:
Bookish: WEEKEND BUNCH (3#) -
# Clayton Moore posts a hurried but
interesting grab bag of notes for a
Sept column at Mystery Strumpet.
# And Coleen Mondor reviews two
murder mystery novels by Cara Black
which, she says, are a very atmospheric
rendition of the seedier side of Paris.
# Stephanie Merritt writes an
interview-type feature story about the
Egyptian dentist/author Dr Alaa al Aswany
who wrote The Yacoubian Building.
Recommended. [observer]
...
Sunday, September 9
:
IT'S HEAVY METAL, DUDE ! (2#) -
# "A Californian heavy metal fan... has been fingered as the author of Osama bin Laden's latest video lecture - which left the terror chief sounding like an anti-globalisation protester...
American spy chiefs were quick to name Adam Gadahn, the head of al-Qaeda's English language media operations, as the author of large sections of bin Laden's broadcast."
Gedahn, who used to review albums for a metal music magazine, moved to Pakistan in 1998 and now calls himself Azzam. [t.shipman]
# Not So Maah-velous! - Among the reactions to Osama Bin Laden's latest video, Manolo thinks that Osama's new look is just not working for him in Osama bin Metrosexual.
...
IT'S HEAVY METAL, DUDE ! (2#) -
# "A Californian heavy metal fan... has been fingered as the author of Osama bin Laden's latest video lecture - which left the terror chief sounding like an anti-globalisation protester...
American spy chiefs were quick to name Adam Gadahn, the head of al-Qaeda's English language media operations, as the author of large sections of bin Laden's broadcast."
Gedahn, who used to review albums for a metal music magazine, moved to Pakistan in 1998 and now calls himself Azzam. [t.shipman]
# Not So Maah-velous! - Among the reactions to Osama Bin Laden's latest video, Manolo thinks that Osama's new look is just not working for him in Osama bin Metrosexual.
...
Saturday, September 8
:
THE YACOUB FLYING followup -
The Tampa Tribune gives this situation its best yeoman effort today with two reporters in summation, but, sadly, falls far short of the mark.
There is still no clarity shed on specifically who just entered the U.S. through the Orlando FL airport at 2am and which entry papers or whose passports were used or if the papers matched the identities of those who were expected at the arrival gate.
"Six of seven children were home in Lakeland on Friday" imparts no meaningful informational content, especially since it was reported by the Lakeland Ledger that two marriages took place in Ramallah and no accounting for the whereabouts of the new wives has occurred thus far.
Of course, we can all sympathize with the distress of mom Wedad in trying to docent her rather large flock of ducklings while coping with travel snafus, but she should be used it by now - Trib reporters tell us here that she's been making this trip every summer for the last five years, which should make her veteran of sorts.
Sadly, as you can see from this story, the Yacoubs simply refuse to accept the sovereignty of the Israeli Government over Tel Aviv and the airport there.
:: Yacoubs Reunited ::
-- Tampa Tribune --
...
THE YACOUB FLYING followup -
The Tampa Tribune gives this situation its best yeoman effort today with two reporters in summation, but, sadly, falls far short of the mark.
There is still no clarity shed on specifically who just entered the U.S. through the Orlando FL airport at 2am and which entry papers or whose passports were used or if the papers matched the identities of those who were expected at the arrival gate.
"Six of seven children were home in Lakeland on Friday" imparts no meaningful informational content, especially since it was reported by the Lakeland Ledger that two marriages took place in Ramallah and no accounting for the whereabouts of the new wives has occurred thus far.
Of course, we can all sympathize with the distress of mom Wedad in trying to docent her rather large flock of ducklings while coping with travel snafus, but she should be used it by now - Trib reporters tell us here that she's been making this trip every summer for the last five years, which should make her veteran of sorts.
Sadly, as you can see from this story, the Yacoubs simply refuse to accept the sovereignty of the Israeli Government over Tel Aviv and the airport there.
:: Yacoubs Reunited ::
-- Tampa Tribune --
...
:
"WE WON'T ALLOW THIS!" (2#) -
So said the leader of the Red Mosque a few days before his demise under siege at the hands of the Military in Pakistan.
He was referring to the new hit movie this summer in Pakistan which is being featured on NPR's On The Media program this weekend:
"In the Name of God" or Khuda ke Liye.
The inspiration for the movie was Junaid Jamshed's change-of-life from star of rock band Vital Signs to Islamist extremist.
*The story of two musician brothers - one studies music in Chicago and the other becomes a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan following the American invasion - is a fantastical tale that warns its audience of the threat of Islamic radicalism to Pakistanis.*
:: Shahan Mufti reviews it ::HERE::
...
"WE WON'T ALLOW THIS!" (2#) -
So said the leader of the Red Mosque a few days before his demise under siege at the hands of the Military in Pakistan.
He was referring to the new hit movie this summer in Pakistan which is being featured on NPR's On The Media program this weekend:
"In the Name of God" or Khuda ke Liye.
The inspiration for the movie was Junaid Jamshed's change-of-life from star of rock band Vital Signs to Islamist extremist.
*The story of two musician brothers - one studies music in Chicago and the other becomes a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan following the American invasion - is a fantastical tale that warns its audience of the threat of Islamic radicalism to Pakistanis.*
:: Shahan Mufti reviews it ::HERE::
...
:
Jihad Joe: THE NAZI MUFTI AGAIN -
What propelled Mohamed Atta on 9/11?
At the first 9/11-related trial, one associate of the Hamburg cell testified that Atta's worldview was based on a "National Socialist way of thinking."
"In 1946, the [Muslim] Brotherhood made sure that Heinrich Himmler's friend Amin al-Husseini, the former grand mufti who was being sought as a war criminal by Britain and the United States, was granted asylum and a new lease on political life in Egypt... For many in the Arab world, what amounted to amnesty for this prominent Islamic authority who had spent the war years broadcasting Nazi propaganda from Berlin was a vindication of his actions."
"what provokes Islamist violence is any sign of modern development in the Muslim world: scientific inquiry, political or personal self-determination, economic progress, women's equality, freedom of expression in cinema and theater."
This provocative article is by Matthew Kuntzel
at the Weekly Standard via memeorandum:
:: The Nazi roots of the 9/11 attack ::
...
Jihad Joe: THE NAZI MUFTI AGAIN -
What propelled Mohamed Atta on 9/11?
At the first 9/11-related trial, one associate of the Hamburg cell testified that Atta's worldview was based on a "National Socialist way of thinking."
"In 1946, the [Muslim] Brotherhood made sure that Heinrich Himmler's friend Amin al-Husseini, the former grand mufti who was being sought as a war criminal by Britain and the United States, was granted asylum and a new lease on political life in Egypt... For many in the Arab world, what amounted to amnesty for this prominent Islamic authority who had spent the war years broadcasting Nazi propaganda from Berlin was a vindication of his actions."
"what provokes Islamist violence is any sign of modern development in the Muslim world: scientific inquiry, political or personal self-determination, economic progress, women's equality, freedom of expression in cinema and theater."
This provocative article is by Matthew Kuntzel
at the Weekly Standard via memeorandum:
:: The Nazi roots of the 9/11 attack ::
...
:
WHERE IS CULT LEADER BIN LADEN? (2#) -
As we draw nearer to the anniversary
of the 9/11 attacks, many people are
wondering where Skippy Bin Laden is.
According to CBS News, Osama Bin Laden
is in the Chitral district of northern Pakistan.
"Chitral is a remote, rugged area
governed by tribes that will not allow
even the Pakistani army to operate there."
:: CBS News ::
:::: Wikipedia: Chitral ::::
...
WHERE IS CULT LEADER BIN LADEN? (2#) -
As we draw nearer to the anniversary
of the 9/11 attacks, many people are
wondering where Skippy Bin Laden is.
According to CBS News, Osama Bin Laden
is in the Chitral district of northern Pakistan.
"Chitral is a remote, rugged area
governed by tribes that will not allow
even the Pakistani army to operate there."
:: CBS News ::
:::: Wikipedia: Chitral ::::
...
:
TO HELL IN A LIBRARY BASKET -
"Borrowed any good books from your local
public library lately?" Richard Littlejohn asks.
Littlejohn takes a look at some of the books available.
"Many of these books glorify acts of terrorism, incite violence against anyone who rejects jihadist ideologues and endorse violence and discrimination against women."
Much lively writing here with a wry sense
of humor to get your blood circulating today.
:: The Daily Mail ::
...
TO HELL IN A LIBRARY BASKET -
"Borrowed any good books from your local
public library lately?" Richard Littlejohn asks.
Littlejohn takes a look at some of the books available.
"Many of these books glorify acts of terrorism, incite violence against anyone who rejects jihadist ideologues and endorse violence and discrimination against women."
Much lively writing here with a wry sense
of humor to get your blood circulating today.
:: The Daily Mail ::
...
Friday, September 7
:
THE YACOUBS ARE HOME -
[see 3 previous entries posted yesterday] -
Several children of Steve and Wedad Yacoub from Lakeland FL arrived at Orlando International Airport about 2am Friday on a flight from Amman, Jordan. They had been visiting their grandmother and relatives in Ramallah.
Previously: The Lakeland Ledger seemed to be having server problems yesterday and was not accessible all afternoon. Evening access was spotty.
*This year's visit included weddings:
Twin brothers Ibrahim and Yacoub Yacoub,
22, got married in Ramallah in July.
Yacoub Yacoub, who was married in the West Bank over the summer, remained behind in Ramallah with his new wife. But there is no mention in the reports as to where his twin brother Ibrahim and his new wife are.
The Yacoub's eldest child, a daughter, Palestine Yacoub,
who is pregnant, chose not to make the trip.
Rupp said the State Department posted a notice to travelers on its Web site about the new policy, then issued an enhanced warning in July, but the Yacoubs claimed they had no hint the rules had changed and had never encountered difficulty traveling to Palestine [sic] before.*
The foregoing material, between the asterisks, was drawn from the reports of Cary McMullen, the religion editor of the Lakeland Ledger, whose blog is ::Scriptorium::
Although things got a bit hysterical yesterday,
everything seems to seems to be OK now.
:: Ledger Report ::
and another :: Ledger Report ::
...
THE YACOUBS ARE HOME -
[see 3 previous entries posted yesterday] -
Several children of Steve and Wedad Yacoub from Lakeland FL arrived at Orlando International Airport about 2am Friday on a flight from Amman, Jordan. They had been visiting their grandmother and relatives in Ramallah.
Previously: The Lakeland Ledger seemed to be having server problems yesterday and was not accessible all afternoon. Evening access was spotty.
*This year's visit included weddings:
Twin brothers Ibrahim and Yacoub Yacoub,
22, got married in Ramallah in July.
Yacoub Yacoub, who was married in the West Bank over the summer, remained behind in Ramallah with his new wife. But there is no mention in the reports as to where his twin brother Ibrahim and his new wife are.
The Yacoub's eldest child, a daughter, Palestine Yacoub,
who is pregnant, chose not to make the trip.
Rupp said the State Department posted a notice to travelers on its Web site about the new policy, then issued an enhanced warning in July, but the Yacoubs claimed they had no hint the rules had changed and had never encountered difficulty traveling to Palestine [sic] before.*
The foregoing material, between the asterisks, was drawn from the reports of Cary McMullen, the religion editor of the Lakeland Ledger, whose blog is ::Scriptorium::
Although things got a bit hysterical yesterday,
everything seems to seems to be OK now.
:: Ledger Report ::
and another :: Ledger Report ::
...
Thursday, September 6
:
FROM DEEP INSIDE
THE LAKELAND BUBBLE -
Cary McMullen updates the
Lakeland FL Yacoub Family story for us:
"Today the Yacoub children were turned away at the airport a second time and the family seems resolved to try to get them home through Jordan."
Despite all the evidence before his very eyes, McMullen is in deep denial with his spurious claim that this is not a religious issue.
Why was Pakistan partitioned from India, Cary???
Just for your information, The Ledger's website has been down all afternoon. Maybe the server collapsed from too much traffic. Anyway, I couldn't get through until now.
:: The Ledger: perma ::
...
FROM DEEP INSIDE
THE LAKELAND BUBBLE -
Cary McMullen updates the
Lakeland FL Yacoub Family story for us:
"Today the Yacoub children were turned away at the airport a second time and the family seems resolved to try to get them home through Jordan."
Despite all the evidence before his very eyes, McMullen is in deep denial with his spurious claim that this is not a religious issue.
Why was Pakistan partitioned from India, Cary???
Just for your information, The Ledger's website has been down all afternoon. Maybe the server collapsed from too much traffic. Anyway, I couldn't get through until now.
:: The Ledger: perma ::
...
:
BACK TO THE CAVES !
... the continuing saga ...
A new Osama Bin Laden video is supposedly forthcoming to address the American people on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, according to Shazzam the Goat Boy and Wheezy the al Qaeda Dwarf Shukrijumah. And you know how you could depend on them.
I don't watch TV very much,
so I probably won't watch this either.
Remember what they stand for:
No music, no laughter, no jokes, no cartoons, and
Calendar Year Zero in which they destroy all of Civilization because it is impure, then start all over again with everyone living in caves like them, because they're the only people on Earth who've got it exactly right with a direct pipeline
to God.
:: Counterterrorism Blog ::
...
BACK TO THE CAVES !
... the continuing saga ...
A new Osama Bin Laden video is supposedly forthcoming to address the American people on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, according to Shazzam the Goat Boy and Wheezy the al Qaeda Dwarf Shukrijumah. And you know how you could depend on them.
I don't watch TV very much,
so I probably won't watch this either.
Remember what they stand for:
No music, no laughter, no jokes, no cartoons, and
Calendar Year Zero in which they destroy all of Civilization because it is impure, then start all over again with everyone living in caves like them, because they're the only people on Earth who've got it exactly right with a direct pipeline
to God.
:: Counterterrorism Blog ::
...
:
GOOSE CREEK DUO update (2#) -
*Two University of South Florida students
who are facing federal explosives charges
after an arrest a month ago will be returned
to Tampa, attorneys said after a sudden
hearing today in federal court.*
:: This Just In :: and ::TBO::
...
GOOSE CREEK DUO update (2#) -
*Two University of South Florida students
who are facing federal explosives charges
after an arrest a month ago will be returned
to Tampa, attorneys said after a sudden
hearing today in federal court.*
:: This Just In :: and ::TBO::
...
