Aruba prosecutor says judge told son: No body, no case

PALM BEACH, Aruba :An Aruban judge briefly held in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager told his son -- who is still in police custody -- that without a body police would have no case, the island's chief prosecutor said Wednesday.
Judge Paul Van Der Sloot, 53, was arrested one week ago in connection with the Natalee Holloway case but released days later.In an interview with CNN, Chief Prosector Karin Janssen said the judge made the comment "some days after" Holloway disappeared in a conversation with his son, Joran, 17, and Joran's friends, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, 18 and 21 respectively.The younger Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoes were arrested on June 9 and have been detained ever since. They were the last to be seen with Holloway, when she left a nightclub early May 30. No charges have been filed against the three...

Cyouincourt007:No Body No Case is as rediculous as discounting circumstancial evidence...

Florida child killing confession may be tainted

CNN) -- A Florida man's confession that he kidnapped, raped and buried alive a 9-year-old girl(Jessica Marie Lunsford) may never be heard by a jury because, according to documents, he previously asked for a lawyer but was not given one.
John Couey, accused of murder in the death of Jessica Lunsford, asked for an attorney on March 17, the day before he confessed, according to the transcript of his questioning released by police.
At the time of his request, Couey was maintaining he had nothing to do with the girl's disappearance. His request came after Citrus County, Florida, detectives asked him if he would take a lie detector test.

"Based on the fact that he clearly invoked his right to counsel at least three times, there may be a problem," said Jeffrey Weiner, a past president of the Criminal Defense Lawyers Association."...It seems to me the law enforcement officials did not scrupulously honor his invocation of his right to counsel and as a result, his statement might be not admissible."

cyouincourt007:Police officials say even if Couey's confession is suppressed by the court, there is sufficient evidence to prosecute..This scumbag deserves our friend "Sparky" the chair and no less.

Former hostages allege Iran's new president was captor

...NEW YORK (CNN) -- The White House said Thursday it is taking seriously the allegations by former hostages that Iran's hardline president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was one of their captors at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran a quarter century ago.
President Bush told foreign reporters he has "no information, but obviously his involvement raises many questions."
"As soon as I saw the face, it rang a lot of bells to me," Don Sharer, who served as the embassy's naval attache at the time, told CNN.
"...Take 20 years off of him. He was there. He was there in the background, more like an adviser."...

President Reagan:Greatest American

Former US President Ronald Reagan was voted "greatest American of all time" by fellow citizens.
Reagan died last year at the age of 93.
In the fresh survey, he topped a list of ten contenders, including six former Presidents.Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery, came second, followed by Martin Luther King, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey and Franklin D Roosevelt.The vote was organized by the Discovery Channel and AOL, and participated by more than 2.4 million Americans.

Milk threat study issued over objections

Controversial report about supply vulnerabilities to be published

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The National Academy of Sciences is proceeding with publication of a study outlining how terrorists could contaminate the U.S. milk supply with botulism -- despite complaints that the article is a "road map for terrorists."The article theorizes that hundreds of thousands of people could be poisoned if terrorists exploited vulnerabilities in milk processing.
It includes information on milk pasteurization, the dose of botulinum toxin for humans, the toxin's heat sensitivity and the capacities of the silos in which milk is stored.

California Mosque Fires Islamic Leader

Calif. Mosque Fires Islamic Leader Accused of Supporting Osama Bin Laden

A mosque has fired a religious leader accused of speaking out against the United States and supporting Osama bin Laden in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.Shabbir Ahmed, 39, is one of two imams detained on immigration charges as part of an FBI investigation into alleged terror activities in the Islamic community in Lodi, a wine-growing region about 30 miles south of Sacramento.The mosque's board of directors unanimously voted to fire Ahmed in a special session Sunday night, said Mohammed Shoaib, president of Lodi Muslim Mosque...Justice Department attorney Paul Nishiie said Ahmed was linked to a terrorist group in Pakistan and had preached about attacking Americans a few months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...

Colombian Guerillas Las FARC, offers U.S. prisoner swap

BOGOTA, Colombia, June 28 (UPI) :Colombia's leftist rebels offered to swap three American kidnap victims for two of their leaders being detained in the United States
U.S. officials immediately nixed the idea saying it wouldn't deal with the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, El Tiempo reported Tuesday. The U.S. State Department considers FARC and other armed leftist groups in Colombia terrorist organizations.Defense contractors Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howes and Keith Stansell were captured in February 2003 when their plan crashed in southern Colombia. Rebels accused the men of being members of the CIA.Click title for link...

Ambassador William B. Wood's Remarks At Remembrance Ceremony
U.S. Embassy in Bogota
We are gathered together to remember the hostages taken captive today by the FARC: Thomas Howe, Marc Gonsalves, and Keith Stansell, and Tom Janis killed by the FARC on that occasion, as well as Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz, a Colombian colleague whom the FARC also killed. As we think about them, we also remember Mario Alverado, a spray pilot killed by the FARC while working to eradicate the drugs ....And finally "perseverance." A favorite word of President Uribe. We will persevere...And we will persevere in our efforts to return Tom and Marc and Keith to the friends and families and colleagues who miss them so much. With the mercy of God, and the faith that our determination gives us, we will see them home safe and sound, so that we never again must see another February 13 like today. And we will fulfill the mission for which they have sacrificed so much.
Bogota, D.C.February 13, 2004 Link

cyouincourt007:I support our stance not to negotiate with terrorists and risk motivating further incidents...and while many are concerned with the treatment of those at GITMO...I wonder about the "prison" conditions for these Americans being held by Las Farc and would love to see them back @ home with their families...Bring Them Home...by tongue or by sword but "Make it so"

Just Deserts:Developer Proposes Building Hotel on SCOTUS Justice Home Property

Douglas Maher - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Weare, New Hampshire (AHN) - Developer Logan Darrow Clements filed papers with the Weare, New Hampshire code enforcement officer to get the ball rolling on a hotel project on property owned by Justice David Souter of the United States Supreme Court.
Souter voted in favor of the "Kelo vs. City of New London" decision that "allows city governments to take land from one private owner and give it to another if the government will generate greater tax revenue or other economic benefits when the land is developed by the new owner."
According to a press release from Clements, he states, "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a public museum featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."

Click title for article...for the press release mentioned go Here

wow

Deputy Fires at Car Driven by 12-Year-Old

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A sheriff's deputy trying to stop an erratic driver fired at the car when it lurched toward him, not realizing a 12-year-old girl was behind the wheel, officials said. Neither she nor her 6-year-old brother were hit.
Deputy Chris Hillsgrove and a colleague pursued the car Sunday, eventually blocking it between their two patrol cars. When the deputies exited their vehicles, the car lurched forward and backward into the two cars, then drove toward Hillsgrove, Polk County Sheriff's spokeswoman Michal Shanley said."He, fearing for his life, fired several shots at the oncoming vehicle and managed to jump out of the way as the vehicle sped by him," Shanley said. The car then crashed into a nearby parked car....

Another Florida shark attack

Pensacola,Fl: A teenage boy was critically injured on Monday in the second shark attack in three days along the Florida's northwestern coast.
The boy, whose age and name were not released, was taken to Bay Medical Centre in Panama City.
The nature of his injuries was not immediately released.
He was attacked off Cape San Blas, a popular holiday destination about 130km southeast of the Destin area where 14-year-old Jamie Marie Daigle was killed by a shark on Saturday.

Eyes On Communist China

Last week, Americans got a sense of how foreign investment can also have a downside. The China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), 70% owned by the Chinese government, offered to buy Unocal, a 115-year-old U.S. energy producer.The $18.5 billion bid raises a number of thorny policy questions. Among them: Would ceding control of a major oil company to a communist government-controlled entity pose a national security threat? And if the bid were to be blocked, would China retaliate against U.S. companies seeking to expand in China? These questions would be considered by a special national security panel if Unocal accepted the CNOOC bid. Link

"Chinese dragon awakens?"WASHINGTON -- China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials.U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.China's military buildup includes an array of new high-technology weapons, such as warships, submarines, missiles and a maneuverable warhead designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses. Recent intelligence reports also show that China has stepped up military exercises involving amphibious assaults, viewed as another sign that it is preparing for an attack on Taiwan. Link

Analysts missed Chinese buildup

A highly classified intelligence report produced for the new director of national intelligence concludes that U.S. spy agencies failed to recognize several key military developments in China in the past decade, The Washington Times has learned. The report was created by several current and former intelligence officials and concludes that U.S. agencies missed more than a dozen Chinese military developments, according to officials familiar with the report. The report blames excessive secrecy on China's part for the failures, but critics say intelligence specialists are to blame for playing down or dismissing evidence of growing Chinese military capabilities.... Link

Thefts of U.S. technology boost China's weaponry

China is stepping up its overt and covert efforts to gather intelligence and technology in the United States, and the activities have boosted Beijing's plans to rapidly produce advanced-weapons systems."I think you see it where something that would normally take 10 years to develop takes them two or three," said David Szady, chief of FBI counterintelligence operations.He said the Chinese are prolific collectors of secrets and military-related information."What we're finding is that [the spying is] much more focused in certain areas than we ever thought, such as command and control and things of that sort," Mr. Szady said. LINK

Cyouincourt007: None of this is "new" to me... I hope it wasn't a wakeup call for anyone but "just in case"...Sooner or later we will have to deal with communist China...

