Forum: News & Topical Issues
Toni Duckworth said her house was first broken into on March 3. When she came home that day, she found her back door kicked in, and her television and her dog gone. Harley, the 3-year-old Maltese, was found in a neighborhood nearby.
Duckworth filed a police report.
On April 25, Duckworth's home was invaded again.
She began to think the robbers weren't looking for quick cash -- this was personal.
Again, the back door was forced open. Only Harley was gone. Nothing was stolen.
The dog was found in the middle of the road at West 43rd Street and Southwest Trafficway, as if he had been hit by a car.
A passer-by picked him up and took him to the Mission MedVet, where the veterinarian told Duckworth the dog had been strangled and kicked to death.
When police investigated the break-in, officers said it appeared that the home invader killed the little
ound dog upstairs at Duckworth's house. A witness told police he saw a man loading the television into a red van in the first break-in.
Nevada governor wants his mansion back and his wife out
CARSON CITY, Nev. - The state that pioneered the quickie divorce is witnessing a potentially ugly breakup that has the governor of Nevada fighting to get back into his own mansion.
Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons filed for divorce last week after moving out of the 23-room official residence. With his wife, Dawn, now ensconced in the Governor's Mansion, he has gone to court to have her evicted so that he can move back.
Entire sitcoms have been built on less. And many Nevadans are fascinated by the whole spectacle.
"This isn't a tourist attraction, but it's certainly an attraction," said Michael Green, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada.
A popular liberal blogger, Hugh Jackson of lasvegasgleaner.com, has gleefully declared, "Gibbons vs. Gibbons: Let's get ready to rumble!" and has taken the opportunity to re-post photos of Gibbons partying on a cruise with a crowd of women.
With a judge sealing most of the records Monday at the governor's request, the blogosphere is full of rumors about why Gibbons, 63, wants a divorce. He is not talking publicly, and his 54-year-old wife has said she has no idea why he wants to end their marriage of nearly 22 years.
The divorce case and the potential political fallout are the latest in a series of difficulties for the first-term governor, including a corruption investigation by the FBI, still under way, and claims by a Las Vegas cocktail waitress that he assaulted her in a parking garage after she rebuffed his advances just before his 2006 election.
Police last year said they found insufficient evidence to support the waitress' claim. But during the furor, Dawn Gibbons literally stood by her husband and resolutely defended him, lending critical support at a supremely perilous moment in his career.
Gibbons moved out of the mansion a 1908 structure with fluted white Ionic columns, wraparound verandas and a grand, Greek Revival-style portico sometime earlier this year and returned to the couple's modest, four-bedroom house about 25 miles away in Reno, which is appropriate, given the way Nevada turned the phrase "I'm going to Reno!" into a 1940s euphemism for divorce. He continues to conduct some official business at the mansion before driving back to Reno at night.
The move has raised questions about the governor's compliance with an 1866 state law that says a governor must "keep his office and reside at the seat of government."
The Nevada Appeal in Carson City said in an editorial that the governor should be the one living in the mansion unless "they change its name to the First Lady's Mansion."
"Dawn Gibbons should leave and let the taxpayers' representative do our business in our mansion. If she wants to live there, she should get elected governor or live with the one we've got," Sid Goodman of Las Vegas wrote in a letter to the editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
Gibbons press secretary Ben Kieckhefer has described the move to Reno as a temporary situation and said there is no violation of the law.
Dawn Gibbons told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she didn't ask Gibbons to move out, and that she has been trying to "make sure my marriage works." She also said she wants to continue performing her duties as first lady and needs to be in the mansion because that is her office and where her staff works.
Besides attending ceremonial functions, the first lady has led the state's anti-methamphetamine effort and pushed for programs to help autistic children.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," she told the Las Vegas newspaper. "I don't know why he's divorcing me. All I'm trying to do is keep it together." She also complained: "He won't talk to me. I can't get ahold of him."
It has long been known that Gibbons and his wife have had problems in their marriage, and that has led to some awkward moments.
The governor and the first lady avoided each other at a ball held at the state Republican convention last month, arriving and leaving separately. During a gubernatorial news conference at the mansion in March, Gibbons' wife walked through the room silently, unacknowledged by the governor. Gibbons responded with a denial when a reporter asked if he had a girlfriend.
At the GOP convention, an irate Gibbons told reporters it was "a great disservice to our family" to see accounts of his marital problems in the newspapers. The couple have a college-age son, and the governor also has two grown children from a previous marriage.
Gibbons, a former airline and military c****at pilot, was a state lawmaker and then served five terms in Congress before getting elected governor in 2006. While Gibbons was in Congress, his wife didn't join him in Washington, and continued to live in Reno.
While he was serving with the Nevada Air Guard during the first Gulf War, she filled his Assembly seat. Later, she was elected in her own right and served three terms. Two years ago, she sought the congressional seat her husband was giving up, but lost in the primary.
In Gibbons' divorce complaint, he cited incompatibility as grounds for ending the marriage. The complaint also said "the cause of action for divorce" occurred in Reno, but offered no specifics.
Cal Dunlap, Dawn Gibbons' attorney, said she would prefer that the proceedings be public, but under state law, either party in a divorce can ask for secrecy and a judge is required to grant it.
The divorce "could hurt him if it's messy," said Green, the history professor. "When you pile this on everything else that he's been involved with, you have to question how much political capital he has. Has he become a lame duck or a crippled duck?"
Co-founder of Baskin-Robbins ice cream stores dies at 90
LOS ANGELES - Irvine Robbins, who as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins brought Rocky Road, Pralines 'n Cream and other exotic ice cream concoctions to every corner of America, has died at age 90. Robbins had been ill for some time and died Monday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., said his daughter Marsha Veit.
While the company advertised that it offered 31 flavors, in fact it has created more than 1,000 flavors, according to its Web site.
Generations of kids trooped to Baskin-Robbins stores to buy ice cream flavors like Jamoca, Daiquiri Ice, Pink Bubblegum, Nuts to You and Here Comes the Fudge.
