Griechenland ohne Benzin
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Wegen des seit Tagen andauernden Streik griechischer Tanklastwagenfahrer bleiben die Tankstellen trocken.

'Radical' Shake-Up The Welfare System
SKY NEWS: Iain Duncan Smith is to unveil his plans to encourage the unemployed to find work in a "radical" shake-up to the welfare system. The Work and Pensions Secretary talks to Sky's Mark Longhurst.

War News for Saturday, July 31, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Friday, July 30th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED strike in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Friday, July 30th.

News reports the death of an Italian ISAF soldier from suicide in Kabul, Afghanistan sometime over the weekend of July 23rd-25th.


The Suffering of Fallujah

U.N. Removes 5 Taliban From Its Sanctions List: The five were hardly viewed as much of a threat: Three of them have already made peace with the Kabul government, and two of them are dead.


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb wounded two civilians when it went off in the Baghdad's western district of Khadra, on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: A mortar round wounded a civilian when it landed near a residential area in the Baghdad's northern district of Shaab, on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.


Kut:
#1: An Iraqi security force seized four rockets ready for firing in the direction of a U.S. military base in western al-Kut city on Friday, according to a local security source in Wassit province. “An Iraqi interior ministry force seized today (July 30) four Katyusha rockets in a farmland in al-Ahrar district, (25 km) western Kut,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The rockets, ready for firing on the Delta military base, (7 km) western Kut, which is taken by the U.S. forces as their headquarters, were defused by a bomb squad,” he said, adding intelligence tip-offs led the force to the site of the rockets.


Latifiya:
#1: Gunmen opened fire in a souk (outdoor market) north of al-Hilla city on Friday, leaving two women wounded, a local security source said. “Unidentified gunmen opened fire on pedestrians inside a souk in the area of al-Latifiya, (60 km) north of Hilla, wounding two women,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Quayara:
#1: Police found the body of an Iraqi soldier which had gunshot wounds in Qaiyara, 330 km (205 miles) north of Baghdad, police said, adding that the soldier had been kidnapped a few days ago.


Tarmiya:
#1: A roadside bomb killed three civilians and wounded eight others when it exploded near a minibus in Tarmiya, 25 km (15 miles) north of Baghdad, on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.


Shirqat:
#1: A bomb attached to the car of Daham Hussein, a police brigadier, killed one person and wounded four others, including Hussein, on his way to work in Shirqat, 300 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.


Kirkuk:
#1: Gunmen snatched a Christian man working for a money exchange office in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, on Friday, police said


Mosul:
#1: Seven people, including five policemen, were wounded on Saturday when a roadside bomb went off west of Mosul city. “The blast targeted a police patrol at the al-Zinjeeli area, west of Mosul,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A suspected insurgent was killed when a bomb he was apparently trying to plant exploded in eastern Mosul, police said.

#3: Police found the body of an unidentified man which had head and chest bullet wounds in eastern Mosul, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Taliban militants fighting Afghan government have killed a tribal elder in Kandahar province south of Afghanistan, spokesman for provincial administration Zalmai Ayubi said Saturday. "The Taliban rebels raided the house of Khalifa Hamidullah, a tribal elder in Arghandab district Friday night and took him away and murdered him," Ayubi told Xinhua.

#2: Rioting erupted in Kabul Friday when two US embassy vehicles were set ablaze after one collided with a civilian car, killing a number of occupants, officials and witnesses said. An ISAF official said the vehicles involved belonged to the US embassy. "We don't know yet how many people were killed in the accident," interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashery said. Witnesses said four passengers in the civilian car died when it was hit by one of two armoured vehicles moving in convoy. The US embassy in Kabul released a statement saying that "four US contract personnel" had been in the vehicle involved in the accident. "We understand that the other car contained four Afghan passengers. We have also been informed that there were fatalities and serious injuries among the Afghans involved in the accident," it said, without further detail. Police fired shots in the air to quell the violence, an AFP reporter witnessed. It was unclear how the vehicles were set alight, as some security firms torch cars they are forced to abandon as a matter of policy, a security contractor in Kabul said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

#3: The cleanup operation against Taliban insurgents has been continuing in Bagh-e-Shirkat area of Kunduz province in north Afghanistan and four NATO soldiers have received injuries since Friday, spokesman of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Saturday. "Three vehicles of ISAF forces were partially damaged due to roadside bombings and four soldiers have been slightly injured over the past 24 hours in Bagh-e-Shirkat area," Lieutenant Colonel Weber told media. However, he did not comment on the casualties of Taliban insurgents saying Afghan and ISAF forces with the support of locals would continue the operation unless the area is cleansed from the insurgents.

#4: There is a report from Wardag province that some five personnel of NDS, a local US-NATO spy agency were killed in an ambush attack in the province’s Nirkh district on Friday, while a Mujahid was, too, martyred in the operation.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Shane R. Martin

this song is on repeat in my head

i kind of spaced on listening to the new ariel pink album until i heard it playing in exiled records this weekend. what i heard was great! on tuesday i finally listened to the whole thing and now i'm listening to it a few times a day! best album since the whines' "hell to play" (which i heard for the first time sunday. i'm making a funny!)

Millions in Fake Pound Coins Exact a Heavy Toll
One pound coin. Photograph: The Globe & Mail
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Treasury figures show that one in every 36 one pound coins is counterfeit, at least £41-million worth in circulation

Britain’s tills are awash with fake one pound coins, with a record £41-million worth in circulation.

Treasury figures show that one in every 36 one pound coins is counterfeit, an increase on last year, when one in every 40 was phony. >>> | Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Related >>>

Chippy D - Laurence Fishburne's girl a porn star, Kim Kardashian thanked

Montana Fishburne, the daughter of famed actor, Laurence Fishburne, is certainly making her dad an unhappy camper as she's now called "Chippy D" and is a porn star.

According to MissJia.com via TMZ.com, Montana Fishburne thanks her hotness Kim Kardashian for the idea. She says it was Kim Kardashian's sex tape that gave her inspiration.

Laurence Fishburne is the famous TV and movie actor best known for playing Mobius in the Matrix film series. But what was going on at home?

19-year-old Montana Fishburne told the site CarltonJordan.com that she had a lot of at-home experience in playing a porn actress.

Uh...what?




No word on what Laurence Fishburne thinks about all of this, yet. And according to her Twitter account, Kim Kardashian's too busy grinding with Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Miles Austin to even care:

time to shine ;-) RT @MilesAustiniii -@kimkardashian rise and grind. ;)
about 24 hours ago via web

Stay tuned.

Some Scientists Say Initial Eco-Fears Seem Overblown

Not that I believe TIME Magazine but this commentary does give hope...

The BP Spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated?

By Michael Grunwald / Port Fourchon, La. Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010

President Obama has called the BP oil spill "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced," and so has just about everyone else. Green groups are sounding alarms about the "catastrophe along the Gulf Coast," while CBS, Fox and MSNBC are all slapping "Disaster in the Gulf" chyrons on their spill-related news. Even BP fall guy Tony Hayward, after some early happy talk, admitted that the spill was an "environmental catastrophe." The obnoxious anti-environmentalist Rush Limbaugh has been a rare voice arguing that the spill — he calls it "the leak" — is anything less than an ecological calamity, scoffing at the avalanche of end-is-nigh eco-hype.

Well, Limbaugh has a point. The Deepwater Horizon explosion was an awful tragedy for the 11 workers who died on the rig, and it's no leak; it's the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. It's also inflicting serious economic and psychological damage on coastal communities that depend on tourism, fishing and drilling. But so far — while it's important to acknowledge that the long-term potential danger is simply unknowable for an underwater event that took place just three months ago — it does not seem to be inflicting severe environmental damage. "The impacts have been much, much less than everyone feared," says geochemist Jacqueline Michel, a federal contractor who is coordinating shoreline assessments in Louisiana.

