A sword fight last week at a Northwestside home has resulted in a second death. Adolf Stegbauer, 69, died Monday of complications from a stab wound, according to a written statement from Lt. Dawn Snyder, spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
His sister-in-law, Franziska Stegbauer, 77, died shortly after she tried to intervene in the sword fight about 1 a.m. Thursday between Adolf Stegbauer and Christopher O. Rondeau, 39, in the 5200 block of North Raceway Road.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009 16:35 ||
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Darwin nominees!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/14/2009 18:20 Comments ||
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Ms. Stegbauer can't be a Darwin nominee; she certainly wouldn't be having any more children anyway.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/14/2009 19:32 Comments ||
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A man faces a hefty fine and a driving ban after being caught having sex with his girlfriend while speeding on a motorway in Norway, police have said.
Officers initially trailed the couple's car after noticing it was swerving from side to side and travelling at 33km/h (20mph) over the road's speed limit. But they soon realised the erratic driving was due to the woman "sitting on the man's lap", a spokesman said.
After filming the exploit for evidence, they pulled them over at a rest area.
The 28-year-old man's punishment will be decided within the next week, but police said he was likely to face a fine of several thousand Norwegian kroner and a lengthy driving ban.
"Why they did it on a highway with such a high risk we don't know," Tor Stein Hagen, a superintendent with Soendre Buskerud Police District, told the AFP news agency.
"[The vehicle] was veering from one side to the other because the woman was sitting on the man's lap while he was driving and doing the act, shall we say," he added. "He couldn't see much because her back was in the way."
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009 16:33 ||
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After filming the exploit..... for evidence
there article leaves out the fact that it's a 3 hour film.....
Posted by: George Hupineger2817 ||
04/14/2009 18:07 Comments ||
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I think she was doing the driving.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/14/2009 19:33 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Indian police are hunting a conman who hypnotized a Mumbai jeweler store worker before stealing $160,000 worth of diamond necklaces and bracelets. We can probably safely file this story under "Strange but not True."
Katrina Sunil Purswami, who works at the Seres store in the upscale Bandra West suburb, was told by the man on Saturday that he wanted to give the gems as a present and persuaded her to bring them to a nearby hotel.
"When the employee went to the hotel, the accused acted like he was the owner," senior police inspector Prakash George was quoted as saying by the Daily News and Analysis newspaper on Monday.
"As Purswami was showing him the sets, he asked her to write the details of the sets for him. He then hypnotized her and decamped with the ornaments. Purswami was left confused and could not understand what was going on."
The officer said the jeweler's store was newly opened and the owner allowed the employee to visit the hotel with the diamonds because he thought he was in line for a large sale.
Police are studying CCTV from the hotel to try to identify the conman but cameras at the shop were not working, George said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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[Mail and Globe] In a move to ensure that all of jailed swindler Bernard Madoff's personal wealth is used to pay his defrauded customers, some investors filed court papers on Monday to force him into bankruptcy. Their lawyers have argued that making Madoff bankrupt would make it easier for victims to recover any Madoff-linked assets that have been transferred to family members or third parties.
The next step will be another petition to the court for the appointment of a trustee to oversee the personal assets of Madoff, who pleaded guilty on March 12 to running a $65-billion fraud over 20 years, bilking thousands of customers from big banks to charities to small investors.
A trustee is already working to oversee the winding down and recovery of assets from Madoff's firm to distribute the proceeds to former customers.
Madoff and his outside accountant are the only people charged in the case, but US prosecutors are investigating who else might have been involved in the biggest fraud in Wall Street history.
Madoff is in jail pending sentencing in June.
Monday's filing in US Bankruptcy Court in New York was made on behalf of five investors claiming $64-million, according to court papers. A federal judge last week opened the door for the petition by reversing his December ruling preventing any such legal action.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission, US prosecutors and the court-appointed trustee winding down the brokerage firm objected to the efforts of these investors. They argued that it would lead to unnecessarily high administrative costs and confusion. The SEC said authorities already are working to ensure that proceeds of any Madoff assets they recover will be distributed to bilked customers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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By the way, if anyone has a few million to invest, I am taking over Bernie's operations. Guaranteed 20% return for investment of $5 million or more.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:28 Comments ||
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my sympathy meter is on low here. Yah, accountants approved of Madoff statements, but cash flow accounting ignores the real asset picture. Anyone who doesn't know that deserves to take a hit. Of course, Madoff deserves any hit he takes too.
#3
Has anyone looked where the assets went? Like children, grandchildren, offshore? We are talking 50+ billion dollars here. Bankruptcy is chump change for the big fraud. They should throw top SEC people in the clink with Madeoff. Where is the accountability, anywhere???????? Joe, feel free to chime on this one.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009 21:30 Comments ||
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I don't believe there ever were any assets in that part of his firm, Alaska Paul -- a true pyramid scheme where what came in later went to pay off earlier investors. An awful lot was skimmed off to be given to charities, Jewish and otherwise. Quite a few charitable enterprises were founded to disburse funds donated by Mr. Madoff and some of his friends... and now have to close up shop because Madoff went under.