:
DEMANDING TEL AVIV ACCESS -
... see preceding entry ...
The Yacoub family from Lakeland FL continues to insist that they must use the Tel Aviv airport. And their claims are becoming increasingly fantastical:
"They're technically keeping them as hostages over there," said the siblings' sister Palestine Yacoub. "They need to let them out."
The family could exit via the Jordan airport, but they insist that it would be too dangerous.
Are we there yet: full-tilt hysteria?
We will continue to monitor this story.
:: FoxTampaBay ::
...
DEMANDING TEL AVIV ACCESS -
... see preceding entry ...
The Yacoub family from Lakeland FL continues to insist that they must use the Tel Aviv airport. And their claims are becoming increasingly fantastical:
"They're technically keeping them as hostages over there," said the siblings' sister Palestine Yacoub. "They need to let them out."
The family could exit via the Jordan airport, but they insist that it would be too dangerous.
Are we there yet: full-tilt hysteria?
We will continue to monitor this story.
:: FoxTampaBay ::
...
:
CONSPICUOUS INCONVENIENCE -
An Arab family from Lakeland FL tried to fly out of the Tel Aviv airport on the Jewish Sabbath and were told to fly out via Jordan.
Now they are complaining
that they are inconvenienced!
"she and the children returned
on Aug. 18 to fly out of Tel Aviv."
They've called their Congressman
and even the State Department.
Israel is a sovereign country which
has the right to control who enters
or does not enter their country.
This article seems inflammatory to me:
:: SP Times ::
...
CONSPICUOUS INCONVENIENCE -
An Arab family from Lakeland FL tried to fly out of the Tel Aviv airport on the Jewish Sabbath and were told to fly out via Jordan.
Now they are complaining
that they are inconvenienced!
"she and the children returned
on Aug. 18 to fly out of Tel Aviv."
They've called their Congressman
and even the State Department.
Israel is a sovereign country which
has the right to control who enters
or does not enter their country.
This article seems inflammatory to me:
:: SP Times ::
...
:
IRAQI BLOGS update (3#) -
# RiverBend has left Iraq safely.
"The first minutes after passing the border were overwhelming. Overwhelming relief and overwhelming sadness… How is it that only a stretch of several kilometers and maybe twenty minutes, so firmly segregates life from death?"
We wish her well. ::BBperma::
# For the past couple of months, Nibras Kazimi has been traveling around the Middle East. Here are some of his thoughts at his Talisman Gate blog.
# Salam Adil's latest
dispatch at his Iraqi Blogodrome.
...
IRAQI BLOGS update (3#) -
# RiverBend has left Iraq safely.
"The first minutes after passing the border were overwhelming. Overwhelming relief and overwhelming sadness… How is it that only a stretch of several kilometers and maybe twenty minutes, so firmly segregates life from death?"
We wish her well. ::BBperma::
# For the past couple of months, Nibras Kazimi has been traveling around the Middle East. Here are some of his thoughts at his Talisman Gate blog.
# Salam Adil's latest
dispatch at his Iraqi Blogodrome.
...
Wednesday, September 5
:
SoFlo: CONDO DISPUTE -
A condo board member was arrested
and charged with battery on an elderly
person due to a disagreement over
a proposed assessment.
He's been released on $5,000 bail.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
SoFlo: CONDO DISPUTE -
A condo board member was arrested
and charged with battery on an elderly
person due to a disagreement over
a proposed assessment.
He's been released on $5,000 bail.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
:
USF CLOUD CUCKOO LAND -
USF Prez Judy Genshaft said she isn't worried
about the safety of students on campus and
blamed Homeland Security for any screening
failures which may have occurred in the
case of the Goose Creek Duo.
USF students on campus are reported to be
completely oblivious to the explosives case.
:: SP Times ::
...
USF CLOUD CUCKOO LAND -
USF Prez Judy Genshaft said she isn't worried
about the safety of students on campus and
blamed Homeland Security for any screening
failures which may have occurred in the
case of the Goose Creek Duo.
USF students on campus are reported to be
completely oblivious to the explosives case.
:: SP Times ::
...
:
FROM WHO TO
CHIPS & SQUIBS (4#) -
# Martin Belam, a big fan of Doctor Who, tried
to make a Blog out of it, but failed. In retrospect,
he tried to analyze what went wrong.
# But all is not lost... he has just
succeeded in making something quite
novel and useful called Chipwrapper.
# Speaking of Doctor Who...
who should be the next Doctor Who?
Lucy Mangan asks the burning question.
# The art of squibs: A new book compiled and
translated by Luc Sante is about miniature
dispatches or verbal snapshots called faits divers.
...
FROM WHO TO
CHIPS & SQUIBS (4#) -
# Martin Belam, a big fan of Doctor Who, tried
to make a Blog out of it, but failed. In retrospect,
he tried to analyze what went wrong.
# But all is not lost... he has just
succeeded in making something quite
novel and useful called Chipwrapper.
# Speaking of Doctor Who...
who should be the next Doctor Who?
Lucy Mangan asks the burning question.
# The art of squibs: A new book compiled and
translated by Luc Sante is about miniature
dispatches or verbal snapshots called faits divers.
...
:
TERROR ATTACK FOILED (5#) -
The German 3% Solution -
# *German security forces say they have prevented "massive bomb attacks" by arresting three Islamist terrorist suspects and seizing hundreds of kilograms of explosive chemicals.* [dw]
# The prosecutor said the men had been collecting hydrogen peroxide and had attended a training camp in Pakistan last year. They belong to an organization orginating in Ukbekistan which has ties to Al Qaeda. Further details.
# We pick up the story at the Spiegel where Matthias Gebauer has written quite a good article - it's almost like a thriller!
A few days ago, police experts secretly swapped the 35-percent solution of hydrogen peroxide contained in 12 barrels for a diluted liquid that only contained 3 percent of the chemical...
# Who were these men? "The three men were Daniel S. from the state of Saarland and Fritz G. from Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, both of whom are German converts to Islam, as well as Adem Y., who is believed to be from Turkey."
# Terror attack in Denmark foiled on Tuesday.
...
TERROR ATTACK FOILED (5#) -
The German 3% Solution -
# *German security forces say they have prevented "massive bomb attacks" by arresting three Islamist terrorist suspects and seizing hundreds of kilograms of explosive chemicals.* [dw]
# The prosecutor said the men had been collecting hydrogen peroxide and had attended a training camp in Pakistan last year. They belong to an organization orginating in Ukbekistan which has ties to Al Qaeda. Further details.
# We pick up the story at the Spiegel where Matthias Gebauer has written quite a good article - it's almost like a thriller!
A few days ago, police experts secretly swapped the 35-percent solution of hydrogen peroxide contained in 12 barrels for a diluted liquid that only contained 3 percent of the chemical...
# Who were these men? "The three men were Daniel S. from the state of Saarland and Fritz G. from Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, both of whom are German converts to Islam, as well as Adem Y., who is believed to be from Turkey."
# Terror attack in Denmark foiled on Tuesday.
...
:
POPCORN LUNG DISEASE -
just when you thought it was safe to go out . . .
*Doc Warns That Prolonged
Exposure to Microwave Butter Popcorn
Fumes Could Cause Lung Disease.
Consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn, according to a warning letter to federal regulators from a doctor at a leading lung research hospital.*
:: AP/Fox ::
...
POPCORN LUNG DISEASE -
just when you thought it was safe to go out . . .
*Doc Warns That Prolonged
Exposure to Microwave Butter Popcorn
Fumes Could Cause Lung Disease.
Consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn, according to a warning letter to federal regulators from a doctor at a leading lung research hospital.*
:: AP/Fox ::
...
Monday, September 3
:
Communications Media:
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? (3#) -
# An occasional reader of this blog leaves a strange tattoo in his wake: Mumbai, Australia. What the heck does that mean?
Obviously, there is no such terrestrial location. I construe it to mean that two telecom companies or two branches of one such company are sharing the services of the same telecom satellite, resulting in this new Virtual Location which has no Actual Location on the ground.
You may discern from this, as well, that India has some spacey ambitions. Thus, it came as no big surprise today that India has launched another telecom satellite. Isn't it getting a bit crowded up there? I hope we're not in for traffic jams up in space.
:: ON THE BIRD: "India sent into orbit a rocket
carrying the replacement for a communications
satellite destroyed last year, raising its hopes
of competing for global satellite launch business."
# PORTABLE BREAKING NEWS: When news breaks around here, the satellite dish trucks show up. But they may not be around for a long time to come. Reporters are now using much more portable equipment, as this item notes: with just a Treo and a Blackberry a TV reporter did a live shot from the scene of a breaking story. Mmm... how much do they weigh?
# *Every social stereotype has a caricature associated with it, and the "anonymous Web writer" has theirs... "some blogger writing in his basement in his pajamas."
Griffith created Wikiscanner for a frankly political reason... In the process, however... he's undermined the myth of the anonymous blogger in the basement.* From Annalee Newitz.
...
Communications Media:
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? (3#) -
# An occasional reader of this blog leaves a strange tattoo in his wake: Mumbai, Australia. What the heck does that mean?
Obviously, there is no such terrestrial location. I construe it to mean that two telecom companies or two branches of one such company are sharing the services of the same telecom satellite, resulting in this new Virtual Location which has no Actual Location on the ground.
You may discern from this, as well, that India has some spacey ambitions. Thus, it came as no big surprise today that India has launched another telecom satellite. Isn't it getting a bit crowded up there? I hope we're not in for traffic jams up in space.
:: ON THE BIRD: "India sent into orbit a rocket
carrying the replacement for a communications
satellite destroyed last year, raising its hopes
of competing for global satellite launch business."
# PORTABLE BREAKING NEWS: When news breaks around here, the satellite dish trucks show up. But they may not be around for a long time to come. Reporters are now using much more portable equipment, as this item notes: with just a Treo and a Blackberry a TV reporter did a live shot from the scene of a breaking story. Mmm... how much do they weigh?
# *Every social stereotype has a caricature associated with it, and the "anonymous Web writer" has theirs... "some blogger writing in his basement in his pajamas."
Griffith created Wikiscanner for a frankly political reason... In the process, however... he's undermined the myth of the anonymous blogger in the basement.* From Annalee Newitz.
...
Sunday, September 2
:
LADIES WHO LUNCH -
A rare treat:
A glimpse into a ladies book club
meeting in the oasis of Al Ain UAE
hosted by the Sheikha there.
Ulla Lenze, the author of a new book,
gets invited to discuss it with
some very interested readers.
:: From: Sign and Sight ::
...
LADIES WHO LUNCH -
A rare treat:
A glimpse into a ladies book club
meeting in the oasis of Al Ain UAE
hosted by the Sheikha there.
Ulla Lenze, the author of a new book,
gets invited to discuss it with
some very interested readers.
:: From: Sign and Sight ::
...
:
Bookish: 60's RAD UNDONE (3#) -
# In the 1990's, a former radical from the Sixties era is living in bourgeois anonymity in the south of England, working in a bookshop, while his wife runs a business selling natural cosmetics, when an old acquaintance arrives in his new life and threatens to disrupt everything disastrously.
My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru
:: Reviewed by Mick Brown ::
:: An alternate review by Neel Mukherjee ::
*****************************************
# Susanna Yager reviews:
:: 2 crime fiction novels ::
A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellory
and Swing by Rupert Holmes.
...
Bookish: 60's RAD UNDONE (3#) -
# In the 1990's, a former radical from the Sixties era is living in bourgeois anonymity in the south of England, working in a bookshop, while his wife runs a business selling natural cosmetics, when an old acquaintance arrives in his new life and threatens to disrupt everything disastrously.
My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru
:: Reviewed by Mick Brown ::
:: An alternate review by Neel Mukherjee ::
*****************************************
# Susanna Yager reviews:
:: 2 crime fiction novels ::
A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellory
and Swing by Rupert Holmes.
...
:
SoFlo: DEATHWATCH CHATTER -
Fidel Castro: Dead or Alive -
Should The Miami Herald report about
rumours which circulate around South Florida?
Does their air conditioning repairman
know something he's not telling?
And what if Jose Blogger in
Little Havana finds out first?
:: Not Dead Yet - The Poynter Institute ::
...
SoFlo: DEATHWATCH CHATTER -
Fidel Castro: Dead or Alive -
Should The Miami Herald report about
rumours which circulate around South Florida?
Does their air conditioning repairman
know something he's not telling?
And what if Jose Blogger in
Little Havana finds out first?
:: Not Dead Yet - The Poynter Institute ::
...
:
USF's PAIR IN GOOSE CREEK -
Prof Walid Phares challenges us to think beyond the reductionist level of the legal system and grapple with some transcendent questions:
What is the glue that connects these clusters of evidence?
If we are not dealing with mundane, garden variety transgressions, what is it we are dealing with here?
:: This essay requires you to put on your thinking cap!
The Tampa Bombers: Jihadists or "Beach Boys?"
...
USF's PAIR IN GOOSE CREEK -
Prof Walid Phares challenges us to think beyond the reductionist level of the legal system and grapple with some transcendent questions:
What is the glue that connects these clusters of evidence?
If we are not dealing with mundane, garden variety transgressions, what is it we are dealing with here?
:: This essay requires you to put on your thinking cap!
The Tampa Bombers: Jihadists or "Beach Boys?"
...
Friday, August 31
:
DISRUPTED NODAL PATTERN:
Goose Creek Incident (4#) -
2 USF Students Indicted
& Plucked out of the Post-9/11 Picture . . .
# "Two University of South Florida (USF) students have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida, for transporting explosives materials without permits, the Department of Justice announced today. [ ... ] The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty." [fbi-orlando]
# From This-Just-In! blog [sptimes-breaking];
# "The student, Ahmed Mohamed, was exchanging information over the Internet about how to miniaturize bombs, according to a federal law enforcement source...
According to a copy of the search warrant obtained by The Tampa Tribune, agents were looking for 31 items, including remote-controlled toys, video cameras, ammunition, timers and literature about chemicals and explosives.
The log of items seized includes an electronics kit, a disassembled watch, a digital camera, a swabbing from inside a suitcase, a laptop computer and
compact discs." [t-trib]
# "According to officials familiar with the case, Mohamed has been arrested previously in Egypt on terrorism-related charges. He is said to have produced an Internet video showing how to build a remote-controlled
car bomb." [cntr-terr-blog]
...
