Texas Teacher, Students, Beer, Arrest

(Angleton, Texas) A 52-year-old art teacher at Danbury High School, Robin Ater, was arrested early Friday morning for allegedly liquoring up some students in her home.

Ater has been charged with one count of furnishing alcohol to minors.

Two boys, both 16, were stopped on CR 171 just north of FM 523 at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday after having been at Ater's home in the 1200 block of Ave. I, Brazoria County Sheriff’s Investigator Darrell Collins said. The driver was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol and the passenger with a minor consuming alcohol violation.

"One of our officers made a traffic stop that turned out to be a couple of young people,” Sheriff Charles Wagner said. "The driver was intoxicated as was the passenger. We let the parents pick them up instead of putting them in jail."

The students apparently told officers the alcohol was furnished by a teacher, Wagner said.

"The officer went to her house and talked to her and found evidence of considerable drinking going on," he said. "We found a receipt where beer had been purchased."

According to Danbury ISD Superintendent Eric Grimmett, Ater was placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation.

Ater was booked and released on $2,000 bond.

Interestingly, Ater reportedly allowed her teen son to drink in the family home, which is legal, Sheriff Wagner said. However, when the teen's buddies drank in the Ater home, it was illegal.

Lymphogranuloma Venereum Genetics

In 2004, medical professionals expressed concern regarding an outbreak of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) in the Netherlands and appearances in Canada and the U.S. West Coast. Now, it's being reported that 400 cases have been recorded in the UK through September 2006.

LGV is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the chlamydia bacteria which, until recently, was extremely rare outside of Africa and southeast Asia. The disease chiefly affects homosexual men.

In the latest news regarding LGV, an international group of researchers has performed a study of the chlamydia genome which is reported in this month's issue of Genome Research. According to senior author Professor Ian Clarke of the University of Southampton, the new gene catalogue will be a valuable research tool.

The researchers sequenced the genomes from two isolates of Chlamydia from patients with LGV - one obtained in California in the 1960s, and maintained as the major laboratory strain, and the other a recent isolate from a patient in London.

"The new sequences allow us to ask whether the recent increase in incidence of LGV is the result of emergence of a new and more virulent strain," continues Professor Clarke. "Our results suggest that the organism we find today is virtually identical with that isolated 40 years ago. It seems that we are not facing a novel, more dangerous organism."

The gene content of the two isolates is identical, with only around 500 differences between the two genomes. The research team found no evidence of novel genes or significant changes that might suggest a clear divergence between the two isolates.

Therefore, the recent outbreak of lymphogranuloma venereum cannot be attributed to a new strain of chlamydia bacteria. Current cases of LGV are caused by the same bug that caused LGV decades ago. As such, the recent outbreak can be explained by LGV having found a new way to piggyback itself through society.

Woman Accused of Killing Her Four Kids

(Washington, D.C.) A 33-year-old woman, Banita Jacks, has been arrested and charged for the murders of her four children. During a forceable eviction of Jacks from her residence, U.S. Marshals found the bodies.

The skeletal remains of Brittany Jacks, 17, Tatianna Jacks, 11, N'Kiah Fogle, 6, and Aja Fogle, 5, were found Wednesday morning, on the second floor of the house in the 4200 block of Sixth Street SE.

Banita Jacks told police that the girls were possessed by demons and had been dead for months.

Although autopsies are incomplete, the medical examiner's office reported that there was evidence that Brittany had been stabbed, the charging documents state. There was evidence of binding on the necks of the Tatianna and N'Kiah, and evidence of blunt force injury to the head of Aja and binding on her neck, according to the documents.

Jacks told police the deaths occurred before a utility turned off her electricity, which prosecutors said was in September. She told investigators she had not fed her children for a substantial time before their deaths.

Sadly, problems with the Jacks family were known or suspected by neighbors, the school system and social welfare authorities. Inquiries by the D.C. Child and Family Services department were closed improperly.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Noah has lost his ark

There is an amusing article by Timothy Noah in the NYT which tries to "explain" neoconservatism. I myself think that the only explanation needed is the old observation about the zeal of the convert. Converts to a cause tend to be much more zealous, outspoken and energetic (and in some cases more extreme) than those who espoused the cause ab initio. And the neocons started out as Trotskyists (extreme Leftists) so their zeal upon conversion was all the greater for that.

Rather amazingly, Noah accuses neocons of being addicted to Hitler comparisons. He has managed to dredge up a few such comparisons -- reasonable ones -- but ignores the flood of such comparisons (generally highly unreasonable) emanating from Leftists!

But Noah now seems to have drifted away from the fairly centrist position he once held. He notes that most of the neocons are Jewish and proceeds from there to the old antisemitic slur of "double loyalty" -- the claim that that Jews cannot be relied upon because of their prime loyalty to Israel. That is the sort of language that the Left have reverted to these days.

Posted by John Ray

Czech Woman to Girl to Boy to Jail

From Europe comes the convoluted story of 33-year-old Czech woman, Barbara Skrlova, who allegedly passed herself off as being a 12-year-old girl and was adopted and, later, passed herself off as a 13-year-old boy who attended a Norwegian school for several months.

Police in the Czech Republic say she's a key witness in their investigation into allegations that a woman brutalized her two sons. Skrlova, posing as a 12-year-old girl named Anicka, lived with the family as the woman's stepdaughter until police found one of the boys locked in a closet last spring, according to the Prague Daily Monitor.

"Last fall she enrolled in an Oslo school as the bald, effeminate son of a Czech theater manager and dramaturg named Martin Fahrner -- who had also moved to Norway, though he had a wife and a real son in the Czech Republic named Adam," Spiegel reports. "Skrlova attended classes for several months before fleeing to a Norwegian children's home, where 'Adam' claimed to be the victim of child abuse. Then, on December 16, 'Adam' disappeared from the home."

Norwegian authorities mounted a massive search for the missing boy, and then discovered he didn't exist when they found Skrlova living in an Arctic town. "Not even we have been able to figure out what is up and down in this case," Norwegian police attorney Sven Roer tells the Associated Press.

Skrlova is back in the Czech Republic facing a charge of "harming other persons' rights" by pretending to be an underage girl.

U.S. Military Angers Filipinos

(Zamboanga City, Philippines) It appears that U.S. troops have irritated the Filipinos regarding a camp in the southern Philippines.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it would relocate a Marine camp put up near a government hospital in the southern province of Sulu after a scandal involving US troops.

US troops in Sulu ordered last month a hospital in Panamao town to close every night that prevented medical personnel from treating patients after sundown. American troops who put up their camp at a Marine base near the hospital even told doctors to treat their patients at the municipal hall.

Dr. Silak Lakkian, head of the hospital, has complained about how US troops meddled in their operations. US soldiers also threatened to shoot anybody in the hospital in case there is an attack by terrorists. American soldiers have been in Sulu since 2006 to train local forces to hunt members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

The meddling of US troops in local affairs drew widespread criticism and protests from provincial leaders and triggered calls from political activists in Manila for the House of Representatives and the Senate to hold an investigation into the incident.

US military commanders in Sulu apologized for the incident and the AFP ordered the soldiers away from the hospital. US soldiers insist a threat exist against them in the town from suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.

The U.S. military "camps" are political hot potatoes since the Filipinos don't want any "permanent" foreign military bases in the country. Consequently, the camps are called "temporary" training facilities in support of the global war on terror, however, they have become semi-permanent in nature. The "temporary" designation is justified by having U.S. forces regularly transfer in and then out after a short duration. Needless to say, the last thing desired is publicity.

Responding to the incident, Army Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael said the camp would be moved to another village.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Captain Arrested for Throwing Immigrant Overboard

(Agrigento, Sicily) From AGI News, Italian fishing boat captain Mariano Ruggiero, 46, has been charged with murdering an illegal alien.

According to reports obtained last night, in the offshore waters around fifty miles south of the Pelagius Isles, a dinghy with around 60 migrants on board which was making the crossing from North Africa, crossed courses with an Italian fishing boat.

