Crocuses are pushing out of the ground in New Jersey. Ice fishing tournaments in Minnesota are being canceled for lack of ice. And golfers are hitting the links in Chicago in January.
Much of the Midwest and the East Coast are experiencing remarkably warm winter, with temperatures running 10 and 20 degrees higher than normal in many places.
"I'm not complaining. I can take this," said Rudolph Williams, a doorman in New York City who normally wears a hat this time of year but stood outside in 50-degree weather with his shaved head uncovered.
"The Earth is recalibrating itself: Last year, we had a cold winter, and it's balancing itself out now. In January, it feels like the middle of April."
New York City saw a November and December without snow for the first time since 1877. And New Jersey had its warmest December since records started being kept 111 years ago.
Maria Freitas said that not only are crocus bulbs blooming in her Rahway, New Jersey, backyard, but the asparagus is three inches high.
"They think it's spring. They're so confused," she said.
Meteorologists say the warm spell is due to a combination of factors.
El Nino, a cyclical warming trend now under way in the Pacific Ocean, can lead to milder weather, particularly in the Northeast.
The jet stream, the high-altitude air current that works like a barricade to hold back warm Southern air, is running much farther north than usual over the East Coast.
The weather is prone to short-term fluctuations, and forecasters said the mild winter does not necessarily mean global warming is upon us.
In fact, the Plains have been hit by back-to-back blizzards in the past two weeks.
"No cause for alarm. Enjoy it while you have it," said Mike Halpert, head of forecast operations at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center.
Whatever the explanation, Amanda d*ckens was enjoying the weather Wednesday at Baltimore's Inner Harbor as she ate lunch outside with her husband and 3-year-old son.
Temperatures there were expected to reach 60 degrees.
At the Marovitz Golf Course in Chicago near Lake Michigan, 30 people teed off between 9 a.m. and noon, when there are usually no golfers at all this time of year.
Leonard Berg, the course's superintendent for maintenance, gestured to the fairways with pride: "Normally this time of year there would be a brown singe to it. Look at that nice emerald green."
At New York's Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the "everblooming" cherry trees are flowering more fully than usual, producing thousands of blooms instead of hundreds.
But the mild weather is also hurting some businesses and events.
In Minnesota, where a water skier in a wetsuit was recently seen on the Mississippi River near St. Paul, ice fishing tournaments have been canceled. The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships -- scheduled for January 19-21 in Minneapolis -- have only a 50-50 chance of being held.
And organizers of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, scheduled to begin late this month, said the ice is not thick enough to harvest into 1,400 blocks for the ice maze.
They may have to switch to plastic blocks.
"It would give the effect, but it's not exactly Minnesota winter," said Mary Huss, a spokeswoman for the event.
In Ohio, Dan Motz said sales for his firewood business in a Cincinnati suburb are down about 25 percent.
In Maryland, buds are appearing on apple and peach trees, raising the prospect of a poor spring crop if a sudden cold snap kills the blossoms. A gradual lowering of temperatures would minimize any damage.
In New Jersey, the Mountain Creek ski resort in Vernon is struggling to open more trails. There haven't been many nights cold enough to make snow.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed that the cold weather will get here soon," resort spokeswoman Shannon McSweeney said.
"Either that, or sending trucks out to Colorado to steal some of their snow."
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Mexican Soldiers Freelancing for Drug Cartels on U.S. Soil
Gun-toting members of the Mexican military are crossing regularly into U.S. territory, where they are partnering with drug cartels and criminal gangs to protect sophisticated smuggling operations, according to Texas sheriffs and lawmakers.
Some of the Mexican infiltrators are suspected to have been trained by the U.S. military.
U.S. Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement officials operating along the southwestern border have come under attack from the Mexican side in recent months, with automatic gunfire frequently erupting, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) told Cybercast News Service.
Mexican military units and drug cartels have access to weaponry and communications equipment far more advanced than resources made available to U.S. officials on the state and federal level, Culberson said.
"The U.S. Border Patrol is telling its agents to just lay low and report on what they see," he said. "They are instructed to determine the size of the [Mexican military] unit, the number of personnel, the direction of travel."
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico has sent diplomatic notes to the Mexican government complaining about incursions into U.S. territory by "individuals dressed in military uniforms," according to a congressional report.
Culberson plans to meet with the Mexican ambassador to discuss border issues early in the new year.
More than 200 incursions by the Mexican military of the U.S. southern border have been documented since the late 1990s, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) said in an interview.
"Our federal government denied it occurred until the Texas sheriffs took photos," he said. "There is no nation in the world that would allow this invasion to occur except for the United States."
Mexican military personnel have been observed crossing the Rio Grande into Hudspeth County, Texas, in an apparent effort to safeguard drug shipments.
On one occasion early this year, deputies in pursuit of suspected drug dealers encountered "heavily armed soldiers in a Humvee," while trying to apprehend individuals driving "load vehicles" for drug shipments, Hudspeth Sheriff Arvin West told a congressional hearing subsequently.
Although some of the narcotics were seized, the deputies were forced to suspend their pursuit once the Mexican soldiers intervened, according to West's testimony.
Sheriffs in neighboring parts of Texas are also familiar with the techniques used to protect drug shipments in Hudspeth.
According to Sheriff Leo Samaniego of El Paso County, Mexican soldiers perform "flanking maneuvers," forcing deputies into defensive positions.
"They are very involved in safeguarding these drug shipments," he said of the Mexican troops.
Samaniego said he was in contact with farmers in the area who reported witnessing such incidents regularly.
Samaniego recalled another Mexican military incursion he said had taken place in Santa Teresa, N.M., located across the state line from El Paso. Mexican soldiers in two Humvees "chased after" a U.S. Border Patrol agent until backup arrived while another U.S. agent also came under gunfire, Samaniego told Cybercast News Serviceguns.
"Mexican officials gave the excuse that it was a new military unit that got lost and didn't know it was in the U.S.," he said. "But I find this hard to believe."
"Trained in the US"
Some of the Mexican soldiers collaborating with drug cartels were trained at one time at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., said Sheriff Rick Flores of Webb County.
Although they were trained to combat "narco-terrorism" many such soldiers are ultimately lured by the fact they can make substantially more money working with the cartels, Flores said in an interview.
"We train people to fight bad elements and help restore order but they end up defecting," he said. "Then we end up fighting them after we train them."
The power and influence of the drug cartels is difficult to overstate, Flores contended. They are in control of almost "every type of business" in Mexico and boast almost unlimited resources.
Webb County has also experienced an influx of Mexican soldiers who appear to be working on behalf of the cartels and other criminals, Flores said.
"Our drug enforcement taskforce came across soldiers dressed in black clad uniforms near Highway 83. They were marching in cadence and pretty much scared the hell out of our people. They had fully automatic AK 47s wrapped around their arms and they were carrying duffle bags with their free arms. It was pretty freaky," Flores said.
A report on security threats to the southwestern border, provided by the House Homeland Security Committee's subcommittee on investigations, refers to a growing nexus between drug cartels, criminal gangs and Mexican military personnel.
Some of the gangs mentioned in the report include the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Mexican Mafia, and the Texas Syndicate.
Zapata County Sherriff Sigifredo Gonzalez told Cybercast News Service the cartels were equipped with a military grade arsenal and an intelligence network that poses a threat to American local and federal officials.
Cybercast News Service reported previously that some cartels have the ability to eavesdrop on U.S. law enforcement agencies' communications.
Last July, deputies from Hidalgo - two counties away from Zapata - responded to an emergency call and found themselves targeted by "300 to 400 rounds of automatic gunfire from the Mexican side, for about 10 minutes," Gonzalez reported.
With such incidents continuing along the border, the Zapata sheriff said in time there would inevitably be casualties on the U.S. side. In just the past few weeks, he added, U.S. National Guard members had come under fire in neighboring Starr County.
"Cartels diversifying"
There are also signs the criminal gangs are becoming bolder.
Rick Glancey, the interim executive director of the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, says drug cartels have diversified operations and are now smuggling both narcotics and humans.
According to the congressional committee report, the Texas-Mexico border includes 18 points of entry into the U.S. that are attractive to drug cartels and other criminal enterprises.
Further complicating security concerns, Gonzales pointed out that an extensive train system, with trains ranging from 90 to 160 cars, also travels from Guatemala, through Mexico and ending adjacent to the Texas border.
The train system enables the smuggling operations to access major interstate highways in Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo and El Paso that serve as a gateway into the U.S., providing cartels with enormous opportunities, Glancey said.
Currently, competing cartels are fighting for control of a highly prized corridor into the U.S. called "the plaza," said Flores. He voiced concerns that inter-gang violence may spill over the U.S. side and threaten citizens in his jurisdiction and in other parts of Texas.
The Mexican Embassy in the U.S. this week declined an invitation to comment on allegations of Mexican soldiers' presence in Texas. The embassy did make available a Mexican foreign ministry statement on the incident in Hudspeth County in early 2006.
It said the Mexican government concluded that the "uniforms, insignia, vehicles and arms" used by the individuals involved "do not correspond to those used by Mexican armed forces."
The government contended that "no members of the Mexican army participated in the incident" and that the armed individuals were attached to a "drug trafficking organization."
Some of the Mexican infiltrators are suspected to have been trained by the U.S. military.
U.S. Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement officials operating along the southwestern border have come under attack from the Mexican side in recent months, with automatic gunfire frequently erupting, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) told Cybercast News Service.
Mexican military units and drug cartels have access to weaponry and communications equipment far more advanced than resources made available to U.S. officials on the state and federal level, Culberson said.
"The U.S. Border Patrol is telling its agents to just lay low and report on what they see," he said. "They are instructed to determine the size of the [Mexican military] unit, the number of personnel, the direction of travel."
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico has sent diplomatic notes to the Mexican government complaining about incursions into U.S. territory by "individuals dressed in military uniforms," according to a congressional report.
Culberson plans to meet with the Mexican ambassador to discuss border issues early in the new year.
More than 200 incursions by the Mexican military of the U.S. southern border have been documented since the late 1990s, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) said in an interview.
"Our federal government denied it occurred until the Texas sheriffs took photos," he said. "There is no nation in the world that would allow this invasion to occur except for the United States."
Mexican military personnel have been observed crossing the Rio Grande into Hudspeth County, Texas, in an apparent effort to safeguard drug shipments.
On one occasion early this year, deputies in pursuit of suspected drug dealers encountered "heavily armed soldiers in a Humvee," while trying to apprehend individuals driving "load vehicles" for drug shipments, Hudspeth Sheriff Arvin West told a congressional hearing subsequently.
Although some of the narcotics were seized, the deputies were forced to suspend their pursuit once the Mexican soldiers intervened, according to West's testimony.
Sheriffs in neighboring parts of Texas are also familiar with the techniques used to protect drug shipments in Hudspeth.
According to Sheriff Leo Samaniego of El Paso County, Mexican soldiers perform "flanking maneuvers," forcing deputies into defensive positions.
"They are very involved in safeguarding these drug shipments," he said of the Mexican troops.
Samaniego said he was in contact with farmers in the area who reported witnessing such incidents regularly.
Samaniego recalled another Mexican military incursion he said had taken place in Santa Teresa, N.M., located across the state line from El Paso. Mexican soldiers in two Humvees "chased after" a U.S. Border Patrol agent until backup arrived while another U.S. agent also came under gunfire, Samaniego told Cybercast News Serviceguns.
"Mexican officials gave the excuse that it was a new military unit that got lost and didn't know it was in the U.S.," he said. "But I find this hard to believe."
"Trained in the US"
Some of the Mexican soldiers collaborating with drug cartels were trained at one time at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., said Sheriff Rick Flores of Webb County.
Although they were trained to combat "narco-terrorism" many such soldiers are ultimately lured by the fact they can make substantially more money working with the cartels, Flores said in an interview.
"We train people to fight bad elements and help restore order but they end up defecting," he said. "Then we end up fighting them after we train them."
The power and influence of the drug cartels is difficult to overstate, Flores contended. They are in control of almost "every type of business" in Mexico and boast almost unlimited resources.
Webb County has also experienced an influx of Mexican soldiers who appear to be working on behalf of the cartels and other criminals, Flores said.
"Our drug enforcement taskforce came across soldiers dressed in black clad uniforms near Highway 83. They were marching in cadence and pretty much scared the hell out of our people. They had fully automatic AK 47s wrapped around their arms and they were carrying duffle bags with their free arms. It was pretty freaky," Flores said.
A report on security threats to the southwestern border, provided by the House Homeland Security Committee's subcommittee on investigations, refers to a growing nexus between drug cartels, criminal gangs and Mexican military personnel.
Some of the gangs mentioned in the report include the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Mexican Mafia, and the Texas Syndicate.
Zapata County Sherriff Sigifredo Gonzalez told Cybercast News Service the cartels were equipped with a military grade arsenal and an intelligence network that poses a threat to American local and federal officials.
Cybercast News Service reported previously that some cartels have the ability to eavesdrop on U.S. law enforcement agencies' communications.
Last July, deputies from Hidalgo - two counties away from Zapata - responded to an emergency call and found themselves targeted by "300 to 400 rounds of automatic gunfire from the Mexican side, for about 10 minutes," Gonzalez reported.
With such incidents continuing along the border, the Zapata sheriff said in time there would inevitably be casualties on the U.S. side. In just the past few weeks, he added, U.S. National Guard members had come under fire in neighboring Starr County.
"Cartels diversifying"
There are also signs the criminal gangs are becoming bolder.
Rick Glancey, the interim executive director of the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, says drug cartels have diversified operations and are now smuggling both narcotics and humans.
According to the congressional committee report, the Texas-Mexico border includes 18 points of entry into the U.S. that are attractive to drug cartels and other criminal enterprises.
Further complicating security concerns, Gonzales pointed out that an extensive train system, with trains ranging from 90 to 160 cars, also travels from Guatemala, through Mexico and ending adjacent to the Texas border.
The train system enables the smuggling operations to access major interstate highways in Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo and El Paso that serve as a gateway into the U.S., providing cartels with enormous opportunities, Glancey said.
Currently, competing cartels are fighting for control of a highly prized corridor into the U.S. called "the plaza," said Flores. He voiced concerns that inter-gang violence may spill over the U.S. side and threaten citizens in his jurisdiction and in other parts of Texas.
The Mexican Embassy in the U.S. this week declined an invitation to comment on allegations of Mexican soldiers' presence in Texas. The embassy did make available a Mexican foreign ministry statement on the incident in Hudspeth County in early 2006.
It said the Mexican government concluded that the "uniforms, insignia, vehicles and arms" used by the individuals involved "do not correspond to those used by Mexican armed forces."
The government contended that "no members of the Mexican army participated in the incident" and that the armed individuals were attached to a "drug trafficking organization."
Boy killed for claiming to be a Gangster Disciples member
Boy killed for claiming to be a Gangster Disciples member
Four held in teen's Russian roulette death in October
A 16-year-old gang member, angry over the victim's claim of being a gang member himself, is charged with the riverbank shooting.
Minneapolis' first 2007 homicide is linked to apparent love triangle
Moments before his death last October in a secluded area near the banks of the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis, 17-year-old Trevor Marsh learned he was in a game of Russian roulette.
Authorities say that Raine C. Neiss, 16, of Minneapolis, one of three people angry that Marsh was claiming to be a member of the Gangster Disciples, put a gun to Marsh's head and declared, "the bullet will tell if you are telling the truth."
