Free Republic

Record oil prices have failed to temper the enthusiasm of Chinese auto buyers. In 2006, 6.2 million cars were sold in China, enough for the Middle Kingdom to surpass Japan for #2 in total vehicle sales (the United States still sells twice as many). In the first five months of 2008, Chinese auto sales show no signs of decelerating, up 17.4% from the same period last year. The rise in Chinese auto sales has been so dramatic that projections by China’s government for auto sales in 2020 were already exceeded by 2005. Millions of tons of copper, nickel, aluminum have...

Hobbits mastered use of stone tools Leigh Dayton, Science writer October 09, 2007 HOBBITS may have had long arms and tiny brains but our new-found cousins were agile and smart enough to make stone tools used to fashion other tools, probably for hunting and butchering animals. What's more, they did so at least 40,000 years before modern humans arrived on their home island of Flores in Indonesia. The discovery comes from Queensland scientists who have studied wear patterns and residue on about 100 stone tools found with the remains of hobbits (Homo floresiensis) in Liang Bua cave by Australian and...

A draft constitution was previously rejected by French and Dutch voters Legal experts from the 27 countries of the European Union have agreed on a draft reform treaty. The treaty is set to replace the defunct European constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters. Portugal, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the year, hopes to get agreement on the treaty at an EU summit in Lisbon later this month. Possible domestic opposition to the treaty in Poland and Britain mean they may present the biggest hurdles. The treaty aims to streamline the workings of the EU...

Postal companies should be free to compete for customers across the European Union from 2011 as governments on Monday ended a year-long deadlock over opening the €88bn ($125bn, £61bn) market. Only Luxembourg opposed the decision, after concerns from France and Italy were addressed. The grand duchy and 10 other countries in the 27-member bloc won the right to delay domestic liberalisation for two years. The move will, in theory, allow any operator to carry letters under the 50g “reserved” threshold, although powerful incumbents are still favourites to retain the business. The rest of the market has been open for some...

BRUSSELS/LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Microsoft suffered a stunning defeat on Monday when a European Union court backed a European Commission ruling that the U.S. software giant illegally abused its market power to crush competitors. The European Union's second-highest court dismissed the company's appeal on all substantive points of the 2004 antitrust ruling. More importantly, it endorsed Commission sanctions against Microsoft's tying together of software and refusal to give rival makers of office servers information to enable their products to work smoothly with Windows, used by 95 percent of computers. It annulled only the EU regulator's imposition of a Microsoft-funded independent trustee...

New fires continue to break out around Greece The European Commission will put forward proposals this autumn for a standing EU force to respond to fires, floods and other major emergencies. The commission says the current system has its limits. In 2007, there has been flooding in the UK, a heat wave in central and southern Europe, and now forest fires in Greece, in which at least 60 people have died. But critics say the EU should release financial aid faster, rather than set up a civil protection force of its own. 'Better way' When Greece appealed for help...

Gordon Brown’s first Washington visit as Britain’s prime minister has prompted tea-leaf reading about the strengths and weaknesses of the US-UK relationship. Momentarily diverting – and probably unavoidable – as the frenzy of speculation is, the real tests lie ahead. Actions ultimately trump semiotics in national security affairs. Moreover, as contentious and important as Iraq is, it is a mistake to think that disagreements on that issue represent a fundamental change in the US-UK relationship. Tony Blair and President George W. Bush disagreed on global warming, as will Mr Brown and Mr Bush, but in neither case does the disagreement...

European Union leaders have reached agreement on proposals for a new treaty to govern the 27-member bloc. Here are some of the main points: 'REFORM TREATY' NOT 'CONSTITUTION' The rejection of the draft constitution by France and the Netherlands was perceived in some EU member states as an expression of the citizens' fear of a European super-state. To remove that fear, the new document to be drafted at an Inter-Governmental Conference (ICG) convening in July will be called a Reform Treaty - sitting alongside other treaties of the EU, but not replacing them. Terminology such as "law" and "framework law"...

