Tuesday, February 12

:
PK: NUKE NABOBS ABDUCTED (2#) -

*Two officials of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, their driver and five local men were kidnapped on Monday in Sheikh Badin area adjacent to the Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts.*

* * * * *
*In the latest development in the kidnapping of Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin, Taliban have said they will release Azizuddin only when their leader Mullah Mansoor Dadullah is handed over to them.*

...

Monday, February 11

:
MIDDLE EAST CLIPS (4#) -

# LISTENING TO THE TALIBRUM: Specially equipped and trained RAF-travelling multi-linguists who are eavesdropping on Taliban conversations from 40,000 ft aloft were surprised to hear some of them speaking in Brummie accents peculiar to parts of England recently.

# AT THE CAIRO BOOK FAIR: The Guardian's Maya Jaggi reports: "Dar El Shorouk... has just signed up three young Egyptian bloggers - all women - for debut novels."

# HANIYEH and other Hamas
honchos reported to have gone into hiding.

# GULF BLOGOSPHERE: Blogger is complaining that Middle Easterners are the only ones who seem to get disruptions in their Internet services. We get disruptions here in the USA, too - but you guys just don't hear about our disruptions.

...

Saturday, February 9

:
SoFlo: TRIFECTA (2#) -

Drugs, $ Laundering & Terrorism . . .

"Federal law-enforcement officials contend that Islamic extremists and well-financed Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia groups in Latin America are recruiting members and using highly effective routes to smuggle narcotics to raise funds for their counterparts in the Middle East...

In 2005, Venezuela became a major transient route for South American - predominantly Colombian - cocaine destined for the U.S. market and it continues to grow, U.S. intelligence officials said." [washtimes]

* * * * * * * * * *
A prominent Miami lawyer has been indicted
on drugs/money laundering charges:

"The feds allege Kuehne broke the law in 2002-03 when he vouched for millions paid by one-time MedellĂ­n drug lord Fabio Ochoa Vasquez to his high-profile trial attorney, Roy Black." [wsj]

"Kaiser Sose would be proud."
--commenter on wsj-law blog thread.

...
:
HIDDEN MENACE (2#) -

# A US official says Mullah Omar and the Taleban shura council are living in Quetta, Pakistan. He also said that Washington believes Osama Bin Laden is in Pakistan's western tribal areas.

# Frontier Post Threatened: The English-language newspaper has received a menacing letter reputedly from Markazi Tehreek Taliban Sararogha.

::whereabouts:: ... ::threat::

...

Friday, February 8

:
CLIPPINGS (5#) -

# What are the 6 degrees to Osama bin Laden?

# American Newspapers: "a two-pound advertising circular that, I know only from experience, contains the LA Times buried somewhere within." +Worth reading!

# Streamlining: Sam Zell cuts the fat
at Tribune corporate HQ [e&p] [chi-trib]

# PM Papers: Afternoon newspapers are
going the way of the dinosaurs, says Alan Mutter.

...

Thursday, February 7

:
BLOOD IN PERUGIA update (3#) -

The Meredith Kercher Murder -

Charles Mudede, an academic from the Seattle area, writes a mostly atmospheric piece for The Stranger in which he describes his recent visit to Perugia and the locations associated with the murder of Meredith Kercher.

*Estaban points across the room... Here, in this empty space, Meredith Kercher, two days before she was murdered, the day before she wore a dreadful Dracula costume for Halloween (black cape, black lace around her neck, blood-red lips), stood with a sweet smile... *

+ How did Mez come to decide on this particular costume? Did she discuss the topic with a friend? Which friend? Oh, to be a fly on the wall: how did that conversation go? Whose idea was it that Mez should represent such a character... and why? At this point, I feel like there's an entire episode missing in this story which may constitute the connective tissue between the party and the murder... and all that blood.

"There's just one more thing, sir! Before I forget... Because it bothers me, and I couldn't sleep, and uh, I kept thinking about it." --Lt Columbo.

:: Mudede in Perugia :: -- ::bio::

...

Wednesday, February 6

:
TIME FOR DOLPHIN CAM ! (4#) -
undersea cables disabled . . .

# Cmdr Taco at Slashdot is reporting
that a 5th undersea cable has blitzed.

# He points to this article
by Asma Ali Zain at Khaleej Times.

"How about waiting until the cables are raised
to see what kind of damage has been caused?"


-- Dave Schroeder replies.

* * * * *
No, Dave, let's not. I've had enough. Let's send in our crack Dolphin Detective Team enabled with their VideoCam equipment to take a closer look at what's going on.

It couldn't hurt to get a closer look.

* * * * *
:: Conspiracy Rumors are flying ::

...
:
PRESS: His Eye is on the Sparrow (2#) -

Afghanistan: *President Hamid Karzai is concerned about a death sentence handed down to a journalist in Afghanistan accused of insulting Islam, but he will not intervene until the courts have their final say, his spokesman said Tuesday...

The journalist is 23-year-old
Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh...

