Taiwan Today: Taiwan keeps winning at world volleyball championships
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This latest poll out of Michigan is disturbing:Two key statewide ballot proposals remain below 50 percent support, a new Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll shows, leaving their fate to the minority of voters who haven’t made up their minds.Proposal 2, which would ban most government affirmative action programs, leads 49-41 with 10 percent undecided, according to the survey of 600 likely voters taken Sunday through Tuesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA.The depressing economic climate in Michigan - accentuated by ailing Ford and GM - is certainly giving strength to what could be a devastating blow to affirmative action and minority businesses in that state.
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Right now we are even, and all polls outside the flawed CNN poll show that.Personally, I am glad the Corker camp is using their time to push this flawed poll. For the sample to be representative, then, 90 percent of Tennessee adults would have to be registered voters, and 60 percent of the registered voters would have to be likely voters.Contrary to Opinion research’s finding, 90 percent of Tennessee adults are not registered to vote. Opinion Research’s sample is not accurate.The Opinion Research poll is a random-digit dial poll. How they ranked their likelihood of voting in the Senate race on a 1-10 scale.The composition of the sample reflects the problem with this method, because it wildly overstates the number of registered and likely voters.The Opinion Research poll did not ask respondents whether they had, in fact, voted early. At least 506,000 early votes have been cast as of this morning, and Opinion Research failed to account for any of them, further increasing the likelihood of error.Opinion Research has no track record in the state, and can’t be compared to other polls, questions are different, and no prior surveys to measure against.This poll is an outlier. No poll has seen a lead this large by either candidate in three months, and only one other poll since mid-August has given Corker a lead outside the margin of error.Opinion Research’s poll directly contradicts another poll published the same day. Ford also leads in several other polls, and Republicans have been spending heavily to support Corkers bid.RECENT POLLING EXPERIENCE (NON-ROBOCALL) IN THE TENNESSEE SENATE RACECorker Ford Pollster Dates MOE RDD/VOTER LIST/INTERNET 49 48 Zogby Battleground 10/23-10/27 3.3 Interactive43 48 Benenson Strat.
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I just can’t make up my mind. Are the Americans in Iraq Stupid and Evil? Or are they Evil and Stupid? Irrespective of which they are isn’t nice to know that at their top ranks that there’s a sensitive soul, an art critic no less. Major General William Caldwell appreciates art. Doesn’t that make you feel all warm inside? Let’s talk about art.First there’s this:Former Army dog handler returns to IraqFri Nov 3, 12:11 AM ETAn Army dog handler convicted of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has returned to the country with his military police unit, a spokesman said Thursday.Sgt. Santos A. Cardona boarded a plane Monday at Pope Air Force Base, which is adjacent to Fort Bragg, for the trip to Iraq.Cardona is assigned to the 23rd Military Police Company, said Maj. James Crabtree, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps, which is headquartered at Fort Bragg.Crabtree said it wasn’t known exactly what Cardona’s job would be. The unit will focus on law enforcement, detainee operations and route security and to a lesser extent training Iraqi police.We dont know what he will be doing,” Crabtree said. “We dont normally discuss individuals who will be deploying overseas. We speak in terms of units.A military jury at Fort Meade, Md., sentenced Cardona in June to 90 days of hard labor with no prison time. He was convicted of using his dog to threaten a former Baath Party member at the prison.Cardona also was reduced in rank, given a pay cut and ordered to give up 00 a month for a year. He was sent back to his unit at Fort Bragg, where his company commander was to decide what duties to assign as hard labor, said a military lawyer after the sentencing.He was one of 11 soldiers convicted of crimes related to prisoner abuses at the prison late in 2003 and early in 2004. He was convicted of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault after he was accused of letting his shepherd dog bark inches from the face of a prisoner kneeling in front of him.There’s a fuller version of the story on Time.com here. Cardona got a wrist slap for mistreating what the US military, reflecting the society from which it springs regard as subhumans untermenschen, sand niggers who only understand force. Declan did a posting on this topic