Dasukigate: Still Waiting for Buhari to Return SUVs Received.

RingTrue by Yemi Adebowale; yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com; 07013940521 (text only)
While the probe into the utilisation of funds allocated to the National Security Adviser’s office is gathering momentum, I thought President Muhammadu Buhari would have by now returned the SUVs he admitted receiving from former President Goodluck Jonathan, in line with the spirit of anti-corruption. I have been expecting the President to return the SUVs for weeks now without a positive response. Why should a man with a “saintly, austere and frugal lifestyle” be holding on to one armoured SUV and one untreated SUV? An armoured SUV can cost as much as $120,000. I am thoroughly disappointed. It calls to question Buhari’s much-touted determination to fight corruption.
Of course, we all now know that the office of the NSA bought (from security vote) and delivered the SUVs to Buhari in line with the instruction of Jonathan. Such gifts for former heads of state should be procured and delivered by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and not that of the NSA. Buhari should know better. Our dear President has no moral right holding on to these vehicles. He has to lead by example. The excuses for accepting and holding on to the vehicles are preposterous.
Our dear President can’t deny reports that he has been collecting pension and other entitlements as a retired general. So, he should not be telling Nigerians that he collected the SUVs from Jonathan in keeping with his entitlements as a former Head of State under the Remuneration of Former Presidents and Heads of State (And Other Ancillary Matters) Decree of 1999. Is our dear President saying that he has been collecting two pensions? This is obviously illegal. He has to speak up. The nation can’t be paying him two pensions. If this has been happening, Buhari has to make refunds to the federal government.
Again, President Buhari was given the SUVs by Jonathan after the attack by suspected Boko Haram members on his convoy in Kaduna in 2014, during which some of the vehicles in his convoy were damaged. Now, some of those opposed to compensation paid by Jonathan to corporate bodies attacked by Boko Haram have argued that such victims ought to have insurance in place and that compensation should be from the insurance companies. We should also be asking our dear Buhari too why he did not insure the vehicles in his convoy? If he did, why did he not collect compensation from the insurance company? Or, was it that he collected compensation from the insurance company and also from Jonathan? Again, I strongly believe that those who became heads of state through the barrels of the gun have no business benefiting from this pension arrangement. It should be strictly for democratically-elected presidents.
For me, the whole Dasukigate drama has been one big diversionary tactic by President Buhari. It is aimed at diverting attentionfrom the failure of his administration to effectively deal with any of the problems it promised Nigerians to tackle. At present, there is so much suffering in our land. Families are struggling to survive as inflation continues unabated. Many can hardly afford a meal a day. The economy that was handed over to Buhari in fairly good shape is now in tatters. Virtually all economic indices are on the negative side. The last eight months have been horrendous. We have never had it so bad; yet all we hear is the Dasukigate story. Thousands of Nigerians are thrown out of jobs daily as our industries struggle to survive. Many factories are shutting down following stifling economic policy, forex crisis and crumbling Naira.
After almost eight months, this administration can’t, in all honesty,pointto any achievement in any sector of the economy. Electricity supply remains epileptic. Federal roads are in shreds. I am not sure that this administration has been able to asphalt a single kilometer of road in almost eight months. Federal hospitals and higher institutions are in a mess. In some states, Nigerians are paying as much as N150 per litre of petrol instead of the official N86.50. Kerosene that ought to sell for N67 per litre is selling for N160 per litre. Only very few people are askingBuhari why the Naira is notyet at par with the USD as promised? The Naira handed over to his administration at one to 218USD has been badly battered. As at yesterday, the USD was exchanging for over N300.
The most painful of Buhari’s failure is his inability to tame the dreaded Boko Haram terroristsas promised. He told Nigerians that he would decapitate the terrorists within two months. But eight months after, little progress was made. In fact, the monster called Boko Haram has grown bigger. Under Buhari’s watch, and in under eight months, Boko Haram has killed over 2000 Nigerians. We have never had it so bad. Juston Monday, the terrorists entered Madagali in Adamawa State and killed six people. We are still waiting for Abubakar Shekau’s head and our dear Chibok girls.
The Buhari administration could not even put together a realistic budget for 2016. All we hear is the fight against corruption. The ludicrous budget was predicated on $38 per barrel of crude oil in spite of the obvious crumbling oil price. The budget aims to borrow over 30% to fund expenditure. He submitted a budget in which the vote for the maintenance of Aso Rock was astronomically increased in spite of the poverty in our land. Now, Buhari is trying to adjustthe farcical budget throughthe back door. Our dear president must learn to concentrate on his core governance responsibilities instead of running after Dasuki. He should allow the EFCC to do its job, and concentrate on puting together a pragmatic economic plan for the country. Our economy is clearly in a mess.
Doctors’ Strike and Aregbesola’s Impunity in Osun State
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has been terrorising medical doctors in the state-owned health institutions in the last four months. Salaries of the doctors have been stopped. This harassment must stop. The offence of the doctors was daring to ask for full salary payments. This was after the governor collected N39billion bailout from the federal government, specifically to offset backlog of salaries. While other civil servants in the state were intimidated into accepting half salaries, the doctors refused to be intimidated and went on strike. As a result, Aregbesola has been issuing all sortsof threats, including sack if they refused to resume work. For now, the doctors are being owed between six and eight months’ salaries.
The President of the Association of Resident Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Dr. Adeyinka Owolabi stated: “We can never accept half salaries because we are not going to give our patients half treatment. The government is adamant and we are also not going to shift ground on this. Doctors will reconsider their position if the state government will sign a document that it owes doctors and state when the balance would be paid.” Obviously, the state legislators have been pocketed by Aregbesola. The NLC and TUC have also compromised. So, nobody can call this recalcitrant governor to order? It is a shame that this is happening in a state like Osun with great potential.
Governor Aregbesola has also extended his reign of terror to the state-owned tertiary institutions where a large number of teaching and non-teaching staff are being sacked on a daily basis over salary issues. Osun State is clearly in crisis and Aregbesola is the problem. He should just resign and allow peace to reign in Osun State.
The Bayelsa Killing Field and Quest for Justice
I am shocked that so far, none of those who masterminded the terror during the January 9, 2016 governorship election in Bayelsa State has been apprehended. By official figure, 14 persons, including soldiers and police officers died during the election. But unofficial sources say that the casualty figure is about 120. Hundreds of other people sustained life-threatening injuries. One of them is the traditional ruler of Peremabiri community, Chief Progress Never Die. He was shotat close range by militants led by Eris Paul, a.k.a Ogunboss. The Bayelsa State Police Command confirmed thisand has begun a manhunt for the notorious Ogunbossand others. So far, none of them is in the net. There are no signs that the police are making progress in the said manhunt. Not even a single person connected with the Peremabiri attack has been arrested. This is a big shame. The notorious Ogun boss is Timiprey Sylva’s man. This APC gubernatorial candidate must produce him. I am surprised that Sylva himself is workingarounda free man. Aside the security men, virtually every other person killed between January 4 and January 9 were PDP supporters. Sylva has a case to answer. It is pertinent for the federal government to institute a comprehensive inquest into the Bayelsa killings and bring the perpetrators to book. Justice must be done.
A Word for Governor Ambode
Public road projects should be executed in such a manner that it will inflict minimal pain on commuters. Where the road is a very busy one, such repairs or constructions should be executed in the night. This is the standard practice in sane societies. But the reverse has been the case for such a long time in Lagos State. The most recent of such projects in Lagos thatis inflicting inexpressible hardship on the people of Ikorodu is the fence work going on in Mile 12. As a result, the last four weeks have been horrific for people coming out of Ikorodu. At times, commuters spend four to six hours struggling to cross the gridlock created by the wall construction. The traffic jam often flows back to Ikorodu town. Just yesterday, I spent over three hours in the traffic jam. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will agree with me that a project like this should be executed at night in order to reduce the pain on commuters from Ikorodu. Going forward, Ambode should stop this cold-blooded contractor at Mile 12 from operating at day time. This thoughtlessness must notcontinue in Lagos.

Pipeline Vandalism : Shortage of Gas Supplies Threatens Power Generation.

The attacks on the Escravos–Warri-Lagos Pipeline may lead to significant drop in power generation as a result of disruption of gas supply to power stations in Olorunsogo in Ogun State, Geregu in Kogi State, Omotosho in Ondo State and Egbin Power Stationin Lagos State, THISDAY has learnt.
Already, an engineering team from the Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been sent to ascertain the impact, as well as the implications of the multiple breaks on the gas pipeline.
The pipeline was blown-up Thursday night at multiple points in Opudebubor, Okpelama and Kpokpo area, as well as Chanomi creek and Sahara, near Chevron platforms with reports linkingit to resumed militancy in the delta.
It was gathered that the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline, owned and operated by the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), a subsidiary of the NNPC, also supplies crude oil to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, as well as gas feedstocks to the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo), West African Portland Cement Plants at Shagamu and Ewekoro in Ogun State, PZ Industries at Ikorodu, and City Gate in lkeja, Lagos.
It was not however clear if the section of the pipeline impacted would affect gas supply to these companies and crude oil to the Warri Refinery.
But the Group General Manager in charge of Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told THISDAY yesterday that the attacks would affect gas supplyto some power stations.
He however stated thathe was notsure if it would lead to complete shutdownof the affected power stations.
THISDAY gathered that the 1,320 megawatt-capacity Egbin Power Stationin Lagos receives all its feedstocks through the Escravos-Lagos pipeline system, which has a capacity of 800 million standard cubic feet per day of gas (MMscfd).
Also the 434megwatt capacity Geregu 1 Power Station in Kogi State, and the Geregu NIPP Plant, which has the same installed capacity rely on Escravos pipeline for gas supply.
Others include Olorunsogo Power Plants 1 and 2 in Ogun State; and OmotoshoPower Plants 1 and 2 in Ondo State.
When asked how soon NNPC would repair the pipelines, Alegbe said, “the attack has just happened.”
“I will get in touch with NGC to find outtheir plans to repair the pipeline. But it has just happened. It happened yesterday morning,” Alegbe added.
Until a thorough assessment of the causes and impacts of the attacks are conducted engineering team dispatched to the scene of the attacks, nothing concrete can be made out of the development for now, another NNPC source said.
“We are careful to manage the situation. We do not want to say anything different from what the technical team which is already on ground will eventually find out,” the source added.
The source further added: “When the team concludes their initial examinations, we are sure the situation will be clearer for us to make a definite judgement and from which we would know what next to do and how much of impact thisis on the system”
A source at NGC, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the issue, told THISDAY that before the latest attack by suspected militants, the Escravos pipeline; Escravos Tank Farm, as well as the Abiteye Flowstation had been vandalised several times by the Gbaramatu and Ugborode communities in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
“Each time they want to agitate for a better deal from NNPC and Chevron Nigeria Limited, they vandalise the facilities. But this latest incident was a destructive attack by suspected militants,” he added.
Meanwhile, reports on the country’s current electricity generation capacity indicate that actual electricity generated as at last Wednesday was 4,019.07 megawatts (MW), while 3,936.26MW was sent out to the transmission network for distribution to industries and householdsin the country.

