Jesus of Peeps
by Janet Galore
494 marshmallow Peeps with wood frame
4.5ft x 3.5ft
Jesus of Peeps
by Janet Galore
494 marshmallow Peeps with wood frame
4.5ft x 3.5ft
Posted: March 6, 2010
Will Kilpatrick face jail time?
Some say it is possible, but there are defenses
BY BEN SCHMITT and JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
... "It seems that Judge Groner has lost his patience with Mr. Kilpatrick," Dubin said. "Judge Groner, in his opinions, has expressed the fact that the court has been offended by the nature of Kilpatrick's testimony, or the disingenuousness of Kilpatrick's testimony. For those reasons, the possibility of sending him to jail for a period of time so that he can contemplate the seriousness of abiding by his terms of probation seems real."
The state Court of Appeals said Kilpatrick and his lawyers do have defenses.
"At the probation violation hearings, defendant can raise the issue of ability to pay," Presiding Judge Karen Fort Hood wrote.
But Kilpatrick still could be in trouble over other allegations including: that he failed to provide a complete financial accounting for himself and his wife, Carlita Kilpatrick; did not surrender all tax refunds as ordered by the court, and did not disclose any gifts or benefits as ordered by the court.
Kilpatrick testified during previous restitution hearings that he received $240,000 in loans from local businessmen Peter Karmanos, Roger Penske, Dan Gilbert and Jim Nicholson.
"The trial court did not abuse its discretion by concluding that the $240,000 transfer of the loan from the defendant to his wife constituted a fraudulent conveyance," the appellate judges wrote.
In 2008, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and no contest to assault, and resigned from office.
The plea came after the Free Press broke the text message scandal in January 2008 with a series of stories showing that Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty perjured themselves during a 2007 civil whistle-blowers trial involving police officers.
Kilpatrick served 99 days in jail and was ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to the City of Detroit. He lives in a Dallas suburb and works at a $120,000-a-year sales job for Covisint, a subsidiary of Detroit-based Compuware. ...
Will Kilpatrick face jail time?
Some say it is possible, but there are defenses
BY BEN SCHMITT and JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
... "It seems that Judge Groner has lost his patience with Mr. Kilpatrick," Dubin said. "Judge Groner, in his opinions, has expressed the fact that the court has been offended by the nature of Kilpatrick's testimony, or the disingenuousness of Kilpatrick's testimony. For those reasons, the possibility of sending him to jail for a period of time so that he can contemplate the seriousness of abiding by his terms of probation seems real."
The state Court of Appeals said Kilpatrick and his lawyers do have defenses.
"At the probation violation hearings, defendant can raise the issue of ability to pay," Presiding Judge Karen Fort Hood wrote.
But Kilpatrick still could be in trouble over other allegations including: that he failed to provide a complete financial accounting for himself and his wife, Carlita Kilpatrick; did not surrender all tax refunds as ordered by the court, and did not disclose any gifts or benefits as ordered by the court.
Kilpatrick testified during previous restitution hearings that he received $240,000 in loans from local businessmen Peter Karmanos, Roger Penske, Dan Gilbert and Jim Nicholson.
"The trial court did not abuse its discretion by concluding that the $240,000 transfer of the loan from the defendant to his wife constituted a fraudulent conveyance," the appellate judges wrote.
In 2008, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and no contest to assault, and resigned from office.
The plea came after the Free Press broke the text message scandal in January 2008 with a series of stories showing that Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty perjured themselves during a 2007 civil whistle-blowers trial involving police officers.
Kilpatrick served 99 days in jail and was ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to the City of Detroit. He lives in a Dallas suburb and works at a $120,000-a-year sales job for Covisint, a subsidiary of Detroit-based Compuware. ...
Brazen robbers wielding hand guns and a machete raided a million-euro poker tournament at a five-star hotel in central Berlin yesterday in full view of terrified players and staff.
The masked gang of six men burst into the Grand Hyatt hotel in Berlin’s busy Potsdamer Platz where the tournament was taking place just after 2pm (1300 GMT), threatening security staff and prompting a panic among the crowd.
Players flipped poker tables over and hid behind them as the armed attackers demanded staff hand over the money during the daring afternoon heist.
According to Berlin's Tageszeitung newspaper, four of the attackers entered the hotel from Potsdamer Platz, one of the German capital's most important and popular squares, while two others kept watch. The paper also reported the attackers had been armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and grenades. ...
The masked gang of six men burst into the Grand Hyatt hotel in Berlin’s busy Potsdamer Platz where the tournament was taking place just after 2pm (1300 GMT), threatening security staff and prompting a panic among the crowd.
Players flipped poker tables over and hid behind them as the armed attackers demanded staff hand over the money during the daring afternoon heist.
According to Berlin's Tageszeitung newspaper, four of the attackers entered the hotel from Potsdamer Platz, one of the German capital's most important and popular squares, while two others kept watch. The paper also reported the attackers had been armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and grenades. ...
A California man has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison for stealing a $3.99 (£2.60) bag of shredded cheese in a case critics say shows the need for reform of the state's criminal justice system and the overcrowded state of its prisons.
Robert Ferguson, who prosecutors say has a nearly 30-year record of convictions for burglary and other offences, avoided a life sentence under the state's controversial "three strikes" law after a psychological evaluation deemed him bipolar and unable to control his impulses to steal, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Prosecutor Clinton Parish said Ferguson had spent 22 of the past 27 years behind bars but had failed to show he could obey the law. A judge sentenced him to seven years and eight months in prison, but he could be eligible for parole in three years.
The ruling came amid critical overcrowding in the California prison system, to which years of tough policies, the "war on drugs" and one of the highest US recidivism rates have contributed. The system held 166,569 inmates in August, but remains so overcrowded nearly 8,000 have been sent to prisons outside the state. ...
Robert Ferguson, who prosecutors say has a nearly 30-year record of convictions for burglary and other offences, avoided a life sentence under the state's controversial "three strikes" law after a psychological evaluation deemed him bipolar and unable to control his impulses to steal, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Prosecutor Clinton Parish said Ferguson had spent 22 of the past 27 years behind bars but had failed to show he could obey the law. A judge sentenced him to seven years and eight months in prison, but he could be eligible for parole in three years.
The ruling came amid critical overcrowding in the California prison system, to which years of tough policies, the "war on drugs" and one of the highest US recidivism rates have contributed. The system held 166,569 inmates in August, but remains so overcrowded nearly 8,000 have been sent to prisons outside the state. ...
... Houses on sale for a few dollars are something of an urban legend in the US on the back of the mortgage crisis that drove millions of people from their homes. But in Detroit it is no myth.
One in five houses now stand empty in the city that launched the automobile age, forged America's middle-class and blessed the world with Motown.
Detroit has been in decline for decades; its falling population is now well below a million – half of its 1950 peak. But the recent mortgage crisis and the fall of the big car makers into bankruptcy has pushed the town into a realm unique among big cities in America.
A third of the population are unemployed. Property prices have fallen 80% or more in large parts of Detroit over the last three years. The average price of a home sold in the city last year has been put at $7,500 (£4,900).
The recent financial crash forced wholesale foreclosures among people unable to pay their mortgages or who walked away from houses that fell to a fraction of the value of the loans they had taken out on them.
Banks are selling off properties in the worst neighbourhoods, which are usually surrounded by empty and wrecked housing, for a few dollars each. But even better houses can be had at a fraction of their former value. ...
One in five houses now stand empty in the city that launched the automobile age, forged America's middle-class and blessed the world with Motown.
Detroit has been in decline for decades; its falling population is now well below a million – half of its 1950 peak. But the recent mortgage crisis and the fall of the big car makers into bankruptcy has pushed the town into a realm unique among big cities in America.
A third of the population are unemployed. Property prices have fallen 80% or more in large parts of Detroit over the last three years. The average price of a home sold in the city last year has been put at $7,500 (£4,900).
The recent financial crash forced wholesale foreclosures among people unable to pay their mortgages or who walked away from houses that fell to a fraction of the value of the loans they had taken out on them.
Banks are selling off properties in the worst neighbourhoods, which are usually surrounded by empty and wrecked housing, for a few dollars each. But even better houses can be had at a fraction of their former value. ...
The US Senate is known as the body where legislation goes to die, and a Republican senator from Kentucky has spent several days illustrating that point at the expense of nearly 500,000 out-of-work Americans.
Since last week Senator Jim Bunning [an ex-baseball player] has used his privilege under the chamber's parliamentary rules to hold up a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits, health insurance assistance, funding for road and infrastructure projects across the country, and other aid.
In exchange for lifting his objections he demands the senate come up with a way to pay for the $10bn extension package by reducing spending elsewhere, eliciting scoffs from Democrats who note that he voted for President Bush's $1.7tn tax cuts for the wealthy.
Nearly every major item on President Barack Obama's agenda, from health insurance reform to cap-and-trade climate regulation, has stalled in the Senate after passing the House of Representatives. ...
Since last week Senator Jim Bunning [an ex-baseball player] has used his privilege under the chamber's parliamentary rules to hold up a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits, health insurance assistance, funding for road and infrastructure projects across the country, and other aid.
In exchange for lifting his objections he demands the senate come up with a way to pay for the $10bn extension package by reducing spending elsewhere, eliciting scoffs from Democrats who note that he voted for President Bush's $1.7tn tax cuts for the wealthy.
Nearly every major item on President Barack Obama's agenda, from health insurance reform to cap-and-trade climate regulation, has stalled in the Senate after passing the House of Representatives. ...
Australian town, 326 miles from river, hit by raining fish
Residents in a remote desert town in Australia, 326 miles from the nearest river, are recovering after witnessing two days of fish raining from the sky.
1 Mar 2010
... It is the third time in less than 30 years that Lajamanu has been bombarded by falling fish after reports of the phenomenon in 1974 and 2004.
Joe Ashley, 55, from Jabiru an outback town in the Northern Territory, said: "Usually fish are in the water, now they are falling out of the sky! What if anything bigger falls out of the sky next?
"It could be crocodiles; that would be real scary."
Residents in a remote desert town in Australia, 326 miles from the nearest river, are recovering after witnessing two days of fish raining from the sky.
1 Mar 2010
... It is the third time in less than 30 years that Lajamanu has been bombarded by falling fish after reports of the phenomenon in 1974 and 2004.
Joe Ashley, 55, from Jabiru an outback town in the Northern Territory, said: "Usually fish are in the water, now they are falling out of the sky! What if anything bigger falls out of the sky next?
"It could be crocodiles; that would be real scary."
Research the history of ancient Kurdistan, and you'll see why they're hated. Their country/empire was vast. They were also ahead of the times, had fabulous art, learning, and good science.
...the simplest lesson here is that none of the pixels published over this incident would have been necessary if Microsoft had just published this document in the first place, which few people would have ever bothered to go read. Instead, these companies prefer to worry about the sensitivities of corporate-ass-covering lawyers and law enforcement agencies instead of putting their users and transparency first.
February 26. 2010 1:00AM
Prosecutors fight Michigan's freeing of violent offenders
Mike Martindale and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News
Hundreds of Michigan prison inmates convicted of violent crimes -- including 40 killers in Wayne County alone -- are eligible for release in the next two months as the state accelerates paroles to cut costs.
A recently compiled list of thousands of potential parolees obtained by The Detroit News provides a snapshot of who is on deck as the state seeks to trim its corrections budget by 6 percent in 2010. It includes some of the state's worst criminals, as well as hundreds of sex offenders, drug dealers, drunken drivers and bank robbers.
The list, demanded by Metro Detroit prosecutors and released only after a judge's order, provides a rare glimpse inside a process that has been going on routinely for years -- but is now under fire from law enforcement officials worried they don't have the time or resources to challenge potential parolees they believe pose a threat to public safety.
Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper led the fight to sue for the information because she said her office was repeatedly denied information about planned interviews of parole candidates in sufficient time to appeal certain cases.
The state argued that names of eligible parolees were only available a month in advance, but it was later determined the Parole Board's database included information on interviews scheduled months ahead of time.
"The Michigan Department of Corrections says 'trust us' in releasing criminals on parole to save money," said Cooper, who has called the state's effort "reckless."
"If (state officials) are so trustworthy, why did we have to sue them to obtain the list of individuals they are seeking to release?" ...
Prosecutors fight Michigan's freeing of violent offenders
Mike Martindale and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News
Hundreds of Michigan prison inmates convicted of violent crimes -- including 40 killers in Wayne County alone -- are eligible for release in the next two months as the state accelerates paroles to cut costs.
A recently compiled list of thousands of potential parolees obtained by The Detroit News provides a snapshot of who is on deck as the state seeks to trim its corrections budget by 6 percent in 2010. It includes some of the state's worst criminals, as well as hundreds of sex offenders, drug dealers, drunken drivers and bank robbers.
The list, demanded by Metro Detroit prosecutors and released only after a judge's order, provides a rare glimpse inside a process that has been going on routinely for years -- but is now under fire from law enforcement officials worried they don't have the time or resources to challenge potential parolees they believe pose a threat to public safety.
Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper led the fight to sue for the information because she said her office was repeatedly denied information about planned interviews of parole candidates in sufficient time to appeal certain cases.
The state argued that names of eligible parolees were only available a month in advance, but it was later determined the Parole Board's database included information on interviews scheduled months ahead of time.
"The Michigan Department of Corrections says 'trust us' in releasing criminals on parole to save money," said Cooper, who has called the state's effort "reckless."
"If (state officials) are so trustworthy, why did we have to sue them to obtain the list of individuals they are seeking to release?" ...
Spanish priest spunked €17k on chat lines and whores
Church funds fund less than Catholic lifestyle
By Lester Haines
25th February 2010
A Spanish priest who spunked €17k of church funds on sex chat lines, internet porn sites and prostitutes has unsurprisingly been given his marching orders.
Samuel Martin Martin, 27, racked up some impressive expenditure during his one year-tenure as spiritual shepherd to the villages of Totanes and Noez, in Toledo. As well as relieving pious parishioners of their hard-earned cash - including that from a whip-round in aid of Haiti, according to one flabbergasted local interviewed last night on Spanish telly - Martin also offered his sexual services online at €120 a pop. ...
Church funds fund less than Catholic lifestyle
By Lester Haines
25th February 2010
A Spanish priest who spunked €17k of church funds on sex chat lines, internet porn sites and prostitutes has unsurprisingly been given his marching orders.
Samuel Martin Martin, 27, racked up some impressive expenditure during his one year-tenure as spiritual shepherd to the villages of Totanes and Noez, in Toledo. As well as relieving pious parishioners of their hard-earned cash - including that from a whip-round in aid of Haiti, according to one flabbergasted local interviewed last night on Spanish telly - Martin also offered his sexual services online at €120 a pop. ...
This is a rich suburb, folks.
Give me a break, you idiot. You aren't supplying needed services anywhere!
Power companies have been accused of profiteering from the coldest winter for 30 years after a surge in corporate profits.
ScottishPower, which has more than 5 million British customers, saw profits rise by 7.9% last year amid fears that many people could not afford to heat their homes during the bitter winter. Results tomorrow from British Gas, the country's biggest supplier of gas and electricity with 15.6 million customers, are expected to show that operating profits rose 46% to £554m, up from £379m in 2008.
The increases were condemned by unions, customer groups and charities representing the elderly, and follow warnings this week from the regulator Ofgem that companies boosted margins by £30 for each dual fuel customer in the last three months as wholesale costs fell.
Gary Smith, national officer at the GMB union, said: "Buying cheap and selling dear will always add up to high profits in a natural monopoly. No great managerial elan or skills are needed. It is long overdue that the government should step in and take control of the energy sector and put in place proper plans for secure supplies at reasonable prices as happens in the rest of Europe."
David Hunter of McKinnon & Clarke, which buys energy for businesses across Britain, said: "Despite wholesale prices going into freefall, ScottishPower hasn't cut domestic standard tariffs in almost a year. Failure of the big six suppliers [British Gas, EDF, npower, ScottishPower, Scottish and Southern, and E.ON] to pass on to customers the massive reductions in wholesale energy prices which they have been enjoying since 2008 is scandalous." ...
Hey, our utilities are doing the same thing to us in Yankistan - and why the fuck haven't gasoline prices plummeted either?
ScottishPower, which has more than 5 million British customers, saw profits rise by 7.9% last year amid fears that many people could not afford to heat their homes during the bitter winter. Results tomorrow from British Gas, the country's biggest supplier of gas and electricity with 15.6 million customers, are expected to show that operating profits rose 46% to £554m, up from £379m in 2008.
The increases were condemned by unions, customer groups and charities representing the elderly, and follow warnings this week from the regulator Ofgem that companies boosted margins by £30 for each dual fuel customer in the last three months as wholesale costs fell.
Gary Smith, national officer at the GMB union, said: "Buying cheap and selling dear will always add up to high profits in a natural monopoly. No great managerial elan or skills are needed. It is long overdue that the government should step in and take control of the energy sector and put in place proper plans for secure supplies at reasonable prices as happens in the rest of Europe."
David Hunter of McKinnon & Clarke, which buys energy for businesses across Britain, said: "Despite wholesale prices going into freefall, ScottishPower hasn't cut domestic standard tariffs in almost a year. Failure of the big six suppliers [British Gas, EDF, npower, ScottishPower, Scottish and Southern, and E.ON] to pass on to customers the massive reductions in wholesale energy prices which they have been enjoying since 2008 is scandalous." ...
Hey, our utilities are doing the same thing to us in Yankistan - and why the fuck haven't gasoline prices plummeted either?
David Cameron's communications director, Andy Coulson, will come under fresh pressure to defend his editorship of the News of the World and his knowledge about the illegal activities of his journalists amid new allegations about the paper's involvement with private detectives who broke the law.
The Guardian has learned that while Coulson was still editor of the tabloid, the newspaper employed a freelance private investigator even though he had been accused of corrupting police officers and had just been released from a seven-year prison sentence for blackmail.
The private eye was well known to the News of the World, having worked for the paper for several years before he was jailed, when Coulson was deputy editor. He was rehired when he was freed.
Evidence seen by the Guardian shows that Mr A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was blagging bank accounts, bribing police officers, procuring confidential data from the DVLA and phone companies, and trading sensitive material from live police inquiries.
Coulson has always insisted he knew nothing about the illegal activity which took place in the News of the World newsroom, telling MPs last year: "I have never had any involvement in it at all."
Mr A cannot be named now because he is facing trial for a violent crime, but his details will emerge once he has been dealt with by the courts. Coulson tonight refused to say whether he was aware of Mr A's criminal background, or of his return to the paper following his prison term. He said: "I have nothing to add to the evidence I gave to the select committee." ...
The Guardian has learned that while Coulson was still editor of the tabloid, the newspaper employed a freelance private investigator even though he had been accused of corrupting police officers and had just been released from a seven-year prison sentence for blackmail.
The private eye was well known to the News of the World, having worked for the paper for several years before he was jailed, when Coulson was deputy editor. He was rehired when he was freed.
Evidence seen by the Guardian shows that Mr A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was blagging bank accounts, bribing police officers, procuring confidential data from the DVLA and phone companies, and trading sensitive material from live police inquiries.
Coulson has always insisted he knew nothing about the illegal activity which took place in the News of the World newsroom, telling MPs last year: "I have never had any involvement in it at all."
Mr A cannot be named now because he is facing trial for a violent crime, but his details will emerge once he has been dealt with by the courts. Coulson tonight refused to say whether he was aware of Mr A's criminal background, or of his return to the paper following his prison term. He said: "I have nothing to add to the evidence I gave to the select committee." ...
February 24. 2010 1:00AM
Judge expected to expand charges against Kilpatrick
Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News
Detroit --When former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick returns from Texas on Friday for arraignment on criminal probation violation charges, he will face far more accusations than missing a single restitution payment.
Wayne County prosecutors Tuesday were ordered by Circuit Judge David Groner to assist Michigan Department of Corrections authorities in expanding the single charge recommended by agents overseeing Kilpatrick's probation to include numerous alleged violations revealed during six days of recent hearings on Kilpatrick's finances.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's spokeswoman, Maria Miller, declined to provide details, but legal experts say the charges could include perjury and fraud.
"We are prepared to proceed on Friday," Miller said. "We have assisted the probation department in their preparation of the warrant. The allegations will be contained in that petition."
With the charges broadened beyond Kilpatrick's failure to meet a deadline last week to pay $79,000 toward the $1 million restitution in the text message scandal, his lawyers' efforts to get the Michigan Court of Appeals to overturn Groner's recent restitution orders will likely have no impact on the coming proceedings, said Curt Benson, professor at Cooley School of Law. The higher court is likely to focus only on Kilpatrick's complaint that the judge overstepped his authority in ordering him to make more than $300,000 in accelerated restitution payments, because he determined Kilpatrick hid assets from the court.
The Court of Appeals agreed to consider Kilpatrick's appeal, but only after receiving transcripts of the lengthy restitution hearings. Groner's court reporter has almost a month to prepare the transcripts. The appeals court refused to delay payment deadlines. The first deadline, for $79,011, passed last Friday. The second, for $240,000, comes in April. ...
Judge expected to expand charges against Kilpatrick
Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News
Detroit --When former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick returns from Texas on Friday for arraignment on criminal probation violation charges, he will face far more accusations than missing a single restitution payment.
Wayne County prosecutors Tuesday were ordered by Circuit Judge David Groner to assist Michigan Department of Corrections authorities in expanding the single charge recommended by agents overseeing Kilpatrick's probation to include numerous alleged violations revealed during six days of recent hearings on Kilpatrick's finances.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's spokeswoman, Maria Miller, declined to provide details, but legal experts say the charges could include perjury and fraud.
"We are prepared to proceed on Friday," Miller said. "We have assisted the probation department in their preparation of the warrant. The allegations will be contained in that petition."
With the charges broadened beyond Kilpatrick's failure to meet a deadline last week to pay $79,000 toward the $1 million restitution in the text message scandal, his lawyers' efforts to get the Michigan Court of Appeals to overturn Groner's recent restitution orders will likely have no impact on the coming proceedings, said Curt Benson, professor at Cooley School of Law. The higher court is likely to focus only on Kilpatrick's complaint that the judge overstepped his authority in ordering him to make more than $300,000 in accelerated restitution payments, because he determined Kilpatrick hid assets from the court.
The Court of Appeals agreed to consider Kilpatrick's appeal, but only after receiving transcripts of the lengthy restitution hearings. Groner's court reporter has almost a month to prepare the transcripts. The appeals court refused to delay payment deadlines. The first deadline, for $79,011, passed last Friday. The second, for $240,000, comes in April. ...
'Terminator' carp threatens Great Lakes
Environmentalists say Asian carp, an invasive species of food-guzzling fish, could cause an ecological disaster if it enters Lake Michigan
Ed Pilkington, Chicago
Tuesday 23 February 2010
The fight looks utterly unequal. In the red corner: the combined might of North America, including the US and Canadian governments, the US army, the governors of eight American states, two Senate committees and the supreme court. In the blue corner: one fish.
The way things are looking, the fish is winning.
At stake is the health of the Great Lakes, the world's largest body of fresh water. Environmentalists warn of ecological disaster, courtesy of Asian carp, an invasive species of food-guzzling fish that is within miles of entering Lake Michigan.
If they do, they would have the potential to spread throughout the lakes, wreaking havoc to their ecosystem and with it the $7bn (£4.7bn) fishing and recreation industries on which millions of jobs depend. "This is an intense threat, and people are just waking up to how big the danger is," said David Ullrich of the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Cities Initiative, which represents 70 waterfront cities in the US and Canada with a joint population of 13 million.
Asian carp were first introduced to southern states of the US from China in the 1970s to help clean tanks in fish farms. They escaped and for more than 30 years have steadily worked their way up the Mississippi river system, devouring food and devastating native fish populations along the way. Last December, DNA of the carp was found just a few miles from the Great Lakes outside Chicago, a discovery that Ullrich described as "a major shock to everyone". ...
Environmentalists say Asian carp, an invasive species of food-guzzling fish, could cause an ecological disaster if it enters Lake Michigan
Ed Pilkington, Chicago
Tuesday 23 February 2010
The fight looks utterly unequal. In the red corner: the combined might of North America, including the US and Canadian governments, the US army, the governors of eight American states, two Senate committees and the supreme court. In the blue corner: one fish.
The way things are looking, the fish is winning.
At stake is the health of the Great Lakes, the world's largest body of fresh water. Environmentalists warn of ecological disaster, courtesy of Asian carp, an invasive species of food-guzzling fish that is within miles of entering Lake Michigan.
If they do, they would have the potential to spread throughout the lakes, wreaking havoc to their ecosystem and with it the $7bn (£4.7bn) fishing and recreation industries on which millions of jobs depend. "This is an intense threat, and people are just waking up to how big the danger is," said David Ullrich of the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Cities Initiative, which represents 70 waterfront cities in the US and Canada with a joint population of 13 million.
Asian carp were first introduced to southern states of the US from China in the 1970s to help clean tanks in fish farms. They escaped and for more than 30 years have steadily worked their way up the Mississippi river system, devouring food and devastating native fish populations along the way. Last December, DNA of the carp was found just a few miles from the Great Lakes outside Chicago, a discovery that Ullrich described as "a major shock to everyone". ...
Jonathan Safran Foer: The truth about factory farming
In this disturbing extract from Eating Animals, the novelist reveals the unpalatable truth about factory-farmed poultry
Monday 22 February 2010
... We spend several minutes like this, looking for an unlocked door. Another why: Why would a farmer lock the doors of his turkey farm?
It can't be because he's afraid someone will steal his equipment or animals. There's no equipment to steal, and the animals aren't worth the herculean effort it would take to illicitly transport a significant number. A farmer doesn't lock his doors because he's afraid his animals will escape. Turkeys can't turn doorknobs. It isn't because of biosecurity, either. Barbed wire is enough to keep out the merely curious. So why? In the three years I will spend immersed in animal agriculture, nothing will unsettle me more than the locked doors.
As it turns out, locked doors are the least of it. I never heard back from any of the companies I wrote to. Even research organisations with paid staff find themselves consistently thwarted by industry secrecy.
The power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do. ...
In this disturbing extract from Eating Animals, the novelist reveals the unpalatable truth about factory-farmed poultry
Monday 22 February 2010
... We spend several minutes like this, looking for an unlocked door. Another why: Why would a farmer lock the doors of his turkey farm?
It can't be because he's afraid someone will steal his equipment or animals. There's no equipment to steal, and the animals aren't worth the herculean effort it would take to illicitly transport a significant number. A farmer doesn't lock his doors because he's afraid his animals will escape. Turkeys can't turn doorknobs. It isn't because of biosecurity, either. Barbed wire is enough to keep out the merely curious. So why? In the three years I will spend immersed in animal agriculture, nothing will unsettle me more than the locked doors.
As it turns out, locked doors are the least of it. I never heard back from any of the companies I wrote to. Even research organisations with paid staff find themselves consistently thwarted by industry secrecy.
The power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do. ...
Posted: Feb. 21, 2010
Feds have evidence ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick took bribes
Contractor said Kilpatrick got up to $100K, his father up to $290K; Kilpatrick's lawyer says he knows nothing of bribery accusation
BY JENNIFER DIXON and JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
A contractor who pleaded guilty in an ongoing corruption probe in Detroit has told investigators that he handed as much as $100,000 in bribes to then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2002, according to interviews and sworn documents reviewed by the Free Press.
The contractor, Karl Kado of West Bloomfield, also told the FBI he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the mayor's father, and thousands more to a close mayoral aide, according to the records and interviews.
Kado told authorities he paid Kwame Kilpatrick in four or five installments of about $20,000 each. Kado, who is awaiting sentencing for paying bribes to protect multimillion-dollar Cobo Center contracts, said he sometimes delivered the money in envelopes to Kilpatrick's office on the 11th floor at City Hall, and sometimes Kilpatrick dropped by Cobo to get the cash.
