A nun was convicted of religious harassment after ranting against 'terrorist' Muslims in the middle of London's busy Oxford Street.
Sister Ruth Augustus, 66, was fined £200 after she shouted at two women in full robes and veils "you're probably terrorists, get back to your own country". Well, I would like to see their charity (zakat) receipts.
Later she told cops who arrested her they should go back to Iraq and have their heads chopped off.
City of Westminster Magistrates Court heard how trouble flared when Augustus, a missionary who has worked with prostitutes in the developing world, was handing out prayer leaflets outside Debenhams department store on Easter Tuesday.
When people of Muslim appearance passed she called out "Jesus loves Muslims," but two ladies in traditional dress took offence.
Fellow leafleter, Tony Rollins, told the court: "The ladies answered back and told her shut her stupid mouth.
"Sister Ruth said to them 'you're probably terrorists, get back to your own country'. They gave her a long, hard stare before walking away.
"I was cringing at what she said. It made me feel very uneasy."
WPC Natasha Walker said she heard a 'commotion' outside the shop and went to investigate.
The officer said: "I heard someone shouting 'terrorists, terrorists' more than once. It's busy on Oxford Street, so she must have been shouting really loud.
"I turned round and noticed there were a group of people standing outside Debenhams. Sister Augustus was shouting 'terrorists' repeatedly and other things about Muslims.
"I asked her to stop, but she refused. She said 'I will not stop, I'm a nun'.
"Because she refused to stop I arrested her. She said 'You're not arresting me, I'm a nun. It's a waste of tax payers' money. You're arresting me because you're a Muslim.'"
WPC Walker called for for colleagues to help bundle the 'agitated and aggressive' into the back of the police van.
WPC Keeley Pemberton said when she arrived she heard Augustus shouting at PC Walker "Take your dirty hands off me, you're a Muslim."
After a night in police cells Augustus was bailed to return to Marylebone Police Station in June, but when her solicitor didn't show, she launched into another tirade, it was said. Some dudes like a little aggression in their women.
She called the two officers morons, referred to one as 'WPC Muslim Walker', and shouted in the public waiting area "This is a Muslim country full of terrorists," the court heard.
WPC Pemberton said Augustus became increasingly 'agitated and abusive'.
She said: "I asked her to be quiet and she shouted 'Go back to Iraq' and was pointing at WPC Walker. She said it very aggressively.
"Then she looked at me and said 'You should go with her and both of you will get your heads chopped off'."
WPC Walker said: "She said to me 'you should go back to Iraq where you belong, where all the terrorists are. You are likely to be beheaded. You deserve it'..."
#1
I can personally recommend the writings of the English historian Paul Johnson. I have four of his histories -- of Christianity, Judaism, the 20th century, and of art. Each changed my understanding of the subject and filled in a great many blank places in my knowledge... mostly blanks I didn't realize were there. In fact, I had to buy a hardcover copy of his History of Christianity, because the paperback is falling apart. ;-) The only historian I have more of is Hendrik van Loon, whose illustrations are nearly as charming and idiosyncratic as his text.
WoT or run of the mill thugs? The group of "Armed Men" is not identified. Moving this to 'non-WoT', as it's much more likely to be thugs. Kidnapping oil workers is pretty common there; they get released in a day or two after the oil company pays off. Still important for us to know about it.
#2
I read in some other blog/article/somewhere that Putin is putting a lot of pressure on Shell back in the Motherland. Is it possible that the not-so-former USSR is fomenting/financing the Delta festivities?
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who is 82, says he wants to stay in office two years beyond his present term. Some observers believe he will stay in power for the rest of his life. In fact, it's doubtful there are any observers who don't think he will.
Peta Thornycroft reports many economists say bankrupt Zimbabwe's economy cannot recover while Mr. Mugabe remains in power. If then.
Ahead of the fractious ruling Zanu-PF annual conference, which began Thursday, President Mugabe has confirmed he will not retire when his term expires in March 2008. He told visiting Canadian journalists, in an interview published in the Herald newspaper Thursday, he will retire some time, but not now, when the ruling Zanu-PF is in what he describes as a "shambles."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Rubbish! He simply must remain in power. What model or template for progress will South Africa and the remainder of the continent have if he retiresn or leaves office?
#4
Hey in 2 more years many more will have starved or died of aids so the economy might actually be better and he can elect himself to 2 more making him 86 when he leaves office. Then more will be dead so repeat and rinse.
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia is ready to handle any outbreak of sectarian trouble between Sunni and Shia Muslims at the Haj pilgrimage later this month, the interior minister said. There is no concern about this since everyone is coming to perform haj and I think the fear of God will be enough of a deterrent, Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told reporters in comments carried in state media. But we have taken all security precautions and we do not discount any incident. We are completely ready, but hope we dont have to use our capabilities, he added.