Europhiles have been far too complacent and unquestioning. Here we go again. Two years ago the French and Dutch public demolished Europe’s plans for a new constitution. Now the German presidency of Angela Merkel wants to resurrect it in the guise of a new treaty. Europe is on the verge of repeating history rather than learning from it. As a pro-European I fear the consequences for the already strained relationship between Europe and its citizens. It is true, of course, that Europe has grown topsy-turvy as successive countries have clamoured to share in its remarkable success. As the world’s biggest...

29 March 2007 BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the European Union's growing, but often unrecognised, role in the field of foreign policy, and continuing support for the idea of an EU foreign minister. The diary is published every Thursday. To always see the latest edition, please click here and bookmark this page. FINGER-WAGGING EU peacekeepers have been very active in the Balkans Do tyrants cower when the European Parliament denounces their misdeeds? I thought we were going to find out this week. After all, the parliament passes regular motions condemning appalling behaviour, here there and everywhere. They've just...

Dubai - A British man has been sentenced to three months in prison by a court in the conservative United Arab Emirates for insulting Islam, local media reported on Wednesday. The 34-year-old accountant drank six beers and six vodkas in the emirate of Dubai before climbing into a taxi and subjecting the Muslim Pakistani driver to a tirade of anti-Muslim insults, the 7Days newspaper reported. "I can't remember what I did and I can't remember all the conversation with the driver," the man told the court, denying the charges over the December 2006 incident. Foreigners in the booming emirate -...

By Mark Mardell BBC Europe editor Angela Merkel is in the driving seat and going at breakneck speed Straight after the signing, Germany's leader nearly got left behind. As the other 26 leaders waited on the bus that was to take them to the Brandenburg gate, Mrs Merkel had to push her way through the crowd, waving slightly anxiously, trying to catch up. But this in no way works as a metaphor. Politically speaking Mrs Merkel is behind the wheel, driving at breakneck speed. The Germans want a new treaty to renew the political shape of Europe and "renew...

"Declaration on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the signature of the Treaties of Rome"For centuries Europe has been an idea, holding out hope of peace and understanding. That hope has been fulfilled. European unification has made peace and prosperity possible. It has brought about a sense of community and overcome differences. Each Member State has helped to unite Europe and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past. European unification shows that...

The leaders hailed 50 years of peace since the Treaty of Rome EU leaders have adopted a declaration calling for some of the reforms proposed in the bloc's ill-fated constitution to be carried out by 2009.The "Berlin Declaration" was issued to mark 50 years of the union, which was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the EU needed to move forward and play a greater role in the world. The ceremonies came after a night of revelry in the German capital, with a gala concert and a lavish dinner. In the city,...

Berlin is seen as a symbolic venue for the EU party European Union leaders have joined a gala concert in Berlin celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bloc, which was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome.The concert, conducted by Britain's Sir Simon Rattle, will be followed by dinner for the 27 leaders at German President Horst Koehler's residence. Berliners will also join events at city clubs and museums throughout the night. A leader's summit on Sunday will endorse a statement emphasising the EU's achievements and challenges ahead. Chancellor Angela Merkel will use the event to relaunch the debate...

Marie-Helene Von Mach was there Marie-Helene Von Mach remembers the day her father came back from the dead. It was 1954 and he had been gone nine years.A German Wehrmacht officer taken prisoner by the Soviets in occupied Czechoslovakia at the end of the war, he had disappeared into Stalin's Gulag and his family did not know whether he was alive or dead. Then, suddenly, he came home. Over lunch in Brussels last month I told her that, as the BBC's Moscow correspondent, I'd lived in an apartment block built by captured German soldiers, whom Stalin used as slave...

Berlin is seen as a symbolic venue for the EU party European Union leaders are due to meet in the German capital, Berlin, for the 27-nation bloc's 50th birthday party. Chancellor Angela Merkel will use the celebrations to relaunch the debate on the EU's stalled constitution, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. A declaration to be issued in Berlin will include a commitment to place the EU on a renewed basis within two years. Correspondents say it will paper over deep divisions among the 27 EU members over the bloc's future direction. "We, the citizens of Europe,...

