A woman who had an affair with her married dance instructor kept the remains of their love-child hidden away from a disapproving world for half a century, an inquest was told yesterday.
Gladys Mary Briggs, who gave birth out of wedlock in 1957, locked the baby's body in a suitcase and lived with it in her council flat for 50 years.
It was only discovered this year when council staff visited Mrs Briggs's home after ill-health forced her to leave. They found the remains wrapped in cloth, enclosed with a copy of a newspaper of the time.
Mrs Briggs refused to reveal the baby's identity to police and denied having given birth to him. She died three months after the discovery in January. The boy's father, Godfrey Moorhen, now 102 and living in sheltered accommodation, has also refused to discuss the matter.
Mr Moorhen's daughter told an inquest into the boy's death at Reading, Berks, that she had been "absolutely shattered" by the discovery that she had a half-brother.
Patricia Clements said: "My father had an affair with Mary Briggs from 1944 until she died. Really, they were dancing partners.
"We knew that there was a baby. I was 20 when I found out and I am 76 now." She had assumed that the boy had been given up for adoption.
Mrs Clements said she had tried to get her father to admit the dead baby was his but he had so far refused. "He was very worried about the consequences might be."
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/19/2007 14:02 ||
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#1
Funny when a 102 year old fellow is worried about the consequences. Perhaps he's worried about his estate going to the other family or something.
#5
I dunno, I find this very sad in a Faulknerian sorta way.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
12/19/2007 18:05 Comments ||
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#6
Well Gabby, assume he killed it in cold blood. He's 102, do you think he's afraid of a life sentence? Or the Death Sentence? I guess it would be reasonable to fear using up your last years in a courtroom but I have to say the whole judicial system of punishment because somewhat laughable at that age.
The "Hello Kitty" limited edition AK-47 assault rifle. Photo at the link. Not for the faint of heart.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/19/2007 12:22 ||
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#1
Wasn't it suggested that the armed female Iraqi patrol groups be equipped with these? Perhaps also with some sponge bob hand grenades...'Oh, who lives in a pinapple right by your knees? Evil and loud and punished are thee!'
NOTE: This site is a parody for humor purposes only. No actual weapons may be bought on this site. "Hello Kitty" is a trademark of Sanrio, Inc. You're taking the wrong drugs if you think that Sanrio would ever license the use of Hello Kitty for a firearm or weapon of any sort. "Disney Princess" is a trademark of the Walt Disney Company. "CareBear" and "Rainbow Brite" are trademarks of American Greetings Corporation and/or Hallmark. There is no such thing as "Sucking-Chest-Wound Bear." "My Little Pony" and "Easy-Bake Oven" are trademarks of Hasbro. "Dora the Explorer" is owned by Nickelodeon UK. "Martha Stewart Colors" is a trademark of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. GlamGuns.com has no connection with and is not affiliated with Sanrio, Inc, Hasbro, Walt Disney Company, Hallmark, American Greetings Corporation, Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon UK, Nick Jr., Martha Stewart, Omnimedia, Inc, Paris Hilton, Mother Theresa, Lady Diana, or, in fact, much of anyone really, especially Dick Cheney who, at no time, was CEO of our corporation or even on the Board of Directors. No, really. Would we lie to you?
MINNEAPOLIS With her six kids and husband tucked into bed, Yee Moua was watching TV in her living room just after midnight when she heard voices faint at first, then louder. Then came the sound of a window shattering.
Moua bolted upstairs, where her husband, Vang Khang, grabbed his shotgun from a closet, knelt and fired a warning shot through his doorway as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He let loose with two more blasts. Twenty-two bullets were fired back at him, by the family's count.
Then things suddenly became clear.
"It's the police! Police!" his sons yelled.
Khang, a Hmong immigrant with shaky command of English, set down his gun, raised his hands and was soon on the ground, an officer's boot on his neck.
The gunmen, it turned out, were members of a police SWAT team that had raided the wrong address because of bad information from an informant a mistake that some critics say happens all too frequently around the country and gets innocent people killed.
