A 65-year-old man shot two teens, one fatally, as they tried to rob him Wednesday morning on a trail near the Schuylkill River, police said.
According to investigators, the man was riding his bicycle on the trail near the Bertolet Fishing Dock at South First Avenue and Chestnut Street in West Reading. The teens knocked the man off his bicycle, and two of them assaulted him.
The man pulled out a handgun and shot them both. Another success for concealed carry...
#2
The gentleman was released without charges because the prosecutor refused to take the case, and the dead boy's mother asked only that she could inform relatives before his name was released to reporters. I second Bright Pebbles.
Johnathan Doody was 17 when he was arrested in the August 1991 murders of six monks and three others at a Buddhist temple in the West Valley farming community of Waddell.
On Tuesday, Doody, now 37, was back in Maricopa County Superior Court as prosecutors prepare to try him again for the killings that came to be known as the temple murders.
The trial judge imposed nine consecutive life sentences. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the conviction, first in 2010, ruling that the confession had been coerced, and again in 2011 after the state asked the court to reconsider.
Last October, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, which sent it back to Maricopa County Superior Court for retrial. Prosecutors will retry the case without Doody's confession.
The victims' bodies were found Aug. 10, 1991, face down in a circle, and each, six men, two youths and one elderly woman, had been shot in the head several times, execution style.
At first, sheriff's investigators pursued four men from Tucson, then stumbled upon Doody and Alessandro Garcia. Garcia, who had committed a murder at a campground in Tonto National Forest, pleaded guilty and testified against Doody. It is generally believed that the murderers slaughtered these nine people on the belief that the temple contained a lot of gold. In fact, the only gold was a tiny amount of gold leaf applied to statues.
[An Nahar] Police in Thailand said Wednesday that they had apprehended a thief with more than a thousand pairs of women's underwear in the trunk of his car.
Police also found more than ten thousand pairs at the house of the 48-year-old Thai suspect, who was set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock late Tuesday with an accomplice after breaking into a building in Bangkok's Chinatown.
They said the man admitted to stealing and collecting women's underwear since the age of 18.
"He smelled them all the time even while driving," said police Major General Saroj Promcharoen.
The suspect will be charged with stealing property, though not the underwear for now because there is no plaintiff, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] New Zealand police said Tuesday they were shocked at the number of mothers they found breastfeeding babies while driving along motorways in the country's largest city Auckland.
Police said they stopped three breastfeeding drivers this month while carrying out a 10-day operation aimed at ensuring children were properly restrained in vehicles.
"They were each driving a vehicle on the motorway. They were stopped and spoken to," Inspector Shanan Gray said, stressing that the practice placed both mother and child "in an extremely dangerous situation".
"If they had to stop their vehicle suddenly, or they were involved in a serious crash, the infant would surely be ejected from the vehicle," he said.
Gray said police were also stunned at the number of children being transported in car boots (trunks).
He said the number of children found to be at risk during the operation was "extremely disappointing".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
And for safety's sake, guys, make sure your girlfriend/wife is doing the driving while breastfeeding.
#5
What is the proper road etiquette? Do you slow to the speed limit when you take your baby in and out of the car seat? Also, does the baby get in the way when you go to beep the horn?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2012 18:38 Comments ||
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#6
OK, the breastfeeding while driving is a little weird, but the part that gets me is: police were also stunned at the number of children being transported in car boots
As most of readers know, foreign travelers abroad can be beset by emergencies and calamities that simply cannot be anticipated.
Such was the case for Mick Bryan, 61, and his wife, Jacqueline, 43, who were traveling in Tanzania in recent days and had just celebrated Jacqueline's birthday. Subsequently, after pulling up to a campsite to have lunch, a swarm of bees suddenly converged on both of them, at which point Mick Bryan warned his wife to run.
Tragically, Mick Bryan was stunk multiple times and died shortly after being bitten. Although Jacqueline was stung as well, she was able to summon help from a nearby road. British diplomats in Tanzania are assisting Mrs. Bryan with arrangements. Get tested by an allergy specialist to see if you're vulnerable. Anaphylactic shock is a deadly condition for 3% of us.
#1
Obviously the government must take over nutritional decisions outside of the schools as well because the unwashed just can'twon't make the decisions the elites approve of.