DISRUPTED NODAL PATTERN:
Goose Creek Incident (4#) -
2 USF Students Indicted
& Plucked out of the Post-9/11 Picture . . .
# "Two University of South Florida (USF) students have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida, for transporting explosives materials without permits, the Department of Justice announced today. [ ... ] The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty." [fbi-orlando]
# From This-Just-In! blog [sptimes-breaking];
# "The student, Ahmed Mohamed, was exchanging information over the Internet about how to miniaturize bombs, according to a federal law enforcement source...
According to a copy of the search warrant obtained by The Tampa Tribune, agents were looking for 31 items, including remote-controlled toys, video cameras, ammunition, timers and literature about chemicals and explosives.
The log of items seized includes an electronics kit, a disassembled watch, a digital camera, a swabbing from inside a suitcase, a laptop computer and
compact discs." [t-trib]
# "According to officials familiar with the case, Mohamed has been arrested previously in Egypt on terrorism-related charges. He is said to have produced an Internet video showing how to build a remote-controlled
car bomb." [cntr-terr-blog]
...
:
FL: TAMPA WRITER'S DEBUT -
Terri Garey's first novel
is being published by Harper Collins.
Dead Girls Are Easy is a romantic spooky mystery:
"It's dark humor with a Southern slant - the angst of a young woman on the edge, a healthy dash of sex and voodoo, a sprinkling of spookiness."
Congratulations are in order!
:: tampabays10 ::
...
FL: TAMPA WRITER'S DEBUT -
Terri Garey's first novel
is being published by Harper Collins.
Dead Girls Are Easy is a romantic spooky mystery:
"It's dark humor with a Southern slant - the angst of a young woman on the edge, a healthy dash of sex and voodoo, a sprinkling of spookiness."
Congratulations are in order!
:: tampabays10 ::
...
:
SoFlo: FLUSHED! -
Police believe they have finally caught
the notorious Toilet Posse of Topeekeegee.
In May, thieves took nearly $5,000 worth of
urinal and toilet parts from county and city parks.
Similar thefts have occurred at local fast-food
restaurants and other businesses in the area.
This is, perhaps, the worst case of
Klepto-Valve Syndrome in Florida history.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
SoFlo: FLUSHED! -
Police believe they have finally caught
the notorious Toilet Posse of Topeekeegee.
In May, thieves took nearly $5,000 worth of
urinal and toilet parts from county and city parks.
Similar thefts have occurred at local fast-food
restaurants and other businesses in the area.
This is, perhaps, the worst case of
Klepto-Valve Syndrome in Florida history.
:: Miami Herald ::
...
:
SoFlo: RANDOM
BODIES OF BROWARD (2#) -
A skeleton found on the northbound side of
US 27 may have been there for months, but
no one noticed it until Wednesday morning.
Another cadaver was found in the bushes
outside an elementary school later in the day.
The latter body appears to have been there
only a couple of days before someone noticed it.
...
SoFlo: RANDOM
BODIES OF BROWARD (2#) -
A skeleton found on the northbound side of
US 27 may have been there for months, but
no one noticed it until Wednesday morning.
Another cadaver was found in the bushes
outside an elementary school later in the day.
The latter body appears to have been there
only a couple of days before someone noticed it.
...
:
SoFlo: CAIR vs AFFORDABLE HOUSING -
Islamic leaders returned to court Thursday in their ongoing efforts to build a mosque in Pompano Beach's predominantly black northwest area where residents want affordable housing built instead.
Lack of affordable housing is eroding the county's economy because the Tourist & Hospitality Industry, one of the area's main economic engines, crucially depends on blue-collar and working class labour who can no longer afford to live in South Florida.
Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida Chapter of CAIR, said that the prospective mosque should be protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion.
:: Sun-Sentinel ::
...
SoFlo: CAIR vs AFFORDABLE HOUSING -
Islamic leaders returned to court Thursday in their ongoing efforts to build a mosque in Pompano Beach's predominantly black northwest area where residents want affordable housing built instead.
Lack of affordable housing is eroding the county's economy because the Tourist & Hospitality Industry, one of the area's main economic engines, crucially depends on blue-collar and working class labour who can no longer afford to live in South Florida.
Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida Chapter of CAIR, said that the prospective mosque should be protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion.
:: Sun-Sentinel ::
...
Thursday, August 30
:
Bookish: WHAT HE'S
READING THIS WEEK -
"If you have time
for one more summer read . . .
make it Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next: First Among Sequels... in the madcap series featuring hard-boiled literary sleuth Thursday Next, a heroine adept at leaping in and out of novels in a single, narrative-warping bound... if literary horseplay amuses you... jump right in."
:: Begley the Bookie ::
-- NY Observer --
...
Bookish: WHAT HE'S
READING THIS WEEK -
"If you have time
for one more summer read . . .
make it Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next: First Among Sequels... in the madcap series featuring hard-boiled literary sleuth Thursday Next, a heroine adept at leaping in and out of novels in a single, narrative-warping bound... if literary horseplay amuses you... jump right in."
:: Begley the Bookie ::
-- NY Observer --
...
:
MORE AUGUST DOLDRUMS (3#) -
steaming up your windshield . . .
# "The Idaho Statesman of Boise drew its busiest Web traffic ever on Tuesday after posting a lengthy story about an alleged sexual incident involving Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and another man, as well as other alleged improper activities... a misdemeanor charge stemming from a June incident... prompted the Statesman to run a lengthy investigation... in Tuesday's editions. By Joe Strupp at ::E&P::
# Law Prof Dale Carpenter at The Volokh Conspiracy Blog provides some legal commentary on the Craig case: see What was Craig's Crime? and chain.
# Dateline TV: To Catch a Predator series... "two lawsuits are pending against the network, one by a former producer and another by the sister of a man who committed suicide as police officers approached his house, accompanied by NBC camera crews." [ny.ob]
...
MORE AUGUST DOLDRUMS (3#) -
steaming up your windshield . . .
# "The Idaho Statesman of Boise drew its busiest Web traffic ever on Tuesday after posting a lengthy story about an alleged sexual incident involving Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and another man, as well as other alleged improper activities... a misdemeanor charge stemming from a June incident... prompted the Statesman to run a lengthy investigation... in Tuesday's editions. By Joe Strupp at ::E&P::
# Law Prof Dale Carpenter at The Volokh Conspiracy Blog provides some legal commentary on the Craig case: see What was Craig's Crime? and chain.
# Dateline TV: To Catch a Predator series... "two lawsuits are pending against the network, one by a former producer and another by the sister of a man who committed suicide as police officers approached his house, accompanied by NBC camera crews." [ny.ob]
...
:
SOUTHERN TOUR -
Jim Born from Palm Beach County,
a detective in real life and a thriller writer,
has disclosed his Lit Tour schedule coming up:
"If you happen to be attending the [Decatur] book festival just outside of Atlanta this weekend, drop by and say hello. If not there then at the Southern Festival of books in October, The Miami Book fair in November or The Vero beach Book festival the following week. If you’re a librarian, let me know and I’ll make a fuss. At least as much as the legal system will allow."
:: Naked Authors perma ::
...
SOUTHERN TOUR -
Jim Born from Palm Beach County,
a detective in real life and a thriller writer,
has disclosed his Lit Tour schedule coming up:
"If you happen to be attending the [Decatur] book festival just outside of Atlanta this weekend, drop by and say hello. If not there then at the Southern Festival of books in October, The Miami Book fair in November or The Vero beach Book festival the following week. If you’re a librarian, let me know and I’ll make a fuss. At least as much as the legal system will allow."
:: Naked Authors perma ::
...
Tuesday, August 28
:
AFTERNOON ROUNDUP (4#) -
# Which Iraq War Do You Want To End? Christopher Hitchens says there are at least three Iraq Wars along with some subconflicts.
# What is the point of blogging? "Without this platform I'd be complaining over my morning muesli and hoping one of the papers started it. And what if they didn't?... Blogging is a different culture." Great Op-Ed piece by Sunny Hundal.
# Did we delight you? "Seeking feedback is not entirely new for India. But the enthusiasm with which it is pursued may be a small, unscientific hint of the awakening Indian economic giant we hear so much about." Bruce Wallace writes from Mumbai, India, where: Customer
Feedback is King.
# "Between June 2005 and June 2006 nearly 200,000 British citizens chose to leave the country for a new life elsewhere. During the same period, at least 574,000 immigrants came to Britain." England, as we once knew it, is vanishing, Cal Thomas tells us. But what are the implications of this demographic flux?
...
AFTERNOON ROUNDUP (4#) -
# Which Iraq War Do You Want To End? Christopher Hitchens says there are at least three Iraq Wars along with some subconflicts.
# What is the point of blogging? "Without this platform I'd be complaining over my morning muesli and hoping one of the papers started it. And what if they didn't?... Blogging is a different culture." Great Op-Ed piece by Sunny Hundal.
# Did we delight you? "Seeking feedback is not entirely new for India. But the enthusiasm with which it is pursued may be a small, unscientific hint of the awakening Indian economic giant we hear so much about." Bruce Wallace writes from Mumbai, India, where: Customer
Feedback is King.
# "Between June 2005 and June 2006 nearly 200,000 British citizens chose to leave the country for a new life elsewhere. During the same period, at least 574,000 immigrants came to Britain." England, as we once knew it, is vanishing, Cal Thomas tells us. But what are the implications of this demographic flux?
...
:
A RABBIT OUT OF HIS HAT -
more on the Bob Allen case -
Whitaker, the prosecutor, is now claiming that:
Allen allegedly "admitted" to having $800 in his car.
So, where is this $800?
Can the prosecution produce it?
In the Real World, no one keeps that kind of
money in their car, except maybe a dope dealer.
Then Whitaker talks about "intent,"
which looks like smoke and mirrors.
Much of the reportage on this case is still
badly twisted - especially at this newspaper:
:: Florida Today ::
...
A RABBIT OUT OF HIS HAT -
more on the Bob Allen case -
Whitaker, the prosecutor, is now claiming that:
Allen allegedly "admitted" to having $800 in his car.
So, where is this $800?
Can the prosecution produce it?
In the Real World, no one keeps that kind of
money in their car, except maybe a dope dealer.
Then Whitaker talks about "intent,"
which looks like smoke and mirrors.
Much of the reportage on this case is still
badly twisted - especially at this newspaper:
:: Florida Today ::
...
:
I WAS A LAS VEGAS CANDY BOY:
Afghanistan's anti-corruption chief -
*Waving a sheet containing a list of 73 cases,
he said: "All these are pending. Nothing has
been done," before launching into a tirade
against the "thieves" at the department of justice.*
Declan Walsh is digging up the dirt in Kabul.
:: The Guardian ::
...
I WAS A LAS VEGAS CANDY BOY:
Afghanistan's anti-corruption chief -
*Waving a sheet containing a list of 73 cases,
he said: "All these are pending. Nothing has
been done," before launching into a tirade
against the "thieves" at the department of justice.*
Declan Walsh is digging up the dirt in Kabul.
:: The Guardian ::
...
:
WHO PROTECTS THE POPPY (3#) -
# Inside an Afghan opium market: "Travelling on Afghanistan's main Jalalabad to Torkham road, you eventually arrive at Shaddle Bazaar, a market of around 30 shops in the eastern province of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan." Customers entering the shop... refer to it by its nickname as maal. By Bilal Sarwary, BBC.
# "Afghanistan has set a new record on poppy production this year, as it did last year, and the year before. Who protects the poppy, the growers and the transporters? The Taliban, getting a two-for-one hit: enormous amounts of money and the change to help the West rot out from within." From The Drug/Terror Connection.
# "Afghanistan poppy harvest jumps 18 per cent."
:: Sarwary: BBC ::
:: Drug/Terror Connection ::
:: Harvest Up 18% ::
...
WHO PROTECTS THE POPPY (3#) -
# Inside an Afghan opium market: "Travelling on Afghanistan's main Jalalabad to Torkham road, you eventually arrive at Shaddle Bazaar, a market of around 30 shops in the eastern province of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan." Customers entering the shop... refer to it by its nickname as maal. By Bilal Sarwary, BBC.
# "Afghanistan has set a new record on poppy production this year, as it did last year, and the year before. Who protects the poppy, the growers and the transporters? The Taliban, getting a two-for-one hit: enormous amounts of money and the change to help the West rot out from within." From The Drug/Terror Connection.
# "Afghanistan poppy harvest jumps 18 per cent."
:: Sarwary: BBC ::
:: Drug/Terror Connection ::
:: Harvest Up 18% ::
...
Monday, August 27
:
NOBODY EXPECTS
A Bob Allen Case Update because:
Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition! But their main weapons include such diverse elements as fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency...
Brevard County Judge Oscar Hotusing declined to toss the solicitation charge against Rep Allen, saying a jury should decide whether he agreed to pay $20 to perform a sex act on an undercover officer in a Titusville public restroom on July 11.
The trial is currently scheduled for September 19th.
:: Laurin Sellers, O-Sent ::
:: The Span Inq Skit ::
...
NOBODY EXPECTS
A Bob Allen Case Update because:
Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition! But their main weapons include such diverse elements as fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency...
Brevard County Judge Oscar Hotusing declined to toss the solicitation charge against Rep Allen, saying a jury should decide whether he agreed to pay $20 to perform a sex act on an undercover officer in a Titusville public restroom on July 11.
The trial is currently scheduled for September 19th.
:: Laurin Sellers, O-Sent ::
:: The Span Inq Skit ::
...
Sunday, August 26
:
Bookish: WEEKEND LITE (2#) -
# The UK Observer Lit Team
presents its Autumn '07 Book Picks:
The list includes a new Philip Roth, a series
of "probing" interviews with Fidel Castro, and
a short story anthology edited by Zadie Smith.
# Peter Preston from their Media Dept says:
America's newspapers are trimming down...
plus Stormy the Weather Dog...
and Piers Morgan is noted in passing.
...
Bookish: WEEKEND LITE (2#) -
# The UK Observer Lit Team
presents its Autumn '07 Book Picks:
The list includes a new Philip Roth, a series
of "probing" interviews with Fidel Castro, and
a short story anthology edited by Zadie Smith.
# Peter Preston from their Media Dept says:
America's newspapers are trimming down...
plus Stormy the Weather Dog...
and Piers Morgan is noted in passing.
...
