Nine bombs exploded across Bangkok on New Year's Eve and early Monday, killing two people, wounding 34 - at least six of them foreigners - and driving home thousands of revelers.
No one claimed responsibility. The bombings capped a year of unrest in Thailand, including a military coup three months ago and an increasingly violent Muslim insurgency in the south.
National deputy police chief Gen. Ajirawit Suphanaphesat said Muslim separatist insurgents were probably not behind the attacks.
The foreigners known hurt were two Serbians, two Britons, a Hungarian and a US citizen, said Suchila La-oan, a staff member of the Police General Hospital, where they were sent.
Doctors were trying to save the Hungarian woman's badly injured leg, said hospital spokeswoman Warin Detkung, denying earlier news reports it was blown off.
The bombings triggered a major security lockdown in the Thai capital, but no chaos. An investigation has been launched.
The three bombs that exploded just after midnight Monday were in a phone booth, a hotel, and near a canal bridge in a downtown area thick with heavily touristed hotels and shopping malls.
They went off near the planned venue for Bangkok's main New Year countdown party, canceled hours earlier after the six initial blasts throughout the city.
"Due to several bomb explosions in Bangkok and for the sake of peace and security, I would ask all of you to return to your homes now," Bangkok Mayor Apirak Kosayothin had told some 5,000 revelers at the downtown Central World Plaza shopping mall. The crowd dispersed quickly but calmly.
Hotels stepped up security, searching cars and canceling expensive New Year's Eve dinners.
"I heard a loud explosion and I thought it was fireworks. I ran there and saw a bleeding woman at the bus stop," said Somrak Manphothong, a receptionist at the Saxophone bar along a busy traffic circle near the Victory Monument, the scene of one bombing.
"Another guy was lying on the floor, covered with blood, and his wife was shaking his body," Somrak said.
At another site near a vegetable market in the Klong Toey slum, a pool of blood and egg yolks covered the roadside beside an overturned motorcycle.
The main public celebration was also called off in Thailand's northern hub city of Chiang Mai, though no incidents were reported there.
But New Year festivities continued in parts of Bangkok, with hundreds of foreign tourists still partying into the night in the famous Patpong Road red light district.
Fireworks lit up the sky at midnight in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, with many people still gathered in the streets.
Police and army troops with assault rifles guarded some entertainment venues, mass transit stations and traffic circles. Roadblocks were set up on some streets.
Several embassies' Web sites advised their citizens to avoid Bangkok's city center. The British Embassy urged its citizens "not to travel into the city until further notice."
"There is a possibility of further attacks in coming days," said a travel advisory from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Australians are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in Bangkok."
Warin, the spokeswoman for Police General Hospital, identified the wounded foreigners as: Jovan Stoganovic, 28, and Vera Sckulic, age uncertain, from Serbia; Alister Graham, 48, and Paul Heewit, 55, from the United Kingdom; Mariann Kovacs, 35, from Hungary; and Linga Fountain, a 55-year-old woman from the United States.
No further details about them were immediately available.
The six earlier bombs wounded 14 people seriously, while the rest were treated and released from hospitals, said Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla.
The bombings came in the middle of a long holiday weekend during the peak tourist season in Bangkok, a city known for its easygoing, party-hearty spirit.
"No, I'm not scared. I'm from England. There are bomb scares all the time," said Keith Waters, who nevertheless expressed disappointment since he had been looking forward to ringing in his first New Year with his Thai wife.
The city has rarely experienced deadly bombings, although several small explosives were set off during recent political turmoil in an apparent attempt to create a sense of instability, not to cause casualties.
In September, a group of generals ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup, and the military installed Surayud Chulanont as interim prime minister until elections set for October 2007.
Thaksin still has widespread support, and a number of arson attacks in provincial areas have been blamed on his followers.
"There are two potential suspects: Muslim insurgents and Thaksin's residual power. I tend to think it's residual power. I suspect the previous regime," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.
"The coup was not done right," he said. "If there had to be a coup, they had to put away Thaksin and his cronies."
Thaksin's lawyer, Noppadol Patama, was quoted on the Matichon newspaper's Web site as saying that Thaksin was in China, and not involved in the bombings.
"Thaksin carries out only his political work," the lawyer said. "He doesn't do such things. If he wants to spark any movement, he won't use violence."
Bombings and shootings occur almost daily in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where an Islamic insurgency that flared in January 2004 has killed more than 1,900 people.
The insurgents have carried out numerous attacks in the south, but are not known to have launched any in Bangkok.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
World faces hottest year ever, as El Niño combines with global warming
A combination of global warming and the El Niño weather system is set to make 2007 the warmest year on record with far-reaching consequences for the planet, one of Britain's leading climate experts has warned.
As the new year was ushered in with stormy conditions across the UK, the forecast for the next 12 months is of extreme global weather patterns which could bring drought to Indonesia and leave California under a deluge.
The warning, from Professor Phil Jones, director of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, was one of four sobering predictions from senior scientists and forecasters that 2007 will be a crucial year for determining the response to global warming and its effect on humanity.
Professor Jones said the long-term trend of global warming - already blamed for bringing drought to the Horn of Africa and melting the Arctic ice shelf - is set to be exacerbated by the arrival of El Niño, the phenomenon caused by above-average sea temperatures in the Pacific.
Combined, they are set to bring extreme conditions across the globe and make 2007 warmer than 1998, the hottest year on record. It is likely temperatures will also exceed 2006, which was declared in December the hottest in Britain since 1659 and the sixth warmest in global records.
Professor Jones said: "El Niño makes the world warmer and we already have a warming trend that is increasing global temperatures by one to two tenths of a degrees celsius per decade. Together, they should make 2007 warmer than last year and it may even make the next 12 months the warmest year on record."
The warning of the escalating impact of global warming was echoed by Jim Hansen, the American scientist who, in 1988, was one of the first to warn of climate change.
In an interview with The Independent, Dr Hansen predicted that global warming would run out of control and change the planet for ever unless rapid action is taken to reverse the rise in carbon emissions.
Dr Hansen said: "We just cannot burn all the fossil fuels in the ground. If we do, we will end up with a different planet.
"I mean a planet with no ice in the Arctic, and a planet where warming is so large that it's going to have a large effect in terms of sea level rises and the extinction of species."
His call for action is shared by Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, who said that 2006 had shown that the "discussion is now over" on whether climate change is happening. Writing in today's Independent, Sir David says progress has been made in the past year but it is "essential" that a global agreement on emissions is struck quickly. He writes: "Ultimately, only heads of state, working together, can provide the new level of global leadership we need to steer the world on a path towards a sustainable and prosperous future. We need to remember: action is affordable - inaction is not."
The demands came as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations agency that deals with climate prediction, issued a warning that El Niño is already established over the tropical Pacific basin. It is set to bring extreme weather across a swath of the planet from the Americas and south-east Asia to the Horn of Africa for at least the first four months of 2007.
El Niño, or "the Christ child" because it is usually noticed around Christmas, is a weather pattern occurring every two to seven years. The last severe El Niño, in 1997 and 1998, caused more than 2,000 deaths and a worldwide damage bill of more than £20bn.
The WMO said its latest readings showed that a "moderate" El Niño, with sea temperatures 1.5C above average, was taking place which, in the worst case scenario, could develop into an extreme weather pattern lasting up to 18 months, as in 1997-98. The UN agency noted that the weather pattern was already having "early and intense" effects, including drought in Australia and dramatically warm seas in the Indian Ocean, which could affect the monsoons. It warned the El Niño could also bring extreme rainfall to parts of east Africa which were last year hit by a cycle of drought and floods.
Its effect on the British climate is difficult to predict, according to experts. But it will probably add to the likelihood of record-breaking temperatures in the UK.
The return of El Niño
* Aside from the seasons, El Niño and its twin, La Niña, are the two largest single causes of variability in the world's climate from year to year.
Both are dictated by shifts in temperature of the water in the tropical Pacific basin between Australia and South America. Named from the Spanish words for "Christ child" and "the girl" because of their proximity to Christmas, they lead to dramatic shifts in the entire system of oceanic and atmospheric factors from air pressure to currents.
A significant rise in sea temperature leads to an El Niño event whereas a fall in temperature leads to La Niña.
The cause of the phenomenon is not fully understood but in an El Niño "event" the pool of warm surface water is forced eastwards by the loss of the westerly trade winds. The sea water evaporates, resulting in drenching rains over South America, particularly Peru and Ecuador, as well as western parts of the United States such as California.
Parts of the western Pacific, including Indonesia and Australia, suffer drought. The effects can last for anything from a few weeks to 18 months, causing extreme weather as far afield as India and east Africa.
The co-relation with global warming is as yet unclear. Archaeological evidence shows El Niños and La Niñas have been occurring for 15,000 years. But scientists are investigating whether climate change is leading to an increase in their intensity or duration.
As the new year was ushered in with stormy conditions across the UK, the forecast for the next 12 months is of extreme global weather patterns which could bring drought to Indonesia and leave California under a deluge.
The warning, from Professor Phil Jones, director of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, was one of four sobering predictions from senior scientists and forecasters that 2007 will be a crucial year for determining the response to global warming and its effect on humanity.
Professor Jones said the long-term trend of global warming - already blamed for bringing drought to the Horn of Africa and melting the Arctic ice shelf - is set to be exacerbated by the arrival of El Niño, the phenomenon caused by above-average sea temperatures in the Pacific.
Combined, they are set to bring extreme conditions across the globe and make 2007 warmer than 1998, the hottest year on record. It is likely temperatures will also exceed 2006, which was declared in December the hottest in Britain since 1659 and the sixth warmest in global records.
Professor Jones said: "El Niño makes the world warmer and we already have a warming trend that is increasing global temperatures by one to two tenths of a degrees celsius per decade. Together, they should make 2007 warmer than last year and it may even make the next 12 months the warmest year on record."
The warning of the escalating impact of global warming was echoed by Jim Hansen, the American scientist who, in 1988, was one of the first to warn of climate change.
In an interview with The Independent, Dr Hansen predicted that global warming would run out of control and change the planet for ever unless rapid action is taken to reverse the rise in carbon emissions.
Dr Hansen said: "We just cannot burn all the fossil fuels in the ground. If we do, we will end up with a different planet.
"I mean a planet with no ice in the Arctic, and a planet where warming is so large that it's going to have a large effect in terms of sea level rises and the extinction of species."
His call for action is shared by Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, who said that 2006 had shown that the "discussion is now over" on whether climate change is happening. Writing in today's Independent, Sir David says progress has been made in the past year but it is "essential" that a global agreement on emissions is struck quickly. He writes: "Ultimately, only heads of state, working together, can provide the new level of global leadership we need to steer the world on a path towards a sustainable and prosperous future. We need to remember: action is affordable - inaction is not."
The demands came as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations agency that deals with climate prediction, issued a warning that El Niño is already established over the tropical Pacific basin. It is set to bring extreme weather across a swath of the planet from the Americas and south-east Asia to the Horn of Africa for at least the first four months of 2007.
El Niño, or "the Christ child" because it is usually noticed around Christmas, is a weather pattern occurring every two to seven years. The last severe El Niño, in 1997 and 1998, caused more than 2,000 deaths and a worldwide damage bill of more than £20bn.
The WMO said its latest readings showed that a "moderate" El Niño, with sea temperatures 1.5C above average, was taking place which, in the worst case scenario, could develop into an extreme weather pattern lasting up to 18 months, as in 1997-98. The UN agency noted that the weather pattern was already having "early and intense" effects, including drought in Australia and dramatically warm seas in the Indian Ocean, which could affect the monsoons. It warned the El Niño could also bring extreme rainfall to parts of east Africa which were last year hit by a cycle of drought and floods.
Its effect on the British climate is difficult to predict, according to experts. But it will probably add to the likelihood of record-breaking temperatures in the UK.
The return of El Niño
* Aside from the seasons, El Niño and its twin, La Niña, are the two largest single causes of variability in the world's climate from year to year.
Both are dictated by shifts in temperature of the water in the tropical Pacific basin between Australia and South America. Named from the Spanish words for "Christ child" and "the girl" because of their proximity to Christmas, they lead to dramatic shifts in the entire system of oceanic and atmospheric factors from air pressure to currents.
A significant rise in sea temperature leads to an El Niño event whereas a fall in temperature leads to La Niña.
The cause of the phenomenon is not fully understood but in an El Niño "event" the pool of warm surface water is forced eastwards by the loss of the westerly trade winds. The sea water evaporates, resulting in drenching rains over South America, particularly Peru and Ecuador, as well as western parts of the United States such as California.
Parts of the western Pacific, including Indonesia and Australia, suffer drought. The effects can last for anything from a few weeks to 18 months, causing extreme weather as far afield as India and east Africa.
The co-relation with global warming is as yet unclear. Archaeological evidence shows El Niños and La Niñas have been occurring for 15,000 years. But scientists are investigating whether climate change is leading to an increase in their intensity or duration.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Nas reacts to current success of Hip Hop is dead
Nas' mission isn't over. Hip Hop is Dead has moved appriximately 355,000 units according to SoundScan and blessed him with his third Number One album in the 12 years since many of us pulled the plastic off Illmatic. Fans and critics still talk about whether or not the genre is actually deceased, which has offered a healthy amount of self-examination. AllHiphop.com chatted with Nas about the state of affairs, some of the reactions to Hip Hop is Dead and even engaged in answering some of the rumors surrounding his own life.
Q: First of all, you’re projected to do some pretty big numbers. How do you feel about that?
Nas: I don’t like to hear that. I just like to hear that people is likin’ it, and I don’t wanna know what it is [selling]; I don’t care. I just want people to like it, yo.
Q: A lot of people are considering [Hip Hop is Dead] a classic – within the best two or three albums of your career. How do you assess it?
Nas: Um…man. With each record, I don’t…I can’t…I don’t know what it is or how it is until at least a year. I’m like that. That’s not just me, that’s everybody. I need to hear they stuff [and I can] kind of get a sense of it. Then, a year later, I put that joint in, and just get stuff from it; I like doing that. It’s just a whole new day, yo. As far as the other s**t, the other s**t was the other s**t; it’s a new time and day.
Q: You started a lot of debate, at the grassroots level and even in the industry level. Do you still feel Hip-Hop is dead?
Nas: To me, right now, yeah, it’s what I’m feelin’. It’s like politics, how we say “Vote or Die”, but vote for who? What does voting do? How do you count a vote? Who are we voting for, and why are they good? Another thing is we don’t know anything about politics in my neighborhood where I’m from. I hardly know politics, I’m 33. I hardly know, you see what I’m sayin’? With Hip-Hop, it’s the same way. We know it has power, we know what it’s supposed to mean, but we don’t really know what it’s about. Maybe I can say “Hip-Hop is dead” and make dudes who didn’t really know what it’s about want to know more. I just told ‘em on TRL, they asked “How do you resurrect it?” I said [that] all of us, if we love it, if we care about it, if we have really respect for what other n***as have done, and respect [to] where we can move on from there…and just… ‘cause we’re too hard on each other. We’re too hard on each other ‘cause we’re all scrambling to be number one. Battling is the essence of Hip-Hop, but it’s gone too far ‘cause kids don’t care. That’s why I’m thinkin’ about these days, like Hip-Hop is dead for so many reasons. That’s why I did the album like that.
Q: You’re only 33, but in terms of the industry, you’re a veteran. Some of your critics, like a Jim Jones, are in the same bracket as you, but you’ve always seemed to come with an older perspective…
Nas: I’ve always felt like that. See, the OGs in New York, we all grew up wantin’ to be like that, to follow the style of the grown man. Somewhere down the line, that got cut short, which is why there has been a lack of direction or creativity lately on the New York side, ‘cause we’ve been havin’ fun just doin’ everybody else. But New York can do that. For them, they know the rules and they don’t feel like they’re cut from that cloth. So they’re trying to push themselves in there and disregard the cloth altogether. Or what’s really hood, they disregard that ‘cause they don’t feel adequate. But they are. They have to stop puttin’ Nas up on a pedestal so much. These guys are…these guys are doing it. Even if your first album doesn’t have the critical acclaim, or you haven’t done anything dope on the rhyme side, you can get there. It doesn’t mean you have to be there automatically, you know? I think that’s their frustration.
