Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 05:38:00 PM

Car Bomb Outside Chechen Hospital, 17 Wounded

Two car bombs exploded outside Grozny Hospital No. 9, wounding 13 members of the Chechen Secret Service, three hospital workers, and a child. Major Igor Golubenko, of the Chechnya Emergency Situations Ministry, stated the security officers were targeted. A group led by rebel Yunadi Turchayev is blamed for the attacks.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 05:14:00 PM

Hotel Blast in Tikrit

From the Sydney Morning Herald comes this breaking news:

A rocket slammed into a hotel in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing 15 people and injuring eight, US and Iraqi officials said.

A second rocket was fired at a US military position but caused no damage or casualties.

The blast at the Sunubar Hotel sent frightened guests of the three-storey hotel running into the street, some barefooted, others with bloodstains on their clothes.

Dr Hassan al-Juburi, director of the Tikrit Teaching Hospital, said the blast happened at 8pm (0400 AEST). The eight injured included two policemen and all the victims were Iraqis, officials said.

The attack is blamed on insurgent forces.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 03:12:00 PM

Human Face Transplant

The Cleveland Clinic has reviewed and approved the procedure for the first human face transplant after extensive debate on the ethical, medical, and psychological ramifications. Dr. Maria Siemionow is behind the effort, having successfully transplanted faces, limbs, and other tissues in laboratory rats.

Interested-Participant is preparing a catalog of recommended candidates for the first face transplant for Dr. Siemionow's consideration.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 02:43:00 PM

Double Voting

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that more than 27,000 people are registered in both Ohio and Florida, allowing them to vote in both locations. Moreover, they could double vote without being detected.

These people are among more than 27,000 listed as active voters in both Ohio and Florida who could cast ballots in either of the two states, both among the most closely contested in the presidential race.

Despite increased scrutiny of voting procedures following the 2000 election - and a federal reform law aimed at shoring up the patchwork system - virtually nothing prevents transient voters from casting ballots in multiple states, testing a system that relies more on the honesty of individual voters than on any checks and balances.

As many as 400 people voted in Ohio and Florida in the same election over the past four years, records show. In the 2000 presidential election, about 100 Ohio voters also cast ballots in Florida - where the presidential race was decided by just 537 votes.

Three things need to be reiterated about double voting: 1) nothing prevents it from occurring, 2) the system relies on trust that voters won't do it, and 3) it can easily change the outcome of an election.

After the problem of double voting was identified in other newspapers, Florida's Secretary of State, Glenda Hood, asked the Justice Department to initiate an investigation.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 04:35:00 AM

Nurses Leaving UK for U.S.

Dangling larger salaries, huge bonuses, and better living standards, American recruiters are achieving success in luring National Health Service (NHS) nurses to leave Britain and relocate to work in the United States. According to the Royal College of Nursing Annual Report, more than 2,000 nurses, a record number, left Britain for the U.S. last year.

In 2002-03, more than 2,200 verification checks on UK-based nurses were requested by American employers, up from just over 1,000 the previous year. [ ... ]

The Nursing Times said that American companies were increasing their presence at job fairs in the UK and putting enticing adverts in the professional press. Some recruiters have offered guaranteed jobs to registered nurses who want to move to the States with their families.

Packages offer salaries of up to �39,000 [$60+K] a year, two months' rent-free accommodation, air fares, visas for all the family, educational opportunities, a green card working visa and the possibility of citizenship.

A real life example of the law of supply and demand which leaves the NHS holding the bedpan.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/31/2004 01:05:00 AM

Beheaded Body of Shosei Koda Identified

From the Associated Press:

A decapitated body wrapped in an American flag and found in an insurgent-controlled section of Baghdad was that of a Japanese man kidnapped by Islamic militants, a Japanese official said Sunday.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said in Tokyo that the government confirmed that the body found Saturday was that of Shosei Koda, 24.

Fingerprints from the body were sent to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, and police experts there positively identified the body as Koda's. Koda was beheaded by an al-Qaida-linked group led by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Also blogging: Backcountry Conservative, Diggers Realm, The Jawa Report

[UPDATE] Video is here .
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 11:47:00 PM

Next in Line - Outsourcing to Pakistan

In the 1990s, American businesses began outsourcing computer, telephone, and information technology jobs to India to cut their cost of labor. With a large, educated, and English-speaking population that works cheap, why not? From a balance sheet perspective, Indian workers are a real bargain. In a country that has a per capita yearly income of less than $500, call center employees earn from $3,000 to $5,000 per year with benefits. Therefore, working at a call center is an attractive employment alternative and applicants wait in line to be interviewed.

The practice of outsourcing computer and telephone work has become a global phenomenon worth an estimated $600 billion worldwide and the trend is for it to continue growing bullishly. And, although India is recognized as the largest recipient of outsourced telecommunications, many other countries are also providing workers for outsourced jobs. China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia are benefiting, just to name a few.

Interestingly, one country that hasn't taken advantage of the growth in global outsourcing is Pakistan, India's next door neighbor. The primary reason is that the government of Pakistan has not been actively pursuing the development of features that would attract foreign companies that outsource. In particular, the teaching of English has not been emphasized and government regulations have been a consistent impediment to growth in the outsourcing industry. However, that's all changing.

Enter Farukh Aslam, Chairman of the Call Centres Association of Pakistan. He describes the state of Pakistan's information technology and call center outsourcing as "nascent" with only about 1,000 people employed by two dozen companies. After spending about twenty years in the U.S. being educated and working, Aslam returned to Pakistan in 2000 to find the country lacking vision and leadership in business development. He spent two years working to help streamline laws so that companies could operate and, as a result, he predicts that the Pakistani call center industry will employ 10,000 workers by next year. The problem of English proficiency is a long term project that's being addressed so that future jobs will have qualified applicants. Aslam is urging the government to teach English to every student, not just the offspring of the wealthy.

Investors believe that Pakistan has strong potential to provide low-cost information technology services which could potentially be the largest foreign exchange earner for the country.

One last note, Americans working in the call center industry making $30,000 per year or more are not going to be around long when their company realizes that people in India, or Pakistan, will do the same jobs for $3,000 per year. A backup plan is recommended.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 07:32:00 PM

Swift Vet Rally CANCELED

The Rally/March of Swift Vets scheduled for 1pm tomorrow has be canceled. According to SwiftVets.com:

The information I posted about a former SECNAV and Kerry's Discharge was pulled at my request because I jumped the gun.

You couldn't believe the powerplay behind the scenes at this moment regarding this story.

You can call me many things (and probably will) -- I don't care.

This isn't my call anymore on how/where/when/why this story will come out.

I've been told/asked/cajoled whatever you wish to call it -- to stand down.

So, this Chief will STAND DOWN (for now).

That's all I have to say on the matter. If you want me to personally apologize to everyone -- so be it.

- Troy Jenkins (aka "NavyChief")

Pass the word.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 06:31:00 PM

Baghdad TV Station Bombed, Seven Die

According to this report, a car bomb gouged a hole in the building housing the offices of Al-Arabiya Television, killing seven and wounding 19.

A group calling itself Thawrat al-Ishrin (Revolution of the 1920s) Brigades claimed responsibility for what it called an attack on "the infidels' television" in a statement posted on an Islamist website. Its authenticity could not be confirmed.

The station's Baghdad bureau chief, Haidar al-Wattar, said Al-Arabiya, which had lost three journalists by US fire, had now been "attacked by the other side", which was the price to pay for its "objectivity."

In another report, the group is identified as the National Islamic Resistance, 1920 Revolution Brigades. Calling Al-Arabiya "the mouthpiece of the American occupation in Iraq," the group warned of more attacks against the station.

The station's offices are located in the western Mansour District of Baghdad, not far from the Green Zone.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 05:47:00 PM

Eight Marines Killed Near Fallujah

BBC News reports that eight U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force have been killed and nine wounded in fighting around Fallujah and the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi. No other details were given.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 04:54:00 PM

Al-Jazeera Defends Airing Bin Laden Tape

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Al-Jazeera television, facing fresh US criticism for airing a new message by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, defended its decision to show the tape, saying it was news any media would have jumped on.

"We don't believe anyone can argue about the newsworthiness of this latest Osama bin Laden recording. Any news organisation would have aired the tape if they had received it," al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout said.

A US State Department official said Washington had asked Qatar's government to prevent the Arabic broadcaster airing the tape, but al-Jazeera refused.

Government officials in US ally Qatar, which hosts the leading Arabic satellite channel, were not immediately available to comment. Al-Jazeera says it received the tape on Friday.

In Washington, a US official said there is text at the start of the tape attributing the production of the tape to al-Shahab media production and that text has a date of 10 Ramadan, which was last Sunday. The tape also has English subtitles, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Al-Jazeera claims they received the tape by drop at its offices in Islamabad, Pakistan, and then it was transmitted to headquarters in Qatar. Since the tape was received in Pakistan, there's a hint that bin Laden is still hiding in the mountains straddling the border with Afghanistan.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 07:22:00 AM

Das Contest

(Frankfurt, Germany) The German Language Council and the Goethe Institute organized a public relations campaign to improve the image of the German language by showing it to be as romantic and glamorous as the French and Italian languages. Excuse me a moment ... writing that sentence just cracked me up. Rest assured, I'm not making this up.

Anyway, included in the PR campaign was a contest to select the coolest, sassiest, most valuable, and most beautiful word in the German language. Words were submitted along with supporting arguments to a panel of judges. These academic image makers believed that the word chosen would go a long way in reducing prejudice toward the German language. So, what did they choose? Habseligkeiten!

Yes, Habseligkeiten - meaning belongings. I don't know why. Maybe it's the word's meaning or the way it just tractors off the tongue.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 03:05:00 AM

Secret Service Visits Blogger

Kevin Aylward at Wizbang has the scoop on the 23-year-old LiveJournal blogger, Annie, who wrote a prayer to God to have George W. Bush k****d and, subsequently, was visited by Secret Service agents. It's recommended that Annie blogger put a leash on her fiery feline pronouncements. Having read her entry, it's easy to see why the agents wanted to talk to her. They did and were satisfied it was just a random burst of immaturity. No harm, no foul.

Annie's dossier, of course, will be annotated accordingly.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/30/2004 01:17:00 AM

SWIFT VETS on CAPITOL STEPS - Sunday

All Hands On Deck! SUNDAY - SUNDAY - SUNDAY!!!

SwiftVets are organizing an anti-Kerry demonstration on the U.S. Capitol steps for Sunday. NZ Bear has the details.

Mark Your Calendar

Also from the Bear, the rumors about Kerry getting a less-than-Honorable Discharge are still in the air. May break soon.

[Update] Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report has the freshest information concerning tomorrow's rally. Apparently, the Swift Vets are planning to announce an October Surprise concerning John Kerry's discharge from the U.S. Navy. The event is now called a march on Washington starting at the Naval Archives at 1pm.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/29/2004 08:03:00 PM

Planets Favor Kerry

When handicapping the election, make sure you include the following with all the polling data:

Indian astrologers say that the planets favour Democratic candidate John Kerry to win the White House race over US President George Bush in next Tuesday's polls.

"For months opinion polls have shown the race between Bush and Kerry, his challenger, to be neck and neck," said author and astrologer Lachhman Das Madan, who also heads the Astrology Study and Research Institute in Delhi.

"But the cosmic writ reveals Bush cannot become the president of the US again. On the other hand, Kerry's horoscope shows that Saturn is in the third house from the moon which is highly favourable," he said.

"The planets Mercury and Mars in the fifth and third house have exchanged positions. Success in competition is certain ... Kerry will be the new president."

No word from Miss Cleo yet.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/29/2004 07:41:00 PM

BASE Jumper Dies

From this report, it appears that the authorities will need to use DNA testing to identify this latest Darwin Award winner. He was retrieved from the bottom of a gorge in the New South Wales Southern Highlands in Australia. According to the story, these jumpers have been dying in noticeable numbers. No thanks. I'm not interested in being a suicidal participant.

One thing, though, bothers me. When these bodies are found, can you ever be certain that it wasn't an intentional, preplanned, goodbye-cruel-world suicide?
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/29/2004 05:37:00 AM

Victoria Snelgrove - Fatality From Pepper Ball

Updating a previous report, the controversy surrounding the death of Red Sox fan Victoria Snelgrove, allegedly caused by a pepper ball fired by police into a riotous crowd, has not diminished. CodeBlueBlog asserted that there is no documented medical evidence of a pepper ball injury ever causing a death. So, answers to two questions are sought. What was the cause of death? And, are pepper ball guns lethal?

According to this report, Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole announced on Tuesday that an independent panel, headed by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, will investigate the incident and determine exactly what occurred. Meanwhile, two other Boston police investigations, one by homicide detectives and one by the internal affairs division are already in progress. These investigations, however, appear to be focusing on whether the police used excessive force, not necessarily the cause of death. So, the question remains. Can a pepper ball injury to the eye cause death? Hopefully, the investigators will address this issue along with the issues of the lethality of pepper ball guns and the excessive use of force by the police.

But wait, there's more. AnalogKid reports that the Seattle Police Department has also been watching the Snelgrove case and, as a result, has suspended the use of pepper ball launchers pending the outcome of the investigations in Boston. Without conclusive evidence that pepper ball guns are lethal, though, Seattle Police may be overreacting and, at a most inopportune time. If Bush is reelected, strongly left-leaning Seattle may erupt as it did during the World Trade Organization conference a few years ago. If so, the police department is going to need all the riot control equipment it can get.

In summary, many questions have arisen from the death of Victoria Snelgrove. Specific concerns include the acceptability of using pepper ball guns, excessive use of force by the police, adequacy of police training, and the cause of Snelgrove's death. The first question that should be answered is what caused her death. All the other issues cannot be adequately answered until it's determined exactly what killed her.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/28/2004 11:50:00 PM

Democracy In Iraq

(Forward Operating Base Hawk, Iraq) Just recently constituted is Iraqi Village, a permitted community of squatters in the Abu Ghraib area, with notables comprised of a town council, an imam, a sheik, and a mayor. These notables are in the initial stages of forming their democracy. Responsibilities are assigned for all governing members and they hold meetings to address each others grievances. For anything they can't resolve internally, they consult with Maj. Patrick Barry, Executive Officer of the 303rd Armor Battalion of the Washington National Guard, who, with his staff, help.

Last week, Ward Sanderson of Stars and Stripes sat in and took notes at one of the meetings. Here's an excerpt:

The ones who stood out first were the mayor, the imam and the sheik. The women, though, soon took over.

