Boxden - BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines http://slumz.boxden.com Articles, interviews, and breaking news. Get in touch with the real world. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:22:52 GMT vBulletin 60 http://static.bbmp3.com/fusion/misc/rss.jpg Boxden - BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines http://slumz.boxden.com Nov 20 - Bush Aide urges Weapons Ban to slow Mexican Drug War http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-bush-aide-urges-weapons-ban-slow-mexican-drug-war-1311438/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:32:28 GMT The former head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection called Monday for the U.S. to reinstitute the... The former head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection called Monday for the U.S. to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and take other measures to rein in the war between Mexico and its drug cartels, saying the violence has the potential to bring down legitimate rule in that country.

Former CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner also called for the United States to more aggressively investigate U.S. gun sellers and tighten security along its side of the border, describing the situation as "critical" to the safety of people in both countries, whether they live near the border or not.

Mexico, for its part, needs to reduce official corruption and organize its forces along the lines the U.S. does, such as a specialized border patrol and a customs agency with a broader mandate than monitoring trade, Mr. Bonner said in an exchange of e-mails.

"Border security is especially important to breaking the power and influence of the Mexican-based trafficking organizations," Mr. Bonner said. "Despite vigorous efforts by both governments, huge volumes of illegal drugs still cross from Mexico.

"In turn, large quantities of weapons and cash generated from illegal drug sales flow south into Mexico, which makes these criminal organizations more powerful and able to corrupt government institutions," he said.

Mr. Bonner, a former federal judge who also headed the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the Republican administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, said the still-raging battle "will determine who controls the legitimate institutions of government."

"While better border law enforcement and interdiction of drugs, weapons and cash will not alone defeat the drug cartels, these steps, as part of a larger strategy, can and will weaken them and make it easier for the Mexican government to destroy them - just as was done over a decade ago with the destruction of the Medellin and Cali cartels in Colombia," Mr. Bonner said.

"But successful efforts will require closer collaboration between U.S. and Mexican border law enforcement agencies, and this will depend on strengthening law enforcement capacity in the border region, including enhancing the professionalism of enforcement agencies to make them more corruption-resistant," he said.

President Obama has described ongoing efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border as "vital to core U.S. national interests." He has expressed his concern over the increased level of violence and the impact it is having on communities on both sides of the border.

Under the Merida Initiative -- a security agreement including the U.S., Mexico and the countries of Central America to combat drug trafficking, transnational crime and money laundering -- the United States is investing $700 million on law enforcement and judicial capacity to improve border security and reduce the illegal flow of guns and drugs across the border.

The Department of Homeland Security, under the Secure Fence Act, is building the necessary infrastructure to deter and prevent illegal entry on the Southwest border, including pedestrian and vehicle fencing, roads and technology.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said that gaining effective control of the nations borders is a "critical element of national security."

An armed conflict between the Mexican government and the drug cartels in that country, who now control almost all of the illicit narcotics trade in the U.S., has raged since 2006. The U.S. Justice Department has described the Mexican cartels as the greatest organized crime threat to the U.S.

The Mexican government has estimated that 1,000 federal forces, police and prosecutors have been killed since 2006 and that civilian deaths during that same period have topped 15,600.

Mr. Bonner, now in private law practice in Los Angeles, said that better border security will require both countries to align the structures of their border agencies to make them better able to work together.

Citing a recent report by the joint task force of the Pacific Council on International Policy and COMEXI, the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Bonner said Mexicos success depends on how effectively both nations manage their shared border.

He said:

• Mexico should strengthen its customs agency by converting it to a multifunctional agency capable of addressing security threats, such as cross-border smuggling of weapons and cash - a move the Mexican government has begun.

• Mexico should move toward restructuring its law enforcement institutions along the border to create a direct counterpart to CBP, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to unify border enforcement authorities.

• Mexico should establish a Mexican federal frontier police, dedicated to securing the areas between Mexicos ports of entry - much as the U.S. Border Patrol does for the United States.

"Organizational changes are not enough, however," Mr. Bonner said. "The United States also needs to intensify its efforts to curtail the smuggling of firearms and cash into Mexico."

He said some studies have shown that many of the weapons obtained by Mexican drug traffickers come from the U.S., and much of their funding comes from U.S. drug sales. He called for U.S. authorities to begin more aggressive investigations of U.S. gun sellers and to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons.

The federal assault weapons ban was passed on Sept. 13, 1994, during the Clinton administration and prohibited the sale to civilians of certain semi-automatic firearms, so-called assault weapons. The law expired on Sept. 13, 2004, and an effort by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, to extend it for another 10 years was defeated 80-9.

At least three other efforts to pass new legislation banning the weapons have not been successful. In February, Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. said the ban should be reinstated, but Mr. Obama has since said he would not push its reinstatement even though it "made sense."

Mr. Bonner also said the U.S. should expand assistance beyond the Merida Initiative and focus on helping Mexico strengthen its law enforcement capacity at the federal and state levels, reducing its vulnerability to corruption or "bribe or bullet" intimidation by the cartels.

"The border is not just about security," Mr. Bonner said. "We must also make the border more efficient for lawful travel and trade .... This goal is achievable - while actually improving security -- by adding infrastructure and resources, modern detection technologies and intelligent risk-management strategies enabling us to facilitate low-risk trade and travel while more effectively identifying high-risk vehicles, cargo and travelers for additional screening."

The joint Pacific Council on International Policy and COMEXI task force recommended, among other things, that both nations adequately staff ports of entry, saying staffing shortfalls should never contribute to bottlenecks.

It also said that both nations should expand existing ports of entry and build new ones, encourage partnerships between the public and private sectors to help accomplish this, and streamline the border-crossing approval processes.

"It is time to tackle these problems and improve our shared border. These are bold recommendations to be sure, but they are achievable," he said. "And they will have profoundly positive benefits for both the United States and Mexico."