The bullet was in the cylinder.
Although he begged for his life, a witness said, Marsh was killed with that single shot, according to criminal complaints that became public Thursday. Three people are charged and a fourth is being held in connection with the death of Marsh, who was a senior at Minneapolis South High School.
Lt. Amelia Huffman, a Minneapolis police spokeswoman, said there was no evidence that Marsh was a gang member. "A wannabe, perhaps," she said, "but not a confirmed member."
The arrests, announced by police Thursday, brought relief to Nick Malia, 18, of Minneapolis, a friend and high school classmate.
Malia feared that Marsh had been forgotten since his body was discovered near a steep bank Oct. 26. He had been shot a day earlier.
Malia added that Marsh had, in fact, purported to be -- in Marsh's words -- a "G.D." member.
"He always wanted to be accepted, or respected, so he'd lie a lot," Malia recalled Thursday. "He just wanted people to like him more."
Marsh allegedly was killed not because he might have been part of the Gangster Disciples, but because his attackers were upset by his false claims. At least two of them were Gangster Disciples, according to the complaints.
Don't mess with the G.D., the complaints quote one of the suspects as saying to Marsh shortly before he was shot.
Now in custody are:
• Neiss, who is awaiting extradition from Omaha, charged last week in Hennepin County Juvenile Court with second-degree murder and with one count of committing a crime for the benefit of a gang, also a felony.
• His older brother, George M. Boleo, also known as George M. Neiss, 25, of Minneapolis, who has been charged with committing a crime for the benefit of a gang and with being an accomplice after the fact.
• Tia M. Dropik, 18, of Minneapolis, who has been charged with being an accomplice after the fact.
• A 15-year-old male, described by police as "the remaining conspirator," whose case is being reviewed by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for possible charges.
A woman who answered the phone at the alleged gunman's last known address said Thursday night that the family had moved recently.
Marsh's parents did not return a reporter's phone call.
Malia, whose school bus picks him up in front of the Marsh home, said that he had gotten a ride to school recently from Trevor's mother after he had missed his bus. Trevor's mom, he said, seemed strong emotionally, but "has been really kind of lost otherwise," Malia said. "Months later, she still wasn't sure what day it was."
Trevor was her only child.
'Earned his tear'
Malia had been among three high school friends who discovered Marsh's body, purely by happenstance, shortly before 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26. The body was down a steep embankment about 15 yards from the river near S. West River Parkway and E. 32nd Street.
According to the complaints, Marsh allegedly called Boleo during the afternoon of Oct. 25, inviting him and three other people who were with Boleo to meet him at the river.
There, the complaint said, Marsh showed Boleo a silver revolver. Boleo took the gun, unloaded it and then handed the revolver and ammunition back to Marsh.
Boleo allegedly asked Marsh why he was lying about being a Gangster Disciples member, according to the complaints, which do not document Marsh's reply. Then, the complaints say, Boleo struck Marsh and two of the three people with Boleo "jumped into the fight."
Neiss, the younger brother, got hold of Marsh's handgun and struck him with it. He put a single bullet into it, according to the complaints, announced that they were going to play Russian roulette and spun the cylinder.
Boleo then called Dropik to pick up the brothers, the complaints say.
When she arrived, the complaints say, Boleo told Dropik that his younger brother, Neiss, now was a "gangster," and that he had "earned his tear."
According to the complaints, a tear tattoo under the eye signifies you've killed someone.
Asked Thursday about the suspects, Malia said that he was not familiar with the names, or in the case of the juveniles, with the initials provided by authorities. But, he added, he'd been hearing rumors about the Russian roulette.
He said that he has visited the site 20 to 30 times, "paying respects and trying to understand what went on."
On a couple occasions, he added, Trevor Marsh's parents happened to be there as well.
Four held in teen's Russian roulette death in October
A 16-year-old gang member, angry over the victim's claim of being a gang member himself, is charged with the riverbank shooting.
Minneapolis' first 2007 homicide is linked to apparent love triangle
Moments before his death last October in a secluded area near the banks of the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis, 17-year-old Trevor Marsh learned he was in a game of Russian roulette.
Authorities say that Raine C. Neiss, 16, of Minneapolis, one of three people angry that Marsh was claiming to be a member of the Gangster Disciples, put a gun to Marsh's head and declared, "the bullet will tell if you are telling the truth."
The bullet was in the cylinder.
Although he begged for his life, a witness said, Marsh was killed with that single shot, according to criminal complaints that became public Thursday. Three people are charged and a fourth is being held in connection with the death of Marsh, who was a senior at Minneapolis South High School.
Lt. Amelia Huffman, a Minneapolis police spokeswoman, said there was no evidence that Marsh was a gang member. "A wannabe, perhaps," she said, "but not a confirmed member."
The arrests, announced by police Thursday, brought relief to Nick Malia, 18, of Minneapolis, a friend and high school classmate.
Malia feared that Marsh had been forgotten since his body was discovered near a steep bank Oct. 26. He had been shot a day earlier.
Malia added that Marsh had, in fact, purported to be -- in Marsh's words -- a "G.D." member.
"He always wanted to be accepted, or respected, so he'd lie a lot," Malia recalled Thursday. "He just wanted people to like him more."
Marsh allegedly was killed not because he might have been part of the Gangster Disciples, but because his attackers were upset by his false claims. At least two of them were Gangster Disciples, according to the complaints.
Don't mess with the G.D., the complaints quote one of the suspects as saying to Marsh shortly before he was shot.
Now in custody are:
• Neiss, who is awaiting extradition from Omaha, charged last week in Hennepin County Juvenile Court with second-degree murder and with one count of committing a crime for the benefit of a gang, also a felony.
• His older brother, George M. Boleo, also known as George M. Neiss, 25, of Minneapolis, who has been charged with committing a crime for the benefit of a gang and with being an accomplice after the fact.
• Tia M. Dropik, 18, of Minneapolis, who has been charged with being an accomplice after the fact.
• A 15-year-old male, described by police as "the remaining conspirator," whose case is being reviewed by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for possible charges.
A woman who answered the phone at the alleged gunman's last known address said Thursday night that the family had moved recently.
Marsh's parents did not return a reporter's phone call.
Malia, whose school bus picks him up in front of the Marsh home, said that he had gotten a ride to school recently from Trevor's mother after he had missed his bus. Trevor's mom, he said, seemed strong emotionally, but "has been really kind of lost otherwise," Malia said. "Months later, she still wasn't sure what day it was."
Trevor was her only child.
'Earned his tear'
Malia had been among three high school friends who discovered Marsh's body, purely by happenstance, shortly before 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26. The body was down a steep embankment about 15 yards from the river near S. West River Parkway and E. 32nd Street.
According to the complaints, Marsh allegedly called Boleo during the afternoon of Oct. 25, inviting him and three other people who were with Boleo to meet him at the river.
There, the complaint said, Marsh showed Boleo a silver revolver. Boleo took the gun, unloaded it and then handed the revolver and ammunition back to Marsh.
Boleo allegedly asked Marsh why he was lying about being a Gangster Disciples member, according to the complaints, which do not document Marsh's reply. Then, the complaints say, Boleo struck Marsh and two of the three people with Boleo "jumped into the fight."
Neiss, the younger brother, got hold of Marsh's handgun and struck him with it. He put a single bullet into it, according to the complaints, announced that they were going to play Russian roulette and spun the cylinder.
Boleo then called Dropik to pick up the brothers, the complaints say.
When she arrived, the complaints say, Boleo told Dropik that his younger brother, Neiss, now was a "gangster," and that he had "earned his tear."
According to the complaints, a tear tattoo under the eye signifies you've killed someone.
Asked Thursday about the suspects, Malia said that he was not familiar with the names, or in the case of the juveniles, with the initials provided by authorities. But, he added, he'd been hearing rumors about the Russian roulette.
He said that he has visited the site 20 to 30 times, "paying respects and trying to understand what went on."
On a couple occasions, he added, Trevor Marsh's parents happened to be there as well.
Black Workers Accused White Bosses of Racism
James Jackson, a 26-year-old black employee of 180 Connect, was preparing for another day of installing cable, telephone and Internet service to residential customers of Cablevision in Nassau County, New York on December 7.
When he walked to the fenced-off area to pick up equipment for the day's jobs he looked up and was shocked to see a vicious, racist symbol in his workplace. A noose was hanging in the fenced-off equipment area, visible to the dozens of installers, the majority of whom are black, but accessible only to his boss and an equipment manager, both of whom are white.
Jackson, a former messenger who had worked at 180 Connect for a year and a half, immediately confronted the equipment manager, Dave Willie.
"I asked Dave," Jackson told CNN, " 'What is that hanging up there?' and he said, 'That is a noose' and I said, 'I know it's a noose, but why is it up there?' And he walked away."
Jackson and his co-workers say they were distraught.
"I just wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of there," 180 Connect employee Ralph Satterwhite told CNN. "I was disgusted."
The installers say they never complained to Human Resources. Instead, they consulted with a labor attorney, documented the incident, and decided to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Installer Shomari Houston, according to the complaint, says he asked his white boss, Gary Murdock, why a hangman's noose was in his workplace. He says the response was: To hang two black employees.
"He said, 'Yo, I like that, it's cool, I am gonna hang Russell up there. Think we can get James up there?' " Houston recalls Murdock saying. "I looked at him like, 'You serious.' "
Jackson says he continued to ask that the noose be taken down, and openly recorded the following conversation with Willie.
Jackson: "Who's that for, the rope?"
Willie: "For anybody who goes past that door that I don't want them in there."
Jackson: "Hang 'em?"
Willie: "Yeah."
Company says it has no tolerance for racism
After a week of complaints, the noose finally came down. The next day, December 14, the installers went public with their gripe, announcing their plans to file the EEOC discrimination claim.
180 Connect says it has zero tolerance for racism.
"It's inappropriate to put up any sign of violence in the workplace," said 180 Connect attorney Joel Cohen. "The company is aware that a noose could have racial connotations and could be a very negative symbol to African-American people.
"The company does not tolerate racism in the workplace and if anybody in the company engaged in wrongdoing, that will be dealt with and will be dealt with in a responsible way."
180 Connect has suspended Willie with pay, pending results of an investigation.
In a statement, Willie told CNN, "I am deeply saddened that a few of my co-workers have chosen to publicly air allegations of racism which they know to be false."
Willie's attorney, Richard Gertler, says his client's comment had no racial intent.
"He was saying it tongue in cheek. It's taken out of context," said Gertler.
Willie, Gertler stresses, is no racist. "My client's first marriage for 17 years was to an African-American woman. So I don't think he's racist."
Gary Murdock continues to oversee the warehouse at 180 Connect. Murdock did not return CNN's phone calls.
180 Connect has retained former National Labor Relations Law Judge Edwin Bennett to conduct an investigation. The installers, however, are refusing to appear before the judge without their attorney, which the company is not permitting, arguing it is not a legal proceeding.
Although the installers don't work directly for Cablevision, they also named the cable operator in their suit, saying company employees saw the noose and took no action.
Cablevision told CNN, "We are deeply troubled by the allegations about 180 Connect's workplace. We expect 180 Connect to conduct a thorough and credible investigation, to cooperate with any external investigation, and to take any appropriate actions."
180 Connect has more than 4,000 employees around the country. Among the cable television companies it provides installation services for is Time Warner Cable, a division of CNN's parent company, Time Warner. 180 Connect's operations are almost all in the United States, but the company has its corporate headquarters in Canada and trades on the Toronto stock exchange.
When he walked to the fenced-off area to pick up equipment for the day's jobs he looked up and was shocked to see a vicious, racist symbol in his workplace. A noose was hanging in the fenced-off equipment area, visible to the dozens of installers, the majority of whom are black, but accessible only to his boss and an equipment manager, both of whom are white.
Jackson, a former messenger who had worked at 180 Connect for a year and a half, immediately confronted the equipment manager, Dave Willie.
"I asked Dave," Jackson told CNN, " 'What is that hanging up there?' and he said, 'That is a noose' and I said, 'I know it's a noose, but why is it up there?' And he walked away."
Jackson and his co-workers say they were distraught.
"I just wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of there," 180 Connect employee Ralph Satterwhite told CNN. "I was disgusted."
The installers say they never complained to Human Resources. Instead, they consulted with a labor attorney, documented the incident, and decided to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Installer Shomari Houston, according to the complaint, says he asked his white boss, Gary Murdock, why a hangman's noose was in his workplace. He says the response was: To hang two black employees.
"He said, 'Yo, I like that, it's cool, I am gonna hang Russell up there. Think we can get James up there?' " Houston recalls Murdock saying. "I looked at him like, 'You serious.' "
Jackson says he continued to ask that the noose be taken down, and openly recorded the following conversation with Willie.
Jackson: "Who's that for, the rope?"
Willie: "For anybody who goes past that door that I don't want them in there."
Jackson: "Hang 'em?"
Willie: "Yeah."
Company says it has no tolerance for racism
After a week of complaints, the noose finally came down. The next day, December 14, the installers went public with their gripe, announcing their plans to file the EEOC discrimination claim.
180 Connect says it has zero tolerance for racism.
"It's inappropriate to put up any sign of violence in the workplace," said 180 Connect attorney Joel Cohen. "The company is aware that a noose could have racial connotations and could be a very negative symbol to African-American people.
"The company does not tolerate racism in the workplace and if anybody in the company engaged in wrongdoing, that will be dealt with and will be dealt with in a responsible way."
180 Connect has suspended Willie with pay, pending results of an investigation.
In a statement, Willie told CNN, "I am deeply saddened that a few of my co-workers have chosen to publicly air allegations of racism which they know to be false."
Willie's attorney, Richard Gertler, says his client's comment had no racial intent.
"He was saying it tongue in cheek. It's taken out of context," said Gertler.
Willie, Gertler stresses, is no racist. "My client's first marriage for 17 years was to an African-American woman. So I don't think he's racist."
Gary Murdock continues to oversee the warehouse at 180 Connect. Murdock did not return CNN's phone calls.
180 Connect has retained former National Labor Relations Law Judge Edwin Bennett to conduct an investigation. The installers, however, are refusing to appear before the judge without their attorney, which the company is not permitting, arguing it is not a legal proceeding.
Although the installers don't work directly for Cablevision, they also named the cable operator in their suit, saying company employees saw the noose and took no action.
Cablevision told CNN, "We are deeply troubled by the allegations about 180 Connect's workplace. We expect 180 Connect to conduct a thorough and credible investigation, to cooperate with any external investigation, and to take any appropriate actions."
180 Connect has more than 4,000 employees around the country. Among the cable television companies it provides installation services for is Time Warner Cable, a division of CNN's parent company, Time Warner. 180 Connect's operations are almost all in the United States, but the company has its corporate headquarters in Canada and trades on the Toronto stock exchange.
Check out this sick newsletter about blogging!
I just found this awesome newsletter for blogging and it's amazing!
You sould definitely check this out!
Friday, January 05, 2007
50 Cent Slings Rubbers, Disses Ludacris
50 Cent recently revealed to the New York Post that he has plans to release his own brand of condoms.
The Queens, NY rapper, who launched his G-Unit Book imprint via a book signing yesterday (January 4), hopes his condom venture will promote safe sex effectively and plans to donate a part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.
During Thursday's signing, 50 introduced a series of books which included The Ski Mask Way, Death Before Dishonor and Baby Brother.
