buckthesystem

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4646939a4560.html When Yasmin Sabah was given a music CD by a friend, she never imagined it would make her the target of a clandestine operation by Israeli security services. Sabah, a 22-year-old nurse, said the Defence Ministry placed her under surveillance last month after a passerby, drawn by a "for sale" sign on her car, reported that they had seen a CD in it with the handwritten title: "Jericho IV

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4648458a4560.html Embaressed by yor spelling? Never you mind. Fed up with his students' complete inability to spell common English correctly, a British academic has suggested it may be time to accept "variant spellings" as legitimate. Rather than grammarians getting in a huff about "argument" being spelled "arguement" or "opportunity" as "opertunity," why not accept anything that's phonetically (fonetickly anyone?) correct as long as it can be understood? "Instead of complaining about the state of the education system as we correct the same mistakes year after year, I've got a better idea," Ken Smith, a criminology lecturer at Bucks New University, wrote in the Times Higher Education Supplement. "University teachers should simply accept as variant spelling those words our students most commonly misspell." To kickstart his proposal, Smith suggested 10 common misspellings that should immediately be accepted into the pantheon of variants, including "ignor," "occured," "thier," "truely," "speach" and "twelth" (it should be "twelfth"). Then of course there are words like "misspelt" (often spelled "mispelt"), not to mention "varient," a commonly used variant of "variant." And that doesn't even begin to delve into all the problems English people have with words that use the letters "i" and "e" together, like weird, seize, leisure, foreign and neighbor. The rhyme "i before e except after c" may be on the lips of every schoolchild in Britain, but that doesn't mean they remember the rule by the time they get to university. Of course, such proposals have been made in the past. The advent of text messaging turned many students into spelling neanderthals as phrases such as "wot r u doin 2nite?" became socially, if not academically, acceptable. Despite Smith's suggestion, language mavens are unconvinced. John Simpson, the chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, says rules are rules and they are there for good reason. "There are enormous advantages in having a coherent system of spelling," he told the Times newspaper. "It makes it easier to communicate. Maybe during a learning phase there is some scope for error, but I would hope that by the time people get to university they have learnt to spell." Yet even some of Britain's greatest wordsmiths have acknowledged it's a language with irritating quirkiness. Playwright George Bernard Shaw was fond of pointing out that the word "ghoti" could just as well be pronounced "fish" if you followed common pronunciation: 'gh' as in "tough," 'o' as in "women" and 'ti' as in "nation." And he was a playright.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4648264a4560.html Holy politicking, Batman. US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have unmasked their favourite pop culture icons, including superheroes, with McCain favouring Batman and Obama choosing Spider-Man and Batman. In interviews with Entertainment Weekly magazine posted on its website on Thursday, McCain, 71, and Obama, 47, also gave their picks for best on-screen president, top singers and most-liked television shows. Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, said he chose Spider-Man and Batman because "they have some inner turmoil." McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, said Batman is a quiet hero who pursues justice "against insurmountable odds." Both chose a winner. The new Batman movie The Dark Knight is burning up box offices with earnings of more than US$400 million in US and Canadian ticket sales. In the world of music, McCain revealed a weakness for the Swedish disco-era band ABBA, late singer Roy Orbison and 1970s star Linda Ronstadt. "But I like Usher too," McCain said, explaining he appeared on the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live with the 29-year-old rhythm and blues singer. Obama favored an eclectic group of musicians, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow and John Coltrane. As for TV, Obama listed throwback programmes like M*A*S*H and The Dick Van Dyke Show, while McCain named the more recent Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Dexter. Obama also proved a little behind the times on the last movie seen in a theater, which for him was the 2007 animated film Shrek the Third. McCain said he had seen the blockbuster hit Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which debuted in May. "I enjoyed that so much. The old guy wins," said McCain, who has been the butt of jokes because of his age. One person poking fun at him has been Paris Hilton, the 27-year-old actress, singer and socialite, who called McCain a "wrinkly white-haired guy" in a Web video posted this week. For favorite actor in the role of president, McCain picked Dennis Haysbert from the Fox network hit 24. Obama chose Jeff Bridges from the 2000 movie The Contender. "He was charming and essentially an honorable person, but there was a rogue about him," Obama said. Obama said his first movie memory was Born Free, the 1966 film about African lions. McCain remembered the 1942 Disney animated feature Bambi. "When his mother was killed. Oh, yeah, I cried," McCain said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4646943a4560.html Dogs find human yawns contagious, suggesting they have a rudimentary capacity for empathy, scientists said. Although yawning is widespread in many animals, contagious yawning

