Edited for brevity.
A judge Wednesday declared a mistrial for a former director of the National D-Day Memorial who was charged with fraud over his aggressive fund-raising efforts for the monument.
The jury deadlocked after two days of deliberations the second hung jury in the government's prosecution of Richard B. Burrow. Jurors told the judge Wednesday that they struggled with the legal definition of fraud and could not decide whether Burrow's fund-raising practices were illegal. Burrow faced eight fraud counts charging him with lying to government officials, banks and his own board of directors in a ploy to obtain loans and state matching funds to pay for the $25 million monument. Prosecutors said Burrow falsified donation sheets and took out huge loans to make it look like the foundation was bringing in more than it was. In all, prosecutors said Burrow illegally collected $7.8 million in loans and state matching grants. He has been under investigation by federal authorities since 2001, when officials at the monument acknowledged they were in massive debt. His first fraud trial ended in December 2002 with a hung jury.
The monument of polished granite is dedicated to the Allied forces that invaded Normandy on June 6, 1944. It is located in Bedford, Va., which lost 19 soldiers that day, proportionally one of the largest D-Day losses of any U.S. community. A Google search reveals more history and details here. It sounds like Mr. Burrows was really bending the rules to get matching grants, but at the least he was not embezzling or using funds for personal gain, which I had first feared when I saw the headline. I just hate seeing any taint on a memorial that honors the brave sacrifice so many made.
Posted by: Dar ||
10/07/2004 3:38:19 PM ||
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The story doesn't say it, but I heard in a news report on the radio that most of the hung jury were for acquittal.
I hope they drop this now.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/07/2004 16:16 Comments ||
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Smells like Iran/Contra. Cut 'em loose and shake his hand.
From the "gold standard" in major media credibility, Weekly World News: Wacky genius slams... WORLD'S 12 WORST INVENTIONS
By Vickie York
Scientist Reginald Powtley calls himself an "uninventor" -- instead of inventing gadgets, he identifies stuff that should never have been created in the first place! "There are many inventions that are unnecessary, stupid or even dangerous," the London expert says. Yeah, like hippies and alphabet news networks, both products of ad industry research.
Here, from Powtley, are 12 of the worst inventions of all time:
1. Pay Toilet. A great idea unless you really have to go and have no change in your pocket. A favorite of high-school debate teams. Hundreds of bills have been introduced to stamp out these diabolical devices. Unfortunately, they are as resilient as cockroaches and continue to exploit the desperate and needy at airports and bus terminals all over the world.
2. Single knob for hot and cold water in sinks. One knob for hot, one for cold was more user-friendly. These things are an abomination. My house has its original 1939 Art-Deco fixtures (refurbished several times since, obviously), and I want to keep it that way.
3. Giant Shetland pony. Not all genetic engineering serves a purpose. Perfect companion for the new miniature Clydesdale.
4. Helicopter ejector seat. "The Russian military obviously didn't think this idea through," Powtley notes. According to British aviation historian Bill Gunston, one version of the HH-53 actually did have ejection seats for the two pilots. I'm not sure about the details, but they were apparently timed to fire between the rotor blades. If any of you AF or Navy types have more info, let us know.
5. Inflatable dart board. "Non-competitive sports" accessory for mult-cult/PC schools.
6. Solar-powered flashlight. A Sierra Club catalog exclusive.
7. Fireproof cigarette. Nanny-state activist/neurotic control-freak: "Eureka! The final solution!"
8. Mesh umbrella. Although quite trendy in Manhattan now, it's useless. In response to the nefarious Halliburton plot to warm the globe by depleting the ozone layer, all future umbrellas will be made from tin-foil.
9. Pedal-powered wheelchair. There was an article here at Rantburg about a jet-powered wheelchair. Add a cow-catcher and it would be just the thing for disabled veterans confronting anti-war thugs.
10. Auto-mind-reader. "Invented by Japanese software engineers, it supposedly 'lets you hear your own thoughts,' " Powtley explains. A hot seller among tech-minded lefties.
11. Doggie Sweater. What for? Dogs already have fur. So do anti-war protestors, but we still try to make them wear clothes (not always successfully).
12. Antivampire collar. Notes Powtley: "This highfashion chain collar is easily penetrated by vampire fangs -- and actually attracts the undead if worn at night." A great way to pick up chicks at an antiwar rally, though.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy ||
10/07/2004 6:36:44 AM ||
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Another unique Ka-50 feature is the ejection seat - the main rotors are jettisoned before the pilot's seat is ejected.
Posted by: Jim K ||
10/07/2004 8:06 Comments ||
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World's 13th worst invention: The metal teapot.
The South African version of this strange creature typically comes in a set with a smaller hot-water pot and a little milk jug and is found in train-station eateries and small, quaint, inexpensive 3-star small-town hotels.
All three members of the set have a short spout with no curvature. This makes it impossible to pour from them without some of the liquid running down the outside of the spout and onto the tablecloth - unless they are fairly empty, by which time the tablecloth will be quite wet and you'll have nowhere to put your elbows.
#3
a la George Carlin, I'd add the Braille instructions at the Drive-Thru ATM
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2004 9:56 Comments ||
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...The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne (http://www.vstol.org/wheel/VSTOLWheel/LockheedAH-56.htm) also had ejection seats that functioned after another charge blew the rotors away. Of course, what that might have done to other helos in the flight or friendly troops on the ground can only be inagined. I've seen one of the prototypes up close at Ft. Eustis, VA, and there are definitely ejection seats mounted in there.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/07/2004 10:19 Comments ||
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Mesh umbrella Surely a shade umbrella, rather than a rain umbrella.
