U.S. Sept. ISM manufacturing index 52.9% vs 54.5% in Aug.
By Greg Robb
Last Update: 10:06 AM ET Oct 2, 2006


WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Factory activity in the United States decelerated in September, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday. The ISM index fell to 52.9% in September from 54.5% in August. This is the lowest level since May 2005. The decline was sharper than expected. The consensus forecast of estimates collected by Marketwatch was for the index to fall to 53.7. Readings above 50 indicate expansion. New orders fell to 52.9% in September from 54.5% in August. The employment index dropped to 49.4% from 54.0%. The price index dropped sharply to 61.0% from 73.0%. This is the lowest level since July 2005.

The Cardinals sold out the entire first season at new Busch Stadium with an attendance of 3,407,104, the second-largest in team history

Office of the Press Secretary
September 30, 2006

President's Radio Address

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today I want to talk to you about a matter of national security that has been in the news -- the National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism. The NIE is a classified document that analyzes the threat we face from terrorists and extremists. Parts of this classified document were recently leaked to the press. That has created a heated debate in our Nation's capital, and a lot of misimpressions about the document's conclusions. I believe the American people should read the document themselves and come to their own conclusions, so I declassified its key judgments.

The National Intelligence Estimate confirms that we are up against a determined and capable enemy. The NIE lists four underlying factors that are fueling the extremist movement: first, long-standing grievances such as corruption, injustice, and a fear of Western domination; second, the jihad in Iraq; third, the slow pace of reform in Muslim nations; and fourth, pervasive anti-Americanism. It concludes that terrorists are exploiting all these factors to further their movement.

Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them. Here is what Prime Minister Tony Blair said this week about that argument: "This terrorism isn't our fault. We didn't cause it. It's not the consequence of foreign policy." Prime Minister Blair is right. We do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. The terrorists are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for, and because they know we stand in the way of their ambitions to take over the Middle East. We are fighting to stop them from taking over Iraq and turning that country into a safe haven that would be even more valuable than the one they lost in Afghanistan.

Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. Our troops were not in Iraq when terrorists first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, or when terrorists blew up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, or when they bombed the USS Cole, or when they killed nearly 3,000 people on September the 11th, 2001. Five years after the 9/11 attacks, some people in Washington still do not understand the nature of the enemy. The only way to protect our citizens at home is to go on the offense against the enemy across the world. When terrorists spend their days working to avoid capture, they are less able to plot, plan, and execute new attacks on our people. So we will remain on the offense until the terrorists are defeated and this fight is won.

In my recent speeches, I've said we are in the early hours of a long struggle for civilization, and that our safety depends on the outcome of the battle in Iraq. The National Intelligence Estimate declares "perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere." It also says that "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."

Withdrawing from Iraq before the enemy is defeated would embolden the terrorists. It would help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on our Nation, and it would give the terrorists a new sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. America must not allow this to happen. We are a Nation that keeps its commitments to those who long for liberty and want to live in peace. We will stand with the nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for their freedom, and we will help them fight and defeat the terrorists there, so we do not have to face them here at home.

Thank you for listening.

END

Kansas

Martin (6)
Kahne (9)
Kenseth (17)

Dishonest Democrats up to their old dirty tricks again trying to win a Senate seat.

September 28, 2006
Piling on George Allen
By Cal Thomas

In football, there are penalties for piling on and unsportsmanlike conduct. In politics, you can get away with almost anything.

Democrats are playing a very dirty game - the political equivalent of a crack back block - in their attempt to smear Sen. George Allen, (R-Va.) and elect his Democratic opponent, James Webb. The latest is a charge by an acquaintance and a former college football teammate at the University of Virginia that Allen used the "n word" and other racial slurs in the early 1970s. Allen adamantly denies it, but these days the charge alone is enough to sully one's reputation and create doubt in some minds.

Allen's chief accusers are R. Kendall Shelton, a radiologist in North Carolina, who says he used to be a Democrat but is now an Independent, and Christopher C. Taylor, an anthropologist at the University of Alabama. Shelton says Allen's alleged racial slurs make him unfit for public office. That's funny. Before these allegations, Allen was fit enough to serve as governor of Virginia and as a United States senator. And it is more than coincidental that this sliming is taking place just six weeks before an election.