22 March 2007 BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the contents of the Berlin Declaration to be signed at a summit this weekend, comparisons between the EU and the Roman empire, and two very different visions of the EU's future. The diary is published every Thursday - bookmarking this page will always take you to the latest issue. OUTSTANDING BLANDNESS"In the middle of the very grand room, one of the many grand rooms in the palace, stands a glass case, containing a book of 1,144 pages. In it are both dreams and nightmares, depending who is reading the book."...

!-- E IBYL --> The European Union claims it has secured peace among historical enemies, spread democracy to its neighbours and created a new model of international co-operation. But none of that was pre-ordained. The milestones of the past 50 years tell a story of bitter national rivalries, personality clashes and tortured compromises which have threatened the project's survival more than once and may do so again in the coming years. Churchill saw European unity as a means of breaking the cycle of conflict Winston Churchill, Britain's wartime leader, called postwar Europe "a rubble heap, a charnel-house, a breeding-ground...

Fifty years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which launched the European community, world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds looks at one of the EU's growth areas - foreign and security policy. The European Union has quietly acquired what might be described as a standing army. Finnish soldier of EU battlegroup On 1 January, its concept of assigning 1500-strong multinational "battlegroups" for rapid response peacekeeping operations reached "full operational capability" when two units were declared ready for immediate assignment. This army is not large in size, but it is large in potential. It illustrates the way the EU...

Some countries are reluctant to switch from fossil fuel power plants The next few days could be a "defining moment for the EU" as its leaders consider tough new emissions targets, the EU Commission president says.Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU's credibility hung on its matching words with action to fight climate change. In Brussels, EU leaders are expected to commit to cutting carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. But how this burden will be shared is still subject to argument, as are plans to increase energy market competition. In the space of little over...

The ERC should give a sharper focus to European research Europe has a new flagship agency to fund the brightest ideas in science. The European Research Council (ERC) has been given a budget of 7.5bn euros (£5bn) to 2013, and will focus solely on fundamental, or "blue skies", study. It is hoped the initiative can find the breakthrough thinking - and eventually new products and services - to keep the EU's economy globally competitive. The ERC was formally inaugurated at a meeting in Berlin attended by the German Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel. She said the Council would become "a...

The EU recognises the Irish language's resurgence The Irish language (Gaeilge) is set to get official status in the EU on 1 January, bringing the total to 23. The European Commission says Bulgarian and Romanian are expected to get official status on the same day, when the two Balkan countries join the EU. According to Ireland's 2002 census, 1.57 million of the four million population can speak Irish. The commission says the EU will not have to translate all legislation into Irish, "mainly for practical reasons". The EU will have a team of 29 translators and editors to handle...

EU leaders disagree on whether the constitution is dead or alive Finland has become the latest country to ratify the European constitution, four weeks before the end of its six-month stint as EU president.Finland hands over the presidency to Germany, which has pledged to seek a solution to the constitution problem. Sixteen of the 25 EU states have now largely completed ratification. But French and Dutch voters rejected the treaty in referendums in 2005, and UK Home Secretary John Reid described it on Monday as a "dead parrot". Finland's parliament voted by 125 to 39 in favour of ratification,...

Attempts to revive the European Union draft constitution will only work if the name of the treaty is changed, because the word "constitution" is too alarming for those who want national governments to remain in charge, the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, said last night. He told an audience at Chatham House in London: "Perhaps the grand finality of the word 'constitution' set it up as a hostage to fortune, both to inter-governmentalists who felt it went too far, and to federalists, who felt it did not go far enough. He went on: "Let us be clear about the...

The European Commission is due to announce the timetable it will adopt for admitting Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union. It is expected that Bucharest and Sofia will be told they can join on 1 January 2007 - but under strict conditions. They will be checked for progress in curbing organised crime, controlling animal disease and instituting procedures for administering farm aid. The conditions are tougher than imposed on previous new members, observers say. The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Strasbourg says they are intended both as a reassurance for EU citizens, only half of whom support further enlargement, and...