"I have six kids, and only one mistake almost took my kids' life," said Moua, 29. "We will never forget this." The Gestapo SWAT assault tacticts based on "confidential" informants must be OUTLAWED. Police officials who approve this sort of operation should be fired immediately, and the city should be liable for treble damages, including psychological damage, including holding the mayors and councils PERSONALLY liable. These are citizens, not armed terrorists, and such MILIARY techniques must be held to a higher standard of cause before approval.
#1
Were such a raid to be conducted at my house under the wrong circumstances there would be fatalities - I'd likely kill an officer, maybe 2, with my pistol, and they would likely kill me.
The police are just the latest symptom in the Government crushing individual citizens instead of serving them.
#2
The Hmong are hill people from Laos who aided the CIA during the Vietnam War by fighting the Viet Cong. Hmong refugees began arriving in Minnesota in the late 1970s, and there are perhaps 60,000 Hmong in Minnesota today.
The Khang family is living with relatives until the house gets cleaned up. The raid left six windows broken and walls and ceilings pocked with pellet and bullet holes.
"The whole family is badly shaken and still trying to understand what happened," Moua said.
#3
The ethnic Hmong are a tribal minority (think of them as SE Asian Indians) and were dediated US Allies, staunch anti-communists and expert jungle fighters. After being persecuted by the Vietnamese for centuries, they viewed ALL Vietnamese as "the enemy." The Hmong were, and continue to be highly reverred and respected by US Army Special Forces veterans of that day.
#5
I used to live about 10 or so miles from the kind of place you go to be Hmong friends, yuck yuck. Hmongs are indeed clannish, but finer examples of Americans you would be hard pressed to find. Even with all the hand outs Minnesota does their level best to flood minorities with, their Hmongs are still hard working people. No matter how lazy and worthless we try to make them, the just won't submit.
Yeah, they have gangs, but no more than any other minorities in the inner city. And the Hmong gang members seem to do a better job of waking up before they're in prison or dead.
Oh, and I'm with OS, raids based on a confidential informant and confirmed by no other source should be outlawed.
My biggest bitch about the confidential informant in cases like this is that they are insulated from the victims right to face their accuser. The police end up being a proxy and take the informants heat as well as their own.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/19/2007 1:54 Comments ||
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Yeah, I think higher standards would probably solve the problems of unnecessary deaths. Also, they always seem to go in and end up with their boots on the parents necks in front of the kids. That's how terrorists are born. Isn't there a better way?
#7
There needs to be a very public apology, in person, to this family. Along with a hefty check for damages, physical and emotional, that comes right out of the Minneapolis tax coffers.
Along with an ad campaign suggesting bluntly that it's time the local voters clean up their police force's act.
And yeah - if this were our house someone would be dead too. Enough of this swatzi crap.
#9
Same here. I've got a few buddies that are cops. They don't like this anymore than we do. Like many on here I own several firearms for hunting & home def. If this event occurred at my residence it's highly probable that I would be dead & so would one or two policemen.
#10
The war on drugs has failed and only managed to create para-military forces in SWAT. SWAT teams used to be fairly rare and only came in for hostage situations or when storming the building would cause too many police casualties. Now, every police team in the US has SWAT and they are used for pretty much everything. While gangs have always wanted deadlier hardware, I feel this has accelerated the process as they are in an arms war with the police more than each other.
Securing the borders with real fencing and shipping inspections would go a long way in culling a huge majority of the drugs coming into this country. While it wouldn't solve the problem (nothing will IMHO), it would at least crack the back of the cartels and gangs as it would rob them of most of their financial support.
If the cops do insist on doing no-knock raids with "secret" informants, then they need to be held to the same standard and liability as everyone else. They can be charged with crimes and the department can get their pants sued off. I would agree there are rare times that it is necessary, but for 90% of the time it isn't worth the risk.
The war on drugs has robbed us of a lot of our liberties and we have let the government do it because of the perceived protection and safety. That perception is now being stripped away and is being seen for what it is. Para-military units entering any house at will and acting like they are above the law.
