Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts

Monday, February 28, 2011

US Pakistan Diplomat Accused of Murder CIA Agent

24/7 Cable news channels in the United States, massive well paid and financed media machines and not one of them could reveal the simple fact to the American people, their customers, that in fact the guy the Pakistani Police arrested for murder was trying to get off on diplomatic immunity, immunity provided for him by the U.S. Embassy because he was in fact a CIA operative out of the Embassy.

A CIA spy, a hail of bullets, three killed and a US-Pakistan diplomatic row


Did we learn this from CNN? MSNBC? Fox? CBS?ABC?NBC? Disney Channel? Nope we learn it from the Guardian, UK. So far to the left of the American media that they make liberal look; well, conservative.


In fact for the past two weeks of coverage the American media was under a WH imposed self censorship, not reporting on the known CIA connections of this accused murderer.

Pakistan Rejects US Diplomat's Self-Defense Claim

Pakistani police have rejected a detained U.S. diplomat's claim that he acted in self-defense when he shot dead two men last month in the eastern city of Lahore. Police are recommending the diplomat face murder charges.

Lahore Police Chief Aslam Tareen said Friday an investigation revealed Raymond Davis committed what the chief called "cold-blooded murder."

"The eyewitnesses [statements] and forensic reports showed that it has not been the self-defense case. So has tried to fire on them [and] 10 bullets were fired. Therefore, his self-defense plea was considered and that has been rejected by the investigators," Tareen said.

Washington's stance

Speaking to VOA on the latest developments in the case, U.S Embassy spokesperson Courtney Beale reiterated Washington's stance on the issue.

"We regret that this incident resulted in the loss of life. However, eyewitness accounts report [on the day of the incident] that the American acted in self-defense," Beale said. "There is no doubt that he has diplomatic immunity and we are working with the government of Pakistan to resolve this issue."

As American newspapers lifted a self-imposed gag on the CIA links of Raymond Davis, in place on the request of the US administration,

The New York Times reported on Monday that Davis “was part of a covert, CIA-led team of operatives conducting surveillance on militant groups deep inside the country, according to American government officials.”

This contradicts the US claim that Davis was a member of the ‘technical and administrative staff’ of its diplomatic mission in Pakistan.

Davis was arrested on January 27 after allegedly shooting dead two young motorcyclists at a crowded bus stop in Lahore. American officials say that the arrest came after a ‘botched robbery attempt’.

Now Raymond Davis the guy above identified as a CIA spy should not be confused with this 'private contractor'; which is a euphemism for 'mercenary', also arrested in Pakistan.

Pakistani Court Dismisses Bail Plea of US Man
A court in Pakistan Monday dismissed the bail application of an American national, who was arrested in northwest on Friday for illegal stay, court officials said.

Police sources said that Aaron Mark De Haven was working for a private security company.

Police said De Haven is from a security firm "Catalyst Services, " which provides security and accommodation to foreigners working on development projects in the region.

Catalyst Services

Your in-country solution for Middle East and South Asian Operations. You contact us and we do the rest.


Interesting that both these guys are working black ops in Pakistan. And have been outed by Pakistan's Secret Service. And yet in America neither the right wing or liberal media or mass media have covered this obvious coincidence. Not much for investigative journalism as a media standard in Amerika.


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Harpers Crimilization of Canadians Is A Bad Investment

The Harpocrites right wing law and order agenda, though as la scandale Bev Oda shows the government itself is not above breaking the law, is typical right wing sturm and drang signifying nothing except a growth in the institutional prison industry.
The Harper Conservatives are under fire for their extraordinarily expensive legislative initiative, Bill S-10. Among other things, it seeks to spend at least hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers dollars on prison building, in order to impose a mandatory minimum term of six months in jail for anyone who grows more than six marijuana plants. Most Canadians, experts and non-experts alike, have criticized the proposal as costly and counter-productive, noting that it will imprison individuals who are mostly non-violent and who sell to willing adult consumers.

The cost is in some dispute. Correctional Services Canada estimates an increase in prisoner numbers of 3,400, requiring 2,700 new spaces, at a cost of $2-billion.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer, Kevin Page, thinks that lowballs the price tag. His office puts the increase in prisoner numbers at 4,200, at a cost of $1.8-billion for facility construction and an additional $3-billion a year for operations and maintenance. He suggests that by 2015/16, annual prison expenditure will have increased to $9.3-billion from the current $4.3-billion.



As a result the costs incurred will continue to balloon from lowballing by the government. And if the American experience tells us anything as we can see from the report below, the facts are that prison expansion is a drain on the public purse, with no rehabilitative or crime reduction consequences!

But let us not let the facts get in the way of a political ideology. After all these Republican Light Harpocrites are nothing if not panderers to American right wing ideology. An ideology that is the politics of fear.

Reason and the facts once again show that a policy of increasing the length of criminal sentences does nothing except expand the prison population, increasing costs to the public purse.


