The Great Blog of Sinister Things

2008-06-22T01:13:00.002+10:00

YOUNG clubbers rushed for the exits during a police raid on a Mexico City club, leaving at least 12 people dead in the crush. Police chief Joel Ortega said three police officers and nine youths, at least three of them minors, were killed. At least 13 others were injured.
Police went to the News Divine club in the working-class district of Nueva Atzacoalco yesterday to check reports of drugs and alcohol being sold to minors.
Mr Ortega told local TV that the club's owner announced to the crowd that officers were there to arrest them, causing a stampede. He denied officers threw tear gas inside the club, and said no shots were fired. Police said they detained 39 people, including the owner.

Source: scotsman.com

2008-06-16T17:38:00.000+10:00

A man parked his truck on a country road outside Turlock on Saturday night, removed a baby boy from a car seat and then beat the child to death in the street, fighting off passers-by who tried to stop him, until he was gunned down by a police officer whose helicopter landed in a nearby pasture, police said Sunday.
The 27-year-old suspect, who lived in Turlock (Stanislaus County), died almost immediately where he fell. The child, who according to police appeared to be 12 to 24 months old, was taken to a hospital but died before arrival.

Source: sfgate.com

2008-05-29T10:10:00.002+10:00

Dunkin’ Donuts said today it stopped running an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism.
...
In the spot, Ray wears the scarf around her neck and holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees with pink blossoms.
Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf looked similar to the black-and-white checkered kaffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.
"The kaffiyeh," Malkin wrote in a column posted online last Friday, "has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."
...
Malkin, in a posting following up on last week’s column, said of Dunkin’s decision to pull the ad, "It’s refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists."
Ray, host of the Food Network television program "30 Minute Meals" as well as a syndicated daytime talk show, began appearing in ads for Dunkin’ Donuts in March 2007. When Dunkin’ announced the partnership, it said Ray would be featured in TV, print, radio and online spots in a campaign running through 2010.

Source: bostonherald.com

2008-05-20T19:24:00.001+10:00

U.K. lawmakers voted to let scientists use stem cells derived from hybrid human-animal embryos in medical research.
As part of two days of debate on changes to laws on fertility research, members of Parliament voted 336 to 176 against an amendment to ban the use of hybrids. Prime Minister Gordon Brown allowed members of his party to vote with their consciences after church leaders condemned the plans as immoral.
...
Catholic Conservative lawmaker Ann Widdecombe said there was no proof that animal-human hybrid embryo research would save millions of lives and argued that by mixing cells scientists are changing the nature of life.
``It is creating an entirely new type of life, it is not like having, for example, a pig's valve put in your heart later in life,'' she said in an interview. ``There should be a greater focus on collecting umbilical cords for research; we should be putting our money there -- it's an umbilical cord, not a life.''

source: bloomberg.com

2008-05-09T06:36:00.001+10:00

The actions of a throng of police officers shown on a videotape kicking and punching three shooting suspects during a traffic stop were inappropriate, Mayor Michael Nutter said Thursday.
A sergeant and five officers have been removed from street duty as authorities investigated the footage. More than a dozen officers were involved, and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said investigators were having the videotape enhanced to try to identify how many were actually striking the suspects. Information will be sent to prosecutors, who will determine whether to press charges.
...
Police stopped the suspects' car while investigating a triple shooting Monday night. No weapons were found in the car or on the suspects, Ramsey said, but officers said they had seen them shoot three people on a drug corner moments earlier.
The video, shot by WTXF-TV from a helicopter, showed three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road.
Officers gathered around the vehicle and pulled three men out. About a half-dozen officers held two men on the ground on the driver's side. Both were kicked repeatedly, while one was punched; one also appeared to be struck with a baton.
On the other side of the car, the video showed, more officers kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.
The three suspects — Dwayne Dyches, Brian Hall and Pete Hopkins — were each charged with attempted murder in the shooting, police said.