US bomber puts N Korea on edge

A POWERFUL US B-52 bomber has flown over South Korea in a show of force following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in defiance of international sanctions.
The long-range heavy bomber, which is capable of delivering nuclear weapons, could be seen flying Sunday over Osan Air Force Base south of Seoul.
North Korea will likely see the flyover as a threat. Any hint of American nuclear power enrages Pyongyang, which links its own pursuit of atomic weapons to what it sees as past nuclear-backed moves by the United States to topple its authoritarian government.
The B-52 was escorted by a South Korean and an American jet during its low-level flight before heading back to Andersen Air Base in Guam, where it is stationed.
The US military’s Pacific Command said in a statement that the bomber was joined by South Korean F-15 and US F-16 fighters in the flyover show of force.
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander US Pacific Command, said: “This was a demonstration of the iron-clad US commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defence of the American homeland.”
He adds: “North Korea’s nuclear test is a blatant violation of its international obligations.”
After North Korea’s third nuclear test in 2013,the U.S. also sent its most powerful warplanes to drills with South Korea.
The B-52 flight follows a victory tour by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to celebrate the country’s widely disputed claim of a hydrogen bomb test. Kim is seeking to rally pride in an explosion viewed with outrage by much of the world and to boost his domestic political goals.
Kim’s first public comments about last week’s test came in a visit to the country’s military headquarters, where he called the explosion “a self-defensive step” meant to protect the region “from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists,” according to a dispatch Sunday from state-run Korean Central News Agency.
“It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise,” he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The tone of Kim’s comments, which sought to glorify him and justify the test, is typical of state media propaganda.
But they also provide insight into North Korea’s long-running argument that it is the presence of tens of thousands of US troops in South Korea and Japan, and a “hostile” US policy that seeks to topple the government in Pyongyang, that make North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons absolutely necessary.
During his tour, Kim posed for photos with leading military officials in front of statues of the two members of his family who led the country previously — Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. He also sought to link the purported success of the nuclear test to a ruling Workers’ Party convention in May, the party’s first since 1980. He’s expected to use the congress to announce major state policies and shake up the country’s political elite to further consolidate his power.
World powers are looking for ways to punish the North over a nuclear test that, even if not of a hydrogen bomb, still likely pushes Pyongyang closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that can reach the US mainland. Many outside governments and experts question whether the blast was in fact a powerful hydrogen test.
In the wake of the test on Wednesday, the two Koreas have settled into the kind of Cold War-era standoff that has defined their relationship over the past seven decades. Since Friday, South Korea has been blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda from huge speakers along the border, and the North is reportedly using speakers of its own in an attempt to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean messages.
A top North Korean ruling party official’s recent warning that the South’s broadcasts have pushed the Korean Peninsula “toward the brink of war” is typical of Pyongyang’s over-the-top rhetoric. But it is also indicative of the real fury that the broadcasts, which criticise the country’s revered dictatorship, cause in the North.
North Korea considers the South Korean broadcasts tantamount to an act of war. When South Korea briefly resumed propaganda broadcasts in August after an 11-year break, Seoul says the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire.
South Korean troops, near about 10 sites where loudspeakers started blaring propaganda Friday, were on the highest alert, but have not detected any unusual movement from North Korea along the border, said an official from Seoul’s Defence Ministry, who refused to be named, citing office rules.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Seoul had deployed missiles, artillery and other weapons systems near the border to swiftly deal with any possible North Korean provocation. The ministry would not confirm the report, nor another by Yonhap that said North Korea had started its own broadcasts likely meant to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean messages.
Officials say broadcasts from the South’s loudspeakers can travel about 10kmduring the day and 24kmat night. That reaches many of the huge force of North Korean soldiers stationed near the border, as well as residents in border towns such as Kaesong, where the Koreas jointly operate an industrial park that has been a valuable cash source for the impoverished North.
While the South’s broadcasts also include news and pop music, much of the programming challenges North Korea’s government more directly.
“We hope that our fellow Koreans in the North will be able to live in a society that doesn’t invade individual lives as soon as possible,” a female presenter said in parts of the broadcast that officials revealed to South Korean media. “Countries run by dictatorships even try to control human instincts.”
Marathon talks by the Koreas in August eased anger and stopped the broadcasts, which Seoul started after blaming North Korean landmines for maiming two soldiers. It might be more difficult to do so now. Seoul can’t stand down easily, some analysts say, and it’s highly unlikely that the North will express regret for its nuclear test, which is a source of intense national pride.
Responding to the North’s bomb test, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged China, the North’s only major ally and biggest aid provider, to end “business as usual” with North Korea.
Diplomats at a UN Security Council emergency session pledged to swiftly pursue new sanctions. For current sanctions and any new penalties to work, better co-operation and stronger implementation from China is seen as key.
It may take weeks or longer to confirm or refute the North’s claim that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal.
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Man ambushes cop in patrol car in Philadelphia, pledges allegiance to Islamic State

A MAN who shot and injured a Philadelphia police officer in his patrol car pledged allegiance to Islamic State after his arrest.
Police said the 30-year-old suspect, identified as Edward Archer by local media, “tried to execute” Jesse Hartnett, 33, who was hit three times in the arm in the late night attack in West Philadelphia.
Despite being badly injured and bleeding heavily Hartnett was able to fire back, injuring the man in the buttocks as he tried to flee the scene.
Captain James Clark, homicide unit commander, said Archer told detective “he pledges allegiance to Islamic State,” the Philidelphia Enquirer reported.
“He confessed to committing this act in the name of Islam,” said Police Commissioner Richard Ross at a news conference.
Commissioner Ross said Archer “came out of nowhere” to fire 13 shots at Hartnett. He said it was “confounding and astonishing that he (Hartnett) was able to escape this”.
Hartnett was taken to hospital and treated for a broken arm. He has suffered significant nerve damage but his condition is not considered life threatening.
The officer, a veteran of five years on the force, returned fire and hit the suspect, who tried to flee on foot, but was quickly arrested.
Video stills of the attack show Archer dressed in a long white cloak similar to Islamic dress and wearing a mask over his face as he moves towards the patrol car firing. At one point he appears to reach into the vehicle.
“We have some video we captured of this. This is absolutely one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” said Commissioner Ross.
“This guy tried to execute the police officer. The police officer had no idea he was coming. It’s amazing he’s alive.”
According to the Enquirer Archer’s mother has indicated that he is mentally ill.
Commissioner Ross told the news conference Archer used a police gun stolen in October 2013 froman officer’s home.
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Point-blank range ... The masked man reaches into the patrol car. Picture: Philadelphia PoliceSource:AFP
Flees ... The suspect runs away. Picture: Philadelphia PoliceSource:AFP
Bravery ... Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnettsurvived the attack and is recovering in hospital. Picture: Philadelphia Police DepartmentSource:AP
Unprovoked attack ... A headshotof Edward Archer, 30, the suspect in the shooting.Picture: Mark MakelaSource:AFP
Evidence ... A gun sits by a marker on the street following the shootingin West Philadelphia. Picture: Joseph KaczmarekSource:AP
Assassinationattempt ... Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Rosssaid the suspect tried to execute the police officer. Picture: Mark Make

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict : Movie Review on Web Wombat Entertainment

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
by Lisa Dib
Even if you have only bare-bones knowledge aboutart history,the name Guggenheim no doubt strikes a chord. The name is most synonymous with the Guggenheim Museum in New York, named after Solomon Guggenheim, and reflects the influence of thisimportantname on art and society of the time.
This documentary follows the life of art collector and socialite Peggy Guggenheim , and her influence and work in the art world in the first half of the 20th century; of course, as a member of a prominent society family, there wasn’t the kind of rags-to-riches stories you might find in other biopics. Indeed, there are little stakes at all. Peggy had some personal tragedies and was also widely considered the black sheep of her family, butshe remained, until her death in 1979, a rich and prominent figure. Not thata storyneeds to have poverty and conflict in order to be interesting, butwhen we are told thatPeggy was poor for a Guggenheim (having inherited $450,000 after her mother’s death, for instance, apparently a paltry sum) it’s hard to truly relate to the lives of the lofty upper-upper class.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict: Movie News and Reviews on Web
Much of the film is built aroundan audio interview between Peggy and her biographer, Jacqueline Bograd Weld. So much of this interview - the last of her life - was Weld asking aboutvarious artists in a vague way (“What was X like?”) and Peggy giving quite short, notterribly in-depth answers (“Lovely, very charming…”); much is made of her love life - her penchant for promiscuity - rather than, for example, how she went aboutbuying all the art she accumulated, or her tense and distantrelationshipwith her mother, or how her sister Hazel’s two children fell off a 13 storey building,many believing thatHazel pushed them. All of this, I feel, is much more interesting than what Samuel Beckett was like in the sack. Sadly, thisview of her as a promiscuous eccentric is also lumped in with an idea of her as being very determined, butsomewhat homely. Indeed, the documentary practically opens with an interviewee saying how Peggy was never going to be a society queen thanks to her unattractiveness. Thanks for the input,bro.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict: Movie News and Reviews on Web
It skims the surface without delving in deeply enough; when Peggy speaks of her first marriage to Laurence Vail, she describes - quite flippantly- the abuse she suffered at his hands,though maintains he didn’t“beat her, really” (something that, sadly, drew a few laughs from the audience); Peggy’s relationshipswith her daughter Pegeen and sonSindbadare weirdly skimmed over, except when Pegeen is a part of a groundbreaking all-female show curated by Peggy, and her suicide at the age of 42 after years of depression; even her father Benjamin’s death - he died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, after helping others to safety, and was even featured in the 1997 film ("We've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go downlike gentlemen”) - which must have had a profound effect on her consideringthe love she strongly proclaimed for him, is only touched on.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict: Movie News and Reviews on Web
There are, obviously,some notably interesting points: Peggy was renowned for being cheap, but - and I would wager thisis connected - she was also incredibly generous to artists of note in her book, funding artists from her own pocket so that they may work in peace, including the now householdname of Jackson Pollock. She was determined to create unique and powerful spaces for art-lovers to enjoy the works she had collected, creating visually interesting and sometimes physically imposinggallery spaces. She had also been integral in rescuing Max Ernst (who she would later go on to marry) and his work from the Nazis in the early 1940s.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict: Movie News and Reviews on Web
There is also the key fact thatshe was a powerful, driven and successful women working in a very male-dominated world, and still attemptingto carve outa professional niche in a time when women were still expected to stick to lunchingand domesticity. She definitely helped to bolster the credibility and popularityof surrealism, abstract art and cubism in her time - she looks back somewhat regretfully at how much the works of art thatshe paid virtually nothingfor (comparatively) are worthnow. It is maintained in the film thatit was always aboutthe art, never the money, thoughmoney does come up quite a bit; is anythingfree from being ‘aboutmoney’?