Bush aide urges weapons ban to slow Mexican drug war - Washington Times ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines Screwhead http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-bush-aide-urges-weapons-ban-slow-mexican-drug-war-1311438/ <![CDATA[Nov 20 - Economists Opposing "Federal" Reserve Audit Have Undisclosed Fed Ties]]> http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-economists-opposing-federal-reserve-audit-have-undisclosed-fed-ties-1311426/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:40:42 GMT As the debate over an audit of the Federal Reserve intensifies in the House, one camp is trotting... As the debate over an audit of the Federal Reserve intensifies in the House, one camp is trotting out eight academics that it calls a "political cross section of prominent economists."

A review of their backgrounds shows they are anything but.

In a letter to the House Financial Services Committee earlier this month, all eight wrote that they support the type of amendment now being introduced by Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.). Watt's approach purports to increase Fed transparency while it actually would tighten restrictions on any audits that could go forward.

The letter was sent around Wednesday by Watt's staff to members of the committee in advance of a vote scheduled for Thursday.

Watt's measure is in competition with an amendment cosponsored by Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), which would repeal the restrictions that Watt leaves in place.

But far from a broad cross-section, the "prominent economists" lobbying on behalf of the Watt bill are in fact deeply involved with the Federal Reserve. Seven of the eight are either currently on the Fed's payroll or have been in the past.

The Fed connections are not outlined in the letter sent around to committee members on Wednesday, but are publicly discernible through a review of their resumes, which are all posted online.

In September, Huffington Post reported that the Federal Reserve has accomplished a soft form of effective control over the field of monetary economics simply by employing -- and being the means for career advance -- for an overwhelming proportion of the discipline.
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Now that the Fed is locked in a legislative battle on the Hill, it can call on those economists to give their "unvarnished" opinions to lawmakers.

The connections that the seven economists lobbying Congress have to the Fed are not incidental and four of them maintain current positions.

Let's run the traps:

Frederic Mishkin is a former board member, having served from 2006-2008. His career at the Fed stretches back to 1977 and he currently holds two positions: one as a member of the Center for Latin American Economics at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he's been since 1996; and another as an academic consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he's been since 1997.

Anil K. Kashyap is currently a consultant with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, a position he's held since 1991. He's also on the economic advisory panel of the New York branch and was a consultant there in 2003. He was a visiting scholar at the division of monetary affairs at the Board of Governors of in1994, 2001 and 2005 and at the division of international finance in 1997.

Pete Klenow was a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis from 1994-1999, 2003-2004, 2006 and again this year. From 2000-2003 he was also a senior economist at that branch. He's currently a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, a position he's held since 2005. He was a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 2004-2006.

Ricardo J. Caballero was a visiting scholar at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 2004-2005 and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Board on multiple occasions.

Robert Hall was a research assistant at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 1982-1984 and an economist there from 1988-1991.

Thomas Sargent was an adviser to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis from 1981 to 1987 and continues to write frequently for Fed-sponsored journals.

Micheal Woodford is currently on the Monetary Policy Advisory Committee of Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a position he's held since 2004. He's also listed as a consultant to the research department there dating back to 2005. In the past, he's been a visiting scholar at the Board of Governors and various regional branches in 1987, 1993-1998 and 2000-present, often at multiple banks in the same year.

Economists with Fed connections strongly reject the notion that being paid by the bank influences their thinking. But Robert Auerbach, who spent years investigating the institution and is the author of "Deception and Abuse at the Fed", says that those economists are simply in denial. "If you're on the Fed payroll there's a conflict of interest," says Auerbach.

The tie between the economists backing Watt's amendment and the Fed doesn't by itself mean that it's bad policy, but it does make clear which amendment is favored by the Federal Reserve. If there's still any doubt, the e-mail from Watt staff notes that former Fed chairs Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker also support a version of it.

Meanwhile, a broad coalition of liberal organizations is lining up behind the Paul-Grayson amendment, which also has the backing of most Republicans on the committee.

The AFL-CIO and other labor groups, as well as Americans for Financial Reform signed on to a letter posted Wednesday calling for committee members to back the Paul-Grayson approach.

"In creating the Federal Reserve nearly 100 years ago, the Congress envisioned a central bank free from political pressure. But the structure that may have once ensured independence now appears to put the Fed much closer to the financial industry than the American people, who deserve to know who the beneficiaries are," reads the letter.

The Fed, in other words, is not presently independent of political pressure, but that pressure comes from Wall Street banks rather than from the American people through their elected representatives.

It's a distinction that the note from Watt's staff on Wednesday subtly acknowledges, by focusing on legislative and executive branch pressure, rather than financial industry influence. The Paul-Grayson amendment, it warns, "would place the United States well outside of the mainstream of industrialized nations that shield their central banks from political interference by the Legislative and Executive branches of government, with potentially disastrous results to the U.S. economy."


Economists Opposing Fed Audit Have Undisclosed Fed Ties ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines Screwhead http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-economists-opposing-federal-reserve-audit-have-undisclosed-fed-ties-1311426/ Nov 20 - Peru villagers murdered to make anti-wrinkle cream http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-peru-villagers-murdered-make-anti-wrinkle-cream-1311359/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:10:45 GMT Peru villagers murdered to make anti-wrinkle creamAndrew Whalen associated press Published On Fri... Peru villagers murdered to make anti-wrinkle creamAndrew Whalen
associated press Published On Fri Nov 20 2009EmailPrintRepublishAdd to Favourites Report an errorShare Share20 ArticleLIMA - Police in Peru infiltrated and cracked a gang that was kidnapping locals, killing them and draining their fat for use in the beauty industry. The gang has reportedly been active for 30 years in the remote areas of the Andes.

Three suspects confessed to killing five people, but the gang may have been involved in dozens more, said Col. Jorge Mejia, chief of Peru's anti-kidnapping police. He said one suspect claimed the gang wasn't the only one doing such killings.

Mejia said two of the suspects were arrested carrying bottles of liquid human fat and told police it was worth $15,000 (U.S.) a litre. The fat was sold to intermediaries in Peru's capital, Lima, and police suspect it was then sold to cosmetic companies in Europe, Mejia said Thursday, but he could not confirm any sales. The fat was reportedly to be used as an ingredient in anti-wrinkle cream.

Experts were quick to cast doubt on the scientific merit of the macabre scheme.

