ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — Police in Maryland say a man has been charged with assault for using a slingshot, though not the military variety, to fire glass marbles at a speed camera van. "He's doing thirty-one, thirty-two, spiderweb..."
Authorities say Bruce Lawrence May of Ellicott City was read his rights and given state-sponsored lodgings Tuesday. The 50-year-old Lawrence was also charged with destruction of property and reckless endangerment. He was released in exchange for thirty pictures of Benjamin Franklin.
Howard County police say that at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the van was near Manor Woods Elementary School when the operator heard something collide with the side of the vehicle. The operator saw a minivan pass and saw the driver with a slingshot fire another projectile at the speed camera van. "Watch it, beauzeau! You could put an eye out with that!"
"I just intend to put a radar eye out with it."
Police say that May had received two speed camera violations recently.
[An Nahar] Researchers reported Friday they have found signs of the oldest animal known in existence, a centimeter-long slug whose fossilized tracks in Uruguay are 585 million years old. I don't think the guy who used to work for me was that old. And he was taller, I think...
That would make the creature almost 30 million years older than any previous animals known to modern humans. The findings are described in the U.S. journal Science.
The tracks of the slug-like animal known as a bilaterian were found in Uruguay by University of Alberta geologists Ernesto Pecoits and Natalie Aubet. The evidence was not in the body of the animal itself, but in the burrows through sediment it left behind.
Previous evidence of bilaterians dates back to about 558 million years ago in Russia.
The age of the Uruguayan fossil tracks were established by dating the age of a rock that intruded into the siltstone in the area where the tracks were found.
Researchers spent two years going over their mass spectrometry analysis and making repeat trips to gather more samples before writing the peer-reviewed paper for Science.
Kurt Konhauser, a geomicrobiologist at the University of Alberta, said the next step is to "find out how these animals evolved to the point where they were able to move about and hunt for food." If they didn't eat they wouldn't evolve for long...
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
...Didn't think AG Holder was that old.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/01/2012 11:13 Comments ||
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Some people are too naive to be let out on their own.
RABAT - Organizers of an all-gay cruise on Saturday blamed Moroccan officials for the cancellation of what would have been the first visit of its kind to a Moslem country, but the tourism minister denied the ship was banned and said its passengers were welcome.
Cruise liner Holland America Line and trip organizer RSVP Vacations told the 2,100 holiday-makers aboard the MS Nieuw Amsterdam ship that the July 1 visit to Casablanca had been cancelled.
"Our port agent in Casablanca has advised us that authorities in Morocco have -- despite previous confirmations -- now denied our scheduled visit," the two companies said in a letter tweeted to news organizations by passengers of the ship.
"For all of us, this is a very disappointing development," they added. "It was ultimately the decision by local authorities in Morocco that has necessitated us to adjust our plans."
[Bangla Daily Star] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide... yesterday alleged that carrying out killings, conspiracies and indulging in corruption were the characters of BNP.
"BNP had gifted the nation grenades, Bangla Bhai and snuffies during its previous rule," she told a rally at Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur.
Hasina alleged that the then BNP government had killed people in the name of 'Operation Clean Heart' and made many people crippled. "But we didn't take any measures out of vengeance. We've engaged all our efforts for the development of the country," she said.
The Awami League president said the present government had ensured food security, education for all and also arranged higher education through the Education Trust Fund.
Accusing the BNP of adopting the 'policy of begging' and making the country and its people dependent on others, Hasina said: "Awami League works to make people self-dependent without taking support from others and let them march ahead with heads held high."
She alleged that the then BNP government had 'arbitrarily stopped' operation of mills and factories including jute mills, and "fuelled high inflation and brought miseries for the farmers".
On the contrary, the prime minister claimed that her present government was reopening the closed mills and factories, and providing fertilisers to the farmers at lower prices.
About electricity, the prime minister said that the BNP government had 'looted public money' in the name of power generation. "We had left 4300 megawatts of electricity generation, but the subsequent BNP government brought it down to 3200 megawatts," claimed Hasina.