[Straits Times] A MALAYSIAN court on Thursday sentenced two policemen to death after finding them guilty of murdering a Mongolian woman in 2006.
Wrapping up a 159-day trial, High Court Judge Zaki Yasin ruled that he found the defense of Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar 'unbelievable' as 'each of them are blaming the other'.
He said he was convicting 'both of you as charged' with murdering 28-year-old Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu sometime between Oct 19 and Oct 20, 2006. 'They failed to raise any reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case,' said Mr Zaki. 'I sentence both of you to death. You will be taken to a place of execution where you will be hanged by your neck until you are dead,' he said.
The pair looked calm when the sentence was handed down, and then stepped out of the dock and hugged their lawyers, who later said they would file an appeal.
Azilah, 33, and Sirul, 37, were found guilty of killing Ms Altantuya, 28, and blowing up her body in a jungle clearing in 2006. They were charged in the same year with political analyst Razak Baginda, 48, who was accused of instructing them to kill the woman who was allegedly harassing him for money. Mr Razak was acquitted last year of abetting the murder of his former lover.
The prosecution team consisting of Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Noorin Badaruddin, Manoj Kurup and Hanim Rashid stressed in their submissions that Azilah and Sirul were the people behind Ms Altantuya's murder.
Based on the evidence gathered from prosecution witnesses, the explosive used to blow up Ms Altantuya's body was probably placed in her mouth. Mr Manoj noted at the end of the prosecution's case that both accused had the motive to kill and it was a preplanned crime.
Mr Manoj noted that several circumstantial evidence that the prosecution tried to prove were never denied, explained or answered by both defendants. 'Several of the strong evidence deduced from the testimonies when spun together will make two ropes that are strong enough to hang each one of them. The prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt on the actions of the duo calls for their conviction on the murder carried out with the common intention.'
Azilah who started his testimony on Jan 15 stated that he had no motive to kill or destroy the woman and instead he only met Ms Altantuya to advise her politely not to harass Mr Razak or create a ruckus outside the latter's home. Azilah also told the court that he was ordered by a superior, DSP Musa Safri to help Mr Razak and thus he would not have done something stupid like killing and what more when he was a policeman.
While defending himself Sirul broke down a few times and related to the court that he has been made the 'sacrificial lamb' in the murder.
The two policemen's lawyers said they would file appeals. The verdict closes another chapter in a case that has riveted the nation as Ms Altantuya was said to have had an affair with a close friend of the prime minister. The friend was also tried as an accessory but was acquitted last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery. The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.
Shades of Carl Spackler, the gopher-hating groundskeeper from "Caddyshack."
The Rodenator Pro pumps propane and oxygen into the tunnels of squirrels, then sends an electric spark that causes an explosion. The shock waves kill the squirrels and collapse their tunnels - but in a humane way, the agency said....
The parks department is warning area residents that it plans to blast squirrels all week, and to not be alarmed by noises that sound like gun shots. Parks officials said police have already been called to the arboretum by people who heard the explosions.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009 16:26 ||
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PETA Protests the Use of Thermobaric Weapons of Terror against Rodents... OK for humans ....or quasi-humans.
Now, on Easter Monday, we have a seasonal yet nondenominational puzzle involving a bunny rabbit the Killer Rabbit, as the press dubbed it, that tried to board President Jimmy Carters boat as he was fishing at a pond in Plains, Georgia, in 1979. (Mr. Carters account of using his oars to fend off the hissing rabbit was mocked at the time, but eventually the White House released photos showing the incident and the swimming rabbit.) Heres the puzzle:
Suppose, the day after attacking President Carter, the rabbit finds itself alone in the middle of the pond, which is perfectly circular. Suppose there is a single Secret Service agent on the edge of the pond, armed with a small net to ensnare the swimming rabbit as it approaches the edge. This net is effective only if the rabbit is still in the water. If the rabbit reaches any point on the edge before the agent does, it can hop away to freedom; if the agent gets there first, the rabbit will be captured.
If the agent runs four times as fast as the rabbit swims, can the rabbit escape? If so, how?
For extra credit: Whats the fastest the agent can run (as a multiple of the rabbits speed) such that the rabbit can still escape?
If youre stumped by the first question, you can get a hint or two by clicking here.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/14/2009 13:33 ||
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Way too much for this early in the week. I am, however, hopeful that the original rabbit was a beta version and RamboRabbit v 2.0 is out there awaiting the peanut farmer.....
Can somebody just post the answer (not that I care all that much)?
Whether the rabbit is caught or not, Jimmuh is still a weasley-assed wuss and a disgrace to the human race.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/14/2009 20:13 Comments ||
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Without looking up the answer, the rabbit swims in a spiral starting from the middle of the pond. The arc of the spiral is sufficient to move ahead of the agent. When the rabbit is sufficiently far ahead and sufficiently close to the shore, it can swim to the shore in less time than the agent can reach it.
