Bernard Madoff's long-time accountant was arrested on fraud charges Wednesday and accused of helping the disgraced money manager cheat thousands of investors out of billions of dollars in the past two decades.
The charges against David Friehling, 49, come as federal authorities turn their attention to people they believe helped Madoff fool 4,800 investors into thinking that their investments were growing comfortably each year. Friehling is the first person to be arrested since the Madoff scandal broke three months ago.
Friehling ran an accounting office in a nondescript suburban building north of New York City, and quickly drew scrutiny over how he could have not detected the fraud. Experts in accounting also said it would be preposterous for such a tiny firm to properly audit an operation the size of Madoff's.
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Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Just one of the 100's of thousands engaged in the Big Bezzle.
Smooth Criminal Award: Grocery Store Manager Robs Own Clerk at Gunpoint, Doesn't Think to Wear a Mask
It seems logical that a stick-up man ought to do everything in his power to conceal his identity from his robbery victim.
For grocery store manager and would-be robber Nazim Medzhidov, discretion was especially vital: He knocked off his own store in southwestern Moscow, an outlet of the bargain supermarket chain Kopeika, police say. Unfortunately for Medzhidov, it apparently slipped his mind that a simple ski mask could have done wonders for his criminal career.
Medzhidov, 33, is facing up to 12 years in prison for the March 3 robbery, in which he put a gun to a employee -- who, obviously, had no trouble recognizing him -- and forced her to hand over 4 million rubles ($116,000).
The oversight with the disguise doesn't quite fit with Medzhidov's methodical approach to the crime, as described in the police report. According to police, the suspect carefully laid the groundwork for the crime, canceling cash courier visits several days in a row to make sure plenty of money was in the tills, as well as leaving service entrances open and borrowing a gas pistol from some of the maintenance men working at the store.
On the evening of March 3, police say Medzhidov burst into the room where cashier Yekaterina Korovina was handling the money and threatened her with the pistol, which had been used by the maintenance men to shoot rats. Korovina handed over the bags full of cash, Medzhidov fled through the service entrance, and police were on the scene just minutes later.
"Naturally, the young woman named the criminal, after which his place of residence was established," senior city police investigator Robert Akhmetzyanov told Gazeta.
Perhaps Medzhidov recognized that his lack of stealth had doomed him: The next morning he showed up at a police precinct with the stolen cash and turned himself in.
He told police that financial difficulties had pushed him to abandon the ranks of the law-abiding. Medzhidov, in fact, may find a glimmer of sympathy from those who, like your humble narrator, have a dollar mortgage and have watched the value of their rubles decline by some 30 percent over the past several months. "A year ago the man took a dollar [mortgage] to buy an apartment," Akhmetzyanov said. "But the exchange rate of the American currency rose, and the payments shot up."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Why do I suspect vodka might have been involved in this robbery?
#2
I think Glenmore is on to something. Perhaps, Vodka should be named as a co-conspirator. Slipped through the hands of the police again. He's like water, he is.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/19/2009 9:21 Comments ||
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#3
Nazim Medzhidov = muslim name. So vodka may not have been involved.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 9:25 Comments ||
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#4
If I was broke, starving, and/or homeless I'd do this,(Rob someplace and stand waiting for the cops)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/19/2009 11:08 Comments ||
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muslims only seem too have a problem with alcohol when someone else is the one drinking it
In a stunning turn of events, an Austrian on trial for imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children pleaded guilty on Wednesday to all charges against him -- including negligent homicide -- after hearing his daughter's heart-wrenching testimony.
"I declare myself guilty to the charges in the indictment," Josef Fritzl (73) told a panel of judges, referring at one point to what he called "my sick behaviour."
Fritzl faces up to life imprisonment on the negligent homicide count, which he initially had contested along with an enslavement charge. Prosecutors also had charged him with rape, incest, forced imprisonment and coercion.
Asked by the presiding judge what had led him to change his mind, Fritzl said it was the videotaped testimony from his daughter.
Now 42, Fritzl's daughter was 18 when he imprisoned her in the cramped, windowless cell he built beneath the family's home in the town of Amstetten. The negligent homicide charge came for the death of an infant twin boy -- Michael -- born to Elisabeth in April 1996 who prosecutors say might have survived with proper medical care had he and his mother not been locked in the basement.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Pardon my cynicism, but his plea is one more example of control - having seen the videotape and realizing he'd be convicted, he preempted the trial by being the one to declare it.
#4
The details. And I have no idea who these people are...
"Project Runway" finalist Kenley Collins was arrested today after assaulting her fiance with their cat, authorities said today.
After throwing the feline, a laptop computer, and three apples at Zak Penley, Collins, 26, was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon (of meow destruction).
"It was a miscommunication," Collins told The Post after getting released without bail from Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday morning.
"Fights happen, And that's that. There is no case."
According to law enforcement sources, an enraged Collins woke Penley up just after 7 a.m. by hurling their cat in his face. Then she threw her laptop, and as he fell crawled on the floor, slammed a door on his head.
She threw three apples, and doused him with water, before he was able to dial 911.
And kitty is fine...
City animal-control officials said that as long as the cat was not injured in the attack, they will not pursue cruelty charges.
#5
My wife watches Project Runway religiously, so I got to see this skank in action. Definitely doesn't play well with others, and has a fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice that makes Greta Van Susteren sound like Sarah McLachlan.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
03/19/2009 23:36 Comments ||
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#3
That is the greatest use of digital sheep technology ever.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
03/19/2009 15:02 Comments ||
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#4
Those shepherds were having fun, but not nearly as much as the border collies were. Those dogs live and love to work. They're smarter than half the people I know.
