...before the USA Neocons get to far along with their war chants...

An Iranian flag flies outside the building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

...the fact is Russia is involved correctly with the Iranian facility.

Several years ago, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would supply enriched uranium to any country engaged in peaceful use of nuclear technology. The USA, China, France or the United Kingdom has NEVER made such an offer. Russia has made the statement that in providing the enriched uranium for the reactor, it will also receive expended fuel rods for disposal as well. There is no way for the International Community to know the exact relationship begun in regard to peaceful use of nuclear energy between Iran and Russia, but, certainly the IAEA has the right and obligation to establish an interest.

This is a beginning for Russia to lead the global market of peaceful nuclear technology in a way that can matter and assure more compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty than not. Whether Russia will use these trade relationships to insure compliance with that treaty is another area the IAEA needs to explore and find reassurance for the Global Community.

At risk, is the escalation of "Cold War" ideologies which Iran has already exhibited in reaction to the USA occupation of Iraq. Today, Iraq is also expressing displeasure with it's neighbors and has warned Turkey to stop it's intrusion bombing into northern Iraq. It is an act of aggression by Turkey that could escalate further tensions with Iran as well, while compromising Kurdish cooperation in the Iraqi Central Government.

There will be no doubt the USA Media services supporting war at any cost will exploit this event. There is nothing to exploit. This is complete recognition now that Iran has trade relations with Russia and more than likely military alliance as well. It is a huge statement in that Russia may very well be prepared to intercede in assistance to Iran should the USA attempt another illegal and unjustified invasion into still another Islamic country, this one the only exclusively Shi'ite nation.

Today, is a better day than yesterday. To some extent Iran is reassured it can have energy it has desired and in cooperation with a country that can honor that agreement and see to the security of the reactor and fuel supply as well. If for instance, the agreement was with Pakistan, it would disasterous to the International Community and threaten stability all the more.

The future of Baseball is no different than any other issue of integrity. The truth has to rousted out ...

... the value of all that makes us within the game significant needs to return. The 'purity' of the game, the love of the sport has to come first before any manager can hang their hat on a team worthy of any title.

The real challenge to Americans that love 'the game' is to pursue relentlessly the desire to return the luster to the trophies.

It's time to put all into perspective and set the course for a future of baseball that is deserving of fans, rather than pandering for them.

Good night.

The 'impact' of such a scandal has far reaching implications...

... and the value of Baseball as a game will likely never be the issue. There are too many Little Leagues. Too many fans to ever believe 'the game' will disappear because a Baseball Comissioner could not find the self discipline to hold all those responsible for hurting the players, the fans and the integrity of the game to the highest of standards to benefit 'the truth' rather than the 'profits' of huge corporations.

The Baseball Economy

Drugs didn't make arms grow longer. An athletes body was still blood and bone.

It seems to me there were dynamics at play in the economy of Baseball that could have contributed to such exploitation of player well being. Easily.

...''I know of 15 major league clubs that have serious economic problems, or would have if they didn't have ownership pumping in the dollars.''...

Here again, the entire dynamics of Baseball, the fact it has survived even when in fact many times it was questionably able to sustain it's own clubs and cost, had to play a role in what was to follow. There are too many questions regarding external issues of 'the game' and it's management to hold players responsible.

Are the record books tainted forever or just temporarily eschewed ?

Are they eschewed at all?

Seriously.

What exactly did performing enhancing drugs do to 'the game.' What did they do to the record books? Did drugs actually change the game, or was it all a psychological issue and perhaps enhanced the way the players felt they could perform?

I believe those are all valid questions.

The human body has limits. There are just so many muscle fibers, there is just so much capacity of any one muscle or tendon. The limits of 'the human condition' results in injuries. Were all these players injury free while performing to enhanced performances? Were their performances outside the rhelm of 'possiblity' or does one have to realize an entire generation, twenty years of ball players competed on a scale somewhat different in some way, but, in competition of each other anyway.

The most notable competition between ball players was that of the seasonal accomplishments between McGuire and Sosa. Were they competing between this generation of ball player differently from each other?

All the questions have to be asked otherwise irrational revenge of 'the cheat' will outweigh the reality of the game as it was played for twenty years.

"...bases loaded and two men out. Next expected at bat is ..."

Were the lengths between bases increased? Were the throws from first to second in a double play faster? Were pitches exceeding the speed of sound?