Assuming office this time, she said the present government added nearly 3800 MW over the last three and a half years, and ensured power supply in the mills and factories to keep the wheels of production running.
Hasina said her government was working to bring financial solvency for the people. "We've brought down the poverty rate to 31 percent, showing a decline of 10 percent."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2012 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... held Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide... and her family's "corruption" responsible for the World Bank's cancellation of Padma bridge funding.
She made the allegation in Chittagong yesterday on the occasion of distributing relief among landslide and flood victims at Swadhinata Park under Chandgaon Police Station.
The BNP chairperson said this government in its election manifesto had pledged to construct the bridge but its ministers opted for demanding commission before the work could start.
According to her, the government had promoted corruption by not removing the corrupt ministers and giving them the responsibility of other ministries.
Khaleda said the WB had already declared not to finance the Padma bridge project which indicated that this government would not be able to implement the project, as the bridge was not possible without the funding from the WB.
She said the previous BNP governments had constructed many bridges in the country without any controversy and if her party is elected again they would build two bridges over the Padma river.
She urged people to vote for BNP in the next election to ensure development of the country. She pledged that they would solve the waterlogging problem of the port city.
Khaleda also reiterated her demand for the restoration of caretaker government system and that her party would not participate in the election under any political government.
The BNP chief urged everyone to join the anti-government movement which is set to begin after Ramadan.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2012 00:00 ||
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Mexican citizens go to the polls Sunday to select a new president of the republic as well as the entire slate of national deputies and senators.
Little drama was to be had throughout the duration of the political campaign as the frontrunner, Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) candidate Enrique Pena Nieta has been from the start maintained a double digit lead over any of his closest rivals, and currently enjoys a 16 percentage point lead over Partido Revolucion Democratica (PRD) candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
That lead by the telegenic Pena Nieto has held despite several adverse campaign events including a meeting with university students last May who protested an action his state police took to quell a demonstration in Mexico state early in his term as governor in 2006. Two individuals were killed by Pena Nieto's security forces, but it has been charges of sexual assault of female protesters in his state police custody which has dogged him since.
Another problem for Pena Nieto throughout the campaign was his ties to former PRI president Carlos Salinas de Gorari, widely considered even in PRI circles one of Mexico's worst presidents. That nexus Lopez Obrador hammered on Pena Nieto, even bringing it up during the first presidential debate in May. Those charges failed to stick, nor did they produce any kind of bounce in the polls for Lopez Obrador.
The ghosts of PRI governments past, while seeming to haunt the candidate did not hurt him in the polls at all. PRI held sway over Mexican politics for nearly 70 years before being swept away in the 2000 and then the 2006 election, which placed Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) presidents in Los Pinos, the president's official residence, for the first time ever.
International and the Mexican leftist press have been touting PRI's return as a direct result of current president Felipe Calderon's war on the cartels he launched back in 2007. His signature solution, using the nation's armed forces to confront cartel operatives in the field has been roundly condemned and then touted as the reason why PAN will not return to Los Pinos. That is probably true,but for a counterintuitive reason.
A recent survey by the Pew Foundation on Mexican citizens' attitudes indicated that Calderon's strategy has been the right one politically. More than 80 percent of those surveyed said they supported the use of Mexican armed forces against the cartels. Concerns for human rights in those surveys abound as the number one problem with the use of the nation's military. However, little doubt exists that Calderon did exactly the right thing in deploying his army against the cartels
That Mexicans want a change in government because of Calderon's actions, popular as they are, probably has more to do with the PRI's ruthlessness in dealing with political opponents in the last 30 years before the 2000 elections.
Pena Nieto has said publicly he would continue using he extremely popular armed forces to fight the cartels, but the basic strategy would change. What the change would entail is anyone's guess, and will more likely be better represented next September when the candidate for Pena Nieto's Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), the controlling agency for the Mexican Army leads the military parade during Revolution Day.