The mayor wore a navy jacket, the imam and sheik fluttered in turbaned and draped. The women wore floral-hued scarves. The mayor, the imam, the sheik and some stubbled men all took seats around the long table. Most of the women sat along the walls near the children.


The council would gather at the Forward Operating Base Hawk when things got out of hand, and ask the Americans for help. Their enthusiasms for voting combined with verbal jousting, talk of real violence and want of a strong man showed a people in search of democracy, but wanting desperately to impose their will upon the other guy nonetheless.

During the course of the meeting, the mayor would prove defensive, the imam would maintain pious distance from this thing called democracy, the sheik would pine for the days when he was held in highest esteem. The women in scarves, initially demure, would vent.

The village mayor had seized the daycare and installed his wife as principal and had hired his daughter-in-law, too, some said. The mayor said she was the most qualified.

Another man said the council sent him a letter threatening to use him as a human shield. The women of the daycare complained that the mayor's son showed up to the school brandishing an AK-47.

"Well, OK," Barry started. "Did anyone send a threatening letter that we should know about?"

"Sending threatening letters is a big deal, and I want to find out what's going on."

Someone said the council did not send any such letter: "This is a note when someone is out of order, and goes outside the rules," an interpreter explained.

The man who was disciplined by the letter had somehow interfered in the brouhaha over the daycare and something to do with sports, and was told to mind his own business.

A woman in a lilac scarf fired off a staccato burst in Arabic. There is nothing to the letter, she insisted.

The square-jawed major listened, fingers locked in front of him on the table. Beside him sat his civil affairs officer, 1st Lt. Glenn Allen. Sgt. 1st Class Richard Allen studied things from the back of the room.

After much heat, everyone seemed willing to forget the letter. "So there's no problem," Barry said. "Let's move on." [More at link]

I don't think the Iraqi Village council meetings are much different from what occurs in America. For example, I personally have been at homeowner's association meetings and heard staccato bursts in Arabic, Korean, and Spanish. Nonetheless, I'm proud of our military. I salute Maj. Barry and his men. And I wish the people of Iraqi Village the best fortune and great ease in their transition to being a free people.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/28/2004 05:46:00 PM

Ansar al-Islam Murders Eleven Iraqis

From The Jawa Report:

The Army of Ansar al-Islam has murdered eleven Iraqi National Guardsman in a video released by the group today. Two days ago the same group had released a video showing the captured Iraqis, accusing them of collaboration with the enemy. Ten of the victims are seen shirtless and kneeling in the video before they are shot in the back of the head by one of the terrorists with an AK-47. The video also shows the grisly beheading of one of the Iraqi victims.

[ ... ]

The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah website also carried the following warning "We will not forget about the blood of our elderly, women and children that are shed daily in Fallujah, Samarra, Ramadi and elsewhere on your hands and the hands of those you work with." and according to the AP it said that the 11 slain men were "responsible for guarding the Crusader American troops in the Radwaniya area" in Baghdad.

Rusty Shackleford has posted stills from the video. The graphic execution video is available at the Terrorist Media website and here.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/28/2004 05:04:00 PM

Pollster Estimates Ohio Unemployment Now At 100%

A survey of employment status in Ohio households estimates that 100% of the people in the state are now unemployed. There is no official figure for the actual number of unemployed since the pollster concedes that the data are based on projections which were of "limited precision," because the quality of the information depends on the accuracy of the household interviews used for the study.

Designed and conducted by a guy in my neighborhood, the results of the study are being reported exclusively in the Interested-Participant blog. The study's methodology and results are considered valid because some other guys in the neighborhood said so. Additional support is provided by an unrelated survey to be published today on the Web site of The Lancet medical journal.

From SFGate.com: A survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates that as many as 100,000 more people may have died throughout the country in the 18 months after the U.S. invasion than would be expected based on the death rate before the war.

There is no official figure for the number of Iraqis killed since the conflict began, but some non-governmental estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000. As of Wednesday, 1,081 U.S. servicemen had been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

The scientists who wrote the report concede that the data they based their projections on were of "limited precision," because the quality of the information depends on the accuracy of the household interviews used for the study.

Based upon these two surveys, it can now be concluded that all scientific survey results that are reported with an initial disclaimer that states there is no valid basis or "limited precision" should immediately be sent to the San Francisco Chronicle or any other MSM member.

[Update 10/31/04, 0200EST] Paul at Wizbang has a post up that indicates many people are questioning the validity of the survey indicating that 100,000 Iraqis have died. He cites an article in Slate. It's worth a visit.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/28/2004 01:30:00 PM

Gastric Bypass Patient Recovering

(Sioux Falls, SD) When Patrick Deuel, 42, of Valentine, Neb., entered the Avera McKennan Hospital last June, his weight was approaching 1,100 pounds.


Patrick Deuel
(Photo: S. Villanueva, AP)
After being placed on a strict 1,200 calorie per day diet, he lost 421 lbs. as of Tuesday, when he underwent a nine-hour gastric bypass operation performed by lead surgeon Dr. Fred Harris, assisted by medical team of more than 20 members.

The operation took so long - Harris said anything more than four hours is unusual - because it involved two surgeries. The gastric bypass segment took only about an hour and went "very smoothly," Harris said. But first the surgeon had to contend with a more complicated endeavor.

As Deuel put on massive weight in recent years, excess fat put extraordinary pressure on the protective wall that holds his internal organs in place. At some point, the pressure forced a scar from a past gall bladder surgery to thin out. Most of his small bowel, part of his colon and other innards pushed through and created a watermelon-sized sac that hung outside his abdominal wall.

[ ... ]

Harris spent several hours delicately working to put everything back in place and repairing what was essentially a huge hernia. He had to sew mesh over the wound to make sure Deuel's innards stay in place.

Yesterday, Patrick Deuel awoke in the intensive care unit "doing very well," even cracking jokes. Dr. Harris stated that there were "no major problems so far," although, the real science is keeping Patrick Deuel alive afterwards. Any surgery entails risks such as infection or excessive blood loss, but obesity surgery also has the risks of leaking of the pouch, loosening of the gastric staples, and, in Deuel's case, a large hernia repair. Unfortunately, that's not the end of Deuel's ordeal since living with a gastric bypass has its own problems.


Since he still weighs 651 lbs., Deuel will be required to completely alter his lifestyle to accommodate the smaller stomach, a strict diet, an exercise program, and, after about a year, the need for plastic surgery to remove excess skin that has been stretched to extraordinary lengths. If Patrick Deuel surmounts all the difficulties associated with the surgical operations and living with the gastric bypass, which may take years, studies have shown that the odds are in his favor to keep the weight off and live a longer and healthier life. Interestingly, he appears to be in a good frame of mind for achieving success, having a positive outlook and a sense of humor. As an example, while preparing for the operation, Deuel mentioned to Dr. Harris that he was a Republican and, "when he gets inside there, if he finds anything Democratic, take it out."
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/28/2004 05:21:00 AM

Man Tries To Run Over Katherine Harris

Check out this story from Sarasota, Florida,

A motorist who told police he was exercising his "political expression" was jailed Wednesday on an aggravated assault charge alleging he tried to run down U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris and a group of re-election campaign supporters. No one was injured.

It should say 'fortunately, no one was injured' because the potential was great. The clueless Democrat driver, Barry M. Seltzer, 46, was charged with first-degree felony assault with a deadly weapon and is being held in the Sarasota County jail without bond. If convicted, he faces a potential 30-year prison term.

This incident demonstrates how emotions, overheated by politics, can easily prompt irresponsible, even criminal, behavior. It happens way too often.

Companion post at Backcountry Conservative.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 11:51:00 PM

Russia Linked To Missing Weaponry

Breaking news from Matt Drudge:

GERTZ // THURSDAY // WASH TIMES: Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned. John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, "almost certainly" removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad.

Perhaps the only real surprise here is that Russian complicity took so long to be (apparently) confirmed. The suspicion was raised prior to the start of the war.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 11:48:00 PM

Red Sox Win The World Series!

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox team for a great season. Final score: Sox 3, Cards 0. Sox take series 4-0.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 11:43:00 PM

Gitmo Prisoners To Sue

This story is the dumbest. Not worthy of comment, however, take a look if you want to shake your head in disbelief.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 11:21:00 PM

Google Directory

I signed up and now I want out. Anyone know how I can do it?
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 11:16:00 PM

Arafat Very Ill

Breaking news from News.com.au.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 08:45:00 AM

Dung - The Communist Rapist

From Channel NewsAsia:

HANOI: Vietnam's former deputy sports minister Luong Quoc Dung is to stand trial on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl in an attempt to rid himself of bad luck.

The accused had held the post of vice chairman of the State Committee for Physical Training and Sports until he was dismissed by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and expelled from the ruling Communist Party on March 1.

Dung's trial, which will be held behind closed doors to protect the identity of the victim, is only scheduled to last one day. If convicted by the Hanoi People's Court, the 52-year-old faces between seven and 15 years in prison.

Now, there's some good along with the bad in this case. The bad, of course, is that Dung is a child rapist and there is a victim. The good is that Communism, as practiced in other countries, would normally protect party members from this type of prosecution. In Dung's case, apparently party membership carries no weight.

Another comment is that Dung must be a complete idiot, jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Raping anyone, much less a 13-year-old girl, is not the path to being luckier.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/27/2004 06:15:00 AM

Congratulations To Dr. Shackleford

Well worth mentioning is that The Jawa Report is now a source for Google News. Drinks for everybody.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 11:48:00 PM

Oberlin Voter Registration at 117%

Oberlin, Ohio, including Oberlin College, has a population of eligible voters that is smaller than the number that have registered. After subtracting children and others who aren't eligible from census data, only about 7,000 people are presumably available as registered voters. Astonishingly, the election board has received 8,162 voter registrations.

Robert Rousseau, Lorain County Republican Party Chairman and a member of the county board of elections, stated that the problem appeared to be "sophisticated fraud" by voter registration-drive organizations. In disagreement, Thomas Smith, Lorain County Democratic Party Chairman and elections board member, believes that the problem is simple miscalculation by the elections board or the U.S. Census Bureau.

Resolution? Who knows? Reading the article, I'm not convinced anything will be done. If next week's election in Ohio is contested because of a few thousand vote difference, I'd recommend taking a real close look at Oberlin.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 10:12:00 PM

2,000 Filipinos Entered Iraq From Kuwait

On account of relaxed Kuwaiti border restrictions, an estimated 2,000 overseas Filipino workers slipped into Iraq from Kuwait on Saturday. The total number of Filipino workers in Iraq is now estimated to be at least 4,000 in various civilian industries.

It's somewhat perplexing that Filipino workers would continue to flock to Iraq. Just recently, the government removed all forces from Iraq after a threat to behead one Filipino. It appears that the overseas Filipino workers feel relatively safe going to Iraq while their leaders in the Philippines are spineless.

Of course, I'm looking at the situation from a distance, but it still galls me that American military advisors (last I checked, at least 600) are in the Philippines helping them with their terrorist problem while, at the same time, the Filipino military is noticeably not in Iraq.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 07:43:00 PM

Japanese Taken Hostage

A video was posted today on an al-Qaeda website that showed a kidnapped Japanese man with three terrorists standing behind him. One terrorist stated that the government of Japan have 48 hours to remove all Japanese forces from Iraq or the man would be beheaded.

Bastards!

[Update] From The Jawa Report we learn that the Japanese man is 24-year-old Akio Koda, an apparent "drifter whose family had not heard from him in months."

[Update 2] According to Ogrish.com, the hostage is named Shosei Koda and a link to the al-Qaeda website video is provided.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 06:45:00 AM

Hope For Alzheimer's Patients

According to the Medicinal Plant Research Center at Newcastle University, it's a steaming cup of tea.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 06:31:00 AM

Campaign Notice

For those interested, Teresa Heinz Kerry and Dennis Kucinich will be speaking today about health care in Lorain, Ohio.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 06:25:00 AM

Republicans Challenge 17,000 On Voter Rolls

From a Cleveland Plain Dealer report:

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections must find more than 17,000 registered voters by Friday to tell them they may be culled from the rolls by Republican challengers.

One problem: the very reason these voters are being challenged is because the elections board can't seem to reach them.

Apparently, there's some concern about whether the voters actually exist.

How odd.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 05:25:00 AM

Zarqawi Associate Killed

(Baghdad, Iraq) From News.com.au:

An aide to Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in an airstrike in the militant stronghold of Fallujah ....

A precision airstrike was used on a safe house the terrorist group used. No name for the aide has been provided.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 04:53:00 AM

Guest Relations Officers

I found this story from Malaysia interesting because I'd never heard the euphemism 'guest relations officers' used for the common bar slut.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/26/2004 04:04:00 AM

Castro Bans Dollars

Cubans will have to do business in pesos after November 8th now that Fidel Castro has banned conducting business in U.S. dollars. The edict is expected to affect transactions from an estimated $1 billion sent to the island from remittances by Cubans in the U.S. and from tourism.

I expect an expansion of black market activities. It usually happens when the government places unreasonable restrictions on currency.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 11:32:00 PM

RFID In Passports

Thanks to Anita Campbell for the heads-up on this report. Effective early 2005, U.S. Passports will be outfitted with RFID chips and some people view this as a decrease in security.

Here is how the claim goes: any terrorist, kidnapper or pickpocket equipped with an RFID reader supposedly will be able to scan a crowd in an airport or large gathering, and immediately see who is an American. They could read all sorts of data about those individuals, including name, address, date of birth. They would have access to a digital photograph.

The report takes a wait and see approach to the reduced security contention because RFID chips customarily are not awash with personal information, rather the chips have an identifying number which points to information in a secure database. I tend to agree for now, however, I'm expecting to hear more on this subject in the next few months.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 07:05:00 AM

Court Rules Against Provisional Ballots

The Democrats goal of allowing people to vote outside their home precincts was challenged by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. Subsequently, Democrats successfully filed suit in U.S. District Court to block Blackwell's directive to require voters to vote in their own polling places. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Blackwell's authority while rejecting the practice of provisional ballots.

Democrats say they won't appeal. Good, I thought it was a lousy idea and a guarantee of many lawsuits.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 06:00:00 AM

Children Die In Toledo Fire

Yesterday, from a Toledo Blade report:

Six children died today in an afternoon apartment fire in South Toledo that also left one other child in critical condition.

All of the victims were under 7 years old, Toledo fire Chief Mike Bell said.

