August 30, 2006 – A battle over immigration heated up at a West Side church Wednesday where an undocumented woman is holed up.
Groups on both sides of the issue rallied in front of the Adalberto United Methodist church Wednesday. Elvira Arellano and her 7-year-old son have been there for two weeks to avoid deportation.

The boy was born in the US, making him an American citizen. Arellano says she needs to stay in this country so her son can get medical help for attention deficit disorder.

Those for and against undocumented immigrants sharply disagree on this issue.

“Illegal alien women are producing and utilizing children as hostages until demands for citizenship are met in the United States of America,” said Michelle Dallacroce, Mothers Against Illegal Aliens.

“We honor the love of a valiant mother for her son. We honor her courage and standing up publicly and peacefully to an unjust law,” said Emma Lozano, Pueblo Sin Fronteras.

Last week, a lawyer for Arellano filed a lawsuit saying deportation would violate her son’s rights.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Police say an Echo Park woman drove five teenagers around so they could spray graffiti. About 100 sites were hit, authorities contend.

Editors note: One big happy family! Note that there is no mention of a “dad.”This is something I have never been able to understand about some hispanics. There seems to be some sort of inherent need to distroy both public and private property. These people will even goes so far as to scribe their graffiti into toilet seats! Thats where my ass sits! Thats where all that excess urine goes. Here in California, there is graffiti on virtually every verticle surface. From the walls in the public restrooms to the most remote locations in Yosemite. It fucking sucks!!!

A fine example of what I mean would be something as simple as a sand castle. When me and my children go to the beach, we enjoy building sand castles. We’re actually pretty good at it. Most people will walk up and admire our hard work. I don’t what it is, but hispanic kids just can’t help themselves. They wander over looking at the sand castle. then they begin to look around to see if anyone is watching them. Just when they think the coast is clear, they pull back a foot to kick it down when I scream at them and tell them to move on. This goes on all day! They just can’t stand the fact that the sand castle exists in the first place. We have to sit there all day guarding the damn thing against these little vandals. Again, Absolutely amazing!!!! JD

On Avalon Street in Echo Park, Victoria Villicano is known as a devoted mother who is often seen behind the wheel of her SUV, driving her two teenage sons to stores and sporting events.

But Los Angeles Police Department detectives say the 42-year-old woman also drove a five-member tagging crew, including her two children, around Silver Lake and Echo Park, stopping long enough for the group to jump out and vandalize.

Authorities believe the crew is responsible for spray-painting about 100 sites along Sunset Boulevard, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Their alleged reign came to an end last week when police received a call about some teens tagging a 7-Eleven store in Silver Lake.

Undercover vandalism detectives said they found one of Villicano’s sons — with fresh paint on his hands — near a wall, dumping clothing and paint cans into a trashcan. Police found the other alleged taggers waiting with Villicano in her SUV.

“This had to be a first,” said one of the detectives, who asked that his name not be used because of the nature of his work.

But a relative said the allegations do not square with the woman he knows.

Ray Bermudez, Villicano’s stepfather, said she would often leave the house with her sons, but it was to go shopping or play sports.

“She goes shopping, she comes back and it’s normal,” said Bermudez, 60, who shares a small ramshackle house with Villicano and her two sons, ages 15 and 19. “She’s a good mom. She’s old enough to know better.”

Villicano and her 19-year-old son, David Ramirez, were scheduled to be appear today in Los Angeles County Superior Court on five counts of felony vandalism of more than $400. Four juveniles ranging in age from 14 to 16, including Villicano’s 15-year-old son, are also being held.

This was not Villicano’s first arrest. She pleaded no contest in 2002 to felony possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years’ probation. In January, she was charged with one felony count of possession or purchase of a cocaine base for sale. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail with credit for nearly three months behind bars. She was again placed on probation.

Because of the prior arrests, she is being held without bail. Ramirez is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

In Echo Park — where graffiti has been a major problem —some residents said they were disturbed by the arrest.

“I can’t understand what kind of mother would do that,” said Evie Seifu, who runs a business near Villicano’s home. “It’s telling her children that it’s OK to do this kind of thing.”

Seifu said she and her husband have had to paint over graffiti on the wall of their Echo Park studio at least 10 times in the last year.

“Seeing graffiti still makes you feel unsettled, no matter where you’re at,” said Seifu, who lives in Silver Lake. “It’s not about the property, it’s about something being violated.”