The allegations are significant because they show, for the first time, that the government has secured the cooperation of someone who says he gave payoffs directly to Kilpatrick.
Authorities obtained the information as part of a years-long, complex and wide-ranging investigation in Detroit and Southfield that has produced a series of public corruption charges and 10 guilty pleas.
In pursuing Kilpatrick, investigators tracked cash moving in and out of bank accounts and wiretapped the phone of his father, among others, while slowly trying to build a case.
FBI agents also contend in sworn statements that they have grounds to believe Kilpatrick and his associates used the mayor's office to run a criminal enterprise, a term the FBI reserves for organized crime and racketeering cases. ...
Feds have evidence ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick took bribes
Contractor said Kilpatrick got up to $100K, his father up to $290K; Kilpatrick's lawyer says he knows nothing of bribery accusation
BY JENNIFER DIXON and JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
A contractor who pleaded guilty in an ongoing corruption probe in Detroit has told investigators that he handed as much as $100,000 in bribes to then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2002, according to interviews and sworn documents reviewed by the Free Press.
The contractor, Karl Kado of West Bloomfield, also told the FBI he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the mayor's father, and thousands more to a close mayoral aide, according to the records and interviews.
Kado told authorities he paid Kwame Kilpatrick in four or five installments of about $20,000 each. Kado, who is awaiting sentencing for paying bribes to protect multimillion-dollar Cobo Center contracts, said he sometimes delivered the money in envelopes to Kilpatrick's office on the 11th floor at City Hall, and sometimes Kilpatrick dropped by Cobo to get the cash.
The allegations are significant because they show, for the first time, that the government has secured the cooperation of someone who says he gave payoffs directly to Kilpatrick.
Authorities obtained the information as part of a years-long, complex and wide-ranging investigation in Detroit and Southfield that has produced a series of public corruption charges and 10 guilty pleas.
In pursuing Kilpatrick, investigators tracked cash moving in and out of bank accounts and wiretapped the phone of his father, among others, while slowly trying to build a case.
FBI agents also contend in sworn statements that they have grounds to believe Kilpatrick and his associates used the mayor's office to run a criminal enterprise, a term the FBI reserves for organized crime and racketeering cases. ...
Last Updated: February 22. 2010 1:00AM
Feds plan Kilpatrick charges
Ex-mayor, dad expected to face felonies in 'pay to play' probe
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
Detroit -- Federal officials are preparing felony charges against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his father, business consultant Bernard N. Kilpatrick, The Detroit News has learned.
For at least five years, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office have been investigating an alleged "pay to play" system at City Hall under Kilpatrick and allegations that contractors wanting City Hall business were directed to hire the former mayor's father as a consultant.
Now there are new allegations that former Cobo Center contractor Karl Kado, who has been cooperating with the FBI since 2005, not only paid close to $300,000 to the mayor's father but made about $100,000 in illegal cash payments directly to the former mayor.
Those allegations are contained in sworn statements that are part of the evidence in the wide-ranging corruption probe, a person familiar with the investigation said Sunday. Charges are expected against both Kwame Kilpatrick and his father, though the timing and specific nature of those charges are still being determined, the source said.
It's the first time a source close to the investigation has said corruption charges against the former mayor are planned, though there have been strong signals Kilpatrick was the ultimate target of a long-running investigation that has netted nine guilty pleas.
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed records and testimony related to possible abuses in fundraising and expenditures connected with the former mayor's nonprofit foundation, the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, and possible felony income tax violations are being examined, people familiar with the investigation said. ...
Feds plan Kilpatrick charges
Ex-mayor, dad expected to face felonies in 'pay to play' probe
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
Detroit -- Federal officials are preparing felony charges against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his father, business consultant Bernard N. Kilpatrick, The Detroit News has learned.
For at least five years, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office have been investigating an alleged "pay to play" system at City Hall under Kilpatrick and allegations that contractors wanting City Hall business were directed to hire the former mayor's father as a consultant.
Now there are new allegations that former Cobo Center contractor Karl Kado, who has been cooperating with the FBI since 2005, not only paid close to $300,000 to the mayor's father but made about $100,000 in illegal cash payments directly to the former mayor.
Those allegations are contained in sworn statements that are part of the evidence in the wide-ranging corruption probe, a person familiar with the investigation said Sunday. Charges are expected against both Kwame Kilpatrick and his father, though the timing and specific nature of those charges are still being determined, the source said.
It's the first time a source close to the investigation has said corruption charges against the former mayor are planned, though there have been strong signals Kilpatrick was the ultimate target of a long-running investigation that has netted nine guilty pleas.
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed records and testimony related to possible abuses in fundraising and expenditures connected with the former mayor's nonprofit foundation, the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, and possible felony income tax violations are being examined, people familiar with the investigation said. ...
... Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley, Pa., said they first found out about the alleged spying last November after their son Blake was accused by a Harriton High School official of "improper behavior in his home" and shown a photograph taken by his laptop.
An assistant principal at Harriton later confirmed that the district could remotely activate the webcam in students' laptops. "Michael Robbins thereafter verified, through [Assistant Principal] Ms. Matsko, that the school district in fact has the ability to remotely activate the webcam contained in a student's personal laptop computer issued by the school district at any time it chose and to view and capture whatever images were in front of the webcam, all without the knowledge, permission or authorization of any persons then and there using the laptop computer," the lawsuit stated.
The Robbins claimed that the district did not tell them beforehand that their son's laptop webcam could be activated remotely, and added that there was no mention of the functionality in any of the documentation they received or on the district's Web site.
And the privacy of non-students has been violated, the Robbins said. "By virtue of the fact that the webcam can be remotely activated at any time by the School District, the webcam will capture anything happening in the room in which the laptop computer is located, regardless of whether the student is sitting at the computer and using it," the lawsuit charged. ...
An assistant principal at Harriton later confirmed that the district could remotely activate the webcam in students' laptops. "Michael Robbins thereafter verified, through [Assistant Principal] Ms. Matsko, that the school district in fact has the ability to remotely activate the webcam contained in a student's personal laptop computer issued by the school district at any time it chose and to view and capture whatever images were in front of the webcam, all without the knowledge, permission or authorization of any persons then and there using the laptop computer," the lawsuit stated.
The Robbins claimed that the district did not tell them beforehand that their son's laptop webcam could be activated remotely, and added that there was no mention of the functionality in any of the documentation they received or on the district's Web site.
And the privacy of non-students has been violated, the Robbins said. "By virtue of the fact that the webcam can be remotely activated at any time by the School District, the webcam will capture anything happening in the room in which the laptop computer is located, regardless of whether the student is sitting at the computer and using it," the lawsuit charged. ...
A man facing the first major criminal trial to take place without a jury in England in 400 years was being hunted by police today after he went on the run from court.
Peter Blake, who police warn is dangerous and has previously had access to firearms, was reported missing just after the lunch break at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday. ...
Peter Blake, who police warn is dangerous and has previously had access to firearms, was reported missing just after the lunch break at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday. ...
A suspected armed robber who was on trial for a £1.75m heist in a historic criminal case without a jury has gone on the run.
Peter Blake, 57, apparently walked out of the high court in London in the midst of his trial yesterday.
Blake and three co-defendants were being tried without a jury after the prosecution and police alleged the jury in the previous Old Bailey trial had been harassed.
The escape of Blake is the latest in a series of setbacks in the investigation and prosecution of suspects for the 2004 heist at a warehouse near Heathrow. There have been three criminal trials and more than £20m has been spent, but no one has been convicted of the robbery.
During the third trial last year, the judge halted proceedings over claims from the prosecution that the jury had been interfered with. The court of appeal ruled that in the face of threats to a future potential jury the four men should be tried without a jury – the first such trial in England for 400 years. ...
Peter Blake, 57, apparently walked out of the high court in London in the midst of his trial yesterday.
Blake and three co-defendants were being tried without a jury after the prosecution and police alleged the jury in the previous Old Bailey trial had been harassed.
The escape of Blake is the latest in a series of setbacks in the investigation and prosecution of suspects for the 2004 heist at a warehouse near Heathrow. There have been three criminal trials and more than £20m has been spent, but no one has been convicted of the robbery.
During the third trial last year, the judge halted proceedings over claims from the prosecution that the jury had been interfered with. The court of appeal ruled that in the face of threats to a future potential jury the four men should be tried without a jury – the first such trial in England for 400 years. ...
dave wood needs to be transported in a caged van to yarl's wood and kept there, treated like any other immigrant there, until it changes its tune.
Chernobyl.
Three Mile Island.
The Fermi plants which made Lake Erie glow eerily every night for many years.
Fuck you, obama.
Three Mile Island.
The Fermi plants which made Lake Erie glow eerily every night for many years.
Fuck you, obama.
Some people are gay. Just get over it, you brutal and uncivilized assholes.
'Clumsy' French cop tasers schoolkid
By Lester Haines
10th February 2010
A "clumsy" French cop is facing discliplinary measures after accidentally tasering a 15-year-old schoolkid, TF1 News reports.
The unnamed gendarme was demonstrating the electric enforcer to youngsters at a "career day" in Dole, Jura, on 28 January, when he zapped his victim's leg. The discharge earned the lad a night in hospital "under observation", but he was reportedly none the worse for his ordeal. ...
Quel un idiot!
By Lester Haines
10th February 2010
A "clumsy" French cop is facing discliplinary measures after accidentally tasering a 15-year-old schoolkid, TF1 News reports.
The unnamed gendarme was demonstrating the electric enforcer to youngsters at a "career day" in Dole, Jura, on 28 January, when he zapped his victim's leg. The discharge earned the lad a night in hospital "under observation", but he was reportedly none the worse for his ordeal. ...
Quel un idiot!
The troubled American private security company Blackwater faced fresh controversy today when two former employees accused it of defrauding the US government for years, including billing for a Filipina prostitute on its payroll in Afghanistan.
According to Melan Davis, a former employee, Blackwater listed the woman for payment under the "morale welfare recreation" category.
The company, which allegedly employed her in Kabul, billed the government for her plane tickets and monthly salary, Davis said.
Blackwater, renamed Xe last year apparently because of the bad publicity attached to its original name, is among the biggest private security firms employed by the state department and Pentagon in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The most notorious incident involving Blackwater was the shooting of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007. Charges against Blackwater employees in the US over the incident were dropped last year, prompting the Iraqi government to order hundreds of its security staff out of the country within the next few days.
The latest accusations are contained in court records that have been recently unsealed and reveal details of a lawsuit by Davis and her husband, Brad, who both worked for Blackwater. According to Associated Press, the records say they had personal knowledge of the company falsifying invoices, double-billing federal agencies and charging the government for personal and inappropriate items whose real purpose was hidden.
They said they witnessed "systematic" fraud on the company's security contracts with the state department in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the department of homeland security and federal emergency management agency in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. ...
According to Melan Davis, a former employee, Blackwater listed the woman for payment under the "morale welfare recreation" category.
The company, which allegedly employed her in Kabul, billed the government for her plane tickets and monthly salary, Davis said.
Blackwater, renamed Xe last year apparently because of the bad publicity attached to its original name, is among the biggest private security firms employed by the state department and Pentagon in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The most notorious incident involving Blackwater was the shooting of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007. Charges against Blackwater employees in the US over the incident were dropped last year, prompting the Iraqi government to order hundreds of its security staff out of the country within the next few days.
The latest accusations are contained in court records that have been recently unsealed and reveal details of a lawsuit by Davis and her husband, Brad, who both worked for Blackwater. According to Associated Press, the records say they had personal knowledge of the company falsifying invoices, double-billing federal agencies and charging the government for personal and inappropriate items whose real purpose was hidden.
They said they witnessed "systematic" fraud on the company's security contracts with the state department in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the department of homeland security and federal emergency management agency in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. ...
Honda was recalling another 437,000 vehicles for faulty airbags, in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese carmaker.
The company will replace the driver-side airbag inflator in the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver.
Honda began the recall in November 2008, and the total number of vehicles affected is approaching 1m. The latest expansion of the recall includes 378,000 cars in the US, 41,000 in Canada and 17,000 in Japan, Australia and elsewhere in Asia.
Toyota is in the process of recalling more than 8m cars and trucks due to faulty gas pedals, and yesterday said it would recall more than 440,000 of its flagship 2010 Prius and other hybrids, due to a braking glitch. ...
Brakes, acceleration, steering...what else is there???
Oh, yeah.
Airbags.
Oh, and as a native Detroiter, I'd like to say a big Fuck You to all the idiots who slagged off American cars and bought toyotas and hondas.
Thankyouverymuch.
The company will replace the driver-side airbag inflator in the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver.
Honda began the recall in November 2008, and the total number of vehicles affected is approaching 1m. The latest expansion of the recall includes 378,000 cars in the US, 41,000 in Canada and 17,000 in Japan, Australia and elsewhere in Asia.
Toyota is in the process of recalling more than 8m cars and trucks due to faulty gas pedals, and yesterday said it would recall more than 440,000 of its flagship 2010 Prius and other hybrids, due to a braking glitch. ...
Brakes, acceleration, steering...what else is there???
Oh, yeah.
Airbags.
Oh, and as a native Detroiter, I'd like to say a big Fuck You to all the idiots who slagged off American cars and bought toyotas and hondas.
Thankyouverymuch.
Metropolitan police assistant commissioner John Yates has been reprimanded by the culture select committee for what it claims was a failure to give more detailed evidence to MPs over the scale of hacking into private phone messages by former News International employees. The chairman of the culture committee, John Whittingdale, has written to Yates to deliver the reprimand.
Yates has angrily replied it had never been his intention to mislead the committee and he is most concerned that the committee believed that to be the case.
The Guardian revealed last week that a freedom of information request had disclosed that the police found News International had pin codes, which are used for accessing voicemail messages, belonging to 91 people. The phones had been accessed by the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who worked for the News of the World and the paper's royal correspondent, Clive Goodman.
Knowing that the information was about to be made public, a senior police officer wrote to the select committee to inform them late last month.
At the time of giving oral evidence to the committee in September, Yates gave no indication he knew of the scale of the hacking. ...
Yates has angrily replied it had never been his intention to mislead the committee and he is most concerned that the committee believed that to be the case.
The Guardian revealed last week that a freedom of information request had disclosed that the police found News International had pin codes, which are used for accessing voicemail messages, belonging to 91 people. The phones had been accessed by the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who worked for the News of the World and the paper's royal correspondent, Clive Goodman.
Knowing that the information was about to be made public, a senior police officer wrote to the select committee to inform them late last month.
At the time of giving oral evidence to the committee in September, Yates gave no indication he knew of the scale of the hacking. ...
Couple told by BT that broadband upgrade would cost £45,000
A couple, Ray and Frei Walker, who want broadband for their home and bed and breakfast business have been told by British Telecom that the installation would cost £45,000.
By Nick Britten
07 Feb 2010
They have managed with an old “dial up” service for the last nine years at the Victorian guest house they own.
But when they looked into getting broadband installed they were hit by the huge quote because BT said for the Walkers to benefit it would need to install new equipment that would also serve others in the village.
Mr Walker, 60, said: “It’s a farce, and obviously we’re staggered. We don’t have £45,000 and if we did we wouldn’t spend it on this.”
Currently BT broadband access is available to residents of the 150-strong village of Dufton, near Appelby, Cumbria, but BT said there was no capacity for any new users.
The Walkers currently have two telephone lines going into the house – one for a phone and one for the Internet – supplied by Digital Access Carrier System, or DACS, which allows BT to deliver both lines from its exchange through one copper wire.
The DACS box also services other villagers’ telephone lines.
They believed that by getting rid of one phone line, it would free up capacity for broadband.
But BT said to install broadband it would have to remove the current box, where the lines are squeezed down into one line and which is fitted to a telephone pole in the village, and install new, larger capacity equipment and cables for others in the village as well.
They quoted for the cost of removing the box plus “40 joint bosses, 637 metres of fibre copper cable and 1,341 metres of mole ploughing cable”.
Mr Walker accused the company of abusing its network monopoly because he had switched phone supplier and had been intent on using a different broadband supplier, even though BT still owns and maintains the equipment.
He said: “They seem to be wanting us to pay for equipment which will upgrade the whole village, and that’s what makes it more galling.
“We just want the same crap broadband service as everybody else in the village but BT won’t even let us have that.” ...
A couple, Ray and Frei Walker, who want broadband for their home and bed and breakfast business have been told by British Telecom that the installation would cost £45,000.
By Nick Britten
07 Feb 2010
They have managed with an old “dial up” service for the last nine years at the Victorian guest house they own.
But when they looked into getting broadband installed they were hit by the huge quote because BT said for the Walkers to benefit it would need to install new equipment that would also serve others in the village.
Mr Walker, 60, said: “It’s a farce, and obviously we’re staggered. We don’t have £45,000 and if we did we wouldn’t spend it on this.”
Currently BT broadband access is available to residents of the 150-strong village of Dufton, near Appelby, Cumbria, but BT said there was no capacity for any new users.
The Walkers currently have two telephone lines going into the house – one for a phone and one for the Internet – supplied by Digital Access Carrier System, or DACS, which allows BT to deliver both lines from its exchange through one copper wire.
The DACS box also services other villagers’ telephone lines.
They believed that by getting rid of one phone line, it would free up capacity for broadband.
But BT said to install broadband it would have to remove the current box, where the lines are squeezed down into one line and which is fitted to a telephone pole in the village, and install new, larger capacity equipment and cables for others in the village as well.
They quoted for the cost of removing the box plus “40 joint bosses, 637 metres of fibre copper cable and 1,341 metres of mole ploughing cable”.
Mr Walker accused the company of abusing its network monopoly because he had switched phone supplier and had been intent on using a different broadband supplier, even though BT still owns and maintains the equipment.
He said: “They seem to be wanting us to pay for equipment which will upgrade the whole village, and that’s what makes it more galling.
“We just want the same crap broadband service as everybody else in the village but BT won’t even let us have that.” ...
The Loch Ness Stig gets pixellated
Sinister Street View censorship shenanigans
By Lester Haines
1st February 2010
Those readers who live close to Loch Ness are invited to keep an eye out for circling black Google helicopters, since the Great Satan of Mountain View has inexplicably decided that this recent loch-side sighting of Top Gear's The Stig...
...would benefit from the application of Street View's "Swiss pixellation" filter:
Chilling stuff indeed. As ever, we welcome wild conspiracy theories as to what exactly Google is trying to hide... ®
Sinister Street View censorship shenanigans
By Lester Haines
1st February 2010
Those readers who live close to Loch Ness are invited to keep an eye out for circling black Google helicopters, since the Great Satan of Mountain View has inexplicably decided that this recent loch-side sighting of Top Gear's The Stig...
...would benefit from the application of Street View's "Swiss pixellation" filter:
Chilling stuff indeed. As ever, we welcome wild conspiracy theories as to what exactly Google is trying to hide... ®
Innocent victims of the subprime crisis
In spite of a law protecting tenants, people who rent across the US are being illegally evicted even if their finances are fine
Sasha Abramsky
6 February 2010
"What happens often is that after a foreclosure, a broker or an agent comes to the house and, as though the law didn't exist, tells renters the house has been foreclosed and they have to leave," says Judith Liben, senior housing attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
The law Liben is referencing is the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act, passed in spring last year and intended to remain on the books until 2012. It was intended to mitigate the collateral damage from the foreclosure epidemic by making banks give tenants on month-to-month leases 90 days notice before evicting them following the home owners' foreclosure; and by ensuring that tenants in good standing with year, or multi-year, leases couldn't be evicted mid-lease following a foreclosure. The new owners would, according to this act, have to honour the terms of the lease, keep up repairs on the property, and repay the tenants' security deposits upon completion of the lease.
Housing advocates cheered the law as representing a signal victory for struggling tenants in an increasingly brutal real estate environment. In the months since it was passed, however, many have concluded that in practice it is a largely toothless wonder: most tenants don't know about its existence, many banks – desperate to evict tenants living in foreclosed homes so that they can more easily sell the properties – have continued sending out illegal eviction notices; some even hire bailiffs to change the locks and to throw possessions out onto the street. And the federal government has no real mechanisms to enforce the act's provisions.
It is not uncommon for tenants in these situations to come home and find intimidating, anonymous, and legally misleading, posters stuck to their doors. One such starts with "Attention!! This property has been foreclosed and is now bank-owned. The eviction process has started. The property is being monitored." The words are in bold and the text is circled for emphasis. Another begins: "To whom it may concern: We were informed this property was vacant. We have changed the locks." Another resorts to financial intimidation: "The eviction process has been started by the bank. It is in your best interest to avoid having an eviction added to your credit report. It is very difficult to rent a property with an eviction on your credit report."
That homeowners have been hammered by subprime mortgages, by the collapse of real estate value, and by the broader economic malaise, is well-documented. But, out of the spotlight, more and more rented homes go into foreclosure: many tenants continue to pay rent to delinquent landlords, only to subsequently find they have been giving their money to a person who no longer owns the property. Others have been summarily evicted, having to scurry to find new homes – or ending up homeless. Many have lost the security deposits on their old rentals to owners who have simply disappeared. Others have seen their credit records [affected] by being evicted, despite the eviction not being the result of their own financial failings. ...
In spite of a law protecting tenants, people who rent across the US are being illegally evicted even if their finances are fine
Sasha Abramsky
6 February 2010
"What happens often is that after a foreclosure, a broker or an agent comes to the house and, as though the law didn't exist, tells renters the house has been foreclosed and they have to leave," says Judith Liben, senior housing attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
The law Liben is referencing is the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act, passed in spring last year and intended to remain on the books until 2012. It was intended to mitigate the collateral damage from the foreclosure epidemic by making banks give tenants on month-to-month leases 90 days notice before evicting them following the home owners' foreclosure; and by ensuring that tenants in good standing with year, or multi-year, leases couldn't be evicted mid-lease following a foreclosure. The new owners would, according to this act, have to honour the terms of the lease, keep up repairs on the property, and repay the tenants' security deposits upon completion of the lease.
Housing advocates cheered the law as representing a signal victory for struggling tenants in an increasingly brutal real estate environment. In the months since it was passed, however, many have concluded that in practice it is a largely toothless wonder: most tenants don't know about its existence, many banks – desperate to evict tenants living in foreclosed homes so that they can more easily sell the properties – have continued sending out illegal eviction notices; some even hire bailiffs to change the locks and to throw possessions out onto the street. And the federal government has no real mechanisms to enforce the act's provisions.
It is not uncommon for tenants in these situations to come home and find intimidating, anonymous, and legally misleading, posters stuck to their doors. One such starts with "Attention!! This property has been foreclosed and is now bank-owned. The eviction process has started. The property is being monitored." The words are in bold and the text is circled for emphasis. Another begins: "To whom it may concern: We were informed this property was vacant. We have changed the locks." Another resorts to financial intimidation: "The eviction process has been started by the bank. It is in your best interest to avoid having an eviction added to your credit report. It is very difficult to rent a property with an eviction on your credit report."
That homeowners have been hammered by subprime mortgages, by the collapse of real estate value, and by the broader economic malaise, is well-documented. But, out of the spotlight, more and more rented homes go into foreclosure: many tenants continue to pay rent to delinquent landlords, only to subsequently find they have been giving their money to a person who no longer owns the property. Others have been summarily evicted, having to scurry to find new homes – or ending up homeless. Many have lost the security deposits on their old rentals to owners who have simply disappeared. Others have seen their credit records [affected] by being evicted, despite the eviction not being the result of their own financial failings. ...
BAE deal with Tanzania: Military air traffic control – for country with no airforce
Claire Short and Robin Cook had tried to stop the sale of a hugely expensive radar to the poverty- stricken Tanzanians
Rob Evans and Paul Lewis
Saturday 6 February 2010
Tony Blair was at the centre of controversy over BAE's arms deal with Tanzania, just as he was in the Saudi contracts.
Cabinet ministers Claire Short and Robin Cook had tried to stop the sale of the hugely expensive radar to the poverty- stricken Tanzanians. But, as prime minister, he overruled them and insisted that the deal had to go through.
It left Cook ruefully muttering that it seemed that Dick Evans, BAE's then chairman, seemed to have "the key to the garden door of No 10".
The World Bank and the International Civil Aviation Organisation judged that the 2001 purchase was unnecessary and overpriced.
But the £28m deal started to look even worse when the SFO discovered that a third of the contract's price had been diverted into secret offshore bank accounts.
The SFO believed that this money was used to pay bribes to Tanzanian politicians and officials.
Yesterday Short, who resigned from the government, said : "Every way you looked at it, it [the deal] was outrageous and disgraceful. And guess who absolutely insisted on it going through? My dear friend Tony Blair, who absolutely, adamantly, favoured all proposals for arms deals.
"It was an obviously corrupt project. Tanzania didn't need a new military air traffic control, it was out-of-date technology, they didn't have any military aircraft – they needed a civilian air traffic control system and there was a modern, much cheaper one. Everyone talks about good governance in Africa as though it is an African problem, and often the roots of the 'badness' is companies in Europe." ...
Claire Short and Robin Cook had tried to stop the sale of a hugely expensive radar to the poverty- stricken Tanzanians
Rob Evans and Paul Lewis
Saturday 6 February 2010
Tony Blair was at the centre of controversy over BAE's arms deal with Tanzania, just as he was in the Saudi contracts.
Cabinet ministers Claire Short and Robin Cook had tried to stop the sale of the hugely expensive radar to the poverty- stricken Tanzanians. But, as prime minister, he overruled them and insisted that the deal had to go through.
It left Cook ruefully muttering that it seemed that Dick Evans, BAE's then chairman, seemed to have "the key to the garden door of No 10".
The World Bank and the International Civil Aviation Organisation judged that the 2001 purchase was unnecessary and overpriced.
But the £28m deal started to look even worse when the SFO discovered that a third of the contract's price had been diverted into secret offshore bank accounts.
The SFO believed that this money was used to pay bribes to Tanzanian politicians and officials.
Yesterday Short, who resigned from the government, said : "Every way you looked at it, it [the deal] was outrageous and disgraceful. And guess who absolutely insisted on it going through? My dear friend Tony Blair, who absolutely, adamantly, favoured all proposals for arms deals.
"It was an obviously corrupt project. Tanzania didn't need a new military air traffic control, it was out-of-date technology, they didn't have any military aircraft – they needed a civilian air traffic control system and there was a modern, much cheaper one. Everyone talks about good governance in Africa as though it is an African problem, and often the roots of the 'badness' is companies in Europe." ...
Perseverance and bluff – how the legal deal was done that sees BAE pay £285m fines
That the arms giant has finally been forced to pay substantial penalties is due to the doggedness of a small group of prosecutors
David Leigh and Rob Evans
Friday 5 February 2010
Since the Guardian first exposed BAE's worldwide system of undercover payments to secure contracts in 2003, the company has fought hard to deny its guilt, using every lobbying tool at its disposal and exploiting its influence within the offices of the then prime minister, Tony Blair.
That the arms giant has finally been forced to pay substantial penalties is due to the doggedness of a small group of prosecutors, currently led by Richard Alderman, director of the Serious Fraud Office, and his US counterpart, Mark Mendelsohn, at the department of justice in Washington.
Alderman's predecessor, Robert Wardle, stepped down from his post at the SFO in 2008, a frustrated man, having seen BAE and its friends persuade Blair to intervene and force a halt to extensive and long running criminal inquiries into the £43bn al-Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
But that turned out to be the high-water mark of BAE's political influence. The US authorities promptly picked up the Saudi case which Blair had claimed would be so damaging to Britain's "national security".
Washington officials were vigorously attempting to enforce their own Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and were long suspicious of BAE's surprising arms deals in the Czech Republic, about which they had vainly protested at the time.
Meanwhile Alderman, when he succeeded Wardle at the SFO, insisted he was no patsy. He ordered renewed investigations into BAE's remaining suspect contracts in Tanzania, South Africa, Romania and the Czech Republic. Alderman staked much of his credibility on attempts to change the lumbering SFO style of investigation. ...
