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POPSWe Like Ike? Not At Denver's Brown Palace Hotel and Spa
Eisenhower Presidential Suite Dumped Renamed Barack Obama Suite Shannon Dexheimer, public relations manager for The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, recently explained that the reason for renaming the suite, was that the hotel, “wanted to do it to symbolize honoring him as the candidate for the Democrats, and honoring the fact that we played such a huge role 100 years ago when this convention (Democrat) was here last." The hotel has four named suites, three presidential suites, the Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Teddy Roosevelt, and a suite named for the Beatles in honor of their one night stay in the hotel in August, 1966. There are also several unnamed suites on the eighth and ninth floors of the hotel. Why take a chance at angering half the voting public, by making the switch? Only the management at the Brown Palace can answer that, but the smart thing would have been to temporarily turn one of several other unnamed suites into the Obama Suite.
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POPS Good As Gold U.S. Show Jumping Team Captures Gold "It's like a dream come true, amazing. And dreams do come true," said Kraut on winning her first Olympic medal. On August 21, the top 35 horses and riders from the team competition advance to Round A of the individual medal final. Of those, the top 20 in Round A will go on to Round B. Cumulative penalty points from Rounds A and B will decide the individual jumping medals. A jump-off will be held in the event of a tie. Don't miss award-winning equestrian journalist Jennifer Bryant Olympic Equestrian blog. She will be giving us behind-the-scenes looks and glimpses of what's happening at the Olympic equestrian events. Read more articles like this »
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POPSKremlin Unleashes "Mafia-on-Steroids" Style Chechen Thugs ........continued........ to disband the unit. The generals refused. At the time, their stubborn support for the outlaw Yamadaev Brothers seemed baffling - a quiet Chechnya was a longstanding Russian goal. But last week, it all made sense: Putin's military, which had been planning the invasion of Georgia for many months, intended to unleash the worst criminals in uniform it had on the Georgian people. Why? Two reasons: First, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wants the Georgians to suffer - to really suffer. And Chechens are the world's subject-matter experts in atrocities. Second, this gives the Russian army itself a veil of deniability: When Putin's spokesmen insist that the Russian military isn't involved in the worst savagery in Georgia, they're technically telling the truth (if we don't count air attacks and artillery bombardments), since the Chechen thugs on their payroll are on the job.
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POPSGeorgian Villagers Recount Tales Of Marauders The violence was much worse in ethnic Georgian villages in the separatist territory of South Ossetia. Displaced persons told stories of how they hid in basements while Ossetian and Chechen irregulars rampaged through their villages. They recounted tales of neighbors being shot and of homes being torched. Events happened so fast that many, especially the elderly, didn’t have enough time to escape. "They poured gasoline on houses and lit them on fire everyday," says 84 year-old Alexi Datashvili, one of about two dozen elderly and feeble residents from the Georgian villages In Gori itself, Russian officials have impeded Georgian television broadcasts, replacing them with Russian programming. The recently modernized Georgian army base in Gori has been thoroughly ransacked. Several hundred meters north of the base, Russian forces are digging new artillery positions – an indicator that Russian troops are not intending to pull out soon.
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POPS Wind Blows Kite Surfer Into Bldg. Caught On Tape (CBS4) ― A man in Fort Lauderdale seeking some thrills on the rough surf didn't heed that warning and ended up in the hospital after being hurt in an astonishing kite boarding accident. The kite boarder was harnessed into his sail when the wind violently picked him up and slammed him onto the sandy beach. Then, he was dragged across the sand before being lifted up into the air again and blown across the street where the wind slammed him into a building. Fort Lauderdale fire rescue crews quickly arrived on the scene and transported him to Broward General Medical Center. He is currently listed in critical condition, but his friends continue to insist they believe he will make a full recovery. Kearney's friends say he was strapped into a harness with emergency releases. However, everything happened so fast, it's possible he had no time to think about unhooking his clasps. CBS4 news More storm videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxTuWJyk5I
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POPSReport From a Forgotten War: Second in a Series Taliban leaders also provided a haven for Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda to launch the 9/11 attack. In November 2001, when they were deposed by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance, many of the Taliban fled south to Pakistan and east into Iran. This spring, they came back, intent on overthrowing the democratically elected government of President Hamid Karzi. That's when the Marines of TF 2/7 arrived "in country" to train and mentor Afghan Army and police forces. It's been a challenging assignment for the 1300 Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen of TF 2/7. The unit's Area of Operations (A/O) is more than 28,000 square kilometers — roughly the size of Vermont. There is only one paved highway. Overland transport to some of the fifteen forward bases and combat outposts where TF 2/7 operates often takes more than 24 hours of continuous day and night movement. Until this week — when four CH-53 transport helos and four Cobra gunships arrived, the task force had to rely on NATO aircraft...