Source: the associated press

2008-04-17T23:37:00.001+10:00

Graffiti vandals will face up to two years' jail and thousands of dollars in fines under new Victorian laws.
The regulations come into force today, also giving more powers to police to catch offenders.
Police Minister Bob Cameron said graffiti vandals charged under the tough new laws could be imprisoned for up to two years and face a fine of more than $26,000.
The laws will enable police to issue on-the-spot fines of $550 to anyone carrying spray paint cans if they cannot prove the paint is for work-related purposes.
The laws also grant police the power to search individuals over the age of 14 suspected of carrying any graffiti-related implement.

Source: theage.com.au

2008-04-08T18:57:00.003+10:00

Local newspapers in Eldorado, Texas, reported that law-enforcement personnel serving a search warrant on the YFZ polygamist ranch had entered the temple, which FLDS members consider sacred, and then moved on to the temple annex. There was no report of any violence, although FLDS Church leaders had initially refused to let police enter the temple. Ambulances were moved into the area near the West Texas ranch earlier in what authorities said was a precautionary move in case things took a turn for the worse.
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An ongoing investigation has resulted in the removal of the children — 97 girls, 40 boys and 46 young women over the age of 18 — for questioning in a case stemming from reports that involve a 50-year-old man and his alleged 16-year-old bride. Officials believe they have been living on the YFZ Ranch, which is owned by the Fundamentalist LDS Church.
...
The owner of the Sutton County Steak House in nearby Sonora, Texas, fed the children dinner on Friday and breakfast on Saturday, owner Linda Love told The San Angelo Standard-Times.
"They're singing songs. So happy and sweet and precious. It's heart-breaking," Love said.

Source: deseretnews.com

2008-02-26T13:05:00.002+11:00

A US man stabbed his relative after an argument over the presidential credentials of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Brothers-in-law Jose Ortiz and Sean Shurelds were arguing about the fiery contest for the Democratic nomination for president at their Pennsylvania home when the dispute escalated into violence, US broadcaster CBS said.
US authorities said Ortiz, a registered Republican and Clinton supporter, allegedly stabbed Mr Shurelds, an Obama supporter, in the stomach, CBS said.

Source: theage.com.au

2008-02-21T17:50:00.003+11:00

A California meatpacker caught torturing cattle and processing the unfit animals for human consumption is provoking calls for reform that could prove hard to ignore.
The Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co announced on Sunday it wanted back nearly 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of meat -- enough to feed more than 2.2 million Americans for a year -- that it had shipped out since February 2006.
But the wrongdoings at the plant were not exposed under the watchful eye of inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Instead, the Humane Society of the United States captured employees in a gruesome, undercover videotape that was made after an apparent random decision to investigate the plant located in Chino, California.
...
The Humane Society of the United States sparked an uproar over the meatpacking plant when it released the lurid videotape showing plant workers were gouging, kicking and forcing water into the noses of cattle in order to get the animals upright.
Only cattle that can stand are considered fit to be inspected, a rule considered especially critical in preventing processing of cows infected with mad cow disease.

Source: reuters.com

2008-02-20T16:25:00.004+11:00

In what could be described as a filesharer's worst nightmare and the RIAA's sweetest dream, Great Britain and now Australia are debating legislation that seeks to force internet service providers (ISPs) to drop customers whom are found to be downloading copyrighted material.
...
The new Aussie and British legislation calls for a three strikes policy. A first offense, which the government categorizes as accessing music, TV shows and movies illegally, would result in a warning letter from your ISP. A second offense would result in a temporary suspension of your ISP account. A third strike and you're out -- the ISP would terminate your account.
...
ISPs are unhappy with the move. National Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Corones plans on airing his constituents’ complaints to Mr. Conroy later this week. Mr. Corones argues that current penalties are "stiff enough". In Australia downloading music can land you injunctions, damages and costs, fines of up to $60,500 for individuals and up to $302,500 for corporations per infringement and up to five years' jail -- nothing to sneeze at. Corones argues, "Internet service providers are not the enforcers of copyright."

Source: dailytech.com

2008-02-14T15:05:00.006+11:00

A Sydney council's "Manilow method" for dispersing unruly teenagers is attracting keen interest overseas from government authorities keen on tackling anti-social behaviour.
Rockdale Council, in Sydney's southern suburbs, played Barry Manilow tunes over loudspeakers to stop youths hanging around.
In Britain, where campaigners this week called for a ban on a device in use across the UK known as "the Mosquito", which emits a high-pitched tone audible only to the young, the "Manilow method" is winning support.
...
The (Mosquito) devices emit a tone that causes discomfort to young ears, which are capable of picking up very high frequencies, but is outside the normal hearing range of people over the age of 25.

