Source: http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=9413
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Monday, August 5, 2013
PA TV song calls to attack Israel, the "snake's head," with the rifle
Microsoft cuts Surface Pro tablet prices by $100
The Surface Pro.
(Credit: Microsoft)Microsoft reduced the price of its Surface Pro tablet this weekend by $100, a few days after revealing that it has spent more money on marketing the in-house tablet than it has generated in revenue.
The reductions, which were first reported by The Verge, cuts the price of Microsoft's 64GB and 128GB tablets to $799 and $899, respectively. The discounts come three weeks after Microsoft cut the price of its Surface RT tablets by 30 percent.
Sales of Surface RT tablets, which debuted last October, have been seen as tepid. The tech titan revealed on Tuesday that it has earned $853 million in revenue from its Surface tablets since their debut last fall. However, that is less than the $900 million the company had to pay for Surface RT inventory adjustments and also less than the $898 million Microsoft paid for Windows 8 and Surface advertising.
Even though Microsoft revealed its revenue from the Surface tablets, it did not release the number of units sold or specify the individual revenue from either the Surface RT or the Surface Pro. In March, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft likely sold around 1.5 million Surface tablets to date. Though 1 million of those sales were for the RT version, that number was about half of what Microsoft initially expected, according to Bloomberg.
In comparison, Apple reported last month that it sold 14.6 million iPads in the last quarter alone.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57596910-75/microsoft-cuts-surface-pro-tablet-prices-by-$100/
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Kahne holds off Gordon to win at Pocono Raceway
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) ? Kasey Kahne got the jump on Jeff Gordon off the final restart with two laps left and pulled away to win at Pocono Raceway.
Kahne had the car to beat for the final half of Sunday's 400-mile race until a late caution bunched up the field. Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, took the lead and seemed poised to win his first race of the season. After the final caution, Kahne was strong enough this time off the restart in the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Kahne also won at Bristol this season. His win helped solidify his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Gordon finished second on his 42nd birthday. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.
The top five cars were Chevrolets.
Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt made it a strong day for Hendrick. Teammate and series points leader Jimmie Johnson was 13th after a blown tire knocked him out of the lead.
Kahne had stretched his lead to almost 8 seconds when a caution for debris came out with 12 laps left. Gordon, still winless this season, was strong in the No. 24 and zipped to the lead as he looked to extend his record for career wins at Pocono.
Matt Kenseth spun with four laps left to erase Gordon's lead and set up the thrilling finish. Gordon led again until Kahne ran him down and blasted by his teammate for the win.
So close to the checkered, this loss stung Gordon.
"We had them. We certainly had the position," he said. "I'm pretty disappointed I let him get inside of me on (turn) one."
Kahne also won at Pocono in 2008. He entered ninth in the points standings and need a win to make sure he'd at least qualify for a wild-card spot should he fall below 10th place. Kahne was third last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and seems to be heating up with five races left until the Chase field is set.
Kahne's 16th career win should make him a Chase lock.
Gordon, who has six Pocono wins, finished second last week and has three straight top 10s to also position himself for a spot in the 12-driver field. He had won at Pocono each of the last two seasons. When Gordon leads late at Pocono, he usually wins. Just not this time.
"I've given away a lot more races than I've won," he said.
Johnson, who set a track record in qualifying, again had the dominant car for half the race until he blew a front tire. A week after a slow, final pit stop cost him a win at Indianapolis, Johnson was done in this time by a tire issue that ended his chance to win. Johnson did stretch his points lead to 77 over Clint Bowyer.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kahne-holds-off-gordon-win-pocono-raceway-205921651.html
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Sunday, August 4, 2013
Britain and Gibraltar draw battle lines over proposed ... - Online Betting
A new internet gambling dispute has raised its head between Gibraltar and Britain. With a lot of online betting companies running their operations in the tax haven of the British territory at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, their status may be placed under?pressure now.
The battle?lines have been drawn following?British Prime Minister David Cameron?s plan announcement that a 15 per cent tax will be placed on British customers?placing bets through Gibraltar based?betting sites.
Naturally the officials and the executives?operating in the territory?s online betting industry aren?t too happy at the news. The concern is that the proposed tax represents nothing but an unfair revenue take from the British Government, reaping the benefits from their operations in their tiny outpost. Britain doesn?t have?say over the trade?and industry issues in?Gibraltar,?who set their own taxes.?However, they?won?t have a say over what the British Government?do with their taxation on Britons residing in Britain.
The proposed new?tax from David Cameron, which he wants in place by December 2014,?has been designed to level the playing field for British bookmakers who take bets in Britain.?Anyone placing a bet in Britain is subject to?a fifteen per cent tax, but bets placed on?any of the many Gibraltar based sites aren?t.?The levies?required by Gibraltar based companies is a paltry 1 per cent in comparison.
The tax would be ?clearly against the common-sense logic of electronic commerce,? said Phill Brear, Gibraltar?s gambling commissioner. He said that about 60 percent of online bets by Britons were placed through Gibraltar sites. ?We now hear a lot of talk in the U.K. about creating a level playing field. But you can in fact never level the field between high-street shops and online services.?
If the plan does come in, then Gibraltar companies would then face the same rules as betting-shop operators back in Britain, like William Hill and Ladbrokes. However, because both William Hill and Ladbrokes have online operations based among Gibraltar?s online wagering industry, they would get ensnared by the new tax.
The change would put ?a huge and unwanted cost on our business,? said Steve Buchanan, who heads the Gibraltar operations of Ladbrokes.
So the taxation saving by moving?business to Gibraltar may now be trimmed.?Online betting exchange Betfair, when they moved their operations to Gibraltar in 2011,?announced that they would be?able to save around??20 million on taxes alone, because there are also other tax saving on?other aspects of business as well over there. The online betting industry is vital to Gibraltar.
Around 15 percent of Gibraltar?s $1.89 billion economy is provided through online betting, and gambling companies provide jobs for about 2,500 of Gibraltar?s 30,000 residents. Four more Gibraltar-based online betting operators entered the territory?over the last twelve months alone, raising the total to 25 ? each of which might operate several Web sites.
So this argument looks to rumble on for some time. On one side there is Gibraltar, who thinks that the protectionist measures by the British Government violates the Union?s free market rules, and could force punters to use less regulated?markets. On the other hand there is the British Government?trying to protect the British based operators who?are having to pay taxes anyway, and who also believe it will?help to control betting irregularities as well.
?These proposals will ensure that British consumers enjoy consistent standards of protection, regardless of where a gambling business is based,? the British minister for sport, Hugh Robertson, said last year.
