Can U believe this ? 01 (May 08 - Oct 08)

Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby LenaHuat » Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:11 pm

Hello golden88 :)

Welcome. Hope this forum will help to add one more "8" to your portfolio. :D :D
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby millionairemind » Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:18 pm

Top Ten Most Outrageous News Stories of 2007

10. Firefighter Arrested By N.J. State Police

A deputy fire chief was arrested and detained for over two hours after an argument with a New Jersey State Police trooper. The argument ensued when the firefighter refused to move the firetruck that was blocking the right lane of Route 80 in Rockaway, New Jersey. The firefighter was arrested because he did not want to move the truck in order to make a safety buffer for his fellow firefighters working on a rollover crash. The State Police trooper did not agree and cuffed the firefighter. The firefighter was within department guidelines to make a buffer zone for the emergency crews. What makes this story even more outrageous is that the State Trooper issued a citation for operating a vehicle without his driver's license which he subsequently left in his pants at the fire station when he turned into his firefighter gear. Lets just hope that State Trooper's house never catches fire because the fire department might not respond.

9. Anna Nicole Smith Trial Judge
Following the tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith, Judge Larry Seidlin ruled over the infamous body custody hearing. The trial was covered live on multiple occasions. He came under scrutiny for creating a "circus" in the courtroom. He would refer to the different parties in the courtroom by their home states, such as saying "Texas" in place of the person's name. Some have said this Seidlin's personality, while others say he was trying to get his own courtroom television show. The weird style and conduct of Seidlin, makes this story easily number nine on our "most outrageous stories of 2007."

8. Paris and Lindsey Go Off to Jail
The media circus covering the Paris's and Lindsey's jail sentence. News helicopters hovered the sky when Las Angeles Deputies went to re-arrest Hilton after being released from jail after only a few days. Live on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and other local news stations gave her an incredible amount of hype. In addition, Lindsey Lohan went from being "innocent" to "scandalous". She was arrested after drug and alcohol abuse. Lindsey was in and out of jail within less than an hour. The media frenzie makes this story number eight on our list.

7. Michael Vick Dog Fighting
Americans across the nation were extremely irate when finding out the heinous torture Vick inflicted onto "bad performing" dogs. He is in the midst of losing his multi-million dollar contract along with his freedom. He was sentenced to twenty-three months in prison and can only be out in eighteen for good behavior. His sick and distorted acts make this an outrageous news story.

6. Sentenced For 10 Years For Oral Sex
Genarlow Wilson was finally released after he was sentenced two years ago for an outrageous ten years. He was charged with child molestation even though the sex was consensual. After public outrage and also appearing on Oprah Winfrey's daytime show, the state legislature reduced the mandatory sentence for child molestation would be greatly reduced. However the legislature refused to make it retroactive for Wilson. After much rallying in his support, he was finally released. The shocking attitude of the Georgia State Legislature puts this on the outrageous news stories list at number six.

5. Twelve-Year-Old Girls Given Birth Control
In one Maine school district, the school board has okayed the distribution of birth control that could be given to girls as young as twelve. Even more outrageous was that parents would not be notified if their kids were given the bill. The vote was not close at all. In a 7 to 2 vote, the committee voted for the use of birth control pills without parental notification if a girl were to get pregnant. Times have definitely changed when this topic comes up for children who are not even teenagers yet, which makes this story at number five.

4. Judge Sues For $65 Million
A ridiculous lawsuit filed by a judge was in part to his lost pants at a dry cleaners. The owners, the Chungs immigrated from South Korea to start a new life. However, this was anything but expected. The judge, Roy Pearson, sued for $65 million because it would cost $15,000 for the price to rent a car every weekend for ten years to go to another business, which just one of the odd parts of his lawsuit. The case was dismissed which unfortunately forced the Chungs to close their business. This outrageous story, ranks on our list at number four.

3. Southwest Airlines Says No Sexy Outfits
Southwest employees asked a young women who wore her short skirt to leave the airplane because she dressed to promiscuously for a "family airline". The women then covered up and had no further problems during the remainder of the flight. She says she was embarrassed and humiliated by the airline, which later apologized. It is outrageous that airlines are now dictating on how its customers should dress.

2. CNN Apologies To Barack Obama
CNN had to apologize after Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama's name was misspelled as "Osama", associating his name with the world's biggest terrorist. This misnomer embarrassed Obama and some argued with it was purposely done. CNN has firmly denied but it sure was outrageous which places it at number two.

