VIENNA - At least two people were killed and another two injured Saturday in Austria, as hurricane Emma swept over most of the country, with winds reaching up to 190 kilometres per hour (118 miles per hour).
One person was killed in Walchsee in the western province of Tyrol after a tree struck their car, local police said. Further east in Lower Austria, the local fire department announced that another person had been killed in their car by a fallen tree, and two people had also been injured in the storm.
Up to 10,000 homes were without power in Upper Austria, according to the local power company, while elsewhere, fallen trees and broken power lines caused severe disruption. Roads and sections of motorway also had to be shut down.
LONDON (AFP) - A British peace activist aiming to walk to India to prove a money-free world is possible has turned back at the first hurdle, after getting to France and finding he needed to speak French.
Writing on his blog Friday a month after starting his trek, 28-year-old Mark Boyle said he and two friends accompanying him ran into problems the minute they arrived in the French port of Calais.
"Not only did no one... speak the language, they also see us as just a bunch of freeloading backpackers, which is the complete opposite of what the pilgrimage is really about," he wrote. "That really scared us, and given that we now were pretty much out of food, hadn't slept in days and were really cold, we had to reassess the whole situation.
"We spoke to a few people who were willing to talk and they said that France would not go for this unless we could speak fluent French, which none of us could."
Welcome to the club, we Americans figured this one out long time ago whilst visiting Paris ...
After the setback, Boyle said he was advised to head instead for neighbouring Belgium "as folk said they would be more likely to want to speak some English".
"The only trouble was the first decent-sized town in Belgium was 170 kilometres (106 miles) away, and all we had was three tins of soup, a bag of trail mix and a chocolate bar to sustain us," he said. "As it was unlikely that we would get a chance to help or be helped by French people in the journey getting there, the task looked daunting to say the least," he said, adding that he had no choice but to head back to Britain.
Boyle set out from his home in Bristol, western England, at the end of January aiming to end up at Porbandar in India, Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace, after the 9,000-mile (14,500-kilometre) trek. According to his official website, Boyle is walking "without any form of money because he wants his life to be his message." He had hoped to take about two and a half years to reach India.
The coordinator of the project, Dawn Tovar, denied Boyle had abandoned plans for his marathon walk. "He has not given up his project," she told AFP. "He is currently walking in the southeast of England. He will tour around the UK, learn French and leave again for Porbandar."
#1
I thought this was hilarious. When this feckwit learns French and manages to reach the Italian border he will discover people speak, surprise, surprise Italian. Etc, etc.
#4
The term "peace activist" seems to be a bit of an oxymoron -- what sort of meaningful "activity" do they do? I prefer the much more pejorative expression: peace queer.
Posted by: regular joe ||
03/01/2008 11:14 Comments ||
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#5
LOL. Cudda posted this under "tody's Idiot". According to his official website, Boyle is walking Still trying to figure out how he walked from England to France.
#7
they also see us as just a bunch of freeloading backpackers, which is the complete opposite of what the pilgrimage is really about
I'll admit I'm a little unclear on the difference myself. How exactly does this make the world a better place?
I do like the idea of a money-free world, though. Because I would much rather pay for groceries with a gunny sack of live ducks than whip out a credit card.
A 15-year-old girl was killed by her uncle in the name of honour in the Chuhng police precinct on Friday.
The police said Saima Ameen, a resident of Sher Shah Colony, Chuhng, was strangled to death by her uncle namely Javed in the name of honour. Javed, in police custody, alleged that his niece had illicit relations with several boys, and on Friday, he observed her with a boy in an objectionable condition.
The police removed the body to the city morgue and registered a case against Javed, who presented himself before the police after killing the girl.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm not sorry to say but if Javed had any honor himself he would be a Mooslimb and the girl would still be alive.
As it should be! Pics at site -- good parade!
EL PASO, Texas, Feb. 28, 2008 The 1st Cavalry Divisions 4th Brigade Combat Team may be a relative newcomer here, but more than 3,000 of the units soldiers got a Texas-sized hometown heroes welcome yesterday as the city hosted a homecoming parade to honor them for their service in Iraq.
Army Col. Stephen M. Twitty, the brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier led the Fort Bliss troops during the celebratory march through the streets of downtown El Paso.
Joining them were the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigades 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, also recently returned from Southwest Asia. The Patriot missile unit spent 17 months in the region providing air defense.
Mayor John Cook came up with the idea of welcoming the returning troops with whats thought to be the biggest parade yet for returning Iraq war veterans. A Vietnam veteran, Cook said he remembers returning from home in 1970, only to have protesters pelt the bus he and his fellow soldiers were traveling in with eggs. I just wanted to do a better job, Cook said. The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate, and people have said that the 4-1 Cavalry is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served.
Outstanding job, Mr. Cook.
El Paso turned out in force. Dozens of Welcome Home Heroes parade banners lined the parade route, which was packed with spectators. Many dressed in red, white and blue and waved flags distributed by Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops.
Young mothers pushed strollers adorned with patriotic balloons. Among them was Diana Garcia, with her 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter at her side, who came to pay tribute to her husband, Spc. Rolando Garcia from the 27th Brigade Support Battalion. This is exciting! Its so moving! I love it how everyone is showing appreciation! she exclaimed.
School groups hoisted posters expressing thanks. Workers stood outside their office buildings, waving to the troops and calling out thanks as they marched by.
