# In the news...



## Curt James (Aug 30, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Aug 30, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Thursday, Aug. 30: Mitt Romney takes center stage; New Orleans recovers from Isaac; Midwest hoping for some drought relief; Holiday travel set to pick up.


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## Curt James (Sep 1, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU3P0G_w5WI

Published on Sep 1, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Saturday, Sept. 1: Obama campaigns in Iowa; Romney stumps in Ohio; Syrian warplanes target cities; Penn State loses season opener.


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## Curt James (Sep 1, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRjS0gSrb8w

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Friday, August 31: Romney visits Louisiana, Obama to follow; Ex-Marine kills 2, self at NJ supermarket; Syrian rebels launch new operation in Aleppo; Ex-Mich. rail worker claims $337M Powerball.


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## Curt James (Sep 4, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BDR9KHe7E4

Published on Sep 4, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Tuesday, Sept. 4: Obama heads toward convention in Charlotte; Pentagon says book has secrets; Scores of homes damaged in Louisiana by Isaac; Big battle from long ago remembered.


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## Curt James (Sep 8, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Sep 8, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Saturday, Sept. 8: President Barack Obama hits Florida; Mitt Romney stumps in Virginia; Pakistani Christian freed from jail; Paul McCartney honored in France.


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## Curt James (Sep 10, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Sep 10, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Monday, September 10th: Chicago teachers on strike; Congress back in session; Flights for illegal migrants to end; Wyoming fire closes summer ski resort.


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## Curt James (Sep 14, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Sep 13, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Thursday, Sept. 13: Anti-American protests grow in Mideast; White House deplores film, protests; Memorial service for Neil Armstrong; Jim Calhoun retiring.


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## Gregzs (Sep 14, 2012)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/n...rk.html?_r=1&nl=nyregion&emc=edit_ur_20120914

[h=1]Drifter Known for Menace Is Charged With Raping Woman, 73, in Central Park[/h][h=6]By WENDY RUDERMAN and NATE SCHWEBER[/h]A drifter who hailed from the South and spent most of his adult life in and out of prison on a grab bag of felonies, including kidnapping and abduction, was arrested on Thursday and charged with the rape, beating and robbery of a 73-year-old woman in Central Park.        
The suspect, David Albert Mitchell, 42, was nothing if not distinctive. His body was a canvas of dark, mythical tattoos: a grim reaper, dragons, Nordic warriors, castles and ?some kind of deadly insect,? said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department?s chief spokesman. Other tattoos included two teardrops under Mr. Mitchell?s left eye and one small teardrop below his right.        
Mr. Mitchell, a parolee from Virginia who arrived in New York City in July, found his way to Central Park, where he almost immediately inspired fear in park regulars, one of whom he threatened with a knife on Aug. 20, the authorities said.        
?He?s a psycho,? said Ayrton dos Santos Jr., known as the mayor of Strawberry Fields, a section of the park where a memorial to John Lennon attracts throngs of tourists. ?He pulled a shank on me and said, ?I got no problem taking this knife and plugging it into you and spattering blood all over this circle in front of all these people.? ?        
Video surveillance images of the suspect were distributed by the police on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the attack on the woman, a bird-watcher who the police said had been brutalized just before noon Wednesday on a wood-chip path not far from Strawberry Fields. By nightfall, three rookie police officers patrolling the Upper West Side recognized the suspect from a grainy photograph and apprehended the man only blocks from the park.        
On Thursday, the victim, her face still swollen and bruised, picked out Mr. Mitchell in a lineup, Mr. Browne said. Prosecutors charged Mr. Mitchell with predatory sexual assault, rape, criminal sex act, robbery and criminal possession of stolen property. They also charged Mr. Mitchell, who went by Keith, with menacing in the knife-brandishing episode.        
As officers escorted Mr. Mitchell from a Special Victims Unit building on Thursday, he spit in the direction of an assemblage of news reporters.        
Early Friday morning, Mr. Mitchell was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court and ordered held without bail.        
The heinous nature of the crime surprised New Yorkers, chilling even veteran members of law enforcement.        
?Central Park is a well-policed precinct, with low crime,? Mr. Browne said. ?This attack, the viciousness of it, the fact that it was in broad daylight, stands out as an anomaly in many respects, including that it was the only rape in Central Park this year.?        
The police said the victim had been scanning the treetops for birds, carrying a professional camera with a zoom lens in her backpack, when Mr. Mitchell appeared. Mr. Mitchell, the woman told police, posed a calculating question: ?Do you remember me??        
The woman pretended that she did not, though she instantly recognized Mr. Mitchell as the man she photographed some nine days earlier in the forested Ramble when she caught him masturbating. In that first encounter, Mr. Mitchell ordered her to delete the image. She refused, and he tried unsuccessfully to wrest the camera away from her before she ran off. She did not report the encounter to the police, Mr. Browne said.        
On Wednesday, Mr. Mitchell threw the woman to the ground, battered her with his fists and raped her, the police said. He fled with her backpack, which contained her camera, they said.        
Mr. Browne said he did not know whether the camera that Mr. Mitchell stole was the same one she had used to photograph him. Investigators recovered the photo from the woman?s computer on Thursday, Mr. Browne said.        
The three officers, Enmanuel A. Rodriguez and Steven F. Ourelio, both 26, and Sicelin Ortiz, 23, had been on the force since January. The officers usually patrol the Washington Heights area, but on Thursday they were among those sent to the area near the park in search of the rape suspect, Mr. Browne said.        
They spotted Mr. Mitchell walking on Amsterdam Avenue, near 77th Street, where he was taken into custody.        
Mr. Mitchell had an extensive criminal history. The authorities in West Virginia charged Mr. Mitchell with murder and sexual assault in January 1989, though a year later he was found not guilty, Mr. Browne said. He spent about a decade in a West Virginia prison after he was convicted of robbery in July 1990. Soon after he was paroled in 2000, he was convicted of larceny and spent another 13 months in prison, according to the West Virginia Parole Board.        
In February 2004, he was sentenced to just over eight years in prison for abduction and kidnapping in Tazewell County, Va.


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## Curt James (Sep 22, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Sep 21, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Friday, September 21, 2012: Romneys paid $1.94 million in fed taxes for 2011; 17 killed in anti-Islam-film protests; Pittsburgh hostage siege ends; iPhone 5 launch draws Apple fans worldwide.


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## Curt James (Sep 22, 2012)

Gregzs said:


> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/n...rk.html?_r=1&nl=nyregion&emc=edit_ur_20120914
> 
> *Drifter Known for Menace Is Charged With Raping Woman, 73, in Central Park*
> 
> ...



^^^^


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## Curt James (Sep 22, 2012)

*Drug Makers Join Efforts in Research*

*By Andrew Pollack
**September 19, 2012*

Ten of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies said on Wednesday that they would cooperate on research aimed at accelerating drug development, starting with streamlining clinical trials.

Pharmaceutical companies have collaborated before on areas considered not directly competitive, like finding variants in the human genome and biomarkers to predict disease and the effectiveness of drugs. But the people behind the new effort said it would be the largest of its kind.

"There?s never been anything like this to take on these big challenges," said Garry Neil, the interim chief executive of the new nonprofit organization, TransCelerate BioPharma, which has been formed to carry on the work.

Mr. Neil, a former corporate vice president for science and technology at Johnson & Johnson, offered no details on the size of the effort, saying only that the budget would be in the millions of dollars.

The pharmaceutical industry has been struggling to come up with new drugs, despite a vast increase in spending on research and development over the last decade. In the meantime, sales from many big-selling drugs are evaporating as patents expire and generic competition kicks in.

Mr. Neil said that TransCelerate would initially take on five projects aimed at making clinical trials more efficient. Clinical trials are the most costly part of bringing a drug to market.

One project would be to standardize the way data from clinical trials are recorded. That would make it easier for clinical trial investigators to enter data without having to remember each company?s format and to compare data from clinical trials.

Similarly, TransCelerate will work on a common Internet portal that investigators can use to communicate with all drug companies, and also on standardizing efforts to qualify clinical trial sites and to train investigators. It will also work on a way for companies to easily procure one another?s already marketed drugs for use in comparative clinical trials.

"We started with things we think are important and also doable," Mr. Neil said, saying the goal is to make significant progress on each project by the middle of next year. He said that TransCelerate might eventually expand to collaborations on drug discovery research.

The 10 initial members are Abbott, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Roche?s Genentech division, and Sanofi. The heads of research and development at these companies sit on the board of TransCelerate.

Other companies, including smaller ones, will be able to join, Mr. Neil said.

The companies will contribute money and personnel to work on the various projects. While TransCelerate will have a headquarters in Philadelphia, the employees from different companies will not all work together at that location, instead meeting as necessary, Mr. Neil said.

TransCelerate said it would work with other organizations. At least two nonprofit organizations, each with pharmaceutical company participation, are already working on accelerating clinical trials and standardizing data. Just last week, those two organizations ? the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium and the Critical Path Institute ? announced that they would form the Coalition for Accelerating Standards and Therapies.

Mr. Neil said TransCelerate had been in the formative stage for about a year and had been in discussions with regulators.

"We applaud the companies in TransCelerate BioPharma for joining forces to address a series of longstanding challenges in new drug development," Dr. Janet Woodcock, the director of the drug division at the Food and Drug Administration, said in a statement issued by TransCelerate.

From *http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/health/drug-makers-in-joint-effort-to-streamline-research.html*


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## Curt James (Sep 26, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Sep 26, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Wednesday, Sept. 26: NFL, referees could be near a deal; Egypt's president says freedom doesn't include religious attacks; Obama says Romney on China is not credible; Andy Williams has died.


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## SFW (Sep 26, 2012)

*A North Florida man pulled over for driving erratically told a deputy that a squirrel in his shirt was eating him.*

Report: Florida DUI suspect blames squirrel in shirt - OrlandoSentinel.com


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## Curt James (Sep 26, 2012)

^^^^ That would definitely have a negative impact on _my _driving.


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## SFW (Sep 26, 2012)

*Christian school secretary accused of sex with student*

Landmark Christian student sex - OrlandoSentinel.com

Kid was 17 btw.


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## SFW (Sep 26, 2012)

*Volusia deputies: Carjacker was trying to rush pregnant girlfriend to hospital*

LoL 

Carjacker pregnant girlfriend: Volusia deputies: Carjacker was trying to rush pregnant girlfriend to hospital - Orlando Sentinel


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## Curt James (Oct 3, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnIpxy4Olng

Published on Oct 3, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Wednesday, Oct. 3: Obama, Romney debate; Suicide bombings in Syria kill dozens; Chicago police find about 1,000 pot plants in city; New Zealand bars Mike Tyson.


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## Gregzs (Oct 8, 2012)

WATCH: Junk Hauler Returns $114,000 in Savings Bonds Thrown Out by Family | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Oct 8, 2012)

Ex-Lions great Alex Karras suffering from kidney failure | Detroit Lions | Detroit Free Press | freep.com


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## Curt James (Oct 14, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Oct 14, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Sunday, October 14th: Former Sen. Specter dies; 23 mile fall from stratosphere successful; 24 tons of Afghan drugs burned; Shuttle makes delayed journey to Calif. museum..


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## Curt James (Oct 18, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Oct 18, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Thursday, October 18th: NY Terror suspect held; Denver bar deaths investigated; California fire 40% contained; New underwater camera.


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## Gregzs (Oct 24, 2012)

Hudson Yards project set to begin:

Manhattan Megaproject Set to Rise - WSJ.com


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## Gregzs (Oct 31, 2012)

[video=youtube;wPxv4Av5xzE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wPxv4Av5xzE[/video]


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## Curt James (Nov 4, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Nov 3, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Saturday Nov. 3: Power slowly returns to New York; Obama campaigns in Ohio; Romney hits New Hampshire, Iowa; Kenya settles U.S. election with bullfight.


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## Curt James (Nov 6, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Nov 6, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Tuesday, November 6th: Election Day voting begins; Romney makes last minute stops, Obama concentrates on interviews; New storm heads for Northeast.


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## Curt James (Nov 18, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Nov 18, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Sunday, November 18th: Israel targets homes of suspected militants; Obama says Israel has right to defend itself; Myanmar prisoners freed ahead of Obama visit; Same-sex demonstration turns violent in France.


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## Curt James (Nov 26, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

Published on Nov 26, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Here's the latest news for Monday, Nov. 26: White House warns about fiscal cliff; Cyber Monday could be big; Bangladesh protesters decry conditions at clothing factory after fire; Big-time Powerball nears.


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## Gregzs (Nov 27, 2012)

The first second-generation Guess model:

Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Is a Model | Watch XFINITY Videos Online | Entertainment | Comcast


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## Gregzs (Dec 3, 2012)

Explosives plant cleanup disrupts Louisiana town | US National Headlines | Comcast

Explosives plant cleanup disrupts Louisiana town

DOYLINE, La. ? The cleanup of 3,000 tons of explosives haphazardly stored at a munitions plant has frayed the nerves of residents who evacuated, closed the high school and spawned a criminal investigation of the company that owns the materials.
Authorities said about half the town's 800 residents had heeded requests that they leave during the cleanup that started Saturday, but some appeared to be returning to their homes. Some displaced residents were exasperated by the sheer volume of explosive material, which is more than authorities initially estimated. Adding to the uncertainty was a forecast of thunderstorms Tuesday that could slow efforts to move the propellant used in artillery shells to safer storage sites.

"We got outside the evacuation area when they said there was a million pounds. Now it's six million," said Frank Peetz, 71, who was staying with his wife in a camper at a nearby state park. "Maybe we ought to be up in Arkansas somewhere."
State police say some of the propellant was found spilling out of boxes crammed into buildings, and they have opened a criminal investigation into why the materials were not stored in bunkers at the state-owned site, leased by Explo Systems.

Weather could complicate the transfer of the roughly 6 million pounds of propellant. If lightning is spotted within five miles of the site, authorities will suspend efforts to move it, state police spokeswoman Lt. Julie Lewis said. No lightning was expected Monday, but the National Weather Service said there's a 30 percent chance of Thunderstorms on Tuesday.

Lewis said that as of late Monday, crews had segregated or safely stored 1.2 million pounds of the propellant since the cleanup started. The work has slowed because they are indoors moving the material, sometimes through narrow hallways.
State police said the material is stable and would need an ignition source to explode. Lewis said it would take something significant such as lightning or a brush fire ? and not static electricity ? to ignite it.

Col. Mike Edmonson, commander of the Louisiana State Police, said police weren't sure how much damage an explosion of the material could cause, even after consulting with Department of Defense officials.
"Nobody can tell you what 6 million pounds of explosives would do if it went up," Edmonson said in a telephone interview. "And I don't want to find out."

Police have checkpoints on roads leading into Doyline, though residents are allowed to come and go. The evacuation was voluntary, and some residents elected not to leave their homes in the town that has been used to film some scenes for the HBO vampire series "True Blood." The evacuation will remain in place at least until Tuesday.

Edmonson said that Explo Systems leases and controls about 400 acres of the 15,000-acre Camp Minden, a former ammunition plant that now is a state-owned industrial site and home to a National Guard training facility. He estimated that the M6 propellant was stored in an area of less than 10 acres.

It was discovered there, stored indoors and outdoors, sometimes in containers that had spilled open, by a trooper following up on an October explosion at the facility.
"It was stuffed in corners. It was stacked all over," Edmonson said.

Just outside the evacuation area, Doyline High School teacher Linda Watson stopped Monday to buy chicken strips at D&H Hardware, which has a small kitchen serving fare that also includes burgers.
Watson said she has not evacuated and has no plans to. Like some others around here, she's accustomed to living near an ammunition plant.
"I've been there the whole time," she said.

Her main concern is the school having to tack on days to the end of the year to make up for classes being out during the evacuation. The school was to remain closed Tuesday.
John Finklea, who was working the register at the store his family owns, said business is down because of the evacuation. He said there's too much being made of the situation.
"I understand people get scared," he said, adding that he considered leaving but ultimately chose not to.

Explo has not publicly commented on the investigation. Neither a company executive nor an attorney who represents the company returned calls Monday. Its website says the company has been in existence for seven years and that its management has been "demilitarizing" and recovering explosives and propellant for 15 years.

Authorities had initially estimated the total of M6 stored at the site at 1 million pounds after the first investigator saw cardboard boxes on long rows of pallets behind a building. Police found more stacked in sheds and warehouses when crews returned Saturday to begin moving the boxes into bunkers about two miles away on the former munitions site.
Lewis said the cause of the Oct. 15 explosion remained under investigation.

The company isn't currently allowed to manufacture any explosives, but can sell what it has. Authorities are hoping such sales could reduce the amount of the material in the area.
Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton said authorities have still not been in touch with the company's owners, though police officials previously said a company manager was working with them. He didn't know how many people were still displaced but said the majority of people in shelters had left them.

Sexton said explosions weren't uncommon in the years that the munitions plant has operated, but he lamented the danger posed by the improper storage of the propellant.
"They not only put their people in jeopardy, they put our people and the people around here in jeopardy," he said.

Evacuees were allowed to stay for free at Lake Bistineau State Park, but ranger Marc Massom said only a few had shown up by midday. Masson, a Doyline resident who lives outside the evacuation zone, said some stayed at their houses because of fears about looting.

Lewis, of the state police, said that security was tight throughout the town with help from neighboring agencies, and that crime hadn't been a problem.
Peetz, the retiree staying in the camper with his wife, said there should have been more oversight of the munitions storage.

"I'd like to see more state and federal checks on who is there and what the hell they're making," Peetz said.


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## Gregzs (Dec 18, 2012)

Report: Michael Douglas’ Son Brutally Attacked in Prison | XFINITY Popcast by Comcast

Report: Michael Douglas? Son Brutally Attacked in Prison

Cameron Douglas, the son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, was brutally attacked in prison while serving a 9 ? year sentence for selling drugs, according to the New York Post.
Sources say Cameron suffered a broken femur and finger after a mob captain placed a $100 bounty on him for being a ?rat.?
Cameron reportedly dropped out of the prison?s flag football league after hearing that there was a reward for causing him bodily harm. Not long after his resignation from the team, Douglas entered the infirmary badly beaten.
?He broke his femur, which is hard to snap, and had to have a rod inserted. He told health services staff that he hurt them playing handball. You don?t break a femur playing handball,? reported a source.
It may be that Douglas? psychiatrist inadvertently incited the assault on his patient. Dr. Robert Millman revealed in open court that Cameron had agreed to testify against the Mexicans from whom he had bought his narcotics.
No one has been punished for the crimes committed against Cameron Douglas, but according to a New York Post source the gangster involved ?is the self-proclaimed ?King of the Italians. They won?t tolerate rats, and Cameron testified against the people who gave him the drugs.?
Cameron?s celebrity father, Michael Douglas, has remained by his side during the stretch in prison. In 2010, the ?Wall Street? star regularly traveled 200 miles to see his imprisoned son while battling cancer. It is unknown if Michael Douglas has seen his son since the attack.
In addition to prison stripes, Cameron has also picked up a tough guy image. ?He recently had his initials inscribed on his neck and big stars on his shoulders, with each year of his incarceration in each star: ?10, ?11, ?12,? explains the New York Post source.
It looks like the tough guy image didn?t do much to prevent the beating. Cameron is still on crutches two months after the ordeal. He will be serving jail time until 2018 at the earliest.


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## Curt James (Dec 22, 2012)

And in other news... The Mayans _can suck it!_


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## Curt James (Dec 22, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

*Published on Dec 22, 2012*
Here's the latest news for Saturday, December 22: Newtown overwhelmed with gifts; Fiscal cliff nears; Clashes erupt at India protest; Spanish lottery.


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## Curt James (Dec 22, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

*Published on Dec 21, 2012*
Here's the latest news for Friday, December 21: Bells toll for victims one week after shooting; NRA calls for armed police officer in every school; Obama nominates Kerry for secretary of state; `Gangnam Style' reaches 1B views on YouTube


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## Curt James (Dec 22, 2012)

^^^^ Over one billion views online! Gadzooks!

'Gangnam Style' gallops into internet history - YouTube


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## Curt James (Dec 22, 2012)

=8^o


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## Curt James (Dec 28, 2012)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

*Published on Dec 28, 2012*
Here's the latest news for: Friday, Dec. 28th. Clock ticking on the cliff; Little time left to head off longshoremen's strike; Norman Schwarzkopf dead; Veteran: Music program is 'therapy session'.


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## Curt James (Dec 28, 2012)

Rest in Peace Stormin' Norman.


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## Gregzs (Jan 14, 2013)

After already having done years of work, the engineers have decided to do this...

Pulaski Skyway, Commuter Survey, Our Projects and the Environment, In the Works

Beginning in 2014, the northbound direction of the Route 1&9 Pulaski Skyway will be closed for approximately 24           months and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is exploring ways to keep traffic moving during           the construction, especially during peak morning hours
          (6-10 am) and afternoon peak hours (4-7 pm).


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## Curt James (Jan 16, 2013)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

*Published on Jan 16, 2013*
Here's the latest news for: Wednesday, Jan. 16th. 2 dead after helicopter crashes in London; Poll: Most Americans want stricter gun laws; Obama to unveil gun violence measures Wednesday; Facebook presents new search feature.


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## Gregzs (Jan 19, 2013)

CAUGHT ON TAPE: Man Brutally Drags Woman Onto Subway Tracks in Philadelphia | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Jan 23, 2013)

Charlie Brown voice actor pleads not guilty to threats, stalking | Comcast

SAN DIEGO ? The former child actor who was the voice of Charlie Brown in the 1960s "Peanuts" animated television specials pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges he threatened his girlfriend and a surgeon who carried out her breast enhancement surgery.

Peter Robbins, 56, from Oceanside, California, pleaded not guilty in San Diego Superior Court to two counts of stalking and 10 counts of criminal threats. If convicted, he could face up to nine years in prison, Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth McClutchey said.

Robbins was arrested on Sunday on outstanding warrants by U.S. Customs officers at the San Ysidro port of entry as he returned to San Diego from Mexico. He remains in jail.

McClutchey said on December 31 Robbins threatened Dr. Lori Saltz, the plastic surgeon he paid to perform breast enhancement surgery on his girlfriend, Shawna Kern.

The prosecution also alleged Robbins left several threatening phone messages for Kern, saying in one, "You better hide Shawna, I'm coming for you ... and I'm going to kill you."

Robbins allegedly threatened to kill a police sergeant who arrested him on January 13 after he refused to pay a restaurant bill at the San Diego hotel where he was staying.

Robbins was released on $50,000 bond the following day and given a January 28 court date.

McClutchey urged Judge David Szumowski to keep Robbins' bail set at $550,000 because Kern and Saltz believed Robbins was a "desperate man" and "had nothing to lose."

Defense attorney Marc Kohnen said the bail was excessive because Robbins had no criminal record and had never been in trouble with the law.

Robbins was 9 years old in 1965 when he became the voice of the world-weary yet optimistic title character of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," the first of many animated TV specials based on the popular "Peanuts" comic strip by Charles Schulz.

With its jazz-inflected music score and a storyline involving Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas in a season corrupted by commercialism, it became a holiday TV classic.

The actor went on to voice Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "You're In Love, Charlie Brown" and "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," which aired in the 1960s. He was replaced in later versions of the animated specials.


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## Gregzs (Jan 25, 2013)

Woman Stabbed 10 Times Sues Match.com After Online Date Leads to Murder Attempt | Fox News Insider

Las Vegas resident Mary Kay Beckman says she ended an 8-day relationship in 2010 with Wade Mitchell Ridley. Months later, she claims he returned and tried to end her life, stabbing her 10 times. Now, Beckman is suing the online dating site Match.com, where she ?met? Ridley, for $10 million. But, is the site really to blame?

Neil Cavuto delved further into the claim on today?s Your World, with attorney Remi Spencer saying that she believes Beckman?s claim against the site is legitimate. ?What she really wants is for Match.com to do a better job of screening their subscribers and notifying their customers that this is possible,? she said. Spencer added that the horrifying event is not just possible, but realistic.

Others, however, say preventing such attacks all comes down to common sense.


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## Curt James (Jan 28, 2013)

AP Top Stories - YouTube

*Published on Jan 28, 2013*
Here's the latest news for: Monday, Jan. 28th. Immigration reform deal progress?; Brazilian town prepares for funerals; Clashes in Egypt despite state of emergency; Where GM 'beats the heck' out of cars.


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## Gregzs (Feb 2, 2013)

RIP Mayor Ed Koch

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/n...es.html?nl=nyregion&emc=edit_ur_20130202&_r=0

The interview video runs 21:46

Last Word: Ed Koch - Video - The New York Times


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## Gregzs (Feb 2, 2013)

Reports: Ex-SEAL/author fatally shot on gun range | General Headlines | Comcast

GLEN ROSE, Texas ? Former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with another man Saturday on a Texas gun range, a sheriff told local newspapers.
Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Kyle, 38, and a second man were found dead at Rough Creek Lodge's shooting range west of Glen Rose, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Glen Rose is about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Bryant did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press seeking comment late Saturday and early Sunday.
Investigators did not immediately release the name of the second victim.
Witnesses told sheriff's investigators that a gunman opened fire on the men around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, then fled in a pickup truck belonging to one of the victims, according to the Star-Telegram. The newspapers said a 25-year-old man was later taken into custody in Lancaster, southeast of Dallas, and that charges were expected.
Lancaster police did not immediately return calls for comment.
The motive for the shooting was unclear.
Kyle wrote the best-selling book, "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," detailing his 150-plus kills of insurgents from 1999 to 2009.
Kyle was sued by former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura over a portion of the book that claims Kyle punched Ventura in a 2006 bar fight over unpatriotic remarks. Ventura says the punch never happened and that the claim by Kyle defamed him.
Kyle had asked that Ventura's claims of invasion of privacy and "unjust enrichment" be dismissed, saying there was no legal basis for them. But a federal judge said the lawsuit should proceed. Both sides were told to be ready for trial by Aug. 1.


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## Curt James (Feb 17, 2013)

AP Top Stories Feb. 17 P - YouTube

*Published on Feb 17, 2013*


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## Gregzs (Feb 21, 2013)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/n...new-goldman-sachs-ferries-on-hudson.html?_r=1&

[h=1]On Hudson, Bank?s Ferries Are Finally in Service[/h][h=6]By PATRICK McGEEHAN[/h]It is a mystery that has drifted around New York Harbor for two years: Why did one of the world?s biggest investment banks buy two custom-made ferry boats and leave them bobbing, unused, on the Hudson River?        

On Tuesday, the idleness ended when the boats ? named York and Jersey ? suddenly slipped into service as commuter ferries, carrying passengers, bank employees or not, between Lower Manhattan and Jersey City. The same passengers who paid $6 each way to ride a New York Waterway workhorse last week have traded up to smoother, quieter boats with plush seating, courtesy of the bank, Goldman Sachs.        
But the question of why it took Goldman so long to put its $5 million investment to use remained unanswered.        

A spokeswoman for the bank, Tiffany Galvin, said that the boats began scheduled service across the Hudson on Tuesday morning. But Ms. Galvin repeatedly declined to explain the long delay, saying only that the necessary ?requirements and checks? had taken longer than expected.        

Ms. Galvin said it would not be appropriate to divulge why the boats? use was blocked or if it had been blocked by a regulatory agency. The Coast Guard said that it had inspected and approved the boats for commuter use two years ago.        
The unusually long clearance was a result of the oddity of Goldman?s plan. It wanted to improve the experience of crossing the water that separates its headquarters in Battery Park City and its office tower on the riverfront in Jersey City. So it ordered a pair of boats, built in Washington State, with sofa-style seating, swivel chairs and bicycle racks.        

The 72-foot-long catamarans may have been built to Wall Street standards, but because they land at a public pier near the World Financial Center, Goldman could not exclude the public ? just as if Citigroup had bought a fancy bus and asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to run it from the bank?s headquarters on Park Avenue to its trading base in TriBeCa.        

In this case, the operator will be the BillyBey Ferry Company, which owns a fleet of boats that it hires New York Waterway to run as commuter ferries. Paul Goodman, the president of BillyBey, said there would be no change in the existing New York Waterway schedule or fares for the route. He acknowledged that he would have liked to have put the boats into service sooner but said he was sworn to keeping Goldman?s secret about the delay.        

Mr. Goodman said the boats would not fly New York Waterway flags, as the boats they replaced did; nor would they bear the ferry service?s name or logos. He gave no explanation and was reluctant even to describe the interiors of the cabins for fear of endangering his charter contract by upsetting Goldman executives.        

For its part, all Goldman would say through Ms. Galvin on Tuesday was: ?We?re pleased to have these environmentally friendly, efficient boats in service. We think they benefit Goldman Sachs employees and the downtown community.?


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## Gregzs (Mar 6, 2013)

The Science of Sinkholes: What You Should Know - The Daily Beast







John Sparkman is dwarfed as he looks into a sinkhole near Picher, Okla., Saturday, April 6, 2008. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
Around 11 on Thursday night, Jeffrey Bush, 37, was tucked in his suburban Tampa bed when, without warning, his entire bedroom collapsed, swallowed up by a 30-foot-wide, 20-foot-deep sinkhole. His brother, Jeremy, rushed in and tried to help, but ended up being pulled out by police as the hole collapsed.


?All I could see was the top of his bed,? said Bush. ?So I jumped in the hole and tried digging him out. I thought I could hear him screaming for me and hollering for me, but they couldn?t do nothing.?

Rescue teams lowered a microphone and video equipment into the hole but found no signs of life. As of Friday afternoon, Jeffrey is presumed dead.

Subsidances aren?t rare in central Florida or around the world, but a sinkhole causing a human death definitely is. Read on for The Daily Beast?s guide to spotting potential sinkholes and understanding them.

*What causes sinkholes?
*

Naturally occurring sinkholes, like the one that killed Jeremy Bush, are depressions in the earth caused by water erosion of the bedrock below a land surface. Acidic rainwater seeps through the ground, reaches soluble bedrock (usually salt, sandstone, or a carbonate rock such as limestone), dissolves small amounts, and carries the particles away. Over time (even thousands of years), this process can enlarge natural pores and cracks in the bedrock, to the point where large cavities or caves are formed. And with a gaping hole underground, there?s nothing to support the weight of layers of sediment above?that's when the ground collapses.


As _The Atlantic_ points out, long periods of drought followed by rain can also set off collapses. Droughts cause groundwater tables to drop, and caves that were once filled with water and were therefore supported by it become weaker. Once rain finally comes, the extra weight of the soaked-through top layer of earth can cause the cave to collapse. And beware of tapping into groundwater for agriculture too, as that can have the same effect as a drought.

Non-naturally occurring sinkholes can form because of water main breaks, sewer collapses, or even abandoned mines. If there?s a substantial change in the weight of a land surface, such as when industrial or runoff-storage ponds are created, underground collapses may also be triggered.


*Where are they most likely to occur?*

Sinkholes are a worldwide phenomenon?geologists estimate that 10 percent of Earth?s surface (including the entirety of Florida) is shaped by dissolving bedrock prone to sinkholes, a type of landscape called karst topography. Nearly every U.S. state is covered at least in part by karst topography and sinkholes are considered most common in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. Check out the U.S. Geological Survey?s map of the U.S.?s karst areas here.


*How big do these things get?*

Pretty massive, as it turns out. The Qattara Depression in Egypt extends to 440 feet below sea level, and a length of 186 _miles_ (with a width of 95 miles). The 2007 and 2010 sinkholes in Guatemala City were 330 feet and 30 stories deep, respectively. And in Sarisarinama, Venezuela, multiple sinkholes have reached about 1,000 feet wide and 1,150 feet deep. Of course, sinkholes aren?t always gargantuan; they can also be quite small, no more than 2 or 3 feet in diameter and depth.


*Are sinkhole fatalities common?*

No, which is what makes the Florida case so bizarre. _USA Today_ talked to Anthony Randazzo, a former University of Florida professor and contractor who has spent his career studying sinkholes. Randazzo recalled only two other people in 40 years who have died because of them?and even then, it was because both people had been drilling water wells. (Remember what we said above about tapping into groundwater?!) It?s worth noting that both these deaths also occurred in Florida.


*How can I tell if I?m living on a sinkhole and how can I fix it?*

Consider sagging trees or fence posts, doors or windows that won?t close properly, and rainwater collecting in unusual spots as warning signs. Get the hell outta there and, if it?s on public property, report it to local law enforcement. If it?s on your own property, a small hole can be filled with natural materials like rock and clayey sand. Larger sinkholes will require the help of experts. Professional geologists or a geotechnical engineering firm can help by injecting grout into the area to fill up cracks and strengthen the foundation.


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## Gregzs (Mar 17, 2013)

Worker who set fire to sub sentenced to 17 years | US National Headlines | Comcast

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? A shipyard worker who set fire to rags aboard a nuclear submarine because he wanted to go home was sentenced to a little more than 17 years in federal prison Friday for the blaze that transformed the vessel into a fiery furnace, injured seven people and caused about $450 million in damage.

Casey James Fury also was ordered to pay $400 million in restitution by a judge who weighed his lack of criminal record and the severity of the fire before imposing a 205-month prison sentence.
The 25-year-old Fury, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., pleaded guilty to setting the May 23 fire while the USS Miami was undergoing a 20-month dry dock overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.

The civilian painter and sand blaster told authorities that he wanted to go home because he was suffering from an anxiety attack. He told them he never envisioned such extensive damage when he used a lighter to set fire to a bag of rags that he left burning on a bunk in a state room.

The blaze quickly grew into an inferno spewing superheated smoke that billowed from hatches. It took 12 hours and the efforts of more than 100 firefighters to save the submarine. Seven people were hurt, the Navy has said.
Eric Hardy, a shipyard firefighter who suffered back and shoulder injuries fighting the blaze, called it the worst fire he had ever seen.

"The best way I could describe it, sir, is fighting a fire in a wood stove and climbing down the chimney," Hardy told the judge.

Fury, who had been working in the torpedo room, fled to the safety of the pier, prosecutors said, and watched as firefighters went down hatches and into the burning Los Angeles class-attack submarine, staying inside for only minutes at a time because of smoke and blistering heat.

Hardy said the smoke was so thick that he couldn't even see a foot in front of him and his flashlight was virtually useless. Firefighters had 20-minute air packs, but it was so hard to climb into the sub and move around inside that they were limited to two to three minutes of actual firefighting.

About three weeks later, Fury set a second fire outside the crippled sub, again because of anxiety. That fire caused no damage. He pleaded guilty to two counts of arson in November.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said it was telling that Fury set a second fire after the extensive damage caused by the first one.
But the defense lawyer David Beneman contended Fury suffered from depression and anxiety and that he never intended to harm anyone. Beneman described a "spin cycle" caused by Fury's failure to receive adequate treatment.

Fury spoke briefly Friday, apologizing to the people who were hurt and saying he meant no disrespect to the Navy.
"From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly sorry for what I have done," he said.

U.S. District Judge George J. Singal weighed the extreme damage caused by the fire against Fury's lack of criminal record, which consisted of one drunken driving conviction, in finding a sentence in the middle of the 235 months sought by prosecutors and 188 months sought by the defense.

"It is only by the grace of God that no one else was more seriously hurt or killed," the judge said.
When he completes his prison sentence, Fury will have to serve five years of supervised release. The $400 million in restitution was mandated by federal statute, but prosecutors don't expect to collect anywhere near that sum.

The May 23 fire damaged forward compartments including living quarters, a command and control center and the torpedo room. It did not reach the rear of the Groton, Conn.-based submarine, where the nuclear propulsion components are located.
The Navy determined it was cost-effective to repair the vessel with a goal of returning it to service in the middle of 2015. But its future is now uncertain. Repairs have been postponed under mandatory budget cuts known as sequestration.

Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, a submarine group commander, said the ship's extensive damage had ripple effects around the Navy, delaying maintenance on other vessels and leading to longer deployments for thousands of sailors.


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## Gregzs (Mar 26, 2013)

Thieves steal entire bridge in western Turkey

Thieves steal entire bridge in western Turkey

In a most unusual incident thieves on Monday stole an entire bridge, apparently for its scrap metal, in the western province of Kocaeli.

The 22-ton bridge, which was 25 meters long, was in a village in Kocaeli's G?l??k district and was regularly used by villagers to cross a creek to reach their orchards. The villagers were astonished to discover the disappearance of the bridge on Monday morning as they were making their way to the orchards and immediately alerted the police.

Police arrived at the scene and determined that the bridge had been cut apart and loaded onto a truck by the thieves. They believe the bridge was stolen for scrap metal. Its worth was an estimated TL 20,000.  

Mustafa Karakaş, one of the villagers, told the İhlas news agency that he couldn't understand how a bridge could be stolen, saying it was unbelievable.

?Now we have to take our socks off and cross the creek,? Karakaş said. 

Police have launched an investigation to capture the perpetrators.


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## Gregzs (Mar 31, 2013)

Forgotten US airship crash recalled 80 years later | General Headlines | Comcast

Forgotten US airship crash recalled 80 years later

LAKEHURST, N.J. (AP) ? History buffs will gather this week near the New Jersey coast to commemorate a major airship disaster.
No, not that one.

Newsreel footage and radio announcer Herbert Morrison's plaintive cry, "Oh, the humanity!" made the 1937 explosion of the Hindenburg at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station probably the best-known crash of an airship.
But just four years earlier, a U.S. Navy airship seemingly jinxed from the start and later celebrated in song crashed only about 40 miles away, claiming more than twice as many lives.
The USS Akron, a 785-foot dirigible, was in its third year of flight when a violent storm sent it plunging tail-first into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after midnight on April 4, 1933.

"No broadcasters, no photographers, no big balls of fire, so who knew?" said Nick Rakoncza, a member of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society. "Everybody thinks that the Hindenburg was the world's greatest (airship) disaster. It was not."
A ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the crash, the deadliest airship disaster on record, is being held Thursday at a veterans park where there is a tiny plaque dedicated to the victims. Below it is a small piece of metal from the airship.

Few in the area seemed to know about the disaster, let alone the memorial plaque; even a Navy officer sent on an underwater mission to explore the wreckage many years later had not heard of the Akron.
"It's almost a forgotten accident," said Rick Zitarosa, historian for the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society. "The Akron deserves to be remembered."

The Akron crashed off the community of Barnegat Light just a few hours after taking off from Lakehurst, killing 73 of the 76 men aboard, largely because the ship had no life vests and only one rubber raft, according to Navy records and the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society. They had been moved to another airship and were never replaced.

Lt. Cmdr. Herbert Wiley, Moody Erwin and Richard Deal were pulled from the frigid waters by a German tanker that had been nearby.
Erwin and Deal had been hanging on a fuel tank. Wiley was clinging to a board, according to an account he gave to a newspaper the next day.

In a newsreel interview, Wiley, standing next to the other survivors, said he was in the control car just before the crash. He said crew members could not see the ocean until they were about 300 feet above the water.
"The order was given to stand by for a crash," Wiley said. "The ship hit the water within 30 seconds of that order and most of us, I believe, we catapulted into the water."

Among the casualties was Rear Adm. William Moffett, the first chief of the Bureau of Navy Aeronautics.
When the wreckage was found, Zitarosa said, the airship had collapsed to about 25 feet in height. It had originally stood at about 150 feet.

"It was a catastrophic disintegration of the ship once it hit the water," Zitarosa said.
Part of the wreckage was lifted from the sea a few weeks after the accident.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio, had been awarded a Navy contract in 1928 to build the Akron and a second rigid airship, the Macon. Construction of the Akron by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. was completed in 1931.
It was plagued by problems from the start.

It was involved in three accidents before its final flight, including one in which its tail slammed into the ground several times. Another accident killed two sailors.
Some men who died in the Akron had survived the airship crash of the USS Shenandoah less than a year before.

A day after the Akron disaster, a blimp sent out to look for bodies malfunctioned and crashed in Barnegat Light, killing two more crew members.

A year later, Wiley was the commanding officer on the USS Macon when it was lost in a storm off of Port Sur, Calif., also killing two crew members. Wiley survived, but that was it for him and airships.
In June 2002, the Navy ordered a mission to explore the wreckage of the Akron. The NR-1 explored several hundred feet of debris 120 feet deep.

The officer of the NR-1 at the time, Dennis McKelvey, said that they could not see much of the wreckage through murky waters, but that some metal along the ocean floor resembled "ribs sticking out of the mud."
Even McKelvey, now a retired Navy captain, had not heard of the Akron disaster before he was dispatched to view the site.

"I had to go do my own research," McKelvey said. "I thought I would have learned about it at some point."


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## Gregzs (Apr 10, 2013)

It makes me think that if I bring anything valuable to make sure it is in my carry-on.

VIDEO: Airport Worker Caught Stealing $84K Worth of Items From Luggage! | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Apr 11, 2013)

After 27 years of burglaries, 'North Pond Hermit' is arrested | The Morning Sentinel, Waterville, ME

[h=2]After 27 years of burglaries, 'North Pond Hermit' is arrested[/h][h=3]Christopher Knight, 47, says he stole to survive solitary life in the woods of western Maine.[/h]


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## Gregzs (Apr 11, 2013)

At first I thought this was a leftover from April Fools'.

Margaret Thatcher's Death Sends "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" to the Top of U.K. Charts | Comcast


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## Curt James (Apr 13, 2013)

AP Top Stories April 12 P - YouTube

*Published on Apr 12, 2013*
Here's the latest news for Friday, April 12: Mail bomb sent to Sheriff Arpaio, Kerry warns N. Korea on missile launch, $4 million jewelery heist in Conn., International cake show kicks off in London.


