--- I have no desire

--- I have no desire to blog today, so, guess what? I'm not going to!
It's good to be Queen.
Have a lovely day and stop back tomorrow when I will probably have
something for you.

Posted by: Kathy at 02:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

--- I have no desire

--- I have no desire to blog today, so, guess what? I'm not going to!
It's good to be Queen.
Have a lovely day and stop back tomorrow when I will probably have
something for you.

Posted by: Kathy at 02:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

...to boycott Estee Lauder. This

...to boycott Estee Lauder. This would be it.

NEW YORK - Sean Combs seems to have teamed up musically
with everyone, from Notorious B.I.G. and Usher to Sting and Dave
Navarro.
But his next collaboration, through his fashion designer persona, is
with Estee Lauder: The cosmetics company is planning to create and
market a new line of fragrances under the rapper̢۪s Sean John name.

Mrs. Lauder must be spinning in her grave.
Too bad I can't boycott them. I would except for the fact it's the only
brand of makeup that doesn't make me instantly break out.
Yep. That's right. The Cake Eater Chronicles: we have principles that
will be easily thrown to the wayside if it compromises the clarity and
texture of our skin.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:52 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

...to boycott Estee Lauder. This

...to boycott Estee Lauder. This would be it.

NEW YORK - Sean Combs seems to have teamed up musically
with everyone, from Notorious B.I.G. and Usher to Sting and Dave
Navarro.
But his next collaboration, through his fashion designer persona, is
with Estee Lauder: The cosmetics company is planning to create and
market a new line of fragrances under the rapper̢۪s Sean John name.

Mrs. Lauder must be spinning in her grave.
Too bad I can't boycott them. I would except for the fact it's the only
brand of makeup that doesn't make me instantly break out.
Yep. That's right. The Cake Eater Chronicles: we have principles that
will be easily thrown to the wayside if it compromises the clarity and
texture of our skin.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:52 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

It's not everyday that the

It's not everyday that the Metro Section of the Strib has an aerial photo of your neighborhood on its front page.

Amazingly enough, though, the Strib only has the article up online, and not the photo.

Will scan and post.

And just in case you were wondering, my neighborhood is listed as "good" for walking.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 65 words, total size 1 kb.

It's not everyday that the

It's not everyday that the Metro Section of the Strib has an aerial photo of your neighborhood on its front page.

Amazingly enough, though, the Strib only has the article up online, and not the photo.

Will scan and post.

And just in case you were wondering, my neighborhood is listed as "good" for walking.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 65 words, total size 1 kb.

--- Silly Germans Don't they

--- Silly Germans

Don't they have CSI in Germany?

Posted by: Kathy at 01:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

--- Silly Germans Don't they

--- Silly Germans

Don't they have CSI in Germany?

Posted by: Kathy at 01:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

WASHINGTON – As California gas

WASHINGTON – As California gas
prices reach new highs, the state's two senators are joining other
Democrats in calling on the Bush administration to tap the country's
oil reserves to lower prices. ...
At a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer expressed support for a resolution calling on the
administration to stop sending oil into the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve. Instead, the administration should siphon out 1 million
barrels a day for at least 30 days, says the resolution by Sen. Charles
Schumer, D-N.Y. "It in itself would send a strong message that we've
got to stabilize and begin to reduce gas prices," Feinstein said. "I
think this spike is with us for a considerable period of time." The
reserve, a cache of 660 million barrels – or more than two months of
imports – is in salt domes on the Gulf Coast. Some 170,000 barrels
per day are now being shipped to the reserve, which was created after
the 1973 oil embargo to counter supply disruptions.

