Eeyore's Important News and Views

It is really a Global Economy, it is all interconnected. I remember a year or so ago that the DOW when it was taking a nose-drive how the other Countries index's were following suit.
House price crash goes global Riga Town, Latvia Latvia: House prices have dropped by 24.1% over the past 12 months The property crash that began in the US is spreading across the globe, according to international estate agents Knight Frank, which said today that steep declines are now taking place across Europe and into Asia. The country recording the sharpest fall is Latvia, where house prices have plummeted 24.1% over the past year. New Zealand, Denmark and Lithuania have all seen falling prices, along with Malta, Germany, Ireland, Estonia, Britain and the US. Even countries where prices have not fallen are witnessing a rapid deceleration in price growth. In South Africa the rate of house price inflation has collapsed from 15.5% this time last year to 3.8%, and is expected to be negative soon. In France, Spain and Greece price growth has halved and is running below 3.2%. The only countries to have bucked the trend are Bulgaria, Slovakia, Cyprus and the Czech Republic, where house price growth has accelerated. Last year's fastest growing market, Russia, which was seeing house price growth at an astonishing 53.7% in the second quarter of 2007, has dropped back to 26.5%. Nick Barnes, head of international research at Knight Frank, said: "The index shows that global house price inflation is continuing to fall back, with much of continental Europe now seeing low or negative growth. "Housing markets in countries such as Spain, Denmark, the UK and Ireland are all being severely challenged by the global credit squeeze." Long-term decline Globally, the rate of house price growth fell to 4.8% in the second quarter of 2008, down from 6.1% in the first quarter of the year. Several countries are now entering their second year of house price declines. Among the worst hit is Germany, where prices were falling at a rate of 4.4% last year and 2.5% this year. "There is less demand for owner-occupied property in Germany than in many other European countries and there is no shortage of supply," said Barnes. In Spain, the Knight Frank index recorded a price rise of 2.4% annually, but it warned that falls are now almost inevitable. "The well-publicised problems in Spain have not yet fed into house price statistics. So far, price falls have been concentrated in the coastal resorts and among new developments in the large cities," said Barnes. "Spain looks likely to fall into recession later this year, and house sales fell steeply during June. The number of sales dropped by 34.2% in May and 29.6% in June, suggesting that wider price falls could be imminent." But investors who bought second homes in Bulgaria have reason to feel bullish. Knight Frank said current annual price growth is 32.2%, only slightly lower than the 33.7% rate recorded in the first quarter. Biggest fallers: Year-on-year house price change to Q2 2008 Latvia -24.1% United States -16.8% Estonia -16% Lithuania -9.9% Denmark -9.6% Ireland -8.1% UK -3.9% Malta -2.7% Germany -2.5% New Zealand -2.2% http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/sep/02/houseprices.property?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Palin's son's job to guard his commanders in Iraq
RICHARD LARDNER ASSOCIATED PRESSOriginally published 08:19 p.m., September 5, WASHINGTON (AP) - The long and divisive war in Iraq is about to resonate with presidential candidates in a way not seen so far in the campaign: The sons of both vice presidential nominees are assigned to go there soon.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's eldest son, Track, will perform security duties for his brigade's top officers.
"He's just like any other infantry soldier here," said Army Col. Burt Thompson, who heads the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. "He tries to remain as anonymous as he possibly can."
Which is harder than it sounds. The British government decided earlier this year it had to pull Prince Harry from Afghanistan after news leaked he was fighting there. That sparked a debate about whether the children of powerful politicians are treated differently when they join the military.
When Sen. John McCain selected Track's mother to be his running mate, the Alaska governor's family moved into the international spotlight. She has made no secret that Track Palin and his unit are leaving soon for duty in Iraq, repeating the news during her acceptance speech this week at the Republican national convention. Track, in a dress suit, was in the audience.
...
The dispatch of the candidate sons to Iraq also carries unavoidable political overtones. For the Democrats, Beau Biden's service could help reverse a weak spot, for example.
"Republicans always seem to imply that Democrats are somehow unpatriotic or want to be easy on the terrorists," said James Pfiffner, a professor at George Mason University's School of Public Policy. "But I think that Biden's son demonstrates that you can disagree with a policy and still support doing your duty."
Beau Biden, who is Delaware's attorney general, is a captain in the Delaware National Guard and will work as a military lawyer in Iraq.
John McCain's son Jimmy, a Marine, returned earlier this year from Iraq. Another McCain son, Jack, is a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Palin's unit is believed to be...