The metal teapot Standard in US restaurants, a tiny metal cylinder containing soon-to-be-tepid water, with teabags dunked in it. I don't know about the spout curvature, since only freaks drink their tea hot. (My grandfather did, and you should see some of the looks he used to get. "Hot tea? Well, all right, if you say so...")
Braille instructions at the Drive-Thru ATM Hell, Braille instructions on any ATM. How do you read the screen? Does it talk?
#7
"The metal teapot Standard in US restaurants, a tiny metal cylinder containing soon-to-be-tepid water, with teabags dunked in it."
The teabag is the world's 14th worst invention. I mean, all that extra time and effort involved to break it open and pour the tea into the teapot so you can brew yourself a decent, piping-hot cup of tea!
And if you use it as it's intended to be used, it won't draw sufficiently unless you actually BOIL it.
And there are few sights less attractive in a kitchen than a limp, cold teabag in a saucer.
(I became Groluck Grunter5311 briefly while typing this post before reverting to my original self).
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz's annual gift to the Londoners, including big quantities of copies of the holy Qur'an, its translations into several languages, different Islamic books and references, has reached here today. The Director of the Makkah-based Muslim World League's London office Abdulaziz bin Naffa'a Alharbi said the gift, weighing about ten tons, will be distributed over mosques, Islamic centers, universities and research centers in London before the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Enraged supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide armed themselves with machetes, guns, rocks and bottles and roamed a downtown slum, threatening to behead foreigners after U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police arrested dozens of people Wednesday. As gunfire crackled and two helicopters roared overhead, peacekeepers in armored personnel carriers moved into Bel Air, trying to put down a campaign by Aristide loyalists who have carried out gory beheadings in imitation of Iraqi insurgents. Wednesday morning, the headless body of a man lay in the street in La Salines, a seaside slum. Last week, three police officers were decapitated when Aristide supporters stepped up protests demanding his return from exile in South Africa, launching what they called "Operation Baghdad."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 7:19:28 PM ||
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HANOI, Oct 7 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac warned Thursday of a "catastrophe" for global diversity if the United States' cultural hegemony goes unchallenged.
Speaking at a French cultural centre in Hanoi ahead of Friday's opening of a summit of European and Asian leaders, Chirac said...
Gosh, I just love France and its leaders more with each passing day.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/07/2004 19:28 Comments ||
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French is the Esperanto of the 21st century.
Posted by: ed ||
10/07/2004 19:32 Comments ||
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Vietnam is a former French colony, but only around 375,000 of its 81 million people speak French. English is considered by most people a far more valuable and practical second language, particularly among businessmen.
#6
Maybe if France actually produced something of cultural value, it wouldn't be so bad. 17th century doesn't count. Neither does post-modern art.
"Only with governmental assistance can countries maintain their cultural heritage"??? WTF...only a European would say this.
Oh, and the French are still sick about their language not being the world's lingua franca anymore. That's what happens when you're relegated to "regional power" status.
The world rejected French values long ago. It's not at all clear that it accepts US values. Why don't you just let people alone to chose what they want. If US, OK. If french, OK. If something else, OK. As long as they don't shot eachother and children and fly airplanes into buildings or bomb trains or night clubs or other islamofascist things, I could care less what values they adopt.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/07/2004 19:48 Comments ||
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Let's see... the French took 1.7 billion dollars from the Iraqi Oil-for-Food Program, leaving millions of Iraqi's short-changed on food and medicine. And their values would be superior to whose?
Posted by: Tom ||
10/07/2004 19:48 Comments ||
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Was not aware the french had any values. I was aware of their belief that God was created in the image of the french.
#11
The French govt thinks that they are such cunning linguists that they need to preserve the mother tongue against the onslaught of the uncultured foreign words. Things change, and language evolves, but the French govt does not. After their perfidy with Iraq and the oil and bribes for palaces program, plus all their UN vetos, I consider the French govt an enemy. We do not need to militarily attack them, but their diplomats need to be restricted in travel and they sorta need to be looked at the same way we look at a country like...........say, Syria.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/07/2004 20:08 Comments ||
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Actually, if you read closely, Chirac is saying that the French and the French culture are endangered species and will become extinct if not protected.
Chirac announced that due to the recent terrorist's bombings in Spain and the Beslan school massacre, France's Terror Alert would be raised from "Run to Hide." If the terror continued, the Terror Alert would be raised to "Surrender and collaborate."
What do you call a frenchman advancing on Baghdad?
#15
Imagine there's no French language/It's easy if you try/No corrupt tyrants/Only democracy/Imagine all the people living like the USA...
Imagine there's no corruption/It isn't hard to do/No one to bribe or belittle/No pessimism too/Imagine all the people living like the USA...
You may say I'm a dreamer/but I'm not the only one/I hope some day the French will stop/tring to ruin it for everyone.
#17
RWV---I think that you hit on the main point. Chiraq's ravings are based more on the French becoming irrelavant and an endangered species than the rest of the world's cultures losing their identities.
However, I do not think that the wooly mammoth is a good example for the French. May I suggest the dodo bird?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/07/2004 20:39 Comments ||
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RWV is right. The French have been fighting a losing cultural battle against the Anglosphere for decades. (Quebec is a major front in that battle.) Knowing the French are losing this battle fuels much French animosity towards the US.
To a lesser degree other non-English speaking nations have a similar reaction and a similar resentment.
Languages and cultures do go extinct. Many American Indian languages are extinct. The trend will continue with thousands of languages being replaced with dozens.
Global media is also shaping English. Worldwide movies, music, and TV are harmonizing the language. Even British vs. US spelling is merging as people online accept both as âstandardâ.
