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Lahore suicide kaboom kills at least 20, injures 80
Today's Headlines
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
He does NOT get the Worker of the Month award
A man has been arrested on charges he tried and failed to kill a couple four times, Tampa Bay Online reports.

Edmon Vardanyan, 23, was charged Tuesday with traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to kill, injure or harass in connection with four attempts on the lives of Grigori and Galina Komissarchuk of Sarasota, Fla., and Brooklyn, N.Y., TBO.com reports.

According to the report, Vardanyan told police he was hired to kill the couple, who are in their 60s, because they refused to pay a debt. He allegedly made attempts on their lives on Sept. 24, 2006, Sept. 25, 2006, Dec. 6, 2006, and April 30, 2007, but — though he was able to beat them, and at one point fracture both their skulls — the couple survived each attempt.

Vardanyan said he wasn't paid for the attack because "he didn't do the job correctly," TBO.com reports.

Posted by: lotp || 01/11/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  i would think up a new line of work , i guess it will now be prison bitch but afterwards he can move too san frangaysco and become a male prostitute
Posted by: sinse || 01/11/2008 7:04 Comments || Top||

#2  World's Most Incompetent Assassin
Posted by: mojo || 01/11/2008 10:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Edmon, "hit man" doesn't mean that you actually hit them. Most use a gun.
Just for future reference...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/11/2008 11:04 Comments || Top||

#4  A bit more:

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office investigated one of the early complaints from the Komissarchuks. Sheriff's Lt. Chuck Lesaltato said the person who allegedly initiated the hit on the couple was their son-in-law, a man he said was referred to as "the Boss." Lesaltato declined to release the name, saying the FBI had taken over the investigation.

Lesaltato said the son-in-law allegedly contacted a middle man who ordered Vardanyan to harass the Komissarchuks. The dispute may have been over money, he said.

Federal court records say Vardanyan told investigators that the Komissarchuks owed money and were refusing to pay.
Posted by: Seafarious || 01/11/2008 11:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Another example of Russian-on-Russian crime.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 01/11/2008 12:16 Comments || Top||

#6  Reminds me of Fish Called Wanda and the attempts to kill the old lady.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/11/2008 13:12 Comments || Top||

#7  As soon as the writer's strike is over, some clever individual will pitch their script based on true events. Who'll play the lead? The couple? Isn't Hollywood original?
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 || 01/11/2008 13:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Village idiot.
Posted by: CB || 01/11/2008 17:23 Comments || Top||

#9  Public sector assasin, maybe? Member of AFSCME?
Posted by: no mo uro || 01/11/2008 22:06 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Kucinich demands recount in NH
Democrat Dennis Kucinich, who won less than 2 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, said Thursday he wants a recount to ensure that all ballots in his party's contest were counted. The Ohio congressman cited "serious and credible reports, allegations and rumors"
mostly allegations and rumors
about the integrity of Tuesday results.

Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said Kucinich is entitled to a statewide recount. But, under New Hampshire law, Kucinich will have to pay for it. Scanlan said he had "every confidence" the results are accurate.

In a letter dated Thursday, Kucinich said he does not expect significant changes in his vote total, but wants assurance that "100 percent of the voters had 100 percent of their votes counted."
"Florida! Diebold! Butterfly ballots! Hanging chads! Blue Meanies!"

Kucinich alluded to online reports alleging disparities around the state between hand-counted ballots, which tended to favor Sen. Barack Obama, and machine-counted ones that tended to favor Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He also noted the difference between pre-election polls, which indicated Obama would win, and Clinton's triumph by a 39 percent to 37 percent margin.

Candidates who lose by 3 percentage or less are entitled to a recount for a $2,000 fee. Candidates who lose by more must pay for the full cost. Kucinich's campaign said it was sending the $2,000 fee to start the recount.
Posted by: Mike || 01/11/2008 16:40 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And a ponny.
Posted by: twobyfour || 01/11/2008 19:45 Comments || Top||

#2  okay dennis. They did a recount and recounted your two votes. Glad you and Viggo got to the polls alright.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 01/11/2008 20:47 Comments || Top||


Poland: Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system
A teenage boy who hacked into a Polish tram system used it like "a giant train set", causing chaos and derailing four vehicles. The 14-year-old, described by his teachers as a model pupil and an electronics "genius", adapted a television remote control so it could change track points in the city of Lodz.

