Asia's Navies Are Betting On Submarines

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdVgYhH5REnhfKRAQlpGhQxKOtky-kNvldcYX6H9y_xG_8lXMvCKQCNIB9sis2VD2R4hzPgDfkWpd17qN1v7WOQAnRA40UEahoKjnMGF1X8dS6Ri0qWQUTWXwOC_z_jQZnlcgwGL9Z1Go/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdVgYhH5REnhfKRAQlpGhQxKOtky-kNvldcYX6H9y_xG_8lXMvCKQCNIB9sis2VD2R4hzPgDfkWpd17qN1v7WOQAnRA40UEahoKjnMGF1X8dS6Ri0qWQUTWXwOC_z_jQZnlcgwGL9Z1Go/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vietnamese Improved Kilo submarine Hanoi. Militaryphotos.net photo</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Asia’s Killer Submarine Boom -- Kyle Mizokami, War is Boring</b></span></div><br />Under the waves, the Pacific is becoming a very dangerous place—and that could be good for peace<br /><br />In early January, the heavylift ship Rolldock Sea entered the Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh Bay towing a submarine. The sub, HQ-182, is a Russian-made Improved Kilo-class boat, one of six ordered by the Vietnamese navy in 2009.<br /><br />HQ-182, also known as the Hanoi, is Vietnam’s first submarine.<br /><br />Displacing 4,000 tons underwater, the diesel-powered Kilos have six tubes for launching guided torpedoes or supersonic SS-N-27 “Klub” anti-ship missiles. So quiet that they’re called’ “black holes” by the U.S. Navy, the subs can sit silently off Vietnam’s coast, waiting in intercept and sink any attackers. The six Kilos will be Vietnam’s capital ships.<br /><br />And Hanoi isn’t the only Asian government buying submarines. Malaysia has also purchased two. Thailand just built a new submarine headquarters—now it just needs the actual subs. South Korea is doubling its undersea fleet, while Japan is growing its sub force by more than a third.<br /><br /><b><a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/b6b45850168c">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> The American's are also betting <b><a href="http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.ca/2014/02/china-thinks-that-it-can-defeat-us-in.html">on their nuclear submarines</a></b> .... especially against China.

Asia's Navies Are Betting On Submarines

Vietnamese Improved Kilo submarine Hanoi. Militaryphotos.net photo Asia’s Killer Submarine Boom -- Kyle Mizokami, War is Boring Under the wa...

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Western Militaries Are Facing A Shortage Of Streatgic Metals And Minerals

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvTirFYOxUG8b61f-xTFOn4NsWKsqRSFZE9ff8wr0uBepqK2w_U6vJ29R1KKM8GBYLPCyq0bnd360vsTupmc73s-D1XhdlXZhwW-2x4PhVkOLm84Y9R8EwCfCgsS3W9lsSlNlJZJ46-rs/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvTirFYOxUG8b61f-xTFOn4NsWKsqRSFZE9ff8wr0uBepqK2w_U6vJ29R1KKM8GBYLPCyq0bnd360vsTupmc73s-D1XhdlXZhwW-2x4PhVkOLm84Y9R8EwCfCgsS3W9lsSlNlJZJ46-rs/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.swissmetalassets.com/strategic-metals-stable-volatile-economic-times.html/metals-2">Swiss Metal Assets S.A.</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Western Militaries Risk Losing Access To Key Materials -- USA Today</b></span></div><br />WASHINGTON — Western militaries may lose access to critical materials needed for weapons and other systems, because of the growing demand for new technologies, questionable supply lines and production in unfriendly or dangerous countries, NATO documents show.<br /><br />"Key strategic materials are those that are crucial in the manufacture of sophisticated military hardware or components such as airframes, gas turbines, rocket motors, munitions, armor and electronics," according to a newly released NATO request for information. "These materials are becoming increasingly scarce."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2014/02/12/critical-materials-shortage-national-security-risks/5400267/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Time to stockpile what you need.

Western Militaries Are Facing A Shortage Of Streatgic Metals And Minerals

Swiss Metal Assets S.A. Western Militaries Risk Losing Access To Key Materials -- USA Today WASHINGTON — Western militaries may lose access ...

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What Is The Cyberwar Threat From North Korea?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9kgUGkNy_TkODCZ034Iq_oBenDcPk64PDx-kvtR_kJa1-1eC8YPtySA-quW7X7hCk47F2AWe2MJbNQAybMHMR48ZmLDR8gJ189VlkxpwIkeR5Ji-Pl2UxnylfTrY1c45zvnChKQMttjb/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9kgUGkNy_TkODCZ034Iq_oBenDcPk64PDx-kvtR_kJa1-1eC8YPtySA-quW7X7hCk47F2AWe2MJbNQAybMHMR48ZmLDR8gJ189VlkxpwIkeR5Ji-Pl2UxnylfTrY1c45zvnChKQMttjb/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Special Report: The Cyberwar Threat From North Korea -- FOX News</b></span></div><br />WASHINGTON – North Korea’s effort to build a cyberarmy that can conduct a string of attacks on neighboring states has experts asking some key questions:<br /><br />Is Pyongyang gearing up for a cyberassault on the United States?<br /><br />Does it have the capability?<br /><br />“They do have the capability, obviously,” says Alexandre Mansourov, a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. “But I don’t think they have the intention.”<br /><br />But not everyone is so unsure. Like the Cold War in the 1950s and ’60s, cyberwarfare is becoming an arms race. Many nations, including the United States, are building up their offensive and defensive capabilities amid an increase of espionage and a proliferation of attacks on public and private computer networks.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/14/cyberwar-experts-question-north-korea-cyber-capabilities/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> I have difficulty seeing North Korea as a serious cyber foe. Their communications network/infrastructure is haphazard at best, and the computer systems that they do have are limited and rationed out to only those that they trust.

What Is The Cyberwar Threat From North Korea?

Special Report: The Cyberwar Threat From North Korea -- FOX News WASHINGTON – North Korea’s effort to build a cyberarmy that can conduct a ...