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On Motorola's dance with the devil
I'll take my Moto X free of any carrier shenanigans, please
Like most everyone here, I was pretty excited to see exactly what Motorola had to tell us yesterday. After months of hype and countless rumors, I was curious about what they would, and could, offer up with the X Phone and how it would differ from all those rumors. You just knew they all couldn't be true.
As the news came in, I was pretty happy with the parts that were true. The specs and the new X8 computing system is something I'm excited to have a go with, allowing buyers to pick their color may sound silly but it will be a big hit with plenty of folks, and even the 720p screen was something I'm fine with. A screen is more than the ppi. But the killer feature, and one that matters most to me, was just not to be. That broke the deal.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/8d7o6kTb-LM/story01.htm
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Saturday, August 3, 2013
Morsi supporters defy police warnings to disperse
CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's military-backed government offered protection Thursday to supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi who end their two sit-ins ? widely seen as a first step toward dispersing the vigils on opposite sides of Cairo.
But the protesters responded defiantly: "Over our dead bodies!"
The standoff underscored the ongoing political crisis since the armed forces toppled Egypt's first democratically elected leader on July 3: thousands in the streets demanding Morsi's reinstatement, a government unable to exert its authority, and recurrent violence that has killed more than 260 people.
Rights groups, activists and politicians from rival camps, fearful of more bloodshed, tried to ward off any use of force, including a suggestion of putting a human chain around the protest sites.
International pressure grew for the interim government to release Morsi and create a process that includes his Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political faction, which refuses to deal with the new authorities.
Despite a government warning that it would disperse the vigils, the Brotherhood and its supporters announced plans to organize new mass marches Friday, dubbed "Egypt Against the Coup."
Organizers of the sit-ins outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in eastern Cairo and a smaller one near Cairo University's main campus in Giza say the protests are signs of the enduring support for the once-dominant Muslim Brotherhood.
But mass rallies called by the military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, on July 26 showed that a large segment of Egypt's population backs the armed forces' actions against Morsi. He was overthrown following demonstrations by millions who demanding that he step down after a year in office.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry picked up that theme, telling Geo TV in Pakistan that the military was "restoring democracy." He added that millions of people had asked the army to intervene because they were afraid Egypt would descend into violence.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke to interim Vice President Mohammed ElBaradei, calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. "I also called for the release of all political detainees, including Dr. Morsi, unless there are criminal charges to be made against them," he said.
There was no sign of a break in the stalemate.
Security officials, pro-military media and some residents near the sit-in sites increasingly view the encampments as a menace, with authorities accusing protesters of stockpiling arms, torturing and killing suspected intruders, and scuffling with locals who voice complaints.
While the protesters insist their gatherings are peaceful, the sit-ins have taken on increasingly fatalistic religious overtones, and many of Morsi's supporters have expressed readiness to die for their cause ? defending him and Islam.
The only sign of security activity before sunset Thursday was an army helicopter that flew low over the protesters.
"The Interior Ministry ... calls on those in the squares of Rabaah al-Adawiya and Nahda to listen to the sound of reason, side with the national interest, and quickly leave," Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel-Latif said in a televised address.
"Whoever responds to this call will have safe passage and protection," he added.
The declaration followed a Cabinet decision Wednesday to charge the Interior Ministry, which controls the police, to disperse the sit-ins, arguing they posed a threat to national security and terrorized citizens.
But the protesters said they won't back down from their continued opposition to the military coup. They "will continue in spite of threats, and will not be made to back down from their right to peaceful protests and sit-ins, regardless of the strength of their opposition," a statement said.
From the podium outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque, one speaker shouted, "Did you see that the criminal army wants to break up the sit-in? Over our dead bodies!"
The crowd shouted in agreement: "The coup is terrorism!"
The demonstrators also chanted "Execute el-Sissi!" Loudspeakers blared songs supporting Morsi.
The protesters fortified the site, piling up sandbags at its six entrances and adding new guards who stood on alert with their helmets and sticks, sometimes climbing over the gates to check for movement. At one entrance, a second wall of concrete blocks, sandbags and tires was erected.
Medhat Ali, a teacher guarding the gates, said lines of men near the fences will be the first to warn of an impending attack.
"If they see military or police, they will alert us, and in no time the masses inside will pour in to sleep on the asphalt under their vehicles and troops," he said proudly. "We have nothing but some stones and our bare chests. We all have bid our families farewell. We will die here ? or Morsi returns."
Another protester, Magdi Shalash, dismissed the Interior Ministry warning, calling it an attempt to scare away supporters.
"This warning is like nothing. It is like air. We don't even listen to it," said Shalash, a university professor. "We will only leave as dead bodies."
Rally speakers and leading members of the Brotherhood urged more people to join the protest. In a video posted on the Brotherhood's Facebook page, Mohammed El-Beltagi urged those at home to "join us and get the honor of martyrdom."
An influential ultraconservative cleric gave an emotional appeal to authorities to avoid violence, which he said will only lead to a cycle of bloodshed.
"It is foolish to believe that the problem will end in one night and the conflict resolved in one battle," Mohammed Hasaan, said in a 17-minute recording made in a mosque and aired on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, a pro-Brotherhood broadcaster.
"Beware of blood. It will be a curse on those who shed it. The military entering a conflict with Islamists is a loss for it and a real win for the Jews," he said, a reference to Israel.
A military spokesman said its troops are not taking part in the moves against the sit-ins.
Egyptian police have a track record of deadly crackdowns on street protests, and Wednesday's Cabinet move effectively gave security forces the mandate to act as they see fit.
The Interior Ministry had said earlier it would not clamp down on the protesters but will take gradual measures, including warnings and the use of water cannons and tear gas to minimize casualties.
The U.S. Embassy said it will be closed Sunday ? a normal working day. The U.S. State Department said it was shuttering its embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world Sunday after receiving an unspecified threat. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to U.S. facilities overseas and said some diplomatic offices may stay closed for more than a day.
Members of rights groups, joined by activists, organized a visit to the sit-in in eastern Cairo to inspect the place, but it ended abruptly when it descended into a political argument.
In a Facebook post, Seif Abdel-Fattah, a former Morsi adviser, called on all national groups and rights organizations to "go down and encircle (the two sit-ins) with human chains to stop the flood of blood."
Meanwhile, a leading member of Tamarod, or Rebel ? the campaign that spearheaded the petition for Morsi to step down ? said it suggested that law enforcement officials inspect the squares to ensure there are no weapons. But Mahmoud Badr said his proposal was rejected by the pro-Morsi groups.