One immigrant, probably of Somali origin, dived into the water and managed to reach the fishing boat, but the captain of the craft prevented him from staying on board, throwing him back into the sea. The event was reported by the other immigrants on their arrival at Lampedusa's reception centre.

Following this, the fisher boat in question also docked at Lampedusa and inquiries were immediately underway on the part of the Carabinieri, who gathered statement from other crew members to clarify the incident.

Ruggiero is in custody at Petrusa Prison, awaiting prosecution for murder. A search is underway for the body of the immigrant.

Apparently once illegals make it into the waters of the Mediterranean, European vessels are obligated to rescue them for processing as refugees and asylum-seekers. The policy is a grand idea from a humanitarian standpoint but it causes difficulties for European countries struggling with the problems of illegal immigration.

British Blogger Pursued by Police for Criticizing Muslim Drug Pushers

We read:

"Islamist rule over the UK may, alarmingly, be on its way. Today, the British police want to question and/or arrest the British blogger known as Lionheart. His crime? Turning his life around as a young school dropout and petty drug dealer and emerging as a believing Christian who opposes the drug plague in his hometown of Luton and who views the Pakistani Islamist and al-Qaeda control of the drug trade in Luton as both criminally and politically dangerous. For this, Lionheart has been charged with “stirring up racial hatred”—which is a crime in the UK.

He writes about the massive number of Pakistani Muslim drug dealers in his hometown of Luton who addict British youth and whose profits fuel expensive lifestyles, paramilitary organizations, suicide terrorism, and religious hate speech against Jews, Christians, and the West. Ironically, what is said in mosques and madrassas and on protest marches all over the UK is never considered to constitute a “racially” motivated hate crime. As George Orwell understood, not all pigs are equal.

Paul-the-Lionhearted began a blog. He described what had happened to him and what he saw happening on the streets of his hometown. Someone unknown decided that Paul’s denunciation of Al-Qaeda and terrorism constituted “hate speech.” Perhaps Paul’s Christianity offended both Muslims and the politically correct oligarchy that rules the media, the universities, and perhaps the House of Lords in Britain.

Source

More commentary here (Site a bit slow to load)

Posted by John Ray

Tennessee Teacher Accused of Rape of Student

(Crossville, Tennessee) A 26-year-old teacher at the Phoenix School, Heather Michelle Chesser, has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly engaging in sex with a teenage student.

Chesser faces two counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure.

Officials of the Phoenix School, which offers alternative educational programs, alerted investigators to "inappropriate contact" between Chesser and a boy at the school, according to a news release. Authorities didn't give specifics.

Chesser was booked and released on $10,000 bond. A court appearance is tentatively scheduled for January 25.

Mom Accused of Killing Her Baby

(Anderson County, South Carolina) An 18-year-old mother, Danielle Bowen, was arrested yesterday for allegedly killing her baby daughter. She has been charged with homicide by child abuse.

Deputies said Bowen called paramedics to her home after her 6-month-old daughter, Haley, stopped breathing. Emergency crews were able to revive the baby girl, but she died about seven hours later at the hospital.

According to the arrest warrant, Bowen stepped on, slapped and choked Haley and then left the baby unattended for almost 30 minutes.

Bowen's other child, a two-year-old, has been placed with the Department of Social Services.

Bowen awaits a bond hearing.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Gov't Not Affected by Minimum Wage Law

(Jefferson City, Missouri) Check this out:

A Cole County Circuit Court judge ruled this week that municipal and county governments aren't covered by the minimum wage law passed in 2006 by Missouri voters.

Judge Richard Callahan said the state law, which raised the state minimum wage to $6.50 last year and to $6.65 an hour as of Jan. 1, didn't specifically include governments in its language.

The law applies only to an "individual, partnership, association, corporation, business, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons," Callahan said.

Therefore, the new regulation only applies to the private sector. Nobody should be surprised, though. It's no secret that Congress, for example, regularly passes laws that don't apply to Congress.

No Cussing Allowed, Dammit!

(St. Charles, Missouri) Well, shucks! A bill has been proposed to control the level of liveliness in the historic downtown area of St. Charles. Apparently, people are having way too much fun. The legislation would prohibit table-dancing, drinking contests and cussing.

Specifically banned would be "indecent, profane or obscene language, songs, entertainment and literature" in bars.

Business owners see the bill as not well defined and a possible violation of civil rights. I believe it would be almost impossible to enforce. Of course, that's even assuming that the town leaders could agree on what constitutes "indecent, profane or obscene." Nonetheless, a meeting is scheduled at City Hall next Monday to hash out the proposal.

Mom Charged in 'Meth' Baby Case

(St. Louis County, Missouri) A 27-year-old woman, Mackenzie L. Gruenewald, has been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter for recklessly causing the stillborn death of her child by using methamphetamine during pregnancy.

The St. Louis County medical examiner's officer referred the Gruenewald case to county police late last year after autopsy results were completed.

Officials said involuntary manslaughter was the only charge available to prosecutors because the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled in September that a woman could not be charged with child endangerment for using drugs before her baby was born.

In that case, a mother and her newborn son tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. State law allows prosecution of a third party who harms a pregnant woman, but bars prosecution of a woman for causing indirect harm to a fetus, the court ruled.

Officials can make a case, however, that Gruenewald "recklessly caused" her unborn child's death by taking methemphetamine, said Don Schneider, the spokesman for Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch.

"We tried to be very cautious and circumspect about the case," Schneider said.

Gruenewald was booked into custody with bond set at $15,000.

Iraq war deaths

You see occasional mentions saying that the war in Iraq has NOT increased the death-rate among American military personnel. It seems counter-intuitive but it is true. Getting into a car with a skinful of alcohol at home in the USA seems to be just about as dangerous as going around fighting terrorists in Iraq. The official figures are here. See particularly Tables 4 and 5 in the "active duty" column. The casualties actually seem more numerous in the earlier part of the series but that would be because the army was larger then. You would however need some pretty fancy statistical fiddling to argue that the war has increased U.S. military deaths.

About 150,000 Iraqi Muslims have been killed by Muslim terrorists "About 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the three years following the US-led invasion of their country, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) research. The study, which said violent deaths could have ranged from 104,000 to 223,000 between March 2003 and June 2006, is the most comprehensive since the war started. The study drew on an Iraqi health ministry survey of nearly 10,000 households - five times the number of those interviewed in a disputed 2006 John Hopkins University study that said more than 600,000 Iraqis had died over the period. While well below that figure, the United Nations agency's estimate exceeds the widely cited 80,000 to 87,000 death toll by the human rights group Iraq Body Count, which uses media reports and hospital and morgue records to calculate its tally. "There are a lot of uncertainties in making such estimates," WHO statistician Mohamed Ali, who co-authored the study, said."

Posted by John Ray

Chavez Orders Faster Payment for Oil

(Caracas, Venezuela) President Hugo Chavez is looking for faster payment on crude oil sales by reducing the payment period from the standard 30 days to eight.

The Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA issued a statement:

"With this measure PDVSA injects greater intensity and speed to reinvestment with the aim of staying competitive in the hydrocarbons market."

Regarding the assertion that "intensity and speed to reinvestment" is the motivation for compressing the payment period, it appears that Chavez has a cash flow problem. Either that or he's trying to squeeze out an additional three weeks' worth of interest on deposited oil revenues.

With Chavez spending wildly on social programs, it makes sense that he would try to eke out every conceivable farthing from his oil business.

Vermont Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Rutland, Vermont) A 24-year-old Fair Haven woman, Sandra Eastman, was arrested December 31 for allegedly engaging in sex with 15-year-old boy on multiple occasions. It's believed the sex resulted in a pregnancy.

Police say they got a complaint from one of the boy's parents in early December. And they say Eastman admitted to the alleged sexual contact when they interviewed her.

Eastman was booked and released with a citation to appear in Rutland District Court on June 16.

Jeez, a charge of child sex assault and Eastman gets a citation to appear? Sounds like a traffic ticket. But, as I recall, Vermont does seem to treat sex crimes with a lenient attitude.

Protected Witness Killed After Skipping Protection

(San Francisco, California) A 40-year-old prosecution witness, Justin Lee, was chased and killed on Monday, the same day he left a witness protection safe house in another part of the state.