"Frankly, I never met a flavor I didn't like," Robbins told The New York Times in 1973.
Some were short-lived and created to mark specific events, such as Lunar Cheesecake for the moon landings and Valley Forge Fudge for the 1976 bicentennial.
When the Beatles were to arrive in the United States in 1964, a reporter called to ask whether Baskin-Robbins was going to commemorate the event with a new flavor.
Robbins didn't have a flavor planned but quickly replied, "Uh, Beatle Nut, of course."
The flavor was created, manufactured and delivered in just five days, according to the Web site.
Robbins opened his first ice cream store in Glendale, Calif., in December 1945, following his discharge from the Army. He used $6,000 from a cashed-in insurance policy his father had given him for his bar mitzvah.
Robbins offered 21 flavors at the store.
"In light of what Baskin-Robbins was to become, that first store was incredibly amateurish," according to a biography by his daughter Veit. "It was called 'Snowbird' because Robbins couldn't think of anything else. The opening was delayed for a day because the paint on the floor hadn't dried."
His cousin Sybil Hartfield bought $39 of the first day's sales of $53, according to the biography.
His brother-in-law, the late Burton Baskin, opened his own ice cream store in neighboring Pasadena a year later. By the end of the 1940s, they had joined forces to create Baskin-Robbins. Robbins recalled they used a flip of the coin to decide which name came first.
They also decided to sell their stores to managers, pioneering the franchise concept for ice cream stores.
As corporate policy, employees were allowed to eat all the ice cream they wanted, because, Robbins said, "I don't want my employees stealing."
Robbins was dedicated to upholding the quality of his ice cream regardless of the cost, his daughter said.
"Everybody has a proprietary interest in ice cream," Robbins told the Times for the 1973 story. "All you have to do is mention ice cream and everybody has a flavor."
Baskin-Robbins was sold to United Fruit Co. in 1967, but Robbins continued to work for the company until retiring in the 1970s.
Today, Baskin-Robbins is part of Dunkin' Brands Inc. and has more than 5,800 franchises worldwide.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife, Irma; another daughter, Erin Robbins; a son, John Robbins; and sisters Shirley Familian and Elka Weiner. His son is a noted author ("Diet for a New America") and advocate of vegetarianism and natural foods.
The prosecution in the case against Eldon Calvert, the 25-year-old listed among the country's 10 most wanted men and an alleged key player in the notorious Stone Crusher Gang, was given until June 3 to complete the case file.
When the matter was mentioned in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, the court was informed that a forensic report, a post-mortem report and two police statements were outstanding.
Calvert, who hails from Meggie Top in Salt Spring, St James, is facing four counts of murder, including a triple murder in which he is charged jointly with Jamar Grant. Both Grant and Calvert were remanded.
Attorney-at-law Roy Fairclough, who appears along with Trevor Ho-Lyn on behalf of Calvert, expressed dissatisfaction at the fact that the incidences against his client took place in 2006, and yet the prosecution is still awaiting documents.
Calvert, who is linked to a series of offences ranging from murder, shooting with intent, illegal possession of a firearm and robbery, was apprehended in January at Wood Grove district near Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny.
He is also before the St James Circuit Court in a matter for which he is charged along with his brother, Gleason and a third accused, Michael Herron.
Calvert has also been fingered in several multiple murders including those of five persons, one of whom was beheaded in Flower Hill, St James in 2006.
Several residents of Solitaire Road in Seivwright Gardens, St Andrew, are now homeless after they were reportedly chased from their homes by gunmen on Friday night.
The approximately 26 residents, including young children and the elderly, have sought refuge in other sections of the community.
They told THE STAR that they were approached by persons and told to vacate their homes by 9 p.m. last Friday or be killed. "Mi deh inna mi house and a man come up to mi and seh 'hey gal come ya'. I did not move and him repeat seh mi mus come ova weh him deh, then mi get up and him seh drop the Bible and read this," one resident said.
The 'this' she referred to, was a note which she said read, 'Unoo better leave by later. Notice - Leave or Die'. She said she immediately took the note from the man and showed it to the other residents. Without delaying, she said, she and the other residents grabbed what they could and fled their homes.
Since then some of the residents have been 'kotching' with people in the areas they have run to, while some have found 'alternative' accommodations.
no war
The residents say they do not want any war, they just want to go back for their belongings because they were not able to move with anything. "All a wi furniture, wi clothes and everything lef ova deh, yuh see a one suit a clothes mi have. Mi cyaa badda, mi waan somewhere fi live. Mi jus waan move out," one said.
They say they have reported the matter to the Hunts Bay police but have not been given any assistance. However, crime chief at Hunts Bay, Deputy Superintendent Michael Phipps, told THE STAR that he was not aware of residents being ordered to move from their homes nor of any such reports to the police.
When the STAR team visited Solitaire Road, the area looked very deserted. The houses where the 'dislocated' residents lived were shut tight and efforts to speak with people proved futile.
The 'dislocated' residents, most of whom are relatives, theorised that they were chased from their homes as a result of the killing of a man to whom they are related. The man, Donovan Bailey, 34 , from Solitaire Road, was killed by gunmen on Chisholm Avenue, St Andrew, last week Wednesday. Some of the residents believe he was not liked by men from the Solitaire Road area, so when he was killed they used the opportunity to chase his relatives from that section of the community.
McLEAN, Va. - Washington-area sniper John Allen Muhammad is asking prosecutors in a letter to help him end legal appeals of his conviction and death sentence "so that you can murder this innocent black man."
In a two-page letter obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Muhammad said he has tried without success to stop his defense attorneys from pursuing the appeals, and that he was counting on the state attorney general to assist him.
Muhammad told the prosecutors' office that he is waiving all rights to appeal his 2003 conviction and death sentence for the sniper killings in 2002 that terrorized the Washington, D.C., region.
"I've written to you all because I know you will make sure this letter will get to the right people so that you can murder this innocent black man," Muhammad wrote in the letter, dated April 23.