Softcore porn franchise Girls Gone Wild is claiming record sales after one of its ubiquitous basic cable ads accidentally aired during a live telecast of the Good Friday service at the Vatican.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Girls Gone Wild commercial was broadcast throughout the Philadelphia market at 2 a.m. by Comcast. A spokesman for the cable company said the ad was aired inadvertently due to a test of the Emergency Alert System, during which the channel airs regular programming -- which in this case included an advertisement for "Girls Gone Wilds Search for the Wildest Bar in America" DVD.
Now GGW CEO Joe Francis says he received a record spike in sales.
We may have tapped into a whole new market, Francis said. It seems that many of the same people interested in the Popes message are also interested in ours.
According to the Inquirer, the commercial reached the network's entire local area, but only one person called to complain.
Francis claimed a "huge spike" in sales. With his ads running on networks like Comedy Central and MTV, however, I highly doubt he broke any records with a 2 a.m. telecast in one market, regardless of the programming. But it's not like Francis has much to lose, reputation wise, for stretching the truth at this point.
Francis said he was happy to have shared an audience with the Pope."
[Iran Press TV Latest] Egyptian Archaeologists have found dozens of brightly-painted 4,000-year-old mummies in an oasis located south of the capital Cairo.
According to Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, The linen-wrapped mummies were unearthed in a necropolis near the Ilahun pyramid in Fayoum oasis. "The mission found dozens of mummies in 53 rock-hewn tombs dating to the Middle Kingdom", Hawass told AFP. "Four of the mummies date back to the 22nd Dynasty (931 to 725 BC) and are considered some of the most beautiful mummies found," he said.
The mummies are painted in bright turquoise, terracotta and gold, which were the traditional colors of ancient Egypt.
Led by Abdel-Rahman El-Ayedi, the team also found a funerary chapel with an offering table, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom and was probably used until the Roman era (30 BCE to 337 CE).
According to Hawass, 15 painted masks were also discovered during the excavation along with amulets and clay pots.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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I recollect seeing this on the History Channel.
#2
Someday, someone will have to write a definitive book on Zahi Hawass. As the public face and private gatekeeper of Egypt's archeological heritage, he wields an enormous amount of power.
Basically, right now he is the Inspector Twelve of the Pyramids. It's not authentic 'til he sez it's authentic. No camera crew or researcher gets as much as a whiff without his approval.
The question is, how does he use that power and to whose benefit? Has he been able to keep the Islamists at bay and if so, how? If not, are all those filming fees and expensive government stamps funneling cash to the Ikhwan and then on to the global Jihad?
[Mail and Globe] A committee responsible for drafting a democratic Constitution, following the establishment of a new power-sharing government in Zimbabwe nearly two moths ago, was announced on Sunday.
The 25-member committee of deputies drawn from the country's 210-seat lower chamber of Parliament was announced by the speaker of the House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, state radio reported. The body will be responsible for drafting a new Constitution by February 2010, to be judged in a referendum by July and finally passed by the end of the year.
This was according to a broad power-sharing agreement signed last September by President Robert Mugabe, who has held power since independence in 1980, pro-democracy opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who is now prime minister in the new coalition administration, and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a lesser faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
For the last decade, Zimbabwe has been in crisis, with pro-democracy movements demanding a new Constitution. Mugabe has refused to cede power and, according to international election observers, bludgeoned his way to remain in power through rigged elections and savage brutality against the MDC, the first serious challenge to his authority since 1980.
However, last year, after Tsvangirai's MDC won a majority in parliamentary elections and Mugabe had himself declared winner of a violent presidential election, the two rivals agreed to a power-sharing deal that would lead to the draft of a new democratic Constitution.
The drafting committee was to meet on Monday, the speaker said.
Human rights groups have demanded full participation in the process.
Zimbabwe last had a constitutional conference in 2000, when a draft doctored to ensure Mugabe's continued rule was heavily outvoted in a referendum, costing his Zanu-PF party its first defeat in a national vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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Saudi Arabias religious police have been forced to issue a rare apology after a member of one of the countrys most influential tribes said he was beaten by police for allegedly kissing his wife in public.
Mohammed al Qahtani, of the Qahtan tribe the largest in Saudi Arabia had threatened to present his case to King Abdullah after the police spokesman issued a statement eight days ago accusing Mr al Qahtani of lying about the incident.
Damaging the reputation of a tribal member in Saudi is considered an insult to the entire tribe, and releasing personal information of those involved in the arrest is something rarely done by the religious police.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which runs the religious police, last week replaced Ahmad al Jardan as spokesman, suspended all of the officers involved in the arrest two weeks ago and promised to launch an investigation.
The religious police violated the rights of al Qahtani as a citizen and the police and the whole of Saudi society must restore them, otherwise he will head to his tribe, said Mohammed al Zulfah, a former member of the Shoura Council.
The decision by the religious police to issue a public apology was viewed as a climbdown by one of the countrys most powerful institutions.
The apology is the first public act by the newly appointed head of the religious police, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Humane, who replaced the more conservative head, Sheikh Ibrahim al Ghaith, in February following a government reshuffle.