Lee was placed in the witness protection program in December after he was threatened. Authorities believed he had a "price on his head." Subsequently, he was repeatedly warned not to return to San Francisco without an armed escort.

Sadly, he didn't heed the warning.

French Justice Minister Given Finger

(Paris) A package containing a severed finger and a letter was mailed to French Justice Minister Rachida Dati and received last Friday. Postal workers in the ministry opened the package.

Spokesman for the ministry, Guillaume Didier, said no one knows why the finger was sent. There is, however, an unconfirmed report that a hair salon-owner in western France sent the digit. By the way, I think it's illegal to send human body parts through the U.S. mail.

Frankly, I don't think it's all that big a mystery why someone would send a finger. Obviously, it's a personal message of complete disapproval. While driving, I regularly observe communications by finger.

Curiously, no mention has been made regarding which finger was sent. We just have to guess.

Bloody Cow's Head Shows True Love

(Norristown, Pennsylvania) A local man, Jason Fife, was sentenced to probation and community service for mailing a bloody cow's head to his wife's lover.

Police say Fife got the cow's head from a butcher shop, claiming he wanted the dried skull for decoration. Instead, he mailed the head while it was frozen.

The box became bloody after sitting on the victim's doorstep on a warm day.

For stalking and terrorizing, Fife received two years probation and 50 hours community service.

Strangely, it's reported that Fife and his wife have reconciled. I prefer to think that a bloody cow's head wasn't the thing that brought them back together. Of course, it would be the sort of thing to scare the clue-cognizant away from any sort of relationship with his wife.

After all, when the message-go-round starts with a bloody head, what comes next?

Crack-Addicted Dad Throws 4 Kids Off Bridge

(Bayou La Batre, Alabama) A 37-year-old immigrant shrimper and father-of-four, Lam Luong, has been charged with four counts of capital murder after he allegedly confessed to throwing his four young children off a bridge into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man's biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said.

About 70 people in boats and helicopters searched water as deep as 55 feet. The search area covered 100 square miles because the current might have swept the children away, Sheriff Sam Cochran said.

The search was called off late Wednesday afternoon when dense fog rolled in, completely obscuring the bridge. It was to resume in the morning, weather permitting.

After an argument with his wife, 23-year-old Ngoc Phan, Luong took the children. Subsequently, the family expressed fears that Luong would sell the children to support his drug habit.

According to authorities, Luong has a history of drug abuse. His crack-cocaine habit resulted in a possession arrest in October which remains to be adjudicated. Luong also recently smoked through an insurance settlement from an auto accident.

An appearance in Mobile County Court is scheduled for tomorrow.

Lam Luong came to the U.S. from Vietnam as a young teen in 1984.

Mom Shows Tough Love

(Des Moines, Iowa) Based upon her reaction to finding alcohol in her teen son's car, Jane Hambleton categorizes herself as an uncool parent. She reacted by placing an ad to sell the car.

The ad reads:

"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

Whether cool or uncool, I agree with her.

Tip: slwlion

Racist to Suggest that Blacks Like Fried Chicken


This accusation keeps bobbing up. The latest example:

"Atlanta Falcon's owner Arthur Blank was a guest on Monday Night Football December 10. He was asked about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback and convicted animal abuser Michael Vick's future with the team. This is what he said:

"There's a lot of roadblocks to Michael coming back and even playing in the National Football League, Tony. Let's assume he's out for three seasons, 07, 08 and 09. If he doesn't watch himself and eats a lot of fried chicken and fries in prison, comes out 215 pounds he's not going to be the same athlete he was."

The remark was racially insensitive and offensive....

Source

I have no doubt that many blacks do like fried chicken. I like it myself. And KFC sell it to millions of people of all races worldwide every day. So, if blacks do have a special liking for it, they are at most being accused of liking something that is generally popular. Is that a slur? Why should it not be mentioned?

Posted by John Ray

Corpse Used in Check Cashing Attempt

(New York City) A 66-year-old man, Virgilio Cintron, died before he could cash his Social Security check so his roommate and a friend used an office chair to wheel Virgilio's corpse down to the Pay-O-Matic check cashing store in an attempt to cash the check.

Unfortunately, the two men couldn't help but be noticed by passers-by as they wheeled a corpse, flailing from side to side, along Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.

The roommate and a third man, who was a friend of the deceased, reportedly left Cintron outside as they entered the establishment, pointing to him through the window when the cashier told them that Cintron would have to be present to cash the check, according to the police account.

When the cashier asked them to bring Cintron inside, they exited the building, where they were confronted by an on-duty Real Time Crime Center detective who had been in the building next door when he noticed the commotion.

The two men were taken into police custody, where they were questioned and may face charges related to criminal impersonation or check fraud.

Cintron is believed to have died of natural causes.

This sounds like a scene out of a comedy movie.

ACLU, Activists Protest Illegal Alien Arrest

(Providence, Rhode Island) A Guatemalan citizen in the U.S. illegally, Mynor Montufar, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. As a result, the ACLU, community activists and a Guatemalan diplomat have loudly protested. Harsh immigration policies are being blamed for destroying families and terrorizing the community.

Immigration agents arrested Mynor Montufar last Friday, two days after he received media attention as the father of Rhode Island's first baby of 2008, and another man, Rodrigo Perez, as Perez was allegedly trying to flee the premises.

Several hours later, David De La Roca, one of Montufar's housemates, was found hanging by a belt in a locked bedroom.

Montufar and Perez are both in detention and Montufar will be deported, authorities said.

De La Roca's death is under police investigation.

Thus far, the cause of De La Roca's death has not been deemed a suicide, however, the local ACLU director, Steven Brown, has blamed the yet-to-be-determined suicide on De La Roca's fear of "immigration raiding the apartment."

Along the same line, an immigration lawyer, Roberto Gonzalez, called ICE "a top-secret Gestapo organization" and, according to Guatemalan diplomat Carlos Avila Sandoval, ICE continuously terrorizes people.

ICE spokesman Mike Gilhooly denied the allegations as "preposterous" and baseless while taking offense at the bashing of immigration agents. He also pointed out that Montufar had an outstanding deportation warrant mandating his arrest.

In summary, it's a recurring drama, destined to be played out, over and over throughout the U.S. ICE agents arrest an illegal alien and local activists are upset, casting outrageous allegations. Meanwhile, the local media publishes a story that tugs at the heartstrings, detailing the sad episode of a hard-worker torn from his family.

Nothing more to see here, move along.

Animal Activists Throttle Dutch Development

(Netherlands) Opposed to animal testing, radical activists are terrorizing employees of companies involved in the testing to supposedly "relieve the suffering of animals."

It's not a new tactic but, for the first time, a Dutch company has decided to give up.

Dutch animal rights activists are claiming a major victory after a property developer decided to pull out of the construction of a new industrial park near the town of Venray in the south of the Netherlands.

The park - called Sciencelink - will house biotech research companies, many of whom carry out testing on animals. Animal rights groups in the Netherlands are vehemently opposed to the project.

Over the Christmas period, members of the radical Animal Liberation Front (DBF) visited the homes of a number of the development company's directors, confronting them and spraying their homes with slogans such as:

"Stop Sciencelink, Stop Animal Testing", and the more threatening "This time it's just paint. Next time we won't be so friendly. See you in the new year".

The company, Van der Looy Project Management, has now pulled out of the development, saying the opposition has become "threatening and unacceptable".

Interestingly, the animal activists cover their faces with scarves when they descend on the homes of employees, vandalize property and threaten. As such, they are not noticeably different in appearance from terrorists regularly seen in television footage from the Middle East. Fortunately, the animal activists haven't adopted a similar level of violence.

Yet.

Swedish Terrorist Identified

(Stockholm, Sweden) According to documents seized along the Iraq-Syrian border by U.S. troops, a Tunisian-born Swede known as Abu Mua'az left Stockholm in 2006 to become a fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq.

He travelled first to Egypyt, before moving on to Syria. Aside from a passport and driving licence, he also took with him $2,700, which he promptly handed over as a "donation" to a recruitment agent named Ashraf.

