The NBA has fined Knicks guard J.R. Smith $50,000 for "recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct" after he tried to untie an opponent's sneaker a second time.
Smith untied Mavericks forward Shawn Marion's shoe during a free throw attempt at Dallas on Sunday and was warned not to repeat the act by the league office.
Coach Mike Woodson had said before Tuesday's home game against Detroit that Smith shouldn't be doing things like that, but the reserve guard then tried it again on Greg Monroe during a free throw attempt _ with league disciplinarian Rod Thorn in attendance.
An Oklahoma man is behind bars accused of murder after deputies in Pottawatomie County say Brad Lee Davis killed his stepfather by giving him what is known as an atomic wedgie.
Court papers show Davis admitting to pulling Denver St. Clair's underwear over his back and head allowing the elastic band to wrap around his neck.
Davis dialed 9-1-1 to report his crime after St. Clair stopped breathing. Officials say he told detectives he gave his stepfather an atomic wedgie.
Davis told police a fight started after his stepfather insulted his mother. Police say the fight turned violent with blood spatter on the walls and underwear over the victim's head. Court papers also show Davis planned on assaulting his stepfather but not necessarily killing him.
Davis is being held without bond. A formal charge is expected to be filed at a court hearing later this month.
[An Nahar] La Belle France's Socialist government on Thursday claimed a last-gasp victory in its battle to prevent a controversial stand-up comic from launching a nationwide tour with a show widely condemned as anti-Semitic.
Less than two hours before the comic, Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala, was due to take the stage in the western city of Nantes, La Belle France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, overturned a local judge's ruling that the show should be allowed to go ahead.
The decision was greeted with boos and jeers by hundreds of the comedian's fans who had assembled outside the Zenith theater in anticipation of watching a performer the government has branded a "pedlar of hate" and who has been repeatedly convicted under anti-racism legislation.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
IMHO, it's best to let volk like this yammer away, showing the world what they truly are. Westburrow Babtits has been spewing hatred for years, basically ending up being its own worst enemy.
[CNN] Former NBA star Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for his much-criticized outburst about an American citizen imprisoned in North Korea, saying he was stressed out and had been drinking when he made the remarks on CNN.
The family of that imprisoned American, Kenneth Bae, said Thursday that they accepted Rodman's apology for his "outrageous" remarks but said they hope his comments "have not further endangered" Bae.
The eccentric basketball veteran is in North Korea for a controversial visit that has been rife with bizarre moments, including Rodman's rendition of "Happy Birthday" to the country's leader Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... at a packed sports stadium on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Pudgy was drinking when he ordered his Uncle to be eaten by starving canines. They must be twins. Reality is stranger than fiction.
#2
As you can clearly see in this slide, the black regions indicate necrosis of the cerebral neurons due to extensive drug use and loss of brain oxygenation. While it should not be confused with a non-persistent vegetative state, the prognosis and end results are identical and unfortunately, inoperable.
Or not. After all, former Vice President Al Gore predicted that by now the North Pole would be entirely ice free. As 'tis said, predictions are hard, especially about the future.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Like a beach ball held underwater - flies up when released. More grant money required to determine the equivalent size of the beach ball.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/10/2014 7:43 Comments ||
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#2
Of course, some people will blame global warming.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/10/2014 7:49 Comments ||
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#3
you know where you DON'T see volcanos? Crawford, TX. Pretty obviously Booooosh is to blame
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/10/2014 7:55 Comments ||
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#4
Comment removed - quantum of solace long exceeded.
[An Nahar] British government plans for new laws to penalize 'annoying' behavior were defeated in the House of Lords on Wednesday by critics who warned they might be used against anybody from carol singers to nudists.
Unelected members of the upper house of parliament voted 306 to 178 to amend plans for new court-imposed injunctions to prevent nuisance or annoyance (Ipnas), the breach of which could lead to a prison term.
