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Remember that silent reading is from 12:30 to 1:00 and then you start typing. So if you have already read one article...continue reading more. The article can not be an entertainment.
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Read newspapers , that means no talking or doing anything else. Keep silent reading different articles until 1:00. Then you start typing what you read about in complete sentences.
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1 – 200 of 333 Newer› Newest»BOWIE, MD (WUSA)--Vito, the 3-year-old German Shepherd that had gone missing on Thursday, was reunited with his trainer Saturday evening after days of frantic searching.
Sonja Heritage, Vito's trainer and a member of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, said she and Vito were going through an open-field training exercise at White Marsh Park in Bowie when, apparently distracted by a fox or another animal, Vito took off and kept on going.
Heritage tells 9NEWS that, somehow, Vito showed up at Bowie Motor Works, not far from where he disappeared, and was sheltered and fed by a worker named Omar who was unaware that Vito was the subject of an intensive search.
Late Saturday, Omar's brother saw the fliers that Heritage and friends had posted in the area and, with family in tow, brought Vito to his trainer.
today i read Iran has sentenced an American ex-Marine to death, accusing him of espionage.
A court convicted Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of "working for an enemy country," as well as membership in the CIA and "efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism," the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday.
Hekmati's family and the U.S. government deny the allegations.
The sentence came down five months after Hekmati's arrest.
The news came amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Monday that uranium enrichment has begun at a nuclear facility in northern Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on a visit to Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez said the two of them were working together to stop the "imperial insanity" of the United States.
Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, on its English website, said the court found Hekmati "caught red-handed in armed struggle against God" and "corrupt on Earth."
As the search for missing Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds enters a fourth week, the grandmother of the 21-month-old girl offered new information to CNN on Sunday about the night Ayla disappeared.
Ayla's grandmother, Phoebe DiPietro, who first spoke exclusively with CNN on Friday, said she now wants to clarify a detail about her interview.
1-9-12 Today I read an article with the title of Tortured Afghan girl suffering in hospital, aid worker says. I read that -- A 15-year-old girl allegedly tortured by her in-laws in Afghanistan after she refused to be forced into prostitution is not doing well in hospital. Sahar Gul was rescued by police last month in the country's northern Baghlan province after she was locked in the basement of her in-laws' house, starved and her nails pulled out. She is safe, but signs of the abuse she's suffered remain all too clear, said Wazhma Frogh of the Afghan Women's Network. Sahar is too weak to move her body, which has black bruise marks all over from being beaten, and the nurses gave her diapers because she can't get to the toilet.
1-9-12
Today I read about, Pharmaceutical company Novartis on Sunday voluntarily recalled a number of over-the-counter drugs including certain bottles of Excedrin and Buffering because of complaints about mislabeled and broken pills. The Switzerland-based company said on its website that "there have been no related adverse (health) events" related to the problems. At the same time, it urged U.S. consumers to "either destroy or return unused" products that are part of the recall.
today i read about Hip hop star Snoop Dogg faces a drug charge after border agents searched his tour bus along the same stretch of a west Texas highway where singer Willie Nelson was busted in 2010.The bust happened early Saturday at his bus approached the U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint located in Sierra Blanca, Texas, at the U.S.-Mexico border about 85 miles southeast of El Paso drug-detection dog sniffing inside the bus "alerted to a trash can located at the rear of the vehicle where a red prescription bottle containing rolled marijuana cigarettes were located," the statement said. Two other containers with marijuana, weighing in all total of 0.130 pounds, were also found.
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama announced Monday that White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley is stepping down and will be replaced by Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew.
Two senior Obama aides told CNN that Daley will stay in his job through January, including the State of the Union address.
The chief of staff is in charge of White House staff and operations and is a senior adviser to the president.
A senior Obama campaign aide told CNN on Monday that Daley will serve as one of the co-chairs for Obama's re-election campaign. The other co-chair will be announced in coming weeks, the aide said.
"He's got a ton of political experience, knowledge and contacts, and we look forward to leveraging those assets and working closely together to re-elect the president this year," the campaign aide said of Daley, who was the campaign chairman for Al Gore's presidential run in 2000.
In a previously unscheduled statement Monday to reporters at the White House, Obama said Daley came to him last week and talked about stepping down to spend more time with his family.
A shift in Daley's duties in fall of 2011
Today read about the debris from a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of New Zealand last year, and split in two over the weekend, washed up on a local beach Monday. Four shipping containers also came ashore on Waihi Beach, and another seven are within a mile of the shore, Maritime New Zealand said in a statement. Police closed public access to the beach. People are being encouraged to steer clear of the water, and to report whatever debris they see. It split in two over the weekend, triggering fears of a fresh oil spill. Hundreds of tonnes of oil have already leaked from the ship, leading New Zealand's environment minister to call the spill the country's most significant maritime environmental disaster.
White House: The U.S. takes the matter "very seriously"
An Iranian court finds Amir Hekmati "corrupt on Earth," state media say
He was arrested in August while visiting relatives
Prosecutors allege he was hired to deliver information to Iran
A court convicted Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of "working for an enemy country," as well as membership in the CIA and "efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism," the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday.
1/9/12
Today I read about t he body found on Queen Elizabeth II's estate in Sandringham last week was a 17 year old who had been missing since August, police said Sunday.DNA tests helped detectives identified the woman as Alisa Dmitrijeva, Norfolk police said in a statement. Police are investigating activities that occurred around the site between the end of August and the end of September, Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said in a statement. The body had been at the site between one and four months, the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team said last week.
today i read Decision time in the second round of the Republican presidential contest arrived Tuesday in New Hampshire, where overnight returns in two villages gave former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a win and a tie.
A record 250,000 voters are expected to turn out for the GOP primary, Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan told CNN. With no competitive challenger to President Barack Obama on the Democratic side, more "undeclared" voters could weigh in on the Republican race, he said.
"We're hearing that the turnout is steady," Scanlan said. "There aren't lines that are backing up, but people are just constantly moving through the polling places. It's certainly what we would expect during a presidential primary."
David Gatlin, Joseph Ozment, Charles Hooker and Anthony McCray received full pardons and were released at 1 p.m. Sunday, said Suzanne Singletary, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. All four were serving life sentences and worked as trusties at the governor's mansion, she said. Hooker was convicted in a 1991 murder, while McCray was convicted in a 2001 murder, Singletary said. The governor also recently pardoned Nathan Kern, who was serving a life sentence for burglary, she said.
A body pulled from a Wisconsin river has been identified as the son of Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, police said Tuesday.
Michael Philbin, 21, went missing early Sunday while in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to visit friends, police said.
No cause of death has been determined, and an autopsy was set for Tuesday, Oshkosh Police Chief Scott Greuel said at a news conference.
Packers General Manager Ted Thompson issued a statement Tuesday expressing his team's sadness.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe, his wife, Diane, and the Philbin family as they cope with their loss," Thompson said. "This is an emotional and difficult time for them, and we ask that everyone respect their privacy. All of us in the Packers family share in their grief."
The body was found Monday in the Fox River after Oshkosh police put out an alert asking citizens for help in locating Philbin, a Ripon, Wisconsin, resident.
His last known communication was at 2 a.m. Sunday, police said.
"He talked to a friend. He didn't sound like he was under duress or he had any medical condition," police spokesman Joe Nichols told CNN affiliate WTMJ Monday. "The phone conversation ended, and that was the last time someone had voice contact."
His father, longtime college and NFL coach Joe Philbin, was preparing for the Packers' first playoff game this season against the New York Giants, set for Sunday.
Michael Philbin is the second-eldest of six children of Joe Philbin and his wife Diane, according to the Packers' website.
His father coached for 19 years at college football programs before coming to Green Bay in 2003 as an assistant offensive line coach. He became the team's offensive coordinator in 2007 and played a significant part in the Packers' league-best 15-1 regular season record this season.
Today I read about the 7,000 kilometers along the West African coastline, a submarine fiber-optic cable emerges off the coast of Nigeria to help bridge the digital divide in the continent. Dubbed Main One Cable, the system links West Africa with Europe, bringing ultra-fast broadband in the region. It runs from Seixal in Portugal through Accra in Ghana to Lagos in Nigeria and branches out in Morocco, Canary Islands, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. The cable, which has a capacity of 1.92 terabits a second, first went live in July 2010, becoming the first subsea cable to bring open-access, broadband capacity in West Africa, according to Funke Opeke, chief executive of Nigeria's Main One Cable Company. She says high-speed, low-priced, reliable broadband is key in transforming African economies and creating job opportunities.
1-10-12 Today I read an article with the title of Senior's photo deemed too sexy for yearbook. I read that A high school senior's racy picture is causing controversy after the yearbook staff refused to publish it, calling the picture inappropriate. The photo shows 18-year-old Sydney Spies in a short skirt and revealing top. She had it taken by a professional photographer in her hometown of Durango, Colorado, and submitted it to the yearbook with her mother's approval. She tells me that she has grown tired of seeing all the boring pictures submitted, and she wanted to do something different," said Sydney's mother, Miki Spies.
1/10/12
Today I read about DNA may help Seattle area sheriff's deputies find a suspect in a 20 year old killing after a comparison with genealogy records connected a crime-scene sample to a 17th-century Massachusetts family. The DNA sample was taken in the death of 16-year-old Sarah Yarborough, who was killed on her high school campus in Federal Way, Washington, in December 1991. The King County Sheriff's Office has circulated two composite sketches of a possible suspect -- a man in his 20s at the time with shoulder-length blonde or light brown hair -- but had been unable to put a name to the sketch.
today i read he outgoing Mississippi governor's full pardon of a convicted murderer has intensified fears that the man will try "to finish what he started," one of his surviving victims said.
"I feel like my safety is in jeopardy," Randy Walker, who was shot and wounded by convicted killer David Gatlin, said Wednesday. "I wonder if he's going to finish what he's started."
Gatlin walked into a trailer in 1993 where his estranged wife, Tammy Ellis, lived and shot her in the head as she held her 6-week-old baby in her arms. Walker, the woman's friend, survived a gunshot wound to the head. Gatlin was convicted of murder, aggravated assault and burglary of a residence.
A Southern California man has been convicted of child endangerment for hitting his crying 7-year-old son and then throwing him off a tour boat in busy Newport Harbor, Orange County, the district attorney's office said this week.
A court sentenced Sloan Briles to three years of formal probation, one year in a child abusers treatment program, and 180 days in a Veterans Administration residential treatment program, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. It added that prosecutors objected to the sentence, arguing that the defendant should be ordered to spend more time in jail.
In response to a court offer, Briles, 35, had pleaded guilty to one felony count of child abuse and endangerment and one misdemeanor count of resisting an officer, the statement said.
Briles had previously claimed that he had done nothing wrong.
He told CNN affiliate KTLA in August that "we were having fun, it was a harbor cruise!" He said he did not hit his son and he "did nothing except jump in the water with my kid."
Briles, who's divorced, was on the tour boat on a Sunday afternoon in August with his two sons, ages 6 and 7, when he got into an argument with his current girlfriend, sheriff's office spokesman Jim Amormino said in August.
The boat, named the Queen, takes passengers past Newport Beach houses that are or were occupied by celebrities, including the home where the late John Wayne lived, Amormino said.
Briles's 7-year-old son became upset about the argument and started crying, Amormino said.
The defendant was "under the influence of alcohol" at the time, according to the district attorney's statement.
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) -- The race for the Republican presidential nomination headed south Wednesday, one day after a resounding New Hampshire primary win for Mitt Romney that left the rest of the GOP field scrambling to catch the former Massachusetts governor.
South Carolina is next on the primary calendar; voters there head to the polls January 21. Romney's main rivals are counting on the state's social conservatism and reputation for brass-knuckle political brawls to slow the former governor's momentum. The Palmetto State has picked the winner of every GOP nomination fight since 1980.
Romney is hoping a combination of momentum, campaign cash, growing establishment support and a fractured opposition will lead to a victory not only in South Carolina but also in Florida at the end of the month. Romney victories in the first four contests -- starting with Iowa last week -- could bring the Republican contest to an early conclusion.
"I have a long way to go before I get the nomination," Romney told CNN Wednesday morning. The other candidates will "find new attacks. (But) I think in the final analysis people want someone who can lead the country back to strength with good jobs and rising incomes, and all these attacks I think will fall entirely flat."
America's contentious and costly war in Iraq officially ended Thursday with an understated ceremony in Baghdad that contrasted sharply with its thundering start almost nine years ago.
U.S. troops lowered the flag of command that flew over the Iraqi capital, carefully rolled it and cased it in camouflage in accordance with Army tradition.
Today I read the search of Ayla Reynolds has been going on for 26 days and they (divers) still haven’t found any signs yet. Ayla’s father Justin DiPietro said he put her to sleep at 8 a.m. at December 16, and the next morning he called the police saying that she was missing and until then they couldn’t find her. And all her family wants her to be back unharmed.
Today I read about a militant attack on a government vehicle in Yemen's business capital, Aden, killed a political security officer and injured seven others. The incident happened as the intelligence officers were heading to work. The injured were taken to a government hospital. Eyewitnesses said that heavy artillery was used in the attack. Security officials blamed al Qaeda. This is not the first time intelligence officers were attacked in Aden. At least 34 have been killed or injured since last September. A dozen such attacks have taken place in Aden over the last six months.
1-11-12
Today I read about, The leading killers of Americans continue to be non-infectious diseases like heart disease, strokes and lung diseases. The rest of the common killers remained fairly consistent compared with 2009, according to the report released Wednesday. The death rate in the United States dropped slightly from 749.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2009 to 746.2 deaths per 100,000.
Today i read The family of Robert Champion, who died in November after he was beaten on a bus, allegedly as part of a Florida A&M University band hazing ritual, will sue the bus company, their attorney said Tuesday.
The bus and its air conditioning system is believed to have been running at the time Champion was beaten, attorney Chris Chestnut said, and the bus driver might not have been aboard. The family is suing Fabulous Coach Lines, based in Branford, Florida
Today i read that the family of Robert Champion, who died in November after he was beaten on a bus, allegedly as part of a Florida A&M University band hazing ritual, will sue the bus company, their attorney said Tuesday.
The bus and its air conditioning system is believed to have been running at the time Champion was beaten, attorney Chris Chestnut said, and the bus driver might not have been aboard. The family is suing Fabulous Coach Lines, based in Branford, Florida
Today i read that the family of Robert Champion, who died in November after he was beaten on a bus, allegedly as part of a Florida A&M University band hazing ritual, will sue the bus company, their attorney said Tuesday.
The bus and its air conditioning system is believed to have been running at the time Champion was beaten, attorney Chris Chestnut said, and the bus driver might not have been aboard. The family is suing Fabulous Coach Lines, based in Branford, Florida
1/11/12
Today I read about the son of Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin died from fresh water drowning and there was no evidence of foul play, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, police said Wednesday. The body of Michael Philbin, 21, was pulled from a river Monday, a day after he went missing while in Oshkosh to visit friends, police said. Son of Packers coach found dead On behalf of the team, Packers general manager Ted Thompson said everyone's thoughts and prayers were with the family. His father coached for 19 years at college football programs before coming to Green Bay in 2003 as an assistant offensive line coach. He became the team's offensive coordinator in 2007 and played a significant part in the Packers' league-best 15-1 regular season record this season.