The G-Unit honcho also has plans to make all the books into films. A screenplay for The Ski Mask Way has already been written and the movie will be shot in the summer.
"The novels are the harsh realities in certain situations," 50 explained toThe Post. "And the actual honest content in the music and the books are a spin-off of that reality. That's what hip-hop about them is. In The Ski Mask Way particularly, there's a character named Seven that's based on me. And there's a portion where he's incarcerated and has to make decisions about his life and how things spin out of control. I've been in a similar space, but I was able to hold on and not spin out of control."
50 also divulged that he is writing a book titled 50 Laws of Power with author Robert Greene. The book will be an urban take of Greene's 48 Laws of Power.
In related news, 50 recently appeared on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio Show and blasted Ludacris for not defending himself when he appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.
"What's her name? Ludacris, he spent his time on the show in a fetal position," 50 scoffed.
50 has been taking shots at Winfrey for criticizing hip-hop artists and not inviting them to her show. In a recent interview with Elle Magazine, he accused Winfrey of "being black on the outside, but white on the inside," because she only deals with issues affecting middle aged white American women.
The Queens, NY rapper, who launched his G-Unit Book imprint via a book signing yesterday (January 4), hopes his condom venture will promote safe sex effectively and plans to donate a part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.
During Thursday's signing, 50 introduced a series of books which included The Ski Mask Way, Death Before Dishonor and Baby Brother.
The G-Unit honcho also has plans to make all the books into films. A screenplay for The Ski Mask Way has already been written and the movie will be shot in the summer.
"The novels are the harsh realities in certain situations," 50 explained toThe Post. "And the actual honest content in the music and the books are a spin-off of that reality. That's what hip-hop about them is. In The Ski Mask Way particularly, there's a character named Seven that's based on me. And there's a portion where he's incarcerated and has to make decisions about his life and how things spin out of control. I've been in a similar space, but I was able to hold on and not spin out of control."
50 also divulged that he is writing a book titled 50 Laws of Power with author Robert Greene. The book will be an urban take of Greene's 48 Laws of Power.
In related news, 50 recently appeared on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio Show and blasted Ludacris for not defending himself when he appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.
"What's her name? Ludacris, he spent his time on the show in a fetal position," 50 scoffed.
50 has been taking shots at Winfrey for criticizing hip-hop artists and not inviting them to her show. In a recent interview with Elle Magazine, he accused Winfrey of "being black on the outside, but white on the inside," because she only deals with issues affecting middle aged white American women.
How to View MySpace Private Blogs!
- this takes you to the blog edit page, don’t freak out, it’s supposed to.
- this one doesn’t need the replacing of friend ID’s.. just one word
example: if you go to view a blog and you see the red text saying that this blog is set for friends only, or preferred list only, or set to blog owner only, all you have to do is change one word in the url.
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blogID=XXXX&friendid=XXXX
change the red to:
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.edit&blogID=XXXX&friendid=XXXX
View Entire Blog List
- this gives you a list of every blog a user has posted.
- combined with the “View Private Blogs” above, you can now view anyone’s blogs.. even private profiles.
- use one of the following urls by replacing the XX’s with the desired friend ID.
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewCategory&FriendID=XXXXXX
- this one doesn’t need the replacing of friend ID’s.. just one word
example: if you go to view a blog and you see the red text saying that this blog is set for friends only, or preferred list only, or set to blog owner only, all you have to do is change one word in the url.
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blogID=XXXX&friendid=XXXX
change the red to:
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.edit&blogID=XXXX&friendid=XXXX
View Entire Blog List
- this gives you a list of every blog a user has posted.
- combined with the “View Private Blogs” above, you can now view anyone’s blogs.. even private profiles.
- use one of the following urls by replacing the XX’s with the desired friend ID.
Code:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewCategory&FriendID=XXXXXX
FBI can listen to everything you say
FBI can listen to everything you say, even when the cell phone is turned off
Cell phone users, beware. The FBI can listen to everything you say, even when the cell phone is turned off.
A recent court ruling in a case against the Genovese crime family revealed that the FBI has the ability from a remote location to activate a cell phone and turn its microphone into a listening device that transmits to an FBI listening post, a method known as a "roving bug." Experts say the only way to defeat it is to remove the cell phone battery.
"The FBI can access cell phones and modify them remotely without ever having to physically handle them," James Atkinson, a counterintelligence security consultant. "Any recently manufactured cell phone has a built-in tracking device, which can allow eavesdroppers to pinpoint someone's location to within just a few feet," he added.
Cell phone users, beware. The FBI can listen to everything you say, even when the cell phone is turned off.
A recent court ruling in a case against the Genovese crime family revealed that the FBI has the ability from a remote location to activate a cell phone and turn its microphone into a listening device that transmits to an FBI listening post, a method known as a "roving bug." Experts say the only way to defeat it is to remove the cell phone battery.
"The FBI can access cell phones and modify them remotely without ever having to physically handle them," James Atkinson, a counterintelligence security consultant. "Any recently manufactured cell phone has a built-in tracking device, which can allow eavesdroppers to pinpoint someone's location to within just a few feet," he added.
Forget motorway congestion - this is a traffic jam
The M25, central London, the Autobahn...if you thought these roads were traffic-congested then take a look at this picture.
Hundreds of cars queue aimlessly for the chance to actually get to their destination in Xiamen, south China.
The country has experienced a massive increase this year in the sale of cars, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Debut Episode Of "I Love New York" Hits The Net
The first episode of "I Love New York" has just premiered online on VH1.com's VSpot.
As previously reported, the show features New York aka Tiffany Pollard as she combs through 20 male contestants to find true love. New York's mother, Sister Patterson, also returns to assist New York in making the right decisions.
The first episode has New York recounting the last two seasons of "Flavor Of Love" before welcoming 20 contestants into her mansion. In addition to Patterson, the show also features Chamo, New York's flamboyant personal stylist and assistant.
"New York is a beautiful, spirited and sexy woman who deserves a man who appreciates her -- she is also one of the most outrageous reality personalities we have ever seen -- this show should be a lot of fun," executive producers Mark Cronin & Cris Abrego said via statement.
"I Love New York" premieres on VH1 on Monday
As previously reported, the show features New York aka Tiffany Pollard as she combs through 20 male contestants to find true love. New York's mother, Sister Patterson, also returns to assist New York in making the right decisions.
The first episode has New York recounting the last two seasons of "Flavor Of Love" before welcoming 20 contestants into her mansion. In addition to Patterson, the show also features Chamo, New York's flamboyant personal stylist and assistant.
"New York is a beautiful, spirited and sexy woman who deserves a man who appreciates her -- she is also one of the most outrageous reality personalities we have ever seen -- this show should be a lot of fun," executive producers Mark Cronin & Cris Abrego said via statement.
"I Love New York" premieres on VH1 on Monday
Snoop Dogg, Snoop Youth Football League Accused Of Breaching Contract
Rapper Snoop Dogg has been hit with a $250,00 lawsuit, claiming the rapper's Snoop Youth Football League Foundation (SYFL) made a deal with Natural Resources Media & Technology Group to shoot a reality series, despite having a similar, preexisting deal with 20th Century Fox.
The lawsuit, which was filed in New York Supreme Court last week, claims that Natural Resources inked a deal with the SYFL, granting them exclusive rights over footage of the team for pay-per-view, cable and DVD/home video distribution, in exchange for a $100,000 production budget and a share of revenue.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox became aware of the second deal and sent a letter to Natural Resources Media and other companies involved in the deal, which included TV One, Strange Fruit Film and TV and Axcess Sports & Entertainment.
20th Century Fox is developing a similar film with Snoop Dogg, titled Coach Snoop with screenwriters Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin (Snow Dogs, The Wild).
Representatives for Fox warned the companies involved that a large investment had been made into Coach Snoop and that any other television project would violate Fox's previously granted rights.
The lawsuit claims Natural Resources was going to film footage of SYFL players leading up the the "Snooperbowl," the SYFL's annual championship for its 9-12 year-old players.
Representatives for Snoop Dogg of the SYFL were not available for comment as of press time.
The lawsuit, which was filed in New York Supreme Court last week, claims that Natural Resources inked a deal with the SYFL, granting them exclusive rights over footage of the team for pay-per-view, cable and DVD/home video distribution, in exchange for a $100,000 production budget and a share of revenue.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox became aware of the second deal and sent a letter to Natural Resources Media and other companies involved in the deal, which included TV One, Strange Fruit Film and TV and Axcess Sports & Entertainment.
20th Century Fox is developing a similar film with Snoop Dogg, titled Coach Snoop with screenwriters Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin (Snow Dogs, The Wild).
Representatives for Fox warned the companies involved that a large investment had been made into Coach Snoop and that any other television project would violate Fox's previously granted rights.
The lawsuit claims Natural Resources was going to film footage of SYFL players leading up the the "Snooperbowl," the SYFL's annual championship for its 9-12 year-old players.
Representatives for Snoop Dogg of the SYFL were not available for comment as of press time.
Indian Men: 63% Expect Virgin Wife,37% Had Homo Experience, 14% WTF?!?
NEW DELHI, Nov 6 - Nearly two-thirds of young Indian men expect the woman they marry to be a virgin, but nearly half have had sex with prostitutes, according to a poll.
The survey of more than 2,500 men aged between 16 and 25 conducted by India Today magazine across 11 cities found that 49 percent claimed to have had sex with a sex worker while 37 percent said they had had a homosexual experience.
But 63 percent of young men in conservative India said they expected the women they married to be a virgin.
The average age of their first sexual encounter appears to be falling -- to 18 years from 23 in a similar survey two years ago, but condom use is on the rise, the report said. More than half of the men surveyed said they always used a condom.
Fourteen percent of those surveyed said they had had sex with a member of their own family.
The survey of more than 2,500 men aged between 16 and 25 conducted by India Today magazine across 11 cities found that 49 percent claimed to have had sex with a sex worker while 37 percent said they had had a homosexual experience.
But 63 percent of young men in conservative India said they expected the women they married to be a virgin.
The average age of their first sexual encounter appears to be falling -- to 18 years from 23 in a similar survey two years ago, but condom use is on the rise, the report said. More than half of the men surveyed said they always used a condom.
Fourteen percent of those surveyed said they had had sex with a member of their own family.
YouTube ordered to block hot video in Brazil
A Brazilian judge has ordered YouTube to find a way to stop Brazilians from viewing steamy footage of supermodel Daniela Cicarelli and her boyfriend on the highly trafficked video-sharing site, court officials said Thursday.
YouTube was first ordered in September to remove video showing Cicarelli and Brazilian banker Renato Malzoni in intimate scenes along a beach near the Spanish city of Cadiz.
But the clip still appears periodically on YouTube, prompting the expanded order from Sao Paulo state Supreme Court Justice Enio Santarelli Zuliani on Tuesday, the court’s press office said in a statement.
Two Brazilian sites that ran the video of Cicarelli and Malzoni complied with the original order, the statement said.
Cicarelli is one of Brazil’s best-known models. She hosts a show on Brazilian MTV and was previously engaged to Brazilian soccer great Ronaldo, who plays for the famed Real Madrid team of Spain.
The judge said YouTube must find a way to use filters so the clip stops popping up in Brazil on the site owned by Google Inc. Lawyer Rubens Decousseau Tilkian, who represents Cicarelli’s boyfriend, said YouTube had not gone far enough to prevent access to the clip because people keep posting it using different names for the video.
“The Internet is democratic and has to be defended, but this struggle is to have some level of control to avoid the violations of people’s fundamental rights, like privacy and intimacy,” Tilkian said in a phone interview.
YouTube spokeswoman Jennifer Nielsen declined comment on the decision.
Links to the video appeared on YouTube Thursday, but efforts to access them from Brazil and the United States produced this message: “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.”
Though Zuliani is a judge in Brazil’s most populous state of Sao Paulo, where Internet use is heaviest, he had the power to issue an order affecting all of Brazil, the court press office said.
The case now goes automatically to a three-member panel of judges who will decide whether to make the order permanent and whether to fine YouTube as much as $119,000 for each day that the video was viewable, Tilkian said.
The lawyer represented both Cicarelli and Malzoni in the first case when they won the order to have the links taken down. Malzoni decided to go forward with the second case seeking to ban YouTube in Brazil after the video kept reappearing, Tilkian said.
“The problem is that the system is failing,” Tilkian said. “Our objective is simply to get this video off-line.”
It’s not YouTube’s first brush with litigation, although disputes have often been over copyright. In July, independent news reporter Robert Tur sued YouTube in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming footage of his was posted and circulated without his permission.
YouTube also deleted nearly 30,000 files after a Japanese entertainment trade group complained, and through negotiations with leading U.S. copyright holders agreed to deploy an audio-signature technology that can spot specific clips.
When it bought YouTube in November, Google set aside shares now worth about $220 million as a financial cushion to cover losses or possible legal bills for the frequent copyright violations on YouTube’s video-sharing site.
Meanwhile, Google last September appealed a Brazilian federal judge’s order to turn over information on users of the company’s Orkut social-networking service.
Google insisted it already had complied with court requests to identify individuals accused of using Orkut to spread child pornography and engage in hate speech against blacks, Jews and homosexuals.
The company has said it is open to data requests from foreign governments as long as they comply with U.S. laws and are issued within the country in which the information is stored.
YouTube was first ordered in September to remove video showing Cicarelli and Brazilian banker Renato Malzoni in intimate scenes along a beach near the Spanish city of Cadiz.
But the clip still appears periodically on YouTube, prompting the expanded order from Sao Paulo state Supreme Court Justice Enio Santarelli Zuliani on Tuesday, the court’s press office said in a statement.
Two Brazilian sites that ran the video of Cicarelli and Malzoni complied with the original order, the statement said.
Cicarelli is one of Brazil’s best-known models. She hosts a show on Brazilian MTV and was previously engaged to Brazilian soccer great Ronaldo, who plays for the famed Real Madrid team of Spain.
The judge said YouTube must find a way to use filters so the clip stops popping up in Brazil on the site owned by Google Inc. Lawyer Rubens Decousseau Tilkian, who represents Cicarelli’s boyfriend, said YouTube had not gone far enough to prevent access to the clip because people keep posting it using different names for the video.
“The Internet is democratic and has to be defended, but this struggle is to have some level of control to avoid the violations of people’s fundamental rights, like privacy and intimacy,” Tilkian said in a phone interview.
YouTube spokeswoman Jennifer Nielsen declined comment on the decision.
Links to the video appeared on YouTube Thursday, but efforts to access them from Brazil and the United States produced this message: “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.”
Though Zuliani is a judge in Brazil’s most populous state of Sao Paulo, where Internet use is heaviest, he had the power to issue an order affecting all of Brazil, the court press office said.
The case now goes automatically to a three-member panel of judges who will decide whether to make the order permanent and whether to fine YouTube as much as $119,000 for each day that the video was viewable, Tilkian said.
The lawyer represented both Cicarelli and Malzoni in the first case when they won the order to have the links taken down. Malzoni decided to go forward with the second case seeking to ban YouTube in Brazil after the video kept reappearing, Tilkian said.
“The problem is that the system is failing,” Tilkian said. “Our objective is simply to get this video off-line.”
It’s not YouTube’s first brush with litigation, although disputes have often been over copyright. In July, independent news reporter Robert Tur sued YouTube in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming footage of his was posted and circulated without his permission.