That the arms giant has finally been forced to pay substantial penalties is due to the doggedness of a small group of prosecutors
David Leigh and Rob Evans
Friday 5 February 2010
Since the Guardian first exposed BAE's worldwide system of undercover payments to secure contracts in 2003, the company has fought hard to deny its guilt, using every lobbying tool at its disposal and exploiting its influence within the offices of the then prime minister, Tony Blair.
That the arms giant has finally been forced to pay substantial penalties is due to the doggedness of a small group of prosecutors, currently led by Richard Alderman, director of the Serious Fraud Office, and his US counterpart, Mark Mendelsohn, at the department of justice in Washington.
Alderman's predecessor, Robert Wardle, stepped down from his post at the SFO in 2008, a frustrated man, having seen BAE and its friends persuade Blair to intervene and force a halt to extensive and long running criminal inquiries into the £43bn al-Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
But that turned out to be the high-water mark of BAE's political influence. The US authorities promptly picked up the Saudi case which Blair had claimed would be so damaging to Britain's "national security".
Washington officials were vigorously attempting to enforce their own Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and were long suspicious of BAE's surprising arms deals in the Czech Republic, about which they had vainly protested at the time.
Meanwhile Alderman, when he succeeded Wardle at the SFO, insisted he was no patsy. He ordered renewed investigations into BAE's remaining suspect contracts in Tanzania, South Africa, Romania and the Czech Republic. Alderman staked much of his credibility on attempts to change the lumbering SFO style of investigation. ...
February 6, 2010
Baptist Laura Silsby who set off to 'rescue' orphans left behind debts and bad wages
James Bone in New York
The leader of the American missionaries imprisoned for alleged child abduction in Haiti has a history of divorce, bad debts, and unpaid wages back home.
Laura Silsby, 40, founded her New Life Children’s Refuge charity at an address in a still-unfinished development in a suburb of Boise, Idaho, in November.
A month later the $358,500 (£230,000) house was repossessed by the mortgage holder, MetLife Home Loans.
Ms Silsby, a divorced mother of young children, organised the Christian “rescue mission” that led to the arrest of the ten American Baptists for trying to take 33 Haitian children out of the country.
Back home she runs a personal shopping service on the internet that earned her the eWomanNetwork’s International Businesswoman of the Year award in 2006.
Court records show, however, that she has repeatedly been sued for unpaid wages and bad debts — and has had at least nine driving violations since 1997.
According to the newspaper the Idaho Statesman 14 claims totalling $38,100, including two by the same employee, were filed against the PersonalShopper.com company over the past two years.
The Idaho department of labour found that $30,620 was owed to employees and also imposed a $4,000 fine. The company’s former marketing director went to court against Ms Silsby and PersonalShopper.com in October claiming five months of unpaid wages, totalling $22,016. ...
Classy broad.
Baptist Laura Silsby who set off to 'rescue' orphans left behind debts and bad wages
James Bone in New York
The leader of the American missionaries imprisoned for alleged child abduction in Haiti has a history of divorce, bad debts, and unpaid wages back home.
Laura Silsby, 40, founded her New Life Children’s Refuge charity at an address in a still-unfinished development in a suburb of Boise, Idaho, in November.
A month later the $358,500 (£230,000) house was repossessed by the mortgage holder, MetLife Home Loans.
Ms Silsby, a divorced mother of young children, organised the Christian “rescue mission” that led to the arrest of the ten American Baptists for trying to take 33 Haitian children out of the country.
Back home she runs a personal shopping service on the internet that earned her the eWomanNetwork’s International Businesswoman of the Year award in 2006.
Court records show, however, that she has repeatedly been sued for unpaid wages and bad debts — and has had at least nine driving violations since 1997.
According to the newspaper the Idaho Statesman 14 claims totalling $38,100, including two by the same employee, were filed against the PersonalShopper.com company over the past two years.
The Idaho department of labour found that $30,620 was owed to employees and also imposed a $4,000 fine. The company’s former marketing director went to court against Ms Silsby and PersonalShopper.com in October claiming five months of unpaid wages, totalling $22,016. ...
Classy broad.
Vikings vs Pirates: Film at eleven.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Correction
A story on Page 1 of Tuesday’s Telegraph quoted a White House official explaining that a Q-and-A session with dozens of teenagers in Nashua High School North on Monday was “off the record.” However, the explanation about the talk being “off the record” was, it turns out, also “off the record” and should not have been quoted.
Ta much, dear Edosan, for thatamusi bemusing bit of enlightenment.
Correction
A story on Page 1 of Tuesday’s Telegraph quoted a White House official explaining that a Q-and-A session with dozens of teenagers in Nashua High School North on Monday was “off the record.” However, the explanation about the talk being “off the record” was, it turns out, also “off the record” and should not have been quoted.
Ta much, dear Edosan, for that
... Beyond awesome. This is Darwinian evolution mixed with, like, Burning Man.
Being scientists of biomimicry, the authors surmise that if it were possible to reverse-engineer the entire shell — it’s not just the outer iron layer that’s cool; there are also two inner layers with gooey nougat that are equally important in defending the snail — they could produce superstrong materials for military defense and “load-bearing”.
Fair enough. But personally I’m satisfied just to have more pure science that proves, yet again, the inexhaustible Weirdness Of The Briny Deep.
Iron snails, people! Iron snails.
Ta much, dear MSiegel
Being scientists of biomimicry, the authors surmise that if it were possible to reverse-engineer the entire shell — it’s not just the outer iron layer that’s cool; there are also two inner layers with gooey nougat that are equally important in defending the snail — they could produce superstrong materials for military defense and “load-bearing”.
Fair enough. But personally I’m satisfied just to have more pure science that proves, yet again, the inexhaustible Weirdness Of The Briny Deep.
Iron snails, people! Iron snails.
Ta much, dear MSiegel
Dmitry Medvedev sent his special envoy to the western outpost of Kaliningrad today after thousands of Russians took to the streets in the largest rally since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The protest, staged at the weekend, saw between 10,000 and 12,000 people gather in Kaliningrad's main square to demand the resignation of the governor and shout slogans against the ruling United Russia party.
Smaller opposition rallies were held in other towns, including Vladivostok – the scene of regular protests by car drivers over the past 18 months – as well as Moscow and St Petersburg. Riot police violently broke up a peaceful demonstration in Triumfalnaya Square, Moscow, on Sunday, arresting 100 people.
Although opposition rallies have taken place throughout the Vladimir Putin era, the scale of the Kaliningrad protest appeared to have caught the Kremlin off guard.
The region – the former German city of Königsberg, which was seized by Stalin during the second world war – is separated from the rest of Russia and bordered by EU member states Poland and Lithuania. ...
The protest, staged at the weekend, saw between 10,000 and 12,000 people gather in Kaliningrad's main square to demand the resignation of the governor and shout slogans against the ruling United Russia party.
Smaller opposition rallies were held in other towns, including Vladivostok – the scene of regular protests by car drivers over the past 18 months – as well as Moscow and St Petersburg. Riot police violently broke up a peaceful demonstration in Triumfalnaya Square, Moscow, on Sunday, arresting 100 people.
Although opposition rallies have taken place throughout the Vladimir Putin era, the scale of the Kaliningrad protest appeared to have caught the Kremlin off guard.
The region – the former German city of Königsberg, which was seized by Stalin during the second world war – is separated from the rest of Russia and bordered by EU member states Poland and Lithuania. ...
The US House of Representatives has announced an investigation into Toyota’s faulty accelerator pedals and other problems that may have caused 19 deaths over the past decade and triggered a global recall of nearly eight million vehicles.
A month from now Toyota will face a cross-examination from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce over whether it responded soon enough to reports that accelerator pedals could become stuck.
The committee has sent letters to Toyota’s American subsidiary requesting documents and e-mails related to the matter.
Information has also been requested from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which alleges that “sudden acceleration” problems in Toyota cars have led to 19 fatalities. ...
A month from now Toyota will face a cross-examination from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce over whether it responded soon enough to reports that accelerator pedals could become stuck.
The committee has sent letters to Toyota’s American subsidiary requesting documents and e-mails related to the matter.
Information has also been requested from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which alleges that “sudden acceleration” problems in Toyota cars have led to 19 fatalities. ...
January 27, 2010
Barack Obama to fight ‘no limit’ ruling on election funding by companies
Tim Reid in Washington
President Obama is planning an aggressive response to a landmark Supreme Court ruling last week that cleared the way for US companies to spend unlimited amounts on political campaign advertising.
Democrats fear that the 5-4 ruling will help Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections.
It swept away a century of limits on corporate political spending and gave companies and unions the right to spend unlimited amounts attacking or promoting candidates. The move dismayed Democrats, who are already bracing themselves for heavy losses in November.
“I can’t think of anything more devastating to the public interest,” Mr Obama said in his weekly radio address at the weekend. “The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.” ...
Barack Obama to fight ‘no limit’ ruling on election funding by companies
Tim Reid in Washington
President Obama is planning an aggressive response to a landmark Supreme Court ruling last week that cleared the way for US companies to spend unlimited amounts on political campaign advertising.
Democrats fear that the 5-4 ruling will help Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections.
It swept away a century of limits on corporate political spending and gave companies and unions the right to spend unlimited amounts attacking or promoting candidates. The move dismayed Democrats, who are already bracing themselves for heavy losses in November.
“I can’t think of anything more devastating to the public interest,” Mr Obama said in his weekly radio address at the weekend. “The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.” ...
Poetic justice for HK Taoist truck driver
Sent down to judge's words of (real) Zen master
By Lester Haines
The Hong Kong truck driver who duped an aspiring model into having ritual sex with him has been jailed for six years and nine months, HK's The Standard reports.
Au Yeung Kwok-fu, 55, posed as a Taoist Mao Shan master to have his evil way with the unnamed 19-year-old on nine occasions between April and December 2007. He claimed he had the power to grant her career success, but all she got was an unwanted pregnancy which she subsequently aborted.
Au Yeung was earlier this month found guilty of nine counts of "unlawful sexual intercourse under false pretences", and District Court judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi this week sent him down, despite the defence presenting over 20 "mitigation letters" which praised the defendant's kindness and, in some cases, his "super power". ...
... Chan enigmatically concluded by quoting a real Zen master, who apparently enlightened: "Flowers blossom in spring; the moon shines in autumn; the breeze blows in summer; snow falls in winter. It will be the best season of all times if no trivial matters linger in your mind." ®
Sent down to judge's words of (real) Zen master
By Lester Haines
The Hong Kong truck driver who duped an aspiring model into having ritual sex with him has been jailed for six years and nine months, HK's The Standard reports.
Au Yeung Kwok-fu, 55, posed as a Taoist Mao Shan master to have his evil way with the unnamed 19-year-old on nine occasions between April and December 2007. He claimed he had the power to grant her career success, but all she got was an unwanted pregnancy which she subsequently aborted.
Au Yeung was earlier this month found guilty of nine counts of "unlawful sexual intercourse under false pretences", and District Court judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi this week sent him down, despite the defence presenting over 20 "mitigation letters" which praised the defendant's kindness and, in some cases, his "super power". ...
... Chan enigmatically concluded by quoting a real Zen master, who apparently enlightened: "Flowers blossom in spring; the moon shines in autumn; the breeze blows in summer; snow falls in winter. It will be the best season of all times if no trivial matters linger in your mind." ®
Tea Partying Militia Leader Arrested for Rape, Possessing a Grenade Launcher
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 03:46 Devin Burghart
A former Marine with ties to Tea Parties and militias who talked openly about using his training “to become a domestic terrorist” has been charged in separate complaints with raping a child and possessing an unregistered grenade launcher. His arrest may signal that a wing of the Tea Parties is heading in a more militant direction.
Charles Allan Dyer, 29, of Marlow, Oklahoma was arrested on January 12 at his home by Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies on the rape charge. The arrest occurred after a 7-year-old girl told sexual-abuse experts about a January 2nd incident at Dyer's home.
While sheriff's deputies were at Dyer's home, they found several firearms and a Colt M-203, 40-millimeter grenade launcher, according to court documents. When they searched a national crime database, the deputies discovered that the grenade launcher was one of three stolen from a military base at Fort Irwin, California, in 2006. According to an affidavit, Dyer told law enforcement that he had received the grenade launcher "from his best friend who gave it to him while Dyer was stationed in California with the Marine Corps". ...
... Dyer has played a bridge role between the Tea Parties and the Oath Keepers, an organization that seeks to enlist military and law enforcement personnel to disobey orders they regard as unconstitutional. The group promotes many of the outlandish theories about gun confiscation and the rounding up of people into concentration camps. Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes, previously praised Dyer in speeches, but is now backtracking claiming that Dyer isn't a member because he never officially signed up and paid dues. Not everyone is looking to distance themselves from Dyer. Others in the movement almost immediately began calling Dyer the “1st P.O.W. of the 2nd American Revolutionary War.”
Prior to his arrest, Dryer was also busy organizing militia groups in Oklahoma. Dyer told an interviewer, “I came from California, where I was training with the SoCal militia and making liaison with active duty groups to train civilian. In February I will be traveling up North near Wyoming to assist in some cold weather training. At the moment, I am working with groups in Oklahoma to form a more cohesive militia here.”
And in another video, filmed during a militia training exercise, Dyer declared his intention to use his military training to become a domestic terrorist, "I'm going to use my training and become one of those domestic terrorists that you're so afraid of from the DHS reports." Dyer also stated, “Patriots we are not overpowered. If we united under one banner and fight for our children's liberty and the Constitution, our resolve is invincible to any standing army.” ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 03:46 Devin Burghart
A former Marine with ties to Tea Parties and militias who talked openly about using his training “to become a domestic terrorist” has been charged in separate complaints with raping a child and possessing an unregistered grenade launcher. His arrest may signal that a wing of the Tea Parties is heading in a more militant direction.
Charles Allan Dyer, 29, of Marlow, Oklahoma was arrested on January 12 at his home by Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies on the rape charge. The arrest occurred after a 7-year-old girl told sexual-abuse experts about a January 2nd incident at Dyer's home.
While sheriff's deputies were at Dyer's home, they found several firearms and a Colt M-203, 40-millimeter grenade launcher, according to court documents. When they searched a national crime database, the deputies discovered that the grenade launcher was one of three stolen from a military base at Fort Irwin, California, in 2006. According to an affidavit, Dyer told law enforcement that he had received the grenade launcher "from his best friend who gave it to him while Dyer was stationed in California with the Marine Corps". ...
... Dyer has played a bridge role between the Tea Parties and the Oath Keepers, an organization that seeks to enlist military and law enforcement personnel to disobey orders they regard as unconstitutional. The group promotes many of the outlandish theories about gun confiscation and the rounding up of people into concentration camps. Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes, previously praised Dyer in speeches, but is now backtracking claiming that Dyer isn't a member because he never officially signed up and paid dues. Not everyone is looking to distance themselves from Dyer. Others in the movement almost immediately began calling Dyer the “1st P.O.W. of the 2nd American Revolutionary War.”
Prior to his arrest, Dryer was also busy organizing militia groups in Oklahoma. Dyer told an interviewer, “I came from California, where I was training with the SoCal militia and making liaison with active duty groups to train civilian. In February I will be traveling up North near Wyoming to assist in some cold weather training. At the moment, I am working with groups in Oklahoma to form a more cohesive militia here.”
And in another video, filmed during a militia training exercise, Dyer declared his intention to use his military training to become a domestic terrorist, "I'm going to use my training and become one of those domestic terrorists that you're so afraid of from the DHS reports." Dyer also stated, “Patriots we are not overpowered. If we united under one banner and fight for our children's liberty and the Constitution, our resolve is invincible to any standing army.” ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Kids' TV hosts terrorism-stopped for pew-pewing with sparkly hair-dryers
Andrew sez, "The presenters from British TV channel ITV's Toonatik were filming in London wearing safety gear and brandishing hairdryers. Of course, this presents a danger to Queen and Country, so the ever-vigilant Met held them and issued them a warning under the anti-terrorism act. And Londoners survive another day!" ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Andrew sez, "The presenters from British TV channel ITV's Toonatik were filming in London wearing safety gear and brandishing hairdryers. Of course, this presents a danger to Queen and Country, so the ever-vigilant Met held them and issued them a warning under the anti-terrorism act. And Londoners survive another day!" ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Crusty fireball space mango wrecks US doctor's office
'Fresh, pretty' meteorite blasts startled medics
By Lewis Page
22nd January 2010
A "mango-sized" meteorite crashed into a doctor's office in Virginia this week at more than 200 mph, according to reports. The space rock smashed through the roof, an internal wall and an upper floor before shattering into several pieces on a concrete slab.
"Literally an explosion went off," Dr Marc Gullani told local TV station WUSA9.
"It came from the roof, through the fire wall, through the ceiling and hit the ground right here," said his colleague Dr Frank Ciampi.
Nobody was hurt in the meteor strike, and the pieces of interplanetary debris were subsequently identified as being extraterrestrial by a geologist, fortuitously married to the doctors' receptionist.
The bits were then sent for analysis by the boffins from the meteorite collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who described their arrival as "a special moment".
Dr Linda Welzenbach of the Smithsonian - evidently a woman with an encyclopaedic knowledge of asteroid strikes in America - immediately said "as I recall, this will be the fourth fall in Virginia." She later added that as a connoisseur she considered the alien boulder "pretty" and "very fresh", remarking further that "it's a shame that it broke on impact." ...
'Fresh, pretty' meteorite blasts startled medics
By Lewis Page
22nd January 2010
A "mango-sized" meteorite crashed into a doctor's office in Virginia this week at more than 200 mph, according to reports. The space rock smashed through the roof, an internal wall and an upper floor before shattering into several pieces on a concrete slab.
"Literally an explosion went off," Dr Marc Gullani told local TV station WUSA9.
"It came from the roof, through the fire wall, through the ceiling and hit the ground right here," said his colleague Dr Frank Ciampi.
Nobody was hurt in the meteor strike, and the pieces of interplanetary debris were subsequently identified as being extraterrestrial by a geologist, fortuitously married to the doctors' receptionist.
The bits were then sent for analysis by the boffins from the meteorite collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who described their arrival as "a special moment".
Dr Linda Welzenbach of the Smithsonian - evidently a woman with an encyclopaedic knowledge of asteroid strikes in America - immediately said "as I recall, this will be the fourth fall in Virginia." She later added that as a connoisseur she considered the alien boulder "pretty" and "very fresh", remarking further that "it's a shame that it broke on impact." ...
Meteorite hits doctor's office
Linda Welzenbach and Cari Corrigan
Geologists/Meteorite Scientists, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Friday, January 22, 2010; 12:00 PM
What are the chances of someone getting struck by a meteorite?
It almost happened Monday to Dr. Frank Ciampi at his office building in Lorton, Va.
"The floor just outside examination room No. 2 -- about 10 feet from where Ciampi had been doing paperwork -- was littered with small pieces of wood, plaster and insulation. Upon inspection, more debris lay inside the room. He saw three chunks of stone on the floor that together formed a rock about the size of a tennis ball, with a glassy-smooth surface. Then he saw a hole about the size of the rock in the tile ceiling, and a tear in the maroon carpet where the rock had landed," writes Paul Duggan of the Washington Post. ...
Linda Welzenbach and Cari Corrigan
Geologists/Meteorite Scientists, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Friday, January 22, 2010; 12:00 PM
What are the chances of someone getting struck by a meteorite?
It almost happened Monday to Dr. Frank Ciampi at his office building in Lorton, Va.
"The floor just outside examination room No. 2 -- about 10 feet from where Ciampi had been doing paperwork -- was littered with small pieces of wood, plaster and insulation. Upon inspection, more debris lay inside the room. He saw three chunks of stone on the floor that together formed a rock about the size of a tennis ball, with a glassy-smooth surface. Then he saw a hole about the size of the rock in the tile ceiling, and a tear in the maroon carpet where the rock had landed," writes Paul Duggan of the Washington Post. ...
... Perception that the force is out of control has exploded since April when a police major shot dead a cashier and one other person in a Moscow supermarket. The interior ministry has shown little appetite for reform. It arrested an officer who complained of corruption in a video appeal to Vladimir Putin.
"Our law enforcement bodies all share a strong sense of impunity. This includes the police, the prosecutor's office, and the courts," Konstantin Korpachev, a colleague of the dead journalist, said. "This feeling is one of the main factors that allows cases like this to happen. They like to protect their own."
Korpachev dismissed insinuations by the local prosecutor's office that Popov had died of alcohol poisoning. The journalist had been savagely beaten to death, he said, adding that local officials were suffering from an "elementary lack of tact. We have lost a very nice and positive man."
Regional officials acknowledged that the behaviour of Russia's police force is unacceptable. Surveys show that 70% of Russians do not trust the police, who frequently turn to crime and corruption to supplement their low salaries.
Tomsk's governor Viktor Kress admitted: "This once again confirms the necessity of reforming our law enforcement structures."
During the late Soviet period the police force was known for its educated recruits, high standards and reasonable salaries. Since the end of communism, however, the force has attracted lower calibre officers.
"Our law enforcement bodies all share a strong sense of impunity. This includes the police, the prosecutor's office, and the courts," Konstantin Korpachev, a colleague of the dead journalist, said. "This feeling is one of the main factors that allows cases like this to happen. They like to protect their own."
Korpachev dismissed insinuations by the local prosecutor's office that Popov had died of alcohol poisoning. The journalist had been savagely beaten to death, he said, adding that local officials were suffering from an "elementary lack of tact. We have lost a very nice and positive man."
Regional officials acknowledged that the behaviour of Russia's police force is unacceptable. Surveys show that 70% of Russians do not trust the police, who frequently turn to crime and corruption to supplement their low salaries.
Tomsk's governor Viktor Kress admitted: "This once again confirms the necessity of reforming our law enforcement structures."
During the late Soviet period the police force was known for its educated recruits, high standards and reasonable salaries. Since the end of communism, however, the force has attracted lower calibre officers.
January 21, 2010
The fault line in Haiti runs straight to France
The earthquake’s destruction has been aggravated not by a pact with the Devil, but by the crippling legacy of imperialism
Ben Macintyre
Where does the fault lie in Haiti? For geologists, it lies on the line between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. For some, the earthquake is evidence of God’s wrath: the American evangelist Pat Robertson has even suggested that the horror is recompense for some voodoo pact made with the Devil at Haiti’s birth.
More sensible voices point to the procession of despots who have plundered Haiti over the years, depriving it of an effective infrastructure and rendering it uniquely vulnerable to natural disaster. But for many Haitians, the fault lies earlier — with Haiti’s colonial experience, the slavers and extortionists of empire who crippled it with debt and permanently stunted the economy. The fault line runs back 200 years, directly to France.
In the 18th century, Haiti was France’s imperial jewel, the Pearl of the Caribbean, the largest sugar exporter in the world. Even by colonial standards, the treatment of slaves working the Haitian plantations was truly vile. They died so fast that, at times, France was importing 50,000 slaves a year to keep up the numbers and the profits.
Inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, in 1791 the slaves rebelled under the leadership of the self-educated slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. After a vicious war, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Haiti declared independence in 1804.
As Haiti struggles with new misfortune, it is worth remembering that noble achievement — this is the only nation to gain independence by a slave-led rebellion, the first black republic, and the second oldest republic in the western hemisphere. Haiti was founded on a demand for liberty from people whose liberty had been stolen: the country itself is a tribute to human resilience and freedom.
France did not forgive the impertinence and loss of earnings: 800 destroyed sugar plantations, 3,000 lost coffee estates. A brutal trade blockade was imposed. Former plantation owners demanded that Haiti be invaded, its population enslaved once more. Instead, the French State opted to bleed the new black republic white.
In 1825, in return for recognising Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: 150 million gold francs, five times the country’s annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance was backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.
The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgeling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years. ...
The fault line in Haiti runs straight to France
The earthquake’s destruction has been aggravated not by a pact with the Devil, but by the crippling legacy of imperialism
Ben Macintyre
Where does the fault lie in Haiti? For geologists, it lies on the line between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. For some, the earthquake is evidence of God’s wrath: the American evangelist Pat Robertson has even suggested that the horror is recompense for some voodoo pact made with the Devil at Haiti’s birth.
More sensible voices point to the procession of despots who have plundered Haiti over the years, depriving it of an effective infrastructure and rendering it uniquely vulnerable to natural disaster. But for many Haitians, the fault lies earlier — with Haiti’s colonial experience, the slavers and extortionists of empire who crippled it with debt and permanently stunted the economy. The fault line runs back 200 years, directly to France.
In the 18th century, Haiti was France’s imperial jewel, the Pearl of the Caribbean, the largest sugar exporter in the world. Even by colonial standards, the treatment of slaves working the Haitian plantations was truly vile. They died so fast that, at times, France was importing 50,000 slaves a year to keep up the numbers and the profits.
Inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, in 1791 the slaves rebelled under the leadership of the self-educated slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. After a vicious war, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Haiti declared independence in 1804.
As Haiti struggles with new misfortune, it is worth remembering that noble achievement — this is the only nation to gain independence by a slave-led rebellion, the first black republic, and the second oldest republic in the western hemisphere. Haiti was founded on a demand for liberty from people whose liberty had been stolen: the country itself is a tribute to human resilience and freedom.
France did not forgive the impertinence and loss of earnings: 800 destroyed sugar plantations, 3,000 lost coffee estates. A brutal trade blockade was imposed. Former plantation owners demanded that Haiti be invaded, its population enslaved once more. Instead, the French State opted to bleed the new black republic white.
In 1825, in return for recognising Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: 150 million gold francs, five times the country’s annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance was backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.
The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgeling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years. ...
... It is claimed they offered to pay a 20% "commission" as a bribe to win part of a $15m (£9.1m) deal to equip an African country's presidential guard. But a sales agent who they believed represented the defence minister was in fact an undercover FBI agent. No actual defence minister was involved.
During the two-and-a-half year investigation, which involved 250 FBI agents, it is claimed defendants sought to obtain contracts for the sale of a range of products including grenade and teargas launchers, pistols, ammunition and explosive detection kits.
Raids were carried out across the US, and by City of London police in seven parts of the UK, which they declined to name. All those arrested had been attending the 2010 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference in Las Vegas.
Assistant attorney general Lanny Breuer said: "The fight to erase foreign bribery from the corporate playbook will not be won overnight, but these actions are a turning point."
Those arrested face charges under laws governing payments to foreign officials, and are also accused of corruption. These offences would involve a maximum prison sentence of five years. It is alleged they were involved in money laundering, which would carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
All the accused are executives or employees of companies in the "military and law enforcement products industry", the Department of Justice said.
During the two-and-a-half year investigation, which involved 250 FBI agents, it is claimed defendants sought to obtain contracts for the sale of a range of products including grenade and teargas launchers, pistols, ammunition and explosive detection kits.
Raids were carried out across the US, and by City of London police in seven parts of the UK, which they declined to name. All those arrested had been attending the 2010 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference in Las Vegas.
Assistant attorney general Lanny Breuer said: "The fight to erase foreign bribery from the corporate playbook will not be won overnight, but these actions are a turning point."
Those arrested face charges under laws governing payments to foreign officials, and are also accused of corruption. These offences would involve a maximum prison sentence of five years. It is alleged they were involved in money laundering, which would carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
All the accused are executives or employees of companies in the "military and law enforcement products industry", the Department of Justice said.
Hope to God/dess he wins.
Google runs Microsoft's IE, attacks show
'Why wasn't Google running Chrome?' asks researcher
By Gregg Keizer
January 15, 2010
Computerworld - Google's corporate network was hacked because its workers were running rival Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, a point that didn't escape the notice of security researchers and Web users.
"More interesting than the IE zero-day, is why wasn't Google running Chrome?" asked Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security, shortly after Microsoft issued a security advisory that told users of a critical, unpatched bug in Internet Explorer (IE).