Today I read about how two of the four Marines shows a video of them urinating on dead bodies. But their names are not being put out there. Afghanistan was shocked and mad about this video. The U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says, "This conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military and does not reflect the standards of values our armed forces are sworn to uphold."
1/12/12
Today I read about Casey Anthony told a psychiatrist and a psychologist she believed she was drugged at a 2004 party and became pregnant with her daughter, Caylee, in whose death four years later she was tried and acquitted. Anthony, 25, was acquitted last summer of murder charges in the 2008 death of Caylee, 2, but was convicted of four counts of lying to authorities investigating the child's disappearance. She is living at an undisclosed location in Florida while she serves a one-year probation sentence for her 2010 conviction on check fraud charges. Casey Anthony's defense attorneys maintained that Caylee was not murdered at all. They said the child drowned in the Anthonys' above-ground pool in 2008, and that Casey Anthony and her father, George Anthony, panicked upon finding her there and covered up the death. George Anthony denied that in his testimony. Defense attorneys explained Casey Anthony's behavior in the month before Caylee's disappearance was reported to police by saying that she had been sexually abused by her father from the age of 8 and had been taught to conceal her pain. According to Danziger, Anthony said the sexual abuse by her father ended when she was 11.
Today I read about a terrorist attack in Afghanistan Thursday killed five people, including a government official and his two sons. Haji Fazeludin Agha, chief of Panjwai district in southern Kandahar province, was killed, along with his two sons, ages 16 and 4, and two police officers, according to a statement by the presidential palace. Another nine people were wounded. A bomber blew himself up in the attack on the Kandahar-Herat highway. President Hamid Karzai issued a statement saying the enemies of Afghanistan should understand that such attacks will not cause the country to give up efforts toward peace and reconstruction. Rather, such acts will further strengthen them.
today i read
Two of the four Marines shown in a video urinating on dead bodies sprawled out on the ground have been identified by the Marine Corps, a Marine Corps official told CNN Thursday.
The names are not being made public, said the official, who did not want to be identified because the investigation is ongoing.
The identities were determined as officials in the United States and Afghanistan expressed shock and outrage regarding the video, which was posted Wednesday to a number of websites.
"I have seen the footage, and I find the behavior depicted in it utterly deplorable," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. "I condemn it in the strongest possible terms."
Panetta said he has ordered the Marine Corps and International Security Assistance Force Commander Gen. John Allen "to immediately and fully investigate the incident
Iranian daily demands revenge for
slain scientists
Iran has a right to retaliate for scientists' killings, a leading newspaper argues
Iran's U.N. ambassador blames Israel for the attacks
Three scientists have been killed in the last 2 years in similar bombings
The United States denies any role; Israeli official says he has "no idea" who's behind them
CNN) -- An Alabama judge signed an order Thursday declaring Natalee Holloway legally dead, attorneys for her family said.
Probate Judge Alan King signed the order after an afternoon hearing in Jefferson County court in Birmingham.
Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving a nightclub on the Caribbean island of Aruba with Joran van der Sloot and two other men. No one was ever charged in her disappearance, and her body has never been found.
On Wednesday, van der Sloot -- who was detained twice in connection with Holloway's disappearance but never charged -- confessed in a Lima court to murdering a 21-year-old Peruvian woman five years after Holloway went missing.
In 2005, the Alabama teenager was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham.
Dave Holloway, Natalee's father, filed a petition to declare his daughter dead six years later, in June.
Beth Holloway, his ex-wife and the teen's mother, has said she opposes the move, saying in a September statement she "will always hope and pray for Natalee's safe return."
today i read An Alabama judge signed an order Thursday declaring Natalee Holloway legally dead, attorneys for her family said.Probate Judge Alan King signed the order after an afternoon hearing in Jefferson County court in Birmingham.
Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving a nightclub on the Caribbean island of Aruba with Joran van der Sloot and two other men. No one was ever charged in her disappearance, and her body has never been found.On Wednesday, van der Sloot -- who was detained twice in connection with Holloway's disappearance but never charged -- confessed in a Lima court to murdering a 21-year-old Peruvian woman five years after Holloway went missing.In 2005, the Alabama teenager was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham.Dave Holloway, Natalee's father, filed a petition to declare his daughter dead six years later, in June.Beth Holloway, his ex-wife and the teen's mother, has said she opposes the move, saying in a September statement she "will always hope and pray for Natalee's safe return."
Her attorney, John Kelly, said Thursday there is no evidence showing the teen is deceased. Beth Holloway, who now works with groups and families of missing children, feels she is letting them down by agreeing to have her daughter declared dead, Kelly said.Both parents were present for the hearing. Mark White, the attorney for Dave Holloway, said before the court session that no one was expected to come forward to formally contest the request.Dave Holloway previously testified at a hearing that his daughter has not been seen in more than five years and no body has been found, White said.
In the September hearing, King ruled the petition could go forward, according to CNN affiliate WBRC.
At that time, King ruled that a notice of presumption of death must be published in a local newspaper for two successive weeks, followed by a 12-week time frame to submit any evidence the teen is still alive, WBRC said. Barring any such evidence, the judge would then be able to declare her dead.Dave Holloway filed the petition to achieve closure for his family, White said, but also to resolve his daughter's estate. She is still listed as a participant and beneficiary on her father's health insurance, and there is a small college fund in her name.Van der Sloot pleaded guilty Wednesday to all the charges against him in connection with the killing of a Peruvian woman in 2010.The 24-year-old Dutch national faces a sentence of 30 years.Investigators believe van der Sloot killed Stephany Flores after she found something related to the Holloway case on van der Sloot's computer as she visited with him in his hotel room.Van der Sloot also faces possible extradition to the United States. In June 2010, a federal grand jury in Alabama indicted him on charges of wire fraud and extortion after allegations surfaced that he tried to extort $250,000 from Holloway's mother. Van der Sloot offered to provide what turned out to be bogus information about the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway's remains in exchange for the money, according to the indictment.
He was allegedly given a total of $25,000, and authorities believe he used that money to travel to Peru and participate in a poker tournament, where he met Flores.
Today i read about A terrorist attack in Afghanistan Thursday killed five people, including a government official and his two sons, officials said. Haji Fazeludin Agha, chief of Panjwai district in southern Kandahar province, was killed, along with his two sons, ages 16 and 4, and two police officers, according to a statement by the presidential palace. Another nine people were wounded, the statement said. A bomber blew himself up in the attack on the Kandahar-Herat highway, the statement said. President Hamid Karzai issued a statement saying the "enemies" of Afghanistan should understand that such attacks will not cause the country to give up efforts toward peace and reconstruction. Rather, such acts will "further strengthen them," Karzai said.
today i read : Divers in Maine were scouring a river Wednesday in their search for a missing 21-month-old girl, but had found no sign of her in the frigid waters, authorities said.
"We're making progress. I can tell you honestly that as the days go on, our concern grows, as it's been 26 days. But I can also tell you that we remain hopeful that we will bring her back to her home," Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland told reporters.
The search for Ayla Reynolds focused Wednesday on a half-mile area of the Kennebec River that stretches from downtown Waterville to the Carter Memorial Bridge. Officials said they had received more than 600 tips, but nothing that specifically pointed to that area.
1-12-12
Today i read about,Dozens of western North Carolina homes were damaged, including 16 destroyed, in a tornado and storms that also injured 15 persons, authorities said Thursday.The National Weather Service on Thursday confirmed that Wednesday night's storm in Rutherford County was a tornado classified on the Enhanced Fujita scale as an EF-2, with estimated maximum wind speed of 115 mph.
today i read A Corpus Christi, Texas, teenager is suing her family, claiming they are trying to force her to have an abortion.
The 14-year-old girl is 10 weeks pregnant and wants to carry her child to term, says her attorney.
The teen sought legal help after she was allegedly physically and verbally assaulted by her grandmother and two cousins.
The grandmother and both cousins are accused in the suit of verbally abusing the girl and scheduling an appointment for an abortion without the teen's permission. The teen's lawyers were able to get an emergency restraining order put in place before the scheduled abortion.
One of the cousins is also accused in the suit of threatening and physically harming the girl.
CNN's calls to the grandmother went unanswered. CNN could not reach either of the cousins.
"The girl was grabbed by the neck, hit across the face, and thrown into a car in addition to the verbal abuse," said Stephen Casey, the teen's lawyer, who refused to release the girl's name.
Casey is with the Texas Center for Defense of Life, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to pro-life organizations and residents in Texas and who has tried similar cases before.
1/13/12
Today I read about three people were killed and a fourth was wounded in a shooting Friday at a lumber company in North Carolina, a county sheriff said. Investigators later found a man witnesses identified as the shooter in his home with a gunshot wound to the head, said Sheriff Dempsey Owens of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Investigators summoned to the business around 6:15 a.m. found four people inside who had been shot. Three were dead. A fourth was flown by helicopter to a hospital at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the sheriff said. possibility Davis was being harassed at work, though he stressed that investigators had not yet identified a motive.
Today i read that three people were killed and a fourth was wounded in a shooting Friday at a lumber company in North Carolina, a county sheriff said.
Investigators later found a man witnesses identified as the shooter in his home with a gunshot wound to the head, said Sheriff Dempsey Owens of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Both the fourth victim and the alleged shooter were in critical condition, Owens said.
The shooting happened at the McBride Lumber Co., about a mile north of Star, North Carolina, about 50 miles south of Greensboro, Owens said.
All five individuals worked at the company, Owens noted.
Investigators summoned to the business around 6:15 a.m. found four people inside who had been shot. Three were dead. A fourth was flown by helicopter to a hospital at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the sheriff said.
1-13-12 Today I read an article with the title of 3 killed in North Carolina workplace shooting. I read that Three people were killed and a fourth was wounded in a shooting Friday at a lumber company in North Carolina. Investigators later found a man witnesses identified as the shooter in his home with a gunshot wound to the head. Both the fourth victim and the alleged shooter were in critical condition. The shooting happened at the McBride Lumber Co., about a mile north of Star, North Carolina, about 50 miles south of Greensboro. All five individuals worked at the company, Owens noted.
(CNN) -- A federal judge disclosed Friday that former presidential candidate John Edwards has a life-threatening heart condition, a court source confirmed to CNN.
Edwards had sought a delay in his criminal corruption trial, scheduled to begin later this month.
Attorneys and a federal judge met in a North Carolina courtroom Friday afternoon for a status hearing regarding the pending trial of Edwards, a former U.S. senator.
Edwards appeared in person at Friday's hearing. His lawyers had made the motion for a delay under seal, but some of its details were publicly revealed by the judge in the open hearing.
The criminal trial has been delayed until at least March 26, according to the court source. Judge Catherine Eagles said she has been in contact with Edwards' cardiologist, who recommended a postponement, saying Edwards is scheduled to undergo surgery next month.
Today I read about how a man was gunned down in front of children as they were leaving to go home. The shooting happened at 1 p.m. Parents say they witnessed the attack. The victim was 30 years old who was shot 9 times with a 45-caliber pistol. In the first nine months of 2011 there were 12,903 homicides in Mexico, according to official statistics.
Today I read about doctors around the country taking an exam to become board certified in radiology have cheated by memorizing test questions, creating sophisticated banks of what are known as recalls. The recall exams are meticulously compiled by radiology residents, who write down the questions after taking the test, in radiology programs around the country, including some of the most prestigious programs in the U.S. Asked if this were considered cheating. Radiology residents must sign a document agreeing not to share test material. Dozens of radiology residents interviewed by CNN said that they promised before taking the written test to memorize certain questions and write them down immediately after the test along with fellow residents.
1-13-12
Today i read about,The list of police officers and agencies targeted by Anonymous is long. From New York to Oakland, California, cops had their Web sites hacked; personal information, including the home addresses of specific police officers, was posted online; and officers who used pepper spray on Occupy protesters, including NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna and Lt. John Pike at the University of California-Davis, saw their entire life histories blasted out in Web videos and document dumps.
toda i read The Wisconsin Democratic Party has until Tuesday to submit at least 540,208 signatures in order to seek a recall of first-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who drew the ire of labor unions and public school teachers after he stripped public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
The party has said that it is confident that it will have the signatures needed and has said it is working to significantly exceed the required number.
The number of required signatures is equal to one quarter of the number of votes cast for governor in the previous election.
"We think we are going to hit or exceed 720,000 signatures. I think it's going to be a very impressive number that we hand in beyond any challenge that this election is going to happen," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate told
Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 23-year-old Iraq War veteran accused of stabbing four homeless men to death in California, was charged Tuesday with four counts of first-degree murder. The first victim was stabbed more than 40 times. The weapon was a 7-inch heavy-gauge Ka-Bar knife. This man served for the Marines from July 2006 until July 2010 and got deployed to Iraq for 6 months in 2008. High school classmates were surprised when they heard that he was apart of the killing because they said he was a kind and an outgoing man.
today i read : Go to Wikipedia at midnight and you won't find any of the usual encyclopedia articles.
Instead, you'll be greeted with a message about anti-piracy bills that are topics of heated debate in the U.S. Congress -- stirring opposition from tech companies in Silicon Valley and support from media companies in Hollywood.
Wikipedia, one of the highest-traffic sites on the Internet, will shut down for 24 hours in protest of these laws, which the website says would make it very difficult -- maybe impossible -- for its nonprofit encyclopedia to continue to operate.CNN spoke on Tuesday with Jimmy Wales, a co-founder of Wikipedia, to find out exactly why the site -- long a defender of independence -- is making its first leap into the scrum of U.S. politics. The following is an edited transcript
Seattle could see one of its largest snowfalls since the 1940s as twin winter storms move over the Pacific Northwest during the next two days, according to the National Weather Service. Between 5 and 9 inches of snow could hit the Seattle-Tacoma area Wednesday, with 6 to 10 inches falling before the storms pass early Thursday, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist at the weather service's Seattle office. The first storm was moving over the area Monday into the day Tuesday. The second and stronger storm was forecast to hit Wednesday into Thursday. "It's pretty big when you get back-to-back storms like that," weather service meteorologist Roger Cloutier said. Scattered areas near Easton, Washington, along Interstate 90 in the Cascade Mountains 55 miles east of Seattle, have already received 32 inches of snow, Cloutier said
today i read about how At least 20 dolphins have died after washing up near several Cape Cod towns, an International Fund for Animal WelfareBetween 40 and 50 common and Atlantic white-sided dolphins have been found stranded close to the shore since Thursday, and the number will likely rise, said IFAW spokeswoman Kerry Branon. Some animals were released Monday near Provincetown, bringing the total number of animals saved to 19.
"It may not sound like a high success rate, but when you consider that 27 were alive when they washed up, I think we're doing pretty well." The remaining eight that were stranded alive died
The Seattle-Tacoma area was poised to see what could be one of its largest snowfalls in decades. Monster snowstorm slams northwest As of late Wednesday morning, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had received 4 inches of snow, with 4.7 inches measured in Tacoma, as the second of twin winter storms moved through, according to the National Weather Service Up to 8 inches of snow was forecast for the metropolitan area. The southwest interior of Washington state, including the capital, Olympia, could be blanketed by up to 20 inches of snow, the weather service said, an increase from an earlier forecast of 5 to 10 inches. Olympia already had recorded 10 inches before 11 a.m. Wednesday.
