I hope this hasn't been posted before Prosecutors: Mexican Police Killed Man
MEXICO CITY -- A man who tried to commit suicide by throwing himself onto the tracks of the Mexico City subway was later beaten to death by police, prosecutors said Saturday.
Two policemen who took custody of the man after he was removed from the tracks on Thursday were charged with homicide for allegedly beating him to death in a patrol car, the Mexico City attorney general's office said in a statement.
Truck driver Albano Ramirez Santos, reportedly despondent over the theft of his truck, tried to kill himself by jumping onto the subway tracks. Trains were halted but Ramirez Santos told a subway conductor to leave him where he was because he wanted to die. Station employees removed him from the tracks.
Police were summoned and officers Jose de Jesus Sanchez Lemus and Carmelo Campechano Granados took the truck driver to a police station. But Ramirez Santos was unconscious when they arrived and a forensic report said he died of blows to the chest and head unrelated to the suicide attempt.
Prosecutors offered no motive for the alleged homicide.
TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Your car may become just another household appliance if a Japanese vehicle developer and former rally driver gets his way. Uh, not if you get a load of the price tag below. Of course, I don't have a tip jar like Fred, so who am I to complain?
Yoshio Takaoka, in collaboration with Italy's Start Lab SAP, has created the Girasole, a fully functional electric car that can be fueled from a home power outlet.
The highway-worthy two seater reaches speeds of 65 km per hour (41 mp/h) and travels distances of up to a 120 km on a full battery, which costs about $1. All of this performance for $2+ million? What a bargain! I reach speeds of 41 mph in my neighborhood, this thing wouldn't last a day on the Atlanta interstates.
"Previously I was a polluter but as I grew older I felt I had to do penance for this and do something good in return," Takaoka, 63, told Fuji TV, referring to his rally driving heydays. Mods, he's just askin' for the "Wash away your sins" graphic.
The Girasole, which means sunflower in Italian, retails for about $2.2 million but drivers can claim a $6,600 subsidy from the government under an environmental protection clause. For all you non-mathmeticians out there, that means it only costs $2.1934 million, not $2.2 million, but who's countin'?
Japanese consumers who test drove the car were impressed by its quietness. But the car comes equipped with the clip-clop sound of horse hooves hitting the pavement to alert pedestrians and other drivers. Maybe in Williamsburg or Yorktown, but I'd imagine the average Tokyo resident would want the sounds of Godzilla instead.
Posted by: BA ||
01/26/2007 09:34 ||
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#1
2 million what? Lira? It can't be dollars, must be a typo.
#3
That has to be in Yen, which depending on rates, is around $17,000 - $21,000
I've been in tiny, tiny Japanese cars over there with traditional gasoline engines that can barely clear 41 mph.
Driving in Tokyo or Osaka or any of the large citites is insane, I don't know how they do it.
For people that want to have cars, this could be a good option. Many, Many people in Japan don't even have a car ... I say give me JR Pass and forget the car and all is good.
#7
electric cars with clip-clop sounds: the Japanese Amish will be soooo conflicted!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2007 19:08 Comments ||
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#8
Of course, every wreck will be a hazmat site! Nothing better for the enviroment than loads of cadmium and lithium spread around. Heavy metal poisoning is good for you.
SAN FRANCISCO - California regulators approved rules Thursday banning power companies from buying electricity from high-polluting sources, including most out-of-state coal-burning plants. I guess they'll be leaving more than their hearts in San Fran now, eh? Of course, as cool as it is there, I guess it doesn't concern these regulators.
The rules _ aimed at reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming _ could have a far-reaching effect on the energy market across the West. You don't say, Sherlock? I'd imagine though, that those "dirty" power plants will find somewhere else to sell their electricity. I just weep for the chilluns, the older and the infirm as brownouts will definitely hit Cali this summer.
While there are almost no coal-fired plants in California, the nation's most populous state, about 20 percent of the state's electricity comes from coal plants in other Western states. So, you've already had supply issues, and you move to "ban" 20% more of your imported electricity? Nice move. And, I bet they won't allow nuclear power, wind power off of L.A. or even LNG or gassification either. How progressive of them, right back to the Stone Age.
"It represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address the challenge of climate change," said Michael Peevey, president of the Public Utilities Commission. Nice that he used "climate change" when the title of the story references "global warming." You'd think the progressives could get their stories straight.
Posted by: BA ||
01/26/2007 09:25 ||
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#1
Stories like this induce musing about secession in places like San Diego. There is so little in common between northern and southern California that perhaps California should be partitioned into two or three states.
San Francisco and the Bay Area deserve to be isolated from the rest of the country. Since the SF pols are so fond of illegal immigrants, maybe we should offer them to Mexico in exchange for actual border enforcement.