The measure is now likely to return to the House of Commons, the elected chamber of parliament, and will undergo further debate in both houses.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Good thing the Lords didn't start a precedent. Such a law might have spread across the pond to the U.S. Just think how the courts would be jammed up with "annoying people" cases. Even our Lords of Congress might be subject to the Annoying Person law.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/10/2014 9:38 Comments ||
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#3
I was watching the Heat - Knicks game last night. Spike Lee, wearing a fluorescent orange jacket, stupid looking Knicks pom-pom hat and the dorkiest pair of glasses I've seen since Elton John's last tour, was jumping up & down in his front row seat and yelling towards / at the referees every freakin' trip up the court. I would love to see something like this just for self-important attention whores like him, and horse whip him for the halftime show.
[An Nahar] The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... said Thursday the South Sudan conflict corpse count is "very substantially" higher than the 1,000 given so far, as it stepped up efforts to shelter civilians.
The U.N. mission in South Sudan has cut all military links with the government army and is ready to act against any attack by the army one of its bases, U.N. officials said.
Most concern is now focused on the oil town of Bentiu where rebel forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar are holding off the army of President Salva Kiir.
U.N. deputy front man Farhan Haq said the outcome of the battle for Bentiu, capital of Unity state, was "unclear and fluid."
"Explosions and fighting have been reportedly heard in the town this morning," said Haq, who added that more than 8,000 people have fled to the Bentiu U.N. compound.
The mission was expanding its "protection site" at Bentiu to cope with the growing numbers seeking shelter there, Haq said.
There are now more than 60,000 people at U.N. compounds across South Sudan, half of them in Juba and another 9,000 in Bor, the rebel held capital of Jonglei state.
And the number of South Sudanese taking refuge in Uganda has more than tripled to 32,000 in the past two days, the U.N. said, adding that more than 10,000 are also registered in Kenya and Æthiopia.
In total, there are now probably more than a quarter million people displaced by the fighting, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said, after briefing the U.N. Security Council on the crisis.
No current figures on a corpse count were available, Ladsous added, but he estimated it was "very substantially in excess" of the 1,000 deaths the U.N. reported just after conflict erupted on December 15.
The Security Council has approved sending an extra 5,500 troops to South Sudan who are only slowly arriving. Ladsous said it would need four to eight weeks to get the reinforcements in place.
Nepal is to provide 850 of the extra troops, U.N. officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... yesterday cancelled her view-exchange meeting with journalists who went to her upmarket residence in Gulshan.
Earlier, BNP chairperson's press wing invited journalists to join the view-exchange meeting through SMS and over phone.
Responding to the call from the press wing of the BNP more than 200 journalists gathered in front of her residence.
Around 9pm, Shamsuddin Didar, an official of chairperson's press wing, told journalists that the programme was postponed and Khaleda Zia would not hold the view-exchange meeting.
He, however, declined to explain as to why the meeting had been cancelled.
Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Livia grabbed for Jane's hair to make her point. Jane elbowed her in the face in rebuttal... the BNP on Thursday alleged that the swearing-in of new parliament members was in violation of the constitution.
The party also claimed that Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury violated the constitution by conducting the oath-taking ceremony.
"Today's [Thursday] swearing-in is a clear violation of the constitution. If President Abdul Hamid invites the parliament leader to form government, it will also violate the constitution," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[MIAMIHERALD] Venezuela has detained seven people, including two minors, for the murder of Mónica Spear, the beauty queen and television actress who was bumped off Monday along with her ex-husband.
José Gregorio Sierralta, the head of the country's criminal investigation unit, known as the CICPC, said Sherlocks had found Spear's digital camera at the house of one of the alleged criminals, helping break open the case.
The information confirms that Spear was killed during a robbery -- and hadn't been specifically targeted as President Nicolas Maduro suggested Wednesday.
Spear's murder has outraged the Andean nation, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Her funeral will be held Thursday evening.
Spear, 29, and her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry, 49, were killed late Monday in the state of Carabobo as they were pulled over on the side of the road after having car trouble. Their five-year old daughter was shot in the leg.
Residents of the area told local media that gangs routinely spike the road to disable cars and rob the drivers.
On Wednesday, Maduro seeded doubts about the event when he said the murder seemed like a " sicariato," or a contract killing.