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/08/dn...dence_problems/ Aussie cops reopen 7,000 DNA convictions By John Oates Published Friday 8th August 2008 10:43 GMT Melbourne Police have withdrawn charges against a suspected double murderer, after they admitted that DNA evidence was wrong. A further 7,000 cases will now be re-examined - every conviction secured in Victoria using DNA in the last 20 years. Russell John Gesah was accused of a double murder and rape in 1984. Samples taken from the original crime scene apparently were subjected to a cold case review, and matched Gesah's profile on the national DNA database. But a double check just before the trial revealed no such match. It emerged that the lab which checked evidence from the crime scene also tested material from Gesah on the same day, creating a risk of contamination. Melbourne lawyer Robert Richter QC told the Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24143064-17044,00.html) that programmes like CSI give juries the wrong impression of the infallibility of DNA evidence. He said DNA evidence was a

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/s...icle4474594.ece August 6, 2008 Police chief wants DNA record of all Scots Stephen House has called for a comprehensive DNA database Charlene Sweeney A leading Scottish police chief was criticised yesterday for recommending that DNA samples be taken from everyone living in Scotland, including newborn babies. Stephen House, Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, Scotland's biggest force, said that a DNA database of the entire population would allow detectives to catch more criminals. Police in Scotland must destroy the DNA of suspects who are not convicted, except some sexual offenders. But despite criticism of the English system, where police can retain samples from innocent people, Mr House said that it should be implemented in Scotland as a first step to larger database.

I hate to say it but I think he's got it pretty right. The thing that made me "smell a major rat" about this is that THERE WAS NO AUTOPSY And according to what I have read the American government is almost obsessive about autopsies, autopsies are required - in most states - even if it is pretty obvious why someone died but they died alone and hadn't seen a medical practitioner in some time. It is my belief that after the FBI failed in it's attempt to set up Dr Steven Hatfill and had to pay out money, they "went for" the "next person on the list", and not wanting to have to pay out money again and be made to look silly by the media, they killed their next victim. (That's just my personal belief, and I am not stating it as fact). The other thing that "stank badly" for me was, I wondered why this bloke allegedly killed himself using tylenol and codeine, which is a horrible, slow, painful death, and it takes at least 48 hours between taking the overdose and death occurring. As a scientist Dr Ivins would have realised this and would have had access to a whole labaratory of other drugs that would do a quicker, cleaner job. What is the bet that there will be (if there hasn't been already) a hasty cremation? (hmmn, having a "tin foil hat moment")