The apology is a triumph for society over an apparatus that sees itself as above the law and above suspicion, Mr al Zulfah said.
Adhwan al Ahmari, a Saudi journalist, said the religious police hoped the apology and the removal of Mr al Jardan would appease the media, which they feared could escalate the situation.
But Mr al Ahmari said the suspension of the policemen involved in the arrest was not serious enough.
Suspending the policemen is not enough and I cant take the polices actions seriously until I see real punishments, he said.
Mr al Qahtani told the Saudi press he was dragged away from a mall in Riyadh, where he had dropped off his wife, and was beaten. However, Mr al Jardan posted a statement on the religious police website eight days ago that disputed those claims and said the matter was handled gently.
Mr al Jardan said the police had been notified that a couple was seen kissing in a car in the car park at one of the malls. When they arrived, they found Mr al Qahtani, who admitted to kissing a woman but said she was his wife. The policemen asked her to verify his statement. Afterwards, the couple was released after they were told to respect the public morality.
A week ago, Mr al Jardan retracted his statement, saying it was inaccurate and that an official investigation was still ongoing. He also said his statement did not represent the official view of the religious police and apologised on their behalf.
Mr al Qahtani said he had postponed any legal action after he received a personal assurance from the head of the religious police that there would be a full investigation.
It is not the first time that arrests carried out by the religious police have angered the public. Some cases have involved dangerous car chases that ended in the death of the suspect.
Mr al Zulfah said the police would face more pressure from tribes and other members of society if they continued to make humiliating arrests.
The religious police must protect itself from society, Mr al Zulfah said. He said the religious police think they are above the law, and that without any avenue through which to press charges, society had no option but to resort to tribal pressure.
The police are often accused of restricting intellectual development in the kingdom and this was highlighted when two novelists were arrested at a Riyadh book fair last month.
Khalid al Mahameed, the cultural affairs editor at the Al Watan daily, said the religious police would continue to consider itself above the law until their influence was curbed.
To start, the public must have the authority to file legal cases against the religious police whenever there are violations of individuals rights, Mr al Mahameed said.
"We are talking about reality; so we have to be practical. The prices of USD 40-50 pb are realistic and suitable to the world economy in 2009 under the current crisis," he said citing the slow demand on oil.
Qatar's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah Al-Attiya deemed on Monday the oil prices ranging between USD 40 and 50 per barrel as realistic under the current global financial crisis.
Speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), the minister said: "We are talking about reality; so we have to be practical. The prices of USD 40-50 pb are realistic and suitable to the world economy in 2009 under the current crisis," he said citing the slow demand on oil.
According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency (IEA) there is remarkable decline in demand which justifies economists' predictions about shrinkage of the world economy.
"Economists predict the world economy to be at low ebb in the period ahead, so we have to speak in realistic way," Al-Attiya said, affirmed that 2009 would be "very tough" for the world economy. He voiced hope that 2010 would see an end to the crisis and resumption of economic growth.
atari Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah al-Attiya indicated on Monday that his country was reviewing its oil policy including cancellation of some oil projects in the light of the steep slide of oil prices prompted in a great part by the recent global financial crisis.
Addressing a two-day forum here on energy, he bemoaned the fact that the crisis might affect the oil industry worldwide in a way that would lead to cutbacks in production and in reduction of the labor force, as was the case in the mid-eighties of the last century.
The oil industry in Qatar, he said, was among the fastest growing oil industries and the question of attracting a well-trained work force to run it was parmount on the minds of Qatari oil officials.
Over the past eight years the number of oil workers in Qatar has increased by 73 percent and the number of energy-based companies shot up by 181 percent, he said as he underlined that it was the international oil firms which first complained about dwindling numbers of oil technicians worldwide, and that complaint came during the 10th international energy forum which was held in Qatar in 2006.
This fear over the lack of availability of qualified workers in the energy field was also the focus of an energy forum held in Rome, Italy, 2008 for ministers of oil whose countries are members in the regular meetings of that forum.
The current forum in Doha will seek solutions facing the oil industry worldwide, among them boosting cooperation between oil and energy companies and ministries of oil and members of academia.
#2
OPEC oil barons would rather prefer the $75 to $90 range, even better for them was when oil soared to $147 a barrel, but as you say inflation will rear its ugly head again, and instead of recession it will really be a a full scale depression, then their oil export sales shall sink to record lows.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
04/14/2009 6:37 Comments ||
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#3
What is that in Obamabucks?
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009 9:12 Comments ||
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Pre-emptive pricing for the summer driving season. Nothing more and nothing less. By October, it will be back to $40-50 range.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:34 Comments ||
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KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaits Cabinet on Monday set parliamentary elections for May 16, said the state news agency. Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah dissolved the house in March and called for new elections saying some lawmakers had abused democracy and become a threat to stability.
An official decree with the date will be issued in the next few days. It was the second time in a year the ruler disbanded the 50-seat legislature.
