Bear Stearns and the New Federal Reserve

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by Dane Smith

On March 14th, Bear Stearns, the fifth-largest investment bank in the United States, entered a period of insolvency. As growing lack of confidence in the firm's subprime exposure grew, other banks eventually refused to lend to the stricken company, which has existed for over 85 years. Were Bear Stearns a commercial bank, (i.e. institutions that loan money to people or businesses) it would be able to, as a last resort, take advantage of the Federal Reserve's so-called "discount window," thus receiving a government loan at the lowest available interest rate. The reasoning behind making loans to private businesses is sound, because overall confidence in banks is much stronger. But for equally obvious reasons, the discount window cannot by definition extend to institutions that take on risk as their business because they have less or no accountability to taxpayers.

However, after Bear Stearns seemed on the brink of collapse, everything changed. Bear Stearns shares began to falter as investors took flight. The Federal Reserve took decisive action to save the beleaguered bank by guaranteeing a $30 billion loan to their biggest competitor, JPMorgan Chase, so they could buy BS without fear of acquiring more dangerous subprime mortgage-related debt. In effect the government has now bought a troubled investment bank for pennies on the dollar, (their first offer was $2 a share, when BS traded at a high of $170 a year ago) knowing that taxpayers might have to foot the entire bill themselves. At the same time, the Bush administration has maintained that no government bailouts would extend to the financial sector. Moreover, wealthy BS shareholders balked so much at the firesale of their investments that the Fed, under pressure from potential litigation, increased the bid for BS by five times, to $10 a share. This means that, while the potential losses will be felt by millions of taxpayers (many of whom are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure), while profits will most certainly be reaped by the corporate executives at JPMorgan.

Even with its exceptional exposure to subprime securities, BS is still worth well over a billion dollars. Profit-taking was the name of the game on the heels of the announcement, as day traders bought up huge amounts of BS stock at $2 or $3 a share and sold after the bid increased. By taking responsibility for the BS takeover, the Fed has changed the course of America's financial future. By guaranteeing the discount rate to BS, they implicitly must be able to do so for other investment banks in trouble in the future, which implies continued taxpayer absorption of Wall Street failures without any corresponding kickback from banks. Unless the Fed intend to rein in on banks more as the economy struggles through the recession, this policy clearly demonstrates a dramatically different view of finance than the Federal Reserve of 1913, when there was a real discount window you could use to keep your bank alive. Now, it seems, the most secure economically secure institutions are those most separated from average American lives. Politicians who recognize the increasing resonance of populist messages in the present climate are sure to turn this takeover into a major issue.

Ki works and lives in Austin Texas. As a realtor he helps investors interested in Austin real estate. His site provides a search of the Austin MLS for visitors along with a Austin real estate blog to keep people up to date on the market.

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It's Not About Race, Rev. Wright

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by NotYourDaddy

African Americans today are split between two cultures. One is a culture of assimilation and success. The other is a culture of victimization and failure. There have always been African Americans who didn't buy into the "street" subculture, who have striven to rise up out of the ghettos, to assimilate and succeed in mainstream American life. Many have done it, and many more continue to do so. Assimilation is never easy, and can take generations. But the common success factor is a persistent focus on individual accomplishment, hard work, and pushing the children to get the best education they can to prepare them to succeed in a highly competitive world.

The African Americans who embrace the street/ghetto culture have defined themselves (and all African Americans) as victims, and perpetuate a subculture steeped in resentment and entitlement. People who define themselves as victims don't aspire to success, because they've already conceded failure and placed the blame on someone else. Perceived victimization engenders resentment, which justifies a sense of entitlement. Instead of aspiring to rise higher with each successive generation, they sink deeper into the culture of poverty and recrimination, accepting the ghetto as their fate and entitlements as their due.

Participants in the street culture look down on those who work to achieve something better, sneer at education, and prey on those who live according to traditional values. They prey on each other, too. The street culture glorifies violence, drugs, and crime. It thrives on hatred -- hatred of whites, hatred of the country in which they live, hatred of other races, and hatred of other African Americans. It's a culture of self-victimization and false entitlement, and it will forever resist assimilation because its values are antithetical to the values of mainstream America.

This subculture, exploited by the media, and pandered to by black leaders, makes it much harder for those who want to rise up, who want to participate in the opportunities of mainstream American culture, and who want to leave a legacy of success for their children instead of a legacy of failure and resentment.

There is no question that African Americans have suffered from persecution and discrimination in this country. But, throughout human history, cultures have overrun, oppressed, abused, enslaved, and persecuted other cultures. That doesn't make it right. It's wrong. But history goes on. The survivors survive and adapt, and cultures change and evolve. But individuals don't succeed, and cultures don't evolve, by clinging to victimhood or by accepting/demanding entitlements to sustain the status quo. They survive, succeed, and evolve by overcoming and, by overcoming, becoming stronger.

Leaders who truly desire to help their people achieve success do not preach hate. Hate is a cancer that eats the soul, and is ultimately more harmful to those who hate than to those who are hated. They do not preach victimization, resentment, and separatism; they teach individual accomplishment, responsibility, and assimilation. They don't lead their people deeper into the ghetto mentality that holds them back and keeps them firmly entrenched in the ghetto; they lead them out of it. Those misguided or narcissistic leaders who reinforce the barriers that separate their people from all the freedoms and opportunities that America has to offer should be repudiated, not supported, by those who have successfully assimilated and who know there's more to life than the everlasting ghetto.

NotYourDaddy is a conservative libertarian who believes in free will and the free market. NYD thinks the role of the government is to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens. Stop there. NYD's attitude toward ever-expanding government can best be summed up by snarling "Get your hand out of my pocket and leave me alone!" Visit NotYourDaddy's blog at Government is Not Your Daddy.

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Haifa- We Bet This Makes You Sing Sol-Fa

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by Roberto Bell

The most beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Israel is Haifa. The city stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean to the peak of Mount Carmel. This clean and green city is one of the major ports of Israel too.

The city is situated 480 m above the sea level, spreads across three tiers and offers its tourists a spectacular viewpoint from the Eshkol Tower. The city is famous for its Haifa University that has an art gallery and is a dream place for all kinds of art connoisseurs.
The history of this picturesque city dates back to biblical times. In its earlier days, the city was known as a dye-making hub. Various civilizations have ruled and left imprints on the bricks of the city. The city is witness to the rules of the Byzantines, Arabs, Ottomans, even the Egyptians and the British. Today it stands as the home to a mixed population of Jews and Arabs.

The cultural capital city Haifa is the home for the many museums and rich heritage centers. Its long stretched beaches offer its tourists an ideal place to relax with the Mediterranean type of climate. The most important tourist attraction is the Baha'i World Center with the golden shrine of the Bab. It is surrounded with beautiful gardens too.

If you are at Haifa, the jewel city of Israel, take time off to pay a visit to the artist's village of Ein Hod. It is the place of studios and exhibitions of several artists and craftsmen. Stroll at the Mount caramel National Park that has many caves where Neanderthal and the early Homo sapiens remains are found. The Mount Carmel is a great place for the hikers too. A visit to the National Museum of Science, Technology and Space is a must if you happen to holidaying at Haifa.

If you want to walk around Haifa and feel its beauty, take the "path of the thousand stairs" that begins at Central Carmel, passes the Baha'i shrine and the German Colony, and ends downtown. Again, you can also take an aerial spectacular view from a cable car.

So, don't miss the opportunity of visiting a cosmopolitan, hi-tech city on a hill with a picturesque view of its pristine beaches.

David Ben Moshe Haifa Tours . You can find more information at DailyToursIsrael.com.

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Why the Fed is Having Less Influence over Mortgage Interest Rates

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by Dane Smith

In the past when the Federal Reserve cut the discount rate it translated into lower mortgage interest rates for home buyers. This was a convenient way for the Federal Reserve to stimulate the economy during economic slowdowns. By making it easier for people to get loans more cash was pushed into the economy.

But the recent discount rate cuts have failed to have a similar effect. In fact the spread between mortgage interest rates and the discount rate is the greatest in 20 years. Although the Fed has cut rates 3 time in 2008, going from 4.25 to 2.25, if we look at a mortgage rates graph over the same time period we have failed to see much of a change. Two explanations have been put forth to explain why our current situation differs from what we have seen in the past. The first explanation is that the banks are facing almost 200 billion in losses from their misplaced bets on subprime mortgages, and are sticking with high interest rates to offset some of these losses. The other explanation is that banks still see a downside in the real estate market and are attempting to limit their exposure.

Considering that the mortgage industry is comprised of 1000's of people I doubt either of the views is completely accurate. Additionally, considered how short sighted the mortgage industry was in their foolish bets on subprime mortgages during the boom time I think partially the mortgage industry is simply reacting. During the boom time the mortgage industry reacted by competing with each other to create more and more bizarre loan products to allow people with poor credit to receive loans, in order to gain market share. Now that the real estate market is doing poorly the mortgage industry is spooked and is reacting by limiting access to loans.