Yes, the spill killed birds — but so far, less than 1% of the number killed by the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska 21 years ago. Yes, we've heard horror stories about oiled dolphins — but so far, wildlife-response teams have collected only three visibly oiled carcasses of mammals. Yes, the spill prompted harsh restrictions on fishing and shrimping, but so far, the region's fish and shrimp have tested clean, and the restrictions are gradually being lifted. And yes, scientists have warned that the oil could accelerate the destruction of Louisiana's disintegrating coastal marshes — a real slow-motion ecological calamity — but so far, assessment teams have found only about 350 acres of oiled marshes, when Louisiana was already losing about 15,000 acres of wetlands every year.

The disappearance of more than 2,000 sq. mi. of coastal Louisiana over the past century has been a true national tragedy, ravaging a unique wilderness, threatening the bayou way of life and leaving communities like New Orleans extremely vulnerable to hurricanes from the Gulf. And while much of the erosion has been caused by the re-engineering of the Mississippi River — which no longer deposits much sediment at the bottom of its Delta — quite a bit has been caused by the oil and gas industry, which gouged 8,000 miles of canals and pipelines through coastal wetlands. But the spill isn't making that problem much worse. Coastal scientist Paul Kemp, a former Louisiana State University professor who is now a National Audubon Society vice president, compares the impact of the spill on the vanishing marshes to "a sunburn on a cancer patient."

Marine scientist Ivor van Heerden, another former LSU prof, who's working for a spill-response contractor, says, "There's just no data to suggest this is an environmental disaster. I have no interest in making BP look good — I think they lied about the size of the spill — but we're not seeing catastrophic impacts." Van Heerden, like just about everyone else working in the Gulf these days, is being paid from BP's spill-response funds. "There's a lot of hype, but no evidence to justify it."

The scientists I spoke with cite four basic reasons the initial eco-fears seem overblown. First, the Deepwater oil, unlike the black glop from the Valdez, is unusually light and degradable, which is why the slick in the Gulf is dissolving surprisingly rapidly now that the gusher has been capped. Second, the Gulf of Mexico, unlike Alaska's Prince William Sound, is very warm, which has helped bacteria break down the oil. Third, heavy flows of Mississippi River water have helped keep the oil away from the coast, where it can do much more damage. And finally, Mother Nature can be incredibly resilient. Van Heerden's assessment team showed me around Casse-tete Island in Timbalier Bay, where new shoots of Spartina grasses were sprouting in oiled marshes and new leaves were growing on the first black mangroves I've ever seen that were actually black. "It comes back fast, doesn't it?" van Heerden said.

Van Heerden is controversial in Louisiana, so I should mention that this isn't the first time he and Kemp have helped convince me that the conventional wisdom about a big story was wrong. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, when the Army Corps of Engineers was still insisting that a gigantic surge had overwhelmed its levees, they gave me a tour that debunked the prevailing narrative, demonstrating that most of the breached flood walls in New Orleans showed no signs of overtopping. Eventually, the Corps admitted that van Heerden and Kemp were right, that the surge in New Orleans was not so gigantic and that engineering failures had indeed drowned the city. But there was still a lot of resentment down here of van Heerden and his big mouth, especially after he wrote an I-told-you-so book about Katrina. He made powerful enemies at LSU, lost his faculty job, and is now suing the university. Meanwhile, he's been trashed locally as a BP shill ever since he downplayed the spill in a video on BP's website.

But van Heerden and Kemp were right about Katrina, and when it comes to BP, they're sticking to the evidence gathered by the spill-response teams — which all include a state and federal representative as well as a BP contractor. So far, the teams have collected nearly 3,000 dead birds, but fewer than half of them were visibly oiled; some may have died from eating oil-contaminated food, but others may have simply died naturally at a time when the Gulf happened to be crawling with carcass seekers. In any case, the Valdez may have killed as many as 435,000 birds. The teams have found 492 dead sea turtles, which is unfortunate, but only 17 were visibly oiled; otherwise, they have found only one other dead reptile in the entire Gulf. "We can't speak to the long-term impacts, but Ivor is just saying what all of us are seeing," says Amy Holman, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) director for Alaska who is working on van Heerden's assessment team in the Gulf.

The shoreline teams have documented more than 600 miles of oiled beaches and marshes, but the beaches are fairly easy to clean, and the beleaguered marshes don't seem to be suffering much additional damage. Oil has blackened the fringes of the marshes, but most of it stayed within a few feet of the edge; waves from a recent tropical storm did carry more oil a few meters inland, but very little of it infiltrated the wetland soils that determine the health of the marsh.

LSU coastal scientist Eugene Turner has dedicated much of his career to documenting how the oil industry has ravaged Louisiana's coast with canals and pipelines, but he says the BP spill will be a comparative blip and predicts that the oil will destroy fewer marshes than the airboats deployed to clean up the oil. "We don't want to deny that there's some damage, but nothing like the damage we've seen for years," he says.

It's true that oil spills can create long-term problems; in Alaska, for example, shorebirds that ate Exxon-tainted mussels have had diminished reproductive success, and herring fisheries have yet to fully recover. The potential long-term damage that underwater oil plumes and an unprecedented amount of chemical dispersants that BP has spread in the area could have on the region's deep-water ecosystems and food chains might not be known for years. Some scientists worry that the swarms of oil-eating bacteria will lower dissolved oxygen levels; there has been early evidence of modest reductions, though nothing approaching the dead zone that was already proliferating in the Gulf because of agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River basin. "People always fear the worst in a spill, and this one was especially scary because we didn't know when it would stop," says Michel, an environmental consultant who has worked spills for NOAA for more than 30 years. "But the public always overestimates the danger — and this time, those of us in the spill business did too."

It's easy to overstate the policy implications of this optimistic news. BP still needs to clean up its mess; federal regulation of deep-water drilling still needs to be strengthened; we still need to use fewer fossil fuels that warm the planet; we still don't need to use more corn ethanol (which is actually dirtier than gasoline). The push to exploit the spill to gain a comprehensive energy and climate bill in Congress has already stalled anyway — even though the planet still needs one.

The good news does suggest the folly of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's $350 million plan to build sand berms and rock jetties to protect marshes and barrier islands from oil. Some of the berms are already washing into the Gulf, and scientists agree that oil is the least of the problems facing Louisiana's coast, which had already lost more than 2,000 sq. mi. of wetlands before the spill. "Imagine how much real restoration we could do with all that money," van Heerden says.

Anti-oil politicians, anti-Obama politicians and underfunded green groups all have obvious incentives to accentuate the negative in the Gulf. So do the media, because disasters drive ratings and sell magazines; those oil-soaked pelicans you saw on TV (and the cover of TIME) were a lot more compelling than the healthy ones I saw roosting on a protective boom in Bay Jimmy. Even Limbaugh, when he wasn't downplaying the spill, outrageously hyped it as "Obama's Katrina." But honest scientists don't do that, even when they work for Audubon.

"There are a lot of alarmists in the bird world," Kemp says. "People see oiled pelicans and they go crazy. But this has been a disaster for people, not biota."source: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007202,00.html

source: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007202-1,00.html

Charles Rangel sign of the times by Suzannah B. Troy

The New York Post Editorial states The Time is up for Charlie Rangel.  Click on this link and read what their editors have to say.

And below of course you can read what I have to say.

"Serial offender", denial is his crack cocaine, he thinks he is above the law and untouchable.  How many other politicos does that describe?  Too many!!! Mike Bloomberg wired money out of his personal account instead of his campaign.  If any poor schlub running for office did that they would be in trouble; not "Teflon Mike".  Accidental gov. Paterson in my opinion absolutely called a victim of spousal abuse by his staff member who I am sure had a past of this kind of behavior and should go to jail for attempting how ever gently to silence a victim.  It is not just these offenders but the people, groups and judges that let them walk away over and over.  Special note: I attended the Crain's Breakfast for the inarticulate bumbling deputy mayor Goldsmith and he said a figure of the NYC budget deficit next year which was STAGGERING.  Next years budget crisis could be described as a terror attack.  

Time for the corrupt city council members that voted to extend term limits to vote themselves another raise but they need to start unvoting themselves raises, stop wasting- stealing tax payer money and taking the subway instead of using car services. We need king Mike to fire his campaign staff and reimburse the city for their salaries because he had no right to hire them. But these ideas aren't in Goldsmith's agenda to save the city some money. It would help if Albany closed their 9.2 billion dollar budget crisis which was supposed to be closed last April.