#11
"fired a warning shot through his doorway as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He let loose with two more blasts. Twenty-two bullets were fired back at him"
Sounds like EVERYBODY needs a trip to the shooting range.
#12
One simple solution: disband local SWAT teams. If the local police have a situation that truly requires a SWAT team (e.g., hostage situation), they call the state police, and the state brings in its team. By making SWAT teams less numerous they'd be used more sparingly.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/19/2007 10:37 Comments ||
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#13
Yeah, man! We should disband ALL police forces! The police are nothing but jackbooted thugs! Anarchy baby! Yeah! If the police make a single mistake then they should be totally dismantled! Yeah man. Pass the bong.
Ugh. I think my IQ just dropped a few points from the kneejerking. Is this fark? Did I take a wrong turn on the information superhighway
#14
No. You obviously are reading more into the comments than is there. Scaling back SWAT and uncalled for no-knock raids is the only thing here, and holding police accountable for stupidity.
If you still see otherwise, please go drink bleach and die. Thank you.
#15
A kinder, gentler version of Darth's message to 3-dot:
SWAT teams were originally formed to handle situations that ordinary police officers weren't trained to do, such as the rescue of hostages. The War on Drugs gave SWAT teams a new mission: bust down doors and apprehend drug dealers. The SWAT teams got the job because drug dealers, being who they are, had the disturbing propensity to shoot back at ordinary police officers who knocked on the door.
Problem is, the SWAT teams don't always get the right information, so they end up breaking down doors of innocent people in their homes. And that, given the right all of us have to own firearms and protect our homes, leads to tragedy.
So a solution is to restrict the use of SWAT teams: yes, some drug dealers may get away, but fewer innocents will be put at risk. That's a principle our legal system already endorses, since we have a judicial system that provides that better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent man goes to prison.
Now, if you don't understand that, go drink bleach and die.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/19/2007 10:56 Comments ||
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"Drink bleach and die" has now been added to the list of things I am going to be saying a lot in the new year.
#17
SWAT teams were originally formed to handle situations that ordinary police officers weren't trained to do, such as the rescue of hostages.
Someone, on some blog, once pointed out that since there aren't a lot of hostage-takings, or snipers in bell towers, SWAT teams get highly trained and then don't really have much to do. So they give them jobs that maybe really don't call for a SWAT team, just to keep them sharp.
You guys have heard of Cory Maye, right? He was convicted and sentenced to death for killing a cop in just this sort of circumstance. The death penalty was overturned last year, but he's still locked up.
Oh, and the drug dealer in the other half of the duplex, the one who was such a big badass that they had to bust in on him in the middle of the night? Never charged with anything.
#18
If an informant gives the wrong info and someone gets killed the informant should be up on charges. Perhaps second degree, perhaps first.
Fact is the SWAT team should be doing a bit of due-dilligence anyway. Check the house, check the records, you could tell a lot about an address before busting in guns blazing. For their own safety they should be doing this. This is pathetic.
#19
I trust the pain-in-the-ass ACLU will weigh in on this and make life miserable for the jerks in control. The one thing I fear is police, normal average police taking orders from some egomaniacal politician, or worse yet, a prosecuutor with ambition, like Elliot Spitzer.
#20
I blame the tv show SWAT which enouraged every little burg to get their own SWAT teams with a big black UPS van and cool theme song to handle crisis.
#21
Ah, 'drink bleach and die'. That confirms it, I am on fark. Next time some nut job goes on a shooting rampage in a mall or University, I'll think about all you slack-jawed mouth breathers calling for the end of SWAT teams. For that matter we should dispose of the National Guard, after all some of them shot at some innocent people in New Orleans. Why stop there, I am sure there have been some unfortunate, innocent people caught up in the FBI terrorist sweeps, let's get rid of them too. And while we're at it, I guarantee some poor Iraqi's have been wrongfully imprisoned by our good for nothing, jackbooted soldiers, get rid of the Army, by God. That'll learn 'em. I've found myself either on fark or the dailykos. Yikes. Good call.
#22
Why don't we get rid of all humans since they are just a blight on the earth anyway, Mr. GeeIlovedailyKos. And personally, I ain't gonna wait for SWAT when some idiot goes on a shooting rampage near me. I'll just shoot the fucker.