The growth of the corrections sector has other impacts. A number of rural areas have chosen to tie their economies to prisons, viewing the institutions as recession-proof development engines.
Though many local officials cite benefits, broader research suggests that prisons may not generate the nature and scale of benefits municipalities anticipate or may even slow growth in some localities. Record incarceration rates can have longer-term economic impacts by contributing to increased income inequality and more concentrated poverty.
Economic Impacts of Prison Growth
Suzanne M. Kirchhoff
Analyst in Industrial Organization and Business
April 13, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41177

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

UBScandal


As capitalism melts down the rich always find a way to hide their taxable income. In the best of times and the worst of times. If they don't get the tax cuts they demand c'est lavie. They can always hide their money in Swiss bank accounts courtesy of the Gnomes of Zurich.In this case courtesy UBS. As we found with Enron, capitalism breaks down because those who play in the market know that rules are made to be broken and so they break them.


UBS executive indicted in US

UBS executive charged with aiding tax evasion

The Swiss Banker and 'Toxic Waste'

Gee could that have anything to do with this;

Top Executives at UBS Will Not Get Bonuses

Or maybe its actually because of this;

UBS warns earnings will be squeezed for rest of year

After being Europe's first major credit crunch victim, writing down $37.0 billion in the first two quarters of the year, there has been a shift in focus in the concerns that investors have about UBS. Its balance sheet is looking decidedly less frightening, now that it has shifted $60.0 billion of illiquid mortgage-backed securities into a vehicle created by the Swiss national bank, while it managed a profit in the third quarter.

And before we get all warm and fuzzy about those poor bankers UBS will still pay em heaping amounts of gold, just not all at once....

UBS said its new compensation model would be "focused on the long-term" and "closely aligned with the value creation of the firm." Executive board members whose bonuses had depended on annual performance alone will now be paid according to the new system that tracks their performance and the bank's share price over a three-year period. The two variable parts of their compensation--in cash and equity--will both be performance linked and the chairman of the bank will no longer get so-called "variable compensation."

And like that other Republican Investment Banker; Dan Quayle, who works for Cerebeus, lookee here UBS has one in their pocket too.

Phil Gramm: A Deregulator Unswayed
RGE Monitor, NY - , he left Capitol Hill in 2002 to work as an investment banker and lobbyist for UBS, a Swiss bank that has been hard hit by the market downturn,

You remember Phil he advised the McCain campaign until last summer when he called Americans concerned about the meltdown appearing on the horizon a bunch of 'Whiners'.

Phil Gramm, a former Texas senator who is now vice chairman of UBS, the giant Swiss bank, said he expects Mr. McCain to inherit a sluggish economy if he wins the presidency, weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.
"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."
"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said. "

Now he says the push to deregulate the market had nothing to do with the current meltdown.

<'>The retired Texas senator claims that deregulation “played virtually no role” in the current economic turmoil engulfing the globe, nor the housing collapse or the credit crisis. The exempting of any regulation of derivatives, including state insurance supervision, reserve requirements or clearing information was not significant to the crisis. The nonfeasance of the Fed in supervising all of the non-bank lenders that lay at the heart of the housing boom and bust was not the cause either (it was “Predatory Borrowing”). And the payola scandals at the ratings agencies — Moodies, S&P, and Fitch — that slapped triple AAA ratings on paper that turned out to be junk would not have been prevented via better oversight.
Gramm said placing any blame on deregulation was simply “an emerging myth.”


The whole UBS scandal comes home to Canada where we specialize in White Collar Crime....Corporate Captialist criminals get away with murder in Canada. We have no single national regulator liie the SEC, and clearly our bank laws are not enforced effectively, if UBS can set up a secret offshore account for wealthy Americans called the 'Canada Desk' because the deals were done on Canadian soil.

Top Firm Accused Of Having Illegal 'Secret' Desk


This scandale has caused the Montreal Gazzette to pick up on the popular slogan of the Communist Party of Canada Marxist Lenninist in its latest editorial; Make The Rich Pay.

Government has obligation to make the rich pay, too
Raoul Weil, a senior executive of the Swiss bank UBS, has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of helping his U.S. clients hide some $20 billion in assets from the taxman. Americans will be glad to see their government pursue this sort of case aggressively.
In Canada, however ....
The Globe and Mail reported last week that Weil was also in charge of a secretive team of senior bankers whose job was to help Canadians hide as much as $5.6 billion from the Canada Revenue Agency, this country's tax collector.
So what has that agency, and the rest of the Canadian government, been doing about these allegations, the outlines of which have long been known? Nobody knows. Maybe nothing. And that's not nearly good enough.
Nothing is more corrosive to the sense of fairness and transparency that society needs to function well than the idea that there are two standards - one for the wealthy and one for everyone else



And in light of this scandal this failure to collect what is due the people of Canada or to prosecute UBS for breaking our banking laws, what does the Government and Revenue Canada do? Wait for it....

Ottawa targets online merchants who pay no taxes

Canada Revenue Agency to focus on so-called 'power sellers' on eBay

Pound foolish, pennyt wise.



SEE:

Crime Pays If You Are Rich

Whining and Dining with the Irvings

Hedge Funds, Junk Bonds, Ponzi Schemes

Criminal Capitalism Business As Usual


Friday, January 11, 2008

Dumb Headline


Huh?

Beat family to death, Aurora family gets life
Toronto Star - 3 hours ago
An Aurora father was sentenced to life in prison today after pleading guilty to beating his wife and two children to death with a baseball bat.

Not only dumb but incomprehensible and plain wrong.
Should have been "Aurora Father gets life".







