tagged w/ In the News
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In the nine years after 9/11, has our country really had a chance to heal? This year, the 9/11 anniversary has been at the center of a number of controversies, from threatened Quran burnings in Florida to debate over an Islamic community center set to be built in lower Manhattan to American Muslims toning down Eid Al-Fitr celebrations (Eid is the major holiday commemorating the end of Ramadan; this year, it falls on September 10th.) for fear they will be seen as supporting the attacks.
Although these have been the stories dominating the media, they are not the only ones. At the same time, there will be memorials held across the country, including an annual Buddhist interfaith ceremony in New York.
In light of both the controversies and rememberances in the media, do you think that America has truly begun to heal from the events of 9/11? If not, what do you think we need to do to begin to close the wounds?In the nine years after 9/11, has our country really had a chance to heal? This year,... more
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German authorities said a woman ended her bitter marriage by killing her husband then flushing parts of his mutlilated body down the toilet. The rest of his remains were reportedly dumped at an incinerator plant.
"You won't find him, I've flushed him down the toilet," is what she allegedly told her children who reported their 58 year old father missing just before Christmas last year.
"The 52-year-old woman fled to Macedonia after the killing."
German authorities said a woman ended her bitter marriage by killing her husband then... more
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A man accused of killing and eating parts of his ex-girlfriend was found dead in his jail cell last Thursday.
Jose Luis Calva, a writer from Mexico was found hanging by his belt by prison staff after he failed to 'turn up for morning roll call.'
The 38 year old was said to be writing a book called Cannibal Instincts when he died.
'He was awaiting trail for the murder of former girlfriend, Alejandra Galena.' Authorities found Ms. Galena?s mutilated body in a bedroom closet at Calva's apartment last October.
'Calva denied cannibalism but said that he cooked parts of her body to feed his dogs.'
A man accused of killing and eating parts of his ex-girlfriend was found dead in his... more
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Except maybe for death, its impossible to find a greater fear of men than being bound for a lifetime by shackles - whether made of iron or manufactured in the mind.
Two Cincinnati, Ohio university students are facing 20 years in jail
after staging two armed robberies - in order to pay their tuition fees.
Andrew Butler, a theatre student at University of Toledo and engineering student Christopher Avery from University of Cincinnati donned masks and held up bank staff in two Ohio towns at gunpoint.
They made off with more than $130,000 (£63,000) on day two of their ill-fated act of desperation, after their first attempt the day before, failed to net them any cash.
Judge Steve Martin (not the actor, I hope, :P) seemed baffled by the students motive. Prior to the robberies neither one had a criminal record.
Reports in the Cincinnati Enquirer claim Butlers scholarships and financial aid were insufficient to meet his rising tuition costs.
I sympathise with Avery and Butler. I don't condone what they did but it's easy to understand why they felt they had no other choice. Education shouldn't be for the privileged few who can afford it but sadly rising tuition fees, and limited resources for financial support seem to make it that way for many people.Except maybe for death, its impossible to find a greater fear of men than being... more
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They say ?dog bites man? isn?t newsworthy because it's just one of those things that happens in life. On the other hand, ?man bites dog? would warrant some coverage, well because, what rational man would bite a dog, right?
What if the story involved a man biting another man? And what if the man doing the biting was a celebrated TV actor and the man who?d been bitten was some homeless bum? Would that be newsworthy then? I dunno, you tell me. Read the article about Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies who allegedly bit rough-sleeper Paul McElfatrick?s ear after knocking back one too many.
They say ?dog bites man? isn?t newsworthy because it's just one of those things... more
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When not fighting fires or rescuing Mr. Whiskers stuck down a drain, the brave members of the UK fire brigades are sometimes called upon to assist in the most unusual of circumstances.
Take for instance, this story from Fridays Metro newspaper: A 40-something man somehow got a metal ring stuck at the end of his penis. When doctors at Wigan Infirmary failed to remove the ring, they called in the fire-fighters. The victim was anaesthetised before firemen successfully cut the ring with a mini-grinder.
No points for guessing how the ring ended up on the mans privates.
When not fighting fires or rescuing Mr. Whiskers stuck down a drain, the brave members... more
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Nuns at a Greek Orthodox convent near Thessaloniki thought 30 large cannabis plants growing in their garden were decorative bushes.
Theyd been planted there by two men who offered to help with the convent's gardening.
Police raided the convent after receiving an anonymous tip-off and are now on the lookout for the two men.Nuns at a Greek Orthodox convent near Thessaloniki thought 30 large cannabis plants... more
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Ricky Rodriguez's life ended on a lonely deserted road in January 2005. He was just 29 years old when he shot himself in the head. Suicide for him, like so many in his situation, was the only way to escape a horrible childhood, he claimed, that was tainted by abuse at the hands of his own mother.
Before he died, Rodriguez made a videotape of himself, promising to make his mother pay for the abuse.