Saturday, August 25
:
A STUDY IN
CONTRASTS: Media Coverage -
The bodies of Republican political consultant Ralph Gonzalez, 36; his roommate, David Abrami, 36; and Robert Jason Drake, 30, allegedly his former roommate, were discovered Thursday, about two days after the men are believed to have died. At this point in time, detectives tentatively postulate that they perished in a double-murder and suicide, but they want to interview more friends and associates before presenting their theory of the crime.
:: Questions linger in murder-suicide ::
+ If you compare the overall low key coverage of this story with the poisonously twisted coverage of the Bob Allen case, the contrast in the treatments serves to illuminate the manipulation invested in these stories by the MSM.
...
A STUDY IN
CONTRASTS: Media Coverage -
The bodies of Republican political consultant Ralph Gonzalez, 36; his roommate, David Abrami, 36; and Robert Jason Drake, 30, allegedly his former roommate, were discovered Thursday, about two days after the men are believed to have died. At this point in time, detectives tentatively postulate that they perished in a double-murder and suicide, but they want to interview more friends and associates before presenting their theory of the crime.
:: Questions linger in murder-suicide ::
+ If you compare the overall low key coverage of this story with the poisonously twisted coverage of the Bob Allen case, the contrast in the treatments serves to illuminate the manipulation invested in these stories by the MSM.
...
Friday, August 24
:
Morphed:
FLEET ST PUB RANTS BLOG (4#) -
What started out as a group blog on Blogspot
has earned its own special cyberspace url:
:: Gentlemen Ranters ::
The last pub on the Street.
A group of veterans from Fleet Street, the UK journalism of olde, get together in a virtual pub to trade recollections, stories, and oral history.
"There’s still
stuff in tea-chests here
waiting to be unpacked."
Be that as it may, thank you for sharing!
What Prof Greenslade said:
"I urge everybody to read one of its first offerings, a laugh-out-loud piece by Colin Dunne, entitled I knew Eric Wainwright. It's a brilliant snapshot of the anarchy - and overmanning - that made Fleet Street in general, and the Daily Mirror in particular, amazing places in which to work."
I followed Prof Greenslade's directive, read the piece, and enjoyed it tremendously. The collective is an invaluable treasure trove.
...
Morphed:
FLEET ST PUB RANTS BLOG (4#) -
What started out as a group blog on Blogspot
has earned its own special cyberspace url:
:: Gentlemen Ranters ::
The last pub on the Street.
A group of veterans from Fleet Street, the UK journalism of olde, get together in a virtual pub to trade recollections, stories, and oral history.
"There’s still
stuff in tea-chests here
waiting to be unpacked."
Be that as it may, thank you for sharing!
What Prof Greenslade said:
"I urge everybody to read one of its first offerings, a laugh-out-loud piece by Colin Dunne, entitled I knew Eric Wainwright. It's a brilliant snapshot of the anarchy - and overmanning - that made Fleet Street in general, and the Daily Mirror in particular, amazing places in which to work."
I followed Prof Greenslade's directive, read the piece, and enjoyed it tremendously. The collective is an invaluable treasure trove.
...
Thursday, August 23
:
Bookish: OVERHEARD, SADLY -
Otto brings us news that
American writer Grace Paley has died at 84.
Her obituary is by Hillel Italie:
:: SFGate [AP] ::
...
Bookish: OVERHEARD, SADLY -
Otto brings us news that
American writer Grace Paley has died at 84.
Her obituary is by Hillel Italie:
:: SFGate [AP] ::
...
:
Florida's AUGUST FOLLIES -
The Bob Allen Saga Continues . . .
*The undercover officer went into a stall next to Allen's. Allen knocked on the officer's stall door to ask if he was all right, according to Lau's report.*
The officer did not go into "a stall," according to other reports; he went into the Disabled stall which is covered by the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act and related laws which flow from it. Kavanaugh had no business occupying that stall, but rationalized his behavior by claiming that there were no paper supplies in the other stalls.
It is reasonable to ask if someone occupying a Disabled facility is in need of assistance, if they are OK, if they can manage or if they could use some help.
+ Sorry if I seem a little irritable this morning, but I was up all night. I have installed a Feed thing for your convenience with which you can subscribe to this blog on a Reader. It's in the upper right corner area and bright orange.
...
Florida's AUGUST FOLLIES -
The Bob Allen Saga Continues . . .
*The undercover officer went into a stall next to Allen's. Allen knocked on the officer's stall door to ask if he was all right, according to Lau's report.*
The officer did not go into "a stall," according to other reports; he went into the Disabled stall which is covered by the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act and related laws which flow from it. Kavanaugh had no business occupying that stall, but rationalized his behavior by claiming that there were no paper supplies in the other stalls.
It is reasonable to ask if someone occupying a Disabled facility is in need of assistance, if they are OK, if they can manage or if they could use some help.
+ Sorry if I seem a little irritable this morning, but I was up all night. I have installed a Feed thing for your convenience with which you can subscribe to this blog on a Reader. It's in the upper right corner area and bright orange.
...
Wednesday, August 22
:
TALIBAN HATE CALLS (2#) -
Oh, this is charming:
Taliban fanatics have been making "hate calls" to the UK homes and relatives of soldiers serving in Afghanistan...
The wife of one RAF officer was told: "You'll never see your husband alive - we have just killed him."
:: Reported by Matthew Hickley.
************************************
The Al Qaeda Reader by Raymond Ibrahim:
"It behooves us to understand accurately the enemy’s motivations and not be fooled by his deceiving propaganda."
Writings previously unavailable in
English can be studied and analyzed.
:: Book Review ::
...
TALIBAN HATE CALLS (2#) -
Oh, this is charming:
Taliban fanatics have been making "hate calls" to the UK homes and relatives of soldiers serving in Afghanistan...
The wife of one RAF officer was told: "You'll never see your husband alive - we have just killed him."
:: Reported by Matthew Hickley.
************************************
The Al Qaeda Reader by Raymond Ibrahim:
"It behooves us to understand accurately the enemy’s motivations and not be fooled by his deceiving propaganda."
Writings previously unavailable in
English can be studied and analyzed.
:: Book Review ::
...
:
OK, WHO STOLE
THE STRAWBERRIES? (4#) -
# Bob Allen met with the North Brevard branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at the Gibson Community Center in Titusville last night. No fireworks occurred, but a lot of Media showed up.
# What's next: Allen’s attorneys filed motions to suppress evidence and to dismiss charges last week. The hearing on those motions was originally set for 1:15 p.m. Friday, but has been moved to 2:30 p.m. Monday.
# "Ahh, but the strawberries that's... that's where I had them... I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic..."
:: A completely wrong-headed
editorial from the Palm Beach Post.
...
OK, WHO STOLE
THE STRAWBERRIES? (4#) -
# Bob Allen met with the North Brevard branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at the Gibson Community Center in Titusville last night. No fireworks occurred, but a lot of Media showed up.
# What's next: Allen’s attorneys filed motions to suppress evidence and to dismiss charges last week. The hearing on those motions was originally set for 1:15 p.m. Friday, but has been moved to 2:30 p.m. Monday.
# "Ahh, but the strawberries that's... that's where I had them... I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic..."
:: A completely wrong-headed
editorial from the Palm Beach Post.
...
:
Bookish: WORTH NOTING (2#) -
# Peter in Philadelphia writes: "A reader sends notice of National Public Radio's Crime in the City series, in which crime novelists talk about the settings of their work."
:: They include Donna Leon's Venice, John Burdett's Bangkok, Laura Lippman's Baltimore and Michael Connelly's L.A. [NPR]
***********************************
# Discover Something New:
:: Jeff Noon's Top 10 ::
...
Bookish: WORTH NOTING (2#) -
# Peter in Philadelphia writes: "A reader sends notice of National Public Radio's Crime in the City series, in which crime novelists talk about the settings of their work."
:: They include Donna Leon's Venice, John Burdett's Bangkok, Laura Lippman's Baltimore and Michael Connelly's L.A. [NPR]
***********************************
# Discover Something New:
:: Jeff Noon's Top 10 ::
...
Tuesday, August 21
:
Bookish: AUGUST BLAHS ? (4#) -
The Mystery section embraces numerous sub-categories. There are mysteries with cats, mysteries with gardening, mysteries with all kinds of things.
For those of us who've worked in bookstores, it's mainly a shelving issue. In which section should we stick a new book? Sometimes we put it in more than one section. Here are a couple of new books I've run across that looks like they kinda stretch the Mystery section:
# Michael Marshall is guest-blogging this week at Powell's. He is the author of the much-acclaimed new spooky thriller The Intruders. His listing in wikipedia. This book has gotten good reviews from many readers.
Interesting Trivia: He says he lived in
Florida for a brief period when he was a child.
# Matt Ruff has an essay over at Powell's.
His new book has gotten mixed reviews.
BAD MONKEYS reviewed by Paul Di Filippo.
+ Just in case you're looking for something to perk up the rest of August, you might want to look into these two prospects.
...
Bookish: AUGUST BLAHS ? (4#) -
The Mystery section embraces numerous sub-categories. There are mysteries with cats, mysteries with gardening, mysteries with all kinds of things.
For those of us who've worked in bookstores, it's mainly a shelving issue. In which section should we stick a new book? Sometimes we put it in more than one section. Here are a couple of new books I've run across that looks like they kinda stretch the Mystery section:
# Michael Marshall is guest-blogging this week at Powell's. He is the author of the much-acclaimed new spooky thriller The Intruders. His listing in wikipedia. This book has gotten good reviews from many readers.
Interesting Trivia: He says he lived in
Florida for a brief period when he was a child.
# Matt Ruff has an essay over at Powell's.
His new book has gotten mixed reviews.
BAD MONKEYS reviewed by Paul Di Filippo.
+ Just in case you're looking for something to perk up the rest of August, you might want to look into these two prospects.
...
Monday, August 20
:
NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT -
*Last month's Red Mosque siege in Islamabad raised questions about how a madrasa with no apparent source of income could afford to feed up to 6,000 students - and still have money to build a small arsenal of weapons.*
Declan Walsh follows the terrorist money trails.
...
NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT -
*Last month's Red Mosque siege in Islamabad raised questions about how a madrasa with no apparent source of income could afford to feed up to 6,000 students - and still have money to build a small arsenal of weapons.*
Declan Walsh follows the terrorist money trails.
...
:
SoFlo: DEADLY DUO (2#) -
# It began with the discovery of a decapitated head floating in an Alligator Alley canal on April 28th. The murder and dismemberment of a 41-year-old woman has resulted in the arrest of two suspects by means of skilled detective work. Warning to sensitive readers: this is a gruesome story.
# A man in suburban West Palm Beach found a decomposing body in his back yard last Wednesday, he told sheriff deputies.
...
SoFlo: DEADLY DUO (2#) -
# It began with the discovery of a decapitated head floating in an Alligator Alley canal on April 28th. The murder and dismemberment of a 41-year-old woman has resulted in the arrest of two suspects by means of skilled detective work. Warning to sensitive readers: this is a gruesome story.
# A man in suburban West Palm Beach found a decomposing body in his back yard last Wednesday, he told sheriff deputies.
...
:
MORE ON JAX CARTOON (3#) -
see preceding entry -
# Update: Eric Deggans reprints the complete cartoon on his blog. And he asks: Is This Cartoon Racist? I think it is important to keep in mind that editorial cartoons are supposed to stimulate public debate.
# Eric does a Q&A interview with Ben Eason
about Creative Loafing buying two other Alt Weeklies.
# McClatchy July revenue
down 8% due to a drop in ad sales.
...
MORE ON JAX CARTOON (3#) -
see preceding entry -
# Update: Eric Deggans reprints the complete cartoon on his blog. And he asks: Is This Cartoon Racist? I think it is important to keep in mind that editorial cartoons are supposed to stimulate public debate.
# Eric does a Q&A interview with Ben Eason
about Creative Loafing buying two other Alt Weeklies.
# McClatchy July revenue
down 8% due to a drop in ad sales.
...
:
DUMMY UP! CARTOON -
An editorial cartoon in Friday's Florida Times-Union has generated public debate, some emotional reactions, and criticism.
The caption on the cartoon: "The new rule of Law!"
And a billboard in the background
carries the lyrics: "Rap your life away."
The cartoon shows a man holding a smoking gun with two children nearby saying, "I didn't see nuttin'." And the man with the gun responding: "Now that's a good little ho!"
Mike Clark, who approved the cartoon by Ed Gamble, said: "Using the word 'ho' was bad judgement, and I regret that I did not edit it out."
The NAACP's Isaiah Rumlin commented: "If an African-American had seen that before it was printed, it would not have been printed."
The newspaper's Readers' Ombudsman, Wayne Ezell, has responded, but the Tech Dept has not furnished any links online to the cartoon or to any previous stories about it - a glaring oversight for those who come in late to the debate.
::FirstCoastNews:: and ::FirstCoastNews::
:: OMBUD ::
...
DUMMY UP! CARTOON -
An editorial cartoon in Friday's Florida Times-Union has generated public debate, some emotional reactions, and criticism.
The caption on the cartoon: "The new rule of Law!"
And a billboard in the background
carries the lyrics: "Rap your life away."
The cartoon shows a man holding a smoking gun with two children nearby saying, "I didn't see nuttin'." And the man with the gun responding: "Now that's a good little ho!"
Mike Clark, who approved the cartoon by Ed Gamble, said: "Using the word 'ho' was bad judgement, and I regret that I did not edit it out."
The NAACP's Isaiah Rumlin commented: "If an African-American had seen that before it was printed, it would not have been printed."
The newspaper's Readers' Ombudsman, Wayne Ezell, has responded, but the Tech Dept has not furnished any links online to the cartoon or to any previous stories about it - a glaring oversight for those who come in late to the debate.
::FirstCoastNews:: and ::FirstCoastNews::
:: OMBUD ::
...
Saturday, August 18
:
FL BRIEFS (2#) -
# Rep Bob Allen's attorney, Greg Eisenmenger, filed motions to dismiss yesterday. A hearing is set for Friday in Titusville. Allen's attorney wants charges tossed.
# PIPE LINE: The Florida Commission on Ethics is investigating Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti's alleged acceptance of $2,500 from a plumbers union.
...
FL BRIEFS (2#) -
# Rep Bob Allen's attorney, Greg Eisenmenger, filed motions to dismiss yesterday. A hearing is set for Friday in Titusville. Allen's attorney wants charges tossed.
# PIPE LINE: The Florida Commission on Ethics is investigating Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti's alleged acceptance of $2,500 from a plumbers union.
