Quick and simple answer to last times puzzle. There are actually two.
e file read "encrypted". The program "sees" this word and loads the seed file. Decryption can then take place.
Save the seed either at the start or at the end of the file. Whichever position you choose, a simple identifier block at the start of the seed will help (e.g. have the character ENC at the start of the seed.
Okay, the main subjects for today - preprocessor.
The above picture is how the Acorn C front end application looks when the preprocess option is selected. Different compilers will not look like this.
The preprocessor is a very handy part of the C compiler. It has a number of functions which you may have already seen if you've selected the preprocess only icon in the Acorn C front end program. What this does is to run through all the files that you've #include-d in your main source code, inserting the parts of the included file which are needed.
If the parts aren't there, the preprocessor tells you in the throwback screen.
The preprocessor also runs through the C file expanding on any function-like macros (and also macros which are not function like) which have been inserted to save you time.
If you compiled this, the preprocessor would expand the char and telephone array sizes to read the values for MAXADDR and LINELEN. This has a couple of advantages. Firstly, if you wanted to make the database larger, you just change MAXADDR and secondly, any loop which searches all the database from 0 to MAXADDR-1 will now count to the new size of MAXADDR - upshot being that you don't have to go through your source file searching for all occurences of the (say) search loop.
The line answer=MULTIPLY(6,9) is converted to answer=6*9 by the preprocessor. These function like macros save the programmer (and usually also the program) a great deal of time in development.
Okay then, what's the program doing?
Firstly, we have set up a function like macro which has defined RANGE to take three variables - the random number, the max and minimum values and then compare the random number to these values. If the values fall outside this range, then a TRUE value is returned, otherwise a FALSE is returned.
There are a couple of problems with the function like macros.
Firstly, only simple operations can be included; you can't define an entire function in the function like macro. Secondly, as the code is duplicated on each call to the macro, the overall runtime file will be larger than if a normal function were used.
The #ifdef and #endif are both examples of a conditional compilation.
If the source file was to be compiled on a LINUX box, then the snippet would be ignored totally. Infact, if it was compiled under Acorn C it would be ignored as Acorn C defines __riscos and GCC defines __riscos__.
As soon as the first expression is TRUE, the lines associated with it are compiled and the rest skipped.
and macro-name had been defined, the code associated with the #ifdef will be compiled.
The compliment of #ifdef is #ifndef; if the macro name has not been defined previously. Here, you can define the macro.
A good example of using #ifdef is when debugging a program. The example on the cover disc (and websites) called debug shows how this is performed.
ANSI C has five macros predefined. The five are all succeeded and followed by two underscores __.
__DATE__ defines a string holding the current system date. This can have the form of either month/day/year or day/month/year depending on which country you're in (though strictly speaking, it shouldn't).
__TIME__ defines a string containing the time at which compilation began. It has the form hour : minute : second.
__STDC__ is defined as the value 1 if the compiler conforms to ANSI standard.
All the inbuilt macros are defined and fixed at compile time.
A second example, this time with __LINE__ defined.
These are the final parts of the preprocessor which I'll hit upon for now.
# turns the function like macro into a quoted string while ## concatentates two identifiers.
The program returns "value is 10". Why, well, MAKESTRING was passed value. This was converted into a string which was outputted.
This program creates the macro output which is translated into a call to printf. The value of the two variables which end in 1 or 2 are displayed. This means when compiled and run we get 10 20 99 -10. You may not have thought this, after all, the call to output doesn't contain a defined variable.
What has happened is the macro has concatenated the number 1 or 2 onto the variable passed to give the correct variable names.
Further examples of these inbuilt macros can be seen if you look in any of the library files (such assert.h or swi.h).
#include <> or #include ""
Up until now, you will have only come across #include < .... >. This tells the compiler to search along a specific path until the file you've asked to be included has been found (in Acorn C, this is defined as C:, but you can define extra paths to search along).
is not the same. When you create an application, you may decide to create a file which will contain (say) the variable required for the program or a structure containing the values for a SWI. For this, you will have a directory set up called h.
Your program will be stored in the c directory and will move up the tree one point (into the parent directory, e.g. $.) and then down into the h directory to load in the h file requested by the main source code.
The <> files are also the ANSI standard ones. Trying to compile one of your self created h files using the <> brackets will cause the compiler to complain that the file is not an ANSI standard one and then not compile the program.
That's enough for now. Next time, function pointers and memory allocations.


Last year Old Forester got started with its new Whiskey Row Series of Bourbons with its 1870 Original Batch Bourbon, meant to recreate the company's batching process that it introduced in that year. Now comes OldFo's 1897 Bottled in Bond, the next in the series, is bottled in honor of the 1987 Bottled-in-Bond Act and a recreation of Old Forester's production at the time. Lightly filtered and stored in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, it is bottled at 100 proof (as specified by the BiB regulations).
This is a blazer of a bourbon, with an instantly, notably hot nose. Push through the raw alcohol notes and you get lumberyard, gingerbread, and butter cookie notes, all in a row. On the palate, the heavy alcohol character takes a while to dissipate, but eventually it opens with either time or a bit of water. Here you'll catch notes of (more) gingerbread, buttered toast, cloves, and plenty of wood notes. Over time, banana notes and some raw cereal character emerge. The classic Bourbon vanilla notes are a bit dulled here, giving this whiskey a more rustic composition, but that may just be what Old Forester had in mind in whipping this whiskey up.
It's (already) not my favorite in the lineup, but as a look back to the past, it's a worthwhile experiment.
I love this bourbon. Agreeable, drinkable. A delight to body and soul.


Tell you if you are likely to have serious foot problems. If you have serious foot problems, your feet should be checked at EVERY VISIT to your doctor.
Remember, your doctor can be a valuable ally in helping to guide you. Make sure the lines of communication with your doctor are open. It is best to have a forward thinking, open minded doctor rather than a "Know it all." An open minded doctor will be more aware of standard and alternative treatments that can assist you.


The young French prodigy Kylian Mbappé heads the CIES Football Observatory table for the U21 big-5 league players with the highest estimated transfer values. The Paris Saint-Germain striker outranks Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) and Leroy Sané (Manchester City). The top 100 list is available in the issue number 206 of the Weekly Post.
According to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory's algorithm, during the last three months, the transfer value of Kylian Mbappé has increased from €133.8 M to €182.8 M (+37%). This allowed him to outrank Dele Alli, whose transfer value remained stable at around €180 M. Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan) top the rankings in their respective leagues.
The estimated transfer values for all big-5 league players are available in the ratings module of the CIES Football Observatory's website. This widget allows you comparing transfer value trends. Media and clubs interested in this tool or in our services can contact us.


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Michael Hingston: Sportsnet's Mark Spector relives the Battle of Alberta
Michael Hingston
Sportsnet's Mark Spector has written a book called The Battle of Alberta. Photo by Bruce Edwards /Edmonton Journal
In a way, it's the last story that needs telling in this city.
A young squad fresh off expansion, the Edmonton Oilers emerged in the 1980s to become one of the NHL's great dynasties. Led by a fistful of future Hall of Famers, including a lanky kid named Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers went on to win five out of a possible seven Stanley Cups from 1984 to 1990.
This might not be news to you.
Along the way, no team posed a more reliable hurdle for the Oilers than their provincial rivals. The Calgary Flames couldn't match them on pure skill — who could? — but they were just as tough. Whenever the two teams crossed paths, things got ugly. If not on the scoreboard, then in the penalty box. Eventually, Gretzky got traded, the Flames saw their playoff opportunity and they took it, bringing home a Cup of their own in 1989.
This, too, you may have caught wind of.
In the world of sports-page beat reporting, in-game colour commentary and online trash talk, the "Battle of Alberta" is well-worn territory. And in his foreword to Mark Spector's new book on the subject, former Flame Theoren Fleury writes, "This book should have been written a long time ago."
Except it hasn't. Why not?
"That's a good question," Spector says. The Edmontonian was just 18 when the Oilers made their first Stanley Cup run, and hockey has been part of his life ever since: he covered it first for the University of Alberta's student paper, then for long stints at the Journal and the National Post, and now as a commentator at Sportsnet, where he's worked since 2008.
Spector figures that most of the experts got their fill of the Battle while it was still happening.
"Everybody covered the Oilers of the '80s so much, minute by minute. Maybe some of those guys — I know every single one of them — have yet to see the forest for the trees."
Either way, Spector has stepped in to fill the void. The Battle of Alberta (McClelland & Stewart) features new interviews with just about every principal character from that era, and tries to reconstruct the glory days of Death Valley (as Alberta was affectionately known around the NHL at the time).
For most of those players who lived it, the Oilers-Flames rivalry was the highlight of their careers, if not their lives.
"It's easy to get guys talking about those days," Spector says.
One of Spector's inspirations for writing the book was that he knew pretty well all of those main players already, and that's a fair indicator of how the resultant text reads. The Battle of Alberta is laden with first-person asides and digressions, as well as a generally chummy tone that suggests no feelings were hurt in its preparation. Those looking for dirt will come up empty-handed.
For his part, Spector disagrees that he's too close to the material. He says he wasn't swayed to alter the material to make anyone look good. "Pretty much everything I learned made the book."
What really harms it, however, isn't Spector's flattery of the players, but of his colleagues in the press gallery. In general, Spector is smart to devote time to the Battle's peripheral elements, including the referees, the Flames's scouting staff, and even brawlers Stu Grimson and Dave Brown, whose on-ice rivalry led to Oilers training staff spraying Brown's jersey with silicone so Grimson couldn't get hold of it during their next bout. These sections add welcome colour to the book.