1/18/12
Today I read about half a million people will face an emergency bordering on famine by March if international humanitarian organizations are not allowed into areas of Sudan that are mired in conflict, United States envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman warned Wednesday. The American envoy said a lack of leadership, a history of vicious ethnic violence and the indictment of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court are all factors that have complicated the crisis in that country. The two sides continue to bicker over oil revenue, and the South has also been plagued by deadly tribal wars. The Sudanese ambassador to South Africa, Ali Yusuf Alsharif, warned that the situation in his country could become worse than Somalia but he said that outside pressure will further complicate the situation.
Today I read about London protesters who have been camped outside the landmark St. Paul's Cathedral for the past three months lost their court bid to avoid eviction Wednesday.The High Court ruled in favor of the City of London Corporation, the body that runs London's financial district, which applied for an eviction order after the protesters failed to abide by a previous order to pack up the camp.
Central America's bloody drug problem
Honduras and Guatemala are key corridors for drugs coming to the U.S. from South America
In Honduras, homicides have more than doubled in five years, making it world's murder capital
Unlike Mexico, there are no big drug cartels battling for control in Central America
Today I read about researchers revealed breathtaking images on Thursday of a kamikaze comet called C/2011 N3 taking a swan-dive into the sun.
Images and research published in the journal Science show a house-sized rock plummeting at more than 1 million miles per hour through million-degree temperatures to within a relative hair's breadth of the sun's surface.
Observations like this have never been seen before, says Karel Schrijver, who led the research at Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in Palo Alto, California. "It's never been observed anywhere near this close to the sun."
Today I read about a suicide bomber in a car blew himself up in front of an airport in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least seven civilians. The fatalities in the blast at the Kandahar International Airport included two children, with at least eight people injured. Casualties included foreigners, according to Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, the spokesman. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the attack hit an entry check point, but foreign troops are not among the casualties. The attack is the latest in Afghanistan this week, including a suicide bombing that killed 13 people. The attack occurred after a motorcyclist sped up to a group of people, wounding 22 others in addition to the fatalities.
1/19/12
Today I read about suicide bomber in a car blew himself up in front of an airport in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least seven civilians, police said. A Taliban spokesman said the militant group is responsible for the attack and was targeting a convoy of foreigners nearby. The attack occurred after a motorcyclist sped up to a group of people, wounding 22 others in addition to the fatalities, the Helmand governor said.
The Supreme Court has tossed out the Texas redistricting map for congressional and legislative seats drawn up by a federal court, giving a partial victory to GOP lawmakers. In an unsigned opinion issued just 11 days after holding oral arguments, the justices on Friday said a revised map that differed greatly from the one created by the legislature used ambiguous standards.At issue are competing maps for the Texas state legislative and congressional districts – created first by Republican lawmakers that favored their political base, and later by a federal judicial panel to give minorities greater voting power
Today I read about how allied forces suffered a day of heavy losses in Afghanistan Friday after a helicopter crash killed six U.S. Marines and an attack killed four French soldiers, prompting Paris to consider an early troop withdrawal.The helicopter crashed in Helmand province. Afghan soldier killed four French soldiers and injured 15 others, one critically, in eastern Afghanistan, French officials said.
1-20-12
Today i read about,Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.
She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.
U.S. authorities overreacted in shutting down the online file-sharing site Megaupload and seeking criminal charges against its executives, the company's American lawyer said Friday.
"We believe that the allegations are without merit and Megaupload is going to vigorously defend against the case," attorney Ira Rothken said.
1/20/12
Today I read about a guy who went to Henduras recording a men who get kill by a gang and people knows who were the ones who kill him but just because their afraid they stay quiet.They say that everyday 8 people get kill in honduras the gang don’t even care if they young or old they just killed bye them.And if people still quiet like that they gonna get dead little by little .
today i read State College, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will be buried Wednesday in a private family service, with a public memorial service to follow the next day, his family announced Monday.
Paterno, 85, died Sunday, less than three months after his 61-year career with the Nittany Lions abruptly ended amid criticism of his response to alleged child sexual abuse by a former assistant.
Public viewings were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning on the Penn State campus, followed by a private funeral service and burial Wednesday afternoon, the university and a public relations company hired by the family said Monday.
A public memorial service was scheduled for Thursday at Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State campus.
The university said it was limiting tickets for the memorial service to two per person and would not allow signs at the service. Photography and videos were also to be banned, the school said.
Additional details were still being worked out, according to the family.
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Hawaii's Big Island Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. The quake, centered 26 miles south of Hilo at a depth of five miles, hit at 4:36 p.m., according to the USGS. It was followed by about a dozen aftershocks, the biggest of which had a magnitude of 3.1, USGS data shows.
After Iran threat, U.S. aircraft carrier goes through Strait of Hormuz without incident
The USS Abraham Lincoln heads into the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy says
British and French ships accompany the U.S. carrier group, Britain's military says
Iran had threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. defense secretary says the U.S. will continue to have a presence in the Gulf
A British defense ministry spokesman, who was not named per policy, said Sunday that the "HMS Argyll and a French vessel joined a U.S. carrier group" going through the strait "to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law."
Today I read about a Penn State legendary that died from lung cancer. Joe Paterno died when he was 85. He was fired in November 2011 during his 46th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions program. Joe was the head coach for the football team for 46 season.Paterno passed the report along to university executives, who are facing criminal charges, accused of misleading investigators and failing to properly report the alleged abuse. Paterno was not charged.
1-23-12
Today I read about, A sports buff who typically writes about basketball and women's issues, Brugato didn't expect her quip to be taken so seriously that death threats would follow, that the national media would look up from elections or that ads featuring aborted fetuses would air during the Super Bowl on February 5. Brugato sparked the firestorm when she asked her fellow supporters of abortion rights to kick some cash to the cause when the Denver Broncos quarterback scored.
1/22/12
Today I read about To hate religions because that’s not the solution I think you should just believe and god because he is the one who do everything. With so many atheists coming out of the closet, it’s not difficult to imagine a video decrying religion racking up millions of hits on YouTube.
1-23-12 Today I read an article with the title of Two more bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, Italian. Bringing the number of confirmed victims of the accident to 15. The two women were found on Bridge 4, near the ship's Internet cafe, said Franco Gabrielli, the official in charge of the operation. About 17 people remain missing after the ship collided with rocks January 13 off the coast of Tuscany, according to a CNN count. Salvage workers are to begin pumping fuel out of the liner Monday. Salvage will start any minute," Adm. Ilarione Dell'Anna said Monday afternoon. It will take 28 working days to remove all the fuel from the ship.
Today A 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Hawaii's Big Island Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. The quake, centered 26 miles south of Hilo at a depth of five miles, hit at 4:36 p.m., according to the USGS. It was followed by about a dozen aftershocks, the biggest of which had a magnitude of 3.1, USGS data shows. The quakes caused two small collapses in a lava delta from the Kilauea volcanic eruption, bigislandvideonews.com reported, citing a USGS press release. No other damage was reported
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A state law mandating "humane treatment" of downed livestock headed for the slaughterhouse was unanimously overturned Monday by the Supreme Court.
At issue was whether federal regulations dealing with inspection of domesticated animals about to be killed, processed, and sold for human consumption preempted -- or nullified -- California Penal Code 599f.
Several justices had earlier noted the good intentions behind the state action, but all now agreed that it went too far into the traditional federal arena.
U.S. Supreme Court rules on health care challenge| GPS tracking
"The Federal Meat Inspection Act regulates slaughterhouses' handling and treatment of non-ambulatory pigs from the moment of their delivery through the end of the meat production process," wrote Justice Elena Kagan. "California's (law) endeavors to regulate the same thing, at the same time, in the same place -- except by imposing different requirements. The FMIA expressly preempts such a state law."
1/24/12
Today I read about a joint military task force in Nigeria arrested 158 suspected members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, security sources told CNN Tuesday, three days after a spate of bombings and shootings left more than 200 people dead in Nigeria's second-largest city. Some suspects resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the task force in the city of Kano, said security sources who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media. The death spurred the group to begin its attacks on police stations. Ensuing clashes between group members and the police killed hundreds.The following year, Boko Haram re-emerged as a more radicalized, insurgent-style group, staging assassinations and attacks against not only government targets, but also churches and even a beer garden.
Today I read about a joint military task force in Nigeria arrested 158 suspected members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, security sources told CNN Tuesday, three days after a spate of bombings and shootings left more than 200 people dead in Nigeria's second-largest city.
Some suspects resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the task force in the city of Kano, said security sources who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
No casualties have been reported so far, they said.
The arrests come as community leaders said the number of dead from the Kano bombing and gun attacks has risen to at least 211.
Community leaders have been keeping their own count of the number of dead from Friday's attacks, they told CNN Tuesday, including victims who never made it to hospitals. They declined to be quoted by name for security reasons.
Government officials declined to confirm the number of victims. They previously put the death toll at 157.
"This is a time for all Nigerians to stand united," the U.S. State Department says
A military task force arrests 158 suspected Boko Haram members, sources say
Police report seizing hundreds of explosives hidden in soft drink cans
Boko Haram, an Islamist group, says it carried out recent attacks, a newspaper says
Some suspects resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the task force in the city of Kano, said security sources who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
1-25-12
Today I read about, -- Bryan Ganey slowly climbed out of his parents' car. Michael and Martha Ganey had driven their son to work because he wasn't feeling well -- for the past couple of days, simple tasks had left him short of breath and exhausted.At 577 pounds, being out of shape was normal for Bryan, so he ignored it. But as he headed toward the door of his office on June 20, 2010, the ground suddenly shifted.
1/25/12
Today I read about In his answers to prosecutors, defense attorneys and a judge, the captain of the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia admitted he made a "mistake" in colliding with rocks off the Italian island of Giglio.However, in statements made during a phone conversation with a friend earlier this month, Capt. Francesco Schettino said managers pressured him to steer the ship to the area where the collision occurred, two Italian newspapers reported Wednesday.Both Costa Cruises and authorities have criticized Schettino's behavior. He is under house arrest and faces possible charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship when the vessel struck rocks and rolled over onto its side in the waters off the island on January 13.
-- Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will be laid to rest Wednesday at a private funeral and burial service after thousands of mourners lined up to say goodbye.
Thousands -- students, alumni, players and supporters -- filed past Paterno's casket Tuesday during a public viewing for the legendary coach.
(CNN) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who moved the nation with an improbable comeback after a gunman shot her in the head last year, formally resigned Wednesday in an emotional appearance in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"I will recover and will return," the Arizona Democrat said in a letter read aloud by her friend and colleague, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who fought back tears.
A standing ovation roared across the House chamber for Giffords. Teary-eyed legislators from both parties applauded Giffords as she submitted her letter of resignation to House Speaker John Boehner, who also fought back tears.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Giffords the "brightest star among us."
"She has brought the word 'dignity' to new heights by her courage," Pelosi said. "You will be missed in the House of Representatives."
1-25-12 Today I read an article with the title of Suspected al-Qaeda militants leave town in Yemen they had taken over. I read that a crew of suspected al Qaeda militants who had taken over a town in Yemen evacuated after tense negotiations. The militants left the town of Radda in exchange for the release of three prisoners. The militants had wanted 16 prisoners released, but a deal was struck after four days of negotiations.Among the prisoners released was the brother of the leader of the group who took over the town.
Today I read about how the cruise ship captain admits mistake from sinking. Capt. Francesco Schettino said managers pressured him to steer the ship to the area where the collision occurred, two Italian newspapers reported Wednesday.He is under house arrest and faces possible charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship when the vessel struck rocks and rolled over onto its side in the waters off the island on January 13. 16 bodies was found on Tuesday.
U.S. special forces swooped into Somalia in a pair of helicopters in a daring overnight raid to rescue two kidnapped aid workers -- an American and a Dane -- and killed the nine gunmen holding them, American officials said Wednesday. The hostages, Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted, were seized in October after they visited humanitarian projects in northern Somalia, said the Danish Refugee Council, the agency for which they worked. Both are unharmed, the aid group said. They were taken to a regional medical facility and received care from U.S. military doctors and nurses, Pentagon spokesman George Little said Wednesday. Andreas Kamm, secretary-general of the Danish Refugee Council, told CNN the agency was "very relieved" that both hostages had been safely rescued. Obama to Panetta: 'Good job' on rescue Navy SEALs strike again "They are not hospitalized," Kamm said, so "we take it as a sign that they're OK.“ The pair phoned their families from the African nation of Djibouti after the rescue, said Ann Mary Olsen of the Danish Refugee Council, according to Danish TV2 reporter Thorkild Dahl. Navy SEALs from the unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year in Pakistan were part of the mission, a U.S. official said, without specifying whether any of the same individuals were on both assaults
U.S. special forces swooped into Somalia in a pair of helicopters in a daring overnight raid to rescue two kidnapped aid workers -- an American and a Dane -- and killed the nine gunmen holding them, American officials said Wednesday. The hostages, Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted, were seized in October after they visited humanitarian projects in northern Somalia, said the Danish Refugee Council, the agency for which they worked. Both are unharmed, the aid group said. They were taken to a regional medical facility and received care from U.S. military doctors and nurses, Pentagon spokesman George Little said Wednesday. Andreas Kamm, secretary-general of the Danish Refugee Council, told CNN the agency was "very relieved" that both hostages had been safely rescued. Obama to Panetta: 'Good job' on rescue Navy SEALs strike again "They are not hospitalized," Kamm said, so "we take it as a sign that they're OK.“ The pair phoned their families from the African nation of Djibouti after the rescue, said Ann Mary Olsen of the Danish Refugee Council, according to Danish TV2 reporter Thorkild Dahl. Navy SEALs from the unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year in Pakistan were part of the mission, a U.S. official said, without specifying whether any of the same individuals were on both assaults
today i read Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will be laid to rest Wednesday at a private funeral and burial service after thousands of mourners lined up to say goodbye.
Thousands -- students, alumni, players and supporters -- filed past Paterno's casket Tuesday during a public viewing for the legendary coach.
The second viewing was scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Some mourners dabbed their eyes; others made the sign of the cross as they walked past the closed casket that was covered with roses. A black-and-white photograph of a smiling Paterno rested nearby
01:00 PM ET
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Remote tribe has social networks like ours
It was 2006 when a man approached anthropologist Coren Apicella and asked, “Have you heard about this man, Osama bin Laden? I just heard about him, and I heard he sets fire to things. I heard he’s hiding and he’s a very dangerous man.”
The man is from a society called the Hadza, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer populations in Africa and one of the closest remaining approximations to how the earliest humans lived. This community in Tanzania is so cut off from modernity that news of bin Laden’s existence hadn’t reached this man until five years after 9/11.
People in Hadzaland may not use Facebook or drive cars, but they have something fundamental that's in common with the Western world: Their networks of social ties look a lot like ours, according to a new study led by Apicella. Most interestingly, researchers report in Nature, the Hadza tend to be friends with people who are similar to them in the behavioral traits of cooperation and egotism.