In the letter, Muhammad writes in the margin, "Muhammad innocent and on death row."
He does not state why he wants to end the appeal but writes that he has informed his appeals lawyers of his desires, and that any appeals they have filed "have been done against mine will."
Last month, Muhammad's appellate lawyers did indeed file a petition asking a federal judge to overturn Muhammad's conviction and death sentence in a Virginia court.
Muhammad and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, were convicted in 2003 of a random killing spree that left 10 people dead in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia over a three-week span in October 2002.
Muhammad was sentenced to death, and Malvo was sentenced to life in prison.
Muhammad's lawyer, Jonathan Sheldon, declined to comment Tuesday.
The recent appeal filed by the lawyers cited evidence of brain damage that may render Muhammad incompetent to make legal decisions. Therefore, they argue, he should never have been allowed to represent himself, as he did for a disastrous two-day stretch at his Virginia trial.
Muhammad also represented himself in a subsequent trial in Maryland, in which he was also convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Katherine Baldwin, a lawyer in the attorney general's office who is representing Virginia in the case, wrote a letter Tuesday saying she had received Muhammad's letter and was forwarding it to the defense lawyers and the judge "for whatever action you deem appropriate."
Tucker Martin, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, did not immediately return calls seeking comment Tuesday.
Marissa Amora was admitted to Miami Children's Hospital in 2000 and workers reported concerns about her injuries to Department of Children & Families.
But the department failed to complete its investigation and a few weeks later Marissa was beaten into a coma by her biological mother's boyfriend.
Marissa is permanently disabled and now lives in the Panhandle with her adoptive parents.
She could receive more than $18 million as part of the state's settlement, but the additional money would have to be provided by the Legislature in the future.
Once the flames were out, St. Johns County firefighters searched the remains of the home on Quail Drive, just off Lewis Speedway, but found no one inside.
They later learned the homeowner was out with her daughter when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but it rapidly grew into a major blaze when one or more oxygen tanks inside exploded.
Firefighters said the mobile home was a total loss.
LADY'S ISLAND -- Rising copper prices seem to be fueling more metal thefts.
Over the weekend, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office responded to four reports of copper being stolen from air-conditioning units at businesses and homes on Lady's Island.
The damage was estimated at $1,500 per unit; the value of the components stolen from all the units was only $160, according to a Sheriff's Office report.
Countywide, copper theft has been on the rise.
Deputies responded to 28 incidents involving copper theft in 2007 -- a more than 100 percent increase from the year before.
Residences, businesses and utility companies have all been the target of copper thieves in the past year. In December, thieves stole $24,000 worth of copper wire from a phone company.
In southern Beaufort County, most of the thefts occur at construction sites.
The crimes appear to be exacerbated by hikes in copper prices. Copper closed
Tuesday at $4 a pound. Five years ago, it traded at 75 cents a pound.
Grand Theft Auto 4 Enlists Hip-Hop Heavyweights For Soundtrack
Philly officers taken off street after videotaped beating
PHILADELPHIA - More than a dozen police officers will be taken off the street as authorities investigate a video showing three suspects being kicked, punched and beaten after they were pulled out of a car during a traffic stop, the mayor's office said.
The police department believes about 15 officers were involved in Monday night's arrests in the city's Hunting Park section, where police had been investigating a triple shooting, Oliver said. Some have already been taken off the street, while others still need to be identified, he said.
The three suspects were charged with criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, according to court officials.
The video, shot by a WTXF-TV helicopter, shows three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road. About a dozen officers gather around the vehicle and pull three men out. About a half-dozen officers hold two of the men on the ground on the driver's side. Both are kicked repeatedly, while one is seen being punched; one also appears to be struck with a baton.
On the other side of the car, another group of officers can be seen kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.
Oliver said that, while the use of force appeared excessive, the public should withhold judgment until all the facts are known.
"We are not going to prejudge the situation based on the video," he said. "We all saw the video, but none of us was there."
Oliver initially said 15 officers had been taken off the street Wednesday. He later said about 15 officers were at the scene, but that the exact number identified and already off the street was unclear.
"One way or the other, everyone associated with this will be taken off the street," Oliver said. "The officers involved in this incident will be reassigned."
A message left with Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, was not immediately returned Wednesday morning.
The beating happened two days after the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia policeman, the third city officer slain on duty in two years.
Officer Stephen Liczbinski was shot with an assault rifle after a robbery in the city's Port Richmond section on Saturday. One man was fatally shot by police after the shooting, another was arrested Sunday and a third remains on the lam.
Ward 21 Different Sound, Different Beat, Strictly Dancehall...BADANG!!!
A fun-to-read guide that shows would-be disc jockeys how to mix and scratch their way to nightclub fame
From hip-hop and house music to trance and techno, DJs are stars-the people who match beats, create sonic textures and effects, and keep the crowds dancing. This fun and easy guide gives novice DJs the know-how they need to start mixing, create a personal style, put together mix tapes, and land gigs at parties and clubs. It covers basic and better-than-basic equipment (from turntables and headphones to amplifiers and mixers), mixing techniques for vinyl and CDs, the art of matching musical keys and tempos, and special effects like scratching.
John Steventon (London, UK) is a semi-professional DJ who runs the DJing Web site Recess.co.uk, one of the leading online resources for learning how to DJ.
http://anonym.to/?http://bravoshare.com/download.php?sid=794&name=0470032758.zip
-- Edited by STAINLESS at 06:40, 2008-03-13
Voters Outraged After Gov't. Employee Found Surfing Porn On The Job For Eight Months
This is the kind of nightmare that all taxpayers have about their governments and it's come true for voters in Japan. A bureaucrat who works in the construction division of a place called Kinokawa City in the western part of the country has been suspended from his job after authorities discovered what he did all day - stared at porn websites when he should have been working.
