Video: Group of cute Asians do their version of "Single Ladies" : "Single Asians" LMAO!!! Ok this Sh**t is Funny....
Chiquita Tate, was given an unwarranted one-way ticket to meet her maker courtesy of her husband, the alleged offender, down in Baton Rouge:Slain attorney Chiquita Tate was such a believer in the legal system that she had a tattoo of Lady Justice on her back, college friend T. J. Crawford recalled.
“She just had an attachment to justice and doing what’s right by people. She was always very serious about that,” said Crawford, a teacher and community organizer in Chicago, Illinois.
But Tate, described by colleagues as a tenacious defense attorney who fought for her clients, could not save herself.
Family members and friends in Chicago; Atlanta, Georgia, and Tate’s adopted home — tiny Baker, Louisiana — are reeling from the grisly details of Tate’s slaying, and police say it was at the hands of her husband, Greg Harris. They had been married about 14½ months.
Harris, 37, is in custody, accused of stabbing Tate to death. He is charged with second-degree murder and the illegal use of a dangerous weapon. A judge last week set his bond at $500,000.
In a phone interview with CNN, Harris’ attorney, Lewis Unglesby, said police have the wrong man.
“Greg Harris by all accounts … is innocent. I don’t know anybody that thinks he did it, except the police,” Uglesby said. “There’s nothing in his background. He has cooperated completely with the police; he’s signed everything they’ve asked him to sign. He’s let them search his house, his car.”
Tate, 34, had started her own law firm in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was doing well, family and acquaintances said.
“She was up and coming,” said Cpl. L’Jean McKneely, a police spokesman in Baton Rouge.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for us to learn how to deal with out emotions in ways that don’t result in beatings or death. We’re getting out of hand as a people. SMH........!!!
I MOST SAY JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL and i hope they deal with him accordingly !!
What started out as two individuals in separate worlds writing about infidelity may well turn out to be two chart toppers on the indiscretion rhythm produced by shane brown from Juke Boxx Production.Several weeks ago Peter Morgan, lead singer from the Morgan Heritage band recorded his version of infidelity titled secrets on the track.
But Morgan is not the only one who's having issues with love and commitment. Guyanese rising star Timeka Marshall is also in the cook-up letting her desires and attractions lead her to pen lyrics sharing a female's version on her infidelities.
As the plot thickens by some higher purpose both ended up recording on the same track at different times and none was aware that the other complemented each other.
In the end two songs were recorded and now the two are coming together in an extended video version where Morgan and Timeka both play lead roles.
When deception and secrets but fiery passions collides the steaminess and the dishonesty brings realities truths into focus. The two began filming the videos on March 23 in Jamaica
A Northern Georgia District judge sentenced T.I. to one year and one day in prison on felony weapons charges Friday (March 27), calling the rapper's plea deal "experimental" but a success.Judge Charles Pannell Jr. told the rapper he had more than exceeded the court's expectations, and he hoped his case would inspire similar plea deals.
As a part of the plea deal T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris) struck last March, the year-and-a-day sentence was expected. The rapper is also required to complete 1,000 hours of community service before turning himself in, and another 500 hours after completing his sentence. He also must pay a $100,000 fine.
Tip is scheduled to report to prison voluntarily within the next six to eight weeks. However, the judge acknowledged that the rapper has agreed-upon commitments what will not allow him to enter prison before May 19.
T.I., in a charcoal-grey suit and matching black dress shirt and tie, delivered a sober speech to the judge. His 10-minute speech details his misguided youth, the death of his best friend Philant Johnson in 2006, and his desire to use his mistakes for a positive end.
"Your honor, pehaps if I didn't make the mistakes that I did as a youth, maybe I could have armed myself legally," he said.
T.I. said Johnson's death contributed to impairing his judgment. A number of supporters spoke before Tip, including church activists Ambassador Andrew Young and Bishop Eddie Long.
Judge Pannell listened to each supporter and graciously thanked T.I. for successfully meeting the terms of his plea deal and the conditions of his bond.
Several times throughout his closing remarks, Judge Pannell called T.I.'s arrangement "experimental." He singled out the U.S. Attorney responsible for the deal and joked, "If this didn't work, I'd send you to jail, Mr. Harris - but the attorney, I'd probably throw him out the 23rd-floor window." The remark drew laughs and Tip smiled as well.T.I. thanked the government legal team for their "vision" and told the courtroom that pleasing the judge and lawyers makes him as happy as him trying to please his family.
The rapper must agree on meeting a number of conditions after his release. He will be required to submit to an audit, drug counseling and he will be subjected to home confinement for 60 days.
A beaming T.I. celebrated with his family immediately afterward, before court officers ordered people to leave the floor. Tip held a brief press conference after inside the courthouse lobby, thanking his family and supporters.
If you did the crime then you do the time. But like so many celebs he'll be out way earlier so no worries. He'll just "live his life" behind bars for couple mornings then back to sqare one.
On Monday, March 23, 2009, attorneys representing Hits & Jams Entertainment and promoters Kerwin Bollers, Rawle Ferguson and Dwith Ferguson, filed a lawsuit In The Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit In and For Broward County, Florida, against Hip-Hop Superstar T-Pain, Nappy Boy Touring, LLC, f/s/o Faheem Najm p/k/a T-Pain, Chase Entertainment, LLC and Dave Abram, for breach of the written contract, Libel, Defamation and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress.T-Pain was scheduled to perform at the Georgetown Cricket Club in Georgetown, Guyana on February 23, 2009, but canceled the event after what his camp described as “credible kidnapping and death threats” against T-Pain’s life. Despite several requests, T-Pain and his management team refused to provide the source of the alleged threats to the promoters and their attorney, law enforcement, the FBI and the U.S. Consulate in Guyana to facilitate an investigation into the alleged threats.
T-Pain and his management team merely advised the promoters and their attorney that the threats came from “a credible source that T-Pain’s camp trusted,” and “who they have been dealing with in Guyana,” and that “T-Pain has dealt with the source in the past.”
After T-Pain canceled the Guyana show, several false and untrue reports in the international media attributed the cancellation of T-Pain’s appearance at the Georgetown, Guyana show to the promoters, Hits and Jams Entertainment. The press releases also falsely attributed personal knowledge of the alleged telephone and e-mail threats to the promoters. The promoters do not possess any personal knowledge of the alleged threat or the credibility of the alleged threats.
In the US more women are turning to strip clubs and adult entertainment to fight off the reccesion, will Guyanese women soon follow suit?
The tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.Employers across the adult entertainment industry say they’re seeing an influx of applications from women who are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash. Many have college degrees and held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.
In this economy, “desperate measures are becoming far more acceptable,” said Jonathan Alpert, a New York City-based psychotherapist who’s had clients who worked in adult entertainment.
For some, dancing is temporary, a way to pay for college loans or other bills. Others say they’ve found their niche.
Dancers at the upscale Rick’s Caberet clubs in New York City and Miami can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year — in cash — even with the economic downturn, club spokesman Allan Priaulx said.