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## Gregzs (Apr 17, 2013)

Lapeer Police stop 6-year-old driver heading for Chinese food | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

Lapeer Police stop 6-year-old driver heading for Chinese food

Police in Lapeer responded to an unusual phone call Saturday morning from  drivers on M-24 who reported a vehicle driving erratically.

"They told police when they called that it looked like a 6-year-old was  driving the car," said Sgt. Andy Engster of the Lapeer County Sheriff's  Department. "And they were exactly right."
By the time police arrived to pull over the six-year-old boy, two drivers of  other vehicles had already boxed him into a turnaround, said Engster. One  reached into the window and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

The boy had taken the keys off the counter at home and told the responding  officer that he had never driven before and nobody had taught him how.
"He said he'd never even sat on his dad's lap to steer the car or anything,"  said Engster.

When police asked the boy why he took the car, he told them he was going to  get Chinese food. He had hit a "no left turn" sign on Park and Pine streets near  his home and, seeing the damage to the car, decided he needed to head to the  dealer to get it repaired.

The incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. just south of the I-69 entrance ramp.  Police called the boy's father who came to pick him up.

"He said he was asleep and he didn't even know (his son) was gone," said  Engster.
The incident is under investigation and no one was injured.


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## Gregzs (Apr 22, 2013)

"I Touch Myself" Singer Dead at 53 | Watch XFINITY Videos Online | Entertainment | Comcast

Havens, 1st Woodstock singer, dies of heart attack | Music | Comcast


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## Gregzs (Apr 22, 2013)

Rogue Trader – Nick Leeson Back | Sandeep Yadav


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## Gregzs (Apr 27, 2013)

Bangladesh building collapse death toll nears 350 | General Headlines | Comcast

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Police in Bangladesh took six people into custody in connection with the collapse of a shoddily-constructed building that killed at least 348 people, as rescue workers admitted Saturday that voices of survivors are getting weaker after four days of being pinned under the increasingly unstable rubble.
Still, in a boost for the rescuers, 29 survivors were pulled out Saturday, said army spokesman Shahinul Islam.

Most of the victims were crushed by massive blocks of concrete and mortar falling on them when the 8-story structure came down on Wednesday morning -- a time many of the garment factories in the building were packed with workers. It was the worst tragedy to hit Bangladesh's massive garment industry, and focused attention on the poor working conditions of the employees who toil for $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.

Among those arrested Saturday were two owners of a garment factory, who a Dhaka court ruled can be questioned by police for 12 days without charges being filed. Also detained are two government engineers and the wife of the building owner, who is on the run, in an attempt to force him to surrender. Late Saturday, police arrested another factory owner. Violent public protests continued sporadically in Dhaka and spread to the southeastern city of Chittagong where several vehicles were set on fire.
Working round-the-clock since Wednesday through heat and a thunderstorm, rescuers on Saturday finally reached the ground floor from the top of the mountainous rubble through 25 narrow holes they have drilled, said Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, the head of the fire services.

"We are still getting response from survivors though they are becoming weaker slowly," he said, adding that rescue workers were now able to see cars that were parked at the ground level.
"The building is very vulnerable. Any time the floors could collapse. We are performing an impossible task, but we are glad that we are able to rescue so many survivors." He said the operations will continue overnight as chances fade of people surviving for a fifth day with possibly grievous injuries and the heat.

The building site was a hive of frenzied activity all day with soldiers, police and medical workers in lab coats working non-stop. Rescuers passed bottles of water and small cylinders of oxygen up a ladder leaning against the side of the building to be given to possible survivors inside.
They used bare hands and shovels, passing chunks of brick and concrete down a human chain away from the collapsed structure. On the ground, mixed in the debris were several pairs of pink cotton pants, a mud-covered navy blue sock and a pile of green uncut fabric.

Nearby, Abul Basar wept as he awaited news of his wife, who worked in one of the garment factories. "My son says that his mother will come back some day. She must return! " he cried.
Every once in a while a badly decomposed body would be brought out, covered in cloth and plastic, to a spot where ambulances were parked. Workers furiously sprayed air-fresheners on the bodies to cover the stench, leaving the air thick with the smell of death and cheap perfume.

The bodies were kept at a makeshift morgue at the nearby Adharchandra High School before being handed over to families. Many people milled around at the school, waving photos of their missing loved ones.
Junior local government minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak put the death toll at 348. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said 2,429 survivors were accounted for, including 29 who were pulled out Saturday.

Junior Home Minister Shamsul Haque Tuku said police had arrested Bazlus Samad, managing director of New Wave Apparels Ltd., and Mahmudur Rahman Tapash, the company chairman. He told reporters that police had also detained the wife of Mohammed Sohel Rana, the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, for questioning. The top three floors of the eight-story building were illegally constructed. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said officials arrested Aminul Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd., late Saturday in Dhaka.

Authorities are still searching for Rana, a local politician, who hasn't been seen publicly since the building collapsed. Negligence cases have been filed against him. Police in Bangladesh often detain relatives of missing suspects as a way to pressure them to surrender.
Dhaka police superintendent Habibur Rahman said Rana was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. His arrest, and that of the factory owners, was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.

Police said they detained for questioning two engineers working for the Savar municipality, Imtemam Hossain and Alam Ali. They did not say what role they played in approving the design of the building but it was clear that the arrests amounted to a widening crackdown. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed.

Police say they ordered an evacuation of the building on Tuesday after cracks in Rana Plaza were found, but the factories ignored the order and were operating when it collapsed the next day. Video before the collapse shows cracks in walls, with apparent attempts at repair. It also shows columns missing chunks of concrete and police talking to building operators.
Officials said soon after the collapse that numerous construction regulations had been violated.

The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. Since then, very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.

Bangladesh's garment industry was the third largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is the equivalent of about $38 a month.
Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.

Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.


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## Gregzs (Apr 29, 2013)

I haven't seen any footage of the flight so far.

Virgin Galactic spaceship makes 1st powered flight | Science Headlines | Comcast

MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) ? Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo made its first powered flight Monday, breaking the sound barrier in a test over the Mojave Desert that moves the company closer to its goal of flying paying passengers on brief hops into space.
"It couldn't have gone more smoothly," said Sir Richard Branson, who owns the spaceline with Aabar Investments PJC of Abu Dhabi.

A special twin-fuselage jet carrying SpaceShipTwo took off at about 7:00 a.m. PDT, spent 45 minutes climbing to an altitude of 48,000 feet and released the spaceship. Pilot Mark Stucky and co-pilot Mike Alsbury then triggered SpaceShipTwo's rocket engine.
The engine burned for 16 seconds, propelling the spaceship to an altitude of 55,000 feet and a velocity of Mach 1.2, surpassing the speed of sound. SpaceShipTwo then glided to a safe landing at Mojave Air and Space Port in the desert north of Los Angeles, said George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's CEO.

The 10-minute test flight was considered a major step for the program.

"Having spaceship and rocket perform together in the air is a long way toward getting into space," said Branson, who watched from the ground. "A few more test flights with slightly bigger burns every time, and then we'll all be back here to watch it go into space."
Until Monday, SpaceShipTwo had only performed unpowered glide flights. Several powered flights are planned this summer, culminating with a dash into space targeted toward the end of the year.

SpaceShipTwo is a prototype commercial version of SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first privately developed manned rocket to reach space. Since the historic flight, more than 500 aspiring space tourists have paid $200,000 or plunked down deposits, patiently waiting for a chance to float in weightlessness and view the Earth's curvature from 62 miles up.

Branson initially predicted commercial flights would begin in 2007, but a deadly explosion during ground testing and longer-than-expected test flights pushed the deadline back.
No date has been set for the first commercial flight from a custom-designed spaceport in New Mexico, but Virgin Galactic executives have said it will come after testing is complete and it secures approval from the government. Branson previously said the maiden passenger flight will carry his family.

SpaceShipTwo was built by Mojave-based aerospace research company Scaled Composites LLC, which was founded by cutting-edge aviation designer Burt Rutan. His SpaceShipOne, funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, made three suborbital flights into space ? reaching altitudes of 62 miles (100 kilometers) or greater? and won the $10 million Ansari X Prize.


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## Gregzs (Apr 29, 2013)

Where in Manhattan could the Madison Square Garden move to?

Madison Square Garden should move to make way for roomier N.Y. Penn Station, planners say | NJ.com

At New York Penn Station, the hemisphere?s busiest transit hub, Madison Square Garden occupies the penthouse and rail riders get the dingy basement.
But the cellar-dwellers are ready to emerge from the darkness.

As the New York City Planning Commission and City Council consider whether to renew the 50-year permit that allowed the Garden to operate on top of Penn Station, the three transit agencies that use the station below ? including NJ Transit and Amtrak ? are asking for skylights, better signage and improvements to entrances, elevators and taxiway pedestrian access as a condition for renewal.
The Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the arena that is undergoing a nearly $1 billion renovation, wants a permit to operate in perpetuity.

But some regional planners and politicians, who say having the Garden atop the transportation hub chokes the much-needed expansion of Penn Station, instead would like to see only a 10-year permit renewal, allowing time for the Garden to find an alternative location in Manhattan.

The civic groups Regional Plan Association and Municipal Art Society formed an alliance to advocate for the overhaul of Penn Station and relocation of the Garden. They called on regional planners and politicians to "seize a unique opportunity this year to envision substantial changes to Penn Station, where overcrowded and grim public areas have plagued hundreds of thousands of daily commuters for nearly five decades."
It has all the makings of a record-breaking title bout at MSG?s famed boxing ring.

In this corner, weighing in with hundreds of thousands of basketball and hockey fans and concertgoers, "The World?s Most Famous Arena."
And in this corner, weighing in with hundreds of thousands of commuters, North America?s busiest rail station.






Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Knicks would play in a different building if some regional planners and politicians had their say.Debby Wong/USA TODAY Sport 

When the ornate Beaux Arts original Pennsylvania Station was demolished in the early 1960s to make way for a train station topped by Madison Square Garden, passenger rail was thought to be waning. About 200,000 passengers a day used the station that had grand, soaring ceilings.
Ridership has since tripled, but the space inside the building largely remains the same.

"While Madison Square Garden serves as a major entertainment venue and lively civic asset, the original permit clearly reflects very different urban development priorities from those of today," representatives from NJ Transit, Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road wrote in a letter to the planning commission. "The City?s actions permitting the siting of the arena and the Two Penn Plaza office tower in the place of the iconic station building set the course for the irrevocable loss of a spacious rail terminal and great civic landmark.
"Despite significant subsequent investments by the station?s rail carriers to better accommodate these passengers," the letter continued, "travelers have for decades been confined to functionally inadequate accommodations in the makeshift underground station, and have been hampered by severely limited street-level access at a handful of poorly marked and architecturally flawed entrances that are in some cases all but hidden from the street."

Along with the letter, the transit agency representatives provided photos of passengers packed like sardines, a hard-to-read Pennsylvania Station entrance sign and delivery vehicles blocking traffic outside the station.
Madison Square Garden, owner of the Knicks and Rangers, said in a statement that virtually all special permits are granted without "artificial expirations" and that no other sports arena or stadium in New York City has a time limit imposed.

"The Garden ? a company that has recently invested nearly $1 billion in its Arena and helps drive the city?s economy by supporting thousands of jobs and attracting hundreds of annual events ? is being unfairly singled out because of a decision that was made 50 years ago: to demolish the original Penn Station," the statement read. "Adding an arbitrary expiration for reasons unrelated to the special permit process or requirements would not only set a dangerous and questionable precedent, but would also hinder our ability to make MSG and New York City the long-term home of even more world-class events, and would harm a business that has served as a significant economic driver for the city for generations."

John W. Nabial Sr. of West Windsor, who commutes from Princeton Junction to Manhattan, would like to see walls demolished "to remove the catacombs feel to much of the station" and have more room left for the flow of passenger traffic.
He also would like to see more access points to the street level and have rail platforms become wider or more accessible, along with better ventilation and lighting.

Commuter Tom Calabria, who takes the train from West Windsor to New York, said the signs and monitors for outbound track assignments are "horrific" on the lower level because they are at eye level and people stand in front of them.
"They constantly bring crowded trains in on platforms that have an outbound train on the opposite side, so half the escalators are going the wrong way," he added.

Drew Galloway, assistant vice president of policy and development at Amtrak, said cramped conditions at the station get so stifling that "several times each year, we literally have to close the station to avoid dangerous overcrowding."

"It?s like the Oklahoma Land Rush at 5 p.m. at 34th Street and 7th Avenue," he added, getting knowing chuckles this month during a presentation in Atlantic City on Amtrak?s proposed Gateway train tunnel from Secaucus to the south side of New York Penn Station.
New Jersey transportation expert Martin E. Robins, director emeritus of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University, has had the claustrophobic feeling of being stuck on crowded platforms at Penn Station, has had long waits for cabs and has had to weave his way through seas of people to get to the other side of the station.

Still, he thinks major destinations such as Madison Square Garden should be close to rail terminals, and hopes the sides work out their differences.

"This would be a useful way in which the city of New York, which now has a considerable amount of planning capacity, could work with Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit to take advantage of this lease negotiation and improve those conditions," Robins said. "If the railroads find that there are inadequacies, they should be addressed."


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## Gregzs (May 23, 2013)

The City Planning Commission denied Madison Square Garden's MSG +0.81%request to operate indefinitely on its current site, reopening questions about moving the arena and shifting a hot-button political issue to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. 

The commission voted unanimously Wednesday to give the 45-year-old arena a *15-year operating permit*, creating a political countdown for a deal to move the arena from 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue and clear the way to rebuild Pennsylvania Station, which sits below the complex. 

Typically the planning commission grants such permits indefinitely, but in the case of the Garden, the seemingly routine process has been complicated by long-standing issues around improving Penn Station. 

"What a 15-year period can do is to create an opportunity for city, state and federal government agencies to reach an agreement with Madison Square Garden and the railroads for a comprehensive plan to relocate the arena and rebuild Penn Station" said City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden at the vote Wednesday. 

The final decision on the permit rests with the City Council. It is likely to defer to Ms. Quinn, because she represents the West Side area that includes the site of the Garden. 

The council will also have to consider a provision created by the City Planning Department that would make it possible for Madison Square Garden to receive an indefinite permit. That could happen if the Garden reaches an agreement with the Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and Amtrak to allow them access to add more stairwells, elevators and escalators to improve access to Penn Station. 


Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers looks on during pre-game ceremonies at Madison Square Garden in April.
.
The decision forces Ms. Quinn, the front-runner for the Democratic mayoral nomination, to weigh the interests of the Dolan family?powerful local political players who have a controlling interest in Madison Square Garden Co. and Long Island's Cablevision Systems Corp. CVC +0.72%?against her local community board and prominent civic groups. 

Ms. Quinn's office has communicated with some of those groups, including the Municipal Arts Society and the Regional Plan Association, who are pushing for a 10-year permit. 

"We're very pleased that the planning commission has set a time limit. We need to make sure it stays in and is strengthened in the city council," said Robert Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association. 

The speaker hasn't yet met with representatives of the Garden because they haven't requested a meeting, said Justin Goodman, a spokesman for Ms. Quinn. He said she was open to meeting with all parties. 

"As with all [land use] applications that come before the council, Speaker Quinn looks forward to reviewing the proposal and working to ensure that an open dialogue with all interested parties is maintained," Mr. Goodman said. 

Over the past decade, a plan was proposed to move Madison Square Garden?to the Ninth Avenue side of the Farley Post Office complex?as part of the post office's rebirth as Moynihan Station. Garden officials maintained they were willing to move, but withdrew that offer when public funding commitments fell through. 

They have said since that deal fell apart they've spent significant money on improvements to the facility and needed the "fairness and predictability" of an indefinite permit. 

"We hoped and expected that City Planning, which currently issues virtually all special permits without term limits, would base its decision on the merits of the permit application. Instead, the Garden?a key driver of the city's economy that supports thousands of jobs, and which is currently investing nearly $1 billion of its own money in its arena?is effectively being held hostage by a decision by public officials," said Kimberly Kerns, a spokeswoman for the Madison Square Garden Company. 

The Dolans have weighed in on previous land-use issues. Several years ago, with support from Ms. Quinn and other local and state officials, they were instrumental in the defeat of a proposal to build a new stadium for the New York Jets on the West Side. 

Recently, however, the family has encountered political difficulties, including disputes with Cablevision employees in Brooklyn. Labor-union officials said they would pressure members of the city council to limit the permit. 

"We plan to lobby aggressively at the City Council to make sure that the community's concerns are addressed and MSG doesn't get an unneeded loophole," said Bob Master, legislative and political director of the Communications Workers of America District 1. 

State Assemblyman Richard Gotffried, a Democrat, said he was "mystified" by the opposition to Madison Square Garden. He said he supported an indefinite permit. 

"I think putting a sunset on the permit is wrong, especially such a short sunset. Madison Square Garden was ready to pack up and move to make way for a new Penn Station entrance. The reason that never came together was because the other players never got their act together," Mr. Gottfried said.


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## Gregzs (May 24, 2013)

Security camera video of I-5 bridge collapse 

Security camera captures bridge collapse | Watch XFINITY Videos Online | News | Comcast


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## Gregzs (May 24, 2013)

Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees horror behind him | General Headlines | Comcast

Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees horror behind him

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) ? The trucker was hauling drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River.

Amazingly, nobody was killed. The three people who fell into the water escaped with only minor injuries.

Officials are trying to find out whether the spectacular collapse of a bridge on one of the West's most important roadways was a fluke ? or a sign of a bigger problem with thousands of bridges across the U.S.

Authorities focused first on trying to find a temporary span for the Skagit, although it won't come in time for the tens of thousands of Memorial Day vacationers who would travel between Canada and Seattle.

"You cannot overstate the importance of this corridor to Washington state," Gov. Jay Inslee said. Traffic on I-5 and surrounding roads was backed up for miles, a situation the governor said would continue indefinitely.

Officials were looking for a temporary, pre-fabricated bridge to replace the 160-foot section that failed, Inslee said Friday. If one is found, it could be in place in weeks. If not, it could be months before a replacement can be built, the governor said.

The spectacular collapse unfolded about 7 p.m. Thursday on the north end of the four-lane bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canada border.

"He looked in the mirrors and it just dropped out of sight," Cynthia Scott, the wife of truck driver William Scott, said from the couple's home near Spruce Grove, Alberta. "I spoke to him seconds after it happened. He was just horrified."

The truck driver works for Mullen Trucking in Alberta, the Washington State Patrol said. The tractor-trailer was hauling a housing for drilling equipment southbound when the top right front corner of the load struck several of the bridge's trusses, the patrol said.

Scott, 41, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. He voluntarily gave a blood sample for an alcohol test and was not arrested.

Scott has been driving truck for 20 years and hauling specialized loads for more than 10.

"He gets safety awards, safety bonuses ... for doing all these checks, for hiring the right pilot cars and pole cars," his wife said.

Initially, it wasn't clear if the bridge just gave way on its own. But Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on the tall load.

The truck made it off the bridge, but two other vehicles went into the water about 25 feet below as the structure crumbled.

Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup heading to a camping trip when he said the bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust."

"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told reporters from a hospital.

Bryce Kenning, of Mount Vernon, said the bridge seemed to explode in front of him. The 20-year-old slammed the brakes and could see the edge of the pavement approaching, but there was nothing he could do.

"It was like time was frozen ? like a roller coaster where you're not attached to the tracks," Kenning said in a phone interview. "I'm sure it was just one of the loudest sounds ever to hear this thing explode and fall into the water like that, but I didn't hear a thing. I just witnessed it happening in front of me."

Ed Scherbinski, vice president of Mullen Trucking, said in an interview with The Associated Press that state officials had approved of the company's plan to drive the oversize load along I-5 to Vancouver, Wash., and the company hired a local escort to help navigate the route.

Mike Allende, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, confirmed the truck had a permit.

"We're still trying to figure out why it hit the bridge," Allende said. "It's ultimately up to the trucking company to figure out whether it can get through."

State officials approved the trucking company to carry a load as high as 15 feet, 9 inches, according to the permit released by the state. However, the southbound vertical clearance on the Skagit River bridge is as little as 14 feet, 5 inches, state records show. That lowest clearance is outside of the bridge's vehicle traveling lanes, Transportation Department communications director Lars Erickson said Friday. The bridge's curved overhead girders are higher in the center of the bridge but sweep lower toward a driver's right side.

The bridge has a maximum clearance of about 17 feet, but there is no signage to indicate how to safely navigate the bridge with a tall load.

The permit specifically describes the route the truck would take, though it includes a qualification that the state "Does Not Guarantee Height Clearance."

It's not rare for trucks to strike bridges in Washington state ? it's just that such accidents don't usually cause the structures to collapse.

The state DOT said there were 21 bridge-strikes involving trucks last year, 24 in 2011 and 14 in 2010.

Officials performed a special inspection six months ago of the bridge that collapsed because there were indications it had been struck by a different vehicle.

A report released Friday says the checkup was done due to "impact damage," and inspectors identified tears, deformations and gouges on the northbound side of the bridge. The report also summarizes a variety of parts on the bridge that have been subjected to "high-load" hits.

In that Nov. 29, 2012, impact, an overheight truck struck a metal overhead truss on the bridge, DOT spokeswoman Broch Bender said. An inspection crew "thoroughly investigated and determined the bridge to be safe," with only minor repairs required. She said those minor repairs were added to an existing list of bridge maintenance items to be completed at a future date.

There are no signs leading up to the Skagit River bridge to warn about its clearance height. State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said that under federal and state standards, the clearance is tall enough to not require signage.

Inslee said it will cost $15 million to repair the bridge. The federal government has already promised the state $1 million in emergency funding.

Traffic could be affected for some time. The bridge is used by an average of 71,000 vehicles a day, so the roadblock will cause a major disruption in trade and tourism.

The closest detour is a bridge about a quarter mile east of I-5, which is mostly used by local traffic between Mount Vernon and Burlington. Officials are also recommending detours using state Routes 20 and 9 that add dozens of miles to a trip.

A Federal Highway Administration database lists the bridge that collapsed as "functionally obsolete" ? a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders and low clearance underneath. But it was not classified as structurally deficient.

The 1,112-foot-long bridge, with two lanes in each direction, has four spans, or sections, over the water supported by piers. It's a steel truss bridge, meaning it has a boxy steel frame.

The northernmost span is the one that collapsed.

The mishap was reminiscent of the August 2007 collapse of an I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured another 145 when it buckled and fell into the Mississippi River during rush-hour.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the Minneapolis bridge failed because steel gusset plates that connected the structure's beams and girders were too thin.


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## Gregzs (May 28, 2013)

King Gives Up Royal Yacht, but Donors Want It Back

King Gives Up Royal Yacht, but Donors Want It Back

In hard times like these, everyone has to make sacrifices. And King Juan Carlos of Spain wanted it known that he was doing his part, too.

Two weeks ago, the royal palace announced that "for austerity reasons," the king would hand over to the government one of his most famous possessions, a $27 million, 136-foot yacht he received as a gift 13 years ago to replace one given to him by King Fahd, the former ruler of Saudi Arabia.

If only it were that easy.

On Monday, the gesture turned instead into an ownership battle after the businesspeople who paid for the yacht announced that if Juan Carlos did not want it, then they wanted it back.

In a letter to the administrators of Spain's national patrimony, the foundation representing the businesspeople emphasized that the gift had been made with the stipulation that the yacht be used by the king and members of his family.

The 35-ton aluminum yacht, Fortuna, is moored off the island of Majorca, where the royal family has a palace and vacations each summer. The 30 or so executives who contributed to its purchase include hotel owners and bankers with links to Majorca and other Balearic Islands, whose regional government contributed a small part of the cost of the yacht, too.

The gift was presented as a way of thanking the monarch for helping to promote Majorca, one of Spain's major tourism destinations. But Majorca, too, seems to be a problem.

It has become the scene of a corruption case undermining the reputation of the royal family and centering on accusations that the king's son-in-law, I?aki Urdangarin, embezzled millions from lucrative contracts for sports events organized on behalf of regional politicians.

Last week, the Majorca-based judge who is leading the inquiry said he would investigate whether Princess Cristina, Mr. Urdangarin's wife and the king's younger daughter, had engaged in tax evasion or money-laundering.

Mr. Urdangarin has not been charged with any crime. But the case has intensified pressure on the monarchy at a time when the king's popularity has fallen to record lows in opinion polls, and there have even been some calls for the king to abdicate in favor of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.

The king came to the throne in 1975, when the monarchy was reinstalled after the death of the dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, but as the head of one of Europe's poorest royal families after decades in exile. Recently, however, as resentment has mounted here over high unemployment and cuts to social services by a government struggling to balance its budget, the family's wealth has come under greater scrutiny.

It is not that the king, who is 75 and has had several health problems recently, would miss the Fortuna all that much; he made only one outing on the vessel in 2012. But a representative of the royal household said the yacht's future was not for the palace to decide.

Carmen Matutes, the president of the foundation that is trying to reclaim the yacht, told the Spanish news media on Monday that her organization had no intention of keeping it, which is understandable. Just filling its fuel tanks costs more than $30,000, according to Spanish news reports. And then there is the crew.


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## Gregzs (May 28, 2013)

Hulk Hogan's Gruesome Injury | Watch XFINITY Videos Online | News | Comcast

Hulk Hogan's Hand lost against the radiator.


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## Gregzs (May 30, 2013)

Have Researchers Found Amelia Earhart

Have Researchers Found Amelia Earhart?s Plane?

This week marked a new chapter in the decades-long search for the plane piloted by aviator Amelia Earhart on what would become her final mission in June 1937. Researchers with the Earhart Project, a division of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), have released sonar images that they believe show the remains of Earhart?s twin-engine Lockheed Electra lying 600 feet below sea level off the coast of an uninhabited island in the South Pacific?just 350 miles from Earhart?s original destination on her fateful journey.

Amelia Earhart?s daring round-the-world-flight was cut short when her Lockheed Electra disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on June 2, 1937. Though rescue workers began scouring the area for signs of life, neither Earhart, her navigator Fred Noonan or their plane were found. In an official report, the U.S. government concluded that the two seasoned flyers, unable to locate their destination of Howland Island, ran out of fuel, crashed into the water and sank. Earhart was declared legally dead on January 5, 1939, but the question of why and where her plane went down remains one of history?s biggest mysteries. In the seven decades since the Earhart disappearance, a number of hypotheses that differ from the official government line have emerged.

Some theorists, for instance, believe Earhart was actually a secret agent working for the U.S. government. They suggest that the plane crashed after its pilots intentionally deviated from their course to spy on Japanese-occupied islands in the Pacific, or that Earhart and Noonan landed on one of them and were taken prisoner. Yet another theory holds that Earhart returned safely to the United States, changed her name and lived a long life in obscurity. Less fanciful and far more likely is the widely held belief that due to pilot or mechanical errors Earhart and Noonan were forced to touch down on a remote South Pacific island called Nikumaroro, which at the time of their disappearance was uninhabited and known as Gardner Island.

It?s Nikumaroro and its surrounding waters that have been of most interest to the TIGHAR team. Researchers have been combing Nikumaroro since 1989, assembling a collection of artifacts that includes improvised tools, shoe remnants and aircraft wreckage that is consistent with Earhart?s Electra. During a 2010 expedition, the team uncovered some compelling clues. While foraging in a spot where they had previously identified traces of a campfire, they came across three pieces of a pocketknife, shells that had been cut open, fragments of a glass cosmetic jar, bits of makeup and?perhaps most intriguing of all?bone fragments that may be from a human.

They returned to the site, located in the Pacific Republic of Kiribati, in July 2012, armed with two underwater research vehicles capable of collecting hours of data, including side-scan sonar and high-definition video. When the mission was cut short due to technical issues and inclement weather, the TIGHAR team spent several months scouring the materials they had collected. Almost immediately, imaging specialists identified a debris field, approximately 600 feet below the surface, which contained several man-made objects. And, most importantly, the location, shape and size of the debris field matches up with a photograph that many believe holds the key to the mystery of Earhart?s disappearance, the Bevington photo. This grainy, underwater photograph of what appears to be a large man-made object jutting out off the coast of Nikumaroro was captured by British naval officer Eric Bevington in October 1937, just months after Earhart vanished. The team at TIGHAR had long suspected that the debris captured in the Bevington photo was actually the landing gear from Earhart?s plane. TIGHAR?s next step will be the recovery of the items in the debris field, though the non-profit group has not yet begun to raise the more than $3 million needed for the mission.

In addition to possibly locating part of Earhart?s plane, TIGHAR also thinks it may have found even more proof for its theory that Earhart and Noonan crashed their plane and became castaways on the uninhabited island before their eventual deaths. Working in conjunction with a chemist, they have been testing the cosmetic jar fragments they recovered in the 2010 expedition. Based on the high mercury levels found on the fragments, TIGHAR believes it has identified the substance once held in the jar as a brand of ointment used to bleach skin and remove spots?something the freckle-faced Earhart was known to have used. Even more intriguing to researchers is the fact that the fragments seem to have been intentionally shaped for use as cutting tools, possibly by Earhart and Noonan in their attempt to survive on a deserted island.


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## Gregzs (Jun 3, 2013)

40,000 killer bees sting man to death | US National Headlines | Comcast

A hive of 40,000 Africanized honey bees, known as "killer bees," killed a Central Texas man and hurt a woman who came to his aid.

It happened in Moody, about thirty minutes south of Waco.

McLennan County Chief Sheriff?s Deputy Matt Cawthon told the Waco Tribune-Herald that Larry Goodwin was driving a tractor on Saturday when attacked. Goodwin ran to a house about 50 yards away and tried to use a garden hose ward off the swarm.

A woman came out to help and was also stung. Goodwin was pronounced dead on the scene.

Allen Miller, owner of Bee Be Gone, who later destroyed the hive, said Goodwin apparently hit a pile of wood that housed a hive. Miller estimated it contained about 40,000 bees. 

He said Africanized bees attack much more aggressively and in greater numbers than European bees.


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## Gregzs (Jun 19, 2013)

Watch XFINITY Videos Online | News | Comcast | Watch XFINITY Videos Online | Comcast

Injured marine becomes fitness model


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## Gregzs (Jun 26, 2013)

Horrific Crime: NJ Mother Brutally Beaten as 3-Year-Old Daughter Watches | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Jun 28, 2013)

Gregzs said:


> Horrific Crime: NJ Mother Brutally Beaten as 3-Year-Old Daughter Watches | Fox News Insider



Caught!

Arrest made in NJ nanny cam home invasion | US National Headlines | Comcast


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## maniclion (Jun 28, 2013)

Gregzs said:


> Caught!
> 
> Arrest made in NJ nanny cam home invasion | US National Headlines | Comcast



They better have him at a non-disclosed location cause even non-racists are ready to don white hoods and lynch that fuckface coward bitch made pussy faggot...


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## Gregzs (Jul 1, 2013)

Humerus reunion: Doc returns Vietnamese vet's arm | General Headlines | Comcast

Humerus reunion: Doc returns Vietnamese vet's arm

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ? An American doctor arrived in Vietnam carrying an unlikely piece of luggage: the bones of an arm he amputated in 1966.

Dr. Sam Axelrad brought the skeletal keepsake home to Texas as a reminder that when a badly injured North Vietnamese soldier was brought to him, he did the right thing and fixed him up. The bones sat in a closet for decades, and when the Houston urologist finally pulled them out two years ago, he wondered about their true owner, Nguyen Quang Hung.

The men were reunited Monday at Hung's home in central Vietnam. They met each other's children, and grandchildren, and joked about which of them had been better looking back when war had made them enemies. Hung was stunned that someone had kept his bones for so long, but happy that when the time comes, they will be buried with him.

"I'm very glad to see him again and have that part of my body back after nearly half a century," Hung said by telephone Monday after meeting Axelrad. "I'm proud to have shed my blood for my country's reunification, and I consider myself very lucky compared with many of my comrades who were killed or remain unaccounted for."

Hung, 73, said American troops shot him in the arm in October 1966 during an ambush about 75 kilometers (46 miles) from An Khe, the town where he now lives. After floating down a stream to escape a firefight and then sheltering in a rice warehouse for three days, he was evacuated by a U.S. helicopter to a no-frills military hospital in Phu Cat, in central Binh Dinh province.

"When I was captured by the American forces, I was like a fish on a chopping-board," Hung said last week. "They could have either killed or spared me."

When Hung got to Axelrad, then a 27-year-old military doctor, his right forearm was the color of an eggplant. To keep the infection from killing his patient, Axelrad amputated the arm above the elbow.

After the surgery, Hung spent eight months recovering and another six assisting American military doctors, Hung said. He spent the rest of the war offering private medical services in the town, and later served in local government for a decade before retiring on his rice farm.

"He probably thought we were going to put him in some prisoner-of-war camp," Axelrad said. "Surely he was totally surprised when we just took care of him."

As for the arm, Axelrad said his medic colleagues boiled off the flesh, reconstructed the arm bones and gave them to him. It was hardly common practice, but he said it was a reminder of a good deed performed.

The bones sat in a military bag in Axelrad's closet for decades, along with other things from the war that he didn't want look at because he didn't want to relive those experiences.

When he finally went through the mementos in 2011, "it just blew me away what was in there," Axelrad said at a hotel bar in Hanoi early Sunday, hours after arriving in Vietnam with his two sons and two grandchildren on Saturday evening. "That kind of triggered my thoughts of returning."

It had taken a little luck for Axelrad to reunite Hung with his amputated arm. He traveled to Vietnam last summer ? partly for vacation, but also to try to find the man.

He said he wasn't sure Hung was still alive, or where to begin looking for him. Axelrad visited An Khe but didn't ask for him there because he assumed Hung would be living in northern Vietnam, where he grew up.

By chance, Axelrad toured the old Vietnam War bunker at the Metropole Hotel in downtown Hanoi. His tour guide was Tran Quynh Hoa, a Vietnamese journalist who took a keen interest in his war stories.

Hoa later wrote an article in a widely read Vietnamese newspaper about Axelrad's quest to return the bones to their owner. Hung said his brother-in-law in Ho Chi Minh City read the article and contacted the newspaper's editors.

Hoa, now a communications officer for the International Labour Organization, arranged Monday's reunion in An Khe, near the coastal city of Qui Nhon, and served as an interpreter for the veterans.

"It's just time for closure," Axelrad said a day before the meeting.

Hung was surprised to be reunited with his lost limb, to say the least.

"I can't believe that an American doctor took my infected arm, got rid of the flesh, dried it, took it home and kept it for more than 40 years," he said by telephone last week from his home. "I don't think it's the kind of keepsake that most people would want to own. But I look forward to seeing him again and getting my arm bones back."

Hung served Axelrad and his family lunch, shared memories and reflected on all the time that had passed. Axelrad said he was pleased to learn where and how Hung had been living for so many years, and to meet his children and grandchildren.

"I'm so happy that he was able to make a life for himself," Axelrad said.

Vietnam is now a country full of young people who have no direct memory of the war, which ended in 1975 and killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese. But the war's legacy persists in the minds of combat veterans who still are processing the events and traumas they witnessed in their youth.

John Ernst, a Vietnam War expert at Morehead State University in Kentucky, said he knows of a few American veterans who have traveled to Vietnam to return personal items to former enemy soldiers as a way to bring closure.

"It is a fascinating phenomenon," Ernst said by e-mail Sunday. "I always wonder what triggers the decision to make the gesture."


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## Curt James (Jul 2, 2013)

AP Top Stories July 2 A - YouTube

*Published on Jul 2, 2013*
Here's the latest news for Tuesday, July 2: WikiLeaks: Snowden makes expanded asylum requests; Egypt's military issues 48-hour ultimatum; Obama ends Africa trip by joining Bush at memorial; Police questioning of Zimmerman grew more pointed.


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## Gregzs (Jul 5, 2013)

Ancient Pyramid Torn Down by Developers: Peru | XFINITY News Blog by Comcast

Ancient Pyramid Torn Down by Developers: Peru

Peruvian authorities say a pair of real-estate developers have ruined a 4,000-year-old pyramid, and they?re facing criminal charges, the BBC reports. ?Irreparable damage? was done to the 20-foot-high pyramid, says an archeologist. The El Paraiso complex, near Lima, had 12 pyramids; the companies tried to tear down three others before witnesses stopped them.

El Paraiso was a religious and administrative area dating much earlier than the Incas, experts say. Now, ?we are not going to be able to know in what ways it was constructed, what materials were used in it, and how the society in that part of the pyramid behaved,? the archeologist tells the AP. (In more encouraging archaeological news, researchers in Peru made an exciting find recently: Big Peru Find: Royal Tomb That Hasn't Been Looted - 63 bodies, vast trove of artifacts inside


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## Gregzs (Jul 8, 2013)

Severely beaten L.A. man awarded $58M

A California jury has awarded nearly $58 million to a 43-year-old house painter left brain damaged and deformed after a security guard crushed his skull during a beating outside a Los Angeles-area bar.

"His skull is like a pie with 25% cut out of it," attorney Federico Sayre said at a news conference Monday.

Doctors had to removed part of Antonio Lopez Chaj's brain and skull after the April 2010 beating at La Barra Latina in Torrance. He can no longer speak, needs help walking and requires 24-hour care.

Sayre said an unlicensed, untrained security guard with DGSP Security and Patrol Service beat Chaj with a baton or metal bar, kicked him in the head eight times and bashed his skull on the pavement four times. Chaj was attacked after he tried to intervene in a fight between one of his two nephews and the bar manager. 

The guard was never charged; police said they lacked independent witnesses. He and the bartender who started the fight disappeared before the civil trial.

The damage award against the security firm ? $35 million for past pain and suffering, $11.5 million for future medical expenses and $11 million for future pain and suffering ? is one of the largest ever given to an individual in California.

Chaj's lawyers, including the oldest son of the late farm workers' leader Cesar Chavez, expect the security firm to ask the judge to reduce the judgment.

"I have explained to him that he now is going to be taken care of the rest of his long life," Sayre said he told Chaj, the Los Angeles Times reported.


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## Gregzs (Jul 9, 2013)

Close to the Maine-New Hampshire-Quebec border.

Quebec train explosion death toll rises to 13 as police gain access to site | World news | guardian.co.uk

Quebec train explosion death toll rises to 13 as police gain access to site

About 40 residents still missing after driverless oil train explodes in centre of Lac-M?gantic in scene described as a 'war zone'


The death toll in the devastating oil train derailment in Quebec reached 13 on Monday, while about 40 people remained missing, officials said after investigators finally got near where the runaway train exploded.

Quebec provincial police Sgt Benoit Richard said Monday eight more bodies had been found in the wreckage, after conditions improved enough for inspectors to get better access to the charred site two days after the disaster.

Police would not say where the bodies were located for fear of upsetting families.

All but one of the train's 73 tanker cars were carrying oil when they came loose early Saturday, sped downhill nearly seven miles (11km) into the town of Lac-M?gantic, near the Maine border, and derailed, with at least five of the cars exploding.

The blasts destroyed about 30 buildings, including a public library and a popular bar that was filled with revelers. Five bodies were found over the weekend.

Richard said inspectors could now go where they needed. Officials had to wait for firefighters to dose the flames and cool the oil tankers that could have exploded.

Investigators had been able to get closer to some of the "hot spots", such as the area near the destroyed Musi-Cafe, with the help of firefighters, he said.
"It's a zone that we've started to work on and we'll work on it more in the hours to come," he said.

The area remained part of a criminal investigation and all options were being explored by investigators, including the possibility that someone intentionally tampered with the train, Richard said.

Queen Elizabeth II earlier expressed deep sadness over the disaster Monday, saying in a message through the federal government that the loss of life "has shocked us all". Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured the town Sunday and compared it to a war zone.

The train's owners said they believed brake failure was to blame. "Somehow those brakes were released, and that's what is going to be investigated," Joe McGonigle, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway's vice president of marketing, said Sunday.

Officials were also looking at a locomotive blaze on the same train a few hours before the derailment.

Meanwhile, crews were working to contain 100,000 liters (27,000 gallons) of light crude that spilled from the tankers and made its way into nearby waterways. There were fears it could flow into the St Lawrence River all the way to Quebec City.

Quebec's environment ministry spokesman Eric Cardinal said officials remained hopeful they could contain more than 85% of the spill.

The heart of the town of about 6,000 was leveled including a popular bar where several dozen revelers were believed to have been at the time of the explosions. About a third of the community was forced out of their homes.
Sophie L'Heureux, a manager at the bar, was woken up at home by the explosion. She said she believed there were about 50 people in the bar, including many close friends.

"I'm in survival mode right now. My priority is to try sleep if I can, eat if I can," she said. "For the rest, it's one minute, one day at a time."

Raymond Lafontaine, who believed he lost three members of his family, including his son, said he was angry with what appeared to be lack of safety regulations. 

"We always wait until there's a big accident to change things," he said. "Well, today we've had a big accident, it's one of the biggest ever in Canada."
quebec fire Residents board a bus to tour the evacuated area of Lac-M?gantic on Monday. Photograph: Ryan Remiorz/AP 
Local fire chief Denis Lauzon said firefighters in a nearby community were called to a locomotive blaze on the same train a few hours before the derailment. Lauzon said he could not provide additional details about that fire since it was in another jurisdiction. McGonigle confirmed that a fire was reported after the first engineer tied up and went to a local hotel.