But then Spector drops in a chapter-long ode to the media before he's described a single Stanley Cup win. Its first page warns, "If you'll suffer a rant for a moment …" before going on to complain about how tough sports reporters have it now. Not like in the good old days, he says, when Spector and his pals enjoyed more access, easier assignments, and looser deadlines.
The flip side to this, of course, is that readers were beholden to what a tiny, homogeneous group of journalists reported back to them. Obviously the reporters enjoyed that balance of power. But it didn't automatically make for great journalism; one colleague, for instance, brags to Spector about being "like best friends" with some of the players, or "like part of the team." Spector isn't quite so in the tank as that. But his own warming proximity to his subjects, on both sides of the boards, sends much of the book closer to nostalgic bar anecdotes than clear-eyed reportage.
Lately, Oilers management has been raked across the coals for relying too much on memories of past glory. But I asked Spector: What might today's team learn from his book?
"No one hates each other anymore. Maybe that sounds a little antiquated, but I feel like the Oilers are a very easy team to play against. They don't back each other up like they did in the old days.
"The Oilers used to be not just a hard team to play against because they scored six a night. They were a hard team to play against because if you messed with one of them, you messed with 20 of them. Those days are long gone."
A few days after our conversation, Connor McDavid et al played in the season's first Battle of Alberta and the rookie came away with two goals, an assist, and a couple of highlight-reel moves as the Oilers routed the Flames 5-2.
Only one fight, but I suspect Spector was satisfied with the result anyway.
Mark Spector launches The Battle of Alberta at Audreys Books (10702 Jasper Ave.) Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
hingston@gmail.com
twitter.com/mhingston

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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TreadRight
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The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation created as a joint initiative by Highland Explorer Tours and our sister brands under The Travel Corporation (TTC). TreadRight's mission is clear; to have a positive impact on the people and communities we visit, to protect wildlife and marine life, and to care for the planet we call home.
TreadRight has supported over 60 sustainable tourism projects worldwide to date. Support is provided through donations and grants to leading partners across the sustainable travel spectrum. These projects all fall under the three pillars of TreadRight: Planet, People, Wildlife.
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Reducing the environmental impact of our business isn't just a "nice-to-have" for us, it's at the core of all that we do. Together with The Travel Corporation (TTC), we've committed to eliminating all avoidable single-use plastics in both our offices and out on the road by 2022.
Our fleet of coaches are some of the most efficient in Europe, thanks to the technology of the Euro 6 engine. All of this, while supporting projects striving to keep our oceans and coastlines clean, are just some of the ways we've committed to safeguarding the future of our planet.
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At TreadRight, we are committed to encouraging the cultures, traditions and arts of the communities we visit to thrive. We seek to enable these communities to see the true benefit from tourism through economic empowerment. We do this through our support of micro-enterprises, and community-based tourism initiatives that build positive futures for community members and their families.
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The world's wildlife population is balancing on a dangerous precipice, so it is our responsibility to protect those species most at risk. Partnering with leading wildlife organisations, we work to protect and rehabilitate elephant, rhino and big cat populations around the world, while also educating our guests on ethical wildlife experiences.
As part of TreadRight and TTC's continuing journey to encourage the ethical treatment of animals by the travel industry, TreadRight has updated our Animal Welfare Policy for all wildlife experiences offered by TTC's family of brands.


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Back in shape: Maine's famous spinning ice disk says hello
The Westbrook ice disk has returned to the Presumpscot River below Saccarappa Falls, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Westbrook, Maine. The disk has begun to form in the Presumpscot River, where it partially formed in 2020 but failed to draw a worldwide audience like in its first appearance in 2019. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via AP)
WESTBROOK, Maine (AP) — Maine's famous rotating ice disk is back.
The disk has begun to form in the Presumpscot River, where it partially formed in 2020 but failed to draw a worldwide audience like in its first appearance in 2019.
Westbrook city officials shared photos of the formation Wednesday on Facebook,encouraging residents to share more images of the disk while it's still around.
Ice disks form as a result of a current and vortex under the ice. Ice sheets begin to spin and then form into circles. But ice disks this large rarely form in locations like Westbrook.
City officials discouraged anyone from attempting to go out on the ice: "It is not safe."
Three years ago, a 100-yard-wide (91 meters) ice formation appeared in the river for the first time and brought international attention to Westbrook before it dissipated with the advent of warmer weather.
Tennessee man jumps into frigid water to save woman trapped in car
by Kristen Gallant, Nexstar Media Wire / Jan 18, 2022
ROANE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A Tennessee man is being called a hero after jumping into frigid waters to save a woman's life.
Roane County was under a winter weather advisory on Sunday when Brody Roberts was driving to meet a friend at the gym. It had just started to snow.
Your Local Election Headquarters / 4 mins ago


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MARKET WRAP – STOCKS RALLY
Stocks rallied on the day after positive jobless claims data and some relief over fears in Greece. It looks like the EU is going to support Greece after all. Details on the support remain few, but investors are anticipating aid. The S&P 500 closed higher by 1%. The gains were led by big moves higher in commodities and tech. Volume was moderate and breadth was very strong at 3:1. The VIX lost over 5% on the day as fear continues to slowly come out of the market. The S&P is now down 3.2% for the year and just 6% from the highs set last month.
The U.S. Labor Department said that jobless claims were down 43,000 last week to 440,000, a bigger drop than was expected. The March 2011 eurodollars were up .015 at 98.625.
The U.S. Treasury sold $16 billion of 30-year T-bonds at a median yield of 4.64% with a bid to cover ratio of 2.36, weaker than expected. The March U.S. T-bonds ended down 10/32nds at 117.08/32nds.
Grains and Cotton
The USDA released its long-term projections today. In 2010-2011, they expect:
12.96 billion bushels of corn production and a 145 million bushel reduction of ending stocks.
3.23 billion bushels of soybean production and an 84 million bushel increase in ending stocks.
2.0 billion bushels of wheat production and an 11 million bushel reduction of ending stocks.
7.74 million tons of sugar production and a 457,000 ton increase in ending stocks.
15.90 million bales of cotton production and a 280,000 bale increase in ending stocks.
All of the above estimates are likely to change at next week's annual USDA Ag Forum.
The weekly USDA grain exports report should be released tomorrow after this week's winter storm disrupted work in the mid-Atlantic states. March corn ended up 2.75 cents at $3.645.
In today's long-term projections from the USDA, they said that they expect U.S. cattle inventory to reach a low of 91.9 million head in 2011 before steadily climbing higher thereafter. They also expect Nebraska choice steers to average 90.75 cents a pound this year and 94.19 cents a pound in 2011. April cattle were unchanged at 91.55.
The USDA also expects U.S. hog inventory to bottom at 64.98 million head in 2011 before expanding again. They estimated that cash hogs will average 45.53 cents per pound this year (61.5 cents lean) and 46.85 cents per pound in 2011. April hogs closed down .50 at 67.67.
Expectations that world demand will outpace production in 2010-2011 helped May cocoa close up $76 at $3,116.
May sugar closed up .97 at 26.90 while world stocks are still tight.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30's in central Florida on Saturday morning and early next week. Even so, that should not be cold enough to cause additional damage to the citrus crop. March orange juice fell 2.65 cents to $1.3430.
The International Energy Agency increased its estimate of world oil demand in 2010 to 86.5 million barrels per day, more than the U.S. Energy Department's estimate of 85.3 million barrels per day. April crude oil was up .83 at $75.72.
The weekly U.S. inventory reports for crude oil and natural gas will be released tomorrow due to this week's winter storms. This afternoon's 6 to 10 day forecast from the National Weather Service is expecting below average temperatures for the eastern half of the U.S.
April gold closed up $18.40 at $1,094.70, helped by the announcement of European aid to Greece and news that Vietnam's central bank lowered the value of its currency for the second time in three months.
May copper jumped up 14.30 cents to $3.1515, attributed the continuation of strong economic growth in China.
Australia's Bureau of Statistics said that the unemployment rate improved from 5.5% to 5.3% in January with a net gain of 52,700 jobs. That was much better than expected and the lowest unemployment rate in eleven months. The March Australian dollar closed up 1.50 cents at 88.89.
Leaders from the European Union announced that they have reached a deal to provide aid to Greece. Also, the unemployment rate in Greece increased from 9.8% to 10.6% in November. The March euro finished down .0048 at $1.3687.
Real GDP in Spain was down .1% in the fourth quarter of 2009 and down 3.1% from a year ago.
BULLISH SENTIMENT REBOUNDS
RAIL TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO TREND HIGHER


January 4 - The Central Bank of India, one of the country's leading nationalised banks, today became the Official Banking Partner for the Commonwealth Games in a Rs 50 crore (£7.5 million) deal.
January 2 - Michael Whitaker (pictured) has secured the biggest sponsorship deal in British show jumping history to help him prepare forLondon 2012 despite currently being banned from the Olympics because of the same rule that prevents sprinter Dwain Chambers from competing.
December 10 - Hero Honda, India's leading motorcycle manufacturer, and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), the state-owned power provider, both signed deals today to become major sponsors of next year's Commonweatlh Games in New Delhi.
December 10 - British Gymnastics has appointed Fast Track to find a lead sponsor for the sport in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympics and 2014 Commonweatlh Games in Glasgow and capitalise on the success of the likes of world champion Beth Tweddle and Olympic bronze medallist Louis Smith (pictured), they announced today.
December 7 - Yonex were today unveiled as the sponsor of the 2010 European Individual Championships to be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester in April.
December 3 - Mother, a London-based public relations and marketing firm, has won the contract to promote Coca-Cola's multi-million pound sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics.
November 30 - London 2012 today became the first Olympics and Paralympics to sign up a sponsor as its "official laboratory services" when GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) were unveiled as the latest Tier Three partner.