"In theory, yes, any lipid (fat) can be used in the production of cosmetics, but the quality would be, shall we say, variable. This is, of course, putting aside the ghoulish nature of this story, and the legal concerns, which preclude it happening," said Chis Flower, director general of the Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association in England.

A dermatology professor at Yale University, Dr. Lisa Donofrio, speculated that a small market may exist for "human fat extracts" to keep skin supple, but she said that scientifically such treatments are "pure baloney."

At a news conference, Peruvian police showed reporters two bottles of fat recovered from the suspects and a photo of the rotting head of a 27-year-old male victim. Suspect Elmer Segundo Castillejos, 29, led police to the head, recovered in a coca-growing valley last month, Mejia said.

Mejia said Castillejos recounted how the gang cut off its victims' heads, arms and legs, removed the organs, then suspended the torsos from hooks above candles that warmed the flesh as fat dripped into tubs below.

Six members of the gang remain at large, Mejia said. Among them was the band's alleged leader, Hilario Cudena, 56, who Castillejos told police has been killing people to extract human fat for more than three decades.

This year alone, at least 60 people are listed as missing in Huanuco province, where the gang allegedly operated, though the province is also home to drug-trafficking leftist rebels.

Mejia said police received a tip four months ago that human fat from the jungle was being sold in Lima. In August, he said, police infiltrated the band and later obtained some of the amber fluid, which a police lab confirmed as human fat.

On Nov. 3, police arrested Serapio Marcos Veramendi and Enedina Estela in a Lima bus station with a litre of human fat in a soda bottle. Their testimony led to the arrest of Castillejos three days later at the same bus station.

The three are charged with homicide, criminal conspiracy, illegal firearms possession and drug trafficking, according to a statement from Lima Superior Court. Police said they were searching for the alleged buyer.

Police dubbed the gang the "Pishtacos" after a Peruvian myth dating to pre-Columbian times of men who killed to extract human fat, quartering their victims with machetes.

Medical authorities contacted by The Associated Press said human fat is used in anti-wrinkle treatments – but is always extracted from the patient who is being treated, usually from the stomach or buttocks.

"There would be a risk of immunological reaction that could lead to life-threatening consequences" if fat from someone else were used, said Dr. Neil Sad*ck, a professor of dermatology at Cornell Weill Medical College in New York.

"This is indeed a very disturbing story," Andrea Hopp, chair of the Ontario chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, said in an email. She also wrote that she'd never heard of any scientific study of "human derived raw materials" in Canadian cosmetics.

Dr. Adam Katz, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of Virginia medical school, was incredulous when told about the Peruvian ring.

"I can't see why there would be a black market for fat," he said. "It doesn't make any sense at all, because in most countries we can get fat so readily and in such amounts from people who are willing and ready to donate that I don't see why there would ever be a black market for fat, of all tissues.


Peru villagers murdered to make anti-wrinkle cream - thestar.com ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines Agony http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-peru-villagers-murdered-make-anti-wrinkle-cream-1311359/ <![CDATA[Nov 20 - Demonstrators demand justice in Puerto Rico gay teen's slaying]]> http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-demonstrators-demand-justice-puerto-rico-gay-teens-slaying-1311294/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:38:56 GMT Demonstrators demand justice in Puerto Rico gay teen's slaying - CNN.com



San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Several hundred gay activists rallied Thursday afternoon in Puerto Rico to demand a robust prosecution in the brutal slaying of a gay teenager nearly a week ago.

Juan A. Martinez Matos was charged at a hearing Wednesday with first-degree murder and three weapons violations in connection with the killing of 19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. The teen's decapitated, dismembered and partially burned body was found Friday afternoon on a road in central Puerto Rico. Bail has been set at $4 million, court documents show.

The slaying has reverberated through the gay and lesbian community in Puerto Rico and the United States, where supporters started a Facebook page called "Justice for Jorge Steven Lopez -- End Hate Crimes." The group demands an investigation by Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno and prosecution of the case under the federal hate crime law.

Puerto Rico's gay community is asking authorities to investigate whether the slaying was a hate crime, said Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Serrano, a protest leader, said homophobia can be found among political and law enforcement officials on the island. One politician, he said, recently referred to gays as "twisted and mentally ill."

"We hold accountable authorities for promoting hate rhetoric that provokes violence," Serrano said after the rally.

Another suspect, Martinez Matos, confessed to the slaying, prosecutor Yaritza Carrasquillo said in a statement.

In an interview with Telemundo, Martinez Matos also admitted to the killing.

"What happened happened because I defended myself. I cut him and beheaded him and I accept it as a man."

The broadcast also showed an encounter in a courthouse hallway between the handcuffed suspect and a man identified as Lopez Mercado's father. In the video, Martinez Matos asks the man for forgiveness.

"The one you have to ask for forgiveness is God," the man says. "That's who can forgive you. On my part, you were forgiven a while ago."

Puerto Rico does not have a hate crime provision in its criminal code, but allows prosecutors to ask that actions that could be interpreted as a hate crime be considered at sentencing.

The United States does have a federal law on hate crimes, and a bill signed by President Obama last month extended it to cover crimes involving sexual orientation. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, which means federal laws and agencies can have jurisdiction.

If the U.S. attorney's office, in consultation with local officials and other agencies, decides to prosecute the case as a federal hate crime, it is believed it would be the first such case under the latest addition to the law.

The FBI is monitoring the investigation being conducted by local authorities but has not been asked to help, Agent Harry Rodriguez said Thursday. There have been no discussions on whether federal officials will ask that the slaying be classified a hate crime, he said.

Puerto Rican prosecutor Jose Bermudez said he believes the slaying was a hate crime.

"This constitutes a hate crime because [Martinez Matos] is angry with people who have sexual relations with persons of the same sex, but he goes out and seeks the services of people of the same sex in order to get angry and kill them," Bermudez said in an interview with Telemundo.

A spokesman for Lopez Mercado's family told Telemundo they were unaware the teen was involved in any kind of prostitution.

In separate footage aired on Telemundo, a reporter asked Martinez Matos if he is gay.

"No," he replied. "[Lopez Mercado] tried to kill me."