#3
We are whitnessing the de-evolution of a great state. This was the state that brought us Regan, now with the Berkley crews they will make it an illegal haven, roving power outages, btw how will they manage that when they are tied to a national grid???, and a budget that is in collaps. Industry is pulling away already, crime will continue to rise and it wont be long before Tijuana and San Diego look the same. Good luck to the survivors of the Golden state and please bring the American flag with you when you leave.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/26/2007 10:05 Comments ||
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#4
California keeps making me remember that book by Pournelle, Niven and Flynn? called Fallen Angels, where the government is crushing people in the name of global warming while Glaciers march through the northern states.
The other thing that comes to mind is the phrase, "Mind boggling stupidity."
Of course, it IS California, so that phrase fits in lots of ways.
#5
I think it's great that Cali power companies can only buy clean electrons. After all, who wants coal dust coming in thru the wall outlets?
Considering that electricity is the invention of dead white males, hopefully Californians will have the courage to lead the way in banning the use of electricity altogether. It is unforgiveable that the product of patriarchal science and its inherent colonial oppression is forced into people's homes by a state-run monopoly.
#6
So power generated from coal burning plants gets rerouted elsewhere and power from clean plants gets rerouted to California. Same energy production, no change in global warming at all. But the energy bills and smugness factor increase in California.
#9
For some reason this reminds me of Fred's note on the front page:
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.
#10
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.
I remember reading that the first trip thru the 'berg on a detour from LGF, never left.
#11
The bill comes due in June, July and August when blackouts will force Californians to buy $1 kWh electricity from Texas standby generators. I probably should buy some TXU stock about now.
Posted by: ed ||
01/26/2007 12:20 Comments ||
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#13
California actually imports about 65% of its power. Since it is virtually impossible to build new plants in the state, all growth in demand must be met from out of state, predominantly the four corners and Wyoming.
Electricity is fungible and power from gas fired plants can be routed to Ca to reduce its consumption of electricity powered by coal. That will give California the higher priced solution, however. Heating and cooling bills are already very expensive in the Golden State, but I guess our politicians figure they are not high enough.
Gonna make those electric cars less economical as well.
#14
first brownout this rule gets canned. Fucking preening by the faux-morally-vain and criminally stupid. I'm sure Al Gore will take responsibility when the State's economy tanks?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/26/2007 19:14 Comments ||
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#15
If all else fails, Californians can always surf the internet by candlelight.
Meat and Livestock Australia is spending $1 million to encourage us to eat lamb this Australia Day, but one animal liberationist is running a "bare bones" campaign against it. Jodi Ruckley is travelling from Brisbane to Sydney wearing a bikini made of lettuce leaves. She hopes it will make people think differently about intensive farming practices and embrace a vegetarian lifestyle.
The British experts analysed satellite images of the area to make their study. They say that seepage of mud and water are usually a preventable hazard when exploring for oil and gas. "It is standard industry procedure that this kind of drilling requires the use of steel casing to support the borehole, to protect against the pressure of fluids such as water, oil or gas," Davies said in a press release.
"In the case of Lusi, a pressured limestone rock containing water -- a water aquifer -- was drilled while the lower part of the borehole was exposed and not protected by casing. As a result, rocks fractured and a mix of mud and water worked its way to the surface. Our research brings us to the conclusion that the incident was most probably the result of drilling."
Davies said the case in Indonesia was similar to a blowout that happened offshore of Brunei in 1979. "Just as is most probably the case with Lusi, the Brunei event was caused by drilling and it took an international oil company almost 30 years and 20 relief wells and monitoring before the eruption stopped," he added.
(SomaliNet) Watery diarrhea disease caused the deaths of ten people including children and elderly in the Somali inhabited settlements in the Kenyan northeastern provincial town of Mandhera near the Somali town of Baled Hawo.
Local doctors warned if this disease was cholera it could spread into Somalia.
Six of the dead children were under the age of five. Sources say that many other children were sick of the disease.
Local doctors warned if this disease was cholera it could spread into Somalia where floods and repeated wars have already had bad impacts on the livelihood of the pastoral community in southern Somalia. Doctors in Mandhere were endeavoring to treat the sick, urging people to clean their environment and keep the sanitation of their houses. Health warnings were also given by medical people in southern Somalia.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2007 00:00 ||
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The Crown says a Montreal man's refusal to grant his Muslim wife a Shariah divorce should be considered an aggravating factor when he is sentenced Friday for stabbing her and their baby daughter. Other than that, there is nothing the courts can do for the woman, whose husband pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault to avoid attempted murder charges.