As of June 27th, the final day of campaigning, Pena Nieto has 43.6 percent of the vote with Lopez Obrador with 28.1 percent, and PAN candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota with 25.2 percent of the vote.
According to data supplied by Mitofsky, PRI popularity will likely hold as PRI may receive a comfortable majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
"The Federal Executive shall have the exclusive power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of previous legal action." It also states: "Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott now says Florida will do nothing to comply with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and will not expand its Medicaid program. The announcement is a marked changed after the governor recently said he would follow the law if it were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Florida is not going to implement Obamacare. We are not going to expand Medicaid and we're not going to implement exchanges,'' Scott's spokesman Lane Wright told The Associated Press on Saturday. Wright stressed that the governor would work to make sure the law is repealed.
#3
My current feeling is to agree with the WH "declaration" that it is a penalty, engage in civil disobedience by refusing to get my own insurance, pay the penalty, and get insurance when I have a catastrophic condition. Heck, I am SURE the hospitals and doctors can automate the process. My money goes to the IRS for Congress to p*$$ away instead of 0bama's buddies in the Insurance industry: they are NOT innocent victims.
Time to make all corporate collaborators of 0bama PAY.
#4
I bet the Obama Administration is working feverishly to craft a way to punish the states that do this, and at least give some excuse for violating the SCOTUS ruling. Won't have to be much of an excuse either - who's going to enforce anything against them?
[Dawn] Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf defended on Saturday President Asif Ali Zaradri's immunity, saying it would end the day after he leaves office.
His comments come after the Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the new prime minister two weeks to indicate whether he would ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against the president.
The issue has caused removal of Ashraf's predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's former prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics could be awe-inspiring ... from office as prime minister on June 19 after the court convicted him of contempt in April for refusing to reopen the multi-million-dollar cases.
"He (Asif Ali Zardari) is the democratic elected President of Pakistain and as per law he enjoys the immunity as long as he holds the office," Ashraf told news hounds in Lahore.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2012 00:00 ||
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The Iranian oil minister on Saturday called for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to hold an emergency meeting to cut output as oil prices have dipped to a "critical level" under $100 a barrel, MNA reported.
"We have asked the secretary general to set up an emergency meeting as prices have become irrational," Rostam Qasemi was quoted as saying by the Shana News Agency. Qasemi stressed that the last OPEC meeting, on June 14, had decided the organization's overall quota would be 30 million barrels but "members' production has reached 33 million barrels a day."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/01/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
ION DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IRAN RECEIVES [mighty Air Flight, Squadron or Air Fleet of ONE] F-16 FROM VENEZUELA, TO TEST ["calibrate"] DEFENSE SYSTEMS.
You knew they would.
Methinks "reverse engineer" is more correct???
* SAME > [Deputy LTCDR of IRGC Ground Force for Operations Gen. Morteza Miriyan] COMMANDER: BIG SLOW us AIRCRAFT CARRIERS GOOD TARGETS FOR HIT-N-RUN TACTICS | FARS NEWS AGENCY: IRGC COMMANDER: IRAN CAN EASILY REACH, HIT US WARSHIPS, espec since over 3000 Iranian small boats + dhows, etc. are in the Persian Gulf at any given time engaging in trafficking, fishing, + commerce, + often get very close to USN Warships.
IIUC ARTIC > GEN. MIRIYAN = ITS UP TO THE US TO DECIDE HOW THEY WANNA TAKE US[Iran] ON IN THE GULF.
* SAME > IRAN WILL SET THE RULES OF THE GAME IN CASE OF MILITARY ENGAGEMENT.
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.
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — Police in Maryland say a man has been charged with assault for using 
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide...
Leader of the Opposition 
She made the allegation in Chittagong yesterday on the occasion of distributing relief among landslide and flood victims at Swadhinata Park under Chandgaon Police Station.
