NEW YORK - A pampered pooch who inherited 12 million dollars from a late US hotel magnate earlier this year has fled to Florida under an assumed name after receiving death threats, a report said Monday.
Trouble, a white Maltese who belonged to billionaire Leona Helmsley until her death in August, was flown by private jet under tight security two months ago after receiving around 20 such threats, the New York Post reported. It said the rich bitch was now living at an undisclosed location in Florida, a favourite with retirees escaping the winter, without naming its sources.
The paper did not say who was suspected of being behind the threats, but Trouble is said to have earned countless enemies due to a penchant for biting.
John Codey, who is in charge of the pampered poochs trust fund, told US television network CBS last week that there had been threats to kidnap the dog. He added that the cost of Troubles round-the-clock security detail, medical care, chef-cooked meals and grooming were an estimated 300,000 dollars a year. The dog was previously living at a 28-room estate in Connecticut.
When Trouble dies, any remaining money from her trust will go to the charitable foundations that inherited the lions share of Helmsleys estimated four-billion-dollar estate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/04/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"said to have earned countless enemies due to a penchant for biting."
They do say dogs are like their owners.
A waitress has refused to be classified as disabled even though she was born with feet that face backwards. Wang Fang, 27, of Chongqing city in China, was born with her feet facing the wrong way, but has learned to live with her condition without problems and recently refused a disability pension.
Wang Fang, 27, was born with feet facing backwards She said: "I can run faster than most of my friends and have a regular job as a waitress in the family restaurant. There is no reason to class me as disabled."
Doctors and her family feared she would not be able to walk properly when she was born, but agreed that she can now outrun anyone she knows. Wang, who has a five year-old son with normal feet, said: "I can walk as well as anyone else, and even run faster than them. I'm like everyone else - except of course that I put my shoes on backwards."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2007 14:11 ||
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#1
Actually it looks like they are bent over forwards to the point of being "backwards". Her toenails are on the bottom!
#2
Weird.
IIRC, backward feet were supposed to be one of the distinguishing features of faeries, feys, changelings,... trying to pass themselves as humans - like demonic apparitions which supposedly always have such a malformation when disguised as benevolent angels, loved ones, or humans (that is why when the BVM will appear to you sometimes soon, you should ask to see her feet, just to be on the safe side).
Oh, and I've no doubt she can outrun me, assuming she's even marginally able to move.
#5
This was a years-old dream/vision of mine, albeit I admit I'm still pondering the proper interpolation or interpretation/symbolism of it, espec where God-Heaven is concerned.
ERROL FLYN/RONALD REAGAN as NOT "JOHN BROWN" in "SANTA FE TRAIL" > JEHOVAH/ALMIGHTY IS A JEALOUS GOD... JEHOVAH IS A GOD OF WAR. Are some or certain thingys that not even MADONNA, etc. FANS are meant to [immediately] comprehend.
You know the drill.
OVERWORKED nurses have been ordered to stop all medical work five times every day to move Muslim patients beds so they face towards Mecca. The lengthy procedure, which also includes providing fresh bathing water, is creating turmoil among overstretched staff on bustling NHS wards.
But despite the havoc, Mid- Yorkshire NHS Trust says the rule must be instigated whenever possible to ensure Muslim patients have a more comfortable stay in hospital. And a taxpayer-funded training programme for several hundred hospital staff has begun to ensure that all are familiar with the workings of the Muslim faith.
The scheme is initially being run at Dewsbury and District Hospital, West Yorkshire, but is set to be introduced at other hospitals in the new year. It comes on the back of the introduction in some NHS hospitals last year of Burka-style gowns for Muslim patients who did not wish medical staff to see their face while operating or caring for them.
Last night critics slammed the procedure and claimed the NHS would be better off investing its resources in tackling killer superbugs such as C.diff and MRSA. One experienced nurse working at Dewsbury said: It would be easier to create Muslim-only wards with every bed facing Mecca than have to deal with this." That would take all the fun out of watching the dhimmis scurry.
Some people might think it is not that big a deal, but we have a huge Muslim population in Dewsbury and if we are having to turn dozens of beds to face Mecca five times a day, plus provide running water for them to wash before and after prayers, it is bound to impact on the essential medical service we are supposed to be providing. Although the beds are designed to be moved, the bays are not really suitable for having loads of beds moved around to face a different direction, and despite our best efforts it does cause disruption for non-Muslim patients.