Toledo firefighters responded about 2:40 p.m. to the fire just east of Reynolds Road, and about a quarter-mile north of Airport Highway.

Latest report has seven kids dead. It's also been reported that no adults were injured nor were any in the house. Seven kids under 7-years-old left alone.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 02:08:00 AM

WAPO Endorses Kerry For President

This was predictable.

[W]e believe Mr. Kerry, with his promise of resoluteness tempered by wisdom and open-mindedness, has staked a stronger claim on the nation's trust to lead for the next four years.

I believe the Washington Post staff members are overwhelming Democrats. They'll claim they are objective but, it's a lie.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 01:41:00 AM

Bosox Fan Dies

I just came across a very interesting post at the CodeBlueBlog and the author calls for the medblogs to take an interest in the story. Here's an excerpt:

The night the Red Sox won the ALCS, 80,000 Bostonian fans swelled the streets around Fenway, and a police officer fired a pepper ball into a part of the crowd. The marble-sized pepper ball -- that travels about 300 feet per second -- is said to have struck a woman in the eye. By the accounts I can find, the woman fell to the ground and was reported to be bleeding from her nose, at least. She died hours later at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

So it appears she died from a pepper ball wound which the author disputes as not being founded on existing medical knowledge. In fact, no data supports anyone ever dying in this manner. The post is engaging and I recommend that my readers visit the CodeBlueBlog.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/25/2004 01:12:00 AM

Brazilian Rocket Launch

After much trial and error, including a deadly explosion last year which killed 21 people, the country of Brazil has successfully launched a rocket into space. It appears that the nagging problem with persistent jiggling of the equipment has been tempered.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/24/2004 11:27:00 PM

Apologies

About three days ago, I got hit with a double whammy and the result has been no blog entries. Last week I experienced some pesky problems with accessing the Internet and they got increasingly worse as time went by. Then, out of the clear blue, I got hit with a bothersome respiratory and gastric malady that laid me down. The net affect of both problems was to have blogging put aside. I have suffered through the worst, am feeling much better, and have solved (fingers crossed) the problems with getting on line

I also looked at my email for the first time in several days and figure it's going to take at least a full day to process properly. Please accept my apologies for going AWOL.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/21/2004 01:14:00 AM

Sox

Blah, blah, blah ... the Boston Redsox win and the hero looks like Charles Manson.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/21/2004 01:09:00 AM

Punishment

My son has a cat allergy. It's genetic. He knows to stay away from cats. Monday he didn't go to school because on Sunday he was close to cats. The allergic reaction is scary. Fortuntely, I've been through previous episodes and knew what to do. I punished him for being boneheaded. He has been sentenced to read Mila 18 by Leon Uris. He's being clocked and there are pop quizzes.

|

       Following Entry Posted 10/19/2004 06:08:00 PM

Driving Lesson

I just spent an eternity teaching my 16-year-old some driving skills. My hands are still shaking. I never thought that this endeavor would entail explaining the difference between lawns and roads.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/19/2004 02:57:00 AM

GENERAL INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINT

I am repulsed by the fact that the media glorifies people that wear dirty clothes. In fact, it's trendy. Filth is trendy. I saw this program (Late night something with carson) where the host just looked dirty, unkempt and unshaven, sort of "I've been in the woods and I stink kind of guy" and he introduced somebody who looked like they just came out of the garage after dropping the engine from a car, and he spoke with all the eloquence of a grumbling V8 engine.

It sure seems to me that if a person gets the opportunity to be on national [and international] television, a person ought to don his Sunday best.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 11:44:00 PM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Candles, cake, balloons, and noisemakers are being electronically transmitted to my beautiful daughter, Ter, on her birthday.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 07:03:00 PM

Cleveland Less Poor Than Thought

The results of a study commissioned by the Key Bank and the Cleveland Foundation indicate that the city of Cleveland is not as impoverished as previous research had found.

"It shows there are disposable dollars in Cleveland neighborhoods that can support businesses and retail," said Daryl Rush, the city's community development director.

The study due for official release next week was done by Social Compact, a Maryland-based nonprofit that tries to show the hidden buying power in urban areas. It studies utility bills, credit reports, auto registrations and other sources to compile population and income estimates.

Since the results of the study are encouraging, there will probably be scant mention of it in the elite media. Businesses, however, will review the data and may be persuaded to locate in the area if adequate buying power exists. It should be noted that there already have been indications of renewed vibrancy of the local economy from rumblings of uncommonly high election season voter registration transactions.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 03:41:00 PM

Best Of Me Symphony

Featured this week is the P.J. O'Rourke Edition of the Best Of Me Symphony. Go visit.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 03:16:00 PM

Multicultural Home Improvement Market

In the 1990s, the population of Hispanics in the U.S. increased by 58%, more than four times the rate of growth achieved by the total U.S. population. Coincidentally, the percentage of Hispanic homeowners increased dramatically in the decade ending 2003. The statistics, of course, are not being ignored by American businessmen and, according to this report, their marketing and advertising efforts are being refocused.

"It's a very underserved market," said Cindy McConkey, vice president of communications for Scripps Network, which owns Home and Garden Television and is studying plans for a Spanish-language channel. "We have measured Hispanic viewership and it is on the rise."

Home improvement spending by Hispanics has grown 80% over the last seven years and the total market is estimated to be $25 to $30 billion.

During the 2004 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, experts noted that the burgeoning growth and affluence of the Hispanic and Asian populations provide compelling reasons for directed multicultural marketing. Marketing consultant Luis Garcia noted:

"With 40 million Hispanics and their $600 billion in annual purchasing power, this group represents an economic opportunity larger than Canada and wealthier than any Latin American country," said Garcia.

I guess Garcia is saying that there are more Mexicans in the United States than there are Canadians in Canada. This is not surprising to anyone with even the smallest familiarity with the news.

Regarding the Asians, Saul Gitlin, Executive Vice President of Kang & Lee, a multicultural marketing agency, stated that the Asian home improvement industry "is the most overlooked market in the U.S." Gitlin cites data indicating that Asians are significantly more affluent than other demographic groups and are, therefore, "ripe for manufacturers and retailers."

Consequently, experts agree that there are many Hispanics ready to buy and there are many upper-middle class Asians ready to buy and it's up to the home improvement firms to take action for their business. Any rational assessment of the growth and potential for growth of the home improvement industry would have to agree that the indicators are overwhelmingly positive. The future is bright despite the pronouncements of various politicians that the current economy is trending negative. And, personally, I've fairly had my limit of hearing that the U.S. economy is the worst in 50 years.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 08:18:00 AM

Carnival Of The Capitalists

Congratulations to Jay Solo on the one-year anniversary of the Carnival Of The Capitalists. It's become a popular and enduring feature of the blogosphere and it's sure to continue.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 07:25:00 AM

Belarus Referendum

From Reuters:

MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus awaited the outcome of a referendum on Monday to determine whether President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the West of running roughshod over human rights, can run for office for a third time.

Officials released few details of the count, subject to delays after Sunday's plebiscite. Lukashenko's liberal opponents, speaking long before the polls closed, said it was subject to unprecedented cheating and intimidation.

Lukashenko needs the support of 50 percent of all registered voters -- not just those casting ballots -- to do away with a constitutional provision limiting him to two terms in office.

Two exit polls offered contradictory results in the former Soviet republic, where Western observers have deemed elections fraudulent since soon after Lukashenko first came to power in 1994.

The polling was overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent 300 observers. It was noticed that the polling was conducted in a "climate of fear" with debate on issues lacking. Exit polling produced conflicting results. When asked of the irregularities, Lukashenko basically told everyone to mind their own business. He's quoted as saying,

"Try to calm down and stop accusing us of violations and cheating. Look at your own problems and solve them."

It appears that Belarus is drifting back towards the police state politics of communism.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/18/2004 06:47:00 AM

Zarqawi Announces Allegiance to Bin Laden

Earlier today, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group announced on the Internet that bin Laden is "the best leader for Islam's armies against all infidels and apostates" and declared allegiance to al-Qaeda.

And also today, as if this news were not common knowledge, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated:

"I consider the activities of terrorists in Iraq are not as much aimed at coalition forces but more personally against President Bush," Putin said at a news conference after a regional summit in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

"International terrorism has as its goal to prevent the election of President Bush to a second term," he said. "If they achieve that goal, then that will give international terrorism a new impulse and extra power."

Therefore, one can reasonably assume that President Bush is considered to be the greatest threat to the goals of fundamental Islamists. The Electoral College Breakdown might need to note that the world's murdering terrorists appear to be Leaning Towards Kerry. (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/17/2004 10:25:00 PM

CIA Agent Caught Shoplifting

This report is proof positive that President Bush is getting bad information from the CIA. Forget about stealing classified information from foreign enemies, our secret agents can't steal a package of bacon without getting caught. After being pinched, Michael Kostiw's name was withdrawn from consideration as the CIA's Executive Director. (via The Owner's Manual)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/17/2004 11:34:00 AM

Terrorists At Beslan Were Drug Addicts

It seems to me that AnalogKid at Random Nuclear Strikes should get some credit for the scoop on this story.

FORENSIC tests show that some of the terrorists who seized more than 1000 hostages in a school in the southern Russian town of Beslan last month were drug addicts, says senior prosecutor.

Nikolai Shepel, Russia's deputy prosecutor general, said forensic experts found traces of drugs in the bodies of some of the militants that exceeded normally lethal levels.

This indicated they were long-term drug addicts, he said in a statement carried by the Interfax and Itar-Tass news agencies.

Apparently, it's common knowledge in Eastern Europe that Chechen society tolerates widespread drug use. (sarcasm)How nice. Now, all we have to do is follow their example and decriminalize drugs in the U.S. and we too can have a Beslan adventure.(/sarcasm)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/17/2004 10:38:00 AM

Aussies Deny UN Request

From News.com.au:

AUSTRALIA has quietly rejected diplomatic overtures from the United Nations and the US to contribute to a military force to protect UN officials in Iraq.

Interesting.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/16/2004 11:39:00 PM

Your Local Voting Guide

In every election in my life I've been less informed about local candidates than those running for state and national offices. President, governor, senator, congressman, yes, I know who they are and which party they belong to. When it comes to local offices, I'm lost. The election approaches and there are names in television commercials that I've never heard. People running for judge, county commissioner, school board, dogcatcher, coroner, and they are all strangers to me. Not only that but, in many cases, you aren't given a clue as to which political party they belong to. On a local level, party affiliation is often hidden.

Realizing this particular aspect of democracy, I developed a technique for determining who to vote for. Drive around.

Yes, cruise through your community's neighborhoods and look at the signs. If you want to know if Mr. Pick-A-Name is Democrat or Republican, just look at what his sign is placed next to. It doesn't take a lot of effort. Sometime between now and November 2nd, drive around town with a pad of paper. You'll easily be able to figure out who's for Kerry/Edwards and who's for Bush/Cheney. The adjacent signs you'll see are all the local politicians who don't like the voters to know which party brung them.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/16/2004 01:25:00 PM

Wal-Mart Growth

Mexican liberals are upset that Wal-Mart is building a store in close proximity to ancient ruins which the Aztecs named Teotihuacan - The Place Where Men Become Gods.

TEOTIHUACAN
An open letter to President Vicente Fox carries the complaints of the artist community, including painter Francisco Toledo and novelist Laura Esquivel.

"Teotihuacan is for Mexicans our greatest cultural heritage, an expression of our history and our identity as a people and nation," the writers and artists said in the letter.

Although the national anthropology institute has stated the new Wal-Mart poses no threat to the ruins, local protesters disagree and claim that the new store will spoil the site. They also charge that small businesses will be killed and life in the area will change.

"We're afraid it would open the door to more development ... McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken," said the novelist, poet and activist Homero Aridjis.

What a dichotomy! When there is too little or no development, the liberal community complains and protests. Leftists also complain and protest when there is any notable development. It's a no-win situation. The liberals cannot be satified and it's difficult to dispute the contention that they are primarily opposed to free enterprise. As indicated by the following report, liberals may have a litany of complaints but the same is not true of the customers.

Meanwhile, in Honolulu, Hawaii, yesterday Wal-Mart opened its first urban store on Oahu near Ala Moana Center. Crowds of shoppers arrived early and, when the doors opened, they were described as washing into the store excitedly. Outside, a couple dozen people protested the store being permitted to open before the reburial of ancestral remains that were found during construction. The protest was peaceful and, other than by the media, largely ignored. Archaeologists are still sorting through the remains which are intermingled with garbage and animal bones.

In summary, Wal-Mart overcomes the impediments and roadblocks and continues to grow because it is "the better mousetrap" of the retail world. The company is the top retailer in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. with significant and growing presence in Europe, Asia, and South America. Wal-Mart expansion has become as predictable as the changing seasons.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/16/2004 05:21:00 AM

Arkansas Bus Crash - Update

From a commercialappeal.com report:

The driver of the bus that crashed on Interstate 55 early Saturday and killed 14 had less than half a second to react when his bus began to swerve, officials said Thursday.

Driver Hubert Walters, 67, drove the 39-foot bus off the road near Marion, Ark., after more than eight hours of night driving, and investigators have been piecing his last seconds together to learn why.

The Walters Charter and Tours bus owned by the driver's brother, Roosevelt Walters, had problems, including a cracked frame that held the motor in place and a roof skin placed over an existing roof, a feature that added up to 700 pounds to the top of the bus.

It appears that my original thoughts on the accident may be wrong. Far from driver fatigue, evidence now seems to indicate the accident was caused because the bus was in questionable mechanical and structural condition.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 08:06:00 PM

Woman Dies In Ticket Line

(Chicago, Illinois) A 70-year-old woman collapsed to the pavement while waiting in the Oprah show ticket line outside Harpo Studios in Chicago. A brain hemorrhage killed Barbara Alzamora of Harwinton, Connecticut.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 07:36:00 PM

Catholic Priest Steals More Than $1 Million

From cbs2chicago.com:

A judge set bail at $100,000 for a Catholic priest who resigned earlier this summer amid allegations that he stole more than $1 million from his parish on the city's southwest side.

The Rev. Brian Lisowski appeared Thursday in Cook County Criminal Court via closed-circuit television. He was charged with felony money laundering and theft from a school or place of worship.

Lisowski resigned in July from St. Bede the Venerable after acknowledging he had relapsed into alcoholism and had been stopped by police in the company of an alleged prostitute, church officials said.

After his resignation, there was a sudden increase in the parish's collections cash account that prompted the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago to look at his personal financial records, Auxiliary Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller has said.

