Isidingo - The Need

ping

is everyone's puter down?

Labels: American, child abuse, crime, White

Opposition leaders are calling on all Zimbabweans to go home and vote lest incumbent President Robert Mugabe wins yet again.
Millions fled the country amid its economic collapse and are now unable to vote against the president who caused it. If they don't return, Mugabe's chances of staying in power are boosted.
But few are likely to return, having sacrificed too much to get out in the first place.
An estimated 3.5 million have fled Zimbabwe to neighbouring South Africa and other countries, some risking their lives through crocodile-infested waters to make the trip illegally.
Zimbabwe opposition leaders Simba Makoni, a former finance minister, and Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), would have strong support to oust Mugabe among those who have left.
“Many of you are in the diaspora because you have seen home turn into hell... You have the opportunity to change this,” Makoni urged in a newspaper advertisement carried by South African newspapers over the last few weeks.
“Every vote counts, so please come home and let your voice be heard.”
The country's laws bar citizens from voting outside the country. Analysts say most of the Zimbabweans who left in the last eight years blame Mugabe’s and ZANU-PF for the economic crisis, but many are in no position to make the trip.
Those who are out of the country are sending money back to their families and possibly keeping Mugabe safe from the the simmering tensions and keeping their families alive, fed, clothed and in fuel.
Meanwhile Xhinua reports that Zimbabwe's Industrial Development Corporation has so far managed to repay about US$2.8 million of the US$17.9 million owed to the Chinese Eximbank. The loan was used to fund construction of the SinoZimbabwe Cement Plant in 1997. Under the agreement IDC was supposed to make two payments in March and September of every year loan repayments were due to start in 2006.
The cement company received exchange control exemption from upfront open market sale of 25 percent of its export proceeds to the Reserve Bank in order for the IDC to meet its loan repayment and payment of technical fees to the offshore shareholder.
The Chinese bank restructured the loan two years ago making it lighter for the parastatal to service its loan.
Exim bank advanced the first loan in 1997, while the second one was dispatched to IDC in 2000. IDC holds a 35 percent stake in the cement company with the other 65 percent stake belonging to the Chinese Building and Material Company. Both companies are public entities.

Labels: Africa, Exim bank, loans, Mugabe, Zimbabwe

Has any of yous noticed in dis whole tibet joke dat yous haven't seen any PLA "crackdown" bloody or uddawise in Tibet. Yep yep yep, da land of da peaceful munks maybe "rocked by riots" n stuff but cheez, its not da poor PLA dat's hurtin dem. Dey's doing it to da Chinese. All dose peeps everyone sez is dead is Chinese peeps being killed by da "non-violent" Tibetans. WTF? And like da whole world's blaming Beijing.
It's like dose dudes are begging for some tanks to come shoot dem down. Dey walkin tru da streets, killin an burnin an rioting like dey was blacks in sout afrika, and everyone sez Beijing must not bring violence to da party. Dat Duh Lie Lama is nuttin but a big bullshitter.
Do dey finks we born yesturday? I mean any one of yous ever try to organize like anything at all yous know how hard it is to get folk away from da telly dese days. Hey! Come out an burn a few shops...Nah, Afghanistan Idol is on da box.
So dis is all organised by da "peesfull" munks who just wanna start shit ahead of da Olympics and none of the news organizations is taking in any fact. Waddever da exiled dudes say, dis has gotta be da unbuyassed trut.
An...waddaya spect Beijing gonna do? Give dem all barley soup and wheat bread an pat em on da liddle bawld heads?
Beijing aint nevva gonna let Tibet go, dey should catch a clue man. Tibet aint nevva gonna be free cos dey gots all da water for China.

Labels: China, South Africa, tibet

I've looked at every baby in Hong Kong, and I know I've found your little mouse.

Death toll: 3

Cubby Medvedev has stepped into the increasing kitchen heat of Russian politics just at a time when the US prepares for war with Iran, the EU recognises Kosovo, Russia "recognises Abkhazia" oops, I mean at least it lifts the useless sanctions against it. Now the South Ossetians also want recognition. In effect if Russia does to Georgia what the US and EU did to Kosovo... well you can work it out.
But with all the intensity of a southern snake handling preacher, the US and EU are determined to haul Russia into their kind of democracy, still criticising the presidental elections because, from Russia's perspective, the right man won.
Russians did vote for change, not continuity. True, Cubby has promised not to depart from the general policy line taken by Putin. But he represents generational change, as the first Russian leader whose initial political experiences came after communist rule.
Like Obama, he is in his early 40s and once taught law at university.
Unlike Obama, Medvedev does have a lot of high level executive experience. He was presidential chief of staff, first deputy prime minister responsible for national projects - education, agriculture, health care and housing - all departments which have done well under his care.
He is head of Gazprom.
And, when he won, cubby stated bluntly that foreign policy is the responsibility of the president, not the prime minister.
As head of Russia's delegation to last year's World Economic Forum at Davos, he impressed Westerners. He has often made comments that indicate a more liberal tendency to that of Putin.
Medvedev has no past institutional links with Russia's intelligence services, which might work for him in winning over the west, but will mean the hawks in the Kremlin won't like this dose of medicine one little bit. He will have an internal fight on his hands that could distract him from outside politics as he tries to form his cabinet in the boiling pot of the Kremlin where hawks and doves are facing off oveer a number of crucial internal issues.
He has spoken of strengthening the rule of law and reducing state interference in the private sector, wich is something Putin was not willing to do. He preferred to see large capitalist institutions brought under government supervision.
All of this perhaps promises to boost both the development of democracy in Russia and foreign investment.
Cubby's public approval rating, at 80 per cent, is higher than Putin's and something western leaders can only fantasize about.
It would be unwise to underestimate Cubby as Putin's puppet, he knows the law. And there is every possibility that he will use the constitutional provisions to come out of the shadows and strongly assert his own authority. Technically, the president can dismiss the prime minister, so Putin is in a dangerous position.
Whatever private agreement might have been made, the formal structures are not conducive to power-sharing.
All politicians want to be the alpha dog, the unchallenged leader. Just as any real man does, and strong authoratarian and individual leadership is a tradition in Russian politics.
So we can expect to see Medvedev emerge as the dominant player, because of the constitutional powers of the presidency and electoral legitimacy.
The question is, will Putin - and undisputed Alpha Dog - be able to back down or will he try to make a comeback on his own, and what will that do for Russia if the Kremlin in torn in half?

Putin takes Medvedev to a restaurant and orders a steak. “What about the vegetable?” the waiter asks. Putin looks at Medvedev and says, “The vegetable will have steak, too.

Putin is asked if he will have Medvedev’s portrait in his office.
An angry Putin replies: “I’ll put his hide on the floor instead.”

Putin and Medvedev wake up in the Kremlin in 2023 with a vicious hangover.
Putin says: “Which of us is president and which of us is prime minister today?”
“I don’t remember,” Medvedev replies. “I could be prime minister today.”
“Then go fetch some vodka,” Putin says.


Medvedev asks Putin: 'So what about my new economic plan?'
Putin says: 'What economic plan?'
Medvedev looks confused. 'Well if you don't know about it, how would I?

He also did a number of professional killings too. Heck, he just liked killing.