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POPSRussia's Ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin Brands Saakashvili a "Nazi" The ministry cited new operations by Russia, including the re-occupation of a military base in Senaki in the west of the country where explosions were heard by AFP. US officials said Russia had moved short-range SS-21 missile launchers into South Ossetia since fighting there halted last week, and has yet to give any sign of a significant pullback of its troops from Georgia. Instead, there were indications that Russia was adding troops and equipment to its force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, strengthening its hold over the breakaway Georgian regions, the officials said. Russia denies deploying the SS-21s. The withdrawal will not be implemented "very swiftly", a defence ministry official was quoted as saying Tuesday in the Russian daily Kommersant. "Nobody is planning to withdraw the Russian contingent very swiftly, as there is no such necessity," he said.
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POPSRussian Journalist Watchs Russian Forces Move Toward Tbilisiby
merrie Yesterday 12:41 AM 
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pointing in the direction of Tbilisi. “Everyone went that way, both recognizance and the infantry. Now the equipment is tagging along behind.” The soldiers do not know why the army is moving forward after the signing of the ceasefire. They do not even know about the ceasefire. They find it unexpectedly upsetting when I tell them. “Medvedev betrayed us. There, in Ossetia, they mowed down 2000 of our guys, and he made peace. This is a political war,” a soldier said. That was all there was to say about politics. “So did we win a lot of gold at the Olympics?” “Some gold,” I answer. “But no one is talking about the Olympics now. You are in all the news.” The soldiers look around and laugh. When we try to catch up to the column of equipment, we find that it has already been spread out through the fields and hills along both sides of the road around Igoeti, about 36 km. from Tbilisi. Near the village, we are stopped by a soldier in full uniform.
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POPSChavez To Discuss Joint Banking Venture During Moscow Visit The socialist leader, an outspoken critic of Washington and opponent of neoliberalism, has focused his foreign policy on bolstering ties with countries outside the U.S. sphere of influence since coming to power nine years ago. Chavez said last week he expected to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and discuss a number of industrial and technological projects as part of a visit aimed at boosting bilateral relations. PetroCaribe is a regional energy security alliance between Caribbean countries and Venezuela established in 2005. The alliance enables its 17 member countries to purchase Venezuelan oil under a flexible credit payment system.
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POPSGerman Chancellor Says That Georgia Can Join NATO Any Time It Wants Pounding Georgia, with a small military that isn’t set up for battle with a larger adversary, into submission is one thing. Trying to bluff NATO with a second rate military (and despite its size, it’s not a top shelf force) won’t be so easy. The Russians, of course, were steaming over Georgia’s desire to join NATO in the first place: Moscow is furious at Georgia’s attempt to join NATO. The Western military alliance is divided over how fast to accept Georgia, but has indicated that membership is a matter of when, not if. Hoo, boy, are they gonna hit the roof over this one.
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POPSPakistani President Musharraf Resigns Amid Impeachment Threats Many Pakistanis blame the rising militant violence in their country on Musharraf's alliance with the U.S. His reputation suffered blows in 2007 when he ousted dozens of judges and imposed emergency rule. His rivals won February parliamentary elections and have since sought his ouster, announcing impeachment plans earlier this month. Musharraf, who has been largely sidelined since his rivals came to power, had resisted the mounting calls to quit, even after the coalition finalized impeachment charges against him and threatened to send a motion to Parliament later this week. Who will ultimately succeed Musharraf is an open question. There has been speculation that both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, the leaders of the two main parties are interested in the role.