...
Friday, August 17
:
IT'S A WRAP! -
Cellophane was only one of the bizarre
harassment methods used by a "depraved"
EMS outfit on Long Island, according to a
lawsuit filed by three former associates.
And that department's
M*Space page has been removed.
See: "RESCUE RAUNCH"
:: By Selim Algar ::
...
IT'S A WRAP! -
Cellophane was only one of the bizarre
harassment methods used by a "depraved"
EMS outfit on Long Island, according to a
lawsuit filed by three former associates.
And that department's
M*Space page has been removed.
See: "RESCUE RAUNCH"
:: By Selim Algar ::
...
:
HARD HEADS -
"Okay, OKAY, it’s not so easy to walk that fine line and come up with a decent headline for a crime story. I once had the privilege of working a brief stint as a copy editor for the Lapeer County Press in my home state of Michigan, and headlines are not easy to write, let me
tell you."
--from: The Lost Art of
Writing Crime Headlines
:: By Laura James perma ::
...
HARD HEADS -
"Okay, OKAY, it’s not so easy to walk that fine line and come up with a decent headline for a crime story. I once had the privilege of working a brief stint as a copy editor for the Lapeer County Press in my home state of Michigan, and headlines are not easy to write, let me
tell you."
--from: The Lost Art of
Writing Crime Headlines
:: By Laura James perma ::
...
Thursday, August 16
:
THAT ELUSIVE $20 -
Some thoughts on
the Bob Allen Story . . .
I feel that at this point, I need to pause and say something serious about the way the Mainstream News Media in general has been covering this story.
Allen contended that he did not have $20 in his pockets or with him, and I have no reason to disbelieve him, so far. Unless the police play "dropsy" by dropping a $20 into his personal effects which they confiscated or doctor the evidence record post facto: there is no $20 and never was.
The trouble is that most of the MSM organizations are covering this story as Entertainment and not as News. Every time they recap the story they include the $20 as if it is a real fact - but without any substantiation of it.
By persistently repeating the $20, the Media is trying to reinforce the idea that a fictional or hypothetical $20 existed. That would be like offering a theoretical pot plant
in evidence.
The dog days of August tend to be slow for the kind of news which is usually targeted at their desired demographic, so they're making the most of this incident, I suppose.
Typical of the most popular narrative for this story, is the story arc which posits that Allen campaigned against public lewdness and that's why he's been "caught" at it. Simple cause and effect! Allen was opposed to public lewdness and therefore his opposition to public lewdness is what is destroying him. No, it doesn't make much sense.
And, so far, there was no public lewdness here. Just a conversational interchange between two adult men within a wheelchair-accommodating toilet stall designated for the disabled. No one else was there and no little kids would walk into this rather large toilet stall with a graphic symbol on its door of a wheelchair.
So, why should we care what these two men spoke about? Because $20 was being transferred. But if the $20 didn't exist, it couldn't have been transferred.
Indeed, the very existence of that $20 is just one of the troublesome problems with this story - unless you've lost the plot. And there are a lot of other problems, as well.
I am sharing these musings with you in order to raise your awareness of how this story is being manipulated by the Press. They are covering this story as Entertainment and not as News, and you should keep that in mind as you
follow it.
The next development in
this story is scheduled for August 23rd.
...
THAT ELUSIVE $20 -
Some thoughts on
the Bob Allen Story . . .
I feel that at this point, I need to pause and say something serious about the way the Mainstream News Media in general has been covering this story.
Allen contended that he did not have $20 in his pockets or with him, and I have no reason to disbelieve him, so far. Unless the police play "dropsy" by dropping a $20 into his personal effects which they confiscated or doctor the evidence record post facto: there is no $20 and never was.
The trouble is that most of the MSM organizations are covering this story as Entertainment and not as News. Every time they recap the story they include the $20 as if it is a real fact - but without any substantiation of it.
By persistently repeating the $20, the Media is trying to reinforce the idea that a fictional or hypothetical $20 existed. That would be like offering a theoretical pot plant
in evidence.
The dog days of August tend to be slow for the kind of news which is usually targeted at their desired demographic, so they're making the most of this incident, I suppose.
Typical of the most popular narrative for this story, is the story arc which posits that Allen campaigned against public lewdness and that's why he's been "caught" at it. Simple cause and effect! Allen was opposed to public lewdness and therefore his opposition to public lewdness is what is destroying him. No, it doesn't make much sense.
And, so far, there was no public lewdness here. Just a conversational interchange between two adult men within a wheelchair-accommodating toilet stall designated for the disabled. No one else was there and no little kids would walk into this rather large toilet stall with a graphic symbol on its door of a wheelchair.
So, why should we care what these two men spoke about? Because $20 was being transferred. But if the $20 didn't exist, it couldn't have been transferred.
Indeed, the very existence of that $20 is just one of the troublesome problems with this story - unless you've lost the plot. And there are a lot of other problems, as well.
I am sharing these musings with you in order to raise your awareness of how this story is being manipulated by the Press. They are covering this story as Entertainment and not as News, and you should keep that in mind as you
follow it.
The next development in
this story is scheduled for August 23rd.
...
Wednesday, August 15
:
VIDEOTAPE BLUES (3#) -
A Bob Allen Update . . .
# FL House Speaker Marco Rubio removed Rep Bob Allen from two committees this morning even though Allen has not been convicted of anything.
It appears that Mr Rubio actually believes that the police have videotape of this strange encounter in disabilities.
# Meanwhile, how's Police Officer Kavanaugh doing? He's become a boytoy pinup hit with one of America's more prominent female erotic bloggers who features a SNAPSHOT of him on her [Adult Material] Blog with the remark:
"The cop, btw, is drop-dead handsome."
...
VIDEOTAPE BLUES (3#) -
A Bob Allen Update . . .
# FL House Speaker Marco Rubio removed Rep Bob Allen from two committees this morning even though Allen has not been convicted of anything.
It appears that Mr Rubio actually believes that the police have videotape of this strange encounter in disabilities.
# Meanwhile, how's Police Officer Kavanaugh doing? He's become a boytoy pinup hit with one of America's more prominent female erotic bloggers who features a SNAPSHOT of him on her [Adult Material] Blog with the remark:
"The cop, btw, is drop-dead handsome."
...
:
CYBER MAPPING FOR TERRORISM -
U.S. law enforcement officials say they have identified more than two dozen "clusters" in the Northeast United States that could lead to homegrown terror...
Reports identify: prisons, websites, universities and religious/cultural institutions as places where "radicalization appears to occur"...
Also identified are: mosques, bookstores, cafes, prisons and flop houses as "radicalization incubators" that provide "extremist fodder or fuel for radicalization."
:: WABC: The Blotter ::
...
CYBER MAPPING FOR TERRORISM -
U.S. law enforcement officials say they have identified more than two dozen "clusters" in the Northeast United States that could lead to homegrown terror...
Reports identify: prisons, websites, universities and religious/cultural institutions as places where "radicalization appears to occur"...
Also identified are: mosques, bookstores, cafes, prisons and flop houses as "radicalization incubators" that provide "extremist fodder or fuel for radicalization."
:: WABC: The Blotter ::
...
:
MUSINGS OF A FL HOUSEGUEST -
"We're in Palm Beach at the moment, where Cricket's dad has a fantastic house... I'll be hugely disappointed if I don't witness at least one cocaine baron cigarette boat-based firefight from the sunbathing platform this week."
Guest Blogger brought an armful of books with him... and compares Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd with Dashiel Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.
...
MUSINGS OF A FL HOUSEGUEST -
"We're in Palm Beach at the moment, where Cricket's dad has a fantastic house... I'll be hugely disappointed if I don't witness at least one cocaine baron cigarette boat-based firefight from the sunbathing platform this week."
Guest Blogger brought an armful of books with him... and compares Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd with Dashiel Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.
...
Tuesday, August 14
:
Bookish: SEPARATED AT BIRTH (3#) -
# On the sixtieth anniversary of independence via partition for India and Pakistan, C Max Magee puts together a little reading list to mark the occasion.
# "Why is it that, while the world fell in love with Indian novelists, Pakistani novelists failed to achieve the same high profile? And is the situation changing?" Another side of the story by Kamila Shamsie. [guard]
# Blogger Clayton Moore interviews Mohsin Hamid whose latest novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is a contender for a major literary prize. Bang!
...
Bookish: SEPARATED AT BIRTH (3#) -
# On the sixtieth anniversary of independence via partition for India and Pakistan, C Max Magee puts together a little reading list to mark the occasion.
# "Why is it that, while the world fell in love with Indian novelists, Pakistani novelists failed to achieve the same high profile? And is the situation changing?" Another side of the story by Kamila Shamsie. [guard]
# Blogger Clayton Moore interviews Mohsin Hamid whose latest novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is a contender for a major literary prize. Bang!
...
Monday, August 13
:
NOT LIVING UNDER A BRIDGE (2#) -
They're kicking up a fuss Across the Pond with reports that American dotcom tycoon Marc Collins Rector is "swanning around Britain" in a chauffeur-driven black BMW limo and taking youths to lunch at fancy restaurants in London.
Journalists allege that he gained an entry visa
to the UK by failing to disclose his rap sheet.
:: The First Post :: and :: The Sun ::
...
NOT LIVING UNDER A BRIDGE (2#) -
They're kicking up a fuss Across the Pond with reports that American dotcom tycoon Marc Collins Rector is "swanning around Britain" in a chauffeur-driven black BMW limo and taking youths to lunch at fancy restaurants in London.
Journalists allege that he gained an entry visa
to the UK by failing to disclose his rap sheet.
:: The First Post :: and :: The Sun ::
...
Sunday, August 12
:
THE USF 2: update -
FBI agents executed a search over
the weekend of a Tampa-area home
connected to the Goose Creek Incident.
Seized items included a computer.
...
THE USF 2: update -
FBI agents executed a search over
the weekend of a Tampa-area home
connected to the Goose Creek Incident.
Seized items included a computer.
...
:
VIDEO AT 11 -
But don't hold your breath . . .
The weekend wouldn't be complete without a Bob Allen News Update, and columnist Howard Troxler in St Pete does not disappoint, but maybe runs out of "maybe" ideas too quickly:
"You never know. Maybe the cop misheard him. Maybe some guy next to Allen actually said that stuff. Maybe the representative will look a jury in the eye and the jury will have reasonable doubt."
I thought the police chief promised us "complete videotape" of this strange encounter. Well, we're still waiting for it. Where's the part of the videotape showing Kavanaugh displaying his naughty bits? I mean, uh, shifting his equipment around. They're holding out on us. Hey,
bring it on!
...
VIDEO AT 11 -
But don't hold your breath . . .
The weekend wouldn't be complete without a Bob Allen News Update, and columnist Howard Troxler in St Pete does not disappoint, but maybe runs out of "maybe" ideas too quickly:
"You never know. Maybe the cop misheard him. Maybe some guy next to Allen actually said that stuff. Maybe the representative will look a jury in the eye and the jury will have reasonable doubt."
I thought the police chief promised us "complete videotape" of this strange encounter. Well, we're still waiting for it. Where's the part of the videotape showing Kavanaugh displaying his naughty bits? I mean, uh, shifting his equipment around. They're holding out on us. Hey,
bring it on!
...
Friday, August 10
:
Bookish: UNDER SIEGE (3#) -
# About a couple of dozen Iraqi security soldiers have seized the building of Iraq's National Library, according to its director, Saad Eskander. He fears this will make it a military target, endangering the staff and the collections. [guard]
# Updated: Iraqi Military Storm Nat'l Archive.
# Peter Millar shares with us a nicely written book review of Spook Country by William Gibson, who will appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Monday, August 27th at 7pm.
...
Bookish: UNDER SIEGE (3#) -
# About a couple of dozen Iraqi security soldiers have seized the building of Iraq's National Library, according to its director, Saad Eskander. He fears this will make it a military target, endangering the staff and the collections. [guard]
# Updated: Iraqi Military Storm Nat'l Archive.
# Peter Millar shares with us a nicely written book review of Spook Country by William Gibson, who will appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Monday, August 27th at 7pm.
...
:
FL: STEALING FROM CRIPPLES -
At what point during this strange encounter,
do you suppose, Daniel Kavanaugh began
waving his ding-a-ling at Bob Allen?
Further details in the case of Rep Bob Allen were distributed during the Deep-Six News Zone over last weekend. Although the discovery docs were released Thursday, the distribution was managed to drop into the Friday PM through Saturday period, traditionally used by movers and shakers to bury awkward information.
And the information was highly manipulated, as one would expect from the timing. One detail was dropped into the news hole like a piece of meat off the back of their sled: PO Kavanaugh does not look like Mr Clean; he is an African-American. So, he looks more like Mr T than like Mr C. Many naive youngsters became quite preoccupied with this red herring.
It is important to keep in mind that while audio and transcripts may have been released, they do not constitute a complete record of this chain of events; a vital dimension is missing from the package, viz: the visual content.
This encounter opened, we are led to believe, with the startling incongruity of an able-bodied guy discovered while he was occupying a stall that is designed to accommodate wheelchairs. Such stalls are usually considerably larger than the other stalls and usually have a graphic symbol on the door representing a wheelchair.
What was Kavanaugh doing in there? The PO's rationalization for his inappropriate and wrongful presence in there was: there were no paper supplies in the other toilet stalls. And what else was Kavanaugh doing there? He was shifting his equipment around. One wonders what that would entail. A demonstration in court might be necessary in order to more accurately visualize what that process might have looked like. It's just my conjecture that he looked like he was waving his ding-a-ling.
On what basis would I make such a supposition? In trying to reconstruct this chain of events, one must fill in the visual content with a pragmatic proofing in order to make sense of the rest of the remarks.
So, to begin with, Kavanaugh was pilfering paper supplies from the handicapped which is comparable to those able-bodied people who take parking spaces designated for the handicapped.
And then, somehow, he was giving Allen the impression that he was looking to be serviced. How would Allen get that impression, unless Kavanaugh was conspicuously communicating that message with his body language or gestures?
Do I have a bias in this case? Yes, I do: I don't approve of police playing dirty tricks on the public.
I may not agree with Allen's position on numerous issues, but I don't think anyone deserves to be lynched.
Maybe Florida police have switched from the old Southern custom of speed traps and are now ambushing the unwary in rest rooms. You may find it hard to believe, but something like this could happen to you, too.