Q: At your birthday party, you had Joeski Love. You’ve always been about the old school, why?
Nas: Joeski Love! [Laughs] I think it’s “each one teach one,” and more than that, I grew up on that – on that song [“TK”]. I went to the movies with my moms and saw [Pee Wee’s Big Adventure], I remember the animated show on television, I remember Joeski Love. So these were the records that I’m excited about. I never knew how much that record sold, I didn’t even know what record label it was on – I probably did back then as a fan, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that song was crazy, and he captured a moment. That’s what I like about those guys. But I also talk about the old school guys too, ‘cause they’re not exempt from being criticized. So I get at the old school n***as – not all the old school n***as, but some of the old school n***as, I get at the bitter ones. And I get at the new n***as who are too arrogant. That’s how I carry on tradition. I love them ‘cause they are the pioneers. They made me wanna rap.
Q: There are rumors about you signing Royce Da 5’9 to your label. Is that true?
Nas: I would like to. [Pause] I would like to.
Q: Have you guys been talking?
Nas: Not as of yet.
Q: Where did this start coming up from?
Nas: I think he’s nice. [Pause] It was just some thoughts I said out loud.
Q: Ludacris had a shirt at the BET Awards that said something to the effect of “Hip-Hop’s Not Dead, It Just Moved Down South.” How do you feel about that statement?
Nas: I love it. That’s what this is all about. That lets me know we’re alive here, that’s what this Hip-Hop community is breathin’; they care about it, and they love it. It’s him responding to my cause. It’s his reaction to my action. I’m just excited that he responded.
Q: This album is getting a lot of four and five ratings. Do you feel like you’re resurrecting Hip-Hop?
Nas: Nope. I think I just like it so much – love it so much, that I have this relationship with it that’s odd. It’s like everybody else does. Jeezy has a relationship with it. Everybody has a strong relationship with it and they don’t know how to deal with it. It’s like a n***a hates to say “I love you” to his woman ‘cause it makes you feel soft, most of the time – some guys don’t. It’s the same way with Hip-Hop. We don’t say we love it but we do, ‘cause a lot of the street rappers don’t have that clientele. I used to not like the purists, but then I realized I was a purist myself, you know what I’m sayin’? It’s just that relationship, man.
Q: Just Ice is one of my favorite rappers of all times. You once told Funkmaster Flex a story about Just Ice…
Nas: Just Ice is one of the original Gs, man. He’s somebody who was on the radio when I was a kid, man. His s**t was tight, from the Filas to the Gucci hats to the glasses, he was just somebody I admired. There was a story about him: he got real hood years ago. I don’t wanna keep building on it, but it was just somethin’ I remember. You just remember certain s**t.
Q: Last question. It’s a funny one. My friend wanted me to ask you, with this album, what kind of youth pills are you taking?
Nas: [Laughs] Ay man, I don’t understand how this is happening, dude. I guess when you get older, you gotta eat wiser. You can’t eat late at night. You can’t eat all the stuff that you love. I love fried chicken, but I can’t eat it as often as I used to. You can’t drink like you used to; you can’t smoke like you used to. You gotta exercise your heart, gotta get your blood circulating. This is the normal s**t you think about when you get older; the s**t you’re supposed to do.
Q: First of all, you’re projected to do some pretty big numbers. How do you feel about that?
Nas: I don’t like to hear that. I just like to hear that people is likin’ it, and I don’t wanna know what it is [selling]; I don’t care. I just want people to like it, yo.
Q: A lot of people are considering [Hip Hop is Dead] a classic – within the best two or three albums of your career. How do you assess it?
Nas: Um…man. With each record, I don’t…I can’t…I don’t know what it is or how it is until at least a year. I’m like that. That’s not just me, that’s everybody. I need to hear they stuff [and I can] kind of get a sense of it. Then, a year later, I put that joint in, and just get stuff from it; I like doing that. It’s just a whole new day, yo. As far as the other s**t, the other s**t was the other s**t; it’s a new time and day.
Q: You started a lot of debate, at the grassroots level and even in the industry level. Do you still feel Hip-Hop is dead?
Nas: To me, right now, yeah, it’s what I’m feelin’. It’s like politics, how we say “Vote or Die”, but vote for who? What does voting do? How do you count a vote? Who are we voting for, and why are they good? Another thing is we don’t know anything about politics in my neighborhood where I’m from. I hardly know politics, I’m 33. I hardly know, you see what I’m sayin’? With Hip-Hop, it’s the same way. We know it has power, we know what it’s supposed to mean, but we don’t really know what it’s about. Maybe I can say “Hip-Hop is dead” and make dudes who didn’t really know what it’s about want to know more. I just told ‘em on TRL, they asked “How do you resurrect it?” I said [that] all of us, if we love it, if we care about it, if we have really respect for what other n***as have done, and respect [to] where we can move on from there…and just… ‘cause we’re too hard on each other. We’re too hard on each other ‘cause we’re all scrambling to be number one. Battling is the essence of Hip-Hop, but it’s gone too far ‘cause kids don’t care. That’s why I’m thinkin’ about these days, like Hip-Hop is dead for so many reasons. That’s why I did the album like that.
Q: You’re only 33, but in terms of the industry, you’re a veteran. Some of your critics, like a Jim Jones, are in the same bracket as you, but you’ve always seemed to come with an older perspective…
Nas: I’ve always felt like that. See, the OGs in New York, we all grew up wantin’ to be like that, to follow the style of the grown man. Somewhere down the line, that got cut short, which is why there has been a lack of direction or creativity lately on the New York side, ‘cause we’ve been havin’ fun just doin’ everybody else. But New York can do that. For them, they know the rules and they don’t feel like they’re cut from that cloth. So they’re trying to push themselves in there and disregard the cloth altogether. Or what’s really hood, they disregard that ‘cause they don’t feel adequate. But they are. They have to stop puttin’ Nas up on a pedestal so much. These guys are…these guys are doing it. Even if your first album doesn’t have the critical acclaim, or you haven’t done anything dope on the rhyme side, you can get there. It doesn’t mean you have to be there automatically, you know? I think that’s their frustration.
Q: At your birthday party, you had Joeski Love. You’ve always been about the old school, why?
Nas: Joeski Love! [Laughs] I think it’s “each one teach one,” and more than that, I grew up on that – on that song [“TK”]. I went to the movies with my moms and saw [Pee Wee’s Big Adventure], I remember the animated show on television, I remember Joeski Love. So these were the records that I’m excited about. I never knew how much that record sold, I didn’t even know what record label it was on – I probably did back then as a fan, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that song was crazy, and he captured a moment. That’s what I like about those guys. But I also talk about the old school guys too, ‘cause they’re not exempt from being criticized. So I get at the old school n***as – not all the old school n***as, but some of the old school n***as, I get at the bitter ones. And I get at the new n***as who are too arrogant. That’s how I carry on tradition. I love them ‘cause they are the pioneers. They made me wanna rap.
Q: There are rumors about you signing Royce Da 5’9 to your label. Is that true?
Nas: I would like to. [Pause] I would like to.
Q: Have you guys been talking?
Nas: Not as of yet.
Q: Where did this start coming up from?
Nas: I think he’s nice. [Pause] It was just some thoughts I said out loud.
Q: Ludacris had a shirt at the BET Awards that said something to the effect of “Hip-Hop’s Not Dead, It Just Moved Down South.” How do you feel about that statement?
Nas: I love it. That’s what this is all about. That lets me know we’re alive here, that’s what this Hip-Hop community is breathin’; they care about it, and they love it. It’s him responding to my cause. It’s his reaction to my action. I’m just excited that he responded.
Q: This album is getting a lot of four and five ratings. Do you feel like you’re resurrecting Hip-Hop?
Nas: Nope. I think I just like it so much – love it so much, that I have this relationship with it that’s odd. It’s like everybody else does. Jeezy has a relationship with it. Everybody has a strong relationship with it and they don’t know how to deal with it. It’s like a n***a hates to say “I love you” to his woman ‘cause it makes you feel soft, most of the time – some guys don’t. It’s the same way with Hip-Hop. We don’t say we love it but we do, ‘cause a lot of the street rappers don’t have that clientele. I used to not like the purists, but then I realized I was a purist myself, you know what I’m sayin’? It’s just that relationship, man.
Q: Just Ice is one of my favorite rappers of all times. You once told Funkmaster Flex a story about Just Ice…
Nas: Just Ice is one of the original Gs, man. He’s somebody who was on the radio when I was a kid, man. His s**t was tight, from the Filas to the Gucci hats to the glasses, he was just somebody I admired. There was a story about him: he got real hood years ago. I don’t wanna keep building on it, but it was just somethin’ I remember. You just remember certain s**t.
Q: Last question. It’s a funny one. My friend wanted me to ask you, with this album, what kind of youth pills are you taking?
Nas: [Laughs] Ay man, I don’t understand how this is happening, dude. I guess when you get older, you gotta eat wiser. You can’t eat late at night. You can’t eat all the stuff that you love. I love fried chicken, but I can’t eat it as often as I used to. You can’t drink like you used to; you can’t smoke like you used to. You gotta exercise your heart, gotta get your blood circulating. This is the normal s**t you think about when you get older; the s**t you’re supposed to do.
Man Evicted From Van
Thelmon Green, the cigar-chomping old man who for the past seven years has lived happily in a Chevrolet van, is being ordered to move by the Marion County Health Department.
Sheryl Crum, of the department's Housing Division, visited Green's digs Thursday and pronounced the arrangement "not a healthy place to live."
In his gentle way, Green pronounced Crum's ruling "bull" but was resigned to it. "I'll just find me another place," he said Friday, while on his morning walk.
One option for Green, said Melissa Eisele, a Health Department social worker, would be government-subsidized senior apartments.
But Green said Friday he detested apartment living -- "too many people too close by." "He'd have a choice where he lives," said Eisele, adding there were some houses with subsidies that Green might qualify for. "There's some (housing) right in his neighborhood," she said.
Green, who is either 93 or 86, is a longtime fixture in the area around 38th Street and College Avenue, for years having made his living repairing kitchen appliances.
He was the subject of an Indianapolis Star story on Tuesday that described his unconventional yet fulfilling life: no income but social security of a different kind -- a huge social network of neighborhood folks who look out for him and provide for him.
The story also talked about his phenomenal legs that allow him to walk miles every day -- and an attitude that makes him want to walk miles every day and cling hard to his independence.
Crum said the Health Department would try to "relocate him to a place suitable for him, that's agreeable to him and is healthier and safer."
"Lord have mercy," said Philip Hall, a friend of Green's who often brings him food. "What this is is government people who have a mandate to save us from ourselves."
Green's van, its tires long flattened, rests in the parking lot at Big Red Discount Towing, in the 3800 block of North Keystone Avenue. It is on the edge of one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. But Green is well-known -- as either "Mr. Green" or "Old Man Green" -- and universally liked. Nobody touches him.
Joe "Red" Long, the Red of Big Red Discount Towing, has known Green for years and has allowed Green to use his business's bathroom and plug an extension cord into an outside electrical outlet for heat and cooking.
Crum, who learned about Green through the Star story, said the arrangement violated Marion County's housing code, which insists a domicile have running water and electricity.
Long, Hall and others bring Green food and pocket change, the money principally to finance Green's one vice -- cigars (Swisher Sweets, which he doesn't smoke but, rather, chews).
Through Hall's doing, next month Green, a World War II veteran, will begin receiving a monthly check from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Eisele gave no timeline on Green's removal, other than to say it would come "as soon as possible."
Source: Indystar.com
**This is in response to an earlier article the Star wrote on the man, really an interesting read and attached slideshow: Mr. Green Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You.
Pretty sad, really. Paper publishes a story on an old man who lives in a van, government reads story, government evicts old man from van and way of life.
Sheryl Crum, of the department's Housing Division, visited Green's digs Thursday and pronounced the arrangement "not a healthy place to live."
In his gentle way, Green pronounced Crum's ruling "bull" but was resigned to it. "I'll just find me another place," he said Friday, while on his morning walk.
One option for Green, said Melissa Eisele, a Health Department social worker, would be government-subsidized senior apartments.
But Green said Friday he detested apartment living -- "too many people too close by." "He'd have a choice where he lives," said Eisele, adding there were some houses with subsidies that Green might qualify for. "There's some (housing) right in his neighborhood," she said.
Green, who is either 93 or 86, is a longtime fixture in the area around 38th Street and College Avenue, for years having made his living repairing kitchen appliances.
He was the subject of an Indianapolis Star story on Tuesday that described his unconventional yet fulfilling life: no income but social security of a different kind -- a huge social network of neighborhood folks who look out for him and provide for him.
The story also talked about his phenomenal legs that allow him to walk miles every day -- and an attitude that makes him want to walk miles every day and cling hard to his independence.
Crum said the Health Department would try to "relocate him to a place suitable for him, that's agreeable to him and is healthier and safer."
"Lord have mercy," said Philip Hall, a friend of Green's who often brings him food. "What this is is government people who have a mandate to save us from ourselves."
Green's van, its tires long flattened, rests in the parking lot at Big Red Discount Towing, in the 3800 block of North Keystone Avenue. It is on the edge of one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. But Green is well-known -- as either "Mr. Green" or "Old Man Green" -- and universally liked. Nobody touches him.
Joe "Red" Long, the Red of Big Red Discount Towing, has known Green for years and has allowed Green to use his business's bathroom and plug an extension cord into an outside electrical outlet for heat and cooking.
Crum, who learned about Green through the Star story, said the arrangement violated Marion County's housing code, which insists a domicile have running water and electricity.
Long, Hall and others bring Green food and pocket change, the money principally to finance Green's one vice -- cigars (Swisher Sweets, which he doesn't smoke but, rather, chews).
Through Hall's doing, next month Green, a World War II veteran, will begin receiving a monthly check from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Eisele gave no timeline on Green's removal, other than to say it would come "as soon as possible."
Source: Indystar.com
**This is in response to an earlier article the Star wrote on the man, really an interesting read and attached slideshow: Mr. Green Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You.
Pretty sad, really. Paper publishes a story on an old man who lives in a van, government reads story, government evicts old man from van and way of life.
British woman with two wombs gives birth to three girls
A woman with two wombs has given birth to triplets, in what is believed to the first case of its kind, a hospital official said Friday.
Hannah Kersey, 23, gave birth to three girls in September, said Richard Dottle, a spokesman for Southmead Hospital in Bristol where the babies were born. The children spent nine weeks in the hospital.
The girls — identical twins delivered from one womb and a third fraternal sibling from the other — were delivered by Caesarean section seven weeks early, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Kersey and her partner Mick Faulkner said they were "over the moon" at how healthy and happy the girls were.
"They are three lovely and incredible children, all with very different personalities," the BBC quoted Kersey as saying.
"There haven't been any similar account where three healthy babies are born of two wombs," said Yakoub Khalaf, a consulting gynecologist at Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital. He said that multiple pregnancies tended to be risky, and that delivering triplets under such abnormal circumstances was even riskier.
Separate or partially joined wombs are uncommon, although not rare — about one woman in 1,000 has them, according to Khalaf.
The condition would have occurred before Kersey was born when the two sides of her uterus failed to completely merge. The condition mean the separate wombs tend to have a considerably smaller volume and their contractions are weaker, said Michael Heard, a consulting gynecologist at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
Pregnancies are possible, although they tend to result in premature birth more than half the time. Heard said that in the case of a Caesarean two operations would have to be performed.
Simultaneous pregnancies in two separate wombs are almost unheard of — Khalaf said he had identified only 70 cases over the past 50 years worldwide — and the delivery of triplets from two wombs has never before been recorded.
"This lady was extremely lucky," said Khalaf.
Kersey was not immediately available for comment on Friday but the Southwest News Agency based in Filton, England, said it had bought the rights to her story. It would not disclose the amount.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hannah Kersey, 23, gave birth to three girls in September, said Richard Dottle, a spokesman for Southmead Hospital in Bristol where the babies were born. The children spent nine weeks in the hospital.
The girls — identical twins delivered from one womb and a third fraternal sibling from the other — were delivered by Caesarean section seven weeks early, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Kersey and her partner Mick Faulkner said they were "over the moon" at how healthy and happy the girls were.
"They are three lovely and incredible children, all with very different personalities," the BBC quoted Kersey as saying.
