FBI agents announced the four-count indictment against three U.S. citizens resident in Florida and three others in Pakistan Six people in Florida and Pakistan have been charged with providing financing and material support to the Pakistani Taliban, a designated foreign terrorist organization, U.S. federal officials has said. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and local FBI agents announced the four-count indictment against three U.S. citizens resident in Florida, including two imams, and three other individuals living in Pakistan. Relations between Pakistan and the US are tense following the raid that killed Osama bin Laden at the Abbottabad compound. Taliban Pakistan Global terrorism United States guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Democratic Senators Whine That Mean Old Progressives In Their Caucus Are Making Them Raise Taxes On The Rich
May 14, 2011 No CommentI’m trying to think if I’ve ever read a story where Republican senators are decrying a piece of their legislation as having to move “too far to the right” because they need to cater to the right-wing votes in their caucus. You can’t either, right? It’s only the Democrats who not only feel compelled to screw their base, they feel perfectly comfortable whining about it as if it’s reasonable: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), facing reelection next year, spoke up to oppose a plan being drafted by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad that would impose a new surtax on millionaires of about three percent on top of the higher tax rates they would face when the George W. Bush tax cuts expire next year , according to several people familiar with the exchange. Nelson later explained through a spokesman that he was opposed to “double taxation,” even on the wealthy. Another centrist on the budget committee, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), has also opposed the idea. Several centrist Democrats ( Editor’s note: They mean “right wing Blue Dogs” ) have been voicing concern in private sessions that Conrad’s draft may be shifting too far to the left in order to placate liberals on the committee whose votes are needed to move the legislation , according to aides. Republicans have been rallying around a House spending plan authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), even as they’ve been sending mixed signals in recent days over a key provision calling for a deep overhaul of Medicare. The Democratic-run Senate, meantime, has been unable — or unwilling — to lay out its alternative agenda.
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Retiree Jennifer Mills-Westley, 62, believed to have been murdered in a random attack The British woman beheaded in a supermarket on the Spanish island of Tenerife has been named as Jennifer Mills-Westley. Her family paid tribute to her and said they were devastated by her death in the town of Arona, about 10 miles from the popular beach resort of Los Cristianos, in the south of the island. Her daughter, Sarah, said: “Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France, where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk. “She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss.” The Foreign Office has confirmed that consular officials are liaising with local authorities investigating the killing. Spanish police have identified the alleged killer as Deyan Valentinov D, but have not released a surname. The 28-year-old unemployed Bulgarian is said to have attacked Ms Mills-Westley, 62, with a knife and then fled into the street with the severed head in his hands, according to witnesses. Colin Kirby, a reporter for Tenerife Magazine, explained what he had seen as he walked past the shop at around 10.30am. He said he had spoken to an English couple who were in the shop when the incident happened. “They said this guy just walked in, pulled a big knife and started stabbing at her.” He added: “I didn’t see the attack, but I saw the guy. I was walking past the commercial centre and I saw a small group of people outside. There was a guy from the medical centre going down the ramp and I thought perhaps someone had fainted. “I heard people shouting and screaming and making a commotion. A Hispanic-looking guy, very scruffy, was walking behind me muttering to himself, carrying what I thought was a joke head by the hair, with blood. “It made me think of Clash of The Titans, gorgons. I thought … ‘it’s a joke’. The man was in his late 20s … He was a bit dishevelled, unwashed, he was wearing a jumper and trousers, when everyone else is wearing shorts. Even at 10.30 in the morning, it’s boiling.” Kirby said that the man ran off as security guards and others chased after him. “Security guards rushed from the shop where he’d been, chased him across the road and by this time he was pinned to the floor. By this time he was empty-handed and was on the other side of the road.” “The security and the police had to hold people off – they were queueing up – they were trying basically to kick the hell out of the guy.” Los Cristianos has a large expat British community. A witness told the radio broadcaster Cadena Ser that he saw the man drop the head on the pavement after coming out of the shop. “I parked my car and saw a man running out with something bloody in his hands and a security guard chasing him. He threw it to the ground. It almost hit me. “What he had been carrying was a woman’s head.” José Alberto González, the mayor, said the attack did not appear to be premeditated. It has been recorded on the supermarket’s security cameras. A regional interior ministry delegate, Dominica Fernández, said the suspect was believed to have entered the shop and stolen a knife, which he then used to behead his victim. The attack appeared to be random. Spain Europe Giles Tremlett Karen McVeigh David Batty guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Ron Paul makes ridiculous claim that if Heroin was legal, nobdy would use it.