Today I read about a highschool football players dad's son has difficulties on his memory after a big hit that put him into a concusion. The dad says he was a 4.0 student and now he's a straight C student. He said that doctors tried to help him with everything signing everthing to help him get his memory back. Also the doctors assigned him to get hyperbaric therapy to cervical spine surgery.
today i read There is a skull here, hundreds of fragments of bones there. Table after table is lined with human remains. One holds a near-complete skeleton, another has hundreds of tiny pieces of bone that could come from many different people. Together, it tells the story of life and death in the military.
At the world's largest skeletal identification laboratory more than 30 forensic anthropologists, archaeologists and dentists of Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command are working to put names to the remains.
Based at Hickam Air Force Base -- site of the Pearl Harbor attack -- in Honolulu, Hawaii, JPAC is made up of all branches of the U.S. military and civilian scientists, united in the goal of bringing back all 84,000 U.S. service members who went missing during war or military action.
The unit researches old war records and combs battle sites and aircraft crash sites in some of the most remote locations around the world.
Any recovered remains are brought back to JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory
1-26-12 Today I read an article with the title of 3 dead, 16 missing in Rio building collapse. I read that -- Civil defense officials in Rio de Janeiro Thursday corrected the number of bodies found amid the rubble of three collapsed buildings in the city's historic center. Three bodies have been recovered, not five. Sixteen others are missing, officials said, according to the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency. Rescue workers continued to dig through the rubble into the afternoon.
Today I read that the accused trigger man in the slayings of three men who answered a Craigslist ad for work on a cattle farm pleaded not guilty Wednesday. The reading of the 28-page indictment against Richard Beasley, 52, took nearly an hour, said April Wiesner, director of communications for the Summit County prosecutor's office. An attorney entered the plea on behalf of Beasley, who appeared via a video link. Beasley faces multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery as well as a host of other charges, according to indictment. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for February 8. Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron, Ohio; David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio; were found dead in separate shallow graves after they responded to an online ad soliciting workers between August and November of last year, authorities have said.
1/26/12
Today I read about Civil defense officials in Rio de Janeiro Thursday corrected the number of bodies found amid the rubble of three collapsed buildings in the city's historic center.It was not immediately clear what caused the collapses of the 20-story building and the adjacent 10- and 4-story buildings. Officials said they were investigating both the possibility of a gas leak and a structural failure. Cars parked on the street near the buildings were covered in dust, and there was a strong smell of gas in the area, fire officials said, according to the news agency. The lobby of one of the buildings contained a bank branch and a bakery, Agencia Brasil said. Electrical engineer Jorge Drauss told TV Record he was drinking juice at a nearby diner when he saw small stones falling from the top of one of the buildings.
In the face of economic sanctions and international condemnation, Iran remains defiant over its nuclear energy program.
It has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major passageway for much of the world's oil, in retaliation for any embargo. And it has vowed to punish the United States and Israel, accusing them of being connected to the recent assassinations of some Iranian nuclear scientists.
U.S. and Israeli officials have denied having anything to do with the mysterious killings, but they're not backing down on their hard-line stance.
"As long as (the Iranians) shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent," U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday night in his State of the Union speech. "Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better."
Tehran insists it's pursuing nuclear energy for civilian purposes, not for military use. The U.S. and its allies aren't buying it.
Last week, Obama's former national security adviser said he thought this could be the year that things finally come to a head.
"I think 2012 has seen itself as the year that Iran has got to be dealt with one way or the other," said James L. Jones, speaking at a panel discussion in Washington.
But what way will that be? Will a peaceful solution present itself, or will the situation devolve into a military conflict?
CNN.com reached out to five experts for their opinion and analysis
Today I read about Joshua Komisarjevsky getting sentenced to death for killing a woman and her two daughters in 2007."The task of sentencing another human being to death is the most sober and somber experience a judge can have," said Superior Court Judge Jon Blue. Komisarjevsky says he "came into this trial angry and defiant." In addition he says, "I did not rape. I did not pour that gas or light that fire."
A judge in New Haven sentenced a 31-year-old man to death Friday for his role in a deadly home invasion that killed a woman and her two daughters in 2007.
Jurors convicted Joshua Komisarjevsky in October on six capital felony charges. The 12-member jury had recommended death by lethal injection on each of the counts.
today i read After a stunning loss in South Carolina and an uneven performance in a debate on Monday, Mitt Romney appeared to get his swagger back and turned in a strong performance in Thursday's CNN/Republican Party of Florida debate. Here are five things we learned Thursday night.
Romney came to play
On the heels of his drubbing in South Carolina, Romney stabilized in the polls this week and now appears to be holding a comfortable lead in Florida. His renewed sense of confidence was on display Thursday night.
Romney, in what may have been his sharpest debate performance of the campaign, quickly put Gingrich on his heels with a swift 1-2 punch out of the gate.
First, he drew applause by forcefully brushing back Gingrich's claim that he is the most "anti-immigrant" candidate in the Republican field
Today I read that For 17-year-old Nathan Stiles, his senior year was supposed to be the best yet. He was a straight-A student and homecoming king at Spring Hill, Kansas, High School, and was the Broncos' star running back. He was a starter on the varsity basketball team and loved to sing at church. He was the son any mother dreamed of having. His mom, Connie, recalls, "He was an athlete, but school was important. His grades, his teachers and just having a family ... he had his priorities right.“ The final game of his senior year turned out to be the final game of his life. Nathan died playing the game he loved, football. His autopsy would reveal he died of second-impact syndrome, when a player is hit again before the brain has had a chance to heal from an initial concussion
1-27-12
Today I read about, A judge in New Haven sentenced a 31-year-old man to death Friday for his role in a deadly home invasion that killed a woman and her two daughters in 2007.Jurors convicted Joshua Komisarjevsky in October on six capital felony charges. The 12-member jury had recommended death by lethal injection on each of the counts.
1-27-12 Today I read an article with the title of Obama unveils plan to control college costs. I read that President Barack Obama unveiled a new college affordability plan Friday, proposing to further expand student financial aid while providing more assistance to schools that hold tuition down and cutting aid to those that do not. The plan is part of a populist White House pitch to middle class families that promises to play an integral role in the Democrats' 2012 campaign. Appearing before a raucous student crowd in Michigan -- a potentially critical swing state this year -- Obama outlined plans to boost total federal spending on Perkins loans from $1 billion to $8 billion. He also announced plans to push for the creation of a $1 billion competition encouraging states to contain public tuition rates, among other things.
1-30-12 Today I read an article with the title of Florida interstate crashes 'horrendous,' victim says; 10 dead. I read that After the crashes stopped, Steven Camps said, all he could hear was the sound of crying as the air, heavy with smoke, shone red from vehicle fires. He pulled his friend from their car, which wound up wedged between two tractor-trailers. The two were lying in the grassy median of Interstate 75, he said, praying that a car would not leave the roadway and hit them. The vehicle Camps was riding in was among those involved in a series of overnight accidents in northern Florida, blamed on poor visibility from smoke from a nearby brush fire, authorities said. Ten people were killed in the crashes, which the Florida Highway Patrol said involved at least 12 passenger cars and about seven semis
Today I read about a man named Joseph Ozment, a convicted murderer who was pardoned this month in a controversial move by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, has been found in Wyoming, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced Monday.Ozment is one of four convicted murderers Barbour pardoned early this month. He did not appear at a court hearing in a case challenging the pardons. Hood said previously officials wanted to serve Ozment with a document telling him to appear in court.
Irbil, Iraq (CNN) -- Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi has lashed out at Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, predicting that Iraq could soon return to widespread sectarian violence that could require the return of U.S. forces.
"Al-Maliki is pushing my country to reach a turning point with deeply sectarian dimension," the Sunni vice president told CNN on Sunday during an interview in the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north, where he has fled so that government forces loyal to the Shiite prime minister cannot execute an arrest warrant for him on charges of running a death squad.
He expressed concern that Americans "will face the same problem as they faced in 2003," when a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein and unleashing a wave of sectarian violence.
And he said he did not understand how U.S. President Barack Obama is able to characterize Iraq as a free, stable and democratic country.
"What sort of Iraq we are talking about?" he asked. "How the Americans will feel proud? How the American administration is going to justify to the taxpayer the billion of dollars that has been spent and at the end of the day the American saying, 'Sorry, we have no leverage even to put things in order in Iraq'?"
Though Iraq's instability may not affect this year's election campaign in the United States, "it is going to affect the American interest in the region, and they should be very much concern about that," al-Hashimi said. "The future of Iraq is grim."
Testing on blood found in the home of a missing Maine toddler has determined that some of it belonged to the girl, police said Sunday.
"The state crime lab confirms some of the blood samples are Ayla's," said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, referring to young Ayla Reynolds.
The girl's mother, Trista Reynolds, learned of the news Saturday, McCausland said.
A website created by Ayla's family disclosed the police findings in a posting Sunday, saying investigators told them the blood found was "more ... than a small cut would produce."
Police declined to comment on the website posting beyond confirming that testing revealed some of the blood was Ayla's.
Earlier Sunday, McCausland said that while some of the blood found in the home's basement "was visible to the naked eye, some wasn't."
The blood was discovered in the Waterville, Maine, home soon after Ayla was reported missing December 17.
1-30-12
Today I read about, Ozment is one of four convicted murderers Barbour pardoned early this month. He did not appear at a court hearing in a case challenging the pardons. Hood said previously officials wanted to serve Ozment with a document telling him to appear in court. According to a transcript of Ozment's confession to police, Ozment admitted being part of a robbery so he could have "Christmas money."
1/30/12
Today I read about after the crashes stopped, Steven Camps said, all he could hear was the sound of crying as the air, heavy with smoke, shone red from vehicle fires. The vehicle Camps was riding in was among those involved in a series of overnight accidents in northern Florida, blamed on poor visibility from smoke from a nearby brush fire, authorities said. Ten people were killed in the crashes, which the Florida Highway Patrol said involved at least 12 passenger cars and about seven semis. Late Sunday, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville issued a dense smoke advisory for early Monday morning. Smoke from nearby fires will cut visibility to less than a mile in some places, it said. While the dense smoke advisory expired at 8 a.m. ET, the weather service said later Monday that patchy smoke was possible and warned of reduced visibility. A dozen or more vehicles were involved in the crashes, Kelly said, describing the scene as "pure chaos" and the worst he has seen in his 14 years of service.
Monday. Today i read about a man who was involved in a terrible accident. His name was Seven Camps. The vehicle Camps was riding in was among those involved in a series of overnight accidents in northern Florida, blamed on poor visibility from smoke from a nearby brush fire, authorities said. Ten people were killed in the crashes, which the Florida Highway Patrol said involved at least 12 passenger cars and about seven semis. Most of the collisions were on Interstate 75, said Alachua County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Todd Kelly. Crashes also occurred on U.S. Highway 441. The interstate's northbound lanes reopened, but southbound lanes remained closed Sunday evening, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Traffic was being detoured.
Several dead in Florida crashes Late Sunday, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville issued a dense smoke advisory for early Monday morning. Smoke from nearby fires will cut visibility to less than a mile in some places, it said. While the dense smoke advisory expired at 8 a.m. ET, the weather service said later Monday that patchy smoke was possible and warned of reduced visibility.
1-31-12 Today I read an article with the title of Attorney general: Getting pardoned Mississippi murderers difficult. I read that getting the convicted murderers pardoned by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour back in prison is like "being on a manhunt with one arm tied behind my back," the state's attorney general said. Highlighting the difficulty is the case of Joseph Ozment, whom authorities finally located Monday in Wyoming, said Jim Hood, the attorney general. We can't treat him as an escapee. He has a document that says he's a free man as of now," said Hood. "All we have is a civil document we served him with. That is the most we can do. If he doesn't show up in court, we will move to hold him in contempt. That's the difficult part of this process."
Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- After one month and three contests, it may be up to Florida to finally add some clarity to the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
With three different winners in the three contests so far, Florida could finally be the state to put one of the four remaining major GOP candidates firmly into the front-runner position.
Polls were open across the state Tuesday for voters who were not among the more than 632,000 who had already cast absentee or early ballots as of Monday. The winner walks away with Florida's 50 delegates -- the largest haul so far in the primary and caucus calendar.
"I think the winner of Florida is in all likelihood going to be the nominee of our party," Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN Tuesday. "Florida is a mini America."
In the final Florida poll of likely GOP primary voters, released Tuesday by the American Research Group, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had a 12-point lead over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas far behind. The poll, conducted Sunday and Monday, has a margin of error of four percentage points.
Of the early voters surveyed in the poll released Tuesday, 51% reported voting for Romney and 29% said they voted for Gingrich
Today i read about how Five people were found dead Sunday at a home in Birmingham, Alabama, by officers responding to a report of a robbery in progress,The bodies were discovered about 3:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET), Birmingham police said in a statement. Authorities have initiated a homicide investigation.
Today I read about U.N. nuclear experts gave a thumbs-up to Japan's planned "stress tests" for its remaining nuclear power plants Tuesday but left Japanese authorities to decide whether the plants themselves are safe. A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency spent the past week studying the nuclear safety reviews Tokyo ordered after last year's meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. They also toured the Ohi plant on Japan's west coast, the first to have completed the government's regimen tests aimed at predicting how the facilities would cope with natural disasters. Tokyo sees high quake probability apan considers restarting two reactors. pan exclusion zone's lone resident The IAEA team recommended Japanese regulators improve communication with the residents around the plants and address plans for dealing with severe accidents more comprehensively in the wake of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Nuclear power provided about a third of Japan's electricity before the Fukushima Daiichi accident, which was triggered by the historic earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March. The disaster triggered a widespread rethinking of the industry, and all but three of Japan's 17 nuclear plants have been taken offline since then.
Today I read about Douglas Rushkoff, who writes regularly for CNN.com, is a media theorist and the author of "Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age" and "Life Inc: How Corporatism Conquered the World and How We Can Take it Back." CNN knew he'd eventually get around to it: Mark Zuckerberg is expected to finally bring Facebook public. The company is reported to be preparing to file for an IPO -- initial public offering -- through which anyone will be able to buy shares of the social networking company on an open stock exchange.
How sold on Tim Tebow is Denver? After the Broncos completed their 2011 season, they did two things at quarterback: They named [Tebow] the starter heading into training camp this summer, and they posted a "help wanted" sign to fill the depth chart behind Tebow. "We will be in the market to find more quarterbacks," said John Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations. "That's our approach with Tim being our starter as we go to training camp, that we'll look at free agency and the draft." The Senior Bowl's practices and North-South game in Mobile last week offered a great opportunity for NFL teams to evaluate draft-eligible quarterbacks not named Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.
Read more: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/322711-on-elways-list-more-quarterbacks?xid=cnnbin#ixzz1lAJp82pv
2/1/12
Today I read About two passenger rail cars jumped the tracks Wednesday near Ann Arbor, Michigan, but no life-threatening injuries were reported in the accident, officials said.The Amtrak train made contact with a vehicle at a public highway crossing, Amtrak said, causing the engine to turn on its side and the first two cars of the train to derail. Amtrak suspended service in central Michigan for several hours and said it will offer refunds or re-bookings without fees for those affected.