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? It's hard to tell. The latest Fed cut from 3 to 2.25 received a positive response from the market as interest rates fell from 6.13 to 5.87 the following week. But its anyone's guess of whether this is a temporary blip or a sign that the mortgage industry is comfortable with the current spread between mortgage interest rates and the Fed's discount rate. If the later is the case future rate cuts should have a more favorable affect on pushing down mortgage rates. While this won't cure the current woes in the real estate market it should help alleviate some of the problems.

One thing that does seem more likely is that if the real estate market continues to suffer the Fed will continue to cut rates. The current Fed Ben Bernanke chairman gave a speech before the subprime crisis detailing out how the Fed failed to respond strongly enough during the events which led to the great depression and seems determined to not make the same mistakes. In fact, in an unprecedented move the Fed injected over 200 billion in the credit markets last week its clear the Fed is committed to doing whatever it can to cure the credit/mortgage crisis. If the banks start reacting to the rate cuts the Fed might be able to succeed in their mission to take a stronger role in preventing an economic recession.

Ki is a realtor in Austin and runs a site with information about Austin Tx real estate. He also wrote mortgage rates html for websites to keep visitors up to date on mortgage rates trends along with a free mortgage calculator

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Nuclear Terrorism -- Coming Soon

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by NotYourDaddy

There are three steps required to build nuclear weapons.

1. You need to have a missile capable of delivering the bomb to its target.


2. You need to process a sufficient quantity of enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb.


3. You need to assemble a warhead and attach it to the missile.

Iran already has a missile capable of delivering a nuclear bomb. Last month, Iran conducted a successful test of their upgraded three-stage Shahab-3B missile. According to Viktor Yesin, former Chief of Staff of Russia's Strategic Missile Force, the tests demonstrated Iran's capacity to produce rocket engines that would give these missiles a range of 2,500 miles or more. With that range, they could easily reach targets in Europe. (With strap-on boosters, they could potentially reach North America.) Iran insists their intentions for this missile are entirely peaceful, referring to it as a "space launch vehicle" for orbiting satellites.

However, evidence presented at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month revealed detailed designs from Iranian military labs for a nuclear warhead, including how it would fit in a Shahab-3 missile. Other evidence included documentation of experiments with warheads and missile trajectories where "the height of the burst ... didn't make sense for conventional warheads," according to a senior diplomat who attended the IAEA meeting. IAEA Director General Oli Heinonen commented on an Iranian video showing mock-ups of a missile reentry vehicle that it was "configured in a way that strongly suggests it was meant to carry a nuclear warhead."

Iran will have sufficient weapons grade uranium to make a nuclear bomb within the next two years. The European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC) recently ran computer simulations that modeled the centrifuges that Iran is currently operating at its Natanz nuclear facility. Based on the simulations, they determined that Iran could produce sufficient quantities of enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb by the end of this year (operating at optimal efficiency) or by 2010 (operating at only 25% efficiency). Iran claims their uranium enrichment program is intended for "purely industrial purposes" to generate electricity.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a new resolution last week, imposing further sanctions on Iran for refusing to cease its uranium enrichment program. Iranian president Ahmadinejad beat them to the punch in making it clear that he doesn't care. In a televised interview last month, he said "If they want to continue with that path of sanctions, we will not be harmed. They can issue resolutions for 100 years."

Iran could assemble a nuclear warhead in a matter of months, once they have enough enriched uranium. The National Intelligence Estimate issued in December, which determined that Iran had "halted" its nuclear weapons program in 2003, was focused exclusively on nuclear warhead development. It explicilty ignored the uranium enrichment program, since Iran claimed that was for "industrial purposes." Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence and primary author of the NIE report, later conceded that developing a nuclear warhead is, in fact, "the least significant part" of a nuclear weapons program. Prior to this NIE report, uranium enrichment has always been used as the key indicator of nuclear weapons development programs. Since the NIE report was made public, Mr. McConnell has expressed concerns about its effect in downplaying the continuing nucelar threat from Iran. On February 26, he said unequivocally "Our estimate is they intend to have a nuclear weapon."

Iran denies that it has ever engaged in any design or development of nuclear weapons technology. They insist that all of the evidence presented at the IAEA conference last month were forgeries.

But Iran has a proven track record as a world leader in the funding and training of radical Islamic terrorists. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has declared that Israel should (and will) be "wiped off the map." Ahmadinejad was also a member of the Islamic terrorist organization that took 52 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. There's a post on my blog that lists a Chronology of Islamic Terrorist Attacks Against the U.S. between 1979 and 2001. A great many of these were perpetrated by Hezbollah, which is funded by Iran. Hezbollah also provided explosives training for Al Qaeda operatives, in Iran, prior to 9/11, as discussed the post Sunni and Shiite Unite Against the West.

Why would anybody be gullible enough to believe that this terrorist nation is amassing all the means to build nuclear weapons "for purely industrial purposes?" Israel knows better. Europe knows better. Russia knows better. The U.N. knows better! Nobody in the world believes Iran has stopped its nuclear development program, except for certain people in the U.S. who, because of their own agenda, were all too eager to latch on to the now discredited NIE report, -- and even they don't believe it anymore.

What could be more menacing than nuclear weapons in the hands of a terrorist nation with a suicide bomber mentaility that has repeatedly characterized the United States "the Great Satan?" Is the reason we're being so squeamish about acknowledging this threat simply because the left keeps calling Bush a liar on account of not finding any WMDs in Iraq? Could it really be possible that our nation's leaders are more afraid of name-calling from the left than of an increasingly imminent nuclear threat from Iran? That's a scary thought.

NotYourDaddy is a conservative libertarian who believes in free will and the free market. NYD thinks the role of the government is to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens. Stop there. NYD's attitude toward ever-expanding government can best be summed up by snarling "Get your hand out of my pocket and leave me alone!" Visit NotYourDaddy's blog at Government is Not Your Daddy.

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Was Robin Hood A Yorkshireman?

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by Fred Watson

As a boy I was brought up on tales of Robin Hood and his merry men, as were my children and now, with a new series on the small screen, my children's children. We also lived for ten years in a small Yorkshire village near to Wentbridge called Little Smeaton, hence my interest in the Yorkshire connections to Robin Hood.

Robin, a nobleman, so the later stories say, was stripped of his lands and outlawed by Prince / King John, escaped into the green woods of Sherwood Forest. There along with, Little John, Will scarlet, Allan a Dale, Much The Miller, Friar Tuck and of course Maid Marion, stole from the rich to give to the poor. The rich in this case consisted mainly of prince John's tax collectors and various rich officials of a wealthy church. Since the Sheriff of Nottingham, who was based in Nottingham castle, was charged with the collection of the taxes he became Robin's archenemy.

That very roughly is the basis of the Robin Hood stories I grew up with. But while the stories were all centred on Nottingham and Sherwood there is now a growing body of experts that believe he was a Yorkshireman. As witnessed by the naming of Doncaster, Sheffield airport, Robin Hood Airport, much to the Chagrin of the good folks of Nottingham.

The earliest known mention of Robin Hood was nearly six and a half centuries ago. In 1377 there was a reference to him in a poem attributed to William Langland. The poem, "The vision of William concerning Piers Plowman" contains the following two lines.

I kan noght parfity my paternoster as the preest it syngth,
but I kan rymes of Robyn Hood and Randolf Erl of Chestre.

I do not know my paternoster perfectly as the priest sings it,
but I know the Rhymes of Robin Hood and Randolf, Earl of Chester.

In those days the majority of the population could not read or write, so a lot of the local history was verbal and passed on by the wandering minstrels. Since the tales of Robin Hood feature in many of those ballads, it is possible that the tales would have been based on the exploits of a real person.

Most of what we know of Robin Hood comes from, The Child Collection. The English and Scottish Popular ballads, collected by Francis James Child in the 1800s
The Lyttle Gest of Robyn Hode is the very first of them and along with the next three ballads place Robin Hood, a Yeoman (Low born freeman) Little John, Will Scarlet and Much the Miller etc, firmly in the Forest of Barnsdale. The forest was in Yorkshire the adjoining county to Nottingham and covered the area between Doncaster and Wentbridge. (Wentbridge was sometimes known as Barnsdale).

The village of Wentbridge is the only place in Yorkshire to boast a blue plaque on the bridge commemorating Robin Hood. Wording from plaque; And walke up to saylis, and so to Watling street, and wayte after some unkuth gest, up chance ye may them mete. The Saylis mentioned has been identified as Sayles Plantation (Now Brockadale nature reserve) and is on one side of the Gorge of the river Went that runs from Wentbridge, past Smeaton Crags, to Little Smeaton / Kirk Smeaton. At the southwest corner of the Kirk Smeaton parish boundary, near to Skellow, lies Robin Hood's well, Because of road widening works, the Skell, a tributary of the river Don, was covered and the well dried up. The stone shelter that surrounded the well however still exists and can be found in a lay-by on the southbound carriageway of the A1 near Skellow, about half a mile north of the junction with the A638.