A police statement said he had trespassed at tram depots in the city to gather information and the equipment needed to build the infra-red device. "Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to jump the tracks," said the statement. A search at the boy's home turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.

Miroslaw Micor, a spokesman for Lodz police, said: "He studied the trams and the tracks for a long time and then built a device that looked like a TV remote control and used it to manoeuvre the trams and the tracks. He had converted the television control into a device capable of controlling all the junctions on the line and wrote in the pages of a school exercise book where the best junctions were to move trams around and what signals to change.

"He treated it like any other schoolboy might a giant train set, but it was lucky nobody was killed. Four trams were derailed, and others had to make emergency stops that left passengers hurt. He clearly did not think about the consequences of his actions."

The first sign of the chaos came on Tuesday afternoon, when a city tram driver tried to steer his vehicle to the right, but found himself helpless to stop it swerving to the left instead. The rear wagon then swung off the rails and crashed into another passing tram, hurling screaming passengers to the floor. Transport employees were reported as saying that they knew immediately that someone outside their staff had caused the accident.

The boy will face a special juvenile court on charges of endangering public safety, police said.

The incident is the latest in which "hackers" - many of them young computer experts - have broken into computer systems. A 20-year-old was questioned in New Zealand last year suspected of writing programs for an internet "spyware" scam targeting several hundred thousand bank accounts. In 1999, a group of hackers used home computers to break into the systems controlling Skynet, a British military satellite, and changed secure settings. A report by the US Federal Aviation Administration this week raised concerns that a passenger aboard the new Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft might be able to hack into the aircraft's systems via its internet connection.
Posted by: Delphi || 01/11/2008 08:35 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  At least the tram can't fall out of the sky. i really, really, really hope Boeing gets this Screamliner software right THE FIRST TIME!!!
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 01/11/2008 14:30 Comments || Top||

#2  That's what you get when you use Windows for the operating system on your streetcars.
Posted by: Mike || 01/11/2008 14:32 Comments || Top||

#3  That is also what you get when you use C/C++ for the program controlling your streetcars.
Posted by: JFM || 01/11/2008 14:54 Comments || Top||

#4  JFM, what, you'd do it in assembler?

Does not matter what it is programmed in if you leave gapping holes in your code, to be exploited.
Posted by: twobyfour || 01/11/2008 16:30 Comments || Top||


Drug 'can reverse Alzheimer's symptoms in minutes'
Let's prove the drug's safety by testing it on those who are against animal research. The line starts here.
A drug used for arthritis can reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's "in minutes". It appears to tackle one of the main features of the disease - inflammation in the brain.

The drug, called Enbrel, is injected into the spine where it blocks a chemical responsible for damaging the brain and other organs.

A pilot study carried out by U.S. researchers found one patient had his symptoms reversed "in minutes". Other patients have shown some improvements in symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion after weekly injections over six months.

The study of 15 patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation by online publishers Biomed Central. The experiment showed that Enbrel can deactivate TNF (tumour necrosis factor) - a chemical in the fluid surrounding the brain that is found in Alzheimer's sufferers.

When used by arthritis sufferers, the drug is self-administered by injection and researchers had to develop a way of injecting it into the spine to affect the brain cells.

Sue Griffin, a researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said: 'It is unprecedented to see cognitive and behavioural improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention.

'This gives all of us in Alzheimer research a tremendous new clue about new avenues of research.' Enbrel is not approved for treating Alzheimer's in the U.S. or the UK and is regarded as highly experimental, said Dr Griffin. 'Even though this report predominantly discusses a single patient it is of significant scientific interest because of the potential insight it may give into the processes involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer's,' she added.

Lead author of the study Edward Tobinick, of the University of California and Director of the Institute for Neurological Research, said the drug had 'a very rapid effect that's never been reported in a human being before'. He added: 'It makes practical changes that are significant and perceptible, making a difference to his daily living.

'Some patients have been able to start driving again. They don't come back to normal but the change is good enough for patients to want to continue treatment.'

He said top-up injections were necessary but some patients had them a month apart.

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 700,000 Britons with about 500 cases diagnosed every day.

Neil Hunt, of the Alzheimer's Society charity, said: 'The pursuit of a miracle cure for Alzheimer's continues to drive research into a variety of potential treatment targets. These include a possible link between inflammatory reactions in the brain and Alzheimer's.'

Children exposed to lead in old paint, Victorian pipes and toys could be at risk of Alzheimer's later in life, scientists said yesterday. A study shows that even small amounts of the metal in the first few years can build up plaques around the brain.