Here is an article from The New York Post covering the anger, sadness and Betrayal felt by people in Harlem.   I feel that way about Mike Bloomberg.

War News for Friday, July 30, 2010

The DoD is reporting the death of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove who died from wounds sustained from an incident in Logar province, Afghanistan, on Friday, July 23rd. This was the second Navy personal who was listed as DUSTWUN.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Thursday, July 29th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED strike in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Thursday, July 29th.


2 Britons, 3 Iraqis Killed in Jordan Road Accident

John Prescott doubted Iraq nuclear weapons intelligence

Gunmen attack checkpoint in Baghdad, briefly raise flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq

Dutch troops to withdraw from Afghanistan in August as planned

Taliban says Petraeus killing more civilians in Afghanistan

Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Militants killed 17 members of Iraq's security forces Thursday in a combination of shootings and roadside bombs that was a bitter demonstration of the dangers Iraqi forces still face. The worst attack came in Baghdad's Sunni neighbourhood of Azamiyah when 10 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed in what appeared to have been co-ordinated killings by militants in a bold, daylight attack in the neighbourhood that was once an insurgent stronghold, Iraqi police and army officials said. Militants first opened fire at an Azamiyah checkpoint and minutes later detonated three roadside bombs, the officials said. Fifteen people were also wounded in the Azamiyah attack, which appeared concentrated in one street in the Sunni neighbourhood.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb killed four members of a family of a member of the Sahwa, or Sons of Iraq, former insurgents who turned against al Qaeda, when their car drove near Buhriz, about 60 km (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said


Amarra:
#1: A border post was attacked on Friday morning by unknown gunmen in southern Amara, according to a security source. “Unknown gunmen fired a number of missiles on Umm Sa’a post, southeast of al-Kahlaa district, southern Amara, causing some material damage,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Baaj:
#1: A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed a solider and wounded three others on Thursday in the town of Baaj, 375 km (233 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: One policeman was killed and two others were wounded in a sticky bomb blast in the south of Mosul, a police source said on Thursday. “A sticky bomb went off on Thursday (July 29) morning targeting a civilian motorcade of Brigadier Daham al-Juburi, a police officer, in al-Qayara district, south of Mosul, killing a cop and injuring two others, from his bodyguards,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Policemen in Ninewa found an unidentified body showing signs of having been shot in southern Mosul city on Thursday, according to a local security source. “The police found the body of a man in his 20s and showing signs of having been shot in the head in the area of al-Okaidat, southern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Security forces killed a policeman after mistaking him for a suicide bomber west of Mosul city on Thursday, according to a local security source. “A force from the Oil Pipelines Protection (OPP) shot down a policeman near the Strategic Line in al-Mahlabiya district, west of Mosul, by mistake,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The policeman, who was on a leave of absence from duty, was speedily driving his private car into an OPP post. Suspecting the policeman was a suicide bomber targeting them, the OPP personnel, who were standing in a line to receive their salaries, opened fire on him, killing him instantly,” the source elaborated.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: In Ghazni province, insurgents using small arms fatally shot six civilians building and repairing roads. Three others were killed and one was wounded when a bomb struck their vehicle.

#2: In Paktiya province, one died and another was wounded by an improvised explosive device.

#3: In Kandahar province, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded two others.

#4: Hundreds of British soldiers have launched an operation against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Operation Tor Shezada began early on Friday morning in Helmand province in the south of the country. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, are trying to clear the Taliban from an important stronghold in the Nad Ali district. The Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) was among the first wave of troops. Under cover of darkness, this small elite unit launched an airborne assault deep into insurgent-held territory. Hundreds of British and Afghan forces are moving by land and air towards the town of Saidabad. It is one of the areas that UK forces were unable to clear during Operation Moshtarak earlier this year. As many as 180 insurgents are believed to use the town as a base; it is where bombs are made, attacks are planned and injured fighters are treated.

#5: AN Australian special forces soldier has been slightly wounded in Afghanistan.

#6: Unidentified miscreants blew up a NATO oil tanker near western by-pass in Quetta, a private TV reported on Friday. Police said that a Nato oil tanker bound for Afghanistan from Karachi reached Akhtar Abad this morning. The driver pulled up the tanker at a patrol pump when after a while the tanker exploded with a loud bang, making the oil spill out.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard

DoD: Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove

IT/MD: First Marshal Mauro Gigli

IT/MD: Corporal Major Head Pier Davide De Cillis

International Sports Movie Festival Begins in Moscow

The Second International Sports Movie Festival started on Thursday in the Russian capital.

The festival is being held as part of the international sports forum, Russia is a Sports Power, and aims to endorse sports and healthy living and encourage the production of sports feature and documentary movies.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, President of Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpischev, Moscow assistant mayor Sergei Baidakov and Russian tennis celebrity Marat Safin attended the official opening ceremony.

“The festival…promotes the principles of sport and shows the efforts sportsmen make to reach success,” Mutko said.

“This work should not stop, even for a day, until we have completely promoted healthy living,” said Tarpischev, who is president of the festival.

Over 100 works of different genres from 22 countries in Europe, the United States and Africa, and 52 Russian regions have been submitted for the festival.
Franco Ascani, the president of the International Federation of Sports Movies and Television, will be present at the festival.

Happy NYC! Go NYC by Marc Zaleela

Go NYC by Marc Zaleela


New York is arguably the best city in the world.  Just ask any native New Yorker, and they will agree.  Of course we have our problems.  What city doesn't?  Is there such a thing as urban perfection?  I doubt it.

And, like most native New Yorkers, I have some favorite places.  My list is quite lengthy, so I will limit myself to a few summer time highlights.  One of the greatest urban restoration projects is the South Street Seaport.  Once a bustling wholesale fish market, it had fallen into blight and disrepair in the 60's and 70's.  It was also allegedly a hotbed of organized crime activity.  In the early 1980's it was renovated and transformed into what we see today.  While it may be a bit "touristy" for some natives, it is a piece of old New York history that has been well preserved.

From pier 17, the views of Brooklyn and the world famous Brooklyn Bridge are spectacular.  Ask a foreign visitor what they know about New York and they'll tell you "the Statue of Liberty and The Brooklyn Bridge".  Completed in 1883, it is an architectural masterpiece.  The Brooklyn Bridge is without peer, anywhere in the world.  Take the time to walk across from Brooklyn to Manhattan and you'll get the full experience.

And lastly, what would New York be without one of my personal favorites, Yankee Stadium?  I know the purists will decry tearing down The House That Ruth Built in favor of the one that George built, but you have to see it to believe it.  Being a fan for my whole life, I had mixed emotions about the transformation and I still do miss the old ballpark.  But, I must admit that the new Yankee Stadium (thankfully they did not sell the naming rights), has done much to retain a lot of the old stadium feeling while providing an upgraded fan experience.  In my opinion, the only downside is that a family of four will be required to pay a king's ransom for an outing to the ballpark.  I would recommend buying your tickets on Stub Hub as I have gotten good seats for as little as 15 bucks!  You can be part of NYC history as the Yanks pursue their 28th World Series Championship!  GO NYC!

Dear Blog Readers:  Marc contacted me to discuss my comments on The New York Post.  He is so optimistic I decided to post his positivity on my blogs when I get the chance to.  Been hectic...but I have to add these comments.... See the Seaport photo- notice how Bloomberg has found ways to put advertisements every where except the Statute of Liberty?  See the Coors Lights structure?   Yet in contrast he wants vendors swept off the streets.


Re: The Yanks -- I can't belieeeeeve Mike Bloomberg made Babe Ruth's ghost homeless!!!!
Thanks for the cheer Marc!  We need it because next year we are going to have an economic crisis like a huge terror attack so thanks for any all good cheer!


Suzannah


p.s.  Dear Blog Readers:  Been extra hectic.   As soon as I get time you are getting the NYC round-up with my thoughts on Paterson getting off when he should be going to jail, Rangel and off course Mike Bloomberg....I have fun NYC events coming including cool museum visits as well.  Stay tune...

rhubrarb crumble from a few weeks ago

it was delicious!