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POPS Obama Takes Experience Lead Over McCain -- Again - there’s only one serious candidate in the race. Sister Toldjah McCain is demonstrating that when it comes to criticial foreign policy issues, his near 30 years in the Senate dealing with foreign issues as well as domestic, along with his long career in the Navy...... Hot Air Now, the media has awakened to truly historical events in the Caucasus, and McCain has commanded their attention with his leadership — while Obama hides in Hawaii. Macsmind You would think with 300 advisers THE ONE would have some words of wisdom from his Mount Olympus. The silence is more than telling and quite possibly a view into how Obama would actually handle such events as President. Surfs Up Dude! The New Republic McCain has had a prominent and strong presence in the news while Obama has been fairly invisible. Obama deserved a vacation but the timing–I assume his team figured the Olympics would drown out any other story.
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POPS Russian's Break Agreement As Usual 14.08.08 13:19 Declaration of U.S. support to Georgia has increased the aggression of Russia and instead of pulling out from the city of Gori, they have reinforced their positions there, ousted Georgian police and journalists from the city. Reporters say they are hearing explosions from the entrance of the city; Ossetian gunmen have abducted several vehicles of various TV crews, reportedly, Niva, Jeep and Mercedes type cars. Russians did not stop the robbers. Ossetian militant was even threatening the reporter of the Rustavi2 with a gun. Despite numerous evidences of various reporters, Russian general denies the abduction. Georgian Security Secretary, who was waiting for the settlement of situation in the city, and the team of reporters have been evacuated from the city. Russian general says he is no responsible for the security of journalists and says no exact date when Russian will leave the city.
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POPS "Just Call Me Papa Joe".......or Else Lenin, the Tsar's nemesis, was third with nearly 187,000 votes. The top dozen included Peter the Great, Pushkin, Catherine the Great, Yuri Gagarin, Boris Yeltsin and Ivan the Terrible.
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POPS Michael Wins All The Gold MUST SEE PHOTO GALLERY: It was nine days of magical moments for Phelps, and he said the collective effort is what he'll remember most. "Every race, from one to the other," he said. "It's the whole thing. It's a great experience." "Everything had to go perfect. Everything had to fall perfectly into place and I was able to have probably the best week of my life." Probably? Day by day Busy, busy: Nine days, eight gold medals, seven world records. Photo Gallery: http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=2/photos/galleryid=212638.html
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POPSRussians Defy Cease-Fire: Troops In Georgia Digging In Elsewhere in Georgia, it appeared very clear that Russian troops were staying put, building ramparts around tanks and posting sentries on a hill near Igoeti, a central Georgia town only 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tbilisi. Russian troops still effectively control the main artery running through the western half of Georgia because they surround the strategic central city of Gori and additionally the city and air base of Senaki in the west. Both cities are on the main east-west highway that slices through two Georgian mountain ranges. Russia also confirmed Sunday that it had taken over a major power plant in western Georgia. Rice noted that the text of the cease-fire, negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current leader of the European Union, outlined a very limited mandate for the soldiers that Russia calls peacekeepers who were in Georgia when hostilities escalated. She said these soldiers can go on limited patrols within the two separatist areas but in Georgia
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POPSInvading Georgia Was Easy, Mr. Putin Will Pay A Political Price The Russians said their General Prosecutor's Office would undertake a "genocide probe" in South Ossetia, and they called for putting President Saakashvili on trial at the Hague for "war crimes." As it happens, Chapter 1, Article II of the U.N. Charter, signed amid the smashed borders of World War II, forbids Members from the "use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." The U.S. and France should force Mr. Putin's U.N. ambassador to veto a Security Council resolution describing his week-long mockery of those words. Additionally, a genuinely independent prosecutor investigating war crimes might examine the Russian bombing runs over Georgia and the looting of Georgian villages by Ossetian militias. An intriguing article by Pavel Felgengauer in Novaya Gazeta, the Russian newspaper, argues that an examination of the movement of the ground equipment and ships used in the strike against Georgia required planning that predated August
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POPSPastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum McCain added the two appointments Alito and Roberts are his recent favorites. When asked does evil exist and if so how would handle it? Ignore it, negotiate with it, confront it or defeat it Obama: verbose, wordy ..... he would confront it but also equivocated on what evil is. "We have to have some humility on the issue on the of confronting". Evil has been been committed in the pursuit of good. *sigh* McCain: "DEFEAT IT" huge applause. McCain went on to describe Radical Islam as the greatest threat of the 21at century. He said he would pursue bin Laden “to the gates of Hell,” Gotta love that. Obama's most important advisers: Michelle (the "proud" wife, the grandmother "a typical white person", and then a bumch of politicians - Ted Kennedy, Nunn, Biden et al McCain's most important advisers: Gen. David Petreaus, head of US troops in Iraq; US Rep. and veteran civil rights leader John Lewis, D-Ga.; and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to his campaign.