"There will be no riots, terrorist acts, stampedes, protests, loose wimmins, lightning strikes or cyclones to disturb the Haj this year!"
I've got the stones concession. Primo Makkah River Rocks. I'm gonna be sooo rich.
Around 1.5 million Muslims from around the world are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks for the Haj pilgrimage which begins in late December. Security is usually tight around the annual rites, which have in the past seen political protests by pilgrims from Iran and other countries.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
If devout Moslems are willing to murder each other in large numbers in and around their "most holy" places in Iraq, why wouldn't the thought of doing the same in Mecca occur to them? after all, the martyr is most welcome in Allah's Paradise, especially when killing Apostates.
#3
I'm wondering when the "Iranian" nuke will go off at the Mecca shindig.
Or maybe Indian, or Paki, or N Korean, or french or somebody who didn't like their latest energy bill, or somebody just trying to stir up the hornet's nest...
The PakiWaki take...
LONDON, Dec 14: In what is regarded as an unprecedented development, Prime Minister Tony Blair was questioned by the police on Thursday as part of the on-going criminal investigations into cash-for-honours allegations.
Started in March this year by the Metropolitan Police, the investigations are aimed at looking for a connection between peerage nominations by the Labour government and contributions to party funds by the nominated persons.
The inquiry is taking a dual approach; looking at the 2005 working peerages list and any offences in that period relating to the 1925 Honours (Prevention of Abuse) Act and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000, which covers party funding and the presentation of accounts.
The inquiry is in its last stages and is expected to conclude by January.
A spokesman for Mr Blair said the prime minister had denied that peerages had been offered for sale.
The prime minister was interviewed as a witness without the presence of a lawyer. The spokesman said that Mr Blair had explained to the police why four businessmen had been nominated for peerages, and insisted that giving money to a political party should not prevent someone from receiving an honour.
#4
These are those lifetime peerages, I assume, not the inherited kind. Cash-for-honours goes back to the establishment of the thing, I suspect -- certainly it rated a bit of a going over in Lynn & Jay's Yes Minister books from the BBC series, published in the early 1980s.
MOSCOW - Russia will hold its next presidential election on March 9, 2008, electoral commission chairman Alexander Veshnyakov said on Thursday, Interfax news agency reported.
I think we can already name a date. The Russian presidential election will take place on the second Sunday of March 2008..., March 9, Veshnyakov said. Campaigning will start approximately in the first days of December 2007, he said. Just pick a date, it isn't like we don't know the result. A 3-month campaign season? Lol.
Under the constitution President Vladimir Putin is required to step down in 2008, following his second consecutive four-year term in the Kremlin. Putin is widely expected to name a preferred successor who would then have an overwhelming advantage in the poll. Son? Wife? Daughter?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Betting pools have started on var Websites/Net about Putin staying on due to something happening wid IRAN [North Korea-Twn?]around the same time.
SUVA, Fiji: Fiji's powerful tribal chiefs on Friday refused to recognize last week's military takeover, and said they would hold consultations next week with the ousted prime minister on the country's future.
Great Council of Chiefs chairman Ratu Ovini Bokini said the group still considers one of its members, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, to be Fiji's president a direct challenge to armed forces chief Commodore Frank Bainimarama's claim to have seized presidential powers on Dec. 5.
"That is a non-issue," Bokini said of Iloilo's status. "He's still the president."
The opposition of the chiefs, who hold constitutional power to appoint the president and have huge influence among the South Pacific island nation's indigenous Fijian majority, is a stumbling block for Bainimarama's plans.
Continued on Page 49
The Federal Government is considering a $2 billion back-up plan to replace the Air Force's aging F-111 fighter bombers while it waits for the controversial Joint Strike Fighter jets to be delivered.
The Government says it remains committed to buying up to 100 Joint Strike Fighters for $16 billion, but they may not be delivered before the F-111s are retired. So the Government is considering buying 24 Super Hornets to cover any gap.
Meanwhile, Labor is supporting the Government's $1 billion overhaul of military recruitment. Prime Minister John Howard says the Defence application process will be shortened and retention bonuses improved to attract more people and encourage them to stay. "In an era of low unemployment it is a very big task," he said.
Chief of the Army Lieutenant General Peter Leahy says the changes are needed. "In a very well performed economy where recruiting is difficult, we frankly need to do better in this area," he said. "Recruiting for many has taken too long and has been difficult and over-complicated."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
F-111 > okay, I'll bite,wasn't the last 111 suppos to had been retired already??? NASA + aersopace companies were suppos to be the only ones flying the bird. OTOH, maybe shouldn't be surprised, since JACK KERVORKIAN's suppos to be dead also. OKAY, PYWAR, THE PENN STATE SUB SHOPS + MOTHER CINDY WANTS ANSWERS AND WHATS 'EM NOW, D *** it.