Asked about the nature of the work they intended carrying out in Iraq, many of the applicants stated that they wished to become martyrs, which is understood to mean that they were prepared to perform suicide missions. Abu Mua'az however indicated that he wished to be a "fighter."

The Swede's recruitment document is one of 606 such papers - the so-called Sinjar Records - published online by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, New York.

The entire report of al-Qaeda foreign fighters in Iraq is downloadable from http://www.ctc.usma.edu/.

It is beyond odd that a person would have to pay to be recruited for suicide missions, I think. For many reasons, "Here's a bunch of money. Please, make me into a bomb," just doesn't seem to roll off the tongue.

Regarding 33-year-old Abu Mua'az, reportedly he and his wife are in the wind.

Carville, Begala Join Team Hillary

Just now, it was announced on FOX News that James Carville and Paul Begala have been added to the Hillary campaign team.

She's for change!

Oddly, the names are the same as in 1992. The only missing element is Stephanopolis.

Deportation? Why Bother?

(Los Angeles, California) A 34-year-old Mexican, Julio Cesar Mata-Sosa, pleaded not guilty yesterday in federal court to a charge that he is in the U.S. illegally. Since Mata-Sosa had already been deported seven times, it's not clear how he contends that he's not illegal this time.

A joint federal, state and local sweep identified Mata-Sosa along with others. Called "Operation Winter Warning," officials screened foreign-born inmates at Southern California jails and state prisons to identify the previously deported who have ties to violent street gangs.

While standing in a U.S. courtroom, another formerly-deported illegal alien, Ascencion Hernandez-Perez, 38, also pleaded not guilty to standing in the United States.

Since illegal aliens are regularly being deported, returning and then pleading not guilty to being in the U.S. illegally, it's obvious that they don't even recognize that there is a border. If the Mexicans don't recognize the existence of a border, it's not clear how Washington can continually assert there is.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

The rise of Obama

In line with their usual love of boogeymen, various Leftists (example here) have been speading the fear that Obama will be assasinated by "gun-toting racists" (one of the many abusive Leftist tems for conservatives). It presumably reflects the way Leftists themselves would act if Obama were a conservative. Why? Because the threat is entirely made-up. There have been no events leading to it.

Daniel Pipes has pointed out however that Obama is an apostate Muslim and that IS cause for him to be assassinated -- by Muslims, not by conservatives.

No Leftist so far seems to have mentioned that the last successful political assassination (of RFK) in America was by an anti-Israel Arab (Sirhan). The Leftist post I mentioned above goes right through the history of political shootings in the USA without mentioning the name Sirhan. But a dishonest summary of the facts is routine for Leftists, of course.

See here for a recent Obama cartoon.

Posted by John Ray

Woman Arrested for Exposing Funbag to Children

(Largo, Florida) A 42-year-old worker at Personal Enrichment for Mental Health residential facility, Marissa Rodriguez, was arrested Sunday for allegedly exposing her breast to young girls.

On Jan. 4, she showed her nipple piercing to a group of girls and told them not to tell any staff members, one jail affidavit states.

Two days later, after scolding the girls for telling other staff members, she exposed her right breast in front of one of the staff members, the affidavit states.

Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition involving a child younger than 16. She was booked into custody at the Pinellas County Jail with bail set at $20,000.

I suspect there is more to the story. As presented, it seems that Rodriguez committed a fairly insignificant infraction yet her bail was set high.

Insignificant Leak at Nuke Plant

(Toledo, Ohio) A small leak has been discovered at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant. It's too small to be measured and was found during welding activities. The plant is shut down for refueling.

Having a bit of experience at nuke plants, I'd surmise that the leak is not even newsworthy. It will be interesting to see how many media sources determine that it is. So far, Reuters and BusinessWeek have picked it up.

Corpses Provide Environmentally-Friendly Heat

(Manchester, England) Based upon this report, one must wonder if there are any limits to the ubiquitous environmental nuttiness.

Heat created by burning the dead at crematoria could be used to keep mourners warm under plans to make funerals more environmentally-friendly.

Instead of letting the gases emitted by cremation escape into the atmosphere, councils want to use them to heat radiators or even generate electricity.

They admit some might find the idea of being kept warm by the remains of their loved-ones macabre.

Ya' think!

Tameside Council Environment Officer Robin Monk sees the preservation of heat as necessary to reduce the crematorium's carbon footprint.

Tip: slwlion

Killing and Cooking the Girlfriend

(Tyler, Texas) A 24-year-old local man, Christopher Lee McCuin, has been arrested by Tyler Police for allegedly killing and cooking his girlfriend, 21-year-old Jana Shearer.

Christopher McCuin called 911 early Saturday morning to report a particularly grisly crime. The Dallas Morning News says he "calmly described murdering his girlfriend and cooking her ear."

When police arrived at his house in Tyler, Texas, the paper says the 24-year-old tried to hold them off with a kitchen knife but eventually surrendered after a short standoff. When cops entered the residence, the paper says they "found a human ear boiling in a stovetop pan and raw flesh on a nearby plate, with a fork stuck in it."

"Either he was going to eat it, had been eating it, or that's what he wanted it to look like," Sheriff J.B. Smith says. "I'm not shocked anymore -- surprised that people can do such horrible things to each other -- but not shocked. I've seen it all."

The Morning News says Jana Shearer, the 21-year-old victim, was a mail clerk.

I tend toward thinking that McCuin provided investigators with a staged scene as Sheriff Smith suggested. McCuin obviously knew that he created monster troubles for himself and probably figured the only way to save himself was to act crazy.

McCuin was booked into custody on $2 million bail.

Inmate Sues Jail Because He Escaped

(Denver, Colorado) An inmate at the Pueblo County Jail, Scott Anthony Gomez, Jr., has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against his jailers for allowing him to escape. Gomez contends that the authorities "did next to nothing" to prevent him from escaping.

Gomez also claims he was abused by guards and was seriously injured after falling 40 feet during an escape. He is seeking an undisclosed monetary award.

This case doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

A bit of silliness from "The Times" of London: "UK living standards outstrip US"

Living standards in Britain are set to rise above those in America for the first time since the 19th century, according to a report by the respected Oxford Economics consultancy. The calculations suggest that, measured by gross domestic product per capita, Britain can now hold its head up high in the economic stakes after more than a century of playing second fiddle to the Americans.

It says that GDP per head in Britain will be o23,500 this year, compared with o23,250 in America, reflecting not only the strength of the pound against the dollar but also the UK economy's record run of growth and rising incomes going back to the early 1990s. In those days, according to Oxford Economics, Britain's GDP per capita was 34% below that in America, 33% less than in Germany and 26% lower than in France. Now, not only have average incomes crept above those in America but they are more than 8% above France (o21,700) and Germany (o21,665)....

Oxford Economics says that while the comparisons are affected by sterling's high value against the dollar, they also reflect longer-term factors. "The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001 -- so, it is a well established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations," its report says. It concedes, however, that a significant fall in the pound against other currencies would push Britain back down the ladder. It has assumed an exchange rate of just over $2 for the purpose of the calculation but in recent days the pound has slipped below that level.

The Oxford analysts also point out that Americans benefit from lower prices than those in Britain. With an adjustment made for this "purchasing power parity", the average American has more spending power than his UK counterpart and pays lower taxes. (In the run-up to Christmas many Britons travelled to New York and other American cities to take advantage of the strength of sterling against the dollar and those lower prices.)

More here

GDP per capita is an important statistic -- much more objective than the various "national welfare" and "quality of life" indices. But it DOES need to be adjusted for domestic purchasing power. The above results simply reflect the fall in the external value of the US dollar -- but a buck still buys much the same as it used to in the USA itself. Something which I and many others have informally noted is that in Britain, a pound buys about the same as what a dollar buys in Australia -- yet the external value of the Australian dollar is (like the US dollar) about half the value of the British pound. On that admittedly rough criterion, the average Brit is only HALF as well-off as the average American or Australian. That sure is how it looked to me last time I was in Britain. And it has in some ways apparently got worse since then. Note the following report, also from "The Times":

"The crowds are packing the pavements around Oxford Circus Tube station. On the roads, cars and buses are jammed in a giant gridlock. This is central London - but it's not the pre-Christmas rush or the height of the sales. It's just the start of another working day. Similar problems afflict many city centres: Birmingham's New Street, Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street and Edinburgh's Princes Street see similar daily throngs. It is something that city dwellers have become accustomed to, but living in British cities used to be a very different experience."

