Chicago News Bench

Sperm Cell Hits Embryonic Son, NASA Puzzled

2013-06-16T14:44:00.001-05:00

Sperm cell crashes into embryonic son (artist's conception)

June 16, 2013 - Scientists at NASA were stunned when an "unbelievably fast" sperm cell crashed into an embryonic son at 01:30 UTC this morning. Nobody at NASA anticipated the arrival of the sperm cell, which occurred during an office party at the space agency's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"None of our monitoring satellites were able to see this coming," said Dr. Roger Pater of SORCE. "We know where it came from, and we have good reason to believe that this was a Y chromosome-bearing sperm cell. If that's the case, then the result will be an embryo with XY chromosomes. In other words, a boy."

Dr. Pater stressed that this is only speculation at this point. "We won't know for six weeks into the gestation, as the fetus. It's about then that we'll see sexually specific male or female characteristics." Pater added that this is not one of NASA's areas of expertise. "I'm just a physicist," he said, "not a real doctor."

The unexpected sperm cell hit an egg contained within a female employee of NASA. Witnesses at the party say that she and her husband snuck off to an empty office in another part of the building where the office party was taking place. "They were gone for about 45 minutes," said one of the party attendees. "That's long enough to, well, you know. So like, this wasn't totally unexpected if you think about it."

Happy Fathers Day.

Updated: Man Held in UK Mosque Stabbing of Four Including Police Officer

2013-06-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

Washwood Heath Muslim Centre ~ Google Maps

June 15, 2013 - A quiet residential neighborhood in Birmingham, England was shaken by a multiple stabbing incident Saturday night. The incident seems to have nothing to do with terrorism or hate crimes.

"Four men including a police officer have been taken to hospital after being stabbed in a mosque in Birmingham," reports Sky News tonight. "The officer was stabbed as he arrived at a mosque in Birmingham where three people had been attacked by a knifeman." Sky News says that all four men are hospitalized and a 32-year old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Police tape off Washwood Heath Muslim Centre, 15 June
Photo: Sky News

UPDATE, 16 June: "Two worshippers, a 28-year-old man who suffered multiple stab wounds and a 36-year-old man who suffered a single stab wound to the thigh, were also being treated in hospital," reports The Guardian UK. "Another worshipper suffered a hand injury but did not need hospital treatment. All were given first aid at the scene by police officers and worshippers, who included an off-duty surgeon." The Guardian also reports that attacker's motivation for Saturday's attack are not known, "but there was no evidence it was a hate crime or linked to any other incidents." The Guardian says that the 32-year-old murder suspect "was transferred to a secure mental health facility on Sunday after he was deemed unfit to be interviewed by police."

The mosque is the Washwood Heath Muslim Centre at 790-792 Washwood Heath Road, Ward End, Birmingham, West Midlands. (See map and photo.) Listed at the same address is a school called Madrasah Qasim ul Uloom and a majid called Anwar-ul-Madina.

The West Midlands Police press release said that "Officers arrived at the incident and whilst the suspect was being detained, one police officer also suffered stab wounds. The three men and the male police constable were taken to hospital; all four men are currently described as being in a stable condition and their injuries are not believed to be life threatening. The man was arrested at the mosque on suspicion of attempt murder and is currently in custody. Officers are conducting patrols in the area in a bid to reassure local people and a cordon is in place whilst investigations continue at this time."

Ward End is an area of Birmingham, England. It covers the area between Saltley, Hodge Hill and Stechford and includes Ward End Park, according to Wikipedia, which also notes that "there are a large number of mosques, located on Ward End, Washwood Heath, Hodge Hill and Alum Rock Road or nearby." The UK Mosque Searcher lists nine mosques in Ward End.

We Have Not Driven Off Despotism Cliff (Yet)

2013-06-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

"You say America is fully despotic?
Please. Don't make me laugh."

June 14, 2013 - A friend on Facebook, who I know to be a true patriot, wrote today that America has become "fully despotic." I disagree with that. Some of will disagree with me, of course. What I mean to say in this post is that, although the U.S. certainly moves toward despotism, it has not yet become "fully despotic." It is leaning in the general direction of despotism, but there is still time enough to halt the tilt and eventually even to reverse it. Hope remains, but not if you listen to some of the more hysteria-prone conservatives. I say this as a conservative myself.

My main point here is that it's dangerous for to insist that the U.S. has become "fully despotic." If it was, we would not be allowed to have this discussion. I could not publish this blog.

Synonyms for "despotism" include dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny, autocracy, autarchy.

Oxford Dictionary
  the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way;
      the King’s arbitrary despotism;
       a country or political system where the ruler holds absolute power.

Another definition (Infoplease):
  form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
(not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

"America is fully despotic you say?
Ach, you don't know real despotism."

If our country was fully despotic, there would be no discussion of gun control -- all the guns would have been confiscated already. In a fully despotic America, open discussion -- not to mention investigation -- of the IRS scandal, the Benghazi scandal, the Solyndra scandal, the PRISM/NSA scandal, the Fast and Furious gun running scandal and so much more would not not be allowed. If the United States was fully despotic, Trey Gowdy, Darrell Issa, Sarah Palin, Ralph Nader and Noam Chomsky would be in prison for their harsh public criticism of Obama and his administration. As far as I know, they are still free.

Not only does this spread untruth, it has the unintentional effect, I believe, of psychological propaganda that works against conservatives. It does so, in effect, by conveying the false message that the Obama Administration as already achieved total tyranny.

To do so is like a general publicly saying that the enemy has already won. What effect do you think that would have on that general's troops? Put another way, imagine a squadron of cheerleaders chanting that the opposing football team is all-powerful and has already won.

Some politicians, mostly Democrats, disdain the Constitution and try to do end runs around it, the government is still bound by it. Imperfectly, yes, but my point is that the government is still, for the most part, restricted by the Constitution. "Full despotism" cannot happen, by definition, until no part of the Constitution is honored. Barack Obama is not Adolf Hitler, and although much of his behavior is disturbingly Hitlerian, it is still too early say that he is exactly like Hitler. It's as inaccurate as the Leftists calling G.W. Bush a Nazi. Even with one foot across the threshold, the U.S. has not yet stepped fully into some version of an American Reich. We are still in the late stages of Wiemar Republic.

"One need not destroy one's enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage," said Sun Tzu in "Art of War." Repeatedly pounding it into conservative's heads that the whole of the U.S. government is "fully despotic" is damaging. Some, although not all, conservatives lose their willingness to engage, to give up the fight. Why fight on, after all, if the Left has already won?

Sun Tzu also said, "You have to believe in yourself." But for some, that belief in themselves -- and in the cause of freedom -- is diminished when they are made to believe that the Left has succeeded in making the government "fully despotic" to their own advantage.

Many people accuse Obama of being an absolute dictator. He might wish that he had absolute power, but if he did, he would not be constantly frustrated by Republicans and even by some of his fellow Democrats. This not a defense of Obama. It is a statement of truth.

The United States has no "ruler." We have no king, no shah, no pharaoh, no czar. We have nobody who holds absolute power. The U.S. Constitution set the stage for Congress to check the President. Thanks to the inherent rivalry in our two-party political system, nobody will have absolute power in the U.S. without first staging a successful coup d'etat. Unless I missed that headline, it hasn't happened. If this nation was "fully despotic," you would not be reading this blog post because I would not have been able to write it from the prison camp that I would have been sent to for being a harsh critic of the Obama Administration.

"PSYOPS takes many shapes and forms," wrote Lisa A. Burns for AllPsych Online. "It can be used at a national or regional level or down to a small group or personal level. The purpose is always to promote the objectives of the originator and diminish the will of the opponent to resist or fight. Most conventional methods require some degree of trust or belief by the opponent in the originator's message. Some unconventional methods work when no trust or connection exists. As shown in the Viet Nam example, the originator can unwittingly self-inflict PSYOPS against itself."

Burns makes three important points:

The purpose of psyops, she said, "is always to promote the objectives of the originator and diminish the will of the opponent to resist or fight." When conservatives scream that the government has already gone "fully despotic," and publish stories about FEMA death camps, they are not diminishing the will of the opponent (the Obama Administration), but are surely diminishing the will of some fellow conservatives to resist or fight.
"Most conventional methods require some degree of trust or belief by the opponent in the originator's message," said Burns. Sadly, those who cry out that the U.S. government is completely under the thumb of a fully despotic regime are trusted by many gullible conservatives.
Burns's statement that "the Viet Nam example" showed us that "the originator" of propaganda "can unwittingly self-inflict psyops against itself" supports my main point.

All too often, on Facebook, Twitter and conservative blogs, we see frightening images and plenty of exaggerated reports that are intended to make us believe that the United States is a prison nation. It's all very depressing, and to some people it can be disheartening. It is, as Burns wrote, self-inflicted psyops.

DANGEROUS HYPERBOLE.

But those are untruths and exaggerations. I hesitate to call them lies because that implies intentionally telling an untruth.

Instead, the spreading of these panicked untruths can be attributed to ignorance, intellectual laziness, a desire to shock others, gullibility and a lack of critical thinking. (Those of you who are guilty of those, by the way, will simply not understand what I just said. In fact, you probably have even read this far, have thrown up your hands, assumed I am a commie, and proven that you are ignorant, intellectually lazy, gullible and lack the ability of critical thinking.)

This image above, from a film production of George Orwell's "1984," falsely says that the only thing Orwell got wrong "was the year." To anybody who has read 1984, or seen the movie, and understood it, that's nonsense. 1984 depicted a completely totalitarian ("fully despotic") society. It was a cautionary tale of what could be, not a prediction of what would be. Did George Orwell, in his novel "1984," really get everything right? America in 2013 is not the hellish dysytopia Orwell imagined. Stalin was a lightweight compared to "Big Brother" of "1984."

There is danger in publishing such images and stories. It is untruth, which Orwell himself warned against. It is exactly the same kind of overblown hysteria that we conservatives mocked when the Left did it during the George W. Bush years.

The image above presents its message without humor. It is intended to be taken literally. Compare that to the image below, which uses humor to mock Obama. No reasonable person would take it to mean that Obama is actually a dictator.

Satirical images, like this one by T.H. Mannis for Chicago
News Bench, mock Obama's despotic tendencies.

The greatest danger, I believe, is that such exaggerations of "complete despotism" have a demoralizing effect on many conservatives and our fellow Americans. It's a hope killer. For some, it kills motivation by instilling a sense of defeat. Fear mongers do us no good service by presenting exaggerations. Exaggerations, after all, are untruths.

The truth, it is said, shall set you free. Exaggerations only mislead and cause you to spend energy where it is not needed, diverting you from actual problems that require your attention.

The Left itself could not wish for a better propaganda campaign designed to drag down the Right's enthusiasm to keep fighting. In wartime, the best kind of propaganda is that which drills into the enemy's head a sense of despair.

Unwittingly, many conservatives are acting as de facto propagandists for the Left. It is comparable to a general repeatedly telling his own troops that the enemy is stronger than it actually is. Many of the soldier's under that general's command would feel that there was no use in pushing on. Some might desert, others would fight less enthusiastically with an attitude of hopelessness.

Conservatives must stop passing around exaggerated reports of the U.S. becoming "just like the Third Reich." Everything from over regulation to NSA domestic spying abuses to out-of-control political correctness have us rightly angered. Even so, there is still hope, and that hope is possible because this nation has not yet become a fully despotic, tyrannical dictatorship. And, while we've not yet gone over that cliff, we still have ample opportunity to avoid that final fall into Orwell's Canyon.

"Whatever crushes individuality is despotism," said John Stuart Mill. As far as I can tell, my individuality has not yet been crushed. Is there evidence that the government is attempting to crush individuality? Yes, but they have not succeeded. Not yet, anyway.

