ACTOR Eddie Murphy is not sure if he is the father of former Spice Girl Melanie Brown's unborn child. The singer, however, is quite certain he is.
"Black guy, right? With a moustache? He was wearing a hat. Yep. I'm sure it wuz him."
"I am obviously upset and distressed at some of the comments made by Eddie Murphy to the media," Brown, 31, said in a statement. "I have no idea why anyone would want to conduct themselves in this kind of manner about such a personal matter in such a public way. Maybe he didn't mean what he said when the two of you were horizontal?
"My main concern is for the wellbeing of my daughter, Phoenix, and, of course, the baby. I was astonished (at) what Eddie said. There is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."
Brown's publicist said the woman known as Scary Spice when she was somebody in the British megahit group of the 1990s was not giving interviews "at this stage".
Murphy, 45, whose latest film, Dreamgirls, premiered in New York earlier this week, was recently asked by a TV interviewer if he was excited that Brown was pregnant. "Now you're being presumptuous, because we're not together any more," Murphy replied. "And I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir."
A spokesman for the star of the Shrek, Doctor Dolittle and Beverly Hills Cop films said he would not comment on the actor's personal life. Murphy escorted film producer Tracey Edmonds to the Dreamgirls premiere in New York. When asked if Edmonds was his "new lady" he smiled and replied: "Yeah." The People magazine website has quoted Edmonds, the ex-wife of singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, as saying she has been dating Murphy "for about a month and a half". Murphy's wife, Nicole, filed for divorce last year, citing irreconcilable differences. He likes to cat around, she doesn't like him doing it. Sounds irreconcilable to me.
The couple were married in 1993 and have five children together.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2006 00:48 ||
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Maybe it was Charlie Murphy?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/09/2006 11:56 Comments ||
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#3
Humor is witticism, funny is surrealism. That is, only the former is based on a play on words like a pun, the consideration of the unpleasant, or what Hitchens talks about.
The latter, what is funny, is a non sequitur. Something that does not compute to the mind. For example a man uses a nail to nail one end of a board to the top of a tall building. Then he carries another board to the end of the first board and nails it, too. And so on, building himself a flimsy bridge. The mind, and experience, tells us that such a bridge is impossible.
Humor elicits a smirk if done properly, and is based on an underlying truth, a realization. Something that is funny, however, causes an almost involuntary response, from the mind being puzzled.
#10
Thanks, Ms. Tw! Rest assured with just that simple compliment, you have soothed my bruised Ego and battered self-esteem... and delayed my ultimate demise, under the hail of fire from the regional Swat called in to put an end to my killing spree, by at least a couple of months.
Errr.... That's not a very good thanks, I guess. My bad.
#12
As the article points out, women bear children, and that makes their view of the world a tad more serious than ours, However, because we don't bear children, and as individuals, are not really necessary for the continuation of the species, we are singularly perfect for warfare.
Honor on the battlefield has always been the greatest achievement for any man. Patton knew this and he said that modern weapons were removing the honor of the warrior from the struggle. He knew that civilization and civil treatment of the vanquished was born of the fight. Without the the effort the fight through pain, injury, chaos, the sights and sounds of battle, the dead and dying, the loss of limbs among those on both sides, the victors would enjoy war. We honor them because they have spared us their hell. When wars are fought half assed, then they spare us nothing, but guarantee us another battlefield on another day.
Johannesburg is embarking on a clean-up this festive season which will cover everyone from speedsters, drunk drivers, people transporting fake goods, to those who have not paid their taxes or committed serious crimes. The crackdown will involve large roadblocks, arrests without notification, confiscation of cars, hawker removals and more CCTV cameras being put up to catch criminals.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department will be working with SAPS, EMS, Department of Community Safety, Environmental Health, Liquor Board, Town Planning, City Power and Eskom until 20 January to intensify the fight against crime, traffic and by-law violations. Home Affairs and Receiver of Revenue officials are also involved.
New alcohol breathalysers have been introduced which, for the first time, are being accepted by the courts as evidence without the back-up of a blood sample. The JMPD will be using a 22-point roadblock system which means that 22 roadblocks will be set up simultaneously across the city. Home Affairs and SARS officials will also be assisting at roadblocks to catch illegals and those owing money to the Receiver of Revenue. In the near future, this will also include maintenance dodgers. On top of that, there will be a crackdown on bylaw offenders.
City of Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee for Public Safety, Thomas Phakathi said these joint operations would be extended beyond the festive season and turned into a permanent feature for the city.
The Central Johannesburg Partnership will also be deploying additional precinct guards in the inner city and the public is urged to seek assistance from these distinctively uniformed guards.
Ministers were today urged to consider abandoning the multi-billion pound Joint Strike Fighter project unless the United States agrees within weeks to share sensitive technology.
