Just heard on the news comedian Bernie Mac has passed away.
Publicist Danica Smith says Bernie Mac died early Saturday at a hospital in the Chicago area of complications due to pneumonia.
The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but he had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently had been hospitalized and treated for pneumonia.
An American was murdered and his wife seriously injured in a knive attack in Beijing, China. This vicious act of violence appears to be the work of a lone killer. The man and his wife are the in-laws of one of the coaches on the volleyball tea participating in the Olympics.
A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the US Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics.
The incident took place on the second level of the Drum Tower, an ancient monument situated just 8km from the main Olympics site, which was used to tell time centuries ago.
The 47-year-old attacker, identified by local police as Tang Yongming from the eastern city of Hangzhou, then committed suicide by jumping from the second story of the Tower.
The attack has brought shock to the country because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.
The stabbing came only hours after what by many accounts was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history and has already dampened some of the enthusiasm.
Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the US Olympic Committee, said the volleyball team was deeply saddened and shocked and that it was "too early to say whether the US delegation or athletes will require additional security".
Update: 11:20 am: The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn and their daughter was with them at the time.
...The Bachmans' daughter, Elisabeth Bachman, was a standout middle blocker on the UCLA volleyball team in the early part of this decade, and competed on the women's US Olympic team in 2004.
Elisabeth Bachman reportedly witnessed the attack, which also resulted in wounds for the Chinese tour guide showing them the Drum Tower in central Beijing.
She is married to current men's Olympic Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, and the couple lives in Irvine, (California).
The attack on the Bachmans has drawn worldwide attention, and President Bush was notified of the murder as he attended the games. cbs2
Sad news today. Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary, died from cancer. He was in Georgtown University Hospital and passed away about 2 AM Eastern Time:
Photo credit: White House
Former White House press secretary Tony Snow -- who once told reporters "I'm a very lucky guy" -- died at the age of 53 early Saturday after a second battle with cancer.
Snow, who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for a recurrence of the disease, left his White House job September 14, 2007, and joined CNN in April as a conservative commentator.
President Bush said Saturday that he and first lady Laura Bush were "deeply saddened" by Snow's death.
"The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character," the president said in a statement.
"It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day."
Snow's successor, White House press secretary Dana Perino, said, "The White House is so deeply saddened by this loss. He was a great friend and colleague and a fantastic press secretary. And his dear family is in our thoughts and prayers."
God bless his soul.
Tim Russert, a familar face and name has died. Russert was vice president of NBC News, was recording voice-overs for Sunday's edition of "Meet the Press" when he collapsed, NBC said in a statement.
Buffalo native Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and author of books about his family and experience growing up in Buffalo, has died from a heart attack, according to the New York Times and the New York Post.
Russert, 58, grew up in South Buffalo and attended Canisius High School. He frequently referred to his roots on his television show, and remained a booster of Buffalo's sports teams despite being a notable member of the Washington Press Corps.
"His books include "Big Russ and Me," a memoir of his childhood and the lessons learned from his father, who still lives in South Buffalo.
Photo: Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times
The resignation will be effective on Monday, and Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson will be sworn in to replace him.
“From those to whom much is given, much is expected,” Mr. Spitzer said. “I have been given much: the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York and the chance to lead this state. I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me.”
Mr. Spitzer, 48, spoke in a somber but steady voice, his usual barking tone softened by contrition. He took no questions. His wife, in a dark suit and brightly colored scarf, looked off to the side of the podium, occasionally glancing up to reveal deep circles beneath her eyes.
Seems Spitzer didn't follow his own advice:
Never talk when you can nod, and never nod when you can wink, and never write an e-mail because it’s death. You’re giving prosecutors all the evidence we need. ---Eliot Spitzer when he was the New York Attorney General
He did forgot a couple important points in his quote: never make large transfers from your bank account when you can pay cash and abvoe all else - never do anything illegal.