Daddy's Home : Movie Review on Web Wombat Entertainment

The people behind Daddy’s Home are goodat what they do. Both the various writers and director work almost exclusively on thistype of broad, silly comedy; they’re notstraight-to-DVD bombs, butif one of them was on telly while you were folding the washing,you’d probably leave it on. Some of these efforts are better than others. Co-writer and director Sean Anders (Dumb and Dumber To, We’re The Millers), along with fellow writers Brian Burns (Entourage) and JohnMorris (She’s Out Of My League, Horrible Bosses 2), have created another vehicle for a “straight”, silly WillFerrell to team up/dobattle with a kinda-scary meathead Mark Wahlberg (they previously starred together in 2010’sThe Other Guys) in a storyof family. And it sure is a...movie.
Ferrell plays Brad, a smooth jazz radio exec (who lives in a much, much nicer house than I imagine he and his wife can afford - why is everyone in movies a millionaire?) who is loving life playing stepdad to his wife Sarah’s (Linda Cardellini ) kids. As per usual with comedies of thisilk, “everything is justfine, until…” Dusty, Sarah’s super cool ex husbandand father of the kids shows up. Brad and Dusty are deliberately set up as literal polar opposites;Brad is old-fashioned, sweet, naive and dorky, Dusty is cliche cool, rough aroundthe edges, athletic and ruggedly charming. There’s no nuance to either of them, butthere isn’treally any to speak of in the rest of the film, either.
Daddy’s Home has some funny moments. The ones thatare less reliant on a grown man horribly injuringhimself, or animals urinating,weren’t half bad; Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spiderman 3) elicits some goodlaughs as Brad’s filter-less boss,and comedian Hannibal Buress , as handyman-cum-sidekick/comedic relief Griff is, as always, a lot of fun. But there isn’tmuch else to say aboutit. It wasn’t an offensive film: it didn’t have the sexism/transphobia/fat-shaming/etc of truly woeful comedies, butthere was nothingto make the film particularly happily memorable either. Like most of these middle-of-the-road comedies, there are a handful of standoutlines, butthe rest of the film otherwise flies by.
Will Ferrell is such a fine actor, both dramatically and comedically, so it bothers me to see him continually do these MOR films. Obviously, he has done a lot of films playing more of the meathead role (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, Semi Pro, etc.), so it’s nice to see him in the more “tanpants geek” role thathe often slipped into on
Saturday Night Live . But they still didn’thave nearly enoughto jokes to keep the film afloat.

Saudi Arabia Beheading

Saudi beheading soar in 2015 with one person beheaded every two days on average
FORCED to their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and just moments later beheaded by an executioner wielding a sword — that was the fate of at least one person, on average, every two days in Saudi Arabia in 2015.
Beheadings last year reached their highest level in the kingdom in 20 years, according to human rights groups that monitor the death penalty worldwide.
And that’s not including the 47 people killed in Saturday’s executions, which have plunged the Middle East into further turmoil as Iran vows to exact “divine revenge” after protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.
Human Rights Watch Middle East researcher Adam Coolge said Saudi Arabia executed 158 people in total in 2015 compared to 90 the year before.
Catherine Higham, a caseworker for Reprieve, which works against the death penalty worldwide, said her organisation documented 157 executions in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia carries out most executions through beheading, sometimes in public with crowds gathered to watch the spectacle.
Saudi Arabia does not release annual tallies, though it does announce individual executions, including those of foreign nationals, in state media throughout the year.
Amnesty said Saudi Arabia had exceeded its highest level of executions since 1995,when 192executions were recorded.
Saudi law allows for execution in cases of murder, drug offences and rape.
Though seldom carried out, the death penalty also applies to adultery, apostasy and witchcraft.
The kingdom’s representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Bandar al-Aiban, said in an address in Geneva in March that capital punishment applies “only (to) those who commit heinous crimes that threaten security.”
Coinciding with the rise in executions was the number of people executed for nonlethal offences that judges have wide discretion to rule on, particularly for drug-related crimes.
Rights group Amnesty International said in November that at least 63 people had been executed since the start of the year for drug-related offences. That figure made for at least 40 per cent of the total number of executions in 2015, compared to less than four per cent for drug-related executions in 2010.
But while most crimes, including premeditated murder, may carry fixed punishments under Saudi Arabia’s interpretation of the Islamic law, or Shariah, drug-related offences are considered “ta’zir”, meaning neither the crime nor the punishment is defined in Islam.
Discretionary judgments for “ta’zir” crimes have led to arbitrary rulings with contentious outcomes.
In a lengthy report issued in August, Amnesty International noted the case of Lafi al-Shammari, a Saudi national with no previous criminal record who was executed in mid-2015 for drug trafficking. The person arrested with him and charged with the same offences received a 10-year prison sentence, despite having prior arrests related to drug trafficking.
Human Rights Watch found that of the first 100prisoners executed in 2015, 56 had been based on judicial discretion and not for crimes for which Islamic law mandates a specific death penalty punishment.
Sharia scholars hold vastly different views on the application of the death penalty, particularly for cases of “ta’zir.”
Delphine Lourtau, research director at Cornell Law School’s Death Penalty Worldwide, said there are Shariah law experts “whose views are that procedural safeguards surrounding capital punishment are so stringent that they make death penalty almost virtually impossible.”
She said in Saudi Arabia, defendants are not provided defence lawyers and in numerous cases of South Asians arrested for drug trafficking, they are not provided translators in court hearings. She said there are also questions “over the degree of influence the executive has on trial outcomes” when it comes to cases where Shiite activists are sentenced to death.
Emory Law professor and Shariah scholar Abdullahi An-Naim said because there is an “inherent infallibility in court systems,” no judicial system can claim to enforce an immutable, infallible form of Shariah.
“There is a gap between what Islam is and what Islam is as understood by human beings,” he said. “Sharia was never intended to be coercively applied by the state.”
Similar to how the US Constitution is seen as a living document with interpretations that have expanded over the years, more so is the Koran, which serves as a cornerstone of Shariah, he said. The other half to Shariah is the judgments carried out by the Prophet Muhammad.
Virtually anything else becomes an interpretation of Shariah and not Shariah itself, An-Naim said.
Of Islam’s four major schools of thought, the underpinning of Saudi Arabia’s legal system is based on the most conservative Hanbali branch and an ideology widely known as Wahhabiism.
A 2005 royaldecree issued in Saudi Arabia, to combat narcotics, further codified the right of judges to issue execution sentences “as a discretionary penalty” against any person found guilty of smuggling, receiving, or manufacturing drugs.
Saudi Arabia has been compared to the extremist Islamic State group, which also carries out public beheadings and claims to be implementing Shariah.
Saudi Arabia strongly rejects this.
In December, its Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Paris “it’s easy to say Wahhabiism equals Daesh equals terrorism, which is not true.”
Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
Unlike the extrajudicial beheadings IS carries out against hostages and others, the kingdom said its judiciary process requires at least 13 judges at three levels of court to rule in favour of a death sentence before it is carried out.
Saudi officials also argue executions are aimed at combating crime.
Even with the kingdom’s record level of executions in 2015, Amnesty International said China, where information about the death penalty is a “state secret,” is believed to execute more individuals that the rest of the world’s figures combined.
Reprieve said that in Iran, more than 1,000 people were executed in 2015.
Another organisation called Iran Human Rights, which is based in Oslo, Norway, and closely follows executions, said at least 648people had been executed in the first six months of 2015 in the Islamic Republic, with more than two-thirds for drug offences.
Reprieve said Pakistan executed at least 315people in 2015, after the country lifted a moratorium on executions early last year following a December 2014 Taliban attack on a school that killed 150people, most of them children.
Only a fraction of those executed since then have been people convicted of a terrorist attack.

Iran’s warning to Saudi Arabia as diplomatic ties are severed

Iran’s warning to Saudi Arabia as diplomatic ties are severed
IRAN warned Saudi Arabia to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of regional instability.
In the latest salvo in a dispute that has seen Saudi Arabia and some of its Sunni Arab allies cut ties with Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifsaid Riyadh must end its prolonged efforts to confront Iran.
“For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran’s diplomacy,” Zarifsaid at a joint press conference in Tehran with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari.
“Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement,” Zarifsaid.
“This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united ... and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire.” The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh.
The row between Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, and Shiite-dominated Iran erupted following Riyadh’s execution on Saturday of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
His death sparked Shiite demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom’s consulate in second city Meshed.
Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by several of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador.
The row has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen.
Kerry in bid for calm
The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has made repeated calls to both Iranian and Saudi leaders.
“He is urging calm. He is stressing the need for dialogue and engagement, and thirdly, reminding that, again, there’s lots of work to be done in the region,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.
“It’s important to work though that tension, work though those disagreements, so that we can all work harder together on other issues which are affecting the Middle East writ large,” he said.
Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial in resolving a range of issues in the Middle East, where they are often on opposing sides.
In Syria, Iran is supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia.
In Yemen, Riyadh is leading a military intervention against Iran-backed Shiite rebels who have seized control of large parts of the country.
UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has also been in touch with Saudi and Iranian leaders to urge calm, and the Security Council has condemned the attack on Riyadh’s diplomatic missions.
On Tuesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani accused Saudi Arabia of focusing attention on the incident to “cover its crime” of executing Nimr.
Iran ‘never sought tension’
“We have never sought to create tension. We have always adopted a policy of interaction and dialogue,” Zarif said, reiterating that the violent scenes at the embassy were “not justified”.
“All Iranian officials condemn it,” he added.
This week has seen several sectarian attacks in Iraq as the row escalated, including the bombings of two Sunni mosques, raising fears the country could plunge back into all-out civil conflict.
“Some people want to create the spark that will reignite war among Iraqis and we must stop them because such acts only serve the enemies of Iraq,” said Mohammed Abdelfattah, a Sunni cleric from the Iraqi town of Hilla where several attacks have taken place.
Shiite-majority Iraq has close ties with Tehran.
Jaafari, who was to hold talks later with Rouhani, said Iraq was seeking a potential diplomatic role to help resolve the crisis and echoed the concerns about sectarianism.
“I have spoken to the foreign ministers of some of the Arab countries to reduce the consequences of this issue and prevent enemies from dragging the region into a war that can have no winners,” Jaafari said.
Media reports said his counterpart from Oman, which has often played a mediating role in the region, was also expected in the Iranian capital on Wednesday.
Oman’s foreign ministry on Wednesday expressed its “deep regret” over the embassy attack but the country did not announce any measures against Iran.
Nimr, one of 47 men executed on Saturday, was a driving force behind 2011 anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
He was arrested in 2012 after calling for two Saudi governorates to be separated from the kingdom.