I think we can safely dispense with the 48-hour rule here.
It is a "myth" that regularly eating fried foods causes heart attacks, researchers have found, as long as you use olive oil or sunflower oil. I didn't bother to read any further than this.
A fear-inducing advertisement, posted around New York City, warning that too much sugary soda will give you diabetes and cause you to lose limbs has come under scrutiny because the amputee in the poster lost his leg due to Photoshop, not diabetes.
The poster, a product of Michael Bloombergs health crusade in the city, depicts an obese man with a missing leg and warns that growing portions, specifically of soda, can cause type 2 diabetes and subsequent amputations.
First of all, the best way to gain weight is the combination of carbohydrates and fats.
However, if you are overweight, eating little or no carbohydrates, and a lot of protein and fat, and you will likely lose a lot of weight.
A high carbohydrate and low fat diet can be very bad for your health, possibly creating a fatty liver, high triglycerides, etc.
Coconut oil is a rarity, in that it is a medium chain triglyceride, which is absorbed directly and does not have to take the extensive route that most fats and oils do to be digested. It is very useful for people who have a hard time with their digestion of fats and oils.
Oddly enough, while it is good way to generate heat in the body, it is hard for it to be converted to white body fat, and may contribute to its metabolic use.
Another factor is the "Omega balance". Omega-6 factor is common in our diets, but needs to be balanced with Omega-3 (fish oil) factor for optimal digestion and use of blood triglycerides. Importantly, of the two factors within Omega-3, called EPA and DHA, the latter is the most desirable, enough so that it is now sold separately. (Not to be confused with DHEA, which is an entirely different substance.)
Most recently, it was discovered that raw foods are much more difficult to digest, and far lower in their nutritional value, than cooked foods. So much so that it is difficult to survive eating just raw foods, and those who live on raw food diets are prone to malnutrition.
It also means that food calorie tables based on proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, are incorrect, being based on incineration of food in calorimeters, not digestion.
#7
Your metabolism converts to burn fats and protein since there are no carbs to burn. Also, since you are not processing carbs, you don't need as much water in your system, so a lot of the initial weight loss is due to peeing out this now unnecessary water, and not actually losing as much fat as you might incorrectly infer.
#8
It's the "meat eaters" or Atkins diet. As long as you eat under 40 grams of carbs a day, you can eat as much meat and fat as you want, and still lose weight.
There's about a 2 week start time on the diet until the liver loses enough stored glycogen for the state of ketosis to kick in. At that point, not having glycogen to burn, the body starts consuming fatty acids, and you start losing fat weight, not muscle.
Done properly, an overweight person can shed a lot of pounds fairly quickly, but if they start eating carbs again, they will put it right back on.
One problem is called the "carb werewolf", in that once you have been on the diet for a while, and you eat some carbs, you can't stop yourself from overeating them.
A trick is to also have a half teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day, because it has an ingredient that normalizes blood sugar levels, preventing peaks and valleys that cause hunger.
#11
I don't believe in diets, most are b.s. - if you maintain clean eating habits say 6 days a week -i.e. - fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and clean proteins that is (IMHO) 75% of the battle, the other 20% is consistent and results oriented exercise, 5% is genetics. Just my experience but the food closest to the source is generally better. I generally abstain from sugary or fried foods during the week - not because of the b.s. heart issues but because of the mass amount of calories and little ROI nutrition wise. If you look at your body as a performance car it kind of makes sense. However, I do go "carb werewolf" one day a week & it doesn't sink my progress. I usually eat pretty much whatever I want on Saturday (hey, ya gotta enjoy life and the occasional krispy kreme!) and eat clean the rest of the week, this works for me (pushing 40, still run a high first class PFT/CFT and 21 lbs under my weight max) but certainly might not work everyone.
"It's where I spent my youth. I grew up on that ship," said 85-year-old Lee Hunt of Charleston, S.C., a member of the original crew when it was commissioned. "I went on it when I was 17 and spent my 18th birthday killing people in Germany in the invasion of France and right on into Okinawa and the Philippines and what have you. This means a lot. I spent a lot of time on that ship."
He said it was no surprise that, by 1945, the Laffey would encounter suicide attacks by Japanese aviators.