Scientists sailed out to have a closer look at the eruptions of an undersea volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean today.
Tonga's head geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said there was no apparent danger to residents of Nuku'alofa and others living on the main island of Tongatapu. Officials also said it may be related to a quake with a magnitude of 4.4 which struck last March 13 around 35 kilometers from the capital at a depth of nearly 150 kilometres.
...and a damn impressive undersea volcanic eruption.
NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga – A strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Friday near Tonga, generating a tsunami with the potential of striking coastlines in the South Pacific, officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake struck about 130 miles (200 kilometers) south-southeast of the Tongan capital of Nuku'Alofa at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Police in the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa, said there were no immediate reports of injury or damage. Local resident Pesi Fonua said the quake "lasted for something like 20 seconds," but "I haven't seen any damage from it."
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Tonga and neighboring islands, and reported that sea level readings have confirmed that a potentially destructive tsunami wave was generated by the quake.
Local radio stations in Tonga broadcast warnings that a tsunami was possible and that people should move away from coastal villages, but police and locals said no big wave had been reported. Police spokesman Niua Kama said residents did not appear to take the warning seriously. "People are out on the roads, laughing at the warning," he told The Associated Press. "They are not moving from the coast" even though there had been "a strong warning of a tsunami. Police have not taken any action at this stage."
The tsunami center also advised that some coastal areas of Hawaii could see a rise in sea level and strong currents lasting up to several hours.
#2
It's long been speculated that there is a "reflective" earthquake pattern around the ring of fire. That is, when a major earthquake happens on one side of the ring, after a several days delay, another earthquake is triggered on the other side of the ring.
Importantly, it doesn't seem to be a "fair", or "opposite" reflection, but this is created by the illusion of the curvature of the Earth. This makes more sense if you see the "Africa in Perspective" map, showing other major land bodies overlaying it:
Looked at that way, the ring of fire looks much less like a ring, and the reflection of earthquakes seems to be much more "opposite" from the original earthquake.
Another factor is that the ring of fire isn't a boundary to the earthquake wave front, so by adding extra time, there is an increased risk of earthquakes in zones outside of the ring.
"Protest and direct action could be the only way to tackle soaring carbon emissions, a leading climate scientist has said." When junk science won't work, pound the table with your shoe.
Madagascar's highest court on Wednesday said the army's move to replace the toppled president with his rival was legal, but the African Union was considering whether it constituted a coup.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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KUWAIT - The ruler of Kuwait may appoint the crown prince, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, as prime minister and call parliamentary elections to try to end a long political crisis, Arab channels and lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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Sorry that she's ticked-off, but as the French philosopher once said: "The law equally prohibits the rich and the poor from sleeping under bridges".
#2
Pappy, the things she says are troublesome are probably NOT troublesome to the Pakistanis bringing over child brides. the groom's father and the bride's father handle all the paperwork for whoever does the paperwork in Pakistan (and it'll be someone much more accomodating than who handles it for Japan, as long as the bashkeesh changes hands) and the bride probably doesn't even have to get involved. In fact, it's probably a suprise to her.
A SRI Lankan-born man who came to Britain 17 years ago is reportedly refusing to serve customers in his post office unless they speak English. Deva Sumarasiri, 40, whose shop is in a racially mixed inner-city area, believes he has to stand up for the English language because otherwise the social fabric of the country will disintegrate.
Asians, eastern Europeans and others coming to his post office in Nottingham, central England, to claim state benefits or post letters must speak English or they will not be served, he said.
"If you don't want to be British, go home," he told the Daily Mail newspaper. "The fabric of the nation begins to unravel if we don't all speak the same language."
Mr Sumarasiri, who flies British flags in his front garden, added: "An Asian woman came in here yesterday and I insisted she spoke to me in English.
"She replied she preferred to speak in her mother tongue but I told her Britain was now her motherland and she should speak English."
Britain has for decades conducted an agonised debate about whether and to what extent immigrants should integrate into existing British society or keep their own cultural identity and traditions.
Figures emerged earlier this week which indicated that one in seven children at state-run primary schools did not speak English as their first language. The Government is currently putting a Bill through Parliament which would require people to speak English if they want to earn British citizenship.
#1
If Britain is to survive it will be due to the replenishment of the gene pool by the likes of Mr. Sumarasiri. More likely though, some Islamic radical will kill him.
#2
I bet he is a Hindu. The MSM tries to lump Hindus with Muslims by calling them both Asians. However the Hindus are *very* good citizens. The prisons are packed with Muslims, but almost no Hindus.
In fact, the Hindus might be more defensive of British and civilized culture than are the Brits.
#3
If he's identified as Sri Lankan and not Tamil, he's probably a Buddhist, or at least from Buddhist stock. Most Hindus in Sri Lanka are either ethnic Tamils or immigrants from the mainland. See here.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/19/2009 12:13 Comments ||
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In a perfect world this article would have the Ministry of the Obvious graphic posted with it.
Russia will maintain its previously planned spending to develop and build new spacecraft in an effort to preserve jobs and continue moving toward a high-tech economy, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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Azeri election officials reported strong turnout in a referendum Wednesday that is almost certain to hand President Ilham Aliyev the chance to rule Azerbaijan for life, provided he keeps being re-elected. More dynastic politix. He got the job when Dad died.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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...Wasn't Dad the one who looked (on the posters at least) like Dean Martin circa 1964?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/19/2009 6:11 Comments ||
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#2
Turmenbashi: Looks like Wayne Newton on posters, Liberace on statues.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 6:39 Comments ||
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#3
Seems like most of the world is and always has been run by leaders who rule for life. Some die of natural causes after long tenure, while more (most?) go the way of Saddam.
