Southern Illinois University Carbondale - James Scales, the universitys director of Career Services who was accused this month of lying about his military service, will retire effective March 1, university spokesman Rod Sievers said Friday.
Sievers said Scales will immediately utilize his vacation days and not return to work. According to a university statement, Scales cited health and personal reasons.
Scales hung up the phone when asked for comment from the DAILY EGYPTIAN.
I have enjoyed my association with the university and value my colleagues here and the staff of Career Services, Scales said in a statement released by the university. It is time for me to retire and pursue other interests.
Scales came under fire after the DAILY EGYPTIAN reported Scales records did not match stories he had told the paper about service in Vietnam and other countries, and the receipts of various military accolades, including three Purple Hearts.
The Stolen Valor Act makes it a federal offense to lie about the receipt of certain military awards, including the Purple Heart. Violators face up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $200,000.
It was the best thing for him and for his health, Dean of Students Peter Gitau said. He was close to retirement even without the events of the past few weeks. Its a good thing for the university too. It enables the department to move on and focus on other things.
#4
Well, the man did have to retire in a hurry, Beldar, so that isn't exactly nothing.
It is my sense that other veterans and active military are getting a little intolerant of these fakes, and a little more willing to check up on stories that sound a little good to to be true, and to share what they find out with the larger public.
YMMV, of course.
#8
He will be collecting a nice pension so what does he care? Plus the job he just left....he might have gotten it due to preferential treatment as a vet and a combat vet.
So all is all it's a win for this fraud
I doubt he'll be prosecuted under "stolen valor"
Posted by: remain there ||
02/15/2009 11:35 Comments ||
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#10
and the receipts of various military accolades, including three Purple Hearts.
A navy cook (While I was in) was surprised to get a Purple Heart, as he'd not been in any fighting, and indeed was a cook, checking it a bit further the citation read, "Removed shell fragment from eye," and after a bit of thought remembered that around 3 weeks before he'd had to get the ship's doctor to clean out an egg that shattered and went into his eye. Last I heard he'd returned the medal and was having trouble getting anyone to listen that "It was an Error", he'd NOT been wounded.
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
02/15/2009 19:21 Comments ||
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Man fails to kill himself despite inciting brown snake, which bit him nine times
A MAN who was bitten nine times by a deadly brown snake says it was no mistake - he had been trying to kill himself.
The incident with the King Brown happened 12 years ago. But the story has been retold thousands of times in newspapers across the globe. It has just resurfaced in Australia - only to be dismissed as an urban myth by radio commentators. But the extraordinary tale is true - and has an amazing new twist.
For the first time, Darwin-born Gordon Lyons, 55, has revealed the full story of that near-fatal day to the Northern Territory News.
He said his battle with one of the world's deadliest snakes was no drunken mishap - he was trying to kill himself. "I had lost my wife and was fighting for custody of my kids," he said. "I decided I didn't want to be here. I put the snake on me. I caught it and let it bite me."
Mr Lyons was driving along Mandorah Rd on the Cox Peninsula 12 years ago with a friend when he saw the snake. "We stopped and I caught it," he said.
After a few minutes, Mr Lyons made a spur-of-the-moment decision - to let the King Brown kill him. "I took it out of the bag, shook it to stir it up and it bit me, again and again," he said. "My mate was a big, burly bloke but he was horrified. He was crying."
Lyons, who had an arm amputated and almost died on the operating table after his heart stopped, said he no longer felt suicidal. "I'm all right now and wouldn't do it again."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
At first I thought this article was about Alan Greenspan.
Saudi Arabia for the first time appoints a woman to assume a post in the Council of Ministers as the kingdom undergoes a government reshuffle.
Nour Fayez was named as Deputy Minister for Women's Education on Saturday, the first ever female who has been appointed to a senior government post in the oil-rich country.
The appointment is considered as a breakthrough in a country where women are even banned from driving.
Fayez was named as a member of the Council of Ministers as Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz reshuffled the cabinet.