I cannot tell you the relief I feel knowing that the Catholic Church hierarchy has crooks other than child molesters and pedophiles. At least common thieves can be rehabilitated.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 03:50:00 PM

Darfur Deaths Total 70,000 Since March

From a BBC report:

About 70,000 displaced people are thought to have died in Sudan's Darfur region since March, mainly from disease and malnutrition, a UN official says.

David Nabarro, head of the World Health Organisation's health crisis group, said up to 10,000 people were still dying in refugee camps each month.


Darfur Region

It's estimated that only about 15% of deaths were due to violence, most were caused by poor sanitation and disease. Concern has been expressed internationally, but little help has been provided. The UN has been noticeably slow in reacting. On the other hand, the African Union has assisted by mobilizing a 300-strong cease-fire monitoring mission, but it's only a small start.

Of note is that the UN is again particularly unreliable when it comes to helping stop massive death tolls.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 03:10:00 PM

Turk Beheaded by Ansar al-Sunnah

Shown on the website of the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah, Turkish truck driver Ramadan Elbu was beheaded. A statement read in the video said the kidnappers belonged to the Tawhid and Jihad group's "Qaqa Brigade," a reference to a commander who served the Prophet Muhammad.

Rusty Shackleford has more on the story including still images and video. Others blogging: Backcountry Conservative, Diggers Realm, Outside The Beltway, and Sortapundit. As an Oh-by-the-way, does anyone know how to properly pronounce "Qaqa Brigade?" If it's like I think it is, the bastard murderers are appropriately named.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 02:02:00 PM

Al-Qaida Financier Arrested

Wanted on Spanish charges of giving logistical and financial support to terrorists since 1997, Mamoun Darkazanli, 46, a Syrian-German dual national was arrested in Hamburg by German authorities. Considered a flight risk, he is in custody awaiting extradition to Spain. If convicted of being a bag man for al-Qaida, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

Good, and with any luck, the Spanish jury will remember the bombing in Madrid earlier this year.

In a related story, the Bank of England has ordered a freeze on all assets of the Tawhid and Jihad group held in financial institutions in Britain. The action wasn't taken earlier because "legislation requires a high standard of evidence to be there before the Chancellor can instruct action to be taken," said an anonymous spokesman.

It appears that the "high standard of evidence" was achieved with the videotaped beheading of Kenneth Bigley. Personally, I believe some people, British leftists, have been sitting on their hands and not taking a proactive role in fighting terrorism.

Trackback to the Beltway Traffic Jam.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 05:34:00 AM

Tiger Woods Blocked

(San Juan, Puerto Rico) Tiger Woods' yacht crew failed to notify the U.S. Coast Guard prior to entering San Juan harbor and was turned away. Security regulations require four days' notice prior to entering a U.S. port.


Mr. & Mrs. Tiger Woods
Tiger and his wife, model Elin Nordegren, are cruising and honeymooning through the Carribean after being married October 5th in Barbados. They'll just have to do it without visiting Puerto Rico.

An interesting side note is that the Woods' marriage was covered by the Associated Press and the media universally told of the secretive event and stated that even Oprah Winfrey attended. According to this source, Oprah wasn't there.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 04:10:00 AM

Kidnapped Chinese Engineers

Updating a previous entry, one Chinese engineer held hostage was killed and the other was freed from the al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in a dramatic rescue operation by Pakistani Security Forces. Wang Peng succumbed to injuries, Wang Ende survived and was handed over to Chinese diplomats. Five kidnappers were killed. Unfortunately, Abdullah Mehsud, the terrorist leader and former Gitmo prisoner who was released because he was no longer dangerous, was not.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 03:26:00 AM

FBI Indymedia Raid - Update

Updating a previous report, the Indymedia servers taken by the FBI have been returned and as soon as the equipment is operationally checked, all websites will be back on line.

Interestingly, according to this report, there's some international intrigue associated with the FBI raid and confiscation of the Indymedia equipment. It seems the Swiss government initiated the request for the search and, under an multi-national treaty agreement, it was performed by the FBI since the company owning the servers was American. It's reported that the Swiss concern has something to do with photographs taken of Swiss guards and G8 protesters. Indymedia has its lawyers trying to get more information, such as who authorized the search and why. It's believed the search was illegal. There will surely be more to this story.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/15/2004 02:23:00 AM

Media News

There's a new blog, called Regret The Error, dedicated to documenting corrections, retractions, clarifications and trends regarding accuracy and honesty in North American media. For any regular reader of the news, this blog is engaging and informative. It provides a central clearinghouse which demonstrates that most media corrections are the literary equivalent of sweeping the dirt under the carpet. (via mediabistro.com)

In an article about Internet fraud, Adam Penenberg discusses an area of increasing concern - click fraud. Click fraud is the practice of adulterating pay-per-click advertising statistics by generating illegitimate hits.

Click fraud takes advantage of the increasing popularity of performance-based ad arrangements on the net, and the dramatic rise in the cost of online advertising. Those that stand to benefit most are search networks' content partners, which receive commissions on these fraudulent clicks, and competitors intent on playing dirty by inflating a rival's pay-per-click spending to stretch their advertising budget.

[ ... ]

Click fraud can be carried out in several ways. The simplest: Hire a legion of low-wage workers to click manually on web ads. For instance, The Times of India reported on a new type of gray-market outsourcing: A growing number of Indian housewives, urban professionals and college grads are hired to sit around and click on ads for hours on end. They make between 18 and 25 cents per click and earn up to $200 a month.

Since click fraud affects the integrity of the Internet in addition to increasing the cost of conducting online business, the FCC should investigate and take appropriate action. The article also addresses other types of Internet fraud and it's worth a look. (via Wired News)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/14/2004 01:19:00 PM

Deputy Sheriff Killed

(Near Waldo, Ohio) A report from the Ohio News Network:

A veteran sheriff's deputy on an early morning call was shot and killed early Thursday morning.

Brandy Winfield, age 29, was found shot in his overturned cruiser. Winfield was a six-year veteran of the Marion County Sheriff's Department.

He leaves behind a wife and two young children. His father and brother are both Marion city police officers.

The whole incident started around 4 a.m. Thursday morning along SR 423 near Waldo, which is six miles south of Marion.

Deputy Winfield was responding to a report of a disabled vehicle and he radioed in that he saw two men walking along the highway, the sheriff's office said.

A short time later, all radio transmissions ended. Winfield's cruiser was found upside down in a ditch, and Winfield had been shot in the head.

A suspect was arrested at the scene and another showed up at the local hospital while a third is still being sought.

We should never forget that there is nothing routine in the life of a police officer. Condolences to the family and friends of Deputy Winfield.

[Update 4:45pm EDT] From nbc4i.com:

(Waldo, Ohio) Authorities on Thursday released a photo of the man who they said shot and killed a Marion County sheriff's deputy earlier in the morning.


Juan Carlos Cruz
Delaware County Sheriff Al Myers released the photo of Juan Carlos Cruz, 20, who allegedly shot Winfield.

Described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, Cruz is considered armed and dangerous.

As a precaution, the Buckeye Valley School District was placed on lockdown and a section of S.R. 423 was closed by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Anyone with information should call the Delaware Police Department.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 11:14:00 PM

Suicide Websites

From The Japan Times, it's reported that authorities are investigating the suicide-pact deaths of nine young people whose bodies were found yesterday.

In recent years, a number of Web sites have sprung up in Japan to introduce suicidal people to others so that they can die together, often of carbon monoxide poisoning using charcoal stoves in sealed vehicles.

Something is seriously wrong when suicide becomes a group activity.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 07:53:00 PM

Zarqawi Beheads Iraqis

Fadhel Ibrahim and Firas Imeil, two Iraqi National Intelligence officers, were beheaded today by followers of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Dr. Rusty Shackleford has the report with still photos and video and adds the following:

Disclaimer: When I started posting about this subject I never expected the terrorists to begin beheading people on a daily basis. I am saddened to keep posting on this subject. However, I still feel strongly that most Americans have forgotten what it was like to watch the Twin Towers fall. They have forgotten what it was like to watch people jumping out of those buildings. Many claim to remember, but an intellectual understanding of such attrocities is not enough. Let the images and video posted below remind you of the sick SOBs we are fighting. We fight for our secularism, we fight for religious choice, and we fight for our civilization.

There have been complaints about putting the beheading reports on the Internet and I can understand the views of those in disagreement. My personal belief is that the United States and its allies are locked in a battle with a primitive and brutal enemy and any attempt to put blinders on their atrocities is shielding the true nature of the conflict from the American people. The terrorists are not noble adversaries and we shouldn't pretty them up. They are the assassins of a savage and feudal civilization. The war is a death match and the video and photo images remind us who the enemy is and why we must win. In summary, I agree with Rusty and Interested-Participant will continue to point to the ugly images of reality.

|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 04:50:00 PM

Bogus Doctor Busted

(Miami, Florida) After evading criminal charges for five years, doctor impersonator Reinaldo Silvestre has been apprehended in Belize where he was teaching medicine. He awaits extradition to the U.S.

Investigators say Silvestre performed operations on champion bodybuilder and former Mr. Mexico Alexander Baez and at least two women, resulting in gross disfigurement and severe physical and emotional pain. He earned the nickname from police "The Butcher of South Beach."

Police say Baez went to Silvestre's Ocean Health Center in Miami Beach to have his pectoral muscles enhanced. But he woke up to find he had been given female breast implants.


Former Mr. Mexico Alexander Baez
Baez' attorney also says veterinary anesthesia was used on his client, who woke up three times during the procedure. A warrant for Silvestre's arrest was issued in September 1999 after he failed to appear in court.

Silvestre is charged with organized fraud, aggravated battery, practicing medicine without a license and grand theft.

One would imagine that a doctor nicknamed "The Butcher" would have difficulty in getting patients. (via Slings and Arrows)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 01:55:00 PM

Armored Truck Flips, Spills Cash

(Akron, Ohio) From NewsNet5.com:

Interstate 77 is closed after an armored truck flipped on the highway, NewsChannel5 reported.


The armored truck flipped at about 9 a.m. on Interstate 77 southbound between the White Pond Drive and Ridgewood exits.


Police said money was sent everywhere after the crash. At least three other vehicles were involved.

Apparently the armored truck driver lost control going northbound and crossed the median and hit another car head-on in the southbound lane. It's unknown how much money was strewn over the area. However, it is understood that passing motorists exhibited award-winning rubbernecking skills.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 11:33:00 AM

Mafiaville

From an AP report:

Investigators found the remains of two people believed to be former Mafia captains at a vacant lot apparently used for years as a graveyard for people ordered killed by the late mob boss John Gotti and other gangsters, authorities said.

The remains are believed to be Bonanno crime family captains Philip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera. The area in Queens where the remains were found is known locally as Mafiaville and agents are continuing the search for more bodies including the man who accidentally killed John Gotti's 12-year-old son in 1980 and then disappeared.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 09:17:00 AM

Babies In Mass Grave

According to this report, a mass grave in northern Iraq has produced evidence that Saddam Hussein executed women and children. Investigators found nine trenches in the village of Hatra containing hundreds of bodies including skeletons of unborn babies and toddlers clutching toys. The victims are thought to be Kurds shot and killed in the late 1980s and bulldozed into the trenches.

The body of one woman was found still clutching a baby. The infant had been shot in the back of the head and the woman in the face.

"The youngest foetus we have was 18 to 20 foetal weeks," said US investigating anthropologist P Willey.

"Tiny bones, femurs - thighbones the size of a matchstick."

Mr Kehoe investigated mass graves in the Balkans for five years but those burials mainly involved men of fighting age and the Iraqi finds were quite different, he said.

"I've been doing grave sites for a long time, but I've never seen anything like this, women and children executed for no apparent reason," he said.

Frankly, the finding of another mass grave doesn't surprise me. It's been known that Saddam Hussein is, and always has been, an ignorant, murderous thug and mass killings of innocent people is what murderous thugs do. However, I continue to be flummoxed by the attitudes of leftists that say the U.S. should have left Hussein in power.

Also blogging: A Western Heart, The Jawa Report
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/13/2004 06:58:00 AM

PayPal Outages

For the fifth consecutive day, outages have affected PayPal payments, log-ins and account creations.

The technical glitch plaguing the eBay (EBAY) subsidiary has affected an untold number of users, making it hard for some online sellers to complete deals, according to the eBay website.

Since some people are able to log in while others are not, eBay spokeswoman Amanda Pires said the total number of affected users remains unclear.

With 50 million user accounts worldwide, the financial impact of the PayPal outages could be substantial.

For some reason, when I hear of persistent technical glitches associated with the Internet, I immediately suspect that they are deliberate.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/12/2004 11:01:00 PM

Haiti Violence

Former Haitian President Aristide is in South Africa but his thugs are on the streets of Port-Au-Prince inciting violence and killing members of the interim government. The level of violence has caused interruptions in food aid and, according to Abby Maxman, Haiti's CARE Director, has also caused the UN peacekeepers to reduce their forces. Oddly, when the job becomes more difficult, the UN reduces its forces. Maybe Kofi Annan can explain the logic.

Hospital records indicate 17 people were killed this week and the gangs have instituted a new campaign called "Operation Baghdad" where policemen are beheaded.

Of course, the United States is being blamed for the violence which is pretty much normal. The U.S. gets blamed for everything.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/12/2004 08:58:00 PM

Transmission Towers Toppled

(Oak Creek, Wisconsin) At least eight FBI investigators are analyzing the scene of two deliberately toppled electrical transmission towers to gather evidence to find and convict the perpetrators. A $10,000 reward has been established for information about the crime.

Oak Creek Police Chief Thomas Bauer declined to specify what was found at the scene but said the sabotage, which temporarily left 17,000 homes and Mitchell International Airport without power Saturday and disrupted train travel, could have been done "with a common wrench." Two-inch-long bolts, a half-inch in diameter, were removed near ground level, he said.

Authorities decided early on it was a deliberate act, but no suspect was identified and no one publicly claimed responsibility.

Authorities haven't ruled whether or not the crime was a terrorist act since transmission line sabotage has been carried out in the past by disgruntled workers and vandals in addition to terrorists. Radical environmentalists would be my guess. To contact authorities: Oak Creek police at 414-762-8200 or the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force at 414-276-4684.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/12/2004 06:00:00 PM

Shiite Muslim Beheaded by Army of Ansar al-Sunnah

A video has surfaced on the Internet showing the beheading of a Shiite Muslim named Al-Sayed Alaa al-Malki by the Sunni Army of Ansar al-Sunnah. With an Iraqi accent, al-Malki said on the tape he was a follower of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The video showed the man saying he worked with an American military officer named Paul, with whom he allegedly established a "Citizens Claims Office" that was used as a cover "to collect and buy weapons from the street, and sell them to the American army."