Martinez Matos, 26, was arrested late Monday at his home in the Mogote de Cayey neighborhood, said Wilson Porrata Mariani, a spokesman for the Guayama police district.

Police impounded two cars and were investigating a home in another neighborhood, Huertas del Barrio Beatriz de Cidra.

Lopez Mercado's body was found on Puerto Rico Road 184 in another part of town, Barrio Guavate de Cayey, police said. ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines memyselfni http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-20-demonstrators-demand-justice-puerto-rico-gay-teens-slaying-1311294/ Nov 19 - Skinny Jeans Banned in Mesquite http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-skinny-jeans-banned-mesquite-1311269/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:10:32 GMT Odds of wearing skinny pants in Mesquite ISD: slim to none “Skinny pants” are the newest rage,... Odds of wearing skinny pants in Mesquite ISD: slim to none


“Skinny pants” are the newest rage, and at least one area school district is aiming to keep them off school campuses.

Seth Chamlee, a student at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, found that out the hard way on Tuesday. School administrators gave him a choice: Go home, or trade his skin-tight skinny pants for slacks provided by the school.


“We’re going to home schooling,” the boy’s mother, Cindy Pope, said Wednesday. “He can learn more without the distraction of what to wear.”

As the fashion trend grows, more and more students are showing up wearing skinny pants in schools. Administrators in several area school districts say they’re not a major problem as long as they are not deemed to be immodest or disruptive.

But in the Mesquite school district, the pants are banned outright. The district, which boasts one of North Texas’ most conservative dress codes, only this year granted female teachers per mission to wear open-toed shoes and male teachers the right to sport facial hair.

“We don’t allow striped shirts or check shirts,” said Laura Jobe, a district spokeswoman. “There are certain types of clothes that are not acceptable dress style.”

Tight and tapered
Skinny pants are tapered so they fit the legs, the opposite of bellbottoms. They came on the fashion scene about five years ago, as a uniform for models and their rocker boyfriends.

Now, skinnies, stovepipes and jeggings — jeans so tight they resemble leggings — have become a wardrobe staple, available from the walnut shelves of Barneys New York to the plastic hangers of Walmart.

Seth, a seventh-grader, wore a pair of black skinny pants with a dark belt to class Tuesday morning. As first period started, he was quickly sent to the office, his mother said.

Jobe said administrators determined Seth’s pants were too tight and low-cut, and that his appearance was disruptive when he sat down, all of which is against school policy.

Pope said her son couldn’t have disrupted the class with his appearance because he never made it there. Ian Halperin, another schools district spokesman, said he did not know whether the boy had gone to class but that he was observed sitting in the office.

The district’s standardized dress policy calls for solid polo-style shirts, turtlenecks or dress shirts and Docker-style pants but no jeans. Pants must fit at the waist, and belts must be worn. And clothes must be “appropriately sized,” according to the policy, not too big, not too small.

Jobe said Kimbrough students had been explicitly told that skinny pants did not meet the code. But she didn’t know whether parents had been told as well.

Pope said she didn’t know the pants were banned. She said she had seen other students wearing similar slacks to the school.

She said Seth has had some minor run-ins with school administrators before about the length of his hair. It was a little too long, touching his eyebrows or longer than his ears on the sides. “He’s not a behavioral problem,” she said.

After being featured on a television news report, Seth was deeply embarrassed by the attention, Pope said. He wouldn’t talk about the incident.

‘District culture’
The Mesquite school district has had a history of conservative dress. In the 1960s and 1970s, district officials battled students over hair length, once sending a 10-year-old boy home because his hair reached his shirt collar.

In 1970, the district laid down firm rules against dress and behavior deemed to be disruptive. It was among the first in the area to adopt a dress standard.

“It’s just a part of our district culture,” Jobe said. “It’s a belief that employees and students should dress in a certain way. We call it the business of school.”

The state grants authority to districts to set their own dress codes, which means standards can vary from district to district and even campus to campus. Dress codes have been a touchy subject for years, said Barbara Williams with the Texas Association of School Boards.

While there are no firm statistics, dress codes haven’t been as controversial in recent years as districts deal with finance problems.

Many area districts don’t prohibit tight pants for girls or boys, though a few dress codes address two other recent fads, saggy and baggy pants.

Reavis Wortham, a Garland school district spokesman, said baggy pants have been popular, but “I’ve seen principals tell [students] to pull them up and they pull them up.”

Wortham and officials in other districts, including Dallas, Richardson, Plano and Allen, said skinny pants have not been a problem.

In the Irving and Carrollton-Farmers Branch school districts, the student codes of conduct are written in a broad manner that prohibit outfits deemed as immodest or disruptive, no matter what fashion wave gives rise to them.

Officials said principals could deem extremely tight pants or skinny jeans in violation of their respective code’s provisions on modesty.

“If they’re just really worn so tight, they would be considered to be immodest,” said Lane Ladewig, Irving’s campus operations director.

In Mesquite, Jobe said that although district officials don’t necessarily have a problem with skinny pants outside of class, they’re not appropriate for school.

Pope disagreed. On Tuesday, she told a local TV station she was going to appeal the district’s decision. But a day later, she said she decided to pull Seth out of school instead.

“To not be getting your education because of pants … I don’t want him to learn that,” she said.


Staff writers Brandon Formby, Matthew Haag, Tawnell D. Hobbs, Sam Hodges, Wendy Hundley, Jason Sheeler and Jeffrey Weiss contributed to this report.


SCHOOL DRESS POLICIES While the Mesquite district does not allow so-called "skinny pants," many districts do. Here's a sampling of dress code excerpts from various school districts:


Dallas ISD

"Blue jeans, low-cut pants, low-rise pants, sagging slacks or pants, sweat pants ... shall not be worn at school. Students may not wear clothing that is either revealing or provocative."

Frisco ISD

"No sagging pants or shorts will be permitted."

Garland ISD

"Any disruptive or distractive mode of clothing or appearance that adversely impacts the educational process is not acceptable."

Irving ISD

"Appropriate school attire will be worn at all times during school hours and at school-sponsored events. ... Pants, shorts, culottes, etc. must be secured around/about the waist ... pants and shorts must have a zipper or button fly."