"We know that one of our employees from our engineering department showed up at the same time to assist the fire department. Exactly what they did is being investigated so the engineer wasn't the last man to touch that train, we know that, but we're not sure what happened," McGonigle said.

The growing number of trains transporting crude oil in Canada and the United States had raised concerns of a major disaster, and this derailment was sure to bolster arguments that a proposed oil pipeline running from Canada across the US one that Canadian officials badly want would be safer.

The train's oil was being transported from North Dakota's Bakken oil region to a refinery in New Brunswick on Canada's East Coast. Because of limited pipeline capacity in the Bakken region and in Canada, oil producers are increasingly using railroads to transport oil to refineries.

The Canadian Railway Association recently estimated that as many as 140,000 carloads of crude oil will be shipped on Canada's tracks this year up from 500 carloads in 2009. The Quebec disaster is the fourth freight train accident in Canada under investigation involving crude oil shipments since the beginning of the year.

Harper has called railroad transit "far more environmentally challenging" while trying to persuade the Obama administration to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

Wayde Schafer, a North Dakota spokesman for the Sierra Club, has predicted such a catastrophe ever since crude began leaving the North Dakota by rail in 2008.
"I think anybody could have foreseen this," said Schafer. "It seemed like a disaster waiting to happen and it happened."


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## Gregzs (Jul 17, 2013)

22 children die after eating school lunch in India | General Headlines | Comcast

22 children die after eating school lunch in India

PATNA, India (AP) ? At least 22 children died and more than two dozen others were sick after eating a free school lunch that was tainted with insecticide, Indian officials said Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear how chemicals ended up in the food in a school in the eastern state of Bihar. One official said the food may not have been properly washed before it was cooked.

The children, between the ages of 5 and 12, fell ill Tuesday soon after eating lunch in Gandamal village in Masrakh block, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the state capital of Patna. School authorities immediately stopped serving the meal of rice, lentils, soybeans and potatoes as the children started vomiting.

Savita, a 12-year-old student who uses only one name, said she had a stomach ache after eating soybeans and potatoes and started vomiting.

"I don't know what happened after that," Savita said in an interview at Patna Medical College Hospital, where she and many other children were recovering.

The lunch, part of a popular national campaign to give at least one daily hot meal to children from poor families, was cooked in the school kitchen.

The children were rushed to a local hospital and later to Patna for treatment, said state official Abhijit Sinha.

In addition to the 22 children who died, another 25 children and the school cook were in hospital undergoing treatment, P.K. Sahi, the state education minister. Three children were in serious condition.

Authorities suspended an official in charge of the free meal scheme in the school and registered a case of criminal negligence against the school headmaster, who fled as soon as the children fell ill.

Angry villagers, joined by members of local opposition parties, closed shops and businesses near the school and overturned and burned four police vehicles.

Sahi said a preliminary investigation suggested the food contained an organophosphate used as an insecticide on rice and wheat crops. It's believed the grain was not washed before it was served at the school, he said.

However, local villagers said the problem appeared to be with a side dish of soybeans and potatoes, not grain. Children who had not eaten that dish were fine, although they had eaten the rice and lentils, several villagers told the AP.

Sinha said the cooked food and kitchen utensils have been seized by investigators. "Whether it was a case of negligence or was intentional, we will only know once the inquiry has been conducted," he said.

India's midday meal scheme is one of the world's biggest school nutrition programs. State governments have the freedom to decide on menus and timings of the meals, depending on local conditions and availability of food rations. It was first introduced in southern India, where it was seen as an incentive for poor parents to send their children to school.

Since then the program has been replicated across the country, covering some 120 million school children. It's as part of an effort to address concerns about malnutrition, which the government says nearly half of all Indian children suffer from.

Although there have been occasional complaints about the quality of the food served, or the lack of hygiene, the tragedy in Bihar appeared to be unprecedented for the massive food program.


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## Curt James (Jul 17, 2013)

AP Top Stories July 17 P - YouTube


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## Gregzs (Jul 19, 2013)

Pakistani accused of poisoning to death 22 in feud | World News | Comcast

Pakistani accused of poisoning to death 22 in feud

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) ? Police have arrested a cook in central Pakistan who is accused of poisoning to death 22 people as part of a political feud between two branches of the same family, a local police chief said.

The incident in the town of Mailsi in Punjab province followed recent provincial elections in which Arsal Khan Khichi lost to his cousin Jehanzaeb Khan Khichi, police chief Sadiq Dogar said late Thursday.

Arsal Khan Khichi is accused of paying a cook, Mohammad Rafiq, 50,000 rupees ($500) to poison food at his rival's home on June 9, Dogar said. Nearly 50 people became sick and were taken to the hospital, and 22 died. Jehanzeb Khan Khichi was not at home when the incident occurred, Dogar said.

Rafiq has confessed to poisoning the food, Dogar said. Police waited to arrest him until they received medical reports that confirmed the dead had been poisoned. Arsal Khan Khichi is still on the run, and a murder case has been registered against him as well, Dogar said.

Politics are often a family affair in Pakistan, where it is not uncommon to have members of the same clan running against each other as members of rival political parties.


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## Gregzs (Jul 25, 2013)

Train derailment in Spain caught on tape

VIDEO: Deadly Train Derailment Near Santiago de Compostela, Spain | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Jul 26, 2013)

Obese inmate spared from execution dies in Ohio | US National Headlines | Comcast

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? An Ohio inmate whose 450-pound weight became an issue in his death penalty case has died seven months after being granted clemency, officials said Friday.

Ronald Post died Thursday morning at a prison hospital where he'd been treated on and off since 2011, a state prisons spokeswoman said. He was a week shy of his 54th birthday.

Post was sentenced to death for killing Elyria motel clerk Helen Vantz on Dec. 15, 1983. His attorneys sought mercy for Post ahead of his Jan. 16 execution date on the grounds that he was so obese that he could not be executed humanely.

Republican Gov. John Kasich granted Post clemency in December citing poor legal representation, not his weight.

Spokeswoman Ricky Seyfang said the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction classified the death as "expected." She said privacy laws prevented her from divulging whether Post's weight was a factor in his death.

Post had most recently been transferred to the Franklin Medical Center on Jan. 3, Seyfang said. "Long story short, we weren't surprised by his passing," she said.

Kasich said in granting clemency that all criminal defendants deserve adequate defenses.

"This decision should not be viewed by anyone as a diminishing of this awful crime or the pain it has caused," he added in a statement.

His decision mirrored the recommendation of mercy by the state parole board, which said it didn't doubt Post's guilt but said there were too many problems with how he was legally represented 30 years ago.

Kasich's move was unrelated to Post's better-known argument: that he was too fat to be executed humanely under Ohio's lethal injection procedures.

Post had argued in federal court that executing him would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. His lawyers said he would suffer "a torturous and lingering death" as executioners tried to find a vein or use a backup method where lethal drugs are injected directly into muscle.

Kasich commuted Post's sentence to life with no chance of parole.


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## Gregzs (Jul 30, 2013)

Student left in DEA cell to get $4 million from US | US National Headlines | Comcast

Student left in DEA cell to get $4 million from US

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? A 25-year old college student has reached a $4.1 million settlement with the federal government after he was abandoned in a windowless Drug Enforcement Administration cell for more than four days without food or water, his attorneys said Tuesday.

The DEA introduced national detention standards as a result of the ordeal involving Daniel Chong, including daily inspections and a requirement for cameras in cells, said Julia Yoo, one of his lawyers.

Chong said he drank his own urine to stay alive, hallucinated that agents were trying to poison him with gases through the vents, and tried to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.

It remained unclear how the situation occurred, and no one has been disciplined, said Eugene Iredale, another attorney for Chong. The Justice Department's inspector general is investigating.

"It sounded like it was an accident ? a really, really bad, horrible accident," Chong said.

Chong was taken into custody during a drug raid and placed in the cell in April 2012 by a San Diego police officer authorized to perform DEA work on a task force. The officer told Chong he would not be charged and said, "Hang tight, we'll come get you in a minute," Iredale said.

The door to the 5-by-10-foot cell did not reopen for 4 1/2 days.

Justice Department spokeswoman Allison Price confirmed the settlement was reached for $4.1 million but declined to answer other questions. The DEA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Detective Gary Hassen, a San Diego police spokesman, referred questions to the DEA.

Since attorney fees are capped at 20 percent of damages and the settlement payment is tax-free, Chong will collect at least $3.2 million, Iredale said. Chong, now an economics student at the University of California, San Diego, said he planned to buy his parents a house.

Chong was a 23-year-old engineering student when he was at a friend's house where the DEA found 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Iredale acknowledged Chong was there to consume marijuana.

Chong and eight other people were taken into custody, but authorities decided against pursing charges against him after questioning.

Chong said he began to hallucinate on the third day in the cell. He urinated on a metal bench so he could have something to drink. He also stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on a bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, futilely swatting at it with his cuffed hands to set it off.

Chong said he accepted the possibility of death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them and used a shard of glass to try to carve "Sorry Mom" onto his arm so he could leave something for her. He only managed to finish an "S."

Chong said he slid a shoelace under the door and screamed to get attention before five or six people found him covered in his feces in the cell at the DEA's San Diego headquarters.

"All I wanted was my sanity," Chong said. "I wasn't making any sense."

Chong was hospitalized for five days for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He lost 15 pounds.

The DEA issued a rare public apology at the time.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, on Tuesday renewed his call for the DEA to explain the incident.

"How did this incident happen? Has there been any disciplinary action against the responsible employees? And has the agency taken major steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again?" he said.


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## Gregzs (Jul 31, 2013)

Girl Contracts Brain-Eating Parasite at Water Park | Fox News Insider

Girl Contracts Brain-Eating Parasite at Water Park

A day at the water park turned into a nightmare for one family after a child caught a brain-eating parasite. According to FoxNews.com, a 12-year-old girl displayed symptoms of parasitic meningitis after swimming at Willow Springs Water Park in Arkansas, which has now been shut down. Doctors say the infection is rare, but almost always deadly. 

Parasitic meningitis is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri and is typically found in freshwater or soil, FoxNews.com reports. It enters the body through the nose and then attacks the brain. Early symptoms include headache, vomiting and fever. It can quickly lead to seizures and hallucinations.

Dr. William Schaffner, the chair of the Department of Preventative Medicine at Vanderbilt University, said that people usually contract it after swimming in lakes and ponds because that?s where the amoeba lives. If you plan on jumping into such waters, the doctor recommended simply holding your nose.

He said the amoeba can flourish anywhere in the United States, but more commonly in the South where it?s warmer.


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## Little Wing (Jul 31, 2013)

Delta admits fault in wheelchair passenger

[url]http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/disabled-man-claims-delta-forced-crawl-off-plane/story?id=19801554

[/URL] A partially paralyzed man is suing Delta Airlines, claiming he was  forced to crawl on and off his flights and across the tarmac because he  wasn't provided with the equipment he needed to board and exit the  plane, according to a complaint. 
 D. Baraka Kanaan, 40, of Haiku, Hawaii, filed the suit in U.S. District  Court in Hawaii against Delta Airlines and 20 of the carrier's employees  and agents. The suit, filed on July 23, seeks damages after he endured  "intense physical and extreme emotional suffering" from the ordeal. 
 In the suit, Kanaan said the airline subjected him to "appallingly  outrageous treatment" both on his flight to Nantucket, Mass., on July  27, 2012 and on his flight back to Maui, Hawaii, two days later.


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## Gregzs (Aug 5, 2013)

Officials: N.Y. man tried to sell baby on Craigslist | US National Headlines | Comcast

Officials: N.Y. man tried to sell baby on Craigslist

NEW YORK (AP) ? A 22-year-old man angry with a woman he dated posted photos of her 2-month-old daughter in a Craigslist ad and tried to sell the baby for $100, prosecutors said Monday.

Paul Marquez posted an ad entitled "baby for sale," prosecutors said. Marquez's posting acted as if he were the parent, said the baby loved to play and have fun, but had asthma and was "really getting on my nerves."

"I don't want her Please email me," it read, authorities said.

Marquez was charged Thursday by Staten Island prosecutors with endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and a social service violation of authority to place or board out children. He was being held in lieu of $1,000 bail. A call to his attorney wasn't returned.

According to the criminal complaint, Marquez, who works as a stockperson at a Victoria's Secret, admitted he posted the listing just to get back at the woman. The two met online and had been out a few times, but he apparently was angry because she wouldn't pay him enough attention, authorities said. He gave out the woman's number "and offered her daughter for sale," according to the criminal complaint. There was no indication he actually meant to sell the infant.

The mother called police after she received a phone call from a person offering to buy the baby, according to a criminal complaint. Staten Island investigators are looking into the request ? it may have been out of concern and not an illegal attempt to purchase a child.

The posting was located in the Staten Island section of Craigslist under baby and kid stuff, for sale by owner. It was flagged and taken down at least once, but Marquez reposted it, authorities said.

Marquez faces up to a year behind bars if convicted.


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## Gregzs (Aug 5, 2013)

PHOTOS: Gigantic Sinkhole Opens Up in Western Kansas | Fox News Insider


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## Gregzs (Aug 12, 2013)

Musk unveils plans for $10 billion Hyperloop transportation system

Musk unveils plans for $10 billion Hyperloop transportation system

Air cushioning: That's the high-concept technology behind the high-speed transit concept that billionaire Elon Musk calls the Hyperloop. 

Musk?who already plays leading roles in the SpaceX rocket venture, the Tesla electric car company and the SolarCity solar-energy company?unveiled what he has called the "alpha" version of the Hyperloop plan in a blog post on Monday. It runs to 57 pages as a PDF file.


The plan is aimed at cutting the travel time between San Francisco and Los Angeles to 30 minutes at a price that's less than an airline ticket. Musk said the Hyperloop arrangement could be implemented between any pair of cities situated up to, say, 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) apart. For longer distances, air travel probably would be more efficient, he said.


Musk said he came up with the plan out of frustration with the shortcomings of California's $68 billion high-speed rail project, which is just getting started.

How the Hyperloop would work 

The Hyperloop would send travelers through low-pressure tubes in specialized pods that zoom at high subsonic speeds, reaching more than 700 mph (1,100 kilometers per hour). That compares with typical speeds of 110 to 300 mph for high-speed rail travel. 

Musk's plan would rev up the pods from their stations using magnetic linear accelerators, but once they're in the main travel tubes, they would be given periodic boosts by external linear electric motors. The pods would also have electric compressor fans mounted on their noses that would transfer high-pressure air from the front to the rear. The journey would be nearly frictionless, thanks to a cushion of air between the cars and the tube's inner surface.


The whole system would be powered by solar panels installed onto the tubes. 

"By placing solar panels on top of the tube, the Hyperloop can generate far in excess of the energy needed to operate," Musk wrote.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is unveiling something called a "Hyperloop," reports CNBC's Phil LeBeau, and Musk says he may be open to building a prototype. The "Fast Money" traders take their positions. Also, stock picks for investors to weather a pullback, with Don Hodges of Hodges Capital. The tubes would be elevated on pylons, and generally follow Interstate 5 between San Francisco and L.A. Musk says that would cut down on the cost of land acquisition and rights of way. He said the whole system would cost several billion dollars to build. 

"Even several billion is a low number when compared with several tens of billion proposed for the track of the California rail project," he wrote. 

This combination of technologies is what led Musk to describe the Hyperloop last month as a "cross between a Concorde, a rail gun and an air-hockey table." The hints that he dropped along the way sparked a flurry of speculation about schemes ranging from "Jetsons"-like people movers to underground vacuum tunnels.


One of the closest guesses came from a self-described "tinker" named John Gardi, who laid out a plan for a turbine-driven pneumatic system. "This story has been a classic case of the media not having a clue," Gardi said in a Twitter update just before Musk's big reveal. "I had to come out of semi-retirement to write a GOOD article."

Artist rendering of Hyperloop passenger capsule version cutaway with passengers onboard.Who'll build the Hyperloop?


Musk says he won't be able to build the Hyperloop himself, because of his duties at SpaceX and Tesla. For now, he's leaving it to others to build upon his initial open-source concept. But if no one picks up the idea and runs with it over the next few years, he might return to the task. 

It's possible that the Hyperloop could be held back by technical as well as political and economic issues. Transportation policy experts say that high-speed transit in the United States has been stymied not so much by technological challenges as by the challenges of acquiring rights of way and getting enough money for the required infrastructure.


Nevertheless, high-speed transit projects are beginning to gain traction. California, for example, is continuing with its next-generation rail system, and other states are proceeding with their own high-speed rail initiatives.


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## Gregzs (Aug 14, 2013)

Why Cory Booker is set to become the highest-profile Democratic senator

Why Cory Booker is set to become the highest-profile Democratic senator

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) took another step toward the Senate Tuesday when he easily won the Democratic nomination in New Jersey. Republican nominee Steve Lonegan isn?t expected to be more than an also-ran against Booker, meaning the Newark mayor has basically punched his ticket to Washington.

Which raises the question: What kind of senator would Booker be? From the get-go, he would be poised to become the highest-profile member of the Democratic Caucus.

While the Senate Republican roster is filled with rising young conservative stars like Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), none of whom are camera shy, Senate Democrats don?t boast the same kind of new, electric personalities.

Wait just a second, you say. What about Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has a huge liberal following, a record of taking on Wall Street and the ability to raise more money than just about anyone? All true. But Warren has largely eschewed the spotlight, and has deliberately kept a low profile during her first few months on Capitol Hill.

Then there?s Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a financial juggernaut in her own right and an emerging voice on the left. Gillibrand maintains a higher-profile public presence than Warren, but she?s not Paul or Cruz. She?s doesn?t covet the spotlight as much.

Which brings us to Booker, who does.

?I don?t want to just go down there and become a part of the system. I want to change it and create change for real people,? Booker told NBC News on Monday. ?There?s in some ways a lack of imagination on a lot of people?s parts.?

That sure doesn?t sound like someone who wants to be a wallflower. And nothing in Booker?s career suggests he would be a quiet presence in the Senate. As mayor, he has already become a national figure, regularly appearing on Sunday shows and other network news programs. He has more than 1.4 million followers on Twitter, which he uses actively. And Booker comes from a state where he can cut a liberal Senate profile without having to worry about it hurting him back home.

Booker would also be the only black Democrat in the Senate. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is currently the only black senator.

?Booker has three key attributes,? e-mailed one Democratic strategist who closely follows New Jersey politics. ?One: The ability to communicate above the normal channels. It?s remarkable that the national news is issuing breaking news alerts that he won a primary. ? 2. He has a donor base that is very, very deep at both the high dollar and low dollar end of the spectrum. 3. He is non-toxic for D?s and R?s.?

Booker pollster Joel Benenson noted that ?it is important to remember that there is still the general election in October and Mayor Booker knows he has to campaign hard to win,? and added, ?Booker knows that if he gets to serve in the Senate that being well-known is no substitute for hard work it takes to persuade people to work together and get things done. He has often mentioned Bill Bradley, a retired NBA star who went to the Senate, as a model for that. And, if he wins the seat in October, he will look to work closely with the state?s senior Senator, Bob Menendez.?

There is a counterargument to the idea that Booker would make noise from the get-go by taking the lead on legislation, maintaining a major media presence and speaking his mind. Actually, there are several. Two that come to mind: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Both entered the Senate amid an awful a lot of hype and both kept their heads down in their early days in the Senate.

But for Booker, who clearly has designs on higher office (why else would he be running for the Senate?), there is a gap that is begging to be filled. And the smart money says he jumps right in.


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## Gregzs (Aug 21, 2013)

Ostrich-Egg Globe May Be Oldest to Depict New World

Ostrich-Egg Globe May Be Oldest to Depict New World

The intriguing Latin phrase Hic Sunt Dracones--translated as ?Here be dragons?--appears on the globe above the coast of Southeast Asia, while the continent of North America is shown only as a few scattered islands. Experts say the recently discovered globe, engraved on two conjoined ostrich-shell halves, may be the oldest ever identified that depicts the New World. Purchased anonymously at the 2012 London Map Fair, the globe made its way into the hands of collector Stefaan Missine, who published the results of a yearlong analysis in this week?s edition of Portolan, the journal of the Washington Map Society. 

Prior to its purchase at the London Map Fair last year, the ostrich-egg globe had apparently been part of an important European collection for decades, according to the dealer who sold it. Before that, Missine believes it was passed through many families, and was possibly sold during economic crises following World War II.

After obtaining access to the globe, which is around the size of a grapefruit, Missine consulted more than 100 scholars and experts, to obtain a comprehensive analysis of its origins. A radiologist helped him determine its age by comparing the density of the shells to newer ostrich eggshells, concluding that the older, much smaller shell had lost around 50 percent of its calcium bone density in the aging process. Through this analysis, Missine dated the globe to 1504, making it the oldest yet identified to depict the New World.

The globe?s material makes it a rarity regardless of its age. More commonly, old maps were drawn on materials such as vellum (calfskin parchment), sealskin or wood; other materials were used, but so far globes engraved on ostrich eggs are relatively unknown. Thomas Sander, editor of the Portolan, points out that the egg might have been made for an Italian noble family around the time of famed artist Leonardo da Vinci, when the nobility often kept ostriches in their back gardens as one more sign of their wealth. Though the maker of the globe remains unknown. Missine speculates that the eggshell globe could even be connected to da Vinci?s workshop, given that an etching of an Indian Ocean ship on the globe is similar to one done by an artist associated with Leonardo.

Previously, the oldest known globe to depict the New World was the Hunt-Lenox Globe, dated to around 1510 and housed in the Rare Book Division of the New York Public Library. Made of copper, the Hunt-Lenox Globe shows striking similarities to the ostrich-egg globe, including the lines and contours of territories, its depiction of oceans and its script (it also includes the Hic Sunt Dracones phrase). On the other hand, the Hunt-Lenox is perfectly spherical, while the ostrich egg?s shape is slightly irregular, and the markings along its equator line are noticeably muddled. Missine hypothesizes that the two sides of the eggshell globe were cast separately, then joined together with a glue that obscured the markings near the equator. He has also concluded that the Hunt-Lennox Globe was made from a cast of the ostrich-egg globe, which would explain the similarities between the two.

Missine, a real estate project developer, bought his first antique map (an 18th-century copper engraving that depicts northern Germany) 20 years ago, and grew passionate about discovering the origins of such rare objects. Sander calls Missine?s analysis of the globe ?an incredible detective story,? while other scholars are intrigued but continue to have questions. Some cartographers point out that even if the eggshell dated to the 1500s, the engravings on it could be much more recent.

John W. Hessler of the Library of Congress dismisses the validity of the da Vinci connection, and points out that a number of sources have claimed that Missine himself is the globe?s anonymous owner, posing a possible conflict of interest in his research. While Missine has declined to comment on whether he owns the globe, his supporters at the Washington Map Society say the issue of ownership is irrelevant, as long as the investigative work into the globe?s origins is sound.


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## Gregzs (Aug 28, 2013)

Body found in jilted girlfriend's freezer in Minn. | US National Headlines | Comcast

Body found in jilted girlfriend's freezer in Minn.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Minnesota woman beat her boyfriend to death, wrapped his body in plastic and duct tape, then hid it in a freezer because he was trying to break up with her, prosecutors said.

Jetaun Wheeler, 29, was charged Monday with second-degree murder in the killing of the 58-year-old man at their Shorewood home around Aug. 1. Authorities have not named the victim.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County, detectives found the man's frozen body in a freezer in the garage of a house that the couple had shared in Shorewood, 18 miles west of Twin Cities.

"It was a big trunk freezer, the kind your grandmother had," said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

A friend of the victim told investigators that the victim had called July 31 to say Wheeler had assaulted him and that he was leaving her and heading back to Chicago, according to the complaint.

The complaint says the freezer was purchased Aug. 5, according to the Star Tribune ( Shorewood woman charged in death of boyfriend whose body was found in freezer | Star Tribune ).

Wheeler told investigators looking into the man's disappearance that he had taken the bus to Chicago, according to court documents. Detectives said when they searched the couple's house Aug. 21, they found bloody carpet under Wheeler's mattress. Blood spatter led them to the garage where they found the body in the freezer.

Freeman told the Star Tribune that authorities are searching for Wheeler's three children, aged 10, 8 and 7, and that they could be placed in protective custody.

"We don't know what the children went through," he said.


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## Gregzs (Sep 3, 2013)

Woman Offered to Pay Hit Man in Rare Stamps to Whack Out-of-Work Chief Compliance Officer Husband - Compliancex | Compliancex

Woman Offered to Pay Hit Man in Rare Stamps to Whack Out-of-Work Chief Compliance Officer Husband

A Manhattan housewife has been arrested for trying to hire a hit man for $60,000 worth of rare postage stamps and jewelry to kill her unemployed husband following a dispute over money, DNAinfo New York has learned.

The woman, Elena Sava Adams, 57,

was grabbed by cops when she met with an undercover officer from the Brooklyn District Attorney?s office who was posing as an assassin willing to kill her husband, Irving Adams, 66, who lost his job as the chief compliance officer at Israel Discount Bank of New York several years ago.

According to sources, Adams, who is a Romanian national, allegedly had been arguing with her husband about the amount of money he was giving her to make ends meet.

She apparently told an acquaintance on Monday that she wanted to kill her husband and was willing to hire a hit man to run him over with a car, sources said. Investigators believe she was out to collect on life insurance money.

According to cops, Elena Adams planned to have lunch with her husband on Sept. 1. After eating, they were supposed to cross Avenue Z at 11th Street, where the hitman was meant to run her husband over.


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## Gregzs (Sep 7, 2013)

Manson H. Whitlock, typewriter repairman, dies at 96 - The Washington Post

Manson H. Whitlock, typewriter repairman, dies at 96

Manson H. Whitlock, one of the country?s longest-serving repairmen of the clattering keyboard contraptions known as typewriters, died Aug. 28 at his home in Bethany, Conn. He was 96.

The New Haven Register first reported his death. The cause was not disclosed, but Mr. Whitlock closed his shop in June, when he was hospitalized with a kidney ailment.

Once ubiquitous in offices and on the dorm-room desks of college students, typewriters have all but fallen into silence in recent years, as they have been replaced by computers. But Mr. Whitlock kept plugging along, as a dwindling number of customers hunted the streets of New Haven, Conn., and pecked at the door of his second-floor shop near the campus of Yale University.

He had been on the job since 1930, when he began working at his father?s bookstore. Before long, he took charge of the typewriter department and sold thousands over the years. Customers returned to him for replacement parts and for repairs when the keys became stuck or the carriages wouldn?t return on their Royals, Remingtons, Smith Coronas and Underwoods.

Mr. Whitlock was at his shop every day, seven days a week, invariably wearing a tweed jacket, V-neck sweater and necktie ? looking like the Yale students and professors of yore. In dress, manner and occupation, he was a link to a long-gone world of the Ivy League and to a time when machines were operated by hand and built with an intricate structure of fitted metal parts.

When a manual typewriter broke down, it wasn?t thrown in the trash and replaced by a newer model. It was taken to someone like Mr. Whitlock, who used special tools and decades of experience to put it back in working order. Soon enough, he could roll a sheet of paper around the platen and tap out, ?The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,? using all 26 letters of the keyboard.

The last two fingers of Mr. Whitlock?s right hand were permanently curled from the countless hours he had gripped a screwdriver, working on many of the 300,000 typewriters that passed through his shop.

?I?ve never known anyone who works on typewriters that can match him in any way,? historian and biographer William Manchester told the Register in 1990. ?He?s in a class by himself.?

Mr. Whitlock?s other customers included authors Robert Penn Warren, Archibald MacLeish and John Hersey, as well as A. Bartlett Giamatti, Yale president and baseball commissioner. A Yale classics professor named Erich Segal once bought a portable Royal typewriter from Mr. Whitlock and used it to write ?Love Story,? one of the top-selling books of the 1970s.

?The typewriter was essential in those days,? Mr. Whitlock told the Yale Alumni Magazine in an interview in its January-February issue this year. ?Every summer, students dropped off their typewriters to be serviced, cleaned and stored while they were home.?

At one time, he had ?a good-sized store,? he said. ?I had six assistants. We sold ribbons by the thousands.?

Mr. Whitlock often visited pawnshops to search for spare parts, and in time hundreds of typewriters crowded his shelves, constituting a kind of private museum. He kept a bust in his shop of Mark Twain, the first author to submit a typed manuscript to a publisher.

In recent years, Mr. Whitlock sat alone at his desk, waiting for the occasional customer to climb the stairs. He remained fascinated by the mechanisms of the classic manual models, but as a concession to modern times, he began to repair electric typewriters as well.

He drew the line at computers, which he never learned to use. As he told the Christian Science Monitor in 2007, ?You work a typewriter, a computer works you.?

Manson Hale Whitlock was born Feb. 21, 1917, one of six sons of Clifford Everett Hale Whitlock, who opened a bookstore in New Haven in 1899. He began working at the store in high school.

?I just gravitated to the typewriter department,? Mr. Whitlock said in 2007, ?because I?d always been interested in things mechanical.?

After a few years, he moved out of the bookstore and opened a shop dedicated to typewriters. In his way, Mr. Whitlock was a skilled artisan who made an intimate contribution to the intellectual life of the Yale student body and professoriate.

?I decided that if I couldn?t go to Yale,? he told the New York Times in 2009, ?I?d have Yale come to me.?

Mr. Whitlock revealed little about his early life, but he once told an interviewer that he ?used to race sports cars.? He sold his 1953 Jaguar to help pay the medical bills of his wife, Nancy, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He kept a painting of the car in his home. She died in 1996. A son, Gilbert Ward Whitlock, died in 2007. Survivors include a son, William Whitlock, and three grandchildren.

Mr. Whitlock lived long enough to see a revival of interest in vintage typewriters, if only as a kind of retro trend among literary-minded young people.

?They?re becoming curiosities,? he told the Register in 2010. ?They?re not tools of necessity anymore. Kids are buying them on the Internet ? is that what it?s called??


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## Gregzs (Sep 11, 2013)

New wife charged with pushing husband off cliff | US National Headlines | Comcast

New wife charged with pushing husband off cliff

HELENA, Mont. (AP) ? A newlywed wife with doubts about her 8-day-old marriage confessed she pushed her husband face-first off a cliff in Glacier National Park, then lied about his death and told authorities he had driven off with friends, court documents said.

Federal prosecutors have given their version of what happened to Cody Lee Johnson, 25, two months after his body was found in an area of the park so steep and rugged that a helicopter had to be used in the recovery.

Jordan Linn Graham, 22, appeared Monday in federal court in Missoula on a second-degree murder charge in Johnson's July 7 death. Her attorney, public defender Andrew Nelson, declined to comment.

Johnson's family and friends had called for an investigation since the body was recovered July 12 below the Loop Trail near the sheer cliff drops of the park's popular Going to the Sun Road.

Johnson loved her and was excited for their marriage after a two-year courtship, but his relatives suspected that Graham didn't exactly reciprocate, family friend Tracey Maness said. She was aloof, didn't want to spend time with his family, and clammed up when she did, Maness said.

He told his mother that Graham would change when they got married, Maness said.

"Nobody ever could have thought something like this could happen," she said.

On the night Johnson died, Graham told a friend that she meant to talk with Johnson about "having second thoughts about having been married," according to an FBI affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.

Just before 9 p.m., she texted the friend that she was about to talk to him.

"But dead serious if u don't hear from me at all again tonight, something happened," Graham wrote, according to the affidavit.

Johnson was reported missing July 8 when he failed to show up for work, and Graham was questioned the following day.

She originally told investigators that Johnson sent her a text message the night of his death, saying he was going for a drive with a friend from out of town.

She said she arrived to see a dark-colored car pulling out of their driveway, and that Johnson was in it.

On July 11, two days after that interview, Graham told a park ranger in Glacier that she had found the body below the popular Loop area, the affidavit said.

The park ranger commented that it was unusual that she found it.

"It was a place he wanted to see before he died," she said, according to the affidavit. "He would come up here with friends to drive fast when his friends were visiting from out of town."

Five days later, Graham admitted to authorities in a second interview that she had lied, according to the affidavit. She told them she and Johnson had an argument, were upset and decided to go to the Loop Trail.

They continued arguing on the trail, and it intensified. At one point, she turned to walk away, but Johnson grabbed her arm, she said.

She turned around, removed his hand from her arm and "due to her anger, she pushed Johnson with both hands in the back, and as a result, he fell face first off the cliff," the affidavit said.

Maness described Johnson as a "big goofball" with a great sense of humor who was into cars, video games, four-wheeling and kayaking. He and Graham during their engagement would go to Glacier for some of the easy day hikes, most recently in May, she said.

She said the family is relieved that the investigation is finally complete and charges brought after two months.

"Two months probably isn't very long for an FBI investigation, but when you're waiting for answers, that's a lifetime," she said.


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## Gregzs (Sep 12, 2013)

Hawaii DMV Tells Woman to Shorten Her Really Long Name | Fox News Insider

DMV Asks Woman to Shorten Really, Really Long Name 



A Hawaii woman is in a dispute with the DMV after they refused to print her full name on her driver's license. 






It's a space issue, because *Janice Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele * simply does not fit under the current rules, officials say.

The DMV suggested that she shorten it or use her maiden name while they try to accommodate her full name. She refused, saying her late husband took great pride in the name, which goes back many generations.


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## maniclion (Sep 17, 2013)

I have pondered changing my middle name to Humuhumunukunukuapua'a......


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## Gregzs (Sep 18, 2013)

Utah Dad Scott Mackintosh Wears Daisy Dukes to Teach Teen Daughter a Lesson | Fox News Insider

Awesome: Dad Wears Daisy Dukes to Teach Teen Daughter a Lesson

If it isn't the prerogative of a good dad to teach his teen daughter about dressing classy, then whose is it? At least, that's what Utah dad Scott Mackintosh probably thought when he donned these Daisy Dukes before taking his daughter out for some quality father-daughter time. 

His goal in wearing the uber-short shorts? To teach her a lesson about dressing modestly. And we think his attempt was probably successful, since in the QT he forced her to accompany him on putt-putt golf outing and a trip to Shake Shack for burgers. Reportedly, the teen was so mortified by his wardrobe (or lack thereof) that she wouldn't even go into the establishments.


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## Curt James (Sep 20, 2013)

AP Top Stories September 20 P - YouTube


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## Gregzs (Sep 25, 2013)

'The drama is nonstop': Powerball winner wants old life back

'The drama is nonstop': Powerball winner wants old life back

"Wild" Willie Seeley of Manahawkin, New Jersey, has one piece of advice for the winner of last week's $400 million Powerball pot in South Carolina: Run. "Just disappear," he said, speaking from hard-won experience. "Get lost while you still can." 

After Seeley and 15 co-workers from Ocean County's vehicle maintenance garage shared part of an even bigger Powerball jackpot last month, $450 million, the "Ocean's 16" celebrated the win at a press conference where Seeley stole the show with a cascading beard, tinted shades and a battered straw hat. "We are very happy, happy, happy," he said to hoots and hollers from the crowd. "I'm going to continue to watch NASCAR races on Sunday. Maybe I'll be at a log cabin on multiple acres of land." 

The next morning, he and his wife, Donna, appeared on NBC's TODAY, where Willie (no one calls him Seeley) pledged to fish, hunt and generally do as he pleases. "I can do what I want," he told Matt Lauer, turning warmly toward his smiling wife. "We can do what we want." 

Now, however, that sense of infinite freedom has curdled into regret. In their first interview since being thrust into the national spotlight, Willie and Donna appear less like the "happy, happy, happy" recipients of a blessing than the weary parents of a problem child. "There are days I wish we were back to just getting paid every two weeks," Willie said last Friday from inside his modest, antler-adorned home. "You have to change your whole way of life, but we didn't want to change the way we lived. We liked the way we lived." 

Donna goes even further, calling their winnings "the curse." And while they wouldn't go so far as to give the money back, they're more than happy to pass the spotlight to an as-yet-unidentified dupe in the Gamecock state, a man who, according to South Carolina lottery officials, pulled off the road for hotdog buns and bought the winning ticket on a lark. "He doesn't understand," Willie said. "The drama is nonstop." 

And it's a drama more Americans may experience as state lotteries expand, setting records for revenue and exciting politicians desperate for cash but loathe to raise taxes. A decade ago, jackpots rarely cracked $100 million, but now, thanks to more expensive ticket prices, new games and added retailers, they routinely soar to three times that princely sum. 

In the last eighteen months alone, states have awarded the five biggest lottery prizes of all time, all of them north of a quarter-billion dollars, and those purses are likely to grow still larger as states experiment with allowing people to buy tickets with smartphones and credit cards, the hoped-for tools of perpetual gaming. 

"There are a lot of zeros in this money," said Paula Harper Bethea, executive director of the South Carolina Education Lottery, at a press conference announcing her state's winner last week. "It's a life-changing event." 

But as Willie's story makes clear, a life-changing ticket is also a complicated windfall. Willie's share of the $450 million pot was divided by two other winning tickets, and further divided by 15 coworkers, all of whom bought a ticket through a pool at the county garage where Willie worked as a warehouse manager. After taxes he had less than $4 million to call his own, which, as he put it, "ain't sh-t in today's economy." 

Still, it was enough money for Willie and Donna to leave their jobs, Willie saying sayonara to the county, Donna resigning a dangerous nursing post at a psychiatric hospital. 

She and Willie paid cash for new vehicles: a black GMC pick-up for him, a shiny purple Chrysler for her. Their neat one-story house had been battered by Hurricane Sandy, so they put a new roof on it, paid the mortgage off and made the backyard sparkle. Inside they gutted the bathroom, tossing out their old washer and dryer in the process. 

Then they helped family, funding a house for one kid, a master's degree for another. Willie's father, a retired artist who gave Willie his country-peacock sense of style, has cancer ? so Willie helped fund his second round of chemo, watching as his old man's prognosis improved in the process. "I do good deeds every day," he said, "just like Dale Earnhardt. And just like him I don't like bragging about it." 

He also did something big for himself, making one of his press conference pledges come true by buying a cabin on 15 acres of land, about 30 minutes away. Willie plans to move there next month, full-time, a move driven as much by his hunting-and-fishing dreams as by his need to slam the door on a world of hucksters, criminals and professional show runners that opened up the day he won Powerball.

They arrived after his TODAY appearance, a cavalcade of long-lost relatives, sympathetic beggars and what felt like every reality TV producer in the country. "I pulled a .357 magnum on the last fellow who came walking up the driveway," he said. That seemed to work, but the phone won't stop ringing. National Geographic, A&E, Ryan Seacrest Productions ? Seeley said he's heard from them all. 

"They put me in the National Enquirer, next to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. I mean I ain't into all that," he said. 

Not even for money? 

"Not for anything," Willie said. "Would you want a camera following you around all day when you finally have the time to go hunting and fishing and do all the things you wanted to do?" 

Before all this happened, he and Donna had bills but at least they could be themselves, watching Duck Dynasty, a finger looped over a bottle of Moosehead Lager, friends on the way over. He says he bought a shotgun "for protection" and still can't act like a rich guy anyway. "I get cheap attacks," he said. "You never heard of a cheap attack? It's when you look at something you need, and think: Hell, I can't afford that." 

"We're simple people," he said, posing for a picture next to his new truck, a shotgun in one hand, a practiced middle-finger extending from the other. 

You got that world? Willie has a message for you too: Run.


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## Curt James (Oct 11, 2013)

AP Top Stories October 11 P - YouTube


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## Gregzs (Oct 15, 2013)

And don't mess with grandma in law:

Grandma Arrested for Hiring Hitman to Kill Daughter-In-Law | Fox News Insider

A 70-year-old Florida grandmother is accused of hiring a hitman to murder her daughter-in-law. Diana Reaves Costarakis reportedly told an undercover agent that if he didn?t kill the woman, she would do it herself.

Florida police say that Costarakis claims her son?s wife is a drunk who was planning on leaving him and taking their child to Colorado. Angela Costarakis denies those allegations and said she had no idea her mother-in-law had it out for her. About three weeks ago, Angela said her mom-in-law gave her a hug and told her, ?I?m so glad we?re great friends.?

Costarakis supposedly offered the undercover cop a $5,000 bounty. She was charged with criminal solicitation for conspiring with the officer at a Home Depot. Costarakis paid him $1,500 in cash and allegedly said he could take the jewelry off of the woman?s dead body for the rest of the bounty.


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## themamba17 (Oct 28, 2013)

huh


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## Gregzs (Nov 10, 2013)

Stella Loreen Evelyne Rockel was born this morning. Congrats to the parents!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...96313231.29446.155051077867143&type=1&theater


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## Gregzs (Nov 12, 2013)

IRS refunded $4B to identity thieves - Compliancex | Compliancex

IRS refunded $4B to identity thieves

The Internal Revenue Service issued $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds last year to people using stolen identities, with some of the money going to addresses in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ireland, according to an inspector general?s report released Thursday.

The IRS sent a total of 655 tax refunds to a single address in Lithuania, and 343 refunds went to a lone address in Shanghai.

In the U.S., more fraudulent returns went to Miami than any other city. Other top destinations were Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston.

The IRS has stepped up efforts to fight identity theft, but thieves are getting more aggressive, said the report by J. Russell George, Treasury?s inspector general for tax administration. Last year, the IRS stopped more than $12 billion in fraudulent refunds from going to identity thieves, compared with $8 billion the year before.


