I WAS BLOCKED...
...
BUT NOW I'M BACK!!
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Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press
A man who was in the country illegally was arrested Saturday at the Wakefern warehouse on Tower Road after it was discovered he was using his cell phone to take pictures inside the women's bathroom at the facility. -- Juan C. Torres was arrested when Patrolman Michael Hallman inspected his cell phone...
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Published Wednesday, June 04, 2008
A drug bust earlier this year in which Fargo police seized 600 pounds of khat destined for Minneapolis is believed to be the largest seizure of the cocaine-like narcotic in Cass County, Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.
“This is huge,” he said.
The Jan. 31 bust wasn’t announced until Wednesday because the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office was still investigating the case, Skuza said.
Acting on a tip, Fargo police seized the drug shipment at Hector International Airport and detained one suspect, who was turned over to Hennepin County authorities, he said.
The suspect, Jeffrey Lewis Lerner, 61, of Minnetonka, Minn., and another suspect, Ricky Lee Bartel, 53, of Brooklyn Center, Minn., were arrested by Hennepin County authorities on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute.
A drug bust earlier this year in which Fargo police seized 600 pounds of khat destined for Minneapolis is believed to be the largest seizure of the cocaine-like narcotic in Cass County, Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.
“This is huge,” he said.
The Jan. 31 bust wasn’t announced until Wednesday because the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office was still investigating the case, Skuza said.
Acting on a tip, Fargo police seized the drug shipment at Hector International Airport and detained one suspect, who was turned over to Hennepin County authorities, he said.
The suspect, Jeffrey Lewis Lerner, 61, of Minnetonka, Minn., and another suspect, Ricky Lee Bartel, 53, of Brooklyn Center, Minn., were arrested by Hennepin County authorities on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute.
The seized drugs had an estimated street value of $112,000, Skuza said.
Khat is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
In the United States, khat use is most prevalent among immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen.
Chewing fresh khat leaves produces a stimulant effect similar to but less intense than those caused by cocaine or methamphetamine.
The active ingredient in fresh khat leaves is cathinone, a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.
The chemical composition of khat leaves typically breaks down about 48 hours after harvest, at which point the leaves contain a milder chemical, cathine, which is still illegal under federal law.
The short breakdown period is why the plant is often shipped to the United States in large amounts on overnight flights, Skuza said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
Khat is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
In the United States, khat use is most prevalent among immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen.
Chewing fresh khat leaves produces a stimulant effect similar to but less intense than those caused by cocaine or methamphetamine.
The active ingredient in fresh khat leaves is cathinone, a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.
The chemical composition of khat leaves typically breaks down about 48 hours after harvest, at which point the leaves contain a milder chemical, cathine, which is still illegal under federal law.
The short breakdown period is why the plant is often shipped to the United States in large amounts on overnight flights, Skuza said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
**
Ark. colleges question illegal immigrant aid
Associated Press - May 29, 2008 3:14 PM ET
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants has sparked criticism and interest from Arkansas college administrators.
E-mails obtained by The Associated Press show Arkansas State University President Leslie Wyatt warned the state that schools allowing illegal immigrants in with reduced tuition would have higher enrollment numbers. State funding is distributed to colleges based on enrollment numbers.
Wyatt later described the practice to the AP as "hanging somebody's laundry around the necks of the guys who tried to do it right."
Under direction from Governor Beebe's office, Jim Purcell of the state Department of Higher Education warned schools last week that if they offered in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, they would have to do the same with out-of-state students. Otherwise, Purcell says they'd violate federal law.
Purcell says a check of a statewide database of student information found that about 2,000 people enrolled at Arkansas colleges and universities attend classes under dummy Social Security numbers. He says some of those students could be illegal immigrants.
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants has sparked criticism and interest from Arkansas college administrators.
E-mails obtained by The Associated Press show Arkansas State University President Leslie Wyatt warned the state that schools allowing illegal immigrants in with reduced tuition would have higher enrollment numbers. State funding is distributed to colleges based on enrollment numbers.
Wyatt later described the practice to the AP as "hanging somebody's laundry around the necks of the guys who tried to do it right."
Under direction from Governor Beebe's office, Jim Purcell of the state Department of Higher Education warned schools last week that if they offered in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, they would have to do the same with out-of-state students. Otherwise, Purcell says they'd violate federal law.
Purcell says a check of a statewide database of student information found that about 2,000 people enrolled at Arkansas colleges and universities attend classes under dummy Social Security numbers. He says some of those students could be illegal immigrants.