Late Thursday, a high-level African Union delegation visited the sit-in in eastern Cairo. The delegation had met on Tuesday with Morsi in a secret military facility where he has been detained since his ouster on July 3.
Privately, the Rabaah protesters acknowledge that their sit-in is their last bargaining chip against the military and loyal media that label the encampment as a launching pad for terrorists.
Islamic militants also have been stepping up attacks against security forces in lawless areas in the Sinai Peninsula, raising fears that extremists could exploit the anger over Morsi's removal to spread insurgency.
The Brotherhood has long been one of the most powerful political forces in Egypt, even during its decades in the opposition to autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, himself ousted in a popular uprising in 2011. But after a series of election wins, including Morsi's narrow victory last year, the group has fallen from favor.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/morsi-supporters-defy-police-warnings-disperse-212009560.html
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U.S. shutdown battle begins as Republicans kill spending measure
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A battle in Congress expected this fall over the budget and a potential government shutdown broke out early on Thursday as Republicans in the U.S. Senate effectively killed a $54 billion spending bill for transportation and housing projects.
All but one Republican voted against the measure, denying it the 60 votes it needed to advance past a procedural hurdle.
Blockage of the Senate's first appropriations bill, along with a decision on Wednesday by Republicans in the House of Representatives to halt consideration of their own transportation funding measure, sends Congress back to the drawing board to find a way to agree on spending and taxes.
It marked the failure of a much-touted return to normal budgeting practices in Congress as a way to try to overcome deep fiscal divisions between the two parties.
When Congress returns from a five-week recess in September, lawmakers will have just nine legislative days to craft a stop-gap funding measure to keep government agencies from shutting down as the new fiscal year gets under way on October 1.
On Wednesday, the majority Republicans in the House halted consideration of a much more austere $44 billion transportation-housing bill, as not enough Republicans were willing to support the measure to overcome the opposition of Democrats who said the cuts were simply too deep.
KEEPING SEQUESTER
In the Senate, just one Republican - Susan Collins of Maine - voted to advance the transportation measure.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell had called on his party to block the bill, saying Democrats were trying to spend far more than would be allowed under the across-the-board "sequester" spending cuts.
Those cuts were set in motion by a 2011 budget deal after Congress failed to agree on other deficit reduction measures. They went into effect in March and are now causing hundreds of thousands of temporary layoffs at government agencies and defense contractors.
But even a short-term spending measure will require the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House to find a way to replace or at least reduce the sequester cuts. They face a $91 billion gap between their top-line spending levels, and even deeper differences on spending for various domestic programs such as community development grants and the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We needed to indicate that we'd keep our word" to maintain spending cuts, McConnell said, explaining the vote. He dismissed suggestions that a primary re-election challenge he faces from a conservative Tea Party-backed candidate in his home state of Kentucky influenced his stance on the issue.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, complained that Senate Republican leaders "threw a tantrum" in blocking the bill.
"Senate Republicans chose gridlock over jobs," she added.
After insisting that the House pursue "regular order" on budget legislation, House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday publicly acknowledged for the first time that the 12 spending bills would not be passed by September 30 and said a short-term funding extension "would probably be in the nation's interest."
Congress a few weeks later faces another, potentially more consequential deadline to raise the $16.7 trillion federal borrowing limit. Failure to do so would ultimately lead to a default on U.S. debt repayments and a possible global financial crisis.
Meanwhile, a group of eight Republican senators led by Georgia's Johnny Isakson held their second meeting in as many days with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in an effort to find a path forward on the budget.
Both sides have been tight-lipped about the talks, but have acknowledged that little progress has been made so far. Still, the meetings are the only regular, open communication line between the Obama administration and Congress on fiscal issues.
One Republican aide said the group plans to stay in touch during the August break by telephone. Other Republican senators participating in Thursday's meeting included Kelly Ayotte, Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, and John McCain.
"I don't know that there's much more optimism than there was earlier in the week but there's still an openness," the Republican aide said.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Caren Bohan and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Vicki Allen and Eric Walsh)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-shutdown-battle-begins-republicans-kill-spending-measure-231115224.html
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Possible tornado causes damage in Montana town
HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Strong thunderstorms that moved across Montana left a trail of damage to crops and buildings along with downed trees and power outages.
The worst damage from Thursday's storm may have occurred in Gallatin County, where winds gusting up to 89 mph devastated wheat and barley crops that likely would have been harvested next week, Montana Grain Growers Vice President Matt Flikkema said.
"I've never seen crop damage to the extent we have here in the valley," Flikkema said Friday. "There are very little crops that will be harvested out of the area."
Flikkema said the damage could approach $50 million, even without taking into consideration what happened to 5,000 acres of potatoes.
Most of the crops are seed crops, meaning there could be a shortage of seed to plant next year, he said.
The storm started in southwestern Montana, where wind gusts up to 104 mph were recorded in Polaris, northwest of Dillon, causing major damage to homes and some trees, the National Weather Service reported.
Strong winds and possibly a tornado caused severe damage in Twin Bridges, uprooting trees and blowing the roof off at least one building.
A weather service representative was expected to visit Twin Bridges on Friday to determine if a tornado had touched down, said Steve DiGiovanna of Madison County Disaster and Emergency Services. DiGiovanna said he thought he saw a funnel cloud touch down.
Some falling trees damaged historic buildings, including the museum, and the roof was ripped off a veterinary clinic outside of Twin Bridges. An airport hangar was destroyed, a trailer was crushed by falling trees, and a grandstand at the Madison County Fairgrounds was flipped over and destroyed, he said.
Twin Bridges Mayor Tom Hyndman said the wind also uprooted a large spruce tree that is decorated every year for the town's Christmas Stroll.
Golf-ball sized hail fell across much of Belgrade and the northern part of Bozeman, the weather service reported.
NWS meteorologist Todd Chambers of Billings said the storm began in the southwestern part of the state Thursday afternoon and moved east, causing damage as far away as Billings.
The "long-lived, long-path" storm was unusual for this time of year, he said.
In eastern Montana, a funnel cloud was reported near Acton, north of Billings, and there was another unconfirmed report of a tornado in Broadview, Chambers said.
Golf-ball-sized hail was reported in parts of Billings, as well. A tree on the West End caught fire after being struck by lightning.
The storm knocked out power along its path and crews were still working Friday morning to restore service.
A second set of storms moved through the Helena. Over an inch of rain fell in a swath, moving northeast from an area near the city through eastern Chouteau County, the weather service said.