Close by in the grounds of Skelbrook Park was The Bishops Oak, alas long gone. (The ground where it once stood is still known as The Bishop Tree Root). This was the spot where Robin and his men were said to have captured and held to ransom the Bishop of Hereford.

St Mary Magdalene in Barnesdale was where Robin went pray and was said to be the church where he married Marion. Not far from Skellow is Campsall and the church of St Mary Magdalene, the church is very ancient and would have been within the Barnsdale forest.

Wakefield ten miles from Barnsdale was the home of George a Green, the jolly pinder of Wakefield, who was one of Robin's followers. He would have lived in Pinderfields near what is now Pinderfields Hospital.

Wakefield was also, according to the Wakefield rolls, the home of one Robert / Robyn Hood the son of Adam Hood, a forester in the service John de Warenne, he was married to Matilda and lived in a property in Birchill. In the records for 1316 Robert and Matilda paid 25 shillings to purchase a piece land in Birchill. Also, in that year Robert was fined for failing a call to arms in Edward the second's abortive invasion of Scotland two years earlier.

In 1320 Thomas Earl of Lancaster took over Wakefield and began to raise a new army. Robert's name did not appear on the list of defaulters and it is possible that he joined the army of Lancaster. In 1322 there was a five-roomed house on the land in Birchill. In 1323 Lancaster was defeated at Boroughbridge and his supporters outlawed. In that year a list of seized properties included a newly built five roomed building in Birchill. Robert Hood of Wakefield seems to have disappeared from view at this time. Was he outlawed to the greenwood to become Robin Hood of Barnsdale?

Robin's archenemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham and for a period in Edwards reign, the High Sheriff of Nottingham had jurisdiction over Yorkshire. As everyone knows Robin was famed for his prowess with a longbow, which also points to him being around during Edward's reign, since the longbow was not introduced into England until after the reigns of John and King Richard.

The death of Robin Hood: In later years when he was in ill health Robin travelled to Kirklees Priory to be bled, instead he was betrayed and killed by his cousin the Prioress and Sir Rodger Of Doncaster. Just before he died he shot an arrow and asked his friends to bury him wherever the arrow landed.

Kirklees Priory (Between Brighouse and Mirfield) is a ruin although the gatehouse still stands. 600 mtrs beyond the gatehouse they found a gravestone with the partial inscription; Here Lies Robard Hude. The Priory is on private land and for safety reasons there is no public access at this time.

So there we have the Yorkshire Robin Hood, a fugitive yeoman based in Barnsdale, in the reign of Edward the second, who with his band of merry men, led the Sheriff of Nottingham a pretty dance as he robbed the tax gatherers and the rich as they travelled through Barnsdale and very likely Sherwood Forest. (After all both forests, were adjoining).

Copyright Fred Watson

Fred Watson published his first book, a fantasy adventure novel aimed at the 8-12 age group, in November 2006. A grandfather of four, he loves to write for all age groups, has an abiding interest in history and continues on a regular basis to add new stories etc to his website. Footprint Publishing

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A Not-So-Perfect Union

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by Floyd Buenavente

In the Speech of Senator Barack Obama entitled "A More Perfect Union" again he waxed cynical of outsourcing stating:

"They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor...This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit."

If there is one thing that the aspiring Senator missed is the fact that outsourcing is a by-product of an ambitious large-scale company that would like to expand its services and its influence in the global market.

Take for example Google, Google was able to maintain its position and eventually became the top search engine in the internet by tapping great minds and programmers across the globe. Today Google has offices all across the world.

In Obama's speech he tackled great divides between races in America, given that he's already into it I would like him to tackle the great divides of opportunity in business, that capitalism in all its complexities is a never-ending struggle to get to the top using its vast resources and labor power may it be cheap or not to outwit and outlast competitions.

I hope that the great Senator understands that it is not about jobs being shipped outside that is the problem, but that it is an intrinsic instinct for companies to use as little resources while getting high profits that makes them survive the ruthless business landscape.

My idea is to challenge Senator Obama to create more jobs rather than limit the capacity for survival for the companies.

That if ever he becomes President he would be able to harness the skills of his people thus giving them more options to apply or create jobs for themselves and have a more sustainable labor economy for the benefit of keeping the jobs in the U.S.

Yet again let me reiterate my point.

Outsourcing can never be taken against the outsourcers. Because as long as there's cheaper labor, as long as there's a cheaper way to use capital at a higher profit and as long as there is a ready supply of human resources to choose from then it is inevitable that jobs will be shipped overseas.

I see no other reason really unless if Obama wins he would stop companies from doing so altogether.

Which is to base it from the arguments above seems simply improbable.

Floyd Gumpal Buenavente is the Marketing manager for an Outsourcing Firm located in The Philippines (MicroSourcing.com).He also owns brownseo.com a website documenting his journeys in life and the Internet Marketing Industry.

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Breached Security

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by WalkWithMe1948

Once again our leaders in the Bush administration have shown how little we are protected. If they can't even protect the private passport records of our presidential candidates how can we expect them to stop the bomb in the shopping mall, the suitcase nuke coming across the southern board or the millions of containers that arrive at our ports everyday – unexamined.

We are quickly becoming a society of people all of whom are at some level of "post traumatic stress syndrome'. Point in fact – when the tornado hit the Golden Dome in Atlanta during the basketball game last week, most people reported that their first thought was "it was a terrorist attack." How many of you have thought the same thing when something happens in your hometowns. I have and if you are honest – you have also. We jump at noises that use to not bother us; we tense up if a helicopter flies over too low. Some of us sleep with the light on now or CNN on all night.

It has been that way for five years because our leaders have led with fear. They have continued to play the "fear card" every time they need something from Congress and they play it again whenever they need the public to contact their Congressional Representative.

I don't like this feeling – this feeling of having our guard up all the time. The administration is even running public service announcements about having a family plan, where to meet our family members if there is a terrorist attack and everyone in your family is separated.

Every time there is a breaking news bulletin – is this it? They have started testing the emergency broadcast network on a weekly basis now – instead of monthly – and it is always on different day and time so it catches us off guard. Do they know something that we don't know, or do they just want us to believe they do?

How long can our leaders keep us in a state of fear? What damage is this fear having on our bodies? Fear is a powerful emotion – people do brutal acts because of fear. Revolutions are started in the name of fear.

And do you realize how many of our Constitutional rights have been taken away. Let's take a look at this. Let say your best friend lives in France. The two of you email back and forth talking about "terrorists". This word triggers your email into a government program and puts you on a list of people to watch. If you are suspected, the government can bust into your home and search it without a warrant. You can be arrested with no charges and can be kept in jail for weeks or more. If they believe you have information, they ship you to a "friendly country" and beat you half to death to extract information out of you. After a day or two of this – you tell them anything, and if you have no real information – you make up a story just so the torture will stop. Did you realize this? No, probably not because we are afraid. Fear is very powerful and it can keep people in line. This is exactly what the Nazi party did in its rise to power before WW II.

What can we do about this? Probably nothing. The Democrats are fighting over the nomination and the Republican candidate is just Bush III.

Our government should be reassuring us, making us unafraid. A fearful populist can revolt when they are not happy with the present leaders. A fearful populist will follow false prophets who speak will and who can convince them to follow him – people who really are unable to lead.

This is the most important thing to do about this – when you go to vote in November, don't vote for a person out of fear. Vote for them out of hope and change and pray that the person you voted for can deliver on the hope and the change.

Mary Ann Boulette Austin, Texas maboulet@swbell.net http://maboulette.blogtoolkit.com/ Cute, witty and charming Writer, poet, photographer

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Can We Rely Drunk Driving Breath Tests?

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by Maria Palma

Drunk driving defense lawyers and law enforcement have been constantly battling the reliability of drunk driving breath tests. Lawyers believe that we can't depend on breathalyzer tests because most of the time these devices detect other chemicals in the body and mistake them for ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, a compound found in alcoholic beverages. A person could be found to have a high blood alcohol content (B.A.C.) when in fact there is very little if any ethanol in his body.

Many of the breath tests used today by law enforcement are infrared breath analyzing devices. They are not as reliable or accurate as blood tests, but these devices have been accepted as standard instruments to find out if someone has had too much to drink.

The main issue presented is that these breath analyzing devices are not designed to detect the molecule of ethyl alcohol. Most breathalyzer tests can only find a presence of a part of that molecule. The breathalyzer test assumes that the methyl group is part of an ethyl alcohol compound. Think about the different compounds that are found on someone's breath. Isn't it possible that the breathalyzer instrument could mistake a combination of these compounds as ethyl alcohol?

This leads to the problem that approximately 70 to 80 percent of compounds found on a person's breath contain methyl groups and in order for someone to be convicted for a DUI, the prosecution must show beyond a reason of a doubt that ethyl alcohol was in the body at the time of the breath test. The prosecution must provide proof that the ethyl alcohol is responsible for the results produced by the breath analyzing instrument.

