EFL- I added some comments but this one is fertile ground for all to enjoy.
A leopard can't change its spots, but Walt Disney World wants to hide Tigger's stripes -- at least when the costume of the bouncy tiger shows up next week in court in a sexual-molestation trial.
To protect the frenetic feline's innocent image, a Disney lawyer has suggested that the orange Tigger costume be dyed black or white and its ears be removed. The lawyer made the request to the attorney representing Michael C. Chartrand in the trial that is scheduled to start Monday. Yeah, make him look like piglet so that the kid can't identify Tigger in the line-up.
Chartrand was suspended after he was charged with molesting a 13-year-old girl in February while he was dressed as Tigger at Disney World's Toon Town. Any case in which a child's storybook character is linked to a sex crime is bound to be strange. But the arrest was just the prelude of what now promises to be a bizarre courtroom showdown.
For example:
Chartrand's lawyer, Jeffrey S. Kaufman Jr., also has played Tigger at Disney and works part-time as a costumed character at the theme park. He said he reached out to Chartrand because he thought he was uniquely qualified to defend him.
Prosecutors hope to use as evidence about 200 photographs of tourists posing with Tigger and other characters. But the defense claims there's no way to prove Chartrand was in all the photos.
The victim's family has contacted a lawyer about suing Disney. It is the threat of such litigation and the fear of bad publicity that has Disney in full damage-control mode. They don't mind being associated with Michael Moore, but if a guy in a furry tigger suit cops a feel of a ten-year-old and her mom, then Disney calls in the bimbo-eruption team.
"Disney doesn't want this costume out there," Kaufman said. "They want to protect their copyright. They want to take off everything that would make it look like Tigger," a character from A.A. Milne's children's books.
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak confirmed that company attorneys had expressed concern to both Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar's office and to Kaufman about using the Tigger costume during the trial. "Our hope is that the use of our costume will be handled with appropriate sensitivity so as to preserve Tigger's value as a commercial icon the dreams and magic for our younger guests as much as possible," she said.
However, Polak would not comment on Kaufman's statement that a Disney attorney had suggested taking off Tigger's ears or coloring the costume. He said he refused to let the costume be "bastardized" because an altered Tigger suit might reflect poorly on his client, making him look demonic or freakish. He would not be specific about how he intends to use the costume during the trial. I guess verticle balck and white stripes would be out of the question.
Kaufman said he has played Disney characters for about seven years. "No attorney on the planet could represent this guy better than me in this case," he said. Representing molesters, now that what tiggers do best.
Disney officials would not confirm that Kaufman worked as a character, saying they do not comment on personnel issues. Is it possible that Kaufman will represent Tigger pro bono just for the opportunity to wear the costume again?
Kaufman expects jurors to take the costume with them during deliberations where they can handle it and put on the mask and gloves. Kaufman said he hopes by doing that they would be able to tell how difficult it would be to grope a young girl. The suits are often bulky and have limited eyesight, say Kaufman and others who have played characters. Kaufman compared the Tigger paws to "oven mitts," with the thumb separated from the other fingers. This has potential to become like an acid induced parody of the most famous portion the OJ case.
-snip-
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 3:07:51 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
EFL of one of the most transparent fabrications I have ever seen a desperate regime concoct.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Authorities accused unnamed radical groups in separate anti-government plots Friday _ planning to use explosives to disrupt an upcoming presidential recall vote and a fighter jet to attack the country's leader.
Did they also allege an attack on a border radio station?
Interior Minister Luis Rincon said radicals were seeking to use plastic explosives issued stolen from a navy base to create chaos during the recall against President Hugo Chavez. "There are people here, and they aren't favored in the polls, who want a scenario of violence," Lucas Rincon said. "They think it will change the result of the vote." Ricon sounds as if he is inadvertently describing Chavez.
Authorities have yet to recover some 138 pounds of C-4 plastic explosive and 80 detonators that were reported stolen July 17 from a navy base in the coastal city of Puerto Cabello, 70 miles west of Caracas. Rincon said that Chavez opponents, including dissident military officers who have been discharged, could use the explosives in a "subversive plan" to create chaos before or during the Aug. 15 recall referendum. ... Because they secretly want Chavez, the guy who casheered them to stay in power?
A common variety of military explosive, C-4 was used in the bombings of the Colombian and Spanish diplomatic missions in Caracas last year. Chavez blamed the embassy bombings on a group of more than 100 former military officers who declared themselves in rebellion against the government in 2002. - so they rebels bombed Chavez's opponents to try to get others to blame...
Rincon said authorities were questioning roughly 60 soldiers who were at the base at the time of the July 17 heist. Two suspects have been arrested in the case, but Rincon did not provide any details.