A plan to expand a controversial U.S. ballistic-missile shield into Eastern Europe is being scrutinized as part of a 2010 budget request to be sent to Congress next month, the Pentagon's chief financial officer told Congress on Wednesday.
"I can tell you that issue is under intense review," Robert Hale, the Defense Department's comptroller, told the House of Representatives' Budget Committee. In addition, he said, "nothing is off the table" as a candidate for cuts or cancellation among major arms programs in the spending plan for fiscal 2010, which starts October 1. "But no final decisions have been made."
President Barack Obama has suggested the United States would have no need to deploy proposed missile defenses in Eastern Europe if Moscow could help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons.
Obama outlined his position in a confidential letter last month to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Russia has strongly opposed the plan, pushed by former President George W. Bush, to put 10 two-stage interceptor missiles in Poland, backed by an advanced radar in the Czech Republic, to help defend against Iran.
Obama sent Congress a budget overview on February 26 calling for a total of $663.7 billion for the Defense Department in 2010. This includes $533.7 billon in the core budget that funds ongoing military programs, plus $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 07:10 ||
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"But no final decisions have been made."
Heh. If you believe that I know of some subprime paper we can sell you too.
Update...
The Army is investigating the deployment of 22 active duty military police and the provost marshal from Fort Rucker, Ala., to Samson, Ala., following a killing spree by a civilian. Ten people were killed in the March 10 rampage in southeastern Alabama by a man police identified as Michael McClendon, 28, of Kinston, Ala., where the first killing took place around 3:30 p.m. The shooter took his own life after an exchange of gunfire with police.
Geneva County Sheriff Greg Ward said Wednesday that he requested the MPs in response to an offer of assistance from a lieutenant colonel at Fort Rucker for generators, lights and other equipment. “The lieutenant colonel called our [911] dispatch to say ‘we’re here if you need us,’” Ward told Army Times in a phone interview from his office in Geneva.
With seven separate crime scenes spanning a 20-mile area, Ward’s force of 12 deputies and about 10 more police from neighboring towns, were becoming overwhelmed, he said. “I thought, let me call them back. So I asked for MPs to come in and relieve our personnel long enough so they could get something to eat,” Ward said, explaining that most of his men had been on the job since 7 a.m. and were exhausted.
The soldiers, he said, were assigned to five highway intersections to help keep traffic flowing and stood guard outside the most horrific crime scene in Samson in which six of the victims, including an 18-month old baby, were killed. What Ward didnÂ’t want, he said, was for anyone to sneak up and get a picture of the bodies and the soldiers watching the crime scene were instructed to inform the police if that was in danger of happening.
The deployment of non-medical, active duty troops in response to a local emergency could potentially be a violation of federal law if the soldiers engaged in law enforcement activities.
The Posse Comitatus Act mostly bans the military and units of the National Guard under Title 10 authority from acting in a law enforcement role within the United States. There are exceptions when it is expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress.
The investigation into the deployment was ordered by Gen. Martin Dempsey, commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, because Fort Rucker falls under the command.
A statement released Wednesday by TRADOC said the purpose for sending the military police, the authority for doing so, and what duties they performed “is the subject of an on-going commander’s inquiry. In addition to determining the facts, this inquiry will also consider whether law, regulation and policy were followed. Until those facts are determined, it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further,” Dempsey said.
Ward said he couldn’t have continued his operations without the help of the MPs. “That lieutenant colonel was not out of place. He called to say ‘we’re here if you need us,” Ward said.
#1
It wasn't like the troops were used to protect blacks trying to vote which was the real reason for Posse Comitatus (1878) being passed by "Guess that Party" after the Hayes-Tilden election (1877).
#4
What's more interesting is that the MSM never mentions the history of the Posse Comitatus act in stories like this & how it was used to promote white supremacy after the Civil War.
#5
Army policy and regulations are pretty clear on this topic, unfortunately. The LTC in his noble effort to help jumped in front of the Post commanderÂ’s decision. DOD must approve this type work to keep it legal and it can all be done over a phone to make it fast. The community has stood up publicly and said without his help they would have failed. This was good and the TRADOC investigation is to cover the post commander and TRADOC commanders asses. The issue is really liability, if the soldier did something that caused harm or loss of property, the Army would be responsible. If a soldier was hurt he might not be covered in a line of duty investigation. I would be willing to bet a round at the club he will get a good formal ass chewing, explained in detail his errors, threatened with relief for cause, and a week later given a letter of commendation for his and his soldiers actions.
In command I responded after a tornado hit the town next to post. I sent trucks and troops to clear the road for emergency vehicles to get to injured civilians and fires. We save countless lives. I did not get the proper permissions from the post commander and DOD, so I do understand his situation a little. If the Mayor had not gone public with the credit of saving lives, coached on what to say by one of our JAG officers, I would have been relieved for cause. Tricky situation and commanders, like the LTC, do what they think is right and sometimes knowingly suffer the backlash. Hat tip to him, IÂ’m glad to see him make the call to do the right thing over the safe.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
03/19/2009 14:26 Comments ||
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So what's going to happen the 'next time' when instead of the usual raving civie suspect it's a terrorist attack that overwhelms the local constabulary who've prematurely stumbled on to an attack? Not that such a thing could happen in a community near a military installation [re: Fort Dix]. Hang on the line for a mother-may-I? [re: the USS Ward at Pearl Harbor]
#7
What are the possibilities of setting up a mutual aid agreement between small towns/counties near the bases and the base police/fire department, such as are common between contiguous localities? We have such agreements between our county and the surrounding cities, and the county has gone into the city many times to cover when the city was tied up with either a large fire or a rash of fires. The city has backed us up, too, on some large apartment fires near the city line. It's pretty normal for fire and rescue; probably much less normal for police, but I've no doubt there's a mutual aid agreement covering them, too.
