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[POLL] Are the Patriots the Best Team Ever?
2007-12-31 02:34:00
Are the Patriots the best team in the history of the NFL?YesYesYesYes  pollcode.com free polls
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An Al-Qaeda Assassination?
2007-12-29 00:13:00
It appears it may have been either Al-Qaeda or the Taliban who carried out Benazir's Bhutto assassination. It's not completely clear it was either group, but for our purposes, let's assume it is.Why would Al-Qaeda carry out this attack? Number one, to damage the pro-democracy movement. AQ is fine with Musharraf in power - he's barely even trying to crack down. Bhutto was and other democracy advocates are anti-Musharraf, and AQ wasn't happy about that.Number two, Al-Qaeda likes a destabilized Pakistan. It's a safer - if there's more chaos, the Pakistani government has other things to worry about rather than cracking down on terrorists.Number three, is AQ trying to steal nuclear technology or radioactive waste? A destabilized government and military won't be able to control Pakistan's nuclear technology as easily. The military is the main protector of the weapons, and they will be kept busy keeping this crisis under control, and will be even more busy if President Pervez decl...
More About: Middle East , Al Qaeda , Assassination

Sharif's Boycott: Policy Implications
2007-12-29 00:12:00
Sharif says his party to boycott Jan. 8 election.This could help him take the lead in Pakistani democracy movement by taking such a hardline, but it makes you wonder, who will take over on the political front? I see two viable candidates: Bhutto's husband, and one of Bhutto's political rivals that I still cannot remember the name of.More importantly though, you can see why this complicates the U.S.'s anti-terrorism interests there. Sharif's boycott will totally undermine the elections unless a new, strong leader emerges from the PPP, Bhutto's party. Undermined elections = undermined Musharraf, and Musharraf will be weaker than ever.
More About: Middle East , Policy , Boycott , Implications , Sharif

On Benazir Bhutto's Assassination
2007-12-27 15:29:00
The details are still emerging of this horrific event, but we can make some significant conclusions.How will this effect the PPP, Bhutto's political party? They no longer have a leader. There are leaders within the party who could take over (their names escape me), but I don't know if they have international democratic recognition.What about Nawaz Sharif, the other internationally recognized democracy activist and political candidate? This will certainly boost his popularity. Also, this is likely to fracture voters in Pakistan, who were mostly united behind Bhutto.Will this boost the chance of democracy? Bhutto's been martyred, and is likely, at least for the short term, to boost the calls for reform in PakistanThen again, one could look at this the opposite way. The attack could give President Musharraf an excuse to call for martial law.The other question to ask: Who carried out the assassination?Was it Islamists?Was it the Pakistani Intelligence Service?Was it one of her politi...
More About: Middle East , Assassination , Benazir , Hutto

[POLL] Mike Huckabee?
2007-12-24 00:47:00
Mike Huckabee ?Crazy Christian anti-evolutionistHe's in tune with godOther (explain below)  pollcode.com free polls
More About: Mike Huckabee , Poll , Mike

Light Posting Ahead
2007-12-23 22:10:00
I have no idea how many posts I'll be able to get out this week, so don't expect too many.Everybody waiting for the Iowa Caucuses?Happy political season holidays!
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Mike Huckabee: Undecided Republican's New Fad
2007-12-21 02:39:00
When I think back to my days in elementary school (or grammar/primary school, for you Brits), one word will always pop into my head: fads. Power Rangers, Pokemon, etc. You know what I?m talking about.It?s one word the Republicans of Iowa and New Hampshire should keep in mind as well, as Mike Huckabee skyrockets in the polls. Mike Huckabee is just another Republican fad, during their desperate search for the right candidate.First there was Bill Frist, who decided not to run after a 2006 congressional loss. Then there was John McCain, the maverick from 2000, who fell out of style when the media focused attention on his stand on immigration. Soon after Rudy Giuliani, who was temporarily displaced by Fred Thompson before recapturing the lead. Then, more recently, Mitt Romney looked like he would be the nominee. Had his strategy of going for the early states worked? Had the GOP finally decided on a candidate?No. Huckabee plodded along at the perfect moment, taking advantage of the doubt ...