Iran threatens to use 'oil weapon' in nuclear standoff · Energy crisis would leave people 'shivering in cold'· UN deadline looms for Tehran to accept deal Simon Tisdall in Tehran Monday August 7, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Iran warned Britain and the US yesterday that the international community could face a new oil crisis if the United Nations security council imposes sanctions on Tehran over its alleged attempt to acquire a nuclear weapons-making capability. Speaking in Tehran, Ali Larijani, the country's chief nuclear negotiator and head of the supreme national security council, said Iran would be reluctant to cut its...

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2006 – Extremists in Afghanistan attacked coalition forces from a religious site yesterday, and targeted several civilian areas this week, including a bridge, a school and a wedding party, military officials in Afghanistan reported. Extremists began firing on coalition forces in the village of Nowzad in Helmand province yesterday. The sniper fire came from the direction of a religious shrine. There were no reported injuries to coalition forces or damage to equipment. In a separate incident in Kandahar province, a supply convoy received small-arms fire from a nearby mosque. While there were no casualties in this incident,...

There has been an increasing trend towards building DNA databases all over the world. In America there are many states that take your DNA for a misdemeanor crime and also during a traffic stop. There have been DNA dragnets all across America. You are pulled over by a police officer for running a red light and he tells you to swab the inside of you’re mouth. Any authority figure will normally get what he wants if he applies a little pressure. We were taught to obey our authorities from grade school so it is embedded in our psyche. A basic...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has licensed free anti-spyware software for all government employees and armed forces personnel for use on personal computer systems. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site at www.ftc.gov, Spyware is software that monitors or controls the use of your computer. It could send pop-up ads, redirect browsers to certain Web sites, or even record your keystrokes. A pop-up ad could even try to trick someone into typing in bank account information, leading to identity theft. Users may also be able to get the software through their respective Automated Data...

A local farmer talks about the price of fertilizer to members of the Nahia City Council at the General Culture Center in Iskandariyah, Iraq, April 29, 2006. Farmers requested the meeting in an effort to speed-up the process of standing up a new farmer’s union program in the area so farmers would be able to resource off of each other and boost the economy. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro Iraqi Farmers Use Democracy to Voice Concerns The farmers expressed a desire to the Ministry of Agriculture to sustain them in their quest for newer farm equipment, an...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California Assembly has voted to restrict the use of ultrasound machines for personal use, approving a bill that would allow them to be sold only to licensed professionals. Democratic Assemblyman Ted Lieu introduced the bill after "Mission: Impossible III" star Tom Cruise bought an ultrasound machine to see images of his unborn child. The actor's fiancee, Katie Holmes, gave birth to the couple's daughter, Suri, last month in Los Angeles. Doctors and technologists typically receive years of training to perform ultrasound exams, which help obstetricians check a baby's health. Cruise was criticized by doctors who said...

4/27/2006 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) -- An emergency parachute jettison device was used for the first time during a Joint Forcible Entry Exercise here April 25. Loadmasters from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and Dyess AFB, Texas, participated in the exercise. Chief Master Sgt. Steven Pyszka and Master Sgt. Lee McDaniel, loadmaster training instructors from Air Mobility Command, came to ensure the device was properly set up and operated. The new jettison device has been in development since 1997. It was created to quickly and safely jettison malfunctioning parachutes during an airdrop delivery of heavy equipment....

Dig finds long-term use at Hell's Half AcreSite was home to Indians at least 1,200 years ago By The Associated Press CASPER, Wyo. -- A preliminary report on an archaeological dig says Hell's Half Acre, west of Casper, was home to prehistoric American Indians at least 1,200 years ago, and perhaps as long as 8,000 years ago. John Albanese, chairman of the Natrona County Historic Preservation Society, told Natrona County commissioners on Thursday that archaeological evidence shows Indians were hunting bison at Hell's Half Acre between 1,200 and 3,000 years ago, and that some evidence appeared to be much older....