The arrests were made by the Northeast Area station’s criminal apprehension team, the enforcement arm of the station’s detectives. Team members work plainclothes and target specific crime problems or trends in the area.

Witnesses spotted a crew tagging at Micheltorena Street School in Silver Lake on Aug. 22 and followed them to the 7-Eleven at Sunset Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue, where undercover detectives caught up with them.

Detectives said they found the letters “HIV” or “HIVC” spray-painted at both sites, as well as at about 100 other locations within a two-mile area along Sunset Boulevard between Virgil Avenue and Lemoyne Street. Law enforcement sources said the moniker stood for either “High in Violence” or “High in Vandalism.” Detectives are investigating whether the rash of graffiti was part of some rivalry with another tagging crew.

LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger said he was taken aback when he first heard about the arrest and said it underscores the need for parents to be responsible.

“Sometimes we search for answers as to why young people become engaged in irresponsible acts,” he said. “We look to social and economic conditions as causal factors. But often it’s parents abdicating their responsibility to be parents.”

Bermudez said he once confronted a tagger who was spray-painting near the coffee shop he frequents in Echo Park

“I told one of them to put some on his rear end, that’s where it belongs,” Bermudez said.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Officials in New York are campaigning to stop the broadcast of a new series of reality show Survivor which divides contestants into ethnic “tribes”.

City council officials are to stage a rally on Friday to urge New York-based CBS network to pull the 13th series of Survivor, due to air from 14 September.

Campaign group Hispanics Across America called the programme “racist TV”.

CBS said it had “full confidence in the producers and their ability to produce the programme in a responsible manner”.

The broadcaster added that it “fully recognises the controversial nature of this format”.

Diverse

The network announced on Wednesday that the 20 “castaways” would be initially segregated into groups of blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos before merging later in the series.

It said the move was aimed at addressing complaints that there had not been sufficient ethnic diversity in previous series.

What will it mean for a team – a race – to fail in a battle of wits and strength against another race?
Fernando Mateo,
Hispanics Across America

But New York councillor John Liu told the Associated Press: “The idea of having a battle of the races is preposterous.

“How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?”

The programme could encourage racial division, he added.

Hispanics Across America founder Fernando Mateo called the move an “offensive and cheap trick” to boost ratings.

“The participants will be held to the daunting and unfair challenge of representing an entire race of people,” he said.

“What will it mean for a team – a race – to fail in a battle of wits and strength against another race?”

Twenty contestants will compete for a $1m (£530,000) prize while stranded on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Tucson Police say a dangerous man is off the streets and locked up in County Jail.

Fernando Egurrola-Gutierrez, a 26-year-old resident of Mexico, was arrested Saturday night after Police responded to reports of a home invasion.

Police arrived on the scene about two minutes after getting the call.

When they got there they say Gutierrez was on top of the female victim.

Sergeant Decio Hopffer told News 4, “We had to go hands-on with him. He did not immediately comply with our demands so we had to go hands-on to detain him.”

After booking Gutierrez, Police say they found solid evidence linking him to another attempted sexual assault in the same area.

On July 16, a man fitting the same description as Gutierrez pulled a gun on two hair stylists at the Supercuts salon about two blocks away.

In that case, the attacker locked one of the women in a bathroom and attempted to assault her sexually.

The second stylist got away and when she left the building the opening door sounded a bell which spooked the attacker who took off running.

Police believe that man was Gutierrez and they say he was getting more brazen.

“He forced himself inside a bedroom before attempting sexual assault so he was getting more violent, more aggressive. There is no doubt in my mind that he would strike again,” said Sgt. Hopffer.

Gutierrez was booked into the Pima County Jail on several charges including attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated assault and burglary.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

24 August 2006

AN illegal immigrant went to the same money shop in Stevenage three times but each time using a different nationality passport.

And when Ovioliu Cirlig was arrested he was found to have another two fake passports and a fake driving licence, Luton Crown Court heard.

Cirlig, 31, had his picture on Danish, Norwegian, Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian passports, said Nicholas Lobbenberg, prosecuting.

He added that on the third occasion Cirlig carried out a transaction at the shop staff put “two and two together” and alerted police.

The other fakes were found at his home in Harrow.

Cirlig pleaded guilty to three charges of using a false instrument and three of possessing a false instrument.