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Friday, August 2, 2013
Drug use of New Mexico teens exceeds Chicago, Detroit
Click photo to enlarge
Shari V. Hill/Sun-News Xavier, 17, has had run-ins with the law since he was 14 and has used, sold and trafficked drugs. He has worn an ankle monitor for the past two years and is now cleaning up his act at Stepping Stones group home in Las Cruces.
LAS CRUCES >> The streets beat Xavier.
Once a top student, the 17-year-old now sits on his bed at Stepping Stones, a community home in Las Cruces for teens with behavioral or substance abuse problems. A probation bracelet hugs his right ankle.
"I did a lot of dumb stuff," said Xavier, whose real name is not being used to shield him from potential criminal charges. "... Sometimes I'd use (my) intelligence to get away with stuff. I'd use it in a bad way instead of a good way."
He sits on his neatly made bed, a blue comforter, striped sheets and one white pillow spread across it. Dim mint green paint covers on the walls, and a towel hangs off the open door. He talks about his family problems -- which led him to drugs, which led to making thousands of dollars selling and trafficking, which led to trouble, which led to here -- and the other teens like him.
Teen drug use is not new. Nationwide, youth drug use rates have remained largely stagnant over the past decade, despite years of drug and alcohol education aimed at students.
But New Mexico teens continue to use every drug measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- from marijuana to cocaine to heroin -- at higher rates than students nationwide. New Mexico teens use drugs at higher rates than even Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit and other cities long considered the crime capitals of the
United States, according to the CDC.And in Do?a Ana County, the availability of drugs on high school campuses has nearly doubled since 2001.
"You can get anything, anything anywhere," Xavier said.
?
Drugs and teens
Just under 46 percent of Do?a Ana County high school students said they were offered, sold or given drugs on school property in 2011, according to the state health department's Youth and Resilience Survey. The number is the highest ever since the survey began in 2001, when 27 percent of students answered yes.
More than 18 percent of New Mexico teens say they first tried marijuana before they were 13 years old -- a rate nearly twice as high as the national average, 8.1 percent, according to the CDC.
New Mexico teens are also more likely to have used marijuana in the past month than their national counterparts -- 27.6 percent in the state, compared to 23.1 percent nationwide.
And more than 46 percent of Do?a Ana County high school students said they had consumed alcohol in the last month.
Those statistics don't surprise Sgt. Kiri Daines, Las Cruces Police Department's supervisor of school resource officers.
Every public middle and high school in Las Cruces has an officer who analyzes school safety, acts as a deterrent, handles criminal behavior on campus and is a resource for students.
"As much as we try to intercept stuff, we can't control everything," Daines said, noting students aren't bringing kilograms of drugs to school but one joint. She estimates each of the four major high schools has a drug incident about once a week.
Louie Atencio, who works in intensive outpatient substance abuse with Families and Youth Inc. in Las Cruces, has seen a rise in teen substance use in his 23 years working with youth and drugs.
He estimates there has been as much as a 70 percent increase in the number of teens using marijuana, especially as the drug has been legalized for medical use in many states and personal use in Colorado and Oregon.
He has seen an increase in "multi-generational" marijuana use as parents and sometimes grandparents use with their children. About 20 percent of his clients follow that model, he said.
Though marijuana seems relatively harmless to some, the kids he sees often smoke four to eight joints a day, he said. They struggle with short-term memory and are failing their classes in school.
"They don't seem to have that clarity," he said.
After they've been clean for about a year, the students are earning A's and B's again.
"As soon as they stopped smoking ... all of the sudden, their motivation is where up there," Atencio said.
There were 191 drug-related arrests of youth under age 18 in 2012, according to Las Cruces police spokesman Dan Trujillo. They were overwhelmingly male, 150 of them.
The offenses ranged from the sale or manufacture of illegal substances to possession, and included synthetic and narcotic substances, opiates and cocaine. Most, however, were marijuana arrests.
Hoping to evade drug tests, Atencio said teens are increasingly using synthetic cannabis -- a legal substance sold as incense but used as a replacement for marijuana. Tests often don't detect the substance, known as spice or K2, making it a favorite -- though tests are evolving.
Students who use spice are often aggressive and "entrenched in their belief that everyone's out to get them," destroying relationships, Atencio said.
?
'Whole world bearing down'
Xavier was a straight-A student in elementary school. He tested at a 12th-grade level in sixth grade, he said.
He is the oldest of four children, whom he helped care for while his mother worked. His dad wasn't around growing up, and his stepfather, who is no longer a part of the family, was abusive, he said.
Middle school brought problems. Xavier got in with the wrong crowd, into gangs, which led to drugs which led to trouble, he said.
He sold and used marijuana and cocaine, though more selling than using. There was a stint trafficking the drugs as well.
He could make $1,200 for a pound of marijuana; three times as much for cocaine. Mix the cocaine with baking soda and he could make more.
"When I was that age, I thought it was a lot of money," he said.
He began receiving citations in middle school -- for weapons, fighting, petty theft -- and getting in trouble with the police.
He was kicked out of Picacho Middle School and transferred to Camino Real Middle School.
He was never home, only stopping by to grab something, always at his girlfriend's or friends' houses. He didn't like being home, where his stepdad was, he said.
In 2010, the family found out his mother has terminal cancer.
"I felt like the whole world was bearing down on my shoulders," he said. "I had to grow up really quick because I didn't have a dad and my mom was sooner or later going to leave us."
?
Escaping reality
Teenagers use drugs because they are bored or want to escape, counselors say.
"Drug use is staying the same because kids say they are bored," said Ruben Sanchez, the house leader of Stepping Stones. "... The more we embrace our youth, the less likely they are to use drugs."
Funding for local recreational centers and free sports leagues has decreased, so teens look for other ways to pass the time, Sanchez said.
"As we struggle in the economy, you see families struggling more and more with not being able to meet financial needs," Atencio said. "There are more and more kids trying to escape their own reality by using."
There's also another answer to the high rates of drug use in New Mexico, Atencio said: "We're so close to the border. It's right here. It's way available. In order for it to hit the eastern states, it's got to come through here."
Daines encouraged parents to talk with their children about drugs; there is only so much prevention schools can do, she said. The officers educate students as often as they can, and many schools offer the popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. But "ultimately, those kids go home," she said, noting many students say their parents don't care what they do.
"We have to acknowledge the fact that our kids are exposed to drugs and communicate with them," she said. "... We can't bury our heads in the sand and say it's not happening."