Note to Readers////FutureGen Clean Coal Plant
2007-12-20 02:20:00
Hey - to anybody that subscribed to this RSS for political and geopolitical opinion and analysis: I've got a bunch of good posts about the 08 horse race coming up, along with a little bit of Putin and Turkey (tasty). In other words: don't unsubscribe yet!--------------------------------Chica go (TGW) ? The FutureGen Alliance has selected a site in Illinois to be the location of its $1.5 billion clean coal power plant.The plant will use advanced technology to capture and sequestrate carbon dioxide from the coal underground.FutureGen includes companies from around the world and is funded by the Department of Energy to design and test technology that can turn coal into a gas that can be stripped of harmful emissions, then burned to produce electricity and hydrogen.Uncertainty about CO2 emissions ?"underscores the need for a public-private venture such as FutureGen to advance cutting-edge technology," said Michael Mudd, chief executive of the alliance.Via :: Reuters
More About: Global Warming , Readers , Note , Clean , Alternative Energy

Energy Bill Phases Out Incandescent Lightbulbs, Increases CAFE Standards, a
2007-12-19 00:18:00
The House has passed the energy bill passed in the Senate, which had been modified to take out $20 billion in tax breaks for clean energy.But what are other key provisions of this bill?CAFE increase? Increases the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) to 35 miles per gallon by 2020? Automakers can trade credits to achieve this standard? According to government estimates, it could lower U.S. crude oil usage by 2 million barrels a day - 8% - by 2030 and save American families an average of $700 to $1000Renewable Energy Mandate? Expands biofuel mandate to 36 billion gallons by 2022, versus 6.5 billion gallons today? Caps ethanol from corn at 15 billion gallons ? the rest must come from cellulosic sourcesEfficiency and Research? Increases the efficiency of buildings, homes, appliances, and lighting, carbon dioxide emissions 75 percent, which will save homeowners an estimated $400 billion by 2030? Incandescent lightbulbs phased out by 2020, cutting energy use from lightbulbs by 60%? Requ...
More About: Global Warming , Standards , Alternative Energy , Cafe

Bali: What was achieved?
2007-12-17 23:56:00
On Wednesday we published an article, ?What to Expect at Bali : Nothing, or Worse?. The good news is we weren?t wholly wrong in our predictions (you can still trust us). The better news is we were wrong in some of our predictions.What wasn?t achievedAs we predicted, nothing on the scale of the Kyoto Protocol was produced. The European Union wanted a mandated 25%-40% carbon cut in developed nations, but the United States blocked any chance of that.One ?achievement? that we predicted did not come into realization: a weak carbon mandate. We had predicted the possibility that the U.S could force the world into a weak, non-binding climate treaty, setting back the possibility of a real treaty probably more than a decade. Luckily, this type of treaty did not come into fruition. The U.S. had not even one country standing beside it by the end of the talks.What was achievedThere still is a possibility for carbon caps. The deal sets a framework to create a subsidiary committee at the U.N. Views...
More About: Global Warming

[POLL] What did you Think of the Bali Climate Conference
2007-12-17 01:00:00
What did you think of the Bali climate conference?DisappointedIn the middleHappyOther  pollcode.com free polls
More About: Global Warming , Climate , Poll , Conference