Obviously the locality would have to formally ask the base for help before the base could send forces to aid the locality.
And you never can tell - the base might even need firefighting help if they had a conflagration going.
But then, that would take common sense and planning.... :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/19/2009 16:09 Comments ||
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49Pan,
Thanks for the input. Fits what I HOPED was the likely case, but I did have my doubts.
CHENNAI: A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to put in orbit Israeli satellite RISAT in the first week of April.
The vehicle integration has already begun at the spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch campaign is gathering speed. The vehicle, PSLV-C12, will also deploy a mini-satellite called Anusat, built by Anna University, Chennai.
RISAT is a radar-imaging satellite used for remote-sensing. It can take pictures of the earth 24 hours of the day, through rain and cloud. The satellite has already reached Sriharikota from Israel.
Anusat, an amateur communications satellite weighing 38 kg, was integrated at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, of Anna University.
It is undergoing tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. It will reach Sriharikota soon. Its integration helped the students to get a hands-on experience in understanding the complexities in building a satellite.
This is the second time that the ISRO will be putting in orbit a satellite from Israel. On January 21, 2008, a PSLV deployed in orbit Tecsar, also a radar-imaging, remote-sensing satellite. The launch was executed under a commercial contract between the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Antrix Corporation, the commercial wing of the Department of Space.
India may use the radar images from the Israeli RISAT because the integration of India’s own RISAT had been delayed, an ISRO official said. However, another ISRO official said, “We do not know the end-user.” The Indian version of RISAT will be launched later this year or next year.
The PSLV that will put RISAT and Anusat in orbit in April from Sriharikota’s second launch pad is a “core-alone” version — without the six strap-on booster motors that form part of the standard PSLV. The core-alone vehicle weighs 230 tonnes while a normal PSLV weighs 295 tonnes. The PSLV is 44 metres tall.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/19/2009 17:24 ||
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#1
Some Indian news media are reporting that India has purchased the Israeli SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite about to be launched.
Back when India launched TechSAR for Israel, there were reports a twin was being built for India and that India and Israel would share the imagery from these and future birds built by India.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/19/2009 17:30 Comments ||
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Pakistan People Party (PPP) leader and former information minister Sherry Rehman has denied the reports about her resignation from the party's position. She told newsmen on Wednesday that she doesn't want to create any kind of crack in the party. "PPP doesn't want to put any curb on media, she said, adding, she has not quit the party's position."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD -- The stench of human waste is enough to tell Falah abu Hasan that his drinking water is bad. His infant daughter Fatma's continuous illnesses and his own constant nausea confirm it. "We are the poor. No one cares if we get sick and die," he said. "But someone should do something about the water. It is dirty. It brings disease."
Everybody complains about the water in Baghdad , and few are willing to risk drinking it from the tap. Six years after the U.S. invaded Iraq , 36 percent of Baghdad's drinking water is unsafe, according to the Iraqi Environment Ministry -- in a good month. In a bad month, it's 90 percent. Cholera broke out last summer, and officials fear another outbreak this year.
"Even if the water is good today, no one would trust it," grocer Hussein Jawad said. He said that about 40 percent of his business was selling bottled drinking water, crates of which he's stacked 7 feet high on the sidewalk. "We've learned to be afraid."
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#1
36 percent of Baghdad's drinking water is unsafe, according to the Iraqi Environment Ministry
Cleverly disguised in this article is the fact that in 2003, 72% of Baghdad's water was unsafe. One of the great accomplishments of the Coalition has been to bring clean water to millions of Iraqis who have never had it -ever.
The improvements in clean water and sewage in the provinces are even greater.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/19/2009 11:55 Comments ||
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#2
maybe it's time for them too learn too fix things like this themselves instaed of waiting for us too do it for them . they want us out, so what are yall gonna do when we aren't there too fix every little problem for you
#4
Call Procter&Gamble. They have a program for free or very low cost water purification ... stuff ... that they've been sharing in, I believe, India and Africa. It works in bucket sized lots or something, and is not competition for proper water purification plants. In the mean time, run the water through a silk fabric lined sieve, then boil it. India Sari silk is the best, if I recall correctly.
A senior Foreign Ministry source said Wednesday thay Israel rejects the latest draft of the closing statement for the "Durban 2" anti-racism conference, despite revisions aimed at dropping direct criticism of Israek.
While all direct references to Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict have been removed in an attempt to keep the European Union from boycotting, it still implicitly singles out Israel. "The first clause in the new document reaffirms the declaration of 'Durban 1,' which calls Israel a racist state, and the change is cosmetic only. The essence remains the same," the official said. "This is a diplomatic ruse intended to blur matters and introduce criticism of Israel by the back door."
The statement will be issued at the end of the second United Nations sponsored World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Geneva on April 20.
The previous version of the "Durban 2" closing statement led the United States, Canada and Italy to announce they would be boycotting the conference. Other EU countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, also threatened to boycott.
The edited version was crafted by a committee headed by Russia, with the goal of preventing the boycott. While all direct references to Israel and the Middle East have been eliminated, the Foreign Ministry says it references the closing statement from Durban 1, which was held in 2001 in Durban, South Africa. That document presented Israel as an "apartheid state," and singled out Israel as racist.
