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13 More Drone-zapped in South Wazoo
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Wronghaven ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in attorney fees and court costs
Newspaper copyright infringement lawsuit filer Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas was hit Wednesday with an order to pay $119,488 in attorney's fees and costs in its failed lawsuit against former federal prosecutor Thomas DiBiase.
Heh heh! Life is good! Couldn't get any better. Except for Wronghaven, for whom it couldn't get much worse.
This was by far the largest fee award against Righthaven, but likely will be dwarfed by an upcoming award in Righthaven's failed suit against the Democratic Underground.
Whoops! It's not often that I'm happy to be wrong, and this is one of them.
Before Wednesday the largest fee award against Righthaven was for $34,045 -- an amount Righthaven says it's having trouble paying or even posting a bond to cover.
I suppose the rest could just put their suits on hold until this one gets settled, then they can start up again. One at a time, drip, drip, drip, until they pass from this earth. It'll keep them busy and out of trouble.
Posted by: gorb || 10/28/2011 11:49 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  cue the nano-violins....
Posted by: Gleting Joluse3190 || 10/28/2011 12:36 Comments || Top||


Lohan's dad arrested again in Tampa after 34 foot drop
[TBO] Hours after he was granted bail, the father of actress Lindsay Lohan violated terms of his jail release and fell from 34 feet from a hotel roof this morning while attempting to flee officers who came to re-arrest him, police said.

Michael Lohan, 51, was originally tossed in the calaboose Tuesday and charged with domestic battery. He was accused of beating up his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Kate Major, at her Tampa apartment. On Wednesday, he was released after a judge ordered him to have no contact with Major.

Police were called to Major's apartment at 1:05 a.m. today because she said Lohan was harassing her with phone calls, police Lt. S.J. Lee said. While officers were at her apartment, Lohan called again and Major put him on speakerphone, police said.

Lohan asked Major how they could work things out and where she was moving to. He also told her he didn't throw the remote at her, but that he threw it at the floor. He also said he did not threaten her.

Officers went to the Tahitian Inn on South Dale Mabry Highway, where Lohan was staying in Room 307. According to the police, Lohan spotted the officers, tried to hide and then ran from them, eventually jumping from above a third-floor balcony in an attempt to escape.

Lohan "apparently leaped up from his balcony and grabbed a hold of the roof. He then must have scurried across the roof (about 30 feet) until he thought he was hanging over top of the next balcony," according to the police report.

Lohan let go but missed the balcony, the report said, and he "came crashing down on top of wooden high chairs that were laying on the ground." Police caught up with him as he was hiding among some trees.

Lohan was tossed in the calaboose and taken to Orient Road Jail. Hillsborough deputies suspected he may have broken his foot when he fell, so he was taken to Tampa General Hospital for evaluation.

Lohan is being held at the hospital overnight for observation and will not return to the Orient Road Jail today, police said.

He faces charges of resisting arrest without violence, violation of domestic violence injunction and contempt of court, according to the police report.

During a hearing Wednesday, Judge Walter Heinrich ordered Lohan to have no contact with Major. "You even dream of her, and you're going to jail," Heinrich said.

He was released from jail at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Lohan then told news hounds he was innocent and that Major makes her money by getting him tossed in the calaboose and then selling the story. Major, 28, is a former news hound for The Star tabloid.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Lohan "apparently leaped up from his balcony and grabbed a hold of the roof. He then must have scurried across the roof (about 30 feet) until he thought he was hanging over top of the next balcony," according to the police report.

Lohan let go but missed the balcony, the report said, and he "came crashing down on top of wooden high chairs that were laying on the ground." Police caught up with him as he was hiding among some trees.


If he needs gainful employment after getting out of the hoosegow, he has a bright future as a movie stuntman.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 10/28/2011 6:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Absolutely. If I tried that I'd be dead.
Posted by: Steve White || 10/28/2011 7:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Not if you were thoroughly sloshed when you did it.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 10:49 Comments || Top||

#4  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess.
Posted by: Spot || 10/28/2011 10:58 Comments || Top||

#5 
" He also told her he didn't throw the remote at her, but that he threw it at the floor."

Does anyone else think the barrier for DV is set a little low?