Thursday, Microsoft acknowledged that the IE exploit had been used in the attacks against Google and other major corporations. "We have determined that Internet Explorer was one of the vectors used in targeted and sophisticated attacks against Google and possibly other corporate networks," said Mike Reavey, director of Microsoft's Security Response Center (MSRC).
In fact, the malware that Microsoft and others researchers have examined was designed to exploit IE6, the eight-year-old browser that's most often used with Windows XP.
Others, in addition to Storms, questioned why Google wasn't "eating its own dog food," the phrase used to describe software development companies running their own products, often in early editions long before they're made public. "I have to wonder, why the hell is Google using IE, and why IE6?" asked a Computerworld reader in a comment appended to a story on the IE bug. "In fact, why Windows-based servers? Eat your own dog food, Google." ...
'Why wasn't Google running Chrome?' asks researcher
By Gregg Keizer
January 15, 2010
Computerworld - Google's corporate network was hacked because its workers were running rival Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, a point that didn't escape the notice of security researchers and Web users.
"More interesting than the IE zero-day, is why wasn't Google running Chrome?" asked Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security, shortly after Microsoft issued a security advisory that told users of a critical, unpatched bug in Internet Explorer (IE).
Thursday, Microsoft acknowledged that the IE exploit had been used in the attacks against Google and other major corporations. "We have determined that Internet Explorer was one of the vectors used in targeted and sophisticated attacks against Google and possibly other corporate networks," said Mike Reavey, director of Microsoft's Security Response Center (MSRC).
In fact, the malware that Microsoft and others researchers have examined was designed to exploit IE6, the eight-year-old browser that's most often used with Windows XP.
Others, in addition to Storms, questioned why Google wasn't "eating its own dog food," the phrase used to describe software development companies running their own products, often in early editions long before they're made public. "I have to wonder, why the hell is Google using IE, and why IE6?" asked a Computerworld reader in a comment appended to a story on the IE bug. "In fact, why Windows-based servers? Eat your own dog food, Google." ...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should immediately ban the use of the chemical bisphenol A in food and beverage containers, a U.S. environmental health advocacy group urged on Thursday.
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group renewed a call for regulators to curb the use of bisphenol A, or BPA, citing a new study suggesting the widely used chemical poses a health risk.
The FDA is considering whether any action needs to be taken. Asked about the group's letter, an FDA spokesperson said that an announcement on BPA is forthcoming.
Bisphenol A has been used for decades to harden plastics and turns up in many food and beverage containers including some baby bottles, the coating of food cans and some medical devices. It appears to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body.
People consume BPA when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in a container.
"How much more does the FDA need to know to be convinced it must protect the national food supply from further contamination?," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. ...
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group renewed a call for regulators to curb the use of bisphenol A, or BPA, citing a new study suggesting the widely used chemical poses a health risk.
The FDA is considering whether any action needs to be taken. Asked about the group's letter, an FDA spokesperson said that an announcement on BPA is forthcoming.
Bisphenol A has been used for decades to harden plastics and turns up in many food and beverage containers including some baby bottles, the coating of food cans and some medical devices. It appears to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body.
People consume BPA when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in a container.
"How much more does the FDA need to know to be convinced it must protect the national food supply from further contamination?," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. ...
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's consumer division is recalling more than 53 million bottles of over-the-counter products including Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids after reports of an unusual odor, expanding on an issue that led to a Tylenol recall last year.
The latest voluntary recall, which drew a sharp rebuke from U.S. regulators on Friday, followed consumer reports of "an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events," the company said. Such events included nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
The recall involves lots in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Fiji. In addition to pain relievers Motrin and Tylenol, and the Rolaids antacid, the recall also involved the Benadryl allergy drug and St. Joseph's Aspirin.
Food and Drug Administration officials criticized the company for taking a year to report the problem to regulators and sent a warning to J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit.
"McNeil should have acted faster," Deborah Autor, head of compliance in the FDA's drugs division, told reporters on a conference call.
"When something smells bad, literally or figuratively, companies must aggressively investigate and take all necessary actions to solve the problem," she said. ...
The latest voluntary recall, which drew a sharp rebuke from U.S. regulators on Friday, followed consumer reports of "an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events," the company said. Such events included nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
The recall involves lots in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Fiji. In addition to pain relievers Motrin and Tylenol, and the Rolaids antacid, the recall also involved the Benadryl allergy drug and St. Joseph's Aspirin.
Food and Drug Administration officials criticized the company for taking a year to report the problem to regulators and sent a warning to J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit.
"McNeil should have acted faster," Deborah Autor, head of compliance in the FDA's drugs division, told reporters on a conference call.
"When something smells bad, literally or figuratively, companies must aggressively investigate and take all necessary actions to solve the problem," she said. ...
The Haiti quake must not be dismissed as an 'act of God'
This was foreseeable. We now owe it to Haitians to spend one tenth of aid on preparing for future earthquakes
Steve Bell
Friday 15 January 2010
This was foreseeable. We now owe it to Haitians to spend one tenth of aid on preparing for future earthquakes
Steve Bell
Friday 15 January 2010
VeriSign's iDefense security lab has published a report with technical details about the recent cyberattack that hit Google and over 30 other companies. The iDefense researchers traced the attack back to its origin and also identified the command-and-control servers that were used to manage the malware.
The cyber-assault came to light on Tuesday when Google disclosed to the public that the Gmail Web service was targeted in a highly-organized attack in late December. Google said that the intrusion attempt originated from China and was executed with the goal of obtaining information about political dissidents, but the company declined to speculate about the identity of the perpetrator.
Citing sources in the defense contracting and intelligence consulting community, the iDefense report unambiguously declares that the Chinese government was, in fact, behind the effort. The report also says that the malicious code was deployed in PDF files that were crafted to exploit a vulnerability in Adobe's software.
"The source IPs and drop server of the attack correspond to a single foreign entity consisting either of agents of the Chinese state or proxies thereof," the report says.
The researchers have determined that there are significant similarities between the recent attack and a seemingly related one that was carried out in July against a large number of US companies. Both attacks were apparently managed through the same command-and-control servers.
"The servers used in both attacks employ the HomeLinux DynamicDNS provider, and both are currently pointing to IP addresses owned by Linode, a US-based company that offers Virtual Private Server hosting. The IP addresses in question are within the same subnet, and they are six IP addresses apart from each other," the report says. "Considering this proximity, it is possible that the two attacks are one and the same, and that the organizations targeted in the Silicon Valley attacks have been compromised since July."
WTF, chinastan?
Ta much, dear MSiegel
The cyber-assault came to light on Tuesday when Google disclosed to the public that the Gmail Web service was targeted in a highly-organized attack in late December. Google said that the intrusion attempt originated from China and was executed with the goal of obtaining information about political dissidents, but the company declined to speculate about the identity of the perpetrator.
Citing sources in the defense contracting and intelligence consulting community, the iDefense report unambiguously declares that the Chinese government was, in fact, behind the effort. The report also says that the malicious code was deployed in PDF files that were crafted to exploit a vulnerability in Adobe's software.
"The source IPs and drop server of the attack correspond to a single foreign entity consisting either of agents of the Chinese state or proxies thereof," the report says.
The researchers have determined that there are significant similarities between the recent attack and a seemingly related one that was carried out in July against a large number of US companies. Both attacks were apparently managed through the same command-and-control servers.
"The servers used in both attacks employ the HomeLinux DynamicDNS provider, and both are currently pointing to IP addresses owned by Linode, a US-based company that offers Virtual Private Server hosting. The IP addresses in question are within the same subnet, and they are six IP addresses apart from each other," the report says. "Considering this proximity, it is possible that the two attacks are one and the same, and that the organizations targeted in the Silicon Valley attacks have been compromised since July."
WTF, chinastan?
Ta much, dear MSiegel
Accounts invaded, computers infected – human rights activists tell of cyber attacks
• Authorities blamed for hacking into Gmail users
• Phishing scams and malware used as weapons
Tania Branigan in Beijing
Thursday 14 January 2010
Well-known human rights advocates in China and a Tibetan rights activist in the United States have disclosed that their Gmail accounts have been compromised.
They came forward after Google's announcement of a sustained cyber attack on activists and other illicit accessing of accounts, but stressed that the problem goes back much further. Some in China said they had repeatedly suffered from hacking and blamed the authorities .
Ai Weiwei, one of China's best-known contemporary artists, said he detected problems with email accounts two months ago.
Teng Biao, a law professor and human rights lawyer, and Zeng Jinyan, activist and wife of the jailed dissident Hu Jia, both said their email had been hacked as long ago as 2007. They realised the issue had recurred when they checked their accounts in light of Google's statement.
However, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, told a press conference in Beijing: "Chinese laws prohibit any form of cyber attacks including hacking."
On Tuesday, Google said hackers had gained limited access to two accounts in December's attack. It is understood the firm contacted the account holders.
Tenzin Seldon, 20, a US student whose parents are Tibetan exiles, said Google had checked her computer and confirmed an intrusion. "My email account was likely hacked because I am a Tibetan activist," she said.
Google said its investigation also showed that the accounts of dozens of Gmail users in the US, China and Europe who are advocates of human rights in China had been routinely accessed by third parties. This had not happened through an intrusion into its infrastructure, but probably through phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers. ...
... Earlier last year researchers at the University of Toronto said they had discovered a vast electronic spy network which seemed to have targeted embassies, media groups, NGOs, international organisations, government foreign ministries and the offices of the Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan exile movement.
Computers were infected when users clicked on links in emails or documents attached to them.
The team said the "GhostNet", which had infiltrated hundreds of computers and stolen documents, was apparently controlled from computers in China. But they added that they could not identify who was behind it.
WTF, chinastan?
• Authorities blamed for hacking into Gmail users
• Phishing scams and malware used as weapons
Tania Branigan in Beijing
Thursday 14 January 2010
Well-known human rights advocates in China and a Tibetan rights activist in the United States have disclosed that their Gmail accounts have been compromised.
They came forward after Google's announcement of a sustained cyber attack on activists and other illicit accessing of accounts, but stressed that the problem goes back much further. Some in China said they had repeatedly suffered from hacking and blamed the authorities .
Ai Weiwei, one of China's best-known contemporary artists, said he detected problems with email accounts two months ago.
Teng Biao, a law professor and human rights lawyer, and Zeng Jinyan, activist and wife of the jailed dissident Hu Jia, both said their email had been hacked as long ago as 2007. They realised the issue had recurred when they checked their accounts in light of Google's statement.
However, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, told a press conference in Beijing: "Chinese laws prohibit any form of cyber attacks including hacking."
On Tuesday, Google said hackers had gained limited access to two accounts in December's attack. It is understood the firm contacted the account holders.
Tenzin Seldon, 20, a US student whose parents are Tibetan exiles, said Google had checked her computer and confirmed an intrusion. "My email account was likely hacked because I am a Tibetan activist," she said.
Google said its investigation also showed that the accounts of dozens of Gmail users in the US, China and Europe who are advocates of human rights in China had been routinely accessed by third parties. This had not happened through an intrusion into its infrastructure, but probably through phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers. ...
... Earlier last year researchers at the University of Toronto said they had discovered a vast electronic spy network which seemed to have targeted embassies, media groups, NGOs, international organisations, government foreign ministries and the offices of the Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan exile movement.
Computers were infected when users clicked on links in emails or documents attached to them.
The team said the "GhostNet", which had infiltrated hundreds of computers and stolen documents, was apparently controlled from computers in China. But they added that they could not identify who was behind it.
WTF, chinastan?
Tourist killed by 'dinosaur-sized' shark off South African beach
Zimbabwean holidaymaker eaten by shark described by onlookers as 'longer than a minibus'
David Smith in Johannesburg
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Witnesses have described their horror at seeing a tourist being eaten by a "gigantic" shark in South Africa's most popular holiday destination.
Lloyd Skinner was pulled under the surf and dragged out to sea by the shark, believed to be a great white, off Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town. His diving goggles and a dark patch of blood were all that remained in the water.
"Holy shit. We just saw a gigantic shark eat what looked like a person in front of our house," witness Gregg Coppen posted on Twitter. "That shark was huge. Like dinosaur huge."
The shocking attack yesterday afternoon came after an increase in recent shark sightings and led to calls for an electronic warning system to alert swimmers.
Skinner, 37, a Zimbabwean who lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was standing chest-deep 100 metres from the shore and adjusting his goggles when the shark struck. It was seen approaching him twice before he disappeared in a flurry of thrashing. Cape Town's disaster management services had issued a warning hours earlier that sharks had been spotted in the water, but the shark flag was not flying.
Witnesses described the terrifying scene. The shark was "longer than a minibus", Coppen told the Cape Times newspaper. ...
Zimbabwean holidaymaker eaten by shark described by onlookers as 'longer than a minibus'
David Smith in Johannesburg
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Witnesses have described their horror at seeing a tourist being eaten by a "gigantic" shark in South Africa's most popular holiday destination.
Lloyd Skinner was pulled under the surf and dragged out to sea by the shark, believed to be a great white, off Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town. His diving goggles and a dark patch of blood were all that remained in the water.
"Holy shit. We just saw a gigantic shark eat what looked like a person in front of our house," witness Gregg Coppen posted on Twitter. "That shark was huge. Like dinosaur huge."
The shocking attack yesterday afternoon came after an increase in recent shark sightings and led to calls for an electronic warning system to alert swimmers.
Skinner, 37, a Zimbabwean who lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was standing chest-deep 100 metres from the shore and adjusting his goggles when the shark struck. It was seen approaching him twice before he disappeared in a flurry of thrashing. Cape Town's disaster management services had issued a warning hours earlier that sharks had been spotted in the water, but the shark flag was not flying.
Witnesses described the terrifying scene. The shark was "longer than a minibus", Coppen told the Cape Times newspaper. ...
Metal Chinese jewelry a danger to kids: CPSC
Last Updated: Thursday, January 14, 2010
CBC News
Young children should not be given any cheap metal jewelry imported from China because it could contain high levels of cadmium, the head of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
"We have proof that lead in children’s jewelry is dangerous and was pervasive in the marketplace. To prevent young children from possibly being exposed to lead, cadmium or any other hazardous heavy metal, take the jewelry away," CPSC head Inez Tenenbaum posted Wednesday evening on the regulator's website. ...
... Observers have noted that the use of cadmium in children's jewelry comes as new U.S. regulations have severely restricted lead levels in such trinkets.
"We are moving swiftly to stop the replacement of lead with cadmium and other hazardous heavy metals in children’s products imported from China," wrote Tenenbaum.
U.S. regulators were moved to action after the March 2006 death of a four-year-old Minneapolis boy, who died four days after he swallowed a metal charm that was nearly pure lead.
Since 2004, the CPSC has conducted more than 50 recalls of more than 180 million units of metal jewelry because it contained a hazardous amount of lead. And since August 2009, it has been illegal to produce a piece of children’s metal jewelry with more than 300 parts per million of lead.
"Now we hear about cadmium in jewelry. This is unacceptable," wrote Tenenbaum.
Health Canada is in the process of conducting a routine round of testing on children's jewelry to determine cadmium levels.
In 2009, Health Canada tested 41 pieces of children’s jewelry for lead and cadmium, but it has refused CBC News requests to release the cadmium results.
WTF, chinastan?
Ta much, dear Glenn321
Last Updated: Thursday, January 14, 2010
CBC News
Young children should not be given any cheap metal jewelry imported from China because it could contain high levels of cadmium, the head of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
"We have proof that lead in children’s jewelry is dangerous and was pervasive in the marketplace. To prevent young children from possibly being exposed to lead, cadmium or any other hazardous heavy metal, take the jewelry away," CPSC head Inez Tenenbaum posted Wednesday evening on the regulator's website. ...
... Observers have noted that the use of cadmium in children's jewelry comes as new U.S. regulations have severely restricted lead levels in such trinkets.
"We are moving swiftly to stop the replacement of lead with cadmium and other hazardous heavy metals in children’s products imported from China," wrote Tenenbaum.
U.S. regulators were moved to action after the March 2006 death of a four-year-old Minneapolis boy, who died four days after he swallowed a metal charm that was nearly pure lead.
Since 2004, the CPSC has conducted more than 50 recalls of more than 180 million units of metal jewelry because it contained a hazardous amount of lead. And since August 2009, it has been illegal to produce a piece of children’s metal jewelry with more than 300 parts per million of lead.
"Now we hear about cadmium in jewelry. This is unacceptable," wrote Tenenbaum.
Health Canada is in the process of conducting a routine round of testing on children's jewelry to determine cadmium levels.
In 2009, Health Canada tested 41 pieces of children’s jewelry for lead and cadmium, but it has refused CBC News requests to release the cadmium results.
WTF, chinastan?
Ta much, dear Glenn321
A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health
Joël Spiroux de Vendômois 1, François Roullier 1, Dominique Cellier 1,2, Gilles-Eric Séralini 1,3
1. CRIIGEN, 40 rue Monceau, 75008 Paris, France
2. University of Rouen LITIS EA 4108, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
3. University of Caen, Institute of Biology, Risk Pole CNRS, EA 2608, 14032 Caen, France
... Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded. ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Joël Spiroux de Vendômois 1, François Roullier 1, Dominique Cellier 1,2, Gilles-Eric Séralini 1,3
1. CRIIGEN, 40 rue Monceau, 75008 Paris, France
2. University of Rouen LITIS EA 4108, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
3. University of Caen, Institute of Biology, Risk Pole CNRS, EA 2608, 14032 Caen, France
... Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded. ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Caribbean had 80 quakes this week!
Published: Thursday | January 14, 2010
Laura Redpath, Senior Gleaner Writer
The United States Geological Survey's website shows there have been approximately 80 earthquakes, measuring anywhere from 2.4 to 7.0, in the Caribbean within the past week.
An online in-depth map outlines the dates, times and magnitudes of the earthquakes taking place mainly in the Hispaniola and Puerto Rico regions. Along with the major earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, there was a smaller one with a magnitude of 2.5 in the Mona Passage alongside Puerto Rico.
According to Lyndon Brown, research fellow at the University of West Indies Earth-quake Unit, "Earth-quakes are always happening. There are cycles in terms of when the big events will be happening. The strength is building up and it has to be released.
"It is a young science when it comes to detecting earthquakes."
The unit did not register any other earthquakes in the region aside from what took place in Haiti.
Brown said the instruments at the Earthquake Unit are designed to detect local earthquakes. However, if the earthquakes measure 6 or 7, then the instruments will detect these events as far away as the Pacific. ...
Published: Thursday | January 14, 2010
Laura Redpath, Senior Gleaner Writer
The United States Geological Survey's website shows there have been approximately 80 earthquakes, measuring anywhere from 2.4 to 7.0, in the Caribbean within the past week.
An online in-depth map outlines the dates, times and magnitudes of the earthquakes taking place mainly in the Hispaniola and Puerto Rico regions. Along with the major earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, there was a smaller one with a magnitude of 2.5 in the Mona Passage alongside Puerto Rico.
According to Lyndon Brown, research fellow at the University of West Indies Earth-quake Unit, "Earth-quakes are always happening. There are cycles in terms of when the big events will be happening. The strength is building up and it has to be released.
"It is a young science when it comes to detecting earthquakes."
The unit did not register any other earthquakes in the region aside from what took place in Haiti.
Brown said the instruments at the Earthquake Unit are designed to detect local earthquakes. However, if the earthquakes measure 6 or 7, then the instruments will detect these events as far away as the Pacific. ...
The rethuglicunt party should be ashamed, exploiting such obviously mentally handicapped folks - like palin!
Ta much, dear Glenn321
Ta much, dear Glenn321
A US maker of software that helps parents to filter internet content for their children is suing the Chinese Government for allegedly stealing its technology and using it to block sites deemed politically undesirable.
Cybersitter LLC has requested damages of $2.2 billion (£1.3 billion) after filing a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles. Gregory Fayer, representing the Santa Barbara-based firm, said: “I don’t think I have ever seen such clear-cut stealing.”
The US firm’s suspicions were aroused in the middle of last year when China stirred outrage among its people with a demand that every computer should be fitted with software called Green Dam. The intention, said the Government, was to protect children by equipping all computers with a pornography filter.
Cybersitter alleges that the Chinese copied its codes and incorporated them into software used to block access to sites disliked by the Government. Sony, Lenovo and Toshiba are also being sued for distributing the Chinese program with PCs sold in the country. ...
Cybersitter LLC has requested damages of $2.2 billion (£1.3 billion) after filing a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles. Gregory Fayer, representing the Santa Barbara-based firm, said: “I don’t think I have ever seen such clear-cut stealing.”
The US firm’s suspicions were aroused in the middle of last year when China stirred outrage among its people with a demand that every computer should be fitted with software called Green Dam. The intention, said the Government, was to protect children by equipping all computers with a pornography filter.
Cybersitter alleges that the Chinese copied its codes and incorporated them into software used to block access to sites disliked by the Government. Sony, Lenovo and Toshiba are also being sued for distributing the Chinese program with PCs sold in the country. ...
US airport closed after security scare caused by bottles of honey
A California airport was closed for several hours after a passenger carrying honey in plastic bottles triggered a security alert.
By Tom Leonard in New York
Published: 6:03PM GMT 06 Jan 2010
Police were struggling on Wednesday to explain why two baggage screeners at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield had to be taken to hospital on Tuesday after opening the bottles and becoming nauseated from the fumes.
A police spokesman said the bottles, which were being carried by a gardener, had tested positive for explosives even though the contents was later confirmed to be just honey. The two screeners may have felt nauseous because they were "just nervous", he added.
Amid heightened airport security tension following the alleged attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound plane, Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport in Minnesota was also closed temporarily on Tuesday after a sniffer dog indicated a suspicious piece of luggage.
The bag turned out to be a marker that airport staff put on the luggage carousel to tell other staff that all items have been unloaded from a flight.
There was further embarrassment at Newark International Airport in New Jersey where it emerged that a security camera supposedly monitoring a corridor where a major security breach occurred on Sunday had been broken for six days.
The busy airport was evacuated for nearly seven hours after a passenger reported a man walk the wrong way through an exit corridor without being challenged.
The comedienne Joan Rivers has complained angrily about officious security after she was kept off a flight from Costa Rica to Newark on Sunday because a gate agent was suspicious about her passport containing both her married and professional names.
So appalling I had to post the whole dang thang.
Screw you, tsa.
A California airport was closed for several hours after a passenger carrying honey in plastic bottles triggered a security alert.
By Tom Leonard in New York
Published: 6:03PM GMT 06 Jan 2010
Police were struggling on Wednesday to explain why two baggage screeners at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield had to be taken to hospital on Tuesday after opening the bottles and becoming nauseated from the fumes.
A police spokesman said the bottles, which were being carried by a gardener, had tested positive for explosives even though the contents was later confirmed to be just honey. The two screeners may have felt nauseous because they were "just nervous", he added.
Amid heightened airport security tension following the alleged attempt to bring down a Detroit-bound plane, Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport in Minnesota was also closed temporarily on Tuesday after a sniffer dog indicated a suspicious piece of luggage.
The bag turned out to be a marker that airport staff put on the luggage carousel to tell other staff that all items have been unloaded from a flight.
There was further embarrassment at Newark International Airport in New Jersey where it emerged that a security camera supposedly monitoring a corridor where a major security breach occurred on Sunday had been broken for six days.
The busy airport was evacuated for nearly seven hours after a passenger reported a man walk the wrong way through an exit corridor without being challenged.
The comedienne Joan Rivers has complained angrily about officious security after she was kept off a flight from Costa Rica to Newark on Sunday because a gate agent was suspicious about her passport containing both her married and professional names.
So appalling I had to post the whole dang thang.
Screw you, tsa.
Wow - maybe the UK "government" will do something about this - they've sure done nothing for the couple these bastards kidnapped!
WTF is up with men's continually punishing women for our ability to become pregnant? Isn't it enough that we have cramps, get paid far less than men, and are abandoned - or worse - by the men who knock us up?
We can't become pregnant alone, you asshole.
Wanna prevent pregnancies? Use birth control. Give them The Pill. History shows that people have always had sex with each other, and the present shows we still do.
Were I lying, you wouldn't be reading this and I wouldn't have written it.
We can't become pregnant alone, you asshole.
Wanna prevent pregnancies? Use birth control. Give them The Pill. History shows that people have always had sex with each other, and the present shows we still do.
Were I lying, you wouldn't be reading this and I wouldn't have written it.
... I was stopped and searched twice near London City airport – for watercolouring! I was not even facing the airport. I was painting the Tate and Lyle sugar factory opposite. They said they saw me on a camera and thought that "no one would want to paint a factory". I explained that LS Lowry did loads. Then they said I could be an anarchist and I was carrying "suspicious paraphernalia" – this being a flask of coffee and an iPod. Oh, and a box of watercolours.
Once they had all my gear out, rummaged through what identity documentation I had and double-checked it on a few radios, they were satisfied I was just "weird" and left me to it. Until the next week, when I went back to finish off the picture and had to go through the same rigmarole all over again.
I have painted in Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam and plenty of other "controlled" states, and have never been questioned about watercolour anarchism.
Liam O'Farrell
London
Once they had all my gear out, rummaged through what identity documentation I had and double-checked it on a few radios, they were satisfied I was just "weird" and left me to it. Until the next week, when I went back to finish off the picture and had to go through the same rigmarole all over again.
I have painted in Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam and plenty of other "controlled" states, and have never been questioned about watercolour anarchism.
Liam O'Farrell
London
I hope he can go live elsewhere!
I'm posting the whole story because yahoo are such yahoos and delete stories after 5 minutes have passed.
Sun Dec 13, 1:45 pm ET
ST. LOUIS – Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.'s business practices reveal how the world's biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for genetically altered crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.
With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal experts.
Declining competition in the seed business could lead to price hikes that ripple out to every family's dinner table. That's because the corn flakes you had for breakfast, soda you drank at lunch and beef stew you ate for dinner likely were produced from crops grown with Monsanto's patented genes.
Monsanto's methods are spelled out in a series of confidential commercial licensing agreements obtained by the AP. The contracts, as long as 30 pages, include basic terms for the selling of engineered crops resistant to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, along with shorter supplementary agreements that address new Monsanto traits or other contract amendments.
The company has used the agreements to spread its technology — giving some 200 smaller companies the right to insert Monsanto's genes in their separate strains of corn and soybean plants. But, the AP found, access to Monsanto's genes comes at a cost, and with plenty of strings attached.
For example, one contract provision bans independent companies from breeding plants that contain both Monsanto's genes and the genes of any of its competitors, unless Monsanto gives prior written permission — giving Monsanto the ability to effectively lock out competitors from inserting their patented traits into the vast share of U.S. crops that already contain Monsanto's genes.
Monsanto's business strategies and licensing agreements are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and at least two state attorneys general, who are trying to determine if the practices violate U.S. antitrust laws. The practices also are at the heart of civil antitrust suits filed against Monsanto by its competitors, including a 2004 suit filed by Syngenta AG that was settled with an agreement and ongoing litigation filed this summer by DuPont in response to a Monsanto lawsuit.
The suburban St. Louis-based agricultural giant said it's done nothing wrong.
"We do not believe there is any merit to allegations about our licensing agreement or the terms within," said Monsanto spokesman Lee Quarles. He said he couldn't comment on many specific provisions of the agreements because they are confidential and the subject of ongoing litigation.
"Our approach to licensing (with) many companies is pro-competitive and has enabled literally hundreds of seed companies, including all of our major direct competitors, to offer thousands of new seed products to farmers," he said.
The benefit of Monsanto's technology for farmers has been undeniable, but some of its major competitors and smaller seed firms claim the company is using strong-arm tactics to further its control.
"We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of (seed genetics). This level of control is almost unbelievable," said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. "The upshot of that is that it's tightening Monsanto's control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we've seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight."
At issue is how much power one company can have over seeds, the foundation of the world's food supply. Without stiff competition, Monsanto could raise its seed prices at will, which in turn could raise the cost of everything from animal feed to wheat bread and cookies.