Unlike the "macaca" incident a few weeks ago, which he allowed to fester and did not apologize for until the political damage was done, Allen wasted no time responding to this latest charge. Among those rushing to his defense was another former teammate, Rob Berce, a wide receiver who graduated in 1976. Berce told The Washington Post, "I have never heard him use that word" (the n word). He just seemed to be a pretty upfront, good guy."

The head football coach at Wake Forest University, Jim Grobe, told the Post he is "shocked" by the allegations. "I never heard George say anything like that," he said. Even Allen's first wife, Anne Waddell, denied Taylor's story that Allen used the n-word during a visit to their house. "I can say with absolute certainty that (Taylor's) recollection that George said anything at all that could be considered racially insensitive is completely false. He would never utter such a word." You can't do much better than to have an ex-wife as a character witness.

The piling on continued with an accusation by the political action committee VoteVets.org that Allen voted against a bill to provide advanced body armor for American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. VoteVets.org spent nearly $45,000 for a television commercial that claims Allen voted for body armor that could be easily pierced. VoteVets.org's board of advisers includes 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark and former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey. The Web site factcheck.org looked into the substance of the TV commercial and found none. As reported in The Washington Examiner recently, this nonpartisan Web site is associated with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The organization says the commercial overstates the body armor problem and that Allen did not vote against money for the vests.

The strategy by Allen's opponents is to get him off-message about the war, taxes, economic opportunity and a host of other issues and to sow doubt among undecided voters as to his character. Here is a man who grew up in a football family with a father who coached the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, two teams with many black players. Allen's father earned the loyalty of his players - black and white. He was a leader and a motivator of men. If Allen, the father, were a bigot, or allowed his son to be one, he could not lead men on the football field or enjoy the admiration of black and white fans.

This is politics at its dirtiest and meanest. People wondering why more good men and women don't run for office have their answer in this piling on of George Allen. If this were a football game, the Democratic team would be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and Allen would have an automatic first down. But this is politics and it's easier to wipe off the mud from a hard tackle than it is to clean yourself up after being struck by political mudballs.

Cal@CalThomas.com

Since 1960

The Democrats 1961 - 1969, 1977 - 1981, 1993 -1995

The Republicans 2003 - present.

your welcome.

The House was controled by the liberals for 40 (long) years 1954 - 1995. The Senate has changed more often. The Republicans had control 81-87,95-01,03-present.

Inflation has peaked, Fed official says

By Richard Piersol
Last Update: 10:37 PM ET Sep 27, 2006


LINCOLN, Neb. (MarketWatch) -- U.S. inflation has peaked, will stabilize the rest of the year and then decline, Kansas City Federal Reserve President Thomas A. Hoenig predicted Wednesday.

At an economic forum sponsored by the Tenth Federal Reserve District, Hoenig described an outlook of growth into next year below the economy's potential. That could be interpreted as setting the stage for reduced interest rates sometime in 2007.

A nonvoting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, Hoenig made it clear that he Fed's two-year campaign of raising the Fed funds rate, which it stopped in August, is continuing to do its work on the inflation rate.

"I feel it will come down," he said. He also predicted core inflation, excluding food and energy, will fall.

Retail inflation was reported at a 12-month rate of 3.6% in August, the core rate at an annual change of 2.8%. Hoenig said he expects that 2.8% to fall to 2.5%. He did not specify the rate at which he expected overall retail inflation to stabilize, but said it would moderate substantially, nor did he specify a level to which he expects it to fall.

Hoenig said he expects slower growth of 2% to 2.5% in Gross Domestic Product in the second half of the year, strengthening to 2.5% to 3% early next year, but still hovering below his potential rate of 3%.

"There is some slack in the economy," Hoenig said.
He attributed that not only to the Fed's interest rate tightening, but also to the chilling housing market, the loss of the "wealth effect" consumers have used to turn home equity into cash and spending.

The biggest economic uncertainties that could undermine his outlook, Hoenig said, are the housing and energy markets, either of which he suggested could change suddenly.