There has been much research to prove that breath alcohol analysis is certainly not enough to be used in the courts to convict someone for a DUI. Moreover, there have also been many studies conducted to prove that breath tests are not as reliable as blood tests. In one study, members of the toxicology section of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene discovered that only 33 percent of the breath test results correlated with corresponding blood tests. What is most profound about this study is that in 11 of the cases, the defendant was shown to be intoxicated using one of the tests but not intoxicated when using the other.

The question remains: Who really stands to gain from these breath analyzing machines? Is is the manufacturers who sell these devices to law enforcement? How do we know that these manufacturers have indeed developed perfect machines? Machines are only as perfect as the humans who have created them. These devices are run by computers and we all know that computers can often break down or have technical issues. Law enforcement says that we should put our faith in these machines to provide accurate results, but can we truly rely on them?

Maria Palma is a freelance writer committed to helping people with their San Diego DUI. Make sure to hire a professional and experienced San Diego DUI lawyer.

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Bear Stearns and the Free Market

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by Dane Smith

The recent government-sponsored bailout of Bear Stearns, one of the top five lenders in the United States, has shocked traders and left investors cold. Despite the chilly reaction on Wall Street, secretly many are breathing a sigh of relief. While Bear Stearns was mismanaged from its upper echelons, its subprime exposure grew until their recent $30 billion-plus losses had to be reported. Once that happened, their course took a turn for the worse. As their ability to shore up capital faltered, JPMorgan Chase stepped in with a buyout worth a bargain $2 a share, valuing a company worth $3.5 billion down to $236 million. Quite a savvy deal, if obviously designed to ensure continued security in the market more than pure profit (after last year's hedge funds collapses, BS' lawyers have been busy with sub-prime exposure-related litigation).

With the impact of derivative investments and more sophisticated financial instruments, the notational impact of a Bear Stearns collapse comes at a staggering $10 trillion. Moreover, even at a share price that attractive, the BS rival wouldn't have bought them unless a fundamental shift in monetary and fiscal policy hadn't occurred: The Federal Reserve's liquidity offers to commercial banks, which have been numerous in recent months in the wake of the credit crunch, have been offered to Bear Stearns for the purpose of covering billions in frothy investments.

This sets a dangerous precedent against the continued function of American markets by using taxpayer dollars to bail out what is an entirely market-related mistake. By covering bad investments with taxpayer money, the Federal Reserve reverses sixty years of capitalist policy in favor of blatantly socialist takeovers. This could be the worst way to introduce Americans to this form of quasi-socialist government ever conceived. No one put a gun to Bear Stearn's collective head and made them spread risk ineffectively and invest in sketchy sub-prime mortgage securities. They did it all by themselves. Yet here we see a government-backed takeover to shore up confidence in a financial system that seems unable to take care of itself. Laissez-faire? Quite the opposite, it appears.

What kind of message does this send to other financial institutions? Can they now expect similar access to the "discount window" that had been reserved for institutions that work with taxpayers, not investors? We now have the dubious half-promise that the Fed will rein in on Wall Street during boom times, but isn't it a lack of regulation in loaning standards and a subsequent rise in "predatory loaning" what got them into this mess in the first place? And how many more Bear Stearns get the Fed rescue while millions of Americans face foreclosure? The Fed haven't received much criticism thus far, as their responses have taken a course they have helped the economy weather in past recessions. However, their break from past precedent will likely draw some flags. Even if no one else will tell the emperor that his clothes are slipping off one piece at a time, surely the Presidential candidates will pounce on this new opportunity to compare traditional economic goals with the present shift in policy.

Ki lives in Austin and writes a Austin real estate blog. His site is filled with information about Austin real estate and includes a free search of the Austin MLS.

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Endangered Polar Bear - The Battle To Protect The Arctic Goes On

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by Frankie Kangas

The polar bear world is disappearing. Whether from the consequences of global warming or from intrusion from humans and the hunt for resources such as oil, the endangered polar bear is becoming a target of our intensifying environmental and economic pressures.

As it has been projected that by the middle of this century we will no longer have year-round Arctic sea ice, the polar bear may vanish from the wilderness. Climate change and thinning ice has already lessened, by a few weeks, the time mother polar bears have to feed and collect the fat that sustains them and nourishes their young.

Many scientists feel that the rapid rate of climate change (global warming) underway in the Arctic will lead to resounding effects. In addition to suspected changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, effects on the endangered polar bear is likely to be faster and can already be observed in a thinning of the weight of polar bears and also in the birth and survival rate of the cubs.

Exceedingly susceptible to disturbances, oil exploration affects the endangered polar bear in a number of ways. For instance, when oil exploration equipment drives too close to the dens, it blasts shock waves through the ground as it searches for oil and gas reserves, making the polar bear mother abandon her den and her cubs, disturbing her hunting patterns. Since the cubs do not leave the den until they're 3 months old, when abandoned, they will die.

It is known that 1 bear has died from consuming a toxic substance, due to the constant release of contaminants from petroleum exploration, production and support activities in active oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. That's 1 bear too many!

Although most Americans concur that there is not adequate oil in the Arctic Refuge to compromise the loss of this place, its people and its wildlife, unfortunately the struggle to protect the Arctic carries on in this, the polar bear world.

As more people reside near these areas, they can't help but acquire garbage and, of course, a few polar bears will move in too near when hunting for food, and be killed. The polar bear habitat is shrinking. Extinction of these magnificent creatures, so unparalleled in our world, is almost a certainty.

The combination of pollution moving to the Far North from sources thousands of miles away, along with oil development and global warming, could affect not only the polar bear world but also the entire ecosystem. Thinning sea ice, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change--these components and more are impacting the future of this and many additional vulnerable arctic species. The endangered polar bear is potentially our generation's "canary in the coal mine." Its demise could forecast even larger environmental dangers to come. Polar bears are a national treasure, and their survival depends on us!

For more information, check out my blog Polar Bear News. You can also find information at Are You Polar Bear Aware? and Polar Bear Video Showcase

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How to Conduct a Public Records Search

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by Davion W

Public records search can be performed through many different ways. Just to name a few, it can be your school, library, courts, the local municipal office, government agencies and even at places of worship. Other than the public archives which are free, most of other services require a fee. Needless to say, some government employees are accessing such information from their workplace. However, there are governing rules pertaining to the access of public information as well as the way you use the information retrieved from public records search.

Some people would conduct a public records search online. Such information is normally in the public domain and can be freely accessed by any member of the public. Even government records can be accessible in some instances. So, it is possible to find certain bits of information if the records are not confidential and are for all eyes. Such details can be the full name and address of an individual. However, you need to understand that such information is basic and would not be too detailed or comprehensive.

In the past, all such public records are only available in physical copies filed in folders and cabinets. You may even have to locate microfilm, microfiche and photographic copies from whole piles of documents in order to find what you need. Or you can hire a private investigator, PI to carry out some investigative work for you. This option can be rather expensive and definitely not the choice of most people.

That is why many services have set up shop online to offer comprehensive search databases for people to conduct a public records search. These volumes of information are huge and the beauty is that you can find them online. But with these record databases, everything can be found in an instant online, saving hassle, time and money. Such services can charge a one time membership fee for unlimited number of searches or a fee for per record search. Go for the unlimited search option as it is nowadays very affordable and cost you less than $50.

The entire process is easy and the search interface is user friendly. You can use the site to search for records like phone numbers, residential addresses, criminal records, marriage and divorce records, birth and death records, civil records, business records and so on. Because of the comprehensive and wide network of data they have, even private investigators, law enforcers, lawyers and other professionals are turning to these services to find the public records they want.

Anyone who is interested to conduct a public records search can pop over at my records search blog to get started in a few minutes from now.

Davion does a fair bit of investigative work. Instantly search US public records at his popular records search blog http://searchuspublicrecords.blogspot.com immediately to track down every public record you want.

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The Inconsistency Of Views Towards Animal Rights

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by Scott Hughes

Among other reasons, I became a vegan because I cannot justify needlessly killing an animal. If I needed to kill and eat animals to survive, I would. However, we do no longer need to kill animals to survive. A person can just as easily survive without eating meat, while remaining just as healthy.

In fact, we have the technology to essentially create meat without killing animals, considering how simple of a substance meat is. We recreate meat in the form of meat substitutes, such as soy burgers.

Despite their ability to live easily without killing animals for food, many people still choose to eat meat. These people do not grant animals the right to life. If a person murdered another person and then ate that other person, almost all people would adamantly oppose it. Meanwhile, these same people slaughter animals without giving it a second thought.

It is hard to understand why murdering a human is so objectionable while murdering an animal is not. Most of us vegans and animal rights supporters view that as very inconsistent.

The inconsistency of people's views towards animal rights goes further, though. While people carelessly murder animals because they like the taste of meat and the look of leather, these same people fall heads over heels about "cuter" animals. For example, pigs are generally smarter than dogs, but many people object to the idea of needlessly murdering and eating a dog.