Dancers at the upscale Rick’s Caberet clubs in New York City and Miami can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year — in cash — even with the economic downturn, club spokesman Allan Priaulx said.
Priaulx said 20 to 30 women a week are applying for jobs at the New York club, double the number of a year ago.
Still, analysts say, the industry isn’t immune to the economic recession. Business is down an estimated 30 percent across all segments, including adult films, gentleman’s clubs, magazines and novelty shops, said Paul Fishbein, president of AVN Media Network, an adult entertainment company that has a widely distributed trade publication and an award show.
“In the past, people have said this industry is recession-proof,” said Eric Wold, director of research for financial services firm Merriman Curhan Ford. “I definitely don’t see that; maybe recession-resistant.”
Will Guyanese women soon be forced to work in Red Dragon to pay off NIS, GPL, GWI, GTT and the lovely 16% VAT as the country's economic crisis worsen and the recession really begins to knaw its way at the Guyanese pop?
Gossip: Could this really be Rihanna singing about the whole tudu with Chris Brown? or is it a sound-a-like! YOU be the judge.
This is believed to be the song Rihanna sung concerning the whole issue with Chris Brown and it features Akon....
The 19-year-old singer who has been charged with felony assault and making criminal threats following his alleged assault of Rihanna last month was having a relationship with 27-year-old Natasha Ellie.It has been claimed Natasha sent the three-page text message which is the subject of Rihanna's Emergency Room.
In the lyrics she mentions finding Natasha's number in Chris' jeans. Rihanna didn't write the song, but she met with the songwriter and told her how she felt and what she was going through and they came up with it.
Emergency Room includes the lyrics: "I was pickin' up your clothes in the closet/ I was 'bout to throw your jeans in the washer/ 'Til I saw a piece of paper sayin' "Tasha"/ I gotta say I found this a bit shockin'/ And some receipts here that say you went shoppin'/ You bought some Nike shoes/ But why you buyin stockings?/ Boy how could you lie to me?/ I thought you would die for me/ I'm not accepting another apology."
Natasha lives in Los Angeles and has worked as a runway model and also starred in several R&B videos, for artists including R. Kelly and Akon.
Natasha's representative has denied the model had a relationship with Chris, but confirmed the pair met in Miami two years ago....uhh yeah right..she aint even prettier than RiRi. First was his agent now a model, we wonder who else name's gonna pop up.
You see kids this is what happens to you when you do coke: you get ugly, you murder, you rape and you go to jail and get raped. So before you line up those white lines and sniff that dirty stuff up your little noses when your suppose to be in school think, "hmm would i wanna be Ninja Man?"
read more "This is what Happens to you when you do coke kids..You end up like Ninja Man..."
Veteran dancehall artiste Ninja Man who was recently wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of 20 year-old Ricardo Johnson a.k.a Ricky Trooper of the Mall Road community is now officially charged after he gave himself up to the cops. Ninja Man has been charged by the St. Andrew South police for illegal possession of a firearm, shooting with intent and conspiracy to commit murder.Ninja Man had just finalized a deal with Daddy Biggs C.E.O. of Platinum Camp in association with Augustus Films to star in the movie GANGSTA. He’s also about to star in a new Platinum Camp dvd titled PLATINUM BOOTY GIRLS slated to be released on April 1st '09, just in time to be released with his new single titled NINJA.
We dont get this dude, he done ugly as sin itself and yet he insists on drawing all sorts of attention to himself. Now he adds conspiracy to commit murder to his long list of felonies.
His wife of over 19 years, Paula Alexander, last evening told Stabroek News that her 73-year-old husband died very peacefully at around 2:15 pm. In recent years he was well known for the Miss African Heritage pageants he organised and the cultural event at Parliament to commemorate Emancipation.His wife said that about a year ago he fell and hit his head and he never really recovered. For years he had been suffering from diabetes but late last year it really took a toll on him. Three months ago he suffered a stroke and it was exactly two weeks yesterday that he fell into a coma and was admitted to the hospital. He never regained consciousness.
Mrs Alexander described her husband, who was the father of a daughter from a previous relationship, as a strong person who had a big heart and one who never bore malice.
“He had a great sense of humour and even if you didn’t like him you accepted him because of his personality,” she said. According to his wife, he was very concerned about Guyana as he wanted the country to do well and he did his part to achieve this.
And while he was an “Africanist” and was well immersed in the African culture his wife said he was also interested in other cultures.
Speaking about her husband’s professional accomplishment, Mrs Alexander said he was the former editor of The Star which is an evening newspaper in Jamaica and he was also a sports writer at the Jamaican Gleaner at one time. He spent many years in Jamaica where he attended university and had at one time owned a furniture business called Wicker Furniture and his company provided employment to disabled youths, among others.
And because of his contribution to youths and the culture in Jamaica former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga appointed him Director of Culture in that country and he was also at one time a board member of the School of Arts there. Alexander received some five national awards, including the Medal of Jamaica, in that country during the many years he spent there.
Years later on the invitation of the late President Desmond Hoyte, Alexander relocated his business to Guyana but he was forced to close it soon after following an accident in the United States where he spent a long time recovering.
In more recent times Alexander, who was the President of the National Emancipation Trust, organised the Miss African Heritage pageant but he was forced to discontinue it a few years ago because of the lack of sponsorship. Last year during Carifesta he launched one of his four poetry books, the Moon Gazer, and his wife said he was very heartened when the book subsequently became part of the school curriculum.
In his early years before he left for Jamaica to study Alexander taught at Tutorial Secondary and he had crafted the motto and emblem of the school which still stands today.
Funeral arrangements for Alexander have not been finalized as yet as his relatives from overseas are set to travel to Guyana to pay their last respects.
He will surely be missed and never forgotten by the many many lives he has touched through his genorsity and contribution to Guyana.
Source: Stabroek News
ST. POELTEN, Austria – An Austrian jury convicted Josef Fritzl of homicide, enslavement, incest, rape and other charges Thursday and sentenced him to life in a psychiatric ward for holding his daughter captive for 24 years and fathering her seven children.Fritzl, 73, sat calmly and bowed his head as the verdicts were read. He later told the court he accepted the outcome and waived his right to appeal — bringing a dramatic end to a shocking case that has drawn worldwide attention.
Court spokesman Franz Cutka said Fritzl would be taken to a secure psychiatric ward for mentally deranged criminals.
The homicide count — "murder by neglect" in German — was the most serious of the charges against 73-year-old Fritzl, and the jury gave him the maximum punishment allowed by law.
Officials said Fritzl would not be eligible for parole for at least 15 years, and psychiatric experts would have to concur with any decision to free him. He will also have to pay court costs. The 11 months Fritzl already has spent in pretrial detention will count toward his parole.
The other charges included false imprisonment and coercion. Fritzl had changed his stance and pleaded guilty Wednesday to all counts against him after he and the court viewed 11 hours of emotional videotaped testimony by his daughter, Elisabeth, whom he locked in a dungeon when she was 18.