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The U.S. Military Is Working Hard To Create The Perfect Pizza That Can Last For Years

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LDv64FUKpes" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Military Scientists Developing Pizza That Stays Fresh for Up to Three Years -- Time</b></span></div><br />Designed for soldiers, the meal may be the perfect morale booster<br />Researchers at a U.S. military lab are getting closer to perfecting what some call “the holy grail” of food prepared for soldiers: a pizza that stays edible for up to three years and does not require refrigeration or freezing, the Associated Press reports.<br /><br />“It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven,” Jill Bates, who runs the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Natick, Massachusetts, told the AP. “The only thing missing from that experience would be it’s not hot when you eat it. It’s room temperature.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/14/scientists-developing-pizza-that-stays-fresh-for-up-to-three-years/">Read more </a></b>....<br /><br /><b>Update #1:</b> <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/14/holy-grail-military-meals-nears-pizza-that-lasts-up-to-three-years/">Private pizza: Military meal that lasts three years almost ready</a> -- FOX News/AP<br /><b>Update #2:</b> <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/military-scientists-create-pizza-lasts-three-years-n30686">Military Scientists Create Pizza That Lasts for Three Years</a> -- NBC<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Darn .... it's late and I am in the mood for a pizza right now.

The U.S. Military Is Working Hard To Create The Perfect Pizza That Can Last For Years

Military Scientists Developing Pizza That Stays Fresh for Up to Three Years -- Time Designed for soldiers, the meal may be the perfect moral...

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CBS 60 Minutes Looks At The F-35 Program

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/c3vw0reUJIY" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>F-35: Looking At Most Expensive Weapons System Ever -- CBS News</b></span></div><br />60 Minutes gets an inside look at what makes the $400 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter the most expensive weapons system in history.<br /><br />In the rush to stay ahead of China and Russia, the Pentagon started buying the F-35 before testing it, breaking the traditional “fly-before-you-buy” rule of weapons acquisition. Now taxpayers are paying the price for mistakes that weren’t caught before production began. A Pentagon document obtained by 60 Minutes catalogues the “flawed . . . assumptions” and “unrealistic . . . estimates” that led to a $163 billion cost overrun on what was already the highest priced weapons system in history. David Martin reports on the problem-plagued program and the battles the Pentagon has fought with the plane’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, to bring the costs under control. He also gets a firsthand look at some of the plane’s game-changing technology for a story to be broadcast on 60 Minutes, Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/f-35-looking-at-most-expensive-weapons-system-ever/">Read More</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> I will post the full story on this 60 Minutes report when it becomes available late Sunday/early Monday morning.<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: Eric Palmer's comments on this story<b><a href="http://elpdefensenews.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/bogdan-paints-himself-as-hero-in-f-35.html"> are priceless</a></b>. On a side note .... I have been following <b><a href="http://elpdefensenews.blogspot.com.au/">his blog</a></b> for years .... and it is a must read on the F-35 program.

CBS 60 Minutes Looks At The F-35 Program

F-35: Looking At Most Expensive Weapons System Ever -- CBS News 60 Minutes gets an inside look at what makes the $400 billion F-35 Joint Str...

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Chinese Naval Vessels To Sail With The U.S. Aircraft Carrier USS Ronald Reagan?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvpmNL5MjPAR16HqHZU96fgM58LZOqaxKtr16-YDZNOBpczBK_b68ovRDg07M-tyy30kFxf4MoXSIJS5ojOQ4nKXG4GWU77FNq_UsgAc9bP2Xor3BQUg_b8A-ziJ7NOV_0CqbQG_o1yH_/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvpmNL5MjPAR16HqHZU96fgM58LZOqaxKtr16-YDZNOBpczBK_b68ovRDg07M-tyy30kFxf4MoXSIJS5ojOQ4nKXG4GWU77FNq_UsgAc9bP2Xor3BQUg_b8A-ziJ7NOV_0CqbQG_o1yH_/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PEARL HARBOR (Aug. 31, 2011) Sailors and Marines render honors as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) passes the USS Arizona Memorial while entering Pearl Harbor for a port visit. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin B. Gray/Released) — US Navy</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Carrier Reagan To Join Military Exercise -- UT San Diego</b></span></div><br /><i>Ship lineup for RIMPAC 2014 off Hawaii final in April</i><br /><br />The San Diego-based aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will participate in the Rim of the Pacific military exercise this summer before the ship relocates to Japan, Navy leaders said Wednesday.<br /><br />The world’s largest maritime warfare exercise is hosted biennially in June and July in Honolulu by U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet. This year, China is among 23 nations expected to attend, making RIMPAC “bigger than it’s ever been probably,” said Vice Adm. Kenneth Floyd, commander of Third Fleet.<br /><br />Floyd was asked during a maritime strategy panel session at the three-day WEST 2014 conference at the San Diego Convention Center whether budgetary constraints would make RIMPAC 2014 a shadow of previous years.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/12/ronald-reagan-aircraft-carrier-rimpac/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment: </b>The Chinese will be there to just observe .... but it is a reflection on how important they have become in the Asian naval theater in the past few years .... and the eagerness from the Pentagon to develop relations with them. On a side note .... to the best of my knowledge the Chinese have yet to invite the Americans to any of their exercises.

Chinese Naval Vessels To Sail With The U.S. Aircraft Carrier USS Ronald Reagan?

PEARL HARBOR (Aug. 31, 2011) Sailors and Marines render honors as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) passes the USS Arizona Mem...