November 26 – Sarah Storey (pictured), the seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, will attempt one of the world's most spectacular cycling challenges, the Deloitte Ride Across Britain, which was launched earlier this year, to help raise money for British athletes competing in London 2012.
November 22 - The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has officially unveiled The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) as a major sponsor for the Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010, to be held in New Delhi, February 28 until March 13 next year.
November 21 - Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic (pictured) announced today he had signed a clothing deal with Sergio Tacchini that will start in January, ending a long association with German firm Adidas, the company that Britain's Andy Murray (pictured) on a multi-million pound contract earlier this month.
November 19 - England Hockey has signed a new partnership with Adidas, which will see the country's men's and women's national teams outfitted in the brand for the next five years.
November 18 - BMW will today be unveiled as the automobile partner of London 2012 after they sealed their latest multi-million pound sponsorship deal.
November 17 - Nick Sykes, the managing partner of McCann Worldgroup (MWG), is hoping that his company's partnership with London 2012 will help re-engergise them after the deal was officially launched at a reception attended by Sebastian Coe.


Your Feedback Is Important To Us | Dude, Where's My Freedom?
Last weekend, while I was running errands, I noticed something I found particularly interesting. Three separate establishments sought out my opinion on their level of service. Two were giant corporate behemoths. The clerks at both Wal-Mart and Taco Bell made a point of informing me that the back of my receipt contained instructions for how I could complete a survey, and by doing so would become eligible for a prize drawing. These companies valued my opinion so much they were actually willing to give me a prize for sharing it with them. The small business I went to (a local barber shop) also valued my opinion. They had a new barber on staff and after my haircut, the owner pulled me aside and asked what I thought of her (alas, no prize was offered). Everywhere I went that was part of the voluntary sector of the economy, my servers made it a point to let me know that they valued my feedback.
Contrast this to the service you receive in the coercive sector, the enterprises operated (and monopolized) by the government. Has a supervisor at the DMV ever pulled you aside and asked you how well the clerk who assisted you performed their job? Can you imagine a police officer directing you to a customer service survey after writing you a ticket? Would the military ever offer you a prize for sharing with them what you think of their policies and regulations? Of course not. All of these scenarios are laughable. The government is wholly disinterested in whether or not you approve of their edicts. They low-level bureaucrat could not care less about pleasing a customer.
These are primary examples of how human behavior is affected by incentives. Wal-Mart has every incentive to ensure your shopping experience is pleasant. If they fail to do this, you will potentially take your business elsewhere. This will result in lower revenues, leading to fewer profits. Improving the quality of service you receive, on the other hand, will potentially result in higher profits, thus increasing the personal wealth of Wal-Mart managers and shareholders.
The incentives for government bureaucracies, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. To the bureaucracy, a customer is not a source of revenue, but rather a nuisance. A pest that must be quickly dealt with and shuffled away as soon as possible. The revenue the agency receives is completely independent from the quality of services they provide. In fact, government agencies frequently cite low quality service as justification for receiving even greater amounts of taxpayer funding. The progressives shout that the reason government schools are failing is because they haven't received enough money. Rather than improvement being rewarded, continued failure is the sure path to increased cash flow in the coercive sector. There are no potential competitors to deal with. Any serf who dares complain about the low quality of service they receive from the government will promptly be told that if they want better service, they should have voted for higher taxes. Low quality service is a punishment that government inflicts on us intentionally, in order to coerce the populace into surrendering more and more of our individual wealth to the leviathan state.
This is one of many significant distinctions to keep in mind between the coercive and the voluntary sector. Even giant, faceless, multi-national corporations desperately value feedback from their customers. They value it so highly that they are willing to give away large prizes in exchange for it, and to set policies requiring their workers to inform you of their desire to hear from you. They spend large amounts of resources on market research, trying to find out how to better satisfy the needs, wants, and desire of the public at large. The government, once again, does the exact opposite. It spends vast amounts of (confiscated) money on advertising campaigns (marketed as "public service announcements" in a method that would make Orwell cringe) designed to convince you to conform to their standards of how they would like you to behave. Private companies try to find out what you want, while the state is in the business of telling you what to want, and demanding you adjust your expectations accordingly.
As a final point, consider how few of us actually complete these surveys. Most of us simply throw the receipt away. Our time is valuable and we simply cannot be bothered to take a few moments to provide feedback to a business (even one we patronize on a regular basis), even when the chance to win a valuable prize is offered. We just expect the company to figure it out, to essentially read our minds regarding how they could offer superior service. What a shocking and unrealistic expectation! Or at least it would be, if it didn't regularly happen. Despite the fact that so few of us are willing to provide feedback, companies still find ways to regularly improve the quality of their goods and services. We are so used to this continuous improvement that we completely take it for granted and just assume it will happen completely independently of our own actions.
In the voluntary sector of the economy, businesses just get better. It just seems to happen, in and of itself, as if gradual improvement is a defining attribute of private industry. Now consider your dealings with the government. Do they continually get better? Is improvement a defining attribute of the state? I didn't think so.
This entry was posted in General Theory and tagged corporations, customer service, Economics, feedback, government, incentives, surveys, wal-mart. Bookmark the permalink.


The Association maintains a database with information about the air ambulance crewmembers killed in action. You may click on any individual's name to read more about them.
The DUSTOFF Association has placed a memorial brick paver engraved with the name, unit, and date of death for each of the crewmembers listed on our memorial boards. The pavers are placed at the foot of our Hall of Fame wall at the Army Medical Department Museum. The wall and memorial were dedicated at the Annual Reunion on 22 February 2003.
The Memorials are dedicated to those crewmembers who are killed in the line of duty while performing a TOE-related mission. That translates to those that are killed on a mission flying the sick or wounded/injured, transporting critical medical supplies or moving essential medical personnel to perform a medical mission.


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SO META: Here Are the Mugshots of the Guys Who Allegedly Run Mugshots.com (And Why They Were Booked)
Posted: May 19, 2018 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice | Tags: Addis Ababa, Backpage, California, Crime, James Larkin, Michael Lacey, Money laundering, Prostitution, United States Department of Justice, Xavier Becerra | Leave a comment
The AG's statement claims that Mugshots.com owners got $64,000 from about 175 people with billing addressed in the state. That's over a three-year period. Of course, that falls way, way short of how much they raked nationwide: The four got over $2 million in "de-publishing" fees from 5,703 people.
Alberto Luperon reports: The alleged owners of Mugshots.com have been charged and arrested. These four men–Sahar Sarid, Kishore Vidya Bhavnanie, Thomas Keesee, and David Usdan–only removed a person's mugshot from the site if this individual paid a "de-publishing" fee, according to the California Attorney General on Wednesday. That's apparently considered extortion. On top of that, they also face charges for money laundering, and identity theft.
"This pay-for-removal scheme attempts to profit off of someone else's humiliation."
If you read a lot of articles about crime, then you're probably already familiar with the site (which is still up as of Friday afternoon). They take mugshots, slap the url multiple times on the image, and post it on the site alongside an excerpt from a news outlet that covered the person's arrest.
"Those who can't afford to pay into this scheme to have their information removed pay the price when they look for a job, housing, or try to build relationships with others. This is exploitation, plain and simple."
— Attorney General Xavier Becerra
According to the AG's office, the owners would only remove the mugshots if the person paid a fee, even if the charges were dismissed or if the suspect was only arrested because of "mistaken identity or law enforcement error."
You can read the affidavit here.
According to the complaint, a man identified as Jesse T. tried to have his mugshot removed. A friend had reached out to him, concerned he might be prison. T. discovered that his arrest information from Sept. 2, 2013 was posted on the site. It had his full name, address, gender, and the charge he was arrested for. He went to the link to get rid of the mugshot–unpublisharrest.com–but they demanded a $399 fee. He got in touch with the 800 number listed on the site, and when the man on the phone told him he needed to pay the fee, T. said that was illegal.
[Read the full story here, at Law & Crime]
"The man laughed and hung up," the affidavit said. The man hung up again when T. tried calling back to say he had proof clearing him of the charges. T. tried calling again three times on July 23, 2016. It went to a recording every time. After that, he got an unlisted call on his home phone, and he turned on a recorder before answering, the affidavit said. T. played the following message for investigators [sic, as written in the affidavit; his name is alternately spelled "Jesse" and "Jessie" in the document]:
Jessie T.: Hello
Unknown Male: -this third time tell you fucking bitch we'll never answer your calls again you've been permanently published faggot bitch.
Jessie T.: Hey I'd like my stuff removed.
Records cited by the affidavit showed that T. was only detained by cops, but his case was dropped due to lack of evidence. Even so, the damage was done. The incident was treated as "detention only." Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Lawmaker Wants Victims to be Able to Sue Sanctuary City Politicians
Posted: February 1, 2017 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Health and Social Issues, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: 2016, Crime, Donald Trump, Donald Trump presidential campaign, Executive order, Los Angeles, Mexico–United States border, New York City, Sanctuary city, Shooting of Kathryn Steinle, U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States | Leave a comment
Ernest Luning reports: A Colorado Springs Republican wants victims of what he calls "sanctuary city policies" to be able to file lawsuits and lodge criminal complaints against the "lawless politicians" who put the policies in place.
State Rep. Dave Williams, R-Colorado Springs, is pictured before his election on July 1, 2016, at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver. (Photo by John Tomasic/The Colorado Statesman)
State Rep. Dave Williams said Monday he plans to introduce "The Colorado Politician Accountability Act" this week, legislation aimed at holding officials criminally liable for the "carnage" committed by some immigrants.
"If being a 'sanctuary city' means that we value taking care of one another and welcoming refugees and immigrants, then I welcome the title."