#2
...The AussieVarks are pretty much at the end of their rope, but the RAAF has done an incredible job of keeping them going. What they need tho aren't Hornets but rather StrikeEagles.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/15/2006 6:56 Comments ||
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#3
Ummmm, Joe - Penn State sub shops?
Up the Geodon to about 140mg at bedtime. Eat something first.
#8
Joe, the USAF EF-111's have all been retired, but these RAAF a/c are strictly fighter bombers, and a different variant. The Electric Aardvaarks were originally 'straight' F-111's that were retrofitted with the ALQ-99 jamming system similiar to the EA-6B Prowlers. The Electric Intruders are now the sole ECM aircraft for our armed forces.
#4
Not too much different than Hollywood for such a mix of beauty and ideals, Badanov. Thank goodness the Hollywood party has yet to announce a candidate for 08.
#7
shes the babe that says she want Irans ENTIRE nuclear program abolished, not just the enrichment. Dont know if she'll walk the walk, but she can sure talk the talk.
#8
Liten TU, I already explained the other day that these are lies made by GIs who had cheated their wives, girl friends while in France. Serach a couple days back for a more detauiled explanation.
If you don't believe me come to Paris and check.
Now Trailing Wife, since you found instructive what I told the other day when a man comes back from Paris and he tells Parisians don't shave their legs or similar non sense then he has something to hide. If he comes back telling: "They are very pretty but you are far prettier to me" then he is either very smart or really in love.
Badanov.... let's just say we disagree on this one.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/15/2006 19:32 Comments ||
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#12
I don't know, Frank. I'm almost to the same position as Thoth's begging pleading. She don't look that bad.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/15/2006 19:44 Comments ||
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#13
If he comes back telling: "They are very pretty but you are far prettier to me" then he is either very smart or really in love.
That's almost exactly what Mr. Wife said when he got back from his first trip to Caracas, JFM. Only the word he used in that case was sexy. :-) And yes, your posts are well worth learning from, cher monsieur. I saw that in Germany the shave/no shave divide is class-linked.
(Itar-Tass) -- Dmitry Kovtun, a Russian businessman, a witness on the Litvinenko case against whom criminal proceedings were instituted in Germany, cannot give any explanations on how he left a radioactive trace in Hamburg. Kovtun, who has been accused of bringing illegally radioactive materials to Germany, believes he might bring the radionuclides to Hamburg from London.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the Spiegel Te-Fau TV Company, Kovtun said he had met Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned with polonium-210, in London on October 16, 17 and 18. As is known, the traces keep on for a long time, and when one travels about the world, he may leave them everywhere, Kovtun said.
He expressed regret over having troubled the German public so much. It is me who brought all those problems to Germany. My family also suffers from it a great deal, he continued. According to his information, he is staying in one of the Moscow clinics.
Commenting on his health, he said he was feeling better by the days. He hopes to check out of the hospital later this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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Now it's The El Lay Timez' turn to fellate Barack Hussein ObamaLama's DingDong.
Look beyond Obama's two years in the Senate and you'll see that he's well prepared to run for president.
On his swing through New Hampshire last weekend, Obama drew rapturous crowds. But many pundits continue to assume that he'll be just a flash in the pan, sharing the fate of Howard Dean, the one-time Democratic hottie who flamed out before the campaign season ended.
Sure, say his detractors, Obama is a symbol of hope to Americans desperate for politics that transcend barriers of race, class and ethnicity. But charisma isn't everything it can't make up for lack of experience. Obama has never been "tested." Can he withstand the rigors of the campaign trail? When the ads go negative (start looking now for sly insinuations that a man named Barack Hussein Obama can't be trusted!), will he fall apart? Can he handle the challenges of leading the world's last limping superpower through an era fraught with conflict and danger?
But Obama is nowhere near as unseasoned as his detractors suggest.
YJCMTSU. Don't try this at home, folks. These zoomers are professionals.
#1
"At the end of the day, good presidents need the judgment and common sense necessary to make tough decisions. But to get there, they need to know how to listen and how to nurture, rather than crush, dissenting voices."
How in the world do idiots like the author of this steaming heap of nonsense manage to convince themselves that "dissenting voices" are being "crushed" by the Bush administration?
We've been positively DROWNING in "dissenting voices"-- most of them saying very stupid things, very loudly-- from the moment Bush took office. The "dissenters" shut their pieholes for a few hours immediately following the attacks on 9/11, but other than that they've been spewing their crap completely uninhibited 24/7/365 for nearly six straight years.