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POPSThe 60-Year-Old Dispute Between Japan and Russia MOSCOW, April 14 - Japan pressed Russia on Monday to end a territorial dispute over a chain of Pacific islands which has prevented the two countries from formally ending World War II hostilities and strengthening ties. The dispute over the islands, known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, has overshadowed Russian-Japanese relations for more than 60 years. Japan says a resolution of the dispute would attract a new wave of Japanese investors to Russia.
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POPSAn Underground City Beneath Beijing, Why? Beijing's Underground Hideout With Khrushchev and the Soviets breathing down his country's metaphorical neck, Chairman Mao ordered the construction of a vast underground city to serve as a shelter during an invasion, air raid or nuclear war. This was no minor undertaking. In the late 1960s, the population of Beijing reached 7.5 million residents . In short order, the residents of the capital city were put to work excavating their enormous air raid shelter. Most of the digging was done by hand, and the work was shared by adults and schoolchildren alike. This communal venture fit nicely into Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution -- a massive campaign to support the communist movement and thwart counterrevolutionary ideas. From 1969 to 1979, the people of Beijing focused their attention underground. Watch Reuters video at website: Building the $500 million Beijing Olympic Stadium
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POPSBush and Blacks The message—both in words and action—is clear, consistent, and stirring . This year he joined forces with Washington D.C.’s black Democratic mayor, Anthony Williams, to win passage of the first federally funded voucher program, which will provide $7,500 each to poor minority children in the nation’s capital, giving them some of the same educational options that their wealthier neighbors enjoy. The Bush administration has also tried hard to help lift Africa out of its deepening misery. Last year, the president pledged $15 billion—a twenty-fold increase from Clinton-era funding levels—to help stem the AIDS pandemic sweeping the continent, and he has sent troops and diplomatic envoys to try to quell violence in Liberia and Sudan. African-relief activist Bob Geldof recently acknowledged, “The Bush administration is the most radical—in a positive sense—in its approach to Africa since Kennedy.”
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POPSMcCain Showed Best How to React to Russian Force Obama’s initial reaction was to urge both the rapist and the victim to show restraint , while McCain spoke forcefully to denounce the invasion and to call for specific actions, including withdrawal from “sovereign Georgian territory,” an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, action by other official bodies and the creation of “a truly independent and neutral peacekeeping force.” Ten days later, McCain’s first response appears to have been the right one. Obama reflected uncertainty in part because of inexperience and in part, too, because he was responding as events unfolded. He is far more comfortable, as indeed the administration’s critics are, in letting President Bush act and then declaring that he or they would have been smarter, wiser and righter had they been making the decision. President Bush’s strongest response was to reach agreement with Poland last Thursday to base 10 interceptor missiles to protect Europe from those fired by Iran or Nort
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POPSA Warning to Obama Neglect by the Clintons is hardly to be overlooked as this ambitious pair had better things to pay attention to in their furious political rise to the top than their daughter. And sexual abuse is not to be totally ruled out either given Bill’s sexual tastes. Not for Hillary, who is sufficiently self-serving and devious that one would not be surprised to see her team up with Huckabee on a national reconciliation ticket to satisfy her political ambition. Hopefully Obama will not be removed by the ruling class by assassination, which they would do if methods to remove him don’t work. These could include much media humiliation or using their federal prosecutors on a leash to try Resko at this most inopportune time or even Resko inventing a story about Barack in order to trade 15 years over his head for two. Or something like that. Post from supporter
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POPS Stevie Nicks Parody Bill Clinton had Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop (Thinkin Bout Tomorrow).” Democratic Sen. Barack Obama gets another tune from the group: “Landslide.”