YouTube also deleted nearly 30,000 files after a Japanese entertainment trade group complained, and through negotiations with leading U.S. copyright holders agreed to deploy an audio-signature technology that can spot specific clips.
When it bought YouTube in November, Google set aside shares now worth about $220 million as a financial cushion to cover losses or possible legal bills for the frequent copyright violations on YouTube’s video-sharing site.
Meanwhile, Google last September appealed a Brazilian federal judge’s order to turn over information on users of the company’s Orkut social-networking service.
Google insisted it already had complied with court requests to identify individuals accused of using Orkut to spread child pornography and engage in hate speech against blacks, Jews and homosexuals.
The company has said it is open to data requests from foreign governments as long as they comply with U.S. laws and are issued within the country in which the information is stored.
Album sales dropped for a seventh consecutive year
The music biz can't stem the bleeding, but for now, digital tracks are proving to be a secure Band-aid.
Album sales dropped for a seventh consecutive year, but a dramatic increase in the sale of digital tracks helped keep the music industry afloat in 2006.
Some 588.2 million album units sold last year, down 4.9%, while consumers purchased 581.9 million digital tracks -- a 65% increase from 2005's 352.7 million sold. Nielsen SoundScan, which released the figures Thursday, counts a block of 10 tracks sold as an album.
However, while hits were created -- Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" -- no top-selling artists generated follow-ups that did significant business.
Disney's "High School Musical" soundtrack was 2006's top seller at 3.7 million units -- the lowest total for the year's chart-topper in the 15 years SoundScan has been keeping sales figures.
Good news: Sales were spread around many different artists. Bad news: The bar for a "hit" is reduced and in many cases the return on investment for a label is smaller.
"High School Musical" is the first soundtrack to become the No. 1 album since "Titanic" sold 9.3 million copies in 2002, a feat that should have Disney -- an indie in the recorded music field -- smiling. But it should concern the rest of the business that no major label act could beat a TV soundtrack aimed at tweens.
As artists go, it was Rascal Flatts' year. Disc "Me and My Gang" (Lyric Street) was the top-selling album by a single artist at 3.5 million. The country trio also registered the year's biggest sales week, moving 722,000 copies of "My Gang" in the first week of its release. Band was tops in digital sales, and the biggest seller overall, edging Johnny Cash 4.97 million to 4.83 million. (Figure counts every album, video and track sold by the artist).
Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" topped the digital tracks list, selling 1.9 million copies. Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" was No. 2 at 1.6 million. Every title in the top 10 sold at least 1.28 million copies.
The Fray's "How to Save a Life" posted the year's biggest digital album sales tally: 198,000. And Akon's "Smack That" was the No. 1 ringtone, selling 1.6 million.
In market share, Universal Music Group remained No. 1 with 31.6%; Sony BMG Music Entertainment came in at 27.4%; Warner Music Group had 18.1%; and EMI held onto 10.2%.
Digital continues to make inroads as the number of albums sold as downloads doubled from 2005. Current albums represented 18.6 million units sold, a rise of 93.7%; 14 million catalog albums were scanned, a 108.9% spike; and 9.8 million deep catalog albums were downloaded, a 104.2% rise.
Digital albums represent 5.5% of all albums sold. Warner Music continued to build on its digital market share, rising 1.72% to 23.29% of the digital album universe. UMG is at 27.4% of all digital album sales, Sony BMG 24% and EMI 10%.
Sales of current physical albums came in at 363.9 million, a 6.5% drop from '05. Catalog was down 8.1% -- 210.2 million sold -- and deep catalog was at 148.4 million, a 2.8% dip.
As for genres, classical and soundtracks saw considerable bumps, rising 22.5% and 18.9%, respectively. Country was flat, and Christian/gospel rose 1.3%. The biggest-selling genre is rock at 170.1 million albums sold, but the genre was not tracked in 2005. R&B, at 117 million units sold, took a big hit, dropping 18.4% from the previous year.
Year's data from Nielsen SoundScan revealed that customers are not going to record stores like they used to. Chain stores saw just 41% of all sales, down from 48% two years ago. Indie music stores account for 6% of all sales, down from 7% last year and 9% in '04.
On the other hand, nontraditional merchants -- online services, TV, kiosks at concert venues -- saw their sales grow 44% to 69.3 million. Mass merchant outlets like Wal-Mart and Target accounted for 40% of all sales, up 1% from '05 but 7% from 2002.
As has been the case for the last two years, 20% of all sales occurred during the last six weeks of the year.
Album sales dropped for a seventh consecutive year, but a dramatic increase in the sale of digital tracks helped keep the music industry afloat in 2006.
Some 588.2 million album units sold last year, down 4.9%, while consumers purchased 581.9 million digital tracks -- a 65% increase from 2005's 352.7 million sold. Nielsen SoundScan, which released the figures Thursday, counts a block of 10 tracks sold as an album.
However, while hits were created -- Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" -- no top-selling artists generated follow-ups that did significant business.
Disney's "High School Musical" soundtrack was 2006's top seller at 3.7 million units -- the lowest total for the year's chart-topper in the 15 years SoundScan has been keeping sales figures.
Good news: Sales were spread around many different artists. Bad news: The bar for a "hit" is reduced and in many cases the return on investment for a label is smaller.
"High School Musical" is the first soundtrack to become the No. 1 album since "Titanic" sold 9.3 million copies in 2002, a feat that should have Disney -- an indie in the recorded music field -- smiling. But it should concern the rest of the business that no major label act could beat a TV soundtrack aimed at tweens.
As artists go, it was Rascal Flatts' year. Disc "Me and My Gang" (Lyric Street) was the top-selling album by a single artist at 3.5 million. The country trio also registered the year's biggest sales week, moving 722,000 copies of "My Gang" in the first week of its release. Band was tops in digital sales, and the biggest seller overall, edging Johnny Cash 4.97 million to 4.83 million. (Figure counts every album, video and track sold by the artist).
Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" topped the digital tracks list, selling 1.9 million copies. Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" was No. 2 at 1.6 million. Every title in the top 10 sold at least 1.28 million copies.
The Fray's "How to Save a Life" posted the year's biggest digital album sales tally: 198,000. And Akon's "Smack That" was the No. 1 ringtone, selling 1.6 million.
In market share, Universal Music Group remained No. 1 with 31.6%; Sony BMG Music Entertainment came in at 27.4%; Warner Music Group had 18.1%; and EMI held onto 10.2%.
Digital continues to make inroads as the number of albums sold as downloads doubled from 2005. Current albums represented 18.6 million units sold, a rise of 93.7%; 14 million catalog albums were scanned, a 108.9% spike; and 9.8 million deep catalog albums were downloaded, a 104.2% rise.
Digital albums represent 5.5% of all albums sold. Warner Music continued to build on its digital market share, rising 1.72% to 23.29% of the digital album universe. UMG is at 27.4% of all digital album sales, Sony BMG 24% and EMI 10%.
Sales of current physical albums came in at 363.9 million, a 6.5% drop from '05. Catalog was down 8.1% -- 210.2 million sold -- and deep catalog was at 148.4 million, a 2.8% dip.
As for genres, classical and soundtracks saw considerable bumps, rising 22.5% and 18.9%, respectively. Country was flat, and Christian/gospel rose 1.3%. The biggest-selling genre is rock at 170.1 million albums sold, but the genre was not tracked in 2005. R&B, at 117 million units sold, took a big hit, dropping 18.4% from the previous year.
Year's data from Nielsen SoundScan revealed that customers are not going to record stores like they used to. Chain stores saw just 41% of all sales, down from 48% two years ago. Indie music stores account for 6% of all sales, down from 7% last year and 9% in '04.
On the other hand, nontraditional merchants -- online services, TV, kiosks at concert venues -- saw their sales grow 44% to 69.3 million. Mass merchant outlets like Wal-Mart and Target accounted for 40% of all sales, up 1% from '05 but 7% from 2002.
As has been the case for the last two years, 20% of all sales occurred during the last six weeks of the year.
Paris Hilton 'fired' by Florida nightclubs
Two US nightclubs known as Club Paris will no longer be associated with their namesake - Paris Hilton, according to the clubs' owner.
Fred Khalilian said he "fired" the hotel heiress because she has continuously failed to attend scheduled appearances at the club in Orlando.
The troubles started two years ago when Hilton showed up six hours late for the grand opening, Khalilian said.
"She's created a circus for herself," he said. "It's all about: How has she screwed up now?"
Khalilian does not want to change the name of the Orlando club, or one opened in Jacksonville last year, because he said the name is so well known. Instead of Club Paris representing Hilton, it will stand for the city, Khalilian said.
He plans to hold a competition to find the new face of his clubs.
Hilton's spokesman Elliot Mintz told The AP that neither he nor Hilton have been contacted by Khalilian.
"I'm certainly disappointed to learn of Fred's unfortunate comments." Mintz said. "We shall address his statements at the appropriate time."
Fred Khalilian said he "fired" the hotel heiress because she has continuously failed to attend scheduled appearances at the club in Orlando.
The troubles started two years ago when Hilton showed up six hours late for the grand opening, Khalilian said.
"She's created a circus for herself," he said. "It's all about: How has she screwed up now?"
Khalilian does not want to change the name of the Orlando club, or one opened in Jacksonville last year, because he said the name is so well known. Instead of Club Paris representing Hilton, it will stand for the city, Khalilian said.
He plans to hold a competition to find the new face of his clubs.
Hilton's spokesman Elliot Mintz told The AP that neither he nor Hilton have been contacted by Khalilian.
"I'm certainly disappointed to learn of Fred's unfortunate comments." Mintz said. "We shall address his statements at the appropriate time."
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Airliner mystery deepens (planes just dont dissapear do they :S)
An Indonesian jetliner that vanished with 102 people aboard did not issue distress signals or report any mechanical problems, a top aviation official said Thursday, contradicting earlier reports.
Meanwhile, a fleet of aircraft took to the skies, ships scoured the sea and soldiers battled rugged jungle terrain for the third day, searching a 28,000-square-mile area -- roughly the size of California. But by late afternoon they had seen no sign of the wreckage.
Earlier this week, officials wrongly reported finding the Boeing 737's wreckage and a dozen survivors, causing anguish among the passengers' families. (Watch rescuers search for plane )
"Search efforts have expanded, they're more sophisticated ... but they haven't discovered anything as far as they've told me," the girls' mother, Felice Jackson DuBois of Bend, Ore., told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday. "It's still a zero at this point."
Iksan Tatang, the director general of air transportation, said the missing plane reported high winds before losing contact with the ground on Monday midway through its flight from Indonesia's main island of Java to Manado on Sulawesi Island.
"The plane did not report any complaints about the navigation, the condition of the plane or other technical problems," he said, adding that two signals from its emergency beacon -- which is activated on impact -- were picked up by a plane in the vicinity and a satellite.
That appeared to contradict earlier reports from officials that the pilot sent out two distress signals before the plane went down.
"I urge people not to speculate. We must wait until the National Commission for Transportation Safety has located the ill-fated plane," Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told reporters.
Relatives of the passengers -- some camped out at the Adam Air counter at the Manado airport -- were losing patience. More than 150 gathered at a crisis center outside the airport demanding information.
"It's been three days, we just want to know what happened," said Selvi Kawengian, 43, whose younger brother was on the plane with his wife and 18-month-old son.
Top Indonesian aviation, military and police officials -- and the airline itself -- earlier claimed the plane had been found in remote mountains. They said that 90 people on board had perished, but the remaining 12 survived.
"Indonesia is a place full of miscommunication, contradictory information and confusion during an accident like this," said Nicholas Ionides, managing editor for Flight International Magazine in Asia. "There is gossip and rumor and you never know what the facts are."
Among those on board the plane were three Americans: Scott Jackson, a 54-year-old wood-products industry representative, and his daughters, 21-year-old Stephanie and 18-year-old Lindsey.
Meanwhile, a fleet of aircraft took to the skies, ships scoured the sea and soldiers battled rugged jungle terrain for the third day, searching a 28,000-square-mile area -- roughly the size of California. But by late afternoon they had seen no sign of the wreckage.
Earlier this week, officials wrongly reported finding the Boeing 737's wreckage and a dozen survivors, causing anguish among the passengers' families. (Watch rescuers search for plane )
"Search efforts have expanded, they're more sophisticated ... but they haven't discovered anything as far as they've told me," the girls' mother, Felice Jackson DuBois of Bend, Ore., told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday. "It's still a zero at this point."
Iksan Tatang, the director general of air transportation, said the missing plane reported high winds before losing contact with the ground on Monday midway through its flight from Indonesia's main island of Java to Manado on Sulawesi Island.
"The plane did not report any complaints about the navigation, the condition of the plane or other technical problems," he said, adding that two signals from its emergency beacon -- which is activated on impact -- were picked up by a plane in the vicinity and a satellite.
That appeared to contradict earlier reports from officials that the pilot sent out two distress signals before the plane went down.
"I urge people not to speculate. We must wait until the National Commission for Transportation Safety has located the ill-fated plane," Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told reporters.
Relatives of the passengers -- some camped out at the Adam Air counter at the Manado airport -- were losing patience. More than 150 gathered at a crisis center outside the airport demanding information.
"It's been three days, we just want to know what happened," said Selvi Kawengian, 43, whose younger brother was on the plane with his wife and 18-month-old son.
Top Indonesian aviation, military and police officials -- and the airline itself -- earlier claimed the plane had been found in remote mountains. They said that 90 people on board had perished, but the remaining 12 survived.
"Indonesia is a place full of miscommunication, contradictory information and confusion during an accident like this," said Nicholas Ionides, managing editor for Flight International Magazine in Asia. "There is gossip and rumor and you never know what the facts are."
Among those on board the plane were three Americans: Scott Jackson, a 54-year-old wood-products industry representative, and his daughters, 21-year-old Stephanie and 18-year-old Lindsey.
Police patroling the internet a exclusive look into whats going on
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Internet bolsters crime-fighting
The Internet has become a tool for police investigating different crimes, as people share information -- incriminating themselves -- online.
The police officers surfing the Internet these days aren't just investigating porn or setting up dates with suspected child molesters.
They are working to bust killers, drug dealers, graffiti artists, identity thieves and a host of other criminals.
''Today we use the Internet for working all types of crimes,'' said Mike Phillips, special agent supervisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Computer Crimes Division. ``We have to go where the criminals are, and they're on the Internet.''
Cyberspace is proving to be a trove of evidence of crimes committed and tips that help officers find perpetrators and even prevent crimes before they happen.
In recent months, police in Florida have used the Internet to:
• Thwart possible Columbine-type violence at a Hollywood middle school.
• Arrest a teen who bragged of smoking marijuana on MySpace.com.
• Arrest a man on burglary charges who posted incriminating photos of himself.
• Identify teenagers shown on video beating a homeless man.
School resource officers who frequently troll the social networking websites MySpace.com and Facebook.com say they help them learn about problems at schools. Students will chat about planned fights and brag about ''tagging'' the walls of schools with graffiti.
Many agencies have created special units to explore cyberspace because of the volume of people using the Internet -- many apparently not concerned about privacy.
MySpace.com claims to have more than 144 million members. Facebook.com has about 13 million registered users. Last year, Hollywood police say they foiled a violent plan to mimic Colorado's Columbine High School massacre from information they got online.
Acting on a complaint from the school's principal that some students feared for their lives, officers went to work surfing teen websites, said Hollywood Capt. Tony Rode.
