JamesSavik

Return of the Living Dead Credibility of Palestinian medical sources questioned as teen allegedly shot dead by the IDF returns to his family alive only days later. Source Link (Honest Reporting) A March 30 report from the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency claimed that a Palestinian teen had been killed by the IDF, a charge subsequently denied by the IDF. According to the original Ma'an report: Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, said Muhammad Zen Ismail Al-Farmawi, 15, was shot dead near the southeasterly border by Israeli forces, while local sources who wished to remain anonymous said the death may have been an internal matter. Hassanein said ambulances had been unable to retrieve the body because of ongoing clashes in the area, while an Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident. The story was picked up by a number of mainstream media outlets, including the BBC, New York Times, CNN and UPI. These outlets did, however, include the doubts over the information. The NY Times, for example stated that "it was unclear who was responsible for the death" and that there were "questions about whether he [the Palestinian teen] could have been the victim of internal violence." The AFP along with the Arab press, while including IDF denials, omitted the important information above squarely placing the emphasis on the IDF. In addition, the AFP's headline read: "Palestinian teen killed as Israelis fire on Gaza protests", leaving little doubt as to who was likely responsible for the death. Only a few days later, however, Ma'an reported: It turns out Al-Farmawi was among 17 Palestinians detained by Egyptian forces shortly after they infiltrated the Egyptian side of Rafah via one of Gaza's numerous underground smuggling tunnels. The detainees, among them 12 minors, were returned to security forces at the border on Friday. They had been questioned about tunnel locations, leading to at least three closures, Egyptian security sources said. Relatives expressed "overwhelming happiness" that their son was unharmed during the violence, our correspondent reported from Rafah. Muawiya Hassanein, Health Ministry director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza, told Ma'an that after "huge efforts and contacts" to return the boy's body, officials found him among those who were detained. He was assumed to have died in the clashes Tuesday after a Palestinian ambulance crew was refused permission to access to the area following reports of deadly fire, Hassanein explained at the time. In what would turn out to be a second erroneous explanation that day, local residents also told Ma'an at the time that while the boy was indeed killed, the Israeli military was not involved. The purported death was an "internal matter," locals said, insisting on anonymity. The JPost, meanwhile, reports Al-Farmawi's horrific experience of three days in an Egyptian prison where, according to him, he and his friends were beaten and tortured with clubs and electric wires. The BBC, NY Times and AFP covered the apparent happy ending to this story although they failed to question Egypt's treatment of the Palestinian teenagers. However, the entire incident raises many more questions concerning the reporting. _____________________________________________________ Zombies are always an internal matter until they're eating every bodies brains.

Does this sound like what you are looking for? ___________________________________________________________________________________ Invisible Worlds There are invisible worlds that surround us all. People walk around them and through them all the time and never notice. These worlds are only known to their denizens and are hidden in plain sight from plain sight. They are everywhere and no where at the same time. You will only see them if you know what you are looking for or if those worlds should collide. The thing that you must first understand about the invisible worlds that surround us and that we all inhabit is that they each have their own rules and codes of conduct. They vary from one world to the next but there are two things that are universal to all of them. First, and most important, is that you never discuss the world or what happenings there with outsiders. Second, each of these worlds has its own set of dangers. Third, all of them are pernicious in their own way. It helps to think of these worlds in terms of set theory. They can intersect or exclude each other. They can join each other completely or exist in harmony only at specific spots. They can exist as super-sets of one another or only as sub-sets of a larger world. They are complex and simple and subtle and obtuse all at once. Last but not least, once you enter some of these worlds, you can never leave. Others you can visit but you can never go back. All of these worlds exact a price. In some you pay with your dignity, in others you pay in blood and treasure. In a few you may pay with your life.

Well done Comsie! You've really got the magic.