**
Tainted cheese fuels TB rise in California
Unpasteurized dairy products linked to reemergence of ancient disease
June. 4, 2008
Unpasteurized dairy products linked to reemergence of ancient disease
June. 4, 2008
JoNel Aleccia, MSNBC Health writer
A rare form of tuberculosis caused by illegal, unpasteurized dairy products, including the popular queso fresco cheese, is rising among Hispanic immigrants in Southern California and raising fears about a resurgence of a strain all but eradicated in the U.S.
Cases of the Mycobacterium bovis strain of TB have increased in San Diego county, particularly among children who drink or eat dairy foods made from the milk of infected cattle, a study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases shows.
But the germ can infect anyone who eats contaminated fresh cheeses sold by street vendors, smuggled across the Mexican border or produced by families who try to make a living selling so-called “bathtub cheese” made in home tubs and backyard troughs.
A rare form of tuberculosis caused by illegal, unpasteurized dairy products, including the popular queso fresco cheese, is rising among Hispanic immigrants in Southern California and raising fears about a resurgence of a strain all but eradicated in the U.S.
Cases of the Mycobacterium bovis strain of TB have increased in San Diego county, particularly among children who drink or eat dairy foods made from the milk of infected cattle, a study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases shows.
But the germ can infect anyone who eats contaminated fresh cheeses sold by street vendors, smuggled across the Mexican border or produced by families who try to make a living selling so-called “bathtub cheese” made in home tubs and backyard troughs.
READ IT ALL:
**
Dutch Cabinet: Ethnic Violence Most Real Threat
THE HAGUE
Dutch Cabinet: Ethnic Violence Most Real Threat
THE HAGUE
03/06/08
The chances of large-scale ethnic violence breaking out in the Netherlands are greater than those of a big flu epidemic. But the government nonetheless sees such a flu pandemic as a much greater risk for Dutch society.
"The outbreak of a flu pandemic forms one of the greatest risks for Dutch society. A pandemic outbreak is 'likely' and the consequences will be enormous. An oil crisis is also a great risk to national security," according to a cabinet statement.
Thirdly, the cabinet warns of great flooding from the sea. This is "very unlikely" due to the protection via dunes, dikes and other water damming. But if such a really huge flooding should occur, the consequences are rated in the 'catastrophic' category.
In these three scenarios, Dutch society would be seriously disrupted. "Thus, there could be (many) fatalities, great economic damage, serious disruption of daily living and fear or anger among the population."
The chances of "other threats to national security are slightly or much greater" than the chances of a flu pandemic, oil crisis or big flooding. But "the consequences are smaller" and therefore the cabinet did not wish to emphasise them. As examples here, the cabinet did name "a fierce heat wave with extreme drought, national stoppages of electricity supplies or riots by left or right-wing extremists."
Such ethnic riots are 'likely,' but "depending on the circumstances, the consequences are limited to serious." Society would not be seriously disrupted, the government predicts.
The cabinet has sent the National Risk Assessment, as it is known, to the Lower House. Various ministries drew up the list in collaboration with a number of independent institutes and scientists. The business world and other government authorities also collaborated on it.
"The outbreak of a flu pandemic forms one of the greatest risks for Dutch society. A pandemic outbreak is 'likely' and the consequences will be enormous. An oil crisis is also a great risk to national security," according to a cabinet statement.
Thirdly, the cabinet warns of great flooding from the sea. This is "very unlikely" due to the protection via dunes, dikes and other water damming. But if such a really huge flooding should occur, the consequences are rated in the 'catastrophic' category.
In these three scenarios, Dutch society would be seriously disrupted. "Thus, there could be (many) fatalities, great economic damage, serious disruption of daily living and fear or anger among the population."
The chances of "other threats to national security are slightly or much greater" than the chances of a flu pandemic, oil crisis or big flooding. But "the consequences are smaller" and therefore the cabinet did not wish to emphasise them. As examples here, the cabinet did name "a fierce heat wave with extreme drought, national stoppages of electricity supplies or riots by left or right-wing extremists."
Such ethnic riots are 'likely,' but "depending on the circumstances, the consequences are limited to serious." Society would not be seriously disrupted, the government predicts.
The cabinet has sent the National Risk Assessment, as it is known, to the Lower House. Various ministries drew up the list in collaboration with a number of independent institutes and scientists. The business world and other government authorities also collaborated on it.
**
Seattle Jihadi Murderer Gets Mistrial
Wed, Jun 4, 2008
Wed, Jun 4, 2008
Enraged by the Lebanon War in 2006, Naveed Haq burst into a Jewish center and started shooting people while screaming “Death to the Jews!”
But that wasn’t enough to satisfy a Seattle jury that he was guilty.
But that wasn’t enough to satisfy a Seattle jury that he was guilty.
**
SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a man who stormed into a Jewish center two years ago and shot six women, killing one, as he ranted against Israel and the Iraq war.
