truesee's Blog

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/03/11-ways-the-ipad-could-ch_n_523828.html

Police are on the lookout for the man who assaulted a woman in a bunny costume.

FISHKILL, N.Y. -- Police said a woman dressed as the Easter Bunny to promote a Hudson Valley candy shop was slammed to the ground by a man who then ran away.
The 46-year-old woman, who was dressed in a white bunny costume, was not seriously hurt in the attack around 5 p.m. Wednesday outside the Alps Sweet Shoppe on Main Street in the village of Fishkill.

State police Investigator George Mohl said the attacker has not been caught.

The man was described as about 17 years old with blonde hair, wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a green zippered sweat shirt.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/04/02/2010-04-02_easter_bunny_is_assaulted_outside_candy_shop_in_fishkill_new_york_.html#ixzz0k59z7Xsh

Quayle to GOP: Be wary of Tea Party revolt

Former Vice President Dan Quayle is urging Republican leadership to reach out to to Tea Party voters, fearing a failure to do so could result in a 1992-redux.

In an op-ed to appear in Sunday's edition of the Washington Post, Quayle compares the Tea Party movement to the support for independent candidate Ross Perot in 1992. Bill Clinton defeated incumbent George H. W. Bush in that election, with Perot earning 19 percent of the vote.

Quayle asserts that most of those voters would have gone for his ticket in the absence of a third-party candidate. He writes, "to this day we firmly believe that Perot cost the Republican Party the White House."

Conversely, Quayle argues that the Republican's embrace of the a tax revolt movement that began in the late 1970s allowed Ronald Reagan to reach the Presidency.

Quayle writes, "As Reagan did 30 years ago, Republican leaders between now and 2012 should reach out, as Sarah Palin has done, to an independent grassroots movement whose energy and conviction the party badly needs."

Arguing that Tea Party demonstrators side with the GOP on issues of fiscal spending and national security, Quayle writes, "Whether they count themselves as Republicans, independents, libertarians or conservative Democrats, these are our folks -- the natural allies of the party of Reagan."

Obama stiff-arms Limbaugh and Beck

President Barack Obama pushed back against criticism from two of his most strident opponents, conservative talk hosts Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, in an interview aired Friday.

Asked by CBS's "Early Show" about the strong critiques of his time in the White House, Obama volunteered Beck and Limbaugh and said they have spewed "vitriol" against him.

"When you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, it's pretty apparent, but keep in mind that there have been periods in American history where this kind of vitriol comes out," Obama said. "It happens often when you've got an economy that is making people more anxious, and people are feeling that there's a lot of change that needs to take place. But that's not the vast majority of Americans. But that's not the vast majority of Americans."

Obama has faced tough opposition from the right, especially during the healthcare debate, which some Democrats have said has translated into acts of hate and violence against some lawmakers.

Some liberals and Democratic lawmakers have blamed Republicans and right-wing media, such as Limbaugh, Beck and Fox News, which hosts Beck show, of fueling such anger.

But Obama and other Democrats have called on Democrats to not place partisan blame for threats to lawmakers.

Obama also took a jab at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) in an effort to push back against comments that his healthcare plan is "socialist."

Romney created a healthcare law in his state several years ago that Obama has compared to his own. While making the comparison on Friday, Obama slipped and called the presumed GOP presidential candidate "current Republican nominee Mitt Romney."

Obama added, "This notion that 'Obama's a Socialist,' for example. Nobody can really give you a good answer."

Romney has said he opposes the Democrats' healthcare bill and has called for it to be repealed. He has acknowledged that there are some similarities between his universal healthcare law and the national law, but said that the differences outweigh the similarities.

Limbaugh responds to Obama

Jordan Fabian

The Hill

04/02/10 12:15 PM ET

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh responded to President Barack Obama's jab at him Friday.