The Government should develop a "plan B" for jets to operate from two new aircraft carriers if a deal is not struck by the end of the year, according to the influential Commons Defence Select Committee.
Progress on the £140 billion project - the most expensive single armaments programme in UK military history - has been dogged by wrangles over whether Britain would be given access to the technology powering the high-tech aircraft. Ministers have previously threatened that the UK could pull out of plans to buy up to 150 of the military planes for the RAF and Navy unless America agreed to transfer secrets about its software that Britain argues are needed in order to operate and maintain them independently.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006 00:00 ||
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...The question is, fall back to what? The new CV is supposedly capable of operating F-18s and/or Rafale - but all that does is give the RN a early-to-mid-90s CV capability.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/09/2006 6:48 Comments ||
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We should wait to share the technology until we find out if the UK wants to be a real country or part of EUrabia.
Looks like the socialista party might be ending. The game was wearing a bit thin...
MEXICO CITY (AP) - More than 250 federal police agents surrounded the offices of the Oaxaca state police force and seized its weapons Friday to determine whether any were used in shootings during six months of demonstrations in Oaxaca City, federal authorities said.
At least nine people have been killed in a conflict that dates back to May. Most were protesters who were shot by gangs of armed men, and activists blame local police for many of those shootings.
Around 200 people have been arrested in recent weeks in connection with sometimes violent demonstrations in which protesters took control of Oaxaca City, battled police, and torched vehicles and buildings.
On Friday, human rights groups and families of those detainees asked U.N officials to intervene, claiming some prisoners had been beaten, tortured and sexually abused.
They also argue there is no evidence that most of the prisoners committed any crimes and asked for U.N. officials to visit the prisons and pressure the Mexican government to guarantee the detainees their rights.
Federal and state officials deny the prisoners have been mistreated and say they are just upholding the law.
Protesters have demanded the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of thuggery and corruption. Ruiz denies those accusations. In October, more that 4,000 federal police swept into Oaxaca and pushed the protesters out of the city.
The wave of arrests has taken the sting out of the protests, which scared tourists away from the city and shattered the local economy.
During Friday's operation, federal agents also detained five employees of the Oaxaca state justice department who were using stolen automobiles, federal authorities said in a statement. In Mexico, members of police forces sometimes use recovered stolen cars until the owners are located.
The weapons seized Friday apparently will be returned if the state police are found to have the proper registration and permit documentation for them.
#1
More than 250 federal police agents surrounded the offices of the Oaxaca state police force and seized its weapons Friday to determine whether any were used in shootings during six months of demonstrations in Oaxaca City, federal authorities said.
I'm sure the local patron of the Drug Cartel(tm) provides his local police with more and better weapons than the cheap stuff the federales provide. You think you'll ever see 250 federales surround and occupy the Drug Bosses' offices along the border? What century?
Ambassador suffers months of harassment and BBC service in Moscow mysteriously goes off the air after the Litvinenko murder
The Russian authorities yesterday stood accused of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation against British interests in Moscow, where the ambassador has been harassed and the BBC Russian Service mysteriously taken off air.
With ties between the Kremlin and London already strained by the police inquiry into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, The Times has learnt that relations with Russia risk being further damaged by other serious diplomatic disputes.
Traditional Discipline Draws Angry Outcry
BEIJING, Dec. 8 -- To local officials combating Shenzhen's reputation as a den of vice, it seemed like a good idea, the perfect way to dissuade provincial girls from turning to prostitution in the big city and frighten away the men who patronize their brothels.
So after raiding the karaoke bars, saunas and barbershops where prostitutes often ply their trade, police officers in the southern Chinese boomtown paraded about 100 women and their alleged johns in the street, using loudspeakers to read out their names and the misdeeds they were accused of committing. News photographers snapped away while thousands of residents lined up to take in the show.
#1
Instead of being praised for cracking down on vice, the Futian police came under a hail of criticism for violating the right to privacy of those who were paraded about in public
#3
Zenster, that comment was totally uncalled for.
There is no more persistent critic of the communist Chinese regime than me, but the Chinese people value good government very highly (to an extent it's hard for Westerners to understand).
#5
phil, I've probably studied Chinese culture more than any other during my entire life. I'm equally aware of their historical achievements as much as their current shortcomings. China's present role in destabilizing the entire East Asian economic sphere, and much of the global economy including its security as well, leaves me more than a little short-tempered with the communist politburo. Beyond that, China's collaboration in that ongoing and massive crime against humanity known as North Korea has me in a particularly sour mood of late.
Additionally, I might be pro-choice but China's government enforced abortions go well beyond the pale, as does much of their near-constant violation of domestic human rights. In case you were unable to participate, I'd like you to please review my comments in yesterday's thread, "Most lakes in China are now wrecked". Should you be at varience with any of my observations, please consider posting them in this thread (moderators willing), as they tend to deal with Chinese society and it's impact upon both China and this world.