Carry On Working Past 65 as Default Retirement Age to Be Scrapped in 2011
THE TELEGRAPH: Workers will be able to stay in their jobs into their seventies under new rules to be announced by the Government.

Ministers said they would end the “discrimination” of the Default Retirement Age, which allows companies to force staff out as soon as they turn 65.

Personnel groups welcomed the move, which they claimed would boost productivity and improve employees’ freedom to shape their careers.

Longer working is widely seen as necessary to keep income tax receipts up and reduce the burden on pension funds as Britain’s population ages.

But business leaders warn that employers will find it difficult to plan for the future if they do not know when staff will step down, although compulsory retirement ages could still be enforced in physically demanding jobs such as front line policing.

Older workers who do stay in their posts beyond 65 may also find themselves facing claims that they are not up to the job any more, or that they are keeping younger candidates out of work. Some fear it could lead to more employment tribunal claims from staff who believe they were sacked for being too old.

Ed Davey, the Employment Relations Minister, said: “With more and more people wanting to extend their working lives we should not stop them just because they have reached a particular age. We want to give individuals greater choice and are moving swiftly to end discrimination of this kind.

“Older workers bring with them a wealth of talent and experience as employees and entrepreneurs. They have a vital contribution to make to our economic recovery and long term prosperity.” >>> Martin Beckford and Louisa Peacock | Thursday, July 29, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: After banning racism and sexism, it's high time to ban ageism >>> Ian Cowie | Thursday, July 29, 2010

Peseta dreams and euro nightmares

A recent Eurobarometer poll has found that the majority of Spaniards, a sizeable 54 percent, believe that “without the euro, with the peseta, we would have been able to confront the economic crisis”. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, this is higher than the eurozone average of 45 percent. (In a 2007 Open Europe poll, 51 percent of the Spanish said they would prefer the peseta over the euro – so the peseta has been missed for some time).

In an interview with Spanish daily La Vanguardia, the Head of the European Commission's Representation in Barcelona, Manel Camós, has set out a rather customary EU explanation as to why people hold such odd views: ignorance, what else?

Says Camós:

This makes us think that the public has not understood the advantages of the euro because the experts, in general, are convinced that thanks to the euro we have had the [economic] development that we have had and that we can overcome the crisis.

He goes on “both interest rates and the inflation rate have decreased. Before the euro in Spain the interest rate was higher than 14% and now, in spite of the crisis, it is around 4%".

Ah, Señor Camós, those ill-informed Spaniards who don’t understand that the single currency only comes with benefits. How can they believe the words of people like the EU President Herman Van Rompuy, when he now admits that the euro served as a “sleeping pill” for the eurozone? Or the Bundesbank President Axel Weber when he points out, in the wake of the crisis that "the benefits of monetary union, in particular lower interest rates and the elimination of exchange rate risk, have not always been used wisely and have tempted some countries to live beyond their means" (e.g, the Spanish housing bubble)?

Or EU Commissioner for Competition Joaquín Almunia, a Spaniard himself, when he notes that countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain have experienced “a permanent loss of competitiveness since they are members of the Economic and Monetary Union”?

The truth is that keeping up with German monetary policy has undercut Spanish competitiveness and put strains on the economy, while low ECB interest rates have served to fuel the Spanish housing bubble, the effects of which we now see. At the same time, devaluation to put this right is now not an option for Spain which in turn will make the adjustment much more painful for ordinary people. Surely, any serious commentator or official must take this into account before accusing people of not getting it?

In fact, it wasn’t the people who got it wrong on the euro, as Mr Camós seems to suggest, but the self-appointed EU elite (as we’ve documented here).

At least some of them now have the courage to admit it.

Il nuovo testo delle norme Vaticane sui delitti dei chierici ( ultima parte 4 )

Riportiamo di seguito il dossier completo con le nuove norme sui delitti commessi dai chierici emesse oggi dalla Sala Stampa della Città del Vaticano. Il materiale proviene dal sito www.vatican.va .Ci riserviamo una successiva analisi di dettaglio di tali norme.


CONGREGAZIONE PER LA DOTTRINA DELLA FEDE: LETTERA AI VESCOVI DELLA CHIESA CATTOLICA E AGLI ALTRI ORDINARI E GERARCHI INTERESSATI CIRCA LE MODIFICHE INTRODOTTE NELLA LETTERA APOSTOLICA MOTU PROPRIO DATA "SACRAMENTORUM SANCTITATIS TUTELA" , 15.07.2010


· TESTO IN LINGUA ITALIANA
A distanza di nove anni dalla promulgazione della Lettera Apostolica Motu Proprio data «Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela», concernente le Normae de gravioribus delictis riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, questo Dicastero ha ritenuto necessario procedere ad una riforma del testo normativo citato, emendandolo non nella sua interezza, bensì solamente in alcune sue parti, al fine di migliorarne l’operatività concreta.
Dopo un attento e accurato studio delle riforme proposte, i Padri della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede sottoponevano al Romano Pontefice il risultato delle proprie determinazioni che, con decisione del 21 maggio 2010, lo stesso Sommo Pontefice approvava, ordinandone la promulgazione.
Alla presente Lettera è allegata una breve Relazione in cui vengono esposti gli emendamenti apportati al testo della normativa sopra indicata, ciò al fine di rendere più immediatamente individuabili gli stessi.
Dal Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio
Gulielmus Cardinalis Levada
Praefectus
Aloisius Franciscus Ladaria Ferrer
a Secretis