"Dissenters" are being "crushed"??? It's enough to make me wish I could show them what "crushed" REALLY means.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/15/2006 6:26 Comments ||
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#2
If he's sensitive about his big ears (stick a feather in his nose and he might fly!) how do you think he'll handle a primary campaign... or al Qaeda?
#4
bah. They probably mean "crushed" as in "refuted beyond all recovery." or "have their egos crushed by not having every word be obeyed immediately", or "I have been IGNORED! My ego is crushed!"
On the other hand, obama just might make a preferable canditate than Shrillary...
#7
Personally, I think this is ALL hype and he WILL be a "flash in the pan." Two years (until the Presidential elections) is an ETERNITY in politics. One slip up, one muddy event is all it takes for the "march of Hillary" to continue for the brass ring.
Plus, his name alone (in the WoT) is enough material for the Repubs to run on (as well as Leno, Letterman, etc.).
Posted by: BA ||
12/15/2006 11:12 Comments ||
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#8
This is one of the slickest liars to come along in some time. As a social conservative, I can only characterize his political track record as unadulterately EVIL. I wish I could believe he's just a flash in the pan, but alas, it seems that the the bigger a man's smile, and the oilier his voice, the more voters are willing to overlook the wretchedness of his views.
Right now I consider him the most dangerous man in America.
#9
I with'ya mcs. He is not to light and not to dark. His everything to everyone while not being beholden to anyone. He was a muslim before he became a christian. He is a globalist and a nationalist. But above everything else he has the soaring voice of John Kerry without the annoying snobby accent. That will carry him along way with the left as they base much of there judgements on emotions and feel good concepts.
#10
If he doesn't know anything about anything, of course, that's no good. We're still trapped in an unhappy national experiment with a guy in that category.
Whoaaaa! Eight paragraphs before you take a swipe at Bush. What up Rosa are you losing your venom or have you just momentarily gone all wobbly over Barach-ka-risma?
#11
I with'ya mcs. He is not to light and not to dark. His everything to everyone while not being beholden to anyone. He was a muslim before he became a christian. He is a globalist and a nationalist. But above everything else he has the soaring voice of John Kerry without the annoying snobby accent.
Omigod! He's the antiChrist!
/snark>
And he very well might be. His politics and his smarminess and his attitude is much like something you would see in someone who believes he has a destiny.
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Senator John Kerry, visiting Egypt Thursday during a tour of the Middle East, accused the Bush administration of neglecting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nice reminder of how politics stops at the water's edge ...
Kerry met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and said they discussed Iraq as well as the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. "I have always believed that the Middle East peace process is the critical issue of the region, and it has not been focused on for the past 6-7 years adequately," the Massachusetts Democrat told reporters after meeting Mubarak. "I think there has been a huge loss of opportunities." And it was going so well before that ...
The senator said he agreed with the recommendation of the Iraq Study Group that the U.S. should engage adversaries such as Iran and Syria in trying to curb the conflict in Iraq. The recommendation was contained in the report by the bipartisan commission to the White House last week.
"I think it is important to talk and have a dialogue, but you don't give up our principles and you don't make deals that are against your larger interest. Syria needs to understand that and also Iran, but I think it is important to begin a discussion," Kerry said. He's for giving everything away before he's against it.
President Bush has expressed reluctance to seek help from Syria or Iran on Iraq because of their support for militant groups as well as Syria's alleged interference in Lebanon and Iran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.
#6
Make sure JFnK gets a really, really beat up chopper to fly around in when he gets to Iraq to yuck it up with the troopies about his "botched joke".
Preferably one with Ukranian maintenance...
#7
The senator said he agreed with the recommendation of the Iraq Study Group
Of course Senator Ketchup agrees with the Iraq Surrender Study Groups recommendations. After his precipitous withdrawal proposal was soundly rejected and mocked by every dime-store military hack, he gets plenty of opportunities to say bipartisan without actually being bipartisan.
#8
Since even the democrats no longer pay any attention to the posturings of the junior senator from Massachusetts, he has to go overseas to feel important. The ship has left the port and JFK is windsurfing after it.
#9
"I have always believed that the Middle East peace process is the critical issue of the region, and it has not been focused on for the past 6-7 years adequately"
Yeah, I don't remember the Middle East coming up once in the last six or seven years. Have any of you guys been discussing it?
#10
I think Zenster mentioned it in October, but then again, maybe not
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/15/2006 18:32 Comments ||
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#11
It must really gall him to be called "the Junior Senator from Massachusetts". He's a grown man who's married into money twice, for cripe's sake.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/15/2006 18:56 Comments ||
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#12
PRAVDA > Besides Dubya's US$100B war funding request + War stcokpiles, Putin also upset about alleged USA/FRENCH, CIA RING IN EGYPT which funnels fighters to Lebanon, etal.