The changes have been instigated by Dewsbury and District Hospitals chief matron, Catherine Briggs, after she held a series of consultation meetings with local Asian GPs, ethnic minority patients groups and Muslim chaplain Ilyas Dalal to find out what staff could do to further improve Muslim patients experience of the NHS.
In accordance with the rules of Islam, Muslims are required to pray five times a day. The religion dictates they must wash themselves in running water prior to prayer and must be facing in the direction of Mecca while praying. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is revered as the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed, who was born around 570AD.
Turning beds so they face towards Mecca was a key proposal put forward during the hospital meetings, along with suggestions that Muslim women should only be seen by female doctors. Although the Trust, which also oversees hospitals in Wakefield and Pontefract, could not guarantee women-only doctors, they agreed that wherever possible specific patient requests would be carried out.
Mrs Briggs said: Some of our former Muslim patients suggested that a more informed understanding of the Islamic cultures would help staff to further improve their service.
Last night Conservative MP David Davies said: Hospitals should be concentrating on stopping the spread of infections than kow-towing to the politically correct brigade. If the need for fresh running water is so great then perhaps family members could be on hand to assist the already overworked medical staff.
#1
Mrs Briggs said: Some of our former Muslim patients suggested that a more informed understanding of the Islamic cultures would help staff to further improve their service.
#2
Let them build and run their own hospital.
In the mean time if they want help they can go to the gov one without bed turning... unless they pay extra for it...
Of course with socialized medicine can you charge extra?
#4
Good little dhimmis. This sort of thing isn't that necessary, but it's good training, and it establishes necessary precedents for what's to come in the future.
#7
despite our best efforts it does cause disruption for non-Muslim patients.
hmmm, yes let's not mind that this practice disrupts everyone else, but we must give the Muslims special treatment.
The Muslims have truly taken over, by saturation of the area.
the NHS would be better off investing its resources in tackling killer superbugs such as C.diff and MRSA
oh no, this makes too much sense.
I'm sorry, but I just came off from working three 16 hour shifts in a row, while it was very busy, and the thought of having to do something so incredibly stupid in my view, while actual medical procedures need to be carried out is outrageous. How can this even be given a serious consideration. Hell, how would one ensure that the direction is correct? Ah yes a little to the left, now back to the right a bit....5 times a day for this crap? I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but this is total crap. Not just the beds but all of the IV's, monitors and other equipment that we have hooked up, is this a real practice in say Iraq?
I'm going to bed now.
Posted by: Jan ||
12/04/2007 3:17 Comments ||
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#8
Islamic law exempts the ill and wounded from obligations like prayers or fasting; if you are too weak for turning towards Mecca then you are exempted. Period. In other words for all of Islam's idiocy it is still leagues behind the dhimmyleft's one.
#10
Do they do this in Aghanistan, which is 100% Muslim? How about the Maldives? And how often do they turn the beds in Soddy Arabia?
If you live in Mecca, which way do you face? Which way do the hospital beds face?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2007 7:22 Comments ||
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#11
If you live in Mecca, which way do you face? Which way do the hospital beds face?
I'm not sure, I think they spin around faster and faster, until they start to levitate and then everybody shout allah u akbar and make faces. I think I saw that once on Youtube.
#12
Having clicked the link to verify that this is neither Scrappleface nor The Onion, I have to say that Queen Elizabeth may as well take her crown down to the local mosque right away.
#13
National Health Service. Coming soon to a ward near you!
Offer the patients a choice - they can be turned to Mecca or they can have medical care. If they need running water for their feet, they can pull out their IVs and use that.
#14
Time to send in "Nurse Queenie", when he's not busy with Hamza the Hook. Will this "face Mecca" routine apply to dying suicide bombers (as in Glasgow) who don't cark it for a week or so after their bombs go off?
#16
Are the nurses organized in the UK. I mean, do they belong to a labor union? Seems to me the hospitals requiring the nurses to turn the muslims toward Mecca are putting a large and unreasonable burden on the nurses at the expense of the other patients. Seems to me to be a good issue to strike over. Would get a great deal of sympathy from the average guy on the street. Refuse the order to move the muslim patients. Boycott. Strike. Fight back. Do something!