INTRODUZIONE STORICA ALLE NORME DEL MOTU PROPRIO "SACRAMENTORUM SANCTITATIS TUTELA" (2001) , 15.07.2010

INTRODUZIONE STORICA ALLE NORME DEL MOTU PROPRIO "SACRAMENTORUM SANCTITATIS TUTELA" (2001)
· TESTO IN LINGUA ITALIANA
Il Codice di Diritto Canonico promulgato dal Papa Benedetto XV nel 1917 riconosceva l’esistenza di un certo numero di reati canonici o "delitti" riservati alla competenza esclusiva della Sacra Congregazione del Sant’Uffizio, che, in quanto tribunale, era governata da una legge propria (cfr. can. 1555 CIC 1917).
Pochi anni dopo la promulgazione del Codice del 1917, il Sant’Uffizio emanò un’Istruzione, la "Crimen Sollicitationis" (1922), che dava istruzioni dettagliate alle singole Diocesi e ai tribunali sulle procedure da adottare quando si dovevano trattare il delitto canonico di sollecitazione. Questo gravissimo delitto riguardava l’abuso della santità e della dignità del Sacramento della Penitenza da parte di un prete cattolico, che sollecitasse il penitente a peccare contro il sesto comandamento, con il confessore o con una terza persona. La normativa del 1922 aveva lo scopo di aggiornare alla luce del nuovo Codice di Diritto Canonico le indicazioni della Costituzione Apostolica "Sacramentorum Poenitentiae" promulgata dal Papa Benedetto XIV nel 1741. Si dovevano considerare diversi elementi che vanno a sottolineare la specificità della fattispecie (con risvolti meno rilevanti dal punto di vista del diritto penale civile): il rispetto della dignità del sacramento, l’inviolabilità del sigillo sacramentale, la dignità del penitente e il fatto che in molti casi il prete accusato non poteva essere interrogato su tutto quello che fosse capitato senza mettere in pericolo il sigillo sacramentale. Questa procedura speciale, perciò si basava su un metodo indiretto di raggiungere la certezza morale necessaria per giungere ad una decisione definitiva sul caso. Questo metodo indiretto includeva di indagare sulla credibilità della persona che accusava il prete e la vita e il comportamento del prete accusato. L’accusa stessa era considerata come una delle accuse più gravi che si potevano muovere contro un prete cattolico. Perciò, la procedura ebbe cura di assicurare che il prete che poteva essere vittima di un’accusa falsa o calunniosa venisse protetto dall’infamia finché non si provasse la sua colpevolezza. Ciò venne garantito dalla stretta riservatezza della procedura stessa, intesa a proteggere da un’indebita pubblicità tutte le persone coinvolte, fino alla decisione definitiva del tribunale ecclesiastico.
L’Istruzione del 1922 includeva una breve sezione dedicata ad un altro delitto canonico: il crimen pessimum, che trattava della condotta omosessuale da parte di un chierico. Questa ulteriore sezione determinava che le procedure speciali per i casi di sollecitazione fossero applicate anche per questa fattispecie, con i necessari adattamenti dovuti alla natura del caso. Le norme che riguardavano il crimen pessimum venivano estese all’odioso crimine dell’abuso sessuale di bambini prepuberi e alla bestialità.
L’Istruzione "crimen sollicitationis" pertanto non ha mai inteso rappresentare l’intera policy della Chiesa cattolica circa condotte sessuali improprie da parte del clero, ma solo istituire una procedura che permettesse di rispondere a quella situazione del tutto singolare e particolarmente delicata che è la confessione, in cui alla completa apertura dell’intimità dell’anima da parte del penitente corrisponde, per legge divina, il dovere di assoluta riservatezza da parte del sacerdote. Solo progressivamente e per analogia essa è stata estesa ad alcuni casi di condotta immorale di sacerdoti. L’idea che sia necessaria una normativa organica sulla condotta sessuale di persone con responsabilità educativa è assai recente, perciò rappresenta un grave anacronismo voler giudicare in questa prospettiva i testi normativi canonici di buona parte del secolo scorso
L’Istruzione del 1922 veniva inviata ai Vescovi che avessero la necessità di trattare casi particolari che riguardavano la sollecitazione, l’omosessualità di un chierico, l’abuso sessuale di bambini e la bestialità. Nel 1962, il Papa Giovanni XXIII autorizzò una ristampa dell’Istruzione del 1922 con una breve aggiunta sulle procedure amministrative nei casi che coinvolgevano chierici religiosi. Le copie della ristampa del 1962 sarebbero dovute essere distribuite ai Vescovi radunati nel Concilio Vaticano II (1962-1965). Alcune copie della ristampa furono consegnate ai Vescovi che, nel frattempo, avevano bisogno di trattare casi riservati al Sant’Uffizio; tuttavia, la maggior parte delle copie non venne mai distribuita. Le riforme proposte dal Concilio Vaticano II comportavano anche una riforma del Codice di Diritto canonico del 1917 e della Curia romana. Il periodo fra il 1965 e il 1983 (l’anno in cui fu pubblicato il nuovo Codice di Diritto Canonico per la Chiesa latina) fu contrassegnato da differenti tendenze fra gli studiosi di diritto canonico in merito ai fini della legge penale canonica e alla necessità di un approccio decentralizzato ai casi, valorizzando l’autorità e il discernimento del Vescovi locali. Venne preferito un "atteggiamento pastorale" nei confronti delle condotte inappropriate; i processi canonici venivano da alcuni ritenuti anacronistici. Spesso prevalse il "modello terapeutico" nel trattamento dei casi di condotte inappropriate dei chierici. Ci si attendeva che il Vescovo fosse in grado di "guarire" più che di "punire". Un’idea fin troppo ottimista a proposito dei benefici delle terapie psicologiche determinò molte decisioni che riguardavano il personale delle diocesi e degli istituti religiosi, a volte senza considerare adeguatamente le possibilità di una recidiva.
In ogni modo, casi riguardanti la dignità del Sacramento della Penitenza, invece, dopo il Concilio rimasero alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede (già Sant’Uffizio; il nome venne cambiato nel 1965), e l’Istruzione "Crimen sollicitationis" fu ancora usata per questi casi fino alle nuove norme fissate dal motu proprio "Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela" del 2001.
Nel periodo seguente al Concilio Vaticano II, furono presentati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede pochi casi riguardanti condotte sessuali inappropriate del clero relative a minori: alcuni di questi casi erano legati all’abuso del Sacramento della Penitenza; alcuni altri possono essere stati inviati tra le richieste di dispensa dagli obblighi dell’ordinazione sacerdotale e dal celibato (prassi talvolta definita "laicizzazione"), che furono trattate dalla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede sino al 1989 (dal 1989 al 2005 la competenza per tali dispense è passata alla Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti; dal 2005 ad oggi, gli stessi casi vengono trattati dalla Congregazione per il Clero).
Il Codice di Diritto Canonico promulgato dal Papa Giovanni Paolo II nel 1983 rinnovò la disciplina in materia al can. 1395, § 2: "Il chierico che abbia commesso altri delitti contro il sesto precetto del Decalogo, se invero il delitto sia stato compiuto con violenza, o minacce, o pubblicamente, o con un minore al di sotto dei 16 anni, sia punito con giuste pene, non esclusa la dimissione dallo stato clericale, se il caso lo comporti". Secondo il CIC 1983 i processi vengono celebrati nelle Diocesi. Gli appelli dalle sentenze giudiziali possono essere presentati presso la Rota Romana, mentre i ricorsi amministrativi contro i decreti penali vengono proposti presso la Congregazione per il Clero.
Nel 1994, la Santa Sede concesse un indulto per i Vescovi degli Stati Uniti: l’età per definire il delitto canonico di abuso sessuale di un minore fu elevata a 18 anni . Inoltre, il tempo per la prescrizione fu esteso ad un periodo di 10 anni calcolato a partire dal compimento del 18° anno di età della vittima. Venne indicato esplicitamente ai Vescovi di svolgere i processi canonici nelle Diocesi. Gli appelli furono riservati alla Rota Romana, i ricorsi amministrativi alla Congregazione per il Clero. Durante questo periodo (1994-2001) non si fece alcun riferimento all’antica competenza del Sant’Uffizio per questi casi.
L’indulto del 1994 per gli Stati Uniti fu esteso all’Irlanda nel 1996. Nel frattempo, la questione di procedure speciali per casi di abuso sessuale venne discussa nella Curia romana. Alla fine, il Papa Giovanni Paolo II decise di includere l’abuso sessuale di un minore di 18 anni commesso da un chierico nel nuovo elenco di delitti canonici riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede. La prescrizione per questi casi venne fissata in 10 anni a partire dal compimento del 18° anno di età della vittima. La nuova legge, un motu proprio dal titolo "Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela", fu promulgata il 30 aprile 2001. Una lettera firmata dal Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger e dall’Arcivescovo Tarcisio Bertone, rispettivamente Prefetto e Segretario della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, fu inviata a tutti i Vescovi cattolici il 18 maggio 2001. La lettera informava i Vescovi della nuova legge e delle nuove procedure che sostituivano l’Istruzione "Crimen Sollicitationis".
In essa erano innanzitutto indicati quali fossero i delitti più gravi, sia contro la morale sia nella celebrazione dei sacramenti, riservati alla Congregazione; inoltre venivano indicate le speciali norme procedurali da osservarsi nei casi riguardanti tali gravi delitti, comprese le norme riguardanti la determinazione delle sanzioni canoniche e la loro imposizione.
I delicta graviora riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede venivano elencati nel modo seguente:nell’ambito dei delitti contro la santità dell'augustissimo sacramento e sacrificio dell'Eucaristia:
1° l'asportazione o la conservazione a scopo sacrilego, o la profanazione delle specie consacrate (can. 1367 CIC e can. 1442 CCEO);
2° l'attentata azione liturgica del sacrificio eucaristico o la simulazione della medesima (can. 1378 § 2 n. 1 CIC e cann. 1379 CIC e 1443 CCEO);
3° la concelebrazione vietata del sacrificio eucaristico insieme a ministri di comunità ecclesiali, che non hanno la successione apostolica né riconoscono la dignità sacramentale dell'ordinazione sacerdotale (cann. 908 e 1365 CIC; cann. 702 e 1440 CCEO);
4° la consacrazione a scopo sacrilego di una materia senza l'altra nella celebrazione eucaristica, o anche di entrambe al di fuori della celebrazione eucaristica (cf. can. 927 CIC);
nell’ambito dei delitti contro la santità del sacramento della Penitenza:
1° l'assoluzione del complice nel peccato contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo (can. 1378 § 1 CIC e can. 1457 CCEO);
2° la sollecitazione, nell'atto o in occasione o con il pretesto della confessione, al peccato contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo, se è finalizzata a peccare con il confessore stesso (can. 1387 CIC e 1458 CCEO);
3° la violazione diretta del sigillo sacramentale (can. 1388 § 1 e 1456 CCEO);
nell’ambito, infine, dei delitti contro la morale:
1° il delitto contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo commesso da un chierico con un minore al di sotto dei 18 anni di età (cf. can. 1395 § 2 CIC ).
Le norme processuali da seguirsi in questi casi venivano così indicate:
- qualora l'Ordinario o il Gerarca avesse notizia, almeno verosimile, della commissione di un delitto riservato, dopo aver svolto un'indagine preliminare, lo stesso la segnalasse alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, la quale (tranne l’ipotesi, per particolari circostanze, di avocazione a sé del caso) avrebbe indicato all'Ordinario o al Gerarca come procedere, fermo restando il diritto di appellare la sentenza di primo grado unicamente innanzi il Supremo Tribunale della medesima Congregazione;
- l’azione criminale, nei casi di delitti riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, si estinguesse per prescrizione in un decennio. Veniva inoltre previsto che la prescrizione decorresse a norma dei cann. 1362 § 2 CIC e 1152 § 3 CCEO, con l’unica eccezione del delitto contra sextum cum minore, nel qual caso venne sancito che la praescriptio decorresse a far data dal giorno in cui il minore avesse compiuto il 18° anno di età;
- nei Tribunali costituiti presso gli Ordinari o i Gerarchi, relativamente a queste cause, potessero ricoprire validamente l'ufficio di giudice, di promotore di giustizia, di notaio e di patrono solamente dei sacerdoti e che, quando l'istanza nel Tribunale fosse in qualsiasi modo conclusa, tutti gli atti della causa fossero trasmessi quanto prima ex officio alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede;
Veniva inoltre stabilito che tutti i Tribunali della Chiesa latina e delle Chiese orientali cattoliche fossero tenuti ad osservare i canoni sui delitti e le pene e sul processo penale, rispettivamente dell'uno e dell'altro Codice, unitamente alle norme speciali, date dalla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede.
A distanza di nove anni dalla promulgazione del Motu Proprio «Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela», la Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, nell’intento di migliorare l’applicazione della legge, ha ritenuto necessario introdurre alcuni cambiamenti a queste norme, senza modificare il testo nella sua interezza, ma solo in alcune sue parti.
Dopo un attento e accurato studio dei cambiamenti proposti, i membri della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede hanno sottoposto al Romano Pontefice il risultato delle proprie determinazioni che, lo stesso Sommo Pontefice, con decisione del 21 maggio 2010, ha approvato, ordinandone la promulgazione.
La versione delle Norme sui delicta graviora attualmente in vigore è quella approvata dal Santo Padre Benedetto XVI il 21 maggio 2010.