"I regret it with all my heart ... I can't make it right anymore," Fritzl told the court Thursday, hours before the verdicts were announced.
In a surprise move, Elisabeth appeared in the court as it viewed her testimony Monday and Tuesday. Fritzl's lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said Fritzl decided to stop contesting the homicide and enslavement counts after seeing that heart-wrenching videotape.
Prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser had called for the maximum punishment in her closing arguments in Fritzl's trial in St. Poelten, west of Vienna. She urged the jury to think about his daughter's nearly quarter-century ordeal as it considered how much time he should serve.
"Don't be duped like Elisabeth was 24 years ago," when Fritzl took her captive in a cramped, rat-infested dungeon he built beneath the family's home in Amstetten.
Elisabeth, now 42, and her six surviving children, who range in age from 6 to 20, have spent months recovering in a psychiatric clinic and at a secret location. Prosecutors described her as a "broken" woman after enduring multiple rapes — some in front of her children.
The homicide charge stemmed from the 1996 death in captivity of her infant son. Prosecutors contend the ailing newborn — a male twin called Michael — might have survived if Fritzl had arranged for medical care.
"Any amateur could have determined that the child was in the throes of death for 66 hours," Burkheiser said, arguing that Fritzl should be locked up for the rest of his life for refusing to intervene and save the baby's life.
Police say DNA tests prove Fritzl is the biological father of all six surviving children, three of whom never saw daylight until the crime was exposed 11 months ago.
The three other children were brought upstairs to be raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, who was led to believe they were abandoned by Elisabeth when she ran off to join a cult.Eva Plaz, a lawyer for Elisabeth and the other victims, urged the jury not to lessen Fritzl's sentence just because he pleaded guilty. In Austria, guilty pleas can be a mitigating factor.
Fritzl's pleas "were not a confession," Plaz said, adding that Elisabeth's main reason for testifying was that she believed she "owed it to her child, Michael."
Mayer, his lawyer, did not argue that Fritzl was innocent — even admitting in court that Fritzl had raped his daughter 3,000 times. But he said Fritzl had been plagued with guilt for the past 24 years, and asked the jurors to take a hard look at the homicide charge.
Mayer said Elisabeth made no mention in her diary of her baby's struggle to survive, noting instead that Fritzl brought her a crib, that both twins were born without incident and that their names were Michael and Alexander.
Psychiatrist Adelheid Kastner told the court Wednesday that Fritzl had a serious personality disorder and would pose a threat to others if freed.
At a news conference after the verdict, court officials said Elisabeth could bring a separate civil case against Fritzl to seek damages for her suffering, adding there was no limit to what she could request.
They said the Austrian government would join in on bankruptcy proceedings that Fritzl recently initiated, and said the process could involve the sale of his real estate holdings — including the house in Amstetten where he held his daughter.
They also said Fritzl would have to secure permission from Austria's Justice Ministry if he wishes to write and sell his memoirs.
The Associated Press normally withholds the names of victims of sexual assault. In this case, withholding Elisabeth's name became impractical when her name and her father's were announced publicly by police and details about them became the subject of publicity both in their home country and around the world.
Source: Yahoo Associated Press Writer William J. Kole in Vienna contributed to this report.
Angelina Jolie glamorizes violence. Her very being and breathing destroys people enough that they begin to picture violent scenarios of her pain and suffering. Those people are called “tabloid journalists” and “Team Aniston.” I kid. As it turns out, Angelina makes violent movies too, and the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has some problems with the commercials for Wanted.The ASA put an adjudication out, pulling the ads. They said “We concluded the ad could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorizing [sic] the use of guns.” They think that if kids see the ads, they will turn into violent Jolie-loving heathens.
The Press Association has more:
A television advert for the Angelina Jolie action film Wanted must not be shown again after the industry watchdog ruled it could be seen as glamorising violence.
Angelina was shown firing a bullet towards the viewer during the advert which quoted press reviews of the film describing her performance as “blazingly sexy”.
The actress was shown kissing co-star James McAvoy who was also seen firing a gun during the advert which included car chase and a voice-over describing Wanted as “the coolest movie of the year”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the advert gave the overall impression “that using guns was sexy and glamorous” and breached the Advertising Standards Code for television.
“We concluded the ad could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorising the use of guns,” its adjudication said.
The advert for the DVD release of Wanted had been restricted from being shown at times when young children were likely to be watching but the ASA concluded that was “insufficient”.
Wednesday’s ruling said the advert “was also inappropriate to be seen by older children because it could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorising the use of guns”.
Universal Pictures was told the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form.
The ASA received just one complaint about the advert. (From the Press Association)
Wanted has already been shown in British theatres - the ads are for the Wanted DVDs. I’ve seen the movie, and it is very violent, and definitely not for kids. I guess for the DVD promotion they just cut together some of the most violent parts of the film and put it in a minute-long spot.
I’m always surprised in the differences in how various countries approach violent “art”, specifically gun violence. When I was a teenager, I saw that French film Hate (starring Vincent Cassel, swoon) where the plot revolves around these French guys getting their hands on a gun, like a gun was something no average citizen ever got to touch. It was a revelation to me that people live in countries where there isn’t such easy access to weapons as in America. Considering gun violence has grown by leaps and bounds in Europe, I suppose a crack-down on its glamorization isn’t such a bad idea.
Dame they gotta be so hard, i mean what about Tom&Jerry and all those old Looney Tunes cartoons? Those were pretty violent when I was growing up yet they were targeted towards kids.
If it’s too violent for you then don’t go see that movie at the theater, Jeezzzzz.
Roger Khan is ready to surrender but wants deal before he goes down.here's the report:
Shaheed 'Roger' Khan yesterday pleaded guilty to all charges leveled against him in the United States of America, and the prosecution in the Eastern District Circuit Court in Brooklyn has agreed to a 15-year sentence offered during a plea bargain.
The matter was to have gone to trial next month and Khan faced life imprisonment on conviction. In 2006, Suriname police arrested Khan and three ex-policemen, Sean Belfield, Paul Rodrigues and Lloyd Roberts.
he was ordered deported, but instead of being transported to the borders of Guyana, Khan was flown to Trinidad where the authorities refused to grant him permission to land. Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) immediately arrested him and shipped him to the USA on charge of masterminding large shipments of illegal drugs to that country.
Khan had initially pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of drug-possession and drug-distribution charges, which alleged that he import and distribute, and possessed cocaine for the purpose of distribution on a number of dates between 2001 and 2006. He was also charges for being part of an international distribution conspiracy.Khan was also in 1993 charged with possessions of an illegal firearm and ammunition, and was granted bail but fled the US jurisdiction.
Austrian who fathered seven children with a daughter he locked in a cellar for 24 years pleaded guilty
ST POELTEN, Austria (Reuters) – An Austrian who fathered seven children with a daughter he locked in a cellar for 24 years pleaded guilty on Wednesday to enslavement and murder, reversing his denial of the charges.Josef Fritzl, 73, told the court that he changed his mind after watching his daughter Elisabeth give 11 hours of videotaped testimony about her ordeal at a closed-door hearing on Tuesday.