Spear won Miss Venezuela in 2004 and had a successful telenovela career which had her bouncing between Miami and Venezuela.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[Illinois Watchdog] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Illinois taxpayers realize the state is buried in debt.
Illinois worst-in-the-nation pension systems alone owe at least $130 billion, but now comes a new warning about the high cost of simply managing that debt. Tax businesses and industry more, everybody knows they're loaded !
In her latest fiscal report, Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka warns that Illinois will see billion dollar payments in interest on the states exploding debt.
(Last year) Illinois spent $1.45 billion on its general obligation bonds interest alone, Topinka wrote in the December Fiscal Focus report. Every dollar spent on interest is a dollar not spent on some other pressing need.
The state rushed to borrow to pay for roads, bridges and schools, but that at least left the state with something to show for its spending, she writes. Borrowing for pensions has left little more than debt. As business, industry, and taxpayer leave the state, the road and bridge challenge solves itself.
Spending priorities really suffer, said Cory Eucalitto, author of State Budget Solutions fourth annual report on state debt. Thats bad for taxpayers who expect a quality education for their children and all of the other state services.
Eucalittos newly released report details sky-rocketing debt in all 50 states. The 50 states combined owe $5.1 trillion in debt, mainly for public pensions. Watch what happens with the new Detroit bankruptcy model.
Illinois is among the worst offenders. The Land of Lincoln is in the top five when it comes to debt per capita ($25,959), debt in relation to state spending (727 percent) and unfunded pension liability ($254 billion).
State Budget Solutions uses a far less optimistic formula to calculate pension funding and total debt than does Illinois and most other states.
Topinka uses numbers that are substantially lower than the figures from State Budget Solutions. The comptroller lists Illinois debt total at $127 billion and puts the states unfunded pension liability at $97 billion. Illinois, Topinka notes, has been on a borrowing spree. The state has borrowed $16 billion in the past four years, including two pension bond sales in 2010 and 2011.
With increased debt comes increased payments. Illinois will pay $1.6 billion in interest on pension debt in the coming year, on top of a $6 billion pension payment. "Increased debt - increased payment"... profound.
In the last 10 years, the state of Illinois has issued $17 billion in (pension debt) that will not be completely paid off until 2033, Topinka writes in her report. For the majority of those years, taxpayers will pay $1 billion in debt service.
Eucalitto said taxpayers may notice the $1 billion interest payments, but he thinks the $17 billion in debt will be forgotten.
The regular budget process focuses on balancing an annual budget, no matter, in a lot of cases, what the cost is, Eucalitto said. Until taxpayers demand a new budgeting process, and new spending priorities, debt at the state level will continue to grow at an alarming pace, he said. Illinois currently has the second highest property taxes of all the 50 states.
#3
I grew up in Illinois and have since lived in ... lessee ... eleven other states and the Kingdom of Morocco, and Illinois roads are the worst. By far.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/10/2014 8:04 Comments ||
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#4
I know freezing and thawing takes a toll, but I have always been amazed at the maintenance of the aging German autobahn system, as compared to Illinois highways. Perhaps some enhanced QC [German engineers on-loan] in the construction and renovation stages might help.
#5
err...German engineers design their road and then construct their roads to last as long as physically possible. American engineers design the roads and the politician construct them for near future re-construction to keep the kickbacks reelection system constantly greased with more contracts and public make-work projects. When the money dries up, the cracks to that concept tend to literally surface.
#6
New Harmony toll-bridge bridge across Wabash closed since 2012. No federal funds used to build bridge in 1930. The $ .05 cent toll was to be removed once bridge was paid for. Last car across in 2012, paid $1.00 toll.
#7
American engineers design the roads and the politician construct them for near future re-construction to keep the kickbacks reelection system constantly greased with more contracts and public make-work projects.
Tell me! I-45 between Dallas and Houston and I-35 between Dallas and Austin have been under perpetual construction as long as I can remember. And I'm in my mid 50's.
At some point there will be a 10 lane divided highway between Dallas and Houston.
[An Nahar] The leader of La Belle France's far right National Front, which is expected to score well in upcoming European polls, pledged Thursday to do all in her power to facilitate the collapse of the EU.