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## Gregzs (Nov 15, 2013)

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/a-surprising-discovery-a-new-knee-ligament/?_r=0

Doctors Identify a New Knee Ligament

Last month, knee surgeons from the University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium announced that they had found a new knee ligament, one that had not previously been specifically identified despite untold numbers of past knee dissections and scans. This surprising announcement, in The Journal of Anatomy, should improve our understanding of how the knee works and why some knee surgeries disappoint and also underscores the continually astonishing complexity of human anatomy. 

To find and characterize this new knee part, the orthopedic surgeons Dr. Steven Claes and Dr. Johann Bellemans and their colleagues gathered 41 knee joints from human cadavers and began minutely dissecting them. 

The knee, as those of us who own and operate a pair know, is complicated and somewhat fragile, an intricate construction of bones, cartilage, fluids, ligaments (which attach bones to bones) and tendons (which attach muscles to bones). Ideally, the various parts move together smoothly, but they can tear, rupture or fracture if the knee abruptly twists or overpivots. Knee injuries and pain drive millions of people to doctors every year and result in millions of knee exams, scans and surgeries. 

So most of us probably have assumed that the entire internal structure of the knee has been fully mapped and delineated. 

But knee specialists themselves have long been less sanguine. As far back as 1879, a French surgeon named Paul Segond first speculated that, in addition to the four obvious structural knee ligaments known then ? the anterior cruciate, medial collateral, posterior cruciate and lateral collateral, which loop around and through the joint ? other ligaments must exist in the knee or it would not be stable. He wrote that during dissections he had noticed a ?pearly, resistant fibrous band? originating at the outside, front portion of the thighbone and continuing to the shinbone, which, in his estimation, must stabilize the outer part of the knee, preventing it from collapsing inward. 

He did not, however, give this pearly band a name and somehow, in the decades that followed, its existence was forgotten or ignored. While some surgeons noted that a ligament seemed to exist there, none named and systematically studied it, and many came to consider it a continuation of other tissues, such as the nearby iliotibial band. 

But a few years ago, Dr. Claes and his colleagues began to suspect otherwise. Their interest had been piqued by a problem that occurred in some patients who had undergone reconstructive surgery for an injured anterior cruciate ligament, or A.C.L. Despite the repaired knees? appearing afterward to be healthy, the joint would sometimes give way as people moved.

?We thought, something is still not right? in that knee, said Dr. Claes, who wondered whether additional, untended knee injuries might be to blame, and if so, whether they were occurring in uncharted knee parts. ?I know it probably sounds crazy to say that we thought there might be this new ligament,? he said. 

But, like Dr. Segond so long before him, Dr. Claes became convinced that such a tissue must exist. Positioned at the front of the knee, it would be vulnerable to tearing when an A.C.L. was injured; the same forces would move through both ligaments. But, unlike torn A.C.L?s, this new tissue?s injuries would remain untreated, potentially leading, Dr. Claes considered, to knee instability and buckling. 

So, knowing it should be there, he and his colleagues began to search for this chimerical ligament in the 41 donated knees. And there it was, a narrow band of tissue, clearly separate from the illiotibial band and neatly linking the femur and the tibia. Because it was located on the outside, front portion of the knee, they named it the anterolateral ligament, or A.L.L.

They subsequently identified, measured and scanned the A.L.L. in all but one of the donated knees, and even in that final knee, Dr. Claes said, he suspects there may once have been an A.L.L, but it possibly ruptured and withered at some point. 

Whether a similar process occurs in living people who injure and don?t treat an A.L.L. ? because they don?t know they have one ? is unknown, Dr. Claes said, but is potentially the weightiest question raised by this new research. ?We think that it?s quite likely many people who tear an A.C.L. also tear an A.L.L,? he said, and that lingering injury or weakness in this overlooked ligament could leave joints unstable. 

But at the moment, that possibility is speculative, although Dr. Claes said that he and his colleagues had re-examined scans of some of the knees that they had operated on to repair A.C.L. injuries and identified concomitant A.L.L. tears in many of them. 

He and his colleagues have begun planning and practicing surgical procedures for treating A.L.L. tears, but at the moment, so much remains unknown about the ligament, including whether it can heal without surgery. 

?We still have a lot of work to do,? said Dr. Claes, who, with his colleagues, will be presenting continuing results at orthopedic surgery conventions in the coming months. But the fact that the A.L.L is now recognized is already ?an important step forward,? he said, in understanding and potentially treating injured knees, at least in those parts of which, to date, we are aware. 






The newly identified anterolateral ligament (A.L.L.) stabilizes the knee, researchers say, but can be easily injured, contributing to knee problems


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## Gregzs (Nov 22, 2013)

The Incredible Story Of Marion Stokes, Who Single-Handedly Taped 35 Years Of TV News | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

The Incredible Story Of Marion Stokes, Who Single-Handedly Taped 35 Years Of TV News

From 1977 to 2012, she recorded 140,000 VHS tapes worth of history. Now the Internet Archive has a plan to make them public and searchable

In a storage unit somewhere in Philadelphia, 140,000 VHS tapes sit packed into four shipping containers. Most are hand-labeled with a date between 1977 and 2012, and if you pop one into a VCR you might see scenes from the Iranian Hostage Crisis, the Reagan Administration, or Hurricane Katrina.

It's 35 years of history through the lens of TV news, captured on a dwindling format.

It's also the life work of Marion Stokes, who built an archive of network, local, and cable news, in her home, one tape at a time, recording every major (and trivial) news event until the day she died in 2012 at the age of 83 of lung disease.

Stokes was a former librarian who for two years co-produced a local television show with her then-future husband, John Stokes Jr. She also was engaged in civil rights issues, helping organize buses to the 1963 civil rights march on Washington, among other efforts. She began casually recording television in 1977. She taped lots of things, but she thought news was especially important, and when cable transformed it into a 24-hour affair, she began recording MSNBC, Fox, CNN, CSNBC, and CSPAN around the clock by running as many as eight television recorders at a time.

She'd feed a six-hour tape into the recorders late at night. She'd wake up early the next day to change them (or conscript family members to do the same if she wasn't home). She'd cut short meals at restaurants to rush home before tapes ended. And when she got too old to keep up, she trained a younger helper named Frank to run the various recording equipment.

But the majority of her days were structured around paying attention to and saving whatever was on the news. "Pretty much everything else took a back seat,? says her son, Michael Metelits. ?It provided a certain rhythm to her life, and a certain amount of deep, deep conviction that this stuff was going to be useful. That somehow, someone would find a way to index it, archive it, store it--that it would be useful.?

Stokes bought VHS tapes by the dozen. As she recorded, she made stacks so high they would fall over. The project took over several of the apartments she owned. ?It was just a logistical nightmare--that?s really the only way to put it,? Metelits says. When people asked her why her home was filled packed with televisions, recorders, and tapes, she?d tell them, ?I?m archiving, that?s all.?

How One Woman?s Eccentric Hobby Became Another Man?s Treasure

To acquaintances, Stokes?s extremely time-consuming and expensive passion for archiving could seem eccentric.

Roger Macdonald thinks it's heroic. He's the librarian who runs the television portion of the Internet Archive, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a free Internet library. Since 2000, his team has been recording national television news to a digital format in hopes of one day making it all part of a searchable archive (broadcasts from the last four years are already available). His system is much simpler than Stokes? elaborate video cassette juggling act--it?s just a very small rack of computers with discs spinning and cables going in and out--but the visions behind both projects are aligned. ?Television has been our most pervasive and persuasive medium,? Macdonald says, ?but we?ve never really had much of a pause and rewind button on our experience of it to reflect back on television news, to compare and contrast and mine it for knowledge.?

When Macdonald heard about Stokes?s massive archive, he emailed her son for more information. He got an answer but it only made him more curious. So he called. ?Everything I learned would ratchet my eyes ever wider. How many tapes are we talking about? How did that work? How did the family live like that? It?s just an amazing, amazing story.? The Internet Archive had received large collections of 100 or 200 tapes from individuals before, but nothing quite like this.

John Lynch, the director of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive had a similar reaction. ?Normally when we get someone who calls in about a collection, we try to send them somewhere else really quick, because the nature of our collection is that we record things ourselves,? he says. But there was a special significance in what Stokes had accomplished.

Early broadcast news isn?t easy to find, Lynch says, because while networks often did a good job of archiving the footage they used to make the show, they were less meticulous about saving the show itself--a pattern he attributes to ?a sense of modesty on their part.? More recent news reports are more likely to be available from stations themselves, but stations typically charge an access fee.

The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive collections of television in the world. It has its own news recordings going back to 1968, and researchers can borrow them on DVD for a small fee to cover the costs of operation. Having been sued by a network during its early days, however, the organization is careful about the way it shares its content (?We?ve been doing this for a long time, and we want to be careful to not mess it up,? Lynch explains). It does not post all the footage online for anyone to access instantly.

The Internet Archive does want to make a television news archive available for instant search online. But it can?t simply borrow content from some place like Vanderbilt. It relies on donations for content recorded before 2000. So Macdonald agreed to accept, digitize and index Stokes?s archive.

?Some local news will be lost forever,? he says, ?but who knows, because there may be other Marion Stokeses out there who had that similar passion.?

Turning 140,000 VHS Tapes Into An Archive

The Internet Archive wasn?t sure it would be able to digitize some of the older tapes, and Metelits sent them some samples to test. Arrangements have since been made to ship the rest of the tapes to the Internet Archive?s temperature-controlled storage center in Richmond, California. Shipping will cost Stokes's estate about $12,000. When the tapes arrive, they?ll sit until someone puts them into video players, one at a time, and begins to digitize them for the archive, a process almost as arduous as recording them in the first place.

?It will take a long time,? Macdonald says, ?Like the little engine that can, we?ll just keep plugging away at it.?

There weren?t any provisions for the tape collection in Stokes?s will, but anyone who knew her knew she wanted them to be used as an archive. She had been born at the beginning of the Great Depression, and like many people of her generation, saved a lot of things. Scattered throughout the family's various properties, she had stored a half-century of newspapers and 192 Macintosh computers. But the tapes were special. ?I think my mother considered this her legacy,? Metelits says.

The value of home-recorded newscasts isn?t immediately obvious, but when the collection becomes public, there will likely be many unanticipated ways to use it. Lynch remembers one year, back when students at Vanderbilt still had to physically visit its archive in order to use it, he looked through the list of those who had done so. ?Every single school inside the university had used us,? he says, ?Which meant the fine-arts school had found a reason why they wanted to look at old TV news. What happens is that when you make a rich collection available, there are the things you thought of, the reasons why you thought it was valuable, and those may be very much right--but what happens is that it turns out it has a life beyond that.?

On a trip to San Francisco in September of this year, when he visited the archive, Metelits saw the first digitization of his mother?s work. There, on a screen, was Ted Koppel talking about the Iranian Hostage Crisis on Nightline. Metelits started to tear up. And he did again when he recounted the story. ?The idea that my mother?s project could be useful to someone was really kind of an emotional moment,? he says.

He recalled how Stokes had a habit of watching two televisions at once, and her son says she could pay attention to both at the same time. Plus, there were often several more televisions running without volume in bedrooms and hallways as they recorded other channels. It was a chaotic environment for most everyone but Stokes.

The day she passed away, December 14, was also the first day in a long time that no one changed the tapes. The house was quiet and absent the usual flickering screens casting frantic shadows. ?Over time, I came to respect her project, but it wasn?t my project,? Metelits says. ?It did feel weird, but it felt oddly kind of... the apartments were kind of peaceful in a way they hadn?t been in a long time.?

Had the TVs been on that day, they would have all carried news of the same event: the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

"I got to the house and this horrific news was going on," Metelits says. "Kids being killed. Teachers being killed while shielding children, that sort of thing." He takes a pause. After about a minute he breaks the silence. "I remember being very grateful that that wasn?t the last news she saw."


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## Gregzs (Nov 29, 2013)

Policeman held in killing of Internet acquaintance | World News | Comcast

Policeman held in killing of Internet acquaintance

BERLIN (AP) ? A German police officer has been arrested on suspicion of killing and chopping up a man he met on the Internet who had long fantasized about being killed and eaten, authorities said Friday.

The handwriting and document analysis specialist was arrested on Wednesday at his workplace, the Criminal Technical Institute in the eastern city of Dresden, authorities said. He told investigators that he fatally stabbed the victim in the throat on Nov. 4, hours after the two met in person for the first time.

The 55-year-old said he then chopped up the body into multiple pieces. The suspect pointed officers to a number of places around his property, south of Dresden, where he had buried the remains, city police chief Dieter Kroll said at a televised news conference.

The killing happened about a month after the pair first met in an Internet chat room, police said. The 59-year-old victim, whose name wasn't released, traveled about 400 kilometers (250 miles) by bus from Hannover to the meeting.

Police started looking into the case when the victim was reported missing Nov. 11 by a colleague. Two days later, witnesses told officers that "the missing man had fantasized since his youth about being killed and eaten by another person," Kroll said.

There is no indication at this point that the suspect ate body parts, and the suspect denied having done so, prosecutor Lorenz Haase said.

He said that the suspect didn't mention whether the two had any sexual relations before the killing.

"That's under investigation," Haase said in a telephone interview. "He said that his victim wanted to be killed and he fulfilled this wish."

Investigator Maik Mainda said the victim and the suspected killer maintained "very intense contact by chat, by mail, by SMS but also by telephone" after first becoming acquainted in early October. The website they used says it deals with "exotic meat."

The men agreed to meet up in Dresden on Nov. 4, and agreed that the killing should take place shortly afterward, Mainda added.

Police are only just beginning their investigation, he said.

"I can't give any conclusive information yet about the actual motivation of the suspect for killing his victim. We are investigating in all directions."

The case appears to have at least some parallels with a saga that both fascinated and appalled Germany a decade ago, when confessed cannibal Armin Meiwes was arrested for the killing of an Internet acquaintance. Meiwes, who captured the killing on video, said his victim answered an Internet posting seeking a young man for "slaughter and consumption."

Meiwes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He argued unsuccessfully to Germany's highest court that the killing should be classified as a mercy killing and maintained that his sentence was disproportionate.

The Dresden case "will show how easily people can come together with the most gruesome fantasies on the Internet and exchange their perversions in increasingly crass manner," police chief Kroll said. "In 99 percent of cases, they get their kick out of the exchange."


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## Gregzs (Dec 13, 2013)

Sea Eagle Steals Camera, Captures Flight | Fox News Insider

VIDEO: Sea Eagle Steals Camera and Takes a Selfie!

A sea eagle snatched a video camera in Australia and captured footage of its 70-mile flight. Wildlife rangers set up a motion sensor camera last year hoping to record images of crocodiles. The thieving eagle can be seen grabbing the camera on video and taking off.  The bird lands and then pokes its face into the camera lens.

The camera was found near the Mary River in Western Australia. The rangers say they will be bolting down their camera in the future.


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## Gregzs (Dec 20, 2013)

Alleged child sex abuser caught after tip from burglar - World News

Alleged child sex abuser caught after tip from burglar

A soccer-coach has been arrested in Spain after a thief broke into his house and stole videotapes containing incriminating footage of child sex abuse, Spanish police said.

The thief must have realized what he had taken some days after the break-in and called authorities anonymously from a pay phone to say he had evidence of the alleged crimes, police in the southern city of Ja?n said in a statement on Thursday. 

The alleged thief left the three videotapes -- which according to police contain footage of the suspect abusing children around 10 years old -- in a brown envelope under a car in the street.

The envelope included an anonymous note with the coach's address and a short message that read: "I've had the misfortune of having the tapes fall into my hands, and feel obligated to present them to you so you can do your job and put him ... in jail for life."

Police searched the address in Ja?n and arrested the coach on suspicion of child abuse. They did not release the suspect's name.

Investigators allege the man gained access to minors through his position as a coach and made them watch pornographic films before sexually abusing them.

Four alleged victims have been identified by officers, including a girl under the age of 16 who police said was abused from the age of 10.

The coach reported the burglary nine days before he was arrested. He told police electrical items had been stolen, but did not report the camera or videotapes which allegedly contained the incriminating footage.


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## Gregzs (Jan 1, 2014)

Dad files $130M lawsuit after son in Utah is given up for adoption - U.S. News

Dad files $130M lawsuit after son in Utah is given up for adoption

A dad whose newborn son was given up for adoption by the birth mother ? without his knowledge ? is seeking $130 million in a lawsuit testing the boundaries of a biological father?s rights in Utah.

The adoption of Jake Strickland?s son just after he was born Dec. 29, 2010, was illegal and done ?through gross misdirection and ? clandestine conduct,? claims the suit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court of Utah.

Strickland alleges the mother, Whitney Pettersson, conspired with the adoptive parents, the adoption agency and attorneys to give up the boy ? named ?Baby Jack? in the suit ? without allowing him to seek custody.

The complaint also strikes at Utah's parenting laws, accusing them of being ?pro-adoption and anti-birth father.?

Attorney Wes Hutchins, speaking on behalf of Strickland, said his client just missed his son?s third birthday on Sunday ? and is devastated that he can?t share important milestones in the boy?s life.

?It?s pulling him apart,? Hutchins told NBC News on Tuesday.

On his son's birthday, Strickland and his family gathered around a candle to sing ?Happy Birthday? to his absent son, Hutchins said.

?They still think about him even though they don't have contact,? he added.

Strickland and Pettersson first met in 2009 as co-workers at a restaurant, according to court documents. Strickland said Pettersson was having problems with her marriage, and she later told him she got divorced. They began dating, and three months later, she texted him that she was pregnant.

Strickland left Utah for a temp job in Texas, but said he assured Pettersson that he wanted to be present in their child?s life, according to the lawsuit. He started a fund for the baby boy. The couple came up with a name: Jack.

But after Strickland returned to Utah, the romance dissolved. They began discussing parenting options. He said he told Pettersson that he would consider signing up with Utah?s putative father registry, which is how unmarried men can document with the state that they want parental rights.

But Strickland didn?t register. According to Hutchins, Pettersson warned him that if he did, she ?would view it as an act of distrust? and keep his child from him.

?I don?t know if it was done as an act of vindictiveness,? Hutchins said.

Pettersson couldn?t be reached for comment Tuesday, and attorneys involved in the adoption weren?t immediately available. The adoption agency, LDS Family Services, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also didn?t respond to a request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Strickland continued to financially support Pettersson, who also had a child from another relationship, until her alleged lies about their son began to unravel.

On Jan. 5, 2011, Strickland said he was astonished to learn that Pettersson had given birth  a week earlier ? unbeknownst to him. He also learned she was still legally married, which meant her estranged husband was the presumed father under state law.

The most devastating discovery, Strickland said in the lawsuit, was that Pettersson had already given up their child for adoption.

She even got her then-husband to agree to the adoption by telling him that he would be the one saddled with child support payments if she kept the boy, according to Hutchins.

Strickland, who now lives in Arizona, mounted a paternity claim. But his fight was complicated because he had never registered with the state for his paternal rights.

Despite contesting the adoption, Strickland learned in November 2011 that it was completed.

After a 2nd U.S. District judge shot down Strickland?s bid to gain custody, he filed an appeal to the state. His case is still under review.

Concurrently, Strickland?s federal lawsuit is seeking $30 million for the loss of the parent-child relationship caused by the adoption and $100 million as a deterrent to ensure another dad doesn't suffer his fate.

Hutchins said Utah?s laws are onerous on biological fathers who try to gain custody, noting that they must file a paternity petition, get a sworn affidavit, create a detailed child care plan and prove they were financially invested in the pregnancy, among other requirements.

Strickland?s custody case, meanwhile, isn?t the only one gaining attention in Utah. In another high-profile petition, Colorado dad Robert Manzanares is fighting for sole custody of his daughter, whom he claims was unfairly given up by her birth mother when the woman fled to Utah.

Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler told NBC affiliate KSL-TV that despite the increased interest in the issue, he?s not persuaded that Utah laws need to be dramatically overhauled.

?What we?re looking at in this lawsuit and a few other high-profile lawsuits are one or two bad examples out of 10,000,? Weiler said. ?I don?t think it?s good policy for the state to look at one or two exceptions and say, ?Let?s change the laws for everyone.??


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## Gregzs (Jan 1, 2014)

New Jersey realtors used client's home for 'sexual escapades': report - U.S. News

New Jersey realtors used client's home for 'sexual escapades': report

A pair of realtors are accused in a lawsuit of trying to keep buyers away from a New Jersey home so they could use the place for ?sexual escapades,? which were caught on camera, according to a report.

Richard and Sandra Weiner of Denville, N.J., filed a suit in Passaic County on Dec. 6 alleging that former Coldwell Banker realtors Robert Lindsay and Jeannemarie Phelan intentionally priced their house in Wayne above market values so they could use the home as a love nest in late 2011 and early 2012, reports The Record of Bergen County.

"Lindsay and Phelan, through Lindsay?s illegal and dishonest acts, used the Weiners? home as their play pad to have sexual relations in the Weiners? bedroom, among other places in the home," the suit states.

Lindsay told the couple repeatedly that their house would sell for $650,000 in early 2010, the news site reports. In December 2011, they had Lindsay list the home.

Then, on Dec. 27, 2011, the home's security cameras caught Lindsay and Phelan kissing and hugging in the kitchen. Afterward, cameras showed the pair of realtors going to the master bedroom and having sex on the bed, the suit states. The pair of realtors were spotted in the home nine more times over the following month.

During the realtors? last visit on Jan. 23, 2012, The Record reports, Sandra Weiner was checking the house?s video feeds when she saw people inside and what she thought were flashlights. The couple called police, who found Lindsay pulling up his pants when they arrived. Lindsay told officers that he and Phelan were there to prepare for an open house.

Coldwell Banker ended its affiliation with Lindsay and Phelan when the brokerage firm learned about the lawsuit, the newspaper reports.

Neither of the realtors could be reached by the newspaper for comment.


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## Gregzs (Jan 8, 2014)

Dozens of former New York police and firemen in 9/11 disability fraud - Compliancex | Compliancex

Dozens of former New York police and firemen in 9/11 disability fraud

Dozens of US former emergency service workers have been arrested in a sweeping fraud investigation involving federal disability benefits, New York authorities say.

Prosecutors say 72 police officers, eight firefighters and five corrections officers are among those charged.

Some reportedly falsely claimed disabling conditions arising from the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The fraud is believed to have cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

?The brazenness is shocking,? Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said on Tuesday.

?Many participants cynically manufactured claims of mental illness as a result of September 11, dishonouring the first responders who did serve their city at the expense of their own health and safety,? he added.


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## Gregzs (Jan 12, 2014)

Pimp sues Nike for not warning shoes could be dangerous if used to beat people - U.S. News

Pimp sues Nike for not warning shoes could be dangerous if used to beat people

A Portland pimp is suing Nike for not placing a warning label in their shoes specifying that they could be used as a dangerous weapon -- after he was sentenced to 100 years in prison for brutally beating a john with his sneaker. 

Sirgiorgiro Clardy, 26, claims Nike should have placed a warning in the shoes warning consumers that the kicks have the potential to be used as a dangerous weapon, according to The Oregonian newspaper. Clardy is seeking $100 million for what he believes was the shoe manufacturer?s oversight. 

In June, Clardy repeatedly stomped on the face of a client with his Jordan Nike shoes when the man refused to pay Clardy?s prostitute. The man required stitches and plastic surgery after the beating. 

Clardy was sentenced to 100 years in prison for beating the man as well as attacking an 18-year-old prostitute so violently that she bled from her ears. 

Clardy has been charged with numerous felonies and misdemeanors, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

The jury in Clardy?s most recent case called him a ?dangerous offender? and classified his shoes as ?a dangerous weapon? in order to assure he received the longest prison sentence possible, according to The Oregonian.

Clardy wrote a three-page complaint against Nike from the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution where he is incarcerated, reported The Oregonian. In the claim he said Nike ?failed to warn of risk or to provide an adequate warning or instruction,? by not cautioning that their shoes are ?potentially dangerous.? 

The suit has not yet been served to Nike, The Oregonian said. 

Nike spokeswoman Mary Remuzzi said the company had no comment regarding the lawsuit.


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## Gregzs (Jan 16, 2014)

Weight Lifting Grandma Tackles Purse Thief | Fox News Insider

Caught on Camera: Weight Lifting Grandma Tackles Purse Thief

Don?t mess with this grandma! A weight-lifting grandmother of six, Shirley Rupp, tackled a man who tried to steal her purse.

The incident was caught on a surveillance camera. The 64-year-old said the man snuck up behind her in Tucson, Arizona on New Year?s Day.

Rupp credits her weight-lighting with being able to take him down. The thief dropped her wallet before running away. He is still on the loose.


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## Gregzs (Jan 31, 2014)

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...t-fecal-matter-in-husbands-iv-police-say?lite

Woman put fecal matter in husband's IV, police say

An Arizona woman has been accused of trying to kill her hospitalized husband by injecting fecal matter into his IV line, police in suburban Phoenix said Friday. 

Rose Mary Vogel of Sun Lakes was arrested Thursday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder after a nurse found the 65-year-old handling her husband's IV line, which was found to contain a brown substance, police said. Police don't have a possible motive. 

A hospital lab test identified the brown substance in the IV line as fecal matter, and a trace amount of a brown substance also was found in the needle of an otherwise empty syringe found in Vogel's purse, police said. 

When it was searched in the hospital, Vogel's purse contained a total of three syringes, including two with a clear liquid, police said. Police documents said Vogel is a retired registered nurse who formerly worked at the hospital, Chandler Regional Medical Center. 

Investigators plan to conduct forensic tests on all the materials involved over the next week or two, police Sgt. Joe Favazzo said However, the hospital had to test the brown substance in the IV line immediately for treatment purposes. 

"The lab came back with fecal matter," he said. 

The incident occurred after the 66-year-old man had undergone a heart procedure. He's expected to survive that, as well as the alleged attempt on his life. 

Vogel declined to be interviewed by police and asked for an attorney. Favazzo said he didn't know whether she has one yet. Her bond was set at $100,000 at her initial court appearance Friday.


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## Gregzs (Feb 5, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/02/0...ent-series-guitars-out-wood-seized-2011-raids

Gibson Creates 'Government Series' Guitars Out of Wood Seized in Raids

Gibson Guitar finally has reclaimed the wood that the federal government seized in a controversial 2011 raid.

Now, the beloved American company is celebrating its victory by using the wood to build the Government Series II Les Paul.

The company was accused of using illegal exotic woods, which CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has repeatedly denied.

The raids led to questions about whether the company was targeted because of its support for Republican candidates.

This morning on Fox and Friends, Juszkiewicz said it had nothing to with endangered wood, but rather the description of tariff codes and the thickness of the wood that they used.

?In other words, if it was a different thickness or if it was technically somewhat different, it would?ve been fine.?

Ultimately, this ordeal cost the company upwards of $10 million dollars in out-of pocket-costs for legal fees and equipment.

The new Les Paul guitars are made out of the very wood the government held on to for the past few years. Juszkiewicz said, ?It?s kind of a celebration of getting past that very difficult period of time.?


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## Gregzs (Feb 5, 2014)

http://www.runnersworld.com/general...nersWorld-_-Content-News-_-NFLLinemanMarathon

Former 300-Pound NFL Lineman Runs 3:56 Marathon
Alan Faneca made debut at Sunday's New Orleans Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

After dropping more than 100 pounds since retiring from the NFL in 2011, former offensive lineman Alan Faneca ran his first marathon Sunday in 3:56:17.

Faneca, 37, started training for the New Orleans Rock ?n? Roll Marathon back in October after chatting with his former Pittsburgh Steelers. He followed a training plan made by a friend but said he was still nervous on race day.

?I was very nervous about going from the slow long run pace to all of a sudden running 30-45 seconds faster,? he said. ?I got the adrenaline thing but adrenaline doesn?t last for four hours.?

During his training, Faneca focused on running for time instead of distance and incorporated intervals and long runs in order to meet his goal of breaking 4 hours. He said his discipline from his football days helped keep him on track while training for the marathon.

?I was always very strict in my training, taking notes and writing things down,? he said. ?I had something to lean on.?

He picked the New Orleans race because it?s close to his home just outside the city limits and his 8-year-old daughter Annabelle, and 2-year-old son Burton could go.

?They made the signs and everything,? he said. ?They made it to the finish line five minutes before I came across.?

Faneca celebrated his 26.2-mile accomplishment with an Abita beer at the finish line.

?A lot of people ask me, do I miss football? I don?t miss football but what I do miss is that first beer after a game," he said. "I had the same feeling after the race.?

Faneca was a first round draft pick in 1998 when he was drafted from Louisiana State University to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Faneca, who now lives in Louisiana, also played professionally for the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, earning nine-time All Pro and Pro Bowl selection as well as a Super Bowl ring in 2006 with the Steelers.

Faneca went from weighing 320 pounds to 215 after his football career ended. He said that by cutting back on his daily calories and sticking to a six-days-a-week cardio plan, he was able to take the weight off easily.

?For athletes, when you stop [playing] you have to realize you can?t keep eating the things you were eating because you?re not doing the things you were doing,? said Faneca, who reduced his calorie intake to 1,800 calories a day after he retired.

Faneca said his family tried the paleo diet for three and a half months and while they don?t eat strictly paleo anymore, they stick to the diet?s principles of clean eating.

?We stay away from heavy carbs and gluten, but we?re heavy on vegetables and protein,? he said.

Faneca said he doesn?t have any other marathons on his schedule soon, but is considering a duathlon.

?I just want to mix it up and have some fun,? he said.


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26IdvqS5rrE


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zS9vxmoJ_w


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYnFC5Srj60

^^^^ Wow. She did lose a LOT! Wonder if she'll be able to find a happy medium or if that's what she looked like before she "turned to the sweets." (Her words.)


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGUYVROCHs


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zjc_zq_aKQ


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUx9zr5-w1Y


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB4KJXnUgbg


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32tBUV9K2U4


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEI4_CV8yDE


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD3S2YppIUo


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvhC4obkPF0


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21hgrnx2nx4


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## Curt James (Feb 6, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W0BM3gNJqM


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## Gregzs (Feb 18, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/02/1...s-driver-goes-road-slams-boise-idaho-building

Some scary video was shown this morning on Fox and Friends out of Boise, Idaho, where a bus driver fell asleep at the wheel.

You can see the bus veer off the road and slam into several lampposts and street signs. Then it careens through a parking lot and eventually crashes through the Idaho Power headquarters, causing significant damage.

Luckily no one was walking in the path of the bus. Nine people were aboard during the crash last month, but no one was seriously hurt.

The driver originally claimed the brakes had failed, but he was later charged with misdemeanor negligent driving after the video showed him falling asleep.

Officials released the dashcam video yesterday.


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## Gregzs (Feb 21, 2014)

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...n-skier-hubertus-von-hohenlohe-100207496.html
Most interesting man in the world: Mexican skier Hubertus von Hohenlohe

He is a German pop star who has put out eight albums, with his newest record featuring the single, "Higher Than Mars." He's also an award-winning photographer whose work has been featured in galleries and commercial campaigns. Fluent in five languages, an heir to an automotive fortune and a former friend to Andy Warhol during the days of Studio 54, 55-year-old six-time Olympian Hubertus von Hohenlohe, ahem, Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe (he is a descendent of German royalty), is representing Mexico on the Alpine ski course in Sochi. He has never medaled, but von Hohenlohe is the second-oldest Winter Olympian ever in the history of the Games.

Von Hohenlohe is the real-life most interesting man in the world.

Although he grew up in Europe, von Hohenlohe was born in Mexico and spent the first four years of his life there. He has dual citizenship in Austria and the Latin American country, which allows him to represent Mexico at the Games.

The prince began competitively skiing while a student in Austria, and at 21, he won the university downhill championship and then began participating in the World Cup circuit. In 1981, the citizen of the world founded the one-man Mexican Ski Federation and then represented Mexico at his first Winter Games in the 1984 Sarajevo Games. 

"I hope Mexicans are proud to have someone at the Olympics and, through that, hopefully they get to know who I am,? Von Hohenlohe told NBC.

Von Hohenlohe has become more known for his popular garb on the slopes than his final Olympic results, though. In Vancouver, he wore a ski suit inspired by Mexican banditos, which featured fake pistols and bandoliers. Last week, he showed off his newest outfit -- a Mariachi-style ski uniform that he will wear in this year's game. The skier said the suit is meant to pay homage for the country he is representing. 

"We [in Mexico] are 100 million people and the only chance we have [of winning a medal] is up to me, but we don't have to look at it like that, you have to see it as I'm an ambassador of this country, an ambassador with style and a human force that goes beyond the result, " he told CNN.


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## Gregzs (Mar 5, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/03/05/pregnant-mom-drives-minivan-3-kids-ocean-daytona-beach

'Mommy's Trying to Kill Us': Pregnant Mom Drives Minivan With 3 Kids Into Ocean

It was a terrifying scene at Daytona Beach in Florida on Tuesday afternoon. A pregnant mother drove her minivan with her three children inside into the ocean.

Steve Harrigan reported that the incident happened yesterday around 5:00 p.m. ET. It is legal to drive on parts of Daytona Beach, but beachgoers were startled when the minivan turned toward the surf.

Video above shows people running toward the minivan to help. One person was able to pull two of the kids, ages 9 and 10, to safety. Before the vehicle submerged, a lifeguard pulled out a three-year-old girl strapped to a car seat. That lifeguard became stuck in the van and had to be rescued by another lifeguard.

The mother escaped through the window.

Witnesses say that one of the older kids was screaming that their mom was trying to kill them.

WESH 2 in Orlando spoke to Tim Tesseneer, of North Carolina, who said he was one of the people who helped rescue the family.

Tesseneer told WESH 2, "The two in the back seat was crying, with their arms out saying 'Our mommy's trying to kill us, please help.?

Police say the woman is being cooperative and is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. The three kids were held overnight in the hospital, but reportedly suffered no serious physical injuries. Officials say they could be placed in their grandparents? custody.


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## Gregzs (Mar 7, 2014)

http://laughingsquid.com/new-world-...-new-york-city-well-on-its-way-to-completion/

New World Trade Center Transportation Hub In New York City Well On Its Way To Completion

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have taken an enormous toll on so many people across the country and around the world. New Yorkers are reminded everyday of the tragedy when they look south and don?t see the Twin Towers that so definitively graced the Manhattan skyline. Even 13 years later, one can?t help but look for them. Slowly, however, the World Trade Center is being rebuilt, a piece at a time. One World Trade Center is now the tallest building in the United States. The new WTC Transportation Hub is also being built with a stunning modern design to serve an incredible number of visitors. The showpiece of the hub will be the Oculus, which will serve as the hub?s main concourse containing multi-level retail and restaurants. 


The state-of-the-art World Trade Center Transportation Hub, when completed in 2015, will serve over 200,000 daily commuters and millions of annual visitors from around the world. At approximately 800,000 square feet, the Hub, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava, will be the third largest transportation center in New York City, rivaling Grand Central Station in size. In a joint venture with the Westfield Group, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will develop, lease and operate a major retail space at the WTC site, including in the Transit Hub.


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## Curt James (Mar 10, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9MLDDTxsK8


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## Curt James (Mar 10, 2014)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXpkvLTK0U


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## Gregzs (Mar 20, 2014)

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...Freedom-Tower-251176781.html?partner=xfinity1

New Jersey Boy, 16, Slips by Security, Climbs to Top of 1 World Trade Center to Take Photos

A New Jersey teenager fascinated by the construction of 1 World Trade Center scrambled though a hole in a fence at ground zero in the middle of the night and made his way past several layers of security to the top of the tower, where he took pictures for hours.

According to court papers, 16-year-old Justin Casquejo told authorities he first canvassed the construction site and figured out the best way to get to the roof.

Around 4 a.m. Sunday, Casquejo sneaked out of his home and headed to lower Manhattan. He crawled through a hole in the fence at the World Trade Center site, then got on an elevator, and, even though he had no identification on him, the operator took him to the 88th floor, the New York Post reported.

The teen then climbed the stairs to the 104th floor, where the Post says he passed a sleeping guard assigned to cover the top of the tower, got out to the roof and made his way up to the antenna.

Casquejo wasn't caught until he was coming back down from his two-hour photo excursion. A construction worker spotted him and alerted authorities. He was taken into custody by Port Authority police and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. His camera and cellphone were seized after authorities obtained a search warrant.  

Officials believe the teenager may have donned a hard hat to try to disguise himself as a construction worker, the Post reports. He told the Post he wasn't allowed to talk about the case.

He waved to an NBC 4 New York reporter outside his home Thursday morning but didn't answer questions. Casquejo is next due in court April 2. 

His Facebook page is filled with photos of him posing near 1 World Trade Center and mentions a litany of past daredevil exploits. But the fact he was able to get by a security system designed to protect a terror target raises other concerns. 


The Port Authority Police Department, the NYPD and a private security company all are responsible for securing the outside of the site. A private company patrols the interior.

Joe Dunne, chief security officer for the Port Authority, told the Associated Press that any security breaches are taken seriously and will be prosecuted.

"We continue to reassess our security posture at the site and are constantly working to make this site as secure as possible," Dunne said.

According to the Post, the guard who was sleeping at the top of the tower was fired. The elevator operator who took the teenager to the 88th floor has been re-assigned.  

Neither the NYPD nor the private companies responded to the Post's requests for comment.


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## Gregzs (Mar 23, 2014)

http://www.today.com/moms/mom-insan...n-2D79408678?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity

Mom with 'insane' pumping skills sets Guinness record for breast milk donation 

Amelia Boomker is a mom of four who has nourished thousands of children, even as she had trouble breast-feeding her own.

Boomker has just set the Guinness World Record for breast milk donation by giving 16,321 fluid ounces of milk, more than 127 gallons, to the Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank in Indianapolis between 2008 and 2013.

That&#146;s the breast milk equivalent of 816 Venti lattes at Starbucks or 241 2-liter bottles of Coke, the milk bank has calculated, calling it a rare feat.

Boomker, who lives in Bolingbrook, Ill., said she&#146;s proud she&#146;s been able produce plenty of milk for her kids, and have plenty to share.

&#147;We joke that there was probably a wet nurse somewhere in the family tree,&#148; Boomker, 36, told TODAY Moms.

&#147;I hope that the record continues to get beaten because frankly that means much more milk is getting donated.&#148;

She&#146;s actually broken that record already &#150; unofficially &#150; since she previously donated 7,000 ounces to another milk bank, though that donation wasn&#146;t documented.

For all of that abundance, Boomker was never able to successfully breast-feed her own four boys. Her oldest son Danny was born with a heart condition nine years ago and had to be tube-fed, so she spent lots of time in the hospital&#146;s lactation room to provide milk.

Liam, 6, had a high palate and couldn&#146;t latch. Ryan, 4, never took to breastfeeding, while Connor, who is 18 months old, was only able to do it for a few weeks.

Boomker pumped after each pregnancy to ensure the boys were fed with her breast milk and she donated any excess. She&#146;s planned her life around pumping and said consistency is the key to keep her supply up.

Experts are in awe. The Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank approves some 500 moms for donation each year and only about 1 percent of them are as skilled as Boomker, said spokeswoman Carissa Hawkins.

&#147;Our goal is for our moms to be pumping in a healthy manner. So it&#146;s not as though we encourage moms to pump an excess amount of milk to go for something like the world record,&#148; Hawkins noted.

&#147;It just so happens that Amelia &#151; she has some pumping skills&#133; it&#146;s just insane.&#148;

Indiana Mothers&#146; Milk Bank provides pasteurized donor human milk by prescription or physician order to hospitals throughout the Midwest, with priority given to premature and ill infants in neonatal intensive care units. The milk is processed and dispensed according to guidelines established by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Boomker&#146;s collective donation translates into 4,000 milk bottles, helping save lives and feeding thousands of children, Hawkins said.

Meanwhile, Boomker &#151; who is an IT professional &#151; credits her employer&#146;s flexibility and understanding for the continued donations. She&#146;s been able to work while pumping in a lactation room, she said, and continues to express milk three times a day for her youngest son.

The previous Guinness World Record holders for breast milk donation were Karen Merheb of Dallas, Texas, who gave more than 14,200 ounces and Alicia Richman of Granbury, Texas, who donated 11,115 ounces.


----------



## maniclion (Mar 24, 2014)

Gregzs said:


> http://laughingsquid.com/new-world-...-new-york-city-well-on-its-way-to-completion/
> 
> New World Trade Center Transportation Hub In New York City Well On Its Way To Completion
> 
> ...



The Towers were taken down by planes, so they design part of it to look like a slow motion plane dropping from the sky...?  

What was it Bill Hicks said about Jesus and crosses or Kennedy and Rifles????


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 30, 2014)

Earthquake Rattles Yellowstone National Park, No Damage Reported

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Yellowstone National Park in Montana early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Peter Cervelli, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey&#146;s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said the quake, which hit at 6:34 a.m. local time, was centered almost in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, near the Norris Geyser Basin. He said any damage from the temblor would likely be minor, adding that there are not many visitors in the park at the moment.

The quake was not expected to trigger any volcanic activity, Cervelli said.

Jessica Turner, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Service, said the quake was the most powerful to hit the park since 1985. She said residents in the town of West Yellowstone felt the quake.
First published March 30th 2014, 10:34 am


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 1, 2014)

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/d...kes-chile-coast-tsunami-warning-issued-n69266


Deadly 8.2 Earthquake Strikes Off Chile Coast, Tsunami Warning Issued

By Daniel Arkin

A massive earthquake struck off the coast of Chile late Tuesday near the port city of Iquique, according to the U.S. Geological Survey &#151; killing five, injuring three, and triggering tsunami warnings for a long arm of Latin America&#146;s Pacific coast.