Xavier did drugs and drank mainly because he wanted to escape, like most kids, he said.
"They want to try something new. They want to escape," he said.
His mom would randomly drug test him sometimes, but he always managed to outsmart her.
He turned to Spice when he was on probation as early drug tests couldn't detect it. But then he overdosed, seizing and hallucinating.
Hi mom threw him in a cold shower and took him to the hospital.
"Ever since then, I tell my brother and other friends to stay away from it," he said. "It's just not good. ... After that, ... I never used drugs again."
?
'I worry every day'
Xavier's mom's diagnosis -- terminal ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer -- brought a 180-degree change in Xavier's behavior, he said. But not a full 360, not yet.
He was arrested in a high-profile destruction of public property incident in Las Cruces, one he said was an accident. He took the fall to protect his younger brother, he said.
When he first came to Stepping Stones, he got in trouble for not charging his bracelet, talking back; now he's been "blue ribbon" or top-notch behavior.
But he worries his 1-year-old son will follow his path.
"I worry that every day," he said. "There's an old saying that your kids will be a lot worse than you. So I worry every day."
In some ways he's thankful he got caught, he said, "because it opened my eyes."
By completing Stepping Stones and a Border Patrol for at-risk youth, he'll have a clean record when he turns 18.
He is two classes away from earning his high school diploma, just repeating failed P.E. and freshman algebra classes to go.
He received a scholarship to study automotive and performance duty at Western Technical College in El Paso, and will learn how to make engines faster and upgrade cars.
He aims to leave Stepping Stones in December.
"I want to get it done by this year so next year will be a whole new year," he said. "It feels good to be clean and sober, but it also feels a lot better to be clean, sober and free."
Lindsey Anderson can be reached at 575-541-5462.
Source: http://www.currentargus.com/ci_23762934/drug-use-nm-teens-exceeds-chicago-detroit?source=rss_viewed
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New enforcement policies take effect at NCAA
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Rule-breakers beware. The NCAA is now holding everyone more accountable with harsher punishments.
More than a year after hammering Penn State for Jerry Sandusky's crimes and nearly six months after shaking up the enforcement division because of a self-inflicted scandal, the governing body cast aside its outdated two-tiered penalty structure and deliberative hearing process in favor of new policies that could result in the suspension of coaches and more consistent punishments for major infractions.
The new rules, approved in October, officially took effect Thursday.
"I think they've certainly changed the equation a lot," NCAA President Mark Emmert told The Associated Press. "So those doing risk-reward analysis, we've just upped the ante on risk, and I think that will have a material impact on people's behavior."
Emmert called for tougher measures to go into effect two years ago during a presidential summit in Indianapolis. Now that they're finally on the books, the embattled Emmert has a rare victory in what has been one of the toughest years in NCAA history.
From the announcement of rogue staffers violating the organization's own policies to the continual critiques about how Emmert runs the NCAA to concerns about low morale inside the Indianapolis headquarters, everything has been a target. There are court cases, complaints from conference commissioners, debates over whether big-budget and small-budget schools can co-exist in the same division, and calls for Emmert's resignation.
Amid all that, many of the attempts to reform college sports have fizzled, including a $2,000 stipend for athletes that Emmert champions. The board of directors passed that measure in the fall of 2011 only to have it stopped by opposition from smaller schools, many of whom complained they couldn't afford it.
But getting tough on cheaters is something most college leaders have rallied around.
College fans will see a noticeable difference in the way cases are handled.
Instead of categorizing infractions as major or secondary, there will now be four categories. Punishments will be reduced or toughened based on whether there are mitigating or aggravating circumstances. Teams or schools found to be in "serious breach of conduct" with aggravating circumstances could face severe penalties, if not those approaching Penn State's unprecedented sanctions (four-year postseason ban and a $60 million fine).
Head coaches will find themselves under more scrutiny. By changing the burden from "presumption of knowledge" to "presumption of responsibility," head coaches could now be suspended for up to one full season if any member of their staff commits a serious rules infraction.
The changes will not affect cases that have already been heard, such as the pending case against the University of Miami, and schools that are found to have committed infractions before the board's vote on Oct. 30 will be processed under the new structure but will face penalties under the previous structure. Infractions that occurred after Oct. 30 or both before and after will face the new punishments.
"It's insufficient to say, 'I didn't have any idea of what's going on here,'" Emmert said. "When you think about the people at the highest level and who impact this the most, it's the people who are most directly involved. So the coaches have a responsibility to set the tone in that room on a daily basis and if they are not, then they will be held accountable."
The infractions committee will look different, too.
The NCAA has already increased the number of committee members from 10 to 18 and could add up to six more. Emmert and the board believes that will split the workload, allow smaller groups to conduct roughly twice as many hearings each year and expedite a decision-making process that has long been criticized as being far too slow.
For the first time, former college coaches, such as Lloyd Carr and Bobby Cremins, and former university presidents, such as Michael Adams and Carol Cartwright, will hear cases, ask questions and make decisions, too.
"There's going to be people on the committee that know and understand college sports," Emmert said. "It's a thankless job, but with this structure we will get new and varied voices in the process."
The NCAA is still facing a number of challenges, including a closely watched federal lawsuit in California many believe could change college sports.
On Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said video game maker Electronic Arts can be sued by college players who claim the company unfairly used their images without compensation. The lawsuit argues for class action status to represent all current and former players and has been combined with a similar suit filed by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA.
"The main thing is that this takes away their principal defense and leaves them with, what I think, is a pretty weak defense," said Rob Carey, a partner at the law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro in Seattle, a firm that represents the players. "They know what it is and they pretended it was like this little narrow thing, and I don't think a jury will react well to that."
Emmert declined to talk specifically about the lawsuit or Wednesday's ruling, though he did say losing in the courts would have a "dramatic impact" on college athletics.
Carey and Emmert both said there have been no discussions yet about a potential settlement. Carey does not believe the case will reach the courtroom before 2015.
Over the past few weeks, several power-conference commissioners complained about NCAA governance. Emmert has spent the summer talking with those commissioners, and acknowledges changes need to be made.
Potential solutions are to be discussed at next week's board of directors meeting, though Emmert does not expect a vote on any changes until at least next August. He has also called for a January summit.
"There's an interest from the board to see some seriousness of intent and that they're really going to move on governance reform," Emmert said. "We have many different segments that are frustrated with the current environment. It needs to be done with some speed, but you've got to have some voices in it. You've got to find ways to reach out, get a lot of opinions and get people together."
Much like the NCAA did on the enforcement changes that are now in effect.
