Stuff below the fold

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Everyone lies, so forgive Armstrong for lying says the LATimes

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yeah, but like most lies it didn't stop with a little deception: essentially he stole money from the ones who would have won if he hadn't cheated.

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the Algerian kidnap drama is getting a lot of press here because some of those killed were Filipinos.
So you have non Algerians using Libyan weapons kidnapping Japanese and Filipinos in an Algerian site run by a Norwegian company to protest France's military trying to stop Nigerian and Egyptians from taking Mali over from the Tuareg.
Yup. that makes sense.
and if the Algerians didn't make nice" and pay ransoms under the table, as many European countries do here, well, maybe it's because Algeria has been at war with these extremists in the recent past

the Diplomad has comments.

In the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Israel or a handful of other civilized countries, that sort of result would have proven totally unacceptable. In most of the world, however, that is a success.

on the other hand, knowing it won't work does tend to discourage future kidnappings.


nat geo report on Africa's oil boom . ___________________________


India is restricting the "rent a womb" program that endangers their women
link
Yes, you can still do it, but now there are laws in place.
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China's aggression against the Philippines continues, but don't expect the US to help us.

The Chinese strategy is to make it difficult for other nations to fish or search for oil and gas in the disputed waters. China will then offer to negotiate, and share the economic benefits. The other nations will probably be offered some fishing rights in waters of the EEZ of each nation neighboring the South China Sea, but China will keep all the oil and gas outside each nation’s territorial waters (22 kilometers from the coast).

China is assuming that no nation, including the United States, will confront China with military force in these matters. China itself will use military force sparingly. "Illegal" oil exploration or fishing, for example, will encounter Chinese civilian ships, and a few small military ships, that "accidently" destroy fishing nets or disrupt oil exploration activities. This will, as it has in the past, involve "accidental" collisions with the offending ships. Any use of force against the offending Chinese civilian ships will be met with force by Chinese warplanes and warships. The Philippines is hoping that the United States will provide the military muscle to make China back off. The U.S. has been lukewarm in its response to this Filipino request.

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