"There haven't been any similar account where three healthy babies are born of two wombs," said Yakoub Khalaf, a consulting gynecologist at Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital. He said that multiple pregnancies tended to be risky, and that delivering triplets under such abnormal circumstances was even riskier.
Separate or partially joined wombs are uncommon, although not rare — about one woman in 1,000 has them, according to Khalaf.
The condition would have occurred before Kersey was born when the two sides of her uterus failed to completely merge. The condition mean the separate wombs tend to have a considerably smaller volume and their contractions are weaker, said Michael Heard, a consulting gynecologist at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
Pregnancies are possible, although they tend to result in premature birth more than half the time. Heard said that in the case of a Caesarean two operations would have to be performed.
Simultaneous pregnancies in two separate wombs are almost unheard of — Khalaf said he had identified only 70 cases over the past 50 years worldwide — and the delivery of triplets from two wombs has never before been recorded.
"This lady was extremely lucky," said Khalaf.
Kersey was not immediately available for comment on Friday but the Southwest News Agency based in Filton, England, said it had bought the rights to her story. It would not disclose the amount.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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States With Worst Roads
Still plodding through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina over 15 months later, Louisiana has displaced Pennsylvania as having the worst roads in the nation. Never having taken the top spot in the worst roads category, Louisiana is no rookie to the top five on the Highway Report Card, a survey conducted by Overdrive Magazine.
Truck drivers state that I-10 alone is bad enough to qualify Louisiana for the "worst roads" crown; but the rest of the roads are not much better. Hurricane Katrina left nearly everything in its wake a complete disaster in southern Louisiana, but neighboring Texas seems to have fared much better.
Texas was voted number one for not only the best roads but as having the best car drivers and best rest stops of any state as well.
On the negative side, most of the 400 respondents to the survey agreed that road rage increased along with traffic in 2006.
See the categories and results below:
Sources: PRNewswire, OverdriveOnline
Worst Roads by State
Top 5 worst roads:
1. Louisiana
2. Pennsylvania
3. California
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
Best Roads by State
Top 5 best roads:
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Virginia
Worst Interstates
Top 5 worst interstates:
1. I-10 Louisiana
2. I-80 Pennsylvania
3. I-40 Arkansas
4. I-5 California
5. I-40 Oklahoma
Best Interstates
Top 5 best interstates:
1. I-40 Tennessee
2. I-20 Texas
3. I-75 Florida
4. I-75 Florida
5. I-81 Virginia
Worst Drivers
Top 5 worst drivers:
1. California
2. New York
3. Illinois
4. New Jersey
5. Florida
Best Drivers
Top 5 best drivers:
1. Texas
2. Montana
3. California
4. Wisconsin
5. Tennessee
Worst Rest Stops
Top 5 worst rest stops:
1. Texas
2. New Jersey
3. California
4. Louisiana
5. New Mexico
Tough Law Enforcement
Top 5 toughest law enforcement:
1. California
2. Ohio
3. Virginia
4. Pennsylvania
5. Texas
Weak Law Enforcement
Top 5 weakest law enforcement:
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. West Virginia
5. Nevada
Truck drivers state that I-10 alone is bad enough to qualify Louisiana for the "worst roads" crown; but the rest of the roads are not much better. Hurricane Katrina left nearly everything in its wake a complete disaster in southern Louisiana, but neighboring Texas seems to have fared much better.
Texas was voted number one for not only the best roads but as having the best car drivers and best rest stops of any state as well.
On the negative side, most of the 400 respondents to the survey agreed that road rage increased along with traffic in 2006.
See the categories and results below:
Sources: PRNewswire, OverdriveOnline
Worst Roads by State
Top 5 worst roads:
1. Louisiana
2. Pennsylvania
3. California
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
Best Roads by State
Top 5 best roads:
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Virginia
Worst Interstates
Top 5 worst interstates:
1. I-10 Louisiana
2. I-80 Pennsylvania
3. I-40 Arkansas
4. I-5 California
5. I-40 Oklahoma
Best Interstates
Top 5 best interstates:
1. I-40 Tennessee
2. I-20 Texas
3. I-75 Florida
4. I-75 Florida
5. I-81 Virginia
Worst Drivers
Top 5 worst drivers:
1. California
2. New York
3. Illinois
4. New Jersey
5. Florida
Best Drivers
Top 5 best drivers:
1. Texas
2. Montana
3. California
4. Wisconsin
5. Tennessee
Worst Rest Stops
Top 5 worst rest stops:
1. Texas
2. New Jersey
3. California
4. Louisiana
5. New Mexico
Tough Law Enforcement
Top 5 toughest law enforcement:
1. California
2. Ohio
3. Virginia
4. Pennsylvania
5. Texas
Weak Law Enforcement
Top 5 weakest law enforcement:
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. West Virginia
5. Nevada
Explosion hits parking lot at Madrid airport
An explosion was on Sunday reported in a parking lot at Madrid's Barajas airport, Spanish radio reported.
The explosion followed a telephone warning to authorities.
The explosion followed a telephone warning to authorities.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Reputed Mobster Is Charged at 96
Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Carlo Gambino are long gone. Murder Inc. is out of business. Las Vegas has been so cleaned up it resembles Disneyland. And Havana? Forget about it since Castro took over.
But Albert "zzzzzy" Facchiano, at 96, is still standing. And like Michael Corleone in "The Godfather III," he is still very much involved in the family business, according to the FBI.
At an age when most people are long retired and happy just to be alive, the reputed mobster was indicted earlier this year in Florida and New York. He is accused of trying to intimidate and possibly kill a witness against the powerful the Genovese family of New York in 2005. He is also accused of helping to run the rackets in Florida.
It was unclear whether Facchiano intended to break legs with his own gnarled, 96-year-old hands.
There have been plenty of elderly Mafia defendants, including 86-year-old Genovese family member Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, who pleaded guilty to federal charges recently in Connecticut. But prosecutors, defense lawyers and Mafia experts say they can't remember someone Facchiano's age facing crimes of such recent vintage.
"I don't think there's anybody older than him," said Jerry Capeci, author of several books on organized crime and operator of the Internet site ganglandnews.com. "The rule is, you go in alive and you go out dead. You're not allowed to quit."
It appears that Facchiano, also known as "The Old Man," lived up to that Mafia credo, according to prosecutors.
Facchiano, born in 1910, has been a "made member" of the nation's largest and most powerful Mafia family for decades, but was a low-level figure, rising no higher than soldier, according to the FBI. His nickname is apparently a play on his last name.
He was a boy when Arnold Rothstein supposedly fixed the 1919 World Series. He was a young man during the Depression when he took his first arrest. He was entering middle age during La Cosa Nostra's go-go years in the 1940s and '50s, when the Mafia skimmed its share of America's postwar prosperity. And he was a senior citizen in the 1980s and '90s when John Gotti and other bosses were taken down by the FBI.
In Florida, Facchiano was indicted along with the reputed Genovese chief in the Miami area and several others on charges of extortion and racketeering. Prosecutors say Facchiano from 1994 to 2006 mainly supervised associates who committed such crimes as robbery, money laundering and bank fraud.
The New York indictment accuses Facchiano and more than 30 other alleged Genovese members, including acting family boss Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, of a range of mob-related crimes. Facchiano is accused specifically of trying in 2005 to locate and intimidate a government witness known as "Victim-5" in court papers.
In one conversation picked up on an FBI listening device, Genovese associate John Ardito said he and Facchiano were "the hit men" who were looking for Victim-5, according to federal prosecutors. Ardito traveled from New York to Florida to meet with Facchiano about Victim-5, who had "gone wrong," according to an FBI transcript.
Facchiano pleaded not guilty and is free on bail, living at a condominium in swank Bal Harbor with a daughter.
Facchiano's lawyer in the Florida case, Brian McComb, would not discuss the charges. He said his client is in reasonably good health, apart from a bad back and difficulty hearing.
"He's got the typical ailments of an almost 97-year-old man," McComb said. "From day to day, who knows? He seems like a very nice gentleman."
Facchiano's first arrest came in 1932, on robbery and receiving stolen goods charges out of Pittsburgh, according to an FBI rap sheet. He got a sentence of two to five years, then was arrested again in 1936 in New York on grand larceny charges and yet again in 1944 on a bookmaking count. The records do not show how much prison time he did, if any.
"zzzzzy" stayed relatively clean until 1979, when he was arrested on federal racketeering charges and got a 25-year sentence. He served eight years, winning release at age 79. Then, nothing until his twin arrests this year.
If convicted on all charges, Facchiano could be looking at a sentence of well over 60 years in prison. Given the slow pace of federal prosecutions, he could be nearly 100 by the time he is sentenced.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons records show that as of the end of 2003 -- the last year complete records are available -- there were 30 inmates 80 and older. Officials could not say whether anyone as old as Facchiano is behind bars in the federal system.
As for his chances of actually being sent to prison, Ryan King, policy analyst with the nonprofit Sentencing Project, said: "A judge might look at someone in their 90s and consider the likelihood of re-offending. Are they really going to go out and commit another crime?"
Capeci, the Mafia expert, said someone Facchiano's age might have some difficulty keeping up with the younger wiseguys if he does go free.
"There's no way a guy at age 96 can threaten people, break legs, do the normal routine that guys 50 and 60 years younger can do," he said. "But the guy is, according to the rules of the Mafia, still a made guy. He still has to take orders from the superiors and do what they tell him."
But Albert "zzzzzy" Facchiano, at 96, is still standing. And like Michael Corleone in "The Godfather III," he is still very much involved in the family business, according to the FBI.
At an age when most people are long retired and happy just to be alive, the reputed mobster was indicted earlier this year in Florida and New York. He is accused of trying to intimidate and possibly kill a witness against the powerful the Genovese family of New York in 2005. He is also accused of helping to run the rackets in Florida.
It was unclear whether Facchiano intended to break legs with his own gnarled, 96-year-old hands.
There have been plenty of elderly Mafia defendants, including 86-year-old Genovese family member Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, who pleaded guilty to federal charges recently in Connecticut. But prosecutors, defense lawyers and Mafia experts say they can't remember someone Facchiano's age facing crimes of such recent vintage.
"I don't think there's anybody older than him," said Jerry Capeci, author of several books on organized crime and operator of the Internet site ganglandnews.com. "The rule is, you go in alive and you go out dead. You're not allowed to quit."
It appears that Facchiano, also known as "The Old Man," lived up to that Mafia credo, according to prosecutors.
Facchiano, born in 1910, has been a "made member" of the nation's largest and most powerful Mafia family for decades, but was a low-level figure, rising no higher than soldier, according to the FBI. His nickname is apparently a play on his last name.
He was a boy when Arnold Rothstein supposedly fixed the 1919 World Series. He was a young man during the Depression when he took his first arrest. He was entering middle age during La Cosa Nostra's go-go years in the 1940s and '50s, when the Mafia skimmed its share of America's postwar prosperity. And he was a senior citizen in the 1980s and '90s when John Gotti and other bosses were taken down by the FBI.
In Florida, Facchiano was indicted along with the reputed Genovese chief in the Miami area and several others on charges of extortion and racketeering. Prosecutors say Facchiano from 1994 to 2006 mainly supervised associates who committed such crimes as robbery, money laundering and bank fraud.
The New York indictment accuses Facchiano and more than 30 other alleged Genovese members, including acting family boss Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, of a range of mob-related crimes. Facchiano is accused specifically of trying in 2005 to locate and intimidate a government witness known as "Victim-5" in court papers.
In one conversation picked up on an FBI listening device, Genovese associate John Ardito said he and Facchiano were "the hit men" who were looking for Victim-5, according to federal prosecutors. Ardito traveled from New York to Florida to meet with Facchiano about Victim-5, who had "gone wrong," according to an FBI transcript.
Facchiano pleaded not guilty and is free on bail, living at a condominium in swank Bal Harbor with a daughter.
Facchiano's lawyer in the Florida case, Brian McComb, would not discuss the charges. He said his client is in reasonably good health, apart from a bad back and difficulty hearing.
"He's got the typical ailments of an almost 97-year-old man," McComb said. "From day to day, who knows? He seems like a very nice gentleman."
Facchiano's first arrest came in 1932, on robbery and receiving stolen goods charges out of Pittsburgh, according to an FBI rap sheet. He got a sentence of two to five years, then was arrested again in 1936 in New York on grand larceny charges and yet again in 1944 on a bookmaking count. The records do not show how much prison time he did, if any.
"zzzzzy" stayed relatively clean until 1979, when he was arrested on federal racketeering charges and got a 25-year sentence. He served eight years, winning release at age 79. Then, nothing until his twin arrests this year.
If convicted on all charges, Facchiano could be looking at a sentence of well over 60 years in prison. Given the slow pace of federal prosecutions, he could be nearly 100 by the time he is sentenced.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons records show that as of the end of 2003 -- the last year complete records are available -- there were 30 inmates 80 and older. Officials could not say whether anyone as old as Facchiano is behind bars in the federal system.
As for his chances of actually being sent to prison, Ryan King, policy analyst with the nonprofit Sentencing Project, said: "A judge might look at someone in their 90s and consider the likelihood of re-offending. Are they really going to go out and commit another crime?"
Capeci, the Mafia expert, said someone Facchiano's age might have some difficulty keeping up with the younger wiseguys if he does go free.
"There's no way a guy at age 96 can threaten people, break legs, do the normal routine that guys 50 and 60 years younger can do," he said. "But the guy is, according to the rules of the Mafia, still a made guy. He still has to take orders from the superiors and do what they tell him."
Church forgets to renew its domain; PORN site takes it over
Hope Community Church is trying to spread the word about its new Web site and disavow its former domain name.
Because of an error, a pornography company bought the church's old domain name unbeknownst to the church. The church's new Web site is www.hopeacc.org.
Pastor Steve Spearing said Friday the mix-up happened a few weeks ago when the church changed Internet service providers. Spearing said he believed the church could keep its Web site name, which contained the words "life" and "Christ."
But the old service provider put the address up for sale and it was bought by a pornographic Web site.
Spearing said he didn't realize the site had been sold until he got a call from a Massachusetts woman who was interested in moving to the area and was doing research on the Internet about local churches.
"She asked what kind of a church we were and then she said, 'Do you know that your Web site is connected to a porn site,' and I said 'No, ma'am,'" Spearing said.
He said he was aghast, especially because the church had just handed out fliers with the old Web site name at Dover's Apple Harvest Day.
The church has spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how this happened, he said, and recently received a letter from the Internet service provider admitting it made a mistake by selling the domain name.
"They said we could buy it back, but we don't want it back," Spearing said.
He said the Internet company told him pornographic sites often like to buy Web addresses once used by churches.
"They will target ministries as an embarrassment, and they did a good job," he said.
Although the Internet snafu was troubling, Spearing was able to have some sense of humor about it.
"It will be interesting to see who shows up to church now," he said.
Because of an error, a pornography company bought the church's old domain name unbeknownst to the church. The church's new Web site is www.hopeacc.org.
Pastor Steve Spearing said Friday the mix-up happened a few weeks ago when the church changed Internet service providers. Spearing said he believed the church could keep its Web site name, which contained the words "life" and "Christ."
But the old service provider put the address up for sale and it was bought by a pornographic Web site.
Spearing said he didn't realize the site had been sold until he got a call from a Massachusetts woman who was interested in moving to the area and was doing research on the Internet about local churches.
"She asked what kind of a church we were and then she said, 'Do you know that your Web site is connected to a porn site,' and I said 'No, ma'am,'" Spearing said.
He said he was aghast, especially because the church had just handed out fliers with the old Web site name at Dover's Apple Harvest Day.
The church has spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how this happened, he said, and recently received a letter from the Internet service provider admitting it made a mistake by selling the domain name.
"They said we could buy it back, but we don't want it back," Spearing said.
He said the Internet company told him pornographic sites often like to buy Web addresses once used by churches.
"They will target ministries as an embarrassment, and they did a good job," he said.
Although the Internet snafu was troubling, Spearing was able to have some sense of humor about it.
"It will be interesting to see who shows up to church now," he said.
Steve Irwin faced death the day before he died
Steve Irwin risked his life the day before he was killed by a stingray barb in far north Queensland.
The environmentalist was nearly bitten by a venomous sea snake while filming his final television show, News Ltd newspapers reported.