He was sentenced last Thursday to 21 months imprisonment and recommended for deportation.

William Noble, defending, said: “He came to this country illegally and was exploited by others. His arrest came as a relief and he welcomes being returned to Romania.”

Judge Jeffrey Burke QC said: “Those who use false passports in current circumstances can expect nothing less than substantial prison sentences.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Measures in Hazleton, Pa., and Riverside head to court.

I guess according to the ACLU, the people of the United States are no longer allowed to enforce the laws of their country. We have laws on the books that are supposed to prevent this invasion of what amounts to modern day slaves, but we aren’t allowed to execute these laws because it might offend the law breakers ….. Absolutely amazing. JD

By Emilie Lounsberry
Inquirer Staff Writer

In the first court challenges to new laws aimed at rooting out illegal immigrants, two lawsuits were filed yesterday targeting ordinances adopted last month in towns in northeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

One suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Scranton, seeks to block the Sept. 11 implementation of the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in Hazleton, Luzerne County.

The other, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., focuses on the Burlington County town of Riverside, which passed a similar ordinance.

Hazleton’s law is viewed as one of the toughest measures of its kind in the nation: It sets English as the city’s official language, calls for a $1,000 fine for landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, and allows a five-year suspension of licenses for businesses that employ illegal immigrants.

The Riverside ordinance does not declare an official language, but it does ban hiring or renting to illegal immigrants, with employers and landlords facing a fine of $1,000 for each violation. It also denies business permits and municipal contracts and grants to employers of illegal immigrants.

The ordinances were enacted amid a national debate over how the United States should control its borders, and what to do about immigrants who have come here illegally or have overstayed their legal time here.

Other towns quickly took note. At least three more municipalities – Hazle Township, West Hazleton Borough and Mahanoy City, all in northeastern Pennsylvania – have passed similar ordinances, and others, including Bridgeport in Montgomery County, are weighing whether to adopt such laws.

Towns in Florida, Alabama, California and Massachusetts also are considering local ordinances aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, and a town in Missouri has enacted one, according to the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, whose lawyers were among those who filed yesterday’s lawsuit in Scranton.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta called the lawsuit “unfortunate” but pledged to “take this fight to the highest courts.”

“The city has taken what we believe to be proper legal steps in making Hazleton uncomfortable for illegal aliens, who are the root of some of Hazleton’s crimes, without directly infringing on their rights,” Barletta said in a statement yesterday.

Last night, the City Council tentatively approved a substitute ordinance that clarifies some of the language in the original bill but leaves the major provisions in place, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit challenging the Hazleton ordinance was filed by 11 Hazleton residents and business owners, along with three nonprofit Latino organizations, and it names the City of Hazleton as the defendant.

The lawsuit says the ordinance is “riddled with constitutional flaws” and ignores the legal doctrine known as “preemption,” holding that only federal authorities can make and enforce immigration policy.

The suit contends that some people who are lawfully in this country, such as some immigrants whose status may be unresolved, are deemed “illegal aliens” under the Hazleton law.

In addition, the court papers say certain people will not be able to live, work or even shop in the city without a U.S. birth certificate or identification papers in hand.

“If the ordinance is allowed to stand, anyone who looks or sounds ‘foreign’ – regardless of their actual immigration status – will not be able to participate meaningfully in life in Hazleton, returning to the days when discriminatory laws forbade certain classes of people from owning land, running businesses or living in certain places,” the suit states.

Tsiwen Law, a Center City lawyer who chairs the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s civil-rights and equal-rights committee and has been an immigrant-rights advocate, said he expected both ordinances to be thrown out as a result of the legal challenges.

Under immigration law, he said, the federal government has the authority to control U.S. borders, and states and municipalities have no right to interfere with immigration policy.

“A little hamlet here or there is not going to be able to tell it [the federal government] what to do. That just doesn’t happen,” Law said. “Preemption is a long-standing doctrine.”

The Hazleton city solicitor, Christopher Slusser, said city officials expected a legal challenge and believe that the law will survive judicial scrutiny.

The New Jersey legal challenge was brought by a Riverside resident, the Assembly of God Church, and the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.

The suit names as defendants the Township of Riverside and Mayor Charles F. Hilton Jr., who could not be reached for comment yesterday. Riverside’s solicitor, Doug Heinold, has said that he believed the ordinance would be upheld because it governs township contracts and businesses in the township.