His psychiatrist has sworn under oath that 1. he was a homicidal sociopath, 2. she was terrified of him, 3. he has attempted to kill people who wronged him in the past and 4. he told her he was going to kill his coworkers in the lab. She also took out a restraining order against him several weeks ago. So, unless his doctor is a liar with an axe to grind, he probably did send the anthrax....since he had access to it and wanted credit for developing the antidote. And how much money did they give HER to swear under oath to that? I'm not saying he's innocent. I'm just saying, something seems off. The woman who said that was NOT "HIS" PSYCHIATRIST, SHE WAS NOT "A" PSYCHIATRICT, she was a "therapist", a "social worker" and it seems that none of his colleagues or family had any knowledge of Ivins seeing her until after he "was suicided". People have just assumed that what she said was real, and that he'd been having therapy for depression. Maybe he did have to see a therapist, I mean after the FBI did all it could to drive him crazy, it's little wonder that he suffered from depression. This woman's court document was handwritten and badly spelled, with bad grammar, hardly something a skilled therapist would do. This article from the Irish Times explains a bit: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/...7628485411.html Monday 4 August 2008 UNITED STATES: Army scientist's suicide leaves many questions, report Joby Warrick, Marilyn Thompson and Aaron Davis FOR NEARLY seven years, scientist Bruce Ivins and a small circle of fellow anthrax specialists at Fort Detrick's Army medical lab in Maryland lived in a curious limbo: they served as consultants for the FBI in the investigation of the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, yet they were all potential suspects. Over lunch in the bacteriology division, nervous scientists would share stories about their latest unpleasant encounters with the FBI and ponder whether they should hire lawyers, according to one of Ivins' former supervisors. In tactics that the researchers considered heavy-handed and often threatening, they were interviewed and polygraphed as early as 2002, and reinterviewed numerous times. Their labs were searched and their computers and equipment carted away. The FBI eventually focused on Ivins, whom federal prosecutors were planning to indict when he committed suicide last week. Officials asserted that Ivins had the skills and access to equipment needed to turn anthrax bacteria into an ultra-fine powder that could be used as a lethal weapon. Court documents and tapes also reveal a therapist's deep concern that Ivins (62) was homicidal and obsessed with revenge during his final months when, friends say, he fell into depression under the strain of constant FBI scrutiny. A social worker, Jean Duley, passed on her concerns to the FBI after receiving death threats from Ivins. Duley became so worried that she petitioned a local judge for a protective order against Ivins. According to an audio recording of the hearing, she said she had seen Ivins as a therapist for six months, and thought he had tried to kill people in the past. "As far back as the year 2000, [ivins] has actually attempted to murder several other people, [including] through poisoning," she said. "He is a revenge killer, when he feels that he's been slighted ... especially towards women. He plots and actually tries to carry out revenge killings," she told a judge. She described a July 9th group therapy session in which Ivins allegedly talked of mass murder. "He was extremely agitated, out of control," she said. Ivins told the group he had bought a gun, and proceeded to lay out a "long and detailed homicidal plan", she said. "Because he was about to be indicted on capital murder charges, he was going to go out in a blaze of glory; that he was going to take everybody out with him," she said. Yet, colleagues and friends remained convinced that Ivins was innocent. They contended that he had neither the motive nor the means to create the lethal powder that was sent by mail to news outlets and congressional offices in the summer and autumn of 2001. Mindful of FBI mistakes in fingering others in the case, many are very sceptical that the bureau has gotten it right this time. "I really don't think he's the guy. I say to the FBI: 'Show me your evidence,'" said Jeffrey Adamovicz, former director of the bacteriology division at US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID. "A lot of the tactics they used were designed to isolate him from his support. The FBI just continued to push his buttons." Investigators are so confident of Ivins' involvement that they have been debating since Friday whether to close the seven-year-old anthrax investigation. A government source said that the probe could be shut down as early as today. No charges are likely against others, that source added. Once the case is closed, the FBI and justice department will face questions - and possibly public hearings - from congressional oversight committees, which have been largely shut out of the case for the past five years. One bioweapons expert familiar with the FBI investigation said that Ivins indeed possessed the skills needed to create the dust-fine powder used in the attacks. At the Army lab where he worked, Ivins specialised in making sophisticated preparations of anthrax bacteria spores for use in animal tests, said the expert, who requested anonymity because the investigation remains active. Ivins' daily routine included the use of processes and equipment the anthrax terrorist likely used in making his weapons. He also is known to have had ready access to the specific strain of Bacillus anthracis used in the attack - a strain found to match samples found in Ivins' lab, he said. But others, including former colleagues and scientists with backgrounds in biological weapons defence, disagreed that Ivins could have created the anthrax powder even if motivated to do so. "USAMRIID doesn't deal with powdered anthrax," said Richard Spertzel, who worked with Ivins at the Army lab. "I don't think there's anyone there who would have the foggiest idea how to do it. You would need to have the opportunity, the capability and the motivation, and he didn't possess any of those." Authorities cast doubt on Saturday on reports that Ivins had acted for financial gain based on patents and scientific advances he had made. They say the government restricts income from inventions produced in its laboratories to no more than $150,000 per year, but the amount is often considerably less. Jaye Holly, who lived next door to the Ivinses until a month ago, said she couldn't believe that her former neighbour, who was obsessed with grass recycling and drove a 20-year-old van, would endanger others for financial gain. "I can't imagine him being involved in a scheme to make money or to make a profit, especially one that would put people at risk or even die," Holly said. "That's not the Bruce we knew. He was sweet, friendly, I mean he was into glass recycling. Tuesday 5 August 1008 The "therapist" sounds like a bitter and twisted woman with an agenda to me. I hope that is not seen as too harsh, but that is the impression I get.