back in July The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and Im about to introduce them to it” Well of course if theyre only sand niggers then theyre subjects, or perhaps objects, not people, just raw material. Raw material for artists. Artists such as Sgt. Santos A. Cardona. Remember this?Artistic isnt it?Cardona got off because his lawyers argued, truthfully. that he was doing what his superiors wanted him to do. I rather suspect Cardona got off because during the plea bargain negotiations his lawyers threatened to give the names, ranks, and serial numbers, of the people who ordered the barbaric behaviour in which he and his fellow American soldiers engaged in Abu Ghraib and are still engaging in other prison camps in Iraq. Such as Camp Bucca. Cardonas superiors (and their superiors in the White House and the Pentagon) based their belief in the efficacy of such filth upon that racist tract “The Arab Mind” by Raphael Patai. No Im not going to link to it Ive more respect for my readers than that. Patai argued that you control an Arab by humiliating him, by terrifying him, by torturing him, but most of all by humiliating him. And its true, you can control an Arab, or any other human by such methods. For a while. A short while. What Patai who was racist to the core didnt bother to mention is that Arab societies are honour based societies. Honour is important, its the sine qua non. If you take away an Arabs honour by humiliation and degradation then he and his entire extended family share in the loss of honour. And every single one of them is duty bound to regain their honour by avenging the insult.Is Torture Art?Oh yes, it most assuredly is. Its a black art inspired by evil. Its a black art engaged in by evil people.So we have one type of artist returning to his studio. One wonders what hell produce next. Can we expect to see reports in the art journals of sightings of school of Cardona works? Quite probably. It wouldnt surprise me even slightly. I have reached the point where there is no evil I will not believe of the American forces in Iraq. And I have reached the point where flatly against my all my instincts and training I now assume that every American in Iraq accused of barbarity is guilty until proven innocent.But I digress. Lets continue our exploration of art shall we?Iraq a work of art in progress says US general after 49 dieAn American general in Baghdad called Iraq a work of art in progress yesterday in one of the most extraordinary attempts by the US military leadership to put a positive spin on the worsening violence. On a day in which 49 people were killed or found dead around the country, Major General William Caldwell, the chief military spokesman, argued that Iraq was in transition, a process that was not always a pleasant thing to watch.Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition. A lump of clay can become a sculpture. Blobs of paint become paintings which inspire, Maj Gen Caldwell told journalists in Baghdad’s fortified green zone.The final test of our efforts will not be the isolated incidents that you report daily, but the country that the Iraqis build. Perceptions of how the war is going have become a central factor in next Tuesday’s congressional elections, which could determine President George Bush’s freedom of manoeuvre in his last two years in office. â¦â¦â¦Source.Oh how nice. Isn’t that just special. The carnage, the slaughter, the rampant evil unleashed by America upon the men, women, and above all the children of Iraq is a work of art in progress. Performance art perhaps. Or perhaps it’s the auditory experience. How would that go? We’ll have to find someone to orchestrate the sound of weeping parents and the shrieks of agonised children for Major General William Caldwell. Nothing but the best for Major General William Caldwell and his fellow aesthetes will do. Why should Major General William Caldwell and his fellow aesthetes confine themselves to just the plastic arts when the full range is available to them? There’s certainly enough skulls around to inspire a sculpture. Hmmmmmm ….. Maybe not - it’s been done before:I’m really not qualified to talk about art such as this. I can’t appreciate it. I’m not Major General William Caldwell and I’m not Ilse Koch either.So I’m going to stop talking about aesthetics and art. I’m going to stop before I get sick. Koch collected and commissioned objets dart” made from the bodies of concentration camp victims - such as those you see in the photo above. In particular she liked to collect “interesting” tattoos - flayed from murdered inmates bodies. And those helpful Iraqis have already made a start on providing the raw material for a new art collection for a new generation of art connoisseurs:These tattoos arent artful - they help identify Iraqs deadBy Nancy A. YoussefMcClatchy NewspapersBAGHDAD, Iraq - Ali Abbas decided that his upper right thigh was the best