Poison Ivy Getting Meaner

Looks like global warming will do more than raise the tide and change weather patterns. Here is an unexpected consequence. Apparently the increases in CO2 levels in the atmosphere makes poison ivy more potent while increasing it’s growth rate.

Poison Ivy Getting Meaner - Forbes.com: “TUESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) — An annoying consequence of global warming could be a dramatic increase in the amount of poison ivy and its ability to cause allergic reactions, researchers report.

About 80 percent of people develop an allergic reaction to poison ivy that includes an itchy rash and blisters, caused by skin contact with the oily sap — or resin — of the plant. As the virulence of the plant increases due to global warming from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, even more people will be susceptible, the researchers suggest.

‘Under atmospheric carbon dioxide (C02) concentrations that the whole planet will reach by the middle of this century, poison ivy grows not only faster and bigger, but also more poisonous,’ said study lead author Jacqueline E. Mohan, a post-doctoral scientist at the Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, at Woods Hole, Mass.

Only humans and some apes are allergic to poison ivy, Mohan noted. But with carbon dioxide levels increasing, Mohan suspects the plant’s growth rate and virulence are already on the rise.” More…

Memorial Day Never Forget

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Saddam & Bin Laden Concede Missteps in War

To provide you a satirical perspective on the Tony Blair / George Bush love fest yesterday, satirist Scott Ott braved the hills of Pakistan and the cold damp jail cells of Baghdad to bring us this joint newscast on the day after the British/US press conference.

(2006-05-26) — Riding the crest of high approval ratings, al Qaeda mastermind Usama Bin Laden and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein today nevertheless acknowledged that they had made mistakes in prosecuting the war against the ‘war on terror’.

The confessions come a day after President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair made contrite statements at a joint news conference about their own wartime leadership.

Mr. Hussein said he regrets some of his “tough talk” in the past and the famous image of him brandishing a shotgun. He also admitted to having second thoughts about putting his political opponents through a meat grinder after torturing them.

Speaking in a subdued, almost chastened manner, the former Iraqi dictator said, “I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner.”

Mr. Bin Laden, in a newly-released audiotape, said that despite capturing the hearts and minds of American journalists, he’s concerned that his claim of responsibility for the 9/11 terror attacks might be viewed by some people as arrogance or bragging.

“I’m only partially responsible for the success of the martyrdom operation,” he said, “I should have directed more attention to the little people…or perhaps, more accurately, to the little pieces of people. As the saying goes, there is no ‘i’ in ‘team’.”

Still, both leaders said that despite their personal errors, they’re pleased with the progress of the war.

“When our jihadists confront U.S. soldiers, our men are usually killed,” said Mr. Bin Laden, “and when they attack civilian women and children, our suicide bombers (peace be upon them) are almost always killed. So, as you can see, the battle is going quite well.”” – satirical report by Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

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I don’t blame them!

Israeli Advice on the Mexico Fence

[Hat tip: Little Green Footballs]
“As America begins to discuss building walls to stop illegal immigration, here’s some harsh but very pragmatic advice from an Israeli expert, at Ha’aretz: Israeli advice on the Mexico fence: be ruthless. (Hat tip: Jim.)

Money: It will probably cost more than you think. Why? Because that’s always the way it is with such projects. Americans, the Israeli says, tend to be very structured in their work, in a way that has many benefits but also some limitations. It means that they waste a lot of money on “process” and “management” and “studies” before they really act. They make no short-cuts, thus save no money. In the last issue of The National Journal, the Israeli fence is mentioned as the example to use when calculating the cost of such a fence (2000 mile fence = $6.4 billion dollars). The Israeli expert thinks the Americans will end up paying more.

Efficiency: It can work, the expert says - and other Israeli know-hows agree. Don’t buy the argument of liberal opponents who say “no fence can stop people from coming.” If done in a proper way, the fence can work. It can achieve whatever goal the U.S. wants it to, “100 percent, 90 percent, 80 percent prevention. Just make the right commitment and you?ll get results.”

Tactics: Don’t just rely on sophisticated machinery and equipment. You need people on the ground using the equipment to pursue the invaders. They need to react fast, they need intelligence, and they need to be tireless. It will only take a couple of months before the flow of immigrants will become much weaker.

Intelligence: Recruit people on the Mexican side to be your eyes and ears and to tell you what the smugglers are up to. Make sure you can communicate fast, and react even faster. Good intelligence can be the key factor for success.

Routine: The smugglers will be inventive and will look for ways around you. If you stick to some regulated routine, you’ll end up wasting your time and your money. Surprise them where they don’t expect you, make them understand that no place is safe, no route out of reach. “Don’t police them, fight them.”

Ruthlessness: Is it really important for the Americans? If it is, they should be prepared to show it. “Make the other side understand that this is no game - that life can be in danger,” says the expert. “I know this is the toughest advice of all, but short of doing it the Americans will end up pretending to stop illegal immigrants rather than really doing it. At the end of the day, it is very simple: America is more powerful than the smugglers - meaning, it can deter them from doing what they do.” But there’s one condition necessary to keep this preponderance of power working: “It should be as important for America to stop the illegal new comers as it is for them to come.”

Danger: You mean they have to shoot the smugglers? “No, they have to stop them. But if they run away they have to chase them, and if they resist they need to use force. Eventually, they’ll end up doing things you don’t want people to watch on television. I’m not sure if they have the resolve and the stomach to do it. Maybe it’s not as important for them as they claim it is.”