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US Troops Are Now Fed Up With Their 'Insane' Rules Of Engagement In Afghanistan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=350&w=0&img=/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2014-02/hires_140130-M-WA264-003a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=350&w=0&img=/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2014-02/hires_140130-M-WA264-003a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">U.S. Marines provide security during a patrol near Patrol Base Boldak in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 30, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachery B. Martin</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>'I Didn't Join to Be Sacrificed': U.S. Troops Fed Up with Risky Afghanistan Strategy -- Breitbart</b></span></div><br />U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are now forced to fight a two-fronted war. Before each deployment, these soldiers understand fully that day after day they will do battle against relentless terrorists with shifting loyalties and unspeakable hatred. But what none of them could have foreseen was the killing field that would open from their rear: the Continental United States.<br /><br />Our government’s incessant tightening of already restrictive ROE (Rules of Engagement), compounded by the failed COIN (Counterinsurgency) strategy—also known as “winning hearts and minds”—has made an otherwise primitive enemy formidable.<br /><br />Our best and brightest come home in body bags as politicians and lawyers dine over white linen tablecloths; writing, modifying, and re-modifying these lethal rules. Rules that favor the enemy rather than the American soldier. Rules so absurd they’re difficult to believe until you hear the same stories over and again from those returning from battle.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/02/10/US-SOLDIERS-IN-AFGHANISTAN-ARE-NOW-FORCED-TO-FIGHT-A-TWO-FRONTED-WAR">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update #1</b>: <a href="http://www.thedesertreview.com/rules-of-engagement-limit-the-actions-of-u-s-troops-and-drones-in-afghanistan/">Rules of engagement limit the actions of U.S. troops and drones in Afghanistan</a> -- The Desert Review<br /><b>Update #2</b>: <a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2014/02/14/i-didnt-join-to-be-sacrified-troops-fed-up-with-risky-afghanistan-strategy-n1795129">‘I Didn’t Join to Be Sacrificed’: US Troop Deaths in Afghanistan Skyrocket Under Obama</a> -- Townhall<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> As I had mentioned in a previous post .... it is now open season on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. One more reason to leave that country ASAP.

US Troops Are Now Fed Up With Their 'Insane' Rules Of Engagement In Afghanistan

U.S. Marines provide security during a patrol near Patrol Base Boldak in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 30, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps pho...

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U.S. Soldier Fatalities In Afghanistan Since 2001 (By Month)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08vjZD9cnB0sRxfpeebCWjL1L_Fqjet1T4QB33aBxAgSnus7LbGI2o9MfZGf54OBucwP2SDAqhhnGRVHB0xgPoHPvpo2413sp1SYigOZAf23LN-ytgJaP8ncpYEgku5SGynUgyLnTG7Mg/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08vjZD9cnB0sRxfpeebCWjL1L_Fqjet1T4QB33aBxAgSnus7LbGI2o9MfZGf54OBucwP2SDAqhhnGRVHB0xgPoHPvpo2413sp1SYigOZAf23LN-ytgJaP8ncpYEgku5SGynUgyLnTG7Mg/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Table from <a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2014/02/14/i-didnt-join-to-be-sacrified-troops-fed-up-with-risky-afghanistan-strategy-n1795129">Townhall</a>)</span></div><br /><b>My Comment</b>: Something went drastically wrong in mid-2009. Fortunately .... U.S. forces are limiting their engagements with the Taliban and the rest are leaving .... and yes .... I am looking forward to the day when this casualty rate is zero.

U.S. Soldier Fatalities In Afghanistan Since 2001 (By Month)

(Table from Townhall ) My Comment : Something went drastically wrong in mid-2009. Fortunately .... U.S. forces are limiting their engagement...

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The 10 Worst Genocides Of The 20th Century

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaSa5hyTVN8sblV3Fhd6_7ODsb0Z9TT5ql2VxmJ4Xua7miEPi3Vq0tpohtnXZXaA6i8zyL9j3Zsh6ar54Ao9YmbU1cH_OwFN1tdtTxFub0AFpXQ7yQVoCXD34kmrEkbQbwq_wDEW09pFP/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaSa5hyTVN8sblV3Fhd6_7ODsb0Z9TT5ql2VxmJ4Xua7miEPi3Vq0tpohtnXZXaA6i8zyL9j3Zsh6ar54Ao9YmbU1cH_OwFN1tdtTxFub0AFpXQ7yQVoCXD34kmrEkbQbwq_wDEW09pFP/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>10 Worst Genocides Of The 20th Century -- Geopol News</b></span></div><br />According to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPGC), genocide is defined as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group". The subject of what is and what is not considered genocide is a contentious one. Often, accusations of genocide having been committed are disputed for reasons that are usually political. Using the term “genocide” to describe the mass murder or destruction of a group of people creates images of the worst genocide ever committed in terms of loss of life, The Holocaust. Therefore, in order to divert blame or justify actions, leaders of countries accused of genocide usually try to call a murderous event something else. For instance, the Turkish government still to this day refuses to acknowledge that the slaughter and forced expulsion of the Armenian people from the former Ottoman Empire during World War One was genocide. Instead, Turkey claims that numbers of murdered Armenians has been inflated, despite factual documentation, and attempts to downplay the massacres. Here is a list of the 10 worst genocides of the 20th century based on the numbers of people killed. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://geopolnews.com/2013/11/the-10-worst-genocides-of-the-20th-century/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> There are a few BIG omissions in this list. The communists in the Soviet Union did not only bring horror to the Ukraine and Cossak communities .... but they brought even more to the rest of the country. And Mao in China probably slaughtered more people than the Nazis ever did .... and all the other 20th century genocides combined.

The 10 Worst Genocides Of The 20th Century

10 Worst Genocides Of The 20th Century -- Geopol News According to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Cri...