"I plead guilty to (all) the charges in the indictment," he said, including murder of a newborn son, through neglect, in the windowless, purpose-built cellar under his small-town home.
"I plead guilty to (all) the charges in the indictment," he said, including murder of a newborn son, through neglect, in the windowless, purpose-built cellar under his small-town home.
His turnabout also altered his plea from "partial" to full guilt on the charge of rape. Fritzl had denied murder and enslavement, the two gravest charges, at Monday's outset of the trial in St Poelten, a provincial capital west of Vienna.
The trial was expected to be completed on Thursday, with sentencing the same day. The retired engineer faces life in prison for murdering the baby son, a twin, who died shortly after being born in the cellar in 1996.
Responding to questions from Judge Andrea Humer, Fritzl said he should have taken seriously the fact that the infant was breathing poorly and tried to get the boy to a hospital quickly.
"I was hoping the little one would survive but I should have done something. I don't know why I didn't help. I just lost sight (of the issue)," he said.
"I was hoping the little one would survive but I should have done something. I don't know why I didn't help. I just lost sight (of the issue)," he said.
Prosecutors said Fritzl repeatedly raped his daughter before the eyes of the children, trapped under his house in the small central town of Amstetten, using her as if she were his own property. The captive children had never seen daylight.
Fritzl entered the courtroom on Wednesday with his face uncovered, unlike the previous two days, shielded by 10 police officers and again wearing a mismatched, rumpled grey suit with a blue shirt. Cameras were not permitted to film this time.Austrian daily Kurier reported Elisabeth was physically present but unnoticed in the courtroom on Tuesday. Fritzl lawyer Rudolf Mayer declined comment but said there were people in the viewing gallery whom he did not identify.
Mayer testified earlier that his client cared for the daughter and children he incarcerated "like a second family," despite describing his actions as "monstrous."
Fritzl's abuses came to light last April when he took 19-year-old Kerstin, the eldest child born below ground, to hospital after she became seriously ill.
Elisabeth and her six children, three of whom were incarcerated from birth, are now living in an undisclosed location under new identities.
Three of the children were raised above ground by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie after he told people that Elisabeth had abandoned them and joined a sect. Police say Rosemarie had no knowledge of her husband's actions.
Jeez can you get any sicker?
Source: Yahoo (Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
According to MTO, Rihanna has officially ended things Chris Brown and the manner in which it was done was "scandelous".
The insider, who spoke to MTO on the condition of anonymity, explained that Rihanna gave Chris an ultimatum – end all contact with manager Tina Davis, or lose her. The insider explained, “Rihanna will not take him back, especially if there is still any kind of relationship between him and Tina Davis - personal or professional! But he is not prepared to fire her, and [so he] lost Rihanna.”
As MTO reported earlier, Tina and Chris have been rumored to be having a sexual relationship for many years. According to TMZ.com, Tina sent Chris a sexual text message - which sparked the assault incident. Tina has since issued a public statement - claiming that she and Chris were not sexually involved.
And so as of last THURSDAY NIGHT, Rihanna and Chris are officially over. Another insider told MTO, “[Rihanna] left Los Angeles to clear her head … and get him out of her mind.”
But while Rihanna seems to be moving past the incident, Chris is reportedly falling into a very deep depression. A person close to Chris’ camp explains, “Initially he was confident that he’d get past this, but he’s beginning to loose hope … [Many] people are worried about him … I’ve never seen him like this.”
Source: MTO.com
NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors have notified a New York court that they also want the assets of Bernard Madoff's wife. In a court filing, the government said it will seek the $7 million Manhattan penthouse as well as another $62 million that Ruth Madoff had sought to keep.The 70-year-old Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty last week to securities fraud and perjury, among other charges.
Madoff's lawyers had indicated earlier that they planned to claim Ruth Madoff was entitled to keep as much as $69 million in assets.
They said the assets were not part of Madoff's fraud and that they were in her name.
Source: Yahoo
A public health warning has been issued against the consumption of coconut water that is being sold in recycled bottles.The Meat and Food Hygiene Section of the Mayor and City Council is calling all cictizens to desist from purchasing coconut water that had been placed in recycled bottles, a press release from the Public Relations Division said.
A series of inspections conducted in Georgetown by the health inspectorate revealed that the practice was prevalent around the city markets, the release added. Moreover, the process involved in pouring coconut water into bottles was very unhygienic and can be hazardous to the health of the consumers.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held wth the coconut vendors and it was agreed that all coconut stalls should be five feet above the ground. It was also agreed that all stalls must be kept in a very clean condition and free from refuse and all coconut vendors should be properly uniformed.
According to the release, any coconut vendor who is found in breach of the agreement would be fined or even prohibited from conducting such business in the city.
Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), commonly known as Ciara is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, fashion model, music video director, actress and soon to be fashion designer. Born in Austin, Texas, Ciara made her debut in the summer of 2004 with the Billboard number-one single "Goodies". The album Goodies was released in the United States on September 28, 2004, and in the UK on January 24, 2005. It produced three top two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, selling three million in the U.S., and over five million worldwide, and earned various awards and nominations.Ciara's second album, Ciara: The Evolution, was released in December 2006. It has spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit "Get Up", and the R&B/Hip-Hop Charts top ten hits "Promise", "Like a Boy", and "Can't Leave 'em Alone". To date, the album, which went platinum only five weeks after its release, has sold more than one million copies in the U.S. and two million worldwide, and has also earned
various award nominations..
Ciara's highly-anticipated third studio album, Fantasy Ride, is expected to be released in the United States on May 5, 2009. The first official single, "Never Ever", features rapper Young Jeezy and was released in January 2009.The second single, "Love Sex Magic", which features Justin Timberlake, was released in March 2009. Since its release, the single has already debuted high on numerous charts, and also has been noted as potentially the biggest hit of Ciara's career.
Ciara was born in Austin, Texas. She is the only child of Carlton and Jackie Harris. She grew up on Army bases in Germany, New York, Utah, California, Arizona, and Nevada, since her father was in the United States Army. uring her teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta. Ciara said that watching Destiny's Child perform on a television program while staying home from school inspired her to pursue a career in music. Then, Ciara joined a girl group called Hearsay and worked on her songwriting. he group recorded demos, but began to have differences. Eventually, she left the group, got a publishing deal, and found a "musical soulmate" when she met producer Jazze Pha. Cara graduated from Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia in 2003 and was signed by LaFace Records executive L.A. Reid with the help of Jazze Pha. She began production on her debut album. Ciara co-wrote a demo with songwriter Sean Garrett, who was co-writer of Usher’s international hit "Yeah!
In 2008, Ciara was featured on many albums including rapper Nelly's album Brass Knuckles and Enrique Iglesias's greatest hits album in a upcoming single titled "Takin' Back My Love"; she will continue to be on many more upcoming albums.