I want to create a public service article about what people need to know if/when they get arrested. I am by no means an expert in this area and would like for others to add their advice and expertise. When its done, we'll clean it up and make an article out of it. _____________________________________ OK. You are arrested. How you got here and whether or not you are guilty is moot. What you do now makes all the difference. First: Don't panic. This isn't going to be your best day but you must keep your head. Second: Don't be a smart ass. Don't make it personal with the cops. Third: Listen, and talk very little. Keep your answers to short declarative sentences or yes and no. Anything you say may be held against you regardless of how badly misquoted or taken out of context it may be. Fourth:the cops are NOT your friends. They will LIE to you. They will tell you that they have evidence and witnesses that they don't have or will promise you that it will go easier on you to extract a quick and easy confession. Fifth: If you are accused of a crime in which forensic evidence will clear you, volunteer it. If you haven't fired a gun or your DNA will exonerate you, offer it up. This usually tells cops that they are barking up the wrong tree and can clear you. Sixth: When you request an attorney, cops can no longer question you. Some people will advise you to request an attorney immediately. It is usually better to listen to the cops and let them tip their hand. You will at least want to hear what you are charged with. Seventh: Don't count on the honesty or integrity of co-defendants. Many people when questioned will panic and try to dump everything in your lap. Eighth: DON'T LIE. If you are caught in a lie, your credibility is shot. Either answer truthfully or don't answer. This is called the Fifth Amendment Right Against Self Incrimination. Don't assert your fifth amendment right unless you are backed into a corner. Once you have taken the Fifth, say nothing else. The next step You may bond out on a misdemeanor or appear at an Arraignment Hearing for a more serious crime. It is best to have an attorney before the Arraignment if possible. The Bond Hearing The bond hearing sets you bond- an amount of money or property that will ensure the state that you will appear for trial. Unless multiple murders are involved, bond will usually be set in most cases. If the bond is too high the attorney may request a bond reduction. The Grand Jury This is where the District Attorney's office must put his evidence before a jury. That jury will decide whether or not to return an indictment. Most of the time the Grand Jury is closed. In some cases your attorney may be able to attend but you won't. Trial Delays Most court dockets are overflowing and it's not uncommon for a trial to be put off for years. In my state the time from arrest to trial averages about two and a half years. Plea Bargains Most cases don't go to trial. Most DA's like to offer suspects plea bargains or allow you to take a plea to a lesser charge than risk a trial and a longer sentence. More: Pre-paid legal services A relationship with an attorney

I once proved mathematically that people who should wear spandex don't and those who should NEVER, EVER wear spandex do. I call it Savik's law of inverse spandex utility. Simply stated, the more people are wearing spandex, the less you enjoy it.

Just say no!

Bad analogies collected by English teachers: 1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster. 2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free. 3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. 4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. 5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up. 6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever. 7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree. 8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife

I nominate Nephy to be our queen. :king: :worship: :worship:

If you are using the internet to access those stories, you shouldn't and I'll tell you why: If the company does any sort of computer security, and most of them are heading that way, they can print out web URLs and attach them to the computer that is accessing them. This also applies to wireless connections. You can easily get fired for accessing anything that the company considers "pornographic"- even if its only in add content. I warn you that even here with the gay add exchange on the front page, GA could get you in trouble at work. I know people that have been fired for accessing 365gay (a gay news site with racy adds) and the advocate online which is more of a magazine with some questionable add content. I don't need to tell you that some people have built in biases. If the site has gay in it at all, it must be pornographic, right? If they can't prove that you are looking at a pornographic web site, they can still claim you were looking at non-job related sites on company time and still fire you. If you are fired for this, there's little or no recourse and it's very damned hard to get a job that requires you to use a computer afterwards. I'm not posting this to be mean or obnoxious. I just don't want to see any of you guys get jammed up.

Rand's vision is certainly not about survivalist holing up in a cabin in the woods. It is much more about a more equitable transaction between the individual and society. In her books, Rands protagonists have been creators and producers and her antagonists have been petty little would-be dictators like Ellsworth Toohey who think that achievement and greatness are an affront to the rest of humanity. History is littered with people like this. They were the Pharisees and the Inquisitors. They are the ones who wanted to burn Jenner at the stake for proposing the concept of vaccination or refuse to teach Darwin's theory in public school because it upset the "public order". They are the same ones who thought that Plato had discovered all of science that would ever be needed. They are the ones that wanted to put out Galileo's eyes because they saw past the Church's dogma and revealed a world that their bible and doctrine could not explain or control. They are the people that want to chain humanity and close the horizon. They believe that there are no new worlds to conquer so they must conquer man. No one remembers their names. They only serve power and ignorance. Everyone remembers Galileo because he discovered a world changing truth and had the courage and independence of thought to stay with it despite the real physical danger. Rand's protagonists are all about new worlds and new horizons and will drag the rest of humanity there with them kicking and screaming.