Today I read about at least 73 people were killed when fans rushed the field and rioted after a soccer game in Egypt Wednesday, a health ministry spokesman said.
At least 1,000 people were injured in the clashes -- 150 of them critically -- spokesman Dr. Hisham Shiha said. Most of them had concussions and deep cuts, he said.
The fighting occurred in a stadium in the northeastern city of Port Said after Port Said's Al-Masry team beat Cairo's Al-Ahly team 3-1.
Fans from both sides bashed each other with rocks and chairs, said Mohamed Sultan, head of the ambulance association in Port Said.
Rescuers treated 60 people on the ground, he said, and dozens of ambulances were at the stadium.
Today I read about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said Wednesday that an illegal immigrant who was injured and lost most of her family in Sunday's multivehicle wreck in Florida will not face deportation. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Miss Lidiane Carmo as she deals with the tragic loss of her family," ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said. "Reports of her facing deportation are completely false."
"ICE's stated priorities include convicted criminals, immigration fugitives, repeat immigration law violators and recent border crossers," Gonzalez said in a written statement. Lidiane Carmo, 15, the sole survivor among her immediate family, came to the United States from Brazil when she was only 2, according to a pastor at International Church of the Restoration in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. "She is like any regular American girl, but she wasn't born here," the Rev. Aron Amazonas said Wednesday. "She acts like an American girl. She almost can't speak the Portuguese language. She doesn't know the people there."
Today i read about how At least 73 people were killed when fans rushed the field and rioted after a soccer game in Egypt on Wednesday. And At least 1,000 people were injured in the clashes, 150 of them critically, spokesman Dr. Hisham Shiha said. Most of them had concussions and deep cuts. The fighting occurred in a stadium in the northeastern city of Port. Fans from both sides bashed each other with rocks and chairs.
2-1-12 Today I read an article with the title of Facebook files for $5 billion IPO. I read that NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- At long last, the Holy Grail of Internet IPOs is here. Facebook filed Wednesday to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering.
In 2011, Facebook earned $1 billion on sales of $3.7 billion. As of December 31, Facebook had 845 million monthly active users. The company crossed the line into profitability in 2009, five years after it launched in founder Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room. Facebook earned $229 million that year on sales of $777 million, and has remained profitable ever since.
It's not yet known on which stock exchange Facebook will trade, through it said it plans to use the ticker symbol "FB."
Today I read about how Egyptians began three days of mourning Thursday for the 79 people who perished at a soccer riot in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, a disaster one team official called "a black day for football."
Dried blood caked seats in the stadium where fans of the hometown Al-Masry club stormed the field following the team's 3-1 win over Cairo's Al-Ahly club. Rival fans battled one another with rocks and chairs, while witnesses said many of the Al-Masry fans carried knives and sticks. Many of the dead suffocated in a crush as fans tried to flee the stadium, only to find a locked steel gate blocking their escape, survivors said.
In the aftermath, horrified fans questioned why police didn't stop the Al-Masry fans from rushing the visitors' stands, why exits were barred and how fans brought weapons into the stadium.
2-2-12 Today I read an article with the title of Dead dolphin tally reaches 81 on Cape Cod. I read that At least 81 dolphins have been found dead or died shortly after being discovered on Cape Cod in a series of largely unexplained strandings that began early last month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
More than 100 dolphins, of the common species, have been found stranded along the rocky Massachusetts shoreline since January, said NOAA spokeswoman Teri Rowles and scientists involved in the rescue effort.
The mammals have at times washed up in groups of as many as 10, added Katie Moore, a manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
2/2/12
Today I read about rescuers plucked more than 230 survivors from the sea after a passenger ship sank off the east coast of Papua New Guinea, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Friday. There were about 10 life rafts visible, each with roughly 10 people on them, the first time his helicopter flew overhead, he said. However, when the helicopter returned to the area after refueling, no more survivors were spotted. Papua New Guinea had a population of 6.7 million in 2010, the U.S. State Department says, with about 190,000 people living in Lae. Most of the population is scattered in small settlements across the state's many islands.
today i read Let's just come out and say what a lot of people are thinking this Super Bowl weekend: Indianapolis? Really?
Hard-core fans who blow wads of cash every season to get their championship tickets punched want to know: Has the NFL reached a point when this iconic face-off between our national gladiators can be hosted by any team city?
Even a cold-weather, landlocked, midsize burg surrounded by corn and guided by a mysterious force called "Hoosier Hospitality"?
Because, sorry sports fans, let's be real: This ain't New Orleans, Miami or Southern California -- or any of the sunshiny February playgrounds that have dominated location choices for 45 years.
This is smack in the heart of "flyover country," where many fans of the New England Patriots and New York Giants have never before dared to venture. You can picture them trying to locate the home of the Indianapolis Colts on a map, saying, "It's in one of those 'I' states, like Iowa, Idaho or Illinois."
Zakaria: Democracy takes time
Editor's Note: Make sure to tune in Sunday at 10a.m. or 1p.m. EST for Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN.
By Fareed Zakaria, CNN
Dozens of Egyptians were killed in a soccer stadium brawl this past week. This was the deadliest outbreak of violence since Hosni Mubarak was ousted one year ago. The violence didn't stop at the stadium and it begs the question: What has Egypt gained since its revolution? Take a step back and ask: What has the Arab Spring achieved in the last year? Has people power failed the people? What in the world is going on?
In Egypt, the military might be more entrenched than before. Meanwhile a quarter of the seats in parliament have gone to a group of ultra conservative Islamists. Only 2% have gone to women. Or consider Libya. It's veering towards anarchy. The local militias that helped topple Moammar Gadhafi have reneged on a pledge to give up their arms.
Look at Tunisia. You'll remember that a fruit vendor there sparked the Arab Spring by setting himself on fire. Well, now there are reports of many more such incidents of self-immolation. From Tunisia, to Egypt, to Libya, democracy has unleashed turmoil and long-suppressed expressions of Islamic fundamentalism.Perhaps, some will say, the Arab world didn't fully understand what it was getting into. Perhaps, others will argue, after years of living under tyranny, Arabs just don't know how to rule themselves
As part of its efforts to explore peace talks with the Taliban, the Obama administration is considering the controversial release of several senior Taliban figures from the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. The names of those being considered for release have not been disclosed, and the conditions are still being discussed. But diplomatic sources say they would probably be relocated to Qatar in the Persian Gulf, where the Taliban is negotiating the establishment of a liaison office to facilitate dialogue with the U.S.The administration has said any discussion about releasing the detainees is very preliminary and hinges on the Taliban renouncing terrorism and agreeing to peace talks. But the proposal, confirmed in congressional testimony this week, has come under attack in Congress. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, said Thursday that the U.S. was "crossing a dangerous line" by discussing the possibility of releasing the prisoners.And in a letter to President Obama, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, a former Marine officer who served in Afghanistan, warned that the release would "send the wrong message to the Taliban."
"Releasing prisoners strictly for the purpose of accelerating negotiations undermines the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and deliberately ignores the threat of a Taliban resurgence," Hunter wrote.
2-3-12
Today I read about, The loose organization of hackers known as Anonymous released a recording Friday of a telephone call between the FBI and Scotland Yard that it claims to have recorded surreptitiously. The group posted the 16-minute conference call on one of its websites.The FBI and Scotland Yard concede that a private conversation was released, but didn't cast blame on any particular group.
Today i read that a Florida man pleaded guilty Friday to kidnapping, molesting and murdering a 7-year-old girl more than two years ago, making the admission after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Jarred Harrell agreed to be sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole, waiving his right to appeal, after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation. He avoids potentially facing a death penalty for the crimes.
"This will be the last breath that I waste or use on you," the victim's mother, Diena Thompson, said in court after his plea. "It is now time to take out the trash. May God have mercy on your sorry, sorry soul."
Today I read about how another teacher arrested at Los Angeles' Miramonte Elementary School, the same workplace of another teacher who had been charged with 23 felony counts of lewd acts on pupils, authorities said Friday.
Capt. Mike Parker with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said Friday that the second teacher had been removed from the classroom earlier in the day.
The sheriff's department is scheduled to release further information at 1:30 p.m. PT Friday.
Earlier, Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that the second teacher was under investigation but had not been charged.
Today I read about how another teacher arrested at Los Angeles' Miramonte Elementary School, the same workplace of another teacher who had been charged with 23 felony counts of lewd acts on pupils, authorities said Friday.
Capt. Mike Parker with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said Friday that the second teacher had been removed from the classroom earlier in the day.
The sheriff's department is scheduled to release further information at 1:30 p.m. PT Friday.
Earlier, Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that the second teacher was under investigation but had not been charged.
2-3-12 Today I read an article with the title of 246 survivors in ferry sinking. I read that Some 246 survivors have been rescued in the aftermath the sinking of a passenger ferry off the east coast of Papua New Guinea, authorities said Friday. More than 100 people remained unaccounted for. The survivors arrived by five vessels at the city of Lae. Many were undergoing medical tests, according to Capt. Nurur Rahman, rescue coordinator with the country's National Maritime Safety Authority.
Hundreds rescued as PNG ferry sinks Hundreds rescued from ferry sinking About 350 people were aboard the MV Rabaul Queen when it sank, Rahman said.
The Rabaul Queen went down about 16 kilometers (10 miles) off Cape Fortification in the Vitiaz Strait after getting into trouble early Thursday, officials said.
2/3/12
Today I read about A federal judge on Friday ordered a North Carolina teacher to remain in custody until her trial over an alleged plot to behead witnesses who testified against a would-be terrorist. Nevine Aly Elshiekh was arrested with Shkumbin Sherifi on January 22. Just nine days earlier, the man they were allegedly in collusion with Hysen Sherifi, who is Shkumbin Sherifi's brother was sentenced to 45 years in prison for being part of what prosecutors called a "violent jihad" that had conspired to kill people overseas and kill a federal officer. Facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, Elshiekh is on leave as director of special education at the Sterling Montessori Academy in Morrisville, North Carolina, a Raleigh-Durham suburb. According to the 10-page federal complaint, confidential informants told the FBI that Hysen Sherifi expressed a desire to hire someone to murder three witnesses who testified against him during his federal trial. He also targeted an inmate who he believed had "defrauded" him out of money concerning his federal charges, documents state.
Today I read about intense blasts that echoed through the Syrian city of Homs on Monday were just a part of the latest violence ravaging parts of the country, as world leaders sought a new strategy to end the deadly fighting.
At least 56 deaths were reported Monday by an opposition group, most of them in Homs, two days after China and Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded President Bashar al-Assad stop the violence and seek a solution to the 11-month crisis.
"They chose to side with the Syrian regime and implicitly to leave the door open to further abuses," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the House of Commons on Monday.
Nearly 500 cases of Norovirus have been reported on two Florida-based Princess Cruises ships, the cruise line said Sunday.
The 499 cases occurred on the Ruby Princess and the Crown Princess, both based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said cruise line spokeswoman Julie Benson
2/6/12
Today I read about mexico's conservative ruling party has picked a former congresswoman as its nominee for the nation's top job. If she wins, she would become the country's first female president.Sunday's decision by the National Action Party marks the first time one of Mexico's three major political parties has tapped a woman for the presidential race. Before her political career took off, Vazquez Mota studied economics and made a living with self-help lectures and a bestselling book, "God, Please Make Me a Widow: The Challenge of Being Yourself. With valor and decisiveness he has faced organized crime and has worked tirelessly for the security of our families. I am proud of what he has built for Mexico, and the best way to demonstrate my loyalty will be to become the first female president of Mexico on July 1 she said.
Anders Behring Breivik will remain in Norwegian custody until April, a court rules
The fact he may be confined to a mental health facility is reason to keep him locked up
Psychiatrists had deemed Breivik psychotic, though a second opinion was ordered
He is accused of killing 77 people in July in a bomb attack and shooting rampage
The court acknowledged that Breivik's mental health remains an issue, noting that he may not be able to get the maximum possible punishment for the crimes if he's deemed insane.
Even so, the court found legal basis to keep him in custody for the next two months because prosecutors have said that if Breivik is found insane, they will push for him to be confined to a mental health facility, court documents state.
Breivik is accused of killing eight people in a bomb attack in Oslo and 69 more in a gun rampage on nearby Utoya Island on July 22. It was the deadliest attack on Norwegian soil since World War II. The latter victims were among 700 mostly young people attending a Labour Party camp on the island.
He has pleaded not guilty, though he has admitted carrying out the attacks, the judge handling his case said previously.
Today I read about slaughter in Syria. Rockets attack, blood in the streets and a relentless fight for freedom. From the video I saw there was bodies on the floor. Blood all over the place. Houses going down. Kids getting rushed to the hospital. The guy in the video says that he had never seen anything like this before. Kids losing their jaws. Getting their legs cut off . More than 30 people dead and hundreds injured.
As New England turns is attention to the Red Sox, and fans in an online poll run about 70 percent either "depressed" or "angry," one fan's comments were hard to miss. The frustrations of another Super Bowl loss spilled over for Gisele Bundchen as she left the luxury suites of Lucas Oil Stadium. ... While making her way toward the elevator, Giants fans were harassing the supermodel, yelling that "Eli rules, Eli owns your husband." and she responded to her entourage. "You [need] to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot [expletive] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time," she said in a video obtained by TheInsider.com. "I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."
Read more: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/323092-gisele-rips-pats-receivers?xid=cnnbin#ixzz1ljPwpZal
Legacy? Sure, we can talk about Tom Brady's legacy. Obviously, when you look at the way Brady carried the Patriots to the Super Bowl and the way he played Sunday, he added quite a bit to his legacy.
Wait. Are you saying you think Brady damaged his legacy Sunday?
What?
Sometimes I wonder if people watched the same game I did. Brady completed 27 of 41 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw one interception, when he underthrew a deep ball to Rob Gronkowski. (A healthy Gronkowski probably would have knocked that ball down if he didn't catch it, but Gronkowski had an injured ankle.) And Brady took a safety when he threw another deep ball to nobody from his own end zone.
But overall, these facts should not be in dispute: Brady took an otherwise nondescript Patriots team to the brink of a championship, and he played well Sunday. At the end of the first half, he completed 10 of 10 passes and drove the Pats 98 yards for a touchdown. He broke the Super Bowl record for consecutive completions.
Quarterbacks have played worse than Brady played Sunday and won Super Bowl MVP. One of them was Tom Brady: In his first Super Bowl, he completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, and he won the game's MVP award.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_rosenberg/02/06/brady.legacy/index.html#ixzz1ljR4jrJk
San Francisco (CNN) -- A federal appeals court ruled against California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, arguing the ban unconstitutionally singles out gays and lesbians for discrimination.
In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state's Proposition 8 "works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians" by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment. Supporters of same-sex marriages cheered the decision when it was announced outside the courthouse Tuesday morning.
"Happy Valentine's Day, California," one man in the crowd shouted when the decision was released.
'Prop 8 ruling makes us more American' The 2-1 decision is expected to be appealed, to either the full court or to the U.S. Supreme Court, and a stay of the order remains in place as the appeal process continues, the court noted.