The dead include four men and one woman, who died from falling debris or heart attacks. Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said.

The magnitude 8.2 temblor struck roughly 62 miles northwest of Iquique and was shallow at 12.5 miles below the seabed, the USGS said.

Officials urged all residents near coastal areas to evacuate inland because of tsunami fears, but warned warned people to exercise caution while doing so.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, issued an "expanding tsunami warning" along the coasts of Chile and Peru. A tsunami warning for Ecuador was canceled, as were tsunami watches in a much broader area encompassing Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

The tsunami alert "will keep for six hours," according to a tweet from Chile&#146;s Minister of the Interior and Public Security.

Chile&#146;s navy said the first tsunami hit the coast within 45 minutes of the quake. A wave measuring almost six feet was generated off the northern coast, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

&#147;It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts,&#148; said the center. &#147;Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility.&#148;

Chile&#146;s emergency office said it had received initial reports that the huge quake caused landslides, which were partially cutting off some roads and highways.

Chilean television broadcast images of traffic jams as people scrambled to evacuate.

Some houses were destroyed in the nearby city of Arica, according to Mayor Salvador Urrutia. And some older structures were ruined in the village of Huara, according to Mayor Carlos Silva.

The town of Iquique is a key copper exporting port, close to Chile's main copper mines. State-owned miner Codelco reported no harm to its workers or mines, and said its operations in northern Chile were normal.

Tuesday night's earthquake came on the heels of a March 16 quake with a magnitude-6.7, also off Iquique, which is home to 180,000 people.

A monstrous 9.0-magnitude quake that hit Japan in 2011 triggered a tsunami that reached heights of up to 133 feet, leaving 16,000 dead, 6,000 injured and more than 3,000 missing, according to NOAA.

And the Chile quake comes nearly a decade after a Dec. 26, 2004 quake with a magnitude of 9.0 triggered a horrific tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed at least 216,000 people in one of the world&#146;s worst natural disasters on record.

Chile is vulnerable to quakes: A magnitude-8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in central Chile in 2010 killed more than 500 people, decimated 220,000 homes and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded on the planet also struck Chile &#151; a magnitude-9.5 quake in 1960 that killed over 5,000 people.


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 2, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/04/0...-survives-after-chain-saw-gets-stuck-his-neck

PA Tree Cutter Survives After Chain Saw Gets Stuck in His Neck

As Martha MacCallum said this morning: Angels must have been watching over this Pennsylvania man. In a horrifying accident, a tree cutter was rushed to the hospital after his chain saw became embedded in his neck.

According to AP, 21-year-old James Valentine was in a harness working in a tree when his saw slipped and struck him.

As you can see in the X-ray above, the saw was lodged in Valentine's chest and neck when he arrived at the hospital. He underwent emergency surgery and is now recovering.

Doctors said the blade struck mostly muscle, missing Valentine's major arteries. Police said Valentine is lucky that his co-workers reacted as quickly as they did.

Watch the segment from America's Newsroom above.


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 14, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/04/1...ested-after-bodies-7-babies-were-found-garage

Utah Woman Arrested After Bodies of 7 Babies Were Found in Garage

A Utah neighborhood was left in shock this weekend after the arrest of a woman who police say had the remains of seven dead babies at the home where she used to live. The gruesome discovery was made by 39-year-old Megan Huntsman's ex-husband.

Neighbors were at a loss after hearing of Huntsman's arrest, with one woman saying she "loved" the family and believed them to be good people.

Investigators believe that Megan Huntsman, 39, who lived in the Pleasant Grove home until 2011, gave birth to the babies before killing them at various times between 1996 and 2006. 

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that police were called to the house Saturday by Huntsman's ex-husband, who had discovered the body of a newborn infant who appeared to be at full term. Police obtained a search warrant for the house and discovered the bodies of six more babies packed in boxes in the garage.

Police Capt. Michael Roberts told the paper that investigators are still working on DNA tests, but Huntsman's ex-husband, identified by family and neighbors as Darren West, is believed to be the father of all seven children. The Associated Press reported that West discovered the bodies while cleaning out the garage after recently getting out of prison. Authorities do not believe West was aware of the killings and is not a person of interest at this time.

Roberts said police believe West and Huntsman were together when the babies were born.

"We don't believe he had any knowledge of the situation," Roberts told The Associated Press

Asked how the man could not have known about the situation, Roberts replied, "That's the million-dollar question. Amazing."


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 23, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/04/22/prep-school-grads-busted-allegedly-running-pa-drug-ring

Prep School Grads Busted for Allegedly Running PA Drug Ring

Prep school grads were arrested in a massive drug ring operation in Pennsylvania. The accused drug dealers supplied marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy to students at three colleges and five high schools in Philadelphia&#146;s affluent Main Line suburbs.

The two suspected ringleaders, 25-year-old Neil Scott and 18-year-old Timothy Brooks, even peddled drugs to their alma mater, Haverford School, an all-boys prep school that costs $35K a year.

Nine "sub-dealers" working for the men at the various schools were also arrested. Each dealer was reportedly told to move at least one pound of marijuana per week. The goal was to create a monopoly on the drugs sold to local schools, police say.

Scott was said to be in charge of getting the drugs from California, while Brooks allegedly oversaw the dealers.

The 18-year-old reportedly told police he got into the drug business because he had trouble finding pot as a student. According to the court affidavit, Scott outlined his business plan for investigators and told them it was successful &#147;because everyone between 15 and 55 loves good weed.&#148;

In one text message conversation, Brooks says, &#147;I&#146;m trying to start a business and learning how to run this.&#148; To which Scott replied, &#147;Just keep finding customers and we&#146;ll both make more than enough money.&#148;

The arrests came after four months of investigation. Police had confidential informants inside all of the schools. In addition to drugs, authorities also discovered guns, ammunition and bags of cash.

District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said in a press conference, &#147;This is a dangerous business. This was not a game. These people were &#133; in business to make money and they were going to do whatever they needed to do to make sure that no one threatened their business.&#148;

Ferman said Scott worked in a medical marijuana dispensary in San Diego after he left college. He later moved back to Pennsylvania and began having drugs mailed to his home in 2013. Brooks&#146; attorney says he was depressed after leaving college.

Both ringleaders and the dealers are said to be facing significant jail time.


----------



## Gregzs (May 12, 2014)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarre...term=and a lot of people are angry   about it

Coke Uses Terrible Working Conditions In Dubai For PR Opportunity

In an ad posted by Coca-Cola this week, the company shows how they installed a phone booth in Dubai so that poor South Asian workers could pay for a three-minute international phone call home using Coke bottle caps.

The polarizing ad has caused people to criticize the soft drink company for capitalizing on an area known for terrible working conditions, where men trying to earn a meager wage die in the hundreds.

The men like those shown in the ad are brought into the Middle East in large groups, working in scorching weather in an attempt to earn a higher wage than what they would make at home, and send money back to their families.

The laborers fit into a broader culture of wealthy Gulf Countries importing jobs from Southeast Asia, specifically Filipino women flown in to work as maids, and South Asia, but ultimately often work in conditions that have been described as &#147;21st century slavery,&#148; according to the International Trade Union Confederation.

This isn&#146;t the only intersection with questionable international conditions Coke has attempted this week &#151; another recent project had drones dropping cans of Coke on guest workers at construction sites around Singapore. An ad last month encouraged people in Bangladesh to use coke bottles for an arcade game.

Many commenters on Coke&#146;s phone booth ad are unaware of the human rights issues at play while the company romanticizes the Gulf&#146;s exploited laborers, and are lauding their efforts as admirable.


----------



## Gregzs (May 16, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/05/15/caught-tape-ohio-teacher-barb-williams-grabs-kindergartner-face

CAUGHT ON TAPE: Teacher Grabs Boy By Face, Slams Him Into Wall

An Ohio kindergarten teacher is under investigation after surveillance video showed her violently grabbing a six-year-old boy by the face and slamming him against a wall.

The incident happened months after Ian Nelson's parents had confronted officials at the Riverdale Schools about the teacher, Barb Williams.

&#147;We asked for him to be moved to a different classroom. ... The principal told us at the time that she&#146;s a highly recommended teacher and they are unwilling to transfer him to a different class,&#148; said Anthony Nelson said.

The school superintendent, Eric Hoffman, said he suspended the teacher for 10 days without pay.

&#147;To tell you the truth we haven&#146;t dealt with this much at Riverdale and first of all I apologize to the parents. This should not happen to students,&#148; Hoffman said.

The Nelson family, however, argues that the punishment is not severe enough and police are looking into criminal charges. Williams has reportedly hired an attorney.

Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl weighed in on The Real Story and highlighted the fact that corporal punishment is illegal in Ohio.

&#147;You cannot do that if you&#146;re a teacher in that position. It&#146;s breaking the law,&#148; Wiehl said.  

Watch the tape above and hear Wiehl&#146;s full legal analysis, including on why the school chose not to fire Williams after seeing the video.


----------



## Gregzs (May 27, 2014)

http://news.yahoo.com/red-sox-broad...rder-142710031.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

Red Sox broadcaster's son pleads guilty to murder

WOBURN, Mass. (AP) &#151; The son of longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder for fatally stabbing his girlfriend last year while the couple's 4-year-old daughter screamed and three neighbors tried to stop him.





Jared Remy, 35, was sentenced to a mandatory life without parole for killing Jennifer Martel, 27.

Remy admitted he killed Martel on Aug. 15 at their Waltham apartment and said he wanted to take responsibility for what he had done.

He described himself as "the bad apple" and called Martel "an angel," but also appeared to blame Martel.

"I would like you to know that I always told Jen she could leave, but don't threaten me with my daughter," he read from a hand-written statement. "That night, Jen had a knife in her hand and threatened me with my daughter, so I killed her."

His father, a former Red Sox second baseman who has been a color analyst on team broadcasts on the New England Sports Network since 1988, was not in court. Remy's lawyer, Edward Ryan Jr., said Remy had asked his parents not to attend the hearing.

Remy defended his parents against criticism leveled at them since Martel's killing and a Boston Globe article earlier this year detailed Remy's long criminal record and minimal punishment.

"I would like to say blame me for this and not my family," he said.

Remy said his family members did everything they could to help Martel, whom he said "helped me clean up my act," but ultimately could not cure him of his "love of drugs." Remy was referring to his use of steroids and painkillers, his lawyer said after the hearing.

Remy also said, "If you ask my family, they'd rather have me dead than her."

Remy, a former Red Sox security staffer, was fired by the team in 2008 during a steroid investigation.

"We continue to be heartbroken over Jenn's death. That will never change," Remy's parents, Jerry and Phoebe, said in a statement issued through Ryan.

"No words can express the sorrow we feel for the Martel family," they said. "We are now focusing our attention on our grandchildren and doing what is best for them."

Besides the murder charge, Jared Remy pleaded guilty to assault and battery and violating a restraining order. He also pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon for lunging at a man who tried to help Martel as Remy was stabbing her.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa McGovern said the attack came minutes after Martel changed her status on Facebook to read "in a complicated relationship." She said it is unclear whether Remy saw her posting but, shortly afterward, a neighbor heard the couple's young daughter scream.

The neighbor said she saw Martel crawling on the patio outside their apartment, with Remy behind her, and heard her say, "Help me, please help me," McGovern said. Three neighbors tried to stop him, but he fended them off, the prosecutor said.

Remy stabbed Martel in the throat, legs, arms and torso, and punched her in the face, McGovern said.

Martel's parents, who attended the hearing, said in a statement read by an attorney that they hope to help others recognize the signs of domestic violence. They said Remy would call Martel repeatedly in what they now see was "more like an obsession than love."

The family also asked for privacy for themselves and the Remy family.

"Together we will do our best to raise our granddaughter as her mother would have raised her," they said in a statement read by a family spokeswoman. Martel's brother and sister-in-law are raising the girl.

Remy was initially arrested Aug. 13 after he allegedly pushed Martel into a mirror. He was released on his own recognizance and stabbed Martel on Aug. 15.

The case prompted questions about whether Remy's violent history had been overlooked by the criminal justice system. It led state lawmakers to propose an overhaul of the state's domestic violence laws, including new bail guidelines and tougher penalties for abusers.

Also, an independent review criticized prosecutors' handling of abuse allegations against Remy.

Since Remy has been in jail, he has been accused of attacking another inmate, throwing hot coffee in his face, hitting him with a plastic chair and punching him.


----------



## Gregzs (May 28, 2014)

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...Hells-Kitchen-260821381.html?partner=xfinity1

Pedestrian Hit by Flying Buzzsaw in Midtown Manhattan

A woman walking past a crew tearing up a Manhattan street was struck by a flying buzzsaw Tuesday, police said.

The construction company, which was doing work for the city, was tearing up the roadway to fix a water main at 48th Street and Ninth Avenue when the saw flew into the air.

Matthew Bisi was walking by when the 3-foot blade "came shooting down the sidewalk."

"I was on the right side of the sidewalk, suddenly everyone started yelling 'Get down! Move!'" he said. "It was just like crazy chaos. People screaming, all the construction workers." 

"I just turned, kinda ducked, put my head down," he said. "Thing came flying right by my head, missed me by that much. You could hear it coming and it went right by me," he said.

Another witness, Sean Kuilan, also recalled the sound of the blade.

"I hear the blade and see the blade literally coming off the machine," he said. "It was huge. It looked like it was from a horror flick. I couldn't believe it."

It traveled about 100 feet before hitting a tree and then sliced into a woman "straight on," according to Bisi.

"It took her right down, gashes on the side of the thigh," he said. "The force of that coming in was pretty hard." 

Kuilan said the woman was knocked to the ground screaming. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital with a gash on her leg, police said.

"It was scary," said Bisi. "I'm like twitching now just thinking about it. You don't expect to see that or have that happen to you."


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## Gregzs (Jun 12, 2014)

It would probably not have made news if it had been the finger.

http://www.nerdist.com/2014/06/thailand-protestors-using-salute-from-the-hunger-games/

Thailand Protestors Using Salute from THE HUNGER GAMES

If you&#146;ve seen The Hunger Games, you&#146;re familiar with the three fingered salute from District 12. The gesture appeared in the story by Suzanne Collins in the first book and film after Katniss Everdeen volunteers as tribute for the Hunger Games. Katniss explains the meaning of the sign in the book:

&#147;It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love.&#148;

The residents of District 12 send Katniss off with that sign and she later performs the salute in front of all of Panem while on screen during the games after another tribute&#146;s death. That moment sparked an uprising in District 11 where the dead tribute, Rue, was from. In Catching Fire (the second book/film) when Katniss and Peeta visited District 11 during their victory tour, the citizens made the sign and the man who did it first was shot.






The sign became associated with rebellion in the series, and now, residents of Thailand are using the gesture as a symbol of peaceful protest against the May 22nd Thai military coup. Time reports that some using the salute have been dragged away by troops which is uncomfortably like the scene in fictional District 11.

In an opinion piece on The Bangkok Post, Atiya Achakulwisut writes that protestors are using the symbol to get the word out: &#147;They are creating signs of resistance which pique people&#146;s interest and look good on Facebook and Instagram. They try to draw attention from members of the press, especially foreign media, so that they an expose the junta as being heavy-handed and totalitarian in its lining up of thousands of armed soldiers to fight small groups of peaceful protesters.&#148;

If the sign from The Hunger Games is indeed being used for that purpose, the protestors are successful. Branding their actions with a recognizable symbol from a popular pop culture franchise is effective, and it just so happens that District 12′s salute is suited for their cause.


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## Gregzs (Jun 30, 2014)

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27905743

Pablo Escobar&#146;s hippos: A growing problem

A herd of hippopotamuses once owned by the late Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar has been taking over the countryside near his former ranch - and no-one quite knows what to do with them.

Excerpt: "Hildebrand has another, more radical solution: "I think they should barbecue them and eat them."

He isn't joking. During experiments with electric fences a while ago, he recalls, someone misjudged the voltage and electrocuted one of the Hacienda Napoles hippos. "What did the local people do? They took him, they chopped him up, they barbecued him and they ate him!" The animal is said to have tasted similar to pork."


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## Gregzs (Jul 8, 2014)

http://www.thrillist.com/travel/nat...es-will-not-be-permitted-onboard-the-aircraft

Your cell phone can now be confiscated at airport security 

Having a low cell phone battery at the airport is bad enough; outlet hogs are just one of the awful people getting on a plane. But now you'll have to worry about your battery being charged for a different reason -- because if your phone doesn't turn on, the Department of Homeland Security will confiscate it.

According to a DHS statement announcing the change last week, passengers flying on non-stop routes to the US from select airports abroad may be asked to "power up some devices, including cell phones", adding that "powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft". 

In particular, officials are targeting Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices, according to Reuters. So, you know, only the two most popular phones out there.

The order came from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, who confirmed he "directed TSA to implement enhanced security measures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States". According to Secretary Johnson's statement, the DHS is liaising with "foreign allies" and airlines, and "will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as few disruptions to travelers as possible". 

The reinforced security checks reportedly come in response to an alleged terrorist threat, the details of which are unknown, as well as intelligence that suggests bombs involving cell phones and shoes are being made by terrorists in Yemen and Syria.

Thus far, overseas airport to officially comply with this new rule are London's Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport, while British Airways passengers will also have their powerless electronics denied. According to the BBC, the UK, Germany, and France have said they will meet the requirement.

To avoid getting booted off your flight, carry a charger wherever you go -- and maybe rethink that second game of Candy Crush on the way to the airport.


----------



## Gregzs (Jul 8, 2014)

Gregzs said:


> http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/04/1...ested-after-bodies-7-babies-were-found-garage
> 
> Utah Woman Arrested After Bodies of 7 Babies Were Found in Garage
> 
> ...




Motive Given to Utah Mom Accused of Killing Six Babies

A Utah mother's motive for killing six of her newborns and storing them in a garage was that she was addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs and didn't want to deal with the responsibility, authorities said Tuesday. 

Megan Huntsman, 39, was heavily into a meth addiction when she strangled or suffocated the infants from 1996 to 2006, Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Roberts told The Associated Press. She wasn't worried about potential health problems caused by her drug abuse while pregnant, she simply didn't want to care for them, he said. 

"It was completely selfish. She was high on drugs and didn't want the babies, or the responsibility," Roberts said. "That was her priority at the time." 

Authorities think a seventh baby found in her Pleasant Grover garage was stillborn. Police had previously declined to discuss a motive, which they say was uncovered during interviews with Huntsman. Huntsman is in jail on $6 million bail, charged with six counts of first-degree murder. She is due back in court in Provo on July 21 and has not yet entered a plea. Her lawyer, public defender Anthony Howell, declined comment Tuesday. He said office policy precludes him from discussing open cases. 

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motive-given-utah-mom-accused-killing-six-babies-n151216


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## Gregzs (Aug 6, 2014)

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/06/video-australian-commuters-tip-train-cars-free-trapped-man

Dozens of people rushed to help free a fellow commuter whose leg became trapped at a train station today in Perth, Australia.

Closed-circuit footage reveals the man lost his footing while boarding and his foot became trapped between the train and platform gap.

A passenger alerted railway staff, who stopped the train from leaving. Then, dozens leapt into action to tilt the train carriages to free the man, who was believed to have escaped injury and caught the next train.


----------



## Gregzs (Oct 22, 2014)

http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/10/...usands-dollars-fines-small-e-zpass-violations

Man Gets $17K E-ZPass Fine for $30 in Missed Tolls and He's Not Alone 

E-ZPass is supposed to make life easier for commuters, but that doesn't appear to be the case for some in the D.C. area. 

Emily Miller of FOX's WTTG-TV has been reporting extensively on drivers who are being hit with amazingly high fines for much small violations. 

Miller reported this morning on "Fox and Friends" on the case of Joe Mischler, who received $17,000 in fines for $36 in missed tolls!

"They don't care," said Mischler, alleging that in his eyes, it's all about "shaking down" ordinary citizens. 

Mischler argued that his transponder wasn't being read properly, causing the violations to add up.

Mischler tried to resolve it on his own, but when he was summoned to appear in a Virginia civil court, he contacted WTTG. 

The company that manages E-ZPass lanes and violations, Transurban, called the case "rare" and eventually agreed to reduce the fines to a few hundred bucks. 

But Miller reports that Mischler's ordeal is not rare at all because when her story aired, she began getting calls from many others who have dealt with similar predicaments. 

Elise Pizarro, for example, was facing more than $9,500 in fines for $28 in missed tolls. She says the issue is again related to the E-ZPass transponders failing to read her tag in express lanes. 

?This is happening all the time. I'm not the only one it's happening to. Obviously it happened to Joe Mischler. It's happened to other people," she said.

Pizarro accepted an out-of-court settlement with the company, agreeing to pay $2,000 and had to take out a loan on her 401(k) to pay for it.

Transurban maintains the cases are rare and almost all of these cases are resolved before court.

"About 96 percent of our customers are using the Express Lanes and not having issues -- 99.9 percent of them are solving any issues before court,? said a Transurban spokesperson.

But Pizarro notes that 96 percent sounds like a good figure until you realize that about a million drivers use E-ZPass on the D.C. area's 495 express lanes, meaning around 4,000 people could be experiencing these problems. 

Watch Miller's full report above, and if this has happened to you, contact "Fox and Friends" at friends@foxnews.com.


----------



## Gregzs (Jan 7, 2015)

http://laughingsquid.com/state-of-c...that-will-link-los-angeles-and-san-francisco/

State of California Begins Construction of a High-Speed Rail System That Will Link Los Angeles and San Francisco

Tuesday marked the official groundbreaking of California?s high-speed rail, a $68 billion project to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with passenger trains capable of traveling at 200 MPH. Supporters of the system say the electric trains, powered by renewable energy, will provide a greener alternative to road and air travel. The trains, managed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, are also expected to cut transit time on the 520-mile trip between downtown Los Angeles and downtown San Francisco to three hours. Present-day rail service takes 11 to 19 hours, while a flight takes one hour and 15 minutes (plus, of course, transit to and from airports, security lines, etc.). Ticket prices are projected to be comparable to air travel. California?s high-speed rail system is set to open in 2029.


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## Gregzs (Feb 14, 2015)

Ice Shards Are Falling From the Top of the World Trade Center 

Oh, what a season it's been! 

Sure, we haven't had as much snow as Chicago, but we did have a city-crippling blizzard, slush puddles of doom, and manholes are exploding all over the place (read: Park Slope). And in a great new twist, SHARDS OF ICE fell from the top of the World Trade Center on Monday.

 According to the Daily News, foot-long ice shards started falling from 7 and 4 World Trade Center at noon, Monday Feb. 2. Officials noted that the walkways around 4 World Trade Center and parts of Vesey St were shut down for a number of hours. Panic ensued, because... shards of ice... falling... but thankfully, no injuries were reported. Though, just to be safe, maybe we should all stop going places and doing things until like, July.

http://www.thrillist.com/news/new-york/financial-district/shards-of-ice-fall-from-world-trade-center


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## Gregzs (May 6, 2015)

Baltimore Police Officer Bites Man?s Testicles In Ballsy Cinco De Mayo Attack 

So you celebrate Cinco de Mayo because you?re a red-blooded American who has pride in the fact that an underdog Mexican army marched to victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. You head on over to your favorite Mexican-themed restaurant, or Looney?s Pub which is an Irish-style bar in this circumstance, and you proceed to eat your weight in enchiladas verdes and get shitfaced on $2 cervezas. That?s when some unpatriotic tool who can?t handle a few shots of tequila reposado gets up and attacks you by gnawing your testicles. And that?s exactly how you ruin the cherished American holiday of Cinco de Mayo.

This Cinco de Mayo party was gorishly disrupted on Tuesday night when Anne Arundel County police officer Michael Flaig, 31, attacked a man. Allegedly, the man was assaulted by two men, one of whom, Flaig, bit his testicles in the alley behind Looney?s Pub. There?s no good place to have your nuts chomped off, but in an alleyway has got to be one of the worst and probably least sanitary. 

A police investigation learned that Flaig and another man jumped the victim outside the bar after the victim confronted Flaig about his touching his female friend and roommate. This guy wanted to get in this woman?s pants soooo badly that he nibbled on some other dude?s bollocks to show his unwavering allegiance to her. That?s nuts!

Flaig was found by police on the second floor of the bar with ball blood stains on his shirt and appeared inebriated. Flaig was placed under arrest for ballsy attack. Cinco de Mayo, more like Cero de Huevos.

Flaig is being charged with second-degree assault.

On Wednesday, Anne Arundel County police released the following statement:


?On May 5, 2015, the Anne Arundel County Police Department was informed by investigators with the Baltimore Police Department that a member of our agency was arrested. We have learned that Corporal Michael Flaig, a 10-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Police Department assigned to the Northern District, was arrested and charged with a second-degree assault and public intoxication after an altercation in the Canton area of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Police Department is investigating this matter and any further inquiries as to the circumstances of this arrest should be directed to them. The officer?s police powers have been suspended and he has been placed on paid administrative duties.?

As if the Baltimore police P.R. department doesn?t have enough on it?s plate right now.

http://www.brobible.com/life/article/baltimore-police-officer-bites-mans-attack/


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## Guillotine (May 7, 2015)

Gregzs said:


> Baltimore Police Officer Bites Man?s Testicles In Ballsy Cinco De Mayo Attack
> 
> So you celebrate Cinco de Mayo because you?re a red-blooded American who has pride in the fact that an underdog Mexican army marched to victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. You head on over to your favorite Mexican-themed restaurant, or Looney?s Pub which is an Irish-style bar in this circumstance, and you proceed to eat your weight in enchiladas verdes and get shitfaced on $2 cervezas. That?s when some unpatriotic tool who can?t handle a few shots of tequila reposado gets up and attacks you by gnawing your testicles. And that?s exactly how you ruin the cherished American holiday of Cinco de Mayo.
> 
> ...


Haha epic!


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## Gregzs (Jul 8, 2015)

Roving alligator caught in the Passaic River in Elmwood Park, NJ

http://www.northjersey.com/photo-ga...n-the-passaic-river-in-elmwood-park-1.1370407


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## Gregzs (Nov 15, 2015)




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## Gregzs (Jan 24, 2016)

Snow totals in this area

http://abc7ny.com/weather/here-are-the-snow-totals-for-new-york-new-jersey-and-connecticut/1171451/

http://www.nj.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/01/updated_nj_snowfall_totals_as_of_sunday_morning.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/How_much_snow_fell_near_you_.html


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## Gregzs (Jan 24, 2016)

The largest measurement I've seen for yesterday is Harrisburg, PA with 34".

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ba...om-deadly-blizzard/ar-BBoCULD?ocid=spartandhp


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## Arnold (Jan 13, 2017)

Curt, we need news it's been a full year now...


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## Gregzs (Jul 24, 2020)

Nevada OKs $200M in bonds for Vegas-to-SoCal high-speed train

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) ? Nevada officials have approved issuing up to $200 million in state bonds for a high-speed train project connecting Las Vegas with Southern California.

The State Board of Finance unanimously approved the bond financing for XpressWest, the parent company of the Virgin Trains project, during a meeting Friday.

XpressWest will be able to issue the bonds at up to four times the state allocation, meaning they could be worth as much as $800 million.

The bonds could only be used for designing, developing and building facilities for the high-speed rail, and not for the trains themselves, said Terry J. Reynolds, director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, during Friday's meeting.

The project also received approval for up to $750 million in bond allocation from the federal government.

A spokesman for the Nevada Treasurer's office said the bonds won't use any taxpayer dollars and wouldn't impact the state's ability to finance any future projects.

"This project is a long time coming to Nevada and I'm pleased to take this step forward to bring this vision to reality and bring additional jobs to our state," Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement.

The proposed high-speed train would begin at a station near Blue Diamond Road and Las Vegas Boulevard, run south along Interstate 15 and end in Victorville, California.

State officials expect the project to result in $2 billion in economic impact, with $325 million in new tax revenue for Nevada, according to a press release from the treasurer's office.

Clark County commissioners gave their approval for the bond financing earlier this week. The rail system is pegged for completion in 2023.

https://news3lv.com/news/local/200-...s-approved-for-high-speed-train-to-california


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## Gregzs (Jul 29, 2020)

USPS Plans to Slash Hours at Many Post Offices, Hoping to Save A Buck

Post offices around the country are slashing their hours?including during the busiest times of day?with little notice as yet another abrupt cost-saving measure, according to interviews with union officials conducted by Motherboard and various local news reports. The USPS had also planned to close some offices entirely with just three weeks? notice, likely in violation of federal law, but appears to be backtracking.

The sudden changes come as part of a slate of policies instituted by the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor with a history of anti-union practices at his private logistics firm New Breed Logistics, that are ostensibly about fiscal responsibility but have contributed to mail being delayed across the country and have postal workers concerned they?re no longer being allowed to do their jobs. Many postal employees also believe the changes will only make the post office?s financial situation worse.

?A lot of this has been dropped on us with little or no communication,? said Elizabeth Coonan, a steward for the American Postal Workers Union Local 3264 in the Clarksburg, West Virginia area. ?The times that they?re slating [the offices] to close is when they do a lot of business.?

When asked about the hours reductions and closures, USPS spokesperson Kim Frum provided the same written statement the USPS has been providing to most national media inquiries over recent weeks regarding the USPS?s cost-cutting measures. The statement uses broad language about ?developing a business plan to ensure that we will be financially stable and able to continue to provide dependable, affordable, safe and secure delivery of mail and packages to all Americans as a vital part of the nation?s critical infrastructure.? Frum then provided a link to DeJoy?s similarly vague ?Statement on Operational Excellence.? Pressed for details on the closures, Frum said she could not provide any further information.

As a result, it?s difficult to get a complete picture of how many of the post office?s 31,322 retail locations nationwide are impacted by the new hours. Coogan told Motherboard that in her region of West Virginia 26 offices are being forced to reduce hours from the typical eight-hour weekday schedule to under four hours per day. Another 31 offices are being forced to close during lunch hours, typically among the busiest times of day at a post office. Frank Bollinger, the business agent for APWU Local 526 in southern New Jersey, told Motherboard that 10 offices in his region are dropping from nine open hours per weekday to four, while another 30 are slated to close during lunch hours.

Included in those 10 offices is one in East Camden, a low income neighborhood with many unbanked residents who rely on the post office?s money order processing. Bollinger says that at the beginning of the month, that office typically fields ?well above? $35,000 in money orders per day, which is now in jeopardy thanks to the reduced hours.

?If I can?t make it to the post office,? Bollinger said, ?I?m not going to use the post office.?

In addition to West Virginia and New Jersey, post offices in Berkeley, California; Petersburg, Alaska, Youngstown, Ohio, and Knoxville, Tennessee have announced similar plans to reduce hours. All of the changes Motherboard has reviewed were announced only by signs hanging on the post office doors.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia sent a letter to DeJoy regarding the ?imminent closure or significant reduction in hours and services? as post offices ?in my state and across the nation.? Manchin?s letter noted that ?this would likely be a violation of both federal law and United States Postal Service (USPS) rules that prescribe a specific closure process which requires, at minimum, 120 days? notice,? a far cry from the three weeks under the current plan. By Tuesday evening, Coonan told Motherboard the post office had ?walked back its position on closing the offices? and they are ?currently reevaluating the situation.?

This is not the first time the USPS has moved to abruptly close post office locations without following the legally prescribed procedures for doing so. In 2011, the Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Ruth Goldway protested in a letter to then-Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe that the USPS was closing offices nationwide without informing the PRC as they are required to do by law.

For her part, Coonan doesn?t think DeJoy?who has never worked for the USPS before becoming postmaster general in June?is putting the USPS on a path to success or that his cost-cutting measures will do anything positive. ?Slashing and hacking has already been tried,? she said. ?It?s not going to work.?

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...4LaOWaY-R_0n7Uqa8wzWn5p3agQeEcyRBTq6uCtihz_3g


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## Gregzs (Aug 3, 2020)

Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men?s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank and other men?s fashion brands, announced Sunday it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company hopes the bankruptcy filing will help alleviate its $630 million debt.

It was also announced in July that up to 500 stores have been identified that could potentially close ?over time.?

Tailored Brands said the coronavirus pandemic has caused it to implement ?a series of operating and organizational changes.?

A list of potentially affected stores has not yet been released.

The company also operates K&G Fashion Superstore and Moores Clothing for Men.

In New Jersey, there are currently 13 Men?s Wearhouse, 12 Jos. A. Bank and five K&G Fashion Superstores. There are no Moores Clothing for Men stores in the U.S., since it?s based in Canada.

Although not marketed as a liquidation sale, Men?s Wearhouse is offering up to 70% off on clearance items, while Jos. A. Bank is holding a ?Super Tuesday? sale. K&G Fashion Superstore is also having a summer clearance sale where you can find items for up 75% off.

It has been a rough few months for the brick-and-mortar retail industry, which already had been struggling.

JCPenney, Brooks Brothers, New York & Company, Sur La Table, Pier 1 Imports and Lucky Brand have all filed for bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.nj.com/business/2020/08...LGsRB8KhbUadTRJJZHnpz-WHYIKIt_oXRiq_NlFR6pGUg


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## Gregzs (Aug 4, 2020)

Massive Explosion Rocks Beirut: ?I Haven't Seen Destruction On This Scale?

The explosion was reportedly felt as far away as Cyprus, some 150 miles away.

The Lebanese capital Beirut was hit by a colossal explosion Tuesday afternoon, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands of others as it unleashed a massive shockwave across the city.

The explosion destroyed entire blocks of residential and office buildings, causing widespread casualties. At least 50 people have been killed and some 2,750 wounded,Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan told reporters, with the death toll expected to rise further as rescue teams work their way through the rubble.

Videos of the blast, in the port area of the city, showed a thick column of smoke rising in the air, before a large fireball exploded, swiftly followed by a larger explosion, that sent a mushroom cloud into the sky.

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud likened the scale of the destruction to ?Hiroshima and Nagasaki.?

?It resembles ... what happened in Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That?s what [it] reminds me of. In my life, I haven?t seen destruction on this scale," he told reporters.

?This is a national catastrophe.?

The cause of the blast was unclear. Lebanon?s state-run National News Agency initially reported it was due to a major fire at a fireworks warehouse near the port, but Lebanon?s Director-General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, told Al Jazeera that the blast was caused by a highly explosive material that had been confiscated. Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said it appeared to have been caused by huge quantities of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse.

In a televised statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that ?those responsible will pay for what happened.?

?Facts about this dangerous warehouse that has been there since 2014 will be announced and I will not preempt the investigations,? he said.

The blast left clouds of pink and yellow smoke over the city, leading the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to warn people in the area to stay inside or wear masks to avoid toxic gases.

Hospitals in the city, inundated with victims of the blast, put out urgent calls for people to donate blood to help the injured.. Staff  at one overwhelmed hospital were photographed treating patients in the parking lot. Doctors told VICE News most of the injuries they treated were head and skeletal trauma, caused by buildings collapsing on patients.

In the aftermath of the blast, the port area was a scene of devastation, with bloodied survivors staggering through the streets, roads strewn with rubble and broken glass, still falling from damaged buildings. Ambulance sirens could be heard throughout the city.

The explosion was reportedly felt as far away as Cyprus, some 150 miles away.

?We live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our [buildings] got shattered,? tweeted Abir Ghattas, a Berlin-based Lebanese activist who was sent footage of the blast by her brother in Beirut.

Leila Molana-Allen, Middle East correspondent at France 24, tweeted that the blast had destroyed her block.

?All the buildings in my block are destroyed. Huge explosion in [Beirut]. Everyone covered in glass and blood,? she wrote. ?My apartment in Beirut was just blown apart.?

A reporter at the Daily Star newspaper, whose office is near the port, tweeted footage from inside the newsroom, showing windows blown out and office equipment strewn across the room.

As the scale of the devastation became apparent, pledges of support came in from the international community.

French President Emmanuel Macron said "rescue and aid" were already on the way, while Britain, the EU, and Israel said they were ready to provide humanitarian support.

The World Health Organization said it was urgently working to make trauma supplies available, while he U.S. Pentagon said in a statement that it was ?concerned for the potential loss of life due to such a massive explosion.?

The explosion has come at an already tense time for Lebanon, which has been rocked by large-scale demonstrations against the government's handling of the country?s economic crisis.

The country is also bracing for the verdict Friday in the trial of four suspects from the Shi?ite Hezbollah movement, accused of orchestrating the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut.



https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...hFoAhaJvqLcaw7qBlmzjaPfmbwFp1F5PirfdcjZUp957c

This guy lives there. The stories section on IG expire after 24 hours: https://www.instagram.com/bahijkaddoura/


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## Gregzs (Aug 7, 2020)

Inside Beirut After the Explosion


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## Gregzs (Aug 10, 2020)

North Carolina hit by 5.1 magnitude earthquake, the strongest since 1916


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## Gregzs (Aug 10, 2020)

USPS Workers Don?t Know What to Make of So-Called ?Friday Night Massacre?

Around 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday afternoon, postal workers around the country started seeing a post on the internal post office network announcing yet another seemingly massive and confusing change to the United States Postal Service.

The new policies, which were first reported by the Washington Post, amount to an executive and management shakeup. The memo announced a management-level hiring freeze and the beginning of a process to accept voluntary early retirement from non-union employees in the management class. The USPS will also consolidate by enlarging regions and operations areas. For example, instead of dividing the U.S. into seven retail and delivery operations areas, it will now be divided into four.

Typically, such changes to any government entity would barely be noticed by most of the employees within the organization, much less those outside of it. But these are not typical times at the USPS. Its every move has become highly politicized due to the critical role it will play in the upcoming election and the suspicion that the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a longtime Republican fundraiser and Trump donor, is intentionally disrupting the USPS so as to aid in his preferred candidate?s re-election. And DeJoy has wasted no time making lots of moves.

DeJoy made one of his first orders of business desecrating the sacred notion that every piece of mail gets delivered every day no matter what, causing widespread mail backups and package delays across the country. At Friday?s Board of Governors meeting, DeJoy called on Congress to ?enact reform legislation that addresses our unaffordable retirement payments? while also promising to make more changes in the future to ?focus on improving operational efficiency and pursuing other reforms in order to put the Postal Service on a trajectory for long-term financial stability.?

But Democrats don?t see a small-business Republican cutting costs from a bloated bureaucracy?which lost $2.2 billion in the most recent quarter, roughly on par with the $2.3 billion lost in the same quarter last year?as DeJoy would have them believe. Instead, they see a ?trojan horse? sabotaging the postal service.

Pennsylvania Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon called the new policies another ?Friday night massacre? by the Trump administration, even though it does not appear anyone lost their job. ?The announcement on Friday set forth a change to organizational structure only,? USPS spokesman David Partenheimer told Motherboard. ?The announcement did not include any terminations or layoffs and very specifically stated that the changes did not initiate a reduction in force and there were no immediate impacts to USPS employees.?

But the term made headlines over the weekend nonetheless. Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly tweeted it was ?deliberate sabotage to disrupt mail service on the eve of the election.? Senator Elizabeth Warren asked ?How many ways can the new Postmaster General sabotage the USPS?? In a press release, Congresswoman Alma Adams of North Carolina and Congressman Peter DeFazio of Oregon called for DeJoy to resign or be removed from office.

While many postal workers are wary of DeJoy?s actions and motivations, the three postal workers at various levels Motherboard spoke to don?t know what to make of the changes announced Friday, partly because the changes are so vague it?s hard to know what the changes really mean. But they?re also leaving open the possibility the changes could have some positive effects. A bloated, wasteful management structure that obstructs productivity rather than enabling it has been one of the most consistent complaints among postal employees for decades, according to dozens of interviews conducted with postal workers over recent weeks.The question is whether the new changes address that or merely shuffle the problem around.

At the surface level, DeJoy?s reorganization echoes what has occurred in the private sector as logistics management has become more sophisticated. A 2010 blog post by the USPS Office of Inspector General explained that, since 1992, the USPS conducted an increase in the number of regions and areas of management from five to nine in 2006 (it has since been reduced to seven). But private sector companies like UPS and Walmart did the opposite, reducing the number of operational regions over that same time.

What, exactly, these changes mean for the USPS?s ability to deliver mail, packages, medication, and ballots remains to be seen. A powerpoint presentation obtained by Motherboard lays out a four week ?transition plan? schedule beginning today, August 10, and ending September 4.

While some have criticized Trump for appointing DeJoy as postmaster general even though he?s never worked for the post office, the new divisions will at least be headed by longtime Post Office employees for now, according to the PowerPoint presentation. For example, the head of delivery operations, Joshua Colin, has worked for the USPS since 2006, according to his LinkedIn profile. The new Vice President of retail, Angela Curtis, has worked there since 2011. Mike Barber, the new head of processing and maintenance operations, is in his 40th year at the organization.

That being said, the current postal workers Motherboard spoke to?on condition of anonymity because they?re not authorized to speak to the media?are worried not so much by what is being done as they are the speed with which it is occurring, especially when it?s implemented by a postmaster general with questionable motives, who has been on the job for less than two months. As one person familiar with the reorganization plan put it, there have been ?too many major changes for DeJoy who has not had the time at the helm to fully understand the organization, which is not like any other business.?

Likewise, the USPS also announced a ?new organizational structure? broken down into three units: Retail and delivery operations, logistics and processing operations, and commerce and business solutions.