1. How Well Do You Know Your Senator? Perhaps Some More Than Others
Senator Larry Craig was arrested at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport for alleged sexual conduct in a bathroom stall. Although he pleaded guilty, he firmly denied being gay. Then after enormous pressure, he filed a motion to withdraw his plea. Further, more gay men alleged sexual contact with Craig on multiple occasions. Craig has been known for his stance against gay marriage. This makes the most outrageous news story of 2007.

Resource:
CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS Story Archives
"If a speculator is correct half of the time, he is hitting a good average. Even being right 3 or 4 times out of 10 should yield a person a fortune if he has the sense to cut his losses quickly on the ventures where he has been wrong" - Bernard Baruch

Disclaimer - The author may at times own some of the stocks mentioned in this forum. All discussions are NOT to be construed as buy/sell recommendations. Readers are advised to do their own research and analysis.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby winston » Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:27 pm

China Punishes 43 Amid Effort to Prevent Quake Relief Abuse
By Dune Lawrence

June 24 (Bloomberg) -- China fired 12 officials and punished 31 others for misconduct in relief efforts for its May 12 earthquake, according to the country's top graft buster.

In the central province of Shaanxi three officials were penalized for stealing tents while in neighboring Gansu province improper distribution of 89 tents was punished, Ma Wen, head of the National Corruption Office, said at a press conference yesterday. Ma did not give further details.

Last month's earthquake, China's most powerful in 58 years, killed more than 69,000 people. As of yesterday, China's government has allocated 54.3 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) in funds to the relief and rebuilding effort, according to Vice Finance Minister Liao Xiaojun.

China has sent about 10,000 auditors to the earthquake zone and audited more than 19,800 work units to check on proper handling of relief funds and materials, said Liu Jiayi, Auditor- General of China's National Audit Office.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby winston » Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:38 pm

Boston Suburb's `Taj Mahal' Brings Ban on Luxury High Schools
By Michael McDonald

June 26 (Bloomberg) -- A $200 million high school scheduled to open in 2010 in the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts, will be the state's most expensive. It may also be the last of its kind.

The 413,000-square-foot (33,368 square-meter) Newton North High, featuring an arts complex and an athletic wing with swimming pool and climbing wall, has become a symbol of excess in Massachusetts, where households bear the country's eighth-highest property-tax burden, according to the Washington-based Tax Foundation.

The project's estimated cost of $478 a square foot has doubled since Newton Mayor David Cohen proposed it in 2003. The price jump sparked a taxpayer revolt that kept him from seeking a fourth term next year. Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who called the building the ``Taj Mahal,'' wants to limit the price for future state-subsidized schools, including one proposed by the neighboring town of Wellesley, to $100 million.

``Someone has to say enough is enough, that we can't afford it,'' said Cahill, a 49-year-old Democrat. He is chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, created in 2004 to manage finance and construction statewide. ``It's taxpayers' money we're spending here.''

Newton, a city of 83,000 located seven miles west of Boston, was settled in 1630 as part of Cambridge, the home of Harvard University. Residents enjoy two symphony orchestras and a median household income of $101,001, twice the national figure, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At $112,875 a pupil, Newton North will be the most costly school in state history, according to the authority.

`Shellshocked by Prices'

Districts in the U.S. spent $14.7 billion on new construction last year, up from $13.7 billion in 2006, as the cost of at least 36 high schools in 10 states topped $100 million, according to a survey by American School & University magazine. The median cost for a new high school was $25 million last year, the survey found.

``Everybody is shellshocked by the prices,'' said Joe Agron, editor-in-chief of American School & University in Overland Park, Kansas. ``It's the rapidly rising cost of everything, from concrete to labor, in the last few years.''

Cohen, 60, proposed spending $104 million in 2003 to replace Newton North, built in 1972 and panned by students and faculty for poor ventilation and a lack of natural light. Voters approved the 1,850-student school in January 2007, when the estimated cost was $154 million. Construction started this year.

Gund Design

The city hired Gund Partnership, a Cambridge-based firm that designed buildings for Harvard and won the 2005 American Architecture Award for the National Association of Realtors' glass-enclosed headquarters in Washington. Its plan for the four- story brick school in Newton comprises four structures connected at different angles. An arts complex sits at one end of the complex and an athletic center at the other.

``It is very easy without knowing anything about the project to be critical about the cost,'
' said Cohen. ``Where we did a bad job was guessing at the initial cost estimates.''