I'll close by mentioning that the few months I spent in Taiwan were among the most enjoyable traveling I've ever done in my life. None of that changes my deep distrust and concern over how China's economic piracy and meddling in world affairs is rejuvenating another protracted Cold War.
#7
And you wonder why I think you are trolling in order to paint us all as racist bigots.
No, I just feel that, after years of clearly and consistently stating my own opinions, you may well be rather opaque for thinking so. If you check the record, I'm confident you'll find that I'm the one who is classed with "racist bigots" much more often than I ever do any such accusing myself. Furthermore, in the vast majority of our interactions it is you who hurl the insults and not I.
Back on topic: Did you read the linked thread? Do you have any disagreement with what I have posted in it? As a final question; Are people not supposed to be held liable for the actions of their government?
#8
Hey, I've always wanted to do this. Looks like the cops only erred by parading accused, not convicted.
Your choice: Six months in the slammer, or join the weekly parade down main street with a sign saying "WIFE BEATER", "CAR THIEF", or whatever. You can only do it twice, because after the first time, you need the threat of it happening again. If you do it two times, there's no more fear of humiliation punishment.
#9
Hey, Zenster recall I was the one who uncovered that you came here after being banned from the previous forum you were active in. As I recall you were the only person ever to be banned from that forum.
And BTW, I suggest you look up the meaning of opaque and I suggest at the same time you look up the meaning of obfuscate.
#11
police officers in the southern Chinese boomtown paraded about 100 women...
State sponsored free advertising. So you spent the afternoon showing the young and old gentlemen of the community who to contact. Was this 'leveling' the playing field for those without internet access?
1. a. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
b. Not reflecting light; having no luster: an opaque finish.
c. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings" (John Simon).
d. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.
2. Impenetrable by a form of radiant energy other than visible light: a chemical solution opaque to x-rays.
3. a. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings" (John Simon).
b. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.
n. Something that is opaque, especially an opaque pigment used to darken parts of a photographic print or negative.
[Middle English opake, shady, and French opaque, opaque (from Old French, shady), both from Latin opâcus.]
American Heritage Dictionary
As I recall you were the only person ever to be banned from that forum.
The quality of your recollection matches your vocabulary. Either you're kidding or you are just incredibly dim. Either way, you still have yet to respond to any questions of substance in this thread. Lingering about to cast up extremely stale aspersions hardly qualifies as either civil or well-reasoned discourse.
#15
There is no more persistent critic of the communist Chinese regime than me, but the Chinese people value good government very highly (to an extent it's hard for Westerners to understand).
If the Chinese people "value good government very highly", why have they got one of the most evil there is? China remains one of the most backward "superpowers" this world has ever seen. It is responsible for much of the real grief currently happening including a portion of Islamic terrorism. People ARE responsible for their government's actions and yet you would paint China's people an innocent porcelain white.
phil_b, you come into this thread and criticize my posts without substantiating your own claims. Then you proceed to throw up accustions that are both inaccurate and some FIVE YEARS OLD. Beyond which you dispute a description of you that is subsequently confirmed by your very own behavior.
You refuse to answer some very basic questions or even address why I would post what I did and instead play (in the most superficial sense of "play") at character assassination. One can only wonder if you fully comprehend what sort of light this casts you in.
I have always tried to honestly respond to your persistent tirades and below-the-belt jabs. In the future, I may well choose differently. While it would be nice to think otherwise, I'll put it kindly by saying that you doing yourself a disservice. There are many more colorful and much more derogatory ways to frame your conduct. I just happen to feel that they are out of place at Rantburg in general, no matter how merited they might be in this particular thread.
The Commonwealth suspended Fiji's membership yesterday in protest at this week's military coup - the third time in 20 years that the Pacific nation has been suspended because of military takeovers.
The decision was made by an action group of foreign ministers from several countries, including Britain, meeting in London. As a result, Fiji will be banned from all Commonwealth meetings until democracy is restored. Technical assistance programmes will also be suspended.
The Commonwealth secretary general, Don McKinnon, said all member countries have been asked to put pressure on Fiji to restore democracy. "The Commonwealth ministerial action group unanimously and unequivocally condemned the military takeover of Fiji's democratically elected government, in total disregard of the authority of the prime minister and parliament," he said yesterday. Mr McKinnon added that he hoped the crisis would be resolved peacefully. "Just because this was a bloodless coup, it doesn't always remain that way," he said.
Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, has condemned the coup as "wholly unconstitutional" and "a major setback" to the island's process of democracy.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1987 after a coup, and was readmitted in 1997. The state was also suspended in 2000 after Commodore Bainimarama declared martial law, and readmitted a year later.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006 00:00 ||
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Betcha could get a hell of a deal on a Fiji vacation package right now.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2006 00:48 ||
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Remind me again why it is so damn important to have 'utes' working in Congress? Another case of Congress exempting itself, this time from child labor laws. Why not change it to an exchange program - with Mexico. They'll do jobs other 'adult' Americans won't.