In October 2008, Billboard announced that Ciara would be honored as a "Woman Of The Year" for her success in the music industry.
Ciara did interviews in many magazines including "Right On", Maxim Magazine, and Vibe Magazine, which she was promoting the new album Fantasy Ride. his followed to the Vibe Magazine controversy. On the October issue, Ciara was appearing to be naked but she has stated that Vibe airbrushed her clothes off to make it appear she was completely nude. She later confirmed to MTV News that she was in fact clothed. Ciara was quoted as saying:
"I think, at this point, I'd rather just be quiet about things such as that but I definitely want to make it clear that I was going in to do something artistic, and I was upset that when I saw the photos, everything was gone."
On Febrauary 27, 2009, Ciara announced in a SayNow Message, that she will be going on a promo tour in support of her upcoming third studio album, "Fantasy Ride". The tour is expected to have dates in North America and Europe. She is currently thinking of ideas for the tour, and will soon share those ideas with her fans
Ciara had been dating rapper Bow Wow, since 2005. The two quit dating in April, 2006, after it had been said that Bow Wow had been cheating on Ciara with numerous other women, including College Hill:Atlanta cast member, Ashley R. It has been rumored that the two have written songs about each other, namely, Ciara's The Evolution track "My Love", and Bow Wow's The Price of Fame track, Outta My System, featuring T-Pain, and Johntá Austin.
She recently signed a deal with the modeling agency Wilhelmina Models. The deal will allow Wilhelmina to focus on casting Ciara in various photo shoots and commercials. In addition to that, she also has her eyes set on beginning a new clothing line. In June 2008 she was repoerted to be in talks with the department store Steve & Barry's, who are already home to a clothing line for Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" line as well as New York Knicks' star Stephon Marbury's "Starbury" collection, to create a reasonably priced clothing line that would combine her style with affordable prices; these talks presumably ended when Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy protection and then liquidated.The first picture Ciara took with Wilhelmina Models from a photo shoot was released onto the internet. The picture shows Ciara wrapped up in a mic cord. Ciara also confirmed on a radio station that her fashion line is currently still in early talks. Ciara is also currently featured on a six page spread in the January 2009, issue of Elle Magazine. It shows Ciara in different many styles of clothes and hairstyles. And she also promotes the upcoming album "Fantasy Ride".
In December, It was reported that Ciara signed a deal with Victoria Secret and is expected to start modeling for them in early 2009. Ciara was recently spotted at the "Grand Opening of the Victoria’s Secret Lexington Avenue Flagship" store.
In December, It was reported that Ciara signed a deal with Victoria Secret and is expected to start modeling for them in early 2009. Ciara was recently spotted at the "Grand Opening of the Victoria’s Secret Lexington Avenue Flagship" store.
In May 2005, Ciara made her acting debut in the MTV Films coming-of-age film All You've Got, as Becca Watley, the queen bee of a high school volleyball team; the Little Madonnas. The film was released on DVD May 23, 2006.
Ciara is starring with Patti LaBelle in the upcoming film Mama, I Want to Sing!, which is based on the worldwide hit off-Broadway musical. Ciara is playing a preacher's daughter in the church choir who becomes a pop star. Mama, I Want to Sing is completed but has just suffered from too many push backs. Currently the film is set for a release in April 2009 but nothing has been confirmed just yet.
In September, Ciara, along with other female R&B artists Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood, will team up for the song "Just Stand Up!". The charity tune for cancer was conceived by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. All 15 singers shared the stage to perform the song live on September 5, during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, which aired simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. The proceeds from the single were given to the fundraiser. The television special helped raise $100 million dollars for cancer research. The single is now available via digital download.
In November, Ciara teamed up with the "Make A Wish Foundation". In the foundation, Ciara taught an mentally challenged girl how to do the 1, 2 Step, something the girl always dreamed of doing. The little girl is a huge fan of Ciara and was so happy that she finally able to meet her idol.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), who performs under the mononym Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados. She is the first Barbadian artist to win a Grammy Award. Rihanna is currently signed to the Def Jam Recordings label. She has attained five Billboard Hot 100 number ones thus far ("SOS", "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia" and T.I.'s "Live Your Life").Rihanna broke into the recording industry in 2005 with the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun, which features the hit single "Pon de Replay". Less than a year later, Rihanna released A Girl Like Me and earned her first number-one single, "SOS". In 2007, Rihanna released her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. Along with the Reloaded edition, the album has yielded eight singles, including "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia".
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, to Ronald and Monica Fenty. She has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. Her mother, a native of Guyana, is Afro-Guyanese and her father is Afro-Barbadian and caucasian.
Rihanna attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates at the age of fifteen. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle was her drill sergeant.
In 2003, friends introduced Rihanna and her two bandmates to record producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. The group auditioned for Rogers, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." She eventually moved to Connecticut to live with Rogers and his wife. Rogers, along with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S. to send to various recording companies. Rihanna's demo made its way to Def Jam, which invited her to audition for the label's then-President Jay-Z, who quickly signed her.
Rihanna's music has been described as a Reggae/R&B/Dancehall vibe. With the release of her debut album Music of the Sun and its lead single "Pon de Replay", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is also described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." NME describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and R&B." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets."
Rihanna cites Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Fefe Dobson, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion, Brandy, and Gwen Stefani as musical influences.Jon Bream of the Star Tribune commented "in the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe and vintage clothing served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller
Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation. She is also a 2008 Cartier LOVECHARITY Bracelet Ambassador, performed at Madonna’s Raising Malawi fundraiser, and helped a woman find a bone marrow donor.
In September 2008, Rihanna joined other female pop, rock, R&B & country singers such as Carrie Underwood, Ciara, Beyoncé Knowles, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Fergie to record "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and its theme song.
Rihanna has teamed up with H&M and other celebrities like Timbaland and Good Charlotte for "Fashion against AIDS." The collection is designed to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. It was released at H&M in early February 2008. She went on the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and N.E.R.D.Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first UNICEF ad campaign. She will appear in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, premiering in December. Rihanna will be photographed in series of special edition print ads with UNICEF items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.
In New York, Rihanna was then enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the UNICEF Christmas snowflake. Rihanna, is now the face of the fourth annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF, which aims to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags.
Faye-Ann Lyons tops several Caribbean charts simultaneously with Heavy T and Meet Superblue.The 2009 International Soca and Groovy Monarch Queen Faye-Ann Lyons Alvarez is number one simultaneously on several charts across the Caribbean with two singles. She is riding high with Heavy T and Meet Superblue.
Lyons recently gave birth to a bouncing baby girl in Trinidad. Faye-Ann also received the People's Choice award and the Road March title at the recently held Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.
She is married to fellow soca artiste Bunji Garlin. Faye-Ann's father is veteran soca star Super Blue and her mother is Calypsonian Lady Gypsi.