"As the first Latino elected to Colorado House District 15," said Williams, who was first elected to the heavily Republican district in November, in a statement, "I think it's important that we do all we can to uphold the rule of law and ensure all communities, regardless of race or ethnicity, are protected from dangerous policies that are forced on us by radical, out-of-touch politicians who continually sell out to an unlawful agenda that increases the number of criminals, and needless deaths among our fellow citizens."
"It's beyond any reasonable thought as to why the Democrats, along with Mayor Hancock, would continue to not only act outside the law, which they swore to uphold but also enjoy immunity from their reckless decision to place Coloradans in danger because of the sanctuary city policies that they created and continue to implement."
Announcing the bill, Williams took aim at Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who said in a video posted online Friday that he was fine with calling Denver a "sanctuary city."
"If being a 'sanctuary city' means that we value taking care of one another and welcoming refugees and immigrants, then I welcome the title," Hancock said. Read the rest of this entry »
South Korean President Park Geun-hye Struggles to Avoid Impeachment
Posted: November 29, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Global, Politics | Tags: Blue House, Crime, Lee Young, Opposition (parliamentary), Park Chung-hee, Park Geun-hye, Political scandal, President of South Korea, Prosecutor, SEOUL, South Korea | Leave a comment
SEOUL (AP) — South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that she will resign — if parliament arranges the technical details — in her latest attempt to fend off impeachment efforts and massive street protests amid prosecution claims that a corrupt confidante wielded government power from the shadows.
"If the ruling and opposition parties discuss and come up with a plan to reduce the confusion in state affairs and ensure a safe transfer of governments, I will step down from the presidential position under that schedule and by processes stated in law."
— South Korean President Park Geun-hye
Opponents immediately called Park's conditional resignation offer a stalling tactic, and analysts said her steadfast denial that she has done anything wrong could embolden her enemies. The country's largest opposition party, the Minjoo Party, said it would not let Park's "ploy to avoid impeachment" interfere with a planned vote on impeachment on Friday.
"There is no possibility that the opposition parties will accept her offer; not when the public is this angry. She apparently wanted to buy more time, but in the end she might have hastened the end of her presidency."
— Yul Shin, a politics professor at Seoul's Myongji University
Park, who did not take questions from reporters after her live address to the nation, said she will "leave the matters about my fate, including the shortening of my presidential term, to be decided by the National Assembly," referring to parliament.
[ALSO SEE – South Korean president's office explains Viagra purchase]
"If the ruling and opposition parties discuss and come up with a plan to reduce the confusion in state affairs and ensure a safe transfer of governments, I will step down from the presidential position under that schedule and by processes stated in law," she said.
How exactly this might play out is still unclear. But some saw Park's speech as a clear effort to avoid leaving office, despite the resignation language. Read the rest of this entry »
America's Emerging Nationalism Crisis
Posted: November 14, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Economics, Health and Social Issues, History, Politics, Think Tank | Tags: Advertising, American Community Survey, Anthony Weiner, Attack ad, Barack Obama, Crime, Democratic Party (United States), Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Donald Trump, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton email controversy, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, James Comey, Republican Party (United States), WikiLeaks | 1 Comment
The United States has entered the era of ethnic nationalism replacing ideology in our politics—and there's no going back.
John R. Schindler writes: The election of Donald Trump as our next president heralds a new political epoch for the United States. Whatever his shortcomings as a candidate, the Republican nominee, a political neophyte, slayed both of the political dynasties that had more or less run our national life for the last three decades. There won't be anyone named Bush or Clinton around the White House for a good long while now. This is no mean feat, not to mention something for which all Americans who dislike dynasties should be grateful.
"Whatever one thinks of James Comey, who has managed to offend both right and left in recent months, the notion that his investigation of Hillary's emails, rather than her own mistakes as secretary of state—the steadfast refusal to use government email for government work, her 'private' server of bathroom infamy, all the highly classified information that wound up in her 'unclassified' emails, not to mention her innumerable lies about it all—constituted the real problem in EmailGate reeks of the purest Clintonism."
How Trump did it is being hotly debated. True to form, Hillary Clinton has announced that her loss is all the fault of the FBI and its director, whose eleventh-hour reopening of her email scandal sank her at the ballot box. Whatever one thinks of James Comey, who has managed to offend both right and left in recent months, the notion that his investigation of Hillary's emails, rather than her own mistakes as secretary of state—the steadfast refusal to use government email for government work, her "private" server of bathroom infamy, all the highly classified information that wound up in her "unclassified" emails, not to mention her innumerable lies about it all—constituted the real problem in EmailGate reeks of the purest Clintonism.
"This was more of the Marxistoid 'right side of History' blather that Team Obama has indulged in for the last eight years—and it was utterly wrong. To the surprise of no one who understands human nature, many whites didn't appreciate being told that they had to die off for 'progress' to be achieved."
Democrats are also pointing a finger at Moscow, claiming that its secret ties to the Trump campaign plus the clandestine help of Wikileaks, whose massive dumps of Democratic emails painted Team Hillary in a highly unfavorable light, ultimately did in Clinton, Inc. Here they're on somewhat firmer ground. Kremlin interference played a role in the campaign—exactly how much will be debated for decades—in a manner that should trouble all Americans.
"They didn't like being derided by their betters as 'bitter clingers' with their guns and Bibles, and they especially didn't like being termed 'deplorables' unworthy of compassion or consideration."
That said, there's not much to deny here, since Moscow has now admitted its previously hush-hush ties to Wikileaks and its contacts with members of the Trump campaign. Moreover, those who are now so eager to find Russians under every bed in Washington are the same people who pooh-poohed warnings about Wikileaks and the Kremlin—I was issuing them years ago—as scaremongering. It's too late now, the election's over. Time to move on, learn lessons, and accept the people's verdict.
[Read the full text here, at Observer]
Some Americans are clearly not ready to move on. Their radical fringe has been fighting in the streets, rioting and burning trees to show their displeasure, thereby proving true all the nasty things that Trump has said about the nut-left. The ugly nature of these outbursts has many wondering what has happened to the country. However, when Democratic leaders publicly denounce Trump and the Republicans as the party of "hate" it's not surprising that the country's perennially aggrieved lumpenriot contingent takes action.
Welcome to the Al-Sharptonization of the Democratic Party
"It cannot be denied that ethno-racial concerns played a role here—and that it was the Democrats who opened that can of worms."
At a certain level, how Trump won is so simple that most pundits—the same people who gave the president-elect no chance of winning—can't see it. The Republican nominee got enough white votes—especially among the working class, particularly in the upper Mid-West—to offset huge Democratic advantages among minorities and white professionals. This was the Sailer Strategy, named after the insightful blogger who coined the notion back in 2000. Steve Sailer's essential idea, that the GOP needed to max out the white vote to keep winning national elections in the face of changing demographics, was rejected by most Republicans as smacking of racism.
[Read the full story here, at Observer]
It cannot be stated too many times that the GOP establishment repeatedly rejected Sailerism. Indeed, leading Republicans often seemed to run in the other direction from its commonsense logic. The facts are clear: that Mitt Romney failed to get many votes from working-class whites in the very places where Trump just attracted them in droves caused the GOP to lose the White House in 2012.
[VIDEO] White House: Obama 'Concerned' But Doesn't Have Specific Ideas on Addressing Chicago Gun Violence
Posted: August 30, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Guns and Gadgets, Mediasphere, Self Defense, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago, Crime, Gun laws, Gun violence, Josh Earnest, media, murder, news, video, White House Press Conference | 1 Comment
[VIDEO] State Department Blames Criticism of U.S. Ransom Payment to Iran on…the Media
Posted: August 18, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Diplomacy, Global, Mediasphere, War Room, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Cash, Cinema of the United States, Crime, Hostages, Iran, Josh Earnest, media, news, Obama administration, Quid pro quo, Ransom, State Department, The Wall Street Journal, United States, United States Department of Justice, United States Department of State, video, White House Press Secretary | Leave a comment
The State Department admitted Thursday that the US would not hand over $400 million in cash to Iran until it released four American hostages — two weeks after President Obama insisted the payment was not a "ransom."
State Department spokesman John Kirby was asked at Thursday's press briefing: "In basic English, you're saying you wouldn't give them $400 million in cash until the prisoners were released, correct?"
"That's correct," Kirby replied.
In an Aug. 4 press conference, President Obama said the opposite.
"We do not pay ransom. We didn't here, and we won't in the future," the president told reporters, speaking of the Jan. 17 payment and hostage release.
Families "know we have a policy that we don't pay ransom. And the notion that we would somehow start now, in this high-profile way, and announce it to the world, even as we're looking in the faces of other hostage families whose loved ones are being held hostage, and saying to them 'We don't pay ransom,' defies logic," Obama added at the time. Read the rest of this entry »
Cops in Freddie Gray Case Suing Marilyn Mosby: 'Ulterior Motives in Charging the Officers'
Posted: July 28, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Baltimore, Baltimore City Public Schools, Brian Rice, Crime, Gray's Anatomy, Marilyn Mosby, Maryland, Police officer, Police van, Prosecutor, State's attorney | 1 Comment
The lawsuits allege false arrest, false imprisonment, defamation or false light, and other assertions. They were filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland in 2015 in late April and early May around the time the officers were arrested.
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is going from prosecutor to civil defendant in connection with the case of the death of Freddie Gray.
"Marilyn Mosby's comments in her press conference today confirm that the charges brought against my clients, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer William Porter, as well as the other four officers, were politically motivated and not supported by evidence to establish probable cause."
On Wednesday, Mosby announced that charges against three officers still facing trial were being dropped. Mosby gave only a statement, but had to leave without taking questions because five of the officers in the case have filed lawsuits against her.