The move came days after the Cabinet resigned to prevent the questioning of the prime minister by lawmakers accusing him of misuse of funds and improperly running the country. Parliament has oversight powers and the right to question and impeach ministers, but the final word rests with the head of state who can dissolve it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar had appointed more than 300 employees to the Parliament Secretariat ignoring district quotas and purchased furniture worth Tk 12 lakh for his residence in a year ignoring rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says the U.S. did not go far enough in announcing plans to soften sanctions against his country, and he insists that real change in bilateral relations will come only when Washington lifts its "cruel" trade embargo.
President Barack Obama announced Monday that Americans will now be able to make unlimited transfers of money and visits to relatives in Cuba. Unlimited money. Unlimited emmigration. Unlimited opportunities to recruit spies. And the Castro boyz are still not satisfied.
Under the Bush administration rules, Cuban-Americans were eligible to travel here only every three years and send up to $300 to relatives every three months. $100/month is more than enough? The average salary in Cuba is $20/month.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009 08:18 ||
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Line forms on the right, El Jefe. Don't let the North Korean or the Iranian midget cut in front of you...
[Iran Press TV Latest] Bolivian lawmakers are close to ending a deadlock over a bill expected to provide for President Evo Morales to run for another term in office.
Opposition senators who maintain a majority in the Senate are against ratifying a bill that sets a December date for a general election that will allow hunger-striking Morales seek another five year in office.
"The most important and sensitive issues in the bill have been resolved, consensus is being reached and we are now making revisions," said Fernando Messmer, a member of a multi-partisan commission negotiating the changes, AFP reported Monday.
The opposition has managed to delay ratification of the electoral measure prompting Morales to initiate a hunger strike since Thursday demanding the approval of the bill.
Now, on his fifth day of hunger strike, the protesting President is reportedly in healthy conditions. "The president's condition is stable," Health Minister Ramior Tapia told reporters, adding that Morales was undergoing medical checks three times a day.
Morales declared that he will continue with his hunger strike until lawmakers approve the controversial bill and set a date for election.
Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party controls the lower house in the natural gas-rich country, but right-wing parties have used their Senate majority to block dozens of government-proposed reforms since Morales took office in 2006.
A January vote approved a reformed constitution that gives more power and rights to the country's indigenous majority. It also secures a second term for Morales.
As the first indigenous President in the Andean nation, Morales is determined to give a fair share of the countries wealth to the indigenous people of high-lands who form two-thirds of Bolivia's population. He will also give them rights to territory and their own systems of justice. However, opposition leaders of rich provinces, mostly from a European descent, do not want the indigenous to hold a share of power and natural wealth.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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The stench of weakness wafts 7000 miles west or 9000 miles by prevailing wind currents.
North Korea vowed Tuesday to restart its nuclear reactor and to boycott international disarmament talks for good in retaliation for the U.N. Security Council's condemnation of its rocket launch.
North Korea's swift denunciation of the council's "hostile" move came hours after all 15 members unanimously agreed to condemn the April 5 launch as a violation of U.N. resolutions and to tighten sanctions against the regime.
...
On Tuesday, the North said it would restart nuclear facilities, an apparent reference to the five-megawatt plutonium-producing reactor and other facilities at Yongbyon. North Korea already is believed to have enough plutonium to produce at least about half a dozen atomic bombs.
It also threatened to gird against what it called "hostile acts" by the U.S. and its allies. "We have no choice but to further strengthen our nuclear deterrent to cope with additional military threats by hostile forces," the Foreign Ministry said in the statement carried by state media.
Analyst Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University, called Pyongyang's move yet another tactic in the regime's bid to get Washington to the negotiating table outside the six-party framework. He said North Korea will watch to see how the U.S. reacts.
Another analyst, Prof. Yoo Ho-yeol of Korea University in Seoul, called North Korea's move "strong action" against the U.S. that betrays how upset the regime is by the Security Council statement. But he said Pyongyang will find it difficult to boycott the talks entirely, since that would only serve to further isolate the impoverished country, one of the world's poorest.
Posted by: ed ||
04/14/2009 08:06 ||
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#1
That reactor is going to become super brittle with all the start and stops it goes through. More than a stench of weakness will be wafting - more like the stench of isotopes!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/14/2009 10:37 Comments ||
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[ADN Kronos] Turkish police detained the head of a university and two other academics on Monday in new arrests linked to an alleged plot to overthrow the government, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.One active and three former university rectors were detained in several provinces of Turkey as part of the controversial Ergenekon probe.
The High Criminal Court in Istanbul ordered the detention of nearly 40 people at the request of five prosecutors carrying out the investigation into the plot. Mehmet Haberal, rector of Baskent University in the capital Ankara, Mustafa Yurtkuran, former rector of Uludag University in the western province of Bursa, and Fatih Hilmioglu, former rector of Inonu University in southeastern Malatya province were among the latest detainees.
The raids were part of an operation against the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon organisation - one of the most controversial cases in Turkey's history.
