Current Events - Actual things on the News

[RocDoc]

19 and fucking 80...anyone?

<sub>Suburban man helps brother find his American dream

30 yrs. ago, Walter Polovchak -- now a suburban dad -- set off a Cold War legal skirmish when he refused to accompany his parents back to Ukraine
Comments

July 18, 2010

BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter
The tidy beige house in Des Plaines. The office job in Glenview. The beautiful wife and two athletic sons. The Weber grill in the backyard. And the well-worn basketball hoop on the garage.

They are the ordinary details of an American life so easily taken for granted. But Walter Polovchak takes none of it for granted. For all of this, every day, Polovchak counts his blessings.


"Great neighbors, comfortable life," he said, looking at the American flag decorations left over from the Fourth of July. "I'm blessed and thankful to God every day for what we have."

Thirty years ago, this suburban dad became a household name when, as a 12-year-old Ukrainian immigrant, he bolted from his family's apartment near Fullerton and Central when he learned his parents planned to return the family to what was then the communist Soviet Union.

On July 21, 1980, young Walter Polovchak was granted asylum to stay in the United States, setting off a Cold War legal skirmish that saw Pravda, the Communist Party newspaper, accuse the United States of "scandalous tyranny and lawlessness" by usurping the elder Polovchaks' parental rights.

Povolchak was sworn in as a United States citizen after he turned 18.

"I know many, many people take freedom for granted," he said before taking his citizenship oath. "But I never will."

The international drama waned, the Cold War ended. Polovchak got married, had kids, found a job, bought a house. Now, the memories are stored in his basement, where three dusty boxes are filled with newspaper clippings and videocassettes of interviews with the likes of Joan Rivers and Geraldo Rivera.

It took years for Polovchak to repair his fractured relationship with his family and more than a decade to bring his younger brother to the United States on a green card.

He reminds his U.S.-born sons, Alec, 16, and Kyler, 8, to be grateful for their opportunities but knows they live in a different world than he did.

"I guess it was a bigger thing, now that I'm older, maturer and I look back at everything that transpired to me staying here," he said.

The boy once nicknamed "the littlest defector" -- who vowed "Never I go back" -- is all grown up.

Dead ends vs. opportunity
These days, people are more likely to mistake Polovchak for bald actor Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" fame than to recognize him as the tween who wore an "I'm Happy to Be in America" T-shirt. But the name Polovchak still gets people's attention.

"Sometimes you hear, 'Gosh that name sounds so familiar,' " his wife, Margaret, said. "The minute you say the little boy who didn't want to go home, they're all, 'Yeah!' "

The name meant nothing to her when she met Walter at work.

"I was pretty clueless to current events. But the minute I said his name to my mother, she was, like, 'Oh! We prayed for him.' "

At 42, Walter Polovchak is now older than his father, Michael, was when he moved his family -- wife Anna, daughter Nataly and sons Walter and Michael -- to Chicago. A bus driver in the Ukraine, Michael Polovchak found Chicago overwhelming.

"My father couldn't get used to life, change, language, country," Polovchak said. "He was just brought up in a different, old Soviet-era system."

But where his father saw dead ends, young Walter saw opportunity.

"There was unlimited freedom of movement, freedom to go to church, freedom to live anywhere you want to go, freedom to travel."

His older sister, 17 then, decided to stay. Their parents agreed. But when 12-year-old Walter made the same declaration, they fought to reunite him with the family in Ukraine.

"I didn't know what was going to happen," he said. "It was at that time in the midst of the Cold War. I did speak out against the Russian government and against communism and against gulags and some of the potential things that could have happened to me should I have been sent back."

Rebuilds family relationships
For a decade after he decided to stay in the United States, he and his family exchanged only two or three letters. The phone was expensive, the mail slow, and "there was some anger from both sides."