The wrath of the religion of peace spoke loud and clear to us all today:
Two gunmen infiltrated a rabbinical seminary at the entrance of Jerusalem and opened fire after nightfall Thursday, killing at least seven, police and rescue workers said.
..."One terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire, and apparently he had an explosives belt,'' said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said.
"One or two terrorists infiltrated the Mercaz Harav seminary and opened fire in all directions,'' said Ruby, who added that students were being evacuated from the building.
There were no attacks by Palestinian militants in Jerusalem during 2007, though police and the military claimed to have foiled many attempts.
In Gaza City, residents went out into the streets and fired rifles in celebration in the air after hearing news of the attack on the seminary.
Update: Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack but has backed off that claim Friday.
Israeli security forces have razed the home of the murderous terrorist who murdered eight Merkaz HaRav yeshiva students. He lived in Jabel Mukabar, a neighborhood just east of Jerusalem's East Talpiyot neighborhood. His family set up a mourners' tent outside the ruins, and hung Hamas flags all around it.
Israel Matzav blogs from Jerusalem and write about the attack and events that happen in Israel.
REUTERS/Oleg Popov
The birth of a new country is not going over well in its mother country, Serbia. Thank goodness the U. S. Embassy was closed and evacuated when Serb demostrators broke open the doors and started a fire at the embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. According to a report by msnbc, one protester climbed up to the first floor, ripped the U.S. flag off its pole and briefly put up a Serbian flag in its place.
Serbia's ambassador to Canada has urged Ottawa not to recognize the independence of Kosovo, warning the recognition by some countries is setting a "worldwide dangerous precedent." "If we accept this kind of violation of international law, the whole international order is at stake," Dusan Batakovic was quoted as saying during an interview with Canadian Press, reports a chinese paper.
Serbia will never recognise Kosovo's independence, President Boris Tadic said on Monday. Belgrade ordered the withdrawal of Serbian ambassadors from the United States, France and Turkey and plans to withdraw its ambassadors from other countries that recognise Kosovo's independence.
Protesters started a fire in the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday after breaking in to protest at U.S. support for Kosovo's independence. The embassy was closed. Police were not protecting the building. Doors were ripped off, set on fire and wedged in the embassy windows. Black smoke billowed out of the building.
I believe this protest, caught on video in Belgrade, is several days old but shows rioting against the U.S. Embassy - it gives you a good idea what is going on there. They try to kick in the door of our embassy and then are pushed back by the police and then the police are pushed back and then there is a loud shot. It's worth watching.
Update 3:22 PM: The US Ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday that he was "outraged" by the storming of the US embassy in Belgrade by rioters opposed to Kosovo's independence.
"I am outraged by the mob attack against the US embassy in Belgrade," Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters, adding he would seek condemnation by the UN Security Council.
"The embassy is sovereign US territory. The government of Serbia has a responsibility under international law to protect diplomatic facilities, particularly embassies." AFP
This is not good news:
Another person shot when a gunman opened fire at a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University has died, bringing the toll to seven, including the gunman, a coroner said Friday.
Investigators and school officials did not immediately know why the man indiscriminately fired into the crowd with a shotgun and two handguns Thursday, wounding 15 people and sending panicked students fleeing for the exits before killing himself.
"We have no motive and I have no way of knowing what the motive was," University Police Chief Donald Grady said.
DeKalb County Coroner Dennis J. Miller on Friday released the identities of the four victims who died in his county: Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester; Catalina Garcia, 20, of Cicero; Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville; and Julianna Gehant, 32, of Meridan.
Two other victims died after being transfered to hospitals in other counties, Miller said in a news release.
Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia on Friday said a female victim died in her county but has not been identified pending notification of family. An autopsy was planned for Friday, she said.
Witnesses said the gunman, dressed in black and wearing a stocking cap, emerged from behind a screen on the stage of 200-seat Cole Hall and opened fire just as the class was about to end around 3 p.m.
Officials said 162 students were registered for the class but it was unknown how many were there Thursday.