In a segment of his wildlife documentary, Ocean's Deadliest, Irwin swims with the two metre snake and lifts it out of the water before it threatens him, it is reported.
"Here is the biggest sea snake I've ever seen in my life," Irwin tells the camera.
"Lucky he didn't have his mouth open there. You could see how `ol Steve-o could've taken a hit."
The following day, Irwin died when a sting ray barb pierced his heart.
His death is not acknowledged in the documentary, which was completed in the weeks after his death.
The show explains Irwin's absence from some segments by saying he was `on the mainland, setting crocodile traps', it was reported.
The documentary is expected be shown in Australia on the Discovery Channel next year.
The environmentalist was nearly bitten by a venomous sea snake while filming his final television show, News Ltd newspapers reported.
In a segment of his wildlife documentary, Ocean's Deadliest, Irwin swims with the two metre snake and lifts it out of the water before it threatens him, it is reported.
"Here is the biggest sea snake I've ever seen in my life," Irwin tells the camera.
"Lucky he didn't have his mouth open there. You could see how `ol Steve-o could've taken a hit."
The following day, Irwin died when a sting ray barb pierced his heart.
His death is not acknowledged in the documentary, which was completed in the weeks after his death.
The show explains Irwin's absence from some segments by saying he was `on the mainland, setting crocodile traps', it was reported.
The documentary is expected be shown in Australia on the Discovery Channel next year.
Ghost Riding :Hip-Hop Car Stunt Leaves 2 Dead
Ghost riding the whip" _ a stunt in which a driver gets out of his car and dances around and on top of the slowly moving vehicle to a thumping hip-hop beat _ has gotten at least two people killed, led to numerous injuries and alarmed police on the West Coast and beyond.
A fad among devotees of a West Coast strain of hip-hop music called "hyphy," the stunt has been celebrated in song and performed in numerous homemade videos posted on YouTube.
"It did not take Einstein to look at this thing and say this was a recipe for disaster," said Pete Smith, a police spokesman in Stockton. "We could see the potential for great injury or death."
Earlier this month, Davender Gulley, a ghost-riding 18-year-old, died after his head slammed into a parked car while he was hanging out the window of an SUV in Stockton, police said. In October, a 36-year-old man dancing on top of a moving car fell off, hit his head and died in what authorities said was Canada's first ghost riding fatality.
The stunt has also led to numerous minor injuries.
Hyphy was born in the San Francisco Bay cities of Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo in the late 1990s, and devotees often hold late-night car rallies called "sideshows" where crowds perform risky stunts, including ghost riding.
"Ghost riding" refers to the absence of a driver. "The whip" is urban slang for your car. Typically, the driver drops the car into neutral and dances around and on top of the vehicle while it inches forward.
Sometimes it is a solo act; sometimes a half-dozen or more passengers get out and dance, too. The stunt is usually performed late at night, on a deserted road or in a parking lot.
The Vallejo-bred rapper E-40 introduced mainstream listeners to ghost riding with the single "Tell Me When to Go," whose lyrics describe how to pull it off. Another single, "Ghostride It," by Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B., offers a step-by-step guide: "Pull up. Hop out, all in one motion. Dancing on the hood, while the car still rollin'."
The antics have gone nationwide thanks in large part to YouTube, where a search for ghost riding turns up hundreds of grainy videos of young people pulling the stunt. The videos were shot from Portland, Ore., to Chicago and many places in between, and judging from the backdrops, the phenomenon has crossed over from the inner city to the suburbs.
Joe Calderon, 17, of San Diego, posted a YouTube video of himself dancing alongside his moving, driverless 2005 Mazda. "We love that style of music," he said. But "my mom wasn't too thrilled about it."
Another video shows a man sitting on the roof of his fast-moving pickup truck and leaping clear seconds before it crashes into a telephone pole.
Where record labels see hyphy as hip hop's next big thing, police see a menace.
Stockton police said they have written more than 1,500 citations and impounded about 400 vehicles since late March for sideshow antics.
The spontaneous nature of the sideshows _ which are staged on interstates, in deserted parking lots, and on downtown streets _ keeps police guessing. Departments have spent millions in overtime policing the outlaw rallies.
Even F.A.B. concedes that sideshows have gotten out of control. He said he would like to stage sideshows in large arenas where organizers could charge admission.
"It would be like a ghetto NASCAR," he said.
A fad among devotees of a West Coast strain of hip-hop music called "hyphy," the stunt has been celebrated in song and performed in numerous homemade videos posted on YouTube.
"It did not take Einstein to look at this thing and say this was a recipe for disaster," said Pete Smith, a police spokesman in Stockton. "We could see the potential for great injury or death."
Earlier this month, Davender Gulley, a ghost-riding 18-year-old, died after his head slammed into a parked car while he was hanging out the window of an SUV in Stockton, police said. In October, a 36-year-old man dancing on top of a moving car fell off, hit his head and died in what authorities said was Canada's first ghost riding fatality.
The stunt has also led to numerous minor injuries.
Hyphy was born in the San Francisco Bay cities of Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo in the late 1990s, and devotees often hold late-night car rallies called "sideshows" where crowds perform risky stunts, including ghost riding.
"Ghost riding" refers to the absence of a driver. "The whip" is urban slang for your car. Typically, the driver drops the car into neutral and dances around and on top of the vehicle while it inches forward.
Sometimes it is a solo act; sometimes a half-dozen or more passengers get out and dance, too. The stunt is usually performed late at night, on a deserted road or in a parking lot.
The Vallejo-bred rapper E-40 introduced mainstream listeners to ghost riding with the single "Tell Me When to Go," whose lyrics describe how to pull it off. Another single, "Ghostride It," by Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B., offers a step-by-step guide: "Pull up. Hop out, all in one motion. Dancing on the hood, while the car still rollin'."
The antics have gone nationwide thanks in large part to YouTube, where a search for ghost riding turns up hundreds of grainy videos of young people pulling the stunt. The videos were shot from Portland, Ore., to Chicago and many places in between, and judging from the backdrops, the phenomenon has crossed over from the inner city to the suburbs.
Joe Calderon, 17, of San Diego, posted a YouTube video of himself dancing alongside his moving, driverless 2005 Mazda. "We love that style of music," he said. But "my mom wasn't too thrilled about it."
Another video shows a man sitting on the roof of his fast-moving pickup truck and leaping clear seconds before it crashes into a telephone pole.
Where record labels see hyphy as hip hop's next big thing, police see a menace.
Stockton police said they have written more than 1,500 citations and impounded about 400 vehicles since late March for sideshow antics.
The spontaneous nature of the sideshows _ which are staged on interstates, in deserted parking lots, and on downtown streets _ keeps police guessing. Departments have spent millions in overtime policing the outlaw rallies.
Even F.A.B. concedes that sideshows have gotten out of control. He said he would like to stage sideshows in large arenas where organizers could charge admission.
"It would be like a ghetto NASCAR," he said.
Idiot Teen Accidentally Shoots Himself In The Face
Teen accidentally shoots self in face
New Port Richey, Florida — A teenager has been hospitalized with facial injuries caused when a bullet he found fired while held in a vice, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday.
The victim, Alex Carman, 15, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with injuries to the right upper cheek.
Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380 bullet on the side of a road, brought it home and put it into a vice. He apparently struck the the primer end of the bullet with a metal screw, causing it to fire.
They say a 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice. On the ground was a hammer and a small pool of blood.
Investigators say it "appears Alex placed the bullet in the vice, hammered a screw into the primer causing the bullet to explode."
They say it appears to be an accidental injury. There were no charges.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
New Port Richey, Florida — A teenager has been hospitalized with facial injuries caused when a bullet he found fired while held in a vice, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday.
The victim, Alex Carman, 15, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with injuries to the right upper cheek.
Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380 bullet on the side of a road, brought it home and put it into a vice. He apparently struck the the primer end of the bullet with a metal screw, causing it to fire.
They say a 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice. On the ground was a hammer and a small pool of blood.
Investigators say it "appears Alex placed the bullet in the vice, hammered a screw into the primer causing the bullet to explode."
They say it appears to be an accidental injury. There were no charges.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Carjacker Gets Lost, Calls 911 On Himself
Police said a man who carjacked an SUV in Boca Raton drove all the way to Palm Springs before becoming lost and calling 911 on himself. According to police reports, Claude King, 31, approached Caroline Funkey's black GMC Envoy while it was stopped at a red light on the Glades Road exit off Interstate 95 in Boca Raton. Upon stepping up to the car, King smashed the driver's side window and pulled the driver out of the vehicle. Once inside, police said King began to punch the other four passengers.
One of Funkey's friends, Kellina Beach, 18, struck her head on the pavement as she fell from the SUV and had to receive stitches at Boca Raton Community Hospital.
According to the report, once King removed the passengers from the SUV, he began to drive wildly around the area, finally heading southbound down I-95.
Police said that, while heading southbound, King struck a white Chevrolet pickup and decided to turn around and head north. According to the report, he then struck another vehicle along the way and decided to pull over in Palm Springs.
A few minutes after the carjacking, police said they received a 911 call from a pay phone at Second and Congress Avenues in Palm Springs. It was King.
"Um, I committed a crime," he told the dispatcher. "I stole a vehicle."
When the dispatcher asked for his name, King told them, "I'd rather do this: Could you just send the police over here?"
The dispatcher then asked where the stolen car was located, to which King replied, "I couldn't even tell you. I don't even know where I'm at."
Palm Springs police Officer Lt. Mark Hall said they found King sitting on the curb near the stolen SUV.
According to the police report, Boca Raton police arrested King and took him to the hospital for a swollen right hand. King was then booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, where he was being held without bail Wednesday night.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Rapist Preys on Men
A rapist who has struck at least five times since April in and around Baytown has not only spread fear in this working-class community but also piqued the interest of those who study the criminal mind. The reason: He preys on other men.
That makes him something of a rarity in the world of crime.
"It's the least prevalent kind of serial rape, and largely underreported," said Jack Levin, a leading criminologist and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence at Northeastern University in Boston.
Levin and other experts say male-on-male rape sometimes stems from sexual encounters gone bad. But that does not appear to be the case with the rapist in this oil-refining town of 70,000 people about 30 miles east of Houston.
Instead, he methodically identifies and stalks young men and attacks them at gunpoint or knifepoint in or near their homes, according to police Capt. Roger Clifford. Sometimes he robs his victims, too, but rape appears to be the primary motivation, police said.
"This is certainly of interest, an interesting case," Levin said.
The U.S. Justice Department says one in 33 men in the United States has been a victim of a rape or attempted rape, compared with one in six women. Experts say men are far less likely to report a rape to authorities, because they fear being perceived as weak or see the attack as an assault on their masculinity.
In fact, investigators in Baytown fear there may be other victims of the rapist who are too ashamed to come forward.
"There's a lot of emotional damage that goes with being raped, especially when the victims are men," said Lynn Parrish, a spokeswoman for the National Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. But she added: "The best way to get this rapist off the street is for more people to come forward."
Three of the attacks have occurred in the city, the other two on the outskirts of town. The most recent attack was Nov. 30. Clifford would not give details of the rapes but said at least one victim managed to thwart the attack.
No one has been seriously hurt.
"But it's only going to take one victim who resists enough or in the wrong way until the gun is going to go off, the knife is going to be used, and we're going to have a victim with serious injuries or who's dead," Clifford said.
Criminologists have seen cases of serial killers who raped or otherwise had sex with their male victims - among them, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. But psychologically, this is a different phenomenon.
Levin said it is rare for a serial rapist to become a serial killer.
"I think the reason has to do with the absence or presence of a conscience," he said. "A serial rapist is more likely to have a conscience. Otherwise they'd take the life and silence the victim."
Victims have described the Baytown attacker as a clean-shaven black man, 18 to 21 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds, with a shaved head. Police have released a sketch and are working with the FBI's behavioral sciences unit to develop a psychological profile. DNA testing also is under way.
Fliers with the sketch have been circulated around schools and Baytown's Lee College, with an enrollment of about 6,000.
Jay Ali, an 18-year-old who works at the local mall, said he has been spreading the word among friends. "There's a loose psycho running around raping men," he said.
The local paper, The Baytown Sun, has run the sketch and details of the crimes at the top of its front page nearly every day since the most recent attack, and an electronic bulletin board on its Web site is filled with discussion about the rapes.
"I have selfish reasons for wanting this guy caught," Marie W. wrote in a posting Dec. 12. "I have a son who fits this guy's target group. ... I want him off the streets and locked up like yesterday."
That makes him something of a rarity in the world of crime.
"It's the least prevalent kind of serial rape, and largely underreported," said Jack Levin, a leading criminologist and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence at Northeastern University in Boston.
Levin and other experts say male-on-male rape sometimes stems from sexual encounters gone bad. But that does not appear to be the case with the rapist in this oil-refining town of 70,000 people about 30 miles east of Houston.
Instead, he methodically identifies and stalks young men and attacks them at gunpoint or knifepoint in or near their homes, according to police Capt. Roger Clifford. Sometimes he robs his victims, too, but rape appears to be the primary motivation, police said.
"This is certainly of interest, an interesting case," Levin said.
The U.S. Justice Department says one in 33 men in the United States has been a victim of a rape or attempted rape, compared with one in six women. Experts say men are far less likely to report a rape to authorities, because they fear being perceived as weak or see the attack as an assault on their masculinity.
In fact, investigators in Baytown fear there may be other victims of the rapist who are too ashamed to come forward.
"There's a lot of emotional damage that goes with being raped, especially when the victims are men," said Lynn Parrish, a spokeswoman for the National Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. But she added: "The best way to get this rapist off the street is for more people to come forward."
Three of the attacks have occurred in the city, the other two on the outskirts of town. The most recent attack was Nov. 30. Clifford would not give details of the rapes but said at least one victim managed to thwart the attack.
No one has been seriously hurt.
"But it's only going to take one victim who resists enough or in the wrong way until the gun is going to go off, the knife is going to be used, and we're going to have a victim with serious injuries or who's dead," Clifford said.
Criminologists have seen cases of serial killers who raped or otherwise had sex with their male victims - among them, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. But psychologically, this is a different phenomenon.
Levin said it is rare for a serial rapist to become a serial killer.
"I think the reason has to do with the absence or presence of a conscience," he said. "A serial rapist is more likely to have a conscience. Otherwise they'd take the life and silence the victim."
Victims have described the Baytown attacker as a clean-shaven black man, 18 to 21 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds, with a shaved head. Police have released a sketch and are working with the FBI's behavioral sciences unit to develop a psychological profile. DNA testing also is under way.
Fliers with the sketch have been circulated around schools and Baytown's Lee College, with an enrollment of about 6,000.
Jay Ali, an 18-year-old who works at the local mall, said he has been spreading the word among friends. "There's a loose psycho running around raping men," he said.
The local paper, The Baytown Sun, has run the sketch and details of the crimes at the top of its front page nearly every day since the most recent attack, and an electronic bulletin board on its Web site is filled with discussion about the rapes.
"I have selfish reasons for wanting this guy caught," Marie W. wrote in a posting Dec. 12. "I have a son who fits this guy's target group. ... I want him off the streets and locked up like yesterday."
Snoop "I would like everyone to be able to put down their guns. Guns are not good"
Snoop Dogg wants guns to be abolished once and for all - even though he was recently caught with the unlawful possession of one. Go figure.
The "Fo Shizzle" hip-hop star has called for a world gun amnesty because "guns are not good." Now that's quite the understatement of the year.
The rapper - who was arrested in October for possession of drugs and a firearm - wishes the planet could be free of guns so no more lives could be unnecessarily cut short.
He said, "I would like everyone to be able to put down their guns. Guns are not good. When I was growing up I knew my life could be taken in a second by a gun."
In October, Snoop was stopped by police for a traffic violation at the Bob Hope Airport, in Burbank. An unlicensed gun and marijuana were found during a search of his vehicle.
The rapper was charged with possession of a firearm and transportation of a controlled substance and released on $35,000 bail.
In November, Snoop handed himself into police after a warrant was issued for his arrest over a separate charge of possession of a deadly weapon. He was charged and had bail set at $150,000.
The rapper had been stopped at the John Wayne Airport, in Santa Ana, on September 27 after a 20-inch extendable baton was found in his bag.