People look at Michael Vick like he is a monster for organizing dog fights, which is utterly hypocritical and inconsistent. Fighting dogs probably do not suffer any more than factory-farmed chickens who are debeaked, stuffed into an over-packed cage, and eventually slaughtered. Why do people think it is fine to make animals suffer for the enjoyment of leather or the taste of a meaty burger, but not for the entertainment of a dog fight?

Of course, many people have inconsistent views when it even comes to entertainment and animal rights. Having dogs fight or cock fights for entertainment is seen as wrong and often made illegal, but hunting for entertainment is a common pastime.

Some may try to excuse the inconsistency by saying that killing is not as horrible as making the animal suffer while staying alive. However, there is still more inconsistency here. Why then do they not have a problem with animal testing? Animal testers carelessly torture animals with unsafe and dangerous products to make perfumes and other needless products. If needlessly torturing animals for petty pleasures is so objectionable to these people, it is inconsistent for them to buy beauty products that have been tested on animals.

Simply put, most people base their views regarding animal rights on emotions rather than on rationality, which results in irrational inconsistencies. Many people do not want to reconsider their inconsistent views regarding animal rights, because that would likely lead to giving up meat, leather, and other animal products.

Scott Hughes owns and operates VeganClub.org which is a great website with information about veganism and animal rights. You can discuss these ideas and more in the Vegan Forums. It's completely free, and all viewpoints are welcome.

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No Brokered Convention For The 2008 Presidential Election

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by James William Smith

The country is intrigued by the possibility of a brokered convention. Pundits and observers of the 2008 election have speculated that the nominee for either the Democratic or Republican Party may not be resolved until the convention in the late summer.

The television and media moguls would love to see such an event. It would be political reality television which would take everyone's mind from the current absence of original programming due to the writers' strike. A brokered political convention would be riveting world news and a windfall for political journalists as well.

America does have a long history of brokered political conventions. There were brokered political conventions in 1860 and 1924. The Democratic convention in 1952, which eventually nominated Adlai Stevenson was a brokered convention with multiple ballots. The last Republican convention that went beyond a single ballot was the Republican convention in 1948, which eventually nominated Thomas E. Dewey. In recent history, the last political convention that was somewhat in doubt was the Republican convention in 1976 with Ronald Reagan.

In recent times, television has played a major role in the elimination of the brokered convention. The spectacle of controversy, and division within a party in front of a world wide television audience, has no appeal to either political party. In addition, history tells us that brokered conventions lead to a loss at the polls for the chosen candidate in the general election in November.

The 2008 Presidential primary election for the Democratic party is so close that it will certainly continue after Super Tuesday on February, 5, 2008. In fact the campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may continue well into the month of March. If the current public opinion polls are correct, Hillary Clinton should lead Barrack Obama in delegates after the primaries on February 5, 2008.

Hillary Clinton currently leads Barrack Obama (Rasmussen poll) in nearly every primary state on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. Victories in nearly every primary state on Super Tuesday will mean that Clinton should have over half the delegates needed to win the nomination on the following morning of February 6. Barrack Obama is likely to be trailing behind her after Super Tuesday.

However, Barack Obama should still be competitive in the campaign because most of the remaining state Democratic primaries award their delegates on a percentage of the vote basis. Also Obama has an advantage in that there are still several hundred uncommitted super delegates who still could endorse him.

The bad news for Barack Obama is that (assuming the current public opinion polls result in Hillary Clinton primary victories) by late March it will be obvious that the only way he could possibly win the necessary delegates for the Democratic nomination is through a bitter and brokered convention in August. Indeed, Barack Obama will be under heavy pressure within the party in March to avoid that divisive result.

Unlike the Democratic state primaries, the Republicans award convention delegates in a winner-take-all fashion. Mitt Romney needs enthusiastic support from the party's conservative base to win enough delegates to be the Republican nominee. Even though he currently leads John McCain by 15 % nationally (Rasmussen) among conservatives, it has not been enough to overcome McCain's strength among Republican moderates and Independent voters.

Romney is viewed with skepticism by some conservative voters and his Mormon religion continues to be a problem for Evangelical Christian conservatives. After his recent Florida primary election victory, John McCain has political momentum and should win across the board on Super Tuesday February 5, 2008. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee may then drop out of the race after the Super Tuesday primaries.

Therefore, it appears that, in March, there could still be a competitive Democratic contest between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. However, with John McCain busy uniting the Republican party and raising money for the general election campaign in the fall, Democratic party insiders will be anxious to do the same. There will be no interest within the Democratic Party for a protracted fight ending in a divisive and brokered convention in the summer. The clear frontrunner entering March in delegates will be the nominee of the party. That frontrunner based on current public opinion polls should be Hillary Clinton.

Therefore, before the end of the month of March, the 2008 Presidential election will have the two candidates for the general election in the fall. The nominees in each party in this interesting political election season will have been chosen. There will not be a brokered convention in either party. There will be a general Presidential election campaign between likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate John McCain.

James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political, national, and world events. Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com

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Eliot Spitzer Joins The Club Of Self-Destruction

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by James William Smith

He was called the Sheriff of Wall Street for his dogged pursuit of rule breakers in the mutual fund industry as the Attorney General of New York. He would later use the favorable publicity of a compliant media as a springboard to become the elected governor of the state of New York in 1996. His rapid political rise had many people projecting him as a serious potential candidate for the Presidency in 2012.

Therefore, the lurid details behind the recent resignation of Eliot Spitzer due to his involvement in a paid prostitution ring is a national shock. Our shock is intensified by the fact that the story combines all the sordid elements that the current tabloid news media loves to exploit; the hypocrisy and scandal of a government official, adultery, lurid sex, young call girls, family tragedy, and potential criminal behavior.


If you somehow have not yet heard, Spitzer was referred to as client number 9 in a government case against the Emperors Club Escort Service. He is said to have paid the club's VIP agency $4,300 to arrange for sex with a prostitute named Kristen on Feb. 13, 2008 in Washington's Mayflower Hotel. Published reports indicate it was apparently the latest episode in a repetitive pattern of behavior that went on for months and involved tens of thousands of dollars.

The sad fact is that Spitzer's legal problems may have only just begun. Based solely on the known facts, Spitzer could potentially face criminal charges concerning an attempt to hide monetary transactions, soliciting prostitution, tax evasion, and violation of the Mann Act concerning a payment for a call girl's interstate trip. Court documents and published reports indicate that perhaps as much as $80,000 was transferred from Spitzer's account to a trio of dummy companies that were really fronts for the Emperors Club escort service.


The amazing thing is that as a former Attorney General, Spitzer knew the risk in being involved with the Emperors Club. In fact, only four years earlier (April 8, 2004), he announced that authorities had arrested 18 people on prostitution and related charges in the investigation of another New York escort service. At that time, Spitzer said: "This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure. It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring, and now its owners and operators will be held accountable."


The defendants in that escort case were charged with money laundering, enterprise corruption, promoting prostitution, and falsifying business records. The aspects of that case and investigation are very similar to the charges and investigation involved in the Emperors Club that soon may lead to many of the same criminal charges against Eliot Spitzer.

The sad truth is that we have often seen this type of public hypocrisy and self-destructive behavior before. While sometimes surprising, it is unfortunately really nothing new or unique. Surely Jim Swaggart and Jim Bakker must have understood the risk of their private sexual exploits while in their prominent public position of American televangelists. Every day on their televised broadcast they would preach against some of the very sins that that were, in fact, privately committing.

Jim Swaggart would expose peer televangelist Jim Bakker's adulterous sexual indiscretions on the Larry King Show. Subsequently, Swaggart would be found with prostitutes on a couple of different occasions. Both men would experience a dramatic fall from prominence for their hypocrisy and self-destructive behavior. In addition, Bakker would spend years in jail for a series of finance charges concerning his ministry.

It is still hard to understand exactly why otherwise intelligent men become members in this club of self destruction. Some say it is the power in their celebrity that leads them astray. Others contend that it is a malfunction in the cortex of the brain that disconnects them from reality and its consequences. Arrogance and various character flaws are also mentioned as possible causes.

However, regardless of the reason, members of the club of self-destructive behavior all have one thing in common. Their behavior not only claims their personal career and respect, but, like a scorched earth policy, destroys everything they love and touch. Family and friends experience the pain of broken trust and public humiliation. It is a pain that changes lives and can last for many years.

The ultimate irony of this sad story is that the next governor of New York will be current Lieutenant Governor, David Patterson. He is an African American who is legally blind; a man who has overcome difficult personal obstacles to now become the governor of the state of New York. On election night in 2006, Patterson reflected on the promise of a newly-elected Spitzer administration. "Eliot and I have a vision for New York," he said. "I can't see it in my eyes, but I can feel it in my heart."