{emphasis added by moi}
Memo to Chuck Shumer, Dianne Fienstein and Babs Boxer
From: Me
Re: YOU ARE A PACK OF FLAMING IDIOTS, or GROW SOME GODDAMN BRAINS,
WOULD YOU?
There is a reason the word "strategic" is in the official title of the
place we store all the oil. This would mean, nimrods, that there is a
reason we are pumping billons of barrels into the reserve. This means
OPEC cannot hold us hostage over political moves an administration
might make that they disagree with. Are you getting it now? If we
started emptying the reserves in a misguided effort to glut the market
so gas prices would go down, that means we'd have to buy more at $41 a barrel.
You would, essentially, be dooming us to more gas price increases
because, of course, OPEC would take advantage of the situation. This
also means you're giving OPEC leverage and honestly, do we need more of
that? Learn what supply and demand means before you claim there's a
problem with supply. There isn't a problem with supply. Neither has
demand gone up. There's plenty
o' oil. and the number of customers hasn't gone up. The problem here is
terrorists. Yep those people you would like to think aren't out there,
and if they are, well, they're wearing a Che T-shirt and what's not to
like about that? They, and their state sponsors (who, just in case you
hadn't noticed, control most of the world's supply of oil) would love
nothing more than to hold us hostage by threatening to cut off the
supply of the black goop. Why do you think Saudi Arabia suddenly
started getting with the program in their limited way? Because they
were attacked? Yeah, that had something to do with it, but it was also
partially because Dubya said he was going to fill up the reserves to
the brim after 9/11. The logic goes something like this: they can't
blackmail us into going along with their whims if we take their means
of blackmail away. It's all about "hand." You all watched Seinfeld
didn't you? If you're unfamiliar with the concept, perhaps you can have
one of your vast number of researchers dig up a copy for you so, like
George Costanza, you can figure this one out.
It's not like it's going to have a permanent effect, either. You are
there to help us guide our country into the future, aren't you? Or are
you only in Washington to make sure things go well in the meanwhile and
the future can go hang? Just ask your beloved Bubba how well it went when he opened up the reserves.
Sure there was temporary relief, but it didn't last long. His effort to
allieviate our pain also put us at a disadvantage because we eventually
had to fill the reserves back up. So, there's not a supply problem.
There's not a demand problem. Where is the hold-up? Oil refineries. The
baseline problem here is that nitwit Democrats like you scream bloody
murder about oil refineries. You pay attention to all those nitwit
environmentalists with their fringe "we should all be vegetarians
living off the fruit of ferns" agenda, and you get all upset about oil
refineries and their pollution output. This has led to fewer
refineries, because the way it stands now, who in their right mind
would want to own one of these things, let alone build more? They're
anathema. Add in the draconian regulations you people have forced them
to adhere to and you've got no incentive for anyone to the solve the
problem. No one wants a refinery in their backyard and business owners
know this. They stink. They're huge. They pollute. But because we don't
have more refineries and because you refuse to help the ones that are
operating to increase production, a bottleneck ensues. You all drive on
Washington's freeways, don't you? You know what a bottleneck is, right?
In the unlikely event that you all walk to work, let me explain: it's
when a five lane freeway suddenly goes down to two lanes and all of
that traffic that was flowing along quite nicely within five lanes,
grinds to a standstill when there are only two lanes to handle it. We
have plenty of oil; it should flow freely from the ground to the
refineries to the pump. However, it doesn't. There is a bottleneck in
the process and it occurs at the refineries. Particularly during the
summertime, when stupid legislators like you have demanded that there
be special, emission reducing gas sold at the pumps. The refineries
can't keep up with the demand for specialized gas, hence the price of
gas GOES UP. This of course doesn't mention all the friggin' gouging
the oil companies are partaking in right now, but you wouldn't want to
do anything about that, would you Senators Shumer, Feinstein and Boxer,
because you get campaign contributions from the oil companies, too.
Dubya's pockets aren't the only ones lined with petrodollars. At least
he's honest about who he gets his money from---you, well, you three are
a pack of hypocritical bastards, taking money with one hand while the
other wags in disapproval. So, to sum up.
1. Opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserves is a bad idea because it
will give OPEC more leverage that they shouldn't have and it puts us at
risk. Neither will it help gas prices to go down and stay down.
Temporary relief is not worth the price we would pay in the long run.
2. Fix the laws to encourage the building of more refineries, or at
least make it easier for them to operate in the meantime. You're the
ones who put the regulations in place, you can take them out again.
3. Realize the reason we're paying over two bucks a gallon is because
of your actions. Take one for the team and shut the hell up already.
You haven't a clue as to what you're talking about.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1182 words, total size 7 kb.

WASHINGTON – As California gas

WASHINGTON – As California gas
prices reach new highs, the state's two senators are joining other
Democrats in calling on the Bush administration to tap the country's
oil reserves to lower prices. ...
At a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer expressed support for a resolution calling on the
administration to stop sending oil into the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve. Instead, the administration should siphon out 1 million
barrels a day for at least 30 days, says the resolution by Sen. Charles
Schumer, D-N.Y. "It in itself would send a strong message that we've
got to stabilize and begin to reduce gas prices," Feinstein said. "I
think this spike is with us for a considerable period of time." The
reserve, a cache of 660 million barrels – or more than two months of
imports – is in salt domes on the Gulf Coast. Some 170,000 barrels
per day are now being shipped to the reserve, which was created after
the 1973 oil embargo to counter supply disruptions.