What to Expect at Bali: Nothing, Or Worse
2007-12-13 01:57:00
Written in coalition with Thoughts on Global Warming , Environmental Graffiti, Thoughts on the World, and The International Relations Blog.The Bali climate conference taking place right now is one of the most important climate conferences, if not the most important, since the conference at which the Kyoto Treaty was designed. This conference has a potential to achieve something, relative to other recent conventions.Throughout late 2006 and early 2007, global warming was high on the public?s mind, especially in the U.S. Global warming was an easy target; it could be blamed for just about any weather related disaster. And after the hurricanes of 2005 and skyrocketing oil and gas prices, the public needed something to blame. Not only that, but Inconvenient Truth was bring the real science of global warming into the eyes of the public. Al Gore was riding high. Many Floridians, who hurricanes had hit the hardest, were probably regretting a vote or two from a couple of years back.This clim...
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Chuck Norris Endorses Huckabee, Huckabee Surges in Polls - Correlation?
2007-12-12 02:56:00
October 22: Chuck Norris endorses Mike Huckabee Hmmm? This is interesting. Take a look at this graph of the presidential candidates poll positions in Iowa, starting with October 22, the day of the endorsement:Huckabee is in black, if you can't read the key. It appears that after October 22, Huckabee?s campaign really takes off. Hmm. Interesting.By the way: Chuck Norris doesn?t endorse presidential candidates, he ALLOWS them to be president.
More About: Polls , Urge

Cash Money
2007-12-11 22:13:00
Days after I publish my analysis concluding the U.S. will use the NIE to work with Iran over Iraq ... Well what do you know... More U.S., Iran talks next week
More About: Middle East , Money , Cash

Iran and the NIE: Where We Go From Here
2007-12-11 02:32:00
We?ve talked a lot about the recent National Intelligence Estimate, and rightly so. It is having a tremendous impact on U.S. foreign policy on the foreign policy of any great power. What we have not yet discussed is where we go from here.In Iraq As I?ve pointed out before, the NIE can be and most likely will be exploited as a tool to solve the crisis in Iraq. To summarize, the U.S. needs Iran on board to have a politically stable Iraq, and Iran needs the U.S. to allow Iran to influence events in Iraq in Iran?s favor. You might want to read that sentence twice. The biggest obstacle since negotiations have begun stopping the U.S. from getting what it wants has been Iran?s supposed nuclear weapons program. Iran has been using its nuclear program as a bargaining chip; if they surrender on the nuclear issue, they would expect to see concessions from the U.S. on the Iraq issue.Now, the U.S. has a real chance to turn Iraq into a stable, democratic country that can be a model for the whole r...
More About: Middle East

On My NIE Analysis
2007-12-10 00:04:00
I would just like to say, as a disclaimer, that I have no experience in government intelligence or at think tanks or anything like that. Although, I do feel I have read enough news reports and enough news analysis so that I think I have a good feel for what's going on in the world.Shane has questioned the basic thesis of my analysis: that the NIE report will be used in negotiations over Iraq . Let me say this: This isn't why the intelligence was produced, but how it will be used.Also, the thesis makes perfect sense. The government could have hushed up the report and never had it released. Or, they could have had it released, but criticized and attacked it and ripped it to shreds. But they haven't.More on the NIE:On My NIE Anal ysis [POLL] Do You Think the Iran ians Have a Nuclear Weapons Program?Why The NIE Should Be TrustedThe Significance of the NIEHow Will the Bush Administration Use the NIE Report?

[POLL] Do You Think the Iranians Have a Nuclear Weapons Program?
2007-12-09 23:52:00
Do you think the Iran ians have a nuclear weapons program?YesNoOther pollcode.com free pollsOn My NIE AnalysisDo You Think the Iranians Have a Nuclear Weapons Program?Why The NIE Should Be TrustedThe Significance of the NIEHow Will the Bush Administration Use the NIE Report?
More About: Middle East , Poll

The Significance of the NIE
2007-12-08 19:45:00
I left this out of the first post on this topic, so I'll include it now.The significance of this report is not that we can stop pressuring Iran , but 2 different points:1. Going to war with Iran would be pointless and dumb.2. Iran is guided by 'cost-benefit analysis'. They're vulnerable to international economic and political pressure.
More About: Middle East , Significance