Now less than two years later, Patterson will become the new governor of New York. He will take the position from a man with a privileged background; a man without impediment of sight who did not have the vision to see the obvious potential ramifications of his dubious behavior. Indeed, like Bakker, Swaggart and others, Eliot Spitzer is now destined to become another member in the club of self-destruction.

James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political, national, and world events. Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com

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The Blackpool Tower

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by Roberto Bell

The Blackpool Tower has stood over the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire in England for over a century since its completion in 1984. It has become one of the major tourist attractions that Blackpool has to offer. The tower stands 158 meters or 518 feet tall. Its' shape and form was inspired by the great Eiffel Tower in France, but unlike the Parisian masterpiece, The Blackpool Tower is not freestanding. Though it was originally built to be an observation vantage point, the tower also holds numerous establishments including a Ballroom and the Tower Circus arena, which is located at the base of the structure.
Sad as it may seem, the Blackpool tower nearly reached its' end around the 1920s. The reason for this is the fact that the original paintjob on the structure was so poor that the tower had started to corrode. This caused the discussion on whether the tower should be taken down or not, the engineers then came to conclusion that they would repair and rebuild the damage instead of taking the entire piece down. The tower has also had its' share of tragic events – of note is when a ship mistook the tower for a lighthouse, turned around, drifted away and was wrecked.

A great feature of the Blackpool tower is the glass floor that has been built into the top level. This allows those above to look straight down onto the road below. This feature of the Blackpool Tower is popular with almost every tourist that came to visit. The Blackpool Tower ballroom is the venue or a lot of great events and functions and has even been voted as one of the most magnificent ballrooms in the entire world. The tower also holds the 'Blackpool Tower Circus' arena and the circus has never missed one season since the day that it opened. Another interesting feature about the Blackpool tower is its' Aquarium that has been known to hold numerous species of fish and marine life.

Something that not everyone knows about the Blackpool Tower is that the structure has been constructed so that if it ever collapses – the greater mass of it would fall into the sea. Another thing is the fact that the Blackpool Tower base is stealthily concealed by the different buildings that surrounds it.

The city of Blackpool will always attract visitors who have a fine taste for performing arts, the splendid culture of the place and the architectural wonder of the Blackpool tower adds up to the "must visit" reason of everyone.

Steve is the owner of Blackpool and Blackpool Hotels. For more options please visit: Blackpool Hotel

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The Question Is, Margaret, How Deep Is The Recession

by Burk Pendergrass

President George Bush is right, the country is "not headed for a recession". It has arrived - Remote Helpdesk 1 knows we are there. Besides politics, recession is the major concern of the common man as the summer vacation season hurdles towards the masses. Winter will soon be a memory and family thoughts will turn to spring break and anticipation of summer vacations. The truth is less Americans than ever before will not be able to take a vacation this year. The number of people finding themselves stranded at home during vacation times and holidays have been trending upward for years now.



The economy has slowed according to the White House and has replaced the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the genocide in Darfur as the average American's priority. Republican nominee John Mc Cain promises to address the issue as house prices fall, fuel and food prices increase, home foreclosures soar, the dollar is in free fall, America loses 63,000 jobs in February alone - the most in the last five years and the government now admits January 2008 numbers were also negative, and we find ourselves at an all time high in auto repossessions. The Tennessee Mountain Man wonders why politicians are always promising to fix something while running for office that they already had twenty-five years to correct.



Having been a student of business sciences in college, a life time of two ago, the Computer Man recognizes that there must be official definitions of such phenomenon as a recession and a depression, however political correctness be damned. When your rent and utilities are past due and you, your children, or your aging parents are hungry and you can do little about it, you are in a depression. The dirty little secret no one wants to address is, when some are in a recession, many are of necessity in a depression.



For way too long our elderly have had to choose between medicine and food, and of having to pay a portion of their utilities one month and paying their rent the next while children must eat two meals a day at school or go hungry.



Although it is disheartening to watch the wealthy republican establishment decry the less financially secure people of the world who make their life style possible, it was a positive sign when the newly minted world's wealthiest man, Billionaire Warren Buffett, recently said "the U.S. economy is essentially in a recession even if it hasn't met the technical definition of one yet". Perhaps he knows because Kirby vacuum cleaners are harder to move these days and those who want one can't qualify for the financing, and those, like the Tennessee Mountain Man, who use his gecko insurance can barely keep it from lapsing.



Most folk of Buffett's stature, those simply suffering from the little man syndrome, and the wanna be lose touch with the average American. Even George W. Bush, the President of the United States, who has a cabinet and an army of advisors who are supposed to be in touch with the people and keep him informed recently declared, "I’m ‘focused’ on gas prices but unaware of four dollar a gallon gas".

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During a recent press conference, a reporter asked President Bush what his “advice” would be to the “average American” who is “facing the prospect of four dollar a gallon gasoline.” Bush replied, “That’s interesting, I hadn’t heard that.” After all he travels in a 20 car motorcade fueled by the Secret Service on our dime, and when his truck needs fuel on the ranch they surely don't let him run down to the local convenience store, refuel, grab a bucket of chicken, and a cold drink.



Thursday, March the 6th, 2008, fuel hit well over a hundred dollars a barrel and hit a new all time high of $109.00 a barrel Tuesday, March 11th on it's way to two hundred dollars while the value of American Currency continues to fall around the world.



When we began to get bombarded with SPAM like this, "Lowest priced homes: foreclosure deals are everywhere!! Beautiful 3-4-5 bedroom homes in all areas - starting at $25,000 - sometimes with nothing down!", hard working Americans - the middle class - are in serious trouble irrespective of what some condescending snob wishes to call it.



When your lender shows up for his collateral and leaves you with the parting shot, "we'll see what it brings at auction and then we'll go from there" you know what he means. The collateral will be sold quickly and cheaply and then he will be back not with groceries to help you feed your children nor with money to help you pay your doctor bills and buy medicine but to seize any and everything else you possess.



A real kick in the teeth while you are down. Just what you need at the moment. A recession by any definition remains untoward struggle and pain. Ask the suffering - the lower and middle classes in America. Where does it end? when you lose your job? when you are in bankruptcy? when you are homeless?



Yes, Margaret, technicalities notwithstanding, the United States is in a recession. The fed can cut interest rates until the bank pays us to borrow money and the world bank can pump all the cash it wants to into the system, but in reality it is not going to get better for the majority of us any time soon. Technicalities don't get hungry... technicalities don't become delinquent...technicalities don't worry about sky rocketing medical bills... technicalities don't have to worry about obscene burial costs... technicalities don't get sick... technicalities don't lose jobs or take cuts in pay... technicalities don't hurt... technicalities don't get depressed... technicalities don't commit suicide... technicalities don't cry... technicalities don't lash out in frustration - but, people made in God's image do.



When you lie down tonight - wherever you lie down tonight - please try to remember that there really is someone who is hurting more than you, and say a little prayer for that Child of God.

Publication of Burk Pendergrass, J.D., a Cherokee Indian and Viet Nam Vet specializing in website design at computermanwebsitedesign.bravehost.com/ and remotehelpdesk1.com/ specializing in online web based computer repair.

Because She Is A Monster

by Burk Pendergrass

Meet the Clintons alone in an ally on a dark night and it is believed the chance of you coming out without getting rapped by one and cut up by the other is not very good. It certainly would not attract Las Vegas style odds, and in 2008 they seem determined and poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of success for the democrats.



There is a reason white men, married men, and men of a certain age prefer Obama three to one. All one has to do is take a look at Hillary. Like one alcoholic or addict knows another, one look at Hillary and, even if you knew nothing else about her, you get the picture - you know, and the smart run for the hills while some destructive types have to hang around for the party.



The electorate like the online helpdesk team fell in love with Obama in part because of his positive message... because he was above everything the Clintons not only stood for but practiced over the years. We must ask ourselves who better reflects the politics, ethics, and work style of the 55th Speaker of The U. S. House of Representatives, Thomas (Tip) O'Neill? That person is our candidate! And, that candidate is not a good ole boy - or girl - from Arkansas or New York or Pennsylvania, or wherever they are from this week.



Many Americans feel Hillary is a monster. We know she and Bill don't play by the rules. Just consider their history as well as their current push regarding the changing of the rules for Michigan and Florida to favor them at all costs. It is all about Bill and Hill despite her claims that it is all about you... that her desire to be President is for you. They are willing to throw anyone and everyone under the bus for personal benefit.



Obama, in the Tennessee Mountain Man's opinion, should have stood his ground. Don't throw anyone overboard to appease perjurers. We are in the corner with Harvard professor and former (unfortunately) Obama advisor Dr Samantha Power. Tell the Clintons to get over it and move on after all they see no issues with their surrogate referring to Obama as Ken Starr.

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Americans must decide whether they want a fresh new start in everything politics, and whether we want someone indebted to no one but the people for their coveted position. The only alternative is gutter politics as usual with professional politicians holding positions doled out by party bosses, paid for with dollars by high powered lobbyists, and bought with the blood of the people who keep going to prison around the Clintons while they skate.