Sales of new homes, after falling for three months, rose in August, the government reported Wednesday. But the gain was expected to be temporary as the battered housing industry struggles with a near-record level of unsold homes.

Hoenig predicted "on balance, a systematic adjustment" of the housing market, with a risk that a more significant decline in prices could undermine his outlook. On the energy front, Hoenig acknowledged welcome price relief for consumers, but said production capacity is tight enough for any disruption to move prices higher quickly.

"It doesn't take a lot of change in supply or demand to create uncertainty," he said.

He described Federal Reserve policy challenges as taking into account a range of economic data, not any single statistic, and the patience to allow its earlier actions to work through the economy.

Hoenig predicted some improvement in equipment orders, despite the disappointing durable goods report on Wednesday, and described a generally healthy business investment environment, assuming no damage to corporate profits. .

"That should be a positive going forward," Hoenig said.
His job outlook was for steady net new jobs creation, with a slight increase of unemployment possible.

I've only been with FXCM since the end of April and I haven't seen any stop hunting yet by them. Ataglance had that problem so I will be watching closely. If I see anything that looks odd I'll let this board know about it.

Hope the USD/JPY trade goes your way!

Thanks, so far I'm down 11 pips. Hasn't moved a lot since I bought this morning. I'm going to leave it tonight and see what happens.

I only pay the rollover, I never receive it. With FXCM the margin must be set at 2% to be eligible to earn overnight interest. My margin is set at the default .5%. Most of my trades are day trades and that's why I haven't changed the margin level.

18:54 USD/JPY TECHS: Hourly Bearish Divergence is Weighing -See 2336 ] New
York, September 27. Randolph.Donney@thomson.com

I said this four hours ago. lol. Time for it to start going down.

Tanks for the memories... Wed Sep 27, 7:42 AM ET



BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai coup leaders have banned go-go girls from dancing near tanks and troops on Bangkok streets as a distraction from the serious business of power, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

"It is not appropriate to entertain soldiers while they are on duty," Colonel Acra Tiprote told Reuters after a troupe of 10 women in tight camouflage vests and shorts posed with soldiers and tanks while making a music video.

"People should differentiate between entertainment and seriousness. A coup is not entertaining," Acra said, although the tanks sent in to lead Thailand's first coup in 15 years had turned Bangkok into a carnival-type attraction.

Thais and foreign tourists flocked to the Army Headquarters to take picture with tanks and soldiers. Many gave soldiers flowers or food and drink.

usd/jpy showing bearish RSI and MACD divergence on the 60 min chart. I took a short position @ 117.42 with a stop above todays high.

Golf great Byron Nelson dead at 94 By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 4 minutes ago


IRVING, Texas - Byron Nelson, golf's courtly "Lord Byron" whose 11 straight tournament victories in 1945 stand as one of sports' most enduring records, died Tuesday. He was 94.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060926/ap_on_sp_go_ne/glf_obit_nelson_5

Nationalist Shinzo Abe Elected Prime Minister of Japan
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

TOKYO — Nationalist Shinzo Abe easily won election in parliament to become Japan's youngest postwar prime minister Tuesday, pledging to plow ahead with economic reform, rein in spending and pursue better relations with China.

Abe, 52, a proponent of a robust alliance with the United States and a more assertive Japanese military, clinched strong majorities in both houses of parliament, reflecting the hold his ruling Liberal Democratic Party has on government.

The new prime minister stocked his new Cabinet with a wide range of fellow conservatives, including Taro Aso, who will keep his post as foreign minister, and veteran Fumio Kyuma, appointed to a second stint as defense chief.

"I'd like to make Japan a country that abounds with dynamism, opportunity and kindness," Abe declared in nationally televised comments.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215737,00.html

I read over 100 pages of Karin Slaughter's Faithless (2005 Mystery) and got bored with it. I put it away for now. She can't seem to stay on the main topic. May come back to it one of these day's.