People celebrate after State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced criminal charges against all six officers suspended after Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody in Baltimore. Photo: David Goldman/Associated Press
Officers Garrett Miller, Edward Nero and William Porter as well as Sgt. Alicia White and Lt. Brian Rice are suing Mosby and Maj. Samuel Cogen of the Baltimore Sheriff's Office. Cogen was the law enforcement officer who filed charging documents against the officers.
Gray died in a hospital on April 19, 2015, a week after police stopped him on a Baltimore street. After his arrest, officers placed Gray in the back of a police van, which made several stops.
When the van arrived at the police station, Gray was unresponsive. His neck was broken and compressed, prosecutors said in court, comparing the spinal injury to those suffered after a dive into a shallow pool.
Demonstrators destroy the windshield of a Baltimore Police car as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, in Baltimore, Maryland, April 25, 2015. Protesters returned to Baltimore's streets Saturday to vent outrage over the death of Gray. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
Rice and Nero had already been acquitted in separate bench trials. So had Officer Caesar Goodson, who apparently has not filed suit. Porter was the first to be tried but his case ended with the jury unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Mosby's office dropped the charges against Miller, Porter and White on Wednesday.
An attorney for two of the officers said Wednesday that there were ulterior motives in charging the officers.
"Marilyn Mosby's comments in her press conference today confirm that the charges brought against my clients, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer William Porter, as well as the other four officers, were politically motivated and not supported by evidence to establish probable cause," Michael E. Glass said.
He said his client suffered "extensive pain and suffering." Porter and White had been suspended without pay until Wednesday. They are now on desk duty after more than a year on leave.
Rice, the highest-ranking officer charged in the case, paints himself as minimally involved, according to court documents. Read the rest of this entry »
John Gibbs: 5 Things President Obama Needs To Say About Black Crime
Posted: July 21, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, Think Tank, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Baton Rouge, Crime, Dallas, Federal Bureau of Investigation, John Gibbs, Police Shootings, Race in America, The Federalist, United States Department of Justice, War on Cops | Leave a comment
John Gibbs writes: President Obama held a nationally televised town hall last week to address heightened tensions and divisions in our society due to recent shootings of black criminals by police, and the recent shootings of police officers in Dallas. Just days after the event, three police officers in Baton Rouge were assassinated, further highlighting the high stakes for how the president handles this issue.
I was invited to attend last week's town hall and ask the president a question, but ultimately could not make it. But I did watch it at home, and would like to highlight some key points President Obama did not to make, which could have begun the process of healing and reconciliation.
Indeed, Sunday's execution of three police officers in Baton Rouge shows what can happen when the president creates an atmosphere of racial victimization and blames police. So it is critical that Obama develops a new message that takes us in the right direction before things get worse and there's another incident.
With that in mind, here are the statements President Obama should have included in his remarks last week.
1. 'We Must, Must, Must Reduce the Black Crime Rate'
The black crime rate is significantly higher than that of other races. Yes, some would claim this is due to institutionalized racism or a lack of job opportunities. However, black crime was much lower in past eras when discrimination against black people was much higher, and the economic position of black people was much worse, than today. So that can be no excuse.
[Read the full story here, at thefederalist]
President Obama should have talked about how the overall crime rate for black people is three times higher than the national average. He should have noted how blacks commit homicide at a rate eight times higher than whites do, according to Department of Justice data. Even though blacks and Hispanics combined make up only 30 percent of the population, they make up more than 80 percent of all gang members in the United States. He should also have talked how even though black folks are only 13 percent of the population, we commit about 62 percent of all robberies and 56 percent of all carjackings. Obama should have then asked: "Is this really what Dr. King died for?"
2. 'We Must Put the Black Family Back Together'
Even though the studies clearly show that children born into single-parent homes have worse outcomes in nearly every area, sadly, today about 72 percent of black kids are born to unwed mothers. This has created a whole new generation of troubled young men who have an increased likelihood of entering a life of crime and getting themselves into altercations with the police that create these divisive incidents we see on the news.
26 Police Killed So Far in 2016, Up 44% from 2015
Posted: July 8, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Self Defense, Terrorism, U.S. News | Tags: Ambush, Crime, Dallas Massacre, Police, Police officer, War on Cops | 1 Comment
Dallas police chief David Brown says a gunman that was holed up downtown expressed anger for Black Lives Matter and only wanted to shoot white police officers. He was killed after police sent in a bomb robot.
"That's certainly a concern for us. It's troubling and it's something that we watch. It's really an assassination. You're taking advantage of an officer and you're ensuring that you're able to kill them through them either being vulnerable or through a complete surprise attack."
— Nick Breul, director of research for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
The number of police officers shot and killed in the USA is 44% higher than at this time last year following the Dallas ambush Thursday night that left five officers dead, according to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The deaths of four Dallas police officers and one Dallas transit officer from sniper fire during a protest in the city Thursday raised the national total of firearm deaths among police to 26. This compares with 18 at this point in time in 2015, said Nick Breul, director of research for the fund in Washington, D.C.
Breul said it was also the latest of 11 ambushes of police officers so far this year across the country, already outpacing the eight ambushes of law enforcement that occurred last year.
"That's certainly a concern for us. It's troubling and it's something that we watch," Breul, a former Washington, D.C., police officer, said about the shootings. Read the rest of this entry »
Alan Dershowitz: Did FBI Director Comey Exceed His Authority?
Posted: July 6, 2016 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, Politics | Tags: Alan Dershowitz, Crime, FBI, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Prosecutor, The Pantsuit Report | 2 Comments
Alan Dershowitz writes: FBI Director James Comey's statement recommending against prosecuting Hillary Clinton was unusual in several respects. First, it is not generally regarded as the job of the FBI to make judgment calls about whether or not to prosecute. Those judgment calls are supposed to be made by prosecutors. The job of the FBI is to investigate the facts and lay them out as objectively and completely as possible so that prosecutors can exercise their discretion and judgment.
Although technically the attorney general in this case could exercise independent judgment, she is unlikely to do so, having already said she would defer to the FBI's recommendation. So in this instance the FBI found the facts, applied the law and exercised prosecutorial discretion. A strange role for an investigative agency!
"The evidence in this case, as he described it, would not have justified a criminal prosecution. There is simply no precedent for indicting a former secretary of State for carelessness, even extreme carelessness."
Second, it is unusual for an FBI director to express opinions such as the kind that Comey made in his statement. He said that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of sensitive material. That is not a legal concept, but to lay people it could sound very much like "gross negligence," which is one of the statutory criteria for bringing a prosecution.
Normally when a prosecutor declines prosecution, all that is said is that there will be no indictment. It is rare, though not unprecedented, for a prosecutor to then go on to excoriate the object of the investigation. The question should be asked: Is that a proper role for the director of the FBI?
[Read the full text here, at TheHill]
Third, Comey used an unusual verbal formulation in discussing classified information. This is what he said:
"Only a small number of the emails containing classified information bore markings indicating the presence of classified information."
He did not explain what he meant by the words "bore markings." Does this mean that they were stamped "classified"? Or does it mean that there were indications within the text of the emails that would show that it was in fact classified? The confusion was exacerbated by Comey's next sentence in which he said the following:
"But even if information is not marked 'classified' in an email, participants who know or should know that the subject is classified are obligated to protect it."
Comey's use of the words "marked classified" seems to suggest that there is a distinction between emails that were marked "classified" and emails that "bore markings indicating the presence of classified information."
This use of different verbal formulations suggests that none of the emails were actually marked "classified." I may be wrong in that surmise, but it is certainly suggested by how Comey used these different formulations. Read the rest of this entry »
'Criminal Checks Gone Mad': Daily Telegraph Front Page for Dec 26th, 2015
Posted: December 25, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Global, Mediasphere, Politics, Terrorism | Tags: Boxing Day, British Press, Crime, England, Immigration, media, news, Newspapers, Refugees, Tabloid, The Telegraph | Leave a comment
Proceeding as Planned: Deportations Under Obama Plummet During Second Term
Posted: December 25, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Politics, Terrorism, White House | Tags: Alien (law), Barack Obama, Crime, Deportation, Fort Hood shooting, Illegal immigration, Immigration law, U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Border Patrol, United States Department of Homeland Security | 3 Comments
The new figures show a dramatic four-year decline in the number of deportations carried out by the Obama administration, from more than 409,000 in 2012 to just 235,000 in fiscal 2015.
For the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. who otherwise stay out of trouble, the chances of being deported are less than 1 percent, according to new figures released by the Department of Homeland Security.
"It's a way to reduce your immigration enforcement without going through the legislative process of changing the law. It's a way of doing a pseudo-amnesty without legislatively doing an amnesty."
— Claude Arnold, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in charge of Southern California
The numbers represent the fewest deportations since 2006.
"You have the resources to do it, those resources should be dedicated to not just removing criminal aliens but anyone else. The fact is, someone doesn't want those laws enforced and it's plain to see."
— Claude Arnold, who spent 27 years at ICE
During President Obama's first term, some Latino groups branded him the "deporter in chief" – yet other critics of the administration's enforcement approach say the second-term figures show he's anything but, as his executive actions and other policies take effect.
"It's a way to reduce your immigration enforcement without going through the legislative process of changing the law," said Claude Arnold, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in charge of Southern California, referring to those policies. "It's a way of doing a pseudo-amnesty without legislatively doing an amnesty."
Arnold stressed that deportation numbers are down in two key categories: criminals and interior enforcement.