Javascript Alert

http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/skeletons-eating-grass-the-horror-gripping-syrian-town-of-madaya/news-story/4c20b314b1405566d7a3ad20c0c2554b Skeletons eating grass’: The horror gripping Syrian town of Madaya
WARNING: Graphic content.
AFTER eating all the dogs and cats, the skeletal residents of Madaya have reportedy begun making grass soup.
So desperate is the situation in the besieged Syrian town near the capital Damascus, starving townsfolk — some 40,000of them — are braving landmines and snipers to scrounge for food despite a rare ceasefire deal that was meant to allow aid to enter.
“We’ve forgotten what bread tastes like,” 27-year-old Mohamed told AFP from the town near the Lebanese border.
People trapped in Madaya are starving to death, Mohamed and other residents said in interviews, and few have any hope.
“The situation has become very tragic,” he said.
Syria’s government gave permission overnight for UN aid deliveries to three besieged towns, including Madaya, which has been cut off by Syrian government forces who have planted landmines all around it in an ongoing battle with anti-government rebels.
Both Madaya and neighbouring Zabadani are under the control of a loose alliance of opposition forces, including secular rebels and Islamist groups.
They are encircled by regime forces, and last year were part of a deal, along with two rebel-besieged villages in northwestern Syria, to allow aid in and the exit of civilians and the wounded.
But so far Madaya has seen only a one-off aid delivery three months ago, and residents, activists, and aid agencies describe dire conditions in the town now.
“There’s nothing to eat anymore. Nothing but water has entered my mouth for two days,” 32-year-old Momina said.
“We just want someone to tell us if help is coming or not because we have nothing here.” Mohamed said the cost of what food was available was astronomical. “The situation has become very tragic. Very little can be smuggled in, so the prices of food are extremely high,” he said.
“A bag of milk can go for $100, a kilo of rice for $150,” he said.
Al Jazeera reports that residents have eaten all the towns cats and dogs and were now being forced to eat grass to survive.
Adding to the horror — and the death toll — is a winter deep freeze that has blanketed the town in snow.
SURVIVING ON WEEDS
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 10 people have died from lack of food and medicine in the town.
Another 13 have been killed by regime mines or snipers while trying to leave in search of food, the monitoring group said.
It said regime forces had placed additional mines and barbed wire around Madaya since the September deal, adding that some 1,200 people inside had chronic illnesses, and more than 300children there were suffering from malnutrition and other ailments.
“Many of the town’s residents have been forced to survive on weeds and others pay huge sums of money at government checkpoints to obtain food,” Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman said.
“One resident who was really suffering put his car on sale for the price of 10 kilos of rice. He is one of many who did that. He didn’t manage to sell it, and a relative of his died as a result of the food shortages,” he added.
“Young people, women and children have turned into skeletons from hunger. The town needs everything,” said Moaz al-Qalamuni, a journalist in Madaya.
Pawel Krzysiek, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross who entered Madaya during the last aid delivery, also painted a bleak picture.
‘MOTHERS CANNOT LACTATE’
“People for far too long have been left without all the basics, basic food supplies, basic medicines, no electricity and no water ... I really saw the hunger in the people’s eyes,” he told AFP.
“People were begging us for baby milk,” during the aid delivery, he added. “They said the mothers cannot lactate, they are malnourished, they are scared. There is no way to feed newborns and the young babies.” The crisis comes despite a rare deal that was intended to bring relief to Madaya and Zabadani, along with the government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib province, which are under rebel siege.
The September deal produced a six-month truce to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of wounded civilians and fighters.
A first aid delivery went ahead, and in December some 450fighters and civilians from Zabadani, Fuaa and Kafraya were evacuated.
“The UN welcomes today’s approval from the government of Syria to access Madaya, Fuaa and Kafraya and is preparing to deliver humanitarian assistance in the coming days,” a UN statement said.
But Krzysiek said “one-off, one shot food deliveries” were not a solution.
“In places like that, that have been left without aid for months, even years, you really need to deliver regularly to makes sure that people have enough to food to feed themselves and their families.”
SOME HOPE
“When the news broke out (of UN aid deliveries) some people fired into the air to celebrate, but most are still waiting to see the food to believe it because they have been disappointed in the past,” Maaz al-Qalamuni told AFP by telephone from Madaya.
Aid deliveries are also expected to reach 20,000people trapped in the Shiite towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, in northwestern Idlib province.
The deliveries are not expected to start for several days due to administrative delays and certainly not before the weekend, which falls on Friday and Saturday in Syria, aid workers in the country said.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is expected to discuss the flow of aid during talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is due Saturday in Damascus on a new mission to organise peace talks between the regime and its opponents.
More than 260,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011 andmillions forced from their homes.

Sofia Mechetner : Fashion Model Profile on Web Wombat Lifestyle

http://www.webwombat.com.au/lifestyles/pages/lifestyles/fashion-beauty/sofia-mechetner.htm Sofia Mechetner
Profiled by Steve Polak
Can you be a super model at 14?
The unassuming Sofia Mechetner seems to suggestthatthisis all too easy. In a rags to riches storythatwould make Cinderella blush, Mechetner looks set to take the fashionworld by storm.
Coming from the Israeli industrialhub of Holon, justsouth of Tel Aviv, Mechetner has landed a prime job with Dior for her first professional gig.
Last year Sofia was sleeping on a mattress on the floor, as her bed had broken and her mother simply didn’thave enoughmoney to replace it.
Indeed the family were strugglingso much that even staples like Cornflakes were sometimes out of reach, as Sofia, her mother, her brother and sister tried to get by as they lived in a small one bedroom housingproject flat.
Sofia’s single mother was jugglingwork and trying her best to look after her three children, with no outside supportof any note, having separated from the children’s father in 2010.
This often meant takingseveral jobs at once with Ms Mechetner having to work as a seamstress, aged care provider, masseuse and cleaner at various times.
As such the youngmodel’s mother wasn’t home all of the time and so as the eldest, Sofia had to clean, cook and care for her siblings. Not thatshe felt thiswas unfair, or overly toughfor a girl of her age. In a recent interview on UK TV’s Channel 2 Sofia was candid abouther upbringingsaying, “it is goodenoughfor me. I am notspoiled.”
However, all of thislooks set to change, as the waif like 14 year old has been paid in one hit more than her mother (who brings in around $USD 265 weekly) would have been able to earn in two decades.
With Sofia’s first pay check, totalling $USD265,000, the youngmodel was able to completely transform the lives of her family.
The leggy 178 centimetre blond has all of the tools to make a big splashin the world of international modelling. The high cheekbones, translucentblue eyes and gamin like features were enoughto see Sofia signed up on the spot when her mother tooka chance and visited the Israeli modelling agency ‘Roberto’.
Agency founder RobertoBen Shosanwas blown away by Sofia’s striking features and told Israel’s I-24 news TV program he was compelled to sign Sofia on the spot. In the interview he said, “whenI first saw her, I knew she was one of a kind”.
What followed next was Sofia’s first aeroplane flight to Paris, as she was chaperoned by Roberto’sCEO Rotem Gur to attend an audition for a fashionphotoshoot.
Hopes were dashed as Sofia was quickly told she was too youngfor thatparticular job.
However, one bit of bad luck led to an enormous stroke of goodfortune. Sofia and Rotem decided to shake off their disappointmentregarding the photoshoot by going for a meander along Paris’ renowned Avenue de Montaigne.
The strip is well knownfor its celebrity clientèle and high fashionboutiques. In one such store Rotem was shocked to see an extremely prominent fashionidentity standingjustnear the cash register. Rotem and Sofia had by pure chance stumbled uponleading fashionlabel Dior’s head designer Raf Simons.
After a quick introductionand a candid photo together it was clear Raf was intrigued. What followed was a flurry of meetings and introductions.
After a few weeks wait Sofia was to be signed with Dior on a two year deal. This also included takingpart in the prestigiousParis Fashion Week, where Sofia made her runway debut in a semi-opaque long sheer gown.
When she found outshe was to be signed by Dior Sofia telephoned her mum and said thatshe could now quit her job and since then the girl from Holonhas become somethingof a celebrity in Israel.
There have been some who have criticised Sofia’s ascendency at such a tender age. However, part of her contract stipulatesthatshe is to be continually chaperoned. Sofia is also keen to remain groundedand is eager to finish her schoolingand never lose sight of her desire to stay humble and help her family.
Sofia says, “it is very importantfor me to continue to go to school. I'm still very youngand I know thatwherever I go, I can expect to be accompanied up until the age of 18.”
Meanwhile, the plan is to help family with a nicer flat and a few more of life’s essentials. Sofia is happy to, “puther pay check on the table” to be shared with her mother and siblings.
Her current contract requires Sofia to make a minimum of four trips a year to Paris for Dior. However, once thatis done and dustedwe think we will see more of the striking youngMechetner.