To disqualify any player from any recognition of their talents there needs to be measurable differences in achievement.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

The "Sweet" Spot


Were the line drives that much better? Were the homeruns that much longer?


I didn't notice any stadium redesign to accommodate the exceptional abilities of the 'new' steroid bound athletes, or did I miss something?

So then what of the game? The legacy? The purity of 'the game' and 'the greatness' of the players?

The young Babe Ruth.

Clifton Park Babe Ruth World Series 2006 (click here)

And get that mess out of your mouth ! No 'anything' on the mound or any place else ! Gatorade and ONLY Gatorade.

Roger Clemens


Look at him. All bloated and performing like a racehorse shot up with But and Lasix. What kind of a life did these men have? No one cared? Does anyone yet? Is the disappointment so great there is no compassion for the people involved? It seems pretty obvious to me that performance enhancing drugs were an understanding to any contract.


The Mitchell Report: Name by Name (click here)
Players identified in Major League Baseball's report on performance-enhancing drugs.


This many people? This much money? This level of performance? You are not going to tell me this was not 'understood' at the highest levels of management of the game, including sports agents, that in order to 'play' there was a bottom line of corruption that included drug abuse by the athletes.

Arnold gets three months. Three lousy months. The players? A lifetime of worry. The fans, a lifetime of disappointment.

Patrick Arnold

Who knew it and when did they know it? You've got to be joking. This drug was patented and marketed and manufactured. "The Clear" was top secret? Or was it commissioned !!!!

BALCO investigation timeline (click here)

Key dates in various investigations of BALCO and athletes linked to the lab or punished for using THG and modafinil, two drugs that play a key role in the BALCO investigations. Does not include track and field doping cases not related to BALCO, THG or modafinil....

This is called 'intent.' Do we need anything else here?

...1984: Victor Conte, a former bassist for Tower of Power and other bands, forms BALCO. He does chemical analysis on athletes using an ICP spectrometer, which is used in a variety of fields.

No one involved here are naive or babes in the woods. Everyone along the way has responsibility, but, the blame exists with Selig and no one else !

I'm supposed to believe there was no knowledge about any players for over twenty years in Baseball locker rooms taking performance enhancing drugs. I am supposed to believe this horse hockey? Gee, I was born yesterday !


Lockers inside Miller Park made of Cherry colored wood line the Milwaukee Brewers Locker Room.




NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS: Bonds not let off hook by steroid scope (click here)


...Bonds isn't off the hook because Roger Clemens has joined him in the penthouse of shame. He isn't any less of a fraud because the Mitchell Report implicated an array of current and former stars who could comprise a lineup of most valuable players.


The problem is that there's more interest in assigning blame than finding a solution, and the Bonds apologists have galvanized around the idea that Bonds deserves an apology because he's clearly not the only star who sought an improper edge.


Common sense too often unsettles the prejudices that some won't surrender for anything -- even the truth....

Here is someone who makes lots of money. Let's lay blame, shall we?

Bud Selig


Everybody know this guy? I doubt he needs an introduction.

Bud Selig has DOMINATED American Baseball since 1992. He was "Acting Commissioner" from 1992 to 1998. Then he was awarded the status of Baseball Commissioner in 1998 and continues to DOMINATE American Baseball in 'indecision' regarding the presence of performance enhancing drugs ALL ALONG THE WAY.

Fifteen 'flyin' years of being Baseball Commissioner and Bud Selig didn't see the forest for the trees when it came to the pressure placed on players to perform beyond any reasonable standard with contracts escalating into some of the highest pay rates in a professional sport.

He knew it. He didn't care about it. He looked the other way. He neglected his responsibility to the players well being, the fans TRUST, allowing owners the pressure on their managers to evade reporting any and all abuse witnessed or otherwise understood to keep a nice cash flow.

There is dearly no one else to blame.

End of discussion.

Bud Selig has to go !!!

Now you have got to be joking if no one along the way didn't realize this was a possiblity in Baseball.

The lousy stuff is still available. Why?

It is not only still available, but, comes with advise and instructions. This ad states, "I do need to stress that there is no recommendation that anyone "should" use these drugs. We are discussing use by those who have already made that decision for themselves."

So, it's okay for people that 'decide' to take steroids to continue to take steroids. After all. The players paid millions of US Greenbacks 'decided.' I guess if they decided then everyone so inclined can decide. Basically, people that make millions of dollars in contracts are good decision makers. Really?

All I heard is "Will the legacy ever be the same?"