"Will they be perfect right out of the box. No, of course not, I'm sure they'll have to be tweaked or be adjusted," Emmert said. "No one believes we have found the perfect model, but everyone believes it's a significant move in the right direction."
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As San Diego mayor heads for therapy, city faces big mess (+video)
Confusion is mounting about correct city procedures as San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is about to undergo counseling after accusations of inappropriate behavior toward women.
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner speaks during a news conference at City Hall, July 26, 2013, in San Diego.
Gregory Bull/AP
EnlargeSan Diego Mayor Bob Filner ? faced with a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his former communications director ? is not only embarrassing his city, but is also presenting it with confusing legal choices, political and legal analysts say.
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He has agreed to undergo two weeks of counseling as seven other women have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate behavior. The therapy is to take place Aug. 5-19, during which the mayor has said he will receive twice-a-day briefings about city operations.
But seven of the nine city council members say he should resign. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz have also indicated as much.
In addition, two potential recall efforts are afoot. One recall group filed an affidavit Monday indicating its plans, and another published an ad over the weekend indicating similar intentions.
It?s all adding up to a confusing situation, and questions are multiplying by the moment. Among the questions:
? Who is in control of the city while the mayor is in rehab?
? Can two recalls go on at the same time?
? Are the city?s recall measures at odds with those of California?
? Who will pay Filner?s legal fees?
?The City Council and other civic leaders throughout the city are responding to the politics of the situation and the outrage that stretches far beyond the region's borders,? says David McCuan, a political scientist at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., in an e-mail. ?Citizens, comedians, state and national leaders ? everyone has the same message for the Mayor: get out and get help. Yet, the Mayor is hunkering down and preserving all his legal options. This sets up a monumental battle through a recall effort and if there is more than one effort, the Mayor could potentially survive.?
Filner declared Monday that he thinks the city should pay his legal fees, and the city council rejected that in a late Tuesday vote. The council also voted unanimously to indemnify itself against all damages and legal fees it might incur as a result of the lawsuit.
?If Bob Filner engaged in unlawful conduct and the city is held liable, he will have to reimburse us every penny the city pays and its attorney fees,? City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said.
In a statement, Councilmember Kevin Faulconer said: ?Bob Filner can?t pay back San Diegans for the damage he?s done to our city?s reputation.?
Another figure who says Filner should resign is city council president Todd Gloria, who would become acting mayor in the event of a resignation.
?I applaud his action to seek help, but it only underscores what a lot of us are saying, which is you cannot seek help and run the city at the same time,? Mr. Gloria said in an interview with KPBS TV. ?That?s why myself and so many others have said, Mayor, you need to resign.?
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Former NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief Tony Glover named technical director of Touring Series - NASCAR News | FOX Sports on MSN
Updated?Aug 1, 2013 4:42 AM ET
?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)
Three-time Daytona 500 winning crew chief Tony Glover has been named technical director of NASCAR's Touring Series.
The appointment was one of several made Tuesday.
Former crew chief Chris Wright was named K&N Pro Series East director. Kip Childress was named K&N Pro Series West Director. Les Westerfield resumes his role as Touring Series technical coordinator and K&N Pro Series East race director.
Glover won 24 races as crew chief, including the 1991 Daytona 500 with Erine Irvan and the 1994 and 1995 Daytona 500s with Sterling Marlin.
Childress has been the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Director since 2008 and is a third-generation NASCAR official. Wright has been a crew chief, shop foreman and consultant for teams at several NASCAR levels.
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Thursday, August 1, 2013
Group seeks humanist wedding in Naval Academy's main chapel
The American Humanist Association said it will consider taking legal action after the U.S. Naval Academy denied a request for a humanist wedding ceremony in the academy's main chapel (seen here). (Naval Academy via Flickr)
By Brian Witte
The Associated Press
More In News
Source: http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130731/NEWS/307310005
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How-to Buy A Luxury Car For Nuts | Fantsay Football
Posted by karon on Jul 30, 2013 in Home | Comments Off
The car auction is where many used-car dealers visit find deals due to their business. This often consists of the used-car sales manager going to the auto market and buying the cars he or she thinks will turn the greatest income due to their dealership. These vehicle deals usually take place about once per week, and might be attended by only licensed car dealers. This is not the same as an automobile market which can be visited by the general public. The main purpose of the type of automobile auction will be to allow car dealers to buy and sell used cars for their lot.
Buying used cars at an automobile auction enables the seller to purchase a car at an inexpensive volume and then turn it into a good profit. These sellers know their limits, and they know what they have to buy a car for at the auction so that you can turn a reasonable profit at the store.
There are many dealers that also offer their used cars at vehicle auctions. These merchants often sell cars they can not move off of their lot for one reason or the next. Also, these dealers also practice taking deal inches to the market to remove them for more money than they paid. This is a great way in order for them to make some extra cash off of the industry ins they take. To get alternative interpretations, please check out: get silencer and suppressor.
An auto auction is an function that each car dealer has taken part in at one point in time, and probably will again sometime in the long run. That is one of the most useful ways for them to make money, and change a large income for their particular store. If you should be authorized visit the local auto market to-day and make some cash!
But there is something only several people know: there are actually many car auction sites online where everybody could auction a luxury car for peanuts. Discover further about inside suppressor silencer by going to our rousing use with. Thousands of cars become government or bank home through various seizure laws, each and every month. As a result of undeniable fact that the trouble to store them is great, these vehicles should be sold fast and cheap. You can purchase direct from the resources and save greatly. Savings as high as 90-days off the regular retail price aren?t rare. To get a different standpoint, please consider taking a view at: consumers.
Finding these auction sites is not difficult. Just head to your favorite search engine and search for government auctions or police auctions.
Source: http://www.fantasyfootballfiles.com/how-to-buy-a-luxury-car-for-nuts/
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?2 Guns? Interview: Denzel Washington & Mark Wahlberg on Being Buddy Cops
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2 Guns is, in many ways, a throwback film. It?s a throwback to the films of Sam Peckinpah, it?s a throwback to the ?80s buddy cop comedy, it has some shades of film noir, and so on. It?s also an adaptation of a little known comic book of the same name by Steven Grant.
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg play Bobby Trench and Marcus Stigman ? two undercover agents (DEA and NCIS, respectively) completely unaware of each other?s undercover status ? who get embroiled in a war between a drug kingpin (Edward James Olmos), an amoral CIA agent (Bill Paxton), a corrupt navy officer (James Marsden), and all their minions. Then there?s Paula Patton?s character, also a DEA agent and the (ex?) love interest to Denzel?s character, who?s sort of playing all the sides of this war against one another.