place for a tattoo because no one gets tortured there.Nancy Youssef/MCTAli Abbas, a 24-year-old Iraqi man, shows a tattoo giving his name, neighborhood and family phone number as identification in case he is killed in a bombing or a kidnapping and then dumped on a street. Although tatoos go against Islamic law, many Iraqis are getting ID tattoos so they wont be a nameless victim. Note, some of the lettering on his tattoo has been digitally altered to protect his identity.Hed seen hundred of bodies in the city morgue and dozens of hospitals during his 18-day search for his missing uncle. Hed seen drill marks in swollen, often unrecognizable heads, slash marks across necks, bullet holes in backs, abdomens and swollen hands. Hed seen bodies that had been thrown into the river, so swollen theyd barely looked human. But by and large, the thighs had been intact.So thats where he decided to have his name, address and phone number tattooed, in case the day comes when someone is searching for his body.Tattoos are considered a sin in Islam, which holds that believers shouldnt deface their bodies. And tattoo shops are difficult to find in Baghdad. Theyre often in the basements of more reputable shopsBut at least some tattoo shops are seeing more and more Iraqis who, like Abbas, are willing to risk offending Islam to ease their families grief in the event of their deaths. The owner of one tattoo shop in central Baghdad admitted that hed done such tattoos, but said he didnt want to talk about it for fear that hed be killed.That some Muslims are getting tattoos is an intimate reflection of national chaos, and an outward symbol of the inner turmoil the chaos has created.Theres nothing artful about these tattoos. The branding has the efficient look of a business card, written in clear, bland type.”This is our life now,” Abbas said as he explained why he doesnt think that having a tattoo makes him a bad Shiite. I think this is the best way for my family to recognize me. Everyone knows in my family that I have it: my mother, my brother, my wife.Theres no way to know how many Iraqis have made Abbas choice. Officials at Baghdads morgue say theyve used tattoos to identify bodies, but never one with a name and address. Police officers told McClatchy Newspapers that theyve encountered bodies with names and phone numbers tattooed on them. Theyve called the numbers and let the families pick up the bodies instead of taking them to the morgue.Jalal Ahmed, a police officer in southern Baghdad, said residents called his station three months ago because theyd found a body in the street. Fearful that a militia would kill them for approaching the body, they put off calling until dogs began eating it.Ahmed found the tattoo: “The dogs had torn part of the clothes, and I saw a tattoo with his full name, on the upper part of one of his arms. He was Atheer Mohammad,” Ahmed said. “We asked around, and nobody knew him. He was from a different neighborhood, so we called” the number.Whatever the extent of its use, the decision to tattoo reflects the countrys level of violence. It seems that anyone can be kidnapped and killed for any reason.Abbas realized how possible that was a few days before he got the tattoo. I saw two vehicles, and they took five people out and shot them in front of my eyes, he recalled. I was about to drive away. They stared at me, and I thought they were going to shoot me too, but they drove away. And I thought, Why are you bringing death to yourself?’ I told her it was just a precaution, Abbas said. I don’t assume I will die. Ultimately, it’s up to God whether I live or die.McClatchy Newspapers special correspondent Zaineb Obeid contributed to this report from Baghdad.Hmmmm …. Just numbers, no interesting pictures, how disappointing that must be for the art-loving Major General William Caldwell. Still to paraphrase his boss You build your art collection with the tattoos you have, not the tattoos you might want or wish to have at a later time.markfromirelandUpdate: Heres the direct link to Caldwells press conference. You need to scroll down a bit. Hat tip Bernhard of Moon of Alabama - mfi.
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I developed the TV Power Rating to represent a show’s value to its network. A program’s Power Rating is based on its Nielsen Rating relative to other shows on the network during the same week and on the same night. So far this Fall season ”DH” is rated #2 in the Power Ratings, which means that ”DH” is more important for the Alphabet’s Sunday lineup this year than last year. These ten series had the lowest average Power Rating for the 2005-2006 season.-4.14: ”Sex, Love & Secrets”-3.82: ”One Ocean View”-3.65: ”Still Standing”-3.65: ”Tuesday Night Book Club”-3.63: ”Love Monkey”-3.63: ”Scrubs”-3.59: ”Head Cases”-3.52: ”Kitchen Confidential”-3.41: ”Jake in Progress”-3.40: ”Yes, Dear”All six new shows on this list were cancelled very quickly.