Watching the Berlin Wall fall, though, he knew he wanted to return to his homeland, to see his family, which now included a younger sister, Julie, born in Ukraine after his family returned there. His first trip back was in 1993. He has returned every two years since.

"I've rebuilt my relationships with my brother and my father and sister and my mother," he said. "Not that we see eye to eye and agree on everything. We have a different understanding of each other and appreciation."

His last visit was more than a year ago, when his father died.

"I think part of Walter really feels like he missed out on that aspect of family life, maybe was even angry for a long time at his father," his wife said. "He really came to terms and developed a relationship with him. It was very satisfying to Walter when his father said to him, 'I probably made a very big mistake," about five or six years ago."

Walter's younger brother Michael was 5 when the family returned to Ukraine. At 24, he applied for a green card to come live in Des Plaines.

"This was the best opportunity to do something," Michael, now 35, said. "To change my life."

He thought it would take two years to get his green card. It took more than 10.

Walter Polovchak calls "it frustrating that people cross the border on a daily basis illegally here, where somebody like myself spent 10 and a half years investing time, effort, energy and financial resources to help Michael come here legally. People don't want to wait 10 years."

Michael, who drives a cab in Park Ridge, admires his brother.

"He do something different, change his life," he said in broken English. "Probably everybody wants to change his life."

"And that's why you're here," Walter said.

www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2506274,CST-NWS-defector18.article</sub>

'...don't KNOW no ukrainians
don't WANT to know no ukrainians
mexicans ARE what i'm thoroughly used to...'

[phil]

DAMN! The bar in Québec city where Better-Half and I met for the first time more than 25 years ago was torched by an arsonist early yesterday morning.



The owner, a spaniard, was a friend and many in the clientele used to work in bars and restaurants.

I used to live right upstair - where you see the 2 small windows - it was a large two storeys four bedrooms appt.

This is terrible...

[strat-0]

That's a bitch, Phil.

[phil]

Zappa statue celebration planned

Dedication to take place Sept. 19 with live music and more

July 26, 2010|By Sam Sessa, The Baltimore Sun

A weekend-long celebration featuring live music, a symposium and art exhibit will celebrate the dedication of the Frank Zappa statue in Baltimore, organizers said.

Zappa Plays Zappa, a tribute act fronted by Zappa's son Dweezil, will perform; Zappa's widow, Gail, will give a symposium; and the Southeast Anchor Library will launch an exhibit in conjunction with the Sept. 19 statue dedication, according to producer Sean Brescia.

"It's going to make it what it should be," Brescia said. "It's going to be a cool tribute weekend."

His wife is putting together a symposium at the library on First Amendment rights, his son is planning a master class and the library will launch an exhibit tentatively titled "What's New in Baltimore: The Best of Baltimore's Contributions to the Performing Arts," Brescia said. The exhibit will include music and literature from Baltimore natives such as Zappa and John Waters.

Brescia hopes to round out the celebration with other live bands and move the party to the Creative Alliance at the Patterson after the dedication. He's working with the Southeastern Community Development Corporation to help coordinate the events.

"It's already starting to brew that energy and collaboration on the community level," Brescia said. "I'm excited about it."

The bust of Zappa, a Baltimore native, was a gift from a Lithuanian fan club. After much deliberation, the city decided to place it in Highlandtown, outside the library. His wife said Zappa would have liked the location, because his mother, Rose Marie, was a librarian.

[e-mail]

And, of course, like the man himself used to say...



If you want to get laid, go to college
If you want an education, go to a library

[RocDoc]

go zappa family!
go baltimore!
go lithuanians!
i supppose they could do worse than have a replica of this one (which phil knows i've visited multiple times):

_{Dweezil Zappa (C), son of late legendary guitarist Frank Zappa, stand's between Zappa's widow, Gail Zappa (L) and daughter Diva Muffin Zappa (R) as they pose in front of a scuplture of him in Vilnius on June 4, 2009. The Zappa family are in Vilnius both for a concert by Dweezil entitled Zappa Plays Zappa, and to view the statue of the the zany rock star, whose anti-establishment stance made him a cult figure in Lithuania and much of Eastern Europe during Soviet times.}



VIVA ZAPPA!
_{great final quote there, phil.....btw.}

[phil]

Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage, overturned by judge

• US district court rules to lift Proposition 8 immediately
• Victory for civil rights advocates following 13-day hearing

A ban on same-sex marriages in California has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, marking a major turning point in a controversial debate that has divided America.