This is also happening in the Spanish world. Announcers learn and use standard international pronunciation instead of regional dialects.
(While French continues to lose influence, it is in no danger of going extinct. Darn it!)
Theresa LePore vowed to close the Palm Beach County elections office at 5 p.m. Monday, the final day to register to vote in the Nov. 2 election, but a young man who arrived about 15 minutes after the deadline managed to drop off 550 applications on behalf of a group of Muslims determined to oust President Bush. LePore, no stranger to confrontations, said the man demanded she accept the bundles of voter registration applications attached to slips of paper identifying them as having been collected by Voting Is Power, which goes by the acronym VIP and is an offshoot of the Washington-based Muslim American Society. LePore said he showed up, carrying a box of applications, about 15 minutes after she locked the door to her office at 5 p.m. She said she told him her office was closed but he could mail the forms as long as they were postmarked by midnight that night. But, she said, he wasn't satisfied and managed to slip inside the lobby when someone left. "He started hollering about disenfranchising people," said LePore, who took the box after he thrust it at her. She said that, because some of the applications were dated in July and others were incomplete, she told him he should have turned them in on time so the potential voters could have cast ballots in the Aug. 31 primary or corrected missing information. "Then he started saying, 'You're all alike,' or something to that effect, and 'It's better in New York,' " she said. "And I said, 'Why don't you go back to New York?' "
The man did not identify himself and Bret Wask, whose name was on the VIP labels attached to the forms, did not return numerous telephone calls to The Palm Beach Post. LePore, who said she also let a few individuals turn in single registration forms until 6 p.m., was surprised to learn that VIP's parent group is the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, an organization that has a federal 501(c)3 designation for religious nonprofits. Although the group claims it is nonpartisan, its political action committee has formally endorsed John Kerry for president.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 10:03:48 PM ||
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501(c)3 designation for religious nonprofits. Although the group claims it is nonpartisan, its political action committee has formally endorsed John Kerry for president.
heh, heh, hope they saved enough money for the upcoming 2004 tax bill. Don't forget to pay your quarterlys guys. I guess they weren't aware that our tax men make OBL look like a wussy.
Howard County [Maryland] police charged a Baltimore County couple Oct. 2 with malicious destruction of property for allegedly defacing political signs in Ellicott City belonging to the Howard County Republican Party. The arrests came one week after police charged an Ellicott City man with destruction of property for allegedly striking down a Republican sign Sept. 24. The arrests were the result of an investigation police conducted following reports of people destroying political signs in recent weeks, including a Sept. 25 incident in which an Ellicott City man discovered that someone had burned a sign in his yard supporting the re-election of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Police are investigating that incident.
In the most recent incident, police charged Randallstown residents Peter Lizon, 30, and Stephanie Louise Lizon, 34, each with malicious destruction of property. Police also charged Peter Lizon with possessing a concealed deadly weapon. According to charging documents, Peter Lizon allegedly used a bayonet to cut holes in the signs. Police arrested the couple Oct. 1 during a surveillance operation conducted near the intersection of Route 40 and Executive Center Drive in Ellicott City, charging documents state. Detectives observed Peter Lizon using a bayonet to cut holes in an unspecified number of "Bush/Cheney" signs beside a parking lot near the intersection, according to the charging documents. Stephanie Lizon appeared to act as a lookout as her husband cut the signs, according to the documents. Police later found a bayonet in the couple's vehicle, the documents state. Peter Lizon was released on $3,500 bond; Stephanie Lizon was released on $3,000 bond.
Police said they arrested the couple in an ongoing surveillance operation that began with the Sept. 24 arrest of 33-year-old Ellicott City resident Corey Cooke, who police allege used two unspecified tools to destroy a sign urging voters to re-elect Bush and Cheney. Police conducting surveillance saw Cooke cut down a 4-by-8-foot sign posted near the intersection of Route 40 and Executive Center Drive in Ellicott City, according to charging documents. Police said they found a hand saw, a sledge hammer and a utility tool in Cooke's car. Police decided to continue the surveillance operation following Cooke's arrest after receiving reports of more destruction of campaign sings, police spokesman Pfc. David Proulx said. Proulx said police have not yet determined whether the two incidents were linked.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 7:20:52 PM ||
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Political Profiling!
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
10/07/2004 19:54 Comments ||
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I bet some republican with a video camera could have a lot of fun setting up Bush-Cheney signs in their front yard and taping the sign destroyers. Then they could make them an offer: $3,000 fine if I turn you in, or you can donate $1,000 to the Bush-Cheney campaign and you get a FREE video tape.
Seattle students got a glimpse of who could be the next first lady yesterday, as Teresa Heinz Kerry spoke to a large crowd of mostly women at Seattle Central Community College. The event, called "Women for Kerry Rally," was designed to inspire women voters, including UW students, to be the change the nation needs. "Teresa Heinz Kerry I think is a model woman for the 21st century, she's independent, she's spunky, she speaks her mind ... she is dedicated to causes and helping the world be a better place," said UW senior Vy Nguyen. Kerry criticized the Bush administration and suggested a number of ways the United States would be better, including in foreign policy, if her husband, John Kerry, were the next president. "John will present to the world a U.S. that is strong but not threatening, compassionate but not condescending and proud but not arrogant," she said. Kerry criticized Bush's actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. "We need to separate Osama bin Laden and the Taliban from Iraq and Saddam Hussein," she said. Kerry claimed the Bush administration failed the United States by sending in Afghan warlords to search for bin Laden once he was cornered in the mountains of Tora Bora. "He went from being Osama bin Laden to Osama been lost," she said. Kerry went on to say that by the election it may be "Osama been found."