This announcement confused some postal workers who don?t understand how it?s different than what currently exists. ?We do have a separation between retail and delivery services and processing services and commercial services,? said a postmaster from New England. ?Those are all different people in my district.? This person is unsure how a reorganization that doesn?t change anything can lead to efficiency and savings.

Even more concerning is the degree to which these changes have been seemingly coming out of nowhere. Typically the postmaster in New England will get some details from the district manager about what changes are coming before they?re announced. But that?s not how it?s happened under DeJoy. ?I didn?t have any sense this was going to happen at all.?

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...A_4D15hE3hlw8rOs9ECa01DY4dwSDM4WwnEggeIIbrbvs


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## Gregzs (Aug 10, 2020)

Sinabung Volcano Erupts in North Sumatra, Indonesia - Aug. 10, 2020


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## Gregzs (Aug 10, 2020)

Lebanon?s Entire Government Just Resigned Over Beirut Explosion

Lebanon?s embattled Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his government Monday, bowing to public outrage over last week?s catastrophic explosion in the capital.

Addressing the nation in a televised speech, Diab said he was resigning alongside his entire Cabinet, several of whom had already publicly announced they were standing down in protest over the blast.

The resignations followed consecutive days of rage on the streets of Beirut, where security forces clashed over the weekend with protesters demanding the ouster of Lebanon?s political class over the country?s worst peacetime disaster. The explosion of a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate at Beirut?s port, which occurred despite repeated warnings among officials of the dangers it posed, has been widely blamed on an entrenched government culture of incompetence and corruption.

?We will back down and stand with the people. We need to open the door for the people,? said Diab.

?I declare today the resignation of this government. God bless Lebanon.?

Diab, a self-styled reformer who led a cabinet of technocrats, only came to power in December, months after a protest movement unseated the previous administration. He blamed his predecessors for the devastating Aug. 4 explosion, which killed more than 200 people and devastated the Lebanese capital.

?They [the political class] should have been ashamed of themselves because their corruption is what has led to this disaster that had been hidden for seven years,? he said.

But even the whole Cabinet?s resignation is unlikely to be enough to quell public fury, analysts say.

?The problem extends much deeper than the current government ? it really rests with the entire political class,? Aya Majzoub, a Beirut-based researcher for Human Rights Watch, told VICE News. ?People are calling for a regime change. They don?t want to see any of the faces that we?ve seen before in government; they want a completely new system.?

Sam Heller, a Beirut-based analyst for International Crisis Group, told VICE News that Lebanon was ?heading into the unknown.?

?People are understandably so angry at the country?s leaders,? he said, blaming the government's negligence for a disaster of "world-historical scale that?s devastated the city at a time when I think so few are able to bounce back from that.?

*This weekend, riot police in body armour clashed with demonstrators advancing on Parliament Square, using disproportionate levels of violence, according to Human Rights Watch. Protesters set up gallows and nooses to hang effigies of Lebanese politicians, while others held signs that read "resign or hang?.
*
Human Rights Watch?s researchers observed security forces using excessive amounts of tear gas Saturday, as well as firing a tear gas canister directly at a protester?s head ? severely injuring him ? and shooting rubber bullets and birdshot pellets indiscriminately at protesters.

Majzoub from Human Rights Watch was herself beaten at the protest, hit by an officer before others threw away her phone, which she had been using to document the event.

Mazjoub told VICE News that the heavy-handed response by security forces had only added to the public?s anger over the disaster, which was caused when a massive stockpile of highly explosive ammonium nitrate ? a compound used in fertiliser and bomb-making ? was left unsecured at the port for years, despite repeated warnings among officials of the risks it posed.

?They?re livid that, after this horrific blast happened, security forces chose to repress people who were expressing their very justified rage and anger over the incompetence and corruption that led to the explosion,? she said.

?What?s even more egregious is that the army and security forces have been noticeably absent from the clean-up and relief efforts. They weren?t helping to pick up the rubble, clean up homes and provide shelter, yet they spend all their resources to crack down on people who were demonstrating. It shows very clearly the priorities of the state.?

Lebanon?s top Maronite Christian cleric, Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, had called in his Sunday sermon for the entire government to resign, as it could not ?change the way it governs?.

?The resignation of an MP or a minister is not enough ... the whole government should resign, as it is unable to help the country recover,? he said.

International donors pledged $297 million in aid for emergency relief on Sunday at a summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, stipulating the funds had to be "directly delivered to the Lebanese population? to avoid being siphoned off by corrupt elites.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...-boPo3R75WNnC2Hol0fI35YPozfHOSqnRDlKZsMjPjeoY


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## Gregzs (Aug 11, 2020)

Kamala Harris is Joe Biden's running mate

Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Kamala Harris will be his running mate for the 2020 election ballot, making the California senator the first Black woman to run on a major political party?s presidential ticket. 

In selecting Harris, Biden adds a former primary rival who centered her own presidential bid on her readiness to take on Trump and show Americans she would fight for them. 

She rose to national prominence within the Democratic Party by interrogating Trump nominees during Senate hearings, from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.  

Harris? selection comes months after Biden committed to picking a woman to join him on the Democratic ticket. Harris, 55, is now the third woman to serve as a vice presidential candidate for a major political party, following Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential pick in 1984 and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential pick in 2008.

Aware that his age could be a concern to some voters, Biden, 77, has said that he is ?a bridge? to a new slate of Democratic leaders, and by selecting Harris, more than 20 years his junior, he has elevated a leading figure from a younger generation within the party. 

Within the pantheon of female candidates that the former vice president considered, Harris was long viewed as the most-likely choice because of the breadth of her experience as a US senator, former California attorney general and former district attorney of San Francisco. 

While potential candidates like Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, California US Rep. Karen Bass and Florida Rep. Val Demings were viewed as fresh-faced additions to the ticket, none of them had been vetted by Democratic voters like Harris, nor did they have her experience in all levels of politics. With her multi-racial background as the child of two immigrants to the United States, her allies believed she could complement Biden as a symbol of a changing America. 

She also proved to be a hardworking surrogate for Biden in recent months, taking part in everything from virtual policy events with voters in swing districts to a live DJ dance party fundraiser with Diplo and D-Nice online. 

Still, some members of Biden?s team resisted choosing Harris. A recent Politico story noted that former Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who was helping vet candidates, was still galled by her attack on Biden during a June 2019 debate in Miami when she criticized his work with segregationist senators and highlighted his fight against busing to desegregate schools decades ago.  

The pushback against Harris apparently became so strong that Biden felt the need to defend her during his July 28 press conference, where an Associated Press photo captured the talking points about her on his notecard that included ?do not hold grudges? and ?great help to campaign.? 

Harris also benefited from being a running mate who could match this turbulent moment in American history. 

Many of the issues at the center of her life?s work ? including criminal justice reform, improving healthcare for Black Americans and tackling income inequality ? have come to the forefront in the three-pronged crisis America is now facing: the coronavirus pandemic (which has disproportionately affected communities of color), the fight against systemic racism and an economic recession. 

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/2020-election-biden-vp-pick/index.html


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## Gregzs (Aug 12, 2020)

New Jersey's Atilis Gym, which reopened against COVID-19 emergency orders, loses business license

BELLMAWR, N.J. ? A New Jersey gym that reopened against statewide pandemic orders has lost its business license.

The 5-1 vote by the Bellmawr Borough Council on Tuesday night came nine days after the owners of Atilis Gym kicked in a plywood barrier installed by authorities after a state judge found the gym in contempt for violating court-ordered limits on indoor operations.

The gym?s owners, Frank Trumbetti and Ian Smith, have also defied COVID-19 emergency orders imposed by Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

The license revocation took effect immediately, but patrons continued to use the gym Wednesday.

At Tuesday's meeting, a lawyer for the gym owners argued the business did not threaten public safety.

?You?re saying they violated safety standards?? asked attorney John McCann. ?What?s the standard??

?Where?s the evidence that they?re a danger?? continued the attorney, who claimed the gym is ?the safest place in New Jersey right now.?

Prior to the vote, Bellmawr Police Captain Michael Draham described repeated violations of shutdown orders at the gym.

The borough?s zoning officer, Jim Burleigh, also said the gym had failed to request township approval before moving some exercise equipment into the parking lot for patrons? use.

Burleigh asserted large pieces of equipment outside the business could be a hazard for children.

McCann, however, argued borough officials had not shown the gym was a threat to public health. He contended no gym patrons have been infected by the coronavirus, attributing that information to Trumbetti and Smith.

?I take my clients at their word,? said the attorney, who noted Trumbetti's mother had died from COVID-19.

McCann also said council members should require proof that the gym is a health risk.

?Demand the science from the state,? McCann said.

?The Atilis Gym would close tomorrow if we could see the science,? he added.

The state Attorney General?s Office has cited scientific reports to support the view that ?extensive and prolonged interactions (at gyms) continue to present significant risks."

In a May 22 court filing, the state noted a study from South Korea found the risk of infection in gyms ?is high, perhaps higher than other confined indoor spaces in which people remain for extended period (sic) of time."

The gym controversy has drawn sign-carrying, flag-waving supporters to the Bellmawr business and led to appearances by Trumbetti and Smith on national television.

In a Facebook post Sunday, Smith predicted the council session would be "very clearly an extension of Murphy's will." Smith also said he and Trumbetti were prepared to live at the gym in an effort to prevent its closing.

Several protest participants were among audience members who sharply criticized the council?s vote. Among other points, they claimed the COVID-19 death toll has been inflated and that the governor?s emergency orders are unconstitutional.

The license revocation ?was damaging and it doesn?t promote unity,? said Dawn Fantasia, a Sussex County freeholder who attended the meeting remotely.

The only Bellmawr residents to speak supported the council?s vote.

?I just wanted to say, ?Thank you,?? said Jesse Jamison.

Kathleen Mortka said her initial support for the gym ended when promised safety guidelines were not implemented.

"There are photos on social media ? showing unmasked people who were not social distancing," Mortka told the council. She said that showed "they did not care about me or any other patrons."

Murphy closed gyms statewide under a March 16 order intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, which is blamed for more than 14,000 confirmed deaths and more than 1,800 probable deaths in New Jersey.

Persichilli issued another shutdown order May 20 after the gym reopened without authorization. The gym was allowed to reopen on June 15 to accommodate retail businesses inside the building.

The state took the gym back to court last month, alleging "wanton violation" of a court order that allowed only individualized instruction inside the building.

Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy in Trenton issued the contempt finding on July 24, setting the stage for Trumbetti and Smith to force their way into the closed gym on Aug. 1.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...vuIsbxoo16vZxQDTcLsW70YmEA15m5wT7lats7S-chd74


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## Gregzs (Aug 13, 2020)

The Post Office Is Deactivating Mail Sorting Machines Ahead of the Election

Good thing nobody's predicting a huge surge in mail any time soon.


The United States Postal Service is removing mail sorting machines from facilities around the country without any official explanation or reason given, Motherboard has learned through interviews with postal workers and union officials. In many cases, these are the same machines that would be tasked with sorting ballots, calling into question promises made by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that the USPS has ?ample capacity? to handle the predicted surge in mail-in ballots.

Motherboard identified 19 mail sorting machines from five processing facilities across the U.S. that either have already been removed or are scheduled to be in the near future. But the Postal Service operates hundreds of distribution facilities around the country, so it is not clear precisely how many machines are getting removed and for what purpose.

Even to local union officials, USPS has not announced any policy, explained why they are doing this, what will happen to the machines and the workers who use them. Nor has management provided a rationale for dismantling and removing the machines from the facility rather than merely not operating them when they?re not needed.

?I?m not sure you?re going to find an answer for why [the machines being removed] makes sense,? said Iowa Postal Workers Union President Kimberly Karol, ?because we haven?t figured that out either.?

The postal workers Motherboard spoke to said having machines removed, replaced, or modified is nothing new, but this time it seems to be more widespread, include a larger number of machines at their respective facility, and potentially impacts the facility?s ability to process large numbers of mail, including ballots, in a short time span.

?Look at it this way: Your local grocery store was forced to cut 1/3 of its cash-out lines, but management expected the same productivity, quality, and speed for the customer,? said an employee at a Buffalo distribution facility, which they said is set to lose six out of 21 mail sorting machines. ?It?s just never going to happen.?

After publication, USPS spokesperson David Partenheimer told Motherboard, ?The Postal Service routinely moves equipment around its network as necessary to match changing mail and package volumes. Package volume is up, but mail volume continues to decline. Adapting our processing infrastructure to the current volumes will ensure more efficient, cost effective operations and better service for our customers.?

While the consequences of this new policy are mostly unclear for now, it neatly fits with the sudden, opaque, and drastic changes made by DeJoy, a longtime Republican fundraiser and Trump donor, in the less than two months he?s been postmaster general. Like his other changes, including the curtailing of overtime resulting in the widespread mail delays and sudden reorganization of the entire USPS, it is possible to see some semblance of corporate logic while second-guessing the decision to make drastic changes on the eve of the presidential election in which the USPS will play a critical role.

Most of the machines being dismantled in the facilities Motherboard identified are delivery bar code sorters (DBCS), into which letters, postcards and similarly sized mail (but not magazines and large envelopes, which are categorized as ?flats? and sorted differently) are fed. The DBCS sorts the mail into one of hundreds of ?stackers,? a slot about a foot long. Each slot is for a different destination, be it another post office or distribution facility.

A DBCS typically requires two workers to operate: one to feed the mail into the machine, and the other to collect the mail from the stackers and put them in the appropriate bins for transport. Running at peak efficiency, the machines can sort about 35,000 pieces of mail per hour, a remarkable and oddly mesmerizing feat. But during times of short staffing or low mail volume?both of which have occurred during COVID?DBCSs can be run with one and a half or even just a single worker, albeit less productively.

Marketing mail is down more than 15 percent through June of this year compared to last year. While this is a much steeper drop than recent years, it is continuing a decade-long trend of mail volume decline for everything but packages. In other words, DBCSs have less mail to sort than they ever have before and it?s far from clear how much of that mail is ever coming back. So it stands to reason the USPS might not need as many of them.

The postal workers interviewed by Motherboard understood this, and in some cases even made the argument some DBCS machines might be of better use at other facilities. But they had other concerns about removing the machines altogether. If something goes wrong with the DBCSs they have left, there are fewer machines to pick up the slack.

?When you take out one of the machines, it takes away our ability to respond to unforeseen things that may happen,? said Karol, who added that although her facility in Waterloo will have other DBCSs, having fewer of them ?limits our ability to respond? by making adjustments and moving mail around.

Paul McKenna, president of Milwaukee Area Local 3 of the American Postal Workers Union, said that some of the DBCSs staying will have about 50 more stackers added to them, meaning the machines can sort mail to a larger number of destinations. This will help alleviate the pressure during high mail volume periods like the Christmas rush?when there is simply more mail in general to all places?as well as provide advantages during lower-volume periods like the dead of summer. But it won?t necessarily help the unique challenge of election mail. In that case, the mail surge stays local.

Some letter carriers and distribution facility employees told Motherboard election mail is often sorted by hand to ensure it gets handled promptly and properly, but this seems to vary by location.

That being said, this would only be a problem for voters who waited until the last minute to send back their ballots. If mail-in ballots are sent and returned over a period of weeks instead of days, it is unlikely, the postal workers said, to stress the machines even if some are taken away.

?We would have the capacity to run the volume of ballots that are expected if we have it in a longer period of time,? said Paul McKenna, president of Milwaukee Area Local 3 of the American Postal Workers Union. He likened it to flattening the curve of coronavirus. Now, he said, Americans have to flatten a different curve.


https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...Vm8ObIClZKGtwdppXwY2WBzDjEtDENXt7f84q0-ZARenQ


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## Gregzs (Aug 13, 2020)

U.S. Postal Service shakeup sparks election fears


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## Gregzs (Aug 14, 2020)

Mailboxes Removed in NYC as President Trump's USPS War Rages On

A United States Postal Service truck in NYC hauled away mailboxes ... an ominous sign in the middle of a voter war over mail-in ballots ... a war waged by President Trump.

The USPS mailbox removal in NYC comes on the heels of a similar move in Portland and Eugene, OR this week ... which a Postal Service spokesperson passed off as necessary because of declining mail volume and duplicate boxes in the area.

Many Americans are growing more concerned, as the President has been a foe of mail-in voting and the USPS in general ... and recently made alarming comments about putting the brakes on funding.

Trump also met with U.S Postmaster General Louis DeJoy -- a longtime ally and supporter -- earlier in the month amid his increasing attacks on the USPS ... and shortly after DeJoy made the decision to eliminate overtime for postal workers.

Oh, and the Postal Service also recently removed some mail sorting machines

All of this has sparked big worries and outrage ... that the goal here is to make mail delivery slow and in some cases impossible, 'cause of delays. Of course, the operating theory is that mail-in ballots help Democrats and Trump will stop at nothing to blunt it.

It's pretty outrageous ... in the middle of an out-of-control pandemic where lots of people want to vote by mail because they fear for their safety and the safety of others, 45's focus is winning re-election.

UPDATE:
9:29 AM PT -- Barack Obama's weighed in on the Postal Service situation ... and took a major shot at Trump in the process.''

The former president says EVERYONE depends on the USPS, and they "can't be collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus."

https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/14/usps...-FZava_TdP0WKzFRxUIG4-iJfBWZECjkpO35UJGhGCOtI


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## Gregzs (Aug 15, 2020)

The Post Office Is the New Battleground for Trump's War on Mail-In Voting


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## Gregzs (Aug 19, 2020)

Trump campaign sues N.J. to stop Murphy?s vote-by-mail order, calling it ?brazen power grab'

Accusing Gov. Phil Murphy of a ?brazen power grab,? President Donald Trump?s re-election campaign has asked a federal judge to overturn the state?s plan to send ballots to all 6.2 million registered voters this fall.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court by the Trump campaign, joined by the Republican National Committee and the New Jersey Republican State Committee. Among their lawyers is state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cumberland, a frequent Murphy critic.

?In the state of New Jersey, where their universal vote-by-mail system has already resulted in fraud and disenfranchisement, Governor Murphy continues to remove safeguards against abuse,? Trump campaign counsel Matt Morgan said.

?With a stroke of his pen, the governor told his people their votes may not count ? they may even be stolen ? and that?s fine by him.?

Murphy has sought to expand mail voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Tuesday said the state will sue the U.S. Postal Service over concerns the Trump administration is purposely crippling the agency ahead of the surge in mail-in ballots.

The postmaster general on Tuesday backed off on making changes blamed for delaying mail delivery, but Grewal said the lawsuit would proceed and the House is to vote Saturday to rescind the adjustments to mail operations already made.

?Governor Murphy has consistently put people ahead of politics and protected the health and safety of New Jersey residents throughout the pandemic, and his decision to allow universal mail in voting in the November election is no different,? state Democratic chairman John Currie said. ?President Trump?s lawsuit is another clear attack on our democracy and on our voting rights, just like his efforts to destroy the Post Office and delegitimize the electoral process.?

Trump and other Republicans, though, claimed that more absentee balloting would lead to more vote fraud.

?We said every option was on the table,? state Republican Chairman Doug Steinhardt said. ?We picked one. Governor Murphy, we?ll see you in court, again.?

The Trump campaign also has sued Pennsylvania, Nevada and Iowa, which also have sought to expand vote by mail, according to Rick Hasen a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine, and author of a blog on election law.

Trump last week said he opposed House Democratic efforts to provide $25 billion to the Postal Service and $3.6 billion to states to help them handle an expected surge of mail ballots. The funds are in the House-passed $3.4 trillion stimulus bill that the president has threatened to veto.

?They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,? Trump told the Fox Business Network last Thursday. ?If they don?t get those two items, that means you can?t have universal mail-in voting because they?re not equipped to have it.?

Studies have shown vote by mail has not prompted widespread fraud, as Republicans have claimed. A 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University found that the rate of voter fraud for mail-in ballots was 0.00004% to 0.0009%.

And the Washington Post found possible double voting or voting on behalf of dead people in just 372 of 14.6 million ballots cast in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, which send ballots to all registered voters as New Jersey plans to do this fall.

Still, there were cases of voter fraud in Paterson?s municipal elections in May, where 800 ballots were thrown out and state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal brought charges against four individuals.

?In New Jersey?s primary election, dead people voted, a mail truck carrying ballots actually caught fire, countless voters saw their ballots rejected, and the Democrat attorney general is prosecuting multiple people for fraud, yet Democrats still want to implement a rushed transition to an all-mail election,? Republican National Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.

Murphy acknowledged some problems with the July 7 primary, the first election conducted primarily by mail, but said that the system overall worked well and county clerks will have a lot more time to prepare for the general election.

Primary turnout was 26% of New Jersey?s registered voters, the same percentage as the presidential primary four years ago. Both recorded the highest percentage turnout since 2008, when 35% of New Jersey voters cast ballots.

?We think largely it was a very good result, particularly balancing the sacred right to vote at the center of democracy along with public health and respecting people?s health and the combination of vote-by-mail and in-person,? Murphy said Aug. 10 at his coronavirus press briefing.

He also contended that the fact that the Paterson voter fraud was easily found showed that systems are in place to prevent ballots from being cast illegally.

?I view that data point in Paterson as a positive one,? Murphy said during his coronavirus press briefing Monday. ?People tried to mess with the system and they got caught and they?ve been indicted, and that?s the way it should be.?

Trump and other Republicans have cited fear of fraud in fighting efforts across the country by states to send out ballots to all registered voters or count votes postmarked by Election Day but received later.

They?ve been able to be so active because this is the first presidential election in almost four decades where the Republican National Committee?s voter activities are not encumbered by court-ordered restrictions stemming from the 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election.

Those activities had been limited by a court decree after the state GOP was accused of targeting heavily minority communities that tend to support Democratic candidates.

https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/08...sA7__vxgQogLsFk0os_8u7lFVXfgYOqGLkj4YOyuWjyww


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## Gregzs (Aug 23, 2020)

Trump's sister criticizes her brother in secretly recorded audio


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## Gregzs (Aug 24, 2020)

Tacoma Post Office Reconnects Mailing Machines In Defiance Of DeJoy?s Order

Some mail-processing plants in Washington state are reconnecting their high-speed letter-sorting machines again, despite a national order from U.S. Postal Service headquarters not to reinstall the machines that had been dismantled over the past month.

In defiance of the order, the Postal Service plants in Tacoma and Wenatchee have done just that, local NPR station KUOW reported, citing USPS employees.

As noted by the station, ?forty percent of the letter-sorting machines in the Seattle-Tacoma area had been disconnected by Tuesday, when the Postal Service announced a halt to a nationwide machinery purge until after the November election.?

?I have seen a lot of machinery that has been taken out,? Postal Service truck driver Bob Bockman of Tacoma said.

The Tacoma plant lost eight of its 18 machines that sort and postmark the mail, according to workers there. The equipment was disconnected and pushed into a corner.

?Some of that machinery is going back in!? Bockman said.

By Wednesday night, five of the machines in Tacoma had been reconnected. Parts of two others had been scavenged and incorporated into the plant?s existing machines to boost their mail-sorting capacity.

The mail-processing plant in Wenatchee has also reconnected its one recently disconnected letter sorter, workers told the station.

A regional manager on Tuesday had ordered the Tacoma and Wenatchee plants to get their machines ready to run again as soon as possible, using overtime if necessary, according to the report.

The news comes less than a day after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters during a Senate hearing that he had no intention of reinstalling the dismantled machines.

?They are not needed, sir,? DeJoy said.

DeJoy acknowledged that mail deliveries have slowed, but he attributed most of the slowdown to the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://dailyboulder.com/tacoma-pos...rxPJaUVL_RsKi4NFqPnEIYS9IZQF7-xMH1TUQgH1lSVCg


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## Gregzs (Aug 26, 2020)

Germany Starts Universal Basic Income Trial Giving Some Citizens $1400 A Month For 3 Years

What Happened: Germany is starting a universal basic income trial where volunteers will get a $1400 dollar payment every single month as part of a study that will compare the experiences of 120 volunteers who receive it to 1,380 people who won?t. A total of 140,000 people have come together to help fund the study after the idea of a universal basic income continues to gain popularity. Germany is not the only country who has begun such initiatives, Finland also did something similar a few years ago, and proponents of the initiative believe it would improve peoples? lives and reduce inequality, among other things. Opposition arguments to this type of initiative suggest that it would simply be unaffordable, too expensive and also discourage work.

J?rgen Schupp, who is leading the study, told the German newspaper Der Spiegel that it would improve the debate about universal basic income by producing new scientific evidence.

?The debate about the basic income has so far been like a philosophical salon in good moments and a war of faith in bad times,? he told the newspaper.

Universal basic income is not really supported by any of the major political parties across the globe, especially in Germany.

Why This Is Important: A quote often attributed to Henry Ford reads as follows, ?It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.? Isn?t it odd that the financial elite can simply print money at will? How come when we do it it?s called counterfitting, but when they do it it?s called increasing the money supply? These people can literally create money out of thin air, and the more I understand the concept of fractional reserve banking, the more I realize that money is simply a tool to in-slave and control the human race while benefiting a select few. This becomes easier to see when you follow the money.

Do we not have the potential to create something better on our planet? Is money really needed, or could we all come together, cooperate and find a better way? If we are going to use this creation of ours, could it not be used in a better and more efficient way?


IN BRIEF
The Facts:A small trial in Germany is set to take place giving participants $1400 a month for three years. They will compare the lives of those who receive it, and the participants who don't.
Reflect On:Why is the concept of universal basic income rejected by the major political parties in most developed nations? Why do we have a private company like the Federal Reserve printing/creating money at will? Is centralized banking the best way?
What Happened: Germany is starting a universal basic income trial where volunteers will get a $1400 dollar payment every single month as part of a study that will compare the experiences of 120 volunteers who receive it to 1,380 people who won?t. A total of 140,000 people have come together to help fund the study after the idea of a universal basic income continues to gain popularity. Germany is not the only country who has begun such initiatives, Finland also did something similar a few years ago, and proponents of the initiative believe it would improve peoples? lives and reduce inequality, among other things. Opposition arguments to this type of initiative suggest that it would simply be unaffordable, too expensive and also discourage work.

From the Web

J?rgen Schupp, who is leading the study, told the German newspaper Der Spiegel that it would improve the debate about universal basic income by producing new scientific evidence.

--> Help Support Collective Evolution: Become a member of CETV and get access to exclusive news and courses to help empower you to become an effective changemaker. Click here to join.

?The debate about the basic income has so far been like a philosophical salon in good moments and a war of faith in bad times,? he told the newspaper.

Universal basic income is not really supported by any of the major political parties across the globe, especially in Germany.

Why This Is Important: A quote often attributed to Henry Ford reads as follows, ?It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.? Isn?t it odd that the financial elite can simply print money at will? How come when we do it it?s called counterfitting, but when they do it it?s called increasing the money supply? These people can literally create money out of thin air, and the more I understand the concept of fractional reserve banking, the more I realize that money is simply a tool to in-slave and control the human race while benefiting a select few. This becomes easier to see when you follow the money.

Do we not have the potential to create something better on our planet? Is money really needed, or could we all come together, cooperate and find a better way? If we are going to use this creation of ours, could it not be used in a better and more efficient way?

?As I followed the money I?ve learned that everything I once believed about money is simply not true.? ? Foster Gamble

If you want to learn more about the system, you can refer to this article that goes into more detail: The Real Purpose of the Federal Reserve Banking System.

I believe these questions are important, as many of us have been made to believe that our financial system is for the greater good, and that it?s efficient and the only possible way to operate here on our planet. When it comes to the world of finance, our minds are stuck inside of a box.


When it comes to universal basic income, is it really too expensive? For those who believe it is not feasible, did you know that Mark Skidmore, a Michigan State University economist teamed up with multiple researchers, including Catherine Austin Fitts, former assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and  found trillions of unaccounted for dollars missing from housing & D.O.D?  Did you know that trillions of dollars are going into ?black budget? programs that the president, for example, has no idea about? Did you know that there is no branch or agency of government that can overrule actions that the Federal Reserve takes? It?s simple, if you control the money supply, if you are the printer and the maker of money, you control the population and can create the experience you want humans to live inside.

The researchers found documents indicating a total of $20 trillion of undocumented adjustments had been made, from 1998 to 2015. The original government documents and a report describing the issue can be found here where updates are continually provided.

Imagine if this $21 trillion was allocated to a universal income package? Big financial institutions seem to have no issue with constantly printing money when they need it, but when it comes to concepts of universal income, there are always excuses. Ask yourself, is it really too expensive when this type of misallocation of money is happening?

The problem doesn?t really seem that we don?t have enough money, the issue is that the monetary system is used for control and money is allocated, both legally and illegally, to projects that don?t have the best interests of humanity at hand. The system would work better of the world of finance was not dominated by global elitist agendas seeking control and power. Perhaps it would work better if these people were actually making decisions based on what?s best for humanity.

It?s a complicated topic, a deep one that I would have to go in depth into the fraud, corruption and intentions behind our modern day banking system.

I believe humanity is more than capable of creating a human experience that doesn?t require money. We are extremely advanced, and we already have the means to create an experience where everybody?s basic needs can be met without the requirement for work. This can come as a result of various technological advancements, cooperation not competition, and more.

This is why shifting human consciousness is so paramount.

I believe that solutions exist, yet any type of solution that threatens to uproot our economy and how it currently operates never sees the light of day, and some of these developments are kept from public eye due to ?national security? concerns. Today, national security has become an umbrella term to classify technology and information that threatens corporate interests. This is why Julian Assange is in jail.

For example, most countries have an Invention Secrecy Act. Are certain technologies that threaten our current economic system that?s based on the idea that resources are scarce, a threat to scarcity? Is technology that could provide abundance to all hidden from the public simply because they threaten those with large amounts of power? What type of technology is under restriction under the Invention Secrecy Act? We don?t really know, but a previous list from 1971 was obtained by researcher Michael Ravnitzky. Most of the technology listed seems to be related to various military applications. You can view that list HERE.

As Steven Aftergood from the Federation of American Scientists reports:

?The 1971 list indicates that patents for solar photovoltaic generators were subject to review and possible restriction if the photovoltaics were more than 20% efficient. Energy conversion systems were likewise subject to review and possible restriction if they offered conversion efficiencies in ?excess of 70-80%.? (source)

You can read more about the Invention Secrecy Act here.

There have been even more efficient developments.

There is significant evidence that scientists since Tesla have known about this energy, but that its existence and potential use has been discouraged and indeed suppressed over the past half century or more.  ? Dr. Theodor C. Loder, III (source)

What if I told you all of our homes could be powered by nature, without the need to be reliant on the corporation, without the need for gas, coal, oil, fossil fuels etc?These are a few of many examples that would be included in a world that would operate without the need to pay for your life, or services that should be everybody?s birth right.

?Much to my surprise, these concepts have been proven in hundreds of laboratories throughout world and yet they have not really seen the light of day.? ? Former NASA astronaut and Princeton physics professor. (source)

There are many examples of this, Paramahamsa Tewari, a physicist and inventor, who won early commendation by Nobel Laureates in physics for his revolutionary Space Vortex Theory, published a paper in Physics Essays (2018) explaining his theory, from which he built an electrical generator capable of achieving over-unity efficiency. You can watch a video of him and his machine here.  Why isn?t humanity exploring these concepts that could lift our dependence on big energy corporations and eliminate scarcity of resources, openly, freely and transparently? 

Again, energy generation is one of many examples, there are many solutions to all of our issues from food, to environmental degradation and more.

It seems that when it comes to solutions that can help ?free? the human race, even just a little bit with the idea of universal basic income, it is sharply opposed by all major political parties, just like it is in Germany.

Any type of bartering system, or monetary system that is controlled by the citizenry, like Bitcoin for example, also always faces harsh opposition, or an attempt to gain control over it ensues. There are people out there who desire power and control above anything else, and the money supply represents the center of that control.

The truth is, a thriving society will be one that?s devoid of any reliance on governments/federal regulatory agencies. Our various systems are put in place and structured in a way to make it easy for us to be controlled, and for the ?1 percent? to thrive. Right now, we are their worker bees and we choose to uphold the system and are taught, through education, to justify it and see it as necessary without ever using our imagination to ponder how it could be different.

We have so much potential, and we can do much better than we are currently doing.

The Takeaway
I often think about how absurd it is to live on a planet where you can die if you are unable to pay for your life. Having worked in this field for a number of years now, and as stated above, solutions exist to change our world and kick our dependence on corrupt governments and organizations. We could be in the stars by now. Life doesn?t have to be this way, if we continue operating from our current level of consciousness our planet will continue to be destroyed. There are better ways to do things here, and providing all citizens with a basic income, whether they are currently earning or not, is a fantastic place to start as it is clearly possible given all of the money that?s spend on measures that don?t really make sense.

https://www.collective-evolution.co...hRdaX_k1pIPvw04gnH1rqAFbJLBTz66fhbtGFJqInochI


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## Gregzs (Aug 26, 2020)

*Why Louis DeJoy's One Big Change to the USPS Backfired*

DeJoy testified that his only big change at the post office was to order mail trucks to run on time. But that was never the problem to begin with.

On Monday, embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before a House subcommittee about the changes he's made at the USPS, the post office's ability to handle the election, and his qualifications for the job. During the hearing's approximately six hours of back-and-forth, we learned very little. But, about halfway through the hearing, there was a brief moment that shed light on how the post office has gone horribly wrong under DeJoy's tenure.

About three and a half hours into Monday's hearing, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) had an extended and pointless monologue interrupted by committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) because his time had expired. Per custom, Maloney let DeJoy "answer the question," even though there technically wasn't one. This allowed DeJoy to do something he had, thus far, not been allowed to do: explain himself.

His explanation only lasted about 90 seconds, but it was the clearest picture yet about the story DeJoy is telling himself regarding what he has done to the post office and why, something that has been surprisingly difficult to pin down over recent weeks, as speculation has swirled about whether he's a Trump stooge out to sabotage the post office ahead of the election, a small government Republican hastening the privatization of the post office, or a brilliant logistics expert shaking things up.

DeJoy's story is a simple one, and it even sounds sensible on the surface, intended to address very real problems in the way the USPS functions. But it's also easy to see how it screwed up the post office so badly. And at the heart of the problem is a conflict over what is more important: keeping costs down or delivering the mail on time.

During DeJoy's second day on the job, the USPS Office of Inspector General published a damning report about how mail is processed. It found, among many other things, the USPS was late processing almost one in five mailpieces at distribution facilities.

When mail isn't processed in time to make the last scheduled truck trips from the distribution facilities to your local post office, USPS managers have two options. They can dispatch another truck which costs the USPS more money. Or they can hold the mail for the next day, which slows delivery and risks creating a backlog that can snowball into even more delays.

Before DeJoy, managers typically opted to dispatch extra trucks, because, as the OIG report put it, "Generally, management prioritized high-quality service above the financial health of the Postal Service and are making decisions daily to meet service performance goals that are significantly increasing costs."

But late trips beget more late trips, and overtime begets more overtime. If the workers processing mail are late finishing up, then the trucks run late, which causes the mail carriers to leave late on their routes, and thus work late finishing deliveries. Perhaps the mail arrives unsorted by address to your local post office because they didn't have time to do so at the distribution facility, meaning delivering the mail will take even longer because it has to be sorted at the local post office or even on the road. And all that overtime adds up. The OIG found USPS "spent $1.1 billion in mail processing overtime and penalty overtime, $280 million in late and extra transportation, and $2.9 billion in delivery overtime and penalty overtime costs" just in the latest fiscal year.

So in came DeJoy, a man who has worked decades in the logistics and trucking business. He saw late trucks, and, according to the story he told the House committee, he ordered no more late trucks.

"People ask why do trucks matter, why do on-time trucks matter? They do matter," he said during his 90-second monologue. "It is a fundamental premise how the whole mail network is put together. If the trucks don't run on time then the mail carriers cannot leave on time, they are out at night, have to come back to get more mail, the collection process is late, the plant process is distorted. I see several billion dollars in potential savings in getting the system to connect properly and that's why we ran out and put a plan together to really get this fundamental basic principle: run your trucks on time."

According to the USPS, trucks are now running on time thanks to DeJoy's policy, at least more so than they used to. DeJoy said USPS has seen a 70 percent reduction in extra or late trip costs over the last four weeks, eliminating some 4,500 such trips per day. Indeed, the very concept of doing otherwise seemed anathema to him. "I find it really?I would not know how to reverse that now. Am I to say, 'Don't run the trucks on time?' Is that the answer that we're looking to get me to say here today?"

*The problem, according to employees working in the processing and distribution facilities, as well as a closer reading of the OIG report, is that the late and extra truck trips were a symptom of the problem, not the cause. Remember, the trucks were being held?or called to make extra trips entirely?because the mail wasn't ready. Now, the mail still isn't ready, but the trucks are leaving anyway.*

"The truck leaving on time is a good thing if the mail is in it," one employee at a distribution facility told Motherboard. "But this is not the case." Under DeJoy, the USPS has accomplished its goal of spending less money?by delivering less mail.

So what is causing the late mail sorting in the distribution facilities? There are two main problems. First, processing facilities are understaffed, according to both postal management interviewed by the OIG and unionized employees interviewed by Motherboard. Short staffing, high turnover rates, and employees taking time off for legitimate reasons?and slightly less legitimate reasons such as to attend a football game, as mentioned in the OIG report?results in facilities not having enough workers to run the machines and load the trucks. And these site visits were before the pandemic which has made the problem even worse.

One reason the USPS doesn't have enough workers is because of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), a bipartisan effort which saddled the USPS with tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary debt in the form of future retiree benefits that had to be funded immediately, torpedoing its finances and forcing it to undertake austerity measures such as slashing its workforce through attrition. From 2008 to 2018, the USPS reduced the number of employees by 11 percent while also increasing the number of "non-career" employees (ones with few benefits, low pay, and an annual turnover rate of one in three) by 54 percent, according to a separate OIG report. Now, overtime is a key part of the USPS's operational model, because hiring these non-career employees and relying on them to pick up the slack to move the mail is cheaper than hiring more "career" employees with better pay and solid benefits.

The second issue at the distribution facilities is what the OIG called "management oversight issues" due in part to short-staffing, lack of adequate management training, and turnover. As a result, management simply doesn't sound like they're doing a very good job. The OIG report says they don't communicate with workers, use available software to make sure mail was not being processed either too early or too late, or take an active role in monitoring conditions on the floor.

Frankly, it is astounding that out of all the lessons in this report, the one DeJoy chose to hone in on was the truck trips. It is possible he did so because his expertise is in trucking and logistics, so that's what his brain gravitated towards. It is also possible this is what he noticed because they are the main statistics presented in the "Highlights" section, while most of the other findings are buried in the report itself.

But the most telling element of DeJoy's plan is that, despite his fondness for citing this report as the impetus for his disruptive changes, he did not follow the report's recommendations. There are two different "Recommendations" sections, and neither of them suggests a sudden mandate to run all truck trips on time. Instead, the report recommends a slate of extremely mundane bureaucratic tweaks to get the distribution facilities to run better, such as putting signs on or near the machines that clearly lay out mail processing schedules and truck departure times.

Moreover, the report specifically advised USPS to wait to develop a plan until "the impacts of COVID-19 begin to subside." DeJoy did not do this. His now infamous "Pivoting For Our Future" memo, which outlined the elimination of late or extra trips, was issued on July 10, right in the middle of the nationwide spike in cases that began in mid-June and peaked around July 20.

All this is to say, even stipulating DeJoy's intentions are as innocent and civic-minded as he claims they are, the one major decision he has made in his time as postmaster general does not accord with the advice he says he's following. Even his claim that he identified billions of dollars in savings by running the trucks on time isn't in line with the OIG report he says is his evidence for it. The report says potential savings would be just $385.6 million, because so much of the overtime identified in the report is unavoidable without hiring more employees.

DeJoy says he is trying to fix an unsustainable postal service, one that could not continue to operate the way it did. No doubt, there are numerous problems within the postal service worth addressing, and he correctly identified an important oversight report that has a lot of helpful suggestions in it. But DeJoy's actions raise a lot of questions, including whether he actually read the entire report.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...S_Z0dk95Dcx4lf1Y1my1A4wLMuirzfN7_TfX-vnefK25U


----------



## Gregzs (Aug 29, 2020)

A Kenosha Militia Facebook Event Asking Attendees To Bring Weapons Was Reported 455 Times. Moderators Said It Didn?t Violate Any Rules.


CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the reason the militia page and an associated event remained online after a shooting that killed two people was due to ?an operational mistake.?

In a companywide meeting on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that a militia page advocating for followers to bring weapons to an upcoming protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, remained on the platform because of ?an operational mistake.? The page and an associated event inspired widespread criticism of the company after a 17-year-old suspect allegedly shot and killed two protesters Tuesday night.

The event associated with the Kenosha Guard page, however, was flagged to Facebook at least 455 times after its creation, according to an internal report viewed by BuzzFeed News, and had been cleared by four moderators, all of whom deemed it ?non-violating.? The page and event were eventually removed from the platform on Wednesday ? several hours after the shooting.

?To put that number into perspective, it made up 66% of all event reports that day,? one Facebook worker wrote in the internal ?Violence and Incitement Working Group? to illustrate the number of complaints the company had received about the event.

BuzzFeed News could not verify the content on the militia page or its associated event because they had been removed from the platform. A previous story from the Verge noted that the page had issued a ?call to arms? and hosted a number of commenters advocating for violence in Kenosha following the police shooting of 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment.