Detectives soon identified two teens, one dubbed ''Wolf,'' who had posted a hit list of 70 students he called ''sheep,'' Rode said. The teens, who were expelled, had also posted graphic drawings of bloodied students.
'There were photos of the Columbine `trench coat mafia kids,' and other drawings we were able to download,'' Rode said. He wouldn't identify the school.
DRUGS AND GANGS
Officers routinely check the sites to learn the identities of gang members and drug dealers, Rode said.
Just two weeks ago, Punta Gorda police used a sting operation to arrest a 17-year-old boy who boasted on MySpace.com of smoking marijuana. Police contacted him on the site and arranged to buy marijuana. When he met with undercover officers on Dec. 13, he was arrested.
The cops are also looking for underage drinking parties.
''It's a major problem in South Florida,'' said Fort Lauderdale Detective Rich Love, a member of South Florida's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. ``We'll find a posting about a party at so-and-so's house or warehouse.''
On Dec. 19, Sarasota police arrested a 19-year-old man on burglary charges after they say he posted incriminating photos of himself on his MySpace profile, according to The Sarasota Herald Tribune.
FDLE created its computer crimes division in 1998 to handle Internet crime. It's responsible for investigating hacking, fraud and crimes against children. And it serves as the clearinghouse for the FBI's Internet fraud complaint center.
''Criminals who used to rob banks are finding it easier and less risky to commit identity theft online,'' Phillips said.
But the unit's expertise has become valuable in solving more gruesome crimes, too.
''A man who killed his wife shot out his computer, but our people were able to retrieve evidence from the hard drive, confirmation of an airline ticket to South America he had purchased that showed he intended to kill her and that it wasn't accidental,'' said Bob Breeden, FDLE assistant special agent in charge.
In January, Fort Lauderdale homicide detectives received tips from an online conversation that helped identify the teens caught on video beating a homeless man. Within minutes of the video's airing on TV, a group of teens named the suspects on a local website, www.SouthFloridaRacing.com.
SEXUAL PREDATORS
Still, law enforcement officers say, the biggest increase in online crime continues to be related to sexual predators and child pornographers.
With 27 million children signing on to the Internet every day, that's an unsupervised playground for ''these bogeymen,'' Love said.
Last month, Love said, his task force arrested a Fort Lauderdale man accused of trading large volumes of child pornography on the Web. And sites like MySpace have made it easier for child predators to find targets, he said.
''There are boys taking photos with their cell phones of young girls having sex and posting them to online,'' Love said. ``Girls are posting photos of themselves nude or almost nude. That's child pornography. They don't believe what they are doing is child pornography but it is. And they can be charged with a felony.''
Love gives presentations at middle and high schools around Broward County, cautioning students against sexual predators and against posting too much personal information online. He advises parents to monitor what their children are doing on the Internet and to visit their websites.
Internet bolsters crime-fighting
The Internet has become a tool for police investigating different crimes, as people share information -- incriminating themselves -- online.
The police officers surfing the Internet these days aren't just investigating porn or setting up dates with suspected child molesters.
They are working to bust killers, drug dealers, graffiti artists, identity thieves and a host of other criminals.
''Today we use the Internet for working all types of crimes,'' said Mike Phillips, special agent supervisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Computer Crimes Division. ``We have to go where the criminals are, and they're on the Internet.''
Cyberspace is proving to be a trove of evidence of crimes committed and tips that help officers find perpetrators and even prevent crimes before they happen.
In recent months, police in Florida have used the Internet to:
• Thwart possible Columbine-type violence at a Hollywood middle school.
• Arrest a teen who bragged of smoking marijuana on MySpace.com.
• Arrest a man on burglary charges who posted incriminating photos of himself.
• Identify teenagers shown on video beating a homeless man.
School resource officers who frequently troll the social networking websites MySpace.com and Facebook.com say they help them learn about problems at schools. Students will chat about planned fights and brag about ''tagging'' the walls of schools with graffiti.
Many agencies have created special units to explore cyberspace because of the volume of people using the Internet -- many apparently not concerned about privacy.
MySpace.com claims to have more than 144 million members. Facebook.com has about 13 million registered users. Last year, Hollywood police say they foiled a violent plan to mimic Colorado's Columbine High School massacre from information they got online.
Acting on a complaint from the school's principal that some students feared for their lives, officers went to work surfing teen websites, said Hollywood Capt. Tony Rode.
Detectives soon identified two teens, one dubbed ''Wolf,'' who had posted a hit list of 70 students he called ''sheep,'' Rode said. The teens, who were expelled, had also posted graphic drawings of bloodied students.
'There were photos of the Columbine `trench coat mafia kids,' and other drawings we were able to download,'' Rode said. He wouldn't identify the school.
DRUGS AND GANGS
Officers routinely check the sites to learn the identities of gang members and drug dealers, Rode said.
Just two weeks ago, Punta Gorda police used a sting operation to arrest a 17-year-old boy who boasted on MySpace.com of smoking marijuana. Police contacted him on the site and arranged to buy marijuana. When he met with undercover officers on Dec. 13, he was arrested.
The cops are also looking for underage drinking parties.
''It's a major problem in South Florida,'' said Fort Lauderdale Detective Rich Love, a member of South Florida's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. ``We'll find a posting about a party at so-and-so's house or warehouse.''
On Dec. 19, Sarasota police arrested a 19-year-old man on burglary charges after they say he posted incriminating photos of himself on his MySpace profile, according to The Sarasota Herald Tribune.
FDLE created its computer crimes division in 1998 to handle Internet crime. It's responsible for investigating hacking, fraud and crimes against children. And it serves as the clearinghouse for the FBI's Internet fraud complaint center.
''Criminals who used to rob banks are finding it easier and less risky to commit identity theft online,'' Phillips said.
But the unit's expertise has become valuable in solving more gruesome crimes, too.
''A man who killed his wife shot out his computer, but our people were able to retrieve evidence from the hard drive, confirmation of an airline ticket to South America he had purchased that showed he intended to kill her and that it wasn't accidental,'' said Bob Breeden, FDLE assistant special agent in charge.
In January, Fort Lauderdale homicide detectives received tips from an online conversation that helped identify the teens caught on video beating a homeless man. Within minutes of the video's airing on TV, a group of teens named the suspects on a local website, www.SouthFloridaRacing.com.
SEXUAL PREDATORS
Still, law enforcement officers say, the biggest increase in online crime continues to be related to sexual predators and child pornographers.
With 27 million children signing on to the Internet every day, that's an unsupervised playground for ''these bogeymen,'' Love said.
Last month, Love said, his task force arrested a Fort Lauderdale man accused of trading large volumes of child pornography on the Web. And sites like MySpace have made it easier for child predators to find targets, he said.
''There are boys taking photos with their cell phones of young girls having sex and posting them to online,'' Love said. ``Girls are posting photos of themselves nude or almost nude. That's child pornography. They don't believe what they are doing is child pornography but it is. And they can be charged with a felony.''
Love gives presentations at middle and high schools around Broward County, cautioning students against sexual predators and against posting too much personal information online. He advises parents to monitor what their children are doing on the Internet and to visit their websites.
Hero of Harlem Who dived under a train to save another mans life gets awarded
The subway "The hero of Harlem" who risked his own life to save a stranger earlier this weeks receives a year's worth of free subway rides, praises and Bronze Medallion, the city's highest award for civic achievement from Bloomberg ,$10,000 dollar from the Donald and $2,500 from the New York Film Academy to start a scholarship fund for his children, and tickets and a backstage tour to the Broadway musical The Lion King and a week-long, all-expenses-paid vacation courtesy of the CEO of The Walt Disney Co. Also did a morning news show circuit and David Letterman Late Night show appearance to be broadcast Thursday night and is schedule to appear on Ellen next week.
Sex Slavery Ring Uncovered in Georgia
Atlanta (WXIA) - A prostitution sting in Clayton County has shut down 14 massage parlors, but now Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill says even more serious charges are coming.
Investigators there have been working on the case for three months. Last month, they raided and shut down the 14 massage parlors. But now, the deeper story is what some of the people who worked in those spas have been going through.
Additional investigation has the county sheriff looking at more serious charges than prostitution.
“Last week, before the holidays, it was confirmed that four of these locations were definitely holding women against their will,” said Hill.
Hill says in four of the spas that were shut down, they found women who were forced into prostitution.
“In one heartbreaking story, one woman said she had been held for four years -- even tried to escape, was unsuccessful. Was assaulted for trying to escape,” Hill said.
Now all the businesses in question have been shut down. The buildings have been seized, as well as cash, credit card machines. The sheriff says it is one of their proudest moments.
“I hope this sends a clear message to the people who were operating these places, that they will no longer ever be allowed to operate them,” said Hill. “And if anyone was thinking about bringing that type of establishment to my county, they will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.”
The sheriff says there are obviously legitimate massage therapy locations in the county, but in the 14 cases his office has cited, when an undercover officer went in and was getting a massage, they were asked if they wanted that massage to go further into a sex act.
Source: wltx.com
Investigators there have been working on the case for three months. Last month, they raided and shut down the 14 massage parlors. But now, the deeper story is what some of the people who worked in those spas have been going through.
Additional investigation has the county sheriff looking at more serious charges than prostitution.
“Last week, before the holidays, it was confirmed that four of these locations were definitely holding women against their will,” said Hill.
Hill says in four of the spas that were shut down, they found women who were forced into prostitution.
“In one heartbreaking story, one woman said she had been held for four years -- even tried to escape, was unsuccessful. Was assaulted for trying to escape,” Hill said.
Now all the businesses in question have been shut down. The buildings have been seized, as well as cash, credit card machines. The sheriff says it is one of their proudest moments.
“I hope this sends a clear message to the people who were operating these places, that they will no longer ever be allowed to operate them,” said Hill. “And if anyone was thinking about bringing that type of establishment to my county, they will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.”
The sheriff says there are obviously legitimate massage therapy locations in the county, but in the 14 cases his office has cited, when an undercover officer went in and was getting a massage, they were asked if they wanted that massage to go further into a sex act.
Source: wltx.com
Tyrese Accused Of Punching Pregnant Girlfriend In Stomach
According to authorities who spoke to TMZ.com, Tyrese's girlfriend, who is five months pregnant, claimed that the two got into a heated argument at their Los Angeles home at around 5:30 a.m., which lead to the singer/actor punching her twice in the stomach.
Tyrese had already driven away from the scene when paramedics arrived. The singer and representatives from his camp have yet to release a comment on the incident.
At press time, representatives for Tyrese nor his record label, J Records, could be reached for comment.
Tyrese recently released his fourth album, a double disc titled Alter Ego, which featured him singing on one disc and rapping under the moniker Black-Ty on the other. The album featured appearances from Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Mannie Fresh, The Game, Kurupt and Snoop Dogg, among others.
Tyrese had already driven away from the scene when paramedics arrived. The singer and representatives from his camp have yet to release a comment on the incident.
At press time, representatives for Tyrese nor his record label, J Records, could be reached for comment.
Tyrese recently released his fourth album, a double disc titled Alter Ego, which featured him singing on one disc and rapping under the moniker Black-Ty on the other. The album featured appearances from Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Mannie Fresh, The Game, Kurupt and Snoop Dogg, among others.
Kim Jong II is really just a Party Guy
(CBS) I'm Barry Petersen, and this Letter from Asia comes from Bejing. It's easy to see what North Korea's Kim Jong Il is up to on the world stage. He seems to delight in things like setting off nuclear weapons or making nasty comments about America. But what about behind the scenes? Those who know him sum him up in one phrase: party guy.
Maybe he doesn't look it; Let's face it, the guy spends a lot of time being ominous and making the world nervous... Maybe missile firing? And he has his finger on the nuclear button since the North tested a nuclear device in October.
To find out a bit more, we sought out Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese man who found favor with Kim as a sushi chef in the 1980s. Fujimoto wrote three books: "Kim's Chef", "Kim's Private Life", and our personal favorite, "The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls". "He liked disco music," says Fujimoto, adding "Kim didn't like to dance, but he made everyone else dance."
Fujimoto probably inspired the U.S. and Japan's recent list of sanctions against North Korea, cutting off things like Kim's caviar, luxury cars and booze. According to Fujimoto, "When (kim) has a party, he wants people drunk because he does not like gloomy parties." Those around Kim like the parties because that's when they get presents - presents he uses to keep their loyalty. "The most expensive present," Fujimoto says, "is a Mercedes Benz, or an expensive leather sofa, or a big screen TV."
You would think that a leader who heads a million-man army would be busy with affairs of state. Well, maybe he is a bit more these days than in his youth, because youth has slipped away. Now in his mid sixties, he may be suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. And his dad - know as the Great Leader - once ran the country and died at 82 of a heart attack.
"He doesn't drink much whisky anymore," says Fujimoto. "Now it's mostly wine and he likes sweets and tries not to eat too much chocolate." There you have it; A wine sipping, chocolate calorie-counting Dear Leader. Alright, it's fun to laugh at Kim, as long as you remember that he keeps his power with his nuclear weapons program and constant threats of war. Disco guy, party guy... Well, maybe. Scary guy on the world state - of that, there is no doubt.
Maybe he doesn't look it; Let's face it, the guy spends a lot of time being ominous and making the world nervous... Maybe missile firing? And he has his finger on the nuclear button since the North tested a nuclear device in October.
To find out a bit more, we sought out Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese man who found favor with Kim as a sushi chef in the 1980s. Fujimoto wrote three books: "Kim's Chef", "Kim's Private Life", and our personal favorite, "The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls". "He liked disco music," says Fujimoto, adding "Kim didn't like to dance, but he made everyone else dance."
Fujimoto probably inspired the U.S. and Japan's recent list of sanctions against North Korea, cutting off things like Kim's caviar, luxury cars and booze. According to Fujimoto, "When (kim) has a party, he wants people drunk because he does not like gloomy parties." Those around Kim like the parties because that's when they get presents - presents he uses to keep their loyalty. "The most expensive present," Fujimoto says, "is a Mercedes Benz, or an expensive leather sofa, or a big screen TV."
You would think that a leader who heads a million-man army would be busy with affairs of state. Well, maybe he is a bit more these days than in his youth, because youth has slipped away. Now in his mid sixties, he may be suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. And his dad - know as the Great Leader - once ran the country and died at 82 of a heart attack.
"He doesn't drink much whisky anymore," says Fujimoto. "Now it's mostly wine and he likes sweets and tries not to eat too much chocolate." There you have it; A wine sipping, chocolate calorie-counting Dear Leader. Alright, it's fun to laugh at Kim, as long as you remember that he keeps his power with his nuclear weapons program and constant threats of war. Disco guy, party guy... Well, maybe. Scary guy on the world state - of that, there is no doubt.
Mysterious Object Crashes Through Roof
Authorities were trying to identify a mysterious metallic object that crashed through the roof of a house in eastern New Jersey.
Nobody was injured when the golf-ball sized object, weighing nearly as much as a can of soup, struck the home and embedded itself in a wall Tuesday night. Federal officials sent to the scene said it was not from an aircraft.
The rough-surfaced object, with a metallic glint, was displayed Wednesday by police.
"There's some great interest in what we have here," said Lt. Robert Brightman. "It's rather unusual. I haven't seen anything like it in my career."
He said he hoped to have the object identified within 72 hours, but declined to name the other agencies whose help he has enlisted.
