:
JIHADIS STRIKE
NORTHERN INDIA (2#) -

On Friday afternoon five bomb blasts exploded in Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The explosives seem to have been packed on parked bicycles in the vacinity of court complexes.

*A little known group called the Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility. The group apparently sent an email to a private TV channel just five minutes before the blasts... The email says the Jihad in India is in retaliation against the injustice to Muslims in India.*

Thirteen deaths reported thus far. [ndtv]

* * * * * * * * * *
Pakistan has been suspended from the 53-member
Commonwealth of former British colonies. [voa]

...

:
TANKS, BUT NO THANKS (3#) -

# BEIRUT: *Tanks rolled onto the streets of Beirut on Friday amid fears of unrest as a parliament session to elect a new president by a midnight deadline was postponed for a week, with political rivals deadlocked.* [afp]

# *MP Akram Shehayeb accused Hizbullah of setting the stage to control Lebanon and change its regime, vowing that the March 14 alliance is committed to confronting such a scheme.*

# Lebanon without a prez. [F24]

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:
SOME HOLIDAY WEEKEND ! -

..... Blogging Notes .....

I hope you had a nice
Thanksgiving; mine was quiet.

I was hoping to just glide along today and immerse myself in cultural matters, but awoke to an eventful NewsDesk.

Thus, a couple of dispatches
from around the world follow.

...

:
~~ Around Florida ~~
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (3#) -

# ORLANDO: *Two men wearing Superman pajamas were taken into custody Wednesday after they robbed three 7-Eleven convenience stores at gunpoint, according to police... Detectives said the men fired shots at several of the locations.*

# ST PETE: "I don't know about you, but I can't imagine living in the darkness of a world without newspapers, where citizens are inundated with cheap opinion and starved for news about what's going on around them. So when you sit down for your Thanksgiving dinner, maybe you will count a free press among your blessings." [Philip Gailey]

# FORT PIERCE: *A man who allegedly said he was on his way to kill his wife was arrested Sunday after running a deputy off the road and being found with cocaine, according to an arrest affidavit obtained Monday.*

...

:
SUBCONTINENT update (6#) -

# Controversial Bangladeshi writer
Taslima Nasreen was moved to
Rajasthan on Thursday. [toi]

# But, inquiring minds want to know, who were the key players behind the Calcutta riot? Because of concerns that the organizers could be jihadis or associates of the al Qaeda cultists, some reporters from the Indian Express undertook a preliminary investigation into the matter.

# Panic during the riot
caused a massive mobile phone jam.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in India . . .

# Bangalore: *Rogue tusker injures 2 ... Rowdy Ranga, the rogue pachyderm, is back. This time, he injured two people, including a woman... Ranga is a repeat offender.*

# Gujarat: For the first time in history,
snake charmers are going to vote [photo included].

***********************************
And in Pakistan . . .

# NWFP-Swat update: The PK Army regained control over the Kabal police station which had been overrun by the insurrectionists. And troops shot at a suspected suicide bomber who refused to stop his car on the approach to the valley’s Saidu Sharif airport... resulting in the car blowing up from the explosives it was carrying. [pdtimes]

...

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SoFlo: TICKET PRICING CAUSES FUROR -

Believe it or not, this has been the single
hottest story in our area both yesterday and today:

*The Hannah Montana concert in Sunrise officially wrapped Tuesday night, but parents burdened by the high priced tickets are still in an uproar, asking the state Attorney General to launch his own probe into why tickets were being offered for thousands of dollars.*

:: CBS4 ::

...

:
INDIA & PAKISTAN (4#) -

# CALCUTTA RIOT: Muslim mob demands expulsion of feminist writer. The Indian Army has had to be deployed to restore civil order after crowds created a NoGo zone in the city, blocking roads and setting cars on fire, to protest Taslima Nasreen's continued residence in India. A curfew is in place. [bbc] and [pti]

# Violent clashes erupted in Parachinar
between Sunni and Shia there. [pdtimes]

# NWFP: Residents of the Swat valley continue to evacuate in order to avoid getting caught in crossfire, as the Pakistani Army continue their operations there. [dawn]

...