I dunno about "oversight". She and the Donks could use massive infusions of both, Intelligence and Ethics.
House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that she will create a new panel within the Appropriations Committee to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies and a House task force to examine establishing an outside ethics panel.
The twin moves demonstrated the delicate balance that Pelosi (D-Calif.) is trying to strike to maintain her political power while fulfilling the promises of the Democrats' successful 2006 campaign. Both decisions fall short of recommendations coming from the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and from ethics groups. But they go well beyond what Republicans were willing to do while they controlled Congress and beyond even what some Democrats were anticipating in recent weeks.
"I think it's a significant step forward on improving oversight and a major step forward on correcting the dysfunction on Capitol Hill," former congressman Timothy J. Roemer (D-Ind.), a member of the Sept. 11 commission, said of the intelligence plan.
Continued on Page 49
#1
"I think this is a significant step forward in consolidating the power the American Voters gave us Democrats in the last election" sounds more like reality. More power to control what these agencies do and what they can leak to the press.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/15/2006 9:45 Comments ||
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#2
Rep. Martin T. Meehan (Mass.), one of the Democrats' point men on the ethics package that will come to a vote in January, said last week that an outside panel would not be part of the initial wave of ethics rules but could come up later.
Speaking of ethics, Marty, how's that term limits promise you made a few years back working out?
#3
Fine, let's get it on over intelligence and ethics. Here's my proposed agenda:
(1) Why is a murderer still sitting in office (Sen. Kennedy)?
(2) Why was Jamie Gorelick, author of the famous "wall" memo between CIA and FBI allowed to sit on the 9/11 Commission, when she should've been testifying and grilled before it?
(3) Let's ask the incoming Chair of the Intel committee to define the difference between Sunni and Shi'a, and which group is al Qaeda and Iran made up of?
(4) Who's paying for Sen. Reid's real estate deals?
(5) Who paid for that Florida Senator's trip to Syria?
(6) Why is Jon Carry travelling through the Middle East, bad-mouthing our CinC (on foreign soil), and is this treason, or at least some other criminal act?
(7) How much did Rep. Jefferson (R-LA) have in his microwave, under the mattress and in his shoes (in addition to the $90k in his freezer)? Inquiring minds wanna know.
And, that's just "gettin' started." I'm beginning to believe in some STRONG moves that need to be made SOON to head these arsewipes off at the pass. Let's hand Senate elections back to the State Legislatures (not elected by the masses, but by the States) as Zell Miller has suggested. Or, passing into law a "balanced budget" Constitutional Amendment (as, I believe, Newt Gingrich once suggested) and enforce it. Or, requiring a basic understanding test of our form of Federal Gov't and how it (is supposed to) works according to the Constitution before allowing someone to vote (as suggested by Neal Boortz). Or Rep. John Linder's FairTax bill. Or, the requirement to outline which Constitutional Article allows for each earmark and who suggested it.
Posted by: BA ||
12/15/2006 9:57 Comments ||
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#4
An explantion for the above:
Meehan successfully ran for the House in 1992 on a platform of reform, including a commitment to pushing through term limits for members of the House. As part of that platform, Meehan made a pledge not to serve more than four terms. On the House floor in 1995 he scolded members who might go back on their promise to limit their tenure in office. "The best test of any politicians' credibility on term limits," he said, "is whether they are willing to put their careers where their mouths are and limit their own service." Despite his pledge, Meehan again ran for Congress in the year 2000, exceeding four terms.
And I think he's working on No. 8.
Thanks, Mr. Ethical Point Man. Believe it or not, compared to this guy, Kerry look "genuine"...
#6
As much as I dont like the Dems & thier collectivist policies, at least they did do SOMETHING about Jefferson, unlike that idiot Hastert that protected him.
Thats why the idiot Repubs lost: they refused to be ethical at nearly every chance presented to them (Jefferson, Foley, earmarks, etc), and they stacked the rules and ethcis comitted to be a rubber stamp for DeLay and Hastert. The Repubs in congress have been gutless ever since Gingrich left. Look at the spineless attempt to placate us with 700 miles of border fence that will likely never be built. And they have the gall to wonder why people didn't come out and vote for them.
#7
True, OS, very true. But, I believe that could be handled (as was via the elections) within the Party. The Donks are covered in mud (and deeper in it) a LOT more often than the Pubbies. It's just the MSM doesn't point it out as often.
And, while I condemn all the lack of responding to ethical issues within the Pubbies' party, I also loathe selling our nation out during a time of war a LOT more!