But what about "soft despotism?" Author Paul A. Rahe, who is also a professor of history and political science at Hillsdale College. In his book "Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift - Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect" (2009) he says that those great thinkers actually anticipated the "modern liberal republic's propensity" to drift in the direction of "soft despotism," which Rahe says is "a condition that arises within a democracy when paternalistic state power expands and gradually undermines the spirit of self-government. Such an eventuality, feared by Tocqueville in the nineteenth century, has now become a reality throughout the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. So Rahe asserts, and he explains what must be done to reverse this unfortunate trend." (Watch: Video interview with Paul Rahe.)

Rahe's words only support my contention that we have not yet gone completely despotic. Don't get me wrong. The federal has become despotic in many ways. Many state governments have their own despotic tendencies. But while the government is in some ways despotic, it has not gone fully despotic. To say it has is to admit that you really do not know what despotism is.

If you think America is "fully" despotic, try talking to anybody who lived through Hitler's Third Reich. Talk to anyone who lived in the Soviet Union before 1989. Try reading a history book.

I do agree with my friend that we need to "kick some ass" and push back against the dangerous trend toward despotism. We're well on the way, yes, but it is far from complete. Let's all step back a bit. By convincing ourselves that the US has gone fully Third Reich (or USSR, depending upon your preference), we actually harm the morale of many of our fellow conservatives. The global warming alarmists have caused unneeded fear and stress among many; children, it's been shown, have nightmares about a flooded planet.

Propaganda from North Korea. Except for being funnier,

this is not much different from reports of "full despotism"

by some hysterical American conservatives.

Alarmism about American already being into a complete despotic oligarchy undoubtedly has the same effect on many people, and I'd guess it might actually cause some to give up hope. We must not do that. We must try to educate our fellow conservatives and keep morale up, so that they keep the hope of preventing the country from really and truly going "fully despotic."

Look around you, folks. Do you see people being swept off the streets? Have any of your conservative neighbors been dragged out of their homes at 3:00 in the morning and thrown into an unmarked van? Are we still allowed to post anti-government statements such as this one? Can you or I still go to an airport and fly anywhere we want, or drive anywhere we want, read whatever we want? Because of the NSA PRISM news, sales of Orwell's 1984 spiked. Consider this: If the U.S. was "fully despotic," 1984 and other anti-authoritarian books would be banned.

If the fundamental transformation of America into a despotic oligarchy was actually complete, none of us would be reading this because the Internet here, as in China, would be heavily censored. It the transformation was really complete, hope would be lost. We must not lose hope. We must not fool ourselves into hopelessness.

"How close are we to living in a totalitarian dictatorship?" asks Duane V. Grassell at Patriot Post. "How close are we to Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany? Can the Socialists of the Democrat party pull off in the Republic of the United States what the Communists pulled off in Russia and what the Fascists pulled off in Germany? To see if this is possible, we should look to recent history and compare it to what we are experiencing today. To pull off a dictatorship the government in power needs three key ingredients."

The three ingredients that Grasell lists are: (1) an army of devout followers who are willing to go to any length to advance the party's agenda; (2) a weak or unwilling opposition; (3) a large portion of the population that is either apathetic or blissfully ignorant of how their government tramples on their rights.

Grassell ends his post with this: "I write this in the hope of awakening a once great nation before it's too late." I was glad to see him write that, for it goes to my point that it is not yet too late. We have not yet gone "fully despotic." Let's not say that a garage fire means the house is "fully engulfed in flames."

We have not driven off Despotism Cliff - yet. We can see the cliff ahead. It's not too late to steer away from it, or to put on the brakes. But if you believe that it's too late, if you are fooled into falsely believing that you already fell into the canyon, then all hope is lost. Don't underestimate your enemy, I say, but don't exaggerate him into something bigger than he is. Keep hope, and let's kick some ass.

Happy Friday: Chicago Sh-t Cans 850 Teachers

2013-06-14T16:31:00.006-05:00

Photo: Museum of Science and Industry

June 14, 2013 - "About 850 teachers and staffers at schools doomed to either close this month or to reboot their staffs were handed pink slips Friday afternoon, according to Chicago Public Schools," reports the Chicago Sun-Times this afternoon.

It's about to get real ugly. Expect protests, and they won't be pretty.

At the 48 closing schools, 420 teachers of 1,005 total lost their jobs, plus 110 paraprofessionals and 133 bus aides and part-timers. At the five schools headed for “turnaround,” where the children remain in the building but all the adults are replaced, 192 staffers were laid off: 125 teachers, 20 paraprofessionals, 20 bus aides and part-timers and 27 clerks, custodians and security staffers. More at the Sun-Times.

And there's this from Chicagoist (my emphasis added):

Layoffs were on the mind of the Chicago Teachers Union earlier this week when CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett unveiled a five-year action plan for the school system aimed at improving education across all grades. CTU fears the evaluation pillar of the plan could result in as many as 6,000 teachers losing their jobs. While the teachers union fears the worst, additional cuts are already underway at CPS. More than $21 million in cuts are being made at the central office, administrative positions and operations programs as CPS works to close a $1 billion budget deficit. CPS previously announced $31 million in other cuts. Under school based budgeting, principals are responsible for their own staffing plans and may lay off staff at their schools as needed to meet their budgets. More at Chicagoist.

Also See:

CPS details staff cuts from closing of schools WGN TV
Pink Slips Begin Flying At Chicago Public Schools Chicagoist
Millions for DePaul, budget cuts for public schools Chicago Reader
For insiders, community group UNO’s charter schools pay Chicago Sun-Times
CPS budget bomb. Students will need to bring their own toilet paper Fred Klonsky
CPS' Per-Student Budgets Will Exacerbate School Inequality... Progress Illinois

Johnny Cash - Ragged Old Flag

2013-06-14T15:40:00.002-05:00

June 14, 2013 - Today is Flag Day in the USA! The late, great Johnny Cash recites a great tribute to the Stars and Stripes in this video. Here are the lyrics.

"Ragged Old Flag"

I walked through a county courthouse square,
on a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down.

He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
and that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it."

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is."

He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag. You see, we got a little hole
in that flag there, when Washington took it across
the Delaware. And it got powder burned the night
Francis Scott Key sat watching it, writing
'Say Can You See.' It got a rip in New Orleans,
with Packingham and Jackson tugging at its seams."

"And it almost fell at the Alamo beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
and she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and
Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag."

"On Flanders Field in World War One,
she got a big hole from a Bertha Gun.
She turned blood red in World War Two,
she hung limp, and low, a time or two.
She was in Korea, Vietnam,
she went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam."

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home.
In her own good land here, she's been abused,
she's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused."

"And the government for which she stands
has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
but she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before,
and I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning,
and we bring her down slow every night.
We don't let her touch the ground,
and we fold her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
'cause I'm mighty proud
of that Ragged Old Flag."

WANTED: Conservative Attorney With Courage To Help Me Sue YouTube and Vimeo

2013-06-13T23:00:00.000-05:00

Update, 13 June 2013: Now Vimeo has removed the video. Vimeo's email to me: "Your video 'Gay Attorney Supports Official Abuse of Power Against Chick-fil-A' has been removed for violating our Guidelines. Reason: Violates Privacy." Incredible! The attorney was openly demonstrating with other protesters on a public sidewalk in broad daylight and consented to being interviewed. That's a violation of privacy? Really?!?

WATCH THE VIDEO BANNED BY YOUTUBE AND VIMEO: My interview with a gay activist attorney in Chicago. Watch it on Facebook: https://t.co/73A052IrPN

Staring into the camera while being interviewed

UPDATE, June 13, 2013 - I am dead serious about this. If you're an attorney who feels strongly about free speech, and is opposed to the heavy-handed policies of YouTube and now Vimeo that suppress conservatives, please contact me at via @ChiNewsBench on Twitter or via comment on this post.

YouTube removed the video in August, 2012, when I originally published this post. Vimeo removed it in July, 2013. Both said the reason was violation of privacy.

But no privacy was violated. I interviewed an openly gay attorney (David Amen) who attended the anti-Chick-fil-A "kiss-in" in Chicago. He consented to an interview on camera, which is obvious in the video. Somebody ("an individual," says YouTube) filed a violation of privacy complaint. But who? Everybody in the video was on a public sidewalk. The only people identified by name consented to be identified.

I contend that no privacy was violated and that YouTube violated their own TOS by not taking into account that this video is a newsworthy account of a news event. The attorney was actually seeking publicity "to make a statement" against Chick-fil-A, which was why he was at the event. YouTube disabled my video interview.

I also believe that YouTube and Vimeo are in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

See a fuller explanation at this post: "Chick-fil-A Fallout - I Am Being Harassed For My Interview of Gay Attorney."

UPDATED: Gay Activist Attorney Trying to Censor My Video Interview of Him at Chick-fil-A

2013-06-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Update, 13 June 2013: Now Vimeo has removed the video. Vimeo's email to me: "Your video 'Gay Attorney Supports Official Abuse of Power Against Chick-fil-A' has been removed for violating our Guidelines. Reason: Violates Privacy." Incredible! The attorney was openly demonstrating with other protesters on a public sidewalk in broad daylight and consented to being interviewed. That's a violation of privacy? Really?!?

WATCH THE VIDEO BANNED BY YOUTUBE AND VIMEO: My interview with a gay activist attorney in Chicago. Watch it on Facebook: https://t.co/73A052IrPN

Also See: WANTED: Conservative Attorney With Courage To Help Me Sue YouTube and Vimeo

Update, 21 August 2012: YouTube did it: They disabled my video interview of a gay Chicago attorney. You can still see it here, however, because I also posted it to Vimeo. Read the original post below for full info. Here is the email that YouTube sent to me on August 21:

Regarding your account: rogersparkbench

The YouTube Community has flagged one or more of your videos as inappropriate. Once a video is flagged, it is reviewed by the YouTube Team against our Community Guidelines. Upon review, we have determined that the following video(s) contain content in violation of these guidelines, and have been disabled.

Those bastards. One of the things most hated about YouTube is this: When somebody complains about a video, YouTube does not tell you who that person is and the reasons given are so vague that you often cannot know exactly why the complaint was lodged against you. Such is the case for me with this complaint that "an individual" filed. Worse, even after I explained to YouTube that the video was not in violation of anybody's privacy, they disable the video anyway. That is why I am asking for legal help to sue YouTube for $1 Billion.

ORIGINAL POST:
August 20, 2012 - As the result of my video interview with a gay attorney on August 3, I am being harassed by unknown persons.

When I interviewed an openly gay attorney at the "Kiss-In" protest at the Chick-fil-A Water Tower store, I did not think that I was violating anybody's privacy.

I still don't think I did so, but "an individual" filed a complaint with YouTube about it. It is, in my opinion, pure harassment. I posted the video and my report on Chicago News Bench on August 3. YouTube informed me of this via email on Saturday, August 18 (see below). To be pro-active, I have also posted the video to Vimeo (above).

"This is to notify you that we have received a privacy complaint from an individual regarding your content," YouTube wrote.

The video was an interview of attorney David Amen, an adult, openly gay attorney in Chicago. He was at the public event, on a public sidewalk, knowingly being interviewed by me.

The only information about Mr. Amen contained in the video was whatever he said about himself, plus the publicly available fact that he is a board member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and a State's Attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, both of which are noted on his public profile at the website of the Lesbian And Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC). Do a Google search for "David Amen Cook County State's Attorney's Office" and you'll find all kinds of public information.

How "private" is this? David Amen and a buddy pose
for photos and publicity at Chick-fil-A Chicago

A privacy complaint? Really? About what? The public kiss that Mr. Amen gave to another man as he posed for photographers in front of Chick-fil-A? For what he said to me in the interview to which he consented? He identified himself on camera. He identified himself as being gay.

As you can see in the video, Mr. Amen was cordial and seemed happy to say what he said on camera.

I asked Mr. Amen whether he was protesting or representing by being in front of Chick-fil-A. His response was, "I'd say making a statement about what we believe." A public statement, of course. His response was slick, spoken like a slick attorney, but clear:

Mr. Amen was there to get public attention in order to make his anti-Chick-fil-A statement. He was not doing anything in private. No privacy was violated by this video. Anybody else in that video, in the background, was walking on a public sidewalk and was not identified.