Meanwhile after a slow start, Mavado's latest VP Records album Mr Brooks . A Better Tomorrow raced to the top of Billboard's Reggae Album chart. The album, which was released via iTunes more than a week ago, was officially released 
on compact disc earlier this week.
on compact disc earlier this week. The album contains some of Mavado's recent chart hits as well as a few exclusive tracks. Among the more familiar tracks are Don't Worry, On the Rock and the recent Billboard R&B singles chart hit I'm Special.
Mavado's latest VP Records album Mr Brooks . A Better Tomorrow raced to the top of Billboard's Reggae Album chart. The album, which was released via iTunes more than a week ago, was officially released on compact disc earlier this week.
The D.C. offices of Vivek Kundra, President Barack Obama’s pick to be the White House’s first-ever chief information officer, were searched by FBI agents Thursday, reports the Associated Press.The raid led to the arrest of a city government employee and another man. According to an agency spokeswoman, the FBI searched the offices as part of an ongoing investigation.
Kundra recently left his position as D.C.’s chief technology officer to take the position at the White House. A spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty would only say that an investigation is in progress, but would not elaborate on its nature.
Years of physical abuse and threats yesterday ended tragically for a 34-year-old woman when she was stabbed to death by her former reputed husband, minutes after she left her home for work. Up to press time, the man was still to be apprehended.Dead is Savitrie Arjune of Lot 382 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, a mother of two and an employee of Roti Plus.
In December last year, the woman had made a firm decision not to return to the home that she had been sharing with the man for the last four to five years, located obliquely opposite her present address.
However, this was met with threats to her life and her children’s. Several days ago she had a knife pulled on her and this resulted in her sustaining a small cut to her abdomen. That matter was never reported to the police.
When Stabroek News visited the home yesterday, preparations were already in progress for the wake. At the time of her death the woman was living with her mother Kumarie Ferdinand called ‘Golin’ and her children, 14-year-old Alisa Koo and Loochand Mangal, 11.Ferdinand was being consoled by the many friends and relatives who had gathered.Arjune’s sister, Jayshree related to this newspaper that her sister left the home at 6 am yesterday and about ten minutes later they received word that she had been stabbed in Third Street several feet from the public road where she was heading to catch transportation.
She said that by the time they arrived at the hospital, she was already dead. She had been stabbed in the region of her heart and also had wounds to one of her wrists and her abdomen. Arjune was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Hospital where she had been taken by the police at 6:35 am.According to the reports reaching the woman’s relatives, the suspect, who operates a minibus, parked the vehicle on the public road, a short distance from the street where the incident occurred, telling the conductor he was coming back.He walked into the street and attacked the woman before she reached the public road.Jayshree said that after committing the act, the man returned to the bus with the bloody knife in his hand and when questioned he attempted to attack the conductor who ran away and contacted the police at the Providence Police Station. Officers arrived within minutes.
According to the grieving woman, the bus was later found near the Demerara Harbour Bridge minus the suspect.
Source : Stabroek News
Tia Joseph left her Lot 1717 D’Urban Street home that day with a group of friends who were headed to the resort located along the Soesdyke Highway. Several hours after arriving at the resort Joseph was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre (DDC) where she was pronounced dead on arrival on Wednesday evening.Joseph, sources said, entered the creek and “disappeared” a short time later. The woman’s friends immediately began searching the water and she was subsequently discovered in an unconscious state and immediately rushed to the Diamond health facility.
When this newspaper visited the deceased woman’s D’Urban Street home last night her brother, Wayne Joseph, was huddled on the front stairway sobbing.
“Tia was mother, father, brother and sister to he,” a friend stated.Several friends, some of whom were at the resort that day, expressed shock at Joseph’s sudden demise. However, they refused to speak of the string of events which lead to Joseph’s death.
Joseph’s body was removed from the DDC at about 1 am yesterday by the Lyken Funeral
Parlour.
Source: Stabroek News
Roger Khan had used a former school mate of the now dead notorious criminal Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins to infiltrate the Buxton gang, and Rawlins had later asked the same school mate to secure an identification card for a gang member who was to receive a crate of weapons.However, following the September 2005 shooting to death of boxing coach, Donald Allison, Rawlins became suspicious of the school mate and cut all ties with him, court papers have said.The ex-school mate, who had started to work for Khan, is now being used by US prosecutors in Khan’s drug trial as well as in the witness-tampering case against Khan and his lawyers Robert Simels and Arianne Irving, as a key witness.This was the man prosecutors used to record conversations with Simels, leading to Simels, Irving and Khan being slapped with the witness-tampering charge arising out of the drug case.
The ex-school mate, who had started to work for Khan, is now being used by US prosecutors in Khan’s drug trial as well as in the witness-tampering case against Khan and his lawyers Robert Simels and Arianne Irving, as a key witness.This was the man prosecutors used to record conversations with Simels, leading to Simels, Irving and Khan being slapped with the witness-tampering charge arising out of the drug case.
Stabroek News has seen a transcript of secretly recorded conversations the man had with Simels and Irving, just before the three were charged with witness tampering. In it, the man referred to by prosecutors as their confidential source (CS), revealed how he had met Rawlins on more than one occasion in Buxton and he even spoke about being “in the vicinity” when persons were killed. The CS spoke about how he, Khan and others would sometimes meet on a daily basis and exchange information.
Rawlins, who was believed to be the head of the gang that terrorised this country for over six years, robbing and murdering, was gunned down late last year at Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway. He was said to be the mastermind behind the brutal killings of several persons at Lusignan and Bartica and the police have also stated that he was responsible for the killings of the eight miners at Lindo Creek.In 2006, just prior to him fleeing to Suriname, which saw him being arrested and later taken to the US, Khan had claimed in newspaper advertisements that he fought alongside law enforcement to defeat criminals in Guyana. However, prosecutors have countered that Khan was actually involved in criminal activities, such as killing rivals, to further his drug enterprise.To view the entire Stabroek News Transcrips of the conversation please go here.
Source: Stabroek News
NEW YORK – Saying he was "deeply sorry and ashamed," Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty Thursday to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history and was immediately led off to jail in handcuffs to the delight of his seething victims.U.S. District Judge Denny Chin denied bail for Madoff, 70, and ordered him to jail, noting that he had the means to flee and an incentive to do so because of his age.
Madoff spoke softly but firmly to the judge as he pleaded guilty to 11 charges in his first public comments about his crimes since the scandal broke in early December.
"I am actually grateful for this opportunity to publicly comment about my crimes, for which I am deeply sorry and ashamed," he said. "As the years went by, I realized my risk and this day would inevitably come. I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for my crimes."
Prosecutors say the disgraced financier, who has spent three months under house arrest in his $7 million Manhattan penthouse, could face a maximum term of 150 years in prison at sentencing June 16.
DeWitt Baker, an investor who attended the hearing and said he lost more than a million dollars with Madoff, called it "fantastic" that Madoff's bail was revoked but belittled the apology.
"I don't think he has a sincere bone in his body," said DeWitt, who added that prison time would be too good for Madoff. "I'd stone him to death," he said. Madoff did not look at any of the three investors who spoke at the hearing, even when one turned in his direction and tried to address him.