(AP*) Officials hailed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday as the symbol of a broad shift in relations between the two countries.
But the deal also highlights some of the limits of the emerging strategic partnership between India and the United States, who have sought to overcome decades of mutual mistrust.
The bill, which allows the shipment of nuclear fuel and know-how to India, now goes to the U.S. Senate and then must be signed by President Bush. U.S. and Indian officials also need to work out a separate technical nuclear cooperation agreement, expected to be finalized next year.
Continued on Page 49
French Guiana (AP) - A rocket lifted off Friday from this French department in South America carrying satellites to provide broadband Internet services to rural parts of the U.S. and television programming to people across the hemisphere.
WildBlue Communications' WildBlue-1 and SES Americom's Americom-18 were shuttled into space by an Ariane 5 rocket, said Jean-Yves Le Gall, chief executive officer of Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency.
WildBlue-1 will provide high-speed broadband to homes and businesses in parts of the United States that have no such access or limited access. WildBlue has been borrowing space on Canadian satellite Anik F2 to deliver the service to its clients.
The WildBlue-1 launch will triple the number of clients the Denver-based company can serve in the continental U.S. to up to 1 million customers, WildBlue CEO David Leonard said in a telephone interview from Denver.
WildBlue will conduct in-orbit testing and plans to offer service using the new satellite beginning April 12.
The Americom-18, or AMC-18, satellite is aimed at offering full North American coverage for TV programming, including in the Caribbean and Mexico, SES Global said in a statement.
The AMC-18, which will be operated by New Jersey-based SES Americom, will join two of the company's other satellites, expanding its bandwidth resources.
It was the fifth and final Ariane 5 rocket takeoff from the Kourou launch pad in French Guiana, a French department on the northeastern coast of South America. It was Arianespace's 174th launch since the European space consortium was created in 1980.
Why kill off an unsound program when you've only spent $16 Million modifying eight boats? There's another 5/6ths of the fleet remaining. Don't let that other $84 Million go unspent!
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit outskirts of Zarand, a city in this southeastern Iranian province, on Friday. The seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 11:28 hours local time (GMT 0858). There are no reports of any casualty or damage to property.
Consider $17 TRILLON is more than 1 years GNP and it is all in control of BoNY.
More consolidation in the financial services market as the Bank of New York (BoNY) announces it will acquire Mellon Financial for around $17 billion. This combination of two top US money management companies is just another step in the consolidation of the custody bank field - the companies that do the often tedious work of managing and transferring money for other banks and hedge funds. It also gives the two institutions a strong position in the more glamorous world of asset management - the investment of money for rich individuals and institutions.
This is a coming together of iconic firms. BONY was established in 1784, Mellon in 1860. BoNY tried to make a hostile takeover of Mellon in 1998, but was fended off. The deal follows a similar one whereby Bank of America bought asset manager US Trust from the Charles Schwab group. Other trust companies, including State Street Trust and Northern Trust are now seen as potential takeover targets.
Over the past year, BoNY had already sold off its retail banking operations to JPMorgan Chase; in exchange BoNY received the corporate trust assets of JPMorgan. Chase/ (A $3.1 billion deal.)
The new entity will be a global leader in financial custody with $17 trillion in assets under trusteeship or management. The deal will result in the usual back-office savings, it is claimed, with about a tenth of the jobs form the combined companies on the block. In fact, since the trust bank operations are more of a technical, organizational task rather than an interpersonal job.
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.
ACTOR Eddie Murphy is not sure if he is the father of former Spice Girl Melanie Brown's unborn child. The singer, however, is quite certain he is.
Johannesburg is embarking on a clean-up this festive season which will cover everyone from speedsters, drunk drivers, people transporting fake goods, to those who have not paid their taxes or committed serious crimes. The crackdown will involve large roadblocks, arrests without notification, confiscation of cars, hawker removals and more CCTV cameras being put up to catch criminals.
At least nine people have been killed in a conflict that dates back to May. Most were protesters who were shot by gangs of armed men, and activists blame local police for many of those shootings.
Ambassador suffers months of harassment and BBC service in Moscow mysteriously goes off the air after the Litvinenko murder
Traditional Discipline Draws Angry Outcry
(AP*) Officials hailed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday as the symbol of a broad shift in relations between the two countries.
French Guiana (AP) - A rocket lifted off Friday from this French department in South America carrying satellites to provide broadband Internet services to rural parts of the U.S. and television programming to people across the hemisphere.
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit outskirts of Zarand, a city in this southeastern Iranian province, on Friday. The seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 11:28 hours local time (GMT 0858). There are no reports of any casualty or damage to property.