White House Disputes North Korea’s Claim of Hydrogen Bomb Test - NYTimes.com

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/world/asia/north-korea-hydrogen-bomb-claim-reactions.html?_r=0 White House Disputes North Korea’s Claim of Hydrogen Bomb Test
President Park Geun-hye of South Korea, center, convened an urgent meeting of her top national security aides in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday.
SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL BLUE HOUSE, VIA GETTY IMAGES
By CHOE SANG-HUN and DAVID E. SANGER
JANUARY 6, 2016
SEOUL, South Korea — The White House said Wednesday that initial data fromits monitoring stations in Asia were “not consistent” with NorthKorea’s claim that the nuclear test it carried out earlier in the day was its first test ofa hydrogen bomb, a far morepowerfulweaponthan the country had previously built.
The statement by Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, came as the United Nations Security Council condemnedthe test aftera two-hour closed-door meeting, and afterChina, Britain, France, Japan and other powers indicated that they would consider action against the country.
The United States did notindicate the basis for its skepticism. But the seismic wave left by the explosion was smaller than what most experts would expect from the detonation ofa true thermonuclear weapon. Some experts said it was possible that the Northhad increased the yield ofa moretraditional deviceusing tritium, a technique that has often been used in the 70-year history ofnuclear weapons.
The true nature ofthe test may notberevealed until results are back fromatmospheric testing, and eventhey may be inconclusive.
Earlierin the day, officials and analysts in South Korea cast doubtonthe North’s claim, saying that the seismological data fromthe test was morein keeping with a simpleruranium- or plutonium-based atomic device.
Lee Cheol-woo, a memberofthe intelligence committee ofthe South Korean National Assembly, said his country’s National Intelligence Service had estimated that the explosive yield fromthe test was equivalent to six kilotons ofTNT. (By comparison, the atomic bomb droppedonHiroshimain 1945 explodedwith 15 kilotons of energy.)
A hydrogen bombwould have yielded “hundreds ofkilotons or, evenif it is a failed test, tens of kilotons,” Mr. Lee told reporters. The North’s last nuclear test, in
February 2013, set offa magnitude4.9 tremor. The South estimated that the bomb detonatedonWednesday resulted in a magnitude4.8 seismic event, smaller than the 4.9 to5.2 range that American, Europeanand Chinese authorities had reported.
InSeoul, President ParkGeun-hye convened an urgent meeting ofher top national security aides. As South Korea’s military increased its vigilance along the heavily militarized border with the North, its diplomats rushed to discuss with allies what Ms. Park called “strong sanctions” against Pyongyang.
She said that Pyongyang’s claim, if true, “could potentially shake up the security landscape of Northeast Asia and fundamentally change the nature ofthe NorthKorean nuclear threat.”
PrimeMinister ShinzoAbe of Japan called the test “totally unacceptable” and “a grave threat toJapan’s security,” and he called onthe Security Council totake “firm measures.”
Pyongyang’s sole major ally, China, has been increasingly impatientwith the North’s behaviorand did nothide its displeasure onWednesday. “Today, despite the opposition of the international community, NorthKorea carried out a nuclear test,” Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conferencein Beijing. “China is strongly against this act.”
But so far, Beijinghas notbeen willing tototally cut off Pyongyang. “China may strongly criticize the North, but once the issue arrives at the Security Council, it will focus on preventingsanctions that can affect the stability ofthe North Korean regime,” said Chun Yung-woo, a senior adviser at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul and a formertop negotiatorfor South Korea in nuclear talks with the North. “North Korea knows it toowell.”
China, Japan, Russia and the United States, along with the Koreas, are parties in the long-suspended six-nation talks aimed at endingthe North’s nuclear weapons program. At a summit meetingin Washington in October, Ms. Parkand President Obama urgedPyongyang to rejoin those negotiations and warned against a fourth nuclear test. But NorthKorea insisted that the United States first agree tonegotiate a peace treaty with the Northtoreplace the armistice that endedthe Korean War in 1953.
The content and timing ofthe North’s announcement came largely as a surprise, though Pyongyang’s seemingly erratic behaviormay bepart ofa calculated strategy toraise the stakes in any negotiations with the South and with the United States, and tobolster the reputation ofNorthKorea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, at home beforean important party meeting.
Last month, Mr. Kim claimed for the first timethat his country was ready toexplode a hydrogen bomb, and in a NewYear’s Day speech, he called for “modernized” and “more diverse means ofmilitary strike.” Still, the speech did notspecifically mentionnuclear weapons, and it also emphasizedthe need to improveliving standards, so few if any officials or analysts had seen the test coming.
“This raises skepticism about our intelligence-gathering capabilities,” said Kim Dong-yup, an analyst at the University of NorthKorean Studies in Seoul.
Since inheriting power afterthe death ofhis father, Kim Jong-il, in late 2011, Mr. Kim has purged top members ofhis party and of the military elite — and he has provedtobemoreambitious than his father in the pursuit of long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, evenin the face of warnings fromChina.
Under Mr. Kim, NorthKorea launched twolong-range rockets, putting a satellite into orbit in the second attempt, in December 2012. The same year, the North revisedits Constitution todeclare itself a nuclear power. Two months afterthe North’s third — and Mr. Kim’s first — nuclear test, in February 2013, his Workers’ Party adopteda new national strategy: growingits nuclear arsenal and rebuilding its economy at the same time.
Mr. Kim wants his people to consider nuclear weapons the linchpin oftheir survival, but Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned that the North’s nuclear ambitionswould only deepen its isolation.
“The benefits ofbeinga nuclear power — todeterexternal threats and prove strength domestically — must in his mind outweigh the costs offacing yet another roundofcondemnation and sanctions, which Pyongyang is used toby now,” said John Delury, a NorthKorea expertat Yonsei University in Seoul. “So with this test, he projectspower and claims toenhance national security.”
The Workers’ Party is scheduled tohold its first full-fledged congress since 1980 this May. With nobig improvementsin the lives ofNorthKoreans, Mr. Kim needs something else toshow for his four-year-old rule.
“The biggest achievement Kim Jong-un can offerahead ofthe party congress is his nuclear program,” said ChoiKang, vice president ofthe Asan Institute. “It also means that things don’t look goodin the economic sector.”
Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea specialist at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, said the Northhad madeits hydrogen bombclaim toposition itself in the United States presidential campaign and, perhaps, toenter negotiations with the next administration with increased leverage.
Inrecent years, it has become increasingly clear fromthe North’s pronouncements that its ultimate goal is tocementits status as a nuclear power, and to use that position tohaggle with Washington and its allies towin diplomatic recognition and other concessions.
“There can neither besuspended nuclear developmentnor nuclear dismantlement onthe part ofthe Northunless the U.S. has rolled back its vicious hostile policy towardthe former,” NorthKorea said in a briefannouncement on Wednesday. Itsaid Mr. Kim had madeup his mindlast monthto conduct the hydrogen bombtest, and had signed a final orderon Sunday.
Mr. Chun, the formernegotiator, warned that it would bea mistake for Washington and Seoul torely onChina using its economicleverage toforceNorth Korea tochange course. He said the Northwould budgeonly if the United States and its allies put in place sanctions strong enough tothreaten its survival, like denying portcalls for ships carrying NorthKorean cargo.
China, a permanentmemberof the Security Council, could veto any additional sanctions.

Latest UFO News | UFO News Today | Recent UFO News | UFOs | Worldwide

http://ufodigest.com/article/historic-laguna-lake-theremin-ufo-incident The Historic “Laguna Lake ‘Theremin UFO’ Incident”
HI-TECH HEARING AIDS CAPTURE THE SOUND OF UFO
By Jeff Krause, MUFON Investigator
(Copyright 2015,JeffKrause – All Rights Reserved)
<Edited by RobertD. Morningstar >
*******
On November 06, 2015 , a local San Luis Obispo (SLO), California
photographer was at Laguna Lake
photographing birds, when he had an encounter with a UFO that he will never forget. The photographic evidence for this case is verycompelling, however, what makes this a more significant case is not so much what he saw, but rather because ofwhat he heard.
Ifirst heard about this case when I was out walking my dogs, and ran into a neighbor of mine who I had met previously when we were both out in the neighborhood with our cameras taking pictures. Since he wishes to remain anonymous, for reasons that will bevery clear as I go on, I will not use his name. Because I find made-up names to be confusing, I will just refer to him as “the witness”. Suffice it to say that we had previously struck up a friendship over photography, not UFOs, although we had touched upon the subject before, and he was aware of my status as State Director So CA for MUFON.
The witness is a retired Army Veteran, who served four years active duty back in the 1960s. He learned about photography from the airmen who worked at Lajes Air Force Base in the Azores, back in 1961, and had his own darkroom for a while. Today he prefers using the Nikon D800 and a Nikon D90. Whenasked tosummarizehis job in the Army this is what he had tosay:
“I was asked to join the Army Security Agency because of my test scores. The ASA units served with regular army units but we took our orders from
DIRNSA, Director, National Security Agency not the Department of Defense. My job was a Communications Center Specialist. I was granted a Top Secret Crypto clearance to do the job. I had access to Sensitive compartmented information that was contained under the UMBRA code word and access to information considered way above Top Secret, which I cant talk about.”
Hopefully this explains why he wishes to remain anonymous for now, and also establishes his credibility.
The witness also relies on hearing aids , and has some remarkable ones that are made by Siemens
called Pure Binax. They use a
Hearing Loop Induction technology that enables signals from compatible devices to be directly transmitted to the users hearing aids. This comes in handy at places such as theatres, museums, and other places that use the compatible systems. They also played a key role in the witness’ experience.
The witness explained all this to me as we continued walking my dogs, but then when he told me how it was relevant, I asked him to send me an email detailing exactly how the pictures were taken. Here is part ofhis email:
“I think that I heard the sound of an unidentified object and captured that same object with myNikon D800 on 6 Nov 2015at the dry lake bed of Laguna Lake.”
*******
“I am a Veteran and gotbrand new hearing aidson Oct 5 at the clinic herein SLO. They include the feature to use inductive hearing at movie theaters etc. that have that system. I was taking HDR imagesof the dry lakebed.  A group of 5 images, same f-stop, different shutter speeds to gather all the image data, then move camera 15 degrees and repeat until panorama is complete. I took the photos with a Professional camera; a Nikon D800 mounted on a tripod at 4.5 frames per second. I took the first groupof 5, then rotated the camera 15 degrees and grabbed the remote to press the shutter and there was a very loud noise coming thrumyhearing aids that went from one sideto the other and wasgone.  I wasstunned, but being new to hearing aids I just got on with my pictures. When I got home I downloaded the
photos from the camera into the computer."
Then, using Photoshop Lightroom, I assembled the HDRimage from the 7 groups of 5 images. Upon looking at the completed images, I noticed that a bird had been in the scene on the second group of 5. And then I noticed that in addition to the multiple images of the bird there was the image of a Disk-shaped object, but I found only one. I checked the RAW files produced by the camera, and the object is onlyon the 1 of the 5 images fromthe second set. ”
The UFO, a Cessna Sky Hawk, and a real hawk , all captured in the same photo have been enlarged and enhanced by photo analyst Robert Morningstar , as shown below and others that follow.
The photo shown above is theonlyphoto out of the set showing the UFO object in it.
Also visible in photoare an airplane, and some birds, all (except the UFO) are visible in the other photos.
Below is a copy of the picture that I adjusted the contrast on, and cropped to show only the object. As you can see, the details are rather startling, and do not appear to be a “bug” or a “bird.”. It would appear to have two appendages coming from it, equidistant from each other, and a dome or bubble on the top and center.
*******
Here Ihave resizedthe captured object, and tweaked the exposure tobringout details ofthe object.
Further adjustments (shown below) brought out moredetails.
*******
Normally, when a witness says that they did not see anything at the time when the picture was taken, it turns out to be nothing more than birds, insects, or water dropsonthe lens, so it was quite surprising to find something so interesting in his photograph.
In the enlargement above and the “equalized” enhancement done by Robert Morningstar, shown below, one can more clearly see either an exhaust plume, emanating from the UFO or, perhaps, an appendage of some sort that is not easily distinguishable in the unequalizedclose-up.
However, I think it is much more important thatthe hearing aidsthat the witness was using were apparently able to capture the sound produced by the UFO,either froman energyfield surrounding the object, electromagnetic interference, or perhaps, it may have been produced by the UFO propulsion sytem, i.e., the UFO’s ElectroMagnetoGravitic (EMG) Drive itself.
The witness described the unusual sound to me as being very loud, and that it sounded like a Theremin, an electronic musical instrument, invented in Soviet Russiain 1920by a young Russian physicist namedLev Sergeyevich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
The eerie sound of a Thereminis familiar to us all from 1940s & 50s science fiction movies, such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Man From PlanentX.”
The witness also reported that he heard the sound of the UFO, picked up and amplifiedby the high tech hearing aids , traveling through his head from one side tothe other, in less than a second.
I find the testimony about the sound, coupled along with the
picture and the analysis I’ve done of it, to be compelling evidence that the witness captured a unique, and excellent photo of a genuine UFO, which has been dubbed “The Laguna Lake ‘Theremin UFO’ Incident“ by Robert Morningstar, Editor of UFO Digest.

Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan Review : Test Drive on Web Wombat Motoring

Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan : Review & Road Test
Review by MichaelTancredi - 17 December 2015
With the Series II upgrade to the Pulsar range coming onto the market earlier thisyear, Nissan have dropped the Ti model from the Pulsar line-up and replaced it with, what is now their top of the range for the Pulsar, the SSS. While maintaining many of the current features of the Ti thisnew SSS has been upgradedwith the inclusionof a 1.6L DIG Turbo engine, a distinctive range of body add-ons to distinguishit from the two other models in the range, and rear park assist. Nissan have enhanced the model while are the same time reducing the price by over 10% for what was the outgoingTi.
The Pulsar range sits in the small passenger car segment and comprises the base model ST, ST-L and now the sporty performing SSS.
We had the pleasure of recently puttinga manual SSS throughthe hoopsand under the microscope over a week and found it to be a very quiet, comfortable and smooth car to drive with a bit of oomph under the bonnet.
Make: Nissan
Model: Pulsar SSS Sedan Series II
Price: $26,990*
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Engine: 1.6-litre DIG-T (Petrol)
Max Power: 140kW
Max Torque: 240Nm
Fuel consumption: 7.7L/100kms
CO2 Emissions: 185g/km
Safety: 5 Star ANCAP rated
Car Supplier: Nissan Australia
QUICK LINKS
Drive Engine Exterior Interior Safety
Drive: 4.0/5
The Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan is an extremely comfortable car and provided a very quiet and smooth driving experience. Steering was light to the touch yet with enoughfeel to give a positive sense of the road surface and to provide responsive handlingperformance. The leather bound steering wheel was well shaped, a good size and comfortable to hold. The vehicle maintained an excellent line and held the road firmly throughcorners, bends, chicanes and roundabouts.
We tookthe SSS over all types of road surfaces: freeways, suburban streets and throughwinding country roads. We tackled sealed and unsealed roads under different conditions.The suspension system (comprised of front McPherson strutsand rear Torsion beam, both with stabiliser bar) evened outthose bounces and bumps you find over rough corrugated unsealed roads and made it a very smooth driving experience.
Acceleration was excellent when pulling away from a standingpositionand when applying the pedal at all speeds. Even at higher speed, acceleration response times were excellent just drop it back a gear or two and feel yourself pushed back into the seat.
The vehicle performed extremely well under hard brakingat various speeds. When brakinghard, under all road conditionsand regardless of road surface, the all arounddiscs pulled the vehicle up beautifully. The 205/50 R17 tyres gripped the road well and the vehicle held a straight line.
Vision ahead throughthe large windscreen was clear and unobstructedby the bonnet.
Cabin noise was minimal at suburban speeds. One could easily conduct a conversation, listen to relaxing music or talk back radio without either raising your voice or needing to turn up the volume too high.
At nightthe auto levelling Xenon headlights headlamps emit a clear, white, broad angle spread of light thatgave an excellent, clean view of the road ahead.
We experienced no difficulty getting in and outof tight parkingspots.
Engine/ Transmission: 4.0/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan comes 1.6-litre DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline Turbo-charged) engine petrol engine. It has a power outputof 140kW @ 5600rpm and generates torque of 230Nm @ 1600-5200rpm. This turbocharged four cylinder engine has been aroundsince 2010 and currently also powers the Juke Ti-S CVT AWD. We found it provided smooth, quiet and pretty rapid acceleration. Light weight in design it is claimed to reduce friction and also lower fuel consumptionand CO2 output.
Transmission across the range is available in either 6 speed manual or Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Xtronic CVT basically doesn’tuse traditional fixed gear ratios butmoves up and downthe gear range seamlessly by means of a pulley/belt system. This eliminates the gear change jolt and hence lossof power and improves fuel economy. We drove a 6 speed manual version and found it to provide clean and smooth gears changes.
The stated average fuel consumption for the SSS manual under controlled conditions is 7.7 L/100km and CO2 claimed emission under a variety of driving conditions for the SSS is 185g/km. As a guide, the Australian national average carbon emissions from new passenger and light commercial vehicles was 199g/km [Carbon Dioxide Emissions from New Australian Vehicles 2012 : Information Paper March 2013]. For a small car with engine and transmission claimed to minimise CO2 output, the result is a tad disappointing.
Recommended fuel is 98 RON.
Exterior: 3.5/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan is a neat lookingsmall car with a sleek aerodynmically shaped body. It's a look thathas been aroundfor a few years for Nissan butstill stands the test of time. When it comes to external looks, what distinguishesthe SSS from the ST amd ST-L is the rear spoiler and the side skirt,and that's aboutit. Although,it can be argued thatwith these additional features add a sporty flavour, it's really a mute point.
The front and rear of the vehicle are distinguished by the large wrap aroundlight arrays (Xenon headlightswith auto levelling and washers in front), LED running lights,both front and rear and fog lights.
The SSS sits on 17” Sports Alloy Wheels wrapped 205/50 R17 tyres. It measures 4,615mm long, is 1,495mm high and is 1,760mm wide (excluding mirrors). It has a wheel base of 2,700mm and a tight turningcircle of 10.7 metres. The SSS comes with a full sized spare wheel.
The body is comprised of one solid colour (excluding the door handles). The pillars are black as is the underside of the mirrors. The window surrounds,door handles, grill boarder and a strip on the boot are chrome. There are seven colours in the range, five of which are Metallic and incur and extra charge. All colours are available for all models. Our test vehicle was non Ebony (non-metallic).
Safety: 4.0/5
The Nissan Pulsar Sedan has been awarded a 5-star ANCAP safety rating with an overall score of 32.67 outof 37.
Standard with the Sedan are: driver and front passenger airbags and side impact airbags and front and rear curtain airbags.
Other standardsafety features for both models include:
anti-lock brakingsystem (ABS) with;
electronic brakeforce distribution(EBD); which applies varying brakingpressure to each wheel so thatthe maximum stoppingpower can be achieved while maintaining control of the vehicle;
electronic stability control (ESC); which improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction; and,
brake assist(BA); which automatically applies extra force to the brakes when emergency brakingis applied.
The Pulsar Sedan SSS comes standardwith rear (x3) acoustic parkingsensorsand rear view camera.
Interior: 4.0/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan has a spaciousinterior, offering more than enoughroom to easily seat five adult passengers. Seating offers good supportwhile being comfortable, although for the middle rear passenger, longer drives would probably prove a tad uncomfortable on the posterior. Rear seat passengers have a goodview forward. The ST & ST-L are upholstered in black cloth and the SSS in black leather.
The driver is in easy reach of all controlsand had goodline of sight to all instrumentation.The dash instrumentationwas an analogue/digitalmix comprising two goodsized circular dials, one housingthe speedometer the other the tachometer. Two small circular dials house the petrol and temperature gauges. These analogue dials surround the small rectangular on-board computer screen. The dials were easy to read at nightbutwith their grey background and black numbers and needles I found there was insufficient contrast to readily read the dials in bright sunlight.
Set into the centre console is a 5.8" integrated colour display with touch screen from which you can manage the soundand satellite navigation systems. The Navigation system well laid out, easy to read and relatively easy to program. The voice outputwas clear, concise and easy to follow. The 5.8-inch Touch Screen is standardin the ST-L and SSS.
The entertainment system powered the AM/FM radio and could handle inputfrom a single CD (with MP3 capability), USB, Aux and Bluetooth®. Output is via a six speaker system located throughoutthe cabin. The soundwas crisp and clear with goodbass,mid-range and high tones. An excellent and clear outputacross all volumes settings.
The steering wheel housesaudio source and volume controls,telephone controlsand cruise controls. All were easy to use and intuitive to use and was a combination of buttonand toggle.
The duel electronic climate control system provided excellent volumes of air, ran quietly (typically, it was very quiet with the dial turned up to ½ way and became increasingly louder above thatmark). It also had a goodrange between cold and hot. Heating or cooling kicked in quickly.
There is more than ample storage nooks and crannies for anythingfrom maps, papers, books, bottle and all other paraphernalia thatcollects in a vehicle over the years. Interestingly, there are two cup holders for rear passengers in the fold forward arm rest.
Additional, features available to the SSS to make driving thatlittle more convenient are: rear view camera, key-less entry and startand electric side mirrors.
The boot capacity is extremely good. I was able to carry four sets of golf clubs with room to spare.
Overall: 4.0/5
Apartfor the additional power available from the 1.6-litre DIG-T engine, which you wouldn'tbe aware of until on the road, there is nota lot to differentiate the SSS from the other two Pulsars in the range or the Ti model which it replaces. Having said that, we found the Nissan Pulsar Sedan to be a goodlookingvehicle with lotsof passenger room, brimming with features, and the SSS to have enoughpower in reserve to make for an interesting drive.
Worth takingoutfor a spin if you need a small vehicle with a bit of zip and lotsof passenger room.
* Prices are manufacturer list prices only, for the drive away price please contact your local authorised Nissan dealer.

Wines on Web Wombat Lifestyles

Wines Of The Week
Kreglinger Vintage Brut 2006
Voyager Estate Cabernet SauvignonMerlot 2011
Wines Reviewed
We acknowledge being somewhat indifferent when it comes to medals, trophiesand other prizes being awarded to those in the wine making industry, it seems justaboutevery maker we're aware of wins somethingor other for one of their wines (at some time or other,) and which makes us nervous thatif we mention a particular award we’re going to have to mention every single one of them – and thatwould consume every article every week of the year.
But in thisinstance we need to give recognition to one commendation that’sjustbeen given as it’s a world first – and thatwe can mention it because the wine’s sold outanyway. That’s the Semillon Trophy at the 2015 InternationalWine and Spirit Competition thatwas won for an astonishingfifth year in a row by the Hunter Valley’s McGuigan Wines – the first time ever anyone has attained such a feat.
The record-setting 2015 winning wine was McGuigan’s Bin 9000 Semillon 2006 vintage that Chief Winemaker, Neil McGuigan sums up as having been “a true Hunter style Semillon, fresh and light when young,and which will develop rich honey and toastcharacters with extended cellaring over the next 10+ years.”
Medium bodied and full of gooseberry and lime on the palate, with fresh acidity and a lingering finish, it justaboutmarched off the shelves, to the disappointmentof those who were too late to purchase a bottle or two.