Posted by: BA ||
12/15/2006 11:04 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson remained in critical condition but was described as recovering and holding his wife's hand Thursday after emergency overnight surgery to repair bleeding inside his brain. The South Dakota lawmaker, 59, was on "an uncomplicated postoperative course," the U.S. Capitol physician said after visiting him Thursday afternoon. Johnson suffered a hemorrhage in his brain caused by a rare and sometimes fatal condition.
"He has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required," said the physician, Adm. John Eisold. He had said earlier, "The senator is recovering without complication."
Good news.
Johnson was responding to the voice of his wife, Barbara, and following directions after the surgery, the senator's office said in a statement. "He was reaching for and holding her hand."
Eisold, the Capitol physician, said doctors stopped bleeding in Johnson's brain and drained the blood that had accumulated there. "It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis," Eisold said.
Correct. One of the golden rules of neurosurgery and neurology in stroke, aneurysm and AVM patients is that the quicker you recover, the better your ultimate recovery is going to be. That said, re-bleeding in the first 48 to 72 hr or so is the major issue.
On Thursday afternoon, Johnson underwent an additional procedure to prevent blood clots. The procedure is standard after surgery, said Julianne Fisher, Johnson's spokeswoman. Otherwise, she said, there were no new developments. "No news is good news," she said.
The procedure was likely (don't know for sure) placement of a filter in the inferior vena cava to prevent a blood clot in the legs from floating up to the lungs (called a 'pulmonary embolus'). These occur frequently after neurosurgery and can be fatal, so preventing them is a very good idea and is part of the standard of care.
Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large, become tangled and sometimes burst. The condition is often present from birth.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
This is good - but I do feel for him and his family. That condition (vessel failure) usually recurs when its life-long and genetic (as it is in this case), and is often fatal. The wonder here is that it hadn't show up before this. Sen Johnson is a fortunate man in that way.
#2
That's true. Once he recovers he'll have some further diagnostic evaluation to see whether he has more of these and if so, where. If they can be fixed surgically that's what he'll have, assuming he can tolerate it.
I should note that there are some non-surgical options that can be explored, using a catheter put a wire into these (to clot them), etc.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/15/2006 0:15 Comments ||
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#3
I've heard that blood is corrosive and causes a lot of damage and swelling to brain tissue.
#4
Glads to hear he's doing better; and thanks again, Dr. Steve, for sharing your knowledge.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/15/2006 7:06 Comments ||
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#5
Yes, thanks, Doc for your insight. I remember when my mom went under the knife for back surgery (she had a Staph infection that basically ate away 1 or 2 discs and the "jelly" type cushioning between them....led her to suddenly loose feeling below the waist, she was partially paralyzed for a while, as the disks were pressing against the spinal cord...but she walks now like nothing happened). She had to undergo treatment also to prevent blood clots in the legs/back area from floating up to the heart and/or brain. Seven freakin' hours under the knife, I've never been so anxious in my life. Anyways, my best to Sen. Johnson and his family, and I'll continue to pray for him and his family too. A long recovery and/or future surgeries it sounds like.
Posted by: BA ||
12/15/2006 9:37 Comments ||
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#6
I hope the Senator makes a full recovery and goes on to serve the people of South Dakota well. That having been said, I've long suspected that if you examined senior members of the Democratic party, you'd find congenital brain damage.
#7
I'm glad he's doing well.
If he wasn't, I'd be worried Harry Reid would pull the ammo budget for Iraq and use it to fund some Fantastic Voyage thing to fix him up just so Harry can stay Mr. Important Guy...
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/15/2006 19:33 Comments ||
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#10
There's a whole passel of Dem Sens on the high side of 80. Repubs should be setting up candidates now, over the next 6 years they'll get shots at several seats.
Not to be ghoulish, but that's something we all face: nobody gets off this planet alive - except the occasional astronaut/cosmonaut, and even then, that's a dicey call sometimes.
Nepal's governing parties and Maoist rebels held talks yesterday an interim constitution that could bring the rebels into government and see the monarchy suspended. Leaders from the ruling seven-party coalition, including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, attended the talks, while the Maoists were represented by their second-in-command, Baburam Bhatterai.
Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the document could be finalised later Thursday but added the political parties "not us were taking their time over the document".
Senior government negotiator Pradeep Gyawali said talks Wednesday were "positive and sorted out differences that cropped up on some crucial issues, including who (was) to be made the head of state in the interim period". But he did not divulge details. The Maoists have said they want to strip King Gyanendra of his title and name a temporary head of state, such as Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala -- the respected octogenarian architect of last month's peace deal that officially ended a decade-long civil war.
Some members of the interim coalition, however, would prefer to see the position left open or the king -- who is still revered by many in the conservative nation as a Hindu deity -- retain a strictly ceremonial role.