Recently, Screen Rant attended a press conference and heard from director Baltasar Korm?kur (Contraband), writer Blake Masters (Law and Order: LA), and the cast of 2 Guns ? including Washington, Wahlberg, Paxton, and Patton ? about the film?s characters, its many cinematic influences, and the politics of making a film about the drug war.
Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington talked about working with each other for the first time:
Mark: ?Well, we?ve known each other for a while. I think what surprised me was how willing Denzel was to just try anything. Because we wanted to add some humor [to '2 Guns'] and kind of shake it up a bit and combine comedic elements with the dramatic aspect of the movie.?
Denzel: ?Especially coming off of ?Flight,? I was looking to do something [...] more fun. So when I read the script and [...] I heard that Mark was involved, I was like, ?Oh, okay, I could be safe.? Because I knew Mark was not just funny, but he has a warmth and a heart about him that I?ve loved and ? I watched ?Ted? the other night. [Laughter.] That?s a sick movie. How?d you do that fight scene? That was crazy!?
Mark: ?That was embarrassing.?
Denzel: ?But you were willing! You got spanked and everything. So all of that ? I was like, ?Okay, I want to be a part of [this sort of thing].? I wasn?t ready to be spanked yet ? not right out of the gate. But he really helped free me up, you know, to go for it, [to not] worry about being silly or being too ? whatever.?
There?s a scene about three-fourths of the way through the film where Denzel and Mark captured by Edward James Olmos? drug lord character and are hung upside down in a pit with a bull. As they?re being interrogated by Olmos, the bull continually charges at their heads and they have to pull themselves up to avoid being gored.
Mark and Denzel talked about that scene and the difficulties of shooting it upside down:
Mark: ?Well, I thought it was no big deal being hung upside down. [Then] all the blood?s rushing to your head [and] it?s like, it was not fun. [Denzel] actually wanted to go up at the last second and I was just like, ?Oh, let?s just go up now.? And then of course, I started complaining quite a few minutes before he started complaining. It?s not a fun position to be in. But I think it?s a really cool scene, it?s really different, you haven?t seen it before.
Denzel: ?The bull enjoyed the scene.?
Mark: ?[Denzel] kept saying, ?The bull doesn?t give a ****. He doesn?t know we?re making the movie.? ?
What appealed to Denzel and Mark about working on 2 Guns?
Denzel: ?For me, we could have been mailmen, we could have been ? whatever it was, it was the opportunity to work with Mark. Without being cliche, we?re buddies. It?s a buddy movie. So it was a chance to do that and have fun. I mean, I didn?t do months of DEA research, let?s just put it that way.?
Mark: ?I did.?
[Laughter.]
Denzel: ?I watched ?DEA Detroit,? a [reality TV] series. That was my in-depth research.?
Mark: ?I was attached to the movie first, and it was always about who is the other guy. It?s about the two guys. [Like Denzel said], no matter what they?re doing. You look at ?Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,? they?re running from something that you never really saw. But with these guys, it?s like ? usually they?ll take the comedy guy, the really [...] out there comedy guy and then the very straight guy and put them together. We didn?t want to do that. I felt like you had to have two really formidable opponents and to earn that camaraderie, to earn that trust in one another. And that was really the movie.?
The movie does benefit quite a bit from that camaraderie and back and forth between Mark and Denzel. And even though Mark said he didn?t want a ?comedy guy? and a ?straight guy? set-up, it?s pretty apparent that Mark is the comedy guy in the movie and Denzel is the straight guy. While Denzel isn?t humorless, his humor in the film tends to be dry, and Mark is basically his regular wacky self. Regardless, it works.
Did they improv any of their scenes?
Denzel: ?We went for it.?
Mark: ?Yeah, there was a lot [of improv].?
Denzel: ?Kicking the hat, stuffing the gun in the guy?s crotch.?
Mark: ?Yeah, we just ? you know, I?d worked with Baltasar before, so he was coming to the movie with me, kind of doing my thing. Improvisation can always make scenes better as long as it pertains to the moment in the movie. [A]s long as it kind of makes sense with the story and the scene ? we played. And just played and played. [Sometimes Denzel would] just look at me and say, ?Did you really just say that?? ?
Denzel: That?s why I said, for me, it was new territory. So by improvising, something might come out that might be good. And it?s film, so they can cut it if it ain?t.? [Laughter.]?
_____
NEXT PAGE: Bill Paxton on being creepy ?
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"Follow us if you want to live."
Source: http://screenrant.com/2-guns-movie-interview-mark-wahlberg-denzel-washington-2013/
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
DELL-Jesse L posted Dell WebCam not working in Skype **Update 7-30-2013** to Microsoft OS Forum .
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The American Military Is All Up in Baghdad's Casual Encounters
In the "no doy" department, Craigslist in Baghdad is a hot bed of horny young military members looking for some release. I guess whenever you confine a bunch of 23-year-olds in one place, they're gonna get laid or post penis pics trying.
The men for men section is by faaaar the most robust, followed by men for women. There are women looking for men (15 total), and ladies looking for ladies (two of those). Oh, and some good samaritans (?) who are just writing NSFW erotica specifically for military men.
If you're interested in placing an ad (or replying to one!), it's totally legal within the confines of the military, unless a higher up cracks down and issues a no more buttcracks order.
[Daily Dot]
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Israel and Palestine Agree to Peace Deal Within 9 Months
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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Tuesday, July 30, 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestine's chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. ...
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Sex crimes, street violence & corruption in ghanaian society ...
THE MEDIA ON STREET & SEXUAL VIOLENCE:
Compatriots,
I recently posted on street and sexual crime statistics in Ghana/Africa, to explain the seriousness of seismic increases in various forms of violence and general corruption in Ghana. This second part of the essay presents the reality of street and sexual violence from media sources. For brevity, each news report will be immediately followed by critical analysis.
VICTIMS OF STREET CRIME
The following violent incident titled, Innocent Man Taken for a Thief and Lynched, is a sneak-preview of what mainly occurs on a fairly regular basis in the major cities of Ghana. Clearly the spark that tolled the alarm bells leading to the young man?s unfortunate death, was the resentment that had built up in the resident, ?whose house had been burgled about the same time?. Many Ghanaians have had some experience of crime. Therefore, like the alarmist above they keep a pressure cooker of vengeful resentment against criminals. A resentment compounded by an all too frequent experience of police inaction to crime resolution. This is evidenced by the level of unrestrained violence against alleged criminals who get caught:
?A 25-year-old man mistaken for a thief has been lynched by a mob at Nii Boi, a suburb of Accra. The young man was said to be loitering around the area at dawn, prompting a resident whose house had been burgled at about the same time, to raise an alarm. The victim was later discovered to be innocent after the lifeless body was paraded in front of a house identified as the family house of the deceased?.