SEE:

Bad Headline


Headline Says It All


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Friday, December 21, 2007

Harpers Other War



This is Harpers other war, though it shares something in common with his War in Afghanistan. The war on drugs. Well actually the war on Pot. The new anti-drug law Bill C-26 was announced the same week Karlheinz Schrieber was making headlines, so quietly the Harpocrites slipped their crime bill into parliament complete with mandatory sentences for marijuana growing and possession. And the media as well as the Liberal Opposition ignored this new draconian legislation.

While New Democratic Party (NDP) drug policy critic MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East) has already denounced the measure, neither the Liberals nor the Bloc Québecois have issued statements on it. Nor had either party responded to Chronicle requests for comment by press time.

Burnaby MPs say they will vote against the bill.

Bill Siksay, NDP MP for Burnaby Douglas, says similar laws have already failed in the U.S.

"They fill up the prisons, they disrupt families, but they don't solve the problem," Siksay said in an interview Thursday.

"We've given fare to many people's criminal records for marijuana use, and we've clogged the courts for way too long."

Instead, the government should decriminalize marijuana, Siksay said.

"We need to upset the apple cart when it comes to drug policy, he added.

Peter Juilan, NDP MP for Burnaby New Westminster, agreed, saying the federal government should spend more money on front line policing.

"The bill is the wrong approach to take," he added.


It's Harpers other war. And it is a dangerous one. For it would return us to convicting recreational drug users for victimless crime. And in creating harsh minimum sentences it attempts to duplicate the creation of a prison industry in Canada like that in the U.S.


With an eye on past complaints from the U.S. that Canadian chemical drugs and the country’s booming illegal marijuana industry are threats to America, the bill imposes a two-year minimum for possession of more than one kilogram of a schedule I drug for the purpose of export trafficking. Possession of cannabis and marijuana for the purpose of exporting – with no aggravating factors or minimum amount – would carry an automatic one-year minimum.

But, despite the political drumbeats about drugs and the image of public hysteria, Ertel says the legislation goes too far, too severely.
A conviction for producing from one to 200 marijuana plants for the purpose of trafficking carries a minimum jail sentence of six months. The scale rises to a two-year automatic sentence for the production of more than 500 plants. The maximum penalty for production of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking jumps to 14 years from seven.

“This is obviously crazy stuff,” says Ertel. “They’ve got a minority government and they’re playing cheap politics and the idea of the cheap politics is ‘go ahead and vote against us on this crazy bill and then we’re going to say you guys love drugs.’”

He argues the automatic jail time — no allowance for mitigating considerations — will inevitably prompt the kind of appeal that led to a 1987 Supreme Court of Canada decision striking down a seven-year mandatory-minimum sentence under the Narcotic Control Act as cruel and unusual punishment.

In R. v. Smith, the case of a B.C. man who pleaded guilty to importing seven and a half ounces of cocaine from Bolivia, Justice Antonio Lamer wrote, “The serious hard drugs dealer who is convicted of importing a large quantity of heroin and the tourist convicted of bringing a ‘joint’ back into the country are treated on the same footing and must both be sentenced to at least seven years in the penitentiary.”

Justice Lamer, though, included this obiter: “A minimum mandatory term of imprisonment is obviously not in and of itself cruel and unusual punishment.”
Ertel says the new Conservative bill may not only violate s. 12 of the Charter in certain circumstances, but it also targets the wrong problem, with the wrong weapon.

“Nobody’s putting anybody who’s making liquor into jail, and almost all violent crime, it’s above 90 per cent, is alcohol related,” he says. “I’ve never seen a case where somebody beat up their wife after they smoke a joint; it doesn’t happen.”

A Statistics Canada Juristat report shows drug trafficking accounted for four per cent of all cases in Canadian adult criminal courts in 2004, compared to 11 per cent for impaired driving. Common assault accounted for another 11 per cent, theft cases were nine per cent and major assault accounted for six per cent. Homicide, including attempted murder, accounted for 0.2 per cent of the cases.

Ertel says the mandatory minimums will mean more and longer drug trials because it will be impossible to bargain pleas: “The courts grind to a halt when there’s no incentive for pleading guilty.”

NDP MP Joe Comartin, a former criminal lawyer in Windsor, offers another twist. He says prosecutors will stay drug charges in an attempt to ration court time.
“They just can’t prosecute, they’ve run out of resources,” says Comartin. “They’ve got 100 more files behind them.”

SEE:

Contact High

Canada Goes To Pot

Canada's Prison Industrial Complex

Narco Politics

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Bad Headline

This is a great example of a bad headline courtesy of Canada's 'National Newspaper', the Globe and Mail.

Suspect charged in Christmas-card killing

Read literally, it means the Christmas Card died.

http://animationinsider.com/milowerx/journal/uploaded_images/dead-santa-797025.jpg


SEE:

Headline Says It All

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Schipperke


I have two of these wonderful dogs called Schipperke's, Trooper and Tami. Both are Show Dogs. They are sometimes called 'the little captain' as the name is often mistranslated into Skipper Key, as in boat skipper. The legend has it they are Flemish or Belgian Barge Dogs.

The reality is somewhat different. They look like small version of the Belgium Sheep Dog though they are not directly related, and they too are a sheep dog.


The Schipperke (pronounced: skipper-key) has been known for centuries in the Flemish Province of Belgium where he was bred as a watchdog and hunter of vermin.