A statement purportedly from the Ansar al-Sunnah Army that accompanied the video said al-Malki was killed because "he used the Citizens Claims Office as an underground tunnel -- during his work with the American forces -- to assassinate a number of Sunni leaders."

It appears that Tawhid and Jihad leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is trying to incite a civil war between the Sunnis and the Shiites. (via In The Bullpen)

Also Blogging:

Backcountry Conservative,

In The Bullpen,

Outside The Beltway,

The Jawa Report.

Chad Evans is hosting the video here (scroll down).
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/12/2004 03:56:00 PM

Pakistani Kidnappers Borrow From Iraq

(Chagmalai, Pakistan) In a previous entry, it was reported that al-Qaeda-linked kidnappers took two Chinese engineers (Wang Ende and Wang Peng) as hostages and demanded the release of two Uzbek al-Qaeda militants held by Pakistan Security Forces. The leader of the kidnappers is a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, Abdullah Mehsud, who was released because he was no longer considered a threat. Oops!


Abdullah Mehsud
Preferring to be called Commander Abdullah, the leader has directed a group of al-Qaeda-linked militants comprised of Chechens, Uzbeks, Arabs, and Pakistanis who have been battling Security Forces since March. Abdullah is currently surrounded by security forces and vows to kill the Chinese, one at a time, unless the security forces stop all military operations, free the two detained Uzbek militants, and leave. According to Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Abdullah learned from tactics employed in Iraq.

"Whatever is happening in Iraq, they are moving according to that," he said.

Of note is that the situation in Pakistan provides direct evidence of ties among the al-Qaeda terrorists of Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Also of note is that Abdullah is the second recently-released prisoner from Guantanamo Bay known to be drawn back to al-Qaeda. Slimane Hadj Abderahmane clearly indicated his intentions to kill Russians in Chechnya.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/12/2004 08:42:00 AM

Human Rights Watch Protests Al-Qaeda Treatment

From a report by the BBC:

A New York-based human rights group has challenged America's treatment of 11 al-Qaeda suspects it is thought to be holding outside the US.

Human Rights Watch said prisoners were being denied access to the Red Cross and protection under international law, and it suggested torture had been used.

In light of the savage beheadings of innocent civilians by groups linked to al-Qaeda, the contention that terrorists aren't getting bandages for their boo-boos sits angrily on my stomach. Personally, I don't see how any purported mistreatment of terrorists is comparable. Also, the Human Rights Watch, as a group of international complainers, seems to focus an inordinate amount of time criticizing the civilized world while giving the atrocities of fundamentalist Islamic groups barely a mention. For example, months and months of unyielding attention has been devoted to alleged mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Meanwhile, terrorist atrocities, such as the Beslan murders and the beheadings of Eugene Armstrong, Jack Hensley, and Ken Bigley, fade as issues in less than a week.

Most telling about the agenda of Human Rights Watch is the joint NGO statement of condemnation regarding the Beslan terrorist massacre. Paraphrasing, a group of armed men (not terrorists) took hostages in what they consider to be the international equivalent of a domestic dispute. The fault lies with Russia and the "hostage-takers" broke international hostage-taking laws and, therefore, they should be "prosecuted or extradited" for the crime. Rather than advocating human rights, the statement condemns Russia, deflects responsibility for Beslan from the terrorists, and downplays the immensity of the murders of hundreds of children, parents, and teachers.

Just for drill, try to find the word "terrorist" in the website for Human Rights Watch. I expect that it appears somewhere in the pages. I sure didn't see it.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 09:38:00 PM

FBI Raids Indymedia

From a report in today's MediaGuardian (free reg.):

The FBI has seized the British-based internet servers hosting the independent news network Indymedia, prompting accusations of intimidation.

Officers from the US-based federal law enforcement agency took servers belonging to Rackspace, a US-owned web-hosting service with premises in Uxbridge, Middlesex.

[ ... ]

The operation resulted in the temporary closure of about 20 Indymedia websites, covering 17 countries.

It appears that this action effectively shuts down the entire Indymedia operation out of Britain. Many people are enraged, claiming infringement on freedom of information and government cybersnooping. And, no information has been provided as to why or where the equipment was taken.

From a practical standpoint, there is good reason to keep Indymedia in operation. It's a method to monitor what the communist, anarchist, socialist, and other radical groups are doing. I'm sure law enforcement agencies see things the same way so it's odd that they would shut the operation down.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 07:55:00 PM

Alcohol Excites Males, Makes Females Drowsy

Research conducted by the University of Kentucky found that men are much less capable of holding their liquor than women.

In tests, scientists gave their subjects set amounts of alcohol and measured their ability to hit a button at the right time when a symbol flashed in front of them.

Shapes were flashed repeatedly on to a computer screen and when a green shape appeared, the subjects had to press a green button on the keyboard.

The green shapes were interspersed with a smaller number of blue shapes. When these flashed, participants were supposed to leave the keyboard alone.

The more drunk the subjects became, the less able they were to stop themselves hitting the keyboard when the blue shape flashed, with men markedly worse than women.

I don't know if I'd give this study much credence. I have problems hitting the keybroad when I'm compeltly sober.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 06:43:00 PM

Army of Ansar al-Sunna Beheads Turk, Iraqi

As punishment for working with the Americans, a Turkish man working on reconstruction and his Iraqi Kurdish translator were beheaded by terrorists of the Army of Ansar al-Sunna. The Turk's name is Maher Kemal and the Iraqi's name is Lukman Hussein.

In video from an Islamic website, it appears that the Army of Ansar al-Sunna and the Tawhid and Jihad groups are working together. Rusty Shackleford discusses the relationship and has some photos (WARNING - very graphic images). Video available here and here (WARNING - very graphic video).

Also blogging:

Backcountry Conservative,

In The Bullpen,

The Jawa Report,

Outside The Beltway

The fact that dozens of innocent people have now been savagely murdered by the terrorist scum does not jade me. The loathing I have for the perpetrators multiplies as does the sadness and sorrow I feel for the victims, their friends, and their families. These murderers have to be killed. Not captured, not tried in a court of law, just killed!
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 04:21:00 PM

Ecosystem Enhanced

NZ Bear has been busy and the result is an upgraded ecosystem with fancy new features. Go visit and kick the tires.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 03:13:00 PM

Alcee Hastings To Lead Election Monitors

This is unbelievable! The Austrian-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), soon to provide the first ever foreign monitoring of U.S. elections, has elected Alcee Hastings as president of its parliamentary assembly. This will allow him to appoint and assign November election monitors.

When he was a federal district judge, Alcee Hastings was convicted of soliciting a $150,000 bribe from racketeers in return for sentence reduction from three years to probation AND in return for a modified ruling to allow the racketeers to get back over $800,000 worth of property that had been confiscated. Hastings also was convicted of perjury for lying to the court during the bribery trial. After the criminal convictions, he was impeached by the U.S. Senate and fired from his position as a federal judge.

The Senate decided to dump Hastings for the simple reason that his presence marred the integrity of the judiciary. Hastings exhibited a complete lack of moral and ethical underpinnings by demonstrating that he could become a puppet of the criminals for a fist of cash. To hell with the law! Judge Alcee can be bought.

But, it's more than just being bought. Judge Hastings actively sought people to buy him. He solicited the bribe. His conviction wasn't a case where someone was minding his own business and along comes temptation. Hastings went and put his decision-making power on the market. And, I'm sure he would have held an auction if there had been more than one bidder.

In addition to having a total disregard for the tenets of the law and the judiciary along with the ethics of a crack whore, Hastings is a convicted liar, having perjured himself under oath in court.

In summary, Hastings was convicted as an influence peddler and liar because he had no respect for truth and the law. So, now he is responsible for monitoring the November election in Florida to assure that everything is on the up and up. Since Hastings can't tell right from wrong and he's monitoring an election where there's lots of cash flowing from the ample hands of George Soros, my take is that he'll do his best to cheat the system in favor of the Democrats.

What's needed is an election monitor monitor to watch Hastings like a hawk.

There's more on this story at Spoons who has learned to post while clenched.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 07:49:00 AM

Gitmo Prisoner Released, Vows To Fight For Muslims

According to this story, Danish authorities are investigating whether a prisoner recently-released from Guantanamo Bay should be arrested and returned to U.S. custody.


Slimane Hadj Abderahmane
In a television interview, former prisoner Slimane Hadj Abderahmane said Denmark's cabinet ministers were fair targets and vowed to travel to fight Russian forces in Chechnya. Slimane Hadj Abderahmane is the 31-year-old son of an Algerian father and Danish mother who was arrested in Pakistan at the end of 2001 after he fled neighboring Afghanistan following U.S. military strikes there. Abderahmane spent two years at Gitmo as an enemy combatant and was released last February.

One of the conditions for his release from the base on Cuba was that he signed a statement that he would not partake in terror actions. He now says he will hide from the Danish authorities until he can get to Chechnya.

Conservative juridical spokesperson Helge Adam Moeller stated that Abderahmane should be sent to prison for murder threats and, also,

"He's a terrorist. He wants to go to a place where he can kill women and children."

Maybe so. Or maybe it's getting cold in Denmark and, fondly recalling the tropical climate in Cuba, maybe he wants to go back. Either way, the authorities of Denmark, the U.S., and Russia have taken a keen interest in the case.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/11/2004 06:12:00 AM

Christopher Reeve Dies


Christopher Reeve
Actor Christopher Reeve died yesterday in New York at the age of 52. More at Backcountry Conservative. (Photo: Drudge)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/10/2004 05:55:00 PM

Bus Accidents

Report from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Seventeen people died when a bus carrying pilgrims veered off a country road in northeastern Brazil.

Another 18 of the 51 people on board were injured, highway police said today.

The bus driver, who was among the dead, lost control of the vehicle between two curves, officer Francisco Gouvea said.

Report from Beijing, China:

A total of 20 tourists were confirmed dead today with four more missing after a bus plunged into a river in southwest China's Sichuan province, state media reported.

The accident happened early yesterday, when the bus, crammed with passengers on their way to a scenic spot, veered off the road at a sharp turn along the Fu river, Xinhua news agency said.

And, of course, let's not forget this report from Arkansas:

A tour bus carrying 30 Chicago-area residents to a Mississippi casino left Interstate 55 north of Marion and flipped Saturday morning, killing 14 aboard, a state police spokesman said.

Tragic and somewhat odd that they should all occur about the same time on three different continents.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/10/2004 05:12:00 PM

Bombs in Baghdad, Pakistan, Chechnya

From AP/Yahoo:

Car bombers struck twice in rapid succession in the capital Sunday, killing at least 11 people including an American soldier, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned that violence may increase before the January election.

Iraq's most feared terror group - Tawhid and Jihad - claimed responsibility for the near-simultaneous car bombings, one near an east Baghdad police academy and the other outside an east Baghdad market as an American military convoy was passing by.

From News.com.au:

A Shiite leader in Pakistan said at least seven people were killed in the apparent suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in the country's east.

Witnesses said a man detonated the bomb after opening fire on a security guard when he tried to stop him from entering the mosque in Lahore.

In addition to these bombings, News.com.au reports:

A Russian colonel and his driver were killed and three other officials severely injured when their vehicle hit a mine in war-torn Chechnya, Interfax quoted the Chechen interior ministry as saying today.

Colonel Nikolai Zhabko and his driver died when the vehicle they were travelling [sic] in jumped on a mine in the Chali region, in the southeast of Chechnya, between the villages of Novye Atagy and Chiri-Yurt, the agency reported.

Along with these examples of violence and murder, it's appropriate to mention that they are not instances of the lack of peace since peace has been redefined to mean planting trees. Therefore, wars, violent killings, terrorism, bombings, and murders can continue and, as long as plenty of trees are planted, the world will be at peace.

Kumbaya, everyone!

Also blogging: Backcountry Conservative
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/10/2004 01:44:00 PM

Erskine Bowles - Democrat In Hiding

With North Carolina Senator John Edwards running for Vice President, his seat in the U.S. Senate is being sought by Representative Richard M. Burr, a five-term Republican Congressman, and Erskine Bowles, a Democrat and former White House Chief of Staff for the Clinton administration. In his campaign, Burr proudly asserts being a Republican with close ties to President Bush while reminding the voters that his opponent is a Democrat. On the other hand, Bowles' campaign doesn't allow his name to be associated with the Democrat Party in any manner. In fact, the main page of Bowles' website indicates only one reference to the Democratic Party and it pertains to his favorite issues. All one finds is:

These ideas are not Republican ideas or Democratic ideas.

The fact that Bowles is a Democrat is hidden from the reader. Bowles also doesn't mention that he was one of Bill Clinton's primary sounding boards and continues to be part of the DNA of the Democratic Party. And no one will hear Erskine Bowles talk about John Kerry either.

In North Carolina, a state where President Bush has strong support, Bowles must pretend that he is independent from the Democrats in hopes of winning the hearts of uninformed voters. It's generally recognized that politicians don't like to be called liberals because the voters often refuse to elect them. Now we have Democratic politicians, in at least one state, that don't want to be associated with the Democratic Party. And what's most interesting is that the Democrats have been accusing the Republicans of deceiving the American people. In reality, Erskine Bowles is doing some deceiving by trying to pull a classic bait-and-switch on the voters of North Carolina.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/10/2004 11:55:00 AM

Ken Bigley Caught While Escaping

According to a report in the Sunday Times, Ken Bigley was on his way to safety when his car was stopped by terrorists in a different cell of the Tawhid and Jihad group. He was returned to the house where he had been held and then beheaded. The two men who helped in the escape attempt were executed.

Through intelligence channels, it's been confirmed that the Tawhid and Jihad group got antsy after the failed MI6 (British Intelligence) escape attempt. The terrorists believed that their hiding place would soon be overrun with U.S. and Iraqi Forces so they killed Bigley and ran. (via Blogs Of War and Backcountry Conservative)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/10/2004 06:50:00 AM

Two Chinese Engineers Kidnapped in Pakistan

(Islamabad, Pakistan) Two Chinese engineers and two Pakistani security personnel have been kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists near the Afghan border. The terrorists have demanded the release of all al-Qaeda detainees or they vowed to kill Wang Ende and Wang Teng, who worked for China's state-run Sino Hydro Corporation.