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2006 – Terrorists in Iraq resort to using improvised explosive devices because they lack the ability to engage in conventional military operations, President Bush said here today. "After the terrorists were defeated in battles in Fallujah and Tal Afar, they saw they could not confront Iraqi or American forces in pitched battles and survive, and so they turned to IEDs, a weapon that allows them to attack from a safe distance without having to face our forces in battle," Bush said during a speech at George Washington University's Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The president also...

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2006 – A congressionally appointed commission will commence the most comprehensive review of the National Guard and reserves in history. Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro chairs the 13-member commission. The reserve components have played an increasingly important part in the global war on terror, Punaro said during an interview. Congress formed the commission on the National Guard and Reserves as part of the 2005 National Defense Authorization Act. Punaro said Congress felt an independent group needed "to take a more fundamental look at how the reserves are organized, trained and equipped." In addition, the commission will...

PASADENA, Calif. - Singer Kelly Clarkson, who vaulted to fame as the first "American Idol" winner in 2002, is not letting any of her songs be used by new contestants on the show. A spokesman for Clarkson insisted it's nothing personal, but the stance prompted a public scolding from "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. "I think that by ignoring the show you're ignoring the audience who put you there," Cowell said Tuesday. Clarkson has become a major star in the past year, with her hit "Since U Been Gone" earning both massive sales and critical respect, particularly from a rock...

'Only a matter of time before terrorists use weapons of mass destruction' By Con Coughlin (Filed: 17/01/2006) Biological weapons pose a far more serious long-term terrorist threat to the West than nuclear weapons, according to Washington's leading counter-terrorism expert. And Henry "Hank" Crumpton, the newly-appointed head of counter-terrorism at the US State Department, believes that it is simply a matter of time before international terrorist groups such as al-Qa'eda acquire weapons of mass destruction and use them in attacks. Henry Crumpton refuses to rule out the military option to tame Iran's nuclear amitions In an exclusive interview with The Daily...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2006 – Defense Department installations have begun implementing new cell phone restrictions for drivers on military bases. The new regulation, published in the Federal Register in April 2005, states that anyone driving a motor vehicle on a DoD installation cannot use a cell phone unless the vehicle is safely parked or the driver is using a hands-free device. Many installations already have implemented the new restrictions, and the rest will implement the rules on their own schedule, said John Seibert, assistant for safety, health and fire protection for DoD. There is no deadline for installations to implement...

11/28/2005 - INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN) -- Giving and receiving are the hallmarks of the holiday season. If you don't believe it, ask the aerial porters here who receive an average of 600,000 pounds of cargo every day and give the warfighters in Iraq "gifts" they can use. "When airlift operations at Frankfurt (Germany) closed, Incirlik ops ramped up significantly," said 1st Lt. Jim Burnham of the 728th Air Mobility Squadron. "We rely on the Reserve force to come in and augment us." Of the 250-person team, 100 of the aerial porters are Reservists deployed for 30 to 120...

Iraqi Soldiers Use Insurgents' Weapons U.S. soldiers refurbish the weapons, and the Iraqi troops, in turn, have taught the U.S. troops how to look for booby traps on the weapons and how to disassemble them faster. By U.S. Army Pfc. Joshua R. Ford Multinational Corps-Iraq LOGISTICAL SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Iraq, Nov. 21, 2005 — From small arms to M-1 Abrams tank weapon systems, the 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division armory can fix just about any U.S. Army ground weapon. When the order came down to refurbish 88 AK-47s, they were ready for the challenge. "It...

U.S. to Iraq: Curb Use of Shiite Militias Thursday November 17, 2005 11:46 PM By ROBERT H. REID Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi government has promised to investigate detention facilities across the country to ensure prisoners are not tortured, the United States said Thursday, sharply warning Iraqi officials against allowing Shiite militias a role in the security services following allegations of torture of Sunni Arabs. The Interior Minister, who is in charge of the facilities and security forces, said torture claims were exaggerated. Sectarian rhetoric sharpened four days after U.S. troops found up to 173 malnourished...