He is a bright, active and inquisitive dog that makes an excellent family companion. He is very good with children and suspicious of strangers, making him a good watchdog. Smart, loyal and loving, the Schip needs attention and companionship. He is active and loves to learn, and will excel in such activities as obedience, agility, flyball, tracking and herding.


Peasants in the Flemish Low Countries were not allowed large dogs, like horses and swords these were the symbols of the ruling classes and their Knights. So the peasants bred a small dog called the Schipperke to act as a shepherd, and the name means shepherd in Flemish. The peasants were Flemish Weavers and they brought their dogs with them when they traded with England and Europe.

THE WEE DOG FROM WALES

By Sharon Pflaumer
As with most breeds, there are a number of theories concerning
the origins of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi in addition to the
fanciful tale (about the fairies leaving two children wee dogs
as a gift). This sturdy, all-around worker may have come
from Schipperke-like dogs introduced to the British Isles
by Flemish weavers in 1107. These weavers settled in Wales,
where their canine companions evolved into cattle dogs.
Another theory maintains the Pembroke is descended from
the Swedish Vallhund, which may have been introduced to
Wales by the Vikings.

Sumptuary Laws of Edward III's Reign

In 1337 when war was again declared with France, the English Parliament enacted
a law intended to restrain extravagance in dress and to promote the consumption
of English manufacturers. The 1337 act dealt with furs, limiting the wearing therof
to persons of gentle birth (or persons with annula incomes of 100 pounds or more).

The Black Death reached England in 1348 and the end of the following year had spread
to the north of the
country. It was estimated at least 20% of the population died.
This led to the
imposition in 1351 of the Statute of Labourers which fixed wages to
pre Black Death
levels and prevented mobility of labour in an attempt to restore stability
at a time
when demand for workers was much greater than the supply (Pearsall, 1996).

People
were often paid in apparel and foodstuffs. In 1355 an act was passed concerning the
dress of prostitutes. This related to restrictions of wear with the purpose of
distinguishing prostitutes from respectable women. The parliament of 1363 passed an
act regulating both apparel and consumption of foodstuffs. This act amended the 1337
act and reduced the threshold for permissible wearing of furs to any non-peasant
with annual income of 40 shillings or greater. The legislation had two objectives
i.e.. protectionism i.e. only members of the royal family could wear cloth of
non-English manufacture and partly as an anti-inflationary measure. Prior to this,
Flemish weavers were taking English cash out of the country, restriction to the
royals, was an economic means of keeping English money in the country.


The Schipperke look more like foxes when they are mature, and like little bears when they are young pups. They are bright, intelligent, and obstinate hence the designation Little Captain, they push their way around. They are the perfect anarchist dog and the perfect dog for an anarchist.


They were later adopted by the Flemish Tailors Guild sometime in the late 15th Century or early 16th Century, because of their beautiful ruffs. The Tailors would make decorated collars and show them off on the ruffs of their Schipperke's in local competitions, walking them through the streets, and thus the origin of the dog show begins with the Flemish Tailors and their Schipperke's.

uring the 15th Century, Brussels became the tapestry capital. The extravagant use of gold thread in these works, inspired the name Tapis D'Or (cloth of gold). The most prominent weaver, Pieter Van Aelst, was responsible for creating "The Acts of the Apostles" which was commissioned for the Sistine Chapel. And in the 1500's Queen Elizabeth made the weaving industry the basis of England's trade. William Sheldon designed a series of county maps which were a charming mixture of geographical representation and decorative design. Mary, Queen of Scots, employed 2 Master Embroiderers for the Crown: Pierre Oudray and Charles Howart. The first embroidery book published in England was "A Schole House for the Needle" by Richard Schorleyker in 1624. It illustrated most of the usual motifs of the time, and also some lace and cut work. Embroiderers were also influenced by the designs from a manuscript by Thomas Trevellyan. These may be seen in many variations of Elizabethan Age embroidery.


They were later adapted for use on the Flemish canal barges, as a rat dog, to hunt and kill the scourge of barges and the working class ghetto. Thus the confusion about them being barge or boat dogs and the terms Skipper Keys, or little captains.

My Year of the War Including an Account of Experiences with the Troops
in France and the Record of a Visit to the Grand Fleet Which is Here
Given for the First Time in its Complete Form

When I think of Belgium's part in the war I always think of the little
Belgian dog, the schipperke who lives on the canal boats. He is a
home-staying dog, loyal, affectionate, domestic, who never goes out
on the tow-path to pick quarrels with other dogs; but let anything on
two or four feet try to go on board when his master is away and he will
fight with every ounce of strength in him.

They are a rare dog breed that has become popular over the last few years. Since we adopted Trooper and Tami, I see more of them around the neighbourhood now. But folks still stop us and ask us what kind of dog they are. Most folks have heard of them as the rare Belgium Barge dog.

Both our dogs are from Diana Kinnear's Majekin line of Schipperke's and we are their adopted guardians. They both still do dog shows and Trooper is a Champion breed stud. This photo is of his winning pose in Camrose, the year we adopted him.

We found them by looking on the net. We had used the net to find rescue animals, in particular cats, we have a long standing tradition of adopting older cats. Since we lived in an apartment for many years. When we moved into our house I began to suggest we get a dog. A small dog, this funny dog with a funny name, we had seen at the dog show, which was just a bit bigger than our cats.

