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November 17 The Odd Lies Of Sarah PalinAfter you have read these, ask yourself: what wouldn't Sarah Palin lie about if she felt she had to? Palin lied when she said the dismissal of her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, had nothing to do with his refusal to fire state trooper Mike Wooten; in fact, the Branchflower Report concluded that she repeatedly abused her power when dealing with both men. Palin lied when she repeatedly claimed to have said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere; in fact, she openly campaigned for the federal project when running for governor. Palin lied when she denied that Wasilla's police chief and librarian had been fired; in fact, both were given letters of termination the previous day. Palin lied when she wrote in the NYT that a comprehensive review by Alaska wildlife officials showed that polar bears were not endangered; in fact, email correspondence between those scientists showed the opposite. Palin lied when she claimed in her convention speech that an oil gas pipeline "began" under her guidance; in fact, the pipeline was years from breaking ground, if at all. Palin lied when she told Charlie Gibson that she does not pass judgment on gay people; in fact, she opposes all rights between gay spouses and belongs to a church that promotes conversion therapy. Palin lied when she denied having said that humans do not contribute to climate change; in fact, she had previously proclaimed that human activity was not to blame. Palin lied when she claimed that Alaska produces 20 percent of the country's domestic energy supply; in fact, the actual figures, based on any interpretation of her words, are much, much lower. Palin lied when she told voters she improvised her convention speech when her teleprompter stopped working properly; in fact, all reports showed that the machine had functioned perfectly and that her speech had closely followed the script. Palin lied when she recalled asking her daughters to vote on whether she should accept the VP offer; in fact, her story contradicts details given by her husband, the McCain campaign, and even Palin herself. (She later added another version.)
Palin lied when she claimed to have taken a voluntary pay cut as mayor; in fact, as councilmember she had voted against a raise for the mayor, but subsequent raises had taken effect by the time she was mayor. Palin lied when she insisted that Wooten's divorce proceedings had caused his confidential records to become public; in fact, court officials confirmed they released no such records. Palin lied when she suggested to Katie Couric that she was involved in trade missions with Russia; in fact, she has never even met with Russian officials. Palin lied when she told Shimon Peres that the only flag in her office was the Israeli flag; in fact, she has several flags. Palin lied when she claimed to have tried to divest government funds from Sudan; in fact, her administration openly opposed a bill that would have done just that. Palin lied when she repeatedly claimed that troop levels in Iraq were back to pre-surge levels; in fact, even she acknowledged her "misstatements," though she refused to retract or apologize. Palin lied when she insisted that the Branchflower Report "showed there was no unlawful or unethical activity on my part"; in fact, that report prominently stated, "Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act." Palin lied when she claimed to have voiced concerns over Wooten fearing he would harm her family; in fact, she actually decreased her security detail during that period. Palin lied when asked about the $150,000 worth of clothes provided by the RNC; in fact, solid reporting contradicted several parts of her statement. Palin lied when she suggested that she had offered the media proof of her pregnancy with Trig to "correct the record"; in fact, no reports of her medical records were ever published; and the letter from her doctor testifying to her good health only emerged hours before polling ended on election day, even though there was nothing in it that couldn't have been released two months earlier. Palin lied when she said that "reported" allegations of her banning Harry Potter as mayor was easily refutable because it had not even been written yet; in fact, the first book in that series was published in 1998 - two years into her first term - and such rumors were never reported by the media, only circulated as emails. Palin lied when she denied having participated in a clothes audit with campaign laywers; in fact, the Washington Times later confirmed those details. Palin lied when asked about Couric's question regarding her reading habits; in fact, Couric's words were not, "What do you read up there in Alaska?" or anything close to condescension. Palin lied when she mischaracterized the "$1200 check" given to Alaskans as the permanent fund dividend check; in fact, that fund had yielded $2,069 per person, and she claimed otherwise to obscure the fact that Alaskans also received a $1200 rebate check from a windfall profits tax on oil companies - a tax widely criticized by Republicans. Palin lied when she claimed to be unaware of a turkey being slaughtered behind her during a filmed interview; in fact, the cameraman said she had picked the spot herself, while the slaughter was underway. Palin lied when she denied having rejected federal stimulus money; in fact, she continued to accept and reject the funds several times. Palin