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South Korea's Ban Ki-moon, who has just been sworn in as the next secretary-general of the United Nations, pledged on Thursday to restore trust in the world body.
At a news conference shortly after a swearing-in ceremony, Ban said he foresees his future work at the helm of the UN falling into three areas: strengthening the UN through enhanced consolidation and coordination, building a staff that is better qualified to meet global challenges and restoring trust in the organization.
"The UN needs to restore confidence and trust from member states and other major stakeholders," even though it has been playing an instrumental role in keeping international peace and security, he said.
Besides, "there is some distrust and gap of trust among member states and between member states and the secretariat," he added, pledging to play a bridge role between divergent opinions and groups.
"I am a man of mission and my mission could be dubbed ' operation restore trust,' Ban said. "I hope this mission is not a mission impossible."
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I'm sure His Specialness is referring to the fact that the UN treats NGO's and other parasite orgs, pure consumers of UN funding without any accountability, as quasi-members. One of the reasons why it's broken beyond repair.
The UN: one humongous dead cockroach on America's (and Japan's) kitchen floor.
UNITED NATIONS - Ban Ki-moon, sworn in on Thursday as the eighth UN secretary-general, may strike colleagues as a shy and retiring bureaucrat but vows to be a man of action when he takes the world bodys helm on Jan. 1.
Journalists covering the 62-year-old former South Korean Foreign Minister in Seoul called him Slippery Eel, he acknowledges, for his skill in making a graceful exit when they tried to put him on the spot over a thorny issue.
Rest assured, however, that my actions will be anything but slippery: I am a man of action, he told a recent dinner of UN correspondents. In Korea, we have an expression: Un Haeng Il Chi. It means words should be matched by deeds. This will be my guiding motto, he said.
The unofficial motto of Chicago is "Qua mei?" I think it translates well to the U.N.
Diplomats predicted Bans public image may suffer for having to follow the disgraced outspoken and ineffective personable Kofi Annan, who steps down on Dec. 31 after two five-year terms as secretary-general.
In remarks to the General Assembly at his swearing-in, Ban made clear that while he would carry on some of Annans unfinished work, he wanted to draw a line with the past. Ban said he wanted to breathe new life and inject renewed confidence into the sometimes weary secretariat and to set the highest ethical standard, he said. There's always a first time at the U.N.
Ban vowed to be a harmonizer and a bridge builder as UN leader while also promising the United Nations would be dynamic and courageous rather than passive and fearful. Now he's just delusional.
Diplomats said that while he was not a great communicator, he had great determination and was very hardworking. But Ban said that though he is soft-spoken, that does not mean that I lack leadership or commitment. Modesty and humility were considered virtues by Asians but should not be misunderstood because I take decisive decisions whenever it is necessary, he said in an interview.
Ban said North Korea would remain his top priority after taking office at the United Nations, adding: I will be using my mandate as UN secretary-general to the maximum to make sure that this issue is resolved thoroughly. Other priorities would include more UN management reform, fostering development in poor nations and helping resolve the worlds many conflicts. Ambitious fellow, isn't he?
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STRATEGYPAGE > CHINA is deploying more troops to the borders in hopes of containing the refugees flows from a China-perceived, highly likely Norkie collapse. Hope he cares for his fellow North Korean countrymen.
Anton Balasingham, theoretician and political advisor of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, passed away Thursday in London, rebel sources said. Daya Master, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) official in the rebel held Kilinochchi district in the north of the island said Balasingham, 66, had died in a London hospital. Balasingham was suffering from cancer for a long time and had stayed away from his LTTE work due to ill health for a long time. He has acted as the LTTE's chief negotiator in the peace negotiations with the Sri Lankan government aimed at ending the country's drawn-out separatist armed conflict.
The London based theoretician visited Colombo for talks with the government in 1990 and then led the LTTE delegation in all six rounds of peace talks between September 2002 and March 2003. He also led the rebel delegation in the Geneva peace talks held in February this year. He was the adviser to the reclusive rebel leader Velupillai Prabakaran and was known for his moderate thinking in the rebel organization.
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This article makes it sound like the man sat in London "theorizing" while the Tigers in the field fought. It doesn't say what his theories were. I was looking for clues as to why this long running war is being fought. Does anybody know?
A week long clashes between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government troops have displaced over 4, 000 people in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, relief officials said Thursday. The Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels have been exchanging heavy artillery and mortar fire and the internally displaced have mostly come from the Sinhala majority community settlements in the eastern post district of Trincomalee.
The chief government administrative office at Kantalai in the district said nearly 2,000 families from the settlements of Somapura, Sirimangalapura, Alioluwa and Mahaweligama had found refuge at Kantalai. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that they have launched action to help the civilians flee the battle zones.