It was a simple plan. Simple. Just like my cousin Phil. Unlike my cousin Phil, it just might work.

Ayn Rand was born in Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. Her father had been a businessman and of course the commies took everything that they owned. She barely escaped. All of her writing have the dominate theme of individualism vs collectivism. In Anthem the main character's big moment was when he discovered the idea of "I" or individuality. Previously everything had been "we". In the Fountainhead a major turn in the plot was when the court ruled that Roarke's work was his own and could not be used for the public good in the design of Courtland Estates. (Gary Cooper is awesome as Howard Roarke). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW7fJ7JDBk4 In Atlas Shrugged Rand's vision takes on its largest scope when the producers of society get fed up with the parasites and leave and let everything collapse. I'm not sure if I am an objectivist per see but I like her ideas. Man does not exist for the benefit of other men. He exists for himself and one of the reasons that society is so f**ked up is that too damned many people have forgotten that essential truth. When you hear people saying we need or we should, run like hell. When someone presumes to speak for the masses, he sees himself as their better, their overseer and their master. The collectivist wants to control a heard and can not tolerate the presence of a lion. I can not imagine being anything but a lion.

I know that on occasion the size and the scope of an idea exceeded my craft.

It's no fun unless you hurl.

Sounds like fun to me but the liability lawyers will never let it happen.

It's what YOU think that matters. Other peoples opinions are simply irrelevant because as an objectivist you know your own mind. Just as a creators reward is in the creation, an explorer's reward is in the discovery.

If chicken were to disappear, I would starve. The two things that I do most to keep in shape is rise the stationary bike and work out on the rowing machine. A rowing machine is a really good way to work out because it works so many muscles. The first few times you use one, you'll be sore in places you didn't know had muscles.

DOH. Who knew there was an Athens, Ohio?

Why they wanted all that oregano and basil I have no idea.

I'm so proud! Our boy Billy is moving to ATHENS! He's going to love it there. Great music scene (home of the B-52s, REM, Indigo Girls and countless others) University of Georgia! WOO-ooo Go Dawgs! Close to Atlanta! Welcomes Billy!

I sure miss Richard Biggs. He was a great actor and passed WAY before his time. Most people will remember him as Doctor Franklin on Babylon 5. Any who: We Interrupt this Program is a companion piece to the remake of Dawn of the Dead released in 2004. It is only found on the Dawn DVD. Yes- I'm doing a zombie story. Not just any zombie story. I'm working under the broad framework of Max Brook's World War Z. My little piece of the zombie war will take place in Mississippi. In a zombie war, Mississippi has several things going for it: 1- low population density. This keeps the undead from really rolling like they do in high population areas. 2- Most people in Mississippi are armed. That's why you'll never see a Reginald Denny video from Mississippi. The guy with the brick gets shot. End of story. 3- We have a very high concentration of veterans 4- People here hunt and have been around shooting sports from their youth. 5- Our population centers are spread out and they aren't huge. We will have a lot of problems but we won't get over run. Our biggest problems will be when the big cities in the surrounding states get over run and some wander our way. You can count on a ton of drama in the mean time.

The Feds took all of my herb.

We Interrupt This Program Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

I'm going to miss Boo reading over my shoulder. His health has obviously been declining over the last year so it didn't come as a complete shock. Boo's understudy Rambo will be taking over the duties of Alpha cat. Rambo is scary smart and a little psycho. We should get along just fine.

Boo the Orange Tabby (1993-2010) went to hunt with LongCat in the ForEverGlade today. He had been suffering from a prolonged decline in his health and sudden onset kidney failure. Boo was preceded in death by his mate of 9 years Sissy the Calico. He was a long time member of St. Fluffy of the Sacred Hairball Cat-o-lick Church. He will be greatly missed by both his human and cat companions as a sweet old cat who never growled at anyone but dogs.