Apparently you still don't get what we are arguing for. Not the abolishment of everything, but the reining in of some their power and use.
So, listen to what we are saying instead of spouting your liberal bullshit, or drink bleach and die. Please. Your god Gaia will thank you for it.
#23
Next time some nut job goes on a shooting rampage in a mall or University,
Where was the SWAT team at the Texas Tower?
A Ranger did the deed.
Where was the SWAT team at Columbine? It was getting ready to get started to get tactical. Cops are cops, army is army.
Come to think of it... what it the great SWAT team fight? Seriously is there one to point out?
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
12/19/2007 16:58 Comments ||
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#24
First, if I was on this SWAT mission I would be pissed that I was sent into an unknown situation on bad information - it is my life on the line and I would expect more from the chain of command.
Second, I and many others would be rightfully so be defending home and family and if my door was kicked down without warning I would be ready to defend, in my ready position.
Why, after the warning shot, did the SWAT group not proclaim themselves as the Police? Everyone involved is lucky the only patching to be done is to the drywall and ,judging only by this transcript, the Police screwed up top to bottom.
There is a need for SWAT IMO - tripple duht, innocents get killed in gang fights perhaps you would like to go and disband them while we are at it. When the 'Special' turns into 'Totalitarian' there are problems (did they really need to send in SWAT for Elion Gonzales?). Stake the place out for a day forgawdsakes, maybe catch the perp without having to storm a castle (or in this case find out that maybe the intel is wrong). Looking sexy and keeping sharp are not good enough reasons to carry out an operation while skipping good basic police work.
#26
Let's also remember 92-year-old Kathryn Johnson, shot to death by an Atlanta SWAT team during a similar no-knock raid in 2006. The police then lied to claim excuses for themselves. Two of those policemen have pled guilty to manslaughter.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
12/19/2007 21:40 Comments ||
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#27
My take:
Seems to me that if you have a SWAT team, you have to justify its existance. I don't mind training up a team to take care of tactical stuff even if it isn't used. Management needs to understand my point of view and maybe they would feel more comfortable not using them. Of course, the voters would need to understand this too for this to work.
And why can't a SWAT team be trained to deal with a situation at several levels, all the way from police up through two or three levels to almost military? Just because I have an automatic assault rifle doesn't mean I have to use it in full auto all the time. Sometimes single shot, sometimes burst, sometimes let-'em-have-it.
Perhaps this need to prove the SWAT team's value is what clouded management's judgment.
And ..., you are intentionally misreading intentions so you have something to base your accusations on. It probably makes you feel better about yourself or superior or something. Quit it or your points will go unheard in this part of the world, and this part of the world's points will be wasted on you. If you go head to head with some of these guys they'll eat you alive. You'd be shocked if you knew who hangs out here.
Nobody wants to disband all the police units. The intent is play with ideas that would reduce occurances like this, and what effects those ideas would have. The intent is to figure out how this $hit is happening. Also, there are a lot of folks here who understand each other better than you understand them, so just hide and watch for a while and you'll see the forces balance each other fairly well. Usually.
Or if you want to chime in then just say "I'm a newby" and they'll communicate in a way that normal folks will understand them and see the logic isn't half bad after all. When taken in context.
A 33-year-old woman was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault Saturday after allegedly groping a man playing Santa Claus at the Danbury (CT) Fair mall. Sandrama Lamy, 33, of Danbury, is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, according to Danbury Detective Lt. Thomas Michael.
"Hey, Santa! Is that your doinker?"
"It's my lap, ain't it?"
Details leading up to the alleged fondling are sketchy. "I don't know what the deal was. It was just bizarre," the mall Santa told a reporter, referring all other questions about the incident to Cherry Hill Photo, the company that runs the Danbury Fair mall Santa photo setup. Cherry Hill Photo did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
"I mean, who the hell gropes Santa Claus?"
According to information provided by the Danbury Police Department, officers were dispatched to the mall Saturday at 8:45 p.m. The mall Santa told police that Lamy touched him inappropriately while sitting on his lap.