On the first, Obama has emphasized throughout his two terms that he is focused on deporting "criminal aliens." Yet the new numbers show criminal alien deportations declined 27 percent from last year, from 86,923 to 63,127 in 2015. Read the rest of this entry »
Determined to Prove Critics' Predictions Right, De Blasio Oversees Resurgence Of Graffiti & Urine Smell Reminiscent of Scorsese's 1970s 'Taxi Driver' Era New York
Posted: December 21, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Allah, Bill de Blasio, Crime, Decay, Graffiti, Long Island Rail Road, Manhattan, New York City, New York City Police Department, Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver | 1 Comment
Graffiti was an infamous symbol of the decline and decay of New York City in the 1970s and '80s, and some now say it appears to be making a comeback.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Graffiti was an infamous symbol of the decline and decay of New York City in the 1970s and '80s, and some now say it appears to be making a comeback.
As CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported Monday, residents have noticed and they want it gone.
Bold graffiti lines parts of walls, ramps and pavement at the Forest Hills Long Island Rail Road station in Queens.
"It's awful," one man said.
"Most of the time it's ignored," said City Councilmember Karen Koslowitz (D-29th).
Koslowitz said the graffiti has been there since the summer, and she said she has been in touch repeatedly with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to get rid of it. But she said in the ensuing months, things got worse.
"I've seen a lot more graffiti then I've seen in a long time," she said.
And it is not an isolated occurrence. Citywide, some say graffiti appears to be more and more prevalent.
According to the NYPD, the number of graffiti complaints citywide in 2015 is up 15 percent from last year. Meanwhile, arrests for graffiti are down 10 percent compared with last year. Read the rest of this entry »
Thai Faces Jail for Insulting King's Dog
Posted: December 15, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Asia, Censorship, Crime & Corruption, Global | Tags: Ambassadors of the United States, Bangkok, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Crime, Dog, Junta, Pawinee Chumsri, Thailand, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, Thong Daeng | Leave a comment
A Thai faces prison after being charged with lese majeste for insulting the king's dog, his lawyer said today, in an escalation of the already draconian royal defamation law.
"Thanakorn also faces lese majeste, sedition and computer crimes charges for clicking 'like' on a doctored photo of the king and sharing it, plus an infographic on a growing corruption scandal engulfing the junta."
Thanakorn Siripaiboon, 27, has been charged by police with lese majeste for a "satirical" Facebook post about the king and his dog, lawyer Pawinee Chumsri told AFP.
"There was a post including three photos on his Facebook page on December 6 with a message that satirised the king's dog," she said.
Thanakorn also faces lese majeste, sedition and computer crimes charges for clicking "like" on a doctored photo of the king and sharing it, plus an infographic on a growing corruption scandal engulfing the junta.
"Thanakorn, an auto-parts worker, could face up to 37 years in prison. There has been a recent trend towards record-breaking sentences on transgressors, many of whom are also regime critics."
Thailand has one of the world's harshest royal defamation laws. Anyone convicted of insulting the revered but ailing 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or the queen, heir or regent can face up to 15 years in jail on each count.
Prosecutions have soared since the army, which styles itself as the champion of the monarchy, grabbed power in a coup last year. Read the rest of this entry »
Washington Post: Gun Violence Declining, Except in Gun-Free Zones
Posted: December 4, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics, Self Defense, U.S. News | Tags: American Gun (2005 film), American Psychiatric Association, Barack Obama, BMJ, Brady Campaign, Congressional Research Service, Crime, Gun safety, Injury prevention, The Washington Post, United States | 1 Comment
The Washington Post reports that gun crime has been on the decline for about 20 years, except for high-profile shootings in gun-free zones.
AWR Hawkins reports: On December 3, The Washington Post reported that gun crime has been on the decline for about 20 years, except for high-profile shootings in gun-free zones; WaPo claims those shootings are on the increase.
According to WaPo, "In 1993, there were seven homicides by firearm for every 100,000 Americans. … By 2013, that figure had fallen by nearly half, to 3.6 [per 100,000]."
Breitbart News previously pointed to this decline and explained it correlated with a massive increase in privately owned firearms over the same period of time. For example, Congressional Research Service showed that the number of privately owned firearms increased from 192 million in 1994 to 310 million in 2009. And record background checks under Obama make it easy to see how tens of millions more privately owned guns have found their way into Americans' hands since 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: Two Suspects Dead, One is Male, One is Female, Identities Known, Not Released
Posted: December 2, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Terrorism | Tags: Arizona, Barack Obama, Crime, Difference between Suspect and Perpetrator, Domestic violence, Drive-by shooting, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Times, Medical state, South Los Angeles | Leave a comment
Police pull body from suspects' vehicle in San Bernardino
DEVELOPING: Police chasing a black SUV believed to be the getaway car for three suspects who shot up an office holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif., Wednesday, murdering 14 people, captured or killed two suspects and were going house-to-house pursuing a third who fled on foot.
The shootout occurred less than two miles from the social services center where the massacre occurred hours earlier, and police sources told Fox KTTV they believe the suspects in the SUV were the ones responsible for the earlier attack. There were conflicting reports about two suspects, with some saying they were killed and others that they were captured. The suspect who remained at large was initially believed to be inside a nearby residence, but police were seen going house-to-house looking for him. Police Chief Jarrod Burguan warned all area residents to remain indoors.
"It's still, again a very active, fluid situation," said San Bernardino Police spokeswoman Vickie Cervantes, who said the chase began after police doing "follow-up work" in the wake of the mass shooting located the suspects' vehicle.
The events appeared to bring closer to a conclusion a manhunt that began after three heavily armed gunmen "on a mission" — and garbed in body armor — burst into a San Bernardino social services facility and murdered in cold blood at least 14 people attending an office holiday party. The men, who witnesses said were wearing body armor and masks, entered the Inland Regional Center just after 11 a.m. with grim precision, according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.
Once inside, they opened fire with rifles, shooting people in a conference room where a holiday party was taking place, authorities said. Hundreds of people were seen streaming out of the building moments later, some described by witnesses as holding their hands above their heads and even diving for cover behind cars in a parking lot.
"Up to three people entered the building and opened fire on people inside the building," Burguan said at a news conference some three hours after the first call went out. "The suspects have fled, potentially in a dark-colored SUV.
"They came prepared to do what they did as if on a mission," he added. The incident lasted less then five minutes, police said.
"They came prepared to do what they did as if on a mission."
— San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan
Burguan said preliminary information showed 14 people were killed, and police later said 17 were injured.
It was unclear where the suspects may have been during the nearly four hours following the attack, but they did not get far. There were reports that one may have been at the facility earlier, possibly to verify the presence of someone targeted for death, only to return with two more gunmen to unleash horror. Another report, in the Los Angeles Times, had the man getting into an argument at the party and returning with armed henchmen.
[Read the full story here, at Fox News]
Police executed a search warrant Wednesday evening at a home in nearby Redlands, but it was not clear if it was related to the case.
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were on the scene, some 60 miles east of Los Angeles. An FBI spokesman said it was not clear whether the incident was terror related. No weapons were recovered.
.@SanBernardinoPD has confirmed 1to3 possible suspects.Multiple victims. #SBCSD &other agencies assisting. More info to come. #SanBernardino
— SB County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) December 2, 2015
Employees, who undergo monthly training drills to prepare for active shooter situations, initially thought the incident was a drill, according to the Los Angeles Times. But when real bullets flew, several hid in closets, barricaded themselves in rooms or fled for their lives. Read the rest of this entry »
¡Qué lástima! SF Sheriff Loses Re-Election Bid Amid 'Sanctuary City' Controversy
Posted: November 3, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Crime, Immigration, Jeh Johnson, Mexico, Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco, Sanctuary city, U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Secretary of Homeland Security | Leave a comment
In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, photo, San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi answers questions during an interview in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Embattled San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi convincingly lost his bid for re-election Tuesday after spending months in the national spotlight as the face of his city's controversial "sanctuary city" policy on illegal immigration.
Mirkarimi, 54, was defeated by Vicki Hennessy, a former sheriff's official who had the endorsement of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the sheriff deputies association. With 42 percent of precincts reporting, Henessy had received 63 percent of the vote to 31 percent for Mirkarimi.
Mirkarimi and his office received heavy criticism after Mexican illegal immigrant Francisco Sanchez allegedly shot and killed 32-year-old Kate Steinle on San Francisco's waterfront July 1. Sanchez had been released from Mirkarimi's jail in March even though federal immigration officials had requested that he be detained for possible deportation. Read the rest of this entry »
Women's Rights: My Body My Choice
Posted: October 24, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Guns and Gadgets, Health and Social Issues, Politics, Self Defense | Tags: Bill of Rights, Choice, Civil Rights, Crime, Feminism, Gun control, Gun laws, Gun rights, Gun safety, Second Amendment, Self-defense | Leave a comment
Dem Obstructionists Filibuster: Senate Blocks Bill Cutting Funds for #SanctuaryCities, 54-45
Posted: October 20, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Health and Social Issues, Law & Justice, Mediasphere | Tags: Activism, Crime, CSPAN, Democrats, Funding, Illegal immigration, Immigration, Open Borders, Progressivism, Sanctuary Cities, Sanctuary Cities Bill, Sanctuary city, Twitter | Leave a comment
CSPAN via Twitter
Saudi Prince Arrested in Gated L.A. Compound for Alleged Sexual Assault
Posted: September 25, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption | Tags: Associated Press, Baseball bat, Crime, Drive-by shooting, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Times, Medical state, South Los Angeles, The Police, The Times | Leave a comment
Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 28, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of forced copulation with an adult.
