http://www.drudge.com/user/townncountry New links and comments. en-us http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Wordzilla/0.58 10 http://www.drudge.com/news/111920/utenn-prof-gave-secret-tech-china-iran http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_re_us/professor_secrets;_ylt=AlhYaLU8o0E0kxkjtSDDemQDW7oF Retired University of Tennessee plasma physics expert J. Reece Roth was found guilty of 18 counts of , fraud and violating the export control act for passing sensitive information from a U.S. Air Force contract to two foreign research assistants from China and Iran. (AP) Retired University of Tennessee plasma physics expert J. Reece Roth was found guilty of 18 counts of , fraud and violating the export control act for passing sensitive information from a U.S. Air Force contract to two foreign research assistants from China and Iran. The case marked the first time the government used the Arms Export Control Act to crack down on the distribution of restricted data, not hardware, to foreigners in a university setting, prosecutors said. <p>Prosecutors said Roth allowed the two graduate students to see sensitive information while they researched a plasma-guidance system for unmanned aircraft. The charges involved work performed from 2004 to 2006 on two Air Force contracts by Roth, graduates students Xin Dai of China and Sirous Nourgostar of Iran, and university spinoff company Atmospheric Glow Technologies Inc. of Knoxville. Roth also was accused of taking reports and related studies in his laptop to China during a lecture tour in 2006, and having one report e-mailed to him there through a Chinese professor's Internet connection. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:29:10 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111920/utenn-prof-gave-secret-tech-china-iran#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111920 111920 http://www.drudge.com/news/111918/19-miles-4500-year-old-ice-detaches http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_re_ca/arctic_ice_shelf;_ylt=AkN5e79XvUddChth9cpqx0YDW7oF (AP) TORONTO - A chunk of ice shelf as large as Manhattan broke away from Ellesmere Island in Canada's Arctic, a dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier. Derek Mueller, an Arctic ice shelf specialist, said that the 4,500-year-old Markham Ice Shelf separated in early August and the 19-square-mile shelf is now adrift in the Arctic Ocean. The loss of these ice shelves means that rare ecosystems that depend on them are on the brink of extinction. "The Markham Ice Shelf had half the biomass for the entire Canadian Arctic Ice Shelf ecosystem as a habitat for cold, tolerant microbial life; algae that sit on top of the ice shelf and photosynthesis like plants would. Now that it's disappeared, we're looking at ecosystems on the verge of extinction,' said Mueller. <p>Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems to welcome the changes. Harper announced last week that he plans to expand exploration of the region's known oil and mineral deposits, a possibility that has become more evident as a result of melting sea ice. It is the burning of oil and other fossil fuels that scientists say is the chief cause of manmade warming and melting ice. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:14:10 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111918/19-miles-4500-year-old-ice-detaches#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111918 discussion, 111918 http://www.drudge.com/news/111909/russia-seeking-new-anti-us-eurasian-alliance http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fgw-dugin4-2008sep04,0,2871108.story?track=ntothtml Aleksander Dugin, a popular theorist in hard-line circles, advocates an alliance between the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. He says Georgia crisis could be start of a real conflict with U.S. (LA Times) Aleksander Dugin, a popular theorist in hard-line circles, advocates an alliance between the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. He says Georgia crisis could be start of a real conflict with U.S. He envisions a strategic bloc comprising the former Soviet Union and the Middle East to rival the U.S.-dominated Atlantic alliance. The Times interviewed Dugin this week at his Moscow office, a room draped with flags bearing the slogan "Pax Russica." Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:24:22 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111909/russia-seeking-new-anti-us-eurasian-alliance#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111909 discussion, 111909 http://www.drudge.com/news/111880/hometown-wassilla-does-not-love-sarah-palin http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/09/female_voters_n.html Wow! Here's a scorching anti-Palin blurb from one of her neighbors and friends. This is a noooook-u-ler-- blog under Palin's tent! Read "Posted by chrisc September 3, 08 11:41 AM" @<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/09/female_voters_n.html:">www.boston.com</a> Excerpts: "So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . . <p>"ABOUT SARAH PALIN <p>"I have known Sarah since 1992. . . . It is . . . almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit. . . . During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign. <p>"During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased . . . expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years . . . taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. . . . She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents. <p>"She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! . . . While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once. <p>"She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them. . . . People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day. <p>"Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda <p>"She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her. . . . The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative. . . . Around Wasilla . . . call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. . . . (T)here's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it. <p>"CLAIM VS FACT . . . *"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000. . . . *gutsy: absolutely! *open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions. *"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR. . . . *pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents *pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history." Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:33:50 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111880/hometown-wassilla-does-not-love-sarah-palin#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111880 111880 http://www.drudge.com/news/111863/poll-obama-support-above-50 http://www.newser.com/story/36457/obama-grabs-50-in-poll.html A new poll says Barack Obama has reached the a symbolic threshold - supported by 50% of voters. Barack Obama has the support of 50% of voters for the first time since beginning his run for the White House, according to the latest Gallup poll. It's a key symbolic threshold for Obama, who was evenly split at 45% with John McCain before the Democratic convention, reports Politico. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:24:58 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111863/poll-obama-support-above-50#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111863 discussion, 111863 http://www.drudge.com/news/111853/lebanon-touts-shrine-mass-murderer http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/middleeast/03lebanon.html&OQ=_rQ3D2Q26thQ26emcQ3DthQ26orefQ3Dslogin&OP=652d9c51Q2FfoyQ25fQ22Q5E)4Q7CQ5EQ5Ew7f7SSrfSKfSbfoQ5EQ7CqQ22fjXQ22Q22qyyQ5D4wfSbqyQ25Q5D8Q5E8Iewjq In Southern Lebanon's Nabatiye village, children are being entertained with a grisly shrine to Lebanon's "heroic" mass-murderer, Imad Mugniyah, the shadowy Hezbollah commander who master-minded he Marine barracks bombing and 20 years worth of terrorist activities. (NYT 9/2/2008) NABATIYE, Lebanon The children crowd forward around the glass case, eager for a glimpse of the martyrs bloodstained clothes. His belt is here, and the shoes he died in, scarred with shrapnel. The battered desk where he planned military operations still has his box of pencils on it, his in-box, his cellphone. The object of such veneration is Imad Mugniyah, the shadowy Hezbollah commander. Until his death in a car bombing in Syria in February he was virtually unknown here, his role in the militant Shiite group clothed in secrecy. But since then Hezbollah has hailed him as one of its great military leaders in the struggle against Israel. <p>Now, the group has opened an exhibit in this southern town in honor of Mr. Mugniyah, who is widely accused in the West of masterminding devastating bombings, kidnappings and hijackings in the 1980s and 90s. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:23:58 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111853/lebanon-touts-shrine-mass-murderer#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111853 discussion, 111853 http://www.drudge.com/news/111829/bets-up-palin-get-dumped http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080902/pl_bloomberg/azjwbcginwsg "McCain More Likely to Drop Palin, Bookmakers Say", the title reads. Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The smart money thinks there's a better chance today than yesterday that John McCain will dump Sarah Palin as his running mate. Before the Republican senator's presidential campaign disclosed the pregnancy of Palin's 17-year-old daughter, bookmakers in Britain and Ireland were offering 20-1 odds or higher on a bet that she would be forced off the ticket, meaning a 1 pound bet would pay 20 pounds. Now that same bet will pay no more than 8 pounds. <p>"While it is rare that a VP candidate gets dropped, it's not completely impossible," said Ken Robertson, political betting analyst at Paddy Power Plc, a Dublin-based gambling company. "Lots of our punters are betting `Shocking' Sarah's days are numbered," he added, using a nickname he came up with for the first-term Alaska governor. The odds, based on wagers made online with Paddy Power and William Hill Plc and in their betting shops, also suggest that McCain is less likely to win the White House because of his vice-presidential running-mate choice, announced Aug. 29. Both gambling houses, along with rival Ladbrokes Plc, place Democrat Barack Obama, 47, as the favorite to triumph in the contest. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:48:01 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111829/bets-up-palin-get-dumped#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111829 discussion, 111829 http://www.drudge.com/news/111811/brooks-oped-mccain-disorder http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/opinion/02brooks.html&OQ=_rQ3D2Q26emQ26orefQ3Dslogin&OP=1782ec7fQ2FQ27CQ51iQ27-Y7DeYYlQ23Q27Q23XXPQ27X2Q27XQ23Q27YvQ5EWQ5EYWQ27XQ23ieYYcD(jl5r Right-of center pundit David Brooks doesn't think much of McCain's VP nominee. In fact he thinks that if McCain is elected, he will face conditions tailor-made to foster disorder. If McCain is elected, he will face conditions tailor-made to foster disorder. He will be leading a divided and philosophically exhausted party. There simply arent enough Republican experts left to staff an administration, so he will have to throw together a hodgepodge with independents and Democrats. He will confront Democratic majorities that will be enraged and recriminatory. <p>On top of these conditions, he will have his own freewheeling qualities: a restless, thrill-seeking personality, a tendency to personalize issues, a tendency to lead life as a string of virtuous crusades. <p>He really needs someone to impose a policy structure on his moral intuitions. He needs a very senior person who can organize a vast administration and insist that he tame his lone-pilot tendencies and work through the established corridors the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council. He needs a near-equal who can turn his instincts, which are great, into a doctrine that everybody else can predict and understand. <p>Rob Portman or Bob Gates wouldnt have been politically exciting, but they are capable of performing those tasks. Palin, for all her gifts, is not. She underlines McCains strength without compensating for his weaknesses. The real second fiddle job is still unfilled. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:16:00 -0400 townncountry http://www.drudge.com/news/111811/brooks-oped-mccain-disorder#discuss tag:drudge.com,2005:weblog.111811 discussion, 111811