Marine Le Pen's National Front is just one of several anti-immigration and anti-EU parties gaining traction in Europe, where many have lost faith in the ability of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... to help resolve a devastating economic crisis.
"How to improve the European Union? By making it collapse... I expect one thing only from the European system and that's for it to explode," Marine Le Pen told journalists at her party's headquarters in the Gay Paree suburb of Nanterre.
"We have to wait for everything to fall flat on its face, contribute to that if possible, to bring about the project of a Europe of free nations," said Le Pen, who is already a Member of the European Parliament(MEP).
"And that of course can only happen with the disappearance of a huge majority of current EU structures."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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Ah yes, but as you must know, I am not at all concerned about the British sector. It is our French trenches that I am concerned about. Well done men, very well done.
[IRISHTIMES] Greece kicked off its fifth presidency of the Council of the European Union yesterday with the motto: "Europe: Our Common Quest." But for the people of Greece, the ideal of European solidarity has never seemed so remote.
As riot police guarded the entrance to official buildings, and the government imposed an 18-hour ban on protests ahead of the visit of EU commissioners, Athens in many ways seemed a city under siege.
The ancient capital close to the shores of the Aegean Sea is accustomed to conquest. Throughout history it has seen the Roman, Byzantine and the Ottoman empires come and go. But for many Greeks, the European Union has become the latest manifestation of foreign political dominance.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Voter support for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has slipped amid a corruption scandal engulfing close allies to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi only they haven't dumped him yet... , a poll published Thursday showed.
The survey by the Sonar Institute indicated a two percentage point dip in voting intentions for the AKP if legislative elections were to be held right now, compared to polling a month ago.
But at 42.3 percent support, Erdogan's party still had a formidable lead over the opposition Republican People's Party, which gained nearly two percentage points to 29.8 percent.
The ultranationalist Nationalist Movement Party came third with 18.7 percent support.
The conservative, Islamic-leaning AKP has been in power in Turkey since 2002 and handily won 2011 elections by pocketing 49.8 percent of the ballots.
The Sonar poll suggested the continuing corruption scandal -- which has already resulted in the arrests of around 20 business and political allies and a couple of ex-ministers' sons -- was causing damage to the image of the party and to Erdogan, who has been in office for 11 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[INDIANEXPRESS] Top Maoist leader and spokesperson of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, Gumudavelli Venkatakrishna Prasad alias 'Gudsa Usendi', surrendered on Wednesday before Andhra Pradesh Police.
The 53-year-old leader hailing from Kadivendi village of Warangal district surrendered with his wife Raji before the anti-Maoist Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) which has not officially confirmed his surrender or arrest so far.
After holding various positions in the Maoist party in Chattisgarh, Prasad was appointed spokesperson of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee about five years ago.
Prasad's surrender may prove to be a big blow to the Maoists as he oversaw many operations in Chhattisgarh, including the Bastar ambush on Congress leaders' convoy in which 27 were killed.
Like`Azad', Gudsa Usendi is the pseudonym given to all spokespersons of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. The real Gudsa Usendi was a 17-year-old Maoist who was killed in a police operation in June 2000 in Abujmarh in Chattisgarh. 'Gudsa Usendi' also has a Facebook page which says "Gudsa Usendi Never dies, Phantom of Dantewada".
Prasad left his home in Warangal after graduation when he was 20 years old and joined the former People's War Group (PWG). He went underground and spent the last 30-odd years in the forests of Chattisgarh and Maharashtra.
Well-read and highly intelligent, Prasad is well-known for his ingenious methods of delivering messages, statements, and press releases to media and political leaders; emails from ghost IP addresses, notes stuck on doors, propaganda CDs appearing in MLAs chambers, etc.
He also released the chilling statement claiming responsibility for the May 25, 2013 Bastar ambush on Congress leaders in which Chattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and senior leaders Mahendra Karma and V C Shukla were killed with 24 others.