Israel and the United States walked out of the 2001 Durban conference to protest draft conference texts branding Israel as a racist and apartheid state language that was later dropped. The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday instructed its envoys to continue asking their host countries to boycott the conference.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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MALAYSIA'S ruling party was in disarray on Wednesday after an internal probe found a top leader and 10 officials guilty of vote-buying ahead of elections for office bearers.
The revelations Tuesday exposed the depth of corruption and venality in the United Malays National Organisation party, which have long been whispered but rarely admitted or confronted openly.
'This will send a shock wave through Umno,' said Mohamad Mustafa Ishak, a political analyst at North Malaysia University.
'They just cannot simply ignore (problems in the party) by not taking any action at all.' The trigger for the self-examination was the drubbing the party received in last year's general elections at the hands of a disgruntled public, which made leaders realise their position was no longer secure after 51 years of uninterrupted power.
'The public perception is that Umno is arrogant and has unhealthy practices. We have to clean up Umno,' Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said. 'We have to change or be changed.'
The Umno disciplinary committee, which investigated 29 politicians, found a prominent politician, Mohamad Ali Rustam, guilty of violating party ethics and barred him from contesting the deputy president post.
Mohamad Ali said on Wednesday he will appeal the ruling and urged his backers to remain calm. He has strong grass roots support, and his followers are not likely to accept his ouster quietly, deepening party divisions.
The party will hold a vote March 24-28 to elect top office bearers to occupy senior government positions. The party's deputy president usually becomes the deputy prime minister.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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Perhaps just a statistical 'cluster', but if not...., very strange.
Autism is terrifying the community of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, and some pediatricians and educators have joined parents in raising the alarm. But public health experts say it is hard to tell whether the apparent surge of cases is an actual outbreak, with a cause that can be addressed, or just a statistical fluke.
A small recent study of refugees in schools in Stockholm found that Somalis were in classes for autistic children at three times the normal rate.
Somalis began arriving in Minneapolis in 1993, driven out by civil war; now their population in Minnesota is estimated at 30,000 to 60,000. The city is welcoming and social benefits are generous, but many live a life apart as conservative Muslims, the women in head scarves and long dresses. Many Somali men have jobs as taxi drivers or security guards; others are accountants or run shops in the mini-malls catering to Somalis.
Antivaccine activists are campaigning among them, which worries public health officials, especially because some families go back and forth to Somalia, where measles is still a significant cause of childhood death, according to Unicef.
One of the first to raise the alarm was Anne Harrington, who worked in special education in the Minneapolis schools for 21 years. In the last decade, she said, "we've begun seeing a tremendous number of kids born here who have the more severe forms of autism."
Last year, she said, 25 percent of the children in preschool classes offering the most intensive treatment had Somali parents, while only about 6 percent of public school enrollment is Somali.
Dr. Daniel S. McLellan, a pediatrician, said that when he began practicing at Children's Hospital six years ago, he was struck by how many autistic Somali children he saw.
#1
Inbreeding of an already susceptible population. Middle Eastern Families Help Scientists Pinpoint Autism Genes Walsh and his colleagues took another step to make finding autism genes easier: they specifically targeted families in which the mother and father shared a recent ancestor. "This shared ancestry roughly doubles the chance of offspring being affected," he explained. "This increase in risk is modest - about the same as having a child at age 40 versus at age 20 - but more importantly, the shared ancestry provides a trace that makes it easier to track inherited mutations."
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 8:53 Comments ||
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#2
Hmmm. If autism, a mental illness, gets concentrated in a population through inbreeding, is militant Islam just another variant of mental illness concentrated through inbreeding (or via contagion - maybe goats?)
#3
There's a genetic connection for autism and Asperger's Syndrome. We have three Aspies out of 5 kids. My dad, who is a genius but is so narrow minded he can see through a keyhole with both eyes, shows a lot of Asperger traits. As the family historian I can see who probably had autistic traits in the last four generations, on both my dad's side and my mom's side.
I'm a carrier for the Asperger gene, even though my parents' families came from different parts of what is now Germany.
So it would make sense that, in a culture that encourages marriage between close relatives, we see a higher rate of autism. We'll probably see aa high concentration of other genetic conditions as well.
The Spanish Habsburgs in the 16th and 17th Centuries intermarried with their Austrian cousins to the point that the Habsburg chin became a deformity, rendering Charles II of Spain unable to chew his food. The family was already dying out; and Charles II had so many physical problems that the line died out with him.
#5
Since this particular incidence seems to be related to inbreeding, is there any way to check Somalis in Somalia to see if it's also occurring there, too? (Probably not. Too bad.)
I see the anti-vaccine clowns are hard at it, in spite of zero scientific evidence on their side, and several scientific studies debunking any connection between vaccination and autistm....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/19/2009 15:09 Comments ||
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#6
Here's a brief but useful article on the autism/MMR discussion:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/mmr_prog_summary.shtml
Thanks, TW. History is my favorite soap opera.
It's kind of odd trying to teach history to an Aspie child who doesn't get cause and effect. At the elementary school level, she could get by with memorizing the sequence of events and learning the connections later. We used American Girl as our structure for History, and the autism therapists used the American Girls short stories to teach her cause and effect from a story. That took weeks per story.
At the high school level, her method isn't working so well; the issues are too complex to memorize a sequence.
#7
Wall to wall victims all. Useful idiots helping Islamists work the generous MN support systems. Next, convince them vaccines are the work of the devil and measles is better.
When the U.S. closed the southern border to Mexican trucking last week -- in violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement -- Mexico promised to retaliate. Yesterday it did, releasing a list of 89 U.S. products that will face new tariffs of 10% to 45%.