Approximately 20 to 50 rock-like objects fall every day over the entire planet, said Carlton Pryor, a professor of astronomy at Rutgers University.
"It's not all that uncommon to have rocks rain down from heaven," said Pryor, who had not seen the object that struck the Monmouth County home. "These are usually rocky or a mixture of rock and metal."
Pryor said laboratory tests would have to be conducted to determine if the object was a meteorite.
Police received a call Wednesday morning that the metal object had punched a hole in the roof of the single-family, two-story home, damaged tiles on a bathroom floor, and then bounced, sticking into a wall.
The object was heavier than a usual metal object of its size, said Brightman, who added that no radioactivity was detected.
Brightman would not disclose the address of the house or the names of the people who lived there, citing the family's desire to not talk to the media. He would only say that the couple and their adult son live in a township housing development.
Brightman said one man who lives at the home found the object at about 9 p.m. Tuesday after returning from work and hearing from his mother that something had crashed through the roof a few hours earlier.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which sent investigators to the town, did not know where the object came from, said spokeswoman Arlene Murray.
"It's definitely not an aircraft part," she said. "I can't speak beyond that as to what it might be."
In the neighborhood later in the day, residents chatted with each other in the streets about the fallen object, but none said they knew which house had been hit.
Robert Nalven, 55, said nothing this exciting had happened in the six years he's lived in the affluent development. "I'm happy it didn't hit my house," he said.
Nobody was injured when the golf-ball sized object, weighing nearly as much as a can of soup, struck the home and embedded itself in a wall Tuesday night. Federal officials sent to the scene said it was not from an aircraft.
The rough-surfaced object, with a metallic glint, was displayed Wednesday by police.
"There's some great interest in what we have here," said Lt. Robert Brightman. "It's rather unusual. I haven't seen anything like it in my career."
He said he hoped to have the object identified within 72 hours, but declined to name the other agencies whose help he has enlisted.
Approximately 20 to 50 rock-like objects fall every day over the entire planet, said Carlton Pryor, a professor of astronomy at Rutgers University.
"It's not all that uncommon to have rocks rain down from heaven," said Pryor, who had not seen the object that struck the Monmouth County home. "These are usually rocky or a mixture of rock and metal."
Pryor said laboratory tests would have to be conducted to determine if the object was a meteorite.
Police received a call Wednesday morning that the metal object had punched a hole in the roof of the single-family, two-story home, damaged tiles on a bathroom floor, and then bounced, sticking into a wall.
The object was heavier than a usual metal object of its size, said Brightman, who added that no radioactivity was detected.
Brightman would not disclose the address of the house or the names of the people who lived there, citing the family's desire to not talk to the media. He would only say that the couple and their adult son live in a township housing development.
Brightman said one man who lives at the home found the object at about 9 p.m. Tuesday after returning from work and hearing from his mother that something had crashed through the roof a few hours earlier.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which sent investigators to the town, did not know where the object came from, said spokeswoman Arlene Murray.
"It's definitely not an aircraft part," she said. "I can't speak beyond that as to what it might be."
In the neighborhood later in the day, residents chatted with each other in the streets about the fallen object, but none said they knew which house had been hit.
Robert Nalven, 55, said nothing this exciting had happened in the six years he's lived in the affluent development. "I'm happy it didn't hit my house," he said.
Store Manager Hangs on to Car Going 50 mph
An auto parts store manager says that, in hindsight, he probably should have exercised better judgment than to leap onto a getaway car carrying two shoplifters as they prepared to speed out of the store's parking lot.
But Darrin Malsack, 30, said Tuesday it all happened very quickly Friday after the men stole a portable DVD system from the Checker Auto Parts store and he clung to the roof of their speeding station wagon with one hand and dialed 911 on his cell phone with the other.
Malsack estimated the vehicle was moving at up to 50 mph as the driver swerved from side to side in a vain attempt to shake him loose.
"They were going too fast for me to jump off safely," he said. "So I just stayed on top and started pounding on the vehicle."
Malsack said he first went to the rear of the vehicle and took the number of the license plate hanging in the back window, but the vehicle then started backing up toward him.
"So I jumped on the station wagon," Malsack said. "I was on the roof as they left the parking lot."
Malsack said he held onto the luggage rack.
"I had a really good grip," he said. "There's no way I was going to fall off."
But he said that, after the car had traveled about seven blocks, he jumped off when it was halted at a stop sign.
Police said the license plate number Malsack gave them did not match the car, described as a silver 1991 Mercury Sable station wagon.
"We would discourage people from endangering their lives over a piece of property," Detective Lt. Christopher Novy said, adding that no one had been taken into custody.
But Darrin Malsack, 30, said Tuesday it all happened very quickly Friday after the men stole a portable DVD system from the Checker Auto Parts store and he clung to the roof of their speeding station wagon with one hand and dialed 911 on his cell phone with the other.
Malsack estimated the vehicle was moving at up to 50 mph as the driver swerved from side to side in a vain attempt to shake him loose.
"They were going too fast for me to jump off safely," he said. "So I just stayed on top and started pounding on the vehicle."
Malsack said he first went to the rear of the vehicle and took the number of the license plate hanging in the back window, but the vehicle then started backing up toward him.
"So I jumped on the station wagon," Malsack said. "I was on the roof as they left the parking lot."
Malsack said he held onto the luggage rack.
"I had a really good grip," he said. "There's no way I was going to fall off."
But he said that, after the car had traveled about seven blocks, he jumped off when it was halted at a stop sign.
Police said the license plate number Malsack gave them did not match the car, described as a silver 1991 Mercury Sable station wagon.
"We would discourage people from endangering their lives over a piece of property," Detective Lt. Christopher Novy said, adding that no one had been taken into custody.
How to make Love
Ingredients
4 Laughing eyes
4 Well-shaped legs
4 Loving arms
2 Firm milk containers
2 Nuts
1 Fur-lined mixing bowl
1 Firm banana
Directions:
1. Look into laughing eyes.
2. Spread well-shaped legs with loving arms.
3. Squeeze and massage milk containers very gently.
4. Gently add firm banana to mixing bowl, working in and out until well creamed. For best results, Continue to knead milk containers.
5. As heat rises, plunge banana deep into mixing bowl and cover with nuts, leave to soak (preferably NOT overnight).
6. The cake is done when banana is soft. If banana does not soften, repeat steps 3-5 or change mixing bowls.
Notes:
1. If you are in an unfamiliar kitchen, wash utensils carefully before and after use.
2. Do not lick mixing bowl after use.
3. If cake rises, leave town.
4 Laughing eyes
4 Well-shaped legs
4 Loving arms
2 Firm milk containers
2 Nuts
1 Fur-lined mixing bowl
1 Firm banana
Directions:
1. Look into laughing eyes.
2. Spread well-shaped legs with loving arms.
3. Squeeze and massage milk containers very gently.
4. Gently add firm banana to mixing bowl, working in and out until well creamed. For best results, Continue to knead milk containers.
5. As heat rises, plunge banana deep into mixing bowl and cover with nuts, leave to soak (preferably NOT overnight).
6. The cake is done when banana is soft. If banana does not soften, repeat steps 3-5 or change mixing bowls.
Notes:
1. If you are in an unfamiliar kitchen, wash utensils carefully before and after use.
2. Do not lick mixing bowl after use.
3. If cake rises, leave town.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
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OC to be axed lmao about time!!
The once-hot teenage television soap opera, The O.C., has been cancelled after too many viewers switched off.
The final episode of the television drama will air on February 22 in the United States, Fox TV and Warner Bros Television Production said.
The finale "will deliver real closure to the series, to the story we began telling four years ago", series creator Josh Schwartz said in a statement.
"It will be fun and emotional and I think really satisfying. It is the finale we always planned to do."
The O.C. is aired by Network Ten in Australia, and is shown within days of its US broadcast.
Based in the affluent Orange County city of Newport Beach in California, The O.C. was a big hit in its first season, in 2003-04, attracting a total audience of nearly 10 million in the US.
The show's story lines revolved around Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie), an outsider thrust into a heady new world of money and sex, and rich high school kids including Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) and their families.
The show did not sustain its momentum, dropping to about 7 million weekly viewers during 2004-05 and then to fewer than 6 million last season.
Since returning in November, it has drawn only about 4 million viewers.
The third season finale's high drama, in which Marissa was killed in a car crash, did not turn the series around.
This year, Ryan confronts the death of his one-time girlfriend and the man who caused it.
Others in the show's cast include Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson and Autumn Reeser.
Former Neighbours star Alan Dale also featured in the first two seasons.
The final episode of the television drama will air on February 22 in the United States, Fox TV and Warner Bros Television Production said.
The finale "will deliver real closure to the series, to the story we began telling four years ago", series creator Josh Schwartz said in a statement.
"It will be fun and emotional and I think really satisfying. It is the finale we always planned to do."
The O.C. is aired by Network Ten in Australia, and is shown within days of its US broadcast.
Based in the affluent Orange County city of Newport Beach in California, The O.C. was a big hit in its first season, in 2003-04, attracting a total audience of nearly 10 million in the US.
The show's story lines revolved around Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie), an outsider thrust into a heady new world of money and sex, and rich high school kids including Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) and their families.
The show did not sustain its momentum, dropping to about 7 million weekly viewers during 2004-05 and then to fewer than 6 million last season.
Since returning in November, it has drawn only about 4 million viewers.
The third season finale's high drama, in which Marissa was killed in a car crash, did not turn the series around.
This year, Ryan confronts the death of his one-time girlfriend and the man who caused it.
Others in the show's cast include Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson and Autumn Reeser.
Former Neighbours star Alan Dale also featured in the first two seasons.
Timberlake and Diaz split over Christmas
Superstar lovers Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz have split-up — with Justin turning to a former flame for comfort, according to US gossip magazines.
The A-list couple turned heads when they spent Christmas apart, despite reportedly having planned to be with Justin's family in Memphis, Tennessee.
Now insiders are claiming that Justin instead had "sexy blonde" ex-girlfriend Veronica Finn stay at his family home for "several days and nights".
The reports insist that Justin is openly telling friends that his three-and-a-half year serious relationship with Diaz is definitely over.
"Me and Cameron? We're done," Justin told pals at a nightclub, according to both Star and the National Enquirer magazines.
The state of their relationship came into question when Cameron was spotted alone over Christmas at the Vail Mountain Resort in Colorado, while Timberlake was with his family at home near Memphis, Tennessee.
"They had been planning to be together in Tennessee for Christmas with his folks, but he came out alone," a source told the National Enquirer.
Instead, insiders say Justin spent his Christmas hanging out with Finn, who coincidentally had replaced his ex-love Britney Spears in an all-girl band, Innosense.
"Just hours after arriving, Justin phoned Veronica Finn, a beautiful 25-year-old he has known since high school," the National Enquirer claimed.
"The two dated as teens and have hooked up romantically over the years, once enjoying a New Year's trip to Hawaii together.
"They have remained close friends and keep in regular phone contact.
"When Justin learned Veronica was also in Tennessee visiting family, he was eager to catch up with her."
"Justin opened up to Veronica about his relationship with Cameron. He told her they were no longer a couple."
According to the magazines, Justin mouthed off about his love split while in Senses nightclub in Memphis with Veronica and a group of other friends.
The reports say someone else in the club's VIP area asked where Cameron was - and he snapped: "We're done. It's over."
"He didn't seem at all unhappy," an onlooker said. "He was laughing and drinking with friends."
When asked to comment about the story, both stars refused, saying they "do not comment on their personal lives".
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Truck Driver Apologies For Breaking Styles P.'s Leg, Suspended From Job
The truck driver who rammed into Styles P and broke the rapper's leg during a traffic incident in upstate New York last week has apologized for the incident and said he didn't mean to cause the rapper harm.
According to police, Styles P. was driving his 2003 Mercedes-Benz on Saw Mill River Road on Saturday, Dec. 23 when he was cut off John Henson, 50.
Styles P., born David Styles, allegedly followed Henson, got out of his vehicle and threw napkins at the window.
As got back in his car, the truck smashed him.
Henson appeared in an upstate New York court yesterday (Jan. 2) and explained that the incident was an accident.
He explained that he attempted to drive away after the rapper threw the napkins, began screaming and reached into his coat.
"I didn't know if he had a gun or something else he was going to throw at me," Henson told The Journal News. "I feared for my safety, so I tried to get around him on the left side. I guess I was a foot off. I was all shook up."
Henson said that he wasn't familiar with Style's P. or rap music in general, but he did express respect for the genre.
Styles P. was treated at a local hospital and released.
Henson, a divorced father of five, spent Christmas in prison. He posted $1500 bail, but has since been suspended from his trucking job.
He also said that he is in danger of losing his house in Connecticut, because he can no longer keep up the mortgage payments.
Henson's next court date is Jan. 26. (AHH)
According to police, Styles P. was driving his 2003 Mercedes-Benz on Saw Mill River Road on Saturday, Dec. 23 when he was cut off John Henson, 50.
Styles P., born David Styles, allegedly followed Henson, got out of his vehicle and threw napkins at the window.
As got back in his car, the truck smashed him.
Henson appeared in an upstate New York court yesterday (Jan. 2) and explained that the incident was an accident.
He explained that he attempted to drive away after the rapper threw the napkins, began screaming and reached into his coat.
"I didn't know if he had a gun or something else he was going to throw at me," Henson told The Journal News. "I feared for my safety, so I tried to get around him on the left side. I guess I was a foot off. I was all shook up."
Henson said that he wasn't familiar with Style's P. or rap music in general, but he did express respect for the genre.
Styles P. was treated at a local hospital and released.
Henson, a divorced father of five, spent Christmas in prison. He posted $1500 bail, but has since been suspended from his trucking job.
He also said that he is in danger of losing his house in Connecticut, because he can no longer keep up the mortgage payments.
Henson's next court date is Jan. 26. (AHH)
Fifteen tips that can help you save money,in 2007
Money can be a source of headache,learning how to save some useful dollars,can be quite a nice reliever.
Here are few tips that can help you teach ,how to save your well earned dollars,euros or anything else.
1. Set a budget and stick to it: Decide what’s priority spending and cut back on little things- $1 dollar here and $5 there every day adds up.
2. Get Organized: It’s critical to be organized to avoid wasting money on fees. Have a folder on every open account. Be cognizant of all due dates, save letters and document conversations.
3. Review monthly statements on all accounts: I’m assessed $.35 for every transaction above 20 on my checking account. I make arrangements to avoid this absurd charge. Review all open accounts (credit card, checking, savings). -Assess and avoid miscellaneous charges such as check writing or ATM transaction fees. -Eliminate fees on credit cards by ensuring bills arrive on dates due, make monthly minimum payments and avoid overlimit fees. -Consider consolidating credit cards to one card with low interest to avoid paying numerous fees to several cards.
4. Don’t bounce checks: At $25-$35/each bounced check plus a possible fee by the recipient merchant of the bad check, this is an unnecessary expense and wasted money.
5. Pay cash: Right now is not the best time to charging up your credit cards. But, by no means should you stop spending. Can’t afford a big-ticket item right now? Save money until you can afford to pay cash for the purchase.
6. Save loose change! I turn mine in every 1-6 months and I’ve had up to $80 extra spending money. Collect loose change around the house, put in one central location and at the end of every day, have everyone in your household turn in his or her loose change.