Allyse Jerome, 19, a sophomore from Schaumburg, said the gunman burst through a stage door and pulled out a gun.
"Honestly, at first everyone thought it was a joke," Jerome said. Everyone hit the floor, she said. Then she got up and ran, but tripped. She said she felt like "an open target."
Breaking News: Fox News reports police found a sword and other items near a truck with Utah license plates. This is happening after a man was seen walking down the street with a shotgun in our nations capitol.
Live view of robot nearing the truck is being shown on Fox. More news to come if warranted.
I see the tentacles of Islamism have reached high in our government. Mark Deli Siljander, served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was appointed by President Reagan to serve as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations for one year in 1987 and now he is in big trouble for aiding terrorism while a lobbyist:
A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former US lawmaker for his links to a charity that sent funds to an Afghanistan-based supporter of Al-Qaeda through banks in Pakistan.
Republican former representative Mark Deli Siljander was named in a 42-count indictment against the Missouri-based Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA), charged with "engaging in prohibited financial transactions for the benefit of US-designated terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar," the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Siljander, 57, faces money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges in the case.
Siljander represented a congressional district in the midwestern state of Michigan from 1981 to 1987. He now owns and heads a public relations company.
The indictment "paints a troubling picture of an American charity organization that engaged in transactions for the benefit of terrorists," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Kenneth Wainstein.
The organization "allegedly sent funds to Pakistan for the benefit of a specially designated global terrorist with ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban," said John Wood, US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
The indictment alleges that Siljander "engaged in money laundering and obstruction of a federal investigation in an effort to disguise IARA's misuse of taxpayer money that the government had provided for humanitarian purposes."
The charity was closed in October 2004 when the Treasury Department said it was "a specially designated global terrorist organization."
According to the indictment, the group sent some 130,000 dollars in 2003 and 2004 to bank accounts in Peshawar, Pakistan that Hekmatyar had access to.
Other defendants include Mubarak Hamed, 51, a naturalized US citizen from Sudan; Ali Mohamed Bagegni, 53, a naturalized US citizen born in Libya; and Ahmad Mustafa, 55, a US resident and citizen of Iraq.
Breaking news about, yet another explosion, that took the lives of at least 3 people in Beirut, Lebanon. Ah, the religion of peace cries out loud and clear for the rest of the world to hear:
This analysis from the Counterterrorism blog may shed some light:
Today's bombing which targeted a U.S. Embassy car in a northern Beirut neighborhood most likely was an assassination attempt by Hezbollah and their Iranian superiors on the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey Feltman, or senior embassy personnel.
The blast killed four Lebanese and injured a local embassy employee as Amb. Feltman was getting ready to attend farewell reception for him before his next assignment. Our special correspondent in Lebanon, "Karim," who has provided valuable information for us here before, reports, "Apparently the bombers didn't know which car in the convoy was his, this one turned off the main road, they assumed it was his and blew it up." He discounts another theory, that a judge on the Hariri tribunal was targeted: "Usually to assassinate a Lebanese judge, they would blow up his car or shoot him to send a message to others."
Retired Lebanese Col. Charbel Barakat, speaking on behalf of the World Council of the Cedars Revolution, considers this terrorist act as directed by Hezbollah's war room against the United States and Lebanese citizens. "It is an act of terror ordered by Tehran's Pasdaran against a U.S. diplomatic target in Lebanon as President Bush is visiting the region....
From the Boston Globe:
"A man walked into Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H., this afternoon with what looked like a bomb strapped to his body and is holding two volunteers hostage, according to police and a campaign official.
The man walked into the office on North Main Street at about 12:55 p.m., said Captain Anthony Colarusso of the Dover Police Department, which is part of a regional tactical response team. Police have been in contact with the man inside the office, Colarusso said.
Bill Shaheen, a top state campaign official, said that the man was holding two volunteers hostage, according to the Associated Press.
According to television reports, heavily armed police holding riot shields and wearing helmets arrived on the street in an armored truck at about 3 p.m. Nearby businesses have been evacuated."