'Prop 8 ruling makes us more American' "We do not doubt the importance of the more general questions presented to us concerning the rights of same-sex couples to marry, nor do we doubt that these questions will likely be resolved in other states, and for the nation as a whole, by other courts," Circuit Judges Stephen Reinhardt and Michael Daly Hawkins wrote in the majority opinion.
2/7/12
Today I read about the president of the Maldives, one of the world's most popular honeymoon destinations, resigned Tuesday after a revolt by police officers, his spokesman said, leaving the normally idyllic chain of islands in chaos. This morning, about 500 opposition supporters along with some Islamic hardliners protested outside the army headquarters, shouting slogans, and some police officers mutinied and joined them," Nasheed's spokeman said. "And so, the president was in a situation where he could either tell the army to forcibly crack down on the protesters or he could step down. He chose the latter.
Today, I read about the president of the Maldives, one of the world's most popular honeymoon destinations, resigned Tuesday after a revolt by police officers, his spokesman said, leaving the normally idyllic chain of islands in chaos. Mohamed Nasheed was the first democratically elected president of the Indian Ocean nation in three decades. "This morning, about 500 opposition supporters along with some Islamic hardliners protested outside the army headquarters, shouting slogans, and some police officers mutinied and joined them," Nasheed's spokeman said. "And so, the president was in a situation where he could either tell the army to forcibly crack down on the protesters or he could step down. He chose the latter. "This is a situation where the first democratically elected president in the Maldives is taken down by a former dictator and his supporters," the spokesman said. Nasheed said in a nationally televised address that he was stepping down because he didn't feel he was able to maintain security and peace in the country, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
today i read thAT The Los Angeles Unified School District board on Tuesday fired Miramonte Elementary School teacher Martin Bernard Springer just hours after he was formally charged with three felony counts of lewd acts upon a girl under age 14 a school spokesman said.
Springer 49 of Alhambra, California, has 30 days to appeal his firing school spokesman Tom Waldman said.
Springer pleaded not guilty late Tuesday afternoon in a Los Angeles County court to three felony counts of lewd acts on a child over three months in 2009.
The judge set his bail at $300,000 on the condition that Springer stay more than 250 feet away from witnesses and alleged victims, stay more than 100 feet away from any school or facility with children and be with an adult supervisor when he's around children
A drone strike takes place in North Waziristan, security officials say
The attack kills 10 people suspected of being insurgents
North Waziristan is widely believed to be a haven for insurgent groups in Afghanistan
Drone attacks in Pakistan have dropped sharply in recent months
Ten people were killed Wednesday when a suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at an insurgent hideout in Pakistan's northwest tribal region, three security officials said.
The early morning attack took place 10 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the news media on the matter.
The attack Wednesday morning was the fourth suspected U.S. drone strike on Pakistani soil this year, all of them targeting locations in North Waziristan.
There has been a sharp drop in the number of drone attacks in Pakistan since a NATO airstrike in November killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, driving U.S.- Pakistan relations to a low point.
The Pakistani government shut down the two NATO supply routes in the country after the attack and has since been reviewing its partnership with the United States.
But the 35-year-old would never reach his destination. At an intersection near his home, he was ambushed and shot to death.
Investigators found 34 bullet casings at the scene. Juarez was found facing down with multiple bullet wounds in his head, chest and left side of his body.
His death made headlines in the Mexican city across the border from El Paso, Texas. Not only was the victim a police officer, but he was also the eighth member of the force to be murdered in two weeks.
In the weeks prior to Juarez's death, banners had appeared in Ciudad Juarez threatening to kill one officer per day unless Police Chief Julian Leyzaola resigned. Leyzaola, some of the banners claimed, was only targeting members of one cartel while its rivals roamed free.
2/8/12
Today I read about safety checks ordered for all Airbus A380 airplanes. The order does not mean the planes must be grounded, said Dominique Fouda, a spokesman for the aviation agency. Those that have completed between 1,216 and 1,383 flight cycles have six weeks, and planes that have performed fewer than 1,216 cycles must be examined before they reach 1,300 cycles. A further 185 planes have been ordered, Airbus says.Wednesday's order is not because any new cracks have been found, Fouda said, but is a normal follow-up to the original directive issued three weeks ago.
2-8-12 Today I read an article with the title of Russia and China: Sabotaging U.N. with vetoes. I read that when the Arab League asked for U.N. Security Council endorsement of its call for a new government in Syria and sought the imposition of sanctions to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Russians went toe-to-toe with the United States, publicly and behind closed doors. The Russians forced significant concessions in the wording and meaning of the resolution. They won the elimination of sanctions. And then they rejected the compromise they forged. George Lopez
Looks like, feels like, sounds like Cold War redux.
But this assessment is overly simplified. So too are assertions that Russia cast its veto to protect a client state or as revenge against the West after being burned by the Libya resolutions.
Today, i read about federal appeals court ruled against California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, arguing the ban unconstitutionally singles out gays and lesbians for discrimination. In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state's Proposition 8 "works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians" by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment. "Very soon, Proposition 8 will be gone forever," said Kristin Perry, one of two women who challenged the ban in federal courts along with a male same-sex couple. "Today marks the culmination of what has been a transformational year." Prop 8 'narrow ruling' Supporters of Proposition 8, which passed with 52% of the vote in 2008, said they were willing to take the issue all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And a stay halting same-sex marriages remains in place as the appeals continue.
Amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in Syria, there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. There is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country. And those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in Syria should not prompt Libyan-style intervention by NATO and its Arab allies. In Washington Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the United States "should consider all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop." So far, the international community's response to the violence in Syria has been limited. There has been diplomatic censure, with envoys withdrawn or "recalled for consultations," and Syrian ambassadors expelled from several Arab states. A growing raft of sanctions is draining the Syrian regime's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength. This is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival.
Amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in Syria, there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. There is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country. And those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in Syria should not prompt Libyan-style intervention by NATO and its Arab allies.
In Washington Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the United States "should consider all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop."
So far, the international community's response to the violence in Syria has been limited. There has been diplomatic censure, with envoys withdrawn or "recalled for consultations," and Syrian ambassadors expelled from several Arab states. A growing raft of sanctions is draining the Syrian regime's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength. This is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival.
Amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in Syria, there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. There is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country. And those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in Syria should not prompt Libyan-style intervention by NATO and its Arab allies.
In Washington Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the United States "should consider all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop."
So far, the international community's response to the violence in Syria has been limited. There has been diplomatic censure, with envoys withdrawn or "recalled for consultations," and Syrian ambassadors expelled from several Arab states. A growing raft of sanctions is draining the Syrian regime's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength. This is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival.
Amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in Syria, there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. There is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country. And those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in Syria should not prompt Libyan-style intervention by NATO and its Arab allies.
In Washington Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the United States "should consider all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop."
So far, the international community's response to the violence in Syria has been limited. There has been diplomatic censure, with envoys withdrawn or "recalled for consultations," and Syrian ambassadors expelled from several Arab states. A growing raft of sanctions is draining the Syrian regime's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength. This is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival.
Amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in Syria, there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. There is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country. And those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in Syria should not prompt Libyan-style intervention by NATO and its Arab allies.
In Washington Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the United States "should consider all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop."
So far, the international community's response to the violence in Syria has been limited. There has been diplomatic censure, with envoys withdrawn or "recalled for consultations," and Syrian ambassadors expelled from several Arab states. A growing raft of sanctions is draining the Syrian regime's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength. This is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival.
Today wensday I read about Alcohol has been involved in most of the deaths blamed on the extreme cold in Ukraine, the country worst affected by the icy temperatures gripping Eastern Europe, a government minister said Wednesday.
Nine out of 10 of the deaths reported have been alcohol-related, Emergency Situations Minister Viktor Baloga said.
At least 135 deaths have been reported in Ukraine in the past two weeks, but he suggested the actual number that can be blamed on the winter weather is somewhat lower, at 112.
About 3,000 people have been hospitalized because of the cold since January 27, officials said
Today I read about a Syrian opposition group reported as many as 131 deaths at the hands of government forces Thursday as President Bashar al-Assad escalated a brutal assault against an opposition that wants an end to his regime.
It is the fifth day of attacks on opposition activists and civilians in the besieged city of Homs -- Syria's third-largest city -- which has become a flashpoint in the uprising.
The Local Coordination Committees, a network of opposition activists that organizes and documents protests, said that of the 131 deaths in Syria Thursday, 110 were in Homs. Ten of the deaths were children.
The president has repeatedly denied attacking civilians, saying Syrian forces are targeting armed gangs and foreign terrorists bent on destabilizing the government.
Larry Bird took the occasion of a recent podcast to ponder the Kobe vs. LeBron debate. It's a question that has been posed to just about every NBA analyst over the last few years as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James remain atop the league's star-studded landscape. ... Naturally, his decision came down to Kobe and LeBron. "Well, probably Kobe, because of the fact that ... well, of course he wouldn't have been shooting as much as he does now ... but his desire to win, his dedication, to always get better, uh, and he's just, he's just tough," Bird said. "He's just a tough cat." ... "It would have probably been more fun to play with LeBron, but if you want to win and win and win, it's Kobe."
Read more: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/323313-bird-picks-kobe-over-lebron?xid=cnnbin#ixzz1lv2I505I
2-9-12 Today I read an article with the title of More than 700 suffer food poisoning after Mexican political rally. I read that Authorities treated more than 700 people for food poisoning after a political rally in southern Mexico this week. Exactly what caused the food poisoning was unclear, officials from the healthy ministry in Mexico's Guerrero state said Wednesday. Authorities were testing food and drink samples from the event and sending representatives to communities throughout the area to look for additional cases.
Alberta Garcia Adame told CNN affiliate Televisa she started to feel sick after eating egg tacos at a rally Tuesday in Chilapa, Guerrero, for Sergio Dolores Flores, who is running for congress as a candidate for Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party.
2/9/12
Today I read about tania Nava has one piece of advice for anyone seeking to come out of the shadows and pursue a path to U.S. citizenship: don't do it. Jake Reyes-Neal, an American citizen, had traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, last year to protect his wife as she waited for the long, complicated process to attain U.S. citizenship. Instead, Reyes-Neal who had never been to Mexico and didn't speak Spanish became one of the thousands of homicide victims in Juarez as his family watched helplessly. The proposal would streamline the process of obtaining hardship waivers by allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process certain waiver applications in the United States before an applicant departs for an immigrant visa interview with a U.S. consular officer abroad. In other words, it would reduce both the time the family spends apart and the time spent in harm's way in places like Juarez.
today i read that Tania Nava has one piece of advice for anyone seeking to come out of the shadows and pursue a path to U.S. citizenship: don't do it.
She says her decision to become a legal citizen is one of the reasons her husband was murdered.
"I should've stayed illegal this whole time," the 21-year old widow said. "Jake would still be here."
Jake Reyes-Neal, an American citizen, had traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, last year to protect his wife as she waited for the long, complicated process to attain U.S. citizenship. Instead, Reyes-Neal -- who had never been to Mexico and didn't speak Spanish -- became one of the thousands of homicide victims in Juarez as his family watched helplessly.
Nava and Reyes-Neal were high school sweethearts in Aurora, Colorado, and they got married at 18 after she gave birth to their son, Anthony. Nava decided that the next step to build her new life with her husband and child was to apply for U.S. citizenship
2/10/12
Today I read about a 7 yearold Georgia girl fought off a man who'd grabbed her in the aisle of a Walmart, with police eventually tracking down the suspect they accuse of attempted kidnapping. According to information from the Georgia Department of Corrections, Woods was released on parole last October after serving four and a half years of a 7-year term for voluntary manslaughter.
today i read that Pennsylvania judge is on Monday expected to rule on a number of issues regarding former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, including whether he is required to stay indoors during his house arrest.
Judge John Cleland said that he is aiming for a May 14 trial date for the former coach, who is accused of sexually abusing young boys over a 15-year period.
Prosecutors have said Sandusky should stay indoors because neighbors fear for the safety of children at a nearby elementary school.
"He should be forbidden to be outside his home in proximity to a school playground, where his presence alarms teachers and members of the public," Pennsylvania's attorney general said in a motion filed this week.
Sandusky has been under house arrest since December. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges
Europe remained gripped by frigid temperatures and snow Friday, with the icy weather closing much of the Danube River to shipping and disrupting travel across the region.
Central and Eastern Europe have borne the brunt of the unseasonably bitter weather, which has led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of cases of frostbite and hypothermia.
Mixed Catholic reaction to revised White House contraception plan
By Eric Marrapodi CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
Washington (CNN) – As word trickled out of a White House compromise with Catholic groups on its rule around contraception coverage on Friday morning, administration officials took to the phones to sell the plan to religious leaders across the spectrum.
Catholic officials say President Obama called New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, to explain the revised policy, which exempts religiously affiliated universities and hospitals for paying for no cost contraception for their employees but requires insurers to offer such coverage for for free to women who work at such institutions.
Dolan responded to the White House plan Friday afternoon in a statement saying the move was, "a first step in the right direction."
“While there may be an openness to respond to some of our concerns, we reserve judgment on the details until we have them," he added.
But other bishops were far more critical. "I think he's punting, just kicking the can down the road," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenkis told CNN. "He's hasn't really addressed our concerns. I think the only thing to do is... to take back the whole thing."
2-10-12 Today I read an article with the title of Volcano erupts in Indonesia, hurling ash cloud into the sky. I read that a restless volcano in northern Indonesia erupted Friday, spewing clouds of ash as high as 2 kilometers into the sky. The authorities are warning residents to stay away from the volcano, Mt. Lokon, in North Sulawesi, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster management agency.
A 2.5 kilometer exclusion zone had already been set up around Mt. Lokon, which had been showing signs of activity in recent days.
A series of eruptions by Mt. Lokon in July prompted the evacuation of thousands of local residents. The volcano also erupted in October and December.
Today, I read that the Mexican army has seized more than 15 tons of methamphetamine from a clandestine laboratory in a remote area of the state of Jalisco, west of the capital, the country's Secretary of National Defense said Thursday. Also seized in the raid, which occurred Tuesday on the Villareal Ranch in the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zuniga, were materials that can be used in the production of the drugs -- including more than 2.5 tons of caustic soda, it said in a statement. A Mexican military official told reporters that a tip from the public led to the raid on the ranch, which housed blue barrels filled with a gray powder. The raid brings to seven the number of seizures that have occurred in the region this year, the statement said. Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that can be swallowed, smoked, injected or inhaled, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
2-10-12
Today I read about, A man convicted of stalking singer Madonna, and who once threatened to knife her, was arrested Friday, a week after he escaped from a Southern California mental hospital. He had served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking the "Material Girl," police said, and a court order requires him to be in a facility receiving mental health treatment until the end of August 2012.
