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It gets pretty cold this time of year in Tibet. For centuries, the solution to this problem was a win-win: just burn that huge pile of yak dung that’s been accumulating all summer. For millions of nomadic Tibetans, it’s a system that works. But that system comes at a hefty cost. Tibetan homes have some of the worst indoor air pollution in the world, and the soot the dung fires release is a big contributor to climate change. Yak dung, when used as fuel, is arguably dirtier than coal but is definitely much cheaper. Particulate pollution from burning animal dung...

A traveler trying to bring four yak skulls back from Tibet was stopped at Sea-Tac Airport by a dog who smelled something funny. The traveler told Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists he found two of the skulls while hiking and bought two more at a village store. Two of the skulls still had dried flesh attached. They were in a duffel bag that drew the attention of a federal beagle named Woody. After the alert from Woody on April 30, the man declared he had the souvenir skulls, so he won't be prosecuted.

/begin my translation N. Korea: Why Importing Camels? (Beijing Reuters = Yonhap News) A report surfaced recently, which says that N. Korea imported camels and yaks, prompting speculation over what the wild animals are for. According to a Feb. 19th dispatch by China's Xinhua agency, a zoo located in Dairen, Liaoliang Province recently exported two yaks, a kind of wild buffalo, and four camels to N. Korea. It briefly mentioned, "This is the first time these wild animals are exported to N. Korea from Dairen or Liaoling Province in general." It did now spell out where in N. Korea they...

Of all the yaks lumbering around Edelweiss Farms, No. 49 was never going to win the Miss Congeniality award. She could often be seen walking alone, away from the herd. Her farmer, Dirk Milz, described her as having an "I'm the yak and this is it" mentality. She was the yak who took no flak. "You need two eyes on her," Milz said. Even so, no signs indicated she was capable of trouble -- until a baby yak named No. 85 came along. What came next is believed to be the first yak attack in Garden State history. It unfolded...

Tony Snow to appear on Fox and Friends

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Something To Yak About - Kerry Playing Defense Coast-to-Coast As Support Erodes In Key States Interpreting the ebb and flow of campaign politics is as much art as it is science, but there's little left to the imagination when it comes to John Kerry's situation. The Gentleman from Massachusetts finds himself playing serious defense in states he should have wrapped up before Labor Day - not the sort of position that suggests a successful candidacy. Read on... Hawaiian Islands Backing Bush Back in 2000, Al Gore carried Hawaii (4 EV) by 19 percentage points. But the Oct. 17-20 SMS Research...

Something To Yak About - Democrat Pre-Election Lawsuits Calculated Political StrategyWith Democrat lawyers and their Left Wing allies taking legal action across the country in advance of the November 2 election, a question over provisional ballots is looming large. The Wall Street Journal Friday warns that Democrats may try to use the provisional ballot process, which is available to those who don't meet the standard (not registered, no ID, etc) to affect the outcome of the election. So how does that play out? According to the WSJ, "Someone could now presumably cast provisional votes in several Ohio precincts on Election...

Something to Yak About – Second BC04 Office Targeted In Theft Police in Spokane, WA are investigating what appears to be a second rate burglary at a Bush-Cheney campaign office there. Authorities say it appears a hole was smashed through the wall from an adjacent office and cash was taken. Various office supplies and equipment – including a computer and files – were left behind because authorities say some was too large to fit through the hole in the wall. Campaign workers say they think the burglar may have been startled in the process and left the scene before the...

Something to Yak About - 'Election Sabotage' Alleged in Pennsylvania Reports of questionable voter registration activities are increasingly percolating across the country, with officials in Berks Count, PA among the latest to voice concerns. "It's absolutely out of hand," warned county elections director V. Kurt Bellman. "We have blatant duplicate voter registrations." Officials say citizens have complained about left-wing groups "deliberately," putting wrong information on registration forms, while other groups have submitted voter registration forms with fictitious names and addresses. "It's election sabotage," said Commissioner Mark Scott. Phantom Voters Registered in OhioHamilton County, OH officials are ready to investigate voter...

Something to Yak About - Kerry's Support For The ICC John Kerry has been attacking the president over his remarks last week about the senator's support for the International Criminal Court. But the criticism seems to be at odds with the facts. The Boston Globe Tuesday reports Kerry told the left-wing group Peace Action, "I support US participation in the International Criminal Court," further telling The Globe in a written statement, "I will not continue the obsessive and self-defeating campaign President Bush has waged against the ICC and the close American allies that support it." Kerry's statement to The Globe...

