Society's ChildS

Dollar

US, California: Assemblywoman charged with shoplifting at Neiman Marcus

Michael J. Mishak
Los Angeles Times
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:35 UTC
Mary Hayashi
© unknownMary Hayashi
Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) has been charged with felony grand theft after allegedly shoplifting at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.

The incident, caught on video surveillance, occurred Tuesday afternoon when the lawmaker left the department store with a shopping bag containing items worth $2,450 that she hadn't paid for, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

Hayashi was charged with one count of felony theft and pleaded not guilty, the newspaper said. Neither representatives from the San Francisco Police Department nor the city's district attorney's office returned calls for comment. Her spokesman, Sam Singer, called the incident "a mistake and a misunderstanding," adding "she has never had more than a speeding ticket in her life."

He said Hayashi had planned to purchase the items - even calling a salesperson to set up the transaction on a separate floor - but then "got distracted, had a snack in the cafe" and left the store.
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Attention

US: Reward Offered for the Identity of the Police Officer Who Shot Marine Vet Scott Olsen


Washington's Blog
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC
A generous friend is offering a $4,000 reward for the identify of the policeman who shot Scott Olsen.

The officer can likely be seen in publicly available videos (see this and this). But his badge and face are not visible.

Similarly, Anonymous is already leaking names and information of officers in the Oakland P.D., but it is still difficult for outsiders to identify the shooter.

As such, the tip will likely have to come from someone within the Oakland Police Department or the other law enforcement agencies present at the protest.

Do your force proud and stand up for liberty ... identify the shooter.

Update: As this video shows, he might actually be with the San Francisco Sheriff instead of Oakland police:


See this for a detailed analysis.
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House

US: Nevada Makes Illegal Foreclosures Felony

Mike Colpitts
Housing Predictor
Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC
Nevada foreclosure
© Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Responding to homeowner complaints, Nevada has become the first state in the nation to make illegally repossessing a home a felony, and cash may send bankers to jail for doing such. The new law was enacted after tens of thousands of homeowners complained to lawmakers about their homes being foreclosed without proof of ownership.

The outcry of consumer complaints over illegal robo-signing tactics has produced a series of lawsuits against mortgage servicing companies and banks in Nevada, which has led the U.S. in foreclosures six straight years.

The Nevada law makes it a felony for a mortgage servicer or trustee of a mortgage to make false representations concerning a title such as claiming that they are an executive of a bank or mortgage servicer, which was the case in at least hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of robo-signings. A $5,000 fine will also be assessed if fraud is found. The law requires mortgage companies to provide a new affidavit with the amount owed on the loan, the person who is in possession of the note and the individual with the authority to foreclose on the property.

Some 26 U.S. states conduct foreclosures through the courts, but the new law does not make Nevada a judicial foreclosure state. Foreclosures have been delayed in many cases since the law went into effect Oct. 1 st.
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People

Massive rally to swamp Tel Aviv, Israel


poorrichards blog
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC

Israelis demonstrate in the center of Tel Aviv on September 3, 2011 to protest against rising housing prices and social inequalities in the Jewish state.

Following an eight-week break, a massive protest for economic justice is expected to take place Saturday in Tel Aviv. The protest's organizers are demanding that the Knesset rewrite the 2012 budget "taking into account the demands of the people."

ยญOrganizers predict the protest, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. local time in Tel Aviv, will be the largest since the protest movement began in mid-July, Agence France-Presse reported.

The last rally took place on September 3, when nearly half a million Israelis took part in demonstrations across the country against the soaring cost of living and house prices.

Israeli journalist Bradley Burston says that the protesters are questioning resource allocation and sacred cows like the defense budget and settlements.
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Megaphone

Protesters in Egypt Call on Military to Leave Power


Breitbart
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:03 UTC
Image
© Agence France-PresseEgyptians attend a rally calling for a rapid transition from military to civilian rule in Egypt following the February ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Several thousand protesters in Cairo called on the ruling military to promptly transfer power to a civilian government and exclude old regime figures from politics.
Several thousand protesters in Cairo called on the ruling military on Friday to promptly transfer power to a civilian government and exclude old regime figures from politics.

The protesters in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt's uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February, chanted "down with the military" and called on the ruling generals to "return to the barracks."