{emphasis added by moi}
Memo to Chuck Shumer, Dianne Fienstein and Babs Boxer
From: Me
Re: YOU ARE A PACK OF FLAMING IDIOTS, or GROW SOME GODDAMN BRAINS,
WOULD YOU?
There is a reason the word "strategic" is in the official title of the
place we store all the oil. This would mean, nimrods, that there is a
reason we are pumping billons of barrels into the reserve. This means
OPEC cannot hold us hostage over political moves an administration
might make that they disagree with. Are you getting it now? If we
started emptying the reserves in a misguided effort to glut the market
so gas prices would go down, that means we'd have to buy more at $41 a barrel.
You would, essentially, be dooming us to more gas price increases
because, of course, OPEC would take advantage of the situation. This
also means you're giving OPEC leverage and honestly, do we need more of
that? Learn what supply and demand means before you claim there's a
problem with supply. There isn't a problem with supply. Neither has
demand gone up. There's plenty
o' oil. and the number of customers hasn't gone up. The problem here is
terrorists. Yep those people you would like to think aren't out there,
and if they are, well, they're wearing a Che T-shirt and what's not to
like about that? They, and their state sponsors (who, just in case you
hadn't noticed, control most of the world's supply of oil) would love
nothing more than to hold us hostage by threatening to cut off the
supply of the black goop. Why do you think Saudi Arabia suddenly
started getting with the program in their limited way? Because they
were attacked? Yeah, that had something to do with it, but it was also
partially because Dubya said he was going to fill up the reserves to
the brim after 9/11. The logic goes something like this: they can't
blackmail us into going along with their whims if we take their means
of blackmail away. It's all about "hand." You all watched Seinfeld
didn't you? If you're unfamiliar with the concept, perhaps you can have
one of your vast number of researchers dig up a copy for you so, like
George Costanza, you can figure this one out.
It's not like it's going to have a permanent effect, either. You are
there to help us guide our country into the future, aren't you? Or are
you only in Washington to make sure things go well in the meanwhile and
the future can go hang? Just ask your beloved Bubba how well it went when he opened up the reserves.
Sure there was temporary relief, but it didn't last long. His effort to
allieviate our pain also put us at a disadvantage because we eventually
had to fill the reserves back up. So, there's not a supply problem.
There's not a demand problem. Where is the hold-up? Oil refineries. The
baseline problem here is that nitwit Democrats like you scream bloody
murder about oil refineries. You pay attention to all those nitwit
environmentalists with their fringe "we should all be vegetarians
living off the fruit of ferns" agenda, and you get all upset about oil
refineries and their pollution output. This has led to fewer
refineries, because the way it stands now, who in their right mind
would want to own one of these things, let alone build more? They're
anathema. Add in the draconian regulations you people have forced them
to adhere to and you've got no incentive for anyone to the solve the
problem. No one wants a refinery in their backyard and business owners
know this. They stink. They're huge. They pollute. But because we don't
have more refineries and because you refuse to help the ones that are
operating to increase production, a bottleneck ensues. You all drive on
Washington's freeways, don't you? You know what a bottleneck is, right?
In the unlikely event that you all walk to work, let me explain: it's
when a five lane freeway suddenly goes down to two lanes and all of
that traffic that was flowing along quite nicely within five lanes,
grinds to a standstill when there are only two lanes to handle it. We
have plenty of oil; it should flow freely from the ground to the
refineries to the pump. However, it doesn't. There is a bottleneck in
the process and it occurs at the refineries. Particularly during the
summertime, when stupid legislators like you have demanded that there
be special, emission reducing gas sold at the pumps. The refineries
can't keep up with the demand for specialized gas, hence the price of
gas GOES UP. This of course doesn't mention all the friggin' gouging
the oil companies are partaking in right now, but you wouldn't want to
do anything about that, would you Senators Shumer, Feinstein and Boxer,
because you get campaign contributions from the oil companies, too.
Dubya's pockets aren't the only ones lined with petrodollars. At least
he's honest about who he gets his money from---you, well, you three are
a pack of hypocritical bastards, taking money with one hand while the
other wags in disapproval. So, to sum up.
1. Opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserves is a bad idea because it
will give OPEC more leverage that they shouldn't have and it puts us at
risk. Neither will it help gas prices to go down and stay down.
Temporary relief is not worth the price we would pay in the long run.
2. Fix the laws to encourage the building of more refineries, or at
least make it easier for them to operate in the meantime. You're the
ones who put the regulations in place, you can take them out again.
3. Realize the reason we're paying over two bucks a gallon is because
of your actions. Take one for the team and shut the hell up already.
You haven't a clue as to what you're talking about.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1182 words, total size 7 kb.