I think that the mark of the beast is probably the international ID system. All countries have the "id card" in one form or another or are about to get it. America (or at least the DHS) seems absolutely determined to have "Real ID", it looks like UK will have the most draconian of ID systems ever thought of (in fact Hitler or Stalin would have been ecstatic at the thought of it), just about all European countries already have their own system, just about all Asian countries, Australia will probably implement one, and we have our "digi-driving licence". The EU is already talking about an EU wide ID card superceding all the ones already in place in Europe and America is talking about an "American Union" (that will soon mean an "Americard" or what ever), and from there it might just gravitate to a "new world order ID card". Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, Well you would use your hand to "use" the card. And, it is logical that most cards would carry an RFID chip to hold all your "details", and that eventually you would be "required" to produce the card when buying or selling anything at all, or making any transactions. So it is also logical that eventually the chip will be replaced by an implant (maybe in your forehead). Already this generation has been brought up to believe that it is normal to use EFTPOS cards for paying for everything, or student id cards to pay for school lunches, or even books or trips. It will be so easy to eliminate cash altogether from commerce and they will all think it is a wonderful idea. Revelation 13:17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. With real id Americans choosing not to carry a national ID, the site warns, will be prohibited from driving a car, boarding a plane, train or bus, entering any federal building, opening a bank account, or possibly from holding a job. So how much buying or selling do you think you'll be able to do without a real id card? This of course goes for the rest of the world too. I have read that the British government are trying to "sell" the id idea to commercial interests, mainly to justify its existance, and it seems believable that the rest of the world will follow suit. So it doesn't really matter if there is a world wide card or not. The Bible's prediction that there will be "great deception", I believe, has already happened. So many people have been deceived into believing that there is a "terrorist threat" and that "security means safety" - 'peace and safety' - and the id card system will "help fight terrorism". To this end people don't seem to mind being numbered, stamped, branded and categorised, as in: One centralized ID number for every citizen so the government can connect all citizen financial accounts, medical records, properties, possessions and memberships. Even the governor of Kentucky proposed that all Internet users be required to submit a Real ID number to websites that offer forum/blog posting to eliminate Anonymity. However, what pretty much "clinches the deal" for me is: Revelation 16:2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. Because the VeriChip Corporation, manufactures of the VeriChip

Just found an update on this story: Berwyn Heights, MD Drug Raid Update: Cops Didn't Have a No-Knock Warrant Radley Balko | August 6, 2008, 8:29am It now appears that the entire raid on Berwyn Heights, Maryland Mayor Cheye Calvo may have been illegal. Last week, police stormed Calvo's home without knocking, shot and killed his two black labs, and questioned him and his mother-in-law at gunpoint over a delivered package of marijuana that police now concede may have been intended for someone else. The Washington Post reports that the police didn't even bother to get a no-knock warrant, which means the tactics they used were illegal: A Prince George's police spokesman said last week that a Sheriff's Office SWAT team and county police narcotics officers were operating under such a [no-knock] warrant when they broke down the door of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo, shooting and killing his black Labrador retrievers. But a review of the warrant indicates that police neither sought nor received permission from Circuit Court Judge Albert W. Northrup to enter without knocking. Northrup found probable cause to suspect that drugs might be in the house and granted police a standard search warrant. "There's nothing in the four corners of the warrant saying anything about the Calvos being a threat to law enforcement," said Calvo's attorney, Timothy Maloney. "This was a lawless act by law enforcement." Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has given the police leeway to disregard the knock-and-announce requirement. In June 2006, the Court ruled in Hudson v. Michigan that evidence seized in raids in which police fail to properly observe the knock-and-announce rule isn't subject to the Exclusionary Rule. Justice Scalia assured us that there's a "new professionalism" taking root in police departments across the country today, rendering the Exclusionary Rule in such cases unnecessary. ________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________ "New-professionalism"????? Eek, I just can't believe that a judge could be so "out of touch".

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/c...icle4467106.ece August 6, 2008

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,398466,00.html FBI Used Aggressive Tactics in 'Anthrax Killer' Investigation Tuesday , August 05, 2008 WASHINGTON

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3806/ August 4 2008 By Jacob Wheeler '[They have been] taking every opportunity to try and intimidate the people who live here,' says an activist using the name "Diablo Bush," referring to the local police. The St. Paul Police Department is arming itself with Tasers. Local activists and media say that the department ordered 230 stun guns in late February

Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate them, and it is good to hear that profanity in everyday speech is not acceptable everywhere. However, although members of my family will soon pick up that I don't like them swearing around me and eventually "watch what they say", the problem of swearing in the entertainment media still remains. With such a large family I have no control over, what radio stations or TV channels they have on, and there is absolutely no way I can stop what comes out of the "idiot box" I think I have "put limits in place" (e.g. tonight during tea my husband was "channel surfing" and he stopped when a favourite soap opera came on - I really hate that soap opera, it not only has foul-mouthed characters on it but it has story lines about the homosexual lifestyle, women having abortions and how wonderful it is for them, teenagers screaming at their parents etc. Trying to normalise it and "educate" the viewer that it a normal part of life. Anyway, I asked my husband to "keep moving up the channels", and he not only did but said to the kids "if you want to watch that you can go to Andy's place" and Casey said (to the others) "OK, we don't have to watch it now, it is repeated on Saturday". I just know that sometime pretty soon I will be in the lounge (maybe reading a book or something - I don't watch TV unless there is something specific on) and out of the TV will come a string of swear words, but this time it will not be the kids that are watching it, it will be my husband - because that has happened so many times before. Here's the usual scenario: TV swears, I object. Me: "I don't want to hear that" (or words to this affect). My husband: "Well, don't listen, you're not watching it -I am, go somewhere else!". Both of us: "Argue, argue, argue". Result: My husband gets up, turns off the TV, storms out of the room and goes to bed, does not speak to me for the next three days. Result for me: I feel really yukky and guilty. I just know it will happen again soon as it has happened just this way over and over again for the last four years now. Got any ideas what to do?