Source: theage.com.au

2008-01-19T22:05:00.001+11:00

A woman with a history of mental illness purposely walked her young niece and nephew into highway traffic to commit a double-murder suicide, US prosecutors say.
Marcelle Thibault, 39, was driving south on the Interstate 495 highway in Lowell, Massachusetts, last week when she turned the car sharply, drove across the median and northbound lanes, then began driving against traffic in the breakdown lane, authorities said.
She then stopped and got out of the car, took both children into her arms and walked onto the highway. She and the children were struck by two cars and killed.

Source: theage.com.au

2008-01-07T12:56:00.001+11:00

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination was her own fault, the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, said in an interview that aired Sunday on U.S. television.
"For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone -- nobody else. Responsibility is hers," the former general told CBS' "60 Minutes."

Source: cnn.com

2007-12-04T16:02:00.001+11:00

Debra Lee Bassani, of Frankston, today pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to one count of blackmail, five counts of stalking and three counts of extortion.
Bassani told her de facto husband and his two brothers that a bikie gang was after their family, the court was told.
The 39-year-old based her story around fictitious threats from the gang over a soured rental agreement.
She falsely claimed her father was a detective who could keep them safe as long as they paid him protection money.
Three families, including Bassani, lived in fear and on the run in cabins and caravan parks around Victoria during the extortion plot which ran from January last year until February this year.
Her lawyer, David McKenzie, told the court his client suffered from (mythomania) a condition that led to her creating fantasies and then acting them out.

Source

2007-11-27T21:42:00.001+11:00

Scene from an American shopping centre:

2007-07-28T16:05:00.001+10:00

Three men who dug up a young woman's corpse to have sex with it after seeing her obituary photo cannot be charged with attempted sexual assault because Wisconsin has no law against necrophilia, an appeals court ruled Thursday.
The men used shovels to reach her grave. They abandoned their plan and were eventually arrested after a vehicle drove into the cemetery and reported suspicious behavior, authorities said.
A judge was correct to dismiss the charges against twin brothers Nicholas and Alexander Grunke and Dustin Radke, all 21, because lawmakers never intended to criminalize sex with a corpse, the District 4 Court of Appeals said in a 3-0 ruling.
At issue is a provision in the sexual assault law saying criminal penalties apply "whether a victim is dead or alive at the time of the sexual contact or sexual intercourse."
The appeals court said the law was ambiguous but the most reasonable interpretation was that it does not ban necrophilia. Instead, the court said, the law was meant to make sure prosecutors could bring sexual assault charges in rape-murder cases in which the victim ends up dead.

Full story @ wcco.com

2007-07-22T09:50:00.001+10:00

A Russian environmentalist was beaten to death and seven others wounded on Saturday when a group armed with iron bars and baseball bats attacked their camp near a nuclear waste processing plant in Siberia.
Russian media reported up to 15 people shouting fascist slogans attacked the environmentalists, who were living in the camp to protest against nuclear processing in the city of Angarsk near Lake Baikal, 5,000 km east of Moscow.
...
"From that we can conclude they were Nazis or skinheads",(esident of the camp, Marina Popova),told the Vesti-24 television channel, blood seeping through a bandage wrapped around her head.

From theage.com.au - Full story

2007-07-22T09:39:00.001+10:00

The Howard Government is planning to deport detained terror suspect Mohamed Haneef to contain the political fallout from a case that insiders fear is becoming farcical.
By withdrawing the Criminal Justice Certificate that he issued last week, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock can ensure Haneef is deported immediately.
...
Mr Ruddock issued the Certificate of Justice so that Haneef's deportation could be stayed pending judicial proceedings. But with the federal police case surrounding Haneef collapsing after revelations that the SIM card he left in Britain was not used in the failed suicide bomb attack in Glasgow, Government strategists believe there is little point holding him in Australia.