War News for Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Italian defense Ministry is reporting the deaths of two Italian ISAF soldiers from an IED blast in Herat, Herat province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 28th. Here's the ISAF release


Spain files warrants for US troops over Iraq death

Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan had been defusing IEDs

Tonga sends troops to Afghanistan for jobs

Leaked Afghan War Reports Heighten European Doubts

Local strongman is U.S. troops' most reliable friend in Kandahar province

Military plane crashes on training mission in Alaska


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A police officer and a Sahwa leader were killed by gunmen in southern Baghdad on Thursday, an official source said. “Four gunmen opened fire on a police officer, Ali Talaa, from the protecting establishments force, and the Sahwa leader, Ramadan Ibrahim, in al-Ray region in al-Shurta al-Khamesa district, southern Baghdad, killing them instantly,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diyala Prv:
#1: In the eastern province of Diyala, a civilian was killed and three others were wounded in a shootout erupted following a quarrel between two families in a village near the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, a source from the provincial operations command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

#2: Separately, three passengers were wounded in a roadside bomb explosion near their minibus while travelling on a main road outside the town of Kan'an, some 20 km east of Baquba, the source said.


Shirqat:
#1: In Salahudin province in north of Baghdad, Brigadier Dahham al- Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer escaped with wounds a roadside bomb explosion near his convoy while moving on a main road in north of the town of Sherqat, some 280 km north of Baghdad, a source from the provincial operations command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. One of Jubouri's bodyguards was killed by the blast and another was wounded, the source said.

#2: Earlier in the day, Sherqat was the scene of a suicide truck bomb explosion when a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden KIA truck into the entrance of a military base in the town, killing three soldiers and wounding 11 others, the source said in earlier report.


Mosul:
#1: An Iraqi soldier was killed on Wednesday by gunmen in western Mosul, according to a security source. “Unknown gunmen shot and killed an Iraqi soldier near his house in Mosul al-Jadieda region, western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A soldier’s wife was wounded on Wednesday in a bomb explosion in northwest of Mosul, according to a security source. “The bomb exploded on Wednesday evening (July 28) in front of the house of an army soldier in Zamar district, northwest of Mosul, injuring his wife, who was carried to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: In Anbar province, a policeman was killed and an officer was wounded when a magnetic bomb attached to a civilian car detonated while passing a police checkpoint in the eastern entrance of the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a provincial police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Four civilians in the car were also wounded by the blast, the source said.

#2: In a separate incident, a roadside bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol north of Fallujah, killing a soldier and wounding five others, the source added.

#3: Sheikh Ihsan Abdulatief al-Douri has died of wounds he sustained in a bomb explosion on Wednesday, a medical source said on Thursday. “The sheikh died on Thursday morning (July 29) of wounds he sustained yesterday when a bomb exploded near his car while he was leaving al-Rawi mosque in central Falluja,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. A police source had said that a bomb exploded near the car of Sheikh Ihsan Abdulatief in al-Andalus neighborhood, central Falluja, killing one person, and injuring eight, including two children.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1-2: Insurgents killed six Afghan civilians and wounded three more in improvised explosive device attacks in Afghanistan on Wednesday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Thursday. Four civilians were killed and three wounded in Zabul province in the south and two died in Nimroz province in the southwest.

#3: Taliban commander Mullah Abdullah who joined government two months ago was killed at his home in northern Kunduz province, provincial governor Mohammad Omar said Thursday. "Unknown armed men, possibly Taliban militants entered the house of Mullah Abdullah in Imam Sahib district on Tuesday night and shot him dead," Omar told Xinhua. Mullah Abdullah who used to serve as a group commander of Taliban fighters in Kunduz province switched side and joined government along with 20 of his men in early May.

UNESCO Removes Galapagos Islands From Endangered List

A UN panel has selected to withdraw the Galapagos Islands from the World Heritage in Danger list, authorities said on Wednesday.

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) took the verdict at a meeting in Brazil's capital Brasilia.

The archipelago of volcanic islands off the Pacific coast of Ecuador had been on the catalog of endangered world heritage sites since 2007. A growing local population, fishing, and tourism had put demands on natural resources there.

But the committee voted 15 to 4 in favour of Brazil's recommendation to withdraw the islands from the list, saying Ecuador had made development in recent years.
"It's important to recognize the effort made by the Ecuadorean government to conserve this heritage," said Luiz Fernando de Almeida, head of the Brazilian delegation.

Charles Darwin considered species on the islands during the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s. That work contributed to Darwin's theory of evolution by usual selection.
The committee also determined to add the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
A fire deficiently damaged the main structure of the site in March, UNESCO said in a statement.

"The property, an outstanding example of an architectural style urbanized by the Buganda Kingdom since the 13th century, will be reconstructed," the statement said.
The whole and amended list of World Heritage Sites is expected to be published on Thursday.

this stan lee video isn't as good, though

Suzannah B. Troy takes Aerial Yoga

http://www.aerialyoga.com/
You can take Aerial Yoga at locations around NYC or do what I did and arrange a private class.

I took a group class with Michelle and I was the oldest person there and I exceeded my expectations.  Taking a private with Michelle was a different experience.  She had body genius and superb insights I greatly appreciated.  I was able to really relax and be present.  I learned so much.  I have the highest praise and I look forward to seeing her perform as well.