"We knew we were going to get hit. Every destroyer out there on picket duty knew they were going to be attacked," said Hunt, who said he had no time to get nervous because he was on the ship and doing what the crew was asked to do.
#1
...This was a close one - there were some very quiet discussions about whether or not the museum would be able to save Laffey, but fortunately the state stepped up. If you've never been to Patriot's Point, take the time.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/26/2012 16:15 Comments ||
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#2
Thank you for the post. I went on to read other comments. Made in America.
#3
If you've never been to Patriot's Point, take the time.
You bet Mike, though spending a hot ass July night aboard the Yorktown with cub scout troops from around the southeast screaming and yelling wasnt my ideal r & r. I'm glad I did it.
[Al Ahram] Nigerian troops have withdrawn from the streets of the commercial capital Lagos following a public outcry over their deployment in the wake of mass fuel protests, a front man said Wednesday.
"The soldiers have left Lagos. Their withdrawal was approved by the military authorities," military front man Colonel Mohammed Yerima told AFP, adding that the pullback took place on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, armoured tanks and hundreds of soldiers had deployed to trouble spots in Lagos, the country's largest city with a population of around 15 million, to quell week-long protests over the removal of fuel subsidies.
On the deployment's first day, more than 100 soldiers cordoned off the main protest venue in downtown Lagos' Ojota neighbourhood.
Police also fired tear gas to disperse protesters while in one incident soldiers drove armoured cars into a surging crowd.
The move drew harsh criticism from prominent Nigerians, including Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who demanded the army immediately withdraw from central Lagos.
President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... set off a wave of protests when he abolished fuel subsidies on January 1, causing petrol prices to more than double.
A subsequent general strike locked the country down for several days and cost the regional powerhouse an estimated $1.3 billion (one billion euros). The government eventually agreed to a lesser price hike.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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Wouldn't the troops be more useful and effective up north crushing Boco Haram?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/26/2012 1:26 Comments ||
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The Islamists are killing enough Christians without help from the military.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2012 18:23 Comments ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The body of Zim-bob-we's first army commander General Solomon Mujuru had a hole in the abdomen and emitted blue flames when it was retrieved from his farmhouse that was gutted by fire last year, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
Police Constable Clatwell Garisayi, who was the 23rd witness to give evidence after the inquest opened last week, was the first to give graphic details of how the body of the husband of Vice President Joice Mujuru was discovered.
"At the back of the house, people managed to identify a bluish flame. There was an object, which was burning. I peeped through the window and saw an object with folded hands...it was a akin to a human body," he said.
When the body was finally retrieved, it took 10 buckets of water to put out the flames, the police officer revealed.
"The body was still on fire and there were strange blue flames coming out of both sides of his abdomen and around the body," Cont Garisayi said. "Ahah! An obvious case of spontaneous combustion!"
"Homes! How do you do it?"
Another police officer Inspector Simon Dube said: "The fire was bluish and the area covering the chest had flesh but the bottom area was heavily burnt and on the head only the skull remained."
"His lungs and intestines were burnt extensively and the head was just a skull," he said.
The general's widow said after the hearing the inquest will provide answers to what happened to her husband whom many believe was assassinated.
"It's becoming clearer and clearer what happened and the inquest is proving to be the best way of handling the matter," Ms Mujuru said.
Last week she said the security lapses at the farm, which was supposed to be guarded around the clock, were "shocking."
On Tuesday, the inquest was told that police at the nearest station had no vehicle to respond to the fire after they received a call at 3:15 am on August 16.
Gen Mujuru was considered to be the only politician in President Bob Muggsy Mugabe Octogenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... 's Zanu PF who could stand up to the 87 year old leader.
He was believed to be leading one of the factions positioning themselves in anticipation of the ageing President Mugabe's departure.
Last week, cross examining witnesses at the inquest, the VP said she had been kept in the dark about the probe.
"Firstly I was not given a chance to see the statements made by the witnesses to the police so that if possible I could assist them, " Ms Mujuru said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
He shot himself with a flare gun?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/26/2012 1:27 Comments ||
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The only economically important source mineral for caesium is pollucite Cs(AlSi2O6), which is found in a few places around the world in zoned pegmatites, and is associated with the more commercially important lithium minerals lepidolite and petalite... The Bikita pegmatite deposit in Zimbabwe is mined for its petalite but it also contains a significant amount of pollucite.