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NBC's Coverage Of The 2014 Sochi Olympics Has Been Terrible

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3SnRV9Piwa74UI5vXxqOFE9kqZ_w9grzoIkLKqKA272XDghfkXfPeVbsT6Krpn0hH6MXF_0ThvXI9DiLpVIekHQRk_rDD0QjXCvCnpmynWUWHpcCSFQ3WjAtSmrCTa7K-fDUvdOkVx24/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3SnRV9Piwa74UI5vXxqOFE9kqZ_w9grzoIkLKqKA272XDghfkXfPeVbsT6Krpn0hH6MXF_0ThvXI9DiLpVIekHQRk_rDD0QjXCvCnpmynWUWHpcCSFQ3WjAtSmrCTa7K-fDUvdOkVx24/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Whitewashing The Reds -- US News and World Report</b></span></div><br />NBC should be ashamed of the way it's covering up Soviet horrors.<br /><br />Is there some kind of unwritten law that says the IQ of a sportscaster can be no higher than the average combined score of the ten previous Super Bowls? After listening to NBC’s Bob Costas speak fawningly about the history of the former Soviet Union during the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, you really have to wonder.<br /><br />As part of his color commentary, Costas called the 1917 Russian Revolution that eventually brought Lenin to power a "pivotal moment" in history. He did so, however, in a manner that glossed over just why that was the case. It should never be forgotten that more than 100 million people around the world – and that’s a conservative estimate – died as a result of what that one event put into play.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2014/02/11/nbcs-olympic-whitewashing-of-the-soviet-union-and-communism?utm_content=buffer9c53f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer">Read more </a></b>....<br /><b><br />My Comment:</b> I am lucky to be living in Canada .... the CBC's coverage has been excellent. I do have NBC on my cable .... and while I did watch it on the first day .... I gave up on it's coverage after two hours.<br /><br /><b>Update 10:10 EST</b>: Case in point .... because the U.S. - Russian hockey game ended into a tie, they went into an incredible shoot out. After 8 attempts .... the U.S. won. CBC carried it live .... NBC .... they had a kids program on.

media olympics NBC's Coverage Of The 2014 Sochi Olympics Has Been Terrible

Whitewashing The Reds -- US News and World Report NBC should be ashamed of the way it's covering up Soviet horrors. Is there some kind o...

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DARPA Unveils A New Version Of Unmanned Drones

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLyDG2gHKWEk8vtSPtQ6ssn76xKkZuJuUmLBj99tESpA5Q31QVSLU0dsAzMpwZc-0gHtftS0NFJTTR-_QPMN5xG5BMENIq97cWc1vkPpQGaRQzvRP8VJJ7-MwqYjQJ3BXAP3hiyWOB60Q/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLyDG2gHKWEk8vtSPtQ6ssn76xKkZuJuUmLBj99tESpA5Q31QVSLU0dsAzMpwZc-0gHtftS0NFJTTR-_QPMN5xG5BMENIq97cWc1vkPpQGaRQzvRP8VJJ7-MwqYjQJ3BXAP3hiyWOB60Q/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Changing shapes: Like other drones, the vehicles can serve as unmanned flying machines but these new devices can also be used in a number of different forms</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The 'Transformer' Drones Set To Hit The Front Lines: New Shape-Shifting Military Drone That Can Change Into Different Vehicles Unveiled By Defense Department -- Daily Mail</b></span></div><br />* A new drone is being built that will be able to 'shift-shapes'<br />* DARPA is spearheading the project along with private firm Lockheed Martin<br />* Will be able to fly unmanned, pick up soldiers, drop off cargo and collect intelligence all in the same vehicle<br /><br />A series of transformers-style drones that can can be used to carry cargo or even evacuate troops were unveiled by the Defense Department today.<br /><br />The new concept images revealed on Tuesday show that the modular flying drones could adapt depending on the particular mission.<br /><br />Like other drones, the vehicles can serve as unmanned flying machines but these new devices can also be used in a number of different instances as well.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558841/New-Transformer-military-drone-able-change-different-vehicles-mid-mission-help-avoid-roadside-bomb-casualties.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1113070689/unmanned-war-drones-darpa-troops-021314/">DARPA Unveils Unmanned Drones To Assist War Zone Troops</a> -- Red Orbit<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: I know that drones will be important in future military operations .... but will these make the cut? Only time will tell.

DARPA Unveils A New Version Of Unmanned Drones

Changing shapes: Like other drones, the vehicles can serve as unmanned flying machines but these new devices can also be used in a number of...

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Syria's Death Toll Now Exceeds 140,000

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqidXe0fJ_i0wnurgvlCZNU863VPyFyK4RlnamAVWuR5VEu6W3_bmZ6ybcktJBKeH4yttE6jkZfMAXm_HATqZD14t6wNeYKSZGL2KNMIaVjVUURL0Fb0d8CHV6mi-PWnZAR-ZmNc4j2mmj/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqidXe0fJ_i0wnurgvlCZNU863VPyFyK4RlnamAVWuR5VEu6W3_bmZ6ybcktJBKeH4yttE6jkZfMAXm_HATqZD14t6wNeYKSZGL2KNMIaVjVUURL0Fb0d8CHV6mi-PWnZAR-ZmNc4j2mmj/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Free Syrian Army fighters and civilians look at the sky as they stand past damaged buildings in Deir al-Zor, eastern Syria February 14, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Khalil Ashawi</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Syria's Death Toll Now Exceeds 140,000: Activist Group -- Reuters</b></span></div><br />(Reuters) - More than 140,000 people, over 7,000 of them children, have been killed in Syria's uprising-turned-civil war, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.<br /><br />The pro-opposition Observatory said the period since the "Geneva 2" peace talks for Syria began last month had been the bloodiest of the nearly three-year conflict.<br /><br />The death toll is now at 140,041, according to the Observatory, which is based in Britain but has a network of activists across the country. Among the dead were 7,626 children and 5,064 women.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/15/us-syria-crisis-toll-idUSBREA1E0HS20140215">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update #1</b>: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/car-bomb-mosque-syria-kills-dozens-22528050">Syrian Activist Group Says 140,000 Killed So Far</a> -- AP<br /><b>Update #2: </b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10640755/Syria-peace-talks-break-down-as-death-toll-passes-140000.html">Syria peace talks break down as death toll passes 140000</a> -- The Telegraph<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: And the slaughter is only increasing with no signs that the civil war is about to end.

Syria's Death Toll Now Exceeds 140,000

Free Syrian Army fighters and civilians look at the sky as they stand past damaged buildings in Deir al-Zor, eastern Syria February 14, 2014...