I used to love London but I am glad I don't live there now.

Posted by John Ray

Woman Named Sex Offender in Other Than Home State

(Cromwell, Connecticut) In September 2006, a young woman from Massachusetts, Sarah Colby, traveled to Connecticut to engage in a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old boy she met through MySpace.com on the Internet.

Ultimately, Colby was arrested and charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

In September 2007, 25-year-old Sarah Colby pleaded guilty to reduced charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and using a computer to entice a minor. As a result, Superior Court Judge Frank A. Iannotti sentenced Colby to 10 years probation.

Additionally, Colby must register as a sex offender in Connecticut even though she lives in Massachusetts. Polygraph and mental health tests along with drug evaluations were also ordered. Furthermore, Colby has been prohibited from having contact with any minor under the age of 16 and from using a computer or accessing the Internet at home.

So, an adult is found guilty of soliciting a minor over the Internet and traveling across state lines to engage in sex and gets probation. Not only that, but the probation and probation requirements imposed wouldn't seem to be enforceable on out of state residents. For instance, how does a Connecticut probation officer monitor the behavior of a person living in another state? Also, does a sex offender registered in Connecticut have to comply with Massachusetts sex offender restrictions?

Arguably, Colby was given a lenient sentence. Ten years probation would seem to be mollifying, however, since Colby doesn't live in Connecticut, it's also arguable as to whether any of the restrictions are enforceable. Frankly, it doesn't seem as though they are.

Woman Accused of Sex with 3 Children

(Visalia, California) A 20-year-old local woman, Valentina Elaine Medrano, was arrested Friday by Visalia Police officers for allegedly engaging in ongoing sexual relationships with three young boys, ages 8, 13 and 14.

Medrano has been charged with lewd acts with a child, oral copulation, sexual penetration and unlawful sexual intercourse.

The relationship between Medrano and the boys wasn't disclosed.

Fake science

There is a big review here of the absurd "600,000 Iraqi deaths" study reported in Lancet. It confirms concerns expressed by myself and others about the lack of basic verification of the raw data and reveals that the "data" was collected by a former Saddam Hussein operative known for large exaggerations! There is in fact no evidence that any survey at all was carried out. The safest assumption is that the whole thing was just made up! A crooked Iraqi simply gave Western Leftists what they wanted.

Posted by John Ray

Britain: Concurrent Strep Infection Deaths During Childbirth

(United Kingdom) On December 21st, two mothers died from identical infections after giving birth at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital. Campaigners have called for an independent investigation, claiming hygiene standards are not being implemented.

The cognizant National Health Service (NHS) Trust said it was a coincidence. However, notably and disturbingly, this report follows quite closely on the heels of a related report that British doctors allegedly lie on death certificates to hide the actual number of deaths resulting from infections acquired in NHS hospitals.

Both women, Amy Kimmance, 39, and Jasmine Pickett, 29, died from complications neighbored to streptococcus A bacterial infections.

 
Amy Kimmance --- Jasmine Pickett

A spokeswoman said Mrs Kimmance developed fatal toxic shock syndrome as a result of a group A streptococcal infection while Mrs Pickett died from a sudden onset of severe pneumonia, likely to have been caused by a group A streptococcal infection.

Despite claims that the deaths were coincidental, some contend that the deaths are linked to suspected poor hygiene and infection control measures system-wide in NHS hospitals.

Mark Enright, professor of molecular epidemiology at Imperial College, London, said: "It's extremely unlikely in my view that they are not linked."

Professor Enright said he believed a member of staff had been carrying the infection in their throat, got it on to their hands and passed it on.

Both the Kimmance and Pickett babies survived their mothers' deaths. Their families are naturally devastated.

Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs Bad for Skin

(London) Warnings have been issued by the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) and others regarding the dangers of energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs to people with light-sensitive conditions.

According to BAD President Dr. Colin Holden, many people suffer photosensitive eruptions from specific wavelengths of light emitted by fluorescent bulbs. The eruptions range from eczema-like reactions to skin cancer.

Another expert, Andrew Langford of the Skin Care Campaign, indicated that incandescent lighting is necessary for people with chronic light sensitivity.

"Add to this the thousands whose conditions or treatments may secondarily cause them to be light-sensitive, and you have a large number potentially being isolated in the dark.

"The Government simply must allow incandescent light bulbs to be available to these people, their families, friends and employers, and at a fair price."

There have also been complaints that migraine and epileptic attacks are triggered by the flickering fluorescent bulbs.

While not discounting the health considerations, I'm viscerally opposed to any government restrictions being imposed on the marketplace because of something that is theorized to happen 100 years in the future.

PROOF! Global warming caused by argon!

A weak long-term correlation between atmospheric CO2 levels and terrestrial warming is one of the basic "proofs" that Warmists offer for their claims. On that reasoning the fact that the concentration of argon in ice core bubbles goes up and down alongside CO2 over the long term should "prove" that argon (another atmospheric gas) causes warming too. Or maybe CO2 causes argon to emerge from somewhere! See the graph below:



"BP" stands for "Before the Present". Argon in the period above is quite a close correlate with CO2. That both argon and CO2 levels might be an EFFECT of warming rather than vice versa must not be mentioned, of course. Everyone knows how the fizz fizzles away as a Pepsi gets warm. Likewise, since the ocean contains vast reserves of CO2, anyone can easily grasp what happens when the ocean gets warm. The scales should fall off of people's eyes when that simple fact is explained.


Posted by John Ray

Illinois Woman Gets Probation for Sex with Boy

(Bloomington, Illinois) A 22-year-old woman, Ashley Ruestman, has been convicted of felony sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy.

Ashley Ruestman said during her trial that she thought the boy was 20 and that she only learned of his age when he was pulled over for underage driving and a curfew violation.

The boy admitted on the stand that he lied to Ruestman during their five month relationship.

As a result, Ruestman was sentenced to three years probation. If she doesn't do well on probation as determined by a review in July, Ruestmen will have to spend two months in jail.

Ruestmen was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Frankly, even if premature aging were exhibited, it's hard for me to believe that a 14-year-old could convince a rational adult that he is 20 years old, especially since they spent five months together.

Terror in Mauritania, Dakar Rally Canceled

(Nouakchott, Mauritania) On Christmas Eve, five French tourists from the same family on a sightseeing trip were attacked by three men armed with assault rifles. Sadly, four of the tourists were killed. The fifth was hospitalized in serious condition and, subsequently, he returned to France to recover.

According to investigators, the attack was well-planned and linked to al-Qaeda. Several suspects in the plot have been arrested by Mauritanian officials including Samba Kisi, who is believed to be the getaway driver for the murderers. Investigators have recovered an AK-47 and a Mercedes used in the killings. The attackers have fled to Senegal.

Meanwhile and understandably, French tour operators canceled planned trips to Mauritania.

Four days after the French tourists were slain, a terror attack on a checkpoint in northern Mauritania resulted in three soldiers being killed. Al-Qaeda in North Africa claimed responsibility in an audio tape sent to an Arabic television station.

Citing the danger of terrorist attacks, the French-based Amaury Sport Organization today announced the cancellation of the Dakar Rally, the 30-year-old automobile, motorcycle and truck race from Lisbon in Portugal to Dakar in Senegal. In response, al-Qaeda jihadis expressed joy on the Internet.

In the Jihadi website "al-hebah," Sadiq Ibrahim said that it was "a hellish blow by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb organisation," referring to al Qaeda's North African operation.

"Look how, with Allah's permission, the Jihad has succeeded in slowly changing the plans of the great powers, as it has now with France," said Abu Maysara al-Andalusi in a comment.

"A big company with a big organisational machine, is forced to change its plans and in this way we have devastated tourism and economic projects in that country," he said.