In a politically charged judgment, US District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker handed gay rights advocates a critical victory after a 13-day hearing.

Crucially, he also ordered that the ban, approved by the voters and known as Proposition 8, should be lifted immediately, allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry while the case moves to a higher court for appeal.

Proposition 8 supporters had argued to keep the ban in place pending the outcome of their appeal. In a 136-page ruling, Walker said the lawsuit challenging the ban "demonstrated by overwhelming evidence" that it violates due process amid equal-protection rights under the US constitution.

"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage licence," he said. "Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples".

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/05/california-proposition-8-ban-overturned

Yes! Yes! YES!!

[phil]

Another good news on the common sense side...

Elena Kagan confirmed to U.S. Supreme Court in 63-37 Senate vote,
making her Court's 112th Justice

The Senate confirmed former Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan as the next Supreme Court Justice Thursday by a 63-37 vote.

Five Republicans backed the 50-year-old Kagan, and one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), voted against her.

Kagan, born on Manhattan's Upper West Side, takes the seat vacated by the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens. She was not expected to alter the current ideological balance of the Court, now represented by five conservatives and four liberals.

The 63 votes to confirm were the same number garnered by President Obama's first choice for the high bench, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and surpassed the 58 votes to confirm notched by former President George W. Bush's last nominee, Justice Samuel Alito in 2006.

Kagan, who will join Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to give the Court three women for the first time, dodged and withstood GOP attempts to paint her as an activist who would seek to turn her liberal politics into law.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued that Kagan was "well within the judicial mainstream" while Republicans hammered at her lack of judicial experience -- she has never served as a judge.

A recent USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 46% favored her nomination, 36% were against and 18% had no opinion.

[skvorecky]

Stoked about the Prop 8 overturn but not excited about Elana Kagan whatsoever. She's written legal briefs about the need for "regulating speech" and is a Goldman Sachs corporate stooge. Anyone who even dances around the idea of "regulating speech" is not someone who I would tout as a common sense choice.

[RocDoc]

the sunday chicago tribune editorial section page one:

The wrong prescription
What the health care law cannot do


<sub>By Mark B. Constantian

August 8, 2010

Last month two other American plastic surgeons and I were the invited speakers at the Nordic Plastic Surgery Conference in Iceland (whose health care is ranked 15th by the World Health Organization ). How ironic, I thought, that organizers from the Nordic countries, heralded as models of universal health care systems, would invite surgeons from a country ranked No. 37 out of 40 by the WHO. The U.S. only exceeds Slovenia at No. 38, Cuba at No. 39, and Brunei at No. 40.

U.S. health reform legislation consumed our conversation. "Our government wants to create a system like yours," I said. They shook their heads in disbelief and said: "Don't do what we did."

Beginning, like the United States, with excellent intentions, each country's health care system evolved similarly. Initially, all care was covered.

But costs rose. The government covered fewer illnesses. Expensive treatments increased government spending. Physicians' hours were reduced: Danish physicians are limited to 37-hour work weeks; in France (ranked No. 1 by the WHO), the work week is 35 hours, about half of those worked by U.S. physicians. Taxes rose. Triple-digit waiting lists increased death rates, so protocols established penalties if patients were not treated within a proscribed number of days. Patients began buying private insurance for illnesses no longer covered by "universal care." The governments struggle with solvency. In France, the system faces bankruptcy. Being No. 1 has its price.

