Awwwwwww, Lindsay...I'm sooooo disappointed in you.
As rumored over the weekend, the Los Angeles District Attorney office confirmed today that Lindsay Lohan would be charged with one count of felony grand theft Wednesday. The charge stems from reports that the troubled actress had allegedly stolen a necklace worth $2,500 from a store in Venice, Calif., on Jan. 22. Oh, like...I can't do that?
She will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. PT on Feb. 9. At which time the skies over LA will look like Apocalypse Now...
Lohan is still on probation from her 2007 misdemeanor DUI. The actress served three months in jail last year after violating her parole; after her release, she was spared more prison time after testing positive for drugs. At the time, Judge Elden S. Fox told her she could be sent back for sixth months if she didnt stay out of trouble. I mean it. I'm really serious this time. I really am.
Oh, like...okay, Judge Ito. Can I go now? I'm late for my AA meeting at Johnny Depp's Viper Room.
Over the weekend, Lohans lawyer denied the theft allegations in a statement, but has not immediately responded to EWs request for comment regarding the charge. Sorry. He said he'd be drinking early today. But I'll give you his voicemail.
#10
Let Britney be Britney! Or was that Lindsay? . . . I mean, let Amy be Britney . . . or is it Amy be Lindsay . . . or maybe it's let Lindsay and/or Britney and/or Amy be Lindsay and/or Britney and/or Amy, as appropriate. That oughtta cover it.
Oh, well. We'll always have Paris.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/09/2011 12:16 Comments ||
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#11
Just put this junky away like they would any other junky that committed a felony grand theft. 3-5 in the state pen due to being a repeat offender, eligible for parole in a year to 18 months. That's what a "street" person, or a kid her age from COmpton would get.
[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN police said on Tuesday they were investigating the disappearance of more than 700,000 ultrathin condoms which went missing in transit between Malaysia and Japan.
Sagami Rubber Industries, Japan's first condom maker, said last week that the shipment was loaded into a container at its factory in northern Malaysia, but that it was empty with the locks replaced when it arrived in Tokyo.
'We take the matter of the missing condoms very seriously... we are investigating the matter,' a Malaysian police front man told AFP.
Sato Koji, manager of the Sagami rubber factory in Malaysia's Perak state, said they had lodged a police report over the loss of the shipment.
'We are unhappy over the incident. This is the first time such a thing has happened since our Malaysian production started in 1997,' he told AFP.
Officials at Sagami's head office have said that the prophylactics, which it bills as being 14 per cent thinner than conventional ones, are worth US$1.5 million (S$1.9 million) at Japanese retail prices.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
the disappearance of more than 700,000 ultrathin condoms
Prepare for a higher food bill.
BEIJING -- Chinese officials said Wednesday they are preparing for a severe, long-lasting drought in several parched provinces, causing wheat prices to spike on the prospect of the world's largest consumer putting pressure on a global supply that's already squeezed.
The U.N.'s food agency has warned that the months long drought is driving up the country's wheat prices, and now the focus is on whether China will buy more from the global market, where prices have already risen about 35% since mid-November.
The rising prices add to growing concerns in China about inflation, which the government sees as a potential source of social unrest. Average flour prices rose more than 8% in January from the previous two months.
#3
Chinese officials said Wednesday they are preparing for a severe, long-lasting drought in several parched provinces, causing wheat prices to spike on the prospect of the world's largest consumer putting pressure on a global supply that's already squeezed.
I have to wonder if this is a drought or merely tapped-out aquifers.
#4
I have to wonder if this is a drought or merely tapped-out aquifers.
Maybe a bit of both. Both the Ukraine and Russia have both put a ban on the export of wheat due to a drought, so I can see western China having a major drought and tapping out the aquifers.
#5
Time to resurrect the Peace River Reservoir. Certainly there are some who remember when we had engineers capable of such projects. Maybe the time is coming when people will tell the EPA to fold it five ways and stick it where the sun don't shine.