Scientists at the University of Rhode Island told the New Scientist that they fed infant formula milk laced with low doses of lead to baby monkeys, then followed their progress for 23 years. A post mortem of the brains revealed plaques - harmful deposits of protein found in Alzheimer's patients.
Posted by: gorb || 01/11/2008 06:04 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Enbrel is typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It has been around for quite a while and is fairly safe.

Illnesses like multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's are suspected to be autoimmune disorders, so an advance in treating one increases the range of possible treatment for others.
Posted by: Black Bart Clomock6784 || 01/11/2008 7:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Other patients have shown some improvements in symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion after weekly injections over six months.

Skin patches? Enbrel wedsite? Tricare?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/11/2008 7:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Please let this be true.
Posted by: Icerigger || 01/11/2008 8:19 Comments || Top||

#4  When I was a kid, my mother always ran the kitchen tap for several minutes in the morning before using the water for tea etc, to flush any water that had accumulated lead from pipes.
Posted by: phil_b || 01/11/2008 8:31 Comments || Top||

#5  How much federal money has been blackholed in research 'studies' at universities with no results and how may of these types of 'discoveries' through other practices out pace them? And is there a relationship between the resistance in the 'community' to accept and adapt these 'discoveries' than those who are laggardly delivered by same said community. Do they drop their existing programs and focus money and efforts on those with some degree of demonstrated successful results? Or is it all about the money and ego, the public be damned.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/11/2008 8:33 Comments || Top||

#6  There are a whole series of drugs, all targeting the body chemical Tumor Necrosis Factor-1 (alpha) (TNF-1), that are coming down the pipeline.

TNF-1 is now being blamed for a lot of autoimmune diseases, including many types of arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, refractory asthma, ankylosing spondylitis, and a bunch of others.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 01/11/2008 9:33 Comments || Top||

#7  I must read more carefully, more slowly.

Not enough coffee, and now I have wasted some on the screen and the keyboard.

Was reading along, got to the comments and the brain registered this:
"...including many types of arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, refractory asthma, ankylosing splodydopitis, and a bunch of others."

Now I've got to clean the keyboard.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 01/11/2008 10:14 Comments || Top||

#8  Works wonders, as long as you forget you took it.

My Mother has no short-term memory left, and I have arthritis, so I agree with Icerigger.
Posted by: Bobby || 01/11/2008 12:30 Comments || Top||

#9  Let's prove the drug's safety by testing it on those who are against animal research. The line starts here.

I would imagine that the biggest problem they are going to have is that families who have a member with advanced Alzheimers are going to be demanding an opportunity to test the drug. Can you imagine knowing that there was a chance, any chance no matter how remote, that you could speak to your loved one again? I've always felt alzehimers was worse than death.

I predict that within 6 months there will be clinics in Mexico and India that will allow people an opportunity to give life to their loved ones.
Posted by: Whomong Guelph4611 || 01/11/2008 12:41 Comments || Top||

#10  It would be nice if they discovered a delivery mechanism that didn't involve injection into the spine, which is fairly risky unless done by someone experienced in the technique. In the meantime, the drug is already approved for one use, so any doctor can prescribe it off-label for Alzheimer's or other autoimmune conditions. Within a year the first stage of the long-term study will have happened -- the researchers will only have to collect the data.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/11/2008 13:39 Comments || Top||

#11  The necessary one or more injections into the spine are a non-trivial method of delivery.
Most interesting is the rapid reversal of symptoms, which is unprecedented. On the other hand, wider-ranged studies are very likely to show less remarkable results and to disclose unwanted side effects. E.g., giving anticoagulants to acute cerebral thrombosis victims can result in reversal of stroke symptoms in ~90% of those treatments, while ~10% die of side effects.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/11/2008 17:08 Comments || Top||

#12  See also DIGG/REDDIT > BRAZILIAN CHERRY/NUT KILLS CANCER CELLS.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/11/2008 20:27 Comments || Top||

#13  In the Past, How many times did "WE" have our hopes skyrocket 40 years ago only to have them CRASH a day later when we found out that a reporter was just spinning the most gossamer of fables based on some preliminary Petri Dish experiment.

Which taken with all the other insults and Lies from the MSM Organs finally turned us all into Junk Science Cynics and Media Haters!! LOL!