So we were looking for the dog with the funny name Schipperke and looked it up on the Internet. We came across Trooper through Diana who had moved from Calgary to Edmonton and needed to adopt him out to a home since she had another male in her menagerie and Trooper being the Alpha Male he needed a home of his own.

And eventually so did his granddaughter Tami, who really is a a spoiled little princess. She is my partners little girl. She lived with other Julie and the other 'girls' at Diana's house but really needed to be in her own home. And yes it is her home, she bosses Trooper around.

So what started out as a us looking at getting one dog, ended up with us adopting two of these wily intelligent guard dogs. And let me tell you they are better than any alarm system when it comes to protecting 'their home and property'.



Julie at 10 weeks(Mazeru Heavensent to Majekin) bred by Anna Verleg

( Ch Majekin Poetry In Motion x Ch Roetmop Qiwi)

Tami at 4 months(Majekin Talk About Me)

(Ch. Ebonorth Autumn Stormy Boy x Ch Majekin Ombrelle de Orval)



SCHIPPERKE CLUB OF CANADA SPECIALTY WINNER:

AM/CAN CH MAJEKIN NEMESIS DE SANGBLEU (TROOPER)
















Now what prompted me to write about them, which I had been intending on doing for some time actually, was this recent story in the news. If you are a regular reader of this blog, and of course who isn't, you know my position on crimes against animals.

Well this story was in the press recently. It's a terrible case of animal abuse and cruelty and it happened to a Schipperke puppy and it is horrible because the puppy was in the care of this person, totally dependent on them for it's survival. And of course as I have pointed out before if a person can do this to an animal they can do the same to children or even adults.

Three months for puppy drowning

Karen Kleiss, edmontonjournal.com

Published: Friday, November 16

EDMONTON - A man who drowned his friend's four-month-old puppy in a bathtub while she listened on the phone was sentenced today to three months in jail.

Jeffrey Vince, 46, is banned from owning pets for two years after his release, Crown prosecutor Prima Michell said after court.

Vince pleaded guilty in June to causing pain and suffering to an animal in connection with the Sept. 6, 2006 incident.


Michell said the incident began when Vince and a female friend got into an argument because the woman had been discussing Vince's mental health with a neighbour.

Vince pointed at the four-month-old puppy, a Schipperke lap dog named Shadoe, and the tiny dog nipped at his fingers. Angry, he grabbed the animal, shoved it into a carrier and drove home to his apartment, Michell said.

A short time later, he called his friend and asked her if she wanted to hear her dog dying. He placed the dog in the carrier in the tub, and ran the water until it died. He then attempted suicide by overdosing on pills, Michell said.

"This is not a case of somebody who might have some weird notions of discipline, and it is not a case of someone who is too poor to feed their pet," Michell said. "This is a deliberate act by someone who is mad at the owner."

Michell said psychological reports entered into evidence during the trial show Vince has a history of mental illness, but that the illness did not prevent him from forming the intention to kill the animal.

In court today, Michell said told the judge he feels bad for killing the dog.

And well he should. But he also needs medical help for his mental condition, which no amount of jail time will address. And it shows the failure of our social system that does not consider mental health as a public health issue. Instead it allows people to suffer alone, as the Klein government did when it closed Alberta Hospital and left the mentally ill to wander the streets homeless. And thus contributes directly to their alienation and subsequent mental illness which they deny they have.

On the other hand here is a story about how important that bond is between us and our animal companions, and no they are NOT pets. It is a bond that is as deep as humankind, since we domesticated wild animals to join us in our communities. And it too is a sad story, because it deals with the death of family member.
Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 3:37 PM

I'm just popping in for a quick minute today. My wonderful, sweet Schipperke, Bear, passed away suddenly and quite unexpectedly yesterday morning. He didn't feel well on Sunday. We just thought his arthritis was bothering him. By 3:00 a.m. yesterday morning, we knew something was seriously wrong. We flew out the door for Dr. K's office, where he was waiting for us. We were all with him, when he crossed the bridge. Dr. K feels that it probably was a blood clot brought on either by an auto immune response or a disease called DIC. He assured us, that there was nothing that we could have done.

Bear was such a bright light in my house. I know that it will be dim for a while, and never quite as bright before. Bear was a friend to everyone who met him, whether it was another pet or person. He became the official greeter of my neighborhood. We made rounds to visit all of the neighbors. He hadn't been getting out quite as much, because of his arthritis, but he still liked to visit.

Casey and I are still in quite a bit of shock. I may not be around for a couple of days, and I hope that you all understand. I'm still processing. This was an exceptionally hard blow, so soon after losing Slate the first of September. Please send good thoughts and prayers this way.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Goodbye Bear. You were a loyal, uplifting friend. You will be terribly missed.


But I will end on a more positive note with this final post I came across while Googling Schipperke's in the news. I have two cats and two dogs, and they all get along well. I will tell you my cat tales in another post. This final post ends with a message about the importance of adopting animals, especially rescued animals, those that have been abandoned by their owners. Often through no fault of their own, because in Alberta with the lack of affordable housing landlords are refusing to accept 'pets' or overcharging for the privilege of living with your companion animal.