lied when she claimed that legislative leaders had canceled a meeting with her to hold their own press conference; in fact, they only canceled it after being told she would not participate, and the purpose of the press conference was very different from the meeting's. Palin lied when she announced on the news that she never holds closed-door meetings; in fact, she had just attended a closed-door meeting with the legislature earlier that day. Palin lied when she said that former aide John Bitney's "amicable" departure was for "personal" reasons; in fact, Bitney said he was fired because of his relationship with the wife of Palin's friend, plus a Palin spokesperson later claimed "poor job performance" for his firing - without elaborating. Palin lied when she said she kept her running injury a secret on the campaign trail; in fact, her bandaged hand was clearly visible in photographs and the story was widely talked about. Palin lied when she claimed that Alaska has spent "millions of dollars" on litigation related to her ethics complaints; in fact, that figure is much, much lower, and she had initiated the most expensive inquiry. Palin lied when she denied that the Alaska Independence Party supports secession and denied that her husband had been a member; in fact, even the McCain campaign noted that the party's very existence is based on secession and that Todd was a member for seven years. November 05 American gets 3 years in prison for sex with horse Rodell Vereen was also ordered never to go near the stable where the horse's owner caught him and held him for authorities at shotgun point over the summer. He apologized to the woman and to himself after admitting to buggery at the Horry County courthouse. "I'm sorry about what I've done. I didn't mean to do it. It's my fault. I'm sorry for what I've done to myself," Vereen said during Wednesday's court hearing. Vereen was arrested in July after Barbara Kenley caught him entering the barn at Lazy B Stables in Longs, about 20 miles northeast of Myrtle Beach. She had been staking out the stable for more than a week after setting up a surveillance camera and videotaping Vereen's assault on her 21-year-old horse named Sugar. Kenley said she became suspicious because her horse was acting strange and getting infections, and she noticed things were moved around the barn and dirt was piled up near the horse's stall. It wasn't the first time she'd caught Vereen. In late 2007, Kenley found him asleep in the hay after assaulting her horse. For that offense, he also pleaded guilty to buggery, received probation and had to register as a sex offender. On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Vereen to five years in prison, but he will only have to serve three years behind bars as long as he successfully completes two years of probation. Vereen also was ordered to undergo additional mental treatment after he gets out of prison and was told to stay away from Kenley's stable. Kenley told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach she was mostly happy with the verdict, but wished Vereen had got more prison time. "I've been through hell for the last year and it's caused a lot of hardship," Kenley told the newspaper. "There's a lot of ridicule and jokes going around about this thing. And a person can only take so much." Man Stabbed Self To Keep JobTorn uniform pants led Blockbuster worker to hatch bizarre planMeet Aaron Siebers. The 27-year-old Denver man, a Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding yesterday afternoon when he fell and ripped his uniform pants. Due to work last night--and concerned about getting "written up" by Blockbuster superiors for not wearing his work-issued khakis--Siebers came up with a harebrained idea. Instead of just calling in sick, he stabbed himself in the leg and showed up at work claiming to have just been attacked by three Hispanic males. Siebers, who told cops he was assaulted as he walked toward the Blockbuster in Edgewater, had a deep stab wound in one leg and several other minor cuts on his face and stomach. As investigators began hunting for the assailants, they reviewed surveillance video from outside a Target store where Siebers claimed the attack occurred. The footage, however, showed no such assault. Confronted by cops, Siebers, pictured in the below mug shot, admitted that he had stabbed himself. He told investigators about the skateboarding accident, the resulting ripped pants, and how "he did not want to lose his job so he stabbed himself in the leg," according to an arrest affidavit sworn by Officer Shawna Naumann. As a result, Siebers was named in a criminal complaint charging him with filing a false report and obstructing police, both misdemeanours. October 01 Faeces-covered nude man jumps into man's pool A Florida man is facing charges after
authorities said he was naked and covered in faeces when he broke into a
resident's backyard and jumped into the pool. A Martin County Sheriff's
Office report shows 21-year-old Robert Stark Higgins was charged with
burglary to an occupied dwelling, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor
theft. The resident told deputies he heard Higgins crash through the screen of his pool and take a splash Saturday night. Authorities said Higgins took a towel and fled. Deputies used a K-9 to track Higgins to a home. Higgins told deputies he had been drinking. He was being held at the Martin County Jail on $10,500 bail. Jail officials said he did not immediately have an attorney.