May 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Ron Paul, the Birchertarian who just announced that he’s running for President in 2012, made one of the most idiotic claims I’ve ever heard over the debate to legalize all drugs or at least give the states the right to make that determination. Here’s what he said to Chris Wallace at that silly Fox News GOP Debate in South Carolina: CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS, DEBATE MODERATOR: Are you suggesting that heroin and prostitution are an exercise of liberty? PAUL: Well, you know, I probably never used those words. You put those words someplace. But yes, in essence, if I leave it to the states, it`s going to be up to the states. Up until this past century, you know, for over 100 years they were legal. What you`re inferring is, You know what? If we legalize heroin tomorrow, everybody`s going to use heroin. How many people here would use heroin if it was legal? I bet nobody would put their hand up, Oh, yes, I need the government to take care of me. I don`t want to use heroin, so I need these laws! He has to cling to his free-market Gospel and his hatred for the federal government so much so that he actually makes the argument that if heroin were legal, it wouldn’t lure people into taking it because it’s all just a matter of choice. Raise your hands, kids: Would you be tempted to do it if it were legal? You see, Chris. It doesn’t matter. This naivete is so juvenile. There is an argument to be made for the legalization of drugs or marijuana, but does he really believe that teenage use wouldn’t skyrocket if heroin were sold at your local Target store? Please, then I’d check to see if he has any interests in thirty-day rehab centers, because that would become the new dot-com bubble business, although it wouldn’t be a bubble. It would be a gold mine for private investors, but a terrible thing for society. How many drinking parties do we now see across America after prohibition was lifted? How many drunk driving deaths are racked up each year? It takes a tremendous amount of alcohol to become physically addicted, but not with heroin. Cocaine and marijuana are mostly without the physical complications, but the mental part is just as hard to break. Paul’s anti-war and civil liberties stances are in line with most liberal values. And legallizing pot or reforming the unjust laws prosecuting drug offenders are also becoming much more mainstream ideas. But that’s not the case with smack. And then we get the ridiculous argument now being made that the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t have been passed because since it’s 2011, all businesses that put up “Whites Only” signs would be boycotted. Right. That bill flipped the entire South to become Republicans, and it wasn’t because the feds passed the act. It was because of racism that lasted for decades and is still with us today. Chris Matthews presses him on Hardball about these ideas, and his fallback position is that he’s for freedom. MATTHEWS: Well, your people out there in the crowd certainly agree with that. But let me ask you, as a citizen of Texas, if that came up for a vote, if you had to vote on the issue as a citizen supporting a candidate or whatever, do you think the state of Texas should legalize heroin and prostitution? PAUL: I think that under the right circumstances, we should legalize freedom, and that is part of it. As long as people don`t force things on other people, I don`t feel threatened by that. It`s sort of like legalizing gambling. I don`t gamble and I don`t get involved, but I`m not going to take that right away from you. So all these things are things that you can do in a free society. But today, I gave a long talk about this very issue and I emphasized the fact that the reason I argue for freedom of choice is I want people to decide what medications they can take and whether they want alternative medicine, whether they can drink raw milk, whether they can use marijuana when they`re sick, and that we shouldn’t depend on the government for that guidance. But if you do need guidance with children, if a law is the there to try to protect children, that`s a different story. But it`s the concept of legalizing freedom, making choices by individuals and assuming responsibility for themselves. And even though that was a special statement about how many people would do it if it were legalized, you know, most people aren’t going to use heroin. More people use heroin because it`s illegal. So making it illegal doesn’t help that much. Kids can go out and get marijuana easier than they can get beer, so beer can be regulated in a way to prevent the kids from getting it. Most of our history, our early history, there were no laws against this — (CROSSTALK) MATTHEWS: I guess I have to get down to the question — you think — you`re saying — I`m not sure what you`re saying. If a mother who has children to be responsible for, a husband, a father, should they be allowed to be heroin addicts? Because this is how far you`re going with your libertarianism, it seems, even now. PAUL: Well, the whole thing is addictions are a disease. We don`t put alcoholics in prison. So I`m just against the war on drugs the way it`s happening. There`s other ways you can handle it. But if you treat it like a crime and throw these kids, like we have for decades, in prison because they smoked a little bit of marijuana, and they come out violent criminals, that war on drugs has failed. And believe me — MATTHEWS: OK. You want — PAUL: — the people know that. And so I`m against the federal war on drugs. I`m not pro-drug usage. As a matter of fact, I`m very critical of the carelessness of doctors who give way too many pain pills. There`s more people addicted to prescription drugs than they are to illegal drugs. MATTHEWS: OK. Just to finish this conversation on this point — you have complete freedom to answer this question, yes or no. Should we legalize — legalize heroin? PAUL: I want to legalize freedom and let — MATTHEWS: OK. PAUL: — and the states deal with the regulations. Addiction is a disease, but if you never drank or did drugs you would never know you had it. And there’s something really funny about drugs. They obviously make you feel good or people wouldn’t be doing it. By the way, Americans can drink almost any kind of milk they want and it won’t turn them into addled and dependent addicts.