I've never read Ian Rankin. Looks like he's got quite a few good books. I'll have to buy one.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?z=y&SAT=1&SZE=10&WRD=Ian+Rankin

09.21.2006
Science Roundup: Trek Fan Blogs from Space; etc.




Star Trek Fan Blogs from Space Station
The first female "space tourist," who has stated that she was inspired as a child by Star Trek, has boarded the International Space Station (ISS) for a nine-day stay, and has begun the first-ever blog from space.

"I arrived in the station a few hours ago and it feels like home. I have been making notes all along the launch and I will be posting a blog on the trip," wrote Anousheh Ansari in her first e-mail from space, directed toward X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis, posted at spaceblog.xprize.org. "I cannot keep my eyes off the windows. Earth is magnificent and peaceful from up here. You don't see any of those awful things you hear on the news, from up here."

"The Earth is so beautiful and if we could all see it this way I'm sure we would do everything in our power to preserve it. I truly hope that more and more people get to experience this trip first hand."

Ansari, 40, is an Iranian-born telecommunications tycoon from Texas. According to various news reports, while growing up in pre-revolution Tehran she watched reruns of Star Trek and dreamt of becoming an astronaut and seeing the stars. (On the second page of the Spaceblog, her Sept. 18 entry titled "The Day Has Come" is signed, "Live Long and Prosper my friends.")

She is the fourth civilian in history who has paid money to travel in space, paying roughly $18.5 million for the trip. Ansari is also the first woman in that league and follows in the footsteps of Dennis Tito in 2001, Mark Shuttleworth in 2002 and Greg Olsen in 2005.

Ansari left Earth Monday from Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft along with the new Space Station crew, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and U.S. astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, and they successfully docked on Wednesday. Ansari will spend her nine days aboard the ISS performing medical experiments for the European Space Agency, making films for educational programs, and of course, blogging her experiences. She will then return to Earth with two members of the previous ISS crew.

An active proponent of commercial space travel, Ansari and her family provided the title sponsorship for the Ansari X-Prize, a $10 million competition in 2004 won by Burt Rutan for building the first privately funded manned spacecraft to reach space twice within two weeks. After completing her space journey, Ansari will attend the next major X-Prize event.

week 4: St. Louis

Thanks

Thanks ONEBGG. I enjoy posting them.

September 23, 2006

President's Radio Address

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, I traveled to New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly. In my speech to the leaders gathered there, I spoke about a more hopeful world that is within our reach -- a world beyond terror, where ordinary men and women are free to determine their own destiny, where the voices of moderation are empowered, and where the extremists are marginalized by the peaceful majority.

I said that every nation must make a choice: We can support the moderates and reformers working for change across the broader Middle East, or we can yield the future to the terrorists and extremists. America has made its choice - we're standing with the moderates and reformers.

In New York, I met with two such leaders, President Talabani of Iraq and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. In my meeting with President Talabani, I told him that America will continue to support Iraq's democratic government as it makes the tough decisions necessary to bring security and prosperity to the Iraqi people. I assured President Talabani that America will not abandon the Iraqi people in their struggle to defeat the terrorists and build a free society in the heart of the Middle East.

In my meeting with President Abbas, I told him that America remains committed to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security. President Abbas shares this goal. He's working hard to oppose violent extremists and build a society in which the Palestinian people can raise their children in peace and hope.

By supporting moderate leaders such as President Abbas, the United States can help Israelis and Palestinians build a more hopeful future and achieve the peace we all want in the Holy Land.

Next week, I will host a meeting at the White House with two courageous leaders, President Karzai of Afghanistan and President Musharraf of Pakistan. These two leaders are working to defeat the forces of terrorism and extremism. Under President Musharraf, Pakistan is siding with the forces of freedom and moderation and helping to defend the civilized world. Many Pakistani forces have given their lives in the fight against terrorists. President Musharraf understands the stakes in the war on terror because the extremists have tried more than once to assassinate him. They know he's a threat to their aspirations because he's working to build modern democratic institutions that could provide an alternative to radicalism. And it is in America's interest to help him succeed.

In Afghanistan, President Karzai continues the work of building a safer and brighter future for his nation. Today, forces from more than 40 countries, including members of the NATO Alliance, are bravely serving side-by-side with Afghan forces. These forces are fighting the extremists who want to bring down the free government that the people of Afghanistan have established. America and its allies will continue to stand with the people of Afghanistan as they defend their democratic gains. Working with President Karzai's government, we will defeat the enemies of a free Afghanistan and help the Afghan people build a nation that will never again oppress them or be a safe haven for terrorists.