The engineers were kidnapped yesterday morning as they travelled [sic] from the western town of Dera Ismail Khan to the Gomalzam dam project in South Waziristan, the remotest and most dangerous of Pakistan's north-west tribal districts.

Hundreds of al-Qaeda militants have taken refuge and set up training camps in South Waziristan, and have been battling thousands of Pakistani army troops trying to flush them out.

Meanwhile in Baghdad, it's being reported that four people were killed and two wounded today in an early morning rocket or mortar attack near the oil ministry.

Also blogging:The Jawa Report
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/09/2004 01:31:00 PM

Arkansas Bus Crash Kills 14

(Marion, Arkansas) From the Associated Press:

A tour bus carrying 30 Chicago-area residents to a Mississippi casino left Interstate 55 north of Marion and flipped Saturday morning, killing 14 aboard, a state police spokesman said.

The bus, owned by Walters Charter and Tours of Chicago, was about 30 miles from its destination, Tunica, Miss., when the accident occurred around 5:04 a.m., state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

A light mist was falling at the time of the accident, but visibility did not appear to be greatly limited, he said.

No cause has been identified. Notably, the bus was recently inspected and determined to be in good mechanical shape. The NTSB is investigating.

Since no other vehicles were involved in the early morning crash and with good visibility and sound equipment, it appears that the driver may have fallen asleep.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/09/2004 10:46:00 AM

Australia Keeps Howard

Earlier today, John Howard won his fourth term as Australia's Prime Minister. As a loyal and unyielding ally of the United States, Howard's reelection is worth toasting. John Howard, I raise my coffee cup in your honor.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/09/2004 04:24:00 AM

Afghan Woman Votes First

A woman cast the first vote in the Afghan national election and it has to be considered much more than symbolic. It is a dramatic first step towards equal rights for women in the Muslim societies of Central Asia and the world. Every person in America should be proud of the United States and its allies for helping lead the country of Afghanistan to democracy and women's suffrage. On the other hand, the Afghans should be applauded for their courage in resolutely moving towards a democratic government while suffering setbacks from the forces of evil and ignorance. (via In The Bullpen)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/09/2004 02:49:00 AM

Plan To Outlaw Smoking In Europe

(Brussels, Belgium) Before the European Parliament, the incoming European health enforcer, Markos Kyprianou, announced his plan to make smoking illegal in Europe within five years. He also pledged to fight for more laws to restrict eating food and drinking alcohol.

Apparently, health enforcement has been lax and there are too many fat, drunk, and coughing Europeans. Also, it's interesting to note that Kyprianou did not mention how the anti-smoking laws are to coexist with legislative efforts that have already legalized marijuana and hashish smoking in some European countries.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/09/2004 01:42:00 AM

Afghan Polling Station Bombed

From News.com.au:

A bomb exploded at a polling station in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif early today, a Western official said, shattering what had been a relatively calm start to Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election.

No word on casualties at this time. Polls close at 1130 GMT (7:30 am, EDT).
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 11:18:00 PM

Fired For Hunting Spacemen

(Columbus, Ohio) On weekends and weekday nights, 63-year-old computer programmer Charles E. Smith would use a state-owned computer server to search for aliens in outer space. His employer, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, fired him. Smith's boss, Director Tom Hayes, remarked

"I understand his desire to search for intelligent life in outer space, because obviously he doesn't find it in the mirror in the morning," Hayes said. "I think that people can be comfortable that security has beamed this man out of our building."

It's glaringly apparent that Smith wasn't being very intelligent while looking for spacemen. He risked and lost a job that paid a comfortable $60,000 per year.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 06:33:00 PM

Bigley Beheaded By Tawid and Jihad Terrorists

It's been reported by an Abu Dhabi television station that British hostage Kenneth Bigley has been beheaded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawid and Jihad terrorist organization.


Kenneth Bigley
Confirmation has been provided by reports from various news sources. Abu Dhabi television claims to have received the beheading video and decided not to broadcast. Earlier it was reported that a Reuters employee has seen the video. Links and/or stills should be available soon.

Following the story closely are:

Backcountry Conservative,
Blogs of War,
The Jawa Report,
Diggers Realm,
In The Bullpen,
ISOU,
Outside The Beltway,
Wizbang.

Obviously, there's a lot of interest in the Ken Bigley story. Unfortunately, from all indications, there is no happy ending. Condolences to his family.


[Update 10/10]

The video of Kenneth Bigley is here. (Hat tip: Backcountry Conservative)


[Update 04/21/06]

Senior al-Qaeda terrorist claims he presided at Bigley's phony trial.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 10:26:00 AM

Mexican Migrants in Mexico

When Mexicans sneak into the U.S., they leave openings in the labor forces of the northern states of Mexico which are being filled by indigenous Indians from the countryside. The towns and communities are seeing an influx of people of different cultures and, in some cases, they cannot even speak Spanish. Local populations are not always happy with the situation.

Sounds somewhat similar to what's happening in some communities in the U.S., eh? Digger takes a closer look at the story.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 08:25:00 AM

Another German Cannibal

In Germany last year, it was reported that Armin Meiwes, 42, killed and ate Bernd Juergen Brandes, 43. Meiwes was ultimately convicted of the crime. This year, it's reported that Ralf Meyer, 41, killed Joe Ritzkowsky, 33, with every intention of eating him.

"I wanted to eat him," Meyer told the police. "It has been a fantasy of mine for a long, long time."

Police said Meyer lost his nerve and confessed after killing his victim. "There's a body in my flat," he told them. "Please stop me before I eat it."

Police found a chopped-up Joe Ritzkowsky in Meyer's flat.

One has to wonder if the cannibalism perversion can be categorized as uniquely European. Cannibalism has occurred many times in the modern era, however, it usually occurs when people are starving. The two German incidents seem to result from some sort of mental sickness.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 05:10:00 AM

Indonesian Paris Embassy Bombed

From Reuters:

A package bomb exploded in front of the Indonesian embassy in Paris before dawn Friday, causing minor injuries to about 10 people and shattering windows of nearby apartments.

"This is clearly an act with criminal intentions," said Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin, who rushed to the scene in the wealthy 16th arrondissement in western Paris.

"As far as we know, there was no specific threat but we are investigating," he told journalists.

Villepin's words were echoed by President Jacques Chirac who pledged "All means will be deployed to shed light on this criminal act." The apparent French denial of any terrorist underpinnings was not shared by Indonesian president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who condemned the blast as an act of terrorism.

It should be noted that tension is high worldwide due to terrorist attacks yesterday on Egyptian Red Sea resorts crowded with Israeli tourists, killing at least 20 people in bombings that appeared to be the work of al Qaeda. Additionally, the second anniversary of the Bali nightclub bombings has heightened security concerns regarding Indonesia.

Companion post at Backcountry Conservative
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/08/2004 05:00:00 AM

Red Sea Resort Attacks

The total number of casualties in yesterday's bomb attacks at a resort hotel in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is still unknown. According to this report,

Officials initially reported at least 30 dead, but by this morning they said rescuers had located 19 bodies in the rubble - although more were expected to be found. Egypt said at least 12 Egyptians were dead, and a senior Israeli army officer, Yair Naveh, said 38 Israelis were missing.

Israel has announced that al-Qaeda is to blame.

For a comprehensive overview and relevant links, see The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 02:31:00 PM

Horse Steaks

(Mason, Ohio) According to this report, many people were upset when they heard that The Red Derby Restaurant was legally selling horsemeat dinners. The advertising campaign for the restaurant serving sizzling horse steaks and horse burgers resulted in hundreds of telephone and e-mail complaints and even death threats. There was no need to protest, however, because the restaurant and advertising campaign were part of a hoax created by a horse lovers group called Second Chance Horse Rescue. The hoax was intended to motivate people to donate money.

The group's founder, Alice Crow, said there are 150,000 horses slaughtered each year for human consumption in other countries and, since 2002, her group has rescued 200. Golly, Alice, in two years, you've rescued 200 horses. That's 100 horses per year which means that 149,900 horses each year weren't rescued. It doesn't look like you are ever going to make a big dent in the overall numbers. Maybe you should change the name of your group from Second Chance Horse Rescue to Snowball's Chance Horse Rescue, just for the sake of accuracy in advertising, of course.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 01:53:00 PM

Anglicans Won't Accommodate Homosexuals

In Australia, the Anglican Church held the General Synod Meeting in Perth and officially rejected homosexual marriages and ordaining women bishops along with condemning adultery. Debate was heated yet the measures passed by a significant margin.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 01:02:00 PM

School Dress Codes

Examples abound in the U.S. where school systems have instituted student dress codes to more formalize the education process while reducing discipline problems. Naturally, civil libertarians come out of the woodwork claiming that Gestapo tactics are being used to stifle freedom of expression. The controversy rages on, and on, yada, yada, yada.

Well, folks, check out this story. American school systems don't even come close to the level of stifling expression that the administrators impose at the Priestnall High School, Heaton Mersey, England. Students have been "separated from their friends and kept in isolation for two days, for such crimes as wearing the wrong colour socks, or having their shirt untucked." Comparing infractions, solitary confinement for the wrong color socks, the British standard, is not even close to just telling a boy to pull his pants up or a girl to cover her midriff, which is commonly all that's demanded in U.S. schools.

Due to public protest, the Priestnall headmaster was forced to change the policy and the uniform "purge" was called off. The administrators believe the purge was successful in upgrading the quality of the student's appearance. Uniforms are still required but the daily inspections are no longer conducted.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 10:25:00 AM

$15,000 For Bruised Marbles

(Oakland, California) After an adrenaline-charged chase of a bank robber, a policeman kicked the criminal in the groin. As a result, the city of Oakland will pay the felon the sum of $15,000.

Troy Barnes robbed the Wells Fargo Bank on Fruitvale Avenue on Aug. 21, 1998. He led officers on a chase and crashed into a park ranger's car on Golf Links Road in East Oakland. Barnes was shot -- apparently seven times by numerous officers who fired 51 shots -- after police spotted him holding a 9mm semiautomatic pistol.

Officer Edwin Somarriba was seen on a television news videotape kicking Barnes between his legs after he had been shot and lay bleeding on the ground.

[ ... ]

Barnes, a three-time convicted bank robber, was found guilty in the 1998 bank holdup of two counts of robbery, brandishing a weapon and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He is serving a lengthy prison sentence at Salinas Valley State Prison.

Attorney Michael Rains of Pleasant Hill, whose firm represented Somarriba, said Wednesday of the officer's kick, "It was not done sadistically or maliciously. It was done to control and not to punish. The kicking was to distract."

Now, get this. Barnes is a Muslim who wants to donate half his settlement to mosques and the other half to his granddaughter. What a bunch of hooey. After his lawyer sucks his fee from the $15,000, Barnes will be lucky just to have enough left to buy a few cartons of cigarettes.

And another thing. What's the story with the police force that couldn't shoot straight. Holy moley! All they needed was one cop able to hit the target and Barnes would be in the morgue. End of story.

Companion post at Backcountry Conservative
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 02:37:00 AM

Help Wanted - Driver

A national search is underway by the Subaru Motor Company for a female driver in good health.

- No experience necessary

- Must have valid U.S. driver's license

- Travel is required

- PAY: $40,000 minimum

Applications are available at Subaru dealerships and they must be submitted by October 18, 2004. For additional information, contact CGHill.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/07/2004 01:13:00 AM

Organ Donor Dies From Organ Removal

(Grand Junction, Colorado) The Montrose County Coroner, Mark Young, ruled that the death of William Rardin, 36, was a homicide caused by the removal of his heart, liver, pancreas, and kidneys by an organ recovery team. Apparently the Montrose Memorial Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital did not follow "accepted medical standards" for determining death prior to removing Rardin's organs for transplantation. The incident prompted Coroner Young to remark:

"This has me so concerned I'm taking the donor thing off my driver's license. I don't mind donating if I'm dead, but hopefully the results of this incident will mean new standards will be established."

People are surely aware that organ transplant procedures have extremely restrictive time limits and organ recovery teams constantly have to battle the clock. That type of pressure may well have contributed to this death by organ removal.

Sheesh! This story is going to give me nightmares where I lapse into a coma and a team of surgeons arrives to hurriedly take my body apart, piece by piece, while I'm still alive.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/06/2004 10:52:00 PM

Blasts Kill At Least 34 In Pakistan

From a report in the Star Online (Malaysia):

Two bombs exploded at a gathering of Islamic radicals in the central Pakistan city of Multan early Thursday, killing at least 34 people and injuring dozens, police said.

Hundreds of people had gathered in a residential area in the city to mark the anniversary of the death of the leader of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba group, killed in an attack last year.

A car bomb exploded near the venue, and within minutes a second bomb attached to a motorcycle went off, deputy city police chief Arshad Mohammed said.

Multan's police chief, Skindar Hayyat, said that at least 34 people were killed.

Dr. Mohammed Tayyab at the Nishtar government hospital in the city said they had received 34 dead bodies and 70 injured.

Occurring at about 2340 GMT Wednesday, the attack appears to be one group of terrorists blowing up another group of terrorists. It's suggested that the bombs were exploded in the gathering of radical Sunni Muslims because they are believed responsible for a suicide bombing of Shia Muslims that occurred last week in the eastern city of Sialkot, killing 31 people and injuring more than 50.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/06/2004 07:13:00 PM

Canadian Sub Emergency

(Halifax, Nova Scotia) An updated report indicates that the fires onboard the HMCS Chicoutimi were worse than originally reported. Three sailors were airlifted to an Irish hospital where one is described in "critical" condition. Although the boat is without propulsion bouncing in rough seas, one diesel generator and the battery are providing ventilation and lighting.

Nine crew members suffered minor injuries while fighting the fires which, according to Commodore Tyrone Pile, Commander of the Canadian Fleet Atlantic, was major and caused extensive damage to cabling.

The cause of the [first] fire was still unknown, Pile said. However, it burned on both the first and the second deck, badly damaging Captain Luc Pelletier's cabin and the electrical equipment room.

A second "minor' fire erupted in the oxygen generator after the first had been extinguished. Currently, rescue vessels are attending to the boat with towing to the British Naval Base in Faslane, Scotland, expected to begin tomorrow.

Interestingly, the fires on the submarine have led to fiery arguments in the Canadian House of Commons. The Conservatives are saying the Liberals are neglecting the Canadian Armed Forces.

"They wanted a military capability on the cheap. This is a pattern with the Liberals," Conservative defence critic Gordon O'Connor, a retired army general, told reporters on Tuesday.