And from an unnamed source:

"There is growing sentiment that we should cut our losses and deport him (Haneef). No one is backing away from the fact that this guy is a security risk. We are standing by the decision to cancel his visa but there is simply not enough evidence to convict him of anything."

From theage.com.au - Full story

2007-07-13T09:16:00.000+10:00

The Iraqi port city of Basra, already prey to a nasty turf war between rival militia factions, has now been gripped by a scary rumour - giant badgers are stalking the streets by night, eating humans.
"I was sleeping at night when this strange animal hit me on my head. I have not seen such an animal before. My husband hurried to shoot it but it was as swift as a deer," said Suad Hassan, a 30-year-old housewife.
Sattar Jabbar, a 50-year-old local farmer from Abu Sakhar north of Basra, believes the badger can tackle even large prey.
"I saw it three days ago at night attacking animals. It even ate a cow. It tore the cow up piece by piece. I tried to shoot it with my gun but it ran away into the orchards. I missed it," he said.
British army spokesman Major David Gell said the animals were thought to be a kind of honey badger -- mellivora capensis -- which can be fierce but are not usually dangerous to humans unless provoked.

Full story @ brisbanetimes.com.au.

Thanks Alli!

2007-07-12T12:26:00.001+10:00

From chron.com.

Fearing complacency among the American people over possible terror threats, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in Chicago on Tuesday that the nation faces a heightened chance of an attack this summer.
(However), Chertoff said there are not enough indications of an imminent plot to raise the current threat levels nationwide. And he indicated his remarks were based on "a gut feeling" formed by past seasonal patterns of terrorist attacks, recent al-Qaida statements, and intelligence he did not disclose.

Full story

2007-07-11T09:09:00.000+10:00

From washingtonpost.com

A 16-page document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Pope Benedict once headed, described Christian Orthodox churches as true churches, but suffering from a "wound" since they do not recognize the primacy of Pope.
But the document said the "wound is still more profound" in Protestant denominations.
"Despite the fact that this teaching has created no little distress ... it is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them," it said.

Full story

2007-07-10T16:44:00.000+10:00

Soon people will be appologising for even mentioning drugs. From theage.com.au

While being interviewed on Triple J's breakfast show after his band's new album, Young Modern, was nominated for a J award, (Silverchair's Daniel) Johns was asked by broadcaster Lindsay McDougall about his relationship with Bono, who is thanked in the album's liner notes.
"He (Bono) asked if I'd play the demos and it was really one of the most surreal moments in my life," said Johns, who admitted to being hung-over and to receiving a massage in his US hotel at the time of the interview. "It was me and Natalie and Peter Garrett and Bono laying (sic) on Bono's bed smoking joints listening to Young Modern demos."

Later that day:

"In an interview I did this morning on Triple J I made a stupid joke," he said. "It's just been brought to my attention that some people in the media have taken my dumb joke seriously, so I want to set the record straight. At no time have I ever smoked a joint with Bono or Peter Garrett. They are both well known to be very anti-drugs so that's why I assumed everybody would know I was joking when I made that comment …

Full story.

2007-07-03T14:22:00.000+10:00

The mother of a condemned inmate whose execution took an hour longer than is typical sued the head of Ohio's prisons on Monday.

It took almost 90 minutes to carry out the execution of Joseph Clark in May 2006...Executions last about 20 minutes on average.

Prison staff had problems finding a useable vein on Clark...During the first injection attempt, Clark finally pushed himself up and said, "It don't work."

During the second attempt at finding a vein, he asked, "Can you just give me something by mouth to end this?"

Full story @ CNN

2007-07-03T14:18:00.000+10:00

President Bush commuted Monday the prison term of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, facing 30 months in prison after a federal court convicted him of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators.

In a written statement commuting the jail sentence, issued hours after Monday's ruling, Bush called the sentence "excessive," and suggested that Libby will pay a big enough price for his conviction.

I assume that the "big enough price" that Bush is referring to is the $250,000 fine that Libby still has to pay.

Full story @ CNN.

2007-07-02T09:03:00.000+10:00

Prince is having his new album given away with a Newspaper. From The Guardian:

The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album. Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.

The capitalists are flipping out:

The Entertainment Retailers Association said the giveaway "beggars belief". "It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," ERA co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. "It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.

"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."

Full story.