You cab read the entire article here (which i recommend)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/05/palins-sons-job-to-guard-his-commanders-in-iraq-1/

The nuclear black market: It's a tough neighborhood September 8, 2008 - 4:23am
J.J. Green, WTOP Radio
WASHINGTON - Dressed in a crisp, off-white summer suit with a blue shirt and tie, India's top diplomat to the U.S. entered the parlor of his residence.
Located in one of Washington's most affluent neighborhoods, Ronen Sen, ambassador to the U.S., lives a world away from the harsh reality of modern day India.
"It just happens that India is located right next to the global epicenter of terrorism."
He's talking about Pakistan.
But, he's got a bigger problem: the shadowy connection between terrorists and the nuclear weapons black market.
"We are also located right next to the biggest sources and proliferation of nuclear weapons."
So who are India's neighbors? Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, China and the Indian Ocean. Two guesses at which pose nuclear concerns.
Sen would not respond to questions about China's nuclear exploits, but it is widely known that Pakistan's nuclear hero Abdul Qadeer Khan acquired blueprints for the Chinese bomb that was tested in China's fourth nuclear explosion in 1966. And, British intelligence sources say he also got enough highly enriched uranium from the Chinese for several nuclear devices.
Khan was detained in 2004 and put under house arrest. Is that the end of the Chinese nuclear story? Yes, except for a few loose ends that go by the names of Libya, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
China also had developed serious nuclear relationships with all of them. In fact, it was Libya that blew the whistle on the clandestine network almost five years to the day (October 2003).
Former United Nations Nuclear Weapons Inspector Dr. David Kay says once Khan got hold of the designs and materials and began building his network, is where it got "murky."
"Syria has long been the crossroads for shady characters reminiscent of the bar scene in the Star Wars movie."
That has allegedly been the place where the lion's share of the nuclear black market does business.
Sen says India is committed to talking to its neighbors and trying to work out their problems, whether it's the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan or geo-political concerns with others. But at the top of the list, India is urgently trying to rally more international opposition against terrorists, especially those actively seeking nuclear weapons.
"What worries us the most is the combination of the two. That's nuclear terrorism."
Sen says the world has to get seriously involved.
"You cannot put them into neat little compartments -- global terrorists and regional terrorists -- {because} they're constantly mutating and assuming new names. Their reach is worldwide."
The bombing of their embassy in Kabul by the Taliban on July 7 was a painful reminder of that for the Indians.
Perhaps most troubling, according to Sen, is U.S. intelligence suggesting it received high level support from the Pakistani government in bombing the Indian embassy in Afghanistan.
"It's not just the reports I've seen from U.S. intelligence, which point to the involvement of some elements of the Pakistani establishment. We have our own intelligence and also intelligence that has been shared with us by other countries."
Sen says 50 people were killed, including some Indian government staffers who had worked in Washington. Experts say the attack was the latest in a decades-old fight between the two countries over strategic dominance in Afghanistan.
Dialogue between India, the U.S., Pakistan, China and the rest of the world's nuclear powers about keeping nuclear weapons away from terrorists continues, but keeping the terrorists away from the nukes is a much more difficult matter.
Pakistan's top security official, Interior Ministry Chief Rehman Malik, acknowledged a week ago al Qaida leaders have been moving back and forth to various parts of the country and sometimes outside of Pakistan.
http://wtop.com/?nid=251&sid=1473011

Fall is the Time to Get Rid of Grubs with Milky Spore
Did you have big Japanese beetle problems this year? I did NOT; my roses escaped pretty much unscathed for the first time in decades. In fact, I probably only saw about a dozen of the pests all summer.
But if your situation was different, get ready to spread some milky spore on your lawn to control the grub stage of those pesky beetles. Although garden centers tout this natural grub controller in the Spring, it's useless then. It can only affect grubs that are feeding, and they only feed in the fall.
Milky spore is a naturally-occurring soil disease that's deadly to grubs feeding in warm soil. Apply it to your turf anytime over the next month and it'll infect all the grubs in your soil before they can damage your lawn's roots. AND it'll keep new grubs from surviving in your lawn for decades to come.
But it needs live grubs to work; so save your money if you already spread some nasty grub killing poison or didn't have many plant-eating beetles this year.
Chiggers!
Barbara in Haymarket writes: "We've enjoyed cook outs and gardening in our small back yard for over five years - UNTIL NOW! Suddenly we have chiggers keeping us captive in our house. How can we get rid of them?"