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by Hidenori Fukuo Wed Nov 1, 4:49 AM ETTOKYO (AFP) - Taiwan have continued their excellent performance in the women’s event at the world volleyball championships, beating African champions Kenya for their second straight win.The Taiwanese squad, which posted a historic first-ever win over hosts Japan on Tuesday, moved a step forward towards the next stage of the tournament with a 25-13, 25-9, 29-27 win in the six-team Pool A round robin.For us, every match is a challenge in this tournament. We prepared for todays match as well. It was a good experience to play against Kenya,” said Taiwans captain Chen Shu-li Wednesday.European champions Poland, who needed four sets to beat Kenya on Tuesday, were stretched the distance before beatingSouth Korea, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 15-12, to post a 2-0 record.We were really concentrating well throughout the fight, because we know the Korean team. We played them in the Grand Prix and we lost 2-3, so we really wanted to win today’s match, said Polish captain Joanna Mirek.Coach Klos Ireneusz said: It’s a pity we couldn’t finish the match in the fourth set when we had the score 21-17. Obviously my players didn’t concentrate well, but all five sets were very dramatic, so I’m very, very happy.In other action, favourites Brazil and Russia remained unbeaten, while Serbia and Montenegro, who stunned defending champions Italy on Tuesday, did it again, beating three-time world champions Cuba 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 25-23.We know only Costa Rica were ranked below us in this tournament, but nevertheless we were convinced that this was not a real picture of the situation, Serbian coach Zoran Terzic said.We are glad that we showed our potential against such a good team like Italy and Cuba.Team captain Vesna Citakovic added: I don’t think we can become the world champions after only two wins, but I’m glad we came into this game with huge motivation and that we managed to win it. We played well today.The Brazilians, who have dominated South American play in the past six years and the World Grand Prix in the past three years, outgunned Asian silver medallists Kazakhstan 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 in Pool C in Kobe.Puerto Rico notched its first win, beating Cameroon 25-17, 25-23, 25-20.Sydney and Athens Olympic silver medallists Russia prevailed over Azerbaijan in four sets, 25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, while Germany outplayed Mexico 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 in Pool B in Sapporo.In Pool D in Nagoya with Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey defeated two-time former African champions Egypt, 25-11, 25-12, 25-8.Brazil, Russia, Germany and Serbia and Montenegro all have 2-0 records, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the second stage.link
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This latest poll out of Michigan is disturbing:Two key statewide ballot proposals remain below 50 percent support, a new Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll shows, leaving their fate to the minority of voters who haven’t made up their minds.Proposal 2, which would ban most government affirmative action programs, leads 49-41 with 10 percent undecided, according to the survey of 600 likely voters taken Sunday through Tuesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA.The depressing economic climate in Michigan - accentuated by ailing Ford and GM - is certainly giving strength to what could be a devastating blow to affirmative action and minority businesses in that state.
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Right now we are even, and all polls outside the flawed CNN poll show that.Personally, I am glad the Corker camp is using their time to push this flawed poll. For the sample to be representative, then, 90 percent of Tennessee adults would have to be registered voters, and 60 percent of the registered voters would have to be likely voters.Contrary to Opinion research’s finding, 90 percent of Tennessee adults are not registered to vote. Opinion Research’s sample is not accurate.The Opinion Research poll is a random-digit dial poll. How they ranked their likelihood of voting in the Senate race on a 1-10 scale.The composition of the sample reflects the problem with this method, because it wildly overstates the number of registered and likely voters.The Opinion Research poll did not ask respondents whether they had, in fact, voted early. At least 506,000 early votes have been cast as of this morning, and Opinion Research failed to account for any of them, further increasing the likelihood of error.Opinion Research has no track record in the state, and can’t be compared to other polls, questions are different, and no prior surveys to measure against.This poll is an outlier. No poll has seen a lead this large by either candidate in three months, and only one other poll since mid-August has given Corker a lead outside the margin of error.Opinion Research’s poll directly contradicts another poll published the same day. Ford also leads in several other polls, and Republicans have been spending heavily to support Corkers bid.RECENT POLLING EXPERIENCE (NON-ROBOCALL) IN THE TENNESSEE SENATE RACECorker Ford Pollster Dates MOE RDD/VOTER LIST/INTERNET 49 48 Zogby Battleground 10/23-10/27 3.3 Interactive43 48 Benenson Strat.