Please note that I am NOT saying that the "individual" who filed the privacy complaint with YouTube is Mr. Amen. I do not know who that person (or persons) may be, and YouTube did not identify the "individual." I do say, however, that somebody is clearly trying to intimidate me, and their intent is obviously to have the video removed from YouTube.

YouTube's Email to Me (with my emphasis added):

Somebody doesn't like this video. But who complained to YouTube?

This is to notify you that we have received a privacy complaint from an individual regarding your content: We would like to give you an opportunity to review the content in question and remove any personal information that may be used to uniquely identify or contact the complainant.

You have 48 hours to take action on the complaint. If you remove the alleged violation from the site within the 48 hours, the complaint filed will then be closed. If the potential privacy violation remains on the site after 48 hours, the complaint will be reviewed by the YouTube Team and may be removed pursuant to our Privacy Guidelines (http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy_guidelines).

For content to be considered for removal, an individual must be uniquely identifiable by image, voice, full name, Social Security number, bank account number or contact information (e.g., home address, email address). Examples that would not violate our privacy guidelines include gamer tags, avatar names, and address information in which the individual is not named.

We also take public interest, newsworthiness, and consent into account when determining if content should be removed for a privacy violation. If the alleged violation is located within the video itself, you may have to remove the video completely. If someone's full name or other personal information is listed within the title, description, or tags of your video, you can edit this by going to My Videos and clicking the Edit button on the reported video.

Making a video private is not an appropriate method of editing, as the status can be changed from private to public at any time. Because they can be turned off at any time, annotations are also not considered an acceptable solution. We're committed to protecting our users and hope you understand the importance of respecting others' privacy.

When uploading videos in the future, please remember not to post someone else's image or personal information without their consent. For more information, please review our Privacy Guidelines http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy_guidelines

MY RESPONSE TO YOUTUBE:

I CONSIDER THIS COMPLAINT TO BE HARASSMENT BY THE COMPLAINANT.

Your notification...is terribly vague and non-specific. The man that I interviewed in the video, Mr. David Amen, is (a) an adult and (b) put himself out in the public eye by appearing at a public protest and consenting to the interview, as it obvious. I listed his name and two of his job titles, both of which are public information and publicly posted on his and related publicly available websites. You claim that you are "committed to protecting our users," but I wonder if you are also committed to the fairness of those who are unfairly targeted for unwarranted complaints. The man that Mr. Amen kissed at the beginning of the video is also an adult and similarly consented to be on camera, was knowingly at a public event on a public sidewalk in full view of news media and cameras.

UPDATE: YouTube never gave me the courtesy of a response.

Suing the NSA: THREE PRISM-Related Lawsuits - Obama, Holder Named As Defendants

2013-06-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

June 12, 2013 - There is a lot of buzz today about "the lawsuit over PRISM" the NSA program created in 2007 to monitor electronic communications.

Most people do not seem to realize that there are at least three separate lawsuits concerned with the NSA's controversial domestic spying program.

One of the suits was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and two other suits are by former Justice Dept. prosecutor Larry Klayman. He is currently the General Counsel for Freedom Watch, Inc.

The Klayman Suits:

"Having already filed a 3 billion dollar class action with regard to the alleged government privacy abuse by the Obama administration and Verizon," reports Before It's News, "Larry Klayman....filed a new $20 billion dollar companion class action suit in DC federal court today. Like the prior class action suit concerning Verizon [filed on June 10], this new case names President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, the heads of the NSA and the 12 other companies who have collaborated with the government in violating the privacy and other constitutional rights of American citizens. The companies named in the suit which are tied to the government’s PRISM- NSA scheme are: Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Skype, YouTube, Apple, PalTalk, AOL, and Yahoo. The users and subscribers of these companies comprise, combined with the Verizon class plaintiffs, a majority of the entire U.S. citizenry and thus these complementary class action suits pit the American people against their government and corporate enablers."

1) Klayman filed a lawsuit on Monday, June 10. This is "the lawsuit against Verizon." This is Civil Action No.: 1:13-cv-00851 and was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. See the full civil complaint here. Klayman amended it to make it the first class-action lawsuit in response to the publication of a secret court order instructing Verizon to hand over the phone records of millions of American customers on an "ongoing, daily basis." The defendants are: Barack Obama; Eric Holder; Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency; Lowell C. McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Communications; Roger Vinson, Judge, U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; Verizon Communication; National Security Agency; U.S. Department of Justice. More about this lawsuit at US News & World Report.

2) The suit filed today (June 12) asks for $20 billion in damages and attorney fees plus an injunction to stop PRISM. The three plaintiffs in this class-action lawsuit: Charles Strange of Pennsylvania, and California private investigators Michael Ferrari and Matt Garrison. More at US News & World Report.

The ACLU Suit:

The ACLU file their lawsuit on Tuesday, June 11 in response to "revelations about the NSA's unprecedented mass surveillance of phone calls," says the ACLU website. They say that the NSA program, PRISM, "violates Americans' constitutional rights of free speech, association, and privacy."

The ACLU's case is No. 13 CIV 3994 as filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. See the full complaint at the ACLU website. This case is commonly called "ACLU v. Clapper" because one of the defendants is Keith B. Clapper, Director of National Security Agency and Chief of the Central Security Service.

Jameel Jaffer, ACLU deputy legal director, said that NSA's PRISM "goes far beyond even the permissive limits set by the Patriot Act and represents a gross infringement of the freedom of association and the right to privacy."

"In other lawsuits against national security policies," reports the New York Times, "the government has often persuaded courts to dismiss them without ruling on the merits by arguing that litigation would reveal state secrets or that the plaintiffs could not prove they were personally affected and so lacked standing in court. This case may be different. The government has now declassified the existence of the program. And the A.C.L.U. is a customer of Verizon Business Network Services — the recipient of a leaked secret court order for all its domestic calling records — which it says gives it standing."

Also See: My fight against Obama's abuse of power by Larry Klayman Renew America

WATCH Turkish Protester Hit In Crotch By Water Cannon

2013-06-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey

June 11, 2013 -- Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey is still a battle zone. In addition to tear gas, police are using water cannons against people.

In the video below, a protester gets hit square between his legs. He asked for it, literally standing his ground and daring the police to spray him. They did, and he went flying as the immense water pressure hit him (at 0:26 in the video).

Some of the "activists" threw firebombs and fireworks at armored police trucks, according to Russia Today (RT). "Hundreds of Turkish police clashed with protesters after taking over Taksim Square in Istanbul," reports RT.

The clashes are not confined to Taksim Square. "There are serious clashes in the small streets surrounding the square. They are running after each other tossing stones, bottles and smoke grenades there. It’s a real meat grinder in there," reports RT’s Ashraf El Sabbagh.

UPDATED: Max Keiser Says "Supremely Treasonous" Obama "Wiped His Butt With The Constitution"

2013-06-11T05:11:00.003-05:00

Mad Max: Keiser Report

June 11, 2013 - Wow. Max Keiser is a madman financial expert with his own talks show, and he pulls no punches. He doesn't allow politeness to get in the way of bluntly expressing himself. In the June 11 episode of his "Keiser Report" show on Russia Today (RT), he lays into Barack Obama like no other talk show host you've heard. Watch the video below.

Keiser accuses Obama of "supreme treasonous action." Obama has killed America, he said (he's referring, I'm sure, to the spirit in which American was founded). "Barack Obama got into bed with these guy who run PRISM." Keiser and co-host Stacy Herbert show a photo of Obama at a dinner meeting with the top dogs of Apple, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and others in February, 2011. You know, the key players at the key companies that make PRISM possible. (More below the video.)

"The last supper," Keiser says of that meeting. "An undertakers' convention. It's the moment when Barack Obama complicitly got in bed with these guys who run PRISM. That's the moment....this is when Barack Obama essentially took the Constitution and wiped his butt with it, and it's the moment of supreme treasonous action by the President of the United States. America is dead. 1776 to PRISM. Thanks, Barack, you killed the country."

"Thanks Barack, you killed America!"

As I said, Keiser does not mince his words. The only other guy on the talk show circuit who comes close to Keiser's red hot barbs is Dennis Miller, but Keiser's serrated edge leaves a bloodier wound.

Keiser is the kind of guy you either love or hate. Or both at once. "Some call Max Keiser a 'traitor'," said The Independent UK, "but America's most outrageous political pundit is about to become the most widely watched newscaster on the planet." It's not hard to understand why.

In the full June 11 show, Keiser and Stacy Herbert ask, "What is Boundless Informant, PRISM, Trans-Pacific Partnership, SOPA, PIPA and ACTA if not copyright prostitutes colluding and beating up the competition? Max also informs President Barack Obama that a food stamp is NOT a job" and much, much more.

Keiser not only has a wicked tongue. He's a vicious tweeter, too. For example:

Max Keiser ‏@maxkeiser
New stamp in US will have a 'scratch and sniff' with bits of Obama's poop to give every American a chance to experience licking O's ass.

That's one of his milder tweets, actually. He gets rough, so approach @maxkeiser knowing there will be some salty language. But dammit, it's refreshing as hell to have a guy who says what we're all thinking actually say it. It would be beautiful if the mainstream media guys and gals in the US were even half as blunt as Mad Max.

A Feature-Length "Innocence of Muslims?" Get the Popcorn!

2013-06-10T17:48:00.002-05:00

Cecil B. Nakoula

June 10, 2013 - An exclusive Fox News story this afternoon says that jailed filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula says he will finish his controversial "Innocence of Muslims." Nakoula is also known as "Sam Bacile."

The video mocks the propeht Mohammed. It is badly produced, with horrible acting, horrible sound, horrible -- well, it's just thoroughly horrible. It's so bad, in fact, that it's good.

You might say it's the "Planet Nine From Outer Space" of movies about historical figures. Imagine the two together as a double feature. Plan Nine features some mindless, zombie-like characters who do bad things.

Plan Nine From Outer Space

Although Innocence of Muslims did upset a lot of Mohammed's faithful, it was virtually unknown before Comrade Leader Obama, Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice gave it worldwide publicity by falsely blaming the video for inciting the violent attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died. They did so to deflect criticism of their own incompetence in the handling of what has become known as Benghazigate.

Don't take my word for it. White House spokesliar Jay Carney told reporters, "These protests were in reaction to a video." (Even the Egyptian government said the attack was an organized terrorist operation, and that the video was a total non-factor.)

Like the zombies in Plan Nine From Outer Space, the false attribution of the Benghazi attack to Innocence of the Muslims just keep walking around, arms outstretched, eyes blank. There are innumerable undead news reports lurking on the internet, and Obama's zombie-like followers still repeat the lie about the video. There is a remake of Plan Nine From Outer Space coming soon, by the way. Let's hope it doesn't spark attacks on any of our intergalactic outposts.

Innocence of Muslims

"Nakoula, who was thrust into the international spotlight — and then federal prison — after the White House wrongly blamed the 14-minute, amateurish trailer for the attack, says he has more than two hours of footage to complete the film, for which he hopes to find a distributor upon his release on Sept. 26," report Fox News.

"When asked if he believed his film was used as a scapegoat, or if he was unfairly prosecuted — charged with probation violations related to his film — Nakoula became tight-lipped," says Fox. Nakoula interviewed by Fox News in a series of phone calls "from a location he did not want disclosed."

"Nakoula Basseley Nakoula deserves a place in American history. He is the first person in this country jailed for violating Islamic anti-blasphemy laws," wrote Rich Miller for Politico on May 9. "You won’t find that anywhere in the charges against him, of course. As a practical matter, though, everyone knows that Nakoula wouldn’t be in jail today if he hadn’t produced a video crudely lampooning the prophet Muhammad."

Taliban Beheads Two Boys In Kandahar, But Media Has Food Fight Over Motive

2013-06-10T15:57:00.000-05:00

June 10, 2013 - The bodies of two boys named Khan and Hameedullah, 10 and 16, were discovered with their heads cut off. And the media can't get the motivation straight.