#6
The Chinese have long talked a good game about building dams and canals to take water from the South where it is plentiful, to the desert North. At the same time, they had a gigantic forestation project planned.
But it's a good question what progress they have been making with either of these.
#7
See also FREEREPUBLIC > RELATED > [Long-term] DROUGHT THREATENS CHINA'S WHEAT CROP.
NET POSTERS = This affects the US not only as per Wheat = Grain Price flux, but also because the US NO LONGER HAS THE EXCESS FARMS, AGRIPLEXES OR GRAIN RESERVES TO OFFSET ANY SERIOUS LOSSES VEE CHINA.
versus
* SAME > RUSSIA VOWS TO ARM DISPUTED KURILE ISLANDS.
ARTIC = Technically is RUSSIA-VS-JAPAN, but IMO is covertly MORE ABOUT RUSSIA-N-JAPAN-VS-CHINA.
We must also bear in mind that since before, after, + since WW2 + end of Cold War + 9-11, RUSSIA = FORMER USSR has maintained dominant MilPolEcon influence in MONGOLIA, although China's ancient influence in same is starting to recover. Post-Soviet Russia also maintains strong influence vee many elements of the NORTH KOREA = DPRK GOVT.
* DRUDGEREPORT [old] > WIKILEAKS: USA FEARS SAUDI OIL [crude reserves] MAY HAVE BEEN OVERSTATED BY 40%.
Lest we fergit, NET [old] > RUSSIA'S + IRAN'S OIL RESERVES may also NOT be as large as repor on the MSM-Net.
NO FOOD + NO OIL-ENERGY + [Multiple = First Island Chain]STRATEGIC/THEATER DENIAL + [Nuke?]NORTH KOREA + {Nuke?]TAIWAN + US REGIONAL/EAST ASIA GMD-TMD + STRONG NUCLEAR JAPAN + STRONG NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA? + ........@ETC. TO COME = ???? FOR RISING CHINA!?
Again, NORTH KOREA wants to stop starving while also deterring or preventing any MILITARY OR ECON TAKEOVER OF SAME BY CHINA - IT WANTS TO RE-UNIFY WID SOUTH KOREA, BUT SECURITY-MINDED CHINA IS UNLIKELY TO ACCEPT SUCH OR EXTENS BILATERAL COOPER, INTEGRATION BETWEEN THE TWO KOREAS AS LONG AS US MILFORS ARE IN SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN [includ Taiwan Issues, US out of East Asia]. China does not want a NUC DPRK, NUC ROK, NUC JAPAN, or NUC TAIWAN, espec when its PLA is unable to unilaterally = asymmetrically project its Mil Power anywhere in the First Island Chain save for along its soveriegn Coasts. CHINA
DESIRES SOLE BASE RIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE FIRST ISLAND CHAIN, + HAS NO QUALMS LETTING VASSAL/BUFFER-STATE NORTH KOREA ECON STARVE, SUFFER FOREVER UNTIL IT DOES.
Unless something changes, Beijing's options for East Asia is either to WAGE MAJOR WAR, OR IT GIVES UP ITS AMBITION AS T-H-E ONE-N-ONLY GLOBAL SUPERPOWER SUCCESSOR TO THE "WEAK/DECLINING"
USA, at least until sometime after the Year 2100.
Which is anathema to Beijing + many Chinese Bloggers.
"2012".
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED, STAY ARMED, + PRAY HARD.
#9
Gobi claims much. Deforestation, megga cities that no one may fill where buildings collapse, a chump of a currency, restless farmers with pitchforks, rivers so polluted that people die, predominately male population with pent up sexual prowess, and a drought.
And I thought we had problems.
Wish you happy. Seriously.