Nguyen came to the event to get involved with the issues that concern her as a young person. "I think the issues at stake are of vital interest to our generation, and I feel it's a great tragedy that people are not getting more involved," said Nguyen. "These are issues that are going to affect generations to come. These are things that I want to protect from my kids when I choose to have them." Kerry said under a Kerry administration, youth would be given much more opportunities in health care and education. "We need to dedicate ourselves to the young people of the country," she said. "Children should have healthcare, no matter where they're from." Kerry spoke prevalently on her husband's plan for education, claiming that schools would have improved facilities and smaller class sizes. However, much of her speech criticized the current administration,. "We need a president who not only faces complexity, but enjoys it; likes people from other parts of the world; respects and is curious about science," she said. "One of our frontiers is going to be alternative energy, so that no boy or girl will ever have to wear a[n] uniform because of our need for oil."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 7:15:58 PM ||
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They didn't just mislead.....they lied. Pretty simple.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
10/07/2004 19:25 Comments ||
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I'm totally amused by the fact that, even though Bushitler(tm) has a secret plan ( shhh! ), both of the bills to restart the draft came from Democrats. The House just voted one down by 400-something to 2. Even arch Congress-weasel Rangell voted against the bill he introduced.
Note: If you are going to be a credible opposition party, it helps not to be totally insane.
I love it when the light of truth is shown on something as phony as the class warfare struggle on the left. Here we have two multi-millionaires claiming to be man of the people and defaming someone because they also MADE a little cash in their lifetime. I emphasis made because Kerry married all his wealth and had little to do with the accumulation. Edwards made his money by convincing a jury that an unborn child was speaking through him. I encourage you to read Jihad Unspuns' version of the Cheney/Haliburton connection. Pay particular attention to the Stock options that could make the Cheney's VERY rich.
#2
This is so utterly, massively repugnant that I can't fully process it as reality. Is there a transcript available? I mean, even though I'm pro-choice, I can't imagine... that's just breath-takingly obscene. If a novelist had invented a character named Therese Heinz Kerry, and had put that line in that character's mouth, I'd have thrown the novel across the room, and never read that author again.
I find myself in the peculiar position of wishing that the Weekly Standard is making things up. My world would make ever so much more sense if that were so...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/07/2004 11:43 Comments ||
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Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!
My sentiments exactly.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
10/07/2004 12:22 Comments ||
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At first, I was going to say this was way past the line for ANY Rantburger to post. Then I read the article and was completely sickened. She's a sick woman. It just goes to show you how souless the Democrapic party leadership has become.
It utterly boggles the mind who in the world would think that this woman is first lady material.
#6
Although I am noiminally pro-choice, I find this really repulsive. A miscarriage is a tragedy for any family, and to make light of this?
Of course, the unwashed independents, as shown in my post of a couple of days ago, don't care, they only care that the Prez was tired and Kerry looked so F****N' presidential. {Osama's Roast Lamb} These unwashed independents are not only going to get us all in trouble, they are insensitive louts...
The Dems are accusing the GOP of "Suppressing" the vote of potential Kerry voters. We are not, but how can we start?
#9
All I can say is that this woman is nuts. For awhile I thought she was a money grubbing opportunist who had an affinity for senators who might become president. I though JFK was an opportunist who sought out someone who could help(?) him become president. I think they are both nuts. Dangerous nuts. Demos seem to have kept her away from the public because they realized she would kill any chance Kerry had for the presidency. As Kerry would say "How about the Theraaasa?'
#10
Guys, miscarriages do strange things to women. I haven't seen the show or transcript, but I suspect she talks about her miscarriages as if they were living, present children. I know my wife feels our oldest has a big brother. And if I recall correctly, she has had six miscarriages. That's a lot of pain in one life. Give her a break on this one, show her a little compassion and let her deal with her grief in her own way.
#11
OK, lurker. How bout this for a deal: we respect Maria Teresa's way of dealing with her grief, and she in turn respects us enough to deal with that grief privately?
#12
Yes lex. It looks like a certain Mozambiqui does not know when she looks foolish. Or she doesn't care. You know, thet "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" out to get her...
#14
That woman is creeping closer and closer to the point of actually costing her husband a state or two. To paraphrase Cheney, "If you can't stand up to your wife, Senator, how can you stand up to Iran?"
#15
pinkies? I don't think so! She's referring to the fact that a fetus - in the very early stages is indistinguishable from a frog or pig or other embryos. At least that's what they used to teach us. Maybe with advances in DNA, etc. that's not true anymore. But that's what they used to say and her miscarriages would have happened awhile back.
#16
I'd like to say that this is information that provides me some new insight about Terayza or John F. Kerry, but it doesn't. But if 45+% of the Americans polled still plan to vote for Kerry, it sure tells me something about them I really hadn't known before and wish I didn't now.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/07/2004 13:55 Comments ||
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"Pinkies" could refer to the size and general shape of them, I guess. That changes matters somewhat - calling them "pinkies" is demeaning, deranged, and extremely off-putting, but it isn't depraved in the way "piggies" is. I can't blame the Weekly Standard guy, her accent is thick enough to cause that sort of confusion.
So, unhinged, not monstrous.