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=779627 Franklin couple sue Milwaukee Police for violating their rights By Marie Rohde Tuesday, Aug 5 2008, 09:06 AM A Franklin couple is suing the Milwaukee Police Department, alleging that their constitutional rights were violated when a police SWAT team stormed into their suburban home and shot the man while looking for illegal weapons in 2006. The police had obtained a no-knock warrant to search the couple's home of Richard and Sharon Betker at about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2006. Neither had a violent criminal record, owned their home and had no involvement with drugs, according to the suit. Richard Betker, 59, was awakened and alarmed by the commotion. According to the lawsuit filed by his lawyer, Leonard Adent, Betker got a handgun from a nightstand and cried out "who are you and what do you want?" The lawsuit alleges that Betker did not point the gun but one of the officers said "he has a gun" before one or more officers opened fire. Betker was shot to the finger and the left shoulder by an officer armed with a semi-automatic M-4 Carbine. The couple lives in a part of Franklin that was described as "country." They own an extensive art and glass collection, according to the suit. The lawsuit asserts that police, some of whom arrived in an armored vehicle, broke the picture window of the house before police simultaneously broke the front and back doors. According to the lawsuit, Sharon Betker's estranged sister called police and said there were weapons in the home and that Sharon Betker had threatened her sister in a conversation with the sister's son. Sharon Betker denies the threat and the lawsuit alleges that police did not question the nephew before getting the warrant. The sister had not been in the Betker home in more than four years, according to the lawsuit. Because Betker, 55, was convicted of a felony forgery charge in 1982, she is barred from owning a weapon. She said the weapons in the home belonged to her husband. The sister had told Milwaukee police that Sharon Betker did not like police. Milwaukee police did not contact the Franklin police before the raid but would have found that the Betkers had "a good relationship with the local police," the lawsuit said. Police got the tip nine days before they obtained the search warrant, an indication that the police did not believe the search was urgent, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit alleges that the couple was denied food and medication for 24 hours, even though Sharon Betker has a heart condition. They were also not allowed to call their attorney, they said. Richard Betker was not charged with any crime. Sharon Betker plead no contest to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, fined $250 and sentenced to five days she had served in the House of Correction. The suit alleges that police violated the Betkers rights to protection against unreasonable sear and seizure; violated their rights to bear arms; was an unlawful arrest; was an excessive assault and battery and an illegal detention of the couple as well as a malicious abuse of power. The suit also claims the police violated the couple's rights to due process by the failing to investigate the allegations before obtaining and executing a search warrant. Deputy City Attorney Rudolph Konrad said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8080301636.html Residents Honor Mayor, Slain Dogs at Rally SWAT Team Killed Pets in Questionable Drug Raid at Official's Home By Rosalind S. Helderman Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, August 4, 2008; B02 About 100 people gathered on a ball field in the tiny town of Berwyn Heights last night to rally in support of the town's mayor and in memory of his two dogs who were shot and killed by law enforcement officers during a drug raid last week. Residents, many accompanied by their own dogs on leashes, recalled 7-year-old Payton and 4-year-old Chase, black Labrador retrievers, as dogs who would stop and greet them on walks. Members of a Prince George's County Sheriff's Office SWAT team shot the dogs Tuesday while bursting into the home of Mayor Cheye Calvo. The raid, conducted jointly with county police narcotics officers, took place after officers saw Calvo bring a package containing more than 30 pounds of marijuana from his front porch into his house. They had been tracking the package since police dogs sniffed out the presence of drugs at a shipping facility in Arizona. The package was addressed to Trinity Tomsic, Calvo's wife. But law enforcement sources said last week that they are now investigating the possibility that the mayor and his wife were unwitting recipients and that a deliveryman might have intended to intercept the package as part of a drug smuggling scheme. The package landed on Calvo's doorstep after police posing as deliverymen brought it to the door and Calvo's mother-in-law asked that it be left on the porch. Police recovered the unopened package from the home Tuesday night but made no arrests. Calvo has said he was interrogated for hours while handcuffed and surrounded by the bloody bodies of his dogs. A spokesman for the sheriff's office has said that the department regretted the shooting of the dogs but that deputies felt threatened by them. The spokesman did not return a call for comment yesterday. At the rally at the Berwyn Heights Sports Park, those in the 3,000-resident town gathered to express confidence that Calvo is innocent. They wrote messages to the mayor's family on a banner, which they intended to give to Calvo to hang on his fence. They said they believed their 37-year-old mayor when he said he had no knowledge of the illegal drugs. "The rest of us might have had misspent youths, but Cheye is one of those fellows who has been on the straight and narrow his whole life," Chris Brittan-Powell, one of the rally organizers, said before the event. "It's just bizarre." Berwyn Heights police chief Patrick Murphy said he regretted that the sheriff's office and county police raided Calvo's home without Murphy's knowledge. Murphy has been vocal about his anger that his eight-person force was not informed of the raid in advance. "I never imagined, when I set out to protect people from the crooks and the criminals, that I would have to protect them from my fellow police officers," Murphy told the crowd. Brittan-Powell said that the rally's aim was not to condemn police but to show Calvo that residents were on his side and did not believe he deserved to have his home raided. Brittan-Powell said the group was taking donations to buy two trees to be planted at Calvo's home in memory of the dogs as well as to fund repairs to Calvo's front door. Calvo, 37, has been a fixture in Prince George's since serving on a regional group for teen leaders while in high school, where he worked on an anti-drug initiative. He was an aide to Republican County Council member Audrey E. Scott in the mid-1990s and has been mayor since 2004. He also works for the SEED Foundation, a well-known national nonprofit group that runs urban public boarding schools. "Injustice in this county, in this country, in this world happens every day," Calvo told the crowd. "But people who experience it most often don't have the support, don't have the community, don't have the resources that we do." Brittan-Powell stressed that the town event was intended to be apolitical, noting that residents purposely held their event separately from a rally earlier yesterday by the University of Maryland chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Thirty-six chapter members attended that event, said organizer Irina Alexander, 19, a rising sophomore who also attended the later rally. The group called the dogs victims of a misguided war on drugs.

Here's the first part of the story, basically what happened: http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/chertoff_th...eatens_chertoff