Michelle also does teacher trainings and her students are older than me including a 70 year old man.  As I get older I am fascinated learning about people who are older still learning and superb they are getting their teacher training.  They are already yoga teaching taking their teaching to new heights.

My VIP's special to me  knows I love defying gravity!!!!!!!!!!!!  My favorite pose...head stand in the air!!!!!!!!

http://www.aerialyoga.com/unnata-aerial-yoga-in-the-news/

Above is the link to a YouTube of Michelle teaching a class and she is truly amazing teacher.  I took a class like this and I did so much more than I ever imagined.

The YouTube is not Michelle but the video also shows you some more Aerial Yoga.

Another Oil Spill... and Again, No Reporters Allowed

This was the case also at the Panama invasion in 1989.

Michigan oil spill a replay of Gulf spill?

By Ed Brayton 7/27/10 3:28 PM

It’s looking like the oil spill from a pipeline into the Talmadge Creek in Calhoun County is going to be a replay of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in at least one respect — the companies, aided by the government, do not want the media to have access to take pictures and video of what is going on. The Michigan Messenger’s Todd Heywood is on the scene and was turned away from one of the primary sites by employees of Enbridge, the company that owns and operates the pipeline.

Heywood was at 12 Mile Rd. and C Avenue at a bridge over the Ceresco Dam when employees from Enbridge turned him away. The employee would only give his name as Mike, and when he noticed Heywood writing down the information he said, “I’m not telling you anything else” and walked away.

A sheriff’s deputy on the scene confirmed that he was not allowed to take pictures there of the oil spill or the wildlife. He then went to the Enbridge command center and was told by Enbridge spokesperson Lorraine Grymala that he would have to go to the Calhoun County Sheriff to talk to them about it.

At the Calhoun County offices, the desk clerk would not give him the contact information for the sheriff or a public information officer and said she was told only to give out an 800 number. That number went to Enbridge, but it is only an answering machine where one can leave messages.

Heywood reports that they are closing down roads all along the Kalamazoo River and there is a heavy smell of oil in the air. People have been pulling oil-covered animals out of the water, but at this point there is no place for them to go. A private company is being brought in to handle the wildlife cleanup but there is nothing in place yet for treating them.

We’ll have more as this story develops.

source: http://michiganmessenger.com/40133/michigan-oil-spill-a-replay-of-gulf-spill

Il nuovo testo delle norme Vaticane sui delitti dei chierici ( parte 3 )

Riportiamo di seguito il dossier completo con le nuove norme sui delitti commessi dai chierici emesse oggi dalla Sala Stampa della Città del Vaticano. Il materiale proviene dal sito www.vatican.va .Ci riserviamo una successiva analisi di dettaglio di tali norme.

NORMAE DE GRAVIORIBUS DELICTIS

Parte Prima
NORME SOSTANZIALI
Art. 1
1. La Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, a norma dell’art. 52 della Costituzione Apostolica Pastor Bonus, giudica i delitti contro la fede e i delitti più gravi commessi contro i costumi o nella celebrazione dei sacramenti e, se del caso, procede a dichiarare o irrogare le sanzioni canoniche a norma del diritto, sia comune sia proprio, fatta salva la competenza della Penitenzieria Apostolica e ferma restando la Agendi ratio in doctrinarum examine.


2. Nei delitti di cui al § 1, per mandato del Romano Pontefice, la Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede ha il diritto di giudicare i Padri Cardinali, i Patriarchi, i Legati della Sede Apostolica, i Vescovi, nonché le altre persone fisiche di cui al can. 1405 § 3 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1061 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali.


3. La Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede giudica i delitti riservati di cui al § 1 a norma degli articoli seguenti.



Art. 2
§ 1. I delitti contro la fede, di cui all’art. 1, sono l’eresia, l’apostasia e lo scisma, a norma dei cann. 751 e 1364 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e dei cann. 1436 e 1437 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali.
§ 2. Nei casi di cui al § 1, a norma del diritto spetta all’Ordinario o al Gerarca rimettere, se del caso, la scomunica latae sententiae e svolgere il processo giudiziale in prima istanza o extragiudiziale per decreto, fatto salvo il diritto di appello o di ricorso alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede.



Art. 3
§ 1. I delitti più gravi contro la santità dell’augustissimo Sacrificio e sacramento dell’Eucaristia riservati al giudizio della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede sono:
1° l’asportazione o la conservazione a scopo sacrilego, o la profanazione delle specie consacrate, di cui al can. 1367 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1442 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali;
2° l’attentata azione liturgica del Sacrificio eucaristico di cui al can. 1378 § 2 n. 1 del Codice di Diritto Canonico;
3° la simulazione dell’azione liturgica del Sacrificio eucaristico di cui al can. 1379 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1443 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali;
4° la concelebrazione del Sacrificio eucaristico vietata dal can. 908 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e dal can. 702 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, di cui al can. 1365 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1440 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, insieme ai ministri delle comunità ecclesiali che non hanno la successione apostolica e non riconoscono la dignità sacramentale dell’ordinazione sacerdotale.
§ 2. Alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è riservato anche il delitto che consiste nella consacrazione a fine sacrilego di una sola materia o di entrambe, nella celebrazione eucaristica o fuori di essa. Colui che commette questo delitto, sia punito secondo la gravità del crimine, non esclusa la dimissione o la deposizione.



Art. 4
§ 1. I delitti più gravi contro la santità del sacramento della Penitenza riservati al giudizio della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede sono:
1° l’assoluzione del complice nel peccato contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo, di cui al can. 1378 § 1 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1457 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali;
2° l’attentata assoluzione sacramentale o l’ascolto vietato della confessione di cui al can. 1378 § 2, 2° del Codice di Diritto Canonico;
3° la simulazione dell’assoluzione sacramentale di cui al can. 1379 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1443 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali;
4° la sollecitazione al peccato contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo nell’atto o in occasione o con il pretesto della confessione, di cui al can. 1387 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1458 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, se diretta al peccato con lo stesso confessore;
5° la violazione diretta e indiretta del sigillo sacramentale, di cui al can. 1388 § 1 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1456 § 1 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali.
§ 2. Fermo restando il disposto del § 1 n. 5, alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è riservato anche il delitto più grave consistente nella registrazione, fatta con qualunque mezzo tecnico, o nella divulgazione con i mezzi di comunicazione sociale svolta con malizia, delle cose che vengono dette dal confessore o dal penitente nella confessione sacramentale, vera o falsa. Colui che commette questo delitto, sia punito secondo la gravità del crimine, non esclusa la dimissione o la deposizione, se è un chierico.



Art. 5
Alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è riservato anche il delitto più grave di attentata sacra ordinazione di una donna:
1° fermo restando il disposto del can. 1378 del Codice di Diritto Canonico, sia colui che attenta il conferimento del sacro ordine, sia la donna che attenta la recezione del sacro ordine, incorrono nella scomunica latae sententiae riservata alla Sede Apostolica;
2° se poi colui che attenta il conferimento del sacro ordine o la donna che attenta la recezione del sacro ordine è un cristiano soggetto al Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, fermo restando il disposto del can. 1443 del medesimo Codice, sia punito con la scomunica maggiore, la cui remissione è pure riservata alla Sede Apostolica;
3° se poi il reo è un chierico, può essere punito con la dimissione o la deposizione.



Art. 6
§ 1. I delitti più gravi contro i costumi, riservati al giudizio della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, sono:
1° il delitto contro il sesto comandamento del Decalogo commesso da un chierico con un minore di diciotto anni; in questo numero, viene equiparata al minore la persona che abitualmente ha un uso imperfetto della ragione;
2° l’acquisizione o la detenzione o la divulgazione, a fine di libidine, di immagini pornografiche di minori sotto i quattordici anni da parte di un chierico, in qualunque modo e con qualunque strumento.
§ 2. Il chierico che compie i delitti di cui al § 1 sia punito secondo la gravità del crimine, non esclusa la dimissione o la deposizione.