Snoop claimed he did not know it was illegal and was going to use it in his video. The baton was confiscated and the rapper was allowed to board his San Francisco flight.
The "Fo Shizzle" hip-hop star has called for a world gun amnesty because "guns are not good." Now that's quite the understatement of the year.
The rapper - who was arrested in October for possession of drugs and a firearm - wishes the planet could be free of guns so no more lives could be unnecessarily cut short.
He said, "I would like everyone to be able to put down their guns. Guns are not good. When I was growing up I knew my life could be taken in a second by a gun."
In October, Snoop was stopped by police for a traffic violation at the Bob Hope Airport, in Burbank. An unlicensed gun and marijuana were found during a search of his vehicle.
The rapper was charged with possession of a firearm and transportation of a controlled substance and released on $35,000 bail.
In November, Snoop handed himself into police after a warrant was issued for his arrest over a separate charge of possession of a deadly weapon. He was charged and had bail set at $150,000.
The rapper had been stopped at the John Wayne Airport, in Santa Ana, on September 27 after a 20-inch extendable baton was found in his bag.
Snoop claimed he did not know it was illegal and was going to use it in his video. The baton was confiscated and the rapper was allowed to board his San Francisco flight.
Spike Lee to direct James Brown movie: report
Director Spike Lee has signed on to shoot a movie about James Brown, the late "Godfather of Soul," Daily Variety reported on Wednesday.
The authorized project is being developed for Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of "A Beautiful Mind," the trade publication said, adding that production would likely begin in 2008.
Brown, the self-proclaimed "hardest working man in show business," died of congestive heart failure on Monday, aged 73. The energetic singer of such soul anthems as "Sex Machine" and "I Feel Good," invented funk music, inspired the dance moves of Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, and helped pave the way for hip-hop.
In recent years, posthumous movies about soul singer Ray Charles and country outlaw Johnny Cash have scored at the box office and won Academy Awards.
Daily Variety said Brown played an active role in the project's development, and granted access to his music rights.
"Like everybody, I was surprised and saddened that James Brown died," Daily Variety quoted Grazer as saying. "Having known him well, and after spending lots of time with him and researching his life, it's somehow not surprising that he died on Christmas Day. He was the ultimate showman, all the way to the end."
Lee, the director of "Malcolm X," was most recently in theaters with the thriller "Inside Man," which Grazer produced.
The authorized project is being developed for Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of "A Beautiful Mind," the trade publication said, adding that production would likely begin in 2008.
Brown, the self-proclaimed "hardest working man in show business," died of congestive heart failure on Monday, aged 73. The energetic singer of such soul anthems as "Sex Machine" and "I Feel Good," invented funk music, inspired the dance moves of Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, and helped pave the way for hip-hop.
In recent years, posthumous movies about soul singer Ray Charles and country outlaw Johnny Cash have scored at the box office and won Academy Awards.
Daily Variety said Brown played an active role in the project's development, and granted access to his music rights.
"Like everybody, I was surprised and saddened that James Brown died," Daily Variety quoted Grazer as saying. "Having known him well, and after spending lots of time with him and researching his life, it's somehow not surprising that he died on Christmas Day. He was the ultimate showman, all the way to the end."
Lee, the director of "Malcolm X," was most recently in theaters with the thriller "Inside Man," which Grazer produced.
FARTS CAUSE FIGHT IN JAIL
Brian Bruggeman caused a stink at the Lincoln County Jail earlier this month and will now have to answer for it in court. Another inmate, Jesse Dorris, alleges that Bruggeman's flatulence, passed in close proximity to Dorris, sparked a Dec. 14 fight between the two at the jail.
Now Bruggeman, 38, faces a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing on the state's complaint of assault by a confined person. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bruggeman is accused of injuring Dorris, his cellmate, when he pushed him into cell bars. Dorris, 26, was not charged.
The two began scuffling, County Attorney Jeff Meyer said Tuesday, because Dorris was fed up with Bruggeman's flatulence.
Jail fights are common, Meyer said, but the cause of this one was rather uncommon.
"It's usually about someone hogging the newspaper or someone not happy about what's on TV," he said.
Bruggeman, of Hershey, is serving a 90-day sentence for violating a protection order.
"He compounded his problems," Meyer said.
Dorris, of North Platte, is awaiting a January trial on a charge of aiding and abetting robbery.
Brad Dawson, Bruggeman's attorney, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.
Sheriff Jerome Kramer said the incident was a result of overcrowding. The jail was built in 1933 and has a capacity of 23 inmates, according to 2006 standards, Kramer said. As many as 65 inmates have been lodged at the jail in recent days, he said.
"You just can't get a reprieve from one another," Kramer said. "When you've got a guy causing problems passing gas, there's no way to get away from the smell."
Now Bruggeman, 38, faces a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing on the state's complaint of assault by a confined person. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bruggeman is accused of injuring Dorris, his cellmate, when he pushed him into cell bars. Dorris, 26, was not charged.
The two began scuffling, County Attorney Jeff Meyer said Tuesday, because Dorris was fed up with Bruggeman's flatulence.
Jail fights are common, Meyer said, but the cause of this one was rather uncommon.
"It's usually about someone hogging the newspaper or someone not happy about what's on TV," he said.
Bruggeman, of Hershey, is serving a 90-day sentence for violating a protection order.
"He compounded his problems," Meyer said.
Dorris, of North Platte, is awaiting a January trial on a charge of aiding and abetting robbery.
Brad Dawson, Bruggeman's attorney, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.
Sheriff Jerome Kramer said the incident was a result of overcrowding. The jail was built in 1933 and has a capacity of 23 inmates, according to 2006 standards, Kramer said. As many as 65 inmates have been lodged at the jail in recent days, he said.
"You just can't get a reprieve from one another," Kramer said. "When you've got a guy causing problems passing gas, there's no way to get away from the smell."
FARTS CAUSE FIGHT IN JAIL
Brian Bruggeman caused a stink at the Lincoln County Jail earlier this month and will now have to answer for it in court. Another inmate, Jesse Dorris, alleges that Bruggeman's flatulence, passed in close proximity to Dorris, sparked a Dec. 14 fight between the two at the jail.
Now Bruggeman, 38, faces a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing on the state's complaint of assault by a confined person. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bruggeman is accused of injuring Dorris, his cellmate, when he pushed him into cell bars. Dorris, 26, was not charged.
The two began scuffling, County Attorney Jeff Meyer said Tuesday, because Dorris was fed up with Bruggeman's flatulence.
Jail fights are common, Meyer said, but the cause of this one was rather uncommon.
"It's usually about someone hogging the newspaper or someone not happy about what's on TV," he said.
Bruggeman, of Hershey, is serving a 90-day sentence for violating a protection order.
"He compounded his problems," Meyer said.
Dorris, of North Platte, is awaiting a January trial on a charge of aiding and abetting robbery.
Brad Dawson, Bruggeman's attorney, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.
Sheriff Jerome Kramer said the incident was a result of overcrowding. The jail was built in 1933 and has a capacity of 23 inmates, according to 2006 standards, Kramer said. As many as 65 inmates have been lodged at the jail in recent days, he said.
"You just can't get a reprieve from one another," Kramer said. "When you've got a guy causing problems passing gas, there's no way to get away from the smell."
SO IF YOU FART NOW DAYS THEN YOU GET A BEAT DOWN?
Now Bruggeman, 38, faces a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing on the state's complaint of assault by a confined person. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Bruggeman is accused of injuring Dorris, his cellmate, when he pushed him into cell bars. Dorris, 26, was not charged.
The two began scuffling, County Attorney Jeff Meyer said Tuesday, because Dorris was fed up with Bruggeman's flatulence.
Jail fights are common, Meyer said, but the cause of this one was rather uncommon.
"It's usually about someone hogging the newspaper or someone not happy about what's on TV," he said.
Bruggeman, of Hershey, is serving a 90-day sentence for violating a protection order.
"He compounded his problems," Meyer said.
Dorris, of North Platte, is awaiting a January trial on a charge of aiding and abetting robbery.
Brad Dawson, Bruggeman's attorney, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.
Sheriff Jerome Kramer said the incident was a result of overcrowding. The jail was built in 1933 and has a capacity of 23 inmates, according to 2006 standards, Kramer said. As many as 65 inmates have been lodged at the jail in recent days, he said.
"You just can't get a reprieve from one another," Kramer said. "When you've got a guy causing problems passing gas, there's no way to get away from the smell."
SO IF YOU FART NOW DAYS THEN YOU GET A BEAT DOWN?
Australian Top Fuel Record Smashed Twice In One Night!, 4.51 at 332mph....
If you needed an excuse to take up the special offer Willowbank and Boostcruising has for the Top Fuel meeting on the weekend after next, watch this!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk1gdVmrLcw
In round 2 of qualifying last night, Phil Read ran the quickest past in Aussie history and the first ".5" in Australia with a 4.571 @ 329 miles per hour.
Then the visiting Yank Kalitta, behind the wheel of the local Rapisarda car, went an unbelievable 4.51 @ 332 mph!!
Before this everyone was talking about the possibility of a .5 being finally run in Australia over the next few weeks. After last night people are talking of a possible ".4" being run as soon as today!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk1gdVmrLcw
In round 2 of qualifying last night, Phil Read ran the quickest past in Aussie history and the first ".5" in Australia with a 4.571 @ 329 miles per hour.
Then the visiting Yank Kalitta, behind the wheel of the local Rapisarda car, went an unbelievable 4.51 @ 332 mph!!
Before this everyone was talking about the possibility of a .5 being finally run in Australia over the next few weeks. After last night people are talking of a possible ".4" being run as soon as today!!
chamillionaire's gift to every one a free mixtape
Thanks for taking the time to log onto chamillionaire.com. I know ya'll had to wait forever for the Mixtape Messiah 2 and im not gonna try to explain the politics behind why I couldn't release it sooner but just know that I went through a lot to make this happen.
Lawyers, lawsuits...etc etc..... but no worries it is now available for download on the site.I have a lot of pictures that im gonna upload on to ths site so you will be able to view a lot of them in the picture gallery. I try to update the myspace.com/chamillionaire page often and I'll do the same with this site. The good thing about Chamillionaire.com is I can put up as many pictures and as much audio as I like, and even when im on the road I can send video clips to the site. The Mixtape Messiah 2 DVD is coming soon, and im also doing oher mixtapes with Dj Whoo Kid, Dj Drama and a couple more dj's... ill give you more info a little later after i get some rest...we will be adding much more to the site so make sure u get your free email address and keep coming back......Its Christmas Eve so go spend some time with your family...... -Koopa
1. Guess Who's Back Intro
2. Hip Hop Warning
3. Hip Hop Dead Skit
4. She Gonna Already Know
5. Let Em Know
6. Tryin To Change Me
7. Picture Me Rollin
8. Chamillionaire Speaks
9. Gme Gonna Cost A Free
10. Game Gonna Cost A Free Break
11. Riding Overseas Feat. Akon
12. Show me What Ya Got Feat. Famous
13. Answer Machine 2
14. Chamillitary Radio Skit
15. International Money
16. I Run It
17. Get Ya Umbrellas Out
18. Get Ya Umbrella Break
19. Man Hold Up
20. Roll Call Reloaded
21. Outro
click here to download the mixtape
Lawyers, lawsuits...etc etc..... but no worries it is now available for download on the site.I have a lot of pictures that im gonna upload on to ths site so you will be able to view a lot of them in the picture gallery. I try to update the myspace.com/chamillionaire page often and I'll do the same with this site. The good thing about Chamillionaire.com is I can put up as many pictures and as much audio as I like, and even when im on the road I can send video clips to the site. The Mixtape Messiah 2 DVD is coming soon, and im also doing oher mixtapes with Dj Whoo Kid, Dj Drama and a couple more dj's... ill give you more info a little later after i get some rest...we will be adding much more to the site so make sure u get your free email address and keep coming back......Its Christmas Eve so go spend some time with your family...... -Koopa
1. Guess Who's Back Intro
2. Hip Hop Warning
3. Hip Hop Dead Skit
4. She Gonna Already Know
5. Let Em Know
6. Tryin To Change Me
7. Picture Me Rollin
8. Chamillionaire Speaks
9. Gme Gonna Cost A Free
10. Game Gonna Cost A Free Break
11. Riding Overseas Feat. Akon
12. Show me What Ya Got Feat. Famous
13. Answer Machine 2
14. Chamillitary Radio Skit
15. International Money
16. I Run It
17. Get Ya Umbrellas Out
18. Get Ya Umbrella Break
19. Man Hold Up
20. Roll Call Reloaded
21. Outro
click here to download the mixtape
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
R.I.P Gerald Ford
Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America's history, has died, his wife, Betty, said Tuesday. He was 93.
Ford had battled pneumonia in January 2006 and underwent two heart treatments - including an angioplasty - in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
He was the longest living president, followed by Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93. Ford had been living at his desert home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
Ford was an accidental president, Nixon's hand-picked successor, a man of much political experience who had never run on a national ticket. He was as open and straight-forward as Nixon was tightly-controlled and conspiratorial.
Ford had battled pneumonia in January 2006 and underwent two heart treatments - including an angioplasty - in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
He was the longest living president, followed by Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93. Ford had been living at his desert home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
Ford was an accidental president, Nixon's hand-picked successor, a man of much political experience who had never run on a national ticket. He was as open and straight-forward as Nixon was tightly-controlled and conspiratorial.
Rich Jerk owner of www.RICHJERK.com Tries to sue small competitor!
Ok we all know that rich jerk is the self proclaimed marketing expert he can help any one form grandmas to soccer mums apparently make 1000's off website. Well one user decided to take on rich jerk and call his site a scam which is possibly is, the owner of www.richjerkscams.com has set up his site and spent next to nothing on SEO yet he ranks right next to Rich Jerks site for the keyword "Rich Jerk". Kelly Felix the owner of richjerk.com does not like how this case is unfolding so he decided to sue the owner of www.richjerkscams.com for trademark infringement.
Here is a copy of the email sent to the owner of www.richjerkscams.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Felix [mailto:kelly@therichjerk.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 12:15 PM
To: rparker@asiadeep.com; admin@richjerkscams.com; hostmaster@ipowerweb.com
Cc: T.C. Johnston
Subject: domain trademark violation - richjerkscams.com
To the owner of richjerkscams.com,
I am writing concerning your registration of
www.richjerkscams.com which contains the
famous "Rich Jerk" trademark.
United States Trademark Reg. No. 3,171,019
As you undoubtedly know, "Rich Jerk" is a leading provider of personal financial growth information,
goods and services. CreditPro, Inc. (CPI) adopted the name and trademark "Rich Jerk" in June 2005 and, since that time, CPI has actively used the "Rich Jerk" name and trademark in connection with its online eBook, newsletter and related services, including maintaining the web sites
www.therichjerk.com and www.richjerk.com. The coined term "Rich Jerk" is one of the most famous
money related trademarks on the Internet and CPI
owns the exclusive trademark rights to the "Rich Jerk" name in the United States and
internationally, including related common law rights.
CPI has made a substantial investment in developing and providing its products and services. As a result of CPI's pioneering efforts and its devoting substantial effort and resources to providing only high quality information, products and services, the "Rich Jerk" name and trademarks are
widely known among the consuming public worldwide, and the name and trademarks embody substantial and valuable goodwill.
Accordingly, we were concerned when we learned of your registration and use of the richjerkscams.com URL. As we hope you can understand, protection of it's trademarks is very important to CPI. We are concerned that any use of the domain name in question, will cause confusion as to whether you or your company's activities are authorized, endorsed or sponsored by CPI when, in fact, they are not.
We understand that you may have registered
richjerkscams.com without full knowledge of the law in this area. The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (http://www.submerged-ideas.com/litigation/anticybersquat.htm)
provides for serious penalties (up to $100,000 per
domain name) against persons who, without
authorization, use, sell, or offer for sale a domain
name that infringes another's trademark.
While CPI respects your right of expression and your desire to conduct business on the Internet, CPI must enforce its own rights in order to protect its valuable and famous trademark. For these reasons, and to avoid consumer confusion, CPI must insist that you not use the domain name for any purpose (immediately removing all content from the site) and that you do not sell, offer to sell or transfer the domain name to a third party (instead simply let the domain registration expire).