The price of seeds is already rising. Monsanto increased some corn seed prices last year by 25 percent, with an additional 7 percent hike planned for corn seeds in 2010. Monsanto brand soybean seeds climbed 28 percent last year and will be flat or up 6 percent in 2010, said company spokeswoman Kelli Powers.
Monsanto's broad use of licensing agreements has made its biotech traits among the most widely and rapidly adopted technologies in farming history. These days, when farmers buy bags of seed with obscure brand names like AgVenture or M-Pride Genetics, they are paying for Monsanto's licensed products.
One of the numerous provisions in the licensing agreements is a ban on mixing genes — or "stacking" in industry lingo — that enhance Monsanto's power.
One contract provision likely helped Monsanto buy 24 independent seed companies throughout the Farm Belt over the last few years: that corn seed agreement says that if a smaller company changes ownership, its inventory with Monsanto's traits "shall be destroyed immediately."
Another provision from contracts earlier this decade_ regarding rebates — also help explain Monsanto's rapid growth as it rolled out new products.
One contract gave an independent seed company deep discounts if the company ensured that Monsanto's products would make up 70 percent of its total corn seed inventory. In its 2004 lawsuit, Syngenta called the discounts part of Monsanto's "scorched earth campaign" to keep Syngenta's new traits out of the market.
Quarles said the discounts were used to entice seed companies to carry Monsanto products when the technology was new and farmers hadn't yet used it. Now that the products are widespread, Monsanto has discontinued the discounts, he said.
The Monsanto contracts reviewed by the AP prohibit seed companies from discussing terms, and Monsanto has the right to cancel deals and wipe out the inventory of a business if the confidentiality clauses are violated.
Thomas Terral, chief executive officer of Terral Seed in Louisiana, said he recently rejected a Monsanto contract because it put too many restrictions on his business. But Terral refused to provide the unsigned contract to AP or even discuss its contents because he was afraid Monsanto would retaliate and cancel the rest of his agreements.
"I would be so tied up in what I was able to do that basically I would have no value to anybody else," he said. "The only person I would have value to is Monsanto, and I would continue to pay them millions in fees."
Independent seed company owners could drop their contracts with Monsanto and return to selling conventional seed, but they say it could be financially ruinous. Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene has become the industry standard over the last decade, and small companies fear losing customers if they drop it. It also can take years of breeding and investment to mix Monsanto's genes into a seed company's product line, so dropping the genes can be costly.
Monsanto acknowledged that U.S. Department of Justice lawyers are seeking documents and interviewing company employees about its marketing practices. The DOJ wouldn't comment.
A spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said the office is examining possible antitrust violations. Additionally, two sources familiar with an investigation in Texas said state Attorney General Greg Abbott's office is considering the same issues. States have the authority to enforce federal antitrust law, and attorneys general are often involved in such cases.
Monsanto chairman and chief executive officer Hugh Grant told investment analysts during a conference call this fall that the price increases are justified by the productivity boost farmers get from the company's seeds. Farmers and seed company owners agree that Monsanto's technology has boosted yields and profits, saving farmers time they once spent weeding and money they once spent on pesticides.
But recent price hikes have still been tough to swallow on the farm.
"It's just like I got hit with bad weather and got a poor yield. It just means I've got less in the bottom line," said Markus Reinke, a corn and soybean farmer near Concordia, Mo. who took over his family's farm in 1965. "They can charge because they can do it, and get away with it. And us farmers just complain, and shake our heads and go along with it."
Any Justice Department case against Monsanto could break new ground in balancing a company's right to control its patented products while protecting competitors' right to free and open competition, said Kevin Arquit, former director of the Federal Trade Commission competition bureau and now a antitrust attorney with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York.
"These are very interesting issues, and not just for the companies, but for the Justice Department," Arquit said. "They're in an area where there is uncertainty in the law and there are consumer welfare implications and government policy implications for whatever the result is."
Other seed companies have followed Monsanto's lead by including restrictive clauses in their licensing agreements, but their products only penetrate smaller segments of the U.S. seed market. Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene, on the other hand, is in such a wide array of crops that its licensing agreements can have a massive effect on the rules of the marketplace.
Monsanto was only a niche player in the seed business just 12 years ago. It rose to the top thanks to innovation by its scientists and aggressive use of patent law by its attorneys.
First came the science, when Monsanto in 1996 introduced the world's first commercial strain of genetically engineered soybeans. The Roundup Ready plants were resistant to the herbicide, allowing farmers to spray Roundup whenever they wanted rather than wait until the soybeans had grown enough to withstand the chemical.
The company soon released other genetically altered crops, such as corn plants that produced a natural pesticide to ward off bugs. While Monsanto had blockbuster products, it didn't yet have a big foothold in a seed industry made up of hundreds of companies that supplied farmers.
That's where the legal innovations came in, as Monsanto became among the first to widely patent its genes and gain the right to strictly control how they were used. That control let it spread its technology through licensing agreements, while shaping the marketplace around them.
Back in the 1970s, public universities developed new traits for corn and soybean seeds that made them grow hardy and resist pests. Small seed companies got the traits cheaply and could blend them to breed superior crops without restriction. But the agreements give Monsanto control over mixing multiple biotech traits into crops.
The restrictions even apply to taxpayer-funded researchers.
Roger Boerma, a research professor at the University of Georgia, is developing specialized strains of soybeans that grow well in southeastern states, but his current research is tangled up in such restrictions from Monsanto and its competitors.
"It's made one level of our life incredibly challenging and difficult," Boerma said.
The rules also can restrict research. Boerma halted research on a line of new soybean plants that contain a trait from a Monsanto competitor when he learned that the trait was ineffective unless it could be mixed with Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene.
Boerma said he hasn't considered asking Monsanto's permission to mix its traits with the competitor's trait.
"I think the co-mingling of their trait technology with another company's trait technology would likely be a serious problem for them," he said.
Quarles pointed out that Monsanto has signed agreements with several companies allowing them to stack their traits with Monsanto's. After Syngenta settled its lawsuit, for example, the companies struck a broad cross-licensing accord.
At the same time, Monsanto's patent rights give it the authority to say how independent companies use its traits, Quarles said.
"Please also keep in mind that, as the (intellectual property developer), it is our right to determine who will obtain rights to our technology and for what purpose," he said.
Monsanto's provision requiring companies to destroy seeds containing Monsanto's traits if a competitor buys them prohibited DuPont or other big firms from bidding against Monsanto when it snapped up two dozen smaller seed companies over the last five years, said David Boies, a lawyer representing DuPont who previously was a prosecutor on the federal antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
Competitive bids from companies like DuPont could have made it far more expensive for Monsanto to bring the smaller companies into its fold. But that contract provision prevented bidding wars, according to DuPont.
"If the independent seed company is losing their license and has to destroy their seeds, they're not going to have anything, in effect, to sell," Boies said. "It requires them to destroy things — destroy things they paid for — if they go competitive. That's exactly the kind of restriction on competitive choice that the antitrust laws outlaw."
Quarles said some of the Monsanto contracts let companies sell their inventory for a period of time, rather than be required to destroy it. Seed companies also don't have to pay royalty fees on the bags of seed they destroyed.
"Simply put, it was designed to facilitate early adoption of the technology," he said.
Some independent seed company owners say they feel increasingly pinched as Monsanto cements its leadership in the industry.
"They have the capital, they have the resources, they own lots of companies, and buying more. We're small town, they're Wall Street," said Bill Cook, co-owner of M-Pride Genetics seed company in Garden City, Mo., who also declined to discuss or provide the agreements. "It's very difficult to compete in this environment against companies like Monsanto."
Sun Dec 13, 1:45 pm ET
ST. LOUIS – Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.'s business practices reveal how the world's biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for genetically altered crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.
With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal experts.
Declining competition in the seed business could lead to price hikes that ripple out to every family's dinner table. That's because the corn flakes you had for breakfast, soda you drank at lunch and beef stew you ate for dinner likely were produced from crops grown with Monsanto's patented genes.
Monsanto's methods are spelled out in a series of confidential commercial licensing agreements obtained by the AP. The contracts, as long as 30 pages, include basic terms for the selling of engineered crops resistant to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, along with shorter supplementary agreements that address new Monsanto traits or other contract amendments.
The company has used the agreements to spread its technology — giving some 200 smaller companies the right to insert Monsanto's genes in their separate strains of corn and soybean plants. But, the AP found, access to Monsanto's genes comes at a cost, and with plenty of strings attached.
For example, one contract provision bans independent companies from breeding plants that contain both Monsanto's genes and the genes of any of its competitors, unless Monsanto gives prior written permission — giving Monsanto the ability to effectively lock out competitors from inserting their patented traits into the vast share of U.S. crops that already contain Monsanto's genes.
Monsanto's business strategies and licensing agreements are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and at least two state attorneys general, who are trying to determine if the practices violate U.S. antitrust laws. The practices also are at the heart of civil antitrust suits filed against Monsanto by its competitors, including a 2004 suit filed by Syngenta AG that was settled with an agreement and ongoing litigation filed this summer by DuPont in response to a Monsanto lawsuit.
The suburban St. Louis-based agricultural giant said it's done nothing wrong.
"We do not believe there is any merit to allegations about our licensing agreement or the terms within," said Monsanto spokesman Lee Quarles. He said he couldn't comment on many specific provisions of the agreements because they are confidential and the subject of ongoing litigation.
"Our approach to licensing (with) many companies is pro-competitive and has enabled literally hundreds of seed companies, including all of our major direct competitors, to offer thousands of new seed products to farmers," he said.
The benefit of Monsanto's technology for farmers has been undeniable, but some of its major competitors and smaller seed firms claim the company is using strong-arm tactics to further its control.
"We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of (seed genetics). This level of control is almost unbelievable," said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. "The upshot of that is that it's tightening Monsanto's control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we've seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight."
At issue is how much power one company can have over seeds, the foundation of the world's food supply. Without stiff competition, Monsanto could raise its seed prices at will, which in turn could raise the cost of everything from animal feed to wheat bread and cookies.
The price of seeds is already rising. Monsanto increased some corn seed prices last year by 25 percent, with an additional 7 percent hike planned for corn seeds in 2010. Monsanto brand soybean seeds climbed 28 percent last year and will be flat or up 6 percent in 2010, said company spokeswoman Kelli Powers.
Monsanto's broad use of licensing agreements has made its biotech traits among the most widely and rapidly adopted technologies in farming history. These days, when farmers buy bags of seed with obscure brand names like AgVenture or M-Pride Genetics, they are paying for Monsanto's licensed products.
One of the numerous provisions in the licensing agreements is a ban on mixing genes — or "stacking" in industry lingo — that enhance Monsanto's power.
One contract provision likely helped Monsanto buy 24 independent seed companies throughout the Farm Belt over the last few years: that corn seed agreement says that if a smaller company changes ownership, its inventory with Monsanto's traits "shall be destroyed immediately."
Another provision from contracts earlier this decade_ regarding rebates — also help explain Monsanto's rapid growth as it rolled out new products.
One contract gave an independent seed company deep discounts if the company ensured that Monsanto's products would make up 70 percent of its total corn seed inventory. In its 2004 lawsuit, Syngenta called the discounts part of Monsanto's "scorched earth campaign" to keep Syngenta's new traits out of the market.
Quarles said the discounts were used to entice seed companies to carry Monsanto products when the technology was new and farmers hadn't yet used it. Now that the products are widespread, Monsanto has discontinued the discounts, he said.
The Monsanto contracts reviewed by the AP prohibit seed companies from discussing terms, and Monsanto has the right to cancel deals and wipe out the inventory of a business if the confidentiality clauses are violated.
Thomas Terral, chief executive officer of Terral Seed in Louisiana, said he recently rejected a Monsanto contract because it put too many restrictions on his business. But Terral refused to provide the unsigned contract to AP or even discuss its contents because he was afraid Monsanto would retaliate and cancel the rest of his agreements.
"I would be so tied up in what I was able to do that basically I would have no value to anybody else," he said. "The only person I would have value to is Monsanto, and I would continue to pay them millions in fees."
Independent seed company owners could drop their contracts with Monsanto and return to selling conventional seed, but they say it could be financially ruinous. Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene has become the industry standard over the last decade, and small companies fear losing customers if they drop it. It also can take years of breeding and investment to mix Monsanto's genes into a seed company's product line, so dropping the genes can be costly.
Monsanto acknowledged that U.S. Department of Justice lawyers are seeking documents and interviewing company employees about its marketing practices. The DOJ wouldn't comment.
A spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said the office is examining possible antitrust violations. Additionally, two sources familiar with an investigation in Texas said state Attorney General Greg Abbott's office is considering the same issues. States have the authority to enforce federal antitrust law, and attorneys general are often involved in such cases.
Monsanto chairman and chief executive officer Hugh Grant told investment analysts during a conference call this fall that the price increases are justified by the productivity boost farmers get from the company's seeds. Farmers and seed company owners agree that Monsanto's technology has boosted yields and profits, saving farmers time they once spent weeding and money they once spent on pesticides.
But recent price hikes have still been tough to swallow on the farm.
"It's just like I got hit with bad weather and got a poor yield. It just means I've got less in the bottom line," said Markus Reinke, a corn and soybean farmer near Concordia, Mo. who took over his family's farm in 1965. "They can charge because they can do it, and get away with it. And us farmers just complain, and shake our heads and go along with it."
Any Justice Department case against Monsanto could break new ground in balancing a company's right to control its patented products while protecting competitors' right to free and open competition, said Kevin Arquit, former director of the Federal Trade Commission competition bureau and now a antitrust attorney with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York.
"These are very interesting issues, and not just for the companies, but for the Justice Department," Arquit said. "They're in an area where there is uncertainty in the law and there are consumer welfare implications and government policy implications for whatever the result is."
Other seed companies have followed Monsanto's lead by including restrictive clauses in their licensing agreements, but their products only penetrate smaller segments of the U.S. seed market. Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene, on the other hand, is in such a wide array of crops that its licensing agreements can have a massive effect on the rules of the marketplace.
Monsanto was only a niche player in the seed business just 12 years ago. It rose to the top thanks to innovation by its scientists and aggressive use of patent law by its attorneys.
First came the science, when Monsanto in 1996 introduced the world's first commercial strain of genetically engineered soybeans. The Roundup Ready plants were resistant to the herbicide, allowing farmers to spray Roundup whenever they wanted rather than wait until the soybeans had grown enough to withstand the chemical.
The company soon released other genetically altered crops, such as corn plants that produced a natural pesticide to ward off bugs. While Monsanto had blockbuster products, it didn't yet have a big foothold in a seed industry made up of hundreds of companies that supplied farmers.
That's where the legal innovations came in, as Monsanto became among the first to widely patent its genes and gain the right to strictly control how they were used. That control let it spread its technology through licensing agreements, while shaping the marketplace around them.
Back in the 1970s, public universities developed new traits for corn and soybean seeds that made them grow hardy and resist pests. Small seed companies got the traits cheaply and could blend them to breed superior crops without restriction. But the agreements give Monsanto control over mixing multiple biotech traits into crops.
The restrictions even apply to taxpayer-funded researchers.
Roger Boerma, a research professor at the University of Georgia, is developing specialized strains of soybeans that grow well in southeastern states, but his current research is tangled up in such restrictions from Monsanto and its competitors.
"It's made one level of our life incredibly challenging and difficult," Boerma said.
The rules also can restrict research. Boerma halted research on a line of new soybean plants that contain a trait from a Monsanto competitor when he learned that the trait was ineffective unless it could be mixed with Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene.
Boerma said he hasn't considered asking Monsanto's permission to mix its traits with the competitor's trait.
"I think the co-mingling of their trait technology with another company's trait technology would likely be a serious problem for them," he said.
Quarles pointed out that Monsanto has signed agreements with several companies allowing them to stack their traits with Monsanto's. After Syngenta settled its lawsuit, for example, the companies struck a broad cross-licensing accord.
At the same time, Monsanto's patent rights give it the authority to say how independent companies use its traits, Quarles said.
"Please also keep in mind that, as the (intellectual property developer), it is our right to determine who will obtain rights to our technology and for what purpose," he said.
Monsanto's provision requiring companies to destroy seeds containing Monsanto's traits if a competitor buys them prohibited DuPont or other big firms from bidding against Monsanto when it snapped up two dozen smaller seed companies over the last five years, said David Boies, a lawyer representing DuPont who previously was a prosecutor on the federal antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
Competitive bids from companies like DuPont could have made it far more expensive for Monsanto to bring the smaller companies into its fold. But that contract provision prevented bidding wars, according to DuPont.
"If the independent seed company is losing their license and has to destroy their seeds, they're not going to have anything, in effect, to sell," Boies said. "It requires them to destroy things — destroy things they paid for — if they go competitive. That's exactly the kind of restriction on competitive choice that the antitrust laws outlaw."
Quarles said some of the Monsanto contracts let companies sell their inventory for a period of time, rather than be required to destroy it. Seed companies also don't have to pay royalty fees on the bags of seed they destroyed.
"Simply put, it was designed to facilitate early adoption of the technology," he said.
Some independent seed company owners say they feel increasingly pinched as Monsanto cements its leadership in the industry.
"They have the capital, they have the resources, they own lots of companies, and buying more. We're small town, they're Wall Street," said Bill Cook, co-owner of M-Pride Genetics seed company in Garden City, Mo., who also declined to discuss or provide the agreements. "It's very difficult to compete in this environment against companies like Monsanto."
...the folks at Consumer Reports discovered that while many people were cutting back on holiday gifts, their pets were still likely to find something under the tree. So a recent recall for dog chews -- typical stocking stuffers -- caught our attention. Pet Carousel has recalled its stock of pig ears and beef hooves because the products may be contaminated with salmonella. The chewies are sold under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel at PetSmart and other pet stores. ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Ta much, dear Anneliese
The rising power of China has been a constant theme in economic and political commentary in recent years, often accompanied by observations on the relative decline of the west. A seat at the top table is now always reserved for Beijing at global summits, whether it is climate change or financial stability under discussion. European politicians warn ruefully of the G2 – the US and China – settling world affairs between them.
But in admiring China's progress to economic superpower status, it is easy to forget how far it lags behind in political terms. Last week, there was a reminder. Liu Xiaobo, a 53-year-old former literature professor, was charged with "inciting subversion of state power", an offence that carries a potential prison term of 15 years.
Mr Liu's crime was to organise a petition last year, under the title Charter 08, calling for basic political freedom. He was first arrested for supporting the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and has spent much of the ensuing period in jail or under house arrest.
Meanwhile, the Charter 08 petition has collected thousands of signatures. For anyone in China to put their name on such a document is an act of immense courage, which is certain to draw a hostile reaction from Communist party officials. ...
But in admiring China's progress to economic superpower status, it is easy to forget how far it lags behind in political terms. Last week, there was a reminder. Liu Xiaobo, a 53-year-old former literature professor, was charged with "inciting subversion of state power", an offence that carries a potential prison term of 15 years.
Mr Liu's crime was to organise a petition last year, under the title Charter 08, calling for basic political freedom. He was first arrested for supporting the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and has spent much of the ensuing period in jail or under house arrest.
Meanwhile, the Charter 08 petition has collected thousands of signatures. For anyone in China to put their name on such a document is an act of immense courage, which is certain to draw a hostile reaction from Communist party officials. ...
Need a pack of foxhounds!
Diamond Pet Foods Announces Recall of Premium Edge Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat Food
Company Contact:
800-977-8797
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 27, 2009 - On September 23, Diamond Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall for Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat because they have the potential to produce Thiamine Deficiency. Today’s announcement provides additional information from the company’s posted announcement of September 23 when the initial recall information was provided.
Thiamine is essential for cats. Symptoms of deficiency displayed by an affected cat can be gastrointestinal or neurological in nature. At the first stage the cat may show decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting, and weight loss. Later, neurologic signs can develop, which may include ventriflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, wobbly walking, circling, falling, and seizures. These ultimately may result in the death of the animal if left untreated. If your cat has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The affected products were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida.
The affected date codes were RAF0501A22X 18lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0501A2X 6 lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0802B12X 18lb (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18 lb. (BB28NOV10), RAH0501A2X 6lb. (BB28NOV10, BB30NOV10, BB08DEC10)
To date, 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in cats have been reported and confirmed by Diamond. The reports have been confined to the New York and Pennsylvania areas and none have been received since October 19.
Diamond has tested the product and found the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Samples taken by the FDA indicated that there were additional lots with insufficient levels of thiamine. No other complaints have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.
Consumers who have purchased the affected lots are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-977-8797, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Central Time. ...
Company Contact:
800-977-8797
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 27, 2009 - On September 23, Diamond Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall for Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat because they have the potential to produce Thiamine Deficiency. Today’s announcement provides additional information from the company’s posted announcement of September 23 when the initial recall information was provided.
Thiamine is essential for cats. Symptoms of deficiency displayed by an affected cat can be gastrointestinal or neurological in nature. At the first stage the cat may show decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting, and weight loss. Later, neurologic signs can develop, which may include ventriflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, wobbly walking, circling, falling, and seizures. These ultimately may result in the death of the animal if left untreated. If your cat has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The affected products were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida.
The affected date codes were RAF0501A22X 18lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0501A2X 6 lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0802B12X 18lb (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18 lb. (BB28NOV10), RAH0501A2X 6lb. (BB28NOV10, BB30NOV10, BB08DEC10)
To date, 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in cats have been reported and confirmed by Diamond. The reports have been confined to the New York and Pennsylvania areas and none have been received since October 19.
Diamond has tested the product and found the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Samples taken by the FDA indicated that there were additional lots with insufficient levels of thiamine. No other complaints have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.
Consumers who have purchased the affected lots are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-977-8797, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Central Time. ...
Beef sold in two states recalled over salmonella concerns
December 6, 2009
Washington (CNN) -- More than 20,000 pounds of beef have been recalled by a California company amid worries the meat is linked to two cases of salmonella, a federal food safety agency said.
Beef Packers Inc., based in Fresno, California, recalled 22,723 pounds of ground beef products produced on September 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement. The labels on the beef include the establishment number "EST. 31913," the agency said.
The beef was repackaged at a distribution plant in Arizona, then sold under different retail brand names, the agency said. The agency's statement did not identify brand names.
The products were sold in Arizona and New Mexico, said Mark Klein, spokesman for Cargill Inc., which owns Beef Packers, Inc. Consumers in those states should check with stores where they purchased meat to determine if they bought the recalled beef.
Investigators have found an association between the meat and two Arizona people who have the "Salmonella Newport" strain, the Food Safety and Inspection Service said. That strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, increasing the risk of hospitalization or ineffective treatment, the agency said. ...
December 6, 2009
Washington (CNN) -- More than 20,000 pounds of beef have been recalled by a California company amid worries the meat is linked to two cases of salmonella, a federal food safety agency said.
Beef Packers Inc., based in Fresno, California, recalled 22,723 pounds of ground beef products produced on September 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement. The labels on the beef include the establishment number "EST. 31913," the agency said.
The beef was repackaged at a distribution plant in Arizona, then sold under different retail brand names, the agency said. The agency's statement did not identify brand names.
The products were sold in Arizona and New Mexico, said Mark Klein, spokesman for Cargill Inc., which owns Beef Packers, Inc. Consumers in those states should check with stores where they purchased meat to determine if they bought the recalled beef.
Investigators have found an association between the meat and two Arizona people who have the "Salmonella Newport" strain, the Food Safety and Inspection Service said. That strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, increasing the risk of hospitalization or ineffective treatment, the agency said. ...
The secret video tapes could not be more damning. A newspaper owner shoves 30,000 reals (£10,000) in cash into his underpants. A state deputy stuffs a thick wad into her handbag. A press secretary and a Cabinet chief dump bricks of money into a hold-all.
Even corruption-hardened Brazilians have been shocked by the spectacle of their greedy leaders, capped by footage of the governor of the capital city pocketing an envelope said to contain R$50,000.
José Roberto Arruda, the Governor of Brasilia, says that it is a misunderstanding but the dialogue accompanying the video seems convincing: “Let me pay before I forget,” says Durval Barbosa, Mr Arruda’s former secretary for institutional affairs. “Great,” the governor replies. “Give me a hamper.”
The footage, now entertaining millions of Brazilians courtesy of television stations, was recorded secretly by Mr Barbosa, who has agreed to co-operate with a police investigation codenamed Operation Pandora. ...
Even corruption-hardened Brazilians have been shocked by the spectacle of their greedy leaders, capped by footage of the governor of the capital city pocketing an envelope said to contain R$50,000.
José Roberto Arruda, the Governor of Brasilia, says that it is a misunderstanding but the dialogue accompanying the video seems convincing: “Let me pay before I forget,” says Durval Barbosa, Mr Arruda’s former secretary for institutional affairs. “Great,” the governor replies. “Give me a hamper.”
The footage, now entertaining millions of Brazilians courtesy of television stations, was recorded secretly by Mr Barbosa, who has agreed to co-operate with a police investigation codenamed Operation Pandora. ...
Gordon Brown is the 324th highest paid person in Britain's public sector, according to figures showing that record levels of pay were awarded during the recession.
Public sector pay is "completely divorced" from the reality of the country's fiscal crisis, the Taxpayers' Alliance declares in its latest report on salaries. ...
Public sector pay is "completely divorced" from the reality of the country's fiscal crisis, the Taxpayers' Alliance declares in its latest report on salaries. ...
Bumbling NJ firemen, cops blown up in 'huge fireball'
Gunpowder plot ruled out: bunker-buster blunder blamed
By Lewis Page
Posted in Bootnotes, 30th November 2009
Firemen and police officers in New Jersey blew themselves up last week in an "orange mushroom cloud of fire and debris" which created a "deafening boom felt miles away". The unfortunate public-safety operatives had been attempting to light a bonfire at a high-school rally.
According to the South Jersey Courier-Post, kids at Vineland High School had planned a "pep rally" at 6:30 pm local time last Wednesday. Weather conditions had been damp, and it seems that local firemen attending the rally "doused" the bonfire - constructed largely of wooden shipping pallets - with "diesel and another accelerant".
Within seconds of the fire being lit, there was apparently a devastating blast which "ejected a flaming pile of pallets into the sky" atop the above mentioned roiling fireball. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt, though the Courier-Post reports that a firefighter was injured by flying debris and several police officers "sought medical treatment for ear ailments" following the blast.
No schoolkids were harmed, and the rally apparently went ahead without trouble at an alternative venue free of exploding bonfires. ...
Gunpowder plot ruled out: bunker-buster blunder blamed
By Lewis Page
Posted in Bootnotes, 30th November 2009
Firemen and police officers in New Jersey blew themselves up last week in an "orange mushroom cloud of fire and debris" which created a "deafening boom felt miles away". The unfortunate public-safety operatives had been attempting to light a bonfire at a high-school rally.
According to the South Jersey Courier-Post, kids at Vineland High School had planned a "pep rally" at 6:30 pm local time last Wednesday. Weather conditions had been damp, and it seems that local firemen attending the rally "doused" the bonfire - constructed largely of wooden shipping pallets - with "diesel and another accelerant".
Within seconds of the fire being lit, there was apparently a devastating blast which "ejected a flaming pile of pallets into the sky" atop the above mentioned roiling fireball. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt, though the Courier-Post reports that a firefighter was injured by flying debris and several police officers "sought medical treatment for ear ailments" following the blast.
No schoolkids were harmed, and the rally apparently went ahead without trouble at an alternative venue free of exploding bonfires. ...
Shops and markets in North Korea have been closed and all cash transactions frozen after the Government’s shock announcement of a devaluation of its currency in an effort to crack down on the country’s burgeoning free-market economy.
In the capital, Pyongyang, yesterday only the few shops and restaurants permitted to trade in foreign currencies — patronised by the privileged elite and the city’s small foreign population — were open for business. All other enterprises and services based on cash, including markets, long-distance bus services, barbers’ shops, saunas and bath houses, were suspended until the revaluation of the won is completed next week.