Geez, six miscarriages. That explains a lot about her that I never really understood before. If Kerry gets into office by some horrible accident, Heinz Kerry could easily be the most tragically lunatic First Lady since Mary Todd Lincoln.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/07/2004 13:59 Comments ||
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...Normally, I wouldn't even come close to defending Ketchup Lady. But I feel it does need to be pointed out that a miscarriage can unhinge even the most stable woman. Personal experience with two friends who have gone through them has shown me that women take an unbelieveable emotional hit - I can't imagine what would have happened to them if they'd gone through more than one. I back up Longtime's comment, but also Lex's feelings - this is one thing that shouldn't have been brought up.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/07/2004 14:00 Comments ||
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#19
Lex, I don't know that she volunteered the statement, or that the ever-sensitive Dr Phil thoughtlessly asked her about it. I just don't watch that show. I do know that she says what she feels (not saying its a virtue, just a fact) regardless of who hears her, and that she probably chafes under all the "smile and make nice" of an election campaign. I also know that she's suffered--her money can't buy back those children--and that none of us can measure and judge that suffering. Instead of gawking at her, I feel the polite thing is to discreetly turn away, pretend we didn't see or hear what we did, and give her the benefit of the doubt that this expression, however ill-turned, is a reflection of her loss.
#21
Mrs Davis - You make an important point. Slick Willi was elected twice. Once was barely understandable. But the second time made me suspect that this is not the country that I thought it was.
Approximately 1 in 3 fertilized eggs fail to make it to a viable birth.
Many of these are expelled before the woman knows for sure she is pregnant. There are, however, strongly suggestive signs and a woman of THK's age would know them. I'm a bit younger, and I did when I was in my 20s and 30s.
If we limit the term "miscarriage" to losses of pregnancies after the 4 week point, then the figure is more like 1 in 5 IIRC. And yes, there can be grief associated with these, especially if a child was desired and the woman & her family have begun to think in terms of a child on the way.
However, 6 known miscarriages isn't all that unusual. My mother-in-law had that many between her first and her second child.
Posted by: been there ||
10/07/2004 14:06 Comments ||
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#23
it would be interesting to see if the transcript said "piggies" first and was changed to pinkies.
I feel quite certain that she would have said "Piggies". But this would be very offensive to pro-life women and ESPECIALLY to other women who had miscarriages. While she may have found comfort in this, others will find it horribly demeaning to have the loss of their baby be reduced to no more important than the loss of a pig fetus.
I'd be willing to bet $25 to Fred's tip jar, that if we looked it up - that if you cross checked the stage of her fetus' at the time of her miscarriage - that they would have been around the level of development that would be similar to a pig.
While she may try to pull of this "pinkies" thing - I find that even MORE disturbed than her taking some sort of weird comfort in the belief that they were not yet human.
4 weeks: It looks something like a tadpole. The structure that will develop into a head is visible, as is a noticeable tail. The embryo has structures like the gills of a fish in the area that will later develop into a throat.
5 weeks: Tiny arm and leg buds have formed. Hands with webs between the fingers have formed at the end of the arm buds. Fingerprints are detectable. The face "has a distinctly reptilian aspect." 1
6 The face has two eyes on the side of its head; the front of the face has "connected slits where the mouth and nose eventually will be." 1
7 weeks: The embryo has almost lost its tail. "The face is mammalian but somewhat pig-like." 1 Pain sensors appear. Many conservative Christians believe that the embryo can feel pain. However, the higher functions of the brain have yet to develop, and the pathways to transfer pain signals from the pain sensors to the brain have not developed at this time.
2 months: reptile like brain development yadda yadda
10 weeks: The embryo is now called a fetus. Its face looks human; its gender may be detectable.
#26
I'm sort of willing to give her the benefit of a little bit of doubt, for once. That's because I haven't heard and seen the actual clip. If she was serious while saying it, that's a lot different than tossing off the comment with a laugh.
That said, a friend of mine and his wife had to induce labor because the fetus was not viable. They named it, and my friend still has the kid's footprints on a certificate he keeps with other important papers in a fireproof safe. They don't have a cute nickname for the child.
* Correction appended, 10/7/2004:The article originally reported that Teresa Heinz referred to her miscarriages as "piggies," not "pinkies." The audio on the interview was unclear, but the partial transcript on Dr. Phil's website says "pinkies," and the Washington Post concurs. Of course, whatever name she uses for her miscarried children isn't so revealing as the fact that she has a name for these would-have-been offspring which she uses to discuss them in public.
I told you so! No doubt "piggies" got too much of an uproar ...so in typical STOOPID Kerry style... some stupid lackey came up with the brilliant save ....she said.....pinkies - yeah! That's it, that's the ticket. That'll pacify the foolish masses.
#28
been there: My mother-in-law had 9 miscarriages and stillborns before having 9 children that lived to adulthood (and one of those died in an accident). What's the point? You don't know anything about THK's miscarriages, and neither do I. I did read in a Weekly Standard or American Spectator article that she wanted 12 children. Hardly sounds like an abortion nut to me. Sorry to disagree with the ghoulish element here, but I think she's talking about emotions, not cell tissue. Have a little human decency for someone whose pain and damage may not be readily visible.
#30
oh please! I think she's talking about emotions, not cell tissue.
How do you figure she's talking about emotions? Emotions wouldn't be a physical description. If she called them her little "pink tear-drops" - you might have had a case.
Look, if it gives her comfort to tell us what her dead "cell tissue" looked like - more power to her. If after so many years she's still so unable to cope from her trauma ....then ok...I'll give you that it was the miscarriages that made her go nuts.
Stop wanking. This is no less bizzare than if I went on Dr. Phil and asked about my cat that got run over, I referred to him as "my little pinky" or "pancake".
Go ahead and excuse her bizzare behavior. I feel sorry for her too. At least we can all be in agreement here - shades of Mary Todd Lincoln.
#34
As a pro-life Publican, I say give her plenty of room on this one. My wife has miscarried twice and is currently 3.5 months pregnant and having complications. I cannot fathom the pain of six miscarriages. My wife and I know a lady through church that lost a baby at 8 months and had to carry the baby to term. I don't know how you would get through that without a straight jacket. If using a nickname to cope works for her, I am glad she has found peace.