I feel totally at a loss right now. I am feeling that maybe I am the one who is at odds with the rest of the world, and I have been called a "prude" and I'm thinking that maybe I AM the one who is wrong. I have been spending a lot of evenings at home lately because we have had such bad weather that my factory hasn't been able to operate, this happens regularly, but this time the "no work time" should be short, unlike last year when it dragged on and started in June - at least now it has waited until the last day in July. Now I remember why I've been quite happy to be working in the evenings. I am selfish and want everything to be "my way" and if I don't have a lot of contact with the rest of the household it is the old adage of "what I don't know can't hurt me". Earlier this evening I was folding up the washing that I had taken in earlier in the day (but I spread it round the room to give it a chance to dry as the weather has been so bad and it was on the line for about four days) and my husband, daughter, son and daughter in law (with her baby on her knee) were watching a soap opera on TV that is "popular" because it is "daring", i.e. it literally has someone screaming out the F... word every third sentence. This is no isolated incident as most of the programmes they want to watch have swear words as "normal speech" in them. I went through exactly the same thing the year before last when my son was living with us, and last year when my husband wanted to watch films with this sort of language in them (at least he doesn't watch these soap operas, or ordinary programmes with bad language). I get the impression that lately swearing has become such a "normal part of life" that it is reflected in just about every film and television programme. My kids say to me "but EVERYONE talks like that", my standard answer to that is "oh, no they don't", but according to the TV, they do. Am I the odd one out? Anyway, this evening I had just had enough and I couldn't get them to turn off their favourite programme, so I said "if you want to watch that in future, you will have to watch it on Andy's TV", there was no comment so I take that as an agreement. The problem is that my daughter is staying in our house and doesn't always want to go to Andy's to watch TV (often cannot as well). Andy (my son) and his wife Casey live in a flat next door, but it is a sort of "Everyone Loves Raymond" situation - they may "officially" live next door, but they spend most of their time at our house, the arrive for dinner and leave about 10pm leaving the baby and my husband takes the baby back to them about 6 the next morning. I don't mind this at all as I like to cook - and neither of them do, and I just love the baby and don't mind helping with him. My husband's only comment is (always is) "the programme only has 25 minutes to run, just put up with it" then he gets all sulky and goes to bed. He doesn't swear himself in the normal course of speech, but says "it doesn't worry me so much if others do", and has made it clear "I will only support you if I agree" So I am on my own, more reason to think I am the odd one out. My daughter is nearly 25 and my son and daughter in law are 22 so I can hardly tell them what to do anymore. Also I don't want to alienate them. I managed to get my son not to swear (so much anyway) by getting Casey to agree that if he swore around Connor (their baby), the baby would grow up thinking it was normal to swear. She managed to pursuade Andy not to swear around Connor, but what is the difference, if he hears swearing on TV all the time? I had this problem when the kids were teenagers, and at that time I used to just turn off the TV and risk a yelling match, and at one time I even removed the fuse going to that socket so they couldn't turn it back on. I made a point, but soon realised it just wasn't worth it when I got yelled and screamed at by the whole family. I consoled myself by thinking that in my older years when the kids had grown up, I would not have to put up constant swearing from the radio, stereo and television. Now I am thinking "who was I trying to kid if I thought that"? What do others think? Am I the one who is "out of sync. with society" (my husband's phrase)? Am I just being selfish and prudish? Am I right? What should I do?????

It's good to read something like this Gangs to God! Congrats, and welcome to Worthy.

That is ABSOLUTELY NOT the point! You seem to be assuming that "taking and keeping DNA samples/profiles is OK. It is most definitely not! What right has the DHS to have access to your DNA? It is the height of arrogance to just decide to "share it with DHS" without requiring the consent and knowledge of the owner of the DNA. DNA is the most personal, intimate of anyone's "information", and should never just be given or taken or shared "willy nilly". The article said that they promised to erase the guy's DNA "once the investigation was over", and they did not do this. That to me is a good reason not to ever trust a government agency with the information in the first place. They cannot be trusted to keep their word. The lesson to be learned from this is, if police ever "require" your DNA for "elimination purposes", the answer must be "NO"!