Map of ISAF regional commands in Afghanistan Provinces
Source: undispatch.com

"News of the 10-year-old's death was all over Twitter yesterday, but "later on Monday the Kandahar provincial government office confirmed that a second boy had also been beheaded," says BBC News today. Many reports are saying that the Taliban killed the boys, but they deny responsibility for the murders. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi "insisted to the BBC the group had not beheaded any children in the area."

Kandahar's governor, Dr. Toryalay Wessa, condemned the killings as inhumane and un-Islamic and insists the Taliban is guilty of killing the boy. A manhunt for the killers has been ordered.

"The boys were on their way back ... when they were stopped by Taliban insurgents who beheaded them," the chief of Zhari district, Jamal Agha, told Reuters. "Both of them were innocent children and had nothing to do with government or foreigners."

Were They Looking for Food?

There is media confusion over the motivation behind the killing of the two boys. Many reports say the boys were killed while seeking food, but at least one report says that the boys may have actually been selling food.

The Kandahar provincial government office issued a statement last night that said the boys were probably suspected by the Taliban of giving information to police in exchange for food, says The Telegraph. "In separate incident, it was claimed, the boys were questioned about spying and their heads were then cut off." A Reuters report at Gulf News says that Khan and Hameedullah "had traveled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said."

Which is it? Were the boys scrounging for food or given food in exchange for information?

Or Were They Selling Yogurt?
However, a very different report from Voice of Journalists (VOJ) says that the boys may have been killed "because they sold yogurt to Afghan Police and Army personnel. The boys were warned that they should not have any business dealings with any Afghan official. However, today when the boys were coming back after selling their 'Lassi', a yogurt-based drink, they were captured and then ruthlessly beheaded."

Video: In 2012, Taliban Islamist insurgents beheaded 17 party-goers.

A spokesperson of Kandaha governor said that the boys had a flock of sheep and goats, reports VOJ. "They would create lassi out of yogurt and then swap this drink with Afghan Police and Army to get some food in return. For this reason, they were warned by the Taliban. They were asked not to conduct any business with Afghan Police or help them in any matter."

The Telegraph also notes that "Afghans officials believe the Taliban carried out the executions as a 'warning' to other youngsters not to co-operate with the Coalition forces at a time when they are launching fresh attacks in Afghan cities on Western and Afghan forces as part of their Spring offensive which has so far seen a series of high profile attacks."

FINAL UPDATE: MAJOR TALIBAN ATTACK ON NATO/ISAF IN KABUL PUT DOWN WITH FEW CASUALTIES

2013-06-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

Afghan police to the attack in Kabul. Photo: Reuters

UPDATE, 12:50 AM CDT, June 10 -- "Today’s clashes in Kabul ended with all of the insurgents killed by Afghan security forces. Two insurgents were able to detonate their explosive-laden vests and five others were killed by security forces. The clearance operation inside the building is underway. Five suicide vests and some weapons were left at the scene. In this incident, civilians and security forces were unharmed. The situation is back to normal." - via ISAF: NATO forces in Afghanistan Facebook page, quoting Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior (MoI).

A report from Bakhtar News says that 7 suicide attackers were killed. "General Ayoob Salangi police chief of Kabul said BNA, at 5 am, seven suicide attackers armed with heavy and light weapons attacked Kabul International Airport from two under construction buildings near the Airport. According to him, two of the attackers exploded their suicide vest and five others were killed in 3 hour clash by security forces." There were no casualties among civilians or the security forces.

UPDATE, 1:08 AM CDT, June 10 -- "Kabul police saying that all 7 bombers whom were wearing Afghan Border police (ABP) uniforms were gunned down 2 civilians injured." via Sharifullah Sahak (@sharifsahak)

The attack focused on the US Air Force facility and a nearby detention center where drug traffickers are held. TOLO news reports the attack is on an area that houses an ISAF/NATO command center. (Via The Australian.) In related news, the British Embassy in Kabul said on June 9 that the Afghan detainees will be handed over very soon, reports TOLO.

Earlier Reports:
June 9, 2013 -- 7:30 PM CDT -- A major terrorist offensive is occurring now at Kabul International Airport. Large explosions and gunfire have been heard, suicide bombers are intruding, and there are reports of insurgents firing rockets. Targeted areas seem to include NATO and US Air Force areas, a counter narcotics building. The attack began around 4:20 AM local time. See current time and weather in Kabul.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. "Spokesman [Zabiullah] Mujahid in a text message to journalists claiming responsibility for #Kabul attack on military side of the airport," tweeted Sharifullah Sahak ‏(@sharifsahak), a journalist working for The New York Times in Kabul.

Chicago News Bench was the first to speculate that the attack might be reprisal for the arrest of a Taliban leader today: "An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and two other extremists during an operation in Kandahar City, Kandahar province, today. The leader oversees a group of extremists involved in improvised explosive devices operations in Kandahar City. He has a history of building multiple types of IEDs and directing his subordinates to carry out attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Kandahar City." (Source: ISAF news release, 9 June 2013) 1TV Kabul apparently agrees with Chicago News Bench's assessment, later quoting the same ISAF news release. (Thanks for reading CNB, 1TV!)

"One insurgent detonated himself at compound entrance in the centre of the city at the start of fighting, which left several buildings destroyed or damaged by rocket-propelled grenades, gunfire and explosions," reports The Telegraph UK. "One policeman, two civilians and all four militants died in that attack, with the government lauding the response of the Kabul security forces for preventing further casualties."

The US embassy in Kabul was on lockdown for a while but seems to be in "all clear" status as of approximately 8:15 PM CDT. The embassy earlier confirmed an "on-going attack" in Kabul, the capitol city. The US embassy is located next to NATO's ISAF headquarters (International Security Assistance Force). SEE MAP. At 8:00 PM CDT, ISAF tweeted, "Shelter in Place lifted, Camp Lockdown still in effect at ISAF HQ."

"US embassy in Kabul advising employees for "Duck and Cover"; stay away from windows, wait for further instruction," reported Newsbreaker on Twitter. See earlier, related tweets below.

UPDATE: BBC News reports this: Witnesses reported the sound of explosions and gunfire coming from the airport shortly after dawn. It is not known if there are any casualties. The airport is home to a large Nato-led military base. One report said the US embassy in Kabul had sounded its "duck and cover" alarm. The embassy also announced on loudspeakers that the alarm was not a drill, AFP news agency said. "It's an ongoing gunfight and blasts, and I can tell you that it's a suicide group attack," Kabul's police chief Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP.

UPDATE, 10:53 PM CDT: Sharifullah Sahak (‏@sharifsahak) tweeted, "AFG Sediq Sediqi MOI spokesman says that three suicide bombers have been killed by the security forces clashes ongoing."

UPDATE, 10:04 PM CDT: Esmatullah Kohsar ‏(@EsmatKohsar) tweeted, "Kabul attack updates: Kabul Police says to have rescued 4 civilians from a house in the stand-off area."

Below are tweets from NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker), with most recent on top.

UPDATE, 8:34 PM CDT: BREAKING UPDATE: @ISAFmedia: Camp Lockdown lifted at ISAF HQ. All Clear sounded. Movement to KIAI Restricted.

UPDATE, 8:04 PM CDT: BREAKING PHOTO: More forces deployed. #KabulAttack. Gunfire ongoing pic.twitter.com/XRZV9CvUH1 @AhMukhtar

NOW: @EsmatKohsar: Kabul attack updates: Gunfire stopped, I see a big convoy of military police + ambulances moving towards Kabuk airport.

DEVELOPING: At least three explosions and gunfire were heard in Kabul, according to a CNN producer in the Afghan capital - @cnnbrk

RIGHT NOW: Heavy fights are going on follows by explosions and fires - @massoud151 #KABUL #AFGHANISTAN

BREAKING UPDATE: @AhMukhtar: Kabul police: insurgents took position inside 1 of the under construction building/targeting Kabul airports

UPDATE, 8:04 PM CDT: NOW: @WilliamsJon: US embassy in Kabul confirms "on-going attack" in capital. Sirens sounding across embassy compound. Next to ISAF HQ

UPDATE, 7:58 PM CDT: MORE DETAILS: Large explosions heard from the military side of Kabul international airport, site of NATO headquarters http://apne.ws/112oWc1

RIGHT NOW: @ISAFmedia: Reports of Attack near #Kabul Airport being investigated. More to follow.

BREAKING UPDATE: @ISAFmedia: Shelter in Place lifted, Camp Lockdown still in effect at ISAF HQ #Afghanistan

UPDATE, 7:53 PM CDT: RIGHT NOW: @sharifsahak: Counter narcotic building which is located to the north of the Kabul airport also under attack.

BREAKING: @sharifsahak: #BOMBING Sources from inside #Kabul airport confirming some militants firing from high building shooting at airport

BREAKING UPDATE: Large explosions heard at NATO command headquarters at Kabul International airport - @AP

NOW: @ahmukhtar: The attack has happened on the military side of Kabul international airport, exact target unknown so far

RIGHT NOW: Explosions and gunfire for last 30 mins in Kabul, Afghanistan. Now sirens. Airport under attack - @raeontheroad

BREAKING: @sharifsahak #AFGHANISTAN Head of #Kabul international airport says that the suicide bombers have entered the US air forces area

RIGHT NOW: Explosions heard and reports of gunfire at Kabul international airport: Reuters witnesses and police - @reuters

BREAKING: @sharifsahak Police sourcing saying #Kabul attack target is military part of airport which is used by US soldiers

DEVELOPING: Duck and Cover Alarm announced at US EMBASSY #KABUL @USEmbassyKabul Situation is being investigated - @ISAFmedia

BREAKING UPDATE: @MASSOUD151: Insurgents fire rockets through military airport in #Kabul Afghanistan

BREAKING: Suicide attack on #Kabul, Afghanistan airport - Kabul police spox - @dylanwelch

NOW: Heavy gunshots and explosions heard from inside #Kabul airport more updates all diplomatic areas locked down more later - @sharifsahak

DEVELOPING: Huge explosion followed by gunshots heard in northeast Kabul, Afghanistan - @ahmukhtar

BREAKING: US embassy in Kabul advising employees for "Duck and Cover"; stay away from windowS, wait for further instructions - @sharifsahak
--------------------------
A special "hello" to our friends at the Flower Street Cafe in Kabul.

Update #6: Chicago More Violent, But Media Obsesses On Santa Monica Shooting Spree

2013-06-08T01:01:00.000-05:00

June 8, 2013 (1:00 AM CDT) - By Santa Monica standards, Friday was horrific. Five people were killed, including a crazed gunman, and five others wounded in Santa Monica, CA. One victim was hospitalized in critical condition.

By Chicago standards, that's a quiet weekend. At 4:40 PM on Saturday, I am listening to the Chicago PD scanner frequencies and hearing numerous reports of "man with a gun," "shots fired" and other mayhem. At least 13 people shot citywide mid-way through the weekend in Chicago (details at the Chicago Tribune). Keep in mind that in addition to people being shot, there are others being knifed, beaten with fists and blunt instruments, raped and robbed.

Update, 3:15 AM CDT, June 10: Make that 18 shot, two of which died...

While all that is happening, the national news media is obsessing on Friday's shootings in Santa Monica. Battlefield Chicago is more violent, but it is being overlooked.

The Santa Monica killer, now dead, was a crazed individual with a semi-automatic rifle. His first two victims were his own brother and father. He fired at the house they were in, causing the house to catch fire. "As the house burst into flames, the man wounded a woman in a car before moving toward the campus, spraying bullets as he went. Police said he opened fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles, as well as bystanders and pedestrians," reports CBS News.

"As the house burst into flames, the man wounded a woman in a car before moving toward the campus, spraying bullets as he went," says CBS. "Police said he opened fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles, as well as bystanders and pedestrians." He continued on, killing the driver of an SUV and two of its passengers, and then mortally wounded a woman on the Santa Monica College campus. (She died at a nearby hospital.) Police made their way into the library, where they fatally shot the gunman.

Chicago: Crying for the Dying

The media initially reported the death toll as six or seven. After the dust settled, however, authorities downgraded that to four. So, four dead. Five wounded, one critically. A horrific day in Santa Monica.