The fraud, which prosecutors say may have totaled nearly $65 billion, turned a revered money man into an overnight global disgrace whose name became synonymous with the current economic meltdown.
Madoff described his crimes after he entered a guilty plea to all 11 counts he was charged with, including fraud, perjury, theft from an employee benefit plan, and two counts of international money laundering.
He told the judge that he believed the fraud would be short-term and that he could extricate himself. He implicated no one else, though investigators suspect involvement by relatives and top lieutenants who helped run his operation from its midtown Manhattan headquarters.
The plea came three months after the FBI claimed Madoff admitted to his sons that his once-revered investment fund was all a big lie — a Ponzi scheme that was in the billions of dollars. Since his arrest in December, the scandal has turned the former Nasdaq chairman into a pariah who has worn a bulletproof vest to court.
He told the judge that he believed the fraud would be short-term and that he could extricate himself. He implicated no one else, though investigators suspect involvement by relatives and top lieutenants who helped run his operation from its midtown Manhattan headquarters.The plea came three months after the FBI claimed Madoff admitted to his sons that his once-revered investment fund was all a big lie — a Ponzi scheme that was in the billions of dollars. Since his arrest in December, the scandal has turned the former Nasdaq chairman into a pariah who has worn a bulletproof vest to court.
The scheme evaporated life fortunes, wiped out charities and apparently pushed at least two investors to commit suicide. Victims big and small were swindled by Madoff, from elderly Florida retirees to actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.
Helicopters circled above the courthouse before the hearing, and federal officers with machine gun-style weapons stood outside as Madoff arrived.
Helicopters circled above the courthouse before the hearing, and federal officers with machine gun-style weapons stood outside as Madoff arrived.
Jilted investors signed in before entering the courtroom on the 24th floor. Richard and Cynthia Friedman turned up to get a glimpse of the man who defrauded them of their life savings of $3 million.
Richard Friedman, an accountant, noticed how well his clients were doing with Madoff and began investing his own money in 1991. He learned it was gone months before he had planned to retire — a plan now on hold.
"I wanted him to see some of the faces of the people he lied to and destroyed," said Cynthia Friedman, 59, of Jericho, N.Y.
After arguments began on whether Madoff should remain free on bail, his lawyer Ira Sorkin described the bail conditions and how Madoff had, "at his wife's own expense," paid for private security at his penthouse.
Loud laughter then erupted among some of the more than 100 spectators crammed into the large courtroom on the 24th floor of the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. The judge warned the spectators to remain silent. George Nierenberg, the first of the three investors to speak, approached the podium glaring at Madoff, then said in the financier's direction: "I don't know if you had a chance to turn around and look at the victims."
At the hint of a confrontation, a marshal sitting behind Madoff stood up, and the judge directed Nierenberg to speak directly to the bench.
The courtroom erupted in applause after the judge announced Madoff would go directly to jail. As he was led out of court, a spectator yelled, "Hey, Bernie," but was shushed by investors in court and backed off.
The plea does not end the Madoff saga: Investigators are still undertaking the daunting task of unraveling how he pulled off the fraud for decades without being caught.
Court papers say Madoff generated or had employees generate "tens of thousands of account statements and other documents through the U.S. Postal Service, operating a massive Ponzi scheme," prosecutors said.
The money was never invested, but was used by Madoff, his business and others, prosecutors said.
Authorities said he confessed to his family that he had carried out a $50 billion fraud. In court documents filed Tuesday, prosecutors raised the size of the fraud to $64.8 billion.
Experts say the actual loss was more likely much less and that higher numbers reflect false profits he promised investors. So far, authorities have located about $1 billion for jilted investors.
In addition to prison time, he said Madoff faces mandatory restitution to victims, forfeiture of ill-gotten gains and criminal fines.
Source: Yahoo Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and David B. Caruso contributed to this report.
In addition to prison time, he said Madoff faces mandatory restitution to victims, forfeiture of ill-gotten gains and criminal fines.
Source: Yahoo Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and David B. Caruso contributed to this report.
SAMSON, Ala. – The gunman who killed 10 people and committed suicide in a rampage across the Alabama countryside had struggled to keep a job and left behind a list of employers and co-workers he believed had wronged him, authorities said Wednesday.The list, found in his home, included a metals plant that had forced Michael McLendon to resign years ago. Also on the list was a sausage factory where he suddenly quit last week and a poultry plant that suspended his mother, District Attorney Gary McAliley said.
McAliley was quoted as telling The Dothan Eagle that the list also included people at the sausage factory who had complained about McLendon for such things as not wearing earplugs and slicing the meat too thin.
"We found a list of people he worked with, people who had done him wrong," the district attorney said outside the charred house where the rampage began.
But investigators offered no immediate explanation for why he targeted relatives and other people who weren't on the list as he fired more than 200 rounds in a roughly 20-mile trail of carnage across two counties near the Florida state line Tuesday.
In the span of about an hour, McLendon, 28, set the home he shared with his mother on fire, killed five relatives and five bystanders and committed suicide in a standoff at the metals plant.
"The community's just in disbelief, just how this could happen in our small town," said state Sen.
"The community's just in disbelief, just how this could happen in our small town," said state Sen.
Harri Anne Smith, from the nearby town of Slocumb. "This was 20-something miles of terror."
It was not clear how long McLendon had been planning the attack, but authorities said he armed himself with four guns — two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines taped together, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol — and may have planned a bigger massacre than he had time to carry out.
It was not clear how long McLendon had been planning the attack, but authorities said he armed himself with four guns — two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines taped together, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol — and may have planned a bigger massacre than he had time to carry out.
"I'm convinced he went over there to kill more people. He was heavily armed," said Sheriff Dave Sutton.
The shooting was the deadliest attack by a single gunman in Alabama history, and plunged Sansom, the community of about 2,000 where McLendon grew up and where most of his victims lived, into mourning.
The town is so close-knit that the mayor coached McLendon in T-ball when he was a boy, and the dead included the wife and daughter of one of the sheriff's deputies who was sent to chase McLendon.
As word about the killings spread, graduates of the local high school scrambled to find their yearbooks, and many realized they knew the gunman. "Something had to snap," said Jerry Hysmith, 35, who worked with McLendon at the metals plant in 2001.
Among the dead were some of the very people who might have helped explain what set off McLendon — his grandmother, his mother, an uncle and two cousins.
This much is clear: McLendon had a hard time keeping a job over the years, and had been forced to resign from his position at a local Reliable Metals plant in 2003, authorities said. Investigators would not say why.
That same year, he tried to join the police academy, but lasted only a week before flunking out, authorities said. His next known job came in 2007, at a nearby sausage plant operated by Kelley Foods.
The company said he quit last week but was considered a team leader and was well-liked by employees. However, the district attorney said co-workers reported him for not doing things right. McAliley also said McLendon had a list of eight lawyers, a clue that he might have been planning legal action.