The mayor asked city legislators in March to approve up to $197.5 million in bonds for the project after estimates rose for the third time since 2003. At the time, the municipality was also completing a $60 million renovation of Newton South High School that was a year behind schedule and $2 million over budget.

Proposition 2 1/2

Public dissatisfaction with Newton North boiled over on May 20, when voters turned down the mayor's proposal to override a state cap on local property-tax increases, known as Proposition 2 1/2, to close a $12 million budget gap. Cohen, a former Democratic state legislator who became mayor in 1998, said afterward that he wouldn't run for re-election.

``It's just the excess, the unreasonableness of it that's infuriated so many people and made us look like a bunch of idiots,'' said Jeff Seideman, the 59-year-old president of the Newton Taxpayers Association, which fought the override and Cohen's plan for the new school. ``We are a wealthy community, but we're not irrational.''

The building authority that Cahill leads, created in 2004, couldn't revoke $46.5 million in state funding for Newton North because the state's Education Department had already approved it, the state treasurer said. Now, he says he will seek to bar amenities in newly proposed schools, including stand-alone theaters and student-run restaurants, and emphasize renovation over new construction.

Next Up: Wellesley

New schools getting state aid must keep construction costs under $100 million, Cahill said. The cap may spark a conflict with Wellesley, Newton's wealthier neighbor to the west, where the median income is $138,472.

The town wants to spend $159 million to replace its high school, ranked 70th in the nation on students' ``college readiness'' last year by U.S. News and World Report.

The project, designed to serve 1,600 students, would be the state's second most-expensive, at $99,375 a pupil, according to the School Building Authority. The school committee approved the project in May and applied for state support. The building authority hasn't reviewed the plan yet.

``One of the frustrating things is they've taken the focus away from core education and into more of the amenities,'' Cahill said. ``Just because a wealthy community can afford to pay doesn't mean they should get it.''
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby winston » Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:36 pm

U.S. Army history slams post-invasion Iraq plan: report
Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:52am EDT

Iraq says to file suits over U.N. oil/food program

Iraqi officials angered by U.S. raid near Kerbala


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new Army history of the Iraq conflict faults the invasion's top U.S. commander for his sudden decision to overhaul the Baghdad-based military command, The New York Times said in its Sunday edition.

The 696-page report, set for release on Monday, focuses on the 18 months after U.S. President George W. Bush announced in May 2003 that major combat operations in Iraq were over, the Times said.

"On Point II: Transitions to the New Campaign" concludes that Gen. Tommy R. Franks' decision, opposed by the Army's vice chief of staff, led to a short-staffed headquarters led by a newly promoted three-star general.

"The move was sudden and caught most of the senior commanders in Iraq unaware," the military historians concluded, according to the Times report.

The unclassified study, based on 200 interviews conducted by military historians, also says the new headquarters "was not configured for the types of responsibilities it received."

Gen. Franks, speaking through an aide, told the Times he had discussed the Iraq invasion in his book and that he had not yet seen the study.

"On Point" says one major problem was a lack of detailed planning ahead of the invasion for the postwar period, in part reflecting White House and Pentagon optimism about the future of Iraq.


"I can remember asking the question during our war gaming and the development of our plan, 'Okay, we are in Baghdad, what next?' No real good answers came forth," Col. Thomas G. Torrance, the commander of the Third Infantry Division's artillery, said in the report.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby kennynah » Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:46 pm

stay there...continue to get ex-pat allowance....continue to lord over the iraqis and plunder their oil.... which invader will give up its conquer... except perhaps alexander the great, who gave up middle east...
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby winston » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:20 pm

More than half firearm deaths are suicides

* Suicides accounted for 55 percent of nearly 31,000 firearm deaths in 2005 in U.S.

* More gun-related suicides than homicides and accidents in 20 of last 25 years

* Research shows if gun in home, higher likelihood of suicide or homicide in home

ATLANTA, Georgia, (AP) -- The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves from intruders in their homes. But research shows that surprisingly often, gun owners use the weapons on themselves.

The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves.

The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves.

Suicides accounted for 55 percent of the nation's nearly 31,000 firearm deaths in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There was nothing unique about that year -- gun-related suicides have outnumbered firearm homicides and accidents for 20 of the last 25 years. In 2005, homicides accounted for 40 percent of gun deaths. Accidents accounted for 3 percent. The remaining 2 percent included legal killings, such as when police do the shooting, and cases that involve undetermined intent.