During an interview that aired on CBS' "Early Show," Obama said:

When you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, it's pretty apparent, but keep in mind that there have been periods in American history where this kind of vitriol comes out...It happens often when you've got an economy that is making people more anxious, and people are feeling that there's a lot of change that needs to take place. But that's not the vast majority of Americans. But that's not the vast majority of Americans.

In an e-mail to conservative columnist Byron York and linked on the talker's website, Limbaugh said that voters are more worried about Obama's agenda than the economy:

I have yet to have a down year at the EIB Network... and most Americans do not believe President Obama is trying to do what's best for the country. Never in my life have I seen a regime like this, governing against the will of the people, purposely. I have never seen the media so supportive of a regime amassing so much power. And I have never known as many people who literally fear for the future of the country

KOMO Staff

Dwight Benson has racked up 18 reckless driving and alcohol-related convictions in the past 25 years. But he has been able to avoid jail time until Thursday.

SEATTLE -- He could be one of the state's most chronic DUI offenders.

Dwight Benson has racked up 18 reckless driving and alcohol-related convictions in the past 25 years.

And on Thursday, he was sentenced to a total of 39 months for his latest convictions stemming from a hit-and-run crash while driving under the influence.

The courtroom is a place Benson knows all too well. Since 1984, Benson has been convicted of 11 DUIs, five reckless driving charges amended from DUIs and two other reckless driving charges. Benson has also been convicted of driving with a suspended license nine times, and driving without a valid license 11 times.

But he has been able to avoid jail time until Thursday as all of his previous DUI convictions were misdemeanors since no one else was hurt in the incidents.

Before he received his sentence for his 11th DUI, Benson pleaded his case on Thursday, citing his status as a war veteran and claiming he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I want and need treatment for this disease, and I declare that I will never drink and drive again," he said.

But prosecutors argued Benson was given too many second chances over the years, and the judge agreed.

"I can't be assured that you won't go out and do those things you have consistently done over the past 25 years," said Seattle Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya.

Benson's latest crash occurred just a few yards from his house on on Sept. 13, 2009. A neighbor who heard the crash told investigators she looked out her window and saw that Benson had crashed into the driver's side mirror of another neighbor's car.

The woman said she watched as Benson, who looked intoxicated, sat behind the wheel for several minutes before pulling into his own driveway, detectives said.

The woman notified the owner of the damaged car, Sheryl Raqueno, who went to confront Benson. Raqueno said she found him sitting in the driver's seat of his car, apparently drunk.

"He couldn't talk to me straightly. He couldn't look at me. He was wobbly. He was stuttering. He just wasn't very cooperative," she said.

Raqueno called police, who arrived to find Benson "unsteady on his feet,' according to the sentencing memo. Benson admitted he'd been drinking, but denied having been in an accident, prosecutors said. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and as a result, his license became ineligible for reinstatement, the document said.

Citing Benson's lengthy criminal record, Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes asked the judge for the maximum sentence allowed under the guideline.

"Mr. Benson does not have a valid driver's license and is not supposed to be driving. Not only does he ignore the fact that he does not have a license, but he also continues to drive after drinking," Holmes wrote in his memo. "He likely has the most convictions for alcohol-related driving offenses that this court will ever see."

The judge sentenced Benson to 365 days for the DUI, 365 days for driving with a suspended license and 90 days for hit and run. The three sentences were to be served consecutively.

LINK TO PHOTO

http://www.komonews.com/news/89750637.html

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93533?fp=1

Pet shop owner fined $1,000 for selling goldfish to teenager

Woman put under home curfew after undercover 'sting', court told

Shop owners suspected of selling alcohol and cigarettes to underage customers have long been the target of "stings" by trading standards officials. But now a pet shop business has fallen foul of animal welfare laws by selling a goldfish to a 14-year-old boy.

He was sent in to make a test purchase by council staff investigating a complaint that the shop had previously sold a gerbil to a girl with learning difficulties who put it in a cup of coffee. The rodent subsequently died.