It was launched in 2007 after the discovery of hand grenades in a house in Istanbul.The ongoing investigation has unsettled markets and increased tension between the government and secularists, including the military. Nearly 150 people, including retired senior military officers, lawyers and academics, are on trial for their links to Ergenekon.
Prosecutors say the group was planning a campaign of bombings and attacks to force the army to step in against prime minister Tayyip Erdogan's government.
Ergenekon was revealed more than a year ago when explosives were discovered in a police raid on an Istanbul home.
Some observers believe the investigation, which has targeted many government critics, is revenge for a failed 2008 lawsuit to ban the ruling AK Party on the grounds of anti-secular activities which the party has denied.
On Monday police also searched the office of Osman Metin Ozturk, rector of Giresun University in northern Turkey, and the home of columnist Erol Manisali in Istanbul.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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You Just Can't Make This Shit Up If You Tried....
The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias.
A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says. Let me get this straight - if you support enforcing existing FEDERAL law you are a right wing radical.
Got it!
The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned." As long as they pay for their own medical care......
The nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."
It says the federal government "will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months" to gather information on "rightwing extremist activity in the United States." Nothing on left-wing extreamism - you know the Facists and Socialists. But then I guess they would have to watch the white house staff which might be bad juju...
The joint federal-state activities will have "a particular emphasis" on the causes of "rightwing extremist radicalization."
Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the report is one in an ongoing series of assessments by the department to "facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the U.S."
The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have "specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence."It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.
The report says extremist groups have used President Obama as a recruiting tool. TRANSLATION: Any disagreement of The One will mark you as a right wing radical. Trying to discuss The One with others would be considered 'recruitment to a radical right-wing group'.
#1
It's not just the One. The "radical" right wing wants smaller government. That means the jobs and way of life of hundreds of thousands of beltway bureaucrats. Of course they view that as a fundamental threat. This act of Prime Directive, self preservation, by the bureaucracy is a signal that we've long past the point of any thing less drastic surgery on the corpus Civil Service and the extent of federal government.
#3
I'm a bit of a tin foil hat here. Bear with me.
Governments cycle through consensus and authoritarian phases. This is our government moving into an authoritarian phase.
Authoritarian governments recognize that effective opposition has to be organized, so they destroy/infiltrate/control NGO's.
Examples would be: Demonize the militia, Control of church appointments, control of PAC's, outlaw opposition parties. There are still a few more nails to be pounded into the coffin.
The best guardian of democracy is a well trained volunteer militia. Being armed and organized encourages debate.
#4
Get used to it. The smear job has barely begun. All conservatives need to think about how they will respond to these charges. How the Left smeared Governor Palin and her family, and continues to do so, is a sampling of the techniques that will be used on some of us.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/14/2009 10:51 Comments ||
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#5
8 years ago a left leaning centerist would now be considered to the right of the current situation. Remind people of that when they start throwing out identity politics like this report out there.
Violent organized gangs are subsidized by leftist policies such as food stamps (can be used to barter for drugs), welfare (I steal to make money - I use my welfare to buy drugs), early prison release (not parole, early unearned release), lax border control (people drugs arms traffic). What is the growth rate on them and their cost to society?
Take an area of Wichita for example, 30 new participants in right-wing activity (anti abortion, overtax protests) and 30 new in gang activity (organized theft and drug sales) and assume both groups have at least access to a firearm (safe assumption IMHO). RW has an initial population of 30, gangs have initial population of 100. It can be easy to point at the 200% increase in RW, but the real information is that it is 60 to 130 but the 30% increase in the gang activity has less 'pop' and obscures the facts with emotion.
#9
Well, DHS is not threatened. They got human walls of bureaucrats in layers 100 deep to protect the hive.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/14/2009 13:25 Comments ||
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#10
I'm with Hellfish on this one. I'm tired of doing the syphullatic monkey two-step with these idiots. Let's just get on with it and win it. The good Gov of Texas just delivered the line in the sand - the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. I pray that more Red States follow suit. Let observe if populations follow up. If so, we know where the fault lines are. My nest HQ could very likely be Amarillo.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/14/2009 17:25 Comments ||
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#11
I doubt this is DHS, but the political appointees at the top of DHS issuing propaganda under the DHS letterhead. And those appointees wouldn't issue such a doc w/o being directed to by Rahm & Co.
See the pretty trial balloon floating just up ahead? Shiney!
Nut graf, but do go read the whole thing:
The American judicial system deems everyone innocent until proven guilty and guarantees a fair hearing with a lawyer but not when it comes to immigration. Then there are far fewer rights. And as the system comes under pressure from a flood of new cases, the strain is showing.
One result is that U.S. citizens arrested as illegal immigrants or deportable residents cannot count on the legal system as a safety net. The odds are stacked against them. On the basis of interviews, lawsuits and documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, The Associated Press has documented more than 55 such cases since 2000, and immigration lawyers count hundreds more.
#2
That flood of US citizens being unfairly arrested! We must publicize this greatly so we can change the immigration laws to benefit the mass of illegal aliens!