The lawsuit contends that Riverside’s ordinance is vague, does not define illegal alien, and has resulted in confusion.

“Riverside’s ordinance is placing business owners and landlords in a predicament whereby they will be afraid to hire or rent to a legal immigrant who is perceived to be an ‘illegal alien,’ thus giving rise to national origin discrimination,” it contends.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Veteran actor Bruno Kirby, (pictured front and center in “Donnie Brasco”) who viewers of Entourage saw just a couple of weeks ago on the show, has died of leukemia. He was diagnosed with the disease recently, and died on Monday.

Most people will know Kirby from his roles in When Harry Met Sally… and City Slickers, playing Billy Crystal’s best friend in both films, but he had a ton of film and TV roles, including Good Morning, Vietnam, Donnie Brasco, Hoffa, Sleepers, and This Is Spinal Tap. His long TV resume includes guest spots on Frasier, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Tales From The Crypt, Columbo, Homicide, Mad About You, Kojak, Emergency, Room 222, and M*A*S*H.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Mel Gibson …. I can’t believe the flap that the Hollywood Jews are making over Mr. Gibson’s statements while being arrested for drunk driving. I will admit that his statements were inappropriate, but Isn’t Mr. Gibson entitled to his own opinion, especially when it is based on his religious beliefs?

Most Christians believe that the Jews killed Jesus Christ. I’m no religious scholar, but there are a billion or so people out there that read a book that tells them to kills all infidels. They so strongly believe in their religion that they are willing to blow themselves up in the name of Allah. They will even fly airplanes into buildings like guided missiles.

Now I have heard condemnation of terrorists, but nothing is said publicly about the religion or the leaders of these
rouge nations that support and condone suicide missions to kill christians and jews.

Ari Emanuel of Endeavor Talent Agency said ” People in the entertainment community need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake by professionally shunning Mel Gibson.” Now the way I got it figured, Either Mr. Emanuel doesn’t make money off of Mel Gibson or he is simply one of the dumbest Jews in Hollywood.

Let’s set the record straight here. Jews, Catholics, Protestant, Baptist and Muslim alike will continue to finance and distribute Mel Gibson’s movies because they make millions if not billions of dollars. Let’s not forget that no one would finance “The Passion of the Christ” so Mr. Gibson paid for it himself or at least found the financial backing himself. It made $375,000,000.00 in theaters before being released on DVD.

So who would be the fool here? The Jew for not being able to swallow his pride and finance Mel? Or the idiot that would base his business decisions on what a drunken fool says?

Many say that this is retribution for “Passion” and the way it depicted Jews. I saw the movie and I didn’t see anything that the Jewish community saw when they looked at the “Jew” characters in the movie. Perhaps the people that did all of the complaining are simply seeing themselves as the stereotypical Jew? I don’t know but I did notice that virtually all of the people that were complaining about Mr. Gibson’s depiction of Jews in the local papers and trade magazines had Jewish surnames.

So Lets review: Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite. Mel Gibson is an achoholic. Hollywood is primarily financed by Jews, by their own admission. Ari Emanuel is an idiot. Jews seem more preoccupied by what Mr. Gibson said than the war in Lebanon…..

Remember, when right is wrong and wrong is right, we are all doomed.

John De Gennaro

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

What we have here is called a “Media exercise in stupidity.” They are giving a washed up old drug addicted has-been like Boy George (pictured at left. click pic for full size image.) press coverage under the guise that it’s serious news! In reality we all know that it’s funny to see someone who was once rich and famous picking up dog shit on the street! But you watch the stories on television and they won’t play the story like that. They’ll play it like it’s “sad to see someone hit rock bottom like that.”

Then the news piece will move on to the festivities that makes us all tune in: They’ll have the reporter on scene ask the “average New Yorker” what he/she thinks of this spectacle. Like the inbred Neanderthals that they are, New Yorkers will respond in typical fashion. With that annoying accent that at this point has to be an affect, they will proceed to verbally hammer Boy George into the ground like a rail road spike, doing exactly what the television media would like to do themselves. But alas, they are too politically correct to be honest like the general populace.