#10
See also PRAVDA > WILL RUSSIA BE ABLE TO DEFEND THE KURILE ISLANDS IFF JAPAN ATTACKS?
and
* TOPIX > MEDVEDEV SENDS NEW ARMS TO DISPUTED ISLANDS.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > GUAM IS NOW THE NEW US MARINE BASE IN THE FAR EAST | [Marine Corps Times = April 2010] MARINE MOVE TO GUAM GETS FINAL APPROVAL.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [JAPAN to] STAND FIRM AGZ RUSSIA OVER DISPUTED ISLANDS | NATO KAN'S LAST, BEST HOPE?, to save an otherwise lackluster = failed? Admin as Japan PM???
ARTIC > PM NATO HKAN = argues that SOUTH KURILES RETURN/RECOVERY VEE RUSSIA IS ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST "IMPORTANT CHALLENGES" AS PER JAPAN'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Alsoin ARTIC = AS CHINA GROWS + STRENGTHENS, IT WILL INCREASINGLY VIEW ANY "PERMANENT US COMBAT FORCE IN SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN" AS "UNACCEPTABLE".
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > COULD THE US FUEL A CHINESE CIVIL WAR?, vee continuing control of TAIWAN, + hi-tech ARMS SALES TO SAME???
A 1,100-foot supertanker carrying Kuwaiti oil to the U.S. was seized by pirates off eastern Oman today, the first hijacking of a vessel that size since April. The cargo amounts to 1/5 of a single day's oil imports for the USA.
#1
Maybe we should pin a note to the door to the bridge expressing our disappointment in their behavior. I'm sure the pirates will dig deep down inside themselves and become better people.
[Ennahar] In this interview he gave to Ennahar, Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada declared that prices of consumer products will be available to consumers in the month of Ramadhan this year
In this interview he gave to Ennahar, Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada declared that prices of consumer products will be available to consumers in the month of Ramadhan this year and will not experience increases, so that to preserve the purchasing power of citizens. Prices increases experienced by Algeria recently were an isolated incident and those responsible will be punished," he said.
- Despite the measures taken by the government to subsidize products and lower prices of oil and sugar, they showed once again an outbreak. What would you say?
It is true that rising prices of oil and sugar is an isolated case that some retailers have exploited to increase prices. However, The infamous However... responsibility must be assumed by all parties, including citizens who must play their role in denouncing this sort of overtaking. I myself installed Jan. 10 a commission whose role is to control prices and according to the latest data in our possession, the price of a bottle of oil is 750 AD, for sugar, it is sold 85 AD. Moreover, the state put a cap device for the prices of subsidized products. The operation takes place in consultation with the Office of cereals.
One of the many fine Offices run by the Department of Graft
- What about the preparations for the month of Ramadan next?
New measures have been taken for the holy month of Ramadan, when prices of vegetables and meat, for which the demand is stronger in that period, will be accessible to all.
A joint commission was formed recently, including the ministries of agriculture, finance and trade. Working groups were formed to study the actions needed. Consumer products are available, remains the big challenge which is to fix the prices of vegetables and meats that are subject to supply and demand.
- What measures have you taken on the control of markets?
In this sense, we intend to strengthen the presence of control services. These will be present in all daïras (Districts) and ensure compliance with the laws and preserve the purchasing power of citizens.
In March, more than 6,000 control agents will be spread over different regions. 150 vehicles will be placed at their disposal to make it easier for controllers on the ground.
-How did you live the recent riots?
The latest demonstrations were an expression of worry and anxiety of citizens. The state has the duty to consider and make more effort in addressing them, and my conscience is clear, because what happened recently in terms of higher prices, is not due to negligence from our part, the situation was not alarming, what is certain is that this sudden rise in prices was fomented by some operators who have behaved anarchically by imposing conditions to distributors without notice.
- Are you scared by the march of 12 February?
The slightest mistake and everyone will pay the price, and the scenario of the black decade will be reissued.
Other than that, no need to worry though.