Is my reconstruction of this chain of events outrageous? Well, I think this entire case is outrageous. I don't care for anything PO Kavanaugh said or did in this situation... and, so far, we have only his description, which may or may not be accurate.
Give Due Process a chance!
+ IMO Bob Allen: Phillip Lupo - presumed local assoc attorney /Greg Eisenmenger - consulting attorney.
+ Many news links available. Two follow:
:: Florida Today :: and :: TallyDem ::
...
FL: STEALING FROM CRIPPLES -
At what point during this strange encounter,
do you suppose, Daniel Kavanaugh began
waving his ding-a-ling at Bob Allen?
Further details in the case of Rep Bob Allen were distributed during the Deep-Six News Zone over last weekend. Although the discovery docs were released Thursday, the distribution was managed to drop into the Friday PM through Saturday period, traditionally used by movers and shakers to bury awkward information.
And the information was highly manipulated, as one would expect from the timing. One detail was dropped into the news hole like a piece of meat off the back of their sled: PO Kavanaugh does not look like Mr Clean; he is an African-American. So, he looks more like Mr T than like Mr C. Many naive youngsters became quite preoccupied with this red herring.
It is important to keep in mind that while audio and transcripts may have been released, they do not constitute a complete record of this chain of events; a vital dimension is missing from the package, viz: the visual content.
This encounter opened, we are led to believe, with the startling incongruity of an able-bodied guy discovered while he was occupying a stall that is designed to accommodate wheelchairs. Such stalls are usually considerably larger than the other stalls and usually have a graphic symbol on the door representing a wheelchair.
What was Kavanaugh doing in there? The PO's rationalization for his inappropriate and wrongful presence in there was: there were no paper supplies in the other toilet stalls. And what else was Kavanaugh doing there? He was shifting his equipment around. One wonders what that would entail. A demonstration in court might be necessary in order to more accurately visualize what that process might have looked like. It's just my conjecture that he looked like he was waving his ding-a-ling.
On what basis would I make such a supposition? In trying to reconstruct this chain of events, one must fill in the visual content with a pragmatic proofing in order to make sense of the rest of the remarks.
So, to begin with, Kavanaugh was pilfering paper supplies from the handicapped which is comparable to those able-bodied people who take parking spaces designated for the handicapped.
And then, somehow, he was giving Allen the impression that he was looking to be serviced. How would Allen get that impression, unless Kavanaugh was conspicuously communicating that message with his body language or gestures?
Do I have a bias in this case? Yes, I do: I don't approve of police playing dirty tricks on the public.
I may not agree with Allen's position on numerous issues, but I don't think anyone deserves to be lynched.
Maybe Florida police have switched from the old Southern custom of speed traps and are now ambushing the unwary in rest rooms. You may find it hard to believe, but something like this could happen to you, too.
Is my reconstruction of this chain of events outrageous? Well, I think this entire case is outrageous. I don't care for anything PO Kavanaugh said or did in this situation... and, so far, we have only his description, which may or may not be accurate.
Give Due Process a chance!
+ IMO Bob Allen: Phillip Lupo - presumed local assoc attorney /Greg Eisenmenger - consulting attorney.
+ Many news links available. Two follow:
:: Florida Today :: and :: TallyDem ::
...
:
FL: DOPE RULES -
The prosecutor indicated that he plans to pursue a second trial for O'Hara, who was accused of drug trafficking after authorities found 58 Vicodin pills in his truck. He had legal prescriptions for the drugs... But jurors weren't told that it is legal to possess the drug with a prescription....
O'Hara has already served two years in prison, even though an appeals court called the case absurd and ridiculous. [sptimes]
...
FL: DOPE RULES -
The prosecutor indicated that he plans to pursue a second trial for O'Hara, who was accused of drug trafficking after authorities found 58 Vicodin pills in his truck. He had legal prescriptions for the drugs... But jurors weren't told that it is legal to possess the drug with a prescription....
O'Hara has already served two years in prison, even though an appeals court called the case absurd and ridiculous. [sptimes]
...
:
THE NEWSPAPER NO ONE CAN READ -
Broward County's minority
population has now climbed to 51%...
"With seven out of 10 new residents coming from abroad, any number of external influences could have an effect on how this plays out," said Dick Ogburn of the South Florida Regional Planning Council.
+ One thing is for sure: this newspaper is doomed.
I am one of the few people left on this corner who can even read English. The clock is ticking on the Sun-Sentinel in Broward County FL.
...
THE NEWSPAPER NO ONE CAN READ -
Broward County's minority
population has now climbed to 51%...
"With seven out of 10 new residents coming from abroad, any number of external influences could have an effect on how this plays out," said Dick Ogburn of the South Florida Regional Planning Council.
+ One thing is for sure: this newspaper is doomed.
I am one of the few people left on this corner who can even read English. The clock is ticking on the Sun-Sentinel in Broward County FL.
...
Thursday, August 9
:
RIOT IN HYDERBAD PRESS CENTER -
A violent mob burst into the Press Club there, shouting slogans denouncing the female Bengladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin who was visiting to promote her new book. They ransacked the premises and roughed up the writer during the disturbance. The mob claimed her writings
insult Islam.
"After fleeing Bangladesh, Nasrin lived in Sweden for several years but eventually moved to India, where she has lived in Kolkata for the last two years."
She says she believes in Democracy. [guard]
...
RIOT IN HYDERBAD PRESS CENTER -
A violent mob burst into the Press Club there, shouting slogans denouncing the female Bengladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin who was visiting to promote her new book. They ransacked the premises and roughed up the writer during the disturbance. The mob claimed her writings
insult Islam.
"After fleeing Bangladesh, Nasrin lived in Sweden for several years but eventually moved to India, where she has lived in Kolkata for the last two years."
She says she believes in Democracy. [guard]
...
:
BOOKER PRIZE LIST (2#) -
The BBC's guide to the 13 authors who
have made it onto the list this year, and
the books they have been nominated for.
:: Booker longlist the most 'Asian' ever
...
BOOKER PRIZE LIST (2#) -
The BBC's guide to the 13 authors who
have made it onto the list this year, and
the books they have been nominated for.
:: Booker longlist the most 'Asian' ever
...
Monday, August 6
:
THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL (2#) -
Does comedy translate? Tim Cornwell reports:
"THE FAILED attempt to blow up Glasgow Airport has given comedians plenty of material this Fringe. Several stand-ups have ridiculed the terrorists involved, pushing the boundaries of taste as they always do - and not missing a few jibes at have-a-go baggage handler John Smeaton.
If comedians in Edinburgh thrive off heckles, shock and insults, they do not expect to be killed for it. But the Dutch comedians playing in a club off the Royal Mile this year may have a keener understanding of the risks of being a loudmouth."
:: And at The Guardian ::
...
THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL (2#) -
Does comedy translate? Tim Cornwell reports:
"THE FAILED attempt to blow up Glasgow Airport has given comedians plenty of material this Fringe. Several stand-ups have ridiculed the terrorists involved, pushing the boundaries of taste as they always do - and not missing a few jibes at have-a-go baggage handler John Smeaton.
If comedians in Edinburgh thrive off heckles, shock and insults, they do not expect to be killed for it. But the Dutch comedians playing in a club off the Royal Mile this year may have a keener understanding of the risks of being a loudmouth."
:: And at The Guardian ::
...
:
USF PAIR PRICEY TO BAIL (3#) -
Goose Creek Incident Update -
Ahmed Abda Sherif Mohamed's bond was set at $500,000 and Youseff Samir Megahed's was set at $300,000; they have been deemed flight risks. Mohamed is being described as a civil engineering graduate student.
Ahmed Bedier said someone from CAIR would accompany a family member to the bond hearing which was scheduled
for 3:30pm.
"The two men were pulled over for speeding Saturday night, and officers became suspicious when the men couldn't immediately say what they were doing in the area or where they were going."
A terrorism task force is still reviewing the contents of their car which included a laptop computer. My best guess: they have to get someone who reads Arabic to look at what's on their laptop.
They are being charged with "possession of an incendiary device." Court documents use the locution: "pipe bombs."
+ Blogger is not saving the formatting or links.
..... I've had to re-format and re-link 3 times over.
:: Timestamp on this report is 2:40pm ::
:: See also This Just In - 1:53pm perma ::
...
USF PAIR PRICEY TO BAIL (3#) -
Goose Creek Incident Update -
Ahmed Abda Sherif Mohamed's bond was set at $500,000 and Youseff Samir Megahed's was set at $300,000; they have been deemed flight risks. Mohamed is being described as a civil engineering graduate student.
Ahmed Bedier said someone from CAIR would accompany a family member to the bond hearing which was scheduled
for 3:30pm.
"The two men were pulled over for speeding Saturday night, and officers became suspicious when the men couldn't immediately say what they were doing in the area or where they were going."
A terrorism task force is still reviewing the contents of their car which included a laptop computer. My best guess: they have to get someone who reads Arabic to look at what's on their laptop.
They are being charged with "possession of an incendiary device." Court documents use the locution: "pipe bombs."
+ Blogger is not saving the formatting or links.
..... I've had to re-format and re-link 3 times over.
:: Timestamp on this report is 2:40pm ::
:: See also This Just In - 1:53pm perma ::
...
:
ANON NO MORE (2#) -
I usually like to start Mondays out with a lighter entry, although it isn't always possible if there is other more pressing or breaking news. Today, I came across this cyber-culture piece which has a rather personal flavor:
"Maybe it's the bookish idealist in me, but I considered "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" to be legitimately well-done satire that was deeply connected to the author's anonymity..."
I hadn't been following the afore-mentioned blog, but found Caroline McCarthy's piece to be a pretty good yarn.
What I don't understand is why a blogger's
anonymity is such a big concern.
Writers have been using pen names and nicknames in magazines and newspapers for generations and I don't remember anybody ever making such a big deal about it before. Why has this suddenly become such a big Problem?
Society columnist Aileen Mehle wrote under "Suzy" for years and it didn't seem to bother anyone. And there have been lots of others. Sigh; I really don't get it.
+ Thunderstorm rumbling in now.
...
ANON NO MORE (2#) -
I usually like to start Mondays out with a lighter entry, although it isn't always possible if there is other more pressing or breaking news. Today, I came across this cyber-culture piece which has a rather personal flavor:
"Maybe it's the bookish idealist in me, but I considered "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" to be legitimately well-done satire that was deeply connected to the author's anonymity..."
I hadn't been following the afore-mentioned blog, but found Caroline McCarthy's piece to be a pretty good yarn.
What I don't understand is why a blogger's
anonymity is such a big concern.
Writers have been using pen names and nicknames in magazines and newspapers for generations and I don't remember anybody ever making such a big deal about it before. Why has this suddenly become such a big Problem?
Society columnist Aileen Mehle wrote under "Suzy" for years and it didn't seem to bother anyone. And there have been lots of others. Sigh; I really don't get it.
+ Thunderstorm rumbling in now.
...
:
USF PRESSER inre:
GOOSE CREEK KIDS -
Hot off the This Just In blog,
Abbie Van Sickle at the
SP Times informs us that
"A 1:30 p.m. press conference
is planned at the USF campus."
:: Breaking News - SPT ::
...
USF PRESSER inre:
GOOSE CREEK KIDS -
Hot off the This Just In blog,
Abbie Van Sickle at the
SP Times informs us that
"A 1:30 p.m. press conference
is planned at the USF campus."
:: Breaking News - SPT ::
...
:
FL COLLEGE KIDS UP A CREEK (3#) -
Goose Creek Incident updated -
# "Police identified the men as Yousef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 24, neither of whom is a U.S. citizen. They are being held at the Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, South Carolina."
They're going to be formally charged on
Monday, but the specific charges are not clear yet.
# Ahmed Bedier, the CAIR director in Tampa, has been in touch with the men's families and explained to the Charleston newspaper that the two are college students at the University of South Florida.
The authorities have not formulated the specific charges yet because they want more time to investigate.
The paramount issue that usually looms over these situations these days is the concern that sociopaths are going to try to test the system in order to determine what security procedures are in place.
There should be more news
on this case at some point on Monday.
:: Ahmed Bedier's Blog ::
...
FL COLLEGE KIDS UP A CREEK (3#) -
Goose Creek Incident updated -
# "Police identified the men as Yousef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 24, neither of whom is a U.S. citizen. They are being held at the Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, South Carolina."
They're going to be formally charged on
Monday, but the specific charges are not clear yet.
# Ahmed Bedier, the CAIR director in Tampa, has been in touch with the men's families and explained to the Charleston newspaper that the two are college students at the University of South Florida.
The authorities have not formulated the specific charges yet because they want more time to investigate.
The paramount issue that usually looms over these situations these days is the concern that sociopaths are going to try to test the system in order to determine what security procedures are in place.
There should be more news
on this case at some point on Monday.
:: Ahmed Bedier's Blog ::
...
Sunday, August 5
:
FL CAR WITH EXPLOSIVES FOUND (3#) -
# South Carolina police pulled over a vehicle with Florida tags around 6pm Saturday evening and discovered explosive devices inside. The automobile was occupied by two men of possible Middle Eastern appearance. FBI and bomb squad were called to the scene. Investigation is ongoing.
# "By 11:20 p.m., there were more than a dozen police cars, fire trucks, and an ambulance surrounding a gray sedan."
# "Goose Creek is home to the Naval Weapons Station and the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held."
-- The two men have been detained.
...
FL CAR WITH EXPLOSIVES FOUND (3#) -
# South Carolina police pulled over a vehicle with Florida tags around 6pm Saturday evening and discovered explosive devices inside. The automobile was occupied by two men of possible Middle Eastern appearance. FBI and bomb squad were called to the scene. Investigation is ongoing.
# "By 11:20 p.m., there were more than a dozen police cars, fire trucks, and an ambulance surrounding a gray sedan."
# "Goose Creek is home to the Naval Weapons Station and the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held."
-- The two men have been detained.
...
Friday, August 3
:
GRAPHIC NOVELS etc (4#) -
# This week The First Post is featuring the work of caricaturist Drew Friedman with 6 panels from his book The Fun Never Stops!
# I don't often take the time to look at the array of graphic work displayed at TFP, but did so today. From their Comics Index, I saw a couple of interesting picks:
# Exit Wounds by Israeli Rutu Modan: They're investigating the mysterious circumstances of his father's death.
# And God Save The Queen about drug-crazed faeries by Brit Mike Carey: not much of a sampling shown, but nice art work on what little there is.