Creep : DVD / Netflix Review on Web Wombat Entertainment

http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertain/pages/entertainment/dvds/creep.htm Creep
By Lisa Dib
I was reticent to watch Creep, because the Netflix description said “foundfootage”. There was a slew of found footage films thatruined the genre for me and I realised thatthe medium was doing more harm than goodto its films. Thankfully, this isn’tthe case for Creep which, as you might expect is unsettling and creepy as hell.
A youngfreelancer, Aaron (Patrick Brice , director and co-writer of the film), respondsto an ad on Craigslist. A man, Josef (Mark Duplass , co-writer and producer), needs someone to film him for a day, and the money is too goodto resist, despite the oddly-worded ad and secluded address. At only 82 minutes, Creep wastes no time introducingyou to the two, and only two, people you will be watching; immediately, Josef is off-putting. Despite his story,thingsget immediately weird and slowly get weirder. In the one day Aaron is filming Josef, we can see thatsomething is super wrong, butit’s notclear what it is, until the end, of course.
One difference between Creep and other found footage films is simply the quality of the filming. It allows for long, sustainedshotsto better wrap you in its horror. You and I both know how annoying and distractingit is to be watching a FF film where the camera is constantlyblurringand shaking, unfocusedand staggered. Aaron is a professional videographer, so, despite needing to stick to the found footage conceit thateverything must be filmed, it is filmed well (often he places the camera downfor both a wide and stationary shot- joy!) and clearly. There’s nothingparticularly paranormal or gory in Creep, butit is a psychological nightmare nonetheless.
Duplass’ Josef is, as mentioned, an unsettling man from his first introduction.He begins with oddness- quirkiness, if you will- thateventually turns into what I can only assume is some sortof psychological or sociopathic manifest. There are a few questionsthatyou might have by the end (questions thatI cannot ask here without quickly spoiling the film for you, butI wager you and I would have the same queries) butthey are such small wonderings thatthey won’t take away from the terror. Trust me, you’ll be too on edge to be thinkingaboutthe little things.

Passenger injured himself co-pilot on a KLM flight to China

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/passenger-injured-himself-and-a-copilot-on-a-klm-flight-from-amsterdam-to-china/news-story/32a9da8b7148f7a9d8239eb2abbe56d3 A MAN on a long-haul KLM flight from Amsterdam to Beijing attacked and wounded a co-pilot before being subdued by other passengers.
Witnesses, quoted by Dutch media, said the man had stabbed the co-pilot either with a knife or with a piece of broken glass in Sunday’s incident, but that was not confirmed by KLM.
“On Sunday, January 3, on board flight KL897en route for Beijing, a disturbed passenger locked himself in the toilets and inflicted slight wounds on himself,” the airline said in a statement sent to AFP.
“He then slightly wounded the co-pilot in one of the kitchens in the cabin,” KLM added, stressing that at no point was the plane in danger.
The daily flight KL897 took off around 5.35pm from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam en route for the Chinese capital, and landed safely at 10.31am Monday.
After the man “was overwhelmed he was attached to a seat for the rest of the journey,” the daily De Telegraaf said, quoting a witness.
The attacker was taken off the flight by about 15 policemen who were waiting for the plane to land on the tarmac in Beijing, another witness told the paper.
KLM said the co-pilot was treated for his injuries in Beijing and was now back in the Netherlands.

Javascript Alert

http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/joseph-buffeys-bungled-rape-case-mirrors-steven-avery-conviction/news-story/b88f888df10b3dddb701c0e65c7034db Joseph Buffey’s bungled rape case mirrors Steven Avery conviction
A DOCUMENTARY about a so-called innocent man serving time for rape and murder is taking the internet world by storm, but another bungled case could be ever more disturbing.
Making a Murderer, the Netflix-driven 10-part series about the wrongful incarceration of Steven Avery, has sparked calls for a presidential pardon and more than 200,000 signatures demanding his release.
But Avery’s case is not unique. Others have been betrayed by the justice system in America and Joseph Buffey says he is one of them.
In a cell in West Virginia serving a 70-year sentence, Buffey says he never did what he was accused of — the violent rape of an 83-year-old grandmother in her home. All the evidence suggests he’s right.
There was no DNA linking Buffey to the rape. The 19-year-old had a concrete alibi. Another man’s DNA was even found inside the victim. None of it mattered when, under advice from his lawyer, Buffey pleaded guilty.
He was told he would likely receive a 15-year sentence, but if he didn’t confess he could get 300years. When the sentence was handed down, it was a crushing blow: 70 to 110 years in a tiny prison cell.
Thirteen years later, Buffey’s case has been handed to the same people who looked into Avery’s case. Lawyers from the Innocence Project, a group “dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals”, say Buffey shouldn’t be in jail. They won’t rest until he’s free.
The crime Buffey is accused of was terrifying and violent. According to court records, the mother of a local police officer was sleeping soundly in her bedroom in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on the morning of November 30, 2001. She woke and “saw an intruder standing beside her bed”.
The victim, known only as Mrs L, told police the man was a white male brandishing a large knife and a torch. She said he forced her from her bed by demanding: “This is a robbery, I need your money”.
The pair went to her purse where she handed over $9. The attacker reportedly told his victim: “I’ve been here before” then returned to her bedroom where he raped her three times and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
Mrs L had her hands tied behind her back and was told to stay quiet. She escaped and phoned police who, one week later, arrested Buffey on three unrelated break-ins and pinned the rape on him for good measure.
Cracks began to appear in the case almost immediately. The biggest problem, according to Buffey’s lawyers, was that DNA from a rape kit did not belong to the 19-year-old.
Lieutenant Brent Myers from the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory found six weeks before Buffey’s guilty plea that “DNA did not belong to (Buffey)”, according to court documents.
The report, however, was not provided to the defence until after Buffey was sentenced. Because Buffey pleaded guilty, the case never went to trial, and the evidence was therefore not factored in.
Things were looking up for Buffey in 2012 when lawyers won the right to retest the DNA found inside the victim. The New York Times reported the results produced a match, but it wasn’t Buffey’s. It belonged to a man named Adam Bowers who was 16 at the time of the attack and lived a few blocks from the victim.
Bowers was found guilty in May of 2013 but, instead of releasing Buffey, prosecutors successfully argued that Bowers and Buffey both committed the crime, despite Mrs L’s testimony that she was attacked by only one man.
Buffey’s alibi has also been ignored by the courts. He said he checked in to a motel on the night of the rape but his confession, though later retracted, carried more weight.
The Times reports that Buffey said he “broke into this old lady’s house” after nine hours of interrogations without food. Within minutes he took it back but it was too late.
“You really want to know the truth?” the 19-year-old can be heard saying on tape. “I didn’t do it. I made up a story (because you were) breathing down my neck, telling me I did it.”
Buffey’s case is before the Supreme Court where lawyers are appealing his conviction. As that happens, Steven Avery’s case has struck a nerve with the public, thanks mainly to the Making a Murderer documentary.
Avery, a Wisconsin man with an IQ of 70, was sent to prison in 1985 for the sexual assault of Penny Ann Beernsten.
He was released in 2003after DNA evidence proved he was innocent.
But two years later, when he was trying to sue Manitowoc County law enforcement for $US36 million for “wrongful conviction”, he was again accused and then convicted for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.
The father-of-five has always maintained his innocence. He is currently serving a life sentence.

Sara Mutschlechner: Road rage shooting leaves student dead in Denton, Texas

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/sara-mutschlechner-20-was-shot-during-a-road-rage-incident-in-denton-texas/news-story/8a8a6fb47d66a0d225b0e55b413c6b6f SARA Mutschlechner was doing the right thing on New Year’s Eve.
The 20-year-old student from the University of North Texas had volunteered to be the designated driver for her friends, so they could enjoy the festivities in Denton, Texas.
When they were ready to leave, the girls — who were all sorority sisters from Zeta Tau Alpha — piled into her car and began heading home.
It was then Ms Mutschlechner was the victim of sudden, unprovoked violence. A black SUV pulled up beside them just after 2am. Inside were five or six men. What happened next isn’t clear, but police say words were exchanged between the men and the occupants of Ms Mutschlechner’s car, reported New York’s Daily News.
Then someone in the SUV opened fire, firing three rounds. Ms Mutschlechner was hit by a bullet before crashing her car into another vehicle and then a power pole.
When paramedics arrived they reportedly found her lying on the ground with a bullet wound to the head. Two of her passengers received minor injuries.
She spent much of New Year’s Day on life support, before her family made the heartbreaking decision to switch it off.
Police are working on a theory that some of the people in the SUV may have attended the same New Year’s Eve party as the girls, which was attended by about 60 people.
However, witnesses told police at least two of the occupants were at a different New Year’s Eve party in Denton.
“We’re sure that a lot of people at the party would’ve recognised who was in that vehicle and maybe be able to tell us who they were,” Denton police officer Shane Kizer told ABC News. “We’ve got a lot of people that we’re wanting to talk with at this time.”
No arrests have been made.
Her devastated parents joined friends at a vigil on Saturday.
“There’s so many people that knew her that she touched their lives. She never met a stranger,” her father Clay Mutschlechner told ABC.
Denton police just released this picture of 20-yr-old Sara Mutschlechner's car. She was shot while driving this a.m.
pic.twitter.com/Vl7J1VRMbn
— Jason Allen (@CBS11JasonAllen)
January 1, 2016
Her mother Gloria Mutschlechner added, “She was friends with everyone.”
A friend told NBC she had learned a lot from Ms Mutschlechner.
“It goes to show that she was who she was and she wasn’t afraid to be herself,” said Jordan Roberts, Sara’s sorority sister. “She lived with joy and laughed with grace and didn’t care what other people thought. She was happy. And we all should be a little more like that.”
Ms Mutschlechner described herself as an “avid moviegoer” on LinkedIn, majored in radio, television and film with a minor concentration in theatre.
On her LinkedIn page she told of what she hoped to one day achieve.
“I want to inspire change just as much as I want to inspire future filmmakers, like myself, to continue creating beautiful and original works of art.”
In a statement on its Facebook page the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority said members were in deep shock.

Nigeria ends 5th tenure on UN Security Council | The Guardian Nigeria

Nigeria has ended its fifth tenure as a non-permanent representative on the UN Security Council after the two-year tenure, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Nigeria was first elected as a non-permanent representative for a two-year period from 1966 to 1967 and subsequently from 1978 to 1979, 1994 to 1979, 2010 to 2011 and 2013 to2015.
NAN reports that other countries that also ended their tenures in December 2015 alongside Nigeria were Chile, Jordan, Lithuania and Chad.
The new members to replace these countries are Japan, Egypt, Ukraine, Senegal and Uruguay.
NAN recalls that Nigeria’s latest election to occupy one of the non-permanent seats on the council was Oct. 16, 2013.
The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the UN and it is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the imposition of international sanctions and the authorisation of military action through Security Council resolutions.
With 15 members comprising five permanent and 10 non-permanent members, the Security Council is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member-states.
The five permanent members are Russia, UK, France, China and the United States.
The permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member-states or candidates for Secretary-General.