We will use force, Blair warns Iranians By Anton La Guardia, Toby Helm and David Rennie (Filed: 28/10/2005) Tony Blair delivered his strongest warning to Iran last night, saying Teheran would not be allowed to become a "threat to our world security". He hinted that the West might have to resort to force. The Prime Minister said western allies would meet in the next few days to decide how to react after President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". Tony Blair felt a 'real sense of revulsion' at the remarks While the initial response is...

Plastic surgeon Frederic Corbin was intrigued last year when he saw an ad for a product that offered the same protein used in the wildly popular wrinkle treatment Botox — only much, much, cheaper. "My initial reaction was, 'Hmm, Botox now has some competition,'" recalled Corbin, who practices in Beverly Hills, Calif. But when he received a vial of the botulinum toxin in the mail, he was puzzled by the warning: "For Research Purposes Only. Not for Human Use." He says he returned it and more or less forgot about it until he heard about four people last December whose...

Dell plant supporters oppose lawsuit 10/13/2005 9:21 AM By: Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A motion filed in Wake County Superior Court asks for the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the roughly $300 million incentives deal with Dell Inc. The motion was filed Wednesday on behalf of the state, the city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, Dell and others. The North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law charges in its lawsuit filed in June that the incentives violate state constitutional prohibitions against the use of public resources for private benefit and fail to treat taxpayers equally. In exchange for creating at least...

August 6th marked the 60th anniversary of America’s use of an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. While some still argue that President Truman’s decision to use the A-bomb was “controversial,” they are afflicted with the scourge of our time, the loss of a sense of moral proportion and certainty. Unfortunately, those with relativistic morals will lead us to see the day when nuclear weapons are used again – this time to end once and for all the barbaric savagery of Islamism. Green Left Weekly (GLW) calls the U.S. putting a swift end to WWII – using atomic...

In addition to military use, the Mobile Kitchen Trailers will also be used in humanitarian missions such as earthquakes and flood-relief operations. KABUL , Afghanistan, Aug. 4, 2005 — With help from Germany and other coalition partners, the first seven of a planned 320 Afghan National Army cooks graduated from a three-week training course on the Mobile Kitchen Trailer. Capable of feeding 250 soldiers at each meal, the Mobile Kitchen Trailer is about the size of a pick-up truck bed and can be pulled by any type of military vehicle with the proper hitch assembly. It is configured with four...

WRITTEN ON THE WIND – PART 2 : Iraqi USE of WMD During Present Conflict In Part One , it was stated the Iraqis had launched theater ballistic missiles-some loaded with “kill shots” of dangerous biotoxins: anthrax, botulinum, ricin,and aflatoxin. These didn’t hit any Coalition troops – in large part, because the troops weren’t where Saddam expected them to be ( thanks,in part, to a clever deception carried off by US Counter-Intelligence agents.) There was another factor: bad weather. On March 25,2003-right after the Iraqi missile launches,one of the worst sandstorms in recent memory swept through the country: slowing the...

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Thomas Barkdull, who originally issued the warrant used to seize Rush Limbaugh's medical records, ruled Friday that prosecutors will only receive records that "fall within the scope" of the original warrant, and that he will privately review them to make that determination. Limbaugh's medical records were seized in late 2003 by Palm Beach County prosecutors investigating suspicions the radio talk show host had engaged in "doctor shopping" – illegally receiving multiple prescriptions from four different doctors for pain killers. Limbaugh's attorney successfully had the records sealed while appealing the seizure, but arguments that they had...

A Video of Lou Dobbs interviewing, Peter Gadiel (PRESIDENT, 9/11 FAMILIES FOR A SECURE AMERICA) DOBBS: "We talked, of course, as we have a number of times, with the consulate of Mexico. They said that the card you have they simply wanted to let you know that it was invalid and they have a far more secure one now. GADIEL: "Right. Well, I took care of that problem. Hal Netkin (ph), a friend of mine out in California, got me -- got me a new one. And while I was in the process, he also got you one." DOBBS: "Oh,...