Please confirm in writing that you will agree to
resolve this matter as requested. If we do not receive confirmation from you that you will comply with our request, we will have no choice but to pursue all available remedies against you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Felix
CEO - Creditpro, Inc.
www.RichJerk.com
cc: T.C. Johnston, Esq.
cc: IPowerweb Hostmaster
* * * This electronic mail transmission originates from CreditPro, Inc., a Professional Corporation and contains confidential information intended only for the person(s) named. If you are not the intended recipient, you should immediately delete it from your system. Any use, distribution, copying or disclosure of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. ***
***End Transmission***
and here is another email from them –
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Felix [mailto:kelly@therichjerk.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 6:37 PM
To: Ryan Parker
Subject: Re: domain trademark violation - richjerkscams.com
Ryan,
Fortunately international hosting companies and domain registrars do recognize U.S. trademarks, therefore we can get a permanent injunction against you to prevent the site from being hosted anywhere until the trial.
We are not interested in retaining any affiliates using a domain name that negatively promotes our website.
We are willing to spend substantial amounts of money to protect our brand. Since our lawyers are in-house, we pay them the same whether or not they go to trial, so money and time is not an issue.
Regards,
Kelly Felix
CEO - CreditPro, Inc.
Here is a copy of the email sent to the owner of www.richjerkscams.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Felix [mailto:kelly@therichjerk.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 12:15 PM
To: rparker@asiadeep.com; admin@richjerkscams.com; hostmaster@ipowerweb.com
Cc: T.C. Johnston
Subject: domain trademark violation - richjerkscams.com
To the owner of richjerkscams.com,
I am writing concerning your registration of
www.richjerkscams.com which contains the
famous "Rich Jerk" trademark.
United States Trademark Reg. No. 3,171,019
As you undoubtedly know, "Rich Jerk" is a leading provider of personal financial growth information,
goods and services. CreditPro, Inc. (CPI) adopted the name and trademark "Rich Jerk" in June 2005 and, since that time, CPI has actively used the "Rich Jerk" name and trademark in connection with its online eBook, newsletter and related services, including maintaining the web sites
www.therichjerk.com and www.richjerk.com. The coined term "Rich Jerk" is one of the most famous
money related trademarks on the Internet and CPI
owns the exclusive trademark rights to the "Rich Jerk" name in the United States and
internationally, including related common law rights.
CPI has made a substantial investment in developing and providing its products and services. As a result of CPI's pioneering efforts and its devoting substantial effort and resources to providing only high quality information, products and services, the "Rich Jerk" name and trademarks are
widely known among the consuming public worldwide, and the name and trademarks embody substantial and valuable goodwill.
Accordingly, we were concerned when we learned of your registration and use of the richjerkscams.com URL. As we hope you can understand, protection of it's trademarks is very important to CPI. We are concerned that any use of the domain name in question, will cause confusion as to whether you or your company's activities are authorized, endorsed or sponsored by CPI when, in fact, they are not.
We understand that you may have registered
richjerkscams.com without full knowledge of the law in this area. The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (http://www.submerged-ideas.com/litigation/anticybersquat.htm)
provides for serious penalties (up to $100,000 per
domain name) against persons who, without
authorization, use, sell, or offer for sale a domain
name that infringes another's trademark.
While CPI respects your right of expression and your desire to conduct business on the Internet, CPI must enforce its own rights in order to protect its valuable and famous trademark. For these reasons, and to avoid consumer confusion, CPI must insist that you not use the domain name for any purpose (immediately removing all content from the site) and that you do not sell, offer to sell or transfer the domain name to a third party (instead simply let the domain registration expire).
Please confirm in writing that you will agree to
resolve this matter as requested. If we do not receive confirmation from you that you will comply with our request, we will have no choice but to pursue all available remedies against you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Felix
CEO - Creditpro, Inc.
www.RichJerk.com
cc: T.C. Johnston, Esq.
cc: IPowerweb Hostmaster
* * * This electronic mail transmission originates from CreditPro, Inc., a Professional Corporation and contains confidential information intended only for the person(s) named. If you are not the intended recipient, you should immediately delete it from your system. Any use, distribution, copying or disclosure of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. ***
***End Transmission***
and here is another email from them –
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Felix [mailto:kelly@therichjerk.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 6:37 PM
To: Ryan Parker
Subject: Re: domain trademark violation - richjerkscams.com
Ryan,
Fortunately international hosting companies and domain registrars do recognize U.S. trademarks, therefore we can get a permanent injunction against you to prevent the site from being hosted anywhere until the trial.
We are not interested in retaining any affiliates using a domain name that negatively promotes our website.
We are willing to spend substantial amounts of money to protect our brand. Since our lawyers are in-house, we pay them the same whether or not they go to trial, so money and time is not an issue.
Regards,
Kelly Felix
CEO - CreditPro, Inc.
What Will be the next YOUTUBE or MYSPACE my ideas on this!
I have noticed on a lot of webmaster forums people are asking how they can create the next youtube or the next myspace and possibly cash in on millions or billions of dollars in revenue or buy outs form large companies,
If you want to create the next youtube or the next myspace you have to create something that will be popular with a wide demographic to boost you viral factor of the site greatly.
One member on the webmaster forum suggested that a site based solely on gaming will be the next myspace or youtube well I think the chances of this happening are very minimal as the demographic that relates to this area is quite minimal..
If a sites going to be popular it has to be popular with EVERYONE!
Think about it on youtube you have the cool teenage girl posting videos, you have the nerdy science kid posting videos and you have grandpa posting videos.
then think on myspace you have the cool teenage girl with a account, you have the nerdy science kid with a account and you have grandpa with a account.
Now think if the site on GAMING will be the next youtube/myspace but think will the cool teenage girl or the grandpa visit this site? no they will not because it does not interest them.
A site that's popular with EVERYONE will be the next youtube/myspace in my opinion.
Demographic meaning: A certain market of people eg males 21 in New York City
If you want to create the next youtube or the next myspace you have to create something that will be popular with a wide demographic to boost you viral factor of the site greatly.
One member on the webmaster forum suggested that a site based solely on gaming will be the next myspace or youtube well I think the chances of this happening are very minimal as the demographic that relates to this area is quite minimal..
If a sites going to be popular it has to be popular with EVERYONE!
Think about it on youtube you have the cool teenage girl posting videos, you have the nerdy science kid posting videos and you have grandpa posting videos.
then think on myspace you have the cool teenage girl with a account, you have the nerdy science kid with a account and you have grandpa with a account.
Now think if the site on GAMING will be the next youtube/myspace but think will the cool teenage girl or the grandpa visit this site? no they will not because it does not interest them.
A site that's popular with EVERYONE will be the next youtube/myspace in my opinion.
Demographic meaning: A certain market of people eg males 21 in New York City
Monday, December 25, 2006
Shane Warne takes 700th Test wicket
Australia's Shane Warne has claimed his 700th Test wicket, becoming the first player to achieve the milestone.
Warne reached the landmark when he bowled England opener Andrew Strauss for 50 just before tea, which left England at 4-101.
The legspinner ran about 20 metres with one hand in the air as he celebrated the dismissal, before he was mobbed by elated teammates.
A huge crowd at the MCG, which had spent most of the second session cheering for Warne to be brought into the attack, rose as one when he grabbed the wicket.
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Warne acknowledged the crowd by raising the ball in his hand.
The 700th career wicket gave Warne the perfect start to his farewell match at his home ground, the penultimate Test of his career.
The 37-year-old will retire from cricket after the fifth Test in Sydney, which starts next week.
Warne has now taken 187 wickets against England and 15 this series.
Paris Hilton to party in Sydney on NYE
Celebrity bad-girl Paris Hilton will be partying in Sydney this New Year's Eve, a publicist says.
Launch Management Group publicist Antonia O'Neill said advertising man John Singleton has secured Hilton's services to choose the face of his new beer, Bondi Blonde.
Organisers are confident the notorious party girl will show at Bondi on New Year's Day to select a bikini babe to be the face of the beer after spending the night enjoying new year's fun in Sydney.
"We'll be taking good care of her on New Year's Eve," Ms O'Neill told AAP.
"We are sure Sydney's hottest parties will want to let us know what they have planned to see if the world's biggest party girl will want to attend."
The hotel heiress who appeared in reality television show The Simple Life arrives in Sydney on Thursday, the same day that 40 Bondi Blonde finalists will be chosen at Sydney's Hilton Hotel by Mr Singleton and pro-surfer Koby Abberton.
"We only found out she was coming out on Friday of last week ... she arrives from the United States on Thursday morning," Ms O'Neill said.
The actress, now famous for a variety of roles on the big and small screens, last week was named the most popular Google news search for 2006.
She is expected to appear at the Bondi Icebergs Club for the bikini babe judging at 1pm (AEDT) on New Year's Day, and will be based in Sydney until she leaves Australia on January 2.
Mr Singleton secured her services for an undisclosed fee.
Woman treated for maggot-infested wounds
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A resident of a long-term care facility had maggot-infested wounds so advanced that skin peeled off her legs when a hospital emergency room nurse removed her clothing, state inspectors found.
Riverwalk Communities, which has a history of violating nursing home standards, could face state action for the woman's care, said Jennifer Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Health.
According to the state's investigation, the woman, whose age was not released, had refused treatment for her wounds and to be bathed for five days at the licensed 113-bed health-care facility before she was taken Nov. 3 to Deaconess Hospital.
The hospital's emergency staff found festering sores on both of the woman's legs and maggots emerging from wounds infected with treatment-resistant bacteria, according to the state's report.
An emergency department nurse told the state surveyor the woman's right slipper and pants legs were stuck to her skin, the report said.
"He indicated he soaked her right foot in warm water for 45 minutes and bugs/cockroaches were crawling out of the house slipper. Upon removing the house slipper, he indicated the skin came off of the right foot and toes," the report said.
When the nurse removed the woman's pants, the material pulled the skin off the woman's legs, from the knees to the ankles, according to the report.
Christine Goad, Riverwalk Communities' administrator, defended the center's performance in caring for the woman, whom she said Wednesday had returned to Riverwalk after her hospitalization.
Goad said that in late October, an aide noticed sores on the woman's legs when she was bathing her and immediately contacted a physician, who prescribed an antibiotic, an ointment for the sores and specified regular dressing changes for them.
The woman agreed to the medication and treatment for four days, but then began refusing all medications and the treatment and refused to be showered, Goad said.
She said the woman was hospitalized Nov. 3 after she became combative.
Goad said the state report reference to cockroaches being found in the woman's slipper is not true. She said the center does not have a roach problem.
"I contacted a wound specialist and an ordinary house fly could have laid an egg on those dressings and it would develop into a maggot in 24 hours. He said he's seen it many times," Goad said.
The state's survey report found, among other things, that Riverwalk officials had failed to notify the woman's physician when she refused his prescribed treatment.
While residents can refuse treatment, "that does not absolve the facility from protecting the resident," said Michelle Motta, Vanderburgh County's long-term care ombudsman.
Goad said that under a compliance plan approved by the state Dec. 5, Riverwalk staff must now contact a doctor immediately if any resident refuses medication or treatment specified by their physician.
Dunlap said she could not release any details about the woman due to federal privacy laws governing medical records.
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco said he did not plan criminal charges in the case.
Last year, the center was at risk of losing both its Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. After Riverwalk officials agreed to stop operating as a comprehensive-care nursing home, the center received a state license to operate residential or intermediate care.
It later converted from a nursing home to a long-term care facility.
Riverwalk Communities, which has a history of violating nursing home standards, could face state action for the woman's care, said Jennifer Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Health.
According to the state's investigation, the woman, whose age was not released, had refused treatment for her wounds and to be bathed for five days at the licensed 113-bed health-care facility before she was taken Nov. 3 to Deaconess Hospital.
The hospital's emergency staff found festering sores on both of the woman's legs and maggots emerging from wounds infected with treatment-resistant bacteria, according to the state's report.
An emergency department nurse told the state surveyor the woman's right slipper and pants legs were stuck to her skin, the report said.
"He indicated he soaked her right foot in warm water for 45 minutes and bugs/cockroaches were crawling out of the house slipper. Upon removing the house slipper, he indicated the skin came off of the right foot and toes," the report said.
When the nurse removed the woman's pants, the material pulled the skin off the woman's legs, from the knees to the ankles, according to the report.
Christine Goad, Riverwalk Communities' administrator, defended the center's performance in caring for the woman, whom she said Wednesday had returned to Riverwalk after her hospitalization.
Goad said that in late October, an aide noticed sores on the woman's legs when she was bathing her and immediately contacted a physician, who prescribed an antibiotic, an ointment for the sores and specified regular dressing changes for them.
The woman agreed to the medication and treatment for four days, but then began refusing all medications and the treatment and refused to be showered, Goad said.
She said the woman was hospitalized Nov. 3 after she became combative.
Goad said the state report reference to cockroaches being found in the woman's slipper is not true. She said the center does not have a roach problem.
"I contacted a wound specialist and an ordinary house fly could have laid an egg on those dressings and it would develop into a maggot in 24 hours. He said he's seen it many times," Goad said.
The state's survey report found, among other things, that Riverwalk officials had failed to notify the woman's physician when she refused his prescribed treatment.
While residents can refuse treatment, "that does not absolve the facility from protecting the resident," said Michelle Motta, Vanderburgh County's long-term care ombudsman.
Goad said that under a compliance plan approved by the state Dec. 5, Riverwalk staff must now contact a doctor immediately if any resident refuses medication or treatment specified by their physician.
Dunlap said she could not release any details about the woman due to federal privacy laws governing medical records.
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco said he did not plan criminal charges in the case.
Last year, the center was at risk of losing both its Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. After Riverwalk officials agreed to stop operating as a comprehensive-care nursing home, the center received a state license to operate residential or intermediate care.
It later converted from a nursing home to a long-term care facility.
Video games may be beneficial to the brain, suggests McMaster researcher
TORONTO (CP) - Video games have been maligned by many as "a mindless activity," but playing them may be good for the brain, says a researcher who is conducting studies on the possible benefits.
The research, being done at McMaster University in Hamilton, involves hooking test subjects up for a brain scan while they are given tests of their working memory - otherwise known as short-term memory.
"We've looked at a series of tasks in which video gamers and non video gamers do these memory tasks," Jim Karle, a psychology graduate student who's running the experiments, said in an interview Thursday.
"And we've been trying to determine if there's any major differences between the two groups."
The work is in its early stages, and so far he's studied 30 men who play video games and 30 others who don't, all aged between 19 and 36. He didn't enrol women in the study, suggesting it would have been more difficult to find enough who play the sort of first-person shooters and action games that he was focusing on, including "Medal of Honor" and "Half Life 2."
The two groups that were tested didn't differ in their ability to maintain something in memory, such as a 10-digit telephone number.
The differences arose when the information was manipulated and the last four digits were changed to something else, Karle said. "That manipulation is difficult because you have to drop out old numbers and bring in new numbers," he said.
"And we find that video gamers are much more accurate at that task than non video gamers."
Video game players made about eight per cent fewer errors when performing a memory manipulation task, he said, and were about 45 milliseconds faster than non-video game players.
The findings have not been published or peer-reviewed, and Karle cautioned against coming up with a take-home message at this point.
"This is a very new project, and the findings are certainly tenuous, so I wouldn't run out and tell everyone to start playing video games consistently," said Karle, 29, who concedes that he's an avid gamer himself.
He also noted that the possible downsides of playing video games aren't known yet; some studies have looked at whether they're linked to aggression or violence.
Karle said his experiments were inspired by work he's heard about at the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, where PhD student Shawn Green has conducted numerous studies of gamers.
Green wasn't aware of Karle's findings but said they sound "reasonable," although he was hesitant to comment on a study that hadn't been peer-reviewed, and noted that subject selection is an important component of video gamer studies.
"Something we have to do with all our papers is make sure the effect is actually due to the game training and not due to subject selection," he said from Rochester, N.Y.
"It's always perfectly possible that people who are good at a certain task will tend to migrate towards playing video games that require these tasks, and reward being good at the tasks. And the people who are naturally bad at them will tend to stay away."
Karle said he hasn't had a chance to fully analyze the brain activity of the two groups yet.
"Overall, there's definitely differences in the brain activity between the two groups," he said. "It seems in some instances that video gamers don't have to activate as many resources as non video gamers - which would make sense, if they're finding the task easier, they probably don't have to work quite as hard."