I imagine that this information is intended to soften her image and should work. She doesn't seem to spout the leftist line that every baby is expendable tissue until the tissue receives its allotted dose of state education. I'm sure she funds Planned Parenthood, though.
From a political standpoint I think she should be ignored as a possible distracter from the true danger - installing a man who wants to normalize relations with Cuba, Iran and Vietnam into the Oval Office during the WOT.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/07/2004 21:58 Comments ||
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#35
An analogy: suppose candidate Bob Dole had gone on Oprah and told us all about his private tragedy of "erectile dysfunction"?
My response: I don't want to know. Respect the dignity of the office. There's a war on, remember?
#8
Asshats we don't change "regimes" over here in the USA. We elect our leaders. Regime has some undertones to it that are anathema to most Americans (well at least 1/2 of us), in that it implies, in my mind, that a "regime" can be overthrown by means other than elections.
Posted by: Bill Nelson ||
10/07/2004 21:00 Comments ||
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#9
Nice work, 3dc.
Stick with me, kid, and we'll go places...
Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Senate President Chea Sim would be interim head of state, but added that he hoped his father would change his mind. Cambodia's monarchy is not hereditary, and a special throne council is due to meet soon to discuss what happens next. The king, 81, has abdicated before and threatened to quit again many times. Ill health and political rows may have triggered the latest crisis. An emotional Prince Ranariddh announced his father's decision to the National Assembly on Thursday. "I hope this is not a permanent abdication," he said.
Earlier the king, who has been living abroad and receiving medical treatment, issued a statement saying he was too ill and old to continue in office, and that he wished to abdicate. "It is up to the Royal Throne Council to decide whether Prince Sihamoni or who else will be an appropriate successor," the statement said. It was unclear what triggered the king's announcement, but there has been speculation he is angry about a lack of progress in deciding the process to decide his successor. According to media reports, his decision may also have been influenced by a letter he received from opposition leader Sam Rainsy. In it, Mr Rainsy claimed that "violent demonstrations (at least verbally)" against the king were planned for his return. Mr Rainsy said he would be blamed for them and that his party would be "hastily suppressed"...
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
10/07/2004 11:53:01 AM ||
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Three years of fighting between rival Christian and Muslim ethnic groups in the central Nigerian state of Plateau have claimed 53,787 lives, a third of them children, the state administration said. The figure is the first official toll given for the conflict, which has pitched heavily armed gangs from rival nomadic and farming communities against one another in a battle for land and power, and far exceeds previous estimates. Officials said that the figure was compiled from reports from the victims' relatives and covered the period from September 7, 2001 to May 18 of this year, when President Olusegun Obasanjo imposed emergency rule on the highland region. "They were killed as a result of the hostilities, some through machetes or bullets, some from other things," said Ezekiel Dalyop, the spokesman for Plateau's administrator Chris Alli. "The committee visited the local governments and met with officials. Those who lost their relatives provided the statistics. Every family has figures and released them to the committee. We just did the summary," he told AFP.
Alli's special advisor on resettlement and rehabilitation, Thomas Kangnaan, on Wednesday told reporters in the state capital Jos that of those killed, 18,931 were men, 17,397 were women and 17,459 were children. But some in Plateau said that the figures, which are greater than any estimate given by an outside agency, appear too high, and suggested that Alli's team may be exaggerating the death toll in order to remain in power. "I don't think it is reliable. The source is not very clear, some people might be just missing, some others have left," said Paul Wai of the pressure group the Middle Belt Progressive Movement, which opposes emergency rule.
"Maybe they just stepped out to buy beer!"
Plateau State lies in Nigeria's notoriously unruly central belt, the faultline between northern mainly Muslim tribes and the Christian south.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 7:08:58 PM ||
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yes, but...it's hard to blame it on the US, so they don't count. Besides the rights groups are very busy right now with Guantanamo, Abu Gharab, and Bush-Hitler's TANG lies. As soon as they wrap up their work on his death camps here in the US, they will get to passing a strongly worded rebuke through the UN.
(Thanks for including 'Home Front Economy' heading ,,I never knew where to place this stuff:)
Crude oil in New York rose to a record $53 a barrel, a gain of more than $10 since Hurricane Ivan began to shut Gulf of Mexico oil production almost four weeks ago. Royal Dutch/Shell Group said two platforms struck by Ivan won't be fully operational until next year. Production in the Gulf, source of a quarter of U.S. output, remains 28 percent below normal, the U.S. Minerals Management Service said. The reduction comes as refiners prepare to boost operating rates to meet winter demand for heating oil. ``I see no sign of us approaching a top, which is scary,'' said Tom Bentz, an oil broker at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. in New York. ``Production in the Gulf is out and Nigeria is becoming more of a worry. There continue be threats to supply in a market that just can't afford to have any reduction.''
Crude oil for November delivery was up 65 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at $52.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since futures began trading in 1983. Oil has gained in 14 of the last 16 sessions and is 73 percent higher than a year ago. In London, the November Brent crude-oil futures contract rose 91 cents, or 1.9 percent, to close at a record $48.90 a barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange. Brent futures reached $49.20, the highest price since the contract began trading in 1988. My thoughts; Oil heading into the mid-$50's prior to the cold winter months is NOT a good sign for near term trending of the entire energy complex. If the Islamic terrorist enemy wants to really give us a semi-knock out punch they will begin targeting the huge crude oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The market panic effect will continue their dirty work.
Right now there does no seem to be an end in sight for the incredible bull run in the energy markets. We can not rule out $75 oil or much higher based on a number of factors some of which are not fully in our control.