This is not an evolution that the U.S. can avoid: It is built into system dynamics. When the same set of circumstances produces the same unintended consequences in different countries, the inescapable conclusion is that we are dealing with an error-prone situation, not incompetent countries. There are things that health care laws cannot do, even in Nordic countries.

What have patients expected from their physicians? In the years of the 14th century plagues, what was a physician's function when called to visit the sick for whom he had nothing to offer even for palliation, much less cure? One thing he did is directly related to cure: the laying of hands, and the physician-patient relationship built from this intimate interaction. That is why medicine succeeds, if it succeeds, and fails, if it fails. This relationship is a private contract, property that belongs only to patient and physician, arguably protected by the Constitution, property that the government should not take, but preserve. There can be no third party between patient and physician. In all government medical programs, there are two sides: proscriptions, coercions, and penalties on one, and the healing power of the physician-patient relationship on the other. It is only the latter that heals the patient. In the long run the law cannot get more out of people than there is inside.

Recent articles by health policy avatars exhort physicians to consider "social justice," a term from progressive doctrine of the early 20th century. Physicians should treat each patient only after considering "the continuation of the polity," that is, whether the resources spent there might be better used elsewhere.

But that is not my job. As a physician, I protect life and relieve suffering; and as a plastic surgeon, cure and rehabilitate from disease and deformity. My patients cannot ever wonder if my advice might be influenced by anything but their welfare — not insurer preferences, not health policy incentives and not patient value to progressive doctrine. An unblemished altruism forms the heart of the doctor-patient relationship. What patients want most from medicine depends not on coercive and regulative law but on the creative spirit that characterizes independent American medicine. That is why the Nordic Conference invited American surgeons. American medicine could go where laws do not; it is not motivated by doctrines that dictate, "You ought," but rather by the freedom that says, "You can." "Primum, non nocere" — "First, do no harm" — is not written in our health care legislation; it is written in the Hippocratic oath.

Mark B. Constantian is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Nashua, N.H.

www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-oped-0808-health-20100808,0,4519389.story</sub>


an interesting take, as long as you can get past the fact he's a plastic surgeon and all your stereotypes of that speciality.

in fact, to understand this, you 'forgive' him that.

[RocDoc]

'fatwah, FATWAH!' faster than you can say jack robinson=>

<sub>NY mosque imam: Extremism is global threat

By HASAN JAMALI, Associated Press

Writer Hasan Jamali, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 48 mins ago

MANAMA, Bahrain – The imam leading plans for an Islamic center near the Manhattan site of the Sept. 11 attacks said Friday he hopes to draw attention during his trip in the Middle East to the common challenges to battle radical religious beliefs.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is on the first leg of a 15-day Mideast tour funded by the U.S. State Department, refused to discuss the political firestorm over the plans for an Islamic cultural center about two blocks from the World Trade Center towers. Foes of the project say it is insensitive and disrespectful to the victims of 9/11 and their families. The debate has become politicized ahead of November's midterm congressional elections.

Instead, Rauf preferred to focus on shared concerns. Speaking after leading Friday prayers at a neighborhood mosque outside Bahrain's capital Manama, he said radical religious views pose a security threat in both the West and the Muslim world.

"This issue of extremism is something that has been a national security issue — not only for the United States but also for many countries and nations in the Muslim world," Rauf said. "This is why this particular trip has a great importance because all countries in the Muslim world — as well as the Western world — are facing this ... major security challenge."

The imam also said he has been working on a way to "Americanize Islam." While he did not elaborate on what an American version of Islam might look like, he did note that different interpretations of the faith have emerged over the religion's nearly 1,400-year existence.

"The same principles and rituals were everywhere, but what happened in different regions was there were different interpretations," he said. "So we recognize that our heritage allows for re-expressing the internal principles of our religion in different cultural times and places."