7. Coupons: I used to laugh at my grandmother when we’d arrive at the Piggly Wiggly with a stack of coupons, but I have to tell you the woman could save some money. Use them and feel great saving money on shopping bills (click here to get grocery coupons)
8. Don’t be afraid of a good sale! Shop closeout specials, discount stores and others for necessities. Get much more for your hard-earned dollar!
9. Phone bills/Long distance: Nothing like a good ‘ole personal note- Start writing. If time’s limited, use email! Save on postage and shipping by using USPS instead of FedEx or UPS.
10. Shop in bulk: Do one major grocery shopping a week. Freeze what you don’t use right away and stock your kitchen with the basics.
11. Home cooked meals: Taste great and lend well to quality family time. Oftentimes better than meals you eat out and pay twice as much for!
12. Leftovers: No longer for the back of the refrigerator anymore. Either take them for lunch or reheat for dinner! 13. Dining out: Often a much-needed luxury but can easily be taken for granted. Recount how many times you’ve dined out during the past month and cut back slightly to save money.
14. Make tea, lemonade and drink water: Instead of spending money on numerous cans of soft drinks, make sweet tea or lemonade at home to save. No time like the present to increase you and your family’s water intake!
15. Assess luxuries and cut back slightly to save big: Look at what you spend on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Cutting back on daily $4 coffee drinks can save $80/month. Review luxuries you take for granted- spending only a little here and there adds up quick!
Here are few tips that can help you teach ,how to save your well earned dollars,euros or anything else.
1. Set a budget and stick to it: Decide what’s priority spending and cut back on little things- $1 dollar here and $5 there every day adds up.
2. Get Organized: It’s critical to be organized to avoid wasting money on fees. Have a folder on every open account. Be cognizant of all due dates, save letters and document conversations.
3. Review monthly statements on all accounts: I’m assessed $.35 for every transaction above 20 on my checking account. I make arrangements to avoid this absurd charge. Review all open accounts (credit card, checking, savings). -Assess and avoid miscellaneous charges such as check writing or ATM transaction fees. -Eliminate fees on credit cards by ensuring bills arrive on dates due, make monthly minimum payments and avoid overlimit fees. -Consider consolidating credit cards to one card with low interest to avoid paying numerous fees to several cards.
4. Don’t bounce checks: At $25-$35/each bounced check plus a possible fee by the recipient merchant of the bad check, this is an unnecessary expense and wasted money.
5. Pay cash: Right now is not the best time to charging up your credit cards. But, by no means should you stop spending. Can’t afford a big-ticket item right now? Save money until you can afford to pay cash for the purchase.
6. Save loose change! I turn mine in every 1-6 months and I’ve had up to $80 extra spending money. Collect loose change around the house, put in one central location and at the end of every day, have everyone in your household turn in his or her loose change.
7. Coupons: I used to laugh at my grandmother when we’d arrive at the Piggly Wiggly with a stack of coupons, but I have to tell you the woman could save some money. Use them and feel great saving money on shopping bills (click here to get grocery coupons)
8. Don’t be afraid of a good sale! Shop closeout specials, discount stores and others for necessities. Get much more for your hard-earned dollar!
9. Phone bills/Long distance: Nothing like a good ‘ole personal note- Start writing. If time’s limited, use email! Save on postage and shipping by using USPS instead of FedEx or UPS.
10. Shop in bulk: Do one major grocery shopping a week. Freeze what you don’t use right away and stock your kitchen with the basics.
11. Home cooked meals: Taste great and lend well to quality family time. Oftentimes better than meals you eat out and pay twice as much for!
12. Leftovers: No longer for the back of the refrigerator anymore. Either take them for lunch or reheat for dinner! 13. Dining out: Often a much-needed luxury but can easily be taken for granted. Recount how many times you’ve dined out during the past month and cut back slightly to save money.
14. Make tea, lemonade and drink water: Instead of spending money on numerous cans of soft drinks, make sweet tea or lemonade at home to save. No time like the present to increase you and your family’s water intake!
15. Assess luxuries and cut back slightly to save big: Look at what you spend on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Cutting back on daily $4 coffee drinks can save $80/month. Review luxuries you take for granted- spending only a little here and there adds up quick!
Toddler gets stuck in vending machine LMAO (pic)
Bierdemann ended the trip by giving each child a dollar and telling them to have fun in a retailer's game room.
A stuffed Sponge Bob in a vending machine's bin caught Robert's eye. He tried without success to fish it out with a plastic crane.
"I told him I could get it for him," his grandmother said. "He's a character. He said, 'Oh no, I can get it.'"
When she turned her back to get another dollar for a second try, Robert took off his coat and squeezed through an opening in the machine. He landed in the stuffed animal cube.
"I turned around and looked for him, and he said, 'Oma, I'm in here," Bierdemann said. "I thought I would have a heart attack."
Store employees couldn't find a key to the machine, so Robert waited while the Antigo Fire Department was called.
"He was having a ball in there, hugging all the stuffed animals," Bierdemann said. "He was so good-natured, but I was shaking like a leaf."
Firefighters broke one lock but then spotted two latches inside the plastic cube. They passed a screwdriver to Robert.
"He stacked up all the stuffed animals and used that screwdriver to open the latch," his grandmother said. "You should have seen him go."
Eventually, Robert freed himself. But his mother, Marie Moore, and grandmother said they were lucky that he remained calm when another child might not have. He went home safe — but without a stuffed Sponge Bob.
Third PS3 model in the works
On our last count, there were two versions of the PS3 on the market - the 20 GB and the 60 GB models. And if the info we're getting here is right, there's a third brother in the works, dubbed the "media-centric" variant.
This version, which has yet to be verified, isn't going to be packaged as a gaming platform like the former two, but will instead be featured as a video entertainment system. In line with the "mod" to the system, this third variant will carry these features:
* Anti-vibration mechanism for the Blu-ray disc drive.
* 512MB XDR memory.
* Advanced power supply unit.
* Two HDMI connectors to divide audio and video data.
Aside from the new parts, it will also be featuring a new look to ensure it is identified as a video player. It will still play PS3 games, though (phew). This new model is supposedly to be shipped directly under the Sony logo instead of following under the SCEI brand - further distancing it from the previous two. It's going to cost some too - the site reports that the estimated price for this new bundle is $ 2,500.
Given the level of comparisons that's been pitted between the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats, we're hoping this won't be the only future player out there with Blu-Ray capability - 2.5k is a painful price to pay. On the other hand, with that sort of money being shelled out, we're imagining what sort of goodies could be waiting in Sony's monster console. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
This version, which has yet to be verified, isn't going to be packaged as a gaming platform like the former two, but will instead be featured as a video entertainment system. In line with the "mod" to the system, this third variant will carry these features:
* Anti-vibration mechanism for the Blu-ray disc drive.
* 512MB XDR memory.
* Advanced power supply unit.
* Two HDMI connectors to divide audio and video data.
Aside from the new parts, it will also be featuring a new look to ensure it is identified as a video player. It will still play PS3 games, though (phew). This new model is supposedly to be shipped directly under the Sony logo instead of following under the SCEI brand - further distancing it from the previous two. It's going to cost some too - the site reports that the estimated price for this new bundle is $ 2,500.
Given the level of comparisons that's been pitted between the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats, we're hoping this won't be the only future player out there with Blu-Ray capability - 2.5k is a painful price to pay. On the other hand, with that sort of money being shelled out, we're imagining what sort of goodies could be waiting in Sony's monster console. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
spoiled hot rich girl crys till she gets what she wants 4 part video
PART ONE - WHERE THE RICH LIL SLUT GETS HER NEW CAR AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT AND LIEK TOTALLY FREAKS OUT! dadddddd its red
PART 2 - WHERE THE SISTER HAS HER REPLY AFTER THE BROTHER POSTS HER VIDEOS ON THE NEWT ANY WAYSSSS
PART 3 THE SPOILT LIL SLUT GETS A NEW CAR WHAT A LIL BRAT...
PART 4 - LIL SLUT PUTS THE RED CAR ON EBAY...
NOW APPARENTLY ITS GOING ON EBAY LOL
PART 2 - WHERE THE SISTER HAS HER REPLY AFTER THE BROTHER POSTS HER VIDEOS ON THE NEWT ANY WAYSSSS
PART 3 THE SPOILT LIL SLUT GETS A NEW CAR WHAT A LIL BRAT...
PART 4 - LIL SLUT PUTS THE RED CAR ON EBAY...
NOW APPARENTLY ITS GOING ON EBAY LOL
Fat Chick Gets Stuck in Cave - Traps Other Cavers Inside
An overweight woman who got stuck in a South African cave trapped 22 fellow tourists for more than 10 hours and had to be prised free with liquid paraffin.
The woman became trapped in the Tunnel of Love obstacle in the Cango Caves in Western Cape on New Year's Day.
The caves' manager said the woman had been warned she might not be suitable but she insisted on trying.
One of those trapped was a diabetic who had to be brought insulin. The woman and the other tourists were unhurt.
The rescue operation involved several ambulance teams and a helicopter.
Hein Gerstner, manager of Cango Caves, told the BBC it was an "expensive exercise" that could cost 40,000 rand ($5,700).
"We don't know yet who will foot the bill," he said.
Pulley
The ordeal began when the woman became stuck just after noon on New Year's Day.
Mr Gerstner said the woman was "told at the ticket office that she was too big to take part in the specific section".
He said she was again warned by the guide but that it was "very difficult to discriminate".
Map
Mr Gerstner said: "The obstacle has a narrow base. She lost her footing and went down in a splits position. There was no way she could get her body weight up."
But he said she was young and remained mentally strong throughout and the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".
The tourists, including two asthmatic children, were given blankets, water and chocolate bars as the rescue proceeded.
One rescuer was able to climb over the woman to deliver insulin to the diabetic.
No drilling equipment was needed and the woman was eventually freed with a pulley and paraffin used to grease the surface at about 2320.
She was taken to hospital but is not injured and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
Mr Gerstner said: "We believe what goes in, must come out again. People get stuck all the time - that's one of the unfortunate things that happen, it's part of the adventure."
However, he said the caves would consider more stringent measures for those entering.
The woman became trapped in the Tunnel of Love obstacle in the Cango Caves in Western Cape on New Year's Day.
The caves' manager said the woman had been warned she might not be suitable but she insisted on trying.
One of those trapped was a diabetic who had to be brought insulin. The woman and the other tourists were unhurt.
The rescue operation involved several ambulance teams and a helicopter.
Hein Gerstner, manager of Cango Caves, told the BBC it was an "expensive exercise" that could cost 40,000 rand ($5,700).
"We don't know yet who will foot the bill," he said.
Pulley
The ordeal began when the woman became stuck just after noon on New Year's Day.
Mr Gerstner said the woman was "told at the ticket office that she was too big to take part in the specific section".
He said she was again warned by the guide but that it was "very difficult to discriminate".
Map
Mr Gerstner said: "The obstacle has a narrow base. She lost her footing and went down in a splits position. There was no way she could get her body weight up."
But he said she was young and remained mentally strong throughout and the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".
The tourists, including two asthmatic children, were given blankets, water and chocolate bars as the rescue proceeded.
One rescuer was able to climb over the woman to deliver insulin to the diabetic.
No drilling equipment was needed and the woman was eventually freed with a pulley and paraffin used to grease the surface at about 2320.
She was taken to hospital but is not injured and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
Mr Gerstner said: "We believe what goes in, must come out again. People get stuck all the time - that's one of the unfortunate things that happen, it's part of the adventure."
However, he said the caves would consider more stringent measures for those entering.
Man who has Mannequin fetishist could get life
A man who has a history of smashing windows to indulge his fetish for female mannequins could draw a long prison term for his latest arrest. Ronald A. Dotson, 39, of Detroit faces up to life in prison if convicted of a charge of attempted breaking and entering at a cleaning-supply company in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale.
The potential life sentence is because prosecutors charged him as a habitual offender. Authorities say he has at least six convictions for breaking and entering and a stint in state prison over the last 13 years.
Ferndale District Judge Joseph Longo ordered Dotson to stand trial following a preliminary examination on Thursday, The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reported. The judge ordered him jailed unless he posts a $15,000 bond.
Dotson was arrested Oct. 9 after police say he smashed a window at a cleaning-supply company to get at a female mannequin dressed in a black and white French maid's uniform. He had been out of prison for less than a week.
Dotson was arrested in Ferndale in July 2000 and later convicted for breaking and entering at a women's clothing shop to get at a mannequin in a pink dress with bobbed hair.
Ferndale police also arrested Dotson in 1993 after finding him in an alley behind a woman's store with three lingerie-clad mannequins. He also has similar convictions in Detroit and suburban Oak Park.
The potential life sentence is because prosecutors charged him as a habitual offender. Authorities say he has at least six convictions for breaking and entering and a stint in state prison over the last 13 years.
Ferndale District Judge Joseph Longo ordered Dotson to stand trial following a preliminary examination on Thursday, The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reported. The judge ordered him jailed unless he posts a $15,000 bond.
Dotson was arrested Oct. 9 after police say he smashed a window at a cleaning-supply company to get at a female mannequin dressed in a black and white French maid's uniform. He had been out of prison for less than a week.
Dotson was arrested in Ferndale in July 2000 and later convicted for breaking and entering at a women's clothing shop to get at a mannequin in a pink dress with bobbed hair.
Ferndale police also arrested Dotson in 1993 after finding him in an alley behind a woman's store with three lingerie-clad mannequins. He also has similar convictions in Detroit and suburban Oak Park.
Dog of Saddam executed
Iraq: Shortly after the execution of the dictator Saddam Hussein, his dog Blondi followed the same fate to the gallows. Contrary to Saddam, Blondi’s execution was broadcast live in full length. Some minor complications arose, which dragged out the death struggle to unbearable lengths. Animal activist group PETA has filed a formal complaint to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
soruces: islamofascisme
sources: BX forums
soruces: islamofascisme
sources: BX forums
Monday, January 01, 2007
RIP Darrent Williams
Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Denver early Monday morning, police said.
Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said police called him about 3 a.m. local time from the scene of the shooting and told him three people had been shot and that Williams had been killed.
A little after 4 a.m. EST, a white Hummer limousine was sprayed with bullets from a vehicle that up along its side, said Sonny Jackson, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department.
Three people in the limousine were hit and were taken to area hospitals, where one man was pronounced dead, Jackson said. The other man and woman who were shot were not identified.
Jackson said police were searching for the suspects and interviewing witnesses.
Saccomano said he spoke with coach Mike Shanahan and others in the organization.
"Complete shock. We're speechless. It takes words away. A terrible tragedy," Saccomano said.
Williams, a second-round pick in the 2005 draft out of Oklahoma State, started nine games as a rookie due to injuries. This season, he took over as the starter for Lenny Walls alongside Champ Bailey, and was second on the team with four interceptions and tied for third with 86 tackles.
On Sunday against the 49ers, he had a sack, a forced fumble, and led the team with seven sacks.
Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said police called him about 3 a.m. local time from the scene of the shooting and told him three people had been shot and that Williams had been killed.
A little after 4 a.m. EST, a white Hummer limousine was sprayed with bullets from a vehicle that up along its side, said Sonny Jackson, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department.
Three people in the limousine were hit and were taken to area hospitals, where one man was pronounced dead, Jackson said. The other man and woman who were shot were not identified.
Jackson said police were searching for the suspects and interviewing witnesses.
Saccomano said he spoke with coach Mike Shanahan and others in the organization.