In another allegation, Miguel Rodriguez, director of the federal police, said that roughly 100 Colombian paramilitaries arrested at a ranch near Caracas on May 9 formed part of a plot to kill Chavez that involved opposition radicals, Cuban exiles in Florida and 10 dissident military officers. "They wanted to kill the president," Rodriguez said, echoing earlier claims by the government and by Chavez himself that Washington-backed opposition leaders hatched the plot. Washington denies the claims.
Venezuela's opposition leaders dismiss the arrests as a government-staged ploy to turn attention away from the recall referendum. Colombian diplomats have said many of the suspects were duped into entering Venezuela with promises of work.
Rodriguez claimed that ringleaders wanted to use a Venezuelan air force F-16 fighter jet to bomb the presidential palace while Chavez would be there broadcasting his weekly program, "Hello President." The Colombian irregulars were supposed to have seized the area around the palace, Rodriguez said.
Some detainees are suspected of having ties to Colombia's outlawed right-wing militias. Most of those detained face rebellion charges. Thirty-three were granted amnesty in exchange for testimony, and a handful of the detained, all minors, were returned to Colombia.
Chavez has claimed on several occasions that Cuban exiles in Florida want to kill him because of his close friendship with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 1:11:53 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"Rodriguez claimed that ringleaders wanted to use a Venezuelan air force F-16 fighter jet to bomb the presidential palace while Chavez would be there broadcasting his weekly program, "Hello President." The Colombian irregulars were supposed to have seized the area around the palace, Rodriguez said."
And therein lies the money quote. All the F-16 drivers in the VAF and most of their senior officers were - at one point or another - trained in the US. Any bets on when Hugo will publicly make that link?...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/31/2004 9:29 Comments ||
Top||
BEIJING (AP) - China's president has voiced strong opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in a telephone conversation Friday with President. Bush, the Beijing government said.
Alt-F6 on Hu's keyboard.
President Hu Jintao told Bush China would "absolutely not tolerate Taiwan independence and absolutely not allow anyone to split Taiwan from China," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its Web site. Hu reiterated China's stance against U.S. weapons sales to the island it considers part of its territory, the ministry said. Hu stressed to Bush that the Taiwan issue is "very sensitive and complicated," the ministry said.
It might be sensitive but it's really simple.
Taiwan, which lies 100 miles off China's southern coast, is considering a plan to spend $18 billion on anti-missile systems, planes and submarines from the United States.
On Friday also, the government's China Daily newspaper said a senior Chinese official similarly warned that it would be an "unwise move" for Taiwan to buy more advanced weapons from the United States. Wang Zaixi, vice minister of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office also said that Beijing won't rule out war with Taiwan if the island's president pursues his plan to adopt a new constitution by 2008, the newspaper said.
Hu told Bush that while China wants to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully, both China and the United States have a duty to act against "adventurous attempts by separatist forces," the ministry said. According to China, Bush reaffirmed his support for the "one-China policy," which doesn't support Taiwan independence. Bush also "expressed his understanding of China's concerns over the Taiwan issue" and said a strong, prosperous China is in line with U.S. interests, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry account. It didn't say what Bush said about arms sales specifically.
I'll bet it was along the lines of "we also reaffirm our opposition to the military conquest of Taiwan."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/31/2004 1:09:20 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Sorry Hu. You lost control of US policy on Jan. 20 2001.
Posted by: ed ||
07/31/2004 3:24 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Of course, if we are stupid enough to put senator flip-flop into the Oval Office, then he might see all sides of this issue.
Make my head hurt.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
07/31/2004 8:41 Comments ||
Top||
#3
DDB: Of course, if we are stupid enough to put senator flip-flop into the Oval Office, then he might see all sides of this issue.
Actually, he sees all sides - he believes only one side - the side that results in maximum disadvantage to Uncle Sam.
From The New York Times, an article by Colin McEnroe
y name is Licorice, and I am a hamster. .... I have come forward now to set the record straight. ... the next thing I knew, I was in the water and sinking fast. I saw my whole life pass before my eyes. ... I could already feel myself back in my body, could feel strong hands yanking open my cage and pulling me upward to safety. Yes, it was John Kerry. Help was on the way. Yes, he did perform CPR. Yes, he did perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. ...
It's also true that I wound up suing the family. I have continuing health problems, including a partial paralysis on my right side that makes it difficult for me to drink out of a regular water bottle. And let's just say there aren't going to be any Licorice Jr.'s. One of the small pleasures of hamster life denied. There was a settlement. I can't talk about it. I got enough to pay for a daily home health aide. ...