Plano ISD

"Students' dress and grooming are expected to be in keeping with accepted community standards. ... No sagging pants or shorts."

Richardson ISD

"All students should dress and be groomed in a neat and appropriate manner that will not interfere with or disrupt normal school operations and the rights of others."

I can understand enforcing short skirts,shorts, low cut tops and pants that reveal ya ass but skinny jeans?!


See Seth's pants
Mesquite Won't Allow 'Skinny Pants' ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines MissStush88 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-skinny-jeans-banned-mesquite-1311269/ Nov 19 - Couple arrested for Refusing to Pay Tip http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-couple-arrested-refusing-pay-tip-1311239/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:52:18 GMT If you’re frustrated by poor service at a restaurant, think twice before you decide to not tip. You may be in for a bit more than just a dirty look from the waiter.

"Nobody, nobody wants to be forced to pay a tip or be arrested for terrible service," Leslie Pope said when her happy hour ended in handcuffs.

Pope and John Wagner were hauled away by police and charged with theft for not paying the mandatory 18 percent gratuity totaling $16 after eating at the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem, Pa. with six friends.

Pope claimed that they had to wait nearly an hour for their order and that she had to get napkins and silverware for the table herself.

“At this point I became very annoyed because I had already gone up to the bar myself to have my soda refilled because the waitress never came back,” Pope said.

After the $73 bill came, the group paid for food, drinks, and tax but refused to pay the tip. After explaining the bad service to the bartender in charge, Pope claimed he took their money and called police. The couple was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car.

“I understand that, you know, we didn’t pay the gratuity, but it was a gratuity, it wasn’t something that was required,” said Wagner.

The owner admitted that the group waited unusually long for their food, but said the pub was extremely busy that night. He said managers offered to comp the food, a claim the couple denies ever happened.

“Obviously we would have liked for the patron and the establishment to have worked this out without getting the police involved,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics.

Police charged them with theft since the gratuity was part of the actual bill. However, it is doubtful that the charges will hold up in front of a judge. The couple is scheduled to appear in court next month.


Couple Busted for Refusing to Pay Tip | NBC Philadelphia ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines genobee http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-couple-arrested-refusing-pay-tip-1311239/ Nov 19 - 800-Pound Man Dies After Sitting in Recliner for 8 Months http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-800-pound-man-dies-after-sitting-recliner-8-months-1311212/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:40:15 GMT COLUMBIA — When an ambulance brought Tillmon Webb home from the hospital after he hurt his knee in... COLUMBIA — When an ambulance brought Tillmon Webb home from the hospital after he hurt his knee in March, paramedics warned the then 550-pound man he probably wouldn't be able to get up from his recliner if they put him there, his wife said.

Webb told them to leave him there anyway. He would sit in that recliner, slowly dying, for the next eight months. Finally, paramedics were called back to his Greenwood home on Wednesday because he was in a lot of pain.


Webb's body was physically stuck to the power recliner and firefighters had to cut him from the chair to take him to the hospital. He died a few hours later, his body covered with sores and a "very bad odor," according to a police report.
Webb, 33, didn't ask for help for all those months, because he was ashamed and didn't have health insurance, said his wife, Ada. He slept and used the bathroom in his chair and she cleaned it every day. The former preacher would post sermons online from the chair, and it wasn't long before he decided he was ready to go home to the Lord, she said.
"After he sat there in that one spot for a week, he was embarrassed. It was like he already knew what was going to happen," Ada Webb said.


Webb's mother was the one who placed the final call to paramedics. Not only did crews have to cut apart the chair, but they had to cut a hole in the wall of the couple's mobile home about 70 miles west of Columbia to get him out. A police report said he weighed about 800 pounds, but his wife said he was closer to 500 pounds.
The hospital told Tillmon Webb's wife he died from a heart attack, she said. The coroner's office isn't investigating the death and referred all questions to Greenwood County deputies, who sent their report, but didn't respond to a phone message.


Webb died on the couple's second anniversary. They met four years ago on MySpace, and Ada Webb said she didn't see a man who weighed more than 500 pounds, but instead saw a guy who loved the Lord and had a big heart.
"I had the worst anniversary yesterday I ever had, but I know he had the best one he ever had because he's with Jesus now," she said.
Tillmon Webb drove school buses for nearly 15 years, until his weight made it impossible. His health kept getting worse, and Ada Webb said she begged hospital officials to keep him after doctors treated his knee injury in March. But the couple had no way to pay and were sent home.
For his first few weeks home, Tillmon Webb was open to the idea of seeing someone. Getting to them was the problem.


"Everybody kept telling us, if you get here, we'll help you. We didn't have no way of getting him up, and nobody was willing to come help us," Ada Webb said. "He just kind of said, 'it's in God's hands' at that point."
Tillmon Webb spent the rest of his days playing with his four dogs and talking about religion to other people on the Internet.
"I did all I could for him. He loved me with a passion," his wife said. "The only reason he held on to life here was for his family because he wanted to go home and be with the Lord."




Obese SC man dies after 8 months in home recliner | GoUpstate.com | Spartanburg Herald-Journal | Spartanburg SC ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines memyselfni http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-800-pound-man-dies-after-sitting-recliner-8-months-1311212/ Nov 19 - Mario McNeil Charged With Murder And Rape Of 5 Year Old Shaniya Davis http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-mario-mcneil-charged-murder-rape-5-year-old-shaniya-davis-1311181/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:44 GMT FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- Fayetteville police said Wednesday that they are working to determine... FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- Fayetteville police said Wednesday that they are working to determine which county has jurisdiction in the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis before filing any new charges.

That same day, search warrants were released that revealed 29-year-old Mario McNeill, who is charged with taking Shaniya Davis, picked up the 5-year-old from in front of her home last Tuesday.

Police said Shaniya was last seen alive with him on surveillance video taken from a Comfort Suites hotel in Sanford the same morning her mother reported her missing.

The girl's body was later discovered Monday in a wooded area about seven miles from the Sanford hotel on the Harnett and Lee County line.

Search warrants show investigators found children's clothing, blankets and DNA when they searched McNeill's Mitsubishi Galant and took away 11 bags of evidence.