The article asked why under Islam men can have four wives but women cannot have multiple husbands.*

:: AP/E&P ::

:: Saving Pervez ::

...
:
SoFlo: PEP TALK AT THE
SENTINEL SNOOZEPAPER -

Readers of the Sun-Sentinel want
puppy dogs, a staff photographer
pontificated to Sam Zell
when he visited their HQ.

And then she reportedly
turned her back to him when
he tried to respond to her.

:: LATimes ::

...
:
MARTIAL ARTS MURDER MYSTERY -

FL Tampa Area: A kickboxer whose body was found in an apartment complex pond days after he vanished was murdered. Chipley, 34, who studied martial arts, disappeared two days before he was to fly to Thailand for Muay Thai kickboxing training...

He still had his wallet, credit cards, money
and car keys on him when his body was found.

:: SPTimes ::

...

Tuesday, February 5

:
Bookish: MORE TRANSGRESSIONS (5#) -

# A story about some mobsters and some dirty cops,
as only Jimmy Breslin could tell it: The Good Rat.

:: The book focuses on "the guy who spilled the beans." Breslin talks to Boris Kachka at New York Magazine about it: Ink-Stained Kvetch.

:: Briefly but effectively reviewed
by Sherryl Connelly at the NYDailyNews.

# The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes, which was already published in the UK, is set to debut in the US this month, I believe. It seems to be a pastiche of archaic mystery styles. And it's gotten some good reviews.

# Ever heard of "churnalism?"

"the quick-turnover dross peddled by hacks less scrupulous or fortunate than him. Costs are being cut and standards eroded by greedy proprietors."

The reviewer says this book about the News
Media in the UK is unduly pessimistic but timely.

:: Flat Earth News by Nick Davies
is reviewed by Mary Riddell at The Observer.

:: Prof Roy Greenslade notes on his blog that this book about the state of British journalism... is attracting a lot of coverage. And, he says, it's "a book we must take seriously." There's a comment thread at his blog entry, too. Of course, there are some similarities and some differences between the British Press and the American Press.

...

Monday, February 4

:
Around Florida: EXPRESS (3#) -

# HIS SPACE: SQUALID - A Florida DCF official has been charged with eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance. He allegedly described himself online as a straight swinger. And he wasn't living under a bridge either.

# WHEN JUDGES GO WILD - Tallahasse: "Rarely do outsiders get an inside peek at how judges work together. But last week, judges on the state's biggest and most powerful appeal court testified about one another. It was not a pretty sight." +Sounds like a Jerry Springer show.

# NOISY VOICES - I'm not a big fan of John Glisch; I didn't think he defended Due Process as strongly as I prefer, but he is introducing more "Community Voices" as columnists to contribute to the Florida Today newspaper.

Will they just be sock puppets? Or will they have their own unique perspectives?

+ At times like this,
I feel blessed that I can have my own blog.

...
:
SoFlo: SAY JUMP (3#) -

A big problem in South Florida: phony cops.

Impersonating a police officer is supposed to be a crime.

*Every couple of months, a criminal tries to pass himself off as a cop in Broward County, said Jim Leljedal, a spokesman for the Broward Sheriff's Office.*

+ I've had an encounter
with a phony cop down here myself.

* * * * *
# Money Washing Machine: The FBI has uncovered another scheme involving the movement and laundering of drug profits...

"They want to get the money out of the country and inject that cash into more welcoming institutions. Then they bring it back by wire and put it into investments, into real estate, even into insurance.''

* * * * *
# The Miami Herald ombudsman expresses some ex-post facto second thoughts about the newspaper appearing to promote the purchase of designer knock-offs.

Get out your Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring...
now... what did he say???

...
:
SoFlo: MSM PRESS & BLOG NEWS (3#) -

# The Miami Herald's parent company McClatchy has reassigned foreign editor Mark Seibel to the position of Online Managing Editor. He will be responsible for "juicing up" their web site and cyber operations.

# The SF Sun-Sentinel published an editorial which endorsed the longtime and very entrenched mayor in a major Broward County town, but she ultimately lost the most recent election, causing an increased number of embittered readers to refer to the paper as "The Slantinel." As regular readers of this blog may remember: I assiduously try to avoid reading editorials.

The new owner of the newspaper, Sam Zell, recently toured his holdings in Florida. From a local blogger who is married to a Sentinel employee and has inside connections there:

"The trip dispels Thom Fiddler's repeated assertions that Zell, in fact, didn't realize he owned the Sun-Sentinel."

There's more at the comment thread
for that entry but: coarse language alert!

* * * * * * * * * *
# Rick from the SotP blog is back!

Today is the debut of his new blog:
The South Florida Daily Blog (SoFD?).

Rick maintains a long list of area blog links on his sidebar which is powered by Bloglines to raise recently-posted blogs to the top. And he keeps an eye on mostly local news in his own unique way.

We're happy to have him back :-)

...