The City That Bleeds

By Chicago standards, four dead and five wounded is a slow Friday night. As a total, it would be considered a very quiet weekend in The City That Bleeds.

Update, 01:15 AM, June 8: Moments after we published this post, we learned that there was another shooting in Chicago shortly after midnight. Reports indicated two victims were shot, one in his head and one in his chest, on W. Lake Street at N. Central Park. At 1:49 AM, the Chicago Tribune posted a story online. (As of 3:15 AM on Monday morning, there were two dead plus another 16 wounded.)

With that in mind, add two more to the headline below.

Consider this June 7 headline from CBS2 Chicago: "At Least 8 Wounded In City Shootings Since Friday Afternoon." TGIF, the weekend has just begun. Highlights from that June 7 story:

"Three to five people were wounded during a Friday evening shooting in West Englewood..."
"In the Gage Park neighborhood, a man was critically wounded in a possible drive-by shooting about 8:15 p.m., police said. The 19-year-old was shot multiple times in the chest and back....and listed in critical condition late Friday."
"A man was critically wounded in the Edgewater neighborhood about 8 p.m. [The victim] was shot in the mouth in the 5400 block of North Magnolia Avenue. He was taken in critical condition to Illinois Masonic, fire media said."
"In the Austin neighborhood, a male was shot in the ankle about 7:30 p.m...."
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg "when a white SUV approached and a person got out and shot him about 3:30 p.m., police said." The boy is thought to be a gang member "who was shouting gang slogans at the passing SUV, which contained rival gang members, a police source said."
"In the South Shore neighborhood, a teenage boy was shot in the arm about 1:50 p.m." and taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Bad, right? Consider this headline from the day before, on Thursday, June 6, from ABC7 Chicago: "2 killed; 7, including boy, 9, hurt in Chicago shootings." Also consider this one, on May 30 from CBS News: "Four dead and 11 injured in shootings since Wednesday afternoon." Those stories of slaughter and mayhem happened on weekdays. The weekends in Chicago are even worse. Google "violent weekend in Chicago" and see for yourself.

Say a prayer for the four dead and five wounded in Santa Monica. Please also pray for the thousands of Chicagoans, dead and wounded. Pray that Chicago makes it through another, predictably violent weekend.

Also See:

How Many Murders Happen on Chicago Weekends? Chicago Magazine
Tracking Homicides in Chicago RedEye
Violence is the problem, not guns Chicago Tribune

IRS Also Ripped Off "Mad Men." But Wait! There's More!

2013-06-07T07:13:00.000-05:00

June 7, 2013 - The IRS's horribly awful and expensive ($60,000) "Star Trek" (2010), the shipwrecked "Gilligan's Island" parody (2010) and the embarrassing dance video were bad enough. But wait, there's more! From the looks of things, the IRS has been wasting taxpayer money on heinously bad videos for decades. That's right: For decades. One has to wonder why: Who the heck actually sees these videos other than IRS employees? We've got some old IRS training videos below, but let's start with this one from 2012, below, which rips off "Mad Men."

"In the noirish video," reports the New York Times yesterday, "an actor appears to echo the character of Don Draper, the besuited advertising executive of the show who dreams up campaigns for cigarettes, airlines and bras. Shot in black and white, with a horn-heavy soundtrack, the four-and-a-half minute video reaches deep for art-world metaphors to describe how I.R.S. employees can assist confused taxpayers."

The NYT also notes that the "Mad Men" ripoff "does not appear on the [IRS's] YouTube channel, which was started in April 2011. Instead, it was uploaded to the site by Michael R. Davis, the professional actor hired to play 'Mr. Draper'."

Michael Davis, IRS Actor

Davis's YouTube channel is "ACTINGREELMRDAVIS," and features only nine videos of his work, including the IRS training video. We found more about him at the website of Stephen Smith Films. Davis has a role in "The Rendezvous," a short film (you can see a trailer there).

The site says that Davis has "starred in TV commercials, numerous government and private industrial films for agencies such as NSA, FBI, and DoD, and hosted a show that aired on HGTV. He has also appeared on such programs as 'Game Change,' 'VEEP,' 'Sex and the City,' 'Homicide,' and 'America’s Most Wanted.' Of his favorite roles was that of a stunt driver/photo double for a character on the TV show 'Bones'."

Oscar Nuñez, IRS Actor

Expect to see Davis making the rounds on talks shows in the very near future. This should be a boost for his career. More power to him. He did nothing wrong. He's just an actor doing what he's paid to do. He's not like the IRS folks, who are overpaid to act like they're working.

Rondo The Midget
As the NYT says, the "Mad Men" themed video is not on the IRS YouTube channel. In fact, there are surprisingly few videos posted there. Fortunately, there is Rondo The Midget. Yep, and his YouTube channel is called "rondothemidget." Makes sense, right? Sure. Rondo seems to have a love of IRS training videos, and he's got a bunch posted over there. I think my favorite is titled "IRS Videos, Understanding Taxes - Direct & Indirect Taxes" (watch it below).

Rondo (the midget) describes the video this way:

"As shown in Mr. Hiles' classroom; badly written and acted videos produced by the IRS in the 80s, demonstrating that taxes are cool. This one could be titled, "Taxes, Pets or Meat." In this video, the main character gets his own bachelor pad, eats Donkey Kong cereal, does shots of Orange Crush, but may lose all this awesomeness because of a property tax increase. He then watches a giant 1" videotape at the library, learns the difference between direct & indirect taxes, and wins a steak dinner bet with his sister who owns a pet store. Main character is Oscar Nuñez, who continues to act, most recently seen in The Proposal with Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds and is/was a regular on The Office."

With any luck, and badly need acting coach, doing government films and videos will be the same career booster for Michael R. Davis that it was for Oscar Nuñez.

The next video, below, is titled "Understanding Taxes - Taxes Raise Revenue."

Rondo says this about the video:

"In this video, the star football player rocks the Le Tigre shirt and the 80s shoulder sweater knot, takes a shine to the plain but studious girl, psycho mom who serves paste for breakfast and is happy when her daughter is ignored by boys, a token handicapped person delivers a note, bizarre characters attend the county council meeting, and the boy comes to the girl's rescue by shouting 'Jean!' In the end, bridges are mended both literally and figuratively."

Ironically, after decades of spending big bucks on lousy training films and videos - ostensibly to help people avoid audits - the IRS itself would fail an audit.

It occurs to me that Rondo The Midget should consider a career as a film reviewer. He's pithy and poignant. Also watch "Understanding Taxes - Bikes & Withholding," which teaches us that paying taxes makes you a chick magnet. Of course, learning to line dance like an IRS employee will also make you more sexually attractive.

Unique Video Documentary Examines the Sacrifices - and Physics - of D-Day Invasion of Normandy

2013-06-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

June 6, 2013 - It was 69 years ago today that American soldiers, along with others from Allied nations, invaded the coast of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France in WWII. It was one of the deadliest days for Allies during World War Two, but one that turned the tide against Hitler's Nazi Regime. The invasion of Normandy was the biggest invasion ever made from the sea.

This video documentary (below) is a great look at the sacrifices made by so many soldiers on June 6, 1944. "Surviving D-Day: Omaha Beach 1944" not only examines the soldiers' struggles on that day, but gives us a fascinating look at "behind the scenes" factors that determined successes and failures: Magicians, the physics of water, breakfast choices and more. This is like no documentary about World War II that you've ever seen...

Memorial Day in the U.S. is dedicated to the memory of American soldiers who died in battle. D-Day is, in a way, much bigger. It's the day when we remember not only American GIs, but also their allied brothers from other nations who died by there side in the same great struggle. Twelve Allied nations participated in the invasion, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia, Greece, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

34,000 Americans stormed the beaches code named Omaha and Utah. British and Canadian troops fought and died on beaches code-named Sword, Juneau and Gold. Altogether, some 3,000 Brits and Canadians died that day. About 2,500 Americans perished. Many other soldiers were wounded, some horrifically.

Also See:

D-Day And ‘The Boys Of Pointe Du Hoc’ WBUR Here and Now
Canadian History: D-Day: The allied invasion of Normandy CBC
Recalling those lost on D-Day Lohud.com
D-Day World War Two History
Canada Remembers: Turning the Tide 1939 to D-Day - Part 1 YouTube
Normandy Invasion, June 1944 - Overview and Special Image Selection history.navy.mil
Normandy: The Airborne Invasion of Fortress Europe, Full Documentary YouTube

Is This The Future Of Pizza Delivery?

2013-06-05T19:42:00.003-05:00

When pizzas fly: Domino's DomiCopter Delivers

June 5, 2013 - Drones are not inherently bad. They are a tool, and like any tool they can be used for good or evil. Not all drones carry missiles. Thanks to Domino's, at least one drone carries pizza.

The "DomiCopter" drone was created by T + Biscuits, a UK creative digital agency in Shoreditch. They came up with the clever idea for client Domino's. The a husky little drone can carry a hot delivery bag swiftly to a customer's front door. Or 40th floor balcony. T + Biscuits says this about their work with Domino's:

"The DomiCopter is a project we worked on with Domino’s Pizza AeroSight, a UK based drone specialist and Big Communications. We were looking at innovative ways to deliver pizza and thought, ‘what is cooler than a flying pizza?’.. it turns out not much. The response we have had so far has been great and so far it has featured on NBC, MSN and a number of other large organisations. The video has had 17,000+ views in just under 12 hours and our emails have been going mad with inquiries as to when people may be getting their food delivered by the DomiCopter. You will have to just wait and see…. and then wait."

Let's see that cool video of the DomiCopter, shot in the UK:

"When tested," writes RedAlert Politics, "the pizza-toting drone was able to deliver two large pepperoni pizzas four miles in as little as 10 minutes in the town of Guildford, right outside of London, England. The DomiCopter, featuring eight spinning blades, was piloted from land by an expert drone pilot. Nestled safely in a standard red thermal insulation bag, the pizza arrived intact and ready to be devoured."

We don't expect to get a pizza delivered by DomiCopter soon, however. How would the little drone stand up to strong winds? The video above was shot on a calm day. The pizza bag didn't look very secure, with no visible straps holding it in the cargo area. (Wouldn't a basket be better?) And will future DomiCopters be outfitted with self-defense capabilities to protect against drunks, dogs and competing pizza delivery services?

There are legal obstacles, too, you see. PCMag reports that a U.S.-based Domino's spokesman told CNN that they have no plans for a drone-based delivery system in the States. Why not? "Currently, there are no means to obtain an authorization for commercial [unmanned aircraft] operations," according to the FAA. We'll hold out for the prospect of getting a pizza delivered to us via 3D fax some day.

T + Biscuits might want to consult with FPS Russia, who produced the video of a machine gun toting drone below. (Advisory: Language, Russian accent)

7th Update: Woman Pulled From Collapsed Philadelphia Building, Six Confirmed Dead

2013-06-05T13:20:00.001-05:00

Building collapse in Philadelphia, 22 South 22nd Street
(WXRS-BG) Credit Mike Adams

June 5, 2013 - Updated 7:47 PM CDT - A vacant 4-story apartment building that was being demolished collapsed on 22nd and Market streets in downtown Philadelphia's Center City neighborhood. The structure partially fell onto adjacent structures, heavily damaging them.

This story is developing.

Update, June 7, 3:00 AM CDT: The mayor's office identified those killed in the collapse as Anne Bryan, Roseline Conteh, Borbor Davis, Kimberly Finnegan, Juanita Harmin and Mary Simpson.

Update, June 5, 11:20 PM CDT: "About 40 minutes ago, a woman was found alive in the rubble," tweeted @PhillyInquirer, "She was found about 12 hours after the building collapsed. Firefighter who helped rescue her said: 'She was pretty well buried'." ABC News Philadelphia reports that rescuers pulled 61-year-old Myra Plekam of Kensington out of the wreckage. She was rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital in critical condition. "The dramatic rescue came some 13 hours after the massive building collapse..."