Art. 7
§ 1. Fatto salvo il diritto della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede di derogare alla prescrizione per i singoli casi, l’azione criminale relativa ai delitti riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede si estingue per prescrizione in vent’anni.
§ 2. La prescrizione decorre a norma del can. 1362 § 2 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e del can. 1152 § 3 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali. Ma nel delitto di cui all’art. 6 § 1 n. 1, la prescrizione inizia a decorrere dal giorno in cui il minore ha compiuto diciotto anni.
Seconda Parte
NORME PROCEDURALI
Titolo i
Costituzione e competenza del Tribunale



Art. 8
§ 1. La Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è il Supremo Tribunale Apostolico per la Chiesa Latina, nonché per le Chiese Orientali Cattoliche, nel giudicare i delitti definiti negli articoli precedenti.
§ 2. Questo Supremo Tribunale giudica anche gli altri delitti, per i quali il reo viene accusato dal Promotore di Giustizia, in ragione della connessione della persona e della complicità.
§ 3. Le sentenze di questo Supremo Tribunale, emesse nei limiti della propria competenza, non sono soggette all’approvazione del Sommo Pontefice.



Art. 9
§ 1. I giudici di questo Supremo Tribunale sono, per lo stesso diritto, i Padri della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede.
§ 2. Presiede il collegio dei Padri, quale primo fra pari, il Prefetto della Congregazione e, in caso di vacanza o di impedimento del Prefetto, ne adempie l’ufficio il Segretario della Congregazione.
§ 3. Spetta al Prefetto della Congregazione nominare anche altri giudici stabili o incaricati.



Art. 10
È necessario che siano nominati giudici sacerdoti di età matura, provvisti di dottorato in diritto canonico, di buoni costumi, particolarmente distinti per prudenza ed esperienza giuridica, anche se esercitano contemporaneamente l’ufficio di giudice o di consultore in un altro Dicastero della Curia Romana.



Art. 11
Per presentare e sostenere l’accusa, è costituito un Promotore di Giustizia, che sia sacerdote, provvisto di dottorato in diritto canonico, di buoni costumi, particolarmente distinto per prudenza ed esperienza giuridica, che adempia il suo ufficio in tutti i gradi di giudizio.



Art. 12
Per i compiti di Notaio e di Cancelliere sono designati sacerdoti, sia Officiali di questa Congregazione, sia esterni.



Art. 13
Funge da Avvocato e Procuratore un sacerdote, provvisto di dottorato in diritto canonico, che viene approvato dal Presidente del collegio.



Art. 14
Negli altri Tribunali, poi, per le cause di cui nelle presenti norme, possono adempiere validamente gli uffici di Giudice, Promotore di Giustizia, Notaio e Patrono soltanto sacerdoti.



Art. 15
Fermo restando il prescritto del can. 1421 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e del can. 1087 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è lecito concedere le dispense dai requisiti del sacerdozio, nonché del dottorato in diritto canonico.



Art. 16
Ogni volta che l’Ordinario o il Gerarca ha la notizia, almeno verisimile, di un delitto più grave, svolta l’indagine previa, la renda nota alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, la quale, se non avoca a sé la causa per circostanze particolari, ordina all’Ordinario o al Gerarca di procedere ulteriormente, fermo restando tuttavia, se del caso, il diritto di appello contro la sentenza di primo grado soltanto al Supremo Tribunale della medesima Congregazione.



Art. 17
Se il caso viene deferito direttamente alla Congregazione, senza condurre l’indagine previa, i preliminari del processo, che per diritto comune spettano all’Ordinario o al Gerarca, possono essere adempiuti dalla Congregazione stessa.



Art. 18
La Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, nelle cause ad essa legittimamente deferite, può sanare gli atti, fatto salvo il diritto alla difesa, se sono state violate leggi meramente processuali da parte dei Tribunali inferiori che agiscono per mandato della medesima Congregazione o secondo l’art. 16.



Art. 19
Fermo restando il diritto dell’Ordinario o del Gerarca, fin dall’inizio dell’indagine previa, di imporre quanto è stabilito nel can. 1722 del Codice di Diritto Canonico o nel can. 1473 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali, anche il Presidente di turno del Tribunale, su istanza del Promotore di Giustizia, ha la stessa potestà alle stesse condizioni determinate nei detti canoni.



Art. 20
Il Supremo Tribunale della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede giudica in seconda istanza:
1° le cause giudicate in prima istanza dai Tribunali inferiori;
2° le cause definite in prima istanza dal medesimo Supremo Tribunale Apostolico.
Titolo II
L’ordine giudiziario



Art. 21
§ 1. I delitti più gravi riservati alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede vanno perseguiti in processo giudiziale.
§ 2. Tuttavia, alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede è lecito:
1° nei singoli casi, d’ufficio o su istanza dell’Ordinario o del Gerarca, decidere di procedere per decreto extragiudiziale, di cui al can. 1720 del Codice di Diritto Canonico e al can. 1486 del Codice dei Canoni delle Chiese Orientali; tuttavia, con l’intendimento che le pene espiatorie perpetue siano irrogate soltanto dietro mandato della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede;
2° deferire direttamente alla decisione del Sommo Pontefice in merito alla dimissione dallo stato clericale o alla deposizione, insieme alla dispensa dalla legge del celibato, i casi più gravi, quando consta manifestamente il compimento del delitto, dopo che sia stata data al reo la facoltà di difendersi.



Art. 22
Per giudicare una causa, il Prefetto costituisca un Turno di tre o di cinque giudici.



Art. 23
Se, in grado di appello, il Promotore di Giustizia porta un’accusa specificamente diversa, questo Supremo Tribunale può ammetterla e giudicarla, come se fosse in prima istanza.



Art. 24
§ 1. Nelle cause per i delitti di cui all’art. 4 § 1, il Tribunale non può rendere noto il nome del denunciante, né all’accusato, e neppure al suo Patrono, se il denunciante non ha dato espresso consenso.
§ 2. Lo stesso Tribunale deve valutare con particolare attenzione la credibilità del denunciante.
§ 3. Tuttavia, bisogna provvedere a che si eviti assolutamente qualunque pericolo di violazione del sigillo sacramentale.




Art. 25
Se emerge una questione incidentale, il Collegio definisca la cosa per decreto con la massima celerità.



Art. 26
§ 1. Fatto salvo il diritto di appello a questo Supremo Tribunale, terminata in qualunque modo l’istanza in un altro Tribunale, tutti gli atti della causa siano trasmessi d’ufficio quanto prima alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede.
§ 2. Il diritto del Promotore di Giustizia della Congregazione di impugnare la sentenza decorre dal giorno in cui la sentenza di prima istanza è stata notificata al medesimo Procuratore.



Art. 27
Contro gli atti amministrativi singolari emessi o approvati dalla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede nei casi dei delitti riservati, si ammette il ricorso, presentato entro il termine perentorio di sessanta giorni utili, alla Congregazione Ordinaria (ossia, Feria IV) del medesimo Dicastero, la quale giudica il merito e la legittimità, eliminato qualsiasi ulteriore ricorso di cui all’art. 123 della Costituzione Apostolica Pastor bonus.



Art. 28
La cosa passa in giudicato:
1° se la sentenza è stata emessa in seconda istanza;
2° se l’appello contro la sentenza non è stato interposto entro un mese;
3° se, in grado di appello, l’istanza andò perenta o si rinunciò ad essa;
4° se fu emessa una sentenza a norma dell’art. 20.




Art. 29
§ 1. Le spese giudiziarie si paghino secondo quanto stabilito dalla sentenza.
§ 2. Se il reo non può pagare le spese, esse siano pagate dall’Ordinario o dal Gerarca della causa.



Art. 30
§ 1. Le cause di questo genere sono soggette al segreto pontificio.
§ 2. Chiunque viola il segreto o, per dolo o negligenza grave, reca altro danno all’accusato o ai testimoni, su istanza della parte lesa o anche d’ufficio sia punito dal Turno superiore con congrue pene.



Art. 31
In queste cause, insieme alle prescrizioni di questo norme, a cui sono tenuti tutti i Tribunali della Chiesa Latina e delle Chiese Orientali Cattoliche, si debbono applicare anche i canoni sui delitti e le pene e sul processo penale dell’uno e dell’altro Codice.
[01049-01.01] [Testo originale: Latino]