The al-Qaeda sympathisers also said that the recent deaths of French tourists in Mauritania had profoundly influenced the decision by the organisers.

The French government had urged the rally to avoid Mauritania after the family of four was slain last week in an attack blamed on the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb terror group that uses the Mauritanian desert as a hide-out.

Cancellation of the Dakar Rally is a big deal. Almost 600 teams from around the world were preparing for tomorrow's scheduled start and countries along the route are going to be impacted financially.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Terror Suspects Jailed in Rotterdam

(Rotterdam, Netherlands) Three men were arrested on New Year's Eve for planning a terrorist attack.

No details of the planned attack have been released but the suspects' detention has been extended by 14 days. Police say they found incriminating evidence in the men's homes but no weapons or explosives.

Two of the suspects are Dutch nationals of Moroccan origin and the third is a Sudanese national who is thought to be an illegal immigrant to the Netherlands.

Another source provides this:

The Telegraaf newspaper on Thursday quoted inside sources as saying the men were planning an attack during the New Year celebrations around Rotterdam's Erasmus bridge. But the public prosecution department has dismissed the allegations as being 'plucked from thin air' and criticsed the paper for causing unnecessary panic.

No names have been disclosed, just their ages, 31, 32 and 39.

Iguanas Rain in the Cold

(Miami, Florida) With the temperature plunging to the 40s in much of Florida, cold-blooded iguanas are falling from trees. They lose their grips as their blood flow decreases. Some survive when warmed by the sun. Some don't.

Heh.

Florida Goat Raped and Killed

(Tallahassee, Florida) Last year in rural Walton County, a family pet goat named Meg, pregnant with twins, was raped and asphyxiated. Outrage from the incident has been heard all the way to the state legislature and the governor's office.

A suspect in the case, a 48-year-old man, is serving an 11-month, 29-day jail sentence on animal-theft charges in connection with the attempted abduction of another goat in a separate case, according to Walton County Assistant State Attorney James Parker.

Parker said he couldn't prosecute the suspect in the death of Meg because DNA samples taken with a sheriff's office rape kit were inconclusive.

Parker said he asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week to retest the evidence.

But even if there's a DNA match, Parker said the suspect could only be charged with misdemeanor trespassing and animal cruelty, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Parker said the suspect could not be arrested for bestiality because it isn't a crime.

As a result, Democrat State Sen. Nan Rich has proposed legislation to make it a first-degree felony to have sex with animals or promote bestiality. Gov. Charlie Crist said he would sign the legislation if it appears on his desk.

The name of the suspect in Meg's rape and killing wasn't released but I bet I know what he's thinking. Jeez, ya' rape one lousy goat and they pass a stinkin' law? Holy moly!

ChiComs Corral Internet Video

(Beijing, China) No shock from this news. It's inevitable for the communists to shut down free expression.

China has announced new rules to control the explosion of audio-visual content on the Internet, in a move seen as an effort to transfer the government's television and radio censorship model to the Web.

Only state-controlled entities will have the right to operate websites that post audio-visual material, under the new regulations, which state clearly that all content must adhere to the ruling Communist Party's values.

"Those who provide Internet audio and video services should insist on serving the people, serve socialism... and abide by the moral code of socialism," a government notice said.

All content must be free of violence, sex, or gambling, and cannot reveal state secrets or portray morally, socially or politically harmful situations, according to the notice.

Websites will be able to get licenses to display video but there are restrictions.

"Those applying for Internet audio-visual service (licences) must at the same time ... be solely state-owned enterprises or enterprises whose shares are controlled by the state," the notice said.

So, for those that don't mind having the government in their back pockets, proudly show your videos of Chairman Mao's teachings.

Hillary Licking Iowa Wounds

According to a keen observer of the candidates' campaigns, check out what Hillary Clinton really said as she was leaving Iowa.

Ohio Losing People

According to a report from a major moving company, business statistics indicate that more people are permanently leaving Ohio than arriving. The same is true for Michigan where two people leave the state for every one person arriving.

As a resident of Ohio, I am not surprised. Leaving Ohio is close to being included on my agenda. I had a dream a while back in which the state Highway Patrol had set up border checkpoints on all roads. As people arrived, they were ordered to surrender their wallets, their cigarettes, their guns and their children. Then a UPC tax code was tattooed on the back of their necks.

It was a weird dream.

Milwaukee Teacher Busted for Drug House

(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) A science teacher at Custer High School, Kevin Ball, was arrested by Milwaukee Police for allegedly selling drugs out of his home. Ball has been suspended from his teaching position.

According to investigators, cocaine, marijuana, scales and two guns were found inside his residence.

Ball doesn't have any felonies, but court records show he was convicted of misdemeanor prostitution 15 years ago.

The recent drug charges anger parents.

"Anyone to be selling drugs, it's against the law, especially for a teacher to be doing it," Earnest Hardy said. "You expect a teacher to teach your kid, not to be selling drugs."

Ball was booked and released on bail.

Newspaper Barred from Using Word "Allah"

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) With a majority population comprised of followers of the religion of peace, it's not surprising that Malaysia lacks freedom of the press. Therefore, a Catholic newspaper has been barred from using the word 'Allah.'

Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of Kuala Lumpur-based 'Herald - the Catholic Weekly' was reported this week as saying the government had renewed its publishing permit, without restrictions, after earlier ruling that non-Muslims are forbidden from using the word Allah.

But Abdullah Md Zin, a minister for religious affairs, said on Friday the ban on the use of the word remained despite the renewal of the permit.

"It was just the priest's interpretation that there was no restriction on the use of the word," Abdullah told Reuters.

This is the latest in a series of disputes that is feeding fears of a gradual erosion of the rights of non-Muslims.

Politically dominant ethnic Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of the population of roughly 26 million, while the ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities include Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.

Maybe non-Muslims should just use [redacted] or [blank] when referring to Allah. Of course, that may cause other problems. "Praise [redacted]!" or "The Muslims worship [blank]" might be considered offensive.

Racist to Describe Official Racism


Britain has a lot of jails specifically for illegals who have been ordered out of the country -- waiting while their deportation can be arranged. Many of the illegals are black and there have of course been allegations that the jailers are "racist".

An official inquiry into the racism has just made its report and there do seem to have been some instances of incorrect language. Calling inmates "animals" is clearly naughty, for instance. Though it would be OK to call difficult white criminals that, of course. But several instances of plain realism are also racist, apparently. Such as:

"A member of staff at Yarl's Wood told auditors that white detainees were treated with more discipline, but the presence of black people caused "paralysis and a softer approach".

Source

That political correctness causes the authorities to have lower standards for blacks ("the soft bigotry of low expectations") is common throughout the world today but you are not supposed to mention it, apparently.

Posted by John Ray

Corrections Worker Tagged for Sex with Boy

(Phoenix, Arizona) A 28-year-old youth corrections officer at the state-run Adobe Mountain School, Lori Ann Somerville, was arrested and charged last month for engaging in a sexual relationship with a teen boy at the school.

According to a newly released warrant document:

The school is considered a "secure care facility" where boys convicted of crimes are sent to be rehabilitated, according to the state Department of Juvenile Corrections. The document says the boy is older than 15, but it did not give a specific age.

Investigators first learned of the relationship when the teen's parole officer found letters Sommerville had written to the boy in which she described herself as "Your Wife," according to the document.

Upon questioning, the teen told investigators the relationship was consensual and that Sommerville, who worked as a youth corrections officer, had performed oral sex on him, the document shows.

It also shows the physical contact took place inside an office at the school.

Somerville was fired from her position with the school.

Cop's Wife's Clothes Allegedly Traded for Sex

(Austin, Texas) A 45-year-old Austin Police Officer, Scott Lando, has been placed on paid leave while authorities investigate allegations that he hired a woman, Denise Pfeifer, for sex.

During a four-month period in 2006, Lando reportedly met Pfeifer while he was on duty and took her to his home on at least one occasion.

As part of her payment, Lando opened his wife's closet to the woman, allowing her to take a pair of black Harley-Davidson leather boots that were still in the box, jewel-studded jeans and a pink and yellow top, the affidavit said.