Officials finally caught up to the unnamed 57-year-old employee, who his bosses say would expend more energy on his porn interests than his business ones. City spokesperson Kazuhiko Ueyama insists the employee gazed at the illicit images on his office computer for at least three hours a day every day for eight months, beginning in June 2007
What finally tipped them off? When IT experts began having to repeatedly remove the same virus from the worker's PC beginning last February, they became suspicious. So they began monitoring the source of the infection and discovered it came from the porn sites he was visiting.
"These were foreign 'adult sites' and they got through the security net," Ueyama explains of the barrier the government had set up to prevent such goings on. "The man apologized each time we spoke to him, but we couldn't quite get him to explain to us why he did this."
He's since been suspended and demoted but now that the story is public, that may not be enough. Angry taxpayers have been besieging the local government with phone calls for the employee's head. They want him fired and feel that in this case, the punishment definitely doesn't fit the crime.
So far, there's no indication that pressure from the public will work, apparently proving that old adage about how hard it is for a bureaucrat to actually lose his job. Especially if he's doing the city's 'dirty' work.XA = X Amount
AO = Alms Ouse
BC = *lo** Claat
BPT = Back Pon Top
BOAL = Buss Out A Laff
BOABDL = Buss Out A Big Dutty Laff
CAS = Crack A Smile
DWL = Dead Wid Laff
DWLAPUMS = Dead Wid Laff And Peepee Up Mi Self
FR = Fi Real
KMN = Kiss Mi Neckback
KYAWO = Kut Yeye And Wheel Out
LIH = Lick Innu Head
LM = Likkle More
MPD = Mad People Dem
MYODB = Mine Yuh Own Dyamn Biznezz
NR = Nuff Respect
I read this and I BOABDL
Dear bella_ MY NEW MAN IS DATING MY GIRLFRIEND
Where to start? Lets see. Im 20 years, making 21 in a couple of months; for me Im a loving guy but Im kinda stress out because of a number of things but mostly my love life. Check?
I been seeing this girl for about two and half years and she had my daughter but the thing is with that my family dont know that I have a child but somehow people on Tortola knows. But heres the twist. I love her very much. I would die without her. She is the piece that completes me, but theres this other person thats been my best friend from since I was 13. Since the age of 17 I have been having feelings towards my best friend.
After I found out that I start having feelings towards him I started to suppress it because my best friend is a dude and I dont do them kind of things. I know how Tortola is so I do try not to think about it that much, but the more I try not to, the more I start becoming attracted to him.
I then started to avoid him and cut he off completely from my life; so it has been a year since I saw him, and last week when I saw him for the first time in a year he looks way better than the last time I saw him. I tried to avoid him by getting into one of my partners jeep which I had borrowed when they went off island for the weekend, but he still managed to see me and call me. So since he saw I cant just get in and drive away so I hail back and he came over to me. We were there for a few minutes chatting and for that whole time I been thinking oh man, why me lord, why me. He is so darn fine, so after we were chatting he asked me where I was going.
I told him I was going home to change to go college, so he asked if I could drop he Cane Garden Bay on my way home. I told him sure why not? Truly, I didnt want to because I wasnt able to drive that long distance with he because I would have exploded and said something to him that I thought would make him mad.
On the journey to Cane Garden Bay he was talking about this girl he was seeing from Rock aka St. Thomas and that he loves her but then he also said that something was holding him back from marrying her, and I was like all this been going on for a year, you got to be kidding me. So he continue saying that from since I stop talk to he, he was asking himself why I did that, if he had said or done something to me. I said no its jus a personal reason why I did that. I told him it was not only him I did that to. But I lied when I told him that because I didnt want him to know the real reason why.
So my girl had call ma phone when I was passing Big Bens, so I pull over and answered it and she ask me what I was doing so I told her I was dropping one of my old friends them home, and she ask who it was. When I told her she paused and said oooooook ahyo be ok and drive safe. I said ok with a look on ma face to mean why she went on so.
I just left it there, right there; so I continue driving, so he asked me a question that sounds odd. He asked if I had missed talking to him. I watch he and said kinda because I miss having a friend to hang out with so yea. And then he said he miss me a lot and thats what holding he back from marrying the girl. I said thats bull and ask he if he was drunk or high. He said no, so when we reach up by him, he told me to come in for we to chat some more, to catch up on the last time we miss. So I went in and to make a long story short we did some sexual actions then later I found out yesterday that the girl he love is the same I love for two years; so Bella what to do?
Stressed and confused
Dear Stressed and Confused:
I don't know where to start with you as yours is a complicated case. You say you love the mother of your child and in your words would 'die without her'. In the same vein this is a child you've hid from your family, denying them and the child the right to know each other. That's immature. THEN, to compound things you're having feelings for your childhood male friend, feelings which led to sexual acts.
I won't seek to condemn you - I leave that up to you and whatever god you believe in. What I will say is that you must be careful and that you need to think about who you want to be and go along with that lifestyle. You cannot be in love with two people at the same time - worse, you cannot be in different spectrums of sexuality - you need to choose one.
You're young, and young people often feel the need to experiment and probably this is what you're doing. However by age 21 most people already know in what category they fall and this is what's confusing about you. I get the feeling that you allowed teenage infatuation to get in the way of common sense, and that you allowed someone you respected and liked to take advantage of you. While it's OK to experiment sometimes, it's never OK to do so at someone else's expense. Note that you're a father now, and supposedly someone's boyfriend. Your days of p*u**yyfooting around are over.
I would advise you to do some soul searching - fast. Talk to someone please, a preacher as you cannot do this by yourself. It's important that you settle the issues with your sexuality before you end up hurting the people you claim to love.
If at the end of your soul searching you find that you prefer men, then be honest and stick to that. If you want to be with his girl, then you need to be honest with her too. I'm not saying that you should spill the beans to her - because there are some secrets that you should take to your grave - but under no circumstances can you continue playing both ends of the field and playing with two people's emotions any longer.
-- Edited by K_SEXY at 14:21, 2007-04-17
Which REGGAE artist do you think would be still making hits if they had not passed?