For his stealth he earned the nickname`phantom'. He carries a reward of Rs 15 lakhs. Highly ranked and regarded for his soft skills rather than military, Prasad was also part of the CPI (Maoist)'s think tank; writing analysis on the party's performance, and articles on strategy, tactics and reforms. He has been very critical of excessive violence by the Maoists where it was not necessary and advocated killing as a last resort.
He become more prominent after Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji was killed in an encounter with police in West Bengal in November 2011.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2014 00:00 ||
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A dialog between a health-care industry expert and Ezra Klein. I am surprised this appeared in The Washington Post.
I think the mandate is almost worthless because the word is getting around that they cant really collect it. And by year three, its really a lot of money. I think therell be real pressure to just get rid of it. I dont think you can force people to buy this insurance. If they dont want it therell be a political groundswell to get rid of it. So in my mind the individual mandate is kind of irrelevant to this.
If the mandate goes and the "tax" is unenforceable, Obamacare will probably be weakened to the extent it goes down the dumper.
I think its all about whether they have confidence in Obamacare or not. The mandate will be effective for free riders. No one has a problem penalizing people who dont pay their fair share. But if Obamacare hasnt been sold to the American people as something they should want then the mandate will just be rubbing salt in the wound and therell be enormous political pressure to get rid of it. So I think this gets back to whether the American people end up accepting obamacare or not.
I am really concerned that the uninsured who are healthy are not finding Obamacare the value they hoped it will be. Thats the real risk for Obamacare.
Duh!
I dont think theres anything they can do for March 31. But as we move to 2015 open enrollment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has some power to reshape the plans. The mandated benefits are so high theyve driven costs up and created narrower networks. The statute talks about actuarial levels so the Secretary cant just do anything she wants. But given a combination of regulatory authority and what the Obama administration has been willing to do already in overriding statute, I think they could do some pretty significant things.
Yeah, if they choose to ignore the Constitution and continue to adopt the law of the cult of personality.
I do have a concern that people are looking at these plans and not finding value. Some people are looking at paying 10 percent of their income for plans with huge deductibles, and then you have politics of Obamacare and the bad press of the launch and if you put all those things in a bag and mix them up, I am really concerned that the uninsured who are healthy are not finding Obamacare the value they hoped it will be. Thats the real risk for Obamacare.
Ive got $5,000 in premium and all this deductible, what do they want for that? And they probably wouldve said we want office visits and lab tests because the kids need to go in occasionally and then we want catastrophic care. The problem with Obamacare is its product driven and not market driven. They didnt ask the customer what they wanted. And I think thats the fundamental problem with Obamacare. It meets the needs of very poor people because youre giving them health insurance for free. But it doesnt really meet the needs of healthy people and middle-class people.
Not market driven is a big problem. I recall reading that the USSR manufactured ugly bras that no self-respecting woman wanted and thus no one bought these ugly bras. They preferred what was available on the black market. Another problem is that Obamacare is government and arrogance (the legacy issue)-driven and that's a big problem. More of the interview at the site.
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.
The NBA has fined Knicks guard J.R. Smith $50,000 for "recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct" after he tried to untie an opponent's sneaker a second time.
An Oklahoma man is behind bars accused of murder after deputies in Pottawatomie County say Brad Lee Davis killed his stepfather by giving him what is known as an atomic wedgie. 
[CNN] Former NBA star Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for his much-criticized outburst about an American citizen imprisoned in 
As you can clearly see in this slide, the black regions indicate necrosis of the cerebral neurons due to extensive drug use and loss of brain oxygenation. While it should not be confused with a non-persistent vegetative state, the prognosis and end results are identical and unfortunately, inoperable. 
[An Nahar] British government plans for new laws to penalize 'annoying' behavior were defeated in the House of Lords on Wednesday by critics who warned they might be used against anybody from carol singers to nudists.
Ah yes, but as you must know, I am not at all concerned about the British sector. It is our French trenches that I am concerned about. Well done men, very well done. 
[IRISHTIMES] Greece kicked off its fifth presidency of the Council of the European Union yesterday with the motto: "Europe: Our Common Quest." But for the people of Greece, the ideal of European solidarity has never seemed so remote.