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Pro-cuts groups, including Ukip and the TaxPayers’ Alliance, look to US Tea Party movement for inspiration as anger grows over EU bailouts Hundreds of pro-cuts activists have taken part in a “rally against debt” opposite the Houses of Parliament, in the first Tea Party-style protest to challenge the anti-cuts lobby. The protest, attended by an alliance of rightwing and libertarian activists including members of the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), the anti-Europe UK Independence party and the Freedom Association, was billed as giving a voice to those who think the UK is living beyond its means. There were also calls for the government to stop bailing out other EU countries. Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “There have been lots of chances for other groups to register their protest, and we want to give a voice to people who represent quite a heavy majority who think spending cuts are right and necessary. “But some areas aren’t being cut at all while spending is rising elsewhere, with contributions to the EU and international development spending.” The organisation’s debt clock, mounted on a lorry, was driven past the protest several times. More than 1,400 people had indicated on Facebook that they would attend , but at lunchtime only about 350 people were gathered at Old Palace Yard to be addressed by the speakers, who included Sinclair and Ukip leader Nigel Farage. They held placards bearing messages including “Drowning in debt”, “No more EU bailouts” and “Stop spending money you don’t have”. Some protesters chanted: “What do we want? Cuts! When do we want them? Now!” Farage said: “This is not a celebration of libraries closing or lowly paid people losing their jobs. “This is an acceptance that this country is in the most desperate trouble and that despite the cuts we’re increasing spending in some areas. We need to make cuts and we need to prioritise where these cuts are coming from.” Priti Patel, Conservative MP for Witham, said: “This government is all about deficit reduction. I don’t think enough people realise the extent of the debt facing this country. It is totally unsustainable. “This is a wake-up call that debt is here to stay unless we deal with it in a serious way.” Mark Littlewood, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, told the rally: “We won’t put up with this. We are the selfless movement. We’re not asking for money, we’re asking for cuts to make sure our children and grandchildren don’t have to foot the bill.” One protester, James Dighton, a 24-year-old accountant from Leeds, said: “It’s very important to get the message out there that not everyone in the country thinks the cuts are unnecessary – quite the opposite, in fact.” A handful of protesters opposed to cuts were also present, with one waving a sign mocking the rally that read: “Libraries suck.” The action comes amid growing interest among rightwing groups in learning from the US Tea Party movement, which has mobilised hundreds of thousands of activists to march against Barack Obama’s policies. Electoral commission records show that in March, Ukip activists registered the name Tea Party as a political party. It is not yet active, but they said they could field candidates in general elections, byelections and local elections. Protest Tea Party movement Public sector cuts UK Independence party (Ukip) David Batty guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …When Tea Partiers Attack — Each Other: New York Candidates Beat Each Other Up Claiming the Mantle
May 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media It’s always kind of amusing watching Republicans fight over that cherished Tea Party endorsement the way dogs fight over a bone. As they apparently are in upstate New York’s congressional District 26 — the district where Christopher Lee most recently posed as a Republican congressman — where there’s now a disgruntled ex-Republican candidate named Jack Davis running as a third-party Tea Party candidate against a Republican who likewise claims various Tea Party endorsements. Seems things have gotten down to the usual thuggishness and pettiness : A 15-second video shows a tea party congressional candidate in New York scuffling with a Republican Party volunteer who questioned his absence from a debate. The video posted on YouTube shows candidate Jack Davis asking the volunteer Wednesday whether he wants to “punch it out” after a campaign event in Greece, outside Rochester. Davis was responding to the man’s repeated calls for him to explain why he backed out of a debate held Thursday in Buffalo. Davis announced Wednesday he’d changed his mind about participating in the debate with the two major party candidates in the May 24 special election for the 26th District seat. Instead, he said he’d speak to voters directly via an electronic town hall meeting May 21. In the video, the 78-year-old candidate steps toward the volunteer, who was holding a camera and asking, “Why did you back out of the debate? Why did you back out of the debate?” “Do you want to punch it out?” Davis asks before swiping at the camera with his right hand. Davis then laughs as he walks to his car while a man who appears to be a Davis campaign aide approaches the cameraman. As the camera shakes, the cameraman groans out of view as if he has been struck and then resumes asking Davis, “Why did you back out of the debate?” It turns out that the videographer is in fact the chief of staff for the Republican front-runner . Of course, the national Tea Party organizations are disowning Davis and claiming he’s a Democrat in disguise. Even though he in fact ran as a Republican candidate and earned the endorsement of the western New York Tea Partiers. This should be entertaining to watch, if nothing else.