Members of the Reggae Family that passed away ...
They have taken the Last Train to Zion...
Which REGGAE artist do you think would be still making hits if they had not passed?
The following artists are no longer with us because their careers were cut short unexpectedly. They are greatly missed, but their music will never leave us.
Bob Marley
Delroy Wilson
Dennis Brown
Garnett Silk
Jacob Miller
Peter Tosh
guys should ladies have tattoos? (if yes where?)
About 6:30 a.m., deputies responded to a 911 call from a home in the 1300 block of Mush Bluff Road -- north of St. Marys city limits along the Crooked River.
Camden County authorities said Tye Watkins told the 911 operator, "I just killed my parents," and he wanted them to know that he would wait for them to arrive.
"He wanted them to know that he would be out on the front porch and would not be armed," Camden Sheriff's Office Lt. William Terrell said.
Authorities said the body of 47-year-old Thomas Watkins was downstairs and that of 44-year-old Cindy Watkins was upstairs. Both were shot multiple times.
The elder Watkins, known as T.J., was a retired Navy chief who was working as a civilian at Kings Bay. Until recently, he was also music director at the Five Point Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach.
Deputies said Tye Watkins' parents had filed a missing persons report hours a few hours before the shootings. Neighbors said the son had been missing for several days.
Deputies said no one else was home at the time of the shootings. The victims' daughter lives across the street.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved in this," Terrell said.
Friends and neighbors shared that sentiment, telling Channel 4's Laura Mazzeo that they could never have imagined seeing crime-scene tape wrapped around what seemed to be such a happy family home.
"This does not happen in this county or in this area," one woman said. "It's going to be a big shock for this community, I'm sure."
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation joined local investigators at the home on Monday to gathering evidence.
Eduardo Velasquez joined the Boca Raton police in February. The 22-year-old was found dead in his apartment Sunday afternoon. Police spokeswoman Officer Sandra Boonenberg says there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Officials say a cause of death had not been determined, and toxicology results are pending.
According to police, Velasquez was off-duty when he broke up a fight between two women in the courtyard of his apartment building early Thursday.
One of the women returned with Velasquez to his apartment. Officials say she later called police to report that Velasquez had raped her.
Velasquez denied the allegation. He was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
YANGON, Myanmar - The cyclone death toll soared above 22,000 on Tuesday and more than 41,000 others were missing as foreign countries mobilized to rush in aid after the country's deadliest storm on record, state radio reported.
Up to 1 million people may be homeless after Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian nation, also known as Burma, early Saturday. Some villages have been almost totally eradicated and vast rice-growing areas are wiped out, the World Food Program said.
Images from state television showed large trees and electricity poles sprawled across roads and roofless houses ringed by large sheets of water in the Irrawaddy River delta region, which is regarded as Myanmar's rice bowl.
"From the reports we are getting, entire villages have been flattened and the final death toll may be huge," Mac Pieczowski, who heads the International Organization for Migration office in Yangon, said in a statement.
President Bush called on Myanmar's military junta to allow the United States to help with disaster assistance, saying the U.S. already has provided some assistance but wants to do more.
"We're prepared to move U.S. Navy assets to help find those who have lost their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the situation. But in order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country," he said.
Bush spoke at a ceremony where he signed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar's military regime has signaled it will welcome aid supplies for victims of a devastating cyclone, the U.N. said Tuesday, clearing the way for a major relief operation from international organizations.
But U.N. workers were still awaiting their visas to enter the country, said Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
"The government has shown a certain openness so far," Byrs said. "We hope that we will get the visas as soon as possible, in the coming hours. I think the authorities have understood the seriousness of the situation and that they will act accordingly."
The appeal for outside assistance was unusual for Myanmar's ruling generals, who have long been suspicious of international organizations and closely controlled their activities. Several agencies, including the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, have limited their presence as a consequence.
Allowing any major influx of foreigners could carry risks for the military, injecting unwanted outside influence and giving the aid givers rather than the junta credit for a recovery.
However, keeping out international aid would focus blame squarely on the military should it fail to restore peoples' livelihoods.
Some aid agencies reported their assessment teams had reached some areas of the largely isolated region but said getting in supplies and large numbers of aid workers would be difficult.
Shari Villarosa, the top American diplomat in Yangon, told NBC's "Today" show that the cyclone had knocked huge trees in the country's largest city.
"And it blew down a significant portion of them, some of these are 6, 8, 10 stories tall huge trees, 6 feet, 5 feet in diameter. So they came down on roofs," she said.
The cyclone came only a week ahead of a key referendum on a constitution that Myanmar's military leaders hoped would go smoothly in its favor, despite opposition from the country's feisty pro-democracy movement. However, the disaster could stir the already tense political situation.
State radio also said that Saturday's vote would be delayed until May 24 in 40 of 45 townships in the Yangon area and seven in the Irrawaddy delta, which took the brunt of the weekend storm. It indicated that the balloting would proceed in other areas as scheduled.
The decision drew swift criticism from dissidents and human rights groups who question the credibility of the vote and urged the junta to focus on disaster victims.
Myanmar's generals have hailed the referendum as an important step forward in their "roadmap to democracy." It offers the first chance for voters to cast ballots since 1990, and the probability is high they will approve the constitution a legal framework the country has lacked for two decades.
But critics, including the United Nations, the United States and human rights groups, question whether it will lead to democracy.
Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. Its government has been widely criticized for suppression of pro-democracy parties such as the one led by Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been under house arrest for almost 12 of the past 18 years.
At least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests in September led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
Washington has long been one of the ruling junta's sharpest critics for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.
-- Edited by dappa75wifie at 10:25, 2008-05-06
-- Edited by dappa75wifie at 10:27, 2008-05-06
"Rumors have been circulating that the 2007 digicel contestant "Kyino Cunningham" is loose with his sexuality in others words, he's batting,cheering and serving refreshments for the other team.Yes there are rumors, the eliminated rising star contestant is GAY.And like many Paris hilton aspirants,there is a video."