Today i read A TV series' 100th episode signifies success and, in most cases, a profitable afterlife in syndication.Shows like "Seinfeld" and "Friends" coasted past their centenary episodes, leaving fans wanting more. But it's not just ratings juggernauts that reach the milestone.Sometimes networks and viewers just don't know when to let go."Gossip Girl's" climactic 100th episode aired on Monday, reminding dedicated fans why they've held on for so long, and, by the same token, alerting former viewers of the show's protracted life."They can trot out a cake with 100 candles on it, but let's be honest, ('Gossip Girl's') ratings have been terrible for years," said Matt Whitfield, the features editor at Yahoo.The CW drama hasn't attracted more than 1.5 million viewers during its Monday night timeslot since the fifth season kicked off in September. During its first season, which premiered in 2007, episodes of "Gossip Girl" routinely garnered more than 2 million viewers -- a feat for the younger-skewing network.And despite disappointing ratings, "Gossip Girl" executive producer Stephanie Savage told The Hollywood Reporter that they're not writing a series finale anytime soon."The actors' contracts expire at the end of next season, so that feels like probably an organic ending point," Savage said.If budding movie stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester can't deliver ratings, there's a problem, Whitfield said.Perhaps it's because the series, based on Cecily von Ziegesar's novels of the same name, isn't playing hard to get."Gossip Girl" doesn't need 24 episodes each season, Whitfield said. Networks can learn from the model employed by HBO's "Game of Thrones" and AMC's "The Walking Dead," he added. They need to minimize the number of episodes airing each season."Some shows only need to last three seasons," he said. "And some shows only need to have 10 episodes per season. Users can handle that, but the networks can't."The show's creator, Josh Schwartz, has taken heat for this in the past. His Fox drama "The O.C." lasted four seasons -- just short of the 100-episode mark -- before getting canceled in 2007.Many viewers have argued that "The O.C.'s" jumping point occurred when Mischa Barton's character was killed off at the end of season 3.Of course, it's easy for a high quality show that's won a ton of awards, like "The Sopranos," to go out on top, Whitfield said,adding, "Other shows on network TV will try and wring out every dollar ... they possibly can. It's always happened that way."Take, for example, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "House" on Fox, he said. At one point, both shows dominated ratings and awards shows. Now, with both programs currently in the midst of their eighth seasons, viewership has greatly diminished.
After hitting a ratings rough patch last season, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," on the other hand, is currently experiencing a resurgence in its eighth season.
Many primetime soaps experience hills and valleys, Whitfield said. Unfortunately for "Gossip Girl," the next hill might be out of reach."To wait five seasons before marrying Blair off and announcing who Gossip Girl is, you've missed the boat," he said. "They were starting to throw in these gimmicks too late in the game."
But The CW, Schwartz and Savage have another trick up their sleeves. They're working to bring "Sex and the City" prequel "The Carrie Diaries" to the small screen
Whitfield says only the really great shows will make it to syndication and last there.
"Will and Grace" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," he said, "will forever be in syndication because people still tune into them." A show like "Gossip Girl," he added -- not so much.
After noticing smoke seeping inside, a North Carolina bus driver rushed six elementary school children off her vehicle moments before it burst into flames. The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon as Lindora Richardson was driving the children home from Chantilly Montessori Elementary School, a public school in Charlotte, school district spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte said. "We are very proud of her and for her following proper procedures," said Stalberte, speaking on behalf of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, on Thursday. "It could have taken a very different turn had she not done her job correctly." Richardson told Vinnie Politan of HLN, CNN's sister network, that she was driving on her route through a Charlotte neighborhood when she detected a "burning smell" and pulled over to investigate.
After noticing smoke seeping inside, a North Carolina bus driver rushed six elementary school children off her vehicle moments before it burst into flames. The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon as Lindora Richardson was driving the children home from Chantilly Montessori Elementary School, a public school in Charlotte, school district spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte said. "We are very proud of her and for her following proper procedures," said Stalberte, speaking on behalf of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, on Thursday. "It could have taken a very different turn had she not done her job correctly." Richardson told Vinnie Politan of HLN, CNN's sister network, that she was driving on her route through a Charlotte neighborhood when she detected a "burning smell" and pulled over to investigate.
The U.N. high commissioner for human rights said Monday she is outraged by Syria's "ongoing onslaught" on its citizens as she spoke before the General Assembly, which is expected soon to issue a formal condemnation of the Syrian regime.
The harsh comments by Navi Pillay prompted an angry defense from Syria's ambassador, who complained of an "unprecedented" media and political campaign to incite the opposition in his country.
As they spoke, some Syrian towns and cities came under fresh attack with soldiers going door to door rounding up civilians, rolling their tanks through towns, or continuing their shelling of neighborhoods, according to activists and residents.
The nature and scale of abuses committed by Syrian forces indicates that crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed since March 2011," Pillay said, referring to the start of the popular uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which prompted his government to crack down on protesters.
Independent, credible, and corroborated accounts indicate that these abuses have taken place as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
Today I read about Merlin German waged that battle in the quiet of a Texas hospital, far from the dusty road in Iraq where a bomb exploded on Feb. 21, 2005 near German’s Humvee, hurling him out of the turret and engulfing him in flames. Leaving him with burns over 97 percent of his body.
No one expected him to survive.
But for more than three years, he would not surrender. He endured more than 100 surgeries and procedures. He learned to live with pain, to stare at a stranger’s face in the mirror. He learned to smile again, to joke, to make others laugh.
He became known as the “Miracle Man.”
Two years ago, Vincent Jackson reportedly told the Chargers that he wanted a five-year, $50 millon deal, and then he refused to show up for the first half of the season after San Diego gave him a $3.2 million tender instead. Jackson might finally receive that bulky, long-term contract he’s wanted, as he looks more and more likely to hit the free-agent market in March.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Chargers “will almost certainly allow” Jackson to explore his options as an unrestricted free agent.
What would that mean for Jackson and the Chargers? Let’s take that question one topic at a time.
San Diego slapped the franchise tag on Jackson last year, which came with an $11.4 million bill. Jackson turned in 60 catches for 1,106 yards and nine touchdowns as the return on that investment — good, but not spectacular, numbers.
Of course, the Chargers didn’t have a ton of viable options behind V-Jax on the roster. Malcom Floyd had 43 receptions, but aside from him, Vincent Brown might be the most promising talent after a 19-catch rookie season.
While the Chargers have plans to talk to Jackson before the start of free agency and may stay involved in the Jackson sweepstakes after, the better option might be to shop the market themselves in search of a replacement or two. Reggie Wayne, Robert Meachem and Mario Manningham could be viable targets for San Diego — all would be cheaper than Jackson, thus providing some more roster flexibility.
2/13/12
Today I read about anger over Greece's austerity measures exploded in the streets of Athens early Monday as tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police in riots that left 106 police officers and dozens of civilians injured, according to police. The riot, widely described as one of the worst in Athens since Greece began dealing with its crippling debt crisis in 2010, broke out after the Greek Parliament approved a new package of austerity measures in return for a new eurozone bailout of the debt-stricken country. Even though the sweeping reform package agreed to by Greece and the so-called troika made up of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund was approved in Parliament, Greek lawmakers must still do more.
today i read that A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Northern California on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake's epicenter was six miles from Weitchpec, about 120 miles west of Redding, at a depth of 20.4 miles, according to USGS.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
2-13-12 Today I read an article with the title of Washington, New Jersey move toward same-sex marriage. I read that Same-sex marriage got a boost on two fronts Monday, when the governor of Washington signed a bill legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples and the New Jersey state Senate voted 24-16 in favor of a similar bill. The New Jersey bill now goes to the Assembly, which is slated to vote Thursday. "We're cautiously optimistic" about its chances for passage, said Steven Goldstein, a spokesman for Garden State Equality, which has lobbied for the bill.
But the legislation is threatened in both states.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said last month that the issue "should not be decided by 121 people in the State House in Trenton." Instead, he favors a statewide referendum.
Today I read about CNN's Arwa Damon is reporting from inside Syria , where the government has been placing restrictions on international journalists and refusing many of them entry at all. Residents and opposition activists say they fear for their lives as shelling and snipers leave them trapped.
CNN is not disclosing Damon's location for her safety. Below are dispatches from her on what she's seeing and hearing from residents in the area.
It’s an incredibly intense situation here. It’s also incredibly emotional. Anger is running at an all-time high, as are frustration and desperation. People that we've been talking to, every single one of them has some sort of horrific nightmare or story, and some of them are still too afraid to talk about it publicly with their names attached to it.
One man we met, he had four members of his family executed as government forces, he said, were raiding their village. And he wanted to tell the story – he wanted to put out the images of loved ones. He was afraid because he said at the same time his uncle had been detained.
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Jeremy Lin has brought life into the Knicks, averaging 27.2 points and 8.2 assists in his four starts.
API suppose it was inevitable that some people would compare Jeremy Lin to Tim Tebow. This is partly because every sports story these days must be compared to Tebow, as well as every non-sports story, and retroactively, every previous sports story. But it is also because Linsanity has temporarily replaced Tebowmania as the can-you-believe-that story that your mother who doesn't watch sports might bring up in casual conversation. And because Lin appeals to an unusual demographic for an NBA player (Asian-Americans) just as Tebow appeals to an unusual demographic for an NFL player (evangelical Christians).
The problem is that as stories go, Jeremy Lin makes Tim Tebow seem as interesting as a rain delay. Lin is a much better story because he is a much bigger long shot and is playing much better than Tebow did. He is an undrafted Asian-American guard from Harvard who is playing as well as almost anybody in the NBA.
How unlikely is this? Unbelievably so.
Tebow was a five-star recruit who chose Florida over Alabama, LSU, Michigan, USC, and not Harvard. Gators fans clamored for him to start his entire freshman year even though senior Chris Leak was leading the team to a national title. Tebow won another national title two years later.
Tebow also won something called the Heisman Trophy. Perhaps you've heard of it. As a senior at Harvard, Lin lost the Ivy League Player of the Year award to Ryan Wittman of Cornell.
Every team in the NBA could have had Lin. Two (the Warriors and Rockets) had him and dumped him. The Knicks had him and almost dumped him before putting him on the floor, almost for bookkeeping purposes. They say they wanted to see if he could play before deciding to sign him for the rest of the year. It may be more accurate to say they wanted to make sure he couldn't play.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_rosenberg/02/14/lin.tebow/index.html#ixzz1mOKkqrLJ
The newly-appointed U.S. chair of the international diamond watchdog has called for a review of what constitutes a "blood diamond." According to the Kimberley Process, launched in 2003 to certify that diamonds do not come from conflict zones, blood diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments. Now, Gillian Milovanovic, who was named chair of the Kimberley Process in late January, wants the definition to be broadened. "One of the things which will certainly be looked at and which we certainly support looking at and believe should get a close look is whether that definition is still sufficiently encompassing or appropriate given today's challenges," she said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Robyn Curnow.
The newly-appointed U.S. chair of the international diamond watchdog has called for a review of what constitutes a "blood diamond." According to the Kimberley Process, launched in 2003 to certify that diamonds do not come from conflict zones, blood diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments. Now, Gillian Milovanovic, who was named chair of the Kimberley Process in late January, wants the definition to be broadened. "One of the things which will certainly be looked at and which we certainly support looking at and believe should get a close look is whether that definition is still sufficiently encompassing or appropriate given today's challenges," she said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Robyn Curnow.
The newly-appointed U.S. chair of the international diamond watchdog has called for a review of what constitutes a "blood diamond."
According to the Kimberley Process, launched in 2003 to certify that diamonds do not come from conflict zones, blood diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments.
Now, Gillian Milovanovic, who was named chair of the Kimberley Process in late January, wants the definition to be broadened. "One of the things which will certainly be looked at and which we certainly support looking at and believe should get a close look is whether that definition is still sufficiently encompassing or appropriate given today's challenges," she said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Robyn Curnow.
Today I read abouCNN correspondent Arwa Damon has reached the besieged Syrian city of Homs, which opposition forces say has been under a sustained artillery bombing for days.
Damon is one of a few reporters in Syria, where the government has been placing restrictions on international journalists and refusing many of them entry at all. Below is an edited account of what Damon and her team are seeing and hearing from activists in Homs as attacks continue
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2/15/12
Today I read about china's presumed heir apparent makes nostalgic trip to Iowa. When the man destined to become China's next leader enters a circa 1866 Victorian house in Muscatine, Iowa, on Wednesday, things will feel familiar. It was here in the town's historic district that Xi Jinping first feasted on Iowa beef and corn during a visit more than two decades ago. After all, back in 1985, Xi was a provincial official from the hog-farming region of Hebei, Iowa's "sister state." He wanted to see how Americans raised their livestock and learn about different applications of corn, said Sarah Lande, owner of the Victorian and host of Xi's visit. The town has never seen so many security personnel. Nor have the high school boys swim champions had to share headlines before in the local newspaper. He kept a tin of black tea that Xi presented to him as a memento of the visit. After all these years, the tin is preserved half full. Lande said she will talk about building a bridge to friendship in the future, and hope that Iowa can set a global example. It's not often Muscatine residents have a chance to do that.
Today i read a California death row inmate has provided maps that led to the remains of two bodies and an abandoned rural well that has yielded 1,000 pieces and fragments of bone, authorities said.
Wesley Shermantine, one of two so-called "Speed Freak Killers," was sentenced in 2001 for four homicides, Deputy Les Garcia, public information officer for the San Joaquin Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday.
Authorities now are looking into whether there could be more buried victims.
They set up a hotline for relatives of missing persons who may have fallen victim to Shermantine and another man, between the mid-1980s and 2000, Garcia told CNN. They had received about 50 calls by late Tuesday.
today i read When the man destined to become China's next leader enters a circa 1866 Victorian house in Muscatine, Iowa, on Wednesday, things will feel familiar. It was here in the town's historic district that Xi Jinping first feasted on Iowa beef and corn during a visit more than two decades ago.
Wednesday, the menu is a tad more upscale -- crostini with tenderloin, spring rolls and bacon-wrapped scallops. And the excitement, decidedly more palpable.
today i read When the man destined to become China's next leader enters a circa 1866 Victorian house in Muscatine, Iowa, on Wednesday, things will feel familiar. It was here in the town's historic district that Xi Jinping first feasted on Iowa beef and corn during a visit more than two decades ago.
Wednesday, the menu is a tad more upscale -- crostini with tenderloin, spring rolls and bacon-wrapped scallops. And the excitement, decidedly more palpable.
2-15-12 I read an article with the title of U.S. officials tell Jewish groups to be vigilant because of Iran tensions. I read that With tensions between Iran and the West running high, law enforcement officials are concerned Iran or its surrogates could mount attacks against Jewish targets inside the United States -- but there is no specific information that any plots are in the works. On February 8, the Department of Homeland Security and FBI sent state and local law enforcement partners a memo titled "No Specific Threat to American Jewish Community, Despite Recent World Events."
"We have no specific information that Iran or its surrogates are targeting Jewish organizations, facilities, or personnel in the United States," the intelligence document says. "Economic sanctions and the threat of military action against the Iranian nuclear program suggest tensions with Iran are likely to continue, and we remain concerned Iran would consider attacks in the United States, given last year's foiled plot to allegedly assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States."
2-15-12
Today I read about, At least 272 inmates were dead and the fate of 105 others was unknown Wednesday as families clamored to learn whether their loved ones died in a prison fire in central Honduras.The fire was one of the worst tragedies of its kind in decades in Latin America and focused renewed attention on the often poor conditions of prisons in the region.