http://wtopnews.com/?nid=598&sid=1452848 FBI seizes local Md. library computers August 3, 2008 - 9:41am The FBI removed computer records from the C. Burr Artz Library this week, a library official confirmed Saturday. Darrell Batson, director of Frederick County Public Libraries, said two FBI employees came to the downtown Frederick library either Wednesday or Thursday. The agents removed two public computers from the library's second floor. They told him they were taking the units back to their office in Washington, D.C., Batson said. Batson expected the computers would be returned early this week, he said. Debbie Weierman, spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office, would not comment Saturday on whether the agency had removed records from the library. This was the third time in his 10 years with FCPL that the FBI has come to the library seeking records, Batson said. It was the first time they came without a court order. The library's procedure for such requests usually requires a court order, however after the agent described the case and the situation, he was persuaded to give them access, Batson said.* "They had an awful lot of information," he said, but he was not allowed to discuss specifics * "It was a decision I made on my experience and the information given to me," he said. * C. Burr Artz Library has several dozen public computers. The agents seemed to know which ones they needed access to, he said. Anyone with a library card and a PIN number can use FCPL computers. Without a library card, a person can get a temporary pass to go online. Batson said the agents made no mention of Bruce Ivins, anthrax or Fort Detrick. "Obviously it coincided with the events everyone is talking about," he said. _______________________________________________________________________________ * Voluntarily! He handed them over voluntarily! The obsequious little ..... person .... You just don't know who you can trust!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-56...-children.html# Tesco bans parents from buying alcohol if they are with their OWN children Tesco said they are trying to clampdown on underage drinking but staff often make mistakes when they stop parents shopping with children Parents shopping with their own children are being refused alcohol by over-zealous supermarket staff - for fear they are supplying drink to minors. Workers have been told not to serve adults accompanied by children in the latest crack-down on underage drinking. However diligent shop staff are applying the letter of the law and refusing to serve parents who are on weekly shopping trips with their children. Television medium Dominic Zenden could never have predicted that he would have been barred from buying a six-pack of beer at the respectable age of 45 - 27 years over the legal age. And Debbie Bell, 39, was shocked when staff refused to sell her alcohol while she was shopping with her 18-year-old stepson. Both had been in different Tesco stores, but were given the same explanation by staff who refused to serve them. Mr Zenden, who presents his own show on Sky TV, was stunned when he was snubbed at the shop in Sprowston, Norwich. The television star was with his daughter Devon, 15, when he tried to buy six bottles of Budweiser beer. But staff refused to believe his insistence the alcohol was not for the schoolgirl - and would not sell him it. "I was dumbfounded," said Mr Zenden. "There was absolutely no indication that my daughter would be drinking the alcohol - it was for me. "I fancied a nice cool beer on a warm evening. "But the woman told me that they don't sell alcohol to people who have children with them." Tesco today said they trained their store workers to ask for proof of age for anyone present at the purchase who they suspect may consume the alcohol. But they admitted: "Quite often they may be mistaken and the adult may be buying it for themselves. "But we would rather the staff err on the side of caution than risk selling to someone who is buying alcohol for people who are under age." Dominic Zenden was shocked when his local Tesco store refused to sell him alcohol while he was with his daughter Shops selling to minors three times in as many months face a

Yet, another reason not to trust what the UK goverrnment says. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10...se-year-on.html Innocent MP fingerprinted after his uncle's murder discovers his details are still on DNA database one year on By Brendan Carlin Last updated at 2:35 AM on 03rd August 2008 A Tory MP fingerprinted after the murder of his 80-year-old uncle claimed last night that he is an innocent victim of Labour

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3577046,00.html Biometric database to be formed in Israel Government approves bill calling for creation of database of all Israeli citizens. Data to include fingerprints, computerized facial features embedded on IDs, passports Attila Somfalvi The government approved Sunday a motion calling for the establishment of a biometric database by the Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Ministry. The motion, dubbed the "identification card, travel papers and biometrics database bill," will now be referred back to the various Knesset committees, which would ready it for its Knesset votes. Advances First DNA database underway / Itzik Saban Police launches pilot program to create Israel's first ever DNA database, expected to include 9,000 samples by end of 2008. Database will assist deadlocked investigations, says police Full story The new bill called for embedding biometric data, such as fingerprints and computerized tags of facial features, in Israeli IDs and passports; as well as for the establishment of a database which would include biometric data on all Israeli citizens. The data would be used by the Ministry of Interior in its future plans to create "smart", forgery-proof identification papers and passports; and would also allow authorities to identify people who are not carrying any means of identification, especially in cases of a mass disaster, should the need to identify fatalities arise. Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told the government that the "need to create a unique (physical) bond between the person carrying an ID and the data which appears on it, is essential in order to fight the worldwide forgeries

It won't work Scarlet, your cover has been blown. They know that you are really my half sister and a member of my "debating society" and you are just trying to get publicity for me so that I can later lobby to have the law changed that prohibits foreigners from running for president of the USA, so that I can run in 2013. I promise you can be my VP. (Remember I still have that picture of you getting that politician drunk and taking his ramblings down in shorthand, on my cellphone ) And after all you were the one who said it would be really boring if we all agreed on things. You had to go and tell everyone, now what am I going to do with this tell all book I was about to publish linking the two of you to that nasty business three months ago....... oh, no A "tell all" book (looking around for a bugging device - paranoid, you know). But, ....... but ..... "that nasty business three months ago": No, honest, that wasn't me and Scarlet, it was Ted - he made the whole thing up, and ..... framed us. Psst you don't have the details of my plan to declare America an autonomous satellite of NZ, do you? Quick Scarlet, hide the "special" gumbo recipe (sshh! I think the book says nothing about that, we might get away with it if we are careful).