The reshuffle included changes in economic, justice and information ministers and the appointment of Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad as Minister of Education and Faisal bin Moamar as the Deputy Minister of Education.
The king also named Muhammad al-Jasser as Central Bank Governor to replace Hamad al-Siyyari.
Abdul-Aziz Khuga, a former ambassador to Lebanon was appointed Minister of Culture and Information and Sheikh Mohamed Essa was appointed as Minister of justice.
The reshuffle, the first since King Abdullah came to power in 2005, also included military officials as General Abdul Rahmanal-Murshid was named the commander of ground forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/15/2009 00:00 ||
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Unruly trade unionism that systematically drained out thousands of crore taka in the past few decades and protected plunderers of national resources is creeping back into Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TGTDCL) as the new government took office last month.
Awami League lawmaker Israfil Alam, who once used to be a meter reader, is allegedly patronising a group of 30-40 people who are staging showdowns at Titas Bhaban in Karwan Bazar every day since last month, sending a wave of chill among TGTDCL officials and employees.
Intriguingly, this "pro-AL" group is being backed by one of the three pro-BNP trade unions in Titas. Sources say the group identifying themselves as the leaders of 'Titas Gas Sramik League', which is a convener committee of Jatiya Sramik League, is gathering at Titas premises to show off strength though it doesn't belong to any Titas trade unions.
This convener committee was formed on June 23, 2005.
This group is trying to establish supremacy over Titas management so that it can resume illegal activities including transfer and posting of the employees it could not do in the last two years, sources say.
The group is serving the purpose of the pro-BNP Titas Gas Jatiyatabadi Sramik Karmachari Union that does not want any election to Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) in fear of possible defeat. The election has been stalled for 20 years.
This trade union is allegedly the main protector of corrupt meter readers and other staffs. The leaders of this group would help out a corrupt meter reader or staff even if he belongs to some AL banner and thus protect their personal interests.
"The situation is taking a worrying turn day by day as the group claiming themselves as Awami League supporters are becoming desperate to establish authority in the organisation," says a TGTDCL official wishing not to be identified.
It is learned that they have submitted a list of people to the authorities for transfer, he said, adding, "We are very concerned that anything dangerous may happen anytime if such trends continue."
Posted by: Fred ||
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Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
02/15/2009 10:37 Comments ||
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#3
"And a great voice was heard throughout the land
Crying: 'Who's yo' daddy?'
And a thousand lesser voices were raised
Saying: 'It wuz me. I think. Mebbe.'"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/15/2009 14:00 Comments ||
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Gaming revenue fell for the 12th month in a row in December and last year's overall drop is historic.
Some locals who depend on conventions to survive say they can't afford the war of words going on between President Obama and Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Last week, both Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs canceled corporate junkets scheduled to take place here in Las Vegas. They were trying to get away from the perception that they are taking the money given to them in these bailout packages and using it to treat their CEO's to lavish vacations.
The comment President Obama made about the matter at a town hall meeting on Monday was: "You are not going to be able to give out these big bonuses until you've paid taxpayers back, you can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime."
Wednesday workers who were setting up for the Magic Apparel convention were steamed about the president's comments.
Electricians' union foreman Charlene Wallace says her crews are working, but just barely. "There's been a big impact because there's not as many people coming out to do the shows, so therefore the shows have gotten a lot smaller," said Charlene Wallace, Local 357 Foreman.
Smaller shows and fewer tourists equal big losses. Gaming revenues fell every month last year and they were down nearly 19% in December which is a drop of 9.7% for all of 2008. That is the worst gaming revenue decline in Nevada's history.
The president took particular aim at Las Vegas' convention business, but the ripple effect of his comments could stretch far beyond the convention floor.
Fewer convention workers, hurts the hands that feed them as one Valley caterer's business is down 50%. Local unions aren't seeing massive layoffs but expect fewer of their members to be hired.
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.
Man fails to kill himself despite inciting brown snake, which bit him nine times
Gaming revenue fell for the 12th month in a row in December and last year's overall drop is historic.
