A former Navy lieutenant commander who was scheduled to be released next month after serving sixteen years for a murder-for-hire plot against his wife in Virginia Beach has died.
Michael Fricke, 54, died Thursday of injuries he sustained when he was attacked with a baseball bat by another military prisoner at Fort Leavenworth, a prison spokeswoman confirmed today.
A brief fight broke out between Fricke and the other inmate on July 24 around 2 p.m. while several inmates were playing sports, according to the spokeswoman. Fricke was taken by helicopter to a local medical facility and died Thursday at about 11:50 a.m. after his family authorized taking Fricke off life support.
Fricke was convicted in 1994 by a military court at Norfolk Naval Station of the premeditated murder of his wife, Roxanne Fricke. His 31-year-old wife was shot in the parking lot of a grocery store in Kempsville in 1988. Two other men were implicated in the murder-for-hire plot, then had charges dropped against them.
Fricke, who was a trustee at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, was supposed to be released next month to Edgewater, Fla., according to documents from Fort Leavenworth provided by Roxanne Fricke's mother, Elizabeth Wade.
He was sentenced to 30 years, but eligible for parole after 10.
Wade said members of his family, including the couple's son, who was 13 months old at the time of the murder, live there.
Wade said that an official from Fort Leavenworth called her Thursday to inform her Fricke was dead.
"All we can say is God takes care of everything," Wade said. "Maybe not the way we want it to be taken care of. But I did not want him to walk outside prison walls." U.S. v. Fricke
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Zimbabwe President Robert (Muggsy) Mugabe's younger sister and political ally Sabina Mugabe has died at age 80 after years of failing health, state media reported.
She suffered a stroke in 1995, which damaged part of her brain, the president told mourners at State House, according to the Herald newspaper.
She will be buried tomorrow at a shrine for heroes of Zimbabwe's independence struggle.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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She's in the land of Heroes and Ancestors, aka Gooks and Spooks, where she can stoke the fires for Bob's arrival, although the Devil would probably be evicted when he does get there.
The Heat's decision to halt season tickets sales on speculation it might sign LeBron James means the team no longer needs a season ticket sales staff.
About 30 employees were told Friday morning they were losing their jobs, and some were moved to other positions. The Heat confirmed the layoffs in a statement indicating with its season ticket inventory "exhausted, we no longer require a season ticket sales team to sell tickets.
"While the decision to release part of our sales force was a difficult one, we greatly appreciate their contributions to the company," the statement continued. "We have also hired a placement service to assist those individuals find new employment."
Sources said the employees made a base salary and commission, which was sizable during the sales rush that came on rumors the team might sign LeBron James, Chris Bosh and re-sign Dwyane Wade. Some employees were offered severance of up to a year's salary and extended benefits. Additionally, some staffers might be hired back to oversee season ticket holder accounts, the sources said.
What year is this?
SANTA FE, N.M. - The showdown between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid has fascinated the American public for nearly 130 years with its classic, Old West storyline of the frontier lawman hunting down the notorious gunslinger.
#1
Bill (D-corruption/baseball liar) has no problem with pardoning a felon, and will likely restore his voting rights. Expect to see Billy voting in the next 20-30 elections for the Democrat
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/31/2010 18:06 Comments ||
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I saw this earlier and thought it was stupid. Later today it is still stupid. Richardson must have something better to do. I guess illegal immigration is not a problem for him. If it were, he would choose to ignore it and declare Nex Mexico a sanctuary state--unless he has already done that.
#3
Beyond the well noted stupidity, the thing that struck me is that I'd forgotten Richardson was still governor of NM. His time passed quite a while ago, even if the term still runs.
[Straits Times] WILD elephants trampled an Indonesian farmer on death on Friday, an official said.
A herd of elephants crushed the 30-year-old man as he worked in his field in Alue Keujereun village, Aceh province, district chief Mohammed Hasbi said.
'A herd of eight elephants appeared out of the blue. He panicked and tried to flee with his friend but he fell and one of the elephants crushed him,' he said.
Human-animal conflicts are a rising problem as people encroach on wildlife habitats in Indonesia, an archipelago with some of the world's largest remaining tropical forests.
There are up to 3,350 Sumatran elephants remaining in the wild, according to the environmental group WWF.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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Babe-chasing Militant Squirrels on TV, Whale-versus-Sailboat, Bear-versus-Car, Gators + now Elephants, etc. > THE ISLAMIST GLOBAL JIHAD MUST BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN WE THINK???
D *** NG IT, WOMAN, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET FUTURE OWG SUPERMODEL PAULA ABDUL GET AWAY WID DESTROYING THE BACKYARD VEGGIES!
#3
In Europe for many years, breeding elephants the natural way was regarded as one of the most dangerous jobs around. A male elephant in rut was oblivious to its handlers. Many people died or were seriously injured.
The technique for artificial insemination is still very dangerous.
Step one involves a large, metal, torpedo-looking object that gives off a high voltage electrical charge.
Step two involves a large, clean, plastic bucket. This is the most dangerous job.
Step three, the actual insemination, is relatively easy. Just imagine an enormous turkey baster that uses compressed air instead of a big rubber ball.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] A fire station in Mombasa went up in flames on Friday because there was inadequate water to fight the blaze. Embarrassed municipal fire fighters asked for help from the Kenya Port Authority to put out the inferno in their station.