Lando, 45, told the woman his wife "would never miss" the clothes, according to the document.

The woman, Denise Pfeifer, also told investigators that Lando took her on shopping trips to Wal-Mart and a North Austin Payless ShoeSource, paid for a meal at a restaurant on North Lamar Boulevard and allowed her to take a bath in a whirlpool tub at his Cedar Park home, the affidavit said.

Pfeifer has a Texas prison record, serving five years for several burglary convictions. She met Lando when he was responding to an assault call which led to Lando allegedly paying Pfeifer $70 to have sex with him in his patrol car.

The investigation continues.

Prison for Woman in Sex Case

(Todd County, South Dakota) In October 2006, a 36-year-old Rosebud Indian Reservation woman, Tonia Points At Him, was indicted on a federal charge of abusive sexual contact with another woman. The sexual incident occurred in Todd County in early 2005.

A federal indictment accused Tonia Points At Him of engaging in sexual acts with the woman and of aiding an unidentified man in having sex with the victim.

The victim was physically unable to say no, records show.

In September 2007, Points At Him pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact.

Last month, Points At Him was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Also ordered for Points At Him was one year of supervised release after completion of her prison term.

Attention Iowa Caucusers!

The way I see it.

1) If you're conservative, realize that among the whole raft of Republican candidates you caucusers are asked to choose from today, only Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter actually espouse conservative values.

All the rest are imitations who, if elected, will foist any of various liberal plans (see 2 below) on the American public.

2) If you're liberal, any of the Democrats will make you smile. In fact, the Democrats are virtually interchangeable with regard to their intentions. Bigger government, more taxes, open borders & amnesty, socialized medicine and social engineering.

My recommendation? Pick wisely.

Weather Channel For Sale

With anticipation, suitors are checking their balance sheets to determine how much they can afford to pay to acquire the Weather Channel. It has been described as the telecommunication equivalent of "beachfront property."

The Weather Channel, one of the last privately owned cable channels, is being put up for sale and could fetch more than $5 billion, according to people briefed on the auction.

The channel and its rapidly growing Web site, weather.com, are already attracting interest from some of the biggest names in media, including NBC, a unit of General Electric; the News Corporation; and Comcast, these people said.

If I had some extra farthings, I'd pursue the purchase just so I could fire Heidi Cullen and her boss, Wonya Lucas, both KoolAid-drinking global warming alarm sirens. Cullen is also notable for her industrial-strength arrogance in calling for the decertification of all meteorologists who disagree with her.

Brit Doctors Lie on Death Certificates

In a scathing report in today's Daily Mail, British doctors and hospitals are accused of not recording the cause of death on certificates when a hospital-acquired infection is to blame.

Specifically, the true toll from hospital-acquired MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. diff (Clostridium difficile) bacteria is being hidden.

Since the prevalence of bacteria is a direct reflection on general cleanliness and sterilization processes in medical facilities, it's not surprising that there would be a reluctance to document high levels of bacterial infections, in particular, those resulting in deaths.

The Government says that there were 6,381 cases of MRSA in England last year, although some experts believe it could be nearer to 100,000. The latest figures from the Health Protection Agency and the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit show that 74 cases involved children, three-quarters of them babies of less than a year old. It is not known how many of them died.

Data from the National Office of Statistics shows that deaths from MRSA rose from 51 in 1993 to 1,629 in 2005. But the startling totals are likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

Graham Tanner, chairman of the National Concern for Healthcare Infections, has warned there is 'vast underreporting' of C. diff and MRSA. The number of hospital-acquired infections in England alone is, according to his organisation, really 230,000 a year, with an average mortality rate of 15 per cent.

Only this week, a worried doctor told me that MRSA and C. diff is rife in London's major teaching hospitals. He said that of 16 patients in a single ward at one hospital 'four have C. diff and three have MRSA, and that is typical of the situation in every ward'.

Meanwhile, a funeral director in the North of England went further. He estimated that four in five of all elderly hospital patients dying in his seaside town near Blackpool have MRSA or C. diff.

Tony Field, the chairman of MRSA Support UK - which advises hundreds of families who have lost loved ones - believes these accounts, although they are anecdotal. "By law, the doctors and pathologists should be putting down if a hospital infection is a primary or a secondary cause of death. We are hearing from family after family that the death certificates are not mentioning the truth, so obviously the real figure is covered up."

Graziella Kontowsky, founder of a similar support organisation, C. Diff Support UK, agrees. 'I used to be a nurse and there is a pattern if you look at the dead patients' notes. With C. diff the white blood count goes up sky high and then the kidneys of the patient pack up. You can tell it is a sudden infection which developed in hospital, but the death certificate from the hospital doctor or pathologist will just state kidney failure.'

A top microbiologist and MRSA expert, Professor Hugh Pennington, said that some people are so afraid of infection that they completely avoid going to the hospital and try to save money for private treatment.

Agreed, the evidence in the article is anecdotal and testimonial, yet it is convincing. It's quite logical to believe that at least some NHS (National Health Service) hospitals are filthy enough to cause patients to become infected and die. Equally important is the strong motivation for medical professionals to want to hide the fact.

Companion posts at Socglory.com and The Jawa Report.


[Update 01/05/08]

In another report related to allegations of poor hygiene and lack of cleanliness causing the spread of deadly infections, two mothers died during childbirth at the same NHS hospital on the same day.

Greenies can't even manage a consistent "ad hominem" attack


Following is an attack by Andrew Dessler on Inhofe's "400 skeptics" report. What it overlooks is given below the attack:

Today's member of the "Inhofe 400" truly epitomizes the expertise and credibility of the group of experts that the good senator has assembled to demonstrate the obvious flaws in the theory of human-induced global warming. He is Chris Allen, weather director at WBKO, the ABC affiliate for south-central Kentucky. On his blog, Chris says this about global warming:

My biggest argument against putting the primary blame on humans for climate change is that it completely takes God out of the picture. It must have slipped these people's minds that God created the heavens and the earth and has control over what's going on. (Dear Lord Jesus...did I just open a new pandora's box?) Yeah, I said it. Do you honestly believe God would allow humans to destroy the earth He created? Of course, if you don't believe in God and creationism then I can see why you would easily buy into the whole global warming fanfare. I think in many ways that's what this movement is ultimately out to do - rid the mere mention of God in any context. What these environmentalists are actually saying is "we know more than God - we're bigger than God - God is just a fantasy - science is real...He isn't...listen to US!" I have a huge problem with that.

Noted meteorologist Allen, a certified meteorologist and weather center director for his station, had many reasons to doubt a "climate crisis." Dessler only focuses on his God quotes (which were not included in Senate report). Once again, if this (and Chemical Engineer Thomas Ring who has authored scientific reports) is Dessler's strongest argument against the report, he is spending a lot of time to have no impact.

Another "ad hominem" attack on Allen that Greenies are very fond of is defused here

And if you are going to focus on God quotes, then we need to consider the religious pronouncements of IPCC honcho Sir John Houghton (Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Scientific Assessment Working Group) and others. One quote from the great man:

"Christians and other religious people believe that we've been put on the earth to look after it. Creation is not just important to us, we believe also it is important to God and that the rest of creation has an importance of its own... we are destroying forests, important forests"

Sir John has published articles, as his right, in religious journals. He has said:

Even a recent meeting of (not all Christian) people about climate change on the island of Patmos declared that not to care for the earth is a SIN. But have we as Christians thought about repenting for our lack of care for the earth?

So, on the Dessler reasoning, the whole IPCC output must be disregarded, seeing that one of its central figures is a religious nut. Far be it from me to argue!

Posted by John Ray

Upstate Woman Accused of Raping Boy, 13

(Oswego County, New York) A 26-year-old Auburn woman, Stephanie N. Bouvia, was arrested today for allegedly raping a 13-year-old boy.

Reportedly, Bouvia engaged in intercourse and oral sex with the boy for the past several months at a home in the Town of Hannibal.

Bouvia has been charged with with second-degree rape, first-degree and second-degree criminal sex act, second-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

With bail set at $5,000, Bouvia was booked into custody at the Oswego County Jail.