Juanita's Juanderings
Claws and Paws




I have two cats, Ebony and Ivory, who are about five years old, and who have become fat, lazy, and quite comfortable in their surroundings. In other words, quite spoiled. Until recently they have been able to lounge anywhere they darn well choose to lounge, be it on the furniture, my bed, or the dining room table. Now there is a battle for �top dog� in the house, and the cats seem to be losing the war. So much so that I haven�t seen much of them in the last two weeks. I think they have taken permanent lodging underneath my bed.

Their calm, cool, complacency has been greatly upset by my bringing home another four-legged fur ball � namely Roxie, a three-year-old Schipperke. Now to picture this. Here�s Roxie, all of seven pounds, and both of the cats are at least 12 to 14 pounds each. You see, Roxie doesn�t much like cats, and my cats don�t much care for dogs as it turns out. I am hoping that things will eventually settle down to a dull roar instead of the growl, bark, chase, and hide routine that now takes place every time the cats appear.
But, have no fear. I have not abandoned the cats. I go into the bedroom every day, shut the door, and spend quality time with them. I don�t want them to feel unloved. In fact, I moved their food into the master bathroom so they would not have to traverse the dog�s line of sight in order to be able to eat. But, they still must do that to get to their litter boxes.

At this time of year, with Christmas rapidly approaching, if you are considering a pet for your family, please consider adopting from the Humane Society as I did. There are plenty of beautiful, loving dogs and cats, puppies and kittens that deserve good, loving homes. But, if you do adopt a pet, please make sure your family is properly educated in the proper care and training of that animal before you bring it home. And, if you decide to get a pet from a private party, please make certain that your pet is properly vaccinated and spayed or neutered at the proper age. It is better for the animal and it avoids the unnecessary euthanizing of unwanted puppies and kittens.

'Til next time, be safe and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.




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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Crime Pays If You Are Rich

Capitalism originated in plunder, the primitive accumulation of wealth, its origin lay in the evolution of class of mercantile bankers who hired mercenaries to expand their markets. As Arrighi points out in the Long Twentieth Century, the transition from Catholic Feudalism to capitalism was the creation of free trade private navies with marines in the service of merchant capital who created the bourse; the modern stock exchange.

Today capitalism still engages in economic criminal activities which are socially sanctioned. It is called tax avoidance. Where the law or regulations are silent, or allow for a wide interpretation of what is allowed or not, the speculator, the CEO the venture capitalist, etc.etc. will take advantage to get around the law or regulation. Until they are caught or bankrupt the company. Then new laws are created by the state to level the playing field, and the whole process comes full circle.

The one thing criminal capitalists can count on is being welcomed back to the old boys club with open arms by their ruling class chums. Heck they are proud of their reputation as the black sheep. And their class applauds their valiant efforts.

Of the more than 1,200 wealthy individuals that have appeared on Forbes's annual list of the 400 richest Americans over the past quarter century at least 13 have been convicted of serious crimes or jailed.

They include some well-known names: Wall Street's, Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin from the Gordon Gecko junk bond era, the silver-speculating Hunt brothers, media diva Martha Stewart and the late Leona Hemsley, the hotelier.






SEE


A Day in the Life of Corporate Criminals

It's the company you keep

Agribusiness Bad Boys

Criminal Capitalism-West-Jet

Money Laundering Canadian Style

India Is Now A Capitalist State

Too Greedy


White Collar Crime Reporter 1


Criminal Capitalism The Story of 2006

Hedge Funds, Junk Bonds, Ponzi Schemes

Bring Out Your Dead

Money Laundering Canadian Style

Criminal Capitalism Redux

Credit Card Fraud

Golden Parachutes

1666 The Creation Of The World

Dirty Laundry Business as Usual

Calgary Fraud Funds Dubai Boom

Casino Capitalism

Are Income Trusts Money Laundering

Unproductive Capital

More Criminal Capitalists

Income Trust Fraud


Criminal Capitalism: Office Romance


Yeltsin's Legacy

Contracting Out Is A Crime



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Sunday, September 09, 2007

Children and Dogs


As I pointed out here earlier; children and dogs in North America share something in common; being abandoned in hot cars to die of hypothermia.

Two recent cases involving a child and a police dog made news the same day.

Ohio Mother Leaves Child in Car for 8 Hours

Yesterday we brought you the tragic story of a 2-year-old girl who died after her mother left her in a locked car for eight hours as the temperature approached 100 degrees outside -- and came close to 150 degrees inside.

The mother, Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby, had changed her daily routine that morning before going to work as an assistant principal at a middle school in Ohio. Instead of dropping off her daughter with the babysitter, she went to buy donuts for her fellow teachers, then went to work -- forgetting that her daughter was still asleep in the back seat.



PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- A suburban police officer is accused of leaving a police dog in a patrol car for more than 12 hours on a 109-degree day, killing the animal The sheriff's investigation showed Bandit was in Lovejoy's patrol car from about 9 a.m. to shortly after 10 p.m. August 11. During that time, the investigation found, the officer ran errands, napped and ate out with his wife. Lovejoy later found the dog dead in the car.


And surprisingly there are as many dog fatalities as those of children.

Dogs

Ga. police dog also dies after being left in patrol car

Amherst Police arrested a Niagara Falls man Friday afternoon at the Boulevard Mall, after the man's dog was discovered suffering from the heat in a vehicle.Humane Investigator William Sullivan said they used a special thermometer to check the temperature in the vehicle. "It was 105 degrees," he said.