In the broader Middle East, the world faces a straightforward choice: We can allow that region to continue on the course it was headed before September the 11th, and a generation from now our children will face a region dominated by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons; or we can stop that from happening by confronting the ideology of hate and helping the people of the Middle East build a future of hope. All civilized nations, especially those in the Muslim world, are bound together in this struggle between moderation and extremism. By working together, we will roll back this grave threat to our way of life, we will help the people of the Middle East claim their freedom, and we will leave a safer and more hopeful world for our children and grandchildren.

Thank you for listening.

No. And I never will. lol. I voted against him 5 times.

Your doing pretty good. Right in the middle.

Perryville is a lot closer to Hot Springs. I live in Jonesboro about 3 hours from the race track.

Me too. I need the points.

No. Our season doesn't start till January. Looking forward to it. Horse racing in Arkansas is too short.

Good evening mick. You got your picks in yet?

lol. I think your right.

British firm makes world's most expensive marmalade Fri Sep 22, 12:37 PM ET

Duerr's marmalade cost $145 per slice of toast


LONDON (AFP) - A British company has produced what it says is the world's most expensive jar of marmalade, making breakfast a pricy proposition at 76 pounds (113 euros, 145 dollars) per slice of toast.

The one kilo (2.2 pounds) jar costs 5,000 pounds (7,420 euros, 9,500 US dollars) and contains generous lashings of 62-year-old Dalmore malt whisky and Pol Roger vintage champagne, as well as edible gold leaf.

Marmalade, a kind of bitter jam made with oranges, is a staple part of the traditional full English breakfast, which also includes bacon, sausages and eggs.

It is said to have first arrived in England from Portugal in the 15th century and rapidly became a favourite with the aristocracy, many of whom believed it had aphrodisiac qualities.

Manufacturers Duerr's, who produced the one-off to mark the company's 125th anniversary, say the jar will be auctioned for charity on auctions website eBay later this year.

The marmalade is presented in a crystal glass decanter and each mouthful will cost an eye-watering 11 pounds.

Richard Duerr, sales and marketing director of Duerr's, said: "Thanks to some exclusive ingredients and a priceless one-off designer jar we believe that we have created the worlds most expensive jar of marmalade."

Mom properly jailed for letting baby smoke dope Fri Sep 22, 4:10 PM ET



SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Montana mother who allowed her 18-month-old baby daughter to inhale from a marijuana water pipe on several occasions was properly convicted, but should not have to spend five years in jail, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday.

Jessica Durham was photographed allowing her toddler Michala to suck from a marijuana water pipe, also known as a bong, in 2004 by a friend upset about the activity.

"Ms. Durham allegedly remarked that smoking improved Michala's appetite and left Michala lethargic and mellow - a manner she found consistent with her own experience smoking marijuana," Judge Louis Pollak of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in summarising the case.

In 2005, a lower court sentenced Durham to five years in prison for unlawful marijuana distribution. She appealed both the conviction and the sentence.

In its ruling on Friday, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld the conviction but said the sentence exceeded the applicable federal law which calls for punishment of no more than two years in prison.

Dover

Martin (6)
Gordon (24)
Kenseth (17)

Been to Talladega 9 times and I'd much rather watch it live than on TV. Same for baseball and football I like being there watching it.

You seen the movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played"? It's about an amateur golfer Francis Ouimet who won the 1913 U.S. Open. Probably the best golf movie I've seen.

I had spinach just the other day. Think I'll stay away from it for a while.

Nice Signature you have.

2 more deaths possibly linked to spinach 1 hour, 47 minutes ago



UNDATED - Two more deaths were under investigation Friday for possible links to tainted spinach, one in Maryland and one in Idaho.

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Maryland, reported an 86-year-old Hagerstown woman died last week after becoming infected with E-coli.

Her family says she had eaten fresh spinach before getting sick.

