Post Scripts

Posted by Tina

Kabul – Afghan farmers hope to capitalise on soaring food costs by growing wheat instead of poppy crops, with the fall in heroin prices further fuelling the switch. The price of a tonne of wheat in Afghanistan has almost trebled this year, causing acute food shortages. A changeover of crops has begun in key agricultural regions ** He said a significant increase in wheat crops is expected from next year’s harvest. ”The high price of commodities has encouraged farmers to switch from poppy cultivation to wheat. – Guardian (UK)

Funny how opportunity, and the chance to make a buck, can change things.

Posted by Tina

The Politicians’ Energy Crisis — And Its Cure, by Newt Gingrich

For decades left-leaning politicians have advocated higher prices and less energy. They were going to save the environment by punishing Americans into driving less and driving smaller cars. Now their policies have succeeded with a vengeance. ** The very left wing politicians who favored a policy of no oil and gas exploration, no use of coal, no development of nuclear power, and no aggressive development of new technologies are now panic-stricken that their policies of higher prices have led to higher prices. ** And now the same shortsighted, dishonest politicians who created the crisis are blaming everyone but themselves for the crisis. Because they refuse to be honest about the policies which led to this crisis, they can’t be honest about the policies that will lead us out of it. ** The politicians want scapegoats. The American people just want solutions.

As always Newt doesnt come to the discussion as an empty suit:

Continue reading “<strong>Newt Says Blame Left Wing Democrats</strong>” »

Posted by Tina

Heres an al-Jazeera news report, posted on You tube, on Palestinians in Gaza who are phonebanking in support of Barack Obama’s campaign.

REPORTER: It may be hard to believe, but working in this tiny Internet cafe in Gaza City may just be one of Barack Obama’s biggest fans. ** Before every U.S. primary, 23-year-old Ibrahim Abu Jayyab gathers 17 of his friends to try and rally support for Obama’s campaign in the U.S. ** So why does a young Palestinian living in Gaza spend so much of his time and money on an election thousands of miles away? ** ABU JAYYAB: [translated] It all started at the time of the U.S. primaries. After studying Obama’s electoral campaign manifesto, I thought, ‘this is a man that is capable of change inside America.’ As for potential change in the Middle East, he can also do that. I think he can bring peace to the area, or at least this is what we hope. ** REPORTER: And the game plan? Ibrahim and his friends call random numbers in the U.S. before every primary to deliver one simple message: ABU JAYYAB: [in English] Elect Senator Obama. I will change. I will achieve… the justice in the Middle East.

Hat tip: CampaignSpot at NRO

Posted by Tina

The Rudd Government is preparing a case to take Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the International Court of Justice for ”inciting genocide” and denying the Jewish Holocaust. Australia is the only nation pursuing Iran’s despotic leader, who has threatened to ”wipe Israel off the map”, through international laws. (Snip) ”The alternative to not using these international legal mechanisms is considering wholesale invasion of countries, which itself involves, obviously, expense but more relevantly, of course, the potential for significant loss of life” – The Australian

This probably will go nowhere fast, so to speak, but I solute the Australians for their effort.

Posted by Tina

San Francisco has a daunting homeless problem, as do most large cities. Their latest effort to deal with the problem of panhandling is pretty clever. It will allow people to assuage guilt and stroke compassion by giving to the bums on the street but the money will go to charities that help the homeless rather than the homeless person who would likely just buy drugs or booze with it. I doubt if it will do much to change the situation, however:

Rather than tossing loose change into a panhandler’s empty cup, San Francisco officials want you instead to slide your spare quarters and nickels into a homeless meter. The city’s latest attempt to deal with one of its most vexing problems will be announced in coming weeks in the form of 10 old parking meters installed in some of the most heavily panhandled areas… S.F. Chronicle