There were reports of public outrage and confusion after the announcement of the measure, which requires North Koreans to swap existing won notes for new ones at an exchange rate of one to 100 — effectively knocking two zeroes off their value. Because of a cap of 100,000 won per family (£475 at the official exchange rate), anyone with significant holdings of cash will have their savings wiped out.
“Loud sounds of weeping in every house have not ceased since the news was released,” a South Korean website quoted an inhabitant of Sinuiju, a city on the border with China, as saying. “Weeping and fighting between couples has not stopped anywhere. The atmosphere of the city is terrible now.” ...
In the capital, Pyongyang, yesterday only the few shops and restaurants permitted to trade in foreign currencies — patronised by the privileged elite and the city’s small foreign population — were open for business. All other enterprises and services based on cash, including markets, long-distance bus services, barbers’ shops, saunas and bath houses, were suspended until the revaluation of the won is completed next week.
There were reports of public outrage and confusion after the announcement of the measure, which requires North Koreans to swap existing won notes for new ones at an exchange rate of one to 100 — effectively knocking two zeroes off their value. Because of a cap of 100,000 won per family (£475 at the official exchange rate), anyone with significant holdings of cash will have their savings wiped out.
“Loud sounds of weeping in every house have not ceased since the news was released,” a South Korean website quoted an inhabitant of Sinuiju, a city on the border with China, as saying. “Weeping and fighting between couples has not stopped anywhere. The atmosphere of the city is terrible now.” ...
Comment #1 is quality, if mis-spelled. :)
A university that accepted £25 million from Tesco has published a report with misleading figures to endorse the supermarket’s policy of giving away billions of single-use carrier bags.
The University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute allowed senior Tesco staff to contribute to the report but failed to disclose the extent of the company’s involvement. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, joined Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco chief executive, at the publication of the report at the Royal Society in London last month.
The report includes an analysis of different approaches to reducing the number of disposable bags issued annually by supermarkets. It claims that Tesco’s approach of giving customers a loyalty card point for reusing a bag is more effective than requiring shops to charge for bags, which is used in the Republic of Ireland.
The reduction in Ireland was five times greater than that achieved across Tesco shops in Britain. Ireland cut plastic bag consumption by 90 per cent when it introduced a 15 cent charge per bag in 2002. The Tesco reward method took three years to cut the number of plastic bags by less than 50 per cent. ...
The University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute allowed senior Tesco staff to contribute to the report but failed to disclose the extent of the company’s involvement. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, joined Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco chief executive, at the publication of the report at the Royal Society in London last month.
The report includes an analysis of different approaches to reducing the number of disposable bags issued annually by supermarkets. It claims that Tesco’s approach of giving customers a loyalty card point for reusing a bag is more effective than requiring shops to charge for bags, which is used in the Republic of Ireland.
The reduction in Ireland was five times greater than that achieved across Tesco shops in Britain. Ireland cut plastic bag consumption by 90 per cent when it introduced a 15 cent charge per bag in 2002. The Tesco reward method took three years to cut the number of plastic bags by less than 50 per cent. ...
They are more savage and uncivilised than any Native tribe whom any "great white explorer" ever encountered - headhunters included - and we buy their oil.
UGLY Christmas Sweater Mens Price: US $69.99
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A whole mess of ugly #196
It looks like whoever made this loaded a shotgun with holly and fired it at a white turtleneck
Size:L $20.00
Mock, Yeah! #183
Featuring snowmen that happen to be wearing blue and red ugly Christmas sweaters, odd.
Size: M $20.00
The Shining #128
You may not be able to tell from the picture... but this one sparkles...
Size: Petite XL (Whatever the hell that means) $25.00
Bird Flu #127
Be sure to wash your hands frequently and sneeze into your arm...
Size: Large $25.00
Point Break #111
Pointsetta's may not be poisonous, but this sweater sure is...
Size: Medium $25.00
Oriental Christmas #123
This piece comes to us from the far east to help spread the holiday ugliness...
Size: Large $25.00
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FREE SHIPPING for the United States on all Ugly Sweaters!
Welcome to Buy Ugly Sweaters! We have the largest selection of Ugly Christmas Sweaters on the internet. Our Ugly Sweater inventory is updated daily to make sure you have plenty of available options!
Jennifer in Virginia, writes:
"Hello Ugly Team!
I just wanted to thank you. I received the sweater today and it is the ugliest sweater I have EVER seen! Its perfect! I am sitting at my desk right now cracking up about this sweater. I cannot wait to give it to my friend for her birthday and the best part of that deal is she has to wear it!
Thank you for the service you provide! You guys rock!"
Unless otherwise stated; our sweaters are gently worn and processed to be suitable for wear upon reception....
Yes!!!!1!!!eleven!!!!!
Also Featuring The Diana Ross Pre-alcoholism Ugly Sweater!!1!!!
Bonus: Vast Shoulder Ma-Pads!
Shocking Update 1 March 2010:
Yup. It's a hoax, allright.
Yup. It's a hoax, allright.
A Scotland Yard commander was accused of misleading parliament tonight after an inquiry found that undercover police were secretly deployed at the G20 protests to spy on activists, contrary to the police chief's denials.
Commander Bob Broadhurst, who had overall command of the G20 policing operation, told the home affairs select committee in May that "no plain clothes officers [were] deployed at all" during the demonstrations in the City of London.
It has emerged that 25 undercover City of London police were stationed around the Bank of England to gather "intelligence" on protesters on 1 and 2 April. Broadhurst stands by the evidence he gave to MPs, claiming the deployment of undercover officers was unknown to him.
The disclosure will add to pressure on the Metropolitan police, who will tomorrow be forced to react to the findings of a long-awaited government inquiry into the policing of protest. This inquiry, by Denis O'Connor, head of the government's policing inspectorate, was set up after criticism of the Met's handling of the protests, at which Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, died after being attacked by police.
The inquiry's report is expected to call for a radical overhaul of public order policing, and to suggest that the heavy-handed way that forces handle protest threatens a broader breakdown in trust in the police. ...
Commander Bob Broadhurst, who had overall command of the G20 policing operation, told the home affairs select committee in May that "no plain clothes officers [were] deployed at all" during the demonstrations in the City of London.
It has emerged that 25 undercover City of London police were stationed around the Bank of England to gather "intelligence" on protesters on 1 and 2 April. Broadhurst stands by the evidence he gave to MPs, claiming the deployment of undercover officers was unknown to him.
The disclosure will add to pressure on the Metropolitan police, who will tomorrow be forced to react to the findings of a long-awaited government inquiry into the policing of protest. This inquiry, by Denis O'Connor, head of the government's policing inspectorate, was set up after criticism of the Met's handling of the protests, at which Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, died after being attacked by police.
The inquiry's report is expected to call for a radical overhaul of public order policing, and to suggest that the heavy-handed way that forces handle protest threatens a broader breakdown in trust in the police. ...
Police officers are now routinely arresting people in order to add their DNA sample to the national police database, an inquiry will allege tomorrow.
The review of the national DNA database by the government's human genetics commission also raises the possibility that the DNA profiles of three-quarters of young black males, aged 18 to 35, are now on the database.
The human genetics commission report, Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?, says the national DNA database for England and Wales is already the largest in the world, at 5 million profiles and growing, yet has no clear statutory basis or independent oversight.
The highly critical report from the government's advisory body on the development of human genetics is published as the number of innocent people on the database is disclosed to be far higher than previously thought ‑ nearing 1 million.
The commission says the policy of routinely adding the DNA profiles of all those arrested has led to a highly disproportionate impact on different ethnic groups and the stigmatisation of young black men, with the danger of their being seen as "an 'alien wedge' of criminality". ...
Ta much, dear Glenn321
The review of the national DNA database by the government's human genetics commission also raises the possibility that the DNA profiles of three-quarters of young black males, aged 18 to 35, are now on the database.
The human genetics commission report, Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?, says the national DNA database for England and Wales is already the largest in the world, at 5 million profiles and growing, yet has no clear statutory basis or independent oversight.
The highly critical report from the government's advisory body on the development of human genetics is published as the number of innocent people on the database is disclosed to be far higher than previously thought ‑ nearing 1 million.
The commission says the policy of routinely adding the DNA profiles of all those arrested has led to a highly disproportionate impact on different ethnic groups and the stigmatisation of young black men, with the danger of their being seen as "an 'alien wedge' of criminality". ...
Ta much, dear Glenn321
Some of this is total crap, and most of the commenters need to change their meds.
Par example, every Friday our trash is collected unless holiday/s makes it a day or two later, which has always been the case.
We did have a female garbage truck driver for a while in the 80s (during coleman young's reign as mayor) who'd often pull into our alley, take a nap in her truck, and then drive away w/o ever collecting. When our dumpsters were full to all but overflowing and covered with flies and attracting rats she'd finally collect. She only lasted a few months, tho. Someone with real clout musta bitched about the bitch.
Par example, every Friday our trash is collected unless holiday/s makes it a day or two later, which has always been the case.
We did have a female garbage truck driver for a while in the 80s (during coleman young's reign as mayor) who'd often pull into our alley, take a nap in her truck, and then drive away w/o ever collecting. When our dumpsters were full to all but overflowing and covered with flies and attracting rats she'd finally collect. She only lasted a few months, tho. Someone with real clout musta bitched about the bitch.
... In the sixth in a string of damning rulings, the high court accused Miliband of wanting to suppress information about CIA activities even though details had already been disclosed by the Obama administration. Dismissing Miliband's claims, Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones insisted they were not trying to give away "American secrets". They said: "Of itself, the treatment to which Mr Mohamed was subjected could never properly be described in a democracy as 'a secret' or an 'intelligence secret' or 'a summary of classified intelligence'."
The judges revealed that seven paragraphs in a key document Miliband insists must remain secret "relate to admissions of what officials of the US did to BM during his detention in Pakistan". They repeated their earlier finding that "what is contained in those seven redacted paragraphs gives rise to an arguable case of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment".
The court has heard that a British security service officer interrogated Mohamed in Pakistan and officials passed information about him to the CIA. It was clear, the judges said, that the relationship of the UK to the US in connection with Mohamed "was far beyond that of a bystander or witness to the alleged wrongdoing".
In one stinging passage, the judges said yesterday the foreign secretary "was not prepared either to produce evidence or address argument to us".
Evidence that Miliband still wanted kept secret related to the question why "it was impossible to believe that President Obama would take action against the United Kingdom", and "why publication ... is necessary to uphold the rule of law and democratic accountability", the judges said.
They revealed that one passage the foreign secretary had now agreed could be disclosed referred to a memo from Jay Bybee, US assistant attorney general, to John Rizzo, acting CIA general counsel, which, the judges said, "made clear that the techniques described were those employed against Mr Zubaydah, alleged to be a high-ranking member of al Qaida." The judges said the remainder of the paragraph, which remains redacted from public versions of their rulings, was a "verbatim quote" from a memo made public in the US seven months ago. ...
The judges revealed that seven paragraphs in a key document Miliband insists must remain secret "relate to admissions of what officials of the US did to BM during his detention in Pakistan". They repeated their earlier finding that "what is contained in those seven redacted paragraphs gives rise to an arguable case of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment".
The court has heard that a British security service officer interrogated Mohamed in Pakistan and officials passed information about him to the CIA. It was clear, the judges said, that the relationship of the UK to the US in connection with Mohamed "was far beyond that of a bystander or witness to the alleged wrongdoing".
In one stinging passage, the judges said yesterday the foreign secretary "was not prepared either to produce evidence or address argument to us".
Evidence that Miliband still wanted kept secret related to the question why "it was impossible to believe that President Obama would take action against the United Kingdom", and "why publication ... is necessary to uphold the rule of law and democratic accountability", the judges said.
They revealed that one passage the foreign secretary had now agreed could be disclosed referred to a memo from Jay Bybee, US assistant attorney general, to John Rizzo, acting CIA general counsel, which, the judges said, "made clear that the techniques described were those employed against Mr Zubaydah, alleged to be a high-ranking member of al Qaida." The judges said the remainder of the paragraph, which remains redacted from public versions of their rulings, was a "verbatim quote" from a memo made public in the US seven months ago. ...
Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.
The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallised over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.
Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumours, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.
A group of Iraqi and British officials, including the former Iraqi minister for women's affairs, Dr Nawal Majeed a-Sammarai, and the British doctors David Halpin and Chris Burns-Cox, have petitioned the UN general assembly to ask that an independent committee fully investigate the defects and help clean up toxic materials left over decades of war – including the six years since Saddam Hussein was ousted.
"We are seeing a very significant increase in central nervous system anomalies," said Falluja general hospital's director and senior specialist, Dr Ayman Qais. "Before 2003 [the start of the war] I was seeing sporadic numbers of deformities in babies. Now the frequency of deformities has increased dramatically." ...
Can you say, "Depleted uranium"?
I knew you could.
The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallised over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.
Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumours, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.
A group of Iraqi and British officials, including the former Iraqi minister for women's affairs, Dr Nawal Majeed a-Sammarai, and the British doctors David Halpin and Chris Burns-Cox, have petitioned the UN general assembly to ask that an independent committee fully investigate the defects and help clean up toxic materials left over decades of war – including the six years since Saddam Hussein was ousted.
"We are seeing a very significant increase in central nervous system anomalies," said Falluja general hospital's director and senior specialist, Dr Ayman Qais. "Before 2003 [the start of the war] I was seeing sporadic numbers of deformities in babies. Now the frequency of deformities has increased dramatically." ...
Can you say, "Depleted uranium"?
I knew you could.
Rodney Bradford was held by police for 13 days, accused of breaking into a Brooklyn residence, but was able to corroborate his alibi thanks a posting to his Facebook page that showed what he was doing at the time of the crime.
Mr Bradford's comment, teasing his girlfriend about not having joined him to eat pancakes and accompanied by a time-stamp, "was probably instrumental in the district attorney's decision to drop the charges," his lawyer Robert Reuland said.
Mr Bradford was accused of breaking into a sprawling 1,390-apartment complex in Brooklyn, New York with a gun, when in fact he was eight miles away at his father's Manhattan home.
Jonah Bruno, a spokesman for the Kings County District Attorney's office confirmed "the case was dismissed".
If charged and convicted, Mr Bradford could have spent 25 years behind bars. ...
Mr Bradford's comment, teasing his girlfriend about not having joined him to eat pancakes and accompanied by a time-stamp, "was probably instrumental in the district attorney's decision to drop the charges," his lawyer Robert Reuland said.
Mr Bradford was accused of breaking into a sprawling 1,390-apartment complex in Brooklyn, New York with a gun, when in fact he was eight miles away at his father's Manhattan home.
Jonah Bruno, a spokesman for the Kings County District Attorney's office confirmed "the case was dismissed".
If charged and convicted, Mr Bradford could have spent 25 years behind bars. ...
... Checks via Facebook and presumably ISPs confirmed that Bradford's status was updated from the Harlem house at the time when the robbery took place. Rodney Bradford Sr, and his stepmother, Ernestine Bradford, backed up the story and the charges were dropped.
His defence lawyer, Robert Reuland, admitted that it might be possible for anyone who knew Bradford Junior’s username and password to have made the update, while dismissing the scenario as highly unlikely.
"This implies a level of criminal genius that you would not expect from a young boy like this. He is not Dr. Evil," Reuland told The New York Times, adding that the Facebook update was simply the "icing on the cake", since the accused already had witnesses to provide an alibi.
Previously activity on social networking websites has largely cropped up as prosecution evidence. For example, a burglar logged onto Facebook during the ransacking of a Pennsylvania home back in September using and forgot to log off when he made his escape. The resulting digital trail of evidence help to build a case against a local 19 year-old, who was later arrested on suspicion of burglary.
His defence lawyer, Robert Reuland, admitted that it might be possible for anyone who knew Bradford Junior’s username and password to have made the update, while dismissing the scenario as highly unlikely.
"This implies a level of criminal genius that you would not expect from a young boy like this. He is not Dr. Evil," Reuland told The New York Times, adding that the Facebook update was simply the "icing on the cake", since the accused already had witnesses to provide an alibi.
Previously activity on social networking websites has largely cropped up as prosecution evidence. For example, a burglar logged onto Facebook during the ransacking of a Pennsylvania home back in September using and forgot to log off when he made his escape. The resulting digital trail of evidence help to build a case against a local 19 year-old, who was later arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Iraq launches tourism drive
Security a 'minor problem', assures tourist chief
By Lester Haines
Posted in Bootnotes, 10th November 2009 12:18 GMT
Iraq is attempting what must rate as the biggest PR challenge since Nicolas Sarkozy ordered French media to convince the world he's actually six inches taller - that of enticing western tourists to sample the delights of the sun-kissed land astride the Tigris.
This unenviable task has fallen to Hammoud al-Yaqoubi, chairman of Iraq’s tourism board, who described security as a "minor problem" and insisted to the Times that a group of intrepid Russians recently enjoyed a ten-day trip "in which none suffered injury".
He enthused: “We have the infrastructure for tourism in Iraq. We are optimistic about turning the tourism industry into a success.” ...
The adventurous tourist should try Detroit instead. Save some $$$.
Security a 'minor problem', assures tourist chief
By Lester Haines
Posted in Bootnotes, 10th November 2009 12:18 GMT
Iraq is attempting what must rate as the biggest PR challenge since Nicolas Sarkozy ordered French media to convince the world he's actually six inches taller - that of enticing western tourists to sample the delights of the sun-kissed land astride the Tigris.
This unenviable task has fallen to Hammoud al-Yaqoubi, chairman of Iraq’s tourism board, who described security as a "minor problem" and insisted to the Times that a group of intrepid Russians recently enjoyed a ten-day trip "in which none suffered injury".
He enthused: “We have the infrastructure for tourism in Iraq. We are optimistic about turning the tourism industry into a success.” ...
The adventurous tourist should try Detroit instead. Save some $$$.
Council sets up scrutiny panel - to scrutinise its scrutiny panels
With public money at stake, councils are expected to subject all their decisions to a rigerous review process.
By Nick Britten
Published: 1:19PM GMT 11 Nov 2009
However, one has been accused of taking the practice to absurd lengths after establishing a scrutiny panel to scrutinise the actions of its scrutiny panels.
Wealden District Council said a working party was set up in July to oversee the actions of its three existing scrutiny panels and to “scrutinise the Council’s scrutiny arrangements”.
A council spokesman said the group was established with a clear objective to "improve services" and save money, and contained members of the existing scrutiny committees. It will report to the council with its findings next May. ...
With public money at stake, councils are expected to subject all their decisions to a rigerous review process.
By Nick Britten
Published: 1:19PM GMT 11 Nov 2009
However, one has been accused of taking the practice to absurd lengths after establishing a scrutiny panel to scrutinise the actions of its scrutiny panels.
Wealden District Council said a working party was set up in July to oversee the actions of its three existing scrutiny panels and to “scrutinise the Council’s scrutiny arrangements”.
A council spokesman said the group was established with a clear objective to "improve services" and save money, and contained members of the existing scrutiny committees. It will report to the council with its findings next May. ...
Barack Obama today joined calls from across America for calm amid fears of a backlash in the wake of the shooting spree by a Muslim soldier at the Fort Hood that left 13 dead and 28 wounded.
Obama, speaking in the White House Rose Garden after being briefed by the FBI, sought to dampen tensions, as did politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties, the military, Muslim associations and the family of the alleged shooter, Major Nadil Malik Hasan.
"I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we get all the facts," Obama said....
Obama, speaking in the White House Rose Garden after being briefed by the FBI, sought to dampen tensions, as did politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties, the military, Muslim associations and the family of the alleged shooter, Major Nadil Malik Hasan.
"I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we get all the facts," Obama said....
Scotland Yard faced calls for an "ethical audit" of all officers in its controversial riot squad tonight after figures revealed that they had received more than 5,000 complaint allegations, mostly for "oppressive behaviour".
Details of all allegations lodged against the Metropolitan police territorial support group (TSG) over the last four years reveal that only nine – less than 0.18% – were "substantiated" after an investigation by the force's complaints department.
The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, were described as evidence of a "culture of impunity" that makes it almost impossible for members of the public to lodge successful complaints against the Met's 730 TSG officers.
The TSG is a specialist squad that responds to outbreaks of disorder anywhere in the capital. It is under investigation for the most high-profile cases of alleged brutality at the G20 protests, including the death of Ian Tomlinson.
The unit came under renewed criticism this week after one of its officers was identified as a member of a team implicated in a "serious, gratuitous and prolonged" attack on a Muslim man. ...
Details of all allegations lodged against the Metropolitan police territorial support group (TSG) over the last four years reveal that only nine – less than 0.18% – were "substantiated" after an investigation by the force's complaints department.
The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, were described as evidence of a "culture of impunity" that makes it almost impossible for members of the public to lodge successful complaints against the Met's 730 TSG officers.
The TSG is a specialist squad that responds to outbreaks of disorder anywhere in the capital. It is under investigation for the most high-profile cases of alleged brutality at the G20 protests, including the death of Ian Tomlinson.
The unit came under renewed criticism this week after one of its officers was identified as a member of a team implicated in a "serious, gratuitous and prolonged" attack on a Muslim man. ...
The local mcdonald's should be getting some new applicants soon - from the soon-to-be former staff members (and I use the term advisedly) of the Sun City West retirement community, and several soon-to-be-ex-ahem-members of the 'police' department.
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Ta much, dear Anneliese
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp was sued by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who accused the world's largest chipmaker of threatening computer makers and paying billions of dollars in kickbacks to maintain its market dominance.
The lawsuit accuses Intel of violating state and federal antitrust law through a "systematic worldwide campaign" of bullying and coercion to monopolize the market for personal computer chips, at the expense of rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Intel's microprocessors power more than 80 percent of the world's PCs. Wednesday's lawsuit comes on the heels of several antitrust probes throughout the world into the Santa Clara, California-based company's business practices. ...
The lawsuit accuses Intel of violating state and federal antitrust law through a "systematic worldwide campaign" of bullying and coercion to monopolize the market for personal computer chips, at the expense of rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Intel's microprocessors power more than 80 percent of the world's PCs. Wednesday's lawsuit comes on the heels of several antitrust probes throughout the world into the Santa Clara, California-based company's business practices. ...
A pot of £30m compensation due to be paid to thousands of African victims of toxic waste may end up being stolen thanks to the Ivory Coast regime's corruption, their lawyers said today.
The money was handed over by oil traders Trafigura in an out-of-court settlement in London and deposited in a bank in the west African state's capital, Abidjan, ready to be shared out in cash to each of the 30,000 victims. But the entire sum has been frozen in a sudden move backed by the local state prosecutor, according to Martyn Day, the senior partner at Leigh Day, the London lawyers who won the landmark settlement.
Moves are now in train, he said, to order all the cash to be handed over to a local group claiming to represent the victims. At the same time, Day has received a request to meet representatives of a senior Ivorian figure in Paris, to agree to come to an "arrangement".
"Blatant corruption" could be occurring, Day, who has flown back to London from Ivory Coast, said today. "There is a very serious risk that the compensation monies will simply disappear and our clients will see none of it." ...
The money was handed over by oil traders Trafigura in an out-of-court settlement in London and deposited in a bank in the west African state's capital, Abidjan, ready to be shared out in cash to each of the 30,000 victims. But the entire sum has been frozen in a sudden move backed by the local state prosecutor, according to Martyn Day, the senior partner at Leigh Day, the London lawyers who won the landmark settlement.
Moves are now in train, he said, to order all the cash to be handed over to a local group claiming to represent the victims. At the same time, Day has received a request to meet representatives of a senior Ivorian figure in Paris, to agree to come to an "arrangement".
"Blatant corruption" could be occurring, Day, who has flown back to London from Ivory Coast, said today. "There is a very serious risk that the compensation monies will simply disappear and our clients will see none of it." ...
State attorney nabbed in car with stripper, Viagra and sex toys
South Carolina cemetery tryst ends in sack*
By Lester Haines
Posted in Bootnotes, 30th October 2009 11:12 GMT
A South Carolina deputy assistant attorney general who claimed he was on his lunch break, but was actually entertaining a stripper in his SUV, has been given his marching orders.
Former state legislator Roland Corning, 66, was spotted on Monday by a police officer in "a secluded part" of a Columbia cemetery last Monday. According to officer Michael Wines' report, Corning first "sped off, then pulled over a few blocks away".
He and his 18-year-old companion - an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club - gave "conflicting stories about what they were doing in the cemetery", although Wines "did not elaborate" as to what these might be.
Corning then flashed a badge proving his Attorney General's Office credentials. By chance, Wines' missus also worked there, so he gave her call to check. He then searched the vehicle and found "a Viagra pill and several sex toys". Corning said he had them with him "just in case". ...
*Yes, the wrong kind of sack, in this case.
South Carolina cemetery tryst ends in sack*
By Lester Haines
Posted in Bootnotes, 30th October 2009 11:12 GMT
A South Carolina deputy assistant attorney general who claimed he was on his lunch break, but was actually entertaining a stripper in his SUV, has been given his marching orders.
Former state legislator Roland Corning, 66, was spotted on Monday by a police officer in "a secluded part" of a Columbia cemetery last Monday. According to officer Michael Wines' report, Corning first "sped off, then pulled over a few blocks away".
He and his 18-year-old companion - an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club - gave "conflicting stories about what they were doing in the cemetery", although Wines "did not elaborate" as to what these might be.
Corning then flashed a badge proving his Attorney General's Office credentials. By chance, Wines' missus also worked there, so he gave her call to check. He then searched the vehicle and found "a Viagra pill and several sex toys". Corning said he had them with him "just in case". ...
*Yes, the wrong kind of sack, in this case.
Dear Ar0cketman sent this bit of microcar high weirdness.
Well done, ebay.
... The phone taps record Mr Karadzic saying: "They have to know that there are 20,000 armed Serbs around Sarajevo.... it will be a black cauldron where 300,000 Muslims will die. They will disappear. That people will disappear from the face of the earth."
Mr Tieger said that Mr Karadzic showed nothing but contempt for the views of the international community for the Bosnian Serb programme of ethnic cleansing - the euphemism invented during the conflict to sanitise the killing of thousands of Muslims.
"As he said in October 1991 in anticipation of what he had planned: 'Europe will be told to go f*** itself, and not to come back until the job is finished'."
Mr Tieger concluded: "This case is about that Supreme Commander, a man who harnessed the forces of nationalism, hatred and fear to implement his vision of an ethnic Bosnia. That Supreme Commander was Radovan Karadzic."
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia decided to push ahead with proceedings today, even though Mr Karadzic refused to attend for a second day.
Judge O-Gon Kwon, the chief judge, issued a second warning that Mr Karadzic would have a legal representative imposed upon him if he continued to remain in his cell, and ruled that the prosecution could begin to outline the case against him.
Mr Tieger said that Mr Karadzic showed nothing but contempt for the views of the international community for the Bosnian Serb programme of ethnic cleansing - the euphemism invented during the conflict to sanitise the killing of thousands of Muslims.
"As he said in October 1991 in anticipation of what he had planned: 'Europe will be told to go f*** itself, and not to come back until the job is finished'."
Mr Tieger concluded: "This case is about that Supreme Commander, a man who harnessed the forces of nationalism, hatred and fear to implement his vision of an ethnic Bosnia. That Supreme Commander was Radovan Karadzic."
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia decided to push ahead with proceedings today, even though Mr Karadzic refused to attend for a second day.
Judge O-Gon Kwon, the chief judge, issued a second warning that Mr Karadzic would have a legal representative imposed upon him if he continued to remain in his cell, and ruled that the prosecution could begin to outline the case against him.
T'row da bum out, I tells ya!
Well done, texass.
Retired bank manager sets record for most body piercings
A former Barclays Bank manager has made the record books for having more piercings than anyone else in the world.
25 Oct 2009
John Lynch has clinched the title with 241 piercings all over his body, including 150 on his head and neck.
The 78 year-old from Apsely, Hertfordshire, gave up flying years ago because his vast array of body art kept setting off security scanners at airports.