Mexico's decision wasn't taken lightly. Since 1995, three successive Mexican administrations have worked to get the U.S. to respect its Nafta obligation of allowing long-haul trucks across the border. In 2007 the two countries agreed to a pilot program that permitted a limited number of Mexican carriers into the U.S. under rigid safety regulations. After 18 months that program proved that Mexican carriers are as safe as their U.S. counterparts. That was bad news for the anti-competition Teamsters union, and last week it got Congress to kill the pilot program. Yesterday Mexico fired back.
Trade wars are never pretty. But given the downturn in demand that already exists in the U.S. economy, this one could be ugly, and dangerous. Mexico is the U.S.'s third largest trading partner and the new tariffs will affect some $2.4 billion in goods across 40 states.
California, an important supplier of fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts to Mexico, will be hit hard. Table grapes will face a 45% duty at the Mexican border; wine, almonds and juices among other agricultural products will pay 20%. Some 90% of Christmas-tree exports from California and 65% from Oregon go to Mexico. It's doubtful volumes will hold up beneath a 20% tariff.
Alongside Oregon, Washington state will pay dearly to protect the Teamsters. Four out of 10 pears that the U.S. exports go to Mexico and half of those come from Washington. Under the new rules, American pears now face a 20% tariff, as do a host of paper products from the Pacific Northwest and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's scrap battery industry, which exports $128 million annually to Mexico, won't be as competitive after it pays a 20% tariff. Nor will New York's $24 million annual exports in personal hygiene products or its exports of $250 million in precious-metals jewelry. President Obama's home state of Illinois can't be happy to learn it will lose competitiveness under a 20% tariff on its plastic tableware and kitchenware exports to Mexico ($57 million annually) and on its printed leaflets and brochures ($68.7 million).
North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan sponsored the amendment that closed the border and his constituents will pay. North Dakota only exports $1 million in oil seeds annually but 80% of that goes to Mexico. They now face a 15% tariff.
With the cost of imported U.S. products now higher, Mexicans will substitute these U.S. brands with products from Europe, Canada and Latin America. The retaliation appears to take care not to punish Mexican consumers or producers nor give new protection to any special interest in the domestic market. Its purpose is to focus Washington on its Nafta commitments.
While Americans wait for that moment, U.S. exporters will lose market share. That will put more American jobs, household incomes, and, yes, even mortgage payments at risk. President Obama said earlier this week that he wants to work with Congress to see if he can reopen the border. When he sees how much banning trucks is going to cost the flat U.S. economy, he may want to step on it.
So much for the promise to save US jobs. The administration is in overdrive.
On crack, it would appear.
Barry never liked NAFTA anyway. And he clearly hasn't learned from history ...
Posted by: Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 ||
03/19/2009 02:46 ||
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#1
Does anyone know if it is a verifiable fact that this is in violation of NAFTA? That seems to be a key question. I never trust articles that make sweeping statements at their outset, and then build on the statements.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
03/19/2009 8:04 Comments ||
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#2
2008 US trade deficit w/ Mexico: $64.4 billion. 2008 Mexican GDP: $886 billion
US Trade deficit as % of Mexican GDP: 7.27%
Who has more to lose?
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 8:12 Comments ||
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#3
We do, when the Mexican economy implodes, their government loses the war with the drug cartels and huge numbers of people flee across the border to AZ, CA, TX and NM, and when cartel violence follows them in increasing tempo.
#4
Well the huge numbers of illegals and drug cartels are already here. Something like 20% of Mexico's population already lives in the US, legally and illegally. How about using some of the trillion $ stimulus and building a border fence and obstacles, actually enforcing immigration law and work to reduce the illegal alien crime problem and reducing the drain on the US taxpayer? $64.4 billion a year properly applied could go a long way to reducing that problem.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 8:36 Comments ||
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#5
Can't build a border fence, Ed. San Fran Nan said immigration enforcement is un-American. Plus it might impede the migration of the yellow-spotted ground sloth or something.
#7
Something for Arnold and Nacy to chew on: Costs of Illegal Immigration to State Match Amount of the Budget Deficit While Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for increases in the sales tax and cuts in services to reduce the budget deficit of $11.2 billion, a population group has noted that the shortfall is about the same as the costs of illegal immigration to the state.
Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) says that a 2004 study indicated that California's illegal alien population imposed a net cost of $9 billion per year on the state's taxpayers just for education, medical care and incarceration. “After adjusting the figure for current costs and increases in the number of illegal aliens, it would exceed the state’s projected deficit,” according to Diana Hull, the organization’s President, “and this is a very conservative estimate.”
Other states are taking steps to reduce illegal immigration and the burdens it imposes. Arizona, for instance, passed legislation requiring that employers use the E-verify system to check the work eligibility of employees. “Unfortunately, California is going the other direction, and taxpayers get stuck with the bill,” said Hull.
The costs of illegal immigration to California are likely much higher. A 2007 study by Philip J. Romero, formerly a research economist at RAND, top economic adviser to Governor Pete Wilson and later Dean of the University of Oregon School of Business, estimated that illegal aliens in California receive somewhere between $10 and $38 billion more in state services than they pay in state taxes.
I believe this was written before the Fanny Mae collapse and the current year CA deficit is around $15 billion.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 9:22 Comments ||
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#8
Seems like a stupid thing to do but, still, I have mixed feelings. Traffic on Interstate 5 in San Diego is already bad enough without thousands of Mexican trucks full of plastic crap from China being added to the mix. I don't believe anybody was thinking about I-5 when they approved NAFTA. This little bit of infrastructure is simply not up to it. Add to that a high probability that those trucks will be carrying cocaine, heroin and marijuana as well as plastic crap from China. They can deny it all they want but I won't believe them. I dunno, maybe some of our businesses can find new markets or, maybe, we could get wise and start slapping some tariffs on China. But I guess that isn't likely with them holding all our T-bills.