Why The NIE Should Be Trusted
2007-12-08 19:45:00
I'm willing to trust the report for two reasons:1. It was approved by the DNI, who in turn was appointed by the President2. It doesn't make sense that Iran would have a nuclear programI will elaborate more on the second. As I've argued before, as did the NIE, Iran is guided by 'cost-benefit analysis'. In an attempt to build a nuclear weapon, they would have to recognize, before it was completed, the program would be attacked and most likely destroyed bye either the U.S. or Israel. And Iran, guided by 'cost-benefit analysis' would realize it does not have the military might to stop an attack.From this, one can draw the logical conclusion that Iran would only build a nuclear weapons program because it wants the U.S. or Israel to attack. One reason could be is that they need a reason to strike at Israel. This argument cannot stand because, first of all, Iran would not be able to carry out the attack. The U.S. and/or Israel would first take out major military installations so tha...
More About: Middle East

How Will the Bush Administration Use the NIE Report?
2007-12-07 03:27:00
About time I wrote about this. Iran nuclear weapons report finally released, and says Iran has suspended its nuclear weapons program, etc., here comes the analysis.It is important to consider the use of this report by the Bush Administration. Far lefties *cough* DAILY KOS *cough* have been milking this for all it?s worth. It?s a big dent in the Administration?s policy towards Iran, and the far right isn?t going to get a war with Iran. It?s huge. In fact, I?d say this helps Bush more than it hurts him. Are you skeptic? You should be. But I won?t need a National Intelligence Estimate to convince you.Uses by the Administration1. To discredit Hillary Clinton based on her vote to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists - HIGHLY UNLIKELY2. To pass the problem of a nuclear Iran on to the next administration - UNLIKELY BUT POSSIBLE3. As an excuse for NOT going to war with Iran - LIKELY4. To take away Iran?s biggest bargaining chip - HIGHLY LIKELYIran?s biggest bargainin...
More About: Middle East , Iraq , Report

Iran Article Coming Tomorrow
2007-12-06 02:42:00
Because I've been too sick to write anything decent that involves my brain.
More About: Iran , Article , Tomorrow , Morrow , Tomo

Top 5 Reasons Geothermal Energy Works
2007-12-04 00:44:00
Part of a series5. You can have one in your backyard.The cost of having a geothermal system in, literally, your backyard, for a 4,000 square foot house is estimated to be $15,000 to $20,000. The payback would only take 5 to 10 years, as well. [reference]4. Maintenance costs are lowGeothermal pumps have very few parts and require very little maintenance. Once up and running, the system can be mostly left alone to produce energy without the need to repair parts of the system.3. The amount of land needed is lowUnlike nuclear power plants, wind farms or solar farms, a geothermal pump does not require much land. Like mentioned in #5, if you live in a suburb, you could install one in your backyard tomorrow. Larger pumps for commercial electricity generation have also been built, and those too require very little land.2. Energy output is unaffected by changing weather conditionsUnlike wind power or solar power, there will always hot magma under the surface of the Earth. It?s predictable wh...
More About: Global Warming , Alternative Energy , Works , Reasons

[POLL] Who Won the Republican Youtube Debate?
2007-12-02 22:22:00
Who won the Republican Youtube debate?Rudy GiulianiMike HuckabeeDuncan HunterJohn McCainRon PaulMitt RomneyTom TancredoFred Thompson  pollcode.com free pollsAnd please don't choose Ron Paul...
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Republican Youtube Debate: Best Quotes
2007-11-29 03:01:00
??the way Ronald Reagan did it.?Rudy Giuliani?Ronald Reagan used to talk about that.?Ron Paul?[Ron Paul?s attitudes toward Iraq] That kind of isolation caused WWII.?John McCain, which came with both boos and cheers?I came in with Ronald Reagan.?Duncan Hunter?I was the third ranking official in the Reagan justice department.?Rudy Giuliani?Not to follow Hillary Clinton to the left, but the path Ronald Reagan blazed.?Mitt Romney?There is move towards a North American Union? Our national sovereignty is under threat.?Ron Paul?The first thing I would get rid of is the Internal Revenue Service.?Mike Huckabee?I was wrong.?Mitt Romney?Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office.?Mike Huckabee?None of us believe we should go pluck out our eye.?Mike Huckabee ??after September 11th?Rudy Giuliani?Not bad to have a Republican that can beat Bill Clinton.?Rudy Giuliani?When I was mayor of New York City the Yankees won 4 championships.?Rudy Giuliani?We waited 87 long years?We hate the Yankees....
More About: Youtube , Debate , Quotes