But I think the opposition march on the same path that will lead to excesses; the consequences will be disastrous, especially at a time when the state of emergency is lifted. I do not think this is a reason to go out into the street. The state of emergency was declared in the fight against terrorism. Freedom belongs to everyone and must be preserved. It is an achievement among many others of the ordinary citizen. It is our duty to defend freedom of expression and pluralism.
- Do you follow the situation in Tunisia and Egypt?
Of course I do. I follow very closely the events in Tunisia and Egypt. I was very affected by the situation in these two countries that are part of our nation. The Arab people must build their future and avoid becoming easy prey to others.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor's lawyer stormed out of his war crimes trial in The Hague on Tuesday in protest at judges' refusal to accept his late filing of a document. Feels like he's gonna lose, huh?
"We do not feel that it would be appropriate for us to take part," Taylor's lawyer Courtenay Griffiths told judges before rushing out of the courtroom, ignoring an order to sit down. "You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order!"
How'd I do?
Nice. Thought I was watching Pacino.
Taylor's trial on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in neighbouring Sierra Leone in the 10 years to 2001, entered its final phase Tuesday with the prosecution's oral closing arguments.
But Griffiths said judges' refusal to accept the defence's final, written brief 20 days beyond the deadline, rendered the proceedings unfair. C'mon, ya honor. Cut us some slack here. We've only had three and a half years to write it. "It is our duty to withdraw" pending a appeal ruling against that decision, said Griffiths, announcing that both he and his client intended to leave. I think he saw this on Law and Order...
Prosecutor Brenda Hollis accused Taylor and his legal team of seeking to manipulate the court. "There is no right of any accused to determine if and when and under what circumstances they will abide by rulings of the court," she said. "The accused is not attending a social event, he may not RSVP." Should I order him the "Miloević Special" for dinner, your honor?
No, baliff. Let's hold off on that option for now.
Judge Teresa Doherty ordered Griffiths to sit down, warning that he risked being found in contempt of court if he refused. "The trial will continue," she said, as the lawyer rose to his feet. "There have already been too many delays in the trial. The accused and counsel will remain and hear the submissions of the prosecutor as scheduled."
Griffiths stormed out, telling journalists outside the court he did so out of a duty to protect his client's interests. Yep, I'm throwing up the "Hail Mary"...and I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
"We have decided not to participate in these closing arguments because as far as we are concerned it is a complete farce," he said. "By being in court I am giving a certain legitimacy, a certain credibility to the proceedings that it does not deserve." This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
What, Ramsey Clark was too busy to be his lawyer?
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). On 13 January 2010, a federal court handed him the power to carry out state affairs while President Umaru Yar'Adua received medical treatment in a Soddy Arabian hospital, a fatal move on his part. On 24 February 2010 Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria, but Jonathan continued as acting president. When Yar'Adua departed this vale of tears less than three months later Jonathan succeeded to the Presidency. He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... launched his election campaign today at a rally before thousands in the country's centre, where the mainly Mohammedan north and mostly Christian south meet.
The location of the gathering was strategically chosen after a north-south rift within the ruling party led to a divisive primary campaign eventually won by Jonathan, a southern Christian.
His Peoples Democratic Party sought to put divisions behind it ahead of the April 9 election in Africa's most populous country, and Jonathan spoke of reforming the economy and improving Nigeria's erratic electricity supply.
"There must be power everywhere," Jonathan said, with outages daily occurrences despite the country's oil wealth.
He also addressed security, with Islamist attacks in the country's north and festivities between Christian and Mohammedan ethnic groups in the centre raising major concerns ahead of the vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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At least he isn't spamming me to get my bank account numbers. Give him points for that.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/09/2011 20:38 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Over 1,600 leaders and activists of BNP were sued Monday night on charges of damaging vehicles, arson attack and impeding police duties in front of the party's Naya Paltan office during the Monday's dawn-to-dusk hartal. ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
Sub-Inspector Jashim Uddin of Paltan Police Station filed the case with the cop shoppe at about 9:05pm Monday mentioning names of 19 accused, SI Fouzia Khanam of the cop shoppe told The Daily Star.