The internal report seen by BuzzFeed News reveals the extent to which concerned Facebook users went to warn the company of a group calling for public violence, and how the company failed to act. ?The event is highly unusual in retrospect,? reads the report, which notes that the next highest event for the day had been flagged 18 times by users compared to the 455 times of the Kenosha Guard event.

After militia gathered in Kenosha on Tuesday night, a 17-year-old with a rifle allegedly killed two protesters. Facebook has maintained that the suspect, whose Facebook and Instagram profiles were taken down after the incident, had no direct connection with the Kenosha Guard page or event.

During Facebook?s Thursday all-hands meeting, Zuckerberg said that the images from Wisconsin were ?painful and really discouraging,? before acknowledging that the company had made a mistake in not taking the Kenosha Guard page and event down sooner. The page had violated Facebook?s new rules introduced last week that labeled militia and QAnon groups as ?Dangerous Individuals and Organizations? for their celebrations of violence.

The company did not catch the page despite user reports, Zuckerberg said, because the complaints had been sent to content moderation contractors who were not versed in ?how certain militias? operate. ?On second review, doing it more sensitively, the team that was responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies and we took it down.?

During the talk, Facebook employees hammered Zuckerberg for continuing to allow the spread of hatred on the platform.

?At what point do we take responsibility for enabling hate filled bile to spread across our services?? wrote one employee. ?[A]nti semitism, conspiracy, and white supremacy reeks across our services.?

The internal report seen by BuzzFeed News sheds more light on Facebook?s failure.

?Organizers? advocated for attendees to bring weapons to an event in the event description,? the internal report reads. ?There are multiple news articles about our delay in taking down the event.?

One Facebook user who flagged the Kenosha Guard page ?for a credible threat of violence? was told ?it doesn?t go against one of our specific Community Standards,? according to a screenshot they sent to BuzzFeed News.

In addition to the four manual reviews that determined the Kenosha Guard page to be non-violative, the Facebook report also noted a number of reviews that ?were handled by automation? had reached the same conclusion. As part of a proposed change, the Facebook employee writing the report said that the company should monitor spikes in feedback reports for events and ?trigger investigation immediately given this has proved to be a good signal for imminent harm.?

The report seems to acknowledge that Facebook was late to act.

?This post provides more details around what happened and changes we are making to detect and investigate similar events sooner,? the worker wrote. ?This is a sobering reminder of the importance of the work we do, especially during this charged period.?

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...2Yq73kvcc_dE62lXS1nSMfA3c1W3OKjsZQZ8vNAanvcUk


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## Gregzs (Sep 24, 2020)

What it means to ?pack? the Supreme Court


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## Gregzs (Oct 23, 2020)

Deadly Murder Hornets' Nest Found In Washington State, Invading U.S.

Asian murder hornets have made their way to Washington State ... authorities just found a nest, the first one discovered in the U.S., and now humans wanna kill the deadly insects ASAP!!!

The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture says they've located an Asian giant hornet nest on a private property in Blaine ... and as you can see, the murder hornets set up shop inside a tree.

The WSDA says they're gonna try and destroy the nest Saturday, after plans to wipe it out Friday were dashed due to inclement weather. It's 2020, did you really think murder hornets would go out that easy?!?

Entomologists from the WSDA found the nest after a trapper caught two live murder hornets Wednesday using a new type of trap. Two more hornets, also living, were found in another trap Thursday and entomologists attached radio trackers to the big buggers, which led them to the nest.

It's pretty scary ... the nest is inside a tree near an area cleared for a residential home, and authorities counted dozens of hornets entering and exiting the tree. These murder hornets usually nest in the ground, but some times they pick a dead tree for their home base.

As we've reported ... the WSDA has been on the hunt for murder hornet nests since the first insect was caught earlier this year, and authorities had to navigate a ton of false reports.

The hope here -- eradicating murder hornets before they decimate our bee population, not to mention any human casualties along the way.

Kinda makes ya wonder ... how many undiscovered nests are out there?!?

https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/23/murd...4iQ8_yG-8yEsuTA6T4jGFpOZKRO9RoiDK-vlT5RleV_pc


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## Gregzs (Oct 31, 2020)

Turkey: gamer's livestream captures moment powerful quake hits Izmir


----------



## Gregzs (Nov 3, 2020)

COVID Devastated Navajo Nation. Now They're Voting for Change


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## Gregzs (Nov 27, 2020)

Joe Biden?s Ambitious Tax Plan Faces Reality


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## Gregzs (Jan 9, 2021)

Must-See New Video Shows Capitol Riot Was Way Worse Than We Thought


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## Gregzs (Jan 9, 2021)

From Fraud Claims to a Capitol Riot: A Historic Week in Washington


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## Gregzs (Jan 9, 2021)

Inside NYC's ornate new Penn Station train hall


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## Gregzs (Jan 13, 2021)

Israel Plans to Vaccinate Everyone by March. Here?s How.


----------



## Gregzs (Jan 14, 2021)

Israel Is Vaccinating ?Everyone? ? Besides These 5 Million People

Israel?s world-beating vaccine rollout is highlighting the inequalities of life under occupation.

Standing before a Boeing Dreamliner as another huge shipment of coronavirus vaccine was unloaded at Ben Gurion airport this week, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu made an audacious pledge.

?We will vaccinate everyone by the end of March, and become the first country in the world to emerge from corona,? he declared, adding that the newly-arrived Pfizer-BioNTech stocks would allow the government to ramp up delivery to a rate of 170,000 shots a day.

But Netanyahu?s promise to vaccinate ?everyone? doesn?t extend to nearly 5 million Palestinians living under Israel?s effective control, for whom the prospect of a vaccine remains far off.

While Israel?s world-beating vaccination programme does cover its Arab citizens, and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, millions of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Gaza, are excluded from the rollout. Under the programme, Israeli officials deliver vaccines to Jewish settlers living deep inside the West Bank, but Palestinians living in surrounding towns go without.

Meanwhile, the staggering effectiveness of Israel?s ?Operation Back to Life? ? enabled by having paid a premium to secure the vaccine early ? means nearly three-quarters of Israelis over 60 have already received their first jab, with booster shots already being delivered. The country of 9 million has delivered nearly 24 vaccine doses for every hundred of its citizens ? streets ahead, on a per capita basis, of the only other contenders in the global vaccine race: the UAE (14), Bahrain (6), the UK (5) and US (3).

For critics, the stark disparity over vaccines in the region has only highlighted the entrenched discrimination of life under Israeli occupation. Rights groups and Palestinian officials have accused Israel of shirking its legal and moral duty to ensure vaccines are delivered in the occupied territories, amid growing calls ? including a petition signed by hundreds of rabbis ? to secure vaccines for Palestinians.

?The vaccination campaign is just further exposing this reality where you have a two-tier system ? where you treat part of the population you control with rights and protection, and you deny the others,? Saleh Higazi, Amnesty International?s Middle East and north Africa deputy director, told VICE World News.

?This is the point where the institutionalised discrimination shows very clearly. They?re all under Israel?s effective control, but the state values the lives of some over others.?

Amnesty, along with other rights groups and public health experts, says Israel?s obligations under international law are specifically laid out in the Geneva Conventions, which state it has a duty to maintain public health ?in the occupied territory, with particular reference to the adoption and application of ... measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics.?

Israeli officials would not comment on the record to VICE World News, but have said that the Palestinian Authority bears the responsibility to meet the healthcare needs of its citizens under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the interim peace agreements signed in the 1990s that granted the Palestinians limited self-governance, although their borders remain effectively controlled by Israel.

?I don?t think that there?s anyone in this country, whatever his or her views might be, that can imagine that I would be taking a vaccine from the Israeli citizen, and, with all the goodwill, give it to our neighbours,? Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told Sky News, adding that Israel would consider providing excess vaccines to the Palestinians once its own population was inoculated.

"They have to learn how to take care of themselves.?

The Palestinian Authority rejects Israel?s claims it has no responsibility to secure vaccines for the occupied West Bank, or Gaza. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel had been ?ignoring its duties as an occupation power and committing racial discrimination against the Palestinian people, depriving them of their right to healthcare.?

?The search by the Palestinian leadership to secure the vaccines from various sources doesn?t exempt Israel from its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people in providing the vaccines,? it said.

For its part, the poorly-resourced Palestinian Authority is now attempting to compete in the cut-throat global market for vaccines, seeking them directly from suppliers ? it?s reached an agreement with drugmaker AstraZeneca ? as well as under the auspices of a World Health Organisation scheme to assist poorer countries. 

But the first shipments could be months away, with the Palestinian Authority saying Sunday it did not expect to see the AstraZeneca vaccines until March, by which stage Israel expects to be eyeing the finish line of its national vaccination campaign.

Yara Asi, a teacher in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida who has family in the West Bank, said Israel?s attempts to avoid responsibility for the occupied territories during the pandemic was symbolic of the broader crisis engulfing the Palestinians.

Under the status quo, she told VICE World News, the Palestinian Authority ?doesn?t control its own borders, its imports, who comes in and out of its country.?

?All of this is under Israel?s control ? so to now question whether Israel is the occupying power, and whether they have responsibility, is ... disingenuous.?

When it came to the healthcare of Palestinians, she said, ?the Palestinian Authority doesn?t have the capacity, Israel feels it no longer has the responsibility, so what happens is all the holes are patched by humanitarian organisations.?

The dire situation had been allowed to persist for decades, she said, with healthcare ?seen as secondary to hard, tangible issues like land.? 

?But when it comes down to something like a pandemic, it?s exposed what?s behind this fa?ade. It?s about a population of 5 million that isn?t served by anybody.?

Aside from the legal debate over who bears ultimate responsibility, groups like the influential Rabbis for Human Rights organisation have stressed a moral imperative for Israel to assist the Palestinians, arguing for the religious obligation ?not to show indifference as our neighbour suffers, but rather to mobilise and offer help in times of need.?

Meanwhile, Asi and others point out there is also a clear pragmatic reason for Israel to help inoculate their neighbours, given the thousands of Palestinian workers from the West Bank who enter Israel daily.

Even Edelstein, Israel?s Health Minister, acknowledged his government?s clear interest in vaccinating Palestinians, telling Sky News: ?We do understand that it's in Israeli interests that there will be less cases on the Palestinian side.

?Many of the Palestinians are working here in Israel. You can't divide the two neatly and say, you know, ?They can deal with it themselves; it's not our issue.? It is our issue.?

Dr Medhat Abbas, consultant of international affairs at the ministry of health in Hamas-controlled Gaza, told VICE World News he believed that Israel did have a responsibility to secure vaccines for the Palestinians. ?If you put someone in jail, you are responsible for feeding them and treating them,? he said. 

But despite this, he had no expectation that Israel would intervene. For many Palestinians, the notion of receiving any assistance from a bitter enemy is absurd.

?Why do you expect Israelis to give vaccines to Palestinians?? he said.

?It?s not the only crime committed against our people by those killers. They are occupying us and depriving us of many things, not only the vaccine. They have deprived us from our lands, from our lives, from medicine, from travelling outside, from our freedom. We expect nothing from these people.?

https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgq...deap8NjYfrvGPLNA2aLPY1Wy5EvMpbCVNempJ-8ZYSKMg


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## Gregzs (Jan 18, 2021)

How Biden Plans to Tackle the $1.6 Trillion Student Loan Debt


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## Gregzs (Jan 26, 2021)

Swiss DJ found dead in lake attached to 90-pound weight


Police have identified a Swiss woman who was found dead Jan. 17 at the bottom of a lake with a 90-pound weight attached to her body.

Jasmin Probst, 31, was a DJ from the Basel area, Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten reported. Authorities are still investigating her cause of death.

Probst?s body was found in Lake Thun, about 15 miles south of Bern in western Switzerland, according to 20 Minuten.

Cops initially could not identify her body, so they shared a photo of her back tattoo, which included the name of Singaporean DJ Gayle San. San then shared the photo on her social media pages.

?I wish I could help the Swiss police and journalist who contacted me, but I don?t know anyone...who has this tattoo,? San wrote in a Jan. 20 Instagram post. ?Nevertheless, it?s still very shocking to read about the news. I hope they will be able to identify the woman soon and solve the case, and I?m sending my deepest condolences to her family and friends.?

After San?s post, police received a tip and confirmed Probst?s identity.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...und-weight/ar-BB1d7PPW?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds


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## Gregzs (Feb 9, 2021)

"80 police officers arrive at my gym to close it as ppl just wanted to train. 
this is what happens when you try and keep fit in the UK. 

9 officers or so attack me then one officer points out the cameras and they stop. cowards

ig keep taking this down as am bullying ha isn't it me being attacked."


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## Gregzs (Feb 12, 2021)

Unemployed Americans Are Smuggling Drugs to Survive the Pandemic


----------



## Gregzs (Feb 14, 2021)

Magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits Japan off Fukushima coast


----------



## Gregzs (Feb 16, 2021)

Hasbro Says “No Current Plans To Create More” Gina Carano ‘Mandalorian’ Action Figures

Hasbro has officially weighed in on the discontinuation of the Cara Dune The Mandalorian action figure after Gina Carano’s social media controversy and firing from Lucasfilm.

News went wild over the past two days about the action figure, spurred by a customer service note from fanboy toy retailer BigBadToyStore. However, Hasbro hadn’t provided a specific statement or confirmation about the toy no longer being available.

“We’re thrilled to have the privilege of creating products featuring characters and stories from The Mandalorian for our fans. Hasbro has completed development of all season 1 and 2 product featuring Cara Dune, and there are no current plans to create more. We are actively working with our retail partners to address existing orders,” Hasbro SVP Global Communications Julie Duffy said Tuesday.

Some insiders told us we weren’t apt to see a lot of Season 2 Mandalorian action figures since the series isn’t coming back for a while; spinoff The Book of Boba Fett will be dropping this fall instead. It sounds like that’s the case as Hasbro is specifically canceling Cara Dune toys.

Carano in a recent interview said  she learned of her dismissal from The Mandalorian on social media. She also claimed that she wasn’t included in the Season 2 press for the Disney+ series after she decided not to use the streamer’s apology statement for her online mockery over non-binary pronouns.

On Friday, Deadline broke the news that the former MMA fighter and Deadpool actress is now working on a new movie with Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/ne...ion-figures/ar-BB1dJNbb?ocid=uxbndlbing&pfr=1


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## Gregzs (Feb 19, 2021)

US company stuck with 30 million locally-made N95 masks it can’t sell


----------



## Gregzs (Feb 19, 2021)

Defending Avocado Farms From Drug Cartels


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 1, 2021)

Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Says He Held Remaining Pup as He Bled


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 4, 2021)

How a $15 Federal Minimum Wage Might Affect the Economy


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 9, 2021)

Iran’s Nuclear Program: What We Know About Tehran’s Key Sites


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 10, 2021)

What's Inside Biden's $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Plan?


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 10, 2021)

The Most Expensive Spice In the World Comes From Kashmir


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 25, 2021)

When it Rains, This Town Floods With Sewage


----------



## Gregzs (Mar 26, 2021)

A Giant, Stranded Cargo Ship Is Blocking All Traffic Through the Suez Canal


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 6, 2021)

Living in a Country Where the Internet Sucks


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## Gregzs (Apr 17, 2021)

Andy Warhol computer artwork rescued from Amiga floppy disks

Previously unknown Andy Warhol artwork, made on a 1985 Commodore Amiga computer, was recently extracted from obsolete floppy disks.

The Andy Warhol Museum said in a statement released Thursday that a forgotten cove of computer graphic art made by the pop artist was found in the museum’s archive collection.

Artist Cory Arcangel initiated a search with the Carnegie Museum of Art and The Warhol Museum’s chief archivist, Matt Wrbican, to retrieve the lost artwork after he came across a YouTube clip of Warhol presenting at a Amiga 1000 computer launch event. At the time, Commodore International commissioned Warhol to “demonstrate the [Amiga 100’s] graphic arts capabilities.”

Warhol’s digital experiments include several doodles, a three-eyed Venus, a portrait of punk rock singer Debbie Harry and variations of classic Warhol fascinations — from the banana and Marilyn Monroe to a Campbell’s soup can.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/w...WWWdOPh7aTFijy21uI1R5Tsk3x-q1puqJoEJ9lh0_N_T4


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## Gregzs (Apr 17, 2021)

Germany's Far Right is Surging


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 20, 2021)

How Lithium Became a Hot Commodity


----------



## Gregzs (Apr 25, 2021)

The Reality of the US Withdrawal From Afghanistan


----------



## Gregzs (May 16, 2021)

How tax laws disadvantage Black Americans but subsidize white Americans


----------



## Gregzs (May 22, 2021)

Russian Mercenaries Are Allegedly Raping and Murdering Central African Civilians


----------



## Gregzs (May 23, 2021)

*New York man charged with disability fraud after showing up jacked on pro-bodybuilder wife’s Instagram
*

A New York bodybuilder allegedly spent years collecting disability benefits by claiming he was in no shape to work – all while running a limousine business and pumping iron, the state’s top prosecutor announced Thursday.

Attorney General Letitia James said investigators caught onto the ruse after seeing Anthony Ragusa’s fit form on the Instagram account of his wife, International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness pro Loly Ragusa. She even tagged his business in some of the posts.

"Disability benefits exist to help those who need a safety net when their bodies cannot fulfill day-to-day obligations," James said in a statement. "While cheating the state out of thousands of dollars, Anthony Ragusa was simultaneously running a business and posing for pictures of his bodybuilding on the Internet. Fraudulently collecting these benefits was not only a shameful slap in the face to those who actually live with disabilities, but a vast waste of taxpayer dollars."

Photos show the barrel-chested Ragusa, of Huntington, N.Y., posing with his wife in the gym, at the beach and elsewhere.

In one November 2019 image, she describes him as her "partner in crime." If only she knew. 

Prosecutors said Ragusa initially filed for disability benefits in 2013, when he said he fell while working as an electrician and suffered severe injuries that made it difficult to put on shoes, walk for more than 15 minutes or even sit for more than a half-hour at a time.

He also said he suffered from severe pain that made working in any capacity impossible. But he allegedly continued to own and operate the White Star Limousine company, based in New Hyde Park.

Between 2015 and 2020, he reiterated his claims of disability, prosecutors alleged.

Then in 2017 he "began a physical transformation into a bodybuilder," according to the attorney general’s office, citing "extensive video and photographic evidence" on his wife’s Instagram.

For his efforts, he now faces felony charges of grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. He was released on his own recognizance, or without bail.

Ragusa’s attorney did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-man-disability-fraud-pro-bodybuilder-wifes-instagram


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## Gregzs (Jun 1, 2021)

17-Year-Old Pushes Away Bear: ‘I Didn’t Know I Had It In Me’


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## Gregzs (Jun 15, 2021)

Remains of at Least 17 People Found Under Alleged Serial Killer's House


Authorities found thousands of bone fragments on the outskirts of Mexico City at the home of a 72-year-old man, allegedly a former butcher and now serial killer.

MEXICO CITY — Authorities have found thousands of bone fragments underneath the home of a suspected serial killer in Mexico, and believe that they could belong to at least 17 different victims.

The owner of the home has been identified as a 72-year-old man known as Andrés, whose last name hasn't been released due to Mexican privacy laws regarding suspected criminals. Investigators have suggested that the killings could have spanned decades.

Police arrested Andrés in the town of Atizapán de Zaragoza in mid-May, shocking the community on the outskirts of Mexico City in neighboring Mexico State. Andrés had been a well-known local fixture who worked as a community representative in regional politics.

*Authorities allege that his heinous crimes came to light when the 34-year-old wife of a police commander disappeared after having accompanied Andrés while shopping.* The police officer suspected Andrés in her disappearance and gained access to surveillance cameras that showed her entering his house, then never leaving. The officer confronted Andrés at his home and discovered her dismembered corpse inside.

When investigators searched the house they found numerous identification cards of other potential victims.

Andrés has already confessed to several of the murders, but the exact number of victims is still unknown. Over the past month forensics experts dug below the house and recently released their findings about the bone fragments. They also announced the discovery of women's clothing, makeup, jewelry, and a number of cell phones, along with nearly 100 photographs, 28mm video tapes, and 25 VHS cassettes.

The outdated video recordings additionally suggest that the killings may have spanned a significant portion of time, although it's not uncommon for older technology to remain in use in Mexico.

It appears that the majority, if not all of his victims, may have been women. Mexico is generally considered one of the most dangerous countries for women and sees shocking levels of domestic abuse and femicides. Mexico State has regularly seen some of the highest levels of femicides in the country, along with the disappearances of women.

News reports have identified an alleged modus operandi from the confessed murderer, who courted women in their 30s and 40s and gained their trust, before murdering them.

The husband of the final victim told authorities that his wife didn't have a romantic relationship with Andrés and it pained him to see that reported on the news. The police officer said that Andrés was an elderly family friend that he and his wife felt sorry for. They invited him to family gatherings and had tried to help him out economically because of his advanced age.

Andrés reportedly used to work as a butcher, and actually sectioned and filleted at least his latest victim. In total, 3,787 bone fragments have been identified at the house which suggests that he may have instituted that tactic on his other alleged victims. Authorities announced that they intend to continue searching other parts of the property where they believe that there could be additional victims.

Mass graves are frequently discovered in Mexico, which currently has more than 30,000 people listed as missing. But those remains and victims are often understood to be the victims of organized crime, the drug trade and corruption rather than serial killers.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj8...zb6PUfIZ37tZREBOUNm4Sr677FMDcBXt8NOxU0ymkqtNI


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## Gregzs (Jun 19, 2021)

Cop Under Investigation After Video Shows Him Kicking Suspect in Head

A Sheriff's deputy in Southern California is under investigation due to a video of him winding up and kicking a suspect in the head AFTER the guy appeared to surrender.

Surveillance footage from a Toyota dealership in Victorville, CA captured Wednesday's violent interaction on camera ... you see the suspect roll out from under a parked car before he's confronted by a deputy with a flashlight, who appears to order the suspect on the ground.

The man complies, but then the cop takes a big step and unloads a couple kicks to the suspect's face.

Video shows the cop stand over the man for a few seconds before beginning to slap some handcuffs on him as another deputy arrives to assist.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department tells TMZ the incident started with an attempted traffic stop of a motorcycle. Police say the driver led cops on a high-speed chase, and ditched his bike near the dealership before fleeing on foot. Cops say they found the suspect hiding in the dealership lot, and admit there was a "use of force" during the arrest.

The Sheriff says a review of the footage raised immediate concerns about the deputy's actions and he's on leave while under investigation.

https://www.tmz.com/2021/06/18/cop-...N_Vkp2Z4izBN0_lXkSqcqhhBC0pqV1jDHNejEPiY0uGdc


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## Gregzs (Jun 26, 2021)

Spectator to be sued after Tour de France crash

The roadside fan who caused a giant crash at the Tour de France on Saturday is to be sued by the organisers.

The woman concerned held up a banner slightly into the road and was looking straight at the television motorbike cameras with her back turned on the speeding peloton.

German rider Tony Martin brushed past her and was knocked off balance racing near the head of the peloton, and when he fell it caused a horrifying domino effect ending in a tangle of bikes and bodies.

DSM's German rider Jasha Sutterlin was the only one who had to pull out at that moment but several people were hurt, including spectators.

"We are suing this woman who behaved so badly," Tour deputy director Pierre-Yves Thouault told AFP.

"We are doing this so that the tiny minority of people who do this dont spoil the show for everyone," he said.

Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli and Dutch rider Wout van Aert, who ran over Martin before falling head over heels, had both been amongst the favourites to win the first stage hilltop finish but were both badly delayed.

Two Ineos riders Richie Porte and Tao Geoghegan Hart both lost time, while champion Tadej Pogacar saw his right hand man Marc Hirschi badly hurt.

According to regional newspaper Ouest France the woman who was wearing a yellow jacket fled the scene and has yet to be found.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...tour-de-france-crash/ar-AALtCXk?ocid=msedgntp


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## Gregzs (Jul 2, 2021)

Allison Mack Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Role in NXIVM ‘Sex Cult’

The 'Smallville' actress was facing up to 17 years in prison for her role as NXIVM leader Keith Raniere's number two in a secretive group that branded and blackmailed women.

BROOKLYN, New York— Allison Mack, once a cheery actress on a popular teen superhero show, was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Wednesday for her role in a racketeering scheme orchestrated by jailed NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere.

Mack, 38, appeared in Brooklyn federal court with her lawyers and read a statement calling her actions “abusive, abhorrent and illegal.”

Government guidelines recommended a sentence between 14 and 17.5 years for conspiring to extort women into submission as “slaves” to Raniere, but prosecutors requested a lower sentence because Mack provided key evidence that led to Raniere’s conviction.

Judge Nicholas Garaufis said Mack was an “essential accomplice” in carrying out Raniere’s DOS-related crimes. “He could not have done that without you,” he said. “You did that together.” He sentenced her to three years in prison, plus a three-year term of supervised release.

Mack was first arrested in April 2018 on sex trafficking and forced labour charges. At the time prosecutors called her Raniere’s “second-in-command” in a secretive women’s empowerment group that blackmailed and branded women. She pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy the following year, admitting to extortion and forced labor.

For more than a decade Mack was a coach and recruiter for NXIVM, a collection of self-help programs that claimed to help free people from limiting beliefs. Expensive entry-level courses built an elaborate mythology around Raniere, who at one time claimed he had an IQ of 240 and went by the title “Vanguard.” Followers like Mack adhered to strict low-calorie diets, sacrificed sleep to take on unpaid work, and recruited new members using multi-level marketing tactics.

Raniere faced trial in 2019 on a slew of charges ranging from sex trafficking and forced labor to wire fraud, identity theft, and sexually exploiting a minor. He was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 120 years in federal prison in October 2020.

Mack served as one of Raniere’s top-line “masters” in DOS, a slavery-themed blackmail scheme that called itself a women’s empowerment group. Women initiated into the group were pitched on a secret mentorship opportunity, then instructed to submit damaging secrets and nudes as proof of their commitment to secrecy. According to court records, as many as 150 women submitted potentially life-ruining “collateral” just to hear details about the secret group.

Once women submitted collateral, DOS members took a vow of lifetime obedience to upper-level recruiters like Mack. As part of her plea Mack admitted she lied about the group’s real leadership and purpose and instilled fear that collateral would be released if women went against orders or spoke out about the group. 

Raniere’s role as “grandmaster” commanding over the group was concealed from the vast majority of members. Two women who testified at Raniere’s trial said Mack ordered them to “seduce” Raniere under threat that their collateral would be released.

One woman who was identified in court as Jay testified that Mack framed sexual contact with Raniere as an opportunity to work through her trauma as a victim of childhood sexual abuse.

The woman, who has since publicly identified herself as model and actress Jessica Joan, called Mack a “predator and an evil human being.” She compared Mack to Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged groomer for Jeffrey Epstein, and described Mack’s “sick and sadistic smile” whenever she punished women.

Mack is the third high-ranking member to be sentenced as part of the NXIVM case. Heiress Clare Bronfman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years and nine months in federal prison for illegally harbouring a migrant and visa fraud last year. 

NXIVM cofounder and president Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren have also pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and are expected to be sentenced later this year.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3x...J-fZQrwXyy-5Zo_1nmiP0Qvr30yRZmlcKnyAcNuUz3vNc


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## Gregzs (Jul 10, 2021)

Biden administration cancels additional $55.6 million in student debt

The Department of Education canceled an additional $55.6 million in student loan debt for 1,800 students who were victims of a for-profit college fraud, bringing the total amount of canceled student loan debt by the Biden administration to $1.5 billion. 

"Today’s announcement continues the U.S. Department of Education’s commitment to standing up for students whose colleges took advantage of them,” Miguel Cardona, the secretary of education, said in the department’s statement released Friday.  

The latest loan cancellation is for students who attended Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty and the Court Reporting Institute. This is the first time the department approved loan forgiveness to students who attended schools other than Corinthian Colleges, ITT Technical Institute and American Career Institute since 2017.

“Today’s action continues efforts by the Biden Administration to ensure borrower defense and other targeted loan cancellation, forgiveness, and discharge programs deliver relief to students and borrowers,” the department’s statement said.

The borrower defense is a federal regulation by the Department of Education that allows federal student loan borrowers the opportunity to seek forgiveness on their loans if they were defrauded by a college or university.   

With the additional 1,800 students, the Biden administration has canceled student loans for nearly 92,000 people. The $1.5 billion of canceled loan debt is an attempt by the Biden administration to address the backlog of forgiveness claims left by the prior administration.

“The Department will continue doing its part to review and approve borrower defense claims quickly and fairly so that borrowers receive the relief that they need and deserve. We also hope these approvals serve as a warning to any institution engaging in similar conduct that this type of misrepresentation is unacceptable," Cardona added.

Some Democrats are pushing for more and broader student loan forgiveness.

More than 60 Democrats sent a letter to Biden on June 23, urging him to extend the pause of payments and interest for federal student loans, stating that the pause provided immense relief to borrowers and families during the pandemic and would “present a significant challenge” if ended.   

Democrats also previously asked Biden to commit to $50,000 in student loan forgiveness per borrower, something he said he would not do, stating that he’d prefer the money be invested in early childhood education.

Will that "be forgiven, rather than use that money to provide money for early education for young children who come from disadvantaged circumstances?" Biden said during a CNN town hall.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...dA95GafsNmPQZw3LDRhy5desRi2fqL0cq2-8erO0YkTYA


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## Gregzs (Jul 27, 2021)

Pita Taufatofua has made headlines every time he's appeared at the Olympics. The Tongan flag bearer is best known for the shirtless, oiled-up look he has sported during each opening ceremony during his three Olympic appearances. He even did it at the 2018 Winter Olympics, despite it being the Winter Olympics. 

It's obviously impressive to make it to any Olympic competition, but Taufatofua has now entered the record books. Following his appearance in men's +176 lbs tournament in tea kwon do, he is the first athlete to appear in three straight Olympic Games—summer and winter—since the introduction of the Winter Olympics in 1924, per NBC. 

He has competed at Rio 2016, Pyeongchang 2018, and, now, Tokyo 2020. In Rio, he also competed in tea kwon do, losing in the first round of competition. Then he became the first-ever Winter Olympics athlete from Tonga when he qualified for cross-country skiing. Fortunately, the Olympic record books don't have a "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy.







https://www.thrillist.com/news/nati...-taufatofua-first-athlete-three-olympic-games


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## Gregzs (Aug 2, 2021)

Millions of tenants at risk as federal eviction ban ends


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## Multislacking (Aug 3, 2021)

Blackrock is poised for the kill.


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## Gregzs (Aug 7, 2021)

Human Body Parts Found Inside Nose Of Bullet Train


On route to Tokyo, a driver of a bullet train heard an abnormal sound as he headed through a tunnel with over 200 passengers on board.

The noise, a dull thud, came from the train's bonnet, the Japan Times reports. Thinking nothing of it, the driver continued his journey without reporting it to the authorities. He dismissed the sound as caused by hitting a small animal, a spokesperson from the train line told Sora News 24. He'd heard a similar noise before, and decided not to stop as there was no threat to passenger safety.

However, some 32 kilometers (20 miles) later at Kokura Station, a large crack in the front of the train was discovered. Despite the superficial damage done to the train, it was allowed to continue on to the main island of Honshu, where it was inspected more thoroughly. It was here that staff made a rather grim discovery.

Inside the crack in the nose of the train, they found parts of a human body. The dull thud heard inside the tunnel turned out to be caused by a collision with a man, rather than an animal as the train driver had thought. The impact had been enough to crack the front of the bullet train, and part of his body had become lodged within the crack in the train's nose.

Later on, authorities found more body parts inside the tunnel, which they matched to the body parts they found inside the train through fingerprinting. An unoccupied car was found near an access ladder used by maintenance workers, the Japan Times reports. The police are treating the death of the 52-year-old carer from Fukuoka Prefecture as a suicide.

The incident is being investigated upon the transport minister's instruction, with the West Japan Railway Co. focusing on the driver's decision not to alert the authorities straight away upon hearing the collision.

If you or someone you know are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day. The service is available to anyone and all calls are confidential. 

https://www.iflscience.com/health-a...q7l4J1d8ndLKMCUszRsm-NjfTMJrywrM5Splx30Pq5Jk8


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## Arnold (Aug 10, 2021)

Wow a very old Curt James thread, where did everyone go?


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## Multislacking (Aug 12, 2021)

Reality Check:

JUST IN - U.S. producer price inflation soars 7.8% annually in July, the *highest increase on record.


*


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## Gregzs (Aug 15, 2021)

After two decades and billions spent, Afghan government collapses as Taliban takes Kabul


In a swift and stunning rout, Taliban fighters seized control of Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday, completing their sweep of the besieged nation as the Afghan government collapsed after two decades of efforts by the U.S. to reshape the region as part of its “war on terror.”

Embattled President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the Taliban entered the capital city of Kabul, and American troops scrambled to evacuate thousands of U.S. diplomats and Afghans from the U.S. Embassy.

The Taliban, which for hours had been in the outskirts of Kabul, announced soon after it would move farther into a city gripped by panic throughout the day as helicopters raced overhead to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents. Several other Western missions prepared to pull their people out.

The Pentagon authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops to be deployed to Afghanistan to help with the evacuation efforts, said a defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. That is on top of the 5,000 troops that President Joe Biden announced Saturday would be sent to ensure "an orderly and safe" drawdown and evacuate U.S. personnel as well as Afghans who helped American forces.

The Taliban is soon expected to declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul, an official told the Associated Press. Al Jazeera broadcast footage of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace, sitting behind a desk that the network said was presumed to be Ghani's and placing their guns on it.

In Washington, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met via videoconference with their national security team to hear updates on the drawdown of civilian personnel in Afghanistan and the evacuation of allies who worked alongside the U.S. government during the 20-year war.

The fall of Kabul marked the final chapter of America's longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks masterminded by al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden, then harbored by the Taliban government. A U.S.-led invasion forced the Taliban to retreat.

For some, the U.S. pullout was a reminder of America’s ignominious withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, which ended with iconic images of U.S. helicopters evacuating Americans from the roof of the embassy in Saigon.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken flatly rejected such comparisons. "This is manifestly not Saigon," Blinken argued, characterizing the drawdown of embassy and other personnel as "very deliberate."

Still, analysts predicted that history would view the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan as a failure.

“On day one, we go in and the Taliban is in charge. Twenty years later, the Taliban is back in charge,” said Jack Weinstein, a former Pentagon official and expert on international security.

“I don’t know how you couch that as a victory,” he said.

Though Kabul had been expected to fall, the speed of its collapse clearly caught the Biden administration off-guard. 

Biden set an Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan and bring an end to the 20-year conflict. Just last week, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.

Defying expectations, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in a short time, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Afghan security forces were defeated by the Taliban or fled much of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Sunday the security situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating and instructed American citizens to "shelter in place" amid reports of gunfire at the airport in Afghanistan's capital. The embassy's security alert came as American troops were in the midst of evacuating all diplomatic staff from the embassy to the airport and as the Taliban entered Kabul, seemingly poised to take over the government. 

Ghani flew out of the country, according to multiple media outlets.

Ghani later Sunday offered an explanation in a Facebook post: "Today, I came across a hard choice; I should stand to face the armed Taliban who wanted to enter the palace or leave the dear country that I dedicated my life to protecting and protecting the past twenty years. ...The Taliban have made it to remove me, they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out."

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, criticized Ghani's exit. “The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation," Abdullah said. "God should hold him accountable.”

Afghans fearing that the Taliban would reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings, the AP reported.

For years, U.S. and Afghan forces focused on controlling key supply chains and major cities in the country, forcing the Taliban into Afghanistan’s rugged hinterland. The Taliban remained strong in the country’s mountainous rural areas, using those regions as bases of attack to seize territory once U.S. forces began their drawdown.

The Taliban also remained in control of strategic border crossings, according to the Associated Press, allowing them to smuggle weapons and other key goods while also rejuvenating forces outside the country.

In February 2020, Washington under then-President Donald Trump signed a deal with the Taliban that limited direct military action against the insurgents. That allowed the fighters to gather strength and move quickly to seize key areas when President Joe Biden announced his plans to withdraw all American forces by the end of this month.

On Sunday, Taliban insurgents approached Kabul. Taliban negotiators in the capital discussed the transfer of power, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, according to AP.

It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating. The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami political and paramilitary group Gulbudin Hekmatyar and Abdullah, who has been a vocal critic of Ghani.

Karzai, with his three daughters, appeared in a video, saying he remained in Kabul.

“We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully,” he said, while the roar of a passing helicopter could be heard overhead.

Afghanistan’s acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, lashed out at Ghani.

“They tied our hands from behind and sold the country,” he wrote on Twitter. “Curse Ghani and his gang.”

Taliban fighters tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting they wouldn’t enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they’d offer an “amnesty” to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.

“No one’s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,” the insurgents said in a statement, according to AP.

But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days. One female journalist, weeping, sent voice messages to colleagues after armed men entered her apartment building and banged on her door.

“What should I do? Should I call the police or Taliban?” Getee Azami cried. It wasn't clear what happened to her after that.

Many chose to flee, rushing to the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing. NATO said it was “helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world.”

One Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.

“You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan,” said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she’ll be able to graduate in two months' time. “A generation ... raised in the modern Afghanistan were hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now."

Sunday began with the Taliban seizing the nearby city of Jalalabad — which had been the last major city besides the capital not in their hands. Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country's last government-held border post.

Later, Afghan forces at Bagram air base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...t-collapses-as-taliban-takes-kabul/ar-AANl6rt


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## Gregzs (Aug 16, 2021)

*The US Carefully Documented Its Total Failure in Afghanistan for 12 Years*

For 12 years, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan issued grim and detailed reports about America’s failures in the country. No one listened.


"Whenever I think about the U.S. government's failure in Afghanistan, I remember the goats. In 2013, a government project meant to kickstart Afghanistan's economy granted Colorado State University $1.5 million to start a goat farm in Herat Province, Afghanistan. It bought five cashmere-producing Italian goats and transported them to Afghanistan for the purposes of breeding them in large numbers and turning Afghanistan into a cashmere-producing hotspot.

But CSU ran into problems immediately. It had 300 goats, only nine of them the expensive cashmere goats from Italy. The college was bad at farming and the expensive Italian goats caught a disease that killed most of them. Worse, they were spending $50,000 a year to feed the rest, an incredible amount of cash to spend on an animal that will eat almost anything.

When CSU tried to turn the farm over to locals and told them what it was spending to feed the goats, the Afghan called the farm a “poisoned chalice.” Keep in mind that Afghan farms have been raising goats for generations and already had cashmere-producing animals. 

According to a goat expert who testified in the fallout, the college “had no idea what they were doing and the CSU staff determined what the project should cost, despite no one at CSU having any experience with cashmere.”

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvz...P7bdh3T7RqtrnckD3oi9wKkZ7GT-0rP0zDDWYWZE2K1ns


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## Multislacking (Aug 17, 2021)

Gregzs said:


> *The US Carefully Documented Its Total Failure in Afghanistan for 12 Years*
> 
> For 12 years, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan issued grim and detailed reports about America’s failures in the country. No one listened.
> 
> ...



Lol...this is what happens when the govt "helps".


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## Gregzs (Aug 17, 2021)

*Remains of Dead Afghan Found in Landing Gear of US Military Plane*

Human remains have been found in the landing gear of a U.S. Air Force plane that took off from the Kabul airport, after Afghans were seen clambering onto evacuating aircraft in a desperate attempt to flee the country.

The C-17 plane’s crew declared an emergency after its landing gear wouldn’t go up and, after it landed, found the human remains in the wheel well, the Washington Post reported, citing two sources. A POLITICO report said the remains belonged to one Afghan person. 

Stowaways who hide in plane’s wheel wells face a high risk of death from falling or being crushed by the landing gear. The lack of oxygen and low temperature during the flight could also be fatal. 

Footage from the Kabul international airport on Monday showed a throng of Afghans trying to board departing planes to escape the country, after Taliban fighters entered Afghanistan’s capital city on Sunday.

One shocking clip showed people holding on to the outside of a taxiing U.S. C-17 plane, as hundreds of others ran alongside it on the tarmac. In another clip, people were seen falling to their deaths from the aircraft in midair.

It is unclear if the plane where the body was found is the same one in the videos. At least seven people died in the airport chaos, including several who fell from a C-17 flight, the Associated Press reported, citing American officials. U.S. Defense Spokesman John Kirby said U.S. troops had shot dead two armed Afghans at the airport. 

Although the Taliban has said it would not harm civilians, many Afghans, including those who have worked for the U.S. troops and other Western governments, fear retaliation and rights abuses under the fundamentalist group’s hardline rule. 

With land borders controlled by the Taliban, the Kabul airport, now guarded by American troops, is the only way for Afghans to flee. 

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III evacuated about 640 Afghans from Kabul on Sunday, according to Defense One, even though the cargo plane was designated to carry 134 soldiers along with their equipment. A photo from the flight showed Afghans sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in the packed cabin.

U.S. troops temporarily closed the airport on Monday to clear the crowds on the runway. Evacuation flights resumed on Tuesday morning, according to Reuters.