She was 33 years old. How'd she get in his lap without an invitation?
"The security officer at the mall said Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted," Michael said.
"And whaddyou want for Christmas, little girl?... Oh. That? Don't you have a husband?... Well, hurry up. There's a line."
Lamy was also charged with breach of peace. "She must have caused a commotion over there," Michael said.
Made him squeal like a piggy, she did!
Lamy was released on a promise to appear Jan. 3 in Danbury Superior Court. Danbury Fair mall spokeswoman Melissa Eigen called the alleged groping "an isolated incident."
"Yeah. Most of our customers keep their hands in their own laps."
"The safety of our guests and employees is a top priority, and we strive to create a safe and enjoyable shopping environment at all our facilities and Danbury Fair specifically," Eigen said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Poor guy. I feel so sorry for him. He'll probably get PTSD now. I'd better go replace him. It wouldn't hurt to have a real man on the job just in case it happens again.
I'm sure this month's issue of Playboy is full of cartoons on that theme. Not that I'd ever seen them. Nope. Never. That's if never is older than twenty or thirty years. Heh.
#8
Do we have a pic of the suspect? Is she hot or some 300lb troll? That could've been the difference between Santa's phone number and a night in the clink. Yes, I'm a shallow a-hole & I approve of this message.
#11
This particular mall Santa Claus is NOT a gentleman. A true Santa Claus - a real man who embodied the spirit of SC - would never complain or snitch to the authorities if a lady on his lap was overcome by an irresistable - albeit naughty -impluse.
Here's hoping the fake Santa Claus doesn't show up in court and charges against the impulsively naughty lady are dismissed.
(P.S. This topic has produced some of the best snark I've read at RB in a long while.)
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/19/2007 13:57 Comments ||
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"And most of the time it is only my BEARD that gets pulled..."
#15
OTOH, ION NEWSMAX > CHARLES R SMITH [satire] > SANTA COLLIDES WITH CHINESE MILITARY PLANE, over US-China toy recalls and other recall thingys.
* THE BAD NEWS IS THAT BY FLYING O'ER THE WORLD IN HIS SLEIGH, SANTA WAS FASCIST-LY RIGHTIST-LY ERGO ARROGANTLY BELLICOSE-Ly IMPERIALIST-LY VIOLATING THAT PIECE OF SACRED CHINESE TERRITORY KNOWN AS THE ENTIRE PACIFIC OCEAN/REGION.
DES MOINES, Iowa A judge has sided with a man who was fired for posting a "Dilbert" comic strip that made fun of managers on an office bulletin board. David Steward was fired from the Catfish Bend Casino because management found the cartoon "very offensive," human resources director Steve Morley testified at a recent unemployment benefits hearing. The casino had challenged his claim for unemployment benefits. "Basically, he was accusing the decision-makers of being drunken lemurs," Morley testified. "We consider that misconduct when you insult your employer."
Drunken lemurs, is it? By Gad, I think I may have worked there once!
According to state records, Steward posted the comic in late October, shortly after officials announced the casino in Burlington would be closed. In the strip, Dilbert and another character are shown having the following exchange:
"Why does it seem as if most of the decisions in my workplace are made by drunken lemurs?"
"Decisions are made by people who have time, not people who have talent."
"Why are talented people so busy?"
"They're fixing the problems made by people who have time."
Steward testified that he posted the comic partly because of the impending layoffs. "I thought maybe it would cheer some people up," he said. "I found it humorous."
Administrative Law Judge Lynette Donner sided with Steward, ruling it was "a good-faith error in judgment," not intentional misbehavior.
"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams said it might have been the first confirmed instance of a worker being fired for posting a "Dilbert" strip in a workplace.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/19/2007 16:29 ||
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They day I get all butt-hurt over a Dilber cartoon, or any cartoon for that matter, somone tie me down and force 3 pounds of prime rib and a quart of beer down my throat.
#3
There was an intersting article I once read that said you can actually tell how good management is by the number of Dilberts pinned to cubical walls. Meaning that under a crappy manager you would see few out of fear and such.