Saturday, February 2

:
Bookish: SOME WEEKEND NOTES (6#) -

# Boyd Tonkin visits the Cairo Book Fair.

# Suggested Readings about the mysterious
popularity of conspiracy theories by Max Holland.

# Comics Cult Fave: the final issue of Y: The Last Man,
a comic written by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan.

# Stefan Zweig: an essay on
his life and times by Patrick White.

# Graham Hurley writes gritty
policiers based in Portsmouth, England.

# The Bookseller: this week, Joel Rickett tells us that lit agents Curtis Brown and ICM are merging! And Arab writers will be featured at the upcoming London Book Fair with a short list for fiction. [guard]

...
:
PERUGIA BLOOD CASE (4#) -

Some Background and Context -

# The Beasts of Satan were a heavy metal band and malefic cult in northern Italy. Members of the group committed ritual murders over the course of several years.

a leaked notebook appeared to link the young suspects to devil worship. It contained grisly entries such as "blood and death, blood raining down, blood bathing all my body, blood thirsty for blood" and "crush those who are our friends, or who would like to be but aren't up to it, crush them then laugh."

# *Meanwhile, Italian police are investigating the possibility that the Beasts of Satan - all four of whom have been arrested on suspicion of murder - were "just following orders" given by an anonymous band of Satanists in their late 20s or early 30s... * [Seattle Stranger]

# "Priests are to work alongside Italian
police officers to tackle a rising tide of
crimes linked to devil worship." [Nick Pisa]

...
:
PERUGIA BLOOD CASE update -

20/20's Meredith Kercher Murder Mystery -

the TV program raised further questions . . .

Having watched the ABC TV 20/20 program earlier this evening, I just want to jot down some of my thoughts and impressions while the program is still fresh in my mind...

First, let me preface this entry by remarking that this program was one of those rare occasions when I missed having a color TV set. I've been watching TV lately on a 5" black and white countertop portable which generally suffices for my current needs. Ah, but Perugia looked beautiful even in B&W; it must look fantastic in full color. And now, to the matter at hand.

While I was watching and listening to the female presenter, I thought I heard her say that there had been a Halloween party that evening, but this exact information does not appear on the presentation at their website. Thus, there seems to be a disparity between what was said on the program itself and the text which appears on the Net.

Perhaps this party is a piece of information which the Perugia Police Chief wanted to keep from the public. Sometimes the police hold back some information so that they can test for false confessions from loose screws or for some other legitimate purpose.

But if such a party happened . . .
I think I would want to know more about it:

= Who attended this party? Were they dressed in diverse costumes? Were some of them wearing dominos? Were they dressed up as specific characters?

= Do the attendees have credible alibis
for the broad time span of the criminal episode?

= How far away from the Crime Scene was the Party Scene? Did any witnesses observe the partygoers walk from the Party Scene to the Crime Scene?

The party, which I believe was
mentioned, seems like a fertile topic to explore.

:: ABC 20/20 program ::

...

Friday, February 1

:
PERUGIA BLOOD CASE update -

*Detectives know that Meredith Kercher withdrew 200 Euro to pay her rent money just days before she was murdered but no trace of it has been found.*

"We know she withdraw 200 Euro from a cash dispenser to pay her rent but the landlord never received it and this money has not been traced."

:: Nick Pisa in Rome ::
-- UK Telegraph --

...
:
THIRD CABLE CUT (5#) -

# Another undersea telecom cable has been cut, this one
is in the Arabian Gulf about 50 kilometers off Dubai.

"I own an internet cafe in Sharjah
and from the morning I have not made
a single penny." --Hisham, Sharjah, UAE.

# The extent of the damaging effects
is not yet clear in the Gulf states because
Friday is not a working day in the region.

# *Omar Sultan, chief executive of Dubai's IPS DU, said the incident was "very unusual." He said it wasn't known how the underwater FLAG FALCON cable, stretching between the United Arab Emirates and Oman, had been damaged.*

# Revenge of militant dolphins
blamed for underwater internet
cable sabotage. [TheSpoof]

...

Thursday, January 31

:
PERUGIA BLOOD CASE update -

It's still in process, but forensic pathologist Dr Luca Lalli's current tentative evaluation asserts the possibility that the appearance of sexual violation may have been faked to mislead those discovering Meredith Kercher's body, because he found no bruising internally which would be consistent with rape.

Further, the specific Cause of Death is in flux at the moment; it currently seems possible she choked on her own blood instead of death due to loss of blood.

Additional traces of DNA have been discovered which may be due to contamination or to the involvement of additional participants in whatever took place.

The exact Time of Death has not
been scientifically nailed down yet. [Nick Pisa]

+ A major American Media Organization, ABC TV Network, has hired Joe Tacopina, a hotshot youngish criminal defense lawyer, as a consultant/talking head for their presentation of the case. He maintains offices in NYC and in Milan. I am not familiar with his work, but it would be nice if he speaks Italian, wudnit?

++ Blogger is misbehaving!

...