Hot Chile Volcano Erupts

(Conguillio National Park, Chile) Located approximately 400 miles south of Santiago, the 10,000-foot Llaima volcano has erupted, prompting the evacuation of 150 tourists and National Forest Service employees.

Remaining isolated in the park are 53 people and emergency workers plan a helicopter evacuation.

Authorities stated that no populated areas have been affected by the eruption thus far. Nonetheless,

Hundreds of people in the town of Melipeuco, the closest to the volcano, left their homes and spent the night in the open or at two shelters opened by authorities as a series of strong explosions from the volcano rocked the area during the night.

According to Carmen Fernandez of Chile's Emergency Bureau, buses and Army trucks have been sent to Melipeuco (pop. 5,000) just in case they are needed for evacuation.

Minister of Interior Belisario Velasco stated that the local emergency committee is monitoring the situation and measures have been taken to act, if necessary.

US Navy Sailors Found Dead

(Ghana, West Africa) Two American sailors attached to the USS Fort McHenry were found dead in a hotel room in Tema, Ghana, yesterday. The two were on shore leave.

The U.S. Navy and Ghana authorities are investigating and, thus far, there is "no evidence of foul play" according to a Navy official.

The USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) is a dock landing ship with a 350-member crew attached to the Sixth Fleet. The ship is deployed in support of the Africa Partnership Station 2007.

According to Headquarters US European Command, Africa Partnership Station 2007 is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a multi-national staff aboard USS Fort McHenry and High Speed Vessel 2 Swift.

The ship is halfway through a seven-month assignment to assist in security and drug smuggling interdiction efforts by West African nations.

Bad Vodka Kills 11

(Ulan Bator, Mongolia) Eleven people have died and at least 20 more are hospitalized after drinking bad vodka at a New Year's Eve party. One official said the vodka was tainted with methanol.

The mayor of Ulan Bator, Tudev Bilegt, has temporarily banned the sale of vodka in the city pending the results of an investigation.

Readers are cautioned to refrain from drinking any Mongolian vodka.

American Diplomat Gunned Down in Sudan

(Khartoum, Sudan) A 33-year-old U.S. diplomat with the Agency for International Development, John Granville, was killed when gunmen pulled up next to his car and fired 17 shots.

Mr. Granville's driver, a Sudanese employee of the American Embassy, was killed instantly, and Mr. Granville was shot in the neck and chest. He was taken to the hospital and died several hours later.

The Sudanese Interior Ministry identified the driver as Abdel Rahman Abbas, 40.

A Sudanese government official said that the attack appeared well planned. The assailants' car sped in front of the diplomat's car, cutting it off. Two gunmen got out of their car, with one of them shooting Mr. Granville and the other shooting the driver, the official said.

Walter Braunohler, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Khartoum, said he could not comment on the circumstances because the shooting was under investigation.

According to Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq, the incident has nothing to do with terrorism.

Therefore, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's an isolated incident which happens from time-to-time and should be handled on a case-by-case basis. However, a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum expresses doubt, indicating that it's "too early to tell" whether the murders were an act of terrorism.

In a country where gun crimes are rare, an ambush of a foreign diplomat with a 17-shot volley sure doesn't seem to be a hunting accident.


[Update 01/04/08]

From CNN:

A group calling itself the Partisans of Monotheism in Sudan claimed responsibility Friday for the shooting death of an American diplomat and his driver early New Year's Day.

"The soldiers of monotheism carried out their operation in killing the U.S. diplomat John Micahel Granville and his Sudanese driver, who sold his faith for nothing in this earthly life, ... in Riyadh neighborhood east of Khartoum," the group said in a statement posted in Arabic and English on several Islamist Web sites. The group misspelled Granville's middle name, which is Michael.

The Web sites reported the group, also called Ansar Al-Tawhid, is new.

Heh.

SHRILLARY: A typical Democrat ignoramus

"Sen. Hillary Clinton was telling Wolf Blitzer that she didn't think "the Pakistani government at this time under President Musharraf has any credibility at all." She then said something that betrayed a serious lack of knowledge about Pakistan and called her own credibility on the subject into serious question. "If President Musharraf wishes to stand for election," she told Blitzer, "then he should abide by the same rules that every other candidate will have to follow."

My immediate reaction was: "Did I hear that correctly?" As a Pakistan analyst, I know for a fact that Pervez Musharraf doesn't wish to stand for election any time soon. Sen. Clinton really didn't know that the upcoming elections were for individual seats in Pakistan's parliament. She actually believed that Bhutto, Nawaz and Musharraf would be facing off as individual candidates for leadership of the country in the upcoming elections. Sen. Clinton didn't know that Nawaz Sharif isn't allowed to run for office in Pakistan because of a felony conviction. She didn't know that President Musharraf won't be on the ballot because he's already been elected."


More here

Posted by John Ray

New Laws Taking Effect, Hide Your Wallets

Throughout 2007, state lawmakers were busily passing legislation to supposedly improve the lives of all members of the citizenry. Here's a listing of some of the more notable legislation taking effect today.

(AZ) Legal Arizona Workers Act enacted. Employers will lose licenses for hiring illegal aliens.

(CA) Localities are prohibited from requiring landlords to identify and report immigration status of tenants. Also prohibited are ordinances which prevent renting to illegal aliens.

(CA) It is now illegal to smoke in a car with anyone younger than 18 in the vehicle.

(CO) Smoking banned in casinos. Gambling winnings will be confiscated from those overdue on child support.

(HI) Exempts potential jurors from parking tickets while on jury duty.

(IL) Major restrictions on teen drivers become effective. Only one unrelated teen passenger allowed. Curfew hours more restrictive. Learner's permit for nine months vs. three.

(IL) Smoking prohibited virtually anywhere public in the state, including within 15 feet of anywhere public. Stiff fines imposed, minimum $100 for smokers and $250 for businesses on first offense. Half the money goes to local enforcement so it's likely to be treated as an easy revenue stream.

(MA) All residents 18 and older are required to purchase health insurance or be penalized by the government.

(MN) Stars & Stripes banned from sale unless made in USA.

(NH) Homosexual couples given rights of civil unions. Health insurance companies must cover divorced spouses for three years or until they remarry.

(NM) Employers must provide safe, clean, close to work breastfeeding room for mothers.

(NY) Airline Bill of Rights requires passengers to be provided with food, water, fresh air, power, and working restrooms on flights boarded and delayed more than three hours.

(OR) Domestic partnership legalized and discrimination against homosexuals outlawed.

(OR) Sale of cigarettes must be approved by State Fire Marshal to assure that they are firesafe.

(TX) A $5 Strip Club Admission Tax will be collected.

(TX) Teachers required to be fingerprinted.

(WA) Internet voter registration adopted.

All in all, the new laws encompass the good, the bad, the ludicrous and, in many instances, simply increased regulation on business.

Some most interesting statistics -- Muslim Populations in European Cities


Marseilles - 25 percent (200,000 of 800,000)
Malmo - ~25 percent (67,000 of 270,000)
Amsterdam - 24 percent (180,000 of 750,000)
Stockholm - 20 percent (>155,000 of 771,038)
Brussels - ~20 percent (some say 33 percent)
Moscow - 16 percent-20 percent (2 million of 10-12 milllion)
London - 17 percent (1.3 million of 7.5 million)
Luton - 14.6 percent (26,963)
Birmingham 14.3 percent (139,771)
The Hague - 14.2 percent ( 67,896 of 475,580)
Utrecht - 13.2 percent (38,300 of 289,000)
Rotterdam - 13 percent (80,000 of 600,000)
Copenhagen - 12.6 percent (63,000 of 500,000)
Leicester - 11 percent (>30,000 of 280,000)
Aarhus - ~10 percent
Zaan district (Netherlands) - 8.8 percent
Paris - 7.38 percent (155,000 of 2.1 million)
Antwerp- 6.7 percent (>30,000 of >450,000)
Hamburg - 6.4 percent (>110,000 of 1.73 million)
Berlin - 5.9 percent (~200,000 of 3.40 million)

Source

You can't even escape them in Russia, it seems.

Posted by John Ray