Is this one of the hospitals I read about that took down all the crucifixes that were on the walls so as not to offend patients of a certain religion? I guess that gesture wasn't enough to appease the muslims and to improve their experience of the NHS. Giving the muslims burka-style gowns didn't work to appease them.
Next step in the muslim agenda might be to require the infidel nurses to personally perform the ablutions for the muslims before prayer five times each day. Then again, being touched by an infidel might be haram in the case of ablutions before prayer. Not sure.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/04/2007 9:17 Comments ||
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#17
As a pastafarian I expect the nurses to carry out their sacred obligations to wednesdays blow-job day.
#18
The Brits ought to build Islam-compliant hospital ships. They can circle off-shore (in the Red Sea, for instance) and every patient would be facing Mecca at one point or another.
That, or put the hospital beds on big "lazy Susans".
#21
OVERWORKED nurses have been ordered to stop all medical work five times every day to move Muslim patients beds so they face towards Mecca. The lengthy procedure, which also includes providing fresh bathing water, is creating turmoil among overstretched staff on bustling NHS wards.
That has to be the funniest thing I've read in years. What a perfect Monty Python skit it would make.
#22
In response to the shitstorm this has stirred up, from the Mid- Yorkshire NHS Trust website...
Media coverage - 4 December 2007
A number of media have today ran an entirely inaccurate story claiming that we have ordered staff to move Muslim patients beds to face towards Mecca. This has stemmed from the above press release. We wanted to make sure that you understand the correct position and this story is completely untrue.
Tracey McErlain-Burns, our chief nurse and director of patient experience, said: Our statement has been wrongly interpreted. The Muslim Moulana at Dewsbury and District Hospital is holding internal workshops for nurses to help develop their cultural understanding. Nurses are not being removed from their duties to move patients beds towards Mecca. Moving patients beds for prayer five times a day has not been suggested as part of this workshop and staff have not been ordered to do this.
In the context of responding to requests from patients and families, particularly when faced with a very ill patient, it is entirely reasonable that nurses consider all practical steps to meet a patients cultural or religious needs. This may include adjusting the position of the bed, or escorting the patient to the chapel or faith centre.
Nurses and other staff at Dewsbury and District Hospital are taking part in a training course to develop their cultural understanding as part of The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trusts continued commitment to meet the privacy and dignity needs of all their patients.
The training has been introduced after Catherine Briggs, hospital matron at Dewsbury and District Hospital, met with members of the black and ethnic minority community including patients, local groups and a local GP to find out what staff can do to further improve patients experience.
Matron Briggs said: I was very pleased to hear that many of our past patients said that overall they were very happy with the care provided to them at our hospital. Some of our former Muslim patients also suggested that a more informed understanding of the Islamic cultures would help staff to further improve their service.
In response to these comments I have been working with Moulana Ilyas Dalal, our senior Muslim chaplain at the hospital to develop a training package that will better inform staff of the different cultural and religious needs of patients.
Matron Briggs added: We are committed to providing the highest possible standards of care to every one of our patients and we know that Dewsbury and District Hospital treats a high number of patients from the Muslim community. We always do our best to listen to our patients and are willing to adapt our nursing practices where possible to help patients uphold their cultural beliefs. Im sure that after this training our staff will have a greater understanding of different cultures and will be in a better position to do this.
The Trust has already made changes to better meet the needs of their Muslim patients and during the training sessions Moulana Ilyas spoke to hospital staff about how they can make small changes to help patients uphold the Islamic faith.
Changes that the hospital has already made for their Muslim patients include:
Positioning the beds of very ill Muslim patients to face Mecca if requested by the patient
Providing shower facilities for patients, as well as bathing facilities
Providing halal meal options for patients.
Beverley Brook from ward 6 at Dewsbury and District Hospital was one of the first members of staff to enrol on the training course.
Beverley said: I found the training session really useful. Although I already knew quite a lot about the Islamic faith, this gave me a greater understanding on how we can make small changes on a daily basis that will really make a difference to our Muslim patients. Ill be taking everything that I learnt back to my colleagues on the ward.
The exhibition is titled "America! Stories of Painting from the New World"
There's more than one way to show the Flag (and celebrate Western Civilization)
(ANSA) - Brescia, December 4 - The untamed beauty of the American landscape is showcased in a major new exhibition here in the northern town of Brescia celebrating the evolution of painting in the United States during the 19th century. Around 250 works, many in characteristically large format, trace over one hundred years of artistic tradition at the Museo di Santa Giulia, from images of natural wonders to portraits of cowboys and Indians peopling the country's great plains.