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Saudi Arabia Will Now Supply The Syrian Rebels With Anti-Aircraft Missiles

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh663X59vVsv5gu521tv9LoRJ0SrkDiyuSo38L2ZvBan_EMdGY-B_hqyPqNAVWAnhFCi_7MittD7xjvJqvKRa0R9TUgkSeSZhO09dojVJTmiaZukVe9JDdPqO02mPfH96118qo31-zFOuL_/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh663X59vVsv5gu521tv9LoRJ0SrkDiyuSo38L2ZvBan_EMdGY-B_hqyPqNAVWAnhFCi_7MittD7xjvJqvKRa0R9TUgkSeSZhO09dojVJTmiaZukVe9JDdPqO02mPfH96118qo31-zFOuL_/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image from <a href="http://rt.com/news/saudis-new-weapons-syria-124/">brown-moses.blogspot.ru</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saudis Agree to Provide Syrian Rebels With Mobile Antiaircraft Missiles -- Wall Street <span style="color: #0000ee;">J</span>ournal</b></span></div><br /><i>U.S. Also Giving Fighters Millions of Dollars for Salaries</i><br /><br />AMMAN, Jordan—Washington's Arab allies, disappointed with Syria peace talks, have agreed to provide rebels there with more sophisticated weaponry, including shoulder-fired missiles that can take down jets, according to Western and Arab diplomats and opposition figures.<br /><br />Saudi Arabia has offered to give the opposition for the first time Chinese man-portable air defense systems, or Manpads, and antitank guided missiles from Russia, according to an Arab diplomat and several opposition figures with knowledge of the efforts. Saudi officials couldn't be reached to comment.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304703804579382974196840680">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://rt.com/news/saudis-new-weapons-syria-124/">Saudi Arabia to supply Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles – report</a> -- RT<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft missiles are a game changer for the Syrian rebels .... the question that needs to be asked is how many of these missiles will the rebels receive .... and will this number make a difference. On a more worrisome note .... the fears of these missiles be used by extremist groups against the West (in shooting down airlines) will also need to be addresses.

Saudi Arabia Will Now Supply The Syrian Rebels With Anti-Aircraft Missiles

Image from brown-moses.blogspot.ru Saudis Agree to Provide Syrian Rebels With Mobile Antiaircraft Missiles -- Wall Street J ournal U.S. Also...

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Oshie Can You See the IWS Person of the Week!?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">The IWS Person(s) of the Week is TEAM USA HOCKEY! In case you missed it, and if you did shame on you, USA defeated Russia yesterday in a thrilling shootout! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The big hero of the day, the guy putting the biscuit in the basket during the shootout was T.J. Oshie! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVh2tiUR0MVM8CD54c0BYESmFC39JS_z3ggGi34g60Y0RNnEeSo0PNq9ryuj435yRI5Ujdyt5Zd-Pck_K_gtFbT7F3_L5SggiB-scfbH86ujIXjF1OTQnLPrBR-Reesln6cEKmv_Ozjj_/s1600/TJ+Oshie+USA+Russia+Olympics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVh2tiUR0MVM8CD54c0BYESmFC39JS_z3ggGi34g60Y0RNnEeSo0PNq9ryuj435yRI5Ujdyt5Zd-Pck_K_gtFbT7F3_L5SggiB-scfbH86ujIXjF1OTQnLPrBR-Reesln6cEKmv_Ozjj_/s1600/TJ+Oshie+USA+Russia+Olympics.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">T.J. is a fine example of what American Exceptionalism is all about! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXnU9V36p5o6g6cxwykBrQqRBUh4hdgeRlkmFSWLphoRBe-mfrp49y7UTmYvpH5ExwDddWZjsf046nX2pOkCCzvFs2YbLF2XCr_iZeg2E8TfXKWjPLz2y2WVyvizyYSNqwBX8xrKA1N6W/s1600/TJ+Oshie+Hot+Sexy+Hockey+Player.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXnU9V36p5o6g6cxwykBrQqRBUh4hdgeRlkmFSWLphoRBe-mfrp49y7UTmYvpH5ExwDddWZjsf046nX2pOkCCzvFs2YbLF2XCr_iZeg2E8TfXKWjPLz2y2WVyvizyYSNqwBX8xrKA1N6W/s1600/TJ+Oshie+Hot+Sexy+Hockey+Player.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">And while T.J. was doing the scoring, Jonathan Quick was standing tall between the pipes stoning the Russians! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBzN1UdUA7WTFRmhIo_b4VK6fVYcURGGIs4GMQU226c9F2g8k0_ldBo3Sl4ijdz2ZDCvSifwKGVXYlptO4dN-2a1H0SYAaUVZswO56oNwBpiLHfmhpLcbJ5ZwCI0zOzBpJriK6EKjjy8X/s1600/Jonathan+Quick+Team+USA+Olympics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBzN1UdUA7WTFRmhIo_b4VK6fVYcURGGIs4GMQU226c9F2g8k0_ldBo3Sl4ijdz2ZDCvSifwKGVXYlptO4dN-2a1H0SYAaUVZswO56oNwBpiLHfmhpLcbJ5ZwCI0zOzBpJriK6EKjjy8X/s1600/Jonathan+Quick+Team+USA+Olympics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another All-American man! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUU6rxmbpw7mBLd3AYCO6JTGszRIyefbTRgeiY4sntpicbhEJr7ODqUEagROm6VQ1rrSZCds-g4RvD7v6sj9ziHhBVafCDYVYvTyPo6S4JyX8BBcGmJV6VchwVQXEFHFmx3gcgiNnnf3tS/s1600/Jonathan+Quick+Hot+Sexy+Hockey+Team+USA+Sochi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUU6rxmbpw7mBLd3AYCO6JTGszRIyefbTRgeiY4sntpicbhEJr7ODqUEagROm6VQ1rrSZCds-g4RvD7v6sj9ziHhBVafCDYVYvTyPo6S4JyX8BBcGmJV6VchwVQXEFHFmx3gcgiNnnf3tS/s1600/Jonathan+Quick+Hot+Sexy+Hockey+Team+USA+Sochi.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand don’t for get to get updated on all the news, weather and sports by Matt-Man, Jayman and the whole gang at <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2014/02/17/a-potpourri-extravaganza-of-news-weather-and-sports" target="_blank">IWSRadio Sunday night at 8 pm ET</a>!!!! <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div></div>

Oshie Can You See the IWS Person of the Week!?