Mombasa Town Clerk Tubman Otieno, however, jumped to the fire team's defence, laying the blame on lack of adequate equipment. He said the council has been struggling to fight fires after protesting hawkers burnt down a state-of-the-art engine worth more than Sh50 million.
Mr Otieno said the cause of the fire had not yet been established.
"I visited the offices immediately after the inferno, but we have not yet established the cause nor the total loss to the council," he said.
The council is refurbishing old fire engines to complement the two which are in service, the Nation learned.
But residents said the Thursday night fire showed how vulnerable the town was. Mr Ali Hussein, who lives in the town, said: "It was sad watching property being reduced to ashes while fire engines were parked on the grounds because there was no water."
The Mombasa Fire Brigade, on which thousands of people in the entire South and North Coast rely, has been in the spotlight for years due to poor service delivery.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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i know i will get back lash for this comment but too ad it wasn't more
Posted by: chris ||
07/31/2010 15:30 Comments ||
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The monsoon rains have shifted to the West, a multi-year phenomena. No one seems to know why, but doubtless the GW crowd will be running around soon saying we told you so (which of course they didn't).
[Straits Times] THAILAND'S premier warned on Friday of possible further bomb attacks in Bangkok after a grenade blast left one man seriously hurt, days after a deadly explosion at a bus stop.
The grenade, which was in a plastic bag, exploded before dawn on a street in the capital, leaving a rubbish scavenger in critical condition with shrapnel in his head, police and hospital officials said.
'It's likely that the bomb was aimed at inciting unrest,' Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.
'The overall assessment and evaluation of the situation is that more bomb attacks are likely at this time,' he said.
The blast came less than a week after a small bomb exploded at a Bangkok bus stop, killing one person and injuring 10 in an attack that rekindled tensions in the capital two months after the end of bloody street protests.
About 90 people died and some 1,900 were injured in street clashes between armed troops and demonstrators during two months of mass rallies by the anti-government 'Red Shirts' that ended with a bloody army crackdown in May.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday launched a "Truth Commission" with broad powers to investigate alleged corruption and vote fraud by his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo.
"The process of bringing a necessary closure to the allegations of official wrongdoing and impunity has begun," Aquino said in a statement announcing he had signed an executive order to form the commission.
"It is tasked with investigating and establishing the truth regarding the serious allegations of wrongdoing in the past nine years supposedly involving government officials and their accomplices in the private sector."
The body will look into allegations Arroyo cheated her way to victory in the 2004 presidential election, as well as large-scale corruption cases, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters.
Among the graft issues to be probed are allegations Arroyo's family and government officials acted improperly in negotiating a 329-million-dollar Internet broadband deal with a Chinese firm, de Lima added.
She said that if Arroyo and others refused to co-operate with the commission, they could be prosecuted for perjury or obstructing justice.
"They can testify or not at their own risk," de Lima said when asked whether Arroyo would have to report to the commission.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A 26-year-old scholar was late Friday named winner of a hugely popular Malaysian TV talent show search for a top young Islamic leader which has gained worldwide attention. I'll bet it was the flaming baton twirling that did it...
The "Young Imam" program has seen 10 finalists hit the prime-time stage to recite verses from the Koran, wash corpses and slaughter sheep according to Islamic rules, and persuade youngsters away from sex and drugs. ...and world peace.
Religious scholar Mohammed Asyraf Mohammed Ridzuan, 26, beat Hizbur Rahman Omar Zuhdi, a 27-year-old religious teacher in the finale, after the 10-week series which began in May saw eight other contestants eliminated. Did he literally "beat" him?
The show, which is the first of its kind, follows the reality-TV formula of shows such as "American Idol" in the U.S. and "The X Factor" in Britain, and has ignited new enthusiasm for Islam among Mohammedan youth. They should make them fight each other like on "American Gladiators"...
"I feel good. Thanks to my parents, my wife and my fellow villagers who have been supporting me," an emotional Asyraf told the studio audience of more than 1,000 at the end of the show, which was aired live over Islamic lifestyle channel Astro Oasis. Oh, God. When will I be getting that on my cable package?
Asyraf, clad in a black long robe over a smart black suit, hugged the runner-up on stage as soon as he was declared the winner, and was "crowned" with a white Islamic skullcap as his fans cheered his victory. There he is
Mister Young Imam
There he is
Your ideal...
The winner gets a trip to Mecca to perform the hajj pilgrimage, a scholarship to al-Madinah University in Saudi Arabia, and a job at a head-bonking palace. ...and lifetime supply of Vaseline.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2010 00:00 ||
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"Islamic Idol"?
They DO watch American TV.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/31/2010 11:38 Comments ||
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only one wife?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/31/2010 14:19 Comments ||
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He never would have made it if Simon Cowell were on the judges' panel
Posted by: Andy Elmiper3490 ||
07/31/2010 17:06 Comments ||
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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.
[Straits Times] WILD elephants trampled an Indonesian farmer on death on Friday, an official said.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] A fire station in Mombasa went up in flames on Friday because there was inadequate water to fight the blaze. Embarrassed municipal fire fighters asked for help from the Kenya Port Authority to put out the inferno in their station.
NEW YORK - An earthquake measuring 5.7 rattled the northeast Iranian city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