...Why don't you just get

...Why don't you just get down on your knees and take care of business, already?

Posted by: Kathy at 01:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 25 words, total size 1 kb.

...Why don't you just get

...Why don't you just get down on your knees and take care of business, already?

Posted by: Kathy at 01:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 25 words, total size 1 kb.

According to Reuters, the Abu

According to Reuters, the Abu Ghraib backlash has begun.

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Islamist web site showed a videotape
Tuesday of an al Qaeda-linked group beheading an American and vowing
more executions as revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. The poor
quality tape showed a man sitting on the floor with five masked men
behind him. After one of the masked men read out a statement, they
pushed the bound man to the floor, cutting off his head and holding it
aloft. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of
the tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar Islamist Web site. On the tape,
the man identified himself as Nick Berg before the execution. "My name
is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael...I have a brother and
sister, David and Sarah," said the man, who was shown bound and seated
in a chair in the poor quality tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar
Islamist Web site.

My gut says this is legit.

UPDATE: 05/01/2004 It is.

The 26-year-old Berg was a self-employed civilian
contractor from suburban Philadelphia. He was found dead near a highway
overpass in Baghdad. Berg's mother says he'd been in Iraq doing
contract work to repair the country's infrastructure. She says he'd
been missing since April 9th. The military says there were signs of
trauma to the body.

The media had better start decrying this one right fucking now. They've
been focusing solely on relatively benign prisoner abuse for hours on
end for over a week now. They have made this into the firestorm that it
has become. They had better spend some time putting it out. I know. I
won't be holding my breath, either. UPDATE II:

"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell
you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage
for some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused," says a
hooded man standing behind the American.
"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu
Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will
not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins, slaughtered in
this way."

Let me repeat that just in case you skimmed over the details: "...the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls."

Posted by: Kathy at 01:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 406 words, total size 3 kb.

According to Reuters, the Abu

According to Reuters, the Abu Ghraib backlash has begun.

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Islamist web site showed a videotape
Tuesday of an al Qaeda-linked group beheading an American and vowing
more executions as revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. The poor
quality tape showed a man sitting on the floor with five masked men
behind him. After one of the masked men read out a statement, they
pushed the bound man to the floor, cutting off his head and holding it
aloft. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of
the tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar Islamist Web site. On the tape,
the man identified himself as Nick Berg before the execution. "My name
is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael...I have a brother and
sister, David and Sarah," said the man, who was shown bound and seated
in a chair in the poor quality tape carried on Muntada al-Ansar
Islamist Web site.

My gut says this is legit.

UPDATE: 05/01/2004 It is.

The 26-year-old Berg was a self-employed civilian
contractor from suburban Philadelphia. He was found dead near a highway
overpass in Baghdad. Berg's mother says he'd been in Iraq doing
contract work to repair the country's infrastructure. She says he'd
been missing since April 9th. The military says there were signs of
trauma to the body.

The media had better start decrying this one right fucking now. They've
been focusing solely on relatively benign prisoner abuse for hours on
end for over a week now. They have made this into the firestorm that it
has become. They had better spend some time putting it out. I know. I
won't be holding my breath, either. UPDATE II:

"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell
you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage
for some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused," says a
hooded man standing behind the American.
"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu
Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will
not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins, slaughtered in
this way."

Let me repeat that just in case you skimmed over the details: "...the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls."

Posted by: Kathy at 01:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 406 words, total size 3 kb.

--- To all those Google

--- To all those Google searchers who find their way here after typing
in "Ray Reynolds SFC Hoax"
Please go here.