This is Rauf's fourth U.S-government sponsored trip to the region, according to the State Department. He traveled twice to the Mideast in 2007 during the Bush administration and once earlier this year. Rauf will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during this trip to talk about Muslim life in America.

Details of the imam's specific plans in each country have been closely guarded — possibly in reaction to the rancor in the United States over plans proposed by Rauf's organization, The Cordoba Initiative, for an Islamic cultural center near the site of the World Trade Center towers.

President Barack Obama has said he believes Muslims have the right to build an Islamic center in New York as a matter of religious freedom, though he's also said he won't take a position on whether they should actually build it. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in support of the mosque, calling it a test of the separation of church and state.

New York Gov. David Paterson suggested last week that leaders of the project might want to consider relocating out of sensitivity to families of those killed on Sept. 11.

He said he had the support of Islamic clergy, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led the city through the attacks and their aftermath. The governor and state officials won't say what other site would be suitable for the center or where the state owns nearby land.

This week, Paterson said he had hoped to meet with developers in a couple of days to talk about the concerns of those still hurt and angry over the Sept. 11 attacks. He told WNYC Radio's "The Take Away" on Friday that he's still seeking a meeting, but that the group postponed a Monday meeting because of Rauf's travels.

Muslims have been holding prayer services since last year in the building that the new project will replace.</sub>


shit, i like this guy, but he's painted into SUCH a corner by the entire situation.

he's a sufi muslim, who's preaching of tolerance is perceived as 'weak' by the batshit-crazy sunnis.

he's on U.S.-backed junkets to arab nations to discuss this mid-town mosque debate.

this debate NEEDS to be made so that someone within the muslim party (with their agenda, 'religion' is debateable) finally calls the fanatic mf-ers out on grounds that 'look, our intolerance is making us look stupid already' while stopping short of advocating cathedrals for mecca..
so he goes to the sheiks (sunnis ALL), they say 'fine, fine, go with our blessing' as they've hung a target on Rauf's back.
tho Rauf's whole situation is what's gotten him his fatwah.

it seems like he IS trying to do the right thing.

still, the sheiks will have an al jazeera PR coup 'America stupidly invites death once again' preaching to their converted.
and with time, here's a shiv with rauf's name inscribed on it...who then carries on rauf's intention?

without someone LIKE rauf sticking his neck out, co-existence is a fucking pipedream.
that bit of information should be writ LARGE during this 'controversy' to really truly give it a well-purposed spin.

he's doing what a cleric devoted to 'GOD', to any 'god', is supposed to be doing.

[RocDoc]

yup. whatever.

~

this? in IOWA?

'Beat Whitey Night': Racism suspected in Iowa State Fair attacks

<sub>AUGUST 24 - From The Des Moines Register

Des Moines, IA -- Des Moines police are trying to determine what led to a series of attacks outside the Iowa State Fairgrounds over the weekend that included the assault of two police officers.

At least three people were arrested Friday through early Monday morning. Other arrests may occur as officers investigate the incidents, officials said.

There are indications that some of the fights - which appear to involve mostly teenagers and young adults - were racially motivated, police said.

"We don't know if this was juveniles fighting or a group of kids singling out white citizens leaving the fairgrounds," Sgt. Lori Lavorato said. "It's all under investigation, but it's very possible it has racial overtones."

Officials announced last week that they were stepping up security outside the fairgrounds after a series of attacks Aug. 14 that included a pair of stabbings. Investigators are still investigating those assaults and victims intend to pursue charges.

Sgt. David Murillo stated in a report on Friday night, "On-duty officers at the fairgrounds advise there was a group of 30 to 40 individuals roaming the fairgrounds openly calling it 'beat whitey night.' "

Jammie Carroll, 36, of Polk City, was seriously injured in the 3000 block of East Grand Avenue Friday night after a group of people beat him up, causing severe injuries to his eyes, cheekbones and nose, Murillo wrote. Carroll is white, and many of the suspects are black, police said.