Posted by: flash91 || 10/28/2011 12:46 Comments || Top||

#6  If that's all he did, sure. The article says he was acccused of "beating up" his girlfriend. The two apparently have quite a history and appear to richly deserve one another.
Posted by: lotp || 10/28/2011 15:53 Comments || Top||

#7  "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.."

Or, The Paternal Unit Doesn't Fall Far From The Building."
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 10/28/2011 22:50 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Prince Harry dating San Diego cocktail waitress?
Posted by: ryuge || 10/28/2011 01:58 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Too much fluff. I like WoT news, with the occasional off-beat story, but this is too much.
Posted by: gromky || 10/28/2011 2:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Maverick is on her six.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 10/28/2011 6:47 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/28/2011 7:14 Comments || Top||

#4  I wish they all could be California girls.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 10/28/2011 11:37 Comments || Top||

#5  Too much fluff. I like WoT news, with the occasional off-beat story, but this is too much.

Your solution.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/28/2011 11:57 Comments || Top||

#6  or here
Posted by: Frank G || 10/28/2011 12:25 Comments || Top||

#7  He's an Apache driver, a war vet, a Prince...the guy has some unfair advantages when it comes to getting the girls.
Posted by: remoteman || 10/28/2011 13:36 Comments || Top||

#8  the guy has some unfair advantages when it comes to getting the girls.

He's been with too many skanks. His bad judgment and lack of selectivity has saddled him with a significant disadvantage, if/when he becomes interested in quality women.
Posted by: RandomJD || 10/28/2011 14:43 Comments || Top||

#9  Could be worse, could have clicked on the link and had a page of me telling jokes.

OK, The King of Pop, the Crown Prince, and a Colonal go into a bar, bartender sighs, "I was afraid it would be dead tonight."
Posted by: swksvolFF || 10/28/2011 20:54 Comments || Top||

#10  To. Your. Room.

Now.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/28/2011 21:57 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
No discrimination on foreign quake aid: Gül
[Hurriyet Daily News] Turkish President Abdullah Gül says Turkey is now accepting quake aid from any foreign country willing to offer it as the country reverses its earlier decision.

Turkey is not discriminating between countries that have offered help in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Van, President Abdullah Gül said on Oct. 26, as Israel announced it would send prefabricated houses to the disaster-struck area after Ankara gave the green light for foreign aid.

"There are many countries offering assistance. The Turkish Foreign Ministry made an announcement for specific assistance at the moment the need emerged," Gül told news hounds.

Gül said that not only Israel, but other countries were also sending aid when asked about his phone conversation with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israel's assistance for Van.

"There is no discrimination against any country," he said, adding that Azerbaijan and Iran had sent assistance immediately after the quake without giving prior notification to Ankara.

The president announced plans to visit the disaster areas in Van on Oct. 28.

"We are making evaluations as we don't want to disrupt the relief work there," he said, adding that the presidential reception for Republic's Day on Oct. 29 was canceled due to both the earthquake and recent deadly terror attacks.

After initially turning down offers of foreign assistance, Turkey said on Oct. 25, three days after the quake, that it needed international aid for "the reconstruction of the quake-hit region," Turkish diplomatic sources said.

There is need for tents, prefabricated houses and living containers in "the reconstruction phase following the search-and-rescue efforts" and therefore Ankara is still turning down other offers such as medicine and food, the source told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Japan became the first country to respond to the Turkish call as its embassy in Ankara announced that the Japanese International Cooperation Agency was sending around $400,000 and tents. Israel, Britannia, La Belle France, Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
, Kazakhstan, Qatar and Jordan were among other countries that followed suit.

An Israeli plane was expected to land in Ankara late no Oct. 26 after the HDN went to press.

With deep crisis in bilateral ties and Turkish air space closed to Israeli military aircraft, Tel Aviv was sending the cargo on a commercial plane, officials said, adding that the aircraft was bringing seven prefabricated houses and tents. More shipments from Israel were expected to follow.

The undersecretary of the Israeli Defence Ministry, Udi Şani, voiced hope that the Israeli assistance would contribute to warming bilateral ties, which nosedived after Israeli forces killed nine Turks on a Gazoo-bound aid ship in May 2010.

Last December, Turkey had sent fire-fighting planes to Israel to help battle massive forest fires.

The EU announced it would also extend support, saying that a financing plan would be outlined by Oct. 31 for supplies that would target mainly the quake victims' urgent need for accommodation in windy, cold conditions.