He suggested that somewhere down the road, video games might be tailored to help the elderly keep their minds sharp.
Cheryl Grady, senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto, said there are a variety of techniques to improve the memories of elderly persons.
"The big problem with this in the past has been getting it to generalize, from one thing to another," said Grady, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto.
"So you can train them on one thing and make them better on that thing that you've trained them on. The question is can you train them more generally so that what you've done with them helps them in their daily lives."
Source: Y! News
The research, being done at McMaster University in Hamilton, involves hooking test subjects up for a brain scan while they are given tests of their working memory - otherwise known as short-term memory.
"We've looked at a series of tasks in which video gamers and non video gamers do these memory tasks," Jim Karle, a psychology graduate student who's running the experiments, said in an interview Thursday.
"And we've been trying to determine if there's any major differences between the two groups."
The work is in its early stages, and so far he's studied 30 men who play video games and 30 others who don't, all aged between 19 and 36. He didn't enrol women in the study, suggesting it would have been more difficult to find enough who play the sort of first-person shooters and action games that he was focusing on, including "Medal of Honor" and "Half Life 2."
The two groups that were tested didn't differ in their ability to maintain something in memory, such as a 10-digit telephone number.
The differences arose when the information was manipulated and the last four digits were changed to something else, Karle said. "That manipulation is difficult because you have to drop out old numbers and bring in new numbers," he said.
"And we find that video gamers are much more accurate at that task than non video gamers."
Video game players made about eight per cent fewer errors when performing a memory manipulation task, he said, and were about 45 milliseconds faster than non-video game players.
The findings have not been published or peer-reviewed, and Karle cautioned against coming up with a take-home message at this point.
"This is a very new project, and the findings are certainly tenuous, so I wouldn't run out and tell everyone to start playing video games consistently," said Karle, 29, who concedes that he's an avid gamer himself.
He also noted that the possible downsides of playing video games aren't known yet; some studies have looked at whether they're linked to aggression or violence.
Karle said his experiments were inspired by work he's heard about at the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, where PhD student Shawn Green has conducted numerous studies of gamers.
Green wasn't aware of Karle's findings but said they sound "reasonable," although he was hesitant to comment on a study that hadn't been peer-reviewed, and noted that subject selection is an important component of video gamer studies.
"Something we have to do with all our papers is make sure the effect is actually due to the game training and not due to subject selection," he said from Rochester, N.Y.
"It's always perfectly possible that people who are good at a certain task will tend to migrate towards playing video games that require these tasks, and reward being good at the tasks. And the people who are naturally bad at them will tend to stay away."
Karle said he hasn't had a chance to fully analyze the brain activity of the two groups yet.
"Overall, there's definitely differences in the brain activity between the two groups," he said. "It seems in some instances that video gamers don't have to activate as many resources as non video gamers - which would make sense, if they're finding the task easier, they probably don't have to work quite as hard."
He suggested that somewhere down the road, video games might be tailored to help the elderly keep their minds sharp.
Cheryl Grady, senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto, said there are a variety of techniques to improve the memories of elderly persons.
"The big problem with this in the past has been getting it to generalize, from one thing to another," said Grady, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto.
"So you can train them on one thing and make them better on that thing that you've trained them on. The question is can you train them more generally so that what you've done with them helps them in their daily lives."
Source: Y! News
Popular New York DJ shot dead.
NEW YORK — A popular hip-hop disc jockey died Saturday after being shot at least 13 times earlier this month, police said.
Carl Blaze, born Carlos Rivera, was shot outside an apartment building near Manhattan's Inwood section on Dec. 7, and his $20,000 diamond chain was stolen, police said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital Center, where he died Saturday.
Blaze, 30, was a DJ for hip-hop and R&B radio station Power 105.1 FM for about three years. He had gained a large fan base by spinning records at clubs and on the air on Friday and Saturday nights.
Power 105.1 FM was holding a tribute for Blaze on Saturday night. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time," said Josefa Paganuzzi, a Clear Channel spokeswoman.
Police said the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
RIP
Carl Blaze, born Carlos Rivera, was shot outside an apartment building near Manhattan's Inwood section on Dec. 7, and his $20,000 diamond chain was stolen, police said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital Center, where he died Saturday.
Blaze, 30, was a DJ for hip-hop and R&B radio station Power 105.1 FM for about three years. He had gained a large fan base by spinning records at clubs and on the air on Friday and Saturday nights.
Power 105.1 FM was holding a tribute for Blaze on Saturday night. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time," said Josefa Paganuzzi, a Clear Channel spokeswoman.
Police said the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
RIP
Brand new ink promises easy tattoo removal
You once adored Janie, but Laura is your honey now. That dragon circling your arm wowed your college buddies, but the executives in the office aren't nearly as impressed.
Just as the number of Americans sporting tattoos has soared in the past decade, so has membership in another group: people who want their bodywork removed. Only then do they come to know the truth -- that laser tattoo removal is painful, expensive and may not do the job completely.
Soon there may be a solution to the phenomenon of tattoo regret -- removable tattoo ink. A company founded by doctors says it will begin selling such ink early next year. The ink is applied just as with any tattoo, and will remain in place as long as desired. But if the owner later decides that the artwork has to go, it can be removed fully and safely with a single laser treatment.
The founders of the New York company making the removable ink, Freedom-2 LLC, say their goal is to help those who have come to regret permanently decorating their bodies. But backers say the technology will not only simplify tattoo removal, it will create an expanded market for body art -- since consumers can be now assured that the tattoo will come off easily and without exorbitant cost.
"I think it will open a floodgate for people who want tattoos," says Dr. Bruce Saal, a Los Gatos dermatologist who specializes in laser tattoo removal and has invested in the company. "People will say, 'I want to do something a little wild. Now that I know it's not a lifelong commitment, I'll do it.' "
But others wonder if tattoo artists and their customers will spurn the new ink if it doesn't meet their artistic needs.
Almost one-quarter of U.S. adults have at least one tattoo, according to a study of 500 Americans published September in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Of those, 17 percent were considering removal, the survey found.
Many doctors who perform laser tattoo removal, however, say that as many as half of all people with tattoos eventually want them off.
"A very high majority of people would desire to have them removed if there was a simple and easy way," Saal said.
Most conventional tattoos can be removed, but even a simple, small, one-color tattoo can require several laser treatments at a cost of around $1,000. Removals of large, multicolored tattoos can require more than a dozen laser treatments and cost $5,000 or more. And no, laser tattoo removal is not covered by medical insurance.
Multiple treatments are needed to avoid skin damage from the laser. During conventional tattoo removal, brief pulses of energy are aimed at the tattoo, heating skin cells and breaking up the ink particles. Then the body's natural ability to remove foreign particles clears away the ink fragments. The top layer of skin, however, often bleeds slightly and forms scabs. Because of the inflammation produced by the laser, only a small area of skin can be treated at one time.
There are other complications, too. Doctors often don't know which type of ink was used, at what depth the ink was applied and other factors that could help make removal easier, Saal said. (He is a member of Freedom-2's scientific advisory board.) Scarring can occur if multiple treatments are needed, and some tattoos can't be completely removed.
Some people who have gotten tattoos in recent years may have assumed that laser tattoo removal would deftly deal with any regrets, says Dr. Tina Alster, director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington and who is not associated with Freedom-2.
But, she adds, they are often stunned to learn of the cost and time involved. "They thought it would be as easy to take off as to put on -- in just one session," she said. "But now with this new dye and polymer, we will be able to remove it in one session."
Freedom-2's ink is removable because it is encapsulated in tiny beads made of polymethylmethacrylate, a synthetic material commonly used in surgical glue and in many types of artificial joints. The fact that the ink is encased in the tiny spheres doesn't affect the application of the tattoo or its appearance, says Martin Schmieg, chief executive of Freedom-2.
"Our inks look and feel and give a result equal to the current tattoos," he says.
Because of the way the beads are constructed, they fall apart when laser energy is applied, Schmieg said. Unpublished tests on humans and animals show that only one laser treatment is typically needed to fully remove a Freedom-2 tattoo and that most Q-switched lasers that doctors use for tattoo removal can be used for the job. A one-time laser treatment to remove a tattoo should cost less than $1,000, Schmieg predicts.
The new ink will be slightly more expensive than conventional ink but will likely add only about $50 to the cost of most tattoos, Schmieg says, because most of the cost related to tattooing is for the artist's time and talent.
The company will sell only black ink initially but will eventually add other colors. It is also developing a "time-limited tattoo," which will consist of ink in biodegradable polymer beads that dissolve and fade over time.
But tattoo artists may prove lukewarm to the idea of removable artwork. According to Dr. Stuart Kaplan, a dermatologist in Beverly Hills who does laser tattoo removal and isn't associated with Freedom-2, tattoo artists are picky about the colors of their inks. They care about whether they blend well and are durable. An inferior or expensive ink won't fly.
Tattoo artists are also unlikely to be swayed by the convenient removal factor because as a rule, they don't think about tattoo removal, says Sailor Bill Johnson, executive director of the Orlando, Fla.-based Alliance of Professional Tattooists.
"That's not our concern," he says. "If someone comes into my tattoo studio and says, 'I may want to remove it later,' we'd just try to talk them out of getting one."
Johnson says part of the experience of tattooing is the commitment. When someone has "Sophia Forever" inked on his biceps, the sentiment is that Sophia is permanent, just like the tattoo. Besides, says Johnson, "You make that decision in your life that you are going to put this artwork on your body. It's a statement that you don't worry about what other people think of you."
Johnson says he won't use the ink. "To me, it's a negative to the profession."
But Chris Winn, a San Diego tattoo artist, says he was instantly intrigued when he heard about the ink at a tattoo convention.
"I think it will be interesting to see the different ways this can bring in clients," he said. "I think it will bring in a group of people who love tattoos but are afraid to get them."
Source: SFGate.com
Just as the number of Americans sporting tattoos has soared in the past decade, so has membership in another group: people who want their bodywork removed. Only then do they come to know the truth -- that laser tattoo removal is painful, expensive and may not do the job completely.
Soon there may be a solution to the phenomenon of tattoo regret -- removable tattoo ink. A company founded by doctors says it will begin selling such ink early next year. The ink is applied just as with any tattoo, and will remain in place as long as desired. But if the owner later decides that the artwork has to go, it can be removed fully and safely with a single laser treatment.
The founders of the New York company making the removable ink, Freedom-2 LLC, say their goal is to help those who have come to regret permanently decorating their bodies. But backers say the technology will not only simplify tattoo removal, it will create an expanded market for body art -- since consumers can be now assured that the tattoo will come off easily and without exorbitant cost.
"I think it will open a floodgate for people who want tattoos," says Dr. Bruce Saal, a Los Gatos dermatologist who specializes in laser tattoo removal and has invested in the company. "People will say, 'I want to do something a little wild. Now that I know it's not a lifelong commitment, I'll do it.' "
But others wonder if tattoo artists and their customers will spurn the new ink if it doesn't meet their artistic needs.
Almost one-quarter of U.S. adults have at least one tattoo, according to a study of 500 Americans published September in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Of those, 17 percent were considering removal, the survey found.
Many doctors who perform laser tattoo removal, however, say that as many as half of all people with tattoos eventually want them off.
"A very high majority of people would desire to have them removed if there was a simple and easy way," Saal said.
Most conventional tattoos can be removed, but even a simple, small, one-color tattoo can require several laser treatments at a cost of around $1,000. Removals of large, multicolored tattoos can require more than a dozen laser treatments and cost $5,000 or more. And no, laser tattoo removal is not covered by medical insurance.
Multiple treatments are needed to avoid skin damage from the laser. During conventional tattoo removal, brief pulses of energy are aimed at the tattoo, heating skin cells and breaking up the ink particles. Then the body's natural ability to remove foreign particles clears away the ink fragments. The top layer of skin, however, often bleeds slightly and forms scabs. Because of the inflammation produced by the laser, only a small area of skin can be treated at one time.
There are other complications, too. Doctors often don't know which type of ink was used, at what depth the ink was applied and other factors that could help make removal easier, Saal said. (He is a member of Freedom-2's scientific advisory board.) Scarring can occur if multiple treatments are needed, and some tattoos can't be completely removed.
Some people who have gotten tattoos in recent years may have assumed that laser tattoo removal would deftly deal with any regrets, says Dr. Tina Alster, director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington and who is not associated with Freedom-2.
But, she adds, they are often stunned to learn of the cost and time involved. "They thought it would be as easy to take off as to put on -- in just one session," she said. "But now with this new dye and polymer, we will be able to remove it in one session."
Freedom-2's ink is removable because it is encapsulated in tiny beads made of polymethylmethacrylate, a synthetic material commonly used in surgical glue and in many types of artificial joints. The fact that the ink is encased in the tiny spheres doesn't affect the application of the tattoo or its appearance, says Martin Schmieg, chief executive of Freedom-2.
"Our inks look and feel and give a result equal to the current tattoos," he says.
Because of the way the beads are constructed, they fall apart when laser energy is applied, Schmieg said. Unpublished tests on humans and animals show that only one laser treatment is typically needed to fully remove a Freedom-2 tattoo and that most Q-switched lasers that doctors use for tattoo removal can be used for the job. A one-time laser treatment to remove a tattoo should cost less than $1,000, Schmieg predicts.
The new ink will be slightly more expensive than conventional ink but will likely add only about $50 to the cost of most tattoos, Schmieg says, because most of the cost related to tattooing is for the artist's time and talent.
The company will sell only black ink initially but will eventually add other colors. It is also developing a "time-limited tattoo," which will consist of ink in biodegradable polymer beads that dissolve and fade over time.
But tattoo artists may prove lukewarm to the idea of removable artwork. According to Dr. Stuart Kaplan, a dermatologist in Beverly Hills who does laser tattoo removal and isn't associated with Freedom-2, tattoo artists are picky about the colors of their inks. They care about whether they blend well and are durable. An inferior or expensive ink won't fly.
Tattoo artists are also unlikely to be swayed by the convenient removal factor because as a rule, they don't think about tattoo removal, says Sailor Bill Johnson, executive director of the Orlando, Fla.-based Alliance of Professional Tattooists.
"That's not our concern," he says. "If someone comes into my tattoo studio and says, 'I may want to remove it later,' we'd just try to talk them out of getting one."
Johnson says part of the experience of tattooing is the commitment. When someone has "Sophia Forever" inked on his biceps, the sentiment is that Sophia is permanent, just like the tattoo. Besides, says Johnson, "You make that decision in your life that you are going to put this artwork on your body. It's a statement that you don't worry about what other people think of you."
Johnson says he won't use the ink. "To me, it's a negative to the profession."
But Chris Winn, a San Diego tattoo artist, says he was instantly intrigued when he heard about the ink at a tattoo convention.
"I think it will be interesting to see the different ways this can bring in clients," he said. "I think it will bring in a group of people who love tattoos but are afraid to get them."
Source: SFGate.com
High School Military Recruiters Busted in FBI Cocaine Sting
TUCSON, Ariz. — A dozen Army and Marine recruiters who visited high schools were among the personnel caught in a major FBI cocaine investigation, and some were allowed to keep working while under suspicion, a newspaper reported Sunday.
None of the recruiters was accused of providing drugs to students.
The recruiters, who worked in the Tucson area, were targets of a federal sting called Operation Lively Green, which ran from 2001 to 2004 and was revealed last year. So far, 69 members of the military, prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine.
• Crack the case in FOXNews.com's Crime Center.
The Arizona Daily Star reviewed the investigation and court documents and found that the FBI allowed many recruiters to stay on the job even though they were targeted by the investigation. Some were still recruiting three years after they were photographed running drugs in uniform, the newspaper said.
Most of the recruiters pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March. Some honorably retired from the military.
The sting began after the FBI received tips that a former Army National Guardsman was taking bribes to fix military aptitude tests for recruits, FBI Special Agent Adam Radtke said.
Military officials say they kept the recruiters on the job because the FBI told them to leave the suspects alone to avoid jeopardizing the sting. The military said it also didn't know some recruiters were under investigation, the newspaper reported.
Military officials say the criminal acts by recruiters were rare out of the thousands of recruiters working across the country. "This was an isolated incident," said Marine Corps recruiting spokeswoman Janice Hagar.