There are basically two losers in this fiasco. Profoundly, the players, whom under the influence of performance enhancing drugs may face lifelong health issues:


"..[steroids] they are dangerous drugs, and when used inappropriately, they can cause a host of severe, long-lasting, and often irreversible negative health consequences. These drugs can stunt the height of growing adolescents, masculinize women, and alter sex characteristics of men. Anabolic steroids can lead to premature heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure and serious psychiatric problems. In addition, because steroids are often injected, users risk contracting or transmitting HIV or hepatitis.."



But, most affected by the presence of drugs in Baseball are the fans. The loyal and trusting fans. Drunk as they are sometimes, misdirected in their actions when excitement overcomes inhibitions, they are the real losers in all this. Idols have been diminished. Preciously paid for stadium seats now tainted with disappointment and skepticism.

The fans. The enthusiasts. The 'want to be' baseball heroes growing up under a cloud of illusion. How do we reconcile the loss? The profound and aching loss of heroes, idols and how does anyone believe that Baseball, the precious American sport, can go forward from here?

It's Sunday Night

Centerfield by John Fogerty

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin' it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out.
So Say Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio;
Don't say "it ain't so", you know the time is now.

Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Yeah! I got it, I got it!
Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it's time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Yeah!

A topic discussion tomorrow.

Until then...thank you for your interest.

Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Rooster
"Okeydoke"

Sydney Morning Herald

High price of petrol OK with some
Trade between Iran and Turkey will exceed $US8billion ($9.3billion) by the end of the year following rising oil and gas prices, it was announced yesterday.
The mounting prices contributed to the increase and resulted in a trade deficit of $US5.5billion for Turkey, Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said.
Iran-Turkey trade rose from $US1.3billion in 2002 to $6.7billion in 2006. Mr Tuzmen said he hoped the figure would reach $10billion next year.
Iran and Turkey trade $2billion of non-oil commodities each year.
Iran's Commerce Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi said he hoped the ground would be paved for the expansion of co-operation between private sectors of the neighbouring countries.
Iran and Turkey signed an agreement yesterday after the three-day Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting in Ankara.
Earlier, Iran announced it and Russia had increased mutual trade more than 100percent in the past year.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made the announcement in a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.

http://business.smh.com.au/high-price-of-petrol-ok-with-some/20071216-1hb7.html



US rattled by signs of surging inflation
December 16, 2007 - 12:35AM
Wall Street took a beating yesterday as a report showing resurgent consumer inflation heightened fears that the Federal Reserve would turn its focus away from efforts to stimulate a faltering US economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 135.46 points to 13,335.46 at the closing bell in a volatile session.
The Nasdaq Composite shed 32.35 points to 2636.14 and the Standard & Poor's 500 broad-market index retreated 20.48 points to a preliminary close of 1467.93.
Ahead of the opening, a report showed US consumer prices surged 0.8 per cent in November, bringing the year-over-year inflation rate to 4.3 per cent.
The report fuelled fears that the central bank, which has been cutting interest rates to stave off an economic downturn, would turn its focus more towards inflation.

http://business.smh.com.au/us-rattled-by-signs-of-surging-inflation/20071216-1hb8.html



Google to launch new Wiki whacker
December 16, 2007
Google is building its own version of communally-constructed online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
The internet search powerhouse is inviting people to test a free service dubbed "knol", to indicate a unit of knowledge, vice-president of engineering Udi Manber said in a posting on Google's website on Friday.
"Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," Mr Manber wrote.
Millions of people possess knowledge they would like to share and "there are billions of people who can benefit from it", he said.
While Wikipedia lets visitors make changes to its pages, trusting that people with accurate information will correct errors, Google is inviting people to write their own articles.
Pictures of authors will be displayed on their knol web pages, a sample provided by Google reveals.
"Books have authors' names right on the cover, news articles have bylines, scientific articles always have authors ... the web evolved without a strong standard to keep authors' names highlighted," Mr Manber wrote.
Google hopes knols will be written on all conceivable topics and says it has no plans to edit or endorse content. Editorial responsibility will rest with authors, whose reputations will be at stake, Mr Manber said.
Knols on the same subjects will "compete" for the attention of visitors, who will be able to give feedback.
Knol authors will have the option of letting Google post ads on their pages and sharing in the revenues.
Luring Wikipedia users to its own community-created online encyclopedia promises to be another rich vein of income for the search giant.
Wikipedia is consistently ranked among the top 10 websites by research firms Hitwise and comScore.