Immediately after the quake, the EU also activated satellite systems aimed at helping Turkey by supplying data about seismic activities and weather conditions.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start tasting his third quart...
Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Bahman Hosseinpour and embassy staff said on Oct. 26 they would donate blood.

Although many other countries, including Armenia, had offered assistance in the wake of the earthquake, many have not yet confirmed whether they will be able to provide the materials Ankara is requesting. Turkey has notified about 40 countries and international organizations of its immediate needs.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said on Oct. 26 that corpse count from the quake in Van stood at 461, with 1,352 people injured.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "We will take anything from any body, but we will still piss in their Cheerios the next morning."
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 10/28/2011 17:51 Comments || Top||


Britain
Law changed to allow violence in defending against intruders
Rights of victims defending their property from intruders to be strengthened
Guidance to police over whether to arrest homeowners to be changed

Homeowners who fight to defend their property will have the full backing of the law for the first time. 
Not the first time ever, but certainly as far as the reporter's memory goes back.
In an historic move, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke yesterday announced a major strengthening of the rights of victims standing up to intruders in their property. It means anyone who reacts 'instinctively' to defend their home and possessions will be protected if they use reasonable force.

The current law says they can act only if they feared for their life or those of their family. It also places duty on victims to retreat from an attacker if they are acting in self-defence. This will also be scrapped. 

At the same time, the Home Office is set to change guidance for police on whether to arrest someone who has attacked an intruder in their home. It could mean arrests are not necessary when householders and businessmen say they have acted in self-defence.

Mr Clarke said: 'While fleeing is usually the safest option if you feel threatened, people are not obliged to retreat when defending themselves or their homes.  We will ensure that if you do react instinctively to repel an intruder you will not be punished for it -- as long as you used reasonable force. People should feel safe in their communities and especially in their own homes and these measures will ensure they are protected.'

A string of cases in recent years have fuelled public outrage at the law and led to demands for a change. They include that of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who rubbed out a burglar, Munir Hussain, who chased and beat a man who held his family at knifepoint.

Before the election, the Tories pledged to strengthen the law on homeowner protection.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice published amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. MPs will vote on the measures next week and the Bill could become law before Christmas.

Tory MP Priti Patel said: 'This is a long overdue reform to give power back to the victims of burglary and other personal crimes. It will send a clear message to criminals who break in to people's homes that the law is on the side of the homeowner.'

A string of court judgments led to demands 'reasonable force' be changed to allow anything that was not 'grossly unreasonable'.

Criminologist Dr David Green, director of the Civitas think-tank, said the law was 'not quite there yet' but endorsed the move as a 'step in the right direction.'

He added: 'Previously, reasonable force was uncontroversial but it started to be interpreted in a way that meant you had a high chance of being tossed in the clink if you fought back in the way any self-respecting person would. If someone is in your house, especially at night, then you should be able to disable them until the police come. If they get severely injured or even killed in the process, then that's the way it is.'

Mr Hussain, a millionaire businessman, was ambushed by masked robbers at his family home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. They forced him and his family to lie on the floor and threatened to kill them. But he and his brother were placed in durance vile for attacking and injuring a criminal who they chased down the street.

The case went to the Court of Appeal where the Lord Chief Justice ruled Mr Hussain should have been given a suspended sentence. Prime Minister David Cameron
... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ...
said the law will 'put beyond doubt that homeowners and small shopkeepers who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties will not be prosecuted.'

In other law changes, squatters will face a jail sentence of up to six months and a fine of £5,000.

For the first time squatting will be a criminal offence, as ministers aim to end the misery faced by homeowners who find strangers occupying their property. 'Far too many people endure the misery, expense and incredible hassle of removing squatters from their property,' Mr Clarke said. 'Hard-working homeowners need and deserve a justice system where their rights come first.'

And fees paid to middle men and blamed for huge increases in insurance premiums will be scrapped.

Insurance companies regularly sell details of their clients to no-win, no-fee lawyers for thousands of pounds. Lawyers then bombard victims with calls, urging them to claim.
Mr Clarke said: 'Our ban on referral fees together with our changes to no-win, no-fee arrangements will reduce legal costs and speculative suing, so businesses, schools and individuals can be less fearful of unnecessary claims encouraged by those looking for profit rather than justice.' 
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  as long as you used reasonable force

What some high minister safe in his guarded office and the person under threat consider reasonable force may not jibe.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 10/28/2011 6:52 Comments || Top||

#2  At least it's up to the jury now.