#4
Being illegal means you don't have the same rights as a citizen or an alien that was granted permission to be here and is protected under our civil court.
#6
But immigration officials had recorded his last name as Saldidar, so they couldn't find him.
Hmmm with a quick read one might get the impression that the evil ICE was intentionally deceptive or possibly broke the law. Given the APs history of propaganda on this subject its doubtful that this improper syntax was anything but deliberate. Of course all the AP would need to do to dismiss a libel charge is to admit their reporters and editors are a bunch of no talent hacks.
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 13, 2009 20:49:23 EDT
The budget proposal angered defense contractors and certain congressmen. But it drew no objections Monday from a group of officers it could affect the most the militarys future generals and admirals.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew from the Pentagon to Quantico, Va., Monday morning, making the first of five visits to military war colleges and a training center in order to explain the thinking that went into the controversial budget proposal he announced Apr. 6.
Contractors, already expecting bad news, blanched when they heard Gates plans to end production of the Air Force F-22 fighter, spike the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue helicopter program and the VH-71 presidential helicopter program, boost funding of unmanned aerial vehicles, cancel the vehicle portion of the Armys Future Combat System, and other big changes.
At the same time, Gates said he wants to continue funding the end-strength increase in the Army and Marine Corps, increase the size of Special Operations Forces and to ramp up spending on unmanned aerial vehicles all viewed as war fighter-friendly initiatives.
As such, the 20 fast-rising officers attending Marine Corps University who met with Gates drawn from all four military branches voiced no specific objections to the plan during their roughly 50-minute question-and-answer session.
Instead, the questions were more strategic in nature: whether combatant commanders have enough input into budget decisions, whether the State Department and USAID are growing in expeditionary capability, whether individual troops will continue to be sent to the wars to fill specific jobs, and how much the Pentagon should be relying on contractors and reservists.
Gates reiterated that his reformist proposal aims to get rid of waste and to institutionalize the needs of todays war fighters, whose needs have generally been supplied via supplemental spending rather than in the base defense budget.
Asked if he thought Congress would be a help or a hindrance in the budget reform effort, Gates said that in terms of jobs, far more will be created by the F-35 programs growth than would be lost in the F-22 program. But, he noted, That doesnt solve the problem of people in particular localities, in particular states. And so I expect therell be a lot of pushback on that score.
There is an overall sense on the Hill that there is a need for acquisition reform in the Department of Defense, Gates told the students, all field grade officers. Too many programs overdue, over budget and poorly managed. It is hard to argue on the one hand the need for acquisition reform covering the entire department and then say, Oh, but except for my little program over here, which is over budget and overdue, but still is really necessary.
So I think theres a certain logical inconsistency in that that I hope will work in our favor.
Gates said hes fully aware that some of the changes hes proposed are huge. When you have as many programs affected as we will be sending up there, I think it becomes a more daunting challenge, he said.
Less controversial is the plan to allow Army and Marine Corps end-strength growth to continue. While Gates said the Marines are focusing their increases on skills such as intelligence and explosives ordnance disposal that are in short supply, he said that the practice of sending so-called individual augmentees to the war theater to fill various jobs will continue.
My view is that at least as long as were fighting these two conflicts simultaneously, that there will still be individual augmentees, Gates said. But in the future, he said, the Pentagon and the services should plan for it and train for it. That way, he said, We know where those resources are. He also said that all of those taking on such assignments should be allowed to apply for joint experience.
If were gonna have it for a long time then lets stop doing it onesies and twosies, and figure out how to do it in a more orchestrated, meaningful way that also provides some opportunities that help advancement for those who get pulled off to do that kind of thing.
Afterward, Gates emphasized that his proposed budget wasnt just about trying to cut waste. The proposals I have made are about how we think about warfare in the future. Its about the role of the services. Its about taking care of our people. So there are some fairly far-reaching concepts behind what were doing here.
How do you institutionalize, in the Department of Defense, support for the war fighter? Gates asked. How do you move toward more effective management of our systems? How do you move from joint operations to greater joint procurement?
When a post-discussion visitor remarked that his commitment and obvious desire to oversee such an ambitious agenda would seem to be an indication that the sole holdover from the Bush administration is planning to stay on for quite a while, Gates interrupted with, Forever, then broke into laughter. The likely length of his stay was quite the Washington parlor game when President Barack Obama announced that Gates would stay on, but the talk has subsided.
Seated and in shirtsleeves, Gates seemed at ease with the officers a sense underlined by the choice lines he fired off:
Im just trying to get the guys who fight the wars a seat at the table.
What Ive tried to do is go after programs that either were ridiculously overpriced or over budget.
In deciding he wants to kill the $6.5 billion presidential helicopter replacement program, I had the privilege of telling the president hed really enjoy the privilege of riding in an $800 million helicopter, and he wasnt too enthusiastic about that.
When some in the Pentagon argued that blast-resistant Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, shouldnt be bought because the Iraq war would be over in a few months, Gates said, My attitude was, to hell with it. Were going to buy all we can build, and were going to send them all to the theater, and if I got them all left over at the end of the war, and theres no use for them, but it saved a bunch of kids lives and limbs, then its worth every dime we spend.