...
GRAPHIC NOVELS etc (4#) -
# This week The First Post is featuring the work of caricaturist Drew Friedman with 6 panels from his book The Fun Never Stops!
# I don't often take the time to look at the array of graphic work displayed at TFP, but did so today. From their Comics Index, I saw a couple of interesting picks:
# Exit Wounds by Israeli Rutu Modan: They're investigating the mysterious circumstances of his father's death.
# And God Save The Queen about drug-crazed faeries by Brit Mike Carey: not much of a sampling shown, but nice art work on what little there is.
...
:
NEWSPAPER SHAKEUPS (4#) -
# About the decline of the
newspaper family dynasty. Good article.
# Alexander Cockburn's reaction to
Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the WSJ:
"Call it his revenge for the story
the Journal ran about Murdoch's Chinese
wife Wendi Deng in November 2000."
# Jack Shafer's reaction to
the Murdoch takeover of the WSJ:
"Having bagged his trophy, how
long will it take Rupert to bugger it?"
# Manhattan Media has purchased the New York Press, the alt-weekly that once challenged their rival Village Voice, but has since declined.
"We expect to give The Voice a run for its money."
...
NEWSPAPER SHAKEUPS (4#) -
# About the decline of the
newspaper family dynasty. Good article.
# Alexander Cockburn's reaction to
Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the WSJ:
"Call it his revenge for the story
the Journal ran about Murdoch's Chinese
wife Wendi Deng in November 2000."
# Jack Shafer's reaction to
the Murdoch takeover of the WSJ:
"Having bagged his trophy, how
long will it take Rupert to bugger it?"
# Manhattan Media has purchased the New York Press, the alt-weekly that once challenged their rival Village Voice, but has since declined.
"We expect to give The Voice a run for its money."
...
:
BEYOND THE KHYBER PASS (3#) -
Lots of Visiting Going On -
# *The British army chief of general staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, visited the North Waziristan tribal region on Thursday.* Who else would tell you these things, hmm?
# PESHAWAR: *Pakistani tribesmen nominated for the joint Pak-Afghan peace jirga starting on August 9 in Kabul visited the Afghan consulate on Thursday to receive travel documents required for a visit to Afghanistan.*
# Continuing with the Red Mosque
Spinoff story (see July 30th entry) . . .
The undaunted and enterprising reporter Kamal Hyder somehow managed to get out into the far outback of the Northwest Frontier Province to check out rebel Umar Khalid. Well, hats off to you, Kamal! A jeep will really shake up your kidneys out there; hope you rode in on an elephant.
"Efforts are under way to resolve the crisis through a tribal jirga, or council of elders." Yeah, so we heard... I guess via satellite.
Nice story, but no timestamp on it.
There's video, too, but I don't watch much video. The still photos are usually enough for me. I get seasick from watching too much video - it must be part of the Wayne & Garth effect.
Back to you, Ron Burgundy.
...
BEYOND THE KHYBER PASS (3#) -
Lots of Visiting Going On -
# *The British army chief of general staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, visited the North Waziristan tribal region on Thursday.* Who else would tell you these things, hmm?
# PESHAWAR: *Pakistani tribesmen nominated for the joint Pak-Afghan peace jirga starting on August 9 in Kabul visited the Afghan consulate on Thursday to receive travel documents required for a visit to Afghanistan.*
# Continuing with the Red Mosque
Spinoff story (see July 30th entry) . . .
The undaunted and enterprising reporter Kamal Hyder somehow managed to get out into the far outback of the Northwest Frontier Province to check out rebel Umar Khalid. Well, hats off to you, Kamal! A jeep will really shake up your kidneys out there; hope you rode in on an elephant.
"Efforts are under way to resolve the crisis through a tribal jirga, or council of elders." Yeah, so we heard... I guess via satellite.
Nice story, but no timestamp on it.
There's video, too, but I don't watch much video. The still photos are usually enough for me. I get seasick from watching too much video - it must be part of the Wayne & Garth effect.
Back to you, Ron Burgundy.
...
:
SoFlo: DOWN & DIRTY -
What's the difference between
the CSI-Miami TV show and Real Life?
Now I understand that Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of all these TV shows, has to pepper the programs with hot women and good-looking corpses...
Forensic Artist Andrea Campbell
:: tells you about it ::
...
SoFlo: DOWN & DIRTY -
What's the difference between
the CSI-Miami TV show and Real Life?
Now I understand that Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of all these TV shows, has to pepper the programs with hot women and good-looking corpses...
Forensic Artist Andrea Campbell
:: tells you about it ::
...
Thursday, August 2
:
DOG DAYS vs SILLY SEASON -
Well, it's August. Here in the States, we call these the Dog Days of Summer. It's a time to kick back a little, read up on coming attractions, and look forward to what's in store for the new Fall Season on TV, in books, or whatever else you fancy...
But Across the Pond, this is known as the Silly Season. It's a time for the Press to break out those quirky, off-beat stories and feature them writ large.
Over at the Beeb, they explain.
...
DOG DAYS vs SILLY SEASON -
Well, it's August. Here in the States, we call these the Dog Days of Summer. It's a time to kick back a little, read up on coming attractions, and look forward to what's in store for the new Fall Season on TV, in books, or whatever else you fancy...
But Across the Pond, this is known as the Silly Season. It's a time for the Press to break out those quirky, off-beat stories and feature them writ large.
Over at the Beeb, they explain.
...
:
TRAVEL GRINDER -
Blogger Omar Fadhil from the ITM Blog
has a piece at OpinionJournal today called
Flight to Nowhere:
"For Iraqis,
a visit to Jordan is a travel nightmare."
There are Reader Responses to it, too.
...
TRAVEL GRINDER -
Blogger Omar Fadhil from the ITM Blog
has a piece at OpinionJournal today called
Flight to Nowhere:
"For Iraqis,
a visit to Jordan is a travel nightmare."
There are Reader Responses to it, too.
...
:
FL: ANOTHER QUANGO SCHEME -
Cheerleader Perky Patty wants to train college students in civic involvement, which will raise voting turnout, she predicts.
College is far too late to start this kind of training.
But thanks for waving at us
from your ivory tower, Perky. [sent]
...
FL: ANOTHER QUANGO SCHEME -
Cheerleader Perky Patty wants to train college students in civic involvement, which will raise voting turnout, she predicts.
College is far too late to start this kind of training.
But thanks for waving at us
from your ivory tower, Perky. [sent]
...
:
FL: HACKING ELECTIONS -
Computer hackers can change election results
on certain voting machines used in 25 Florida
counties and not leave a trace,
according to Florida's secretary of state, who has given Diebold Election Systems until Aug. 17 to fix the problem or lose the right to operate in the state...
A new state law requires that, by next year,
all counties must use paper-trail-style machines...
...
FL: HACKING ELECTIONS -
Computer hackers can change election results
on certain voting machines used in 25 Florida
counties and not leave a trace,
according to Florida's secretary of state, who has given Diebold Election Systems until Aug. 17 to fix the problem or lose the right to operate in the state...
A new state law requires that, by next year,
all counties must use paper-trail-style machines...
...
:
FL: DETOUR INTO CAPTIVITY -
It seems that Grandpa was on his way
to the doctor's office when he got distracted . . .
A 75-year-old man called 911 overnight, saying he was being held against his will in an Orange County FL home after going there with a prostitute 14 days ago.
After a four-hour standoff, four men inside the home were taken into custody for questioning, and the elderly man freed.
The sheriff's office is still trying to sort it all out. [sent]
...
FL: DETOUR INTO CAPTIVITY -
It seems that Grandpa was on his way
to the doctor's office when he got distracted . . .
A 75-year-old man called 911 overnight, saying he was being held against his will in an Orange County FL home after going there with a prostitute 14 days ago.
After a four-hour standoff, four men inside the home were taken into custody for questioning, and the elderly man freed.
The sheriff's office is still trying to sort it all out. [sent]
...
Tuesday, July 31
:
Bookish: MURKY MYSTERIES (2#) -
# Clayton Moore's July Mystery Strumpet:
"At least I know there will always be detectives in the future... People will always need to know things that other people want to keep secret. It’s a guaranteed gig... You can count on people to do bad things."
He covers William Gibson's new
book, Spook Country, and a few others.
***********************************
# From the Dark & Stormy Dept . . .
The winner in the Detective category of this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Bob Millar from Sweden with this entry:
"I’d been tailing this guy for over an hour while he tried every trick in the book to lose me: going down side streets, doubling back, suddenly veering into shop doorways, jumping out again, crossing the street, looking for somewhere to make the drop, and I was going to be there when he did it because his disguise as a postman didn’t have me fooled for a minute."
And you can find the rest here.
...
Bookish: MURKY MYSTERIES (2#) -
# Clayton Moore's July Mystery Strumpet:
"At least I know there will always be detectives in the future... People will always need to know things that other people want to keep secret. It’s a guaranteed gig... You can count on people to do bad things."
He covers William Gibson's new
book, Spook Country, and a few others.
***********************************
# From the Dark & Stormy Dept . . .
The winner in the Detective category of this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Bob Millar from Sweden with this entry:
"I’d been tailing this guy for over an hour while he tried every trick in the book to lose me: going down side streets, doubling back, suddenly veering into shop doorways, jumping out again, crossing the street, looking for somewhere to make the drop, and I was going to be there when he did it because his disguise as a postman didn’t have me fooled for a minute."
And you can find the rest here.
...
:
CYBER LOUTS:
Mouthing Off Online -
Recent incidents in the news involving incivility on the Internet have fueled a heated debate about how the boundaries of civility relate to the presentation of opportunities for freedom of speech online, according to Janet Kornblum's article today.
+ I believe this situation has developed largely because so many people have watched so much TV over the years that they have lost their interactive communication skills.
What do you think?
...
CYBER LOUTS:
Mouthing Off Online -
Recent incidents in the news involving incivility on the Internet have fueled a heated debate about how the boundaries of civility relate to the presentation of opportunities for freedom of speech online, according to Janet Kornblum's article today.
+ I believe this situation has developed largely because so many people have watched so much TV over the years that they have lost their interactive communication skills.
What do you think?
...
:
SoFlo: SMASHING MISS TEACUP -
Patricia Turgeon, 37, said she pulled over her ice cream truck, "Pattie's Wagon," about 7pm Sunday for an insistent motorist in Pembroke Pines, but the car drove off when a little girl approached her.
After serving the child, Turgeon pulled out and as she turned the corner, she saw that car again but its passenger was waiting for her on the side of the road.
He was wearing a black hat, black shirt
and black shorts . . . And he had a gun.
He demanded her ice cream money,
while cocking the hammer of the gun.
Police have created a sketch of the suspect, Sgt John Jacob alleges, but no such sketch accompanies this article.
So, where's the sketch?
...
SoFlo: SMASHING MISS TEACUP -
Patricia Turgeon, 37, said she pulled over her ice cream truck, "Pattie's Wagon," about 7pm Sunday for an insistent motorist in Pembroke Pines, but the car drove off when a little girl approached her.
After serving the child, Turgeon pulled out and as she turned the corner, she saw that car again but its passenger was waiting for her on the side of the road.
He was wearing a black hat, black shirt
and black shorts . . . And he had a gun.
He demanded her ice cream money,
while cocking the hammer of the gun.
Police have created a sketch of the suspect, Sgt John Jacob alleges, but no such sketch accompanies this article.
So, where's the sketch?
...
Monday, July 30
:
SOME IRAQI DEVELOPMENTS (4#) -
# Unidentified gunmen blew up the Lion of Babylon statue in central Basra during the early hours of Sunday, eyewitnesses said. The statue, carved in basalt, was a historical landmark built in the 1920's.
# Abdul Khaliq al-Habir al-Anbaki, a young political cartoonist in al-Mutamar newspaper, affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress party, headed by Ahmed al-Chalabi, was killed along with his 11-member-family in a car bombing attack that took place last Thursday in Karrada, central Baghdad.
# Iraqis celebrated their soccer win... But:
"The team's players do not live in Iraq, and they earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and United Nations sanctions, the team has not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad."
#Salam Adil's weekend
dispatch for his Iraqi Blogodrome:
Salam writes that veteran blogger Zeyad has had his Yo*Tube account permanently suspended and all his videos deleted. Explanation included.
...
SOME IRAQI DEVELOPMENTS (4#) -
# Unidentified gunmen blew up the Lion of Babylon statue in central Basra during the early hours of Sunday, eyewitnesses said. The statue, carved in basalt, was a historical landmark built in the 1920's.
# Abdul Khaliq al-Habir al-Anbaki, a young political cartoonist in al-Mutamar newspaper, affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress party, headed by Ahmed al-Chalabi, was killed along with his 11-member-family in a car bombing attack that took place last Thursday in Karrada, central Baghdad.
# Iraqis celebrated their soccer win... But:
"The team's players do not live in Iraq, and they earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and United Nations sanctions, the team has not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad."
#Salam Adil's weekend
dispatch for his Iraqi Blogodrome:
Salam writes that veteran blogger Zeyad has had his Yo*Tube account permanently suspended and all his videos deleted. Explanation included.
...
:
RED MOSQUE SPINOFF (4#) -
# Peshawar: AFP and PK TV are reporting that late Saturday around 150 pro-Taliban armed masked men took control of Turangzai Sahib Mosque in Lakaro village in the lawless Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan, some 60 kilometres north-west of Peshawar, and have renamed it the Red Mosque.
"Residents said militants had taken positions on the roof of the mosque and in the surrounding area."
# PPI reports: That mosque is in an area belonging to the Garbuz tribe, but a council meeting of all the tribes in the area will assemble tomorrow in Ghalanai to discuss this situation.
# PK Daily Times seems to believe that it is under the responsibility of the Saafi tribe, but everyone is willing to help out. Militant leader Umar Khalid says he plans to "Islamise" the area, but denies any affiliation to Al Qaeda or to the Taliban; however, he's threatening to use suicide bombers in self-defense, if attacked.
***********************************
# It may be hard to believe at times, but
there is also some funny news in Pakistan:
News Views & Confused is an irreverent
Pakistani news satire TV show.
...
RED MOSQUE SPINOFF (4#) -
# Peshawar: AFP and PK TV are reporting that late Saturday around 150 pro-Taliban armed masked men took control of Turangzai Sahib Mosque in Lakaro village in the lawless Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan, some 60 kilometres north-west of Peshawar, and have renamed it the Red Mosque.