"I did write it and I am in Kuwait now on my way home. I
wrote it while at home because I felt that too many people were
exploiting the violence in Iraq to sell papers and gain votes.
Sometimes the silent majority need to be awakened to respond to the bad
things in our world. I am passionate about our President's decision and
support this rebuilding whole heartedly...Yes legit..I am a fire
fighter in Denison, Iowa and to verify, call Mike McKinnon of the
Denison Iowa fire department."

Posted by: Kathy at 01:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 120 words, total size 1 kb.

--- To all those Google

--- To all those Google searchers who find their way here after typing
in "Ray Reynolds SFC Hoax"
Please go here.

"I did write it and I am in Kuwait now on my way home. I
wrote it while at home because I felt that too many people were
exploiting the violence in Iraq to sell papers and gain votes.
Sometimes the silent majority need to be awakened to respond to the bad
things in our world. I am passionate about our President's decision and
support this rebuilding whole heartedly...Yes legit..I am a fire
fighter in Denison, Iowa and to verify, call Mike McKinnon of the
Denison Iowa fire department."

Posted by: Kathy at 01:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 120 words, total size 1 kb.

The Cake Eater Chronicles, as

The Cake Eater Chronicles, as of 1:29pm CDT, has had 601 hits, with 54
coming in the last hour, and pretty much all of you are looking for
information on Nick Berg---or at least that's what I assume you're
looking for when you type the phrase "Muntada Al Sadr" into Google and
it leads you here.
When I installed the site meter, I'd always thought this was going to
be the tool that would help me suss out when I'd struck a nerve. I
never thought I'd be swarmed by people searching for what the
mainstream media wasn't providing them. I guess I was wrong. If you're
looking for the Nick Berg Video please read this first. He says it much better than I ever could.

More video sources.

Wizbang, who,
besides hosting the video themselves, has also provided links to more
sites where you can see the video. They are all swamped, so it will
take some time, but it's available. It is also still available at Northeast Intelligence Network
Whomever you get the video from, remember bloggers do not have the
operational budgets that CNN or Fox News does. We pay for this stuff
out of our own pockets (and with a little help from our readers)
because we think there is a need for alternative forums for finding and
discussing news. If you're not familiar with how a website/blog is
maintained, know that the people who are hosting the video are going to
get fiscally crucified by their hosting providers for all the bandwidth
they're using by allowing access to this video. Be a good person and take care of them.
A few bucks in their tip jar from everyone who downloads the video will
go a long way toward covering their expenses. It will also ensure that
there isn't a foul taste left in their mouths---and a dent in their
checking accounts---because they picked up the mainstream media's
slack. Thanks for stopping by. Go forth and seek the truth!
UPDATE: Wizbang has further compiled a list o' sites that have the video. Go here.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 358 words, total size 2 kb.

The Cake Eater Chronicles, as

The Cake Eater Chronicles, as of 1:29pm CDT, has had 601 hits, with 54
coming in the last hour, and pretty much all of you are looking for
information on Nick Berg---or at least that's what I assume you're
looking for when you type the phrase "Muntada Al Sadr" into Google and
it leads you here.
When I installed the site meter, I'd always thought this was going to
be the tool that would help me suss out when I'd struck a nerve. I
never thought I'd be swarmed by people searching for what the
mainstream media wasn't providing them. I guess I was wrong. If you're
looking for the Nick Berg Video please read this first. He says it much better than I ever could.

More video sources.

Wizbang, who,
besides hosting the video themselves, has also provided links to more
sites where you can see the video. They are all swamped, so it will
take some time, but it's available. It is also still available at Northeast Intelligence Network
Whomever you get the video from, remember bloggers do not have the
operational budgets that CNN or Fox News does. We pay for this stuff
out of our own pockets (and with a little help from our readers)
because we think there is a need for alternative forums for finding and
discussing news. If you're not familiar with how a website/blog is
maintained, know that the people who are hosting the video are going to
get fiscally crucified by their hosting providers for all the bandwidth
they're using by allowing access to this video. Be a good person and take care of them.
A few bucks in their tip jar from everyone who downloads the video will
go a long way toward covering their expenses. It will also ensure that
there isn't a foul taste left in their mouths---and a dent in their
checking accounts---because they picked up the mainstream media's
slack. Thanks for stopping by. Go forth and seek the truth!
UPDATE: Wizbang has further compiled a list o' sites that have the video. Go here.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 358 words, total size 2 kb.