Dear Pastor,
My problem is that my dad treats me like a four-year-old child and I'm a 17-year-old young lady. Even though I will be an adult in the next two months, he beats me with baseball bats, electrical wires and irons, even in front of my friends. This makes me feel really inferior. I am a house rat and people always say that I'm under house arrest. These things that I'm going through have a lot to do with me failing my exams. Once he called me dunce in front of my stepmother. My niece looked at me one day and said I'm a big girl and I'm getting beating even for nothing.
When he comes home from work drunk on Fridays, he always embarra**es me in front of his friends and they often laugh at me and call me funny names. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through these wicked things. Ever since my mom died, I just feel that there is no hope for me. She passed on two years ago. He helped to stress her. He caused her to die. He used to beat her and he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He impresses my step-mom, but little does she know. When my relatives in Jamaica send me letters, he hides them. I found them torn in pieces. Sometimes I feel like running away and even committing suicide, but I don't want to do anything stupid.
Please, pray for me, pastor.
R.M., Ottawa, Canada
Dear R.M.,
I am going to suggest to you that it is time for you to report your father to the authorities in Canada. The next time your father beats you or attempts to do so, call the police on him. He is an abusive and out-of-order man and he needs to be dealt with under the law.
If indeed he used to beat your mother, she allowed him to get away with his actions, but it is time for his habit of beating women to stop. Even his present girlfriend is going to get her share of the beating if he is not reported to the police.
Take heart. One of these days you will leave his house. It is just a matter of time and time goes by quickly.
Pastor
John Hood sits in a corner of the bar listening to melancholic oldies. He's tired and sleepy, but he's not ready to go home. His wife, Hermine, and children are up watching TV, and making noise in the house.
This morning, before he left, Hermine cussed him for all sorts of reasons. He was so upset he left the breakfast on the table. All he had to eat for the day was a bowl of soup at a cookshop down the road. The music plays sweetly, and he closes his eyes, and rests his head against the wall, wishing it were his pillow.
No attention
Since Beryl has been turning her back to her husband, George, every night for the last several weeks, he has come to the conclusion that it does not make sense living with a woman who is very cold towards him. Yet, he loves her and showers her with money and gifts. It was she who decided to move in with him after she discovered that she was pregnant. The child is now two; he was planning to marry her, but she seems only interested in his money and the child. So, he has decided he is not going to be a shadow in his own home. Tomorrow, he's leaving.
John and George are figments of my imagination, but they might as well be real. Their stories are relevant at a time when many Jamaican fathers are getting the flak for abdicating their manly responsibilities. As such, they are being blamed for many of the social ills in this country, and yes the blame must be placed at their feet if they are guilty as charged. And in many cases they are. With young men now overrunning the nation's schools and streets with crime and violence, the Jamaican man is now being pressured to take back the reins of fatherhood and leadership, and save our boys. It is the right call, and must be heeded.
Back against the wall
But, there are many Jamaica men who want to, but cannot because of their women. Give praise and commendation to the mothers, especially the single ones who nurtured and guided their children to be worthwhile members of the society. However, on the flip side, many Jamaican women have indirectly and directly driven their men out of the homes and away from their children, many of whom fell along the wayside. Such women, too, are to be blamed for the mess that we are in. And it starts with 'Miss Misery' and 'Madam Miserable'.
Misery loves company, but many men do not love misery. And when it comes in the form of an unending commotion of living with a nagging woman and a houseful of noisy children, the man is going to seek solace outside of the home. He might go to the bar, the betting shop, the corner shop piazza, or another woman's house, sometimes permanently. The woman, who nags a man, and sometimes for good reasons, is going to push him through the door, or cause him to stay out long and late.
Men like to be free, and nothing can be as suffocating as being fettered. As a caged bird, the least opportunity he gets he is going to fly away. Jamaican men, for the most part, do not want to be controlled, and sometimes they find themselves with controlling women. These women decided from very early that "no man nah rule mi". And many do get men whom they control.
Whims and fancies
But, the self-respecting Jamaican man is not going to be leashed, and be subjected to a woman's whims and fancies. He wants his space and time, to help in the decision-making process, to participate in the running of the household, a say in the spending of his money, and if he cannot, he is going to go away to a place where he has control over his life. Controlling and domineering women turn men away.
Then, there are the women who get into a man's life only for the sole purposes of financial security and procreation. There is not one iota of love for him. But, there is the house, the car, the properties, the money, and, of course, children. She will not be called a 'mule'. Having acquired all of the aforementioned, her true colours come shining true. The man is the main source of her sustenance, and nothing more. Having realised that love doesn't live in his house, the man is going to leave, children or no children, to find comfort elsewhere.
Speaking of comfort. The embarra**ment of living in a house with a child or children that he suspects are not his is a big shame for Jamaican men. Sometimes, he knows for sure, but he stays with the family for several reasons. But the time will come when he's going to get up and leave. He's going to be condemned; outsiders cannot and will never know the true story, the story of deception. For in many cases, the mother knowingly gives the child to the wrong father for a plethora of reasons. When paternity is a fraud, the woman must be charged.
Also, there is the situation when the man finds himself with a woman who has many children for different fathers, and so finds it very hard to be father to the children, some of whom become disrespectful. And just imagine if all those fathers, sometimes as many as five, should be present , whether individually or at the same time. Utter chaos and confusion. For the most part, these fathers are going to be absent, spending time with their other families and acquaintances. Having children for multiple fathers is not an economic solution. It contributes to the mosaic of social decadence.
Answers to the questions
Thus, the answers to the questions, Who is the father? Where is he? Why did he leave? are not hard to find. So, when in a Gleaner letter to the editor, titled 'Let's study why fathers flee', Lennox Parkins wrote, "I would like someone at the University of the West Indies' Social Sciences Faculty to study the real reasons we have so many absent fathers ...," I asked myself, "Are there unreal reasons? And why do we need a university study when we don't need a clear day to see that fundamental to the issue are some women who send these men fleeing? They are running from misery, control, deception, stepfatherhood, and from their own responsibilities.