Update, 10:10 PM CDT: ‏@NewsBreaker tweeted: "6 people confirmed dead, 1 man, and five women after building collapsed in Philadelphia." CNN reports same.

Update, 9:05 PM CDT: NBC10 reports rescuers found three more bodies in the rubble tonight but have not yet revealed their identities. That brings the injured total, including those killed, to 17.

Rescue crews are carefully searching through tons of dusty rubble for at least two, possibly three, people believe trapped at the scene [See Updated Information Above]. Dogs are being used in the rescue effort. "Dozens of firefighters and emergency personnel are at the scene," reports Fox News. "A total of 12 people were hospitalized at nearby trauma centers with minor injuries and listed in stable condition." Fox also reports that the collapse "involved a Salvation Army corner thrift store and a four-story building next door with a sandwich shop on the first floor."

At 1:11 PM CDT, KIII TV reported Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers told reporters that two people are still trapped. "We have located them and we're going to continue until we can get them out and we can get them to hospitals," Ayers said.

KIII's report says that 12 people were rescued earlier and hospitalized with minor injuries. "Another woman walked away from the scene with no major injuries after being trapped for more than two hours," which brings the total of people freed from the rubble to 13.

Philadelphia Police are calling the collapse an "industrial accident." Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are on their way to the scene. There were "no existing violations" at the building, a city building inspector said.

Not Even If You Paid Me, You RINO Scumbag

2013-06-04T21:27:00.002-05:00

Ah, no, I think not.

June 4, 2013 - I was a bit surprised to receive this request from Pat Brady to connect with me on LinkedIn today.

Yes, that Pat Brady, the RINO-for-life who resigned as head of the Illinois Republican Party on May 7, 2013. Brady said he quit so he could spend more time with his wife, who has been battling cancer.

Okay, look, even a punk like Pat Brady deserves some sympathy for something like that, and I have sincere sympathy for his family. Cancer took my own mother and father. But this is not about Mrs. Brady or cancer. It's about Pat Brady, the clueless captain who piloted the rudderless IL GOP up a creek to the Land of Uselessness. Some say Brady quit due to pressure from conservatives (true conservatives, that is) to step aside because of his support for gay marriage legislation in Springfield. But Brady has been criticized by Illinois conservatives for years, long before the recent flap over the gay marriage bill. I have been critical of Pat Brady on this blog.

So, no, I won't be accepting Pat Brady's request to connect with me on LinkedIn. By the way, I hate LinkedIn. I get a lot of connect requests from people I've never heard of, only to never hear from them again after I accept their request. It's like, why do you want to connect with me? Perhaps Pat Brady thinks I need his consulting services. I don't. Maybe he thinks I can help him get new business. I can't, but I wouldn't even if I could.

Also See:

An Activist’s open letter to State GOP Chair Pat Brady Republican News Watch
Why Pat Brady Will Not Long Remain Illinois Republican Party Chair Red State
Anger over Illinois GOP’s Attempt to “Bamboozle” Delegates Illinois Conservative Examiner
GOP IL Chairman Pat Brady calls us "a bunch of f--king faggots" Hillbuzz

Taco Bell Shell Hell: Licking a Public Relations Problem

2013-06-04T15:16:00.002-05:00

Lick Mas at Taco Bell

June 4, 2013 - A photo of a Taco Bell employee licking a stack of taco shells has set off a public relations panic at the fast food chain's headquarters. The photo (right) was posted to the company's Facebook page on Sunday. The employee was suspended shortly after the photo was posted.

The shells were stale and about to be thrown out, but that has not stopped Taco Bell from going into full damage control mode, "conducting a full-scale investigation." See Taco Bell's full statement below.

"It's unclear exactly where the image came from, although it was posted by someone named Jj O'Brien Nolan," reports Eater.com. It is not known at which restaurant the taco shells were licked, but Gawker reports that some Facebook commenters said the photo was taken at a store in Ridgecrest, California (map).

Taco Bell issued a statement on Monday, in which they said that the taco shells "were used for training in March before we launched a new product, and were in process of being thrown out."

Problem is, this is hardly the first time that a photo of a Taco Bell employee performing disgusting acts with the restaurant's food has been posted online. In one photo, an employee appears to be urinating on a plate of nachos (although it was actually Mountain Dew, not pee). That photo was posted to Twitter. ABC News has that photo, and other examples of stupid fast food employee photos.

Here is Taco Bell's "Updated Statement Regarding Social Media Issue."

Irvine, CA - June 3, 2013

What is the Issue?
On June 2nd, we learned of a photo circulating online illustrating a Taco Bell restaurant team member violating our food handling procedures with a stack of taco shells.

Our food handling procedures are strict and we have zero tolerance for any violations. In the spirit of full transparency, we want to inform you of what we know in order to respond to customers’ questions on our social media channels.

How Did this Happen?
The taco shells were used for training in March before we launched a new product, and were in process of being thrown out. Two employees, however, used them to take a photo for an internal contest in which company and franchise employees could submit for approval photos of themselves enjoying their first bite of the product. The contest had clear guidelines about what was acceptable and unacceptable. This image was clearly unacceptable – it violated the rules and spirit of the contest, and the employees never submitted it. But an employee posted it on a personal social media page in violation of the franchisee’s policies, and it emerged online in social media.

What we did
We immediately investigated the situation and learned these facts from our franchisee. We are continuing our investigation and our franchisee is cooperating fully.

Our first question was, were the taco shells served to customers? In short, absolutely not. The taco shells were sent to restaurants for training purposes before the new product launch, so team members could use them to practice making the new product before it became available to the public. These shells were a part of that training, were never intended to be served to customers, and were discarded. This is standard operating procedure, and our franchisee confirmed this protocol.

What We’re Doing
We do not believe these employees harmed, or intended to harm, anyone. But we deplore the impressions this has caused to our customers, fans, franchisees, and team members. The behavior is unacceptable for people working in a restaurant. Our franchisee is responsible for the employment and conduct of his restaurant’s employees and he has informed us that he immediately suspended the employee shown in the photo and is in the process of terminating his employment. The employee who took the photo no longer works there. As we complete our investigation we will work with our franchisee to implement any additional action we find appropriate to address this situation and ensure it never happens again.

Updated: Evacuation Ordered for West Alton MO, Region Struggles With Too Much Water

2013-06-03T22:59:00.001-05:00

Flooding near St. Louis - Google Alerts map

Update: New videos. Watch them below.
June 3, 2013 - 10:00 PM CDT - Residents of tiny West Alton, Missouri have been ordered to evacuate after a nearby levee was overwhelmed by rising water.

Sirens in West Alton began wailing at 8:30 PM CDT to warn residents that they must evacuate after a levee breached near Highway 67 and Lincoln Shields Access Road. St. Charles County officials said that at least 300 residents will be affected by this order. West Alton is in St. Charles County, about 15 miles north of St. Louis, MO (map) and has a population of 573. News Channel Five has a video report on the evacuations that are underway.

"Residents should evacuate immediately," officials said. "Officials said West Alton is under an imminent danger for flooding after the Missouri River over-topped the Kuhs and Columbia Bottoms levees," reports KMOV TV. "The levees are located near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi."

Other towns near St. Louis are struggling with high waters and flooding, too, in the wake of recent violent weather that brought heavy rains added to rainfall from storms in recent weeks.

See more active flood warnings for Madison County, IL all of St. Charles County, MO and more.

Hours before the levee let go of its waters this evening, the U.S. Coast Guard closed all traffic on the upper Mississippi River from mile marker 179 to mile marker 184 near the St. Louis Harbor, reports BizJournals.

Panic Storm: Media Post Bogus Reports, Fools Retweet It

2013-05-31T23:55:00.003-05:00

May 31, 2013 - 8:30 PM CDT - The tornado outbreak in the nation's midsection today caused a lot of panic, and news rooms were not immune. A bogus report of "mass casualties" at a Holiday Inn in Earth City, Missouri by a Fox News affiliate today worried a lot of people unnecessarily.

There was also the bogus report of people trapped under rubble at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, which also must have frightened a lot of people. Fox is not the only media outlet today to pass along outlandishly bad information. AccuWeather and KMOV St. Louis were also guilty of horrifically irresponsible journalism. It's as though these "journalists" were more concerned with beating their competition to publish online than they were with actually confirming what it was they were reporting. The end result was not journalism, but nothing more than bad gossip.

It was a frustrating day on Twitter

Sharing the blame, however, are all of the gullible idiots on Twitter who mindlessly re-tweeted the bad reports. They are the kind of morons who lack any critical thinking abilities and are too lazy to take a moment to confirm something they see online.

Okay, but WHICH "local news sources?

They're the kind of fools who just love bad gossip and eagerly pass it along. Dozens of people were tweeting the Holiday Inn rumor, with no link to any source. It got so bad that Chicago News Bench tweeted this: "KMOV TV has NOTHING about a "mass casualty" event at a Holiday Inn. PEOPLE, CITE YOUR SOURCES OR SHUT THE F--- UP" (@chinewsbench).

A great post at Ryot.org details the making of the false Holiday Inn mass casualty story:

"Fox News just said on air that earlier reports of casualties at the Holiday Inn in Earth City, MO, were incorrect. Local officials have not received any such reports. The KMOV reporter at the scene is reporting no mass casualties (as reported earlier by Fox News)," notes Ryot.

However, KMOV itself mindlessly passed along Fox's bad story via Twitter earlier.

The "Fire Andrea Mitchell" blog also helped shed light into the darkness: "Despite earlier, unfounded media reports, there are no casualties at Earth City Missouri Holiday Inn.... In other false reporting, there are no people trapped in Busch Stadium....Most of the unfounded reports of mass casualties at Earth City Holiday Inn came from KMOV – the CBS St. Louis station which recently fired Larry Connors for daring to speak out against the IRS on his Facebook page. Yet again KMOV sticks their foot in their mouth."

Screenshot at FireAndreaMitchell.com

"As far as people being trapped under debris at Busch Stadium," says Fire Andrea Mitchell, "KMOV also reported this, but the original false reports came from Accu Weather."

AccuWeather tweeted that "Fans are trapped under debris at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO according to local news sources." Like other idiots, AccuWeather did not say which sources, provided no link, and obviously did no research to verify the supposed tragedy. Perhaps AccuWeather should change their name to "InaccuWeather." Or maybe to something like "AccuWhetherItsTrueOrNot." Or just "Stupid."

UPDATED: "GIGANTIC" TORNADO SYSTEM CRASHES THROUGH OKLAHOMA CITY AREA

2013-05-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

One of four tornadoes near El Reno, OK on May 31, 2013
Photo by Chris Machian/The World-Herald

May 31, 2013 - 6:30 PM CDT - A "tornado emergency" was declared for the El Reno and Oklahoma City area. Four twisters touched down just after 6:00 PM.

UPDATE, JUNE 4: The National Weather Service updated its estimate Tuesday of a tornado that struck El Reno on Friday, May 31. NWS says now that it was an EF5, the strongest tornado classification. It was 2.6 miles wide, a new U.S. record, and had winds of 295 mph. It tracked across 16.2 miles.

"The previous national record for the width of a tornado was 2.5 miles, set on May 22, 2004, in Hallam, Nebraska," reports NewsOK. "The El Reno tornado began at 6:03 p.m. and ended at 6:43 p.m. A total of 18 people died in the tornado outbreak and in subsequent flooding."

One twister touched down near Oklahoma City killing a woman and her baby when their vehicle overturned on Interstate 40 near El Reno and Yukon. This was a "multi-vortex" storm cell. A tornado emergency was declared for Moore, OK as the system moved through the area.

This tornado came less than two weeks after an EF5 tornado hit Moore, killing 24 people.
El Reno is in Canadian County, OK and is approximately 20 miles west of Oklahoma City (map). Oklahoma City is in Oklahoma County.

About 1,000 passengers at the Will Rogers Airport were evacuated to an underground tunnel until the severe weather threats passed.

