4.27.2008
4.26.2008
Operation Sudden Impact
Labels: Operation Sudden Impact
4.24.2008
4.23.2008
4.22.2008
4.21.2008
UN's Ban Will Form `High-Powered' Task Force on Food (Update1)
By Emily Bowers
April 20 (Bloomberg) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he will form a task force to address the global food shortages and rising prices that have sparked riots in poor nations.
The group will be ``high-powered'' and include ``eminent experts and leading policy authorities,'' Ban said in a speech at the opening ceremony of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Ghana's capital, Accra, today. He didn't give further details.
The price of rice, the staple food for half the world, has doubled in the past year to an all-time high. Countries including Indonesia and Egypt have seen social unrest over high prices, and are attempting to restrain inflation and curb instability by limiting food exports or removing import duties on food staples.
``If not handled properly, this crisis could trigger a cascade of others and devolve into multiple crises, becoming a multidimensional problem affecting economic growth, social progress and even political security around the world,'' Ban said.
Global food shortages may become permanent if medium- and long-term measures aren't taken to resolve issues that caused the crisis, Supachai Panitchpakdi, UNCTAD secretary-general, told reporters in Accra yesterday.
World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy told a press conference in Accra today that a breakthrough in the Doha round of trade negotiations could be ``doable'' in a matter of weeks.
``Hopefully this conference will help to get it done,'' Lamy added.
To contact the reporters on this story: Emily Bowers in Accra via Johannesburg on abolleurs@bloomberg.net;
Last Updated: April 20, 2008 15:36 EDT4.20.2008
4.19.2008
Law enforcement agencies join together for 'anti-terrorism initiative'
The sheriff's office and 50 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies pulled over cars, climbed on boats on the Mississippi River and served fugitive warrants as part of an "anti-terrorism initiative," called Operation Sudden Impact.
It was the first time that many agencies joined forces for such a large sweep, said Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell, whose office coordinated the operation.
Even though Memphis hasn't suffered a terrorist attack, the city is using federal grants to fight crime, which might lead to the discovery of a terrorist suspect. Other cities are using federal money with similar programs.
"Our community is considered an international distribution center and is a possible target for terrorists," said Capt. Dale Lane, commander of the Sheriff's Office Homeland Security Bureau.
The 100 sheriff's deputies working Saturday night and Sunday morning also recovered 12.2 grams of heroin, 19 syringes and seized $1,795. They issued citations for 202 traffic violations.
Information gathered in the sweep will be reviewed by intelligence officers at the local Homeland Security center. The information will be forwarded to the state's Homeland Security center in Nashville.
Other agencies that participated in the sweep will release results from their departments today.
Contact Cindy Wolff at 529-2378. To read more stories by this reporter, go to commercialappeal.com, click on Contact Us at the top of the home page and then click on the reporter's name.
Labels: federal terror funds prevent crime, storms, yeah.
Red State Update!
- Dunlap
4.14.2008
apparently
there's no such thing as mateine...only the all-powerful and almighty caffeine! Damn I love the in-tar-web!
Hey Chemist - is this right?
It appears that several articles available online are completely bogus, having been either faked by a vendor to improve sales or a yerba mate fan in order to explain why they liked yerba maté tea and not other types of caffeinated tea. Almost all of the online discussions or mentions of mateine lead back to a single source, Daniel Mowry. Mowry provides no credible scientific references for his claims about mateine, mentioning only a couple of institutes who have reportedly done work with yerba mate. The only expert he cites, Dr. Jose Martin, when contacted by the author of an article about yerba mate, "said there is no unique chemical structure for mateine and that yerba mate contains caffeine, just like coffee".2
One of the errors in the literature upon which the "mateine" claims are based is the claim that mateine is a stereoisomer of caffeine. This stands out because, there are no stereoisomers of caffeine. In order to have a stereoisomer, a chemical nearly always (see below) must have a stereocenter. The caffeine molecule lacks a stereocenter, does not have one of the unusual special cases, and thus there are no stereoisomers. This error, repeated widely, has had no foundation in the scientific literature.
There is no stereoisomer of caffeine. It's that simple.
One thing to note is that people report slightly different effects from drinking yerba maté than from drinking green tea, although the exact differences have not been well documented. A common misunderstanding exists that this necessarily means that yerba maté does not contain caffeine as a major psychoactive alkaloid. Caffeine is a xanthine. Yerba maté contains two other xanthines (caffeine-like compounds) theobromine and theophylline that have their own effects. It is very possible for different experiential effects to be the result of different levels of these three compounds or of other variables, including differences in dosage, differences in accompanying minerals or related alkaloids, expectations, taste, smell, etc. Mint tea or gum, for instance, can be stimulating or refreshing partially based on smelling the volatile fragrance oil. It is not known exactly in what ways yerba maté is experientially different from Chinese teas or what accounts for those differences.
Labels: Caffeine or mateine, I feel robbed
speaking of mateine
I just realized that it's turning my teeth green!
Slamming! I'll probably have to start sucking down profuse amounts of coffee to help brown the effect out until I achieve the 17th century wooden tooth look.
Dammit, heading out to Walgreens to get some white-strips shortly....
Labels: freaking out and sweating, green teeth, losing it, mateine
This is why I still have some love for Chi-Town!
Onward to Kim's if I can escape this lovely middle-IL shitbag town I'm currently stranded in! Bring on the beef!
Labels: burger, Crabby Kims, discontentedcookie
4.11.2008
Mesa Tactical Rocks
The fit and finish is fantastic, and the rubberized pressure point on the inside of the saddle keeps the shells snugly nestled during movement heavy operations.
Since this isn't a review, and only a commentary - all I will say is that I wish I could store my shells in the saddle so that my lil scatter gun could be ready at all times - however much like an unused spring with constant pressure on it (loaded tube or magazine) this saddle looses it's rubberized elasticity if you leave rounds in it. Meaning, if you leave your round sitting in the saddle, eventually they will fall out and the saddle becomes useless until you replace the rubber gasket. Now, who wants to be in the dubious position of facing the zombie horde ...
and have their shotshells fall out of their side-saddle? Not me!
So, it's obviously meant for planned ops vs OH-SHIT situations. That's where an AK-47 comes in, or so it would seem. Regardless, this a much better incarnation of a shitbag side-saddle I used for many years.
The Mesa Tactical comes highly recommended. This abortion above ISN'T it. The proper one is available HERE.