Officials also were investigating the death of a 2-year-old Idaho boy. Kyle Algood died of kidney disease associated with E-coli. He, too, had eaten packaged spinach.

Federal health officials have reported 157 cases of E-coli in 23 states and one death. No cases have been confirmed in Maryland.

Philly Fed manufacturing index shows growth stalled in Sept.

By Greg Robb
Last Update: 12:10 PM ET Sep 21, 2006


WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region stalled in September, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported Thursday. The Philly Fed diffusion index plunged to -0.4 in September from 18.5 in August. This is the first negative since April 2003. Readings below zero indicate contraction. The decline was much larger than expected. Economists were expecting the index to slip only to 14.3, according to a MarketWatch survey. The new orders index dropped to -1.3 from 15.7, while the shipments index fell to -6.8 from 22.3. Inflationary pressures eased slightly. The prices paid index dropped to 38.1 from 45.3. Overall employment was higher however. The employment index rose to 10.7 from 8.2.

[16:00 US ECON: Philly Fed Dips Below Zero, Quite Unexpected] Boston, September
21. The economy contracted in August according to the Philadelphia Fed's
Survey. At -0.4, the latest survey result was much weaker than expected and
showed the first contraction since April 2003. Jeoff.Hall@thomson.com



[16:05 EUR/USD: Weak Philly Propels EUR/USD through stops] Boston, September 21.
Philly Fed tumbled in September, coming in at -0.4 from 18.5 in August. The EUR
finally managed to trigger stops above 1.2750/55. Treasury yields continue to
slide, down now to 4.67 in the 10-year maturity and inside 100 bp between bunds
and Treasuries. 1.2770 resistance is being tested as we write. 1.2830/35 is
further resistance. Look for options-related buying as the market breaks out of
a persistent low volatility environment to help support the EUR.
Jamie.Coleman@Thomson.com

Health Officials Seek Origin of E. Coli Spinach in 3 California Counties
Thursday, September 21, 2006


WASHINGTON — Health authorities hunting the source of a nationwide E. coli outbreak are focusing on nine California farms after discovering what could be a crucial clue: an opened bag of spinach left in the refrigerator of someone sickened by the bacteria.

The bag of tainted Dole baby spinach is the "smoking gun" that has allowed investigators to zero in on three counties in California's greater Salinas Valley, said Dr. Mark Horton, the state public health officer. Authorities also were checking processing plants, Horton said.

Officials said consumers still shouldn't eat bagged spinach, even as they closed in on the source of the bacteria as likely somewhere in Monterey, San Benito or Santa Clara counties.

The bag of fresh spinach that tested positive for E. coli was found in New Mexico, and other bags recovered elsewhere in the country also were being tested.

"It's certainly premature to say only this bag is going to test positive," said Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "There are others in the works."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214865,00.html

This guy needs to stay away from the beer.

Panda bites man, man bites him back Wed Sep 20, 7:41 AM ET


BEIJING - A drunken Chinese migrant worker jumped into a panda enclosure at the Beijing Zoo, was bitten by the bear and retaliated by chomping down on the animal's back, state media said Wednesday.

Zhang Xinyan, from the central province of Henan, drank four jugs of beer at a restaurant near the zoo before visiting Gu Gu the panda on Tuesday, the Beijing Morning Post said.

"He felt a sudden urge to touch the panda with his hand," and jumped into the enclosure, the newspaper said.

The panda, who was asleep, was startled and bit Zhang, 35, on the right leg, it said. Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. A tussle ensued, the paper said.

"I bit the fellow in the back," Zhang was quoted as saying in the newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."

Other tourists yelled for a zookeeper, who got the panda under control by spraying it with water, reports said. Zhang was hospitalized.

Newspaper photographs showed Zhang lying on a hospital bed with blood-soaked bandages and a seam of stitches running down his leg.

The Beijing Youth Daily quoted Zhang as saying that he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people."

"No one ever said they would bite people," Zhang said. "I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer. I don't remember much."

Ye Mingxia, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Zoo, confirmed the incident happened but would not give any details. She said Gu Gu was "healthy."

"We're not considering punishing him now," Ye said in a telephone interview. "He's suffered quite a bit of shock."