[Bangla Daily Star] BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the Awami League-led government will be ousted from power through a mass uprising, not through "army coup".
"This autocratic government has to go," he said while addressing a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Sammilito Peshajibi Gay Pareehad organised the meeting to mark January 25 as "Democracy Killing Day".
The fourth amendment of the constitution was passed in parliament on January 25 in 1975. According to BNP and its allies, freedom of press was restricted through this amendment.
Alleging that the government has imprisoned democracy, Alamgir said people have to force this government to quit in order to protect the country. Calling on all to prepare for a mass upsurge, he reiterated that his party does not believe in military intervention in politics. Mostly because the BNP doesn't control the military...
"BNP believes in transfer of power in a democratic way," he said.
The army last Thursday said they have foiled an attempt to topple the government. Later, ruling party leaders alleged that BNP is plotting to oust the government in an undemocratic way.
Mirza Alamgir yesterday said AL talks about democracy but does not practice it.
"They want to gag the people's voice through repression in a fascist way. They're using courts to do this and have politicised the judiciary to establish a one-party rule," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suffered a rude jolt Wednesday when a student asked him if he was ready to stand trial for decisions taken during his rule and even face execution like ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The youth challenged Medvedev during a meeting with students, asking if he would shoulder the blame for protests that erupted over a planned job-swap which will see his mentor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile... run for the presidency.
"An acute, revolutionary situation is now brewing in the country. Are you ready to face responsibility?" journalism student Vladimir Polyakov demanded. "Do you realize that you could even be condemned to death? Are you ready to take it bravely just like Saddam Hussein did or will you emigrate to friendly North Korea?"
Saddam was captured by U.S. troops in December 2003 and hanged in December 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity.
The job-swap announcement, which will see Medvedev become prime minister upon Putin's planned return to the Kremlin after a March 4 presidential vote, triggered a wave of protests unseen in Russia since the turbulent 1990s.
Medvedev appeared to make light of the student's question, saying he did not see any reasons for a revolution in Russia and that he was not afraid of anything.
"You probably asked the most courageous question of your life," he quipped. Quip?
The student, who held a sign reading "Responsibility", kept pressing Medvedev, asking him whether he was ready to die for his ideals.
"If you need a precise answer: of course, I am ready to die for my ideals," the Kremlin chief replied tersely.
Many observers, including his one-time supporters, have accused Medvedev, who had in the past openly spoken about his ambitions to run for a second term, of giving up power too easily and letting down his backers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Putin quietly arranged for the student to be served as a nice light lunch.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/26/2012 1:28 Comments ||
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#3
"...A crown (sometimes referred to as a phylactery), is placed upon the dead layman's head. This consists of a strip of paper upon which the Trisagion is written, and sometimes an icon of the Deesis is printed on it as well. A small icon of Christ, the Theotokos or the deceased's patron saint is placed in the right hand; or, alternately, a cross.
"After the clothing of the deceased, the priest sprinkles the coffin with holy water on all four sides, and the deceased is placed in the coffin. Then the wake begins immediately. Often, an Orthodox casket will have a solid lid which is removable. The lid, with a large cross on it, is often placed outside the front door of the house as a sign that the house is in mourning, and to invite all who pass by to pray for the deceased and give comfort to the bereaved."
#4
Putin quietly arranged for the student to be served as a nice light lunch.
Yes, son, another helping of polonium-210?
Posted by: jack salami ||
01/26/2012 11:42 Comments ||
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#5
The job-swap announcement, which will see Medvedev become prime minister upon Putin's planned return to the Kremlin after a March 4 presidential vote
The decision has already been made. We just have to get the ballot boxes ready for that decision.
#6
I would not underestimate the youth. So much anger. They must deliver peace and stronger economic future. The demands and expectations are very high. It will be very difficult for any government to manage. They have all the social problems, perhaps more than their fair share. I see a greater potential interaction with Europe and the West. I see an opportunity but with this current administration nothing is being done.
#7
If Putin was Sadaam, then Medvedev would be Tariq Aziz. Fortunately, Putin is not Saddam.
Saddam was actually a tin pot dictator masquerading as Joseph Stalin. Saddam was Saruman. Saddam only filled 400k in his mass unmarked graves. Pol Pot killed way more. Sure he is probably top 10 - scoring extra points for putting his serial rapist son in charge of the Iraqi Olympic Team.