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POPS Apple Edges Out Google Google's shares, which topped $700 late last year, have settled back to just over $500 - but the company's founders, Sergey Brin, 34, and Larry Page, 35, remain billionaires who travel the world on a customised Boeing 767. The pair see conquering space as their next challenge and have put up a $20m prize to anyone who produces a privately financed spacecraft able to land on the moon.
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POPSNBC Olympics Web Site Awards West Bank to “Palestine” Today's Reuters story about Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's peace offer to the Palestinians gets wrong the basic history of Palestine. Under the proposal, Israel would return to the Palestinians some 92.7 percent of the occupied West Bank, plus all of the Gaza Strip In fact, it is impossible to "return" West Bank land to the Palestinians, as they never were the sovereigns of this territory. http://blog.camera.org/archives/2008/08/updated_reuters_rewrites_ruler.html Before 1967, when the West Bank came into Israeli hands, the territory was ruled (and annexed) by Jordan. Prior to that, it was under British rule. Before that, it was Ottoman territory. The Egyptians ruled for some time, as did the Mamluks, the Crusaders, Arab Caliphs, and a number of other ancient empires. But the Palestinians are not on this list. So while the West Bank could technically "return" to Jordanian or British sovereignty, it could not, however, return to Palestinian sovereignty.
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POPSKobe Bryant Schools Liberal NBC Announcer On Patriotism Kobe Bryant tells liberal NBC host that its OK to be patriotic and support your country. NBC’s Collinsworth Questions Kobe’s Patriotism (VIDEO). ** MsUnderestimated has the must see video HERE http://msunderestimated.com/2008/08/15/nbcs-collinsworth-questions-kobes-patriotism-video/
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POPSBeijing Olympics-- Opening Ceremony ...Update: Iraqis Given Rousing Ovation The beautiful woman in the Iraqi delegation is sprinter Dana Abdul-Razzaq. President Bush and Laura Bush joined in the ovation. http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/07/olympic-panel-lifts-ban-on-iraq-allows.html Final thoughts on the Opening Ceremony-- Amazing! China put on a wonderful show. UPDATE: I posted the Iraqi version video after the NBC clip was yanked.
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POPSLet Them Eat Rice: Washington's Unedifying Ethanol Food Fight And what about the impact of the Chinese livestock and meat complex, alluded to by Senator Grassley? According to China expert, Darrell Ray, Director of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, "China has not been importing corn to grow her livestock industry. China continues to export more corn that she imports. With regard to grains, China has been taking care of China as if it were a planet on to its own, completely independent of what is happening elsewhere. . . .To attribute today's international grain prices to China essentially assumes that beginning two years ago the market decided there may be a need for China to become a net importer of some corn in the future, say 2012, and so bid-up the price of corn by double." As this "let them eat rice" soundbite made clear, the debate over the food versus fuel issue is about as undignified as a full out real food fight at a summer camp cafeteria.
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POPSThe Russians Have Always Favored Overkill Vladimir Putin had ordered the assassination of Russian journalists and capitalists before Litvinenko, of course. But the Litvinenko murder defined him for the world -- or at least the sane and sensible fraction of the world --- just as Don Corleone in the Godfather ordered the decapitated horse's head to be placed in Jack Woltz' bedroom. Like the bloody horse head, Polonium poisoning signaled a public but deniable threat to Putin's enemies: Defy me, and I can use the rarest poison in the world to kill you anywhere I choose. And I will get away with it, because everybody else is cowed. Which is exactly what happened. Putin never paid a price, and in the manner of bullies everywhere, he was emboldened when the Brits failed to respond to Litvinenko's assassination in the middle of London. That is why Putin's invasion of the small, free, and democratic Republic of Georgia was predictable. Today the Russian threat to the Ukraine is just as obvious.