Veterans set up chairs along the sidewalks, caps showing their own military affiliations shading their eyes from the bright Texas sunshine. I cant think of a better way of honoring our troops, said retired Army Maj. Donald Clark. I came here to see them and let them know theyre appreciated.
Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Charles Tymony said he got no expression of thanks when he returned by ship from war in Korea or by plane from two tours in Vietnam. So Im here because Im supporting the troops in this war, and I want them to know Im proud of them, he said.
Twitty served as point man for the procession, walking alone in his black cavalry Stetson hat and golden spurs. Next came the color guard and the 62nd Army Band that had greeted the returning cavalry troops as their incoming flights touched down at Fort Bliss Biggs Army Airfield in December.
Three M1083 medium tactical vehicles followed, loaded with wounded troops from the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike Martinez, the transition units noncommissioned officer in charge and an El Paso native, said hes seen his city express its patriotism in the past, but never to the degree shown yesterday. In my whole career, I never thought Id be in a parade like this, he said. This is a real honor for me, and it means even more because its my hometown. This is a small town giving a lot back and showing its appreciation.
The parades festive tone turned solemn as 31 riderless horses came into view, empty boots reversed in the stirrups in tribute to the 31 4-1 Cavalry soldiers lost in Iraq. Each horse, provided by the El Paso County Sheriffs Posse, was draped with a patriotic saddle blanket and the name of a fallen soldier.
The procession stopped as it approached the reviewing stand in the citys San Jacinto Plaza, and a narrator explained the symbolism of the horses to the crowd. As the narrator read each lost soldiers name aloud, the soldier who escorted the horse along the parade route stepped forward.
Wesley Bushnell, of Jasper, Ark., joined Spc. Scott Schamburg in walking alongside the horse honoring his son, Sgt. William Bushnell. The 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, soldier died in combat April 21 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle during operations in Baghdad. Its a real honor for me to be here and do this as they honor my son, Wesley Bushnell said.
Tears welled up in Schamburgs eyes as he expressed thanks for the opportunity to honor his best friends memory. This is really hard, but Im glad Wesley and I can be here to do this for him, he said. We all believe hes here with us.
Peggy Bushnell said she and her husband wanted to participate, to honor not only their son, but also the soldiers he served with in combat. Were proud of them all and wanted to extend that to the ones who came home safely, she said.
After the last fallen soldiers name was read, the 4-1 Cavalry Long Knife Brigade Combat Team resumed its march through the city, one battalion at a time. Those wounded during the deployment marched toward the front of their formations, their Purple Heart medals dangling from their Army combat uniforms.
Throughout the procession, the soldiers faces beamed with pride as they took in the show of appreciation all around them. It feels good to come home to a parade, because it lets you know there are people out there who know what you went through and know the sacrifices that you have made and want to thank you for it, Twitty said. This shows that the people of El Paso care about us and that they understand our sacrifices and want to honor us for the great work that we have done.
Twitty said the parade is an extension of the way the El Paso community has reached out to his brigade from the day it arrived at Fort Bliss. The mayor and other city officials and groups quickly contacted him to see how they could support the first maneuver unit to serve at Fort Bliss since the 1990s. During the brigades deployment, local citizens and groups sent the troops letters and care packages, and some attended memorial services for fallen troops.
This is a great town. The people here are great. You have people who are not for the war and some who are for the war, but all of them are for the soldier, Twitty said. Ive been in the Army going on 23 years and moved 14 times, and I have never in my military career seen a city embrace its military personnel like El Paso has.
Twitty conceded that he would march with a lump in his throat contemplating all his brigade had been through during the last two and a half years. He stood up the 4-1 Cavalry at Fort Bliss in October 2005 with close to nothing -- no equipment, no weapons, no computers, no barracks. The unit scrambled to get mission-ready and deployed almost exactly a year after its formation for a 15-month tour in Iraq.
Initially bound for Ramadi, the brigade learned while still in Kuwait that it would serve in Iraqs northwestern Ninevah province, including Mosul. One battalion, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, was split off from the brigade and sent to Baghdad as part of the troop surge there.
Next week, the brigade will case its colors and be reflagged as 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, ending the 4-1 Cavalrys short, but significant, legacy.
As he prepared for the welcoming parade, Twitty said, knowing that the 4-1 Cavalrys short history is about to end made El Pasos outpouring of support even more significant to him and his soldiers. Its going to be awfully special, because this is the last hooray for the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. This is it, he said. So as I am walking down the street, thats the last time Long Knife 6 (the Long Knife Brigade commanders call sign) and the Long Knife Brigade will really conduct a mission. And what a great way to go out!
The parade came one day after Vice President Richard B. Cheney visited Fort Hood, Texas, where the 1st Cavalry Division headquarters and the rest of the division is based, to thank the troops for their service in Iraq. The vice president told 1st Cavalry Division soldiers Feb. 26 that their performance during their 15-month deployment was true to form in the divisions storied history. The men and women of the First Team are the kind of men and women we send to get that job done, he said. Time and time again, over many decades, this country counted on the First Team to slug it out against freedoms enemies.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/01/2008 14:33 Comments ||
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#2
Just another one of those events below the MSM sight which indicates that something is going on below the vid screen and will effect the election in November. There are a lot 'small' events that are like those minor wiggles on the seismic paper just before the big one lets loose.
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.
A 15-year-old girl was killed by her uncle in the name of honour in the Chuhng police precinct on Friday.