The military assumed power after Mubarak's ouster on February 11, promising a transition to civilian rule within six months. It is headed by Mubarak's former defence minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

Protesters at first hailed the military for not cracking down on the uprising after Mubarak called soldiers to the streets on January 28, following attacks on police stations.
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X

Air France Cancels Flights as 5-day Strike Hits

Brian Love
Reuters
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:28 UTC
Air France
© unknown
  • About one in five flights scrapped
  • Strike over work conditions to last five days
  • Minister denounces unions for peak-period stoppage
Air France expects to cancel about 200 flights on Sunday as a result of a five-day cabin crew strike over employment terms that began on Saturday in the middle of a busy holiday period.

The carrier, which cancelled 10 long-haul flights to destinations such as New York, Tokyo, Montreal, Abu Dhabi as well as cities in West Africa on Saturday, forecast more of the same on day two of the stoppage.

Discontent among travellers appeared to have been limited to an extent by the advance warnings that reduced the number of people turning up to find themselves stranded at airports.

The airline said in a statement it was managing to ensure the operation of around 80 percent of some 1,000 daily flights, short- and long-haul, at the two major Paris airports, Orly and Charles de Gaulle on Sunday.

Several unions are urging cabin staff to strike until the end of Wednesday, raising the prospect of serious disruption during what is a busy travel period. One of their grievances is a plan to reduce staffing on long-haul trips.
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Document

US, Washington: House Panel May Subpoena White House Documents

David Espo
Breitbart
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:07 UTC
Image
© unknown
Officials say the House Energy and Commerce Committee could meet as early as next week to vote on a subpoena demanding White House records relating to a federal loan guarantee that went to a now-defunct California solar company.

The Republican-controlled panel asked last month for documents that might shed light on actions by White House officials in connection with the original loan guarantee to Solyndra as well as a restructuring of the deal that took place last year.

So far, the White House has not turned over the requested documents.

Any subpoena could trigger a claim of executive privilege by the White House and elevate the political stakes, although the issue could also be resolved through negotiations.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.

Source: The Associated Press
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Attention

US: Not a Halloween Costume: Washington Man Cuts Off Arm With Guillotine


CBS News, Seattle
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:15 UTC
Image
© Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty ImagesPolice said a man cut off his own arm with an elaborate guillotine similar to this one.
A Washington man loses his arm from a homemade guillotine.

The guillotine unexpectedly dropped on his shoulder Thursday morning at a camp he was living at, severing his arm.

He left the arm behind after the accident and rushed to Bellingham Urology Specialists.

Evelyn Leuther, who works at the clinic, told CBS Seattle a woman passing by said, "I hope that's a Halloween costume," referring to the man missing his arm at the shoulder.

But the gore was real. Seconds later, another woman ran by screaming for someone to call 9-1-1.
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Eye 2

US, Florida: 16-Foot Python Found in Everglades Had Eaten Deer


The Associated Press
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:31 UTC
Image
© unknown
Officials in the Florida Everglades have captured and killed a 16-foot-long Burmese python that had just eaten an adult deer.

Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, says workers found the snake on Thursday. The reptile was one of the largest ever found in South Florida.

Hardin says the python had recently consumed a 76-pound female deer that had died. He says it was an important capture to help stop the spread of pythons further north.
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Info

US: Michael Jackson Likely Caused His Own Death, Witness Testifies


Los Angeles Times
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:59 UTC
Image
© The Associated PressPaul White
A leading anesthesiologist on Friday told jurors in the trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician that the singer probably caused his own death by injecting himself with a dose of the drug while his doctor wasn't looking.

In his testimony, defense expert Paul White directly challenged the theory put forth by the government's main medical witness, Dr. Steven Shafer. The prosecution expert testified that the only plausible scenario was that Dr. Conrad Murray had left a large intravenous drip of the anesthetic propofol running into the singer's bloodstreams for three hours, even after he stopped breathing.

On Friday, White said Shafer's theory was ruled out by the level of the drug found in Jackson's urine at autopsy. Given the urine levels and evidence at the scene, the more likely explanation was that the singer gave himself the drug, said White, one of the first U.S. researchers to study the drug.
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