The Annapolis Conference: More Hurtful Than Helpful?
2007-11-28 01:04:00
Yes, then Israel is and Palestiians appear to be finally making some progress. But it is hard to be optimistic. Beyond the Cusp (a fantastic blog/blogger) takes a cold, hard look at reality. What happens if Annapolis does succeed? He goes on to make 3 main points: 1. Implementation of the agreement would be extremely difficult 2. Once Israel withdraws from the Palestinian territories (which will be certainly part of the agreement), Hamas will take power from Fatah and declare any agreement invalid. 3. If the agreement appears unsuccessful, Iran and/or Syria could take advantage of the situation and could possibly invade Israel, leading to a regional war.Hits the nail on the head.
More About: Middle East , Gaza Strip , West Bank

Fart Offsets
2007-11-26 23:26:00
Written in correlation with Thoughts on Global Warming , Thoughts on the World, and The Statistics Monster.Humanity is facing quite a serious epidemic: farts. Humanity?s gaseous eating habits are causing methane and CO2 to be released into the atmosphere. Your buttocks are like factories wearing pants.The average human farts 12-18 times a day. That means, every day, the average human produces 45 milliliters of CO2 and 35 milliliters of methane. Methane, by the way, is 25 times as potent of a greenhouse gas as CO2.That is a lot of gas. Therefore, my friends, I have come up with a solution to our flatulence-epidemic.Every time one farts, one must turn off one lightbulb for thirty seconds to offset the greenhouse gases produced by one?s anus.Simple as that. We don?t even need oversight or regulation. Just keep track for yourself, like the guy in the picture.
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[POLL] Should Australia Sign the Kyoto Protocol?
2007-11-25 23:47:00
Should Australia Sign the Kyoto Protocol ?free polls
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Australia: The First Election Decided Because of Global Warming
2007-11-25 01:44:00
300th postToday, Australia ns went to the polls and voted for a new direction. They voted out the incumbent, John Howard, and voted in Kevin Rudd.The opinion is held wisely that Howard was voted out because of his failing economic policies ? wait, excuse me, I?m being handed a note by my producer. It appears that ? no! Howard?s economic policies were hugely successful! High economic growth, low unemployment, relatively low interest rates, tax reform, a more flexible workplace, zero Government debt, excellent international credit rating, strong investment in defense force funding, the list continues. This is strange?Why was Howard voted out? Because of global warming. Australia is the only major industrialized country other than the U.S. not to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Howard was the staunchest backer of the Bush administration?s environmental policy. Australians seem to be very displeased not with the economic direction of their country, but the environmental direction.Why? One repor...
More About: Global Warming , Global , Election , Endorsement

To Return, or not to Return?
2007-11-24 02:42:00
Nawaz Sharif has announced that he will return to Pakistan on Sunday, begging the question: will General Musharraf allow him to stay?Last time Sharif attempted to return, he was promptly shipped back out. Then, Musharraf had not declared martial law, was on good terms with Benazir Bhutto, and was not politically isolated.Does that make Musharraf more likely to kick out Sharif once again? On one hand, Musharraf seems increasingly desperate to hold onto power. On the other hand, the General needs to placate the West in order to continue receiving our support. What will Musharraf do?Decisions, decisions?
More About: Middle East , Return

Happy Thanksgiving
2007-11-23 03:28:00
Hope you enjoy this crummy happy holiday post.
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