Champions league finals may 21 2008 Manchester United vs Chelsea
The Energy God and gospel artiste LT. Stitchie has recently collaborated on the single What A Mighty God that is now enjoying heavy rotation in the dancehall circles and on the airwaves. The track produced by Elephant Mans Manager Q45, is said to be the turning point in the lifestyle of the energetic performer.
According to a source, Elephant Man and Brother Stitchie have been in several prayer sessions, teaching the Energy God the words of the True and Living God.
The application follows the publication of THE STAR's front page story last Friday, which reliably reported that two high profile politicians were caught on the much talked-about sex tapes.
The prosecution said the application was prompted by the fact that details of the tape showed up in the media just days after the tapes were viewed. THE STAR understands, however, that the viewing took place in the presence of police, the prosecution and defence lawyers. The newspaper also understands that several prominent men from all sectors of the society are allegedly on the lewd tapes.
Justice McIntosh said the matter will be addressed today as the defence attorneys in the case were not present went the application was being filed.
The Peter King tapes came to the fore following the 2006 murder of the trade official at his Waterloo Road apartment in St. Andrew. The suspect in the case, 23-year-old Sheldon Pusey reportedly said he acted in self-defence after King was making sexual advances to him after he showed up at his residence in relation to a job.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police said a 6-year-old brought drugs to school Monday.
Police found seven grams of marijuana and two grams of rock and powder cocaine in the child's pockets.
The student at Tom Joy Elementary School went to the teacher to show her what he found at home.
The teacher immediately took the student to the principal's office.
The child is developmentally challenged. There are nine students in his classroom. Police said no other students came into contact with the drugs. It didn't appear that the drugs were disturbed. The school was placed on lockdown until dismissal Monday afternoon.
"We believe that she didn't know that the school was aware that he had the drugs on him," said Sgt. Anna-Maria Williams. "So she was trying to get to the school to get them off of him."
The child's 27-year-old mother, Arthia Burrows received drug and child endangerment charges Monday. Police also are searching for her brother, who is wanted for arrest. He hasn't been charged yet.
Police said the curious 6-year-old gave them all the information they needed to take down a known drug house in East Nashville.
He told police he had his mother's "smokes."
"Our crime suppression unit had gotten a drug complaint on them, that this was place where people could go to buy marijuana and other drugs," Williams said. "So our crime suppression unit had been working on it, but hadn't had enough information to get inside. So, we got lucky as far as being able to get them at the same time to take the drugs off the child."
Police said Burrows does not have a criminal record.
The Tennessee Department of Children's Services removed five children from the home. Even though Metro Schools has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, the child will not be expelled because he was not aware he was bringing drugs to school.
Chrysler Hopes To Boost Sales By Offering 3-Yr. 'Gas Cap' Card To Owners
This is a classic case of curing what ails you by trying to control what's out of your grasp. But will it be enough to convince you to buy a potentially gas guzzling car?
Like most automakers, Chrysler is suffering the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortune it takes to buy gas. Sales are of its trucks and SUVs are down 18 per cent so far this year and falling fast, as non-stop oil increases and the pinch at the pumps create endless gas pains for economy-conscious drivers.
So while the giant car maker can't control the price of a fill-up, it's decided to do the next best thing - pay for Chrysler owners to fuel their vehicles.
The giant manufacturer has announced a program that will set a cap on the rate owners of some of its less fuel efficient vehicles pay for gasoline.
It would provide a card with each car purchased that will allow participants to pay just $2.99 a gallon in the U.S. no matter what the marquee price is actually showing. Current rates are well over $4 across the border.
Other automakers have come up with similar plans, but Chrysler is the first in history to guarantee it for three years or just over 19,000 kilometres. It's a risky idea as the price of crude continually swells. "This could be a game-changer in terms of how vehicles are sold in the marketplace," maintains Steve Landry, Chrysler's head of North American sales.
The company claims its market research shows consumers don't have a problem with its vehicles, just the cost to run them. So it's trying to take that concern out of the equation. "One of the things that weighs heavily on people's minds is the volatility of fuel prices," agrees vice chair Jim Press.
It's expected the concept would save about US$13,000 a year on trucks and around US$800 for hatchbacks.
But not everyone likes the idea. Environmentalists argue artificially influencing the price will simply get people to spend more on gas instead of conserving or seeking alternates and that Chrysler should concentrate on building more fuel efficient vehicles.
The concept will be in dealers in the U.S. by May despite the objections, but will exclude such gas guzzlers as the Dodge Viper and the Challenger muscle car.
There's no word yet on when or if the incentive will also be available in Canada but if it causes the sagging car company to experience a sales spurt down south, there's a chance that it could not only happen here, but other companies will jump on the bandwagon.
Something has to help the flagging industry. Chrysler lost $1.6 billion in 2007 and overall sales for all the big automakers dropped 14 per cent in April.
The downturn in trucks has especially hit the sector hard. It was one of the main reasons GM announced huge cuts last week, which will see nearly 1,000 jobs disappear from its Oshawa plant.
The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 6, 2008)
A hot-footed motorist was nabbed early yesterday driving her Ford Explorer at about 130 km/h in a 50-km/h zone in east Hamilton.
It's the second time this year that the 31-year-old Hamilton resident has been charged under the new provincial legislation enacted to discourage street racing. The law allows for higher penalties for motorists exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h.
Police Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said the woman was pulled over on Barton Street East at Parkdale Avenue shortly after midnight.
Just as in the earlier incident, her car was impounded and she lost her licence for seven days. She will also have to appear in court. Normally, under the Highway Traffic Act, motorists are simply given a ticket citing the offence and have the option of pleading guilty without appearing in court.