#9
I saw somewhere that there are 6 million semis on US roads, of which 98 are from Mexico.
Not 98 thousand, but 98. Less than a hundred. Two-digit number.
Maybe 98 more Teamsters will get trucking jobs as a result of this, but how many thousands of non-Teamsters get to lose their jobs because Obama's "best and brightest" Ivy League minds just violated international law and torpedoed our trade relationship with one of our two adjacent neighbors?
Posted by: Mike ||
03/19/2009 12:49 Comments ||
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#10
The lesson on trade wars is that both sides lose, just like in nuclear wars.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/19/2009 15:53 Comments ||
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#11
After 18 months that program proved that Mexican carriers are as safe as their U.S. counterparts.
Who's conclusion was this and who verifies continued compliance? The same overloaded agencies that can't stop smuggling would then have to ensure trucking safety as well? Or perhaps the various county agencies tasked with such (though what enforcement would there be of violations?)???
NAFTA was a disaster from the beginning. It's only right that Bambi gets to deal with this little Clinton legacy.
#12
My granddad used to say "if trade doesn't cross borders, tanks will"
In my callow youth I thought that was silly, but for some reason I'm coming around to that point of view.
The United States Mint has officially announced the suspension of another slate of gold and silver products. The affected products are 2009 dated American Gold and Silver Eagle coins produced for collectors. These coins are considered collectible versions of the bullion coins.
Although these are collectible coins, they represent a sizable amount of precious metals sales and represent a method of gold and silver investment for many individuals. Last year, the US Mint sold 1,157,911 ounces of silver in the form of Silver Eagle coins minted for collectors. They also sold 155,740 ounces of gold in the form of Gold Eagle and Gold Buffalo coins minted for collectors...
#4
Any profit made on the sale of bullion is subject to capital gains tax. Collectible coins are sold at a cost premium and are currently not subject to taxation or to confiscation as in 1933.
#7
I'd be a little cautious about putting all my eggs in the bullion basket. Under the "new deal" President Rooselvelt outlawed the private ownership of gold. With private ownership of gold illegal in the U.S., Roosevelt re-defines the U.S. "dollar" from 25.8 grains of 900-fine gold to 15.375 grains of 900-fine gold, and starts paying off the 20 billion dollar federal debt in these new smaller "dollars".
#8
Replace Gold with the $3 Dollar Obama Bills. It will 'Stimulate' both the economy and the senses.
Order now.
Special Consideration: These bills can not be used to pay US taxes or buy US treasury bonds; May only be used for Carbon offsets and super-duper batteries
#9
Please provide a link for the "flat out production of bullion coins", I can't find it.
The US Gov't has confiscated gold coins before, the confiscation was ratified by the US Supreme Court, and they can do it all over again. Hoard your 1909-1982 Lincoln pennies, they are worth 115% of their face value, in copper. Come to think of it, it's been a very long time since I've seen one in circulation.
The Federal Reserve says it would buy up more than 1 trillion dollars in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities to keep financial sector afloat. Ummm? With what?
The announcement was made at the end of a two-day meeting by the Federal Open Market Committee, which kept its base lending rate in a range of zero to 0.25 percent.
The Fed, which had been expected to keep its federal funds rate unchanged, said it "anticipates that economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period."
The US central bank will be printing massive amounts of money for these purchases to help foster recovery in the recession-mired economy, which shrank at a 6.2 percent pace in the last quarter of 2008.
On Wednesday, The dollar plunged over the Federal Reserve plan. The euro jumped to a two-month high of 1.3466 dollars at 1930 GMT from 1.3013 dollars late in New York on Tuesday.
Against the Japanese currency, the dollar fell to 96.03 yen from 98.61 yen on Tuesday. "The dollar's depreciation makes sense because the sharp drop in Treasury rates will reduce the relative attractiveness of US assets to foreign investors," said Jay Bryson, global economist at Wachovia Securities.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
A picture of an Ouroboros is needed for these stories...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/19/2009 0:21 Comments ||
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#2
I.e. The US gov just printed (virtually) up a trillion $ and gave it to themselves to give to financial sector deadbeats worldwide.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2009 0:40 Comments ||
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#3
The result:
http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/03/fed-to-buy-treasuries-it-prints-to-fund.html
China answered an hour later stating the need of a trade war.
#5
Now watch the US$ move down. After that, watch the europeans and other exporters to the US get frustrated by their loss of competitive edge and complain that the US is getting an advantage with a falling currency. Japan will not know what to do with exports already down 45% year over year. The trade wars are beginning. See the post on Mexico.
Then as the US$ keeps falling, foreigners will want a premium over their interest rate to compensate for the falling US$. Up go interest rates to compensate.
The Fed will try and keep rates low so they will buy more treasuries printing more money.
The US$ will fall more. Inflation will pick up but the trade wars and slowing economy coupled with rising unemployment, will cause the economy to stagnate.
That's how we get stagflation..... and on and on and on
#6
The accepted wisdom is that the USD will remain the world's reserve currency because there isn't an alternative.
I think this is wrong and we will soon reach a point where a falling USD fueled by US printing presses running hot will result in widespread dumping of USD. Fueling further falls.
A 'rush for the exit' which will happen in a matter of a few days.
However, the no alternative to the USD remains true, so we have a situation where countries have no way of holding large trade surpluses and they will consequently dissapear.