Naveed Haq stormed into a Jewish center two years ago and shot six women, killing one.
Jurors had indicated in questions posed to the judge that they were hopelessly deadlocked and struggling to determine whether Naveed Haq, 32, was not guilty by reason of insanity, as he claimed.
King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas ended the jury's deliberations in their eighth day.
The jurors reached a partial verdict on only one of the 15 counts against Haq, finding him not guilty of attempted first-degree murder of one of the women. But they couldn't agree on the lesser charge of attempted second-degree murder or any of the other 14 charges, which included murder. Watch a report on the mistrial »
Haq held a teenage girl at gunpoint to force his way into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on July 28, 2006. Once in the second-floor office, he began railing against U.S. policies and opened fire when someone tried to call 911. He shot some people in their cubicles, some in the hall and one, Pamela Waechter, fatally as she fled down a stairwell.
An emergency operator eventually persuaded him to surrender.
Prosecutors quickly announced that they hope to retry Haq this year, and representatives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle expressed their disappointment at the mistrial.
"There is no argument Haq killed Pam. There is no argument he viciously shot five others. There is no argument that he made anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements. Somehow, all this was not enough," Jewish Federation President Richard Fruchter said.
During the six-week trial, prosecutors did not dispute that Haq had mental problems and had struggled to make friends and hold down jobs. But he knew right from wrong, could tell what he was doing and wanted to get his message out, they said.
They noted that Haq planned the shooting for days, drove from his eastern Washington home to Seattle the morning of the shooting and hid in the building's foyer to avoid detection.
Haq's lawyers, however, argued that he had a long history of mental illness that had been worsened by a change in his medication. A defense expert diagnosed bipolar disorder with psychotic tendencies.
In written questions to the judge, the jurors asked for further clarification of the legal definition of insanity. Kallas declined to help them, saying she could not answer beyond what was provided in their instructions.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said none of the survivors of the shooting was looking forward to testifying again but would if necessary.
"They have to think about their wounds, their physical and emotional wounds, every day," he said. "The experience of testifying made this a real emotional roller coaster for them."
Waechter, 58, was the director of the Jewish charity's annual fundraising campaign. One of the survivors, a pregnant Dayna Klein, took a bullet in her arm as she protected her fetus.
If found guilty, Haq would have been sent to prison for life without the possibility of release. While presenting his insanity defense, Haq's attorneys said he posed a risk to society and should instead be locked in a state mental hospital for the rest of his life.
Naveed Haq stormed into a Jewish center two years ago and shot six women, killing one.
Jurors had indicated in questions posed to the judge that they were hopelessly deadlocked and struggling to determine whether Naveed Haq, 32, was not guilty by reason of insanity, as he claimed.
King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas ended the jury's deliberations in their eighth day.
The jurors reached a partial verdict on only one of the 15 counts against Haq, finding him not guilty of attempted first-degree murder of one of the women. But they couldn't agree on the lesser charge of attempted second-degree murder or any of the other 14 charges, which included murder. Watch a report on the mistrial »
Haq held a teenage girl at gunpoint to force his way into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on July 28, 2006. Once in the second-floor office, he began railing against U.S. policies and opened fire when someone tried to call 911. He shot some people in their cubicles, some in the hall and one, Pamela Waechter, fatally as she fled down a stairwell.
An emergency operator eventually persuaded him to surrender.
Prosecutors quickly announced that they hope to retry Haq this year, and representatives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle expressed their disappointment at the mistrial.
"There is no argument Haq killed Pam. There is no argument he viciously shot five others. There is no argument that he made anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements. Somehow, all this was not enough," Jewish Federation President Richard Fruchter said.
During the six-week trial, prosecutors did not dispute that Haq had mental problems and had struggled to make friends and hold down jobs. But he knew right from wrong, could tell what he was doing and wanted to get his message out, they said.
They noted that Haq planned the shooting for days, drove from his eastern Washington home to Seattle the morning of the shooting and hid in the building's foyer to avoid detection.
Haq's lawyers, however, argued that he had a long history of mental illness that had been worsened by a change in his medication. A defense expert diagnosed bipolar disorder with psychotic tendencies.
In written questions to the judge, the jurors asked for further clarification of the legal definition of insanity. Kallas declined to help them, saying she could not answer beyond what was provided in their instructions.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said none of the survivors of the shooting was looking forward to testifying again but would if necessary.
"They have to think about their wounds, their physical and emotional wounds, every day," he said. "The experience of testifying made this a real emotional roller coaster for them."
Waechter, 58, was the director of the Jewish charity's annual fundraising campaign. One of the survivors, a pregnant Dayna Klein, took a bullet in her arm as she protected her fetus.