And the eccentric pensioner also has hundreds of tattoos on his body including his favourite, a huge portrait of film star Marilyn Monroe which takes up most of his torso.
Mr Lynch, who worked for Barclays Bank for 30 years, had to show all his adornments to an official from the Guinness Book of Records who had to count and verify the number of piercings all over his body.
He got his first piercing on his eyebrow when he decided he had enough of working in the bank in his 40's and also got himself his first tattoo an eagle on his right arm.
But since then Mr Lynch, who looks fearsome, has become a well-known character in the area. ...
OK, now that a 78-y-o holds the record for the most goddam body piercings, maybe you stupid kids will give it up.
A former Barclays Bank manager has made the record books for having more piercings than anyone else in the world.
25 Oct 2009
John Lynch has clinched the title with 241 piercings all over his body, including 150 on his head and neck.
The 78 year-old from Apsely, Hertfordshire, gave up flying years ago because his vast array of body art kept setting off security scanners at airports.
And the eccentric pensioner also has hundreds of tattoos on his body including his favourite, a huge portrait of film star Marilyn Monroe which takes up most of his torso.
Mr Lynch, who worked for Barclays Bank for 30 years, had to show all his adornments to an official from the Guinness Book of Records who had to count and verify the number of piercings all over his body.
He got his first piercing on his eyebrow when he decided he had enough of working in the bank in his 40's and also got himself his first tattoo an eagle on his right arm.
But since then Mr Lynch, who looks fearsome, has become a well-known character in the area. ...
OK, now that a 78-y-o holds the record for the most goddam body piercings, maybe you stupid kids will give it up.
Scotland Yard's most senior officer in charge of policing protests saidtoday that he would support a government inspectorate which has proposed a radical overhaul of public order policing.
Assistant commissioner Chris Allison said police would in the future be "far more explicit" about their commitment to facilitating peaceful protest, the main proposal made in an inquiry headed by Denis O'Connor, the chief inspector of the constabulary.
O'Connor's inquiry was launched in the aftermath of the Metropolitan police's controversial handling of the G20 protests, which saw several thousand protesters contained by officers in so-called "kettles" near the Bank of England. A newspaper-vendor, Ian Tomlinson, died after being pushed by a member of the Met's territorial support group.
The full report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), outlining major reform for policing protests, will be published next month. However, the Guardian understands the Met hired lawyers to object to a central recommendation made in its interim findings.
HMIC sources said the Met instigated a "huge battle" with inspectors, who were attempting to bring the force's approach in line with human rights obligations to facilitate peaceful assembly. The HMIC was forced to pay for its own senior barrister, whose legal advice found in their favour.
A Home Office source said the Met was still resistant to change, and "the battle is far from won" over the right approach to demonstrations....
Assistant commissioner Chris Allison said police would in the future be "far more explicit" about their commitment to facilitating peaceful protest, the main proposal made in an inquiry headed by Denis O'Connor, the chief inspector of the constabulary.
O'Connor's inquiry was launched in the aftermath of the Metropolitan police's controversial handling of the G20 protests, which saw several thousand protesters contained by officers in so-called "kettles" near the Bank of England. A newspaper-vendor, Ian Tomlinson, died after being pushed by a member of the Met's territorial support group.
The full report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), outlining major reform for policing protests, will be published next month. However, the Guardian understands the Met hired lawyers to object to a central recommendation made in its interim findings.
HMIC sources said the Met instigated a "huge battle" with inspectors, who were attempting to bring the force's approach in line with human rights obligations to facilitate peaceful assembly. The HMIC was forced to pay for its own senior barrister, whose legal advice found in their favour.
A Home Office source said the Met was still resistant to change, and "the battle is far from won" over the right approach to demonstrations....
Police were in no mood for a "softly-softly" approach when climate change campaigners began their demonstration outside Kingsnorth power station in Kent last year. Their response was harsh and expensive – and has been roundly criticised. The £5m operation involved putting demonstrators, including children, through a total of 8,000 searches at airport-style checkpoints.
Loud music was blasted out to spoil protesters' sleep during the week-long camp, and more than 2,000 possessions were confiscated, including party poppers, a clown costume and camping equipment. Protesters were aghast; they were staging a piece of political theatre to publicise the dangers of global warming. The police looked on them, it seems, as a far graver threat, bent on putting out the nation's lights.
Without perhaps many of the activists realising it, their demonstration was colliding with an established official mindset focused on potential terrorists or saboteurs. It is a culture that conforms with a change in the way political activists have become viewed by the UK authorities. ...
Loud music was blasted out to spoil protesters' sleep during the week-long camp, and more than 2,000 possessions were confiscated, including party poppers, a clown costume and camping equipment. Protesters were aghast; they were staging a piece of political theatre to publicise the dangers of global warming. The police looked on them, it seems, as a far graver threat, bent on putting out the nation's lights.
Without perhaps many of the activists realising it, their demonstration was colliding with an established official mindset focused on potential terrorists or saboteurs. It is a culture that conforms with a change in the way political activists have become viewed by the UK authorities. ...
Chief constables will be forced to justify the legality of recording thousands of law-abiding protesters on secret nationwide databases, the government's privacy watchdog announced today.
Christopher Graham, the information commissioner, said he had "genuine concerns about the ever increasing amount" of personal data held by police.
Graham's move came after the Guardian revealed how police have developed a covert apparatus to monitor people they consider are, or could be, "domestic extremists", a term which has no legal basis.
Photographs and personal details of thousands of activists who attend demonstrations, rallies and political meetings are being stored on the databases. Surveillance officers are given so-called "spotter cards" to identify individuals who may "instigate offences or disorder" at demonstrations. ...
Christopher Graham, the information commissioner, said he had "genuine concerns about the ever increasing amount" of personal data held by police.
Graham's move came after the Guardian revealed how police have developed a covert apparatus to monitor people they consider are, or could be, "domestic extremists", a term which has no legal basis.
Photographs and personal details of thousands of activists who attend demonstrations, rallies and political meetings are being stored on the databases. Surveillance officers are given so-called "spotter cards" to identify individuals who may "instigate offences or disorder" at demonstrations. ...
Britain's retail banks should be banned from paying out "significant" cash bonuses as part of a drive to plough profits back into new lending, the shadow chancellor, George Osborne, will declare tomorrow.
In the strongest attack by the Tories on banks, Osborne will say that bonuses should be paid in shares, which cannot be cashed in for at least three years, as he warns that billions of pounds in "subsidised profits" are threatening to worsen the credit crunch.
In a speech to Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf, east London, Osborne will tell financiers: "We cannot wait for the promised land of a new responsible bonus culture which looks more remote than ever. We need to take emergency steps to support bank lending and move the economy forward.
"I am today calling on the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority to combine forces and stop retail banks paying out profits in significant cash bonuses. Full stop. Then the cash that would have been paid out should be put on to banks' balance sheets explicitly to support new lending. This should be a condition of continuing to receive taxpayer guarantees and liquidity support." ...
In the strongest attack by the Tories on banks, Osborne will say that bonuses should be paid in shares, which cannot be cashed in for at least three years, as he warns that billions of pounds in "subsidised profits" are threatening to worsen the credit crunch.
In a speech to Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf, east London, Osborne will tell financiers: "We cannot wait for the promised land of a new responsible bonus culture which looks more remote than ever. We need to take emergency steps to support bank lending and move the economy forward.
"I am today calling on the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority to combine forces and stop retail banks paying out profits in significant cash bonuses. Full stop. Then the cash that would have been paid out should be put on to banks' balance sheets explicitly to support new lending. This should be a condition of continuing to receive taxpayer guarantees and liquidity support." ...
premarin has been proven less effective than other treatments, but horses still suffer and die.
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Go Ian! Go Ian! Go Ian! Go Ian!
Rep. Buyer's scholarship fund hasn't helped a single student
Steve Buyer defends his scholarship foundation, which has yet to help a single student.
By Mary Beth Schneiderand Maureen Groppe
Posted: October 18, 2009
The biggest accomplishment so far of U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer's scholarship foundation has been to send the Indiana congressman to play golf with donors at luxury locales such as the Bahamas and Disney World.
The fundraising golf outings have raised more than $880,000 for the Frontier Foundation that Buyer founded in 2003. Almost all the contributions are from 20 companies and trade organizations that have interests before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Buyer serves.
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The foundation has yet to award its first scholarship, and it has handed out only $10,500 in charitable grants.
Of those grants, $4,500 went to a cancer fund run by the chief Washington lobbyist for Eli Lilly and Co. That lobbyist, Joe Kelley, said he is refunding the money because Lilly is among the groups that have supported Buyer's foundation.
In addition, the foundation gave $1,450 in 2008 to the National Rifle Association Foundation.
The lack of scholarships, plus the fact that the foundation's money is coming from groups that might want to curry favor with the congressman, has come under fire by Democrats.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker...said...."No good deed goes unpunished? Where's the good deed, if they haven't given out any scholarships?" he said. "It looks like this organization is a shadow campaign organization that's utilized to fly him around the country raising money from corporations that he can't legally raise (contributions from) to his campaign committee." ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Steve Buyer defends his scholarship foundation, which has yet to help a single student.
By Mary Beth Schneiderand Maureen Groppe
Posted: October 18, 2009
The biggest accomplishment so far of U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer's scholarship foundation has been to send the Indiana congressman to play golf with donors at luxury locales such as the Bahamas and Disney World.
The fundraising golf outings have raised more than $880,000 for the Frontier Foundation that Buyer founded in 2003. Almost all the contributions are from 20 companies and trade organizations that have interests before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Buyer serves.
Advertisement
The foundation has yet to award its first scholarship, and it has handed out only $10,500 in charitable grants.
Of those grants, $4,500 went to a cancer fund run by the chief Washington lobbyist for Eli Lilly and Co. That lobbyist, Joe Kelley, said he is refunding the money because Lilly is among the groups that have supported Buyer's foundation.
In addition, the foundation gave $1,450 in 2008 to the National Rifle Association Foundation.
The lack of scholarships, plus the fact that the foundation's money is coming from groups that might want to curry favor with the congressman, has come under fire by Democrats.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker...said...."No good deed goes unpunished? Where's the good deed, if they haven't given out any scholarships?" he said. "It looks like this organization is a shadow campaign organization that's utilized to fly him around the country raising money from corporations that he can't legally raise (contributions from) to his campaign committee." ...
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Girl found in NY doesn't know who she is - 10/23/09 - New York News and Tri-State News - 7online.com
Dear Anneliese sent this, and like her I wish this girl well.
Zurich Insurance, the UK arm of the Swiss insurer, admitted yesterday that it had lost a tape containing the confidential personal details of 51,000 of its British customers.
Zurich, which apologised for the mishap, revealed that the tape had been lost more than a year ago while it was in transit in South Africa and is still missing.
The company said that a recent routine check had revealed that the tape was not in a storage centre where it should be kept and its whereabouts remain unknown.
Annette Court, chief executive of general insurance for Europe at Zurich Financial Services, said that regulators, including the Financial Services Authority (FSA), had been told.
She said that the tape, which was being taken from a Zurich office to a secure storage centre, also contained policy details of all its 550,000 customers in South Africa and 40,000 in Botswana. She said that Zurich had called in consultants at KPMG to investigate. ...
Zurich, which apologised for the mishap, revealed that the tape had been lost more than a year ago while it was in transit in South Africa and is still missing.
The company said that a recent routine check had revealed that the tape was not in a storage centre where it should be kept and its whereabouts remain unknown.
Annette Court, chief executive of general insurance for Europe at Zurich Financial Services, said that regulators, including the Financial Services Authority (FSA), had been told.
She said that the tape, which was being taken from a Zurich office to a secure storage centre, also contained policy details of all its 550,000 customers in South Africa and 40,000 in Botswana. She said that Zurich had called in consultants at KPMG to investigate. ...
Assaults and drunken attacks on the street have been ignored by the police rather than recorded and investigated as violent crime, an inspection report disclosed today.
One in three decisions to record a violent incident that has occurred as a “no crime” was wrong, the police inspectorate said.
If the findings, based on a small sample, are repeated across all forces in England and Wales an estimated 5,000 violent offences a year are not being treated as a crime by officers.
Today’s report will raise concerns that officers are dismissing violent offences in order to make their forces’ figures look better. ...
Ya think?
One in three decisions to record a violent incident that has occurred as a “no crime” was wrong, the police inspectorate said.
If the findings, based on a small sample, are repeated across all forces in England and Wales an estimated 5,000 violent offences a year are not being treated as a crime by officers.
Today’s report will raise concerns that officers are dismissing violent offences in order to make their forces’ figures look better. ...
Ya think?
Alistair Darling has openly criticised Goldman Sachs over its plan to pay huge staff bonuses so soon after the financial crisis nearly crushed the banking sector.
Speaking at an event in London this lunchtime, the chancellor cited the Wall Street giant as an example of a bank that "manifestly" failed to appreciate how the City landscape had changed.
"What happened with Goldman Sachs last week sends the wrong signals," said Darling, who was attending an event at Canary Wharf. "I've spoken to all our banks and none of them would be standing here today if the taxpayer hadn't put their hand into their pocket."
Goldman Sachs itself does not appear to share Darling's concerns. Last night, Lord Griffiths, vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs International, claimed that huge salaries were a price worth paying.
"I believe that we should be thinking about the medium-term common good, not the short-term common good ... we should not, therefore, be ashamed of offering compensation in an internationally competitive market which ensures the bank businesses here and employs British people," said Griffiths. ...
I think you should fuck off, mr griffiths. I don't think any boss anywhere deserves pay that's more than 100 times what the lowest paid employees receive. I very much like the Japanese idea of bosses' getting no more than up to ten times what the lowest paid employees get.
Speaking at an event in London this lunchtime, the chancellor cited the Wall Street giant as an example of a bank that "manifestly" failed to appreciate how the City landscape had changed.
"What happened with Goldman Sachs last week sends the wrong signals," said Darling, who was attending an event at Canary Wharf. "I've spoken to all our banks and none of them would be standing here today if the taxpayer hadn't put their hand into their pocket."
Goldman Sachs itself does not appear to share Darling's concerns. Last night, Lord Griffiths, vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs International, claimed that huge salaries were a price worth paying.
"I believe that we should be thinking about the medium-term common good, not the short-term common good ... we should not, therefore, be ashamed of offering compensation in an internationally competitive market which ensures the bank businesses here and employs British people," said Griffiths. ...
I think you should fuck off, mr griffiths. I don't think any boss anywhere deserves pay that's more than 100 times what the lowest paid employees receive. I very much like the Japanese idea of bosses' getting no more than up to ten times what the lowest paid employees get.
Balloon boy's father 'wanted TV fame before world ends in 2012'
Richard Heene, the man suspected of the alleged "balloon boy" hoax, was driven by a conviction that the world will come to a cataclysmic end in 2012, according to a friend.
By Nick Allen in Los Angeles
20 Oct 2009
Robert Thomas, who claims to have been a confidante and researcher for Mr Heene, has been interviewed by police.
Mr Thomas's lawyer, Linda Lee, claimed: "Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012. Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding."
It was the latest disclosure about Mr Heene's bizarre world view, which also allegedly includes a belief in aliens and UFOs.
The suggestion that the world will come to an end in 2012 is based on an interpretation of the ancient Mayan calendar.
It is also the subject of a soon to be released Hollywood blockbuster called "2012".
However, scientists and Mayans themselves have debunked the theory. ...
Great. Not only is it a prick and a liar, it's also a bleeding ignorant looney.
A hoaxer who's bought into a hoax = Priceless.
I'm sorry, but, uh, how in fuck will a bunker protect you from an exploding Sun?
Mayhap he's got one of those ahem Looney Tunes cartoon images stuck in his head: Bugs Bunny & co hanging onto what remains of the Moon after the vast explosion caused by Marvin the Martian.
Idiot.
Richard Heene, the man suspected of the alleged "balloon boy" hoax, was driven by a conviction that the world will come to a cataclysmic end in 2012, according to a friend.
By Nick Allen in Los Angeles
20 Oct 2009
Robert Thomas, who claims to have been a confidante and researcher for Mr Heene, has been interviewed by police.
Mr Thomas's lawyer, Linda Lee, claimed: "Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012. Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding."
It was the latest disclosure about Mr Heene's bizarre world view, which also allegedly includes a belief in aliens and UFOs.
The suggestion that the world will come to an end in 2012 is based on an interpretation of the ancient Mayan calendar.
It is also the subject of a soon to be released Hollywood blockbuster called "2012".
However, scientists and Mayans themselves have debunked the theory. ...
Great. Not only is it a prick and a liar, it's also a bleeding ignorant looney.
A hoaxer who's bought into a hoax = Priceless.
I'm sorry, but, uh, how in fuck will a bunker protect you from an exploding Sun?
Mayhap he's got one of those ahem Looney Tunes cartoon images stuck in his head: Bugs Bunny & co hanging onto what remains of the Moon after the vast explosion caused by Marvin the Martian.
Idiot.
Lizards and tortoises hampering California's solar energy efforts
Attempts to build solar energy plants in California are being threatened by efforts to protect rare species including desert tortoises, flat-tailed horned lizards and bighorn sheep.
By Nick Allen in Los Angeles
Published: 9:41PM BST 20 Oct 2009
Um, maybe if you try building them in empty lots in cities instead of in wilderness.....???
Just a thought................
Attempts to build solar energy plants in California are being threatened by efforts to protect rare species including desert tortoises, flat-tailed horned lizards and bighorn sheep.
By Nick Allen in Los Angeles
Published: 9:41PM BST 20 Oct 2009
Um, maybe if you try building them in empty lots in cities instead of in wilderness.....???
Just a thought................
The nuclear industry funds the special armed police force which guards its installations across the UK, and secret documents, seen by the Guardian, show the 750-strong force is authorised to carry out covert intelligence operations against anti-nuclear protesters, one of its main targets.
The nuclear industry will pay £57m this year to finance the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). The funding comes from the companies which run 17 nuclear plants, including Dounreay in Caithness, Sellafield in Cumbria and Dungeness in Kent.
Around a third is paid by the private consortium managing Sellafield, which is largely owned by American and French firms. Nearly a fifth of the funding is provided by British Energy, the privatised company owned by French firm EDF.
Private correspondence shows that in June, the EDF's head of security complained that the force had overspent its budget "without timely and satisfactory explanations to us". The industry acknowledges it is in regular contact with the CNC and the security services.
Most of the nuclear force's officers are armed with high-powered guns and Tasers. The CNC has spent £1.4m on weapons and ammunition in the past three years.
They patrol outside nuclear plants, with their jurisdiction stretching to three miles beyond the perimeter of the installations. They have the same powers as any other British police officer and can, for instance, arrest and stop and search people.
The body that regulates the CNC is also funded by the nuclear industry. Four of the eight members of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority are nominated by the nuclear industry as its representatives. Those four are employed in the industry. The others – mainly former police officers – are deemed to be independent. ...
The nuclear industry will pay £57m this year to finance the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). The funding comes from the companies which run 17 nuclear plants, including Dounreay in Caithness, Sellafield in Cumbria and Dungeness in Kent.
Around a third is paid by the private consortium managing Sellafield, which is largely owned by American and French firms. Nearly a fifth of the funding is provided by British Energy, the privatised company owned by French firm EDF.
Private correspondence shows that in June, the EDF's head of security complained that the force had overspent its budget "without timely and satisfactory explanations to us". The industry acknowledges it is in regular contact with the CNC and the security services.
Most of the nuclear force's officers are armed with high-powered guns and Tasers. The CNC has spent £1.4m on weapons and ammunition in the past three years.
They patrol outside nuclear plants, with their jurisdiction stretching to three miles beyond the perimeter of the installations. They have the same powers as any other British police officer and can, for instance, arrest and stop and search people.
The body that regulates the CNC is also funded by the nuclear industry. Four of the eight members of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority are nominated by the nuclear industry as its representatives. Those four are employed in the industry. The others – mainly former police officers – are deemed to be independent. ...
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Two newlyweds are fighting for the dismissal of the justice of the peace who refused them a marriage license because they are of different races. ...
Um, what century is this again?
Um, what century is this again?
Civil liberty campaigners claimed a victory today after the government announced it is dropping current proposals to retain the DNA profiles of innocent people on the national database.
The Home Office has announced that its plan to keep the DNA profiles of those arrested – but never convicted of a crime – for between six and 12 years depending on the seriousness of the offence has been dropped from the policing and crime bill that is going through parliament.
A European court ruling in December found it was unlawful to keep the DNA details of 850,000 innocent people indefinitely on the national database.
The authors of the research on which Home Office ministers based their plan had disowned the proposals. The Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science said its work should not have been used to decide the six- to 12-year time limits because the work was unfinished.
A Home Office spokesman said they hoped to bring forward "further provisions" on DNA retention in the next policing and crime bill earmarked for the next session of parliament, which opens on 18 November. "We have now completed a public consultation on proposals to ensure the right people are on the database as well as considering when people should come off. Those proposals were grounded in the research and allowed us to respond to the judgment of the European court of human rights both swiftly and effectively. ..."
The Home Office has announced that its plan to keep the DNA profiles of those arrested – but never convicted of a crime – for between six and 12 years depending on the seriousness of the offence has been dropped from the policing and crime bill that is going through parliament.
A European court ruling in December found it was unlawful to keep the DNA details of 850,000 innocent people indefinitely on the national database.
The authors of the research on which Home Office ministers based their plan had disowned the proposals. The Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science said its work should not have been used to decide the six- to 12-year time limits because the work was unfinished.
A Home Office spokesman said they hoped to bring forward "further provisions" on DNA retention in the next policing and crime bill earmarked for the next session of parliament, which opens on 18 November. "We have now completed a public consultation on proposals to ensure the right people are on the database as well as considering when people should come off. Those proposals were grounded in the research and allowed us to respond to the judgment of the European court of human rights both swiftly and effectively. ..."
oth Silvio Berlusconi and his predecessor Romano Prodi have issued denials following the report in the Times yesterday that 10 French servicemen died in Afghanistan last year because their superiors did not realise the Italians who preceded them had been bribing the Taliban not to attack.
As The First Post reported yesterday, the French underestimated the Taliban threat as a result and suffered a brutal attack on one of their convoys. Insurgents later paraded trophies taken from the dead solders, to the disgust of the French.
A statement from the Italian prime minister's office said the Berlusconi government had never authorised or allowed payments to insurgents, and nor was it aware of "any such initiatives set in motion by the previous government".
Prodi himself told the Times: "This is the first time I have ever heard such accusations and I can say that there is no base for them. I know absolutely nothing of this."
Ignazio La Russa, the Italian defence minister, dismissed the claim as "rubbish" and said he was taking steps to sue the Times.
However, the Times today quotes a Taliban commander, Mohammed Ishmayel, confirming that Italian forces paid protection money. Ishmayel said a deal was struck last year so that Italian forces in the Sarobi valley, east of Kabul, would not be attacked.
Ishmayel told the Times that it was agreed that "neither side should attack one another. That is why we were informed at that time, that we should not attack the Nato troops".
However, he said, the Taliban were not informed when the Italian forces left the area to be replaced by the French and so they assumed the deal had been broken. ...
As The First Post reported yesterday, the French underestimated the Taliban threat as a result and suffered a brutal attack on one of their convoys. Insurgents later paraded trophies taken from the dead solders, to the disgust of the French.
A statement from the Italian prime minister's office said the Berlusconi government had never authorised or allowed payments to insurgents, and nor was it aware of "any such initiatives set in motion by the previous government".
Prodi himself told the Times: "This is the first time I have ever heard such accusations and I can say that there is no base for them. I know absolutely nothing of this."
Ignazio La Russa, the Italian defence minister, dismissed the claim as "rubbish" and said he was taking steps to sue the Times.
However, the Times today quotes a Taliban commander, Mohammed Ishmayel, confirming that Italian forces paid protection money. Ishmayel said a deal was struck last year so that Italian forces in the Sarobi valley, east of Kabul, would not be attacked.
Ishmayel told the Times that it was agreed that "neither side should attack one another. That is why we were informed at that time, that we should not attack the Nato troops".
However, he said, the Taliban were not informed when the Italian forces left the area to be replaced by the French and so they assumed the deal had been broken. ...
If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one to hear it, can Carter-Ruck ban all mention of the sound?
Charlie Brooker
Monday 19 October 2009
... That's effectively what the Guardian did last week, except that there was no beloved actor, but rather a whopping great multinational company accused of dumping toxic waste off the Ivory Coast, following which a lot of people got rather sick and more than a little upset. In an apparent bid to save face, the company instructed its lawyers (Carter-Ruck) to sail up and down the media coastline, knowingly dumping toxic injunctions. Eventually they went completely berserk and issued a super-injunction preventing the Guardian from reporting a parliamentary question about one of their previous super-injunctions. This was too much for common sense or modern technology to bear. Private Eye printed the question, the Twittersphere went bonkers; soon everyone knew about it, and Trafigura's name was toxic mud. In terms of corporate PR, it was about as effective as appearing on the GMTV sofa to carve your brand name on to the face of a live baby. Anyway, the Trafigura debacle is one of the very few occasions where the cloaking device of the super-injunction has actually malfunctioned, leaving the hovering mothership visible, which raises a worrying question: what else don't we know about? Literally anything could be going on. Like the mysterious "dark matter" that scientists believe makes up a huge percentage of the universe, an entire alternative reality could be thriving just over our shoulders. Dean Gaffney might be made of staples. Hitler could be alive and well and currently in negotiations to present the Radio 1 breakfast show. Kellogg's could be raising an army of the damned and declaring war on Norwich. How many other "invisible" stories are out there, shrouded by thick legal mist?
God knows. But he's not allowed to tell you. ...
Charlie Brooker
Monday 19 October 2009
... That's effectively what the Guardian did last week, except that there was no beloved actor, but rather a whopping great multinational company accused of dumping toxic waste off the Ivory Coast, following which a lot of people got rather sick and more than a little upset. In an apparent bid to save face, the company instructed its lawyers (Carter-Ruck) to sail up and down the media coastline, knowingly dumping toxic injunctions. Eventually they went completely berserk and issued a super-injunction preventing the Guardian from reporting a parliamentary question about one of their previous super-injunctions. This was too much for common sense or modern technology to bear. Private Eye printed the question, the Twittersphere went bonkers; soon everyone knew about it, and Trafigura's name was toxic mud. In terms of corporate PR, it was about as effective as appearing on the GMTV sofa to carve your brand name on to the face of a live baby. Anyway, the Trafigura debacle is one of the very few occasions where the cloaking device of the super-injunction has actually malfunctioned, leaving the hovering mothership visible, which raises a worrying question: what else don't we know about? Literally anything could be going on. Like the mysterious "dark matter" that scientists believe makes up a huge percentage of the universe, an entire alternative reality could be thriving just over our shoulders. Dean Gaffney might be made of staples. Hitler could be alive and well and currently in negotiations to present the Radio 1 breakfast show. Kellogg's could be raising an army of the damned and declaring war on Norwich. How many other "invisible" stories are out there, shrouded by thick legal mist?
God knows. But he's not allowed to tell you. ...
From the outside, there is nothing unusual about the warehouse by the offices on Finland's Olkiluoto island, site of what should have been the world's first modern nuclear reactor. But inside, stacked on five kilometres of shelving, are 160,000 documents. "If a valve for the reactor is changed, it comes in a small box and a van full of documents," complains Jouni Silvennoinen, project director for Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), the Finnish utility that ordered the plant from the Franco-German consortium Areva-Siemens.
The paper mountain helps explain why the reactor, which should have cost €3bn (£2.72bn) and been working this year, will now miss its revised completion date of mid-2012 and will cost at least €5.3bn. In the latest delay, Finland's nuclear safety regulator halted welding on the reactor last week and criticised poor oversight by the sub-contractor, supplier and TVO.