?Assembly member of the area Michael Zigah told Joy News the Tesano police is investigating the case. ?Unfortunately, information that I am also getting now, tells me that the person is not a thief but he is somebody who lives in the community, sells at Lapaz and has family in the community.? He confirmed that the police have been in the area to pick up some people they suspect of killing the young man?. (http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201105/65706.asp).
Critical Analysis
This violence is often perpetrated by both male and females with equal gratuitous violence and self-relish. Sadly this phenomenon has come home to roost in Ghana. It only requires an alarm, ?awi!? or ?julor!?. Someone is pursued, caught and beating to death. Nearly always the police appear to lack the logistics or inclination to successfully investigate and arrest the perpetrators of the mob crime. This reality of instant justice is indicative of public lack of confidence in the professionalism of the police or criminal justice system.
Unlike metropolitan centres of the industrialised world, with rapid police response times, the Ghana police service tend to respond too late. The cumulative result is that mob justice has sadly become a regular feature in Ghana. It would seem that this is a pervasive African problem. In the mid 1980s I observed many people being burnt alive in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. Their apparent offence: running after being called, ?ole!? (thief). Pursued and caught, they were ringed with vehicle tires and burnt. The police mopped up the carnage weeks later ? they always come too late!
THE WRONG DIAGNOSIS OF CRIME
In a recent article titled, Mass Unemployment Is Contributing to Armed Robbery, Ghanaweb.com columnist, Alex Bossman Baafi wrote:
?Many concerned people are worried and trying to find out what is causing the upsurge in armed robbery because the state of insecurity these days had become a topical issue nationwide. In my opinion, the increase in armed robbery is due to multiplicity of factors. These include the influx of foreigners from our West African sub-region, increase in drug abuse with substances like marijuana, which is common in our society, effects of increase in dehumanizing conditions emanating from slums settlements in our cities, idleness and poverty arising out of mass unemployment among others?.
?In my opinion, joblessness is also contributing in no small measure to the current upsurge in crime including armed robbery and rape causing insecurity in the country. In search for the solution for this unacceptable social ill, the government should not discount unemployment and sweep it under the carpet. The government must accept the responsibility to tackle the problem of unemployment head-on and must be one of the main priority areas as part of its Better Ghana Agenda dispensation?. (Ghanaweb, Feature Article of Thursday, 4 August 2011).http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=215422)
Baafi corroborates what I have said about the meteoric rise in crimes in Ghana. He is right about its the multiple reason: the effects of slum living, idleness and poverty ? links between crimes and unemployment. However, I am not so sure of his other causal analysis. The jingoistic (anti foreigner) assumption, that Ghana is somewhat being swamped by criminals teaming from the West African sub-region, is the same argument used against Ghanaians and other West Africans by the Nigerian media during the ?Agege Years? of mass Ghanaian out-migration to Nigerian.
Yes some non Ghanaian criminals have been apprehended and been successfully prosecuted by the law, but there is no valid ?foreign? crime data to support Baafi?s allegation. Baafi may be scapegoating here. He also stereotypes the issue in stating, ?substances like marijuana, which is common in our society? causes crime in Ghana. In the West where major studies have been done on the link between drugs and crimes among the ?under-classes?, there is abundant information to suggest a causal link between crime and stimulant (opposed to sedative) drugs like, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, mephedrone, etc. The A-Z of Drugs, Chilling out on the job on ?weed?, informs us:
?Cannabis: It is a mild sedative (often causing a chilled out feeling or actual sleepiness) and it?s also a mild hallucinogen (meaning you may experience a state where you see objects and reality in a distorted way and may even hallucinate). The main active compound in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)?. (http://www.talktofrank.com/drugs.aspx?id=172).
Taking cocaine makes users feel on top of the world. Its effect is like the stimulant ?amphetamines? (speed) but is stronger and doesn?t last as long. People taking it feel wide-awake, confident and on top of their game:
?The effects of crack [cocaine] smoking?Users feel alert, confident, euphoric and talkative, and some feel greater empathy with those around them?Mephedrone: A stimulant drug belonging to the chemical family of cathinones?the family of amphetamine compounds. The amphetamine-like drugs include amphetamine itself (speed), methamphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA), among many others. Mephedrone produces euphoria, alertness, talkativeness and feelings of empathy. It can also cause anxiety and paranoid states and risks overstimulating the heart and circulation? (http://www.talktofrank.com/drugs.aspx?id=7513).
(http://www.talktofrank.com/cannabis.aspx?id=3247).
CONCLUSION
So science, not non-science (nonsense) speaks: sedative drugs like marijuana equal sleepiness, distortion of reality. Stimulant drugs like crack cocaine and amphetamine-like drugs equal users feeling ?on top of the world?, euphoric and alert. If I was a thief I would rather be euphoric, alert and keep my faculties sharpened rather than sleepy and lacking of reality ? would you not? Marijuana users are more likely to fall asleep (chilled out) on the job or eat a lot(have the ?munchies?) than want to speed down the motorway on a hot tropical afternoon to commit highway robbery!
It is certainly true drug usage can contribute to criminal activity. But we must reject the common-sense social notion in Ghana that links all aggressive or wayward behaviour to marijuana (?wee?). Like the statistical data given in the first seam of the essay, what we need in Ghana is a detailed study of the causes and solutions to the rise in crime. The blame game, as Ghanaian political protagonists tend to do, will only confuse and frustrate genuine attempts at finding solutions.
What is generally correct about all crimes, is that they are rooted in poverty, unimaginative national programmes for jobs and career opportunities for the youth and unemployed, material fetishism (unreasonable greed and worship of material things in society) low nation administrative checks-and-balances that causes corrupt leaders to side step professional and ethical practices, etc. It can even be argued low national export earnings is the fundamental that cause of high crimes. The necessary Development and Modernisation Programme (DMP) that ought to be launched, to comprehensively industrialise and modernize Ghana, is held at ransom to the bankrupting IMF-SAP programme.
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The next essay is titled:
T O F I A K W A!: SEX CRIMES, STREET VIOLENCE & CORRUPTION IN GHANAIAN SOCIETY (4a OF 6): SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST AMINA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON.
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