2 freed in missing-teen case

ORANJESTAD, Aruba :A judge on Sunday ordered the release of two suspects in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, including the father of a youth last seen with the young woman before she vanished.
Paul van der Sloot, 52, was freed after being held for three days, apparently on suspicion that he had coached his son, Joran, 17, about what to tell police."A little bit of the nightmare clouds are now disappearing," van der Sloot's wife, Anita, told the Associated Press. "The truth will always come forward. From the beginning I trusted everything would be fine."The judge also ordered the release of party boat disc jockey Steve Gregory Croes because "there was not enough proof he was involved," said his attorney, Eleni Lotter-Homan. Croes was expected to be released today.

Colombia mounts counterattack against rebels....

BOGOTA, Colombia:President Alvaro Uribe flew to the battlefields of southwest Colombia to oversee a massive counterattack against leftist rebels on Sunday, a day after 25 soldiers were killed in attacks across the country.
As many as 300 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, on Saturday attacked oil wells near Puerto Asis and ambushed an army convoy, killing at least 19 soldiers. Rebel casualty figures were not known.
More than 1,000 troops backed by helicopter gunships hunted down several hundred rebels believed to be heading for the nearby border with Ecuador to seek refuge from the fighting, army officials said......................

NAACP pledges financial overhaul

The new president and chief executive of the NAACP said he will spend the next five months getting the organization's fiscal house in order."This organization needs to achieve a viable, sustainable financial security, and I will work over the remainder of 2005 towards building an endowment for the NAACP," said President-elect Bruce S. Gordon, a former retail-marketing executive for Verizon Corp."I am an operations person who believes in tight fiscal management, and over the next five months I will work to fix the fiscal situation,"Mr. Gordon told the 64 board members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People yesterday after they elected him president.Mr. Gordon said he plans to look forward, not backward, and will continue protecting and improving civil rights, voting rights and equal justice, but with a new focus. "The new news is that economic equality will be as important, if not more important, than the others," he said.

Police seeking clues in Arizona killings

This police image shows the suspect in the killing of six people in Yuma,Arizona Police were searching for a man seen running from a home where six people, including four children, were killed in western Arizona.
Authorities released little new information on the case Sunday other than to confirm that the victims included a mother and her four children, ages 6 to 13.
"We're considering all options and all potential motives," Police Chief William Robinson said at a news conference.Officers responding to a call of shots fired in a residential neighborhood late Friday found a man with a gunshot wound in the home's backyard. The man, identified Sunday as Luis Rios, 35, died later at a hospital...

Teenager dies in Florida shark attack

MIAMI (Reuters) - A 14-year-old girl died after being bitten by a large shark on Saturday while she swam with a friend in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida panhandle, police said.
The girl, a visitor from Louisiana, has not been identified pending notification of her relatives. She was on a boogie board near a sandbar about 200 yards offshore near Destin, Florida, when the two saw the shadowy shape of the shark in the water, said officials with the Walton County Sheriff's Office.Witnesses told police the shark was feeding on a large school of fish at the time.
The shark bit one of the girls on her lower body and dragged her under water.
"There was a surfer in the area who saw the attack and went to the aid of the young girl," said Walton County Sheriff's Lt. Frank Owens. "He got the girl up on his board and brought her toward shore. He put himself at risk to help the girl."

Five suspects in Holloway case to appear in court

Texas team to begin searching for missing teen

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (CNN) -- Five suspects in the case of missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway are expected to appear before a judge on the island of Aruba on Saturday.
The suspects, who are Judge Paul Van Der Sloot, 53; his son Joran, 17; Satish Kalpoe, 18; his brother Deepak Kalpoe, 21; and disc jockey Steve Croes, 26, will face a judge who will decide whether they are to remain in custody, Police Commissioner Jan Van Der Straten said.No one has been formally charged in the case -- which began after Holloway, 18, went missing during her Aruba vacation with classmates on May 30........

Prosecutor: New Jersey boys' deaths accidental

Bodies of missing boys found late Friday in car trunk

CAMDEN, New Jersey (CNN) -- Autopsy results show three boys found dead in a car trunk suffocated, and their deaths have been ruled accidental, Camden County Prosecutor Vincent Sarubbi said Saturday.
Sarubbi said there were no signs of foul play in the deaths of 11-year-old Anibal Cruz, 6-year-old Daniel Agosto and 5-year-old Jesstin Pagan, which he called a "horrible, tragic and unexplainable incident."At least one of the children, he said, had a history of playing in the car, and investigators believe the three boys climbed into the trunk themselves. The trunk's lid closed automatically...

Enriched Uranium Missing From Japan Plant

Japan Government Says Small Amount of Enriched Uranium Missing From Nuclear Power Plant

TOKYO: A small amount of enriched uranium not enough to make a bomb has gone missing from a nuclear power plant in central Japan, the Science Ministry said Friday.
Officials have been unable to locate a neutron-detecting device containing 1.7 milligrams of enriched uranium at the No. 3 reactor at Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui state about 200 miles west of Tokyo, the ministry said in a statement...

'Deep Throat's' Boss Breaks Silence

Former FBI Director L. Patrick Gray Shares Story With "This Week"

It has been several weeks since W. Mark Felt Jr. was revealed as "Deep Throat," the long-speculated about anonymous source who helped the Washington Post report the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974.
Now, after 32 years, the man who was Deep Throat's boss, former FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, breaks his silence in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

Lee County Deputy Tasers Unruly 13-year-old at Hospital

BONITA SPRINGS, FL:A deputy Tasered an intoxicated 13-year-old girl who was kicking and scratching two hospital nurses, officials said.April Rene Burleson, who is 4-foot-9 and weighs 90 pounds, had a blood alcohol level of 0.175 percent and was under the influence of marijuana and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office."You have to understand, she was lashing out, kicking and scratching," sheriff's spokeswoman Ileana LiMarzi. "She was acting like an adult who needed to be restrained. Just because she's 13 doesn't mean she can't harm somebody." ...

WTC investigators issue skyscraper recommendations

Goal: to create buildings that achieve burnout without collapse

NEW YORK : The United States should update fire standards for skyscrapers in light of the World Trade Center collapse and develop new materials that can better protect tall buildings in an inferno, investigators said Thursday.Engineers with the National Institute of Standards and Technology also urged installation of "fire-protected and structurally hardened elevators" to improve emergency response in tall buildings."Such elevators should be installed for exclusive use by emergency responders during emergencies," NIST said in its draft recommendations on the twin tower collapse, released at a news briefing in Lower Manhattan.

Homes may be 'taken' for private projects

Justices: Local governments can give OK if it's for public good

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people’s homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development.It was a decision fraught with huge implications for a country with many areas, particularly the rapidly growing urban and suburban areas, facing countervailing pressures of development and property ownership rights.As a result, cities cities now have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes in order to generate tax revenue.The 5-4 ruling — assailed by dissenting Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as handing “disproportionate influence and power” to the well-heeled — represented a defeat for some Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex.

Boy, 10, Critical After Tiger, Lion Attack

Minnesota Boy in Critical Condition After Attack by Tiger, Lion Kept by Businessman

MINNEAPOLIS:A 10-year-old boy was attacked and critically injured by a tiger and a lion that were among a dozen large animals kept by a businessman, authorities said.Russell LaLa of Royalton was injured Wednesday when he and his father visited Chuck Mock, who authorities say is the owner of 11 large cats and a bear. The boy was in critical condition Thursday at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Authorities said Mock opened the door of a cage and a tiger pushed its way out to attack the boy. When the owner was pulling off the tiger, a lion bit Russell, Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel said.

Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror

Mexico Detains Man Believed Linked to Extremist Organizations With Ties to 9/11 Terror Attacks

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico: A Lebanese-born man detained this week on Mexico's Baja California peninsula is believed linked to extremist organizations with ties to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Mexican prosecutors said.
Amer Haykel told acquaintances he was a pilot who was wandering the world on a tight budget. He seemed like "a straightforward person," said Gabriel Garcia of the Cabo San Lucas fire station, where Haykel had sought shelter for several days. Mexico's federal attorney general's office said late Tuesday that U.S. authorities linked the Lebanese-born British citizen "to extremist groups believed to be involved with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York."It did not say if he faced any charges or if he was believed to be personally involved in any terrorist actions. On Wednesday, Mexico's attorney general's office said officials were trying to determine Haykel's legal status. He was being held in Mexico City by immigration authorities.

AFI's 100 YEARS...100 MOVIE QUOTES

"FRANKLY, MY DEAR, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN" TOPS AFI'S LIST OF 100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME

1
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
GONE WITH THE WIND
1939
2
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
THE GODFATHER
1972
3
You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.
ON THE WATERFRONT
1954
4
Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939
5
Here's looking at you, kid.
CASABLANCA
1942
6
Go ahead, make my day.
SUDDEN IMPACT
1983
7
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
SUNSET BLVD.
1950
8
May the Force be with you.
STAR WARS
1977
9
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.
ALL ABOUT EVE
1950
10
You talking to me?
TAXI DRIVER
1976...Click title for the full list

Taken From Pub. 17, the IRS Federal Income Tax Handbook for Individuals. Make sure you claim those embezzled funds! You wouldn't want the IRS to track you down would you?....

"Will the weight times the leverage divided by the length equal stupidity? Nahhh......"

Heads Up...Back To School...

Well it's back to class as of this week for this blogtrooper...I will continue posting but maybe not as often or as much...

The co-founder of "In The Loop"...Mike99mws...has just graduated from FSU ...A huge congrats to him : ) He'll be back in da MIA soon and In The Loop for sure...Cyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Dont forget to visit members on the blogroll here in the bloggy blog world...

Make sure you get your Stuff Done hehehe : P

Flag Burning Ban...WTF?

LAST I CHECKED WE WERE LIVING IN AMERICA...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THESE PEOPLE IN CONGRESS...PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE....AM I THE ONLY ONE TO SEE THE LUNACY IN THIS....HOW CAN WE BEGIN TO PLACE SUCH A LIMIT ON THIS FORM OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.....I WOULD NOT BURN A U.S. FLAG AND MIGHT CRACK SOME KNEES AND SNAP NECKS IF I SAW SOMEONE DOING THIS BUT TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL?

BEFORE YOU GO ON AND TELL ME ITS UNPATRIOTIC AND UNAMERICAN(I MIGHT AGREE) ANSWER ME THIS QUESTION.....AS PER PROPER PROCEDURE AND CORRECT FLAG ETIQUETTE .....WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN DISCARDING A FLAG?.....
"The approved method of disposing of unserviceable Flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning".........
STOP THE MADNESS FOR CHRIST SAKE THIS IS AMERICA...LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

U.S. to give North Korea 50,000 tons in food aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it would give
North Korea 50,000 tonnes of food aid, saying its decision was based on humanitarian need and was not linked to efforts to end Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

"The United States will be donating, in response to the World Food Program appeal, 50,000 metric tonnes of agricultural commodities for North Korea," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, adding it was not designed to lure North Korea to six-party talks on ending its suspected nuclear arms programs..."It is a humanitarian act based on need and not based on political considerations and not linked to six party talks,"...

U.S. U-2 aircraft crashes in Southwest Asia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force U-2 aircraft crashed in Southwest Asia late on Tuesday, the U.S. military said...

"The cause of the crash and status of the pilot are not known at this time," said the U.S. Central Command Air Forces, or CENTAF, in a brief statement...

Durbin apologizes for Gitmo remarks

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate's No. 2 Democrat apologized Thursday for remarks comparing the treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to methods used by the Nazis, Soviets and other repressive regimes.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said he "never intended any disrespect" to U.S. troops with his June 14 comments, for which the minority whip has endured a week of criticism from Republicans and some Democrats.
"In the end, I don't want anything in my public career to detract from my love for this country, my respect for those who serve it, and this great Senate," Durbin said in an emotional statement on the Senate floor.
"I offer my apologies to those that were offended by my words."...

Japan bid to end whale sanctuary

ULSAN, South Korea:Anti-whaling countries will try to thwart a Japanese-led attempt to abolish a whale sanctuary in the southern seas and condemn Tokyo for continuing to catch the huge mammals in the name of science.Japan has already suffered two setbacks at this year's meeting of the 66-member International Whaling Commission in Ulsan, a former whaling port in the southeast of the Korean peninsula.Japan is proposing abolishing a "Southern Ocean Sanctuary" set up by the commission to protect whales in southern seas from commercial whaling. Japan can still conduct its scientific whaling in those seas because of loopholes in the rules."There is no scientific justification whatsoever for lethal, scientific whaling," said Richard Cowan, Britain's delegate to the meeting.Whaling states such as Japan and Norway say whaling is a cherished part of their culture...

Fire Razes Century-Old Detroit Warehouse

DETROIT - An old Studebaker factory was destroyed Tuesday by a huge fire in an area of Detroit that was once a major hub of the automotive industry in its early years.

The flames could be seen for miles, and it took about 150 firefighters several hours to get the blaze at the warehouse under control. The wreckage was still smoldering by late morning and streets remained closed for several blocks around the site.Much of the century-old, four-story warehouse collapsed as the flames fed on the building's wooden floors and supports. It contained a meat market, furniture store and several other businesses, but was about 60 percent vacant.Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries, Fire Commissioner Tyrone Scott said....

S.Korea urges North to return to nuclear talks soon

SEOUL (Reuters) -
South Korea urged North Korea at talks on Wednesday to return to six-party negotiations on the communist country's nuclear program in July, a South Korean official said.South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young also told the North Korean delegation at the talks in Seoul that the nuclear crisis could and should also be discussed and solved between the two Koreas, ministry official Kim Chun-shick told reporters. Officials said Chung's aim going into Wednesday's talks was to seek a firm commitment from the North to resume talks with the other parties in the six-way talks -- South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States....

Police: Lions free kidnapped girl

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Police say three lions rescued a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by men who wanted to force her into marriage, chasing off her abductors and guarding her until police and relatives tracked her down in a remote corner of Ethiopia.The men had held the girl for seven days, repeatedly beating her, before the lions chased them away and guarded her for half a day before her family and police found her, Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said Tuesday by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, some 560 kilometers (348 miles) west of the capital, Addis Ababa.
"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said, adding he did not know whether the lions were male or female.

Mexico's Zetas: Soldiers defect to drug cartel

Drug gangs clash in lawless city

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) -- Zooming around in sport utility vehicles bristling with weapons, Mexican soldiers-turned-drug hit men have taken this border city to the brink of anarchy, infiltrating local police and threatening anyone who gets in their way.
Residents and law enforcement officials say the men are the feared Zetas, former members of a military intelligence battalion sent to the border to fight drug trafficking. Instead, they joined the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's top drug gangs. They adopted the name Zetas -- a radio code for a military commander -- recruited followers and made the city of 300,000 their home base.

DNA Tests Unable to Solve Pulaski Mystery

SAVANNAH, Georgia:DNA tests on bones exhumed from a monument to Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski failed to prove the remains are those of the Revolutionary War hero killed in a 1779 battle to retake Savannah from the British.
But a draft report on the investigation into Pulaski's disputed burial says historical records and skeletal injuries make a case that the remains are those of the Polish nobleman.
"While the strong circumstantial evidence does suggest that the remains are Casimir Pulaski, the inability to obtain a DNA match leads to no viable conclusion," says the report obtained by The Associated Press.

Chile's Pinochet Hospitalized After Stroke

Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet Hospitalized After Fainting, Suffering Mild Stroke

SANTIAGO, Chile Jun 21, 2005 — Former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet suffered a mild stroke Tuesday, fainting at his home before he regained consciousness at a military hospital.
Pinochet's condition was stable and he will "remain hospitalized for observation," the Santiago Military hospital said in a communique.
Pinochet, 89, has suffered similar episodes in recent years, including several strokes...

Ramsey Car Theft Generates Laughs, if Not Leads

The reaction across the city was swift, and a bit on the mean side.
"Bwahahahaha!" one Internet chatter howled in response to the news that D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey was the latest victim of the District's car bandits."I have to say, when I heard the chief's car was stolen, I chuckled," said Tania Shand, a D.C. resident who is still mourning the theft two years ago, from a street corner in Shaw, of the beloved burgundy Honda Civic hatchback she called Rosie."Looks like no car is safe. I guess if you're police chief, you don't think your car will be stolen," Shand said. "But guess what?"
A day after Ramsey reported that someone had taken his department-issued Ford Crown Victoria from a street near his Southwest home, other Washingtonians whose cars had been swiped had a laugh at the chief's expense.