December 24 Plastic Surgeon Used Liposuction Fat To Power His Car, ReportThe Daily Mail reports that authorities have launched an investigation into Dr. Alan Bittner, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who apparently boasted on his website that he turned fat from his liposuction patients into "lipodiesel," a green fuel for his 4x4 vehicle. Bittner wrote on his website: 'The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel -- and I have more fat than I can use. Click here to read the rest of the story.
Bittner's website is now curiously absent of these posts, but feel free to explore. His MySpace can be found here.
Dr. Bittner currently has three lawsuits filed against him by three women who had plastic surgery work done at his facility. They are being represented by attorney Andrew Besser of Besser Law Corporation. Besser indicated that one additional lawsuit has been filed by an attorney in San Diego and a number of small claims have been filed by patients. December 18 Supermarket defends itself over Adolf Hitler cakeA supermarket is defending itself for refusing to a write out 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell's name on his birthday cake. Deborah Campbell, 25, of nearby Hunterdon County, N.J., said she phoned in her order last week to the Greenwich ShopRite. When she told the bakery department she wanted her son's name spelled out, she was told to talk to a supervisor, who denied the request.
Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman, said the store denied similar requests from the Campbells the last two years, including a request for a swastika. "We reserve the right not to print anything on the cake that we deem to be inappropriate," Meleta said. "We considered this inappropriate." The Campbells ultimately got their cake decorated at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania, Deborah Campbell said Tuesday. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Anna Taylor told The Easton Express-Times that the store won't put anything illegal or profane on a cake but thinks it's important to respect the views of customers and employees. "Our No. 1 priority in decorating cakes is to serve the customer to the best of our ability," Taylor said from Bentonville, Ark. When reached by The Associated Press, Taylor said she'd call back to provide a comment. Heath Campbell said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because "no one else in the world would have that name." The Campbells' two other children are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, who turns 2 in a few months, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April. Campbell said he was raised not to avoid people of other races but not to mix with them socially or romantically. But he said he would try to raise his children differently. "Say he grows up and hangs out with black people. That's fine, I don't really care," he said. "That's his choice." December 04 Man Says Wife Was Accidentally Shot During SexAn American woman from Ohio is in critical condition Wednesday after police say her husband shot her while they were having sex. Tmothy Havens, 38, told Springfield police he was reaching for something on the nightstand when the pistol went off, hitting his estranged wife Carolyn in the upper chest. Carolyn Havens, 42, is being treated at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. His arrest Tuesday for the weekend shooting was for violating a civil protection order that Carolyn had taken out against him earlier this year. Bond was set at $75,000 after prosecutors asked for a high bond, "due to alleged prohibited contact between the parties (and) the suspicious nature of the circumstances surrounding (her injury)."
This is isn't the first time there's been trouble for the Havens. Court documents showed Timothy served 60 days in jail for assaulting his wife and was ordered to go to anger management classes.
The case of the wig-puller A 20-year-old woman in Florida told police the wig she was wearing got snatched
by an ex-boyfriend, who pedalled away on a bicycle after she left a party about 3 a.m. Friday when her ex-boyfriend came up on a
bicycle.
She said he started arguing and yanked off a black wig that was sewn to her natural blond hair. The ex-boyfriend reportedly slapped her after she began chasing him. Investigators found the victim's hair in "disorder." She said she
and the alleged wig-snatcher lived together for eight months. She knew
his first name, but apparently recalled only the first letter of his
last name. THIS AFTER EIGHT MONTHS LIVING TOGETHER! The ex-boyfriend called the victim's cell phone while an officer was there. Speaking to an officer via the cell phone, he admitted pulling the wig off and leaving when the victim started crying and said she was calling authorities. The ex-boyfriend hung up after police asked for his last name. Investigators continue to try to identify the alleged wig-puller. This is a true story. November 12 Has Anyone Seen a Stray H-Bomb?An hydrogen bomb is missing from the United States’ arsenal — and has been, evidently, for 40 years.