State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, who has worked to fight gang-related violence, said he doesn't have enough information to decide if the fights were racially motivated. He said police comments that race was involved could miss other factors, such as nonracial taunting.

"Unfortunately, like any other city, you have certain parts of town that individuals congregate in," Abdul-Samad said. "You have those that go into that area with no problem, and those who cannot."

He added, "We of course need to work on race relations. If anyone says we don't, they are playing games with themselves."

State Fair spokeswoman Lori Chappell said she had few details about the incidents. Police had increased security near the western edge of the fairgrounds specifically, she said.

The fair, which drew more than 960,000 visitors over 11 days, ended when the gates closed at 1 a.m. Monday.

About 10:30 p.m. Sunday, two police officers were attacked as they waded into a combative crowd outside the fairgrounds' main gates at East 30th Street and Grand Avenue.

Sgt. Richard Schuett and reserve Officer Lynn Hubbs both complained of head, neck and back pain after being punched from behind while trying to make arrests.

"There were pockets of people fighting," Schuett said. "People were leaving the fair and they were walking into the middle of them. We were trying to move people along but some of them wouldn't move."

A police report says Schuett "was on the ground fighting with his suspect, and several other females began to attack him." Another officer grabbed one of the attackers and tried to make an arrest, but she spun away.

Officers sprayed chemical deterrent and deployed a stun gun while trying to gain control. Two teenage girls were taken into custody for questioning following that incident.

Also Sunday night and early Monday:

- Beth Longen, 25, of Des Moines was at the gas pumps at the QuikTrip store, East 30th Street and University Avenue, taking video of the crowd when she was assaulted about 11:20 p.m., police said. A 17-year-old girl allegedly slapped Longen and threatened her in front of police officers. The teen was one of several taken to police headquarters and later released to parents.

- Earl Tice, 17, of Des Moines was attacked near East 30th Street and Grand Avenue about 9:45 p.m. Sunday. He told officers he was jumped while leaving the fair. Tice was having X-rays taken at a hospital when police took a report from his mother. Officials said he had been kicked and punched.

- Officers arrested Daveion Trell Smith, 18, of Des Moines on a charge of disorderly conduct. Police said they observed him with a large group of people, yelling and gesturing and trying to start a fight with another group of people. He was warned and told to leave the area, police said.

- Kiera Agee, 18, of Des Moines was charged with disorderly conduct. Police said they told her several times to leave the area. She allegedly responded by swearing at police. She was arrested and was taken to jail.

- Ashley Robinson, 18, of Des Moines was charged with interference with official acts. Police said they were doing paperwork in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant near the fairgrounds when Robinson walked up demanding answers to questions. Police were holding several suspects there at the time. She was ordered to leave the area. When she refused, she was taken into custody.

Laurie Christensen, a resident of Walker Street near the fairgrounds, said she's never seen such hostility around the fairgrounds.

Groups "have been openly taunting the police - in the street right to their faces," she said. "We found some of them that ran from the police hiding in our backyard."

Register staff writer Perry Beeman contributed to this article.


Des Moines Register

www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=213223</sub>

...7-8 days have passed and it's never been 'a news item'.

hmmm.

i saw someone cite it in a completely unrelated news item's comments from the NY post. i was like 'wtf is this?'
then i googled it.

the exact SAME type of non-event status was proclaimed on a VERY similar grouping of events all happening on one night on the chicago lakefront at the start of the summer. same sort of 'wilding' bullshit went on, closing down lake shore drive, when it was at it's worst.
and there was no coverage beyond one radio report i heard the next morning...and then nothing til i saw a few comments in the chicago tribune's forums a good week week and a 1/2 later.
wtf does THAT sort of silence serve?
to not alarm anyone mid-tourism season is THAT it?

the worst type of irresponsible pc run amok.
'no, you don't need to know THAT. no-one does.'