Here is what the law is all about if you are unaware:
First Street Racing Conviction
Dangerous Driving - No Bodily Harm or Death: 1 to 3 years
Dangerous Driving causing Bodily Harm: 1 to 10 years
Dangerous Driving causing Death: 1 to 10 years
Criminal Negligence causing Bodily Harm: 1 to 10 years
Criminal Negligence causing Death: 1 year to life
Second Street Racing Conviction:
Dangerous Driving - No Bodily Harm or Death: 2 to 5 years
Dangerous Driving causing Bodily Harm: 2 to 10 years
Dangerous Driving causing Death: Lifetime ban
(Applies only if an offender has two convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death .)
Criminal Negligence causing Bodily Harm: 2 to 10 years
Criminal Negligence causing Death: Lifetime ban
(Applies only if an offender has two convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death .)
All subsequent street racing convictions:
Dangerous Driving - No Bodily Harm or Death: 3 years to life
Dangerous Driving causing Bodily Harm: 3 years to life.
Dangerous Driving causing Death: Lifetime ban
(Applies only if an offender has three or more convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death .)
Criminal Negligence causing Bodily Harm: 3 years to life
Criminal Negligence causing Death: Lifetime ban
(Applies only if an offender has three or more convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death .)Jackass sey di worl' no level. Jackass sey smaddy hedit off de tape fe de 'Kingly' evidence.
The tape, the tape, the tape. It was not so long ago that the whole Jamaica was abuzz about 'de tape' after the Kingly one died a commoner's death and tongues wagged that the ambassador was really an amb-'ass'-ador, there had been a different kind of stabbin' in the cabin before the one that took life and Peter Peter was more a cucumber than a pumpkin eater.
And Vybz Kartel asked who was Peter King man?
BawlingNobody could tell until last week when 'de tape' came up in the court case and, lo and behold, the man himself was bawling out to Jesus Christ when the ecstasy got to his 'head'. (Heh heh, that one was sorta corny but just too sweet to let pass.) But, as we were informed in Friday's WEEKEND STAR, while 'de tape' was duly handed over as ordered, it was not all of it (or, more accurately, them.) It was written:
"The court was told on Monday that some of the tapes could not be located. Sources say that the missing tapes may contain footage of many prominent professionals who are living a 'down-low' life."
And that was that. And Jackass has to ask 'just so?'. Nah man. The world is not level at all.
These are exhibits in a murder case. Murder. How can they go missing, just like that and there has not been (at least, so far) legal rumpus? When there is a murder case and a gun goes missing or a bullet casing goes missing, all hell breaks loose. When there is a cocaine case and some of the white stuff is replaced with flour or simply disappears, there is hell to pay.
So how comes parts of 'de tape' are not around and (at least, not yet, Jackass cautions) no heads are rolling and there are no claims of the course of justice being thwarted? How come?
'Prominent'Jackass knows that it is because of that one word in the story. 'Prominent'. Translate that into Jamaican terms and it means 'money'. Now Jackass does not feel that parts of 'de tape' disappeared because the people responsible for the disappearance felt sympathetic towards the people whose 'sexploits' were recorded. Read between the lines.
But that is how Jamaica runs. If you are not 'prominent' and you have a run-in with the police, you spend as much time as it takes for a child to pass GSAT, go through high school and enter university just waiting for the trial to start. If you are 'prominent' enough there is hardly a chance that you will end up on a television news report with a placard chanting 'We Want Justice!'.
So where does that leave us? Nowhere. For really and truly 'de tape' has no value to the general public other than suss and scandal. Where does that leave the wives and girlfriends of the 'prominent' men on 'de tape' who are living the down-low life?
In a very messy situation.
Jackass sey de worl' no level. Jackass sey de ooman dem whe even get a likkle feeling sey dem man coulda did deh pon de tape betta reach pan de battam a dat fas' fas'.
Gay hate dancehall star refused European entry visa
The Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) has said it has been told by the country's Interior Ministry that homophobic Jamaican performer Sizzla will not be granted a Schengen visa for his proposed European tour this month.
The German Foreign Office also phoned the gay rights group to say that their embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, confirmed that the singer has songs in his repertoire that meet the legal criterion of "incitement of the people."
The Schengen Agreement between 29 nations on the continent of Europe allows free movement across their borders.
A common Schengen visa allows tourists access to all the countries party to the agreement.
"The Jamaican citizen Miguel Collins (Sizzla Kalonji) calls in several of his songs for the murder and homicide of gays," said an LSVD spokesman.
"It appears that Sizzla's name is now in the Schengen information system, with the consequence that he does not receive entry in the Schengen zone.
"Into this non-public data base persons are registered, that among other things are unwanted or have an outstanding arrest warrant in Schengen zone.
"The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) communicated to us today, that due to our letter to BMI and the Foreign Office (AA) - responsible for the granting of visas - " the necessary legal measures for the prevention of entry in the Schengen zone have been taken."
"At the end of March we had asked BMI and AA for exactly this outcome."
In July 2007 artists Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton, who had previously released anti-gay hate songs, including incitements to murder lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, signed up to the Reggae Compassion Act, in a deal brokered with top reggae promoters and Stop Murder Music activists.
The Act reads:
"It must be clear there's no space in the music community for hatred and prejudice, including no place for racism, violence, sexism or homophobia.
"We do not encourage nor minister to HATE but rather uphold a philosophy of LOVE, RESPECT and UNDERSTANDING towards all human beings as the cornerstone of reggae.
"We agree to not make statements or perform songs that incite hatred or violence against anyone from any community."
However, in October planned Sizzla concerts in Toronto were banned. All five dates of the star's 2004 UK tour were cancelled after gay rights activists protested against his presence.
The fight against other homophobic performers continues.
"The other four murder music artists - Elephant Man, TOK, Bounty Killa and Vybz Kartel - have not signed the Reggae Compassion Act," said activist Peter Tatchell.
"These singers have incited the murder of lesbians and gays. They should not be rewarded with concerts or sponsorship deals.
"The Stop Murder Music campaign urges organisations worldwide to intensify the campaign to cancel these singers' concerts and their record, sponsorship and advertising deals."
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