When last seen, the bomb was one of four aboard an Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed on a frozen bay near Thule Air Force Base in northern Greenland on Jan. 21, 1968. At first, all four bombs were unaccounted for, according to a front-page article in The New York Times on Jan. 23, 1968:
The Defence Department said that some of the wreckage had been observed on the ice by helicopters and that other pieces of the plane might have burned into or through the ice.
The Pentagon announcement made it clear that the bombs had not been found. It was not certain whether they had scattered on top of the ice cap or fallen with the bomber into several hundred feet of water.
Two years later, the United States and Denmark reported that they agreed “that the accident caused no danger to man or animal and plant life in the area,” according to The Times. The 96-page report of the investigation indicated that all four nuclear warheads aboard the plane had disintegrated on impact. Case closed.
Well, maybe not, the BBC says this week.
Declassified documents that the BBC obtained under the United States Freedom of Information Act indicate that only three of the bombs were accounted for, and that the United States searched secretly for the fourth bomb, without success.
By April [1968], a decision had been taken to send a Star III submarine to the base to look for the lost bomb, which had the serial number 78252. (A similar submarine search off the coast of Spain two years earlier had led to another weapon being recovered.)
But the real purpose of this search was deliberately hidden from Danish officials.
One document from July reads: “Fact that this operation includes search for object or missing weapon part is to be treated as confidential NOFORN”, the last word meaning not to be disclosed to any foreign country.
“For discussion with Danes, this operation should be referred to as a survey repeat survey of bottom under impact point,” it continued.
The BBC interviewed William H. Chambers, a former nuclear weapons designer who was involved in the fruitless search. He said that there was disappointment when the search was called off, but that the assumption at the time was that if the United States couldn’t find that H-bomb, no one else would be able to find it either.
And what does the Pentagon have to say about all this now? It had no comment for the BBC. November 05 Job's not doneWhat an incredible night for America! I am so filled with joy. I'm sure you are just excited as I am and looking forward to the Obama era. So many of you sent me messages yesterday about going to the polls to vote, as well as the hard work you put into this election. I am proud to know you. Unfortunately, the news is not all good -- Michele Bachmann won her race for reelection, and will be doing everything she can to stand in the way of progress. But our fight is not over. Rep. Bachmann still deserves to be censured for her outrageous comments about President-Elect Obama (that feels good to write!), and as soon as Congress is back in session we will deliver the petition to House leaders. So let's make sure as many people as possible have signed it. If you haven't before, send the petition on to your friends and family and urge them to sign on as well. Tell them to go to: http://www.censurebachmann.com/ And sign up today!
Tell Congress to Censure Michele Bachmann
57,359
signatures so far On the October 17 episode of MSNBC's Hardball, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota claimed that Barack Obama and other members of Congress share anti-American views. Sign the PetitionFill out the form below to tell Congress to censure Michele Bachmann for her unconscionable comments.
email: info at censurebachmann dot com November 03 Three out of four white supremacists prefer Obama to McCain.