Ryan Gajewski & Natalie Stone report: A Saudi prince was arrested at a gated Los Angeles compound after allegedly trying to coerce a worker in the home into performing a sex act on him, Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 28, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of forced copulation with an adult, a Los Angeles Police spokesperson told THR. The Los Angeles Times was first to report the news. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] THE PANTSUIT REPORT: State Spokesman Refuses to Say Whether Clinton Followed Rules With Private Email
Posted: August 31, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, Politics, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Classified Documents, Crime, Criminal record, Florida, Foggy Bottom, Hillary Clinton, Personal Email Server, The Pantsuit Report, The Washington Free Beacon, United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Department of State | Leave a comment
In a briefing Monday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner refused to say whether Hillary Clinton…(read more)
Source: Washington Free Beacon
Gavin Andresen on Why Bitcoin Will Become Unreliable Next Year Without an Urgent Fix
Posted: August 29, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Mediasphere, Science & Technology, Think Tank | Tags: Autopackage, Bitcoin, Block size (cryptography), Contract, Crime, Currency, Electronic money, Payment system, Technology Review, Visa Inc. | Leave a comment
The man who took over stewardship of Bitcoin from its mysterious inventor says the currency is in serious trouble.
Tom Simonite reports: The way things are going, the digital currency Bitcoin will start to malfunction early next year. Transactions will become increasingly delayed, and the system of money now worth $3.3 billion will begin to die as its flakiness drives people away. So says Gavin Andresen, who in 2010 was designated chief caretaker of the code that powers Bitcoin by its shadowy creator. Andresen held the role of "core maintainer" during most of Bitcoin's improbable rise; he stepped down last year but still remains heavily involved with the currency (see "The Man Who Really Built Bitcoin").
Andresen's gloomy prediction stems from the fact that Bitcoin can't process more than seven transactions a second. That's a tiny volume compared to the tens of thousands per second that payment systems like Visa can handle—and a limit he expects to start crippling Bitcoin early in 2016. It stems from the maximum size of the "blocks" that are added to the digital ledger of Bitcoin transactions, the blockchain, by people dubbed miners who run software that confirms Bitcoin transactions and creates new Bitcoin (see "What Bitcoin Is and Why It Matters").
[Read the full text here, at MIT Technology Review]
Andresen's proposed solution triggered an uproar among people who use or work with Bitcoin when he introduced it two weeks ago. Rather than continuing to work with the developers who maintain Bitcoin's code, Andresen released his solution in the form of an alternative version of the Bitcoin software called BitcoinXT and urged the community to switch over. If 75 percent of miners have adopted his fix after January 11, 2016, it will trigger a two-week grace period and then allow a "fork" of the blockchain with higher capacity. Critics consider that to be a reckless toying with Bitcoin's future; Andresen, who now works on Bitcoin with the support of MIT's Media Lab, says it is necessary to prevent the currency strangling itself. He spoke with MIT Technology Review's San Francisco bureau chief, Tom Simonite.
How serious is the problem of Bitcoin's limited transaction rate?
It is urgent. Looking at the transaction volume on the Bitcoin network, we need to address it within the next four or five months. As we get closer and closer to the limit, bad things start to happen. Networks close to capacity get congested and unreliable. If you want reliability, you'll have to start paying higher and higher fees on transactions, and there will be a point where fees get high enough that people stop using Bitcoin. Read the rest of this entry »
'Another Grim Milestone': Fatal Shooting In N.E. Baltimore Is City's 200th Homicide
Posted: August 10, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Baltimore, Crime, homicide, murder | Leave a comment
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Another grim milestone for the city. What appears to be a fatal shooting in Northeast Baltimore is the city's 200th homicide of 2015.
It happened in the 2700 block of The Alameda near Kennedy Avenue.
Details are still coming into WJZ, but we do know a man was shot and that homicide detectives are on the scene….(read more)
CBS Baltimore
128-Years to Life: Family of 5-Year-Old Killed by Gang Member React to Sentencing
Posted: July 21, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption | Tags: ABC7, Arraignment, Crime, Gang Member, media, murder, news, Prison, Robert Holguin, Twitter | 1 Comment
The family of 5-yr-old who was killed by gang member react to the 128-year sentence handed down to killer. Story at 4 pic.twitter.com/ybA80LuOGa
— Robert Holguin (@ABC7Robert) July 21, 2015
Leonard Hall – convicted of fatally shooting a 5-year-old boy on Halloween 2010 – sentenced to 128 years to life.
Japan: Elderly Crimes Exceed Teen Crimes?
Posted: July 17, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Japan | Tags: An Jung-geun, BBC News, Crime, crime statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Japan, Juvenile delinquency, Kyodo News, National Police Agency (Japan), Old age, South Korea, Violent crime | Leave a comment
Over 23,000 criminal seniors busted this year
Police in Japan have dealt with more elderly crime than juvenile crime in the past six months, it's reported.
It's the first time that people over the age of 65 have surpassed teenagers in crime statistics since 1989, when Japan's National Police Agency started publishing age-related crime data, the Kyodo News Agency reports. Officers took action against more than 23,000 elderly people in the first half of the year, compared to fewer than 20,000 youngsters aged between 14 and 19, officials figures show.
Japan has seen a fall in overall crime rates over the past 10 years, but not among its growing elderly population. The new figures show that violent crime committed by the over-65s rose by more than 10% compared to the same period last year. Of the country's 127 million people, more than a quarter are now of retirement age, but the government has warned that the figure is likely to grow significantly in the coming decades. Read the rest of this entry »
NYC Stop-and-Frisk Plunges as Crime Climbs
Posted: June 5, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice | Tags: Adrian Schoolcraft, Arraignment, Arrest, Brooklyn, Crime, Daily News (New York), Federal Firearms License, Gun control, New York City, New York City Police Department, Police commissioner, Police officer, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, William J. Bratton | 3 Comments
New York City Murders Are On The Rise
Rocco Parascandola, Kerry Burke, Larry McShane report: A dramatic drop in stop-and-frisk encounters has emboldened criminals and made cops more reluctant to take proactive police action, even as murders and shootings are on the rise in the city.
"Everyone is afraid to make stops. No one wants to get jammed up. They're telling us the stops have to be quality stops. But if you make a stop, and you think it's a good one, and the guy has nothing on him, is that a good stop?"
— Brooklyn police supervisor
The frightening message — echoed by police supervisors and union leaders — comes as stop-and-frisk encounters are on pace to plunge by 42% this year, with 20,000 fewer street stops.
"What you're seeing now are the perps carrying their guns because they're not afraid to carry them. We've created an atmosphere where we've handcuffed the police. We are sitting back, taking a less proactive approach."
— Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association
There were 11,652 stops across the city through June 3 — projecting to roughly 28,000 for the year, records obtained by the Daily News show. As the number of stops fell, the number of murders spiked 19.5% during the first five months of the year, the number of people shot is up 9.2% and the number of shooting incidents jumped 9%.
"Based on this year's drop…absent any other factor, you have to ask the question: Are the cops now reluctant to engage?"
"What you're seeing now are the perps carrying their guns because they're not afraid to carry them," said Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association. "We've created an atmosphere where we've handcuffed the police. We are sitting back, taking a less proactive approach."
Joe Marino for New York Daily News
"Stop-and-frisk activists say criminals are no longer afraid to carry guns because cops are afraid to make stops."
Mullins said the city's criminal element has been operating without fear while cops have been somewhat neutered in the last two years — and he wasn't the only one to raise the issue.
"Based on this year's drop . . . absent any other factor, you have to ask the question: Are the cops now reluctant to engage?" wondered one high-ranking police source.
Seth Wenig/AP
Critics of the NYPD told The News there was no correlation between the two sets of numbers — while stop-and-frisk supporters said the lower frisk numbers led to the higher crime figures.
City cops, citing increased scrutiny from the NYPD's inspector general, the state attorney general and City Hall, say the cutback on stops is about self-preservation. Read the rest of this entry »
The New Nationwide Crime Wave
Posted: May 30, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Think Tank | Tags: Al Sharpton, Broken windows theory, City Journal (New York), Crime, Eric Holder, Ferguson, Investor-state dispute settlement, Los Angeles, Mahoning County, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Missouri, New York City Police Department | 2 Comments
The consequences of the 'Ferguson effect' are already appearing. The main victims of growing violence will be the inner-city poor
Heather Mac Donald writes: The nation's two-decades-long crime decline may be over. Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America. In Baltimore, the most pressing question every morning is how many people were shot the previous night.
[Heather Mac Donald is the author of "Are Cops Racist?", available at Amazon.com]
Gun violence is up more than 60% compared with this time last year, according to Baltimore police, with 32 shootings over Memorial Day weekend. May has been the most violent month the city has seen in 15 years.
"President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, before he stepped down last month, embraced the conceit that law enforcement in black communities is infected by bias."
Murders in Atlanta were up 32% as of mid-May. Shootings in Chicago had increased 24% and homicides 17%. Shootings and other violent felonies in Los Angeles had spiked by 25%; in New York, murder was up nearly 13%, and gun violence 7%.
"Contrary to the claims of the 'black lives matter' movement, no government policy in the past quarter century has done more for urban reclamation than proactive policing. Data-driven enforcement, in conjunction with stricter penalties for criminals and 'broken windows' policing has saved thousands of black lives, brought lawful commerce and jobs to once drug-infested neighborhoods and allowed millions to go about their daily lives without fear."
Those citywide statistics from law-enforcement officials mask even more startling neighborhood-level increases. Shooting incidents are up 500% in an East Harlem precinct compared with last year; in a South Central Los Angeles police division, shooting victims are up 100%.
By contrast, the first six months of 2014 continued a 20-year pattern of growing public safety. Violent crime in the first half of last year dropped 4.6% nationally and property crime was down 7.5%. Though comparable national figures for the first half of 2015 won't be available for another year, the January through June 2014 crime decline is unlikely to be repeated.
"Since last summer, the airwaves have been dominated by suggestions that the police are the biggest threat facing young black males today."