''This is an absolute first for Italy,'' said curator Marco Goldin. ''We can marvel at paintings that are almost unknown here but that are imbued with a profound beauty and remarkable charm''.
The stars of the show are the artists of the Hudson River School (1825-1875), whose topographically accurate landscape paintings emphasized the awesome vastness of the natural scenery. On display are images of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains by Thomas Cole, the swirling water mists of Niagara Falls by Frederic Edwin Church, and ominous arcs of cloud over mountains by Albert Bierstadt. Tropical and exotic landscapes are on show too, as North American painters inspired by tales of South America by the German explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) began to travel and record scenes from Colombia, Brazil, the Caribbean and the Arctic regions. Humming birds and orchids by Martin Johnson Heade from voyages to Brazil and Jamaica and William Bradford's studies of icebergs from trips along the coast of Nova Scotia and Labrador are among the works here. The American love affair with Italy is also documented in paintings by artists such as Thomas Cole, George Innes and Sanford Robinson Gifford, who were inspired by the layers of history and the Mediterranean light on their grand tours of Europe.
Cowboys, native American Indians and life in the Wild West take over the next section of the show in paintings with strong narrative impact by Frederic Remington and George Catlin as pioneers began to move west beyond the frontier in the second half of the century, conquering and settling new territories.
Rounding off the exhibition is a series of works documenting the influence of Impressionism on American painting following an exhibition by French artists including Monet, Renoir, Manet and Degas that wowed New York in 1886. A special section is dedicated to two of the greatest artists working at the end of the century: Winslow Homer, famous for seascapes such as 'The Fog Warning' (1885), and portrait painter John Singer Sargent.
Alongside the paintings are around 60 photographs illustrating 19th-century America, from city life in New York to cowboys herding bison on the plains. Some 60 native American Indian artifacts including tomahawks, buffalo-horn headdresses, decorated moccasins, children's toys and objects for religious rites are also on show, on loan from the Gilcrease Museum of Tulsa, Oklahoma. ''This isn't just an art exhibition,'' Goldin explained. ''I wanted to reconstruct the history of a civilization and a nation in the 19th century in the museum spaces''.
A special section has been reserved for Buffalo Bill, the frontiersman-turned-showman who travelled Europe with his Wild West spectacular, staging recreations of battles with native American Indians. Rome and Naples were among the dates of his 1889-90 tour of Europe, when he brought Arapaho and Sioux Indians to Italy for the first time. Snaps of Bill under Vesuvius, in front of the Colosseum and in a Venetian gondola from his 1906 tour are included here, and his original Colt revolver and Remington shotgun are also on display.
Goldin said the show had been made possible thanks to the collaboration of major American museums such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts but also of institutes such as the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming.
''People who know about the history and the painting of the era also know that museums of smaller cities conserve collections that are absolutely unforgettable,'' he said.
America! Stories of Painting from the New World runs at the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia until 4 May 2008.
#1
To put in perspective the 100 million gallons of alk. it will produce per year is (assuming all of a bbl of oil == it) about 1/4 of one days worth of oil imports.
However this is made from waste wood products..
So its 1/4 day of treasure stay in the country.
We need more like this. Many more.
#2
Robert Zubrin's new book apparantly suggests the government mandate cars have engines that can run on gas or methonal (perhaps ethonal I'm not sure) as they do in Brazil. He suggests that such a move in the US would pretty much get the major car folks to switch over globally and really start the various non-oil industries.
Sounds like a decent plan to me, I'm wondering if anyone here sees any obvious holes besides the cost of government mandating such things.
#3
Ethanol absorbs water, so storing and shipping it will incur cost over gasoline.
It also contains less energy than octane, so you'll need to burn more to go as far. Is that a big deal? I dunno... we're already talking about different materials for gas tanks--might as well make them bigger while we're at it.
I had once heard about issues with alcohol burners having a hard time starting in the extreme cold. (Not a problem in Brazil, but it would be a potential problem in Minnesota.) Frankly I'm not sure of the particulars of that one. I imagine E85 is used up north. (Even if it becomes E70 in the winter.) Anyone know the truth about that one?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