I wonder how the marxist captured ACPO will respond to this?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/28/2011 7:24 Comments || Top||

#3  Seems like quite the change for England, and not a bad one. Does King John know about this?
Posted by: SteveS || 10/28/2011 7:54 Comments || Top||

#4  @Eohippus: "Reasonable force" is an element of self-defense law here in the U.S., too. Isn't normally an issue.
Posted by: Mike || 10/28/2011 8:27 Comments || Top||

#5  With draconian British laws against gun ownership, what exactly are you supposed to protect yourself with? If you have a knife and the crook has a gun - retreat would seem the prudent course. Britain really needs the equivalent of the second amendment.
Posted by: CincinnatusChili || 10/28/2011 8:32 Comments || Top||

#6  Finally, this is good news for UK, but I still feel sick to my stomach that the law was made in the first place.
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 10/28/2011 9:26 Comments || Top||

#7 
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 10/28/2011 9:27 Comments || Top||

#8 
"Reasonable force" is an element of self-defense law here in the U.S., too. Isn't normally an issue.


Because USUALLY it's assumed that someone in your home without your permission intends to commit a violent crime against you.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 10/28/2011 9:36 Comments || Top||

#9  Reasonable force is a fine standard for out in the streets but if the intruder came onto your property the standard should be until you feel safe. If that requires reloading, so be it.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 10/28/2011 9:55 Comments || Top||

#10  I take it 'reasonable force' means 'as long as the { robber | rapist | murderer | kidnapper | etc... } doesn't have the feelings hurt in any way.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/28/2011 11:12 Comments || Top||

#11  At any rate, it's an improvement over the old Labour-era standard. See, there's at least a button's worth of difference between the parties in Britain!
Posted by: Mitch H. || 10/28/2011 11:19 Comments || Top||

#12  Many years ago, homeowner self defense against burglars and robbers was actually an issue in Arizona. And so, when a new district attorney was elected in Maricopa County, the local media asked him what somebody should do if a burglar or robber broke into their home.

"You shoot the S.O.B.", he replied, in an unabbreviated fashion. That just ended the local debate right there.

It's pretty much been a satisfactory solution for these many years.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/28/2011 11:28 Comments || Top||

#13  ..cause the DA understood that outside of blue areas of the United States, getting a jury to convict is usually a waste of limited resources. Consider it one of the key 'Bill of Rights' protections that the founding fathers made sure was in the Constitution. See 6th Amendment.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/28/2011 12:17 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Moreira faces senate query of Coahuila state finances, Part II
exclusive from RantburgFor a map, click here

By Chris Covert

The petition voted Wednesday to call on the national attorney general for an investigation into the massive amount of debt contracted by Coahuila state while Humbero Moreira Valdes was governor, was fairly straightforward, according to Mexican press sources.

But the debate was anything thing but.

The petition asked the Procuradora General de la Republica (PGR) to investigate into possible wrongdoing by Coahuila state officials in the run up to its current debt of MP $33.867 billion (USD $257,861,305.98), the fourth largest of Mexican states in terms of the absolute amount and the largest per capita terms. The debt expansion commenced around 2005, two years before Moreira assumed office, until the end of 2010.

The petition also asked the Mexican national auditor's office, Auditoria de Fiscalizacion Superior de la Federacion (ASF) to audit Coahuila state for its accounting and management practices.

The petition also demanded that the Coahuila state legislature conduct its own review of the debt and the accounting and management practices that allowed it to balloon by a factor of 100.

Judging by statements from several senators prior to the vote, the debate must have been rancorous.

The debt issue with Moreira is especially poignant because of how the proceeds were used: in operations rather than capital improvements, which in every public or private entity that contracts debt is a huge red flag for potential malfeasance. Moreira possibly used his bulging treasury to fund income support programs, which fueled his political popularity and brought with it friends and supporters who expected to benefit from the largesse Moreira was amassing.
Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) senator Guillermo Anaya, who submitted the resolution, charged the documents used to acquire the latest round of debt were falsified, a charge echoed in several official circles within the national government and inside PAN.

Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) senator Francisco Arroyo countered the request for endorsement of the debt by the local congress that the Coahuila state Chamber of Deputies had already endorsed the debt, even the renegotiation of the coupon completed late last month. The Coahuila state legislature not only endorsed the debt, it is already planning for deep cuts in the programs partially funded by the debt, many of which are income support programs.

"We will not discuss this as part of a political vendetta," Arroyo is quoted as saying.

The Maoist Partido Trabajo (PT) senator Ricardo Monreal helpfully pointed out the obvious: "If there were justice, Moreira and his cronies would already be in prison, but I assure you nothing will happen even if this is a federal criminal matter."

In the end, the resolution passed by votes including all three major parties, PAN, PRI and Partido Revolucion Democratica (PRD) and PT senators.

Several official requests for an investigation into Coahuila's management practices during Moreira's term have already been made by top officials within the President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa's national administration. One was a request to the Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB) or Internor Ministry, by Finance minister Ernesto Cordero just before he resigned to begin his campaign as a candidate for president of the republic under the PAN banner, and once by his appointed successor, Jose Antonio Meade at the end of September, addressed to the Procuraduría Fiscal de la Federación or federal tax attorney.

This latest request for investigation is the most serious to date.

To read the Rantburg report on the two requests for criminal investigation into management practices in Coahuila state and to follow relevant links, click here

Even the head of the ASP, Esthela Damian Peralta last August said she was charged as part of her duties into looking into irregularities in the run up of Coahuila's debt, and would be doing so.

With the requests for criminal investigations already submitted by federal government officials, an audit probably planned or underway, and a local legislature fully aware of the huge debt overhanging the state, except for the seriousness of the matter, the resolution would seem to be wasted effort.

But PAN Senator Anaya told the press last August he would not stop placing pressure on Moreira until he "explained his actions."

Moreira has been under considerable pressure to deal with the political crisis, with some in his party suggesting he step down temporarily until the issue is put to rest, something Moreira has fiercely resisted.

The debt issue with Moreira is especially poignant because of how the proceeds were used: in operations rather than capital improvements, which in every public or private entity that does contract debt is a huge red flag for potential malfeasance. Moreira possibly used his bulging treasury to fund income support programs, which fueled his political popularity and brought with it friends and supporters who expected to benefit from the largesse Moreira was amassing.

Indeed, uncredited reports are that some of Moreira's friends had benefited in such a way it was impossible for the PRI not to allow a politician like Moreira to lead them And he may have brought those supporters along as he took over to prepare the PRI to retake Los Pinos in 2012 after an absence of 12 years.

Reports during Moreira's campaign to take the reins of the PRI included him appealing to the various labor unions and organizations,which are core to PRI's political power. If Moreira's friends and supporters had enriched themselves during his tenure as governor of Coahuila, it is hard to imagine how anyone could have stopped them from acquiring support from the unions for his drive to become leader of the PRI.
Posted by: badanov || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Pakistan successfully test fires nuclear-capable cruise missile
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 10/28/2011 09:36 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It would seem that the way around the cruise missile problem would be to create an ECM "fence", so that when forward emplaced ground sensors detected an overflight, the fence would go hot, scrambling the missiles brain.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 10/28/2011 11:15 Comments || Top||


Battles heat up in Pakistan's political capital
[Dawn] Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend rallies in Lahore this weekend, demanding that President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari
... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ...
quit and for snap polls next year.

Appetite for election fever is heating up in the city of eight million, Pakistain's second biggest and the capital of the most populous province Punjab, which commands the most number of seats in the national parliament.

It makes it bitterly contested political territory where opposition leaders are holding major rallies targeting the unpopular Zardari down and trying to whip up votes for the future.

Chief among them is former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
, whose Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) party controls Punjab and is the main opposition party at a national level, who is expected to draw large crowds at a rally on Friday.

"Join the protest rally on 28th October against costly electricity, power cuts and the worst corruption," read banners strung up by PML-N on seemingly every nook and corner of the city.

"Come to change your destiny, come to save the country from looters and plunderers," chant party activists down public address systems.

Disillusionment is certainly high with the Pakistain People's Party (PPP) that swept to power on a five-year ticket in February 2008 two months after Zardari's wife, ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated.

This week, a man did away with himself by self-immolation outside the federal parliament in Islamabad.