Those using heating oil are going to be in for massive price shock in the geographic areas which suffer cold winters.
We are under attack people, right now it's overseas and if we do not react and traget the main state promoter (Iran) we shall be sitting ducks in the very near future. It's us or them now!
Read the rest in the link
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/07/2004 6:35:16 PM ||
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Hard-line religious parties in Bangladesh oppose any outdoor game involving women, although the countryâs women regularly compete in sports like volleyball, handball, swimming, judo and karate.
I'm thinking the last two might come in real handy around the "hard-line religious parties." ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/07/2004 18:47 Comments ||
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I still think much fun could be had by an anonymous website offering anecdotes and tips for Moslem women's sports like castration, how to use a butcher knife, and how to cool an overheated husband with boiling oil.
The Mozambican armed forces (FADM) have denied claims that the United Nations is paying the government 1,000 US dollars for each of the 200 Mozambican soldiers who are part of the African Union peace keeping force in Burundi. An anonymous letter, from someone claiming to be a Mozambican soldier stationed in Burundi, was published on Tuesday in the independent newsheet "Mediafax", alleged that the troops are poorly paid and disrespected. The nameless writer alleged that the UN pays the government 1,000 dollars for each soldier, but that the government is pocketing most of this, and only sending 150 dollars per soldier to Burundi.
But cited in Thursday's "Mediafax", the FADM's commander of logistics, Maj-Gen Teofilo Joao, categorically denied that the UN was making any such payments. Joao said the subsidies paid to the Mozambican troops in Burundi vary between 150 and 450 dollars a month, depending on rank, and come from the Mozambican government, not from the UN. The UN does pay a small subsidy - which works out to about 1.28 dollars per soldier per day. These subsidies are in addition to the soldiers' normal wages, which continue to be paid in full in Mozambique, in local currency. Nor was it true that the troops in Burundi have been "reduced to beggars", as the anonymous letter alleged. Joao said the soldiers have a right to a series of privileges stipulated in the agreement between the government and the UN. These include food, accommodation, transport and medical care. The UN, Joao added, has promised to reimburse the government for its costs at the end of the Burundi mission. Initially, the mission was to last just one year, but there is a possibility that it will be renewed for six monthly periods.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 11:08:45 AM ||
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, but there is a possibility that it will be renewed for six monthly periods
With an option year declarable prior to June.
THE United Nations (UN) Security Council's decision last week to increase the size of its peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo by 5900 troops was largely in line with expectations, but this has not stopped Secretary General Kofi Annan expressing dismay at the outcome.
"Damn! That's only half the paychecks I wanted to see coming in... errr... going out..."
Annan had hoped for 13100 extra troops, which would have taken the UN's presence in the country to 23900. "I continue to believe that the total military and police strength (I originally) recommended is the minimum required to effectively meet the current challenges," he said in the decision's aftermath. Predictably, however, the US which bankrolls more than a quarter of the cost of peacekeeping operations was successful in persuading other key security council members to take a more cautious line. The lower number means that there will be fewer new troops for the capital, Kinshasa, as the key focus remains on the volatile east of the country. The heaviest concentration of fresh personnel will be in North Kivu and South Kivu, where SA's contingent is deployed. Col Ben Greyling, the commander of SA's forces in the area, says he expects that his units in North Kivu will be bolstered by a deployment of troops from India, which has indicated a desire to contribute to operations. Although US envoy Stuart Holliday has justified the security council's conservative decision by pointing to the fact that UN operations are stretched elsewhere in the world, question marks about the inherent success of the Congo mission may have also militated against the approval of a larger number of troops. In this latter respect it is clear that the transition process in the country is in a state of stasis, little more than a year after the creation of a coalition administration.
Sounds like a quagmire to me...
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 11:03:43 AM ||
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So the French and Germans will ante up some troops? Holding my breath.
ONE of the 67 "mercenaries" jailed at Chikurubi Maximum Prison died at a Harare hospital this week, barely a month after being convicted of contravening the Immigration Act, The Financial Gazette can reveal. The death of Ngave Jarukeno Muharukua, 35, at one of the country's largest referral hospitals, is being kept under wraps, coming as it did after protestations against the alleged assault of some of the "soldiers of fortune" by prison guards. Highly placed sources told The Financial Gazette yesterday that the deceased, whose ailment could not be ascertained by the time of going to print, was part of the 20 South African nationals arrested at the Harare International Airport on March 7 this year.
My guess is the cause of death will be "heart failure."
The South African contingent was part of the 70 suspected "terrorists", who were arrested when their Boeing 727-100 made a stopover in the Zimbabwean capital city allegedly to pick up weapons of war. The death of the "mercenary" comes in the wake of allegations of ill treatment of prisoners in Zimbabwe's 41 prisons, which has attracted the wrath of human rights activists. The activists have been pushing the Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPS) to institute massive reforms.
In the end, they all come down to "heart failure," don't they?
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2004 10:57:58 AM ||
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Amazingly enough, none of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse criers cares about real abuse going on in prisons where Americans are not guarding the prisoners.
Waiting for her turn with the gynaecologist in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, Nawal wanted to fix one last thing to ensure a perfect marriage of convenience. With the 2 500 dirham (R2 100) she borrowed, she will undergo a surgical procedure that she hopes will convince her new husband she is still a virgin. "My cousin asked to marry me believing I'm a virgin. I accepted because I need a husband. So we'll both get what we want," said the 26-year-old textile worker. The minor operation consists of hooking biodegradable suture clips on the hymen to provoke bleeding during the first sexual intercourse on the wedding night. Seeing blood then is crucial and can be a matter of life or death for the bride in an Arab country. Nawal's family wants the big event to include the traditional Sabah ceremony, when relatives parade in the streets with the bride's blood-stained undergarment as proof of her chastity before marriage. "They'll get the blood they want," Nawal said.