Continue reading …When Tea Partiers Attack — Each Other: New York Candidates Beat Each Other Up Claiming the Mantle
May 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media It’s always kind of amusing watching Republicans fight over that cherished Tea Party endorsement the way dogs fight over a bone. As they apparently are in upstate New York’s congressional District 26 — the district where Christopher Lee most recently posed as a Republican congressman — where there’s now a disgruntled ex-Republican candidate named Jack Davis running as a third-party Tea Party candidate against a Republican who likewise claims various Tea Party endorsements. Seems things have gotten down to the usual thuggishness and pettiness : A 15-second video shows a tea party congressional candidate in New York scuffling with a Republican Party volunteer who questioned his absence from a debate. The video posted on YouTube shows candidate Jack Davis asking the volunteer Wednesday whether he wants to “punch it out” after a campaign event in Greece, outside Rochester. Davis was responding to the man’s repeated calls for him to explain why he backed out of a debate held Thursday in Buffalo. Davis announced Wednesday he’d changed his mind about participating in the debate with the two major party candidates in the May 24 special election for the 26th District seat. Instead, he said he’d speak to voters directly via an electronic town hall meeting May 21. In the video, the 78-year-old candidate steps toward the volunteer, who was holding a camera and asking, “Why did you back out of the debate? Why did you back out of the debate?” “Do you want to punch it out?” Davis asks before swiping at the camera with his right hand. Davis then laughs as he walks to his car while a man who appears to be a Davis campaign aide approaches the cameraman. As the camera shakes, the cameraman groans out of view as if he has been struck and then resumes asking Davis, “Why did you back out of the debate?” It turns out that the videographer is in fact the chief of staff for the Republican front-runner . Of course, the national Tea Party organizations are disowning Davis and claiming he’s a Democrat in disguise. Even though he in fact ran as a Republican candidate and earned the endorsement of the western New York Tea Partiers. This should be entertaining to watch, if nothing else.
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• Hit F5 or use the auto-refresh tool for the latest updates • Send your hot soccer chat to scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • It’s a No Premier League zone here. But not here! 7 min: Stoke haven’t put a thing together up front yet. I’m not sure they’ll be too bothered about that, the team look happy enough to find their feet, while snapping repeatedly at Manchester City’s heels. “I wonder: will Man City have the Sheiks here today?” asks Mark Judd. “I’ll get my coat.” And there ends the stand-up boom. 5 min: Manchester City enjoying the lion’s share of the possession. Tevez tucks inside from the left and takes this final’s first shot in anger, sending a very decent effort from the edge of the area sailing towards the right-hand side of the goal. It’s at a good height for the keeper, though, and Sorensen palms confidently out. The ball’s hacked clear. “All this talk of how the FA Cup has lost it’s shine, ruined by money, blah-der-dee-blah – you English are just spoiled with an embarrassment of riches, yearning for the past and not seeing how fantastic it is that you can’t throw a rock without hitting a fantastic football match,” opines Linda Howard. “There. I said it.” 3 min: Manchester City earn the first corner down the left. The ball’s swung into the box towards Richards at the near post, but the defender fails to connect properly. 2 min: All at bit scrappy at the moment, both on pitch and off. Both sets of fans suddenly sound a bit nervous, and the volume’s dropped dramatically. You can’t blame them. They’ll get their gamefaces on again soon. “Here in Scotland we don’t even get the FA Cup final live on telly, being saddled with a Kevin Costner movie instead,” reports poor Ryan Dunne. “Given that people play excessive TV coverage for the decline in the FA Cup’s prestige, will this mean a resurgence in its popularity north of the border?” 3pm, a traditional kick-off time for the FA Cup final which the suits in charge would be STUPID BASTARDS to change : Tony Pulis has changed out of his fancy suit, and is now sporting his usual tracksuit-and-cap ned combo. And we’re off! Stoke set the ball rolling, Walters bombing down the inside-right channel and into the box, but Hart is out quickly to pluck the long ball the striker’s chasing from the air. 2.58pm: Shakety hands, swappity pennants. 