McNeill turned himself in to police last week, and investigators say he confessed to taking the 5-year-old. However, McNeill's attorney told reporters his client would plead not guilty.

Shaniya Davis' 25-year-old mother, Antoinette, is also charged in the case. She is charged with human trafficking, prostitution and felony child abuse in her daughter's disappearance. Warrants say she provided her daughter with intent that the girl be held in sexual servitude.

Acquaintances say Antoinette Davis knew McNeill, because he dated her sister Brenda.

ABC11 Eyewitness News has confirmed Antoinette Davis is pregnant and jail officials say she is being kept separate from the rest of the prison population. McNeill also remains in jail.

McNeill's record

However, more questions are being raised about McNeill's criminal background.

Just three weeks ago, McNeill was unconditionally released from supervised probation six months early.

"This is an offender who did well under supervision and met all the requirements," said Keith Acree with the Department of Correction. "The court reviewed the case and agreed it was eligible for early termination."

According to Department of Correction files, McNeill's criminal record dates back to July 2001, when he was charged with shooting three people in their car.

McNeill pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was placed on probation.

The mother of two of those victims told ABC11 Eyewitness News she is still angry that McNeill was allowed to cut a deal.

"I'll never forget Mario's face," victims' mother Flora Green said. "They showed his face and I'm feeling guilty and been crying two days thinking of this."

Court records show since 2003 McNeill has been in and out or prison on a variety of charges, and often paroled.

While Department of Correction officials say even if McNeill was still on probation, it might not have prevented the crime.

Green says she thinks McNeill got off too easy.

"If they would have kept him in jail, those charges would have stuck," Green said. "It wouldn't have happened. That's how I feel."

Shaniya Davis' father

As the investigation continues, there are allegations that the 5-year-old's father could have done more to prevent her death.

Bradley Lockhart, a contractor who spends most of his time out of state, was working in Utah when Shaniya turned up missing.

Shaniya Davis was living in her father's $240,000 home in an upscale Cumberland County neighborhood before he sent her to live with her mother in the Sleepy Hollow Mobile Park. Antoinette Davis has a history of drugs and prostitution.

Tim Allen, who is taking care of Lockhart's 17-year-old daughter after her father kicked her out of his home, says Lockhart's girlfriend, Ty, was doing a wonderful job taking care of the 5-year-old for months before her death.

"Yeah she was well taken care of, just always had her hair done and smelling good, just like she was her own biological child," Allen said. "I don't know if he met somebody out in Utah and basically Ty just went away ... and just went downhill from there."

Meanwhile, sources say a preliminary autopsy on Shaniya Davis has been completed, though investigators have not released a cause of death or who killed her.

FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Fayetteville police announced Thursday night that 29-year-old Mario McNeill is charged with 5-year-old Shaniya Davis' murder.

Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine said during a press conference that officials have ruled Davis' death as a homicide.

The 5-year-old disappeared last Tuesday from her Fayetteville home. Her body was found days later in a wooded area south of Sanford in Lee County.

Preliminary reports reveal that she most likely died of asphyxiation, but testing has not yet been completed so a final autopsy report has not been released.

Police say they do not believe Davis was killed at the Sanford hotel where she was last spotted on surveillance video with McNeill -the same morning her mother reported her missing.

McNeill is now charged with first degree murder and first degree rape of a child. He was already charged with kidnapping Davis. McNeill is currently being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under no bond.

Shaniya's mother 25-year-old Antoinette Davis is also in jail on charges of prostituting her daughter.

Early Thursday, it was revealed that Cumberland County District Attorney Ed Grannis will take jurisdiction in the Shaniya Davis case.

The investigation is on-going, therefore officials say they are not releasing further details about the case at this time.

Mario McNeill charged with Shaniya's murder - 11/19/09 - Raleigh News - abc11.com

:applause:
]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines ~ KiLLa KaZi ~ http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-mario-mcneil-charged-murder-rape-5-year-old-shaniya-davis-1311181/ Nov 19 - Belgian Prime Minister Named 1st European President http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-belgian-prime-minister-named-1st-european-president-1311174/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:47:41 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/europe/20union.htmlzzzzz=global-home BRUSSELS — Leaders... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/wo...zz=global-home

BRUSSELS — Leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union on Thursday night chose Herman van Rompuy, the Belgian prime minister, as the European Union’s first president, and Catherine Ashton of Britain, currently the group’s trade commissioner, as its high representative for foreign policy. The vote was unanimous.

Both are highly respected but little known outside their own countries. After an eight-year battle to rewrite its internal rules and to pass the Lisbon Treaty that created these two new jobs, the choice of such unknown figures seemed to highlight Europe’s problems instead of its readiness to take a more united and forceful place in world affairs.

In a sense, Europe seemed to be living down to expectations. Earlier, the foreign minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, warned against a “minimalist solution” that would reduce the union’s “opportunity to have a clear voice in the world.”

“It is quite astounding,” said Olivier Ferrand, president of Terra Nova, a center-left research institute in France. “It is jaw-dropping. It is the end of ambition for the E.U. — really disappointing.”

The deal emerged as a result of backroom negotiations among leaders jockeying for future and more important economic portfolios that could be more powerful in the enlarged European Union, which is still more of an economic union than a political one and looks to remain so. Mr. van Rompuy (pronounced ROM-pow), 62, an economist, has been Belgium’s prime minister for less than a year, and Ms. Ashton, 53, has next to no foreign-policy experience and has never been elected to anything.

They are expected to take up their jobs on Jan. 1. Ms. Ashton must be endorsed by the European Parliament.Both emerged when Britain’s choice for president, Tony Blair, was met with overwhelming opposition, stemming from his past pro-American policies, support for the Iraq war and his star qualities. The British prime minister, Gordon Brown, finally bowed to the inevitable late Thursday afternoon and dropped his backing for his predecessor. By supporting Mr. van Rompuy, a Roman Catholic Christian Democrat from the center-right, who supported the positioning of American nuclear weapons in Belgium, Mr. Brown opened up the foreign-policy job to the center-left.

With support from fellow center-left leaders, Mr. Brown pitched Ms. Ashton for the bloc’s new foreign policy job.