Voice your opinion. Do you think the U.S. has to stomach and courage to meet this threat head on or will we need to see another terrorist attack on our soil first??

Senate: Mexico Must be Consulted On Border Walls!

What gives here?? If this is true it is an outrage. The idea that we need to consult with another country to protect our own borders!!! Please. tell us it’s not so!

Michelle Malkin: MEXICO GETS VETO POWER? “CONSULTATION” REQ’D: “MEXICO GETS VETO POWER? ‘CONSULTATION’ REQ’D
By Michelle Malkin · May 25, 2006 07:55 PM

Does the Senate immigration bill essentially give Mexico veto power over our border fences? Hearing this from several readers and sources. Reader Greg writes:

Senator Cornyn gave Lou Dobbs a statement saying the last-minute Amendment SA 41[8]8 says Mexico must be consulted before any fence is constructed.

From F/R thread:

I heard this on Sean Hannity’s Fox Radio broadcast a short while ago and just now on ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’ on CNN:

Arlen Specter, according to Congressman John Kyl of Arizona, slipped a provision into the Immigration Bill the Senate passed today requiring the U.S. to consult with Mexico BEFORE building a wall in any area along the border.

I’m checking into it. If anyone has more specific info, please send along. Update: It’s Dem Sen. Chris Dodd’s amendment included in Specter’s manager’s package that passed.

The Senate by Cboldt blog reports:

UPDATE @ 17:16 - Senator Specter notes that the managers package is ready for a vote, he says that it (the package) makes making sausage look good. Senator Kyl asks to speak for one minute on the managers amendment. He says it has been in busy negotiations, right up until now. Federal, state and local entities in the US would be required to consult with Mexican government before building a wall. I predict this amendment, S.Amdt.4188, will pass. Off to find the language that Senator Kyl referred to.

UPDATE @ 17:23 - Found it. Senator Dodd talked against a fence on May 18, and his S.Amdt.4089 contains the following language:

(b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.–Consultations between United States and Mexican authorities at the federal, state, and local levels concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures along the United States-Mexico border shall be undertaken prior to commen”

Senate Passes Immigration Bill Overhaul

“Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and the Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, both sided with supporters, a reflection of the bipartisan backing for a bill that was months in the drafting and survived several near-death experiences. In all, 38 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one independent voted for the bill, while 32 Republicans opposed and four Democrats opposed it.

Conservative critics attacked the legislation to the end after trying unsuccessfully to pull it apart with amendments.

‘This bill will not secure our borders,’ said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., one of the most persistent critics.

‘This is amnesty,’ added David Vitter, R-La., who tried last week to strip out provisions relating to citizenship.

Not so, said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, in a rebuttal to weeks of debate. ‘They have to pay a fine. They have to undergo a criminal background check. They have to pay back taxes, they have to learn English and they have to go to the back of the line,’ he said, referring to illegal immigrants who would apply for citizenship.”

“‘They have to pay a fine. They have to undergo a criminal background check. They have to pay back taxes, they have to learn English and they have to go to the back of the line,’ he said, referring to illegal immigrants who would apply for citizenship.”

– We’ll see Sen Specter, we’ll see. Somehow we suspect that the Senate bill encourage more employers to seek labor, removing low skilled jobs from our poor legal U.S. citizens who may be looking for work in order to get off of welfare in this country. We’ll see… This doesn’t have a chance of passing in the House right now and it doesn’t say much about what will be done about illegals who choose NOT TO SIGN UP, pay the fines and taxes and get on the back of the line!!! I’m sure we will be getting more of the details very soon via our biased MSM.

Guilty Enron Duo Starts New Business

(2006-05-25) — Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former-CEO Jeff Skilling, found guilty today of a combined total of 25 fraud and conspiracy charges in the energy company’s collapse, announced that they would appeal the verdicts, and that they have launched a new joint-venture business.

The new firm, Penrun, will trade a financial instrument called convict futures, which fluctuate depending on the ratio of sentenced-time to time-served.

For example, while Mr. Lay and Mr. Skilling could be sentenced to 20-to-30 years, it’s unlikely that they’ll serve even half of that.

“So, there’s big upside potential for customers who sell short,” said Mr. Lay. “It’s the hottest ticket in America. I can sincerely say to anybody, ‘Sell your gold and buy convict futures’.”

The duo said they already have $75 million in “virtual capital” for the startup, with another $300 million “pretty much guaranteed if we get out before 2010.”

Mr. Skilling encouraged potential Penrun customers “to think outside of the box.”

“This is the best securities buy available today, bar none,” he said. “This is cutting edge stuff.”” — Satirical reporting by Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

[Hat tip: Scott Ott / ScrappleFace] As far as we are concerned. They should be starting their sentences NOW. The fact is the judge has decided to sentence on Sept 11th 2006. Was that to give them time to make sure their villas in whatever country does not have extradition treaties with us are completed? They have had years to figure out a plan to leave the country. Why are they not behind bars NOW ! Could it be their private fortunes have something to do with it?

Iran Cultivates New Crop of Suicide Bombers

Hickory Daily Record | AP News: “TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Under a banner showing coffins draped with American, British and Israeli flags, more than 100 Iranian men and women pledged Thursday to become suicide bombers - if necessary - to defend their country and Islam.

The event, held in a burial area for war dead and martyrs, was similar to others in recent years, with Islamic chants and songs and volunteers donning white coverings to symbolize their willingness to die.

But this gathering - coming at a time when many Iranians worry their country could come under attack by the United States or Israel - was tailored to send a message of defiance against any possible military action over Iran’s nuclear program.” More…