Two years ago DC's fire chief and the city's chief arson investigator each had their offical cars stolen. The fire chief's car was recovered, but the arson investigator's car was destroyed by fire...

Tasers vs. Pepper Spray: "Hit me, I'll tell you which is worse"

Rocky's inquiry: One of the mayor's own serves as a guinea pig in an evaluation of police weapons
Ty McCartney thwacked his leg repeatedly with a foam baton as he braced himself to be jolted by up to 50,000 volts. Then - with a Taser's red laser beam pointed at his chest - he grimaced, drew in a breath and raised the baton, his "weapon." "Police! Drop the weapon!" Salt Lake City police officer Jared Wihongi shouted. Wihongi then fired two wired barbs at McCartney. One didn't stick, but the other embedded itself in his chest. McCartney asked for it - literally. The five-second zap Monday was part of a research project as McCartney, who works for Mayor Rocky Anderson, helps the Police Department determine its Taser policy.
A former cop, McCartney figured he should do his homework. He didn't "scream like a girl," as he feared. But the 33-year-old's guttural moans masked the electric "zzzz" of the Taser. His arms involuntarily contracted to his sides and he fell, bottom first, onto gymnastic mats laid on the floor in a classroom at the city's Pioneer Precinct. He tried to raise his baton to continue "attacking" Wihongi, but the threat was short-lived...Click title for article,video and pictures...

Update:Carpio Held Without Bail Pending Hearing

Man Is Accused In Shooting Death Of Police Detective

Providence — A man charged with killing a police detective will remain held without bail for at least another month, a judge ruled Monday...During a hearing Monday in Providence District Court, Carpio appeared via videoconference from the state prison in Cranston. For the first time, he was not wearing the protective spit shield that has obscured his face during previous court hearings.His face, which sported facial hair, appeared bruised and swollen in parts Monday. His family have accused police of unnecessarily roughing him up during and since his arrest the night of Allen's shooting...
File Footage:Picture(&original story) posted after incident on April 17... Link

Missing boy found alive in Utah

Uncle: We are absolutely thrilled

KAMAS, Utah (CNN) -- Volunteers told CNN Tuesday that the 11-year-old Cub Scout missing for four days has been found alive.
Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said the boy was in no mood to talk, that he was hungry, thirsty and wanted to see his mother."It's one of the most touching moments I've ever seen in my life," he said.Searchers on horseback found the boy at Lily Lake, about five miles from where they had centered their search in the mountains of Utah, Gilbert said.The boy was transported from the lake to a nearby area where a helicopter was able to land and take him to a hospital. The boy's parents and siblings were by his side.

Miami man, 24, killed after punch sends him into traffic

DAVIE - An altercation in a casino parking lot escalated and ended with a man killed in a hit-and-run accident, officials said.
Julio Cesar Roqueta Reyes, 24, of Miami died early Sunday when he was knocked into traffic and struck by a vehicle in Davie, police spokesman Bill Bamford said.
Roqueta became involved in a dispute about 4 a.m. with another man over cars in the parking lot of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, police said.Both men got in their own vehicles and continued hurling insults at each other as they drove north toward Davie. At an intersection the two got out of their cars and began fighting. Roqueta was punched in the face, knocking him into traffic, Bamford said."This kid hit Roqueta right in the mouth," Bamford said. "He lost his balance, fell backward, and the car hit him in the headlight area."

Investigators had enough pieces from the car in the hit-and-run accident to quickly determine the make and model, Bamford said. And they're hoping the person will come forward."They want to speak to the person to find out what they saw, what they did and what happened," he said.

Jury finds manslaughter in civil rights killings

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (Reuters) - Accused Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday in the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers, a case that outraged much of the country and energized the civil rights movement.Killen, 80, had been portrayed by prosecutors as a Ku Klux Klan leader who recruited a mob to kill Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney exactly 41 years ago, on June 21, 1964. The killings in Neshoba County were dramatized in the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."...

Several dead in Israeli train wreck

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A train collided with a truck near the Israeli city of Ashdod on Tuesday afternoon, killing several people and wounding more than 100 others, according to Israeli officials.
Passengers were thrown out of the train cars. At least two of the train cars derailed and were on their sides, rescue officials said. Ambulances raced to the scene and helicopters arrived to help transport the wounded.
"There are a number of dead here that have not been evacuated. Unfortunately a baby is among the dead. They're covering the bodies with blankets," said Eli Eskozido, a local area council member at the scene...

Couple Captures Fla. Waterspout On Video

Miami,Florida: What was supposed to be a relaxing day turned into a scary ordeal for a New York couple vacationing on South Beach....Stanley Manjares and his girlfriend, Susy Jiminez, were among dozens on the beach when a waterspout was spotted about a mile offshore. The couple captured the waterspout and a funnel cloud on their home video camera. "I just saw whirlwind and water was racing up. I didn't know what it really was, but I got scared and everybody was running out of the water," Jiminez said....click title for video and pictures...

Seven suspected militants plead innocent of plans to attack Israel

AMMAN, Jordan - Seven men who allegedly trained in Syria and Lebanon pleaded innocent in a Jordan military court Monday to plotting attacks against Israel.The indictment accused eight men - including a fugitive who is being tried in absentia - of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism and endangering Jordan's relations with an unnamed "foreign country" - a clear reference to Israel, with whom Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994.If convicted on both counts, the defendants could face the death penalty.The police foiled the plot in February when it arrested the seven men before they had carried out their plans.

Saad Hariri claims victory in Lebanon elections

PETER CAVE: An anti-Syrian alliance has laid claim to victory in elections in Lebanon, the first since Syrian troops withdrew. The elections have been hailed by the United States as "an important milestone in Lebanon's transformation." The country's future now rests in the hands of Saad Hariri, the son of the slain former Prime Minster, Rafik Hariri....Despite the good will on the streets, the new government will face a series of major challenges.Saad Hariri has won an eight-seat majority, but he must now set about reforming his country burdened by a 35-and-a-half billion-dollar debt and an economy in which inflation is outstripping economic growth...

Bolton Confirmation Blocked...

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats blocked John Bolton's confirmation as U.N. ambassador for the second time Monday and President Bush left open the possibility of bypassing lawmakers and appointing the tough-talking former State Department official on his own.The vote was 54-38, six shy of the total needed to force a final vote on Bolton, and represented an erosion in support from last month's failed Republican effort. Sen. George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, who voted in May to advance the nomination, switched positions and urged Bush to consider another candidate, while only three Democrats crossed party lines...In remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record) of Delaware, senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said White House chief of staff Andrew Card had offered to provide some information about Syria. "I indicated to him that was not sufficient," Biden said. Rather, he said, Democrats would give Bolton a final confirmation vote only when the administration provided all the information they seek.
"The vote we're about to take is not, is not about John Bolton, the vote is about taking a stand," Biden said. He called it "totally unacceptable" for the president — no matter the political party — to "dictate to the United States Senate how he, the president, thinks we should proceed."...

Flashback:Tsunami Aftermath Aid Effort

Flashback:Tsunami Aftermath Aid Effort (January 3, 2005)
A United States Navy helicopter crew member assists an Achenese refugee from the tsunami ravaged Indonesian town of Meulaboh at Banda Aceh airport...

US Marines Uncover Torture Cell

American marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.The U.S. military has found torture houses after invading towns heavily populated by insurgents - like Falluja, where the assault against insurgents last autumn uncovered almost 20 such sites. But rarely have they come across victims who have lived to tell the tale.The men said they told the marines, from Company K, 3rd Marines, 2nd Division, that they had been tortured with electric shocks and flogged with a strip of rubber for more than two weeks, unseen behind the windows of black glass...2005 First Edition of "The Principles of Jihadist Philosophy." Its chapters included "How to Select the Best Hostage," and "The Legitimacy of Cutting the Infidels' Heads...."...Click title for link.
doubleplusgood infotainment

Fake documents got workers into nuke plant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Sixteen foreign-born construction workers with phony immigration documents were able to enter a nuclear weapons plant in eastern Tennessee because of lax security controls, a federal report said Monday.
Controls at the Y-12 weapons plant have since been tightened and there was no evidence the workers had access to any sensitive documents, said the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear weapons facilities for the Department of Energy.However, the DOE inspector general's office said in the report issued Monday that its field agents found "official use only" documents "lying unprotected in a construction trailer which was accessed by the foreign construction workers" at the plant.
"Thus, these individuals were afforded opportunities to access ... (this) information," the inspector general wrote. "We concluded that this situation represented a potentially serious access control and security problem."
The report, initiated by a tip in 2004, said the workers had fake green cards that certified them to work in the United States. Their cases were turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for deportation.
The Y-12 plant, created for the top-secret Manhattan Project that developed nuclear bombs in World War II, makes parts for nuclear warheads and is the country's principal storehouse for weapons-grade uranium. The plant in Oak Ridge, about 25 miles west of Knoxville, has been criticized for losing keys to sensitive areas and purported cheating on security drills, weaknesses that officials say have been corrected.
In response to the foreign workers intrusion at the plant, visitors now must provide passports or birth certificates along with other background information............