[RocDoc]

i thought this guy's post was amusing (in response to ^)

<sub>To: Joe Boucher
“Most of our victims happen to be white. Is that a racial thing? I don’t know” Now that sounds like your typical very stupid public employee.

It's actually the result of a lot of tax money going to psychological analysis and public perception. Leftists need to constantly challenge open, obvious truths in such a way that the liberal mind will doubt their own knowledge, and obey the Leftist insanity instead. So studies were made as to how to do this. You are looking at the result.

Just try the formula - and imagine you're saying these things to a liberal:

“Most of our apples happen to fall from the tree. Is that a gravity thing? I don’t know”

“Most of our water gets rid of dryness. Is that a wetness thing? I don’t know”

“Most of our boats happen to have hulls. Is that a floating thing? I don’t know”

“Most of our babies are born alive. Are they human beings? I don’t know”

See? The liberal would be seriously confused by these statements, and as a result would knee-jerk the "I don't know" conclusion for themselves to resolve the problem. Because to a liberal, these aren't statements to be rationally considered. Instead, they are instructions to be understood and obeyed.

And THAT is what makes a liberal, a liberal.

45 posted on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:32:17 PM
by Talisker
(When you find a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be damn sure it didn't get there on it's own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2577435/posts</sub>

[upinkzeppelin2]

Rocdoc, you're my main nigger.

[RocDoc]

Sept 1, 2010 15:51:05 GMT -5 @upinkzeppelin2 said:

Rocdoc, you're my main nigger.

maybe it's just me but i have some doubts about a white guy from alabama calling me that.
but s'okay.
i also thought that in this sort of context it should be 'nigga'.

just sayin'...

~

interesting to watch the drug trade (and municipal/federal corruption) completely fuck over mexico for the decent commonfolk.
THIS sucks.

<sub>Cancun bar attack is more bad news for Mexico tourism

By Laura Bly, USA TODAY


At least eight people died after attackers hurled gasoline bombs into a crowded Cancun bar early Tuesday. Although the bar is outside the popular resort zone in a residential area unfrequented by tourists, the apparent drug-related killings are among the latest in a string of bad news for Mexico's beleagured tourism industry.

Early Wednesday, the bridge that connects Puerto Vallarta and the Pacific Coast resort area of Riviera Nayarit collapsed in rain-swollen currents, stranding travelers. The bankrupt Mexican airline Mexicana suspended operations last weekend, leaving passengers across several continents. And on Friday, the U.S. State Department extended its Mexico travel warning to note that children of U.S. government personnel are being ordered to leave the business capital of Monterrey because of concern about recent gun battles and kidnappings in the city.

"Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, (and) resort areas and tourist destinations do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major drug trafficking routes," the current advisory notes. Nevertheless, it adds, "violence has occurred throughout the country, including in areas frequented by American tourists."

A USA TODAY story reported that according to the latest official statistics, "the horrific violence that is jacking up the national death toll is largely in nine of Mexico's 31 states," and that while Mexico's 2009 murder rate was still more than twice as high as the U.S. rate, the murder rate of 2 per 100,00 in Yucatán, the Gulf of Mexico state known for its beaches and Mayan ruins, was comparable to Wyoming and Montana.

But a recent McClatchy analysis of a new "Routes of Mexico" tourism campaign encouraging Americans and Canadians to visit more off-the-beaten-path destinations showed that, using the State Department advice as a guideline, "four of the 10 routes should be avoided and one is questionable." Among the no-gos: A trip that includes a visit to the colonial town of Morelia and travel through rural areas of Michoacan, winding up in Acapulco. The State Department urges Americans to avoid all unnecessary travel to Michoacan, and Acapulco was the site of a daylight shootout between police and drug traffickers in the hotel zone on April 14 that left three people dead.