A woman was charged with animal cruelty Tuesday after her dog died after being left in a closed car, allowing the pet's temperature to reach 108.3 degrees,

Cary police have charged a woman with leaving a dog inside a 122-degree car

Man Arrested after Dog Left in Hot Car Dies - Associated Content

Absecon woman charged after dog left in car dies - Topix

Dog Left In Sweltering Car As Owner Goes To Beach -

Man charged with locking a dog in hot car, leaving it to die

Man Arrested After Dog Dies In Boiling Car

Children

New City man charged with DWI; child in car

Mother pleads guilty to leaving toddler in car

Florida Toddler Dies After Being Left in Hot Car Outside City Hall

Father Arrested After Leaving Toddler in Car at Brothel Parking Lot

Police: Man Leaves Child In Car, Shops For Porn

MOUNTAIN VIEW: NANNY ARRESTED AFTER LEAVING CHILD IN CAR

Sometimes the child or dog is rescued.

Torrance police rescue baby trapped in car

Statistics for children and dogs left in cars shows a wide discrepancy. While the statistics for children left in cars is for the U.S. the stats for dogs are from the Ontario Humane Society. Despite the disparities in numbers they share the same underlying causes.

In 2007 there have been at least twenty-six deaths of small children after being left inside a hot vehicle. Last year there were at least twenty-nine such fatalities in the United States due to hyperthermia after they were left in hot cars, trucks, vans and SUV's. This sadly followed forty-two child deaths in 2005. Since 1998 there have been at least a total of 323 of these needless tragedies. This study shows that these incidents can occur on days with relatively mild (i.e., ~ 70 degrees F) temperatures and can occur very rapidly.

STATISTICS

  • Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 2007: 26
  • Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 2006: 29
  • Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 1998-2007: 347
  • Average number of U.S. child hyperthermia fatalities per year since 1998: 36

In the summer of 2006, the OHS EAPS responded
to 93 calls about dogs left in cars in extreme heat
conditions. We're pleased to see the numbers of these
calls decreasing each summer. Thanks to our educational
efforts and public awareness campaigns, more
people are becoming conscious of the dangers of
leaving animals in hot cars.



The reason for child car deaths and those of animals is simple lack of laws and severe enough penalties.

An Associated Press analysis of more than 310 fatal incidents in the past 10 years found that prosecutions and penalties vary widely, depending in many cases on where the death occurred and who left the child to die - parent or caregiver, mother or father: -Mothers are treated much more harshly than fathers. While mothers and fathers are charged and convicted at about the same rates, moms are 26 percent more likely to do time. And their median sentence is two years longer than the terms received by dads. -Day care workers and other paid baby sitters are more likely than parents to be charged and convicted. But they are jailed less frequently than parents, and for less than half the time. -Charges are filed in half of all cases - even when a child was left unintentionally.


It's wrong that an Ohio mother has escaped prosecution for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, who the mother forgot and left inside a sweltering SUV while she went to work.

The decision not to prosecute Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby of suburban Cincinnati for the death of her daughter Cecilia came yesterday from Clermont County Prosecutor Don White. He said leaving Cecilia in the car was ''a substantial lapse of due care'' but did not meet the legal test for reckless conduct requiring prosecution.

We don't buy it. A toddler died because the primary caregiver forgot her primary duty. The loss of a child's life can not be written off as an unfortunate mistake, no matter how unintentional, or how much the parent is grieving personally.

The legal obligation of a parent to protect a child has few rivals, and the law must penalize the failure to meet that obligation.

His name is Cyrus and he's lucky to be alive. But he faces a long road back and he may never be what he was before Tuesday. He's the three-year-old Rottweiler who was found locked in his owner's SUV in a parking lot near King and Jameson. The pet was near death when Toronto Humane Society cruelty investigator Tre Smith knocked out a window to rescue the creature. The dog was foaming at the mouth and in severe distress as it was rushed for emergency treatment.

Now veterinarians have determined what they most feared - that the sad-eyed pooch has suffered both brain and kidney damage from which he won't be able to recover. "There's definitely some brain damage there," sighs the Society's Lee Oliver. "It's not as severe as we thought. He's able to stand on his own with some help. We've had him out for a walk. He's able to move his feet in a normal walking order which means he's got motor functions."

While cruelty charges have been laid against the owner, there's a terrible irony in the fact that the man accused of the crime could one day get his animal back. It's an old dilemma Smith faces every day in his difficult but rewarding job. The penalty for a conviction is a $2,000 fine or up to six months in jail and a possible two year prohibition against owning animals. Smith is aware pets can't be put on the same scale as humans, but he wonders if the law is adequate enough to send the right message about mistreating one of the tender hearted creatures.

"They're not tough enough," he makes clear. "They don't have any teeth. We're gumming our way through this thing. How can anyone expect us to do our job properly if we don't have the tools, the resources and the laws and the people to back us up?"


The other factor is the use of car seats. And now this is being pushed for use by children up to eight and nine years of age!

Ironically, one reason was a change parent-drivers made to protect their kids after juvenile air-bag deaths peaked in 1995 - they put them in the back seat, where they are more easily forgotten.

Texas leads the nation with at least 41 deaths, followed by Florida with 37, California with 32, North Carolina and Arizona with 14 apiece, and Tennessee with 13. There were deaths recorded in 44 states - most in the Sun Belt, but many in places not known for hot weather.