Well Barb, the first thing you want to do is to get rid of any brush near that backyard and chop your weeds down, as these virtually invisible arachnids lurk in overgrown areas. (If your backyard is trimmed and well-maintained, you may well be being bitten by ‘somebody' else.)
If it is chiggers (or fleas), order beneficial nematodes from a mail order supplier like Gardens Alive and water them into the soil early in the evening; these microscopic good-guys will prey upon the miniscule mites down there. (They also control flea larvae and kill beetle grubs!) Keep your backyard dry, as chiggers thrive in wet areas. And take a hot bath as soon as you come inside; this kills the chiggers before they can get you a ‘itchin and a scratching!
Black Widow Spiders
Kate in D.C. writes: "My husband and I let our cats into our small back yard for supervised outdoor play. But yesterday we discovered two black widow spiders in different areas of that yard. I've been told that cats bitten by black widows die around 90% of the time. We are therefore desperate to find a way to get rid of these spiders, but we also want to keep chemicals out of our yard. Any suggestions?" Yes Kate; first visit some University sites online to make sure of your ID. If widows they are, put on heavy gloves and clean up any debris in the yard, as these creatures tend to hide in woodpiles and the like. In addition, destroy their sloppy webs with a broom and crush any adults you see. Then put some moving, highly animated cat toys out in the open to keep the kitties amused; pets only get bitten when they go poking into the sheltered areas these spiders prefer. And be aware that while black widow bites are serious, they're also very rare.
Squirrels: Tomato Enemy #1!
Carol in Silver Spring has a familiar refrain. She writes: "Squirrels are devouring tomatoes right off the vine in my garden. Do you have any suggestions? So far I've tried netting, which they went right through, and cayenne pepper, which had no effect."
Well, it had some effect Carol; it tells us that your tree rats enjoy spicy food!
This seems to be a big year for squirrel mischief, so I'll repeat that my favorite answer is to aim a motion activated sprinkler like The Scarecrow at your love apples so that the tree rats get a super soaking when they try and dine off your vine. If you can't get water to the area, the "Mini Scarecrow" uses a motion-activated sensor to scare them off with a loud blast of compressed air. And a new device, the P3 Deer Chaser, uses motion activation to trigger a bright LED spotlight and radio combination when the evil little vermin trip the beam. All three are readily available at garden centers and online; just search their names to find the best price.
No-Stick Spray your Wasp Woes Away
Tiffany emailed us all the way from North Carolina to ask for help. She writes: "We have wasp or hornet nests in our storage building. What is the best way to get rid of them?"
Well, it's unlikely that you have a big old hornet nest inside a building, Tif; more likely, it's paper wasps or mud daubers. If they aren't being aggressive, just leave them alone; they eat lots of pest insects and they won't reuse those nests next season.
If the nests are too close for comfort (I once had a big paper wasp condo right next to a frequently-used light switch. Ouch!), soak them with PAM or some other non-stick cooking oil in a spray can. These sprays are nothing more than compressed vegetable oil, and oil sprays are a highly effective non-toxic insect killer that works by smoothing the pests.
Wait for a cool evening and the wasps won't be able to get away. If one does try to emerge, don't panic; just spray it and the oil will do its work quickly. And remember: "Oil's well that ends well"!
http://wtop.com/?nid=47&sid=1468438

This is why the public schools have changed to "teach to the test only", becus of the no child left behind stuff and they can not (for the most part) do that right.