Putin is way down the list or this kid would be hiding in his basement hoping to last the next purge. Nobody accosted Joseph Stalin while wearing a stupid sign. Tank Man spoke truth to power. This kid is the Russian equivalent to a Truther. That is not to say that Putin is good. If the kid was a serious threat, he would still be in trouble. A Russian version of Joe the Plumber is pretty unlikely.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/26/2012 20:19 Comments ||
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#8
"All-girl Russian punk band rages against Putin"
is on Drudge tonight. I think the band stinks but many more bands and groups exist. This is one eample but look at some of the others.
[An Nahar] Russia will never become a dictatorship, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile... said Wednesday, as he continued his bid for a third term as president despite unprecedented protests against his rule.
"We have an open country and no matter what they say or write, no matter what scary statements they make about some sort of dictatorship, we don't have that and -- I hope -- never will," he told students of Tomsk Polytechnic University in Siberia.
Of course it's not a dictatorship. Putin and Medvedev rotate the offices of the presidency and the prime ministership. What could be more democratic?
Putin, who served two consecutive presidential terms between 2000 and 2008, has sought to dispel fears he plans to impose a more authorities style of leadership upon his planned return to the Kremlin.
"We have an open market economy and an open country on the whole," he said in comments released by his office.
Putin is wrestling with the worst legitimacy crisis of his 12-year rule after he announced plans to seek a third term in the Kremlin in a job swap with incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev in September.
Many ordinary Russians have attacked the plan. Tens of thousands of people erupted into the streets in protest after December parliamentary elections that observers said were slanted in favor of Putin's ruling party.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/26/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
after all Dictatorship is such an icky word and I am the hindmost!
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/26/2012 1:29 Comments ||
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#4
As some day it may happen
that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list I've got a little list
Of society offenders
who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed
who never would be missed!
There's the pestilential journalists who write offensive slanders
All people to whom the wretched loyal opposition panders
All hooligans who curse the state, and billionaires who steals
All persons who, when dining out, eat only Halal meals
And all third persons who on spoiling Kremlin plots insist
They'd none of 'em be missed they'd none of 'em be missed!
#1
According to an Australian buddy, the precipitating incident, which is missing from this story, was a survey by University of Western Australia sociology Professor Farida Fozdar that essentially claimed flying the Aussie flag on Australia Day was a racist act. (yeah, I'm paraphrasing, but that seems to be the impression people got)
Russia's largest firearms manufacturer, JSC Izhmash, unveiled its first model of the fifth-generation Kalashnikov assault rifle. The new rifle is tentatively called AK-12. The assembly of the new weapon, the development of which was initiated by Izhmash's chief designer Vladimir Zlobin, was completed in 2011. Specialists currently test the new weapon, the press service of the enterprise said Wednesday.
Russia's Interior Ministry has already requested the AK-12 for test exploitation. Izhmash is ready to arrange the deliveries of the new weapon for the Russian army too, Interfax reports.
Russian news agencies reported Wednesday that the Defense Ministry of Russia was not planning any purchases from Izhmash within the scope of the state defense order for 2012. It was also reported that the messages about the creation of the new Kalashnikov rifle were not true to fact.
"The AK-12 is being developed for export purposes. However, it also meets the requirements of the Defense Ministry, which the ministry has for the equipment of the soldiers of the Russian army. If there's an order, the enterprise will be ready to arrange the shipments of the AK-12 for the Armed Forces and special units of the Russian Federation," the press service of the company said.
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.
Police in Thailand said Wednesday that they had apprehended a thief with more than a thousand pairs of women's underwear in the trunk of his car.
New Zealand police said Tuesday they were shocked at the number of mothers they found breastfeeding babies while driving along motorways in the country's largest city Auckland.
Earlier this month, armoured tanks and hundreds of soldiers had deployed to trouble spots in Lagos, the country's largest city with a population of around 15 million, to quell week-long protests over the removal of fuel subsidies.
The body of Zim-bob-we's first army commander General Solomon Mujuru had a hole in the abdomen and emitted blue flames when it was retrieved from his farmhouse that was gutted by fire last year, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile...
North Korea