Anyone got one? Come on

Anyone got one? Come on people, this is the Internet. If you can't find it here, there isn't one to be had.

The warring parties signed three protocols late Wednesday
on power-sharing and the administration of three disputed areas in
central Sudan, clearing up the last remaining political issues needed
for a final peace accord. The signing took place in Naivasha, 60 miles
west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The accord is unrelated to
fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where fighting between
the government and rebels have raised fears of ethnic cleansing. All
that remains for the two sides to work out are procedural matters to
end the 21-year civil conflict, in which more than 2 million people
have perished, mainly through war-induced famine. "The next step will
entail negotiations on the detail of each step of the transition,"
chief mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo told The Associated Press. "I am going
to meet these groups now." Despite Wednesday's agreement, it could take
months to determine if the diplomatic solution will translate to peace
on the ground. Negotiators are expected to take a short break before
returning to talks in Nairobi to iron out the final issues, including
how the accord will be implemented. "I hope that by June we would have
signed and completed the (final) deal," said Sayed el-Khatib, a
Sudanese government negotiator. "This is the most detailed peace
agreement that has probably been negotiated in the history of the world
because of the problems we have had, the lack of trust and prolonged
conflict." El-Khatib said the government hoped the deal with the
southern rebels would help build bridges with the western insurgents.
"Now the (Sudan People's Liberation Army) is going to be part of the
government, that is going to encourage the rebels in Darfur to be less
suspicious of the government when negotiating a settlement to the
problem there," he said. "The southern rebels have had contacts with
those in Darfur."

Apparently it's a 70/30 split as far as representation goes. The South
gets 70 percent representation in the southern provinces, the North
gets 30 percent. Flip it around for representation in the northern
provinces. But still there isn't a cease-fricking-fire that's worth
diddly squat. Will they get one done that will actually do something to
stop the fighting? I'm not holding my breath. There's too many factions
on either side who are willing to act independently of what their
bosses tell them, and this is particularly true on the SPLA's side.
It's progress, to be sure, but
it's progress that could be easily forgotten if tensions flare again,
which they might if Bashir gets the notion in his head to blame part of
the troubles in Darfur on the SPLA.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 468 words, total size 3 kb.

Anyone got one? Come on

Anyone got one? Come on people, this is the Internet. If you can't find it here, there isn't one to be had.

The warring parties signed three protocols late Wednesday
on power-sharing and the administration of three disputed areas in
central Sudan, clearing up the last remaining political issues needed
for a final peace accord. The signing took place in Naivasha, 60 miles
west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The accord is unrelated to
fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where fighting between
the government and rebels have raised fears of ethnic cleansing. All
that remains for the two sides to work out are procedural matters to
end the 21-year civil conflict, in which more than 2 million people
have perished, mainly through war-induced famine. "The next step will
entail negotiations on the detail of each step of the transition,"
chief mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo told The Associated Press. "I am going
to meet these groups now." Despite Wednesday's agreement, it could take
months to determine if the diplomatic solution will translate to peace
on the ground. Negotiators are expected to take a short break before
returning to talks in Nairobi to iron out the final issues, including
how the accord will be implemented. "I hope that by June we would have
signed and completed the (final) deal," said Sayed el-Khatib, a
Sudanese government negotiator. "This is the most detailed peace
agreement that has probably been negotiated in the history of the world
because of the problems we have had, the lack of trust and prolonged
conflict." El-Khatib said the government hoped the deal with the
southern rebels would help build bridges with the western insurgents.
"Now the (Sudan People's Liberation Army) is going to be part of the
government, that is going to encourage the rebels in Darfur to be less
suspicious of the government when negotiating a settlement to the
problem there," he said. "The southern rebels have had contacts with
those in Darfur."

Apparently it's a 70/30 split as far as representation goes. The South
gets 70 percent representation in the southern provinces, the North
gets 30 percent. Flip it around for representation in the northern
provinces. But still there isn't a cease-fricking-fire that's worth
diddly squat. Will they get one done that will actually do something to
stop the fighting? I'm not holding my breath. There's too many factions
on either side who are willing to act independently of what their
bosses tell them, and this is particularly true on the SPLA's side.
It's progress, to be sure, but
it's progress that could be easily forgotten if tensions flare again,
which they might if Bashir gets the notion in his head to blame part of
the troubles in Darfur on the SPLA.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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