So, the Liberals support the military except when it comes to paying for it. The Liberals counter the Conservative argument by stating that this is not the time to be asking questions.

[Update 10/06/04, 2055EDT] The critically injured submariner, Lieut. Chris Saunders, from Saint John, N.B., died while being transferred to the hospital. The news is devastating to Saunders' wife and two small children who earlier were informed that everyone was fine. Poor communications have been blamed. Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced the death to a hushed House of Commons.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/06/2004 03:55:00 PM

Vancouver Pot Shop Closes

(Vancouver, British Columbia) After about four months in operation selling marijuana and hashish, the Da Kine Smoke and Beverage shop has surrendered its license to conduct business. Da Kine shuts down on the eve of license renewal and a mere month after being raided as a drug trafficking operation. The owner, Carol Gwilt, and seven employees were charged with trafficking after "police seized cash, nine kilograms of marijuana, some hashish and 300 marijuana and hash cookies."

Mayor Larry Campbell has stated that a licence would not have granted had they known the shop would be selling illegal drugs. His statement seems disingenuous since the police opposed the licence prior to issuance, saying they had concerns drugs might be sold on the premises.

"We were aware and had information that this is what they planned to do, that they would set up a marijuana cafe," police spokeswoman Const. Sarah Bloor said.

The business had revenues of about $30,000 a day which would appear to indicate the shop was selling something other than coffee and sticky buns.

"This is not a small compassion club for medicinal marijuana use. This is a drug trafficking operation that is making more money than any other legitimate business [in the area], close to half a million dollars a month," Bloor said.

It should be no surprise that the typical marijuana cafe caters to dopers, not glaucoma and cancer patients.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/06/2004 06:14:00 AM

Cheney - Edwards Debate Mini-Wrap

My viewing pleasure for the evening was baseball as opposed to the debate. I relied upon others to keep me informed, such as Allah, who has posted a good compilation of snippets from around the blogosphere. In particular, after John Edwards repeated the false allegations about Halliburton, Cheney erroneously informed everyone to consult "Factcheck.com" to find out the true story. He should have said that 'Factcheck.org" is where the Democrats assertions are debunked. Allah notes:

At some point tonight after Cheney's gaffe, Factcheck.com was reconfigured to redirect visitors to George Soros's website. Whether this was done at Soros's behest or whether any cash changed hands in the process, no one knows (yet) ....

I can't think of a better demonstration of the fact that the Democrats will be as underhanded as necessary to keep people from hearing the truth. Their whole campaign is based upon deceiving the American people.

From Wizbang comes this Vice-Presidential quote,

"I have been president of the senate for several years and the first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight."

Cheney gets the blue ribbon for best campaign zinger.

I agree wholeheartedly with Spoons regarding Gwen Ifill as a moderator with one exception. He says she's nasty with an extreme leftist bias and should be beaten to death with her own shoes. Personally, any person's shoes would be fine with me, preferably with spiked heels. Ifill is the poster person for what's wrong with PBS. Overall, Spoons charts Cheney thumbs down on his performance.

Over at the Llama Butchers, it's a draw. Chad Evans In The Bullpen provides a good collection of blogospheric reactions and personally thinks Edwards is a lightweight and Cheney outclassed him. Michelle Malkin looks at some details to give the nod to Bush/Cheney. She remarks:

It was a substantive debate and the reason the MSM navel-gazers are grumpy is that they didn't get any non-substantive fireworks--no sighs, no frowns, no major flubs--which forced the pundits to do what Kerry/Edwards don't want them to do: talk about the Dem ticket's pathetic record, constant flip-flopping, and perilous weakness on fundamental national security questions.

Bill at INDC Journal credited Cheney with a strong, solid performance while Edwards lacked substance. Slight advantage to Cheney.

James Joyner at Outside The Beltway considered the debate to be much more illuminating than Round 1 of Bush/Kerry with Cheney a clear winner. Poliblogger Steven Taylor gave a slight edge to Ifill over Cheney who edged out Edwards. Andrew Sullivan saw Edwards win. According to Right On Red, Cheney won. Period. Jeff Goldstein gets a gold star for this bit of homey Protein Wisdom.

Dick Cheney smokes imported cigars, drinks double Scotch neat from a chunky tumbler, and talks to his friends about dames and gams and stock options. John Edwards wants to be a fireman when he grows up. Bless his li'l heart.

Based upon my quick review, Cheney showed his strengths, which are many, and Edwards was a cute new guy but you'd do further checking before you allowed him to go out with your daughter.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/05/2004 04:27:00 PM

Canadian Submarine Distressed Off Irish Coast

According to this report, a Canadian diesel-electric submarine called the HMCS Chicoutimi had a fire onboard and lost propulsion in the North Atlantic Ocean about 100 nautical miles (180 kilometers) northwest of Ireland. It's been reported that some crew members suffered from smoke inhalation. Rescue operations by Canadian Forces and the Royal Navy are underway.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/05/2004 01:45:00 PM

17-Year-Old Mayor?

Her name is hyphenated and her britches are big so she's announced her candidacy for mayor of St. Mary's Point, Minnesota. Only 17, Erin Feehan-Nelson's campaign slogan indicates she's not corrupted by having experience. "I'm ignorant, vote for me" may work. Just look at Congress. (via Spoons)
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/05/2004 10:36:00 AM

Kerry's Paper Endorses Bush and Vice Versa

Here's a few words from John Kerry's hometown newspaper, the Lowell Sun.

We in Massachusetts know John Kerry. He got his first taste of politics 32 years ago in the cities and towns of Greater Lowell.

In his 20 years in the U.S. Senate, Kerry, a Navy war hero, hasn't risen above the rank of seaman for his uninspiring legislative record. He's been inconsistent on major issues. First he's for the 1991 Persian Gulf War, then he opposes it. First he's for the war in Iraq, then he's against it. First he's for a strong U.S. defense, then he votes against military weapons programs. First he's for the U.S. Patriot Act, then he opposes it.

Kerry's solution to stop terrorism? He'd go to the U.N. and build a consensus. How naive. France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and other Iraq oil-for-food scam artists don't want America to succeed. They want us brought down to their level. And more and more, Kerry sounds just like them.

The paper concludes by "proudly" endorsing George Bush for re-election.

However, it would be inappropriate not to mention that President Bush's hometown paper, the Lone Star Iconoclast, endorsed John Kerry for president praising "30 years of experience looking out for the American people."

More at the Backcountry Conservative
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/05/2004 08:06:00 AM

U.S. Unemployment

In the next debate between candidates Kerry and Bush, unemployment in the United States will be a point of sharp disagreement. President Bush will state that many jobs were lost due to uncontrollable circumstances in the economy, however, the trend in job growth is positive, sustained, and substantial. John Kerry will state that people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are suffering from lost jobs while quoting an abundance of statistics. Since raw data can be misleading, it's important to place statistics in context. Consequently, by comparing unemployment percentage rates among various countries, an indication of the state of the economy in the United States with regard to the global economy can be obtained. The following numbers (Unemployment rate, Data date) for each country should be kept in mind when enjoying the campaign rhetoric of the candidates' debate.

United Kingdom - 4.7% (May 2004)

Japan - 4.9% (July 2004)

United States - 5.4% (August 2004)

Canada - 7.2% (July 2004)

Italy - 8.5% (January 2004)

France - 9.5% (year ending July 2004)

Germany - 9.9% (year ending July 2004)

NOTE: These are OECD, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, standardized unemployment rates which reflect uniform application of definitions resulting in estimates that are more internationally comparable than those based on national definitions.

It should be noted that these are national rates and local pockets within the U.S. are experiencing rates higher than the national. However, the locally high unemployment rates in the U.S. (for example, the NE Ohio rate is higher than the national but still less than 6%) don't even come close to the rates published for France and Germany. In fact, according to the Federal Labor Office, German unemployment rose substantially last month to 10.7%, almost twice the rate of the U.S.

Obviously, the above comparison is meaningless to people that are out of work and it's recognized that any rate of unemployment is undesirable. However, the comparison can be useful in helping recognize grossly exaggerated claims sprinkled into debate rhetoric.

Companion post at eTalkinghead
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/05/2004 05:45:00 AM

Israeli Air Strike Kills Hamas Commander

From the Sidney Morning Herald:

An Israeli air strike on a northern Gaza refugee camp killed at least four Palestinian militants yesterday, the fifth day of one of Israel's bloodiest offensives in Gaza in four years of conflict.

Witnesses and doctors said the dead included a Hamas field commander.

The early-morning raid was launched shortly after Israel's army chief warned that the incursion into Gaza would last "as long as necessary" to halt rocket attacks against Israel.

Nearly 200 tanks and armoured vehicles have seized nine square kilometres of the northern strip and carried out raids deep into the teeming Jabalya refugee camp, a militant hotbed. Other armour has encircled the town of Beit Hanoun.

Fifty-nine Palestinians, at least 38 of them militants, have been killed in fighting since Israel launched the offensive five days ago after two Israeli children were killed in a rocket strike on the Israeli border town of Sderot.

"Our mission is to remove Sderot from rocket fire range," said the Israeli commander, Colonel Eyal Izenburg.

More ...

In preparation for their planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip next year, the Israelis are more than justified in striking areas used by terrorists to lob rockets at their settlements inside Israel. Within the past five days alone, Israeli military has "hit seven gangs of militants involved in firing rockets, including one on a donkey cart."

Companion post at Backcountry Conservative
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 06:34:00 PM

Passengers Kill Train Robbers

(Calcutta, India) Six armed train robbers were beaten to death with sticks and umbrellas by passengers today as the train approached a small town north of Calcutta. The report doesn't mention what the robbers were armed with but it apparently wasn't sufficient.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 05:47:00 PM

Massive South Korean Protest

(Seoul, South Korea) An estimated 100,000 largely conservative and Christian protesters gathered and converged on the Seoul City Hall Plaza to condemn plans to abolish the South Korean National Security Law. The "Citizens' Mass Rally to Protect the National Security Law" was held in conjunction with the "10 Million Signature Campaign to Oppose the Abolition of the National Security Law." The law suppresses dissent by making it illegal to advocate or accommodate communism. Right wing South Koreans see the law as a necessity to battle pro-communist North Korean influences. During the event, demonstrators burned three North Korean flags and a poster of Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean leader.

"Those who are afraid of the National Security Law should leave this country!" the protesters chanted, waving small South Korean and US flags.

It needs to be mentioned that the National Security Law in South Korea is a domestic issue and it has nothing to do with the United States. Although it's quite welcome to see support for the U.S. in South Korea, having tens of thousands of American flags being waved during the National Security Law demonstration is probably inappropriate. Robert Koehler expresses some discontent in his detailed analysis of the issue at The Marmot's Hole.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 01:10:00 PM

Terrorists Murder Italian-Iraqi and Turk

(Baghdad) From Reuters comes the report that a video (dtd. Oct. 2) has been distributed showing the murders of an Italian man of Iraqi origin and a Turk. The video shows the terrorists reading a statement accusing the men of spying and then, blindfolded and kneeling, they are shot. The Italian-Iraqi is identified as Iyad Anwar Wali.

[Update 10/05/04, 3:45pm EDT] Here's a video of the murders by the Salafist Brigades of Abu Bakr Al-Sidiq. Stills and links to more video can be found here.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 09:32:00 AM

Rubbish Started Humming Furiously

Here's an addition to the growing list of unpleasant aspects of air travel. Earlier today, the airport terminal in Mackay, Australia, was evacuated and flights were disrupted for an hour after it was noticed that a strange humming noise was coming from a trash can. According to cafeteria manager Lynne Bryant,

"It was rather disconcerting when the rubbish bin started humming furiously," she said.

The emergency was terminated and flights resumed when it was found that the suspected bomb was an adult novelty device. Maybe there should be a sign.

Note to Travelers: Make sure all electric moments are exhausted prior to discarding personal relaxation equipment in airport terminals.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 07:14:00 AM

Iran Says Kerry Can Shove It

Last week, candidate Kerry proposed to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue by having the U.S. supply the country with uranium. Apparently, I'm not the only person that believes Kerry's proposal is absolutely bizarre, the Iranians do too. Their position is that Kerry can basically shove the idea. Iran's reasoning is different than mine but the result is the same.

Also blogging:

In The Bullpen,
Backcountry Conservative

Reference needs to be made to the fact that Kerry's proposal mirrors what the Clinton administration actually did with regard to North Korea. We saw there that giving the NORKS nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes resulted in Kim Jong-Il having nuclear weapons. Even Clinton's SecState, grimacing Madeleine Albright, has stated that 'we were fooled' concerning negotiations with the NORKS. Maybe John Kerry should crack a book on the recent history of the world.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/04/2004 05:39:00 AM

Government Offers Legal Funds To Fight Greenpeace

Greenpeace has found evidence that appears to indicate the Australian government offered to subsidize the Southern Pacific Petroleum (SPP) company if it took legal action against the environmentalists. An amount of $36.4 million was to be given in return for a promise from SPP. The evidence, an email,

[S]uggests the Government wanted SPP to take legal action against the environment group to ensure the company could sell its products freely on the market.

The email refers to "Greenpeace's activities ... which ... resulted in SPP's inability to sell its product domestically".

The Federal Government gave subsidies to SPP to help with its export sales because the company was unable to get subsidies for domestic sales because they were unable to find Australian buyers for their oil.

SPP said this was because of Greenpeace's campaign against shale oil, which the group says generates greenhouse gas emissions.

So, it appears that Greenpeace is spewing an end-of-the-world global warming message and effectively scaring away customers from SPP. Since the solvency of the energy supplier is at stake, the government has offered to help with their legal bills.

Apparently, from the perspective of Greenpeace at least, the government shouldn't be spending taxpayer dollars in this manner.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/03/2004 08:52:00 AM

Cleveland Foodbank Now Sells USDA Food

Okay, here's the deal. Taxpayers provide food free of charge to a charity. The charity then sells the food. The taxpayer receives no benefit beyond the knowledge that somebody is scamming somebody.

Unless I'm missing something, there's not enough French foo-foo in the world to cover the smell coming from this arrangement.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/03/2004 07:54:00 AM

Shawnee Announce $250 Million Casino

With long-term goals for wide investment and economic development in Ohio, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has announced plans to purchase land and build a casino and resort adjacent to Interstate 75 between the metropolitan areas of Dayton and Cincinnati. The 150-acre site is expected to take two years to develop while the tribe coordinates with neighboring landowners regarding new hotel, retail, and entertainment businesses. Total investment by the tribe is calculated to be $250 million.