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I just can’t make up my mind. Are the Americans in Iraq Stupid and Evil? Or are they Evil and Stupid? Irrespective of which they are isn’t nice to know that at their top ranks that there’s a sensitive soul, an art critic no less. Major General William Caldwell appreciates art. Doesn’t that make you feel all warm inside? Let’s talk about art.First there’s this:Former Army dog handler returns to IraqFri Nov 3, 12:11 AM ETAn Army dog handler convicted of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has returned to the country with his military police unit, a spokesman said Thursday.Sgt. Santos A. Cardona boarded a plane Monday at Pope Air Force Base, which is adjacent to Fort Bragg, for the trip to Iraq.Cardona is assigned to the 23rd Military Police Company, said Maj. James Crabtree, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps, which is headquartered at Fort Bragg.Crabtree said it wasn’t known exactly what Cardona’s job would be. The unit will focus on law enforcement, detainee operations and route security and to a lesser extent training Iraqi police.We dont know what he will be doing,” Crabtree said. “We dont normally discuss individuals who will be deploying overseas. We speak in terms of units.A military jury at Fort Meade, Md., sentenced Cardona in June to 90 days of hard labor with no prison time. He was convicted of using his dog to threaten a former Baath Party member at the prison.Cardona also was reduced in rank, given a pay cut and ordered to give up 00 a month for a year. He was sent back to his unit at Fort Bragg, where his company commander was to decide what duties to assign as hard labor, said a military lawyer after the sentencing.He was one of 11 soldiers convicted of crimes related to prisoner abuses at the prison late in 2003 and early in 2004. He was convicted of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault after he was accused of letting his shepherd dog bark inches from the face of a prisoner kneeling in front of him.There’s a fuller version of the story on Time.com here. Cardona got a wrist slap for mistreating what the US military, reflecting the society from which it springs regard as subhumans untermenschen, sand niggers who only understand force. Declan did a posting on this topic back in July The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and Im about to introduce them to it” Well of course if theyre only sand niggers then theyre subjects, or perhaps objects, not people, just raw material. Raw material for artists. Artists such as Sgt. Santos A. Cardona. Remember this?Artistic isnt it?Cardona got off because his lawyers argued, truthfully. that he was doing what his superiors wanted him to do. I rather suspect Cardona got off because during the plea bargain negotiations his lawyers threatened to give the names, ranks, and serial numbers, of the people who ordered the barbaric behaviour in which he and his fellow American soldiers engaged in Abu Ghraib and are still engaging in other prison camps in Iraq. Such as Camp Bucca. Cardonas superiors (and their superiors in the White House and the Pentagon) based their belief in the efficacy of such filth upon that racist tract “The Arab Mind” by Raphael Patai. No Im not going to link to it Ive more respect for my readers than that. Patai argued that you control an Arab by humiliating him, by terrifying him, by torturing him, but most of all by humiliating him. And its true, you can control an Arab, or any other human by such methods. For a while. A short while. What Patai who was racist to the core didnt bother to mention is that Arab societies are honour based societies. Honour is important, its the sine qua non. If you take away an Arabs honour by humiliation and degradation then he and his entire extended family share in the loss of honour. And every single one of them is duty bound to regain their honour by avenging the insult.Is Torture Art?Oh yes, it most assuredly is. Its a black art inspired by evil. Its a black art engaged in by evil people.So we have one type of artist returning to his studio. One wonders what hell produce next. Can we expect to see reports in the art journals of sightings of school of Cardona works? Quite probably. It wouldnt surprise me even slightly. I have reached the point where there is no evil I will not believe of the American forces in Iraq. And I have reached the point where flatly against my all my instincts and training I now assume that every American in Iraq accused of barbarity is guilty until proven innocent.But I digress. Lets continue our exploration of art shall we?Iraq a work of art in progress says US general after 49 dieAn American general in Baghdad called Iraq a work of art in progress yesterday in one of the most extraordinary attempts by the US military leadership to put a positive spin on the worsening violence. On a day in which 49 people were killed or found dead around the country, Major General William Caldwell, the chief military spokesman, argued that Iraq was in transition, a process that was not always a pleasant thing to watch.Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition. A lump of clay can become a sculpture. Blobs of paint become paintings which inspire, Maj Gen Caldwell told journalists in Baghdad’s fortified green zone.The final test of our efforts will not be the isolated incidents that you report daily, but the country that the Iraqis build. Perceptions of how the war is going have become a central factor in next Tuesday’s congressional elections, which could determine President George Bush’s freedom of manoeuvre in his last two years in office. â¦â¦â¦Source.Oh how nice. Isn’t that just special. The carnage, the slaughter, the rampant evil unleashed by America upon the men, women, and above all the children of Iraq is a work of art in progress. Performance art perhaps. Or perhaps it’s the auditory experience. How would that go? We’ll have to find someone to orchestrate the sound of weeping parents and the shrieks of agonised children for Major General William Caldwell. Nothing but the best for Major General William Caldwell and his fellow aesthetes will do. Why should Major General William Caldwell and his fellow aesthetes confine themselves to just the plastic arts when the full range is available to them? There’s certainly enough skulls around to inspire a sculpture. Hmmmmmm ….. Maybe not - it’s been done before:I’m really not qualified to talk about art such as this. I can’t appreciate it. I’m not Major General William Caldwell and I’m not Ilse Koch either.So I’m going to stop talking about aesthetics and art. I’m going to stop before I get sick. Koch collected and commissioned objets dart” made from the bodies of concentration camp victims - such as those you see in the photo above. In particular she liked to collect “interesting” tattoos - flayed from murdered inmates bodies. And those helpful Iraqis have already made a start on providing the raw material for a new art collection for a new generation of art connoisseurs:These tattoos arent artful - they help identify Iraqs deadBy Nancy A. YoussefMcClatchy NewspapersBAGHDAD, Iraq - Ali Abbas decided that his upper right thigh was the best place for a tattoo because no one gets tortured there.Nancy Youssef/MCTAli Abbas, a 24-year-old Iraqi man, shows a tattoo giving his name, neighborhood and family phone number as identification in case he is killed in a bombing or a kidnapping and then dumped on a street. Although tatoos go against Islamic law, many Iraqis are getting ID tattoos so they wont be a nameless victim. Note, some of the lettering on his tattoo has been digitally altered to protect his identity.Hed seen hundred of bodies in the city morgue and dozens of hospitals during his 18-day search for his missing uncle. Hed seen drill marks in swollen, often unrecognizable heads, slash marks across necks, bullet holes in backs, abdomens and swollen hands. Hed seen bodies that had been thrown into the river, so swollen theyd barely looked human. But by and large, the thighs had been intact.So thats where he decided to have his name, address and phone number tattooed, in case the day comes when someone is searching for his body.Tattoos are considered a sin in Islam, which holds that believers shouldnt deface their bodies. And tattoo shops are difficult to find in Baghdad. Theyre often in the basements of more reputable shopsBut at least some tattoo shops are seeing more and more Iraqis who, like Abbas, are willing to risk offending Islam to ease their families grief in the event of their deaths. The owner of one tattoo shop in central Baghdad admitted that hed done such tattoos, but said he didnt want to talk about it for fear that hed be killed.That some Muslims are getting tattoos is an intimate reflection of national chaos, and an outward symbol of the inner turmoil the chaos has created.Theres nothing artful about these tattoos. The branding has the efficient look of a business card, written in clear, bland type.”This is our life now,” Abbas said as he explained why he doesnt think that having a tattoo makes him a bad Shiite. I think this is the best way for my family to recognize me. Everyone knows in my family that I have it: my mother, my brother, my wife.Theres no way to know how many Iraqis have made Abbas choice. Officials at Baghdads morgue say theyve used tattoos to identify bodies, but never one with a name and address. Police officers told McClatchy Newspapers that theyve encountered bodies with names and phone numbers tattooed on them. Theyve called the numbers and let the families pick up the bodies instead of taking them to the morgue.Jalal Ahmed, a police officer in southern Baghdad, said residents called his station three months ago because theyd found a body in the street. Fearful that a militia would kill them for approaching the body, they put off calling until dogs began eating it.Ahmed found the tattoo: “The dogs had torn part of the clothes, and I saw a tattoo with his full name, on the upper part of one of his arms. He was Atheer Mohammad,” Ahmed said. “We asked around, and nobody knew him. He was from a different neighborhood, so we called” the number.Whatever the extent of its use, the decision to tattoo reflects the countrys level of violence. It seems that anyone can be kidnapped and killed for any reason.Abbas realized how possible that was a few days before he got the tattoo. I saw two vehicles, and they took five people out and shot them in front of my eyes, he recalled. I was about to drive away. They stared at me, and I thought they were going to shoot me too, but they drove away. And I thought, Why are you bringing death to yourself?’ I told her it was just a precaution, Abbas said. I don’t assume I will die. Ultimately, it’s up to God whether I live or die.McClatchy Newspapers special correspondent Zaineb Obeid contributed to this report from Baghdad.Hmmmm …. Just numbers, no interesting pictures, how disappointing that must be for the art-loving Major General William Caldwell. Still to paraphrase his boss You build your art collection with the tattoos you have, not the tattoos you might want or wish to have at a later time.markfromirelandUpdate: Heres the direct link to Caldwells press conference. You need to scroll down a bit. Hat tip Bernhard of Moon of Alabama - mfi.