UPDATE: 3:16 PM ET: two hostages released.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy, to defeat Oklahoma's new anti-illegal foreign national law.
"U.S. District Judge James Payne [U. S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma
Nominated by George W. Bush on September 4, 2001] ordered the case dismissed because he found that none of the plaintiffs in the case had been injured by the law, so they do not have standing to file the suit.
Comparable cases before the U.S. Supreme Court have determined that ''a proper constitutional vetting of any law cannot be achieved without the existence of a plaintiff that has actually been injured by the challenged law,'' Payne says in his order.
''While a constitutional vetting of HB 1804 would serve the interest of all parties to this litigation, the interest of the public would be be served by a sharpening of the issues presented prior to such a vetting,'' he says. ''Such a sharpening can only be achieved through a suit brought by plaintiffs with well-defined injuries causally connected to HB 1804.''
Payne's order does not determine the constitutionality of the law."
The Transportation Safety Administration has issued a new alert that remote control devices used in toys should not be in carry-on luggage.
"While not associated with a specific threat at this time, TSA is aware that remote control toys can be used to initiate devices used in terrorist attacks," said Washington-based TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.
Atlanta-based TSA spokesman Jon Allen said if screeners detect a remote-controlled toy in carry-on luggage, the passenger will be subjected to additional screening.
"The biggest thing people can do to help is not to bring these items through the security checkpoint," Allen said. "They'll be subject to additional security screening. It may take a few more minutes, and it could include a pat down."
Fox News reported TSA is increasing screenings of the toys in part because of the National Intelligence Estimate in July, which outlined possible methods of terrorist attacks.
This news comes on the heels of an arrest at Boston's Logan Airport Saturday of a man claminng to be an al-Qaeda operative.
"Massport officials tell the Herald the 27-year-old man had a ticket on his bag from Dubai of the United Arab Emirates and security began asking him questions.
“He seemed aggravated and said "I’m Al-Qaeda and I’m here to blow things up,” said Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella.
In other breaking news today, a man was arrested in Austria trying to gain entrance into the American Embassy there. He had a backpack with hand grenandes inside.
"A man who tried to enter the U.S. Embassy in Vienna with a backpack that contained hand grenades, nails and Islamic literature was arrested Monday, Austrian authorities said.
The suspect was taken into police custody around after he was seen dropping the bag and fleeing on foot, Vienna police spokeswoman Michaela Raz said.
No one was injured, but police sealed off the neighborhood as a precaution and shut down or rerouted nearby bus and tramway lines."
The suspect was described only as a 42-year-old Bosnia native who now lives in the province of Lower Austria. Police said they made the arrest a short distance from the embassy building in a neighborhood where security is tight."
When will this madness end?
"Last month, court documents revealed that a University of South Florida engineering student facing a terrorism-related charge made a video showing how to detonate explosives using a remote-control toy.
An FBI agent said in a sworn statement that Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed told authorities he made the video "to assist those persons in Arabic countries to defend themselves against the infidels invading their countries."
"A woman who walked into Logan International Airport allegedly wearing a fake bomb strapped to chest was arrested at gunpoint Friday, officials said.
Star Simpson, 19, had a computer circuit board, wiring and a putty that later turned out to be Play-Doh in plain view over a black hooded sweatshirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.
"She's extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare told The Associated Press. "And she's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue. Simpson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore from Hawaii, officials said." WHDH TV Boston
And from USA Today: ..."Officials say Star Simpson, who appears to have her own website, approached the information booth and asked about an incoming flight, prompting an airport employee to call the state police, who determined that it wasn't an operative device and took her into custody.
Someone with that name is listed as a member of the school's swim team from Kihei, Hawaii. Here's how the student describes herself on the school website: "In a sentence, I'm an inventor, artist, engineer, and student, I love to build things and I love crazy ideas."