The most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Exclusive Footage: In Historic Cuba Visit, President Obama Visits Modern Havana
Posted: April 11, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Entertainment, Humor, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Castro, Communism, Crime, Cuba, Decay, Dictatorship, economy, failure, Godfather, Havana, Marxism, Michael Corleone, Parody, Revolution, satire, Treachery, Tryanny | Leave a comment
Oregon Sheriff: Gun Control Push 'Borderline Treasonous,' Will Not Enforce
Posted: April 5, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Law & Justice, Self Defense | Tags: Background check, Board of Education, Brady Campaign, Civil Rights, Colorado, Crime, Floyd Prozanski, Fort Hood, Gun politics, Gun rights, Seattle Pacific University, Second Amendment | 2 Comments
AWR Hawkins. reports: While Oregon Democrats stood with Gabby Giffords and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to push expanded background checks on April 1, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer stood for the law-abiding citizens whom the checks will target by describing the gun control push as "borderline treasonous."
Palmer also made clear that if the Democrats pass the measure there is zero chance of his office enforcing it.
Breitbart News previously reported that the push for expanded background checks in Oregon is being spearheaded by state (D-Eugene). His efforts are strongly supported by the Brady Campaign and Giffords.
Giffords, in particular, believes every potential gun purchaser should have to pass the same background check her attacker passed to acquire his firearm, which the same background check Jerad and Amanda Miller (Las Vegas), Aaron Ybarra (Seattle Pacific University), Elliot Rodger (Santa Barbara), Ivan Lopez (Fort Hood 2014), Darion Marcus Aguilar (Maryland mall), Karl Halverson Pierson (Arapahoe High School), James Holmes (Aurora theater), Nidal Hasan (Fort Hood 2009), and many, many others passed to get the guns they used in their crimes. Read the rest of this entry »
Two Found Dead in Possible Murder-Suicide in Beverly Hills
Posted: February 25, 2015 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Beverly Hills, Crime, Investigation, media, murder, news, Suicide | 1 Comment
Cartoon of the Day: Ramirez
Posted: December 30, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Comics, Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere | Tags: Crime, Editorial cartoon, LAPD, Law Enforcement, Michael Ramirez, NYPD, Police | 1 Comment
Bill Cosby's Legacy, Recast
Posted: November 22, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Breaking News, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Allegations, Bill Cosby, Crime, drugs, Playboy, Rape, Sexual assault, Show Business, The Cosby Show, The Washington Post | 1 Comment
A long and troubling article about Bill Cosby…
U.S. Rape Rate Reality Check: Declining for last 20 Years and was Lowest Last Year Since 1972
Posted: October 28, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, Think Tank, U.S. News | Tags: college campus, Crime, Data, gamergate, propaganda, Rape, Rape culture, Statistics, United States | Leave a comment
CHART: US rape rate has been declining for last 20 years and was lowest last year since 1972 #gamergate @CHSommers pic.twitter.com/sObam5dCZH
— Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) October 29, 2014
[PHOTO] of the Night
Posted: October 23, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Crime, Ferguson, Hands up don't shoot, Law Enforcement, Looting, Photography, protests, Riots, Twitter | Leave a comment
New Detective: 'Blood On My Doorstep'
Posted: September 24, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Art & Culture, Comics, Mediasphere | Tags: Babes, Book Cover, Crime, design, Egypt, graphics, Helpless Women, hostage, Illustration, Magazine, New Detective, Rafael DeSoto, typography | Leave a comment
'RAPE CULTURE': 240-Pound Seattle Woman Broke into Apartment and Raped Sleeping Man
Posted: September 13, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Arrest warrant, Chantae Gilman, Crime, DNA, Gilman, KOMO-TV, Rape, Seattle | Leave a comment
Chantae Gilman is accused of breaking into a Seattle man's apartment and raping him as he slept off a party during a 2013 incident. A warrant for Gilman's arrest was issued after DNA allegedly linked her to the crime
Nichole Hensley reports: A Seattle woman is accused of raping her neighbor as he slept after a party. The victim shoved the 240-pound woman, later identified as 26-year-old Chantae Gilman, off of him when he woke up to her having sex with him, according to the Seattle P-I.
"In the past, Gilman had been treated for mental health issues and drug abuse. She's also pleaded guilty in 2006 and 2008 to criminal charges, court records show."
She apparently broke into the 31-year-old's apartment on June 16, 2013 after a birthday party. It wasn't until recently that a sample of DNA taken from the victim was analyzed.
Gilman was linked to the crime, but she is apparently undergoing drug treatment, a neighbor told KOMO-TV.
A Facebook page that appears to belong to Gilman frequently notes her sporadic sobriety.
"I've got 2 months pregnant and I'm 31 weeks pregnant," Gilman apparently wrote on Aug. 5.
An arrest warrant was issued for Gilman, a mother of four other children who is reportedly pregnant with another child. Read the rest of this entry »
Dead Men Don't Talk: Headline of the Day
Posted: August 29, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Humor, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Crime, headlines, homicide, Local news, Police | Leave a comment
Department of Not Surprised Announcement: Chicago Crime Rate Drops as Concealed Carry Gun Permit Applications Surge
Posted: August 25, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Self Defense, U.S. News | Tags: 2nd amendment, Chicago, Concealed carry in the United States, Crime, Gun rights, Illinois, Police, Richard Pearson, Self-defense, Washington Times | 1 Comment
City of Chicago sees fewer homicides, robberies, burglaries, car thefts as Illinois residents take arms
Kelly Riddell for The Washington Times: An 86-year-old Illinois man with a concealed carry permit fired his weapon at an armed robbery suspect fleeing police last month, stopping the man in his tracks and allowing the police to make an arrest.
"It isn't any coincidence crime rates started to go down when concealed carry was permitted. Just the idea that the criminals don't know who's armed and who isn't has a deterrence effect."
— Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association.
Chicago's finest not thrilled about law-abiding citizens exercising constitutional rights without their permission
Law enforcement authorities described the man as "a model citizen" who "helped others avoid being victims" at an AT&T store outside Chicago where he witnessed the holdup. The man, whose identity was withheld from the press, prevented others from entering the store during the theft.
"There's a lot of academic research that's been done on this, and if you look at the peer-reviewed studies, the bottom line is a large majority find a benefit of concealed carry on crime rates — and, at worst, there's no cost."
— John Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center
Police said the robber harassed customers and pistol-whipped one.
Since Illinois started granting concealed carry permits this year, the number of robberies that have led to arrests in Chicago has declined 20 percent from last year, according to police department statistics. Reports of burglary and motor vehicle theft are down 20 percent and 26 percent, respectively. In the first quarter, the city's homicide rate was at a 56-year low.
"It isn't any coincidence crime rates started to go down when concealed carry was permitted. Just the idea that the criminals don't know who's armed and who isn't has a deterrence effect," said Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association. "The police department hasn't changed a single tactic — they haven't announced a shift in policy or of course — and yet you have these incredible numbers." Read the rest of this entry »
Criminal Advocacy
Posted: August 3, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Humor, Politics, Self Defense | Tags: Crime, Democrats, First Amendment, Gotham, Gun control, Phobias, The Dark Knight, The Joker | Leave a comment
Andrew C. McCarthy Schools Paul Ryan
Posted: July 30, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Education, Mediasphere, Think Tank, White House | Tags: Andrew C. McCarthy, Barack Obama, Crime, Democratic Party, High crimes and misdemeanours, National Review, Obama, Republicans, White House | Leave a comment
"Such misconduct need not be an indictable wrong. It could involve dereliction of duty, lies to Congress or the public about serious matters, the failure to honor an oath."
For National Review Online, Andrew C. McCarthy writes:
…Today, according to the Wall Street Journal, it was Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan's turn. On impeachment, Ryan reportedly said:
I see this as sort of a ridiculous gambit by the president and his political team to try and change the narrative, raise money, and turn out their base for an upcoming election that they feel is not going to go their way… [The Republicans' differences with the White House do] not rise to the high crime and misdemeanor level.
Wrong. To repeat, "high crimes and misdemeanors," a British term of art borrowed by the Framers, does not refer to penal offenses. It refers to what Hamilton called "the misconduct of public men, or in other words . . . the abuse or violation of some public trust." Such misconduct need not be an indictable wrong. It could involve dereliction of duty, lies to Congress or the public about serious matters, the failure to honor an oath (such as the oath to execute the laws faithfully), and any conduct that intentionally undermines the governing framework that safeguards our liberties and security (the president, of course, takes an oath to preserve the Constitution).
The border is being overrun and the president, far from taking action to stop it, is encouraging it.
Illegal aliens are being smuggled throughout the country by the federal government without notice to the states.
The president refuses to enforce the immigration laws. The president is usurping the power of Congress to confer federal benefits on aliens.
The president is unilaterally rewriting Obamacare, the drug laws, and other congressional statutes that are inconvenient to him.
The president willfully lied to the country to get Obamacare enacted and to get reelected.
The commander-in-chief took no meaningful action to protect Americans before and during the terrorist siege of Benghazi, and then he and his administration willfully lied to the country about the cause of the massacre in order to get reelected.
The president has used the federal bureaucracy to harass and punish his political opponents. Evidence of the IRS's wrongdoing has been destroyed.
Evidence about the Justice Department's Fast & Furious scandal, which resulted in the murder of a Border Patrol agent, has been withheld from Congress — with the attorney general held in contempt.
The VA cooked its books to conceal the mistreatment of our veterans, some of whom died.
It is perfectly understandable — indeed, it is wise — for Republicans to explain that there is no prospect of removing President Obama from power because you'd need lots of Democratic votes in the Senate and the Democrats will protect President Obama no matter how lawlessly he conducts himself. Read the rest of this entry »