In most cases of what's hip and new, the Japanese are ahead. Otaku worship their eye for culture for a reason, after all. But it just might be that that same culture is what holds them back when it comes to a landscape that Americans are quickly becoming intimate with: the digital format. As we move bravely into the digital age and face cries of "Print media is dying!" it's no surprise that manga is popping up on more iPads than ever before. And Americans love it: The more easy access we have to our favorite media sources, the better. On the other hand, a country like Japan that is known for its deeply entrenched traditions may not be as easy to convert. After all, modern manga debuted there in the '40s, but its roots go as far back as the 18th century. It's not unusual to ride the subway in Tokyo and see people of all ages and stations in life with their faces buried in a hot-off-the-shelves copy of "One Piece" or "Naruto." The feeling of holding that trusty book in one's hand is a habit, a groove of comfort. And replacing it with a tablet presents more complexities to some longtime fans than one might think.
Today I read about at least 272 inmates were dead and the fate of 105 others was unknown Wednesday as families clamored to learn whether their loved ones died in a prison fire in central Honduras. The fire was one of the worst tragedies of its kind in decades in Latin America and focused renewed attention on the often poor conditions of prisons in the region. The fire broke out at 11 p.m. Tuesday in a minimum-security prison in Comayagua, Honduras, about 40 miles northwest of the capital, Tegucigalpa. Survivor, Alex Turcio, said that he did not know how the fire started but that he and the other prisoners were asleep and awoke to the screams of fellow inmates.
The buzz in Washington this week felt like the equivalent of an official State Visit (the highest honor given by the White House to a visiting head of state) - people were asking who got invited to the State Department lunch hosted by Secretary Clinton and Vice-president Biden, and the CEO roundtable event hosted by the US-China Business Council in honor of Chinese vice-president and leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping. CNN footage at Andrews Air Force Base showed Xi deplaning and receiving a red carpet arrival. Obama sat with Xi in the Oval Office, and did a press spray (reserved usually only for visiting heads of state), referring to the fact that the Chinese vice-president may attend a Lakers game during his time in the U.S. Even if Xi is the putative next leader of China, Americans usually do not get all in a tizzy about such not-yet-crowned visitors. This sort of “star quality” treatment only happens to…. well, U.S. vice presidents or presidents, when they travel abroad.
This unusual Yankee hospitality reflects how important the Obama administration sees cooperation from China’s next leader for America’s future. Whether it is China’s military (the U.S. wants greater transparency about the People's Liberation Army buildup), Syria (China vetoed a recent United Nations Security Council resolution), counterproliferation (better cooperation on Iran and North Korea), or the economy (Chinese compliance with World Trade Organization regulations and greater stakeholdership in the global economic recovery), the “to-do” list is long, so why not get a head start on this with Xi?
2-16-12 Today I read an article with the title of Pentagon eyeing future cuts to nuclear arsenal. I read that Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday expressed dismay at the Obama administration's consideration of a major reduction in America's nuclear arsenal.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the committee there are internal discussions under way about the number of nuclear weapons America will have in the future. The talks, Dempsey said in his testimony before the committee, were in preparation for upcoming meetings with Russia on the matter.
today i tread aboit tons of marijuana getting across the border eligally more than 10 tons of mota for sale in the united states. alos i read about The buzz in Washington this week felt like the equivalent of an official State Visit (the highest honor given by the White House to a visiting head of state) - people were asking who got invited to the State Department lunch hosted by Secretary Clinton and Vice-president Biden, and the CEO roundtable event hosted by the US-China Business Council in honor of Chinese vice-president and leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping. CNN footage at Andrews Air Force Base showed Xi deplaning and receiving a red carpet arrival. Obama sat with Xi in the Oval Office, and did a press spray (reserved usually only for visiting heads of state), referring to the fact that the Chinese vice-president may attend a Lakers game during his time in the U.S. Even if Xi is the putative next leader of China, Americans usually do not get all in a tizzy about such not-yet-crowned visitors. This sort of “star quality” treatment only happens to…. well, U.S. vice presidents or presidents, when they travel abroad This unusual Yankee hospitality reflects how important the Obama administration sees cooperation from China’s next leader for America’s future. Whether it is China’s military (the U.S. wants greater transparency about the People's Liberation Army buildup), Syria (China vetoed a recent United Nations Security Council resolution), counterproliferation (better cooperation on Iran and North Korea), or the economy (Chinese compliance with World Trade Organization regulations and greater stakeholdership in the global economic recovery), the “to-do” list is long, so why not get a head start on this with Xi?
today i read Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday expressed dismay at the Obama administration's consideration of a major reduction in America's nuclear arsenal.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the committee there are internal discussions under way about the number of nuclear weapons America will have in the future. The talks, Dempsey said in his testimony before the committee, were in preparation for upcoming meetings with Russia on the matter.
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, called the idea "reckless lunacy." Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, R-Texas, said the concept has him "very concerned."
But their worries may be premature, Dempsey said. He told the committee that one result of the discussions could be that there would be no reductions.
2/16/12
Today I read about the death toll from a prison fire in central Honduras rose to 382 Thursday, as new narratives emerged about what happened that night in the overcrowded facility. In the aftermath of the blaze, the government was focusing on recovering and transporting bodies from the prison in Comayagua to the capital, Tegucigalpa. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the federal government has asked for patience as it investigates. Outrage over the fire increased after the president of the country's supreme court admitted that only 40% of the inmates in the prison had been convicted. The majority were awaiting trial or waiting for charges to be filed against them.It was the third fatal prison fire in recent years in the country. In 2003, 61 prisoners were killed in a fire at a prison in La Ceiba. In 2004, 107 died in a fire at a San Pedro Sula prison
2/16/12
Today I read about the death toll from a prison fire in central Honduras rose to 382 Thursday, as new narratives emerged about what happened that night in the overcrowded facility. In the aftermath of the blaze, the government was focusing on recovering and transporting bodies from the prison in Comayagua to the capital, Tegucigalpa. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the federal government has asked for patience as it investigates. Outrage over the fire increased after the president of the country's supreme court admitted that only 40% of the inmates in the prison had been convicted. The majority were awaiting trial or waiting for charges to be filed against them.It was the third fatal prison fire in recent years in the country. In 2003, 61 prisoners were killed in a fire at a prison in La Ceiba. In 2004, 107 died in a fire at a San Pedro Sula prison
Today I read about a former Peace Corps volunteer from Washington state has been wasting away in a Nicaraguan prison, wrongfully convicted of international drug trafficking, money laundering and organized crime, his supporters say.
A growing chorus of defense attorneys, investigators, human rights activists and lawmakers is calling for 34-year-old Jason Puracal's release.
Editor's note: This story is part of an occasional series looking at the violence tied to Mexican drug cartels, their expanding global connections and how they affect people's daily lives.
(CNN) -- Mexico has landed some hard punches against the drug cartels that have stirred violence in parts of the country -- at least on paper.
In 2011, against just the notorious Zetas cartel, Mexico ended the reign of 16 leaders who ran cartel operations at the state or national level. Thugs with nicknames like "El Piolin," "El Lucky" and "El Amarillo."
But the violence attributed to the Zetas has not decreased even after these busts, and critics wonder if names are meaningless if they are so quickly replaced.
And a majority of Mexico's most-wanted drug traffickers, 22 out of 37, have been put out of commission, but to what benefit? At what cost?
"Mexico has paid an enormous price: almost 50,000 dead, almost $50 billion in additional security costs, ever more numerous human rights violations, (and) a great discrediting of the country to the world," wrote Jorge Castaneda, a former Mexican foreign minister and critic of the current strategy, in the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and his backers in the U.S. government, meanwhile, insist that the militarized offensive is paying dividends and that a turning point is close at hand.
The Australian government has angered koala conservationists by again delaying a decision on whether to add the national icon to the country's endangered species list.Last year, a Senate inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala population heard that there could be as few as 43,000 koalas left in the country.Millions have been killed since the arrival of European settlers in the 18th century. Numbers were slashed again during open hunting seasons in the early 20th century and in recent decades tens of thousands have died as a result of habitat destruction, disease -- including Chlamydia and retrovirus -- and dog attacks.On average, four koalas are admitted every week to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, the country's largest wildlife hospital, after being hit by cars. The animals are also vulnerable to bushfires and drought.However, environment minister Tony Burke says he needs 10 more weeks to consider new information from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) on where the marsupial is under the greatest threat. It's the second time he's delayed the decision, which was initially due in October.I can't provide a blanket threatened species listing across Australia when there are many places where koala numbers remain high.Tony Burke, Australian environment minister"I can't provide a blanket threatened species listing across Australia when there are many places where koala numbers remain high," he said in a statement.
While the Senate report found there had been a "marked decline" in Australia's national koala population -- with the largest losses reported in the states of Queensland and New South Wales -- it said that in some areas of Victoria and South Australia koala colonies were "flourishing."
Some say the disparity between survival rates in different parts of the country is complicating what should be a simple decision to grant koalas greater protection.
"In the Senate documents there wasn't one submission that said the koala as safe. Not one," said Deborah Tabart, chief executive of the Australian Koala Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the species.
Currently, koalas are listed as "vulnerable" under state legislation in Queensland and New South Wales, and as "rare" in South Australia. However, they are currently not granted any extra protection under federal law. Campaigners say a national listing is necessary because state governments have clearly failed to stop population declines.
A national listing would offer greater protection to the koala under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. Currently, more than 1,700 species and ecological communities face the threat of extinction, according to government figures.
Tabart said the federal environment minister's decision to delay his verdict was a deliberate tactic to avoid it becoming an issue before the upcoming Queensland state election on March 24. Most koalas in the state are found in the south-east near the capital Brisbane, a growing city which is suffering a shortage of affordable housing.
New Jersey lawmakers are expected to pass a bill Thursday that would provide same-sex couples the right to wed, but the state's Republican governor has pledged to veto the measure and has instead called for a referendum to settle the issue. State senators passed the "Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act" on Monday by a 24 to 16 vote, leaving the bill to be considered by the state assembly. Gov. Chris Christie, often speculated to as a vice presidential candidate, has said that the issue "should not be decided by 121 people in the statehouse in Trenton." But Christie's Democratic opponents argue that a referendum shouldn't be used to decide civil rights issues, pointing to historic legislative and judicial decisions regarding the rights of African-Americans and women. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 52% of New Jersey voters are in favor of legalizing such unions."We're cautiously optimistic" about its chances for passage, said Steven Goldstein, a spokesman for the organization Garden State Equality, which has lobbied for the bill. If Christie vetoes the measure, "the battle for overriding the veto begins," Goldstein said. Lawmakers would need a two-thirds majority in both houses to override a veto and will have until the legislative session ends in January 2014 to do so. The bill's opponents, meanwhile, have vowed to the block the potential override. A similar battle is also shaping up in Maryland, where Gov. Martin O'Malley - a Democrat - has pushed for his state to join the seven others that allow such unions. Washington state, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, New York and the District of Columbia, currently allow same-sex marriage. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill to change the law on Monday.
Today I read about Mexico has landed some hard punches against the drug cartels that have stirred violence in parts of the country -- at least on paper. In 2011, against just the notorious Zetas cartel, Mexico ended the reign of 16 leaders who ran cartel operations at the state or national level. Thugs with nicknames like "El Piolin," "El Lucky" and "El Amarillo.“ But the violence attributed to the Zetas has not decreased even after these busts, and critics wonder if names are meaningless if they are so quickly replaced. And a majority of Mexico's most-wanted drug traffickers, 22 out of 37, have been put out of commission, but to what benefit? At what cost?
CNN's Ivan Watson is reporting from northern Syria, where he is seeing rural communities opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime. He describes these areas as free of a strong government presence but says residents are concerned the Syrian army could launch a military offensive in the countryside if it's victorious in the city of Homs.
Watson is one of a few reporters in Syria, where the government has been placing restrictions on international journalists and refusing many of them entry at all. Below is an edited account of what Watson and his team are seeing and hearing on the ground:
The countryside here in northern Syria is in open revolt, and this is rebellion of farmers, of carpenters and of high school teachers.
Entire communities, villages and stretches of towns across northern Syria tell us that they have not seen the presence of central Syrian government authority in months.
today i read about many things like Since last summer, a former Peace Corps volunteer from Washington state has been wasting away in a Nicaraguan prison, wrongfully convicted of international drug trafficking, money laundering and organized crime, his supporters say. A growing chorus of defense attorneys, investigators, human rights activists and lawmakers is calling for 34-year-old Jason Puracal's release.
2/17/12
Today I read about Mexico's president to U.S.: 'No more weapons‘. Mexico's president called on U.S. officials to stop gun trafficking across the border Thursday, saying the move would be the best thing Americans could do to stop brutal drug violence. The criminals have become more and more vicious in their eagerness to spark fear and anxiety in society, President Felipe Calderon said.One of the main factors that allows criminals to strengthen themselves is the unlimited access to high-powered weapons, which are sold freely, and also indiscriminately, in the United States of America. We need your help to stop this violence. We need you to reduce your consumption of drugs and to dramatically reduce the flow of money to criminal organizations in Mexico, he said. But beyond the topic of drugs, the best way that you, the American people, can help reduce the violence in Mexico is through legislation that has already been in force in the United States, blocking the inhumane weapons trafficking into our country.
Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI on Friday arrested a Moroccan man who was planning a suicide attack on the Capitol, police and a federal law enforcement official said.
Authorities identified the man as Amine Khalifi.
He received what he thought was a vest with explosives, but the materials in the vest had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement, Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said.
The man was arrested as soon as he accepted the vest from undercover officers, according to the federal law enforcement source.
Khalifi was also given a gun, which was similarly rendered inoperable, the official said.
The 29-year-old suspect was living in Alexandria, Virginia, and was in the United States illegally, the source said.
The man had been closely monitored as part of a lengthy and extensive undercover operation, police said, adding that U.S. Capitol Police had been "intimately" involved in the investigation.
The public was never in danger, police said.
The official said the person is not connected to a terrorist organization and was acting alone. He came to the attention of law enforcement because of his extremist views, the source said.
Khalifi thought he had met al Qaeda members who would assist him, but in fact he was dealing with undercover FBI agents, said the official. The source declined to say whether the FBI has audio or video recordings of the suspect talking to undercover agents about his plans.
Today i read about Germany's President Christian Wulff announced his resignation Friday following a series of scandals that prompted calls for him to stand down. The German presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but Wulff's resignation is seen as a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who supported his candidacy as president. However, it is unlikely to impact Germany's handling of the eurozone debt crisis, Carsten Brzeski, a senior economist at ING, told CNN. In a brief televised statement, Merkel said she accepted Wulff's resignation with the "utmost respect and deepest personal regret." Wulff had put the interests of the general public to the fore in deciding to resign, Merkel said. Germany's president resigns In a separate televised statement, Wulff said Germany "needs a president who can devote himself completely to national and international challenges" -- and one who commands the trust of a wide majority of citizens.
Today I read about, The slain prisoners had entered the Topo Chico prison Monday on kidnapping charges, Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domino told CNN affiliate Televise. Authorities believe the inmates were stabbed to death in targeted attacks, Domene said, according to the state-run Notimex news agency.
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