Then to ad insult to injury, the news reporter will search high and low until she can find the one normal New Yorker that speaks with kindness and is sympathetic. She’ll say something like “It’s really sad. Someone should help him. Put him in some sort of program or something.” The reporter will treat this person like a buffoon as soon as she walks away and he does his wrap around portion of the report. JD

The following is the actual story from a local news outlet in NYC

NEW YORK — Singer Boy George tried out a new look – an orange vest – as he reported for his first day of community service on Monday with the city’s Department of Sanitation. It didn’t take long before he got into a confrontation with the media.

The one-time Culture Club singer, told by a Manhattan judge that he must decide whether his court-ordered community service would be an “exercise in humiliation or in humility,” was ordered to spend five days as a garbage worker after pleading guilty in March to false reporting of an incident.

As he went about his duties, the singer was swarmed by reporters and photographers while he stood on the median of a Lower East Side Street. He used his broom to sweep dust and leaves into the lens of a video camera.
Click here to find out more!

“You think you’re better than me?” he yelled. “Go home. Let me do my community service.”

“This is supposed to be making me humble. Let me do this,” he said. “I just want to do my job.”

Shortly before that, his manager, Jeremy Pearce, told reporters: “He doesn’t show any kind of emotion about these things. He takes it in his stride.”

“He doesn’t need to be humiliated. He’s a humble person,” Pearce said before the incident, calling the judge’s remarks “an unfortunate comment.”

“It’s been a bit over the top, I guess,” Pearce conceded later.

Boy George’s workday had begun at 7 a.m., as a sport utility vehicle pulled up at a Lower East Side sanitation depot. The singer, who wore dark pants, shoes without socks, a black sweatshirt and black wraparound sunglasses, walked inside without speaking to reporters.

About a half-hour later, he emerged from the building, flanked by camera crews, and got into a Sanitation van. With about seven cars following the van, he was driven several blocks and went into a small building with a sticker on the door that read, “NYC Recycles.”

He came out again wearing the bright orange vest with yellow stripes, bearing the words “New York City Department of Sanitation,” placed an empty trash bin in the back of the van, and was taken to the median, where his sweeping was interrupted by the confrontation. The van left again after that.

“Things outside in the street were a little chaotic,” said Sanitation spokesman Keith Mellis. “We’ll see if there’s some cleaning that can be done inside.”

Two other people, a young man and a young woman, were on his community service crew.

The sweeping later resumed in a gated Sanitation parking lot.

“This is for everyone’s safety,” Deputy Sanitation Chief Albert Durrell said as photographers crowded outside the gate. He said the day’s work also might include mopping inside the depot.

The singer, born George O’Dowd, has struggled with drug problems for years. He called police with a bogus report of a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment last October, and the responding officers found cocaine inside.

In June, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara issued a warrant for the singer’s arrest when he initially failed to complete the requirements of his plea deal. When O’Dowd appeared in court 10 days later, Ferrara called off the warrant but warned the singer he could not escape his community service commitment.

“It’s up to you whether you make it an exercise in humiliation or in humility,” Ferrara told O’Dowd, known for his androgynous appearance and hits like “Karma Chameleon” and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”

Defense lawyer Louis Freeman said the judge’s annoyance was “based on a misunderstanding.”

O’Dowd, 45, initially envisioned a service project more in line with his status as an ’80s icon.

He petitioned to spend the time helping teenagers make a public service announcement. Among his other proposals to the court: holding a fashion and makeup workshop, serving as a D.J. at an HIV/AIDS benefit or doing telephone outreach.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

A display of celestial fireworks is expected tonight and in the early hours of tomorrow as showers of “shooting stars” light up the night sky.

Astronomers are predicting that between 80 and 100 vibrant streaks of light an hour should be visible from the ground, even for observers who do not have binoculars or telescopes.

The light show, known as the Perseids, are not caused by real stars but by tiny meteors, objects the size of grains of sand, which burn up in spectacular fashion as they slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The meteors are travelling so fast – about 37 miles per second or 60 times the speed of a bullet – that they vaporise instantly as they hit the relatively thick atmospheric barrier that protects the Earth from the vacuum of space.

Claire Gilby, a spokeswoman for the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, said meteors could appear anywhere in the sky but the best view in Britain should be towards the north-east where the sky will be the darkest, away from the glare of a waning gibbous Moon.

There is no need for binoculars or telescopes because the naked eye provides a wider angle of view. And shooting stars are best seen from out of the corner of your eye due to the way that the eye’s most light-sensitive nerve cells are arranged away from the central focal point of the retina.