Judge Jails Five in Spain Train Bombings

Spain Judge Jails Five Men Suspected of Having Close Ties to Organizers of Madrid Train Bombings

Madrid, Spain:The judge investigating last year's Madrid train bombings jailed five men Monday who were suspected of having close ties to organizers of the attack and helping key suspects flee Spain, officials at the National Court said.
The men were arrested last week as part of a crackdown that also netted 11 suspects who allegedly belonged to a Syrian-based network that recruited people for suicide attacks in Iraq. The 11 were still undergoing questioning at the court Monday.
The five suspects, arrested June 14 in Madrid and Barcelona, were ordered jailed on suspicion of links to a terrorist organization.

Charges Against Teen Upgraded After Dog He Allegedly Raped Dies

A Campobello teen is accused of raping one neighbor's dog and another neighbor's two little girls. Now the dog has died and charges against the teen have been upgraded.
After receiving word that the dog died possibly because of the rape. Fox Carolina called the Solicitor's office to see if now new charges would be filed against the teen. An hour later Solicitor Trey Gowdy called to say that the charges will be upgraded to the "most serious animal cruelty charges they have on the books."Sylvia says she and her husband would not have believed Cory Williamson raped Princess exactly two weeks to the day she died had they not seen it with their own eyes."When I got here we were laying on the deck looking at him and he had his pants down and he was doing sexual activity with the dog like a man would do to a woman."...

Microphone squirts water in Tom Cruise's face

Tom Cruise blasted in the face with water at the London premiere of his new movie War Of The World...

Four men were released on bail and were ordered to return to a police station Monday, when they may be charged with assault, a police spokesman said.Click title for article and video...

Airborne Car Plows Through Home, Lands On Sleeping Man

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Police in Pine Bluff said a vehicle sent airborne after running off the road plowed through a house and landed on top of a man sleeping in his bedroom.
Police said 34-year-old Devlon Chandler and his wife were traveling home from a Greenville, Miss., casino Sunday morning when he fell asleep at the wheel. Authorities said the vehicle left the road, traveled through a grassy area, hit a telephone pole, ruptured a gas main and went airborne before going over another road.The vehicle then hit a house, running through the bedroom and knocking out two walls before exiting the home. The car came to rest on top of 42-year-old Ricky May as he was sleeping.May is hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The Chandlers were treated and released.

Man, Teen Arrested After Fake Kidnapping At Gas Station

LYKENS, Pa. -- A "Jackass" stunt has landed a Pennsylvania man and a teenager in trouble with the law.
Authorities said Daniel Reedinger and the teen claimed they were reenacting a prank from "Jackass: The Movie."
According to police, a convenience store clerk in the Lykens area reported what looked like a kidnapping. While a customer was paying for gas, the teen jumped from the trunk of the man's car with his hands bound and his eyes blindfolded.
Police report the man chased the teen, caught him, threw him back into the trunk, and drove off.Reedinger is now facing a number of charges including creating a false alarm and corruption of minors. The 15-year-old's case will be handled by juvenile authorities...

Pass the microwave popcorn: Poll says we prefer movies at home

WASHINGTON — Like many Americans, Mark Gil prefers the low cost and high convenience of staying home to watch movies.
"You can go rent a movie for three bucks, but by the time you're done at the movie theater with sodas and stuff, it's 20 bucks," said Gil, a mortgage broker from Central Square, N.Y.Three-fourths of Americans say they would just as soon watch a movie at home, an AP-AOL poll found. With people more inclined to think movies are getting worse, it's no wonder Hollywood is having problems filling theaters.

Vietnam Vet Shocked As Police Raid Wrong Duplex

Man Says He Hit Ground, Took Wife With Him

NAMPA, Idaho -- An Idaho man says he may have to "seek psychological help" after his home was mistakenly raided by police.
The Nampa police department meant to raid the adjacent unit of his duplex Wednesday.Officers threw a powerful noisemaking device through John Simpson's window, then stood outside with their guns drawn.
The Vietnam veteran said he hit the floor of his home, and took his wife down with him. Then, he picked up the first thing he could find -- a vacuum hose -- and ran out the door to defend himself.Police eventually arrested Simpson's neighbor on a drug possession charge. They've fixed the broken glass and said they'll pay for any other damages.

Marijuana Flavored Candy Shows Up At Stores Nationwide

ATLANTA -- Some anti-drug advocates are a little out of joint -- over marijuana-flavored candy.
Lollipops with names like Purple Haze, Acapulco Gold and Rasta are showing up on the shelves of convenience stores and smoke shops nationwide. The novelties are flavored with hemp oil from the marijuana plant.But any trace of THC, the stuff that gives marijuana its high, has been removed.Marketers said their candy is perfectly legal. But government and law enforcement officials counter that the pot candy sends the wrong message to kids.
...What about Candy cigarettes?......

Escaped Monkey Must Not Like Life On Outside; Returns To Zoo

SAN DIEGO -- Freedom isn't all that great. At least to one escaped monkey.
Takala, a golden-bellied mangabey, got out of the new monkey exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Friday. But he was found less than an hour later, waiting to get back inside.Zookeepers said they were searching for Takala, when they opened an outside door to the monkey exhibit and he walked right in...

Pope blesses Ferrari owners in St. Peter's Square

VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict has offered his blessings to some fast movers.Dozens of gleaming Ferrari sports cars were driven into St. Peter's Square -- to get the pope's blessing after his noontime remarks.
The drivers weren't disappointed, as the pope made special mention of the Easy Rider World Association by saying that "we see them and soon we'll hear them." There were 45 vehicles inside the square during the blessing.

Austin,Texas:Perry signs teacher retirement bill

Pensions would be reduced for some public school employees under legislation Governor Rick Perry has signed into law.The bill Perry signed Saturday aims to restructure benefit calculations for many educators. It also would change the retirement age for future teachers and bar school districts from offering early retirement.Under the new plan, the youngest two-thirds of the $845,000 current pension plan members would see slightly reduced pensions.School districts couldn't offer early retirement incentives -- and the retirement age for receiving full benefits would rise from 55 to 60 for educators hired after September 1, 2007.The bill Perry signed could save the state about $455 million in the next two years.

Explosions Rock Guatemala Military Base

Flames and smoke from an ammunition storage facility rise into the air over Guatemala City. The explosions from the Guatemalan military storage facility could be seen and heard for miles and created a health hazzard that led authorities to evacuate the affected neighbourhoods. No one was reported injured in the fire.REUTERS/Daniel LeClair

In grown-up spelling bee, Calif. lawyer stings competition

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — David Riddle was anything but paralyzed as he correctly spelled 14 words — culminating with "ptosis," or limpness of a limb or eyelid caused by paralysis — to win the National Senior Spelling Bee. Saturday's two-and-a-half-hour oral round allowed up to two misspelled words before competitors had to bow out, but Riddle didn't misspell a single word in out-spelling the other competitors, all over age 50...

Teams search for missing Boy Scout in Utah

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Search-and-rescue teams combed an area of eastern Utah on Saturday looking for an 11-year-old Boy Scout who went missing overnight.The boy was last seen Friday afternoon at a camp about 50 miles northeast of Kamas in Summit County. Fellow Scouts, rescuers with dogs and a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety had joined the search.
"Every resource we have available to us we're utilizing now," said Summit County Chief Deputy Dave Booth.

Mom Demands Recall of Daughter's School Yearbook

Mom Says School 'Wrongfully' Printed Unflattering Photo of 11-Year-Old

An 11-year-old Queens, N.Y., student and her family are demanding that 200 yearbooks be recalled because they are unhappy with the sixth-grader's unattractive photo. Asheana Maihepat was out sick the day class photos were taken, so she had a make-up photo a month later. But school officials were worried that the make-up photo wouldn't be developed in time for the school yearbook, so they used a picture taken by a student photographer.The photo the Maihepats dislike so much shows an extreme close-up of a pale, unsmiling Asheasa."It looks ridiculous," Asheasa said....