#1
A carpenter caught hammering nails and sawing wood in the nude says he prefers working in the buff because it's more comfortable and helps keep his clothes clean. The carpenter was found not guilty of indecent exposure.
Tool Boy - the new Pool Boy. For anyone needing a good Toy Boy.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/19/2007 16:12 Comments ||
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An employee in the Detroit planning department sued the city, saying a female co-worker's strong fragrance prohibited her from working. The woman claimed she is severely sensitive to perfumes and her co-worker not only wore a strong scent, but also plugged in a scented room deodorizer.
Scents make me sick. I would agree with this lady!
Well, whut took ya so long, girl? Ah be havin granbabies when ah was sixteen...
NEW YORK - Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine that she's pregnant and that the father is her boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she said. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he." Goddam, Jamie Lynn, howda dat happen!
Spears is 12 weeks along and initially kept the news to herself when she learned of the pregnancy from an at-home test and subsequent doctor visit, she told the celebrity magazine, which hits stands in New York on Wednesday and the rest of the country by Friday. Hi, mama! Guess whut! Ah'm gonna be famus, jus lahk Britney! What message does she want to send to other teens about premarital sex? "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she told the magazine. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in." N' it halps if'n your rich else ya have to go on tha welfare n such ah suppose.
After she found out from a doctor that she was pregnant, she said, "I took two weeks to myself where I didn't tell anybody. Only one of my friends knew because I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision. Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me," she said. Spears broke the news to her mother, Lynne, just before Thanksgiving, the magazine reported."She was very upset because it wasn't what she expected at all," Spears said. "A week after, she had time to cope with it and became very supportive." Ah guess mama fahnally realized that she culd be a little more unnerstandin, seein how she lahks money n' all...
Lynne Spears, already grandmother to Britney's young sons, told the magazine: "I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby." She said her actress daughter, the telegenic heroine of her popular Nickelodeon series, has known Aldridge for years and began dating him in high school. ...n' ah guess she been bangin him awhile too...
But in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Spears said she had no steady boyfriend. "I kind of just keep my options open," she said. "I have a bunch of friends that I always hang out with, a bunch of guy friends." She declined to talk about her older sister. I'll wait until I haveta ask her advice on important stuff. Lahk about drivin with the baby in my lap, what booze kin ah drink n' not hurt the baby. A good celebritty baby sitter when I go out partyin with mah best girfrens. Important stuff lahk that...
Spears spoke to the AP shortly before Thanksgiving, the day she told OK! she informed her mother about the pregnancy. Jamie Lynn plans to raise the baby in her home state of Louisiana "so it can have a normal family life." Oh...absolutely. If'n it don't get et by a gator or sumthin'.
#1
What message does she want to send to other teens about premarital sex? "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she told the magazine.
Let's ask britney, spokesmodel for mature behavior.
"I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew.
But still she remains late..
"I kind of just keep my options open," she said.
Thats what the kids are calling it these days. In hip terms I banged my left option on the coffee table this morning. Yo.
between lines, britney gots all them monies and d'aint bring the fam along.
#3
Lynn plans to raise the baby in her home state of Louisiana "so it can have a normal family life." A normal life? In THAT family? I'm boggled.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/19/2007 16:15 Comments ||
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#4
Oooops. Already, collateral damage...
Lynne Spears' book delayed indefinitely
NEW YORK - Lynne Spears' book about parenting has been delayed indefinitely, her publisher said Wednesday. Lindsey Nobles, a spokeswoman for Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson Inc., said Wednesday that the memoir by the mother of Britney Spears was put on hold last week.
She declined to comment on whether the delay was connected to the revelation that Spears' 16-year-old daughter, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant."I can tell you that we are standing behind Lynne and supporting her decision to be with her family at this time," Nobles told The Associated Press.
"Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World" was initially scheduled for release May 11, Mother's Day. Spears, the mother of three children with ex-husband Jamie Spears, had been working with a Michigan-based freelancer since March on the memoir chronicling Spears' experiences raising a family in the public eye.