:
THIS BOOK MAY HAVE GAMS (2#) -

# An attempt is on to revive
Will Eisner's masked crime fighter, The Spirit.

Darwyn Cooke has gotten a positive review here for his new collection of six (graphic) tales which Danny Graydon asserts evoke the qualities of Eisner.

There are four sample color plates shown and a mere but intriguing mention of femmes fatales - would like to have caught a glimse of those ladies. No mention of time period, retro or otherwise, but he did use the magic word "noir."

# The Lady Detectives of Bombay
-- A feature story by Ruhi Khan.

...

:
ACROSS THE POND (4#) -

# PERUGIA MURDER update: A fourth suspect, Rudy Hermann Guede, 20, who has been arrested in the Meredith Kercher murder tells web users: 'I am a vampire who sucks blood.'

Meredith's American flatmate Amanda Knox ["foxy knoxy"] and Knox's boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 24, are still being held in connection with the murder, but bar owner Diya Patrick Lumumba has been released. They are also suspected of sexual violence but so far none has been charged.

* * * * * * * * * *
*Guede was detained after using a computer for several hours on Monday night to chat with friends and send messages, including one to The Daily Telegraph. During that time, he became traceable through the IP address of his computer.*

============================

# The recently established Smoking Ban is destroying the traditional British pubs. As the weather gets colder, the pubs are getting emptier.

============================

# FIN BOOSTING: *Fish theft has been a problem for British fisheries for a long time, but with the opening up of the borders it has greatly increased in recent years... A series of warning signs has been launched which use pictures to warn immigrants not to steal fish from the UK's rivers for their Christmas dinners.*

...

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MIDDLE EAST updates (3#) -

# IRAQI: It seems like we haven't heard from Salam Adil in a while, but his new dispatch for the Iraqi Blogodrome dated Nov 19th is quite informative.

What is going on in Adhamiya? A new group calling itself Awakening is sprucing up the 'hood.

Is the Surge working? Violence in Baghdad seems to be "in a lull," but may have kicked up a notch north of Baghdad in Mosul.

Sample some excerpts from
several Iraqi bloggers in this edition.

***********************************
# MUSIC & MORE: MTV is introducing MTV Arabia with a mix that includes some local material. And an Arabic version of Pimp My Ride!

***********************************
# The new Yamli Search Engine is tailored
for people who want to use transliteration
of Arabic in English letters. [arabistblog]

...

:
Around Florida:
"DEMONIC" PLAY QUASHED -

High school students in Walton County FL were going to put on a performance of Noel Coward's play Blithe Spirit, but a group calling themselves Concerned Walton County Parents complained last month that the content could hurt students’ views on monogamous relationships and encouraged exploration of witchcraft and the occult.

"This is nothing but a demonic action that is happening and reaching and spreading through our schools," said Destin Assembly youth pastor Brad Odom, who hadn’t read
the play.

The students' attempted project has been stopped.

:: Previously ::

...

:
MORE TWISTS & TURNS (4#) -
The Bob Allen Case -

Just when you thought it was settled . . .

Bob Allen was sentenced Thursday with a fine and probation; and he was banned from the Space View Park.

On Friday morning at 8:25am a threat was posted on the comment thread for the article describing his sentence at his local newspaper, Florida Today. It was supposedly from a member of his home owners' association, warning him that they would try to force him and his family out of their home.

"on behalf of the windover farms home owner's association of titusville, we don't want you on the board, bob. we don't even want you to live here. hopefully, when your man-wife divorces you, you'll have to sell the house."

And then, on Friday afternoon, Bob Allen resigned.

"Due to the requirements of my family and private life, and in order to seek justice in the upcoming appeal process, I regretfully would like to inform you that I will need to resign my elected position as the Legislator for House District 32, effective February 15, 2008..."

***********************************
+ What follows is my reaction.

I've been through about three phases in my reaction to this case. First, I thought the case against him was poppycock. Then, it seemed to me that it was somehow fishy, not based on the court transcripts, which I haven't read, but based on the Media coverage of the proceedings.