On Wednesday, a man in his 70s died after waiting all night to collect his pension from bank officials, triggering outrage in the media.

Pakistain's Human Rights Commission accused the government of callous apathy in the face of such desperation.

"This apathy is giving way to violent behaviour in society and the people are increasingly keen to launch vociferous protests in the hope that their plight would be noticed by someone," it said.

In Lahore, the malaise has been compounded by an unprecedented outbreak of dengue fever, infecting more than 16,000 and killing more than 248 people.

It is that anger that the PML-N are hoping to tap into by calling for early elections, which most observers now predict sometime in the autumn of 2012.

"There are only two options -- seeing the anger in the people, it (the government) should quit and call fresh elections, or the people should come out and send them packing," senior PML-N leader Zafar Ali Shah told AFP.

"Allowing this government any more time is equivalent to suicide."

Interior Minister and PPP loyalist Rehman Malik
Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men.
hit back, telling news hounds that as the ruling party in Punjab, the PML-N was as corrupt as anyone else.

"They are not going to achieve anything from such protests. Being the government of largest province Punjab, which is 52 per cent of Pakistain, they have a major part in corruption," Malik told news hounds.

Pervez Malik, a PML-N MP from Lahore, claimed 150,000 to 200,000 people were expected to join the rally on Friday and that "Zardari will have no option but to bow before the will of people and step down".

An irritant for Sharif and Zardari is cricket hero turned politician, Imran Khan
... who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five...
, holding his own rally on Sunday at the Minar-i-Pakistain ground where the resolution for the creation of Pakistain was adopted on March 23, 1940.

"Throw out this government and save the country," is his campaign slogan.

His Tehreek-i-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party boycotted the 2008 election but seems confident about its prospects.

"God willing we will have a very big political gathering on Sunday. People are coming from different cities to attend and mostly youth are supporting us," Khan's senior vice president Hamid Khan told AFP.

But it remains to be seen whether the public will be captivated by the political commotion.

"These rallies are not going to feed my family or save me from dengue," shrugged Mohammad Rizwan, 25, as he cleaned cars in exchange for small change.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Olde Tyme Religion
The rise of Islamic televangelism
Posted by: ryuge || 10/28/2011 02:21 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When I am in Malaysia or Indonesia, I ocassionally catch these kinds of shows when flipping through channels.

The ones I've seen look like a TV version of a radio phone in show. With people calling in and the Mullah answering.

Not that I understand what is said. My bahasa is pretty limited.
Posted by: phil_b || 10/28/2011 7:23 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Muslims say crosses at Catholic University Violate "Human Rights"
[Fox News] The Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights confirmed that it is investigating allegations that Catholic University violated the human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
of Mohammedan students by not allowing them to form a Mohammedan student group and by not providing them rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers.
What part about "Catholic University" don't they understand? Betcha they don't even have a John Wesley prayer room...
The investigation alleges that Mohammedan students "must perform their prayers surrounded by symbols of Catholicism -- e.g., a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Mohammedan students find inappropriate."
I'm still trying to figure why Moslem students would go to a Catholic University?
A spokesperson for the Office of Human Rights told Fox News they had received a 60-page complaint against the private university. The investigation, they said, could take as long a six months.
What's to investigate? I know from personal experience that Catholic University's been in Washington, D.C. for years and years. Surely they must have realized it's a Catholic institution before enrolling?
The complaint was filed by John Banzhaf, an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
Ahah. The picture is starting to come into focus...
Banzhaf has been involved in previous litigation against the school involving the same-sex residence halls. He also alleged in his complaint involving Mohammedan students that women at the university were being discriminated against.

Banzhaf said some Mohammedan students were particularly offended because they had to meditate in the school's chapels "and at the cathedral that looms over the entire campus -- the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception."
That being a Catholic basilica. You know, it goes with the idea of the Catholic University. I've yet to hear about Catholic prayer rooms being set aside at anybody's madrassah.
"It shouldn't be too difficult somewhere on the campus for the university to set aside a small room where Mohammedans can pray without having to stare up and be looked down upon by a cross of Jesus," he told Fox News.
It probably wouldn't be very hard, but since they're a Catholic institution they don't have to let themselves be bullied into doing so.
This article starring:
John Banzhaf
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Global Jihad

#1  Being a muslim violates MY civil rights.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 10/28/2011 0:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Demons don't like holy symbols.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 10/28/2011 6:54 Comments || Top||

#3  Is Banzhaf using his Muslim clients or are they using him?
Posted by: Steve White || 10/28/2011 7:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Maybe they just figured 'catholic' mean universal or wide-ranging. An easy mistake for someone from the 13th century with little idea of the modern world. Never been there, but I would be surprised if you can find a space larger than a broom closet at Catholic University without religious decorations.