The rampage started around 3:30 p.m. at McLendon's mother's home. Authorities said he put her on an L-shaped couch, piled stuff on top of her and set her ablaze. Before he left, he also shot four dogs. Investigators did not immediately say whether the woman was dead or alive when the fire was set.
Inside the charred home, a gun safe was left with its door ajar, and military gear, including a camouflage jacket and green military-style backpack, was found about the home. In another room, remnants of his baseball career, including a 1995 All-Star trophy, were prominently displayed.
After setting the home ablaze, McLendon drove a dozen miles and gunned down three other relatives and two others on a porch and shot his grandmother at a house next door, sending panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars. His uncle's wife, Phyllis White, sought refuge in the house of neighbor Archie Mock.
"She was just saying, `I think my family is dead. I think my family is dead,'" Mock said.
McLendon went inside the house and chased his aunt out before driving off, said Tom Knowles, who was at his son's house nearby and saw the shooting. Knowles said McLendon returned moments later in his car as if looking for the aunt, then turned and looked at Knowles.
McLendon went inside the house and chased his aunt out before driving off, said Tom Knowles, who was at his son's house nearby and saw the shooting. Knowles said McLendon returned moments later in his car as if looking for the aunt, then turned and looked at Knowles.
"He had cold eyes. There was nothing. I hollered at him. I said, 'Look, boy, I ain't done nothing to you,'" Knowles said. McLendon then left for good.
Then, McLendon shot three more people at random as he drove toward the metals plant, firing from his car. One woman was hit as she walked out of a gas station. Another person was hit while driving. One man was shot while walking.
At the metals plant, McLendon got out of his car and fired at police with his assault rifle, wounding Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, authorities said. Then he walked inside and killed himself.
The victims included the wife and 18-month-old daughter of sheriff's Deputy Josh Myers, who was sent to chase McLendon. Myers did not know at the time that his wife and daughter were among the dead. His 4-month-old daughter was wounded in the attack.
"I cried so much yesterday, I don't have a tear left in me," said Myers, who did not know McLendon. "I feel like I should be able to walk in the house and my wife would be there, my baby girl climbing on me."
Source: Yahoo Associated Press Writers Jay Reeves in Sansom, Garry Mitchell in Mobile and Bob Johnson and Kate Brumback in Montgomery contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama, sounding weary of criticism over federal earmarks, defended Congress' pet projects Wednesday as he signed an "imperfect" $410 billion measure with thousands of examples. But he said the spending does need tighter restraint and listed guidelines to do it. Obama, accused of hypocrisy by Republicans for embracing billions of dollars of earmarks in the legislation, said they can be useful and noted that he has promised to curb, not eliminate them.On another potentially controversial matter, the president also issued a "signing statement" with the bill, saying several of its provisions raised constitutional concerns and would be taken merely as suggestions. He has criticized President George W. Bush for often using such statements to claim the right to ignore portions of new laws, and on Monday he said his administration wouldn't follow those issued by Bush unless authorized by the new attorney general.
White House officials have accused Bush of using the statements to get around Congress in pursuing anti-terror tactics.
Obama signed the bill in private, unlike a number of recent signings that took place with fanfare, but he raised the issue of earmarks in public remarks playing down their scope and possible harm in the measure. They comprise about 1 percent of the spending package, which will keep the government running through September, he told reporters.
"Done right, earmarks have given legislators the opportunity to direct federal money to worthy projects that benefit people in their districts. And that's why I've opposed their outright elimination," he said.
Still, the president acknowledged the storm of criticism from watchdog groups, talk show hosts and many Republican lawmakers — including some who have obtained earmarks — who call them wasteful and politically motivated. They are special provisions earmarking money in spending bills for specific projects.
Obama, too, has criticized them as overused and subject to abuse.
Proposing new safeguards, he asked Congress to require that any earmark for a for-profit company be subject to competitive bids. He also said he would work with Congress to eliminate earmarks or other specific items in spending bills that he believes serve no legitimate purpose. But he did not specify how.
Critics were unmoved. Obama "naively asked earmark addicts to police themselves," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. Lawmakers "trumpet their pork on their Web sites," he said, "and nobody believes we will have public hearings on pet projects."
Presidents can ask Congress to rescind various spending items. But the authority has little bite because lawmakers tend to ignore requests to undo their work.
Sen. John McCain, Obama's GOP opponent in last year's election, wants to require Congress to vote on a president's rescission requests. Obama is open to such a change, spokesman Robert Gibbs said, but has not proposed it.
"It doesn't do anybody any good to send up a rescissions package," Gibbs said, if it "becomes a piece of paper in somebody's file drawer."
Congress has wrestled for years with how to regulate earmarks, the targeted spending items for construction projects, weapons systems, research grants and thousands of other programs sought by Senate and House members. Voters tend to disdain earmarks in the abstract, but they often embrace the money and jobs that earmarks produce close to home. Many lawmakers base their re-election bids on the goodies they steer to constituents, and efforts to eliminate earmarks have repeatedly met strong resistance in both parties.
Nearly all earmarks serve some public purpose, even the so-called "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. But abuses have included tying earmarks to kickbacks, including those that sent former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., to prison in 2006.
Congress tightened regulations after that, including requirements that requests for earmark be made public and subject to scrutiny. The number has decreased since then, but they still totaled 7,991, costing $5.5 billion, in the "omnibus" spending bill Obama signed Wednesday.
The president called the bill imperfect and recommended further earmark changes "to ensure that the budget process inspires trust and confidence instead of cynicism."
For a time, President Bill Clinton enjoyed line-item veto power, which allowed him to strike specific projects, including earmarks, from massive spending bills. But the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 1998. Since then, presidents have had to accept or veto entire spending bills, often packed with thousands of items, some of them earmarks.
Congress' Democratic leaders issued statements Wednesday praising Obama's remarks and defending earmarks in general. The House Appropriations Committee announced said it would submit every future earmark to the appropriate executive branch agency for a review.
But a statement issued by the committee's chairman, David Obey, D-Wis., hinted at irritation with the public's focus. "With all of the hyperventilating over the 1 percent of the omnibus appropriations bill that is made up of earmarks," he said, "Washington has mostly glossed over the important results it has achieved with the other 99 percent of the bill."
But a statement issued by the committee's chairman, David Obey, D-Wis., hinted at irritation with the public's focus. "With all of the hyperventilating over the 1 percent of the omnibus appropriations bill that is made up of earmarks," he said, "Washington has mostly glossed over the important results it has achieved with the other 99 percent of the bill."
It was unclear how Congress might prevent earmarks from being directed to specific for-profit companies. House Appropriations staffers said the process will be changed to prevent "sole-sourcing" of contracts through earmarks and to require an open bidding process instead.
Obama's signing statement said he wouldn't be bound by provisions of the bill in five areas. They involved negotiations with foreign governments, limits on using U.S. troops in U.N. missions, protections for government whistleblowers, a congressional claim of authority over the spending of money already approved by Congress and congressional demands that the administration submit budget requests in certain forms.
Source: Yahoo Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.