The Nordic truce monitoring group, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has been critical of both sides. Relief workers say they have been hit with logistics problems in catering to the needs of the displaced people.
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COLOMBO - Security forces shot dead at least six Tamil Tiger rebels during a confrontation in Sri Lankas restive eastern province, officials said on Thursday. The troops and a group of fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) clashed near Poonani on Wednesday night and security forces recovered the bodies of six Tigers, a military official in the area said.
The commander of the army, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, said the military had captured two guerrilla defence lines inside their Vakarai stronghold, according to the state-run Dinamina newspaper. The people will be liberated from the Tigers very soon and the Tigers will be driven out of the eastern province, Fonseka said in an interview with the Sinhalese-language daily.
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...by offsetting methane produced by Santa's reindeer. I *s* you not:
What do reindeer do when they're not flying around the world delivering presents?
They graze, burp and fart!
Did you know? Together, Santa's nine reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph - produce 3.75 tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution per year. We guarantee that if you choose to offset the pollution created by Santa's reindeer, we will reduce CO2 pollution by 3.75 tonnes. You'll receive a certificate and special Carbon Neutral Christmas card confirming that you've made Santa's reindeer Carbon Neutral!
Quantity: (Single Item Price: $75.00 AUD)
Total Price: $75.00 AUD
Via Tim Blair. I can't really do this evil scam justice, somebody please crank up the snarkerator for me...
#1
Sad commentary: there will be some gullibles out there ( usually with a Calphoney or other tree-hugging ZIP Code) that, after they send in their $$, will realize that this is only slightly more useless than a pet rock and will then hire a shyster lawyer and another media circus will follow. this circus will be passes off as the evening news on at least 3 of the major networks. if the chump involved is a minority, or illegal expect the frenzy to be super-sized....(disclaimer: First born is a lawyer and even he would not touch this proposed case)
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.
A nun was convicted of religious harassment after ranting against 'terrorist' Muslims in the middle of London's busy Oxford Street.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who is 82, says he wants to stay in office two years beyond his present term. Some observers believe he will stay in power for the rest of his life. 
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia is ready to handle any outbreak of sectarian trouble between Sunni and Shia Muslims at the Haj pilgrimage later this month, the interior minister said. There is no concern about this since everyone is coming to perform haj and I think the fear of God will be enough of a deterrent, Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told reporters in comments carried in state media. But we have taken all security precautions and we do not discount any incident. We are completely ready, but hope we dont have to use our capabilities, he added.
MOSCOW - Russia will hold its next presidential election on March 9, 2008, electoral commission chairman Alexander Veshnyakov said on Thursday, Interfax news agency reported. 
SUVA, Fiji: Fiji's powerful tribal chiefs on Friday refused to recognize last week's military takeover, and said they would hold consultations next week with the ousted prime minister on the country's future.
![](http://www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire/asop/people/images/margaret_thatcher_270.jpg/> </td>
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Her anti-semetism will surely help her in the election. </td>
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<I>She)
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Senator John Kerry, visiting Egypt Thursday during a tour of the Middle East, accused the Bush administration of neglecting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
Nepal's governing parties and Maoist rebels held talks yesterday an interim constitution that could bring the rebels into government and see the monarchy suspended. Leaders from the ruling seven-party coalition, including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, attended the talks, while the Maoists were represented by their second-in-command, Baburam Bhatterai. 
UNITED NATIONS - Ban Ki-moon, sworn in on Thursday as the eighth UN secretary-general, may strike colleagues as a shy and retiring bureaucrat but vows to be a man of action when he takes the world bodys helm on Jan. 1.
Anton Balasingham, theoretician and political advisor of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, passed away Thursday in London, rebel sources said. Daya Master, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) official in the rebel held Kilinochchi district in the north of the island said Balasingham, 66, had died in a London hospital. Balasingham was suffering from cancer for a long time and had stayed away from his LTTE work due to ill health for a long time. He has acted as the LTTE's chief negotiator in the peace negotiations with the Sri Lankan government aimed at ending the country's drawn-out separatist armed conflict. 
A week long clashes between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government troops have displaced over 4, 000 people in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, relief officials said Thursday. The Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels have been exchanging heavy artillery and mortar fire and the internally displaced have mostly come from the Sinhala majority community settlements in the eastern post district of Trincomalee. 
COLOMBO - Security forces shot dead at least six Tamil Tiger rebels during a confrontation in Sri Lankas restive eastern province, officials said on Thursday. The troops and a group of fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) clashed near Poonani on Wednesday night and security forces recovered the bodies of six Tigers, a military official in the area said.