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I developed the TV Power Rating to represent a show’s value to its network. A program’s Power Rating is based on its Nielsen Rating relative to other shows on the network during the same week and on the same night. So far this Fall season ”DH” is rated #2 in the Power Ratings, which means that ”DH” is more important for the Alphabet’s Sunday lineup this year than last year. These ten series had the lowest average Power Rating for the 2005-2006 season.-4.14: ”Sex, Love & Secrets”-3.82: ”One Ocean View”-3.65: ”Still Standing”-3.65: ”Tuesday Night Book Club”-3.63: ”Love Monkey”-3.63: ”Scrubs”-3.59: ”Head Cases”-3.52: ”Kitchen Confidential”-3.41: ”Jake in Progress”-3.40: ”Yes, Dear”All six new shows on this list were cancelled very quickly.
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by Hidenori Fukuo Wed Nov 1, 4:49 AM ETTOKYO (AFP) - Taiwan have continued their excellent performance in the women’s event at the world volleyball championships, beating African champions Kenya for their second straight win.The Taiwanese squad, which posted a historic first-ever win over hosts Japan on Tuesday, moved a step forward towards the next stage of the tournament with a 25-13, 25-9, 29-27 win in the six-team Pool A round robin.For us, every match is a challenge in this tournament. We prepared for todays match as well. It was a good experience to play against Kenya,” said Taiwans captain Chen Shu-li Wednesday.European champions Poland, who needed four sets to beat Kenya on Tuesday, were stretched the distance before beatingSouth Korea, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 15-12, to post a 2-0 record.We were really concentrating well throughout the fight, because we know the Korean team. We played them in the Grand Prix and we lost 2-3, so we really wanted to win today’s match, said Polish captain Joanna Mirek.Coach Klos Ireneusz said: It’s a pity we couldn’t finish the match in the fourth set when we had the score 21-17. Obviously my players didn’t concentrate well, but all five sets were very dramatic, so I’m very, very happy.In other action, favourites Brazil and Russia remained unbeaten, while Serbia and Montenegro, who stunned defending champions Italy on Tuesday, did it again, beating three-time world champions Cuba 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 25-23.We know only Costa Rica were ranked below us in this tournament, but nevertheless we were convinced that this was not a real picture of the situation, Serbian coach Zoran Terzic said.We are glad that we showed our potential against such a good team like Italy and Cuba.Team captain Vesna Citakovic added: I don’t think we can become the world champions after only two wins, but I’m glad we came into this game with huge motivation and that we managed to win it. We played well today.The Brazilians, who have dominated South American play in the past six years and the World Grand Prix in the past three years, outgunned Asian silver medallists Kazakhstan 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 in Pool C in Kobe.Puerto Rico notched its first win, beating Cameroon 25-17, 25-23, 25-20.Sydney and Athens Olympic silver medallists Russia prevailed over Azerbaijan in four sets, 25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, while Germany outplayed Mexico 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 in Pool B in Sapporo.In Pool D in Nagoya with Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey defeated two-time former African champions Egypt, 25-11, 25-12, 25-8.Brazil, Russia, Germany and Serbia and Montenegro all have 2-0 records, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the second stage.link