“Weather permitting, the sensitivity and wide field of view of the human eye are perfect for watching the Perseids. So, to see the Perseids, all you need to do is sit back and watch the night sky,” Ms Gilby said.

The Perseids appear every July and August as the Earth’s orbit around the Sun crosses the dusty tail of the comet Swift-Turtle, whose centre or nucleus is many millions of miles away. It is these dust particles that burn up to produce the effect of shooting stars.

Meteors are travelling at up to 157,000 mph when they hit the atmosphere at a height of about 60 miles. At that speed they compress the air in front of them to such an extent that it causes temperatures to rise to 1,650C – enough to vaporise the material instantly in a flash of light.

Meteors can range in size from something the size of grit to objects as big as a pea or a marble. Bigger meteors can sometimes survive the encounter with the atmosphere to reach the ground, when they are called meteorites.

The comet, named after the two American astronomers, Lewis Swift and Horace Turtle, who discovered it in 1862, is the largest object known to make repeated passes near to Earth.

In fact in the early 1990s one astronomer caused some alarm by predicting that the comet could one day pass close enough to Earth to actually hit us – a prediction that was quickly downgraded to a near miss, which will occur sometime in the year 3044.

When the Perseids appear they seem to fly out of the constellation Perseus – hence the name – but in fact this is an optical illusion. It is the same illusion that causes snowflakes to come straight at you from a single point on the road when you drive through a snow storm.

The early hours are usually the best time to see the Perseids because this is when that point of the Earth begins to face the direction in which the meteors are coming from – the constellation Perseus.

As the Earth slowly rotates, the side facing the direction of its orbit around the Sun runs into more grains from the cometary tail. This direction is right overhead at dawn, which is why about twice as many shooting stars are seen before dawn than at sunset

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Mike Douglas pictured on the left with Alice Cooper in the middle and Peter falk on the right.

08/11/2006

Douglas did about 6,000 syndicated shows, most 90 minutes long, and estimated that at its peak the show was seen in about 230 cities.

Mike Douglas, who drew on his affable personality and singing talent during 21 years as a talk show host, died Friday on his 81st birthday, his wife said.

Douglas’ afternoon show, which aired from 1961 to 1982, featured his ballad and big-band singing style, other musicians, comedians, sports figures and political personalities, including seven former, sitting or future presidents.

“People still believe ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ was a talk show, and I never correct them, but I don’t think so,” Douglas said in his 1999 memoirs “I’ll Be Right Back: Memories of TV’s Greatest Talk Show.” “It was really a music show, with a whole lot of talk and laughter in between numbers.”

Douglas did about 6,000 syndicated shows, most 90 minutes long, and estimated that at its peak the show was seen in about 230 cities. Douglas fondly recalled when the golfer Tiger Woods, who as a preschooler was already drawing attention, appeared on the same 1978 show as Bob Hope, an avid golfer. “I don’t know what kind of drugs they’ve got this kid on,” Hope quipped, “but I want some.”

Douglas was genial most of the time, but confided in his memoir that his composure was sorely tested one week in 1972 when former Beatle John Lennon and wife, Yoko Ono, were his unlikely guest hosts. One of the guest celebrities they selected was well-known anti-war activist Jerry Rubin.

“He just got on my nerves. It sounded like this guy hated the president, the Congress, everyone in business, the military, all police and just about everything America stands for,” Douglas said.

He recalled becoming confrontational with Rubin. But Lennon “picked up the mantle of Kind and Gentle Host, and he did it quite well, reinterpreting Jerry’s comments to take some of the sting out and adding a little humour to keep things cool,” Douglas said.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

By JENNIFER QUINN , 08.10.2006, 06:28 PM

British police thwarted a terrorist plot Thursday to blow up 10 U.S.-bound jetliners with a peroxide explosive – a nearly simultaneous strike over the Atlantic that could have killed thousands of people and rivaled the carnage of 9/11.

In raids across England, authorities arrested 24 people based partly on intelligence from Pakistan – moving quickly because U.S. officials said the bombings could have been only days away.

The scheme bore the hallmark of al-Qaida. The bombs were to be assembled on the aircraft using a peroxide-based solution and detonated by a power supply from a camera, a digital music player or other electronic device, two American law enforcement officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Britain asked that no information be released.