The teenage undercover agent bought the fish in Major Pets in Sale, Greater Manchester, without being questioned or given any information about its care. An animal welfare officer also found a <snip>atiel in the shop that was in such distress it had to be put down.

The shop owner Joan Higgins and her son Mark yesterday pleaded guilty at Trafford magistrates court to causing unnecessary suffering to the <snip>atiel and selling an animal to a person under 16 who was not accompanied by an adult. Higgins was fined $1,000 and put under home curfew between 6pm and 7am for the next seven weeks because she was unfit for community work. Her son, who manages the shop, was fined $750 and ordered to carry out 120 hours of community work.

Iain Veitch, head of public protection at Trafford council, said: "The evidence presented for this conviction clearly demonstrates that it is irresponsible to sell animals to those who are not old enough to look after them. We have many responsible pet shops in the borough. However, let this conviction send out a message that we will not tolerate those who cause unnecessary suffering to animals."

Vatican Lashes Out At The New York Times Over Sex Abuse Coverage

VICTOR L. SIMPSON | 04/ 1/10 04:08 PM |

VATICAN CITY — Cardinals across Europe used their Holy Thursday sermons to defend Pope Benedict XVI from accusations he played a role in covering up sex abuse scandals, and an increasingly angry Vatican sought to deflect any criticism in the Western media.

The relationship between the church and the media has become increasingly bitter as the scandal buffeting the 1 billion-member church has touched the pontiff himself. On Wednesday, the church singled out The New York Times for criticism in an unusually harsh attack.

Western news organizations, including The Associated Press, have reported extensively on the burgeoning scandal, and new details have emerged on an almost daily basis.

On Holy Thursday, Benedict first celebrated a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica dedicated to the union between the pope and the world's priests. In the late afternoon, he washed the feet of 12 priests in a ceremony symbolizing humility and commemorating Christ's Last Supper with his 12 apostles on the evening before his Good Friday crucifixion.

Although there were expectations by some that the pope would address the crisis, Benedict made no reference to the scandal at either ceremony.

Venice's Cardinal Angelo Scola expressed solidarity with Benedict in his Holy Thursday homily in the lagoon city, describing him as a victim of "deceitful accusations." He praised the pope as seeking to remove all "dirt" from the priesthood.

Warsaw Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz said the church should take notice of individual tragedies and treat sex abuse cases very seriously, but at the same time, he criticized the media for "targeting the whole church, targeting the pope, and to that we must say `no' in the name of truth and in the name of justice."

And Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, speaking of Benedict's long years as head of a Vatican office that investigates abuse, said the future pope "had a very clear line of not covering up but clearing up."

He had also reflected on the issue at a Wednesday evening service:

"I admit that I often feel a sense of injustice these days. Why is the church being excoriated? Isn't there also abuse elsewhere? ... And then I'm tempted to say: 'Yes, the media just don't like the church! Maybe there's even a conspiracy against the church?' But then I feel in my heart that no, that's not it."

The church on Wednesday presented its highest-level official response yet to one of the most explosive recent revelations regarding sex abuse – a story in the Times on the church's decision in the 1990s not to defrock a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting deaf boys.

It was the latest in a series of attacks on the press. Last week, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaperdenounced what it said was a "clear and despicable intention" by the media to strike at Benedict "at any cost."

On Thursday, the newspaper carried a story on its front page on German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcoming efforts to stem sex abuse, headlining "German chancellor praises the Catholic church."

In the article posted Wednesday on the Vatican's Web site, Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote: "I am not proud of America's newspaper of record, The New York Times, as a paragon of fairness."

Levada, an American, said the newspaper wrongly used the case of the Rev. Lawrence Murphy to find fault in Benedict's handling of abuse cases.

A Times spokeswoman defended the articles and said no one has cast doubt on the reported facts.

"The allegations of abuse within the Catholic church are a serious subject, as the Vatican has acknowledged on many occasions," said Diane McNulty. "Any role the current pope may have played in responding to those allegations over the years is a significant aspect of this story."