That, say advocates, is the problem with the refusal to recognize Shariah law in the Canadian judicial system. Observant Muslim women, especially those who emigrated from Islamic countries, feel they have nowhere to turn, said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Winnipeg-based Islamic Social Services Association. "Many, many times we see this," Siddiqui said.
The 31-year-old man attacked his wife in their Montreal apartment, stabbing her several times, including in the face. He then stabbed the infant girl twice in the stomach. She spent 10 days in hospital recovering... He also denied he needed treatment for his violent behaviour.
Both Quebec and Ontario have passed laws banning the use of any religious tribunals - Muslim, Jewish or otherwise - to settle family law disputes like custody and divorce. But many Muslim women want a Shariah stamp of approval, "especially if they're going to travel abroad," Siddiqui said.
In the current case, the 31-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, attacked his wife in their Montreal apartment in February 2006, stabbing her several times, including in the face. He then stabbed the infant girl twice in the stomach. She spent 10 days in hospital recovering.
The man testified at his sentencing hearing earlier this week that he will not agree to a divorce under Shariah law in Canada. "The issue of the divorce will be decided over there," he told the judge, referring to their home country of Lebanon. He also denied he needed treatment for his violent behaviour.
The Crown has asked for a seven-year sentence, citing the refusal to grant the Shariah divorce as an aggravating factor. The defence has suggested a three-year sentence.
The woman earlier told the court she would like to return to her family in Lebanon but without the religious divorce and worries she could be forced to return to her husband or face charges of abducting her own daughter. "They had a religious marriage in Lebanon and if she returns she could have problems," Crown lawyer Sophie Lavergne told the judge.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2007 11:17 ||
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#1
Hopefully when his bunk buddies find out aboot the baby stabbing they'll make her a widow.
#2
That, say advocates, is the problem with the refusal to recognize Shariah law in the Canadian judicial system. Observant Muslim women, especially those who emigrated from Islamic countries, feel they have nowhere to turn, said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Winnipeg-based Islamic Social Services Association. "Many, many times we see this," Siddiqui said.
I'm not sure how this case supports the above statement. Since hubby refused to give her a Shariah divorce it would seem that the Canadians recognizing shariah law would also have refused a divorce.
Further, the man appears to believe that he is within his rights to stab his wife and daughter. If that's allowed under Shariah then why are "advocates" advocating it?
#4
The woman earlier told the court she would like to return to her family in Lebanon but without the religious divorce and worries she could be forced to return to her husband or face charges of abducting her own daughter. "They had a religious marriage in Lebanon and if she returns she could have problems," Crown lawyer Sophie Lavergne told the judge.
Cuz its always a good idea to hurry home to a backwards ass shithole that might force me and my daughter to live with the man that tried to kill us.
If you belong to a religion that wonÂ’t grant you a divorce after your hubby tries to kill you just because he doesnÂ’t agree with it might be a hint that itÂ’s time to shop around for a new religion. Just a suggestion.
#6
So what prosecutor asshole allowed him to bargain his way down to aggravated assault ? Anyone low enough to stab his daughter in the stomach deserves to die slowly and painfully.
Singapore Tuesday launched a contest to build a robot that can operate autonomously in urban warfare conditions, moving in and out of buildings to search and destroy targets like a human soldier. The country's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) said on its website it is offering one million Singapore dollars (652,000 US) to the developers of such a robot that completes a stipulated task in the fastest time.
DSTA said individuals, companies, universities and research institutes are welcome to participate in the contest, dubbed TechX Challenge. Foreigners must to collaborate with local partners to join the contest.
"Operation in urban areas represents a significant challenge to militaries," DSTA chief executive Richard Lim said at the launch of the contest on Tuesday.
"Recent military experiences in Iraq, the Middle East and other locations have clearly illustrated these challenges."
Currently, robots deployed for urban warfare missions are remotely operated by a human, limiting their effectiveness and tying down resources, Lim said.
The robot DSTA wants "must, on its own, be able to navigate both indoors and outdoors in an urban landscape and accomplish a set of assigned tasks within a stipulated time," he said.
This robot must be able to negotiate a staircase and use the elevator to dash from one floor to another even without the aid of satellite navigation which may not be available indoors.
Designing a robot that would be able to use an elevator, for example, will be a technological challenge, as not all elevators are designed similarly.
Navigation without satellite help would require the robot "to have machine vision capabilities to identify visual cues along its intended path to serve as waypoints," Lim said.
Participants must submit their applications by the end of May this year and the list of shortlisted participants will be announced in June.
The robots will be submitted for testing in a qualifying round in May 2008. A final round in August will crown the robot warrior that can complete the assigned task in the fastest time.
Defence experts have said that the fight against terrorism has made urban warfare increasingly unavoidable, as the experience in Iraq has shown, but high-tech weaponry could minimise casualties.