World trade will be drastically curtailed and China is in big trouble as to a lesser extent will OPEC.
I'd say with out of control deficits in the US, this scenario is almost certain in the next 6 months.
#8
The US Gov is printing money and screwing everybody who saves the Chicoms in the process.
fixed it.
This is a monumental error and I am surprised Larry Summers and Paul Volker signed on. The last year has been an astounding succession of bad and cowardly decisions by those who are supposed to be the responsible adults. Alexander Hamilton is definitely spinning.
Headline should have been Bogus Big Bankers Buy Billions in Bonds.
#9
the dallas branch of the fed has collected a lot of time series charts on their webspace
Perhaps I'm wrong but increasing M1 and M2 during a severe banking related contraction is a new event in American finance history. With manufacturing capacity low, unemployment high, etc. this new money will mostly just sit for awhile. Of course someday when we get to the other side of the cycle we will be in new territory again.
#10
With manufacturing capacity low, unemployment high, etc. this new money will mostly just sit for awhile.
Money seeks its own level. That's why the Fed screwed up the Dotcom bubble burst when it tried to recapitalize the market rather than accept the pain of readjustment. That infusion provided the fuel for the next series of speculations which got us to this point now. It's just more capital awaiting the next paper speculation as much as priming the overall economy. Until there is real monitoring and oversight on leverage, we're just waiting for the next wave.
#11
<<<< With manufacturing capacity low, unemployment high, etc. this new money will mostly just sit for awhile. >>>>
The number of refi's will jump as the rates come down. The Fannie raising of $41bln yesterday was a massive jump and it is anticipated that will continue. As the refi's increase and the holding costs reduce this puts more money in the consumer's pocket which will feed back into the economy in terms of consumption at some point. The point is probably where the consumer thinks that the asset deflation has ended and inflation has commenced. The overhang from unemployment will continue to cause people to be conservative as well but the risk of inflation will be disconcerting for those on fixed incomes so the treasury bubble will threaten to burst at some time.
So although there may not be a lot of movement apart from refi's and maybe a pick up in auto sales and student loans via additional financing, the goal is to underwrite the consumer.
Unfortunately, of course, with the suggestion now of an end run around congress to get the healthcare and cap in trade measures through via on a 51% majority in the senate, these measure might hit the consumer just as he is coming out of the gate and smack it all down.
But look at oil, natural gas, and gold this morning. Inflation is on the way and if oil keeps on going up that will also translate to higher fuel costs.
#12
This will have little effect on the housing market unless & until the lax lending standards prior to 2007 (or so) are re-instituted. These were a key part of the Housing Bubble, especially the breaking of the traditional link between loan value and household income. Housing prices generally need to fall to the level of household incomes before the housing market normalizes. I don't see how this will increase consumer consumption at all.
$1 trillion is trivial compared to the ocean of derivatives still waiting to disappear into an economic bit bucket. Events have a very long way to run.
#14
A few years ago Wall Street types (herein after known as 'roaches) came up with a whiz bang idea of taking toxic assets (hereinafter known as sh*t sandwiches) and after sprinkling holy water from the rating agencies and christening said sh*t sandwiches as AAA assets started selling them to gullible furners. To get the furners to buy said sandwiches, they had to eat some of them themselves. Finally the roaches exploded due to an excess of sh*t sandwiches.
Then along came Hank and Ben and Tim and Barney and ken etc and said the roaches are too big to fail and started doling taxpayers money to the roaches in exchange for the sh*t sandwiches cause the furners no longer wanted them.
As fast as the roaches got some fresh money in exchange for their sh*t sandwiches they scurried off under their rocks.
Problem is there wasn't enough clean taxpayer money to pay any more for sh*t sandwiches and furners (especially the Chicoms) weren't buying any more long term bonds and Fannie and Freddie were still hemorrhaging red, so what to do?
Problem, so many sh*t sandwiches to be offloaded and no more fools(read furners) left to eat them.
So it's got to be the last fool left, so the taxpayers will have to eat the sh*t sandwiches, so that the roaches no longer have to.
That what happened to the roaches will happen to the taxpayers is a pity, but business is business and there are no more fools left.
So thank you taxpayers for making the roaches whole again and remember, it shouldn't take more than three generations to overcome the toxins in your systems...suckers.
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.
Bernard Madoff's long-time accountant was arrested on fraud charges Wednesday and accused of helping the disgraced money manager cheat thousands of investors out of billions of dollars in the past two decades. 
Smooth Criminal Award: Grocery Store Manager Robs Own Clerk at Gunpoint, Doesn't Think to Wear a Mask
In a stunning turn of events, an Austrian on trial for imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children pleaded guilty on Wednesday to all charges against him -- including negligent homicide -- after hearing his daughter's heart-wrenching testimony. 
Azeri election officials reported strong turnout in a referendum Wednesday that is almost certain to hand President Ilham Aliyev the chance to rule Azerbaijan for life, provided he keeps being re-elected. 
Pakistan People Party (PPP) leader and former information minister Sherry Rehman has denied the reports about her resignation from the party's position. She told newsmen on Wednesday that she doesn't want to create any kind of crack in the party. "PPP doesn't want to put any curb on media, she said, adding, she has not quit the party's position."
BAGHDAD -- The stench of human waste is enough to tell Falah abu Hasan that his drinking water is bad. His infant daughter Fatma's continuous illnesses and his own constant nausea confirm it. "We are the poor. No one cares if we get sick and die," he said. "But someone should do something about the water. It is dirty. It brings disease."
The Federal Reserve says it would buy up more than 1 trillion dollars in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities to keep financial sector afloat. 