Since U.S. troops began their pullout from Afghanistan after a 20-year war with the Taliban, the Islamist group took over the country’s regional capitals one by one as it advanced towards Kabul. Having taken over the capital, the Taliban seeks to establish a new government based on its hardline interpretation of Islamic law.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvz...sgAEYoj53pAbhdcKgp6IZxumPnDaQiF0XUyLkeTqR5H9Y


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## Gregzs (Aug 17, 2021)

NYC Ferry is starting its first-ever ferry service on the Hudson River

NYC Ferry, which shuttles New Yorkers up and down the East River, is finally expanding to the Hudson — and to Staten Island.

Not only will it be the first NYC Ferry route on the Hudson but it'll be the first connecting to Staten Island, allowing those in midtown and higher to skip catching the Staten Island Ferry downtown and for those coming from Staten Island to be taken right to midtown rather than stopping at Whitehall Terminal.

The new St. George route between St. George on Staten Island and Midtown West at West 39th Street takes just 35 minutes, with a scenic stop in Battery Park City along the way. It'll only take 18 minutes to get to Manhattan from Staten Island.






Commuters will also be able to connect to other NYC Ferry routes by getting off at Battery Park City and walking 25 minutes (or taking a taxi/bus) to Wall Street Pier 11, where all ferry routes make a stop. You can also hop on the free Downtown Connection shuttle provided by the Downtown Alliance that can transport you between the landings within 11 minutes.

And remember, tickets to ride the ferry start at the same price as a ride on the MTA— $2.75 per trip.

All in all, the new ferry service is a welcome addition to the transit map. Thankfully, getting to Staten Island will be less of a long journey.

The St. George Route officially launches on Monday, August 23. 

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/new...wdc3eWcoW66Z26i-fDF29g24KE#Echobox=1629146377


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## Gregzs (Aug 25, 2021)

President Biden signs PAWS Act, allowing VA to pay for service dogs for veterans

Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors, says for the first time in American history, the VA can pay for service dogs for veterans with PTSD.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Biden signed the PAWS Act into law Wednesday.

The PAWS ACT, or 'Puppies Assisting Wounded Service members for Veterans Therapy Act,' authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to create a pilot program on dog training therapy that will provide dog-training skills and service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses.

"This has been a five-year battle to try and convince the federal government that what we do every day is valuable and helps veterans," Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors said to First Coast News. "They're finally agreeing and we're getting a big breakthrough here."

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bill earlier this month after it was passed by the House in March.

Once signed, Diamond said the $10 million, five-year pilot program will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. For the first time in American history, he says the VA will pay for service dogs for veterans with PTSD.

“We commend the White House for supporting this bill as a critical step in combatting veteran suicide, and we’re confident in the path ahead for Service Dogs ultimately becoming a covered VA benefit to veterans with PTSD,” Diamond said in a news release. “In communicating with veterans and their healthcare providers, it’s more imperative than ever to embrace the lifesaving impact of a Service Dog and to raise awareness for this treatment option as a proven method for mitigating debilitating symptoms of PTSD and suicidal ideations.”

The news release says the new law will also:

Designate eligible veterans to receive dog training instruction from nongovernmental accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit Service Dog training organizations (i.e., K9s For Warriors)

Allow eligible veterans to learn positive reinforcement training in skills that are unique to their own needs to help address or alleviate their PTSD symptoms

Provide veterans participating in the program with the opportunity to adopt a dog that they actively assisted in their training, provided that the veteran and their health provider determine it to be in the best interest of the veteran.

"There are over 100,000 veterans, we think who need a service dog because of their post-traumatic stress. Right now, K9s for Warriors can help a couple of hundred a year. What this will do is to take that little tiny hose pipe and turn into a whole avalanche of service dogs, eventually down the road, we'll see that happen," Diamond said earlier this month. "Twenty-two veterans a day taking their lives every day by suicide. This is one of the best ways we can fight it."

The pilot program will involve organizations across America.

"We know we are going to be able to save so many more warriors," Diamond said. "Of course, K9s for Warriors being the largest and best known for doing it, we will be leading the way."

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/n...3Rx7Geeto0FDocR6KwfLZ2734HAYzrj0PryUGnYv4YNg8


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## Gregzs (Aug 26, 2021)

San Francisco skyscraper sinks further, halting renovation project

A major construction project aimed at leveling San Francisco's leaning Millennium Tower was abruptly halted this week after officials noticed the building sank another inch in the past month, CBS San Francisco reports.

Work began on the 58-story condo tower, which first made headlines in 2016, earlier this year. The project, expected to cost $100 million, involves reenforcing the foundation by drilling into bedrock below the tower and installing massive support beams, known as pilings, CBS San Francisco reported. The building had actually been sinking less in the past few years – but then began to sink again when work started earlier this year.

"The monitoring has indicated an increased rate of settlement associated with pile installation," Doug Elmets, spokesperson with the Millennium Tower Association, said in a statement to CBS San Francisco. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have placed a two to four-week moratorium on pile installation while we try to understand better the mechanisms associated with the increased settlement rate and available means of mitigating this." 

"There has been no material harm to the building and it remains fully safe," he added. 

Oakland consulting structural engineer David Williams told CBS San Francisco that the pause was a "no brainer" given the amount the building moved. He said the work has reactivated portions of the settlement below the building, causing it to tilt to one side.

"You may expect a little disturbance when you go in and do construction around it, but the rate of settlement is very severe," he said.

"The loads have to be distributed from the existing foundation out to the perimeter, and that's a pretty risky operation," he added. "It will have to be very carefully monitored if they proceed with it."

Millennium Tower first opened in 2009. By 2016, the building had sunk 16 inches. Satellite imagery from the European Space Agency showed the skyscraper in San Francisco's financial district was sinking at a steady rate.

Residents sued the developers and designers, and a settlement reached last year included the $100 million for the project.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/s...further-halting-renovation-project/ar-AANMSaN


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## Multislacking (Aug 27, 2021)

Good morning from New York City.

PRESS CONFERENCE: Today at noon at the United Nations, @LookAheadOrg along with @CAPPcitizens will deliver a formal complaint to the UN's Human Rights Committee regarding our government's abuse of J6 Political Prisoners.


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## Gregzs (Aug 29, 2021)

Texas' homeless struggle as public camping is criminalized


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## Multislacking (Aug 31, 2021)

Here's some good news, instead of all the depressing stuff we are being bombarded with.


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## Gregzs (Sep 2, 2021)

Despite being downgraded to a storm, Ida pummeled East Coast states


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## Gregzs (Sep 5, 2021)

Biden visits Louisiana as Gulf Coast, Northeast recover from Ida's toll


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## Gregzs (Sep 7, 2021)




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## Gregzs (Sep 12, 2021)

Millions of sleep apnea machines recalled over potential cancer risk


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## Gregzs (Oct 8, 2021)

A man plunged nine stories from a high-rise in Jersey City, New Jersey, landed on a BMW — and miraculously survived, according to officials and a witness.

The 31-year-old  crashed through the roof of the black Beemer 330i parked below 26 Journal Square at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, then stood up with his right arm  dangling at his side  and asked, “What happened?” onlooker Christina Smith, 21, told The Post.







https://nypost.com/2021/10/07/new-jersey-man-survives-9-story-plunge-by-landing-on-a-bmw/


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## Multislacking (Oct 11, 2021)

https://resistthemainstream.org/todd...ource=telegram

*Toddler Found Alive in Woods Days After He Went Missing: ‘God’s Still in the Miracle Business’

*
A three-year-old who went missing in Texas on Wednesday was found alive Saturday five miles from his home, according to the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office.


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## Gregzs (Oct 17, 2021)

A delayed transportation infrastructure project moves forward in the Northeast Corridor


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## Multislacking (Oct 18, 2021)

NEW - Antarctica's last 6 months were the coldest on record (NSIDC)


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## Multislacking (Oct 18, 2021)

JUST IN - Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, reportedly sold up to $5 million worth of stock right before the stock market suffered a significant drop (Prospect)


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## Gregzs (Oct 23, 2021)

California High School Is Teaching Teens to Drive 18-Wheelers

At first glance, it may sound odd to hear that high schoolers are learning to drive big rigs, but that’s exactly what’s happening at California’s Patterson High School. As NPR reports, Patterson High recently began offering a students the opportunity to attend a truck driving school as part of its Career Technical Education Program.

To be clear, it’s an elective course, so students who don’t want to go into commercial trucking aren’t expected to participate. But seniors who are interested have the opportunity to learn about the industry itself, proper safety practices, and how to obtain their commercial driver’s license all before they graduate high school.

According to the school’s website, after completing the year-long class, students will need to apply to a partner trucking company for real-world training before they can earn their CDL. It’s not all classroom instruction for the high schoolers, though. They also spend time in a lab setting, including about 20 hours on a simulator where they learn basics such as how to shift, reverse, and drive defensively.

“A lot of [students] who enroll in the course have never considered trucking as a career. Trucking doesn’t have a great reputation and it comes with a lot of misconceptions about what exactly a truck driver is,” said instructor Dave Dein in an interview with NPR. “If we don’t start promoting trucking to our youth, they only can make decisions on the information that they have.”

Speaking to NPR, senior Eduardo Dominguez-Sotelo — one of those aforementioned students who previously had no interest in trucking — said, “It was not an elective I would’ve chosen because I didn’t think that truck driving was for me. In the end, it actually ended up being a good fit for me.”

That doesn’t mean he plans to make trucking his entire career. Instead, Dominguez-Sotelo said he thinks it will be a good way to earn money part-time while studying computer engineering. Even if he only drives over the summer, he can expect to make quite a bit more than he would in food service or retail. Potentially as much as $12,000 according to the school’s website.

https://jalopnik.com/california-high-school-is-teaching-teens-to-drive-18-wh-1847895765


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## Gregzs (Oct 29, 2021)

How unfair Amazon!! He was just giving her a full service!!!


Amazon Driver Fired After Video of Woman Exiting Back of Truck Goes Viral

An Amazon driver's now jobless after a video went viral of a woman slipping out the backdoor of his delivery truck ... sparking racy speculation about what she and the driver were doing.

The clip, shot in a Florida neighborhood, shows a woman in a black dress and flip-flops hopping out the rear door. Worth nothing, the Amazon delivery guy's quite the gentleman ... he holds the door open for her.

It's unclear who the woman is, or exactly why she was inside the truck -- but Amazon certainly didn't think it was prime conduct by the driver.

A rep for the company tells us, "This does not reflect the high standards we have for our Delivery Service Partners and their drivers. Allowing unauthorized passengers to enter delivery vehicles is a violation of Amazon policy, and the driver is no longer delivering packages to Amazon customers.”

We've tried to get in touch with the driver to get his side of the story but so far, no luck. Probably busy making a delivery ... of some sort.

https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/29/amaz...27EBdtw_QZ06GAfAbTrTV78erTI4hOcgt8oOVMTWOvm5I


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## Gregzs (Oct 31, 2021)

Three wedding guests reportedly shot dead in Afghanistan for playing music at reception


Three guests were shot dead at a wedding reception in eastern Afghanistan on Friday night, apparently because music was being played, according to the Taliban.

The attack was carried out by three assailants who claimed to be members of the Taliban before opening fire, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a press conference Sunday.

Mujahid said the gunmen attacked a reception taking place in the Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar Province. A local journalist also told CNN at least two people had been killed and 10 others injured.

The Taliban spokesman added that it was not permissible to kill anyone for playing music, and an investigation was underway to establish whether the incident was due to a personal feud.

"In the ranks of the Islamic Emirate no one has the right to turn anyone away from music or anything, only to try to persuade them. That is the main way," Mujahid told the press conference, according to AFP.

Mujahid later reiterated in a series of Twitter posts that the suspects had claimed to be Taliban members, and had asked for the music to be stopped before firing before opening fire -- but did not verify whether or not they were. He said two people connected to the incident had been arrested, but a third had escaped.

Although they disapprove of playing music at weddings and other public events, the Taliban has not issued a decree banning it since coming to power in August. 

However, in late August folk singer Fawad Andarabi was dragged from his home and killed by the Taliban, while musicians in the country told CNN's Clarissa Ward they had been told not to play their instruments.

During their previous period of rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned most forms of music as un-Islamic.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...eption/ar-AAQa55A?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&pfr=1


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## Gregzs (Nov 12, 2021)

*William Shatner's flight mate to edge of space killed in New Jersey plane crash*

William Shatner’s crew mate in last month’s historic rocket trip to the edge of space was one of two men killed Thursday in a plane crash in New Jersey, officials said.

Glen de Vries, 49, of New York City, and Thomas P. Fischer, 54, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, died following the small aircraft crash shortly before 3 p.m. in Hampton Township, according to New Jersey State Police.

De Vries joined Shatner and other crew members aboard the Oct. 13 flight developed by Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Thursday's crash, police said. The FAA could not be immediately reached Friday for comment.

The New Jersey Herald reported the FAA alerted public safety authorities that a single-engine Cessna 172 went missing near Kemah Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Newark. Emergency crews found the wreckage about an hour later, the newspaper reported.

The aircraft was “destroyed” in the crash, which occurred “under unknown circumstances,” an initial report by the FAA states, according to the Herald.

De Vries co-founded software company Medidata Solutions, which specializes in management of electronic data from clinical trials. He also served as a trustee for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.






“We will truly miss Glen, but his dreams — which we share — live on: we will pursue progress in life sciences & healthcare as passionately as he did," Medidat said in a statement.

De Vries received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology and genetics from Carnegie Mellon University, worked as a research scientist at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and studied computer science at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematics, according to his biography on the Medidata website.

A statement from Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian called de Vries one of the university's greatest science advocates.

"The entire Carnegie Mellon University community is devastated by the loss of alumnus and trustee Glen de Vries, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and loved ones," Jahanian said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/w...-crash/ar-AAQDEtx?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&pfr=1


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## Gregzs (Nov 16, 2021)

More than 500 injured by scorpion stings in Egypt after storms

After heavy rain and flooding in one of Egypt’s southern provinces left at least three people dead, a staggering number of people were also hurt by scorpion stings.

Aswan province Gov. Ashraf Attia said the storm forced scorpions from their natural shelters, usually underground, into people’s homes. The deluge of scorpions led to more than 500 people being hospitalized with stings.

All 503 people were administered anti-venom and quickly discharged, Attia said.

Those who were stung said they experienced a range of symptoms, including severe pain, fever, sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.

No deaths were reported from the stings, acting health minister Khalid Abdel-Ghafar said.

According to Al Jazeera, the Aswan region is mountainous and home to the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, which has highly toxic venom. They are known to cause several human deaths a year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...after-storms/ar-AAQMqNG?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531


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## Gregzs (Nov 20, 2021)

Under Taliban, Kabul's drug addicts forced into withdrawal


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## Gregzs (Dec 17, 2021)

New York MTA Manager Caught Using A Bizarre Blowup Doll To Cheat His Way Into Carpool Lanes
The manager claims the doll is there for "the company".


One New York MTA manager, a person who should absolutely know better, has been caught cheating in HOV lanes. And as the New York Post reports that he did it in the most obvious way possible, with this Carpool Kenny Blowup Doll.

The Post confronted Giulio Di Virgilio outside of his office building as he pulled in to park. They also pointed out he makes $122,000 per year which…I don’t know what that has to do with anything. People making six figures shouldn’t try and get around HOV laws? I don’t know. Anyway, he claims he’s not trying to skirt the laws, and his excuse is hilarious.

Confronted by The Post outside the East New York building, Di Virgilio denied he had the inflatable suit-sporting businessman in tow to illegally cruise in lanes reserved for high-occupancy vehicles.

“I don’t use it for the HOV,” the $122,000-per-year government official insisted. “I use it for the company.”

Yeah ok. Company. You live in New York City. If you want company you could take the subway and be around plenty of people. Di Virgilio’s coworkers were the first to notice him using the dummy, which sorta looks like the dad from Netflix’s F is for Family.

“It was weird when we saw that thing [in his car] in the morning. Why would anyone have that there except to do HOV stuff?” said one Buses employee who requested anonymity.

One union official said, “It’s unbecoming of a manager. We laugh, but what else is he doing in secret that we don’t know about?”

Di Virgilio is a former NYPD officer so he probably knows what he’s doing in regards to getting around laws. And while carpool dummies are too easy to get, don’t do it. A bizarre inflatable doll in the passenger seat of a car without tinted windows isn’t slick.

https://jalopnik.com/new-york-mta-manager-caught-using-a-bizarre-blowup-doll-1848227940


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## Gregzs (Jan 14, 2022)

Navient plans to cancel some student borrowers' loan debt. Who qualifies?


Student borrowers who took out loans that were serviced by Navient, one of the largest student loan collection companies in the country, were cautiously celebrating Thursday's announcement that tens of thousands of them would get their loans canceled under an agreement with more than three dozen states.

The total amount of debt to be canceled, as well as an accompanying restitution agreement, is major — a deal worth about $1.85 billion.

A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general are calling the resolution "a victory for student loan borrowers" in holding Navient accountable, after suing the company for allegedly misleading borrowers with deceptive lending practices and offering risky subprime loans. For its part, Navient is denying it violated consumer protection laws or caused borrowers harm, insisting it is settling the agreement "to avoid the additional burden, expense, time and distraction to prevail in court."

But for the average Navient customer hoping for immediate relief, they may be left disappointed, said Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, a consumer advocacy group.

"Yesterday was a very big deal for certain people that have really been forgotten in our national conversation in the student debt crisis," Pierce said. "This will be life-changing for a specific group of those people. But for everyone else, the fight continues."

Who qualifies for debt cancellation?
About 66,000 student borrowers with Navient loans may see their debts forgiven.

These are borrowers with private loans — specifically, subprime student loans taken out through Navient's predecessor company, Sallie Mae, between 2002 and 2014. (Navient was formed in 2014 after Sallie Mae split into two business entities.)

In addition, those borrowers must have had more than seven consecutive months of delinquent payments prior to June 30, 2021.

Student borrowers who don't have subprime loans may still qualify if their private loans were made between 2002 and 2014 and they attended a for-profit school that was later the subject of state or federal law enforcement actions. Those schools include Corinthian Colleges, DeVry University and ITT Educational Services. A full list can be found on a website for the agreement.

Who qualifies for a restitution payment?
About 350,000 federal student loan borrowers whom Navient placed into a long-term forbearance plan would be eligible for a payment — about $260 per borrower.

State attorneys general say those forbearance arrangements had driven student borrowers further into debt because while those borrowers were able to pause or reduce their payments temporarily, their loans still continued to accrue interest.

Certain conditions apply to get the restitution, such as having at least one federal loan that was eligible for income-driven repayment and the borrower not having enrolled in income-driven repayment prior to the forbearance period.​

Borrowers whose federal loans were recently transferred to another servicer, Aidvantage, may still be eligible for restitution.

Which states were involved in the settlement?
Qualifying residents of the following states will be covered under the restitution agreement: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Washington, D.C., is also included.

In addition, borrowers who qualify for debt cancellation must also reside in one of the aforementioned states or in the following states: Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and West Virginia.

What actions should borrowers take?
If a borrower qualifies for either debt cancellation or a restitution payment, they will be contacted directly.

A settlement administrator is expected to send those borrowers a postcard in the mail this spring, and checks would go out in mid-2022.

For those borrowers who are set to get their private loans forgiven, they would be contacted in writing by July 2022. 

The agreement among Navient and the states is still awaiting final court approval.

In the meantime, should borrowers keep paying off their loans?
Pierce recommends borrowers with private loans to keep paying or, if they can, consult an attorney about their situation.

Those with federal students loans are still benefiting from a moratorium on such payments through May 1, after the Biden administration extended the pause last month.

But there is permanent good news for those whose debt is forgiven, including under this latest settlement agreement with Navient, Pierce said.

Student loan forgiveness is tax-free as part of the White House's coronavirus stimulus package signed into law last year. Previously, any student loan debt canceled by the government was taxable.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/educat..._ma#anchor-Whoqualifiesforarestitutionpayment


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## Gregzs (Mar 12, 2022)

Ukrainian Refugees Are Hitting a Wall at the US-Mexico Border


The ripple effect from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reached the United States border, with the first trickle of people displaced by the conflict starting to arrive in Tijuana, Mexico, hoping to cross into the U.S. to seek protection.

The arrival of Ukrainian and Russian asylum-seekers — including at least one woman and her three children who were allowed into the U.S. on Thursday, and eight others currently stuck in Tijuana — is testing the limits of President Joe Biden’s willingness to continue enforcing a Trump-era policy that has blocked thousands of asylum-seekers from crossing the border.

The first Ukrainians arrived Monday at the port of entry near San Diego, a 34-year-old mother who’s been identified only as Sofiia, accompanied by her kids, ages, 14, 12, and 6. They were turned away twice, once in a car on Tuesday and later on foot, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which had a reporter present when Sofiia and her family tried to walk across into the U.S. on Wednesday. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents reportedly cited the policy known as Title 42 when turning the family away, according to immigration attorneys who were helping the family and tweeting from the scene on Wednesday. Enacted under President Donald Trump at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Title 42 puts tight restrictions on who can cross the border “in the interest of public health.”

In years past, migrants who reached the U.S. border could seek asylum or other humanitarian protections. They were typically detained or released into the country pending a final immigration court decision, a process that could take years due a large case backlog. Today, under Title 42, some people are flown back to their home countries but most are simply returned to Mexico, where they face threats of kidnapping, robbery, and worse at the hands of cartels and criminals along the border.

That was nearly the case with Sofiia.

“I’m not asking for anything from the United States, just to be let in,” she told the Union-Tribune after being turned away on Wednesday. “All we need is to be safe. All we want is to keep our lives safe.”

Sofiia reportedly worked as a Hebrew teacher in Ukraine and has family members in the U.S. who have helped her flee the Russian invasion. When the war began, Sofiia drove from Ukraine to neighboring Moldova, then Romania, and then flew to Frankfurt, Germany. From there, she flew to Mexico City and then took another flight to Tijuana.

“We left our lives, our jobs, our families and houses in Ukraine just to escape from this horrible war,” Sofiia told the Union-Tribune. “All my friends and family are far, far away from me, and I don’t know if they will be alive tomorrow. I just want to keep my kids’ lives safe.”

Erika Pinheiro, policy and litigation director for Al Otro Lado, an organization that provides legal aid and support for people trying to cross the border, told VICE News that what happened to Sofiia is an everyday occurrence for thousands of Central Americans, Haitians, and asylum-seekers from other countries who have been desperately trying to enter the U.S. since Title 42 began. The only recourse is to seek a “humanitarian exemption,” Pinheiro said.

“Usually those requests are only granted to refugees at imminent risk of death or those with extremely serious medical issues for which they cannot access care in Mexico, but I am hoping that we will have more success here given the situation in Ukraine,” said Pinheiro.

Blaine Bookey, legal director of Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, who helped Sofiia and her family in Tijuana, said CBP agents were hostile. 

“They’re telling families that Title 42 is in place, no exceptions,” Bookey said “They’re telling them to leave. They’ve been yelled at, told to move, just generally it’s an abusive environment.”

According to Al Otro Lado’s data, the approval rate for humanitarian exemption requests for Title 42 is around 25 percent for all nationalities aside from Haitians, and around 14 percent for Haitians. The approval rates differ drastically depending on the port of entry, Pinheiro said, with some regularly allowing exceptions and others granting virtually none.

“And those are almost all extreme medical cases,” Pinheiro said. “So, if [Sofiia] were not Ukrainian, she would most definitely be trapped in Tijuana until Title 42 is lifted.”

Sofiia was ultimately allowed to enter the U.S. on Thursday morning, but it’s unclear whether border officials will extend Title 42 exemptions to other Ukrainians. A spokesperson for CBP told VICE News that Sofiia and her family were permitted entry after the agency “reviewed the facts of their case.” The CBP spokesperson said the government is “continuing to exempt particularly vulnerable individuals from Title 42 on a case-by-case basis.” 

Asked about the situation with Ukrainians at the border, a White House spokesperson told VICE News that “Title 42 continues to be in place and is enforced – regardless of country of origin.”

But with mass displacement from the conflict and more Ukrainians seeking to reunite with family members in the United States, the Biden administration may soon face a reckoning with Title 42. As of Friday morning, according to Pinheiro, there were six Ukrainians and two Russians in Tijuana trying to cross into the U.S. and seek asylum.

One Ukrainian family was separated after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this week, leaving a father and his six-month-old baby on the U.S. side while the mother was held in immigration detention, according to an attorney who represents the family.

Immigration attorney Jacob Sapochnick told VICE News the family fled Ukraine a day before the first Russian attack, traveling through Poland to Germany, then taking a flight to the Mexican resort city of Cancún, then onto Mexico City and finally Tijuana. Ukrainians need a visa in order to fly to the United States, but they can book travel to Mexico without any special travel documents. With a tourist visa, Ukrainians can legally stay in Mexico for up to 180 days.

Sapochnick said his client Kirill Kara is a dual Ukrainian-American citizen but his wife Lena is not. The couple rented a car in Tijuana and drove with their baby to the border crossing.

“When they arrived at the CBP station the officer told them ‘I know why you are here’, and took her into custody,” Sapochnick said. “At the port of entry she was separated from her six-month-old baby. CBP had her in custody for six days before releasing her and that was only because I involved the media.”

Sapochnick said Lena Kara was released Friday and reunited with her husband and baby in the U.S. They are now planning to “explore all possibilities to allow her to stay with her family." 

The U.S. reluctance to unconditionally accept Ukrainians has drawn sharp criticism in light of the praise the Biden administration has heaped on European countries for welcoming refugees from the conflict with mostly open arms. As of March 11, most Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighboring countries, with 1.5 million going to Poland, 225,000 to Hungary, and 176,000 to Slovakia, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. Tens of thousands have also crossed into Russia, Romania, and Moldova, and more than a quarter-million others have left for other European countries, including Germany.

The U.S. State Department announced last week that Ukrainians can apply for a temporary visa at any American consulate, with the location in Frankfurt designated as the processing hub. Ukrainians already living in the U.S. now qualify for “Temporary Protected Status” or TPS, which will allow them to remain in the country indefinitely without fear of deportation. But the same TPS protections do not apply for new arrivals at the border.

The Biden administration has reportedly been quietly preparing to roll back Title 42 in April, according to a report Thursday from BuzzFeed News, which obtained documents indicating that U.S. officials plan to notify their Mexican counterparts about the plan in the coming week. News agency Reuters also reported Wednesday that Biden is “leaning” toward ending Title 42.

With more Ukrainians en route to the border, the White House may be forced to act soon. Sapochnick, the attorney for the family that was separated, said he’s been getting “more and more calls” from Ukrainians trying to apply for asylum in the U.S.

“Right now it is very unclear to know who CBP is using Title 42 on,” Sapochnick said. “It's very arbitrary.”









						Ukrainian Refugees Are Hitting a Wall at the US-Mexico Border
					

U.S. officials are citing a policy intended to halt the pandemic’s spread as they stop Ukrainians from seeking asylum.




					www.vice.com


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## Gregzs (Mar 31, 2022)

Florida woman impregnated with doctor's sperm in artificial insemination awarded $5.25 million


A federal court jury in Vermont on Wednesday awarded a Florida woman $5.25 million from a doctor who used his own sperm to impregnate her during an artificial insemination procedure in 1977.

The federal court jury in Burlington began deliberating on Tuesday and returned the verdict on Wednesday.

The verdict form filed in federal court in Burlington said the jury awarded plaintiff Cheryl Rousseau $250,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Dr. John Coates III.

Rousseau's attorney Celeste Laramie said in an email Wednesday after the verdict was announced, the jury awarded the amount they had requested and the jurors found Coates' behavior “to be wrongful and offensive."

“The jury through its punitive damages verdict sent a message to any physicians who might think about lying to their patients or using their own semen to inseminate their patients," she said. "Such behavior will have serious consequences.”

Laramie said Rousseau's husband, Peter, was initially a party to the lawsuit, but the judge ultimately found that Peter Rousseau had failed to prove he had suffered damages. His claims did not go to the jury for consideration.

Coates' attorney did not say if they planned to appeal the verdict.

“We were surprised and disappointed with the verdict," Defense attorney Peter Joslin said in an email.

Last month, the Vermont Medical Practice Board permanently revoked Coates' medical license. Coates, who practiced obstetrics and gynecology in the central Vermont area in the 1970s, is now retired.

Coates is also facing a second, similar lawsuit filed last year that remains pending in U.S. District Court in Vermont.

The original complaint says Coates agreed to inseminate Cheryl Rousseau with donor material from an unnamed medical student, who resembled Rousseau’s husband and had characteristics that she required.

Rousseau had wanted a child with her husband but he had a vasectomy that could not be reversed, according to the complaint.

Coates performed the artificial insemination but inserted his own genetic material, the lawsuit said.

The Rousseau lawsuit said they discovered what had happened when their now-grown daughter sought information about her biological father through DNA testing. The daughter determined Coates was her father, according to the lawsuit.









						Florida woman impregnated with doctor's sperm in artificial insemination awarded $5.25 million
					

A federal court jury in Vermont awarded a Florida woman $5.25 million from a doctor who used his sperm to impregnate her during an artificial insemination procedure.



					www.usatoday.com


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## Gregzs (Apr 3, 2022)

*Mexico suspends gasoline subsidy as Americans cross border for deals*
The subsidy suspension will cover Mexico border states as well as one of the world's busiest border crossings

Mexico, which has been subsidizing gasoline to soften price spikes, said on Saturday the policy would not apply in the U.S. border region this week, citing shortages as more Americans drive south to fill their tanks.

The suspension of the subsidy from April 2-8 covers cities in the border states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California, including Tijuana, one of the world's busiest border crossings.

Mexico's finance ministry said in a statement there was a gasoline shortage in the area "from an imbalance between supply and demand."

"In the United States, gasoline prices are higher than in Mexico, and citizens of that country cross the border to stock up," the finance ministry said.

As fuel prices have spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine, more people living in the United States are driving across the border into Mexico in search of lower gas prices.

Mexico's subsidy has been championed by the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has long promised to insulate consumers from sharp price hikes at the pump.

In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Deputy Finance Minister Gabriel Yorio said Mexico planned to use the extra revenue from higher oil prices to subsidize domestic gasoline and diesel prices.









						Mexico suspends gasoline subsidy as Americans cross border for deals
					

Mexico has announced its policy to subsidize gasoline in order to soften price spikes will not apply to the US border region.




					www.foxbusiness.com


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## Gregzs (Apr 20, 2022)

Trump ordered to pay ex-aide Omarosa Manigault Newman $1.3M in legal fees

Former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign has been ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in legal fees to former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman by a New York court arbitrator.

The award, handed down on Tuesday, comes after Trump filed a complaint against Manigault Newman over her 2018 book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," in which she called Trump a racist and suggested that he was in "real and serious" mental decline.

A source with the Trump campaign told ABC News that Trump intends to appeal the ruling.

Trump's arbitration complaint against Manigault Newman, with the American Arbitration Association in New York City in 2018, alleged that she was in breach of a 2016 confidentiality agreement.

Brown said in the ruling that the terms of the nondisclosure agreement were "highly problematic" because it did not adhere to typical legal standards -- describing it as "vague, indefinite, and therefore void and unenforceable."

In Tuesday's decision, Brown said that Manigault Newman was "defending herself in a claim which was extensively litigated for more than three years, against an opponent who undoubtedly commanded far greater resources than did Respondent."

Following the order, Manigault Newman's attorney tweeted, "$1.3 Million Attorney Fee and Cost Order Against the Trump Campaign Issued! (Highest known prevailing party attorney fee assessment against a President or Presidential Campaign)."

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Manigault Newman served as a liaison to the Black community. In her subsequent role as director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison, she was the highest-ranking African American woman in the White House.

She resigned from the position in December 2017 after reports of tension between her and then-Chief of Staff John Kelly.



			Trump ordered to pay ex-aide Omarosa Manigault Newman $1.3M in legal fees


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## Gregzs (May 7, 2022)

Thief Cut Victim’s Grass Before Taking Lawnmower


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## Gregzs (May 7, 2022)

Hillary Clinton on why losing abortion rights would be a threat to democracy


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## Gregzs (May 16, 2022)

Manifesto of teen charged with killing 10 in Buffalo mentions 3 N.J. towns, authorities say


The 180-page document allegedly written by the white teenager charged with killing 10 people in a grocery store in a predominantly Black Buffalo neighborhood Saturday mentions the Jewish communities in Lakewood, Toms River and Jersey City, authorities say.

Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said he was notified Saturday that Lakewood and Toms River were in the document authorities said was written by alleged shooter Payton Gendron, according to Patch.

The towns are listed among others in New York that have large Jewish communities, which Gendron wrote are “deplorable.”

“We reached out to those communities earlier today, and are working with our partners, departments and chiefs,” Mastronardy told the Asbury Park Press. “We monitor the activity at those locations.”

There was no specific threat to the communities in Ocean County, the sheriff said.

Gendron is charged with murder in a terrorist attack that authorities have said was a planned assault on nonwhite and non-Christian people meant to drive them from the country. He drove 200 miles to Upstate New York from his home in a small town near the Pennsylvania border. He said he planned to keep killing if he escaped the scene of the supermarket shooting, Buffalo police said.

Federal authorities were working to confirm the authenticity of the 180-page document allegedly written by Gendron.

The document also outlines a racist ideology rooted in a belief that the U.S. should belong only to white people. All others, the document said, were “replacers” who should be eliminated by force or terror.

In the portions of the manifesto that mentions Jewish communities, first reported by the Lakewood Scoop, Gendron verbally attacks areas with Hasidim populations, saying they are insular, care only about furthering their religious beliefs and are a drain on local populations’ resources. He also allegedly wrote that anyone who speaks against them are labeled antisemitic.

Lakewood is home to a majority Orthodox Jewish community, as well as a smaller Hasidic, or Hasidim, community. Towns that border Lakewood, including Toms River and Jackson, also have large Jewish populations.

Jersey City is also home to a Hasidic community, which was also targeted in an attack.

In the fall of 2019, a man and woman went on a shooting rampage, killing a Jersey City police officer, then firing in a kosher market in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood, killing three more people. The suspects died in a gun battle with police.

And last month in Lakewood, Jews were targeted by a man who stabbed one, carjacked another and struck two with a vehicle in a crime spree authorities allege was motivated by hate. That suspect, who faces a federal terrorism charge, allegedly said in an interview with detectives that “the Hasidic Jews (are) the real devils.”

In Buffalo, the community mourned the 10 people who died in the shooting and prayed for the three others who were injured.

At State Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, Deacon Heyward Patterson was mourned during services Sunday. Pastor Russell Bell couldn’t wrap his mind around the attack and Patterson’s death.

“I don’t understand what that is, to hate people just because of their color, to hate people because we’re different. God made us all different. That’s what makes the world go ‘round,” he said.









						Manifesto of teen charged with killing 10 in Buffalo mentions 3 N.J. towns, authorities say
					

In the 180-page document, Payton Gendron wrote he wanted to terrorize all nonwhite, non-Christian people and get them to leave the country, Buffalo police said.




					www.nj.com


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## Gregzs (Jun 25, 2022)

Burger King Employee Trending After Receiving Goodie Bag for 27 Years of Perfect Attendance

An unidentified Burger King employee is trending right now due to a video of them receiving a goodie bag after working at the company for 27 years, with no days missed.

The viral video first appeared on Reddit's ABoringDystopiaPage, as it showed the employee displaying to the camera a goodie bag he received as a reward for his nearly three decades of service at Burger King. Its contents were a movie ticket, a bag of Reese’s Pieces, a Starbucks tumbler, a lanyard, two pens, some keychains and two packs of Lifesavers.

Despite the worker appearing genuinely grateful for the reward, many on social media were upset at how modest it seemed in comparison to 27 years of perfect attendance at Burger King.

And though some assumed that the goodie bag gift was from his co-workers, the comments section was still fiercely opinionated, with thoughts ranging from being appalled at how Burger King allegedly treated this employee's loyalty to admiration of the humble and thankful attitude the man showed.

One person tweeted,"We trying to figure out why after 27 years of loyalty you gifted one of your most loyal employees some back to school supplies."

Another chimed in, "People are talking down on him, it’s weird. Some people really don’t need much in life and y’all forget it was only a few hundred years ago where all we did was hunt and gather."









						Burger King Employee Trending After Receiving Goodie Bag for 27 Years of Perfect Attendance
					

Despite the worker appearing grateful for the reward, many on social media were upset at how modest it seemed compared to his 27 years of loyalty.




					www.foodbeast.com


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## Gregzs (Jun 25, 2022)

David Spade Donates Thousands to Viral Burger King Employee


David Spade seems moved by the Burger King employee who got a mediocre goodie bag in recognition of 27 years without missing work ... giving him money and making him laugh.

Kevin Ford, who went viral this week after showing off his company gifts, tells TMZ ... his daughter let him know someone named David Spade donated $5,000 to his GoFundMe, but he wasn't sure it was the comedian himself, until he checked his Instagram inbox.






David slid in Kevin's direct messages ... telling him to keep it up after 27 years on the job without a break, and even cracking a joke about waiting a few more years before finally taking a day off.

Kevin tells us he's a huge fan of David's, so to get a donation plus some fun back and forth with Spade is surreal.

With David's $5k donation, Kevin's GoFundMe has now raised over $30,000 ... with the money going to help him visit his daughters and grandkids in Texas. He also says he wants to use the dough to buy a new Ford hybrid.

Kevin's going to take a day off eventually ... and hopefully before David's deadline.









						David Spade Donates Thousands to Viral Burger King Employee
					

David Spade donated to the viral Burger King employee and joked with him about taking a day off after 27 years without missing work.




					www.tmz.com


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## Gregzs (Jun 27, 2022)

NTSB to investigate Missouri Amtrak train derailment crash


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## Gregzs (Aug 24, 2022)

Plastic ban bag backfires at some New Jersey supermarkets


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## Gregzs (Sep 15, 2022)

*No, King Charles III won't pay any inheritance tax on his massive gain*

King Charles III has ascended to the U.K. throne, but he won't have to pay the U.K.'s inheritance tax on the massive wealth he inherits from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. That's because of a deal the royals made with the government nearly 30 years ago.

Regular citizens must pay the standard inheritance tax rate of 40% on any part of an estate that's valued above a threshold of 325,000 pounds (about $374,000). There are common exceptions, such as money left to a spouse or a charity.

But under an agreement with the monarchy that then-Prime Minister John Major announced in 1993, assets passing from a sovereign to their successor aren't subject to the inheritance tax.

*The exemption was part of a broader tax deal*

As Charles becomes king — at a time when the U.K. government and its constituents are struggling to cope with an energy crisis, soaring food prices and a troubled health care system — the arrangement is now under fresh scrutiny.

At the time, Major warned of "the danger of the assets of the monarchy being salami-sliced away by capital taxation through generations, thus changing the nature of the institution in a way that few people in this country would welcome."

In the 1993 deal, both Queen Elizabeth II and Charles agreed to pay a personal income tax, after reaching out to the government to ask how they might voluntarily pay taxes.

The queen would pay her taxes in "precisely the same way as every other taxpayer," Major said. But he also stated, "In the unique circumstances of an hereditary monarchy, special arrangements are needed for inheritance tax."

*Pass the duchy*

Queen Elizabeth II's death does more than trigger Charles becoming king. It also sets in motion two lucrative holdings that generate millions in income each year: the late queen's Duchy of Lancaster, which now goes to Charles, and the Duchy of Cornwall, which transfers from Charles to Prince William.

The two portfolios have been linked to the reigning sovereign and his or her heir since the 1300s. They stand apart from the queen's personal fortune, which is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Duchy of Lancaster includes prime real estate in London, along with 10 castles, swaths of farmland and an airfield. It was recently valued at $750 million and delivered a net surplus of about $27.6 million for the queen. As an expert on royal finances has noted to NPR, the monarchy forcibly seized most of the land holdings hundreds of years ago.

"In many ways, the queen shouldn't own the Duchy of Lancaster," David McClure, author of The Queen's True Worth, said last winter. "It really should be owned by the state. But because it's gone on for so long and it's embarrassing, no one has done anything about it. You know, it's a cash cow."

The Duchy of Cornwall is also a money-maker. Its most recent audit lists net assets of about $1.2 billion, and $26.4 million in "distributable surplus" for the financial year that ended on March 31, 2022.

Calculating the monarchy's wealth is complicated, due to their extensive holdings and the challenge of discerning the financial affairs of royalty — people whose identity and livelihood are intertwined with their official, state-supported roles.

In addition to the Duchy of Lancaster, for instance, the sovereign also gets millions of dollars through an annual grant from the Crown Estate, a massive property portfolio that includes much of Regent Street in London. As the Crown Estate website notes, it "belongs to the reigning monarch," but it isn't their private property, and they get only a share of the revenue it generates.









						No, King Charles III won't pay any inheritance tax on his massive gain
					

Under a government agreement, King Charles III won't have to pay the U.K.'s standard 40% inheritance tax on the massive wealth he inherits from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.




					www.npr.org


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## Gregzs (Oct 29, 2022)

Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich | Official Trailer


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## Gregzs (Sunday at 11:53 AM)

Pro-Bolsonaro protesters storm Brazil’s Congress in capital​
RIO DE JANEIRO — Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress in the capital on Sunday, climbing on top of its roof and breaking the glass in its windows.

Others demonstrators were gathering outside the presidential palace and Supreme Court, although it was not immediately clear whether they had managed to break into the buildings.


The incidents, which recalled the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, come just a week after leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in on Jan. 1.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting against Lula’s electoral win since Oct. 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fires and gathering outside military buildings, asking armed forces to intervene.



			Pro-Bolsonaro protesters storm Brazil’s Congress in capital


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