October 22 76 Year Old Pickpocketer Arrested For 73rd TimeA 76-year-old woman who gave her address as 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has been arrested for the 73rd time in almost four decades, this time on charges of stealing a police decoy wallet in a supermarket and stuffing it in her bra. The woman, who prosecutors say has used 36 aliases, was indicted Tuesday as Katherine Kelly in Manhattan Criminal Court in connection with the wallet. Prosecutors reported the indictment but didn't disclose the charges. A criminal complaint filed earlier in this case charged Kelly with grand larceny and attempted grand larceny. It said she took a wallet, left by police as bait, from a shopping cart in a supermarket a few blocks north of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 15. It said an officer recovered the wallet from Kelly's "bra area." Before Kelly was accused of taking the wallet, the complaint says, undercover police saw her trying to steal from several people inside the supermarket by putting her hand inside their bags. Judge Barry Kamins scheduled a Nov. 17 arraignment on the indictment. September 30 Landlord Lets Smell Of Dead Cats Out The Bag; Hoped Stench Would Make Tenants FleeTenants of a Brooklyn building say their landlord came up with a new idea for how to kick them out: Let the smell of the cats out of the bag. Dead cats, that is. The stench from the carcasses did catch the tenants' attention -- but they stayed and sued. One tenant, Daisy Terry, told a City Hall news conference on Sunday it was so bad she had to hold her nose coming down the stairs. The building in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood was purchased last year by a company listed in court papers as Heskel. A call to Heskel Properties in Manhattan was not immediately returned. Terry says the landlord used the dead cats to try to push out rent-stabilized tenants. Man hugs police officer, gets arrestedLuke Schreder thought the police officer looked like he just "needed a hug." The police officer disagreed. Schreder, 21, of 48 Denbigh Drive in Iowa City was arrested Saturday afternoon at 100 S. Dubuque St. for assault on a peace officer, public intoxication and interference with official acts. According to police records, Schreder ran up to an officer and stuck out his arms. The officer told him to "get away," but Schreder didn't take the hint and embraced the officer. When the officer told Schreder to put his hands behind his head, he refused. Officers got one handcuff on Schreder, but he wouldn't put his other arm behind his back to let them put the second handcuff on, according to the report. September 28 American thought policeAeroport security in America is turning Orwellian. September 16 Naked man walking dog Tasered by Tallahassee policeA 40-year-old man walking his dog in the nude Friday night in northwest Tallahassee was Tasered by police when he became belligerent and refused to follow an officer’s commands. An officer on patrol spotted the man about 8:15 p.m. in the 2200 block of Hartsfield Road, said Officer David McCranie of the Tallahassee Police Department. When asked what he was doing, the man told the officer, “Allah told me to watch a Bruce Willis movie and walk the dog,” McCranie said. September 12 30 year old sex offender poses as a child and attends school |
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US Embassy To Yanks: Be Wary of Soccer-Crazed Germans
It's not easy to be an American abroad these days. Not only is your government hated and despised -- the US embassy is also worried you'll be hurt by rowdy enthusiasts of a strange, no-hands-allowed sport.
The Euro 2008 has been a great tournament, but if one believes a warning issued on Tuesday, June 24 by the American embassy in Germany, the upcoming match between the Germans and the Turks could also be hazardous to your health.
American diplomats are apparently worried that innocent Yanks could be injured if they blunder into public viewing areas with their guard down.
"Because of the high fan interest in this prestigious semi-final elimination game between Germany and Turkey, there exists the possibility that disturbances, including violent disturbances may occur before, during or after the match, which begins at 20:45," wrote the embassy.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: They may look harmless and/or portly -- but they're not
Diplomats particularly cautioned against public viewing areas in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
"At a minimum, post-game celebrations will likely result in traffic congestion in larger cities," read the embassy statement. "Crowds celebrating previous German and/or Turkish victories have blocked streets and rocked vehicles attempting to pass through them."
In other words, stay on your toes, or you could get rocked.
Danger, danger everywhere
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: "Beer: the cause of and the solution to all of life's problems" -- H. Simpson
The embassy's statement makes downtown Berlin sound a bit like Falluja or the Gaza Strip, but DW-WORLD has learned the potential threats run far deeper.
Many of the viewers at the so-called fan miles, it turns out, are hopped up on a liquid intoxicant known as "beer."
This substance has been known to lead to outbreaks of mirth, loss of equilibrium and unintended and later regretted coupling among users.
In addition, soccer fiends have been reported to consume things called "bratwurst," which, depending on quality, can emit streams of hot fluid, known in street lingo as "grease," when improperly chomped upon.
In the face of such manifold soccer perils, all American tourists can do is follow their embassy's advice and "exercise caution…and be aware of their surroundings at all times."
And those planning vacations for the future might well consider staying home.
After all, there's nothing like the absolute safety of places like Detroit, South Central L.A. or the Nevada Nuclear Test Site -- where any unruly European sports fans can be dealt with quickly, before they threaten American lives.
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