"Residents said militants had taken positions on the roof of the mosque and in the surrounding area."
# PPI reports: That mosque is in an area belonging to the Garbuz tribe, but a council meeting of all the tribes in the area will assemble tomorrow in Ghalanai to discuss this situation.
# PK Daily Times seems to believe that it is under the responsibility of the Saafi tribe, but everyone is willing to help out. Militant leader Umar Khalid says he plans to "Islamise" the area, but denies any affiliation to Al Qaeda or to the Taliban; however, he's threatening to use suicide bombers in self-defense, if attacked.
***********************************
# It may be hard to believe at times, but
there is also some funny news in Pakistan:
News Views & Confused is an irreverent
Pakistani news satire TV show.
...
:
IRAQ WINS 14th ASIAN CUP (3#) -
# "Iraq's unexpected 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia... was as much a triumph for human spirit as the athleticism and skill of their players."
And Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira
was up to the challenge. [chan4]
# Eyewitness play-by-play details. [pkdtimes]
# Blog reactions and some photos [gulfnews]
+ Thunder rumbling here.
...
IRAQ WINS 14th ASIAN CUP (3#) -
# "Iraq's unexpected 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia... was as much a triumph for human spirit as the athleticism and skill of their players."
And Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira
was up to the challenge. [chan4]
# Eyewitness play-by-play details. [pkdtimes]
# Blog reactions and some photos [gulfnews]
+ Thunder rumbling here.
...
:
HE'S GOT ALLEGED CONNECTIONS -
*The FBI and the DEA have sought cooperation from the Pakistani government to trace Dawood Ibrahim's links to Al-Qaida related Islamic local terrorist groups as well as his alleged involvement in the global heroin trade...
Meanwhile, US Federal agencies have sought cooperation from Indian agencies via Interpol in trying to track down Dawood, who is a citizen of India* [toindia]
...
HE'S GOT ALLEGED CONNECTIONS -
*The FBI and the DEA have sought cooperation from the Pakistani government to trace Dawood Ibrahim's links to Al-Qaida related Islamic local terrorist groups as well as his alleged involvement in the global heroin trade...
Meanwhile, US Federal agencies have sought cooperation from Indian agencies via Interpol in trying to track down Dawood, who is a citizen of India* [toindia]
...
:
MADCAP "WHY-DONTCHAS" -
Worthy of the late Diana Vreeland's always
at-the-ready and never-at-a-loss lists of
"why don't you" suggestions, Baroness Howe
has helpfuly suggested that:
juvenile delinquents "be encouraged to
take up bridge, gardening
and Egyptology." [tfp]
...
MADCAP "WHY-DONTCHAS" -
Worthy of the late Diana Vreeland's always
at-the-ready and never-at-a-loss lists of
"why don't you" suggestions, Baroness Howe
has helpfuly suggested that:
juvenile delinquents "be encouraged to
take up bridge, gardening
and Egyptology." [tfp]
...
Friday, July 27
:
BIGWIG JIHADI RECANTS ! -
Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, is about to publish a book which "undermines the Muslim theological basis for violent jihad and is set to generate furious controversy among former comrades still fighting with al-Qaida."
The Insidious Dr Z is reported to
be very shaken by this development.
Dispatch from Ian Black in Cairo. [guard]
...
BIGWIG JIHADI RECANTS ! -
Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, is about to publish a book which "undermines the Muslim theological basis for violent jihad and is set to generate furious controversy among former comrades still fighting with al-Qaida."
The Insidious Dr Z is reported to
be very shaken by this development.
Dispatch from Ian Black in Cairo. [guard]
...
:
SoFlo: CONDO SHOOTING -
For some retirees, who have downsized to condominium units, living in close proximity and having time to brood can exacerbate tensions...
And what do people do when they get tense? They shoot each other, of course - well, they do in South Florida.
Until the shooting last Thursday evening, the two 66-year-old men resembled many in South Florida condominiums. Third-floor neighbors, two doors apart, each living alone...
Now one is in jail, charged with attempted murder. And the other is recovering from bullet wounds. [sent]
...
SoFlo: CONDO SHOOTING -
For some retirees, who have downsized to condominium units, living in close proximity and having time to brood can exacerbate tensions...
And what do people do when they get tense? They shoot each other, of course - well, they do in South Florida.
Until the shooting last Thursday evening, the two 66-year-old men resembled many in South Florida condominiums. Third-floor neighbors, two doors apart, each living alone...
Now one is in jail, charged with attempted murder. And the other is recovering from bullet wounds. [sent]
...
Thursday, July 26
:
ACROSS THE POND (6#) -
# PM Gordon Brown is to hold talks with US Prez
George Bush on Sunday and Monday at Camp David.
# All about Shazia Mirza, an interesting gal
stand-up comic currently performing over there.
# Doctor Who toys to debut for Christmas.
The Hornby Co has negotiated a licence with
BBC Worldwide to produce a range of Airfix models.
# Meanwhile, Doctor Who bosses are
bringing back one of the show's scariest
monsters - the Ood. Photo included !
# Caravan rally from London to Mongolia in a
Swales Yorkshire Dales ice cream truck. Yeah, it's
so crazy, somebody's gotta do it - or, at least, try.
# Take a look at this website: it's the website for a neighborhood in London which links to similar websites for other such neighborhoods in that city. Take some time to explore it; try the nav links across the top. Checking out what other communities are doing on the Net gives you some more ideas of what can be done. [london-se1]
...
ACROSS THE POND (6#) -
# PM Gordon Brown is to hold talks with US Prez
George Bush on Sunday and Monday at Camp David.
# All about Shazia Mirza, an interesting gal
stand-up comic currently performing over there.
# Doctor Who toys to debut for Christmas.
The Hornby Co has negotiated a licence with
BBC Worldwide to produce a range of Airfix models.
# Meanwhile, Doctor Who bosses are
bringing back one of the show's scariest
monsters - the Ood. Photo included !
# Caravan rally from London to Mongolia in a
Swales Yorkshire Dales ice cream truck. Yeah, it's
so crazy, somebody's gotta do it - or, at least, try.
# Take a look at this website: it's the website for a neighborhood in London which links to similar websites for other such neighborhoods in that city. Take some time to explore it; try the nav links across the top. Checking out what other communities are doing on the Net gives you some more ideas of what can be done. [london-se1]
...
Wednesday, July 25
:
SoFlo: COMBAT ZONE NEWS (3#) -
# 954: Someone stole an FBI-owned laptop, an FBI-labeled windbreaker, a protective vest, a digital camera, a flashlight and two Glock handgun clips from an FBI agent's unmarked FBI-issued black Chrysler 300 automobile parked in Broward County at some point during Tuesday night. [sent]
***********************************
# 954: A bizarre dominatrix scheme has been uncovered at the Broward County Jail, reminiscent of some of the famous Lynndie England photos in Abu Ghraib prison, but officials claim there's no videotape in this case.
The grand total for the latest prisoner's incarceration in this scheme cost county taxpayers nearly $21,000. On top of that, the public will pay $1,150 for his attorney.
No photos have surfaced as yet. [sent]
************************************
# RIOT BREAKS OUT OVER HOA:
Hundreds of home owners in a Miami Dade housing development engaged in fisticuffs Wednesday afternoon as they bitterly protested the surprise appearance of a Homeowners Association charging them hefty monthly fees.
CBS TV cameras recorded the melee.
And an earlier background story here.
...
SoFlo: COMBAT ZONE NEWS (3#) -
# 954: Someone stole an FBI-owned laptop, an FBI-labeled windbreaker, a protective vest, a digital camera, a flashlight and two Glock handgun clips from an FBI agent's unmarked FBI-issued black Chrysler 300 automobile parked in Broward County at some point during Tuesday night. [sent]
***********************************
# 954: A bizarre dominatrix scheme has been uncovered at the Broward County Jail, reminiscent of some of the famous Lynndie England photos in Abu Ghraib prison, but officials claim there's no videotape in this case.
The grand total for the latest prisoner's incarceration in this scheme cost county taxpayers nearly $21,000. On top of that, the public will pay $1,150 for his attorney.
No photos have surfaced as yet. [sent]
************************************
# RIOT BREAKS OUT OVER HOA:
Hundreds of home owners in a Miami Dade housing development engaged in fisticuffs Wednesday afternoon as they bitterly protested the surprise appearance of a Homeowners Association charging them hefty monthly fees.
CBS TV cameras recorded the melee.
And an earlier background story here.
...
Tuesday, July 24
:
MEDIA: OLD & NEW (5#) -
# TRIBUNE CO: *Double-digit drops in revenue and cash flow at the Los Angeles Times as well as deteriorating results at other newspapers have heightened speculation about the potential for the Zell transaction to collapse before the planned closing late this year... raising the possibility that at least some of its 11 daily newspapers and 23 TV stations also may need to be divested to reduce debt.* The SF Sun-Sentinel is a Tribune newspaper. [e&p]
# Tampa's Creative Loafing Alt-Weekly is acquiring the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper. [e&p] - [blrbx]
# Ivor Tossell contends: "It's the irritating parts of the blogosphere that insist on being the standard-bearers for the movement... As a rule of thumb, the more disgruntled a blog is, the more vehemently it proclaims its status as the media of the future... People want the same thing from blogs that they want from every other print outlet: a good read." And then he gives a list of some blogs he enjoys. [gmail]
# Jonathan Abrams reports that bloggers in California are taking aim at city governments and hitting home. "Some websites are watchdogs, others are just scurrilous, but their influence on the cities they cover is growing." For some local politicians, blogs can be a royal pain in the neck. [latimes]
...
MEDIA: OLD & NEW (5#) -
# TRIBUNE CO: *Double-digit drops in revenue and cash flow at the Los Angeles Times as well as deteriorating results at other newspapers have heightened speculation about the potential for the Zell transaction to collapse before the planned closing late this year... raising the possibility that at least some of its 11 daily newspapers and 23 TV stations also may need to be divested to reduce debt.* The SF Sun-Sentinel is a Tribune newspaper. [e&p]
# Tampa's Creative Loafing Alt-Weekly is acquiring the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper. [e&p] - [blrbx]
# Ivor Tossell contends: "It's the irritating parts of the blogosphere that insist on being the standard-bearers for the movement... As a rule of thumb, the more disgruntled a blog is, the more vehemently it proclaims its status as the media of the future... People want the same thing from blogs that they want from every other print outlet: a good read." And then he gives a list of some blogs he enjoys. [gmail]
# Jonathan Abrams reports that bloggers in California are taking aim at city governments and hitting home. "Some websites are watchdogs, others are just scurrilous, but their influence on the cities they cover is growing." For some local politicians, blogs can be a royal pain in the neck. [latimes]
...
:
SoFlo: CAGED DEATH -
"He had nowhere to go."
An elderly Broward County man died while trapped in a 14-inch space between an elevator door and an illegally installed security gate on the third floor of a nine-story building that houses medical offices.
His body was discovered Monday morning by an employee arriving for work who called the police, but it isn't clearly how or when it happened.
After the 81-year-old man's death, an inspector from the Broward County Building Code Services Division went to the building, ordered the metal gate removed and cited the property for installing it. [sent]
...
SoFlo: CAGED DEATH -
"He had nowhere to go."
An elderly Broward County man died while trapped in a 14-inch space between an elevator door and an illegally installed security gate on the third floor of a nine-story building that houses medical offices.
His body was discovered Monday morning by an employee arriving for work who called the police, but it isn't clearly how or when it happened.
After the 81-year-old man's death, an inspector from the Broward County Building Code Services Division went to the building, ordered the metal gate removed and cited the property for installing it. [sent]
...
Monday, July 23
:
IT'S OUT THERE -
*All you Fox Mulder and Dana Scully
fans can start to get a little excited...
David Duchovny has confirmed that a
second X-Files movie is in the works...
with a shooting schedule that may start
in the fall for a summer (2008) release.*
...
IT'S OUT THERE -
*All you Fox Mulder and Dana Scully
fans can start to get a little excited...
David Duchovny has confirmed that a
second X-Files movie is in the works...
with a shooting schedule that may start
in the fall for a summer (2008) release.*
...
:
RESCUE OP FOR KOREANS -
and, yes, the Hogwarts Express -
# KABUL: *The Defence Ministry on Sunday announced the launching of a joint operation by Afghan army and NATO troops to rescue the South Korean citizens... Azimi told Pajhwok Afghan News results of the operation would be made public later... Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Bahin said a Korean delegation had arrived in Kabul to discuss the hostages' issue with the government. He would not give more details.* [tfpost]
# NWFP: *The last book in the world-shaking Harry Potter series headed Sunday for new sales records as millions of readers across the globe rushed to find out the fate of the bespectacled boy wizard... In Asia, all-night parties and Hogwarts Express-style train trips were among hundreds of events held over the weekend.* [tfpost]
...
RESCUE OP FOR KOREANS -
and, yes, the Hogwarts Express -
# KABUL: *The Defence Ministry on Sunday announced the launching of a joint operation by Afghan army and NATO troops to rescue the South Korean citizens... Azimi told Pajhwok Afghan News results of the operation would be made public later... Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Bahin said a Korean delegation had arrived in Kabul to discuss the hostages' issue with the government. He would not give more details.* [tfpost]
# NWFP: *The last book in the world-shaking Harry Potter series headed Sunday for new sales records as millions of readers across the globe rushed to find out the fate of the bespectacled boy wizard... In Asia, all-night parties and Hogwarts Express-style train trips were among hundreds of events held over the weekend.* [tfpost]
...
:
KING DIES & PK FRONTIER (2#) -
# Former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah
died on Monday, aged 92, presidential palace
sources said. [france24]
# US/PK sabre-rattling over the Frontier Tribal area in which some intelligence officials believe Osama Bin Laden and the Insidious Dr Z may be hiding, whilst the Pakistanis insist they can handle those Al Qaeda bigwigs themselves if someone would give them some solid information as to those elusive whereabouts. [france24]
...
KING DIES & PK FRONTIER (2#) -
# Former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah
died on Monday, aged 92, presidential palace
sources said. [france24]
# US/PK sabre-rattling over the Frontier Tribal area in which some intelligence officials believe Osama Bin Laden and the Insidious Dr Z may be hiding, whilst the Pakistanis insist they can handle those Al Qaeda bigwigs themselves if someone would give them some solid information as to those elusive whereabouts. [france24]
...
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