"Complete shock. We're speechless. It takes words away. A terrible tragedy," Saccomano said.
Williams, a second-round pick in the 2005 draft out of Oklahoma State, started nine games as a rookie due to injuries. This season, he took over as the starter for Lenny Walls alongside Champ Bailey, and was second on the team with four interceptions and tied for third with 86 tackles.
On Sunday against the 49ers, he had a sack, a forced fumble, and led the team with seven sacks.
A UFO at O'Hare? Some pilots thought so
CHICAGO - Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport.
The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn't have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn't see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
"Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon," Cory said. "That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low (cloud) ceiling and a lot of airport lights. When the lights shine up into the clouds, sometimes you can see funny things."
The FAA is not investigating, Cory said.
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said company officials don't recall discussing any such incident from Nov. 7.
At least one O'Hare controller, union official Craig Burzych, was amused by it all.
"To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable," he said.
The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn't have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn't see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
"Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon," Cory said. "That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low (cloud) ceiling and a lot of airport lights. When the lights shine up into the clouds, sometimes you can see funny things."
The FAA is not investigating, Cory said.
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said company officials don't recall discussing any such incident from Nov. 7.
At least one O'Hare controller, union official Craig Burzych, was amused by it all.
"To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable," he said.
Oprah: African Girls Deserve My Charity More than American Girls...
Oprah Winfrey is firing back at critics of her decision to build a $40 million school complex in South Africa - saying she didn't build it in the U.S. because inner-city kids here don't appreciate the value of a free education.
"I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there," the TV talk-show maven says in the current issue of Newsweek.
"If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."
The tough talk comes as the famously philanthropic Winfrey unveils her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa - a sprawling, 28-building complex for impoverished teens that features a yoga studio and beauty salon, among other luxuries.
The 22-acre complex has taken more than five years to build and has raised eyebrows in the U.S. and abroad, she said.
"I understand that many ...feel that I'm going overboard, and that's fine," Winfrey said. "This is what I want to do. I wanted to take girls with that 'it' quality and give them an opportunity to make a difference in the world."
Winfrey handpicked the 152 girls who will attend out of an application pool of more than 3,500. Winfrey has also supplied millions of dollars to educate needy children in the U.S. through the Oprah Winfrey Scholars program.
"I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there," the TV talk-show maven says in the current issue of Newsweek.
"If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."
The tough talk comes as the famously philanthropic Winfrey unveils her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa - a sprawling, 28-building complex for impoverished teens that features a yoga studio and beauty salon, among other luxuries.
The 22-acre complex has taken more than five years to build and has raised eyebrows in the U.S. and abroad, she said.
"I understand that many ...feel that I'm going overboard, and that's fine," Winfrey said. "This is what I want to do. I wanted to take girls with that 'it' quality and give them an opportunity to make a difference in the world."
Winfrey handpicked the 152 girls who will attend out of an application pool of more than 3,500. Winfrey has also supplied millions of dollars to educate needy children in the U.S. through the Oprah Winfrey Scholars program.
Paris Hilton Skips Bill In Sydney!!!!
When talking of Paris Hilton, the word "tight" is not often one that comes to mind. However, it seems even multi-millionaire heiress Paris Hilton watches what she spends.......even if its just for a coffee.
Hilton, who is in Sydney this week to promote a new beer, and celebrate New Years Eve, visited the Sloanes Cafe in the trendy Paddington Shopping district with friend Kim Kardisian. While Hiltons minders ordered and paid for two burgers, Hilton ordered a mineral water and Frappe, and soon left without paying the bill.
While admitting that the unpaid $9.80 bill would not send the business into bankruptcy, waitress Jo Pfahl said that the staff couldnt believe their eyes when Hilton just got up and walked out to continue shopping.
"Shes got bucketloads of money, and she still doesnt pay for her drinks."
Hilton reportedly spent New Years Eve as a guest at a party hosted by Sam Branson, son of Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson. She is expected to leave Australia later this week.
The $9.80 drinks bill is still unpaid.
Above: Paris Hilton was all smiles this weekend in Sydney, and why wouldnt she? Drinks were on the house, even if the cafe staff werent aware of their offer.
Up until now, the only humanizing story I'd heard about Saddam was that he enjoyed fishing with hand grenades. For all the repressive things he did while he was in power, Iraq was a stable and (compared to now) prosperous nation. The United States government, in all it's arrogance, arbitrarily decided to "export democracy", taking the attitude that that form of government was the only way to run a country. Iraq had one of the best health care and educational systems in the Middle East, a dominant secular influence in government, and strong legal protections and rights for women – before the United States invaded it.
Now, Iraq looks and feels like Soviet invasion-era Afghanistan: hundreds of people are being killed every day, and the country's infrastructure has been all but destroyed. 4 years on, even basic utilities like electricity and running water have yet to be completely restored. In place of the former stable, secular government, we now have an increasingly conservative Islamic puppet government that isn't representative of the population. Just this past week, British soldiers killed/captured an entire local Iraqi police force, and destroyed the police station, on suspicion that the officers were members of a Shi'ia death squad. Regardless of America's intentions, their actions and continued presence in Iraq have killed almost as many Iraqis in 4 years as died during Saddam's entire 3+ decade reign as President of Iraq. Let us not forget that the sole justification for invading Iraq in the first place was to confiscate Saddam's WMDs – weapons that were nowhere to be found, even by the most U.S.-friendly of weapons inspectors. Should anyone have been surprised that the weapons didn't exist? Oh, but of course, the U.S. has proof that they exist: they were the ones that sold Saddam the weapons!
As for Saddam's "trial", that circus somehow managed to be less fair and impartial than the kangaroo courts of Ba'athist Iraq. 8 lawyers killed, at least 3 different judges resigned or were removed – one by the Prime Minister's own office, on the grounds that he was being "too soft" on Saddam.The Iraqi leader was railroaded through the "justice" system, and unceremoniously murdered by masked man in a barbaric and voyeuristic publicly filmed hanging. Iraqi officials have countered by insisting that Saddam was treated with "dignity", both in life and in death. In fact, his executioners taunted him incessantly at the gallows, and danced and sang around his corpse as he lay dead on the floor. Saddam, to his credit, put on a ballsy and fabulously defiant show that lasted right up until the moment of his death. He went to the gallows without a mask and, according to those who witnessed the hanging, without any fear, apprehension or regret.
Why the quick execution? It wasn't because of approaching religious holidays. Think about it: Saddam was only tried for the Dujail massacre. He was never tried for the poison gas attack against a Kurdish village, or any of the other atrocities he committed against Iranian soldiers and civilians during the Iran-Iraq war. Why? Because all of those crimes were committed using weapons bought from – you guessed it – the United States. This fact alone would have meant Donald Rumsfeld being called to testify, in addition to Saddam giving his own testimony. Embarrassing information on U.S. foreign policy might have come to light. The Bush Whitehouse, in it's current fragile and unpopular state, would have wanted to avoid such public scrutiny.
Congratulations, George W. Bush, you've done what not even Saddam himself could do – made a secular, largely unpopular dictator into a legend and a martyr, and the new champion of the Muslim world. Mr. Bush: you, sir, deserve a pat on the back – for ruining one of the oldest and most beautiful parts of the world. Even though your poll numbers suck right now, at least your ego can feel good, knowing that you're the single most dangerous person on the face of the earth.
Source: BX forums
Now, Iraq looks and feels like Soviet invasion-era Afghanistan: hundreds of people are being killed every day, and the country's infrastructure has been all but destroyed. 4 years on, even basic utilities like electricity and running water have yet to be completely restored. In place of the former stable, secular government, we now have an increasingly conservative Islamic puppet government that isn't representative of the population. Just this past week, British soldiers killed/captured an entire local Iraqi police force, and destroyed the police station, on suspicion that the officers were members of a Shi'ia death squad. Regardless of America's intentions, their actions and continued presence in Iraq have killed almost as many Iraqis in 4 years as died during Saddam's entire 3+ decade reign as President of Iraq. Let us not forget that the sole justification for invading Iraq in the first place was to confiscate Saddam's WMDs – weapons that were nowhere to be found, even by the most U.S.-friendly of weapons inspectors. Should anyone have been surprised that the weapons didn't exist? Oh, but of course, the U.S. has proof that they exist: they were the ones that sold Saddam the weapons!
As for Saddam's "trial", that circus somehow managed to be less fair and impartial than the kangaroo courts of Ba'athist Iraq. 8 lawyers killed, at least 3 different judges resigned or were removed – one by the Prime Minister's own office, on the grounds that he was being "too soft" on Saddam.The Iraqi leader was railroaded through the "justice" system, and unceremoniously murdered by masked man in a barbaric and voyeuristic publicly filmed hanging. Iraqi officials have countered by insisting that Saddam was treated with "dignity", both in life and in death. In fact, his executioners taunted him incessantly at the gallows, and danced and sang around his corpse as he lay dead on the floor. Saddam, to his credit, put on a ballsy and fabulously defiant show that lasted right up until the moment of his death. He went to the gallows without a mask and, according to those who witnessed the hanging, without any fear, apprehension or regret.
Why the quick execution? It wasn't because of approaching religious holidays. Think about it: Saddam was only tried for the Dujail massacre. He was never tried for the poison gas attack against a Kurdish village, or any of the other atrocities he committed against Iranian soldiers and civilians during the Iran-Iraq war. Why? Because all of those crimes were committed using weapons bought from – you guessed it – the United States. This fact alone would have meant Donald Rumsfeld being called to testify, in addition to Saddam giving his own testimony. Embarrassing information on U.S. foreign policy might have come to light. The Bush Whitehouse, in it's current fragile and unpopular state, would have wanted to avoid such public scrutiny.
Congratulations, George W. Bush, you've done what not even Saddam himself could do – made a secular, largely unpopular dictator into a legend and a martyr, and the new champion of the Muslim world. Mr. Bush: you, sir, deserve a pat on the back – for ruining one of the oldest and most beautiful parts of the world. Even though your poll numbers suck right now, at least your ego can feel good, knowing that you're the single most dangerous person on the face of the earth.
Source: BX forums
Military Nurse Recalls Softer Saddam...good read.
A military nurse who cared for Saddam Hussein in jail said the deposed dictator saved bread crusts to feed birds and seldom complained to his captors, except when he had legitimate gripes.
Master Sgt. Robert Ellis cared for the former Iraqi dictator from January 2004 until August 2005 at Camp Cropper, the compound near Baghdad where Saddam and other "high value detainees" were held.
Ellis, 56, an operating room nurse in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, said he was ordered to do whatever was needed to keep Saddam alive.
"That was my job: to keep him alive and healthy, so they could kill him at a later date," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story published Sunday. Saddam was executed Saturday.
Ellis checked on Saddam twice a day and wrote a daily report on Saddam's physical and emotional condition.
Saddam told Ellis that cigars and coffee kept his blood pressure down, and it seemed to work. Saddam would insist that Ellis smoke with him.
Ellis said Saddam did not complain much, and, when he did, his complaint was usually legitimate. "He had very good coping skills," Ellis said.
Saddam shared with Ellis memories of happier times when his children were young. The former dictator described telling the youngsters bedtime stories and giving his daughter half a Tums tablet when she had a stomachache.
When he was allowed short visits outside, Saddam would feed the birds crusts of bread saved from his meals. He also watered a dusty plot of weeds.
"He said he was a farmer when he was young and he never forgot where he came from," Ellis said.
When Ellis told Saddam he had to leave for America because his brother was dying, Saddam hugged him and said he would be Ellis' brother.
"I was there to help him, and he respected that," Ellis said.
Saddam never discussed dying and expressed no regrets about his rule.
"He said everything he did was for Iraq," Ellis said. "One day when I went to see him, he asked why we invaded. Well, he made gestures like shooting a machine gun and asked why soldiers came and shot up the place. He said the laws in Iraq were fair and the weapons inspectors didn't find anything.
"I said, 'That's politics. We soldiers don't get caught up in that sort of thing.'"
Master Sgt. Robert Ellis cared for the former Iraqi dictator from January 2004 until August 2005 at Camp Cropper, the compound near Baghdad where Saddam and other "high value detainees" were held.
Ellis, 56, an operating room nurse in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, said he was ordered to do whatever was needed to keep Saddam alive.
"That was my job: to keep him alive and healthy, so they could kill him at a later date," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story published Sunday. Saddam was executed Saturday.
Ellis checked on Saddam twice a day and wrote a daily report on Saddam's physical and emotional condition.
Saddam told Ellis that cigars and coffee kept his blood pressure down, and it seemed to work. Saddam would insist that Ellis smoke with him.
Ellis said Saddam did not complain much, and, when he did, his complaint was usually legitimate. "He had very good coping skills," Ellis said.
Saddam shared with Ellis memories of happier times when his children were young. The former dictator described telling the youngsters bedtime stories and giving his daughter half a Tums tablet when she had a stomachache.
When he was allowed short visits outside, Saddam would feed the birds crusts of bread saved from his meals. He also watered a dusty plot of weeds.
"He said he was a farmer when he was young and he never forgot where he came from," Ellis said.
When Ellis told Saddam he had to leave for America because his brother was dying, Saddam hugged him and said he would be Ellis' brother.
"I was there to help him, and he respected that," Ellis said.
Saddam never discussed dying and expressed no regrets about his rule.
"He said everything he did was for Iraq," Ellis said. "One day when I went to see him, he asked why we invaded. Well, he made gestures like shooting a machine gun and asked why soldiers came and shot up the place. He said the laws in Iraq were fair and the weapons inspectors didn't find anything.
"I said, 'That's politics. We soldiers don't get caught up in that sort of thing.'"
2 Killed In Drive-By Shooting
Two people were fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in an unincorporated area near Norwalk, a deputy said.
The shooting occurred about 12:20 a.m. in the 12200 block of Painter Avenue near Imperial Highway, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Frank La Piana.
A man and a woman, whose names were withheld, were transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, La Piana said.
No description of the motive, suspect or getaway vehicle was available.
The shooting occurred about 12:20 a.m. in the 12200 block of Painter Avenue near Imperial Highway, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Frank La Piana.
A man and a woman, whose names were withheld, were transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, La Piana said.
No description of the motive, suspect or getaway vehicle was available.
2007 Honda Civic Type R
Scheduled for release in Japan in spring 2007.
The 4-door Civic Type R prototype, fitted with a 2.0l( DOHC i-VTEC engine with an output in excess of 220PS and a specially tuned sport suspension, delivers exhilarating driving performance in keeping with its bold, dynamic styling.
In addition to serving as the official car (red flag car) for the Fl Japan Grand Prix, the Civic R prototype will also be on display at Honda's exhibit at Suzuka Circuit.
Specifications
Engine: 2L DOHC i-VTEC
Output: over 220PS
Dimensions (LxWxH): 4.540 x 1,771 x 1,425mm
The 4-door Civic Type R prototype, fitted with a 2.0l( DOHC i-VTEC engine with an output in excess of 220PS and a specially tuned sport suspension, delivers exhilarating driving performance in keeping with its bold, dynamic styling.
In addition to serving as the official car (red flag car) for the Fl Japan Grand Prix, the Civic R prototype will also be on display at Honda's exhibit at Suzuka Circuit.
Specifications
Engine: 2L DOHC i-VTEC
Output: over 220PS
Dimensions (LxWxH): 4.540 x 1,771 x 1,425mm
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Bombs stun Bangkok on New Year's Eve
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.
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.
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