Picketers set fire to a bus and a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw and also damaged a passenger bus during the hartal called by BNP citing a number of issues including protesting filing of a case against party chairperson following recent clash at Arial Beel in Munshiganj, crash in share market and price hike of essentials.
At least 83 persons were also injured in sporadic festivities between police and pro-hartal activists across the country on Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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Teenaged Hena Akter's body was exhumed last night for a fresh post-mortem in compliance with a High Court order, following a media report that attempts are being made to suppress the actual cause of her death. 'Fresh' might not be the right word here...
The Shariatpur deputy commissioner ordered the exhumation which was supervised by an executive magistrate, after Supreme Court Registrar M Ashraful Islam informed the Shariatpur district administration about the court directive during the day.
The Daily Star published the news report on Monday raising doubts about the earlier inquest and autopsy that found no mark of injury on Hena's body.
Hena, 15, died in a hospital in Shariatpur on Jan 31, after being whipped publicly for about 50 times following a fatwa issued by some self-appointed arbitrators in her village, according to media reports and witnesses.
The girl was sentenced to 100 lashes for allegedly having an illicit relation with her married cousin Mahbub, even though her family and neighbours insisted that she had actually been raped by the man.
If rape isn't illicit, I don't know what is. Q.E.D.
Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain placed The Daily Star report before the bench of Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain yesterday.
Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, senior member of the bench, observed that according to the news report the already-done inquest and post-mortem reports appear false.
He termed the incident of fatwa against Hena tragic, saying such incident is unacceptable to any human being with conscience. The media reports published recently over the incident of fatwa against Hena cannot be false, he added.
The body of Hena should be exhumed for further post-mortem, the judge said. The bench said its order will help remove the curse of fatwa from the society.
Earlier in the day, the court received the copies of police inquest and the earlier post-mortem reports from Shariatpur.
The court ordered that a three-member team of doctors be formed to conduct the fresh post-mortem.
It ordered the Shariatpur civil surgeon to include in the team a gynaecologist, a forensic expert, and one of the two doctors of Suhrawardi Medical College and Hospital who were quoted as experts in The Daily Star report. It also asked the director of Suhrawardi Medical College and Hospital to send one of the experts to the hospital in Shariatpur.
The court asked the officials concerned to submit the new post-mortem report without any delay.
The bench also summoned the officer-in-charge of Naria Police Station; its Sub-inspector Aslam Uddin, who prepared the inquest report; doctors Nirmal Chandra Das, Rajesh Majumder, and Hosne Ara Begum, who prepared the first post-mortem report; Sultan Ahmed and a senior nurse of the hospital who attended Hena; and arbitrator Idris Sheikh, a local union parishad councillor who allegedly whipped Hena, to appear before the court at 10:30am on February 10.
The doctors and police have to appear with relevant files about the incident, the order said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I like his phrase: "the curse of fatwa." It has a ring to it, sort of like "the curse of Cromwell."
Posted by: James ||
02/09/2011 10:09 Comments ||
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#2
Yep,
Any dim light bulb with a copy of the Quran and a turban can write a fatwa and send a bunch of those lemmings out into the street in a tizzie.
My gosh no wonder those neandertals are so backward.
Bam!.....Bam!.....Bambi.
Now that he has given up smoking, is there nothing that the Saviour of The World can't do?
The MIT economics whiz who crafted President Obama's national health-care overhaul now plans to explain the complex and controversial plan to the masses -- in one long comic book. Because we consider our subjects constituents...amazingly stupid.
Jonathan Gruber, a nationally recognized health economist who devised the economic underpinnings of Obamacare (Gruber hates the term), said his three comic-loving kids encouraged him to use the hip format of the graphic novel -- basically an expensive comic published in book form -- to tell the story of the complicated plan to 300 million Americans. So listen up, retards, okay? I'll try to speak slowly...