Koizumi Attends Iwo Jima Memorial Service

Junichiro Koizumi Attends Memorial Service on Iwo Jima, Pledges Not to Forget Soldiers Who Died

TOKYO — Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended a memorial service on Iwo Jima Sunday, the first Japanese leader to visit the Pacific island since its surrender 60 years ago after one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. At a newly refurbished memorial for the war dead, Koizumi pledged not to forget the troops lost on either side on the Japanese island, the first one that was invaded in the war. "More than 28,000 people of Japan and the United States lost their lives here on Iwo Jima. I hope I can contribute to a permanent world peace, knowing that their ultimate sacrifice has brought about today's peace and prosperity," Koizumi said before placing flowers.

Iraq Sandstorm Part 2...

The Latest Paris Hilton Video

Another Paris Hilton Burger Commercial coming right up...

Hardee's Spicy BBQ Thickburger will be advertised with a spicy TV commercial starring celebrity-socialite Paris Hilton.

The commercial, featuring Paris washing a Bentley in a swimsuit, will begin airing in Hardee's markets the week of June 27 -- and, just like the latest Thickburger, it's "hot."Click title for link and video...

MJMORNINGSHOW

Runaway bride and Hostage Hero...To make millions

ATLANTA - One woman broke the law. The other helped catch a killer. Both are selling their stories and could make millions in the process.

Representatives of Ashley Smith — whose 911 call led police to courthouse shootings suspect Brian Nichols — and runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks made deals for their stories with publishing houses in the past week.The women likely received advances of about $500,000 for story rights that could turn into a windfall of millions of dollars should movies on their lives be made, entertainment experts said. The companies that acquired the rights have declined to release financial details of the deals...

Smith and Wilbanks weren’t the only ones striking high profile deals. On Thursday, Mark Felt, the former FBI deputy director who revealed himself as Deep Throat, chose PublicAffairs Books to release his memoir and Universal Pictures optioned the 91-year-old’s story. Literary agents have said the book rights alone for the story of The Washington Post’s secret Watergate investigation source could be worth $1 million.

17 alleged MS-13 gang members arrested in New Jersey, Florida

MIAMI (AFP) - Seventeen suspected members of the feared MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, gang have been arrested by the US authorities in the states of New Jersey and Florida on charges of drug trafficking, document forgery and immigration violations.The alleged gang members were arrested on Wednesday, the majority of the arrests occurred in Elizabeth and Somerset in New Jersey where 10 individuals were detained, according to a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statement...

al-Qaeda No. 2 Disparages U.S. on Reform

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - al-Qaida (website - news) 's No. 2 leader released a new videotape disparaging the U.S. concept of reform in the Middle East and condemning assaults on women during anti-government demonstrations in Egypt last month, the broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Friday. Ayman al-Zawahri also criticized the Pakistani, Saudi and Egyptian governments, in the videotape, the Arab broadcaster said.Al-Zawahri is the deputy of Osama bin Laden (news - bio) in the al-Qaida terrorist network. He is a doctor who was imprisoned in Egypt for Islamic militancy. After his release, he moved to Afghanistan where he merged his militant faction with bin Laden's in the late 1990s...

Former Tyco chiefs found guilty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE:TYC - news) Chief Executive Dennis Kozlowski and finance chief Mark Swartz were found guilty on Friday of stealing more than $150 million in secretly forgiven loans and unauthorized bonuses from the company.The jury of six women and six men returned their verdict on the 11th day of deliberations. The trial in State Supreme Court in Manhattan lasted more than four months.This is the second time the two men -- who built Tyco into one of the world's biggest manufacturing conglomerates -- have been tried on allegations they misused company funds. The first case ended in a mistrial last year when a juror reported receiving a telephone call and a threatening letter about the case during deliberations.

...Source... Link
ac © 2005

Congrats to Lance Corporal Ramos A.K.A. Mars

Honorable Mention for our buddy Mars in Iraq

Lance Corporal Ramos was the subject of a Meritorious Mast conducted by the Commanding Officer...

For Superior performance of duties while serving as Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224...Your actions were directly responsible for the work center's strong performance and the squadron's overall mission readiness.You were a key factor in the...Your exemplary work ethic allowed the squadron to safely...You can be proud that your hard work and positive attitude left a lasting impression.Your actions reflect great credit upon yourself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United Sates Naval Service.....

Lt. Colonel Thomas,U.S. Marine Corps Commanding

In The Loop-Mars,we miss ya, stay safe and were proud of you bro.....Semper Fi

UPDATE-06-19-2005:We got a call from Mars yesterday(18th)...He's somewhere in Iraq ...We know he's alive and well....I wish I could say the same for all our peeps...On This Fathers Day...My prayers,thoughts and condolences to all the fallen men and women and their families ...

Pamela Turner Case Update

Pamela Rogers Turner has until July 27th (next court date) to decide whether to accept a plea deal offered by Warren County District Attorney Dale Potter."After discussions with her attorney, we decided we would make an offer," Potter stated.Pamela Tuner is charge with 15 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 13 counts of statutory rape. Conviction on all counts could be punished by up to 100 years in prison.
Potter has said previously that it is more likely that a conviction would mean a minimum of a year to several years in prison.Potter declined to reveal details of the plea offer.He did say he consulted with the teenager's family before making the offer and that they agreed with its terms.Turner was arrested in February after investigators said they discovered multiple acts of sexual intercourse between the two from November to January.Turner had worked as a physical education teacher and girls basketball coach at Centertown Elementary School for two years.She was suspended after being charged.If Turner doesn't accept the plea, her case is scheduled to go to trial in November.

Family downplays Gricar sighting

BELLEFONTE -- Another reported sighting of Ray Gricar -- this time at a Columbus, Ohio, grocery store -- temporarily raised the hopes of family and police this week, although surveillance tapes have led his nephews to believe the man seen is not Centre County's missing district attorney.
A woman called Bellefonte police last weekend to say she thought Gricar was in a Meijer store on June 7, according to Bellefonte police officer Darrel Zaccagni. She had seen a news report about Gricar's disappearance and had recognized the photo of Gricar as a man she'd seen in the store...

Two aftershocks rattle California

Two aftershocks followed a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that erupted deep below the sea off the Northern California coastline late Thursday night but was felt as far away as San Francisco, the fourth major temblor to rock the state since Sunday.Seismologists said the latest quake, which hit at about 10:21 p.m. Thursday some 127 miles west of Eureka and about 6 miles beneath the sea, most likely was an aftershock to the magnitude 7.2 shaker that rumbled to life Tuesday on the ocean floor west of Crescent City...

Michael Jackson's attorney Tom Mesereau seems like he is pretty open sexually.......Check him out in his boxers and dog collar with his dominatrix Tami Smith......

ooooopppssss.....hehehe

Downing Street Memo

Some urge inquiry into whether Bush misled nation on war...

Amid new questions about President Bush's drive to topple Saddam Hussein, several House Democrats urged lawmakers on Thursday to conduct an official inquiry to determine whether the president intentionally misled Congress.
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and a half-dozen other members of Congress were stopped at the White House gate when they hand-delivered petitions signed by 560,000 Americans who want Bush to provide a detailed response to the so-called Downing Street memo..

Goodyear blimp crash-lands in Coral Springs

GoodYear Blimp Crashlanding in South Florida
A Goodyear blimp crash-landed Thursday near Sample Road and Coral Ridge Drive in an industrial park and the two people aboard were trapped inside while electrical crews cleared the site, authorities said.The ``Stars & Stripes'' blimp may have gotten tangled in power lines when it went down near Pompano Beach Air Park, where it's based, said Coral Springs police spokesman Mike Moser.The two people on board weren't injured...Photo Courtesy Coral Springs Fire Rescue

Parchin-Iran's Special Weapons Facility Link

CIA member who uncovered in-house LSD project dies at 89

John K. Vance, 89, a member of the Central Intelligence Agency inspector general's staff in the early 1960s who discovered that the agency was running a research project that included administering LSD and other drugs to unwitting human subjects, died May 27 of respiratory arrest.He died at the Wilson Health Care Center of Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Md.Code-named MKULTRA (and pronounced m-k-ultra), the project Vance uncovered was the brainchild of CIA director Allen Dulles, who was intrigued by reports of mind-control techniques allegedly conducted by Soviet, Chinese and North Korean agents on U.S. prisoners of war during the Korean War. The CIA wanted to use similar techniques on its own POWs and perhaps use LSD or other mind-bending substances on foreign leaders, including Cuba's Fidel Castro a few years after the project got under way in 1953.As a result of Vance's discovery and the inspector general's report, the CIA halted the testing and began scaling back the project. It was terminated in the late 1960s.

A member of the Maryland Ornithological Society and the Maryland Nature Conservancy, Vance helped in bird banding and also enjoyed gardening, biking, tennis and travel. He was a member of the Cedar Lane Unitarian Church in Bethesda, Md.