As cities become more populated and as extremist networks seek refuge in urban centers, conventional armed forces worldwide need to evolve their doctrines and weapons to better fight a new kind of enemy, they said.
The DSTA said it hopes the project will sharpen the Singapore military's technical edge.
#1
OK, so maybe I am a bit paranoid, has all the test material been accounted for and / or destroyed? Canada is a bit too close for this stuff to be running around.
#4
It is a bad idea, and I 2nd Mike N's suggestion.
Posted by: BA ||
01/26/2007 9:47 Comments ||
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#5
It's this kind of thing, scientists reconstructing viruses or designing their own, that gives me the heebie-jeebies every time I hear about it.
There are kits available out there, really inexpensive ones, that are designed to allow high school students to do genetic work (particularly recombinant DNA experients).
As an example of some of the stuff that can be had, I was looking around just yesterday and for about $150 you can buy frozen or lypholized spider venom in a variety of quantities and types. I was particularly amazed at this as I had just recently learned there are no permitting requirements for trans-shipping live spiders. Spider venom is loaded with proteins and proteins are building blocks of DNA, but aside from that point, it shows what can be found on the net these days if you know how and where to look.
There are labs out there, possibly (probably?) in someone's kitchen, brewing up stuff that if it got out could be a dire threat to our very existence ala Stephen King and his worst nightmares.
#6
This plus home nano-factories are the reason we have get on with conquering and subduing the planet pronto. Nuclear-armed "islamists" i.e. muslims are going to be looked back on as a quaint little problem by comparison. Seriously, we would be better off ruled by the ChiComs than try to survive the chaos on the way.
#9
Learning from the 1918 flu, even by recreating the virus, is worthwhile. And it is not likely to be nearly as dangerous even if it were to be re-released: man has now been exposed to it and its mutated progeny so immune responses should not be so distorted. The ones to be more concerned about are the mutations into whole new lines, which is why the 'bird flu' is of such concern. Research on the 1918 flu just might help us intercept the bird flu BEFORE it goes all '1918' on us. (This is not to say the Canadians shouldn't be careful, but they are a responsible, developed nation, and not Iran or such.)
#10
No Mike N. nuking it from orbit is the only way to be sure.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
01/26/2007 13:15 Comments ||
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#11
To explain the interest, flus contain an 'H' factor, and an 'N' factor.
H is the protein in the virus that lets it enter a cell, and N is another protein that, after the virus reproduces in the cell, allows it to break out of the cell to infect other cells.
Influenza virus must have both an H and an N factor to cause disease.
There are 16 different H factors and 137 N factors.
However, in past, only H1, H2, and H3 have been able to infect human cells. That is why H5N1, the avian flu, is so potentially deadly. Until now, we have never been exposed to it at all.
As far as the N factor, only 9 variants are associated with influenzas, and most influenzas have used either N1 or N2, but there have been some isolated cases from N3 and N7.
That being said, the Spanish flu (H1N1) seemed to have just the right combination to attack humans where they were weakest. Though we don't know for sure, it might have been the first time for the H1 to attack us.
The number assignments are recent, so H1 may actually be a fairly new protein in the influenza virus, with H2 and H3 far older.
However, as a caution, there is NO immunity in any living person to the Spanish flu (H1N1), either. After they had re-created, they tested it on animals, and it is still incredibly virulent. Lab animals all died within 36 hours.
Even the few people still alive who lived through the Spanish flu have probably long since lost their immunity to the disease.
Important: the Spanish flu peaked at a 20% mortality rate among humans. The avian flu is easily, and unexpectedly, maintaining its 50% or better mortality rate. So it is more than twice as potentially lethal as the Spanish flu.
In 1918, the United States had about 50 million people, of which, rough estimates are that anywhere from 200,000 to 2 million Americans died.
Our population is now over 300 million. Assuming the lower figure is correct, all else being equal, we could have 3 million fatalities.
#12
And the scary thing about the 1918 flu was that it killed, within a very short time... the young and the fit, who otherwise would have been expected to survive it.
My great-aunt contracted it as a teenager, in Reading, England. She lived; she wrote in a short memoir that she was barely strong enough to come downstairs and listen to the WWI victory through the front door of her parents' house, as she was too weak to go any farther than the bottom of the staircase. She was all alone in the house; her mother was a volunteer nurse at the time, probably working in an emergency hospital with those who were very much worse off.
#14
The 1918 flu virus did not kill everyone. Until very recently, there was no good idea of why it killed the way it did, a fact necessary to protect from the next bad mutation. This research is important.
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.
(SomaliNet) Watery diarrhea disease caused the deaths of ten people including children and elderly in the Somali inhabited settlements in the Kenyan northeastern provincial town of Mandhera near the Somali town of Baled Hawo. 