The IWS Person(s) of the Week is TEAM USA HOCKEY! In case you missed it, and if you did shame on you, USA defeated Russia yesterday in a thr...

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The Stock Market: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaPzGftQlsAsh03u8ACsFoDhAIXiJXGYb7j8mG_NwX4NgNNOHZdK_cZHJl-TP_DasOfERbmCueX9ObcHV-e1N81OTZ92jMg_M0zW81_0C0F8cRJEm_8fLsWbgrXXtyaJp_gXruIoKcvo/s1600/What+Could+Possibly+Go+Wrong.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaPzGftQlsAsh03u8ACsFoDhAIXiJXGYb7j8mG_NwX4NgNNOHZdK_cZHJl-TP_DasOfERbmCueX9ObcHV-e1N81OTZ92jMg_M0zW81_0C0F8cRJEm_8fLsWbgrXXtyaJp_gXruIoKcvo/s320/What+Could+Possibly+Go+Wrong.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />The line in black shows real net corporate dividends.<br /><br />The line in blue shows the real trade deficit (same scale).<br /><br />The red line shows the exponential trend in real dividends from 1947:Q1 to 1987:Q1. Note the exponential trend failure (to the upside).<br /><br />Will real dividends stay permanently elevated? Will profit margins stay permanently elevated? Can we be assured that the worst is behind us? Can we expect future growth in real dividends to match the growth we've seen since the early 1990s? I wouldn't answer a resounding yes to any of those questions. Call me skeptical, to put it mildly. Instead, I would ask the following question.<br /><br /><div style="color: red;">Will we someday, using the power of hindsight, discover that our massive trade deficit was not the permanent free lunch that it was advertised to be?</div><br />Put another way, it really helped the corporate bottom line to transition from "Made in USA" to "Made in ____." <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_speech">Mission accomplished.</a> Now what? Persistently high oil prices (financial meltdowns notwithstanding)? Persistently stagnant wage growth? Persistently high unemployment? Increased rate of US (and/or global) financial meltdowns? In and out of ZIRP from here on out (if ever out)? Even more <a href="http://youtu.be/Rkgx1C_S6ls">giant sucking sounds</a>?<br /><br /><b>February 13, 2014</b><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/13/us-china-auto-sales-idUSBREA1C0DR20140213">China auto market growth slows sharply in January</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>Lines of cars are pictured during a rush hour traffic jam on Guomao Bridge in Beijing July 11, 2013.</i></div><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>CAAM last month said the auto market would likely grow 8-10 percent in 2014, echoing views from industry experts and analysts that 2014 would be another strong year for China's auto market.</i></div><br />Other than corporate executives wishing to boost the value of their net worth and retire before the @#$% really hit(s) the fan, did anyone in power really think this through?<br /><br />The Chinese drive more. We drive less out of necessity (as seen in <a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=s9I">annual vehicle miles traveled per capita</a> that fell apart during the Great Recession and has yet to make any sort of recovery). That's our plan for a more prosperous America? Seriously?<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=s9z">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

The Stock Market: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Click to enlarge. The line in black shows real net corporate dividends. The line in blue shows the real trade deficit (same scale). The red ...

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Beyonce Drunk in Love Remix feat Kanye West

<div class="storyAbstract" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span class="byline" style="float: left; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; margin: 4px 4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="video-player-video-description clearfix" itemprop="description" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yXkb4SL37AVHdagpXijGJjf9R-4I8NVNPZvJwvjzG6NZWNLfcWI-aFcPnkNacjX5UfaeDXCh_276FPFGny5ZZbACVmiVpcxJX9X3w7NsqgdNkMaUEPeIMIoowSCN_EH6xD1oAdO73sc/s1600/beyonce-kanye-021414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yXkb4SL37AVHdagpXijGJjf9R-4I8NVNPZvJwvjzG6NZWNLfcWI-aFcPnkNacjX5UfaeDXCh_276FPFGny5ZZbACVmiVpcxJX9X3w7NsqgdNkMaUEPeIMIoowSCN_EH6xD1oAdO73sc/s1600/beyonce-kanye-021414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Following in the steps of <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/drunk-in-love-20140207" style="color: #003366; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Future</a> and Angel Haze, Kanye West put out a remix of Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love" on Friday. And in a fittingly romantic gesture for its Valentine's Day release, West put an even raunchier spin on the already-adult-themed song, adding a new verse apparently dedicated to Kim Kardashian. Praising his fiancée's status as a MILF as well as her earning power, West makes references to his "Bound 2" video ("If you ain't on site, then you on Skype,/ I put you on that bike, you Bound, girl") and offers a positive assessment of his lady's anatomy.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Beyoncé teased a new video for Kanye's version on her YouTube channel Saturday, featuring herself in sexy rancher dress, highlighting Kanye's line, "You reverse that cowgirl/ you reverse you reverse/ and I impregnated your mouth, girl /that's when I knew you could be my spouse, girl."</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">The remix, with production by Mike Dean, premiered on Hot 97 host Angie Martinez's <a href="http://www.angiereview.com/exclusive-beyonce-drunk-in-love-remix-feat-kanye-west-audio/#.Uv_q7UKwIbw" style="color: #003366; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Angie Review site</a>. </div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"></div><div class="video-player-video-description clearfix" itemprop="description" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0rr-tnO6EA?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe><br /><div class="storyAbstract" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="byline" style="float: left; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; margin: 4px 4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">By</span><br /><div class="video-player-author" style="float: left; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; margin: 4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/contributor/miriam-coleman" rel="author" style="color: black; float: left; margin: 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">MIRIAM COLEMAN</a></div></div></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span>

Music Beyonce Drunk in Love Remix feat Kanye West

Following in the steps of  Future  and Angel Haze, Kanye West put out a remix of Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love" on Friday. And in a...

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Day 8: Oshie Oshie Oshie! Oi Oi Oi!