Jamie Lynn Spears, star of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine in its new issue that she's expecting her first child and the father is boyfriend Casey Aldridge.
Nobles and representatives for Britney Spears said they did not know how Lynne Spears could be reached for comment about the status of her book.
Too bad. I'm sure this would've been a fascinating (and quick) read.
Oh, well. Guess it'll be "Safe Driving the Ted Kennedy Way" this Xmas...
ISLAMABAD - A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted central Pakistan on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said. The epicentre of the quake was around 300 kilometres (200 miles) southwest of the city of Peshawar, a seismological department official told AFP.
The quake originated at 10:56am (0556 GMT) from the border area between Punjab and Baluchistan provinces, he said.
Up 200, right 100, fire for effect ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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HMMMMM, LUCIANNE > SCIENTIST SAYS TIME RUNNING OUT, LITERALLY; + REDDIT/TOPIX > MARS MAKES CLOSEST APPROACH TO EARTH UNTIL 2016 + OCEANS MORE ACIDIC IN NORTH PACIFIC [CO2]. HMMMMM, 2016.
The website of China's new anti-graft bureau crashed shortly after going online due to the huge volume of messages from the public complaining about rampant corruption, state media said Wednesday.
The website (yfj.mos.gov.cn) of the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention, which was set up to collect information on corrupt activities, was so popular it crashed on Tuesday, just one day after it was launched.
"The enthusiasm that greeted the launch of the website reflects the growing frustration felt by the general public towards corruption at government level," Xinhua news agency said.
The website had received more than 20 pages of messages as of Wednesday afternoon. Many were congratulatory, but nearly as many were from sceptical members of the public who questioned its work.
"Is there any point in setting up this bureau? Unchecked power will of course result in corruption," said one message.
"So long as the system doesn't change, any (anti-graft) effort is bound to be quite fruitless."
Another message said "this will have no effect at all... we even have to put a question mark next to your own moral standards." The message was signed, "I don't expect anything from you."
Despite the website urging people to use their real names, most used pseudonyms. Another entry was signed "Don't take revenge on me."
Government corruption has emerged as a major thorn in the side of the ruling Communist Party as China's economic liberalisation, coupled with a rigid communist hierarchy, afford party officials ample opportunities for graft.
President Hu Jintao said Tuesday the party would renew its efforts to intensify its fight against corruption, reported the China Daily.
The new bureau is not entrusted to investigate corruption, but only to analyse and collect information on corrupt activities, Xinhua said.
The Indian Union cabinet cleared the Department of Atomic Energy's proposal to set up a 500 MW prototype of the next generation fast breeder nuclear power reactor (FBR) at Kalpakkam, thereby setting the stage for the commercial exploitation of thorium as a fuel source.
Although uranium is the only naturally occurring fissile element directly usable in a nuclear reactor, the country only has 0.8 per cent of the world's uranium reserves and may have to depend on imports in the future. On the other hand, India has around 32 per cent of the world's reserves of thorium, and with a carefully planned program, indigenously available uranium can be used to harness the energy contained in non-fissile thorium to be used in the FBRs. Though the country's atomic power program had produced only a little over 2,000 MW of nuclear energy over 34 years, the Indian Planning Commission has set an ambitious target of producing around 20,000 MW of nuclear power by 2020.
India has a so-called "three-stage nuclear program". In the first stage, plutonium is created in its pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and extracted by reprocessing. In the second stage, fast breeder reactors (FBRs) use this plutonium in 70-percent MOX-fuel to breed uranium-233 in a thorium blanket around the core. In the final stage, the FBR's use thorium-232 and produce uranium-233 for other reactors.
The first stage has been realized with India's 10 nuclear power plants. The second stage is only realized by a small experimental fast breeder reactor (13 MW), at Kalpakkam. This reactor has a history with a lot of problems (as has been the case with the 10 nuclear reactors).
This reactor is on top of a list of dangerous reactors in the country, according to a safety assessment of India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The reactor has a lack of safety measures and cooling systems. Ministry of Science.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
What message does she want to send to other teens about premarital sex? "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she told the magazine. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