Crazy idea? What a friggin fool.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requested approval to go to the WTC, Ground Zero, to lay a wreath. Thankfully, the New York Police Department said NO! Just the fact that he asked makes me sick. But be prepared to be sick again. Columbia University has invited this scumbag, who want to kill all Jews and destroy Israel, to speak at the university. Isn't this bad?
Columbia President, Lee Bollinger issued a statement:
“It should never be thought that merely to listen to ideas we deplore in any way implies our endorsement of those ideas, or the weakness of our resolve to resist those ideas, or our naiveté about the very real dangers inherent in such ideas,” Bollinger said. “It is a critical premise of freedom of speech that we do not honor the dishonorable when we open the public forum to their voices. To hold otherwise would make vigorous debate impossible.”
This invitation is a slap in the face to Americans. Iran sponsors terrorists! If this had happened back in the day of Hitler, no doubt Columbia would have invited him to speak.
Interestingly, Columbia just denied a speaking engagement to Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project. On Oct. 4 of last year, Gilchrist’s speech in Roone Arledge Auditorium was halted after student protesters rushed the stage. Humm.
University President Lee Bollinger was asked about the events while appearing on Inside City Hall on local television station NY1.
“Students can invite people for political reasons or whatever reasons they want, but they can also choose not to invite people, and my understanding is that some student groups have decided not to invite somebody to speak, and that’s their right, too,” he said.
Upon hearing about the CPU’s revocation of sponsorship, Gilchrist, speaking to the Associated Press, accused the group of “succumbing to pressure from anti-freedom-of-speech gangsters.”
I anticipate an invitation to Osama Bin Laden could be forthcoming, don't you?
If you find this despicable by all means contact this school and voice your concern:
Columbia University
Office of the President
535 West 116th Street
202 Low Library, Mail Code 4309,
New York, NY 10027
phone: 212.854.9970, fax: 212.854.9973
Well, the President must feel this has reached a crisis point for him to step into the slumping housing market mess. A previous post discussed the significant increase in foreclosures since last year. He will introduce a number of initiatives to keep homeowners in their homes.
..."The official said Bush will direct Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson to work on an initiative to help troubled mortgage holders get services and products they need to keep them from defaulting on their loans. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the initiatives ahead of the presidential event...."
From MSNBC
The Council of the European Union made a declaration on August 21st (PRESS RELEASE) which urged the Governor of Texas to stop executing prisoners. This included the candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan align themselves with this declaration.
Of particular note is the reply from the state of Texas:
Statement by Robert Black, spokesman for Texas Governor Rick Perry:
“230 years ago, our forefathers fought a war to throw off the yoke of a European monarch and gain the freedom of self-determination. Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens. While we respect our friends in Europe, welcome their investment in our state and appreciate their interest in our laws, Texans are doing just fine governing Texas.”
CAIR has filed an amicus brief in court in an attempt to get their names off the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation Trial citing it is "unconstitutional". The Tech Law Journal say this type of brief could bring to the attention of the Court relevant matters ...it may be of considerable help to the Court or if not found helpful ...it could burden the Court, and its filing is not favored." Rule 37(1), Rules of the Supreme Court of the U.S."
CAIR's attorney cites the list violates Department of Justice guidelines stating the public naming of them as co-conspirators is damaging their reputation. He said it also violates their 1st and 5th amendment rights.
In another related move the National Association of Muslim Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys objected in a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales asking for a meeting with him to discuss their objections and protection under the constitution. ..."Freedom of association and freedom to exercise religious belief --- for supporting the charitable activities of a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that, until the Fall of 2001, was perceived as a mainstream, legitimate charitable institution in the United States by its donors and volunteers."
It's particularly noteworthy that in both these instances there is no disputing the connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was the reason they were listed as unindicted co-conspirators.
On August 9th, Newsweek reports the Justice Department called off a Muslim outreach meeting because one of the invited guest belonged to the Islamic Society of North America which was also named as an unidicted co-conspirator.
Oh boy, this is getting more and more interesting.
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