Biafra Agitation: ‘It's An Orchestrated Blackmail'

https://www.naij.com/685601-biafra-agitation-ipob-hidden-agenda-defunct-apc-leader-opens.html

Stripper crime ring: Roselyn Keo tells why she stole from rich men

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/rich-men-were-duped-by-a-group-of-strippers/news-story/0030f1315b185a12789f520d1340e9e6

Fw: [VeryPDF RSS to Email] RSSMix.com Mix ID 8161944 - 20160102192028

--- On Sun, 3/1/16, VeryPDF-Email-Service <noreply@verymailer.com> wrote:

> From: VeryPDF-Email-Service <noreply@verymailer.com>
> Subject: [VeryPDF RSS to Email] RSSMix.com Mix ID 8161944 - 20160102192028
> To: moganomics@yahoo.com
> Date: Sunday, 3 January, 2016, 3:20 AM
> Generated by VeryPDF RSS to Email
> SubscriptionTrial in NYC set to air GM ignition switch
> recall issues
> 2 January 2016, 5:50 pm
>          NEW YORK   
>     (AP) -- A civil trial set to start this month
> in New York City will test the legal boundaries of hundreds
> of claims remaining against General Motors Co. stemming from
> faulty ignition switches. The case involves an Oklahoma man
> who blames a defective ignition switch for preventing his
> air bags from deploying during a crash. It's the first trial
> to result from hundreds of lawsuits filed against GM after
> the auto giant revealed in 2014 that faulty ignition
> switches in Chevy Cobalts and other small cars necessitated
> an unprecedented recall. The switches can slip out of the
> "on" position, causing the cars to stall, knocking out power
> steering and turning off air bags. GM knew about the faulty
> switches for more than a decade but did not recall them
> until February 2014. The company paid nearly $600 million to
> settle 399 claims made to a fund it established. Those
> claims covered 124 deaths and 275 injuries, though GM's fund
> rejected more than 90 percent of the 4,343 claims it
> received, according to figures the company released in
> December. In recent weeks, U.S. District Judge Jesse M.
> Furman, the presiding judge, has made rulings that may
> prevent the automaker from taking the easy road toward
> settling or forcing dismissal of scores of lawsuits. The
> judge has refused the company's request to exclude evidence
> and arguments related to punitive damages, saying GM's delay
> in recalling admittedly defective vehicles was "arguably
> dangerous conduct as it involved a hidden defect that caused
> a risk of serious injury or death." The judge also ruled
> that the "New GM," as it is repeatedly referred to in court
> papers, cannot dismiss the claims of Robert S. Scheuer - the
> plaintiff in the trial set to start Jan. 11 - merely because
> he failed to keep his 2003 Saturn Ion after his front air
> bags failed to deploy when he was forced off an Oklahoma
> highway by another car and smashed head-on into two trees in
> Bristow. Scheuer, of Tulsa, was injured in the May 28, 2014,
> crash and retained lawyer Bob Hilliard, co-lead counsel for
> hundreds of federal cases consolidated in New York City.
> "For years and years, GM - including to some of my clients -
> would say: 'Look, this accident is your fault. Take $75,000
> even though your family is dead,'" he said in a telephone
> interview from his Texas office. Hilliard said the litigants
> watching the case closely include "many traumatized folks
> who got pushed around by GM while the cover-up was active."
> General Motors has told U.S. regulators in a recent
> quarterly report that it still faces 217 wrongful death and
> injury lawsuits in the U.S. and Canada, along with 122
> lawsuits alleging that the recalls reduced values of owners'
> cars. GM spokesman Jim Cain said the Scheuer trial, likely
> to last about a month, is the first of six bellwether trials
> that will occur over the next year. He said the outcome of
> the Scheuer trial would "help form the basis for settlement
> of similar claims." "It's our belief that the air bags
> weren't designed to deploy in the accident that he had,"
> Cain said. In September, GM announced it had reached a $575
> million deal with Hilliard to settle 1,385 death and injury
> cases and to resolve a 2014 class-action lawsuit filed by
> shareholders claiming GM's actions reduced the value of
> their stock. The announcement came as the U.S. attorney's
> office in Manhattan revealed GM had settled a criminal
> investigation, agreeing to pay $900 million to the
> government to avoid prosecution on wire fraud charges. The
> company has initiated companywide safety reforms and in 2014
> issued a record 84 recalls covering more than 30 million
> vehicles, including 27 million in the U.S.
>
> States plan renewed debate on LGBT rights, religious
> freedom
> 2 January 2016, 5:04 pm
>          JEFFERSON CITY,
> Mo.        (AP) -- With same-sex
> marriage now legal nationwide, lawmakers in numerous states
> are preparing for a new round of battles in 2016 over
> whether to grant discrimination protections to LGBT people
> or religious exemptions to nonprofits and businesses that
> object to gay marriage. The tussle over civil rights and
> religious freedoms is one of several hot-button issues that
> could drive states in opposite policy directions, as
> lawmakers seek to appeal to voters during a year in which
> more than 5,800 state legislative seats will be up for
> election. Republicans hold majorities in two-thirds of the
> states' legislative chambers, meaning they get to set the
> agenda. Those priorities could include attempts to exempt
> businesses from providing wedding-related services to gay
> couples, expand gun rights and further restrictions on
> abortions. Democrats, meanwhile, will likely be pushing in
> the opposite direction. "What we've got is division," said
> William Pound, executive director of the National Conference
> of State Legislatures. He predicts there will be a
> "significant number of bills" seeking to advance either
> religious rights or the civil rights of gay, lesbian,
> bisexual and transgender people. "You've got the Democratic
> states reacting very differently, a lot of the time, than
> the Republican states to these issues," Pound said. Those
> potentially divisive debates will be playing out as
> legislators also struggle with some traditionally difficult
> financial issues, such as budget shortfalls and calls to
> boost funding for public schools and infrastructure.
> Education issues are expected to be at the forefront in more
> than a third of the states, according to an analysis by
> Associated Press statehouse reporters around the country. At
> least 10 states might consider new revenue for
> transportation in 2016, building on a trend in which at
> least half the states already have acted in the past several
> years. States that rely heavily on the energy industry for
> tax income, such as Alaska, Oklahoma, West Virginia and
> Wyoming, are taking big budget hits due to falling oil,
> natural gas and coal revenue. But tax cuts could be on the
> agenda in more than a half-dozen other states, including
> Arizona, Florida and Maine. States' general revenues are
> expected to grow by about 2.5 percent in 2016, according to
> the National Association of State Budget Officers. As they
> prepare their next budgets, "states are still going to be
> very pinched" to meet rising costs for K-12 schools,
> Medicaid and core services, said David Adkins, executive
> director and chief executive of The Council of State
> Governments. Added to the mix will be several emerging
> issues, such as how to quell a rise in opiate addictions and
> overdoses, and whether to extend regulations to online
> fantasy sports and to individuals renting rides or lodging
> through the "sharing economy." Some states also will be
> wrestling with unique local issues, including flood recovery
> in South Carolina, whether to keep the Confederate emblem on
> the Mississippi flag, as well as ethics overhauls following
> political scandals in New York, Missouri and New Mexico.
> Influential national groups such as the American Civil
> Liberties Union and the Family Research Council are
> preparing for a new round of legislative debates after the
> U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that states must allow
> same-sex marriage. Their focus now is on the effect of that
> ruling. There are 22 states with laws barring discrimination
> based on sexual orientation and 21 with laws limiting the
> government's ability to burden the free exercise of
> religion. But just four states - Connecticut, Rhode Island,
> Illinois and New Mexico - have both. The ACLU will be
> seeking to expand the list of places barring discrimination
> based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It's
> targeting at least a half dozen states - Arizona, Florida,
> Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania - that have
> Republican-led legislatures and also may be pivotal in
> presidential elections. The Supreme Court's decision
> "certainly provides momentum on the issue," said
> Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Frankel, a Democrat from the
> Pittsburgh area who has been unsuccessfully sponsoring gay
> rights bills for more than a decade. He said challenges
> remain and pointed to a November referendum in which Houston
> voters rejected a city ordinance extending nondiscrimination
> protections to gay and transgender people. The Family
> Research Council, which opposed the Houston ordinance, is
> supporting state measures that would grant broad protections
> "from government discrimination" against people "who have a
> sincere belief - religious or not - in natural marriage,"
> said Quena Gonzalez, the group's director of state and local
> affairs. Missouri House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot said
> many of his Republican colleagues were alarmed by the
> Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. "I think there's a lot
> of states that are looking at this and seeing what can be
> done to make sure that religious freedoms are respected,"
> said Cierpiot, a Republican from suburban Kansas City. An
> intense debate over gay rights already is shaping up in
> Indiana, where a religious-rights law passed last spring
> thrust the state into the national spotlight over concerns
> it could sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians.
> A coalition of 150 businesses is backing legislation to ban
> discrimination in housing, employment and public
> accommodations based on a person's sexual orientation or
> gender identity. An LGBT rights proposal outlined by Indiana
> Senate Republicans would grant broad exceptions intended to
> protect small business owners and religious schools,
> nonprofits and adoption agencies. For example, a
> wedding-related business with fewer than four employees
> could refuse to do work for a same-sex marriage. Other
> issues that made headlines in 2015 also are expected to lead
> legislative agendas in the new year: - Lawmakers in several
> states are seeking to expand gun rights, citing a need for
> self-defense following a spate of mass shootings in San
> Bernardino, California, a community college in Oregon, a
> historically black church in South Carolina and a Planned
> Parenthood clinic in Colorado. States such as Florida, South
> Dakota and West Virginia are among those considering bills
> allowing concealed guns on college campuses or dropping
> requirements for a government permit to carry concealed
> weapons. Stricter gun controls are being discussed in
> California, Illinois and New York, including measures that
> would prohibit firearm sales to people on government no-fly
> lists or terrorist watch lists. - A battle over funding for
> Planned Parenthood - and a renewed push for additional
> abortion restrictions - is expected in response to
> undercover videos released last summer showing Planned
> Parenthood officials discussing aborted fetal body parts.
> Ohio Right to Life has an aggressive agenda, including a
> 20-week abortion ban, a prohibition on ending pregnancies
> involving a Down Syndrome diagnosis and the defunding of
> Planned Parenthood. Republican-led legislatures in Arizona,
> Idaho, Missouri, South Dakota and Utah also are among the
> places pushing greater restrictions on abortion and Planned
> Parenthood. In Colorado, where a gunman killed three people
> at a Planned Parenthood clinic in November, the
> Democratic-led House could consider increasing the state's
> protest buffer around abortion clinics. But Republican
> senators may try to defund Planned Parenthood, citing the
> fetal body part videos. - Some states, responding to police
> shootings of citizens that prompted widespread protests,
> plan to try again in 2016 to set policies for the use of
> police body cameras and new procedures for investigating
> police shootings. Several states are considering
> comprehensive sentencing changes, such as prison
> alternatives for non-violent offenders. More states also are
> expected to debate bills relaxing laws against marijuana,
> either by revoking criminal penalties or allowing for its
> medicinal use. --- Associated Press reporters in all 50
> states contributed to this report. --- Follow David A. Lieb
> at: https://twitter.com/DavidALieb .
>
>
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