A fresh opportunity for European leadership appeared to be the great promise of the Lisbon Treaty, which created the jobs of president and foreign policy chief and was approved earlier this month after years of political struggle. The idea had been to simplify the management of an enlarged European Union and to appoint senior European figures who could speak for the group.

But the leaders of Europe’s most powerful countries, France and Germany, did not want to be overshadowed. Nor apparently did their foreign ministers.

Thursday night, Mr. van Rompuy told reporters, mixing English, French and Dutch, that “I did not seek this job. But from tonight I will do it with conviction and enthusiasm.” He said he was reluctant to abandon the stewardship of Belgium, but said that “Europe is a union of values and has the responsibility of playing an important role in the world.”

The selection of Ms. Ashton — formally Baroness Ashton of Upholland — was particularly striking given the deep foreign-policy experience of both officials that she replaces in the European Union: Javier Solana, who had been Spain’s foreign minister and then secretary-general of NATO, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who had been Austria’s foreign minister.

By contrast, Ms. Ashton has had jobs in domestic policy and was appointed to the House of Lords by Mr. Brown in 1999. She was named leader of the House of Lords, in charge of steering government legislation through the chamber, in 2007. She was then appointed by Mr. Brown to the European Commission in October 2008. In her year as European Commissioner for Trade, she negotiated with foreigners and has impressed her colleagues.

Ms. Ashton told reporters that “it is a measure of my surprise that I have not prepared a speech.” She said that she was first British woman commissioner and first woman trade commissioner and was proud to be the first high representative. “Am I an ego on legs? I am not,” she said. “Judge me on what I do, and I think you will be proud of me.”

If the point of the Lisbon Treaty was to create a more prominent face for Europe, the result Thursday night was the opposite. It appeared to be a political deal that would do little to reduce the power, stature and influence of big nations or their foreign ministers.

“It’s going to be difficult to explain to the public why there was so much fuss about the Lisbon Treaty if all we get is someone no one has heard of,” said one E.U. official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Belgian prime minister, an economist who likes bowling duckpins and writing haiku, has earned respect for calming down ethnic tensions in Belgium in his 11 months as prime minister. Someone who met him recently described him as intelligent and humorous, but “timid.” He only reluctantly took on the job of Belgian prime minister, and he did not push himself forward for this one, making sure to consult with the Belgian king before he accepted the job.

One recent Van Rompuy haiku went this way: “A fly zooms, buzzes; Spins and is lost in the room; He does no one harm.”

In a sign of how little respect the foreign-policy job appeared to attract, the most prominent name mentioned previously to fill the job, David Miliband of Britain, the current foreign secretary, chose instead to work domestically to revive the fortunes of the Labor Party, widely expected to lose the next elections to the Conservatives. His choice to turn down a lucrative job in Brussels has only helped him in Britain. ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines MosDefinition http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-belgian-prime-minister-named-1st-european-president-1311174/ Nov 19 - Oprah calling it quits after 25th season http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-oprah-calling-quits-after-25th-season-1311148/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:39:46 GMT Harpo President Confirms Oprah Winfrey Ending Talk Show Run On Network TV Oprah Winfrey will... Harpo President Confirms Oprah Winfrey Ending Talk Show Run On Network TV

Oprah Winfrey will announce on Friday that her popular daytime talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," will end its run in 2011, Tim Bennett, the President of Harpo, announced in a letter released to ABC affiliates on Thursday.

"Tomorrow, Oprah will announce live on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular, influential and enduring programs in television history," he wrote in the letter, obtained by Access Hollywood. " The sun will set on the 'Oprah' show as its 25th season draws to a close on September 9, 2011."

link= Television show - TV Show - Yahoo! TV ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines jgamel81 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-oprah-calling-quits-after-25th-season-1311148/ <![CDATA[Nov 19 - 15 year old girl said hobby was 'killing people']]> http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-15-year-old-girl-said-hobby-killing-people-1311109/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:38:59 GMT JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A teenage girl accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor listed her hobbies in... JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A teenage girl accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor listed her hobbies in a YouTube profile as "killing people" and "cutting."

The Associated Press viewed 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante's YouTube profile before it was taken down.

Bustamante is charged as an adult with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Elizabeth Olten. Authorities say she confessed to digging two holes and to killing Elizabeth five days later because she wanted to know what it felt like.

A judge has entered a not guilty plea on Bustamante's behalf.

Slaying suspect said hobby was 'killing people' - Yahoo! News ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines nightmare http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-15-year-old-girl-said-hobby-killing-people-1311109/ Nov 19 - Man Blames Plane Noise For Divorce, Sues SFO http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-man-blames-plane-noise-divorce-sues-sfo-1311101/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:26:07 GMT Hillsborough man blames plane noise for divorce, sues SFO - Inside Bay Area... Hillsborough man blames plane noise for divorce, sues SFO - Inside Bay Area


The sound of a jet engine roaring overhead can be earsplitting. But a man living near San Francisco International Airport claims the noise was so powerful it ripped apart his marriage, too.

Stanley Hilton, 60, of Hillsborough, said in unique court papers that his wife of 13 years divorced him and took their young triplets with her last year because of "around-the-clock" jet noise at SFO. He also blamed his recent health and professional woes on the air and noise pollution, which he compared to bombs dropping in a war zone.

Hilton last week sued SFO, Hillsborough, the counties of San Mateo and San Francisco, dozens of airlines and jet manufacturers, and the real estate agents and couple that sold him his home on Darrell Road for $1.475 million in April 2003.

"The marriage went downhill almost immediately upon moving to this location," he said Monday. "The house became extremely uncomfortable with the smog and the noise, and it caused enormous problems that led to the divorce."

Although Hillsborough is not typically under SFO flight paths, Hilton said the reverse propulsion of the jets and the home's hilly surroundings create an amphitheater-type sound he cannot bear.

"When the aircraft take off, it sounds like bombs dropping. It's just nonstop like a sonic boom, all night long," he said.

Hilton filed the 16-page suit in San Mateo County Superior Court on Nov. 10, and he is representing himself. He is demanding $15 million on claims of public nuisance, negligence, assault, battery, fraud and breach of contract.