Unlike most comic books, Gruber's won't have a superhero like Batman or Captain America or a villain like the Joker, he said. Duuuh, I don't like it already...
"I'm going to use the facts to tell the story," Gruber, 45, told the Pulse yesterday. "I'm the narrator guiding the reader through the law. It'll have lots of pictures and text." Well, duh...will it have, like, duuuuh, pretty colors? Will it come with crayons? Will there be shiny...stuff? I like shiny stuff...
Posted by: Grunter in Sydney ||
02/09/2011 1:59 Comments ||
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#2
> economics whiz
Whiz? He came up with extortion funded bureaucratic treatment rationing as the best option???
The option that's a failure everywhere it's tried?
The option that inevitably suffers from exponential costs?
The option that creates disinterested staff?
The option that makes customers into costs, and then minimises them?
He's not a wizz, he's a swizz. He's so stupid he needs tenure to stay in the job.
#3
Insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting the results to be different.
No wonder Michael Savage says liberalism is a mental disorder.
Karl,
They've high jacked the term liberal.
Liberal means to be accepting of new ideas and thinking. These guys are intellectual fascists and totalitarians....there is a big difference between liberals and lefties.
Jefferson was a classic liberal (using the classic definition of liberal not the "new" MSM definition)
LOS ANGELES - A US Marine Corps captain who last year pleaded guilty to skimming nearly $1.7 million from government contracts in Iraq was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Monday. Captain Eric Schmidt, who is assigned to the First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, pleaded guilty last May to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return with the US Internal Revenue Service.
His wife, Janet Schmidt, pleaded guilty to a tax offense in connection with the scheme and faces three years in prison when she is sentenced in March.
Schmidt, who is still in the Marine Corps, was sentenced by US District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in a civilian federal court.
Prosecutors say Schmidt, 40, who was deployed to Iraq in 2008, used his position to steer business to an Iraqi contractor, Al-Methwad Company. Once Al-Methwad had been awarded the contracts, prosecutors say, Janet Schmidt used money from Al-Methwad to purchase fewer or inferior goods than those required by the contract and arranged for their delivery to Marines in Iraq.
Prosecutors say the Schmidts caused the US Defence Department to suffer losses of $1.69 million and the Internal Revenue Service to suffer losses of more than $450,000.
During the course of the investigation, government agents seized two California properties,
Now worth a quarter of what was paid for them...
two luxury vehicles and about $40,000 in cash from the couple.
"The Schmidts defrauded US taxpayers, cheated the Iraqi people and betrayed the trust placed in them," said Stuart Bowen, attorney for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. "They will now pay a price for their criminal wrongdoing."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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Commissioned officer robbing from the DOD? Do a Danny Deever on him.
Military officers should be held to the tightest possible standards.
One may ask "WHY THE HELL is he still in the Marine Corps?"
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/09/2011 5:33 Comments ||
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#3
He'll stay in the Marines until he finishes his sentence at which time he will booted on his ass with nothing.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/09/2011 7:41 Comments ||
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#4
One may ask "WHY THE HELL is he still in the Marine Corps?"
1. Because he holds a commission by an act of Congress [per their authority under Article I].
2. The process to de-commission him requires that all due process be completed, to include appeals. Upon completion of the appeal process the service Secretary can sign the applicable paper work ending the commission. Since he plead guilty, that will expedite the process, simply awaiting this part of the process. If the admin people were on their job, the paperwork should already be on the Secretary's desk right now.
3. Had they gone the Courts Martial route, the board of officers could have reduced him to the lowest rank and directed the forfeiture of all pays and allowances in the interim period. Guess the opportunity to dump him in the fed system was compensation for that option.
[Arab News] A former military chief accused of embezzling at least $1 million from the armed forces died of a gunshot wound Tuesday in what witnesses described as an apparent suicide at his mother's grave.