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was tired last night. Yesterday I had woken up at 4:30am Mountain Time due to a flight that I was taking at 6:45. I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">could</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have watched some live, events, but since I got up later, all I had time to do was get ready and go. </span></span></div><b id="docs-internal-guid-741d31a4-38ee-4d70-4fc0-77915c96e472" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I allowed myself to know all the results, and as my brother was reading off the scores later in the day, I almost didn’t believe him. Kazakhstan wins bronze in figure skating? Belarus wins </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">three</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> medals? I had to check it myself before I could know it was true. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">It seems like I didn’t miss that much yesterday, besides Noelle Pikus-Pace taking silver in women’s skeleton. I watched a bit of figure skating as we ate at an Applebee’s, and that wasn’t very impressive to watch. Even Jason Brown faltered a bit with his Riverdance routine, which was sad, but he’s got a few years to gain confidence. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Anyway, because I’d woken up so early, I was very tired by the time I went to bed, so I didn’t set my alarm. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">My alarm ended up being my sister, who texted me. “I know you’re not big on hockey, but this USA Russia game is really exciting!”</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">She understood (and read) that I’m not a huge fan of the round-robin hockey matches, and won’t just turn one on for the heck of it. I had been thinking of waking up for the game, but was exhausted from my day. I’m very glad she texted me, because it alerted me that the game was pretty good. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">I tuned in right in time for Russia to score its third goal, which eventually was disallowed because the net had been knocked out its hole (I was really confused for a bit there). In the NHL that would have still been in goal, but in international play that could not stand. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">The shootout was very exciting, mostly because it never ended! I’m usually okay with shootouts, because in the NHL five shots are usually enough. In Olympic play there’s only three, and when the score stayed tied at 1 goal, it was clear it would need a few more rounds. In the end, it was 8!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T.J Oshie was a name I had never heard until today. Apparently he plays for the St. Louis Blues and has been in the NHL for five seasons. Now that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everyone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> knows his name - not just NHL fans - I think I’ll be hearing his name quite a lot. Especially because it rhymes with “Sochi.”</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">I’m glad the US won - it was weird to root against Pavel Datsyuk (Team Russia’s captain! He must speak up more since he can speak in his native tongue), but the win will really help. Although I do not like their uniforms - I think the shield is nice, but it’s too small on the jersey. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, Jonathan Quick’s helmet is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">awesome</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Take a close look at that thing sometime. He did a great job in the shootout, even without the awesome helmet.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mini Blurbs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today Meredith Viera is reporting from…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Minnesota! (I’m there right now - it looks like a giant sheet of ice.)</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s roundup</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: men’s hockey, men’s skeleton, men’s ski jumping, women’s cross-country, women’s short track, women’s alpine skiing, </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greek sighting</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I saw my first Greek athlete competing today. Alex Kefalas ended up 23rd didn’t make it to the final round, but he still competed! </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Czech balance</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Two Czech ski jumpers ended up 18th and 19th, which is pretty good considering two other Czech ski jumpers ended up 27th and 28th. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather issues</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Because of the weather, the rounds in ski jumping were a bit wonky, because the wind and weather forced the cancellation of the trial round. I was really pulling for 41-year-old Noriaki Kasai, a seven-time Olympian, to win gold! However, he did get silver, which is quite a feat for a guy competing against men half his age. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Off the tracks</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Something I had never seen before happened in men’s skeleton today. It was evident after the third heats that the US would only come away with one medal, since the first- and second-place sliders were ahead by 1 ½ seconds (eons in sliding time). The third- and fourth-place men after the third round was Matthew Antoine and John Daly, and one of them was going to win bronze. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Daly went first in the fourth-round run, and as he was running down the grooved track with his sled, the sled actually jumped the grooved track right before he jumped on. Because he didn’t get it back on the track, his first ten seconds were atrocious. He slid to the left, swerved up to the right, and banged up against the track. He started in 4th and ended up in 15th.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An exciting finish</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I watched the last two racers in the 4x5km relay of cross-country. Germany and Finland were neck-and-neck, and throughout the third leg Sweden was falling a bit behind. It really looked like a two-man finish. But at the end of the fourth leg, suddenly Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla made a mad dash for the finish, streaking past Germany and Finland and taking the gold.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paper doll</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: As Swiss skier Laura Gut was heading down the super-G track in skiing, her skis started to skid near the bottom, where the snow was very soft. Christin Cooper, NBC’s skiing analyst, pointed out a time where Gut needed to position herself above her outside ski. To demonstrate this, NBC’s graphics department took Gut’s upper body and tilted it upward, as if they’d taken a paper doll, cut it at the waist and shifted Gut’s body upwards. My brother and I laughed at this, and even Dan Hicks, the announcer, exclaimed, “Where did you get </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> graphic?”</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was it really the suits?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> US Speedskating spent a lot of time at the beginning of the Olympics touting their “new” racing suits - with a hip, new </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">diagonal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> zipper ,vents in the back, and a wing pattern showing the US flying down the track. They were the next big thing in speedskating and were going to provide the US with ample medal chances. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Well, a few days later in one of the women’s finals NBC showed that a patch had been sewed over that vent in the back to try and help the women go faster. The women weren’t close. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Today, the men ditched the new wing-suits completely and went with the suits they’d been using in other events, claiming that they would help their chances, and the wing-suits were slowing them down. Brian Hansen got seventh and Shani Davis ended up in 11th. Was it really the suits, guys? Maybe you’re just not good.</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one said</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Apparently no one told the short track speedskaters that the 1000m final was on Primetime tonight - both Americans crashed early on. Good thing Apolo is still commentating - I and others probably would watch just to listen to him!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">Who woulda thought - a Dutch medal in short track?!</span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brother commentary</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: My brother would like to mention that he really likes the pictograms that NBC has been using behind the anchors. </span></span></div><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white;">That’s it for tonight! Hopefully tomorrow will yield more medals for the US. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiCfxYbrKhGGFfL_kLF-fqzH1Uhzf7wzhKs2Z8Ziq37iKC6VB_sN_tsTiOuoM4bWt8uUoHtupDDVn6sVYbyhwoAR3Iz9FkWY4YsHGAVEibGcCWTkSKnDqSrqLkw8eMKBuUfrfJk-DkK8/s1600/olympic_rings_568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiCfxYbrKhGGFfL_kLF-fqzH1Uhzf7wzhKs2Z8Ziq37iKC6VB_sN_tsTiOuoM4bWt8uUoHtupDDVn6sVYbyhwoAR3Iz9FkWY4YsHGAVEibGcCWTkSKnDqSrqLkw8eMKBuUfrfJk-DkK8/s1600/olympic_rings_568.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>

Day 8: Oshie Oshie Oshie! Oi Oi Oi!