Interestingly, the Shawnee Tribe's property will not be the typical 'Indian casino' enterprise since it will not be on land governed by the tribe. The land is subject to the laws of Ohio and, consequently, the tribe may only conduct Class II gambling operations. Class II gambling only includes bingo gambling machines, pull-tabs, and card games against other players. It excludes slot machines, blackjack, craps, roulette, and other traditional casino games. Notably, Class II gambling receipts also do not provide a revenue stream for the State of Ohio.

Gov. Bob Taft has stated he is opposed to any expansion of gambling in Ohio, however, there may be some pressure for him to change his mind. With Congress passing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, the governor has the power to approve Class III gambling by the Shawnee Tribe. Class III provisions allow for slots, blackjack, and other moneymaking games which would add jobs and increase business in the Ohio economy. And the state would gets its cut in tax revenue. From a political standpoint, Gov. Taft will be tested on the issue.

On a related issue, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is continuing in its effort to reclaim 'lost' tribal lands in Ohio. They expect to submit an application to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs reflecting their historic ownership of some lands prior to being forced to Oklahoma in the 1800s.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/02/2004 04:22:00 PM

Professor Hailey Authenticates Forgeries

As discussed previously, David E. Hailey, Jr., Ph.D, Associate Professor at Utah State University, has been working hard to authenticate the Rathergate documents. According to this report, Hailey has now published his findings and states:

"All indicators imply they are authentic."

[ ... ]

If Hailey had been one of the experts advising CBS, "I would have told them that from my point of view, the memos are worthy of presenting to the public."

However, it seems Hailey's definition of 'authentic' has nothing to do with the specific attacks on George Bush contained on the documents. He bases his opinion on the capabilities of the typewriter available in the early 1970s. It needs to be noted that he's not the only expert weighing in on the typewriter issue. Hailey is, however, the only 'expert' who believes that a 1970s vintage typewriter can emulate the capabilities of Microsoft Word. By the way, Hailey has also been found to be a financial supporter of John Kerry for president. He has also admitted to emotional instability when his credibility and credentials are challenged.

At the forefront of the investigation of Hailey's methods and motives is Wizbang which, oddly enough, has been characterized unfavorably in the Deseret News.

An unidentified person claiming to represent the www.wizbangblog.com Web site called Smitten [USU English Department Head Jeffrey Smitten] and accused Hailey of "academic misconduct." There were 50 pages of blog entries critical of Hailey on the Wizbang site as of Friday.

I don't believe that Kevin Aylward, or any other writers for Wizbang, would ever fail to identify themselves. And, if there are 50 pages of blog entries about this issue at Wizbang, they are hidden. I visit the site often and I haven't seen them.

Apparently, the newspaper has a loyalty to Hailey and Utah State University.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/02/2004 03:09:00 PM

Cats Used To Control Rats

The northern Mexican State of Chihuahua is importing cats to try and control the rat population. Health officials want to send several hundred felines to Atascaderos, an isolated farm village in the rugged Tarahumara mountains, a region where it's estimated there are about a half million rats. One health official, Roberto Gallegos, stated:

"So far we don't have any cats, but an animal control agency already promised to donate 50."

A large population of cats will surely eradicate the rats. Unfortunately, they'll also eradicate the songbird population. Be careful what you wish for.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/02/2004 02:54:00 PM

Iraqi Beheaded by Ansar al-Sunna

(Dubai) According to a Reuters report, an Iraqi Islamic terrorist group called Ansar al-Sunna beheaded Barea Nafea Dawoud Ibrahim, an Iraqi contractor, for working with U.S. forces. A video and accompanying statement were posted on the Internet. Rusty Shackleford has stills and video links.

Ansar al-Sunna terrorists are responsible for a number of kidnappings and murders. They need to be found and eliminated.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/02/2004 02:36:00 PM

Suicides Result From Child Porn Raids

As described in a previous post, around 200 people were arrested in a massive Australia-wide raid of child pornographers. Now it's being reported that some of those implicated in the raids have committed suicide.

A former Queensland policeman, a Victorian prison officer, another Victorian man and a West Australian electrician were all found dead after being interviewed by police over child pornography allegations.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison described the deaths as regrettable but vowed they would not deter Australia's biggest crackdown on child porn.

It's easy and, I think, accurate to conclude that these evil perverts cannot stomach themselves once they're exposed.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/02/2004 02:30:00 PM

New Al-Qaeda Attack Tape

Al-Jazeera has aired an audio tape allegedly by Osama Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, a bespectacled Egyptian former surgeon, who is believed to be the architect of the al-Qaeda ideology. The tape calls for organized resistance against the US, the UK, Australia, France, Poland, Norway, South Korea, and Japan. He also cited countries that provide Israel a "means of survival." CIA Analysts have concluded the voice on the tape is most likely Zawahri.

It's probably reasonable to expect an increased flurry of malice by the murdering terrorist cells on the run up to the elections in Australia and the United States. Responses to terrorism need to be bold, firm, and unrelenting.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 08:44:00 PM

CBS's Don Hewitt: Rathergate Not 'Done Well'

(Vermillion, South Dakota) Don Hewitt, executive producer of CBS News and creator of 60 Minutes, was at the University of South Dakota yesterday to accept an award for excellence in journalism. At an afternoon news conference, he spoke of Iraq and Rathergate.

On the topic of the Iraq War, Hewitt didn't hesitate to give his opinion on the U.S. troop presence.

"How do we get out of a place when we never should've been there in the first place?" he asked. "The reason we're not winning the war in Iraq is it's not a war - it's mayhem. It's the OK Corral.

[ ... ]

Hewitt offered what [sic] called a "radical suggestion" on how U.S. troops could leave Iraq.

"I think we should get up and leave and do like the French did and hire a Foreign Legion," he said. "I think you have to hire killers to kill killers. Open up the prisons."

Jeez! I can hear Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton already. Also, I don't think his characterization of the French Foreign Legion is entirely accurate.

Hewitt also addressed the controversy surrounding Rather's "60 Minutes" report that suggested Bush received preferential treatment while in the National Guard.

Rather recently apologized publicly on behalf of CBS News because it could not authenticate documents used in the story.

If there is a culprit in the case, Hewitt said, it may be the producer who led Rather to go with the story. [Emphasis mine - ed.]

"I wouldn't have done the story," he said. "I don't think it was done very well. You can't take on the president of the United States on flimsy information.

"I would've said, 'Don't do it.' You don't want to inject yourself into a campaign. You can't talk about one of the candidates and his military record without injecting yourself."

Wait a minute! He's suggesting that Rathergate is entirely on the head of Mary Mapes? It seems there may be a break in the CBS circle of wagons and I wouldn't doubt that they're looking for a head, other than Rather's, to lop off. Mary Mapes should be looking for a job, it seems.

Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today and namesake of the Excellence in Journalism Award given to Hewitt, stated:

"In my judgment, there is no previous winner who has a better overall grasp of journalism than Don Hewitt," Neuharth said.

"I hope you remember he's the one who taught Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace ... what the news is all about."

Neuharth didn't mention who taught Dan Rather.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 06:44:00 PM

Man Lets Child Steer Car

(Muskego, Wisconsin) A drunk man planted his six-year-old son on his lap and told him to steer the car as they barreled down Interstate 43 in rural Wisconsin. After reports to Muskego Police from other motorists, Paul Boland, 37, was pulled over and given a breath test. He blew a point one-eight, more than twice the legal limit and was arrested. Besides DUI, Boland will also probably be charged with child endangerment.

Boland should be smacked hard by the law. He put his child's life in significant danger.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 11:31:00 AM

Utah State Professor Attempts Forgery Authentication

David E. Hailey, Jr., Ph.D, Associate Professor at Utah State University, apparently wants to work for CBS or is related to Dan Rather. It's unknown at present whether the university is involved, but Professor Hailey has been doing his damnedest to authenticate the already discredited forged memos of Bill Burkett. Unfortunately for Hailey, Paul and Kevin at Wizbang have already blown holes in his effort to manufacture evidence. Consequently, Hailey is now feverishly trying to cover his tracks and the university is calling for a stop. Too late, copies of everything have been gathered. Now the only question is whether the university is culpable in the attempted fraud. The story continues to develop.

[Update] Gerry at Daly Thoughts relates a little anecdote about Professor Hailey which seems appropriate for someone who would resort to fraud. It seems the professor can rationalize anything.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 08:26:00 AM

Army Vet Shot At Donut Shop, Then Pummels Shooter

(Weymouth, Massachusetts) A U.S. Army Military Policeman on leave from a tour in Afghanistan gets shot in the head at a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot and then beats the shooter into submission.

Jeremy Bailey, 24, of Weymouth, received stitches at South Shore Hospital to close a gash in his forehead left by the bullet, and was released.

Edward Green, 20, of Mattapan was arrested and charged with attempted murder. His girlfriend, Nicole D. Pina, 21, of Braintree, was arrested for assaulting several police officers. Idiots!

More on this story at Diggers Realm.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 08:10:00 AM

U.S. Forces Storm Iraqi City

(Samarra, Iraq) Earlier today, about 100 terrorists were killed in air strikes and street-to-street combat during a major new Coalition and Iraqi forces offensive in the town of Samarra.

Iraq's Interior Ministry said that by midday (5 a.m. EDT) Iraqi police were in control of the center of Samarra and most surrounding areas following a joint U.S. and Iraqi operation to "remove the terrorists who have been holding the town hostage."

Before dawn, troops backed by tanks pushed through the streets as guerrillas unleashed mortar attacks and fired rocket-propelled grenades and rifles from the rooftops.

Sporadic fighting was still being heard in the early afternoon and electricity and water were cut off in the town of more than 100,000 people, 62 miles north of Baghdad.

The U.S. military says it will retake guerrilla strongholds such as Samarra, the western cities of Falluja and Ramadi and the Baghdad districts of Sadr City and Haifa Street by the end of the year so elections can go ahead in January as planned.

The offensive enabled the rescue of Turkish hostage Yahlin Kaya who was kidnapped while working for the 77 Construction Company.

See also: Backcountry Conservative, In The Bullpen
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 07:03:00 AM

Dream Blogging

Unfortunately, trying to catch forty winks before last night's debate between candidates Kerry and Bush was not a good idea. I ended up napping through the entire program. However, I couldn't avoid dreaming I saw the debate.

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ...

"The Blue State Klefts won the toss and were awarded the ball on the 45-yard-line. On the first play from scrimmage, the Klefts QB went to the right looking for a receiver, then he went left, then he was sacked. After a timeout and two incomplete passes, the Klefts punt. The Red State Brights call a fair catch inside their 5-yard-line."

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ...

"The Brights quarterback calls a textbook off-tackle play, moving the ball 5 yards. The Klefts believe there was unsportsmanlike conduct and they are furious. The officials fail to call the illegal whining.

Brights line up, hut-one, hut-two, QB fumbles the snap and immediately falls on the ball. Third down and 5 to go. Klefts are showing blitz. The snap. It's a QB draw, good for six yards and a first down at the Brights 15-yard-line. Three plays later and the Brights make only 8 yards. They are forced to punt."

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ...

"It's halfway through the first quarter and the Klefts have the ball at the 50-yard-line. Yes, Bob, the Klefts have been getting consistently good field position. They only have to march the ball half the length of the field to score."

"You're right, Dan, the football spirits are surely watching out for the Klefts today. They just haven't been able to take advantage because of all the delay of game and false start penalties. It seems they're having trouble getting coordinated in the backfield."

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ....

"It's still a no score game here in the second quarter and the Brights have the ball at their own 2-yard-line after another incorrect political conduct penalty. How many does that make, Bob?"

Uh, let's see. That's five for the Brights so far in the first half, Dan. None for the Klefts. The Brights do have all their timeouts left, unlike the Klefts."

"Sure enough, Bob. It seems like the Klefts are having some difficulty implementing their game plan."

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ...

"It's the fourth quarter and still no score. Under two minutes left. The Klefts have been pushed back to their own 20-yard-line after three straight delay-of-game penalties. Dan, it looks to me like there's confusion in the huddle."

"Undoubtedly, Bob. The Klefts also have been tagged for 12, 13, and 14 men on the field. It's just uncoordinated. It has to be embarrassing for the Blue Staters."

"Here we go, they're lined up. Klefts QB takes the snap. It's a sweep to the right ... the Klefts QB turns and laterals to the fullback ... Oh NO! He lateraled to the wrong side. The sweep was to the right and he lateraled left. The ball is loose. The Brights have it. It's Brights ball, first and goal inside the 10-yard-line."

ZZZZZZ ... ZZZZZZ ...

[YAWN] ... [stretch]

What time is it? ... Oh man! I missed the debate.

[Update] Some notable blogging of the debate, amid much more:

Allah Is In The House has put together a clearinghouse of everyone's thoughts. Definitely worth a visit.

HughHewitt.com has the debate comparisons charted.

Spoons logs the back-and-forth repartee.

Since even Instapundit did a bit of live-blogging, it's easy to imagine that the subject is all over the blogosphere. Based upon what I've read so far, the general impression by observers is that the outcome was a push, which means that Kerry essentially lost since he needs a big win just to get back to even in the polling.
|

       Following Entry Posted 10/01/2004 05:03:00 AM

Terrorists May Target U.S. Schools

This report is disturbing:

A man arrested by U.S. authorities in Iraq had a computer disk in his possession containing a public report downloaded from a U.S. Department of Education Web site on crisis planning in school districts, including San Diego Unified.

The man was described as an Iraqi national with connections to terrorism and the insurgency that is fighting U.S. forces in Iraq. Officials in San Diego said the man's intentions were unknown.

San Diego law enforcement officials said there was no indication of any terrorist plot against schools in San Diego or elsewhere in the country. They did not publicly release the information because there appeared to be no threat. The information was relayed to the San Diego FBI office last week and then to the school district Friday.

To have a man in Iraq connected to terrorists carrying around the emergency plans for a school system in the U.S. is not a coincidence. The authorities, however, are downplaying the significance of the occurrence, possibly fearing that people would overreact.

With the recent atrocities in Beslan, it should be clear that terrorists have no qualms about murdering children in schools. It is irresponsible for the authorities in San Diego to ignore the obvious indication that terrorists are looking closely at American schools.

(via Instapundit)

[Update 10/08/04] The Department of Education has issued an advisory to U.S. school systems with regard to potential terrorist threats. Dr. Rusty Shackleford is following the story.
|