Public defender lets county commissioners know exactly how she feels.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- Public defender Linda Payne has been suspended after letting county commissioners know exactly how she feels.
Officials in Kootenai County, Idaho, said Payne was upset when an expected $10,000 raise for county lawyers turned out to be half that amount. Officials said Payne gave commissioners a greeting card along with a jar of Vaseline and a tube of red lipstick.
Authorities said Payne wrote a crude message in the card and asked for a kiss next time the county wants something from them. Payne was ordered suspended for a week...

Father and Son Indicted in Terror Case

A federal grand jury has indicted a father and son in California on charges of lying during a government probe into their suspected ties to al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, the U.S. Attorney's office said on Thursday.
The grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging Pakistan-born Umer Hayat and his son, Hamid Hayat, both of Lodi, California, with lying to the FBI, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of California. The indictment charged Hamid Hayat with one count of falsely stating he was not involved with a terrorist organization and another count of lying about attending terrorist or jihadist training camps.

Saudia Arabia Exempt From Nuke Inspections

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The U.N. atomic watchdog agency on Thursday approved a deal that exempts Saudi Arabia from nuclear inspections, despite having misgivings that in an era of heightened proliferation fears the arrangement should no longer be applied.
Although the Saudis resisted Western pressure to compromise and allow some form of monitoring, the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency had no choice but to allow it to sign on to the IAEA agreement.

IAEA: Iran Nuclear Declaration Inconsistent

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again found discrepancies in Iran's nuclear declaration, this time in details of experiments on the separation of plutonium, which could be a sign of a bomb program.
The IAEA board of governors met in a closed session Thursday to hear a report from deputy head of the agency, Pierre Goldschmidt.He said Tehran received sensitive technology earlier than it originally claimed and that plutonium experiments went on until the late 1990s...Click title for link.

Campaigns end in tight Iran vote

Candidates in Iran's presidential election have ended their campaigning ahead of Friday's closely contested vote, with moderate cleric and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani appearing to lead the race.
Under Iranian law, candidates are required to stop campaigning 24 hours before the polls open. Voting is set to begin at Friday at 09:00 a.m. (04:30 GMT). Link

Al-Zarqawi Lieutenant Captured in Iraq

The U.S. military says it has captured a man considered to be a top aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorst behind much of the violence in Iraq. A spokesman for the Multinational Force in Iraq, Brig. Gen. Don Alston, says U.S. forces captured Mohammed Khalaf, the leader of the Mosul branch of Zarqawi's group, al-Qaida in Iraq.According to the military statement, he surrendered to US and Iraqi forces on Tuesday without a fight in "a quiet neighbourhood in Mosul" after they were led to his whereabouts by "multiple intelligence sources."....

Brain-dead mother lives for unborn child

On the second floor of the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, a 26-year-old woman is battling for a life. The life is not hers -- on May 7, Susan Torres' brain suddenly ceased to function, to the horror of her husband, Jason Torres, and the medics who rushed to their Alexandria home to try to save her. Mrs. Torres is now brain-dead as a result of a massive brain hemorrhage that overtook her that night. She also has cancer. The life everyone is trying to save is that of an unborn child, now in its 20th week of gestation. Mr. Torres says he thinks it's a girl....

European leaders put EU constitution on hold

In a blow to their ambitions, European Union leaders decided Thursday to put on hold plans to unite their 25 nations under a single constitution, saying they needed to reconnect with their people.
During crisis talks addressing a daunting list of problems, the leaders decided a "period of pause and reflection" must follow the French and Dutch rejections of the EU's blueprint for closer integration, said Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern. The EU needs "time to settle down and re-engage with people," he said.

House Votes to Limit Patriot Act Rules...

Lawmakers voted Wednesday to block the Justice Department and the FBI from using the Patriot Act to peek at library records and bookstore sales slips.
The House voted 238-187 despite a veto threat from Bush to block the part of the anti-terrorism law that allows the government to investigate the reading habits of terror suspects.
The vote reversed a narrow loss last year by lawmakers concerned about the potential invasion of privacy of innocent library users. They narrowed the proposal this year to permit the government to continue to seek out records of Internet use at libraries.In the meantime, a number of libraries have begun disposing of patrons' records quickly so they won't be available if sought under the law.Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Congress in April that the government has never used the provision to obtain library, bookstore, medical or gun sale records.But when asked whether the administration would agree to exclude library and medical records from the law, Gonzales demurred."It should not be held against us that we have exercised restraint," he said.Authorities have gained access to records through voluntary cooperation from librarians, Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller said.

Taser tussle ends in fatal shot

A Miami-Dade police officer accidentally shocked her partner with a Taser stun gun inside a Liberty City convenience store before she shot and killed a car-theft suspect.

A Miami-Dade police officer inadvertently zapped her partner with a 50,000-volt stun gun and then pulled out her service revolver and shot and killed a car-theft suspect after he got the Taser away from her, police said Tuesday.
The man who died, Rudolph Morris, took the Taser from Officer Carol McKinnon while the prongs of the stun gun were still stuck in Officer Guipson Balthazar's leg....The incident began Sunday night when Balthazar and McKinnon chased Morris, 29, into the 18th Avenue Market in Liberty City after determining that he was driving a stolen car, police said.
Balthazar was trying to handcuff Morris inside the store.
''Morris began to physically resist the officer,'' Walters said. ``It was at this point that Officer McKinnon deployed the energized Taser, striking Officer Balthazar in the leg and incapacitating him.''McKinnon's attorney, C. Michael Cornely, said Morris tried to run out of the market, and confronted McKinnon.''It's been described to me as maybe like a half-back going through a line, bowling her over,'' Cornely said. ``She ends up on the floor of the store based on the contact he had with her.''McKinnon shot and killed Morris before he could escape from the store....

Schiavo Autopsy Released

The autopsy report on Terri Schiavo, a US woman who died in March amid a heated national debate on the right-to-life, shows she had suffered severely irreversible brain damage. “Her brain was profoundly atrophied,” Pinellas County Medical examiner, Jon Thogmartin, told a Florida press conference. He said Mrs Schiavo’s brain was “roughly half the expected weight of a human brain.” The examiner also dismissed allegations made by her parents that she had been abused by her husband, Michael Schiavo, before her collapse in 1990. “No traumas were noted in any of the numerous physical exams or radiographs performed on Mrs Schiavo” and “no evidence of strangulation was found.”...

It's A Girl!!!

It's a girl...........
Congrats to my sis & her hubby : )

Quake hits off northern California coast

EUREKA, Calif. - A major earthquake struck Tuesday night about 80 miles off the coast of northern California, prompting a tsunami warning along the Pacific coast. The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at about 7:50 p.m. southwest of the coastal community of Crescent City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site. A tsunami warning was in effect from the California-Mexico border north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Army deserter Jenkins returns to U.S after 40 years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former U.S. Army sergeant who deserted to North Korea in 1965 returned to the United States on Tuesday for the first time in four decades
Charles Robert Jenkins, 65, flew into the Washington, D.C. area, from Japan, where he has lived since he left North Korea last year and served time at a U.S. military jail on desertion charges.
Jenkins made no comment as he walked with his Japanese wife and their two daughters through Washington Dulles International Airport, his first steps on American soil in more than 40 years, witnesses said.
The family was expected to travel on to Jenkins' native North Carolina, where he will reunite with his 91-year-old mother and face a potentially mixed welcome.

Germany holds suspected militants

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- German authorities detained three people connected to the Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Islam and searched at least two dozen places across the country on Tuesday, the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe said.
The three were arrested on charges of collecting money, delivering goods and driving for the group, the office said in a statement. Eleven others had been detained and were questioned. But they were later released, the prosecutor's office said...

4-year-old dies after riding Disney attraction

Controversy not new for $100 million 'Mission: Space' ride

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A 4-year-old boy died after passing out aboard Walt Disney World’s “Mission: Space,” a ride so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain.Daudi Bamuwamye died Monday afternoon on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars.
The Orange County Sheriff’s office said the boy met the minimum 44-inch height requirement for the ride at the Epcot theme park, which uses centrifugal force to simulate twice the normal force of gravity...

Memo may tie Annan to oil-for-food deal

Investigators 'urgently reviewing' company executive's note

UNITED NATIONS - Investigators of the United Nation's Iraq oil-for-food program said Tuesday they are “urgently reviewing” new information that suggests U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan may have known more than he revealed about a contract awarded to the company that employed his son.If accurate, the memo could contradict a major finding of the Independent Inquiry Committee — that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that Annan knew about efforts by Cotecna, which employed his son, Kojo, to win a $10 million-a-year contract under the oil-for-food program.
The memo, dated Dec. 4, 1998, was written a week before the company won the U.N. contract...