2.55pm: The teams wait in the tunnel, Manchester City zipped up in their retro tracksuit tops, Stoke City in their red-and-white-striped shirts, a sign maybe that they’re not planning to fanny about. Like anybody expects Tony Pulis’s Stoke City to fanny about. And then, with spectacular jets of fire blasting at them from pitchside, and wild cheering rolling down from the stands, the teams take to the pitch. It is on! 2.50pm: Time for the traditional FA Cup final hymn: Nice to abide with him, to abide with him, nice. And tonight’s the night the darkness deepens. 2.45pm: The atmosphere at Wembley is fantastic. Half of the stadium a sea of powder blue, the other bathed in red and white. There are a lot of flags floating around. These are two sets of fans who are really grabbing the opportunity to enjoy themselves with both hands, and are squeezing every drop out of it. Of course, for one of them it won’t last, with bitter misery awaiting, but at the moment that’s not the point. 2.30pm: “Has anyone named Rory ever won a trophy?” wonders Tony Campisi. Of course, if we’re looking for ridiculous omens, it’s not good news for Mr Delap and pals, 2011 not having been the best of years so far for Rories chasing glory . I don’t know why I keep talking about these preposterous omens. Oh yes, that’s right: it’s because I’ve got nothing else to say. Don’t worry, teams are out soon. 2.15pm: In the Premier League (and yes I know I said I wouldn’t mention it) Blackpool are currently leading Bolton Wanderers 4-3. It’s a facsimile scoreline of arguably the greatest FA Cup final of them all, the 1953 Matthews final. Could this be a sign that we’re in for a classic today? Well, no, obviously it has no bearing on events whatsoever. But to hell with logic! Could this be a sign that we’re in for a classic today? All signs point to yes! Matthew Etherington starts for Stoke City: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson, Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Walters, Jones. Carlos Tevez starts for Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kolarov, Kompany, Lescott, De Jong, Barry, Yaya, Silva, Balotelli, Tevez. Today’s final promises to be: A cracker, as both teams are desperate to end their major trophy drought. Not for them the snooty attitude of the big clubs. It’s the FA Cup Final! Stoke City’s previous FA Cup finals: None; this is their first. Before this season’s romp to the final, their roll of honour in the competition amounted to three semi-final defeats: to Derby County in 1899, and to Arsenal in 1971 and 1972. The 1971 run was perhaps their most famous: only a last-minute Peter Storey penalty denied them a place at Wembley, they lost the replay, but beat Everton 3-2 in a third/fourth place play-off in front of a whopping Selhurst Park crowd of 5,031. Manchester City’s previous FA Cup finals: There have been eight of them. City beat Bolton Wanderers in 1904, Portsmouth in 1934, Birmingham City in 1956, and Leicester City in 1969. They lost to Bolton in 1926, Everton in 1933, Newcastle in 1955, and Tottenham Hotspur in 1981. Anyway, one thing that remains traditional (for now at least) is the kick-off time: 3pm. But a new snook to tradition appears to have been cocked this year, with the match being played on the same day as regular league fixtures. This shouldn’t cause too much heartache to traditionalists, however: back in the pre-war era, it used to happen all the time. When Manchester City were getting spanked 3-0 by Dixie Dean’s Everton in 1933, for example, in the first-ever cup final to feature numbered shirts (Everton wore 1-11, City 12-22), the First Division classifieds read: Arsenal 2-2 Huddersfield Town Birmingham City 0-4 Leicester City Blackburn Rovers 0-5 Aston Villa Blackpool 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby County 3-2 Newcastle United Leeds United 0-1 Middlesbrough Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Bolton Wanderers Sunderland 0-3 Portsmouth West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Liverpool Man City fans may like to note that, in the Second Division, Manchester United lost 3-2 away at Lincoln City. Stoke’s rivals Port Vale won 4-1 at home to Plymouth Argyle. I’ve gone well off piste here already. Welcome to the 130th FA Cup final, contested at Wembley Stadium between Manchester City and Stoke City. Now, don’t listen to the haters talking the big match down. It’s the Cup Final. The Cup Final!!! THE CUP FINAL. No matter what indignities the clowns at the FA have visited upon this event over the years – the abolition of replays, the