Perhaps the local synagogue has a meeting space the poor oppressed Mussulmen could use.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/28/2011 7:48 Comments || Top||

#5  Catholic University should open a Muslim prayer room - as soon as a priest is allowed to celebrate Mass in Mecca.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 10/28/2011 8:02 Comments || Top||

#6  Perhaps the local synagogue has a meeting space the poor oppressed Mussulmen could use.

The law school has a Jewish student group. No doubt they can advise.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/28/2011 9:05 Comments || Top||

#7  Let them finish this term, then expel them for being nuisances.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 10/28/2011 9:34 Comments || Top||

#8  From their website:
Catholic faith is at the heart of The Catholic University of America. This part of CUA's identity is reinforced through the many options for service and formation on campus, as well as by the integration of faith and reason in each of the university's 12 schools. Many student organizations provide opportunities for fellowship while serving others. CUA's Office of Campus Ministry helps students follow Christ and live the values of the Gospel within the context of the Catholic faith.
The Moslems must have missed that when they signed up.

It's a Jesuit school. I'd go for an auto-da-fe myself.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 10:55 Comments || Top||

#9  I'm still trying to figure why Moslem students would go to a Catholic University?

Me too Fred.
Accept what is there or get out.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/28/2011 11:06 Comments || Top||

#10  Catholic University should open a Muslim prayer room - as soon as a priest non-muslim is allowed to celebrate Mass in enter Mecca.

FIFY - and I agree!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/28/2011 11:09 Comments || Top||

#11  Lemme get this straight. We have a government agency wasting time and taxpayer money on this bogus complaint? That's our fault. The Mohammedans are only taking advantage the way Mohammedans should be expected to do.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 10/28/2011 11:49 Comments || Top||

#12  The professional suit filers are all over the place. This guy's no different from Righthaven, and just as deeply grounded in the law.
Posted by: Fred || 10/28/2011 12:25 Comments || Top||

#13  and the Health Services isn't giving away free abortions. Oh! The Inhumanity
Posted by: Frank G || 10/28/2011 12:36 Comments || Top||

#14  The lawyer bringing this ridiculous suit is from George Washington University. Counter sue GWU for its entire endowment. That will put an end to this nonsense.
Posted by: regular joe || 10/28/2011 16:40 Comments || Top||

#15  Maybe it does. Just goes to show what an absurd concept human rights is -- amounts to whatever other humans are willing to give you.
Posted by: Iblis || 10/28/2011 18:00 Comments || Top||

#16  A lotta Catholics going to Muslim University?
Posted by: tu3031 || 10/28/2011 19:06 Comments || Top||

#17  Can we have some human rights too?
Posted by: Creregum Glolump8403 || 10/28/2011 21:27 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2011-10-28
  13 More Drone-zapped in South Wazoo
Thu 2011-10-27
  Drone strike 'kills five Taliban commanders' in South Waziristan
Wed 2011-10-26
  15 Dead as Yemen Truce Fails
Tue 2011-10-25
  U.S. pulls out envoy to Syria
Mon 2011-10-24
  Interior Minister escapes suicide kaboom on trip to Panjshir
Sun 2011-10-23
  Libyan Leader Declares Nation Islamic, Sharia Law to be Implemented
Sat 2011-10-22
  Qaddafi on display in shopping center freezer
Fri 2011-10-21
  Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
Thu 2011-10-20
  Qadaffy titzup
Wed 2011-10-19
  Libyans push into Qaddafi hometown from east
Tue 2011-10-18
  Shalit reunited with family, Paleo prisoners freed
Mon 2011-10-17
  Mexican Army rescues 61 kidnap victims, seizes drugs
Sun 2011-10-16
  US missiles kill six in South Waziristan
Sat 2011-10-15
  Son of the spiritual head of the Egyptian Islamic Group killed in Afghanistan
Fri 2011-10-14
  10 militants killed in drone attacks


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