http://business.smh.com.au/google-to-launch-new-wiki-whacker/20071216-1hb6.html



US inflation hottest in two years
December 15, 2007 - 7:12AM
US consumer prices rose have risen the most in more than two years in November as energy costs surged and a host of other prices marched higher, damping prospects of further interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
At the same time, production at the nation's mines, factories and utilities rose a stronger-than-expected 0.3 per cent last month, suggesting the economy may have a bit more steam than many analysts had thought.
The Labor Department said on Friday that the consumer price index jumped 0.8 per cent in November, the biggest gain since September 2005, as energy costs leaped 5.7 per cent.
Even stripping out fast-rising food and energy prices, the so-called core CPI rose a relatively steep 0.3 per cent, the largest increase since January and ahead of the 0.2 per cent rise expected on Wall Street.
"It puts the Fed in a little bit of a bind and people have to question how aggressive the Fed can be in cutting rates if inflation is rearing its ugly head," said Firas Askari, head currency trader at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.

http://news.smh.com.au/us-inflation-hottest-in-two-years/20071215-1h8f.html



Australian dollar closes weaker
December 14, 2007 - 5:46PM
The Australian dollar closed weaker today as the local currency struggled to regain ground lost during the overnight session.
At 1700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was trading at $US0.8778/83, down from yesterday's close of 0.8820/25.
During the day, the Australian dollar traded between a low of $US0.8757 and a high of 0.8791.
The Australian dollar opened the day weaker, falling back below 88 US cents in overnight trade as the US dollar strengthened on the back of some better than expected economic data.
Figures released overnight showed US retail sales rose 1.2 per cent in November - double market expectations.

http://news.smh.com.au/australian-dollar-closes-weaker/20071214-1h0j.html



Fashioning technology
Rachel Wells
December 9, 2007
Suits that power your iPod; shorts that chill your beer; and dresses that can be programmed to fit perfectly: Rachel Wells explores the brave new world of haute technology.
If you thought Maxwell Smart's shoe phone was a hoot, you ain't seen nothing yet. Exciting progress in the booming, intelligent clothing and textiles industry means mobile-phone shirts (just speak into the collar) and socks that mend themselves could soon be a reality. Meanwhile, iPod-playing suits and clothes that change size and shape to fit the wearer are already here. Such garments are set to become part of our daily wardrobes as advances in smart fabrics mean our clothes will do more than just preserve our modesty, protect us from the elements, or, for some of us, make a fashion statement.
In recent years, smart clothing has progressed significantly from wearable computers - where devices such as MP3 players or mobile phones are seamlessly integrated into clothing - to "intelligent" fabrics and clothes that can conduct electricity, change shape and even colour.
"The world is your oyster when it comes to the sorts of things you can do with clothing and technology. You're only limited by your imagination, really," says Dr Adam Best, a research scientist at the CSIRO division of energy technology, who has developed a shirt that produces electricity simply by being moved, such as when the wearer is walking.
The power shirts - or flexible, integrated-energy devices - are basically wearable batteries that charge whenever the person moves. While they are being developed for military purposes - for energy supply for soldiers in the field - Best says they could be used to power mobile phones, portable music players and other small electrical devices. "The technology basically enables you to get rid of the battery as we know it and will open up a whole new world for designers to put things in places that have merely been the realm of science fiction, so to speak," he says. "So, for example, you could quite easily build a device into your shirt, where your shirt literally becomes a mobile phone or iPod."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/fashion/fashioning-technology/2007/12/06/1196812927346.html



Venezuela steps back in time
December 11, 2007
Advertisement
CARACAS: The President, Hugo Chavez, does not usually do things by halves but he has made an exception: he has put Venezuela's clocks back half an hour.
By presidential decree on Sunday the country stepped back in time 30 minutes in a one-off adjustment to its relationship with Greenwich Mean Time. It would put Venezuelans biologically more in tune with the sun, Mr Chavez explained.
"It's about the metabolic effect, where the human brain is conditioned by sunlight."
The adjustment was widely seen as a quixotic initiative of a leader who seems to want to change everything.
"Loco," Atonio Machado, a newspaper seller in Caracas, said. "Mad. I don't see it doing much harm. But what's the point?"
Much the same was said when Mr Chavez ordered the horse on the national flag to face left instead of right to reflect his socialist orientation. He also renamed the country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela after the independence hero Simon Bolivar.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/venezuela-steps-back-in-time/2007/12/10/1197135374675.html

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