Retired Gen. Angelo Reyes, 65, was pronounced dead on arrival at a Manila hospital from a single gunshot wound in the chest after visiting the grave, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said in a news conference broadcast nationwide.
Reyes, who headed the military from 2001 to 2003, was at the center of a Congressional probe into one of the biggest corruption scandals to have hit the Philippine army.
Corruption, entrenched in the Philippine society, is an especially explosive issue in the inadequately equipped and poorly paid 120,000-strong military that has sparked several insurrections in the last two decades by disgruntled soldiers.
Witnesses interviewed by DZBB radio station at the cemetery said they saw Reyes send his children to his car before a single shot rang out.
Health Secretary Ona refused to immediately confirm that Reyes had did away with himself, saying he was awaiting autopsy results.
The powerful military expressed shock at Reyes' death and urged Congress to expedite its probe into military corruption. President Benigno Aquino III, elected last year on the promise to prosecute corrupt officials, sent his condolences while his predecessor. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, praised Reyes as a good soldier.
Corruption is an explosive issue in the Philippines' inadequately equipped and poorly paid 120,000-strong military. It has sparked several insurrections in the last two decades by disgruntled soldiers.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] CAMBODIAN and Thai troops held their fire on Tuesday as the UN Security Council said it was willing to meet to discuss four days of deadly border festivities near a disputed 11th-century temple.
No new fighting has broken out since brief skirmishes early on Monday, but a Cambodian military commander stationed near the temple said the situation remained 'tense'.
'We are still on alert,' said the source, who did not wish to be named. The unrest, which first broke out on Friday, has left five Cambodians and two Thais dead, including at least one civilian on each side.
Phnom Penh says that Thai artillery fire had damaged the Preah Vihear temple at the centre of the standoff. Thousands of families on both sides of the frontier have been displaced by the violence.
Many have been forced to seek shelter in camps, schools and pagodas in villages farther away from the border as they wait for hostilities to end.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have written to the UN Security Council twice about the border unrest, with Bangkok accusing Phnom Penh of seeking to use 'internationalisation' of the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/09/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
THAI-CAMBODIAN "SOUND OF SILENCE" = "SILENT SERENITY"...
versus
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > CAMBODIA'S HUN SEN [Prime Minister] TERMS BORDER DISPUTE WID THAILAND AS [de facto]"WAR", NOT merely an disparate "Arms Clash".
Whomever controls PREAH VIHEAR + surrounding areas CONTROLS A MIL-STRATEGIC "HIGH GROUND" into CAMBODIA.
IOW, e.g. INDIA-VS-CHINA ALA TIBET + NEPAL, albeit on a smaller scale???
* TOPIX > [Robert Ehrlich] US BOOTS ON THE BROUNDNEAR THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER FIGHT, Cobra Gold 2011.
* SAME > ANALYSTS:FAILURE OF UN BORDER MEDIATION MAY SPARK THAI-CAMBODIAN WAR, i.e. new Border Clashes resulting = escalating into Regional War.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Ennahar] In this interview he gave to Ennahar, Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada declared that prices of consumer products will be available to consumers in the month of Ramadhan this year
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor's lawyer stormed out of his war crimes trial in The Hague on Tuesday in protest at judges' refusal to accept his late filing of a document.
Goodluck Jonathan
[Bangla Daily Star] Over 1,600 leaders and activists of BNP were sued Monday night on charges of damaging vehicles, arson attack and impeding police duties in front of the party's Naya Paltan office during the Monday's dawn-to-dusk
Teenaged Hena Akter's body was exhumed last night for a fresh post-mortem in compliance with a High Court order, following a media report that attempts are being made to suppress the actual cause of her death.
[Arab News] A former military chief accused of embezzling at least $1 million from the armed forces died of a gunshot wound Tuesday in what witnesses described as an apparent suicide at his mother's grave.