Once he was sentenced and since yesterday afternoon, I have developed some suspicions that maybe this was an actual setup. The situation seems like a scenario in some ways. I am not usually much of a conspiracy buff, but I have to wonder about the various elements in this situation and how they all are fit together.

For example: PO Kavanaugh, we are led to believe, while assigned to a burglary operation, spontaneously decided to go to a Men's Toilet to investigate suspicious behavior.

*Kavanaugh got approval to investigate, but was not recording the exchange because he wasn't planning a prostitution sting.*

Yeah, r-i-i-i-ght! This has about Zero in Credibility. When this case started, the Prosecution indicated that they had all kinds of evidence in the form of videotape from surveillance cameras and audiotape. But, it turned out, there is no such concrete evidence that supports the officer's story. And what other kind of "suspicious" behavior would probably be occurring in a Men's Toilet - reading too fast?

But, by this afternoon, another question floated to the top of the list of questions. Just how "spontaneous" was Kavanaugh's decision?

Or was this actually a pre-arranged ambush?

These questions and others still linger.

...

:
FAR OUT (2#) -

# "Wildlife officers were back in Baker County FL on Thursday trying to confirm new sightings of a large, hairy primate running loose in the woods."

# TOURIST ASSIST: *Reports out of Russia indicate that a battery-powered motorised suitcase which automatically follows its owner will be on the market in 2009.*

:: Lost Luggage Fix ::

...

:
Bookish: TOUGH TRAVELS (2#) -

# Florida writer & detective Jim Born from
Palm Beach County dropped in on the more
mysterious aspects of the Miami Book Fair
and describes his journey, bringing back
some snapshots, too. [blog]

# John Banville reviews
The Big Book of Pulps, a compilation of
writings from the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction.

...

:
Florida:
MILITANTS ATTACK
KIDS' EATERY (3#) -

# ORLANDO: Two masked men with an AK-47 assault rifle stormed into an Orange County Chuck E Cheese's restaurant for children and terrorized employees during a robbery, according to investigators.

"to target a place where there are kids, it shows these guys are pretty much domestic terrorists."

***********************************
# RUSKIN: "A trailer containing a church's stockpile of Thanksgiving meals for the needy was discovered stolen this morning."

***********************************
# ST PETE ARSON SPREE: "An arsonist who set nine fires in western St. Petersburg in less than four hours beginning late Sunday struck again Monday night, police and fire officials say."

...

:
KHYBER PASS: Area Update (multi links) -

# The Pakistani Army has taken over
command in Swat from the Frontier Corps.

# They have brought in helicopter gunships. Their target Tuesday, according to this report, was the area around the village of Sambit where militant followers of Maulana Fazlullah have established positions.

# Authorities have imposed an all-night curfew in the North West Frontier Province where the Pakistani Army has been battling an insurrection loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric.

# The militants have now taken over Alpuri, the District HQ of Shangla Tuesday night. It is located adjacent to Swat. And a grassroots report.

************************************
# PESHAWAR (APP): One person was killed when an explosive device went off inside an Internet cafe in the densely populated Gulbahar area Tuesday afternoon, police said... The explosion is the second of its nature in Gulbahar during last 48 hours. This bomb exploded around 2:30pm in the Nihar Net Cafe near the Gulbahar Police Station.

************************************
# Notable Op-Ed by
Haider Mullick (Brookings)
Clear and present danger

************************************
# From Letters to the Editor:

Governor hunting trip!!!!!!!!!!
I was shocked to read this news
item that NWFP Governor is on
hunting trip in Sindh Province...

+ Yeah, so was I.
An expatriate reader emails from where he is stewing in New York, and there is steam coming out of his ears. Great letter! Don't miss it.

...

:
DIZZY IN VIERA:
Bob Allen Case update -

As of the last entry* I posted on this case, it appears that ASA Pat Whitaker, the Prosecutor, transposed the "Hooker" and the "John" in his indictment. I've never heard of this happening before, so I have no idea what recourse the Defense has to remedy this.