If found guilty, Haq would have been sent to prison for life without the possibility of release. While presenting his insanity defense, Haq's attorneys said he posed a risk to society and should instead be locked in a state mental hospital for the rest of his life.
**
Indonesia arrests 59 jihadists for attack on rally for religious tolerance
Extremists arrested for rally attack
June 5, 2008
JAKARTA: Indonesian police raided the headquarters of a radical Islamist group, detaining 59 alleged extremists over a violent attack on a peaceful rally for religious tolerance.
Police said the pre-dawn operation involving more than 1000 officers yesterday was in response to Sunday's attack at the Monas national monument in Jakarta by stick-wielding fanatics from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
"Fifty nine people, including the head of FPI, Rizieq Shihab, were taken to Jakarta police headquarters for questioning in relation to the incident," Jakarta's police chief said.
The Indonesian Government came under strong pressure to act against the radicals after police failed to stop them beating scores of people with bamboo sticks at the rally.
Hundreds of radicals took part in the unprovoked attack. But with outrage growing among moderate Indonesians, the police issued an ultimatum to the radicals on Monday to hand over 10 suspects by midnight or face action.
Scores of officers sealed off streets around the movement's headquarters but encountered little resistance and TV stations showed images of detainees being calmly led to police trucks.
A day after the attack, Shihab said his supporters were preparing for war against the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect, which Indonesia is considering banning for its "deviant" beliefs.
Agence France-Presse
June 5, 2008
JAKARTA: Indonesian police raided the headquarters of a radical Islamist group, detaining 59 alleged extremists over a violent attack on a peaceful rally for religious tolerance.
Police said the pre-dawn operation involving more than 1000 officers yesterday was in response to Sunday's attack at the Monas national monument in Jakarta by stick-wielding fanatics from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
"Fifty nine people, including the head of FPI, Rizieq Shihab, were taken to Jakarta police headquarters for questioning in relation to the incident," Jakarta's police chief said.
The Indonesian Government came under strong pressure to act against the radicals after police failed to stop them beating scores of people with bamboo sticks at the rally.
Hundreds of radicals took part in the unprovoked attack. But with outrage growing among moderate Indonesians, the police issued an ultimatum to the radicals on Monday to hand over 10 suspects by midnight or face action.
Scores of officers sealed off streets around the movement's headquarters but encountered little resistance and TV stations showed images of detainees being calmly led to police trucks.
A day after the attack, Shihab said his supporters were preparing for war against the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect, which Indonesia is considering banning for its "deviant" beliefs.
Agence France-Presse
**
Iran Expects 'Different Approach' from Next US Leader: Ahmadenijad
04/06/2008
ROME (AFP) - Iran expects a "different approach" from the next US president, whoever wins the November elections, President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad said in an interview published in Italy Wednesday.
"Whoever wins the elections, I'm sure that the United States will change, it will have a different approach," the Iranian leader told the Italian daily La Repubblica.
"The United States will have a reduced sphere of influence in the world," he predicted, adding: "The new president will have to respond to the real demands of the American people: 40 million American citizens do not have health insurance, the victims of the New Orleans hurricane still have no homes."
In addition, the United States "will have to withdraw the soldiers from Iraq (since) the American people will not tolerate continued spending of billions of dollars on weapons," said Ahmadenijad, in Rome to attend the UN food agency's summit on food security.
Asked whether he would negotiate with the new US leadership come January 2009, Ahmadenijad said: "It is they who cut off the links with us, hoping to suffocate us. Today Iran is an advanced country. We are ready for dialogue with anyone, except with the Zionist regime, in relations based on mutual respect and fairness."
ROME (AFP) - Iran expects a "different approach" from the next US president, whoever wins the November elections, President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad said in an interview published in Italy Wednesday.
"Whoever wins the elections, I'm sure that the United States will change, it will have a different approach," the Iranian leader told the Italian daily La Repubblica.
"The United States will have a reduced sphere of influence in the world," he predicted, adding: "The new president will have to respond to the real demands of the American people: 40 million American citizens do not have health insurance, the victims of the New Orleans hurricane still have no homes."
In addition, the United States "will have to withdraw the soldiers from Iraq (since) the American people will not tolerate continued spending of billions of dollars on weapons," said Ahmadenijad, in Rome to attend the UN food agency's summit on food security.
Asked whether he would negotiate with the new US leadership come January 2009, Ahmadenijad said: "It is they who cut off the links with us, hoping to suffocate us. Today Iran is an advanced country. We are ready for dialogue with anyone, except with the Zionist regime, in relations based on mutual respect and fairness."
posted by jillosophy at 6/05/2008 11:45:00 AM
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