Oklahoma City radar, 6:46 PM CDT

Earlier updates as they happened on May 31:

EXPECT HEAVY DAMAGE, MANY INJURIES. Over 50,000 people are without power in Oklahoma City (8:00 PM CDT)

OK Highway Patrol tells @CBSNews: "it is a desperate situation" w/ multiple injuries, vehicles overturned on I-40

7:55 PM CDT: Funnel over Tinker Air Force Base in OK base right now - 80 mph wind "feeding it" - @NEWS9

7:45 PM CDT: Oklahoma City Fire responding to reports of people trapped in a home on NW 14th @NewsBreaker

7:37 PM CDT: Developing: Update: RT @kfor: Small tornado touchdown reported near 19th St. and Telephone Rd. in Moore, OK @stormchaser4850 2m

7:28 PM CDT: VALLEY BROOK and MOORE, OK take cover now! (7:28pm) pic.twitter.com/hx435vvTcr @severestudios 30s

7:24 PM CDT: DEVELOPING: Moore, OK is in the path of the storm. Tornado Emergency in effect (via @WCL_Shawn)

Oklahoma County Sheriff: Many overturned vehicles and multipe injuries (Live scanner feed)
Oklahoma City Police reporting LOOTING in some damaged areas (Live scanner feed)

7:04 PM CDT: BREAKING: 702 pm - this is a DEADLY situation!! PLEASE TAKE COVER Mustang, Union City, North Moore, Yukon, downtown OKC! @NWSNorman
7:00 PM CDT: Tornado Warning for Canadian, Cleveland and Oklahoma Counties in OK until 7:45 PM CDT... THIS IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY FOR WILEY POST AIRPORT... WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT... BETHANY... DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY... AND NORTH MOORE... TAKE IMMEDIATE TORNADO PRECAUTIONS NOW. IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO... DANGEROUS AND EXTREMELY LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL UP TO SOFTBALL SIZE IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. (Details)
…
@NWSNorman 6:56pm - funnel/developing tornado just NW of the Outlet Mall along I-40 in OKC.

From Associated Press: "Dramatic television video showed a tornado on the ground west of Oklahoma City....Funnels of various sizes touched the ground Friday evening near El Reno, 25 miles west of downtown Oklahoma City, and at other times funnel clouds remained aloft. Cameras captured debris flying through the air, though radar indicated the storm was going through a mostly rural area south of Interstate 40. The storm was headed toward Oklahoma City, which has more than a million people in the metro area."

Mayor: "Worst Day in History of Houston Fire Department"

2013-05-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

Southwest Inn burns in Houston, TX Image: KPRC-Local2. REUTERS

May 31, 2013 - Four Houston fire fighters died this afternoon while trying extinguish a huge hotel fire. One of the firefighters killed in the blaze is female. Six others were hospitalized with injuries, says ABC-13 Houston, two in critical condition. More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire. Everyone in the burning Southwest Inn Hotel got out safely. The fire is thought to have started in an adjacent vegetarian restaurant. The hotel is located on the Southwest freeway (59).

"Today will go down as the worst day in history of the Houston fire department," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said. "The most loss of life ever." The five-alarm fire started in a restaurant this afternoon along U.S. 59 in southwest Houston, according to the mayor's office.

"Witnesses tell Eyewitness News [ABC13 Houston] the fire began in a restaurant, although that has not been confirmed with officials. All patrons and employees of the restaurant reportedly got out safely. The roof of the building has collapsed in areas. The structure houses a sports bar as well."

The cause of the fire is unknown. The Houston Chronicle reports that an arson explosive task force is investigating the fire, according to a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The following statement was released by Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association:

"Houston firefighters mourn the loss of our three brothers and our sister and will forever honor their sacrifices. Our association and the International Association of Fire Fighters are monitoring the conditions of the six injured firefighters and will be assisting them and their families in every way possible. This tragedy underscores the inherent dangers of our profession. Please keep Houston firefighters in your thoughts and prayers." (Source: United Firefighters Facebook page)

DRAMATIC VIDEOS: TORNADOES IN AND AROUND BROKEN ARROW, OK 5/30/2013

2013-05-31T05:30:00.000-05:00

Broken Arrow tornado (Photo: KRMG)

May 30, 2013 - 9:00 PM CDT - A LARGE AND "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS" TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND IN BROKEN ARROW, OK AT 8:44 PM CDT.

Broken Arrow is about 12 miles southeast of Tulsa (map), mostly in Tulsa County but a small portion is in Wagoner County. It's the largest suburb of Tulsa.

UPDATE: There were at least three (3) funnel clouds as we see in the dramatic videos BELOW of the tornadoes that passed through Broken Arrow and Perkins, Oklahoma on May 30, 2013. Also see "Tornado damages homes in Broken Arrow" at KRMG.

UPDATE: 9:50 PM CDT: Associated Press now reports that the National Weather Service has confirmed that at least one tornado touched down in the Tulsa area. The tornado on Thursday night touched down in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. It's not clear how much damage the storm caused as it moved through. An earlier report said a tornado touched down near the town of Perkins in northeast Oklahoma, and a second tornado was reported near Ripley.

UPDATE 9:15 PM CDT: Broken Arrow itself seems to have taken only minor damage. However, there seems to be some heavy damage in Wagoner County. Chatter on the City of Tulsa and Rural Police and Fire and Tulsa County Sheriff Live Audio Feed indicates now that the twister has passed through the Broken Arrow. Some businesses are being referred to as damaged.

At 8:50 PM CDT, AccuWeather (‏@breakingweather) tweeted, "A tornado is on the ground near 91st and 101st streets in Broken Arrow, OK. Seek shelter now." Videos below:

Video Below: "Broken Arrow Tornado 5/30/13"

Video Below: "Damaging Tornado Broken Arrow, OK May 30, 2013"

Video Below: "05/30/2013 Broken Arrow and Perkins, OK Tornadoes"

Video Below: "Insane footage of the Broken Arrow OK Tornado May 30 2013"

Video Below: "Tornado - Broken Arrow, OK 05/30/2013"

Video Below: "Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Wall Cloud and Tornado 5-30-2013"

Woman Stabs Baby to Death, Then Stabs Herself, at Diplomat Motel, Chicago (Updated)

2013-05-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

Diplomat Motel (Photo: A Chicago Sojourn)

May 30, 2013 - Half a dozen Chicago police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape indicated that something was wrong at the Diplomat Motel late this morning.

Police officers and their vehicles, some parked at crazy angles across the street from a Dominick's grocery story, guarded a quiet homicide scene at 5230 N. Lincoln Avenue.

"A 5-month-old baby boy was killed and his mother seriously wounded," reports the Chicago Tribune, quoting authorities, "in an apparent murder-suicide attempt at a motel on North Lincoln Avenue this morning."

UPDATE: The woman checked into the motel two days ago (on May 28) with a man and the baby, reports DNA Info. "According to a front desk clerk at the Diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous, a man approached her after 10 a.m. this morning, asking her to call 911. 'Call the police. The lady killed my son, the lady killed my son,' the clerk said the man shouted."

North side of the Diplomat Motel (Image: Google Maps) Click to Enlarge

Authorities say the woman stabbed the baby and then herself, says the Tribune. The woman was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition.

"Looks like somebody got killed," said an onlooker in Dominick's parking lot. "See that red tape on the door to that room? They only put that up when there's a dead body." Another onlooker told Chicago News Bench that he saw police officers carry out "a baby wrapped in something. I think that baby's dead. They brought out a woman, too."

The motel's rooms open directly to the outside. The room in which the woman and baby were found is on the motel's north side (see image above).

Multiple Twisters Swarm Through Area Near Flint, MI (Updated)

2013-05-28T21:56:00.000-05:00

May 28, 2013 - Developing - A tornado has caused heavy and "significant" damage in and around Goodrich, Michigan tonight. A confirmed tornado was located near Goodrich at 9:58 PM EDT. Goodrich is about 12 miles southeast of Flint in Genesee County (map). Trees and power lines were downed and homes were leveled in several communities as multiple tornadoes hit through the county. Genesee County has been called the "Tornado Alley of Michigan," with more recorded twisters than any other since 1950.

Update, May 29: No injuries have been reported. It is not yet certain how many tornadoes were spawned from this single storm cell. The National Weather Service confirms that six twisters hit the area.

NOTE: We have found NO confirmed reports of people being trapped in Goodrich Middle School or any other school. There were earlier, unconfirmed reports on Twitter of people being trapped in Goodrich Middle School and other buildings, with an unknown number of houses being destroyed.

Update, May 29:The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down around 10:00 PM near Goodrich High School, southeast of Flint in Genesee County. "A half-hour earlier, it said winds knocked down a home about 5 miles south of Swartz Creek," reports AP today. "Homes also were reported destroyed or damaged in the Fenton and Mount Morris Township areas."

Some Flint-area schools closed Wednesday, including Goodrich Area Schools and Beecher Community School District. During the confusion of the storms, there were tweets about "trapped" people in the school were based on the fact that power lines next to Goodrich High School were knocked down in the storm and some of the people inside the school were afraid of live electrical wires outside. There are no reported injuries of staff or students.

"Residents and onlookers began to fill the parking lot of Goodrich High School," reports Mlive.com, "as police closed the road to deal with the downed power lines and damage to a residential pole barn on Hegel Road. Police told the crowd that nobody was seriously injured at the scene and their primary concern was to remove the downed power lines.There was no visible damage to the high school and police said no damage was done to other schools, noting that custodial workers were still working in the building of Oaktree Elementary."

The National Weather Service reported "several funnel cloud sightings, including a tornado that landed near Goodrich High School southeast of Flint. No injuries were immediately reported," according to AP.

Nearby Mt. Morris Township, about six miles northwest of Flint (map), also suffered damage. There are reports of widespread power outages. A funnel cloud near Beecher, just east of Mt. Morris (map), is seen in the video above. Rescue workers in Beecher are going door to door tonight in search of people who might be injured or trapped in damages houses and buildings.

Fenton Township, 10 miles south of Flint (map), suffered damage and many residents say it was "definitely a tornado."

Disturbing Questions Remain In Bus Stop Rape Case

2013-05-28T19:06:00.004-05:00

Wanted for Sexual Assault,
24th District Rogers Park
Chicago Police Dept handout

May 28, 2013 - Police are still looking for a suspect in connection with the alleged rape of a 22-year old woman on May 2. The attack is said to have happened at 2:00 p.m., in broad daylight. The victim, a Loyola University graduate, told police that she was grabbed by the neck at a bus stop at the busy intersection of N. Clark and W. Devon. She was dragged into an alley, she said, where the man raped her and stole a credit card. There are, however, some disturbing questions about this story that need to be addressed.

Update, June 6: The name of the alleged rape victim, Alexandria Clarke, was made public after we first published this post on May 28. None of our questions have been addressed.

DNA Info reports that the rape victim's mother is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the rapist. The mother, Renee Touchton, "said her daughter is prepared to tell her story of being taken from outside the Deluxe Diner at Clark Street and Devon Avenue at an awareness event from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Schreiber Park at 1552 W. Schreiber Ave." (Update: The reward was increased to $10,000 on June 6.)

The suspect is described by police as black, 35-40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 300 pounds. Anyone with information is being urged to contact detectives at 312-744-8261.

Renee Touchton, mother of rape victim
Photo Credit: DNAinfo/Benjamin Woodard

A report from DNA Info on May 10 said that the assailant "forced the woman to walk south on Clark Street, past a corner cellphone store, Renee said. Before they turned into the alley in the 1500 block of West Highland Avenue, her daughter had tried to secretly call police from her cellphone."

The same DNA Info report noted that Renee Touchton said that her daughter actually made a 911 call, "but the man noticed and took the phone from her." Touchton also said that the man forcing her daughter away from the bus stop "could look like a couple walking down the street," and that "He took her telephone, he took her credit cards, he took her cash — thank God he left her bus pass." At the time of the attack, said DNA Info, "the suspect was wearing a white striped polo shirt and blue jeans."

Much of that sounds very strange. That intersection is indeed very busy. I know it well. I must wonder why the victim did not scream for help or struggle to break away from him.