Areva claims TVO does not trust it to modify the fiendishly complex design as it sees fit, demanding documentation and approval from regulators for every change, however small. TVO says Areva is treating the new reactor as an R&D project in which the Finns are guinea pigs. TVO and Areva are now locked in arbitration over the cost overrun and damages. If TVO loses, Finnish consumers will pick up the tab.
Worryingly for the UK, Areva intends to build at least four of these reactors in Britain. The government wants to replace those being decommissioned as well as provide a secure and low-carbon supply of electricity.
The project was supposed to be a model for how modern reactors would be built. The industry's history of massive cost overruns, government bailouts and subsidies have provided ammunition to campaigners who claim the economics of nuclear power do not add up. The construction of the new generation of reactors would be different: this time, nuclear power would pay for itself.
Yet already cracks are appearing in these claims, especially in the UK. Nuclear plants are far more expensive to build than coal or gas but have lower fuel costs. The economics of all three vary according to the prices of the fuel and increasingly, of carbon. When coal prices are high, gas plants become more cost effective, and vice versa. When both fuels are costly – which also drives up the wholesale price of electricity – nuclear can undercut coal and gas.
Gambling on unpredictable energy markets is risky. To make the huge upfront investment needed for a nuclear plant – upwards of €4bn compared with just €600m to build a slightly smaller gas plant – the stakes go higher still. The UK energy market is particularly unsuited to nuclear investors. Unlike less liberalised markets such as Finland's, UK energy producers are more reluctant to sign long-term supply contracts to support investment in a new reactor. And because of full competition in the UK energy market, if EDF Energy makes a loss on building reactors, it is much harder to pass its costs on to its consumers, unlike its parent company in France, which dominates supply there.
Since the government began reconsidering its position on nuclear four years ago, the economics have become more unfavourable. The cost of building a reactor has soared, partly as a result of the Finland debacle but also because of higher steel and other construction costs. ...
The paper mountain helps explain why the reactor, which should have cost €3bn (£2.72bn) and been working this year, will now miss its revised completion date of mid-2012 and will cost at least €5.3bn. In the latest delay, Finland's nuclear safety regulator halted welding on the reactor last week and criticised poor oversight by the sub-contractor, supplier and TVO.
Areva claims TVO does not trust it to modify the fiendishly complex design as it sees fit, demanding documentation and approval from regulators for every change, however small. TVO says Areva is treating the new reactor as an R&D project in which the Finns are guinea pigs. TVO and Areva are now locked in arbitration over the cost overrun and damages. If TVO loses, Finnish consumers will pick up the tab.
Worryingly for the UK, Areva intends to build at least four of these reactors in Britain. The government wants to replace those being decommissioned as well as provide a secure and low-carbon supply of electricity.
The project was supposed to be a model for how modern reactors would be built. The industry's history of massive cost overruns, government bailouts and subsidies have provided ammunition to campaigners who claim the economics of nuclear power do not add up. The construction of the new generation of reactors would be different: this time, nuclear power would pay for itself.
Yet already cracks are appearing in these claims, especially in the UK. Nuclear plants are far more expensive to build than coal or gas but have lower fuel costs. The economics of all three vary according to the prices of the fuel and increasingly, of carbon. When coal prices are high, gas plants become more cost effective, and vice versa. When both fuels are costly – which also drives up the wholesale price of electricity – nuclear can undercut coal and gas.
Gambling on unpredictable energy markets is risky. To make the huge upfront investment needed for a nuclear plant – upwards of €4bn compared with just €600m to build a slightly smaller gas plant – the stakes go higher still. The UK energy market is particularly unsuited to nuclear investors. Unlike less liberalised markets such as Finland's, UK energy producers are more reluctant to sign long-term supply contracts to support investment in a new reactor. And because of full competition in the UK energy market, if EDF Energy makes a loss on building reactors, it is much harder to pass its costs on to its consumers, unlike its parent company in France, which dominates supply there.
Since the government began reconsidering its position on nuclear four years ago, the economics have become more unfavourable. The cost of building a reactor has soared, partly as a result of the Finland debacle but also because of higher steel and other construction costs. ...
Government officials have drawn up secret plans to tax electricity consumers to subsidise the construction of the UK's first new nuclear reactors for more than 20 years, the Guardian has learned.
The planned levy on household bills would add £44 to an annual electricity bill of £500 and contradicts repeated promises by ministers that the nuclear industry would no longer benefit from public subsidies. There is mounting pressure on the power industry to show it can keep the lights on, with fears growing of an energy gap as ageing nuclear stations are retired and plans for new coal plants attract hostile protests.
Ministers have become concerned that power companies such as E.ON and EDF Energy are reluctant to commit themselves to building nuclear stations because energy prices have fallen and they fear they will not be able to recoup the multi-billion pound cost of building new nuclear stations.
The government believes that only by artificially increasing the cost of electricity generated by coal and gas stations through an additional carbon levy on household bills can nuclear become more competitive and encourage new reactors to be built. ...
I'm gonna go vomit.
The planned levy on household bills would add £44 to an annual electricity bill of £500 and contradicts repeated promises by ministers that the nuclear industry would no longer benefit from public subsidies. There is mounting pressure on the power industry to show it can keep the lights on, with fears growing of an energy gap as ageing nuclear stations are retired and plans for new coal plants attract hostile protests.
Ministers have become concerned that power companies such as E.ON and EDF Energy are reluctant to commit themselves to building nuclear stations because energy prices have fallen and they fear they will not be able to recoup the multi-billion pound cost of building new nuclear stations.
The government believes that only by artificially increasing the cost of electricity generated by coal and gas stations through an additional carbon levy on household bills can nuclear become more competitive and encourage new reactors to be built. ...
I'm gonna go vomit.
THE state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland is planning to hand out record bonuses of up to £5m each in a snub to struggling taxpayers.
The move would see the average employee in its high-risk investment banking arm take home £240,000, with the top 20 staff in line for payments of between £1m and £5m.
The payouts by the investment banking division — from a total pay and bonus pot of £4 billion — would top the deals awarded at the peak of the financial boom in 2007 and are 66% higher than those paid last year.
RBS, then headed by Sir Fred Goodwin, had to be rescued from collapse by the Treasury last October with an initial injection of £20 billion. The taxpayer now has a 70% stake in the bank. ...
The move would see the average employee in its high-risk investment banking arm take home £240,000, with the top 20 staff in line for payments of between £1m and £5m.
The payouts by the investment banking division — from a total pay and bonus pot of £4 billion — would top the deals awarded at the peak of the financial boom in 2007 and are 66% higher than those paid last year.
RBS, then headed by Sir Fred Goodwin, had to be rescued from collapse by the Treasury last October with an initial injection of £20 billion. The taxpayer now has a 70% stake in the bank. ...
Twelve dead and helicopter downed as Rio de Janeiro drug gangs go to war | World news | The Observer
Twelve dead and helicopter downed as Rio de Janeiro gangs go to war
Host city of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics shaken by violence as warlords battle for control of the cocaine trade ...
Yankistani rethuglicunts still jubilant at Obama's 'failure' to secure Olympics for Chicago; film at eleven
Host city of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics shaken by violence as warlords battle for control of the cocaine trade ...
Yankistani rethuglicunts still jubilant at Obama's 'failure' to secure Olympics for Chicago; film at eleven
Government anti-terrorism strategy 'spies' on innocent
Data on politics, sexual activity and religion gathered by government
* Vikram Dodd
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 16 October 2009 20.15 BST
The government programme aimed at preventing Muslims from being lured into violent extremism is being used to gather intelligence about innocent people who are not suspected of involvement in terrorism, the Guardian has learned.
The information the authorities are trying to find out includes political and religious views, information on mental health, sexual activity and associates, and other sensitive information, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Other documents reveal that the intelligence and information can be stored until the people concerned reach the age of 100.
Tonight Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, branded it the biggest spying programme in Britain in modern times and an affront to civil liberties. ...
Data on politics, sexual activity and religion gathered by government
* Vikram Dodd
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 16 October 2009 20.15 BST
The government programme aimed at preventing Muslims from being lured into violent extremism is being used to gather intelligence about innocent people who are not suspected of involvement in terrorism, the Guardian has learned.
The information the authorities are trying to find out includes political and religious views, information on mental health, sexual activity and associates, and other sensitive information, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Other documents reveal that the intelligence and information can be stored until the people concerned reach the age of 100.
Tonight Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, branded it the biggest spying programme in Britain in modern times and an affront to civil liberties. ...
Minton report: Carter-Ruck give up bid to keep Trafigura study secret
• Guardian 'released from restrictions forthwith'
• Report called firm's oil waste 'potentially toxic'
• Read the Trafigura study: the Minton report (pdf)
* David Leigh
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 16 October 2009 22.19 BST
Lawyers for oil traders Trafigura finally abandoned attempts to keep secret a scientific report about toxic waste dumping in west Africa, that was shown to the Guardian.
Just after 7.30pm Carter-Ruck, libel lawyers for Trafigura, wrote a letter to the Guardian which said the newspaper should regard itself as "released forthwith" from any reporting restrictions. An MP revealed the report's existence to parliament this week, after the Guardian was hit with a "super-injunction" banning all mention of it and other UK media were then subsequently notified of, and therefore bound by it.
The Minton report, commissioned in 2006 from the London-based firm's scientific consultants, said that based on the "limited" information they had been given Trafigura's oil waste, dumped cheaply the month before in a city in Ivory Coast, was potentially toxic, and "capable of causing severe human health effects".
The study said early reports of large scale medical problems among the inhabitants of Abidjan, were consistent with a release of a cloud of potentially lethal hydrogen sulphide gas over the city. The effects could have included severe burns to the skin and lungs, eye damage, permanent ulceration, coma and death.
The author of this initial draft study, John Minton, of consultants Minton, Treharne & Davies, said dumping the waste would have been illegal in Europe and the proper method of disposal should have been a specialist chemical treatment called wet air oxidation. ...
• Guardian 'released from restrictions forthwith'
• Report called firm's oil waste 'potentially toxic'
• Read the Trafigura study: the Minton report (pdf)
* David Leigh
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 16 October 2009 22.19 BST
Lawyers for oil traders Trafigura finally abandoned attempts to keep secret a scientific report about toxic waste dumping in west Africa, that was shown to the Guardian.
Just after 7.30pm Carter-Ruck, libel lawyers for Trafigura, wrote a letter to the Guardian which said the newspaper should regard itself as "released forthwith" from any reporting restrictions. An MP revealed the report's existence to parliament this week, after the Guardian was hit with a "super-injunction" banning all mention of it and other UK media were then subsequently notified of, and therefore bound by it.
The Minton report, commissioned in 2006 from the London-based firm's scientific consultants, said that based on the "limited" information they had been given Trafigura's oil waste, dumped cheaply the month before in a city in Ivory Coast, was potentially toxic, and "capable of causing severe human health effects".
The study said early reports of large scale medical problems among the inhabitants of Abidjan, were consistent with a release of a cloud of potentially lethal hydrogen sulphide gas over the city. The effects could have included severe burns to the skin and lungs, eye damage, permanent ulceration, coma and death.
The author of this initial draft study, John Minton, of consultants Minton, Treharne & Davies, said dumping the waste would have been illegal in Europe and the proper method of disposal should have been a specialist chemical treatment called wet air oxidation. ...
The law firm Carter-Ruck has made a fresh move that could stop an MPs' debate next week by claiming a controversial injunction it has obtained is "sub judice".
The move follows the revelation of the existence of a secret "super-injunction" obtained by the firm on behalf of the London-based oil traders Trafigura.
The injunction not only bans disclosure of a confidential report on Trafigura and toxic waste, but also banned disclosure of the injunction's very existence, until it was revealed by an MP this week under parliamentary privilege.
Carter-Ruck partner Adam Tudor today sent a letter to the Speaker, John Bercow, and also circulated it to every single MP and peer, saying they believed the case was "sub judice".
If correct, it would mean that, under Westminster rules to prevent clashes between parliament and the courts, a debate planned for next Wednesday could not go ahead.
Earlier this week, the Labour MP Paul Farrelly said Carter-Ruck might be in contempt of parliament for seeking to stop the Guardian reporting questions he had put down on the order paper revealing the existence of the "super-injunction".
The Conservative MP Peter Bottomley went on to tell Gordon Brown at prime minister's questions that he would report Carter-Ruck to the Law Society for obtaining an injunction that purported to ban parliamentary reporting. ...
The move follows the revelation of the existence of a secret "super-injunction" obtained by the firm on behalf of the London-based oil traders Trafigura.
The injunction not only bans disclosure of a confidential report on Trafigura and toxic waste, but also banned disclosure of the injunction's very existence, until it was revealed by an MP this week under parliamentary privilege.
Carter-Ruck partner Adam Tudor today sent a letter to the Speaker, John Bercow, and also circulated it to every single MP and peer, saying they believed the case was "sub judice".
If correct, it would mean that, under Westminster rules to prevent clashes between parliament and the courts, a debate planned for next Wednesday could not go ahead.
Earlier this week, the Labour MP Paul Farrelly said Carter-Ruck might be in contempt of parliament for seeking to stop the Guardian reporting questions he had put down on the order paper revealing the existence of the "super-injunction".
The Conservative MP Peter Bottomley went on to tell Gordon Brown at prime minister's questions that he would report Carter-Ruck to the Law Society for obtaining an injunction that purported to ban parliamentary reporting. ...
The Mormon leadership demonstrates their clarity of vision
Category: Politics • Religion
Posted on: October 13, 2009 9:56 PM, by PZ Myers
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Mormon Church has made some interesting remarks.
In an interview Monday before the speech, Oaks said he did not consider it provocative to compare the treatment of Mormons in the election's aftermath to that of blacks in the civil rights era, and said he stands by the analogy.
"It may be offensive to some -- maybe because it hadn't occurred to them that they were putting themselves in the same category as people we deplore from that bygone era," he said.
Did you get that? He thinks the Mormons, who are trying to deny a civil right to another minority and reserve it to themselves, are exactly like a minority that were denied a civil right and had to fight to get their equality recognized.
I'm not offended. I've just determined that the elders of the Mormon Church are a collection of antiquated, dumb old bigots. ...
Category: Politics • Religion
Posted on: October 13, 2009 9:56 PM, by PZ Myers
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Mormon Church has made some interesting remarks.
In an interview Monday before the speech, Oaks said he did not consider it provocative to compare the treatment of Mormons in the election's aftermath to that of blacks in the civil rights era, and said he stands by the analogy.
"It may be offensive to some -- maybe because it hadn't occurred to them that they were putting themselves in the same category as people we deplore from that bygone era," he said.
Did you get that? He thinks the Mormons, who are trying to deny a civil right to another minority and reserve it to themselves, are exactly like a minority that were denied a civil right and had to fight to get their equality recognized.
I'm not offended. I've just determined that the elders of the Mormon Church are a collection of antiquated, dumb old bigots. ...
News Flash!
Fat Evil Racist Fuck Tries Buying nfl Team - Players Shockingly Protest
Film @ Eleven
Fat Evil Racist Fuck Tries Buying nfl Team - Players Shockingly Protest
Film @ Eleven
MPs from all parties protested at Westminster this afternoon at attempts by lawyers acting for the oil trader Trafigura to stop reports of parliamentary proceedings.
The Labour MP Paul Farrelly told the speaker, John Bercow, attempts by lawyers Carter-Ruck to gag the media could be a "potential contempt of parliament".
The Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris said there was a need to "control the habit of law firms" of obtaining secrecy injunctions, and his colleague David Heath told the Commons a "fundamental principle" was being threatened: that MPs should be able to speak freely and have their words reported freely.
On the Conservative side, David Davies criticised the rising use of "super-injunctions", in which the fact of the injunction is itself kept secret. He said courts should not be allowed to grant injunctions forbidding the reporting of parliament. ...
... Farrelly, who tabled a parliamentary question yesterday that the Guardian had been forbidden from reporting, told the Commons: "I want to raise a point of order regarding a chain of events which may be of concern to the House.
"Today, the Guardian reported that it had been prevented from reporting a written question tabled by a member of parliament. This morning, I telephoned the Guardian to ask whether the MP was myself.
"The question was printed on the order paper yesterday and relates to the activities of Trafigura, an international oil trader at the centre of a controversy regarding toxic waste-dumping in the Ivory Coast, and to the role of its solicitors, Carter-Ruck.
"Yesterday, I understand, Carter-Ruck, quite astonishingly, warned of legal action if the Guardian reported my question. In view of the seriousness of this, will you accept representations from me over this matter and consider whether Carter-Ruck's behaviour constitutes a potential contempt of parliament?"
Earlier, Trafigura's law firm had refused to alter an existing blanket court order banning the Guardian from mentioning Trafigura's recourse to the courts. This refusal was despite the publication on parliament's official website of Farrelly's questions revealing the facts.
The result of Carter-Ruck's intransigence was an avalanche of online publication, as well as...in the magazine Private Eye...Bloggers who posted Farrelly's questions in full included the political website Guido Fawkes and the Spectator magazine website.
Large numbers of messages were posted on Twitter, to the extent that "Trafigura" and "Carter-Ruck" became the most viewed keywords in London throughout the morning.
Shortly before the case was due to come to court, Carter-Ruck announced that its clients would no longer oppose reporting of what was said in parliament about them. ...
Real genius, but the last five paras posted here are by far the funniest.
The Labour MP Paul Farrelly told the speaker, John Bercow, attempts by lawyers Carter-Ruck to gag the media could be a "potential contempt of parliament".
The Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris said there was a need to "control the habit of law firms" of obtaining secrecy injunctions, and his colleague David Heath told the Commons a "fundamental principle" was being threatened: that MPs should be able to speak freely and have their words reported freely.
On the Conservative side, David Davies criticised the rising use of "super-injunctions", in which the fact of the injunction is itself kept secret. He said courts should not be allowed to grant injunctions forbidding the reporting of parliament. ...
... Farrelly, who tabled a parliamentary question yesterday that the Guardian had been forbidden from reporting, told the Commons: "I want to raise a point of order regarding a chain of events which may be of concern to the House.
"Today, the Guardian reported that it had been prevented from reporting a written question tabled by a member of parliament. This morning, I telephoned the Guardian to ask whether the MP was myself.
"The question was printed on the order paper yesterday and relates to the activities of Trafigura, an international oil trader at the centre of a controversy regarding toxic waste-dumping in the Ivory Coast, and to the role of its solicitors, Carter-Ruck.
"Yesterday, I understand, Carter-Ruck, quite astonishingly, warned of legal action if the Guardian reported my question. In view of the seriousness of this, will you accept representations from me over this matter and consider whether Carter-Ruck's behaviour constitutes a potential contempt of parliament?"
Earlier, Trafigura's law firm had refused to alter an existing blanket court order banning the Guardian from mentioning Trafigura's recourse to the courts. This refusal was despite the publication on parliament's official website of Farrelly's questions revealing the facts.
The result of Carter-Ruck's intransigence was an avalanche of online publication, as well as...in the magazine Private Eye...Bloggers who posted Farrelly's questions in full included the political website Guido Fawkes and the Spectator magazine website.
Large numbers of messages were posted on Twitter, to the extent that "Trafigura" and "Carter-Ruck" became the most viewed keywords in London throughout the morning.
Shortly before the case was due to come to court, Carter-Ruck announced that its clients would no longer oppose reporting of what was said in parliament about them. ...
Real genius, but the last five paras posted here are by far the funniest.
Cern physicist admits links with al-Qaida
Frenchman of Algerian origin corresponded online with a contact in north Africa's al-Qaida branch ...
Frenchman of Algerian origin corresponded online with a contact in north Africa's al-Qaida branch ...
£1 in every £3 of council tax in England and Wales spent on rubbish
Figures obtained by Guardian show councils in England and Wales spent £4.5bn dealing with refuse ...
Figures obtained by Guardian show councils in England and Wales spent £4.5bn dealing with refuse ...
Former Wall Street financiers face criminal action
Former Bear Stearns hedge fund manager Matthew Tannin's private jottings show concerns about 'blow up risk' to investors
Andrew Clark in New York
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 October 2009
They are scribblings that may come back to haunt Matthew Tannin. The former high-flying Bear Stearns hedge fund manager – who goes on trial for fraud in a New York court this week – had a habit of recording his inner-most thoughts in emails sent to himself on a private Google Mail account.
"I am going to use this to keep my diary," he wrote. "I didn't want to use my work email any more."
In words never intended for public consumption, Tannin wrote of his worries about becoming dependant on an antidepressant, Wellbutrin, and a stress medication, Lorazapan, to cope with concern about the performance of his fund. He expressed satisfaction at earning close to $2m (£1.3m) in a year but alluded to a "religious crisis" and complained about "schlepping the kids around from place to place" during a holiday in London.
As his confidence in his money-making panache began to falter, Tannin pinpointed a meeting in 2006 when he realised that his Bear Stearns fund faced potential trouble: "I had a wave of fear set over me – that the Fund couldn't be run in the way that I was 'hoping'. And that it was going to subject investors to 'blow up risk'."
Tannin and his boss, Ralph Cioffi, ran two funds holding $1.4bn of clients' funds that collapsed in July 2007, an event widely viewed as the first clear signal of America's sub-prime mortgage crisis and the global credit crunch. The meltdown of these funds sparked a chain of events that contributed to the demise of Bear Stearns, an 85-year-old Wall Street institution, in early 2008. They have been charged by US prosecutors with defrauding customers by hiding the true condition of investments as prospects steadily darkened.
The first high-rolling financiers to face criminal action arising from the financial crisis, Cioffi and Tannin have become unwitting poster boys for perceived arrogance, recklessness and irresponsibility on Wall Street. Frustrated at not seeing higher-ranking bank bosses clapped in irons, the public and the US media are watching keenly. ...
Former Bear Stearns hedge fund manager Matthew Tannin's private jottings show concerns about 'blow up risk' to investors
Andrew Clark in New York
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 October 2009
They are scribblings that may come back to haunt Matthew Tannin. The former high-flying Bear Stearns hedge fund manager – who goes on trial for fraud in a New York court this week – had a habit of recording his inner-most thoughts in emails sent to himself on a private Google Mail account.
"I am going to use this to keep my diary," he wrote. "I didn't want to use my work email any more."
In words never intended for public consumption, Tannin wrote of his worries about becoming dependant on an antidepressant, Wellbutrin, and a stress medication, Lorazapan, to cope with concern about the performance of his fund. He expressed satisfaction at earning close to $2m (£1.3m) in a year but alluded to a "religious crisis" and complained about "schlepping the kids around from place to place" during a holiday in London.
As his confidence in his money-making panache began to falter, Tannin pinpointed a meeting in 2006 when he realised that his Bear Stearns fund faced potential trouble: "I had a wave of fear set over me – that the Fund couldn't be run in the way that I was 'hoping'. And that it was going to subject investors to 'blow up risk'."
Tannin and his boss, Ralph Cioffi, ran two funds holding $1.4bn of clients' funds that collapsed in July 2007, an event widely viewed as the first clear signal of America's sub-prime mortgage crisis and the global credit crunch. The meltdown of these funds sparked a chain of events that contributed to the demise of Bear Stearns, an 85-year-old Wall Street institution, in early 2008. They have been charged by US prosecutors with defrauding customers by hiding the true condition of investments as prospects steadily darkened.
The first high-rolling financiers to face criminal action arising from the financial crisis, Cioffi and Tannin have become unwitting poster boys for perceived arrogance, recklessness and irresponsibility on Wall Street. Frustrated at not seeing higher-ranking bank bosses clapped in irons, the public and the US media are watching keenly. ...
Militants are holding up to 15 soldiers hostage inside Pakistan’s army headquarters today after they and others attacked the complex earlier in the day, killing at least six soldiers.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas says no army or intelligence leaders are among those being held.
The militants, armed with assault rifles and grenades and wearing military uniforms, stormed the heavily guarded compound in the city of Rawalpindi.
They arrived in full camouflage kit in a white van and opened fire on checkpoint guards.
The attack led to intense gun battles with troops, in which at least one grenade was thrown.
Pakistan authorities have confirmed at least six soldiers were killed and five more injured, one critically.
Four of the gunmen were also killed after the 45-minute gun fight, but it is believed two have managed to escape.
The attack, which happened shortly before midday local time, is the third large-scale militant attack in the country in the last week.
Eye witness Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver, said: “There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast.
"Soldiers were running here and there. The firing continued for about a half hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again.”
The Pakistan government has said it is planning an imminent offensive to flush out militants from mountain strongholds at the Afghanistan border. ...
Looks like you guys need to "flush out militants" in Rawalpindi, too. You may also want to step up your security's security: you're lookin' mighty feeble to the rest of the world, darlings.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas says no army or intelligence leaders are among those being held.
The militants, armed with assault rifles and grenades and wearing military uniforms, stormed the heavily guarded compound in the city of Rawalpindi.
They arrived in full camouflage kit in a white van and opened fire on checkpoint guards.
The attack led to intense gun battles with troops, in which at least one grenade was thrown.
Pakistan authorities have confirmed at least six soldiers were killed and five more injured, one critically.
Four of the gunmen were also killed after the 45-minute gun fight, but it is believed two have managed to escape.
The attack, which happened shortly before midday local time, is the third large-scale militant attack in the country in the last week.
Eye witness Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver, said: “There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast.
"Soldiers were running here and there. The firing continued for about a half hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again.”
The Pakistan government has said it is planning an imminent offensive to flush out militants from mountain strongholds at the Afghanistan border. ...
Looks like you guys need to "flush out militants" in Rawalpindi, too. You may also want to step up your security's security: you're lookin' mighty feeble to the rest of the world, darlings.
Hmmm. Looks like someone failed maths.
Horresco referens.
Officer Shoots Woman, Pit Bull Playing
Woman, Dog Expected To Survive
POSTED: Thursday, October 8, 2009
UPDATED: 7:00 am CDT October 8, 2009
LA MARQUE, Texas -- A police officer shot a woman and a dog that were playing when she thought the dog was attacking the woman, witnesses told KPRC Local 2.
Witnesses said a La Marque police officer was driving along 5th Avenue near Walnut Street at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, after she helped a person around the corner.
The officer heard people playing and screaming, witnesses said. A 23-year-old woman and her friend were playing with a pit bull.
Witnesses said the officer got out of the car and fired several shots toward the dog.
"The young lady started hollering and just at that time a police officer was coming down and thought the dog was attacking the lady," witness Dennis Wallace said. "I can't say that I would do anything different. [Oh, you woulda shot her in the chest too?!] The lady (the officer) drew down and started shooting. I couldn't say I wouldn't have done that."
The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
The dog was also wounded. The dog's owner took it to a vet and it is expected to recover. ...
Here's the question everyone wants answered:
Um, if she wanted to save the woman, why in hell did she shoot her in the chest?!
Methinks someone needs more handgun training/aiming/shooting classes.
Ta much, dear Anneliese
Woman, Dog Expected To Survive
POSTED: Thursday, October 8, 2009
UPDATED: 7:00 am CDT October 8, 2009
LA MARQUE, Texas -- A police officer shot a woman and a dog that were playing when she thought the dog was attacking the woman, witnesses told KPRC Local 2.
Witnesses said a La Marque police officer was driving along 5th Avenue near Walnut Street at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, after she helped a person around the corner.
The officer heard people playing and screaming, witnesses said. A 23-year-old woman and her friend were playing with a pit bull.
Witnesses said the officer got out of the car and fired several shots toward the dog.
"The young lady started hollering and just at that time a police officer was coming down and thought the dog was attacking the lady," witness Dennis Wallace said. "I can't say that I would do anything different. [Oh, you woulda shot her in the chest too?!] The lady (the officer) drew down and started shooting. I couldn't say I wouldn't have done that."
The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
The dog was also wounded. The dog's owner took it to a vet and it is expected to recover. ...
Here's the question everyone wants answered:
Um, if she wanted to save the woman, why in hell did she shoot her in the chest?!
Methinks someone needs more handgun training/aiming/shooting classes.
Ta much, dear Anneliese