Public-health researchers have concluded that in homes where guns are present, the likelihood that someone in the home will die from suicide or homicide is much greater.

Studies have also shown that homes in which a suicide occurred were three to five times more likely to have a gun present than households that did not experience a suicide, even after accounting for other risk factors.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court on Thursday struck down a handgun ban enacted in the District of Columbia in 1976 and rejected requirements that firearms have trigger locks or be kept disassembled. The ruling left intact the district's licensing restrictions for gun owners.

One public-health study found that suicide and homicide rates in the district dropped after the ban was adopted. The district has allowed shotguns and rifles to be kept in homes if they are registered, kept unloaded and taken apart or equipped with trigger locks.

The American Public Health Association, the American Association of Suicidology and two other groups filed a legal brief supporting the district's ban. The brief challenged arguments that if a gun is not available, suicidal people will just kill themselves using other means.

More than 90 percent of suicide attempts using guns are successful, while the success rate for jumping from high places was 34 percent. The success rate for drug overdose was 2 percent, the brief said, citing studies.

"Other methods are not as lethal," said Jon Vernick, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore.

The high court's majority opinion made no mention of suicide. But in a dissenting opinion, Justice Stephen Breyer used the word 14 times in voicing concern about the impact of striking down the handgun ban.

"If a resident has a handgun in the home that he can use for self-defense, then he has a handgun in the home that he can use to commit suicide or engage in acts of domestic violence," Breyer wrote.

Researchers in other fields have raised questions about the public-health findings on guns.

Gary Kleck, a researcher at Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, estimates there are more than 1 million incidents each year in which firearms are used to prevent an actual or threatened criminal attack.

Public-health experts have said the telephone survey methodology Kleck used likely resulted in an overestimate.

Both sides agree there has been a significant decline in the last decade in public-health research into gun violence.

The CDC traditionally was a primary funder of research on guns and gun-related injuries, allocating more than $2.1 million a year to such projects in the mid-1990s.

But the agency cut back research on the subject after Congress in 1996 ordered that none of the CDC's appropriations be used to promote gun control.
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Vernick said the Supreme Court decision underscores the need for further study into what will happen to suicide and homicide rates in the district when the handgun ban is lifted.

Today, the CDC budgets less than $900,000 for firearm-related projects, and most of it is spent to track statistics. The agency no longer funds gun-related policy analysis.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby millionairemind » Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:14 pm

Baby For Sale on Ebay - Baby For Sale?!
May 25th, 2008 · No Comments
German police confirm that they today have taken a seven month baby away from a couple in Bavaria and local child welfare investigators are looking into them after the couple put the child up for sale on Internet auction site Ebay. The description read, “Male baby almost 8 months old, sleeps well through the night and does not cry much.” “Good for infertile couple or single man/woman wanting a child.”

The baby boy was put on sale on Tuesday at a starting price of one euro (1.58 dollars) and was withdrawn from the site around two and a half hours later, police said. There had been no posted offers but the couple may have recieved numerous offers via email. The mother said it was meant as a joke, but police and state officials failed to see the funny side, putting the baby into state care and charging both parents for attempted child trafficking. Police cheif Wesley Offerman is quoted as saying, “We all find our kids annoying sometimes but selling them is not the answer.”
"If a speculator is correct half of the time, he is hitting a good average. Even being right 3 or 4 times out of 10 should yield a person a fortune if he has the sense to cut his losses quickly on the ventures where he has been wrong" - Bernard Baruch

Disclaimer - The author may at times own some of the stocks mentioned in this forum. All discussions are NOT to be construed as buy/sell recommendations. Readers are advised to do their own research and analysis.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby winston » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:29 am

A 53-year-old Singapore housewife was sentenced to 20 months' jail for getting her dog to bite her Indonesian maid's thigh and finger three years ago. Prosecutors said the woman also pulled her maid's hair, slapped her on the face, and grabbed and squeezed her breasts.
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Re: Can U Believe this...CRAB !!!!

Postby kennynah » Fri Jul 04, 2008 10:33 am

shd have sentenced her to become a maid for 20months instead....

such employers ought to be shot !!! and dont anyone come to her defence citing frustration as an excuse...

my family employs a maid too...of cos, there are times when maids become lazy....who doesnt? it's natural to skive... dont u at work sometimes? do u have the employers hitting you or letting the dogs at you? hahaha....no, right?

basically, dont like their working attitude, fire them lor...must go to such drastic action as to beat them up meh?
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