The correlation between the rise in these deaths and the 1990s move to put children in the back seat is striking.

"Up to that time, the average number of children dying of hyperthermia in the United States was about 11 a year," says Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University who has studied this trend. "Then we put them in the back, turned the car seats around. And from '98 to 2006, that number is 36 a year."


And sometimes it is simply thoughtlessness.

When Andrea Williams and her boyfriend returned to their car, they found their puppy strangled by her leash.

Now Williams wants to spread the word about a danger she had never considered.

"We are so devastated," she said. "The notion never even crossed our minds to unhook the leash."

The puppy, a pug named Lucy, was nearly 6 months old. She apparently jumped from the back seat to the front and back and got caught up in the leash, which Williams found wrapped around the passenger-side seat.


Or I didn't think I would be gone that long.

Family and friends stand by mom after baby left in car


Which means that this wouldn't help anyways; Baby In Hot Car Reminder Devices


Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. They hope their findings will put to rest the misconception that a parked car can be a safe place for a child or pet in mild weather.

“There are cases of children dying on days as cool as 70 degrees Fahrenheit,” said lead author Catherine McLaren, MD, clinical instructor in emergency medicine. Though past research has documented the temperature spike inside a car on extremely hot days, this is the first time anyone has looked at cooler days, she added.

McLaren collaborated with James Quinn, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine, and Jan Null, an independent certified consulting meteorologist, to measure the temperature rise inside a parked car on sunny days with highs ranging from 72 to 96 degrees F. Their results, published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics, showed that a car’s interior can heat up by an average of 40 degrees F within an hour, regardless of ambient temperature. Eighty percent of the temperature rise occurred within the first half-hour.


Pets, more so than humans, are susceptible to overheating. While people can roll down windows, turn on the air conditioner or exit the vehicle when they become too hot, pets cannot. And pets are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people are.

Dogs, for example, are designed to conserve heat. Their sweat glands, which exist on their nose and the pads of their feet, are inadequate for cooling during hot days. Panting and drinking water helps cool them, but if they only have overheated air to breathe, dogs can suffer brain and organ damage after just 15 minutes. Short-nosed breeds, like pugs and bulldogs, young pets, seniors or pets with weight, respiratory, cardiovascular or other health problems are especially susceptible to heat-related stress.

Why compare dogs and children?

Because in North America dogs and cats have become surrogate children (and grandchildren). And in Japan too.

They are no longer 'pets', property, but companions.

Approximately one half of all Canadian families include a companion animal, so many of us care passionately about these animals and how to improve their care.


They have evolved a new social role.

Profound changes are happening in the animal health market. Pet owners in the United States are demanding more advanced and expensive treatments for companion animals, driving growth in the companion-animal sector. At the same time, concerns about livestock health care and feeding are driving changes in industrial animal husbandry.


And if you cannot take care of your companion how can you take care of a child.

Media reports of illegal dogfights and illegal betting prompted police to raid 1915 Moonlight Road. After that, Vick began to lie about his involvement in dogfighting and gambling. He lied to his coach, to the team's ownership and to the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). Not until his lawyers were confronted by the overwhelming amount of evidence against Vick in the federal indictment did he begin to tell at least part of the truth. He signed a plea bargain admitting guilt. He turned state's witness. Last week he held a nationally televised press conference at which he apologised, expressed his shame, and renounced dogfighting.

Vick will be sentenced on December 10. He will go to jail. He will receive a heavy fine. When the new NFL season starts this Saturday, he won't be there. He has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. The $US71 million in salary for the remaining seven years of his contract has been suspended. He has lost all endorsement contracts. The Atlanta Falcons will seek reimbursement for up to $US22 million of his signing bonus.

Polls show that most American sports fans never want to see him on a football field again. All this even though he has not been convicted of any violent crime against another human being, nor any involvement in narcotics. Rather, Vick's years in the violent underground world of dogfighting represented an affront to the special place dogs hold in society.

What does it mean, then, that this special place is being eroded by the pressures of modern life? In Australia, keeping dogs as companions is in serious decline. Earlier this year, a study commissioned by the Australian Companion Animals Council found a significant decline in the dog population. In 2000, Australians kept 4 million dogs as companions. By this year, the number had dropped to 2.75 million, a plunge of 31 per cent. (Cat numbers also declined over the same period, from 3.2 million to 2.3 million, a fall of 28 per cent.)

Experts attributed the sharp decline to children spending less time playing outdoors and much more time playing video games, and watching TV and the internet. One byproduct of this behavioural shift has been a surge in childhood obesity. Another byproduct, it appears, has been a decline in the role that companion animals, especially dogs, occupy in family life.

Researching this subject, it was fascinating to find the many scholarly studies which measured positive roles that companion animals play in social life, with dogs at the forefront. Various studies have concluded that animal owners have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, higher survival rates after serious illness, and suffer less from loneliness or depression. A number of studies have concluded that companion animals tend to enhance family life.

If dogs are being pushed aside by the accelerating pace of modern life - more technology, less time - if we have less time for the altruism required to keep a dog exercised and engaged, then we are in danger of losing a better part of who we collectively are.


SEE:

Animal Crimes

Katrina: It's a Dog-Gone Crime

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

We Love Animals


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