Something to Yak About – The Flips Just Keep On Floppin’!Unreal. An advance item in the Early Briefing from Bulletin News Network on John Kerry’s interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer reveals yet another flip-flop of goliath proportions. When asked whether the war in Iraq was worth it, Kerry reportedly responded, “We should not have gone to war, knowing the information we know today.”?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The Yak reminds faithful readers of John Kerry’s August 9, 2004 remark at the edge of the Grand Canyon. When asked whether he would support the war “knowing what we now know,” Kerry replied, “Yes, I would have...

Something to Yak About - Kerry's Biggest Billionaire Benefactor While John Kerry tries to make like a Regular Joe buying rounds of brewski for Green Bay Packer fans to atone for his 'Lambert Field' gaffe, his support among some of the world's wealthiest people is undeniable. Chief among these Billionaires for Kerry is George Soros, the multi-billionaire financier, philanthropist and bankroller of Left Wing activist groups who says defeating President Bush is, "the central focus of my life." It probably explains his continual undermining of the McCain/Feingold campaign finance law - which Soros supported - in his quest for more...

Something to Yak About – International Man of Mystery Has Secret ‘Post-Debate War Plan’ Buried deep within a news report on the run-up to the first presidential debate – the final sentence as a matter of fact – is the latest insight into the mind of John Kerry, International Man of Mystery. Regarding what the Kerry campaign loves to call the ‘spin war,’ Kerry spokesperson Stephanie Cutter is quoted as saying, “Kerry had his own post-debate war plan ready to go. She would not disclose it.” Hmmmmm… a non-disclosed post-debate spin war plan, eh? Maybe it’s something stitched together with...

Something to Yak About - Gillespie on Phony Docs: 'Was a Crime Committed? I Think So' Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie laid it on the line Wednesday, telling reporters he thinks criminal activity is behind the bogus documents used as the peg for a Sept. 8 CBS News report smearing the president. "Was a crime committed? I believe so," said Gillespie. "Obviously, forgery is involved. But the Texas Legal Code also says it is a third degree felony if one 'makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that...

Something to Yak About - The Mother of All Flip-Flops, Part Deux Why is John Kerry seemingly unable to stop himself from flopping all over the place on Iraq and Saddam Hussein? The Gentleman from Massachusetts did it again on Tuesday, saying at a Florida news conference that Americans and Iraqis are less secure with Saddam Hussein in jail, and his torture chambers and rape rooms shut down. This follows earlier remarks from Kerry who, when trying to contrast himself with Howard 'I Have A Scream' Dean and his staunch anti-war position, said anyone who doesn't believe America is...

Something to Yak About - Kerry on Iraq: Nowhere Left To Flop? How many different positions has John Kerry taken on the war to oust Saddam Hussein? Five? Six? Eight? Even the trusty Yak Abacus can't keep up with the flippery and floppery exhibited by the Gentleman from Massachusetts. But columnist Charles Krauthammer seems to have hammered home the point - there's nowhere left for Kerry to flop to or from. Time will tell.New Subject For Kerry Mega-Flops Whether John Kerry has exhausted all possible positions on Iraq - which is doubtful given his penchant for nuance - remains to...

Something to Yak About – Dems Slip Into ‘Panic’ Mode; Kerry Still Listless on Iraq Position John Kerry’s continually shifting position on the Iraq war has apparently become a growing source of consternation among Democrats who have shifted into, “panic mode,” over the campaign’s inability to come up with a coherent message on the issue. “Obviously, this latest change will merely reinforce the public perception that, depending on whether you give him the benefit of the doubt, Kerry is either indecisive or an unprincipled politician who will say or do anything to get elected,” reads Peter Brown’s piece from...

Something to Yak About – Mr. McAuliffe, Have You No Shame?Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe has a well-earned reputation for slash and burn, scorched-earth politics, but has he sunk to unprecedented lows? McAuliffe has once again actively taken to attacking the president’s military service and his honorable discharge. All this forces us to ask one question of Terry McAuliffe: Sir, have you no shame? The answer seems apparent. Slime Time Live That’s not our title, that’s what Newsweek Magazine has titled the latest piece by Howard Fineman and Michael Isikoff. The piece leads with Kerry campaign bigwig Mary...

Something to Yak About – Kerry’s Iraq Position Shifts Like ‘Windsurfing Off Nantucket Island’ Saying that John Kerry has treated the issue of the war to oust Saddam Hussein, “like a local sewer project,” the Gentleman from Massachusetts was pummeled in an Oregonian opinion piece penned by Kerry on Iraq documentary viewer and associate editor David Reinhard. “Maybe this is all agonizing nuance and complexity. Or maybe it's all just politics. Whatever the case, it's hardly the clear, consistent and principled presidential leadership we need in wartime,” observes Reinhard. Kerry’s Iraq Plans QuestionedAn item in Friday’s International Herald Tribune correctly...