Also bothersome is the timeline. The victim says she was forced away from the bus stop at 2:00, then raped in an alley. But a surveillance video supposedly shows the suspect at 2:08 - after the alleged attack. It seems incredible that within eight minutes he was able to force the woman into an alley, rape her, rifle through her purse to take her cash and credit cards but leave the bus pass, and then calmly walk back -- possibly even changing his shirt, which looks pink or red, not white, in the video.

Another bothersome item: Renee Touchton was interviewed by Fox 32 Chicago on June 13, 2012 after a doctor working at Northwestern Memorial medical center the Gold Coast was attacked as he walked home by a group of 15 to 20 teens who hit him in the head. "Respiratory therapist Renee Touchton generally feels safe, reported Fox 32, "but now she says she will be keeping her eyes open. I'm not going outside alone and just being more aware of my surroundings."

It might be just coincidence that Renee Touchton was interviewed last year about a violent attack on a coworker. It might be mere coincidence, too, that today she is seeking media attention for an alleged violent attack on her daughter, who she described as "very, very quiet — very, very private." And yet...

In the May 10 DNA Info report, Renee Touchton's photo was published without her last name. "Renee asked that her last name not be used," said DNA Info. Yet, there's her photo, with her wearing a work shirt that says "Northwestern Memorial" on it. That's a lousy way to remain anonymous. Any one of a few thousand people, including her neighbors, coworkers and patients, could figure out who her 22-year old daughter is. I figured it out just by looking at her very public Facebook page.

WATCH Actual Explosion of Derailed Train Near Baltimore

2013-05-28T15:11:00.001-05:00

May 28, 2013 - INCREDIBLE VIDEOS capture the actual explosion of a derailed train near Baltimore today (story here). These folks were checking out the smoke and got more than they expected. In the first video here, a guy is heard asking, "How far away ya think we are?" Then, kaboom! Not far enough, pal! But look, none of the people in these videos was killed or maimed, so feel to laugh at how stupid they were to get that close to a burning freight train. Language Advisory for Videos.

In the video below, the explosion happens at 6:20.

VIDEOS: BIG EXPLOSION AS CSX TRAIN DERAILS NEAR BALTIMORE, BLAST HEARD FOR MILES

2013-05-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

pic.twitter.com/1Fyvm8WOSK
photo: @Megan_Comeau

May 28, 2013 - 2:30 PM ET -- A CSX freight train collided with a trash truck and derailed in Rosedale, MD near Baltimore at 2:02 PM ET today. The train had two locomotives and 45 cars. There were no fatalities. The only person injured was the driver of the truck, who was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition. (CSX Corp info.)

UPDATE: The Baltimore Sun reports that the train was carrying unknown chemicals but the smoke did not include toxic inhalants. "Still, a 20-block area around the accident was evacuated." Baltimore County Fire Chief John J. Hohman said the fire is expected to burn through the night. The only two people aboard the train were not injured. Also, see an updated timeline of the CSX freight train derailment and explosion.

"The driver of the trailer was extricated and taken to Maryland Shock Trauma center in serious but stable condition."

VIDEO: HOW IT HAPPENED...

Officials say several nearby buildings collapsed, reports WBAL. People felt the blast 22 miles away.Authorities evacuated the immediate area as a precaution. The derailment is in the area of E. Biddle and 66th streets in Rosedale, near the 7500 block of Lake Drive.

The affected buildings are right next to the track where the train derailed. Workers ran out to look at the crash, saw flames, and immediately got into their cars and drove three blocks away. Then came the explosion. "It about brought us to our knees," said one man.

Hazmat crews are on the scene. It is not clear what kinds of chemicals were in the freight cars involved in this accident. One police officer reported having trouble breathing. However, live video shows personnel walking near the fire not wearing any kind of hazmat suits or breathing equipment.

"A huge explosion could be heard across the city, and a large tower of smoke can be seen from miles away," reports CBS Baltimore. "Police and fire crews are responding to the area after receiving numerous calls to 911. Details on this accident are still unfolding." NBC has live video of the derailed train in Baltimore County. More live coverage at ABC7 WJLA and WBAL TV.

SEE VIDEOS OF THE ACTUAL EXPLOSION.

Three New Videos of May 20 EF5 Tornado in Moore, OK

2013-05-27T17:56:00.003-05:00

May 27, 2013 - We found these three incredible videos that were uploaded to YouTube today.

BELOW: "10 more Minutes of the Moore EF5 Tornado" is described by the person who posted it: "Raw footage of Fast Unit 53's (Chance Coldiron & Justin Cox) coverage of the Moore EF5 tornado that was used by KOCO5 during the event on May 20th, 2013. We continued to track the tornado through the southwestern side of Oklahoma City and Moore, OK. Prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible event. If you can help in the Moore or Shawnee areas please do as there is still a lot of work to do."

BELOW: "Oklahoma Tornado Formation? Exclusive Footage of the Deadly Oklahoma Twister"

BELOW: "Oklahoma tornado mobile footage compilation."
Also see our Tornado Videos Page

Native American Veterans Want Race-Based War Memorial

2013-05-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

May 27, 2013 - Should any single ethnic or racial group have it's very own memorial? Some Native Americans are asking for just that. Is a racially segregated memorial really something that American soldiers have fought and died for?

2nd Lt. Ernest Childers, 26-year-old American Indian
from Tulsa, OK, receives the Congressional
Medal of Honor from Lt. Gen Jacob L. Devers.
Image found at WW2F.com

"Before World War II and in the decades since," says an AP story, "tens of thousands of American Indians have enlisted in the Armed Forces to serve their country at a rate much greater than any other ethnicity. Yet, among all the monuments and statues along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., not one stands in recognition."

AP says that a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been meeting with Native American leaders; a memorial "is a real possibility" if land is located and private funds are raised.

Well, fine, they can do whatever they want with private funds. But whatever "land is located" had better not be publicly owned, not for a something that is racially and ethnically exclusive. No sir. We don't, after all, want to be politically incorrect, do we? Hmmm?

I don't want to diminish the contributions of Native American veterans. I really don't. God bless them all. Their contributions and sacrifices were great and many. But the push for a Native American-only memorial, driven largely by the National Congress of American Indians, seems to discount the fact that virtually every group of Americans made sacrifices and contributions to U.S. military efforts during wartime.

"A good deal of credit must go to the Native Americans for their outstanding part in America's victory in World War II," wrote Thomas D. Morgan for the U.S. Army Center of Military History. "They sacrificed more than most-both individually and as a group. They left the land they knew to travel to strange places, where people did not always understand their ways. They had to forego the dances and rituals that were an important part of their life. They had to learn to work under non-Indian supervisors in situations that were wholly new to them. It was a tremendously difficult adjustment; more than for white America, which had known modem war and mobilization before. But in the process, Native Americans became Indian-Americans, not just American Indians."

Navajo Code Talker veterans at the 2012 Fourth Annual White House
Tribal Nations Conference at the U.S. Dept of Interior in
Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012.
Photo: USDA.gov, found at Indian Country Today

Even so, a separate memorial makes no sense. By their logic, we should also have statues and whatever on the National Mall for every other group. But are there any monuments or statues designed to specifically recognize U.S. military veterans who are, specifically and exclusively, of Italian decent? How about U.S. military veterans of German, Nigerian, Swedish, Chinese, Armenian, British, Egyptian, Mexican or any other group?

The African American Civil War Memorial is my only exception to any objection to a racially based war memorial. This one makes sense. Although it's race-based, it memorializes the "over 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors [who] served to keep the United States whole and to free permanently over four million people in forced servitude." In other words, they helped free fellow Black people who were slaves because they were Black.

The uniqueness of the Civil War, and the importance of race to the causes of that war, justify an African American Civil War Memorial.

Please watch this excellent video

That said, however, I would be opposed to an African American Vietnam War Memorial just as much as I would be to, say, a European American Vietnam War Memorial.

I can think of no other war, or of anything else, that would justify a memorial for any other ethnic or racial group.

So why should the Native Americans get their own ethnicity-based memorial? Why should any ethnic group get one? It is offensive, frankly. While I value this nation's diversity -- people of different backgrounds living, working and playing together -- I despise multiculturalism, which is antithetical to the "melting pot" that has helped make this nation great. Our strength may be in diversity but only so long as multiculturalism insanity does not get the best of us. Look at Canada and the faux nation of Quebec within its own borders. Quebec is the result of multiculturalism madness: Division and separation.

The memorials on the National Mall are a good example of the beauty of diversity; they do not discriminate. What the Native Americans are asking for, however, is an example of the poison of multiculturalism. That's not what American soldiers fought and died for throughout our history.

Oblahoma: "We've Got Your Back" Draws Harsh Comments On White House Facebook Page

2013-05-26T22:36:00.003-05:00

May 26, 2013 - For those of you who've been paying attention for the past four years, you know that an Obama promises (a) are rarely kept and (b) can literally get you killed. Just ask the late Christopher Stevens. Obama went to Oklahoma today to look at tornado damage this morning in Moore, the suburb of Oklahoma City hit so hard by an EF-5 twister on Monday, May 20.

Oklahomey (Photo: White House)

In a speech to the people of Moore, Obama said, "When we say that we’ve got your back, I promise you, we keep our word." Obama, the man of broken promises, the man who let Christopher Stevens and three others die in Benghazi, said that?

The White House posted that quote on Facebook at 9:15 PM ET this evening, along with a photo of Obama looking at a pile of rubble.

Comments immediately began to pile on quickly. Many mocked Obama's use of the phrase "We've got your back" as hypocritical. A lot of the comments, from both conservatives and liberals, ranged from just plain loony to downright bizarre. There even one or two apparent threats to Obama's life (which we condemn). Here is a sampling of a few of the more cogent comments:

Jill Jillino yea.. just like Benghazi...
Rae Ann McNeilly Really? I don't think Amb. Stevens would agree with you.
Steven E. Heicher I call bullshit... Joplin and Alabama - 2011.
Jeffrey Veit As he looks to raise taxes on these very same people.
Caree Severson Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS? yep, he's got your back alrighty then
Marshall MacHugh The victims in New Jersey and New York would beg to differ.
Brindy Baggins Obama has a heart? Bet the guys in Bengahzi would not agree....
Victor Neves That's right Mr. President, just like Sandy, They waited all Winter until something came, way after the election! Don't count on it, people.
Sheila Rider The guys from team six wouldn't agree he has a heart or a mind.
Heather Bieke Oklahoma hates Obama. Now all of a sudden they want his help. I wonder how many firearms are scattered all over that area.
Roy Charles Jr. We keep our word? Unless you're an ambassador in Libya.
Elmar Krueger Jr Like the people in NJ and NY that are still suffering, still homeless, etc?
Michael Nettles Luckily he's never lied to us about anything else.
Irving Rynning Word? What word? Gitmo. Patriot. Budget. NOT being another Bush. Shall we go on? but "what difference does it make?"
Chicago News Bench Say, didn't you also promise that "Obamacare" would not drive up health insurance rates? We're bitterly disappointed.
Richard Halvorson So how come it took him nearly a week to make the trip to Oklahoma? to busy golfing?

You can see more comments on Facebook.

"It was just one week ago that tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, devastating the town of Moore," says a post on The White House Blog today about Obama's Oklahoma odyssey. Nevermind that it was actually six days ago (on May 20) and not "one week ago" that Moore was devastated. Granted, there were tornadoes in Oklahoma on the 19th, but the EF-5 did not hit Moore until the 20th. But maybe I'm nitpicking. The real issue is this: Why the hell did it take Obama six days to get over to Oklahoma?

If I was cynical (who, me?), I'd say that Obama really doesn't give a damn about Oklahoma. If he did, he would have been there the next day. Instead, it took him nearly a week to fly there. It's no secret that Oklahomans generally despise Obama. Mitt Romney won Oklahoma last November by a whopping 33.5% of the vote. Had it been the other way around, I'm tempted to believe, it would have taken Obama less than 72 hours to visit Moore.