Or more likely it tells you about the priorities of the State of California. They really like to be able to breath (Environment) and have plenty of water (both Environment and Public Works).

French extortion to cover up their own failings is what this is. Google has made huge investments to create the successful search service that they run.

At any time the French newspapers, or any newspaper, in fact any website could have denied Google (or any other search engine) access to their news/content simply by editing their Robots.Txt file to exclude themselves from being searched.

They preferred to be lazy and let Google do the hard work while they sat back and enjoyed the pass through visitors provided by a world wide visibility that they had not previously enjoyed.

However, they can still remedy this. If their content is so valuable all they have to do is edit the Robots.Txt file, exclude Google and either arrange for revenue sharing with some other search service or create their own search service. UPI and AP should have done this long, long ago.

The French with their fetish for culture integrity and their technology leading (when it was introduced) mini-tel service certainly could have foreseen the need to have their own search service.

As a Virginia resident I welcome the opportunity to ask President Obama about his ability to make and keep campaign promises.

Starting with his promise as a Senator to filibuster the FISA bill providing telecommunications companies with retro-active immunity for their warrant-less wiretapping.

Then I’d ask him what type of personal collateral against present and future assets he’s going to provide against him failing to keep his campaign promises.

Oh, that’s right, we’re not buying a product we’re buying a brand. Brand Obama, the best name in the business – lol

Seriously – third party candidates are unlikely to do the trick. Get Warren Buffet, George Soros, Larry Page… to effectively fund a campaign financing trust and require candidates to assign their interest in all of their assets to the trust (to be released if they are not elected and conditionally released based on their performance in office) and perhaps we can begin to get the rot out.

Examination by polygraphs, fMRIs and MEGs to weed out sociopaths, psychopaths and liars to the degree it is technically feasible would also be very desirable. At the very least it would force some self selection of people out for fear that they wouldn’t pass the tests.

So what are the opportunities for a street vendor to be able to sell firearms to convention attendees in the immediate area of the convention center?

The thing to be concerned about w/the Israelis so eager to start a war with Iran is not the Iranians but a false flag operation by the Israelis.

If one of our carriers gets sunk we better make damn sure that we actually know who did it.

Remember the USS Liberty. The Israelis have no compunctions about shooting on an American ship if they think it is in their interest.

Here’s another story with a different slant on Prokhorov’s challenge:

News Daily article on Prokhorov

So with respect to this story is the article an attempt by the existing opposition to dump on Prokhorov? And is Prokhorov sufficiently pissed off/authentic about being kicked out of the Potemkin Right Cause party to go all in to gain the Russian presidency? $18bn could certainly do a lot to build an opposition if he has the time and ability to put it in to play. Also given the Russian public’s opinion the Kremlin may not be able to give him the same treatment they did to Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Would it be advantageous to Prokhorov to draw explicit attention to Putin’s past actions at excluding rivals by including Khodorkovsky in his campaign in some fashion, even granted that he is still in prison?

Nix the flame altogether. Given the nature of political rhetoric having a flame as a symbol would seem to imply that you are lighting the fire. Not coming to the rescue as a fire dog would.

Some symbolism that comes to mind would be Dalmatians (perhap with big pecs and bulging biceps to emphasize strength), fire trucks, fire men. Dalmatians postured as fire men putting out a fire. Calling them fire hounds rather than fire dogs. Showing packs of fire hounds. The possibilities presented by using a fire hound are much greater than what you have available by using a flame.

Consider the success Geico has had with their Gecko.