"She's gonna pay dearly, one way or the other," he warned.
Several witnesses claim they saw Rodriguez having sex with his mother, Karen Zerby.
Zerby is the leader of a religious sect now called The Family International which under its original leader and founder David Berg, encouraged sex with children, according to former members.
A statement from the sect said those allegations were false.
Rodriguez never got to enact his revenge on his mother. He couldn't find her. Instead he killed a former nanny Angela Smith, who according to former sect members, also had intercourse with the young Rodriguez.Ricky Rodriguez's life ended on a lonely deserted road in January 2005. He was... more
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The agreement was simple said Andy Bathie. All he had to do was provide the sperm then leave the actual parenting to his lesbian pal Terri Arnold and her partner Sharon.
But when civil partners Terri and Sharon split up, "the Child Support Agency (CSA) tracked down Andy to demand £425 a month for the girl, four, and boy, two."
"Now newly-married Andy, from Enfield, North London, has launched a landmark legal challenge so he is not recognised as a legal parent."
Bathie, 37 said: "Now I cant afford to have children with my own wife."
Terri, 25 from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex said Bathie played "dad for two years" and insists he should "be paying maintenance."
"The CSA said that both the biological parents remain financially responsible unless a child is legally adopted. "
The agreement was simple said Andy Bathie. All he had to do was provide the sperm then... more
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The 7.3 magnitude earthquake which rocked much of the Caribbean yesterday afternoon is said to be the largest recorded in the region in historic times.
According to the UWI Seismic Research unit, "The event was reported as widely felt throughout most of the Caribbean from Jamaica to Guyana."
Some islanders reported feeling tremors lasting up to a minute.
According to the BBC Caribbean website, "French police said it caused buildings to collapse in Martinique and Guadeloupe."
In Barbados, the phone system was briefly affected, while in St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Dominica there was said to be minor structural damage and/or broken furniture.
Damage assessment is still being carried out on other islands.
Initial reports indicate there were no casualties as a result of the quake.
However officials have said that a British citizen died of a heart attack in Martinique during the quake.
"There are no threats of a tsunami from this event."
CNN has reported that "shaking from the quake was picked up by a seismograph in California, which registered a magnitude 6.0 quake near Chico, California. But seismologists found no quake had occurred in California -- the instrument was reacting to reverberations from the Martinique quake."The 7.3 magnitude earthquake which rocked much of the Caribbean yesterday afternoon is... more
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Did Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's passing last year leave an empty hollow space in your life?
Perhaps, Stewart Parker and his pet alligator can fill that void.
Parker and the 19-year old reptile named Nelson, have developed such a "loving" relationship that visitors to the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria, where Parker is a handler can witness their bond first-hand in "the way Nelson rests peacefully in Parkers arms."
"The pair grew up together on the Wildlife park - which is owned by Parker's father - and have been best friends since childhood."
It all so, *touching*
Did Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's passing last year leave an empty hollow space... more
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"There were too many ifs and buts and what ifs. It just was not conclusive," said the foreman, who asked not to be identified.
An 11-man jury in Jamaica were unable to ascertain the exact cause of former Pakistan coach, Bob Woolmer.
Woolmer, 58, was "found unconscious in his Jamaica hotel room in March, after his team's early exit from the cricket World Cup."
"Police initially suspected murder... but they eventually said Woolmer died of natural causes in line with the conclusions of international specialists."
There are no plans ro reopen the case."There were too many ifs and buts and what ifs. It just was not conclusive,"... more
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Life can be a real witch with a capital B sometimes.
At least that's what 55 year old Timothy Elliott will tell you. You see, Elliott purchased a $10 scratch card for $800 Million Spectacular earlier this year and against odds of 1 to 1,247,400, won £1 million dollars.
Now a hearing on 07 December could see him lose all the money.
Why? Well, Mr Elliott, pictured holding the first of his $50,000 annual installments, is a convicted bank robber, who under the terms of his probation was not supposed to "gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played."
I kinda feel sorry for the guy.
Life can be a real witch with a capital B sometimes.
At least that's what 55... more
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41 year old Michael Carney from Stockton in Teeside tried to convince a jury of his innocence by showing them pictures of his, er, tiny penis.
The father of two appeared at the Teeside Crown Court on charges of exposing "himself to passers-by while standing naked in the front window of his home."
Carney told the court: My genitalia size has always been an embarrassment for me, it is so much smaller than normal."
All the good that did him. Carney "was convicted of seven counts of outraging public decency. "
Judge Brian Forster said, Carney who has 5 prior sex assault convictions will most likely face some jail time.41 year old Michael Carney from Stockton in Teeside tried to convince a jury of his... more
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An orphaned A Level student was told to get pregnant in order to claim state benefits.
Kirsty Oldfield, a student at Salt Grammar School in Baildon, has been living on part-time earnings and a £30 education grant ever since her parents died within months of each other.