Freedom Blocked In Chinese Blogs:Microsoft Helping

Chinese bloggers who use Microsoft's new Chinese-language Web portal will have to watch what they say.
There are reports that users of the MSN Spaces service face restrictions on certain words, such as "freedom", "democracy" and "human rights."
Agence France-Presse said bloggers who attempted to use those words were said to generate a message saying the language was prohibited.
"This message contains a banned expression, please delete this expression," the pop-up warning reads...

Aruban Police Launch New Search for Teen-Specific Area Sealed Off

Aruban Police Launch New Search for Missing Alabama Teen After Ex-Guard Alleges Youth Lied

Nearly three dozen police officers launched a search Tuesday along a beach near the Marriott Hotel for Natalee Holloway after a former security guard alleged that one of three youths seen with the missing teenager had lied to police.
Antonius "Mickey" John said he was detained in a cell adjacent to one of the young men, 21-year-old Deepak Kalpoe, and that the two spent time talking.
John, 30, said Kalpoe told him that he and his 18-year-old brother, Satish, and their 17-year-old Dutch friend never went back to the Holiday Inn the morning of May 30, the day Holloway disappeared on this Dutch Caribbean island during a student trip.Nearly three dozen police officers launched a search Tuesday along a beach near the Marriott Hotel for Natalee Holloway after a former security guard alleged that one of three youths seen with the missing teenager had lied to police.
Antonius "Mickey" John said he was detained in a cell adjacent to one of the young men, 21-year-old Deepak Kalpoe, and that the two spent time talking.
John, 30, said Kalpoe told him that he and his 18-year-old brother, Satish, and their 17-year-old Dutch friend never went back to the Holiday Inn the morning of May 30, the day Holloway disappeared on this Dutch Caribbean island during a student trip.

Syria says won't give U.S. pretext to attack........

Syria cannot imagine a scenario that would warrant moving its troops back to Lebanon, and will avoid giving the United States any such "pretext" to attack, Syria's ambassador to Washington said on Monday.
Imad Moustapha said Syria welcomed a visit to Lebanon by United Nations officials to confirm whether Damascus had truly withdrawn all its military and intelligence agents, in hopes of reducing the chances of confrontation with the United States."If we send back our troops, this is a dream, a wish list for the Bush administration...We're not going to put ourselves in a confrontation with the tiger."...but the UN will be doing the checking and we know how the cat and mouse game is with all these chumps...

Pentagon's response to the Time Magazine article...

Detainees at Guantanamo Provide Intelligence on Terrorist Plots

``In response to recent media interest and the disclosure of a classified interrogation log from Guantánamo, the following information is provided.
``The compromised classified interrogation log is in reference to a single individual, Mohamed al Kahtani, a detainee believed to be the intended 20th Hijacker in the 9/11 attack that killed more than 3,000 innocent people and injured countless others. He was captured on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after fleeing the fighting in Tora Bora. In February 2002, due to his affiliation with al Qaeda, he was transported to Guantánamo for detention.
``He is an alQaeda operative with strong ties to senior al Qaeda leadership, including Osama Bin Laden. He trained at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and tried to enter the U.S. in August 2001. His attempt to enter the U.S. from the Middle East on a one-way airline ticket and $2,800 in cash was foiled by immigration officials at the Orlando International Airport. Instead of meeting Mohamed Atta, the lead September 11th hijacker who was waiting for him at the airport, Kahtani returned to the Middle East. Had Kahtani succeeded in entering the U.S., it is believed he would have been on United Airlines Flight 93, the only hijacked aircraft that had four hijackers instead of five.
``The interrogation of Kahtani has enabled the Department of Defense to gain a clear picture of Kahtani's strong connection to al Qaeda leadership to include Osama Bin Laden. For example, while Kahtani repeatedly offered various cover stories ranging from claims of being in Afghanistan to buy falcons to claims he was coming to the U.S. to buy a used car, interrogations were able to uncover the truth.Click title for the entire response.

Backup Link

Ethiopian police kill opposition politician

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Police shot and killed an opposition politician, prompting the arrest of six officers, a government spokesman said Monday, as the government rejected an opposition offer to renew a peace deal.
The government said the peace deal would not work unless the opposition took further steps to end political violence that has left 37 dead.
Ethiopia's ruling party, which has pledged itself to democratic reform but shown authoritarian tendencies, claimed victory in last month's elections based on provisional results later disputed by the opposition.

Flashback:Police Seatbelt Enforcement With Night Vision Goggles

Annapolis,Maryland

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.,told Maryland State Police Superintendent Tim Hutchins to discontinue use of night vision equipment for seat belt enforcement.The governor felt there is an appropriate time and place for the use of night vision equipment. However, he did not feel that seat belt enforcement rose to that level...
Borrowed from the military, the equipment was used "only during a three-hour test in the Rockville area of Montgomery County Wednesday night and and has already been returned..."

But...

The debut of night vision goggles proved to be a "big success for police" trying to catch seat belt violators. Maryland State Police say they issued 111 tickets in a seat belt enforcement operation in Rockville. Troopers used the military tool to find people who didn't buckle up after dark.With the goggles, police say they can see inside cars at a distance, allowing them to catch violators who might otherwise go undetected. The fine for not wearing a seat belt in Maryland is 25 dollars. Police in Maryland are among 13,000 agencies nationwide that are now using the goggles.........

Female Teacher...Students...

She Allegedly Gave Kids Alcohol Before NYC Field Trip

A southern Kentucky teacher is facing charges she gave her high school chorus students alcohol before a field trip to perform in New York City, and one of her students told police that the teacher had taken "half nude" photographs of him and a female student in their high school chorus room.
Choir teacher Danielle Brown was arrested Thursday morning after Franklin, Ky., police executed a search warrant at her Bowling Green home Wednesday night, looking for computers, a digital camera and other items. Police have refused to release details about what was found...

Mississippi Burning trial begins

Jury selection under way in 1964 murder case

PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (CNN) -- Forty-one years after three civil rights workers were killed in rural Mississippi, jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of a Baptist preacher accused of instigating the crime.Edgar Ray Killen walked free in 1967 after an all-white jury deadlocked, voting 11-1 in favor of his conviction for his role in the deaths of three young men who had come to Mississippi to register black voters.The lone holdout said she could never convict a preacher.Monday, prosecutors summoned about 400 people to the courthouse in Philadelphia, Mississippi, to undergo questions as potential jurors in the case against 80-year-old Killen.

Emergency landing on street averts disaster

3 on plane suffer minor injuries in fiery Fort Lauderdale landing

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A pilot and two other men on board walked away from the fiery crash landing of their DC-3 on a residential street Monday afternoon. The pilot steered the plane to the emergency landing after it experienced trouble soon after takeoff.The three suffered minor back and neck injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, said Sgt. Andy Talen of the Fort Lauderdale police.

Michael Jackson Not Guilty

The Michael Jackson Case is now over and a verdict has been handed down....Click on title for all the info...
RightInTexas

A Rare Look Inside North Korea's Demilitarized Zone

PANMUNJOM, North Korea, June 10, 2005 — During a rare visit to North Korea, an ABC News team visited the Demilitarized Zone, the formal boundary between North and South Korea created when combat ended in the Korean War.
Two million people were killed in the war, including nearly 34,000 Americans. A half century later, the Demilitarized Zone — or DMZ — is an enduring symbol of the hostilities and mistrust that remain.Entering into the DMZ from the north today, an ABC News team drove along tree-lined roads and farmers fields. Gunshots were heard in the distance. Like its southern counterpart, North Korea's army still trains with live ammunition.(u think?) Click on title for article and demilitarized zone video's.

Thousands Walk in World's Major Cities to Fight Hunger, Famine

World Food Program Executive Director Jim Morris led more than 5,000 people through the streets of ancient Rome in one of more than 200 walks worldwide to fight hunger, which kills more than 18,000 children a day.
Organizers estimated that more than 200,000 people took part in ``Walk the World'' marches today with the goal of raising $2.5 million for schoolchildren in poor nations. The Rome-based United Nations agency said hunger-related diseases kill a child younger than 5 years old every five seconds.

French hostage released in Iraq flies home

PARIS (Reuters) - A French journalist held hostage in Iraq for five months flew to Paris on Sunday after what the French ambassador said had been a dangerous operation to bring her home.Florence Aubenas, 44, was released with her driver, Hussein Hanun al-Saadi, on Saturday. The reporter flew to Cyprus on Sunday where she was met by French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy before boarding a plane to take her to France.
"She looked fine. Very happy to be free and was a bit emotional," said Christodoulos Pashiardis, Under-Secretary to Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos. She left Cyprus at 1255 GMT for Villacoublay airport outside Paris where she was to be welcomed home by President Jacques Chirac.