The close call shifted attention once more to Britain’s Islamic community just over a year after the London transit attacks. Three Britons of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican convert to Islam carried out those deadly bombings with a peroxide explosive that can be made using ordinary ingredients such as hair bleach.

The arrests in Britain, coupled with up to three arrests in Pakistan, triggered security alerts at airports across the United States and Europe. Passengers stood in line for hours and airport trash bins bulged with everything from mouthwash and shaving cream to maple syrup and fine wine.

“We want to make sure that there are no remaining threats out there, and we also want to take steps to prevent any would-be copycats who may be inspired to similar conduct,” said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. ABC News reported that authorities were urgently hunting five more suspects, quoting unidentified U.S. sources who had been briefed on the plot.

Experts said the nature of the plot could herald a new age of terrorism where attackers have access to explosives that are easy to carry and conceal. Emergency security measures quickly implemented on Thursday provided a stark vision of the possible future of air travel.

Mothers tasted baby food in front of airport security guards to prove it contained no liquid explosives. Liquids and gels were banned from flights. Travelers repacked their luggage in airports, stowing all but the most necessary items in the hold.

Although plots to blow up airliners using liquid explosives are not new – such an attempt was foiled more than a decade ago – the U.S. government has been slow to upgrade its security equipment at airport checkpoints to detect explosives on passengers.

U.S. authorities did not say how long the security measures would last. “We are taking the step of preventing liquids from getting into the cabin to give us time to make adjustments,” Chertoff said.

The raids in Britain on Thursday followed a monthslong investigation, but U.S. intelligence officials said authorities moved quickly after learning the plotters hoped to stage a practice run within two days, with the actual attack expected just days after that.

The test run was designed to see whether the plotters would be able to smuggle the needed materials aboard the planes, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Security experts warned it was possible attackers could hide their bomb ingredients in containers for talcum powder or medicine bottles and then assemble the weapon once behind a locked restroom door.

“This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation,” President Bush declared.

The plane bombings could have come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by al-Qaida. The terror group’s leader Osama bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and have repeatedly issued tapes threatening new attacks.

In Pakistan, an intelligence official said the arrest of an Islamic militant near that border several weeks ago played a role in “unearthing the plot.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some suspects arrested in Britain were linked to al-Qaida.

A senior Pakistani government official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter, said “two or three local people” suspected in the plot were arrested a few days ago in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi.

U.S. counterterrorism officials said United, American, and Continental airlines bound for New York, Washington and California were targeted by the terrorists. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the individuals plotted to detonate liquid explosive devices on as many as 10 aircraft bound for the United States.

French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy said the group “appears to be of Pakistani origin,” but did not give a precise source for the information. Britain’s Home Office refused comment.

A British police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the suspects were “homegrown,” though it was not immediately clear if all were British citizens. He said authorities were working with Britain’s large South Asian community.

Raids were carried out at homes in London, the nearby town of High Wycombe and in Birmingham, in central England. Searches continued throughout the day, and police cordoned off streets in several locations. Police also combed a wooded area in High Wycombe.

Hamza Ghafoor, 20, who lives across the street from one of the homes raided in Walthamstow, northeast of London, said police circled the block in vans Wednesday and that they generally swoop into the neighborhood to question “anyone with a beard.”

“Ibrahim didn’t do nothing wrong,” Ghafoor said, referring to a suspect. “He played football. He goes to the mosque. He’s a nice guy.”

The British government raised its threat assessment to its highest level – critical – which warns that a terrorist attack could be imminent. The U.S. government, following suit, raised its threat assessment to red alert, also its highest level, for commercial flights from Britain to the United States.

Associated Press Writers Pat Milton and Tom Hays in New York, Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. – A man who runs a rail repair service here has pleaded guilty to harboring illegal immigrants.

Court documents say Jesse Bledsoe, 51, agreed to forfeit $75,000 to the federal government under a plea agreement. A sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 6.

Bledsoe’s attorney, Lorelle Moeckel, said sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of between six months to just over a year.

Authorities said a traffic stop near Lakota in November led to the arrest of 11 illegal immigrants who said they worked for Bledsoe Rail Service.

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.

Warning: array_keys() [function.array-keys]: The first argument should be an array in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1310

Warning: shuffle() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1311

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /u/www/sites/brokencountry.com/www/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/simple-tags/inc/client.php on line 1312

See you all soon. We are going to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. BB on Tuesday.

John

Tweet This Post 

No tags for this post.