
Valley wide in Phoenix....
2 topless maids for 200. We bring cleaning supplies. Its lots of fun, why you get your house cleaned
North Korea says it is preparing satellite launch-
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said Tuesday it is preparing to shoot a satellite into orbit, its clearest reference yet to an impending launch that neighbors and the U.S. suspect will be a provocative test of a long-range missile.
The statement from the North's space technology agency comes amid growing international concern that the communist nation is gearing up to fire a version of its most advanced missile capable of reaching the U.S. in coming days, in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
North Korea asserted last week it has the right to "space development" words the regime has used in the past to disguise a missile test. In 1998, North Korea test-fired a Taepodong-1 ballistic missile over Japan and then claimed to have put a satellite into orbit.
"The preparations for launching experimental communications satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 by means of delivery rocket Unha-2 are now making brisk headway" at a launch site in Hwadae in the northeast, the North's space agency said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency. The report did not say when the launch would take place.
Intelligence officials reported a flurry of personnel and vehicle activity at the Hwadae launch site, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday. However, the North has not yet placed a rocket on the launch pad, the report said. After mounting the satellite or missile, it would take five to seven days to fuel the rocket, experts say.
Hwadae is also the launch site for North Korea's longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2, with the potential to reach Alaska. Reports suggest the missile being readied for launch could be an advanced version of the Taepodong-2 with even greater range: the U.S. west coast.
The country test-launched a Taepodong-2 missile in 2006, but it plunged into the ocean shortly after liftoff.
North Korea should present clear evidence that it is planning to launch a satellite, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said Tuesday, according to Yonhap. But either way, he said South Korea would consider any launch a "threat" because the technologies are similar.
Baek Seung-joo, a North Korea expert at Seoul's state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said Pyongyang is only calling it a satellite launch "to minimize friction with the United States and international criticism."
North Korea is banned from any ballistic missile activity under a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted after the North's first-ever nuclear test in 2006.
Analysts have warned for weeks that the North may fire a missile to send a signal to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago with a hard-line policy on North Korea, and to President Barack Obama.
Pyongyang recently has stepped up its hostile rhetoric against South Korea, saying it is "fully ready" for war. The two Koreas technically remain at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
South Korea, Japan and the United States have warned Pyongyang not to fire a missile. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged the North to stop its "provocative actions," saying a missile test would "be very unhelpful."
Iran is conducting a test run of its first nuclear power plant
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