imposition of penalty shoot-outs, exclusive terrestrial transmission rights for ITV – the old trophy’s lustre lingers on. And there’s the proof, in that burning you’re feeling right now, wishing for all the world that your team was competing today. FA Cup Manchester City Stoke City Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Hit F5 or use the auto-refresh tool for the latest updates • Send your hot soccer chat to scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • It’s a No Premier League zone here. But not here! 7 min: Stoke haven’t put a thing together up front yet. I’m not sure they’ll be too bothered about that, the team look happy enough to find their feet, while snapping repeatedly at Manchester City’s heels. “I wonder: will Man City have the Sheiks here today?” asks Mark Judd. “I’ll get my coat.” And there ends the stand-up boom. 5 min: Manchester City enjoying the lion’s share of the possession. Tevez tucks inside from the left and takes this final’s first shot in anger, sending a very decent effort from the edge of the area sailing towards the right-hand side of the goal. It’s at a good height for the keeper, though, and Sorensen palms confidently out. The ball’s hacked clear. “All this talk of how the FA Cup has lost it’s shine, ruined by money, blah-der-dee-blah – you English are just spoiled with an embarrassment of riches, yearning for the past and not seeing how fantastic it is that you can’t throw a rock without hitting a fantastic football match,” opines Linda Howard. “There. I said it.” 3 min: Manchester City earn the first corner down the left. The ball’s swung into the box towards Richards at the near post, but the defender fails to connect properly. 2 min: All at bit scrappy at the moment, both on pitch and off. Both sets of fans suddenly sound a bit nervous, and the volume’s dropped dramatically. You can’t blame them. They’ll get their gamefaces on again soon. “Here in Scotland we don’t even get the FA Cup final live on telly, being saddled with a Kevin Costner movie instead,” reports poor Ryan Dunne. “Given that people play excessive TV coverage for the decline in the FA Cup’s prestige, will this mean a resurgence in its popularity north of the border?” 3pm, a traditional kick-off time for the FA Cup final which the suits in charge would be STUPID BASTARDS to change : Tony Pulis has changed out of his fancy suit, and is now sporting his usual tracksuit-and-cap ned combo. And we’re off! Stoke set the ball rolling, Walters bombing down the inside-right channel and into the box, but Hart is out quickly to pluck the long ball the striker’s chasing from the air. 2.58pm: Shakety hands, swappity pennants. 2.55pm: The teams wait in the tunnel, Manchester City zipped up in their retro tracksuit tops, Stoke City in their red-and-white-striped shirts, a sign maybe that they’re not planning to fanny about. Like anybody expects Tony Pulis’s Stoke City to fanny about. And then, with spectacular jets of fire blasting at them from pitchside, and wild cheering rolling down from the stands, the teams take to the pitch. It is on! 2.50pm: Time for the traditional FA Cup final hymn: Nice to abide with him, to abide with him, nice. And tonight’s the night the darkness deepens. 2.45pm: The atmosphere at Wembley is fantastic. Half of the stadium a sea of powder blue, the other bathed in red and white. There are a lot of flags floating around. These are two sets of fans who are really grabbing the opportunity to enjoy themselves with both hands, and are squeezing every drop out of it. Of course, for one of them it won’t last, with bitter misery awaiting, but at the moment that’s not the point. 2.30pm: “Has anyone named Rory ever won a trophy?” wonders Tony Campisi. Of course, if we’re looking for ridiculous omens, it’s not good news for Mr Delap and pals, 2011 not having been the best of years so far for Rories chasing glory . I don’t know why I keep talking about these preposterous omens. Oh yes, that’s right: it’s because I’ve got nothing else to say. Don’t worry, teams are out soon. 2.15pm: In the Premier League (and yes I know I said I wouldn’t mention it) Blackpool are currently leading Bolton Wanderers 4-3. It’s a facsimile scoreline of arguably the greatest FA Cup final of them all, the 1953 Matthews final. Could this be a sign that we’re in for a classic today? Well, no, obviously it has no bearing on events whatsoever. But to hell with logic! Could this be a sign that we’re in for a classic today? All signs point to yes! Matthew Etherington starts for Stoke City: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson, Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Walters, Jones. Carlos