Posted by: TS(vice girl) ||
10/07/2004 7:45:29 AM ||
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#1
And remember...when inbreeding, make sure you at least think it's virgin.
#2
There you go, Arab culture rocketing BACK to the 14th century. "My cousin asked to marry me believing Iâm a virgin." Should have added: "But he forgot about my three brothers."
#3
If Allan had not wanted Moslem girls to do this, then he wouldn't have created a universe with biodegradable suture clips.
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
10/07/2004 8:54 Comments ||
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#4
In Italy, the morning after the big event, the sheets were hung out the bedroom window to display evidence of the initial swordplay. Should the happy couple have consummated their love prior to the wedding day, a cruet of sheepâs blood was secreted in the night stand, then applied to the sheets prior to the unveiling.
See there...sheep do have their place in Allan's wonderland of love.
#8
I see a market for the Arab equivalent of "Clean Urine"; "Virgin Blood", now in 6 packs.
Posted by: Kent Brockman ||
10/07/2004 9:50 Comments ||
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#9
Well, I suppose this nonsense is better than cutting off clitori...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/07/2004 9:54 Comments ||
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#10
The irony being that about 1 in 4 women don't bleed enough for it to show, externally, when they lose their virginity. Personally, I think that fair is fair: if he wants to see her blood on his wedding night, he should be prepared to see his own. That should make him twice as happy.
#14
...It's that 'cousins' thing that should tell you what we're dealing with here...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/07/2004 10:20 Comments ||
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#15
I used to work for a plastic surgeon and we got many calls from young Muslim women who were going "back home" for marriage and needed to have their hymens reconstructed...unfortunately we couldn't help them.
#25
2B---depends upon your mindset.......some of them seem....ah.....precambrian.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/07/2004 15:00 Comments ||
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#26
#19. "Explains some of the problems in the mid-East."
Actually...it doesn't. This LINK to an article on Straight Dope tends to dismiss the myth vis-a-vis first cousins marrying.
8-)
Posted by: Mr. Peabody ||
10/07/2004 15:01 Comments ||
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#27
That link may dismiss it, Mr. Peabody, but there was a fascinating article in the Arab News (Saudi Arabia) about the high level of birth defects amongst the natives for exactly that reason. Granted, the article was complaining about the difficulties in marrying off the deficient offspring, but it spoke of mental retardation, insanity and congenital diseases. Theoretically, cousin-marriage should lead to as many geniuses as defectives, but that doesn't seem to be happening over there.
#28
I saw the parading of the sheet in the late '70s while a Peace Corps Vol in Morocco. The town was rural. I told some city Moroccans about what had taken place and they derided the practice in strong terms. "They should be worrying about getting their kids in school" or the equivalent.
Moroccan marriage proposal:
M: Will you marry me?
F: Yes.
M: Are you a virgin?
F: Yes. (Then Latifa makes an appointment with
the suture specialists)
Other men don't ask the second question as they're not interested or THEY have been the perpetrator. Chicken blood was used in case girl is not virgin.
Posted by: chicago mike ||
10/07/2004 15:22 Comments ||
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#29
TW: I have read the article you speak of. The article I referenced stated clearly that "If the pool's pretty clean..." there shouldn't be a problem, generally.
Now, I would suspect that the Arab gene pool is anything but "clean", and, I would also suspect that there has been a high incidence of incest over the generations.
Both Father/Daughter, and, Brother/Sister! Now, compound that over a few hundred generations and they are starting to reap the fruit of the poisoned seeds they have been planting (no pun intended).
Mr. Peabody
Posted by: Mr. Peabody ||
10/07/2004 15:24 Comments ||
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#30
"I saw the parading of the sheet in the late '70s while a Peace Corps Vol in Morocco."
My wife, (an Indian National) informs that this is still quite common today in rural India, even when everyone knows that the woman is NOT a virgin.
Odd.
Mr. Peabody
Posted by: Mr. Peabody ||
10/07/2004 15:29 Comments ||
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#31
There is a kind of goth quality to all the Islamo-Neandro-sexual stuff. Shapeless, morose clothing hiding as much of the body as possible; overdone seriousness; flesh being cut, sliced off, pierced, sutured...next thing you know, it will be branded nipples.
Mutinous soldiers demanding pay for peacekeeping duty abroad killed the commander of Guinea-Bissau's armed forces on Wednesday and seized key buildings in the capital of the former Portuguese colony. Portuguese foreign ministry spokesman Antonio Carneiro Jacinto said the mutineers had killed Gen. Verissimo Seabra Correia, the man who ousted Kumba Yalla as president of Guinea-Bissau in a coup last year. Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior appealed for calm in the West African country, which has a history of instability, and sent a delegation including the United Nations special representative to negotiate with the leaders of the mutiny.
"Cheez, guys, calm down already! I got the boodle right here!"
#2
They should not have ripped them off. If you pay people they usually are happy. You screw them and you get trouble. Want to bet the kleptocracy pocketed their pay?
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
10/07/2004 10:51 Comments ||
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#4
Shit. I can't find my "BANG HEAD HERE" sign.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/07/2004 11:01 Comments ||
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#5
One of the traditional reasons to send troops to UN peacekeeping duties was to remove troublesome officers and units from this sort of temptation. Bangladesh has reputedly kept some of its troops abroad for a decade or more.
#6
The head crooks in the U.N rake in the dough (oil, kickbacks, payoffs) while the poor schnooks in arms way can't even get paid properly? Incredible!
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/07/2004 23:11 Comments ||
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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.