Students, exam both come up short By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Staff Writer September 7, 2008 Read the 2007-08 Grade 8 MEA writing test. More than three-quarters of Maine's eighth-graders performed below standard on the state writing test for 2007-08, prompting education officials to toss the results and try to figure out why so many students missed the mark. State Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and her staff say the one-question test was somehow flawed because 78 percent of the estimated 14,900 eighth-graders who took the exam failed to write a persuasive essay as required. That's a 50 percent increase, over 2006-07 in the number of eighth-graders who failed to meet or only partially met state writing standards. In a rare move, Maine's Department of Education found the test results inconclusive, and withheld them from school districts and the media when it released the latest Maine Educational Assessment scores in July. The department's decision surprised even longtime educators like Tom Lafavore, director of educational planning in Portland Public Schools, Maine's largest district. "I've never seen test results pulled like this," Lafavore said. The department provided overall Grade 8 writing results to the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram only after the newspaper requested the information under Maine's Freedom of Access Act. "It is our responsibility to ensure the validity of test data," Gendron said. "It would be irresponsible for us to release data if that performance is based on a question that was unreliable." Gendron and her staff say parents shouldn't worry. Students are learning to write. The test triggered false results. Still, they say, they don't know exactly why. The 45- to 70-minute test, administered last March, asked students to support or refute the following statement, known as a prompt: "Television may have a negative impact on learning." Instructions outlined how the essay would be scored and listed 20 writing skills students should demonstrate, from identifying a logical position to using correct punctuation. The test included two lists of facts, pro and con, to use in the essay. "Kids got ticked off at the (question)," Gendron said. "In many cases, it was an emotional response rather than the intellectual exercise we were seeking, so it was not an accurate reflection of their writing skills." One student's essay began: "These facts are lies. I do my homework and get good grades even though I watch TV." This example came from an e-mail to Susan Smith, Maine's MEA coordinator, from Julie-ann Edwards, a staff member at Measured Progress, the state's testing consultant based in Dover, N.H. The newspaper obtained the e-mail through its request for records and internal communications related to the test question. "This year, students often took issue with the prompt and fact sheet," Edwards wrote. "They reacted emotionally, spouted a bit, and did not use the fact sheet information to support their argument." Edwards noted that eighth-graders who took the writing test in 2007 were able to draw from their own experience to sustain arguments for or against the following statement: "Rather than maintaining separate teams for boys' and girls' sports, a high school is considering combining teams and having a completely coed sports program." "That did not appear to be the case this year," Edwards wrote. Patricia Ross, spokeswoman for Measured Progress, referred questions to state officials. Overall, less than 23 percent of eighth-graders who took the test last spring met or exceeded state writing standards, down from 48 percent in 2006-07, indicated a report from Measured Progress. That's a 52 percent decrease. The marked difference surprised education officials because the television prompt had done well when it was field tested in 2005-06, Smith said. The state started administering writing tests as part of the MEA in 2006-07. The MEA assesses reading and math skills in grades 3... through 8 as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Maine tests writing skills and science knowledge in grades 5 and 8; federal law requires the science test but not the writing one. Data on the frequency of test-question failure was unavailable. The U.S. Department of Education doesn't review the tests or individual questions states use. "States do have to demonstrate the overall technical quality of their assessments, including the validity and reliability of the scores," said spokeswoman Jo Ann Webb. She said another state dropped a question from its writing assessment because a newspaper had published the question before students took the test. Measured Progress develops the MEA, which is reviewed by Smith's staff and teacher panels to make sure questions reflect standards outlined in Maine Learning Results, a teaching and testing guide established by the State Board of Education. Updated last year, the guide sets learning targets for annual student progress in eight subject areas related to communication and problem-solving. The guide stipulates that by sixth grade, students should be able to write academic, persuasive essays like the one required on the eighth-grade writing test. Smith said students also are familiar with the detailed writing instructions that accompany the test. She said the state encourages teachers to use writing samples, scoring guides and a similar list of desired writing skills in daily writing lessons. Lafavore, the administrator with broad experience in developing and scoring academic assessments, noted that the structure of the writing test is typical, if not necessarily kid-friendly. He says the problem with the prompt may have been the subject matter and the premise that television may hurt learning. "If I were a kid, knowing what I know about the influence of technology on their lives, my first reaction would be to completely disagree with the prompt," Lafavore said. Regardless of why the prompt failed, Lafavore said he's glad the state didn't release individual Grade 8 writing results to districts and students: "There just aren't that many kids in the state who would perform below standard if the test were valid." Smith said the department got a lot of feedback from teachers and administrators about the writing test. As a result, the structure and format will be adjusted. As well, several new prompts that stress the use of analytical and argumentative skills were field tested last spring. Smith said she hopes the prompt used in 2008-09 will allow Maine's eighth-graders to demonstrate their best writing skills. "That was our goal the first time and that is our goal this time," she said. Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.comhttp://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=208766&ac=PHnws

Don't Fall For This…September 8, 2008 - 1:59am
You are so lucky! You just got an email that states you have a package that couldn't be delivered and it's at the FedEx office. All you have to do is claim it. Don't start cheering just yet, because you have been targeted by a crook. There are two scenarios: one in which the email asks you to open an attachment to obtain the airbill or invoice for picking up the package. Don't do it. The attachment contained in this type of email activates a virus. You should delete the email immediately. The other scenario asks you to contact someone via email. Well, if you respond, several things can happen, your email will be splashed all over cyberspace with hundreds, if not thousands, of spam suddenly appearing in your mail box. Or you may respond and be told that there is a bank draft waiting for you. Want to take wagers on whether it is genuine? I thought not.
For more information, click here.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=97&sid=1474067