Tevez starts for Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kolarov, Kompany, Lescott, De Jong, Barry, Yaya, Silva, Balotelli, Tevez. Today’s final promises to be: A cracker, as both teams are desperate to end their major trophy drought. Not for them the snooty attitude of the big clubs. It’s the FA Cup Final! Stoke City’s previous FA Cup finals: None; this is their first. Before this season’s romp to the final, their roll of honour in the competition amounted to three semi-final defeats: to Derby County in 1899, and to Arsenal in 1971 and 1972. The 1971 run was perhaps their most famous: only a last-minute Peter Storey penalty denied them a place at Wembley, they lost the replay, but beat Everton 3-2 in a third/fourth place play-off in front of a whopping Selhurst Park crowd of 5,031. Manchester City’s previous FA Cup finals: There have been eight of them. City beat Bolton Wanderers in 1904, Portsmouth in 1934, Birmingham City in 1956, and Leicester City in 1969. They lost to Bolton in 1926, Everton in 1933, Newcastle in 1955, and Tottenham Hotspur in 1981. Anyway, one thing that remains traditional (for now at least) is the kick-off time: 3pm. But a new snook to tradition appears to have been cocked this year, with the match being played on the same day as regular league fixtures. This shouldn’t cause too much heartache to traditionalists, however: back in the pre-war era, it used to happen all the time. When Manchester City were getting spanked 3-0 by Dixie Dean’s Everton in 1933, for example, in the first-ever cup final to feature numbered shirts (Everton wore 1-11, City 12-22), the First Division classifieds read: Arsenal 2-2 Huddersfield Town Birmingham City 0-4 Leicester City Blackburn Rovers 0-5 Aston Villa Blackpool 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby County 3-2 Newcastle United Leeds United 0-1 Middlesbrough Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Bolton Wanderers Sunderland 0-3 Portsmouth West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Liverpool Man City fans may like to note that, in the Second Division, Manchester United lost 3-2 away at Lincoln City. Stoke’s rivals Port Vale won 4-1 at home to Plymouth Argyle. I’ve gone well off piste here already. Welcome to the 130th FA Cup final, contested at Wembley Stadium between Manchester City and Stoke City. Now, don’t listen to the haters talking the big match down. It’s the Cup Final. The Cup Final!!! THE CUP FINAL. No matter what indignities the clowns at the FA have visited upon this event over the years – the abolition of replays, the imposition of penalty shoot-outs, exclusive terrestrial transmission rights for ITV – the old trophy’s lustre lingers on. And there’s the proof, in that burning you’re feeling right now, wishing for all the world that your team was competing today. FA Cup Manchester City Stoke City Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Health Insurers Collecting Record Profits, Yet Demand Double-Digit Rate Increases. You’ll Never Guess Why!
May 14, 2011 No CommentAstounding, just astounding. They have to raise the premiums because people might eventually be able to buy gas, or afford the co-pay? We are a society where the corporate monsters have no shame at all. We live in the wealthiest country in the world, yet we can’t manage to create a system that allows everyone to see a doctor when they need to — you know, like the rest of the civilized world. Just amazing: The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care. The UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest commercial insurers, told analysts that so far this year, insured hospital stays actually decreased in some instances. In reporting its earnings last week, Cigna, another insurer, talked about the “low level” of medical use. Yet the companies continue to press for higher premiums, even though their reserve coffers are flush with profits and shareholders have been rewarded with new dividends. Many defend proposed double-digit increases in the rates they charge, citing a need for protection against any sudden uptick in demand once people have more money to spend on their health, as well as the rising price of care. Even with a halting economic recovery, doctors and others say many people are still extremely budget-conscious, signaling the possibility of a fundamental change in Americans’ appetite for health care. Yes, because using healthcare is just a bad habit, like smoking or doing drugs. If only health insurance companies can drive people to the point where they’re afraid to ever use their insurance at all, why, everyone will be happy!
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