I was tired last night. Yesterday I had woken up at 4:30am Mountain Time due to a flight that I was taking at 6:45. I could have watched so...

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North Dakota and Bakken OIL BOOM continues

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>North Dakota Pumps Record Oil</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1GcDHnRQ5apSSa5AbajlMfxBp-9uw7Ywzp_r9Tf58XugjAi_Ogkd1yLfmbLlWuvu1woquFCtPC_GQg-Hr5GBHkpagEemwoGtBLS4lpNKmWY-XoCzMOWWlWtFEWQ3-x-ify1HZq_cKak/s1600/OILpumpNORTHdakotaPIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1GcDHnRQ5apSSa5AbajlMfxBp-9uw7Ywzp_r9Tf58XugjAi_Ogkd1yLfmbLlWuvu1woquFCtPC_GQg-Hr5GBHkpagEemwoGtBLS4lpNKmWY-XoCzMOWWlWtFEWQ3-x-ify1HZq_cKak/s1600/OILpumpNORTHdakotaPIC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bakken Oil Region is booming</b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nd-pumps-record-313-5m-194645643.html" style="color: red;">http://news.yahoo.com/nd-pumps-record-313-5m-194645643.html</a></b><br /><br /><b>...developing...</b></div>

North Dakota and Bakken OIL BOOM continues

North Dakota Pumps Record Oil The Bakken Oil Region is booming http://news.yahoo.com/nd-pumps-record-313-5m-194645643.html ...developing...

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PREPARE FOR FINANCIAL TROUBLE COMING SOON

<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">How to buy and store GOLD and SILVER</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXfl_Ga9g7GwCjalpbnCqxBsedmBxckWLUs6LJK6guFg6ACcVOlxU12vR6zFH5pkPzkO-vt2v27dzneRWKHNnYvMGS4iNnLcCiqQGylDzJ_8tv1RgWv-qWPwqKhbh9VvU9idsk0v_V6k/s1600/GOLDEagleCOINS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXfl_Ga9g7GwCjalpbnCqxBsedmBxckWLUs6LJK6guFg6ACcVOlxU12vR6zFH5pkPzkO-vt2v27dzneRWKHNnYvMGS4iNnLcCiqQGylDzJ_8tv1RgWv-qWPwqKhbh9VvU9idsk0v_V6k/s1600/GOLDEagleCOINS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-nyIBbq0FIG6JI1RQub23qsbYtsvj9bKRXbnKXSk8tMRIQ9Ug6BOPlc_OM4Z0ANk5R9tBB4LI7PgdAa4CqqGRsCp5hnk4iHYAutLvRM7Ok5Iu8VXEHFGT3R1pUrcrTz3hlr3BkJRg-E/s1600/SILVERcoins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-nyIBbq0FIG6JI1RQub23qsbYtsvj9bKRXbnKXSk8tMRIQ9Ug6BOPlc_OM4Z0ANk5R9tBB4LI7PgdAa4CqqGRsCp5hnk4iHYAutLvRM7Ok5Iu8VXEHFGT3R1pUrcrTz3hlr3BkJRg-E/s1600/SILVERcoins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Andy Hoffman a former Wall Street Trader and Financial Analyst explains the rising concerns of financial problems ahead and what people should be doing to protect their financial solvency:</b><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SPWnavMOFk4?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>...developing...</b></div>

PREPARE FOR FINANCIAL TROUBLE COMING SOON

How to buy and store GOLD and SILVER Andy Hoffman a former Wall Street Trader and Financial Analyst explains the rising concerns of financia...

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$5 GAS COMING

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>YOU TUBE energy analyst expects $5 GAS</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaCXPg1M66AdYrZMOWTI3oY7fPq5DFTliAIFjVWLWKTH3QnoC0TslmRjJdEUSNSKoPbKmsu3xU0ycgVvfR10CVjtS3PQLuNncygCF9iL15Sci_j86-sF1NyQOblsyHTJxUTqkZ2x2JkI/s1600/fuel+nozzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaCXPg1M66AdYrZMOWTI3oY7fPq5DFTliAIFjVWLWKTH3QnoC0TslmRjJdEUSNSKoPbKmsu3xU0ycgVvfR10CVjtS3PQLuNncygCF9iL15Sci_j86-sF1NyQOblsyHTJxUTqkZ2x2JkI/s1600/fuel+nozzle.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b>Hey Cat Man:  You said the BAKKEN OIL REGION is drying up?  You're crazy because the reports out of there are to the contrary.  Where do you get your information from? Putin the Cat?</b><br /><b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nd-pumps-record-313-5m-194645643.html" style="color: red;">http://news.yahoo.com/nd-pumps-record-313-5m-194645643.html</a></b><br /><br /><b>Go back to ACCOUNTING because you seem to have some sort of belief that you're some great one on the inside of matters of energy and the economy but you don't have any means of backing up your statements other than you said so.</b><br /><br /><b>This guy needs to learn how to read the news:</b><br /><b><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2014/02/north-dakota-and-bakken-oil-boom.html" style="color: red;">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2014/02/north-dakota-and-bakken-oil-boom.html</a> </b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0kdyHxNTjpk?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />

$5 GAS COMING

YOU TUBE energy analyst expects $5 GAS Hey Cat Man:  You said the BAKKEN OIL REGION is drying up?  You're crazy because the reports out ...

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