New Regional Command Stands Up in Afghanistan
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeKABUL, Afghanistan, June 14, 2010 A new regional command took charge of international forces in southwestern Afghanistan today, military officials said. The new Regional Command Southwest provides improved oversight of International Security Assistance Force troops operating in Helmand and Nimroz provinces. With the majority of ISAF forces based in southern Afghanistan, officials said, the new headquarters permits commanders in the south to focus on geographically smaller areas, ensure greater partnering between the Afghan forces and ISAF, and deliver the levels of security required for governance and development to continue to spread in the region. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard...
Running on empty: Bay Area transit in crisis
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeAfter enduring the most brutal year in the history of Bay Area public transit, train and bus operators are barreling down a track toward bankruptcy. The near-inevitable result will be costlier and longer commutes for all, whether they ride or drive. From BART to Caltrain to the Valley Transportation Authority, every Bay Area transit agency has increased fares and reduced train and bus service to plug deep budget holes. But the changes have produced fewer riders and even less revenue leading some to worry that the transit system has entered a death spiral. Already, more than a million riders...
Waiting for a Fast Train
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeTwo hundred years ago, New York state and city leaped ahead of the rest of the country economically with the construction of a publicly financed, inter-city transportation project called the Erie Canal. Today, the city and state are part of a megaregion called the Northeast, which competes with other megaregions in this country and the world. Is there an inter-city transportation project that would allow the Northeast today to gain advantage the way New York State did in 1817? High-speed rail may be that project. If trains zipped between Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington at average speeds...
(Regional) Economic reports point to bumpy recovery
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeNEW YORK (Reuters) Regional economic reports on Monday suggested the U.S. economy has clambered back to levels associated with the end of recession, but recovery will be patchy and may prove fleeting. Economic activity and manufacturing data for the U.S. Mid West and Texas hinted the impact of the global financial crisis is slowly abating as the economy emerges from the longest recession in 70 years. However, an index of national economic activity slipped on a monthly basis and a Texas manufacturing output index fell. ... The indices preceded gross domestic product results on Thursday, the broadest measure of...
Call to action: Possible Action Items for Regional FReeper Conventions
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeJust throwing out a handful of ideas for discussion: How to develop local chapters/conservative grassroots groups. Develop a conservative platform and a plan for recruiting, training, supporting and electing conservative candidates. Develop ideas for building an effective nationwide conservative grassroots network. How to combat the Fairness Doctrine? Install offshore servers? Private BBS? Email/Phone/Fax lists? Shortwave radio? Local/personal networking? Working with other conservative groups, political parties? Would a FReeper PAC be feasible? Practical? Effective? Would a FReeper 527 organization be feasible? Practical? Effective? How to infiltrate/influence local political organizations? Select and fund delegates for a national convention should our membership decide...
Higher loan losses hit US regional banks
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeHigher loan losses weighed on quarterly results at a clutch of US regional banks on Tuesday amid continued consumer weakness and turbulence in financial markets. Ohios largest banks all suffered losses. National City said it planned to cut about 4,000 jobs, or 14 per cent of its workforce, over the next three years after the bank posted a net loss of $729m, or 85 cents a share. Fifth Third reported a quarterly loss of $56m, or 61 cents per share, and KeyCorp lost $36m, or 10 cents per share. Profits fell at US Bancorp, which operates in the western two-thirds...
Afghanistan Must Be Viewed Through Regional Prism, General Says
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeWASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2008 NATOs top military commander in Afghanistan said today he is cautiously optimistic regarding recent Pakistani military efforts to rein in insurgent activity in areas near the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani leadership now appears to be acting against terrorist sanctuaries located in the countrys remote federally administered tribal area, Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATOs International Security Assistance Force, told Pentagon reporters. Pakistani leaders may recognize that those militant bases pose an existential threat to Pakistans future, McKiernan said. I am encouraged by the military actions that the Pakistani army and frontier corps...
Poll: 63% Of Americans Support Israeli Strike In Iran
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeWASHINGTON - Some 63% of Americans supports a preemptive Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, should the international community's diplomatic efforts to curb its nuclear development fail, a recent poll held by the Israel Project revealed Thursday. The survey indicated a growing concern in the US of the possibility that Iran would be able to possess actual nuclear capabilities: About 87% of those polled said a nuclear Iran will pose a threat to the US and 96% believe it would be of imminent threat to Israel. Furthermore, 90% said that should Iran possess nuclear weapons it may sell them, or...
Talkin' Country....an' Stuff
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeMr. Meangenes showed up this morning,appropriated my cereal,and showed off his "country" accent....an' stuff.
Regional Nuclear War Could Trigger Mass Starvation
Posted by admin / Under Regional costumeRegional nuclear war could trigger mass starvation 13:17 03 October 2007 NewScientist.com news service Rob Edwards A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could cause one billion people to starve to death around the world, and hundreds of millions more to die from disease and conflicts over food. That is the horrifying scenario being presented in London today by a US medical expert, Ira Helfand. A conference at the Royal Society of Medicine will also hear new evidence of the severe damage that such a war could inflict on the ozone layer. "A limited nuclear war taking place far away...