SFO representatives said they would not comment on pending litigation.

Hilton is a former civil litigation attorney with a law degree from Duke University and was an active member of the State Bar of California for most of the past three decades, records show. However, the Bar said courts deemed Hilton ineligible to practice law in August.

He also sued the property manager and owner of a San Mateo building for $20 million in August after he got stuck between floors in an elevator for an hour, arguing that it led to a "phobia of riding in elevators." ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines CALBEAR707 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-man-blames-plane-noise-divorce-sues-sfo-1311101/ Nov 19 - Customs agents seize 316,000 bongs http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-customs-agents-seize-316-000-bongs-1311096/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:20:18 GMT http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_13825376 LOS ANGELES — Customs officials say they got a... http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_13825376

LOS ANGELES — Customs officials say they got a surprise when they found 316,000 glass bongs disguised as Christmas ornaments at the Los Angeles harbor.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday that agents found the highly decorated drug pipes in 860 boxes shipped from China. The cargo, estimated to be worth more than $2.6 million, had been described as glass figures and Christmas ornaments.

The bongs were seized Tuesday at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex.

Customs spokeswoman Cristina Gamez says the importer remains under investigation and there have been no arrests. ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines CALBEAR707 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-customs-agents-seize-316-000-bongs-1311096/ Nov 19 - U.S. Advisory Panel Warns of Rampant Chinese Spying http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-u-s-advisory-panel-warns-rampant-chinese-spying-1311078/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:40:48 GMT U.S. Advisory Panel Warns of Rampant Chinese Spying WASHINGTON -- A U.S. congressional... U.S. Advisory Panel Warns of Rampant Chinese Spying



WASHINGTON -- A U.S. congressional advisory panel said Thursday that Chinese spies are stealing American secrets aggressively to use in building Beijing's military and economic strength.


The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission also said in its annual report to lawmakers that Beijing is building a navy that could block the U.S. military from getting to the region if fighting should break out between China and Taiwan, the self-governing island off China's southeastern coast that China claims as its own.


The report follows President Barack Obama's visit this week to China, where he had extensive talks with President Hu Jintao. The commission tends to take a tougher stance on China than either Obama or his predecessor, George W. Bush. Obama wants to nurture ties with a country the United States needs to deal with some of the world's toughest crises, including nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, climate change and global economic recovery.



The commission, which Congress set up in 2000 to advise, investigate, and report on U.S.-China affairs, said U.S. officials believe Chinese spying is "growing in scale, intensity and sophistication."


"China is the most aggressive country conducting espionage against the United States," the report said.


Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, discounted the spying allegations "baseless, unwarranted, and irresponsible."


He called the commission's suggestion that China's navy is being built up to challenge the United States in the Pacific a "Cold War fantasy." Beijing's military spending is only a fraction of Washington's, he said.


More generally, Wang accused the commission of recycling old, unproven allegations and issuing an annual report "aimed at misleading the American public."


The report said China was the origin of much of the rise in malicious computer attacks against the United States in 2009.


China's increased targeting of U.S. government and defense computer systems, the report said, could "destroy critical infrastructure, disrupt commerce and banking systems and compromise sensitive defense and military data."


Among the commission's recommendations are for Congress to review the U.S. ability to meet the "rising challenge" of Chinese spying and to fend off computer attacks.


Congress also should urge the Obama administration to push harder for China to reduce the number of missiles and forces opposite Taiwan, the commission said.




U.S. Advisory Panel Warns of Rampant Chinese Spying ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines bobbysteels18 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-u-s-advisory-panel-warns-rampant-chinese-spying-1311078/ Nov 19 - Dad accused of killing son over Molestation http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-dad-accused-killing-son-over-molestation-1310943/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:38:13 GMT Dad accused of killing son over sex with tot - Crime & courts- msnbc.com


HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. - A 37-year-old father irate over hearing his 15-year-old son had sexual contact with a 3-year-old girl made the teen strip at gunpoint, marched him to a vacant lot and shot him to death despite pleas from the boy and his mother, a relative said.

Michigan authorities filed a first-degree murder charge Wednesday against Jamar Pinkney Sr. in the shooting death Monday of Jamar Pinkney Jr. in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park.

Defense attorney Corbett O'Meara said prosecutors should consider evidence of the father's state of mind over the sex abuse report.

"If something were to happen that would cause a reasonable person to lose control of himself, that is something the prosecution would have to take into account," O'Meara said outside Highland Park District Court.

Tensions were high in the courtroom Wednesday as the handcuffed suspect was led into the room for the arraignment, which lasted less than a minute.

"No, No, No," one female relative cried before a police officer escorted her out.

‘Hard to deal with’
Judge Brigette Officer entered a not guilty plea for Pinkney, who's also charged with assault, and ordered him jailed without bond until a preliminary examination Dec. 1.

"This is something that's hard to deal with for all the parties concerned, including the police," police Chief Ted Caldwell said afterward. "Highland Park is a small city. These are people who have been members of the community for years."

Caldwell said the sexual misconduct allegation that led to the confrontation wasn't part of the police investigation.

The shooting happened Monday night in a vacant lot in the once-prosperous city of 16,000, where decay, abandonment, fires and demolition have eaten away at many of the sprawling homes. Highland Park recently exited years of state financial oversight.

Visitors built an impromptu memorial at the shooting site. Two votive candles sat amid 10 stuffed animals, including two white teddy bears with red hearts embroidered with, "I love you."

The boy's mother, Lazette Cherry, told the Detroit Free Press that her son told her he had improper sexual contact with the girl.

"I called and told his father. This isn't something you sweep under the rug," she said.

Cherry said the elder Pinkney arrived at the home with a gun, ordered his son to strip and marched him outside despite her protests.

"He got on his knees and begged, ‘No, Daddy, no,’ and he pulled the trigger," Cherry said.

Cherry did not immediately respond to a phone message Wednesday from The Associated Press seeking comment. ]]> BX Daily Bugle - news and headlines CALBEAR707 http://slumz.boxden.com/f5/nov-19-dad-accused-killing-son-over-molestation-1310943/