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POPSSir Richard Branson: the airline owner on his new war What a w*nker! If he was serious, he would sell his airlines and invest in cool trans-Atlantic liners, as I tried to suggest to him in the early 90s. He could still make a lot of money, even now, if he moved fast, with his undisputed ability to market and self-promote.
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POPSObama Has Won The 100 Metres at The 2012 London Olympics
Thus, with President Wilson alone, the Nobel Peace Prize death toll is over 50 million and counting. Occasionally the peace prize has gone to actual peace negotiators but usually, per Teddy Roosevelt, when there was nothing left to negotiate. Carlos Saavedra Lamas got his in 1936 for mediating between Bolivia and Paraguay in the Chaco War (1932-35). Both nations were exhausted, 100,000 soldiers were dead, and the Chaco was--as it had been and remains--a vast, useless weed patch. Likewise, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan (1976) and John Hume and David Trimble (1998)--the four of them were standing around when, after 500 years, the fool residents of my ancestral homeland ran out of ammo and beer. Of course, if you go around giving prizes left and right (mostly left) for more than a century, you're bound to give some to worthy people once in a while. With the Nobel committee this usually involves the Red Cross (1901, 1917, 1944, 1963). But the Red Cross doesn't bring peace . . .
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POPSTobacco Underground
At a time when nations are increasingly trying to crack down on smoking, smugglers put cheap cigarettes into the hands of those most vulnerable — young people and the poor. In addition, the trade is pushing the supply steadily into the black market, selling cut-rate cigarettes of often dubious quality. Of special concern is the advent of a massive counterfeiting industry. Once a minor problem, today underground factories in China, Paraguay, and Eastern Europe manufacture literally billions of fake cigarettes — Marlboros, Camels, 555s, Mild Sevens — an uncontrolled industry that law enforcement is only beginning to grapple with. Many of the smokes are made from the lowest quality tobacco, full of stem and sawdust, and spiked with unusually high levels of nicotine. Other packs contain far worse. Tests reveal that counterfeit cigarettes carry a bevy of products that could further shorten even a heavy smoker’s life: metals such as cadmium, pesticides, arsenic, rat poison, and human feces.
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POPSLebensqualität laut UN-Studie - und in Wirklichkeit
In Ländern mit hohen Rüstungsausgaben, hohen Krankheitskosten, hoher Produktion und Konsum lebt es sich angeblich am besten. Die Schweinegrippe-Zwangsimpfung führt demnach zu einem Spitzenplatz in der Lebensqualität. So werden wir von der Politik hinters Licht geführt, belogen und betrogen. Da kann natürlich Paraguay nicht mithalten. Da wird nicht viel hergestellt. Was man jedoch nur hier im Land entdecken kann: Die tatsächliche Lebensqualität in Paraguay ist höher als in Deutschland. Paraguay bietet in den für mich und meinen deutschen Freunden hier in wichtigen Punkten wesentlich mehr. Sie finden hier z.B. eine Qualität und Vielfalt bei Lebensmitteln, Früchten, Obst, Gemüse, und vor allem bei Rindfleisch vor, davon kann man in Deutschland nur träumen. Bauen können Sie hier, wie es Ihnen gefällt. Es gibt keine Bauordnung, keine Behördengängelei. Sie kaufen billig ein Grundstück und bebauen es nach Ihrem Geschmack und Geldbeutel. Steuern sind hier min
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POPSParaguay hat das Ticket nach Südafrika gelöst - und wie! Der Arbeitsplatz des sich selbst überschätzenden Diego Armando Maradona ist gefährdet. Momentan steht er mit seiner desolaten Millionärstruppe gerade noch auf dem 5. Platz, der zu einem Ausscheidungsspiel berechtigt. Selbst wenn jetzt ein Heimsieg gegen Peru wieder 3 Punkte bringt, findet wahrscheinlich das Endspiel in Uruguay statt. Vereinfacht gesagt: Gewinnt Uruguay die letzten beiden Spiele, ist Argentinien draußen. Die Tabelle (2 Spieltage vor Schluss): 1. Brasil 33 2. Paraguay 30 3. Chile 27 4. Ecuador 23 5. Argentina 22 6. Uruguay 21 7. Venezuela 21 8. Colombia 20 9. Bolivia 12 10. Perú 10 Selbst Kolumbien hat noch Chancen auf den 4. Platz, der direkt nach Südafrika führt. Auf den 5. allemal, der zum Ausscheidungsspiel gegen den Sieger der Ozeaniengruppe berechtigt. Dieses hatte übrigens Uruguay gegen Australien vor der letzten WM verloren.
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POPSMedtronic Recalls Insulin Infusion Sets Medtronic asks customers to return the affected infusion sets to the company, and will provide replacement Quick-set infusion sets at no additional charge. Medtronic is mailing packages via UPS to all customers affected by the recall in stages. Medtronic says the "Lot 8" Quick-set infusion sets were distributed in the U.S. and "very limited quantities" were also sent to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Kuwait, Mexico, Paraguay, Turkey, and the U.K.. For more information on the recall, visit Medtronic's web site or call Medtronic's information line anytime at 800-345-8139.
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POPSOusted leader heads for Honduras Crisis TimeLine: President Zelaya planned non-binding public consultation on constitutional change Critics say he wanted to stay in power 28 June: Troops seize and expel Zelaya; parliamentary speaker becomes interim leader 29 June: US President Obama condemns the overthrow as illegal 4 July: Organization of American States suspends Honduras in protest at overthrow
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POPSApril 15? Pay your dues, appreciate the benefits, and stop whining It's time to start pushing back against the bogus "tax reform" arguments. If you live in society you benefit from society, and you should pay your dues. More: In hunting and foraging cultures, the proportional tax rate is so high, said Dr. Bowles, that “even the Swedes would be impressed.” Take the case of the Ache tribe of Paraguay. Hunters bring their bounty back to a common pot. “The majority of calories are redistributed,” he said. “It ends up being something like a 60 percent income tax.” Pastoral and herding societies tend to be less egalitarian than foraging cultures, and yet, here, too, taxing is often used to help rectify extreme inequities. When a rich cattle farmer dies among the Tandroy of southern Madagascar, Dr. Bowles said, “The rich person’s stock is killed and eaten by everyone,” often down to the last head of cattle. “That’s a 100 percent inheritance tax.”