The Vatican newspaper also carried a front-page commentary to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Benedict's predecessor, the much beloved Pope John Paul II.

The article said John Paul wanted Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to work by his side from the early years of his papacy. John Paul brought the archbishop of Munich to Rome to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the powerful office that among other things investigates clerical sex abuse.

Planned Sarah Palin CSU speech stirs California protest

Daniel B. Wood Wed 

Los Angeles – A controversy is erupting over Sarah Palin's June speaking engagement at a campus of California State University.

A student protest group and other critics want the university to reveal how much they're paying her, which they suspect might be more than $100,000. A professor has started a Facebook gripe group. And a state senator is pressuring university officials to disclose Ms. Palin’s compensation or be prosecuted under state law.

The CSU speech, held at the Stanislaus campus in Turlock, will celebrate the university’s 50th year. CSU officials have publicly stated they cannot release Palin’s compensation due to a confidentiality term in her contract. But Sen. Leland Yee (D) of San Francisco, who chairs of the committee on public records and open meeting laws, says the public – including students – have a legal right to the information.

The incident has ignited debate over the role of university speakers and free speech.

Controversial speakers stir the pot“Most sensible people understand that colleges should give a forum to controversial speakers in order to make students and others think and react,” says Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia. “We have a ‘stirring-the-pot’ role to play in society. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay big bucks in tough times to give controversial speakers a platform. Expenses are one thing; a big fat speaking fee isn’t free speech.”

On campus, the vitriol erupted almost as soon as Palin’s engagement was announced.

“We are demanding that the CSU Foundation disclose the full amount paid for Mrs. Palin's speaking fee and all other expenses associated with the contract that both parties have entered,” said Alicia Lewis, CSU Stanislaus student leader, in a statement.

Zoology professor Patrick Kelly, who started the anti-Palin Facebook page, says, “The Foundation’s board of directors are not only dismissive of the need to involve faculty, staff and students in the selection of the keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary gala, they apparently are also tone deaf to the mission and purpose of our university.”

“Do they understand how disrespectful and damaging this secretly-conducted pursuit of celebrity and controversy is to the faculty, staff, students, graduates and legacy of CSU Stanislaus?” asked Professor Kelly in a statement.

State politics involvedThe controversy has found its way to the state capitol.

“CSU Stanislaus officials sought out Sarah Palin, negotiated her contract behind closed doors, and are now welcoming her to our public university, yet they think they are above the law in disclosing to the public the cost of her appearance,” said Senator Yee, in a statement. A law authored by Yee in 2008 states that regardless of any contract term to the contrary, a contract between a private entity and a state or local agency is subject to the same disclosure requirements as other public records.

Yee says if the university’s administration has documentation of the Palin contract – which he claims “would be logical” considering the foundation is fully staffed by public employees within the administration – then state law would require the release of such information at the request of a member of the public. “State law is explicitly clear that such confidentiality clauses hold no legal bearing,” he says. “If the CSU administration has documentation of this compensation contract, then they need to immediately disclose it. Students and members of the public deserve and have a right to view this contract.”

Add another speaker for balance?Others say the speaker should be broadly acceptable to avoid spoiling the day for some grads and their families. Still others say an opposing speaker could balance the festivities.

"The Palin invite is good," says Robert Langran, political science professor at Villanova University. "It would also be good for the school to bring in another speaker with the opposite point of view to try to achieve a balance."

Whatever the objections, many say they are exacerbated by tough economic times. A national day of action saw student rallies that began in California spread nationwide in protest of cuts in education. There were campus strikes and sit-ins.

“Our students are being slammed by enormous fee hikes while cuts mean they can’t get the classes they need,” says Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association. “This resistance to transparency is another slap in the face. CSU executives are at the top of these so-called auxiliaries, and they need to show more respect for the people they supposedly serve.”

CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani has declined to comment about Palin's appearance, referring questions to Matt Swanson, president of the university foundation which invited Palin. "I am thrilled that we're in a country where we can exercise our free speech," Swanson told the Sacramento Bee.

02/04/201000:32

Russian official charged with selling MiG jets for $5

RIA Novosti. Sergei Subbotin 

A former Russian state official has been charged with illegally selling MiG-31 Foxhound aircraft hulls at a price of 153 rubles ($5) each instead of $3.7 million in 2007, investigators said.

"In March 2010, while probing the criminal case on fraudulent activities performed at the time when four state-owned MiG-31 planes were sold, a former employee of [state reserves agency] Rosrezerv was charged with large-scale fraud," investigators said.

The criminal case was launched in summer 2009. The sale came to light after an anti-corruption check was carried out to see whether regulations were followed during the sale of items from the Sokol Aircraft Construction plant located in the Russian Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The employee, who has not admitted his guilt, faces five to ten years in jail if found guilty.

According to prosecutors, in October 2006 - July 2007, unidentified officials from the local department of the Agency for State Reserves unlawfully included four MiG-31 hulls (without engines and weapons) into a list of sale items.

As a result, long-range supersonic interceptor aircraft that were not for sale were purchased by a dummy firm, Metalsnab, which was not entitled to trade in arms and military hardware.

The asking price of the MiG-31 hulls was significantly undervalued by a local valuation company.

According to the valuation report one hull was valued at 153 rubles ($5) - this initial price was accepted during bidding and the MiGs were sold at this price. However, one hull actually costs around 116 million rubles ($3.9 million at current rates).

http://www2.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/how_easy_is_it_to_order_a_prostitute_in_columbus/24111/P10/

        APRIL FOOLS!!!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/03/31/lavandera.tea.party.diversity.cnn

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-0331-boy-basketball-star--20100330,0,1200283.story

Sarah Palin's inspirational special to air on Fox News Thursday will have to find another rapper to be inspired by, after LL Cool J blasted the net for using a canned interview without his permission.

LL Cool J, who had a hit called "Mamma Said Knock You Out," may be thinking the same about the folks behind Sarah Palin's inspirational new show for the Fox News Channel.

Less than 24 hours after Fox announced the launch  of  Palin's series "Real American Stories,"  LL Cool J, now starring in CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles, " was claiming people were being mislead.

The network's release for the show, included a line reading:  "Additionally, rapper and actor, LL Cool J, and the former  chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, will both speak about their success in this country in a segment entitled,  ' In Their Own Words.'"

What wasn't said, however, was that the LL Cool J moment was taken from an interview done with Fox in 2008, where he talks fondly  about  his grandfather.

"Fox lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else  and  are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palin's  show. WOW," he wrote on Twitter.

The clip of LL Cool J intended for the show was a minute and eight seconds long. After hearing of his dissatisfaction, Fox programmers pulled the moment from the show.

"‘Real American Stories' features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith's interview fit that criteria," FNC head of programming Bill Shine said in a statement.  "However, as it appears that Mr. Smith does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career."

The series, which will air Thursday at 10, includes an interview with a stockbroker who donates much of his money to help kids go to college, and country singer Toby Keith.

The LL Cool J kerfuffle is the latest twist in Palin's rise in the media world. She became a contributor to the Fox News Channel earlier this year and as part of that deal, got an occasional series called "Real American Stories."

Outside of Fox she recently signed a deal with Discovery Networks to be part of "Sarah Palin's Alaska," an eight-part documentary produced by Mark Burnett that will air on TLC.

Discovery paid just under $1 million an episode for the show, which will mean Palin, and Kate Gosselin, two media and blogger lightning rods, will appear on the same cable network.

Of course, the flap over LL Cool J's interview clip will also generate more interest — negative and positive — in Palin's new show launching Thursday.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/03/31/2010-03-31_sarah_palin_special_has_ll_cool_j_clip_scrapped_after_rapper_blasts_fox_news_for.html#ixzz0jmr1l02a