Remote Helpdesk 1 believes there is a reason Hillary is so divisive. She was the "b" behind, protecting, and enabling Bill and she is the secretative "w" in her own political and public life willing to unleash her husband as well as her feminine charms as required to bully or seduce. How many more people shall be sacrificed to team Clinton before we make up our collective mind that we deserve better and that we can have better, and then have the intestinal fortitude to stand our ground.



The only way to rid ourselves of the scandals of the Clintons from the past and those sure to follow any success they have is to banish them to the trash heap from which they evolved as we did the Enron Team. And, the only way to do that is to get past the manipulation both Clintons employ against the American people.



We don't have to fear them says a web based helpdesk company... they are not virtual viruses. They are not to be pitied... they are not the victims of vast right wing conspiracies. We all know they are not to be trusted... they are closer to used car salesmen and their repo teams than anything. They are not Jack and Jackie and they are not the Beatles... they are not Sonny and Cher. They are not even Ike and Tina Turner (boy I hate using Tina's name in the same sentence as the Clintons).



Why would any sane nation return to the White House one who was impeached the last time he held the office? Why return to the Presidency one who lost his license to practice law the last time he was in that position for lying to a federal body? oh. oh. oh. Make no mistake - Big Willy will run the show should the weeping offended feminine willow win.



Although he tried to rehabilitate his image during the Bush years, we know what kind of man Bill is. If only Vince Foster were here to tell Hillary's story in his own words we might be able to determine what an evil person she really is. Do we really want these two at the helm of the most powerful nation on God's earth?

Publication of Burk Pendergrass, J.D., a Cherokee Indian and Viet Nam Vet specializing in website design at computermanwebsitedesign.bravehost.com/ and remotehelpdesk1.com/ specializing in online web based computer repair.

Canadian Military Missions Since WW2

by Joe Hache and Del Woodley

Canadian Military Missions Since The End Of The Second World War



1947 - South Korea. United Nations Temporary Commission in Korea (UNTCOK). 2 soldiers acted as observer elections. 1947-1948.



1949 - Kashmir. United Nations Military Observer Group in Indian and Pakistan. (UNMOGIP) Up to 39 observers served here until 1979. Canada also supplied an aircraft to headquarters until 1996.



1950 - Korea. United Nations Command Korea. 6,146 troops. By the end of the war in 1953 over 26,000 troops served. From 1953 to 1978 we participated with the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission with a very small number of personnel. After 1978 the military attach in the South Korean embassy assumed this responsibility.



1954 - Middle East. United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. (UNTSO). 11 personnel. One of Canada's longest peacekeeping missions helped enforce the ceasefire between Israel and its new neighbours. This mission continues with 8 personnel. *



1954 - Indochina. International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC). 133 military observers in Vietnam to supervise the French withdrawal and monitor border incursions. In 1973 the number of personnel was reduced to 20.



1956 - Sinai. United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF I). 1,007 troops helped stop hostilities after Israel, France and Great Britain attacked Egypt over the Suez Canal. The mission lasted from November 1956 to June 1967.



1958 - Lebanon. United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon. (UNOGIL). 77 Observers to monitor arms smuggling across the Lebanese border. The mission lasted from June to December 1958.



1960 - Congo. Organisation des nation unies au Congo (ONUC). 421 troops helped maintain law and order in this African country from July 1960 until June 1964.



1962 - West New Guinea. United Nations Security Force in West New Guinea (UNSF). 13 RCAF personnel served from October 1962 to April 1963 to help maintain peace in this Indonesian island.



1963 - Yemen. United Nations Yemen Observation Mission. (UNYOM). 36 troops and observers monitored disengagement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from July 1963 to September 1964.



1964 - Cyprus. United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). 1150 troops. Canada maintained a strong presence in Cyprus until 1993 when troops were withdrawn for other uses. There is currently one staff officer still with the mission. Over 25,000 personnel served in Cyprus during our forty-year mission. *



1965 - Dominican Republic. Mission Of The Representative Of The Secretary-General in the Dominican Republic. (DOMREP). 1 observer served with the mission from May 1965 to October 1966.



1965 - India and Pakistan. United Nations India-Pakistan Observer Mission (UNIPOM) 112 troops served at any given time from September 1965 to March 1966 to monitor a ceasefire.



1968 - Nigeria. Observer Team Nigeria (OTN).2 personnel monitored a ceasefire between the Nigeria government and Biafran rebels.



1973 - Middle East. United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II). 1,145 troops served from October 1973 to July 1979, again to supervise a ceasefire between Israel and Egypt and control the buffer zone between the countries.



1973 - Vietnam. International Commission for Control and Supervision (ICCS). 248 personnel helped monitor the ceasefire and return of prisoners to Vietnam. Completed in 1974.



1974 - Middle East. United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). 190 personnel just withdrew on March 24, 2006 ending three decades of peacekeeping on the Israel-Syrian border involving 12,000 troops stationed near the Golan Heights. 4 personnel remain for now, that will be reduced to 2 by July. *



1978 - Lebanon. United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. (UNIFIL) 117 troops served between March and October 1978 to assist with Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.



1986 - Middle East. Multinational Force and Observers. (MFO) This mission was created after the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt in 1979. Canada began contributing personnel to this non UN mission in 1986, when 1,800 troops were sent. Twenty years later we still have 31 personnel stationed in Egypt. *



1988 - Iran and Iraq. United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group. (UNIIMOG). Up to 525 personnel supervised the disengagement of the two sides from August 1988 to February 1991.



1988 - Afghanistan and Pakistan. United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan (UNGOMAP). 5 observers monitored the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan from May 1988 to March 1990.



1989 - Central America. United Nations Observer Group in Central America (ONUCA) 174 personnel helped verify compliance with the Esquipulas Agreement signed between Nicaragua and its neighbours to end conflict in the region. Canada participated from November 1989 to January 1992.



1989 - Namibia. United Nations Transition Assistance Group Namibia (UNTAG). 301 personnel served between April 1989 and March 1990.



1990 - Kuwait. (The Persian Gulf War) 2,700 personnel including three ships and a squadron of CF-18s and a medical unit helped a UN force push Iraq out of Kuwait. Through 1991.



1990 - Haiti. United Nations Mission for the Verification of the Elections in Haiti. (ONUVEH). 11 election observers served from November 1990 to February 1991.



1990 - Afghanistan and Pakistan. Office of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan and Pakistan (OSGAP). 1 military observer from March 1990 to 1995



1991 - Iraq. United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM). This organization was created to disarm Iraq, especially weapons of mass destruction in 1991. Over the course of the mission from April 1991 to December 1999, 100 personnel participated. After American air strikes against Iraq in late 1998 a new UN agency was created to hunt for illegal weapons. Two Canadian Forces personnel were posted to the New York headquarters for this mission from 1999 to the spring of 2000 when they were replaced with civilians.



1991 - El Salvador. United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL). Up to 55 personnel investigated human rights complaints and assisted military reforms and elections. The mission lasted from July 1991 to April 1995



1991 - Angola. United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II). 15 observers monitored a ceasefire from July 1991 to April 1993.



1991 - Cambodia. United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) that became United Nations Transition Authority in Cambodia. (UNTAC) . 7 military observers served from November 1991 to February 1992 with UNAMIC, then another 240 with UNTAC from February 1992 to September 1993. Part of the latter mission was de-mining and disarmament.



1991 - Western Sahara. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. (MINURSO). A maximum of 35 personnel helped monitor the ceasefire and supervise a referendum from May 1991 to June 1994.



1991 - Kuwait. United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKON) 5 observers monitored the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait from 1991 until September 2001.



1991 - Red Sea/Arabian Gulf/Persian Gulf. Maritime Interdiction Force (MIF). Canada contributed one vessel to this international force frequently from 1991 to September 2001. The purpose is to enforce a United Nations embargo against Iraq.



1992 - Yugoslavia. European Community Monitoring Mission in the Former Yugoslavia (ECMMY). 48 personnel monitored a ceasefire between January 1992 and August 1995 under the auspices of the European Community and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.



1992 - Somalia. Canada contributed to three separate United Nations missions in this country from October 1992 and January 1994. United Nations Operation in Somalia I and II (UNOSOM I and UNOSOM II) and the Unified Task Force (UNITAF). Approximately 1,300 personnel participated, most between December 1992 and March 1993. It was during this mission that a few peacekeepers tortured and killed a Somalia youth, leading to a Royal Commission that described a breakdown of discipline, deep problems at Headquarters and a nadir within the Forces.



1992 - Balkans. United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) followed by United Nations Peace Forces Headquarters (UNPF). Close to 2000 personnel served in a variety of missions in the former Yugoslavia from the February 1992 until December 1995. They secured the Sarajevo airport, provided humanitarian relief, and protected demilitarized zones around Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. 13 personnel were also involved in monitoring "no fly zones' over Bosnia-Herzegovina (1993 -1995). From 1993 to 1996 one frigate with 210 personnel were used for the enforcement of maritime sanctions against the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1995 some staff participated in the United Nations Confidence Restoration Organization mission (UNCRO) as well. Several personnel and aircraft were also involved the Sarajevo Airlift from 1992 to 1996. In 1995 NATO replaced the United Nations as the sponsor of this mission.