A governing board member of the Tucson Unified School District, Judy Burns, criticized the FBI for allowing the recruiters to stay on the job so long.
"It's ludicrous to me that the FBI would leave these people in place and allow them onto our high school campuses," Burns said.
Special Agent Deb McCarley said the FBI generally performs risk assessments before deciding to keep suspects who work in public positions on the job during undercover investigations.
None of the recruiters was accused of providing drugs to students.
The recruiters, who worked in the Tucson area, were targets of a federal sting called Operation Lively Green, which ran from 2001 to 2004 and was revealed last year. So far, 69 members of the military, prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine.
• Crack the case in FOXNews.com's Crime Center.
The Arizona Daily Star reviewed the investigation and court documents and found that the FBI allowed many recruiters to stay on the job even though they were targeted by the investigation. Some were still recruiting three years after they were photographed running drugs in uniform, the newspaper said.
Most of the recruiters pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March. Some honorably retired from the military.
The sting began after the FBI received tips that a former Army National Guardsman was taking bribes to fix military aptitude tests for recruits, FBI Special Agent Adam Radtke said.
Military officials say they kept the recruiters on the job because the FBI told them to leave the suspects alone to avoid jeopardizing the sting. The military said it also didn't know some recruiters were under investigation, the newspaper reported.
Military officials say the criminal acts by recruiters were rare out of the thousands of recruiters working across the country. "This was an isolated incident," said Marine Corps recruiting spokeswoman Janice Hagar.
A governing board member of the Tucson Unified School District, Judy Burns, criticized the FBI for allowing the recruiters to stay on the job so long.
"It's ludicrous to me that the FBI would leave these people in place and allow them onto our high school campuses," Burns said.
Special Agent Deb McCarley said the FBI generally performs risk assessments before deciding to keep suspects who work in public positions on the job during undercover investigations.
CHILDREN watch in horror as Santa Claus collapses and dies while handing out gifts
CHILDREN watched in horror as a Santa Claus collapsed and died as he handed out presents at a Christmas party.
Andrew Robertson, 82, took ill as excited youngsters were being given their gifts.
He was taken to a side room, still dressed in a Father Christmas outfit, and attempts were made to revive him.
But when medics arrived, he was pronounced dead.
Mr Robertson, from Dundee, had played Santa for several years at the city’s Broughty Castle Bowling Club’s Christmas party, which is held for the grandchildren of members.
Ian Smart, the bowling club’s secretary, said: “Andy was a father figure in the club who never had a bad word to say about anyone.
“If you asked him to do anything for you, he would always say no problem’.
“One wee kid said 'how are we going to get our presents next week if Father Christmas is ill?' - they didn’t understand what had happened.”
Mr Smart said Mr Robertson had played an active role in the bowling club.
“He was well-liked and will be sorely missed,” he said.
His brother Alister said he had complained about feeling hot shortly before he collapsed on Sunday afternoon.
He told The Courier newspaper: “The kids saw him getting taken away as if he was ill.
“They knew something was wrong with Santa Claus as he went away with the two guys, but they didn’t see anything further.
“It has been quite a shock for everybody but my view is that he was there thoroughly enjoying himself when he was struck down.”
Mr Robertson was a former director with a shipbuilding company.
His funeral takes place today.
Source: thesun.co.uk
Andrew Robertson, 82, took ill as excited youngsters were being given their gifts.
He was taken to a side room, still dressed in a Father Christmas outfit, and attempts were made to revive him.
But when medics arrived, he was pronounced dead.
Mr Robertson, from Dundee, had played Santa for several years at the city’s Broughty Castle Bowling Club’s Christmas party, which is held for the grandchildren of members.
Ian Smart, the bowling club’s secretary, said: “Andy was a father figure in the club who never had a bad word to say about anyone.
“If you asked him to do anything for you, he would always say no problem’.
“One wee kid said 'how are we going to get our presents next week if Father Christmas is ill?' - they didn’t understand what had happened.”
Mr Smart said Mr Robertson had played an active role in the bowling club.
“He was well-liked and will be sorely missed,” he said.
His brother Alister said he had complained about feeling hot shortly before he collapsed on Sunday afternoon.
He told The Courier newspaper: “The kids saw him getting taken away as if he was ill.
“They knew something was wrong with Santa Claus as he went away with the two guys, but they didn’t see anything further.
“It has been quite a shock for everybody but my view is that he was there thoroughly enjoying himself when he was struck down.”
Mr Robertson was a former director with a shipbuilding company.
His funeral takes place today.
Source: thesun.co.uk
2,800-year-old mummy found with a huge sack of weed
Lab work to identify 2,800-year-old mummy of shaman: scientists
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Chinese scientists are conducting laboratory work hoping to identify a 2,800-year-old mummy presumably of a shaman in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The well-preserved mummy of a seemingly Caucasian man with a Roman nose and deep-set eyes was unearthed from a cluster of ancient tombs in 2003 and research work has been going on ever since.
Archeologists found the mummy most intriguing because a sack of marijuana leaves was found buried alongside the corpse.
The mummy remains intact in its original outfit despite the passage of time: leather hat, heavy coat and boots, huge earrings of copper and gold, a turquoise necklace, a copper laced stick in the right hand and a bronze ax in the left, according to Li Xiao, head of the heritage bureau in Turpan.
Inside the leather coat, the man was wearing a dainty brown and red mantle, and his hands were crossed in front of his chest, said Li.
"From his outfit and the marijuana leaves, which have been confirmed by international specialists to be ingredients for narcotic, we assume the man had been a shaman and had been between 40 and 50 years old when he died," said Li, a noted historian in Xinjiang.
He said the corpse is about 1.2 meters long and its legs are at least 80 centimeters.
Li and his colleagues are taking fabrics from the mummy's clothes for laboratory work, hoping to identify the mummy and unravel more mysteries of shaman clothing, culture and religion.
The mummy was the best preserved one among some 600 excavated in 2003 from a cluster of 2,000 tombs in Turpan. Archeologists assume the tombs, which dated from the Bronze Age to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), belonged to several big clans.
The tombs also produced a wide variety of stone implements, bronzeware, color chinaware pieces and knitwear.
font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
Chinese scientists are conducting laboratory work hoping to identify a 2,800-year-old mummy presumably of a shaman in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The well-preserved mummy of a seemingly Caucasian man with a Roman nose and deep-set eyes was unearthed from a cluster of ancient tombs in 2003 and research work has been going on ever since.
Archeologists found the mummy most intriguing because a sack of marijuana leaves was found buried alongside the corpse.
The mummy remains intact in its original outfit despite the passage of time: leather hat, heavy coat and boots, huge earrings of copper and gold, a turquoise necklace, a copper laced stick in the right hand and a bronze ax in the left, according to Li Xiao, head of the heritage bureau in Turpan.
Inside the leather coat, the man was wearing a dainty brown and red mantle, and his hands were crossed in front of his chest, said Li.
"From his outfit and the marijuana leaves, which have been confirmed by international specialists to be ingredients for narcotic, we assume the man had been a shaman and had been between 40 and 50 years old when he died," said Li, a noted historian in Xinjiang.
He said the corpse is about 1.2 meters long and its legs are at least 80 centimeters.
Li and his colleagues are taking fabrics from the mummy's clothes for laboratory work, hoping to identify the mummy and unravel more mysteries of shaman clothing, culture and religion.
The mummy was the best preserved one among some 600 excavated in 2003 from a cluster of 2,000 tombs in Turpan. Archeologists assume the tombs, which dated from the Bronze Age to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), belonged to several big clans.
The tombs also produced a wide variety of stone implements, bronzeware, color chinaware pieces and knitwear.
James Brown dies at 73 RIP to a sole legend
James Brown dies at 73
Singer James Brown has died in Atlanta at the age of 73, his agent has told CNN television.
Brown's agent, Frank Copsidas, says the self-proclaimed "godfather of soul" was admitted to hospital in Atlanta over the weekend with severe pneumonia.
The American singer, who billed himself as the hardest-working man in show business, is credited with bringing funk music into the mainstream and influencing a new generation of black music that spawned rap and hip hop.
Brown's hit Say it Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) became a civil rights anthem during the turbulent 1960s.
He performed the song at former US president Richard Nixon's inaugural address in 1968, an act that temporarily hurt Brown's popularity among young black people.
He had more than 119 charting singles and recorded over 50 albums, after starting his music career in jail as a juvenile offender.
Brown was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement Grammy award in 1992.
The singer, also known as "Mr Dynamite", built a successful business empire, including a string of radio stations and his own production company.
He owned a fleet of expensive cars and his own plane.
Brown even played the role of a manic preacher in the hit 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.
He once said: "Soul is all the hard knocks, all the punishment the black man has had... all the unfulfilled dreams that must come true".
Jail
He was chosen to be a member of former US president Ronald Reagan's Council Against Drugs but was arrested several times in the mid-1980s and 90s, and charged with drug and weapons possession.
By 1988, Brown was back behind bars, sentenced to six years for drug, weapons and vehicular charges after a high-speed car chase through Georgia and South Carolina.
The pursuit ended with police shooting out the tires of his truck.
He left prison in 1991.
'Feeling and flamboyance'
Brown emerged from a boyhood of extreme poverty and petty crime to become one of the biggest record-sellers in rhythm and blues, and later achieved crossover success.
His gospel-style voice backed by staccato horns brought a distinctive funky and frenetic sound to black and later, white audiences.
One critic described a Brown performance as "feeling and flamboyance fused into calculated spontaneity".
The critic added he danced like a dervish and sang with "an astounding range of primitive emotional sounds - grunts, groans, screeches, screams, wails".
Brown's big hits included Please, Please, Please, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, I Got You (I Feel Good), Get Up (I feel like being a Sex Machine) and It's a Man's World.
His 1985 monster hit Living in America, which was featured in the movie Rocky IV, brought him a whole new generation of fans and his first Grammy.
Brown combined his soul-rending music with a theatrical delivery.
He also developed a trademark routine in which he would keep coming back on stage after a show and sing a few lines of Please, Please, Please with the sweat pouring from his bare-chested body.
His stage crew would throw a cape over his back and he would leave, only to reappear seconds later on his knees, moaning the song into the microphone.
The routine would sometimes go on for 30 to 40 minutes and send his fans delirious.
Have you ever seen a frozen sea? Besides “Day after tommorow” movie?
Have you ever seen a frozen sea? Besides “Day after tommorow” movie?
pics from -
http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=241
pics from -
http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=241
Sunday, December 24, 2006
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Have a great christmas day EAT AND DRINK GOOD!!!!!!
City's Murder Count Hits 400 For 2006
The number of murders in the City of Philadelphia has now reached 400 this year after three people died overnight in separate shootings.
That's the highest number of murders in nearly a decade.
The first took place in the Mayfair section of the city. Police said a pizza delivery driver was shot and killed as he went up to a door on Stevens Street.
Authorities were searching for at least two gunmen.
Meanwhile, in the Poplar section of the city detectives were searching for a dark-colored vehicle with tinted windows after a man in a sport utility vehicle was shot in the neck and killed Saturday morning near 13th and Parrish.
The unidentified victim died at the hospital.
And, at around 3 a.m., half-a-dozen police cars rushed to the intersection of 39th and Market streets in West Philadelphia.
There, officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died about 15 minutes later.
At least 20 gunshots were fired at that scene, which remained closed off Sunday morning.
That's the highest number of murders in nearly a decade.
The first took place in the Mayfair section of the city. Police said a pizza delivery driver was shot and killed as he went up to a door on Stevens Street.
Authorities were searching for at least two gunmen.
Meanwhile, in the Poplar section of the city detectives were searching for a dark-colored vehicle with tinted windows after a man in a sport utility vehicle was shot in the neck and killed Saturday morning near 13th and Parrish.
The unidentified victim died at the hospital.
And, at around 3 a.m., half-a-dozen police cars rushed to the intersection of 39th and Market streets in West Philadelphia.
There, officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died about 15 minutes later.
At least 20 gunshots were fired at that scene, which remained closed off Sunday morning.
Sean John Uses DOG FUR In Hoodies...
Macy's has pulled from its shelves and its Web site two styles of Sean John hooded jackets, originally advertised as featuring faux fur, after an investigation by the nation's largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from a certain species of dog called "raccoon dog."
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"First these jackets were falsely advertised as faux fur, and then it turned out that the fur came from a type of dog," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.
Pacelle added that the issue is an "industry-wide problem" and its investigation demonstrated that retailers and designers "aren't paying close enough attention to the fur trim they are selling." He added that the issue is especially problematic when "the fur is sourced from China where domestic dogs and cats and raccoon dogs are killed in gruesome ways."
Raccoon dogs — which are not domestic animals — are indigenous to Asia, including eastern Siberia and Japan, and have been raised in large numbers because their fur closely resembles raccoon, Pacelle said.
Orlando Veras, a spokesman at Macy's, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc., confirmed Friday that the retailer had removed the jackets, releasing a statement saying that it has a "long-standing policy against the selling of any dog or cat fur." He continued, "This policy is clearly communicated to all suppliers."
The Sean John jackets — one a snorkel style, the other a classic version — had been labeled "raccoon fur," but were advertised as faux fur, Pacelle said.
In a statement by Sean "Diddy" Combs released by his publicist Hampton Carney, the designer said: "I was completely unaware of the nature of this material, but as soon as we were alerted, the garments were pulled off the Macy's floor and Web site. I have instructed our outerwear licensee to cease the production of any garments using this material immediately."
Macy's removal of the coats comes on the heels of other tests conducted by the Humane Society of the United States on a range of fur-trimmed jackets from retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory, Bloomingdale's, J.C. Penney and Saks Fifth Avenue as well as from designers and clothing lines such as Baby Phat, Andrew Marc, MaxMara and Calvin Klein. Those tests revealed that most of the jackets labeled as "raccoon" or coyote" from China in fact contained fur from raccoon dogs.
Of the 10 garments tested by the Humane Society, nine tested positive as raccoon dog fur and were mislabeled, a violation of federal law.
The Humane Society is also calling upon Congress to amend the Dog and Cat Protection Act — which bans the sale of dog or cat fur in the United States — to include raccoon dog, since the organization says these dogs are so "inhumanely" killed and their species are similar to domesticated dogs.
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"First these jackets were falsely advertised as faux fur, and then it turned out that the fur came from a type of dog," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.
Pacelle added that the issue is an "industry-wide problem" and its investigation demonstrated that retailers and designers "aren't paying close enough attention to the fur trim they are selling." He added that the issue is especially problematic when "the fur is sourced from China where domestic dogs and cats and raccoon dogs are killed in gruesome ways."
Raccoon dogs — which are not domestic animals — are indigenous to Asia, including eastern Siberia and Japan, and have been raised in large numbers because their fur closely resembles raccoon, Pacelle said.
Orlando Veras, a spokesman at Macy's, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc., confirmed Friday that the retailer had removed the jackets, releasing a statement saying that it has a "long-standing policy against the selling of any dog or cat fur." He continued, "This policy is clearly communicated to all suppliers."
The Sean John jackets — one a snorkel style, the other a classic version — had been labeled "raccoon fur," but were advertised as faux fur, Pacelle said.
In a statement by Sean "Diddy" Combs released by his publicist Hampton Carney, the designer said: "I was completely unaware of the nature of this material, but as soon as we were alerted, the garments were pulled off the Macy's floor and Web site. I have instructed our outerwear licensee to cease the production of any garments using this material immediately."
Macy's removal of the coats comes on the heels of other tests conducted by the Humane Society of the United States on a range of fur-trimmed jackets from retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory, Bloomingdale's, J.C. Penney and Saks Fifth Avenue as well as from designers and clothing lines such as Baby Phat, Andrew Marc, MaxMara and Calvin Klein. Those tests revealed that most of the jackets labeled as "raccoon" or coyote" from China in fact contained fur from raccoon dogs.
Of the 10 garments tested by the Humane Society, nine tested positive as raccoon dog fur and were mislabeled, a violation of federal law.
The Humane Society is also calling upon Congress to amend the Dog and Cat Protection Act — which bans the sale of dog or cat fur in the United States — to include raccoon dog, since the organization says these dogs are so "inhumanely" killed and their species are similar to domesticated dogs.
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