I might wind up speaking at the Republican convention, though. I'm opposed to stem cell research. With any kind of research, hamsters always wind up taking it right on the chin. And we barely even have chins.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
07/31/2004 9:37:29 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 00:45 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A Wall Street Journal analysis today showed that, despite whines about the budget deficit, Kerry would be adding an addition half trillion dollars to the current deficit should be he elected. That is, given his current proposals. The current deficit is about $440 billion.
Posted by: Capt America ||
07/31/2004 2:25 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Cappy, do you think Kerry has his plan in the old lock box?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 3:31 Comments ||
Top||
(2004-07-29) -- Responding to the release of new data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which shows that the wealthiest families have suffered a sharp decline in income, Democrat vice presidential candidate John Edwards today said the Kerry-Edwards White House would institute massive government reforms to help the struggling 'first America'.
"There are two Americas," said Mr. Edwards, "and the first America--those who earn most of the money, invest the most in our economy and pay most of the taxes--are hurting right now. It doesn't have to be that way. We can be one America."
According to the IRS, income for Americans who earn between $200,000 and $10 million per year have been hit hardest during the past two years, despite the fact that they pay the highest tax rate.
Mr. Edwards said the Kerry administration would reduce income taxes on beleaguered 'first Americans', cut the capital gains tax and eliminate the so-called "death tax" which unfairly punish those who have worked hardest to achieve the American dream.
"John Kerry will be president for all Americans," said Mr. Edwards, "not just for those low income 'second Americans' who contribute little to our economy, drain the most resources and hardly pay any taxes."
Posted by: Korora ||
07/31/2004 12:04:28 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
An invasion of locusts that has destroyed millions of hectares of crops in North Africa is heading toward Sudan's vulnerable Darfur region, a UN agency warned. No swarms have yet been reported in Darfur, which is struggling to cope with a conflict that has displaced more than 1 million people, but the risk of infestation is high, the Rome-based UN Food and Agricultural Organization said Thursday. At least 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres) have already been affected in the Maghreb and the vast West Africa region known as the Sahel, while 6.3 million hectares (15.5 million acres) had already been chemically treated, according to Sid Ali Moumene, an Algerian official heading his country's efforts to control the insects. "This is the worst occurrence of locusts in the last 15 years. We don't have a plague now, but we're heading down that road," said Keith Cressman, a locust forecasting officer at the UN agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2004 1:09:52 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
File this one under signs and portents. I suggest sacrificing a lamb and smearing its blood on the doorjam. And buy some yarmulkes.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2004 1:12 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Fred, if I were from Dafur (or North Korea) and I got word that the locusts were coming, I would invest in a butterfly net, because I saw Hidalgo.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 1:25 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Entrails, always check the bird entrails. With knowledge comes power!
#4
If they get close to Darfur, the UN and the US should intervene immediately. These terrorist locusts might be another game by the Sudan government to eradicate the Christian population there.
Posted by: Kim ||
07/31/2004 1:50 Comments ||
Top||
Federal transportation officials said Friday they told Ghana's state-run airline to stop selling tickets for flights between the United States and Ghana and to charter planes to fly passengers stranded since the airline's operations were suspended. In an unprecedented action, Ghana Airways was barred by U.S. officials Tuesday from flying into and out of the United States during an investigation of allegations that it ignored orders to ground unsafe aircraft and flew on an expired license. Commercial flights remain suspended indefinitely until Transportation Department officials complete their investigation of the airline, according to a statement issued by the department.
"But we have the best Ukrainian pilots and aircraft!"
Ghana Airways directly links all of West Africa to the United States. The airline normally operates two roundtrip flights per week between Accra and New York and two roundtrips per week between Accra and Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Efforts to reach Ghana Airways for comment were unsuccessful.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/31/2004 12:57:09 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Think Kofi flies Ghana Airways when he heads back to the homeland? Yeah, me neither.
#2
If I were an airport administrator, I would order a full FOD walkdown after each takeoff or landing of their aircraft. It sounds as if their planes might shed parts like a dandruff of shrapnel.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2004 1:49 Comments ||
Top||
#3
...Interestingly enough, a bit of Googling says that GA flies a DC-10 (!), several DC-9s (not the later and much more advanced MD-11 versions, but four-decade old DC-9s)a 737, and 'some' 767s. The -10 evidently spent a LOT of time out in storage in the Mojave desert (the place SpaceShipOne was launched from). In addition, apparently aircraft condition is not the only problem - it seems GA pilots' English is not good and they are having serious problems communicating with ATC here in the states. Pre-9/11 that was an annoyance, post-9/11 that can get you a crater full of dead Ghanians.
I would have thought it was all ex-Soviet equipment or Airbus (not slamming Airbus quality, just Ghanian maintenance).
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/31/2004 9:45 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Sorry, should read MD-10 vice MD-11.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/31/2004 9:48 Comments ||
Top||
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.