1992 - Former Yugoslavia. United Nations Committee of Experts (UNCOE) (1992-1994). At any given time, Canada was providing up to seven legal and military police officers to UNCOE in Operation Justice, to report on the evidence of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and other violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.



1993 - Uganda and Rwanda. United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) followed by United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) 115 personnel from June to October 1993 then December 1993 to February 1996. The missions were to monitor the Rwandan border then assist displaced persons and protect relief supplies following a civil war. A further 247 personnel also provided humanitarian assistance during 1994 but not under mandate from the U.N.

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1993 - Mozambique. United Nations Operations in Mozambique (ONUMOZ). 4 observers monitored a ceasefire and kept warring sides apart. The Mission lasted from February 1993 and December 1994.



1993 - Haiti. Haiti Embargo Enforcement followed by United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). 750 personnel, civilian police and one navy vessel enforce the embargo, train police, protect international personnel and maintain security from September 1993 to June 1996. This included a small observer group along the border with the Dominican Republic in 1994.



1993 - Cambodia. Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). 7 personnel from 1993 to June 2000.



1995 - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. United Nations Preventative Deployment Force in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (UNPREDEP). 1 officer from March 1995 to February 1999 then a further 55 personnel helped set up the NATO Extraction Force headquarters, December 1998 to April 1999.



1995 - Azerbaijan. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sponsored a peacekeeping mission in the former Soviet area of Nagorny-Karabakh. 3 personnel assisted this mission from 1995 to 1996.



1995 - Former Yugoslavia. NATO Implementation Force (IFOR). This mission replaced the United Nations in the Balkans in December 1995 with 1,029 Canadian troops. In 1996 the mission was renamed SFOR and became a stabilization force. The number of Canadian personnel was gradually reduced after 2001 to 650 members by October 2004. In 1996 we contributed one frigate to enforce an embargo. The United Nations did continue some work in Bosnia-Herzegovina, called United Nations Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina (UNMIBH) (December 1995 February 2000). Canada contributed two Canadian Forces members to de-mining and police training. From August to November 1997, 112 personnel providing tactical air support to enforce the Dayton Peace Accord.



1996 - Zaire. African Great Lakes Multinational Force. 354 personnel to assist in the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Rwandan refugees and facilitate their return to Rwanda. This mission lasted from November to December 1996.



1996 - Haiti. United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH). 750 personnel supported UN peacekeeping and institution building mission from July 1996 to July 1997.



1996 - Croatia. United Nations Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP). 1 officer from February 1996 to September 2001.



1997 - Guatemala. United Nations Mission in Guatemala. (MINUGUA). 15 observers and civilian police went to help enforce a ceasefire. The mission lasted January to May 1997.



1997 - Haiti. There were two missions to this country in the same year. Mission de Police des Nations unies en Haiti. (MIPONUH) contributed vehicles and driver instructors from November 1997 to February 2000. The United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH) sent 750 personnel to train police and protect UN staff from August to November 1997.



1997 - Italy. Canadian Air Component in MAMDRIM. 14 personnel supported the SFOR mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina by providing weather briefings, intelligence briefings and aircraft maintenance. From February 1997 to February 1998.



1998 - Honduras. Joint Task Force Central America (JTFCAM) 290 personnel performed humanitarian work and the DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) deployed from November to December 1998.



1998 - Kosovo. Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission/Verification Mission. 23 personnel supported the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe with treaty compliance from October 1998 to May 1999



1998 - Central African Republic. Mission des Nations unies en Republique Centrafricaine (MINURCA). 80 personnel maintained security in the capital, Bangui, and then provided support during elections. This mission lasted from March 1998 to December 1999.



1999 - Kosovo. Canada participated in several missions in this region. United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) 1 liaison officer followed by 1,450 personnel with the NATO Force Kosovo (KFOR). Two aircraft were also used in the Humanitarian Airlift in Support of Kosovar Refugees from April to August 1999. A further 4 personnel served with the United Nations Mine Action Co-ordination Centre in Kosovo for six months from June to December 1999. From January to April 1999 there were 8 personnel serving with the Kosovo Verification Coordination Centre in the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia.



1999 - Turkey. Joint Task Force Serdivan (JTFS). 200 personnel from the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deployed after an earthquake. The mission lasted from August to October 1999.



1999 - Mozambique. United Nations Development Programme's Accelerated Demining Programme. (ADP). 3 personnel served on this mission from April 1999 to July 2000.



1999 - East Timor. International Force in East Timor (INTERFET). 650 personnel, including a navy vessel and aircraft, were sent to restore stability as the country voted for independence from occupying Indonesia. This mission lasted from September 1999 to February 2000. The remaining few personnel with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) finished their mission in May 2001.



1999 - Congo. United Nations Mission in the Republic of Congo. 1 officer was initially assigned but there are currently 9 personnel on this assignment to enforce a ceasefire between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and five regional states that was signed in 1999. This is a United Nations sponsored mission, MONUC. *



1999 - Sierre Leone. United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was created by the United Nations after years of civil war. 5 observers went to this African country in November 1999 to monitor disarmament. The mission was completed in July 2005.



2000 - Sierra Leone. International Military Advisory Training Team (IMATT). 8 personnel initially deployed has increased to 11. The British led mission to restore peace and stability in this war ravaged West African country began in November 2000 and continues. *



2000 - Ethiopia and Eritrea. United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) 450 personnel deployed to verify a ceasefire. The mission lasted from August 2000 to June 2003.



2000 - Albania. The Rinas airport recovery project. Albania's main airport was damaged when it was used for the Kosovar airlift. Together with the Canadian International Development Agency, National Defence helped rebuild runways, parking aprons and taxi-ways. This mission lasted from September 2000 to September 2001.



2001 - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. NATO Operation "Essential Harvest" involved 200 personnel and lasted from August 2001 to September 2002.



2001 - Afghanistan. International Campaign Against Terrorism. 2,000 personnel was reduced to 1,000 in 2002 under this American led international mission to remove the Taliban from government in Afghanistan and support a democratic government. Our troop numbers enlarged again in 2003 when NATO assumed command.



2003 - Afghanistan. NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). 2,250 personnel were stationed in Camp Julien near Kabul. In November 2005 Camp Julien closed, and the troops began redeployment to the Kandahar region in southern Afghanistan. Over 6000 personnel saw duty at Camp Julien. About 85 personnel continue to serve in Kabul, and Bagram. *



2003 - Senegal. Special Representative of the Secretary General in West Africa. 1 colonel on a peace support mission that lasted for one year from March 2003 to March 2004.



2003 - Democratic Republic of Congo. Interim Emergency Multinational Force. Canada contributed two aircraft and about 50 personnel for the month of June to the French led operation.



2003 - Liberia. United Nations Mission in Liberia. (UNMIL). 4 personnel from September to November 2003 to aid in the transition from regional peacekeeping mission to a United Nations sponsored mission.



2003 - Iraq. United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). One military observer is assigned to this mission lead by the Secretary General Special Representative for Iraq. The mission is continuing. *



2004 - Haiti. United Nations Multinational Interim Force followed by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti MINUSTAH). 602 personnel. Mission from March to August 2004. Since 2005, 6 personnel continue with the UN mission. *



2004 - Sudan. United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMISUD). The two personnel originally assigned to this mission have been increased to more than 100. About 60 personnel are currently still in theatre with the United Nations and the African Union Mission. They are providing support in headquarters and training in the use of military vehicles in the troubled Darfur region. *



2004 - Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the fall of 2004 a European military force assumed command from NATO. There are about 24 personnel still in the Balkans with the Task Force Balkans and EUFOR Liaison and Observation Teams. Since 1992 more than 40,000 Canadians have served in the Balkans. *



2005 - Sri Lanka. Operation Structure sent the DART to provide disaster relief following the Asian tsunami. January to February 2005.



2005 - Gaza. Eight personnel are providing military advice to the Palestinian Authority. They are based in Jerusalem and the mission is continuing. *



2005 - United States. Operation UNISOM. 900 personnel including navy divers, three vessels and engineers provided relief to the Southern United States after Hurricane Katrina. Completed in one month October 2005.



2005 - Pakistan. Operation Plateau. DART disaster assistance team deployed to the Kashmir region of Pakistan following an earthquake. October to December 2005.



2006 - Afghanistan. In February Canadian troops moved from Kabul to Kandahar to assume command of the Multi National Brigade for Regional Command South. There are 2,300 personnel serving at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) and with the Provincial Reconstruction Team at Camp Nathan Smith located right in Kandahar City. In addition to providing security in the region the mission is to assist the transition from an American led coalition to NATO command. *



* denotes a current mission



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