According to the Metro newspaper, her income support and benefits were taken away because she earned too much £150 a week working part-time as a chef.
Now Kirsty, who lives with her step-sister Maggie, maybe forced to quit to school.
"Kirsty, 17, said: 'I told my head teacher I might be dropping out. My benefits adviser said the only way I can claim anything is by becoming pregnant.'"
Teacher Max Robinson said: 'When her mum died and she battled on at school, she was unbelievable. Then she lost her dad and was still coming into school. She's a role model.'
An orphaned A Level student was told to get pregnant in order to claim state... more
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The number of West Indians claiming refugee status in Canada is causing concerns for that country's immigration officials.
"Canada accepts thousands of refugees and other displaced persons each year, and is concerned that the increasing claims from OECS nationals could disrupt the processing of genuine claims," according to a BBC Caribbean report published last Monday.
According to records the highest numbers of claimants come from my homeland Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. I'll be the first to admit that yes, life on the multi-island nation is not all peaches and cream but to imply that it has gotten so intolerable that islanders are forced to claim refugee status in another country is outrageous.
The report suggests that Caribbean nationals are advised to apply for refugee status if they wish to remain in Canada after their visa has expired. It however failed to mention where this advice was originating.
Darius Pope, secretary for political and consumer affairs at the OECS High Commission in Canada said the claimants who are generally women aged 20 to 40 years old are abusing "the generosity of the Canadian system."
The number of West Indians claiming refugee status in Canada is causing concerns for... more
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Thomas Montgomerys lawyer said his client was unable to tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
Until September 2006, this was a man who held his head high," attorney John Nuchereno said. "By September 2006 call it an obsession, call it an addiction, call it what you want he was suffering from a diminished capacity of some sort."
Montgomery, a 48-year old factory worker from Buffalo, NY gunned down his colleague Brian Barrett on 15 September 2006 in a jealous fit over a woman he had never met.
The story began a year earlier when the then married Montgomery, posing as an 18-year old girl called Marine, developed an online friendship with a middle-aged West Virginia mother who also told him she was an 18 year old student.
The woman identified as Mary Sheiler occasionally sent packages to Montgomerys home.
When one of the packages was intercepted by Montgomery's wife, she wrote back, telling Sheiler her husband's true age and saying he was married.
Barrett, 22, whom Montgomery had mentioned in his exchanges, was drawn into the triangle after the woman contacted him online to confirm what she had been told by Montgomery's wife.
Montgomery who attempted suicide soon after his arrest was sentenced last Tuesday to 20 years in jail for the killing.Thomas Montgomerys lawyer said his client was unable to tell the difference between... more
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A couple years ago my friends and I stopped at a small shop in Cricklewood to pick up some spices for dinner. Upon hearing my accent, the shop keeper asked where I was from. I told him I was from the Caribbean and to this he replied: Caribbean, good. Jamaica, bad.
I could lie and say his response was a surprise but it wasnt. Jamaicans dont have the best of reputations here in the UK what with the Yardie Gangs, who are believed to have originated from the slums of Jamaica, wreaking havoc in Londons black communities.
One could argue then that a BBC Caribbean article published yesterday about the high visa refusal rate for Jamaicans reflects the negative perception of Jamaicans as shared by my geographically-challenged shopkeeper above.
However Lynn Ballard, Chief British High Commission Entry Clearance Manager in Kingston said poor documentation was responsible for the high denials.
Something tells me this story is not as simple as that.
A couple years ago my friends and I stopped at a small shop in Cricklewood to pick up... more
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Two terror suspects in Iraq tried to evade capture by posing as a bride and groom.
Unfortunately for them, their plan didn't work. Soldiers at a checkpoint near Baghdad became suspicious after noticing that the wedding convoy in which they were travelling was all male.
Haider al-Bahadli (the bride) and Abbas al-Dobbi (the groom) as well as "two other terror-related suspects" were arrested.Two terror suspects in Iraq tried to evade capture by posing as a bride and groom.... more
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"While I was baby, my mother gave me opium," says Aka Murat, 40.
That's seems to be the norm if you grew up in northern Afghanistan.
By the time Murat was two years old, he says eating opium had become a habit. "Now if I don't take opium twice a day, I feel pain in my body and become like a crazy man," he continues.
Nazira, a 28-year old carpet weaver admitted giving her child opium as a sedative so as not to "disturb us during our work."
Nazira believes if child care facilities were available for her and mothers in similar position, their dependency on opium would fall.
"If we had a kindergarten, we wouldn't need to give our children opium and spend our money on buying opium," she says. "And I know after 10 years nobody would use opium in here."
Despite the efforts of the UK and US governments, this years opium production in Afghanistan reached 8,200 tonnes - a 34% increase over last year's figures.
Afghanistan now account for 93% for the world's opium production.
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/11/16/opium-study.html?ref=rss
"While I was baby, my mother gave me opium," says Aka Murat, 40.... more
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