| Stunned by Lack of Outrage, Not Outrageous Acts
His pure evil no longer surprises me, although there was a time when he routinely stunned me. Torture? Torture?? Not by Congress, either. There was a time when I was stunned by that crowd's sheeplike mentality. I'd hear them decry the war, decry torture, decry Bush's growing deficit, then I'd drop my jaw as they voted time and again to give the president carte blanche. No longer. I fully expect Congress to disappoint, to fail to do its job in balancing the White House power grab. I'm no longer stunned by the politicized courts nor by the media, which is unwilling to offend and uses vague, watered-down language instead of strong condemnations of this, the worst presidency in history. So who continues to stun me? I will tell you.
Noli asked to intervene in death of Pinoy hairdresser in Dubai
However, no reports were provided to Sally's kin or to the Philippine Embassy in Dubai. Emy deplored the way an employee, whom she later identified as Alex Emam, gave them the run-around when they went to the DFA last Nov. 22 to verify the report on Sally's death. She said Emam instructed them to fill up a form and advised them to wait for feedback on their inquiry. Emy said they informed Emam that they were checking on her brother after receiving information that he was found dead. She said Emam asked them, "Ito ba ‘yong napukpok sa ulo? (Is this the one who's head was bashed?)," much to their surprise. When they tried to clarify his reply, Emam, according to Emy, brushed them aside, raising suspicion that there was foul play in her brother's death.
Watch this space
It is good for Isro to dream big in this manner, considering other space agencies are gearing up to open up the ‘final frontier' to space tourism. Almost anyone who'd care to be spaceborne will soon be able to sign up for these sub-orbital hops, provided he or she fulfils basic health requirements and, of course, can dole out huge amounts for the ticket to ride. Having said that, however, there is no denying either the need for a reality check for Isro at this point when its ambitions should conform to its capabilities. The idea of renting out space rides is no doubt an excellent money-spinner, as the Russians prove, allowing civilian space travellers (who pay $ 20,000 apiece) to ride their Soyuz spaceships. But it is a surprising U-turn for Isro to think along these lines, given that it always denied having a manned profile at all in its space effort.
New top cop 'on point all the time'
Matens said he and Weis worked together on bomb analysis in New York after the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, and Weis seemed to work at least some part of every shift around the clock. He is a workaholic -- something he acknowledges. It's one of the reasons he and his wife, Janice, a personal trainer, opted not to have children, he said. He and his wife met 13 years ago on a blind date set up by one of her sisters. "I love kids. They're fun. But I also feel a strong sense of dedication to anything I do," Weis said. "I don't want to be an absentee dad -- missing Pee-Wee football games and baseball games and dances. There's no way to recover that. And I would be very torn between being there for my children and also being there for what I call my 'other children' -- the men and women of the Philadelphia FBI office." He and his wife dote on her cat, who is chunky and "pampered beyond belief," Weis said.
Police ID Man Accused Of Crimes Against Children
NORTH HILLS, Calif. -- Police Monday identified the 24-year-old Sylmar man arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl in North Hills and the inappropriate touching of a 17-year-old girl the same day. David Trujillo was booked on Saturday on suspicion of kidnapping for the purpose of a lewd act, said Los Angeles police Lt. Ruben De La Torre. Trujillo was held without bail at the Van Nuys jail, according to a police statement. The alleged crimes occurred Dec. 14, officials said. .
Aussie mates end 62 days at sea
Leaping out of their kayak together after 62 days at sea, the former schoolmates and best friends staggered up Ngamotu Beach, New Plymouth, in each other's arms. It was 12.20pm and about 20 days later than Castrission, 25, and Jones, 24, had expected to arrive in New Zealand after setting out to cross the Tasman in their kayak, Lot 41, from Forster, NSW, on November 13. The Sydneysiders were welcomed with a haka and chants of "Go Aussie" and Waltzing Matilda. They shouted back: "Thank you so much, New Zealand, you guys rock, kia kaha." For Castrission's sister Liane, 22, the reunion with her older brother was phenomenal. "It is just impossible to put this joy, excitement and pride into words," she told The Age. "Watching James and Jus jumping off the boat in unison and grabbing each other like the best of old mates and walk up the beach was a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life." They are first two people to kayak across the Tasman, in what is believed to be the world's longest two-man kayak expedition.
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