*Ref: WHEN MR BUFF SAYS
HE'S HOOKING posted Nov 11th.

According to this morning's article at Florida Today, Allen's attorney, Greg Eisenmenger, is expected to file "a slew" of papers today.

My main concern here is: if Eisenmenger files appeals to the same court, they can also fail to sort out the "Hooker" from the "John" and will simply endorse the original mix up. What purpose would that serve? I don't see how that would accomplish anything.

Let's wait and see what the lawyer comes up with.

***********************************
On another front, the Orlando Sentinel has a
thoughtful editorial on the Allen situation dated today.

...

:
Bookish: MURKY (2#) -

# Library Journal's November compendium of upcoming Mystery Novels. The last one is by Peter Robinson, scheduled to debut this coming Jan '08: Friend of the Devil, published by Morrow in hard cover. [via Sara Weinman]

# Ever hear of Suburban Noir?

Well, ready or not, this is the English variety
which got a good review at the UK Telegraph:

*Then his brother, Leo, is killed in a car crash, and Charlie finds himself drawn into investigating what Leo was up to before his death: why did he spend his last few weeks posing as a private detective and hunting for a missing dog called Charles Laughton? ... Both thrilling and funny, this novel is a joy.*

-- Rain Dogs and Love Cats by Andrew Holmes
:: reviewed :: by Jake Kerridge.

...

:
FROM BEYOND THE KHYBER PASS (5#) -

# Over the weekend, three reporters from the UK Telegraph were expelled from Pakistan after they were accused of using "foul and abusive language" against the country and its leadership.

# Things seem to be spinning out of control in Pakistan? Not to worry, as our Nukes for Nuts Update clearly illustrates: "The United States has developed contingency plans to safeguard Pakistani nuclear assets if the current political turmoil allows extremists to get hold of the weapons" ... [but] the situation "could get very messy." Just messy, that's all.

# The Frontier Corps has announced that there is no truth in recent rumors regarding the capture of Frontier Corps' officers and men in the Swat area.

# Peshawar: The Cyber Point Internet Cafe on Ishrat Cinema Road in the Gulbahar-4 neighborhood was bombed on Sunday. The owner, who was on a meal break at the time, was injured, and his business assets seriously damaged. There's a photo of it on the front page of The Frontier Post this morning... looks like it's in shambles.

# From an unusually informative
editorial, although written in a picturesque style:

Isn't it appalling that as on his own domain headhunting ferociously are prowling savage predators, the NWFP governor was just out in Sindh, himself shooting birds? His hunting excursion may not be begrudged. But his domain is aflame visibly... Although the administration is keeping the region shut on media, news does filter through that curtain to reach out to the outside world...

+ You bet it does! Urge you
to read this if you have time.

...

:
WHEN MR BUFF SAYS HE'S HOOKING -

The Bob Allen Case is beginning
to look fishier and fishier every day.

"Can you
hook me up with $20?" Daniel Kavanaugh asked.

After openly admitting in court testimony that he was hooking (aka soliciting or prostituting himself), Daniel Kavanaugh, who looks like a refugee straight off Christopher Street and could easily be mistaken for a member of the Village People, is completely ignored - even though he actually used the word "hook." Instead, the jury convicts Porky, the 300 pound zhlub of hooking.

This simply doesn't make any sense. Surely, there is some explanation for this. Unfortunately, I don't have it. I do, however, have some questions:

Does Daniel Kavanaugh have any connections to any Gay Lobby groups? And did such a group pay him to "hook" for them? Did any Gay Lobby group pay Kavanaugh to bring down this politician who expressed a position on some issue which they oppose?

Daniel Kavanaugh was not supposed to be "hooking" on that fateful day; instead, he had been assigned to chase burglars. Thus, he and his colleagues were dressed in hoodies or some such, just hanging around the park. And the crime they caught Allen at: he was staring at them.

If you don't want people to stare at you, the solution is very simple. Pull your pants up and quit displaying the crack in your ass; and avoid wearing hoodies.

I believe there are some questions that still need to be raised about this case and issues which need further examination.

...