The Cancun attack came hours after Mexican police apprehended Edgar Valdez Villareal, a suspected Texas-born drug trafficker known as "La Barbie" for his blonde hair and fair complexion. U.S. authorities say he has smuggled thousands of kilograms of cocaine from across the border in Mexico. In May, Cancun's mayor was arrested on suspicion of protecting two violent drug gangs as he campaigned for governor.

Many in Mexico's tourism industry, still recovering from last year's swine flu, say U.S. perceptions don't match reality.

"Tourism has dropped dramatically, and many small businesses have been forced to close. It is a difficult time made more frustrating by the knowledge that visitors to our part of Mexico are perfectly safe," Tony and Cheri Head, co-owners of the Luna Blue Hotel & Garden in Playa del Carmen wrote in an e-mail. "We hear the same story from guests: their families, coworkers and friends warned them not to come to Mexico as it was too dangerous. The violence in northern central Mexico is indeed extreme and horrifying. However, it is a problem which does not threaten the peace or the beauty of Mexico's Caribbean coast, and (Tuesday's bar killings) in a non-tourist neighborhood far from the hotel zone in Cancun have done nothing to change that perspective."

Readers, what do you think? Has the escalating violence in parts of Mexico impacted your vacation choices?

Posted Aug 31 2010 2:47PM

travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/08/cancun-bar-mexico-travel-safety/110694/1?csp=tf</sub>


i'll sure have 2nd (AND 3rd) thoughts about going back to cancun...fucking 'el barbies'.

scary letter/comment this one:

_{terabyte01 (0 friends, send message) wrote:
18h 28m ago
I live in Texas and fear the border violence. Two bombings have occurred in the past month, along with hanging 4 Mexican military servicemen from a bridge. This type of violence is quickly escalating to the types of activities carried out by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The motives are different for sure, but I would not step foot in Mexico for fear of being kidnapped and held for ransom. While it's currently not affecting the touristy parts of the Caribbean, it quickly took over the touristy parts of the border region near Texas and I predict that it's only a matter of time before it will spread into Cancun and other popular destinations. Rampant violence has spread to even the nicest communities in Monterrey, a popular tourist destination. Gangs are openly warring with the military in the streets. They just drive around in their vehicles looking for a fight. This violence is also going under-reported as well. Reporters and the agencies they work for have been targeted in the violence. The violence is going unreported because they have a fear for their losing their lives after witnessing others meet the same fate.
As for roxscott, this has nothing to do with race and everything to do with drugs and power. There's a power vacuum in the drug markets and this violence stems from the various power plays of the many gangs. Also the government, police, and press have all been paid off to varying degrees. This corruption further complicates identifying and eradicating the problem. The government can't even keep a good count on how many people have been killed this year or even last year, so assume any numbers coming out are less than the truth.
So my advice to the traveling public, STAY AWAY FROM MEXICO! There are many other equally attractive and affordable destinations! Seek them out, or travel at your own risk. I don't think you can buy travel insurance that covers the types of situations you may find in Mexico.}

scary about the total believeability of UNDER-reporting of what's going on there.
SO many have a vested interest in keeping this sort of shit quiet to not scare there last remaining golden goose (ie tourism) away.

the very same as the lack of interest in responsibly reporting 'wilding' on the gold coast of chicago or at the iowa state fair.

the story comes full circle...

[phil]

Lennon's killer denied parole for 6th time

(AFP) – 49 minutes ago

NEW YORK — John Lennon's killer was denied parole Tuesday for the sixth time since he was locked up for murdering the Beatle superstar in New York three decades ago.

Mark David Chapman "sat for an interview this morning and he was denied parole," Marc Violette, spokesman for the New York State Division of Parole, told AFP.

Chapman, incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York, has now applied six times for early release and can next apply in August 2012.

Chapman, 55, was sentenced in 1981 to life in prison after shooting Lennon dead outside his Manhattan apartment building next to Central Park. His sentence included the possibility of parole after 20 years.

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has said repeatedly that she opposes Chapman's release because she still considers him a threat to her family.