On lack of oversight on contractors in the war efforts and within the Pentagon: When we started, for example, looking at training, nobody knew, in the Pentagon, what the hell was going on around the country, in terms of contractors.
On greater reliance on the National Guard and reserves since 9/11, and the lack of a concrete plan to do so: Its one of these things that sort of happened by inches. My worry, particularly when I first got into this job [was] have we done a bait-and-switch on the Reserve Component?
In the past, Gates said the combatant commanders would send their requirements to the Pentagon. But based on what I hear, it was hard for them to see that they ever had an impact, he said, drawing chuckles. Im trying to be as diplomatic here as possible. He said the CoComs had a bigger voice this time around.
Gates wont likely get a much tougher grilling Tuesday at Fort Rucker, Ala., where hell visit helicopter pilots and enlisted crew members at the U.S. Army Aviation Center an effort to underline his budget emphasis on growing rotary-lift capability. Those sorts of questions might be awaiting Gates Wednesday, when hell talk with students at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
#2
The "approach" he could have recommended to the previous administration...unless their priorities were of course different. New day --- New handler.
Utility to buy orbit-generated electricity from Solaren in 2016, at no risk
California's biggest energy utility announced a deal Monday to purchase 200 megawatts of electricity from a startup company that plans to beam the power down to Earth from outer space, beginning in 2016.
Solaren would generate the power using solar panels in Earth orbit and convert it to radio-frequency transmissions that would be beamed down to a receiving station in Fresno, PG&E said. From there, the energy would be converted into electricity and fed into PG&E's power grid
#1
Interesting but it says nothing about how radio-requency transmissions to a receiving station in Fresno are converted to electrical energy. How does that work? Or does it? And if it does then couldn't anybody with the right equipment also receive those transmissions and convert them to energy, thus ripping off Solaren and PG&E? Is this a practical idea or a pipe dream?
#3
I see it as possible, but transmission losses for beamed power will keep it from being much more than a PR stunt, The transmission straight down is the problem, satellite to satellite have NO losses due to air dissipation.
(Beam spreading and length of transmission have their own losses)
But a beam powerful enough to generate enough electricity to use is a deadly microwave beam, all aircraft must divert or be fried.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/14/2009 12:36 Comments ||
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#4
The detail,including the safety considerations were worked out by space freaks SD & Space enthusiasts in 1980es, mojo. Of course, between Soody owned pols and envirowackos, it'll never be build in USA---you'll just have for India and/or China to do it.
#7
grom: And HOW big does the antenna need to be to reduce the power density of the RF to safe levels?...
Not saying it wouldn't work. I'm saying it'll never happen. Too much land tied up under the antenna, too many fluffy bunnies or spotted snakes displaced/inconvenienced, etc. etc.
[Mail and Globe] Thai troops fired repeatedly into the air in Bangkok on Monday after anti-government protesters torched a bus at a main junction, forcing the demonstrators to pull back, a Reuters reporter said.
When troops tried to put the bus blaze out with a water cannon, the protesters threw a volley of five or six fire-bombs at them, and the soldiers advanced in response to that.
The clashes, two days after protesters forced a cancellation of an Asian summit, have undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the image of an economy already reeling from last year's political chaos and the global financial crisis.
"I believe the darkest days in Thailand's history are yet to come, as we see no swift solution to ongoing divisiveness," said Prinn Panitchpakdi, a CLSA Asia-Pacific analyst.
Bangkok Medical Centre director Peeraphong Saicheau said 77 people were injured in clashes at the junction, which began just before dawn. Two civilians and two soldiers had gunshot wounds.
A number of protesters had been arrested, said Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
Sansern said the fracas began when troops in vehicles with loudspeakers asked the red-shirted protesters to lift a blockade they have maintained for days at Din Daeng junction.
The junction is a crucial part of Bangkok's traffic system, although Monday is the start of a three-day holiday for the Thai New Year and many people have already left for the provinces. Financial markets are shut until Thursday because of the holiday.
Troops had rolled up water cannon and demonstrators had covered the road in petrol, apparently threatening to set it ablaze if troops moved in -- which they did when the "red shirts" set the bus ablaze.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/14/2009 00:00 ||
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#4
That was the most asinine, condescending garbage I have seen in quite a while. Maybe dude needed a new title for his paper: You Cannot Spell Stupid Without PSU.
#9
In defense of all Penn State alumni, the university has changed radically since the good old days. Becoming part of the Big Ten made them all think they were joining the State Ivies, and ten years of yearly insane tuition hikes later, it's a much more progressive, expensive, and elitist institution than it was back in the early Nineties, when it was Pennsylvania's rural alternative to Temple & Pitt.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/14/2009 17:44 Comments ||
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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.
[Straits Times] A MALAYSIAN court on Thursday sentenced two policemen to death after finding them guilty of murdering a Mongolian woman in 2006. 
The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery. The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.