I TRULY HOPE IT WORKS ...BUT....
Posted by: RD || 01/11/2008 21:33 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
"All your thermostats belong to me" -Terminator
Not... The Therminator!
Posted by: USN,Ret. || 01/11/2008 16:16 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  NO!
Posted by: 3dc || 01/11/2008 18:56 Comments || Top||

#2  My home is my castle! Period!
Posted by: 3dc || 01/11/2008 18:56 Comments || Top||

#3  I bet it will be used in a different way, though. If someone gets behind on the bill, they will drive around and set the thermostat to 65 degrees.

And what happens when some school kid figures out how to hack the system and sets everyone in the neighborhood's thermostat to 85 at 2am?
Posted by: crosspatch || 01/11/2008 20:09 Comments || Top||

#4  ANOTHER CASE OF BETTYCROCKERCRATS IMPOSING THEIR WILL==>NO KEN OF ELEC CIRCUITS >>>>STUPIDITY ISLAND.
/JOE CAPS.

A Thermostat is nothing but a switch. Wire another switch or thermostat in parallel away from the special sealed tamperproof idiot crafted temperature sensing unit. Do what you want. Or stick an ice cube on the stat and cool it down. What a bunch of moroons.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 01/11/2008 22:03 Comments || Top||

#5  If I thought CA was still part of the USA I might find this objectionable.
Posted by: regular joe || 01/11/2008 22:06 Comments || Top||

#6  driving home from LA last nite - listened to John and Ken on KFI - they've driven a campaign to get this law disembowelled. A caller said he salled teh CA Energy Commission hotline...apparently they've had thousands of calls against, and like 4 for this proposal
Posted by: Frank G || 01/11/2008 23:25 Comments || Top||

#7  or "called" even. Salling doesn't help....damn
Posted by: Frank G || 01/11/2008 23:26 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
China to handle oil inflation with price freeze & plastic bag regs
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/11/2008 07:19 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Summary
Posted by: Icerigger || 01/11/2008 8:20 Comments || Top||

#2  A few months ago China un-froze its oil prices after spot shortages developed. Chinese refiners had been cutting back on refining rather than lose money on their sales. Now that the leaders have backtracked, look for the same problems to magically re-appear. The article implies that Chinese plastic bag production accounts for almost a week's worth of Chinese oil consumption per year.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/11/2008 17:01 Comments || Top||


Science
Naps May Boost Memory
Posted by: lotp || 01/11/2008 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now if I can only remember to take mine.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/11/2008 0:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Nothing new here. More than 100 years ago, Edison said the same thing. He figured people slept too much at night and that decreased productivity. He figured they would benefit from a shorter night time sleep cycle and a power nap or two during the day, and invented the light bulb.
Posted by: no mo uro || 01/11/2008 5:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Not true.

Ask my boss if you dont't believe me.
Posted by: Kelly || 01/11/2008 10:34 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
48[untagged]
3Iraqi Insurgency
3Taliban
2Global Jihad
2al-Qaeda
2Palestinian Authority
1Fatah al-Islam
1al-Qaeda in Iraq
1Govt of Iran
1Govt of Sudan
1Hamas
1al-Qaeda in Europe
1TNSM
1al-Aqsa Martyrs
1Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2008-01-11
  Lahore suicide kaboom kills at least 20, injures 80
Thu 2008-01-10
  40,000 pounds of US bombs hit 38 Qaeda 'safe havens'
Wed 2008-01-09
  Mullah Fazlullah deadullah?
Tue 2008-01-08
  Chadian planes bomb rebels in Sudan
Mon 2008-01-07
  Arab FMs urge immediate Leb presidential election
Sun 2008-01-06
  Morocco jails 50 Islamists for terror plots
Sat 2008-01-05
  Fatah al-Islam sez they're infesting Ein el-Hellhole
Fri 2008-01-04
  Coalition forces kill AQI big turban in Baghdad
Thu 2008-01-03
  Baquba Awakening Council leader killed by cross-dressing suicide squeegeeman
Wed 2008-01-02
  Army intervenes to end fist fights between Hezbollah, Hariri party
Tue 2008-01-01
  Iraq December death toll lowest in 22 months
Mon 2007-12-31
  Little Pugsley appointed PPP chairman, Gomez regent
Sun 2007-12-30
  Bin Laden vows jihad to liberate Palestinian land
Sat 2007-12-29
  Sindh Rangers given shoot-at-sight orders
Fri 2007-12-28
  Bhutto's assassination triggers riots


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