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POPSMcCain's Not-So-Subtle Signal to the Gang of 10 Why would McCain risk alienating centrists with environmental concerns to drift to a pro-ANWR drilling stance? Technically, he hasn’t done it at all — he’s just held it out as a possibility. If he intends to send a signal, its intended recipients will be pro-drilling conservatives … and compromisers in Congress. No compromise with Democrats would ever include opening ANWR to its original intended purpose. If McCain threatens to openly support ANWR drilling, it effectively torpedoes the Gang of 10 compromise. The ANWR issue should really wait until we address the OCS and shale formations. Republicans should focus on those two areas, which have widespread and bipartisan support, rather than get those tangled up into the more controversial ANWR reserves. McCain knows this as well, but this rather obvious hint gives the GOP marching orders to keep fighting, rather than surrendering to a meaningless — and drill-less — compromise.
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POPSSurge for the Dollar Despite Global Fears The dollar surged to a two-year high against the pound and a six-month peak against the euro on Friday, as fears about spreading economic gloom triggered a sell-off in commodities. Against sterling, the US currency notched up its 11th consecutive day of gains – its longest uninterrupted rise in more than 35 years – as markets became increasingly convinced that the US was best-placed to weather the global downturn. The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a benchmark for commodities, fell more than 2.5 per cent to its lowest level since late March. The index has fallen almost 20 per cent since an all-time high in July, but is still 22 per cent higher than a year ago.
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POPSThe Dark Knight May Be Struck Down By Tropic Thunder After All It couldn't last forever. Eventually someone had to knock The Dark Knight off of the box office throne. Last weekend Pineapple Express took a crack at it (well more of a pot shot really (I know, I know, bad pun) but couldn't muster quite the cash. Now as Batman heads into his fifth weekend, attendance may have finally dwindled enough for someone to topple him.
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POPSPolish President Criticizes France, Germany For Being Too Soft On Moscow President Kaczynski accused them of being too soft on Moscow due to their commercial ties with Russia. The statement on the president's Web site also said Kaczynski assured Saakashvili that he would continue to "support Georgia's integration in Euro-Atlantic structures" — a reference to Georgia's NATO aspirations. Poland and the ex-Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia , all new EU members, have sharply condemned Russia for its military incursion into Georgia amid the conflict in South Ossetia. After the fighting broke out, the presidents of the four countries issued a joint statement calling Russia's policy "imperialist and revisionist" and urging NATO and the European Union to stand up to Moscow. Leaders from those four nations followed that up with a trip in recent days to Tbilisi, joined by Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko, to show their support to Georgia. Germany and France have been less critical of Russia. Sarkozy holds the EU's rotating preside
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POPSNorway Grants King Penguin Knighthood The incumbent penguin is the second one to fill the role since 1972, as the average lifespan of the penguin is about 20 years. It all takes a suspension of disbelief - indeed, you might ask: "Are you having Olav?" To which there is only one reply: "That'll be Sir Olav to you."
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POPSAmazon.com: "Know Your Failure" * "A total waste of time and money. If you are thinking about buying this book, you'd get more enjoyment in tossing the money out the window of a car at 60 mph and watching it flutter in the wind rather than be tortured by the vacuous content of this work. Worst of the worst books I have ever read." * "Actually full disclosure my (very liberal) sister bought it as a gag birthday gift. ..One of the most damning things I can say about any book is that I found myself day dreaming while I was reading it; I was that bored. I found it difficult be read because Speaker Pelosi has perfected the art of using a bunch of words but not actually saying anything." * "I guess the real message to America's daughters is "Don't grow up to be an angry, bitter, botoxed anti-American liberal." * "I just finished reading this book. It was very hard to get through. I found it poorly written as well. With respect to what she wrote, I find none of it believable."
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